#proving themselves before they face marth again. i let you down but i am ready now. wiser than i was.

[didsomeonesayventus]

find myself thinking about the emblem paralogues and like. really cute throwbacks to iconic chapters of FE history and all but when in the narrative are these supposed to happen and also like. man these are meant to be bond deepening faux skirmishes but if you're playing with permadeath on. woof if someone dies. and some of these are a bitch of a fight too I am looking at you Leif.

personally I think post chapter 20 pre chapter 21 is a good spot to like. narratively chunk them all in. something something alear wants to prove themselves something something pilgrimage spent further establishing and deepening divine right or whatever

[takumeat]

pls friend. hit me with all the ephrom goodness u can muster. my children are starving

I AM HERE TO SERVE MY FRIEND.

What to talk about… What about more on theAwakening universe idea?

(PS: I basciallywrote an entire story outline (this is literally Awakening to Chapter 13 andthen some), so this is absURDLY LONG (IT’S 3400+ WORDS). It’s like a story with no dialogue. Also spoilers for Sacred Stones andAwakening. If I get anything wrong from SS, I apologize; I haven’t played thegame, but I know how it ends.)

This all starts out after Southtown as Chrom and the othersare heading to Ylisstol. They pass by another plain and instead it being empty,there’s a body laying down near the tree. Chrom, finding it ironic, leads hisgroup to see who the mysterious person is this time. He’s immediately struckwith surprise.

There’s a green haired man lying down underneath a tree. Anintricately designed lance is laying nearby and the armor he wears is just asdesigned and well-kept. His soft aqua green hair sways against his forehead andhis lips are parted slightly, small breaths falling out. Lissa has to elbowChrom multiple times to get his attention.

The group resolves to bring the man with him for he’s toowell dressed to be a common thief and his lance is one none of them have everseen before. They strip him of his armor and Robin, the little sneak, says thatChrom should carry the man since Frederick no longer has room on his horse.Chrom doesn’t know if he should love his new tactician or hate his newtactician.

Good news, the man eventually wakes as the four of them chowon their bear meat. But upon waking up, the man grabs the closest blade he couldfind, grabs the closest person in reach, and points the blade at the person’sneck. The person in question is Chrom and the blade in question is Frederick’sSilver Lance. Needless to say, the camp dissolved into chaos and panic.

Once everything calmed down and the man was assured that no we’re not kidnappers we just saw youunconscious on the road and found it necessary to bring you to safety, theysat him down to introduced himself. He said his name was Ephraim and that wasall he knew. Well, that and that he could maneuver a lance’s blade likenobody’s business but that’s beside the point. Chrom (Robin and the otherscould see how smitten he was with this man he just met) introduces himself andthe other members of his party. Robin and Lissa greet him kindly whileFrederick looks ready to pounce on him. An uneasy truce is set up between themembers of the group as Ephraim decides to sleep away from them so he won’tbother them. Chrom is obviously saddened by this. Robin jabs him in the ribs.

The Risen come as a surprise to all of them and Ephraimproves his worth to them. With his lance—Siegmund, Ephraim tells him—he’s able to tear apart the zombieswith just a swing. Not only that, he was absurdly good on the battlefield,making it look like he was born to be in a fight. He’s quick and tactical,though also a tad bit impulsive since Chrom actually had to grab his collarbefore he ran into a group of Risen. With that. Chrom resolved to add Ephraimin their band of Shepherds and offers this to him, saying that he could stayfor as long as he wanted to. Ephraim agrees and Chrom’s heart can’t help butsing.

Ephraim is taken to by the Shepherds just as well as Robin is. He’spolite at first to everyone he meets, but he’s such a sucker for sparring, hegoads nearly everyone in the army to go at him at least once. He’s battled withalmost everyone in the army but doesn’t leave them hanging. He advises them ontheir techniques and what they could improve on. For anyone who uses a lance,he shows them his own techniques in case they want to apply them to themselves.Not only does he get along with the warriors of the army, he’s on good termswith the more reserved members. He indulges anyone he talks to and, while hesucks at conveying his emotions sometimes, he’s a supremely good listener.

Robin, the ever-observant tactician, can’t help but smile wheneverEphraim comes by the chat about strategy or with an offer to spar, but he knowsChrom would enjoy it much more. So, under everyone’s noses, he makes sure topair the two up as much as possible. During the fight against the Feroxi BorderGuard, he instructs Ephraim to look for Chrom as soon as possible. In thearena, he makes the two stand next to each other. When off to get Maribelleback from Gangrel, he doesn’t even have to tell Ephraim to go to Chrom when heneeds aid.

Due to Robin’s intervention, Chrom and Ephraim gradually getcloser. They’re seen talking to each other more in the barracks and Ephraimusually asks only Chrom for a quick clash or two now. They chat about moremenial things more often, wondering about each other’s likes, dislikes,interests, etc. The other Shepherds, picking up on Robin’s plan, silently cheerfor the two in the background. They could practically taste it in the airnow—they were falling in love!

But as Gangrel’s efforts to start another war began to increase,Chrom and Ephraim’s budding relationship had to be put on stasis. The attemptedassassination of Emmeryn was only proof of that. The Shepherds were all on edgeafter the ordeal, but there was something nagging Chrom about the girl who hadsaved him. Marth was an odd character, but had seen the future. She knew thatEmmeryn was going to be killed and did her best to save her. But there wassomething about her that was vaguely familiar. Was it Falchion that she held inher hand? Or was it Siegmund that she tried to hide behind her back?

Any remaining thoughts about Marth disappears from his mind once Emmerynis stolen away from him.

The Shepherds, not letting this deter Chrom and Ephraim’srelationship, push the two together as much as possible. Robin often letsEphraim deal with Chrom whenever he needs to vent, ignoring the spearman’sprotests. They progress through the mission, slowly opening up to each othereven more. Chrom can’t help but worry whenever Ephraim isn’t by his side andEphraim finds himself heading in the prince’s way without even realizing it.They’re drawn to each other like moths to a flame.

It was cute, Emmeryn sometimes thought. She was as knowledgeable asthe other Shepherds when it came to Chrom’s little crush on the aqua greenhaired man. She could see how close they were getting and how they just neededa little extra push. She smiles. Ephraim will be good for Chrom and they’lltake care of each other, even when she’ll no longer be there with him. Take good care of Chrom, Ephraim, shethinks before she falls.

Chrom is a mess after Emmeryn’s death. Everyone in the Shepherdsis. Even as they rally against the soldiers that Gangrel sent after they ran,there’s a distinct air of loss and crushing anguish around the group. Theyfight without care, with neither hide nor hare until Basilio breaks the mold,voing for revenge for Emmeryn’s death. However, as most of the Shepherds’sspirits lift, Chrom notices someone who was still grieving.

He walks into Ephraim’s tent to find the man curled up in a ball onhis makeshift bed. He’s clutching onto Siegmund tightly,staring at it unabashedly. Chrom, fearing the worst, hastily snatches theweapon and forces Ephraim to look him in the eyes. The man tells him that heremembers something. He remembers that he had a sister, a younger twin sisterby the name of Eirika. She looked just like him, just with bluer and longerhair. He remembers as he watched Emmeryn fall, seeing his sister near him,broken and bleeding profusely as a large demonic creature descended on her,attacking her. He remembers screaming her name before the memory whited out,leaving him with a hole in his heart. The next thing he knows, he’s pouring hisheart out to the lord in front of him.

He says how he’s afraid to lose Chrom. He always wondered about thelife he led before he lost his memories, about the friends and family he leftbehind. Now with the memory of Eirika’s bleeding form, he’s afraid that he’lllose those he cares about like he lost his sister. Was the pain he felt fromhis sister’s loss enough to kill himself? Was that why he was here, in anotherrealm with nothing to his name except the clothes on his back, his lance, and hisskills? Were the gods cursing him for his inability to protect his sister?Would they take him away from his new family as well? Would they take Chromaway from him, just when he admitted to himself how he felt?

Chrom, taking this all in stride, wanted to prove to Ephraim how hewouldn’t let himself be taken away. So, he cups his hands around Ephraim’s faceand brings their lips together.

After parting, he explains how he’ll always be at Ephraim’s side,no matter the circumstances. Even if he forgets again, even if they getseparated by the very gods themselves, he’ll find his way back to him no matterwhat. He wouldn’t ever be alone again. Not on Chrom’s watch.

The next day, Lissa and Robin find the two curled up in Ephraim’sbed, both with content smiles on their faces. Lissa silently whoops and Robinsighs, defeated. As they walked away from the tent, Robin pulls out severalgold coins from his pocket and hands them to Lissa, who gleefully races to theother Shepherds to collect their bets.

It’s after the fight against Gangrel does their relationship reallystart to pick up. With Chrom as the new Exalt, the need for an heir starts toget bothersome. The Council demands it so that the throne of Ylisse will besecure. Ephraim, now official assigned as Royal Consort, can’t bear childrenand neither can Chrom, so the Council decides there to be a surrogate. Robin,officially the halidom’s tactician, secretly applies for the help of Tharja andHenry. He knows that Chrom wants a child of both his and Ephraim’s blood, butknows how impossible it is. Luckily for him, they have two mages willing to gettheir hands a little dirty. So, after a little discussing with Tharja andHenry, looking in age old books, and creating a multitude of differentincantations, they’ve come up with a little something-something to make theimpossible possible.

Just snatch Ephraim here, knock him unconscious for a few minutes,cast the hex there, maybe a little aphrodisiac too to get the mood going, plophim in their bedroom, and wait for the results. Just to make sure they had theutmost privacy, a little soundproofing spell was casted on the walls in casethey got… noisy.

Nine months, several bouts of fainting, vomiting, screaming,squealing, and constant trips to the kitchen and bathroom later, Lucina wasborn to the Exalt and Royal Consort of Ylisse. She had inherited her father’shair and eye color, though in bright sunlight, her hair takes a greenish tinge.The Brand of the Exalt sits in her left eye, glimmering as she watches her fatherand her dad (no matter how much they insisted on it, Ephraim refused be calledmother by his daughter; he doesn’t care if he’s the one who gave birth to her,he will be called dad instead). Ofcourse, several weeks after Lucina’s birth, there’s unease coming from acrossthe sea.

(Chrom had insisted that Ephraim remain in the capital for Lucinawas still so young, but Ephraim did not allow it. He nearly whacked him overthe head with Siegmund for even thinking about the idea.)

With their daughter left with the wet nurses, the two royals andthe Shepherds departed for Regna Ferox and deal with the threat that came fromacross the sea. The Valmese are relentless in their quest to conquer andbattered the town of the invasion. Realizing they need help and with reluctancefrom Chrom, the group departs for Plegia for aid. Aid which they gladly gave.With enough ships for their army as well as a fully paid campaign, the tripmust have been too good to be true.

And it was, as Robin was mind tortured in front of Chrom’s eyes.Validar raced towards his friend, helping him up and finding out that he wasValidar’s son. Chrom reassured that being someone’s child didn’t make him anyless than who he is. Thanking him, the two were ready to withdraw for thenight, until, Frederick comes, bearing ill news.

The Risen came upon all of them and the Shepherds who came out tofight were hastily dressed. There was no time for formation as they all delvedinto the battle, slashing and stabbing at the Risen soldiers. Chrom couldn’t helpbut cringe as he was separated from Ephraim, but at least his husband was withthe axe swinging Lissa, ready to aid when needed. Together with Robin, theyraced for the lead Risen, who was perched on top of a bridge. As quick aspossible, the pair of lord and tactician slew the Risen, watching as the thingdissolved into black smoke. All at once, the other zombie monsters dissolved aswell. Chrom could almost hear all the sighs of relief from his army as hewatched the healers make their rounds on anyone who was injured. He had let hisguard down.

A shout of “Father!” met his ears as Marth swoops in, parrying ablow from the Risen assassin before it disappears. She looks relieved when theymeet eyes, but then, she realizes her mistake as her eyes widen.

The brand in her eye is obvious once he takes a closer look. Awayfrom all others, he sees Marth for what she truly is: Lucina, his daughter. Shebreaks down in front of him, hugging him as tight as she could as if she hadn’tseen her father in years. Her uniform, her sword, the lance on her back… oh,what life had she led? What had led her to have both Falchion and Siegmundunder her possession? Chrom smiles as Lucina giggles at the prospect of callinghim Father. She grew up to be a strong girl, that’s for sure.

Father and daughter hear footsteps come from nearby and they bothlook to see Ephraim, Robin, and Lissa approaching, Ephraim leading them.Ephraim walks up to them, mildly suspicious of the girl. Robin and Lissa hangback, uncertain. The aqua green haired man demands to know what’s going on, aswith a situation like this are rumors born and Chrom happily obliges. Lucinaventures to her dad as the man is in disbelief, as are the pair standing behindthem. She shows him the brand in her eye, which Ephraim remarks to be the samein his daughter’s eye. She tells them that the Lucina in the castle isperfectly fine and that she hails from a time distant from now.

In her time, Ylisse was ravaged by the resurrection of the FellDragon, Grima. Whole cities were destroyed, millions perished, and Lucinawatched with her own eyes the fall of her father, of her dad, of all theShepherds she had grown to love. She gestures to her Falchion on her hip, thelast gift from her father and from behind her back, she pulls out Siegmund, thelast gift from her dad. Chrom insists that Lucina truly is their daughter fromall her proof. But, Ephraim wants to know one more thing before he believesher.

He asks her of the origins of her middle name.

He and Chrom had resolved to keep her middle name as somethingbetween themselves, never making it known to the public. All of the Shepherdsknew her middle name but didn’t know where it came from. They both decided thatthey would tell Lucina who she was named after when she grew older.

Lucina smiles and says that she was named after her dad’s twinsister, Eirika.

Lucina finds herself in her dad’s tight embrace and she can’t helpbut sob. She buries her head into his shoulder and clutches him tightly. Hownice it was to hear her dad’s voice again, cooing at her as he stroked herhair. From behind her, Chrom wraps his arms around his family and kisses hisdaughter’s and his husband’s heads. Lucina laughs wetly between them. She’sfinally back with them. She’s finally home.

(After that, the story progresses just as it would, with addedbonuses.

Having never learned how to use a lance, Ephraim takes it uponhimself to show his daughter the ways to wield a lance and eventually, ParallelSiegmund. Thus, she’s able to use both her parents’ weapons when she promotes.

Upon meeting Owain and him freaking out about “SACRED STONES”,there’s a little pull in Ephraim’s mind but that’s all.

The Outrealm Gate is revealed and is put to use. Anna pulls Chromand Ephraim away one day and tells them that the gate might lead them toEphraim’s true home, but she’s not 100% certain. They take the chance away andwith loads of magical power, a small group of Shepherds find themselvesstanding before a rejuvenated Renais. Anna advises them that they only have afew days before they’ll be kicked back to Ylisse, so use their time wisely. AtRenais, the group find out that it’s been several years since the end of a warand prince Ephraim’s disappearance. Because the prince was no longer there, theprincess took his place and became the queen who led Grado and Renais back tostability. The entire group is surprised that Ephraim is a prince of allthings, but all Ephraim wants to see is his sister.

Slowly, the memories begin the flood back, first with familiarfaces. Seth, Forde, Franz, Innes, Tana, L’arachel, friends of old began to comeback to him. In order to hide Ephraim’s identity, Chrom forces the man to weara cloak to not draw any suspicion from anyone else and he asks for an audiencewith the queen. Surprisingly, they were let through to see the Queen of Renaisherself, Ephraim’s twin sister, and technically Chrom’s sister-in-law, Eirika.She is kind and warm hearted to them even though they were strangers. She askswhat their business was with her and, at the sound of his sister’s voice,Ephraim breaks down into tears.

Chrom hastily reaches out for the man and pulls him in as Lucinaworriedly pitters around her dad. Eirika looks worried as well, descending fromher throne towards the crying man in the cloak. Ephraim pushes himself awayfrom his husband, reaches up, and pulls down his hood.

Eirika gasps before she launches herself at her long lost brother,crying. They grasp at each other, clutching the other as tight as they could astears pour from their eyes. They’re babbling nonsense to each other, butthey’re both smiling. Chrom looks around to see the other guards in completeshock. One in particular, a red haired man, approaches them with uncertainty.Ephraim and Eirika separates and Ephraim greets his old friend with a smile.Needless to say, even the perceived cold man was driven to tears at the sightof an old friend.

The days pass slowly as Ephraim reacquaints himself with those ofhis older life. He tells them he’s a married man now and introduces Chrom. Theamount of death threats Chrom gets is absurd. Ephraim then tells them that healso has a daughter and introduces Lucina. The girl ends up getting coddled byher aunt the entire time she’s there.

Eventually, the days they can stay are used up. Anna says that theycan come by again, but only after every six months. They all agree and theYlisseans are ready to leave for home, but Eirika looks reluctant to letEphraim go. She just got her brother back and the next time she was going tosee him was going to be six months from now. Call her selfish, but she missedher brother for a number of years. Thus, she and Chrom make a deal: after theirwar against Grima, Ephraim would return to Renais for as long as he wants to.He could stay there for six months or indefinitely; it was his choice. Withthat, the Shepherds all return home to Ylisse with a battle to be won.)

Well, that’s all I guess! THIS WAS ABSURDLY FUN TO WRITE HA HA HA.