Fire Emblem - Divine Code Avesta [A Project by Ixigo, Latest Chapter: Prologue]

[Guest Ixigo]

[align=justify][spoiler=Foreword]

 

FOREWORD:

 

So this is it, guys. After a long, long time, I decided to put another one of my works up here. This one's already well underway, as I wanted to get some reasonable amount of the story done before starting to post it.

 

This is a genuine Fire Emblem story. Though it takes place in none of the worlds / continents exposed to us in any of the Fire Emblem games, and has no connection to them - not yet, at least - it follows the same general line that the series does since it's beginning. Those who've played at least some Fire Emblem games will find themselves in familiar grounds almost from the get-go (though this is a novelization, of course), but even those that don't know about the games will be able to comprehend and hopefully enjoy this story, as it has no direct connection to them.

 

So, first things first, the Prologue. Don't be deceived by the splitting - I only had to separate it because I intentionally made it big. It is a Prologue only in title, as it preludes the beginning of the storyline before the main characters take off into their adventure, but it is expanded like a full-fledged part of the plot in its own right. Overall, the entire Prologue is over 10,000 words in length.

 

Anyway, once the Prologue is done, I'll be putting up a list and explanations of names and places, kingdoms, characters, enemies, weapons etc for easy reference, and follow up on it after every chapter.

 

Oh, and one last note. The main kingdom, Albion, draws its influence from the Arthurian epic. There will be other such trends / references, but they'll generally be more discreet.

 

Also, this story should be counted as PG-13. Violence is descriptive, but not explicit, and generally there is but a bare minimum of stuff that raise the rating even to that point. Overall, it should be the same as the games.

 

 

 

 

Fire Emblem ~ Divine Code Avesta

 

 

All is a Distant Utopia

 

 

[spoiler=Prologue Part I]

 

Prologue Part I: Rose of Twilight

 

With drowsy eyes, Seventh Prince Christian watched the fading rays of the sinking sun caress the slightly wavering leaves that hung like limp curtains over the giant trees that adorned the Aerie Gardens, the most beautiful place in the entire capital of New Camelot.

 

Having only witnessed fourteen winters pass over Albion, the grand empire that stretched across the western parts of Aldicia, Christian still bore a youthful face unmarred by the battlefield's perils in any of the constant struggles that sparked and dwindled across the country's borders. Blonde wavy hair framed that dreamy face, blue eyes poking from beneath the stray strands. White, pale skin and a slim, none too well-shaped figure clearly branded him as one who avoided manual labor.

 

Only seventh in row for succession of the Imperial Throne, concerns usually associated with royalty did not cloud his mind either. Destined to lord over one of the lesser Provinces upon reaching the proper age, Christian was not pressured like his elder siblings to learn the workings of nobility, and as such had a fair deal of free time to spend as he liked, a lot of which was spent merely lying on the smooth grass of the Aerie Gardens and watching the clouds overhead.

 

Throughout his days, Christian was lucky enough to have enjoyed a sheltered life within constant peace and quiet in a world ravaged by wars and mayhem. Thus, it was to his credit that he immediately sat up once the first, unidentifiable traces of a looming unease poked his senses. Not much later the first sounds of battle began penetrating the thick iron wall that were the boundary between the Aerie Gardens and the main part of Cerleon - the Imperial castle in New Camelot. Agitated, Christian looked over at the Emerald Tower, the Mages' central headquarters in Albion - and was thrown backwards by a gigantic explosion that rattled the structure to its very foundations, only the powerful mystic enchantments reinforcing the thick walls preventing it from collapsing on top of itself.

 

At this point, fright and raw survival instinct took over. Frantically, he leapt to his feet, and ran behind one of the stone benches that adorned the Aerie Gardens, the second one to the left of the gate. He was lucky enough to manage to squeeze himself behind it, completely blocked from view unless someone examined that specific spot, and still be able to see his immediate surroundings through a decorative hole in the middle of the stonework's back, just before said gate was shattered by a force that belied the use of nothing less than a battering ram from the inside, and half a dozen foot soldiers charged into the gardens.

 

Christian had no dreams of becoming a general, no grand visions of battlefield glory, but he had studied enough war history to at least recognize the insignia of the five great nations of Gaia. The sword-wielding plate-armored warriors carried the Crimson Phoenix of Lydia on their breastplates and rounded metal shields. Christian's eyes widened in disbelief. A vast desert nation spanning the entire width of southern Aldicia and even having several islands in the southern Aester Ocean, the sea between Aldicia and Dihlea under its dominion, Lydia was nonetheless an empire that had never posed an organized threat to Albion. Shattered into multiple nigh-autonomous clans, as a nation Lydia was a weak political and military force, but its advantageous location made it impossible to neutralize - thus, a constant series of skirmishes was waged between the two nations along the southern borders. To see Lydian troops in the heart of Albion's Imperial Capital was something beyond the comprehension of any man who could gauge the balance of power between the two countries, and Christian was no exception. But at the same time their intentions were all too easy to grasp.

 

"Those bastards sure keep a nice little park out here!" One of the Lydian swordsmen growled in the thick, bark-like accent of the southerners. "Let's put it to the torch, men!"

 

Christian barely managed to stifle a scream - if those men lit the gardens ablaze, there was almost no chance for his survival, isolated as he was in a corner of the park. However, the rustling of the leaves at his slight movement drew the attention of the six men, who began moving towards his precarious hiding spot. Sweat ran down Christian's forehead as he closed his eyes, desperately waiting for the incoming end -

 

"Archers, fire!"

 

The commanding, female voice that jerked Christian to full consciousness again was followed by the sound of arrows slicing through air - immediately, the Lydian who had spoken before fell with a silver-colored shaft sticking out from between his eyes, followed by one of his companions. A third was wounded in the thigh.

 

"Damn, it's an ambush! Get them!" One of the three Lydians on their feet yelled, ducking behind his shield while glancing at the arrow that had stabbed the ground a few inches away from where he stood. The other two mimicked his movement and began advancing rapidly towards the other side of the Gardens, the direction from which the arrows had been flung. But due to his positioning, Christian could see what they had overlooked - the attackers, obviously familiar with the terrain, had already began moving westwards in a semi-circle following the line of the balcony that was overlooking the main square, hiding behind bushes and trees. At this rate, they would very soon find themselves behind their opponents unprotected backs.

 

"Behind you!" Luck was not with the archers that time, as the injured Lydian shouted out in a pained cough - he was dying, but even then he had enough energy to call out a warning to his comrades, who instantly jerked backwards to face their halfway-exposed adversaries. But the other side was fast as well - another set of three arrows was launched, only one missing its intended target. Two Lydians fell dead, but the survivor continued its advance, raising his sword overhead and abandoning all defense, obviously the only thing occupying his mind being to live on by eliminating his adversary. The fine-crafted steel blade met the top of an unfortunate archer's head, and with no more resistance than an agonized squeal the young man, no more than twenty years old, fell to his death, carved almost in half by the invader's sword.

 

An enraged snarl escaping her lips, the female who was leading the counter-offense dropped her bow - her hands, moving like twin bolts of lightning, were now holding a pair of short, sharp-edged black daggers. Before her target had time to do more than partially recover his stance, those daggers had sliced his throat, resulting in a fountain of blood exploding from his torn arteries that spilled onto his killer's grey cloak.

 

For one not to have personally observed even a single death throughout his entire life, then bear witness to such a fast-paced massacre, was too much to handle. Christian stumbled from his hiding spot, retching loudly onto the grass and collapsing immediately afterwards. It was a wonder he had maintained his cool for that long. Incoherent voices and sounds of movement followed, and shortly thereafter, the young prince found himself being slapped back to awareness.

 

"With Rick down, that leaves the three of us." He heard a woman speak, though her voice betrayed less age and authority than the leader. "It is a miracle we got this far at all."

 

"Awake at last, sleepyhead." Then, another female voice that Christian could connect to the one from before, but also to someone else, spoke from above his head. "We were worried there for a second."

 

"Vanessa!" He exclaimed, snapping his eyes open. True enough, it was none other than his older sister, the captain of Cerleon's Bowman Brigade and fourth in age and line for succession amongst the royal siblings. His agitated state of mind and her diametrically different tone had blocked his recognition before, but his heart brightened now. Vanessa smiled wearily, and even though it was a sad smile, it still heartened Christian. "What happened?" He asked, focusing on more immediate matters. "Those were Lydian soldiers! How - ?"

 

"There's no time for that." Vanessa interrupted him, once again assuming a stern, crisp tone. "Seven portals were opened throughout Cerleon - one inside the castle, too! - and before we knew it, the damned Lydians were everywhere. Most of the garrison has been murdered or is in disarray. I think Vord has managed to round up enough of a force to offer some resistance in the lower levels, but most of the Royal Guard is protecting that Raphael, so it can't be helped. That explosion was probably Rayna's doing, and those Mages have better chances no matter how you look at it. I thank the Gods we found you, but Nina is still unaccounted for, and I worry about her. If only we had some swordsmen - !"

 

To an outsider, this analysis might make no sense, but knowing his siblings as he did, Christian was able to extrapolate a decent overview of the situation. It was obvious that someone had orchestrated a Lydian invasion with the purpose of the assassination of the royal family, and though their identities and motives remained shrouded in mystery, it was clear that they were not far short of succeeding in her cause. Raphael was the firstborn son of the Emperor and successor to the throne, so it was only natural that he was the focal point for a large portion of both the offense and defense, however, pressured by the neccessity of learning how to lead a nation, he had never received tactical military training or acquired any other useful skills for this kind of situation - in that case, he could be said to be as useless as Christian. Rayna was the second child to be born, and perhaps the one most praised for her capabilities - a powerful sorcerer, she had become the Grand Magister in the Emerald Tower since her twenty-second birthday, and was still holding the seat five years later. Vord, the fifth one standing just below Vanessa, was hailed as one of the strongest warriors in the empire, and a cunning tactician and strategist as well - if anyone could mount a suitable defense in these chaotic circumstances, it was him. And Nina was the youngest of the eight siblings, one year younger than Christian - and she could be anywhere, or - Christian bit back a tear at the thought - perhaps slain already.

 

"I'd much rather have you hide somewhere, but there is no place safe for you in here. You'll have to follow us. We won't be able to protect you, so you must stay hidden and out of trouble. Understood?" Christian nodded wordlessly. How many had died in this battle? How many of his siblings, his family? Were their parents still alive, or had they suffered death by the spearhead of the assault? The possible answers to those questions clawed at Christian's heart and mind. It was on numb feet that the boy pushed his way behind Vanessa and her two companions, who were already holding their armed bows, prepared to fire at any enemy that came within sight.

 

The small group walked on briskly and silently, through corpse-paved, blood-filled corridors that were thankfully empty, but still made Christian's stomach churn. The familiar confines of Cerleon were now a scene from a nightmare. Upon crossing a window, usually with the expensive multi-colored glass imported straight from Veruna's eastern ports shattered, they had a chance to gaze upon the other parts of the city. Fires were already blackening the sky, and the predominant color on the streets was the deep crimson, the blood of countless civilians pointlessly slain by the invaders.

 

Whatever the result of this, it was the end of an era for New Camelot - no, for the entire nation. And the future looked bleak in Christian's innocent eyes.

 

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[Guest Ixigo]

Bump. I don't want to put more than one chapter in subsequent posts.