Victory Found

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Fire Emblem: Awakening or the Fire Emblem series. All credit for this story goes to the wonderful minds at Nintendo and Intelligent systems.

Song Credit: The majority of this piece was written while listening to the song Colourvision by Stumbleine. God Bless Stumbleine.

"YOU WOULD NOT DARE!"

He was scared. The Fell Dragon was scared. As I stood on the nape of his neck, staring down both his human vessel and his draconian visage, I could see the fear in both sets of eyes. He was weak. He was wounded. He had lost.

And he was mine.

I knew what would happen next. I had embraced it. Accepted it. It had to be done. One life against millions. The past, the present, the future; it all depended on that single moment.

I could hear the others, battling the Grimleal behind me. I knew they were winning, slaying the cultists as quickly as they appeared. I knew this because I could see them in my mind's eye, my tactical sense. I could see all of them, fighting alongside one another on the Fell Dragon's back. I witnessed every dodge, every parry, every strike of steel or silver, every bolt of magic and the flight of every arrow.

I saw them all.

I saw Chrom and Sumia, husband and wife, striking against the horde, the joined fury of two demigods. They were all demigods, each and every one of them. Vaike and Lissa, one a warrior, the other a healer, both lashed out with their axes as though they had been doing so their whole lives. Stahl and Cordelia led the charge and their lances speared the foe as they pushed forward. Miriel and Ricken stood tall (and short) as they rained down powerful spellfire on the enemy. Frederick and Maribelle rode side by side through the Grimleal formations, one healing while the other decimated. Lon'qu and Panne, that lethal duo, didn't fight so much as they simply killed all who crossed them. Gregor and Cherche, one on horseback, the other on wyrmback, struck swiftly through the ranks of Grimleal and left their formations crippled and broken. The youthful faces of Nowi and Donnel were a stark contrast to the damage they inflicted on the enemy. Gaius and Olivia dashed through the ranks of Grimleal with the grace of deadly dancers and their swords were dark with blood. And Sully and Kellam stood against the onslaught, an impenetrable wall upon which broke every Grimleal that dared charge against them.

And then there were the children, the scions from the future who had gone through hell and back in order to make it to that moment. Lucina fought furiously alongside Inigo and both of them lashed out with all the pain, loss and anger that their future had placed upon them. Owain and Severa were wreaking havoc on the enemy, defending one another even as they fought as one. Brady, who snarled and cursed like a warrior of old, supported the unstoppable force that was Kjelle with his magic as the pair crushed their enemies flat. Laurent and Nah were side by side, dragon and sage, and they burned the enemy with powerful flame. Cynthia, astride her pegasus, swooped down to heal any who were in need while Yarne rushed between cavalry and brought down even the toughest of armored knights, showing none of the cowardice he once purported to have.

And in the center of our formation, I saw Virion, Libra, Anna, Say'ri, Tiki, Basilio, and Flavia. They supported every pair that they could, and stopped dead any Grimleal that managed to slip past the blockade.

I saw them all, a distance away, as they engaged the main force. Even as they crushed the oncoming ranks of Grimleal, more were summoned from the black nether. The monster kept summoning his servants to engage me and he summoned them close, away from the ranks of my friends. Thankfully, my family was more than willing to provide the backup I needed.

My wife, heh, to say she was intimidating, standing alone, surging with dark magic, would have been a colossal understatement. To say she was beautiful, robes and hair billowing in the rush of wind, would never have done justice to the woman I loved. Tharja destroyed any and all who tried to break past her in an effort to reach me. The devastation she wrought would have shamed even the bloodiest battle-poems. It was somehow frightening and erotic at the same time, but I didn't have the time or the energy to sweep my dark love off of her feet and plant a kiss on those warm lips.

The only reason Tharja wasn't at my side at that very moment was due to my insistence that she stem the tide and keep our girls safe. And so she did, though we both knew that our daughters were more than capable of looking after themselves.

Noire and Gerome soared through through the air on Minerva's back; Noire felling Grimleal with her bow while Gerome cut through their ranks with his lance. I could hear my eldest cursing the enemy with every word and ending lives with every arrow. The shots she made were nothing short of miraculous, what with the wind blowing and Gerome diving in and out of the enemy formations to spear foe after foe. I knew of his intentions on my daughter and it would take a lot more than combat synergy for Gregor and Cherche's angst-ridden boy to gain my approval as a son-in-law. Still, they worked well together. I certainly didn't have the luxury of being picky.

I saw youngest daughter, my darling Morgan, a book of Ruin magic in one hand and a Levin sword in the other. She and Henry were decimating the enemy forces and they sowed dark magic through the Grimleal ranks. I saw the determination in her eyes, eyes that were so much like my own. Morgan never made it a secret that she wanted to be equal to me, but I saw her in that moment as having surpassed me. She was her own person, beyond myself in so many ways. I could not have been prouder.

I loved my family with all that I was, and that made what would happen next all the more difficult. I would likely never see them again, any of them. Some were my family, most were my friends, and all were my comrades, my brothers in arms. I would miss them all greatly, but the task before me was bigger than any of us.

I smiled softly, the sad smile of sacrificial intent, and focused my attention on Grima's vessel. "For once, I'm glad you and I are the same," I told the thing that resembled me. "Now I can end you, end this cycle of death and destruction, once and for all."

It stared at me with my face, as though it could not comprehend what was happening. "YOU... YOU CANNOT!"

My smile grew a little wider. It had been a challenge, the biggest challenge of my life, but I had won. I had beaten the monster. Fate itself had broken before me.

I stepped over to the vessel's kneeling and broken form. Our robes were shredded. Our bodies were dark with the wounds we had inflicted on each other. I could feel its blood dripping from Balmung's edge, while my own blood wept from the various injuries Grima had dealt in return. The vessel's black hair was a messy reflection of my own, though the disbelief I could see in its eyes was the polar opposite of the triumph that glowed within mine.

Every step I took was heavy. Every movement sent pain throughout my body. Grima's dark breath had all but killed me. All but. I still had strength enough to stand. I still had strength enough to fight.

And, thanks to the strength of my friends and my family, I still had strength enough to win.

With my free hand I grabbed the fiend by its collar and pulled its face close to my own. "It's over," I whispered into its ear. "I beat you. And once you're gone, no one will ever need fear your machinations again. We're both responsible for this, each in our own way. It's fitting that I am the one to end you. We'll cancel each other out."

I pulled back and saw the hate on its face and the fear in its eyes. Such a wretched creature. I should have, but I felt no pity. The thing at my feet needed to be destroyed.

"NO!" it screamed as I tightened the grip on my sword. "YOU ARE NOTHING! NOTHING!"

I took one step back, Balmung in my right hand. "That makes two of us."

I heard Chrom's anguished cry above the din of battle, hoarse and desperate. He wanted the final blow. He wasn't prepared to lose me, his brother. I would always admire that, his unwillingness to accept fate as final. 'Anything can change,' he once told me. He was right, but some things must be done.

"Checkmate," I muttered.

With all my remaining strength, I shoved Balmung's tip through the vessel's heart. I could feel as the legendary blade split that black organ, a heart that could have been mine. The force of the blow curled the vessel's form around the sword until Balmung's bite reached up to its hilt. I could see the sword's wicked tip, curved and eternally sharp, coated in black blood as it stuck clear through the monster's back.

There was moment where I was not certain I could pull the blade back out again, but Balmung slid easily through flesh and bone. The vessel slumped to the ground, so close to death that it would never speak again. My hands were trembling as I sheathed the sword and reached into my robes for the tome of Goetia I had tucked away.

Using darkness to destroy darkness. Oh, if only Grima could have appreciated the irony. Henry, that creepy dastard, would have pitched a fit of laughter had he known.

I flipped the pages open with weak fingers and found the rune I was looking for, a think, accursed thing written in my own blood. Tome held in left hand, I raised my right, the mark of Grima clearly visible against the skin on the back of my hand. Clouds of black and purple swirled around me and crackled with unholy lightning The dark power radiated through me, ready to be unleashed at my command.

I clenched my fist, and without a word, annihilated the figure at my feet.

The Fell Dragon screamed in mortal pain and terror as his vessel was consumed in a maelstrom of potent dark magic. The sigil on my hand burned with intense pain as the darkness within it began to peel away. As the body before me dissolved until there was nothing left, I felt an intense calm wash over me, waves of serenity across a quiet sea. It was... it was peace, true peace, for the first time in my life. I knew, in that moment, that I had made the right choice.

The clamor of battle behind me quieted as whatever power possessed the remaining Grimleal died, leaving a once strong force a mere shell of itself. I turned to look back at my comrades and saw the lifeless bodies of the cultists fall to the ground.

Chrom reached me first, just as I knew he would. there was anguish on his face, the same anguish he held over Emmeryn. It pained me to see it. I would not have my final moments with my brother be those of sorrow. So I smiled warmly, my heart heavy with the love I held for my friends and my family.

He took a step forward, his breathing heavy. "Robin!"

I shrugged with good-humor. "Had to be done, Chrom." I looked down at my feet and saw that they were become translucent. It would soon be as if I never had them in the first place. The tips of my fingers started to numb as well.

"You can't..." Lissa choked as tears pooled under her eyes. "You just can't, Robin!" She clutched at Vaike's arm as one would clutch a piece of wood during a shipwreck. To his credit, Teach's eyes remained dry, but the sorrow in them was clear as day.

"Can't be helped, Lissa." I laced my words with as much comfort as I could muster. "Sorry."

Morgan rushed forward and wrapped her arms around me. I could hardly feel her tight grip around my middle, but I patted her back in reassurance. My hands were phantoms of themselves.

"Father!" she shouted through the tears. "You... you mean everything to me! I can't lose you again!"

I shushed her and stroked her hair. "You're not losing anyone. You'll always have me, just as you'll always have your mother and sister. I will be with you, always."

Noire stepped forward, though she was unable to close the distance. I saw her struggling to hold back the tears. "Daddy, I-"

I fixed her with kind eyes. "Noire, I'm very proud of you. Beyond proud. You look out for your mother and sister, understand?"

The dam burst. Tears streamed down my daughter's face and Gerome placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I... I will. Thank you... for everything."

I saw her in the sea of sad faces, her body trembling. The tome of Nosferatu, the one I had written for her, was clasped against her chest and held tight by both arms. She fought so hard to keep herself in check, to be strong in the face of my death, but I could see the tears pooling.

When my eyes meet hers, she froze in place. My gaze was intense, an expression of longing more powerful than any words I could ever speak. I could see her fingers as they tightened around the tome. She wanted nothing more than to run to me and embrace me, kiss me one last time, but her pride kept her in check. It was everything I loved about her.

My lips moved silently as I mouthed four words to her. Love you, for always.

A single tear ran down her cheek. It was enough for me.

I closed my eyes, content to simply hold my daughter for as long as I was able. "You'll have to go soon," I told her. "Once I'm gone, Grima is gone too. Naga will get you out of here, I'm sure."

"I don't want you to go," she sobbed. I could barely feel her touch. I had all but disappeared from the neck down.

"I need you to be strong," I whispered. I kissed her forehead. "You'll be strong for your mother and your sister, won't you?"

She nodded furiously into my shoulder as a fresh wave of tears poured from her eyes. "I will, father. I'll be strong, just like you."

We must depart.

Naga's voice filled the air. I opened my eyes once more and gazed out at my friends, my family. One by one, Naga spirited them away in a flash of light. The last to vanish were Chrom, Lissa, Tharja, Noire and Morgan.

Lissa opened her mouth to speak, but she was gone before a word could be said. Chrom nodded at me one last time, a sad smile on his face. I did the same, then he was gone.

Noire rushed forward and hugged both Morgan and I tightly before the two of them vanished. I stood there, with empty arms, unable to feel the tears that I knew were streaming down my face.

In the end, it was Tharja and I, standing atop the husk of the god we had killed. For whatever reason, there was a moment of time before she vanished. I had never seen such sorrow in her eyes. I needed to do something about that.

"One last hex before we part?" I asked, my tone playful.

She laughed once and her eyes were shining, beautiful as I've ever seen them.

"Robin, I-"

The light took her from me.

A sigh whispered past my lips. "I wanted more time," I whispered.

I imagined the weight of the god beneath me as he began to plummet from the sky. I turned and watched as his body fell from the heavens, a dead colossus in silent descent. The clouds whipped past us, but I felt neither the rush of air or the bite of cold. I was all but incorporeal at that point, little more than a phantom outline. I couldn't feel anything. It was almost over.

We broke past the clouds, dead Grima and I. The ocean rushed to meet us, a wall of black finality. I stared into the depths, my brow narrowed and my mind prepared. This was the end of the story.

I brought to memory all the good times, all the things that made me distinct from the dead god beneath my feet. I thought of my friends. I thought of the love I had for my family. I saw the faces of my daughters one last time. I had given them a world free of the twisted beast that would have otherwise destroyed them.

"To oblivion with you," I said, my words lost in the rushing air.

"To oblivion with both of us."

The last thing I saw was her face, smiling mischievously at me from under the shadow of her hair. It was clichéd, but I was thankful for the vision all the same.

Then the Dragon's corpse hit the water, and I was lost.

Nothing.

That's where I was, at least it's what I believed. There was no sound, no sight, no feeling. Just black upon endless black. But how could it be nothing if I was aware of it? It wasn't oblivion if I can think, right? I didn't know.

Empty.

Empty.

Empty.

...

...

...

...

It... well, I would have called it nice, but there wasn't anything but me. It couldn't be nice if it was nothing, right? It was only nothing. No pain, no sorrow, no memory, no love.

Love. The word thrashed in my head like a ship caught in a maelstrom. I... I loved once, yes? I was sure I of it. I loved a woman. A woman who was soft and kind, fierce and powerful. She loved me as I loved her, with passion and commitment. She was... what was the word? Wife. Yes, wife was the word. A word so simple yet so stirring.

Just the thought of the word was enough to draw a little more of me out of nothingness. Wife. She was mine and I was hers. Her name... her name...

Tharja.

I felt my heart beat, once. It was enough.

And we had... children? Daughters. Their names... why couldn't I-

Morgan. Noire.

My heart thumped in my chest a second time. I could feel it. There was a warmth somewhere between my heart and throat, something that gave me coherence, recollection.

The names of my daughters, the names of my friends and allies, they filled the nothing with their sound. I could hear their voices, encouraging me, guiding me. I stumbled through the darkness, trying to find them.

And, a sound above all the rest, resonated the name of my wife.

I remembered the sound of her voice, the dark sly of her grin, the taste of her lips against mine and long, soft hair. I remembered the banter between us, the frantic, passionate lovemaking, the fear I held in my heart every time she was attacked. I remembered how she'd sneak up on me from behind and wrap her arms around me, or how she'd hit me with a drowsiness hex when she knew I'd been working too hard. I remembered our wedding day, that cold, starless night and how her lips had met mine under a curtain of dark.

It all came rushing back, all of it. The pain, the joy, the anguish, the love. It brought me back, it brought me-

"We have to do something..."

Feeling slowly returned. I could feel the hard ground beneath me and the warm breeze that wafted over me.

"Well, what do you propose we do?"

"Oh... I dunno."

I opened my eyes.

Chrom and Lissa stood over me. Lissa gasped a little. Chrom just smiled.

"I see you're awake now," he said.

"Hey there," Lissa smiled, laughing a little.

For a moment, I felt as though I had been there before. And I had.

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know." Chrom held out his hand. "Give me your hand."

And I did. My hand rested squarely in his and there was no mark of Grima against the skin. He pulled me to my feet. I could feel the sun beating down, comforting me in its soft warmth. I could see the endless blue of the sky and hear the melodic chirp of the songbirds.

"Welcome back," Chrom said, still smiling. "It's over now."

I could feel the tears as they ran down my face. It was over. It was really over. I had resigned myself to oblivion, but being alive again... it was beyond my ability to describe. It just felt so good.

I started to laugh, and after a moment of bewilderment I could hear Chrom and Lissa join in. I laughed and laughed until my sides ached and I was barely able to keep myself upright. We laughed, the three of us, and then a shape crashed into me and my Morgan was laughing too, tears welling under her eyes. Noire, her laughter the loudest, hauled both of us to our feet and wrapped us in the strongest hug I'd ever received in my life. We were all laughing and crying and I could see the others, all of them, standing around, smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. Family, friends, Shepherds one and all.

The world stopped when my gaze found her.

I can scarce remember what happened in that moment, but the next I was on my knees in front of her, a pilgrim kneeling before his goddess. She looked down on me with scorn edged around the corners of her mouth, but I could see the joy that her eyes desperately tried to cloud.

"I did curse you," she muttered. She clutched at her tome as though she hadn't let go of the book since Grima's death. It was then that I realized I had no inkling as to how much time had passed.

"Did you?" I asked, the first words after my return. I tore my gaze from her for the briefest of moments and saw that the others looked as though they hadn't stopped travelling since the Fell Dragon's defeat. They had marched here from whatever land Naga had spirited them to, and it looked as if not one of them had more than a mandatory march rest since starting their journey. It touched me to have such devoted companions and friends.

I looked back into my wife's eyes and smiled when she blushed and shifted her gaze away. "I made sure that, no matter what, you would always come back to me." Her words were the faintest whispers, as though she couldn't believe I was actually back. I needed to take the initiative, to shatter her fears and remind my wife that I was both real and hers.

So I did.

I slowly rose to my feet, hands threatening to shake but I managed to keep them steady. I reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face, marveling in the softness of it and how right it felt to be touching her.

My hand strayed to her cheek, and though I couldn't see her eyes under the shadow of her bangs, I felt the path of moisture that had recently flowed down the soft of her skin.

"Not much of a curse," I muttered as I pulled her close. "After all, we both know I belong to you."

She shivered at my touch and I could hear the sharp intake of breath. I loved her so much in that moment, more than I ever thought possible.

"Still," I whispered. "At least we know it works."

She tilted her head back and my lips found hers, warm and soft and wanting. She was mine, and I hers.

And in that field, surrounded by my friends and family, kissing amid the catcalls, tears and applause, I realized that defeating the Fell Dragon had not been a victory. That final blow was no cause for celebration, there was no joy to be found in destroying the thing that had been me.

No, victory was found in being alive, being there, among the people I belonged with. Victory was in the cheering chorus of my friends, the happy laughter of my daughters and the feeling of Tharja's lips against mine.

I found victory there, in that moment. The future was saved, and it belonged to us, to our families and our children.

And whatever the future held in store, I knew in that moment that I would see it at her side, for as long as I was able.

LM here,

So yeah, this is one of those one-shots that my muse wouldn't let me move on from until it was done. Flighty bitch that she is, lovely muse decided that time spent away from my larger works would do me some good. I have yet to determine whether she's right or not. Bleh.

I'll keep it short and sweet: I love Fire Emblem Awakening. It's basically a turn-based-combat shipper's paradise. What more could somebody like me ask for? It certainly inspired this bit of pointless fluff, didn't it? Oh who am I kidding, I loved every second of this. Ah well. I'll grow up someday.

I chose to write about the MU/Tharja perspective just because it was the first one I ever ran with. It's amazing the kind of loyalty that the in-game characters can inspire with each other and the player. My Robin ended up being fiercely protective and loyal to his daughters. Every time Morgan or Noire were in trouble, he'd be there to step in. And, in true stalker fashion, momma Tharja was his ever-dangerous shadow. Seriously, I didn't have a more lethal pair than Robin and Tharja. Scary stuff.

Fire Emblem: Awakening is the kind of game every developer and publisher should be trying to make or endorsing. It's a game that will leave the player with nothing but fond memories and amazing stories. It's the kind of game where we care about the characters enough to feel actual emotion. You hear that, game script people? Make me care about your characters, dammit! Make. Me. Care!

Awakening is one of those games I'll be playing ten years down the line, and I can't thank it enough for that. Here's hoping this little tribute of mine did some justice. And, as always, I hope you enjoyed it.

Oh, and don't even get started on the most combat-efficient pairings. I don't play that way. ;)

Levi Matthews

P.S. Henry is fuckin' annoying. Love that guy. :P