A Funeral for a Flower

By Twilight Joltik

The world, as of late, had been a chaotic, depressing, and almost ruinous place. Beauty was becoming scarcer by the day; even the landscape had grown rough, filled with weeds and scorched ruins that had once been forests. Sometimes Maribelle thought that this was a world too far gone to save.

However, the little flower, blooming in the rugged, stone-ridden earth, was blooming, despite the horrible times it lived in. It wasn't anything particularly special, just a little yellow bloom. In fact, had she seen it in the gardens of her own home before the war, she would have ordered the groundskeeper to uproot it, as it might suffocate the tulips and orchids. She had been silly back then, hadn't she?

The bloom had been living proof that there was still something worth protecting in this world, but now it was gone. It had died, just as most other things of beauty as of late. And, though others may have thought her mad, she had no shame for the salty tears rolling down her face as she visited the corpse of the once bright flower. What beauty would perish next? Lissa? Herself? What point was there in a war that couldn't even save a flower, the simplest and purest beauty in nature from oblivion?

"I'm sure she's in a better place," assured a soft, creeping voice. Jumping, Maribelle saw Henry lurking half-hidden behind a leafbare tree.

"Right," she sighed. "It just seems unfair that beauty dies so quickly nowadays."

The boy suddenly regained his typical grin, one that was almost unnerving. "Hey, I have an idea! I know you really liked that flower, so we should give it a proper sendoff, right?"

"You mean a funeral?" she asked, seeking clarification. "For a flower?"

"Yeah!" Henry exclaimed. "I mean, if any of your other friends died, wouldn't you give them a funeral?"

"I suppose, but I don't think it's quite the same," she muttered.

"Of course it is!" he cried. "I mean, I remember when my best fern friend died, we gave her a nice burial and read poetry and stuff, so let's go get everyone else and give this flower a funeral to die for!"

As Henry laughed at his joke, Maribelle sighed. "Very well then, we will make preparations and hold the funeral at sunset."

"Awesome!" Henry exclaimed. "You tell everyone about it, and I'll take care of the preperations!"

As the odd Dark Mage practically skipped away, Maribelle realized that she was unsure what unnerved her the most about that conversation; the fact that he wanted to have a funeral for a flower, or how joyful he seemed about the funeral.

Regardless, she knew that giving this little piece of beauty a proper sendoff would ease her pain and possibly lift her spirits as well.

Of course, of the many she invited, only Lissa, Donnel, and Nowi bothered to show up. As she brought the wilted blossom into the tent they had temporarily borrowed to serve as the location for the funeral, wrapped in one of her favorite lace handkerchiefs, her eyes started to fill with tears.

"We are gathered here today to com- I mean mourn the passing of a flower," Henry stated calmly as she walked into tent. "It was a fleeting symbol of beauty in this cruel, cold world," he continued, handing her a spade. She started to object- why should she be the one getting her hands dirty?- but it quickly registered that, as the person who had cared about the flower most, she should be the one to lay it to rest.

"May it forever bloom in the fields of the hereafter, and may its ruined body decompose to provide food for the flowers, trees, grasses, and other plants of the future," he lamented, his voice a bit too cheerful for the nature of the event. Maribelle plunged the spade into the earth, then placing the handkerchief containing the flower into the hole.

As she placed the dirt back on top of it, he added "Yes, may its legacy make the world a more beautiful place for generations to come. Little flower, may your loss not be in vain!"

Tears stained the freshly packed ground. She then stood up and flung her arms around the Dark Mage, sobbing. "Thank you," she muttered into his cloak.

He simply stood there as she stained his cloak with tears, and upon her releasing the embrace, cried "Glad I could help!" brightly. Glancing around the room, she saw Lissa making her way towards her with open arms, while Nowi was sobbing loudly and Donnel wiped his face on his sleeve. She smiled as she embraced her friend, for the flower's beauty hadn't quieted with death. It had only turned into words and ideas. Maybe this was what they were fighting for; the memory of all that was lost and all that there still was to protect.

AN- I never would have thought my first Fire Emblem Fanfiction would be about Maribelle, a character I never thought I would like. However, after reading her C and B supports with Henry, I was struck with inspiration. So, thanks for reading! -Twilight Joltik