Chapter One: Life is Under No Obligation to Make Sense

Bottomless Canyon

"—naturally such foul fiends were no match for the—huff—power that overflows from the meager fragment of my soul that remains—wheeze—untainted by the eternal shadows. I couldn't allay the fire in my sword hand any further—"

"Odin," Niles cut him off, breathing hard as they ran through the dense forest. "You're a mage. You've never used a sword in your life, and yes, I do mean that literally and as a metaphor."

Odin ignored the jibe at his chastity and laughed aloud, ducking under a branch and trying not to drop his favorite tome. "You show your ignorance, brother in arms! Odin Dark has many talents beside world-rending—ouch—and most fearsome magic!" In his search for an appropriately grand description of his skill with magic, he'd missed a slippery stone in the path and tweaked his ankle while stepping on it. Far to his right, he saw Laslow throw a concerned glance his way, so he waved it off and suppressed the pain. The mercenary had enough to worry about, anyway, as Peri was riding literal circles around him as he ran, chirping about the bloodbath ahead.

"Is one of your talents the ability to shut up? I see the clearing approaching and it's already your fault Lord Leo got ahead of us." Niles swung his bow off his shoulder and held it loosely in his left hand. "I bet your mouth has better uses, anyway."

Years of serving alongside the saucy bowman had made Odin all but immune to his scandalous comments and he rolled his eyes. In his peripheral vision, he saw Peri surge ahead triumphantly as the four royal retainers burst from the tree line and into the waiting battlefield. Lightning rent the sky overhead, illuminating the combatants. Two impressive figures on mounts immediately drew their attention and they rushed toward their respective lieges. "Phew…we finally…caught up…with you…" Odin panted, making a beeline toward the second prince of Nohr. "Why…why would you…leave us behind?"

Niles had already nocked an arrow and sent it whizzing toward a Nohrian swordsman. "Ha…" He, also, was out of breath, though he hid it better. "Perhaps our liege is a fan of seeing us suffer? I can understand."

Peri cantered about, examining Xander from every angle. "Bah! You all are so slow! If I'd left a river of blood in my wake—like I usually do—you'd be swallowed by it!" Once she'd ascertained her lord was unharmed, she halted protectively at his side.

With his liege safely within sight, Odin tuned out the chatter and took a moment to survey the battlefield. He'd entered the scene at the very back, so the majority of the fighting was occurring much further ahead. Nohrian forces seemed to have made small stone forts into strongholds, forcing their opponents to root them out group by group, like moles. Gritting his teeth, he wondered if he knew any of the Nohrian forces personally from his time training in the barracks. Overhead, two dragons and their riders circled, occasionally swooping down to hack a foe or dodge an arrow.

A woman in Nohrian armor loped up to Leo and Xander's side, pushing locks of long, dark hair out of her eyes. "M-more reinforcements?" She gasped out in horror.

Xander smiled at the young woman, a sight even his own retainers had rarely witnessed. "Don't worry, Corrin—these late arrivals are retainers to myself and to Leo."

Dread drained from the woman's face and changed to delight. So this is Corrin, Lord Leo's sister, Odin mused, examining her as closely as she was examining him and his comrades. She was about the same age as Leo and had the same pale, ashen skin as her Nohrian siblings. Her eyes, however, were fiercely red and oddly familiar. Where had he seen those eyes before…? Ah. They were similar to Nah's…but different. Interesting.

"That we are. Ready and eager to help, as ordered." Niles purred, impropriety already in his eyes as he looked her over. "I am Niles, a retainer to Lord Leo. The enemy looks to be quite angry." But your ass looks fabulous. Odin could practically read the words unspoken in his partner's mind. "Don't worry—it will be my genuine pleasure to make them regret crossing you."

"And I…am Odin Dark! Loyal retainer of Lord Leo. I have cut through the darkness of space to serve my lord however he needs." He could feel a good monologue brewing and tingled from the excitement. "My unmatched skill with magic will tear through the enemy's ranks! From the depths—"

Laslow cut him off, reaching for the princess' hand. "I'm Laslow. I'm one of Lord Xander's retainers. I know our paths crossed once before, but I will fight by your side now." His self-assured countenance wavered the moment the princess turned to look at him. "…That's all. Please—it's a bit embarrassing to be stared at by everyone…" He blushed and scuttled backwards behind Peri, who immediately launched into a long description of her favorite methods of mutilation.

Xander ordered them all to obey any orders from Corrin and then they were released into the fray. Peri trotted away gleefully with Niles in tow and the rest dispersed in pairs, leaving Laslow and Odin at each other's sides. "Ah, once again it's you and me, old friend," Laslow said fondly, unsheathing his sword. "Where shall we begin?"

Odin screwed his eyes shut, breathing in the familiarity of the situation. Laslow at his side…the smell of fresh rain and blood…the crack of magic and clang of metal…this was his element. "I feel it…the dark compass from below points us in…that direction!" He opened his eyes and stabbed a finger through the air.

"That direction it is! 'twould be a shame not to follow the dark compass, after all." Laslow chuckled. His head swiveled as the two trotted toward the fighting and Odin knew he was looking for Selena among the soldiers and the slain.

"She's sure to be here somewhere," the dark mage said confidently, also looking about. "If memory serves me correct, the dragons overhead belong to Lady Camilla and one of her retainers. Lord Leo mentioned that they had joined with Corrin quite some time ago." His companion's face softened almost imperceptibly in relief. A pair of Nohrian berserkers stepped in their paths and Odin tucked himself behind his hardier companion. "Keep their axes out of my neck and I'll soften them up with some spells," he directed, already rifling through a Thunder tome.

Laslow readied his sword, maintaining eye contact with the foes. "Y'know, I rather dislike being your shield," he mused over his shoulder. "I much prefer fighting side by side like we used to."

"Find Selena if that's what you want," Odin replied without any vinegar in his voice. "My power was too great to be contained in swords any longer." In a swift move, he pivoted around the mercenary and fired a bolt of electricity at the closest berserker. Steam vented from the holes in the enemy's armor as the spell sizzled them from inside. With a roar, the other swung their axe at Odin's head, but Laslow deflected the attack with his sword. "Besides, this uniform is the stuff of true heroes."

"It's far too revealing," Laslow grunted, shoving the second berserker aside and thrusting his sword under the chest plate of the one that had been the unfortunate recipient of a lightning bolt to the gut. "And that's coming from the son of a dancer."

Odin swiveled behind his back again and fired another jet of electricity at the remaining axe wielder. "All the better to showcase the—ow! Damn!" His ankle had buckled and his shot had gone wide. He collapsed to the ground, desperately keeping hold of his tome.

The two had been in worse situations. Breathing evenly, Laslow used the body of the berserker that was currently sheathing his sword to block an attack from the other one. "I knew that foot was going to be trouble. Try not to die, won't you? What would I tell your mother?"

Tucking the knee of his affected leg to his chest, Odin crunched up and fired a spell between Laslow's legs, striking the foe directly in the chest and immobilizing him. After cursing at his friend for surprising him, Laslow pulled his sword from the one berserker and plunged it into the other. "What was that?" Odin scoffed, wiping mud off a page. "Try not to what?"

"That was far too close to home, if you know what I mean," Laslow informed him, primly inspecting his leggings for singe marks. "We need to find you a healer before you render me sterile."

"What a loss to the world that would be. Help me up," Odin said, extending his hand. "We can't let the enemy know I'm injured or they'll be on us like flies in the marsh." Laslow pulled him to his feet, but he struggled to stand, let alone walk. His steps halted and he lurched forward, giving a hidden archer nearby the opportunity to send an arrow whizzing into his hip. Laslow bristled and stepped over him aas another figure materialized seemingly out of nowhere to launch spiked shuriken at the offender. Blood ran freely down Odin's leg, drenching his leggings. The world rippled and then went dark.

oOoOoOo

Ylisstol Outskirts

"We shouldn't be here," Owain protested, standing a foot away from the edge of the marsh that extended behind the westernmost walls of Ylisstol. In truth, the marsh was only about a mile across, but to a nine-year-old, that was practically an ocean.

"Why not?" Morgan demanded, hands on her hips. "It's just water and mud."

She had a point, but the endless deadness of the marsh still sent shivers up Owain's spine. "Mother said it was dangerous 'cuz we could fall in and drown." Drowning was what he feared the most because it was the only condition clerics couldn't heal due to pure mechanics.

Morgan drew herself to her full seven-year-old height and laughed fearlessly. "Then don't fall in, you big baby." While Owain continued to stare at the expanse of the deceptive plain, she hunted around the ground for a stick.

"How do you expect to be a hero if you're scared of squishy ground?" A voice sounded behind the boy. It was Cynthia and she held out the end of a roll of twine to him. "Beano the Barbarian Queen always comes prepared! Ta-da! Tie this around your waist and I'll haul you to safety if you fall in!"

The string and Cythia's presence gave Owain all the confidence he needed and he joined Morgan at the edge of the marsh. He held up his arms while Cynthia buzzed about him like a bee, tying him with far more twine than might be necessary. Morgan poked at the soggy earth with a stick, stirring it into patterns. "Maybe monsters will come out of it if we throw stuff in it! Let's throw them presents! What do monsters like?"

"I have dried apricots!" Owain volunteered, pulling a small bag out of his satchel.

"Monsters don't eat apricots!" Cynthia scolded him.

Morgan stood at Owain's defense. "How do you know? Everyone likes apricots."

"Monsters only eat gross things like peppers and little kids!"

Owain spread his arms between the girls, ending the argument. "My father has a whole collection of monster bones and teeth. I've seen it. I'll decide what monsters eat." The other two fell silent. Owain was correct—it was well known that his father had a creepy stash of unsavory memorabilia from the Plegian War. "I've decided that monsters eat big, dirty rocks. Go find the biggest, dirtiest rock you can find and that will make the monsters come out."

The boy stood as the ultimate arbiter as Morgan and Cynthia brought him rock after rock. None of them were good enough. "Bigger! Dirtier!" He commanded.

Finally, Cynthia came forward, staggering under the weight of the biggest rock her nine-year-old arms could carry. It was slimy and covered in moss. "I've…found it!" She huffed, proudly showing it off to her friends. Morgan ogled and made the appropriate ooh and ahh noises.

"Perfect! Now feed it to the monsters!" Owain demanded, stepping aside.

Cynthia waddled to the edge of the marsh and hefted the rock a few times before throwing it as hard as she could into the sludge. In the process, she lost her balance and half-leapt into the marsh herself. A blanket of flies that the trio hadn't noticed before immediately exploded from the surface of the marsh and Morgan screamed, swatting wildly in the air. Cynthia thrashed wildly, making intermittent sounds of panic.

Without thinking, Owain jumped in the marsh after her and caught hold of her arm. "Morgan!" He yelled, fighting both Cynthia's terrified flailing and the swarm of flies filling his eyes. "The string!" The end of the twine was still on the bank of the marsh.

Morgan dropped to her knees and crawled toward it, grasping it in both hands. She pulled as hard as she could, though the twine cut through her palms. Her efforts were rewarded as Owain and Cynthia clawed their way back to solid ground inch by inch until they collapsed on the bank, muddy and gasping for breath. Morgan immediately dropped the string and knelt at her friends' sides, shaking first one and then the other. "Are you alive? Did you die?" She asked, wiping mud from their faces with her cloak.

Owain rolled on his back, breathing heavily and unable to speak. Instead, he nodded and gave her a thumbs up. To his left, Cynthia coughed profusely, slinging marsh water in rivulets around her. When she finally cleared her airway, she turned to Owain and gaped at him. "Owain!" She exclaimed, pulling her friend to a sitting position. "You saved me. You…you're a real hero!"

Her eyes sparkled with admiration and residual fear and Owain felt a swelling in his chest. "O-of course!" He replied, shrugging her praise off. "The Justice Cabal would never desert one of its members!"

Morgan squatted beside the two and clucked her tongue. "You two look like mud zombies. Our mothers are going to whoop us good."

Cynthia and Owain gulped but looked at each other and giggled and soon all three of them were rolling on the ground overcome with laughter and adding blades of grass to their covering of earth.

The war was over, the sky was blue, and life was good.

oOoOoOo

Bottomless Canyon

Odin awoke with a gasp to an unfamiliar face looming over his own. Wide lilac eyes stared at him from a round face with small features, a slightly upturned nose, and a cheerful expression. "You're awake! That didn't take too long!"

Her sunshiny demeanor was an odd contrast to the stormy gray skies above their heads. The gloomy scenery told him that they were still beside the Bottomless Canyon. He sat up and put a hand to his hip. The flesh was smooth and unbroken. "I seem to have been healed. I must thank this peerless purveyor of medical magic!"

The young woman's mouth dropped open into an 'o' of surprise. "Wow! I've never been called a purveyor before! Is that a compliment?"

Odin finally took a good look at her and recoiled a bit. "L-Lady Elise!" The hip-length, elaborately curled twintails…the beribboned armor…the Nohrian royal crest on her buttons…this was undoubtedly his lord's younger sister and third princess of Nohr, Elise. She had aged since last he saw her but her love of bows and all things twee seemed not to have changed. "You deigned to grace my most soiled and loathsome body with your royal healing touch? I'm honored!"

She shrugged. "It's what I do! You're Leo's retainer, right? Isn't it weird how we've never met? He talks about you all the time."

Odin averted his eyes, pleased and flustered that his liege would mention him. "Of course he would talk about the incredible Odin Dark. Tales of my dark deeds will be told throughout history, after all."

Elise clapped her hands, delighted. "Wow! Leo was right! You're totally weird! I love it!"

The dark mage blinked, unsure if he was being complimented or sassed. While thinking, he allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and looked around, finally noticing that they were nearly alone. The bulk of the army was nowhere to be found and the few stragglers that remained were recovering arrows and shuriken from corpses. "Where is everyone?" How long had he been out?

Elise waved him forward, toward the edge of the bridge over the Canyon. "Corrin and the rest jumped into the Canyon, but I stayed until you woke up. We gotta jump too, or they'll get worried!"

"…Pardon?" Odin looked from the princess to the yawning chasm below and back again. "They'll be worried? I'm worried. Mostly for your sanity."

"Haha!" Elise giggled and winked at him. "We can hold hands if you're scared."

"I'm not scared, I—"

"Great! Then here we go!" With a whoop, the princess tossed herself into the abyss, ribbons and all.

Odin yelped and dove in after her, following the twinkle of her armor down into the darkness.

oooo

Thank you all for joining me on this journey! I'm really excited about where this fic is going to go!

I'm gonna kinda play fast and loose with canon timelines here because, honestly, Fire Emblem time makes no sense and everyone has to be legal *coughElisecough*

So if my timelines don't match up to canon, pour gin in your tea until it all makes sense.