Fire Emblem: Before Awakening

Good For the Soul!

Anna

I yawned, stretching my arms out. As my eyes slowly adjusted to the morning light, I saw that Mom was still asleep next to me. That's weird. She's usually awake before me. I carefully crawled over her and hopped off the bed to get dressed. 

We were still staying at Lord Percy's Manor, even though it was summer. Normally, we would leave our winter home by the end of February, but this was an odd exception. Mom decided that we would stay here for a while so I could continue my lessons with Percy.

He was teaching me all sorts of things! How to play the piano and violin, read ancient texts and runes, mathematics, and how to write in cursive! Mom was my primary teacher my whole life, but she wanted me to have somewhat of a proper education. I was almost eleven, it was finally time for me to learn about a ton of advanced stuff.

And, of course, we worked. Mom mainly handled the housework and cleaning; I helped her in any way I could. When I was not in my lessons, I helped some of the staff with supply runs and deliveries. Some of the maids even tried teaching me how to do some of their work like cooking and sewing.

The room we were given was not big by any means, but it was more than enough. We were used to being given small and cramped rooms. We didn't have that much, anyway. There was only one bed and a couple dressers. The only luxury we had was our own washroom.

As I tied the leather belt onto my white work dress, Mom let out a groan and rolled to her side. I frowned, stepping to the bed. "Mom? It's time to wake up." I placed my hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. She felt much warmer than usual.

Her eyes screwed shut before they slowly opened. Her face was red and slightly sweaty. "Darling? Is it really morning?" Her voice sounded rough yet quiet. She managed to prop herself up on left hand, the other rubbing the side of her head. "Gods, I must have slept horribly! I'm still exhausted!"

I put the back of my hand against her forehead like I've seen her do many times. "Mom, you're burning up! You must be sick!"

She brushed me off with a shake of her head. "No no, it's the beginning of summer! I can't get sick!"

"Sickness waits for no season, Mom," I sighed. "I'll tell everyone that you're ill. You can't work like this!"

"Anna, sweetie, I'm fine-" As she spoke, her arm began to tremble and give out, falling back down to the mattress.

I picked up the water jug next to the bed and poured her a glass. "Here, drink this." She reluctantly took the cup and began to sip it. "Please, Mom, you are in no condition to do anything!" I took her hand with both of mine. "I-I don't want to lose you because you worked yourself too hard..."

Finally, she gave in. "All right, Little Bird. I'll rest."

"Yay! Thanks, Mom!" I threw my arms around her. "I'll skip my lessons today and pick up any work you had so you don't have to catch up on it when you feel better."

"Anna, no! You don't have to do that!"

"I want to," I smiled. "You do so much for me, I want to do things for you, too."

She hummed in content, reaching up and resting her palm on my cheek. "Thank you, love. I am truly blessed to have such an amazing daughter."

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, my Little Bird."

My smile widened as she used my nickname. She always called me Little Bird and I never knew why. It never bothered me, but I was still curious about its origin.

I slipped off the bed and headed towards the door. "I'll be back, soon! Try and rest!"

"I will, love."

...

"Here ya go! Fresh carrots straight from the market!" I placed a bundle of carrots on the table that contained various other ingredients.

Yuri, the head cook, looked up from a boiling pot. "Thank you, Anna. You've been a huge help," she smiled. Yuri was one of the adults whom I felt truly enjoyed my company. That, and I felt a strange connection with her. Like me, she came to Ylisse from a foreign country at a young age. Her family struggled to make ends meet and often found themselves working at inns and taverns.

The one thing that kept Yuri happy during all of her hardship was cooking. She enjoyed making traditional meals from her homeland of Chon'sin for the tavern patrons, and they seemed to enjoy it as well! Eventually, she caught the eye of Lord Percy and he hired her to work at his manor. Not long after that, she became the head cook. 

"It's no problem! What do you need next?"

She wiped her hands on a dish-cloth and began to arrange some of the vegetables. "Your mother is sick, is she not?"

My shoulders fell. "Yeah, she is..."

Her warm smiled brightened me back up. "Well, you know what always makes me feel better when sick?"

I quirked my head to the side. "What?"

"Chicken noodle soup!" She took out a cutting knife and began to trim the vegetables. "It's packed with nutrients that are good for the soul! If we make it for your mother, I'm sure she'll feel better in no time!"

My heart jumped in excitement. "Really?! You can do that?!"

The black-haired woman nodded. "Yes, but I'm sure it'll work ten times as much if you made it for her!"

"I wanna help! I wanna help!"

Yuri laughed. "All right, then. Grab an apron and come back here. I'll show you how to properly chop vegetables."

...

I slowly pushed the door open, stopping whenever there was a creak. The hot bowl of soup in my hand stung my skin with its head, but I ignored it. The scent of chicken and aromatic vegetables made my mouth water. No, this soup is for Mom!

Once I slipped inside of our room, I clicked the door shut and turned to Mom. She was still asleep. I crept over to the bed and set the soup down on the end table. I placed my hand on her arm and gently shook her once again. 

"Mom, it's time for lunch."

She groaned quietly, opening her eyes. "What was that, love?"

"Lunch!" I repeated, picking up the bowl and presenting it to her. "Yuri taught me how to make chicken noodle soup! She said that it's good for the soul and will make you better!"

Mom smiled and took the bowl from me. "Thank you, Little Bird." She placed one hand on my head and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I feel so much better already."

I giggled. "But you haven't even tried it, yet!"

"I know, but I feel better just by your presence," she hummed, looking off into the distance. "You know, this reminds me a lot of my childhood. Whenever I got sick, my mother would always make me beet and turnip soup."

I sat down more comfortably next to her. "Can you tell me more about your life in Plegia?" I knew it was a longshot, but perhaps I could coax her to talk more about her past.

She pondered my question for a moment. "...Yes. Yes, I can." A sad smile painted her face. "Livestock and fresh vegetables were not as easy to care for in the desert, but there were ways to do so..."

She's getting more comfortable talking about Plegia! Maybe I'm one step closer to learning more about Father! Or this weird birthmark! From what she already told me, Plegia is a place we can never return to. Ylisse is our home. Still, if I can't see Plegia for myself, at least I'll be able to have stories about it.

*****

Things will be very fluffy. I'm currently fending off my Pop Tart from my dog. No Pop Tart for you. Also, I now know all about desert vegetables. Yay, agriculture. XD Thank you so much for reading and look forward to reading more!