Fire Emblem: Children of Light

Prologue: Girl from the Ocean

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  "Kahaha! You can't stop me, I'm the evil Wolf Queen! A young girl, now older than five years old, stood in the center of the castle courtyard, brandishing a stick around like a sword. It was Callista.
  "You're evil ends here Wolf Queen!" Aurelio also waved a stick around.
  "Yeah!" A third boy joined in on the fray. He had fair white skin, incredibly unruly brown hair, and was a few years older than Aurelio and Callista. His name was Ian, and he was Rochelle's son.

  The three children begin to chase each other around the courtyard, playing their game and swinging their sticks. Arturo, Adalia, and Rochelle sat by the edge of the wall, watching their children closely.

  "This takes me back." Rochelle smiles. "Remember when we used to play games like this Arturo?"
  "Yeah, back when we weren't old." Arturo laughs.
  "So what's Ewan doing these days Rochelle?" Adalia asks.
  "Beats me," Rochelle sighs. "He's probably doing Gods know what back at the thieving town. He really needs to focus on his duties as a soldier a bit more..."
  "Well it's not like we have to worry about wars anytime soon." Adalia smiles. "Arturo's done a pretty good job of keeping the peace. Let Ewan party a little."
  "Ha! He's gonna get soft if I let him party anymore..."
  Callista runs over and tugs on Arturo's pant leg. "Daddy, it's your turn! You get to be Wolf King!"
  "My turn?" Arturo runs over and grabs a stick with a smile. "Okay, but you asked for it!"

  The three kids then proceed to band together and beat up on Arturo. Arturo falls ove, pretending to be hurt. Callista climbs up his leg and stands on his back, holding her stick high and chanting victoriously. Adalia smiles. Rochelle sighs and looks over at Callista.

  "Does she know?" Rochelle asks.
  "Know what?" Adalia replies.
  "That she's adopted." Rochelle says back bluntly. "I mean, she's clearly not your kid. With those eyes and ears, she looks just like Rei..."
  "No, she doesn't know, and Arturo and I don't plan on telling her anytime soon." Adalia sighs. "But know that you say that, you don't think she's a Manakete do you?"
  "Well I'm no expert, but they've all got pointed ears don't they?"
  "Well, if she is, she hasn't shown any draconic tendencies, other than she seems to bite a lot as of late."
  "Are her teeth sharp?"
  "Very." Adalia chuckles and shakes her head. "And that scares me. I don't know how dragons work. What if she transforms or something? What do I do then? Ugh, I wish I could talk to Rei..."
  "I do too, so I could give him a piece of my mind." Rochelle grumbles. "How could he just leave Moira alone with a child like that? I'm sure it was hard enough for her and Maylis to raise Angelica without Cedric..."

  Aurelio runs over and hugs Adalia's leg. Arturo walks back over with Callista riding on his shoulders. Ian walks over and Rochelle scoops him up into her arms.

  "Momma, can I borrow your lance?" Ian asks.
  "What do you need my lance for?" Rochelle chuckles.
  "To shave Daddy's beard." Ian replies. "It's itchy."
  Rochelle laughs. "Is that right?"
  "Your beard's itchy too Daddy." Callista says, pulling at Arturo's long, curly black beard.
  Adalia picks up Aurelio and hugs him tightly. "I suppose we should get going huh? It's about their naptime."
  "Momma, you're squishing me..." Aurelio tries to pull away from Adalia's grip, but she just pulls him closer.
  "Yeah, I'm sure Ian's getting tired too." Rochelle says. "It was nice seeing you guys again. I needed a break from the soldiers, they've been real whiny lately..."
  "I'm sure they're just getting a bit restless." Arturo chuckles. "You are working them, aren't you?"
  "Harder than I ever have." Rochelle smiles.

  The group heads their separate ways; Rochelle exits the courtyard and makes her way back towards her house and Arturo and Adalia make their way back to their room inside the castle. They place Aurelio and Callista into their respective rooms, letting them nap after a long afternoon of playing. Once they finally drift off to sleep, Adalia sits down on the edge of her and Arturo's bed with a sigh.

  "What's the matter?" Arturo asks, sitting down next to her.
  "It's Callista." Adalia says. "Rochelle pointed out something to me that I've never really noticed. What if Callista is a Manakete?"
  "What?" Arturo chuckles a bit. "She couldn't be, she's physically aging at the same rate as Aurelio. Don't Manaketes look like they're ten for a rather long time?"
  "I suppose, but surely you've seen her ears Arturo. They're pointy. All the Manaketes on Sanasa have pointed ears and yellow eyes, or at least all the ones we've seen do. What if she transforms? What'll do? What'll she do? How would Aurelio feel about his sister being a dragon?"
  "I would be rather excited to have a draconic sibling myself." Arturo says. "But I see where you're coming from Adalia. It is a scary thought, but we have no way of knowing. Something could happen, something might not happen. Without any way to track her true heritage, we can't say anything for sure. It's probably best that we just wait and cross that bridge when we come to it."
  "But-"
  "If something happens to Callista, we'll deal with it. I'll deal with it. If she has any problems, we'll help her through them, and we'll love her like we always have..."
  "I suppose you're right." Adalia nods. "I just pray for the best..."