Hey dudes! Here we are, chapter four! Sorry for the crazy update schedule, this chapter actually took quite a bit of time. I hope you understand!
And, thanks to @MarwanAlHussein, we have a cover! The original artwork was created by @a_meno_0, I've put a link to his twitter in my story's description!
With that out of the way, into the story!
--Y/N POV--
I kicked a rock nervously, keeping a firm hand on the box in my pocket. I was going to propose to Lucina. I was never more sure of something in my life. When looking for a ring for her, I didn't look for the biggest one, or the most beautiful one. I looked for the one that suited her the most.
After spending hours looking for the right one, my eyes stopped on one with a sapphire embedded in it. Blue... Lucina's favorite color. It was perfect...
That same ring was now in my pocket. I held it close, paranoid that I would lose it somehow. My heart was going a mile a minute, filled to the brim with anxiety. A-All I had to do now was ask Chrom for his blessing, right?
I clenched my hands into fists, and made my way towards his tent. My time of judgment had come...
--Lucina POV--
I woke up and immediately frowned at seeing the empty bed. Ever since his birthday, Y/N had been acting a bit standoffish. Blushing whenever I kissed him. Staring at me when he thought I wasn't looking.
What could he be up to? And then there was today- he was always there to greet me when I woke up. The tent didn't feel the same without him. I sighed, and pulled the covers up to my chin. The nightmares hadn't relented, so I now spent most days sleeping in.
What did they all mean? I wanted to know... In each of them, I saw Y/N dying. It was different death each time, each scarier than the last.
Did it have some hidden message? I shivered as I remembered the dream I had the previous night, where a thrown spear had impaled him in his torso.
I woke up screaming, as usual, but it took a lot longer for me to calm down. Y/N had spent hours hugging me as I cried into his chest, weeping out of relief that he was still alive.
Why did it take longer for my panic to leave me? It was simple- the nightmare felt too real.
Instead of Y/N crumbling into dust as he usually did, blood spurted from his wound, and he clasped my hand tightly.
His eyes were full of tears as I watched his life ebb away. I could still feel the tightness of his grip, and the sound of his soft, final breaths...
And when the last ounce of his life fluttered away from him, I felt my heart break into two. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Y/N, a lifeless shell. It was pure torture.
But no matter. Y/N's voice echoed in my head. It's just a harmless dream. I'm here.
I brushed a tear from my eye, and sat up as I realized that I was too awake to fall asleep again.
I groaned as I put on my clothes. Was there anything I needed to do today? Nothing that came to mind immediately...
I stumbled out of the tent, and grimaced as a familiar face made their way towards me.
Inigo: Good morning, Lucina!
Lucina: What do you want, Inigo?
Inigo: I was just wondering if- hehehe... my favorite blue-haired princess had a change of heart about who she likes...
I sighed. Inigo had a huge crush on me, and he wasn't afraid to show it. He knew that I loved Y/N very much, but that didn't stop him from trying. I took a step back as he moved closer, allowing me to smell something strange. Was that... alcohol? Had he been drinking?
Inigo: You know... I've decided that I'm tired of waiting.
A strange look came into his eyes, sending a shiver down my spine. He crept even closer to me, and I kept backtracking, until I found myself against a wall. Inigo placed one of his hands on the wall to block off my escape.
I let out an almost silent whimper, hoping the ground could swallow me up. What could I do now?
--Y/N POV--
I entered Chrom's tent, where I found him conversing with Robin on plans for the next battle. I signaled to him.
Chrom: Yes, Y/N? What is it?
Y/N: Sorry, but would it be okay if I spoke to you for a moment outside? It's kind of important...
Chrom: Sure!
He followed me outside, where I turned around and looked him in the eye.
Y/N: Chrom... I-I came to you to ask for your... b-blessing...
His eyes widened as I took out the box to show him the ring.
Y/N: I'm planning on proposing to Lucina today...
He smiled, and started to tear up a bit.
Chrom: What can I say, Y/N? I know for a fact that she loves you with all her heart.
He looked at me determinedly, and nodded.
Chrom: I give you my blessing to marry Lucina.
I grinned, and shook his hand.
Y/N: Thank you.
Chrom: No, thank you for allowing me to see my daughter be happy.
With that, he walked back into the tent, leaving me to pump my fists in the air. Yes!! I was good to go!
I knew that I would never be able to wait until tomorrow, or even tonight. I had to propose now, before I exploded.
I ran off to our tent, but stopped dead when I saw Lucina cornered by a figure. There was a look of fear in her eyes that ignited a spark within me. Above all, I had to protect her.
I walked over to the person, and placed a hand on their shoulder.
Y/N: Excuse me.
The person turned around, revealing it to be Inigo, wiping the grin off his face.
Lucina: Y/N!
Y/N: Inigo, what are you trying to do?
Inigo: Uhh, n-nothing! I-I'll be off!
He ran away in a hurry, obviously scared of me for whatever reason. Lucina knocked the wind out of me as she caught me in a hug.
Lucina: Thank you Y/N... I don't know what he would've done if you hadn't been there...
I returned the hug, smiling into her hair.
Y/N: It was nothing, Lucina...
She separated from the embrace to stare at me in a playful way.
Lucina: You know, you've been acting a bit strange recently. Anything behind that?
I flushed red. Now was the time...
Y/N: Actually, there is a little thing...
She looked at me questioningly, holding one of my hands. I fumbled in my pocket and brought out the small box. Her eyes widened and she gasped.
I got down on one knee, and opened the box, showing the gleaming ring.
Y/N: Lucina... will you marry me?
--Lucina POV--
My first thought was- YES! YES!! Tears of joy rolled down my cheeks, and I had a gigantic smile on my face. I imagined starting a family with him, living in a nice, cozy cottage. The best boyfriend ever was soon to be the best... husband ever...
Suddenly, a strange feeling entered my body, starting from my head and going down to the tips of my toes. It was like someone was... pulling me somewhere?
I shook it off, and looked back at the face of Y/N, my one true love.
Lucina: Y/N... you didn't have to ask. I will love you, now and forever. Yes.
He smiled, as happy as can be, and pulled me into a hug, kissing me deeply. My heart felt like it would explode with all of this affection. Half of my life had been spent knowing only death and war. But in recent years, I had learned about love, and loyalty. Familial love for my parents, and romantic, strong love for Y/N. He slipped the ring onto my finger, allowing me to admire it in awe.
The pull grew stronger, and I felt myself grow dizzy. What was going on?
I grew weak, and collapsed onto Y/N, groaning. My vision grew blurry, and my throat seized up.
Y/N: Lucina!!! What's wrong?
Lucina: I-I... I...
A throbbing pain began in my head. Y/N wrapped his arms around me and stared at me worriedly. His eyes widened as he noticed something I hadn't.
Y/N: You're... You're f-fading...
I looked down at my hands, and gasped. They were transparent! I felt my soul start to fly up, and away from my body. I kissed Y/N on the lips deeply, before sighing and whispering.
Lucina: Y/N... I don't know what's going on... but... goodbye...
Y/N: No... Y-You can't! Don't g-go!
And with that, I completely faded away, leaving Y/N alone in body and in spirit.
--Sharena POV--
I walked cheerfully down to Askr's courtyard, where our summoner, Kiran, was attempting again to summon some new heroes that we could use in the battle against Muspell. I couldn't wait to meet our new friends!
Kiran: Okay, everything's ready. Anna, could you pass me the orbs?
Anna: Sure thing!
Anna, our redheaded commander, passed an orb to Kiran, who loaded it into Breidablik. He took aim with careful calculation, and fired. Mist sprung up all around the yard. I smiled. Who would it be this time? A boy? A girl?
But nothing could have prepared us for the person who came through the fog.
Lucina: Where am I? Where have you brought me?
I took a few steps back. That voice was filled with rage. I heard growling and stomping, when, all of a sudden, the hero jumped out of the mist and pounced on me, strangling me.
Lucina: Who are you? Take me back, now!
My face grew red as I struggled to breathe. I frantically motioned to her to let me go as purple spots starting dancing throughout my vision. She relaxed her grip when Alfonse, my brother, and Kiran, grabbed and restrained her.
I stood up, wheezing, and took a few seconds to gulp mouthfuls of air.
Sharena: I'm Sh-Sharena, p-princess of Askr. We're part of the Order of Heroes.
A look of pure confusion came onto her face.
Lucina: A-Askr? Where's that, Plegia?
I smiled knowingly. So, she came from the World of Awakening!
Sharena: Sadly, no. Askr's in a totally different world. We've summoned you here to help us in our battles.
She looked completely stricken. Were those tears forming in her eyes?
Lucina: B-But... You have to send me back!
My brother spoke up, allowing me to catch my breath.
Alfonse: Why? Did anything happen in your world?
They let go of her, allowing her to bury her face into her hands.
Lucina: P-Please... Y/N... My boyfriend... H-He had just proposed to me!
Her sturdy and stoic composure had been dashed to pieces, replaced by pure sadness and desperation. My heart flew out to her. I felt contempt for myself, and my friends. How dare we steal this girl away from her soulmate??
I balled my hands into fists, taking deep breaths.
Sharena: Brother, Kiran, Anna? Could we speak over there for a second? We have to discuss this...
Lucina: Please... Bring me back...
She sunk to the ground, wringing her hands and whimpering. Her "please..." had sounded so... miserable... Her voice cracked as she barely whispered it. She was in so much despair... I swallowed hard and followed the others over to the other side of the courtyard, where we could converse without worry of her overhearing us.
Sharena: We... We have to open a doorway into her world. We have to get her back...
Alfonse: Sharena, be reasonable! You know we can't close those doorways. Embla would just use it as another way to attack us. It's too risky.
Sharena: I-I can't bear to see her like this! I know we've just met her, but that doesn't take away how wrong it feels. Think about it, Alfonse- we took her away from her soon-to-be husband! We can't even begin to process the pain she's going through right now!
I nervously turned around to look at her, afraid to see what I found.
I gulped. Her tears hadn't stopped in any way. If anything, they had gotten worse. She kissed a ring on her finger, mumbling a name over and over again.
Sharena: Anna! Kiran! You can't possibly agree with him!
Anna: I'm sorry, Sharena, but Alfonse is right. It's too dangerous to open another doorway into another world when there are already so many that we have to keep track of. I feel horrible about it, but it's for the greater good.
Kiran nodded, agreeing with the two of them. I deflated, and walked off.
I went over to the girl and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
Sharena: Follow me. I know a place where I can get you cleaned up.
She stared at me, face devoid of hope, before resigning and falling into step behind me.
--Lucina POV--
I felt incomplete. Without Y/N, who was stuck in another world and thousands of miles away from me, I was... nothing. It was funny, I couldn't even imagine how life was like before I met Y/N. I was all right on my own, until I met him.
I was still in denial. Everything had happened so fast! Y/N and me tying the knot... Him slipping the ring onto my finger... and now... this.
Sharena: I don't think I ever caught your name. Care to fill me in?
Lucina: It's... Lucina...
I looked down at my ring again, and still felt a flash of happiness and hope. I would find him again. I knew that. And when we reunited, we could finally become husband and wife.
Wife... I tested out the word, as if trying it on for size. I smiled despite myself. Y/N would want me to stay brave and calm, so that's what I would do.
Sharena brought me towards a few buildings, which were a bit off to the side of the main path that led to a castle nearby. She turned around and gave me a reassuring pat on the back.
Sharena: Look, Lucina... I'm really sorry that we pulled you away from your world. I guess we just didn't realize that there were consequences to our actions. All we can do is hope that he gets summoned here.
Lucina: I understand, and I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I just...
Misery overwhelmed my senses once again, and I bit my lip to retain my calm and collected aura.
Lucina: I just need him. Desperately. Without Y/N around, everything feels so bland and boring. Like there's something missing.
I looked at her questioningly, as she took out a key and opened the door to a room.
Lucina: Do you have anyone who you feel that way about?
She shook her head sadly, pushing open the door to reveal a small living space with one bed.
Sharena: No, but I understand where you're coming from. I don't know what I'd do if I was separated from my brother.
She indicated to the room with a sweep of her hand, smiling once again.
Sharena: Anyways, here's your room! Feel free to look for me if you need anything. I'll give you a tour tomorrow.
I returned her smile, and we parted ways. I gingerly stepped inside the room, before jumping on the bed in total exhaustion.
Everything was too quiet. My ears had grown accustomed to the sounds of Y/N's steady breathing as he slept, his footsteps as he strode from one end of the room to the other, and his harmonious voice that made me feel like dancing.
I closed my eyes and sang, as if I was trying to pretend that Y/N was there with me.
We can't do a thing but wait
So let's wait, for one more
Wait. That's what I would do. I would wait, confident in the fact that eventually, he would come. And the emptiness that was festering inside of me would disappear.
So let's wait for one more. One more chance to be together forever.
That night, my nightmares ceased.
And that night, I became an insomniac.
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Ah, the end of another chapter. Bet you didn't see the integration of Fire Emblem Heroes coming! (Also, to clear things up, let's just say the only way a hero can be sent home is by going through one of the gateways opened by Askr's royalty.
And another heads up- I'm not sure when the next chapter will be coming. I'm trying to brainstorm ideas, as I only have the general story down. Hopefully I can publish it by next week!
Thanks again for reading!
-Fireemblem8cuts