This is a fanfiction. The characters and world of Fire Emblem are the intellectual property of Intelligent Systems and Nintendo. I am simply writing an original story in their world.
The Outrealms is designed for an appropriate audience based on the rating of the games that inspired the story. Expect content equivalent to that of a T-rated game. Mild language, frightening elements, mild suggestive themes, thematic elements, and fantasy violence may appear.
Sunlight streamed through the castle window and alighted on the face of the princess. She stirred and rolled away from the window, trying to avert her eyes and stay asleep for a little longer. But the damage was done. Her bright blue eyes flickered open, the bedroom a blur until her vision had a few moments to focus.
She’d been staying in one of the many palace guest rooms. An odd sensation to be sure. In a way, the palace in Ylisstol was her home. In another, she didn’t belong here.
The princess rose up and opened the curtains, seeing the beautiful courtyard where many people were already gathered. She sighed to see it. This was not how she wanted the day to start.
“I suppose there is no such thing as a quiet exit for a princess,” she said to herself.
She took off her sleeping gown and began to change into her traveling gear. It was cold in Ylisse this time of year, so she first put on leggings and a long sleeved tunic, both so dark a blue they were almost black. Over that she slipped on her tunic, navy and trimmed in gold. Next came her scabbards, one belted around her waste and one strapped over her shoulder. The shoulder strap held her spear, when she carried one, but her preferred weapon was the sword she now sheathed at her side.
Its name was Falchion. Wielded long ago by the first exalt of Ylisse, blessed by the divine dragon Naga, and commanding the power to slay any dragon with ease. Falchion was a beautiful sword, the blade a glistening silver and the guard a teardrop shape that formed part of the symbol known as the mark of the exalt. The symbol that decorated the princess’s left eye. This sword, and the mark it inspired, were signs of royal heritage in Ylisse. Only a true descendant of the exalt could wield the sword, and there was only one Falchion.
At least, only one Falchion per world.
This was no ordinary princess, after all. This was Lucina, the daughter of the current exalt and a time-traveler. She had come from a future bleak and terrible, where all life was annihilated by the designs of the fell dragon Grima. To save her people, she begged Naga for guidance. The divine dragon sent her back in time, along with her surviving companions, that they might change history and prevent Grima from rising to power. Lucina united with her father, and together their twin Falchions tore through the ranks of evil men and brought Grima to his knees.
However, when the moment of truth came, Naga gave them a warning. Killing Grima with the Falchion would only seal the dragon away, causing him to rise again in a millennium or two. The only way to truly kill the fell dragon was for someone who shared his evil blood to strike him down. Robin, best friend to the exalt and tactician of Ylisse’s army, shared that blood and was willing to strike down the dragon, but in the process his life would be lost. Knowing this, Lucina’s father tried to prevent Robin from striking the final blow against Grima.
Knowing that Robin would die, Lucina let him do it.
Remembering her decision filled her with doubt. Was it truly the right thing to allow Robin to die just so Grima would never come back? She had to believe it was. If Grima had been sealed away, he would rise again and destroy another world just as he had destroyed hers. She’d made the right decision. But her heart still ached to think of it.
Lucina shook all of these thoughts from her head. Grima was a thing of the past now. Today was the first day of Lucina’s future. She’d taken an injury in the final battle, a magical blow from Grima himself that kept her from traveling for a full month. Rehabilitation had been slow, even with the holy ones of Ylisse treating her with magic and prayers. Now the time was finally here. She would leave Ylisstol and find her new life out in the world.
“Perhaps I’ll leave through the secret exit in the training grounds,” she mused. “I’ll make less of a fuss that way.”
Lucina finished getting ready, wrapping up in her cloak and putting on her gloves and boots. She decided to leave her armor behind – it would only slow her down as she traveled. A quick check in the mirror showed that everything was in place, so she made her way towards the door. Just as she reached out to open it, a knock came.
“Lucina? It’s Chrom. May I come in?” called a voice.
“Of course, Father,” she answered.
The door opened and Chrom stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. Lucina could never deny her heritage – many of her features came from him. Tall, slender, blue hair and eyes – at Lucina’s current age, the two looked more like siblings than father and daughter. Chrom motioned for her to sit down. She did so, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Her father sat beside her.
“You’re leaving today,” he said. “I still can’t believe it. It’s strange, watching my daughter move out of the house before I’d even adjusted to having one yet.”
Lucina simply nodded in agreement, unsure of what to say. For his part, Chrom didn’t know where to look. He tried looking at his daughter, but couldn’t hold eye contact, so he focused on the floor. Then he stared at the door. Then Lucina again.
“I want to ask you one more time,” he began. “Stay.”
Lucina frowned at that. “Father, there is part of me that wants to stay. To finally have the life with my family that I always dreamed of. But – but I cannot stay here. I’m not your real daughter. Though we are bonded by our time on the battlefield together, the Chrom that fathered me is a different man.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Chrom insisted. The hurt on his face made Lucina’s heart ache. “I’m still your father. Everything we’ve been through together has shown that. There is a place for you here, there’s no reason for you to go.”
“What about your real daughter?” she asked. “The baby Lucina that’s only a few rooms away?”
“You two are both important to me,” Chrom replied passionately. “But you’re the one I am about to lose. Please, Lucina. Don’t make me give up my daughter.”
Lucina stood up, tears in her eyes. “That’s the problem. The time that we’ve spent together has meant so much to me, but…but it’s not fair. I cannot ask you to split your love between two of the same daughter. Think of that baby in there. Is it fair to her to ask her to live in a world where a second version of her is vying for her father’s attention and affection? Is it fair to her to ask her to be compared to me in every way? To be compared to a Lucina who shouldn’t even be in this world?”
“None of that is any different than having a sister,” Chrom said, standing up as well. “And you know very well that she will have one.”
Lucina sighed and turned to her father. “Alright then. Look me in the eyes and tell me honestly that you care just as much about that baby as you care about me.”
Immediately, Chrom averted his gaze. His eyes reddened as her fought tears.
“I’m sorry, Father,” Lucina said. “I want to stay more than anything. But it’s not right. I don’t belong here, not when the real Lucina is going to need her father. Can we please part on happier terms? I cannot stand all this sobbing and arguing.”
Chrom nodded and grabbed hold of her, pulling her into a tight hug. She hugged him back, burying her face into his shoulder.
“I love you, Lucina,” Chrom said. “I know that wherever you go, you’ll be fine. And you’ll do great things. But if there ever comes a time where you need a home to come back to, please know that this is that home.”
“Thank you, Father,” Lucina sobbed. “I love you too.” They hugged for a few more moments before finally parting.
“You really aren’t going to say goodbye to anyone else?” her father asked.
“No,” she said. “I’d prefer to leave quietly. I’ve already cried too much today.”
“I understand. I’ll tell your mother and sister that you love them.”
————————————————————-
Lucina journeyed to the south, spending time in Yllise’s smaller communities and villages. Travel was not difficult – though a bit chilly at night, the weather was fair for most of her journey, and no enemies rose up to halt her progress. She spent a day or two in each town she visited, simply chatting with the locals and enjoying simple meals.
She learned of many things. Grima’s very temporary return had nevertheless shaken the world, a tremor that was felt even in towns this far away from Plegia. People worked together to restore things to normal, fixing damaged buildings and counseling one another through the dark times. Ylisse might have been a country of peace, but it had a resilience that could not be matched even by a stronger nation.
Lucina’s journey southward was spurred onward by one particular odd rumor that she heard one evening. She’d been having dinner in a nice family’s home when the child told of a person he’d seen in the village.
“There was a man, the biggest man I’ve ever seen. He had a whole bunch of armor and a huge horse. I heard him talking when he went past me. He’s looking for a gate on an island. He said that someone told him to keep going south.”
Intrigued by this tale, Lucina traveled to the southern coast of Ylisse and inquired about the island. No one seemed to know about this island with a gate, though quite a few people remembered seeing the man in heavy armor.
“His armor was red as blood,” they said. “His eyes looked like death itself.” The only person who seemed to know anything about the island itself was an old fisherman who called himself Hubba.
“Oh yes, Old Hubba knows about the island,” he said. “There’s a gate there that’s said to lead to the Outrealms.”
“The Outrealms?” Lucina questioned. “I’m not familiar with those.”
“That’s funny, considering that you’re from one,” Hubba replied. “You see, the Outrealms are all the worlds that aren’t this one. Some of them are just the past or the future, some of them are side-by-side but very different from each other, and some are completely different worlds entirely, worlds that are not remotely similar to this one in any way. There’re more worlds out there than stars, they say. And that gate could lead you to any of them.”
“Other worlds,” Lucina mused. Then suddenly, she thought of an important follow-up question. “How do you know I’m from a different time?”
“Ooh-hoo-hoo, sometimes I like to go and watch the gate, get glimpses of the other worlds,” Old Hubba explained. “There’re beautiful women sometimes, and they can’t complain about Old Hubba taking a peek or two, hehehe. Eh, anyway, I saw you come here from your world.”
Lucina tried to get past the disturbing middle segment of Hubba’s explanation. “Have you heard the rumors of the man in crimson armor heading for the gate?”
“Oh yes,” said Hubba, “he did not look like the pleasant sort. I’m worried about such a fellow reaching the gate.”
“Loath as I am to ask,” Lucina began, “is there any way you can take me there?”
“Well of course!” the man smiled. “How could Old Hubba say no to such a pretty face?”
————————————————————-
Thankfully, the journey to the island was not a long one, though it certainly was not pleasant. The old lech insisted on asking Lucina many very personal questions, all of which she refused to answer. While the waters on the way to the island were not particularly rough, the boat was. Lucina felt uncomfortable both physically and socially as they heaved and splashed through the rough waters. Finally – mercifully – they arrived at their destination and Lucina bid farewell to Old Hubba.
It took a couple of hours to actually reach the Outrealm Gate, two hours of hard travel through sandy and hilly conditions. Lucina kept one hand ready on the Falchion with every step. Careful by nature, she was never one to be caught off-guard. However, her journey proved safe, and she arrived at the Outrealm Gate without conflict.
The gate appeared to be inactive. There was a large archway in the midst of a patch of sand, but looking through the gate revealed nothing. However, the man from the rumors sat before the gate on his horse, patiently waiting for some sort of activity. Clad in red armor from head to toe, the man appeared to be three times the size of even the largest, toughest men she knew. She recognized this monster, knew him from her journey with her father.
“Walhart the Conqueror,” she said. “My father killed you in Valm. How is it you managed to survive?”
The behemoth turned to face her, a sneer curling his lips. “The daughter of the boy-king. Why is it that you have pursued me here?”
“Answer my question,” Lucina commanded, drawing her blade.
Walhart laughed at that, but he did humor her. “I have both survived and not survived. My heart no longer beats inside my chest, yet my life goes on. Now you answer my question.”
“The townspeople of Ylisse spoke of you,” Lucina explained. “I didn’t realize who they had seen, but I wanted to make sure there was no trouble.”
“And seeing me now, do you think I am trouble?” Walhart questioned. “Have I harmed any of your precious Ylisseans?”
“Why are you here, Walhart?” Lucina asked, avoiding his questions.
“This gate leads to other worlds. I am a conqueror, but here there is nothing to conquer. Your father bested me. But if I were to go to another world, a different world, I could conquer it instead. And perhaps more after that. Imagine it, child. Walhart, Conqueror of Worlds. Emperor of the Outrealms.”
Lucina leveled her blade at him. “I won’t let that happen.”
Suddenly, a bright glow exploded from the archway in the sand. Walhart’s back was turned away, but Lucina was facing him and the light temporarily stole her vision. She blinked rapidly and tried to see through her tears. Walhart turned to face the gate, the bright lights calming down and forming into a swirling vortex of blue energy.
“The Gate is on,” Walhart said. “Now, to step through and find the land that I shall conquer.”
Lucina rushed forward despite her aching eyes, desperate to stop Walhart from crossing the gate. But the Conqueror’s horse carried him through before she could stop him. Her momentum now too strong, Lucina could not stop herself and continued to stumble forward. Into the Outrealm Gate.
She crossed the threshold of the swirling lights and found herself falling, descending through an infinite field of stars towards another world.
This ends Part One of the first chapter of The Outrealms. Today is the last day of Multiplayer Week, so if you enjoyed this fanfic be sure to share it via social media or in person so that others may enjoy it too. And remember, Adventure Rules is now on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, each of which has some form of exclusive content not available on the main blog. In particular, Tumblr has the four-part prologue to The Outrealms that is called The Final Battle. If you enjoyed today’s post, definitely be sure to check it out.
Thanks to everybody who has supported me throughout Multiplayer Week by sharing or even just by reading and enjoying the posts. And thanks to those who are already following Adventure Rules on social media. The adventurers are a big part of the reason that I do this. I will continue to do my best to bring you all quality content!
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