Fire Emblem: Awakening - Call of The Wild

Chapter 27: Deja vu

Lissa and Miriel truly are magical. I'm shocked that they were able to tend to everyone's wounds so quickly and efficiently.

The crackling of the fire filled the silent camp, its blaze being my only company; warmth protected me from the cool air. It's already December... The cold season is upon us. I hope we're close to Regna Ferox. I pray the snowfall waits until our return home. I pulled my purple cloak tighter around me in an attempt to shield myself further from the cold.

"You know, the chill is not just from the approaching winter. The Frozen-Lands are near," Chrom's voice sounded from the darkness. He was soon illuminated by the firelight as he stepped closer. He took a seat across from me, sighing. "I suspect that we'll arrive there in two or three days."

I bowed my head in greeting. "Good to know." Although I've checked with him multiple times since the battle, I was still worried about the man. "How are you holding up?"

The corner of his mouth curved up into a small smile. "I'm fine. Like the other hundred times you asked me. You're more doting than Emm, sometimes."

I puffed out my cheeks. "Well, someone has to be your impulse control!" I harumphed.

"Indeed you do..." He trailed off. "This scenario is quite familiar."

I nodded, awkwardly fidgeting with my hands. "Ah, yes. If I remember correctly, it was the very first day we met and I pretty much poured my life story onto you at a campfire." That was not even three months ago... Time really does fly.

"It feels weird of how much time has passed since then." He echoed my thoughts. "I mean, it hasn't really been that long, but it feels like it."

"I feel like I've known you forever," I smiled, locking eyes with the prince. My heart began to suddenly race. "Er, I mean - I feel like I've known you and the Shepherds forever."

Chrom chucked, his cheeks turning a shade of pink. It was most likely from the cold. Or the fire. "The day you told me your life story..." He appeared to be lost in thought. "...My parents died when I was young. I was only four so I don't have all of my memories of them, but I can recall bits and pieces."

I swallowed a lump in my throat. "Chrom, you don't have to-"

He held up a hand. "No, I want you to know more about me," he continued. "My father - the Alpha - was very temperamental and stubborn. Any memories I have of him are not pleasant ones. Everyone remembers the hardships he brought upon the pack. The pain. It's because of him the Plegians want revenge. The last war was all his doing, only ending with his death 15 years ago."

...How do I even reply to this? What do I do? My heart did the job my brain was failing to do. It willed me to move and sit down next to him. I immediately felt a rush of heat. Jeez, why is it so much warmer over here?

Finally, I forced words out of my mouth. "Th-those must have been such hard times for you..."

He pressed his lips into a thin line. "They were... I know how they affected Emmeryn. A young girl, not even ten years of age, blamed for her father's sins."

"Chrom..."

"But, she pushed through," he muttered. "She brought peace back to the packs: she ended the war. She is peace. When others ridiculed and tormented her, she never held it against them. The path of forgiveness was a long and rough one. But, she eventually regained her rightful respect. Our pack looks up to her as a beacon of hope and order; the opposite of our father."

Our hands lightly brushed. "I cannot fathom to know how she met such hostility with kindness, Anna. It's something that still baffles me to this day."