He found her in the field, and fate changed. But they still had much to learn about the past - and the future. A Fire Emblem: Awakening novelization.
~Cover art by Liirin Risun~
"It... it seems Plegia has finally decided on a new king," Elysa's voice trembled slightly. Chrom reached out a hand to hold her forearm.
"Something's wrong?" He queried, but it was nearly a statement. He knew her well enough to see when something was more than just slightly off. And with the color drained from her face, Chrom began to feel a creeping sense of dread.
In response, Elysa looked up to Aversa. Chrom saw her grey eyes turn steel as she stared the other woman down. "You say you're my sister; that means you're Plegia's princess. And Validar sent you out here alone to parley with us?"
Aversa shrugged, with a scowl. "You were always Daddy's favorite girl, Elysa. He doesn't care too much for me... besides, I'm not exactly the princess type." She leaned back against her dark pegasus, her very-nearly-exposed bosom taking front and center.
Chrom stared at a pebble on the ground, taking all of this in. "Your... your father?" He looked up at his wife. "The Grimleal?"
She finally turned back to him. "...Yes, it would seem so. Unless 'Validar' is a common name and it's some freak coincidence. But this means—"
"Plegia is now a country under Grima's covenant," Aversa finished. "But fret not, dear exalt. We bear you no ill will – we can agree to disagree as far as religion goes, no?" She grinned her sinister smile. "Besides... you need us. Even the dynasts fight for Walhart. You require all the troops you can muster." Her eyes slid meaningfully over to Say'ri, and the swordswoman gritted her teeth.
"...Loathe as I am to trust your Grimleal, she speaks the truth, Chrom."
Elysa drew a slow breath, through her nose – the way she calmed herself. Chrom squeezed her wrist slightly. "She's right," Elysa added. "They're both right. We have little options but to trust Plegia here. And if Validar meant us ill will, he wouldn't have sent Aversa alone."
Aversa nodded. "Smart girl. And I promise not to slit your throats while you sleep... you have my word." She laughed. Her laughter hung in the air, turning stale in the Ylisseans' silence, while their eight pairs of eyes stared at her.
"...Finish setting up camp," Chrom ordered, breaking the tension of the moment. "We'll host a guest for tonight."
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They hadn't brought much in terms of camping supplies beyond what Minerva could carry. Kellam and Stahl did most of the heavy lifting, while Cordelia and Elysa got the pegasi settled and lashed to a suitable branch. Cherche tended to her wyvern separately, while Chrom occupied Aversa.
Elysa eyed Aversa's dusky pegasus as she led it next to Daisy. Her own pegasus made a rumbling sound of protest. Aversa's winged horse had eerily blue, highly intelligent-looking eyes, which surveyed her carefully as she slowly tied the rope attached to its bridle beside Daisy's place. The pegasus looked away, and Elysa frowned.
Her attention slid past it towards Aversa, who was sliding closer and closer to Elysa's husband on the log they'd been sitting on – and Chrom was scooting faster and farther away, looking uncomfortable. Elysa looked to Cordelia.
