Happenstance (Fire Emblem Fates)

Doubt

Leo stumbled and leaned his weight against the wall, clutching at his chest. Brynhildr was calling for him, and it tugged at his soul painfully. He panted, squeezing an eye shut as if it would stop the pain, and tightened his grip. This had been happening spontaneously for the past four years, and he was still not adjusted to the random onsets. He hated how powerless he felt in moments like this, but there was nothing he could do to counteract it.

He took slow, sluggish steps and continued to use the wall to support himself. He needed to find Azura and have her sing for him; his very essence felt like it was constricting on itself and he had no idea how long this spell would last. He called her name in a pained voice, and when there was no answer, he knew she was not home.

"Damn," he grumbled, his fist tightening on his shirt, "she must be at the lake..."

After all of these years, Leo came to learn that if his older sister was missing, she was most likely by the lake in the nearby forest. Why she had such an affinity to the water, he never knew, but perhaps her name heralded it. Luckily, it made tracking her down easier because she never told anyone where she was going and never carried her phone around.

The blond was somehow able to stay on his feet and drag himself out of the house, only being able to distract himself from the ache in his chest by focusing so diligently on putting one foot after the other. It was a slow and painful process, but it was progress. He closed the door behind him but left it unlocked as he realized he forgot his keys. "Whatever," he began trudging down the steps, "I'll lock it later."

As he kept his eyes glued to his feet to make sure he didn't fall, Leo came to a realization and felt the urge to hit himself. "... Am I really wearing two different pairs of shoes?" He wanted to save himself from embarrassment by changing, but with how much his chest hurt, he knew there was no time. He sighed in frustration but continued on his way, leaning against trees to steady himself.

Leo chewed on the inside of his mouth to distract himself from the burning in his chest, pushing himself along through the forest. He sure hoped that Azura was actually by the lake. Any minute now, he would hear her singing in the distance and his worries would be for naught.

By the time he made it about halfway to the lake, he heard footsteps coming from the dirt path a little further ahead. Maybe it was Azura on her way back from the lake? Still, out of instinct, he slid down against the tree to hide from view, and he eavesdropped as the person got closer.

"Are you sure you're alright to walk?" It was a woman's voice - certainly not that of his sister's - and by the way she asked a question, Leo realized that there had to be two people. He quieted his breaths and did his best to not move a muscle.

He heard a man grunt; that had to be the person she was asking, then. "Never been better." His voice dripped with sarcasm and Leo could picture the woman retracting an outstretched hand.

The footsteps stopped and Leo's breath hitched in his throat. Did they notice him and stop? He shut his eyes in fear and kept as quiet as possible.

The woman seemed to frown as she spoke in a disproving tone. "Let's take a break for now; you're too stubborn to admit how weak you are and I don't need you collapsing."

Leo peeked open an eye, realizing they had not noticed him, and then opened the other with a wave of relief. However, by the sound of movement and quiet voices, Leo came to the realization that they had settled down on the other side of the tree. Just his luck.

If he wasn't already in enough pain, now his heart was pounding and his chest began to constrict. His hands were beginning to shake and he could feel the hairs on the nape of his neck standing on end. He gripped at his shirt above his heart with shaky fingers. Why was his body reacting like this?