Melodies in the wind | Fogacryst Fic
Fandom: Fire Emblem Engage
Ship: Fogado/Alcryst, Fogacryst
Tags: Music, Musical Instruments, Melancholy, Pre-Relationship, POV Fogado, Shy Alcryst, Inspired By Music
Summary: Whether one is a sociable person like Fogado or a quiet soul like Alcryst, sometimes it is easier to express feelings through music than through words.
People used to say that music was a universal language. Maybe it was true, but it did not change the fact that playing his instrument in the Somniel felt different for Fogado from what it did back home in Solm. It had taken him an eternity to tune the eleven strings of his lute and he still got the feeling that it sounded slightly different from what it was supposed to sound like. Maybe the instrument was not used to the humidity of the area, maybe it was the height of the Somniel, or maybe it even was because of Fogado’s unusual emotional state. Whatever the reason was, he was grateful that he had brought his instrument and finally found some time to play, late in the evening on a remote clearing far away from any of the main buildings.
Fogado usually loved to be surrounded by his friends, but even he sometimes needed his time alone. Acting all cheerful did not always come naturally to him, especially not when he was as full of worries as he was right now. The war had taken so many unexpected twists and turns that it sometimes felt hard to believe how just a few months could have passed since he had joined the Divine Dragon’s army. They had almost lost Alear, had fought countless battles to reclaim the emblems and telling friends from enemies had not always been as simple and straightforward as one should have imagined. Now, the final battle against Sombron seemed to come closer and closer, and Fogado felt that the outcome was not clear at all. They had already come so far, but there had been huge losses for everyone, and Fogado could not help but worry. Worry about his mother and his people back in Solm. About his friends, both old and new, near and far. About everybody’s future.
Maybe that was why the melody he played on his instrument did not sound as cheerful as those which usually came to him. The song he played was an improvisation. It had obvious elements of the dancing tunes he loved, but he wove in some rather uncommon details. Things he missed, turned into sounds. The wind blowing over the vast desert plains. The song his big sis and he used to sing when they were kids. Even one of the religious melodies which were supposed to call the people to the prayers - something he had never felt particularly interested in while he still had been home. Together, they turned into a whole new song, lively and seemingly cheerful, but longing and reminiscing at the same time. A song to comfort himself, just accompanied by the soft sound of his own humming.
Fogado did not know how long he had been sitting there all alone, playing for nobody but himself, when suddenly the breaking of a twig behind him snapped him out of his trance. His soldier-instincts brought him back into reality in just a second. In times of war, this was essential for survival, and it took him a moment to realize that he was in the Somniel with no danger to expect. After his mind had calmed down, he took some time to think about the situation. There were no bigger animals freely roaming the Somniel - Sommie impossibly could be that chubby, right? - so the only one who could have broken the twig was human, and the people here were all his allies - no, even his friends. So somebody had eavesdropped on him playing music and did not want to be discovered. While he definitely was curious, that was totally fine with Fogado - after all, he had come here with the desire for some aloneness, too. So he decided to not follow the culprit and just wondered if he would ever find out who it might have been.
