#holyemblem

It wasn't abnormal for her to be up late - quite the opposite, actually. She enjoyed the quiet that came with being one of the few up and about. To hear someone speak so suddenly, however, was what caught her off guard.

Turning toward the princess deep cerulean orbs flickered silver briefly, curiosity dancing over her features at first, but soon enough a small - albeit hesitant - bow of her head was given.

" ... I was simply on a walk . " Ishtar finally replied. " Is there something I can help you with , Your Highness ? "

silent / action starters

With a haughty expression, to counter the blank stare of the other, Shez gives both his middle fingers. Proud and solid.

" Well you sure could have fooled me! Bad enough that Cynthia nearly knocked over Brady while doing something reckless--- "

She groans, shuffling her steps to adjust the bluenette on her back into a more comfortable spot. Truly at times like these, the mercenary hates being short compared to the rest of the Shepherds. Severa never expected to receive help (which she did not ask for but did appreciate whether she'd say it aloud or not)- so imagine her confusion when she went to dodge an incoming attack from a swordmaster only to see the crown princess bolt in out of nowhere to not only take the hit on the down-swing- catching the princess in the leg- but to wipe out the foe in a single swipe of Falchion.

It probably wasn't as bad an injury as Severa was making it out to be, but she was not about to be indebted to anyone- Lucina least of all. How the brunette managed to convince the princess to let Severa carry her back at all was a mystery- figured Lucina probably agreed just to pacify her for the moment, which it did indeed.

❝  sometimes,  i just need the world to be beautiful.  i know how dark and ugly it can be but i just want to see something good and focus only on it for a few minutes.  ❞ // from charlotte to azura / @holyemblem

Azura is a quiet for a few long moments. Dawn is hovering just below the horizon and it feels like the world is aching for each new day that comes. They are not the only ones awake -- no matter how prudent it is to get sleep when you can, she has seen her fair share of sleepless soldiers who cannot find rest even when they're off guard duty. Azura cannot blame them -- -- she is hardly ever better.

Charlotte's voice is so soft -- earnest in a way that is hard to come by amidst war. She has watched her try on personas that best fit what she needs, has oftentimes felt compelled to do the same. So the admission makes her ache, too, as if waiting for something beautiful has become a sudden, urgent need that Charlotte has given it voice. Azura likes beautiful things. There are so few of them, and they're so precious, and even when her hands shake with the worry that she'll shatter something rare and delicate she has to try.

❝ ... Do you mind if I -- ? ❞ She trails off, gesturing softly towards Charlotte's head before delicates smoothing her fingers through a few locks of hair, then separating it into sections. She works quickly and gently, intimately aware of the dangers of tangles. As she braids down from Charlotte's bow, she hums in the back of her throat.

❝ don’t throw your life away for my sake! ❞ // from luc to owain

"And risk losing someone much more important?!" he yelled. The tension of this situation causing him to be louder than he wanted to be. His arms trembled.

The dark skies of the ruined land they called 'home' were howling. A sea of moving humanoids laid below it. Just a bit away from where they located. The Risen were coming, and Owain knew there was nothing he could do to stop their mindless march towards the village up ahead.

When answering this call for help they could've never expected there to be this many Risen. Hence why they just came as a duo. Was this a trap set by him once he knew Luc was coming?

(You won't get your way... I'll never let you get your way!)

The son of Lissa cursed the force that had brought this endless night to them for what seemed like their whole lives.

"We both know there's too many of them either way. Even for the two of us. But one of us needs to stay behind and make sure they don't get to the village. If something happens to you everyone is doomed. I can't risk that!"

Owain gritted his teeth, facing the undead infantry that was making their way ever closer. A simple steel sword was unsheathed from its hilt and held by his side. The sharp shiiing not able to prevail over the rhythmic stomping of boots.

This could be seen as a foolish ploy to play the hero, but not this time. Ever since they'd been born, Luc was destined for so much more than him. He'd always had trouble accepting this, but in this moment it came so easy.

His hand wasn't trembling anymore. It clenched the blade's handle, holding it low. He was fully intent on going in alone, which was why he was trying so hard to fight for this point. He knew Luc. He'd no doubt try to stop him from doing this.

STARTING WITH A BANGER I SEE HRRRRGGHHH

okay i have very many emotions about the emblian royals Always but i will try and gather my thoughts into cohesion that you all may appreciate the tragic beauty that is veronica and her siblings.

for one, i see embla as a very isolationist nation; very much a dog-eat-dog type beat, where people rarely trust but do so fiercely, when it does happen (assuming they don't end up backstabbing each other in pursuit of survival but erm..!!! we will dive into that sometime else)

bottom line is: i think family is the only thing veronica ever really trusts, and that letizia and bruno are the only people she considers to be family. i mean, who else would she feasibly rely on? we see that the political landscape of embla is rocky and brutal; they would discard her without second thought if they found no more use for her. realistically, she would never rely on them. but her siblings? well, they're family, aren't they? isn't their bond with each other the only thing they all really have? we see how she places full faith in letizia, unable to believe her betrayal even when it happens right in front of her. we see how much she values bruno and his support— even going so far as to despair his constant journeying, worried that he hates her. based on all this, we can assume that she cherishes her siblings a great deal.

we also see that she's grown a lot thanks to her siblings. with regards to bruno specifically, we see her warm up to the askrans thanks to his influence; in the dragalia lost collab (because that shit is REAL to me, damn it!) she cites bruno teaching her to keep promises as the reason why she's able to fight back her curse-prompted urges. she goes against instinct and learned behavior for them. come on, she is fully willing to discard political status when speaking with letizia; like that must be huge for someone whose life must have been heavily politicized since the start!!!

it makes their ultimate deaths all the more tragic, then. letizia and bruno both sacrifice themselves for veronica's sake, though letizia's seems more spiteful at a glance— either way, they prove that they are worthy of veronica's trust with their lives. and it's a tremendous loss for veronica because she just lost two people who she arguably felt loved her the truest, with no conditions attached.

so fricking sad!!!! ugh!!!! i need that happy ending au where letizia and bruno both live and they can all be a happy family again. too bad feh hates sibling trios (coughs at book 5)