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“I know that parents will do anything for their children... But I also know how it feels when a child loses her parents. This world's got far too many kids who've gone through that. If you stay, you'll be killed or worse. And your child deserves better!” Severa had said to Holland once, before she had shown up again.
Holland had responded somber, his tone filled with sorrow. "Severa, I... I'm sorry. I didn't know. That must have been hard for you. ...... You're right. My child deserves better. Let's get out of here."
Severa lit up. "Really?!" She proclaimed.
Holland nodded and, in a rush, blurted out. "Yes, really. But we have to hurry!" With that, he fled from the battlefield. Severa had spared his life, and there was no more fear to worry about... no more until she showed up.
"...Oh, gods. It's you." Severa said as she turned around, noticing her. Her red hair, so radiant in the sunlight, perched atop her pegasus, as pure as her in some regards. Why, she knew that by heart. She idolized her, she wanted to be her, until the pressure society placed upon her got too big, and a fondness for someone grew too much for Severa to bear. Her mother, Cordelia.
"Have we met? If so, I'm afraid I've quite forgotten." Cordelia raised an eyebrow. 'Of course, ' thought Severa. She had yet to be born at this time. Let alone a future one of her nearly seventeen years older than the one that would be conceived soon enough.
"Well, excuse me for being so forgettable!" Severa protested. Yes, Severa knew it wasn't the same one, but she felt that bitterness she had felt all those years ago towards her, cementing itself again.
"Look, there's no time for this. If you're a friend, speak now. If not, then stay out of Chrom's way or I'll have to cut you down." Cordelia coldly replied, calculated as ever. Severa could've burst into flames, her dark brown would've ignited a pyre, if not for that one name. Chrom. How she detested that name when it came from her mouth. She had her rightful reasons, her every move as to why she did. Chrom had distracted her every move up until it cost her mother that life, that grief that Severa felt, it still angered her now.
"Chrom, Chrom, Chrom! It's ALWAYS Chrom with you!" Severa shouted at her, she was furious. Cordelia couldn't help but loosen her gaze, merely dazed by Severa.
"...I'm sorry?" She half-heartedly offered.
"You should be! And I don't care about your stupid Chrom, so you can just drop it!" Severa snapped, her tone sharp, before she calmed herself down. "...I only wanted to talk to Holland."
"Holland?" Cordelia questioned.
"Yes, Holland! He was this sad sack that was here. Now that he's safe and gone, I'll help your stupid army, got that?" Severa chided.
"O...okay?" Cordelia, still very confused replied.
And so, Severa sided with her mother's army in defeating the pig that was Nelson. She had forgotten everything else that had happened in the fighting, all she knew was that Holland was safe, and that she was... well, there.
It was torture meeting her mother like that. She vowed to fix herself up for her.
Once the fighting had ceased, Severa had scrounged around for it from where Nelson had lied. She cheered. "Yes, here it is!"
A man behind her then approached her. "Is that a ring?" He asked in a calm manner.
Severa turned around to face him, her eyes narrow, not wanting to tolerate whatever he was trying to front. "It's my ring, and I'll thank you to stop staring so lustily at it! It's worth more to me than anything in the world to me... That rat Nelson stole it one night while I was sleeping."
The man merely offered. "Well, I'm glad you were able to get it back."
Severa hmphed and began to walk away when she ran back into the person she didn't want to see again. Her. Cordelia. She began with a confused look, also a bit disappointed, but also a bit pleased? What was her deal, Severa thought. "Oh. ...You." Cordelia spoke.
Severa stammered. "Wh-what do you want?!"
Cordelia readjusted her composure, she stood firm. "Just to thank you for helping us. You fought bravely, er..."
So, she didn't know, that saddened her quite a bit. "Severa. ...My name's Severa."
Cordelia mildly smiled. "It suits you somehow. Oh, and my name--"
"Cordelia. I know." Severa answered before she could herself, leaving Cordelia a bit in shock.
"Er, yes, that's... But how did you...? I'm sorry, did I introduce myself before?" Cordelia stammered; she clearly was thrown off-guard.
"I guess you must have if I know your name. Gods..." Severa winced at this. This was so awkward. Thank the Gods she wouldn't spend all of the evening justifying herself.
"I... I see. Well, thank you all the same, Severa." Cordelia smiled at her, it peeved Severa off.
"You already said that! And besides, it's not like I did anything special. I was just fighting to get back what's rightfully mine." Severa corrected her forcefully, she looked down at the ring with care. It was a gentle reminder to both Cordelia and her on what was really happening.
"Are you referring to that ring? Oh, goodness. It looks exactly like... Ah I see. That would explain how you know my name. You're a friend of Lucina's, aren't you? ...And you're my child. Isn't that right?" Cordelia had connected the dots together. Severa was her child with Frederick, Chrom and Lissa's loyal retainer. They were a perfect match, and Severa truly saw Frederick's devotion and care to her, and when Cordelia wasn't doting over Chrom, a match that could never be, she was happy with Frederick. A shame that she doted too much.
Severa muttered under her breath. "I thought you'd might be lonely, so I came here to see you..." Gods, that was embarrassing, on so many levels. She didn't want to come off as desperate, especially after their exchange earlier.
Of course, this was made worse by Cordelia saying three words. "What was that?"
Severa, flustered, raised her volume. "I SAID, I thought you'd might be lonely, so I came here to see you! ...You're welcome."
Cordelia warmly smiled. "That's very sweet." It felt almost as if this was all a joke to her.
Severa stammered, rather defensive. "D-don't mock me! You don't care! You don't care at all!"
Cordelia gasped, unaware of the situation that Severa was in. "How could you possibly think that? I'm thrilled beyond words to meet you." Lies, all lies, Severa tried to think, but she knew that was irrational to think of, still she felt as angry as she did when Cordelia had left her.
Severa glumly looked down, and then responded, for the first time since they met, in a calm and collected manner. "...Then why'd you leave me?" Only for it to spiral out of control, letting her anguish be truly exposed. "You said you had to go off to fight for what really mattered, and you never came back! You picked Chrom over me!" She nearly had tears fall out of her eyes, they were already hot and sweltering with tears.
Cordelia stood there in silence for a few moments, and then breathed, giving the best of a response Severa thought she could've reasonably mustered. "You have me at a disadvantage, Severa. I can't answer for my future self. But when I said I was fighting for what mattered, I probably meant you. I'd want nothing more than to build a world where you could grow up happy and strong. At least, that's what I want right now." Severa wanted to cry. This was what she wanted for so long, and this is what she expected. It felt... both right and wrong at the same time.
Severa was quiet now. "You think I don't know that...? I mean, I DO know that, but..."
Cordelia sighed and placed a hand on Severa's shoulder and uttered a phrase she couldn't have possibly expected. "I'm sorry I wasn't a better mother to you."
Severa got defensive again, this time defending her mother. "Well, you're still MY mother, which makes you the best mother in the world."
Cordelia's warm smile returned again. "And the luckiest, it seems."
It was at this, Severa began to cry. "Oh, Mom, I missed you so much! I... I'm sorry I was so mean... I just... I didn't want to lose you again... Promise you won't leave, okay? Promise!" She hugged her tight, she didn't want to let go. Not again.
It was then that Cordelia had said the best two words she had heard since she had lost her. "I promise."
Once she got to the barracks, Severa scoped around for Inigo, but he had yet to show up, instead there was Owain, which was her second pick, she figured.
"Severa! I see you and your mother have had your fated reunion! How wonderful!" He chittered.
Severa raised a hand. "Owain, please, I don't need any of your dumb theatrics." Dejecting him, as always.
Owain felt a bit of a sting there, but nonetheless, he returned to a decent tone. "... Right. So... what do you think?"
Severa winced. "What do I think? Owain... this is torture. Seeing my daddy, and mom... perfectly fine... alive... it feels... it feels like I'm living a lie, Owain. Don't you feel the same when you see your father and mother?"
Owain shrugged. "I mean I never thought of it that way... I mostly just have been trying to get Morgan's memory back into shape... my mother just... feels like my mother... and my father... well... it's nice to actually have one for once."
Severa sighed. "Sorry, it's a lot to load onto you but-"
Owain shook his head. "No, don't apologize, my dear compatriot!" He then cleared his throat. "It's uhm... a bit confusing and hard to believe, if I'm being honest. I just... I don't know how to feel."
Severa nodded. "At least you had a good relationship with your mom... I'm angry with her for stuff that's yet to happen."
Owain frowned. "Well, it has happened."
Severa collapsed onto the bed. "Not in this timeline."
Owain tsked. "But it has happened, Severa. They've happened to you. It's... it's just a lot."
Severa weakly nodded. "Yeah... I need to think about it more... G'night, Owain."
Owain smiled. "Sleep well, Severa. We have much to do tomorrow, my sword hand is twitching for the battles of tomorrow, and I assume your mind hungers for them as well!" He chortled.
Severa let out a weak groan, before heading to bed.
Severa had good memories in the army, but after Chrom and Robin had defeated Grima, the children all had something to address. They were always close and sure they had gained a lot of good connection to their parents, but their parents were... so different from the parents they knew. Severa loved her daddy. Severa had been able to finally set aside the pain and anguish and could love her mom again too. But even then, they were so different from who they were. Severa's real mom left her. Severa's real dad died protecting her. They were still alive... and yet dead at the same time.
Being with them was both a reminder for her that this was the life she could've had, had it all not gone wrong and a grim forewarning of what was to come if she did not fight, that she would lose them again. Severa knew that, in her logic, she wasn't alone.
Gerome had outright refused to accept his parents initially out of the idea that they weren't, that his real parents were dead, and that in this timeline, they were there, but far from what was true to him. He couldn't even begin to process something so complicated.
Cynthia was tricked into believing Chrom was someone else, because she never met her father, unlike Lucina, who could remember him. All she had was Sumia, who the two lost not long after. It was no surprise she left her emotions go when she saw them for real, even after being coerced to fight against them. She wasn't stoic like her sister, she was flippant, which Severa couldn't blame her for.
Yarne was already afraid for his life when his mother died. He was the last of the taguel, and it was very clear that unlike his mother, who could manage well under pressure, Yarne did not. Yarne already had extra anxieties as a result, it got somewhat better when he was with his mom, but even still it felt disingenuous to him.
Laurent was a logically driven person, except where it came to the issue of his mother. That is where he'd devolve from his logically tracked mind and go by emotion. It practically was a reopening of that when she saw Miriel again.
Noire had wanted an escape from her mother, she was cruel back in her life always experimenting on Noire. It pained Tharja more than Noire to see what she caused in Noire. Even so, when Noire saw her, it made her all sorts of uncomfortable.
Nah, unlike her mom, was far more mature. She learned that being childish means you die, and Nowi was too childish in her mind. Even now, Severa could see how serious Nah took things as a gentle reminder that she wasn't trying to be like her mother, because she remembered exactly what happened.
Brady was pretty obvious in that he felt like two incomplete halves of his parents. He formed this weird amalgamation of Maribelle and Vaike that could never be whole, and even with his parents, it never felt whole. It probably felt more whole when they weren't around, Severa assumed. His mother was strict on correcting his behavior despite how old he was, and his father was... his father. Really, they did care, but for Brady, it just felt like it was a reminder he was just a mishmash of the two and not something unique. Severa felt he was pretty unique
Kjelle perhaps Severa knew the least about. She wasn't taught much by her father, mostly by her mother. Maybe that resilience, despite not being able to ride a horse... or cook a half-decent meal is why she feels so calm. Or maybe, Kjelle has to act stronger than she really is, Severa knows she had to.
Lucina was so obvious. Severa knew that when Chrom died, Lucina was broken in two. Sumia did her best to protect her, but even then, she was raised privy and had to fight for herself. She led the charge to bring them back, no wonder she didn't care so much about this. This Chrom was her father in every sense of it, her mother though, you could feel some sort of unresolved awkwardness between the two, except for when Lucina tried to do anything relating to fashion, which was... bad, but a good distraction.
Owain never really talked about it, neither did Inigo. Owain masked it all up in strides, handling his relationship to his mother who was betrayed by his father, who went astray towards Grimleal forces, and his sister, who lost all of her memories, but she too was manipulated in taking arms against her brother and her friends. Owain was holding it well together, everyone knew the theatrics were a front, but it was a good one.
As for Inigo, he learned how to fight so radically different from his parents, its why he stopped trying to dance, and picked up the sword. He feels a bit ashamed though, he sees his mother and wondered why he couldn't do it just like her, and it clicked that he didn't practice because he had no teacher. His teacher had already died from where he was from.
When the war ended, the children went their own ways. Lucina and Laurent decided to stick around in Ylisstol. Gerome, Nah, and Yarne went to Valm to find further connections to their families, faith, and cultures as a whole, Gerome to connect to Rosanne, the duchy of his father and mother, Nah to be in service to Lady Tiki, and Yarne to search for other taguel, even if hopeless. Brady and Kjelle seemingly went their own ways as well, and Morgan went to Plegia to try and uncover more of their memories with the help of their father.
But at least, they remained close. The same could not be said for Severa, Owain, and Inigo.
When Anankos offered them with a great adventure, how could they refuse? Owain and Inigo certainly couldn't. Severa, on the other hand, came along because at the end of the day, she knew that Cordelia and Frederick would eventually have Severa of this timeline, and she wanted her to be raised without the weirdness. Yes, she loved Cordelia and Frederick, but still, it felt estranged in their connection. Severa wanted a change, a bit of escapism from this mess. She wanted to finally escape that shadow of perfectionism that she was cast into. She didn't realize how far away Nohr was from that shadow home was.
It was torture to say goodbye, because it felt like Severa was losing them again, just after she got them back to them.
Selena. That was her name now. It felt normal. It felt as if she could carve a new name for herself, free from that shadow cast in her. Severa felt a bit of relief in that. Still, it ached her every night, where she'd stare up, and refuse to sleep, wondering if she made the right choice. She'd think of her friends. She'd think of her daddy. She'd think of her mother.
Of course, it wasn't so awkward. At first, Odin and Laslow felt the same way, and they'd talk about what they missed, but not loud enough to wake up anyone else. They had all been assigned to protect the royal children. Odin was a retainer to Leo, who the two got along rather well, alongside his other retainer, Niles, who had quite the life, apparently. Laslow was a retainer to Crown Prince Xander, who he, alongside the noble (in birth, not attitude) Peri protected the young adult with a deep affliction. As for Camilla, the last of the children who were old enough to get retainers, Selena had been assigned to protect her. She liked Lady Camilla. She was fun to be around, but also quite bossy, but also doting and affectionate. She was a lot, and that mess of a lot was what Selena liked. Of course, her other retainer nearly tried to kill her, but Camilla was so enthused with her effort, that she was hired.
The two other children were... there. Elise was a little kid, and she was adorable. She was an infectious ray of sunshine, the little girl. And of course, Corrin. Selena, Odin, and Laslow always tried to accompany their liege with them when they went to visit Corrin, especially because they were held up in some other tower and that protecting them to lure them to Valla was the goal. Sure, Corrin was just a kid, but they'd grow up soon enough, Selena was sure of it. Unlike Xander and Camilla, who were close in age to their retainers (and Leo, to some extent), Selena was obviously a lot younger than Gunter. Selena hadn't even bothered trying to talk to him. Nohrian war hero, or something like that. Selena best said to keep her distance. Hell, her communication with other retainers was limited, at best. Obviously, Odin and Laslow come before all, but outside those two there was Beruka, who was... quiet.
Selena remembered that being berthed together with her in the retainer's quarters would be sleepless nights from the two of them. Selena never knew why Beruka was up, but it was obvious to them both why Selena was up.
Selena missed home, a lot.
Now, at this juncture, she was alone in her thinking. Odin and Laslow had full-on accepted this whole life of theirs.
Why did Severa have to be so impulsive?
Guess she had to pay her price now. One way or another.
Selena had made life or death decisions far too many times back home. This one was different though. Corrin's decision, so strange in nature, choosing to side with neither Nohr or Hoshido was, in every sense of the word, stupid. Years, she spent by Camilla's side, and she was aware of the brutality of Nohrian forces. Corrin would stand no chance if they fought Camilla alone and with a standard sword, but the Yato wasn't some standard sword apparently. Even so, Selena had her loyalties tied. She didn't want either Corrin to die at the hands of Nohrian forces, otherwise the mission is a failure, and they'd be breaking Anankaos's request, leading to the question she didn't want to think about, would they even go home? At that same time, she didn't want Corrin to lay a finger on Camilla. Camilla was the one she was supposed to protect, but also her friend. If Camilla got harmed by Corrin, she couldn't bear to think about the consequences, and for what could happen.
During the battle, Selena began to question one thing, and she needed to talk to someone about it, so as the fighting moved further away from where they were in the ships, she ran over to Beruka.
Beruka stared down at her from her wyern, her gaze cold. "Selena."
Selena stammered. "Beruka, I need to get something off of my chest."
Beruka grunted. "At a time like this?"
Selena paused. "I'm not sure we're doing the right thing, fighting Corrin."
Beruka spat. "It's not ours to determine such a fate. We're mere pawns in this bigger game."
Selena rolled her eyes. Beruka often deflected actual questions and just acted particularly anti-social towards her, which Selena couldn't blame her. "I mean... Camilla cared about Corrin so much, so to see the two fight... I bet it pains her."
Beruka shrugged. "Even so, she still is a pawn in this as well."
Selena sighed. "Yeah, I guess so... but can't she... I don't know... challenge her fate?"
Beruka shut her eyes. "Switch allegiances to whatever Corrin is doing? That would lead to her deaths and ours as well. Selena, please."
Selena looked away. "... Sorry."
Beruka hmphed. "What even brought on this train of thought?"
Selena stopped herself. Beruka couldn't know. "Gods... I don't know anymore. One war after another, things just seem to just... blend together."
Beruka frowned. "I forget you already fought in war. You look younger than you actually are."
Selena scoffed. "Whatever... Let's just get this over with."
Inside her though, she knew that if she fought Corrin, it would go against the mission. Hesitance grappled her, and even to the end, it showed when Corrin triumphed over Camilla and Flora. Selena could only helplessly watch. She was no Lucina, she could not challenge her fate.
It was a relief to the hypothetical torture that Corrin showed mercy. Perhaps the Hoshidans did offer something to Nohr.
Selena never wanted to get sidetracked with having children, but both Laslow and Odin had the idea of having daughters with their respective partners first and Selena was one to follow. Laslow and Peri weirdly got along wonderfully to the point where the two had Soleil, and after the Deeprealms, she was perfect in the eyes of the two parents. Odin still had that royal charm in him, somehow getting the youngest Nohrian princess, Elise, to adore his theatrics. Together, they had Ophelia, who grew up to be just as childish and strange as the two of them. Selena of course, was interested in a Hoshidan Sky Knight, named Subaki. He was... weird in Selena's eyes. He served as a bit of a reminder of home, since he was so much like who she aspired to be, and in a way, he completed her, but also, he was perfect. She was receding in that background of perfectionism. But when the two got married, it felt natural. Selena couldn't resist.
It was like looking back at a mirror of what she left behind. Her daughter was so similar to her mother. It was pain for Selena. She would love her just as much as Subaki would, of course, but Selena could look at Caeldori forever and see Cordelia staring back at her.
It was torture all over again.
Caeldori was their daughter, beautiful red hair, another Sky Knight, who looked just like her. When she was born, it didn't trouble Selena, but after she found her from the Deeprealms, it felt bizarre. Everything between the two became awkward. Caeldori was efficient and very self-reliant. She was a perfect person. She was so much like her father. She was so much like Cordelia. It felt like that no matter what, Selena was useless again. She had forgotten that feeling, until now of course. Even as they interacted, Caeldori left no tasks for her. It was just like her mother, constantly doubting her in a way, and her feeling a need to prove herself.
Selena found herself listening into Caeldori one day, and she was divying out orders flawlessly, efficient, structured, rudimentary. What her mother approved of. Not wanting to intrude, she waited until the Hoshidan was finished before she approached. Selena spoke soft, unusual for her. "... Hi."
Caeldori physically jumped in recoil. "Wah!" She stammered. "M-mother! I didn't see you there! Is there any reason you were lurking in the shadows?"
Selena shook her head and sat down. "Oh no. I was just watching you work and didn't want to interrupt."
Caeldori gave a worried glance. "... Is something wrong? You seem a little off today."
Selena glanced away. "Oh, no. I just swung by to help out, but it looks like you still don't need any. I'm impressed with you, though. No hesitation. Precise orders. Singular focus. In fact, you were so impressive, I had absolutely no advice to offer you. So, I guess I'll just sit right over here and drink my tea while you work. Again." You could practically hear the bitterness coated in how she spoke, hell even in how she sipped the tea, for such a long time. A very. Very. Very. Long time.
Caeldori furrowed her brow. "Mother..."
Selena winced. "You really have a lot of your father in you, don't you? Smarts, charisma, beauty. You've got all his gifts." She then frowned. "And all of my mother's gifts as well... Maybe it skips a generation."
Caeldori stammered. "Mother, that's— You—"
Selena then stood up and sniffled "It's fine. Don't worry. This isn't the first time I've felt this way." Selena then tried her best to sound positive. "And besides, what kind of mother would I be if I were sad that you inherited talent? It's a good thing. Even if you didn't get it from me. Now, I should head out. I don't want to get in your way. Keep up the good work!"
Before giving Caeldori a chance to respond, Selena left her be. She was too much of a reminder what she wasn't.
Everyone around her was perfect, and she was a stain on that perfectionism.
Gods, why must this torture continue?
It was at least a week before Selena and Caeldori talked again. Selena tried to focus herself in what she was good at, protecting Camilla on the battlefield.
It was only when Caeldori approached her that things changed. "There you are, Mother!"
Selena turned around, her mood this entire week was dampened. "Oh, hello, Caeldori."
Caeldori smiled and sat down next to her. "Do you have some time? I wanted to speak to you about something."
Selena hesitated. "Uh—of course. Sure. What is it?"
Caeldori paused. "Well, the last time we talked, you said that I was just like Father. But I don't think that's true." Fighting, riding, speaking—it all comes to him as naturally as breathing. I'm not like that."
Selena raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Caeldori then admitted. "I mean that...I have never seen Father work hard at anything. But I have seen you do so. I know that you trained for years to acquire your skills." She then smiled with that same warmth, but with her own form of it, not like hers, but something unique. "It was your work ethic that gave me the courage to improve myself. You made me understand that I didn't need to be naturally perfect to succeed in life. So, thank you, Mother. I would not be who I am without you."
That alone was enough to make Selena start to sniffle. Never had she served as an inspiration to anyone. Caeldori was so much like her. Her mother. Caeldori looked up to her. Selena uttered out one word. "I..." Before devolving into a mess. "You...you big, dumb— Oh gods, I'm going to—" and then letting it all come loose. "You look just like my mother, you know that? Identical. From head to toe. And what you said just now... It threw me."
Selena then admitted. "It's taken me a while, but I'm beginning to realize you are truly two different people. And I've been holding things against you unfairly. Things meant for her. I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. You don't deserve this. And...neither did my mother. Can you...forgive me?"
Caeldori nodded, hugging her mother. "Of course, Mother. I love you. Just, please, never think that you aren't as important a part of me as Father. Or anyone else. OK?"
Selena smiled, hugging her daughter back. "OK... I promise. I'll never say anything like that again. After all, you're just like me: you're a genius of hard work. Thank you. For everything. I am so proud to have a daughter like you."
Selena never realized how important she was. But from then on, Caeldori and Selena were just like an actual mother-daughter relationship. Caeldori no longer served as a reminder of the home she came from, but as a beautiful representation of home as a whole for Selena, and Caeldori was so like her.
Selena from then on felt forever more useful than she ever thought she was.
After the war, Severa returned to Ylisse alongside her friends, their kids, her husband, and Caeldori. When she returned, she found Cordelia almost immediately.
Severa smiled at her, no more pain in her eyes, no more levity or grief or internal struggle hanging over her, just pure joy. "Hi mom."
And for the first time, it felt like home, not like torture.
Severa then smiled at her. "This is your granddaugther, Caeldori."
Cordelia smiled at them. "She's just like you."
Severa smiled. "It took me a while to see that, but yeah, she is, and I'm so proud of her."
Cordelia then smiled at Severa with that same warmth despite all of the years apart. "I'm so proud of you."
Those fives words were the best things she heard when she got back. It felt like everything was okay again.
There was no more torture, but just a bright future.
It was perfect for her.