Fire Emblem SW

However, before she even turned around, the warp circle before her began to glow brighter.

“Huh?”

Celica barely had time to react in confusion, before she was enveloped in a flash of light.

“Ah!”

She shielded her eyes, but fortunately the flash only lasted a second. However, once it did, she quickly took note of two things. One, that the place was still much brighter than how it originally was; and two, once she put down her arm, she saw her surroundings had completely changed.

But I wasn’t stepping on the warp circle, so how could it have activated on its own? Celica could only wonder.

In any case, she quickly took note of the new place she was now. She was now outside, as the blue sky above was hard to ignore. She was also surrounded by a lot of plant life. Ample grass, bushes, and trees. She also noted that rock walls rose all around. They had to be at least a hundred feet tall, and were coated with more plant life. All kinds of vines, moss, and shrubs.

“This must be some kind of secluded grove,” Celica thought out loud in wonder.

Looking back down towards the trees, she barely made out of something else beyond the trees. Thus she began to walk, still admiring her surroundings. It just took a short walk before she found herself in a clearing. Not far from the tree line was a building. A small stone cabin unassumingly standing before her. Its door laid open, and a young woman stood just outside. As soon Celica saw her, she froze in her tracks, as her eyes widened in shock.

Could it be…?

“M-Mother Mila!?” She spoke out, almost not believing what she was seeing.

Her senses weren’t being fooled, however. That was indeed the Earth Mother, standing before her. She stood straight and still, hands clasped over her abdomen, a small warm smile on her face as she too looked straight towards the princess.

“Yes, child, it is I,” Mila said.

An overwhelming happiness came to Celica.

“Oh, Mother, I’m so glad to see you safe and sound,” she said, bringing a hand over her heart and feeling herself tear up.

“As am I,” was the reply before the Earth Mother half-turned around, “please, come inside. I’m sure there’s a lot to discuss in light of our meeting.”

“Y-Yes, Mother,” Celica nodded.

Mila finished turning and walked through the doorway, the princess following close behind. Once inside, the Earth Mother remained by the doorway, letting the girl pass, before closing the door herself. The inside of the building was composed of a single room, and was quite paltry in furniture. It also contained a second door, on the wall opposite the first’s.

“Please sit down,” Mila said as she gestured towards a table near the middle of the room.

Celica promptly complied. The table itself was bare, save for a steaming kettle and a cup.

“You’re free to help yourself with some tea, if you wish,” Mila said, having remained by the front door.

“Oh, thank you,” Celica said as she grabbed the kettle.

As she poured its contents on the cup, she couldn’t help but notice.

Was she… expecting me? The princess wondered.

“I felt it,” she suddenly heard the Earth Mother say, as if she had heard her unspoken question. “The magic on both the wall and the warp circle reacting.”

Setting the kettle back down, Celica gained a look of understanding.

Of course, I should’ve expected that, she almost berated herself for not having realized sooner.

“I made it so the doorway would only reveal itself to my power,” Mila continued. “That way, I wouldn’t be found out… save for one of Zofia’s scions.”

She then looked at Celica with an expectant look.

“Yes, Mother Mila, I am Princess Anthiese,” Celica said, the need to hide such information no longer relevant for now.

“Ah, yes, Liprica’s daughter,” Mila nodded, “I can now see the resemblance. It was a shame for her to die so young.”

“Yes… it was,” Celica lowered her gaze in sadness.

“And then the further tragedy that followed,” the Earth Mother continued, “with the burning of the villa. Word reached me that there had been no survivors…”

Her gaze then narrowed slightly.

“But that ended up not being true.”

“No, it did not,” Celica simply stated, taking a sip from the cup, “I was the only… well, one of the only survivors.”

If there had been a silver lining to the aftermath of having found out the Earth Mother was no longer at the temple, was learning that her half-brother Conrad, long thought dead in that fire, had survived too.

“Yet you remained dead to the world, in the ensuing years,” Mila pointed out.

“Yes, I remained hidden, as my life was still in danger,” Celica explained. “I spent almost all of the remaining time at the priory in Novis.”

“Ah, yes, Novis,” the Earth Mother nodded, “it would be a remote enough place to elude most pursuers.”

She then tilted her head slightly.

“Though, if I may ask, what compelled you to return to the mainland?”

“I wanted to seek council with you, Mother Mila,” Celica replied, “the land withers, crops grow in lesser quantities each passing day, war devastates the countryside, and Terrors plague the land.”

Mila’s face turned serious as she took this all in.

“So I had to make the journey. It was paramount to find the answers I seek, and I hoped you would have them, so when I saw the state of the temple…”

The princess trailed off, lowering her gaze again.

“You must have faced much hardships in order to reach this place on your lonesome,” the Earth Mother said matter-of-factly.

“Well, it was certainly a long struggle,” Celica said, “but I didn’t do it alone. I had my friends with me, and other companions who joined along the way. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t think I would have been able to reach the temple.”

Mila smiled sweetly.

“Oh, you poor sweet child; but fret no longer, for now everything will be fine.”

Celica allowed herself to smile too. Yes, everything was going to be fine…