Fire Emblem SW

“Now that you have come here,” the Earth Mother suddenly continued, “you are safe now.”

Celica blinked, her smile dropping. Those last words had suddenly sounded a bit… off.

“Safe… with me…”

Celica was quick to sense that something was wrong. Though the Earth Mother was still smiling, the princess began to feel unnerve from her gaze.

“Uh… Mother Mila?” She asked, concerned. “Are you alright?”

“Of course, dear Anthiese,” Mila replied, “how could I not? Now that I know you’re still alive…”

She then took a step forward, making Celica stand up.

“I was almost concerned of hearing what you went through to reach the temple,” the Earth Mother was now looking at her with pity. “To think, Valentia has indeed fallen into ruin.”

“Ruin?” Celica repeated, confused.

“Yes, I had foreseen it,” Mila nodded. “My dear brother Duma… no doubt he harbored resentment he couldn’t impose his teachings to the entire land. So he now intends to destroy it. If he couldn’t have it all…”

The War Father wanted to destroy Valentia? Celica thought, shocked.

However, something was not quite right…

No, that can’t be, she reasoned, conquer Zofia perhaps, but destroy everything, including Rigel?

“I knew it’d only be a matter of time before he would break the Divine Accord,” Mila continued, “but I couldn’t dare try to stop him. How could I, strike down my own kin? No, if he was determined to destroy all what we long worked for, then so be it. I’d just retreat, stay out of his way, and let him run amok until he was satisfied.”

Her face then hardened, her gaze narrowing.

“But at the same time, I wasn’t going to let him destroy everything. So I took everyone in the temple with me. Ensure Zofia would still live on, no matter what, even as Valentia fell into ruin.”

So that’s why everyone else was gone too! Celica finally realized.

But then another realization crept up on her. Despite having found the Earth Mother, there had been no sign of anyone else with her.

Where… are they then…?

“No, Mother, you have it all wrong,” she spoke up, trying to make the Earth Mother see reason. “Valentia… the situation is not as bad as you think.”

The Earth Mother, however, now looked at her with pity.

“Oh, child, what delusions have gripped your thoughts?” Mila shook her head. “Did you spent too much time sheltered at Novis? Has the deteriorating condition of Valentia inflicted such a heavy toll on your mind?”

Fear had now gripped Celica, as she took a step back. A part of her was screaming for her to get away, that it was dangerous to remain there. But she hesitated, the other part of her still in denial to the Earth Mother’s sudden behavior, not believing that it was happening.

“Fret not, dear Anthiese, for I am here now,” Mila took another step forward, “I can now take care of you…”

The tone in her voice had now shaken Celica to the very core. This was the final push to convince her she had to indeed get out of there. Unfortunately, the Earth Mother was blocking the front door, but there was still the back one…

The princess knew it would be futile. That even if she managed to get out of the building, that she would not be able to make it out of the clearing… if it even had an exit, for she had seen none. But she had to try. She had to. She quickly turned around and made a dash for the back door. Unfortunately, she had barely begun to extend her arm towards the knob when she felt magic around her. The effect was instantaneous; she felt her entire body go rigid, as she found herself unable to move at all. There she stood now, a living statue, fear frozen on her face.

“Oh, child, why would you run off back there? Where only misery, destruction, and death awaits? No doubt once he’s done with the continent, Duma will set his sights to Novis as well. There’s no point to return.”

No longer being able to see the Earth Mother’s face only made the thing more chilling.

“Here you are safe. Here you will be looked after with utmost care. Here you’ll be reunited with your subjects.”

Even in her fear-driven state, this last statement was not lost on the princess.

So they are somewhere nearby too…

“And don’t worry, I’m sure your companions will soon join you. Well, some of them.”

No! Celica would’ve shouted, if she could’ve.

“Here you will all remain, until the day comes where we can all venture out again. However long it takes. Years, centuries, or even millennia…”

Even in her frozen state, tears began to come out of Celica’s eyes.

Why, Mother? Why are you doing this!? She could only scream in her mind.

This was already proving too much to bear.

“Now then, let us not delay.”

Celica felt magic once again flare up around her. Then, to her surprise, she saw the door moving away from her. However, at the same time, it was also becoming bigger. She also felt as if she was sinking into the ground, and her feet sliding across the floor, but she was sure she was not moving, more obvious on the reminder she was still frozen on the spot. If she could’ve, she would’ve gasped, having finally figured out what was happening:

I’m shrinking!

However, there was something else that was happening. Her own clothes began to feel looser, as well as heavier.

My outfit… is it not shrinking as well? Celica thought.

Indeed, it wasn’t… with one clear exception: Her mother’s circlet, given to her by Conrad at the temple. Even if it was only to her own group as witnesses, she still wore it proudly, finally embracing back her long shed identity as Princess Anthiese. And now, in light of the Earth Mother’s words of ‘preserving’ Zofia, it seemed it was not a coincidence the circlet alone was shrinking with her. For better or worse.

As such, Celica could only watch helplessly as the door, still in her eyesight, become bigger and bigger, as well as farther and farther away. Soon it would be completely out of sight, as her own clothing now enveloped her fully, caging her in darkness. The sheer weight would force her body down, still paralyzed by the Earth Mother’s magic. Eventually it all came to an end, and the sensations stopped. The princess felt mobility return to her body as well. However, at this point it made little difference, still pinned down by the heavy fabric. Though even if it wasn’t there, she still wouldn’t have made an effort to stand back up, still in shock for what happened: To have been shrunk to a very minuscule size. She ignored how small she had become, but in the end, what did it matter? The room had surely become so mind-bogglingly enormous, it was a mercy she couldn’t see it at the moment. Instead, Celica did her best to curl herself up and closed her eyes, as she continued to wept.

This has to be a nightmare, it as to… she repeated in her mind, as despair began to take over her.

Oh, how she wished with all her heart for it to be true. For what else could explain that the being that she had looked up to all her life, to have devoted herself to serve, whose blood and power flowed in her own veins… could have done that to her. Unfortunately, there would be no awakening. This was no nightmare.

It was real.

Suddenly, she felt tremors beneath her, coming at set intervals and becoming slightly stronger each time, as if their origin was getting closer. Then, all of a sudden, she felt the weight above suddenly gone. In a decision she would immediately regret, she slowly opened her eyes and glanced up. The clothes, at least those on top of her, had been moved aside… revealing the colossal form of the Earth Mother, who was glancing down at her. Still staring with that smile that was bound to haunt her actual nightmares for days or even seasons to come, magnified thanks to the fact she seemed to be kneeling down, and thus Celica’s almost entire vision was taken up by that face. This finally proved to be the final straw for the poor princess, who let out a scream, having become too much for her mind to process. Perhaps due to having shrunk, her voice’s pitch had rose a considerable amount of octaves, resulting in her scream to be a high-pitched squeak. It only lasted for a few seconds, before she finally blacked out.