Fic: Wedding Tears (Fire Emblem: SS)
Title: Wedding Tears
Rating: PG13
Wordcount: 1.1k
Warnings: none
Beta: vyctori
Disclaimer: Do not own.
Summary: 30_ways fic, theme #27: Forgive Without Forgetting
When he heard the news, Prince Innes looked as if he had been stabbed.
It was a look Vanessa was, unfortunately, familiar with. She knew how his eyes would widen, how he would take a sharp, hissing intake of breath, how his jaw would set in furious determination before he pulled himself away from the bloody blade. She could visualize the quick rhythm of his footsteps backwards, as if he were almost fleeing, but too wary to turn his back. And as always, she was acutely aware of the wound, the blood spilling and spreading and soaking as the prince stood his ground where he choose and shot his foe in the eye or heart or throat until all enemies were vanquished at last.
There was no blade.
There was no blood.
There was only Princess Tana, beaming and gleefully holding up an invitation before her brother's face.
"This is going to be wonderful!" the princess exclaimed, lowering the invitation and looking at it. "Everyone's going to be there; Eirika wrote so. Please, brother, say you'll come too!"
In the short time between skimming the paper and glancing back up at her brother's face, Tana had missed, missed completely, that look of being stabbed. The widening of eyes, the set of the jaw, the pulling back from the blade in rage; all come and go in a moment.
Vanessa had seen.
"Tana, I need to remain here," the prince replied, remarkably composed.
Both women waited for a reason behind this.
Receiving none, Tana continued, honestly puzzled. "Brother, Father can spare you for a week. Why not come? They did invite you. You won't even have to talk with Ephraim if you don't want to."
Prince Innes grimaced at the very name and it was then Vanessa was forced to take leave of her liege. The misunderstanding, simple yet so obviously incorrect once his face had been seen... It was too much.
It was just too much.
"Brother, why won't you come to Eirika's wedding?"
.-.-.-.
She cried.
.-.-.-.
When a familiar woman came knocking at her door, Vanessa realized she hadn't been quiet enough. That must have been why. It was the only reason she could think of why Syrene would come so quickly.
Because if Syrene hadn't been told by someone who had heard her younger sister, then Syrene must have known a certain piece of information as well as having heard the news.
Syrene hadn't known.
She hadn't.
If her sister had known, she would have... she would have...
If she had known that the prince and- and...
She would have, would have...
...Vanessa had never told her sister who she was in love with, had she?
"Oh, sis!"
"Vanessa?"
…She hadn't known.
In fact, she was completely confused. After all, Vanessa had to admit, it wasn't everyday that Syrene found herself suddenly hugged by her undemonstrative younger sister while said younger sister was, if not crying, showing signs of having done so.
"Vanessa, what's wrong? What's happened?" Carefully, concerned, Syrene sat her younger sister down on her bunk, half guiding, half supporting.
After an unsure moment, Vanessa was able to push back the tears and the hiccups. "I don't know what I did wrong," she admitted, her voice and shoulders shaking. "I tried, I really did..."
Syrene held her close and later Vanessa would realize that this was their first embrace since Vanessa had been knighted. "Shh... You didn't do anything wrong. I don't have to know what happened to know that. But will you tell me what happened anyway?"
And so Vanessa did. She told of how she and the prince had been talking, how he had been smiling and relaxed before the princess had come in gleefully with her letter and invitation, almost skipping. How the prince had been amused and curious for a moment, indulging his sister this small antic. How the princess had read it aloud and so missed the moment of the blow landing...
How he... how he had reacted to the news of Princess Eirika marrying her general.
How he had reacted as if... as if he...
Vanessa cried and Syrene held her.
.-.-.-.
When Vanessa awoke the following morning, she rose and washed her face. She combed her hair and she redid her braid. She systematically went through her morning routine, praying with the same amount of emotion she dressed with.
In other words: none.
Part of her had always known it would be like this. It was a shock, but it wasn't a surprise. Maybe the princess married the knight in fairy stories, but he was a prince and this was real life.
In both stories and in life, the prince married a princess.
And the knight protected them both.
Vanessa sat on her cot a little while longer, trying to decide as logically as she could not where she had gone wrong, but what to do. Yes, she hadn't been good enough, but compared to an actual princess who was both beautiful and talented instead of just talented... And yes, the prince didn't love her, but it wasn't as if he had promised he would, only that he would try to get to know her better. And yes, both she and the prince were heartbroken and completely on the rebound, but...
That wasn't a very honorable plan of action.
Though it was incredibly tempting.
She remained there for a little while longer, contemplating the risks of such an obvious gesture. To be viewed as a predator would be awful. For be viewed as offering pity would be worse.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
Rising, Vanessa took a deep breath and steadied her nerves as much as they could be steadied. She opened the door to find a messenger, nothing too surprising.
"Yes?" she asked, trying to remember if she should be remembering him. Most of the servants in the castle were related to one another and so looked unnervingly similar.
"Dame Vanessa, if you would please accompany me?" said the bizarrely nondescript man.
She nodded and stepped out into the hallway. "Where to?"
He replied in a tone usually reserved for the very surprised and terminally confused. "To the tailor, Dame Vanessa. I was under the impression you had been informed."
"I'm sorry, but who told you to take me to the tailor?"
"Prince Innes, ma'am. Something about milord needing an escort to Princess Eirika's wedding and you needing a new dress," he replied with a slightly nervous smile.
"...Oh." Vanessa paused for a moment. "Lead the way, please."
"Yes ma'am."
.-.-.-.
Many people cry at weddings.
Vanessa only cries before.
Rating: PG13
Wordcount: 1.1k
Warnings: none
Beta: vyctori
Disclaimer: Do not own.
Summary: 30_ways fic, theme #27: Forgive Without Forgetting
When he heard the news, Prince Innes looked as if he had been stabbed.
It was a look Vanessa was, unfortunately, familiar with. She knew how his eyes would widen, how he would take a sharp, hissing intake of breath, how his jaw would set in furious determination before he pulled himself away from the bloody blade. She could visualize the quick rhythm of his footsteps backwards, as if he were almost fleeing, but too wary to turn his back. And as always, she was acutely aware of the wound, the blood spilling and spreading and soaking as the prince stood his ground where he choose and shot his foe in the eye or heart or throat until all enemies were vanquished at last.
There was no blade.
There was no blood.
There was only Princess Tana, beaming and gleefully holding up an invitation before her brother's face.
"This is going to be wonderful!" the princess exclaimed, lowering the invitation and looking at it. "Everyone's going to be there; Eirika wrote so. Please, brother, say you'll come too!"
In the short time between skimming the paper and glancing back up at her brother's face, Tana had missed, missed completely, that look of being stabbed. The widening of eyes, the set of the jaw, the pulling back from the blade in rage; all come and go in a moment.
Vanessa had seen.
"Tana, I need to remain here," the prince replied, remarkably composed.
Both women waited for a reason behind this.
Receiving none, Tana continued, honestly puzzled. "Brother, Father can spare you for a week. Why not come? They did invite you. You won't even have to talk with Ephraim if you don't want to."
Prince Innes grimaced at the very name and it was then Vanessa was forced to take leave of her liege. The misunderstanding, simple yet so obviously incorrect once his face had been seen... It was too much.
It was just too much.
"Brother, why won't you come to Eirika's wedding?"
.-.-.-.
She cried.
.-.-.-.
When a familiar woman came knocking at her door, Vanessa realized she hadn't been quiet enough. That must have been why. It was the only reason she could think of why Syrene would come so quickly.
Because if Syrene hadn't been told by someone who had heard her younger sister, then Syrene must have known a certain piece of information as well as having heard the news.
Syrene hadn't known.
She hadn't.
If her sister had known, she would have... she would have...
If she had known that the prince and- and...
She would have, would have...
...Vanessa had never told her sister who she was in love with, had she?
"Oh, sis!"
"Vanessa?"
…She hadn't known.
In fact, she was completely confused. After all, Vanessa had to admit, it wasn't everyday that Syrene found herself suddenly hugged by her undemonstrative younger sister while said younger sister was, if not crying, showing signs of having done so.
"Vanessa, what's wrong? What's happened?" Carefully, concerned, Syrene sat her younger sister down on her bunk, half guiding, half supporting.
After an unsure moment, Vanessa was able to push back the tears and the hiccups. "I don't know what I did wrong," she admitted, her voice and shoulders shaking. "I tried, I really did..."
Syrene held her close and later Vanessa would realize that this was their first embrace since Vanessa had been knighted. "Shh... You didn't do anything wrong. I don't have to know what happened to know that. But will you tell me what happened anyway?"
And so Vanessa did. She told of how she and the prince had been talking, how he had been smiling and relaxed before the princess had come in gleefully with her letter and invitation, almost skipping. How the prince had been amused and curious for a moment, indulging his sister this small antic. How the princess had read it aloud and so missed the moment of the blow landing...
How he... how he had reacted to the news of Princess Eirika marrying her general.
How he had reacted as if... as if he...
Vanessa cried and Syrene held her.
.-.-.-.
When Vanessa awoke the following morning, she rose and washed her face. She combed her hair and she redid her braid. She systematically went through her morning routine, praying with the same amount of emotion she dressed with.
In other words: none.
Part of her had always known it would be like this. It was a shock, but it wasn't a surprise. Maybe the princess married the knight in fairy stories, but he was a prince and this was real life.
In both stories and in life, the prince married a princess.
And the knight protected them both.
Vanessa sat on her cot a little while longer, trying to decide as logically as she could not where she had gone wrong, but what to do. Yes, she hadn't been good enough, but compared to an actual princess who was both beautiful and talented instead of just talented... And yes, the prince didn't love her, but it wasn't as if he had promised he would, only that he would try to get to know her better. And yes, both she and the prince were heartbroken and completely on the rebound, but...
That wasn't a very honorable plan of action.
Though it was incredibly tempting.
She remained there for a little while longer, contemplating the risks of such an obvious gesture. To be viewed as a predator would be awful. For be viewed as offering pity would be worse.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
Rising, Vanessa took a deep breath and steadied her nerves as much as they could be steadied. She opened the door to find a messenger, nothing too surprising.
"Yes?" she asked, trying to remember if she should be remembering him. Most of the servants in the castle were related to one another and so looked unnervingly similar.
"Dame Vanessa, if you would please accompany me?" said the bizarrely nondescript man.
She nodded and stepped out into the hallway. "Where to?"
He replied in a tone usually reserved for the very surprised and terminally confused. "To the tailor, Dame Vanessa. I was under the impression you had been informed."
"I'm sorry, but who told you to take me to the tailor?"
"Prince Innes, ma'am. Something about milord needing an escort to Princess Eirika's wedding and you needing a new dress," he replied with a slightly nervous smile.
"...Oh." Vanessa paused for a moment. "Lead the way, please."
"Yes ma'am."
.-.-.-.
Many people cry at weddings.
Vanessa only cries before.