Fanfic / Golden Threads Tie Us

"How the bonds in Severa's life are broken, then rebuilt again."

— Narrator

Golden Threads Tie Us is a Fire Emblem: Awakening by magicasen, taking place in "The Future Past" episodes.

The army of undead commanded by Grima is quickly and inexorably overrunning the continent. Severa, who has already lost her parents and little sister in the war, finds herself fighting an apparently hopeless battle as struggling with her growing feelings towards Lucina, the last heir of the Hero-King Marth and crown princess of a doomed kingdom.

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This work contains the next tropes:

• Adaptational Sexuality: Severa and Lucina are in a relationship in spite of both girls being canonically straight.
• Anger Born of Worry: Lucina shoves Severa out of the path of a flying arrow and gets struck in the torso. Seeing Lucina getting wounded for her sake, Severa gets mad.
  Lucina! she called as she scrambled to her feet and ran to her.
  "Stop! There's an archer..." Lucina panted. Sweat beads had broken out on her forehead.
  "Damn it!" Severa stood in front of Lucina, looking frantically for the hidden Risen. "Why did you do that!? You idiot!"
  "You were in danger," Lucina mumbled. "Couldn't let you get hurt." She added something else, but Severa couldn't make out the words.
  "Tch! You're the last person who should be putting yourself on the line for others!"
• Annoying Arrows: During a skirmish, Lucina plucks out an arrow which had pierced her own torso.
  Lucina's arm dangled next to her, and, more alarmingly, Falchion lay on the ground. An arrow had pierced her torso, and Severa felt the bottom of her stomach drop out when Lucina grabbed the shaft and pulled it out in one smooth motion with a sickening squelch. Lucina dropped to her knees and Severa could hear her breathing heavily through her nose, and her senses triangulated on Lucina's quick, panicked inhalations.
• Apologetic Attacker: Morgan apologizes to her sister Severa after putting her to sleep with a spell.
  Morgan reached out and touched her fingers to Severa's, and her face looked oddly pinched, and her mouth moved but Severa couldn't hear the words she chanted. Severa tried to grab for Morgan's hand, she could put her into some type of hold, but Morgan suddenly blurred, or, wait that was—
  Severa swayed from side to side. She felt like she had been struck with a hammer. Her head swam in and out, and her vision spotted.
  "Morgan," she said helplessly.
  "I'm sorry," Morgan said. Severa was distantly aware of Morgan dropping a staff to the ground.
• Badass Boast: During the final battle, Grima is trying to break Lucina and her Shepherds by gloating, when Chrom's army make it to the scene.
  Grima: I-impossible... He's dead! I buried him myself! There's no way he could be here. This future has already been set in stone!
  Chrom: That's not true, Lucina! Anything can change! And I'm going to prove it to you right here and now!
• Be Careful What You Wish For: Morgan sets out to find her disappeared father in the belief that he must be alive but he can't return home for some reason. Morgan manages to find him, and finds out he's become the Fell Dragon Grima.
• Big Brother Instinct: Maybe Severa's biggest regret is that she was unable to protect her little sister Morgan. Severa even goes so far to compare herself unfavorably with Lucina, who has always been able to keep her own little sister Cynthia safe.
  Lucina peered at her for a moment, then turned away. It seemed like she decided not to press the issue – Lucina would understand her, Severa realized, because she was a big sister, too. I wonder what Lucina would do if something happened to Cynthia. No, Lucina never would let Cynthia come to harm. Not like Severa, who had let her own younger sister go right before her eyes, and now she was – it was all Severa's fault -
• Big Damn Heroes: Grima's troops have apparently defeated and routed the Shepherds, and he's getting ready to finish Lucina off, when Chrom and his army arrive and turn the tables on Grima.
• Bonding over Missing Parents: Neither Severa nor Lucina feel comfortable talking about their deceased parents, but the fact of being war orphans helps them grow closer to each other.
  "I learned from Father," Lucina admitted, and her expression was fond for an instant. "When he taught me, though, it was so I could lead the Shepherds in the future and do duties such as defending innocents from bandits and robbers. I don't think...this is what he was expecting me to use my swordsmanship for." She paused and frowned at nothing in particular.
  "Ah," was all Severa could think to say. None of them usually talked about their parents, and that went double for Lucina. Lucina's recollections felt too personal for Severa to feel completely at ease, but for some reason, she didn't feel as uncomfortable as she would have expected.
  That was likely because Lucina and her had begun to grow closer, recently. Small things, like Lucina seeking her out for a meal, or to sit with under the pretense of a chat, but, more often than not, ended up with them sitting side by side without any exchange of words. Severa couldn't ever say she was similar to Lucina, but compared to their allies...she might be one of the few people who could begin to understand her.
• Cain and Abel: Early in the fic, Severa has a run-in with a Risen mage, and she has a glimpse at her face before the mage runs away. Severa doesn't want to believe it, but she knows her own little sister has joined the enemy and attempted to kill her.
  I think Morgan has joined the Grimleal.
  I think my little sister tried to kill me.
• The Chains of Commanding: Lucina can't ever allow herself to rest or look weak. She's constantly pushing herself in the belief that everyone will fall apart if their warrior princess doesn't measure up to the task.
  Severa: Your duty is staying there to rest. You're not going to exactly be helpful in that condition.
  Lucina: I'm fine. Maybe not for battle, no. But there are chores, night watches, somewhere I could make myself useful.
  Severa: No, no, no. You don't have to be on all hours of the day, are you crazy? No one can take that.
  Lucina: You said my strength is what made me worth following. What type of leader am I, to hide myself away nursing my wounds?
  Severa: Oh, you've got to be joking. You're being unreasonable. We're not going to lose faith in you because you get wounded like a normal human being and not some Risen.
  Lucina: Of course not. But, I have to know that I'm worthy of your expectations of me.
  Severa: Are you saying that you're trying to prove to yourself that you're good enough for us? You?
  Lucina: There's Risen dangerously close to Ylisstol. This is as good as time to any to assert myself as worthy of my Father's legacy.
  Severa: I said, you're being crazy! All of us are here too! We don't need you to do everything for us, nor do we expect you to!
  Lucina: That's exactly it, though. I'm doing this for you. You, and Cynthia, and all of our allies! This weight on my shoulders is...a burden I must bear, but I will do so without complaint, if it's for your sakes.
• Combat Pragmatist: Severa is an expert in attacking enemies from the back, and she can't care less about fight fairly when she's fighting the unending army of zombies overrunning the world.
• Crush Blush: Severa blushes profusely when she's praised by Lucina, who she's developing a crush on.
  "Well, if it's Severa telling me that, then I can't let her down." Lucina's smile practically glowed, and the flush in Severa's cheeks earlier was nothing compared to this. Her face felt like it was blazing.
• Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Subverted. Morgan wants to believe her father's alive and there's a good reason for him never returning after so many years. Severa counters she cannot think of one: if he's alive, he chose to abandon his daughters.
  Morgan: I told you, I'm going to look for Father!
  Severa: Father's gone. Father's been gone for years.
  Morgan: That doesn't mean anything! Believe me, if we can just find Father, then we'll be able to— If it's him, everything will be fine. I promise you!
  Severa: Are you— Are you insane!? He's definitely gone!
  Morgan: There was no body! They only found Chrom's— you can't take these things for granted with Father! If they couldn't find it, then he surely must be—
  Severa: Don't finish that! If Father's really alive, then he abandoned his best friend and left him for dead. If he's alive, then he chose not to come back for us, even though we've been waiting here for years!
  Morgan: Not abandoned. Surely there was something— extenuating circumstances, or -
  Severa: Believe me, if Plegia got their hands on Father, they would make no short time in letting everyone know that Ylisse's genius tactician was at their mercy! He either escaped or died, and to be honest, I wouldn't— If it's between the two, I'd rather he be dead.
• Death Glare: Lucina shoots an incensed glare at Severa when the latter reacts with anger to Lucina worrying about her wounds.
  Severa bristled. Well, two could play at that game, and Severa had far more practice than Lucina at this routine. "If you're implying something about my fitness for battle, then come and say it right out, Miss Holier-than-Thou!"
  Lucina's face hardened, and she glared daggers at Severa's wound.
• Disappeared Dad: Severa and Morgan's father has been missing for years. Severa doesn't know what happened to her father but she wants to believe he's dead because the alternative is that he abandoned his children after betraying and murdering his best friend.
  Severa: Are you insane!? He's definitely gone!
  Morgan: There was no body! They only found Chrom's – you can't take these things for granted with Father! If they couldn't find it, then he surely must be -
  Severa: Don't finish that! If Father's really alive, then he abandoned his best friend and left him for dead. If he's alive, then he chose not to come back for us, even though we've been waiting here for years!
• Dissonant Serenity: At the beginning, Laurent looks perfectly calm and serene while he tells Serena she should leave him to his own devices in the middle of enemy territory because his life-threatening wounds will slow her down.
• Diving Save: At some point, Lucina tackles Severa to shield her from a flying arrow.
• Gotta Catch Them All: When Lucina learns Grima's Risens have overrun the continent and are marching towards Ylisse's last strongholds, she decides they have only one option left: gathering the Five Gemstones and the Fire Emblem and performing the Awakening in order to destroy Grima thanks to Lucina's fully-powered Falchion.
  Lucina: However, not all hope is lost. There's still a way to defeat Grima and seal them away.
  Cynthia: Well, let us at it, then!
  Lucina: We must perform the Awakening.
  Kjelle: The Awakening!? That's impossible! Unless you're suggesting - ?
  Lucina: I'm afraid I am. If we can gather all of the relics required for it...
  Gerome: Five Gemstones and the Fire Emblem. All in the hands of Plegia, and guarded within the inch, no doubt.
  Noire: That's suicide!
  Lucina: It very well may be. I've thought long on it, but I can't think of any other options. I have gathered everyone here because this is a mission I can only ask the ones with which I trust my life. Any groups larger than a handful will draw too much attention, and we need all five Gemstones and the Fire Emblem to accomplish this.
• Go Through Me: When Grima finally storms Ylisse and hurts Lucina, Severa steps between both combatants and shouts he'll have to go through her.
  "With the next blow, I will kill you." Grima chuckled. "The Gemstone and the Emblem. Now."
  "Never!" Lucina gritted out.
  "Still you resist me? Very well. Die, if you wish."
  Those words spurred Severa's body into action. She lifted her sword again and edged her way between Lucina and Grima. Her legs trembled, and she wasn't sure if she could stand for much longer. "You'll have to go through me!"
  "Severa, what are you - ?" Lucina asked, her voice hollow.
  "What stupidity is this?" Grima sounded annoyed.
  Severa stared down Grima. She was at death's door, or as close as it as she could get, but she felt surprisingly calm as she huffed. "Lucina, I'll stop her attacks...even if it kills me. Now run! While you've still got the chance!"
• He Who Fights Monsters: Severa doesn't like when Lucina shows mercy to the mindless zombies overrunning their world, but Lucina counters that showing mercy helps them retain their humanity.
  Severa: There wasn't any need for you to put it out of its misery. They deserve the suffering.
  Lucina: (coldly) Yes, there was. There always is. If we forget that, then are we really so different from them?
• Hive Mind: The Risen are described as "some type of hive mind, albeit imperfect, with the fell dragon as their queen". They move, act and fight as though they were a single being, animated by a single (and wicked) intelligence.
• Holding Hands: Lucina shields Severa from an arrow and passes out. When she wakes up in a bed and sees Severa sitting by her side, Lucina grabs her hand.
  She didn't stop until the morning after, when Lucina opened her eyes and looked at her and smiled, fingers shifting and curling around Severa's own. Severa thought her heart might explode from the warmth.
• Hope Bringer: Lucina is the one who rallies all together, keeps them alive and fighting, and makes them believe victory against Grima is still somehow possible. Severa reckons Lucina is the only reason they didn't give up long ago.
  She wondered what their battle would be like without Lucina, and quickly dismissed the thought, because they wouldn't be having a battle. She'd probably be dead, or close to it, a shell fighting for the sake of survival. What was it – hope will never die? When Lucina proclaimed it, Severa could almost believe her.
• Intertwined Fingers: Severa intertwines her fingers with Lucina's when the latter gets badly wounded by an archer.
  Lucina moved her hand from her wound and her fingers trailed along the ground, as if searching for something. Without thinking, Severa reached and grabbed it. Lucina turned her head so that her forehead was pressed into Severa's shoulder and sighed.
  Severa threaded their fingers together. "Lucina, don't you dare go out on me. Got that!?"
  Lucina didn't respond, but her fingers squeezed back.
• In the Back: Severa has mastered the art of the blindsiding and backstabbing the enemy. She has lost count of how many Risen she has slain via driving her sword into their backs.
  But she couldn't spend all her time gloating. Severa needed to meet up with the others, and Laurent was still injured and helpless. With that thought, she thrust her sword into the Risen's back, the motion smooth as she pressed in deeper. It had been years and hundreds of bodies since she had erred in this killing strike.
• It's All My Fault: Severa blames herself for her sister joining the enemy, reasoning that she should have stopped her from leaving when Morgan declared she was going to look for their father... ignoring the fact that she tried to stop Morgan, and her sister knocked her out with a sleep spell.
  Lucina peered at her for a moment, then turned away. It seemed like she decided not to press the issue – Lucina would understand her, Severa realized, because she was a big sister, too. I wonder what Lucina would do if something happened to Cynthia. No, Lucina never would let Cynthia come to harm. Not like Severa, who had let her own younger sister go right before her eyes, and now she was – it was all Severa's fault -
• Lovely Angels: Severa and Lucina trust and like each other, and find their fighting styles match well with each other.
  Severa: Are there any more of them creeping around?
  Lucina: Most likely. I wouldn't be surprised if more were coming as we speak.
  Severa: Right. Well, we'll just have to take them together.
  Lucina: Of course. I'm lucky to be paired up with you.
  Severa: Yeah, we have similar fighting styles. And I guess you're not Owain or Inigo.
  Lucina: You're right, of course. But moreover, I'm glad you're with me. There are few I'd rather have by my side in battle.
  Severa: Same goes for me. The princess is surprisingly handy with a sword.
• Luminescent Blush: Severa's face practically glows red when she's praised by Lucina.
  "Well, if it's Severa telling me that, then I can't let her down." Lucina's smile practically glowed, and the flush in Severa's cheeks earlier was nothing compared to this. Her face felt like it was blazing.
• Madness Mantra: Severa goes berserk when a Risen archer gets Lucina wounded:
  Severa: You piece of trash how dare you hurt Lucina bastardbastardbastard
• Mercy Kill: Cynthia takes a Pegasus Riser down in such a way the horse falls onto the rider. Lucina takes pity on the Risen and decides to kill him quickly instead of letting him getting slowly crushed to death by the winged horse's weight.
• Missing Mom: Severa's mother was killed in battle several years before the beginning of the story.
  Severa sniffled and wiped her eyes with her forearm. She just wanted to know. She wanted the same finality for Father as she and Morgan had received for Mother, no matter how wretched and distant the memory was.
• Near-Villain Victory: Grima is looming over Ylisstol, as countless Risen are overunning the capital city, and the heroes have been unable to awaken the Lucina's Falchion in order to stop him, when an army of heroes hailing from another timeline arrive just in time.
• No One Gets Left Behind: Laurent gets wounded and tries to talk Severa into leaving him behind, but she will not even entertain the idea.
  Laurent: Severa. I don't believe you understand the gravity of the situation. We're not yet far enough up to not be highly vulnerable to enemy Risen. If you assist me with walking, the chances of both of us escaping with our lives decreases substantially.
  Severa: I don't care, and I'm not leaving you behind.
• Off with His Head!: At the beginning, Severa eliminates a Risen by lopping his head off.
  Severa heard a slash beside her ear, sharp and distinct from the white noise of the rain. A feinted step to the left, then she pushed forward and drove the tip of her blade up into the Risen's exposed chest. She gasped for breath, heart pounding in her ears, and took a second of reprieve before whipping out a foot and sweeping the Risen off its feet, forcing her sword out of its torso and swinging at its neck.
  The severed head rolled to a stop, already covered in mud.
• Out-of-Character Moment: Severa is arguing with Laurent but she notices his tone is off, less deliberate and lecturing than usual, and his words are strangely clipped. Severa correctly guesses Laurent doesn't want her to realize he's wounded.
• Screw Your Ultimatum!: When Grima at last storms the Ylisse's Castle, he claims all Lucina's allies are dead, and he'll kill them too unless Lucina hands over the Fire Emblem and the fifth Gemstone to him. He demands the relics twice and Lucina refuses every time.
  Grima seemed to be pondering their words. "Then you refuse to return what you have taken?"
  "We refuse," Lucina said.
  "Very well. I was hoping not to have to flex any...muscle..." Grima said, then fell silent.
  Severa could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Then, a shockwave surged through her and Severa gasped. It felt like her body was being ripped apart at its seams, but her mind was being squeezed, dangerously close to bursting. The only thing she could hear was Lucina's scream, and then her panicked gasps.
  "Is...is everyone all right?" Lucina asked. Severa opened her mouth, but all that came out was a pained moan.
  "With the next blow, I will kill you." Grima chuckled. "The Gemstone and the Emblem. Now."
  "Never!" Lucina gritted out.
  "Still you resist me? Very well. Die, if you wish."
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: Grima is gloating that Lucina and her friends were doomed from the start when Chrom shows up alongside his army to prove him wrong:
  Grima: Isn't this precious? What will it be, child of Naga? Will you buy a few more minutes of life by watching your friends get butchered? Or will you stay behind and render their sacrifice meaningless? I must say I shall enjoy this either way! [...] Don't you see? Humanity is finished. You have no future. Your mother and father are dead. And now, the exalted line... ends...with...you!
  Chrom: ...Not quite!
  Lucina: What...? Falchion is glowing. I...I know that voice!
  Chrom: Stay strong! We're here to help! Not one of you needs to die today!
  Grima: I-impossible... He's dead! I buried him myself! There's now way he could be here. This future has already been set in stone!
  Chrom: That's not true, Lucina! Anything can change! And I'm going to prove it to you right here and now!
• Stealth Hi/Bye: Unintentionally done by Cynthia. When her pegasus takes off, its wings accidentally splash mud water on Severa, forcing her to shut her eyes. Cynthia is already gone when Severa opens her eyes again.
  Cynthia nodded and tugged on her reins. Her pegasus took a few steps before lifting off. Severa closed her eyes as water splashed on her from the beat of its wings. When she opened them again, Cynthia had already flown out of sight.
• Taking the Bullet: During a skirmish, Lucina leaps into the path of an arrow aimed at Severa.
  "Severa!"
  She was shoved aside. She grunted as she slid across the ground, gravel digging into her arm. She heard a sharp intake of breath, and pulled herself up.
  Lucina's arm dangled next to her, and, more alarmingly, Falchion lay on the ground. An arrow had pierced her torso, and Severa felt the bottom of her stomach drop out when Lucina grabbed the shaft and pulled it out in one smooth motion with a sickening squelch.
• Tempting Fate: The first scene is a flashback where Severa remembers how her sister Morgan -who seemed thrilled before the prospect of a new war- boasted that their -in the present day killed in battle- parents couldn't possibly get killed in battle.
  Morgan: I wanted to know if a Fire tome would work in the rain. But I don't think you know, since you don't care about magic.
  Severa: What's the point of trying so hard? You study for hours every day and you can barely cast a spell. It's not like you'll ever need it in real life.
  Morgan: Aw, come on, Severa. There'll always be war. Father's strategy books say so. I overheard him talking with Chrom. There's something going on with Valm, so maybe that'll be the next one!
  Severa: That's not funny. Father is the head tactician of the Ylissean army, and Mother is a member of the pegasus knights. If war happens, they'll both have to leave. So don't say things like that like you don't care!
  Morgan: I care! But it's okay! Nothing's going to happen to them!
• True Companions: The second generation of Shepherds are a tightknit group struggling together to avert the ongoing end of the world.
• Unbroken Vigil: Lucina gets hurt by an arrow and passes out due to blood loss. When she comes around the next day, she finds out she was taken to the camp where her wounds were treated, and Severa spent the whole night by her bedside.
  When Owain and Brady found them what felt like an eternity later, Lucina had passed out and Severa had begun to shiver, but not from cold.
  She didn't stop shivering even when Brady told her Lucina would live, as Gerome lifted Lucina onto Minerva's back.
  She didn't stop when Lucina had been properly bandaged up at camp, an abandoned fortress with crumbling walls and creaking doors, and she didn't stop as she sat by her bedside for the endless first night.
  She didn't stop until the morning after, when Lucina opened her eyes and looked at her and smiled, fingers shifting and curling around Severa's own. Severa thought her heart might explode from the warmth.
• Waking Up Elsewhere: Lucina passes out after taking an arrow for Severa. When she wakes up the next day, her wounds have been properly bandaged up and she's lying on a bed in the abandoned fortress her team is using as a temporary camp.