mark_asphodel | Fic: "Letters to Holsety"

Some holiday crackfic for

raphiael

Letters to Holsety

I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters.

Being the walking avatar of a god didn’t come with any instructions. Levin cursed this fact whenever he encountered a situation he wasn’t prepared for, as on the snowy morning when a little orange bird showed up at his window, a letter to Holsety in its beak. The letter, in a round childish hand, came from a boy named Arion who thanked Holsety for getting him a little sister but wondered if he could have a pet wyvern this year.

“What, does he think I grant wishes? I sure as hell didn’t get him a little sister.”

The bird cocked its head at Levin, and-- as though the thing were speaking-- he heard some kind of... affirmation... in his head.

“I grant wishes?”

The bird seemed to reply that yes, Levin now did. Or Holsety did. He wasn’t entirely sure where the boundary on that one lay.

“You’re kidding.”

And the bird shook herself-- he somehow knew it was a her-- as though to say no, she was most certainly not kidding. She then hopped off the window ledge toward Levin, and without thinking he held out his hand, finger extended as a perch. As her little claws touched his finger, Levin realized that the bird had a name... and could speak.

“Haven’t you heard of Holsety, giver of gifts to children of holy blood?”

“No, and I kind of think I would have remembered something like that.”

“So you never heard that the god Holsety and his helper, the little bird of morning, bring gifts to good children as they sleep through the longest night of the year?”

“No. Never. Ever. Wait.” And the vaguest of memories, something from back when his father was alive, floated up from the recesses of memory then. “That wasn’t Holsety. That was my old man and his pet canary. The presents stopped after he died.”

The Bird of Morning preened her tail feathers.

“Are you saying my old man was... oh, forget it.” Levin looked down at the letter from the little boy named Arion. “So how do I get this kid a pet wyvern?”

“Send me forth into the world on the darkest night, and it shall be done.”

“Easy enough,” said Levin, and after sending the Bird of Morning forth, he forgot all about it.

-x-

The next year, she came back with more letters.

“No, really. What is this?”

“Holsety is here on earth to bring joy and hope to the children of the crusaders,” said the Bird. “Every crusader’s child, whether in a palace or an orphanage, learns the tale. They need you to keep their spirits up in these times.”

“What do you mean, every kid? Is Fury filling up Sety’s head with this stuff?” As the Bird gave him the look, Levin muttered, “I guess I need to be home more often.”

He sighed then and opened the first letter-- from Arion, again. He wanted a magical lance like his father had.

“Kid wants his own holy weapon now. How does that work?”

“Well, you can’t grant every wish,” said the Bird. “There are rules. You’ll have to give him something suitable. Maybe a chess set?”

“Okay, a chess set for Arion. Done.” Levin frowned at his small feathered helper. “How do I know these rules?”

“You’ll know,” chirped the Bird, and it was on to the next letter.

Dear Holsety--

Please bring me a black horse. Also I want a new suit of of black armor and a black shield to go with it. I have been good this year.

ALESS

“Okay. I can’t do a full suit of armor for a little kid-- that’s stupid, because he’ll grow out of it in months. I can get him the horse, though. And maybe the shield.”

“He hasn’t been all that good,” said the Bird.

“One black horse for Aless,” Levin amended. “Done.”

Kind sir,

I regret to say my behavior has not been exemplary this year as I have aggravated my brother and my lord father on several occasions. However, I have done my best to make amends--

“Johan of Dozel,” Levin said as he skipped over the labored prose to the childish signature at the bottom of the letter. “That’s not Lex’s kid... wait, he had a brother, didn’t he? Dannon, or something. Yeah, screw that guy.”

The Bird sounded a note of alarm.

“What, I have to send presents to all the kids with holy blood? Even the ones whose parents are in league with darkness?”

“If not for Holsety’s love, how would bad little children ever be good?”

“Uh... well, maybe you have a point there. I’ll send Johan his book of epic poetry.”

Kids were weird, Levin decided. His own kids were no exception.

-x-

Year after year, the Bird brought Levin letters-- from Isaac, from Thracia, from his own Silesia.

Dear Holsety,

How are you? Does your bird ever get tired? My wyvern gets tired if she flies too long. I love my big brother!

ALTENNA

“She didn’t ask for anything,” said Levin as he stared down at the letter with little green wyverns doodled all over it.

“She sounds like a nice girl,” said the Bird.

“I guess so. Get her a doll, or something. Scratch that, make it a green plush wyvern. Done!”

DEAR HOLSETY

I WANT ANOTHER WIND TOME I USED UP THE LAST ONE.

ARTHUR

“Okay, that’s more like it. Another Wind tome for Arthur. Done.”

Dear Holsety,

I am writing you for my friend Scathach. He is very sad because his twin sister got a lot of nice swords from their mother but Scathach doesn’t have anything. His dad had a really nice axe but after the big battle where people died no one saw it ever again. Scathach doesn’t like axes anyway but if you sent him a sword I think he’d be happy.

Love,

Delmud

PS: My dad didn’t leave me anything either and I would like a sword too if it’s not too much trouble.

“Crafty kid,” said Levin as he examined the postscript. “We got any swords for these boys?”

The Bird sang out that yes, she could deliver two swords for Tirnanogue.

“Get the little diplomat something nice. Done.”

Dear Holsety--

I have been a good girl and want some shoes for dancing!

XOXOX

LEEN

“Dancing shoes? Easy. Done.”

Dear Holsety,

Thank you for the new boots you gave me last year even though thats not what I asked for. This year I was wondering if I could have major holy blood. My big sister had the major holy blood but shes dead now and I need to get stronger. Also my boots from last year are too tight now.

Love,

Leaf

PS: My little sister Nanna doesnt believe in you anymore because last year she asked you for a new mother and we didnt get that either. Our mother went on a trip and never came back. Can we please have a new mother?

PPS: Also Nanna wants a pony but she wont write you herself because shes mad at you.

“What the... okay, this major holy blood thing is not happening. A new mom and a pony... uh, not this year.” The Bird sang in agreement that little Nanna would have to wait for a new mom and pony. “What I don’t get is, I don’t remember seeing any letters from this kid before, and I don’t remember sending him boots.”

“I brought you his letter last year,” the Bird chided him. “You forgot to open it.”

“I forgot, huh? Ow.” Levin looked over Leaf’s list of requests again. “I guess I’d better try harder or these kids won’t believe in me. I get the feeling that’d be a pretty bad thing.”

And the Bird of Morning sang the way she did when she agreed with him about something.

“I’ll send ‘em a big basket of candy and a new pair of boots. Done.”

-x-

Sometimes, the letters warmed Levin’s heart... in a small way.

DEAR HOLSETY

i don’t want any toys because they are dum but we saw the king and quene had a big dinner with a goose and lots of food and if you get us a dinner with a goose we’ll be okay

PATTY says she wants a neklass like the quene has but i don’t want eny

FAVAL

“A big roasted goose and a dinner for Faval and Patty and all their little friends. Done.”

Dear Holsety,

I don’t want anything this year except could you please make my Aunt Hilda disappear? I tried to be a good girl for my mum but she died and I don’t think I can be good anymore.

Please help.

TINNY

“What on earth am I supposed to do about this? I can’t make this girl’s aunt disappear, can I? No, don’t answer, I already know.” Fobbing little Tinny off with just a doll or a bucket of candy just wasn’t going to work. “Can I forget I read this one?”

The Bird puffed herself up into an indignant ball of feathers.

“Yeah, yeah.”

He sent Tinny a book of prayers-- a nice one, with gilt edges and pictures. He figured she needed it. And he sent some candy too, just to be safe.

-x-

She brought him a thicker stack of letters every year.

“Okay. This Johan kid can forget about getting ‘a kiss from the beauteous Lakche’ as his present. And this Patty girl is obsessed with gold, so we can put some chocolate coins in her shoes instead. Got it? Done. Hm... this is a new one.”

Great Lord Holsety,

Please bless everyone here at the orphanage. The sisters here work so hard for us. If we all got families to take us then maybe the sisters wouldn’t have to work so hard.

All my love,

Corple

“You know, Bird... get this kid a family, would you? We can do that, right? Okay, done.”

Levin was feeling pretty good about himself until he opened the next letter.

Dear Holsety,

I ask nothing for myself, but please spare some pity for Mother and for my sister Fee. Father’s been gone for months and Fee asks for him every day. Please, I beg you, lead my father home.

Love,

Sety

“Bird?”

His companion made a sad little chirp.

“I’m sick of this. How am I supposed to bring joy and hope into the hearts of little crusaders everywhere when I get a letter like this from my own kid?”

“You can’t turn away,” said the Bird. “Read this next one.”

Dear Holsety,

We are all well in Tirnanogue. I am thankful for Mother Aideen and Oifaye and Shanan and thankful for all of my friends here. I think I’m too old now to ask you for gifts, but I wanted to write you anyway to ask that you shower your blessings and love upon everyone here, so that we all make it through another year.

Love,

Celice

“Bird?”

“Your heart just melts, doesn’t it?” she chirped.

“Yeah, yeah.” And he swatted the Bird of Morning away from his shoulder. “My heart melts for this kid. Tell me, though-- how much candy is it going to take to shower love down on Tirnanogue?”

Fic: "Letters to Holsety"

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