Elodie

"A Nova that is strong and proud, that cares for her people and leads the world in excellence. Are you all with me?"

- Elodie

Elodie, the Crown Princess of Nova, is the protagonist of the game Long Live the Queen. She begins the game at the age of 14, and her mother, named Fidelia, had recently passed away. Her father, Joslyn, summons her back home from Boarding School to be crowned queen.

Leading up to her coronation, Elodie would become incredibly intelligent in many different fields, such as the economy, history, strategy and warfare, including how to use swords and bows and polearms. If the player chooses to go down a certain path, Elodie will even discover her Lumen ancestry. A Lumen is a magic user of some kind, said to be very powerful. She's one of the few Lumens of her kind, and if prompted, she can go down the path of a magic user and learn mysticism and magical arts.

Elodie will face many challenges before she reaches her coronation, and whether she survives them or not is both up to fate, skill, and incredibly dumb luck.

Battle vs. Robin (Fire Emblem) (by Jackythejack)
Times like these, things were getting dangerous. Overly dangerous, in fact. By now, the kingdom of Ylisse, known for their king, Chrom, and their brilliant strategist Robin, were at war with a new, foreign kingdom, just when they thought that peace was finally going to prevail. This new, foreign kingdom was called Nova. It seemed like most of the general population in Nova didn't know magic, which made it very easy to extinguish most invading forces.

What would prove to be difficult, however, would be actually landing on the continent that contained the country of Nova. You see, most of the armed forces of Nova would go down simply enough. Mages such as Henry and Tharja and even Lyssa were shown to excel against the warriors of Nova who dared land on Ylissean soil. Though, whenever they tried to invade Nova proper, either their boats would be sunked, or any force that landed would be eliminated by a force led the queen of Nova, a young woman by the name of Elodie.

Elodie was the kind of warrior that the Ylissean forces were telling tales about. Not many people would be able to tell the tale of the woman, should they cross paths with her, but from what they could gather, Elodie was one of the few magic users in Nova, and she was terribly efficient. And young, on top of that. From several status reports, it seemed like the young queen was only a teenager, and didn't seem close to reaching adulthood.

Of course, with such a potent magic user, Robin had grown curious, and thought that maybe, if she could discover the secrets to this magic, she could use it against the Novans, or at least she could use it against that Novan queen. As brutal as it sounded, with her out of the picture, the rest of the kingdom should go down fairly simply. Death wasn't necessary, as she could just be caught (Robin didn't feel comfortable killing someone so young), but if her hand was forced...

Needless to say, Robin saw an opportunity and she took it. She began making plans, and decided that the best thing to do would be to cause a distraction with a few naval skirmishes along the shores of Nova, where their other naval attacks had taken place, while her and several smaller boats filled with a small recon force could go out and scout out the land, and possibly ask around about the queen. If they could stay in hiding, given how big Nova was as a kingdom, they should be able to gather plenty of information before going in for a strike with new understanding. it'd be risky, but it'd be worth it.

Obviously, as most of Robin's risky plans started, Chrom would intervene and tell her not to go. It was only after a eek of planning and arranging did Robin find Chrom in her room, staring over a map with a hesitant look on his face.

"This is what you've been planning?" Chrom would ask her as he crossed his arms and stared at her. "Do you really think this is going to work? This looks like a suicide mission."

"And I thought you trusted me with the strategies." She muttered as she walked over to the table where the map was laid on. She gestured towards it. "Really, you haven't even heard me say my plan and already you're getting fussy over it."

"I don't need to hear your plan to know that it's going to be dangerous. Just look at what you're thinking. You're going to go practically by yourself to go on a scouting mission?" He pointed to the spot that Robin had tacked with an R shaped pin, which was the least subtle thing she could have done, to be fair.

"I won't be by myself. I'm bringing a force with me."

"I don't care how many people you bring with you. It still wouldn't be enough." The King of Ylisse shook his head and stared at the silver haired tactician. "You think that you can really sneak into the continent without anyone knowing? What if this queen the soldiers have been talking about finds you? You'd be killed."

"She's a teenager, Robin. She's not even a grown woman. If we encounter each other, she won't be a problem. I'll just apprehend her and then we'll have to win." She put a hand on Chrom's shoulder. "Chrom, you've trust me on every plan I've had, and you need to trust me on this. We can't give up, because if we do we will be seen as weak and prey for the other kingdoms nearby. We need to take this fight to them, and we need to make a stand. Please, go with me on this."

Chrom frowned and put a hand to the one that was on his shoulder. They stood there in the position, unmoving, for what felt like minutes. Eventually, Chrom pulled Robin's hand off of his shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Just be careful. We can't lose you. I can't lose you."

Robin grinned a little, finally getting her way, and nodded. "Don't worry, Chrom. I'm always careful. It's what a strategist does."

She then took a step away from Chrom and nodded. "Now, please leave my room. I still have some planning to do."

Chrom nodded and slowly left the strategists room, taking a left once he had let the strategist be. Now, the tactician was looking at the map again, looking over the known terrain of Nova and their limited knowlede of the country's history.

---

It had been a couple weeks since Robin had initially started planning, and by now, her need to perfect the plan would fall upon ears that they should not have fallen on. The Ylissean's had a spy within their court, one trained by the intrigue masters of the court themselves. Spies working for the kingdom of Nova, and Elodie figured out all that was going to happen. When the ship was going to take to the sea, where it was going to land, and when Robin was going to be on Novan soil. This was going to be her chance.

"So, father, my idea was that I would find where these Ylisseans have taken camp, and while Robin was gone, I could eliminate those that were left behind. Destroy the ship as well, and suddenly Robin is left on foreign soil in a hostile land. We'll catch her and ransom her off, and probably win this war while we're at it. What do you think?"

Joslyn, the former king of Nova and father of Elodie, hummed softly as he thought about her daughter's plan. there was a map behind her, with the spot where the Ylisseans were supposed to land circled in red marker. He frowned and stroked his chin. "How many forces do you plan on bringing with you?"

"Forces?" Elodie's demeanor died down exponentially as she slumped a little, shoulders slouching down. She shook her head. "I mean, I didn't plan on bringing many. If I bring too many, they're more likely to get me caught than they are to-"

"Elodie, you are walking into a potential warzone. You need an army to-"

"Dad! Don't worry, I have this under control. You know me. You arranged my training with the greatest tacticians that Nova has to offer. I know what I'm doing possibly better than you do."

"I received the same training as you, Elodie. I understand what's going to happen."

"Then you should understand how my plan is going to work only if we bring in as few people as possible." She frowned as she gripped her pointer stick, which she would use to point at the map when thinking, tightly. "Father, I've been making the decisions around here for a while now. I know how warfare works. We've been through it once, and I guided us through it. I can do it again."

"And back then you weren't thinking of such a dangerous plan." Joslyn shook his head. "My sweet, the reason why I show concern is because your people cannot lose another monarch. They need you. They can't afford to lose you, and neither can I. I already lost your mother to some brute in single combat. I don't want to lose my daughter."

"Father, please, listen. I am dependable with this." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to make herself less emotional. She opened them. "Look, from what we've seen of the Ylisseans, their magic isn't nearly as complex as that of a Lumen, so because of that, I have an inherent advantage. I am capable of doing more. I've been researching them with the help of my spies. They don't scare me. Please, father, just let me go through with this."

Joslyn remained silent for a moment, head in his hand as he stared at his daughter. As determined as her mother was. "Well...in the end, it is not my decision." He began to walk away from his daughter, towards the nearest doorway that would lead out into the main hall of the castle. "Do as you wish, but do be careful with it."

"I will, father!" Elodie shouted out as she put a hand to her heart, watching her father walk off. "For the kingdom's sake, and for yours."

---

A week had passed, and by now, the plan had gone into full swing. The boat had already landed off the shore of Nova, and Robin had decided to set up a small camp. Basic tents, a fireplace, and with a map of the nearby shoreline so that some of the scouts  can go in, disguised as normal Novans, to buy food and drink. They could be set up here for a long time, and that was exactly what Robin wanted.

"I'm going to go out and scout around," Robin had told the small band of twenty, referring to the nearby forest. She pointed at two of the scouts. "You two come along with me. I'm going to need backup in case I run into anything dangerous. If anyone asks, we're family, got it?"

The two scouts nodded and, with an alibi and a reason to be out there established, the three of them set off into the woods. Robin was hoping to find a town, or something along those lines. What she didn't realize was that the Queen, Elodie, was out there as well, with her own two bodyguards to go and scout out where the strategist had set up her camp, and they were also heading into the woods.

The two were completely unaware of each other's presence until they got into a small opening in the middle of the forest. Robin and Elodie spotted each other out of the corners of their eyes and they both spun to meet each other. Elodie equipped her royal scepter and pointed it at the strategist, while Robin took out her own Levin sword and pointed it towards the queen.

"Well, didn't expect to see you here." Elodie muttered. This was going to serve as a hinderance, she could already tell. Though, she couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth either. Robin was right here, ripe for the capture. This was going to be simple.

"Right, well, sorry to say this, but..." Robin glanced to the one scout to her right, and the soldier summoned a ball of fire to toss at one of Elodie's bodyguards. It hit dead on and the bodyguard fell onto his back, screaming. Elodie's eyes widened as she stared at her flailing bodyguard, turning back just in time to see Robin shoot electricity out of her sword and use it to electrify her remaining bodyguard, who fell to the ground shortly afterwards. The other bodyguard, the one on fire, ran off into the forest, understandably panicked.

Elodie watched as Robin pointed her sword at her. "You're going to be coming with us, Elodie."

"Ah, you know my name. You've done your research." She shook her head and brought a hand up, putting the scepter in her other hand through a little loop on her belt. She was wearing simple attire, suitable for sneaking around. She didn't seem ready for a fight, but looks can be deceiving.

Suddenly, Elodie waved both her hands, and there was a sudden heat and the sound of screaming coming from Robin's left and right. The two scouts next to her had suddenly combusted, and they were burning rapidly. Within moments, there was nothing left there but a burnt crip of a human. The smell of burnt flesh hung in the air, and gods did it reek...

"You didn't do enough research, it seems." Elodie chuckled before grinning at her. "Now, you're going to be the one coming with me, wether you like it or not."

"I don't give up that easily! Elwind!" She gestured her hand out, and a powerful gush of wind came from her fingertips and hit Elodie dead on. She winced and took a step back. It didn't hurt that much, but it was surprising. She took a step forward once more. "Well, luckily I don't either."

Suddenly, three little discs of light appeared next to Elodie's head, and they'd hover in the air momentarily before lunging forward towards the strategist. Robin's eyes widened and she moved out of the way. They whizzed past her and cut right through a nearby tree. She glanced at Elodie and quickly realized that the girl was being serious. She was going to have to take her down, and fast.

"Arcfire!" Robin shot a ball of fire out of her hands and it sailed towards Elodie, only for the girl to stand there and take it. At the last momnet, Robin could have sworn she saw a shimmer around the girl as the flames dissipated, not hurting her in the slightest.

"''forcefields, huh? Good to know..." ''Robin pulled out her Levin sword once more, realizing that she could probably overpower the teenager up close. After all, it seemed like all she had for protection was that pesky staff. With that decided, she rushed forward, towards the teenager, with her sword raised high.

Elodie took several steps back, a look of fear in her eyes, as she brought her hand up, just as Robin brought the sword down. Within Elodie's hands, a sword seemingly made of pure light would form, and it would clash with the Levin sword, Robin's eyes widening in surprise.

"I'm more than just a magic user," she said as she began pushing against the grown woman. Elodie was surprisingly strong, and Robin found it difficult to actually overpower her. She had to try something, and fast.

"Thorin!" She shouted out at the top of her lungs, letting one hand go of her Levin sword and placing it onto Elodie's stomach. The girl's eyes widened and she was suddenly shot backwards as a giant beam of electricity would shoot out and hit her body. She had put her forcefield out as soon as Robin started speaking, but even with the forcefield tanking most of the blow, she was still feeling pain.

Elodie landed on her back, staring up at the sky. She groaned as Robin stood over her, Levin sword pointed down at her and having a confident smirk on her face. "Seems you're giving up the fight."

"That's what you think." Elodie muttered before she suddenly disappeared. A pang of panic suddenly shot through Robin's mind, and it planted seeds which would spread into full on fear. An illusion! How come she didn't spot that!?

"Looking for someone?" The voice was behind her. Robin turned around just in time to receive a scepter to the face. She let out a cry of pain and stumbled backwards. She was hit directly in the forehead, and it hurt like hell. Her heartrate was increasing steadily and her adrenaline was pumping. She was starting to be unable to think straight. What was going on?!

"R-Rexclaiber!" A sudden gust of wind would cover the opening in the forest, and Elodie would find that her lower half was frozen in ice. Her eyes widened as she pointed her scepter at the hunk of ice in an attempt to burn it off before there was sudden, harsh gusts of wind that would hit her with a surprising amount of force. The ice was shattered and she was sent flying into the nearest tree. She crumpled to the ground for a moment and groaned.

Elodie quickly put herself together and turned invisible, the light bending around her to shield her from view. Robin's eyes widened as she looked around, trying to find out where this girl was. Her heartbeat was still increasing quickly and she was trying to calm herself down. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. She could do this. She could-

There was a sudden explosion right where Robin was standing and she was blown back and slammed against a tree from the force of the explosion. She slid down the tree trunk and landed in a sitting position. She looked up to see that Elodie was standing only a few feet away from her. Not wanting to give up the fight just yet, Robin pulled out her Levin Sword and-

Swipe!

Within the blink of an eye, Elodie had cut through the entirety of the sword, the blade falling to the ground as Robin's trembling hand dropped the rest of it, her eyes wide.

"Now, I think we're done with you and your little tricks, aren't we?"

Robin couldn't even speak. She was too busy trying to think of a way out of this mess, but she was having too hard a time in doing so. Her mind was going a mile a second. The best thing to do here would be to...to...

...give up.

Slowly, Robin nodded, registering the fact that her capture was going to be a harsh blow to the Ylisseans. The others would be so disappointed if they saw her like this...

Elodie grinned wickedly and nodded. "Good, now get up. We're going to have a long walk to the castle, and I don't want to stay here for much longer."

Winner: Elodie

Expert's Opinion
The experts believed that Elodie's mastery over magic  and her experience at such a young age would beat Robin and her limited use magic. Elodie also just had a wider arsenal of magical spells to defend her.

To see the original battle, weapons and votes, click here