Christmas fic for DWN024ShadowMan . Reinkas with a side of Arithony and some Berkut x Rinea (Arithony and Berkut x Rinea are mentioned because I am terrible with side pairings apparently)

This is the Belle Venezia story that I said I was going to adapt some time ago but I never did. I don't remember who I was going to use buuuuuuuutttttttttttttttt Lukas has to suffer a bit because I haven't used any Echoes characters yet in the fairy tales. I think this story would apply more to a whole list of other characters but I want to use Lukas for this.

Actually now that I think about it I haven't really used many of the games. It's mostly Awakening, Fates, and the Tellius series. Sure, I have used characters from various games but that was like one or two characters. Going to have to rectify that now.

Italics are Lukas's thoughts

Original Fairy Tale Name: Bella Venezia

Original Writer/Collector: Italo Calvino

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Lukas could only watch when a new visitor - a single female, no less - entered the inn that was run by his father Arvis. He waited for a few seconds to see if she was alone, and he sighed when he saw that she was. Oh great, not this again, was the only thing Lukas can think as the woman approached the counter.

In a flash, Lukas's father appeared beside him, running a hand through his hair before eyeing the woman, who blushed upon seeing him. Arvis gave one of his award winning smiles™ (that made Lukas want to puke out his guts) before gesturing to himself.

"I, my dear lady, am Arvis Granvale, the owner of this fine estate. What is your name, milady?"

The woman smiled as Lukas tried not to gag. "My name is Lepus. Do... You happen to have any rooms available for the night?"

"Why of course we do, Lady Lepus. We have plenty of room here. But before I show you to your room, I have a question to ask of you."

Don't don't don't don't was the mantra going on in Lukas's mind as he watched the scene unfold. He was afraid of the route this would go, and he was praying to Mila that she would answer his call. Don't ask her the Ques-

"Am I the most fabulous man that you have seen?"

DAMMIT!

Lepus blushed and averted her eyes to the ground for a while. She looked back at Arvis and smiled at him. "Y-Yes."

Arvis smiled at her. "Why thank you, Lady Lepus. You only have to pay half the price for your stay."

Lukas could only watch as Arvis lead Lepus to her room. He made a note of this, realizing that Arvis had done this to the 10th guest this month, and the 69th guest this year. How they were not bankrupt at this point was beyond Lukas.

"What's your gambit, Lukas?"

Lukas jumped and turned to face his father. "A-ah, I was about to.... Clean the mirror over there."

Arvis nodded in approval as Lukas grabbed a rag and moved to the mirror on the opposite side of the room. As he wiped down the mirror, he heard the door open and turned to see who the newcomer was.

It was a young man this time, and Lukas tried not to groan too loudly. He was NOT in the mood to watch this scene all over again.

Lukas shook his head and began to wipe down the mirror, overhearing what the young man was telling Arvis, "Hello there. My name is Conrad, and I was wondering if you had a spare room for the night."

"Why of course, milord. Before I show you to your room, I have a question to ask of you."

WHY?

"Am I the most handsome man that you have ever seen?"

"No. Your son over there is."

That caused Lukas' blood to freeze. He had never heard of anyone saying no to Arvis' question, and given that Arvis was a very vain and egotistical man, he trembled at the thought of what would happen now that someone claimed that Lukas was more handsome.

"Lukas."

F*ck.

Lukas turned just as Arvis grabbed his arm and dragged him away. He didn't see where Conrad was, but he didn't have time to dwell on that.

Arvis took Lukas to his room and shoved him in there roughly, causing Lukas to lose his balance. As Lukas tried to stand up, he heard Arvis slam the door behind him and the lock click in place.

Well sh*t.

Lukas looked around his room. It was poorly furnished, because honestly Arvis was a horrible parent. The only thing he really had was a broken bed, his bedsheets, and two blankets. Most of the time Lukas avoided his room and had a habit of sleeping in the kitchen - not that Arvis noticed or cared.

Lukas looked at his window and remembered that his room was on the first floor, meaning that he could easily get out of his window and escape. The real question was whether or not Lukas could actually fit through his window. Or open it.

Lukas eyed his (kind of small) window as he walked over towards it. He pushed it, and luckily it opened. Now he had to fit through it.

I have to try.....

Lukas moved his arms forward and grabbed onto the window glass that he had pushed outside. He stuck his head through and adjust his arms so that they were on the actual building instead of the window glass. He kicked his legs off the ground as he pushed his arms-

And landed into a heap on the ground. On top of some rocks that hit his arms.

At least he got out okay. That was the most important part.

Lukas slowly got off the ground and closed the window so that Arvis wouldn't notice. It was evening, and Lukas had to get as far away as possible.

So Lukas ran.

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A day later, Lukas was near ready to collapse from exhaustion.

He had been running for a while now, without food or water. And adding to the fact that Arvis sometimes withheld food from him, it would explain why Lukas was winded, to say that least.

"Open Rigel!"

What the hell?

Lukas turned his head around the tree he was sitting near to see a side of the hill open up. A man walked in and the hill closed as he yelled, "Close Rigel!" A few minutes later, the man walked out and yelled for the hill to close once more.

Lukas sat there for a few minutes, before he walked to the hill. Normally this was not something Lukas would investigate, but he was tired.

"Um.... Open Rigel?"

The hill opened up, allowing Lukas access inside. He slipped inside and gazed around. He gasped. It was a rather well furnished room, with ornate chairs, a chandelier, an oaken table, paintings, and candles. Loads and loads of candles.

Lukas walked forward as he glanced around, only to smell something delicious, making his knees go weak.

That's right. He needed to eat.

Before he could stop and think about how bad this idea was, he followed the smell, and found some soup in a nearby room that doubled as the kitchen. Grabbing a spoon that was left out, he quickly ate it, feeling much better. As soon as he finished it, his eyes began to droop, and before Lukas could snap out of it, he curled up on the floor and fell asleep.

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"Well, what do we have here?"

Lukas woke up with a jolt and looked around frantically for the unfamiliar voice. His eyes fell on the newcomer, and he could only freeze.

The brown haired man from earlier was standing there. He wore black armor that had seen better days, and his expression was mildly pissed off, to say the least.

Lukas quickly scrambled to his feet as apologies flew out of his mouth. "I'm so sorry! Sorr- I was just- I didn't mean to- I-"

"Stop," the man says before frowning. He gets closer to Lukas, who backs away. The man proved to be faster, and grabs Lukas' arm.

"You're wounded. How did this happen?"

Lukas averted his eyes. "I.... Fell on some rocks escaping my father."

"Why did you do that?"

"He locked up me."

The man's frown deepened somewhat. "So in other words your father is a dick?"

"And a narcissist."

The man let go of Lukas's arm. "Normally I would have you pay retribution for stealing some food but I'll make an exception this time." He offers his hand to Lukas. "Would you like to be a mercenary?"

Lukas thought about it for a while before grabbing the man's hand. "Yes..... Erm."

"Berkut," the man replied. "And you are?"

"Lukas."

"Alright Lukas. I'll take you to meet the others."

Lukas followed Berkut out of the kitchen and into the main room where the entrance was. Three people stood there, and they all turned to Berkut as he walked in before he gestures to Lukas.

"This is Lukas. He will be joining us, starting today. Lukas, the young boy is Anthony, the young girl is Ariel, and the lovely blue haired woman is my wife, Rinea."

They all waved to Lukas. Lukas waves back.

Berkut gestures at Anthony. "Anthony, can you help train Lukas? I have some errands to run with Rinea."

"Did you just say 'errands?' What, is that metaphor for sex?" Ariel says as she air quotes the word errands.

"Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies," Berkut hisses back, clearly embarrassed. Lukas didn't blame him.

Rinea frowns. "No.... We actually have to buy a gift for Alm and Celica's wedding."

"Oh," Ariel replies. "Didn't realize that."

Berkut face palms as Anthony walks up to Lukas. "Let's go see what you're made of."

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A few weeks later, Lukas was picking flowers and wondering why he was doing so.

Oh right. Rinea had asked him to do so to help her plan Ariel and Anthony's date later that day.

That still didn't explain why Lukas had to pick flowers though. Maybe because Rinea and Berkut enjoy teasing him.

Lukas sighed as he grabbed some more flowers. He was so distracted that he didn't notice anyone behind him until he felt a sharp pain in his head. He cried out as he fell down, vision darkening. The last thing he saw as the flowers scattered into petals around him was a red haired witch.... And Arvis.

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Reinhardt decided that this was the last time he would ever follow Olwen's advice to take a shortcut.

He sighed as Olwen checked her map. They were supposed to ask some mercenaries for help dealing with bandits in their kingdom, and Olwen decided to take a random path as a shortcut. From the looks of it, they seemed to be going in the opposite direction.

"We're lost," Olwen says as she puts her map away.

"Figures," Reinhardt says as he urges his horse forward. "For mercenaries of the people they sure do love to hide...."

Reinhardt looks to the side and freezes. He sees a body on the ground in the distance. Reinhardt gets off his horse and dashes off to help the young man, ignoring Olwen's pleas to slow down. He eventually reaches the man, and his heart breaks.

The young man has red hair and wore a red outfit. His eyes were closed, and he didn't seem to be breathing. Petals surrounded him move in the wind, painting a tragic picture.

Olwen stops beside Reinhardt, panting. She sees the body and freezes. She watches as Reinhardt approaches the body.

"This poor man.... We were too late," Olwen mutters sadly.

Reinhardt could only nod. He kneels down to examine the man closer, and notices something... Odd.

"What in the name of magic is this?"

A hairpin of sorts was stuck to his head at an odd angle. Frowning, Reinhardt tugs on it and pulls it out, only to hear a yelp from the man.

"H-He's alive...." Olwen whispers.

"My head..." The man says.

Reinhardt could only stare at the man, and his face turns a shade darker when the man looks at him. "Are you.... Prince Reinhardt?"

Reinhardt snaps out of his thoughts and coughs to regain his composure. "Yes. The young lady over there is my sister Olwen. And you are...?"

"Lukas. I'm a mercenary."

"Do you happen to work for the Rigel Mercenaries?" Olwen asks.

Lukas nods, and Reinhardt smiles. "We happened to be looking for them to ask for help. Is it alright if you lead the way?"

Lukas smiles back. "Of course."

Reinhardt helps Lukas up as Olwen leads his horse to him. Reinhardt gets on his horse, and offers a hand to Lukas. Lukas smiles and accepts it, getting on the horse as well in front of Reinhardt, and telling Reinhardt where to go.

Olwen can only watch in shock as Reinhardt tells the horse to move. As Reinhardt's horse moves, the only thing she can say is-

"Is Lukas going to be my brother-in-law?"

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Bonus:

Arvis cursed slightly as Aida punches the wall. How could Lukas still be alive? It was impossible!

"We'll have to try again," Aida says.

The door to the inn opens, and a man with dark armor and a dark expression enters, holding a lance. He looks at Arvis and Aida.

"Well then, Arvis, Aida," Berkut says with an evil glint in his eyes. "You're going to the capital for trial, whether you like it or not. Come along... Before I have to use excessive force."

Starring:

Arvis as Bella Venezia

Lukas as Arvis's son (originally a daughter in the original story)

Reinhardt as the prince

Olwen as the princess (role created for her)

Berkut as one of the mercenaries

Rinea as one of the mercenaries

Anthony as one of the mercenaries

Ariel as one of the mercenaries

Lepus as the first inn visitor

Conrad as the second inn visitor

Aida as the witch

Notes:

- Bella Venezia halved the prices for those who said she was the most beautiful while doubling the price fir the one guy who liked her daughter more

- Barring Bella Venezia (the mom) no one gets named. Seriously

- When I initially looked up the story, I didn't see any mention of how the daughter got out of the tower (instead of her own bedroom like I did to Lukas), so I had Lukas sneak out of his room through the window

- Instead of mercenaries, the girl finds bandits

- Okay originally it was Open Desert not Rigel

- The girl broke in, stole food.... And cleaned. Yes that's exactly what you do when you break into someone's house you clean the place up

- Okay initially the girl hid and the bandits looked outside for the intruder till the boss stayed inside and adopted her as their little sister. That.... Doesn't fit Berkut

- Also one if the bandits kind of sort of tells Bella Venezia that her daughter is alive..... So here, basically Arvis heard from Aida that she sensed that Lukas was alive, but this happened offscreen.... Or off page...

- I cut the scene where Arvis asks Aida (who was a begger witch in this) to kill Lukas because it was much more interesting to have Lukas and Berkut interact as allies for once.

- Aida didn't go into the hideout like the original tale and trick Lukas to put on the hairpin.

- Given who Berkut is, I doubt that he would hide Lukas's comatose body in a tree so I had them not realize at first what happened (some hunting dogs found the girl in the tree later when they were hunting with the prince)

- Also I highly doubt that Reinhardt would go hunting and would be so attached to Lukas's body that it takes Reinhardt's mom to tell him to bury Lukas (and to fix his hair removing the pin) Here Reinhardt removes the pin by accident.

- The whole Arvis and Aida going to trial was something I added. Initially it was supposed to be that either Berkut or Conrad killed them but I couldn't see either doing that. Also in the original tale it never mentions what happens to Bella Venezia. So I may have given Arvis some comeuppance

Aesthetics

- Lukas freezing basically prevented him from hearing Arvis double the rate for Conrad's stay because Conrad thought that Lukas was hotter. Needless to say Conrad gets pissed off and leaves, hence why when Lukas turns to face Arvis Conrad is gone.

- Lepus is one of the Deadlords from Genealogy of the Holy War, and I picked Lepus specifically because there isn't a record on whi she was before she was Lepus. Canis was originally the character I was considering before I read more about her and decided oagainst it. Originally Canis was named Sara, the twelve year old granddaughter of Manfroy, one of the villains but she's like Nino except if you don't recruit her you have to murder her.

- Aida is the lady who basically sent Sigurd to his death by telling him to meet with Arvis.

- I *may* have made Arvis flamboyant. I am so sorry for making you suffer by Arvis yell, "FABULOUS!" (okay he didn't scream it but he said it in a sentence). I needed Arvis to flirt with the customers and for dumb reason my headcanon of fabulous Ghirahim popped up, except he morphed into Arvis. And to be honest after seeing a post of Arvis trying to be a doting father I was like, "New headcanon"

- When I writing the line, "Why of course we do, Lady Lepus," I wrote "love" instead of "Lady Lepus." I paused and went, "Um Arvis isn't British. I need to fix that."

- Initially, I was going to write that Arvis only hit on women and that one of the women attempts (and fails) to flirt with Lukas, thus causing Arvis to get mad and jealous. Then for some reason I imagined Conrad eyeing Lukas in that scene and was like, "f**k it, Arvis flirts with beautiful single people." So yes that is the story of how Conrad joined the tale before being kind of pushed to the side. Sorry Conrad I'll make it up to you somehow.

- Conrad was supposed to have a bigger role but that would have led to a very heartbroken Conrad (because here he would have been crushing on Lukas, not entirely sure why that popped up) and I wasn't in the mood to write heartbroken! Conrad.

- Also yes I wrote this before discovering that Lukas/Conrad does exist I swear.

- The only reason why I picked actual characters for inn visitors was so that you don't look at this and ask if one of the visitors was Deirdre.

- Good god this became memey. And so many notes......

- My writing for fairy tale adaptions has changed significantly. If you like back at anything prior to Cinderella! Marth after reading this, I sound kind of bored and impersonal to the characters, barely fleshing them out. And here we have headcanons galore with the characters fleshed out... A bit more.

- Barring Ariel and Anthony, I grabbed characters from SOV, Genealogy, and Thracia.

- Including all the notes this is over 3200 words long. Seriously.

I hope you enjoyed this, Shade!