#i wanted to finish this a long time ago but thinking of lining all chrom's outfit made me explode
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old wip of S- support chrobin coming to sweep the map
#chrobin#fe#fe awakening#awakening#chrom#robin#f!robin#dooble#i wanted to finish this a long time ago but thinking of lining all chrom's outfit made me explode
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Robin's been kidnapped quite a few times, now...what if we turn it around and Frederick gets kidnapped instead?!
(nothing but pain will happen)
It bothered you that the battle was already brutal, but it was getting worse because their movement didn’t stop. If you cleared a battalion, maybe two, then the Plegians would swarm in with another platoon of men and Risen alike. It was the Risen in particular that were muddying the field and clouding your view.
You could win, that much was clear; there were numbers, but they were getting desparate, and their firepower was nothing compared to the sheer might of the Shepherds.
The problem was that you would periodically lose sight of pockets of your army; it was frightening, to see Chrom and Lissa one moment, and then they’d disappear the next. You tried desperately to keep everyone within your sight line, but the most important thing was clearing the damn field and staying alive to fight another day.
It was hours of brutal, bloody combat. Too many casualties. But at the end, the Shepherds were still standing. The Plegians who weren’t starved for glory clung to their lives and fled before they could be finished off, or worse yet, captured by Ylisse.
Following that, it was time to go home. Everybody was absolutely exhausted, barely standing on their feet. The role call began; you lingered at the front, reunited with the prince. Chrom couldn’t even offer a tired smile.
“That was…awful.” He breathed, looking over the field as Shepherds helped their fellow men and women up and trudged off the field. “I don’t think we’ve ever had a fight like that, before.”
“Those numbers were worrying.” You replied in a grim voice, “They didn’t seem any stronger than we’ve fought before- it was the volume of them that really ripped into us.”
“We’ll need to prepare if that’s their new tactic going forward. Though I can’t imagine it’ll work well for long- if they’re just going to throw bodies like that, they’re going to run out of soldiers. And those Risen aren’t effective replacements on their own.”
“I’ll be mindful of it for the future. Perhaps research more guerilla tactics if they plan on outnumbering us like that, again.”
“A fine idea.” Chrom’s hands were on his hips, having recovered his breath. “Should we start heading back, then?”
“I want to make sure everyone’s accounted for. I’ll be the last to leave.”
“Then I’ll stay, too.” Chrom replied, not letting you protest.
“You don’t have to. I lost sight of multiple people, more than once in that fight. If any of them aren’t accounted for, I need to know.”
“They ambushed us, Robin. You can’t take the blame for that.”
“It’s my duty as your Tactician.” You replied, “I'm not going anywhere until I know we’re all okay.”
“Robin…” He trailed off, seeing how tense you were in spite of your exhaustion. Of course you were worried, and of course you blame yourself; it wouldn’t be you if it was any other way.
They stayed there for a while, observing the slow clean-up and withdrawal. But it took only a few minutes before they realized something.
“Chrom?”
“Yeah?”
“Frederick’s not out there.”
Chrom looked over the field again. His frown deepened.
“He isn’t already back at camp, is he?”
“No.”
“He was stationed with you-”
“I sent him to Cordelia’s platoon to help them, hours ago.” You replied, the edge in your voice starting to rise. “Chrom, he’s not here.”
“Cordelia. We need to find Cordelia and the others-”
You grabbed his shoulder and the two of you rushed back to camp, chasing down the pegasus knight with fire in your eyes and panic in your hearts.
“Frederick?” Cordelia looked confused, which made you wildy more frightened. “He left our squadron after the enemy was dispatched. He didn’t get back to you?”
The expression on your faces said more than enough. The alarm was raised, and immediately the search began for your husband.
It was a grave situation; the lieutenant was missing.
A search party composed of the willing and able returned to the field. Tharja reluctantly joined per your request, providing charms and spells that would hopefully narrow down his location. He was a large man in an even larger suit of armor. For him to disappear would be nigh impossible, had he been wounded or felled in the battle.
It was the absolute last thing you even wanted in your mind; the dread of possibly coming upon your husband’s body could bring you to your knees.
But they weren’t so unfortunate. One of Tharja’s charms detected a hint of Frederick. Ricken joined the main group with a heaving chest, and held up a thin chain of gold. His wedding ring hung from it.
“Oh my gods.” Chrom followed after you when you sprinted to the mage, carefully taking Frederick’s ring into your hands.
“It’s not broken.” You deduced, holding the chain up to inspect it. “He wears it around his neck and under his armor- he’s the only one that would be able to remove it so carefully.”
“It’s unclasped, even.” Chrom pointed out with wide eyes, “Could it be a message?”
“Maybe.” You inhaled sharply, trying to steady your nerves. “But I’m not sure.”
“Give it to me.” Tharja glowered, “I can find the wearer.”
“Your tracking spell.” You realized, “That’s a lot faster than scouring the field! How quickly will you be able to find him?”
“It depends on how far he’s gone. The longer the spell goes, the more energy it demands. It could take days if the distance is too great.”
“I’ll take it. We can assign a team of scouts to survey the area once we’ve had a chance to recover from battle. Until then, I can provide my magic to supply the spell with you- Ricken, tell Miriel we’ll need her help too.” Your orders were quick and biting; you were in absolutely no mood to faff about.
It wasn’t going to be an easy task by any stretch of the imagination, but you were going to find him. There would be no room for error.
Frederick would come home by any means necessary.
-------------------------
It was a hideout juxtaposed between the mountainous borders of Plegia and Ferox. Getting there would be a feat in itself, but according to Tharja, she was familiar with its location.
It was hard to get to; and harder to get there undetected. They had traps and charms all over the place. It would be easier to be captured than to sneak in.
The exact moment the offhand comment left Tharja’s lips, the light was in your eyes.
“Robin, no.”
“Chrom-”
“We’re not going to risk going in there, alone! Gods know what they’re going to do to you!” Chrom protested immediately, “We’re already vulnerable without our lieutenant- we’re practically defensless without our tactician, too! You think they won’t leap at the chance to take us out knowing two of our officers have been taken?”
“It’s a risk we have to take.”
“No, Robin- anyone else could go. Anyone! Why does it have to be you?”
“We both know they didn’t grab Frederick just because they could.” You said lowly, “Cordelia’s squadron had several Shepherds in it, many of whom are much more vulnerable than he is. They pulled him because they knew who he was.”
“You don’t know that.”
“We know how to identify Plegian officers by their pauldrons, alone- you know how this works. If they have Frederick, there’s a very good chance they want something that he knows; and there are very few things Frederick knows that we don’t, too.”
“You don’t think he’s the one they really want.”
“I don’t think he’s the only one they want-” You corrected him, “I think that they’re after something that he knows, or has…and something that other top officials in Ylisse have, too.”
“So, to be clear,” Chrom pinched the bridge of his nose, “You want to give yourself up to the enemy, in order to rescue Frederick; whom they could very well be using as a trap for one of us to come after him?”
“If they’re going to use him as bait,” You tapped your chin, “If they’re using him to get to us, then…why not play into it?”
“Fall for their trap?” He emphasized, but you shook your head.
“Use it against them. I can get in there, and I can get Frederick out.”
“How?”
“I can do it. I can get in there.”
“What if something goes wrong? What if we can’t get you out?”
“I’ll get out.”
Chrom’s jaw clenched, anxiety clear in his voice. “Robin, you’re not thinking clearly. You’re worried, and we understand that. But now’s not the time to do anything rash!”
“It’s not rash. It won’t be!” You protested firmly, “You’ve trusted me with countless strategies before- you need to trust me with this one.”
“...You really don’t think that there’s any other way that we can do this? There’s no one else we can send in your place?”
“No.” You shake your head, “I’m not risking anybody else. I can handle myself, and I can handle rescuing my husband. I need you to trust me with this one, okay?”
“It’s…it’s not that I don’t trust you.” Chrom sighed, looking back to his Shepherds who shared similarly concerned expressions. “It’s that you’re compromised.”
“And you aren’t?” You shot at him, “He practically raised you and Lissa! But if I weren’t here, who’s the one who’d be leading the charge to rescue him?”
“She’s right, Chrom-” Lissa piped up, “If I’m not the one starting a whole new war on that hideout, it’d be you.”
“But it’s… that’s not…” The Exalt frowned deeply, his shoulders tight with a terrible tension. It was too risky. Every rational part of him was telling him this was a bad idea. There just wasn’t any good that could come of this, as far as he was concerned.
But the more he thought about it…he knew there wasn’t going to be a better person to send in, if not himself.
“...All right. But you’re not going in without a very, very carefully formulated plan. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.” You grinned, and the group crowded the council table, planning out the strategy.
It would be infallible. And you weren’t leaving that pit without your husband in your arms.
-------------------------
Frederick did not remember being pulled from the battlefield very well. He recalled the feeling of his legs being stunned out from under him, paralyzing him and sending him to the ground.
He had turned to see a number of Plegians coming towards him, and that they were coming for you. They had tied him up and cast some sort of enchantment. He remembered reaching for the ring clasped around his neck, trying to send you the message.
Then he blacked out, until he was woken up with cold water thrown over his face.
That’s when the interrogations began.
“All this would end if you’d just tell us where it is.” The line was delivered with a punch to the gut, sending him stumbling back into the cell wall.
The chains scraped along the floor, his wrists similarly bound in heavy, old cuffs that cut into his skin.
“You could’ve put a stop to this days ago. Days! Why don’t you give it up? We’ll set you free as soon as we have the answer we need.”
Frederick did not respond. A displeased boot connected with his chest. He stumbled again, this time hitting the ground.
“That’s all it took, huh? A couple days of getting your ass beat and you stopped fighting back? At least try to take a swing at me like you did the first day!” The Plegian interrogator was enjoying this a lot more than he should. A dog, just like every other soldier who praised the Mad King.
“You needn’t be so hard on him.”
Another voice came into the dungeon; though this one was far from inviting.
“Lady Aversa-”
“He just needs to tell us where the Crest of Flames is, and we can be on our way. If he wants to tell us, he will. But I don’t think we can extract what we need with violence. At least, not against him.”
Frederick had an eye on the frightening woman, wary of her relaxed tone. It was far too calm.
“I think we’ve been patient enough with you, Lieutenant. If you’re not going to give us the answers we want, then we’ll find another way.”
“I…will never speak.” Frederick spat at her, despite the aching in his ribs. Aversa’s smile seemed to grow, unmoved by his vow.
“It was fairly clear that would be your answer. Very well, then. Shall we show him what we found today?”
His vision was bleary between the dark and the beatings. But he knew the sound of your voice.
“Unhand me- get off of me!”
No.
Frederick’s heart shot to his throat. He scrambled to his feet, grasping the bar of his cell with wide eyes. This wasn’t a trick.
You were standing there, restrained and pushed forward by another interrogator. A wicked smile played on Aversa’s lips.
“Robin-!”
You froze when you heard him, looking into the cell. Your husband- beaten and bloody, bound and chained to a prison cell.
“Frederick!!”
“Your tactician got caught up in a little skirmish with us last night. She fought awfully hard, but in the end even she couldn’t stand up against Plegia’s might. We plucked what we wanted from her puny squadron, and now, she’s here to tell us everything we need.”
“No- She doesn’t know anything!” Frederick’s voice was thick with panic. He clung to the bars, his eyes flickering between the blurry image of Aversa and his wife. “She cannot give you answers- let her go!”
“I find that hard to believe, considering she outranks you, Lieutenant.” Aversa sighed, walking up to you and taking your chin roughly, forcing you to look at her. “Besides, she’s far more valuable. The Mad King will be thrilled when we bring Chrom’s favored lap dog to him. She’ll be much more useful to us than you ever could be. But, of course, if you give us the information we need, we might consider letting her go…”
“Don’t say a word.” You spoke suddenly, your voice clear and firm. You weren’t begging - you were giving an order. “Stay silent! I’ll be-”
A fist collided with your jaw, pushing you into the Plegian behind you. Frederick launched forward and collided with the interrogator, a wave of adrenaline throwing new energy into him at the sight of his wife’s assault.
He wouldn’t be able to get another hit in- he was instead struck down, beaten back into his proper place by a very angry man.
“Try and come at me again- try it again!!” The man roared, his malignant laughter rattling your own bones. Frederick struggled to get a breath in- to even think clearly.
It hurt to watch.
“Now that we’ve gotten all of that out of our systems,” Aversa snapped her fingers, “Take her away. Get her under control. I’ll personally inform the king of our prize.”
It was all he could do to stay conscious, hearing the vague, distant sounds of his wife being dragged away. The thought of you suffering the same assaults that he had filled him with rage.
But worse, was the knowledge that he couldn’t protect you.
Somehow, the Plegians got you, too. What was Chrom going to do? What was he going to do? What was happening to the Shepherds?
What happened, now?
-------------------------
Your escort into a small room was not comfortable, the welt on your face throbbing with every breath. The room was padlocked, an even smaller cell cutting through the middle of it. A lock was on that door, as well.
“As much as I’d love to break you in front of your husband, Lady Aversa ordered we keep you here. Don’t want you getting any cute ideas, after all.”
You did not respond, watching the man come around in front of you. He locked the door, a thick shift of metal ensuring you weren’t going anywhere. At least, not without his key. Then he shoved you, all but throwing you against the wall. He yanked your arms up, and locked your wrists to the fasteners bolted to the stone. Arms sufficiently hanging above your head, he moved down to your ankles.
And so your plan was put in action.
His head was stuck down, close enough for you to thrust the steel toe of your boot directly into his face. He howled, trying to shoot back. You grabbed him with your legs, throwing him back into you and smashing your skull against his.
He spat curses while you quickly cast an Arcfire, searing away the bolts fasteners and bringing your cuffed wrists back down from the wall. By the time he’d regained his eyesight, he realized you were charging at him, fully on your feet and freed from the primary restraints.
You were no longer locked in a room with the Plegian.
The Plegian was locked in a room with you.
A roundhouse smashed into his temple, sending him tumbling over. You threw your arms over him and flung yourself behind him, using the chain between your wrists to choke him out.
It was all he could do to struggle silently, trying to fight against the might of Ylisse’s tactician one-on-one.
You could hear footsteps trudge by through the door, the laughter of unsuspecting enemies. If only the man could scream.
It took far longer than you wanted it to, the seconds agonizingly slow to tick by. But at last, the man slumped over, unresponsive in your grasp. You lowered the body quietly to the floor, and fished the keys from his belt. You were relieved to have the cuffs off, rubbing at your sore wrists before tucking the keys away.
Now, you needed to get to work. The door was quietly unlocked, and you started your brief wait. Every few minutes, someone would knock at the door or ask why it was so damn quiet. Upon realizing that the door was unlocked, they would throw it open and rush inside.
You would come in behind them with a jagged knife of Thoron magic in your hand, the other clapped over the soldier’s mouth. It repeated four more times, the bodies dragged into the cell, before it finally quieted down.
The fort was small; that much you learned from Tharja’s limited knowledge. While it was secure, it relied on the treacherous mountains to keep away heavier numbers. The guards that were present were quite well trained, and the main purpose of such a hideout was for particularly important captives.
It would be quite a shame when the fort fell; but it would be so very satisfying when it crumbled by your hand.
You peered past the crack of the door, and found the corridor empty. It seemed like you were well on your way. You locked the door behind you and drew the hood over your head, heading back the way you came. So long as you could use the Plegian patterns on your coat to your advantage, it was as good a cover as any to get back to him.
It took longer to find your husband than you cared to admit, but all that mattered was you found your way back to the main prison. Naturally, you were locked out. You fumbled through four keys before you could enter. When the door finally gave, you pushed your way through and checked your surroundings. It seemed the majority of guards you tackled were what they left in the belly of the place. So long as you didn’t rouse suspicions, you could get out fast.
First things first; your husband.
“Frederick?” You called out to him, your voice a low whisper. A scrape of broken armor caught your attention, the third cell from the door.
You were there.
“Frederick, I’m here. It’s me.” You closed the door behind you and hurried over to his cell. You came to your knees, touching the bars. “I’m going to get you out of here.”
Your poor knight was badly in need of help. You couldn’t see well in the darkness, but what you could see was the morbid glimmer of blood across his face and chest, his armor shattered and scattered about the stone floor. He was slumped over, barely breathing, and bruised.
It made your very soul weep.
With no time to grieve, you pushed to the door, unlocking the cell and rushing to his side. Carefully, you touched his face, trying to capture his attention.
“Hey…hey, Freddybear. Just hang on for a little while, okay?” You touched your hand to his chest, pressing your palm against it. His heartbeat was much too soft.
They really beat him senseless. It twisted your stomach in knots, and filled you with rage. But you couldn’t focus on that, now.
The soft glow of a Heal spell seeped from your fingertips, slowly healing Frederick with the mana you had left. Arcfire and Thoron were demanding spells. But if you had enough to get him back on his feet, you could go from there.
For several minutes, there was little more than silence between you, and you watched anxiously for your husband’s face to change. Mercifully, his breathing began to deepen.
Then his hand weakly closed around your wrist. His eyes were still closed, but he knew it was you.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Your voice shook, the whisper barely pushing through a sob; you would not cry; not until he was home. “I don’t have a lot of mana left, so I can’t heal you completely- if I can get you back on your feet, we’ll be able to get you out of here.”
He squeezed your wrist. You swallowed thickly, continuing to press the magic to his chest.
“Just a little more. Conserve as much energy as you can; we’ve got Shepherds on the outside ready to get you home. It’s almost over.”
Your mana depleted, you carefully slipped your hand from his chest, checking him over for any injuries that would keep him from pushing forward. Slowly, the two of you worked his legs, to make sure they were usable. He was stiff, and without a doubt still in pain, but he could move them.
“The armor.” He finally spoke, his voice understandably cracked and hoarse. “We need to take it…take it off.”
“Of course.” You nodded and worked to pull away the fragments of armor that hadn’t been totally shattered. It was like removing the shell of a boiled egg; painstaking and not moving nearly fast enough.
Your gaze flicked to the door to the prison several times, as the armor finally came off. No one had come yet, but the sense of urgency still rang in your head. It was only a matter of time before someone realized half a dozen soldiers were missing.
Frederick’s armor was finally gone. He was wholly accessible, how you preferred him. Taking his hands, you helped him to his feet and leaned him against you, wrapping your arm around his waist and taking on his weight. He could walk, but that was about it.
“What do we do now?” He asked you, his hand tight around your shoulder.
“We’re getting you out of here.” You whispered, taking him to the corridor. The exit was not far, if you could reach it undetected.
You quickly unlocked the door again, and the pair of you hobbled from the prison back down the corridor. It was hard enough to be stealthy, and this was no exception. When you heard footsteps, you ducked around a corner, pressing Frederick back and praying they would not sense the presence of your injured knight.
When they came in range, they were met with an elbow to the back of the head, smashing into their skull and sending them straight to the floor.
You then dragged the body behind the corner and continued your rush to the exit; you were getting sloppier in your escape, but you were there.
Naga showed you mercy; you were able to find the exit and all but threw yourselves out of the forsaken fortress.
“Thank the gods-” You whispered, relief taking up much of the heavy weight on your shoulders (Frederick’s not included). “Let’s see…it’s the south-west end of the fort. Just like Tharja said. Which means that our help should be…”
You pulled Frederick along, careful to avoid detection as you descended further into the woods. The littered bodies of Plegian soldiers interrupted on their patrol was a good sign.
It wouldn’t be much longer before you were greeted by a breathless Chrom running towards the two of you, with Cordelia and Libra in tow.
“Robin! Frederick!!” Chrom’s whispers were barely that, but the joy on his expression was clear in the dim moonlight. “Oh my gods- you actually did it. And Frederick, oh…gods damn them, look what they did to you. They’ll pay for this.”
“But we should get him treatment, first.” Libra reminded him, “We will return to level the fortress another time; what matters is that everyone is out.”
Frederick, who had been of few words, was clearly exhausted by everything that had happened. Your medical treatment was meager, and it was clear he needed another round of it with some stronger staves. His vision was bleary, but he could see your teary smile, relieved that you had brought him from that accursed place.
The last thing he remembered was Libra and Chrom helping him onto the back of Cordelia’s pegasus. Your whispered promise that you’d see him at camp.
And then, a comforting darkness.
-------------------------
Frederick was lethargic for days; which was largely preferred to him being fully awake while recovering from his injuries. They’d cracked nearly all of his ribs, and had fractured bones and torn muscles with the severity of the beatings.
His skin was more red and purple than anything else; and the paleness of what remained was an ashen white. It was horrifying to witness.
You tried to busy yourself while you waited for him to fully come to; visiting every break you had and holding his hand, hoping he’d wake up and give you a proper embrace. For the moments in between, you had requested the smithy prepare a full set of armor to replace the one he’d lost. A family heirloom was no small feat to replace, but you wanted him to have something to protect himself with.
Something, you hoped, that would protect him fully from any threats he might face (not that you planned to let anyone get so close to him ever again).
You were also careful to wash and mend his clothes, and took on all of his tasks about the camp until he was back on his feet.
It was when you were midway through a load of laundry that you received word. Donnel all but shouted at you that Frederick was finally awake, and he was asking for you.
The clothes were abandoned at the shoreline; a few articles may or may not have fallen into the river and carried away.
You swerved sharply around the corner and raced through the camp, hurrying to your husband’s side. Your heart was pounding, excitement rushing through you. At last- you were so close, you were so very close to falling into his arms again.
There was the medical tent. With one last blast of energy you sprinted to it, all but ripping open the tent and bursting inside.
“I’m here!”
“Ah, Robin.” Libra smiled serenely at you, totally unfazed by the explosive announcement. All you could afford to spare was a grateful nod, and you started towards Frederick’s cot. “He asked for you the moment he woke up. Do be gentle, though.”
Somewhere in your mind his cautions registered, but it certainly wasn’t anywhere near the front of your mind. You instead focused fully on your husband, pulling back the linen dividers that provided a fraction of privacy, and the last barrier between you and Frederick.
His eyes lifted as soon as it opened, your husband sitting up against the bedding. There was a long, almost heartbreaking pause, before the tears welled in your eyes. It mirrored Frederick’s expression as he held out his arm, beckoning you to him.
“Frederick…!!” Choked by a sob, you closed the distance, wrapping your arms around his neck and squeezing him as tightly as you could. The rough bandages rubbed against your fingers, having all but completely wrapped around his whole chest and shoulders. “Oh, Freddybear! You’re finally awake…”
His arms came around you, his hold nowhere near as strong as yours…but it was very clear he was not going to let go of you for anything.
"Were you...were you harmed, too?"
It sounded as though he were afraid of the question. Afraid of what the answer might bring. You shook your head, kissing his cheek.
"No. No, I'm okay. Any mark they left on me has long since healed. I'm more worried about you."
"I'm here now." He murmured, "I'm here because of you."
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up- I wanted to be right next to you.” You whispered, but Frederick shook his head, leaning into you.
“There is nothing to apologize for. You are here. And you…you saved my life.”
You sniffed loudly, the tears impossible to fight. You pulled back so you could look at him. The tears that blurred your vision made that wildly difficult, though.
“Of course I did- you’re my h-husband. I wasn’t going to let a band of Plegians take you away from me!”
“I see that, now.” Frederick smiled softly, bringing a hand to your face and thumbing away the waterworks. You shook your head, pressing your cheek to his palm. “I should have known you had some sort of scheme prepared. But I must admit, when they brought you in, I thought…”
He trailed off, the fear that had consumed him for so long swallowing his words. You came back to him, hugging him closer as your hand threaded into his hair.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t think of a way to be convincing if I tried to tip you off. I wanted to break you out sooner…the shape you were in when I got to you…”
He shuddered. “They told me that they were doing the same to you. Every time that bastard struck me, he…laughed about how they were doing it to you. That they were doing worse. That it would all have s-stopped if I told them where the crest was.”
“All vile lies.” You sighed softly, stroking his hair. “No. I didn’t give them the opportunity to harm me. And I’m glad you didn’t comply. I can’t imagine how hard it was.”
It was really all that he could do to nod, pressing his face into your neck. It did soothe his heart, relieving him to know that you had not been harmed in the ways he had been tormented with.
You were safe. And you saved him.
Frederick didn’t know what he had done to be blessed with such a woman as fearless and passionate as his Robin.
The simplest explanation was that you felt the exact same way about him; why wouldn’t you be together?
It would take a couple more days of observation before Frederick would be cleared for release. Naturally you were right there with him the whole time, leaving only to fetch food for the two of you or when Chrom required your presence elsewhere.
Said Exalt was more than relieved to see his two closest friends out of harm’s way, though that didn’t mean you escaped a good scolding for scaring that absolute soul out of the poor man.
Being able to hold your husband’s hand every day reminded you just how worth it your efforts were. Never again would such a fate befall either lieutenant nor tactician; you’d gladly protect that man with your life at every opportunity.
So long as you were reunited, that was all that mattered.
#frederick#robin#fe 13#fire emblem awakening#fredrobin#frederick x robin#fe fictions#fe-fictions#f!robin#fem!robin#f!mu#kidnapping#kidnapping angst#kidnapping prompt#papa bless this is a long one
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HELLO for Future Maria from Rebecca
Hugs | accepting | @pieman1112
[ HELLO ] for a hug after a long time apart.
To think her travels would take her years to come back ‘home’. How she missed Ylisse! And everyone in there! Is her Father still training beside the maple tree? Her mother! Is she still tending to the flowers they planted together? Her grandfather is probably still up there, no? Her ....young self. And Knight Maria of this world! ... ... Oh, how she missed everyone! Thomas--Jake, had parted away from her about two years ago to let her explore on her own, of course, with the mercenary her parents hired.
Maria--Rose, had finally walked into Ylisstol which was still bustling with people, as always. Seeing the busy streets, the many different people walking here and there, yes. This is the world she wanted to protect with her siblings. True there was a slight stung feeling to her chest, knowing this could have happened in the future where she was supposed to be from but ...that’s ok. Things happen for a reason, no? Had she not left the future, she would not have met the people she know now. Strange but ... that’s how it is.
Making her way to the castle, she overheard of the new Exalt’s work--her older sister! Well, her other older sister...haha that’s confusing. Lucina even in this time works so tirelessly, yes. She loved that about her but it also worried her. The mercenary parted away to head to the tavern and rest up while she finishes her business. She came back to report on her journey--that’s what she promised her parents to do!
Her appearance was a little bit different. Her long silky blond hair was cut shorter, almost to her shoulder length. She got definitely taller than before, even prettier but she won’t admit it (unless you wants her to faint of embarrassment.) Her habit of being shy was somewhat under her control but she has her moments.
“The castle,” she murmured happily before walking into it. Thankfully, it is still the same as before, anyone can walk in on the order of the exalt. She asked one of the guards if she can meet the exalt. She waited in line since there are others who wishes to see the exalt. When it was her turn, she carefully covered her face. Even with changing how her hair looks, it was obvious she still looks like the second princess of the country--Maria.
She introduced herself as the wandering cleric, Rose. The name rang a bell to the current Lucina. Chrom and Rebecca had told her all about the future children so she can help them when they come back. Lucina quickly took her to another room and asked her how was she. Maria Rose told her that she was great and could not been happy to go on this journey. Then she asked if her mother and father were around. Lucina told her Chrom was out to Ferox for some diplomatic matter and Rebecca was actually here. Rose asked her if she arrange for a way to see Rebecca and Lucina agreed.
Maria was escorted to the inner quarters for the royal family and waited for Rebecca to come. Lucina had personally went to find Rebecca in the garden reading and brought her back inside.
Her heart was beating like drums in a joyous festival. Once the door was open, Maria turned around slowly to see Rebecca, yes she is a bit older but as if the same she left her years ago.
“M...Mother ...” oh no, you promised to show her you would not cry anymore! Get it together, Maria! She reproached herself but the moment Rebecca called her name, waterfalls started going down, “Mother!!!” and she ran towards her, hugging her tightly. “Mother! Mother!” Lucina smiled and went outside, closing the door on them and standing guard herself so no one interupts them. The least she could for the person who came from the future to save her family...their family.
“M-mother--hic, I ... I missed you. I missed you, and dad, and grandpa...Lucina, too...and Thomas...hic. S.T.A.R. mhm...sobs.” Rebecca gently wiping her tears away and telling her how beautiful she had grown to be. Maria Rose blushed happily, “hehe...y-you think? ..... Hehe...M-mom!! Stop it! p-p-p-please” he stuttering is back because Rebecca won’t stop commenting on how pretty she is.
#IN CHARACTER.| M A R I A#pieman1112#[[me write something short? egads no#[[aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa#[[im crying...
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My fanfic for day three of Chrobin week 2019. This is a shorter one but i still think its cute. Hope you enjoy. Link to Ao3 down below as usual so if you could go and give me some love there too, id appreciate it.
Day Three Prompt- Longing and Pining
Pairing- Chrom and Robin(F)
Whenever she wasn't looking, he would stare at her. Whether she was sat talking with Lissa, having tea with Maribelle, or playing chess with Virion. Chrom would watch her, fascinated, his heart aching for her, longing for her. Yet he was a coward. He couldn't bring himself to tell her how he felt. How much he loved her. How his every waking thought was of her, and his dreams haunted by the touch of her that he would never have.
She was the light in his life, the one thing he regretted dragging into this war, the one thing he felt unworthy of. Hands like his, fit to only to be used to wield weapons, to kill, weren't worth to hold her.
So he settled for this instead.
And it tore him apart.
Whenever he wasn't looking, she would stare at him. Whether he was training, his body dripping in sweat, his breath rugged, or he was simply stood across the table from her, his head down as he poured over the strategy before him. She would watch him, and her heart would ache. Yet she was a coward. She couldn't bring herself to admit to him how she felt. That she loved him. How she had loved him from the moment he had found her in that field. And she was miserable, because she knew she could never have him.
He was a prince, strong, brave, compassionate. She was a commoner, an amnesiac without a past. She was barely worthy to walk behind him, let alone beside him.
So she settled for this instead.
And it tore her apart.
Chrom couldn't remember when he first realized he loved her, hell maybe he always had, yet he had been so dense, so distracted by war that he didn't notice at first. Yet it had hit him harder than one of Frederick's shield bashes during a training session.
He'd been surveying the camp one afternoon, his eyes constantly on guard for Risen, when he'd spotted her out of the corner of his eyes. She was sat, as she usually was, a massive book on her lap, her head low, her brown hair a dark curtain, obscuring most of her face from view. He'd watched her raise her head, frowning, then smiling when Lon'qu sidled up to her, albeit reluctantly. They spoke, and Chrom noticed they appeared comfortable around each other. Robin laughed, brushing a strand of her hair out of her face. She stood, and nodded, before accepting the practice sword the Myrmidon held out to her. And for the briefest of moments, when Robin's finger tips grazed Lon'qu's hand, Chrom felt the snake of jealousy bite his heart.
In that moment he realized he wanted to be the one she trained with, the one she smiled warmly at. He wanted to be the one to give her all the memories she had lost out on.
Instead, he had bottled those feelings up. After all, surely a beautiful, smart and wonderful woman such as she was already spoken for. Surely she had already accepted proposals from Gaius, or Vaike, or maybe even Lon'qu. Surely he was already too late.
Robin could remember the very moment she realized she loved him. It had hit her harder than that time Sumia had tripped while carrying all those books, which had proceeded to hit her directly in the chest. She loved Chrom, probably always had, from the moment she had opened her eyes and his beautiful blue eyes met her brown ones.
She had resolved to tell him once, only to back out, coward that she was. She'd made her way towards his tent, determined to confess her feelings, to let all the emotions that had been weighing her down, that had been interfering with her work, that had caused her to lose sleep, before him, and if he rejected her, well she could deal with that...somehow.
Yet when she arrived at his tent flap, ready to make her presence known, voices inside had halted her actions. Spying through the gap in the flap, Robin spied Chrom, bent over the desk inside his tent, his hands tracing across the map on top of it. And behind him, Sumia. She couldn't quite make out their conversation, but Sumia's face was plastered with a goofy smile, and warm pink cheeks. She placed a hand on Chrom' shoulder, and he turned his head, smiling up at her.
And in that moment, Robin had fled, feeling tears prick at her eyes. She'd ran past Lon'qu, who was took shocked at her emotional state to inquire if she was alright. Sully and Virion had called out to her, worried, yet she had carried on running, until she was out of breath, her body gasping for air, tears streaming down her face. The usually composed Tactician had fallen to the ground, letting all her heartbreak break free, before wiping her face, and walking back to camp like nothing had happened, brushing off the concern of her friends.
It had been stupid to think he wasn't already taken, I mean he was handsome, brave, and friendly. Of course he had already ensnared someone.
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Chrom was doing his usual late evening walk around camp, trying to clear his head. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Today had been torture. All day spent in Robin's company as they planned a strategy for tomorrow skirmish, trying not to let the smell of her hair, sweet and floral, invade his every thought. And when she had taken her coat off he tried not to stare at the curve of her hips, her breasts, but he wasn't exactly being subtle. He was pretty sure Frederick had noticed, and possibly even Lissa.
He stopped walking and sat down on a log at the edge of camp, hiding his face from view.
He had to stop doing this. He had to stop torturing himself.
Robin was never going to be his, and he had to accept that.
"Hey Blue," Gaius' voice caused him to jump. The orange haired theif looked down at him with amused eyes. "What'cha up to?"
"N-nothing," the prince stammered.
"Really," Gaius smirked. "That's exactly what someone who is doing something they shouldn't be would say."
"I said I'm doing nothing!" He hadn't meant to shout, and instantly felt guilty.
"Peace, Blue," Gaius held up his hands in mock surrender. "I meant nothing by it."
"Sorry," Chrom sighed. "I'm just under a lot of stress right now." Gaius hearing his commanding officer sound defeated, glanced at the bluenette. He looked pale, had bags under his eyes, eyes which scanned the camp as if he was looking for something in particular. When Gaius followed his line of sight he smile knowingly. Chrom was watching Robin, where she sat across camp. She was in deep conversation with Donnel, her nimble fingers helping the farm-boy turned soldier to make traps to catch rabbits. The breeze blew through her brown locks, and her face was a rosy shade of pink.
"Don't worry about it Blue," Gaius popped another lollypop in his mouth. "I understand perfectly." The Prince smiled weakly, before standing up and walking away. "Bubble's is quite the catch isn't she," he murmured under his breath when he was sure Chrom wouldn't hear him.
"So all you gotta do is loop this 'er thing through here and there ya go, all finished," Donnel was speaking, Robin knew that, yet she wasn't concentrating. Instead she was watching Chrom.
Just moments ago, he had been speaking to Gaius, although he had looked annoyed and she wish she knew why. Out of the corner of her eye she had seen him stand and walk away, his head hung low, his shoulders slumped in defeat. Her heart had throbbed at the sight. She had never seen him look so depressed, and she wanted nothing more than to run after him and try to cheer him up. Yet she stayed where she was.
That wasn't her job.
Chrom wasn't hers to comfort.
"I'm sorry Donnel, I wasn't listening," she smiled apologetically at the boy. "What were you saying?"
"Oh it were nothin' important," he smiled.. "You okay Robin? You seem distracted."
"I'm fine Donny," she smiled at the young boy. He had removed his usual pot off of his head, his brown hair a fluffy mess that became almost cloud like as the soft breeze blew it. His big brown eyes were warm and friendly. Their similar appearances meant you could easily mistake the boy for her younger brother, had their skin tones not been completely different. She reached over and ruffled his hair. "Guess I'm just tired."
"Were you thinking about Chrom?" His next question floored her, causing her to cough.
"W-what! I-I wasn't thinking about Chrom, why would you say that?"
"Cause you and him spent all day in a strategy meeting, an' now you both look all tired."
"Oh yeah, right," Robin was aware her face was probably really beet red, and she turned her face away, hoping Donnel wouldn't notice. After a second to compose herself she turned back to him. He was gazing at her worried. "I'm fine Donny, your sweet to worry." She glance down at the rabbit snare in her hands, grateful for the distraction. "Now why don't you show me how to do this one more time."
"Oh sure Robin, no problem." Donnel's worry vanished, replaced by his happy go lucky smile once again.
They spent another hour talking and making snares before Robin decided to call it a night. Donnel watched the Tactician leave, watched her slink past Chrom's tent, noticed the small sigh that left her lips as she stared longingly at the tent, before disappearing inside her own tent.
"Those two really need ta admit ta their feelings," he shook his head in disbelief, before turning back to the task before him.
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"I say we hold an intervention."
"What, no way, that wont work. What we need to do is lock them in a room somewhere and let things take care of themselves."
"Gaius! That's ridiculous. Maybe we should just have a word with Robin. Things can't carry on as they are."
"That's true. I mean they are clearly both in love with each other, everyone knows it, except them. It's so frustrating, I just want to see my brother happy"
"Then we shall help them Darling. How about I put a pot of tea on and we can all try to come up with a solution to help those two."
The group of Gaius, Lissa, Maribelle, Sumia and Donnel all nodded, sitting down in a circle and trying to come up with a plan to help the two smitten idiots that were Chrom and Robin finally admit their feelings for each other.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/19815820/chapters/46987882#workskin
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Pair Up
Commission for @earthsgayestdefender!! Apologies again about the wait!! Commissions are currently closed!
“I can still smell that fish you burned,” Donnel comments as he passes through the centre part of the camp. He grins to Robin, who rolls his eyes in response.
“I burned? I think that was you. I was too busy dealing with the stew!”
“Don’t be shiftin’ the blame onto me! It’s not my fault you’re bad at cookin’, despite being so great at everything else.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m great at everything, Donny. I’m not even sure how I’m good at tactics. And not everything has gone to plan, as I’m sure you’re well aware.” Robin sighs- somehow, every time he discusses his job in the army with someone other than Chrom or Frederick, the topic comes round to this- his failures.
“Well, I think you’re just being humble. You’re an excellent tactician, and we all would’ve died months ago if it weren’t for you. I would still be in that village- and I’d be dead.”
“It’s best not to dwell on the past,” Robin muses. “I hear you’re on mess tent duty tonight.”
“I sure am.” Donnel pulls a face, and Robin can’t help but laugh.
“Don’t burn any fish tonight. Keep an eye on the stew.”
“Yes sir.”
“I have some plans to work on,” Robin says, gesturing with the rolls of parchment he holds in his arms. “If I don’t turn up in time to eat, save me a bowl!”
“Will do!”
Robin sits by the light of a single candle all evening. It’s difficult to come up with tactics that are new and fresh- they need to have an advantage over their enemies, but when they’re fighting an army as large as Valm’s, word will travel quickly about their standard formations. This always leads to late nights, and on more than one occasion, he’s fallen asleep on the plans, smudging the ink.
He’s also convinced he’s losing his vision a little from straining his eyes, but there’s not room in the budget for him to have more candles, especially when there are shepherds with children they must look after. He can see perfectly well, he tells himself, even if it often becomes difficult to read his own handwriting.
For the next battle, he ensures that Chrom is safe over everything else. After all, they’re fighting for Ylisse, and what point is there if after all the fighting, there’s no one to rule the country? Others could rule- Lissa would take the throne, but Robin isn’t convinced she has the concentration span to be an efficient ruler. And then there’s the matter of Lucina…
The front lines of the battle consist of himself and Kellam and Cherche and Gaius, with Maribelle there as added support. It’s unusual for Robin to put himself on the front lines, but this is an important battle, and he won’t take any risks with the exalt’s life if he doesn’t have to. Ricken, Donnel and Olivia make up the second line, providing support, while the plan is for the pegasus knights to flank, along with the Plegian mages.
Once the formations look fine, Robin rolls them up and sets them at the entrance of his tent for tomorrow morning. There’s a final war meeting before they march, and he has to ensure he’s on time for that. The candle gets snuffed out, and the tent is plunged into darkness.
The Valm castle is huge. It towers over the landscape, a force that Robin isn’t sure he wants to take on. The Valm army have been too strong at every step so far, and there has not been a single battle in which they haven’t struggled even with hours of well thought out tactics. Whoever the Valmese tactician is scares Robin. He;s never set eyes on them, but they seem to know everything about Chrom’s forces.
“You look worried,” a voice comes from behind Robin, just as he’s finishing sorting his tomes on to his belt. His hand rests on the sword at his side as he turns- anyone behind him could be a potential enemy. But it’s just Donnel, with a sad look on his face.
“I’m fine. Nervous. Nothing to worry about. Are you okay?”
“This is a mighty big battle.”
“You’ve faced worse. Well, maybe not worse, but equal. We took down Gangrel all that time ago, right?”
“I guess so,” Donnel manages with a watery smile.
“Stick with me. I could do with someone watching my back.”
“What about your tactics? Your battle plan, formations. Aw heck, I’ve gone and messed everythin’ up.”
“They know my every move. Somehow, Valm are always one step ahead of me. So I’d rather we all got through this alive than we stuck rigidly to the plan. And this is the only time you’ll hear me say this.”
“Well, if that’s what you want, I guess I can oblige. We gotta look out for each other.”
When Walhart falls, the rest of the army vanish in a matter of minutes. Whether the rest of the Ylissian forces clear them out or they desert, Robin will never know, but he can’t complain. Chrom is celebrating, his daughter by his side, her hands shaking. This means as much to her as it does to him, Robin is certain.
But then there’s a rustle of fabrics from behind him, and Robin doesn’t recognize the sound, and he doesn’t have time to turn before the assassin (he has to assume) is upon him. This must be the work of the mystery tactician, and before Robin has time to pull out his tome, Donnel has jumped in between the assassin’s blade. Robin doesn’t hesitate even a second before casting Thoron, and the assassin crumples to the ground as Lissa hears the sound of Donnel’s yell.
“Get out of the way!” She all but yells, and Robin collapses to his knees as she pushes past. Lissa brings Donnel to the floor, and by the time Robin has fully processed what’s going on, Maribelle has arrived too, and Libra is pulling Robin away from Donnel.
“No, wait-“
“Robin, it is best to leave this to the professionals,” the priest says, helping the tactician to his feet.
“A-are you sure? Is he going to be okay?”
“Robin, no one will know. Let the healers deal with this.”
When Donnel comes too, all he can see is white. The medical tent is white, the clothes he’s wearing are white, and the hair of the man who sits asleep by his bed. He twists a little to see Robin, but pain shoots up his side and he collapses onto his back once more, breathing out a sigh.
He hadn’t even thought before he dived in front of the assassin’s blade, the sheen of the silver in the light all he remembers before-
Ah. The pain.
Donnel moves his blankets a little, and pulls up the shirt that he assumes Lissa dressed him in. The wound in his side is sizeable, and the bandages he has are wrapped around the entirety of his stomach. He manages to resist the temptation to poke at the wound, instead covering himself up again.
He’s not sure how long he’s been out. He lost a lot of blood, that much he’s certain of- he still feels rather lightheaded. It’s hard to ascertain where he is from the surroundings- it’s bright in the medical tent from all the lamps they keep around. He’s been in here a few times- mainly for bumps and bruises, and once when he was the other person on mess duty when Lon’qu cut his finger open peeling potatoes. It’s never felt this eerie before.
It’s dark outside- he assumes that’s why Robin is asleep. Donnel does have to wonder why he’s here though. Sure, they’re good friends, but he never expected the tactician to take time out of his already packed schedule to watch over him while he slept. All his rustling around must have disturbed Robin, because when Donnel next glances up at him, he’s awake, and staring rather incredulously.
“Libra wasn’t sure when you were going to wake up.”
“Well, I’m awake,” Donnel laughs, before wincing in pain. Robin looks worried, gets up to move, but Donnel shakes his head. “It’s fine.”
“I… I have to ask,” Robin begins, wondering where to begin with this question. “Why did you take that blow for me?”
“You said you needed someone to watch your back. You asked me to watch your back. And when you weren’t paying attention, I was. I knew if I didn’t jump in, you would definitely die. And we would lose the war without you, Robin.”
“The war’s been won. It’s over.”
“You think that you’re gonna be done fightin’ for the rest of your life now that we’re done fightin’ with Valm?”
Robin pauses- he hadn’t thought of it that way. He’s honestly a little surprised that he’s made it this far. There have been countless situations where he could’ve died on the battlefield, many occasions in which he’s been the one jumping in to protect allies. He’s taken hits for Chrom multiple times. He’s been willing to die for Ylisse, a country that isn’t his own, but the idea of this farm boy being willing to die for him is utterly inconceivable.
“I’m sorry I yelled.”
“No, Donnel, it’s not you. I’m still a little confused, however.”
“I really don’t think there’s much to understand here.”
“You could’ve yelled. Or pushed me. But instead you put yourself in between me and the assassin. Most people wouldn’t do that. Or ever consider doing that.”
“Robin, you’re important. You’re vital in saving Valm. In mending Ylisse. Chrom needs you. And you’re important to me too.”
Donnel looks more than a little embarrassed to admit that, and it takes a moment for Robin to register exactly what he means. The villager avoids all eye contact, and Robin has to take a moment to consider what to say next. He takes too long though, and Donnel speaks up first.
“Maybe you should go. Get a proper night’s sleep. In your own bed.”
“I’ve been sleeping beside your bed for five days. I can manage another.”
“That’s dumb. Aw, Robin, you… you didn’t need to.”
“I would hate to wake up with no one there.”
“Don’t suppose you’d wrangle me some dinner? I know the mess tent’s closin’, but…”
“Of course. Do you need water? Books?”
“It’s you that’s the genius, not me. I’m more than happy just to… never mind.”
“If you want, I can sit with you while you’re recovering. I’m sure Lissa won’t mind. Although, you’ll have to excuse me working on my maps while I’m here.”
“I-if you don’t mind, Robin. I’d love the company. Though after I get this dinner, I’ll probably head back to sleep. You can go to your tent.”
“My tent is cold and dark and damp. I know I have to sleep in a chair here, but it’s not too bad. And besides, it means I can keep an eye on you.”
“You’re too kind to me. Though I’d appreciate it more if you hurried up and got me that dinner.”
With a laugh, Robin pushes himself out of the seat, a little unsteady after sitting for so long. He hovers by the bed for a moment, one hand resting on the sheets. Donnel looks a little confused, and Robin knows that if he’s going to do or say something, it has to be now.
He swoops in and presses a kiss to Donnel’s forehead- not too much of a romantic gesture, but enough that the younger boy will understand. It’s not the time- that’s what Robin thinks, and what he knows Donnel understands, but maybe, when everything is sorted out, and they can go home, it will be the time.
#i have no idea what this ship name is#donnel fire emblem#robin fire emblem#fea#commissions#charley writes a thing
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Ink and Moonshine - Chapter 1
Summary: The last thing Chrom remembers is getting a tattoo and inviting a beautiful girl he met at the shop for a couple of drinks. Not… getting hammered and waking up in his bed with said girl naked and draped across him.
Chrobin.
Rating: E
Read on AO3.
Modern AU. Slice of Life. Developing Relationship.
Chrom screwed his already shut eyes even tighter, the bright sunlight streaming through his half closed blinds landing right on his face. His temples were pounding as he groaned, covering his eyes with his forearm in an attempt to make everything hurt less. It didn’t work. ‘I must have gotten really hammered last night…’ He couldn’t remember anything except going to get a tattoo, small talk with the beautiful woman who was waiting for her turn with another artist, coincidentally finishing at the same time, and mustering up all the courage he had to ask her out for a couple of drinks. ‘For someone who just finished his MBA, I really am smart.’ His mental voice sounded sardonic and accusatory. At this point, he figured his actual voice would too.
The tattoo he always wanted was an extremely stylized looking ‘Y’ with the outline of a teardrop in the space between the prongs, the ink a faded peach brown color that made it look like a birthmark. His right bicep throbbed, punctured by a needle repeatedly. His chest felt unusually heavy, almost like there was a weight on top of him. Struggling, he set his arm down in front of him, eyes snapping wide open when he felt smooth, warm skin, some fingers inclined while others dipping low on the dimple of someone’s back. On top of him was a complete, but very appealing, stranger, locks of her long white blonde hair draped across him, some matted on her skin, cheeks flushed and chest rising rhythmically. The only way a woman would ever look that way in bed with him was if they had— ‘Oh God did we!?’ His heart almost stopped.
“Hey stranger.” She woke, turning her head to face him, eyes half lidded, long lashes framing her sleep-addled, but nevertheless entrancing, chocolate gaze. As she slowly blinked away her drowsiness, a cat-like smile began to form, her right hand stretching out as her perfectly manicured nails traced idle patterns on his bare chest. Chrom’s gaze followed her arm, eyes widening ever so slightly as they stopped on taped bandage on the right side of her rib cage, just below the swell of her breast. Her smile grew even bigger, almost predatory, when she noticed him stare. Not that she minded. She was in bed with someone hot after all. And smart, adorable, and easily embarrassed if their conversations last night were any indication. Her upper arm pushed against the bandages, wincing slightly, pushing up one side of her already well-endowed chest even more. “Like what you see?” She grinned again. He swore her teeth looked like fangs.
Chrom swallowed the lump in his suddenly dry throat, gaze jerking from her ribs to her face. ‘God, whoever she is, she’s beautiful.’ Her smile was mischievous and teasing, like she was the Cheshire Cat incarnate, as she lazed on top of him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. As she continued to approach him, nails dragging along his chest and raking across his nipples, feather light, Chrom struggling to keep his back from arching. She smiled again at his reaction, tilting her hand as she let her fingers trace his jaw, starting just below his ear and stopping on his chin, shifting his head slightly back. He didn’t even notice her straddle him, sheets falling away, forcing him to sit upright. He was too lost in her deep brown eyes.
“You were so good last night,” she murmured, arms wrapped around his neck as she pressed herself against him. Fire started to burn where their skin touched, Chrom nearly losing his mind as her lips brushed against the shell of his ear. She pulled back, but only just, still that ever present smile on her face. Her eyes glimmered as she watched him turn redder and redder. “Cat got your tongue?” She tilted her head slightly, almost innocently, as she pressed her arm, just above her elbow, against his shoulder, hand cupping his cheek as her thumb stroked the skin beside his lip, so close to touching but never quite making it.
“Who are you?” He felt his chest constrict, dizzy from the scent and feel of her, distantly thinking if he were going to die right now, naked and pinned down by the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen wasn’t a bad way to go. His vision tunnelled, focusing only on her, when he heard her laugh, low, husky, and gravelly from waking up not too long ago. She pressed her lips gently at the top of his forehead, trailing her sweet, burning kisses slowly along the midline of his face, tongue cheekily darting out at the tip of his nose before settling against his mouth, pulling at his lower lip with her teeth. His jaw slacked as he let her have her way, pushing him further against his quilted backboard, her hair shielding them. Chrom found himself kissing her back, his hands resting on the small of her back as he coaxed her further into him, logic and reason starting to throw themselves out the window as he began to indulge himself. ‘Screw the fact that I don’t know her name. Pun intended.’
“Who am I?” She spoke in between hungry kisses, her knees digging deeper and deeper into his pillows as she knelt above him. He nodded, trailing open mouthed kisses across her toned torso, starting at the valley between her breasts and slowly moving southward, thumbs pressing against her hip bones. She laughed, head tilting back as she hugged his head, pressing him harder against her body. “Everything you could ever want.” Her voice exuded confidence and Chrom would be damned to think her statement was anything but the truth. Still, she never did this sort of thing, tease and seduce, have sex with someone she barely knew, but there was something about Chrom that she couldn’t deny herself. He made her feel powerful, letting her take the lead and giving him the reins only when she felt like it. No one else had let her do that before. She hardly knew him but already she wanted everything he had.
‘What the hell am I doing?’ Whatever brain he had left still struggled, though it was hardly much. He nipped into her skin, silk against his teeth, just below her bandage, the blonde crying out in pain only to moan almost wantonly, maybe even too much, as he sucked and licked, the stirring between his legs starting to become painful. ‘Apparently think with my dick that’s what.’ His brain fizzled completely when she lined him perfectly against her warm, glistening entrance. She squeezed her legs, her knees slotting against his hips. ‘If making out is all it takes to get her like this…’ His thoughts were abruptly cut off when she started, sinking down inch by inch, sighing almost like a pleased cat, her chin resting on the crook of his neck when he was fully hilted. She was absolutely breathless, her sweat slicked skin rubbing deliciously against him.
“Ready?” She started moving back up along his length, tortuously slow as her hands moved his, resting them where her hips slimmed to her waist, offering her balance, before moving back to his shoulders.
“Huh?” Chrom’s lids felt heavy, struggling to open. He didn’t even realize he shut his eyes, too engrossed with just how perfectly she felt seated between his legs, how good it felt to be inside her. All his pulse points were pounding, from his dulling hangover and from being completely intoxicated and spellbound by her.
“That good huh?” She laughed and he couldn’t quite place the character: mystical, melodious, enchanting, haunting all at once. Her hands cupped his face, thumbs rubbing the skin under his eyes. “Open your eyes.” Fingers nudged his cheek upwards, Chrom reluctantly opening. His heart nearly stopped again at the sight in front of him. Her hair was even more disheveled, her cheeks red and her eyes glassy and lust-addled, pert breasts bouncing slowly as she moved. She was panting and out of breath, mouth open as she tried to suck in more air. “Here we go.”
Chrom’s eyes rolled back as she sank back down, faster this time but still much too slow for his liking. Any complaint he was thinking of died in his throat when he heard her, voice growing louder and louder as she started to pick up the pace. Just when his hips started to move, her hands forced him back down, it was all her right now and he would be smart to let her do as she pleased. Pressure started to build, her earlier mewling becoming louder and louder, her pace more erratic as she continued to ride him. As she moved back up, her grip on his shoulders started to slack, Chrom taking the opportunity to snap his hips back up against her, toppling her over, her blonde hair and pale skin still blinding against his sheets.
“Let me return the favor,” he murmured as he towered over her, easily propping her legs against his shoulders, her lower back flying off of his mattress. She was in no mood to argue, Chrom’s dark gaze a sure sign that he would be going at her hard. Her legs would probably utterly useless after this. He set a brutal pace, almost unwilling to let her breathe, as if in retaliation for all her teasing. Her muscles were like a vice, intent on keeping him in as he tried to pull out to start another long and deep stroke. Chrom grunted, turning his head slightly and kissing her ankle before staring back at the woman who was practically undone beneath him.
“AH!” She cried out as her back arched, whatever gap between them vanishing, her nails raking across the corded muscles of his broad back. He groaned even more deeply when the pads of her fingers pressed down on knotted muscle, relief almost at the pressure on his tense shoulders. Her hands moved to the base of Chrom’s skull, pushing it upwards as she demanded his mouth. He obliged, locking his lips over hers in open mouthed kisses that were getting sloppier and sloppier as his thrusts became deeper and deeper.
“Going to—aahh!” Her thoughts were cut off as he jerked into the bundle of nerves that made everything go white. With each stroke, her back was flying higher and higher off the bed, Chrom shifting to support both their weight on his right hand, his left trailing a line of fire from the base of her spine to between her shoulder blades. He closed his eyes, continuing his unforgiving pace, urged on by how breathless and loud she was beneath him. This was nothing like the sex he’d had before. She was bringing out something he didn’t even know was in him and he was a liar to think he wasn’t enjoying this blistering kind of sex. Distantly, he thought he might even enjoy this the most.
He felt his end coming and the sudden realization that he wasn’t using a condom forced his eyes open. After one last deep push, Chrom was about to pull out, but she wasn’t having it. In response, she tightened her legs around his neck, half-lidded eyes gazing at him. “Inside.” Before he could argue, she dug her heels into his back, trapping him as her orgasm started, pleasure crescendoing. “CHROM!” At her peak, he heard his name, unraveling him completely as he started to come inside. The last thing Chrom remembered as he pulled out and rolled over beside her was wondering how the hell she knew his name and he didn’t know hers.
Chrom stared at the ceiling, both arms spread out, one acting as a pillow for the woman beside him. ‘The fuck did I just do, getting myself carried away like that.’ He turned his head, blue eyes gazing at a completely satisfied blonde curled towards him, still absolutely unashamed at her nakedness and the fact that the sheets were barely covering them. He groaned, moving his head back to stare at the ceiling. ‘Apparently that’s what I just did. I’d be a liar to say that wasn’t the best fuck of my life… what the hell is wrong with me, using such crude language.’ He’d had sex before but nothing like this, and certainly not with the most enthralling woman he’d ever met even without knowing a single thing about her. He didn’t seem to care quite as much as he thought he would.
“I’m on the pill if that’s what you’re thinking about. It’s fine, don’t worry.” She propped herself up on her forearms, reaching forward and kissing his temple before cuddling even closer.
“That’s not…” Chrom frowned, finding himself suddenly pulling her into an embrace, closing his eyes and trying to figure out the next step. At least she wasn’t going to get pregnant, not that he minded thinking of a future with her and a couple of kids. ‘What the hell. I still don’t know her name and here I am thinking about marrying her, getting her pregnant a couple of times, and maybe even growing old with her!’ This woman had the power to reduce whatever intelligence he was proud of into absolutely nothing.
“You know we didn’t actually have sex last night.”
Chrom shot up, sitting straight as he unceremoniously dumped her on his bed, eyes staring back at her incredulously.
“Although we obviously just had sex now. Absolutely mind blowing if you ask me.” She didn’t seem perturbed at being dropped, casually sitting up straight as she pushed her hair to one side.
“Then why all the teasing?” Chrom reddened even further. Was he really the kind of man to take advantage of the fact that he woke up naked, next to an equally undressed woman sprawled on top of him? Even if she was the one who started it this morning. Chrom groaned, seriously starting to wonder if he really thought with his dick when it came to beautiful women. He gave her a once over and decided that there was just something about her. ‘Not to brag to myself but I haven’t started a relationship with a girl with sex, doesn’t matter who started it.’ Chrom blinked, wondering at his choice of words. ‘Is that what this is? A relationship? Oh God what the hell is happening to me.’
“Your reactions were cute. Couldn’t help myself.” Her laugh was melodious again as she leaned forward, kissing the tip of his nose. “Your reactions are cute now! I bet you’re evaluating all your romantic choices and why you went ahead and had sex with me anyway, despite the two of us knowing very little about each other.” Robin grinned, cheeky, continuing on. “Besides, like I said, we didn’t actually have sex last night. We were about to though, hence the state of undress when you woke up, but someone apparently can’t hold their alcohol well enough.”
Chrom was mortified. He’d never had a one night stand before, that’s what he assumed this was going to be with how casual she was acting, but passing out right after fully divesting themselves was downright embarrassing.
“Good thing all we did was make out, heavily, and throw away our clothes.” She made a vague gesture around his room. Chrom swore he could spy her bra and panties on the wooden floor. She leaned forward, whispering against his ear again. “Or I would have been terribly frustrated, tied you up, and made you watch as I climax.” She pulled away, watching his half horrified, half aroused expression. “Loud.” She smiled as her hand brushed against his groin, shaft twitching slightly both at the thought of her pleasuring herself coupled with Robin’s slender fingers moving up and down along the V of his lower abdomen. Her nails raking across his skin was addicting.
“You’re the devil,” Chrom groaned, falling back on his bed. She smiled, amused, before peeling herself off the mattress. Just as her hand brushed against his, Chrom clasped his fingers around her wrist, pulling her back down and into his arms. He wondered if he would scare her off if he asked one more time, seeing as how she dodged his previous attempt. “Who are you?”
She tilted her head up as she whispered her name, a genuinely pleased smile spreading on Chrom's face as she answered.
“I can’t believe you forgot!” Robin clutched her stomach, keeling over as she laughed, his shirt riding even higher on her thighs. Chrom clucked his tongue, frowning as he dropped a plate full of pancakes in front of her.
“I’m a bad drunk it seems.”
“No kidding.” She smiled, amused, spearing a pancake and popping it in her mouth. “But a great cook! You should have one of those aprons that say ‘Kiss the chef.’”
“Who says I don’t?” He wiggled his eyebrows. Chrom knew her less than twenty-four hours but already he felt more at ease with her than he had with his ex.
Robin twirled her fork in between her fingers, considering the tableau in front of her. Here she was, dressed in a shirt Chrom quickly pulled from his drawers, her things strewn haphazardly in his apartment, eating breakfast with someone who was a terrible, but adorable, flirt and drunk, both of them newly inked and thoroughly fucked. She glanced at the wall clock, suddenly jumping from her seat when she realized the time. “Shit, is that accurate?” Chrom nodded slowly, albeit confused. “Shit. I have a meeting in an hour. I have to go. Sorry can’t bask in the morning after glow with you. Or really, the morning of, in our case.” Chrom coughed, averting his gaze.
“Go home? In that?” He reddened for the umpteenth time. He seemed to be doing that a lot in her presence.
“Yup, I live next door.” Robin grinned, the shit eating kind, as she picked up her bag conveniently located on his kitchen counter.
“I’ve never seen you before?”
“Moved in a couple of days ago.”
Somehow, the blonde knew her way around the layout of his apartment, bending over almost to show off her ass while picking up her dress and her shoes, bra and panties from his bedroom already on. When she came back, Robin was greeted with a dumbstruck look on Chrom. He obviously saw the dark lace barely covering her bottom. She tore a piece of paper stuck on the fridge and quickly scribbled something down. “My number. Call me. Or text, whichever you prefer.” She pressed a quick kiss to his temple, her hand pushing his hanging jaw up, laying the paper flat on his palm. “See you around?” Robin sounded hopeful.
“Sure.” He felt his heart tighten as her expression brightened, her smile the most dazzling he’d seen it since last night. He could have sworn she skipped out to the front door. Chrom continued to stare at the direction she ran off in, trying to replay recent events but with obvious gaps in his memory. He really was a terrible drunk but was somehow not particularly hungover, replaced by a dull ache in his hips. Chrom had a feeling that even if he didn’t text Robin, he’d be seeing a lot more of her. Heaving a sigh, he took one last swig of coffee before picking up his phone. If she was going to drag him along her pace, he may as well enjoy it.
Robin slid down against his closed door, absolutely giddy, his shirt practically all the way up to her hip crease. ‘No one’s going to come here anyway,’ she assured herself, occupying the highly coveted corner apartment. Robin tilted her head back, exposing the long column of her neck, thanking whatever gods were working their powers. Chrom seemed nice, great actually. A little confused like a lost puppy but absolutely adorable and she couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into him, again and again and again. Shaking her head, she pushed herself off the floor and made her way to her apartment. Good thing their meeting place was the coffee shop the next building over. Robin had just enough time to shower and jot down the sudden burst of inspiration she had from the strange but exciting feelings that were currently welling up inside of her.
Robin smiled serenely, whistling, drumming her fingers on the table as she waited for her companion to finish reading. Normally, during meetings with her editor, Robin was on edge but now, she was completely and utterly relaxed. A cough snapped her out of her daydream. “So, how was it Libra?”
“It’s… ambitious.” His sage colored eyes betrayed none of his thoughts. Robin was exceptional at reading people but Libra was always one of the more difficult ones. She always assumed that was why he was her editor: no way for her to twist things into her favor because she could tell how they were going to react. Despite her initial misgivings about Libra, his complete honesty and enlightened opinions always served her well. “Not your usual genre though, I have to say, but it’s promising.”
“I had a sudden bout of inspiration. I actually just finished that outline right before you arrived.” Robin shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee. “Besides, time to spice things up a little don’t you think?”
“Right before I arrived?” Libra zoned in on the words he hated to hear.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that. The other outline I had isn’t nearly as good as that one!” Robin protested.
“So you’re telling me an outline on a sybaritic bounty hunter who takes no prisoners you wrote on the fly is better than something you spent the last couple of weeks working on?” The blond man could scarcely believe it.
“You bet your bottom dollar it is!” She grinned. Robin had had other editors before, but none willing to challenge her and make sure they got her best writing down on the pages she submitted.
“Let me be the judge of that.” Libra held out his hand expectantly. Robin fished out the neatly folded paper from her bag and gave her editor the sheets. After a quick, but thorough, scan of her ideas, Libra sighed, rubbing his temples, palm shielding his eyes as he relented.
“Told you so.” Robin sounded smug. Libra sighed again. He hated it when Robin was smug.
“Fine. You’re right. The sybaritic bounty hunter is much better than your commoner-turned-noble-turned-king story that’s been done too many times.” The blond handed the rejected outline back to the writer. “You’re known for medieval socioeconomic class-based work. May as well change it up with your bounty hunter idea, even if you still set it in something medieval. You could actually set it in modern times too. Might be even better.”
“Thought you’d see it my way!”
“How’d you come up with this anyway?” Libra was almost afraid to ask. Usually whenever Robin suddenly came up with brilliant and inspired work, it came at the heels of something reckless.
“How I suddenly acted while I had mind blowing sex with a hot stranger who turned out to be my new neighbor?” Robin offered lamely, laughing. Libra slammed his head on the table. It wasn’t that he was a prude but how could he give that reason if any of his colleagues asked how the New York Times best selling author under his care came up with her latest book idea? Suddenly, her phone buzzed, Libra jerking back upright as he felt the vibrations on his forehead.
“Who’s that?” Though their relationship remained highly professional, it didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends to some extent. Work friends. Libra found it much easier to work with most of the authors he was assigned to if they were fairly casual with each other. Robin insisted that there be no wall between them. As long as they remained professional and courteous with each other when it came to work, Libra had no problem acquiescing to her request.
“Neighbor.” Robin grinned, eagerly typing back a response on her phone.
[02:05:37 PM] Hey. Hope it’s not a bad time. You told me to text.
[02:06:12 PM] Ah shit. It’s Chrom. Forgot to say.
[02:08:31 PM] Haha. Cute.
[02:09:01 PM] Don’t call me cute…
“Am I interrupting your flirting?” Libra raised an eyebrow, amused. He knew Robin when she was with her ex, some asshole whose name escaped him.
“Nope, not at all!” Robin smile was even brighter now, her phone flat on the table face up. Just as she was about to ask Libra what he wanted from her next, it lit up, her hands snatching it as quick as lightning.
[02:13:59 PM] Are you free for dinner tonight? My treat. No alcohol. For me. I actually want to remember the evening when I wake up tomorrow.
“Just email me a more expanded outline. Like a rough plot, all the important characters if you can, if this is going to be more than just the one book, that sort of thing,” Libra said with a sigh. She seemed to be no mood to talk shop. “By the end of the month?”
[02:17:55 PM] I’ll be home in a bit! Pick me up at six?
“Thanks Libra.” Robin pulled out her wallet and took a few bills, dropping them in front of her editor. Hooking her bag on her shoulder, she waved goodbye and ran out the door, absolutely giddy.
Chrom swallowed slowly, hand hovering against the door. Why was he so nervous? Dinner was actually a normal first date, not getting hammered and going at it like monkeys after waking up. Swallowing again, he clenched his hand tighter and knocked. He pushed his rolled sleeves slightly higher, nervous as he waited for Robin to answer her door. She must’ve been doing well for herself, living in the most expensive room in the floor: two rooms, and a half if the loft was considered, corner unit with a view. It was one he was eyeing, on the other side of the floor, but didn’t have the money, or the need, for it. Still, his place wasn’t too shabby, almost the same minus the loft and the view.
“Door’s unlocked, come in!”
Robin smiled, quickly turning to face the mirror in the hallway to fix her earring. Chrom sucked in some air, quietly contemplating the scene before him. Hair done in a messy fishtail braid, crisp white blouse half tucked into a pair of dark wash jeans, and a pair of modestly high, round toe beige patent leather pumps. When she turned to face him, Robin gauged his mildly amused expression. “Too much? You didn’t tell me where we were going so I dressed up a little.” Robin stuck out her foot, shaking it to highlight her heels, cheeks a little red at being too presumptuous about where he was bringing her.
“Black sweater, dark jeans, leather shoes.” Chrom motioned to his own clothes. “I’d say we’re both dressed to go to the same kind of place.” He quickly crossed the few steps between them, shoving the door closed with his elbow. Even with Robin in heels, he was still a few good inches taller than her. “You ready?” He held out a hand, stuffing the other in his front pocket.
“Where are we going?” Robin took his hand graciously, curling her fingers between his as she swung their arms leisurely.
“Fancy burger place. They have drinks too if you want.”
“I thought you said no alcohol?” Robin tilted her head as she peered at him. She let go of his hand for a moment, locking her front door then quickly seeking it out once more. It actually felt nice, his slightly calloused hands wrapped around hers. It never felt that way when she and her stupid ex held hands.
“For me, no alcohol for me,” Chrom corrected, leading her to the elevators. “They have mocktails. I’m sure I’ll find something good that I can drink guiltlessly and not get hammered.”
“Sure, whatever you say.” Her tone was mischievous, Chrom glaring at her while they waited for the elevator to ding. It was one of the few disadvantages of living on the upper floors of their building: the wait. “I’ll be good!” She tiptoed slightly and kissed his cheek, quickly thumbing away the slight bit of lipstick that transferred. Robin smiled at his reaction, her heart tightening as she watched him redden again. It was quickly becoming one of her favorite things to do. He looked absolutely adorable whenever she teased him.
Chrom stared at the ceiling, wondering how the hell this happened again. Dinner and the conversations they had were great. He found out she liked watching sports, was mildly competitive about it but wasn’t the type to play any of them. She dabbled in a few in her younger years but ultimately decided she liked yoga the best (and he actually pegged her the type, seeing just how flexible she was in bed.) She went to Yale and got a degree in creative writing there, minoring in history. She was a year younger than him but already so accomplished in her field. Robin was a New York Times best selling author who had just recently finished her MA in Creative Writing at Yale as well. She wanted to move back to the city and she did, finding herself in the same building as him as luck would have it. Even after knowing all that, here he was again but at least this time with memory still intact.
He assumed that he was just going to drop her off at her door, kiss her chastely good night, turn around and walk straight back into his apartment. He didn’t expect her to pull at his collar and drag him inside her apartment while they kissed. Although if he thought about it, with how forward she was, he shouldn’t have been surprised this was how they ended up, in much the same way he found themselves after this morning’s romp. God his hips were tired, and he wondered how and why Robin seemed to be faring well after all the… physical activity between them. ‘I need to start running again and going to the gym.’
“Stay?” Robin mumbled sleepily, tracing idle patterns on Chrom’s chest, eyes unfocused and hazy.
“Hmm?” Despite his conflicting feelings, he couldn’t help but be helpless against how needy she was being. It was a stark contrast to the headstrong and independent woman he had gotten to know over dinner.
“Stay. I know you live next door but it’s far too comfortable being here.” Robin draped her arm across him, scooting closer.
Chrom glanced at the window, the light from outside gently pouring in. He sighed as he felt her kiss in between his ribs. She really was being needy right now.
“Is this morning or afternoon sun?”
“Afternoon. Why?” Robin lifted her head, chin resting against where her lips had been previously.
“Good. No curtains here. I don’t like waking up to sunlight landing squarely on my eyes.” Robin smiled gleefully, shifting herself upwards until she could burrow her head into the crook of his neck. ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ Chrom gazed down at the woman in his arms. What were they anyway? Were they dating? Sex friends? It seemed like too serious a conversation to have at the moment. Releasing the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, he pulled Robin closer as their legs started to tangle together. He’d deal with it some other time, when he could read her better and not scare her away by asking her to define this thing they so obviously had between them.
“G’night Chrom,” Robin murmured, her breath hot against his skin. He shivered as her eyelashes dragged along his chest, a little ticklish.
He really had to figure out what they were before he got in over his head. ‘Though I have a feeling I already am.’
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BODYGUARD || THREAD ARCHIVE
Participant(s): Cynthia, @know-that-i-loved-you/Emmeryn
Words: 6,827
Type: B-Support
Summary: After the war, Cynthia volunteers to work as her Aunt Emmeryn’s bodyguard as the woman recovers from her injuries.
“Reporting for duty, Auntie Emm!” Cynthia giggled, balancing her lance against her side as she offered her aunt an overly enthusiastic salute. She’d had to call in a few favors to get this position, but…well. She’d gotten to know Phila in the future, if only for a brief while before the war claimed another victim, and she knew that even in her current state her aunt likely missed the former captain of her guard after her untimely death in this timeline.
She didn’t think she’d be a perfect replacement, but she could certainly try. Gods knew she was too far down the line of succession for anyone to overly care about what she did with her life anyway, maybe this way she’d feel like she was being helpful. “So…did you have anything planned for today?”
Emmeryn was enjoying her afternoon under a shady tree, reading through the scrapbook Frederick had given her. Though she couldn’t recall any of the events inside, the little snippets of her life were comforting for her. It was like she was getting to know everyone all over again… well, almost everyone.
“Mm…?” Looking up, the former Exalt saw her youngest niece saluting her just like the Pegasus Knights had in her book. She chuckled fondly and returned the young rider’s smile. Emmeryn thought it was sweet of Cynthia to come see her, though the salute was a little unusual… Perhaps she was trying out something heroic?
“Hehe… hello, Cynthia…” the Sage greeted, “I was just… reading… With no one hurt… or sick… today has been… quiet… Did you want… to join me…?”
“…I guess?” Cynthia blinked, taken off guard for a moment. When she realised that her aunt hadn’t even really registered why she was here, she felt a brief pang of pain before shrugging it off. She couldn’t be seen slacking off, but then again - it was the palace grounds. The odds of anything happening to her here were so small it was laughable.
“If you think it’s appropriate anyway. I’m meant to be protecting you.” She laughed, sitting down next to her aunt. She didn’t quite relax, taking her job somewhat seriously - but she still took the time to peak over Emmeryn’s shoulder at the book. “…huh. I didn’t know that the castle had stuff like this. I always figured all the records would be boring official stuff, not something like this.”
It almost seemed normal. Maybe she’d underestimated how close her aunt and her previous guard had been - now she just felt guilty.
“Protecting me…?” the former Exalt murmured to herself as Cynthia sat down beside her. Was Chrom worried about her again? When she looked back at her book, she saw an old portrait of herself standing between two, young knights. One of them was a nervous-looking boy standing perfectly straight, while the other was a girl with silver hair and a kind smile. A lifetime ago, they had been her closest friends. Was this what Cynthia was here for?
“Hehe… you’re right… The castle… doesn’t…” Emmeryn replied, smiling softly, “But this is… special… With this… even if I can’t… remember everything… I still have… memories to look back on… Like that boy… that’s Frederick… the girl in… the middle… it’s me… and the girl on the end… she was my friend… Phila…”
“…I remember her. Kind of.” Cynthia shrugged helplessly. “Back in my time, she always seemed kind of sad. Bitter, even.”
The girl looked away from the page, swallowing slightly. This wasn’t her world, she didn’t have any right to step into the role Phila used to hold. Not yet, anyway.
“I don’t know if this’ll help any, Auntie Emm…but she’d be really glad you’re alive. Even if she’s not here to see it.”
“Your time…? Y-You mean…” Emmeryn set her book down on her lap and looked over to her niece. The former Exalt knew things had gone differently in the world Cynthia had come from, but she didn’t know about Phila. Looking back at the picture in the scrapbook, Emmeryn went over everything she knew again. The young princess said that her old friend had been sad… bitter… but for how long?
“I-I… Ah…” The former Exalt closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Even though she had no memory of Phila, so many of the others in camp did. It proved that she was alive. That she was more than just a person… she was a friend. Perhaps Emmeryn would never know Phila outside of the things people said and remembered about her, but it was enough to keep her alive in her heart. That was what was important.
Opening her eyes, the Sage let out a sigh and smiled at her niece. “Cynthia… yes… it helps… It helps remind me… how precious… the people in my life are… Like Phila… and like you… T-Thank you… I’m glad to know… she cared about me… and I’m glad that you do… too…”
“…yeah. I do.” Cynthia smiled slightly. Maybe she wasn’t interfering too much, or at least her aunt didn’t seem to think so. Not openly, at least.
“Hey, Auntie Emm? Did you want to go anywhere today? If you’re just staying here, I could go and get you something…” Cynthia spread her arms as she jumped up to her feet, shrugging. “…I just want to do something, that’s all.”
After looking down at the picture in her scrapbook one last time, Emmeryn closed the cover and smiled warmly at Cynthia. Her niece was a kind and very caring girl, and the former Exalt was glad to share her company.
“I-I… have enough… ingredients for… potions, and enough crystals… for my staves… so I don’t really need… to go shopping…” she replied, rubbing the back of her head. “And I don’t have… any plans… for today… Maybe there’s… somewhere you’d… want to go…?”
“Huh?”
Cynthia paused to think about it for a second, rolling a small ball of grass in her hand. When had she even made that?
“I…don’t know.” She admitted. “Robin’s busy, I can’t really visit him right now. Plus, well - I don’t know what there is to do out here.”
She shrugged awkwardly, chuckling for a moment. “I mean, the last time I saw the castle town, it was kind of a smoldering wreck. No clue where you can go to have a nice time.”
“Mm…” Emmeryn touched her lip with her finger and tried hard to think of what they could do. Chrom had asked her to try to stay out of sight until she felt well enough to come into the public eye again, but maybe she could get around faster with someone reliable by her side. If they were quick, she and Cynthia could go have something nice to eat together.
“I’m not sure… either… but maybe that’s… a good thing…” the former Exalt replied cheerfully. “If we… go together… and stay hidden… it could be like… an adventure…”
“Hey, yeah!” Cynthia brightened, tossing the grass she’d bundled together in her boredom away. “We’ll just dress down so nobody’ll recognize us that easily and head out! I might need to wear a hat for this hair, but…”
She stepped forward and tapped her aunt’s brand for a second, grinning. “I’m pretty sure I’ve got something that can cover that up. If not, well…I can sell my soul to Severa and she will.”
“D-Don’t do that…!” Emmeryn gasped, not realizing that her niece was only kidding. “I normally wear… a hood… when I go out… Maybe I could… brush my hair down… or wear a headband… You don’t have… to sell anything…”
“Oh, don’t worry.” Cynthia shrugged, having to remind herself that humor might go over her aunt’s head in some cases. “I’m sure I’ve got it in here somewhere…”
She scrambled in her - well, she hesitated to call it a purse, if only because she couldn’t picture a hero touting a purse everywhere. “…maybe not. Yeah, maybe a hairband would be best…”
“O-Okay… I won’t…” she sighed, smiling embarrassedly. Deciding to check what she had on her, Emmeryn looked through the small bag of things she brought with her to read. There was a pair of glasses, some elixirs, her coin purse, and…
“O-Oh…! This is… Lissa’s makeup…” the former Exalt said aloud, pulling out a small box of cosmetics. “Cynthia… do you think this… will work…?”
“It should.” Cynthia frowned, glancing at it before dumping her own purse back on the ground. “I mean, I don’t see why not…”
Cynthia just realized that she was, for all intents and purposes, about to start playing around with her aunt and makeup. She was pretty sure this wasn’t how a bodyguard wasn’t meant to act. “We can try it! Can I put it on?”
The former Exalt opened up the box and looked inside. There was a little jar of foundation, some concealer, a few different shades of eye shadow, a tube of lipstick, and palette of face powder complete with a big powder puff. Emmeryn didn’t know what to do with this stuff at all!
“Mhmm…” the Sage replied with a confident nod. Handing the box over to Cynthia, Emmeryn brushed back her hair and smiled. She was sure her niece would do a great job.
Cynthia had to visually force herself not to go overboard with it when she took some. Instead, she took a deep breath, dabbing the face powder over her brand with a furrowed brow.
“…there. I think that’s fine.” She frowned, putting the powder puff away. Her girlish side, mostly repressed for over a decade now, resurfaced slightly as she glanced back into the box. “…do you think we could get away with stealing some lipstick?”
Emmeryn held her breath as Cynthia dabbed her forehead with the powder puff, trying hard not to laugh. However this might’ve turned out, she was having fun. When her niece finished, the former Exalt checked her reflection in her mirror and smiled. Her Brand was still fairly noticeable underneath the powder, but no one would notice it at a distance, especially if she brushed some hair over it.
“Hehe… I don’t think… Lissa… would mind so much…” Emmeryn replied, shutting the mirror and beginning to comb her hair out of her ringlets with a brush. “What are you… going to wear…?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll just take my armor off and stay in this.” Cynthia shrugged awkwardly, tugging at the bottom of her dress skirt. She had a few other things to change into, but honestly - most of them were either too casual or for big, important events. “It’s not like anyone’s going to recognize me on sight. I’ll grab a big sunhat from the stores and we can head out once you’re dressed!”
Combing her usual ringlets loose into long, wavy locks, Emmeryn nodded at her niece and began packing away her things. Cynthia brought up a good point. Maybe Cynthia wouldn’t stick out too much, but Emmeryn was the former Exalt. If she went out in what she was wearing now, someone in Ylisstol was bound to notice her.
“Okay… That sounds… smart…” replied the Sage, pulling the strap of her bag over her shoulder and standing up. “I’ll go see… if I can find… a spare uniform…and meet you… out front… in a few minutes…?”
Cynthia froze for a moment, remembering what her job was meant to be.
She’s just going to go to the freaking barracks. She’ll be surrounded by other guards. She’ll be fine.
She hoped. Gods, she was just being paranoid “Alright. I’ll see you there!”
No, she wouldn’t. She was going to sprint back to the barracks as soon as she’d grabbed her sunhat and dumped her armor, and leave her aunt alone for as little time as possible. She wouldn’t be able to face herself if something happened normally, let alone if it was while she was meant to be protecting her.
Emmeryn nodded and smiled at her niece before she started making her way towards the barracks. The little pause before her reply was a little uncharacteristic of Cynthia, but she figured that it must not have meant much… right? Cynthia did say she wanted to spend the day doing things together. Maybe she didn’t want to be left alone? If that was the case, then Emmeryn could at least invite her to come along.
“C-Cynthia…?” the Sage asked, turning around to face the young princess again. “Did you… maybe want to… come with me…? I think you know… the place where the soldiers live… better than I do…”
“Please.” Cynthia let out a sigh of relief, falling into step behind her aunt with her shoulders slightly stiff. She was heading into the barracks, she should try to project a little professionalism.
“You know, Auntie Emm…you’re pretty perceptive.” She shrugged, falling into attention again and hoping she wouldn’t notice. “Did it come with the job or something? Father can be a bit, uh…distracted.”
“The job…?” Emmeryn repeated, looking at her niece and smiling warmly. “Hehe, no… it’s nothing… special… I just… thought you’d… be lonely… Earlier… you seemed excited… to spend the day with me… I didn’t want… to let you down…”
Trying to figure out her brother’s excuse, the former Exalt shook her head and giggled. “As for… Chrom… he’s… Ah… Ehehe… Sometimes… he goes overboard… But it’s only because… he cares a lot… about everyone around him… It makes him… a good person… excitable and… clumsy sometimes… but kind as well… I think… you have that… in common with him…”
“That’s true.” Cynthia giggled, shaking her head. It wasn’t often that someone compared her to her father - not like they did with Lucina, at least. She didn’t mind people seeing her as a mother’s girl, but there was something to be said for the other way around.
“Are you really going to be okay with wearing a uniform, Auntie Emm?” She asked as she hung her breastplate off a nearby hook, placing her gauntlets next to it. “I’m sure we could find something else if you want.”
“Mm…” Emmeryn replied nodding, “If I dress like… a regular healer… or even a guard… people won’t look at me… as much… All the other clothes… I have… they look like things… an Exalt… would wear…”
Walking through the barracks to the medical ward where she normally helped out, the Sage found a little closet in the back saved for spare sheets and fresh uniforms. She found two in her size and giggled as she held them out for her niece to see “Hehe… what… do you think…? Cleric… or Troubadour…?”
“Huh…” Cynthia glanced them over a for a moment before shrugging. “I’d say Troubador. The hat would look cute, if nothing else!”
She turned her back for a moment to let her change, rifling through the closet before finding a sunhat and spending the next few minutes trying to tuck all of her hair under it. She paused, glaring at the blue strand between her eyes that had stubbornly refused to fit before blowing it out of the way, pouting. “…fine, whatever. Nobody is going to notice it.”
The former Exalt smiled and picked up the uniform her niece recommended, pulling an infirmary curtain around the nearest cot so she could change. Though the blouse fit well and felt nice to wear, the corset and riding boots would definitely take some getting used to. Tucking her dress and shoes underneath her arm, Emmeryn stepped out from behind the curtain to find the young Pegasus Knight fussing with her hat.
“O-Oh… Hehe, here… let me help…” Emmeryn giggled, tucking the little blue lock behind Cynthia’s ear. “Do you think… we’re ready…?”
“As we’ll ever be, I guess!” Cynthia giggled back as her aunt fixed her hair, shaking her head. “I mean, we look nice, but it’s still a bit silly. I wasn’t expecting you to rock the corset, Auntie Emmer-”
Cynthia got halfway through saying that sentence before she was hit with a sense of dawning horror, and snatched a parasol from the wall. If Maribelle could use one as a weapon, she couldn’t see why she couldn’t too.
“Alright. I’m armed, let’s hope I don’t need to literally beat the guys off of you.” She nodded, determined. “Let’s have lunch.”
“Rock… the cors– eh…?” Emmeryn looked down at the way the corset fit her, then back up to see her niece brandishing the parasol. She had to put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from giggling, thinking of how much Cynthia was starting to look like Lissa’s best friend.
“Hehe… okay…” the former Exalt replied, joining her niece’s side and nodding happily. “Let’s go…!”
Cynthia giggled as they walked out, sidestepping a pair of maids who looked at them strangely. Odds were good that they hadn’t recognized them at first, which was all she really wanted.
“Did you know where you wanted to eat? There’s a decent amount of choice.”
Cynthia herself didn’t really care where they went for lunch, other than wanting it to be closer to the castle if possible. There wasn’t any point running any chances with her new job, even if her aunt hadn’t quite seemed to grasp what she’d meant earlier.
Emmeryn pulled the little, blue beret that she found with her uniform down over her forehead and followed close beside her niece, offering the women they passed by a timid smile. As far as the former Exalt could tell, they must have thought that she and Cynthia were a couple of new recruits taking a stroll.
“I-I don’t…” Emmeryn admitted shyly, “I’m not used… to eating… outside of the camp… or in my room… Sometimes… I’d go… to a bakery… or a fruit store… but only… to pick something up… Do you… know… what you’d like…?”
“Honestly? I’m kind of terrible for eating properly.” Cynthia admitted with a groan. “I snack far too much, and then barely touch the actual food. I guess a bakery would be good…”
She trailed off, frowning. “…I guess I could actually follow up on Lucy’s advice to have a proper meal. There’s meant to be a decent soup place somewhere in the east side if you want to try that.”
“We could… have a small snack… and a light lunch… if you’d like…” Emmeryn offered with an encouraging smile. “Lucina… I think… she’s right… about meals… but Lissa… she tells me… that I should make… progress… at my own pace… You should… too… that way… it’s easier for you…”
As the former Exalt finished her point, a bakery with colorful, little pastries in the window caught her eye. With a growing smile on her face, Emmeryn nudged her niece in the direction of the shop. “Hehe… let’s… have a look… at least…”
“But - but!”
Cynthia’s resistance didn’t last very long, crumbling almost immediately at her aunt’s suggestion. She just knew that if it wasn’t for her training she’d likely be fairly pudgy from all of these treats, and here she was being offered a chance to have some entirely guilt-free.
“Fiiiiine. You talked me into it.” She pouted, crossing her arms. Gods, she’d need to start being more careful about this in the future. “Just this once, though!”
Emmeryn nodded happily and led her niece into the little bake shop. Though she didn’t have a great frame of reference of what to expect from bakeries, the former Exalt was taken a bit aback by the wonderful sights and smells around them.
“I… I’ve never seen… anything like this before… It all seems… so nice…” she said subconsciously. Looking back to Cynthia, Emmeryn saw her reaction and quickly found her smile again. “What… do you think… we should get…?”
“I’m not sure.” Cynthia admitted, glancing around in wonder. She couldn’t remember being to this one before - or maybe she had, and she’d just forgotten. Reaching over, she trailed her hand across the glass, frowning for a moment in thought.
“I mean…I guess something sweet?” She shrugged. “The cinnamon buns look nice.”
Emmeryn nodded and leaned in to have a closer look for herself. Seeing all of the sweet pastries lined out before her, the former Exalt began to smile. Lissa often mentioned how much she liked desserts, sometimes eating hers before supper. Maybe Emmeryn was following suit in the bad habit, but it was more funny to her than wrong.
“Could I have… one of these…?” Emmeryn asked the baker, pointing out a nice-looking strudel and trying to sound as coherent as possible. “And a… cinnamon bun too…”
The baker nodded and put the pastries into a little box, giving Emmeryn time to let out a quiet sigh of relief. Apparently, her voice and the way she spoke didn’t bother him much. After paying the man, the former Exalt turner to her niece and smiled. “Hehe… do you want yours now… or should we find… that soup place… first…?”
Cynthia gave the box a long, hungry look before forcing herself to turn away through sheer force of will, a theatrical shudder helping her deal with the decision.
“I’ll wait, Auntie Emm. But-” Hesitation struck, and the girl slowly turned to look back at the box with doeful eyes. “They’ll be cold by then, won’t they? They’re not as good cold, right?”
It wasn’t so much a question as an attempt to justify it to herself, staring at her aunt as if begging permission to just eat it now. The poor girl was going to go insane at this rate.
“Cynthia…” Emmeryn blinked at her niece and offered her a reassuring smile. “If you’d… like yours now… you only need… to say so… Here… let’s sit down….”
Guiding the princess to a fountain, the former Exalt sat down on the marble and placed the box beside her. As she untied the twine keeping it shut, she looked up at Cynthia and patted the space next to her. “Hehe… come on… it’ll be like… a picnic…”
“Right!” Cynthia let out a sigh of relief, sitting next to her aunt and staring at the box hungrily. She was going to need to do so many laps later to avoid feeling guilty, but it would be entirely worth it. Once the box was open, she waited until her aunt passed her the bun, her barely restrained enthusiasm finally giving way once she bit into it the first time and let out a groan.
“Oh my gods, this is so good…” She closed her eyes, bliss crossing her face. For a while, she could forget her duty, and just spend time with her aunt. Besides, they were in Ylisstol. Who would be so crazed as to attack the former exalt in the city that loved her so much?
Emmeryn couldn’t help but grin to see her niece enjoying herself so much. Even though Cynthia had gone through so much, she always managed to find a reason to smile and live for the little comforts in life. As the former Exalt reached for her own dessert, she noticed someone looking on at them from across the way.
“O-Oh…?” Making eye contact with a young, scruffy boy standing in the alleyway, Emmeryn recognized something familiar in the way he stared. He looked lost, afraid… perhaps even hungry. Deciding to let Cynthia enjoy her treat undisturbed, Emmeryn wrapped her strudel in some paper and stood up to make her way towards the child. “I-I’ll be… right back… okay…?”
“Huh?”
Cynthia’s treat was forgotten as Emmeryn started to move towards the child, hastily shoved back into its box for the time being. Sure, it was just a starving child - but she couldn’t exactly let her aunt (and technically Mark) walk away from her like this, could she?
“H-hey, wait! Don’t go off by yourself!”
Emmeryn barely heard what her niece was saying as she approached the little boy in the alleyway. Seeing how nervous the child seemed to be, the former Exalt lowered her beret to keep her Brand hidden and offered him as warm a smile as she could muster.
“I-It’s alright… I’m a friend…” she reassured as coherently as possible, tearing her strudel in two and offering the boy the larger half. “Here… you should take this… Can I help you… find your parents…?”
Seeing a smile form on the boy’s face, Emmeryn didn’t realize the danger of her situation until she heard the creak of a bow from deep within the alley.
“It’s not the kid’s parents you should be worrying about,” came the gruff voice of a man from behind the boy, “It’s you. Toss your gold over nice and easy, and nobody has to get hurt.”
“No!”
Cynthia’s voice was sharp, less a panicked yelp and more a cry of anger, giving the thief a bare moment’s warning before the princess’ shoulder slammed into him from the side and brought them both to the ground. The younger one fled, leaving his brother and Cynthia wrestling on the ground, the thief’s bow snapping between their weight and forcing him to throw it aside. She tried to pull out the knife she’d stashed in her boot, but a kick to the wrist numbed her arm and forced her to drop the thing, sending it scattering across the tiles. The thief got there first, grabbing the blade and slashing it along Cynthia’s arm. A jagged cut opened in her flesh, but the princess didn’t even seem to blink as she finally got the better of the stronger man and rolled on top of him, repeatedly smashing an elbow in his face until he finally blacked out. Groaning, she pried the knife out of his grasp and staggered to her feet, a hand trying to hide the badly bleeding gash from Emmeryn’s eyes.
“I think we should go back to the castle, Auntie Emm.” She said in a strained voice, winded from an errant knee that had struck her chest earlier. “Before they come back with any more of them.”
Slipping the knife into the belt of her dress, she spent a few moments searching for the sunhat and frowned when she picked it up, nursing her injured wrist as she did so. “…dirty..” she was disappointed, actually having quite liked her temporary disguise. “…alright. Let’s go.”
Emmeryn froze in place as she watched the scene unfold before her. Her niece struggling with the man, the flash of blades, the sight of blood… The terror of the moment was so powerful that she didn’t breathe until Cynthia turned to speak to her.
“A-Ah…” Staring at the gash in her niece’s arm, the former Exalt regained enough of her senses to grip her staff tight in her hands and stand between Cynthia and the way out.
“Cynthia… n-no…! You’re hurt… and it’s my… fault…” she gulped, already channelling her energy into her staff. “You’re going… to pass out… if you don’t let me… help you… We… won’t make it back… P-Please… I can do this… Just… sit down for a while… and let me… help… I-I promise it won’t hurt… so much…”
“I’ll be fine.” Cynthia insisted, shrugging out of Emmeryn’s grasp and starting to drag her behind her, whether the woman objected or not. She glanced around, trying to keep her arm out of anyone’s view as she kept the knife sheathed but in her hand. “I’ve had worse.”
She tried to keep her eyes open for anything, but the dull throb of the cut in her arm wasn’t the most worrying thing for her. It was actually getting slightly hard to breathe - hopefully the scuffle hadn’t done anything worse than bruise her ribs. “Just keep moving, Auntie Emm. I can last a ten minute march before getting healed.”
The former Exalt blinked in disbelief at her niece’s stubbornness, watching silently as the young Pegasus Knight walked away. This wasn’t right. The bright droplets of blood from Cynthia’s arm left a crimson trail behind her, and the way she spoke and carried herself as she walked didn’t seem good either. Emmeryn couldn’t stand to see her like this.
“Cynthia… I-I…” The Sage paused, taking a gulp of air to steady her nerves.
“I know… you want to be brave… to be a hero… but you’re already a hero… my hero… and even heroes… need help sometimes… It…It doesn’t matter… if you’ve had worse… because as long as I’m here… I want to make sure… you don’t have… to suffer…” Making her way in front of Cynthia again, Emmeryn stretched her arms out to block the way. “I… Ah… I’m not… moving… Not until… you let me… take care of you…”
“That’s not what I-”
Cynthia stopped, staring at her aunt and seeing a fleeting glimpse of the person that her father must have known, rather than the one she’d been getting to know herself.
“-…You’re not going to move, are you.” She groaned, slumping against a nearby wall and closing her eyes. “Alright, alright. Just try to make it quick, okay?”
She could grin about the whole ‘hero’ comment later, once she could breathe properly - and she was certain that she hadn’t been about to get her aunt killed through a massive slip in judgement.
“Y-You mean it…? Alright… I’ll try…!” the former Exalt replied in astonishment. With how focused she had been in getting Cynthia to stop, Emmeryn didn’t realize how much charge she had put into her staff. It might have exploded if she channeled anymore magic into it.
Getting off a quick healing spell to mend the tear in her niece’s arm, Emmeryn soon noticed something off about Cynthia’s breathing. Each breath seemed pained and pressured. She must have taken a terrible blow to the ribs.
“Cynthia… your… lung… I think it’s collapsed…” she gulped. “I don’t know how… you walked this far… but if you keep going… it isn’t going to be good… I need to get… some of the pressure out… but it’s not… going to feel very good… C-Can you be brave… for a little longer…?”
“It’s not collapsed. I think.” Cynthia prodded at her ribs, sucking in a breath when it stung a bit more than expected. The last time she’d punctured a lung, it had been - well, a lot more obvious. Being impaled on a fence post would do that.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll hang on.” She tried not to stretch out too much, aware that overexerting might make the injury worse. She just stood there, silently waiting and keeping her breath shallow as she tried to keep her eyes open for another threat.
Emmeryn nodded silently, putting down her staff to reach for the kit of healing supplies hanging from her belt. When the Sage found what she was looking for inside, she took a deep breath. The needle was long and very thin, just perfect for getting in between ribs.
“O…Okay…“ she said calmly, steadying her nerves before she got started. “It’s going to be… one little prick… then I’ll use my staff… to do the rest… You… You trust me… right…?”
“I trust you, Auntie Emm. Besides…”
Cynthia gave a weak chuckle, wincing as it made her lungs rub against…well, something. It wasn’t exactly a good decision either way, but she wasn’t known for those.
“…I’ve had worse. Like, seriously. A lot worse. One prick isn’t going to hurt me.”
“O…Okay…” Emmeryn replied, leaning up to press a delicate kiss upon her niece’s forehead. “Y-You’re… very brave… I’ll do my best…”
Placing a hand gently on top of Cynthia’s ribs to keep her steady, the former Exalt positioned the long, hollow needle and pushed it in. When she felt her niece’s chest rise as the pressure was let out, she quickly withdrew the instrument and reached for her staff.
“There… that should help you… breathe better… And this… it’s for the pain… and to help you heal…” she said softly, casting another healing spell. When she finished, Emmeryn wiped her brow and smiled weakly at Cynthia. “Don’t try… to stand up… not just yet… You need… a minute or two… I’ll be right here… with you… alright…?”
“Alright.” Cynthia sighed in relief, breathing deeply for a second before settling into her normal rhythm again. She looked around, trying to keep riding the adrenaline high even as she followed her aunt’s request to stay still - if there was another ambush, or the thieves were following them, she couldn’t afford to lose it.
Now that she had a moment to think, though, she was struck by something - she’d almost failed. It was her first day, and her aunt had almost gotten hurt on her watch. Gods above, how airheaded was she? Biting her lip, Cynthia just prayed that Emmeryn wouldn’t notice how distressed she’d suddenly become.
Emmeryn put away her things and sat beside Cynthia with her staff in her lap and a strained smile on her face. While she was glad she could have done something to help, the former Exalt knew that she had only herself to blame for all of this. Her niece had been hurt, their day had been spoiled, and a man lay unconscious and badly wounded only a few feet away.
“Cynthia… D-Do you think…” she began with a gulp, “I should have… given them… my gold…? They said… no one… would have gotten hurt… if I did… They both looked… desperate… maybe they needed it more…? I… Ah… I’m so sorry… for all of this… This is… my fault…”
“They’d have killed you so that you wouldn’t describe them to the guards.” Cynthia said bluntly, shaking her head and wincing a little - whiplash, probably. There wasn’t really anything else to do - her aunt’s idealism was inspiring, but sometimes it just didn’t line up with reality.
She shifted uncomfortably, her breathing steadying but still a little rough. “Seriously, Auntie Emm. We should move before he wakes up - he could have partners.”
Cynthia’s words left Emmeryn conflicted. While she always wanted to believe that everyone had some good in them, she had seen firsthand what people could do to each other. It was true that desperation often made people dangerous, but could violence have been the only answer. Quickly rising to her feet, the former Exalt helped her niece up and leaned her against a wall. “J-Just wait here… a second… I’ll be… right back…”
Making her way back to the unconscious man, Emmeryn looked hard into his face. Part of her was still upset at him for hurting her niece, but the rest of her knew what she had to do next. Placing a tin of her special salve and a bottle of vulnerary on his chest, the former Exalt hurried back to her niece’s side and carefully pulled the girl’s arm over her shoulder.
“Alright… let’s go home…” she said resolutely. “We can have… our lunch there…”
“Auntie Emm-”
Cynthia started to follow her, tripping over and grasping her chest. She didn’t fall, more sort of stumbling forwards, but it did stop her from…well, stopping her aunt.
She stared after her, bewildered and afraid as the former exalt made her way over to a man who’d just tried to rob and possibly kill her. She knew deep down that she should be upset at herself for not following through with her job and stopping her aunt from putting herself in danger - but she was just confused.
And a little angry.
“Why did you do that?! You could have gotten hurt!”
She wasn’t screaming, or even raising her voice - but she knew that she’d snapped. She wanted to take it back, at least a little - but at the same time she was convinced that it was a legitimate question.
Shouldering Cynthia’s weight to help her keep pressure off the young rider’s tender side, Emmeryn picked up their bag of pastries and hurried them along the road back to the castle. She could understand why Cynthia would have been upset with her; after all of the pain she’d endured to keep her safe, Emmeryn had just done something very reckless. But more than anything, the former Exalt wanted her niece to understand how she felt about it.
“His brother… I could see it… he really was hungry… They both were…” she answered softly. “That man… you took his knife… broke his bow… and his arm… he can’t rob anyone else now, but… if we left him like that… he and his brother… they wouldn’t be able… to feed themselves… The salve I left him… it’ll help him heal… faster…”
Emmeryn looked down, feeling a little ashamed. Cynthia must have thought she was so ungrateful. “I-I’m sorry.. I just couldn’t… leave him there… not like that…”
“Yeah, but -” Cynthia struggled to find a whole in her aunt’s logic, clutching her hair in one hand in frustration as she tossed the sunhat to the ground. “Auntie Emm, they were going to hurt you! What if there was another one?!”
Letting the subject drop, she bent down - knees only, her chest still far too sore for anything else - and put the hat back on her head, grumbling to herself. “Come on, let’s just get back.”
Cynthia had dropped her hat out of Emmeryn’s reach, forcing the former Exalt to give her niece the leverage she needed to pick it up when she reached for it. The Pegasus Knight might’ve been in too much pain to know it, but her words had shaken the former Exalt up far more than the attack had. What if there was another one? Her idealism had already gotten them into the trouble they were in now, but what if things had gone from bad to worse? The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to put her idealism behind her.
“I… I’m sorry…” she replied, keeping her head low as she helped her niece upright again. “You’re… right… It wasn’t… smart… I put us in danger… for nothing… Let me… get you home… you won’t have to… talk to me again… after that…”
“It’s not that.” Cynthia said wearily, bowing her head as she struggled up the hill. Gods, she was going to need a lie down later. “Auntie Emm…you’re a better person than me. Like, I want to help people and stuff, like you do - but I’m a bit of a cynic. Not as much as Lucina or Kjelle, but…more than you.”
“You just need to remember that some people aren’t going to be nice back.“
“I-I know…” the former Exalt sighed. “It’s hard for me… to accept it sometimes… but I know people do… bad things… Bandits… the Grimleal… even that man and… his brother… It’s just… they’re people… They hate… just as they love… and they all have hopes and… dreams… of their own… Before anything else… that’s what I see… whenever I look at someone…”
Ignoring the strain of her niece’s weight, Emmeryn turned to Cynthia and gave her a soft smile. “And when I see you… I see someone… really wonderful… Someone strong… and kind… and also someone smart… someone who’s been through… so much, but… never stops trying… to do her best… for the people she loves… I think you’re… a great person, Cynthia…”
“…thanks, Auntie Emm.” Cynthia sighed, shaking her head. There wasn’t much point arguing with her on this point - she might as well just take the compliment. Smiling, she gave her aunt a quick hug, pulling away afterwards.
“I’m going to go and see the medics, make sure nothing else went wrong in that fight. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”
Emmeryn accepted her niece’s hug and tried to smile for her. There wasn’t much else she could do to salvage their day, and Cynthia really did need to check in for some medical attention. Maybe it was time for both of them to try to get some rest.
“Alright… tomorrow…” she agreed with a short nod. As Cynthia turned to leave, the former Exalt remembered she was still holding something.
“O-Oh…! Cynthia… I almost forgot…” Catching up to her niece, Emmeryn offered up the little brown bag she had brought back from town. “Here… it’s your cinnamon bun… I’m sorry… we didn’t get to have… our lunch together… but maybe you could have it… before dinner tonight…?”
“Oh!” Cynthia blinked, taking it from her and smiling a little. Pausing, she let out a sigh and dashed forward to hug her aunt, head buried in Emmeryn’s shoulder.
“Love you, Emm.” She muttered, slightly embarrassed. Then she fled the scene, clutching her bun in one hand as the other held her borrowed sunhat down, vanishing through a side door and heading for the medics.
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