Description: She ranked in as one of the smallest of the Shepherds, her swordsmanship was atrocious, and she couldn't even open a tome without tearing it. Oh, and she was pretty sure the captain's second-in-command wanted to kill her. There was going to be a lot of warfare…and not with the Plegians.
A/N: This is probably going to be a collection of one shots centered around F!Avatar and Frederick over the course of their relationship and possibly beyond the game. Just as a note, this particular avatar was intentionally made very fragile in my actual file for challenge and thus shaped her character development which is why I liked her enough to write/draw on [she's in the story image]. I probably won't do chapter by chapter by the game because I'm honestly too lazy to do a full game write-up. Though because of this some scenes will have artistic liberties taken. Not sure how far this will go since I'm doing this very on the fly, unlike most other things I do which is fully planned out lol Breaking the rules! Enjoy and reviews are always appreciated as well as questions!
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"Milord, I strongly suggest we increase our pace. Nightfall will be upon us soon."
Chrom sighed good-naturedly at his steward-knight. While Frederick could be rather…pushy, the prince knew he meant well. At least that's what he told himself when his aggravation started to reach its breaking point. After all, it was Frederick's duty as a knight to protect the royalty of Ylisse; he and his two sisters. One of which huffed rather unladylike beside him. Despite the irritation, he could just make out the amused tone in her voice.
"Yes, Frederick. Chrom and I heard you the first six times. If you want us to hurry maybe you should carry us, my legs hurt from all this walking," Lissa puffed her cheeks out at the knight's back as he walked ahead of his charges. The princess gave him in a hard look before defiantly sticking her tongue out. Though his gaze was on the road ahead looking for signs of trouble, Lissa knew he was aware of her gestures. He always was.
"I would, milady, but I fear such actions would come across as inappropriate to onlookers. Plus, I would be ill-fit to handle any danger that should arise," Frederick replied in his usual flat tone. He kept his pace a few feet ahead of where Chrom and Lissa walked side by side. Chrom shook his head when he saw Frederick crouch to the ground to retrieve something before tossing it to his side into the trees. He chose to make no comment about the knight's safety precautions. He'd only give himself a headache otherwise.
"Peace, Frederick. We'll make it to the town soon enough. You worry too much."
At Chrom's casual statement, Frederick turned his neck slightly to look behind him at his charges. He said nothing but merely nodded, his stony expression still in place. He wasn't too pleased with the answer, but he merely had to accept it. Shifting his gaze back ahead of him, he looked to the edge of the path they walked upon. Right where the grass of the field grew thick, he noticed a rather large collection of pebbles and debris. That was a twisted knee waiting to happen! Frederick shifted his path as he walked over, picking and tossing anything he deemed a threat for a stumble.
Lissa watched as the knight started veering away, tossing pebbles and stones aside as he went. It was the perfect opportunity for backlash. " Hurry up, Frederick! It'll be dark soon if you spend so much time playing with rocks!" She finished her statement with a small giggle. Even Chrom smirked beside her. As much as they liked Frederick, he was just as much fun to tease. Said knight paused in his picking and shifted an un-amused glance over his shoulder. Frederick chose to hold his tongue to avoid stating anything rude to the royaltry under his watch. Seeing as how his continued actions would only lead to more mocking, he decided to chance leaving the debris and moving on. Unfortunately, having his gaze focused on Lissa and Chrom, the knight didn't notice the dark purple fabric looping onto his armor-plated boot as he made to walk past. He tumbled over into the thick grass, rather ungracefully, on his rear as he tried to twist and regain his balance.
When Frederick disappeared for a moment into the tall grass, Lissa and Chrom immediately rushed over. Hearing the creaking of their leather armor strips as they rushed to his location, Frederick quickly righted himself into a battle-ready stance. It was inexcusable for him to be caught so off guard! If there were danger, his close companions would be running head first into an attack, all on his account. But, Frederick would not let that happen. Whatever had caused this grievous action of tripping him would sorely pay for the deed!
"Frederick, are you all right," Chrom asked as he slowed his approach. The knight turned to the lord and held an extended arm out in warning.
"Careful, milord! Do not follow my example and be caught unaware! I haven't fully checked the area or what tripped m-"
"Oh, it's a girl!"
Both Chrom and Frederick turned their gazes to Lissa in disbelief as she crouched slightly to examine the bundle of dark purple fabric that had seemed to get the better of the knight. The cleric carefully pulled at the large hood of the figure sprawled in the grass to prove her claim. "I think she's even smaller than me! Wow, finally!" Indeed, Chrom noticed that the form bundled in the thick coat was rather petite, almost comically small. Yet, from looking over her features quickly, he could tell this was a grown woman, possibly even the same age as his younger sister. Looking about the field and path, Chrom tried to make out anything in the distance. Nothing as far as he could tell, so why was she here alone of all places? Looking the girl over again, he noticed smudges of dust about her skin and clothing, as well as the slight cracking in her lips. Whoever she was, she'd been on the road for a few days, most likely with little to no food and water. He could make out Frederick's distrustful stare at the figure on the ground out of his peripheral vision. Lissa turned to look up at her brother with a slightly concerned expression.
"Chrom, we have to do something."
Ah, and here came his usual crossroads. He could almost feel Frederick's prickling gaze on him. Ever steadfast, he could tell Frederick wanted Chrom and Lissa to not get involved in the unknown before them. The knight's argument was valid though, as this woman could be a danger. Being all alone and in roughened shape brought about a lot of suspicion. On the other hand, Lissa was vocally reminding him of his oath as a Shepherd. It was a Shepherd's path to stand watch over the 'sheep' and guard them from danger. Anyone who was helpless and in need of guidance was part of his flock. What if this person was in trouble? On the run from something that wished her bodily harm? Or perhaps they were over thinking the situation and this person was merely resting in a soft patch of grass?
"What do you propose we do," Chrom questioned warily. The girl's helplessness was pulling at his heartstrings, but the designs on her coat were beginning to make him wary the more he looked them over. Lissa, meanwhile, looked to him nervously as she stammered that she did not know. The siblings were drawn from their discussion by a gentle groan and the rustling sound of fabric. Looking down at the subject of their debate, both were relieved to see a pair of bright, alert eyes blinking up at them in confusion. The girl cringed slightly from having the setting sun directly in her newly awakened vision, but they could see her eyes gain focus as she blinked a few more times. Lissa smiled at her as she leaned in. "Hey there."
Following his sister's example, Chrom smiled kindly as he spoke. "I see you're awake now. There are better places to take a nap, you know." He admonished the girl in good humor before he offered his hand, asking her to let him help her up. It took her a moment to respond, as she seemed confused but transfixed on these kind people before her. When she did place her smaller hand into the lord's, he pulled her to her feet with ease, almost lifting her clear from the ground with how light she was! Once settled, the girl yawned and rubbed the remaining drowsiness from her eyes with her coat sleeves. Lissa tried to stifle her laugh when a defiant lock of hair upon the top of the strange girl's head almost seemed to wag about like a dog's tail at the motion.
Chrom was a bit more tactful by covering his chuckle with a cough before he spoke again. " You all right?"
The girl bobbed her head once in confirmation before she spoke. "Y-yes…Thank you….Chrom." Her voice was soft, quiet…almost as if she thought she would shatter the very air they breathed if she spoke too loudly, but it was just enough for everyone to hear regardless. Both her hands were curled in on themselves close to her chest. Whoever this girl was, she was very reserved, that much he could tell already. Despite that, the small, warm smile on her face and her bright eyes almost sparkled with invitation. It was as if she wanted something but held herself back for whatever reason. It was rather curious. Chrom's thoughts were interrupted, however, when Frederick chose to speak again.
"I would suggest you refrain from speaking milord's name with such familiarity, considering he did not give it to you."
The stern command literally had the girl jumping in fright, her whole body tensing as she turned to look at Frederick off to the side. Chrom sighed and made to scold Frederick for his harshness. Clearly the knight was still annoyed about his stumble earlier. It was hardly anyone's fault, merely an accident, but thankfully Lissa beat him to it. "Don't be so uptight, Frederick! Besides, she probably heard it from me; I did say it before."
"Very well, milady," was the only reply. Chrom shook his head over the whole fuss before smiling reassuringly at the girl again. "Don't mind, Frederick. He's just overbearing. Tell me, what is your name? What brings you here?"
Chrom's gentle tones seemed to ease her into a relaxed stance again. She smiled brightly at him. "Oh, my name is…is…uh." Her enthusiasm immediately dropped as she looked down, scratching her head. It was as if her body knew how she was meant to respond to his statement, but then stumbled when it realized she lacked a vital piece of information.
"You don't know?"
She tilted her head in confusion. "No…I…don't think so. Or, I just…I can't remember." She turned her head, seemingly rather disappointed with herself. It was then she noticed the grass and open fields about them. "Where are we exactly?"
Lissa gasped rather loudly as she turned to look at her brother, "Oh I've read about this! She has…um..am..amph-amnesia, I think it's called. That's it, amnesia!"
"It's called a load of pegasus dung," Frederick stated in his flat tone. Clearly he wasn't buying anything she chose to say. The girl in question looked to Frederick, her mouth open and moving slightly, but no sound came out despite any of her attempts. She quickly turned imploring eyes to Chrom and Lissa. It was pointless to defend herself to Frederick; she could tell there was nothing she could say to him to convince him of her story, but the lord in front of her seemed to be on her side. And with that, Chrom had had enough. He turned to the knight and gave him a rather hard glare.
"Enough, Frederick. What if she IS telling the truth? You know we can't leave her alone and confused in the middle of a field. A poor excuse for Shepherds we'd be indeed!"
Frederick snorted lightly and closed the distance between him and the amnesiatic girl. "Just the same, milord. T'would not do to let a wolf into our flock." The knight literally towered over her small frame, but with his stiff posture and imposing stare, he might as well have been one hundred feet. She once again shrunk into herself under his gaze, her eyes wide in fright. Turning her head side to side, she looked for anything else that might be in reference to his statement, but there was nothing. Hesitantly looking up to his unwavering eyes, she shakily pointed to herself for confirmation.
Luckily, Chrom once more came to her rescue. "Very well, Frederick. We'll take her back to town then. We can sort everything out there instead of arguing in the middle of a field."
"Very good, milord."
The girl disbelievingly looked between the two men. She stammered, not sure what to make of the situation. She was glad Chrom wasn't following Frederick's suggestions, whatever they were going to be, but she also didn't want to be a prisoner. Or, at least that's how it sounded to her. Chrom and his sister seemed nice, but at the same time she didn't know anything of them either. With her mind racing, she quickly blurted out the first thing that magically popped into her head.
"DAEDRA!" When all three turned confused gazes to her, she shakily continued.
"Daedra… m-my name is Daedra. I just remembered it."
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Hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading! BTW, before you ask, yes, I am a fan of Elder Scrolls, hehe!
