How's it going, everyone? It's been a while since I brought out a Fire Emblem oneshot. I've had the urge to write something for Awakening recently, too. That said, here's something new. I thought I'd explore the depth of Nowi's character and see if I could put together something nice. It's short I know, but what can I say? I wrote this in a little over an hour.

Please enjoy the read!

A Dragon's Lament

"Hehehe! You wanna know something, Robin? Being over a thousand years old makes you awful lonely. My human body might not age quickly, but I've been here for a veeeery long time."

Nowi had always held a dream close to heart – she'd wanted more than anything, over the empty centuries and the cold nights alone, to find somebody to share her heart with. Very few understood her – even fewer had the nerve to get close to her. A young woman at first sight, with the power to shift into the shape of the mightiest winged beast.

For years, she'd smiled and tried live a life of innocent cheer, but deep down? It was getting too heavy a burden to numb the weighty pain in her chest – the sadness of always being left alone.

Robin, however? He was different. No matter the situation or the odds they faced, he'd always stayed beside her, been a friend beyond compare. Indulged in the warmth of her fun and games and done everything he could to fill her with a smile of true sentiment.

"Nowi," Robin smiled sadly, sitting at her side, watching the final embers of orange fade away as the sun fell low behind the hills. He shuffled close, placing a hand upon her shoulder. It felt nice. "I can hardly imagine what seeing a world pass you by feels like. You've been awake so long… must've seen so many things. I suppose it's why I've always found you to be so interesting."

"Yeah." It hurt to think with too much weight toward the past – the people she'd seen slip away. In fact, the kind of feeling it left behind was heavy, so heavy. "I suppose that's why I do my best to keep on smiling. B-because-"

The words lodged in her throat – her mighty Manakete heart thundering quicker than she'd felt in so very long. Shaking her head, her eyes misted up with watery emotion. "Because it doesn't hurt any less. Every time I have to wish somebody I care about goodbye… it breaks my heart a little more. If I don't smile… I wanna cry."

Nowi couldn't keep it all in for an instant longer. Her fragile feelings cracked like a mirror, shattering into ephemeral fragments within the void. She didn't know why, couldn't find the words to explain why she felt it, but the urge to hold Robin overtook her.

"Nowi…. Please… Don't." Robin wrapped his arms around her middle – eyes soft and caring ,and his embrace even softer, sweeping her up into a heartfelt, compassionate hold. Nowi didn't even have a moment to respond to her feelings – cheeks flushed bright red. "You're one of my nearest and dearest besides Chrom… my fierce dragoness. Gods… seeing you like this is too much."

"Robin," Nowi whispered, burying her head into his chest, nuzzled between the overcoats of his tactician robes. She breathed him in. So sweet and gentle – like a vanilla flower. "I'm… afraid to lose you, too. You're not afraid of the fact I'm a dragon…. You don't distance yourself…. You've been there for me since the moment Gregor and I arrived in camp."

She smiled – the beautiful memories of their first meeting returning. How he'd played foolish games at her side and burned time purely for the amusement, purely to pick her up when secretly, behind another one of her 'happy' fronts, she'd felt so very upset.

"But of course I did." Robin's held her even tighter – their shared warmth, their closeness bringing the little red organ in the middle of her chest to pound in a melee of musical beats. Fire burned across Nowi's cheeks. She'd do anything for him to hold her like this again. "There's reason for me to be afraid of you. No reason for you to turn me away. You treat everybody you meet with such kindness and warmth… and yet there's always something… mysterious about you."

Their gazes locked – Nowi wiping her tears against Robin's clothes. There she stayed, almost hypnotized – lost in the trance as the soft brown of his eyes held her. "Mysterious, hmm? Well… you might just be right there, Mister Tactician. When you've been around as long as I have… experienced so much, an aura of mystery floats around you."

"Well," Robin paused abruptly, hiding from their shared gaze. What was wrong? His face was flushed all of the sudden – bright enough to shine like a lantern in the wake of the setting sun. "I suppose that's why I've always tried my best to get to know you, Nowi. I want to learn more… about the world you lived in before all this… about the person, you are…. I care about you."

He what? Nowi froze – the world and everything around her falling into a moment of stillness. Robin… cared about her? The closeness she'd felt for him all of this time, the yearning she'd had to stay by his side, to treasure even more than friendship, was mutual?

That only made her hidden feelings all the more bittersweet. With all of her heart she clung on, a fresh torrent of watery emotion pooling, thin crystalline lines leaking down her eyes. "I care about you too, Robin! Of course I do, silly! But… I'll live for so long…. What happens when-"

"Shhh," the tactician silenced her with a finger upon the lips, a tiny, sad smile curving his lips. He did little more than shake his head, leaning in to rest his head upon Nowi's petite shoulder. There he stayed, holding her like a fragile doll. "I'm barely past twenty. We don't need to think about that for a long time. So… I'll just say it… while I'm brave enough to admit it… before we return to battle with Wallhart's forces."

"I love you, Nowi… with all my heart. I want us to experience the joys of life together. Even if yours will last a lot longer than mine will. I'm not afraid of that, and you shouldn't be, either."

Robin brushed his lips against one of her pointed ears, edging down gently to place a fragile kiss against her lips. It tingled against her skin, warming her body from the cold sadness she felt. It made her feel less Manakete and more human.

"Marry me, won't you? Stay with me…. Keep on being my beautiful dragon until this war ends… and beyond that too. Let's end all of this conflict alongside Chrom, Lucina and all of the others."

Nowi couldn't supress a short gasp – couldn't stop her heart from skipping a beat, either. Great. Here she was, crying all over again, sobbing. She knew her answer. More than that, she'd known her answer from the very beginning.

Locking with the wonderful sight of Robin's brown eyes again, basking, melting in the unforgettable sight of his smooth, handsome face, she nodded frantically, squeezing tight with everything she had.

"Yes! YES! Of course, I will! I'll be your wife… and use my powers to protect you from anybody in the world that'd try to hurt you! I love you too, Robin! I've felt the same way for a long time."

Without a word, Nowi pulled her beloved in close, stealing his lips and taking them for herself. Holding him with everything she had, soft, compassionate moans of deepest love, of truest longing slid out as they kissed with truest passion.

There was nothing to be afraid of, Nowi told herself, enjoying the sweet sensation of Robin's lips as their kiss deepened, her hands subconsciously brushing through his hair. There was nothing to be afraid of. As long as they had each other, as long as they continued to fight side by side, the dearest friends and the most committed of lovers, they'd be happy.

When Robin finally broke away, gasping for breath amidst their powerful exchange – he reached out to likewise brush his fingers through Nowi's strands of silky golden hair. "To think a lady as gentle as you can kiss with such fire. Gods… I can a heat burning across my skin."

Oh really? Nowi couldn't help but give a playful wink at his words, swooping in one last time, "Boop." This time she placed a far more delicate peck against his cheek. "Sorry," she giggled. "When you've been around as long as I have you… pick up a few pointers here and there. Anyway! That doesn't matter now!"

Alive with sunshine and feeling happier than she had done in so very long, Nowi gave a playful smirk. "Doesn't this mean we have a wedding to plan now? Oh, wow… Me… married… I can hardly wait!"

Robin smiled – linking his hand with Nowi's, gently caressing her slender fingers with his own. "It certainly does. I can only imagine how much joy another wedding will bring, especially after Chrom and Sumia's."

Of course! Nowi relaxed into Robin's embrace – watching with quiet adoration as the final rays of light faded away. For the first time in so very long, she felt truly, deeply happy.

End

There you have it! Did you enjoy this short story? Would you like to read more? If so, I have plenty of other oneshots you could look at, featuring both Awakening and Fates characters. Not only that, but I have a Fates story I've been writing for the past year called 'Promise', too. Charlotte is one of the main characters in that one.

Anyway, feel free to leave some feedback and share your thoughts if you like. Keep on supporting Fire Emblem and I'll see you in the next story. Thanks again!