A/N: This story will carry themes of expansion in future chapters, so please be aware of that in case it is uncomfortable for you. I apologize if you find any of those themes offensive.
Currently rated T for now, but could potentially change to M later on.
Fire Emblem and its characters are not owned by me.
Robin's eyes narrowed as he carefully scanned over the map lying on the table before him illuminated by the setting sun outside the tent. Brushing some of his pure white hair off to the side, he glanced up at his friend Chrom, who was also analyzing the map. The blue-haired lord stroked his hairless chin and looked up at his close friend.
"Well, what do you think?" he asked Robin, who was clothed in his signature dark robe.
"The bandits and thieves in this area have been decreasing over time, but that's no excuse to let out guard down," Robin replied, pointing to a plain field area marked on the parchment, "I recommend placing patrols as usual around our camp borders. That's our safest bet".
Chrom and his group of soldiers known as the Shepherds have been on the move frequently to find a safer place to set up camp. Their relentless, heartless enemies, the Risen, were abundant in their numbers and unleashed large raids whenever they found the Shepherd's base of operations. Supplies were running low and the situation grew direr for the Shepherds as they needed to find a place where they could recollect themselves. The nearest populated town was still many miles away, and if flying units were sent to scout ahead, they were quickly spotted and tracked back to the camp. In a crucial situation, the Shepherd's clever tactician Robin had been spending considerably more time planning out the group's movements with Chrom.
Unknown to the two men in the tent, a female figure peeked through the window, thoroughly examining Robin from head to toe. No one in the army was as interested in Robin as the Dark Mage Tharja, and she often spent time observing him in secret. She was of moderate height for being near her low twenties, and an hourglass-shaped figure that could be called the greatest body in all of the army. Her rather large bust size was securely contained in a black, bra-like top and a single, lengthy piece of dark cloth hung down from a gold-colored waistband to cover her crotch. The rest of her body other than her head and hands was covered in a form-fitting brown suit. The only other piece of clothing was a long, dark cape with a maroon fabric on the inside that covered nearly all of the back of Tharja's body from behind. Her skin was smooth and a light color, and had equally lustrous, long black hair that fell halfway down her back. A single gold crown-like hair ornament complimented the other hints of gold in her clothes. The Dark Mage's outfit and body caught many people's attention and envy, except that of Robin's as she had hoped. He had recently been very preoccupied with his tactician duties, and Tharja was very troubled. Sure, she took pleasure in admiring Robin from afar, but after awhile she began to crave more, to spend time with him and witness his interesting behavior firsthand. Although quiet and reserved, Tharja was willing to break free from her comfort zone to get more time with Robin. However, the prominent thoughts in the tactician's mind were serious matters, so she couldn't even grab his attention whenever he was fumbling around the camp. She couldn't stand it anymore!
"What can seize a man's attention?" she mumbled to herself while walking away from her peeping spot. Surely if she could find something naturally attention-grabbing for a man, Robin would notice her more! However, Tharja found men to be stupidly complicated in their preferences. Rarely were two of the male Shepherds completely alike in interests, and Robin by far was the hardest one to identify. Despite having observed him for many weeks, Tharja was clueless about his interests outside of tactic-related books. Anna! she remembered. That woman has been a traveling merchant for as long as we know! Surely she could pinpoint some of Robin's interests... Clutching her book of dark magic close to her, Tharja shuffled off to the shopkeeper's tent.
Upon bringing the question to Anna, a look of confusion was present on the merchant's face. "What's the problem exactly?" Anna asked, placing her index finger on her chin in thought as she looked up at Tharja from a seated position behind a desk. The shopkeeper was of devious nature, complimented by her red hair tied up in a ponytail. However, when it came to private business, none of the Shepherds could be trusted more than her.
"What do men like?" Tharja repeated as quietly as possible, staring at the ground.
"Are you getting someone a gift?"
"I need to get his attention," Tharja's held the book of dark magic closer to her body. Some insecurity was still present inside of her.
"Ooh, is it a romantic interest?" Anna giggled and rested her head in her hands, eager to hear more. Hearing and telling secrets were a couple other things to completely grab hold of Anna's interest. Much to the fortune of others, she always kept secrets untold unless given voluntary consent.
"Yes!" Tharja said through clenched teeth, annoyed with the woman's behavior, "Before you ask, it's Robin. He eats up so much time looking at those stupid maps of his and ignores me! Now will you help me or not, shopkeeper?"
Anna smiled and thought hard, "Robin? Going right for the jackpot, eh? Let's see...it's a pretty demanding task. Depending on the circumstances and time of day-"
"I'll pay you for your time".
"And the deal is set! Your needs are now my top priority!" Anna winked and shook Tharja's hand excitedly. "So, do you have anything in mind?"
Not to Tharja's surprise, the mention of gold worked its persuasive magic on Anna instantaneously. She could've asked the merchant to clean the horse stalls and the gold-loving woman would start in a heartbeat. The magic user hesitantly handed Anna the book of dark magic she had been keeping close to her, "I...was thinking that something in here would suffice. No love spells though, those would only be temporary. Just…anything that would naturally be attractive and eye-catching to men. Not knowing what appeals to Robin has made things difficult".
As Tharja spoke, Anna rapidly jotted down notes with an ink-covered quill. "Well, he does concern himself with others more than he does himself. Anyways, I should mark the spells I think will be useful?"
"No, list them on a separate piece of paper. Don't say what they do, either; I shouldn't allow myself to get overeager by knowing ahead of time. I'm having them activated by a larger spell so that each one listed is triggered every 24 hours, and sleep will undo the effects of the previous one". Tharja had overcome the slight awkwardness of the conversation and spoke more confidently now.
"Is there any reason for the restrictions?" Anna questioned, her writing speed remaining consistent.
"Too many spells at once could exhaust me, and having everything at once may be too much for Robin to handle. Also, this spell has to be set ahead of time; I don't want the option to back out of this before each of the selected spells take place".
Anna shrugged, "Whatever floats your boat". She set the notes aside and began flipping through the dark-colored book of hexes and curses, "There's a lot of content in this book. Wait about an hour and I'll have your order ready!"
"Thank you," Tharja muttered and left the woman to her work. Time seemed to slow down around the camp as the sun was almost done setting. Tharja aimlessly wandered about the camp, anxiously waiting for Anna to finish. She couldn't focus on anything else and bore a devilish grin on her face, whispering, "Soon he'll notice me...then he'll love me..." Each time she said it raised her hopes even further, "Soon he'll notice me...then he'll love me...Soon he'll notice me, then he'll love me..." A few of the other Shepherds saw her frantic pacing, but dismissed it rather quickly. After all, Tharja was well-known to take part in bizarre actions. Even more widely known was the fact that no one ever interrupts her and doesn't get threatened by a deadly hex. Tharja was oblivious to the stares she was getting, turning back towards Anna's tent once more, "Soon he'll notice me...then he'll love me..." The anxiety was too much for her and she entered.
Still seated at a desk, Anna looked up from various papers scattered about in front of her. "Welcome back! Sorry, I sort of got caught up in another thing!"
"I recall you saying the words 'top priority'..." Tharja closed her hands into fists. Her book of curses wasn't among the papers Anna had written on. had it been there, her first instinct would be to grab it and prepare to cast a curse.
"Hold on to your Pegasus, Tharja! I already finished, and these papers are directly related to my assignment!"
"Oh really?"
"I'm arranging some more clothes for you! The magic is still important, but new clothing will help you appeal to Robin even more!" Anna beamed, seeming quite pleased.
The anger evaporated from Tharja while she exhaled, "Very well...you have some spells selected, too?" Anna handed her a small piece of paper with three spell wordings written down neatly.
"It's only three, but I'm sure they'll do the trick! Here's a bonus: no payment required until it's over! I'll have the clothes finished by tomorrow morning and will estimate your total then".
Pleased with the progress, Tharja took the paper and book of hexes from the shopkeeper. With a dismissive gesture, Tharja thanked her once more and returned to her own bed, where she slept in solitude every night. Darkness had fallen among the camp, and some of the other Shepherds had begun their patrol duties by Robin's instructions. Exhaustion flowed through the Dark Mage, and she held the small paper close to her chest like a coveted delicacy as she rested her head on a soft pillow. Soon he'll notice me...then he'll love me...