The Troubles Children Get Into
Little Inigo hid behind his mother's legs as he shyly peeked out from behind. His grip on her pants tightened as he stared at the two children before him: the two blue-haired royal siblings of Ylisse, Morgan and Lucina. Standing behind them was their mother, Robin, who was also known as history's greatest tactician and world's greatest mother—or so Morgan claimed. Though Inigo had no knowledge regarding tactics, he did know Robin was definitely not the world's greatest mother—that position belongs to his own mother—though he refrained from telling his friend otherwise for fear of being tackled or pushed or executed by the queen herself, though the latter was merely a story fabricated by Owain.
The dark-haired tactician smiled and greeted his parents, "It's nice to see you two are well, Olivia, Lon'Qu." The swords master grunted in response, while the shy dancer stuttered a quiet greeting. Robin then placed her hands on her knees and bent down to greet Inigo, "And hello to you too, Inigo."
The timid boy immediately stood rigid, a deep blush forming, as he muttered a quiet, "Hello." He shrunk into himself and began to shuffle his feet when all eyes fell on him.
"Inigo," Olivia said, "This is Lucina and Morgan, remember? You played with them once." He nodded in response. He remembered playing with Morgan often since the two were of the same age, though he barely remembered Lucina. It may had been due to the fact that the Ylissean princess was the oldest and, therefore, played exclusively with the older children.
However, both Inigo and Morgan had turned the ten years old the past year and, by the laws of the "big kids'" world, were not considered as 'babies' anymore. Morgan is especially excited because he was now a part of the Justice Cabal, along with Owain, his cousin.
"The other children are playing in the courtyard. Lucina, dear, take your brother and Inigo to them," Robin said, pushing the two siblings forward.
"Yes, mother," the twelve year old girl replied. She then looked to Inigo and said, "Come on then." Inigo nodded, hesitantly stepping forward. Morgan, who was fidgeting all the while, immediately darted off and she was quick to follow, yelling at the boy to slow down. Inigo, who was still flustered, stumbled slightly before running, while shouting, "W-wait for me!"
Robin chuckled and glanced at the two shyest members of the Shepherds besides her, which was odd considering one was a dancer and the other a gladiator, and commented, "Inigo definitely takes after his parents." The two fighters looked off to the side, as if denying it.
When he finally caught up—the courtyard was much larger than he initially thought—Inigo was gasping for air. Morgan was beside him and was panting as well, though with a much happier face.
"I win!" he declared, eyes bright with pride. Inigo pouted because he was not aware there was a race.
"That's not fair, Morgan, you started before us!" Lucina exclaimed. Her brother merely stuck his tongue out at her.
"It's called strategy," he emphasized the last word, "You don't tell the enemy your plan beforehand." The ten year old beamed as he was proud of himself for remembering that part of his mother's lesson, albeit a basic one.
Lucina however, was not impressed and muttered, "Cheater." The two began to glare at each other. One indignant, while the other stubborn. She wagered she could tackle her brother in one swift movement.
"Um…" Inigo tried to catch their attention, but his voice was too soft to be heard by either. A loud voice broke through however, and the feuding siblings were distracted.
"Ah, there you are, dear cousin! I thought you lost when you had not return," Owain, the cousin of the siblings, announced loudly. His arms wildly waved about as he approached.
Morgan grinned and replied, "Fear not Owain, for I have returned with a new ally!" He then dragged Inigo forward. The bashful boy squeaked a timid, "M-me?" and pointed to himself.
"Good work! Now that our forces have grown, we can take down any and all evil!" The blond-haired boy laughed haughtily. Lucina giggled at her brother and cousin's theatrics.
"But first, we must secure the princess's safety and guide her back to the fortress!" He bowed and held out his hand to Lucina. She merely tilted her head and asked, "What about Cynthia?"
Owain then rolled his eyes and said in a disgusted tone, "She's playing with Severa and Yarne. She said she wouldn't play with us until we played house with her."
"Well, why didn't you?" she asked.
"Because it's a girl game," he exclaimed, his face scrunching up in exasperation. He then begged, "Come on Lucina, please? We need a princess."
She sighed, "Fine, I guess." In a snooty tone of voice, she then said, "As the princess of Ylisse, I leave my life in your hands."
"Don't worry Lucina. As your brother, I will definitely save you!" Morgan declared.
"Yeah! Now we just need a monster…" Owain hummed in contemplation, placing a finger to his chin. He then turned and grinned evilly at Inigo, who gulped, and said, "As the newest member of the Justice Cabal, you must first become the monster."
"But I thought I was an ally," Inigo argued. Owain pointed at him—perfectly ignoring his mother's instructions not to—and said, "If you wish to become a part of the Justice Cabal, then you must first pass the initiation, which is playing as the monster first."
Inigo groaned in resignation. How does one act like a monster, anyhow? Especially if said person's parents were considered war heroes.
"Great! Now, Inigo, since you're new, you have to follow the rules," the blond-haired boy instructed. "Rule number one is that when I shout a move name, you have to let me finish. This rules applies to everyone. Also, no actual hitting. My mother would be furious if any one of us—especially me—end up in the clinic." He then cringed when he remembered his mother's shrill voice and deadly, waving staff. Two years before, he tripped Yarne, who had ended up with a bloody knee, scraped hands, and teary eyes. The young Taguel, of course, revealed the culprit to the kind cleric. To this day, Owain still held a small grudge against the rabbit-like boy and teased him whenever he can.
"Er, o-okay," the bashful boy stammered. The rules, he thinks, were odd and, to an extent, stupid. No matter, he had nothing better to do and his mother recommended that he played with the other children in order to overcome his shyness.
"Alright, let's go!"
The woods, Inigo decided, were a scary place to be. The dry, dead leaves broke and crumbled too easily, startling him whenever he step foot on a particularly large one. The dense vegetation from above blocked the sunlight, leaving only small pockets of light on the dirt floor. He stepped over the branches and vines carefully, avoiding the small puddles of mud. He then heard the sounds of leaves rustling and giggling in the distant. A flash of blue hair disappeared behind the bushes. He had caught sight of his prey and, grinning mischievously, slowly crept forward. Once he was close enough and the noises had quieted, he roared ferociously (as ferociously as a child could achieve, anyways). Immediately, the trio of children stood from their hiding place.
"Halt, foul beast! You shall not advance any further!"
"My sword hand shall quell your fury!"
Inigo roared again, enjoying himself, until a stray vine caught his foot. He yelled out in surprise and landed face-first in the dirt. Panicked, he struggled to remove the stubborn piece of vegetation.
Lucina, upon seeing his plight, jumped to her feet and yelled, "I'll save you, Inigo!" She picked up a nearby stick—first weighing it—and shouted, "Falchion!" She then whacked the tree from where the vine grew. Of course, the vine was hardly damaged and Inigo's constant wriggling was enough to loosen it from his ankle. He thanked her regardless.
"Lucina," Owain whined, "You're supposed to be a princess." He stomped his foot childishly, and thought to himself that he was supposed be the hero, not her.
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Being a princess is boring. Besides, I'll be the one to wield Falchion," she stated proudly.
"And I'll be the tactician that saves the world," Morgan exclaimed, as well.
"Che, in your dreams. I'll be the hero to save the world!" Owain, also, cried out.
Inigo muttered to himself, as he stood and dusted himself off. He grimaced when the mud smeared onto his clothing further. The trio, upon noticing the fourth member of their group, try to help him, though the situation had not improved, if not worsen. Regardless, most of the mud was dry and, hopefully, will blend in with the brown cloth he wore.
"Ack, It's almost dinnertime!" Owain shouted. "Race you there, Lucina!"
"You're on!" The two cousins dashed off towards the castle's main gates. Inigo, having enough of running and tripping for one day, opts to walk. Morgan slowed his pace as well.
"Say, what do you want to be when you grow up, Inigo?" he asked.
"Um…" the other boy blushed and looked down at his feet. "I'll tell if you promise not to laugh."
"Pinky promise," Morgan said, and holds up a pinky finger mid-air, though the other boy made no move to raise his own.
"Alright, well, I want to be a dancer," he whispered the latter part. He glanced around, making sure there was no one nearby to hear his words.
"Boys don't dance though," Morgan bluntly pointed out.
"That's what everyone says," Inigo stated glumly. Sensing his friend's distress, Morgan immediately said, "But I'm sure if it's you, you'll be the best dancer there is!"
"Yeah," Inigo sighed, plucking at the stains on his clothes.
When the two boys reached the entrance of the castle—Owain yelled at the two to hurry—they were met by the chiding gazes of their respective parents. Both turned to look at each other and, guiltily, swallowed the bile in their throats.
"Inigo," Olivia said disapprovingly, "Why are you covered in mud?" The pink-haired dancer began to dust off the flaky specks of dirt from his clothing. "Dried mud stains are so hard to remove," she muttered to herself. Inigo apologized quietly and looked to the other children for assistance. Morgan merely shrugged; Lucina smiled sheepishly; and Owain tried to sneak away, but was caught by his mother.
"Lucina, Morgan," Chrom addressed, "Did you two go to the woods again, even though your mother and I specifically told you not to?" Both children refused to meet his stare. Eventually the guilt became too overwhelming, and Morgan broke under the pressure first: "It was Owain's idea!"
"I thought we were brothers-in-arms, you traitor!" The blond eleven year old shouted indignantly.
"Well, maybe you shouldn't have gone outside in the first place," Lissa grumbled. "Now, I'll have to give you another bath!" Owain groaned, rolling his eyes at his mother.
"Don't be so harsh on him, Lissa," Robin intervened, and returned with a handful of damp towels. She handed them to Olivia. "After all, it is Chrom's fault for leaving that gaping hole in the wall," she coolly said. The mentioned man gulped, remembering his accident as a youth. He did not think his children would find it, since thick brush hid it.
"Er, right. Anyways," he changed the subject, "Lucina, how are you supposed to be a princess if you're covered in mud all the time?" He asked, picking her up. Morgan pouted; he wanted to be held too, but he had too much pride to show it.
"To hell with being a princess, I want to be a warrior king!" she exclaimed proudly, eyes shining. When she received silence instead of a response, she asked, "What?" Her parents and aunt gaped at her; Owain lifted up a hand to cover the slight upward of his lips; Morgan merely stared in confusion; Inigo gasped; Lon'Qu smirked slightly and turned his head away; and Olivia murmured, "Oh dear."
"Lucina, who taught you such vulgar language?" Robin, upon recovering from the shock, demanded.
"Uncle Vaike did, why?" she answered. She had yet to understand why children were not allowed to speak such words, but knew only adults spoke these types of words. As far as she was concerned, the twelve year old considered herself grown enough.
"Lucina, do not listen or repeat whatever your uncle says, understand? You are not allowed to use such language until you're older," Chrom said sternly. She began to protest, "But I am old. I'm older than everyone else—even Laurent."
He interrupted, "No if's, and's, or but's about it. Now, you and Morgan go follow your mother and wash up. It's about time for dinner." He then letted her down onto the stone path.
"Yes, father," she sighed in defeat. Morgan smirked and taunted, "Lucy got in trouble." She shoved him in return. Morgan retaliated and pushed back. The two began to glare at each other once more. Robin shook her head and scolded the two of them, threatening to withhold dessert. The two were quick to demure and bid farewell to Inigo and Owain, before following their mother inside.
"I'm going to kill that idiot," Lissa scowled. She cannot recall the amount of times she told her husband to not swear near the children. She then turned to Olivia and apologized, "I'm so sorry—you can stay if you'd like?"
"O-oh no," Olivia started, "It'll be fine. It's getting late and we really should get going." She began to fidget, uncomfortable at the thought of sleeping in such a grand place.
"Right," Lon'Qu cuts the cleric off, before she can say otherwise. "Inigo, say goodbye to everyone."
"You too, Owain," she ordered.
The two boys faced each other and bid each other an awkward goodbye. Soon, Inigo and his parents were riding in a caravan back home. His mother then asked, "Did you have fun today?"
"Mm…" he slurred. His eyes began to droop as he slumped against his mother's arm. "Yeah, it was fun," he yawned. She laughed a little and hugged him closer. His mind slowly driftted off, as he focused on his mother's warmth and the slight swaying of the vehicle. Its movements eventually lulled him to sleep.
A story focusing on the children version of Inigo, Lucina, Morgan, and Owain. I love these type of stories and wanted to type one up. Hopefully, I didn't blotch up the children's characters. Lucina's especially, because she is so serious in the future that it's difficult for me to picture her child version.
Criticism, feedback, and reviews are appreciated.
Dec. 1, 2013: edited. Present tense switched to past tense; commas inserted/removed; sentences added/removed.