Hey! New fic here.
Another FEA but hopefully soon I'll have a Harry Potter one up. Anyway, the pairing in this one is not told until it's revelation in the fic, sorry! You'll just have to read it. I know all of you will ship it after you've read it! Tell me if you do in the comments!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Fire Emblem series. Not even FEA. I wish I did, then I'd make the female my unit be able to marry Crimson in the new game... I love her.
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"I don't care what you say! She loves me and that's all that matters!" Ricken yelled while glaring at his fellow shepherds.
"If you can't see that-then-then-! You must not know me at all!"
The young man, who actually looked like a toddler throwing a tantrum to any outsiders, stomped his foot to enunciate his point. His friends, or 'former friends,' as he was quickly considering them, all wore similar looks of shock.
Ricken tightened his hands into fists, "Argh! None of you understand! I'm done with this! I'm not a kid anymore!" He began to stomp out of the great hall.
"Wait! Ricken-!"
Ricken halted at the sound of the voice. THAT voice. He knew that voice all too well. His leader and idol since childhood. His closest friend. Or at least he once was.
The boy slowly turned around, already knowing just who it would be standing before him.
Chrom stood with his hand outstretched, seeming to want to draw Ricken back. Concern and confusion flowed through his deep blue eyes. Ricken wanted to make him understand. He wished he could. But he knew... He stared hard into Chrom's eyes searching... Trying to find something he needed to see. But all he saw was...disappointment.
Chrom must have sensed what Ricken saw because he began to speak. "Ricken, I don't understand what's going on.. I'm sure it's just a phase your going through. The fact that it is not a person that you like is not what disturbs me. Albeit strange."
Ricken opened his mouth to retort when Chrom held his hand up, promptly silencing him.
"You seem to have taken a liking to the creature..." Chrom gave Ricken a frown when the boy mumbled 'Duh I just told you that...Ha! Not a human...' He cleared his throat and continued on.
"I don't think that you should continue to be with he-it. I suggest you stop and focus more on your training. You have hardly improved as of late."
Ricken's mouth gaped as he stared at his commander. His small hands once again formed tiny threatening fists and he hissed through clenched teeth,
"'Hardly improved'? I'll have you know that any reason that I haven't 'improved' is your own fault! You haven't allowed me to join any of the battles and whenever I attempt to join the rest of the shepherds in the training barracks, YOU turn me away!"
The others watching the two young men fight stood stock still, not daring to interrupt whatever it was they were witnessing.
"Ricken-you know that's not true-!"
"It is! And you know it! I'm sorry if I am being disrespectful, sir. I don't mean to and that's not my point or goal. I just-I guess I hoped you would understand...hoped you wouldn't even care." Ricken felt drops of liquid gather at his eyes. "I can see now that I was wrong. Well then, I've nothing else to do here, so I suppose I will just take my leave. Goodbye, Captain Chrom."
He turned for a final time and quickly power-walked to the door. He rushed his steps at the very end of the hall when he heard a call of 'Ricken!' and the sound of strong, steady footsteps banging on the marble floor.
Hurrying out of the castle, he hardly heard the concerned voice of Lissa as she watched him pass by her. He had to get out of the castle so he didn't stop to talk. He just had to.
He rushed to the stables and saddled his small chestnut-colored pony faster than he ever had before. Cinnamon was the only breed of equestrian animal Ricken had ever owned. Chrom and the others wouldn't allow him to have anything larger. A pony was fit for him. Fit for him and his childlike mentality: that's what he was to them. A child.
Cinnamon whinnied as Ricken led her out of the stables and over to a stepping stool. Normally he'd have one of the other Shepherds give him a boost, but it seemed that none were currently present.
"Whoa, girl." He calmed Cinnamon with a stroke on her mane and released her halter so that he could climb the stool. He doesn't worry any more that she'll run away; she's well into her years and rather enjoys her oats and honey every night after he rubs her down. He relieves her of her thin film of dust, and sweaty grime as she noisily crunches her feed with her strong molars.
After mounting the pony, he takes hold of her reigns and starts her at a slow, steady trot. The dirt beneath her hooves creates small clouds of dust as the pair arrive at the gate. Rickens slows Cinnamon and takes his tall mages hat off of his head in a courteous gesture as he approaches the guard.
"Good morning, Sir. Fine day for a ride out in the country is it not?" Ricken commented as he gave a small smile to the guard. The man did nothing wrong, the least Ricken could do was be friendly.
The man in turn grimaced slightly and nodded very very hesitantly. Saluting to one of the archers in the upper part of the gate, he turned and began pulling the lever to open the gate. Turning back to Ricken, he jerked his head in a rude manner, signaling for Ricken to move on.
With wide eyes, Ricken gaped at the man. He finally slammed his jaw shut, teeth chattering with the motion, and whipped the reins on Cinnamon's bridle a little too harshly.
He rode fast. Faster than he had before. Apparently the castle guards were more apt to gossip than a bunch of housewives. Ricken snorted. Did they think they were better than him? He wasn't a vain person and had never thought very highly of himself but-! They had no right to looked down so critically upon him! That was wrong!
As Cinnamon galloped along an open trail surrounded by a daffodil-filled field, the wind whipped across Ricken's face in wild, water like rivulets. The streams of air carried away small dewy drops of liquid, forming paths of wetness from the corner of his eyes to the edges of his light rosy cheeks.
Ricken loved wind. There was nothing that made him feel more at home than the gentle whipping ripples along his face. The wind was one thing Ricken longed to be: free.
However, Ricken could also appreciate the warming comfort and protection of a thickly wooded forest. His pony followed the dusty dirt path into the forest and slowed when she entered a small clearing. Small enough that there were trees on each side were he to walk fifty paces, but large enough for Cinnamon to calmly graze the forest floor for soft, green grass and tiny edible flowers. As the pony began to chew, Ricken dismounted and dragged himself over to the brook which flowed through the clearing. Kneeling, he cupped his hands and slipped them into the water. Bringing them up to his face, he sipped the cool water and splashed the remaining amount on his face. Trickling droplets wet the corners of his wide Mage sleeves. He used the back of his hand to catch the drips from his mouth.
Ricken stood and titled his head upward, gazing at the clear blue sky. Puffy, white cotton ball clouds drifted slowly in the sky, without a care in the world. He longed to be free like the clouds. They didn't care what people thought of them, they took any shape or form that they wanted. He audibly sighed.
As he sank to the ground, taking residence on a pile of cushy purple flowers, he heard a gush of wind and a loud flapping noise. He leapt to his feet and turned his head this way and that, trying to find the source of the noise.
Cinnamon's head lifted in curiosity and she jerked her head in the direction of the sky. Ricken once again looked upward and gasped.
Soaring down toward them was a large leathery beast. Monstrous wings beat as the creature drew them up and down. Large, clawed feet lightly rumbled the earth as the animal landed and sniffed the air.
Ricken squealed in delight as he ran to the creature. The monster bent it's head and nuzzled the small boy's face as Ricken kissed it's rough, scaled nose.
"Minerva!" He addressed the apparently feminine lizard-like beast. "How did you find me?" He gazed into her luminous obsidian eyes.
Minerva sniffed Ricken's hair, breathing in the scent of the lively youth. This action was followed with a nasal snort, clearly revealing her methods. Ricken giggled and stroked Minerva's rough skin, enjoying the callous texture as his fingers dipped down and followed the ragged lines of layered dark crimson and violet scales, tanned and faded by long hours of being outdoors.
A sudden cough diverted Ricken's attention and he looked up to the source of the sound. Atop Minerva's back was a nervous Cherche, flustered and blushing profusely at the affectionate scene. Behind her, hands wrapped around his mother's waist was Gerome, looking miffed from having his day interrupted.
Ricken blinked a few times before realizing the situation. They must have been having a flying lesson.
"U-um, Ricken, I'm sorry, we were just-well, we didn't mean to-" Cherche began, but not at all coherently.
Ricken laughed once again, and waved his hand back and forth. She was acting so out of character that it was actually kind of humorous.
"It's fine, Cherche. You can continue. I'll see Minerva later." As he said this, he swallowed several times, refusing to be upset.
Cherche smiled gently, obviously grateful. "Oh thank you, Ricken, I'll-"
Minerva let out a piercing screech and stomped her powerful hind legs multiple times.
Cherche's red-pink eyes widened considerably, and she sighed to herself. "Ok, Gerome and I can hold off on our lesson. Right, Gerome?"
It was more of a statement than an actual question, but Gerome looked ready to argue the point, mouth opened in objection. That is, until his mother silenced him with a slight smile and closed eyes. A method which she used often and to her advantage. The rosy-haired boy immediately closed his mouth, and with a grunt, turned away with his arms crossed over his chest.
Ricken beamed and Cherche was glad for her decision. She dismounted Minerva and pulled her little sulking boy off of the wyvern's back. Carrying him in her arms, she strode over to the brook. She finally put Gerome down when he began struggling and making small sounds of displeasure.
She turned away from her son, who, after his minute tantrum, had taken up weaving strands of grass and flowers together in bangles, and looked on at the scene before her.
Ricken ran about the clearing, steeping lightly, so as not to trample the flowery meadow floor. Minerva followed behind him, strangely gentle in her demeanor toward the boy. Cherche was surprised that a beast, bred and trained, solely born for the purpose of war and death, could be so kind and caring to a human. The boy emanated happiness, and joyous giggles escaped his lungs as he skipped about, almost breathless. Minerva, in turn, gave screeches of pleasure as she nuzzled the boy's head, knocking off his too large pointy-tipped hat. He swatted her lightly on the nose in a playful, teasing manner, and she sneezed in his face, successfully covering him in wyvern mucus. Minerva appeared to have a grin on her face as she showed her teeth and released an eruptive laughing roar.
Ricken began chasing her around the field, never quite keeping up with her much larger strides, as she stayed ahead of him. Both laughed as they did so, and Cherche couldn't help but feel joy and compassion as she looked on at the two before her.
She smiled a true smile of awe-filled happiness, and lightly shook her head. The beast and her boy.
The boy and his beast.
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There you have it, Folks!
please tell me what you think in the comments, I'd love to have some constructive criticism!
So, explanation for this pairing... Lol very odd, yes? I told my cousins to write about the crack-iest pairing ever... And that's what I came up with! Lovely isn't it?
Do you ship them now? I know you secretly do...