Relatable

"...And that's just how it goes. I'm never going to win his heart. I'm just an average soldier to him at best."

Sumia looked at her new friend with extreme empathy. She'd thought these same thoughts too often. The woman beside her, who she now knew as Vanessa, had spilled her heart out to her, Pegasus Knight to Pegasus Knight, lovestruck-flier to lovestruck-klutz.

Early on in the Shepherds march into the war with Plegia, an old man had crossed their paths and told them of warriors that were on training missions from other realms that they may be able to recruit. This young woman, who was only about two years under Sumia's age, had been one of them. In the time since her recruitment into their forces, Vanessa had spent time with Sumia to practice air combat, and in that time spent together, they talked of their various hobbies.

Including their unrequited love for their princes.

"I know how that feels..." Sumia said longingly. "I'm a hopeless klutz with stupid gray hair and an unattractive body. I couldn't ever hope to compete with someone like Cordelia..Heck, even girls like Maribelle and Sully have a higher chance than me! At least they can relate to him!"

"Hey, don't say that." Vanessa gripped her friend's shoulders, hoping to shake her out of her deprecating state. "You're a beautiful woman, Sumia. Your hair is so long and dazzling, just like my sister's..I'm jealous. And you have such an astounding body. Pronounced curves and lovely brea-"

"V-Vanessa! I don't know how to feel about this! We've only known each other for a few weeks!" Sumia said, guarding her body by crossing her arms over her chest, despite the armor covering anything worth protecting. Vanessa didn't understand what she meant, but she dropped the praise nonetheless.

"All I mean is that if your prince won't fall for you, I'm sure there are hundreds of other men that will. You've got to make him see that. That beautiful woman that you are, in and out."

"Wow...No one's ever really talked to me like that before. I mean, maybe Cordelia, but she's so perfect..I just can't take the words from her seriously. She has it all. Good looks, a perfect soldier, and she takes care of almost everything at camp! I can't compete with her."

"I know what you mean." Vanessa said, sighing. "My sister is one of the most beautiful women you will ever meet. Her hair is much longer than mine and it blows so mystically in the wind. Her body is that of a mature woman's while I'm still.." Vanessa looked disappointedly down at her own figure. "...Underdeveloped. She's always been able to live her life as both a beautiful young mistress and as an incredible soldier. I could never compare to her."

"Vanessa, I don't know you all that well, but I can tell you that you're a beauty in your own right. You just need to let it shine. Your dedication to the army in itself is mystifying and I'm sure that your prince sees that. Y'know what, let me see your hair." Vanessa didn't have time to react as Sumia raced around her, grabbing the small ponytail she'd tied and untying the band that held it. With one last snap, the green hair of Freila's young knight blew through the air. Sumia thought she looked like some sort of empowering nomad, a maiden of courage and wisdom.

In the deep recesses of her mind, Sumia had thought she found Vanessa extremely attractive. Another woman much more beautiful than her. But the girl's words rang throughout her head and Sumia's confidence grew.

Whether they held beauty inside or out, both girls would pursue their dreams.

"There's just no hope for me...I can't bring myself to speak with him."

"I completely understand. He exerts such a brillance..."

"Shines as if he had been touched by Naga herself..."

"Expends endless charisma..."

"Prince Innes..." "Captain Chrom..."

The two pegasus knights sighed heavily as they waved away their enchanted daydreams. Both knew there was no hope for them in the battle of love they were fighting, but they found comfort in each other's similar sorrow.

"Oh Syrene, I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I've done all the work around the camp, I lead a fraction of the Pegasus Knight fleet, and I push myself to the absolute limit of my ability in training, but I still get weak in the knees every time he nears."

Cordelia had found Syrene while on patrol of the Ylissean borders. With tensions high, there could be enemies nearing at any time. Thankfully, she'd only found friend, not foe. Syrene was kind, well-mannered, and held a radiance and beauty befit a knight of her stature.

Upon recruitment, Cordelia and Syrene had shared many stories. Tales of their ventures as pegasus knights and what it takes to lead a team of your own. Up to that point, they enjoyed each other's company, but had not been too attached.

That is, until Syrene brought men to the table.

Syrene was a woman that caught the gazes of men everywhere, and Cordelia felt just a bit jealous of that popularity. But once Syrene explained that there was only one man who had charmed her, it all rolled downhill.

"Better than I. When Prince Innes is around, I get immediately militaristic. I've never been shy around men, but him...All I can do is whisper his name as he turns his back to me."

"I do just the same. And that stupid book of love advice doesn't aid me one bit."

"Hmm? What book are you referring to?"

"It's called, "How to Make Him Fall For You In A Fortnight". Bunch of pegasus dung. I started reading that at the beginning of my training and now I'm a full-fledged commander. Not a thing has changed."

"Cordelia, don't you think it's time you put away the romance books? Those are typically for younger girls."

"I know, but...it's all I have left that makes me feel like I have a chance."

Cordelia sighed, and after a brief moment Syrene shared once again in that sorrow. Then, she began to dig into the breastplate of her armor, searching for something. When she pulled back, she held a small lock of silver hair.

"I once cut off a piece of Innes's hair when he came to watch the Pegasus Knights train. He narrowly dodged a javelin I threw. I was so focused on him that I unwittingly tossed it in his direction. He never blamed me for it. I...I kept it ever since."

Syrene looked longingly into the hair of her prince. Cordelia silently admired her commitment. She was love-struck for Chrom, but not so enthralled as to keep a piece of his hair...Not that she ever managed to get some.

"Maybe..We should try other men. Just once? To see if we can put these crazy obsessions behind us and call it an old memory."

"Yes, that sounds ideal. Surely, there are other men who are as well-toned..."

"Strong-willed..."

"Handsome..."

"Inspiring..."

Both Cordelia and Syrene heaved their loudest sigh.

Like that will ever happen...

Just a little something I had halfway written awhile back, and when I was going to work on more "A Mundane Life" stuff, I decided to finish and post it. Hopefully this at least slightly makes up for the wait that fans of that story have. Don't worry, I'm just trying to make sure I write something worth reading.

The reason I made this was because I'm a big Sacred Stones fan and I realized that Syrene and Cordelia have the same problem, but Cordelia's personality is more like Vanessa's and Sumia's is more like Syrene's. So what would happen if these love-struck women met? And here we are.

Edit 1/24/2016: Noticed my line break in between the two segments disappeared and made it really weird. Fixed!

Thanks for reading!