A Letter of Love

Ricken's POV

I decided to pay my forest friends a visit today after my daily tome practise. Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel were sitting on an old stump, waiting to greet me.

"Oh, hey!"

Mrs. Squirrel said, "I'm so happy to see you, Ricken, dear!"

Mr. Squirrel agreed. "I haven't seen you in a while! Is everything okay?"

"Yes, Mr. Squirrel. A new person joined the army yesterday. His name is Henry, and I think we'll be great friends!" I enthused.

"That's great!" Mrs. Squirrel cheered.

Just then, a little baby squirrel scurried up to embrace the two squirrels on the stump.

"Is that your child?" I asked.

Mrs. Squirrel chattered happily. "Yes! He's so sweet, isn't he?"

"He sure loves his mother!" Mr. Squirrel did a little dance.

I gasped. "That reminds me! I haven't received a letter from my mother in ages!"

Mrs. Squirrel put her paw over her mouth. "You'd better check right now!"

I scrambled up. "I'm going to as soon as I get back to camp."

At the camp, the mail deliverer was just arriving.

"Hello! Do you have anything for me?" I asked excitedly.

He consulted his list. "Wot's yer name, kid?"

"Ricken. I'm a Mage."

"Ya got one letter. Here." He handed me a grubby piece of paper.

"Yay!" I grabbed it from him and retreated to my tent to read it.

When I was done, I decided to write a reply.

But what do I write?

I sat on a rock outside with a quill and parchment.

"Hrmmm..."

Robin, the army's tactician, spotted me. "Still writing a reply to that letter? You've been staring at that blank page for an hour. Was it bad news? Nothing serious, I hope."

I shook my head. "No, just an average letter from my parents. 'Hope you're well,' and all that."

"Then why are you so strapped for a reply?" she asked curiously.

I sighed. "It's...tricky. I just don't know what to say."

"There's plenty of things to write about! Especially after that last battle," she reassured. "Tell them about how you dodged one brush with death after the next! Impress them!"

I was dismayed. "Are you insane!? The object is to make them worry about me LESS!"

"Oh. Right. Well, why not tell them about that fight against the Risen? Talk about how you tore them limb from limb and flung the pieces to the winds!" she suggested dramatically.

I winced. "But I did no such thing! Besides, that would have them worried about me in a whole other way... See the problem? I can't LIE, but if I write about how things really are, they'll worry. And if I write about how much I miss them, that only makes it worse..."

Robin nodded. "How about just a few words to let them know you're all right?"

I considered it. "...I don't know. Maybe I'll just hold off until I do something that makes them proud."

She smiled warmly. "Well, if they could've heard you just now, they already would be."

On this note, she bid me farewell. I lay down on the grass, staring up at the sky.

The next day, I decided to try again. I stared at the blank parchment, silently willing words to appear.

"Hmm..."

Robin, who had emerged from a war meeting with Chrom, looked over my shoulder at the paper. "Still haven't written a reply to your parent's, have you?"

I groaned. "Yep. Stuck again. I can't think of the right words to say."

She looked at me seriously. "You could always just head back."

"Head back where? Home?"

She smiled. "Why not? Stop by for a quick visit. Spend some time with your family. I'm not saying to drop everything ad go tomorrow, but once things settle down."

I stood up. "...No. I can't go back yet."

She looked confused. "Why not?"

"I don't know how much you know about me, but I come from an old, respected house. And lately, my family home – and name – has fallen into serious disrepair," I explained. "So this war is about more than saving the world, at least for me. It's about restoring my family name. And I can't go home until I've done it."

"That's a lot to put on yourself, Ricken. Your parents are lucky to have you," she said contentedly. "Hard to imagine such a model son running around dismembering Risen and flinging-"

"Stop with the dismembering already!" I scowled. "What kind of monster do you think I am?"

She laughed. "Ha ha, I'm just teasing. Seriously, though, if you won't visit, you should write. Sparing your parents from worry is part of being a good son, after all."

What do you think I've been trying to do for days!? I thought, but out loud, I said, "Yeah, I know you're right... Okay, I'll keep it real basic. 'Dear Mom and Dad, I hope you're well.'"

Robin continued. "'Today I saved the life of my beloved, and the field ran red with the blood of my foes!'"

"'Today I saved the...' ARRRGH! Will you NOT do that!?" I screamed, frustrated.

She smiled cheekily. "I'm helping."

"YOU ARE NOT!"

After all those failed attempts, I decided to write the letter in the safety of my own tent. Without any interruptions from Robin, I was able to finish the darn letter, and went outside to mail it. Seeing Robin with the rest of the mail, I caught up to her.

"Hey, Robin. Would you mind sending this out with the other deliveries?"

She took it. "Letter to the family, eh? So did you finally figure out what to write?"

I blushed slightly. "I just wrote the truth: that I miss them and hope to see them again soon."

She looked slightly disappointed. "No tales of glory? No brave words? ...No dismemberment?"

I laughed good-humouredly. "Hah! Not this time. I guess restoring the family name will have to wait a bit longer. I simply wrote that I've come a long way, but there's still more to be done. Not the greatest news in the world, but still better than silence, I guess."

"But it IS great news!" she exclaimed. "I'm sure it'll put their minds at ease."

I pouted. "By telling them how weak I still am?"

She shook her head. "No, by telling them you know your limits and you're working to overcome them. That's a very mature way of thinking. I'm sure they'll be proud."

I cheered up. "Heh heh! You really think so?"

"I guarantee it! You did great, Ricken. Now get over here!" She dropped the bag, grabbed me in a headlock, and messed up my hair.

"EWWW!" I shrieked. "Leggo! No noogies!" I wrenched away from her. "Stop treating me like a kid! Didn't you JUST finish saying how mature I was!?"

She doubled over laughing. "Ha ha! Sorry, it's just that hat and those cute wittle cheeks just begging to be pinc-"

I felt extremely irritated. "Come on, knock it off!"

She gave me an apologetic smile, then picked up the mail bag and started the walk to town. Against my better judgement, I smiled back at her, and waved as she disappeared from view. Usually I hatewhen anyone treats me like that, but my response to Robin was just instinct – I wasn't actually that bothered by it. What should I do?

A month later, I had finally made a decision. It was time to come to terms with my feelings – embarrassing or not. I set off for a cliff range nearby called Ghoul's Teeth, intent on finding the object I needed to profess my love for Robin.

When I arrived, I peered into the cave carved about halfway up into the cliff.

"It sure is dark..." I muttered to myself to keep away the silence. "...Except for those glowing red OH GODS WHAT IS THAT?"

A Risen axeman jumped out of the cave and nearly beheaded me, but I fell over on the slippery rocks in my haste to back up. That turned out to be my best mistake ever, because the axe sailed over my head, causing the Risen to stagger, off balance. I thanked Naga I had brought my tome, and summoned a good burst of fire to bake the Risen to a crisp.

"Phew! Now that that's over, time to go into that dark, scary cave..." I gulped. Maybe I should stop talking...

Once into the cave, I lit up a sturdy stick and used as a torch. Glittering clumps of stones shone on the ground, the colours dancing in the flickering light. These stones were extremely rare, and this was the only place in the whole world where you could find them. A perfect symbol of my feelings.

I stooped down to pick one up, grabbing the shiniest of the bunch. I stared at it, smiling, thinking of Robin. Perfect. Of course, that was when the cougar decided to show itself.

Knowing I couldn't just fry the animal, I threw down my torch to extinguish the light, hoping it wouldn't see me. It was sniffing around at the back of the cave, but it hadn't noticed me...yet. Backing away, I quietly went towards the exit. I accidentally cracked a twig on the ground, and froze. The cougar looked up, growling slightly, but seemed to shake it off, and went deeper into the cave. Willing my racing heart to calm, I reached the cave mouth.

Going outside, I blinked in the strong sunlight and started to pick my way down the slopes. Getting up here was hard enough, but making it back down was going to be a nightmare. Several times, I almost tumbled to my death, and once I actually lost my footing and fell a few metres, but I managed to grab onto a jagged rock to stop my fall.

When I reached the bottom, I composed myself for a moment, then headed back to camp. Once I was safely in my tent, I lay on the ground and promised myself I would never go to another high up place again. Did I mention I'm scared of heights?

I got over my little moment of weakness, and got out an envelope. I put the stone inside, and sealed it up, using perhaps a bit too much glue. Oh well. I addressed it to Robin in fancy script.

I stuck my head out of my tent and immediately spotted Robin. My heart sped up. It was now or never!

"Hey, Robin. Thanks again for your help with the letter home. I kinda got you something by way of thanks, so...here."

She beamed when I handed the envelope to her. "Aw, how sweet! A letter for me! Whoa, this is one heavy envelope... What'd you put in here?"

"Ope it and you'll see," I said, my excitement growing.

She pulled at the flap. "Rrrrrr... Graaagh... Gods above, how much glue did you use here?" She finally ripped it free. "Got it! ...Oh, look at that shiny stone. Ricken, it's beautiful."

I smiled proudly. "It's a precious stone found only on the slopes of Ghoul's Teeth."

Her expression changed to worry. "Gods, Ricken! You went to that fearsome place all alone? Its crags are filled with bandits and beasts of every stripe! Were you hurt? Don't lie to me, now!"

"Would you PLEASE stop treating me like a child!?" I snapped.

She deflated. "...Oh...right. I'm sorry."

"I'm not a boy, Robin. I'm a grown man," I said desperately. "And I need you to believe me when I say that."

"But why, Ricken? Why is it so important what I think?"

Time to spill the beans. I blushed heavily. "Because...I'm in love with you. I don't want to be your kid or your little brother – I want to be your husband. So if I put that stone on a ring and offered it to you, would you accept?"

"...Oh, Ricken. I know you're not a child anymore... I know because I've watched you grow into a remarkable young man. Just as I've watched you grow in my heart... So, yes, Ricken. Yes. Nothing would make me happier than to become your wife." She smiled at me in her special way, the way she does when she's extremely happy.

"R-really! Do you mean it!?" I nearly jumped for joy.

"But no more taking ridiculous risks!" she scolded, but she was still smiling. "I'll not have my husband cracking his head open just to prove a point. You hear me, young man?"

"Of course, I...HEY!"

"I wish I could throw my arms around you and never let go! Just... wait for me to get a little taller... Okay?"

A/N

Yes, I put the confession in there. It just seemed like a suitable ending, so I went with it.