The next morning, Frederick rose quietly from his cot at sunrise. Rumpling his dark hair in his hands, he shook his head violently to wake himself. Another day of traveling, he thought groggily to himself. As much as he enjoyed his life's duty of protecting Ylissean royalty, he sometimes found himself yearning for a quiet life on his family's farm.
Mentally scolding himself, Frederick squashed down those feelings and reminded himself that he was blessed to be in such a noble position. Many men and women would sacrifice everything to have his job. Furthermore, the look on his mother's face when he told her of his elevated status was enough to keep him going.
Stretching his broad shoulders, he stifled a yawn and strode out of his tent to relieve himself. Surprisingly, someone was already up.
Squinting his brown eyes, he focused on a lone slender figure practicing sword techniques in the early morning fog. "Lucina?" he called quizzically.
The girl paused, and then waved. "Unc—uh-Frederick!" she called back cheerily. Jogging up to him, she flashed him a dazzling smile. "Good morning!"
Frederick felt his stomach lurch. Damn it all, why did this woman arise such feelings? "Good morning, Princess," he replied with a stiff bow. "How are you?"
Lucina, already fully dressed, sheathed her sword. One corner of her mouth tugged down in annoyance. "Frederick, I have agreed to discard calling you 'Uncle' in exchange for you to stop calling me 'Princess'. In my time we are much too good of friends for such formalities."
Frederick flushed slightly. "However," he asserted, "simply calling the daughter of Lord Chrom by her name is much too casual."
The navy haired girl chuckled to herself. "Then you will be completely amazed to know that in the future you simply refer to me as Lucy!"
"We are that good of friends?" Frederick asked, slightly disturbed.
The smile slowly disappeared from the Princess' face. "Is that…bad?"
Frederick shook his head vehemently and without thinking, placed his calloused hands on Lucina's shoulders. "No! Of course not!"
She gazed up at him, and for a second Frederick could hardly catch his breath, despite his history as a hardened warrior. To be completely undone by a woman—how absurd!
The sun, rising quickly now, reflected the royal crest in her eye, and Frederick pushed the Princess back with a little too much force.
Stumbling backwards, Lucina gasped in surprise at the unexpected power behind his movement. She knew it—he hated her. "I beg your pardon," she muttered before dashing off to her tent.
Blast it! Frederick cursed. How did he manage to offend with every action?
Lucina lay on her cot, crying very quietly to herself. She felt so alone in this world. The man she considered her best friend wanted nothing to do with her, and her own parents, although they tried their best, kept their distance.
"Knock knock," a stifled voice called.
Lucina hastily wiped her eyes on her clothes. "Come in."
A pair of blonde pigtails entered.
"Hello, Aunt Lissa," Lucina murmured miserably.
"Ew!" Lissa made a face of disgust. "Don't call me Aunt! I'm way too young for that!"
"I just can't seem to do anything right today," Lucina said, covering her face in her hands.
"What? Oh no! Oh you poor thing," Lissa cried, distressed. She sat down on Lucina's cot with her and comfortingly held her. "I saw Frederick run off somewhere and I had a teensy suspicion I knew why, so I came in here."
"Do you know why he hates me so much?" Lucina asked, tears running down her pale face. She was never one for dramatics, but the princess was prone to being a tad bit sensitive.
"Oh dear, he doesn't hate you," Lissa cooed, petting the crying girl's long blue hair. "He's just a bit confused."
"Confused," Lucina quavered. "Why?"
Lissa gulped, a flush rising to her cheeks. "Err, I'm not quite at liberty to say. Also, he hasn't really officially told me anything. But know this—we all love you very much."
Lucina raised her head, her sobs quieting. "Really?"
"Of course! Things are all a bit strained now with the world coming to an end," the blonde princess joked, "but we have all been so happy to have you here."
"Then why do Father and Mother avoid me?" Lucina asked.
"Like Frederick, they just don't quite know how to act. This situation isn't exactly…normal."
Lucina managed a smile. "You're right. I've been a bit ridiculous to think that we could all just carry on like we do back home."
Lissa hugged her tightly. "Come to breakfast. I'll make Frederick apologize for being such a stuffed shirt and we'll all have a nice time."
Lucina wiped her face a final time. "That sounds nice," she offered.
The two girls made their way towards the smells of a hearty breakfast, holding hands in a newfound friendship.
