The time of their next battle was approaching. The bandit's camp wasn't big but it was hard to get past the guards. Making references to a hand-drawn map of the nearby forest, Robin was explaining the strategy to Chrom. She had the main idea in her head, but still needed his input about troop placement. Therefore, the tactician found it highly infuriating whenever the prince asked her to repeat the last thing she said to him. Usually, his lack of focus could be traced back to their proximity. Now, however, Chom's thoughts wandered elsewhere, as he kept his hands to himself − well, for the most part − while repeatedly glancing at the entrance. As if he was expecting someone else to join them.
"Chrom? Is there something bothering you?" she asked after it turned out that he didn't remember half of their conversation.
"Bothering?" said the prince, startled. "No, I don't think so."
"Troubling, then?" inquired Robin, raising an eyebrow. "Because I can tell I'm not getting your full attention, and this could have devastating results on the battlefield."
Chrom lowered his gaze, a clear indication that something was off. He scratched the back of his head before he voiced what was really on his mind.
"Did you see Frederick?"
Robin shifted in her seat. "Not since training. You asked Lissa to keep him busy, remember?"
The prince nodded.
"Yes, I do. But this was over a week ago. He should be back jumping around me by now."
The tactician laughed, rubbing his arm affectionately.
"You actually miss him, don't you?" she said in a sudden revelation.
Chrom shrugged at her words. Of course he missed Frederick. They'd known each other for a very long time and had been practically inseparable ever since Robin joined the Shepherds. The prince didn't mind this too much until he and Robin started dating and needed their privacy.
After seeing very little of the man since morning, Chrom started to worry. The knight would never abandon his duties unless he was gravely ill, and there was certainly no way that Lissa would give her brother an extra Frederick-free day without an ulterior motive.
"Would it bother you if I went to check on him?" he asked.
Robin shook her head. "Not at all. It's not that you're of much use to me in your current state."
She saw Chrom grin apologetically when he collected his Falchion.
"My apologies," he stated, stopping right before the exit.
"It's okay," said the tactician, as she returned to working on the battle plan. "Good luck."
Before Chrom found Frederick, he ran into Lissa. The prince wondered what she needed all these frogs for, but decided it was better not to ask.
"Hey, Lissa!"
The girl jumped and hid the pot full of water behind her back. Not suspicious at all.
"Where's Frederick?" he asked.
"I thought he was with you," she replied, smiling nervously.
"If he was, I wouldn't be looking for him, now, would I?" Chrom sighed. "I see he's not with you, either."
"Maybe he's still resting after yesterday."
Chrom gave his sister a suspicious look. Now he wished he had checked on the knight earlier.
"What did you do to him?" he said in an accusatory tone, sitting down next to the girl.
"Nothing!" she replied, a little offended. Her brother raised the eyebrow. "No, I'm serious. You'd better ask what he did to me! My legs are killing me, half of my body is sore, I have bruises all over. True, he warned me he would be rough with me, but I mean, come ooon!"
Chrom's face turned gray.
"Did he− You mean, he did− with you− you both did−" He made vague moves with his hands. Lissa was furrowing her brows until comprehension hit her.
"What?! No!" she heartily denied, having caught up with her brother's line of thoughts. "Chrom, you perv! Only because you're doing it doesn't mean everyone else is, okay?"
The prince's expression turned crimson for a change. This was embarrassing.
"So." He cleared his throat. "What exactly are we talking about here?"
Lissa sat up more comfortably, which meant she had a lot of things to tell about. Oh, brother.
"Well, you wanted me to keep Frederick busy, right? Sooo, I had this crazy idea, which turned out to be very stupid by the way. I came to him and asked for private training sessions. You know, to finally hold my own and catch up with the rest of the group, or something like that."
"Whoa, wait a moment!" the prince interrupted. "You actually trained with Frederick?"
"Oh yes, I did!" She saw a hint of skepticism in his blue eyes. "What, you don't believe me? Wanna proof? How about all the scratches and bruises I got? See? You can't fake that!"
"Alright, I believe you!" said Chrom, withdrawing a little. "Just take your tiny hands from my face."
Lissa folded her arms at her brother's ungratefulness.
"I hope you appreciate all the sacrifices I make for the sake of you getting laid!"
"I never said that's why−" the prince began to explain himself. But there was nothing to explain, really. "You know what, we're getting off track here, again. The week's over. Why isn't Frederick all on my back already? Not that I miss it!" He shrugged. "Just curious."
The girl looked into the distance. Her lips curled into a small smile.
"Because today was our slacking-off day. Don't worry, big bro, you'll have your knight back tomorrow. Consider this an early birthday gift."
"I'm not sure I understand you correctly," said the prince, making sure that his senses weren't playing tricks on him. "Did you say you got Frederick to slow down a bit?"
"Well…" Lissa considered his choice of words. "He wastes his time and enjoys it, I hope. But then, once he's done, he works twice as hard as usual. So, let's call it a partial victory, shall we?" She paused for a moment. "Did you know that Frederick had no idea how to relax?"
"Frederick? No way, never," said Chrom in mock surprise.
"I'm serious! At first, I couldn't believe it myself. After one day of professionally slacking off, he was more tired than I was after a whooole day of training! Now he's probably catching up. Sweeping the grass or something."
They both laughed.
"You mean there's no reason for me to worry? And I don't actually need to go and talk to him?"
"Not unless you miss a dusted Robin so much that you can't wait until tomorrow."
Chrom cringed on the inside. "That was one time."
"Still, this was sooo hilarious, wasn't it?"
The prince walked away with much to think about. He didn't know what surprised him more: the fact that Lissa made Frederick slack off or the fact that she let him train her. He wasn't sure what his opinion was on either of those things.
