Chapter I: Ray of Light
A/N: Thank you for the reviews and advice. I'm usually not such a lazy writer but for some odd reason I got really excited about uploading this story that I neglected to take my time to edit and proofread. (I do have a tendency to mindlessly spell random words and type like a caveman when I'm rushing.) No more laziness! I promise that the chapters from now on will live up to your expectations.
The sun was slowly disappearing behind the western horizon and though Chrom had planned to reach Valm by the end of the day, he quickly postponed their trek; the exhausted faces of his comrades persuading him to do so. Stopping in his tracks, he hollered to his soldiers around him, "We make camp here tonight."
There was no arguing with the leader – not as if they disagreed anyhow – and they began arranging for the night.
As the others took to setting up their tents and preparing dinner, Olivia, with Maribelle's pestering, slipped away from the campsite. Though she had gone unnoticed by the majority of the crew as they chatted among one another, Lon'qu, with his hands busy on the tent before him, kept her within his sight until she vanished into the forest.
"You will go after her, no?" The accented voice could belong to none other than Gregor. He stood behind the younger swordsman and noticed his eyes as they followed the beautiful dancer.
Lon'qu, after tying down the last corner of his tent, rose from his kneeling position and began to walk off towards the carriage in which they carried their excess supplies; Gregor following him the entire way. As he dug through the equipment, he replied to the mercenary, "She's only going to wash herself. The other women will watch after her."
"All more reason to follow her, yes?"
At his words, Lon'qu's features flinched as his face began to redden; images of his female allies and wife bathing filling his once clean mind. The image brought out a feeling of unease as he found himself beginning to sweat. Gregor, sensing his discomfort, let out a chuckle to lighten the mood and patted the young man on his back. "Gregor understand. Lon'qu, he is loyal man to lovely wife."
Feeling a little more relieved with the women out of his head, Lon'qu proceeded with gathering his items he had initially begun to seek before Gregor had distracted him. The redhead continued to remain at his side, watching him as he picked up the supplies, then raised a curious eyebrow. "You will set up another tent? For who?"
"Who do you think," Lon'qu grunted as he began to haul the tent supplies to his working space. He intended to set this one up right alongside his.
Thinking long and hard, the mercenary could think of no other person Lon'qu would do a favor for. The only one that came to his mind was the man's wife. "Olivia?" When Gregor didn't get a response, he assumed he hit the nail on the head. "You pull Gregor's leg," he exclaimed, "You are husband and wife. You must sleep in same tent. In same bed!"
Vaike and Frederick, who were both tending to the fires and meals, caught wind of the conversation at hand and joined in, albeit Frederick unwillingly.
"You're kidding me," Vaike's voice added as he approached the two. "With a girl like Olivia and you still prefer the company of an empty tent?"
While Frederick pried his collar from Vaike's fingers, he said, his hands working on smoothing out his shirt, "I find it rather admirable, Vaike. In case you haven't realized, we are in war. We ought to be using our nights for gathering sleep, not tomfoolery." Satisfied with the smoothness of his shirt, he shifted moods to stare sharp daggers at Vaike. "Speaking of which," he added, "I must ask that you either move your tent or occupy another one as you are within too close of Milord's sleeping quarters."
"Yeah? And what of it?" The blonde man sneered back.
Remaining calm and composed, Frederick responded in return, "Chrom has stated that he has had difficulty going to sleep as of late; reason being that he continues to hear Lady Maribelle's voice throughout the night. Surely you would know something of this?"
"Hey if Chrom finds a problem with it, he can feel free to move. But the Teach here doesn't plan on going anywhere."
"Then I will be forced to disassemble your tent if you refuse to comply."
"Oh yeah? I dare you to try."
As the two bickered back and forth Lon'qu felt grey hairs forming as his hands clenched the canvas so hard it was bound to leave permanent wrinkles. At this rate, regardless of whether he wanted to or not, it looked as if he would be sharing the tent with Olivia for the night. Hopefully, she wouldn't mind.
XxxxxxX
With their steeds keeping watch for Risen - or the occasional peeping tom - a good portion of the women, just as Lon'qu had predicted, were tending to their personal hygiene. Olivia, having been dragged here by Maribelle, stared uneasily at her allies as they swam in the spring; all of them unembarrassed by their nudity.
As Maribelle took to removing her own clothes, Olivia remained where she stood, her hands locked before her. Though she knew there was nothing to be ashamed of seeing as how they were all women, the dancer had no desire to join them; the idea of their eyes on her bare body giving her an anxiety attack.
It wasn't until Maribelle was in the water did she notice Olivia had failed to follow suit and still remained on the bank. "Won't you join us, Olivia darling," she asked.
"Oh, uh...N-no. I'm fine over here." She waved back.
"If you're worried about any of the boys, there's no need," Cherche chimed in from across the spring. She was tending to her beloved wyvern, running her hands along its cranium as it lowered its head. "Minerva here will warn us of any extra bodies. Won't you girl? Yes you will!"
Robin, who was bathing just beside the wyvern lover, nodded in agreement. "Besides, I'm sure Lon'qu will keep the boys at bay for you. Though, I can't say the same of some of the other husbands." She passed a glance towards Maribelle as she said so.
"W-well…" Olivia began to nervously fiddle with her top, deciding whether or not she wanted to remove it to join the others. She felt it would be rude if she were to walk off on them since they wanted her company so felt she had to comply. Besides, it was not as though she didn't want a bath either. Even in war she still wanted to remain clean especially when she traveled with her husband.
Just as her top was coming off, Minerva, who had been enjoying her master's caresses, suddenly stiffened upon sensing a disturbance come within proximity to the woman's spring. By her reaction, Cherche could see it was no mere peeping tom and immediately reached for her lance, the others following suit.
Eventually, the sound of wyvern wings could be heard from above and before long, their Risen trespassers made their appearance. With bowstrings pulled taut, the ominous creatures rained arrows down upon the women. As Minerva became Cherche's and Robin's shield, the other women took cover underneath the trees, their training giving them the agility to avoid some of the incoming arrows.
Olivia, though not as nimble as the others, made a dash towards Maribelle to help her out of the water. "Where's Vaike when you need him," she heard her grumble as she pulled her to land. Once the noble regained her land legs, the two made for the nearest tree. Behind them, they could hear Minerva let out a shrill shriek as an arrow made its way past its skin.
The shrill startled Olivia, causing her to look back and upon doing so, managed to spot the arrow coming straight at them. Without much time to consider her next action, using all the might in her slender body, she brusquely shoved Maribelle away from her, the momentum from the shove causing her own self to stumble to the ground.
"What was that – " Before Maribelle could give Olivia a good scolding, the arrow which had initially been aimed at them pierced the ground between them, silencing her words.
"S-sorry," Olivia said as she pushed herself up by her hands. However, she was given little time to gather herself before the next arrow was shot. This one came straight at her and she was defenseless while not on her feet.
Shutting her eyes, she braced herself for the impact and hoped that if anything, the arrow would pierce an easily repairable appendage. However, instead of feeling a sharp pain, she felt a warm body surround her which was followed by the sound of metal against metal. "I've got you." A deep voice told her.
Alerted to the action by Minerva's cry, the men back at camp had come rushing. Fortunately the spring was hardly even a walk from camp and they arrived in record time.
Though she didn't need to open her eyes to know who had just saved her, Olivia wanted to see her husband. With an arm around her shoulders, he looked down at her, concern written in his usually calm features. "Are you alright, Olivia," he asked.
She wanted to reply that she was fine, dandy, anything of the sort, but the closeness he held her at made her beet red. "Oh gosh," she muttered. "I'm sorry. This is so embarrassing…"
Seeing her shyness made him redden just the same but he didn't pull away. Rather, he passed her a smile and ran a finger over her cheeks. Somewhere along their romantic journey, Lon'qu had found the blush that always donned her cheeks to be rather cute; a word he rarely used to label anything. He helped her to her feet then, after looking over her for any scratches, he switched his attention towards the Risen. "I'll make this quick."
With the help of Robin's magic quickly dismounting the wyverns, the Risen plunged to the ground where they were fated to meet Lon'qu's razor edge. Deftly and swiftly, he rid the beasts on his side of the playing field while Vaike and Chrom took their fair share of the load on the other end.
Just as quickly as they had come, the Risen disappeared just the same and peace found its place once again. As each went to check on their corresponding other half, Olivia, on light footsteps, approached Lon'qu and before any words could be shared between them, she launched herself at him, throwing her arms about his neck.
Her actions nearly caused him to stumble, but, after getting a firm grip on her, the swordsman regained his footing. "I love you so much, Lon'qu," she said into the crook of his neck.
Turning an even brighter red, Lon'qu glanced around at the others, noticing that they were too occupied with their own spouses to pay him any mind, and whispered back rather fiercely, "D-don't say that so loud!" Despite his words, he tightened his arms around her petite waist and lowered his head so that his lips were just beside her ear. "But I love you, too…" He concluded.
Lucina, who had come upon the scene at the last second, studied the two and raised a curious eyebrow. Since reuniting with her father, she had been studying the crew she was traveling with and had been matching them with their potential child. Lately she had been eavesdropping on Lon'qu and Olivia and wondered if they could possibly be his parents.
The physical similarities shared between Inigo and Lon'qu was rather uncanny and there had also been the rumors of Inigo having some amazing dancing abilities. Though she hadn't been able to conclude this herself, she found it wasn't an impossibility. But then there were the facts that threw her for a loop. Inigo, if her memory served right, was an all-out womanizer while his potential parents couldn't even stare at one another without becoming all blushes. "They couldn't be, could they?"
She had initially planned for only herself to hear that but as fate would have it, her words were caught in the ears of someone else. "Eavesdropping, young lady?"
"F-father!" She quickly turned around and was quickly met with the stern face of her beloved father and mother. By their stances, she could tell they wanted an explanation. "Uh, I was just uh…"
While Chrom let out a hopeless sigh, Robin gave a little chuckle. "You're becoming as red as Olivia," her father muttered. He wrapped an arm around his child's shoulders and guided her from the forest. "Apparently we failed to teach you about people's privacy in the future," Chrom said. "Guess we'll embed it into your mind now while we have the time."
Oblivious to Lucina's prying, Lon'qu and Olivia remained where they stood while the others around them returned to camp; most of them leaving upset over their disturbed bath. Before long, they were alone; their only company being each other, the trees, and the spring. Realizing that Olivia had not accomplished what she had wanted, Lon'qu, while averting his gaze, whispered, "Did you…want a bath?"
"Oh…N-no. I'm alright," she replied back.
Lon'qu was unconvinced as he turned his back to her. Casting aside her claim, he said,"I'll keep watch. Just…be quick, won't you?" With Olivia's eyes set on him the entire way, he made his way to the nearest tree and settled down behind it; the wide trunk obscuring him from her vision.
Though she wanted to object, Olivia decided that doing so would create a rather more awkward situation. Instead, she knelt down beside the spring and very slowly undressed, looking over her shoulder every once in a while, before slipping in.
Upon failing to check the temperature of the water, she let out a yelp as the sudden chill bit at her pale skin. Quickly following her startled squeak, was a rustle coming from Lon'qu's direction. Fearing that he would come out to check on her, she said shakily, "I-I'm alright!"
Lon'qu let out a satisfied grunt before resettling his nerves and loosening the grip on his sword. For such an elite dancer, she sure had her share of clumsy moments. Yet, as much as he hated to admit it, her clumsiness made her all the more perfect in his eyes.
Taking a glance at her from his spot behind the tree, he spotted the rose-haired beauty surrounded by water that glowed with the moonlight. Such an enchanting scene but in Lon'qu's eyes, the moonlight was unnecessary to perfect the image. So long as Olivia continued to radiate, Lon'qu had no need for any other source of light as they all dimmed in comparison.
As he was still taking in her beauty, Olivia finished her bath and waded into the shallow end of the pond. Around this time, Lon'qu found it was the appropriate time to turn away and he waited to hear her announce her completion. However, as he waited, he continued to hear the water swishing and before long, her meek voice called out to him. "Um…L-Lon'qu…? I forgot my towel…"
As his cheeks began to burn red, the swordsman gave a hopeless rumble as he muttered, "This woman…"
XxxxxxX
Another village saved from Risen. Inigo was proud of his handiwork. Though, he wished the villagers would have been just as proud; particularly the women.
"We're very grateful for the help," the young milkmaid said. "I know it's not much but please, accept this loaf of bread for your travels."
Inigo stared at the loaf, still steaming from its bake, and gently shoved it away as he shortened the distance between himself and the young lady. "I would much rather prefer the company of a beautiful young lady such as yourself over food despite how tempting it may be."
Unamused by his flirting, the milkmaid simply passed him a gentle smile. "I'm afraid flattery will get you nowhere, though I do appreciate it."
The young man gave a sigh. Where had he heard those words before? Admitting defeat, he took a step back, delivering to the woman her stolen space, and took the warm loaf into his hands, mumbling a weak thanks all the while.
As he prepared to take his leave, the villagers waving him off with their gratitude, the warmth of the bread that radiated in his hands reminded Inigo of someone and he stopped mid-step. Turning back to face the farmers he had saved, he spoke, "If I'm not being too selfish, perhaps I can ask for one other reward?"
The villagers swapped glances among one another, each of them wondering if there was a girl desperate enough to satisfy him. "What is it, lad?" The village elder asked.
"I was wondering," Inigo began, "if you would know, or heard rumors of, a dancer with hair matching her blush traveling with a band of soldiers."
"Hm…" The old man looked into the moonlit night sky as he rubbed his white beard, pondering all the while. "These days, bands of soldiers are a common sight. Castaways, villagers, orphans, and the like gather together to form them. I couldn't tell you if your specific dancer was involved with the ones we have spotted."
"Ah," Inigo mused, "But you would know this dancer if you saw her. She has her own radiance; making the sun and the moon pale in comparison."
"Well, if that's the case, then I must disappoint you. We know of no such person."
"I see." Inigo nodded, his smile hiding the frustration within his heart.
"But if such a woman comes by, we'll be sure to tell her of your search," the man said, trying to lighten the mood. "Surely if you're scouring the land for her, she must be doing the same for you."
Inigo smiled. "Much thanks, though I think that will be unnecessary." Last thing he wanted to do was give his mother the idea that she had some stalker. Not only would it give her an anxiety attack, but he doubted his father would take the news all too well either. Proceeding with his departure, he waved farewell to the villagers. "Fare thee well," he called to them, "If any other problems come up, you can count on me to be here!"
With that said, he disappeared behind the hill leaving the villagers to picture the woman he had described. "A woman who's shine is more brilliant than the sun…" They mused. To describe someone as such, they figured the young man must really love whoever she may be…
A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter seemed slow and uneventful, but I sort of planned on this section to "set the stage" and give a starting point to this tale. Hopefully, things will begin to pick up soon after this. Until then, thanks for reading and as usual, feel free to tell me your thoughts, criticisms, and whatnot.
