Chapter 7:

The ferry to Valm was an unusually quiet affair. Libra had finally stopped his profuse apologizing, though whether this had anything to do with seasickness or him finally accepting that Chrom did not wish to reprimand him, the Exalt was not sure. As the boat swayed Chrom jerked his gaze up from the floor to see Morgan looking at him intently.

"Can we talk please?"

Chrom nodded, Libra and Cordelia were nursing their seasickness, Lucina and Severa were playing some board game called Seven Minutes in Heaven in their cabin, though how they were using dice in rocking seas was Chrom's guess. Chrom followed the younger tactician who was still wearing her dad's signature coat as she had been when they had left Ylisse in Lissa and Maribelle's care. They stepped out onto the deck of the ship, the wind chilly but not blowing so fierce as to drown out conversation.

"What are you planning to do with them?"

"What?"

"My parents, what are your plans for them?"

"I don't know…I haven't really thought about it"

"So, there's a chance you'll have my father executed then?" Morgan replied, her voice as chilly as the sea probably was as it flicked the hull of the ship.

"What? Morgan, no!"

"So, life in prison then?"

Again, Chrom looked at the younger tactician as though she had carrots growing out of her nose in a figure eight pattern. He genuinely hadn't thought about what he would do when he saw Robin and Cynthia other than apologize to his daughter.

"Morgan, what are you-"

"Stop playing games with me!" Morgan shouted, and Chrom recoiled slightly.

"I um-"

"The Exalt has already decided, or rather I have decided for him."

Chrom and Morgan turned towards the steps, which Sumia was clambering over with great effort, a flower half-plucked in her right hand. Once she had gained as much balance as she ever had on the slightly slickened deck of the ferry Sumia inhaled and tossed the flower overboard.

"Robin saved his kingdom and our world from unparalleled danger. It is true I am a bit annoyed he didn't tell Chrom or I about his and Cynthia's courtship. However, Cynthia has been making what I now realized were hints of her adoration of Robin for quite some time."

"How?" Morgan and Chrom both replied dryly.

"Cynthia and I read together, lately many of her recommendations have been stories where Princesses marry for love. Whether it is the gardener, maid, teacher, or farm boy the love and shucking away of law and arraignment is the common theme. I should have realized marriage for love was something she valued and remembered how it was to fall in love myself with Chrom. There is also the not insignificant matter of her Hero infatuation."

Both Chrom and Morgan looked baffled as Sumia, unperturbed and sighing thinking of her own courtship, continued.

"Our daughter deserves to love who she pleases Chrom. I understand that you may feel awkward, even angered at your daughter marrying your best friend. But because of how time travel works the age gap isn't significant. Is it weird? Yes, calling Robin my son-in-law was never something I figured was possible but out of all the men in the world to trust with keeping our Cyn safe, I feel like Robin is far and away one of the better if not the absolute best option."

Sumia looked at Chrom expectantly.

Chrom mumbled something neither Morgan or Sumia could hear, the oddness of talking about his best friend's feelings making him scratch his neck.

"It wasn't out of malice that you didn't know…" a weak voice came, before a nasty retching sound.

"Libra, I apologize but do you know something else?"

"Yes my Queen…Robin did not want to fall in love with Cynthia and he struggled with the moral implications mightily. I would have told you all of this sooner but-"

Libra retched into his sick bucket again as Cordelia came up behind him on the steps patting his back.

"Vomiting makes conversation difficult." Morgan finished.

"It's also difficult to convey new information when the first step upon receiving information is to fly to the border of a foreign country and get a boat." Cordelia added, though the look she gave Sumia made certain the Queen didn't take it as an accusation.

"Much of Lucina's strange story was only the slightest alteration of fact, I got the uncensored version. Cynthia and Robin came to me separately over this love affair many times."

Sumia looked hurt, but she understood this was because priests can't talk about what worshippers say to them.

"Cynthia wanted to confirm Robin truly loved her before telling you both and Robin wished not to fall in love because he values your friendship Lord Chrom."

"I just would like to add." Chrom said, a bit louder than he intended.

"That when Morgan asked her question about my plans for Robin and Cynthia, execution, imprisonment, and torture were never options in my mind, though I lack Emmeryn's wisdom and much of her skill I am not Gangrel or Validar. I am not a cruel man. However odd, this Cynthia is an adult who I have exhibited failings as a father to, I nearly tossed her happiness down the drain with the bath water because I didn't want to talk to Robin or ask his advice. If I had asked for his advice I might have avoided a whole slew of problems and found out about Cynthia's….eh"

"Advances. Both made that clear to me that she was the proactive one." Libra replied before going to the side of the ship to empty his sick bucket. Sumia stifled a laugh, not wanting it to seem like Libra's stomach was her source of humor.

"She is my daughter, advancing on her father's best friend is something reckless and whimsical to her I'm sure. Morgan, I just wanted to say I am sorry. I know this must be stressing you as much as if not more than Chrom and I. Can you forgive your Grandma?"

Morgan's face twitched once, twice, and then with tears beginning to trickle she ran towards Sumia and hugged her, Sumia cooing softly, nearly losing her balance.

"We'll get to see your parents get married, and you'll have a whole family to make memories with."

...

Before they made their final trek to Lady Tiki, Robin and Cynthia decided to stop in Rosanne, to buy their wedding supplies both noting that Virion, despite his oddness, had facilitated the rise of a high-end garment industry in his homeland. However, once they arrived in the tiny oasis not far from the base of the Mila Tree, Cynthia was reminded with a jealous jolt to her stomach that Virion was married to Cherche. The mention Robin had made of the affair with her kept replaying over and over in Cynthia's head. So, when Robin went out to go buy himself a tuxedo the morning after they had arrived, an event which Virion had invited himself to participate in, Cynthia resolved to speak with the Wyvern Rider if only to clear her mind of the worry that Cherche like Anna would make a move on Robin. She met Cherche by accident not too long after she had committed to the idea, because the pink-haired Wyvern rider was the one who helped her up when she inevitably tripped on her face in one of the shops near Virion's compound.

"Princess Cynthia!? Is Lord Chrom following close behind?"

"Lady Cherche! Um, daddy is fine and he isn't coming as far as I know."

"Then what finds the junior member of the finest royalty in the realms all the way out here in Rosanne?"

Blushing at the praise of her family but deciding to blurt before she lost her nerve Cynthia responded, "I am getting married to Robin in a secret ceremony with Lady Tiki so my father and the rest of the nobles have no choice but to bless the matrimony".

Cherche blinked four times in rapid succession while she processed what she had been told.

"I knew Robin would find himself a fine wife one day" The wyvern rider replied with a smile, though not totally cloaking her resignation to her own unhappy marriage.

"I know about your past with Robin."

Cherche scowled, and her next response was in a far less friendly tone.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Lady Cherche, you don't have to lie to me, I am not mad, but I wanted to-"

"Not here. Let's head back to my quarters."

The trek to Cherche's private quarters was about ten minutes from the main building of Virion's compound and fifteen walking from town as they had. Cherche held the door for Cynthia with a grimace and shut the door behind her, looking defiant.

"If you're here to badger me about the decisions I made in my marriage, get on with it."

"No No No! Lady Cherche, you misunderstood me. I am not here to chastise you. Do you have any idea what I have done to get to this point with Robin?"

Cynthia told Cherche what had transpired between her and Robin, how much she loved him, after getting about the same shade of pink as Cherche's hair how they had made love, and finally what she wanted from Cherche.

"I really wanted to ask Lady Cherche, about what er, oh fiddle sticks there's not a good way to say it. The hottest sex you and Robin had."

The older woman gawked at the lewdness of the question when she looked into the younger woman's chocolate eyes, which shown not with hate or disdain, but with genuine curiosity.

"I must say Cynthia, I assumed Robin finding a wife would lead to her seeking retribution against me should she find out what he and I did. I never imagined that she would ask for something so craven."

"Will you indulge me?"

"Only if you promise not to tell Virion that we had this conversation. He still doesn't know and for the sake of my marriage despite the hypocrisy it shall stay that way."

"Does he chase floozies around still?"

"No we are faithful now, but he did skirt chase while we were just engaged which is what led me into Robin's arms back during the Valmese campaign. Things are much better now that we are married, well that and Minerva threatened to eat him a couple times. But at that time, I was lonely, feeling like life had betrayed me and war makes cravens of us all in some ways. The wounds never really go away and I am not proud of it, though I bear Robin no ill will for giving me the attention my fiancé denied me for those two long years of the Valmese war…I was in Robin's tent with him more often than I was not."

"Did anyone ever find out? Did Minerva try to eat him too?"

Cherche laughed at the second question before answering the first.

"No, Minerva likes Robin. I think Tharja knew, Anna provided cover in exchange for other services. Although if you stayed at her inn you probably gathered that from the skank. Apologies did I say skank out loud?"

"No need to apologize Cherche, I told her we were getting married and she still hit on Robin. Anna may have been a great Shepherd, and a world-class merchant but she is more than a bit shameless when it comes to her love of money and famous dick."

"Well said, fortunately Robin handed her on his own time which meant that when I was feeling…lonely things were taken care of for our privacy. Before I continue Cynthia I have to ask, what separates me from Anna in your mind?"

"Well for one, you seem to have settled on the idea that Robin is taken now without hitting on him, two you didn't shake your ass at him while I was present, three I am the one who jealously decided to bring up old wounds of your otherwise dormant tryst. In the war in my time we had to make decisions on a regular basis to leave people behind to die. Somehow acting out of loneliness and horniness in the face of a disloyal fiancé seems far less egregious than that."

"Thank you, Cynthia, although you need not be jealous of me. Robin respects my marriage. Funny how no longer having a partner who is openly skirt chasing will stabilize things. When I was engaged to Virion but not yet married I could sort of use Virion's actions to logic my way into getting Robin to sleep with me."

Cherche blushed.

"To your question though…."

Lemon Warning

Cherche knew she shouldn't be here, that she ought to be in her own tent, perhaps scowling at the accursed engagement ring on her left hand. Instead that ring, like her fiancé Virion was absent and the words of their last conversation were ringing in her head, as they did every time he went out to whatever Valmese town the Shepherds were camped nearest.

"I'm just going out dancing." He would say, the early brandy of the evening staining his breath. Cherche knew better. Virion drunk was even more flirtatious than the man sober, not easily replicated. He would not remember this night's events and although Cherche never bothered to witness them herself she knew from reliable sources what and whom her supposed beloved was consorting with. The 'dancers' wagged their tongues on his anatomy as often as they did their hips on the dance floor. She shook her head as she had shaken off the metal accoutrements that normally adorned her navy outfit with its greyed pinstripes. She'd had this discussion with herself enough times and it was long past the point of productive, if Virion was going to pump every prostitute within a kilometer radius, she was entitled to forget their engagement too.

Besides, she knew who she was fooling around with. She trusted Robin, he knew how Virion was, he knew how deeply Cherche loved Virion, and how hurt she was by his drink-fueled debauchery. She had told him the first time she had asked for his hand in matters of the flesh that this was more physical than emotional (although he was always a willing listener and good friend as well) and he understood, that when Virion strayed off the path he was sworn to take with Cherche, that she would choose to stray into his arms, and inhale the scent of his purple hair.

She knocked on the enchanted tent flaps.

"Robin…" Cherche had not checked the strategy tent and prayed silently to Naga that he had not chosen to take an off night to study. She grinned sardonically to herself at the thought of praying for the sake of an affair. A moment later Robin's head poked through the tent flap.

"Were you expecting me?"

"A little bit" Robin murmured apologetically.

"I saw Virion wandering off with Vaike towards town, I'm sorry."

"No Robin, I'm sorry. I shouldn't drag you into my relationship problems."

Robin held back a sigh. Cherche said this to him every time she came to his tent, whether it was to cry on his shoulder, cuddle, talk about Minerva, or physical touch. Robin was wondering which Cherche had come primarily for when she crossed the threshold and kissed his cheek.

"You know, you don't have to keep doing this for me…"

"I'm your friend Cherche." Robin replied, this verbatim conversation was part of their ritual as well.

"Friends usually aren't also bedfellows."

"I know."

"Maybe this will be the last time, wouldn't you help me, one last time?"

Robin nodded and Cherche kissed his lips, shucking her pinstriped garment to the floor as they broke apart. She was wearing a dark green set of smallclothes as she lay on Robin's bed and he cast the usually silencing and contraceptive spells that would keep their activity from being known. He also charmed his tent flaps to turn dark brown which indicated he was not to be disturbed. His fellow Shepherds would assume this meant Robin was either reading or sleeping and both were technically right. It was just Cherche's body that was being read instead of a strategy tome. He dimmed all but a few candles and Cherche smiled. Robin always had a slight pampering edge to him. She supposed in a different lifetime she would have rejected her sense of obligation to Virion and let Robin love her wholeheartedly. But that wasn't this one, and in this one instead of devoted partner he was illicit lover, and she was okay with it.

"Thank you Robin, my dear friend."

Robin lay next to Cherche, wearing nothing but shorts. Cherche turned away from rolling onto her stomach with a small smile. Robin began tracing the powerful back and shoulder muscles that in addition to taming a wyvern, had given Robin many a tight, needing hug. Cherche shuddered at the contact, as Robin began kissing along her shoulder blades and undid her bra before reaching the hem of her panties.

"Wait Robin," Cherche whispered before rolling over and flicking them off her powerful legs.

"Do you want me to-"

Robin didn't get to finish the question as Cherche gently pushed his head between her legs expectantly. Cherche could feel him smiling as the tip of his nose brushed the neatly trimmed pink hairs before he began working his tongue between her nether lips.

"Ahh, Robin…thank you…more"

Robin had no intention of stopping his motions, figuring that women like Cherche were the reason the phrase honeypot even existed. He relished the way her abdominals twitched, her gentle encouragement, and the less gentle grip on his hair. As his tongue began to grow tired Cherche tugged his locks, indicating she wanted to switch.

"You're my mount tonight" she purred in a seductive tone reserved only for Robin (though Cherche would never admit as such and Robin would never ask). Robin nodded and arranged himself comfortably on his back while Cherche took her 'seat' on his member.

"Cherche, you feel so good…" Robin groaned.

"Hold on tight Robin, this is going to be-"

But she didn't finish her sentence, she didn't need to as she threw herself back down onto Robin, her leg muscles displaying all their latent power in this carnal dance. This wasn't lovemaking, this was pure physicality but neither Cherche nor Robin cared. Every thrust upward, every grasping for more skin contact, every growl was release of stress.

"Oh Cherche! Keep riding!"

"I will Robin, ugh!"

Robin had slapped Cherche's buttocks, which caused her to jerk her hips differently, Robin yowled with pleasure, reaching out for Cherche's slightly less than a handful breasts, squeezing. This brought Cherche to her edge and Robin to his. They began to slow the rhythm down, Cherche's bouncing became less pronounced, and Robin's ministrations became more soppily gentle. Neither were sure when their orgasm had hit only that it had as Robin pulled Cherche, who had let Robin's member slide out, into a sweaty hug.

"Thank you Robin, we can go again in a little bit, you on top of me…"

"Okay Cherche…"

End of Lemon

It was Cynthia's turn to gawk.

"Virion doesn't know, that I know of his past sins or how I paid him back for his foolery, it shall stay that way, whether that choice is right or wrong or I have regret… I haven't offended you have I princess?"

"Oh no, I just wanted to know what shenanigans my man has been up to…" Cynthia murmured, unsure of how to process Cherche's blunt assessment of her marriage or her admission of libido with Robin.

"You're quirky Princess Cynthia, usually people who meet people their significant others previously engaged with in this manner are awkward or angry."

"A lady has to do what she has to do. As nice as Robin taking care of me in the bedroom is, I kinda want to take charge every now and again. Thank you Cherche for your story, um I had one other favor to ask."

"Fire away Princess Cynthia."

"Can you help me dress shop? I need another set of eyes to help decide in your garment district."

"Of course I can help, we can start at the shop where Lissa and Maribelle bought theirs."

Cherche noticed Cynthia was looking at the ground.

"You always imagined your sister helping with this?"

"Yeah…"

Cherche gave Cynthia a hug.

"We can still have fun, and if you want I can tell you other steamy stories, perhaps dispel the last notions that your mild-mannered husband is too deep in books for the less refined."

"I think that'd be interesting. I have more questions...if you'll indulge"

"I can tell you his guilty pleasure milady. Also, if you want a third…"

Cherche winked indicating her lack of seriousness, as Cynthia went darker in a blush.

"I'm kidding. Just allow me to give Robin a congratulatory hug?"

"Of course! I'm not that mean."

Cherche beamed and they headed back out to the center of town to shop and gossip, neither caring about being atypical regarding Robin but cognizant of their mission all the same.