- Disclaimer: Fire Emblem characters do not belong to me.

- Notice: May contain spoilers. Original characters may be added. Storyline may deviate from original video game. Contains fantasy violence, mild language, alcohol reference, and suggested themes.


Thirty minutes earlier...

"Hrm...there's not much here to wear." Tharja stated as she browsed through the selection. "No one wants to see me in this." She held out her assigned bikini. "Unless...yes, perhaps Robin would like it!" The dark mage held out the red swimsuit before her. "This could be the key to winning his affections!" She beamed enthusiastically.

As she started to undress, thoughts of the blonde tactician filled her mind. She was sure there was something ensuing between the two of them. All she needed to do was catch his undivided attention before making her move.

She removed her cloak, then body stocking. Alone in the dressing room, she removed her other garments before slipping into its red top, followed by the bottom half.

- bustle - rustle - sproing -

"Oof..." She felt the top squeeze her breasts. "It's a little tight...is it supposed to hug my chest like this?" She felt for it's strap, maybe there was a way to loosen it. An unfamiliar feeling suddenly crept from behind. "And why is it...nngh...riding so far up from my behind?" She lowered her head. "Just what is this merchant up to?"

"Tharja, are you all changed?" Anna knocked on the dressing room's door.

The raven haired girl faced the door. "You should know, vixen swindler. I demand answers!"

"What's wrong, you don't like your swimsuit?" Her face died down into a frown. "Hang on, let me take a look." She opened the door and entered.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" She was adjusting her swimsuit's underwear.

"Sorry, it sounded like you needed help." She sheepishly lied. Anna took her time observing Tharja's physique. "My gods Tharja - most women would kill for that body. Her eyes drifted from the girl's chest to her rear, she was without a doubt highly gifted.

"Thanks, so did I."

"Er...so what's the problem?" The swimsuit looks great on you." She turned the girl around examining her carefully. "I think I picked out the perfect design."

Tharja deadpanned at the girl. "...Did you even bother to check my size?"

"Uh, oh...Too tight?" She assumed as the dark mage readjusted her top and bottom.

"My uncanny valleys beg for reprieve." She gestured to her tightened chest. "You bought me a size too small on purpose, didn't you?"

Anna placed her finger onto her lips. "I'm sorry Tharja, I guess I got too focused on the design." She stepped back to view her body as a whole. "Besides, it's hard to get someone's measurements right based on hearsay." Anna couldn't stop observing her boobs. "You've got a lot more..er..femininity than I'd heard."

"Spare me your flattery, slattern." Tharja waved her hand to dismiss the remark. "Now I'll never win Robin's affections!" Her cheeks blushed bright red. "I can't even step outside."

"Robin...the tactician?" She tilted her head to the side.

Tharja looked at herself in the mirror. It would've been perfect, had it been the right size.

"Hmm, I do admit. You two would make a great pair."

Tharja turned around. "What?"

"Yeah, I'd say he's on par with you in the looks department."

"On par? We have parity?!" She looked skeptically at the red headed merchant. "Then it is true, some force binds us!" She stated with enthusiasm. The dark mage looked at herself in the mirror, the pageant wouldn't last long. She would have to accept the pain and show off her swimsuit before the clever tactician. If she could manage that much, then maybe they could continue where they left off.

"Wait, Tharja!" Anna watched the raven haired girl leave with her bikini.

Meanwhile in the other dressing room...

"What a charming little garment!" Cordelia held out a blue bikini. It had a well crafted top and bottom that looked like a mini skirt. "It's even in my favorite color!" She placed it above her armor, imagining what it would look like. "I wonder if he would look my way if I wore this outside..." The pegasus knight thought mentally.

She removed her armor and hung it over. Cordelia bent down to unhook the straps from her legs. As her clothes came off, she slipped into the swimsuit.

"Well that worked out well..." Anna spoke to herself as she walked back to her store. She couldn't find Tharja after she bolted for the exit in her red swimsuit.

- Fwip - Swip - Thwunk -

"Speaking of far too little..." She crossed her arms as the top started to fall off. "Ack...Where's my breastplate when I need it?" Cordelia turned to find it laying on the ground." She attempted to reach down for it when the door suddenly opened.

"Everything all right?" She held up her breastplate and examined the girl. "I've finished changing...but I'm far too mortified to set foot outside." She turned around with her arms crossed tightly.

"Here, let me have a look." She turned her around to check.

"What?...No. Don't! Pleeeease." She squirmed as Anna turned her to face herself.

"Whoah! You look amazing." Anna placed her hands on her sides. "Was all that groaning from being mortified?" She teased her lightly. "Were you worried that men's hearts would stop when they saw you?" The merchant grinned happily. "Very chivalrous, but I think you can make your debut with pride."

Cordelia moved closer as if to whisper to the girl. "But my...you know..." She motioned her eyes to her chest.

"Your 'you know'?" Anna looked confused. "Why are you holding your chest like that? Are you not feeling well?" She bent down to check Cordelia's head which faced down. "Here, let me have a look. Arms wide!" She tried to pry her arms open.

"Ack!" She yelled loudly. "No, please don't!" She struggled to fight back. "Please milady, NOOOO!"

Anna pried her arms away to reveal what Cordelia had been so desperate to hide. "...Ohhh."

"..." Cordelia held her head to the side, this was so embarrassing.

"I get it now, you're worried your size won't cut it with the guys. Is that it?"

"M-Must you be so direct?" She blushed as she spoke to defend herself. A sigh escaped her lips as she looked down. "Now everyone will know my breastplate is a sham."

"Now, now. Don't be upset, Cordelia." Anna placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "We can't all have everything, you know. It's the flaws that bring out our beauty!" She gave her a smile.

Cordelia sniffed a tear away. "You mean it?" She lifted her head as her eyes met the merchant's.

"Of course." She gave her a quick embrace to cheer her up. "Now come on, you've got that pageant to win."

"Wait, no. I-I can't go out like this."

"Sure you can, the others are already finished. The only one we're waiting for is you!"

Cordelia planted her feet on the ground, she wasn't quite ready for her debut.


"Gods, how do women even wear this?" Sully asked herself as she wore a black two piece bikini.

"Wow Sully!" Nowi gazed at the cavalier's toned abdomen. She can tell that she'd been working hard to keep her physique.

"What?!" She covered her chest with her arms crossed. "What are you gaping at?"

"Nothing, just that you're body us so..muscular and toned." Nowi wore a yellow two piece, the design didn't stray that far from her usual attire.

"Anyways look at the ocean!"

"Thanks?" Sh raised an eyebrow before watching the waves crash. "Sure is. Full if swaying palms and a crap load of gold sand." She looked back at Nowi beside her. "It's kinda like looking at a postcard from a holiday resort, eh?"

"Yup, we're going to have so much fun!" She jumped up high.

"Yeah, we shiuld definitely take more vacations when the war is done."

"Oh man, that would be amazing! We could collect shells, build sand castles..." She knelt on the ground and scooped up some sand. "Oh, and eat fruit! Lots of delicious, tropical fruit! Hee hee!" The manakete roared in laughter. "I can't wait!"

Sully formed a smile as she looked out to sea.

"Actually, scratch the vacation-we should just come live here instead!"

"Live here?" Sully raised an eyebrow. "Lemme ask you something Nowi..."

"Ooh, you wanna know why he ocean gets angry sometimes, right?!" She held her index finger into the air. "Well, it turns out there's an old manakete king sleeping far beneath the sea." She paced before Sully in the sand. "Whenever he snores, it causes big waves to come crashig onto the sand!" Nowi kicked the sand beneath her feet. "Isn't that crazy!"

"Uh, yeah...Who told you the story anyways?"

"It was a wise old manakete I once knew. He was a friend from a long, long time ago."

"There are male manaketes? I figured they were all girls..." Sully furrowed her brow. "Wait, why are we talking about this? That's not what I wanted to ask!" She yelled in frustration. "When you were listing all that stuff to do on vacation, you forgot the best thing of all...Swimming!"

Nowi tuned her out as she skipped along the shore. "Tra-la-laaa! The beach is so much fun, all the sand palms and the sun." She sang in a cheery tune.

"...Wait, I think I get it now." Sully darted her eyes at the girl. "You can't swim, can you?"

Bulls eye.

"WHAT? That's CRAZY talk!" ME? Not able to SWIM?" Nowi stopped in her tracks. "I can't believe you'd even say something like that!" She started to sob...That's just so...MEAN!" The little manakete broke down and ran away from Sully.

The cavalier winced as she watched the girl flee. "Yeep. It's as I expected-she can't swim. Poor kid..." She shook her head before chasing after Nowi.

Olivia looked around frantically as she wore a white two piece swimsuit.

While waiting for Cordelia to finish, she thought it best to collect a few seashells on the beach as souvenirs.

"Olivia? What are you up to?" Cherche loomed over from behind as she sported a navy blue v neck one piece.

"Oh, Cherche!" She brought an orange shell to her face. "Just collecting seashells." Her pink hair flowed freely as she sat down.

"Really? What for?" The wyvern rider bent down to meet the girl.

The dancer smiled brightly. "I was hoping to take one back as a memento of our visit here." The sun kissed her far as she looked up at the clouds above. "As a dancer, I've been lucky enough to travel around the world. With each new place I go, I always try to find a keepsake to take home with me." She held out a medium sized shell. "I thought this would be a perfect way to remember the seashore."

"What a novel concept!" Cherche combed her magenta hair with her fingers as she placed it to her side. "For better or worse, I spent most o my days around Virion's manor." She looked back at the classy noble who sipped his tea with Gaius. "I barely ventured beyond the grounds, let alone far enough to warrant a memento." She met Olivia's eyes. " to be honest, I had no idea such a practice existed."

"That's so sad..." The pink haired dancer replied.

Cherche gave a gentle laugh. "Well, it was all I knew. That people can lead such widely differing lives is really quite eye opening."

"...Ooh. Then why don't you look for a memento of your own?"

"Hmm, yes. But it doesn't seem right to copy you. I'll need something other than a seashell." She slowly stood up to scan the sandy beach. Cherche found something intriguing beside the forest. She marched towards it and placed it in her hand. "How about this?" She opened her hand to the dancer.

"Er, is that...?" Olivia looked at it closely before backing away. "EEEK! IS THAT? It is! Augh, yuck!"

"What's gotten into you?" She pulled back her hand. "It's just an insect husk."

"JUST an insect husk?!" Olivia pointed her index finger at the shell. "Look at that thing!"

"Quite a site isn't it?" Cherche pushed the husk around her palm. "This type of insect only lives in warm, tropical locales like this one." She stared intently at it as Olivia kept her distance. "It starts life as a grub, then transforms into an adult, leaving behind its larval husk." The forest buzzed for a while. "All that buzzing you hear in the palm trees are the adults singing to court mates."

Olivia's face turned to disgust as she moved away from the woodlands.

Cherche took a step closer to the girl. "If you look closely, the ground at the foot of the palms is littered with their corpses.

"..." Olivia pressed her hands to her chest. How did she know so much about these insects?

"Then their dried husks flutter to the ground, marking the end of a ephemeral existence." She happily finished. "It's so beautiful isn't it?" She started to tear.

"Eve so beautiful?!" Olivia shrieked in horror, which attracted a few stares from the other girls. "More like, ever so GROSS!"

"Oh, come on." She lowered the husk away from the dancer. "I thought you of all people would appreciate the poetry, Olivia." Cherche frowned at the girl.

"Don't look at me like that!" She broke their gaze and moved away. "There's no poetry in dead bugs falling out of trees." Her finger extended to the palm beside the wyvern rider.

"I think you're allowing preconceptions to blind you to the wonder of the creatures." She set down the husk and replaced it with another. "Here, look at this little fellow." Cherche moved closer to Olivia and held out her hand. "Completely adorable!" She pointed at it with her free hand. "Up close it looks like he's smiling - like he's found peace in death."

"S-Smiling?" She yelled out once more. "ARRGH! I can't do this. Get the thing away from me!" Olivia backed away and ran for her life. If she spent another second watching those bugs and she would faint.

Cherche sighed as she was left alone on the beach. "That girl's too high strung..." She looked back at the other husks, they would make for perfect mementos of this place. The wyvern rider walked back to collect a few more.


Robin walked beside Chrom as they stood before the shop. The girls were scattered all over the beach sporting their swimsuits. The Ylissean prince blushed as he caught a glimpse of Sumia wearing a two piece lavender bikini. The tactician smirked as he sat down before the shack's steps.

"Oh, great! You're here!" Anna clapped her hands as she stood behind Robin who quickly turned around.

Cordelia hid behind the entrance as she immediately saw the blonde boy. Her cheeks flushed from embarrassment. She just couldn't go out like this.

Robin leaned to the side as he saw a peek of Cordelia hiding. Why was she hiding? He decided to move past Anna as he entered the store.

The merchant and Chrom exchanged looks as they watched the tactician.

"Cordelia?" Robin asked as he entered the store.

The knight remained quiet as she pressed her back behind his. "Don't turn around, I...I don't want you to see me this way."

"Huh?" He turned his head when Cordelia quickly whacked him on the head. "Ahh.." He winced.

"I said don't turn around." She spoke quietly before backing away.

"Is this about your...bikini?" His heart started to race as he imagined what she looked like.

"..."

"Because i'm sure you look fine in anything." He managed a smile at himself.

'What?' Did he really mean it? She watched his back, as there lay a new mark which looked like a wound. Her finger traced it slowly.

He held his breath as he felt her soft touch.

"You were wounded?" Cordelia asked the tactician.

"Uhh..." He was caught, there was no denying the mark.

Without thinking she turned to meet his face. "Robin, were you hurt?" She looked completely concerned.

"I..." His eyes drifted from her bright red hair to her collarbone. He had never seen her show so much skin before. The tactician swallowed hard before moving down to her chest, then her blue frilled bottom. He failed to finish the rest.

"You were...weren't you." Her eyes narrowed on the boy.

"Yeah." He turned away as the heat rose to his face. 'Gods, she's cute.' His chest pounded as he attempted to distract himself.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, it wasn't a big deal. I survived, didn't I?" He scratched his blonde hair.

Cordelia remained quiet, he was right. Why was she getting so worked up? She held her arm with her right hand.

"But I do have something to tell you.." He faced her once more and closed he distance between them. "I think...you look really cute in your swimsuit." He managed a nervous smile.

Cordelia blushed so hard that it nearly matched her red hair, "W-What are you saying?"

"I mean it. You, look cute." He cupped her cheek.

"You...do?" Her eyes met his as she felt her heart pound.

"Yes," Robin leaned closer as he remained entranced by the girl before her. Cordelia leaned in as well as their noses touched.

"Oh, there you two are!" Anna yelled from the entrance. "Now, come on so we can start!"

Robin pulled back as Cordelia watched him leave. Her heart fluttered as she found a sudden surge of confidence. She steeled herself before following the tactician and the others.


...To be continued

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