Chapter 10- Improvement
Robin shifted uncomfortably in his heavy cloak. It had not been his finest idea to take Chrom up on a bout just before they had to sit down at a meeting for a couple of hours. He could feel the sweat pooling in the small of his back and at the waistband of his trousers. Perhaps next time they should change beforehand? Robin sat, considering the potential benefit of a bathing facility nearby to the training grounds, as he let his eyes wander around the meeting room. This was his grand idea, a way in which Chrom's dislike for and distrust of meeting with all the nobles at once could be alleviated.
Robin had suggested replacing that daily meeting with a different daily meeting, and relegating all the nobles to once a week. This would perhaps be initially unpopular, the nobles feeling as if they're voices aren't being heard, but Chrom had assured him that most of the nobles simply didn't wish to be there, and only showed up because it was considered appropriate to do so. The daily meetings had been something his father had implemented, and that Emmeryn had not had the heart to change. So, Robin and Chrom had hashed out an idea for a replacement for this meeting, and reached this, hence why the two of them were sitting at a large rectangular table. Sitting might have been the wrong word however, Chrom was reclining back, his feet on the table and rocking back on his chair ever so slightly, a low lilting whistle coming from his pursed lips. Robin sat hunched over forwards, still trying to catch his breath.
So the group they had decided to put together was cautiously being called the Special Advisory Council to the Exalt. Robin had envisioned it as a group of Chrom's closest advisors who he trusted, who could be relied upon to provide wise and sensible advice, rather than what would get them the most out of it. This would allow more topics to be more sensibly discussed and much more to be covered in a shorter period of time, making the process much more efficient, and reducing the risk of Chrom tearing all his hair out. Another matter the two had discussed was who should be on the Council. They recognised that not everyone would always be able to be there, but they had decided upon a small group whose advice Chrom thought worthwhile.
So, the two of them sat there, or lounged as the case may be, waiting for their guests to arrive. The first of the members of the Council was already there, Frederick standing waiting by the door to let the other members in upon arrival. This hadn't been a hard decision on the part of the two friends. Frederick was the head of the Royal Guards, which meant that most decisions affected him, especially about royal travel. In addition to this, he had protected Chrom and Lissa all their lives, and provided much wise counsel during the wars of the past few years. As such, he was an invaluable member of the group. While he'd been a little flustered when asked, he had quickly accepted. If his Exalt thought he could be of further assistance, he would drop everything to do so. One would be hard pressed to find a more loyal individual than our Frederick.
The second member that the two had agreed upon fairly easily was Sumia. While her noble heritage was somewhat in dispute, she had grown up into a wise and mature Queen. The pair realised that she wouldn't be comin to every meeting, namely due to insisting on looking after the two children primarily herself, as if to make up for her absentee parents. This had been Robin's idea, and Chrom had been eager. He relied upon Sumia not just for comfort and support, but for advice. They would often lie in bed as he would ask her opinion on an idea he had, or bemoan something that had irked him. As such, she would be a calm head in a room that had the potential to get firey. She was on her way over to the room now.
A knock at the door sounded, and the first person to arrive stepped inside. An idea of Robin's, he had suggested the Captain of the Pegasus Knights, Cordelia. Pegasus Knights held a long tradition in Ylisse, and were very culturally important, thus, this should be respected. To become a Pegasus Knight was a great honour, and they were well regarded in society as being honourable and fair. Also their policy of only accepting women, apparently due to issues with the Pegasi bonding with men, Robin had learned, had given them a sense of mystique. In addition, Cordelia was a seasoned commander and experienced negotiator, and thus should be able to provide some shrewd insights. She smiled broadly upon seeing the two men in somewhat dishevelled clothing, Robin still lightly panting.
"Well, I can't say I'm surprised you two, but Chrom what will your wife think?" she teased the Exalt. A close personal friend of Sumia's Cordelia had become very close to their family. Chrom just raised his hand in the air in a tired, dismissive motion. Cordelia smirked upon seeing this, before turning to Robin.
"Ah, the master tactician! It is good to see you. I know you've only been back a couple of days, but I'm glad to be able to see you in person, it is a little bizarre seeing a dead man returned. Nonetheless, it's good to have you back. Now when are you going to marry that poor fiancé of yours?" she asked him pointedly, narrowing her eyes. Robin, under pressure, responded.
"Well, we've already talked about it, and Sumia was so kind as to organise the wedding planner that had planned their wedding, whose going to come and meet with us in a couple of days. It's spring at the moment, so we're thinking in about a month, at the start of summer?" Cordelia's face lit up with excitement, she did love a wedding. She opened her mouth, as if to reply, before suddenly turning in a flash of movement, faster than Robin's eye could track, towards the stoic guard who'd been standing behind her, watching their conversation. Out of nowhere, a knife appeared in her hand aimed at Frederick's throat. In an equally quick flash, however, Frederick raised his arm, catching Cordelia's hand in his own, before twisting it behind her back, making her drop the knife. Robin, in a state of shock, turned to Chrom, who waved away his concern.
"Oh, don't worry about it, they do it all the time," he said. "So long as they don't break anything again," he continued, referring to an occasion when Cordelia's attempt at riding her Pegasus indoors had resulted in some broken lights, "I really don't mind. I think it's just how they express their love for each other." Cordelia, disentangling herself, turned to give her husband a kiss on the lips.
"We've just got to keep each other on our toes, wouldn't do for us to lose focus or concentration! What's the score now, honey?" Frederick responded amiably, the ghost of a smile on his lips giving away more than he would ever do deliberately.
"I believe I'm winning by one, now."
"Damn," Cordelia replied, "I'll just have to plan the next one better." Robin shook his head in amusement, he was not wholly surprised that the couple had come up with a game of basically mock assassination, they were, after all, a perfect match for each other. Both of them were military, they'd fought at each other's' side for years and were both fiercely loyal to the Crown. Cordelia, moved over and sat down. She and Robin continued discussing the wedding that wasn't so far away, while Frederick went back to listening out for the next arrival. This time, they didn't have to wait long. A light knock sounded on the door, which was opened to reveal a balding man, dressed in finery. Robin hadn't met this man personally, only knew of him from Chrom, but had heard positive things. Chrom got up from his chair to welcome their next guest.
"Lord Fahn! So good of you to join us!" the Exalt welcomed warmly. This man was Maribelle's father, and was one of the few nobles whom Chrom could tolerate, in fact he rather like the man. Lord Fahn was different from many other nobles in that, although he commanded a relatively large amount of land and wealth, he wasn't arrogant or vain. Instead, he showed great consideration for others and held relatively mild positions on most issues. He had been suggested by Chrom as a way to demonstrate to the nobles that their views were being taken into consideration, and as a way to inject some more experience into their group, which was dominated by those that were fairly young, indeed, it was almost entirely made up of people not in their thirtieth year. Even Frederick, despite seeming so old and wizened, was only thirty himself. Chrom continued making small talk with the nobleman, and guided him to his seat.
The next person to arrive was Sumia, who had left the kids with their Aunt Lissa, very advanced in her pregnancy. She took one look at Chrom and Robin and rolled her eyes, viewing them as if they were children who had misbehaved. She walked over to her husband and began attempting to straighten his clothes out and run her fingers through his hair in order to neaten it a little. Throughout this somewhat futile effort, she berated him about not getting changed before sparring, and how he'd have to take a bath now, and how there was no way he was getting into bed unless he was clean and free of sweat. Chrom just sat there and accepted the treatment, Robin smirking next to him. Sumia turned towards the tactician.
"And you! I'm not happy with you either! Surely you know better than to encourage this nitwit!" Robin shrank under the verbal lashing. Sumia certainly played her role as mother of the realm with aplomb. Once she'd finished, she sat herself down to Chrom's right. Now they were only waiting for three more. While Lon'qu would normally be on the Council, he was in Regna Ferox at the moment, visiting the Khans. This actually worked well for Chrom and Robin, as they planned to make him their envoy and expert on Regna Ferox, so that constant communication could be made with their closest allies. Robin was set to act as the envoy to Plegia. Even though he had no memory of the country, nor did he have a lot of interest in going back there, technically he was the son of the previous ruler, which gave him a reasonable right to the throne.
As Robin sat there, lost in his thoughts, he heard a rustling of clothes. When he looked up, a figure that had not been there previously was calmly sitting at the table. Lord Elohim had been a request of Chrom's, and while Robin did not know the man well, he trusted Chrom's opinion. However, based on the stunned look on the faces of those present, he hadn't taken the normal way into the room. Frederick hadn't opened the door, thus, Robin looked to the window, open to let in some air. The tail of a piece of rope could just be seen at the top of the opening. Elohim caught Robin's line of sight and smiled.
"This one is a good tactician," he directed at Chrom. "It is no surprise you won the wars." Chrom rolled his eyes.
"You just couldn't enter like a normal person, could you?" the Exalt responded.
"Where's the fun in that?" Elohim countered, the wisps of his silver hair covering one eye. Now the group were awaiting two more. Cherche, their envoy and expert on Valm, wandered in next. She'd left Minerva outside the castle, in the grounds, though didn't seem hugely pleased about it. So then there was only one that was on their way. Robin looked towards Chrom; neither of them were surprised that he was late. But they had decided they needed someone closer to the everyday lives of the Ylissean people. Someone who understood the plights of those not in nobility and who might be able to provide an additional viewpoint to key issues.
They had both agreed on who it should be to fulfil that role, it was just that they were a little wary about him. He did have a tendency to be somewhat…unpredictable. A massive crash against the door signified that he'd arrived, and he stepped inside when Frederick opened the door. Cherche's face lit up when she saw him.
"Good afternoon, dear. How are you?" He responded.
"I'm great thanks! Now what about we get on with this? Teach is here, and class is in session!" Robin and Chrom looked at each other, then at Vaike, then they both sighed in concert. Hopefully this would be worth it.
Robin wandered through the hallways of the castle back towards his chambers. It had been one week since the Council had started meeting, and the whole process was going surprisingly well. While the nobles had loudly protested about being relegated to a once a week meeting, Robin thought that secretly many of them were pleased with that. It gave them more time to wine and dine and do whatever it was that nobles did in their spare time. Father illegitimate children perhaps.
In regards to the Council itself, they had limited themselves to meeting for an hour a day. Yet, despite this short period of time, there had actually been a lot that had been achieved. A smaller number of calm, respectful voices had ensured that discussions were had, rather than arguments. All the members of the Council wanted the same thing, to ensure a better future for Ylisse, and while they might disagree on the optimal manner in which to achieve this, they could agree on the motives behind it. Though Robin had had his doubts, Vaike had proved a useful addition to the group, the connections he possessed throughout the city giving him a unique perspective on the issues of the common people, that the Exalt wouldn't be aware of.
One of the key issues they discussed was the selective ostracising of a certain aspect of the city. Following the war against Valm, and its disastrous effect on the Valmese people, many had turned to asylum, moving to Ylisse in an attempt to start again. However, public trust of this group was small. Many within Ylissean society blamed these immigrants for their lost family members, and a peaceful integration was proving difficult. What had arisen was a situation of denial of service to the Valmese, and discrimination against them in virtually every possible way. While Chrom had been aware of the problem, the extent was unprecedented. All agreed that an immediate resolution was essential, and so Chrom dispatched a series of Royal Guards to the refugee-dominated areas to assist in keeping the peace.
Robin felt the pain of those who had moved to the city. Following the first war with Plegia, many had been distrustful of him based on his heritage. There wasn't an easy way to quantify the feeling you got when someone looked at you with sheer hatred. Not a hatred born out of the need to survive, such as in a battle, but a hatred born solely of who you are, what you represent. Thus, Robin, upon discovering the extent of the issue, had proposed the solution. He had also suggested that Cherche, as a Valmese citizen, could do some work attempting to educate the immigrants of Ylissean culture. If they could fit in a little bit better, then perhaps they wouldn't face the same degree of segregation, Robin hypothesised. He was also determined to visit that are more frequently. A highly visible face like his in the area should lend some weight to the cause.
While this had been the main topic of conversation throughout the week, it was by no means the only one. Tax policy had been brought up, where Lord Fahn's relative experience in the matter had proved invaluable. In addition to this, the matter of how to deal with corruption within the nobles was also raised, though it was a hard problem to solve due to the relatively large amount of influence the nobles wielded in society. Throughout the week, Robin had been able to spend far less time with Olivia, much to his annoyance, only able to see her in the mornings and evenings, when he wasn't working.
The two of them had at that point established a series of daily rituals around living together in a manner they hadn't been able to do during the campaign. When they had first started dating, they had been in the war against Valm, and by the time Robin had proposed, against Grima. Thus, while they had spent nights in each other's tents, they had maintained their own, never having the opportunity to fully integrate with each other. This had meant that the past week and a bit had been somewhat of an adjustment period. Waking up in the middle of the night, suffocating underneath Olivia's hair wasn't new, but finding it all over all his clothes took some getting used to.
However, the two of them had been luxuriously happy, able to spend time with each other without the ever present threat that one of them wouldn't return from a battle. Every morning they got up, or rather, Robin got up, got dressed and ready for the day, and then wakened a groaning Olivia. Then the two of them would head down and have breakfast with the Royal Family, always an entertaining and loud affair. Then they'd go their separate ways. Olivia had been spending time with Inigo and Morgan, and also practicing her swordplay a little with the castle guards. Her light, flowing dancer's clothes, while not providing much in the way of protection, did provide for some significant speed, and she was often able to outmanoeuvre the guards in their heavier plating.
The dancer's attire also provided her with another advantage, distraction. Someone with her figure cut quite the sight when sweaty, her clothes sticking to her skin. The long and short of it was that she was improving rather rapidly, and Robin had earned the envy of many of the Ylissean guards. Olivia's confidence had rapidly improved as well. It was surprising to Robin how quickly she had bounced back from his return, and she could often now be found spending time with Sumia and Lissa, perfectly comfortable. However, when Robin was around, she was attached at the hip to him, constantly making physical contact as if to assure herself that he was still there. This often resulted in her foot resting on top of his under the table and lots of holding hands when walking around together.
Much to their surprise, the couple had discovered a staircase just outside their tower that led directly down to a private bathing complex. This was convenient, as it meant they didn't have to traipse across the entire, cold, stone castle to get to the main bathing complex. All in all, their lives in the castle were very comfortable, and the two of them were getting along very well. In particular, Olivia was thoroughly enjoying spending time with the little princesses, and the way she looked at Robin when she was playing with them made her intentions abundantly clear.
While the two of them had settled into a routine, today was to be different. Robin had taken the afternoon off to meet with the person who had planned Chrom and Sumia's wedding. Sumia had said that she would get the person to come and visit them, so that they could discuss the colours of tablecloths or something. Robin wasn't quite sure. Most of the wedding stuff went over his head. All he cared about was what it represented. Other than that, it could just as easily feature their closest friends and occur in their bedroom for all he cared. However, Sumia had insisted that they needed to have a large, state wedding. If nothing else, she justified, it would allow people to enjoy themselves a bit. The wedding date was set for a month from now, and as a result, preparations were, somehow, already in full swing.
He didn't dare think about that now though, else he was likely to be overwhelmed by the scope of things that had to be done. Whoever this planner was, he hoped they were able to cope with a ceremony that was rapidly expanding in size and scale. The first, and perhaps most arduous, task, was to decide upon the guest-list. Chrom knew that Robin wasn't a man for the crowds, but insisted that some nobles and members of the elite would have to be present, if for nothing else, then to attest to the fact that he was really married so that they'd stop sending their daughters to him. Another problem regarding whom to invite concerned Robin personally again.
Namely, considering that he had no memories of his life before the age of about twenty, the amount of people he wanted to invite, or even knew, was limited. He already knew that he wanted the Shepherds to be present, as well as a number of other military commanders. Basilio and Flavia would be there naturally, indeed, Robin believed at this stage that Basilio was to be the one giving Olivia away as the bride-to-be. Robin didn't have any parents, or any left, to be the one to give him away, so he'd already asked Chrom to do it, as well as being his best man. The Exalt of the realm was an acceptable substitute, he reasoned.
Lost in thought, Robin almost walked headfirst into the door. He pushed it open, already unlocked, to hear a thumping sound on the floor above him. One eyebrow raised quizzically, he ascended the stairs to the next floor. He shouldn't have been surprised by the sight, but was. Olivia was performing a series of leaping twirls across the room. A step, a light jump then a slightly higher jump faded into a high twirling leap, landing on one foot, the other leg poised perfectly straight up. Olivia was also facing away from him, so through the folds of her dancing clothes, Robin was able to make out that the underclothes Sumia had provided had become a standard. He stood there silently, loathe to interrupt her when she was in such a delicate position. He hypothesised that he might have struggled to do so even if he'd wanted to, her grace and agility always surprised him. Olivia, however, knew he was there.
"Hello, darling!" she called out cheerfully, not budging from her position. "I trust you're enjoying the view?" If Robin could have seen her face, he would have been able to see the beaming grin that stretched across it, almost as if this had been deliberately planned…
"Umm, yes, I mean, nice to see you, I mean, hi?" Robin stuttered out, blushing red at having been caught peeping, not that Olivia really minded. Olivia was getting bolder every day. Soon she'd approach a point beyond where she was before his disappearance. She seemed to gain a sense of enjoyment out of leaving Robin speechless or stuttering, an almost daily occurrence at the moment.
Robin did worry a little though, that Olivia would be getting bored. Money wasn't exactly an issue, as they were staying at the castle, their accommodation and food payed for. Even beyond this, Chrom was willing to pay Robin quite the handsome salary. So while she didn't need to work, Robin was concerned that she wouldn't have enough to do. Practicing her dancing was all well and good, but surely, being able to perform for someone would be preferable? To that end, he'd organised a surprise for the next day, which might be able to resolve the issue.
Olivia removed herself from her intricate stance, and proceeded to towel off some of the sweat that had accrued. Robin just shook his head with a wry grin, before moving upstairs to shed a layer of clothing. Ylisse was coming out of spring and into the beginning of summer, and as a result, for a reasonably variable country, it was hot today. The kicker was the humidity that would kick in during the evening. This had led to Olivia and Robin sleeping with both windows open in order to allow a cross draft. While Robin was pondering this, a knock sounded at their door. Scurrying down the two flights of stairs, Robin arrived just in time to see Olivia opening the door, revealing their guest.
"Sumia!" she exclaimed, cheerfully. "Nice to see you!" Looking past the Queen into the hallway, Olivia tried to see the wedding planner, but saw nobody. "Umm, where's the planner?" she questioned.
"You're looking at her!" Sumia smiled. Robin's jaw hit the floor. Olivia still looked a little confused.
"What? But there's nobody there?" Olivia continued. Robin interrupted the rambling.
"Honey, I think she means that SHE'S the planner," he gently suggested. A nod from Sumia confirmed this. Olivia was stunned.
"But your wedding was so big! And you're the Queen! How did you plan it all yourself?" she asked, incredulous. Sumia responded without any nonsense.
"Well, I wanted to make sure it was just right! So I asked Chrom to let me handle it myself, and I did. Obviously I needed some help, like for making the dress and everything, but overall the process was mostly directed by yours truly!" Olivia's eyes widened for two reasons, firstly due to the thought of having her own wedding dress, and secondly, impressed by Sumia's efforts. Robin, closer to the Royal Family than Olivia when the wedding had occurred, had some knowledge of Sumia's rather heavy involvement, but was still surprised by the extent. Sumia bustled her way inside and sat herself down on one of the couches in Robin's office.
"Let's get started, shall we?" she invited the two of them to join her. "The first, and most pressing thing we have to cover is the guest-list. The two of you have planned your date fairly soon. With Chrom and I, we had months to prepare, but the limited time you've set has complicated matters somewhat. The first thing is that we need to get invitations out in the next few days. So, who do you want to come?" Seemingly from nowhere, she pulled out a scroll on which to write names. Robin began.
"Well…the Shepherds," he said, a little embarrassed. Sumia wrote the names of the forty-odd of them down on the list.
"Well, I'm not sure where Gangrel or Walhart are, but other than that, I can organise that. Who next?" Robin was now at a bit of a loss. He named a few military commanders he'd befriended during their campaign, but was unable to turn up any names other than them. Sumia seemed unperturbed. She turned to Olivia.
"What about you? Anyone you want to invite?" Olivia looked down at her feet. She didn't look up as she replied.
"Cassie, and the rest of them." Robin turned to her, confused. He'd never heard those names before. Indeed, Robin hadn't actually heard a lot about Olivia's past. He'd once enquired as to where she'd come from and stuff. All she'd told him was that her parents were dead, and that she'd ended up in the employ of Basilio. She'd asked him not to enquire any further. To him, her past was just as much of a mystery as his own. So these names were completely new to him. Olivia didn't meet his eyes, she couldn't. Sumia could sense the tension, so she just wrote the names down that Olivia listed.
"Do you know where I could find them?" she asked the suddenly shy dancer gently. Olivia still didn't look up, she just quietly replied.
"Basilio will know where they are." Robin chose to let this slide. When Olivia was ready to open up about her past, she'd tell him. Until then, he just had to be a person to whom she could turn if she needed to. Nothing worse than forcing her to give up something she wasn't comfortable doing.
After that, there were no more hiccups in the process. Sumia asked them questions about their favourite colours. Olivia replied with the same shade of light pink as her hair; Robin the deep purple of the lining of his coat. Sumia also informed Olivia of when she'd need to go to dress fittings and this other stuff. In regards to Robin's clothing, the tactician was told that an expert would find him in the next few days and sort it all out, and not to worry about it. Sumia was ready to move onto the next item.
"Right! Food!" she began. But before they could begin the topic at all, they were interrupted by a scaping sound in the hallway outside, rapidly getting closer. It was accompanied by the pitter-patter of little feet, discernible now as the person got closer. A crashing at the door was unexpected, considering the presumed size of the guest. The crashing repeated over and over. Robin moved to the door to open it, then quickly stepped to the side to avoid the swing of a little wooden sword. Its wielder had been swinging at the door repeatedly, her mouth set in a determined line. Lucina noticed the door was opened, and turned to face the occupants, a smile on her face.
"Hello Mummy! Hello Uncle Robin! Hello Aunty 'Livia!" she cheerfully called out, the volume of a thunderbolt landing next to a warrior. Robin winced. Sumia responded.
"Hello honey, let's use our inside voice, please? Now what's up, Mummy is a little busy," she gently probed. Lucina was not dissuaded.
"Daddy sent me!" she replied, still loud, though a little quieter now. She was evidently very excited to have been given such an important task by her father. "He told me to get you all, he said that some people are here that you need to see." Robin's interest was piqued now.
"Who are these people?" he asked gently. Lucina responded by tapping her sword on the ground, absentmindedly.
"Dunno!" she responded after a minute. "There was a lady with red hair, and a man with blue hair! They knew who I was, but I didn't know them." Robin smiled in recognition, Anna and Priam had come back to Ylisse to visit. That didn't explain why it was so important that they come and see them now though. Robin asked another question.
"Was there anything else special?" he asked, crouching down so that he was eye-level with the little princess. Lucina was quick to respond.
"Oh yeah! There was someone else with them! Another man with blue hair, but I didn't know him either. Daddy told me to tell you something else as well; that this man was like my older sisters. Robin's eyes widened, and he stood up quickly. Olivia and Sumia realised what the princess was implying as well, and got up off the couches. Sumia turned to her daughter.
"Lucina, could you please take us to where Daddy is?" Lucina nodded, then raised her sword above her head. She turned away from the trio, then started running down the hallway, the adults struggling to keep up.
"Chaaaaaaaaarge!"
A/N- Hey all, hope you're all well. Sorry this one took a while, uni's been pretty hectic, but we're getting there. I've spent some time planning out each of the rest of the chapters in the story, and I now have a fairly solid plan for what I want to do. If you have any ideas, please leave them in the reviews, as I might end up adding them in. I always look forward to hearing from you! For those of you wondering what's happened to the lemon story I promised, it is underway, it's just been harder than I thought. The first chapter is well underway though, but I won't put it up until I'm happy with it. So, review responses!
Greyjedi449t- Thanks! Always nice to have reviews from new people!
She Who is Woe- Hopefully this chapter cleared it up a bit! I always thought Priam was underdeveloped and kind of confusing to have in the game. But neither Anna nor Priam ever married anyone in my game, so I used to just pair him and Anna in my head.
RedNephilim- Someone, perhaps several someones will get drunk. Not surprised about Olivia being so in control, she knows exactly what she's doing.
QLK Cinders- Thanks so much! I do like Lon'qu/Olivia, but I dunno, this just stands out to me for some reason. I'm really enjoying Olivia's development! It almost feels like she's writing herself at this point.
I'm noticing how I'm adding in things about people in my life. Like characters are starting to take on the characteristics of people I know, it's kinda funny. Many of the interactions between Olivia and Robin come from my interactions with my girlfriend. All good fun!
Thanks to all reviewers, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon! Please leave your ideas for future chapters!
Until next time!
S.