This took quite a long time to write because I've been slowing down with my progress on Fire Emblem. Hopefully I can finish this up with the next chapter.
-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.
It was nightfall as the Shepherds gathered around the bonfire. With the moon high in the sky, the waves crashed with full force against the sandy beach. The sea breeze was pretty cold, causing several of the girls to huddle together for warmth.
Robin watch the merry setting in front of him as Chrom took the vacant seat by his right side. The Ylissean Prince formed a gentle smile as he too enjoyed the group's company. It was time's like these when war was far from their minds.
"It's been pretty great today." Robin began. With his feet in the sand, he watched the flames pick up and die down from the wind.
"It's true we don't get very many chances to relax in our world." He recalled the war with Grima and the other tragic events that had played out along their journey.
"True, everyone needs to unwind now an again." Robin couldn't truly recall the last time he had a decent break. This was exactly what he and the other Shepherds needed.
Chrom smiled genuinely. "I've seen how tense you've become in the heat of battle, Robin. If this isn't the place for you to let your hair down a little, I don't know where is."
Robin broke into laughter. "Seriously though, I've never been anywhere this beautiful before. It's so relaxing..." He leaned back, gazed at the starry skies then back to the Shepherds.
"Yes," Chrom looked ahead, watching Sumia giggle and converse with his sister Lissa and her best friend Cordelia. Robin took this as the opportunity to tease the young Prince.
"Got your eye on someone?" Robin set his gaze in the same direction. In the moonlight, everyone seemed to look considerably different. The masks they wore during battle were nowhere to be found as cheery smiles and mischievous grins replaced them.
"I-It's nothing." Chrom looked away, suddenly intrigued by the hermit crab in the ground.
Robin shook his head and rose from his seat. He always thought of himself as Chrom's friend, master tactician and at times, when needed, his wing-man.
"Wait, Robin where are you going?" He held out his hand to stop the boy but he was already midway to Sumia by then.
Robin bent down to whisper something into Sumia's ear as she looked at Chrom's direction. The boy could do nothing but hide his face from the girl across him. 'What did he say?' It didn't seem to be a bad thing because Sumia nodded and walked over to Chrom.
"Hello," she took the empty seat by his side as he managed a nervous smile. "Nice evening isn't it?" She smiled back as her hair whipped in the wind.
From a distance, he found Robin with a thumbs up and replaced the seat between Lissa and Cordelia. Chrom sighed and gave him a silent 'thanks' with his eyes. His most trusted tactician always had a plan for everything, especially when singling out their leader, Chrom.
Gregor produced a bottle of what would've been alcohol and passed it down. He had several with him as Anna came out from the shop with a few of her own. Nowi didn't hesitate to take one when Sully skillfully whisked it from her hands.
"Hey! I think I'm old enough to drink that!" She cried out in protest.
Panne and Virion shook their heads. She may have been the oldest amongst all of them, but she certainly didn't look it. In their eyes she was without a doubt, under-aged.
"What? You want this?" Sully held out the bottle and popped it open. "I don't think you can handle this." She took a swig from the bottle as the Shepherds watched her closely. "Besides, you don't look like you're the right age. How old are you, 10?"
Nowi stood up, her eyes glistening with anger and disappointment. "But I'm much older than you! Wayyyy older!"
"Gregor think you don't look old enough." He crossed his arms as Nowi turned to his direction.
"See," Sully sat down and continued her drink. Some of the Shepherds began conversing normally again when Nowi screamed in protest. "Let me drink!"
"No way..." A few of the Shepherds backed away from Sully as Nowi took a familiar stance. The crimson cavalier paid no attention as she attempted to finish her beverage.
"I said give it to me!" Nowi assumed her manakete stance. Her transformation nearly killed the bonfire as she flapped her wings in the sky.
"Oh crap." Sully held a tight grip on the bottle and stepped back.
"Give it to me, NOW!" Nowi called out with her intimidating form.
"N-Never!" Sully booked it, running for her life from the manakete which flew after her in the night's sky.
There was an eerie silence as they watched the two from the distance before breaking into laughter. If there was one thing they learned tonight, it was to not mess with Nowi.
"Gregor suggest we dance." The sell-sword set down his 10th bottle of beer on the sand, he had the most drinks compared to the other boys. It must've been from all his experience at his old age.
"Dance? But there's no music." Maribelle covered herself in a shawl as the others did the same. An hour or two had passed since Nowi's and Sully's squabble. Yet none of them felt worried, they were sure they could handle themselves.
Anna magically produced a tambourine, from her hand. Did she see this coming? "I believe we have a dancer right?" All eyes turned to Olivia who receded in her seat. "Come now, let's dance." Anna held out her hand for her to take. It would be a shame to miss out on such a wonderful opportunity with friends.
"I-I don't think-" Olivia started out when Robin stood up as well.
"Here, let me." Robin held out his hand as Anna dropped hers.
"Show off." She stuck out her tongue and walked away in search of another dance partner.
"Robin, I-" he silenced Olivia by taking her hand and guiding her away. He didn't recall being that great of a dancer, but he just felt like stepping up to the event. It didn't matted to him if he made a fool out of himself because he was among good friends.
"I know you can dance." He looked into her eyes. "I've seen you, and you're really talented."
'Aww, why does he have to say that now?' She shied away, unable to meet his steel blue eyes.
"But just this time, would you please dance with me?" He asked her politely as his hands remained with hers. They were warm and gentle, just like his words.
"O-Okay." She finally agreed, but her cheeks were ablaze from the close contact with the tactician.
"Great." His eyes lit up as he walked back to the group, his hand was still in hers and she concentrated on the familiar warmth which seeped into her body.
Ricken found a pair of bongos by a cabana and with a bit of help from Vaike, they set it on the sand. Lissa held the tambourine in her hands and began to play with it. The song was uncoordinated and unorchestrated, but by some miracle, it worked. The Shepherds clapped their hands onto their laps as Anna started off with a twist and a quick turn, dancing around the sand as if she were doing battle with it.
She earned a few 'oohs' and 'aahs' when she jumped around. There was no doubt in their minds that she had talent for the art as well.
"We can't let her steal the spotlight now, can we?" Robin pulled Olivia along who remained quiet as he jumped on his feet, alternating between left and right. It was an unusual dance of sorts, but that was all he had.
Olivia stifled a laugh at how silly he looked, he was doing his best to entertain their friends who sat in their seats, drinking and laughing. She felt calmer around him, less nervous and less conscious.
"Come on!" His voice was eager as he pulled her close, exchanging an excited smile for a nervous grin. "It's okay," Robin watched her pink hair flow freely in the night. "It's just you and me."
Olivia gave an obedient nod as Lissa jumped up and down with her tambourine. Somewhere along the lines, the other Shepherds had decided that staying by the sidelines would be a complete waste. Aligned with their respective partners and groups, they began dancing in their own way, some spinning, jumping and...well, you know the rest.
She managed to spin on the sand, turning around as Robin met her face to face. For a person who never recalled having any dance experience, he was fairly good. He managed to mirror her moves until the Shepherds paused to form a circle around them.
"R-Robin, they're looking at us..." She looked nervous again, having acquired their undivided attention.
"It's okay." His eyes dropped halfway as they burned with determination to provide a great show. "Just dance with me." He uttered the word with a hint of charm as he held her hand and spun her around.
Ricken drummed the bongos with all that he had as the two circled around each other, shuffling from side to side before Robin performed a cartwheel.
They were dancing for about five minutes straight when Olivia spun in a pirouette and Robin caught her mid way. 'Time for the finale.' With the remaining energy they had, Robin pulled her outwards and eventually brought her into his arms, sending her down into a dip. They looked into each other's eyes, smiles forming along their faces as the Shepherds clapped in applause.
Panting to catch their breaths, Robin brought her up with their faces mere centimeters from each other. Olivia was so close to him that she could feel his hot breath lingering on her lips. He was so close that she could just kiss him.
His eyes wandered to her eyes, then her pink hair, which looked prettier in the moonlight. He was glad to have had such an opportunity to dance with her.
She leaned forward, closing her eyes as if to kiss him, a reward for being an excellent dance partner.
He didn't hesitate even though he knew all eyes were trained on him, but suddenly Anna yelled out from the crowd breaking their moment.
"Get a room you two!" The red haired merchant broke through the crowd, her head lolling to the side, an indication that she was drunk.
Olivia pulled away, suddenly embarrassed by what she almost did. "T-Thank you Robin, for the dance." Then she left without another word heading for her own cabana.
"Way to ruin a moment Anna." Vaike held his hands in the air.
"Whatever..." She raised her bottle and slung her arms around Robin's neck. "So about that room..."
"What?" The tactician pried her hands off as several boys shot him envied looks. "You're drunk Anna."
And yet it wasn't enough for the merchant to go away. "Aww,"
"I'll take that room." Vaike volunteered as tribute.
"Eww, gross!" Anna held Robin's arm. "I only want Robin."
Maribelle covered Lissa's ears as the two bickered with each other, exchanging a colorful array curse words.
Robin took this as the opportunity to run for it, slipping out of Anna's grasps slyly and heading for the expansive beach. He always enjoyed taking late night strolls, he had a feeling that this might be even better, given the resort's setting.
Cordelia caught his direction and steeled herself. If she was going to approach him, now was the perfect time.
He sometimes wondered what his life was like before he woke up with no memories. Did he have friends? A family? Those were the thoughts that flooded his mind in the dark of night. To have his memories erased with no clues to who he was, what his life was like, was very unsettling. He watched the waved splash against the shore and the full moon illuminate the ripples of sea water, which seemed to glitter like stardust.
He walked closer, tempted to take a late night swim when he realized he was not alone. Standing by herself was Cherche, their skilled wyvern rider. Robin checked his surroundings once more before approaching the girl. "Hey"
"Oh, hello there Robin, I didn't notice your presence." She watched the cold water brush against her feet, then recede to sea.
"Yeah, hard to tell when the waves are pretty loud."
They conversed for a while, talking about the events that transpired, the fun they had dancing and her wyvern. About 30 minutes passed when she bid him goodnight and retire for the day.
He watched her walk away and stood by the shore, marveling at the deep blue sea's overwhelming presence. 'If only it could be like this everyday.'
"Robin?"
The tactician turned to find Cordelia walking in his direction. When she came close, he extended his hand for her to hold as they stood beside each other.
She released his hand and covered her chest. It was a pleasant scene, tranquil and calm, and a bit romantic too. "Robin..." Her voice was shaky, hinting her nervousness as her cheeks burned brightly from what she would say next.
"Hm?" He turned his head to face her while his blue eyes sparked in the moonlight.
"I-" a sudden rush of wind blew her towards him as her hands landed on his chest to support herself.
He blinked twice, not noticing the light blush and her heart racing against his body.
"Thank you for saving me earlier in battle. Had it not been for you..." She lowered her head, inhaling the sea breeze and his own scent.
"It was no prob-"
It happened suddenly, without warning as Cordelia planted a gentle kiss on his lips. He was surprised, watching the Pegasus knight close her eyes shut as if to prevent seeing his reaction. If he recalled correctly, this was the second time someone pulled a stunt like this, the first being Tharja.
Her heart was racing faster than it ever had. It seemed to surpass the first moment when she first mounted a Pegasus in the air. Yes, it was completely different from the rush she had felt that day.
He'd be lying if he didn't feel anything towards Cordelia. There was certainly something there, although he didn't know exactly what it was. He liked all the girls equally, but to put it bluntly, he sucked with matters of the heart. Nonetheless, it didn't stop him from returning the kiss. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?
Cordelia felt the warmth of his lips and a jolt of electricity when he reciprocated the kiss. Was this what it felt like? It was so pleasant and yet at the same time indescribable. She realized that it took all of her willpower to pull away after a minute.
He blinked once, then twice. Robin's hands held her waist as she rested her head on his chest.
"We're even now." Cordelia closed her eyes as the waves crashed in the night.
...To be continued
So if you enjoyed this chapter, remember to fave, follow and/or review.
- Replies:
Grandshadowseal: actually i haven't, but they both sound really good. I should give it a try sometime.
Guardian54: no problem man. Yeah, that sounds great! The next chapter might get a bit serious, like a possible path for all those morgans. Thanks, haha.
Fireminer: Like a boss!
TheGreatTactician: well what can I say, he's a natural. Hahaha
xTSx: thanks for the support. School days? Sounds familiar. Was it a video game?
I always found fire emblem awakening to be more of a harem until Robin would actually face a decision. I've noticed a spike of those pairings as well.
Glaceon of Flames: right? Haha, oh Tharja...
Thanks for reading
