Amadeus woke to the now-familiar blob of red that greeted him in the mornings. He smiled as he leaned over and kissed Cordelia on the cheek.
"Morning," he whispered into her ear. She moaned lightly and turned to kiss him on the lips.
"Morning," she mumbled sleepily. She reached to grasp his hand with her left hand, and he smiled as he felt the cold metal band of the engagement ring against his flesh. He still couldn't quite comprehend the fact that he was engaged.
He gently slid out of bed, so as not to wake his companion, and moved to the washroom to finish his morning rituals. When he finished, Cordelia had just gotten out of bed.
"Amy! When do we start planning this wedding?" Her eyes shone with excitement, and he couldn't help smiling like a giddy child.
"Whenever you want to, dear."
She yelped in excitement before dashing to the washroom for her morning rituals. When she came out, she jumped into his arms, and he staggered backwards onto the bed.
"Amy..I still can't believe it." She adjusted herself to a more comfortable position on top of him, and looked at the ring on her hand. "I can't believe we're going to be married! Ah..I can't remember ever being this happy in my life." She leaned down for another kiss, and he obliged her.
"Mm..I can't believe it either, honey." She deepened the kiss, pushing her lips against his with more force, and then probing his mouth with her tongue. He pulled away, feigning shock.
"Cordelia! We should at least lock the door first, you know." She smiled naughtily and got off of him to close the door.
"There's no need to lock it...no one's going to come to your room this early anyways." She gave him that beguiling look, and he couldn't bring himself to disagree with her, although his better judgment told him to just lock the damn door.
Before he could protest, she got back on top of him, straddling him with her legs. She moved her face forwards towards her face, her vivid hair covering his head almost like a veil. Her lips pressed against his, and he pressed his back, putting his arms around her and pulling her closer. Their tongues danced together, weaving intricately together.
She reached for his nightgown, unbuckling the top so she could get at his neck. She kissed her way down his chin and to his neck, and he shivered in pleasure at the feeling.
Bang.
"Mommy! Daddy! Uncle Chrom said-OHMYGOD WHY DIDN'T YOU LOCK THE DOOR? MORGAN DON'T LOOK!"
Cordelia leapt off of Amadeus, who quickly pulled the forgotten blanket up to cover himself.
"Severa? Morgan? Oh dear." Amadeus looked up just in time to see his two daughters sprinting away from the room.
"Come find us when you're done doing...whatever you're doing!" Severa's voice drifted back as she ran off.
Cordelia was laughing fit to burst, but Amadeus looked mortified.
"I told you we should have locked the damn door!"
Apparently, Anna had given Chrom passes for the Shepherds to visit one of her sister's resorts for what was termed as "a soothing, calming, weekend of relaxation".
Don't those all mean the exact same thing? Amadeus had thought when he heard about it.
Well, a vacation's a vacation. And the Shepherds do deserve it. Recently, it's just been battle after battle after battle…
He returned with Cordelia to pack for the weekend. He hastily grabbed enough clothes for the weekend into his bag, while Cordelia did the same.
Someone knocked on the door.
"Come in!" Amadeus yelled over.
"Are you sure? Are you and Mommy doing anything right now? Is it really okay for us to come in?"
"Yes, Severa, we're just finishing up packing. Are you and Morgan done yet?" The door opened, and in came the two girls, carrying their bags for the weekend.
"Yup! Uncle Chrom said to meet outside soon, so we came to make sure you were done!"
The family finished up packing and made their way outside to meet up with the rest of the Shepherds.
Chrom waved as he saw his tactician making his way to the gates.
"Amadeus! We were just about to leave without you."
"So where exactly is this 'soothing, calming weekend of relaxation' going to be?"
"It's not far, actually. We'll be there by nightfall. It's a hot spring town to the east; Anna will lead the way."
The march was quick and uneventful, and they reached their destination just as the sun was beginning to set.
The resort itself rested on a mountainside. The buildings were made of concrete, shaded a dark gray, and they were larger than most any buildings any of the Shepherds had seen, and screamed of grandeur and luxury. As they approached the building, a familiar figure came forward to greet them.
"Welcome! You must be Chrom. I have your reservation right here. Is your whole party here?"
Chrom nodded.
"Er..but, aren't you..Anna?" The figure did look exactly like her; she even had the same voice.
"Oh, no! Anna's my sister! There's actually quite a few of us. And yes, we do all look exactly the same!"
Family reunions must be quite the event for them, Amadeus thought with a smile.
"Anyways, welcome to the Bathrealm! We have soothing, refreshing springs for all of you to soak in." Amadeus nodded.
"That sounds like a good idea. I'm sure after all the fighting, we could all use some relaxing."
Just as he finished saying this, Severa came running towards them.
"DADDY! I just went to check out the hot springs...they're teeming with Risen!"
Amadeus sighed.
"So much for relaxing...let's go, then."
Amadeus wasn't expecting a tough battle; the springs were small, and from what Severa had said, the Risen seemed to be rendered even slower by the warm air inside the springs.
"Well...I don't think we really need much of a plan this time. Just go finish off any Risen nearby..and be careful with your footing. We don't want anyone slipping." The warriors quickly fanned out and began cutting down the Risen, and soon the air was filled with dissolving purple smoke.
"Shall we?" Amadeus turned to his family, and they gripped their weapons and advanced.
Battling Risen had almost become mechanical; they had a certain pattern to their attack, and they were slow-moving, dim-witted creatures; Amadeus, Cordelia, Severa, and Morgan cut them down effortlessly, and without thought.
"Mmm..this air is incredible. It's supposed to be good for the complexion too…" Severa's focus wavered to one of the pools, and she unconsciously made her way towards it.
"Severa, dear, what are you doing?" Cordelia took her eyes away from the battle for a moment to check on her daughter.
"O-oh! Mom! Perfect timing; these springs are supposed to do wonders for your skin!" She pointed at the pool by her feet.
"Oh yeah?" Amadeus had glanced over after dispatching a couple Risen who had strayed too close.
"Yup! One soak, and your skin will be smooth as a baby's butt. Mom, you should give it a try! Dad sometimes complained about your rough skin in the future, so this should help!"
"W-what? Why would I ever say such a thing?" Amadeus said indignantly.
Wait..why am I apologizing for my future self?
"Er..Severa, we'll all soak later! Right now isn't really the time, though; we are in the middle of a battle." A loud groan reminded them of the battle that Cordelia reminded them of, and they quickly turned their attention back to a small crowd of Risen that had progressed towards them.
"But a few minutes won't hurt anyone, right, Father?" Morgan tugged shyly at her father's cloak, and he finally relented.
"Fine, I think we can spare a minute. We'll keep watch over you two."
"Yay!"
"Woohoo!" The two girls dropped their weapons and leaned over to put their hands into the spring waters.
"O-oh...my aching knuckles..oh...I feel alive again!" Severa couldn't resist exaggerating a bit.
"Severa, you sound like an old man."
"So? It's only you, Mom, and Morgan around. Besides, I see no reason to act all cute around you unless we're shopping, Father."
Amadeus' eyebrow raised.
"And what's that supposed to-"
"AHHHHH!" Morgan's scream caused both Amadeus and Cordelia to jump and turn around, almost losing their balance on the slick floor.
"Morgan? Is everything okay?" Cordelia rushed over to her other daughter.
"Oh..no..but my hand! It's so..smooth! I never knew it was possible.." Cordelia sighed at her daughter.
"Er..yes. Very impressive, honey...but you almost gave me and your father a heart attack." She quickly looked at Amadeus for help.
"Um...will you look at the time! Your minute is up; come on, lets finish off these Risen so we can actually enjoy these springs."
"Aww! But Dad!" The two girls whined in unison, but obediently withdrew their hands from the spring and picked up their weapons.
The Risen seemed to finally be thinning out a bit. Another wave was incoming, but it was smaller than the initial waves, and the Shepherds had nary a scratch on any of them.
Shepherds' blades whistled through the air, and Risen evaporated.
"Phew...I think that's the last of them." Severa sighed. "Now we can get to the springs!"
"Yes..pfft!" Morgan had suddenly burst out laughing, and Severa turned to face her sister.
"What are you laughing about?"
"Hehehehe." The girl snorted, before continuing. "Oh..I just remembered a story Father told me. Or us, I mean; I'm sure you were there as well." She continued laughing, grabbing her sides as her family watched in amusement.
"And what was this story that has you rolling on the floor laughing out loud?" Severa had her hands on her hips as she interrogated her sister.
"Okay, so, there was this girl who really liked a boy, but she was too shy to tell him…" Morgan had to pause as another fit of laughter hit her.
"And?" Severa's glare didn't waver.
"And so she started teasing him mercilessly instead! So in the end, he wouldn't even talk to her because he got so fed up with her! Ha ha ha!" Morgan was actually rolling around the floor now.
"Er..I don't see how that's funny, Morgan." Amadeus had to agree with his older daughter.
"Oh, I guess it was how Father said it?" Severa sighed and shook her head.
"I still don't get why you find it funny...although I guess that's what makes you so agreeable." Morgan stopped laughing long enough to give her sister an odd look.
"Huh? What does that mean?"
"Oh..nothing." She sighed again. Cordelia made to interrupt, but Amadeus shushed her. He wanted to let his daughters interact without their distraction, and she understood the look on his face.
"Severa..are you sure there's nothing you want to talk about?" Morgan tapped her on the shoulder, all traces of laughter gone now. "What did you mean when you said that people find me agreeable?"
Severa let out another deep sigh.
Goodness, she definitely got that from her mother.
"Ugh, all right, fine. I'm just a bit..you know, worried. Worried that I've been..well, kind of like an old hag. I'm always saying things I don't really mean, or going on fault-finding crusades..especially with the people closest to me. I mean, I get to meet my parents again, and then I do this to them.." Apparently, she had forgotten that Amadeus and Cordelia were right there, but he found no reason to remind her.
"Oh. I get it now. But, Severa, for what it's worth, I don't think there's anything wrong with fault-finding. Just don't do it behind people's backs! Think of fault-finding as..er..more like giving advice?"
"Uh..I guess that's one way to put a positive spin on it, but-"
"What's wrong with encouraging your friends to be the best that they can be? You're just telling them things that they're doing wrong and that they could improve on! If they're upset, maybe they just need to learn to take some constructive criticism." Morgan smiled at her sister.
"But..there's a line between criticizing someone and being outright insulting..and I'm pretty sure I'm on the wrong side of that line." She wiped away a tear that began to trickle out of her eye.
Morgan hurried over to hug her sister.
"Aw, don't cry, Severa! We all love you!" Severa sniffed through her tears, but Amadeus could see a small smile forming on her face.
"You know, Morgan, you could at least try to make it believable." She sniffed again, and Morgan winked at her.
"Oh, come on. And even if I'm wrong about the others, you'll always have me. And Mother and Father." Severa wiped away her tears at this.
"Heh. Thanks for that, Morgan." The two sisters hugged each other briefly, before regrouping with their parents.
Amadeus and Cordelia had left the children in the lobby while they went to get their room keys. When they returned, they found both children sopping wet. Severa looked up as they approached.
"Oh! Mother, Father, do you guys have something we can use to dry off?" Amadeus glanced at Cordelia.
"Did you guys jump in the pool without changing first?" Amadeus sighed. Cordelia went off to grab a couple towels from the receptionist's desk.
"No, of course not! We were just walking around, scouting which pools to go to, and a Risen appeared and scared us so we both fell into the pool!" Amadeus' eyes narrowed.
"We didn't finish off the Risen?"
"No, not that, Father; I think it was a stray one." Morgan calmed down her father. Cordelia returned with the towels, and the two children quickly dried themselves off.
"Ugh. At least next time, we could at least fall into a spring that was good for skin. Of course, we fall into the one that's meant to help soothe aches...now I feel like an old woman. Don't you, Morgan?" Morgan nodded, and their parents laughed.
"Ha! That's ridiculous, both of you. You're still young and beautiful!" Cordelia patted their heads as she said this.
"Hehe! We are, aren't we? Totally..and completely…" Severa trailed off, and suddenly burst into tears. Amadeus quickly kneeled to check on his daughter.
"Severa! Is everything okay? Are you hurt?" He quickly scanned her body for any cuts and bruises.
"N-no...I'm just...I'm so happy right now!" She threw herself, wet robes and all, into her father's arms.
All Amadeus could say in reply was "Huh?"
"I don't know...it's just, I'd almost forgotten what it was like to laugh. In the future, there wasn't any reason to laugh or even smile..and here, even while we're fighting off Risen, we're laughing and smiling about it. We never talked about what we would do after a battle; there was no guarantee that you'd make it to the next battle…" Severa cried lightly into her father's shoulder.
"Severa…"
"But here, we're all talking about the fun plans that come after battles. We're thinking of which springs we're going to go to, the yukatas we can get, and which ones are prettier..I never would have imagined this in my wildest dreams in my own timeline. We actually have leisure time. And the best part is, I get to spend it with my Mom and Dad, and my sister. It just..made me so happy…" She started sobbing again, and Amadeus gave her a light squeeze.
"Severa..you've been through a lot, dear. I think you deserve the day off." Cordelia reached down to stroke her daughter's hair, while keeping an arm around her other daughter.
"I..yes, I agree. Morgan, once we've washed up and changed, we're heading straight for the springs, and we're not leaving until we're positively aglow, and the boys are fawning over our beautiful skin!" Amadeus laughed as he stood up and pulled Severa up with him.
"Hah! That sounds more like the Severa I know. Although I'd say both you girls are already glowing brightly enough as is." Severa snorted at him, but Morgan's eyes glowed.
"Really, Father?" Amadeus nodded, but Severa shook her head and glared at Morgan.
"Morgan! Daddy compliments don't count. We could look like those Risen that we just finished off, and he'd still say that we're the most beautiful girls alive. Other than Mommy, of course." Amadeus grinned wickedly.
"I've thought you two were the prettiest girls alive since before I met you. And that includes your mother." He winked at Cordelia, who punched him in the arm.
Morgan was positively awestruck at the praise her father was heaping upon them, but Severa wouldn't relent.
"Ugh! Flattery will get you nowhere! Now, let's go! We want as much time as possible in those springs." The wet cloth flew through the air back towards Amadeus, and Severa stomped off towards the stairs to their rooms.
"Oh..and, um, thank you guys." Severa turned and spoke softly to her parents. Cordelia tilted her head.
"Hm? What for?" Severa flushed slightly, and blustered on.
"For the stupid towels, of course! Not because you and Daddy called us radiant, glowing, or beautiful or anything. This and that are separate." She huffed and turned back towards the stairs, Morgan trailing behind her. Amadeus chuckled.
"Alright, I'll take note of that. I guess we should be thankful that you're so awful at hiding how you really feel." Severa paused and turned again.
"Well, it's your fault for marrying a wife who's just as bad at it…" She spoke so softly that Amadeus and Cordelia couldn't make out what she said, so Amadeus asked her again.
"Er, what was that, honey?"
"Oh, I just said I love you both!"
"Really?" Amadeus was pretty sure that wasn't what she said…
"Of course! Now, come on! Those springs are waiting for us!"
"Ah…" Amadeus leaned back in the spring. The springs were split into three buildings: one for men, one for women, and one that was mixed. Amadeus had considered taking Cordelia into the mixed building, but decided against it; some mother-daughter time never hurt, and he could always take her there when it was a more, ah, private time.
The buildings housing the springs weren't all too elaborate. It was a large, sloping, wide open area; essentially, it was four walls enclosing a bunch of small springs that one could bathe in. The steam from the springs wafted up into the air, creating a foggy atmosphere that could almost soothe one's mind all by itself.
"Well, you look like you're enjoying yourself." Chrom had wandered into the building, surprising Amadeus; he'd expected Chrom to be with Sumia. Chrom took the legendary Fire Emblem off his shoulder, and stripped down to his swimsuit, a blue one with the Brand emblazoned elegantly over his butt.
"Ha! I like the trunks, Chrom. Did Lucina pick it out for you?" Chrom sniggered at the reference to his daughter's questionable fashion sense.
"Yes..I was going to go for a plain blue one, but sometimes you just let the kids have what they want." Amadeus nodded, before gesturing towards the Fire Emblem.
"What is so important about that shield? It seems..just like that. A shield."
Chrom shook his head. "It's much more than that...but I'll tell you the basic gist of it. You see those indentations in the front?" Amadeus nodded. "Well, there's five gemstones that are supposed to go into those. Obviously, right now, there's only four. I've actually sent a scout to help locate the fifth...we may need it soon. When the Fire Emblem has all the gemstones placed...we can take it to Mount Prism to perform the Awakening. Then, the bearer must brave Naga's fire; if they do, they will become imbued with Naga's power-"
"And they will be able to defeat the fell dragon, should it rise again!" Amadeus interrupted.
"Yes. I hope to find the fifth and final gemstone, just in case Lucina's dark future does rear its ugly head…"
The two lapsed into a long silence before Amadeus decided to break it.
"Chrom...for once, I'm going to tell you to let down your guard. We came here to relax; why not actually do so? It's just a weekend; your scout is currently locating the last gemstone, and there is nothing we can do but wait. For now..enjoy the springs. Enjoy the off time with your family, and when or if the war comes, then we'll face it, just like we always have."
Chrom leaned back at this.
"Hah. You're right, Amadeus." Suddenly, the door burst open, and the rest of the men in the Shepherds barged in. Amadeus and Chrom quickly got up to greet everyone, and they all settled into the biggest pool to relax together.
It was already dark when Amadeus returned to his room. He turned the key and pushed the door open, expecting to see his family back, and sure enough, there they were. Lit candles provided soft lighting in the room, and he saw Morgan and Severa lying together on one bed, while Cordelia lay on the other, chatting with them.
"I'm back," he announced as he walked through the doorway and closed the door behind him. The three looked up at him, and Morgan and Severa quickly got up and hugged their father. Cordelia waited for the kids to finish before hugging him as well, and kissing him on the cheek.
"Ew, Mom! We're sharing a room, we don't want to see that!" Morgan made a disgusted face while saying this, and Severa played along with her classic fake wretching.
"Alright, alright, we'll keep that in mind." Cordelia blushed lightly before reaching over to tuck in the two girls. "You two get some sleep. The earlier you wake up, the more time you'll have to explore the resort tomorrow! I'm sure you'll find plenty to do."
"Yes, listen to your mother. Oh, and, Severa? If you're hanging out with Inigo...er, well, let us know." She snorted at this, and mumbled back, "Ugh..fine."
Amadeus kissed each of his daughters' foreheads, and whispered "I love you" into their ears. Soon, the sounds of soft, heavy breathing filled the room.
"Well, they're out. How was your day, dear?" Amadeus lay back down on the bed as he turned to address Cordelia.
"Oh, you know. All the girls went into the bath, so we were basically just talking about boyfriends and then other stuff. How about you?"
"Mostly the same, except we were talking about you guys. So, what'd you say about me?" She blushed.
"Well..they did ask if you were a good kisser, and some more..er, well, inappropriate things."
"Oh, really now? And what did you say?" His tone had become a playful, teasing one, and she flushed even more; Amadeus could even tell in the dim light of the room that she was turning beet red.
"Er..well...I said you...were?" She whispered it, just barely coherently, and he had to strain to hear her.
"Ha! Well, that's good." He then leaned over to plant a wet, juicy kiss on her lips, earning himself a light slap across the cheek.
"Amy! The children are here!" He relented, rolling back to lie next to her, and she wrapped her arms around him. "I didn't say that meant not to do it, though…" She kissed him on the cheek, and he smiled in satisfaction.
"Well, we should get some sleep. Wouldn't want to sleep through the rest of this weekend!" She nodded, and they kissed once more before closing their eyes and falling asleep, intertwined with each other.
They slept in the next day. When Amadeus woke, the midday sunlight was already streaming in through the windows. He felt for Cordelia next to him, but she was already gone. He looked at the bed on the other side of the room, and noticed his daughters were gone as well. There was a note left on the bedside table.
Hi sleepyhead! We went out to visit some of the souvenir shops and explore the resort. See you when you wake up! Love you!
-Morgan and Severa
He smiled as he folded up the letter and tucked it into his robe.
"Good morning! You slept like a rock." Cordelia had come back with a tray of food. "I thought it'd be nice if I let you sleep and brought you brunch in bed."
"Heh. Thanks, honey." He shifted over to allow her space on the bed with him, and they shared the food. "This is delicious! What's in it?"
She waved a hand dismissively.
"Not much, really. It's just a stew from the room service menu. I couldn't find a place to get ingredients to cook, so I just got something from them."
They quickly finished the food, and Amadeus got ready to go out.
"Well then, shall we? I'm sure there's lots to do here." Cordelia smiled as he offered his arm.
"Yes! It's a date, then." The two left the room, arm in arm.
Since neither of them really knew what there was to do at the resort, they went to the lobby to ask around. There was a string of small souvenir shops, probably the ones that his daughters had mentioned, and there was also the baths themselves. There also seemed to be a small carnival/market hybrid, somewhat similar to the Harvest Festival they'd experienced at Regna Ferox but much smaller.
The souvenir shops had all sorts of small, glittering fancies. Amadeus smiled as Cordelia suddenly transformed into a grown-up version of their daughters; she dragged him into shop after shop, oohing and aahing at all the cute, shiny things she found. While in the shops, they ran into quite a few of the Shepherds; the place wasn't huge, and the Shepherds made up most of the clientele for this particular weekend. He was glad to see that most of the couples were spending the day together; after the large group hangouts of the day before, it seemed like everyone wanted to take advantage of such a nice place to enjoy with their significant other.
"Amy! Look at these! Aren't they pretty?" Cordelia's sharp tug brought him back to his senses.
"Hm?" He looked at what she was pointing at. They were a pair of hair clips designed in the shape of pegasus wings. Amadeus could see why his girlfriend thought they were pretty; the details were intricately and carefully welded onto the metal, and you could almost see each individual feather on the wings, despite the fact that they were so small he could easily fit maybe four of them onto his hand. They were also coated in silver, giving it a gleaming, shining effect.
"Hah, yes, dear. They are quite pretty." He watched as his girlfriend tore her eyes away from the hair clips and continued scouring the store. He barely heard her mumble something.
"...sworn to higher ideals...than beauty…"
"Hm.." Amadeus had an idea.
After going through all the souvenir shops and carnivals, Amadeus and Cordelia met with their daughters for a nice, quiet dinner in a small restaurant. Cordelia excused herself from the dinner, saying she had plans with Sumia and a few other Shepherds, which Amadeus found odd, seeing as she'd just spent time with them the night before, but he knew better than to question his wife.
After the dinner, they headed home.
"Daddy! Can I get a piggyback ride?" Severa jumped on his back without waiting for an answer, and he obliged her with a wide smile on his face.
"Oof. Severa, you're getting heavy…" The girl instantly jumped off his back.
"What? Are you saying that I'm getting..fat?" She unconsciously patted her stomach; probably not the best idea, Amadeus thought, as she was slightly bloated from all the food she'd just eaten.
"AIEE! I AM GETTING A BELLY!" Amadeus laughed as he hushed her.
"Shh, dear. It's just because you just ate; it'll fade down in a bit." He ran a hand through her hair, and they continued walking, Severa holding onto one hand and Morgan clutching the other.
Finally, they reached their room. The two girls were exhausted from all the walking that they'd done that day; Severa had spent the day with Inigo, and had apparently dragged Morgan along with them. Amadeus had to carry the two girls one at a time up the stairs to their room, where he laid them carefully on the bed and tucked them in.
"Goodnight, Severa." He planted a kiss on her forehead and ran a hand through her platinum hair.
"Goodnight, Morgan." He repeated the kiss, running a hand through Morgan's scarlet locks.
Finally, he sat on his bed, waiting for Cordelia to return. He wanted to read, but was afraid that the candlelight might wake up his daughters, so he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, letting himself fall into a daydream.
If only..every day were like this. What is it like, to not know war? To actually live in a time of peace? Maybe now I'll finally know...but Chrom mentioned the Awakening. Was winning the Valmese war enough to divert Lucina's terrible future? Or was it like Emmeryn again, where we simply delayed the inevitable? What did Lucina say? "Time always favors its original course…"
The sound of the door creaking open interrupted his thoughts.
"I'm back!" He quickly shushed Cordelia and pointed at the sleeping children. She put her hands over her mouth, and gingerly tiptoed to his side. "I missed you, Amy." She whispered softly into his ear and kissed him on the cheek.
"I missed you too, Cordy." He whispered back as he kissed her ear lightly.
Huh. I guess I have a pet name for her now too.
"What, you can't call me that! People are going to laugh!" She pouted furiously, her lower lip jutting out further than Amadeus had thought anatomically possible.
"Well then. Consider it payback for the fact that everyone in camp calls me Amy now." He paused, remembering something. "Oh. Here. I got something for you." He reached into his bag and pulled out something small and shiny from it.
"Oh? That's funny. I have something for you, too." He finally noticed in the dim light that she seemed to be holding her hands behind her back. "Here, Amy. It's..just something small. I hope you like it." She pulled her arms back around to show him what it was.
He gasped at what he saw. It was a small, hand-stitched figure of a wyvern. But it wasn't just any wyvern. It was his wyvern, Aster. Even in the night, he could see that an intense amount of attention had been paid to detail; down to the scars on her legs, how she normally contorted her body when standing, everything.
"Cordelia..it's amazing. When did you find the time to do this?" She shrugged her shoulders.
"Oh, here and there. It did take me a while to find the right color for the outside...but do you like it?" He reached over and stroked her hair.
"Like it? Cordy..I love it. And it's going to stay with me forever. Now, your turn!" He pressed the thing he'd taken from his bag into her now-empty hands.
"Oh? What's-" She gasped as she opened her palm and saw what it was. The pegasus wing hair clips that they'd seen from earlier now lay in her palm.
"Well, I heard you mumble something about being sworn to higher ideals than being beautiful. Side note, I think you're beautiful even without trying, but I thought that if you couldn't get it for yourself, you know, what if someone else got them for you as a gift? It fits you, seeing as you're a pegasus knight-" The rest of his speech was interrupted by Cordelia throwing herself on top of him and kissing him all over his face. She paused only to put the two clips into her hair, and Amadeus smiled at the look. She looked, if possible, even more stunning than ever. He held her close, whispering into her ear.
"I love you, Cordelia. I love you so much."
"And I, you, Amadeus."
"Do we really have to go, Father?" Morgan tried the puppy dog eyes on Amadeus, but they didn't work, for once.
"Morgan, honey, we can't. This reservation was a gift from Anna's sister, so we should be gracious we got to spend the entire weekend here already. Now come on! We need to finish packing and head home."
The Shepherds had made the decision that they'd all leave on their own schedules. It wasn't a long march back to Ylisse, and if some people wanted to head home early, or some wanted to stay and enjoy the resort for a bit longer, there wouldn't be a conflict.
Amadeus, Cordelia, Severa, and Morgan finished packing their things and walked down the stairs to return their room keys. When they got to the lobby, they ran into Lon'qu, Olivia, and their child, Inigo. Severa jumped at seeing him, and turned to her parents.
"Oh, right, I'm going to go home later. I'm going to spend some more time here with Inigo!" Amadeus was surprised; he hadn't been told of this development, and judging by Cordelia's face, neither had she.
"Er..alright then?" He couldn't see any harm in it. "But..first, let me and your mother talk to Inigo." The boy had a reputation as a...philanderer of sorts.
"Okay! Inigo, come here. My parents want to talk to you." Amadeus and Cordelia turned to each other, trading wicked grins before turning back to the boy.
They pulled him to the side of the lobby so that they were out of earshot of the others.
"So. Inigo. How long have you and Severa been going out?" Cordelia asked, almost casually.
"Erm..well, since after we jumped into the portal, actually. Er..only recently!" He sputtered.
"That's all well and good." Amadeus replied. "But..let's just say, your reputation...precedes you." Inigo stepped back.
"Oh? My reputation, sir? Heavens, what could you mean by that?" His face had gone chalk white, but Amadeus continued smiling sweetly at him.
"Just..the odd story here and there. Taking a girl out for a nice tea...and then turning around and ignoring that girl when a prettier one comes by." Amadues kept his tone light, and kept the silly grin plastered on his face as Cordelia finished up.
"So...just letting you know, whoever makes our baby girl cry because he ditches her for another girl...why, that'd be a terribly horrible thing to do." Cordelia had the same grin on her face as Amadeus did. "Do we understand each other now, Inigo?" The boy nodded, his face still white.
"Alright, that's all. Go enjoy your date with Severa." Amadeus turned him back towards the group in the center of the lobby, and he staggered back towards them.
"Inigo? Are you okay? Why are you so pale?" Severa rushed up to him, not noticing her parents stifling laughs behind her.
The gates of Ylisstol rose in front of them. They were about ten minutes from home now, having marched through the day.
"Mom..why do girls start liking guys?" The question was kind of sudden; Cordelia looked at Amadeus, who shrugged.
"Er...well..as you get older, you'll start to understand." She tried to brush off the question, but Morgan's inquisitive nature kept pushing her on.
"But why do people start falling in love? I don't get it. Like Severa! All she talks about is boys now." Amadeus stroked his younger daughters scarlet hair.
"Well, as you get older, you start thinking about getting married, and starting a family. So you look for someone that you'd be willing to spend the rest of your life with! But you're just a bit young for that, so I guess you haven't really started thinking about it yet." Morgan gave her dad a face.
"But I'm not that young! When did you start liking Mother? Or, Mother, when did you start liking Father?" Cordelia and Amadeus' eyes darted towards each other.
"Er..well, will you look at that! We're at the gates already; I guess we'll just have to tell you the story some other time!" Amadeus pointed at the gates that now stood in front of them.
The next few days went by in a blur. Cordelia had insisted on starting wedding planning right away. Days were filled with designing and preparing invitation letters, as well as occasionally planning the actual wedding itself. Cordelia wanted the invitations to be elaborate, and fancy, and so they spent a few days just on the design alone. Amadeus had wanted a small, private wedding, but being Chrom's advisor, there were many political guests he was obligated to invite, and as a result, the stack of invitations kept growing and growing.
Amadeus was overwhelmed by all the activities and responsibilities whirling around him and his girlfriend.
No, not girlfriend anymore. Fiancee. He smiled as he thought of the chain of events that had brought him to this day. What were the chances?
He found himself wandering through the castle, having found a rare moment of respite. He smiled as he went through, in his mind, all the events that had somehow brought him to this day. From the day he woke up in that field, looking up at Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick, to the Plegian War...and then the two years of peace, and the Valmese War that they'd just finished...somehow, along the way, he'd also managed to find love.
"Hm…." A loud sigh startled him from his thoughts, and he looked around. He had meandered into the Shepherd's Garrison. The tables were strewn with books and unsharpened weapons, and old, cracked armor. All over the floor were the deposited weapons that had been hastily returned with the conclusion of the war. And, in the center of it all, a familiar blue-haired man stood, sighing to himself.
"Chrom?" The man turned. "I know that face. 'Dueling with unpleasant thoughts', are we?" Chrom laughed at the reference to the past.
"You know me too well, Amadeus." Chrom took a seat at one of the benches, and Amadeus took the seat opposite him.
"True. It's been a while. Remember the first time I was here? When Lissa took me here to meet all the Shepherds…" Amadeus smiled at the memory. "I also met Sumia that day, you know." He winked at his friend. "That's one of my first memories, in a way. Or, really, it's one of the first happy ones."
Chrom laughed.
"Heh. I suppose so. I wish all our memories since then could have been as joyful." Amadeus smile fell at this.
"Yes..so much needless blood shed. Days filled with pain, doubt, and war...we'd never have made it without you there guiding us, Chrom."
Chrom's eyebrow raised in surprise.
"That's odd. I was about to say the exact same to you."
The smile returned to Amadeus' face as he remembered something Chrom had told him long ago.
"I guess we really are two halves of the same whole." The two shared a quick laugh before lapsing back into silence.
Chrom finally broke it.
"Amadeus...you're not going to like what I'm about to say. Let me preface it by saying that we'll have to delay your wedding." Amadeus nodded slowly.
Gods, please don't be what I think it is. If it's Lucina's future somehow having found a way to happen now…
"The messenger returned today with news of the final Gemstone. King Validar, of Plegia, has been guarding it...and he wishes to return it to us now."
"Validar…" The name brought back memories that Amadeus would rather forget.
"Yes. He requests that we be present in person, so he can present it to us." Amadeus shook his head vigorously.
"No! Chrom, the Risen that attacked us after last time were no accident…" Chrom held up a hand to stop his tactician.
"I know. But we have no choice. And don't worry. We'll be walking into this with all the Shepherds armed to the teeth." Amadeus sighed.
"When are we marching out, then?" He asked in a resigned tone.
"Tomorrow. Don't worry. I promise your wedding will be the first thing we attend to when we return."
"Hm. I'll hold you to that promise." Amadeus allowed himself a small smile despite the situation, and Chrom returned it.
Cordelia was none too happy about having their wedding delayed, but she understood. The decision was made to leave the children behind in Ylisstol. They'd protested, but agreed in the end.
Chrom and Amadeus had decided the night before that the children wouldn't go along; they needed some able-bodied warriors, as Amadeus had said, to stay in Ylisstol just in case Validar decided to attack while they were gone.
The children had gathered at the gates to send off their parents, watching as they set off for what they hoped would be a thoroughly straightforward mission.
"But Father, I want to go with you! I don't want to lose you again!" Morgan pulled on Amadeus' robe.
"Morgan, honey, I want to make sure you're safe too. But what if Validar knows that we'll be sending all our best soldiers? Then he can attack Ylisstol. I need you to stay here and help with the planning and strategy for the defense of Ylisstol while we're gone, alright?" Morgan wanted to argue, but knew that her father was right. He gave her a kiss and turned to his other daughter, who'd just finished saying goodbye to her mother.
"Daddy...you remember your promise?" She sniffed, trying to hold back tears.
"Yes, dear. Don't worry. I'll be back before you know it. It's just a diplomatic meeting; nothing will go wrong!" He was reassuring her as much as he was reassuring himself. He kissed Severa gently and turned.
It was time to go.
Wow, that ended up being a lot longer than I was expecting. I was actually considering splitting this into two chapters.
I ended up going with the hot spring; there wasn't really much reasoning, I just wasn't sure what I could write for having them at the beach just yet.
Also, we see the development of the relationship between Morgan and Severa in this chapter. I hadn't really touched on that before, and I thought that this would be a good opportunity. Mostly, we've seen Severa as kind of the figurehead, while Morgan follows her sister in her shenanigans. This may be because Morgan is, as Severa said, agreeable, but we can see that Morgan does think quite a bit, and she actually understands her sister in a way that only siblings would.
We also see some more depth in Severa; despite her exterior, she does worry about how she is perceived, and it does bug her; she just can't help herself most of the time.
In regards to both sisters, we see that they're really just happy beyond belief to not only be seeing their parents again, but actually enjoying their time. As Severa said, there was no time to relax in their future; there was no talk of the fun things that they could do later, because there simply was no reason to think that far. For them, 'having fun' is a foreign concept that they perhaps once knew as very young children, but forgot as they grew up because of their situation.
Lastly, I thought the wing clips thing would be cute; I know, I know, she has them all throughout the game, but sue me for taking some liberties with things. Anyways, Cordelia will hold those hair clips dear; I may write something about them in the next chapter, when the Shepherds go to Plegia.
Also, this marks another turning point in the story. After all the action in the beginning, there's been a lull in terms of fighting, and the Shepherds have had some time to develop their relationships and also just relax and forget about war. But now, I'm going to get into the endgame, when they face their true final fight.
In a way, I think that Amadeus knew this was coming, and that this peace was tentative. He drops some hints, but because of how much he is enjoying life right now, he just can't bring himself to admit to himself that he knows it won't really be over until Grima is dead.
Koye: sorry I didn't do the beach yet! Hopefully this is a good enough substitute, and I do promise that the beach will come in the future!
Patient 0 Zero: well...yes, you're right, but I wasn't sure if I went a bit too overboard. Glad you liked it, though; sometimes, corny is best! :)
Jozern: Yes, I can see that. :( I'm not sure if I'm really going to focus on that, but we'll see.
ANOTHER THING: Please feel free to let me know if you have suggestions. I've used a couple from reviewers/pms, and if possible, I'll do my best to work your ideas into the story. However, I just want to say that if I don't, please, please, PLEASE don't feel offended; it might just not fit, and I don't want things to sound, as Jozern mentioned, forced.
So, please enjoy this chapter! Next chapter, you guys can probably guess what will happen if you've played to this point in the game. :)