A Brady x Cynthia story requested by Saeki Himemiya on

He remembers the day they first met. The young son of a rich noble and the daughter of a sky flier. Well her mom was technically a pegasus rider, but Brady was young. He never used the right terms for most things. To his mother's irritation. Yet this day was different. This day Maribelle had Brady dressed in his finest clothes. He even remembers the words his mother said to him.

"Brady, mama has some old friends coming over today. Father and mother will be busy with our friends all day talking of some very grave news. Do not fret dear. They have a daughter your age. You two are going to have lots of fun while was room. Do not enter this room, understand?"

"Yes Ma." Came his reply. His mama's face grew red but he was dismissed to his room. It was in there that he heard the the whinnies of the pegasi from outside. Running to the window Brady is able to see the flying horse just as it was landing.

He could hear his mother greet them at the front door. No doubt after the butler led them insides. His father's voice was clear as he also greeted their guests. A woman's voiced thank them for their time and kindness. His own mother instructing the butler that their daughter be led to his room. Brady never even got a chance to see the adults besides the slight glimpse from the window.

A knock on his door before it opens.

"Master Brady. You have a playmate today." Came the introduction, but Brady says nothing as a slightly taller, blonde girl walks into his room. Her hair was up in twin braids, and her face was covered in a huge smile. Her teeth were so white and her mouth was so wide Brady wonders if she was even human, and how could her eyes possibly fit on such a small space.

"Hello! My name is Cynthia! Are you Brady? That guy called you Brady." The girl was practically shouting as she speaks. Brady simply nods in response hoping it would be enough for the stranger. His house was rarely ever loud. This girl was an oddity of sorts he had never encountered before. So happy, loud, and bouncy.

"Well what do you do here Brady?" Cynthia asks practically prancing about the room. "Do you have any fun toys? Owain has a lot of toy swords, but not really anything else. Gerome's got a giant wyvern! What do you have?"

"What? W-what do you mean?" Brady asks growing impatient as she continues to talk about people and things he had never heard of.

"What cool thing do you have?" Cynthia asks again.

Brady looks around his room. In was an ugly, plain yellow color his mother delighted in. He had a box full of toys that his grandparents had given him. There was even a toy sword among the collection, but as she said Owain had a lot of those. He had a book of spells given to him by a man that visited his mother once, but he rarely ever opens it.

"What's this?" Cynthia asks pulling out his violin from his closest.

"Hey! Don't touch that!" Brady shouts as he pulls the case free from her hands. "It's delicate. You have to be careful."

"Why?" Cynthia asks undaunted by his mood.

"Because you can break it if you aren't." He explains his anger growing.

"I've never seen it before. What is it?"

Brady stares at this girl as if she was from another planet. His mother had him playing violin since he could hold one in his lap and pluck. How this girl had never seen one was unbelievable to him.

"You're not very smart, are you?" He asks.

She glares at him. "And you're not very nice."

"It's a violin." Brady explains. "An instrument. You play it and it creates music."

"Play."

"I don't feel like it."

"Please." She begs. Her eyes were large and brown. Cynthia kept stepping closer and closer to Brady. She was in his face when he finally conceded. Not that he let her that close because he thought it would be nice. No, he just was stubborn and would not play for such a crazy person. Well, she did look hopeful.

"Alright. If it gets ya off my back." Brady agrees, grumbling as he bitterly gets out his violin. He plays the only song he knows off the top of his head without looking at a music sheet. It's short, and the first song he ever learned, but it was enough to calm the girl down. Or at least she was calm until the song was done.

"That was amazing, Brady!"

"Uh, thanks." Brady looks away hoping his face was not as red as it felt.

When their parents were done talking her father came to take her away. Brady followed a step behind them. There were a hundred questions he wanted to ask. Where were they going? Would she be back? When? If maybe she would like to come to his next practice? How did her parents know his? Could he go with her? Would she remember him like she remembers this Owain, and Gerome?

Instead he walks in silence behind the two as they meet her mother at the door. She was a tall woman. One with a nice smile, but Brady didn't care how nice she looked. They were taking his new friend away. He looks over to his parents with pleading eyes. Maribelle calls him over. Still pouting he slowly trudges over. Once he was near his mother takes his shoulders under her hands and holds him close.

"Smile dear." She whispers into his ear.

Brady tries his hardest but there was little he could do to make himself smile at his new friend's departure. That was until Cynthia looked over to him.

"Bye Brady. I had a lot of fun. Please invite me over again soon." She asks formally looking to his parents for the last part. That brought a smile and a slight rush of heat to his face.

When their guests had left his mother told him he had done well. His father teased him for his newfound crush. Which was preposterous. Brady hadn't crushed Cynthia. He had played music for him. Saying that to pa only earned him a laugh in return. Brady cried to his mother to tell pa to stop laughing, but his mother only smiled at him. Then she held a look of deep thought on her face. Brady gives up. His father had won.

Years later and Brady finds himself closer to Cynthia everyday. After the death of their parents the children of the shepherds had formed a new sort of band. There were not as many of them as there had been in their parents' time. That was hardly their fault however, since there weren't even as many people living in their time as had been in their parents'.

He had joined as soon as he learned a viable skill. Healing had been the skill of his choice. The book his grandfather had sent him years ago had come to be handy. It taught him the beginning of magic, and Brady was now able to cast his magic through his staffs to heal his friends. Now he was much like his mother or perhaps more like her closest friend, Lissa. The mother of Owain and one of the only two original shepherds that was still alive.

Brady was one of the early ones to join. He did not come to Lucina alone like many of the children had. His mother was the other shepherd still living from the original group. They were quickly put to work by the princess, er, queen now he supposed. Brady would do the healing while his mother would round up survivors and guide them to the safe spot. Wherever they had set up camp at the time. It was hard work, but it had his skills improving greatly everyday, and at least this way he was making a difference. Even with Lucina away so often Owain, or Kjelle were often left behind to aid in the protection of camp from the risen.

Brady still remembers the day she came back to them after what was suppose to be a simple scouting trip. Riding on a pegasus of her own now. Cynthia came crashing into the camp. She was injured, her pegasus had a few burnt feathers. Some were even torn. How it was still flying was a miracle. Brady had been the first to spot her. Crashing down at them all. At first he thought it was a wild wyvern come to kill them for food. Immediately he had people clearing the area. When he notices the creature was a pure white, not a scaly green or even grey his body relaxed slightly. Until he saw the rider on the pegasus and the condition of the flying horse.

When it landed Cynthia managed to slide off. Immediately her horse's legs crashed from underneath itself. Cynthia was close behind her. Brady was quick to catch the always perky girl. Right now she looked like she just had the shit beaten out of her.

"Cynthia!" He speaks with urgency as he carries her back towards the first aid tent. "Can you hear me?"

When her eyes open Brady felt such a rush of relief that he had never again felt anything quite like it. "Brady?" Her voice was cracked. A sign her throat was probably sore.

"Don't ya worry Cynthia. We are gonna fix ya right up." Brady reassures her. He runs side long into the tent. Carefully he rests her on one of the few empty sheets they had hanging up off of the ground. Looking around Brady was quick to pick up the staff closest to him.

"Brady it was horrible." Cynthia admits looking quite grim in the face for a moment. "But I managed to buy them time. They escaped. I'm a hero." She sounds proud and a little more like herself.

"A hero who could have gotten herself killed. Ya realize that don't cha?" Brady asks sounding furious. He could have lost her today, and he would never had known.

"Brady are you mad?" She asks this and he feels his anger swelling up. She should know that he was mad. She could have died. Her pegasus could have died, and she was worried about being a damn hero. Blasted Owain, helping fill her head up with such stories and obsession.

"No." Brady lies as he begrudgingly stops talking. He wanted to give her a lecture. To tell her how foolish she was and how crazy this whole interference of hers had been. Instead he focuses on his job. He was a healer. Healing heroes is what he did. If Lucina, Owain, Cynthia, and Morgan kept insisting on recklessly risking their own lives he would always be there to heal them. He had more than enough experience to protect himself on the field, but she had not returned to base for backup first. She went off all on her own against who knows how many risens.

"There. I've done all I can for right now, but you need to stay here and rest." Brady insists. Partially it was because she needed to. Yet it was also partially because he wanted to keep her a little closer to him. Just incase she wanted to try anything, he told himself. It is only so he could look after her.

"Thank you Doctor Brady!" Cynthia exclaims already sounding chippier. "But I don't think I need to stay." Brady knew where this would go. So before the cycle of their arguments could begin anew he cuts her a deal right off the bat.

"Sleep. Take a nap, and after that I'll decide if you're good to go or not."

Cynthia smiles up at him. "Okay Brady, but I'm leaving after my nap."

He replies with a "We'll see." But he knew she was right. She would. He could never get her to stay longer than that after all.

Cynthia fell asleep almost immediately. She rests just as restless as she works. If that even makes sense. Brady adds bitterly. He tends to their other injured as Cynthia sleeps, but she was always moving and rolling around in her little makeshift bed that Brady was worried she would roll out and hurt herself. On one hand if that happen Brady could use that as a reason she should stay longer and continue to rest. Yet on the other hand she could just roll out of it again or even simply refuse and march out of here. Basically all the children of the shepherds hold that tendency besides Morgan who has gone missing, Nah, and Kjelle. For some reason the one he always had the hardest trouble to get in here was always the only one willing to stay until she was fully healed.

Nonetheless Brady kept an eye on Cynthia at all times. Even when his mother released him from his duties for the day he remained within the tent. Insisting on continuing to help his mother until the day grew dark. When the woman used her umbrella to kick him out and send him to go eat Brady was reluctant but could do little to resist her.

He sat in the meal tent begrudgingly. He hated eating nowadays. All cause he would go so long without any food at all. Most days were only filled with work and the occasional snack so his body could still digest. He knew there was never enough food for all the people that were there. He also knew that all the people doing the fightin' should be eatin' before him. So when it came Brady's turn to grab some food he was only going to take an apple. Maybe two, but unfortunately Laurent was on meal duty today. The mage knew well about Brady's habits so when the healer approached him determined to take no more than normal Laurent caught his hands and instead gave him not just one bowl, but two.

"Please take one of these to Cynthia. She has had quite the day today from what I hear." Laurent explains. News always did spread fast through here. "Brady please do make sure you eat tonight. We all have to make sacrifices but I am beginning to grow worried over your own health." Brady nods and give the other shepherd thanks before stomping out of the meal tent. Now he not only had a bowl of food for himself but no fruit so there was no way he could get Cynthia to eat both bowls without starving himself. Damn that Laurent.

When he was got back his mother was still running around like a hen without her head. Many would see nerves getting loose, but Brady knew this was just how his ma worked. She was so use to running to the aid of everyone on top of her horse that she knows little else. Silently Brady bypasses his mom and sits on top of a crate next to the rolling Cynthia. He holds out her own bowl of food towards the sleeping girl. Waiting for the smell to work its magic and raise her from her disturbingly animated rest.

"Brady I told you to get out." Maribelle states taking a moment to speak with her son.

"Yeah, and I did. Got some food for sleeping beauty 'ere. Have you ate yet ma?"

"Mother." Maribelle corrects through gritted teeth with an exasperated sigh. "And yes I did before coming to relieve you."

When the bowl is wrenched from his hand Brady knows that Cynthia had finally woken up. He looks over his shoulder to see her pulling the bowl closer to her chest. She pulls the fork free from the mess of food and gleefully takes a bite. Her eating reminds Brady of a pack of ravenous wolves he had seen take down a deer once. Yet the look on her face was pure delight.

"Thank you Brady!" Cynthia cheers.

Hiding his face quickly Brady simply shrugs. "Why ya thankin' me? Laurent sent the food. I only delivered it." Brady explains trying his best to sound nonchalant.

"Then I'll thank him later. Am I good to go doc?" Cynthia asks somehow managing to fall out of her bed as she tried to stand. In an amazing feat of priorities the pegasus rider managed to save her bowl of food from spilling as her face fell first into the muddy ground.

"Is there anyway I can stop ya?" Brady asks taking the bowl from her hands. With ease he pulls the girl up. When he hands her back her food he picks out small flecks of mud from her hair.

"Nope!" There was her goofy grin again. When he feels her lips grace his cheek with a light kiss Brady's face grows an even deeper shade of red.

He ignores the rush of blood and his thumping heart all just so he could speak. "Then ya better get goin. And wash up when you're done eatin' that." Brady instructs, but Cynthia was already rushing off. It would be a miracle if she made it anywhere without spilling her food before she was done.

Brady looks back to his own bowl of food. Suddenly he wasn't hungry anymore. The painful growls of his stomach he had been ignoring were no longer there to ignore. Either that was a good sign or a very very negative one. When his mother pats his head Brady finally looks up.

"You take good care of her. Of them." She quickly adds. "I'm proud of you." Her voice was soft and it is one of the only times Brady can remember her ever saying that to him outside of his performances.

"Thanks ma."

Brady opens his eyes and shoots up straight in his bed. His head snaps from the left to the right as he checks the dark tent with bare eyes. Risen. They had been everywhere. Cynthia! They had taken Cynthia! Quickly Brady hands reach for the spot next to him where his wife was suppose to be. Brady looks down as his hands touch her. She was still there with him. Still safe.

"Brady? Is something wrong?" She asks rolling around onto her other side to face him.

"Just a bad dream." Brady lays back down and wraps his arms around her again. Her eyes still as bright as ever. The same ones that gave him a little light in his life even during the worst of times. As he stares he thinks back to the day he first met her. All the times she nearly got herself killed that he would have to interfere. All the days he would watch her train, and even the day they found her confused and mislead by the bandits.

"Come here." Happily Cynthia wraps her arms around his waist. She buries her head into his chest, pulling him closer to her. "We're alright." She promises as her eyes close. Brady had grown use to her sudden affectionate actions. "Just close your eyes and try to rest again. I promise it'll be better this time. If the risen show up again all you have to do is remember that you have a hero right here!" She exclaims cheerfully still sounding half asleep.

"Goodnight Cynthia." He kisses her head lightly.

She sighs happily into her chest as sleep takes her once again. Brady lies awake for a while longer. He was use to this. Always being one of the last to fall asleep. His mind never resting. His fears were never quelled. Yes Brady was use to the silence of the night, but it was a little more comfortable with her near. Ever since they found out that she was with child he had been on edge. What if he wasn't a good father? What if the risen came back? What if Grima really wasn't gone? All thoughts that never ceased to plague him. Except for when Cynthia was near. True to the hero that she was. Somehow his pegasus rider managed to quell all of his fears. So while he laid awake at night he plans their future, planning to give her everything she ever wanted. Everything she and their child deserved. After all, chances were that they would never have even lived this long anyways.