Author's Note: I can't stop writing. This is either really good (I get to do a lot of writing) or really bad (I burn out and don't want to touch this story again for a month). Either way, enjoy the ride!
I will admit, I'm not usually one to write fluffy slice of life type stuff, so last chapter felt a little out of character and really odd for me to write. Even though it's the type of show I usually watch when it comes to anime, I find it difficult to imagine in my head for my own writing. I suppose you learn to admire the things you cannot do… like watching jazz pianists rip off impressive improv solos and realizing that all my classical piano training doesn't prepare you for anything of the sort.
Also, first time a chapter has broken 10k words in this story… as far as I remember.
Chapter 31
Requiem of Reason
"Ravey?"
I cracked my eyes open at the voice. When did I fall back asleep? I looked outside to see it was still early morning, but probably about an hour past dawn. Did I miss breakfast? Oh, right, Lissa was speaking to me.
"M-morning, Lissa," I said with a yawn. I tried to move, but felt a weight on my left shoulder and a slight weight across my chest. I looked over to see a sleeping, blue-haired princess fast asleep on my left shoulder with her arm draped across my chest. I let out a gasp of surprise… and it took every ounce of willpower I had to not jump up.
"Imagine sleeping through something like that happening. What's going on? Why is she even…?" Lissa asked. I searched my memory to try to remember what happened. I think I woke up earlier and… oh, Lucina visited and we talked and then somehow we slipped back to sleep.
"Long story. I think? I honestly can't remember all the details what happened? But, are you here for my morning treatment?" I asked.
"Yes, Ravey. It'll be your last dose of healing and then you'll be as good as new. I'm afraid I will have to ask that she leaves the room," Lissa replied.
"Okay. Could you, uh… leave for a bit and come back in about ten minutes?" I asked.
"Why?" Lissa asked.
"… I think she would be upset if she knew you walked in on this. A woman should be entitled to her secrets after all. Please, Lissa…" I replied.
"Hmm, that is true. I'll take care of Vaike first and then I'll be back," Lissa said.
"Thank you, Lissa…"
"On one condition," she replied.
"Oh… gods… what is it?" I asked.
"You will explain to me later what this is about."
"I think it would be better if you asked her."
"Considering you want it to seem like I didn't see this, I feel like that is not a good idea," Lissa replied. I sighed to myself. She had a point.
"You promise not to tell anyone else?" I asked.
"I swear," she said with a smile.
"What's the smile for?"
"I have a feeling I already know the reason why this is happening. Goodbye, Raven. I will see you in ten minutes."
With that, Lissa turned and left the room. I mumbled something to myself that was not worth mentioning before I gently started shaking Lucina.
"Hey, hey, wake up," I said. There was no response from her. I shook her again and I heard a sigh come from her.
"Are you ashamed of me, Raven?"
I paused as Lucina rolled onto her back and started staring at the ceiling absentmindedly.
"What?" I asked.
"I asked if you are ashamed of me… of us spending time together," she replied.
"Were you… not asleep?" I asked.
"Unlike you, I was awake this whole time, enjoying the moment. At least, I thought I was enjoying the moment, but it seems I was alone in that mindset. I apologize for inconveniencing you…" she said as she got up and off the bed.
"Lucina, wait, I… did I say something wrong?" I asked.
"Again, I ask… are you ashamed of me?" she asked again.
"What? No, why?"
"You seemed like it. You want this to be our secret? Am I just a convenience for you?" she asked.
"No, not at all! Where are you even getting these ideas from?" I asked.
"You, Raven. I'm getting these ideas from you," she replied. "Why try to hide from Lissa? Why try to keep how close we are a secret? You say you need time to think it over, but you seem to act like you have found your answer already."
"I… thought that's what you would have wanted," I replied. She sighed to herself.
"What is it that you want, Raven?" she asked me. I paused as I thought about it.
"I want what you want," I replied.
"Clearly not, seeing as I am in this limbo right now," she countered in a slightly frustrated tone.
"That's not fair, Lucina," I said to her with a frown. She hung her head slightly.
"Sorry, Raven. You're right. I do myself no favors acting in such a way," she said quietly.
"Tell me one thing," I said to her.
"What is it?"
"… assuming I had accepted, what then? What do you want from me? What were you expecting? What would be different?" I asked. She paused and thought to herself.
"Truthfully, I do not believe much would change," she said. "We would get closer just from spending time around each other, but… we probably would do that anyway. Honestly, I cannot answer that question."
"Well, at least you're not some person with delusions of grandeur," I said.
"I am a person who cannot afford such frivolous luxuries," she replied.
"That is true," I said. "Your choice. Do you want to stay here and explain things to Lissa or would you rather head out? I am fine either way."
"I choose to stay," she replied as she sat in the chair in the room.
"Okay," I replied. "There, that's the Lucina I know."
"What?"
"You took charge. You made a choice and you're owning it. That's… the part of you that you should rely on more," I said.
"Hm…"
We sat there in silence until Lissa came back into the room with her staff in hand. She looked at Lucina with a slightly shocked expression before giving me a curious glance.
"Oh, Lucina, hello there," Lissa greeted in an innocent tone.
"Aunt Lissa, it's fine. I know you were in here earlier," Lucina replied.
"Oh, did Raven tell you?" Lissa asked.
"No, I was awake the whole time you had your conversation," Lucina replied.
"You mean you were pretending to be asleep?"
"I was merely laying there and enjoying the moment. You two just assumed I was sleep," Lucina replied.
"O-oh, that's true. Anyway, I need you to leave the room while I do Raven's treatment," Lissa said.
"I would like to stay," she said.
"Really? It's routine and boring. Go have some breakfast," Lissa said.
"I can have breakfast with Raven afterward," Lucina replied.
"… you really are stubborn like Chrom sometimes," Lissa said with a sigh. "Fine, you can stay."
"Thank you, Aunt Lissa," Lucina replied.
"Just Lissa is fine," Lissa insisted.
"I… I couldn't possibly…"
"You can and you will or I might ask you to leave the room," Lissa said with a smile.
"Very well… L-Lissa," Lucina replied.
"Good! None of this 'Aunt Lissa' stuff. Gods, you kids make me feel old. I hear it enough from Owain calling me 'mother' as is. I'm not even twenty yet! Sheesh, if Owain had a kid, I don't think I could be used to being called 'Grandmother' or something," she said with a laugh. She raised her staff and it began to glow. I could feel the last vestiges of fatigue and pain from the injury slowly fade away as I saw the look of concentration deep on her face.
The process was over in a few minutes. Lissa took a seat afterward to catch her breath.
"With that, everyone is back to normal. Maribelle should be finishing up Sumia right about now, too," Lissa commented. "I should report this to brother and let him know we are ready to depart."
"Where are we going next?" I asked. Lissa gave Lucina a look while she tried to catch her breath. Lucina nodded in reply.
"While you were unconscious, we arrived at this port town. We expected resistance from the Valm forces, but there were none. We met with a person named Say'ri who told us there are pockets of resistance and revolution against the might of Walhart the Conqueror. We are to depart soon to save the Voice of Naga, the divine dragon's oracle. She is currently being held as a prisoner of Walhart's army, but if we rescue her, we're sure more rebels will join our cause. That's our plan for now. Rescue Lady Tiki and use her as a scion of justice and freedom," Lucina explained.
"Well put," Lissa said with a look of admiration.
"Hmm, that sounds like a solid plan!" I replied enthusiastically. I slowly got out of bed, noticing I was wearing a nightgown of sorts. "Uh, where are my clothes?"
"In the corner over there," Lissa replied, pointing to a corner.
"Oh, okay. Would you two, um, mind if I changed? Alone?" I asked.
"Oh, not at all. Lucina, would you come with me out of the room? I have a feeling we need to have a little talk," Lissa said. Lucina gave a nervous look before nodding and walking out of the room with Lissa. As the two of them departed from the room and closed the door behind me, I found my outfits sitting in the corner. My battle armor had a gash in the back of it and I felt myself recoiling in some subconscious fear. I thought I felt a phantom sensation of pain on the left side of my back, but… that had to be my imagination, right?
All of a sudden, I felt a weakness in me, as if I was using my flicking technique. Blue lights began to dance around the gash in the armor, much to my surprise. Within a few seconds, the damage disappeared and the armor looked as good as new. What was that? That's something I had to ask Miriel about as soon as possible. I changed into my original outfit, but kept my hood down. Biting my lip, I walked out of the room and saw Lucina and Lissa deep in conversation.
"So, he didn't give you a definitive answer?" Lissa asked. Lucina sighed in response.
"I have no clue what he is thinking," Lucina replied.
"I'm thinking breakfast sounds good right about now," I said. The two jumped in surprise at my sudden statement.
"Raven!" Lissa exclaimed. "Goodness, do we have to attach a bell to you or something? You move far too quiet for your own good."
"I apologize. I will wear a bell around my neck from here on out. You can call me Cow," I said with a smile.
"Oh, Ravey, please… no need to be that dramatic," Lissa said with a laugh.
"So, I can only guess what you two were talking about. Nice to see you're talking about me behind my back, Frog," I said with a frown.
"You know as well as I do getting a straight answer from you, or any answer really, when you don't want to give one is almost an impossibility sometimes," Lissa remarked.
"I suppose. You've been strangely quiet, Lucina," I said.
"I have… nothing to say, I guess," she replied. I sighed to myself. Is she going to make things awkward this entire time?
"Anyway, Lucina, do you want some breakfast? My treat," I said with a smile.
"I don't know if I'm hungry anymore," she replied listlessly.
"Of course she would! Wouldn't you, Lucina? You would love to have breakfast," Lissa said, giving Lucina a meaningful look.
"O-oh, yes, absolutely, Raven," Lucina replied. Is she getting Lissa coaching? Somehow I feel like this is either going to be extremely helpful or an absolute disaster. There is no in-between with Lissa.
The two of us headed out of the building we were in to a small restaurant in town. Apparently, this port town was quite far from where Walhart ruled and was home to one of the pockets of the resistance force. It was nice to feel a slice of humanity and culture in such a foreign, hostile land. We made our way to one of the tables and sat down.
"So, Raven… um…" Lucina said before pausing.
"Lucina, please, don't try to force any conversation or anything. Just be yourself," I said encouragingly.
"I don't think I know how to right now. I'm still shaking from nerves after this morning," she replied. I sighed to myself and grabbed her hand.
"I guess even the mighty warrior princess has her own weaknesses," I said with a small smile. She smiled back with a genuine warmth. One of the few times I have seen her smile with such fervor and meaning now that I think about it.
"Nobody is perfect, Raven," she replied.
"Of course not, El," I replied. She sighed to herself and hung her head.
"Your insistence at using these nicknames are going to be the death of me," she remarked.
"Sorry. It's just fun to do because of how wildly you react to it," I replied.
"I suppose. You do have some strange habits, after all. You like calling me by those nicknames… you even wear a female's armor," Lucina said with a smirk. I coughed awkwardly.
"Oh, is that how you want to do this?" I asked.
"Yes, Raven, I do believe so," she replied. "You even have a fighting chance now that we're on land and you're not hanging over a rail."
"Oh, and she starts out swinging in powerful blows. The mighty Princess Blueberry puts up a fight in verbal spars after all," I said in mocking admiration.
"Your words will not have an effect on me anymore," she replied defiantly. I opened my mouth to respond when I realized that, outside of teasing her for her nicknames, I had nothing on her.
"I… have no counter to that," I said with a sigh.
"You have lost your edge."
"Probably some damage to my brain after being whacked so hard on the head with a wooden practice sword," I remarked.
"Now that's just not fair," she said with a laugh. I laughed as well, in spite of myself.
"Perhaps it isn't… but perhaps it is," I replied. I saw our server come up to us.
"Good morning and welcome to Wendy's Breakfast! My name is Mist. What can I get for you?"
"Bacon and eggs… and water," I said.
"I'll have sausage and eggs… and apple juice," Lucina said.
"Understood!"
"Apple juice?" I asked. "That's most unlike you. Lately, you had been drinking an ale for breakfast."
"Goodness, Raven, could you not figure out the reason why?" she asked.
"I just assumed you had much on your mind," I said.
"I did," she replied.
"You don't now?"
"Raven, sometimes I feel you can be incredibly dense at the most inopportune times."
"I suppose now would be one of them?"
"Yes. At least you figured that out," she said with a small laugh.
"Well, well, look who it is."
I looked over to see Gaius came in with Sumia and an odd smirk on his face.
"Morning, Gaius," I said.
"Good morning, Shady. Morning, Princess Blueberry," he said. Sumia sighed to herself slightly.
"Grabbing breakfast?" I asked.
"Oh, yes, I am. Feeling better? You took a nasty blow in our last battle," Gaius remarked.
"Yeah, I'm feeling much better. Thanks for asking!" I replied.
"No problem. Can't have you dying on us right now. I'd have nobody else to rob in a game of cards," Gaius remarked. I laughed a little at that.
"Nice to see which part of me you're truly concerned about," I replied.
"Hey, look, it looks like you already got someone else concerned enough for the rest of you," Gaius replied innocently.
"Really?" I asked. Gaius sighed aloud.
"Hey, Blueberry. I hope you realize this guy is the densest guy in existence," he said.
"I am quite well aware of that," Lucina answered.
"Hey, wait a second! That's not fair," I replied with a frown.
"You know, considering all that's happened since Raven joined, I suppose like mother, like daughter," Gaius said. Lucina and I gave him a confused look.
"I mean, that's how families work, Gaius," I replied. He sighed and shook his head.
"You two really do have much in common. Look, Shady, all I'm saying is you should develop a sweet tooth," he said.
"Why is that?" I asked.
"… because I feel like one of these days you're going to be enjoying blueberry cobbler," he replied with a laugh. "Enjoy your breakfast!"
I saw him walk off to a table with Sumia and scratched my head in confusion…
"Raven, you like blueberry cobbler?" Lucina asked.
"I… don't know. I never had it before," I admitted.
"How about blueberry pie?"
"I actually don't think I've ate blueberries before, now that I think of it."
"How about apple pie?" she asked.
"Hm, can't say I have much of an opinion on it either way. Now pumpkin pie is another story. I love pumpkin pie," I replied with a smile.
"Almost as much as your bear claws and chocolate croissants?" Lucina asked.
"Now wait a second, there are tiers of likes when it comes to food," I quickly replied.
"Duly noted, your highness of heavenly sweets," Lucina said with mocking reverence.
"Wow, look at you with a sense of humor."
"Goodness, Raven, I am not totally devoid of humor!" she replied with a frown.
"Huh… I guess you learn something new every day," I replied.
"… I feel like I should be offended it took you this long to realize this," Lucina replied in an annoyed tone.
"I mean, I… hm… I got nothing for that."
Lucina paused for a few seconds before laughing to herself. Not soon after, I started laughing as well. Why did I start laughing? I have no idea.
We continued chatting as we had our breakfasts. As we ate, it occurred to me just how much time we really did spend with each other. I wonder how many other people she spent time with, outside of Chrom and Cordelia after revealing her secret. Probably Owain as well, since he was her cousin.
We headed back to the building we were temporarily using as home base to meet with the rest of the Shepherds. Chrom wanted to begin planning for our march toward the temple of the Voice. We were led to the room where the meeting was to be held to find we were the first two there.
"I guess the rest of them are scattered around town trying to get food as well," I thought aloud.
"Or in Inigo's case, probably trying to find a girl to have a cup of tea with," Lucina added. I snorted to myself.
"Owain is probably off in the practice area, trying to cut logs and talking about his sword hand," I mused. Lucina sighed to herself.
"Owain is a… unique person," Lucina commented.
"Oh, Lucy, my sword hand hungers! It trembles in furious justice for the weak! It yearns for righteous treatment for the oppressed! I am… Owain!" I said. Lucina rolled her eyes in response.
"… for only having just met him, that was a pretty good impression," she said.
"What can I say? I've had practice speaking in a flowery language thanks to Sophia," I said. Lucina paused for a second.
"You and her seem rather close," she said.
"I value her candid and blunt honesty."
"Blunt? Half of the time I have no idea what she's talking about."
"Oh, I mean, she has her flowery language, but she does not hide her honest feelings on things. If she doesn't like something, she will say it in overly descriptive language," I said.
"I guess if you put it that way, I can see it."
I saw Lissa walk into the room with Robin and the four of us sat at the table together and our attention went immediately to those two.
"Look at the prim and proper tactician, fashionably early to his own war meeting," I said with a smirk.
"Fashionably? Robbey?" Lissa asked.
"The prim and proper tactician? Where could he possibly be?" Robin asked, looking around the room frantically. Lissa laughed a little bit, causing Robin to smile at her.
"Oh gods, the sweetness overload is going to kill me," I said.
"Really? I thought it would be your penchant for chocolate cake at the bakery?" Lissa replied with a smirk.
"Does everyone have to bring that up? Chocolate cake is good, okay?"
"Raven does have a valid point there," Lucina said.
"Oh, somehow I just had a feeling you would agree with Ravey," Lissa replied with a devious smirk. Lucina's eyes widened and subtly shook her head once or twice.
"Am I missing something here?" Robin asked, apparently noticing the non-verbal communication between the two.
"N-no! Nothing at all," Lucina said quickly.
"Don't worry your head about it Robbey! Just some female conversation topics," Lissa replied.
"Sometimes you scare me when you say things like that," Robin replied.
"I have to agree with Robin there," I chimed in.
"Lissa, nobody else knows, right?" Lucina asked.
"Of course not. A lady always has her privacy and a lady never reveals a secret!" Lissa replied. I saw Miriel and Donnel enter the room.
"Oh, just the person I wanted to talk to!" I said aloud.
"Me?" Donnel asked.
"No, I needed to talk to Miriel… although, your input could be valuable as well," I said.
"Yee-haw! Lemme see what we can do ya for!" Donnel exclaimed.
"What is the matter of your inquiry?" Miriel asked.
"That outfit. The armor. Have you ever seen it self-repair before?" I asked.
"That would be negative. I have rarely seen it damaged due to the skill level of the one bearing it, and just assumed the repairs were done by one of our maintenance associates," Miriel said.
"I assumed that too, but I had a nasty gash in the armor that I found this morning… probably from where I was injured. As soon as I picked it up, I felt a slight draining sensation like my technique I use to move quickly from one place to another. Blue sparks played around the armor and repaired it to a pristine, proper, polished condition," I explained.
"Most intriguing. We have already decisively concluded that your movement technique appears to be based upon the magic reserves you have, so it would be an educated hypothesis based upon that information to assume that magic is involved with your armor's repair. Thank you for that fascinatingly astute observation!"
"If we have spare time, we should try to replicate the process with you observing it. Just… let's inflict the gash in the armor without me inside it," I said with a sheepish laugh.
"Duly noted. I will take that into consideration based upon the punctuality of your next visit," Miriel replied.
"Mayhaps ya could let Miriel try to fix it first and see if it's any magic that fixes it or if it's respondin' to yer magic only!"
"The very same idea I was about to proposition. Our minds are synchronized in harmonious fashion in the very facets of science and life! It has been a great boon to be wed to such a mind that grows with such magnanimous wonder and prompt celerity. It would be my honor to know that the feeling I possess is mutual," Miriel said, a hint of a smile playing across her face. I guess that's the best Donnel is going to get to a declaration of love.
"Dang right I feel the same! I'm happier'n a pig in mud with ya!" Donnel replied with a huge smile. What an odd couple, but… who am I to judge?
After a short wait, the rest of the Shepherds came into the room. I saw a new female in the group. That must be the Say'ri girl that Lucina was talking about earlier.
"I am calling this meeting to bring the Shepherds who were injured last battle up to speed with the rest of the group. Thanks to the information of Say'ri here, we have decided to go to the temple of the Voice to rescue the oracle of Naga. From there, we can use that victory as a rallying cry to help bring more rebels to our cause and cause a revolution that should shake the very foundation of this conquering empire. The journey, as I am told, is a four-day trek from here. I advise each and every one of you to stock up on supplies, weapons, food, and whatever else you need before we depart. We do not know how long it will be before we end up in a friendly town again," Chrom said.
"Aye, it is just as he said. Lady Tiki is trapped by Walhart's men and it is up to us to go there and rescue her," Say'ri said.
"Are there any questions?" Chrom asked. Everyone shook their heads. Before Chrom could say anything else, Khan Basilio walked into the room and gave Chrom a look.
"Might I have a word?" he asked. Chrom nodded and walked over to him for a second. They had a hushed conversation in the corner. I could see the look of surprise on Chrom's face before his face turned pensive and concerned.
"Retrieve her and have her wait outside. I will talk with her after this meeting," Chrom said. Basilio nodded in reply before departing from the room.
"Is something the matter?" Robin asked.
"It appears we had a stowaway in one of our ships. She's asking to speak to one of the Shepherds. I figured I should be the one she should talk to," Chrom replied. "Anyway, were there any questions about the upcoming mission?"
With silence, Chrom took that as a sign that none of us had questions.
"We all sustained some injuries, but in the end we were successful in our last mission with no fatalities. Let us hope that the next mission will continue that trend," Robin said.
"Indeed. Words well spoken. You are all dismissed!" Chrom said. Most of the Shepherds began meandering out of the room, but I chose to stay behind. It seemed Robin and Elise had the same idea.
"Why is it, when something is happening, it is always you three?" Chrom asked with a sigh.
"Believe me, Chrom, I've been asking myself the same thing for a while," I replied, shrugging my shoulders.
"I assume you three are staying to talk to the stowaway as well?"
"I am, I don't know about these two birds," I said with a smile.
"What did you always say about being annoyed with the b-word?" Robin asked.
"Sorry, figured you didn't actually care," I replied.
"Anyway, Chrom, I am here as well."
"As am I," Elise said. "I suppose as the honorary… bird… I should be here with the other two."
"Of course… Parrot," I said to her with a smirk. She sighed to herself in resignation.
Chrom gave us a look of "What is wrong with all of you?" before nodding in reply. Lucina walked into the room and saw the four of us sitting there.
"Are you all waiting to talk to the stowaway?" she asked.
"Naturally! I want to know what kind of person could cleverly hide away for that whole time!" I replied with a smile.
"I am curious as to what motivated her to follow us," Elise added.
"I would like to know her intentions," Robin said.
"I just want to know who she is," Chrom said.
"Understandable. I shall wait as well," she said. She took a seat next to me and the five of us sat there, waiting in silence. We waited for about a minute before Basilio came back to the room.
"She's here," Basilio said.
"Bring her in," Chrom replied. Basilio nodded, whistled, and did a motion to someone behind the doorway. I looked and gasped slightly at the person they brought in. There was no way…
"She looks familiar," Lucina mused aloud.
"You don't know who she is?" I asked.
"Who is she?" Chrom asked.
"Raven! El!" the girl said with a smile. What was her name again? Oh!
"You're… uh… oh! Nicolette!" I replied.
"Who?" Chrom asked.
"She works at the bakery in Ylisstol," I replied.
"Oh!" Lucina replied with a smile.
"Wait, what is a bakery worker in Ylisstol doing all the way out here?" Chrom replied.
"Yeah, wait, what are you doing out here?" I asked.
"First thing's first! Raven, I haven't seen you in two years! El told me you had died. She disappeared shortly after you did!" she said with a cheerful smile. "It's good to see you both!"
"Why are you here? It's dangerous out here!" I said in a reprimanding tone.
"I was visiting a family member in Port Ferox when your group showed up. I saw you two walking through the streets and I couldn't believe my eyes. A person rumored to be dead and a vanishing warrior were walking down the alleyway, having a wonderful conversation as the sun set! The drama! The beauty! It was charming to watch," she said.
"Wait, the night we had dinner together?" I asked aloud.
"Must be. That's the only night that fits that description," Lucina replied.
"So that's where you two went after the restaurant…" Chrom thought aloud. Not relevant right now, Chrom.
"How… wait… what about the bandits that roam around? How were you not captured? You could've been hurt or injured!" I said.
"Hurt and injured are the same thing," she replied with a smile.
"Not the point! You… that's… that's dangerous," I said incredulously.
"I can defend myself! I make the trip to Port Ferox regularly. Your soldiers took my weapons, though," she replied. "Pity! I stowed away because I wanted to blend in and fight with you guys!"
"Why?" I asked. She bit her lip for a second as a momentary flicker of darkness and sadness crossed her face before it disappeared behind that cheery smile she kept on.
"Because the Shepherds are my favorite customers!" she replied. Did she expect anyone to believe that?
"That is… if I may be blunt… a terrible reason for coming across that sea with us," Robin stated. I paused for a second. There was more going on than she was letting us know.
"Nikki?"
I heard a familiar, dreamy voice float into the room. The girl, Nicolette, turned to it as did the rest of us. Sophia was standing in the doorway with a confused expression on her face.
"Sophia!"
"Wait, you two know each other?" I asked.
"Yes, Raven. She was part of our group before we got separated," Sophia explained to us. She turned to Nicolette. "I thought I told you to wait in Ylisstol."
"Sophia, no, you can't leave me behind again!"
"Stop. Pause. Explain," I said. "You and Leila both know this Nikki girl?"
"Yes, Raven," Sophia replied.
"Wait, Leila's here too?" Nicolette asked.
"Yes," Sophia replied.
"What about Callie and Mo—"
"Nikki, stop! You must be fatigued. Let us talk later about this in a less public setting," Sophia said in a slightly warning tone.
"So, you're here… because you saw Raven and Lucina?" Chrom asked.
"That's right!" she replied with a big smile. Chrom sighed to himself.
"Well, just stay in the back with the convoy. I cannot have a civilian distracting my armies, but the back is probably safest," Chrom said.
"No, no! I want to join. I want to fight alongside everyone!" she said enthusiastically.
"Nikki, no," Sophia said.
"But, Sophia! Let me fight! You know I can," she pleaded.
"How well can she fight?" Chrom asked.
"That question is not relevant as she will not be fighting at all," Sophia said firmly.
"You're not my parent."
"No, but I had gotten to know both of them. What would they say if they knew about this?" Sophia said.
"That they would be proud of me? I don't know. I never got the chance to get to know them that well before they were killed, Sophia! That's not fair…" Nikki replied. Wait, Sophia knows her parents better than she does? Who are these people? Every time I learn more about Sophia and the people she associated with, the more confused I became.
"They would tell you that this was not your fight. They would tell you they were fighting so you didn't have to risk your life," Sophia replied.
"No! Let me fight. I want to help!" she insisted. Sophia sighed and looked at Chrom.
"She's a capable fighter, but a little headstrong and can sometimes focus too intently on her opponent to the point of losing awareness of what is going on around her," Sophia assessed.
"Hmm," Chrom mused to himself. I could see himself thinking about it. "I'll assess your abilities and make a determination from there."
"Oh, a duel?" she asked.
"Yes," Chrom replied. "Let us go to the training grounds."
Our group picked up Frederick along the way, left the building, and went to the town's training grounds. We arrived at one of the practice areas and I saw the girl walk on. There was a flow of hidden confidence hidden behind her air of happiness that I sensed from her movement. She wasn't afraid of facing Chrom. She wasn't afraid of losing. She wasn't afraid of what was about to happen. Either she was overly confident in her abilities or she was gifted. Chrom walked into the practice area and stood across from her in sparring distance. He held his wooden practice sword in his hand and stared at her, as if trying to analyze her.
"What weapon?" Chrom asked.
"Swords!" she exclaimed. Her exuberant demeanor sounded like the kind of answer a child would give when asked what they wanted for their birthday. Chrom nodded and Frederick brought out a wooden sword. Chrom walked onto the practice area as Frederick gave Nikki the practice weapon. She took it and looked at Frederick in confusion.
"Is that not what you requested? Or would you prefer a lighter blade?" Frederick asked.
"Swords. Plural. As in multiple. I need a second blade! Please?" she replied. Chrom had an odd expression on his face.
"Two swords?" he asked. "Why?"
"Well, and hear me out, there's a reason for that! I figured that if one sword increased my effectiveness in battle, two swords would double that effectiveness! That's applying math to fighting! You have to use your brain as well as your muscles after all! I learned how to fight with two and double the advantage of a weapon bearer in combat!" she said enthusiastically.
Is she an idiot?
I heard Lucina sigh audibly and I put a hand on her shoulder.
"Chrom should be fine. I appreciate and applaud her enthusiasm and her willingness to look out for her favorite customers, but… the sooner Chrom teaches her the reality that self-taught techniques honed over battling bandits is not going to cut it, the sooner she can stay in the back and we can keep her safe," I said reassuringly. Sophia made a noise to herself.
"Something you wish to say?" Lucina asked.
"Never underestimate a maiden's heart to chase her desires," Sophia replied.
"Desires? She just tagged along to look after Lucina and I for whatever reason," I said. Sophia opened her mouth and then closed it and shrugged. Frederick returned with a second blade and handed it to Nicolette before retreating to the spectator area with us.
"What do you think, Frederick?" I asked.
"I think we are about to see something that departs from the usual," he replied.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Dual-wielding is considered by many to be an inferior skill. The hand without the primary weapon is oftentimes better suited to keeping it free for balance and grappling techniques or for a defensive implement such as a shield. The fact she applied such logic to why she uses her weapons shows a lack of experience in the area of combat. Yet, her confidence in entering the area has piqued my curiosity. For being one who uses an objectively inferior choice of weapons, she seems convinced she will win," Frederick remarked.
"That means that she has had much experience in whatever style she crafted with her blades," I replied.
"Indeed. The question is, how will milord react to dealing with a rare weapon combination combined with the fact she has supposedly created her own style of combat?" Frederick pondered.
"You mean you're less concerned with her ability and more concerned with Chrom's ability to adapt to that which he does not have experience against?" I asked.
"Precisely," Frederick replied. Lucina made a sound of acknowledgment.
"This is true. She has the advantage in that she probably has experience against more traditional fighters, while father is at a disadvantage. He cannot fight to his fullest extent initially because he needs to test what is an advantage and a disadvantage against her style," Lucina said.
"This means the first few minutes will have Chrom at a disadvantage as he analyzes and reads his opponent's reactions to his moves," Robin concluded.
"It will be interesting to see how someone who taught themselves and adapted themselves to the weapon choice can adapt to whatever advantages Chrom learns through those first few minutes as well," Elise added.
"… you all would make poor choices to bring to a play. I can just imagine you criticizing the lack of realism of the events on stage instead of simply watching for entertainment," I remarked in annoyance.
"We are ready, Frederick," Chrom said.
"Let the practice spar begin!" Frederick called out. Chrom looked relaxed out there as Nicolette just simply stood there with both swords in her hands, not even getting into a stance.
"Are you an offensive fighter or defensive fighter?" Chrom asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"… that doesn't answer my question."
"Actually, I just did! You asked a question that did not require me to choose one or the other. You were merely asking if I was one of those two options. To which I replied, I am one of those two options," Nicolette replied with a laugh. Something was off, though. Something felt wrong. Something felt very wrong here and I could not put my finger on it.
"Then let me ask again. Would you consider your style of fighting to either be more offensive or defensive?" Chrom asked again.
"Neither," she replied. I could see Chrom's face get visibly frustrated
"Tell me… how does that answer my question?" Chrom asked.
"It does and yet it doesn't," she replied with a laugh. Sophia sighed to herself in annoyance and frustration.
"I am trying to assess you," Chrom stated.
"Then take your stance and I will move as I see fit," she replied. Chrom looked surprised for a second before assuming an offensive stance.
"O-oh, you're… intimidating when you do that," she replied, her tone of voice seemingly nervous. She got into an odd stance with her weight shifted behind her, probably a defensive stance. Chrom sighed and dashed forward in an attack. He swung his sword at her horizontally. Letting out a surprised yelp, she stumbled backward and fell on her back, somehow nearly dodging Chrom's blow. She landed flat on her back and seemed to have the air knocked out of her.
"Oh wow, I felt that," I said with a wince.
"Y-you surprised me," she stuttered out. Chrom held his hand out to help her back up. She took it and they resumed their positions.
"Why don't you show me how you would beat the bandits?" Chrom asked.
"You're not a bandit, though!" she replied with a laugh. "You're a prince."
"I am also judging your combat skills here," Chrom said as he settled into a defensive stance.
"Ooh, a less intimidating stance!" she said with a big smile. Chrom sighed to himself.
"Will you please attack?" he asked.
"Oh, okay! Can do!" she said in a singsong tone. With a degree of speed that I had not anticipated, she dashed forward. She's fast! She's very fast! She probably would give Lon'qu or Gaius a real challenge in a footrace. Chrom's eyes widened in surprise and quickly settled himself in a defensive stance. I saw her get within striking distance and do a quick thrust with her leading sword. Chrom sidestepped to dodge the initial strike, but was struck on his shoulder by a powerful vertical blow by her other sword. Chrom stumbled backward for a second trying to regain his balance from the powerful blow. Before he could recover, though she jabbed two thrusts with her lead sword into his chest, forcing him to stumble further backward and spaced him farther out.
Without a pause in the assault, she dashed forward and raised her off-hand sword to strike vertically again. Chrom anticipated the blow and raised his sword to block. However, as soon as he did that, she immediately stopped dashing and placed three more quick thrusts on his chest with her lead sword, pushing him further backward.
Nicolette paused and looked at Frederick.
"Wait, are we doing this by points or are we doing a continuous duel? Should I have stopped after the first blow?" she asked. Wait, what? She's no self-taught warrior! She's been formally trained.
"Continuous," Frederick merely replied, although the look on his face betrayed his surprise.
"Gods… what was that," Chrom breathed out, trying to catch his breath.
"Oh, did you simply think I was a blithering idiot with no idea how to use these? Were you never taught as a prince to never judge a book by its cover?" she said in her still innocent sounding voice, but I could hear a hint of pride and danger behind her words.
"I did not think a self-taught warrior would fight with such aggression and ferocity," Chrom said.
"Who said I was self-taught?" she asked. "I never uttered those words. You all merely assumed I was."
"You said you created your style of combat," Chrom replied.
"I did," she replied.
"If you created it, then how was it taught to you? Can you explain how is it not self-taught?" Chrom asked. She laughed to herself slightly in response.
"That is a conversation we can have in the future. For now, let us continue!" she said with a big smile.
"Very well. Shall we reset?" Chrom asked as he rubbed his chest vigorously
"We should," she replied. The two resumed their initial positions and bowed to each other.
"I'm ready," Chrom said, his voice serious and the look on his face was no longer one of hesitation and doubt. Nicolette nodded and dashed forward once again. She did her initial thrusting blow with her lead sword and he sidestepped it, this time watching her actions of both of her hands. She tried to follow it with a quick horizontal blow, but he parried that blow with his sword and kicked her hard in the stomach. She stumbled backward from the blow, apparently not anticipating the attack. Before she could get back into stance, Chrom delivered a powerful horizontal blow to her chest. A cry of pain emanated from her as the blow connected and she fell to the ground, clutching her chest.
"You surprised me there," she replied, the cheerful smile on her face replaced with a look of frustration.
"Now we are even," Chrom replied firmly. He walked back to his position and motioned with his free hand to her starting position.
"Another reset?" she asked as she walked to the spot.
"This time, we don't stop until Frederick says so," Chrom replied. "Ready when you are."
"I'm ready," she said, shifting into a defensive stance. Chrom dashed forward and the two began an intricate duel. She was clearly faster than Chrom, but after a minute, I began to see her movements were somewhat unrefined and repetitive. I could see the realization dawning on Chrom's face as he began dodging less and either blocking or parrying blows to open opportunities for counterattacks.
"Frederick, you are seeing what I am seeing, aren't you?" I asked.
"What do you see?" he asked.
"She's both right-handed and left-handed," I remarked.
"Ah, so you noticed it as well," he said.
"What does that have to do with anything? How can you tell?" Lucina asked.
"You should be able to see it easier than we could," I said in some surprise.
"You used to use Falchion primarily with powerful swings in a crude, elementary version of milord's style," Frederick remarked. Lucina hung her head in shame.
"I was never properly trained on how to use it," she replied.
"The point being, you use a rapier now to facilitate your quick movements that the future Raven taught you," Frederick pressed on.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Think of her stance like a fencer's stance. She's leading with her left hand, treating it like a rapier. Notice she does mostly quick parries and thrusts with that hand. Yet, she fights with the sword in her right hand like a swordsman would with a steel sword. In addition to being able to use the weight of the sword in her right hand to balance herself with her rapier-like thrusts, she can swap stances to swing her sword with her right hand," Frederick explained.
"… you're right. She does fight like a rapier user," Lucina said.
"Then when the situation calls for it, she swaps to the other style and uses the other hand for hacking and slashing, not unlike your old style of combat, but far more elegantly graceful and fluidly refined," I added.
"She is constantly switching styles to best adapt to whatever situation Chrom is putting her in. She is neither offensive nor defensive. She merely flows and adapts," Frederick said. "Her style does not create opportunities by forcing mistakes in the opponent, but merely capitalizes upon natural weaknesses in the other person's fighting style. She is purely analytical. Her blows are less about forcing an opponent into making a mistake as much as it is seeing what patterns they exhibit and exploiting those reflexes and tendencies. From this, I can understand what Sophia meant by how she focuses too much on one target."
"That is why I did not want her to fight. She is excellent in duels, but in the chaos of the battlefield, she would be caught unawares by a flanking enemy," Sophia said.
"But why two? Why adapt the fencing style?" Lucina asked.
"Have you ever heard of the idea in fighting that one arm has a further reach than two?" Frederick asked.
"No, not really," Lucina replied quietly. Frederick gave me a stern glare.
"You seem to have been quite a neglectful instructor," he said to me.
"Trust me, Frederick, I know. It appears my future self only cared about the physical aspects of fighting and not the mental aspects or the theories behind movements," I replied.
"The idea is that if you are thrusting with a rapier, you can reach further than if you were reaching forward with both hands. This is because of the angle of your body in the stance you take. That is also why rapier users have more of a range than those who use a sword. Even if you have shorter arms, you can out-reach them because you attack with your lead arm as opposed to a sword on the back arm," Frederick explained. Lucina paused and thought to herself.
"That makes sense…" she said aloud. I saw Chrom and Nicolette pause to take a quick breather. They stared at each other, analyzing the other and waiting for the other to make the first move.
"You move too predictably. I figured out how your style works and the weaknesses of it. True, defending yourself against bandits fighting the way you do would find you successes, but you will find combat with trained soldiers more difficult," Chrom stated. Nicolette fumed to herself slightly as she got into a defensive position again. Chrom rushed forward and raised his sword to initiate with a vertical blow.
"Now, you will see her sidestep the vertical blow and attempt to counter with a horizontal blow from her right hand, followed by two jabs from her left hand," Frederick said. Sure enough, she did exactly what Frederick said, but before she could execute the horizontal blow, Chrom pulled his sword out of the vertical swing and repositioned it to block her blow. As the swords collided, Chrom kicked her again in the chest, forcing her backward.
"Unpredictability and adaptability is useful to any warrior, especially to one whose skillset is as varied as hers which can punish unique quirks in combat. However, her actual combat skills are sorely lacking," Robin remarked. "There is only so much one can do if they can only rely on the same few combinations and techniques. Eventually they will get read and countered."
Chrom once again rushed forward and raised his sword for another vertical blow.
"Yet again, she will react in the same way, almost as if she was trained to react a specific way for every attack," Frederick commented. When Chrom got close, she stepped toward him with her left foot, spun her sword in her left hand and held it in a reverse grip and thrust upward at his vertical swing, throwing his momentum upward slightly, and causing him to stumble back. Immediately, she followed up with a horizontal swing from her right hand before pivoting and kicking him hard in the side with the right leg.
Chrom stumbled a step to his side, regained his footing, and tried to swing horizontally to counter. She ducked under the blow, took a step forward with the left again, twirled the blade in her left hand back into a traditional grip, spun to the right, and swung both swords while using the spin's momentum at his chest and side, landing both blows and knocking him to the ground. Every action flowed into each other, as if movement from one action transferred into the movement into the next as one continuous dance.
"Her movement style has completely changed," I commented.
"She's changed her movement pattern completely, fighting like Olivia or Inigo," Frederick thought aloud. I smiled to myself. Those movements look much like my own, actually…
"What was with that odd grip she had for a second?" Lucina asked.
"She used the sword in her lead hand to block Chrom's blow, similarly to how one would use a shield to block a swing. Holding a sword in such a way emulates knife users and the way they use their weapon more to accentuate a grappling style rather than in thrusting as an attack," Frederick explained. Lucina and I both nodded.
"That's… fascinating," I said. Frederick sighed to himself.
"It seems you two still have much to learn. Perhaps one of these days I should demonstrate some of the lesser known styles of combat in the eventuality you face them someday," he replied.
Chrom got off the ground and dusted himself off and smiled at Nicolette.
"You led me to believe you only had one way of fighting," Chrom said.
"Fighting is as much mental as it is physical. Sophia's father taught me that," she replied. "Leila's father taught me how to move gracefully like this. Everything must flow into each other with no wasted movements."
"Pity Leila couldn't learn how to dance like that," I remarked with a laugh. Sophia sighed to herself before laughing a little.
"She takes more after her mother in many ways," Sophia replied. "If she trained more with the axe, she probably would be exactly like her mother."
Chrom dashed forward at Nicolette, holding his sword close to himself. She stood still watching him, waiting for him to tip her off on what move he was going to do. At the last second, Chrom crossed his sword arm across his body, readying himself to horizontally slash. She quickly moved both of her blades to her right to attempt to block the blow, but instead Chrom merely tackled her into the ground. A rather… undignified move and one I never seen him do before. The two landed on the ground in a cloud of dust and I saw two wooden swords go flying. When the dust settled, I saw Chrom on one knee with a sword pointed at her throat.
"That's the match," Frederick remarked.
"Oh… no," she said. "I lost. I… no, I wanted to join!"
"I merely said I was evaluating your abilities. I never said if you lost, you couldn't join," Chrom said. She opened her mouth to respond, paused, and stopped.
"You're right! You never did. I'm sorry. I still must have disappointed you. I know you were holding back," she said.
"Oh, you could tell?" Chrom asked.
"Some of your reflexes have come from many battles of an experienced, skilled warrior. Your exaggerated attacks did not match the perception I had of you with those reflexes. I could tell they were more to judge how I would react to situations rather than fighting for a victory," she said.
"Correct," Chrom replied. "If you can correctly assess that and understand where you are in relation to your opponent, it can help you decide whether the battle is worth taking or bowing out of."
"I see," she replied thoughtfully. "That was very informative!"
"You will learn more as you gain more experience with us," Chrom said.
"With you?" she asked.
"You seem capable. Where did you learn how to fight? You say you crafted this style, but you also said you were not self-taught," Chrom observed.
"My mother taught me the rapier, my father taught me how to move and utilize my inner power to amplify my speed and strength at key moments, Sophia's father taught me various sword techniques from his style of combat, and Leila's father taught me how to gracefully flow from one movement to the next in that other style of combat and movement you saw at the end. I'm still learning and working on that, though. It's not refined and… I don't know if I will ever see him again to have him teach me…"
"With some training, we can polish those rough edges on your admittedly unique style. Olivia can help you with your movement and flow, Raven here can teach you footwork and how to utilize your speed, Lucina here knows the rapier quite well, and I can show you some sword moves," Chrom said with a smile.
"Would you… would you really do that for me?" she asked.
"Of course I would," Chrom replied.
"Oh… th-thank you so much. I… I really appreciate it, sir," she said.
"Sir?" Chrom asked.
"You're my teacher now!" she said enthusiastically, saluting him.
"Oh, no, please don't treat me so formally…"
"Milord…" Frederick began.
"I know, I know…" Chrom replied. "That is why we have you, Frederick the Wary."
"You seem to insist on testing my limits with each new recruit," Frederick replied.
"We trust you," Chrom replied with a laugh. "That's why you are my right-hand man."
We returned back to the building we were staying in and saw most of the Shepherds and the combined Ylissean and Feroxi forces packed and ready to move out.
"Where were you?" Cordelia asked as she approached us. "What happened to you? You look like you were just in a battle."
"I was doing some last minute sparring," Chrom replied with a smile. Cordelia sighed to herself and smiled at him.
"So dedicated and hardworking…"
Lucina smiled to herself and I couldn't help but notice just how genuinely interested she was in seeing the two of them interacting. I couldn't help but smile as well seeing how honestly happy she was. The poor girl never truly knew her parents as she grew up. It must be overwhelming for her to see them as happy as they are now.
"Shepherds! For those of you who haven't packed, please pack your stuff now and be ready to depart in an hour," Chrom said. We all nodded and departed to our rooms to pack the last of our stuff. I returned to the room I was in to pick up my battle outfit. Everything else I owned was apparently already packed away in the convoy after the last battle, so I only had the outfit to put in there.
I carried the outfit to the back of the convoy and Cordelia peeked her head out.
"Oh, Raven, hello there," she said with a warm smile.
"Hello, Cordelia. Checking in one set of Raven's armor," I said jokingly.
"Right, right, one set of armor to put in the Bird Gang section," she replied with a smirk.
"Hey, hey!" I said defensively. She started laughing in response to my reaction.
"Oh, Lissa was right. You really do react in a hilarious manner when that term is used," Cordelia observed.
"That's not… I mean, maybe it is true, but… I mean…" I stammered. Cordelia waved her hand dismissively before pausing, as if a thought had come to her.
"Say, Raven, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"So... how have you been?" she asked.
"I've been… fine? You didn't need to preface that with a question. I thought you were going to ask something big," I said with a laugh.
"I did, didn't I?" she said, although I noticed she was still pensive. What was she really going to ask?
"Cordelia? Is there something on your mind?" I asked.
"Oh, no, nothing at all. It's just… a little hard to take in sometimes," she said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"They might be our children, but they're our age. They act older than us. They act more mature than us. They have their own odd tendencies, but… sometimes I see Lucina and I see her just as a friend and not as my daughter. Do you think that's weird?" she asked. I paused and thought to myself. That was an odd ponderism. If I had my own child and he or she came back the same way Lucina did, how would I see them?
"Not at all," I replied with a smile.
"Oh, good. Sometimes I feel it's easier to talk to her as a friend than as a mother. I don't quite have the experience to being a mother of a young lady, not when I'm still one myself," Cordelia remarked.
"It is said we grow into the roles we are given," I quipped.
"Sounds like someone who didn't want to take responsibility for their early mistakes," Cordelia replied.
"Oh, ouch," I replied with a laugh. We saw Lucina walk over, holding a pillow in her arms.
"Oh, hello Raven. Hello, mother! Checking in one pillow," Lucina said.
"Checking in a pillow?" I asked. "Didn't they give you one?"
"I like having more than one. A certain person inspired that habit within me," Lucina remarked.
"Really? Who?" I asked.
"You, obviously," Lucina replied. "The night we spent at the castle and I wondered why you had two pillows. I tried it out after and I have been spoiled ever since."
"Wait, Raven, you slept with two pillows at the castle?" Cordelia asked. "Didn't you used to make jokes about that at me?"
"I did, until I tried it myself…" I said guiltily.
"Wait, so she inspired you to start sleeping with two pillows?" Lucina asked.
"Guilty as accused!" Cordelia said with a smile. Lucina smiled slightly as well before biting her lip in thought.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I guess I was fated to enjoy two pillows after all," Lucina mused aloud.
"To be fair, there are plenty of people in the Shepherds that do," Cordelia remarked.
"Anyway, we should be getting ready to march. It's going to be a trek to get to that temple," I said.
"Indeed," Lucina replied.
"You two get to Chrom and see what he wants from you. I'm almost done with inventory," Cordelia said.
"Yes, ma'am!" I said enthusiastically. Cordelia rolled her eyes and went back into the convoy. Lucina and I started walking toward the front of the group.
"Raven…"
"Yes, Lucina?"
"… I must confess… I am jealous of you sometimes."
"Where is this coming from? Why?" I asked.
"You speak to everyone so easily…"
"Well, all you have to do is open your mouth and form syllables in a specific order to form words," I replied. "It's a really neat concept!"
"That's not what I meant!"
"You mean you're afraid of people judging you for your thoughts, words, and actions?" I asked.
"Yes."
"You need to be confident in yourself and own your actions. Every single thought, desire, dislike, mistake, and success you have… you need to own it as your own. You need to confidently declare to the world this is who you are through doing what you want without fear of repercussion. If someone cares about what you are doing, they do not matter in your life. Those who really are important to you will accept you for who you are."
"Raven, you accept me for who I am?" she asked.
"Flaws, strengths, and everything in between," I replied with a smile. She turned red slightly but I caught the hint of a shy smile crossing her face.
"Darn it, Raven, you do not make this easy for me," she said with a frown.
"I… I'm sorry," I said with a sigh.
"No, it's not your fault. I curse my lack of experience in these matters," she said.
"If it makes you feel better, I'm probably equally inexperienced," I guiltily admitted.
"Perhaps that is true," she replied. She suddenly broke eye contact, staring at the ground in adamant concentration. I was about to ask her if something was on her mind when she suddenly stopped walking and grabbed my hand. I stopped alongside her, confused.
"Sorry…" she mumbled to herself.
"Nothing to be sorry about," I replied. I held her hand back. "Is this what you wanted to try doing?"
"I… no… yes. I mean, I just wanted to see what it was like…" she replied quietly. She kept staring at the ground, not making eye contact, and I wondered how much anxiety she was feeling right now, trying to keep everything together in her head.
"Relax, Lucina. Relax…" I said.
"What if I get used to you letting me do this and you say no?" she asked. I sighed to myself.
"Have you ever had a hobby?" I asked.
"Like what?" she asked in reply.
"Drawing, writing, music, bird-watching, or anything of the sort?" I asked.
"Not really…"
"First of all, you should get one. It will help calm you down. Second of all, as anyone in a hobby will tell you… and me, since I don't have one either yet… sometimes the most valuable thing to take from a project is not the destination, but the journey you have traveled. Even if you end in failure, if the journey was fun, was it really truly a waste of time? That's the philosophy I try to stick with in life," I said.
"You… make it sound like you've made up your mind to say no."
"Oh, no, not at all. Sorry if that came out that way. I just wanted to say that because… I wanted you to know that no matter what happens down the road, you should still cherish and appreciate moments like these," I said with an encouraging smile. She looked up at me and we made eye contact. I could feel the depth of emotion deep in her soul and I could see… the chaotic turmoil of thoughts and emotions that were coursing through her mind and spirit.
Without thinking, I pulled her close and embraced her. Why? Where did this instinct come from? I could feel her tenseness ebbing away as we stood there. She put her arms around me and held me in return. As we stood there, I felt my own troubled mind calm down.
Everything was calming…
Everything was peaceful…
I cared not about what others were thinking or saying around us. I cared only about us being there in this moment we shared. Her company calmed me. Her presence brought me peace. Is this how she felt? Is this what drove her to confess earlier this morning?
"Lucina…" I said.
"Yes, Raven?" she replied.
"I…"
… I knew what had to be done. I knew what I should tell her, but for some reason I found myself struggling to say it. Why? What is this hesitation? Was it fear? Was it nerves?
I realized that somewhere in my brain, I came to this realization a long time ago, but I never could accept it consciously. The time we spent together, even as far back as the night we spent in that hallway defending Exalt Emmeryn, those were times of talking and bonding with each other.
Lucina let go and took a step back, a look of confusion on her face.
"What is it, Raven?" she asked. My choice was the easy one. Yet, I found myself nervous and scared at giving the answer. What vast amounts of courage did she summon earlier in order to throw herself out there in a leap of faith by initiating this whole scenario? Who am I to take this bold step forward she took and disrespect the bravery shown with such a half-hearted response? She flung herself into the abyss of the unknown… a risk I couldn't take when I was in her situation. She is a far greater person than I am.
I took a deep breath and exhaled.
"I accept."