I'm back with some more Fire Emblem. This chapter is a lot more fluffy then the last one. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem.
The early morning in Ostia's market place was still quite populated. It is the capital after all. Matthew was picking up Hector's ring.
"You sir have great taste. The lucky woman you give this to is sure to love you for the rest of her days." the jeweler said.
Matthew tensed up at the comment remembering what happened during the campaign.
"It's not mine. I'm picking it up for Load Hector. You can send your bill to the palace." he shot out coldly.
Outside the shop he had a wave of jealousy wash over him and almost broke the ring. He quickly calmed down.
"I should not take my anger out on Load Hector. I'm happy he has found love. I just wish mine wasn't taken from me." he said to himself.
He stared at the ring for a bit while his head filled with memories of Leila. It was a beautiful silver ring with diamonds dotted around the whole thing. The centerpiece was a teardrop shaped deep purple amethyst. He can see it now. Coming back to Leila from the war and just dropping to his knees and presenting the ring to her. Watching her walk down the aisle in a beautiful white dress and enjoying every second of it because he knows she'll never put a dress on again. Being at her side as she births their child and watching her lovingly mother it. All of this is how Matthew used to see the rest of his life but now he just sees darkness and loneliness. He turned down an alley and punched a wall for a bit. After venting his anger for a bit he came back out and saw the last person he ever wanted to see. Jaffar, the man who killed Leila.
"You bastard. I'm going to make you pay." he said softly to himself.
Matthew had a dagger hidden and ready to kill, he just needed the right moment. He then saw something that made him hesitate. A beautiful little green haired girl hanging off Jaffar's arm. The youngest and sweetest member of the army, Nino. It looks like she was leading Jaffar around town on a little shopping spree.
"I'll follow you for now Jaffar but watch your back." Matthew mumbled to himself again.
Jaffar immediately noticed Matthew following him despite how unnoticeable Matthew was.
"That's...the ostian spy. He holds a grudge against me for killing the other spy. He doesn't seem to be making a move so I'll just keep an eye on him for now." he thought to himself.
"What's wrong Jaffar?" Nino asked.
"Nothing. Look. Another book store. Do you want to stop here too?" he asked, changing the subject.
Nino lit up in excitement as she ran to the store.
Kent and Sain were relaxing on a bench in the castle courtyard. It had been a while since they were able to leave their armor at home and kick their feet up.
"Ahh. Now this feels great. Nothing better than laying back and catching daisies after a job well done." Sain said, nearly falling asleep from relaxation.
"Is that what you call innocent women who've yet to meet you yet?" Kent joked.
"You wound me my friend. I'm a one woman man now for your information." he defended.
"Really? A woman looked at you and how you act and decided you were the one? Who is this delusional woman?" Kent asked skeptically.
"This delusional woman is your partner in uptight rule following, Flora. Nothing is more satisfying than helping a high strung woman like that unwind." he confessed.
Kent was speechless. The woman that once suggested that the men and women in the army stay separated at night to prevent fraternization was sleeping with the lecher of Caelin? Not just one night of poor decisions but repeated returns?
"You seem shocked. People like her tend to change once you make your way into their heart. Hey maybe you would become tolerable if you met a fine maiden!" Sain joked.
Kent seemed to look down when Sain brought that up.
"Whatever is troubling you my friend?" he asked.
"I'm simply ashamed of myself is all. Nothing you need to concern yourself with." Kent answered.
"Ashamed? Of what? You are the commander of the Caelin knights. The youngest one in history I might add! You are quite literally the most respected man in all of Caelin!" Sain complemented.
"I also lust after my queen...no knight who thinks of his retainer in that light is worthy of respect." he added.
Sain was taken aback. He forgot that Kent had fallen in love with Lady Lyndis but refused to confess to her.
"Kent. No man should be disgusted by his feelings. You are no less of a man for falling in love." he tried to console.
"But she is the Marquess now. Even if it wasn't wrong, what chance do I stand?" he said, disheartened.
"You know better than anyone that Lady Lyndis cares not for status nor does she care what others think of her personal decisions. Even if she did, you are the most respected man in Caelin. No man is more worthy to wed milady than you." Sain explained.
Kent just chuckled and punched Sain in the shoulder.
"I understand how so many women end up falling for you. You always know just what to say." Kent said, feeling a lot better.
"Kent? Hello? Where are you?" Lyn called out in the distance.
"Oh? Sounds like milady is actually searching for you." Sain said in a teasing manner.
"Yeah. She asked me to instruct her on ballroom etiquette for the upcoming event." he explained.
"This is a perfect opportunity then! Just sweep her off her feet while teaching her to dance and it will be happily ever after for you." Sain suggested.
Kent thought it over. Many young lords will definitely try to woo Lady Lyndis and just the thought of her in someone else's arms made his blood boil.
"Yeah you're right. This is my chance. I'm over here Milady!" Kent said to himself then called out to Lyn.
"Good luck tiger." Sain teased before leaving.
"There you are. Alright what's first?" she asked eagerly.
"Let's make our way to a more private area of the courtyard. Learning to dance can be a bit embarrassing." Kent said as he led her away.
Back in town Eliwood who looked weird without his cape and armor was walking down the street with his new fiancée, Ninian. She was wearing a simple white sundress that went just passed her knees. She was wrapped around Eliwood's left arm, feeling giddy from the anticipation of what he had planned for the day.
"So what do you have first on this supposed schedule of yours my love?" she asked, unable to contain her excitement.
"Breakfast." is all he said.
She tilted her head quizzically to try and pry more information out of him but he said nothing else. It seemed like they had walked to the other side of town when they stopped.
"Here we are. Gran's Bakery." he announced.
"We passed plenty of bakeries on our way here. What's so special about this one?" she asked.
"So many things my dear. Come let's go in." he said, ushering her in.
Opening the door made a little bell ring and Ninian was slapped in the face with the wonderful scent of fresh baked goods.
"Oh wow. It smells amazing." she said, taking in deep breaths of the intoxicating food.
"I'll be there in a second!" an old lady screamed from what Ninian assumed was the back of the house.
The inside was small and rustic. There were 5 tables to sit at and nothing but a counter to display about 4 different baked goods. Herv and Eliwood were the only ones in the store.
"It's nowhere near as big as all the other bakeries that I've come across." she stated.
"That's because Old Gran doesn't have much gold. She could only afford this small building on the outskirts of town which also doubles as her house." he explained.
"Why if it isn't little Eliwood! Well I suppose you ain't so little anymore now are ya?" the old woman greeted.
"Gran! It's so nice to see you again. Sorry I haven't visited in a while." Eliwood apologized.
"Don't you sorry me. You're the prince of Pherae so I understand that you're busy." she waved him off.
"Oh you must not have heard...I'm the Marquess of Pherae now. Lord Elbert he…" Eliwood trailed off, remembering the fate of his father.
"I'm very sorry to hear that darlin...It must have been so hard for you." she said, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Yes it was...but I had someone that helped make it a bit easier." he said, bouncing back.
"You mean this cute little thing glued to your arm? What's your name sweetie?" she asked.
"Oh umm...my name is Ninian. I'm Lord Eliwood's fiancée." she shyly introduced.
"Well it's very nice to meet ya. You can call me Gran." she said with a smile.
"Umm if you don't mind, Eliwood said that this place is special so I'm wondering what makes it special?" Ninian asked nervously.
Gran let out a laugh before explaining.
"Well I can think of two reasons why he would say that. The first one is probably that I make everything here from scratch. Not just the baked goods either. I'm talkin the flour, spices and icing are all made by my hands. You can really taste the hard work and passion I put into my baking." Gran explained.
"The other reason is when I was just a little kid visiting Ostia with my father I ended up getting lost and wandered all the way here. I was a crying sniveling mess when Gran found me. She took me in and fed me with her delicious treats. She then walked me all the way to the castle. I never asked for any of it yet she still helped me out when I was a scared child. Since then every time I come to Ostia I try to stop by." he finished.
"What will it be for you lovebirds then?" Gran asked.
"I'll have a few pieces of toast with your amazing blueberry jam and for the lady umm...what did you call it again? That foreign recipe you have?" he asked, not remembering.
"Ah the one I got off of a peddler a few years ago. Not a problem. Just give me a few minutes." she said as she went out back.
Ninian was mesmerized. Most lords would just scoff at a place like this but Eliwood sees the hard work and dedication that goes into little shops like this.
"I bet you only go to small shops like this one for everything don't you?" she guessed.
"I do tend to frequent the smaller shops. Behind every store is a person with a passion and a talent and they deserve a chance too. That's why I always over pay at shops like these. I have the money to spare and they need it more than me." he explained.
Some time passed as they continued to make small talk. Ninian felt like a little girl again. She was waiting in anticipation for a baked good she knew nothing about.
"It's taking quite some time. Do you think she's ok back there?" she asked with a little concern.
"Oh she's fine. Gran bakes almost everything to order. What you see on display is just yesterday's leftovers. She brings them to the homeless at the end of the day." he explained again.
After about 20 minutes she came out with their food. Ninian looked quizzically at her pastry. It was in a spiral shape with white icing drizzled over it.
"This is called a cinnamon roll. You roll the dough into a spiral and put cinnamon and sugar on the insides." Gran explained.
She put her fork to the very outside and a piece broke off effortlessly and revealed the brownish looking cinnamon on the inside. She popped the bite into her mouth and her eyes widened in shock for a second before she closed them with a huge happy smile. She did a little happy dance as she continued eating her food. Eliwood was too distracted staring at Ninian to eat his meal. She was beautiful in everything she did but especially when she was truly happy.
"Hey it's rude to stare." Gran teased as she gave him a little smack.
Ninian opened her eyes to see Eliwood staring directly at her and began to blush a little.
"Is it really all that rude when she'll be my wife in a few weeks?" he retorted while winking a Ninian.
Her whole face lit up this time as she bashfully looked away. He laughed at her shyness. Everything she did was too cute. They finished their breakfast and Eliwood left far too much money like always. Gran ran outside after them once she noticed.
"How many times do I have to tell you?! Only pay what I tell you to! I don't feel right taking so much money!" she yelled at him.
"It was good seeing you again Gran! Until next time." he said, completely ignoring her complaint.
She just shook her head with a smile.
"That kid." she said before going back.
More things are brewing now. Is Matthew craving blood? Will Kent be able to impress Lyn? Who knows. I have so much fun writing for these characters. See you next time.