Winterlude 1 - Poems

Winter creates a gentle hush over the world here in Ferox. The snow makes it hard to go outside, but luckily, the place is big and there is a lot to do, so no one has gone stir-crazy yet. The focus is mostly on training, getting stronger and the like, and gathering information. Spreading rumors, shaking enemy morale, building our own, getting aid to Ylisse while away… that sort of thing. We have all winter to plan for the next assault.

Maybe if we're lucky, we can end this with just one more battle. Maybe.

Every day. It had been a week and a half, maybe closer to two weeks, since Emmeryn's body was returned and everything got their second wind. And, every day, I got two poems. One in the morning, a painstakingly and beautifully done copy of a favorite, and one in the evening, an original work that often followed similar themes to the favorite. I smiled like an idiot while I read them several hundred times, and I carefully kept them together, half-wanting to bind them together in a book to make it easier to keep safe.

"Should I confront him or not?" I whispered to myself, tucking the latest poems into the small pile I had on my desk. I was almost certain it was Chrom writing these, but I'd be mortified if I was wrong. Or if this was some sort of 'proper' thing that I didn't know about. Was I allowed to confront? I wanted to ask, but I wasn't sure who to ask. It seemed mean to ask Sumia, Frederick was busy with managing everyone's new training schedules… Lissa was an option, but there was something just… odd about asking your crush's little sister if he was trying to court you. "Oh, but Maribelle…" Maribelle was certainly an option, and more to the point, while she'd be blunt about it, she'd also be honest.

The problem, of course, came from gathering the courage to broach the subject. But, as I shook my head and stashed the poems into the drawer, I decided that I wasn't going to get anywhere but another mess in my head if I didn't try to figure this out. As much as I liked the poem, the… ambiguity was going to drive me nuts. So, after taking a deep breath, and jumping a few times to pretend I was peppier than I was, I stepped out of my room, making sure to close the door behind me.

To my surprise, though, Maribelle was actually in the hall, with Cordelia. Both of them looked vexed about something, and when they focused their attention on me, I suddenly had a very, very bad feeling.

"Ah, there you are, darling," Maribelle greeted, her voice mostly friendly. The way she pointedly looked at Cordelia, though, but the tone fall a little flat. "Do you mind telling this blind harpy that Lissa is far superior to that addlepated butterfingers she calls a friend."

"No, Kestrel, please tell this ignorant fool that Sumia is far superior to someone who has the naivety and idiocy to pick one such as her as a friend, Kestrel," Cordelia growled. She glared at Maribelle and I tried to wrap my head around what was going on. This was not something I expected. "With a smile that outshines the sun, kinder and funnier than anyone…"

"Ha! Unintentionally! My dear's wit is exceptional and intentional, with as bright of a smile without the blunders to go with it!"

"With a myriad of pranks and lack of sense instead."

"How dare you!"

"What is going on?" I asked, instead of just running like a smart person. "And why am I being dragged into it?"

"You are a neutral party, darling," Maribelle explained. She didn't even look at me. She just glared daggers at Cordelia, who returned it with such an intensity that I wondered if there was going to be some sort of fire. Or a passionate kiss. "So…"

"So, are we talking best friends like the names imply, or dolls like the words imply?" I sighed as both of them gave me startled looks. "Honestly, who compares people like that? Don't we have enough troubles without you two arguing about who is the 'better' best friend? Are you going crazy from being trapped inside?" The howling wind of the latest blizzard rattled the nearby windows, emphasizing my point. "There's no way you two will come to an agreement. You're not only comparing your best friends like trophies and titles to be won, but we're dealing with your respective first friends, the friends that changed your lives forever and helped shape you into what you are. This entire argument is groundless from the start, and it would behoove you to simply… I don't know… just hang out with your friends. Make a tea out of it or something."

"...Mmm…" Maribelle glanced at Cordelia, and then suddenly smiled. "I think I'd give that a seventy-five percent," she suddenly declared. I gave her a weird look, but she ignored me for Cordelia. "What do you think?"

"I'd go with eighty-five personally, as the use of intimate knowledge does much to touch the spirit," Cordelia replied. She smiled sweetly. "I think that would soothe."

"Fair point. Shall we average the two for an eighty then?"

"Yes, that sounds good."

"What the hell?" I half-demanded. I felt horribly out of place as the two smiled and giggled. They had literally been glaring at each other just three seconds ago. "You two were just…"

"We had already come to an accord with this argument prior, but realized it would be good practice for you," Cordelia explained. She still smiled gently. "It's a skill you need to develop, defusing arguments."

"Among other things," Maribelle sighed. She tsked, for some reason, and gave me a once over. "We also need to work on dancing and courtly manners, how to dress… there's a lot to do, so we thought we needed to get a jump on it."

"...You two…" I began. I tried to think of what else to say. "Is now really the time?" The problem was that I had no idea how to react. I knew why they thought I needed these 'lessons', and I couldn't decide if I was happy or annoyed that they simply took it as a given that I'd need them. It wasn't as if Chrom and I had the time to sit down and talk about… anything… "Ugh, whatever. I don't care." This time, though, annoyance won out. "I'm going to go train." I stomped past them, ignoring their little yelps of protest.

"Oh, darling, I'm sorry!" However, Maribelle caught up with me quickly, wrapping her arm around mine. "I promise I was… well, never mind that. I've upset you, and thus, I must apologize first."

"It's…" I sighed, relenting. It was hard to stay mad, especially since Cordelia came up on the other side to give me a one armed hug. "Sorry. It's all so ambiguous."

"Is it?" She frowned. "Well, clearly, I need to give Chrom a stern lecture about not properly courting."

"...Well, actually, that's…" I paused, trying to think. I felt awkward, talking about this, especially in front of Cordelia, but she looked rather eager to hear. "I've been receiving poems?"

"Oh!" Maribelle's frown dropped for a smile, and Cordelia actually squealed in delight. "Tell me more, my dear!"

The hesitant conversation turned into having a morning tea with the two, and Cordelia sighing gustily as I explained the poems, and Maribelle analyzing every little bit. I spent most of the time as red as an apple, but I had to admit it was pretty fun. And reassuring. Very, very reassuring.

After the tea, I intended to go and train like I'd originally said. But on the way to the practice grounds, I ran into Lissa, who'd just finished her axe training with Libra, and she all but begged to have lunch with me. I couldn't refuse, and so, she and I had a light meal where I made sure she drank a lot of water. Sumia ended up joining us too, mostly because we passed her along the way, and after lunch, the three of us just… hung out in Lissa's room, reading. Sumia and I read poems, of course, while Lissa… Lissa read our favorite book.

"Wait, but what does this even mean?" Lissa asked, whining a bit as she passed the Ribald Tales of the Faith War to Sumia. "It was talking about kissing, and then suddenly a beautiful flower?"

"W-well, um…" Sumia began. She turned very red, though, and I nearly fell out of my chair laughing when I realized what was going on. "You see, Lissa… um…"

"Sex," I noted bluntly. It was worth how red both of them went. "They're having sex, Lissa. Just skip the next couple of pages."

"Kestrel!"

"It is! I'm surprised that scene didn't show up during that girls' night we had and Miriel read them aloud."

"She's in the second generation."

"Oh, wow, you went fast."

"It really is interesting, gratuitous sex scenes aside," Lissa mumbled. She was red all the way to the roots on her hair. "The ones in the first generation were pretty blunt, though. What's with the metaphors?"

"Who knows?" I replied, shrugging. I grinned, though. "It's hilarious to see your reaction, though!"

"Kestrel!" Lissa pouted, and I snickered. "Oh, whatever. I'm in 'For Whose Sake'."

"Oh, so you have two chapters left." I leaned back in my chair, and glanced out the window into the gardens below. The blizzard had cleared up sometime during morning tea, and a few brave souls were actually walking through the snow. "Shouldn't be long."

"Are you sure? Because these chapters are long. I feel like I've been reading this chapter for days, and I'm maybe halfway through."

"Yes, well…" I shrugged, losing focus on the conversation as I noticed something interesting. Robin and Olivia were actually chatting below, with him clearing some snow off a bench so that she could sit. She seemed almost embarrassed while he laughed at something, and I could only smile. I tapped the window, and waved when both of them looked up. Robin waved back with a giant grin, while Olivia's smile turned shyer.

"What's caught your eye?" Sumia appeared at my shoulder, and waved too when she saw Robin and Olivia. "Oh, that's the second time I've seen them hanging out. Olivia was discussing something about a theater?"

"Well, she is a dancer, so maybe a show?" I asked. I smiled up at her, and shrugged. "I'll bring it up later. It's good that he's heading outside. He needs the fresh air." He's taken my suggestion of 'planning' almost too seriously, requiring people to actively drag him from his room. At least he went along with it. "I wonder if the snow will stay clear long enough for everyone to play outside."

"I can go ask Flavia what she thinks." Sumia hopped back and giggled. "It'll be fun."

"True." I laughed as well. "Though, hopefully, we won't have weird people showing up."

"It worked out. But I'll be right back!" She scampered off, tripping twice before even leaving the room, and I laughed, watching her leave. As she did, though, I remembered the 'weird person' who we'd seen. The one who brought back Emmeryn's body, who also called Emmeryn 'Emm'. It still struck me as bizarre. So bizarre that…

"Hey, Lissa?" I called. I waited for her to make some sort of noise in acknowledgement, and still hesitated. She was completely engrossed in her book, holding up to her face even. "Do you mind if I ask something odd?" Another agreement noise. "Who all called Emmeryn 'Emm'?"

"That's… a weird question," Lissa replied after a moment. She set her book in her lap, and looked up at the ceiling, clearly thinking. "Well, so long as I've been around? Just Chrom and me. Emm only lets… let... family call her that." She shrugged. "So, I guess our parents, and Clara too? Maybe."

"...Clara?"

"Yeah. You know her, right? I'm sure Chrom's mentioned her." She did pause, and only continued when I nodded. "I never met her or anything, but I know how Emm saw her as her aunt. It makes sense that she'd use the nickname." She sighed gustily. "Wish I could've met her. She was supposed to be super pretty. Blonde hair and red eyes, and always dressed in silver armor with a blue cape…"

"...I see." I tried to think of what else to say. But that description… matched the lady who had retrieved Emmeryn's body for us. "Thanks. Sorry for the weird question." If it was Clara… then it was clear that no matter what else, she at least was doing what she felt she could for her 'nieces and nephew'. Even if she kept apart. "Oh, here's a poem I wanted to show you. Come over here."

As Lissa moved to sit beside me, resting her head on my shoulder, I decided to keep that suspicion quiet. It felt like what Clara had wanted, and I wasn't sure if the knowledge would help or hurt them. So, I'd stay silent. Sometimes, the truth was more painful anyway.

Sumia had returned to happily explain that Flavia was certain the blizzards wouldn't pick up for another week. Almost immediately, we started gathering the Shepherds to head out for a snowball fight, laughing as we all fussed over each other to make sure we didn't freeze completely. Lines were drawn, teams were formed, and it turned into a strange free-for-all in the end anyway, with everyone shrieking from cold and laughter.

"I can't believe you got hit with a rock," I sighed, dabbing some vulnerary on the gash Chrom had on his temple. Someone, no one knew who, had accidentally caught a rock in their snowball and it hit Chrom hard. "I knew we should've stopped sooner." The snowball fight had continued long after the sun had set, by torchlight. Small wonder that a rock got caught in the snow.

"Everyone was having fun," Chrom protested. He winced as the vulnerary disinfected the wound, but made sure to smile at me. "And who knows when we'll next be able to go outside?"

"I doubt it was much fun seeing you bleed suddenly." Almost everyone had panicked. "I think Frederick is going to clear every single pebble before the next one."

"Well, it'll be nice for him to get back to normal, even if he fusses too much." He made a face, and then glanced at the door. Frederick had been here not all that long ago, but he'd left when he saw I was tending to the injury. "Coming right to my room… I'm not eight anymore."

"No, but you were injured, and he did just lose Emmeryn." I shifted in my chair to get more comfortable, and nudged him to not move back. He was sitting on the bed, after all, so if he moved much more, I wouldn't be able to reach the injury without awkwardly leaning over him. "He loves you two dearly."

"...Yeah, and we love him. It's why I wish he'd relax, and live his own life." He sighed. "Oh, whatever. He and I need to have a proper talk anyway, about… everything."

"I'm sure." If nothing else, some of their dynamics would have to change. Chrom would become the Exalt. I had little doubts that Frederick would be his right hand, but there had to be some formal things to go along with it. "And, done." I set the vulnerary on the floor and stood up, stretching a little as my legs protested. "Just let me get a bandage on it."

"I keep some in my desk." He nodded to it for emphasis, and made to stand. "Here, I'll-"

"No, you stay put. You're the injured." I laughed a little and went to the desk, pulling a drawer open at random. "So, this one or-"

"W-wait, not that one!" Chrom was suddenly at my side, a hand on my shoulder to try and pull me away. "Kes, seriously, I'm not so injured that…"

He said something else. I knew he did. But everything just… faded away as I stared at what was in the drawer. A half-written poem within, with the same feather drawings on the side as all the others. Original, following the same themes as the one I'd gotten this morning, remaining strong in adversity.

"Hey, Chrom?" I whispered, looking up at him. He wouldn't look at me, instead just looking at the floor with a dark-red blush. "You're the poem writer."

"I… um… yes?" he replied. His voice was a little squeaky. "I am."

"Hee… I thought so." I smiled, and it grew as his blush darkened further. "After all, you're the only one in the army who knows this many of my favorite poems."

"W-well, I thought I'd… try my hand, and um…" He visibly groped for more words before shrugging. "Do… you like them?"

"I love them. I'm going to make a book of them to have with me always."

"I'm glad…" He smiled shyly, still not quite looking at me. "It… has been a bit since I've written some poems."

"What made you start? I don't think I asked that."

"It started because of proper manners classes, but Emm…" His smile faltered, but he pressed on. "Emm liked the ones I wrote. They made her smile. So…"

"That's super sweet." I laughed, thinking of how like him it was, but as the sound faded, a thought occurred to me. "Chrom?" I waited for him to look at me, and even then, I almost lost my nerve. "You… mentioned you had wanted to tell me something. When we were camping in the desert. I…" I hesitated a bit, looking down as his expression slowly became serious. "I wasn't sure about bringing it up, since… well, you can probably figure out. Given everything that happened and… all. But…" My face started to burn, and I wanted to look up, but it seemed like I'd dropped all my nerves on the floor, since it held my gaze so completely. "I do… want to hear what it is. If… you're still willing to tell me, I mean."

"...Yeah." He walked closer, and touched my cheek gently, tilting my face up. His face was as red as mine now. "I…" He tried to say more, but while his mouth moved, it seemed like he couldn't pick out the words he wanted. His face got redder and redder, and mine did as well as I waited and waited. "Oh, screw it." He bent down suddenly and gently, very gently, brushed his mouth against mine. I froze, startled, but he didn't seem to notice as he pulled back far enough to look at me with an intense, but warm, gaze. "I love you. I've fallen in love with you, Kes, and honestly, I half-think I have been since we first met, but hell if I paid attention. Emm's right. I blocked out any crushes and the like out of guilt for what she had to deny for duty, but that's… not what she wanted and…" He sighed. "I'm rambling about unimportant things." He paused, still watching me. I stared back, more than half convinced I was dreaming. "Kes?"

"...I think you made my brain stop." I hesitated, glancing towards the moonlight filtering in through the window for some sort of distraction. Finding none, though, I decided to be a little bold. "Maybe another k-kiss will make it start again?"

"...I can oblige." This time, though, while he leaned forward, he didn't completely close the gap. Either waiting for secondary permission, or just… a confirmation that this was something I wanted to. So, I leaned up and tried to kiss him. I misjudged, though, and accidentally clacked my teeth against his. Before I had time to be mortified, though, he smiled, laughed slightly, tilted his head, and kissed me warmly and soundly.

I closed my eyes instinctively, feeling my pulse thunder in my ears. I gripped the front of his shirt tightly, and felt his heart beat rapidly, almost as fast as it would during a fight. His hands slid around my waist, one resting there while the other slid up my back, making me shiver, before tangling in my hair. He pulled away briefly, his breath ragged against my face, and then he leaned in again for another kiss. I leaned into him, trying to get as close as possible, and he clung almost desperately to me, even as we both pulled away, staring at each other as we both tried to decide if we wanted to go for a fourth kiss or not.

Shakily drawing in a breath, I looked down and rested my head against his shoulder. His pulse was still so fast under my fingers, and I absently smoothed the cloth there, as if that could help calm it down. I was pretty sure that wouldn't be the case, though. My own pulse thudded, loud enough that I was afraid he'd hear it too.

"I… love you too," I whispered when I thought I had enough breath to form coherent words. Chrom tightened his hug on me. "I had to ask Frederick to figure it out, though."

"No wonder he nearly died of laughter when I talked to him earlier," he murmured. He pulled back slightly, and smiled warmly at me. "I… the courts are harsh, and we've a lot of reconstructing to do. But, if you're willing…"

"I worry that I'll bring you more trouble." I tried to look down, but he cupped my cheek and tilted my face back up to look at him. "There's no way your nobles will accept a Plegian mercenary with no past."

"I'm sure you'll dazzle them as you have me." He smiled slightly as I rolled my eyes. "If you're willing to bear the duties…"

"I'm willing, but I don't… oh, we're going to argue in circles at this rate." I sighed and leaned into him again. "I do… want to be with you, though. I love you. I… I want to stay with you. If you think I can be a good enough queen, then…" I thought of all the Shepherds and how much advice and reassurance they'd given me. I thought of how, just this morning, Maribelle and Cordelia had done what they could to help me. "Then maybe, I should just trust in the people I love, and just focus on what I want."

"...And I will follow my heart, just as Emm wanted." He tightened his hug. "I will make the castle a happy home for us, though. I'll do whatever I can to make sure you smile every day."

"And I will figure out how to be a queen, so that no one thinks you're simply mad with love."

"Well, I am, but that doesn't mean they get to see me lose all my wits." He kissed the top of my head. "We'll figure it out. This war, and the reconstruction. We'll figure it out. Together. And we'll make a happy life, together."

"Yes. Together." I tilted my head up then, not really thinking about it, and smiled when I realized he was already leaning down for another kiss. We kissed again, many, many times. Whispering reassurances and half-thought plans for the future in between with what breath we had before we stole it from each other again. This… was a very strange turn in my life.

But I loved it. I loved him. We'd… make it work. With my father dead, I… I was due a little bit of happiness, right?

Notes on Nowi:

Class - Manakete; Reclass - Mage, Wyvern Rider

A manakete who is over a thousand years old, though she looks to be in her early teens. She acts childishly, but at times, she provides some of the wisest advice in the group, likely because she is, by far, the oldest.

Thanks to being a dragon, she is incredibly strong even when not transformed, and can take hits that would kill a 'human', rather like me. She also shows a strong magic potential, surprisingly.

She mentions that she goes through odd growth spurts, where she'll stay the same and then suddenly physically age before 'stopping' again, and that she thinks she just started one. She hopes that it'll lead her to at least look her late teens, so that no one yells at us for 'fielding a child'.

Author's Note: The argument between Cordelia and Maribelle is based off of their Summer Scramble conversation. Have an official couple with it.

Next Chapter - Sickles and Merchants (Paralogues 1 and 4)