Frederick's Revenge

Parlor – 9:50 AM

Kagero crossed her arms, looking over her latest attempt to set up the room. Over 15 easels were placed around a small pedestal. Each easel had it's own little workstation - procured by Anna at the expense of several consecutive promises – which would give each painter everything they should need.

Today would be working with watercolors, something on the simpler side. Though Kagero had seen a large shipment of various oil paints that excited her greatly. She looked at an old grandfather clock standing by the back wall. It was nearly 10, and she was waiting for Frederick to procure the subject of the first day. If you had to put in basic rules, the classic still life needed either fruits, plants, or basic sculptures. Frederick had suggested fruits, as the plants Nephenee's group had planted were not quite ready for mass moving from the greenhouse, and sculptures could be hard to get. She looked at the room again. It just wasn't quite up to her standards of aesthetic. Then again, maybe that's for the best...

The sounds of armor clanging up the stairs caught the ninja's attention. She turned around as Frederick walked through the door. He looked steady and immaculate, as usual, but she caught a hint of distress in his face.

"Milady, we have an urgent situation!"

"Sir Frederick, I believe that I told you I'm no nobility." Kagero responded. "What's the matter?"

"The fruit that we procured has gone missing!" The ninja didn't show it outwardly, but she froze. An entire shipment of fruit, gone?

"How is that possible?" She asked. Frederick didn't answer right away. "Where have you checked?"

"I've only checked the storerooms, but I felt it prudent to notify you immediately."

"I'll check the kitchen and surrounding area." Kagero said coolly. "Can you find something suitable to replace the fruit if I'm unsuccessful." Frederick nodded quickly, leaving the room and moving downstairs again. Kagero climbed out the window, scaling down the wall silently. The rain from the previous night had left the windowsills slightly slippery, but nothing new to the ninja.

"Hey there, Kagero!" Came a voice from the ground. Kagero placed herself carefully on a balcony, and looked down. Oboro was standing next to the Athena, who had apparently come back the previous night, and another recent summon, a purple haired swords-woman named Mia. The number of strong-willed swords-woman was increasing by the minute. It was just Fir and Lucina for months before Ayra, Athena, Selena, Soleil, Marisa, Celica …

"Kagero! Are you listening?" Oboro called up again. The ninja looked down on her friend.

"My apologies, Oboro," She responded, "I'm just distracted, I think."

"Is pretty unlike you, ninja woman!" Athena called out. "Is anything we can help with?"

"Our shipment of fruit for the painting class after lunch has gone missing. If you hear anything, let me or Sir Frederick know."

Oboro saluted, a giant grin plastered on her face. "Aye-aye, ma'am!" She responded. "I hope you find your fruit!" Kagero smiled, and finished her descent. She reached the front gate and walked into the mess hall. Breakfast had just finished, so the cleanup crew had already disposed of most of the food left. Kagero looked into the compost bins that Kiran and Donnel had insisted installing. There were various fruit contents there, but she couldn't discern if the number was above average or not.

"Um, Kagero?" Came a voice behind her, causing the ninja to jump around. Nephenee was looking at the ninja with some concern. "Why are ya rummaging through the compost?"

"Ah, Nephenee." Kagero liked the lance user, but they hadn't spoken much. "I'm wondering if the shipment of fruits Frederick and I ordered were used as breakfast." Nephenee stroked her chin in thought.

"Well, I bet Lady Cordelia would know something about that. Why don't we check?" The two left the mess hall, walking down the corridor to the main storeroom.

"Nephenee, you can always just call me Kagero." She mentioned.

"Ah- I can't do that!" she insisted, "Yer- you are way too … refined!"

"I'm a ninja," was Kagero's response, "and you can just talk like yourself around me. You do so with Princess Tana, Donnel, and Princess Hinoka, correct?"

"Y-yes..."

"If we could, I would like us to be friends. But that's only if you talk like yourself."

"Alrigh', I'll try." Nephenee looked earnest, which was all Kagero needed. That woman needed some positive reinforcement, and it seemed like the Order of Heroes was exactly something she needed. They entered the large storeroom, where a more frazzled than normal Cordelia was shouting over walls of crates that filled the room.

"Donnel, what about section 1B?"

"I ain't found them, Miss Cordelia!"

"Oscar?"

"Nothing out of place here, Miss Cordelia!"

"Titania?"

"As insane as it seems, everything in this section is in place."

The redhead rubbed her temples. She turned to Kagero and Nephenee. "Ah, Kagero." Cordelia began. "Frederick notified us of your missing fruit shipment. I have Lute, Arvis, and Robin checking the other storerooms as well." She shook her head. "It just makes no sense."

"You don't need to go through such trouble for my sake, Cordelia."

"But if someone is stealing fruit, who knows what they might take next?" Cordelia responded, before rubbing her head.

"Do ya need some water, Lady Cordelia?" Nephenee asked. Cordelia shook her head, sighing. The door opened again, and Lute, Arvis, and Robin walked in. Robin was immediately by his wife's side. "Any sign of the crates in the other rooms?" She asked the three.

"Your accurate and detailed ledgers were correct, no fruit in my storeroom." Lute answered.

"I'll keep a lookout for any fruit thieves, but they've eluded us thus far." Arvis said with a menacing glare.

"Sorry, honey. Nothing was out of place in my room either." Robin said apologetically. "Why don't we just relax for a little bit? There's still a chance of storms today, so there's no training."

Cordelia sighed again, before walking out with Robin. Donnel, Titania, and Oscar joined the other 5 still in the storeroom. Arvis crossed his arms impatiently.

"Now isn't the time to relax. I'll tell Reinhardt and Ursula to remain vigilant." The emperor turned on his heel and stormed out of the room.

"That Arvis feller makes me nervous somethin' awful." Donnel commented. "He's always plottin' and that Ursula is always plottin' too."

"I know righ'?" Nephenee replied, "Two right bad apples."

"I don't think an apple has the capability to think about morals." Lute commented. Titania rolled her eyes and smiled.

"It's a figure of speech, Lute. I still can't tell when you're just messing with people or being sincere."

"It's part of my natural charm, Miss Titania."

"I'm sure."

Kagero put her arms on her hips. "How would someone have the time to move several crates during the breakfast hours, and be undetected?" She mused.

"I'm fairly sure that's impossible." Oscar surmised. "There are too many people out and about in this area in the morning, and I had checked the stores myself, and they weren't taken by the chefs."

"So it's a mystery..." Lute had a mischievous grin on her face.

"I dunno if I like where this is goin' …"

"Oh hush, Nephenee, there's a mystery to solve." Lute waved at her. "An all-girl mystery team is what we need!"

"I'm not sure if that's really gonna help."

"So you don't want to be part of it? I was hoping you could be our skeptical street-smart member!" Nephenee blushed profusely.

"Ya-ya mean it?" Nephenee asked. Lute began dragging her by the hand.

"Of course, I could solve this all by myself, but it's so much more fun with friends!" They're discussion faded out as they walked down the hall. Titania pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I better follow them and make sure they don't cause any trouble." She said bluntly. Kagero looked at Oscar, who merely shrugged.

"I hope you find your fruit, Kagero. I'll keep looking and let you know if I catch any sight of it."

"I appreciate it." Kagero turned to face the boxes as she heard the door shut behind her. The ninja stood in the darkness for a brief moment, and she noticed something. Something in the air tasted … sweet. "What are you doing here, Gaius?" She called out. She heard a soft curse, and a smattering of footsteps. She descended upon him quickly, and held him still, a harsh and cold gaze fixed upon him. "Well?"

"Oh come on!" Gaius growled out. "Scarf, you know I'm not into fruit!"

"Fruit is sweet." Kagero responded, ignoring Gaius's new nickname for her. "Candy is sweet."

"But candy is better than fruit," came the retort, "and Red had Cordelia and Bubbles order a huge shipment for the holidays."

"So you admit you're stealing?"

"Come on, Scarf! I would never steal from you, it just ain't a thing thieves do!"

"Steal from ninjas?"

"Steal from anyone that can catch them."

Kagero eased her grip on the thief. "So you don't know who stole the fruit?"

"Sorry, Scarf, I'm just as stumped as you." He answered. Kagero let him go, and stood up. "Thanks."

"You better not be lying."

"Oh trust me, I would not attempt to lie to you." and with that, Gaius moved into the shadows and left the room. Kagero grumbled to herself. Things were getting too weird.

Lute's Room: 11 AM

"Lute, where on earth did you get that?"

Lute was wearing a large brown coat. Surrounding her were Nephenee, Sanaki, Titania, and Setsuna. The room was cozy, the walls covered by large bookshelves, and a large comfy bed, which Lute used for both sleeping and reading.

"Oh, never mind that," Lute said, clearly enjoying the attention, "I have gathered you all here today to solve … a mystery!" There was a palpable silence in the room. She cleared her throat. "That was supposed to sound intriguing."

"Ohhhh." came the response from Titania. "So why did you gather us in particular, Lute?"

"Well, Nephenee is our street-smart skeptic, and fills in the color of blue. Sanaki is my right hand man … girl … woman! - and she fills in the role of purple. You, Miss Titania, fill in the role of red, and I figure if you're going to follow us everywhere, you should just partake in our crime-solving," Titania smirked, "And Setsuna is here because she is more than adequate (plus Clarisse and Ayra both told me no.)"

Setsuna put up a fist in mock victory. "Woo hoo," she said in her even tone, "I'm beyond adequate."

"So what's our first plan of action, Grand Leader?" asked Sanaki.

Lute flashed a smile. "I'm glad you asked, Empress, because it's time we searched for … clues."

"Keep at it, Setsuna! Maybe there's a clue on that rope!"

"Well, I don't have much of a choice, huh?" the archer found herself hanging upside down on a laundry line, with the other 4 staring up at her. The group had various looks of amusement on their faces. Setsuna's poor luck was a legend around the castle, and it was certainly interesting to experience it firsthand.

"Hold on, Setsuna." Titania called up. "We'll get you down from there."

"I appreciate it." She replied, still looking from side to side wistfully. Lute frowned. So far every lead had been a dead end. Cordelia had been a nervous wreck from the discovery of the crime, Robin claimed to know nothing. Frederick had tried being helpful, but he had no clue what had happened. Kagero was doing her own investigating, which made Lute even more focused on solving the mystery quickly. The only lead had been an orange rind that Setsuna had found in the flower beds – after she had tripped over three different pots, much to Nephenee's chagrin.

"Wow, Setsuna, are you alright?" came a small voice nearby. Sakura, Elise, and their faithful retainers Hana and Effie were all approaching the group of mystery solvers. Lute noticed a small bag in Effie's possession.

"I'm fine, Princess Sakura," Setsuna said, "Nothing out of the ordinary for me."

"Saaay, this is an interesting gathering." Elise noted, putting her hands on her hips playfully. "What are you five doing?"

"We're busy solving a crime of utmost importance." Sanaki stated haughtily, "A rapscallion has gotten away with a shipment of fruit for Lady Kagero's Art Club."

"Oh! Speaking of fruit, do you want some? Stahl gave us some!"

"Stahl, you say?" Lute muttered to herself. "The case grows curious... er."

Parlor: 12:45 pm

Kagero was pacing in the room. There was no signs of any fruit anywhere, despite all the 'help' from Lute's Detective Agency, and the other various people that were searching. Frederick had left a few minutes ago, claiming he had a solution to the problem. It wasn't losing the fruit, or that now she might have to teach a class on the fly.

It was the idea that somebody had gotten the better of her, and stolen something from right under her nose. Again, she heard footsteps approach the door.

"Kagero, I believe I have solved our problem!" Frederick announced with unusual enthusiasm. Walking in front of him were Chrom and Robin. "Milord and Robin have agreed to assist us!"

Kagero looked at Frederick warily. "How so?"

"Yeah, Frederick," Chrom asked, "I thought we were helping you with the still life display."

"You are."

"Where … is it?"

"Everything we need is in this room." Frederick answered simply. Robin looked around quickly. There were nothing but easels and stools in the room. Kagero noted that the pedestal was much larger than before. She was slowly coming to a realization at the same time that Robin was.

"Robin, you don't see anything in this room, right?"

"No, Chrom."

"Robin, wasn't Gaius behind us?"

"Yes, Chrom."

"The doors are locked, huh?"

"Mmmmhm."

A sinister shadow loomed over the two as they were overcome with dread.

Kitchen: 12:50 PM

There were times in Stahl's life where he wished he was somehow more forgettable.

He had always viewed himself as average, almost Kellam-like in memorability, but he still had a feature about him that was hard for anyone who met him to forget.

His love of food.

It was how he met Chrom, it was how he met his fiancee, and it was why he was now tied up in the kitchen with 5 people standing over him. Curse his need for an after-lunch snack. He made a cursory glance of the 5 women. Lute was standing over him, looking triumphant and more than a little smug. Sanaki and Nephenee looked equally nervous and humored, Titania seemed to just be enjoying the ride, and Setsuna looked … well, like Setsuna.

Lute began her interrogation."A little bird told us that you are in the possession of some ill-gotten fruit, Mr. Stahl." She whipped her head down dramatically. "Would you like to explain how you got that fruit?"

"Um, wait, was that fruit not for eating or something? And w-why are you talking like that?"

"She's asking the questions, if you please!" Sanaki interrupted.

"Maybe he's 'Stahl'in' for time, right?" Nephenee offered, earning laughs from the group.

Lute gave Nephenee a thumbs up, before turning back to Stahl. "So, are you going to reveal your supplier, or our we going to have to use … extra measures to get you to talk?"

"Lute, the crate was just there. I have no clue how it got there!" The mage glared at the cavalier.

"I see we're not going to get to you through normal means." She started rummaging through a cupboard. "Maybe this will entice you." Lute pulled out a bag of croissants. Stahl gasped in horror, as his stomach rumbled. Not bread, it was only second to meat as Stahl's favorite vague types of food!

"You wouldn't dare."

"You doubt my superior willpower, Mr. Stahl?" Lute asked, handing out a croissant to each member of the mystery team. "Are you having some second thoughts about not telling us anything?"

Stahl began to sweat. He wasn't going to let his stomach beat him. "I … am a ROCK!" He shouted. Lute smiled wryly, before taking a slow bite. Titania began laughing hysterically. This was getting sillier by the second.

"Mmmmmmm the flakiness of this croissant is immaculate! I'm not surprised you enjoy partaking in this particular treat." Lute said menacingly. "What do you think, Sanaki?"

"Fit for an Empress, to put it bluntly." Sanaki said, before taking a large bite of hers. Stahl began squirming in his ropes.

"Yeah, it's pretty darn good, Stahl." Nephenee added. Setsuna managed to mumble out something through the croissant in her mouth. Titania was too busy laughing to even eat her's. Stahl began grinding his teeth, as his stomach began roaring like a dying animal.

That was when the door opened, and Gaius walked in. "Yo, Stahl! You gotta see what Freddie's making Bubbles and Blue do! It's … pretty … wild …" To anyone from the outside, what Gaius was seeing was bizarre to say the least. Titania was doubled over in hysterics, Nephenee and Sanaki were holding croissants in their hands and staring at the thief. Lute and Setsuna had almost a full croissant in each mouth. Setsuna kept chewing, while Lute attempted to swallow the whole thing; and in the center of it all sat Stahl, tied up with rope. Gaius took a step back. "Hey, Stahl? I'm not one to judge, but this seems really …"

"GAIUS, RUN!" Stahl shouted out, and the thief took no time to think it out. He was out of the room in a flash, with four others in pursuit. Before she left, Titania took the time to untie the ropes and hand him her croissant.

"Sorry that you got caught up in Lute's little adventure as well." She said apologetically, before chasing after Gaius with the others. Stahl took a bite of the croissant.

"No harm no foul I guess. Hmm ... Needs some chocolate."

Parlor: 1 PM

"I'm sure you have a better solution than this."

"Think of it as really serving the Order of Heroes, I'm sure you'll really help with the morale of the Order!"

"I really doubt that, Frederickson."

Frederick hid a twitch of annoyance. Robin always used that nickname to irritate him, but he would not be daunted.

In front of him stood the tastefully nude Chrom and Robin, covered up by various pillows and other objects Frederick could find. Frederick would be lying if he said this wasn't more than a little amusing. Chrom was a good leader, but rash and sometimes would drive poor Frederick crazy. He just viewed this as a little ... payback. Also, Lissa returning may have had a … poor influence on Frederick. "Besides, if you don't help, I'll tell Kiran about your latest pot-breaking shenanigans, Milord." He said.

"Don't worry, Robin, we just need to survive this for an hour or two." Chrom quickly said, attempting to sound brave, "We can jump Frederick after we're clothed."

Robin sighed. The whole nude thing wasn't embarrassing, he'd experienced worse. It was how smug Frederick was about this whole thing. "I can't believe you roped me into this. At least Severa isn't into paint-"

"OH GODS!"

"DAD!"

"FATHER?!"

"ALRIGHT SIR ROBIN! WHAT A BRAVE DISPLAY!" came the reassuring voice of Odin amongst three other horrified voices. Definitely Lucina, Odin, Laslow … and Severa. Robin could hear the sounds of footsteps running down the hallway, but he was fairly sure he just died of embarrassment. Literally the only person that could do that to him, too... He could hear more footsteps, and groaned inwardly when he heard one of the voices speaking.

"Honestly, Tana, I have no clue what could've happened to that shipment," came the voice as it passed through the door, "It just makes no – SWEET NAGA!"

Cordelia was staring at Robin and Chrom. Robin waved weakly.

"Hi honey." He said meekly. Cordelia stared at Robin, then Frederick, then Kagero. She kept stammering, and her blush grew deeper by the second.

"Robin and Chrom volunteered to assist us with today's art class."

"Is that … true?" She asked, looking at Robin. The tactician could feel Chrom's pleading eyes boring into the back of head. It's true, some punishment would be in store for Chrom for breaking pots, and Robin didn't want that to happen.

"Y-yeah." He said. Cordelia looked suspicious, but chose to sit down. As people filed in, there were expressions of shock, but mostly of humor. There was Cordelia, Tharja, even Henry was there, acting like nothing was the matter. Tana and Eirika, Camilla and a very embarrassed Oboro, a very amused Reinhardt, and Soren, who kept trying to convince Ike to join Chrom and Robin, with no luck.

"Well, I wasn't expecting this," Kagero noted, "but it seems like everyone is still interested."

"Yes, I'm pleased as well." Frederick responded.

"OH WOW!" Lissa's voice came from the door. "Freddie, is this what you meant when you said you had a prank that I would love?"

Frederick smiled. "Of course, milady. You deserve a good prank on your day back, would you not agree?"

"BWAHAHAH you really are amazing, Freddie!" She kissed the knight on the cheek before returning to laughing at her brother and friend.

It dawned on Kagero what had happened. Frederick had been behind it all. He had somehow hidden the fruit crate somewhere she would never check or bother to look, and it had all been to …

"Ah, so that's how it is," she heard Robin say, "So can we go now?"

"NO!" Cordelia shouted. The room turned to the furiously blushing redhead. "I mean … I'm not done painting you yet."

"For once, she and I agree, Robin." Tharja said, grinning widely. "Mmmmfufufufufu, You make quite a good model."

"That's not giving me much comfort …" Robin said, sighing to himself. "At least it's tasteful, I suppose."

"That's the spirit, Robbie!" Lissa called out. "Make that lemonade from those lemons!" Robin glared at the princess.

"I'll get you two back, just you wait!" He declared. That was when the door burst open, and Gaius ran in.

"Freddie, we have a situation!" He managed to blurt out before he was tackled by Nephenee and Setsuna.

"Hey now, Gaius, Lute just wanted to ask … ya …" Nephenee could feel her face warm up slightly. She turned to Kagero, who merely shrugged. She and Setsuna let go of the thief.

"Ha … haaaaaaa … we caught you!" Lute and the other two had caught up. She pointed at Gaius accusingly. She looked up and saw Robin and Chrom, along with the 10 painters, Frederick and Kagero. "Ah-HA!" She shouted. "Soooo... you took the fruits so that Frederick would be forced to make his friends strip for … some … reason …" She pondered this for a moment.

"I'm fairly sure that Frederick got Gaius to steal the fruit because he wanted to try to embarrass us." Robin said, his body slouched and defeated.

"Don't slouch, honey, I can't get a good … reference of your heroic figure." Cordelia said, smiling sweetly.

"Alright, so this is what happened," Lute began, "Frederick wanted to get Robin and Chrom naked, so he got Gaius and Stahl to steal the fruits, and he then coerced Robin and Chrom to be the models instead!"

"How ingenious." Robin responded.

"Thank you, I am a prodigy after all! I'm glad I could help solve this mystery!"

"B-but you didn't solve anything! Chrom and I are the ones that need help here!"

Lute ignored him, raising her hands in victory as she walked out the door. Sometimes, she was just too good.

Library: 4 PM

"I'm sorry if we made you feel uncomfortable, Sir Robin."

"Oh, I wasn't really uncomfortable, Lady Eirika." He responded, looking through a bookshelf stacked high with fiction books. "I was frustrated that Frederickson got the best of me."

"Sir Frederick is more mischievous than I initially expected him to be." Eirika commented. Her arms were full of books at this point.

"That would be Lissa's influence." Robin grumbled. "I was getting used to the lack of pranks around here, too."

"Well, at least this should be a relaxing evening, right?" Eirika offered. Robin nodded.

"Yeah, tonight should be quiet, at least." He agreed.

They reached the main foyer of the library, where a group was busy chatting with each other. For Eirika, there were two things that astonished her:

A. How many people were at the book club.

B. How friendly Lute had gotten to be with other people.

She remembered how prickly Lute was; the person who honestly believed she was above other people. But now, she at least viewed other people as worth her time, which was a huge leap for her.

Also, the vast amount of people there was almost overwhelming. Eirika had counted about 25 people, all gathered around the foyer. Robin and Eirika carefully put the books down on a central table that the group had gathered around.

"Hello, everyone!" Eirika announced to the group, "Welcome to the Book Club! This is my assistant, Robin." Robin waved awkwardly to the group, which was met with some chuckles. "Today is pretty simple, everyone will pick a book to read, and every week, we can discuss what we've read."

"Sounds pretty simple." Ephraim said. "We don't have to choose from these books, correct?"

Eirika sighed. Typical Ephraim. "Yes, Ephraim, you can pick anything you want, this is just for reference." Her brother nodded, before walking off into the aisles. Most of the club perused through the stuff on the table, while a few joined Ephraim in the rest of the library. Eirika sat down and began to read her book, a nice light romance novel, when she felt someone staring at her. She looked up from her seat to see both Nino and Lute. Nino looked eager, but Lute looked uncomfortable.

"Hello, Nino," she greeted the mage, "Hello, Lute."

"Hi, Eirika!" Nino replied, "I was hoping you could help me read today as well!" Eirika smiled widely.

"Of course!" Eirika replied, before turning her attention to Lute. "What can I do for you, Lute?"

"Umm … I don't know how to say this or even how to ask it." Lute responded awkwardly. "I … don't know what exactly I'm looking for in a book."

Eirika looked surprised. "But you read all the time."

"I read encyclopedias, texts, even some lore, I suppose." Lute answered, "I've never read a romance book or anything like that." Eirika looked at the purple-haired mage with renewed purpose. She grabbed Lute's shoulder. Fire burned in her eyes.

"Where I am about to take you, will be the point of no return." Eirika said, attempting to sound menacing. "Are you prepared for that?"

Lute nodded. "I wouldn't be a prodigy if I wasn't prepared for this." Eirika dragged both Nino and Lute into the labyrinth of literature with a spring in her step.

"Oh wow, Eirika, you mean their love can never be?" Nino looked at the princess, who was softly sniffling to herself. They had been reading together for almost an hour, and they had become engrossed in the story.

"Yes, and it's so painful because they're so obviously meant to be!"

"But why do they feel the need to be tied to archaic societal rules like this?" Lute asked, "He's the prince; he could easily just marry who he chooses, and he wouldn't suffer any major consequences."

"But there's the curse tied to that. He can only marry a princess or his wife is doomed to die."

"Lies told by a superstitious religious leader that wants to hold control over the royal family?"

"Or dark magic."

Lute looked impatient. "If it was dark magic, there's always a counter-curse."

"Well, we're only at the beginning of the book; but what if there's isn't a counter-curse?"

"These two characters are obviously perfect for each other, and I refuse to believe that there's no way they can get together." Lute crossed her arms. "I just don't understand the point otherwise."

"Well, you won't unless you finish the book," Eirika looked at Lute with a challenging stare, "Or are you afraid that there's something that a prodigy like you can't handle?"

Lute looked at Eirika indignantly. "I will, thank you very much!" She snatched the book from Eirika's hands, and stormed off. Nino looked at her friend, worry etched on her face.

"Is Lute okay?" She asked. Eirika smiled to herself.

"Yes," She answered, "Sometimes Lute needs a little push to do things she's afraid of." She turned to Nino. "Now, what book were you interested in reading tonight?"

"Oh yeah! Leo gave me this one, he said it was too difficult for me!" Nino frowned. "I'll show him who's boss." Eirika chuckled. The book was a volume of Advanced Magical Theory. Nino would at least understand the concepts in it, so maybe the difficult words would be easier to grasp.

"This one is tough, but let's do it."

Lute's Room: 8:30 PM

"Um, Lute?" There was the sounds of sniffles coming from the other side of the door. "Lute, are you alright, can I come in?" Sanaki barely heard the 'yes' amongst her questions. She burst into the room, only to see the mage sitting on her bed, a book hanging limply from her hand. Sanaki rushed to her friend's side. "Are you alright? Can I get you anything? Can I-" She was interrupted by Lute hugging her tightly. She could feel the mage's shoulders heave while she cried. "What has made you weep so?"

"Colin just gave up his kingdom to save Maggie's life."

"I beg your pardon?"

"It was so beautiful, Sanaki! Colin gave up his role as prince in order to be with his love! A long lost love that was bound by a terrible curse!"

"Wait, is this romance novel what you're crying over?"

Lute frowned. "It's a beautiful story, Sanaki!" She argued, "Not one for the faint of heart!"

"So this is what you stormed out with earlier in the library..." the Empress muttered to herself, before getting up. "Very well, I shall stay up with you until you feel better. We can discuss the story if you wish."

"Sanaki..."

"What kind of tea would you like? I'll start the kettle." Lute smiled at her friend.

"Whatever you would like." She responded.

Two chapters in such a short timespan? Whaaaat?

(I had this one in my head for like, two weeks)

Thank you guys so much for reading! I hope you've all been enjoying it so far. Any thoughts, comments, critiques, etc. would be really appreciated as well! Even if you think what you're saying isn't worth it or useful, I would still love to hear it.

Next Chapter is: Something Seems Off About Celica.