Whoop, whoop! Managed his chapter way sooner than I was expecting, so proud of myself. This one is admittedly mostly filler, but once I got past the 5th paragraph it pretty much wrote itself. Especially near the end. So, hope you all enjoy. Read and Review.
Of all the things that could have happened this one wasn't something she had seen coming. Sure, they had been together in Morgan's time and world but that had been the only one...in Owain's the words had forever went unsaid. So for even a hint if that to come from her lips was...
"And you're certain Plegia has Sable?" Why Robin was standing in a war meeting room with the Ylissian Royals and Fredrick reiterating the things she'd told the king was a question she would have loved the answer to.
"Henry." The tactician responded simply, one hand holding herself up with the table while the other covered her eyes.
"Robin?" Henry questioned back, voice soft and worried.
"I'm just tired. Please, explain." It was mid-morning and she wanted nothing more or less than curling back up in her bed. She'd only been up an extra hour, maybe, talking to the king the night before...and had slept in longer than the war had ever allowed. Yet still exhaustion clung to her every muscle like a sickness. And like a sickness she threw up each morning, no matter the amount of food she ate. It wasn't enough anymore, she'd need to find somewhere that she could take as much life energy as she wanted and no one would care. But the war was over, leaving fewer options.
"...Imagine Naga and Grima were swapped." The dark mage began, seeing the heavy glare from Libra.
"It's just to make it easier to understand." She spoke up, knowing the war monk would immediately reject the idea.
"Nya ha ha. Exactly!" It seemed like the first time in a while since the boy had laughed, though her head only gave a potent pound at the sound. "The world has sealed Naga away! No more goddess to even hear your prayers." Now he just sounded like he was trying very hard not to laugh or make a pun... actually, that was probably exactly what he was doing. That and pay back for saying she was part of the Grimleal. "But it's just a seal. She'll return one day, she has to. And they're taking the things to seal her to different places. What do you do?"
"Take-" The princess' husband immediately began to answer, only to cut himself off after the first word as his eyes widened in realization.
"Let's not get too HEISTy here. Nya ha ha." The vessel let out a reflexive laugh, which only made the building headache pound again. In turn though she could hear the grin in his voice, the joy from the laugh she'd released and that was fine actually. "But you'd take one of the things to seal your goddess. And so did the Plegians."
"I see...when it's said like that it does make sense." Sully nodded in understanding, looking at the others around the table.
"So then, what do we do?" Lissa looked around, hoping for some kind of suggestion.
"Robin? Do you have a plan?" Chrom questioned, looking at his tactician. His voice was a little worried, so was almost everyone else. But she'll be fine.
"It's...a little hard to think right now." The orange haired teenager responded honestly.
"But we can send an embassary, perhaps Fredrick like you originally planned Chrom, to Plegia. Have them meet with the king, ask if he knows anything about where the last gemstone is."
"That is revealing our hand to the Plegians, is it not?" Frederick pointed out, only to get a shaken head in response.
"It's actually quite the opposite. We are asking, meaning they won't think we already know they have it. They also won't dare to hurt the embassary, since they need someone to come back and tell us that they have it." Someone had brought a chair to the tactician, which her companion gently guided her to sit in. Grima hated the traitor ordering him like this, the human within just wanting to sit down.
"Why would they tell us they have Sable?" The long haired man asked, clearly not believing in the plan.
"For the same reason they stole it. To keep Grima from being sealed." At the looks of confusion the glowing red eyes rolled some, owner giving a sigh. "They'll have us go to Plegia to obtain Sable. Wherever we are to meet will have hidden members of the Grimleal, perhaps some soldiers around as well. They will intent to spring a trap and get the Fire Emblem for themselves."
"It's hard to think and you still came up with all that?" The princess was appropriately awed at the idea.
"I figured this out on our way back to Ylisstol." The honourary member of the royal family stated simple, waving her hand to show it didn't matter. "Regardless, it will take some time to get to Plegia castle and back. That gives us more time to plan a counterattack than they have to plan the attack, and they'll be under the impression we're walking in blind. It may seem like they're giving them control, but in reality we're just putting on a show of handing over the reins."
"What are you waiting for Frederick?" She let out a soft groan, already knowing where the white haired boy was going with the words. "Better HOOF it. Nya ha ha!" Another reflexive laugh followed the awful pun, only for her to groan immediately afterwards.
"Henry, that was awful." A look behind Robin revealed another large grin on his face. "Henry-"
"Just trying to get back in the haBIT." This time the only answer was a groan as one hand covered her eyes again.
"That only works if people know horse equipment. And saying reins doesn't immediately mean you can make a bunch of horse puns." The orange haired teenager tried to convince him.
"It was a SPUR of the moment decision." This had to stop.
"I appreciate your UNBRIDLED enthusiasm but this is a BIT much." The room fell silent, everyone staring at her. But Henry's eyes opened that little bit, startled, before letting out that unique laughter she hadn't realized she missed until hearing it again. "You've got to stop STALLING, I'm SADDLED with a bunch of responsibility right now! I need to be ready for the MANE event, I can't just BAIL on them! So get off your HIGH HORSE."
"Nya ha ha! Nya ha ha!" The puns wouldn't stop, the more he laughed the more popped into the glowing eyed teenager's head to say.
"I have planning to do, no matter how much of a STUD you are." The words spilled from her lips with a wink, this time she froze with the rest of the room. Grima and Robin were both equally mortified by the words, neither knowing which chose them to say or how. "...I need to sleep." The king cleared his throat.
"That may be for the best." Chrom agreed, tugging at his collar a bit...his cheeks looked a little red, but so did everyone else's. "I'll send Frederick...where did Frederick go?" A glance around the room revealed that the great knight was indeed gone.
"He probably left with all the puns, Frederick doesn't know how to have fun. He's probably already getting ready to head out for Plegia." The blonde girl guessed, her own cheeks still pink.
"Need a hand to your chamber Robin?" The redhead queen suggested, getting a small nod.
"I'll try coming up with some plans once I wake up later." Too embarrassed to have the white haired boy help the tactician as she normally had, the two women left him behind in the war room with the blue haired man and his sister.
Well, that wasn't what she meant to say...but it's been said. Can't exactly take it back. Still, this whole chapter was fun to write. See you next time, read and review.
For anyone who doesn't know, that entire pun contest or whatever was all about horses or horse equipment. If you don't know, Stud is both the word for a building where horses or other domesticated animals are kept for breeding are kept and another word for a stallion. Bits are the things that go in a horse's mouth for the reins. Spurs are the spiky thing on cowboy boots (and rider boots) to help direct the horse.