HOOOOOOOLY SHIIIIIIT GUYS! I FINALLY HAVE MY COPY OF 3H! Though I've only gotten through the prologue so far, I'm already completely sold on this game! It's really such a joy to see Fire Emblem in a next-gen console (though I will always cherish the oldies), but it's a shame thesis time undercuts gaming time :')

Replies are in order:

TaraTolmney: thank you ever so much! I'm very flattered to hear that you think so, and I hope to continue meeting your expectations in this chapter and the next ones! Kellam is honestly such a sweetheart and I'm excited to be including him more—especially due to his Twelfth Night counterpart and the role he plays in the original story.

TheFreelancerSeal: I'm always very excited to read your reviews, and, truth be told, they're a big part of why I also post here instead of just keeping all my stuff on AO3. Daraen and Kellam have a ways to go before they're completely out of trouble…and that's not including the part when we get into the meatier Roblivia content! I know my chapters are very, very, very long, but I just want to cover all my bases.

(And don't you worry about my promise, you'll know it when you see it!)

Many thanks to the lovely pinksaphira11 for betaing! She is a treasure (especially when showing pictures of her floofy poofy cat)!

Robin stared at the note, baffled.

Your Highness, it read in what she assumed was Olivia's writing. Forgive me for disturbing you, but it seems as though a favour of Prince Chrom's was left behind on your last visit. I do not wish to offend him by informing him that there is no intention of accepting his gift, as usual, though I beg you to please come and retrieve it, at least for the sake of easing me of its burden.

Postscript: Please do come in traditional Plegian garb. I do so wish to learn more of it.

Though Robin knew for a fact that she had left nothing of the sort in the Feroxi guesthouse, she resigned herself to the opportunity it presented in completing Chrom's task; however, she wondered what exactly did Olivia have in mind by deciding to basically invite her.

Why can't she just be straight and say she wants me over for a round of tea? Damn these nobles and their convoluted etiquette, Robin fumed as Tharja dressed her. And what's this about my clothes?

And so Robin presented herself right at noon, clad in an airy white tunic and cream coloured kaftan, as she knocked on the door and came face to face with Excellus again.

"Greetings, Your Highness," he said with all the enthusiasm of a wet piece of paper.

"Hello to you too," Robin replied flippantly. Considering how poorly she was treated last time, she decided to simply slip inside and wait at the bottom of the staircase, uncaring of Excellus' croaks and sputters.

She took the time to examine the foyer whilst Olivia readied herself. It really was quite a nice guesthouse, with its hardwood flooring, attractive decorative panelling, and a number of fashionable oil paintings of Ylissean and Feroxi figures, landscapes…well, it certainly would have been more impressive had evidence of the Feroxi's wild partying not been so obvious. Axes were buried in the wall from a forgotten game of darts, and an ominous odour was emanating faintly from a Chon'sinese vase. Crude graffiti was scrawled onto a panel with what looked like ink.

Wait a moment. Robin squinted up at the chandelier. Please tell me those aren't someone's smallclothes.

"I…I apologise for keeping you waiting…" a soft voice was heard from the top of the staircase.

Olivia's dress was a light pink with a square neckline, a simple pearl necklace resting on her collarbones, and her customary gauzy mourning veil draped loosely over her face. She descended the staircase at a pace that Robin would call trepidatory, but chose not to comment on as the lady of the house was finally before her. Sully kept close and glared daggers at Robin. Gaius, oddly enough, waved hello but chose to slip into the kitchen instead.

Robin bowed slightly at the waist. "Good day to you, Lady Olivia."

"G-good day to you as well, Your H-Highness."

"I was told you have something for me?"

Sully scoffed at Robin's rude straightforwardness, and Olivia subtly moved her hand behind her in a placating gesture. "Yes, I'm sorry to bother you with this…oh, I apologise, I mustn't keep you standing around, that would be terribly impolite. You came all this way for my silly little request, so the least I could do would be to offer you a refreshment."

There was something strange about that statement that Robin tried to discern. First there was that supposed gift of Chrom's that Olivia asked to be taken back. Now she was offering Robin a refreshment…it sounded awfully like she was trying to coax her into something.

But well, food was food. So Robin accepted cautiously and allowed herself to be led into the parlour.

"The castle has tea and ale, and they allow us to take a-anything we want, but we've also brought some of our own things," Olivia remarked as Sully helped to move the hemline of her dress out of the chair's way. "I-is there anything in particular that you'd like?"

Robin shrugged casually. "Anything you choose is fine by me. I'm not very picky about what I put in my mouth."

Red instantly bloomed across the young khatun's face, but Olivia managed to stammer out a request to her servants to fetch the appropriate snacks for the occasion. The grandfather clock on the mantelpiece seemed awfully loud in the silence that followed, and Robin thought back to her first meeting with Olivia, so similar yet even stranger now that they already discussed the seeming futility of Chrom's desires.

"Are you well?" Robin asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Oh! Y-yes, thank you." Olivia chewed her lip and wrung the sleeve of her dress before falling into reticence once more, and Robin forced herself not to frown at the sight. What happened to the conversation they had that day? Olivia was much more open and willing to talk. Now she seemed very unsure of how to even start a conversation…as if she had been embarrassed by something, or seized by a sudden shyness.

The 'prince' of Plegia decided to ask Olivia, point-blank, over the supposedly forgotten favour. Robin absolutely had no recollection of any sort of present, and if it existed then its delivery was unrelated to her, though she wondered why Olivia insisted on her presence. The khatun had servants to carry out her bidding. Why write to ask her to come get it? If Olivia just wanted to chat or even share some tea then Robin would have come, Chrom notwithstanding, if at least to be polite.

Robin cleared her throat. "So what's this gift I keep hearing about?"

"A…" Olivia suddenly began to fiddle with her long pink braids, their charming little paintbrush ends flicking to and fro rather distractingly. "A bracelet. It's a very nice one…gold filigree. I'm sure it's very expensive, and it's f-flattering to have gotten it…but like I've said before, I simply can't accept any of his gifts. I-if you could do me the favour of returning it—"

"I certainly can, but I'm rather puzzled, milady. I distinctly remember not having brought any jewellery to you on our last meeting," Robin said, rather bluntly.

Olivia's face turned even redder than before. "Oh, really? Well, I remember you did…"

"And I'll have to respectfully rebut that. While I'm sure Chrom's been pestering you with all sorts of presents, I didn't come bearing any of those except the speech he asked me to memorise last time. Though I have to ask: why not just send them back with any of your servants? It's a little personal if you decide to come to me, isn't it?"

"You callin' her a liar, Whitey?" Sully growled from her position close to Olivia's chair.

"No." Robin raised an eyebrow at the nickname, meeting Sully's gaze steadily and evenly. "I'm just saying that if she wanted to have me over for a snack, then she could have simply said so instead of recurring to this whole charade about a bracelet that I most certainly had nothing to do with."

"Oh, you're a mouthy little one, ain't ya." Sully's red hair seemed to leech into her skin.

"Not as little as you."

Just as Sully seemed ready to leap forth and strangle Robin where she sat, the door burst open to reveal Gaius, arms laden with a gleaming assortment of pastries, sweets, and frothy drinks. "Thought I heard some commotion! Don't worry, I know just the thing to settle scores and tummies—dessert!" He proceeded to pile the spindly little tea table high with sugary confections of all shapes and sizes. Servants pushed a few more tables together to accommodate them all, and the ginger-haired rogue forced Sully into a chair to join them.

"You totally planned this on purpose," she hissed at him as he plopped a sticky honey roll onto her plate.

He grinned. "Yeah, I think that's the whole point of planning."

As amusing as it was to see Sully far too riled to formulate a coherent response, there was now the added awkwardness of an impromptu tea party on their hands, and Robin's desire to indulge in the high-end sweets warred with her sudden social discomfort. Ultimately, her sweet tooth won out, even if Sully was still glaring daggers over the rim of her teacup and Excellus gaped obnoxiously from the corner.

"So…" Robin began in an attempt to ease the atmosphere. "Since I'm staying for this, would you mind telling me what these are? I'd like to familiarise myself with Feroxi cuisine."

Olivia's relieved face helped to put everyone at ease, and the table listened attentively. "Yes, of course—this is an Illyrian honey roll, since our best honey comes from Illyria, and then we have candied fruits. Most of these we import from Plegia, like the figs, but the frost-grapes are entirely from Ferox. Then we have biscotti—here, dunk them in your wine like this—and they're rather nice on long trips since they keep so well. Pears in pine syrup are my uncle's favourite and he likes to add a cinnamon stick to the syrup before eating."

"Huh. Never would've thought that a man like…Basilio would be fond of such a dainty little dessert."

"Hee hee! He says it's the secret to his muscles, would you believe?"

It was certainly nice to see Olivia so relaxed, talking freely (even giggling!) without a nervous stutter to impede her, and it was quite obvious that she was well-suited to the role of a hostess. The khatun spoke knowledgeably of the various sweets on display, offering small facts on their preparation and origins as everyone else snacked.

"Now this one," she wrinkled her nose, "is pine needle tea. Our climate means we depend on quite a few types of conifers and pines, but it's just too bitter for my tastes."

"But Babe, it's the perfect palate cleanser! One sip and your taste buds are ready and primed for the next dessert!" Gaius piped up through a mouthful of honey cake.

"Well, then you can drink it for me, since you're so partial to it."

"And here we have a jester more refined than his lady," he said with a smirk, accepting her cup nonetheless.

Sully, ever the sour one, rolled her eyes. "As refined as someone can be spittin' out jokes with a whole bunch of crumbs like that."

"You guys keep giving me new material to work with every second of the day! I keep my job by being oh-so witty and clever and handsome, and I also get to watch you all stumble into pits of your own making. Isn't that right, Tiny?" Gaius guffawed.

"Oh, do behave yourselves!" Olivia admonished the pair of redheads as Sully made to get up from her seat. "I have company—the least you could do is keep propriety in mind."

"Sorry," Sully grumbled.

"Apology accepted." Gaius winked cheekily, and his grin grew wider when Sully remained seated and stewed in her ire.

Robin felt a guilty sort of pleasure, watching Sully being bested like that. Still, Sumia said that Sully knew of her matchmaking plans for Chrom…if so, then why the constant hostility? Was it something Robin had said? Something she had done?

Well, she does look like she fought on the front lines, Robin thought and then winced. Oooh. Yeah. That must be it. She swallowed nervously and reached for a cream puff, the urge to stress eat overcoming her.

"Oh!" Olivia suddenly smacked Robin's hand away; realising her mistake, a fierce shade of crimson drowned her cheeks. This certainly had the potential to become an enormous diplomatic scandal, if Robin were the vindictive type, but she was too surprised to really think of much other than the stinging sensation on her knuckles. Gaius amazingly stayed quiet for once.

"I'm sorry, it was terribly rude of me to grab the food like that." In retrospect, Robin mused that she really had no need to apologise…but Olivia seemed so shocked over her actions that it was pitiable.

The khatun shook her head, her braids mussed slightly under her veil, as her stutter resurfaced. "N-no, I should be the one…I—I really don't know what came over me. These were the only ones I made without help, you see, and I like sharing my baking with others, b-but—"

"Were you afraid that I'd find fault with them?"

Olivia's lip-gnawing silence was all the confirmation needed.

"Awww, don't you worry your pretty little head, Babe!" Gaius' usual cheer returned easily enough. "If anything, you should be flattered Bubbles wants to try your goods." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"T-That's not—!" Olivia sputtered.

"Look, if there's anyone here who's got the taste and flair to be a food critic, it's definitely me. And as an expert sweets connoisseur or whatever the word is, I say your stuff is absolutely worth it. Why, Bubbles oughta hear that you taught me everything I know about baking."

Well that was certainly a pleasant fact. Robin had the impression that most noblewomen in the castle had knowledge of cookery that extended to running a household; being actively involved in a kitchen was a job relegated to their cooks, scullions, and pot boys. Ladies were instead instructed to use their time reading or doing some form of needlepoint. Her knowledge on the social mores and general education of Ylissean aristocracy was certainly not as detailed as, say, their languages, modes of warfare, and diplomacy, but it was enough to get her by convincingly as she paraded about in a male disguise. As for Feroxi women, that was something that required further study—Robin knew they had more freedoms than Ylissean nobility (Khan Flavia being the norm compared to Emmeryn's exception) but not to which extent in terms of their household management. For example, Plegian women were generally expected to know how to cook before marriage, but men who were not clergy or of a military background could be thrown out if they refused to learn. Did Olivia prefer to busy herself with these beautiful desserts? Could she skin a buck and pluck a bird to roast as well as she could decorate her cakes with sugar paste?

Whatever questions Robin had vanished the second the first bite of cream puff hit her tongue—what a glorious flavour! The flaky, crunchy crust fell apart in her mouth to reveal a tender spongy interior. Then, thick, creamy sweetness burst to life, and she soon found herself reaching for two more puffs to ravenously stuff into her open maw.

"I dunno about you, but it seems like they're really good," Gaius chuckled.

Olivia said nothing; the small, genuinely happy smile crinkling the corners of her eyes spoke well enough (even Sully's face had softened considerably at the sight), and for the first time since taking on Chrom's absurd proposition, Robin felt that maybe her task had some merit to it.

"What a lovely spread! I do so enjoy tea and pastries at noon."

The new voice belonged to Duke Virion, and, judging from Olivia's surprised expression, it was clear that he was not expected at the moment. He was always very particular about the latest fashions and today he came dressed rather sportily—an overcoat lined with white fur was worn over a high-collared pinked and slashed leather jerkin, dyed a shade of duck blue, and he wore full trousers instead of hose along with sturdy leather boots. As the servants removed his coat, Robin saw that his left arm was protected by a peculiar fluted armoured arm guard that ran the length of his extremity and ended in a shoulder brace resembling a bunch of feathers.

"Duke Virion!" Olivia stood up to greet him. "I-I'm so sorry, I completely lost track of time and forgot y-you were visiting…"

An airy laugh was her response, and the duke tossed his cerulean hair. "Worry not, my dear! I can see that you were enjoying yourself; I have been quite rude in interrupting your fun, and I continue my rudeness in asking that I may join you all to partake of such wonderful treats."

"Y-you may…"

A chair was procured for Virion, and he gave his thanks as he tucked a napkin into his collar to avoid soiling his garments. Sully scoffed at the gesture and leaned aside to whisper to Excellus—Robin realised with a start that she had not been paying attention to the toad-like eunuch and had missed when he let Virion in.

"Why the hell couldn't you have just told him that we're busy right now?" Sully's harsh whisper was not immediately evident to everyone else, but Robin was good at eavesdropping, and so caught their conversation well enough.

Excellus sniffed. "Unlike yourself, I do not rid a party of unwanted guests by insulting them to their face. I have the tact to let more desirable company in and see to it that their presence fixes things, drowns out the undesirable."

"You didn't fix pegasus shit, Toady."

Besides the fact that Excellus was a bald-faced liar, Robin having been on the receiving end of his scorn, she was very satisfied in seeing Sully direct her ire towards him. Served him right for being so unpleasant all the time. Even Gaius kept his mouth shut to enjoy the additional treat and slurped his tea with obvious gusto.

"My my, the Prince of Plegia himself, in the flesh!" Virion looked positively ecstatic to see Robin. He reached across the small table to take her hand and kiss the ring she wore, a custom that never ceased to baffle her. "Though we've seen each other in the boardroom, I would like to introduce myself properly: Duke Virion of Rosanne, third of my name. It is quite exciting to finally talk face to face!"

"The pleasure is all mine. I'm, uh, R—Daraen of Plegia. First of my name." A bemused Robin shook Virion's hand but then wondered if that was just Ylissean etiquette inapplicable towards him.

"Fancy seeing you here! The last time I had spoken to fair Olivia, we had quite an in-depth conversation over Your Highness, and now we find each other with her as if by sheer luck."

Said lady did not seem to view that as optimistically as Virion did, and Robin recalled Sumia telling her that he was also interested in Olivia. Did Chrom know he was facing romantic competition? Was the fact that a duke and a prince were vying over the same woman's heart common knowledge?

Does Olivia reciprocate Virion's feelings? Robin wondered as she sipped her tea.

Gaius' noisy slurping pulled her out of her reflections, though the boorish display also managed to startle the duke. "So, Your Lordship, ya fancied a spot of tea after your archery practice?"

"I had a previous invitation," Virion replied cautiously. Gaius' nickname had clearly managed to perplex him, though he did not seem to find it offensive. "However, I must admit that a refreshment is quite nice after such taxation to my body."

Sully snorted contemptuously into her drink.

"Oh, pardon me! How careless and callous have I been to neglect the lovely Lady Sully's presence!" He made as if to take her hand as well, but her harsh bark of laughter stopped him in his tracks.

"Just how hard an effort," the redhead said, scornfully, "are we supposed to think you did when you come here all fresh and clean as if you stepped outta the powder room?"

"Well, I do try to tidy up after practice, goodness knows no one enjoys a guest marring their host's seats with sweat—"

Sully drowned out his words with a thunderous slurp of her own.

Robin frowned. It was one thing to be on the receiving end of Sully's treatment, but seeing her extend that to others (Excellus being the sole exception) felt wrong. Had Virion done or said something to incur Sully's wrath? He seemed like a flirt, and Robin knew that gentlemen flirts were often just a façade for entitlement, disrepute, and worse…but so far nothing about Virion indicated anything of the sort. Rather, she remembered his presence at the boardroom: he spoke little compared to the rest of the Rosannois, and when he did, his input was hardly registered.

No one cares what you have to say, Virion, she remembered du Berry pronounce harshly.

"Well, since you were wondering, Duke Virion, I was invited here because Lady Olivia was curious over my wardrobe," Robin mentioned as casually as she could. "These sorts of things can be educational; since we're representing our countries, surely we can take chances to build bonds in these trying times?"

Virion brightened considerably at being included. "Indeed! I've tried to read as much as I could on Plegian subjects, but there's really nothing like asking an actual Plegian. Goodness, you should have heard the ladies raving about your garments that day—purple is quite a luxury!"

Confusion flitted across Olivia's face for the briefest second, but she ultimately schooled her features into something more polite. Robin, however, spotted her body relaxing ever so slightly, and Robin guessed that her host felt more at ease now that a very awkward situation had been averted.

So she decided to continue. "Kaftans like these are very casual. They can come in many styles and materials, but this one is cotton for warmer days, and the embroidery is sparser than on more formal ones because I mostly use it for when I stay in to work and don't have any meetings."

They won't notice that this isn't technically a man's kaftan, right?

"I do have to ask, however," Virion remarked. "I've seen quite a few artworks showing men and women wearing kaftans—how curious that clothing is so similar between the sexes!"

"We think it's strange that most of your clothes have to be so different."

"Fair enough! Though—and I must ask your forgiveness if this is an additional display of rudeness on my part—I have seen that lighter colours are more common in depictions of women."

The 'prince' managed not to choke on her saliva, hoping that the twist of her lips came off as wry instead of pained. "I have many kaftans in many different colours. I don't particularly care which ones they are as long as they're not grey."

Gaius chortled as though she had told a very good joke, and Robin felt relieved that it was left at that.

"While your kaftans do look quite comfortable to lounge in," Virion said, "is it permissible to play chess whilst wearing one?"

"Now you just hold that thought right there, Prissy." Sully's interruption came as quite the shock; though her dislike of the duke was no secret, there was an odd gleam in her eye as she shot up from her seat, hands splayed firmly over the table and threatening to upset the tea set. "This guy here owes me a bout before he owes you some chess."

Soft ticking from the clock filled the brief, stunned silence between them. Everyone had taken it as a jest at first. A bit of friendly banter. But then they remembered that Sully was most definitely not on friendly terms with 'Daraen,' nor was their relationship informal enough for jokes to be passed around.

"You mean like…now?" Robin realised a few crumbs had escaped when her mouth fell open out of astonishment. They were currently the least of her concerns and she ignored them.

"Yeah, now. I'm feelin' energised after all this food and I could use some exercise to burn it all off," Sully replied. The table trembled slightly, and Robin realised it was due to Sully's body, full of restless, shaky energy, resting its full weight on the table and transferring her movement to it.

As a 'prince,' Robin would have been fully within her rights to simply tell the redhead to piss off. Challenging nobility—royalty—way above one's station was highly improper anywhere. Olivia's face had gone stark white through the pallor of her veil, evidently fearful of her lady-in-waiting's impulsive declaration, obviously not wanting to witness the potential start of an international scandal. Virion looked quite unsure of the whole situation, Gaius bored, and Excellus downright gleeful.

The latter convinced Robin to accept Sully's challenge. Damn the Toad anyways, but perhaps this could be the opportunity she needed to talk to the fiery woman. Sumia said that Sully knew about the matchmaking scheme: ergo, Sully could be a valuable asset. Her warlike disposition gave off the impression of someone who valued strength and knew how to fight.

If she beat Sully at her own game, then Robin could not only gain the satisfaction of proving herself worthy of respect, but of getting to see Excellus' smug smirk wiped off his sallow face.

"Sure," Robin replied cockily. "Just let me have another cream puff first."

News of Olivia's maid confronting the Prince of Plegia travelled fast throughout the guesthouse. By the time the two combatants met in the courtyard behind the house, a good-sized crowd jostled and clamoured for space to view the spectacle.

Gaius appointed himself the match's arbiter ("it'll put Olivia's mind at ease," he claimed) and paced the length of the courtyard, making sure the gawkers stuck to the pillars in the colonnade well away from the participants.

"Alright everyone," he announced loud and clear. "This is gonna be a clean and fair fight, and we're gonna set some ground rules to avoid any problems later: no kicking, no punching, no biting, no hits below the belt. This is a strictly grappling affair and Olivia doesn't wanna see any bruising later, you hear? Ten seconds on the floor and you're done for."

"Sure. I'm still kicking this guy's arse today," Sully said.

Fool that she was, Robin let her cockiness get the best of her and delude her into thinking that some hare-brained fight was a good idea. Not that she was afraid of losing—far from it—but some second thoughts made her realise that she could have simply brushed Sully and Excellus off. Knowing when to walk away from provocations was just as much a valuable lesson as knowing how to keep one's pride intact.

Then there was also the fact that, despite being a good head shorter, Sully looked more like a bull than she did a person. Thick, corded muscles roped their way across her body under the tight tunic that was revealed when the redhead tore her shirt off beforehand. Well defined abdominals bunched and flexed as Sully circled around, waiting for Gaius to give the signal to start. Everything from her calves to her arms bulged with raw power, and Robin wondered just how well Sully would commit to not leaving any bruises.

Robin silently thanked Tharja for retouching the illusion cast over her own body as she carefully handed her kaftan to a waiting servant.

"On your marks!" Gaius raised his hand high in the air. A hush fell over the crowd, and eager tension rippled through them as they waited with bated breaths.

Olivia, of course, was nowhere to be found. Virion explained that the khatun detested the sight of violence…and she would certainly be having a word or two with her maid afterwards.

"Get set!"

Said maid looked positively eager to beat Robin to a pulp though, raking her foot over the flagstones three times in quick succession that had the crowd start to whisper excitedly.

"Go!"

Robin barely had any time to react as Sully shot forward with a shout. Blocking an incoming fist with her elbow, the disguised princess fell back, trying to assess her next move. Sully clearly favoured brute strength and knew how to use it, Robin thought, dismayed. While fighters who chose to rely solely on power were often easy to exploit, the muscular redhead's combat experience was readily apparent; this was no greenhorn recruit. The people surrounding them cheered and cried out for more as Sully circled her with a smirk.

"Did you fight on the front lines?" Robin murmured in such a way that her words were easily heard by her opponent, though not so much by their spectators.

Sully scoffed. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Well, I'm looking for anything that might explain your hostility towards me."

Those words instantly wiped any trace of a smile from the warrior's face. She practically stomped forth, bringing her fists up to try and grab Robin—playing into the correct assumption that she worked according to her emotions. It proved to be of great help as Robin was able to back out of her reach.

"That," Sully grunted, face beginning to turn as red as her locks, "is none of your damn business."

"It is considering I'm running back and forth between my duties at the summit and Chrom's matchmaking."

A nerve seemed to have been struck with the mere mention of the prince's name. A mistake, really, as it proved to be the motivation Sully needed to reach her and put her in an iron-tight headlock. The crowd yelled in approval as they watched Robin writhe against hard muscles holding her in place, fighting to keep her centre of weight down towards the ground.

"I lost two sisters in the war," Sully growled. Hurt and anger coloured her words. Her skin felt hot to the touch and taut with tension. "My father can't fight anymore, my friends are permanently crippled, and that's not even getting into the country's sorry state. It's all because of you. Now you're here livin' it up in the castle as if nothing happened, and to top the shit cake off, I find you runnin' around for Chrom and getting involved in his stupid matchmaking schemes as if you were suddenly best friends."

Now, Robin was no stranger to the animosity surrounding her circumstances, nor her past crimes (Vaike's face and his unkind words appeared in her mind). Finding the balance between sincere repentance and wanting others to be more understanding of her was a constant struggle. Only a precious few seemed willing to give her a chance. But Sully's incessant attacks, her scorn, and dismissive attitude were perilously close to pushing Robin past the threshold of her patience.

"You don't know anything about me," Robin replied. She let herself go limp in Sully's grasp, throwing her opponent off-balance by the sudden deadweight, and she used that opportunity to brace herself against her left leg while hooking her right ankle around Sully's. Nature did the rest as the bull was pulled backwards towards the ground with a resounding thud.

Rolling away, Robin took the chance to catch her breath, watching from a safe distance as Gaius started a countdown for the stunned Sully. Said woman recovered far too quickly for Robin's liking and was back on her feet soon enough. The pair circled each other warily in hopes of finding an opening to exploit.

Sully spat a faintly red glob off to the side—she had apparently fallen on her face hard enough to cut the inside of her mouth. "I know enough to say that I don't like you."

"Then don't." Robin shrugged, hoping that her feigned carelessness came across as confident as she hoped it would. "I'm not wanting anyone to. All I'm asking for is a fair shake and a pair of open ears, because let's face it: whether you like it or not, you don't know a thing about my circumstances, my own losses, and what I need to do to pay off my debts."

Sweat plastered red curls to Sully's face in a wet sheen, and the warrior faltered.

Robin took the chance to throw herself at the other woman's midsection in a lightning quick tackle.

"You rotten little cheater—!" Harsh breathing blew at the nape of Robin's neck as Sully curled over her body and wrapped her enormous arms around her middle in an attempt to pull her off.

"That wasn't cheating and you know it. You're just a sore loser," Robin panted back.

"Ha, as if! You just wait until I get you flat on your arse, and then we'll see who's the loser."

The women grunted and squirmed, locked in a tight embrace, barely managing to push one another back. The audience held its collective breath; then they gasped when the fighters pulled apart, only to come together with a crash. Their knuckles turned white as they grasped at each others' hands. Sweat poured down their skin and soaked into their clothing. Pained, exerted groans underscored the tremendous effort each one was making to try and topple the other, but neither managed to do much except have their feet scrape at the floor.

"Oh ho! I've always known Sully was a force to be reckoned with—but looks like she's havin' a bit of trouble! Does this mean she's met her match?" Gaius crowed.

The crowd surged and cried out, calling for their favourites in response. To Robin's lack of surprise, Sully was very popular…but it seemed as though there were some who chose to support the Plegian side.

Sully, however, seemed to think her strength was being called into question. And she apparently did not like that. Her attacks and lunges became far more frenzied and powerful, forcing Robin into a defensive stance as she kept blocking a flurry of attempted holds.

Robin gasped as she narrowly missed a swipe towards her neck. "You're—you're quite the formidable warrior."

"Heh." Sully looked as though she wanted to say something else, but opted to bare her fangs instead. Frustrated growls slipped past her lips as her opponent swatted her hands away, ducked a grab, and managed to sidestep her completely before twisting her arms behind her back and forcing them up, trapping her completely.

The crowd gained volume as they witnessed the Plegian hold the Ylissean, chest to back, and the latter was helpless to do much except thrash wildly.

Robin leaned in close to Sully's ear. "Do you yield?"

"Never," the redhead snarled, and she thrust the back of her head into Robin's face.

"OI!" Gaius immediately ran to the ring as he watched blood gush from Robin's nose, liquid red splattering all over the flagstones as she released Sully with a strangled gasp. "Are you out of your damn mind? That was totally illegal! I'm calling this match off right now before you do any worse!"

"You didn't say anything about headbutts, so fair is fair! If the sight of a little blood bothers you so much then you can sit this one out with Olivia!" Sully shouted, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. She watched warily as Robin tore a strip off her undershirt and pressed it tightly to her nose, blood spreading across the pale weave.

"That's fine by me," Robin wheezed through the cloth. "This match was going to be over soon anyways."

She threw the bloodied strip at Sully, and, taking advantage of the other woman's surprise, performed a backflip that launched her into the air. Robin had completely anticipated Sully catching her round the middle…but it left her legs free as she was thrown back into a suplex. She let the pain of her feet meeting the ground race up her legs and torso, wrapped her arms around Sully's stomach, and braced herself with shorter woman's body acting as a counterweight before she turned her adversary's move on her and sent her into the floor with a bang.

Gaius stared. The crowd stared. Robin merely squeezed Sully harder, fighting to keep her hold on the muscular warrior, until ten seconds had passed and the bull was beaten.

An astonished silence soon gave way to loud whoops and cheers, Robin staggering to a stand just as soon as her victory was assured. Sully scrambled to her feet soon after and glared with the fire of a thousand suns as she realised her defeat. But Robin was far too relieved to care much; not only was victory hers, but besting Sully (and showing up Excellus in the process) meant she had secured the approval of their Feroxi spectators. She let herself bask in the glow of her hard-earned win and the eager chants of the audience.

Virion, however, only had eyes for Sully. He had been watching the match closely and his gaze never wavered from the fiery redhead as the women grappled. Even now, he advanced towards her, with the single-minded goal of singing her praises.

"Marvelous! Simply marvelous!" The duke was positively enraptured. "What courage! What strength! Had I known of your gallantry before, why, I would have sought you out sooner!"

"Aw, shaddup Ruffles." Sully was not nearly as inclined to answer his attentions and stormed off towards the safety of the guesthouse.

Robin chuckled wetly through her bloodied nose. She was usually not one to let things go to her head, but she would be a liar if she refused to admit how good this felt. She anticipated Sully would not be so quick with her jibes and jabs the next time they met, nor would Excellus. Why, Robin even had a few of her own prepared for them, in the event that the two would try and be fresh with her.

As the crowd pulled in to give its congratulations, Robin hoped that her golden moment would extend to her next time at the summit.

And now we get to the part where Sully has to admit Robin isn't so bad after all :)

I have a few announcements to make fic wise, now that we're at the end of the notes: the first one is that our next chapter deals with Daraen and Kellam again, and their perilous journey to Ylisstol! Hopefully they'll make it through unscathed…

The next being that, after I update A Single Pale Flower, I plan to start a fic that's been on my to-do list; I'm adapting The Sorcerer's Apprentice for Three Houses! I've described it to my writing friends on Discord as a cheesy road trip buddy comedy where our three main lords start out hating each other but then become bffs by the end. That means my updating schedule might become more irregular for my other works, but I don't mind too much. 2020 is the year I stop bottling up all my ideas and at least try to get them out into the world.

That's it for tonight! See you all later!