Happy New Year everyone! My current class schedule is shaping up to be pretty lenient compared to the previous year, so I hope this will give me more freedom to write. I hope you all had wonderful holidays and some time to rest before getting back to the grind.
This chapter is pretty easy-going and slow, just a small tour of Ylisstol Castle. But rest assured—Chrom's POV is next, and the action will pick up after that!
"Okay, so like, I know I promised you guys that I'd give you the grand tour, but I also want to introduce you to the rest of the Shepherds." Lissa slurped noisily at her cider, a sweet and slight salty concoction that Robin took an immediate liking to. A servant had intercepted them with a trayful at the entrance of the audience room, and the little group was now huddled around, sipping their refreshing drinks. "So is it alright if I can try to do both today? The place is waaaaay too big to explore in a single day, and maybe the others are busy or out of the castle right now, but I'd like to try if it's alright with you two."
Henry smacked his lips when he finished his drink. "Sounds good to me! What about you, Robbie?"
Though she was still nervous over her less than stellar encounters with Sully and Maribelle, Emmeryn's warm reception put her more at ease. Robin shrugged nonchalantly. "I think it sounds fine. Lead the way, Lissa."
"Great!" the blonde princess cheered. "Since you've already met Chrom, me, Vaike, Sully, Frederick, Maribelle, and Sumia, we're only missing Stahl, Cordelia, Libra, Miriel, Panne, and Ricken."
"We've met Kellam, too," Robin reminded her gently.
"Hm? Oh yeah, Kellam too. Anyways—Miriel's the easiest to find. If she's not in the library, then she's in the mages' lab, usually with Ricken. And sometimes Libra's with her, on account of them being married and all."
Robin and Henry followed Lissa up a very narrow, winding staircase that led directly to the viewing gallery above the audience hall. The view they had was excellent, allowing them to see practically every nook and cranny of the place. Behind them were large windows outfitted with thick glass panes, giving them a slightly warped look outside, but not so warped that they could not see the beautiful green lawn from before. Lissa vaguely gestured to the entrances on either sides/ends(?) of the gallery with a brief statement about
how they led further inside the castle, before taking them down another narrow staircase and out of the main building.
"The lawn and the gardens were designed by my great-grandmother, Queen Yda," Lissa informed them. She pointed out the several varieties of plants and flowers, and how each bloomed at certain points of the year, so that the castle would never look barren. They passed a fountain of pegasi taking flight that was apparently a gift from Regna Ferox. Finally, a small courtyard guarded by an ash tree led to the massive library doors.
Inside, the pleasant smell of old books and wood filled their nostrils. Robin admired how warm it all looked, with sunlight streaming in through the tall windows much like the audience room and the hall before it, and the rich colour of carefully maintained bookshelves and desks. The sound of quiet bustling and pages turning as the library's visitors read or searched for particular texts was soothing. Robin noted that Ylissean books resembled tomes; back in the Grimleal's base, multi-paged texts were strictly used as magic tomes, meant to be accessed and carried with ease, whilst religious, military and academic subjects that required long periods of reading and introspection were designed as scrolls.
Lissa motioned for the two to keep close to her. "Follow me and keep quiet," she whispered. Henry immediately sucked in a dramatic breath, to which Robin put a stop to by yanking on his ear with a pointed look. She motioned for him to hide Neferi as well. They trailed Lissa as she wove in between the bookshelves, searching this way and that until she came across Miriel and Libra huddled over an enormous book.
It was hard to tell who was who at first glance—both had a rather feminine look to them—until Lissa spoke. "Hey you two!" she accidentally exclaimed, then clapped her hand over her mouth sheepishly as the loud echo of her voice carried over to the deepest recesses of the library; the redhead of the pair shot her a brief, censorial look. "A lot has happened over the past few days but the gist of it is that we made new friends while we were out and Chrom wants to make them Shepherds," Lissa said more quietly. "This is Robin, and he's Henry."
The redhead nodded in understanding. "So we have heard. The news travelled fast upon your arrival. We are glad to see you returned safely after the great quake." Leaning slightly forward to stand, Robin spied a small, but noticeable pregnancy bump, and was so focused on it that she nearly missed Henry shaking her in order to pay attention. "I am Miriel," the redhead stated. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"And I am Libra. Better known as Miriel's husband." The blond smiled slightly when Henry snorted at his little joke (to which a passing library patron responded by shushing them).
"Libra is one of our head priests. And Miriel one of our top mages. Or at least they used to be before they decided to abandon us," Lissa pouted and sniffed.
"Why, we are certainly not abandoning you—" Miriel said.
"Aw Miriel, you know what I mean—"
"—and our decision to withdraw from castle life stems not from any sort of perceived desire to eschew yours and Chrom's presence, or of disapprobation towards castle life itself, but rather because we have, after careful research and deliberation, concluded that the countryside presents a restful and harmonious environment to raise a potential child in compared to that of the urb. In addition, our leave does not mean a renunciation of our Shepherd duties or even of Libra's title or my practice: as you know, the establishment of a school and orphanage to service needy children in the areas unable to access Ylisstol's resources has been Libra's ambition since we have known him, and I believe my talents would be of great use to Ylisse's youth. As such, while we understand that you are feeling overwrought over our future departure, we can assure you that it does not constitute an abandonment. Please feel free to visit and initiate a chain of correspondence."
Robin gaped slightly in amazement. Did Miriel not feel even the tiniest bit out of breath after such a burst of…verbosity?
"Wow Miriel!" Henry laughed (and was shushed again). "I don't think I understood half of that, but I guess it means you're super smart!"
Lissa giggled. "Yeah, she always did sound like she swallowed a dictionary! The Shepherd's resident genius–that's Miriel for you!"
"Your flattery is kind," Miriel responded in that curiously academic tone of hers.
"So these are our newest recruits?" Libra's inquiry sounded polite enough, but Robin detected a flash of suspicion from him as his eyes settled onto the patterns on the sleeves of her robe. She gulped nervously.
Lissa grinned widely. "Yeah! We'll tell you guys the whole story over supper, but they were amazing against some bandits that crossed the border from Plegia, and then against these super scary monsters called Risen in the forest!"
Miriel, adjusting her spectacles, raised a brow questioningly. "I daresay that we are all rather intrigued over their origins; it has been some time since Ricken was inducted into our ranks, and our members so far have all been Ylisseans of previous acquaintance. In light of that, it is most curious indeed, as they are complete strangers whose qualifications we have yet to assess ourselves. Most importantly, Robin's appearance is one of mystery and perhaps of ill-boding, given that rather dark robe, and Henry's ashen hair points to indisputably Plegian stock, and since you mention doing battle with Plegian brigands—"
Lissa gulped. "Ahaha, would you look at the time! We'd love to stay and chat some more, but I did promise our new recruits a tour of the castle! So if you two will, uh, excuse us, we gotta go now! Byeee!"
The princess yanked Robin and Henry out the library at an impressive speed, ignoring the library patrons who came forth once again to hush them, and rushing out the doors until they were all way past the library and she was thoroughly out of breath.
"Everything all right…?" Robin asked haltingly.
"Y-yeah! Everything's perfect! Just a little behind s-schedule." Lissa's wheezing prompted Henry to rub her back with a cheery 'there there!' Straightening her dress up, she avoided Robin's gaze and beckoned them to her as they continued the tour.
Robin shot Henry a brief glance, but chose to stay silent. He, however, seemed unfazed over Lissa's reaction to Miriel's comments. "Hey Lissa," he said, "if the Shepherds are so important, then how come there're so few of you guys?"
Robin winced at his bluntness. "Henry, that's not a very nice thing to ask!"
"It's okay, Robin," Lissa assured her breezily, her panic seemingly forgotten. "I have to admit, we really oversell the whole 'serve your country' angle, and Fred is especially keen on making us look super prestigious and elite and all, but the thing about having him be our lieutenant with a say in how we operate…means we have a hard entry barrier. And between you guys and me, we also don't have the biggest budget to go on."
Robin was surprised. "I don't quite follow. If Chrom is your leader, and you have backing from Emmeryn herself, then surely that would mean more resources? And more people trying out for positions as Shepherds?"
Lissa pondered over her next words very carefully. She was cautious and deliberate. "We're only a volunteer force and not an 'official' military branch, if you catch my drift. And besides that, I did mention that making the cut is really hard. Frederick is a huge stickler for detail and makes up these incredibly difficult tests, and he has the final say over who gets to join, even if Chrom is our leader. Not only that, but you have to earn his trust for you to be able to be a Shepherd."
"I take it that us becoming Shepherds is impossible then," Robin mused.
Henry laughed, seemingly untroubled by such a thought. "Yeah! When he looks at us, his face turns all funny, like if he smelled something bad."
"Oh you guys, don't worry!" Lissa suddenly embraced them in a tight squeeze. Henry seemed very happy to reciprocate, but Robin was so caught off guard by the gesture from a relative stranger (that is, people who were not Henry, Mustafa, and Noam) that she merely stood still with her arms dangling uselessly by her sides. "I know Freddy is such a killjoy, but I promise he's nice! He's just…very hard to please."
"If that's him being 'nice,' then I'd hate to see him in a bad mood," Robin groused.
"We like you just fine, so I don't think it'll be too hard to convince him to let you in. And once we do, he'll be singing your praises in no time! Oh, and speaking of nice Shepherds—we're still missing a few introductions!"
The pair followed Lissa dutifully, paying close attention to her running commentary on the various parts of the castle they passed through. They stopped again when they came upon the Shepherds' barracks for the second time that day. Robin, confused, turned to Lissa questioningly.
"Ah…" Lissa grimaced, apologetic. "Sorry guys. I wanted to take you to the stables next, to meet Stahl and Cordelia, but I just remembered that Sumia promised you that tour."
"So…where will we be seeing them? Or are we to wait until later?" Robin asked.
"No no—I actually remembered that they don't spend as much time here as they used to, so that's my bad. You see, they have the cutest little girl, Severa, and since she's old enough to walk and talk now, they've changed their schedules so that they can give her private lessons."
"But surely a castle has more than enough tutors and nurses to help? Since I'm assuming they still have Shepherding duties to attend to."
"We thought they'd want that too, but they say they want to take a more involved and 'hands-on approach' to raising her. Fine by us, but we do miss them on the training grounds from time to time. And with Libra and Miriel having their own baby and leaving us soon…"
Henry's stomach chose that moment to interrupt with an annoyed growl.
Lissa grinned. "I'm feeling a bit peckish myself! Why don't we go to the dining hall for a snack?"
The party retraced their route to the throne room, but instead of heading straight down the hallway, Lissa redirected them to a side archway that led to a cloister. Another fountain cooled the space to the point of chilliness, an effect immediately dispelled once they entered the dining hall.
Robin inhaled the myriad of scents in deep appreciation: roasting meat, baking bread, sun-warmed wood and beer teased her nose and made her mouth water. From the snuffling noises coming from within Henry's cloak, Neferi felt the same. The kitchen was evidently located at the back and separated from the dining area by a fancifully decorated wooden screen, and though the hour was much too late for breakfast and still a bit early for dinner, the hall was still crowded with hungry patrons. Much like the hallway leading to the audience room, as well as the library, light streamed in through grand windows. Having so many glass windows pointed to considerable wealth and impressed Robin.
Lissa gasped, bouncing excitedly and pointing. "Speak of the devil!"
The trio pulled up to a table occupied by two elderly mages in deep conversation and a small family. Stahl had a long, kind face and messy olive hair, but his wife Cordelia was so stunning that her looks alone made Robin feel self-conscious. Though evidently running on fumes from trying to calm down their daughter—bits of shredded paper littered Cordelia's fiery red hair, her tunic was smeared with pencil marks, and her expression was haggard—Robin still felt like a mess in comparison.
"Robin and Henry, huh? We heard about you two the moment you stepped foot in here. Word travels fast in the castle." Stahl's smile was congenial and the hand he stuck out hardened by calluses. Robin stared dumbly before it registered that she was supposed to shake it.
Cordelia, far more cautious than her husband, was slower to present a greeting of her own. "Glad to make your acquaintance. So Chrom wants to make you Shepherds? It's been a while since our last recruit came into the fold," she said, with a slight tinge of suspicion to her words. Her eyes rested on Henry's white hair too long for Robin's comfort.
"Oh, speaking of that!" Lissa smacked her palm with a closed fist. "Have you seen Ricken?"
"Still helping the party committee I'll bet. He's absolutely ecstatic that Chrom gave him the job." Cordelia pulled a face as she attempted to keep Severa still in her lap.
"Aw, that's so sweet to hear! And Panne?"
"She took Yarne to the forest to train or something of the sort in your absence."
A sudden wail from olive-haired Severa distracted everyone. The little girl, none too pleased with having her parents' focus being stolen from her, began to fuss and whine in Cordelia's arms. She pouted and threw down her pencil with a loud "NO!"
Cordelia heaved a mighty sigh and bounced her toddler tiredly. "We were in the middle of teaching her letters and reading in the library, but we had to come here before they kicked us out. She's been like this the whole day." She sighed again as Severa began to shred her worksheets into tiny bits of jagged confetti. "Darling, please don't. Paper doesn't come cheap."
"We usually keep her riding lessons to the afternoon to tire her out and to make sure she sleeps soundly, but at this point it'll be a miracle if we even make it to dinnertime without another tantrum." Stahl reached out to his daughter with a coaxing, wheedling tone. "Come on Sev. You want to sit with daddy?"
"NO! I want Yarne!" Severa shrieked.
"Yarne's out with his mother today, he'll be back soon—"
"I WANT YARNE!" The little girl's face turned red as she began to cry and kick in earnest, earning her a few disapproving and pitying glances from bystanders. Stahl and Cordelia groaned under their breaths as they renewed their efforts to soothe her.
To everyone's surprise, it was Henry who saved the day; handing Neferi off to Robin, he boldly plucked her out of Cordelia's arms, to her absolute astonishment, and swung the little girl around in a wide arc that startled her to the point of silence.
"Hey-o!" Henry said brightly. "What's your name? I'm Henry."
Severa stared at his hair. "…Severa."
"Why so sad, Severa?"
She scowled fiercely in spite of the tears pricking her eyes. "Yarne is gone."
"I bet he's off having an adventure! That sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it? What's your adventure like?"
"'M not having an adventure."
"No? Learning is always super fun! And doing it with your family is even better! I bet that's how Yarne feels right now with his mother. When he gets back he's gonna have a lot to tell you! And you'll have a lot to tell him too, right? About all that you learned today?"
Severa sucked her thumb contemplatively, considering Henry's words with as much care as any toddler could manage. "Yeah."
Henry beamed. "Great! I bet he's gonna be so amazed when you tell him!" He tweaked her nose playfully and deposited her back into Cordelia's arms.
Little Severa stared at her worksheets, concentrating hard, before turning to her parents to ask them, very politely, what they would be covering next. There was a lot she wanted to share with her friend, after all.
"Wow, Henry!" Stahl was completely taken by his daughter's miraculous transformation from screaming hellion to mild-mannered pupil. "That was amazing! You've got to share your tips with us."
"It usually takes quite a lot of effort to calm her down," Cordelia added. Robin detected a hint of jealousy in her eyes.
Henry giggled and winked cheekily. "A magician never reveals his secrets! But if you're nice, I just might make an exception."
Lissa seemed pleased by how much better this introduction seemed to be going—no awkward questions about the mysterious new recruits' background, and a surprise twist to their interactions that put Henry in a very good light with Stahl at least. She flagged down a passing maidservant to fetch them a round of beer and pretzels for a quick toast. "Glad to see we're all getting along! Here's to new Shepherds!"
"To new Shepherds," the group echoed.
Ylissean beer was sweeter than Plegian beer (or at least the variety served back in the skull) and the pretzels were these curiously twisty, thick pieces of bread with a delightfully crunchy crust that hid a chewy and fluffy interior. Robin decided she rather liked them and timidly asked Lissa if she could have some more.
"Have as much as you want!" the princess obliged. "Feel free to have your full of anything."
Stahl wiped a bit of beer foam off his lip and cleared his throat. "So, Lissa," he began, "not to be nosy or anything, but you did mention taking Robin and Henry to meet the rest of the gang. I'm not sure Ricken might be available right now—ever since you left, he's kind of been in the middle of this planning frenzy."
Cordelia sighed yet again. "Oh, Ricken. He's been going on non-stop about the lighting, the food, the dress code for the servants, booking rooms in the castle for the guests—"
Lissa's bright, sunny cheer drained from her face as though a thirsty man was quaffing beer from his stein. "Ah. Rooms, you say?" she squeaked meekly.
"…Yes…? Is everything all right?"
"No it's not!" Lissa clutched at her pigtails in a sudden fit. "I totally forgot!"
"About what, Lissa? What's wrong?" Robin reached for the princess' shoulder tentatively.
"The rooms, Robin, the rooms!" she wailed.
"What about them?"
"We were just so excited about having you guys here that I totally forgot that we don't know where to put you! We need to find Frederick now!" She yanked Robin and Henry out of the hall in a repeat of the library scene, and all the pair could manage to do was wave sheepishly goodbye at Stahl and Cordelia as Lissa raced them away.
"Lis-Lissa! Lissa! Slow down! What's going on?" Robin forcibly braked them to a halt, digging her heels into the tiled flooring and squeezing Lissa's arm.
"Remember when I said that we're having a big festival?"
"Yes, but—"
"Okay, when I meant big, I actually meant huge. Like, enormous. It's been years since we last celebrated it, so now that we have the money and time and energy for it, we went a little crazy planning it, and, uh, the guest list is really nothing to laugh at. I'm being totally serious when I say that the entire city is invited, and a bunch of other people from all over Ylisse, and a lot of Feroxi and Rosannois and some Valmese too! So a lot of people means a lot of lodging is needed. I'll have you know that there aren't any inns with a spare room for miles. And now that you guys are here, we can't just put you in an inn or in the city since we want you to be Shepherds, so you'll need space in the castle, but I don't know if there's any oh gods—"
Robin grabbed her firmly by the shoulders. "Calm down. Everything will be fine."
"Robin, you don't understand." Lissa shook her head; Robin was dismayed to her see eyes had turned teary and her nose twitching with the beginnings of a sniffle. "It's been super stressful enough planning it, but we really, really need more Shepherds. And now that we've found you two, we can't just toss you out just to make room. What kind of people would be be?"
Feeling her heartstrings tugging uncomfortably, Robin tried to comfort the princess as best as she could with an awkwardly short hug, still very much unused to friendly contact that was not with Henry and Mustafa. "You've already done so much for us, so don't feel bad on our account. We'll take the stables if we must."
"I always did like horsie sleepovers," Henry said.
Sighing, Lissa, swept them up in another bone-crushing embrace, leaving Robin wheezing and breathless. "I don't want you to…I'll ask around to see if we've got any space." She brightened up considerably in the blink of an eye. "If we don't, how about you bunk with me?"
"Oooh, that sounds like so much fun, Lissa!" Henry was positively bouncy with joy over the prospect. Robin decided to curb their enthusiasm before they let their ideas get the better of them.
"Let's not get carried away n—"
Lissa had them both by the scruffs of their necks before Robin could finish her sentence. "C'mon! Let's go see if Fred is out of council now!"
Robin, wondering if Lissa's running holds were a habit, resigned herself to yet another run as the princess carted them back to the entrance of the throne room.
As if on cue, Frederick was seeing Emmeryn and the rest of her retinue off, though Chrom was nowhere to be seen. Lissa barrelled into the knight and he sighed with his customary dourness. "Milady, may I remind you that—"
"Hey Fred!" She completely ignored him. "This is super bad on my part, but I just remembered that we haven't thought of where Robin and Henry are gonna stay!"
"Milady, that's—"
"Can they stay in my rooms?"
Frederick shot her down immediately. "Absolutely not."
"Awww, come onnnn. Everyone else already has somewhere else to stay, and all the inns are packed. There's plenty of space for them with me."
"Need I remind you that they are only recent acquaintances? Having them lodge in your quarters, especially as you and your Lord brother are considering to have them join our ranks, would be the height of impropriety."
"Pfffft, everything is improper to you, Fred."
"As they are potential recruits, I have the final say over their status, your feelings on the matter notwithstanding. And as such, I will be enforcing my position and have them be subject to my direct orders—the first of those being to consider staying elsewhere. Do I make myself clear?"
"You wet blanket," Lissa whined and glowered. "Fine. But I'm not tossing them out to the cold, you hear? And since you have the 'final say' over them, then you better take responsibility and help me find them a place to stay while you're at it."
Frederick looked distinctly uninspired with the prospect of having to deal with Robin and Henry more than was obligated, but yielded to Lissa's wishes with nothing more than a thinning of his lips to indicate his displeasure. "As you will it, milady."
"Good. Now let's get a move on! Those rooms aren't going to find themselves you know! Hmm, but it'd be useful if they did…"
The now party of four journeyed to find a vacancy in the castle. As Chrom's second in command, Robin had deduced that Frederick wielded a considerable amount of influence, but to see him so fastidious over its more domestic side was mind-boggling. Wherever they went, he would bark commands at the servants to dust harder, straighten up their uniforms, correct their posture, and even to stop gossiping on the job. His actions were better suited to a castellan rather than a prince's lieutenant.
With Lissa's sunny disposition to take the edge of Frederick's dourness, they practically completed the castle tour simply by going round asking for a vacancy. They questioned the cooks, the servants, the gardeners, the grooms, and even the lesser nobility. Most were apologetic when they informed the small group of their unavailability. The upper classes, however, were positively insulted by the mere suggestion. Some cited an aversion to Neferi. Others claimed to be completely unavailable.
Robin knew that a good deal of it had to do with Henry's visibly Plegian looks.
"Awww man! At this rate, supper time will come, and we still won't have found you guys a room!" Lissa groaned.
"Lissa, please—we're no strangers to camping out," Robin reassured her. "If we must have the stables, or the lawn, or even the pigsties, then we'll take what we can get."
(Truth be told, she was also incredibly anxious of sharing close quarters with the Shepherds, most of whom they had only met that very day, and the negative experiences with Sully and Maribelle were still very fresh in her mind)
Frederick, surprisingly, took Lissa's side on the matter. "As much as I highly disapprove of your consideration for positions as Shepherds, it would simply not do to have possible recruits sleeping out in the open."
"How very kind of you to think so," Robin muttered under her breath.
Lissa gasped as an idea took hold of her! "Oh! Why didn't I think of this before? Let's ask the other Shepherds if they've got room to spare!"
"While that is a sound thought," Frederick said, "I'll have you know I am a man who values his privacy, and thus refuse to volunteer myself on the basis of that principle."
"Way to show your friendly side, Fred."
And so they made their rounds once again to no effect: Libra and Miriel were already sharing their room with Ricken and a couple of monks; Vaike was staying with some guardsmen; Panne, as one of Chrom's bodyguards, kept to his chambers; Kellam and his son Yarne were grouped with Stahl, Cordelia, and Severa; Maribelle haughtily announced her intentions of rooming with Lissa and some other young ladies. Sumia was staying with her fellow pegasus knights and some of the female cavaliers—including Sully.
"No way in hell am I bunking with those two," the redhead had positively snarled. "And if you try and make me then I'm hauling ass all the way to the city limits."
Sumia, distressed by her friend's nasty attitude, apologised timidly before running to catch up with Sully as she stomped away.
"That went well," Robin deadpanned.
Lissa was practically at the end of her wits, with frayed pigtails to match. "I'm really, really sorry, you guys. I didn't think this through and now you're paying for my mistake."
"Well, it's not as though you expected to find us while you were out in the fields. Don't worry yourself on our account," Robin replied as she tentatively patted the the princess on the back. "Like I said; we can always camp out on the lawn. We'll manage fine on our own."
Lissa reached out to hug her again. Is she always this touchy with the others? Robin wondered. She was torn between discomfort at such casual contact and being comforted in light of Sully's repeated hostilities. "But you shouldn't! Since we brought you here, and we want to make you Shepherds—"
"You don't have to."
"But we want to! So since you're here as potential Shepherds, then the least we can do is to treat you accordingly. And that means Shepherd-grade accommodations!"
"Milady," Frederick started, "there is only so much you can do. Short of placing them in the barracks, there is hardly any guarantee of 'Shepherd-grade accommodations' when the castle is struggling to manage such numbers. Now, I am confident I can secure them proper shelter in Ylissto—"
He was interrupted by a loud smack on his armour as Lissa hugged him tightly. "Oh Freddy! You're a genius!"
"I beg your pardon?"
"The barracks are the perfect place to keep them! Why didn't I think of it sooner?"
Frederick was left gaping as Lissa made a mad dash for the barracks. Since all they could do was follow after, Henry shrugged to the knight, all smiles and blithe, as Robin took him by the hand and started jogging.
Frederick's scowl had deepened when they arrived to see Lissa start pushing together chairs for makeshift cots. "Milady, while your enthusiasm and generosity are rather touching, you must remember that this is our meeting area. It simply wouldn't do to have them sleeping underfoot when Chrom is giving the morning report."
Lissa rolled her eyes. "Oh pooh! I'm not going to send them out of the castle, and I won't see them camping on the lawn."
"And what of their privacy? Would you have them stand at attention in their bedclothes? Their personal belongings out on display for all to see? I certainly don't think it's a solution the others would like, and we have to consider their feelings as well."
There was a point to his commentary that stopped Lissa in her tracks as she absorbed his words carefully. Her eyes and mouth widened into perfectly round circles with a small 'ohhhhh.'
Shaking her head ever so slightly under her hood, Robin motioned subtly to Henry in a bid to leave the barracks quietly. They would save the others—and themselves—a lot of time and arguments if they just pitched a tent out somewhere discrete.
"B-but," Lissa began to blubber, "there has to be some place!"
Frederick sighed and began laying out his final speech on the matter. "Lady Lissa, your gesture is quite kind-hearted, but you must accept that there is a limit, sometimes, to what we can accomplish. Take solace in the fact that your efforts have brought you this far. Short of stuffing them into the storage room or the wine cellars, I'm afraid that—"
"Freddy, you've done it again! I really should be listening to you more—here I am, moaning about not knowing what to do, when you've had all the answers from the start!"
The princess positively bounced to the back of the barracks, her step light and her smile cheery. Her words, however, seemed to have broken Frederick a little, and all the poor man could seemingly do was stare at her back with a slightly open mouth.
Lissa threw open the door to the storage room with a flourish…only to be engulfed by a sudden cloud of dust. Robin, Henry, and Frederick ran to her aid, blindly searching around in the grime until they managed to pull her out, and all of them ended up coughing and hacking as though their lungs were attempting a sudden escape.
"Phwah!" Lissa spat. "What the heck?! When's the last time anyone dusted around here?"
Frederick fixed her with a pointed look. "I believe that duty fell upon you, milady, as disciplinary action for certain failures in punctuality. 'Last time' indeed," he said drily.
Henry giggled at her public chastisement, earning himself a pout on her end. "You're supposed to be on my side," Lissa whined under her breath. She cleared her throat. "What's important is that we've finally found them a place to stay in, right? No more talk of having them camp out on the lawn or running around to get them a spot in an inn or the cellars. We're hospitable! So we should prove that we are and make sure our guests stay cozy and comfy!"
Her sentence was punctuated by a loud crash as a veritable avalanche of junk fell over and nearly buried them under centuries' worth of crates, forgotten knick-knacks, and who-knows-what. Robin pulled Henry and the princess back just as a heavy sack tumbled over and hit the floor with a loud thump. An uncomfortable, almost comically so, silence stretched out between them as Lissa peered into the storage room. Even picturing it without its mountains of stuff painted a distinctly old and cramped image; the dust blanketing the room in a brown veil did not improve that impression.
Raising his brow in his customary expression of disapproval, Frederick exhaled sharply. "I do believe that organising our inventory was also part of your past rotation of duties."
Lissa mumbled something unintelligible and scuffed her boots against the floor.
"Well, it's certainly a fixer-upper, but not anything impossible to tackle," Robin reassured them, even though she was not particularly enthused over the storage room herself. It was either this or spending the rest of the day with more doors closing on their faces. Beggars can't be choosers, after all. "With a pair of cots and a lamp or two, why, it'll be much cozier than camping out in the forest on a leaf-bed." Or in a cold desert cave after losing a horse and waiting out the bandits that chased you there.
"Okay then!" Lissa's exuberance was restored almost immediately. She made a grand show of rolling up her sleeves and saluting jauntily. "Let's get to it! We'll bring a mop and and broom, and we can start dusting, and oh! A rug will be nice too, and some pillows and a chair, maybe we can fetch a trunk for your things—"
"If only milady showed this much excitement over clean-up when assigned to her in the first place," Frederick grumbled, but pitched in all the same.
I like to imagine that Henry is a Disney princess who summons friendly rats and mice and pigeons and roaches with his singing to help with the clean up, to Frederick's eternal horror. But alas, this is no Disney tale…those animals certainly won't be very friendly! A touch rabid, even.