"Once more, you're welcome, Bubbles," Gaius grinned, the two walking across a snowy plain where the Shepherds were gathered to train.
Robin only sighed, looking down at the snow and kept his hands in his pockets while they walked together. The rest of the Shepherds were preparing for their training session. Frederick was leading Sully and Stahl in a brutal training session. The red knight was doing her best to keep up while the green knight was already starting to grow tired from the physical exercises. Virion, the sole archer of the group, was honing his archery with a target posted on a tree. Panne was out hunting by herself while Chrom and Vaike forming a circle a good ways away from everyone else.
Truth be told, Robin was looking forward to another sparring attempt with his blade. He still needed to improve his swordsmanship if he was going to be able to fight on his own. However, Lon'qu would not be able to join them this time around due to his bodyguard duties. Lissa was preparing their supplies for transportation, along with her bodyguard, Maribelle, Donnel and maybe Kellam. The only Shepherds not training were Miriel and Ricken, who were busy trying to expand the range of the spell they had in mind for Plegia. With Lon'qu away, it would mean that the tactician would spar with Gaius, an opponent more on his skill range.
"Gaius, I don't know why you're trying to help me, but I never asked for it," Robin finally told him. "And just because I know your blasted secret doesn't mean I'm trying to blackmail you!"
"Did I ever say I was doing this to keep your mouth shut?" Gaius asked with a shrug. "There's more to my help than me wanting you to keep a secret."
"Actually, now that I think about it," Robin took a moment to think. "No, you didn't."
"I'm helping you because I'm your wingman," Gaius reminded him. "Which is about to take a more literal term given our new roles."
"So, you gain nothing out of this?" Robin raised an eyebrow. "I find that hard to believe."
"We're pals, Bubbles," Gaius reasoned. "And let's face it, there's not a whole lot you can turn to for your girl troubles. Blue's too dense to notice both of the pegasus knights fawning over him. Q doesn't care. And-"
"Alright, I get it," Robin interrupted. "So, what's step two in this crazy plan of yours?"
"I got bored, so I moved along with the plan," Gaius informed him. "Step two was getting closer to your dream girl. Step three is to keep talking with her until you stand out to her."
"Gaius, this plan of yours isn't complex at all," Robin pointed out. "Given time, even I could come up with this, and it wouldn't even interfere with planning out our war efforts."
"Let me assure you that there's more to this plan of mine," Gaius grinned. "There are parts of it happening around you that you shouldn't worry yourself about. Now that we're fashionably late, we can meet up with the pegasus knights."
Robin did follow Gaius' advice on not thinking about what else he had planned, but he was certain that there was more the thief was keeping from him. He admitted that he was not doing this because of that stupid secret, and maybe if he was doing it because he valued their friendship. That did not stop him from having his own, personal motivations. The tactician was not sure what he wanted from this ordeal, but he was convinced that his friend had a sharp and cunning mind. If only he put that mind towards the war effort instead of love.
Finally, towards the border of the forest, the duo finally met up with Sumia and Cordelia. Sumia stood on the ground, brushing the mane of her steed with a brush while remaining oblivious to their arrival. Cordelia remained mounted on the saddle of her pegasus, and nodded in greetings towards the tactician and thief. Sumia finally took notice of their approach and quickly turned around to greet them, hiding the brush behind her back. Gaius gave a big grin when he stopped while Robin simply gave an approving nod.
"Mornin' Stumbles," Gaius greeted. "Sorry to keep you two waiting."
"It's fine," Sumia smiled. "It was just a few minutes.."
"Minutes we could have spent training," Cordelia dutifully pointed out. "I hope that this won't be normal."
"I'll be on time from here on out," Robin told her quickly, resisting the urge to jab Gaius with his elbow for his timing.
"Eh, it depends on if I'm sleeping in or not," Gaius shrugged. "So, what do we got for today's training?"
"First, we need to get you two ready to fly as fast as our pegasuses can," Cordelia explained. "That's the best way we can get you adjusted to flying."
"I already flew as fast as Belfire could with Gaius," Sumia reminded her friend. "I think he's ready for action with me."
"At least something good came out of that," Gaius sighed in relief. "Looks like I'm freed for today."
"Robin, you have much to improve on," Cordelia turned her sharp gaze towards the tactician.
"I do?" Robin asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"If you're going to fly full time, you can't be so distant," Cordelia informed him. "If you keep me at arm's length in battle, you are going to fall off. Remember flying with me when we first me? That's how you should fly with me all the time."
Suddenly, step two being getting closer to Cordelia made more sense to Robin. He remembered their first meeting fondly, where he did not mind being so close to her. Perhaps it was because they were already midway into a battle, or maybe his feelings for the pegasus knight were not developed by then. Regardless, flying with her in such a manner now would prove to be a whole new challenge. Yet, everyone was expecting him to take to the skies, so there was no backing down now. He would have to try not thinking about how he felt when he was close to her, at least when they were flying together.
"We're all grown here." Gaius slapped Robin on the back of his shoulder, snapping him back to reality. "If I can survive a high speed flight, so can you, Bubbles."
"The first ride if the worst, but once you get past it, you'll get used to it," Sumia encouraged.
Cordelia extended a hand over to Robin to pull him up on her pegasus. Hesitantly, Robin grabbed onto her hand, his cheeks already slightly red, but thankfully, she did not notice. She helped him up onto the pegasus, where he sat behind her. Slowly, he pressed his chest against her back, scooting closer to her while wrapping his arms around her hip. By now, the tactician's cheeks were burning red being so close to the pegasus knight. To his good fortune, Gaius managed to distract Sumia briefly by offering her candy, so no one else noticed. Maybe there were some benefits to having the thief as his wingman.
"Are you ready, Robin?" Cordelia asked, glancing over her shoulder briefly.
"I suppose I am," Robin nodded.
"Hold on tight!" Cordelia spurred on the reins of her pegasus.
At first, it was a slow trop, and although it broke into a swift gallop, it was an easy adjustment for Robin to make. Cordelia pulled up on her reins, her pegasus now taking flight with its wings flapping furiously. The majestic beast started to fly higher up, picking up on speed. Instinctively, the tactician found himself holding onto the pegasus knight tighter, his head resting on her shoulder.
They were miles above the ground, the snow practically shining beneath them. Far to the south, Robin could make up mountains in the distance, followed by the sandy deserts of the realm of Plegia. In another day or two, they would be in the land of their enemy, ready to continue on with their mission. Cordelia led her pegasus to perform simple acrobatics, such as sharp turns, to get the tactician use to flying. She made no attempt to slow down during such turns, her pegasus still flying at full speed.
Robin was slightly terrified, but he was not screaming out in terror at all. He only flew with Cordelia three times, yet the flight felt comforting. Now that he was closer to Cordelia, he felt assured to be up in the air, even when they were flying faster than any normal horse could gallop. Perhaps he was starting to grow accustomed to the pegasus knight. If that were the case, then maybe this plan set in motion would work out just fine. Granted, there was no way they would be able to have conversation while flying, but step three was another bridge to pass completely.
"I'm taking us back for a landing!" Cordelia practically shouted over the fierce winds.
"Fair enough!" Robin replied back.
With that heads up, Cordelia started to make her way to the clearing where the Shepherds trained. Her pegasus slowed down as they came upon the landing. While they grew closer, Robin could see the rest of the Shepherds joining up with the caravan, with Sumia and Gaius waiting for them. It was time to continue their journey to Plegia. When the pegasus contacted with the ground, it kept galloping, slowly down. Eventually, it came to a complete stop in front of Sumia and Gaius. The tactician let go of Cordelia, letting out a sigh.
"So, how was it?" Sumia asked.
"He's ready to fly," Cordelia informed them. "Let's hope that you can keep that composure in battle. From here on out, we'll train through combat scenarios every morning."
"Agreed," Robin dismounted from his pegasus. "I look forward to flying with you again, Cordelia. We should join the others and start making our way south now."
"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Gaius asked with a grin while Sumia and Cordelia galloped off.
"It wasn't bad at all," Robin smiled warmly. "It was great. I have a feeling that this is the start of a wonderful partnership."
A/N: The Shepherds continue their way to Plegia, although they'll have more than Gangrel's forces to face off against. *hint hint*
Warrior of Six Blades: It was about time I reflected properly on how Robin was distracted because of his feelings. That's just about what the story is about. You were right about Gaius' motivation, but with this chapter, there seems to be more to the thief than he's letting on. I got a feeling that if anyone's going to find out what he has in mind, it'll be you.
Until next time.