Leo and Brady - The Finer Things
When the wake-up call finally came, Leo was seen outside tearing down his tent and stowing all the personal belongings within. Loading the items onto the convoy wagons for transit was a lengthy process, but at least the Nohrian had a bit of help. Nearby, Niles, his most gracious tent-mate, was going through Leo's personal drawer, contemplating on the quality of smallclothes his liege wore.
"Leo, may I ask a question?" Niles asked through a half-yawn, eyeing Leo's silhouette through the thin canvas of the rapidly-depleting tent.
"What is it?" the Prince replied, not bothering to look inside.
"This looks like a tight fit."
"What?"
Not knowing what his retainer was up to, Leo turned to see the white-haired spy thumbing through his drawers.
"R-really?!" Leo fumed, gesturing sharply at Niles to refocus on the task at hand, hastily shoving his underwear back into the drawer and closing it.
"Such a silky caress for my lord's nethers," the thief purred, even as he closed the drawer smugly. "And a fiery tongue to match it-"
"You're going to be getting a silky noose when this is all over, I swear," the Nohrian scowled.
"At least I'm not Odin," Niles argued, "because if I were, your banana hammocks would be scattered all over the camp with proclamations of curses, hexes and who knows what other marvelous things."
"Can you shut up and help me?" Leo interrupted, not in the mood for Niles' shenanigans. The archer merely chuckled and lifted up his part of the tent, allowing Leo to fold it into a compact box of cloth and metal.
"...Such a ruthless master," Niles teased, carrying off Leo's personal drawer to -hopefully- the convoy. "However will you manage the subtler war that is Windmire's court?"
"Focus, Niles."
"The troglodyte does have a point, darling..."
Leo turned to see Maribelle smirking oh-so-ladylike behind him, already packed up due to her... connections in the army. Having none of the like, Leo nodded in greeting before turning back to his current jumble of canvas. Deciding to make conversation with the Ylissean noblewoman, Leo heaved the tent into his arms before politely gesturing for Maribelle to follow him. She obliged.
"I doubt Nohrian court follows the same rules-of-engagement as your Ylissean one," Leo began, "Windmire is a battleground, a silent warzone where everyone is your enemy."
"Oh, I don't doubt that at all, dear," Maribelle laughed, "and for that I am somewhat grateful that Ylisse... is a bit more civilized." Leo perked up at this and raised his eyebrows in question.
"Civilized?, well... I won't be the first to admit that my father acquired the throne by sweet-talk and polite favors alone, but there is still a certain honor among... us."
"But you don't consider yourself part of the common rabble, do you?" Maribelle teased lightly, playful enough to let Leo know she wasn't mocking him.
"We're all part of the common rabble," Leo corrected. "In Nohr, status is determined by strength. My father just happened to be the strongest at his time. But he is human, just as human as me or you. There is no status without strength to match, no prestige without a blade ready to prove it. So... yes, we are a bit more forceful than what I've read of Ylissean nobles."
"And soon, that court will be yours to face," Maribelle mused. "However will you handle it?"
The thought had crossed Leo's mind every now and then, especially with the time he spent alone in contemplation. Maribelle was right. Soon, Garon would relinquish the crown to Xander, and Leo would no doubt be playing tactician as he always was, just with a different set of tools. There was little comfort in knowing that one day, he would be helping to guide not a small militia, but Nohr.
As if he'd back down from a challenge, though.
"As I've handled my short tenure of this army," Leo decided, "with a firm hand and an iron will."
"...I see," Maribelle hesitated, before nodding. "It's a fine thing to even consider that road at your age. But I suppose being in the position that you are in, boys like you grow up fast, don't they?"
"I don't recall much of my childhood," Leo admitted. "I... It has come to my attention that none of us had a proper upbringing. Xander, possibly, but Camilla, I, Corrin, and Elise... we didn't have much but each other, and even that was a bit... strenuous at times while our mothers were still alive."
"I won't pry," Maribelle promised, keeping her parasol by her shoulder as she fixed her hair. "...as much as court intrigue piques my curiosity."
"It's not a touchy subject," Leo assured, though mostly out of indifference, "what would you like to know?"
"Truly?" Maribelle smiled lightly. "Well, if you allow it... tell me more about the Nohrian court your father managed. Having been raised and taught how to handle myself in an Ylissean ballroom or a throne hall, one does not get many opportunities to learn of other... venues."
"It may be detestable, but my father sired many illegitimate children over the years. Many women clamored for power by his side, and nearly all of them fell in time. I... I used to have many brothers and sisters, even more than the four I do now. But, as I've said earlier, Nohrian court is as brutal a warzone as the Valmese front. Us five... we're the only ones left, and Corrin... she was lucky, in a way. Xander was almost assassinated if not for a stranger, Lazward, who we know as Laslow now, which led to him choosing the latter as his retainer. Camilla was nearly poisoned if not for Beruka's keen sense of smell, and I..."
Sensing how uneasy Leo had just become, Maribelle raised her hand with a smile, letting him know that her interest was satisfied. Grateful, Leo changed the subject quickly.
"Still," Leo continued, "It wasn't as dark a time as I make it. There were many smiles to be had, though I found my contentment in the library. Studying, learning... I suppose I grew more in those quiet halls than in my own room. Eventually, I took up magic and was given Bryndhildr, and thus is my humble tale."
"Such a wild and unsettling childhood... Tell me this," Maribelle asked, "...would Nohr seek reform?"
"Reform?"
"I'm not saying that Nohrian politics are... outdated, so to say. But I am wondering... would you change Nohr?"
Leo nodded, though not as quickly as he should have.
"Of course. It is a land that strives on strength and honor, yet the ones that truly succeeded were the snakes and manipulators, while the poor and helpless stabbed with poisoned daggers. My father was a rare case of unmatched power, but everyone else? The ones in the slums, the ones freezing in Windmire's sewers? They are strong too. Just... not strong enough. If I could, I would find a way to aid my people once this is all over. But that's... that's enough about me. How about you? Maribelle, daughter of the duke of Themis, if your information has been retained with me well enough. How would you change Ylisse, coming from one of such a position as your own?"
Maribelle let a light smile at being offered the chance to talk about her work. Twirling her hair, she didn't waste a moment before rattling on about Ylisse's past years.
"Lord Chrom has made a fine Exalt, though that is mainly because of diligent people by his side. Captain Frederick and Commander Robin have done wonders for our country. Trade, agriculture, foreign relations, all shining brighter than they ever had. Even the court, squabbling over petty things like the colors of their mansion or the miscarried one on their taxes, has been rather pacified. I truly believe I have witnessed Ylisse's golden age, and even more that I have, in a way, helped to bring it into fruition. I guess someone like me isn't of much use any more, now that reform has already been brought about. Once you are at the apex of existence, I have learned, it is a tiring process to stay there."
Leo hummed in agreement before shifting the focus back to himself.
"Nohr's golden age... I can't recall a time where we haven't been at war. Sometimes, we're fighting Hoshidans. Sometimes, we're at war with Chevois rebels. And all the times we're not, Nohrians find themselves drawing blades against Nohrians in the struggle for basic necessities like food or housing. But I have the inkling of a feeling that with this monumental alliance we have made with Hoshido and our new neighbors to the west and east of us, Nohr has nowhere to go but up."
The sound of the second bells rang out, and Leo sighed as he noted that the conversation was coming to its abrupt end.
"We shall talk more on the road?" Maribelle hoped, and Leo paused before turning back to her.
"O-of courses, milady," he added with an unnecessary bow. The blonde found that a little charming and bowed back, a smile on her face. An honest smile, not like the others that came when she was told a fruitless rumor or a poor joke. This was a happy expression on Maribelle's face, and Leo found the quiet urge to elicit that more from her. Watching her as she left to her own devices, Leo found himself smiling as well.
"W-well, that could have gone better."
Judging by how Maribelle was raised, and her own personality, it took Leo all of two seconds to understand why the young Ylissean acted so honestly around him. Like her, he was of noble birth, but apparently, his mannerisms and ideals were something that Maribelle could agree with, despite their differing nationalities. Xander was in a different sense than Maribelle and it was clear to see where the conversation disconnected whenever the two made idle chatter. Camilla didn't have a care about politics or anything of the sort, and Elise was... well, Elise.
When surrounded by the 'common rabble' that she couldn't relate with, he had noticed that Maribelle was harsh, fiery, and certainly out of her environment. But one-on-one with the younger prince of Nohr? She was quite... natural to be with. Almost... pleasant.
"She... could be good for Nohr. Uh..."
Having enough of his own thoughts, the Nohrian finished his own preparations and mounted his horse. Relaxing in the saddle wasn't the most comfortable position to be in, but it was quiet and left the prince to his own thoughts until it was time to move.
Looking back, Leo saw that most of the camp had finished their packing and was ready to march. Robin was giving orders near the front while Frederick and Xander were organizing the side patrols to escort the main convoy. Cordelia, Subaki, and Caeldori had just taken off, preparing to scout the immediate area. Alongside the aerial scout patrols was Takumi on Snowflake, with Sumia on the reigns. Likewise, Kiragi sat behind Cynthia on Snowflame. Flying overhead, Takumi was sure to flip Leo off as he and his... whatever they were as an item made their way forward. Among them in the skies were Gerome and Percy, both masked wyvern riders watching the rear flank while Cherche and Camilla kept watch from higher up. To his right, Hinoka and Camilla were squabbling before the dust cloud that arose from both animals taking off obscured his vision until they were both hundreds of feet in the air.
"Alright, Shepherds..."
Leo turned his attention to Robin, standing atop one of the wagons to address the foot soldiers and cavalry. At the same time, the slow clop-clop of Maribelle's horse grew and grew before it stopped alongside Leo's, and both riders smiled and nodded to each other before turning back to face Robin.
"We will not be stopping until Walhart the Conqueror flies that white flag above him... or he reddens the tiles of Castle Valentia with his blood."
Pausing for emphasis, Robin continued with a light smile, "It's a long road and will no doubt be a difficult one, but if any group in all the world can do it, it's you... Us."
Leo smiled inwardly as he felt his hopes grow. Soon, Valm would be defeated and he could finally return to Nohr. Too long had he abandoned his countrymen...
"Nohrians especially, we ask steep demands of you. Will you raise your blade against your countrymen to defeat a greater evil? I pray that you won't have to. The current rules of engagement are still in effect, Shepherds. Any Nohrian you see will not be killed! These aren't just battles we're fighting, ladies and gentlemen. Now, it's politics, and full-scale war with a country that barely knew Ylisse existed until a few days ago. Let's not piss them off more than we already have. Shepherds, before us lies not Valm, but the hopes and dreams of your fellow countrymen! Fellow Ylisseans, fellow Nohrians, and fellow Hoshidans. If what we've established here is to remain relevant in the history books to come, then by all means, let us fight as one!"
The Shepherds let loose a rallying cry, but Leo felt a pit drop in his stomach as Robin's words bore true. The Nohrians couldn't fight against their own, especially in the weeks to come. Even if he was disguised as a Hoshidan, those were his countrymen on the other end of Bryndhildr. He couldn't-
"Leo, dear," Maribelle gently sang with a hand to the prince's shoulder. "It's going to be okay."
"B-but..." Leo closed his eyes and let Maribelle's light touch comfort him as little as he could at this point. "You're right. If Hoshido and Nohr want to be seen as allies... we need to win here. But what would Father say?"
"I know little of King Garon," Maribelle admitted, still maintaining contact with Leo, "but to sire children that can bring their country into prosperity?"
"By betraying Nohr..."
"No," Maribelle corrected softly. "By saving it. Remember, there's still a dragon out there that will end us all if we don't stand together. And if the words of a noblewoman carry any weight in wartime, darling, I stand by you and all of Nohr, not as your ally, but as a friend."
"Maribelle..."
"Just you wait, Prince Leo. Our efforts will bear fruit!" With that, she guided her horse away from Leo's back to its original spot and smiled in reassurance.
"Geez Maribelle, I didn't know you could talk so kindly!" Lissa blurted from behind, causing the noblewoman to blush heavily and shield her face with her parasol.
"D-don't skew things out of proportion, darling..."
And with that, the Shepherds began their march towards Walhart.
"Commander! We're seeing smoke out in the distance! No banners flying! Bandits, approximately a few miles out past the wood line! They're in it deep, and the other scouts are assisting! Camilla is channeling a tome as we speak, and... there it is!"
In the far distance, Robin pinpointed where Camilla was by the stream of fire that flew upwards, and figured out where they were after a quick glance to his map.
Robin nodded at Cordelia's report before she flew off again, no doubt to reinforce what few troops were already there.
This is where we picked up that damn ingrate. Brady.
"Cavalry and mounted healers, on me!" he called out suddenly, but the stream of horses that came in one by one made him certain he was heard.
"Alright riders; A few miles out is a Valmese village under attack by ruffians and their ilk. Our footmen can't get there fast enough, but you can."
Casting a Thoron through the forest in the approximate direction of the attack, Robin cleared the way and gave the cavalry a good heading of where to go.
"Follow the fallen trees until you're close, and until then and after, Leo, you're in charge of the contingent. Alright? Us simple bipedal folk'll be there soon enough."
"Right," Leo huffed, taking charge. "Shepherds, on me!"
With a quick glimmer, the Nohrians donned their magical disguises and rode on through the fallen trees towards the village, the Ylisseans in hot pursuit. Seeing a blur of blonde pass by his face, Robin yanked lightly enough with a magical tug that his target slowed down.
"Maribelle, hold for a second," Robin ordered, walking over to the waiting troubadour.
"Yes, Robin?" the tactician rested a hand on Maribelle's horse before speaking softly to make sure nobody else would overhear.
"Take care of him, alright? This war is going to test him in ways he never trained for. He needs someone to be there for him, to assure him that his choices are the right ones. It seems he trusts you more than most, so I'm giving you that responsibility. This is what you've wanted, right? To ensure our political allies and to fight for the common folk? If Leo doesn't falter here, his trust in Ylisse will be that much stronger. An alliance with Nohr is just what we need."
"Of course, Commander," Maribelle nodded, understanding where Robin was coming from. "War is won by politicians just as much as it is by soldiers. I'll do what I can."
"Good, good," Robin agreed. "Now go ahead, Maribelle. Prince Leo's not gonna wait forever for you."
It was a good thing she was riding away from Robin, lest the commander see the noblewoman's blush.
"Bandits, thugs, a dime a dozen! Pricks like you aren't worth a shit!" Brady cursed, twirling his healing staff and pointing it at the enemy leader just outside his building.
"Eh, boy? I'll gut ya twice fer that, and we'll see how much shit you're worth!"
Ah, Brady, you're screwed now!
Still, the villagers behind him needed as much time as he could spare, so Brady had to keep stalling.
"What? Why are you even here anyway, ass hat? Were the actual bandits taking all your turf? Is that why you're here, ransacking a damn temple, you second-rate cunts?"
"Oi! That's it! Get him and all his cheeky friends!"
"I'm supposing that's our cue to charge," Sully laughed, Stahl and Peri in her wake as Leo positioned his other cavaliers to better intercept the groups of bandits.
"I'll send flowers to his parents," Leo groaned sarcastically. "That boy is going to get himself killed with that silver tongue of his."
"I do admit though, for such an uncouth lad, his bravery as a cleric is commendable," Xander noted. "Shall I depart?"
"Yes, yes," Leo agreed. "Niles, Selena! Ah, good thing we have mounted archers. Escort Xander, and circle around the buildings! Check if... Selena?"
The redhead was glaring at the building, squinting her eyes before her mad stare turned into a mad grin.
"I hear ya, Prince Leo. But that guy over there's Brady! He's one of our-"
"Friends from the future?"
"Y-yeah," Selena nodded, blushing at being upstaged. "...Well, Prince Xander, I've got your back. And Niles, if I catch you trailing behind just to stare at my ass in these riding leathers..."
"Why, the idea is certainly preposterous!" the thief gasped in shock. "...But very much tempting, now that you've opened up the idea. Perhaps you can open up your legs too..."
"Shut it, both of you!" Xander cursed, leading the charge and beckoning for the two archers to follow. "Peri doesn't give me a fraction of your bickering."
With that, Leo and Maribelle along with a few others were left to overlook the battle. It was going well enough, but Maribelle was a cleric which wold definitely come in handy for any survivors once the initial danger was dispersed.
"Future child, this Brady?" Leo mused. "That gives his charming vernacular some merit I suppose, coming from a hell-hole like Old Ylisse."
"No Ylissean speaks like that," Maribelle insisted. "That is the vocabulary of a thug, and I intend on straightening the youth's tongue, whoever he is. I'll have no one, not even a war-hardened boy stain the dignity that is Ylissean mannerism! Ahem... Shall we?"
"It should be safer for you now. Just in case, ride close to me, Maribelle," Leo ordered, flourishing Brynhildr as he barricaded off buildings from the incoming bandits. Maribelle nodded and channeled her staff every-which-way, healing injured villagers left and right.
"This should be quick," she whispered under her breath.
"Hey! You! Blondie with the hair!"
Leo, examining the now-pacified battlefield looked upon Brady with disgust.
"...Yes?"
"Thanks for the help, but can your sidekick be bothered to help some of the elders inside? Those dickheads had bows and some of their arrows made it through those barricades you set up. We got internal bleeding and my staff ain't gonna cu-"
He froze, and Leo saw that his gaze shifted slowly from him to the woman beside him. Looking at Maribelle in disbelief, Brady extended his right ring-finger and glanced down at Maribelle's blank hand. Leo turned to her, and her mouth mirrored the same words that Brady was just about to blurt.
"Oh... shit."
AN: With some more help from my proof-reader/formatting guru, I have made the decision to post little 'divisions' between the story arcs to provide clarity as to what and when everything is happening. I can't hide behind the excuse that this was a drabble fic forever, so now's as good a time as any to straighten things out and put some form in with all this function. While I haven't decided what I'm actually going to put as spacers, I'm thinking things like a quick snippet of lore or perhaps a dialogue to set the mood for the next 5-6 chapters in the arc should do nicely.
I hope the quality of grammar has improved over time, (I think it has from my standpoint as someone who used this story to better understand English but w/e) but with my trusty proofreader, you readers should expect nothing less than a 'War and Peace' with every chapter from here-on-out, and that's only gonna get better with time. And with ElfCollaborator slating my story for the chopping block that is LucinaReacts and CorrinReacts, I should probably make sure the previous chapters are up to that same standard before I get utterly reamed by the gods.
As for the roster chapters, they'll still be disjointed but I'll shift their order around so that the story is evenly saturated with a snippet of Robin and Corrin interviewing the Shepherds in the army, all the way from the beginning.
Speaking of which, I've modified some of the dialogue in the early Shepherd arc (AKA the fanservice for you Lucina/Robin filth) to better reflect the fact that Corrin is a Commander just as much as Robin, not a helpless princess. Granted, this wasn't a thing until I wrote the first roster chapter, but it makes more sense to put Corrin as a leader of the army she had just helped make, right?
Also, it may take a while, but I'm going to be putting 'Day XX' on the appropriate chapters when necessary, to better clarify the flow of time especially with how disjointed the chapters tend to flow.
Right.
AN2: Also I'm debating whether I should change the summary for WTC. It's been in play ever since Lon'qu and Peri was the first chapter and the year was 2015, but I still think it fits perfectly. After all, Chaos has ensued, I hope.
