Hey everyone! Welcome to Chapter 2 of Reclassed!
I know I said it might take a while for the next chapter to be released, but I lied. I had too much fun with the first chapter, so I just had to write the second.
I hope I don't namedrop too many times in this chapter. They aren't particularly important characters per say, but I wanted it to seem more real, with names attached to the random faces. Hopefully it won't be too confusing.
Anyway, thanks for all of the support so far guys. This thing really blew up! I'm stoked you all liked it so far!
But enough about that, let's get on to the real reason you're all here.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem, nor the art to my story.
"No, Morgan... Morgan, no."
"Awh, come on Dad! You look fantastic!"
Chrom stood in front of a standing mirror, examining his form in its reflection.
"I look ridiculous..."
"Don't you mean fabulous? Seriously Dad, all of the cool Grandmasters are wearing it. You do want to be cool on your first day don't you?"
"Yes, Morgan," Chrom sighed and rolled his eyes.
The Grandmaster robe he was wearing really did look ridiculous on him. It was similar to Robin's in its design, but... it just wasn't good. It was at least two sizes two big. He was genuinely afraid that he'd trip on it when he tried to walk.
The lord lifted his arms out in front of him, letting the terribly baggy sleeves hang off of his arms.
Chrom twisted his waist to check out his back. If anyone saw him from behind they might wonder if he even had a rear. It was impossible to tell.
"I look like some wizard that couldn't afford a good tailor."
"Yeah, but at least you look like a wizard," Morgan pointed out. "There could be worse things to look like right?"
"Where did you even get my measurements from anyways?" Chrom asked. He really was curious. This was way, way too big for him. He doubted this could even fit properly on Kellam with his huge armor on.
Morgan smiled sheepishly and scratched at his head.
"I uh... I took a guess."
"YOU TOOK A GUESS?" Chrom exclaimed. That was just insulting. "This was it? This was your best guess?"
Morgan flinched at his father's loud voice. He could feel the panic rising in his throat. It couldn't end this way for the Grandmaster robe.
He could still turn this around though. And once he got his dad to wear it, all he needed was Lucina... and then... then they'd be a family of tacticians! Robes as far as the eye can see! They could play chess in the mornings and discuss tactics in the evenings! It would be perfect!
Morgan rubbed his hands together conspiratorially.
He just needed to get his dad first, then Lucina would fall like a tree to a lumberjack. She just wouldn't be able to help herself at that point, she'd have to be like Father. It's what she does.
And this little bet was the perfect opportunity to enact his master plan.
"Yeah... Well, I-"
Morgan purposefully stopped mid sentence and rubbed his chin contemplatively while he looked his father up and down.
"What?" Chrom held up his robe to scrutinize it. "Is there a hole or something?"
"No, no, nothing like that. It's just..."
Morgan reached out and pinched his father's bicep.
"Damn! Father, you're HUGE! I mean look at that! Talk about muscles! Silly me," Morgan rapped his knuckles on his forehead. "I guess I just over did it. Wasn't too far off though now was I?"
Chrom shrugged nonchalantly and smirked at himself in the mirror.
"Well, I have been working out some..."
"Damn right you have!"
Morgan whistled impressed.
"I imagine Mother's got you on quite the tight leash huh? I bet the ladies can't help but throw themselves at you."
"You could say that... I used to be quite the bachelor back in my day."
Morgan bit his tongue from laughing. He knew that was a lie, but he had to let the ruse keep going. His father was rather oblivious when it came to the minds of the opposite gender.
Chrom posed in front of the mirror and flexed his muscles, admiring his form. Not that he could even see them under the robe, but still. It was the thought that counts.
Morgan walked behind his father and swiped the fake dust off his shoulders and straightened out a couple of imaginary wrinkles.
"I tell you what. Why don't we just give this little robe a go? We'll see how you like it and then we'll take it from there."
"Well... When you put it that-"
Chrom stopped and blinked.
"No! Damn it Morgan! I'm not wearing this!"
Chrom huffed childishly and threw the robe off him, nearly tripping on it as he did so.
"Crap," Morgan muttered under his breath.
It looked like he'll have to revise his 'Operation: Get Tactical' plan. At least he still had this bet though.
"Well, no harm no foul. We'll just go for your regular, super cool one sleeve on, one sleeve off outfit."
Chrom narrowed his eyes at his son.
"Is that sarcasm?"
"What?" Morgan placed a hand on his chest in mock hurt. "Me? Sarcasm? Father, who do you think I am?"
"Gods," Chrom pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're even as smarmy as your mother."
"You know you love it," Morgan laughed. "Now come on and get dressed, Frederick will be waiting for us in Mother's office."
"Fine, fine," Chrom grumbled as he put back on his regular clothes. "Where'd you learn to talk like that anyway? I doubt you inherited that silver tongue from me."
Chrom grimaced slightly remembering his 'courting' of Robin way back when.
No, definitely not from him.
"Gaius gave me a few tips," Morgan answered. "Said it could get me out of a pickle some day."
"Great. Now my son is getting life tips from a thief," Chrom deadpanned.
Morgan snickered and turned back around to face his father. He outstretched his hands then clasped them in front of his chest at the sight of his father.
"You just can't beat the classics."
"That better not be sarcasm."
"Of cooourse it wasn't."
Lucina sipped from her teacup and sighed contently. This really WAS excellent tea she had gotten from Maribelle. It really paired well with the elegant music that was being played from down the hall.
"I wonder how Morgan and Father are doing," She said quietly to herself and took another sip of tea.
She was currently sitting outside her bathroom while she waited for her Mother to come out and show her the dress they picked out together.
They ended up scrambling around all morning looking for a dress for Mother to wear for her first day of her Exalt duties, finally deciding on a white dress that matched her hair.
Even if it had been somewhat hectic, it was still pretty fun for the princess. It was nice to spend time with her mother like this, drinking tea and simply enjoying each other's company. It was something she was quickly growing fond of now that things were quiet again.
"I don't know about this Lucina..." Robin called out hesitantly from the bathroom.
"I'm sure it'll be fine Mother," Lucina said and placed her teacup back on its little plate. "It couldn't be that bad."
"It's not that, it's just... I'm really not used to wearing dresses. It feels so... constricting."
"Well, I'm not particularly fond of them either, but we can't really wear our usual attire all of the time. "
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Robin admitted begrudgingly. "Alright, I'm coming out."
Lucina stood up, ready to greet her mother at the door.
Robin walked out timidly, her arms crossed in front of her chest and a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"So... what do you think?"
Lucina gaped at her mother, blinking dumbly as she took in the sight.
Robin was wearing a white, strapless dress that traveled elegantly down her form and down to her feet, which were both in equally white high heels. Her white hair was tied up in to a bun, giving her a rather regal look to her. Diamond studded earrings hung from her ears, matching the diamond necklace that was tied around her neck.
She painted the perfect picture of a queen.
"Gods, Mother... You look amazing!"
"Really?" Robin asked hopefully.
"Definitely so," Lucina nodded excitedly. "You look just like how I imagined the princesses in those stories you used to read to me!"
"Well, it's nice to know that I still got it," Robin giggled and wiggled her hips. "You know, I think the last time I dressed up like this is when your father and I got married."
"You've clearly got the dress for it," Lucina joined her in giggling. "But surely you jest."
"Well, there was that ball we had last year, so I guess it hasn't been that long."
Robin's eyes had that far off look as she recounted that day Even if she wasn't much of a girly-girl, it was still a fun night. She had gotten to see all of her old friends, and even if she wasn't much of a dancer (even after Olivia's help), she still enjoyed dancing with Chrom. What girl wouldn't enjoy dancing with a handsome prince? That's the stuff fairy tales were made of.
Maybe that would be one of her first duties as the stand-in Exalt. To throw a kick-ass party.
"Well, enough of that," Robin said and pulled herself from her reminiscing. She ground her fist into the palm of her hand, her eyes gleaming deviously. "It's time to crush Chrom and Morgan like ants beneath our boots."
"Uh..." Lucina eyed her mother warily. "You know this is just a silly bet right? There's no need for any 'crushing.'"
"Oh, it's more than just a bet."
Robin placed a hand on Lucina's shoulder and smiled brightly. Her rapid change in demeanor sent shivers down the princess's spine.
"Lucina, dear, you aren't really living until you have the satisfaction of destroying your family at something they're supposedly better than you at."
Lucina's eyes widened and she noted to herself to never get on her mother's bad side.
"Ooookay... Let's just get to the throne room."
"Okay!" Robin chirped cheerfully. "What's on the docket for today?"
"We have a meeting with two dukes who are disputing over a plot of land," Lucina answered.
"Great!"
Robin marched out of Lucina's room and into the hall.
"Off we go then!"
Lucina watched her walk away then ran a hand through her hair once she was sure her mother was out of sight.
"Gods, what have I gotten myself into?"
Chrom leaned back in Robin's office chair, testing the lumbar support on the old rickety thing.
It was no palace throne, but it would do.
Chrom blinked.
Gods, I'm really starting to sound like a pretentious douche. The lord noted with displeasure.
"Alright Frederick," Chrom addressed the great knight standing in front of Robin's desk. "What do I have first?"
"Troop reports milord," Frederick answered and plopped a pile of papers in front of his lordship.
"That's... uh... a big stack of papers," Chrom mumbled.
It really was. It had to be at least two feet tall. Chrom didn't even want to think about how many papers that was total. He didn't even know that they had that many pieces of paper in the halidom in the first place.
"Are there any that take precedence?" The lord asked weakly.
"Indeed there is," Frederick replied and flipped through the stack, stopping to pull out the few he was looking for.
"Here it is," The knight said and brought the paper to his face. "The report from South Town."
"Oh yeah," Morgan chimed in. "I think I remember Mother talking about that one."
"Me too," Chrom grumbled. They were most certainly not good things either. "Alright, lay it on me."
Frederick read the fine print of the paper, then shifted his gaze back to Chrom, then back to the paper, and back to Chrom once more.
"It appears," He began slowly. "That Lieutenant Littner lead the town's guards out on an expedition because he thought he saw bandits. Once they had vacated the premise, the town was left defenseless and they were, not so ironically, attacked by a group of bandits."
"Good gods," Chrom rubbed the backs of his eyelids. "Did he at least find something?"
"Well..." Frederick trailed off, unease blotching his usual calm face.
"Let it out Frederick."
"He... lead the guards out of town when he thought he saw bandits on the hillside. It turned out that it was just a herd of goats."
"A... herd of goats?" Morgan repeated dumbly. "He mistook goats... for human beings?"
"Apparently," Frederick answered sadly. It was a disgrace to the knight commander that soldiers of Ylisse could be so daft.
Chrom furrowed his brow, examining the knight in front of him before breaking out in a fit of laughter.
"Ha! Good one Frederick!" Chrom bellowed and wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes. "That was a good one! It's nice to see that you've developed a bit of a sense of humor after all of your years with the Shepherds. I really do appreciate the gesture on my first day."
"Uh... it wasn't a joke milord. This is real."
Chrom's happy expression deteriorated into a deep frown.
"Really?"
Morgan grabbed the papers from Frederick's hands to read it for himself.
"He's telling the truth Father. This man really did this."
"No..." The Exalt breathed. "No one can be that stupid."
Frederick snatched the paper back from Morgan, glaring daggers at him before answering his liege.
"If it helps milord, I think Robin left some notes about this particular soldier."
"Alright," Chrom nodded. That could be helpful. While she might have been fed up with her job, she was definitely good at it. "What did she say about him?"
Frederick frowned slightly reading Robin's handwriting.
"'He is that stupid.'"
"Excellent," Chrom threw his hands up in exasperation. "How helpful."
"She did leave another one I believe," Frederick remarked.
"Hit me with it."
Frederick's frown deepened reading the next note. He was clearly having difficulty deciding if he should obey Chrom's wish and read the note, or listen to his sense of morality and keep it to himself.
"I'd... rather not milord."
Chrom rose an eyebrow. "And why not?"
"It's rather vulgar."
"Just read the damn thing Frederick. It can't be that bad."
Frederick eyed the paper, then shifted his gaze to Chrom, then back to the paper, and back to Chrom.
"Can I use a word that rhymes with the one-"
"Yes! Just read the damn thing already!"
Frederick nodded nervously and cleared his throat, mentally preparing himself.
"'Duck this ducking guy, I ducking hate him.'"
"..."
"..."
Morgan shattered the silence with a snort, which quickly developed into full blown laughter. He leaned against the door framing, clenching his sides as he exploded into childish giggles.
"Oh gods!" Morgan breathed between his fits of laughter. "That is fucking hilarious!"
"Morgan!" Chrom shouted and glared at his son. "Watch your language young man! That's one gold piece that goes in the jar!"
"Awh, come on!" Morgan whined and stomped his foot on the ground. "Mother can curse like a sailor in her reports, but when I do it it's all of a sudden a crime?"
"I'm not going to tell you again son," Chrom said dangerously and pointed to the jar located on one of Robin's shelves. "One gold coin, now."
Morgan grumbled under his breath, reaching into his tactician's coat and pulling out a singular gold piece as he walked over to the jar his father pointed at.
The jar itself was like any other jar, except that it had the words 'swearing jar' written in large, black print across the front of it. They had one of these jars placed in every room across the palace, ready and waiting in case one of the family slipped up and cursed. It was originally Lucina's idea, strangely enough. She had made a valid point that it would be unjust to use such inappropriate language around the young children of this timeline, namely herself considering Morgan hadn't been born yet.
It probably was a good idea in the end. He really didn't want the young ones to develop the bad habit of cursing, and the three of them had quite the mouths on them compared to the prim and proper Lucina, so it was a necessary precaution. Plus Robin and Chrom would often use the gold they collected to go out on dates. So it was a win-win really.
"I'm not six years old you know," Morgan huffed.
"I'll believe it when I see it," Chrom retorted with a smile.
"Your orders milord?" Frederick interjected, getting the two back on track.
"Oh, right."
Chrom leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up on Robin's desk as he rubbed his chin in thought.
"Recall Lieutenant Littner, and tell him that the Exalt wants to speak with him personally regarding his actions. And by Exalt, of course I mean Robin. Then I want a messenger to fetch Laurent. I want him in charge of operations over in South Town. He's a bright man, I think he could do the town some good."
"Hmmm," Morgan hummed. "Using one of the Shepherds as a platoon leader. Nice thinking Father."
"See?" Chrom said smugly and rested his hands behind his head. "I'm not too bad at this after all. What's next Frederick?"
Frederick pointed to the pile of papers on the desk.
"The rest of the stack milord."
"Shit."
"Ah! Ah!" Morgan pointed accusatorily at his father. "That's one gold piece in the jar!"
"Yeah, I'm not doing that," Chrom replied flippantly without looking up from the first paper he had grabbed from the stack.
"What? Why not?"
"Seniority."
Morgan crossed his arms across his chest and frowned at his father.
"This is payback for earlier, isn't it?"
"Yep."
Chrom wrote his signature at the bottom of the page then moved it over to the completely empty 'finished' pile.
"One down... a million to go."
Robin plopped down in the palace throne, letting herself sink into its comfiness.
Compared to that piece of crap chair in her office, this thing was a godsend.
"Ooooh yeah," Robin sighed contently, sinking further into the cushion. "That's the good stuff."
Lucina poked to cushion curiously. It was indeed rather soft. Even though she had a brief stint as Exalt back in her time, she didn't exactly have the time to lounge around in a fancy throne all day. Fell dragons have a way of getting in the way of the finer things in life.
"Send them in!" Robin called out to the guard that was loitering near the door.
The guard nodded and reached forwards, pulling the door open for the two nobles to walk in.
"What are their names again?" Robin whispered to her daughter while she had the chance.
"Duke Wellington of Whitewood and Duke Stathmore of Alverton."
"Stathmore," Robin repeated to herself. "What a silly name."
"They're here because of a land dispute. Duke Becket of Sidbury passed away leaving no heir. The towns of Whitewood and Alverton border Sidbury, and each of the dukes are jostling for control of the land."
"Alright," Robin nodded, impressed with her daughter's knowledge on the subject. "That's not too bad. This should be a walk in the park."
"I wouldn't count on it," Lucina muttered.
The two dukes entered the throne room, walking leisurely towards Lucina and Robin.
Duke Wellington was a short, plump man, barely making it up to Robin's neckline. He had to be at least fifty, judging by his graying and thinning hair. A mustache graced his lips, curling up at the ends to give him a rather snobby look. He was clearly not above flaunting his wealth. He wore a three piece suit with a cape draped around his shoulders, and an elegant looking cane in his hands.
Duke Stathmore, on the other hand, had to be the antithesis to Duke Wellington. He was at least six and a half feet tall, with broad shoulders that lead up to his surprisingly youthful face. He had a full head of brown hair that matched his thick beard that covered the lower half of his face. His eyes seemed to be permanently narrowed, making him seem somewhat arrogant. Stahtmore wore a Ylissean Army's officer's uniform, signifying his service for his country at one point.
"Hello gentleman," Robin greeted and stood from the throne. "I understand we have a bit of a land dispute on our hands."
"That's correct, Lady Robin," Wellington answered absentmindedly while he looked around the throne room. "I was under the understanding that we'd be meeting with Exalt Chrom?"
"I'm sorry Duke Wellington," Robin smiled apologetically, but her eyes hinted at her annoyance. "It looks like you'll be stuck with the regular old Queen and Grandmaster today."
"That's perfectly fine your highness," Stathmore spoke up quickly. "Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to see us."
Robin smiled slightly. It was nice to see that at least some people had manners. It must have been thanks to his military background.
Stathmore: 1, Wellington: 0
"Yes, well," Robin sat back in the throne and crossed her legs, resting her clasped hands in her lap. "Let's get on with it."
"Of course," Stathmore bowed slightly before addressing her. "I believe that Duke Becket's land should be absorbed into my fiefdom, your highness."
"And why is that?"
"Because I provided military aid to Sidbury when they were being plagued by bandits during the second Plegian war, your highness. It is only fair that I inherit the land that I helped protect."
Lucina's eyebrows twitched, clearly finding some offense with his statement.
The princess walked out from behind the throne, and bent down to whisper into her mother's ear.
"He only sent about five men to help them out."
"Oh, if it isn't Lady Lucina," Stathmore bowed again. "I didn't see you there standing behind the throne. It is always a pleasure."
Robin placed her elbow on the throne's arm rest and rested her head in her hand, effectively covering her frown. The duke was beginning to sound less and less polite, and more like a giant kiss-ass. Robin didn't take kindly to kiss-asses. Being well-mannered was one thing, but trying to suck up to your superiors so that you could get out ahead was another.
"Good day, Duke Stathmore," Lucina inclined her head, but that was all the greeting that the duke was going to get.
"Princess Lucina," Duke Wellington bowed as well.
Duke Wellington shifted his gaze from the princess to Robin.
"He may have provided this so called 'military aid,' but it was I that provided financial support when Sidbury's economy began to plummet. It is I that should receive Duke Becket's lands."
"Financial aid?" Duke Stathmore scoffed and shook his head. "You call a measly one hundred gold financial aid? There's no way a village the size of Sidbury would be able to survive off of a hundred gold."
"Get off your high horse Stathmore. Don't act like you're Sidbury's savior. I find it hard to see the help in sending five rookie guards to protect a village. It was the villagers that protected themselves from the bandits, not your pathetic excuses for guards. At least the gold I provided gave them the necessary income to buy proper weaponry."
"Oh yeah? If it weren't for my guards the men of Sidbury wouldn't have had the necessary confidence they needed to fight off the hordes of bandits."
"That is a load of pegasus dung and you know it!" Wellington stomped his foot on the ground outraged.
"Is it?" Stathmore took advantage of his height and loomed over the smaller man. "You know what else is a load of pegasus dung? Your short stature! You look like a piece of fruit, you sorry excuse for a duke!"
"I'll show you a piece of-"
"Enough!"
The two dukes snapped their heads towards Robin, wide eyed.
"You two come in here, looking for the head of Ylisse to give you a final decision, yet here you both are, bickering like school children!"
The two dukes shared a look before bowing their heads in sorrow.
"We apologize your highness."
"We ask your forgiveness."
"Whether I forgive you two or not doesn't matter," Robin waved them off. "Here's what we're going to do. You two are going split the land, and co-rule over Sidbury."
"E-excuse me?" Duke Wellington stammered. That was unacceptable! He would never cooperate with the likes of that man!
"You heard me loud and clear," Robin replied dangerously. "Cooperation is the foundation of a unified country. So that's what we're going to do."
"I refuse to cooperate with the likes of him!" Stathmore protested and pointed an accusatory finger at Wellington.
"Well, the feeling is mutual!"
Robin rose an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
"Yes, milady," The two answered in unison.
"I will never work with this barbarian."
"Barbarian?" Stathmore crossed his arms and glared at the shorter Wellington. "I was a proud member of the Ylissean Army, unlike yourself."
"I see," Robin nodded then turned to her daughter. "Lucina?"
"Yes, Mother?"
"Who was it that was ruling over Sidbury while this dispute was going on?"
"That would be the head of the original Sidbury guards, Commander Watford."
"Did he do well?"
"Indeed," Lucina answered. "He was able to keep order in a time of confusion. He kept things running smoothly."
"Alright then."
Robin stood and waved the guard over that was standing at the entrance to the throne room.
"Good day Wallace," Robin smiled and greeted the guard. "How's the family?"
"Uh... Good your highness. Our daughter just started her first year school," Guard Wallace answered uneasily. He REALLY didn't want to get in the middle of this. He was just a regular guard for crying out loud. "Is-is there something I can help you with?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact there is. I want you to send a courier to Sidbury, and inform Commander Watford that he is the new duke, effective immediately."
"Yes ma'am," The guardsman saluted and ran off to do as he was told.
The two dukes stared slack jawed at Robin, dumbfounded by her decision.
"But... but what about us?" Wellington asked weakly.
"Well, I think that's rather obvious, don't you?" Robin placed her hands on her hips. "You two bitched your way right out of consideration. And from what it sounds like, neither of you particularly helped the people of Sidbury that much in the first place."
The two dukes eyes widened further at Robin's words. It wasn't everyday that you heard someone of such high stature using such inappropriate vocabulary.
"But we tried to-"
"No, you didn't. What you tried to do was increase your own power. The people of Ylisse has always been the Exalt's chief concern, and Commander Watford is what will be best for the citizens of Sidbury, not you two."
Robin raised a finger in the air, similar to a teacher when she was imparting an important lesson onto her students.
"Neither one of you told me how you would help the people. You only told me why you deserved to be put in charge. It's obvious where your priorities lie. And as you can see, Commander Watford isn't here asking me to put him in charge. He's back in Sidbury, helping the people."
Robin sat back down in the throne and crossed her legs.
"So, the next time you want the Exalt to have the final ruling in your land disputes, make sure you actually come to us with an actual reason as to why you should be put in charge."
Robin shooed the two off.
"Good day, Duke Wellington and Duke Stathmore. It was a pleasure."
The dukes exchanged a flabbergasted look, looking to each other for confirmation on what had happened. Very slowly, the two turned away from Robin and Lucina and made their way back towards the entrance, still lost in their own thoughts.
Robin glanced over at her daughter, who was staring at her intently.
"Yeah, yeah, I probably shouldn't have been so short with-"
"No, no," Lucina rose a hand to alleviate her concerns. "I actually thought you did splendid."
"Really?"
"Indeed," Lucina replied resolutely. "Father or Aunt Emmeryn couldn't have done better themselves."
"That's a rather lofty comparison, but I thank you Lucina. It's nice to know I didn't screw up on my first day. So what's next on the agenda?"
"A meeting with Advisor Tibalt about immigration policy."
"Yay," Robin deadpanned.
"Welp, that's it."
Chrom signed off on the final piece of paper and placed it in the towering 'finished' pile. It had taken five hours to go through all of the paper work, sign off on it, and make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. Usually these types of reports were always the same, but they still couldn't be taken lightly. If for some reason Robin, or now Chrom, were to get lazy with checking over the paperwork, the repercussions could be huge. It only took one day for something to get serious.
"Gah," Chrom winced and grabbed his right hand. "Now my sword hand is all twitchy."
Chrom blinked.
"Do not tell your cousin I ever said that phrase. He must never know."
In the Ylisstol marketplace...
"Owain, what do you think about this dress? It's pretty isn't it?"
The Scion of Legend ignored his girlfriend's question and looked to the sky.
He sniffed the air, his eyes darting to and fro. He could smell something. Something powerful.
Somewhere a sword hand was twitching, on the verge of being unleashed and tearing utter destruction upon all demons and fiends alike.
Owain shivered, feeling the awesomeness that was this particular sword hand. His own was nearly twitching in anticipation at meeting this fellow swordsmen on the battlefield.
He had to find this man, and challenge him to a duel of epic proportions. It was the only solution. Destiny had made herself known, and demanded to be heard. Owain could hear fate calling out to him, urging him to go find this fabled swordsman, and test his mettle against his own.
He strained his ears, hoping to ear the call of the man's sword over the clamor of the-
"OWAIN! ARE YOU LISTENING!?"
Owain flinched and spun around to Severa.
"Of course I was dear, I was just lost in thought is all."
"Oh really? Because I could swear I heard you mumbling something about 'sword hands' and 'duels.' Are you sure you don't revise that statement?"
Owain gulped. The fabled duel would have to wait.
Back in the palace...
"Why not? Owain's fun!"
"Indeed he is..." Chrom replied. "In moderation," He added in a softer voice.
Morgan rolled his eyes at his father's remark, and stood up from the couch he was sitting on.
"So, we're done then?"
"Yep," Chrom nodded. "All done for the day. That wasn't too bad, now was it?"
"You really have a knack for signing your name at the bottom of papers Father."
"Years of practice son. Years of practice."
Chrom stood from his chair and arched and twisted his back, resulting in a satisfying popping sound as his spine cracked.
"I think this calls for some celebration, what do you think?"
"Yeah!" Morgan clapped his hands together excitedly. "I love celebrating stuff! Where are we going?"
Chrom smiled wryly. "I know just the place."
"A pub?"
"That's right," Chrom answered.
The father and son duo stood outside of one of the many pubs in Ylisstol, examining its exterior. The bar itself was named The King's Tavern, and it was one of Chrom and Robin's favored establishments before the two got weighed down by their responsibilities.
The pub looked like any other pub, a large wooden building with the sign hanging by a chain out front. That's why Chrom had liked it so much. It was just a regular old place, for regular old people. When his schedule allowed it, he liked to act like a regular citizen like Gaius had taught him. It was a nice reminder that all people deserved equal treatment, regardless of stature.
"Come on son, the first pint is on me."
Chrom lead the way towards the entrance, his son following behind hesitantly. Morgan loved the idea of sharing a mug of ale with his father, but he hadn't exactly been to a tavern before. From what he could remember from the stories he read, they weren't exactly nice places. He hoped they weren't really frequented by pirates and hardened criminals. That didn't really sound like a good place for the Exalt and his son.
Chrom pushed open the door, holding it open for his son as the two made their way inside.
The inside of the tavern looked rather normal, as expected. Many wooden tables were scattered across the floor and booths lined the walls of the tavern. At the front of the room was the bar itself, with many stools seated in front of it.
A middle aged man stood behind the bar, with several bottles of exotic looking alcoholic drinks standing behind him. At least, to Morgan they looked exotic. This was really out of his element.
"Hey Lou," Chrom called out to the barkeep. "Two pints of ale for me and my son."
The bartender, Lou, looked up from the counter in front of him, acknowledging the two with a nod.
He was a giant of a man, easily six and a half feet in height. His shoulders were as broad as broad can be, and his chest puffed out from underneath his plain white shirt. He was completely bald, but that wasn't the case for the lower half of his face. A large, thick brown beard covered his cheeks, nearly covering the scar that ran across his right cheek and down to his neck.
"Sure thing Lord Chrom," The barkeeper reached underneath the counter and pulled out two large mugs. "How goes the business?"
Chrom threw his head back and laughed.
"Oh, you know. Running a country, doing Exalt stuff. The usual."
"Heh," Lou chuckled and poured the glorious, brown liquid into their mugs. "I actually don't know, but it sounds riveting your highness."
"Like you wouldn't believe," Chrom chuckled.
The Exalt lead his son over to an empty table near the front of the bar and plopped down in the wooden chair opposite him.
Morgan followed suit, slowing sinking down in his own wooden chair.
The bartender carried Chrom and Morgan's drinks in each hand and walked over to where they were sitting, setting the two mugs on the table in front of them.
"So how's the wife and kids?"
"Excellent," Chrom answered with a smile and motioned to his son across from him. "This is actually my son right here, Morgan."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Lou," Morgan smiled and offered his hand for a shake. "I'm Morgan."
"Ha, ha, ha!" Lou bellowed. "No need to be so prim and proper in here boy!"
Lou pelted Morgan on the back, nearly knocking him out of his chair from the force of the slaps.
"But it's a pleasure to meet you too young sir! I hope you enjoy my humble establishment."
Chrom sipped from the mug in front of him, sighing in satisfaction.
"Oh, I'm sure he will. Go ahead Morgan, drink up."
Morgan eyed the brown liquid cautiously, but did as his father told him and took a small sip.
"Huh," Morgan remarked and wiped the foam from his lips. "That's not bad."
Lou laughed again, clearly pleased by the prince's statement, then walked back to his position behind the counter.
"Not too bad at all," Chrom agreed and took another sip from the mug of ale.
"So, I take it you come here often then?"
"That's right," Chrom nodded. "Your mother and I try and stop by every once and a while."
"Really?" Morgan's eyes lit up. He might give his parents a hard time sometimes with his mischievous nature, but he really did love hearing about his parents' lives. It gave him a better idea on what the two were like, given the fact that most of his memory of the two was wiped clean when they had found him.
"Yep. This place was technically our first official date."
Morgan leaned forwards in his seat, taking another sip from his drink.
"Can you tell me about it?"
Chrom smiled fondly. "I'd love to son."
Robin buried her face in her hands.
"Good gods that was abysmal."
Tibalt had finally finished up with the meeting, giving Robin several suggestions on policies and laws that would help Ylisse. Surprisingly enough, Tibalt didn't seem to mind the switch-up between Robin and Chrom. If Robin hadn't known any better, she'd say that he hadn't noticed at all.
What an interesting man.
While it was great to learn about how they could seriously help the people of Ylisse, Robin didn't know how boring it would actually turn out to be. Apparently Chrom wasn't lying when he complained about how lame politics were.
Lucina leaned heavily against the throne her mother was sitting in, feeling equally tired.
"I don't think I've ever been so bored in my life."
"You're telling me. I think it's time for some serious fun to make up for the serious boringness."
Robin stood up from the throne, arching and twisting her back, getting that satisfying cracking sound.
"Ah, yeah. That's the good stuff."
"What did you have in mind?" Lucina asked in response to her previous statement.
Robin smiled. "Why don't I show you?"
Lucina nodded her thanks and accepted the cup of coffee from the waitress.
"So, a coffee house?"
"Yep," Robin grinned and took a sip from the steaming coffee mug in her hands. "I love this place."
Lucina had to admit, it was a rather nice establishment. The two of them sat at a wooden table in front of a giant glass window next to the door. Several other wooden tables were scattered across the coffee house. In the back of the room was the counter, where the clerk stood behind it ready to take any customers orders.
"Any reason why you love this place so much? Other than the coffee?"
Robin smiled and set her coffee down, nostalgia in her eyes.
"Your father actually introduced me to this place. I've been hooked ever since."
"Oh?" Lucina rose an eyebrow. She thought she had heard all of her parents stories, but this one sounded unfamiliar.
"Yeah. It was my third week as the tactician as the Shepherds. It was right after the assassination attempt on your aunt's life, and I was really beginning to feel the stress of the tactician's role."
Lucina nodded thoughtfully, remember exactly the time that her mother spoke of. It was actually the first time her parents had ever seen her real face. She often wondered how things would be different if her mask hadn't been cut in half that night. Probably not much she reasoned.
"And?"
"Like I said, I was really beginning to feel the stress as the lead tactician of the Shepherds. I was already worrying about strategies for the upcoming battles, but after that night I also had to worry about the safety of Emmeryn. And not only that, but seeing Validar left me feeling all sorts of confused. I had known he looked familiar, but I just couldn't place my thumb on it."
Robin shook her head and sighed.
"Needless to say, I was a wreck the night before we headed out to Ferox. It was then that your father found me, working long into the night on hundreds of different strategies and tactics for the upcoming march. Of course, he was furious with me for working so late, and he insisted that I come with him to take a break. Funnily enough this little coffee shop was still open that late."
The tactician giggled, recalling how that night actually ended.
"I laughed more that night than I ever had in my life."
"Really?" Lucina leaned forwards in her chair slightly, intrigued. "How so?"
"We were getting ready to turn in for the night, when Chrom insisted on another cup of tea. I was having fun, so I obliged, and I'm glad I did. Right when he accepted the cup from the waiter, he dropped it and spilled it all over his crotch."
Lucina grimaced at the thought of steaming hot tea landing in your lap, but her pained expression quickly changed to one of amusement.
"And then what happened?"
Robin bit her lip to keep from laughing outright.
"He jumped up screaming, and without any regard for where he was, he kicked off his pants, leaving him standing out in the open with nothing but his small clothes on!"
Robin couldn't help but laugh out loud at that point, slapping her hand on the table as the laughter racked her body.
"Th-that wasn't even the best part! He-he was wearing underwear with big red hearts on them! Big red hearts!"
Lucina joined in on her mother's laughing, imagining her father standing there mortified as his dorky boxers were out in the open for all to see.
Robin wiped the tears from her eyes and began to settle down.
"Oh gods, I laughed so hard that night. Chrom didn't think it was all that funny, but he went along with it, bless the man. I think he knew I could use the laugh. Your father might be a dork, but he's a very kind dork."
Lucina snorted and shook her head. No wonder she had never heard that story.
But now that she thought about it...
"Mother?"
"Hm?"
"Are there in other stories like that that I haven't heard?"
The images of Chrom walking in on her in the bathhouse, and then vice versa, ran through her mind, causing her to blush furiously.
"Uh... nope, nothing, nothing at all. Man, what good coffee!" Robin hurriedly took a sip of her drink and motioned for Lucina to do the same. "Drink up, drink up!"
Lucina glared knowingly at her mother, never breaking eye contact as she slowly sipped from her coffee.
Author's Notes:
So there you have it! The first problems the two face! Shitty nobles and dumb officers. I hope I don't stray too far from Robin and Chrom dealing with their positions, but I wanted to add a little life to it as well. Nothing like some good old family bonding.
Oh, and I totally made up those town names. The game doesn't exactly give the names of a lot of towns in Ylisse, other than South Town and Themis, so I had to improvise.
Thanks for reading everyone!
Until next time!