Hey guys! Real quick, I want to address the issue of what boss was in the last chapter. From now on, if I have one, it will more than likely be named at the beginning of the next chapter, because I don't really have a way of telling the name in-story. They will mostly be Twilight Princess bosses, so keep that in mind. The one from the last chapter was Armogohma, the giant eye-lasering spider from the Temple of Time. Anyway, on with the chapter!
Today felt great. Tiki had gladly joined with the Shepherds, though she did need to restore her full power. In order to do that, they had to get past Yen'fay's forces and head to the Divine Dragon grounds. This didn't bother Robin because of the incredible warrior in their midst. He had told everyone he could find about the incredible feat that the young swordsman had accomplished. The young man had received so much praise from his peers that he was now hiding for fear of being trampled by fans. There was still one person that hadn't heard of his heroic feat. As Robin approached her tent, he began to play out the conversation in his mind, but when he tried, he just couldn't predict her reaction. Taking a deep breath, Robin tapped on the flap of his niece's tent.
"Who's there?"
"It's me, your uncle."
"Oh. Come in, Uncle Robin." Robin pushed the flap aside and stepped into the princess' tent. She was sat on her bedroll, polishing her fabled blade.
"Well, your dad knows." Her head shot up. "It was easy enough to figure out, what with all the terrifying creatures."
"At least that is one secret I no longer have to keep." She gave a defeated smile.
"Hey, I'm glad I don't have to be secretive around everyone anymore too. And whether or not you want to accept it, Link is the one who we have to thank; for both revealing the truth and saving the day."
"He is also the one responsible for the secrecy." There was a brief moment of silence before she realized the second part of his sentence. "He… saved the day?"
"Yep. You won't believe the tale I have to tell."
Robin recounted the story to Lucina, her face constantly switching emotions. It went from terrified, to concerned, to stunned, to horrified and finally to relieved. When the story was done, Robin waited for her to say something. She was silent for far too long, and just as Robin was about to break the uncomfortable tension between them, she spoke.
"That is… quite the tale."
"I know! I can hardly believe it, and I was there to witness it. The most unrealistic part of it for me was how calm Link was." When silence once again pervaded the area, Robin thought of something. "You should go thank him." Lucina shot him a look of confusion and anger. "I'm serious. He saved the vessel of the Divine Dragon and stopped every single one of those creatures while we battled the Valmese."
"I doubt that my thanks would mean much. What is the word of one woman compared to the rest of the Shepherds?"
"The fact that it's your word."
"I don't take your meaning."
"You also came here from another place in pursuit of a better future. You two have quite a lot in common, and coming from someone in a similar position will mean all the more." Lucina looked down at the weapon in her lap, seemingly contemplating the idea. "Besides, you need to have a conversation with him. You may just find out who he really is. And who knows; maybe your apology can be for two things." Her brow furrowed at this comment, and Robin thought it best to leave. Just as his foot left the tent, Lucina quietly called to him.
"You're right, uncle; as always."
"I'm here to help." And with that, he left the tent in search of something to do. That something found him.
He was meandering around the camp, attempting to seek out his family when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned around to find Frederick staring him in the face.
"Um… hello, Frederick."
"Robin, I need advice."
"Oh, no. Not again. Look, Frederick, Lissa and I already gave you as much information as we could, but-"
"This is different." The serious tone the knight had adopted was not his usual training one; he was genuinely worried about something. "Can we talk in private?"
"Uh… I guess. Here, let's go to my tent." They walked in silence to Robin's tent. He was trying to think of what it might be that had the usually unfazeable knight worried and required a private location. They entered the lightly furnished tent, and Robin faced Frederick. "Okay, what's up? You look worried."
"It was that obvious?"
"To me it was; then again, it is my job to scrutinize everything."
Frederick gave a deep sigh. "Excellent point. Now, on to my reason." Robin braced himself for whatever fearful thing may come out of the knight's mouth. "I wish to propose." Robin nearly fell over.
"Propose?! Not to me, I hope!"
"Please, lower your voice! Fear not; I am not proposing to you. I intend to propose to Cherche."
"Frederick, that's wonderful! Do you have a ring?"
"Yes." From some hidden pocket, he produced a gold band and showed it to Robin.
"Wow. You really went all-out." It was detailed with intricate designs that looked Celtic. On the inside of the ring was an engraving of Cherche's name, and the top of it sported a diamond that rivaled the sun itself. "You're pretty serious about this."
"I am. The advice I need from you is how to propose. Also, I believe I am experiencing what you may call butterflies; though the ring is extravagant, I'm unsure as to whether or not I can go through with this." Only a moment passed before Robin came up with an answer.
"Do you love her?"
"Pardon?"
"Do you love Cherche?"
"Of course. I would not even considered marriage if I did not."
"Then you have nothing to fear. Pour your heart out to her, and that should be enough."
"But is this life not hectic? Does it never get truly tiring?"
"Well…" before he could answer, Owain came charging through the tent flap. He quickly hid behind his father, shaking with fear. Robin noticed that he was holding both a book and a staff, things not typical of his extravagant son.
"Father! Help! Two fearsome assassins have come to claim a bounty on my head, and will stop at nothing to gain it!" Just as he said this, the tent flap opened again revealing a very angry Lissa and an even angrier Morgan. "There! There are the fiends who are making an attempt on my life!" Robin looked at the two angry women standing at the front of his tent.
"What did he do this time?"
"He engraved names into every single one of my staves; even the one you gave me for my birthday!"
"He spilled ink all over one of my books! Plus, he's taken my favourite one! You can see it in his arms!" Morgan pointed an accusing finger at her brother.
"Okay, Owain. I'll help."
"What?!" The cries of two angry women reverberated throughout the camp. Robin merely gave them a small wink.
"Thank you, father!" Then, quick as a Thoron, Robin reached behind himself and brought Owain in front of him. In the exact same motion, he grabbed the staff and book out of his son's hands. "Wh- Dad!"
"I didn't say who I was helping, did I?" He tossed the taken objects back to their owners. He leant down and whispered in his son's ear. "Owain, you'd better run. You never know what they might do." Owain nodded then took off faster than the eye could see. Morgan gave chase, brandishing her book as if it were some kind of club. Lissa dawdled.
"Thanks!" She gave Robin a peck on the cheek, and, staff raised, charged after Owain shouting various insults at her son. Robin turned back to Frederick to see an amused yet horrified expression on his face.
"In answer to your question, Frederick: yes, it is hectic, but that's what makes it all the more worthwhile." He left the knight to ponder his words, and began to chase down his family. And the more tiring it is, the more fun it's bound to be. He chuckled to himself at the antics his family managed to get into. It's always worth it.
A/N: What did you think? This chapter is mainly here to address any confusion as to where Frederick and Cherche are and to make an attempt at solving the issues between Lucina and Link. It's much more dialogue-heavy than the last one, but it's kind of necessary. If you have any questions, concerns, comments or suggestions, don't be afraid to review or PM. Anything you have to say helps!