Armored Heart, Chapter 6- Prompt 9 Hanging out with friends
Robin was in the middle of finishing one of his routine inventory checks when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. Turning around slowly, Robin noticed that Lucina was standing before him, a polite smile greeting him.
"Oh, hello Lucina. How can I help you today?" Robin asked.
"Beg pardon, Robin but would you be willing to lend me your assistance?" Lucina replied courteously. "Kjelle has become a touch... overzealous lately."
"What has Kjelle been saying to sound overzealous?"
"Kjelle has been pressing me to join her in a personal crusade against Valm." Lucina explained. "She's insisting that with her grasp of tactics that we can more easily take out Walhart by forming a small core of elite fighters than with the current army we have. She thinks that our current army is full of cannon fodder and the bureaucracy and bloat slows us down too much to react effectively."
"That viewpoint is a bit excessive." Robin admitted. "Did you want me to talk to her and show her why we need everyone fighting together?"
"That would be appreciated, perhaps we should try talking to her together and give some more weight to our point of view."
"Very well give me a time and place, and I'll help you convince Kjelle to change her line of thinking."
"You have my gratitude Robin." Lucina said. "If you don't mind, could you come with me now to find Kjelle?"
"Let's go then."
With that Robin and Lucina went off to find their friend. Kjelle at this time was talking to her father, trying to make an edible meal. By the looks on Vaike's face, it wasn't much of a successful attempt. That didn't stop Vaike from appreciating the effort Kjelle was making.
"It's not quite up to Teach's level, but you are improving your cooking. Good work Teach Jr."
"Thanks father! I won't stop until I've made a meal worthy for us and mother!" Kjelle boasted.
"That's the spirit!" Vaike said as he playfully messed up Kjelle's short hair.
"Heh, you're embarrassing me here. But this is... nice. Being like a normal family."
"That's what your parents are here for, kiddo. Better get used to it!"
Lucina and Robin waved at Kjelle, who walked over and gave Robin a brief embrace.
"Oh hey you two. Are you free to talk for a while?" Kjelle asked. "I was hoping that we could keep talking about my idea to end this war quickly and effectively."
"I'd be very happy to. But I'd also like to tell Robin about how we became friends, if you don't mind." Lucina answered before taking a seat. "I'm sure that it's something Robin would like to hear."
"Sure, why not." Kjelle agreed. "Would you care to stick around and hear the tale with us father?"
"Teach is gonna sit this one out. But if you want to talk about it later, the Vaike will tell you about his best buddy Chrom in return. See you later Teach Jr!" Vaike said, waving to his daughter before he left to find Sully.
"This looks like it will be a promising story." Robin mused.
"It is one worth telling." Lucina said. "It all began when I had not long turned ten years old. Father had started teaching me to use a sword. Apparently I was had 'a natural talent' when it came to swordplay. Within months I was making large improvements in combat."
"Of course when my father had heard about Lucina's talent, he knew that he had to introduce me to Lucina." Kjelle added as she ate her meal. "My parents had begun my own training a little earlier, and they wanted for me to show Chrom that I was the better fighter. So the first thing I did when I was introduced to Lucina was to challenge her to a duel."
"And my father was very amused by Kjelle's bold challenge." Lucina said with a nostalgic smile. "He teased Vaike that he couldn't handle being the weaker fighter and that he had to bring his daughter into it. Vaike of course got angry and challenged father to a match himself."
"They brawled barehanded for half an hour, and father was the eventual winner. The court was appalled by their antics, but Chrom got up laughing despite the bruises he sported." Kjelle said with a laugh. "He said that 'anyone that vaike and sully had trained to fight would be a good match for Lucina.' and let us begin our own match. Sadly I was beaten very easily that day. I was angry that I had lost, and I told her that the next time we fought I'd have my spear pointed at her neck."
"I in turn told her that I would welcome her challenge, and that she was welcome to practice against me anytime if she would be my friend." Lucina finished. "Somehow we made both our parents very happy that day. And in that time such rare moments of joy were a rarity to be cherished."
"I sparred against Lucina as many times as possible, and I tried so hard to beat her." Kjelle admitted. "I lost many rounds against her, but I never gave up on getting better than Lucina. Chrom said that I was very much like my father, and he showed me a few tricks that helped me beat her for the first time."
"And Kjelle told me that Chrom had helped her win our match. So in turn Vaike and Sully told me about Kjelle's techniques. Kjelle claimed that she wouldn't accept a win that came from an unfair advantage." Lucina said. "From that day on we made it a habit to spar whenever we could, so we could both become stronger and protect those that couldn't protect themselves."
"I appreciated that Lucina made the time to fight with me, and she heard me out on my ideals and gave me her opinions without holding back on how she felt."
"And I was happy that Kjelle would approach me and didn't care about my noble title." Lucina added. "She always drove me to fight as hard as possible, and more than once she used her armor to keep my back safe from harm."
"It sounds like the two of you became firm friends before you came back here." Robin said with a sip of coffee. "It's like your parent's friendship lives on through the two of you."
Robin was rewarded by both Lucina and Kjelle taking a moment to think about Robin's comment before they both nodded in agreement.
"I guess you're right about that Robin." Lucina commented. "People in the future often said it was like we were extensions of our father's will... That our father's never stopped protecting Ylisse even after they died."
"Damn right!" Kjelle said. "We'll keep fighting so that others don't have to! I'm sure that our fathers would be proud of us!"
"I certainly hope so, and we won't stop until we've brought peace to this land." Lucina added, before she changed the subject. "But there's been one thing I've been meaning to ask you Kjelle."
"What is it?"
"Why did you choose to start dating Robin?" Lucina asked with as much innocence as possible. Kjelle was in the middle of taking another mouthful of her meal, and she had to spit the food out just to talk.
"Why are you asking me this now?" Kjelle asked in shock. "You know that I don't like to speak about such things in public!"
"I'm sorry for shocking you like this but I can't help but be curious!" Lucina asked with a chuckle. "You're the sternest of us twelve. I never expected that you would fall in love first. Naturally I would be curious why you fell for him."
"Fine... I'll tell you if you keep it between the three of us." Kjelle answered with a groan. "And Severa must never hear about this! She would never stop annoying me if she finds out."
"My lips are sealed my friend." Lucina said with a smile.
"I won't be telling anyone either." Robin saluted with his mug.
"All right then... when I first met Robin he was directing the Shepherds to protect me so I could avenge my master who trained me in the past. Everyone followed your orders without hesitation. You weren't the strongest fighter of the group but everyone trusted you to do the right thing and ensure that everyone stayed alive. After that I knew that I had to figure out why and that meant that I had to fight you, and gauge your skills."
"And that's when you ran up to me and challenged me on the spot." Robin commented.
"That's right, and I was so confident and sure that I could easily beat you." Kjelle said with a nod. "But all of my skill and strength meant nothing. You predicted my movements from a mile away, and you easily disarmed me. It made me feel angry, as angry as I was when Lucina first beat me. I couldn't accept that you defeated me so easily. You pointed out that I was relying on brute force. I was even angrier, and tried to mow you down. You saw right through that and beat me again, warning me that there would be opponents better than you that would see me coming a mile away if I didn't change my tactics. And I knew you were right."
"But what about Robin did you fall for?" Lucina asked. "You haven't gotten to that yet!"
"I'm getting there, let me finish my story!" Kjelle said in embarrassment. "Not long after that, I fought against one of the more experienced fighters amongst Valm's forces. She was a smart fighter, and strong too. If I hadn't paid attention to how I was fighting, and how she was fighting I might not of survived. And once you patched my arm up and I saw that you had taken me seriously this whole time. You respected me as a fighter, and you showed me how to better myself. And once I wasn't so angry with you, I saw it. I saw the things that lead other people to trust you. I realized that you were smart, skilled, and compassionate. You were gentle with your friends and teammates. That's when I started to care for you... and feelings of affection grew where I once felt anger. And that's why I wanted to date Robin. But I had to spar with him again, because I had to make sure that what I was beginning to feel was genuine... which it was. Does that satisfy your curiosity Lucina."
"It does indeed!" Lucina said with a beaming smile. "Who knew that you were capable of growing such a big heart underneath that armor of yours? You sure have grown lately."
"Urgh, I feel so damn mushy talking about this stuff!" Kjelle said, relieved that the tale was over. "But you won't distract me from the reason why we're talking. Did you have a think about breaking away from this army and striking out against Walhart as a part of an elite band of fighters? If we emulate King Marth, who was rumored to have formed an elite group of fighters to fight back evil, surely we can operate more efficiently than we are now."
"Well, I have given it a lot of thought." Lucina commented. "A small band would mean we'd be able to move quickly and effectively. And we'd be able to hide and pull off ambushes easily. But..."
"But what?" Kjelle asked
"I do not think that this is the right way to win this war." Lucina continued. "There are so many soldiers committed to our cause. They have just as much reason to fight for their freedom, and to help the people of Valm throw off the yoke of oppression. I cannot and will not leave them behind."
"I'm with Lucina on this one, for the reasons she spoke about and other reasons." Robin added thoughtfully. "We've been able to deal with Walhart's forces piecemeal so far, and we were lucky enough to not have to fight both Walhart and Yen'fay at the same time. But right now Walhart is holed up in his capital waiting for us. It's very likely that he will have amassed a large army to protect his castle walls. If we tried to take him on with a small band of fighters, it's likely that his superior numbers would overwhelm us, especially with his cavalry. If anyone was injured we wouldn't be able to protect them from the rest of Walhart's forces. We would very likely lose because attrition would wear us down to the point that we would be wiped out. Fighting with a small group could come in handy for fighting our way inside of Castle Valm, but not for the fight we are likely to get."
"I felt that I had the situation figured out, but it turns out I have a lot to learn still." Kjelle said with a sigh. "But that's why you're the tactician and not me."
"I'm sure that there are other ways that you can help out." Robin said helpfully. "If you're still worried about the condition of our soldiers why don't you offer extra training to anyone who wants it? I'm sure that with your help they'd become the best fighters that they can be."
"That's a great idea Robin! I'll train this sorry lot until they can meet my standards." Kjelle said enthusiastically.
"Excellent! I'm sure the others will be thrilled to have your help in training." Lucina added. "Everyone knows how thorough you are when it comes to exercise."
"I can keep training myself and we'll get a stronger fighting force at the same time, it's the perfect arrangement!"
"I can only hope that everyone will be able to keep up with you." Robin said gently.
"It's as Lucina has said to me, we're all equals. No exceptions, no special treatment! It's time these Shepherds were truly run through their paces!" Kjelle rambled. "I'll have to think of a solid and grueling training regimen. Thank you for giving me this idea Robin, I appreciate it! I'll get working on this right away and I'll see you later tonight!"
"Perhaps that wasn't such a good idea after all..." Lucina whispered as Kjelle walked off with an incredible amount of joy in her footsteps.
"No, I think that this is a good way to help Kjelle becoming more inclusive. She has talents that she can and should share with other people." Robin replied with a shake of his head.
"Still, I worry that she'll scare a few people off with her intensity."
"Then we'll make sure that won't happen. We'll help her understand that not everyone is capable of handling the punishment she puts herself through. That's what friends are for right?"
"Yes, I suppose you're right." Lucina admitted. "She keeps a strong grip on her thoughts, and she doesn't let a lot of people in past her guard."
"We're both lucky ones then." Robin said in agreement. "We were both able to get Kjelle to trust us. In my case despite how rocky we started out at first."
"And look at you two now. I was most surprised to hear the rumors that you and Kjelle were dating. It is something I didn't expect to happen given how wary we were about interfering with the past."
"Oh, are you surprised that I wanted to date someone from the future and not from my time?" Robin asked defensively. "I know that a few people weren't too happy by my choice of partner. Some have even accused me of taking advantage of Kjelle."
"Gods no, I would never accuse you of trying to take advantage of Kjelle. Forgive me." Lucina replied, her tone apologetic. "Before our future fell into ruin, all she was concerned with was becoming every bit the warrior her parents were. Most of the other girls our age were talking about dating boys and dressing up pretty. Kjelle however brushed it off and said it wasn't important compared to becoming the ultimate fighter. And when her parents died Kjelle hardened her heart further and became the knight most people know. But now you've become a big part of her life, and she's found her heart again under all of that armor. So thank you, for everything you've done to help my friend."
"You're welcome, I guess." Robin said, feeling a touch bashful at Lucina's compliment. "I didn't realize how much of an effect I had on Kjelle before she told me how she felt."
"You've had a greater effect on her than you could realize Robin. For a while you were all she could talk about. She kept saying that she couldn't believe that she lost to you and that she was going to beat you the next time she fought you. That changed once she came to me wearing that bandage on her arm that you patched up. She admitted that she was wrong about you and that she had learned a lot from sparring and fighting with you."
"Wow... that's really interesting to hear." Robin admitted. "When she first challenged me I found she was a little full on, very headstrong. I suppose she get's that from her father. But after the times we talked and fought together... she changed, and matured. I saw the depths of her dedication to bettering herself and to protect those that couldn't protect themselves. I guess I started to find that side to her to be rather charming... and attractive."
"Heh. hehehe. Hahaha!" Lucina burst out into a fit of giggling that could not be restrained.
"What's so funny?" Robin asked, as if someone had replaced Lucina with an imitation.
"Hearing this story from both you and Kjelle. It's so wonderful." Lucina said with a smile. "You two make the strangest pair. I was a bit worried about the... complications of a relationship across time, but I can't help but feel happy about it now that I've seen the effect you've had on each other. You've earned Kjelle's trust and friendship, and I believe you have earned mine as well. So... might I consider myself a friend of yours from now on?"
"It would be my honor Lucina. And you're Kjelle's best friend, so thank you for keeping her alive all this time. If it weren't for you I might not have met her at all."
"It's my pleasure."
Well that was fun to write up, I enjoyed writing a kind of friendship between robin, kjelle and lucina. And I have to give a big thank you to OkayDokey33 who pointed out that the first write up was a bit boring, and gave me my second wind to more properly flesh out this chapter. So I hope that those who read this chapter will enjoy the updated story! The next prompt will be prompt 25- Gazing into each other's eyes. Oh boy, that is going to be an interesting chapter to write up. See you in the next chapter.