DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fire Emblem, nor do I own the characters in Fire Emblem. I do, however, own any characters I create for the purpose of this story.

When Swords Cross

CHAPTER SEVEN

The next day, the council attempted to meet once again without notifying any of the dukes. In response, Celice acted upon Nanna's suggestion and dissolved the council, letting them know that he would not hold a single council unless the prime minister and at least half the dukes–or people they trusted enough to represent them–were present. They protested at first and tried to override him, but Celice did an excellent job in asserting himself and reminded them that he was the king and that Grandbell was a monarchy, not an oligarchy.

However, there was one thing that the council had done that Celice could not undo, which is why a week later he found himself in his bedroom, changing his clothes. After a few minutes of rummaging, Celice decided on an outfit that was a variation of the Holy Knight dress uniform. It was a white outfit with gold and black trim, black cuffs, and black boots. It differed from the standard Holy Knight uniform in that it lacked chest armor. Instead, attached to the right shoulder was a half-cape that extended to roughly two inches above the floor. On a typical Holy Knight dress uniform, this cape would have been black; however, on Celice's, this cape was gold. After he picked it out, he spent a few minutes putting the uniform on, then when he had it on, he attached the scabbard that held Tyrfing to his belt. He then looked in the mirror and turned to each side once. When he turned to his left, he paused. The cape fell from his shoulder in a manner that resembled a gold waterfall that stopped two inches above the floor. Satisfied with the way he looked, Celice walked out of his room and found Julia standing outside the room.

"You like that outfit, don't you?" Julia commented. She herself was dressed in a modest silver dress that matched her hair color.

"I could say the same to you, dear sister," Celice replied. "Are you ready?"

"I wouldn't be standing here if I wasn't," Julia said. "In fact, I was ready before you were."

"Well, you had a head start," Celice responded. "Anyway, let's go. Our guests await."

-7-

"Presenting King Celice and Princess Julia!" a voice boomed from within the ballroom. Celice resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he and Julia entered. He was never fond of being the center of attention. He and Julia took their seats at the head of the table closest to the front of the room. Around him sat the other dukes. Oifaye, Lester, Johan, and Arthur wore similar outfits to Celice's, though their capes' colors were different–Oifaye's was blue, Lester's was yellow, Johan's was brown, and Arthur's was red. Tinny wore a purple dress of the same design as Julia's, and Corple wore a traditional high priest's garments.

Celice smiled at his friends. "Am I glad I'm seated with you as opposed to the rest of the council, like last time. Maybe this won't be so bad after all." He then noticed that one seat was empty. "Wait a second. Who is sitting in the empty seat?"

Oifaye, who sat next to the king, looked across the table. "That seat is reserved for Nanna. Where could she be?" Almost as if on cue, the same voice that introduced Celice and Julia boomed, "Princess Nanna of Nodion!"

Celice turned toward the double doors at the back of the ballroom and was rendered speechless by what he saw. Nanna was wearing a powder-blue dress that fell to her feet and exposed her shoulders and collarbones. She wore earrings that contained pearls, a necklace with an emerald in it, and purple-tinted gloves that extended past her elbows. Every now and then Celice could catch a glimpse of silver high-heeled shoes on her feet. She casually made her way to the table at the front of the ballroom and sat in the empty chair. "Hello, everyone," she said.

Celice struggled to find his voice. "W-welcome, Nanna. It was nice of you to join us." He then winced as he felt something hit his shin. Julia had kicked him. "Uh, you look great tonight, Nanna."

"Thank you," Nanna said, with a smile.

Celice turned to Oifaye. "What's on the itinerary?" he asked.

"Well, first we eat dinner," Oifaye began. "After that, you will take the floor and talk to the girls that the council has assembled for you to meet. You will then dismiss the girls you found to be least desirable." At this, Celice's eyes lit up. Oifaye frowned. "No, you're not allowed to dismiss all of them. No more than half." Celice's face fell, his loophole having been crushed. "After that, you must dance for at least one song with each girl."

Celice sighed. "Just how many girls are there this time?" he asked.

"Twelve," Oifaye replied.

"Well, that's better than past events," Celice remarked, looking depressed nonetheless.

"How many have there been at previous events?" Nanna asked.

"There were thirty at the last one," Corple answered. Celice looked down at his plate and turned red.

"That was a miserable time," Lester added.

"We were up until two o'clock in the morning because the councilors wanted His Majesty to dance with every girl," Johan commented.

"And council meetings were suspended for a week afterward, because the combination of the constant dancing and staying up late weakened Celice and left him open to illness," Julia said. "He also had his feet in ice for a while, because all thirty girls were bad dancers."

Celice continued to stare a hole in his dinner plate, his face as red as the cape on Arthur's shoulder. Nanna watched him from across the table and realized just how bad it had been for the king. Celice looked up at Oifaye, and asked, "Is that all?"

"I'm afraid not," Oifaye replied. "You must choose among the girls you dance with one to live in the royal palace and to pose with for a picture."

"Well, this won't work, because Nanna is in the guest bedroom," Celice replied.

"They considered that, Your Majesty," Oifaye responded. "Nanna is to switch places with one of the girls."

Slowly, anger began to build within Celice. So, they're trying to pawn one of their daughters off on me for prestige, and take the opportunity to have Nanna in their residence. And it's too late for me to call off the whole thing. What am I going to do . . . ? At that point, dinner was served, and Celice ate, brainstorming the whole time.

-7-

Two hours later, Celice began to feel fatigued. He had just spent a few minutes speaking with each girl, and was on the twelfth, who was talking at that very moment.

"This bracelet is just simply gorgeous, isn't it? Of course it is, since it's the most expensive available. I only buy the most exquisite and expensive clothing and jewelry. Anything else is simply beneath me. I'm sure you can identify, being the king and all. You should be no stranger to the best, the most expensive."

"Uh . . . right," Celice said. However, his train of thought was completely different. By god, if she becomes queen, she'll bankrupt the kingdom with her prodigal tendencies! She's definitely out of the question. "Well, I think our time is up. It was nice to talk to you." As long as I don't have to do so in the foreseeable future.

As the girl approached her seat, Celice stood up. "Well, I suppose it's time for me to eliminate six girls," he said.

"Your Majesty, you need not eliminate so many," one councilor spoke up.

"Sorry, councilor, but I'm afraid I will have to," Celice replied, a hint of defiance showing in his voice. "And I'm within my rights to do so, under the rules you spelled out." He then turned to the girls. "The following girls will be able to dance with me . . ." He then recited a list of names. He watched as the girls failed to conceal their emotions; half of the girls practically jumped for joy, and the other half almost burst into tears. Inwardly, Celice sighed. He hoped that these girls were not as bad dancers as the first group had been.

-7-

Unfortunately for Celice, those hopes turned out to be in vain. By the time he finished dancing with the sixth girl, his feet were sore, as were other parts of his body from where girls grabbed him to maintain balance. He ambled over to his seat. He had ten minutes before he had to decide on a girl, but Celice began to despair. He disliked all six of the potential girls. A feeling of hopelessness welled up in him, and he had to fight back tears.

On the floor, other people were dancing. Celice noticed Johan dancing with Tinny, and saw one of the girls that Celice had eliminated in the first round dancing with another young man. He turned away; he could no longer bear to watch any dancing. Suddenly, someone grabbed Celice's hand and hauled him to his feet.

"Would you please dance with me, Celice?" Nanna asked as the king turned toward her.

"Why?" Celice asked, and noticed that Nanna had a determined look about her.

"Watching those other girls dance was as painful to watch as it was to actually dance," Nanna replied. "Someone needs to show them how it's done."

Celice looked down. "Sorry, but I'm really not in the mood."

"I seem to recall you saying you owed me a favor," Nanna replied. "Well, I'm cashing it in right now." Reluctantly, Celice let her lead him onto the dance floor. She then wrapped his left hand around her waist, wrapped her right arm around his shoulder, and took his right hand in her left. The band began to play a slow, romantic song, and the two danced in a slow circle.

As they danced, Celice let the worries of the decision the council had placed on him go and instead focused on his dancing with Nanna. He could feel her chest pressed up against him, and felt the smooth silkiness of her dress beneath his left hand. "I like your dress," he said softly. "The color goes well with your eyes."

"Thank you," Nanna replied softly. "You also look good tonight."

Celice blushed. "You think so?"

"Yes," Nanna responded. "Your uniform makes you look very dashing. Like the prince in those fairy tales we all hear as children."

Celice's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red at the compliment. He looked across the floor and to the table where the dukes had been seated. He saw Corple fidgeting with the hem on his robes, Lester and Arthur engaged in conversation, and Oifaye watching Celice dance. When he caught Oifaye's eye, the older man nodded at him. On the dance floor, Johan and Julia were dancing. Upon seeing him, Julia burst into giggles and Johan gave Celice a thumbs-up. Celice gave them a sheepish grin in response. He then turned his head to the side and found his face semi-buried in Nanna's hair. It felt remarkably soft to the touch.

In what seemed like less than a minute, the song ended, and Celice and Nanna broke apart. "It's just as I thought," she said, smiling. "Those other girls were pulling you down. You're a wonderful dancer."

Celice, his cheeks still tinged with red, smiled back. "Thank you. I enjoyed that."

-7-

"Now, His Majesty the king will decide on which girl will be staying with him in the castle," the chief councilor announced. "Your Majesty, if you please."

Celice took a deep breath and stood up. He looked around at the other people at his table, wondering what he could do to get out of this situation. His eyes then rested on Nanna. Sorry, Nanna. And thank you for that last dance. Then, an idea hit Celice. Of course! Why didn't I think of it before? A smile formed on his face as he looked out at the crowd.

"Thank you, Chief Councilor. As you all know, I had to choose one of the girls with whom I danced to stay here, in the royal palace, and I am pleased to inform you that I have come to a decision." He took a deep breath, then spoke. "The girl who will be staying with myself and Princess Julia in the royal palace is, in truth, already my guest in the royal palace. Princess Nanna of Nodion, I ask you to stand before me."

A cold silence gripped the room as Nanna rose from her seat and stood before Celice. "Princess Nanna, would you be my guest in the Royal Palace of Barhara?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Nanna answered.

"Just one moment, Your Majesty!" the chief councilor exclaimed.

"There's nothing wrong, Chief Councilor," Celice replied. "The rules stated that I had to pick one girl from among the girls with whom I danced. I danced with Nanna, so I have the right to choose her. Just because it's not the result you want doesn't make it any less valid." The chief councilor's face flushed, presumably with anger, but he took his seat.

-7-

A few hours later, Celice took a seat on his bed and let his eyes fall on his wardrobe closet. A uniform similar to the one he wore at the ball caught his eye. Nanna told me I looked like a prince out of a fairy tale in that uniform, he thought. The type of prince every girl hopes to have come into her life and whisk her away to live happily ever after. He then shook his head, wondering why his train of thought was going down that path. He then focused on the gold cape that hung from the jacket's right shoulder. Gold. It looks just like Nanna's hair. Such soft hair . . . He shook his head again. What is wrong with me? He looked in the mirror and studied his features–primarily his blue hair. Hmm, yes, Nanna wore a blue dress tonight. It complemented her eyes, I told her . . . What in the name of Saint Heim is going on with me? I can't seem to get Nanna out of my head! He then thought of how Nanna dressed that night and how it looked on her. His initial reaction had been to wonder how any human could possibly look so stunning. Her dress had fit her form perfectly, and she just seemed to glow with radiance. She even smelled wonderful, thanks to whatever perfume it was that she had been wearing. His thoughts then focused on her personality. She was kind, thoughtful, supportive, and assertive. She made Celice feel comfortable and at ease whenever she was around.

Finally, he came to the inevitable conclusion. He, Celice Baldos Chalphy, was in love.