To be entirely honest, I was expecting a bigger upset when the four of us revealed our sudden change of heart. The royal wedding was a massive affair, meant to reaffirm the future of Ylisse after the Exalt's untimely demise. Rumours had spread about the wife Chrom would choose like wildfire, regardless of plausibility - my personal favourite was that I was secretly a woman who had used my front as the army's tactician as a way to woo the good prince.
The only people who knew for certain about Chrom's initial decision were the Shepherds and most of the royal staff, and it was remarkably straightforward to gather them all together. We invited all the Shepherds who stayed within Ylisse after the war to reunite for a banquet at the palace, to celebrate the prince's upcoming wedding. Naturally, we didn't specify who he was marrying, so Sumia received a lot of unwarranted goodwill. Gregor sent Cordelia a 'Condolences' letter in gloriously broken Ylissean, which provided endless entertainment for the four of us.
It's a pleasant spring evening, warm and fragrant with freshly bloomed flowers. Some of us had made an attempt at dressing for the occasion, but quite a few Shepherds haven't bothered; Vaike put on a shirt, at least, while Nowi's found a darling little Naga-themed dress somewhere in the city. Anna, the perpetual spendthrift, came in her usual outfit. Others, like Sully and Frederick, chose dress uniforms, while Lissa's dazzling her suit-clad spouse with a cheery saffron sun dress.
Tharja's back in Plegia, which I couldn't be more thankful for. She'd probably take Cordelia wedding Chrom as an opportunity to get at me. I notice Gaius gesturing to me, and I walk over, the flickering robes of a Grandmaster all the formal dress I need. "Bubbles," he whispers, his panicked tone at odds with my bizarre nickname. "Man am I glad to see you."
"What's the problem, Gaius?" I ask back, a little confused by his unusually downcast mood. He was unflappable back in the Shepherds, as long as he had his sweets. My mind races with the potential bad news he might bear.
"Sunshine's gone and replaced you with me, that's the problem," he replies, and I start at the thought. Tharja's obsession with me has gone? I'd be thankful, if it didn't put Gaius in the exact same situation. "She keeps trying to drag me into Plegia. She threatened to kill all my taste buds if I didn't come with her. How do I deal with the crazy sorceress?" he pleads.
I rub my chin in contemplation. "Find a woman to hide behind," I answer, as if it's sage advice for the ages. "It worked for me."
He cringes. "Brilliant." Slipping away like the practised thief he is, I find myself alone once more. Chrom and Cordelia won't be here for a few more minutes, and Sumia is nowhere to be found. I decide to head out of the dining hall and into the gardens for some peace and quiet.
My peace and quiet doesn't last, not with a drunk Ricken - who gave him alcohol!? - having a very loud conversation with Maribelle about their noble houses. I groan and head back indoors at that. I manage to find a seat away from the food and drink, and Sumia joins me.
We share a smile. We share a drink. We share another, and before I know it, Lon'qu has pulled me out of a deep kiss with a scowl etched on his face. "You've had far too much to drink," he angrily spits in defense of his supposed sister-in-law.
"What are you thinking!?" Lissa demands, causing Sumia to giggle, her cheeks rosy red. "You're getting married and you go and do…do…this!?"
"I am getting married," she declares happily, "yes. I am."
"Then why are you kissing Charlie?"
Sumia's latest round of giggles is infectious. When I start laughing as well, Lon'qu slaps me across the face. "Snap out of it!" he growls.
Of course, Chrom walks in to see his sister and brother-in-law berating and beating up two of his best friends. His exasperated sigh captures everyone's attention, and when he brings Cordelia in, hand in hand, you could hear a pin drop. Slowly, deliberately, they share a kiss of their own.
Lissa and Lon'qu exchange glances, slowly stand up straight and back away, then turn around and pretend absolutely nothing had just happened. I take Sumia's hand again, and we stand up (albeit a little unsteadily).
"To the new queen of Ylisse!" I declare in my best voice of authority, raising my glass. "Cordelia!"
The Shepherds heartily approve.
0o0o0
Naturally, pleasing the Shepherds alone isn't enough. A potential bride has to meet the approval of the royal council, even if the councillors are more than happy to accept anybody Chrom chooses. Sumia and I stand in a private balcony over the council chambers, both of us trying to avoid attracting too much attention despite our privileged positions. A modest crowd of curious citizens has been allowed access to the chambers for this momentous occasion, the guards standing relaxed but ready. Chrom's impatiently waiting for the council to finish their oaths to the gods, but he hides it well.
"Gentlemen and ladies of the royal council," he begins once the formalities have ended. He's as direct to the point as ever. "It is my duty and pleasure to introduce my chosen bride to you all; Cordelia Catriona, Shepherd and interim Captain of the Pegasus Knights."
She enters the room with a slow, purposeful grace, wearing her dress uniform in its usual immaculate condition. A ceremonial lance, far too ornate and heavy to ever wield, rests on her back, its colours perfectly coordinated with her armour. There's only the slightest traces of makeup on her face, and her hair is unadorned bar the usual wing-clip above her left ear. This is not a meek maiden who will do nothing but breed Chrom's heirs, but she radiates beauty and refinement nonetheless.
I smile at the newfound confidence and poise she displays, squeezing Sumia's hand in mine as we watch her approach the 'throne'. It's far too decorative a word; the Exalt's seat of power is no higher than the rest of the room, and has only the slightest embellishments to distinguish it from the council's. The true glory of the Exalted bloodline is in its inheritors, not trinkets and baubles, and both Chrom and Cordelia exemplify that magnificently.
She stands to his side, not taking the seat adjacent to her prince's just yet. I've read of particularly arrogant suitors of the bloodline sitting down before the council's decision, and it was the one surefire way to be rejected by the council; hubris is not an attractive trait in a potential Exalt.
There's some faint mutterings from the two dozen or so officials who are judging her, but the majority seem pleased. A quiet internal discussion begins and ends with unusual haste from the bureaucrats, and one of them stands up to represent the apparently-unanimous agreement.
"Lord Chrom," he says in his reedy, overly formal voice. "The council approves of your decision. Gods bless your marriage."
A polite but energetic cheer rises from the common people below, and Sumia lays her head on my shoulder as we share a glance and a smile at the happy moment. The guards quell it soon enough, though a pleased hubbub of conversation continues. The other balconies share our sentiments - Lissa is grinning broadly, though she's as silent as her husband, knowing what happened the last time she got too vocal during a council meeting. Sully manages to limit her response to loud clapping, and Stahl's enthusiasm for the royal couple is definitely above average.
Down below, Vaike is trying to keep the crowd going, but I spot a flash of orange hair and I supress a sigh at yet another successful con job by the duo of 'The Vaike' and 'Sticky-Fingers Gaius'. "One day, those two will be married, and the world will be safe again," I comment quietly, earning a snort from my own future wife.
"I pity the woman who thinks she can handle 'the Vaike'," she replied.
0o0o0
Sumia and I had a quiet little ceremony with the other Shepherds a few weeks before the royal wedding. Honestly, it felt so right to be married that neither of us really felt a grand event was needed. Gaius was the best man and Sully the 'best woman' - to quote her, "there's no damn way you're getting me in a dress, not even for Sumia!"
My wife, on the other hand… If her dress (almost the entire ceremony, in truth) hadn't been paid for by the Shepherds, I probably would have been left destitute. She may not have wanted an ostentatious wedding, but she still wanted to dress for the occasion. I caved into wearing a proper suit rather than my robes; Vaike was making whip-crack noises for days.
The rings were a simpler affair; silver bands, inscribed with the image of a pegasus and the phrase 'Deus Fugam'. As I slipped hers on, I'm proud to admit, I cried. Sumia wasn't so reserved and shed tears of joy for most of the day.
Libra officiated for us, though some political manoeuvring had precluded him doing the same for the royal couple. He doesn't seem to mind being snubbed by the nobility in favour of some 'appropriately birthed' priest, but I digress.
Chrom and Cordelia attended covertly, of course. The news of their upcoming wedding had spread just as fast as the false rumours surrounding it, so while we did want them by our sides when we wed, we also didn't want the inevitable crowd of strangers who would be attracted by their public presence.
The details of our wedding night are mine and Sumia's alone, unless we decide to disgust our future children with the details of their parents' union, many years from now. Suffice it to say neither of us had any idea what we were doing, and that made it all the sweeter.
0o0o0
Michalis snorts good-naturedly as I approach, Sumia on his back as she gets to grips with riding the black pegasus. "Good morning," I call out, taking a seat on the lush hillside where she's practicing. There's barely a cloud in the sky, and I believe it won't be long before my wife is confident enough to take her mount to the air.
"Good morning!" she calls back, subtly leaning to stay in the saddle. He wasn't easy to break in, but Sumia's natural talent with animals proved just as useful here as it did with her first pegasus. For now, she's ground-bound, not wanting to risk injuring herself or Michalis.
I draw out my spellbook, flicking through it for the spell I need. I begin summoning twisters of elemental magic, letting them lazily spiral towards the winged horse. This is a regular part of our training; the air magic is strong enough to cause him some pain, but too weak to leave lasting harm. I get to practice my hand at some less traditional magic, Sumia gets a better feel for guiding her mount, and Michalis himself improves his evasiveness.
He effortlessly weaves through my first set of whirlwinds, so the next set is a veritable barrage of miniature tornados. Sumia yelps a little as he leaps over a low, wide-set gust, spreading his wings to stay aloft just a moment longer. I supress a mischievous grin; I've been trying to get him airborne for a while now, and this is the first time I've managed it with Sumia on his back.
She scowls in mock anger at me when they return to the ground, and I let up a little on the magical obstacle course. "I was going to get him in the air eventually," she says.
"I know that, dear," I reply. "I'm just trying to help." After one last gauntlet, I put my spellbook away, and Michalis nickers in delight at another successful run. When Sumia draws out her own, though, I can see him almost shrivel in fear, and I barely stop myself from laughing at the reaction. I shouldn't laugh; my wife is trying so hard to improve, and the last thing she needs is me mocking her, even by proxy.
Brow furrowed in concentration, she manages to produce a fairly stable Fire spell. It's small, and it fades away into the air only a short distance away, but in fairness, she is casting it from the back of a mount she's still unfamiliar with riding. I nod my approval, and her sweet smile fills me with contentment.
0o0o0
A/N:
Thanks for reading! Please, leave a review if you have anything to say.
I have no idea why I decided to write three ongoing stories right when I'm entering university. It's probably because I'm an idiot. Unfortunately, Fate-Crossed Lovers is the most drabble-y of the three, so it's going to see less attention than the others.
Next chapter (whenever it comes) will focus more on Chrom and Cordelia, since this one was pretty Avatar/Sumia centric. Hope to see you soon.
Ungulateman