Welcome back, everyone! I'll admit, I was really surprised by how many follows this story has received! You guys really know how to make a kid happy, you know that? Also, I'm glad that the reviewers seem to agree that yes, Nah is indeed best girl (I will fight all of you over this). Also of course Tiny-Nah isn't really named 'Little Miss', it's just easier to call her something different than to have two characters named 'Nah'. Anyway, without further ado, go ahead and enjoy the chapter!
(Also I may have chosen a bad time to actually publish this story given that 1. School is entering its final days for us seniors so we're super busy and 2. I'm the lead in the school play so I'm busy a lot. As such, expect the first couple of chapters to have slower updates, but once this is all over and done with this story should be getting updated much more frequently. Thank you for your patience, now please enjoy.)
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"No...No...No!" Nah threw her hands up in the air and growled in frustration. Dammit, why was it so hard to find a dress to wear?! Nah sighed and sat down on her the edge of her bed, frowning. 'This really sucks...' she thought, staring at her drawers in defeat. She had spent the last half hour digging through all her clothes, looking for something, anything nice to wear! She looked down at her white dress and red cape, wondering if that would be enough. She shook her head. No, it was too plain...Robin had seen her in this outfit thousands of times, and he'd probably see it a thousand more, she had to wear something more original.
She turned to Little Miss, who was busying herself with a teddy bear in the corner of the room. Nah smirked and shrugged, calling out to get the small child's attention. "What do you think, Little Miss?" she asked.
Little Miss stared at her older counterpart curiously, before she pointed her tiny fingers at Nah's dress, cooing.
Nah glanced down at her current wear, sighing. "But it's our first date!" she protested, placing her hands on her hips and leaning forward to address the toddler. "This is a major milestone, you know! I can't just go like this!"
Little Miss tilted her head, and after a few moments went back to playing with her teddy bear, opting to ignore the older manakete. Nah glared at Little Miss for a few moments, before slumping over and sighing loudly. "It's hopeless," she muttered. "Maybe I should just cancel..."
KNOCK KNOCK
"Nah?" her mother's voice called from the other side of her door. "Is everything alright? You've been up there for a reeeeeally long time!"
"Mother?" Nah walked towards her door and cracked it open, peeking out of the small crack. "Um...yes, everything's fine!"
Nowi puffed out her cheeks and reached out, flicking her daughter's forehead.
"Ow!"
"Nah, you do realize you can't tell a lie to a manakete, right?" she reminded Nah, forcing the door open and stepping inside like she owned the place...
...which...she technically did. No one was going to argue house ownership with a thousand-year-old dragon.
"Well..." Nah glanced away, coughing. "Um...Mother?"
"Hmm?" Nowi hummed, picking up Little Miss and walking towards Nah's bed, sitting down.
"Remember how the other day...you and Miss Lissa left me and Robin alone?" she asked.
Nowi nodded, and then smiled sheepishly. "Yeah...I hope that wasn't embarrassing for you."
Nah's cheeks flushed red. "It wouldn't have been if you two hadn't made it so obvious in the first place!" she squeaked. "You two are the exact opposite of subtle, I hope you know that!"
Nowi giggled and grinned innocently. "All that matters is the results, honey," she said matter-of-factly.
"W-Well..." Nah took a deep breath, and started playing with the bottom of her dress. Her cheeks were red and she glanced away. "Robin and I...we have a date tonight..."
"WHAT?!" Nowi gasped and jumped to her feet, throwing herself at her daughter and nearly knocking her over. "Nah, that's wonderful, I'm so happy for you!"
"You and Robin have a WHAT?!"
The two manaketes froze and slowly turned to the door, where Frederick was standing in full armor, his whole frame taking up the door's space.
"H-Honey!" Nowi cheered with a nervous chuckle. "You're back!"
Frederick had been in the capital for the past few days, having been summoned by the exalt to train more soldiers. There had been a sudden spike in bandit attacks as of late near the border of Plegia, and financially the kingdom of Ylisse has been suffering. As a result, soldiers were being underpaid, some were protesting and others were striking. The need for soldiers was rising but there were less and less recruits each time. The grays in Frederick's hair have begun to show. Though Plegia and Regna Ferox offered their own soldiers to make up for Ylisse's lack of them, there was only so much they could do. Chrom had left the previous day to hold a conference with Khan Flavia and the newly recrowned Gangrel, and he had insisted that instead of accompanying him, Frederick should instead return home to his family.
Although reluctant, Frederick had headed home as he was told, but instead of having his family welcome him back, he was greeted with a shocking reveal.
"Nah..." Frederick seethed, turning to his daughter with a strange look in his eye. "What...did you say about you and Robin?"
"He and I...have a date..." the half manakete squeaked out, barely audible as she hid behind her mother.
"Oh, leave her alone, you big bully!" Nowi chastised, stomping towards her husband. "Nah's an adult now, she's allowed to date whoever she wants!"
"Yes, but...Robin?!" Frederick continued to stare at Nah. "Why...Robin?"
"Because I like him?" Nah suggested, gaining some confidence. "That's...kinda why you date people, Father."
"He's too old for you, Nah!"
"We're both in our twenties now, Father!" Nah argued, stamping her foot. "Maybe during the war with Valm I was too young, but three years have passed! I've grown and Robin hasn't aged a day! I'm plenty old enough for him now!"
Frederick shook his head. "My poor daughter...Gods, where did the future me go wrong?" he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "I thought for sure I would've done a better job raising a child, why couldn't she fall for one of the young men she traveled back with? Why Robin?"
"Frederick..." Nowi growled. "You're supposed to be supportive of her!"
Frederick snapped back, and pointed a finger sternly at Nah. "I forbid you to go on a date with Robin."
"What?!" Nah and Nowi gasped at the same time.
"You can't!" Nowi protested.
"Honey, let the responsible parent deal with this, please..." Frederick sighed.
"Father, please!" Nah begged, clasping her hands together. "Don't do this!"
"I'm sorry, Nah, but this is for your own good," Frederick said, crossing his arms together.
Silence.
Nah stumbled back, her hand covering her mouth. "I can't believe you..." she whispered, unable to meet her father's eyes. "Is this...is this really just because of Robin? Do you hate him that much?"
"Of course not!" Frederick scoffed, shaking his head. "Robin is a brother in arms, we've faced hell together and came out the other side!" His eyes narrowed. "There's just simply no way, however, I will allow him to date you or any other of your friends from the future. It's unethical!" He jabbed a finger at Little Miss's direction. "He would technically be dating HER and that's just wrong!"
"Oh my gods!" Nah gasped, eyes widening. "Father...you pervert! How dare you say something like that?!"
"W-What?!" Frederick barked, face now red with embarrassment. "I'M the pervert?! What about Robin?! He's the one trying to date my daughter! MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER!"
"I'M AN ADULT NOW, FATHER!" Nah shot back. "I can date whoever I want!"
"Both of you shut up!" Nowi roared, silencing the two completely. The little manakete picked up Little Miss and dropped her in Nah's arms. "Nah, take care of mini-you for me, mmkay?" She turned to Frederick, a surprisingly stern look in her eyes. "And you," she hissed. "You, me, outside. NOW!"
Nowi's tone of voice made it clear that the great knight had no choice in the matter. Gulping, he nodded slowly. "Yes, dear..."
Nowi reached up and yanked at her husband's ear, causing him to cry out in surprise and pain. The manakete led him outside Nah's room, slamming the door behind her and leaving Nah with her younger counterpart.
"I wonder what they're talking about..." Nah muttered, sitting down on her bed. She looked down at the toddler in her arms and smiled. "You think Father's being stupid, don't you?" she asked. "I can date Robin if I want, who is he to stop me, right?"
"Da-Da!" Little Miss cheered, throwing her hands into the air.
Nah chuckled, but was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a high pitched scream coming from outside. She turned her head to her window, and set Little Miss down as she approached it. 'What the heck was that?' she thought. She peeked her head out of the window and glanced into the yard, her mouth soon dropping agape and her eyes bulging. "What the?!"
Her mother was in her manakete form, with Frederick half-way down her throat. The great knight was screaming at the top of his lungs, desperately clawing for freedom with little success.
"Are you ready to let her go on her date now?!" Nowi snarled, shaking her giant maw.
"Yes!" Frederick shrieked. "She can go on her date! Just let me go!"
The dragon spat out her husband, leaving to kiss the ground in gratitude. Nowi shifted back to her humanoid self, and caught Nah's eye, waving at her cheerfully. Nah couldn't help but smile and wave back, and she turned to Little Miss with new determination.
"Right," she said, nodding. "I have a dress to find!"
...
Frederick watched as Nah left the house to meet up with Robin, and he felt a pit in his stomach as his daughter disappeared from view. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. This was fine...everything was going to be fine...right? He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. No...of course it wasn't going to be fine! Nah and...Robin? The great knight shuddered when he thought about the two of them...Eating dinner, sight-seeing, buying each other gifts...Frederick groaned once more and banged his head against the wall, staring blankly down at the floor.
Truly, he had nothing against the recently revived tactician. Robin had proven himself to be a reliable and well-beloved member of the shepherds, and yes...He could admit that there were WORSE guys out there for Nah to date. Libra's son, Inigo, was a prime example of that. In truth, Robin was a standardly decent young man. Any woman would be lucky to have someone as strong and as caring as him, Frederick could agree.
There was just one problem.
That woman was his daughter, and he'd be damned if he'd allow himself to just sit by and let it happen.
"Are you still mad at me, Frederick?" his wife asked from behind him.
The wary knight turned around and shook his head. "Of course not," he answered, sighing.
Nowi smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "You know, she IS an adult now, at least in human years," she pointed out, "she can make her own decisions now, y'know that?"
"Of course I do," Frederick murmured, shaking his head. "Perhaps I am just acting silly...What could possibly go wrong, right? It's just a first date, after all, nothing ever happens on first dates." He chuckled and smiled softly. "My first date was plenty awkward."
"I bet all that seriousness scared the poor girl away," Nowi teased, sneaking closer to her husband.
Frederick coughed and looked away. "Of course not..." he weakly protested. "She just said she needed to use the restroom, that's all..."
Nowi snickered.
"Oh, that's enough out of you!" Frederick growled, lifting his wife up by her waist and pressing her back against his chest, using his fingers to tickle her. The poor manakete gave a high pitched squeal and tried to break free of her husband, but no such luck.
"F-F-Frederick!" she gasped between bouts of laughter. "Stop...STOOOOOOP! Let me g-g-oooOO!"
Frederick finally set his wife down, and then bowed. "You see?" he chuckled. "It wasn't my seriousness that was the problem."
"I guess you're right," Nowi hummed, before pecking her husband's lips. "It must have been everything else!"
Frederick tried to be upset, he really tried, but his wife's playful wink always had an effect on him.
He sighed. "I suppose I am being a bit hard on them," he admitted, shrugging. "Nah's her own woman, I can't be there for her forever."
"Neither of us can, silly," Nowi comforted, pulling her husband's head down and threading her fingers through his hair. "We just have to trust that she'll make the right decisions." She smiled and closed her eyes. "Robin's not a bad guy at all, he'll take good care of her. They'll fall in love, they'll get married, have lots and lots of children..."
Frederick blinked. "They'll...what?"
"I've always wanted to be a grandmother!" Nowi chirped, giggling. "Though, I think they'd both be too nervous to make any for a while."
"C-Children...?" Frederick repeated, eye twitching.
Nowi stared at her husband curiously. "Frederick?" she asked, tilting her head. "Are you okay?"
Frederick zoomed out of the house, leaving Nowi behind in his dust.
'I have to stop them!' Frederick roared internally. 'I have to preserve Nah's innocence!'
...
Nah tugged at the bottom of her dress nervously as she scanned the town square, waiting for Robin to arrive. In the end, she couldn't find a suitable 'dating' dress, so she simply went with her usual outfit. She hoped the tactician wouldn't mind, but when she thought about it, she never recalled Robin having anything fanciful in his wardrobe...Did he have anything other than that robe of his?
She glanced around, looking for any sign of Robin. Did he forget? Did he decide to ditch? Nah felt her breath grow quicker, and she tried to calm herself down. "You're being silly," she whispered to herself. "Robin wouldn't do that. He's too nice..."
'He'll come...' she told herself. 'He'll come...'
She moved to sit down on a bench and watched as the citizens of the town passed her by. Some stopped to give the half-manakete a quick greeting, but she didn't feel like returning any of them. She simply wanted Robin to hurry up and show. She began drumming her fingers against her knee impatiently, and she sighed deeply, chewing her lip absentmindedly.
"Nah!"
Nah's head perked up, and she turned to see Robin jogging towards her. As she suspected, he was wearing his usual robe. It made her feel a lot better about her choice of clothing. Breaking out a smile, she stood up and approached her date, taking the time to pull him into a huge. "It's good to see you," she told him.
"Sorry for running late," Robin apologized, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Chrom and Lissa were staying town for a bit, and they had me work on some paperwork for them..." He sighed and shook his head. "I'm not sure I got what it takes..."
Nah squeezed his arm reassuringly. "If anyone can do it, you can," she encouraged him. Latching herself onto his arm, she looked up at him curiously. "So...what now?" she asked, having no idea where they should go from here.
Robin froze, his eyes wide. "Um...good question."
Nah frowned. "You mean you didn't plan anything?" she asked him. "Aren't guys supposed to be prepared for that sort of thing?"
"I-In my defense," Robin stuttered, glancing away. "You were the one that asked me out!"
"Hmmm..." Well, she couldn't argue with that. Blushing lightly, Nah took a deep breath and shrugged. "Why don't we start with a walk and see how it goes from there?"
Robin smiled and nodded. "Okay, sounds good."
As the two headed off, they were completely unaware of the figure that followed them.
'Why is she clinging to him like that?' Frederick wondered as he hid behind a mobile shop, a hood covering his head. 'I see right through your games, Robin...think you can impregnate MY daughter?! I'll show you, you snake!'
"Um...sir?"
Frederick turned around and glared daggers at the shop vendor. "May I help you...?" he seethed.
"Well, it's just...You're standing there like you're stalking someone and it's scaring away my customers."
Frederick looked around him, and sure enough, most of the townsfolk were giving him strange looks, and there was even a child pointing a small finger at him and crying. The great knight felt his cheeks grow warm, and he muttered an apology before bolting away.
Nah giggled softly as Robin finished his joke, much to the tactician's relief. The two had been walking for a few minutes now, simply enjoying each other's company. Eventually, Robin stopped, and Nah stared up at him. "Robin?" she asked. "Is everything alright?"
Robin nodded and he slowly turned to his date, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Tell me, Nah," he began, "have you ever had bear meat?"
"Bear meat?" Nah repeated, tapping her chin. She shook her head. "I can't say that I have. Father doesn't like it that much, so we've never had it at home."
Robin pointed to a building they were standing by. It was a restaurant, nothing too special, Nah noted. It had a homely feel to it, like anyone was welcome there. There was a paper sign taped to the front wall, advertising the restaurant's special: a bear-meat steak. She had to admit, the thought of trying a new food made her mouth water, and she nodded eagerly. "I say we go there!" she chirped.
Robin chuckled. "I was hoping you'd say that." He stepped away from Nah and pulled open the door, bowing and gesturing to the entrance. "Milady," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Nah burst out laughing and shook her head. "You look like an idiot," she told him.
Robin deflated a little and pouted. "Ouch, okay then..."
Nah walked towards him and extended her arms, drawing him into a hug. "You're such a dork..." she murmured. "Never change that, okay?"
"Whatever the lady wants," Robin replied with a grin. "C'mon, let's head inside." The two walked inside the restaurant, still unaware of the man following them.
Frederick almost threw up as he read the sign on the wall. 'Bear meat?!' he thought, eyes wide. 'How could Nah betray me like this?'
He had hoped he would've raised her not to touch bear meat, but apparently, his future self was something of an idiot. Hopefully, Little Miss would grow up more proper, without the whole 'future apocalypse' thing to worry about. Frederick sighed and reluctantly entered the restaurant.
The hostess walked him to a table not far from Robin and Nah. In fact, he had a very clear view of them. They were sipping at their drinks, laughing together. Frederick hid his face behind the menu as he continued to observe him. The waitress brought them a basket of bread rolls, and the two thanked her kindly. Frederick's own basket arrived soon after, and he took a furious bite out of one of the rolls.
Suddenly, Nah said something that caused the tactician to blush, catching Frederick's attention.
"Are you ready to order, sir?"
"Shhhh!" the wary knight furiously shushed. The waitress stared at him curiously, before shrugging and walking away. Frederick grumbled to himself and continued to watch the two lovebirds.
Nah was holding up a roll and was encouraging Robin to take a bite. Robin was protesting, albeit pretty weakly, but eventually, he gave in and took a large bite. He chewed and swallowed before holding up one of his rolls for Nah to eat. Nah was much more dainty than her date, and she gently nibbled on the roll in Robin's hand.
Frederick choked on his own roll and quickly ducked his head behind the menu as the two glanced at his direction in confusion. 'What...what did I just witness?' he wondered.
They did look happy, though...
'Could it be...I'm the bad guy?' he briefly considered, before shaking his head. 'No, it's the children who are wrong! That's what parenting is!'
With this thought in mind, he continued to watch the young couple in silence, all the way until the date was over.
...
"Ahhh~" Nah sighed in delight, rubbing her belly in satisfaction. "I never knew bear meat could taste so good!"
"I know, right?" Robin grinned. He then coughed and glanced away as they walked towards the half manakete's house. "You know...I could cook it for you sometime," he offered.
Nah stared up at Robin, a small, kind smile tugging at her lips. "I'd like that," she murmured, leaning against the tactician. She clung to his arm softly, enjoying the slight scent of cologne he wore. 'Like a forest,' she thought. 'Very earthy...I like it.'
The two walked in relative silence until at last, they stood in front of Nah's house. The two pulled away and stared at each other.
"I'm glad we got to do this..." Robin said, sighing. "Tomorrow I'll be heading back to the capital with Lissa...Chrom is away on a meeting with the other kingdoms with Sully, so Lissa and I will be heading back to keep things under wraps until they come back."
"I'll miss you..." Nah said. "You'll be so far away."
Robin smiled gently and rested a hand on Nah's shoulder. "It's only a day's walk away, we can still visit each other."
"I know, but..." Nah took a deep breath. "Robin...are we...boyfriend and girlfriend?"
Robin froze, his eyes wide. "Uh..." He coughed. "I wouldn't mind...if that's what you wanted..."
"I do want it..." Nah's entire face was beet red, and she couldn't meet the handsome man's eyes. "I...I want it more than anything..."
"Then...let me do the honors." Robin took a deep breath and got down on one knee, taking Nah's hand in his own. "Nah...would you be my girlfriend?"
Those words almost caused her to cry...in fact...Nah noticed the tears beginning to stream down her face, and she nodded eagerly. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "Yes, I will!"
The two hugged each other tightly, enjoying their company. Finally, Robin broke the silence with an awkward cough. "Should we...should we...y'know...kiss?"
Once again Nah's face was beet red, but she nodded slowly. "I'd like that..." she squeaked.
The two pulled away and faced each other, both breathing heavily. Finally, Nah began to lean in, standing on her tip-toes to reach Robin's height. Robin, in turn, lowered himself, and the two locked eyes as their lips made the briefest of contact before they jerked away, chuckling awkwardly.
"G-Goodnight, Robin," Nah said, smiling and entering her house. "I can't wait to see you again."
"Same here," Robin breathed. He waved goodbye as Nah shut the door, and the moment he turned around he was face to dace with a familiar great knight.
"You...You have a lot of explaining to do, Robin." Frederick growled, eyes blazing.
'Oh...shit.' Robin gulped.
...
Welp, all good things must come to an end LOL! Don't forget to review! And remember, stay wykkyd!