Chapter 4: Slow Down
He just didn't know what to think of her anymore. Any normal man in his eyes would have given up by this point. They would have screamed or shouted, they would have lost their temper, their patience would have snapped, he thought. But not him. For some reason, his notions allowed his patience to persevere, and day by day, the dreaded thoughts of romance that plagued him through the nights had become easier and easier to deal with. Sitting by the table within the barracks, staring at the swords propped up against the wall, he contemplated where he thought his relationship with her was going.
He really liked her. Brady and Nah. What an odd pair to see together, he thought. She didn't seem to annoy him so much anymore, even when she was following him around constantly. She wasn't a nuisance. Strangely, he felt as if she were becoming a part of him by being at his side, with or without his compliance. Nah would still constantly follow him, and on occasion she would ask a question or two, to which Brady would reply in his usual, dry manner. It was so strange how neither of them had given up on each other by now.
He studied the sharp edges of the swords. Brady knew himself that he had never been involved with anybody outside of his family so deeply before. Despite living in the past, he knew his own past well. A recluse. Enjoying the company of very few people. Never socializing with women. A failure at academics. A priest by chance.
However now, he suddenly felt somewhat invigorated. The only choices he ever had to make were made for him, which was why a person like him became a priest. For once, he now had the decision in his own hands. What was he going to do with Nah? Were they to remain friends? Or did he dare to venture beyond friendship for the first time in his life? He knew for a fact that human-manakete relationships weren't a taboo of any kind: Nah's mother, Nowi, ended up marrying a human herself, although Brady had never taken the time to find out who it was she married.
There were still things that Brady had to get over about Nah. Her naivety was a problem, added to the fact that the points Brady made seemed to go straight over her head. However, he found something strangely cute about that. In addition, he found her to be strangely attractive; he shuddered to think of anything romantic, but then again, he shuddered at any thought of romance with anyone. It was a fear he had to conquer.
Before Brady had any time to continue pondering his decision, the wooden door to the room opened. Brady looked up and felt his heart pound harder as Nah revealed herself at the other side of the door, walking in. With a bright smile, she strolled up to Brady and bowed slightly to him as he remained seated.
"So, where are we headed today, Brady?" she asked suddenly, without as much as a hello. In his usual fashion, Brady raised his eyebrow, now having to look up to Nah due to his seated position.
"We ain't headed anywhere" Brady answered, his mind still wracked with his conflicting thoughts. "Were you really planning on following me around all day?" Nah's face lit up with a smile, displaying her teeth once again.
"Well, of course!" she replied. Brady chuckled a little, he almost admired her staunch decisions. She didn't seem to care what he thought, but she made it seem so sweet and innocent. It was almost endearing. However, Brady knew that there was a line he had to draw; it was the only way he could clearly communicate with her.
"You don't think that's going a little far?" he asked, standing up from his seat and walking towards the swords. "Already told ya I release you from any debt you think you owe and all that malarkey" He heard Nah giggling in response, prompting him to turn around. Brady saw her controlling her giggling with a hand.
"Don't be silly" she spoke, lowering her hand. "That's not why at all! It's only natural we should be together. We're a couple"
"A couple of what?" Brady asked quickly.
It hit him. A couple. All the thoughts he had been contemplating, and once again, Nah had just come out and said it, right in front of him. The girl had no fear, he thought. Suddenly realizing that his composure was starting to crumble, he tried to maneuver his next words to flow with his offhand comment. "Er, and since when?" Brady couldn't stop himself from blushing at this point. "Damn it, why'd she go and say that?" he thought.
Nah's smile diminished slightly as she begun her explanation.
"Well, we spend all this time together, but you say we're not siblings" she explained, stepping closer to Brady. Brady decided not to step back; he wasn't ready for this conversation.
"Cause we ain't!" he parried quickly. "And what kind of crazy jump gets ya from there to bein' 'a couple'?" He moved his hands from his left to his right to illustrate his jump.
"Haven't you felt all the envious looks around camp?" Nah asked, gesturing to outside of the barracks. "The others can't help but long for the passion we share!" As Nah stepped closer to Brady, the images of the looks he had been getting flooded into Brady's head. Many of them were clicking onto the fact that the two were spending so much time together, and the looks were ones that discomforted Brady to no end.
"Gah!" he yelped as Nah approached him. "Is that why everybody's been leering at me everywhere I go?"
"They are NOT leering!" Nah scolded, stamping the floor, her mood swinging again. The anger quickly faded as Nah suddenly took Brady's hands into her own. "They're celebrating our beautiful union!"
Brady couldn't handle the pressure. Pulling his hands away, he moved away from Nah and scratched his neck, hot and itchy from the closeness he had to endure.
"Ugh, I feel like I'm losing my mind here!" he grunted to himself as he walked away. He took a deep breath, trying to retain his composure. No more, he thought. Decision time. Turning around, he looked Nah right in the eyes.
"There IS no beautiful union!" he shouted, causing Nah to retreat in fear. "And we ain't a we!"
There was a silence between the two as Brady heard his voice quickly echo through the room. He cursed himself silently as he looked at the open window; anybody could have heard that, he thought. Slowly, a tear started to form in Nah's eyes as sadness started to take over her body.
"…You don't have to shout" she whimpered, closing her eyes. The tear trickled down her cheek; Brady started to feel an extreme guilt coming over him as he saw what he had done. He took a step forward, but Nah stepped away from him, looking up to him. Her eyes were glistening with her tears.
"Do you really hate me that much?" she asked, unusually calm. Brady knew he had to correct his mistake; he didn't hate her at all.
"I never said that!" Brady said, his voice laced with exasperation. The impulse to give Nah a hug prompted Brady to take a step towards her, opening his arms out.
Suddenly, a great big smile appeared on Nah's face as she looked right up at Brady, surprising him.
"Then let's get married!" she said excitedly, her eyes still red from her tears. Brady gasped. He felt like rubbing his ears to see if he'd heard her correctly. Marriage? Already?
"Slow down, would ya!" Brady protested, stepping back as Nah stepped forward towards him, her eyes suddenly filling with love. It was as if she were possessed. "I need a little time to think here!"
As soon as he spoke, her trance ended, and her body contorted in sadness once again.
"You're divorcing me?" she asked sadly. Brady felt the assault of choices tearing him down to size. He felt like screaming.
"SLOW DOWN!" he yelled, almost in fear. But Nah started to cry again, rubbing her eyes with her hands. Brady put his hands to his head, about to crack. "*sniff*…Used up and cast aside" she spoke quietly. "Who will love poor Nah now?"
Desperate not to enter the realms of absurdity, Brady attempted to clear up the situation once again. It was like trying to sweep dust in the midst of a hurricane.
"Nobody used up anybody!" Brady explained, opening his arms out in vexation. "Quit sayin' stuff that gives people funny ideas!" Brady noticed that his voice was cracking from over-exertion; he sounded far weaker than he had before. But despite his efforts, Nah confused him even more by perking up suddenly.
"Oh! Remarriage, then?" she asked.
The whole mini soap opera was too much for Brady to take. Exhausted from arguing, he slumped against the wall next to the swords and slid to the floor, his bottom hitting the dusty stone floor. Nah gasped and jumped to his side, kneeling down and wrapping her arms around his waist. Brady would have attempted to escape, but he felt too tired to bother. He considered himself defeated in their exchange. Brady would allow her to have her way with him for now.
"I have the worst headache of my life right now…" he groaned, rubbing his head. He felt Nah rest her head against his chest, looking up at him. It felt nice, he thought.
"Don't overexert yourself, Brady!" she pleaded, repositioning herself comfortably on Brady's lap. "You're in no condition to whether needless stress. Please, I'm too young to be a widow!" She placed her hand around Brady's cheek, stroking it. Brady was still too exhausted to try and retaliate. Defeated, he felt unusually brave as he looked right into Nah's eyes, their faces very close to each other.
"Just…can I have a minute here?" he pleaded quietly. "A quiet one?" He furrowed his brow to look weak, praying that Nah had an ounce of mercy in her to leave him be. After what he'd been through, his mind was setting on a decision, but he desperately needed the minute just to be sure.
But Brady saw it coming. No mercy, he thought, as Nah took a breath to continue talking.
"Don't worry, darling" she said sweetly, placing her hand back down by his waist, now sitting on his legs. She was strangely light, and left very little strain on Brady's circulation. "If it comes to that, I'll use a dragonstone to transfer my own life force to you"
"…Is that a thing?" Brady asked, hushing his voice. Feeling brave, he placed one hand upon Nah's waist. "I didn't know you could do that" Nah rested her head against Brady's chest again, still holding onto him.
"I've never tried it myself, but I heard my mother talk about it. She said it was the stone's true power…probably?" she pondered. She could feel Brady's chest pulse as he chuckled quietly.
"What was she, guessing?" he said sarcastically.
"Even if she were, I'll make it work" Nah declared, lifting her head and looking back at Brady. She could tell that he was nervous; his face was still flushed red, as was hers. Gulping, he pressed her forehead against his, staring at the scar across his eye.
"I'm prepared to give you half of my life" she whispered to him. "That's what love means to me"
Brady couldn't believe the situation that he was in. He felt intensely flattered by Nah's devotion; he could feel it winning him over. He still remained skeptical of the whole arrangement that was developing between them: they hadn't even been one day together and the prospect of marriage was looming. Brady would have never imagined marrying someone in this manner. He never imagined marrying anyone at all.
"Cheese and peanuts, this manakete love is heavy!" Brady chuckled, placing his other hand around Nah's waist, joining it with his own hand. "…Still, it feels pretty good to know someone cares that much"
Nah closed her eyes and kissed Brady softly at that moment. Brady, who had anticipated the moment, closed his own eyes, feeling his face pulsing rapidly. Her face was touching his in many places; he dared tell her that this was his first kiss. He could tell he was bad at it; he could feel her teeth. They felt smooth against his mouth; it was clear that neither knew what they were doing. But Brady knew with a bit of practice, he'd get better at it.
Parting, Brady watched as Nah's eyes twinkled from the experience. A look of mischief crept upon her face.
"Then let's tell everyone the ceremony's tonight!" she said quietly. "I always wanted to be an eight o' clock bride!" She pressed her lips together, still relishing the kiss she had just had. Brady had finally managed to predict what was coming up next. He'd figured Nah out.
"Er, there ain't no chance I'm getting you to slow down on this, is there?" he asked, raising his eyebrow. Nah shook her head, letting go of Brady and standing on her feet. Giving him one glance, she let her teeth show in a bright smile once more before she skipped out of the room, leaving Brady on the floor, exhausted and stunned from the whole experience.
And by that evening, at eight o' clock, Nah and Brady were married to each other. Bound by holy matrimony. Both Maribelle and Nowi were in tears as they watched the ceremony, whilst Frederick stood almost agape at what he was seeing. He was unable to believe that his son from the future was getting married in his present, confusing him to no end. Brady also discovered that Nah's father was Stahl, a good friend of Frederick. He was just as confused, although he appeared to be happier than Frederick about the fact his daughter was getting married.
Brady never considered himself a lucky man, but for once in his life, he was about to count himself very lucky. Being no stranger to misfortune, he couldn't help but smile when he thought about the series of misfortunes he believed he was experiencing turned out to be one of his life's greatest fortunes. For Brady, his expectations had been betrayed. He had gained a happy ending.
After eight months of inactivity, I finally found the time and inspiration to write this fanfic. The mothers and fathers featured in this story are from my file in Fire Emblem: Awakening, I'm not sure if there is any deviation to the parents of the characters in the game or not, I've only played through the game once. Hope you enjoyed, if you did, then feel free to check out my other Fire Emblem fics, or any of my other stories :)