Awakening of Fate
Chapter VII: The Closeness of Friendship

Had Corrin not grown up in the militaristic Nohr then he might have been surprised at the efficiency of the Shepherds and how they organized themselves. Once he had left Lilith, Corrin made his way to the shepherd barracks to help organize gear, equipment, food, and other miscellaneous items. Corrin did his best not to get in anyone's way as they worked. Making his way to Chrom, the young prince was in awe at the leadership displayed by the dark-haired royal as he called off a checklist of tasks and duties.

"Ahh, Corrin it is nice to see you. We all thought your visit to Lilith would take the better part of the day." Chrom called out when he noticed the ivory-armored prince in question.

Corrin merely shrugged in response before actually speaking. "Lilith is fine. She woke up not too long ago and sort of demanded I help out with the workload here." He stated in an almost nonchalant manner, causing Chrom to laugh heartily.

"Well there is always more work to be done. For now why don't you help Lissa in bringing refreshments to the ladies in the library? I do worry about her carrying all those trays by herself." Chrom suggested while tapping his pen against the board in is hand.

Corrin thought about the suggestion before nodding slowly in agreement. "Alright I'll head over to the kitchens first and hope I haven't missed her." He told Chrom before dashing off.

The nimble young man expertly dodged and weaved his way through people as he made his way through the halls towards the kitchens. At one point the hall was too clustered forcing Corrin to sprout his wings and fly over the group of passerbys. When he arrived at the kitchens moments later Corrin could see that Chrom's fears were well founded. Standing before him was Lissa with an insane assortment of trays on her arms and head. While Corrin also saw that Felicia was in attendance and his heart dropped.

While he was more certain about Lissa balancing abilities it was certainly daunting to see Felicia with all of the fine glassware in her arms and hands. Rushing over to the two young women, Corrin quickly offered his services to them. First he relieved Felicia of all fragile items, and then he coordinated transferring some of the items Lissa was carrying to his maid so that the burden was lessened on the princess. Satisfied that they would be relatively better protected should Felicia fall, Corrin motioned for Lissa to lead the way to the library following after her with Felicia bringing up the rear.

The trio began their march walking hallways and climbing three different flights of stairs. Along the way Felicia stumbled half a dozen times but managed to stay on her feet. They made it to the library without much incident. Felicia opened the door to allow Lissa and Corrin inside. The room was bigger than Corrin had originally imagined and there were currently books strewn about everywhere. Sitting at the head of the main table was a woman with fiery auburn hair underneath a pointed cone-shaped hat with a large brim encircling the headpiece.

"Hello Miriel, how are you doing today?" Lissa greeted as she began to place trays down on the table.

"I'm doing fine, thank you for asking. This research is fascinating. Had it not been for our visitors I doubt I would've looked into myself. Their claims of being from another world certainly warrant further experimentation but if we could find and prove that these 'outrealms' exist think of the possibilities and ramifications." Miriel replied, never putting down the book in front of her.

"Uh, Miriel where are Robin and Azura at?" Lissa asked while helping Corrin with his load.

"They're researching somewhere among the shelves." Miriel answered shortly.

"I'll go look for them." Corrin stated with a bit more enthusiasm than he meant to portray.

Ducking out quickly to leave Lissa and Felicia to finish preparing the food Corrin made his way among the shelves to search for the two women. Towards one end of the shelves Corrin could faintly pick up the sounds of conversation. He made his way closer, creeping towards the sound. The closer he got the easier it was to tell that the voices belonged to Azura and Robin. Corrin's curiosity got the better of him as he edged closer to the women.

"I've never seen anything like this before Robin. What makes this more troublesome to figure out is your amnesia but I promise you that I'll keep on researching while you and the others are away." Corrin heard Azura speak.

There was a soft rustling sound followed by a zip and click. Corrin could only surmise that a bag was being closed and dared to peak through some of the books for a better look. What he saw however almost made the young man blow his cover. From the limited point of view Corrin could make out the top of Robin's breasts as she put her shirt back on. The zip and click sound from before Corrin realized was the young woman adjusting her pants.

Millions of thoughts raced through Corrin's mind as he tried to think of what Azura and Robin could possibly be talking about that would require either of them to remove their clothing. The young man's mind drew multiple conclusions however none of them seemed feasible or realistic from what he knew of his cousin and the tactician. Finally Corrin couldn't take the suspense anymore and walked out and around the aisle he was in to the one occupied by Azura and Robin. Both women were surprised by his sudden appearance but it didn't cause Robin to pause as she adjusted her thick coat.

"Hi Corrin, how are you doing?" Robin asked nonchalantly as she finished adjusting her clothing.

Corrin looked at the woman and realized that he couldn't say what he wanted without revealing he had peeped on her while she dressed. Quickly thinking up a different response Corrin calmed himself before speaking.

"I am fine Robin, thank you for asking. I brought you, Azura, and Miriel some refreshments with Lissa and Felicia's help." He replied

"That's very kind of you Corrin. How was your visit to Lilith?" Azura asked with a faraway look in her eyes.

"She's awake so that's good news." Corrin answered.

"She's not at one hundred percent though so she won't be joining our expedition to the north. How goes it here, is there anything new to report?" Corrin continued before leaning up against one of the book cases.

"Yes we have found mention in one of these tomes about the outrealms and how they can only be accessed through the Direct Link Center or DLC for short. There is also mention of various outrealms that are packed together within the same world but at different points in history. This gives credence to Lilith's explanation that each outrealm is another version of the world where events changed slightly." Azura explained pulling out the tome in question.

Corrin nodded slowly and looked at the book that Azura had pulled out. The cover was faded blue and the pages yellowed with age. The runic wording along the spine and cover were foreign to Corrin but similar in an odd way to the script used back in Nohr. He began to flip through some of the pages, looking at various diagrams and notes. Near the center of the book he saw the drawing of what looked like a circular altar. Beyond the altar were two pillars with writing in the center.

"So I'm guessing this is the outrealm's entrance, right?" Corrin questioned showing the picture to both women.

"All signs and notes point to that being where we access the DLC and hopefully our way back home." Azura answered.

"So all we need to do now is find that merchant known to traverse the outrealms, get them to tell us where the entrance, and then go home. The plan hasn't been altered but we have more information on the outrealms themselves." Corrin stated with a smile.

Robin nodded and smiled at the prince. "That's right so let's go help everyone else with the packing so we can get our trip to the north and subsequently your trip home started."

As Corrin heard the woman's words a sharp pain suddenly hit his chest. He couldn't understand why it hurt him so much to be congratulated and choose instead to ignore the matter for now. With a wave of his hand Corrin motioned for both Robin and Azura to follow him back to the main table. The trio found that Lissa and Miriel were already refreshing themselves; or rather Lissa was enjoying the refreshments while Miriel awkwardly tried to drink tea without putting down her book.

Felicia stood off to the side wistfully gazing about, waiting to be called upon to serve someone. Corrin, Azura and Robin all seated themselves at the table. Azura and Robin began explaining what they learned with Miriel and Lissa while Corrin listened closely having already heard the news. Miriel expressed more interest in the matter than Lissa did and soon she, Azura, and Robin were all speaking amongst themselves. Corrin lost track of time as everyone spoke amongst one another.

Corrin learned more about Ylisse and the world he was in from Lissa. The history of the world was rich with tales of heroes. Corrin learned that Lissa and by extension her siblings were descendants of not only the first exalt but also the Hero-King Marth whom himself was the ancestor of the first exalt. Both her ancestors had battle against adversary and rose to their status leading an army against evil and tyranny. Both had battled dragons with the enchanted sword Falchion which was then passed down throughout their royal bloodline of succession for generations.

"The siblings we met in the forests when the risen first appeared called themselves 'Marth' and 'Caeda'." Corrin stated as he thought back to the encounter.

Although it was night time there had been enough light to see that the two of them were dressed similarly in in blue tunics and pants with blue leather boots and blue capes with red lining the inside. They wore the same type of mask as well which obscured their true identities. The only real differences Corrin could recall were their weapons and the color of their hair. One had a lighter shade of blue hair than the other and wielded a spear while the other used a sword and had dark blue hair.

"Robin said they were siblings but why would they have the names of a married couple?" Corrin questioned.

"Perhaps they were named in honor of the heroes of the past." Lissa suggested.

"Caeda was a woman though. It seemed to me that both of them were males. That's an odd way to name your children in my opinion." Felicia pipped in.

"Perhaps we'll run into them again and we can ask them." Lissa mused as she thought about the encounter with the twins.

"For now I think it's time we focus on our mission." Robin's voice flowed into their conversation causing the three of them to turn towards the woman. Robin smiled cheekily at them and slid off the table to stand next to Lissa.

"It's getting late we should probably report back to Chrom and get these dishes to the kitchen." Robin suggested.

Lissa nodded in agreement to Robin's suggestion and began to gather up all the dishes. Everyone, excluding Miriel helped with the cleanup. The woman was grossly absorbed by the contents of her book and failed to notice much anything else around her. When the others had finished Miriel scarcely gave them a wave or word of goodbye as they left her to her reading. Corrin, Robin and Azura much to Corrin's chagrin let Felicia and Lissa continue on their own back to the kitchen while they split off to report to Chrom.

As the trio walked something caught Robin's eye and she pulled Azura back. Corrin notice the two young women whispering amongst one another and waited for them to finish their conversation. Azura blushed deeply and turned to Corrin before whispering back to Robin.

"Corrin, tell Chrom we will meet in the War Room. Something has come up that requires our immediate attention." Robin told the young man before grabbing Azura's hand and practically dragging her down the hall.

Corrin shrugged at their antics and hurried off to find Chrom. Once more Corrin exited the castle and made his way to Chrom. He found Chrom sparring with Vaike in near the barrack courtyard. It was easy to see Chrom held the advantage but Vaike didn't back down. Leaping into the air Chrom spun forwards using numerous front flips and crashed into the ground with a powerful strike. Vaike blocked the attack using the flat of his axe and countered by kicking Chrom in the chest.

The strike was powerful and sent Chrom sliding backwards several feet which Vaike promptly closed the distance of and swung his heavy axe downward with intense speed. The cloud of dust that rose however was indicative of Chrom having avoided the attack so that it harmless struck the ground. When it cleared the spectators could see the tip of Chrom's sword mere inches away from Vaike's neck. Both men were sweating profusely and breathing heavily. Vaike finally smirked and released the hold on his axe before raising his hands in defeat.

"You may have beat ole' Teach this time Chrom but don't let it get to your head. You've still got a long way to go before you graduate." Vaike stated confidently as Chrom sheathed his sword.

"Thank you for the lesson Vaike, it is always a great experience to spar with you." Chrom spoke wiping away sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

Nodding with a laugh on his lips Vaike pulled his axe from the ground and began to walk off calling out instructions to others who were sparing. Chrom just shook his head with a smile before focusing his attention onto Corrin. He placed his hand over the hilt of his sword before speaking.

"So Corrin, do you fancy a spar?" Chrom asked.

Corrin replied with a shaking of his head before explaining the situation. He told Chrom about what Robin and Azura had discovered. He explained the mysterious DLC and how it corresponded to the outrealms. Finishing up his report Corrin told Chrom about how the girls wanted him to meet them in the war room while they quickly took care of something.

"Perfect, if they've got something they need to do then that'll give me time to wash up and clean off this sweat and grim. Let us adjourn to the washroom Corrin to clean up for the day." Chrom suggested throwing his arm over Corrin's shoulder

"I'm fine thanks, I didn't do much to build up a sweat Chrom." Corrin stated as he was forced to come with the Ylissian prince.

"Nonsense, you've been running around back and forth all day. I remember when I was younger how Emmeryn would scold me for not bathing properly. We are leaders, Corrin and we must set an example for the others to follow." Chrom countered and Corrin finally relented.

It took the two of them hardly anytime at all to make their way to the bathing area. They undressed and grabbed towels from the first room before making their way to the actual baths. What they saw when they arrived however would shock and amaze the two princes for the rest of their lives. When they opened the door they had expected the bath to be empty since they couldn't hear anyone one inside.

What they saw however was completely different. Maribelle, Lissa, Azura, Robin, and Sully were all in the bath together. For a few brief moments everyone was silent as they all stared at one another. A bar of soap slipped from someone's hand and clattered to the floor causing the time that had stood still to flow again.

The females screamed and the two males flinched at their inhuman voices. Suddenly they were being pelted with bars of soap as the various young women screamed at them not to look and to get out of the bath. This would have been a simply matter for the two of them were it not for the objects that currently littered the ground and caused both Chrom and Corrin to slip and fall.

Closing their eyes was out of the question since they wouldn't be able to avoid being hit and so they both saw the five women in all their glory and the women in turn saw them bare it all. The awkwardness of it all skyrocketed even higher when the commotion brought Vaike who thought it was a brawl into the mix. Fortunately for everyone's sake he was dressed. His arrival also gave Chrom and Corrin the chance they needed to leave while the women all focused their rage onto the newest intruder. Having escaped from the bathroom Chrom looked over to Corrin and chuckled awkwardly.

"Well that certainly could've gone better. I'm surprised at how quiet the women all were. Had we known they were in there before then we certainly wouldn't have walked right in." he mused.

Corrin nodded in agreement and stood up. "We should go to the individual showers and clean off. No doubt Robin and Azura will give us an earful at the meeting for this blunder."

Chrom merely chuckled and followed after Corrin to the shower stalls and began to clean himself. They didn't spend much time inside however as they heard the bathing area doors open from the far end signaling that some women had decided to leave. Rather than add fuel to the flames in case it was Azura and Robin leaving the two princes dried themselves off and hurriedly got dressed before heading towards the war room.

Chrom sent Corrin ahead as he ran back to grab the Falchion which he had forgotten in their hurry. Rushing back to the bathing area Chrom was confronted with the image of a half-dressed Azura. The doe-eyed beauty blushed deeply as she adjusted her dress. Chrom didn't know what possessed him to step forward but he entered to women's area and began to assist Azura. They worked in silence each with deep blushes of crimson on their faces.

"Thank you, Chrom." Azura said softly as they finished.

"You are welcome, Azura." The prince replied his eyes never leaving her own.

"Azura, we have to hurry-" Robin's voice cut in as she walked out to see Chrom and Azura holding one another.

"I'm sorry for interrupting." Robin stated before running past the two of them.

"We shouldn't dally, Chrom." Azura stated and tried to follow after Robin. She was restrained slightly by Chrom who held her wrist in a firm but gentle grip.

"Wait for me, I have to retrieve something." Chrom stated and Azura nodded as he went to retrieve his sword.

In the War Room Corrin sat amongst the empty seat whistling the tune he always heard Azura singing. He was knocked out of his tune when he saw the door burst open and in walked Robin. The tactician's hood was up and over the top half of her face. She said nary a word to Corrin as she choose her seat towards the eastern wall.

"Hello Robin." Corrin stated trying to break what he thought was an awkward silence between them.

"You and Chrom should be ashamed of yourselves, walking into the bath while the women were in there." Robin shot back.

"We didn't know, it was a complete accident. We couldn't hear anything going on and so we thought it was empty." Corrin defended himself.

"But neither of you looked away did you? You saw us all." Robin spoke her voice slightly cracking.

"It's not as though you women were looking away from us. It was embarrassing all around but if you think about it then it was also a great reminder that we're all human." Corrin stated. His statement caused robin to look his way with what he could only guess was confusion.

"In Hoshido there was a practice of friends bathing together, usually at a hot spring or public bath. The thing is it wasn't considered an awkward experience if a man and woman were to be together as just friends because it showed how much they trusted one another. They were comfortable enough with that person to let down all their guards." Corrin explained.

"Now that the other shepherds have seen me and I have seen them it's as if we have nothing more to hide. There's nothing more intimate then showing yourself bare and so now that we've done I believe that it will help us be a more cohesive unit." The young prince concluded

Robin snickered softly and began to chuckle until she was laughing full on. Corrin joined in on the laughter and the two of them continued for a couple of moments before it died down. Robin lowered her hood and flashed Corrin a bright smile. Once again Corrin felt the pain in his chest as he stared at Robin. Before he could address the matter though the doors of the war room popped open and in flooded all of the rest of the shepherds.

Word had gotten out about the meeting so any further discussion between the foreign royals had to be placed on hold until this was taken care of. Corrin stole one more look at Robin as Chrom entered the room with Azura and began the meeting, thinking to himself I can't take her back with me.