At last, our first chapter about a retainer. I was wondering when we were getting to that, and of all the retainers to start off, this one had to be quite…unexpected. Regardless, wish me luck as I start this chapter off. –ArcanaHermit

Chapter 4: Emotion (Corrin x Beruka)

"You came back earlier than usual, Corrin"

Corrin just entered his private quarters after doing some chores around the castle. Inside was his wife, Beruka, sitting on a chair, except something was different. Instead of sharpening her weapons like she usually does, she had a needle in both arms, with a long white patch of fabric intertwined between the two.

"Well, chores were less time consuming than I expected. Beruka, are you knitting? I didn't know you did that."

Beruka blushed; apparently embarrassed that she had been caught in the act. Corrin honestly thought it was cute, that the stoic assassin was doing something as…domestic as knitting.

"I didn't at first, but Lady Camilla insisted that I learn. I…had no reason to refuse her, so I agreed. Seeing as it is almost winter, I had hoped to sew a scarf for you before you got back here. White is your favorite color, isn't it? But it seemed that I failed."

Corrin approached her and gave her a hug, which was returned from Beruka. Through their marriage, she had begun to warm up and show a bit of emotion, even smiling slightly from time to time. He had always learned to cherish that smile.

"Thank you, Beruka. I can't wait to wear it."

"It...It's nothing, really. I just thought you needed a piece of cloth to keep you warm through the winter."

Despite trying to brush it off, Corrin couldn't help think that it's sweet. They continued to be in each other's arms before Beruka let out a soft yawn.

"Beruka…are you sleepy?"

"Slightly…I had a lot to do yesterday. I just barely had enough time to sharpen my weapons and buy yarn for the scarf."

"Why don't you go to sleep? I'll join you in a while, I promise."

Beruka nodded slightly and put away the needles and the yarn, going to bed. Soon she was asleep, with a quiet but elated expression on her face. Corrin couldn't help but look at her and notice how far she had come, from an emotionless assassin that focused on nothing but the next mission, to a reserved but ultimately human woman with feelings and emotion.

Looking at where she left the incomplete scarf. Corrin looked at it and saw that lying next to it was Beruka's purple scarf, torn and tattered. Deciding to repay her, he took it and began to sew it up, slowly but surely repairing it. Camilla had thought him a thing or two about sewing and knitting as well; it's about time to put those skills to good use.

After a while, he was finally done, feeling proud that he was able to fix the scarf back to what he considered tip-top condition. Yawning, he decided to head to bed and take a nap alongside Beruka. When he turned towards the bed however, he was shocked at what he saw.

Instead of the calm, stoic face that she initially showed when she was asleep, the face she wore was one of anguish, as though she was in terrible pain. Her body was trembling as well, and he could hear her voice, strained and clearly in pain.

"Please…no…no…"

Quickly approaching her, he tried to calmly wake her up. Despite his best attempts, she didn't wake, but instead began to shake violently, her voice becoming louder as well. Deciding that he couldn't be gentle anymore, Corrin woke her up by grabbing her hand and shaking it, as well as speaking loudly.

"Beruka, please wake up!"

Beruka quickly opened her eyes and got up, gasping for breath. She was still quivering, and her worry can clearly be seen on her face. It took her a few seconds to regain her composure, and she once again put on a stoic face, though it wasn't difficult to see in her eyes that she was still reeling from the experience.

"Beruka, what's wrong? Were you having a nightmare?"

"I…think so. I saw my old mentor, who I killed with my own hands. I saw other faces as well, all of whom I assassinated. They were shouting at me, I couldn't shake them off…I…I…"

Corrin hugged her fiercely, trying his best to comfort her. She held on to him, still shaking but nevertheless thankful at his presence.

"I never had a nightmare before now, and I've never known this emotion before. Is this what it is like to fear? Is this how all my victims felt before I…killed them?"

Corrin hesitated slightly before responding

"Yes, I think what you're experiencing is fear, it happens to all of us. But don't worry; you'll never need to fear as long as I am here with you."

Soon her quivering began to stop, and her breathing slowed down as well.

"I think…I think I want to stay in the front lines from now on. I don't want go on assassination missions anymore, at least for a while."

"Alright, I'll talk it over with Camilla tomorrow. I don't want you to do anything that would cause you to feel pain."

They soon sat down on the bed beside each other. Corrin did his best to try and lighten the mood: telling stories, cracking jokes, even singing, trying to imitate Azura's calming voice. It seemed to work slightly, as her expression began to lighten slightly with each passing moment.

"Corrin...I ask this because I have never felt emotions like this before, but do you…fear?"

Corrin sighed a bit and placed a hand on her hand.

"Of course I do, everyone does. That's all part of having emotions; you can't have the good without the bad. But even if you have fears or doubts, as long as you have someone who cares about you, and who you can rely on, then the fears and doubts start to go away."

Beruka seemed to ponder that answer for a moment

"I...see. Can I rely on you to take away my fears?"

Corrin smiled at her reassuringly

"Always. If you ever start to waver and show doubt, I'll always be there to help you overcome them. It works the same with me. Whenever I show doubt, will you be there to help me?"

After a few seconds of silence, she finally responded, a strong determination under her stoic tone.

"Yes I will. I don't know how, but I will. I swear it."

"Then we'll see each other through to the end. By the way, I almost forgot to give you this."

Corrin handed her the scarf that he spent repairing. She looked and it and gave a slightly surprised look.

"This is my scarf, but…"

"I fixed it. It looked so tattered and worn out, so I thought it needed some repairs. I hope you like it."

Beruka put it on, and gave Corrin the widest smile that he had ever seen from her, tears forming at the corner of her eye. It was a beautiful smile, and just went on to show how much she had grown.

"Thank you, Corrin. This makes me feel so…happy, I love you."

"I love you too, Beruka."

They continued to talk for a while before going to sleep together. Beruka knew she wouldn't experience any more nightmares, not with him by his was an odd experience for her, feeling emotions like happiness, sadness, even fear. But she knew that as long as Corrin was with her, she didn't mind having these emotions to deal with.

It just made her feelings of love for him all the stronger.

And done at last. Wow, I did two fanfic chapters in one day, I can't tell whether to be impressed or sad with myself. Also, ever had the feeling where you didn't know whether you accurately portrayed a character? That was this chapter for me. Regardless, I hope this portrayal of Beruka was accurate and that you enjoyed reading this. Until next time -ArcanaHermit