And we're back. Time for another tale in the nameless continent lovingly referred to as Fateslandia. Now it's time for a Nohrian child, so I hope you enjoy reading –ArcanaHermit

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Avel (Corrin x Sophie)

"Avelll! Come back." A familiar gray-haired knight shouted out, as the recipient of her pleading was deaf to her pleas, or at least pretended to be. The stout horse raced across the camp, scaring soldiers as he leapt across them with ease.

One of whom was a young lord more than familiar with the unruly horse. As Sophie, tired and panting, continued her futile attempt at reeling her mount in, she noticed him and gave off an embarrassed blush.

"H-hey…" She said, trying her best not to sound dejected.

"Hey…" Corrin replied as he placed a hand on her head, an affectionate gesture to lift her spirits. "Avel causing problems again, huh?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." She huffed. "I came into the stable to brush his mane, but the moment I opened the gate he just ran off. Now I've lost him…"

"H-hey, let's not give up just yet." He said, though the idea of interacting with the horse that takes an almost malicious pleasure in biting his hand was less than pleasant, he supposed he could stomach through a bitten hand if it meant cheering his wife up. "I saw him go that way, we can still find him."

They both nodded to each other and ran off in search of her not-so-trusty steed. They finally found him at the outskirts of camp, on top of a windy grass plain. Avel was simply chewing the grass before he saw the two and gave a rather dismissive huff.

"Here now, Avel…" Sophie said as he approached the horse, though the tone of her voice suggested that she was saying it for herself than anything else. "I promise I won't hurt you if you just…ahhh!"

Just as she was about to get a hold of him, Avel dashed off, causing her to lose balance and fall down onto the dirt. Corrin showed a look of sympathy as she screamed and cried at the air, not even bothering to stand herself up.

Corrin looked around and saw Avel glaring at the two. The horse was unusually hostile today, and it looks like Corrin is going to be his next target. The young lord quietly reached for the dragonstone in his pocket, not intending to harm the beast, but at the very least scaring it.

But unusually, Avel simply rested on the field, not bothering to cause and more trouble. Corrin wondered if it was because it was tired or simply content with the mischief it has caused, but decided not to prod it any further as he looked down at Sophie.

The young knight was sighing, still laying down on the grass with a look of discontent over her face. Corrin sat down beside her, and there was an awkward silence.

It was broken by Sophie's quiet, but very much dejected, voice. "It's no use."

Corrin looked at her with pity. It had been almost a year with barely any progress with Avel. While the steed was more than reliable in battle, the moment the risk of death was over he'd go back to his wild and untamable habits. Sophie's efforts bonding with him yielded little fruit, despite her optimism and relentlessness.

"At this point I might as well give up. Avel doesn't care about me in the slightest."

"Aw, come on." Corrin said in a reassuring tone, though it came across as halfhearted. "Avel cares about you, it wouldn't listen to your orders in battle otherwise."

"Oh, that's just because he doesn't want to die…" She said, groaning in despair. "If I wasn't around, I doubt he cares."

That morbid statement from her sparked an idea from Corrin, though he wasn't sure if it would work. Trusting that Avel truly cared for her, Corrin stood up and broke a branch off a nearby tree. He walked back towards Sophie and pointed the wooden stick at her neck.

"W-what are you doing?" Sophie said, confused.

"Killing you…" Corrin said, winking at her to let her in on his plan. It took a few seconds, but eventually she registered what he was trying to do, and smiled back.

"Now" Corrin said, in a loud and overly exaggerated voice. "You will pay for what you did to me. Die!"

His statement was followed by a scream from Sophie. Corrin was just about to swing the stick up before he found himself tackled by a charging Avel. He was sent rolling onto the dirt floor as the wind was knocked out of him.

"C-corrin!" Sophie shouted, and immediately rushed to his side. He was sitting up now, clutching his chest in pain. "Are you alright?"

Despite feeling pains in his chest, the young lord laughed as he sat himself up, though those laughs quickly turned into groans. "See? Avel really does care about you. Would he really have tackled me so quickly otherwise?"

Sophie turned towards her steed. He was resting on the grass again, seeming to not care about the situation. Yet one of his eyes was facing towards Corrin, a slightly menacing aura surrounding him.

Despite the implied threat from the horse, Sophie couldn't help but laugh. "You know you really didn't have to go through that…but thank you for showing me Avel cares."

"Heheh, what's a few bruises compared to seeing you smile…ow…" Corrin said as he stood up unsteadily, requiring Sophie to support him up. "He may not show it much, but he cares just as much as I'd do. We'd both go through hell and back to keep you safe."

"Yeah…" She replied, planting a quick kiss on Corrin's cheek. "I feel like the safest knight in the world, with such two strong protectors keeping guard over me. But I'll make sure to keep you both safe as well, you and Avel both. My word as a knight."

"Then I'm glad to have such a reliable duo at back." Corrin said as he began to walk on his own two feet. He saw that the sky was turning orange as the noon starts to give way to evening. "It's getting a bit late, let's go back home."

"Right!" Sophie said as she started to mount Avel, the moment Corrin tried to mount however, the steed moved, causing him to fall down. "Avel! Bad horse. Let my husband ride you."

The steed gave a slight neigh, and Corrin was able to get on him without much difficulty. With commands from Sophie, the horse started to bound across the field towards camp. He was going at top speed even when he approaches the camp, causing the knight to worry.

"Uh…Avel, you can slow down now. Avel? Avel!"

The only response Avel gave was a loud, almost mischievous neigh as he continued charging at full speed, giving nervous looks from any passerby who got a second's look at them. Eventually he stopped right in front of their quarters, tilting his head down. The couple got back down, exhilarated from the ride.

"Huh…I was expecting something a bit worst." Corrin said, slightly taken aback. "Guess he's starting to listen to you more often, huh?"

"Yeah…I guess I-Avel?" Sophie yelled out as the horse disappeared, likely to cause mischief again. "Oh come back here, Avel!"

Corrin gave a loud sigh, both out of frustration and a dark sense of humor. As Sophie began chasing after her steed once more, he quickly thought that some things will probably never change.

And that's it. Tune in next time for another chapter :D -ArcanaHermit