"I told you—it's getting dark already! ...Ech! And now the bugs are out! Noisy, disgusting bugs that buzz around and crawl all over and bite you when— Agh! Won goph in mah mouph! Blech! Ptooey!" Lissa's complaints were quickly silenced by the untimely decision of a bug deciding to fly in to her mouth.
Corrin and the others couldn't help but laugh as she attempted in vain to remove the bug from her mouth; they had been walking for a few hours and periodically Lissa had been punctuating their journey with complaints about how they could have been staying at an inn and helping Southtown, Chrom had stated that with them there the villagers would have done nothing but try to make them more comfortable which would have left them more exhausted, he also made the case that they had to back Ylisstol soon otherwise their elder sister would worry which Corrin though was rather sweet of him.
As they had been walking Corrin had simply been following behind the three of them the entire time she had been consumed by the events in town, she had been so close to losing control… again… and Azura wouldn't have been able to save her... if it hadn't been for Chrom.., she shook her head clear of those thoughts and tried to focus on the new world she was in, Ylisse was completely different from Valla it reminded her of Hoshido, it was bright and full of life as they made their way to Ylisstol they passed plenty of individuals that differed it from Hoshido, Mercenaries and merchants, Villagers and travellers it was certainly more lively than anywhere she had been before.
As they continued through the Ylissean country side Chrom slowed his stride to walk alongside her, he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck "So… how long were you planning on hiding the fact that you're a dragon?" He had a friendly smile on his face and as much as she hated to admit it she felt at ease, he was so damn charming in his own way.
"Well... I hadn't planned on hiding it for long I just didn't want to… you know… tell you…" She felt like a scolded child.
"Why not? It's certainly an uncommon ability and an interesting one at that" Chrom seemed to sense her sadness; he couldn't help but feel bad.
"That it is… I don't have as much control as I used to and sometimes I just loose myself… but that's a story for another time. How about we set up camp" she seemed to gain a small bit of happiness at his consideration.
"This seems like a fine place to camp, you have a good eye lady Corrin" Fredrick turned to look at the two of them; Corrin couldn't help but notice that Fredrick seemed to be in higher spirits now.
"Lissa, Hardship builds character. Want to help me gather firewood?" Chrom looked to his sister with a smile.
"I'll pass on finding firewood, thanks. I think I've built QUITE enough character for one day!" Lissa sat herself down to emphasise her point.
"We should probably think about food. I don't know about you, but I'm starving." Corrin smiled as she spoke, the rest of the group nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I should think a little hunting and gathering is in order. Now, I shall clear a campsite whilst milord and lady Corrin go hunting and gather wood" Fredrick looked to everybody before proceeding to clear their campsite.
Lissa watched Corrin leave with her brother and turned to look to Fredrick "So… what do you think of Corrin?" she was careful with her line of questioning knowing that Fredrick would tell her brother everything when he had the chance.
Fredrick didn't slow his work pace as he proceeded with his landscaping "I think she is a kind and noble woman although… I feel as though she is ruled by emotion and instinct far more than milord, I also find it curious that she chose to hide her draconic nature from us instead of trusting us" as he spoke Fredrick picked up a particularly large stone and with a test of its weight he launched it into the brush.
Lissa nodded as she listened to Fredrick's musings about Corrin "So… Do you think she's pretty?" Lissa leaned forward to get a better look at Fredrick's face, he looked as stoic as ever, she was rather disappointed to see that he was unfazed.
"She has a… Certain charm about her there's no denying that" As he spoke Lissa could see the cogs turning in his head.
"So to recap, certain charm Corrin is alone with my brother in the woods away from everyone" Lissa smirked subtly as Fredrick seemed to quickly be getting what she was suggesting, as he began to head in the direction the two of them had gone Lissa began laughing.
Chrom let out a small sigh as he leaned against a nearby tree, as he did Corrin couldn't help but notice just how handsome he was although she quickly stopped those thoughts and focused on the source of their exhaustion, a rather large bear that had her recently acquired iron blades in its shoulder and neck, as she looked at it she was unaware of Chrom's gaze upon her it was just beginning to dawn on him how beautiful she was as his thoughts began to wander however.
Fredrick burst through the bushes lance in hand "Ah Milord, lady Corrin I'm glad to see you are well, I…" he trailed off as he saw the bear and paled instantly, Chrom smiled.
"You're just in time to help us drag dinner back" Chrom smiled wider as Fredrick did his best to try and remain stoic in the face of his greatest foe.
Within the hour the tree of them returned the bear much to Lissa's disgust and get it prepared and cooked, Corrin surprised her new companions with her knowledge of which parts of the bear were edible and inability to actually cook it, thankfully Fredrick and Chrom between them were able to prepare an edible meal, as they ate Corrin watched with amusement as Chrom tried to convince his sister to eat it.
"Mmm... It's been too long since I last had bear meat. Delicious! ...What's wrong, Lissa? Dig in." Chrom spoke between mouthfuls of food watching Lissa carefully.
"Pass! ...Gods, couldn't you spear us an animal normal people eat for once? I mean, come on! Who eats bear?! You're meddling with the food chain!" Lissa in her usual fashion complained as over the top and as overly animated as possible.
"Just eat it, Lissa. Meat is meat." Chrom seemed irritated but he was exercising his patience as he looked Lissa in the eyes "Em would say the same if she were here."
"No fair! Also since when does meat smell like old boots?! Wait, I take that back—boots smell better!" Lissa crossed her arms and pouted looking away from Chrom.
"Every experience makes us stronger, milady. Even those we don't enjoy." Fredrick smiled at the two of them as he spoke and then regretted it as Lissa turned to him with a grin.
"Really? Then why don't I see YOU eating, Frederick?" Lissa definitely seemed proud to have called Fredrick out; her joy only grew as he shifted uncomfortably on the spot.
"Me? Oh, well... I'm not hungry. I...I had a large lunch! Yes, quite." He made a point of looking at the ground as he spoke, Corrin made a mental note of this as she continued eating quietly.
"Yeah right, Frederick!" Lissa huffed, before focusing on the fire and eventually nibbling on the meat, after a few more hours the group settled down to sleep, before they did Fredrick pulled out a spare bedroll and handed it to Corrin along with the Yato "here milady, I must apologize for doubting you"
Corrin smiled gratefully as she took her blade and the offered bedroll "It's fine Fredrick, I'm certain my retainers would have done the same thing, I feel a little safer knowing that you're watching over us." And with that the group settled down for the night.