The Council and The Shepherds
It was Friday, the day they called the council meeting to discuss Robin. He was nervous, to say the least, but at the same time he was prepared, and he knew his siblings has his back no matter what. But before he left for the meeting, he went to his little sister's room and asked her a favour. He told Lissa to take Robin to the shepherd's barracks and get all of them to meet her and stay there until the meeting adjourned. She agreed readily and start getting ready for the mission. The reason he got Lissa to do it was to get the shepherds finalised with Robin and hopefully after the ferox trip gets even them on her side. The shepherds held a lot of political influence in the council, being the first prince's battalion and having so many achievements of helping people, taking out many bandits, and even taking care of the risen problem right now. And the shepherds also had some noble circles, and influential members, Sumia, Sully, Maribelle and Ricken all belonged to some of the most influential noble's families. Though on the front Ricken's family had fallen from grace, they still help power in the noble circle and their acceptance of Robin would mean the acceptance of a quarter of the nobles. He needs to get all the people he can in Robin's faction.
And it was not just the nobles, the commoners in shepherds were quite infamous among the common people because of being part of the prince's battalion and for their achievements on the fields. He knew if they started speaking well about Robin among the people, the rumours will spread wide and far. This was all good, but he can't force his friends to do all this no matter how much he needed them to, it would be wrong of him to use his friends like this. That's why he wanted to get Robin to be with them and show them that she was trustworthy. He also hopes that she will become friends with all of them and maybe relax around them. He got Lissa to do it because she is someone who will keep the peace between all of them and the guards will not dare object to take Robin out.
He will leave this part to Lissa, on the other hand, he needs to work hard to make sure the council will not get in his way to make things better for Robin and don't try to vilify her. No, he won't let those old crooks do anything that will hurt her in any way.
They all sit down for breakfast on time, Lissa is the one that greets them with her bright sunny smile that makes them all feel more reassured, especially him. In routine, they eat in silence but he does briefly explains his plan for Lissa today and naturally, his siblings agree and support his plan, it makes him feel strong now. As they finish it they all know, the day shall be long but they will pass through it, together.
Lissa bids them goodbye while praying for their success and they too take a min to reassure themselves before they greet their knights and head to the council room while Lissa heads to Robin's room on the opposite side. The nobles wait patiently and straighten their spines when they notice Emm.
"Glory and Blessings to the daughter of Naga." They chorused and courtesy to their exalt.
Emm smiles diplomatically, walking in first as rules dictate. He and Chrom follow behind her, and she takes her seat at the head of the long council table. As dictated, nobles then start stepping in based on their ranks.
The Dukes, followed by Marquis, earls and lastly the people's representatives enter all taking their designated seats on the long table. Emm sat at its head, while they sat on either side representing both hands, and the nobles sat around them. The two powerful Dukes, Duke Themis and Duchess Meriel sat beside either of them, followed by the two lower Dukes, Duke Alan and Duchess Esme'. Following them the higher Marquis sit first, Marquis Adalbern and Marquis Mikhail, and the lower Marquis follow, Marchioness Cecilia and Marquis Roland. Then, the Earls take their seats, the higher earls: Earl Louis and Earl Mathias followed by lower Earls: Countess Eleanor and Earl Clyde. And lastly at the end of the table sits the people's part representative, Sir Albert that smiles pleasantly as usual as he takes the last seat.
The Knights in the last, walk-in closing the door and taking their designated places behind Emm on either side. The only knights allowed in the council were Philia and Frederick as Philia was the commander of Pegasus Knights and Frederick was the commander of all Knights and their vanguard. The other knights were not of high rank to stand here and if they wished to relay something they had to relay it to their respective commanders to be heard in council. Today's objective though is specifically for just one reason. He knows all of them waiting for Robin to be brought up, as even though they maintain an air of politeness, they all are just focusing on him, some give him smug glares, others look with sympathy and all are scrutinizing him. He knew they already have made opinions on him and this matter was a negative opinion for sure. He won't let it deter him though, he is calm and faces them head-on.
He gets up to start the council, as always, "Good morning to both Lords and Ladies. I hope you all have been well." He greets them as he tilts his head slightly.
They all bow back as they smile, giving pleasant answers. He steels himself as he adjourns today's agenda, "Today we are gathered to discuss the recently captured prisoner by prince Chrom and myself," His eyes blanked, not letting anything slip as he continues, "Robin, the name of the prisoner is the tactician of the Pelgian army and has given us her vow to cooperate with us to stop this war the Pelgian King is brewing." He briefly introduces her and is about to start on his proposal, but Lord Clyde interrupts him, as usual, the man was rude and only knew how to talk like he knew everything -
"What about her claims to be your sister, Lord Rufure?" He sneers out, his disdain for him clear and Emm doesn't hide her glare as she turns to him. He as obnoxiously as ever ignores her silent warning. Chrom frowns silently, the audacity of this man, he thinks as he holds back his anger.
"We currently do not have any evidence to prove it or disprove it currently." He answers back, he was prepared for that accusation, "But there is one little part that is true, we do look quite similar". He shrugs, he will let them have that point, it will only hurt him if he keeps that point and he doesn't find any need to prove such a thing to these people. They will hate them regardless and he doesn't need to fight that right now.
He looks smug as he tilts his head in acknowledgement, he can feel Chrom's anger even without looking at him, and he moves on, "Continuing, I wish to deliberate on how we are going to exactly treat her as i.e. the status she will possess right now. Since there is no real war currently, we can't treat her as a prisoner of war, or as a hostage. Since she has willing to surrender to us, we can't even treat her as a hostile entity sent by Pelgia." His voice is calm, centred and void of emotion. "She also has willingly agreed to provide us with any information on the ongoing conflict between us and has asked nothing in return." He made his case - He turns to Emm, "Considering everything I propose treating her as a voluntary renegade and to be permitted to have freedom in her movement when in Ylisstol, naturally placing certain restrictions in the castle and the city. I have lists for the rules, if it is approved we can further discuss it." He finishes his proposal, now he holds his breath.
The silenced frowns are laid on him, some glaring in opposition, others with disappointment. They can glare all they want but they won't be able to touch even one strand of his hair. Chrom gets defensive as he puts a hand on the table and keeps his eyes on them.
No one dares to move or speak until their Exalt cuts through cold tension.
"I would like to hear your thoughts on Rufure's proposal." She speaks, a strong voice cutting through them, her eyes turned to the nobles as she gestures for them to speak. She has made up her mind already on the proposal but as their Exalt she must hear all the sides, her father's first lesson to her to become an exalt and as her advisor Rufure never questioned it.
Earl Clyde with his usual arrogance bellows out first, "I am not going to let a Pelgian walk around here waiting to be stabbed in my back."
Rufure doesn't frown but Emm does as she levels the man with a look. The others also show their disapproval following that statement, and before things can get out of hand, Chrom jumps in.
"I want to propose my idea?" Emm nods and he continues with the approval given, "I want to take her into the shepherds to monitor her."
Clyde tries to butt in again but Lady Cecilia cuts in - "Your Highness Rufure you put down the point that her motives are to prevent this war and bring peace to Pelgia but in your words how shall we place trust in these words?" Her eyes pierce through him, "Can we truly say she has no other ulterior motives?"
He remains calm, he must quickly take control of the flow of discussion or things will slip from their hands. This question is going to be the pivotal point of this discussion. "At this moment I can put her trust in her words," someone sneers he ignores it, "Our main goal currently is to calm the tensions between our two kingdoms and bring peace to our realms, a more lasting peace." He states confidently as Emm nods in agreement. "To further this goal we might have to rethink our relationship with King Gangrel and if the worst scenario comes to play, I believe Robin's accession to the throne will be in Ylisse's interests with our diplomatic motives." He smiles, proud that his voice has been calm, rational and bellowing. This is his playground, and he will prove his worth, "All of our talks with Robin have been far more open and free-flowing than it has ever been with King Gangrel. He remains impervious to our peaceful offerings and refuses to open any dialogues whether it concerns a show of goodwill, neighbourly help, or trade routes to benefit both our countries."
He stares them in the eyes and proclaims his final edict, "Robin will far better benefit Ylisse in long run by helping us trade freely with Pelgian markets and thus our merchants can bring back the pelgian gold to fill our treasury." He nods, "And alongside also helping us create a peaceful tie and realms that are of the utmost importance to Ylisse and our Exalt at this moment."
A silence prevails as they all take a few moments to ponder his proposals. He knew he just declared something huge but they must go this far to be able to achieve their final goal.
"Your ideas seem quite far-reaching" Duchess Miriel speaks, her eyes meeting his and his back straightness, "So far-reaching that I would call them quite ambitious of you. I never expected the grounded and always rational Prince Rufure to propose something." Her words cut through him trying to find the holes in him, a weakness to grab and tear him apart with, "I just wish to understand his highness – "Her voice is so naivety curious that he can just nod "Please explain us your motivations to use your sister in such a way?"
He digs his nails in his palm under the table with a calm expression. He won't let her reach into him and tear him apart "Indeed, I normally would never advise our Exalt or the council on such an ambitious proposal but I have thought through all our possibilities and come to the conclusion." Be calm, Rufure, always be calm; "This is our best bet for current peace and future peace in our realm. And like Duchess suspects, I do hope to give my sister a good life."
His eyes are cast down as he lets emotions of sadness show through them, "She has been targeted for her life by King Gangrel on this occasion, by the grace of gods and her quick thinking she was able to escape them." He smiles at them, showing relief "It is by Naga's utmost benevolence that she came to Ylisse and I could reunite with her in this lifetime. Naturally, I wish but to ensure her safety in this matter." He turns to Emm, with apologies "I understand that as your advisor I should not bring my own emotions and sentiments in the matter of state but just this one occasion I hope you will forgive me for letting them come through." Finale has come and curtains fall as he turns his face down to the table and ends his performance.
Emm takes his rein and looks at all of them "I understand that you all have your reservations with the matter that heavily involves the second prince's interests so intimately. We do need to remain rational when we make decisions that concern our people and the realm." She smiles at him as she grasps his hand. "But as the elder sister I can't help but wish to help Rufure and as such, I have decided to ask the council to fully deliberate on this matter and give a proper decision." She opens the floor as she gives him her blessings, "I await an honest and rational decision for our realm and our people that wish for peace and nothing but peace."
He sees duchess Miriel's eyes twitch as Clyde sneers silently as everyone looks at each other. He knows now is the time. He gets up,
"I believe this is a good time to adjourn the morning meeting. We have tea and snacks prepared for you, please follow Frederick to the council halls to deliberate on this matter and also do remember until the deliberation ends you will not be allowed to leave the council room unless given permission by our Exalt." He nods as everyone gets up, "We shall adjourn and assemble again at half past one(1:30pm)."
They all bow at Emm and follow Frederick out of the room. The three siblings wait for them to leave and get up to head to their parlour for the teatime. He breathes a sigh of relief as soon as they enter the parlour and close the doors behind them. Emm smiles as she sits down and Chrom laughs as he pats him on the shoulder and sits down too. He smiles at them and sits down as Hilda comes in with their tea, at the time of council only Hilda is allowed to serve them and another set of servants that serves the nobles to ensure the privacy of council matters. He is sure though that they have already been leaked by the rats in the castle, it is nice though he can use it to weed them out again. Another thing he needs to put down on his to-do list after the meeting.
Their teatime goes in silence as he takes their relaxed state in, and he feels more confident. The discussion went well, he knows he will get the majority. But he still feels this silver of anxiety and maybe Emm notices that as she puts a hand on his hand and squeezes gently as she smiles at him.
"We will not give up regardless of what the result will be."
He feels his smile shake and nods. That was right he will always have them by his side.
They reconvene at sharp 1:30 and take their seats again. Marquis Adalbern puts his hand up, and given permission he speaks –
"We have deliberated quite on this topic throughout the break and we have all come to a decision. We wish to ask Prince Rufure and Prince Chrom some questions before we take votes."
"I shall give permission; an hour will be given to further discuss this matter and ask further questions." Emm takes a step back and leaves the floor to them again and observes them.
Duchess Esme asks the first question, "Could you tell us more about miss Robin? What personal plans does she have while she is living her or foreseen future?"
Rufure takes this question, "She plans to help us with sorting the problems between our two regions and then negotiate with King Gangrel before she returns to Pelgia to start carrying her duties out there again."
They all seem pleased by hearing that she won't be staying back after the tension ends between their two realms. He knows they don't want her here for the long term and that rationally makes sense especially considering the delicate political peace they will have once they resolve the war crisis, it will be necessary that she goes back and takes care of the matters in Pelgia too.
Duke Miriam raises his hand and asks the next question, "Highness Chrom I have a question for you," Chrom nods. "You asked to admit her to shepherds to monitor her while she travels and fights alongside the shepherds. If so please put aside her circumstances right now and honestly answer if you think she is an asset to shepherds?"
Chrom didn't hesitate to answer, "Yes I believe she will on her own."
He continues his question staring at him to verify his honesty, "And how strong would you consider her to be?"
He answers swiftly again with honest eyes "She is a strong magician and can use a sword too, she is of tactician class too. She is a quick thinker and a good strategist just like Rufure. I have witnessed her powers myself and have fought alongside her on the battlefield as such I can vouch for her capabilities and believe she is on par with all the shepherds."
They all nod to each other silently as Earl Louis then puts a hand up to ask the next question while looking them in the eyes, "How much trust do you believe we can place in her?"
Rufure answers this with a clear mind "I do believe we without fear can place trust in her." He nods at Emm, "She has been chased by her countrymen but still wishes for peace in both of our realms over revenge. She is a rational, calm and morally righteous person. That is why I am advocating for her." His eyes are honest the nobles notice, and they make their decisions.
Duchess Miriel turns to Emm and bows lightly, "Thank you for allowing this questioning your Majesty. We have made our decision and are ready to announce it with your permission."
Emm nods and turns to everyone in the room "Let's cast the votes than-" They nod, everyone now straightened up with bated breaths, "All those who support the decision raise your hands." (add slightly majority number) hands are raised and lowered a second later after he tallies them in his notes, "All those who are against this decision raise your hands." Two hands are raised before being lowered a second later. He turns to Emm and makes a show of whispering the results.
"The vote has been cast. The majority are in the support of the decision." She announces." I hereby declare that Robin will be treated voluntary renegade and be given proper freedom and permissions befitting the title and furthermore she will be joining the First prince's personal battalion Shepherds."
The announcement rings in the silent hall and she inks it on the council record that marks its permanence in the law of their court. It is done and it takes his training for him to not burst into a smile, he remains calm as he closes the book and gets up.
"We shall now discuss the next agenda regarding the new terrors that have shown up in our lands." He sits as the council starts again. They discuss in length the solution put forth by Emm and do agree on their alliance with Regna Forex and the role shepherds will play, they all mostly agree with his new military and defensive plans and spending.
Hours pass and finally, he gets up again for the last time and says, "The council is dismissed" All the nobles get up, showing proper courtesy as they bit them exalt a goodbye and head out. The room empties soon and finally, the three royals breathe a sigh of relief as the hard part of their day finally concludes.
It is their victory and that means they must celebrate tonight at dinner.
Lissa comes in the early morning, just after breakfast, knocking on the door and letting herself in as she grins wide and greets her. She doesn't sit as she announces,
"Today Rufure asked me to take you and show you the shepherd's garrison and introduce you to the members." She announces, grinning.
Robin wonders what he is playing at now "The shepherds? They are the first prince's militia, right?"
She nods "Yup and we are going to go see them now so get ready fast and we can head there." With that said she sits down and grins expecting her to start moving around.
Robin sighs and gets on to work, sadly, she can't reject the princess. She moves around, getting freshened up and changes into a better dress, it was a summer outfit but Lissa had brought her some layers yesterday so she is still able to handle the Autumn in Ylisse, but she knows there is only a limited level of cold she can take being born in the desert. The cold in Ylisse seemed more harsher than nights in the desert, she is especially not looking forward to the snow in winter, and she will need to start preparing for it soon. Well, that can wait once the whole council is a bit more in order about her matter. For now, she can manage with Lissa's hand-me-down. She puts on her trusty coat, and her outdoor shoes and gets out of the dressing room. Lissa smiles at her as she puts down a book she was given and gets up.
They head out and she notices the guard's suspicious glares at the back of her head as they make their way through the long hallways of the castle and head to an entrance, which is not the same one they used a week back when they entered. They walk out in the open and she shivers as the winds assault her and she wraps her hands around herself to get as much heat and feels a little envious as Lissa walks without looking disturbed. Luckily, they walk only for a bit through the main street, probably still in the castle ground she thinks and reach the place, a long two-story height wooden housing with a big back yard, it seemed homely she couldn't believe it housed Ylisse's finest militia since the war. But it is, as they head right into the gate and the door is slung open by the princess as they stride in.
It is a big house even from the inside, they head down the main hall and it opens to a big hall that looks like barracks, there are weapons and armour thrown around, some lining the walls and the whole hall is filled with various round tables at the far end with a pandemonium at its start that signifies this is where they hold their group meetings. The near end is an open space with the walls lined up with rows of wooden cupboards intended to use as storage for everyone it seems. And then on the right side are stairs that she believes leads to the upper floor of the compound. There is also a door on the far-left side, which she believes leads to the backyard.
The members are in the hall as they around when they enter and start greeting the princess, in varying degrees of respect but she doesn't seem to mind as she happily greets back and then puts her hand out as she turns to her and puts her in the spotlight. The guards have stayed out and she feels nervous as they all take her in.
"This is Robin everyone, she is from Pelgia, and she is Rufure's long-lost twin sister!" she announces widely and they all gasp as they stare at her,
Before they can react though, a girl with blond curls rushes in from the backyard door and runs straight to Lissa as she crashes into her and hugs her tightly followed shyly by a pegasus knight with brown hair. She fidgets as she nears the princess and they both start talking,
"Lissa, my treasure! Are you all, right? I've been on pins and needles!" The blond girl exclaims, her voice sharp and filled with pride. She knows this girl is noble, she fits the bill of a typical noble girl, but her uniform suggests she is a troubadour. So, she muses, the rumours were true, in shepherds both the nobles and commoners fought on the same footing.
Lissa just smiles wide as she pulls back slightly, "Oh, Hey Maribelle."
The girl Maribelle pulls back and frowns, "'Oh, hey yourself! I've sprouted 14 grey hairs fretting over you!"
Lissa grins, not at all worried, "Aw, you worry too much. I can handle a battle or two! ...Although I could do without the bugs and the bear barbecue…" she trails off, with a disgusted look remembering they're not so pleasant impromptu camp.
Maribelle is about to say something, but she is interrupted by the Pegasus knight as she squeaks in a small voice, "Beg pardon, but when might we see the captain?"
Maribelle looks at her and sighs, "Poor Sumia. She's simply been beside herself with concern... Her eyes were scanning the horizon all day during training. She might have earned fewer bruises fighting blindfolded."
Sumia blushes bright red as Lissa grins, "Aw, Sumia, that's so sweet of you to worry about Chrom."
If possible, she blushes further red and stammers out, "Worry? Well, I... He's our captain and our prince—of course, I'd worry!" her voice high, stammers and Robin doesn't need to be her friend to know that the girl just doesn't worry for him because he is their prince. Well, she thinks, it has nothing to do with her.
Lissa has a mischievous glint in her eyes as she giggles and before they could continue a gruff voice cuts in, the fighter frowns as he asks the princess, "So who did you say this stranger was?" He brings the topic back to her and again all the attention is turned to her, and she tries hard to not look away. They are judging her but for a different reason.
"Like I said this is Robin and she is Rufure's sister." She repeats and the two new girls gasp as they stare at her,
"She does look like prince Rufure," Sumia says softly and the others nod.
"Where did she come from?" The fighter asks,
"We all found her near South town yesterday on our patrol, she has defected from Pelgia." Robin just silently nods as she takes in their reaction, they are not thrilled about the whole thing but compared to others they are not jumping to conclusions at least and she notes, that Lissa is keeping her royalty a secret, probably Emmeryn's idea because Pelgian royalty is not well known and would just create more confusion. And mostly the implications of Rufure's heritage will probably create chaos so they must be hoping to keep it all under wraps right now.
"So, is she joining the shepherds?" Sully, the knight from yesterday, asks from the back, her hands folding as she leaned against the wall and keeps a vigilant eye on her.
Lissa looks at her and says, "Ya, mostly she will."
"Mostly?" Maribelle asks.
"Well, it's the whole council thing, but Rufure said they will push it towards that side."
They are sceptical as they take her in, obviously even with their similar looks to accept her as his sister so easily must be hard especially considering she is a Pelgian and will be armed on that. Lissa sensing the tense air moving near her as she tried to smile reassuringly and says,
"She is really strong everyone, just like Rufure she can do it all. She is good at tactics, swords, and magic. You should have seen how she and Rufure planned it's like they were telepathing rather than talking." She gushes and she flushes slightly, she has never been complimented so straight on and to compare her skills to Rufure is quite a high praise.
They look at her surprised now, but they all seem to now think of her more positively than they did before and she wonders if now she should say something but before she can, the door opens, and they all turn. Chrom, Rufure and Frederick walk in as they smile at all of them, and Rufure positively grins when their eyes meet and she knows, the council went well.
Chrom nods at her before he looks at them and they all smile as Sumia approaches him, standing beside her as she stumbles, " Ah! Captain! You've returned! I was— I mean, we were so—" She falls, and Robin feels bad as she turns to her and puts a handout and helps her up as she looks down humiliated. Chrom looks worried though as his brows furrow and bends a bit to assess her.
"Sumia, Are you all, right? Those boots of yours again?" She dusts herself off as she silently thanks her and bows her head as she replies to him,
"No! I mean, yes! I mean..." She sighs and looks down, her head bowed in shame and to save her from further embarrassment, Rufure walks up and steers the topic away,
"Alright everyone listens up, we have a new mission personally from Emm," they all straighten up, "We are to head to Regna Forex tomorrow and gain their alliance."
They all stare surprised; alliance means preparations for war. And preparations mean the war is at their doorstep and no one likes to hear that especially the Ylissean militia who will be expected to stand on the front lines in the conflict, and their mixed feelings towards the matter can be on their faces. She stays silent as she takes in their faces and Chrom seems to know what they all are thinking,
"We require Regna's help to quell the new menaces that have started showing up, our militia alone is not enough anymore to take care of both the brigands and the dead monsters," he explains as he looks everyone in the eye, "Normally the exalt should go herself to request the aid but with recent trying times if Emm were to suddenly leave the capital the people will start worrying so the task has befallen both of us to carry out." He turns to Rufure and nods, "That's why this mission is strictly voluntary and those who don't want to can remain behind, no one will object." He concludes, and she knows that it excludes her from the voluntary list. Well, she doesn't mind it, it is better than staying here in the castle and doing nothing, but it still feels very strange, in a unique sense.
Lissa grins as she shoots up her hand, "I volunteer." The three men frown visibly but she doesn't deflate and before they can object another hand shoot up, and most of them start shouting their choice. Virion the man who they found out of nowhere, who claims to be just a wandering archer, states his volunteer too and Sully visibly frows but stays silent Rufure is rounding up the numbers when suddenly they hear a voice from out of nowhere and they all jump,
"I volunteer too," she had to bite back her scream as a man appeared out of nowhere beside Vaike, who did scream. The man was bulky, in the knight's armour and for the life of her Robin doesn't get how she could miss this large man, and not just her, everyone did.
Rufure sighs as he glances at the man and says, "Kellam I have told you hundred times, please try to appear normal."
Lissa pouts, "Seriously Kellam you are going to give us all a heart attack one of these days." She complains and he sheepishly looks down.
"I am sorry, but I was here the whole time." He explains but Robin can't believe it at all because he made no noise, and his armour should have made a lot of noise. The more she gets to know them, the more she is realising how truly strange the people around her 'brother' truly are. It is a bit of shock as shepherds were called Ylisse's finest militia, she tries to keep her mind open though and not judge their abilities so soon.
Rufure looks around and then turns to Vaike, "I don't see Stahl and Miriel here, Vaike can you inform them about the mission and tell them if they wish to come, they can come to the meeting point tomorrow morning." The man nods as Rufure continues, "Ok, everyone who volunteered listen closely, we are going to meet tomorrow morning at 6 in front of the North gate with your gear, weapons, and first aid properly packed. As soon as you come you will report to me first, and if any of you change your mind you can come there too. Understood?" Everyone shouts their agreement as Rufure looks pleased and then approaches her,
"Robin, we need to talk so once I am done here, we will head to my office, ok?" She nods and he smiles as he then heads to others and starts doing his work. She decides to roam around a bit and gets familiarised with this place as it seems she is now being given a tad bit of free reign.
Chrom sees Sumia looking conflicted and approaches as she looks down and seems to be deeply thinking of something. She notices his approach and looks up, flushing brightly as holds her hands in front of her chest and furrows her eyebrows, "I was - I am not sure if I should come, captain."
He thinks he knows Sumia's strengths and her weakness; she can do it once she realises she can do it. But the fact they still haven't gotten a Pegasus for her has been stunning her growth and not giving her the much-needed confidence, she needs in her skills. He knows the lie faults in him as her superior but well-bred Pegasus was always given first to the knights and then handed to others and he can never outrank Philia in terms of military strength alone coupled with the decline in pegasus breading in recent years things have been hard for him to arrange necessary gear for his shepherds. He feels bad for it, but he also believes that once Sumia can gain a bit of experience, she can become as good of a knight as the other Pegasus knights.
"Sumia, I respect your wishes but there are only some things you can learn on the field," He cuts a hand through his hair as he feels awkward, "Of course, it is up to you."
She shuffles as she hesitates, "I just – I fear I will be a burden for everyone. I don't want to get in the way of anyone."
He smiles reassuringly as he puts a hand on his chest and says with no doubt, "You won't be a burden Sumia, no one shall think that. If you are worried, all you need to do is stand behind me, I will keep you safe." He promises and her heart lurches, she blushes bright red as she stumbles with words but before she could reply he is needed elsewhere and with the same smile he turns and reassures her he will be there, but he doesn't leave her. And her heart painfully squeezes as she knows, the reality.
She smiles, blushing, as she nods, "I will do as you say, captain." He smiles gladly and takes his leave, and she watches him go as she wills to not feel hurt. It has always been like this, she a blithering idiot that can't do anything properly and puts meanings in his words that he would never say. He cares for everyone and is kind to everyone, their perfect prince. She sighed as she turns away and tries to get back to training, she can't become special, but she must amount to something. She had joined the shepherds for that reason.
As the sun sets, they all walk back to the castle after a long day. Chrom and Lissa head to their rooms to prepare for dinner, Rufure takes her to his office so they could talk about their matters. She looks around, taking in his office that is, well, the only word coming to her is a mess. It is a chaotic mess with papers, books, and reports thrown around the room with books lining the wall filled with more books. She counts three mugs on his table and one bottle on his tea table, with the brown sofa only relatively clean. She stares as she gives a look to him and he rubs his cheek in embarrassment as he walks in and starts tidying up the place, to make a tad bit of room for her to sit on the chair opposite his table.
"Sorry about the mess," He speaks as he pushes some books away, "I don't get too many visitors, so I just do my work."
She carefully walks, mindful of papers which contained important information even if they were thrown on his floor, "The royal advisor doesn't get many visitors?" She quips, only half curious as she carefully sits down on the chair and starts putting stuff in a far neater pile. She has always been a neat person.
He flushes as he too puts away the mugs and then takes his seat, "Normally I do but I take them in Chrom's or Emm's office depending on the work. I like to work in such conditions."
She looks around again and feels her heart fall, her brother had always been neat, "Oh," she tries to hide her disappointment, "Well, one's work environment should be comfortable so one can work efficiently." She just rats off some work ethic books and he stares as he looks away. He did pick up her disappointment, but he decides to ask about it later, for now, he needs to talk about her work.
"So, in the council, we got you in the shepherds but there are still more things we need to discuss." She nods as he smiles and continues, "First you will be living in the castle still, but your surveillance shall be removed, and you can move around freely for the most part. There are certain places we can't allow you and I will ask someone to show you around. Your movement in the town will also be limited to the high district alone, and if you want to go to the market or somewhere else you need to have someone with you. You can't enter any military or government buildings, again I will ask one of the shepherds to give you a proper tour of the town too."
She listens, this all seems standard, but still reflects their kindness. She and Gangrel wouldn't have ever shown any mercy.
"Next as for weapons, you can carry weapons when you are leaving the castle. When you are in the castle, you will hand over your weapons to any of the guards," She feels a bit troubled by that, "don't worry the guards take care of other's weapons too so they won't damage them or misplace them in any way." His face is blank, "If you need to equip yourself with a weapon in the castle or anywhere else not allowed, you need our permission, mine or Chrom's. In the same way, I and Chrom are your superiors, the ones you will report to and the only ones you need to listen for anything."
She nods, she is glad it was just the two of them, she would rather not answer to the other nobles or knights. She still has her pride.
"You are going to work as a shepherd so you will receive the same pay as them and facilities that means you can use the barracks to practice, ask any of them for practice matches. You can also ask for any supplies you need, medicines, equipment, and items. You can also freely utilise the medical clinics to get healed or rest. There are some other benefits like tax reduction and all, but you don't have to concern yourself with that all right now."
She nods, well it will be nice to have some spending money. She can maybe, when she has some time, visit the city and look around a bit. She probably won't be coming back to Ylisse again.
He smiles and starts picking a paper from his massive pile, he doesn't even glance to check as he starts writing. "That's all I have to tell, you can ask me or the others any questions you have," he hands her the paper, "This is your official agreement, so keep it on you when you need to exit the castle on your own or if someone asks about you." She nods, "Also, your special permit for entering Ylisse will be coming in a few days, but you will require them at the border so for now, we will use our authority from next time till you are here in Ylisse keep that on you ok. They are your official identification, and you will need them."
She folds the paper and puts it away in her coat as she starts to stand up, but he stops her, "You have nothing to ask?" He says, a bit worried and she shakes her head. He stares, half a second longer then sighs and lets her go as she says her goodbyes and heads out.
All guards let her pass, as she walks on her own and something about it feels nice. Though she had accepted it, not being a prisoner felt good. She still heads straight to her room and flops down on her bed. She has done nothing today, but she feels truly tired, she has met so many people and talked so much to her 'brother', and it has left her exhausted. She curls up and decides to take a nap.
She has work tomorrow.
A/N - Ok, so I am aware it has been a very long time. Do I have any excuses? no, but I am sorry. Didn't mean to stop updating but well I am a depressed writer, so it is really hard for me to keep up with my schedule when my anxiety is high. Still sorry about the wait. This story is very important to me, so I am happy I am starting to pick it up again after so long. So thank you for being patient and please enjoy the next chapter, things have started to pick up and I hope I did the political side justice in this chapter.
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