To say that the Ylissean Pegasus Knights were well-known would be an understatement. They were one of, if not the flagship force of its military for most of the kingdom's life. Only the personal force of its current Exalt, the Shepherds, could claim to outrank it out in popularity in the last few years.
So it had been quite a blow and shock when most of the Pegasus Knights had been wiped out during the Mad-King's War over three years ago. But just like Ylisse, it was rebuilt to not just regain its former glory, but potentially surpass it thanks to the efforts of its surviving members who now co-lead the group in Vice-captain Sumia and Captain Cordelia.
And one of its newest members – the daughter of the captain – found herself under the covers of her bunk in the barracks.
A barrack that only had herself present, at least until the door opened to reveal a certain pig-tails, gray-shaded brunette.
"Seevvyy~ It's time to wake up sleepy-head~" They sang with a pitch that was both low and smooth.
Though the sound of her voice was only met with a grunt from the redhead. "Ughhh~" She groaned, burying her face into her pillow while pressing her spare against the back of her head, sandwiching it in between as she hoped to block out the sound of the voice that was disturbing her slumber, along with the light that had been let in from the now open door.
"Huh~" Cynthia merely sighed at Severa's reaction. Standing beside the bed, she had her hands on her hips as she looked down at the girl who usually meticulously took care of her appearance as she looked like a bit of a mess in bed. The lower half of her long, slender legs poked out from under rugged covers, her usually flawless hair disheveled and wild, and she could see a stain of what she could only assume was drool on the edge of her pillow.
"Come on Severa, you're gonna be late again if you don't get ready." Cynthia tried to urge her friend, only for her to further bury herself in the mattress and curl up, showcasing her answer in wanting to stay in bed.
Seeing as she had now made her stance clear, Cynthia knew it was time to take drastic measures. "Alright, I gave you two warnings, that's one more than you would've given me, so don't hold a grudge against me for this!" She stated before grabbing the sheets and pillow, and with a firm, quick tug, flung them off her friend's form.
That got Severa up, as quickly sat up on her bed and glared at her fellow shepherd with an annoyed and angry look. "What the hell!?" She cried, ready to strangle her friend for her actions in her current state.
Only for Cynthia to suddenly point towards one of the windows, revealing the rising sun as she said. "Don't even start! Almost everyone is ready for this morning's training except you! So don't be annoyed at me for waking you up so that you have enough time to maybe get something to eat before we start if you hurry."
Severa's eyes widened as she realized the truth of her friend's words. "Shit!" She exclaimed in annoyance as she hopped from the bed, revealing her sleepwear in the form of a simple black tank-top and gray short-shorts to combat the rather humid weather that was currently plaguing Ylisse these past few days.
Though that attire was soon pulled off her body as she made her way towards the washroom, set on taking a quick shower in order to get rid of all the sweat that had accumulated on her body during the night, otherwise she'd feel disgusting and dirty during the start of her training.
"I am not gonna be late again!" The redhead declared as Cynthia saw her disappear behind the corner of the entrance, though noticed her panties and bra being tossed aside along with the creaking of a knob being turned, only for a loud groan to be heard as Severa shouted, "Why isn't the shower working!"
Cynthia rolled her eyes. "It's been turned off for this week, remember!?" She reminded the annoyed girl. "You can still use the wash bin and a towel though!"
Severa only muttered something in response, what it was Cynthia couldn't tell, but she doubted it was a thank you. "You've got ten minutes!" She told her friend, which was only meant with a groan.
Rolling her eyes, the already dressed pegasus knight walked towards the door to leave her friend to it. Only to stop and then call out with an almost snarky tone, "Oh, aren't you forgetting to say something to me?"
There was silence for a moment, and then the lowest of grumbles from Severa, something Cynthia couldn't hope to accurately make out but could make a pretty solid guess. Even so, she wanted to make sure. "What was that?" She asked again, a small grin on her face at what came next.
"Thanks…" Severa said, just loud enough for Cynthia to hear from the other room.
Satisfied, the future child found her cheerful persona coming back in full force after holding it back, not wanting to risk making her friend even crankier while waking her up. And so she hopped out of the barracks with a skip in her step.
Maybe she'd even get to see him today as well? That'd make her day!
Little did she know, turns out Severa had a similar thought as well.
"Ughh~"
Severa let out a low groan as she attempted to fix up her hair, pulling her hand down over one of her twin tails in order to keep her hair straight. Patting down on her uniform as well, practically identical to her mother's save for the red patterns being a shade or two darker. Though even after wearing it for more than a month, she still couldn't claim to have gotten completely used to it. She thought they exposed quite a bit before she joined, but after? She wondered what was going on through the minds of the designers, especially with this short skirt! She tried to pull the fabric a bit more down.
"Well, look who decided to join us~"
The girl winced at the sound of that voice filled with sarcastic scolding, a tone she had grown quite familiar with, especially for the last few months since she's joined the pegasus knights.
Cordelia stood in front of her future daughter with a raised brow, hand on her hip as she said, "You know, you'd have more time to fix your hair if you got up earlier like the rest of us," She chided.
Her words annoyed Severa, who attempted to counter them. "It's not my fault the weather sucks so much I couldn't go to sleep until the middle of the night when it finally felt somewhat cool! Why'd you even turn off the cooling hex to the barracks and shower anyway!?"
Her mother merely let out a sigh. "Severa, we've been over this. This is practice so that you and the rest of the knights won't forget how conditions out in the field could very well be when we don't have access to the same amenities as we do here."
However, that didn't seem to satisfy Severa. "I've been living without most of these amenities for a good chunk of my life. All this does is remind me that I hate it,"
"Well then here's your chance to show other new recruits your experience," Cordelia offered in rebuttal before stating, "In any case, you're only 5 minutes late this time, so get to stretching and warm up with the others before we start our drills,"
Severa only let out a small groan in response as she made her way towards one of the open spots, which just so happened to be next to Cynthia. She wore an outfit similar to hers, though instead of red, her attire was shaded a darker blue, with her uniform having prominent slits near her hips showcasing a generous portion of skin that the redhead found a bit too much, even for their uniforms.
"Well, at least she only scolded you for less than a minute this time," Cynthia joked as she flexed one arm by extending it to her side while hooking her elbow under it perpendicularly, her wide hips twisting with her movements.
Severa, for her part, was mostly quiet, save for a quick response. "Not in the mood," She told the gray shaded brunette as she sat down and spread her legs, leaning forward as she bit her lips while performing her stretches, lest she pay for it later.
"Did you at least get something to eat?" The senior pegasus knight asked with a bit of concern as she leaned back for her next stretch, pushing her chest out as her already angled breastplate seemingly threatened to pop off from the strain of the load it was hiding underneath.
The redhead glanced at her friend, letting out a small tsk at the sight before looking away. She didn't need another reminder of the differences in their body. So many of Cynthia's traits, from her chest, her butt, her hips, plus a few others surpassed her own assets, with perhaps only her slender legs beating out Cynthia's more sizable limbs which gave her an inch or two over the short stack.
It wasn't like Severa was jealous, actually, scratch that, she was a bit jealous, but she had gotten over it, for the most part. Besides, she was confident in her body, it may not have been as extravagant as Cynthia's, but it was still a source of pride! She was more balanced, she liked to believe, her chest was rather large, more than a handful at least (already surpassing her mother). And while she wouldn't dare to believe her ass was anywhere near as large as Cynthia - let alone her mother's - she still believed her rear to be quite sizable and cute!
In any case, before she could answer her friend's question, their attention was drawn to a familiar trio of voices.
"Robin! How are you?"
"I'm doing well Sumia, just came to ask for a favor. Hey Cordy,"
"Hello to you as well, so what favor do you need?"
Cynthia and Severa saw their mother's greeting the famed tactician of the shepherds, as well as its current Queen. But it wasn't just the Queen being the only royalty present, but also the prince.
"Hey, it's Morgan!" Cynthia exclaimed cheerfully, a smile brightening her face as she waved towards him. Even Severa's once annoyed face seemed to soften at the sight of the messy, dark-blue, purple-edge-haired lad.
He was of course wearing his trademark coat, how he did so with this humid weather, she wasn't sure. Evan as she briefly pondered the thought, her softened face flustered when she noticed Morgan walking towards them, having noticed them thanks to Cynthia's hand-waving.
Quickly looking away before he could see her face, Severa suddenly became a bit of a nervous wreck as she fretted about her appearance. She had gotten up less than twenty minutes ago, wasn't able to shower or put on any good make-up, her hair wasn't straight as she would've liked.
"Hey, Morgan!" Cynthia happily greeted her friend as he finished making their way to them, leaning forward towards him as she held her hands behind her back. Neither heard the small "Ep!" let out by the redhead beside them.
The prince offered her just as equally a warm smile and greeting. "Hey Cynthia! Hey Severa!"
"Hey~" Severa slowly replied with a small wave.
Morgan was unsure how to take this greeting, and seeing he was a bit nervous, Cynthia offered an explanation for their friend's response.
"She didn't get much sleep last night and woke up like 15 minutes ago," She explained low enough for Severa to hopefully not hear, though she still did, even the next part where her friend added, "I think she also didn't get breakfast,"
That got Morgan's concern, his eyes briefly widening. "Oh, in that case!" He rummaged through his coat many pockets, the large and small ones. It got both Cynthia and even Severa's attention as they gazed at him with curiosity before eventually, he pulled out a packet of crackers.
"Here you go, Severa," He offered after taking a few out and leaning down towards her with a warm smile.
The pegasus knight gazed at his offering a bit taken aback, her eye shifting from it and his face with a level of uncertainty, with part of her thinking of turning down his offering. Though her body made it clear what she desired, especially as it chose to make a small growl that made Severa's cheeks flush up in embarrassment, and her friend's laugh warmly.
Snatching the crackers up quickly, she bit down on one of them and found her appetite becoming a bit more satisfied. "Thanks…" She slowly told him as she munched on the rest.
"No problem," Morgan honestly told her, glad to help as he put away the rest of the packet for later use.
But just as he did that, Cynthia suddenly asked, "Hey Morgan, can you help me with a few stretches?"
Her tone seemed completely natural, but there was something about it that caught Severa's attention, especially with Morgan's reply.
"Really?" He asked, sounding a bit unsure as the twin-pigtails girl nodded her head firmly with a smile, something Morgan attempted to recuperate as he said, "Alright, if you're sure!"
"Great!" She exclaimed, quickly sitting down and spreading her legs to her side. "Can you push down on my back? I've been having a bit of trouble with this stretch for some reason!"
It took Morgan a moment to respond. "Sure," he agreed, kneeling behind Cynthia as he placed a hand on her upper back, pushing down a bit.
"Oh!" Cynthia let out a small gasp as she already felt a bit of a strain in her stretch, a good one! "A little harder, Morgan! I can feel my legs already warming up!"
Morgan placed his other hand on his friend's back, doing as she asked. And as the prince helped the pegasus knight with a stretch, the former mercury watched on intensely with almost a glare, especially considering how Cynthia's enormous rear almost threatened to pop out from under her skirt with her stretch.
But before it could continue any longer, a commanding voice called out to the trio.
"Cynthia, Severa!"
The two girls felt their eyes widen at the call of their names, instinct drilled into them prompted their bodies up on their feet and into a firm stance with a straight back and arms at their sides. Though in the case of Cynthia, her ascent was interrupted as she accidentally smacked her back against his front, sending him stumbling back onto his butt.
"Ugh!"
"Oh! Sorry, Morgan!" Cynthia quickly apologized, already turning around to offer the lad a hand before Severa could even attempt to think about that offer.
In any case, the grayish brunette helped the prince back on his feet. "No problem," he assured her as he rubbed his lower back.
But before another word between the three could be passed, they felt the presence of a more important trio nearby. Glancing in the direction, Cynthia and Severa once again regained their stance. "Yes Commander?" Cynthia asked as Severa's mother, her mother, and Morgan's mother stood in front of them.
Seeing how she had their full, undivided attention, Cordelia was straight to the point in her words. "Robin here needs someone to fly Morgan to one of the nearby forts for a quick delivery of some important documents both to and fro there,"
The girls' eyes widened her words, with Severa's eye briefly glancing in Morgan's direction. Though just as she was considering the benefits of accepting, she was once again beaten in the speed of action by Cynthia.
"I'll do it!" The girl exclaimed, raising her hand with a bright smile.
Cordelia gave a small nod of approval, trusting the girl with the task. Robin herself made her way in front of her son, giving him the important documents before planting a quick peck on his forehead that made the lad bashful.
Just after that, Cynthia grabbed Morgan's wrist. "Come on! Let's not waste time!" She told him while pulling him behind her as she started to run off towards the stables.
"Be careful you two!" Sumia called out towards the duo, with Cynthia offering a quick, " We will!" before the two eventually disappeared behind a corner.
The trio of mothers soon let out a few chuckles at the event, not noticing the grimace that was now present on Severa's face as she went back to focus on her stretches.
"Mhhmm~"
Severa raised her brow as she gently drank down a sip of the batch of soup she was making, humming in approval that it seemed almost ready. Training for the day had ended earlier than usual, and after finishing her respective task for the day the redhead found herself with plenty of time to spare for a meal to satisfy her hunger, especially since she didn't have a proper breakfast.
Though some would argue that perhaps a soup wasn't the most fulfilling of meals, especially if she was as hungry as she thought. So why was it the main dish she decided to make with the vast options presented to her in one of the castle's many kitchens made available for the soldiers stationed there?
"Oh wow! Are you cooking soup, Severa!?" Exclaimed a familiar voice that made the pegasus knight's eyes briefly widen before composing herself and looking towards the source as Morgan made his way into the dining room adjacent to the kitchen.
" Hmph~ Back already?" The redhead asked, attempting to appear as though most of her focus was on her dish rather than on the prince.
To which he nodded. "Yep! Luckily everything went by pretty smoothly! Though to be honest, we both got a bit hungry, and the crackers I had only helped a little for me and Cynthia!" He explained.
"Hmm~" Severa hummed in acknowledgment, still appearing to keep most of her focus on her preparation. However Morgan noticed for a moment or two she paused, as though seemingly gaining a thought. And quickly afterward, she asked, "If you're still hungry, want some soup?"
Morgan was a bit taken aback by the offer, silent for enough time that Severa became nervous, prompting her to ask, "What, don't want any?" She seemed calm, but there was a hint of shakiness.
Morgan quickly snapped out of his silence from her words, shaking his head, he answered, "No! It's just…just that it's kinda strange you offering me some when I usually have to beg you for a bowl."
He gave a small chuckle at the end, his words prompting a small, embarrassed blush to tint Severa's cheeks. "Well sorry for trying to be nice! If you're gonna tease me about it, you can find someone else to cook you a meal!" She replied a tad flustered.
That got Morgan tense, seeing as it whipped off any sense of humor and smile from his face. "Wait! I wasn't trying to-! I mean, I was just-... I'm gonna take a seat…" He stated with a defeated tone. Severa letting out a small, "Hmph!" in mild victory as she stirred the pot of soup with one hand, her other focused on organizing a few of the side dishes she had also prepared.
Even if her soup by itself wasn't the most satisfying no matter how delicious it was, there was little doubt these side-dishes would help alleviate any complaints. Still, the amount of food prepared seemed a bit too much for one person, in fact, it seemed more suited for two, perhaps three if it was stretched out.
After another minute or two, Severa had all the food prepared, laying out all the side dishes in front of Morgan, close enough that it would've been a bit difficult for someone on the other side of the table to get some unless they were sitting next to Morgan. Which was what the redhead cook did as she placed Morgan's bowl of soup in front of him before sitting down on the other side of the corner he had sat next to.
"Wow! This looks delicious Severa! I almost don't know where to start" The prince exclaimed with glee. He loved the taste of Severa's soup, but he knew her other dishes weren't anything to miss either, it had also been a while since he's gotten to try any of these dishes, so he felt conflicted about what to taste first.
"A ' thank you' would be nice~"
Morgan shifted his gaze at Severa, caught off guard by her suggestion as she gently took a sip of her soup. Though after a moment his smile returned as he did as she suggested. "Thanks, Severa!" His tone that was both polite and grateful while still keeping his usual cheerfulness, all topped off with that dorky smile of his.
Severa saw it with a sidewards glance, a small blush dusting her cheeks as she gazed back down at her soup. With Morgan soon sipping down his own, though his slurps were a tad noisier.
The two sat and ate their meal in relative silence for a few more minutes, only the sounds of their slurps and chewing being heard. Severa was rather graceful and patient with her eating, Morgan, unfortunately, wasn't on the same level of her table manners.
Severa could see out of the corner of her eyes he was attempting to steady himself, but it was clear he was struggling to do so, rushing just a bit to partake in the many delicious options she had laid out in front of him. But it was when he had a bit of soup and vegetables smudge the outside corner of his mouth and run down his check did Severa decide to step in.
"Huh~" The girl sighed, placing down her utensils and grabbing a napkin and gaining Morgan's attention, prompting him to pause as before he knew it, she had leaned in and started cleaning off the bits of food around his mouth.
"Eat a bit cleaner, you're a prince for gods sake." She chided with a small blush, one that matched Morgan's own as he couldn't only sit there still and let her continue. The way she rubbed his face was rather gentle and caring in a way that took him off guard, and her face was rather close as well, and with her eyes not on his own, he found it easier to take in the rather cute sight.
Though for some reason, her lips seemed to become the focus of his attention briefly.
" Ohh ~ Something smells delicious in here!"
The sudden enthusiastic voice caught both their attention as they saw Cynthia making her way in, her eyes immediately landing on the rather delicious and still somewhat plentiful food on the table.
"Whoa! Can I get some!?" She asked, already making her way towards the kitchen to get her own bowl. Severa quickly moved away from Morgan and removed her hand from near his face, her small blush now lighting up at the embarrassing position she had almost been caught in.
Morgan himself only blinked at the sudden change in atmosphere that had occurred, unsure of what to say and do. And soon enough Cynthia had already made her way back to the table and took a seat right next to Morgan, which was closer than the one Severa was already occupying.
A tick seemed to appear on the redhead's head in annoyance at her friend's actions. "I never said you could have some," She pointed out, expressing her frustration at the ash-brunette's decision to not wait for a response to her request and doing as she pleased.
But Cynthia seemed barely bothered by it, her smile and cheerful tone still present as she replied, "Come on! Don't be like that! This is just payback for waking you up on time this morning!"
Severa resisted the urge to growl, merely giving her fellow flier a quick glare which she didn't even notice as they both focused on their food. Morgan himself, feeling a bit of change in atmosphere between the two, found himself still unsure of what to do next.
"Morgan, stop staring and eat, I won't have you waste this food I went through the trouble preparing."
"Huh!"
Severa's sudden order surprised the lad, but it also helped him to finally act.
"Of course! I wouldn't dare waste any of your delicious food!" Morgan exclaimed, quickly digging back into the meal in front of him with new vigor, intent on showing her that he was both grateful and how much he enjoyed her food.
The sight gave the redhead a small grin, but on the other side of Morgan, their ash-brunette friend found her smile dropping a bit.
"Hah!"
*Clang
"Dammit!"
Cynthia's frustrations increased as another one of her training spears missed its mark. For over an hour she's been trying to improve her aim and more reliably throw her weapons.
And yet she wondered if she had been making any progress at all, with her latest shot missing its target by quite a bit. Sometimes they would be close, sometimes not so much, but Cynthia honestly couldn't tell if the former was improving in frequency by any metric.
It was already starting to get late, and if she wanted to get a good night's sleep and much-needed wash after today's training, she would need to call it quits soon.
But gosh darn it, she just wanted to land one good shot! Was that too much to ask!
As a battle between stubbornness vs well-being was fought inside her mind, the pegasus knight didn't notice the arrival of an unknown spectator until they announced themselves.
"Ohh, Cynthia, are you alright?"
The girl's eyes widened, her face whipping towards the source. "Mo-Morgan!?" She cried, clearly surprised by his appearance as he stood nervously by the sidelines.
"Hey…" He bashfully waved from his spot, a hint of corner present in his smile as he asked, "I heard you scream in frustration a few minutes ago, and well…"
Cynthia's face dropped as he struggled to continue, already understanding what he was getting out. Not only has she been disappointing herself, but she must've also been disappointing Morgan as he watched her fail in her training.
Seeing the gloom starting to take over her face, Morgan acted quickly to bring his dear friend back up to her cheerful persona. "Hey! No need to look down! Everyone has trouble with some things!"
Unfortunately, Cynthia didn't seem to recuperate her words. "But I've been having trouble with this for far too long!" She stated clenching her fist and stomping her foot in frustration. "Everyone else has gotten better with throwing spears eventually! Even Severa picked it up in just a few months, while I've been a Pegasus Knight for years!"
Morgan winced at her tone, realizing that he was gonna have to put quite a bit of effort if he hoped to help his friend. "Well Severa's already had some practice with aim and accuracy! She was a pretty good bow knight during the war!"
He tried to give a logical explanation for their friend's skill, hoping it would help Cynthia realize that it wasn't just Severa starting from zero and surprising her in such a short time. Though it still didn't seem to help the girl as she replied, "That still doesn't explain why I'm still so bad at this! I'm not asking to be great! Not even that good at it! I just want it to be reliable enough to actually use and help protect the people I care about!"
Morgan could see the pained look on her face, this had been a source of frustration for the girl for far longer than he realized. And so, he decided the best way of making her feel better was to help her to improve here and now.
"Do you want me to help you then?" He proposed, catching Cynthia off guard with the calm tone in his offer.
She was stunned for a few moments, looking at him with an unsure gaze, until she said, "Really?" Her voice was somewhat low, even a bit nervous.
And Morgan hoped to fill it back up with energy once again. "Yep!" He nodded and gained a bright smile. "I don't have much experience throwing spears and javelins, but I've learned a few tricks to aiming from my spells!"
Without hesitation, he made his way towards his friend, grabbing one of the spare spears set aside before handing it towards her, which she took after a moment.
"Uhh, do you mind if I get a little closer? It's hard for me to explain exactly what I want to say from off to the side," He asked, his voice a bit strained as he was embarrassed about what he was asking to do.
Luckily for him, Cynthia found herself with no problems with it, on the contrary, she found herself liking the idea, enough that it started to bring her some joy to combat her frustration.
With careful movements, Morgan positioned himself behind Cynthia, one of his hands moving around her side and under her shoulder to softly grip her arm, his other placed on her shoulder. He attempted to try and keep some distance between the two for respect of personal space, but knew that it was inevitable that their upper bodies would brush against one another, he just hoped their lover bodies wouldn't have that problem.
"I'm not making you uncomfortable?" The prince asked with a worried tone, wanting to make sure he wasn't harming his friend in any way.
To which she shook her head rather gently. "No," She simply stated with a soft and far more gentle voice before admitting. "In fact, I think you're helping me feel a bit calmer…"
Morgan chuckled in some part of relief. "Good," He replied with a relieved tone, his voice still a tad strained, but now less tense thanks to her words.
After a few moments, Morgan began his explanation. "Alright, so two main things I noticed. First off, I noticed that you seem to keep gripping the spear in different spots when you throw it compared to when you're holding it. Just like any other weapon, you want to make sure your grip is in the center of its weight to keep a balance, that makes it easier to guide the spear."
His hand traveled down to grip the spear with her, his front leaning slightly against in a way that made them both slightly tense up. Still, they attempted to ignore that sensation, instead of focusing on finding the center-weight of the spear for her to grip on.
After that, Morgan moved on to his next observation. "Next, you seem to have trouble keeping focus on the target, in the sense. For the entirety of your throw, you need to keep your eyes one where you want your attack to land, and no matter where you're eyes and spear faces, both are pointing towards the same target and direction,"
Cynthia nodded, determined, feeling her as she was ready to take Morgan's advice and make sure they weren't in vain. Though to her surprise, he had one last point to tell her about.
"Oh, and don't get so tense, that makes your throw off no matter what else you do, relax,"
His voice had lost its previous strained nervous tone, now posing a rather soothing sound that helped Cynthia do exactly as he said. With a deep breath, she eyed her target before twisting her hips and launching her arm straight forward, launching her spear.
*Ding
"Huh!"
Cynthia's gasp was one of shock at the location her spear embedded itself in, it wasn't a bullseye, but it wasn't that far off from it either. Close enough to still feel like a bullseye to her.
"That's amazing, Cynthia!" Morgan congratulated with excitement, with Cynthia herself still stunned at her results.
Only to then turn around and give Morgan a tight embrace.
"Thank you, Morgan!" She cried with gratitude, pressing her head against his shoulder.
Her actions took the prince aback, he was happy to have her spirits back up, but part of him couldn't ignore the sensation of her rather bountiful chest pressing against him through her tunic. Not even his cloak's thick material was able to mask how soft and squishy they were. Still, he opted to return the embrace, more than willing to ignore the sensation in favor of focusing on his friend.
"No problem," He told her honestly. "I'm always happy to help you out,"
For a few more moments she continued the embrace, before suddenly pulling away and asking, "Can we try it again!?"
There was clear excitement in her face and voice, and Morgan couldn't help but chuckle at it as he nodded. Acting quickly, she took one of the nearby spears and got back into position. Only to stop and ask with a low voice. "Uhh, could you…hold me again?"
Morgan blinked at her words, taking a moment to respond before nodding. "Sure," he told her, moving behind her and placing his hands on her once again. Yet unlike last time where there was a bit of distance between their bodies, Cynthia pushed back against him, his front now pressing against her back, with his crotch faintly rubbing against her skirt.
Morgan tensed up at the action but said nothing with how focused Cynthia seemed, and if she wasn't bothered by it, then he would try not to be as well. Together they set her up, almost ready to throw the spear once more, but before they could start their swing a voice interrupted them.
"Hey, you two! It's getting late!"
"Huh!"
"Ha!"
The prince and pegasus knight were shocked by the firm voice that called out to them, both immediately moving away from each other and dropping the spear with a small "Clang" against the ground. Their gazes shifted around before finding the source in a seemingly annoyed Severa, standing by the entrance of the training field with her arms crossed.
"He-hey, Severa!" Morgan greeted with a somewhat tense voice, clearly embarrassed by the position he had been caught in by her as Cynthia was blushing a bit of a storm off to the side, unable to look at her friend and instead locking gazes with the ground.
The girl merely tsked. "Why do I even bother," She muttered with rolling eyes. "If you two are gonna play around this late into the night, don't expect me to wake you up!"
With that, she turned and left, annoyance clear with her steps.
Her two friends were taken aback by this action, with Cynthia recovering first as she said, "Severa's right, it's getting late."
Her words drew Morgan out of his daze as he turned to look at her, a bit of her joy seemingly returning, but he could see she was trying to hide her disappointment underneath. "Night, Morgan!" She told him with a somewhat cheerful tone as she made her way out with skips in her steps.
All alone, Morgan found himself sighing at what had occurred, and giving another sigh as he looked around at the mess of spears that needed to be cleaned up.
*Splash
Severa grimaced as she scrubbed her uniform within a washbin nearby to her barracks, she, just like everyone else in the Pegasus Knight, had to clean her uniform almost daily. Her mother's words repeated in her mind with a few more about how all the members needed to present themselves with dignity. As such, she was once again wearing her mercenary outfit for now.
She always felt a bit more comfortable in this than her pegasus knight uniform, probably cause she wasn't showing as much skin. Regardless, in any case, she found washing her clothes to be a tedious task, not just from boredom, but from how it left her alone with her thoughts, thoughts that were becoming increasingly unpleasant.
"Hi, Severa."
Of course one of the main fixations of her thoughts just had to show up.
Not even looking at the prince, Severa continued washing her uniform. "Need something?" She asked, her tone while not unkind, wasn't welcoming either.
Morgan attempted to laugh off her tone, hoping to lighten the atmosphere between them. "Nope, just saw you nearby and thought I'd say hi," He replied honestly.
The redhead could practically feel the warmth that emanated from his smile despite not seeing it, attempting to fight down the warmth that threatened to spark in her heart from his words and potentially dust her cheeks. "Well, you've said it, happy now?"
Morgan winced as her tone continued to stay the same, still, he was determined to lift it and hopefully her spirits before he left. "Has training really been that hard this week?" He asked, attempting to create a new topic. "I know you guys are staying in the barracks for a week, but I didn't think it'd be this hard."
"It's not hard, just annoying," Severa rebutted rather quickly.
Enough so that it caught Morgan off-guard, only to then quickly ask, "How so?"
Severa grit her teeth. "Well I mean, my mother turned off the cooling spell, so I've got to deal with this stupid heat while I sleep! We've got to wake up even earlier than usual! Not to mention, my mother's been going harder on drills in the morning! The only thing that keeps me from not screaming in frustration by the end is the fact that she usually gives us the rest of the day off after lunch if she doesn't make us do a few more drills,"
Morgan hummed in acknowledgment. "Sounds hard, well, it would to me, at least it's easy enough for you to only be annoying," He told her, attempting to cheer her up with some praise.
Something Severa merely rolled her eyes at as she realized she had fallen for his tactics, believing with no doubt he was hiding a grin under his lips. She wasn't sure if she was still annoyed for so easily opening a bit up to him, how was he able to do that!? There was something about him and his mother that just made it easy to vent while they patiently listened!
And not just that, no matter how many times she insulted him or seemed to tell him to buzz off, he kept coming back. And loathe as she had been to admit, she had grown fond of his presence that was ready to help her as best he could. Not that she needed it most of the time.
Still, it was nice.
"If you're gonna just stand there, at least be a bit helpful and offer some help like a real prince," She told him, her words wiping off the smile on Morgan's face as he let out a quick, "Oh, sure!" before moving next to her as she wrung out her uniform before handing it to him to hang up on one of the nearby clotheslines which had some of her other clothes already hung up with someone else's.
She smiled a little as she did so, satisfied to have gotten him back in some way for the blush he had managed to spark on his cheeks.
And in no way was she trying or happy to get him to stick around for a bit longer.
Hanging up the uniform carefully, Morgan looked back at Severa to find her giving him an expected gaze with her hand extended out. Her head briefly nodded towards the bucket next to him which held another of her uniforms along with some other clothes she needed to wash. Immediately understanding her message, he picked out her uniform and handed it to her.
Though unfortunately for both of them, one of Severa's other clothing snagged onto the uniform before falling onto the ground between them both. Of course, Morgan leaned down to pick it up after noticing it, with Severa eyeing him out of the corner of her eye wondering what it was he found.
The answer made them both blush.
Morgan blushed at the black, lacy panties in his hand, with the only thing helping to make them look a little less scandalous being the little cute red ribbon on the front.
"Give me that!"
Severa quickly snatched up her undergarments, the blush on her cheeks as red as her hair as she quickly stuffed the fabric in her pockets. "What was that even doing there!" She muttered, attempting to keep it low but was still loud enough for Morgan to hear.
Though he barely did, too preoccupied in his thoughts as he was unable to prevent images of Severa in such underwear from forming in his head.
And the girl could easily tell that was in his mind.
"Get your minds out of the gutter!" She shouted at him.
"Ah!" Her words immediately snapped him from his thoughts as he attempted to bury and prevent them from forming anymore in fear of her wrath. "So-sorry!"
Severa gritted her teeth before letting out a groan of frustration. "Gwads!" She yelled, her mood hampered and perhaps even worse than before.
And that made Morgan rather sad as well, after trying and seemingly succeeding to help her feel better, he now felt responsible for her current mood. So of course he wanted to try and fix that.
"Is-is there anything I can do to try and make it up to you?" He asked, almost pleading with his voice in fear that he'd be subjected to her wrath.
Thankfully, she didn't immediately snap at him, seemingly thinking on his words with a look that was somewhat cute with how she still had a bit of a scowl and bright blush. Eventually, though, she seemed to settle on something.
"Shopping,"
"Huh?"
"Shopping," Severa repeated, loud and clear enough for him to have no mistake in what she said before elaborating,
"You're going out shopping with me after this, and you're also gonna buy me something to eat after, got it?"
Morgan was surprised by her request, but after a moment and one look at the glare she was giving him, quickly agreed. "Su-sure! We'll go shopping together!" He stated firmly, attempting to prove his dedication to making up for his 'mistake' .
"Oh, you two are going shopping! Can I come!"
The prince and pegasus knight tensed up at the sudden voice, both quickly turning their heads to the source as Cynthia skipped her way towards the pair.
"I haven't gone shopping in a while, this'll be so fun!" She exclaimed while taking off a few of the clothes she had hanging off the clothesline. "Let's meet at the gate in half an hour! Gotta go put this back first!" She quickly stated, giving her friends, especially Severa, no chance to turn down her request to join as she made herself a part of their little trip.
But as Severa was busy attempting to prevent an outburst while gazing at the ground, Morgan noticed how the back of Cynthia's short skirt seemed to flutter with his skips. And before he realized it, bounced up high enough to expose a generous view of her enormous rear, with no signs of any underwear.
The blush he had managed to fight back from seeing Severa's undergarments and the mental images afterward returned in full force. Finding himself at a loss for words and not even noticing how quiet Severa was as she was attempting and failing to hold in her disappointment and anger.
"Hey, Morgan!"
The two were drawn out by their thoughts from the booming voice that called out to the prince, looking around for the source, Morgan more frantically than Severa, only to find nothing.
"Up here!"
Looking in that direction, the two found Lucina, Morgan's sister, with her head sticking out the window of the third floor of the castle.
Before any of the two could greet her, she said, "Morgan, Mother says she needs your help with something really quick!"
That gave the lad something to focus on, something he especially needed after what had occurred. Quickly turning to Severa, he said, "Sorry! I promise I'll meet you and Cynthia by the gate in half an hour! An hour tops!"
With that, he quickly started rushing into the castle to help his mother with what she needed. Severa barely glanced at him as she crossed her arms, seeming to barely acknowledge Lucina's quick greeting to her before she disappeared back into the upper floors of the castle.
"I am so getting him to buy me some clothes as well," She muttered, wanting to get something else out of this trip now that the experience would be instantly soured and not what she was hoping for.
"Ohhh, this looks pretty!"
Cynthia's voice was filled with glee as plucked out another dress from the racks, quickly placing the fabric on top of the pile of clothing that had taken over Morgan's arms. The lad found himself with very little to say or do in the clothing shop besides holding the many clothes that the girls took interest in as they scouted for more.
Still, despite his situation, he wouldn't complain. They seemed to be enjoying it, and Severa herself seemed to have cheered up from earlier events. The redhead was far more composed in her browsing than her fellow pegasus knight, but there was a clear smile on her face throughout it all, her lips morphing into a grin whenever a particular piece caught her eye.
But when she and Cynthia added a few more additions to the pile of clothing that was threatening to bury him, he believed it was now time to say something. "Uh, guys?" He called out to them, his voice a bit muffled but still catching their attention, "I don't want to tell you to stop, but, maybe cool it down and decide which of the ones you've already chosen to keep and hopefully lighten the load? Otherwise, we may have to take a carriage back to the castle at this rate."
The girls glanced at him, the pile that obstructed him, and then at each other, and then back at him, "Sure, Morgan! Let's head to the dressing room!"
The pig-tails girl led the way with confident steps, her twin-tailed companion rolling her eyes as she followed, with Morgan himself walking behind them both. His steps were careful as to accidentally trip or bump into anything and potentially spill some of the clothing. Once he arrived at one of the pairs of dressing rooms in one of the corners of the store where the girls were waiting, the two instantly started snatching the respective clothing from the mixed pile they had created in Morgan's arms.
"Hey! That one was mine!" Severa barked in response to one of the dresses Cynthia snatched up.
Her accusation wasn't taken kindly by her, "No way! I got this dress from my browsing! I know because It's right between these two and I put all three in the pile together!" She attempted to explain, only to then notice a similar dress still in the pile. "Look! There's yours!"
The redhead glanced at the pile, seeing that Cynthia was right, the dresses were similar, and Cynthia hadn't stolen hers. With a grimace, she took her dress into her pile.
Morgan resisted the urge to let out a sigh as the pile - or perhaps more accurately mountain - of clothes that had been in his arms was finally gone. Though just when he was ready to find a place to rest, Severa stopped him.
"Where do you think you're going?" She called out to him with a firm tone and gaze that bore into his back and made his body tense up. "You've gotten stay here and help judge our choices,"
"Uhh, but, I don't think I'm that well qualified at judging how good you guys look," Morgan attempted to dissuade, and not just to rest, but because he believed in his statement. "I mean, I'm not even sure if I look that good in my regular clothing," He added, glancing down at his attire.
"Well duh, we know that," Severa responded rather quickly with a roll of her eyes, taking Morgan a bit back by how blunt she was.
"...Do I really look bad in these clothes?" He asked, sounding almost fearful, he may have tried to joke about it, but, well, Morgan truly hoped he didn't look like some fool in what he would consider his favorite clothes. He had some standards he wanted to live up to after all.
Cynthia was the one who attempted to alleviate his worries. "Well, it's not that they look bad, honestly, I couldn't picture you in anything else," She tried to reassure, not lambasting his attire but not really praising it either. "It's just, well…"
She attempted to place the main issue into words, only for Severa to step in and finish it for her. "It's like the only thing you wear. Like, gawds Morgan, we're not asking you to get rid of it, but try and wear something different, maybe like, two-to-three times a week."
"Oh, why don't we get him some clothes after this!" Cynthia suggested with an exciting look.
Severa nodded to her friend's words in agreement. "Yeah, there's a place nearby where I've gotten some clothes for my father before when I had to fix his wardrobe, I'm sure we can find something for Morgan." She stated, the two girls surprisingly were on the exact same page with no disagreements for once after what had been occurring for the last few days. All it took was some shared, mutual issue in Morgan's fashion sense. Which after every sentence they continued to utter made the lad's spine crawl as he realized he was much deeper than he could've predicted.
With the pegasus knights in agreement, Severa looked back at the almost sweat-dripping Morgan. "In any case, we both already know your fashion sense is garbage." She reiterated, doubling down on the apparently shared opinion that made Morgan hang his head in somewhat shame as she continued. "Your reactions will still be helpful, though, so we can still use that at least."
With that said, the two were ready to head into their respective dressing rooms with their respective piles, only for Morgan to mutter something accidentally loud enough for them to hear.
"I mean, not sure how good my reactions are gonna be, considering I'll probably think you two will look good no matter what you wear…"
Severa and Cynthia paused in their movements, eyes going wide as cheeks lighting up as they were stunned by the comment. Though just when Morgan seemed to notice and was about to ask if they were alright, they both recomposed themselves and disappeared on the other side of their respective curtains.
Soon enough, Morgan heard the sounds of clothes rustling, zippers running up and down their lines, and a few low grunts and hums the girls made. Knowing this was gonna take a while, he leaned back against one of the nearby racks, giving him some bit of rest as he gazed aimlessly around while waiting till the girls finally had him judge something.
Though he attempted to keep his gazes away from the dressing rooms themselves as he waited, not wanting to risk imagining anything that he shouldn't with those long curtains that went down to just a bit above their feet. Not that it would help make out anything useful or even catch a respectable person's eyes.
'Huh?'
Unfortunately for the lad, something did catch his eye. His once wandering gaze focused on the dressing booth that Severa was in, and more specifically, the small gap present that could show off her feet. The skin of her exposed feet had been briefly blocked by something else, something small that she needed to step out of.
But that couldn't be it, right? She was just trying on dresses, skirts, shirts, clothes like that. Not…not what he had been certainly imagining, no way?
He gulped when he saw her quickly step into something similarly small.
*Swosh!
Before his mind could attempt to rationalize and not come up with thoughts as to what he just saw, one of the curtains opened, revealing Cynthia in her first choice of attempted attire.
She wore a black short skirt that ended around her thighs, exposing quite a bit of the skin on her legs. A dark-blue crop-top snuggly hugged her chest and exposed a generous portion of her cleavage with a low neckline, her waist as well being shown off. A silver crop jacket was also present, with short sleeves that exposed her lower arms and helped to give her attire a sort of hot yet tough look he honestly would've expected from Severa more than her.
"So?" She asked with an excited tone, doing a small pose as well.
Morgan found himself somewhat at a loss for words. It wasn't the most revealing outfit he's seen her way, even so there was something about the aura currently around her that made the attire much more potent. He just didn't know what to say.
Though apparently to Cynthia, his face said it all.
"Seems like I got a good reaction," She grinned, winking at Morgan as she went back inside to try on another set.
However as he was still processing Cynthia's attire, Severa came out to showcase hers.
*Swosh!
The curtains drew open to reveal a rather simple white dress was what she chose, with a skirt that went down to her knees. The front was a bit shorter than her back to reveal her kneecaps while also showing off a modest yet still attractive portion of her slim legs. The entirety of her arms and shoulders were also exposed thanks to her thin shoulder straps, with her neckline ending just a bit under the top of her chest, a snug embrace with a hint of the valley within. Though if there was one thing her dress was comfortable showing off while also covering it was her waist, the fabric wrapper around it was more snuggly than over her chest to proudly present her hourglass figure.
Once again Morgan was stunned and at a loss for words. Severa's outfit was like an opposite to Cynthia's, just not in appearance. The contrast was more in the sense that like Cynthia's outfit, he would've expected this from the other girl instead of the one currently donning it.
Severa seemed annoyed by his silence, the somewhat stoic gaze she had revealed herself with turning into an annoyed glare. "Well?" She asked, arms crossed.
"Uhh…you look…nice?" Morgan said those words with hesitation, unable to properly express his feelings due to unease, fear, and just generally being taken aback by how nice she looked.
Unfortunately, Severa's response made him wince. "Whatever," She tsked, rolling her eyes and disappearing back behind the curtains. Morgan's face dropped a bit in disappointment at himself.
For the next dozen outfits - or two dozen, perhaps even three dozen, Morgan had lost track - Severa and Cynthia continued to try out new clothes and pose for the prince. Sometimes he was able to give decent verbal responses. Though many times, he found himself either stuttering or at a simple loss for words by what they wore, especially when they seemingly became more and more revealing.
"Wow, this is pretty difficult to put on, so tight~"
Cynthia's voice spoke on the other side of the curtain as she seemingly struggled with her next choice of attire. Small grunts and groans having preceded and followed her words, words that left Morgan stunned and wide-eyed. Severa though, only snorted as she couldn't help but give some snark.
"Maybe that's a sign you need to curb your appetite and do more training,"
"Hey! Just cause I'm a little thick doesn't mean I'm fat! I'm big in all the right places!"
*Slap
A rather prominent smack rang out, catching the attention of some other customers as they looked around for the source. Yet none were more caught off-guard than Morgan as his eyes widened even more, threatening to pop out. She didn't? She couldn't have?
"Are you daft! Why would you do that here!"
Severa's voice was rather prominent as she tried to keep it down while still being loud enough to express her annoyance. Though Cynthia didn't seem bothered much by it.
"Hehe! Cause it's fun! Besides, this store is big enough, and we're mostly alone near here! The only reason others will have to focus here is if I do that again, or if you can't keep your voice down!"
"That's not the only point!"
"Oh? Then what is the point? Or are you jealous that my butt is bigger than yours? Or maybe you're jealous about my chest? Do you wanna come in here and compare? Maybe you've grown bigger, or maybe I have?"
"Shut it! I see those humongous pains of yours enough in the morning or night! At least try and wear some better pajamas! They're either too small or just some big shirt that barely covers !"
"Please, don't act like you're much better! I've seen some of the panties you wear! And you complain that some of mine seem to disappear in my butt! I bet you're trying on a few right now, huh? I saw you eyeing a few earlier~"
"Oh, that is it! I'm gonna make you pay later!"
"Why wait? Let's ask Morgan what he thinks here and now? Whoever he thinks has looked better in more outfits so far gets to have the loser buy and wear an outfit of their choice?"
"Fine!"
*Swosh!
Together they stepped out, each wearing a rather flattering, if not downright attractive dress.
Cynthia's dress was shaded dark-blue, strapless with a low neckline which left quite a bit of the top half of her chest exposed as it was tightly compacted into the fabric. The bottom half of the dress was practically a miniskirt as it barely covered her rear and ended just a bit above her thighs. It left far too much of her skin exposed, from her legs, arms, shoulders, and of course, her cleavage.
Severa though, while her dress was longer, was by no means less daring. A dark red shaded her attire from the straps over her shoulder down to her shins, contrasting rather nicely with the plenty of pale skin showcased along the way. The plunging neckline went down just a bit below her chest, while her chest wasn't nearly as big as Cynthia's, she still showcased her rather impressive cleavage from top to bottom. And the slit that exposed one leg up to her upper thigh wasn't anything to ignore as it made full use of one of the traits she surpassed Cynthia in, being her long, slender legs. Not to mention the curve present around her waist to showcase her hourglass figure as well.
"Come on, Morgan, I've looked better in more clothes today? Right?" Cynthia asked as she stepped out towards the unmoving lad.
"Don't try to lie to make her feel better, she needs a reality check! And I know you've been stunned by anything I've put on!" Severa demands.
"Even those panties you put on as well?"
"Shut up!"
The two pegasus knights as they got right in each other's faces, seemingly ready to have one of their catfights - which had been a while since they'd last done - there in the store.
But then something caught their eyes to help to diffuse their emotions before it got out of control. That something being nothing, nothing in the form of Morgan having yet to give a single response to their current antics.
"He hasn't said anything since we stepped out, right?" Cynthia asked Severa with a somewhat worried look and tone as they both looked at Morgan.
Something which the redhead agreed with a nod, "Yeah, I…I just thought he was stunned like before…"
"Normally, he would've tried to say something to try and have us calm down when we started insulting each other, wouldn't he?"
"Yeah…"
"...Oh no did we break him?"
"Shit…"
The two girls realized the current state of Morgan as he continued to stare blankly in front of him, his gaze not even focused on any specific spot, just simply lost in a daze.
The information they had given, the thoughts and images that Morgan couldn't stop from forming in his head kept him stunned in silence, not even registering the insults they had been hurling at each other. However, he was still able to see what was in front of him.
And when he first saw the two reveal themselves, his brain had shut off, unable to process it all. Though luckily for him, the girls would at least never look down to see the results of what the last bit of his pumping blood had accomplished.
In either case, Severa and Cynthia were starting to become nervous. And of course, attempted to shift the blame on the other.
"This cause you slapped your stupid butt so loudly!"
"Don't try to pin this on me! You were the one who started insulting me and talked about my pajamas being small!"
"Cause they are!"
"Well so are your panties!"
"Stop bringing up my underwear!"
"Uh Hhm?"
"Huh?"
The pegasus knights ceased their shouting at each other from the sudden voice that attempted to interrupt them, turning towards the source, they saw an older woman looking at them very crossed. Her arms were also crossed as without a single word, her thoughts and feelings were clear to the two girls, especially with the multiple other customers around the stores that looked at them with varying looks of annoyance and displeasure.
"Oh…"
"Fuck…"
Morgan found himself between a rock and hard place as he walked down the streets towards the castle, being the only thing to form some sort of barrier between Cynthia and Severa as they walked on either side of him. The former was clenching her hands by her sides and leaning slightly forward in her steps while the latter had her arms crossed while gazing slightly off to the side.
The two were silent, clearly annoyed and frustrated by what had occurred. Morgan couldn't recall much of the exact details, all he knew was that all three of them had been kicked out of the store. Of course, this frustrated the two girls greatly, no doubt there had been a couple of pieces of clothing that they had wanted to get, and after what had just occurred, they wouldn't be able to do so for a while.
And each girl naturally blamed the other.
Morgan had attempted to try and diffuse the situation between them, suggesting lunch as his treat, he even attempted to remind the two about their decision of wanting to buy clothes for him later, which had been one of the only things they had agreed on.
Yet neither girl gave him a response, refusing to speak in the other presences
And that was because the two had surprisingly reached a mutual understanding, they were at war. A war of what? For Morgan affection and attention.
They both had suspicions about the other's feelings towards the prince, though after what had occurred, they wouldn't risk doubting those suspicions. Not when doing so could give the other an advantage. It was clear Morgan was still a bit oblivious to their feelings, and each was determined to win the lad's heart before the other could.
Finally reaching the castle's gate, the pair of pegasus knights finally turned their heads to look at each other. Severa still had her arms crossed, shooting a firm glare. Cynthia meanwhile, was unable to give as firm a glare with her eyes and lips being somewhat shaky, yet she still showcased she wasn't going down without a fight as she bent her arms forwards, fist still clenched to give off a mock fighting stance.
A large spark seemingly flashed between the two, their understanding of being at war being acknowledged by each other in a silent declaration. And just as quickly as that flash had occurred, the two separated, heading in opposite directions.
Morgan could only sigh as he watched the two split off, briefly pondering following one of them to see if he could help calm them down, only to find himself unable to choose which one to follow. With another sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck while walking into the castle, hopeful that the two would be able to sort things out on their own.
However for some reason, Morgan felt as though it wouldn't be that easy. Though more worrying to Morgan, was that he felt as though these next couple of days would be more hectic than he could imagine.
Author's Note: Alright, here's the deal. This is the first of a three-part story that'll be release through the rest of the month weekly.
Anyways, man is it nice to finally start getting this fic out after writing it last year. Gonna be honest and say Morgan/Severa is actually my preferred canon Morgan pairing with Morgan/Nah being a close second. I did have ideas for a Morgan/Severa specific fic early on in my carrer, but it never got going, and I always did enjoy Cynthia, and with her dynamic with Severa, thought the idea of the pair fighting for Morgan's attention would be a lot more fun, even if it became much more longer than I anticipated. Still, guess it fits since this is now my 50th published fic. Hehe, talk about a milestone.
Regardless, hope you enjoyed the first part of this fic, and if you thought the contest here between the girls were intense, just wait until next week, poor Morgan ain't gonna know how to deal with it, lol.