I'm not going to lie to you. This chapter started off as a joke. The concept was literally a throw-away joke between me and my current beta. However, after moving over that scene from Chapter 28 and adding the end scene, I feel I made it pretty relevant. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

Update: 5/1/2023

Posting this chapter now since I've been inactive for a while. The next time I post, it'll be the Monday after the chapter is done and overseen by my beta reader. Anyways see you guys then.

The Princess's Dragon Bride

Chapter 29: Guiding Light

Robin watched Corrin pull her hood over most of her face and press herself closer to Lucina for protection. Lucina likewise had her mask on under her own hood. Robin mostly pulled his own hood up so the girls didn't stand out too much. He figured his intricate coat caught the eye more than a simple pair of plain blue cloaks.

Their group had arrived at a small town bordering a large river. The next leg of their journey would be by boat, so preparations needed to be made. Robin watched as Cloud lugged around their travel supplies while Akira attempted to sweet-talk a boat out of a nearby vendor.

Byleth, too, was working his charm with one of the merchants, selling off the empty carriage as well as one of the horses. Not Leven's horse, of course. They let it loose, knowing full well it would find them again once they got off the water.

"Remind me why we're taking a boat," Lucina whispered to Robin as she tucked Corrin closer to her so as not to lose her in the gathering crowd.

"Mostly so your father loses us," he admitted. "They'll be looking out for our carriage now. With any luck, changing our mode of travel will help throw them off our trail. We also need to get through these mountains, and the easiest path is by following the river that passes through them."

"And there isn't a trail through them?"

"There are a few, but we would not only have to worry about bandits and your fathers catching up with us." he scanned the crowds watching for any familiar faces. He couldn't shake the feeling there was someone watching them. "But also hazardous terrain that can make us sitting ducks for both."

"Ah," she looked away from him.

"So," Corrin cut in, "Why did we let loose one horse and not the other?" She asked as she watched Byleth turn away from the merchant, a heavy bag of coins tossed over his shoulder.

"The one we sold was Cloud's. The other is Leven's-"

"And we just left it out there?" she sounded hurt.

"Trust me," Cloud waved them over as Akira adjusted the supplies aboard. "That horse is a living boomerang. It's always waiting for us whenever we need a ride, even if we left it back in town."

She seemed content with that and leaped into the small boat Akira purchased before offering her hand to Lucina. The two princesses took a seat in the back with the supplies. Leaving the Phantom Thieves to take seats in the front, each one handed a paddle. "We'll be going upstream for a bit. We'll ride the wind when we can, but we'll still be doing some paddling until we reach the other side."

They set off without delay. The journey went smoothly at first; however, after a few hours, the strain was starting to show itself as the boat seemed to slow its ascent. Robin sighed, turned to his team to see if anyone needed rest, and saw the issue.

While Byleth and Cloud continued their work, Akira was leaning against the railing, fishing. You have got to be kidding me. "Akira!"

Marth spun out of the way of one of Pyra's strikes, almost tripping over his own cape as he did so. Focus! He watched her movements and waited for an opening.

Suddenly someone yawned just to the left of him. Both he and Pyra turned to see the Koopa Prince taking a seat on the bench beside Shulk. "Your Highness," Pyra lowered her practice blade. "You've returned sooner than expected."

He gave her a quick nod of acknowledgment. "Whatcha guys doing?"

"Prince Marth and I were just training." She responded.

He only crossed his arms, leading Marth to try and change the subject, "We heard you traveled a bit. Did you enjoy yourself?"

He fixed them with an angry pout, "I was trying to find out who would try and steal big sis."

Pyra crossed her arms, "Didn't His Majesty tell you to stay here?"

He actually smirked at that. "I was here for most of it," he reached under his bandana and pulled out the Calling card their fathers had left behind. "I went snooping around to see if I could learn more about those Phantom Thieves jerks."

Marth raised an eyebrow, "And nobody recognized you?"

He gave a huge toothy grin, "No one can see past my disguises."

Pyra nodded, choosing to ignore the fact her charge willfully went snooping around for criminal groups on his own for the time being, "Did you learn anything?"

"I found their bad guy hang-out place!" He proclaimed proudly before his mood soured. "But nobody there knew anything good. I did find this scoreboard thing, though. These were at the top." From under his bandana, he pulled out a pair of calling cards identical to the one the thieves had left the night they took his sister. One was signed "The Phantom Thieves," while the other was simply signed "Joker."

"I think this Joker guy is their boss," Bowser Jr continued.

"A scoreboard?" Shulk inquired. "They committed thievery for sport?"

Bowser Jr nodded. "They had a bunch of requests and stuff."

Marth rubbed his chin. "Requests, you say? Does that mean these cards were listed beside requests for this guild?"

Bowser Jr nodded and pulled out a pair of small clothes with the Mark of the Exalt on them. Marth's face turned a deep shade of red. Without a doubt, those belonged to his father. "I swiped these when they weren't looking!"

Shulk looked contemplative. "So a request for these undergarments was listed on the board, accompanied by one of these cards as a sign of completion. What about the other card, then?"

Bowser Jr. only shrugged. "There wasn't any kind of request like other notices on the board. The message on the card talks about stealing the king's treasure, though."

"Just like the one they left here," Pyra noted.

The seers seemed to make a sudden connection as they only glanced at each other in wordless agreement. Marth noticed the silent exchange. "Shulk, do you have any thoughts about this?"

Pyra seemed far more alert now, glancing at every shadow and darkened corner. "This situation is concerning. The undergarment theft is… very illegal but mostly harmless. Kidnapping royalty though…."

Shulk didn't try to hide the apprehension in his voice. After getting a nod from Pyra, he added in a hushed tone, "If their capture wasn't a part of the guild's odd games, that means the request must've come to them specifically from the outside. We can't rule out the possibility of someone from the castle making contact with them, either before or during the underwear theft. It would've made both operations significantly easier for them to pull off if they had help from the inside."

It felt as if a stone found itself lodged in Marth's stomach, and the implication was clear. After all, no one would be foolish enough to kidnap princesses without getting some sort of hefty compensation, and not just any petty lord and citizen could afford something of this nature.

He found his hand drifting to his brand hidden under his shirt. If he had all the time in the world, he would learn who sent this request and bring them to justice.

However, his notes from last night rushed to the forefront of his mind. Legends of dragons having lost their minds to the cursive might of their own power. Then Corrin came to his mind again. The way she smiled and the softness and purity in the way she spoke. Finally, Pyra's fears had him shaking his head to clear the clutter and anxiety that started to swell.

"Hey, you okay?" Jr's voice sounded so far away. Marth's mind was spiraling, suspecting every lord and lady of the castle and that this was all an elaborate ploy to get his father away from the castle. The fear started to drift into his mind like ocean waves, fleeting, and then all at once they would crash into his mind over and over again.

Then a hand was on the prince's shoulder, gentle and yet stern all the same. It anchored him. He couldn't afford to spread himself thin. Between the truth and the safety of my sister and Corrin, I should prioritize the bigger threat. He took a few large breaths before he could face the other prince. "My apologies, the implications are concerning, but there are more pressing matters we need to prioritize."

"I'll entrust further investigation to you, Bowser Jr." There was a tense air as Marth turned to return to his training. "Shall we continue, Lady Pyra?"

Pyra rejoined him in the sparring arena, and as he took his fighting stance, he could hear Bowser Junior speak behind him. "What's with him?"

He decided to toon out Shulk's response as he put all his focus on Pyra.

Lucina snuggled close to the other princess as the sound of the flowing water began to weigh down her eyelids. Before long, Corrin drifted off to sleep while Lucina slept like a stone to make up for her midnight training. Lucina woke suddenly when she heard a commotion from the front of the boat.

The noise seemed to wake Corrin, too, as she stared up at Lucina for a moment before righting herself. "What's going on?"

Lucina rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "No clue."

The two watched the chaos for a few minutes before Corrin peeked up at Lucina with the biggest set of puppy dog eyes she had ever seen her make. "Do you want to continue your magic lessons?"

She felt a stone drop in her stomach, "But, your seal?" She faintly heard someone hit the floor, causing the boat to jostle a bit.

Corrin only pouted, and Lucina couldn't find the strength to refuse her pleas. However, she wasn't expecting a playful smile to break through her pout, "Fine."

But before Lucina could struggle with her conflicted feelings on the matter, Corrin spoke up again. "I'll tutor you, but I won't use the tome myself. Deal?"

She couldn't hold back a laugh, "Deal." With that, Corrin fished into her bag and pulled out a wind tome, keen to continue their lessons.

With her mind at ease, Lucina took it and began to flip through the pages to find a simple spell. She adjusted her posture and began summoning the magic from within.

But nothing happened.

She focused harder, rereading the spell repeatedly, burning a hole into the tome with her frustrated gaze.

Corrin frowned, scooting closer, "Is the summoning still giving you trouble?"

Lucina slumped and fell backward into the mess of blankets she and Corrin were nestled into. "I don't know how you do it. No matter how hard I try, I can't calm my mind."

Corrin looked thoughtful, "You were able to do it back in the carriage."

Lucina sat up, "I guess I got lucky before."

"Nonsense. You have plenty of potential. It's just calming your mind. That's the issue," Corrin pouted before looking thoughtful for a moment.

"Hold on. I have an idea." Corrin's cheeks pinkened as she tucked a lock of her hair, "Just try the spell again."

"Oh?" Lucina looked amused as Corrin sat up, seeming a bit shyer than usual. Regardless of her curiosity, Lucina obliged. Raising her tome again and rereading the page, she raised her hand, and as she began to focus on the words, Corrin scooted closer. She lightly pressed herself against the Ylissean princess. Her mind scattered as she felt the weight of the Koopa princess's chin on her shoulder.

"Try not to think too much," she could feel Corrin's breath on her skin, her voice a softened whisper. Lucina read the words on the page whiteout thought. Her mind conjured nothing but thoughts of the other girl being so close, yet somehow this wasn't an uncomfortable arrangement.

The magic flowed freely then, spilling out of her palm in the form of a strong gust of wind. Sending the once-still boat sailing forward.

"You did it!" Corrin gave her a tight squeeze of a hug, "Try it again."

But she didn't let go of Lucina, and the other princess was unable to put more than half a thought together as a result. Every blast of wind from this point never failed or faltered.

"Pyra!'' The Koopa Prince's voice shattered Marth's concentration, losing him his balance, and suddenly he was on the floor.

"What's wrong, Your Highness?" she lowered her blade as Marth peered up at the other prince.

When the Ylissean prince looked up, he saw a fire in the young Koopa. "Quit holding back!"

"Shulk told me everything." He met Marth's gaze then. "If he wants to help Big Sis, then he's gotta toughen up way more!"

Marth wanted to argue, but he knew he wasn't nearly as strong as his sister. Perhaps he had improved, but it wasn't nearly enough to get him through a real battle.

"I don't think-" Pyra started.

"He's right." Marth raised a hand. "The road is dangerous, and I am not as strong as I need to be to make the trek to Mount Prism." I can't stay in the shallow end forever. Time to jump in the river myself, and I'll either sink or swim.

"Well, if that's what you want." Pyra looked worried for a moment before she took in a deep breath, then closed her eyes. "Guess you're up."

He watched her tiara glow before the light from it became blinding. When he regained his ability to see again, a different girl stood in front of him. Her tiara seemed similar to Pyra's, as did the rest of her features. The tiara itself was a bit flashier, with something akin to feathers on either side of the jewel. Her long blonde hair was striking. And her golden gaze seemed far more annoyed and unamused. Her simple white dress completed a look that seemed right if a sharp contrast to Pyra.

"Marth," Shulk's voice cut through the slowly growing dread that filled him under her gaze. "This is Mythra."

"Mythra!" He could hear the smirk on Bowser Junior's face, "Rough him up, good!"

Slowly a smirk crossed her features, "No mercy? You got it, squirt."

Lucina wasn't sure how long she had been casting magic, but it must have been a while as her tome soon fizzled out. Her magic was the only thing propelling the ship forward. As the boys had stopped rowing the second, a small brawl had started. And seeing the ship move, they continued to do nothing following that point. Lucina, on the other hand, was still riding the high of how closely Corrin clung to her.

"See," Corrin finally let go of her. "I told you, you had it in you."

Lucina couldn't help but blush at the praise. "That was all your plan, no?"

"I just thought that …" Corrin's face flushed again. "Back on the wagon…."

Towards the front of the ship, Akita and Byleth had begun occupying themselves with some fishing. Akira called to the rest of the boys for help as he felt a tug on his fishing line. The boys cheered when they successfully pulled up a rather large purple fish.

Lucina only smiled and shook her head. "I mean, you can't argue with results." She suddenly felt quite shy. "It's so much easter clearing my mind with you around."

Lucina was unable to hold her words back as she continued. "I suppose you just have that effect on me."

Corrin couldn't keep the smile from her face. "There you go again, being all charming and whatnot."

"Charming?" Lucina's face was a deep shade of red now. "You think I'm charming?"

Corrin began to fuss with her hair as if that would hide the slowly growing pink hue of her cheeks, "What girl in Ylisstol doesn't?"

The girls fell into a soft silence as the boys celebrated their catch… that was until a puff of smoke burst from the fish, and suddenly Eleven sat there with a scowl on his face.

"Oh hey, Leven," Akira greeted, but when the other boy's frown only furthered, the leader of the Phantom Thieves backed away slightly. "You're not mad about getting left behind, are you?"

Leven stood slowly, his frown bordering on pout never fading. Then he cracked his knuckles as he approached the other thief without saying a single word.

"Hey, now," Akira's back collided with the wall of crates separating them from the girls. "Let's not get too hasty."

Robin watched Leven corner their boss. After the events of earlier that day, he only smirked. "You want us to hold him down, Leven?"

Leven didn't remove his eyes from the glasses-wearing thief. "Yes."

Byleth and Cloud only shrugged and stood on either side of Leven ensuring their boss wouldn't escape. In an attempt to distract Leven, Akira asked, "So why were you a fish?" Leven didn't answer. Instead, he gripped Akira by the front of his vest and began to shake him.

The commotion at the front of the ship did nothing to interrupt the girls in their own little world in the back with the cargo.

"Well," Lucina seemed to gather all her courage in her being and allowed everything to spill out of her in one go. "Maybe we could try …" the words escaped her as she took Corrin's hands in her own tentatively.

"Maybe we could try?" Corrin seemed excited but unsure as to what Lucina was trying to say.

"That's to say," Lucina's mind began to spiral. Is it selfish to ask this of Corrin? "May I court you?" The words came out so awkwardly, yet they had been bottled up for so long.

Corrin tackled her and then sent them both into the mess of blankets. "Yes!"

Chrom's mind was calm as he stared off into the horizon through one of the many windows in Bowser's captain's quarters. The boat's altitude did not seem to bother him as he gazed off into nothing. His mind, once a hurricane, now seemed to reach its eye.

"Well, Kamek," Bowser's voice caught the Exalt's attention.

When Chrom glanced back into the cabin, the wizard was casting a magic circle of some kind. Turning from a vague mess of dots and lines. However, if he stared at it long enough, it reminded him of a compass.

"We found him."

Eleven may have gotten away, but he won't get far.

AN/ First off, a huge thank you to my current bata reader who helped make this chapter flow better since my writer's-block addled mind's choppy train of thought was very evident. This chapter took me a whole month to write. That scene with Mythra was supposed to happen a while ago, but I thought it would be weird if Marth was training with Mythra and then suddenly had a deep conversation with Pyra. So instead, I kept his training with Pyra until now. Also, that scene didn't initially have Bowser Jr. most of the story didn't, but I thought, why not. As for Lucina and Corrin … I felt it was bout time. And yes, the boat gag with Akira vs. Robin was the gag I couldn't purge from my brain. Also, those three scenes with the Phantom Thieves were originally meant to be one, just like the Marth Mythra scene. However, my brain refused to let me process anything, so I chopped it up to work on it better.

~ (12/29/2022)