Welcome, dear readers, to the latest chapter of Gamer Emblem Awakening.
Like I mentioned at the end of last chapter, this chapter is dedicated to whatever business the Ylissean league still needs to finish before they can sail home. Enjoy.
Copyright disclaimer: I only own the plot of this fic. For a full copyright disclaimer, please read chapter 1.
It's politics, Jack. – Robin
Chapter 36
Heated hot spring honeymoon!
Keep it clean in all areas.
I'm currently sitting on a hill some distance from Castle Valm. Right by me is a small table with a pot of tea and a pair of cups. The weather's nice, the breeze is gentle and my guest should be here any minute.
"I was told by Robin that I would find you here." I hear Yen'fay say as he crests the hill.
I smile at the Dynast Swordmaster. "Yen'fay! Just on time. Have a seat."
Yen'fay takes a seat on one of the cushions that I procured for this occasion as I pour him a cup of tea.
Yen'fay regards me in silence for a bit before he speaks again.
"I appreciate the hospitality, but for what reason did you invite me for tea? I do not recall us being on particularly good terms after the last conversation we had."
I nod as I pour myself a cup. "You're not wrong. I suggest you make yourself comfortable and take your time with the tea. My reason for this is quite simple, but might take some explaining."
Yen'fay nods and takes a sip.
"I think I speak for both of us when I say that our first meeting was as enemies." I begin to elaborate. "I imagine that you first only saw me as just another man to cut down in your mission to protect Say'ri in secrecy."
Yen'fay nods. "There is that. Though I also made sure to pay particular attention to you. You had the presence of an approaching storm, even before our battle at the Demon's Ingle began. It was the only warning I had before you attacked me."
I nod back. "You may have already deduced it since a while back, but at that time, I was only focused on exacting revenge for my fallen teammates. And the only way I could think of then was to kill you, no matter what. When you fell by Say'ri's hand, I decided to try to move on, but it's still a work in progress."
Yen'fay tilts his head curiously. "From what I gather, you still have reason to stay wary of me. And yet you offer me tea. Why?"
I take a whiff of my own tea to gather my thoughts. "I've…had some time to think. It's true that your hands are stained in the blood of my teammates, in addition to who knows how many others. But so are mine. I never kept count, but the soldiers who died by my hand in this war must number in the thousands. And some of them include your men – soldiers who were loyal enough to brave the dangers of the Demon's Ingle right alongside you. And some of them were slain right before you for no other reason than them simply standing between me and you when you were the only one I wanted to kill at that moment. I didn't even see them as people back then. Only nuisances."
"As tragic as their deaths may be, I have found peace in that they willingly risked their lives for my sake, even when knowing everything I had done." Yen'fay replies. "They all followed me while knowing the dangers of doing so. Theirs is a memory that deserves to be honored."
I shake my head. "But that's just it. I killed at least some of them, yet not even once did you ever bring that fact up in the brief moments that we have talked, Yen'fay. And yet there I was, wanting nothing more than your head on a pike for the same reason. In light of all this, I realized that I was being a hypocrite. People die when wars are waged – that's the nature of war. I can yell all I want about the people that I have lost, but so can you."
"But you have not. Not anymore." Yen'fay remarks.
I nod. "You're right. It's because I came to understand how unfair it would be for me to hold a grudge against you when you have yet to show any signs of doing the same towards me, despite having every right to." I sigh. "So I decided to do something about it. An attempt at reconciliation, if you will."
Yen'fay eyes his cup. "Through tea…"
"I asked one of my allies what they would recommend to make conversation easier. She recommended a pot of Dragon Jade tea."
A slight smile grows on the Swordmaster's lips. "A fine choice. I myself have enjoyed many a cups of this fine beverage over the years."
I shrug. "I'm not much of a tea aficionado myself, so I just went with the idea after I asked for pointers in how best to brew it. And to avoid somehow turning the tea into some kind of poison."
Yen'fay's expression instantly turns grim. "So you know of the dark secret behind Dragon Jade, then. Indeed, the tea can be turned into a poison if brewed in a different manner. While I do enjoy this tea, I always needed a servant to try it first to avoid getting poisoned. Assassins of my homeland seem to favor this method of carrying out their contracts." A menacing aura surrounds him. "Anyone who dares desecrate this fine beverage will face my wrath. This I swear."
I sweatdrop at the sight. I never expected Yen'fay, of all people, to have quirks in their personality.
I clear my throat. "Ah, well… All the more reason for me to prepare the tea with care. I know it's not much, but I hope we can at least use this outing as the beginning of getting on friendly terms with each other."
Yen'fay nods as his aura dissipates. "I agree. In the brief moments when I have been able to speak with Say'ri again, she has spoken highly of both you and your wife. I would be honored to forge a friendly bond with people who have done much to aid my sister and gain her respect in the process."
I smile. "Better that than to hold a grudge. Perhaps we should make this a regular thing for future events."
Yen'fay smiles back. "Aye, I like the sound of that."
Your relationship with Yen'fay has improved! Your relationship with Yen'fay is now "Trusted"!
After sleeping in a tent for such a long period of time, getting to sleep in a bed again feels like luxury. One of the perks of defeating Walhart in his own castle is that we get to use the place as temporary residence while Chrom, Flavia and Say'ri handle peace negotiations. And while I prefer the room that Robin and I share back home in Ylisse, I won't deny that the room we're occupying right now has its fair share of coziness. Walhart may not necessarily have made many allies during his reign as emperor, but the man knew how to make any guests visiting his castle feel comfortable – in terms of accommodations. Like much of the interior elsewhere in the castle, the main color of the place is red. The Conqueror sure liked his stuff red.
I'm brought out of my musings by the sound of the door opening. To my joy, it's Robin. To my concern, she's clearly in a foul mood.
"Robin? What's the matter?"
My wife huffs. "I thought I had a good grasp on peace negotiations, but I clearly underestimated the Valmese nobles. Gods, but they can be infuriating."
"I didn't know you had to attend the meetings." I remark.
"Say'ri suggested it. Since I'm the head tactician of our whole alliance, she figured that my presence would make the talks go smoother." Robin pinches the bridge of her nose. "A lot of good that did. Sometimes I wonder if the nobles of this continent even care that I'm in the same room."
I frown at that. "That's odd. You would think they would pay more attention to the people who directly helped in ending Walhart's reign and thus liberate them from a tyrant."
"You would think that, yes. But not only did some of those lords personally thrive under Walhart's rule, they all generally seem to be quick in forgetting who risked life and limb on the battlefield."
"That just sounds like a bunch of ungrateful jerks." I remark scowling. "People across the whole continent have had their fair share of troubles while Walhart was in power. The least those nobles could do would be to set aside their differences and help each other rebuild their homes. I mean, didn't Yen'fay bring at least the entirety of the Dynast side together when we stormed this castle?"
"To clarify, Yen'fay brought soldiers." Robin corrects me. "But the Dynast nobles who take part in the peace talks now didn't necessarily join him in his campaign. From what I heard from Yen'fay himself, many of the Dynast lords either came up with some excuse or another to refuse heeding his call to arms, or they outright forbade their soldiers from marching – in which case the soldiers disobeyed direct orders from the very men they were sworn to serve."
I snicker a bit at that. "Wait, you're telling me they chose Yen'fay over their own lords? Man, that must've stung."
"As funny as that might sound, it might have come back to bite us." Robin tells me grimly. "You know how easily some of the nobles back home can be offended?"
I wince as I consider the implications. "Let me guess; all those Dynast nobles are attending the current peace negotiations."
Robin nods. "And they've been quite vocal in voicing their displeasure. Some of them still want Yen'fay punished for what they claim to be treason. And that's before we consider the nobles from other territories. Whatever order we had during our first talks was quickly reduced to meaningless bickering over who's the most prestigious or who lost the most under the Conqueror's rule. We can't reach a consensus."
My scowl returns. "And knowing some of the less-than-selfless bluebloods back home, chances are the only thing they're actually interested in is trying to grab whatever they can get their hands on in the power void that Walhart left behind."
Robin nods. "*Sigh* That's just about the gist of it. We've had more than a few insults thrown between the attending lords and odd lady, and that's not counting the more subtle ones. At this rate, I don't know how long these peace talks will take, let alone how this new peace will work after we're done here."
I shake my head. "That won't do. If things keep getting out of hand, nothing might improve for the people of this continent. Someone needs to put those self-absorbed aristocrats in their place."
"Jack, the people of Valm are not our responsibility. The only thing we should concern ourselves with should be reparations for Ylisse and Regna Ferox." Robin reminds me.
"And that mindset, right there, is what perpetuates the problem, Robin." I counter. "If we only concern ourselves with our own issues, what right do we have to demand that the nobles of this continent do anything different? We have to look at the bigger picture here, or else we will ultimately prove Walhart right. The man's already dead, Robin, and I have no intention of letting him have this victory after everything we've been through."
My wife purses her lips. "I understand what you're saying, Jack, but that's an awfully big responsibility to carry. Perhaps too big for any one person to even attempt."
I give Robin a dry look. "Really? All this talk during our campaign in Valm about banding together, and you expect one person to shoulder the most important responsibility in these peace negotiations?"
Robin looks at me a little offended. "I'm just saying that no one in those meetings would even consider trying to shoulder it. I'm not stupid."
I shake my head. "And neither do I expect any one of them to shoulder the whole thing alone. All I'm asking is that everyone in attendance makes an effort to look beyond their own troubles to help someone else. I recall Chrom boldly proclaiming to Walhart himself that he would be among the ones to unite mankind. I expect our dear prince to deliver, and I hope the others are sensible enough to pitch in. If nothing else, they should do it for the commonfolk. After all, the well-being of a territory is reflected in the well-being of its people."
"If only it were that simple." Robin muses wistfully.
"Simple? I believe so. Easy? Apparently not."
My wife shakes her head. "As much as I like talking about how things could proceed, it doesn't change the situation we're in right now."
"Well, if these nobles are so intent on playing their little game of politics, perhaps we should introduce a new element on the playing field." I suggest. "Maybe I should attend the next meeting."
"You?" Robin asks surprised. "Jack, I know you're good at what you do, but diplomacy and negotiations are not among your talents."
"Not if I play by the typical rules, no." I concede. "But at this point, I couldn't care less about what counts as proper etiquette for peace talks. I may be hated for this, but I intend to deliver an ultimatum to the Valmese nobles. Let's see if they still want to keep playing after I put that on the table."
"Jack, I will not allow you to bully foreign nobility." Robin protests.
I cross my arms. "If you have any better ideas, I'd love to hear them."
Robin frowns as the proverbial gears turn in her head. She eventually sighs as her shoulders slump.
"I'm going to regret this. I just know I will."
"Oh, come now. A single forest near your borders is reduced to cinders, and you call it the end of your house's legacy? Cry me a river while you can, will you?"
"I could not care less about how your great grandfather swung that blasted blade! Last time I looked, that strip of metal you call a family heirloom looks as though it could snap if you dipped it in a gentle stream! What were those fools you call blacksmiths thinking when they made that flimsy trinket?"
"I will have you know trade in my territory has all but ground to a halt ever since the fall of the Conqueror. And you expect me to effectively empty my treasury with no guarantee to be paid back just to repair the infrastructure on your lands? We do not even share borders, you twit!"
My eyebrow twitches as I bear witness to aristocrats from across the continent of Valm, sitting around a massive table and trying to hammer out a treaty. Though it would be more appropriate to call it several localized squabbles where they try to one-up each other on who can throw the sickest burn without crossing the line of violence. Dear Naga… I knew from my conversation with Robin last evening that things were bad in these meetings, but this is worse than I expected. It's like seeing a flock of vultures arguing over a fresh carcass.
If there is even a single good thing to be said about this mockery of diplomacy, it's the fact that there are some people seated around the table who are making an actual effort in trying to suggest something productive. Unfortunately, I can count them on one hand. Besides Say'ri, there's Chrom and Flavia representing their respective nations as well as Virion, who took up his position as the duke of Rosanne once more. And Robin? Like my wife said, the bickering lords and ladies act as though she's not even there. Any attempt she makes at joining any conversation is met with complete ignorance. Virion tries his hardest is trying to maintain his (according to himself) charming demeanor, though his own twitching eyebrows due to the constant insults show how much he's struggling. Chrom looks like he's wants to slam his fist on the table so badly. Flavia looks like she's one more insult away from simply decking someone in the face. And Say'ri? The poor woman might be at the end of her rope, seeing as she has her face in her hands instead of trying to restore order as the unspoken moderator of this whole meeting.
Right, time to intervene.
I place a hand on Say'ri's shoulder (startling her in the process). "Lady Say'ri? If I may."
The Dynast princess – soon to be queen – gives me a quizzical look before she nods and steps aside to let me take the foremost position at the table. No one sitting at said table, save for the people I know, seem to pay me any attention. The ones that do throw me wary glances.
And that's when I grab Harvest Moon and swing down.
*Shing!* *Crash!*
The entire meeting hall falls silent as the people seated around the split table look at me in shock.
I smile. "Ah, finally got your attention. You know, one would think you would keep an eye out for whoever's at the foremost position of this table. Wouldn't you people agree?"
"What manner of tomfoolery is this?! Are you so intent on interrupting this peace conference?" one of the gathered nobles exclaims annoyed.
My cheerful demeanor instantly turns cold. "That's my line, you old coot. You were all called to this little get-together because Walhart's empire has effectively dissolved upon his defeat, and you're now supposed to make sure no one gets any funny ideas about making any unfair power grabs before the dust settles, all in the name of preserving public order."
"But that is exactly what we have been working towards." another noble protests indignant.
"Wrong!" I snap back with a gust of wind backing me up. "All I have seen since I set foot in this room is a bunch of opportunistic vultures fighting tooth and nail to add more territory to what they already have, with no regard to anyone other than themselves. Not a single word has been uttered regarding the safety and well-being of the commonfolk. No one has even mentioned the hardships the people under their governance had to suffer under the Conqueror's rule. All you have accomplished with your pointless spats and prestige-measuring contests is proving Walhart right – and the man is dead. The only exceptions in this room can be counted on one hand. I also note that every exception was on the frontlines, fighting directly against the Empire's forces while the war was still in full swing."
"And so you simply resort to violence to throw slander on us?" one of the few gathered ladies huffs. "Your acumen is no better than that of some common beast."
I scoff. "Look who's talking. All this time you've been trying to one-up each other on who's the most important person in the room, and yet barely anyone paid any attention to the one who brought together an army strong enough to make all this possible." I indicate the person in question with my sword. "Lady Say'ri."
"When I first set foot on this continent with my comrades-in-arms, we didn't have so much as an established base of operations, let alone a means to keep our forces supplied. Yet we found aid in the form of a lone princess bereft of her kingdom, trying to oppose a foe beyond our limits by trying to unite a resistance movement that was as divided as the table I just cut in half." I continue. "She had nothing to her name, save for the clothes on her back and an unyielding desire to end the Conqueror's tyranny. If you intend to blabber on about what has been lost to Walhart's reign, then take a moment to look away from your private little pity parties and consider what she had to endure in order to arrive where she stands today." I stab Harvest Moon into the floor. "Say'ri is the one who brought this continent-wide resistance together, and as such, you will listen to her. More importantly, there is no hardship you yourselves have suffered that even comes close to what the commonfolk had to go through. We who traveled the towns and lands of the continent know their plight. And right now, nothing that you've accomplished these past few days helps them at all."
The first noble who objected to my behavior scowls. "Are you trying to coerce us into submission? Is this some plot of you outsiders' to squeeze out more from our lands in the name of reparations?"
I glare him in the eyes as my irises glow yellow. "What I'm telling you is that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you to prove your worth as governors, and you are failing spectacularly. Heck, even some of your soldiers chose to stake their lives for the freedom of their homes over obeying whatever command you gave them. That, if anything, should have showed you how little the people under your rule cared about whatever makes your families oh so great."
The Dynast nobles in the room press their mouths into thin lines at that particular reminder.
"So for the love of whatever you hold sacred, start thinking about the well-being of others and cooperate already!" I yell exasperated. "The people of this continent deserve better than a bunch for blue-bloods who are more concerned about the way their palaces are decorated than having soldiers stationed densely enough to deter bandits from raiding the settlements. Heck, have the armed forces on this continent even de-centralized enough that the original militaries of each territory have been restored? Because if not, bandits all over the continent could be raiding your towns as we speak because we are all busy listening to your babbling."
A lord of the highlands raises an eyebrow. "That is what you suggest? For us to submit to a single individual's leadership? That is no different from when we were under the Conqueror's rule."
"You are going to listen to what Say'ri has to say and take it from there, or so help me, you will suffer the consequences." I reply with rapidly dwindling patience.
"Is that a threat?"
I give the aristocrat a predatory grin. "Oh, I can give you one. If I learn that even one of you are simply pretending to go along instead of actually contributing to the well-being of the people of Valm, I will go on a personal trip through the continent and raze every stronghold, mansion and palace to the ground. I will, of course, leave the commonfolk out of this. But you bluebloods? You're all on my hitlist."
"You call that a threat?" one of the more elderly nobles scoffs. "You are but one man. This is foolishness at best."
I chuckle. "Oh yeah? Try me. In fact, let's make this a practical demonstration. I could always start with your territory, so you all get a feel for what you're up against."
Virion cuts in with a loud clearing of his throat. "*A-hem*. Jack, if I may?"
I give the Bow Knight a curious glance.
"Would you mind terribly if you and your beloved wife stepped out for a bit? I wish to discuss something with my fellow highborn. I hope you understand."
I raise an eyebrow. "Playing the social rank card? I thought better of you, Duke Rosanne."
"Please!" Virion actually begs. "I ask only that you humor us for a few minutes."
My second eyebrow joins its brother at Virion's uncharacteristic pleading. Well, if he's willing to go this far…
I replace Harvest Moon on my back. "Robin and I will expect someone to call us back in when you're finished."
My wife follows me, though the tense look on her face shows that she's not happy with what I did."
As the door closes behind us, Robin immediately confronts me.
"What was that?" she hisses in disapproval.
"An ultimatum." I reply. "Either those morons pull their heads out of their rumps and start acting like competent governors, or I'll make them see reason one way or another."
"Jack, what you threatened those nobles with is illegal in just about any territory in the world! You will turn yourself into the most wanted outlaw of Valm if you go through with your threat. And no one on any side of the Long sea will be there to support you. Not even me."
I shrug. "And who's going to stop me? Last time I checked, only two men in the world were capable of that. One of them is dead and the other insists that he and his sister are indebted to me on principle."
"But you would be hunted down regardless." my wife points out. "No matter how small the chances of catching you, there will always be someone who will be after you because you've been declared a criminal. You know just as well as I do that there are people who – and I quote – "relish the challenge". Not to mention there will be no place in the world where we will be able to settle down peacefully anymore. I refuse to raise Rose and Morgan on the run. They deserve better than that."
I raise an eyebrow. "Hey, I never said anything about dragging you into that mess."
Robin gives a dry look. "I'm your wife. When I exchanged marital vows with you, I meant it. And I'll be damned if I break that vow because my husband decided that a bunch of foreign nobles are too selfish for the good of everyone on the whole continent and tried to rectify it."
I press my mouth into a thin line. "Huh… Well, here's to hoping that Virion call pull something great out of his sleeve."
Robin pinches the bridge of her nose. "*Sigh* I knew I would regret letting you into that meeting. When this is over, we will have an extensive talk about proper diplomacy."
POV: General
The noble who provoked Jack's ultimatum gives Virion a dry glance. "Duke Rosanne, I must say, you seem to have forgotten your standing during your absence from office. What possessed you to grovel before a commoner like that?"
The Bow Knight clears his throat. "Beg pardon, my fellow nobleman, but do you have any idea who that man was?"
"Some brute with a much too high opinion of himself and a terrible lack of manners if I saw anything." the elderly noble who tried to call Jack out huffs.
"That "brute"…" Virion replies with slowly emerging exasperation. "…was none other than Jack the Reaper."
The meeting hall falls silent.
"The rumored warrior who cut an entire ship in half? That was him?"
"Purple garb… And a large sword in the shape of a bat's wing… Yes, he does fit the description." a lady from the southlands muses from behind her fan.
The elderly noble scoffs. "This again? I have heard my fair share of tall tales about one warrior or another accomplishing feats that are frankly absurd. I would wager that he hardly deserves even half the titles he has."
"I swear it on my honor as duke of Rosanne; those are no exaggerations." Virion replies without hesitation. "I was by his side on the frontlines during the entire war, and I can vouch for nearly every single feat to his name. I should add that Jack is the only man in the world who has faced all three of the mightiest generals in the Conqueror's empire – including Walhart himself – and lived to tell the tale. He even defeated one of them in single combat. And that could still only be considered one of his lesser feats."
That makes the elderly nobleman pause. "You mean to tell me…the tales are all true?"
"More or less. Suffice to say, it would be more accurate to claim that you've made a potential enemy with a living storm rather than a man. Do you still find it wise to oppose Jack?" Virion asks with a hint of a smirk.
Realization creeps up on the elderly nobleman. "He… He would not dare something as reckless as challenging the might of all of us for something as petty as that. Surely he has more sense than that."
Chrom hides a chuckle behind a fake cough. "*Hrm!* You obviously don't know Jack that well. As someone who has known him for years, I know very well how reckless he can be. The only one who seems to stand a chance in stopping his more outlandish stunts would be his wife, and even that's no guarantee."
The Valmese nobles (save for Virion) shudder as the implications sink in.
The elderly noble clears his throat. "*A-hem!* Well, I suppose his, ah, terms are not that unreasonable. Now that I think about it, I am a bit curious of what you would suggest, Lady Say'ri."
Say'ri breaths a relieved sigh. "Seeing as we finally seem to be on the same page, perhaps now would be a good time to call Jack and Robin back in."
"That- I mean, I believe they have more important matters to attend to, do you not think?" the elderly noble asks with a hint of sweat on his brow.
Say'ri smiles with a touch too much satisfaction. "Oh, but it would be terribly rude to leave them out after all the trouble they went through to attend this meeting."
Flavia barks out a laughter and lightly elbows Chrom in the ribs. "Hah! Never took our dear Dynast princess to be so sly."
The Ylissean prince shakes his head. "Jack rubbed off on her. I just know he did."
POV: Jack
By the time Robin and I were called back into the meeting, the people around the split table finally made some headway in their negotiations. Part of the reason why it went far smoother this time was that Say'ri told me to remind everyone that I was still in the room whenever they got a bit too uppity. A simple cough here, a predatory grin there. Nothing much. Whatever Virion did while Robin and I were waiting outside must've instilled them with a healthy dose of fear of me.
We leave the meeting hall two hours later, with drafts for new trade deals and possible joint projects for infrastructure well on their way.
I stretch my arms with a groan. "Curses, but these diplomatic meetings can drag on. Remind me of this next time I consider attending these things."
Robin sighs. "I told you not to do this, but did you listen? No. You just had to butt in and throw etiquette out the window."
"Hey, at least those morons finally put their heads to good use. With any luck, neither of us need to attend anymore. That means we can finally relax while Chrom handles the peace talks for our side."
"Speaking of Chrom, I'm quite impressed with what he acquired for Ylisse in that meeting." Robin remarks. "The halidom wasn't even attacked. We lost some soldiers at most. All in all, I think our faction was the least affected in this war. And yet, Chrom managed to secure a sizable portion of the Imperial coffers as well as some good trade deals."
I nod. "Looks like our dear prince took better to those diplomacy lessons under the exalt than we thought."
Robin smiles. "Then again, I think those Valmese nobles were quite agreeable because you're from Ylisse as well. They might have feared that Chrom would send you after them if he felt dissatisfied with what he got. That, and he and Flavia made a joint effort in stating their claims due to our military alliance."
I make a face. "What do they take me for, an attack dog? That's ridiculous."
"It's politics, Jack."
"Politics is dumb."
"Well, get used to it. You had your grace period, but it's high time you got involved in the subtleties yourself. It's only fitting for a nobleman such as yourself."
I stop in my tracks at those words. "Come again?"
Robin raises an eyebrow. "Well, it's only natural for anyone of noble standing to engage themselves in politics at some point. You can't run away from what's effectively your responsibility."
I wave my hands in front of me. "Wait, wait, wait! Back up! Since when am I a noble?"
Robin's other eyebrow joins its sibling. "Wait… You're telling me you've been a noble for about two years…and you never realized?"
"No, of course not! It's not like I was given any title. There was only that one time when Emmeryn promoted me to the rank of captain."
Robin blinks twice before she places her hand on her forehead. "*Sigh* Gods, that explains so much. All right, let me put it this way; You didn't think I was simply given a new title upon my promotion to grandmaster-at-arms, did you?"
I shrug. "I just figured that you were promoted to a station befitting your capabilities, same as me. I thought you a brilliant tactician ever since you took up that role back when we first joined the Shepherds. All Emmeryn did was make it public knowledge."
Robin shakes her head. "Jack, the exalt doesn't just hand out promotions like those to anyone. More importantly, they contain more than just some fancy titles and more paperwork. When I was promoted, I was ennobled in the process in recognition of what I had done "in service of the halidom" as Phila stated during the ceremony."
I blink. "Huh. How about that." Then I scratch my head. "But wait a minute. I thought nobles are supposed to own land. Last time I checked, you don't have any to your name."
My wife nods. "That is usually the case, yes. But in my case, I opted to take up residence in the palace instead so I could respond quicker whenever Chrom or an officer in Ylisse's standing army had need for my advice."
"Doesn't sound like much of a trade-off to me. If handled correctly, you could make quite the fortune with some territory under your belt. And you gave that up just to be allowed to stay in the same place you've been living in ever since you joined the Shepherds?"
"Jack, do you even realize what an honor it is to be allowed residence in the royal palace?"
I blink. "It's that big of a deal?"
"It's more than just big." Robin stresses. "That's the residence of the royal family of the halidom. Even the most esteemed guests are only allowed temporary lodgings if they come from far away or expect to spend long periods of time in the palace to complete their tasks. The opportunity to take up permanent residence in Castle Ylisstol is something that some nobles would sell all their land for."
I rub my chin. "Wow. I knew the palace is a nice place to live in, but I never knew it was that coveted. And here I thought our dear exalt was just being nice when she and her siblings gave us a room in the palace for a wedding gift."
Robin smiles. "If anything, that alone has made me one of the most prestigious ladies in the halidom. When we married, you became a lord by default. A lord who gets to live in one of the most coveted residences in Ylisse due to his marriage alone."
I drop my fist in my palm. "No wonder a lot of those snobs at the parties I attended kept giving me the stink eye. They must've been envious."
My wife nods. "That's putting it lightly. Before our wedding, I was one of the most sought-after ladies in the halidom. The day when you returned from your journey and reaffirmed your proposal, ring and all, was a day when a massive weight was lifted off my shoulders. Did you know that a significant portion of the documents that arrived at my desk were marriage proposals?"
"They were WHAT?!" I shout indignant.
"You have to remember; our betrothal was just based on a promise with none of the formal stuff that nobles are so fond of. Even if I told some of my suitors about it and even showed them the medallion that you left in my care, that wasn't enough in their eyes to deter them from, and I quote, "winning me over"." Robin explains. "The day we were married was the day when all those men finally got the hint and stopped bothering me."
Even though that was so long ago, I still find myself seething on the inside. How dare they… How DARE they make a move on Robin – especially when she already told them that she was already spoken for?!
"And that look, right there, is the reason why I was so determined to never let you help me with my paperwork, Jack." Robin tells me flatly. "I knew that if you caught wind of those proposals, you would have flown off the handle and gone on gods know how many warpaths against the Ylissean aristocracy."
I cross my arms. "So?"
"No." Robin replies firmly. "Bear in mind, it's all in the past now. I rejected every single proposal, of course, so just let it rest and focus on the present."
I sigh. "Fine. I'll let those morons off the hook and try to learn this whole politics schtick. Better?"
My wife smiles. "Better."
Chrom lets out a hearty laughter after he hears the story. "Hah! I was wondering when you would catch on, Jack."
"Yeah, yeah. Rub it in, will you." I grumble.
The prince shakes his head in good nature. "Ah, I needed that laugh after these past few days of constant bickering and no progress."
"Speaking of progress, the peace talks should only last for a few more meetings, now that the nobles are finally cooperating, right?" Robin asks.
Chrom nods. "Yes, so long as we can keep this pace. Since most of Walhart's territory originally belonged to one Valmese noble or another, dividing Imperial land should be as simple as returning it to the original owners. A topic that I thankfully can stay out of. I've had my fill of these peace talks already."
"I'm impressed you and Flavia managed to keep your cool with those nobles at all." I remark. "How did you do that?"
"I constantly reminded myself that I do this for Emm. She's got enough on her plate back home, so the least I could do was to make sure Ylisse comes out of this campaign better than before." Chrom explains. "*Sigh* But it sure tested my patience…and my dedication to my sister. As for Flavia, you'll have to ask her yourself."
"Honestly, it was out of sheer stubbornness near the end." the reigning khan tells us as she and Say'ri enter our conversation. "Regna Ferox has already lost a lot in this war. As reigning khan, it would reflect poorly on me if I didn't make sure we were properly compensated for everything that's happened ever since that first Valmese warship reached Port Ferox all those months ago. And I'll be damned if I let a bunch of whiny bluebloods stand between me and proper reparations for me and my soldiers."
I smile. "Somehow, I can imagine Basilio would've said something along those lines."
Flavia smiles smugly. "Heh. Never underestimate a motivated khan. If we want something, we get it one way or another." Then her smile becomes a bit more gleeful. "But enough about that. Since the locals are starting to round things out, we're finally getting to the best part with this whole cleanup."
At our questioning gazes, Flavia snorts.
"Come on, don't tell me you forgot. Every meeting between us bigshots has to end with festivities! Parties, feasts, festivals that are bound to become tradition – you name it. And since we're in Valm, the Valmese nobles pay the bill. We get to enjoy all the good stuff without having to pay even a single coin."
Chrom, Robin and I groan at that explanation. Of course that's what Flavia has her eyes on.
"Do you look forward to those festivities that much?" Robin asks in mild disbelief.
"What better way to unwind after everything that's happened?" Flavia retorts. "We'll tend to the fallen in due time. But until then, we celebrate everyone who made it out alive. Besides, I've been meaning to try some of that Dynast cooking ever since Say'ri told me about it."
"She has a point." I concede. "I think we can afford a day or two for festivities to unwind before we sail home. But now that I think about it; won't it take a while to arrange all the stuff necessary to throw a party of this scale? We're talking about celebrating peace across a whole continent here."
Flavia nods happily. "All the more reason to start making plans now."
"Khan Flavia speaks true." Say'ri confirms. "In fact, I have already delegated the task to a few servants to make some rough plans for those very festivities when the peace talks are finished."
"Wonderful!" Flavia exclaims. "Finally something good to look forward to after all that's happened. Not that I don't like a good fight, but I think I've had my fill on that part already."
"Speaking of which, what's the idea behind the arrangement?" I ask. "Is it just going to be a giant banquet? Are the commonfolk invited? And what about the location?"
"All of that has still yet to be determined. We only started planning yesterday, after all, so we're still open to suggestions." the Dynast princess explains. "You all are invited, of course. Speaking of which, do you have any suggestions for what to do during the festivities?"
"I say spread the message to as many towns across the continent as you can. Even if the commonfolk can't participate on the place you decide on, they can still join in on the celebration in their own way." I suggest. "Heck, this could be a great opportunity for some exchange of cultural ideas and forging bonds between territories. That way, we can all party while strengthening the peace in one fell swoop."
Flavia lets out a hearty laugh. "I like the sound of that! More for me to try out before heading home, then."
Say'ri nods smiling. "A fine idea indeed. Anything else?"
"Um… Could I make a suggestion?"
We turn to find Morgan blushing and fidgeting. Lucina is by his side, seeming content to stare at the nearest wall.
"Oh? What did you have in mind?" Say'ri asks.
"It's- Well, Lucina and I overheard some talk about festivities being planned. And so, we thought that maybe…we could have our wedding at the end?" Morgan suggests as his face grows a deeper shade of red.
…
I grin. "Well, don't you two work fast? Though I admit that I like the idea. What better way to celebrate a continent-wide peace than the union of a pair of lovers?"
"Now that you mention it, the idea has merit." Say'ri concurs. The Dynast smiles at the young couple. "In fact, I doubt there's anyone who would object."
Morgan's face lights up in excitement. "You mean you'll do it? Lucina, this is great! We can finally get married."
"I know." the Ylissean princess replies with a similar smile. "I have longed for this for years, yet a part of me was afraid it would never happen."
"Still, planning a wedding is quite the project in itself." I point out. "As big as the awaiting celebration is, it won't last forever, nor do we have much time to get everything in order."
"Leave that to us." Say'ri assures us with a confident smile. "It's time that us Valmese nobles show you good people how celebrations are made on this side of the Long sea."
POV: General
With all that said, Say'ri did admit in the end that everyone from the Ylissean League will have to pitch in to put everything in order. Which is why members of the whole alliance have been sent across the continent of Valm to not only inform the people of the planned festivities, but to also gather whatever is needed both for the main party at Walhart's old capital as well as Morgan's and Lucina's wedding.
Gregor is currently perusing wares on a market near the Sage's Hamlet together with Anna. As it turns out, a relative of the red-haired merchant (and a lot of other people) had discovered the massive gouge in the land left behind by Owain. Being the quick-witted entrepreneur that just about every Anna is, she turned the whole thing into a giant tourist attraction and even tacked on some vague legend about the landmark being the result of the gods unleashing their wrath on evildoers who terrorized the locals. Seeing as Owain obliterated the leader of a bandit gang, no one living in the hamlet objected, since Anna's little cover story at least held a grain of truth (and considering the scale of Owain's attack and his bombastic personality, the truth wasn't bent that much). Really, the people of the hamlet were just happy that their quiet little part of the world was getting more visitors.
Gregor currently looks between the two objects in his hands. In his right is a jar that the merchant claims is great for storing pickled food. In his left is a chopping board that is supposedly made of wood carved directly from the Mila tree. The Hero shakes his head. Not only do the descriptions of the wares sound like the typical sales pitch that so many merchants love tacking on, neither of them seem like a fitting wedding gift for Morgan and Lucina. They'll most likely stay in Castle Ylisstol, which means they will hardly have any need for kitchen ware.
"Having trouble picking the right gift?" Anna asks as she approaches Gregor.
Gregor purses his lips as he puts the objects back on the stall. "Wares looking good, but not a good fitting for the groom and bride. Picking of wedding gifts is trickier than Gregor had thinking."
Anna nods sagely. "I know what you mean. How do you pick a gift for someone who's pretty much never left wanting for anything? Say, how about something that they don't necessarily need, but just puts a smile on their faces?"
The veteran mercenary rubs his chin. "Anna's idea is good idea. But what to put smile on faces? Hmm…" Gregor snaps his fingers. "Aha! Stuffed animal do tricking!"
Anna and the merchant manning the stall blink in unison.
"A stuffed animal? Why?"
"It simple." Gregor explains. "Wee children already grown up, but still little children in hearts. So Gregor give gift fitting for children and everyone has smiles."
The merchant at the stall puts on a bright smile. "Well, you're in luck, good sir. I just happen to have a few of these adorable plushies in stock right here. Just give me a minute and I'll have them lined up for your perusal."
As the merchant goes through his inventory, Anna gives Gregor a smile. "Well, look at you, coming up with ideas like that on the fly."
Gregor shrugs. "Having openness of mind is very important skill for mercenary. Gregor have many close shavings with death. Sometimes, only open mind and imagining keeping Gregor's foot out of grave."
Anna nods. "I can imagine. I've had my fair share of close calls on my travels, and all I do is trying to turn a profit from my wares."
"There we go. Just pick one and we'll take it from there." the merchant tells Gregor after he's done lining up stuffed animals.
The Hero rubs his chin as he carefully scans each item on the counter. He eventually decides on a pink horse.
Gregor nods to himself in satisfaction. "Many thanks. Now for other gift."
Anna blinks. "Huh? You were going for more than one gift for the wedding?"
The Hero shakes his head. "No, no. This gift for special friend of Gregor."
Anna smirks. "Oh, special friend, is it? Care to share? I can keep a secret."
Gregor rubs the back of his head as his cheeks heat up. "Ah… Gregor not always so generous with giving of secrets. Also, might be strange to tell Anna."
"I am not one to judge. Cross my heart." Anna assures him. "I won't pry, of course, but forgive me if I'm a little bit curious."
Gregor eventually relents. "*Sigh* Well, since Anna listening, might be good idea to tell. Gregor's special friend is Anna."
Anna's face lights up in a smile. "Aw, a gift for me? That's sweet!"
Gregor blinks bemused. "What Anna talk about? Anna is friendly, but not Gregor's friend Anna."
The redhead looks at the Hero baffled. "What do you mean, "I'm not your friend"? Of course I am. Don't tell me you've forgotten my bewitching looks."
Gregor smirks. "Ho ho. Anna make for convincing of acting, but Gregor will not be fooled. Gregor see difference easily."
Anna frowns. "Oh, really? Why don't you lay it on me then, tough guy?"
"First of all, Gregor's friend Anna has fraying hair on ends. Proper hair care while marching very difficult. Also, nails have been chipping from many battles, so Anna wear gloves to hide them. Source of much grieving for Gregor's friend Anna."
As Gregor elaborates, he also indicates the fact that the Anna he's talking to has no gloves. This leaves the redhead stunned.
"Holy cash cow… You can tell us apart." the red-haired merchant remarks flabbergasted.
Gregor shakes his head. "Not quite. Gregor only telling of difference between friend Anna from rest of family. Anyone else, no luck."
The flabbergasted look on Anna's face slowly morphs into a gleeful smile. "Oh, I am so telling her this! You have no idea how long I've been waiting for a man like you!"
"Oy, please be trying to be quiet!" Gregor urges Anna alarmed. "Gregor not even sure if friend Anna feel same. Very risky idea."
"Relax. I can tell you right now that she's most likely more than interested herself. Trust me, everyone will be better off by me telling her this." Anna once again assures Gregor. Then she rubs her hands while grinning. "Especially me. Now I can finally cash in on that bet. She owes me a small Bullion."
Gregor sighs in mild exasperation. "Gregor should have known."
The Anna of the Shepherds blinks flabbergasted. "Holy cash cow…"
Her cousin smiles. "That's what I said when I found out. You know what that means, don't you?"
The quartermaster of the Ylissean League shakes her head. "I mean, I've entertained the thought more than once, and it's been pleasant to have him around. But… Really? Is he…?"
The local Anna grins from ear to ear. "I can see it all over your face. You're head over heels for him."
"Am not!"
"Don't you try that on me, girl. You remember what Big Granny Anna said when we were kids, don't you?"
"*Sigh* "When you meet a man who can tell you apart from the rest of our family, that means you've found a man who will stay with you for life." I always thought she was just rambling back then."
A sagely nod. "She sure showed us. And this Gregor guy wasn't even fooled for a second when I tried posing as you. He's got eyes for you and only you."
The Ylissean Anna purses her lips. "That's nice and all… But can he really handle life with me? I'm not exactly from around here."
"I know you have the habit of traveling the Outrealms to do business with better profits, but do you really believe that's going to stop a man like that?"
"You can't be sure about that! The culture shock alone could make things messy!"
"Aw, you worry for him. That's adorable."
"Stuff it! You know just as well as I do why old Hubba put all those restrictions in place for anyone who's even heard of the Outrealms. Our cousin by the local gate traveled with one guy who got the offer, and he turned into even more of a nutcase after just three years! I am not putting Gregor at that kind of risk!"
"Look, what I'm trying to say is that if Gregor can tell you apart from the rest of us, I'm sure he could handle a little off-world traveling if that's what married life with you entails. He sure wouldn't be the first one. And if it gets to him, just hook him up with some of the in-laws."
The quartermaster mulls it over in her head. "*Sigh* You're not letting this one go, are you?"
Her cousin shrugs. "You wishing for a man in your life is among the worst kept secrets in the family. Sure, the whole thing with that lady's third ex-boyfriend was a mess and a half, but not all men are like that."
The Ylissean Anna huffs. "Don't remind me. That hussy's blasted brat wouldn't leave me alone, no matter what I did."
"Look, just give it a shot. I've known Gregor for less than an hour, but I can tell he's a good man and – more importantly – a good match for you. I'm a hundred percent sure everyone will be smiling at the end. You can't stick with the whole "rich and single" schtick forever anyway. You're not cut out for that kind of thing."
"I guess you're right." The Ylissean Anna concedes. Then her expression grows pensive. "So, you said he's trying to prepare a gift for me, right? With all that's happened, I guess the right thing to do would be to offer a gift for him in return. And with the way things are going, there's only one thing I can think of. Hoo boy… Here's to hoping I'm not moving too fast."
Her cousin gives her an encouraging smile. "It'll work out. Trust me!"
"Yeah… Yeah, I guess it will. You know, talking this out with you feels like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders. Ever since that thing, I never thought I'd meet a man to share my life with, so I kept telling myself that my gold purse was the only companion I needed in my life. I guess I just didn't want to risk putting myself through the same thing again."
"I don't blame you. Many in our family feared you'd never be interested in any man again, despite your wish to find one. I'm just glad you might finally be over this whole issue."
"Thanks. Now I can prepare that return gift for Gregor with no worries weighing me down. I bet he won't even see it coming."
The local Anna grins. "Speaking of bets; you now owe me a small Bullion."
The Ylissean Anna blinks in shock before she huffs annoyed. "Darn! I had hoped you'd forgotten that bet."
"When money's on the line? Who do you take me for, cousin dearest?"
"*Sigh* Fine. I'll get you that stupid lump of gold. Then I'll prepare my gift for Gregor."
Valm Harbor has always been a lively hub of activity by virtue of being the biggest port town on the continent – and therefore a hotspot for merchants by land and sea alike. That activity has even gotten a bit bigger since news of the fall of Walhart's empire had spread across the continent like wildfire and the locals were more than happy to point out that the army that made it possible made landfall here.
In light of that, Say'ri recommended Lucina to find a tailor for her wedding dress in the port town. The seamstress in question that she and her family have found their way to was more than happy to help when she realized who they are.
Lucina is currently in the back of the shop with the seamstress, who is taking her measurements. Chrom has been designated as the errand man and is busy carrying cloth of various colors and the odd pattern alongside whatever sewing tools and measuring tapes that the seamstress asks for. Which leaves Cordelia and Severa at the front of the shop with little else to do, as the seamstress was adamant that no more people than necessary are allowed as Lucina's dress slowly takes shape. While Cordelia would've taken this moment for some alone time with her second daughter, she finds herself having a hard time doing that due to the intense glare that Severa is sending her, and little else.
That has been the situation for the past half hour. It's come to the point that Cordelia simply wants to find out why her younger daughter is doing this and thus decides to bite the arrow.
"Severa, is something the matter?" Cordelia asks.
"Hm? No, nothing in particular." the young Mercenary replies. "I just don't like being left in this stuffy shop with you, is all."
Cordelia reels back in shock. "Wha- Why would you say such a thing?! What have I done to wrong you to this point?"
"You still don't get it, even after all this time?" Severa hisses. "Gawds. I wasn't even entirely serious when I said that you only have eyes for Daddy, but this is just sad."
Cordelia frowns at her daughter's words. "That was uncalled for, Severa! I know I haven't had much time to spend with you and Lucina, what with us fighting in a war. But I took what time I could find to get to know the both of you better."
"You think I'm talking about the here and now? You haven't even answered for the wrongs in the past!"
"Wrongs in the past?" Cordelia asks confused. "Severa, I only met you and Lucina a few weeks before we set out for Valm. What could I possibly have done to wrong you in that time, especially since I knew so little about you?"
"You did the one thing I will never forgive you for." Severa replies coldly. "You broke Lucina's heart!"
"Wh- What?! I would never do such a thing!" Cordelia protests. "How could I possibly do something like that to my own daughter?!"
"Oh, but you did. Remember when I told you that you said you went off fighting for what matters? You never came back." Severa elaborates.
Cordelia's mind goes back to the day she met her red-haired daughter. "I remember. I know I can't speak for my future self, but I'm certain I had you and Lucina in mind when I said that."
"A load of good that did!" Severa snaps back. "How do you think I felt when I heard what happened to you?! How do you think Lucina felt?!"
"Well, Lucina never brought it up. I just thought she didn't want to talk about it." Cordelia explains.
Severa clicks her tongue. "Of course she didn't. Far be it from her to bring something like that up with our parents. But we both remember those days. Me especially."
"What happened?" Cordelia asks with growing trepidation.
"You want to know? Fine."
Flashback: Doomed timeline
The halidom of Ylisse had been shaken to its core. Exalt Chrom was dead, murdered at the hands of one of his closest friends. The Fell dragon had returned and unleashed a horde of undead that swept over the continent like a plague, relentlessly chasing and killing any and all living creatures in their path. Armies and militias of varying sizes and experience were formed and sent out in a desperate attempt to fight back against the Fell dragon's forces, to little more effect than delaying the inevitable. In light of all this, Lady Cordelia, wing commander of Ylisse's Pegasus Knights, took up arms after she had mourned her fallen husband.
And while that strengthened the morale of Ylisse's armed forces once more, even Cordelia's presence on the battlefield mounted to little more than a temporary boon. Eventually, she too fell to the never-ending onslaught of the Fell dragon's undead armies. The news was devastating. Yet another member of the legendary Shepherds had perished, and with her, the hope of the people died a bit once again.
But in the sorrow and growing despair, two young girls had been forgotten by all but the ones closest to them. But this loss was greater for them than just about anyone else in the world. For these two girls were the young princesses of the halidom and Cordelia's daughters: Lucina and Severa.
Severa felt like the world had crumbled under her feet. Her mother was dead. She wouldn't be coming back home. Just like her father not even three months ago. But unlike last time, there was no parent to comfort her. Severa spent the first day unresponsive to anyone who tried to reach out to her. Everything she did was done like a puppet being strung along its usual routine. The shock of the loss of her mother left a deafening noise in her mind that drowned out all other sound. The second day, Severa was seen at the palace training ground, lashing out at anything and everything with a practice sword. She didn't want to accept what had happened – could not accept what had happened. Her mother was supposed to come home. So why did people keep telling her that it would never happen? Why would they say that her mother was dead? On the third day, Severa could be heard wailing, even when one listened a bit away from her room. Reality had finally sunk in. And with it, the sorrow that her young mind had tried so desperately to stave off came crashing down. She wept, crying out for her beloved mother over and over, despite the growing realization of how meaningless it was.
A few days had passed since then. The palace staff were always careful around Severa, fearing that any one wrong move could send her into another breakdown or tantrum. It's not like they were afraid to get hurt. They just couldn't bear the thought of accidentally stepping on the fresh wounds of her heart. But this day seemed a bit different. Young Severa was still affected by her loss – obviously – but the staff noted purpose in her steps that hadn't been there these past few days. In the middle of her mourning, Severa had remembered that she wasn't alone. Lucina had been there when news of what happened to Cordelia reached the palace. But when Severa took a moment to think, she realized that she had no recollection of seeing her sister ever since. So Severa decided to look for her sister. Maybe – just maybe – it wouldn't be so horrible if she could find her.
Some asking around the palace eventually led her to her sister's room. The last time someone had seen Lucina, she had shut herself in. That was on the day when the palace learned of Cordelia's demise. Severa knocked on the door. No response.
"Lucina? It's me, Severa." Severa called out to her sister.
Still no response. The lack of any acknowledgement stung – assuming her sister was still in her room. It was enough to alleviate some of the sorrow that filled Severa's mind in favor of feeling offended.
"Fine! I'll just sit here and wait until you decide to get out of your stupid room!" Severa snapped before she plopped down and leaned against the door.
But the day passed, and no response from Lucina. Severa was eventually forced to eat when the hunger became too much for her, and was then ushered back to her room by the palace maids to make sure she would get proper sleep that night.
The next day, Severa went straight to her sister's room. And like before, she called out to her sister, received no response, and decided to sit and wait at her door until she inevitably had to eat, sleep in her room on the insistence of the palace maids or simply heed the call of nature. And the same thing repeated itself on the next day. And the next.
But with each passing day with no response from Lucina, Severa began to grow worried. She had waited outside her sister's room all day, several days in a row. She neither saw nor heard anything from her sister. The palace maids had been so adamant that Severa still ate and slept regularly that Severa began to wonder when Lucina had time to eat if no one went in or out of her room. On the fifth day, the worrying had become too much for Severa. She had to see if her sister was still all right.
There was no snark in her voice when Severa called out to her sister this time. Only a voice cracking with tears.
"Lucina… Please…open up. Don't leave me too. I… I don't want to be alone."
The sound of the doorknob turning immediately made Severa back away. She could finally see her sister again after so long.
But the sight of who was on the other side of the door was not what the red-haired princess expected.
Her skin was pale. Her body seemed far too thin and her arms seemed shaky of weakness, probably from a lack of proper eating. Her usually well-kempt hair had become a tangled mess due to neglect. The slight odor spoke of a distinct lack of washing. There were bags under her eyes, which themselves seemed slightly sunken into the skull. And if Severa looked close enough, she could make out lines from the eyes that could only be tear streaks.
"S-Severa…?"
The weakness in her sister's voice, combined with a clearly parched throat, was the final painful clue for Severa of what had happened. Lucina hadn't eaten since the day they learned of what happened to their mother. She didn't take care of her appearance. She had hardly slept. She had simply shut herself in her room and wept for her fallen mother for days on end. The loss of their mother had brought Lucina to the breaking point, unless she had already passed it. Lucina had been reduced to a shell of her former self.
The realization broke Severa's heart.
"Lucina!"
The red-haired princess hugged her sister, crying all the while. It was only a bit later when Severa noticed her sister hugging her back. And so, Chrom's and Cordelia's daughters hugged under mutual cries and tears, clinging to each other and finding comfort in the family they still had.
"Please… Don't leave me like that again!" Severa begged. "I don't care where you go. Just don't leave me! Please!"
"Severa… I've missed you…so much."
Flashback end
Cordelia covers her mouth with her hand in shock. "Dear gods…"
"Now do you understand?" Severa asks with contempt. "It was bad enough for me when you never came back. But Lucina? She took your death harder than anyone. When I finally saw her again on that day, I swore to myself that I would follow her wherever she may go. I would stay by her side, no matter what happened. Because that's what family does."
Cordelia frowns. "Is that what this is about? You've resented me all this time, because you feel like I abandoned you? I thought we already went over this, Severa."
"You think I don't know that?! I tried to put it behind me!" Severa shouts. "But every time I see your face, I'm reminded of everything that happened back then. And Lucina feels the same. Do you have any idea how often she sought me out just to have a shoulder to cry on ever since we reunited in this time?"
"What?!" Cordelia asks shocked. "But Lucina never told me any of this! Why wouldn't she tell me? I'm her mother, for pity's sake!"
"Because she didn't want to burden you or Daddy with, she said and I quote, "events that have yet to happen and we fight to prevent from happening". Lucina tries to carry too much on her shoulders for her own good. I can't just let her run off on her own, or it's only a matter of time before she becomes a martyr. Just like you."
"I will never let that happen!" Cordelia declares.
Severa huffs. "Yeah, because you did such a splendid job last time I checked."
"Now see here, young lady-"
"Mother? Severa?"
The two redheads pause in their argument as they look towards the back of the shop and see Lucina and Chrom.
BGM: The Turnabout Sisters' Ballad, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney music
"Ch-Chrom? Lucina?"
"Um… How much did you two hear?" Severa asks.
"We heard every word." Chrom replies. "Not that hard with all the shouting."
Severa's gaze wanders over the floor. "So… I guess the secret's out. Lucina, I understand if you can't stomach me thinking of our mother like this-"
"I already knew. Or at least, I had my suspicions." Lucina replies.
That stops Severa in her tracks. "What? But…how?"
"It was the way you acted around me after we banded together to fight. You've always tried to shy away from things that took a lot of effort, and yet you stayed by my side in even the direst of battles." Lucina explains. "I could tell that you didn't necessarily like it, but the way you kept glancing at me while muttering "Do it for her." gave me all the hints I needed."
"Darn it! I guess I wasn't quiet enough." Severa hisses. "Well, now you know why I kept saying it – and why I kept sticking with you, even through this stupid time travel."
Lucina sighs. "Severa, I understand that us losing Mother was hard, but you can't resent her for what happened all those years ago. Do you truly think she and Father left us of their own will?"
"Of course not! But what does it matter?! Everything we've known since that day has been death and loss in one family after another!" Severa snaps. "What's the point of laying your life down if the only thing you leave behind is a broken family? If these two are like the parents we knew, they'd do it again without a second thought. And I know you would do the same, what with the way you take after Daddy. I just can't stand it when everyone around me would rush to their deaths so willingly when it doesn't even matter."
Lucina rushes in to hug her sister. "Severa, please… Just stop. Don't you see? Part of the reason why we went back in time in the first place was to prevent this from happening. We can't get the family back that we lost, but we can make sure that the us of this time will not go through the same tragedy as we did."
Tears escape Severa's eyes as she returns the hug. "I just- I want our family to be whole and stay whole. Is that too much to ask?"
"No, of course not." Lucina assures her sister. "We already saved Aunt Emmeryn's life. We've already proven that our family is not destined to die like they did in our time. And we can do it again. I swear it."
The tears flow freely from Severa's eyes as she tightens the hug. "You always walked ahead of me in everything. I tried so hard to stand by your side, but your back was the only part of you that I could see sometimes. How do you keep doing that?"
"It was for your sake."
"Huh?"
"On that day, you saved me, Severa. I locked myself in my room after Mother died, because I felt that nothing in life mattered anymore. I felt so small, so alone. I could barely sleep, because the same nightmare would haunt me night after night. I would see our parents, only for them to vanish in a pitch-black cloud. And in the end, all that was left was darkness. I woke up every time after that, and the only thing I could do was cry. I believed that my room would become my grave, where I would die alone and with no hope."
Severa looks at her sister surprised. "I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me?"
Lucina smiles. "Because you put an end to it all. I couldn't hear you at first, but your voice was the wake-up call that I needed. When I opened my door, everything around you looked so bright. It was as if a veil was lifted from my eyes when you embraced me. I was reminded that I'm not alone. You became my light. I made up my mind when I saw you weep for me. We had lost our parents, but I refused to lose you too. And come what may, I would fight to keep you with me. You may no longer be the only reason why I fight, but you are the reason why I took up Father's sword. I can never thank you enough for what you have done for me, Severa."
Severa sniffs before she puts her head on Lucina's shoulder. "You're the best sister a girl like me could ask for."
Lucina pats her sister on the back as she herself is moved to tears. "That's what I should be telling you, Severa. I stand here today thanks to you. The only reason why I could fight as hard as I did was because I always knew you were behind me. That one thought alone gave me more strength than anything else. You're an irreplaceable part of my life, and nothing will ever change that. I am so proud to be your sister."
For just the briefest moments, the minds of both sisters return to that day when they embraced each other for the first time since news of Cordelia's demise. But then that image fades away to be replaced by the here and now. The exact same position, but the sisters are now grown up, stronger and filled with hope.
"I may not be the woman who brought you two to the world, but I am truly blessed to have you as my daughters." Cordelia happily remarks.
Severa turns to her mother uneasy. "Mother, I-"
Cordelia embraces her red-haired daughter from behind. "Shh, it's all right. I bear you no ill will, Severa."
"B-but the things I said…"
Cordelia shakes her head. "They don't matter to me. You've both been through so much. Of course you would lash out like this. Any scared child would."
"I'm not a child anymore." Severa mutters.
"No matter what happens, no matter what you may feel, you are both my children. I love you both more than I can put into words." Cordelia continues. "And no matter where you may go, I will always welcome you with open arms. I can't give you back the childhoods you lost, but I can be there for you, whether you need a shoulder to cry on, sharing good news or just want someone to spend time with."
"But, Mother, don't you have your duties to attend to?" Lucina points out.
"I do, Lucina, but I will not let that stop me from being a mother. I will make time for both of you. I promise."
As Cordelia's word settle, the two sisters decide to simply enjoy the moment they have with their mother.
Chrom shifts awkwardly. "I hate to interrupt, but where does that leave me?"
Cordelia gives her husband an exasperated smile and stretches a hand out in invitation. "Just… Get over here, you."
BGM ends
Two weeks later
In a rare instance of stalling for time being a good thing, the less-than-constant debating between the Valmese nobles gave the organizers of the festivities enough time to finish preparations on time for missives about the new peace treaties to be written and spread across the continent. All that remains is to let the celebrations begin.
People from every facet of the allied Resistance movement are gathered in the main banquet hall of Castle Valm, from commanders of various factions of the Valmese Resistance to the Shepherds alongside the highest-ranked officers of the Feroxi army. The middle of the hall is occupied with long tables where the participants are to be seated. The food is placed on tables around the seating area for participants to go to whenever they wish to add food to their plates, thereby effectively making the banquet a giant buffet.
The participants are all currently seated by their tables and have their eyes on Say'ri. The Dynast rises from her seat and clears her throat.
"People of Valm. Warriors of Ylisse and Regna Ferox. We are all gathered here today, not only in celebration of our grand victory against Walhart the Conqueror, but to also celebrate the new peace that has been forged within these very halls. A new age awaits for this continent – one where we may band together across our borders and unite, not out of fear or oppression, but out of camaraderie. To signify this future built on union, I hereby declare this celebratory banquet open. Come, eat and drink your fill!"
"Finally!" Vaike and Flavia shout in perfect sync as they're the first ones to get up from their tables and got get food.
Say'ri is left standing dumbfounded, with a cup in her right hand still only raised halfway up.
"I meant to propose a toast for bonds to be forged both within and outside the continent…" the Dynast Swordmaster laments to herself.
Maribelle pinches the bridge of her nose. "Oh, for all that is good in this world! Vaike! Have you no sense of etiquette?!"
Vaike turns to the Ylissean Valkyrie with a plate filled almost to overflowing with food in one hand and a chicken leg that he's busy devouring in the other.
The Berserker takes a moment to swallow and reply. "What? She said the banquet's open, right? That means we're free to eat like she said."
The other participants look at each other, shrug as they concede that Vaike has a point, and rise from their seats to grab some food of their own.
Jack raises an eyebrow as glances at his wife. "Is it just me, or did no one criticize Flavia for doing the exact same thing?"
Robin shrugs. "Well, she is the reigning ruler of a nation."
The Reaper shakes his head. "*Sigh* Hypocrites, the lot of them."
The banquet quickly goes into full swing from there. Some participants prefer sticking to the beaten path and mainly interact with people they are already familiar with, while others try breaking the ice and try sharing some food with individuals from nations other than their own.
But there is one person in particular who keeps his distance from the festivities besides simply eating a single meal.
Cherche noticed rather quickly that her son went missing from the festivities. A quick search soon shows him standing at a balcony overlooking the field in front of the castle.
"So this is where you went." the Wyvern Lord remarks as she approaches her son.
"Mother." Gerome replies curtly.
"Why are you out here, of all places? Everyone's celebrating that the fighting is over. You should join us."
"I…would rather not." Gerome declines. "I don't do well in these festive moods, nor do I do well in crowds."
Cherche shakes her head. "Come now. I understand that you prefer being a loner – company with Minerva notwithstanding – but keeping yourself away from your comrades in times when we're meant to come together is never a healthy thing."
"I simply don't belong in there. If they wish to celebrate, they are free to do so. But leave me out of it."
Cherche frowns at her son. "Of course you do. You fought as one of us. You triumphed with us. It's only natural that you celebrate with us too."
Gerome shakes her head. "Just leave me be, Mother. I won't stop you from taking part in the festivities, but you're better off doing so without me."
"Absolutely not!" Cherche snaps. "I will not have my own son shy away from a well-earned celebration, just because he's uncomfortable around people. For that matter, I won't have you distance yourself from me by hiding your face behind a mask."
"Don't touch my mask!" Gerome snaps back. The Wyvern Rider pauses as he notices Cherche's shocked distress. "I apologize…for lashing out at you like that. You didn't deserve it. Please, just go."
"Why?" Cherche asks hurt. "Why are you so adamant on keeping yourself away from others to the point that you won't even show your face?"
"I can't." Gerome replies. "I…cannot show my face to anyone. Everyone would reject me if I did."
"I'm your mother, for pity's sake! And you won't show it, even to me?!"
"Mother, I'm blind!"
BGM: The Bitter Taste of Truth, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations music
Cherche looks at her son stunned. "Wh-what…?"
Gerome looks away from Cherche. "I can't see a thing. I haven't been able to for years."
"B-but how?! It doesn't make any sense!" Cherche denies. "I've seen you move around people without any issue. There's no way you're blind!"
"I don't use my eyes to perceive other living beings." Gerome explains. "When Jack-sensei took me under his wing, he trained me into developing a sense akin to hearing. Every living being has what I can only describe as a voice. They don't use it actively. Rather, it's as though this voice is simply an echo of their lifeforce. The sense that Sensei helped me develop lets me listen to those echoes. He once described it like how a bat uses sound to map its surroundings based on the echoes. That's how they can fly at night without bumping into anything."
Cherche shakes her head. "I never knew…"
"It certainly has its uses, but I can't use it for everything." Gerome continues. "I cannot perceive that which is not alive, like stones or mountains. Nor have I managed to perceive the echoes of plants or trees. It's why I always lose my way unless someone guides me. Without people or animals around, I'm reminded of how blind I am."
"What happened to you?" Cherche asks. "Please… I have to know."
Gerome stays silent for a while.
"It happened during a mission that I was sent out on together with Brady." the Wyvern Rider eventually explains. "We had deduced that the Risen were headed towards one of the few villages remaining, so Lucina sent us there to help the villagers protect their home. By the time the Risen arrived, a fierce battle broke out. We managed to hold their assault back at first, but the tide turned when Brady was caught off-guard by a sudden surge of enemies. He would have been overwhelmed, had I not stepped in to beat the enemy back. But that's when one of the Risen knocked me off Minerva and nearly beheaded me. I managed to dodge, but the blade reached my face nonetheless. Everything suddenly went black, and all I knew was excruciating pain in my eyes. I lost consciousness soon afterwards."
Cherche covers her mouth in horror. "Gods… How did you even survive?"
"I would later learn that hearing my scream caused Minerva to fly into a rage. The villagers first thought she went on a mindless rampage, when the truth was that she simply fought as hard as she could to protect me. She lost her tail in that battle to stop another Risen from striking me while I was vulnerable on the ground." Gerome gingerly touches his mask. "When I woke up, the world was still black. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't. That's when Brady approached me. He had managed to bring me and Minerva back from the battle when he spotted an opening and tried to heal our wounds as fast as he could. But the tip of Minerva's tail was lost in the battle. The wound on my face was too deep and the damage to my eyes was too extensive. There was nothing Brady could do to fully undo the damage we had suffered. So he enlisted the aid of a local physician to stitch my wound shut. We would eventually attach an axe blade from the weapon of a deceased warrior on Minerva's tail to replace what she had lost."
Cherche swallows as she processes her son's story. "How… How many know of this?"
"Only a few. Brady and Minerva, for one. Sensei found out by accident, but promised to keep it a secret. And now you know too."
Cherche reaches for Gerome's mask. "Let me see your face, Gerome."
Gerome steps away from his mother. "Don't. I- I can't bear to show you something so hideous."
Cherche nearly chokes on the tears she's holding back upon hearing that. But she keeps insisting.
"Please… I'm your mother. I will never reject you for something as small as a scar or disability."
Gerome stands still as Cherche's words sink in.
"Very well…" the Wyvern Rider eventually agrees. "Go ahead."
Cherche once again reaches for the mask and gingerly removes it from Gerome's face. The first thing she notices is the line of a scar running across her son's face, right over the eyes. Then Cherche notices the stitching still running vertically across Gerome's eyes. The sight becomes too much for her. Her tears flow as she embraces her son.
"Does it- Does it still sting?" Cherche asks as she gently places a hand on the side of Gerome's face.
"The pain faded some time before I joined Lucina and the others through the trip through time. I suppose I simply got used to it." Gerome replies.
Cherche shakes her head. "No one should have to get used to pain like this! What about your tears?! How can you remain impassive in the face of all this?!"
Gerome gingerly touches the scar. "I haven't cried since I lost you and Father. It's almost as if…my tears have remained trapped within my eyes since the day they were sealed shut."
Cherche places her forehead against Gerome's. "Then let me cry for you."
As Cherche weeps on behalf of her son, Gerome returns the embrace. The only emotion that he shows is his lips pressed into a thin line.
"Thank you, Mother…"
BGM ends
A few days later
POV: Jack
As the days of celebration reach their end, the time for Lucina's and Morgan's wedding finally arrives.
I'm currently in a room with my son, Laurent and Owain. We're all dressed for the occasion, wearing traditional Dynast attire to go with the theme of a traditional Dynast-style wedding in accordance to Say'ri's suggestion. Though Morgan seems a bit uncomfortable in his wedding garb.
"Are you sure this attire is fitting for weddings?" Morgan asks while tugging at the sash around his waist. "It feels a bit restrictive."
I shrug. "Most formal attire that I know of has that annoying tendency. Look at it from the bright side. Not only do you look dapper in that garb, you only need to wear it for the ceremony and possibly the wedding reception – which is basically just an extension of the celebration that we've had going these past few days."
"Don't tell me you had to wear something uncomfortable like this when you and Mother married, Father."
I nod. "I did, in a way. But it was more along the lines of looking far too gaudy for my tastes. Nevertheless, it was a group project done by the other men of my generation. I very well couldn't refuse something like that, especially since it was considered fitting for a groom."
"Such greatness!" Owain exclaims as his shades glint in non-existent sunlight. "A garb made by brothers-in-arms in celebration of the union between one of their own and his beloved! Truly, there are few moments when the spirit of manliness is manifested as clearly as in such moments!"
"Exaggerated dramatic descriptions aside, it amazes me that a garb fit for a groom could be crafted by militia men with no formal training in the craft." Laurent remarks.
"We have Virion to thank for that." I explain. "The man has an opinion of himself that might reach above the roof of a palace, but there are times when his flair for the artistic becomes a boon for us all. The only one among the Shepherds who comes even close to his sense of fashion is Maribelle, and her specialty lies within female attire."
"Aren't those all dresses, though?" Morgan asks. "Just pick a dress that looks fancy, and they're ready."
I shake my head amused. "Oh, if only it were that simple. I once stumbled upon Lissa and Maribelle back when they were preparing Cordelia's wedding dress. The sheer amount of designs drawn and test models crafted were enough to fill at least two whole rooms in Castle Ylisstol. A dress is more than just a fancy piece of clothing, Morgan. Every single one is practically a project in and of itself, from the quality of the material, to its coloring, to the accessories, to the measurements of whoever is meant to wear it, and so on and so forth. That's before we discuss complimentary pieces like gloves and shoes. And that's while we're still discussing dresses for more common events like parties and balls. Wedding dresses take all of that to a whole new level."
Morgan gulps. "And they put Lucina through all that?"
"Well, it is your wedding we're talking about here. Like Virion would say if he were here; It is imperative that you look your best. We both know your beloved bride would do the same."
Morgan nods sagely. "That sounds fair."
I nod in agreement. "Good. Just be happy you don't have to go through all that nonsense with wigs."
My son looks at me questioningly. "Wigs? What in the world are they good for?"
I look away with a haunted look on my face. "Fear the day when you are faced with the horror that is high fashion, my son. It is a foe that cannot be defied, nor can it be slain. For it draws strength from the ranks of high society, of which you will soon be part of. Yet like a mindless beast, it indiscriminately seeks to consume all that it reaches until it becomes part of it. Seek comfort in your beloved, but know that she too will be forced to submit under its cruelty."
Morgan grimaces. "An evil that is the product of people in fancy clothes? What kind of things do they get up to?"
"To quote a famous scholar from my home; Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe. And I am unsure about the universe."
By explaining a dangerous topic for another person, your WIS has increased by 1!
AN: The quote was supposedly made by Albert Einstein.
While weddings of Ylissian tradition has the groom wait at the altar and the bride's father or next of kin lead her down an aisle as a symbol of entrusting said bride to the groom, weddings of Dynast tradition take a different perspective. Rather than having the groom wait for the bride, they both walk down the aisle together until they stand in front of the officiator. This is to symbolize the two of them taking their first steps together in the lifelong journey that marriage is seen as in Chon'sin. So it is that the people gathered to witness the event have gathered in two clusters, with the space between them marking the path for the bridal couple to walk, along with a red carpet for extra emphasis. The sun shines bright in the morning sky as we eagerly await Morgan and Lucina.
This points at another key difference between Ylissean and Dynast weddings: Dynasts prefer to hold their weddings in the outdoors. Something about signifying the freedom in which a marriage can be molded according to the wishes of the couple. The area we're standing in would most accurately be described as a walled-off area with decorated tapestries hanging between poles to serve as the walls. The only solid part of the structure would be the double-doored gate at one end of the whole structure.
BGM: Theme of Love, Final Fantasy 4 DS music
Speaking of the gates; the creaking sound of them opening signifies the moment we've been waiting for. Our gazes turn to the back of the area in anticipation of the bridal couple.
And what a couple they make. Morgan is garbed in what Say'ri has described to be highly formal men's ware by Dynast standards. His robe and pants are dyed an ashen gray. The robe is held together by a forest-green sash. On top of it all, he wears a black haori with golden accents. If one looks at his back, an embroidery depicting a serpentine dragon twisting around a peach can be seen. As for Lucina, her head is adorned with an elaborate hat that drops a veil in front of her face. Her body is garbed in a peach-colored kimono with images of fresh leaves woven into the fabric. The sash tying her ensemble together at the waist is of a matching pink color. Supposedly, the peach is a symbol of fertility in Dynast culture, which says a lot about the motif of Lucina's wedding garb.
As the bridal couple reaches the end of their walk, Libra stands waiting with an open tome and a serene smile.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of two lovers who have decided to walk side by side in their lives. And by extension, to have this moment symbolize the unity of people across an entire continent as they walk together into the future…"
That last line should probably be taken with a grain of salt, though… As fine as the prospect of an unofficially united continent of Valm sounds, the people in power are far too interested in their own agendas and territories at the expense of anything beyond those to care much for such a cause. Still, the most diplomatic, optimistic and overall positive thing to do right now is to simply humor the idea. Wouldn't want to ruin the mood – especially not for my son's wedding.
I smile as I only listen to Libra's wedding sermon partially. I nudge Chrom's side. "They make a fine couple, don't you agree?"
The prince nods in agreement. "I can't deny that. I wasn't too keen at first, but seeing the way Lucina smiles around Morgan and Morgan's dedication to Lucina in turn made me warm up to the thought."
"Cordelia made some convincing arguments." I remark.
The prince clears his throat. "Ah, that too."
"So…when do you think she'll entertain the thought of grandchildren?" I muse.
Chrom looks distinctly uncomfortable. "Please don't entertain that thought. We're still getting used to being parents to a baby not even a year old. Seeing our baby girl all grown up is one thing, but the idea of her having children of her own already is not a thought that I'm comfortable with."
"Actually, that sounds lovely." Cordelia interjects happily. "Just imagine… I could be the youngest grandmother in the history of Ylisse. Ah, I haven't felt this giddy since I realized that I was pregnant with Lucina."
Chrom and I look at the Falcon Knight with identical sweatdrops.
"Should I be scared…?" I ask with growing trepidation.
Chrom nods stiffly. "You don't know how terrifying Cordelia can be until you've seen it."
My mind goes back to two specific instances.
Flashback
*Boom!*
Several bandits flew through the air from a massive dust cloud. What the-
"WHO DARES RUIN MY HONEYMOON?!"
Holy s-it, Cordelia was furious! I didn't see any weapon in her hand. That means she sent those bandits flying barehanded! And…was that a pink aura surrounding her body?
The moment we entered the room, Cordelia found enough focus to direct a glare of pure, unbridled rage at her husband.
"YOU! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO GOT ME INTO THIS LIVING HELL IN THE FIRST PLACE! TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND GET OVER HERE, RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"
Wow. Cordelia's got a strong pair of lungs.
Chrom gulped before marching towards what looked like his execution, but really was only the start of his life as a parent.
Flashback end
I shudder. "Actually, I already have."
"And so, I ask you, Morgan…" Libra asks as he turns to my son. "Do you take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife, to cherish her, protect her and love her, in health and in sickness, in wealth and in poverty, in joy as well as in sadness, until death do you part?"
Morgan's back straightens slightly. "I do."
The War Monk nods before he turns to Lucina. "And I ask you, Princess Lucina: Do you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband, to support him, comfort him, and love him, in health as in sickness, in wealth as in poverty, in joy as in sadness, until death do you part?"
"I… I do." Lucina replies with a crack in her voice.
Wait… Is she about to cry? I don't blame her… Not after everything our children have been through.
Libra smiles at the bridal couple before he clears his throat. "If anyone objects to these two being wed, then speak now, or forever hold your peace."
The whole gathering is silent, save for the occasional sniffle.
"Then by the power vested in me and the grace of Naga, I hereby declare you husband and wife." Libra says with finality. "Morgan, you may kiss the bride."
Morgan struggles a bit with lifting Lucina's veil due to the difference in height, until Lucina curtsies a bit to help him. Morgan barely has enough time to lift the veil over Lucina's head and look at her face before Lucina wraps him in her arms and slams her lips against his.
Cheers ring out through the gathered crowd – most notably from me as I wave my fist in celebration.
"YEEAAH! That's what we like to see!"
I'm a proud father. Bite me.
BGM ends
Well, the peace talks are over, the festivities have come to an end, and more than a few of us can't wait to get back home. We've had a good time here in Valm, minus all the death and losses that came with the war. Personally, I just want to get back to Ylisse and chill with my wife until my repulsive father-in-law decides to attempt unleashing the apocalypse. We're about to start preparations for the return trip.
"I'm sorry I couldn't make any preparations for a honeymoon, Lucina." Morgan apologizes to his newlywed wife. "I know you've been looking forward to this for so long."
Lucina shakes her head with a smile. "I don't mind that at all, Morgan. What matters is that we have each other. Besides, I believe we could always spend some time on the Ylissean countryside when we return home. The halidom is so peaceful these days."
Morgan frowns. "Let's just hope we haven't inherited our parents' tendency to run into trouble wherever they go."
Lucina presses her lips together into a thin line. "That…could be a problem…"
"What's this I hear? You throw an entire wedding, and you didn't even have a honeymoon prepared?" Anna interjects brightly. "Well, fret not, my dear lovebirds. Your charming resident merchant has you covered!"
"Wait, Anna?!" Chrom exclaims surprised. "What have you been up to? For that matter, I don't recall seeing you during the wedding ceremony."
The redhead shrugs. "Meh, weddings aren't my thing. More importantly, I've managed to pull some strings to make sure our dear newlyweds can at least get to spend their marital bliss in a more fitting place than on some hiking trip in Ylisse."
I raise an eyebrow. "That's surprising, coming from you. What's the catch?"
Anna smiles giddily. "That's the best part! There are no strings attached here! The expenses will be covered by a generous donor. In fact, you should all meet with her."
The red-haired merchant steps aside to reveal…another red-haired merchant who looks just like her.
I blink. Chrom blinks. Robin blinks. Cordelia blinks. Morgan blinks. Lucina blinks.
Anna blinks. "What? What's with the silence, guys?"
"You're telling us…" I begin with skepticism dripping off my voice. "…that one of your relatives volunteered to fund the entirety of my son's honeymoon, and there are no strings attached to it? Who are you two, and what have you done to the real Annas?"
The redhead huffs. "Oh, come on. What do you people think of me and my family?"
The dry looks that we send the merchants make our opinions clear.
Anna clears her throat. "Right, right. Fair point." She shakes her head. "Never mind that, though. This is the real deal, I'm telling you."
"Forgive our skepticism, but surely you could explain what's going on here?" Robin interjects. "We're…not used to anyone of your family displaying such generosity without any ulterior motives."
Anna nods sagely. "Gotta stick to the family code. That said, that's also the reason why my cousin's putting out this offer."
Cue collective raising of eyebrows.
"Remember back at the Sage's Hamlet when Lissa's kid went over the top and did… You know?"
I nod. "Yeah. I even saw it happen from up close."
Lucina sighs. "He won't stop bragging about it."
Cordelia makes a face. "My poor pegasus wouldn't take to the skies for a few days afterwards because she was afraid of running into a pillar of light coming out of nowhere. I don't blame her."
Anna nods. "Well, my cousin here decided to take advantage of his little stunt after she discovered how much attention it was grabbing from people for leagues around. So, being the entrepreneur that all of us Annas are, she set up shop, tacked on some fancy legend that is technically true if you squint, and turned the whole thing into a tourist attraction. She's been raking in gold ever since."
Chrom scratches his head. "That's a fine story and all, but what does it have to do with this?"
"Everything!" Anna exclaims happily. "You know how serious me and my family are about paying back any debt that we owe whoever does us a favor? That's practically part of our code of honor. And as it turned out, my dear cousin here turned a massive profit that you guys provided her with, however unintentionally."
"She just kept going on and on about the code of honor." Anna's cousin interjects sourly. "I couldn't just refuse that kind of reasoning, or else I'd have to answer to the whole family."
"Since you guys are effectively her most contributing benefactors, I argued that it was only right that she used some of those sweet profits to return the favor." Anna cheerfully continues. "And – lucky us – what better way to pay her benefactors back than by financing a honeymoon for our latest pair of lovebirds? And don't worry, I made her promise not to be stingy either."
"You kept twisting my arm to the point that it's a miracle that you didn't turn it into a pretzel! It was practically extortion!" the Valmese Anna snaps. "And after I finally helped you find your man!"
"That's what you get for going after my precious gold!" Anna fires back. "And leave Gre- Leave my man out of this!"
Robin gives me an amused smile. "I don't know what's funnier. This, or you arguing with your own copies."
I cross my arms and huff. "I'll have you know, my arguments with my copies provide me with intellectual stimulation."
Robin's smile widens. "Like the time when you argued with five of yourself over – and I quote – whether pegasi or lambs made the cutest motif for my coffee mug?"
"Deep intellectual stimulation."
As the two redheads keep arguing, Morgan glances at Lucina.
"You know, I think we should take her up on her offer." my son suggests. "It's too good to pass this up."
Lucina nods. "I agree. There is little point in looking a gift horse in the mouth." The blue-haired princess smiles. "If nothing else, it might very well be more pleasant than a trip around Ylisse."
Morgan smiles back and turns to the arguing pair of cousins. "Sounds great! We accept. Just one thing."
The Annas stop arguing in favor of looking back at my son.
"Could we invite Owain? He's the one who made all this possible, after all." Morgan suggests.
Anna smiles brightly. "You most certainly can! While you two are obviously the main guests, we've arranged so that you can bring some company along. Just give us a list, and we'll arrange accordingly."
Anna's cousin weeps to the side. "My poor profits…"
Lucina sweatdrops. "Perhaps we should try to keep the list short."
With the decision made, the next step is to iron out the details for the honeymoon.
"Alright, so here's the deal." Anna explains. "The place you're invited to is an establishment run by one of our cousins in the Outrealms. Much like our dear cousin running her own shop in the hotrealms, this one runs an entire hot spring resort. That's where you'll be staying."
Chrom raises an eyebrow. "What's a "hot spring"?"
"Think of is as a giant natural hot bath, Chrom." I explain. "Remember back when we fought in the Demon's Ingle? The inside had magma flowing everywhere. While the magma itself is dangerous for just about any living creature, there are cases when its heat can be harnessed to amazing effects. Hot springs are one such case."
Morgan raises an eyebrow. "How? That stuff is just molten rock, right?"
I nod. "Well, the trick lies in finding places where nature does the job for you, which is the case with hot springs. Basically, the top layer of the very ground we stand on is so thin in these places that the heat from the magma flowing underneath seeps right through. Add some natural springs on top of that, and you basically get a massive, natural outdoors hot tub. Or several, depending on the number of springs."
Anna nods along. "That's about the gist of it. And let me tell you; those baths are to die for. So when our dear cousin found such a place teeming with hot springs, she went right to work and built her very own inn at the place. She's making a killing over there, and all she has to do is keep the inn tidy. I kinda envy her."
Anna's cousin sighs. "Girl, we all envy her. Doesn't help that she practically charges an arm and a leg for staying at the place. And people still pay up, just to stay for a few days."
Our quartermaster smiles brightly. "And you wonderful people get to stay for a whole week, all expenses paid! Aren't we generous?"
"Speak for yourself." her cousin huffs. "You're practically bleeding me dry here."
Anna waves her off. "Oh, don't be like that. With the rate you're making money off your little tourist attraction, you'll make it all back in a month, tops."
The Valmese Anna sighs. "Ugh. Let's just get this over with. So, who's staying, besides the lovebirds and the crazy landscaper?"
We look among us, hoping for some ideas.
"I would like to invite everyone who joined me in my journey through time." Lucina asks. "They have been through so much and have hardly had the time for any extended rest, ever since they joined our army."
Morgan nods. "Right. It's just been one battle after another in a big war. Even with the past week of peace talks, we've still been rather busy pitching in with helping prepare for the banquet and other stuff. I think our friends have earned some rest."
"That makes fourteen people total, for starters." Lucina concludes.
The Valmese Anna purses her lips. "Ugh… Okay, I can handle that much."
"Speaking of busy, the whole peace conference has kept quite a few of our high-ranked officers busy." I muse. "Chrom, Flavia and Virion have been running themselves ragged with all those peace talks. Chrom, have any of you even had any opportunity to relax with your respective wives, or some significant other in Flavia's case? For that matter, did Say'ri have any opportunity to have any meaningful rest?"
Chrom rubs his chin. "I had the opportunity to unwind a bit when I accompanied my family to prepare Lucina's wedding dress. Though I can't speak for the others."
I nod. "Right, then we might as well include you, Cordelia and Say'ri."
"Huh? Why me and Cordelia?"
"First: Tagging along for wedding preparations is hardly a good way to unwind. You still remember how hectic things were back when you were getting married, right?"
Chrom grimaces. "Right…"
I nod. "Second: This is not only your daughter's honeymoon, but it's effectively the wedding reception too. We can't have the parents of the bridal couple absent, now can we? That would mean me and Robin should tag along too. As for Say'ri, that one should be self-explanatory. She needs to unwind after everything that's happened. A week in the hot springs should do wonders for her."
"Hey, if the bigshots need to unwind, you should put me on the list too."
We turn our heads in the direction of the voice to see Flavia approach us.
I raise an eyebrow. "Okay, how does that work?"
"You're telling me you're going to this fancy place and plan to leave me behind? Besides, Say'ri could use some time with a soul sister. The whole thing would be pointless otherwise." Flavia explains.
The rest of us send her dry looks.
The khan huffs. "Ugh, fine! Diplomatic bonding! Say'ri's ascending the throne in due time, and I, for one, want to have a good rapport with her before she gets swamped with the responsibilities of a ruler. That good enough for you?!"
Chrom frowns in thought. "She has a point. Sort of."
"I see no problem with that." Anna interjects. "That's twenty visitors in total."
"T-twenty… For a whole week…" the Valmese merchant mutters horrified. Then she starts weeping again. "Why meee?!"
Lucina looks at her concerned. "I am starting to feel bad for her. Maybe we went overboard?"
Our quarter master waves her concerns off. "Oh, no need to worry. By my calculations, the costs should be about one third of the total profits she's made since she set up shop at the Sage's hamlet. She can afford this, no problem."
"I hate you." her Valmese cousin hisses.
"Love you too, sweetheart."
It takes some running back and forth, but everyone who's going to the hot spring resort is soon gathered outside the gates of Castle Valm, where Anna is waiting with a total of five carriages.
"That was fast." Chrom remarks.
Anna smiles brightly. "The moment my cousin's escort service – my second-removed cousin on my father's side, mind you – caught wind, she had carriages prepared on the double. Far be it from our family to run any kind of business with any less than stellar performance."
Right on que, the driver of each cart cheerfully waves at us. They're all Annas.
"By the way, remember to take these with you." Anna adds and hands us a stack of golden tickets. Rather thick ones at that.
"What are these?" Chrom asks as he accepts the stack.
"They're your passes. Your tickets to one week of soaking in the most heavenly baths you'll ever find in your lives." Anna explains. "Well, one week for you guys. My sisters and cousins are smart enough to make sure time flows faster in their resorts to make sure people can have their vacations there without any worry for our guests being absent for too long. You know, kind of when Jack and Robin went on their honeymoon."
I nod with a fond smile. "Best two weeks I've had for as long as I can remember. And if this resort is up to the same standards, we're in for a pleasant week."
Anna smiles proudly. "If there's one thing our family excels at, it's customer satisfaction. Be it merchantry or lodgings, nothing less than a five-star rating is acceptable for us. After all, a satisfied customer is a returning customer."
I nod sagely. "Spoken like a true entrepreneur."
"Must I join you?" Gerome asks somewhat annoyed. "This trip sounds like nothing more than a waste of time."
I roll my eyes. "Oh, give it a rest, Gerome. I don't care how much you follow whatever warrior's code you've committed yourself to. Even the most disciplined warrior needs to relax and unwind from time to time. Besides, it's rude to refuse such a gracious gift, especially if it's given from an ally out of (indirect) gratitude."
"But I'm not allowed to bring Minerva." Gerome points out.
"Oh, don't mind her." Cherche assures her son. "She's more than happy to make up for lost time with me while also spending time with her younger counterpart. You go have fun with your friends."
"*Screech*"
"Traitor…" Gerome mutters as he gets on a carriage.
"Do you have your current tome on arts history to study?" Maribelle asks her son.
"Got it right here, Ma." Brady replies as he pulls an absurdly thick tome out of his bag.
"And what about your music sheets?"
A stack of sheets comes next. "All accounted for."
"Speaking of music…"
Brady pulls out a violin case and shows the pristine instrument inside. "One step ahead o' ya."
Maribelle breathes a sigh of relief. "Good. I believe that should be everything."
"I'll just be away for a week." Brady points out as he stuffs everything back in the bag that his mother provided him with. "It ain't like I'll be makin' much progress on anythin' while I'm away."
"Considering the nature of the trip, I suppose not." Maribelle concedes. "But I cannot simply send you on your way with nothing to fill your spare time with. Far be it from me to allow you to succumb to a life of laziness."
"Ma, I'm not a kid anymore!" Brady shouts exasperated.
Maribelle points her parasol at Brady's face, much to the Priest's terror. "Do not take that tone with me, young man. I raised you better than that."
"Relax, Maribelle. Our son is just going to have some fun with his friends." Ricken interjects. "Besides, he's right. He's an adult now. You can't hold his hand forever. He's set out on his own for years now."
The Valkyrie sighs. "I know, Ricken. I just- Can you blame me for worrying about seeing our baby boy leaving for his first journey since we met him? Am I not entitled at least a little bit of concern by virtue of being his mother?"
Brady sniffles. "Aw, Ma… Yer gonna make me cry if ya say that…"
"N-no tears, Brady. Remember your station." Maribelle chides her son while trying to keep her own tears in.
Ricken sighs before he shakes his head with a fond smile and pats Brady on the arm. "Just make sure to relax and have a good time with your friends, Brady. That's what we both wish for you in the end."
Brady returns the smile. "Thanks, Pa. See ya soon."
"It is a bit of a shame that you cannot join us, Brother." Say'ri laments.
Yen'fay replies with a smile. "As much as I share your sentiment, it is no loss for me. You have earned the rest that is to come with this trip, Say'ri. You need not concern yourself with me."
Say'ri frowns. "And what guarantee do I have that no one will try to assassinate you in my absence? As cooperative as the Dynast nobility has been this past week, I do not put it past them to make an attempt at your life."
"That is what I suspect as well. But not to worry. Prince Chrom was kind enough to offer the assistance of his lieutenant. I had some of my own men try to ambush him, only to fail spectacularly. Nothing seems to get past that man's gaze."
"You are referring to Frederick, yes? I did notice that he lives up to his moniker of "The Wary"."
"And as such, I trust him to help me stay safe in your absence." Yen'fay concludes. "I have every reason to believe that I am in good hands. You need not worry about me, Sister."
Say'ri breathes a sigh of relief. "That sounds reassuring indeed. I shall enjoy myself on this trip, then, and return to your side posthaste."
"Aye, that is good. Safe travels, Say'ri."
A few similar conversations are made as we get on the carriages and get ready for our trip to the hot springs.
Three hours later
The horses snort as they trudge up the path.
"Just a bit longer. We're almost there." The Anna driving our carriage tells us.
"I am quite intrigued by these "hot springs"." Laurent remarks while skimming the contents of a notebook. "Baths were a luxury many of us could only dream of in our time, let alone enjoy. And now you are telling me that there are entire places dedicated for this activity alone? And naturally heated and built for the outdoors at that?"
I nod smiling. "You're in for a treat, Laurent. I confess that I myself never had the opportunity to try such a bath myself before I met my wife, but I have heard much good about them during my lifetime. I have even heard that they're a popular tourist attraction on an island nation back in my home world."
"This sounds so exciting." Robin tells me from my side. "Anna told me that some springs even have special properties besides just serving as a hot bath. There's supposedly one that's great for the skin."
I raise an eyebrow at my wife. "I fail to see why that would interest you."
Robin looks at me offended. "Jack, what woman in her right mind would ever pass up on such an opportunity?"
I shrug. "I mean, you're beautiful as you are. No bath in some miracle-working, skin improving hot spring will change that."
Robin blinks before she hugs my arm and giggles. "Flatterer. Don't you want your wife a little more beautiful, though?"
I give her an amused smile. "Are you trying to seduce me?"
Robin leans closer to my face. "And what if I am?"
"You two need a room so badly, I can't even describe it." Rose interjects dryly while Laurent studies the environment with his cheeks colored red.
I blink before I point at the young couple. "That reminds me: you two sleep in separate rooms. We'll sort out roommates later."
"What?!" Rose shouts indignant. "Dad, we're already engaged! Cut us some slack here!"
"Ooh no. We're having none of that." I reply. "Your mother and I endured the three full months before our wedding before we shared a bed for the first time, and I refuse to let you two frolic around at night before you exchange vows. You two will go through the same hell as we did, and you're going to hate every moment of it."
"We're adults! You don't have the right to decide for us." Rose counters.
"Actually, we do." Robin points out. "Until your wedding, we're obligated to keep a close watch on the men you meet, Rose."
"And the same goes for Miriel and Kellam watching over Laurent, right?" Rose presses.
I rub my chin. "Not that I know of. Double standards of our time, I guess."
Rose puts her face in her hands. "Uuuugh! Why is that even a thing?!"
"Think of it this way, Rose; the longer the list of things that you consider acceptable outside of marriage, the shorter the list of things that makes your marriage special, and vice versa." I suggest. "It sure helped me keep a healthy distance from your mother before our wedding. And we're both all the happier for it."
Rose glares at us before she grabs Laurent's sleeve. "Laurent, the second we get on that ship back to Ylisse, we start planning our wedding!"
"Wh-what?! Rose, is this not a bit too fas-"
"My brother just got married, and I refuse to be the only one in my family who doesn't get to take my beloved to bed! Don't even try to deny you want the same!"
As my daughter tries to drag her boyfriend into some early wedding planning, Robin leans close to my ear.
"Is this wise? I know we put this prohibition down out of good intentions, but I feel like we're restricting Rose a bit much."
"It should work out in the end." I assure her. "Where I come from, keeping things intimate within wedlock generally has a better track record for healthier marriages. There are, of course, loads of other factors at play, such as making an everyday effort out of working on the relationship, but I believe keeping the physical parts to a minimum before the wedding is the healthier way to go."
Robin looks at me skeptically. "What kind of marital standards were you raised with?"
"The kind where it's considered a miracle if the relationship pasts for longer than a decade."
Robin blinks before she shakes her head and then leans it against my shoulder. "Even after all this time, I still hear strange things about the world you come from."
"Oh, if only you knew, my love…"
We soon arrive at what I can only describe as a massive single-story wooden building that almost seems built into the mountainside.
"Here we are. The finest establishment in the Bathrealms." the carriage driver proudly tells us.
Another Anna is already by the entrance, ready to greet us with the customary merchant's smile – and hair that is not colored red. Rather, it's closer to purple.
"Welcome, dear guests. We've been expecting you." the owner of the establishment tells us as we exit the carriages. "Now, if you would please show me your bath passes?"
Chrom rummages around a bit before he pulls out the stack of golden parchments.
The hot spring inn's owner looks through them one by one while nodding. Her smile returns by the time she's gone through them all. "Yes, it seems like everything checks out. A company of twenty, staying at our fine establishment for one week, all expenses paid for."
"That's our cue, girls." one of the carriage drivers tells the others. "Have fun with your new guests, cousin dearest. We'll be back in a week, from your perspective."
As the carriages leave, the Anna of the Bath realms claps her hands while her smile gets the tiniest bit more charming.
"Now that everything's in order, allow me to formally welcome you all to the Bath realms! You'll find no better establishment to enjoy the pleasure of bathing in any realm, and that's a promise. Let's get you all situated."
"Before that, there is something we wish to confirm first." Lucina adds. "This place…is not prone to getting attacked by unsavory people or – worse – the undead, is it?"
Morgan nods. "Our parents…tend to run into trouble a lot. Even when they're meant to just enjoy themselves."
I mean…they're not wrong. Chrom and Cordelia had bandit problems during their honeymoon. And while Robin and I cleared things up easily enough during our honeymoon, those bandits made a mess of the beach before we could get them all tied up and apologizing to the owner.
"There's no need for concern, dear guests." Anna assures us. "In fact, my sister in the Hot realms warned me about your parents'…track record. So I hired some exorcists to ward this whole place off, just for your sake."
Morgan blinks. "Exorcists…?"
Anna sighs. "When I say that these are the best baths in the realms, I mean it. Even the undead are attracted to the baths from time to time. They don't attack the guests. They just…plop into the nearest bath for a few hours and then leave. They've never posed any danger to anyone, but my guests always feel uncomfortable having a reanimated corpse bathing within a stone's throw away from them. That, and cleaning the baths afterwards can be a pain. They don't know the first thing about hygiene."
Lucina smiles. "It is fortunate that they are kept away for the time being, then."
Anna smiles back. "Of course. This is a special occasion, what with you being here due to an invitation from my family. Of course I'll make sure you're happy with your stay."
I rub my chin. "Wait a minute. If you only do this on special occasions, does that mean that you normally-"
"Anyway! We're burning daylight here, people! Come inside, and we'll get you some appropriate outfits!" Anna interrupts before she hurries into the establishment.
I blink as the others follow suit and point at the entrance. "Wait… Does that mean I was right…?"
"Just let it go, Jack." Robin replies with a sigh as she grabs my arm and pulls me along. "I've waited long enough to try these hot springs out after your explanation of them, and I will not let a technicality spoil the experience."
We're led beyond the lobby near the entrance and straight through some corridors before Anna stops at two doors facing each other.
"Here we have the dressing rooms. Here you'll change out of your clothes and into the yukata that you'll wear for your stay here."
"We're supposed to change our clothes for the whole duration of our stay? Why?" Chrom asks.
"I don't know about you, but I prefer being able to disrobe quickly if I'm ever in the mood for a soak. With the clothes you're wearing, I'd estimate that you need about ten minutes, just to take them off and get ready to clean yourself. My outfit, on the other hand? Two minutes, tops." Anna replies. "Besides, the yukata that we offer to our guests are all designed to fit the theme of our establishment. You have to try them on."
Severa perks up at the last part. "You're telling me we get to try them on for free here, and they have special designs? Sign me up."
Anna smiles. "That's the spirit! Come along, now, ladies. Your changing room is right here. As for you fine gentlemen, your changing room is on the opposite side."
"That reminds me…" I interject. "You're not the only one working here, are you? Else you'll be the only one who helps us disrobe and figure out how to put a yukata on."
Anna waggles her eyebrows suggestively while smirking. "You'd want that, wouldn't you?" She drops the teasing before it goes too far. "Don't worry, I've got more than enough staff to attend to the guests coming here, even when we're fully booked. The boys in the men's changing room will be more than happy to assist you."
Inigo smirks. "Actually, I wouldn't mind having a fair woman such as yourself help with- Owowow!"
"Come on, Inigo. Let's get you that outfit changed." I tell my flirty student while I drag him by the ear.
We walk though the opened door to find a myriad of yukata of various sizes, colors, and patterns. And among the racks of robe-like outfits are two unexpected men: Vincent and Victor.
I blink in disbelief. "What the heck…?"
"Well, hello there, dear guests!" Vincent greets us cheerfully. "Boss informed us of you coming, so Victor here and I made sure to prepare the yukata and make it easy for you to browse."
Victor nods along. "We'll help you find the finest, most fitting outfits for your stay here. Oh, you'll positively love it."
I stare flabbergasted while pointing between the two flamboyant men. "But…how…?"
Vincent raises an eyebrow. "Hm? Something on my face, handsome?"
I shake my head. "No no. Just…a strong sense of de ja vu. Carry on."
The two are eager to please. What follows is about half an hour of us guys browsing yukata, swapping ideas and thoughts while battling awkwardness and some measure of mutual humiliation as we all attempt to learn – and fail numerous times – to tie the outfits together.
I tie the obi of my outfit together with a firm tug and nod in satisfaction after the fifth attempt. I found a yukata mainly colored light purple with a deeper shade forming a flame pattern at the bottom and the end of the sleeves. It bears a surprising similarity to my own Reaper's robes. Morgan, for his part, found a yukata that has coloring and motifs similar to his wedding garb. Upon giving him a raised eyebrow, my son explained that he chose the outfit as a reminder that this whole trip is a follow-up to his wedding. He figured Lucina might like it. I shrug and pat him on the shoulder.
We exit the changing room soon after, with some more staff arriving to bring our stuff to our rooms. It quickly becomes apparent that we guys finished changing outfits first.
Yarne raises an eyebrow. "That's weird… Where are the girls?"
"Women can easily take more time than men when it comes to choosing clothes and then dressing." I explain as I lean against a wall. "I bet our female companions took at least twice as long to decide on their yukata as we did."
Gerome scoffs. "This is ridiculous. What purpose do clothes serve, other than provide cover for the body against the elements?"
"Nah, Sensei's got a point." Brady interjects. "Women – especially those of high class – often hafta look their best so much that they get used to it all the time. 'Sides, quite a few of 'em like this kinda stuff."
Laurent adjusts his glasses. "You seem quite aware of this, despite being a man yourself."
The Priest gives my future son-in-law a dry look. "I grew up with Ma. I've seen her try out dresses. She could spend a full hour just picking between two. Add another, and she could spend the whole day if the party was big enough."
I shudder at that. "The horrors of fashion… There is no escape…"
The other guys shudder alongside me. Might be some weird shared moment between men.
And that's when the door to the women's changing room opens and our female companions start to file out. Things seem rather tame until Rose exits the room wearing a yukata with a simple color scheme that is mainly purple, but changes to pink near the sleeves and bottom. More importantly, this is a rare moment when my daughter has ditched her usually present jester's hat and instead braided her hair, with the braid hanging over her right shoulder.
"How do I look, Laurent?" my daughter asks her fiancé.
Laurent is so transfixed with the sight that he forgets to adjust his glasses. "My word…"
Morgan snickers. "And you keep telling me I let my feelings get the better of me when Lucina's around. How does it feel?"
Laurent's response is to look away with a peevish scowl and a healthy blush.
I pat Morgan's shoulder. "Speaking of Lucina…"
My son looks in the direction I'm pointing at to see Lucina exit the changing room. The princess managed to find a blue yukata with the Brand of the Exalt woven all over the fabric in white. In addition, her hair seems to flow even more than it usually does – a sure sign that it's been newly combed.
Lucina greets Morgan with a smile. "I hope you don't mind my choice of clothing, Morgan. I just had to try it on."
Morgan can only stare while nodding dumbly.
I give my son an amused smile. "Well, look at the pot calling the kettle black."
"Can you blame me?" Morgan returns defensively while his face lights up with a blush. "My wife looks radiant, and our honeymoon has barely started."
I nod sagely with a smug smile. "Yes, you still have much to learn when it comes to resisting the beauty of a woman – especially the one whom you love."
"I wonder what Jack will think of this…" I hear Robin muse as she exits the changing room next.
Her feet are clad in naught but a simple pair of geta sandals. Her yukata is colored black and white in stripes, quite reminiscent of the pattern on her bikini back during our honeymoon. And to top it all off, her hair is tied into a bun, held together by a pair of sticks and adorned with a hairclip with a white lily.
I find my jaw hanging loose. Rose lifts it back into place with an amused smile.
"Hypocrite."
"Shut up."
Anna claps her hands. "Now, seeing as you're all dressed, you're free to move about our humble establishment until dinner. In case you need directions, just look for a map of the buildings in the lobby. Personally, I'd recommend you find yourselves a bath as soon as possible. Wouldn't want to miss out on the very thing we're famous for, would you?"
"Wait. Won't those baths get cramped if everyone goes at the same time?" Morgan asks.
"We do have more than one bath." Anna points out. "And you managed to check in at a time when we usually have few guests, so you're more than free to split up into smaller groups in case you want some space."
I grin at that. "No time like the present, then. Let's hit those baths. Who's with me?"
I enter a changing area together with Morgan, Inigo, Owain and Gerome. As we enter, I begin taking my yukata off.
"Wait, we're taking our clothes off now?" Morgan asks surprised.
I raise an eyebrow. "Sure we are. Part of basic hot spring etiquette is to clean yourself properly before you head into the bath."
"But…isn't getting clean the whole point with a bath, Father?" Morgan asks.
"Think of it this way, Morgan." I explain. "We could certainly clean ourselves in the hot springs themselves. But remember: that water isn't normally drained. Which means that whatever sweat, grime and dirt that we scrub off in that spring will stay there until the next guests come to bathe. And if they clean themselves in the spring the same way we did, that makes the water even dirtier. Now repeat this whole process another five or so times. What's the water like?"
Inigo gulps at the idea. "Gods… I don't even want to imagine bathing in a place like that. I'd get even dirtier by the time I'm done bathing."
I nod. "Exactly. The only solution to such a problem would be for the owner to clean the baths regularly, which is extremely tedious and potentially backbreaking work. That, or everyone who wants to bathe in these hot springs clean themselves before they head into the bath to make sure the water remains as clean as possible for the next guests. But to do that, we must first strip down. That is, unless you want to clean yourselves while wearing your yukata. I doubt the owner will like that."
The guys look among each other for a bit before they follow suit in taking their clothes off – with Morgan and Inigo looking mildly uncomfortable. Gerome remains as stoic as always. As for Owain…
"There is no shame in baring our bodies for each other! If anything, this is a golden opportunity for us to bond as men as we find inspiration in the strength that has been carved into our very flesh through rigorous training and life-threatening battles!"
You get the idea.
It's quite amusing to see the guys trying to figure out how to use detachable shower heads. Sponge or bucket? No problem. But the concept of turning a knob or directing the water to wherever you want it are both concepts that are clearly so foreign to them, that the fumbling that each of them go through in trying to figure this whole showering thing out is just hilarious – especially since none of them seem keen to ask anyone else for pointers or just to compare notes. So you might forgive me for the occasional snicker as I rub some shampoo into my hair and scrub myself before rinsing it all off. Yes, even the back. Telekinesis has no business being this useful. Which reminds me.
"Come here, son. I'll wash your back for you." I offer Morgan.
Morgan looks at me with a start. "What?! N-no, I can do that myself!"
"With the equipment here? I doubt it." I reply dryly. "Look, I won't take long. Just sit down and let me work. You might want to remove the towel around your waist, though."
"Is this really necessary?" my son asks apprehensively.
I give him an assuring smile. "Credit to Owain where it's due: this is a good moment for us to bond as fellow men. There's no shame baring it all in front of anyone."
"See?! Sensei gets it!" Owain shouts from the other side of the washing area.
I reach for the towel tied around my own waist. "In fact, I'm confident enough in myself as a man that I have no trouble baring myself to you all. Behold!"
I rip the towel off to reveal my most private area. Last time I checked, my size down there is slightly above average – a fact that I take great pride in. Robin has certainly never complained.
"F-Father!" Morgan shouts scandalized as he tries to cover his eyes.
"Now it's your turn." I tell Morgan. "Come on, no need to be shy." As Morgan keeps backing away, I decide to rip the proverbial band aid off before it gets more awkward. "There we go!"
And that's when I discover that Morgan's size is…
*Horses neighing*
…notably bigger.
I fall to the floor on all fours with a depression cloud hanging over my head. "Even at such a young age, he has already surpassed me. I want to tell him how proud I am, but every time my mind returns to that image, all I feel is how my pride as a man shatters into thousands of pieces."
"To be fair, you walked right into that one, Jack-sensei." Inigo points out.
The depression cloud grows bigger. "Please… Just- Just leave me be for a while."
After I manage to gather the broken pieces of my male pride, I head out to the bath, freshly washed. I dip my toe in the water to test the temperature before I step in and find a spot to sit, submerge myself to chest level and sigh in contentment as the heat seeps into my body.
Oooh yeah, this is everything it's cracked up to be. I already felt quite warm when I finished showering in preparation for this bath, but now it feels like chills that I didn't even know I still had in my body melt away one by one. I can just lean back and soak in the warmth. The other guys soon join in, all slowly sinking into the hot spring as their faces practically melt into bliss. Heck, even Gerome lets out a sigh of contentment as he finds a spot.
I smile amused. "See? Told you this will do you good."
"I will not allow myself to indulge in idle pleasures when I could focus on my training instead." Gerome replies tersely. A slight smile forms on his lips. "Though I admit that this is invigorating. Perhaps I should stay here for a bit."
I lean back with my hands behind my head. "You do that."
"Say, does anyone know what's up with the wall?" Morgan asks as he sits down beside me.
I notice that he's referring to the dividing wall in the middle of the spring.
"That's the dividing wall that separates the men's side from the women's in baths like these." I explain. "Though some baths forego those walls and instead have a schedule system to make sure men and women bathe at separate times instead."
"You mean to tell me some of our lovely female companions may well be on the other side, bathing with nothing more than a towel wrapped around their bodies?" Inigo asks excited.
I send my dancing student a mild glare. "They might. And I had better warn you now, Inigo: the mere idea of peeping in baths like these have a history of ending with pain and humiliation that goes beyond the offender. If any of you become the reason I get dragged into those kinds of shenanigans, I'm changing the training for all of you to become "all-out one-on-one sparring with me" for the next three months."
Inigo quickly plops into the bath. "I'll be good!"
I rub my chin. "That reminds me… There might be a life lesson that all of you, as well as the other men of your generation, would do well to learn. Morgan, you and Laurent in particular need to learn those, since one of you are just married and the other is making plans for his."
"What is this lesson, Father?" my son asks curious.
"Whenever a woman becomes involved in a conversation, be it as a participant or the matter of discussion, there are four aspects about her where you must always tread carefully: age, weight, measurements, and appearance. Use tact in all four, and staying in her good graces becomes a reasonable endeavor." I elaborate. Then I harden my gaze. "However! If you tread carelessly in even a single one, she may well bring down the wrath of Naga on your head without a second thought."
Owain looks at me in disbelief. "It's that dangerous?"
"You all have noticed how my wife reacts if I speak of her age in a careless manner." I point out. "And that's a mild reaction. Pray you never experience the extreme cases."
Morgan rubs his chin. "But wait. Didn't Inigo leave before that happened?"
The Mercenary makes a face. "I've had my fair share of such experiences first-hand. I wasn't always such a smooth talker with the fairer half of mankind, you know."
I'm about to comment on his lack of wisdom on that subject by any standard, only to pause as I notice something at the top of the dividing wall. I use some wind magic to disperse the vapors and reveal Severa and Noire peering at us over the wall.
Noire blinks as the other guys follow my gaze and see the two of them. "Ah…"
I cover my chest with one hand while I grab a bucket with Telekinesis. "Eek! Perverts!"
Then I hurl the bucket right at Severa's face.
*Whack!* "Gah!" *Splash!*
Sounds like she landed in the water (fortunately). I glare at Noire as I grab another bucket.
"Well?"
"Eep!"
The Archer quickly ducks behind the wall again. As I lean back to relax, I notice the guys staring at me in disbelief.
"What? She would've done the same if our roles were reversed." I reply defensively.
The others look between each other before they shrug and go back to enjoying the bath.
"Say, Father?" Morgan asks me after everyone has settled down.
"Mm? Something on your mind, son?" I reply.
"I was thinking… Lucina and I are having our honeymoon here. That means that… That…"
I turn to Morgan and raise an eyebrow. "That what?"
Morgan's face turns red, and I doubt it's only because of the hot spring. "Well… You know the thing that married couples do? In…the bedchamber?"
Ah, so that's what he wants to talk about. Probably should've seen this coming.
I nod sagely. "You speak of consummating your relationship."
Morgan nods timidly. "Yeah… That…"
I smile. "If I recall correctly, this is the first time for both you and Lucina. Take it from me; it's a wonderful thing to share with your beloved."
"But that's exactly it!" Morgan exclaims. "I don't have any experience in how to do it! What if I mess up? What if Lucina doesn't like it?"
I get contemplative as I lean back and turn my gaze towards the evening sky. "Well… The first thing you should remember is that this is Lucina's first time as well. And figuring out how best to consummate your relationship is not a skill that people are just born with. It takes practice, a number of awkward times, and – most importantly – trust. If anything, you could consider your honeymoon to be the perfect opportunity for you and your wife to figure things out about yourselves and each other."
Morgan presses his lips in a thin line. "When you put it that way, I suppose it makes sense. It's just… I want to make this work. For her sake. But I don't know how. So I thought: Can you…give me some advice?"
I rub my chin. "That's a lot you're asking for, Morgan. Whatever intimacies that you and Lucina share are meant to stay between the two of you, and no one else. It's an integral part of your marriage. There is no place for a third person in something so sacred."
"I know. It's because it's so important that I'm asking this of you." Morgan explains. "You're the only married man that I know that I feel comfortable talking to about this. Isn't there some knowledge or piece of wisdom that you can pass down to me? Anything?"
I close my eyes to think for a bit. This topic is…delicate. The Talk should be out of the question. I can't very well give him any graphic details, lest I spoil the experience that my son and daughter-in-law are about to go through together. But I can't afford to be too conservative or cautious either, or I'll just end up skirting around the subject.
"Sheesh, but you two are a painful mess to watch. Can't you just tell the kid what you value in your marriage with Robin? You know, just the foundation?" Sparrow suggests.
My eyes open in surprise. "That's…surprisingly sound advice, coming from you. That might work."
My inner Hollow huffs. "Just because I lack your inhibitions doesn't mean I'm dumb. Even though I'm basically you."
"Jerk."
"Takes one to know one."
"I suppose there are some things I can share with you, Morgan." I tell my son.
Morgan's expression turns hopeful. "Really?"
I nod. "Listen up and listen carefully. The first thing you need to remember when it comes to physical intimacy with you wife, is the fact that you share it with your wife."
My son doesn't look impressed. "Well, that goes without saying."
"Perhaps, but there's more to it than you might think." I counter. "You see, the whole point with the physical intimacy is just that: it's physical. You and Lucina have already formed a relationship between each other built on love and trust. Consummating your marriage means that you express this mutual love physically. Every move, every touch and every point of contact is meant to represent something that you already share on an emotional and mental level."
Morgan has his full attention on me, to the point that his eyes are almost sparkling.
"Part of that intimacy includes baring yourselves to each other." I continue. "Just like you have bared yourselves to each other emotionally, consummating your marriage includes that you bare yourselves to each other physically. You will see parts of Lucina that she never shows anyone outside her family (unless someone has tried to peep on her). And in the same way, Lucina will see parts of you that you never show outside yours."
Morgan gives me a sour look.
I cough into my fist. "Expect for some extraordinary circumstances."
I shake my head. "Look, the point I'm trying to make is: the intimacy that you and Lucina are meant to share is something that is only meant for the two of you. So long as your love and trust are reflected in what you do to each other in the bedchamber, there really is no right or wrong way to go about it. If you ask me, this principle is the cornerstone in all romance and physical intimacy."
Morgan looks contemplative as he digests my words.
"That's…fine and all, but that's also what worries me. I don't think I'll be able to love Lucina the right way when we get to…that part." Morgan eventually tells me.
I raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I thought you love Lucina wholeheartedly."
"But that's exactly it!" Morgan points out. "I love Lucina! I love her courage. I love her kindness. I love her willingness to put her life on the line to fight for the sake of others, and I want to be right by her side to keep her safe, no matter the danger. I…love how she can be so brave on the battlefield, but so caring outside it." Morgan purses his lips. "But there's more. Lucina is…beautiful. Mesmerizing. Every time I look into her eyes, I feel like I could get lost in her gaze all day. Every time she smiles, I wish that I were the reason that she does, because I always want to see that smile. Every time we touch each other on accident, it feels like I get zapped by a Thunder spell. But at the same time, I get this strange, almost irresistible longing to feel more of it. More of her."
I smile. "Ah, I think I know what it is. Let me guess; there are times when Lucina is all you can think about. She occupies all of your attention whenever she's within sight, and it drives you up the wall when she's not. When it gets really bad, you want her all for yourself, no matter what you tell yourself otherwise."
Morgan looks at me shocked. "How did you know?!"
I chuckle. "Simple. That's how I often feel about your mother. What you feel regarding Lucina is natural, Morgan. It's an innate desire that every man has for the woman he loves. It's a craving – heck, it's practically a seemingly insatiable hunger – for the woman that a man has come to love more than anyone else in the world. And sometimes…the man in question is just mesmerized by the woman's beauty. What you feel towards your wife…is lust."
"Is that bad?" Morgan asks concerned.
"It could be, if you only care for the beauty of Lucina's body and to satisfy your own desire with no regard to her." I reply. I give my son a sly smile. "But when that lust is driven by your love for her? Then it becomes a driving force that motivates you to brave the depths of Hell for her sake. As your love and lust for Lucina work in tandem, they will fuel your desire to claim her as yours and only yours – to love, to cherish and to protect."
Morgan shakes his head. "Father, Lucina is her own person. I have no right to claim her as some possession."
"But she is your wife. She belongs to you now, just as much as you belong to her." I point out. "It's fine to be a bit selfish in these situations, especially when you share such a deep, mutual desire for each other. Be honest with me, Morgan. Imagine that you and Lucina lie in bed, in each other's arms. Lucina looks deep into your eyes and says, "You're all mine." How do you respond?"
"I'd agree, of course." Morgan replies without missing a beat. Then he blinks. "Wait…"
I smile. "See? And I'm certain that if you did the same to her, she'd agree as quickly as you just did. Never be afraid to claim what is rightfully yours, Morgan. And never let anyone else have her for as long you both live. Because no one else has that right. That is the sacred privilege of marriage."
Morgan leans back with wide eyes. "Wow…"
"Now that we've covered what I consider the foundation of the physical aspect in a healthy marriage, let's move on to what you really wanted to ask about: how to satisfy your beloved in bed." I tell him.
Morgan frowns. "Couldn't you have just started with that?"
I shake my head. "No, and I have good reason to take things in the order that I chose. You see, while an active love life in the bed chamber is part of a healthy marriage, the same can't be said for the inverse."
"No, I don't see. Why does it only work one way?"
"Think of it this way, son. If you take that love life out of the marriage, the marriage still remains, albeit with one part missing. The foundation of your relationship with your wife is still largely intact. But let's try the inverse now. If you remove the marriage from the love life, what remains of your relationship?"
Morgan crosses his arms as his face gets contemplative. "I…don't know. It sounds…empty. Cheap, even."
"And that's my point. Commitment is an important part of a marriage. It's the assurance that you will stay together, even when life gets tough. It's the foundation of your loyalty to each other." I explain. "If none of that is present in a physically intimate relationship, it becomes difficult to build that relationship on something meaningful. Beauty fades with time, no matter how much we try to avoid it. So when it fades, and the allure of your beloved fades with it, what remains behind the surface becomes far too small and insignificant. That's why it sounds shallow: there's barely anything beneath the surface."
"That just sounds sad." Morgan remarks.
I nod. "It does." I smile. "Then again, marriage without that active love life can get dreadfully boring and unfulfilling, so there's a good point in learning how to please your beloved. So, are you ready for my advice?"
Morgan nods. "I am, Father."
I nod back. "Good. Now, the first thing you need to understand is how men and women work differently during physical intimacy. I take it you already know the basics of your own body, correct?"
Morgan averts his gaze. "Um… Sort of."
I pat him on the shoulder. "Nothing to be ashamed of, son. It does make explaining a bit easier. One thing that you may not know about your body, is that when you and Lucina reach the most intimate part of consummating your marriage, you're effectively on a time limit."
Morgan looks at me shocked. "What?!"
I nod. "You see, when a man reaches the peak of pleasure, he enters a period of time when his body – and more specifically, his manhood – needs to recover. While the man can still engage in other activities during this period of time, his manhood will be out of commission. Women, on the other hand, have no such limitation."
Morgan scratches his head. "So…Lucina can experience it more than I do?"
I shrug. "It depends on how well you can work together in bed. To make things more complicated, men have historically had a far easier time reaching their peak of pleasure compared to women. As you can imagine, this has often resulted in women feeling dissatisfied and even frustrated."
Morgan rubs his chin. "If that's the case, maybe I should give it my all to make sure Lucina reaches her peak first."
I smile and ruffle Morgan's head. "And that's exactly what I wanted to teach you, son. Since it's a lot easier for you to reach your peak than it is for Lucina, the best angle of approach is to prioritize her pleasure over your own. Not only will she love you for it, it will motivate her to return the gesture, which makes your own experience all the more satisfying."
Morgan grins. "That sounds great!" Then he gets contemplative again. "So, how do I do it?"
"That's the second part that could get tricky." I explain. "A woman may be able to reach her peak of pleasure if pleased in the right way, but the hard part is figuring out what that way is. It takes patience, trust, creativity, and a genuine desire to learn. Like I said earlier: that's what makes the honeymoon so great. It's meant to be a time when you and Lucina can explore each other's bodies. See what makes your beloved tick. Discover what she likes, and what you must avoid. How you best pleasure Lucina could be vastly different from how, for example, I pleasure your mother."
Morgan squirms. "Why did you take that as an example?"
"Because your mother is the only woman that I have experienced it with. And we most certainly took our time figuring each other out, even long after our honeymoon ended."
Morgan leans back with a contemplative look again. "Sounds like I have a lot to learn."
I nod. "The idea that you and your beloved get it perfect on the first try applies to so few cases, they might as well don't exist, no matter what romance novels you've read may imply. I think the best thing you can tell Lucina when you begin is both how much this means for you, and how much you wish to learn. Make it a bonding experience. You'll both enjoy your marriage far more that way."
Morgan smiles. "I will. Thank you, Father."
I smile. "Just doing my duty as a parent." Then I grin. "That being said, you might want to keep a lid on it. I don't think your mother is comfortable with the idea of becoming a grandmother just yet."
"Father!"
We get out of the bath as we're notified that dinner is almost ready. As we approach the dining room, we run into Chrom and his family. And that's when I notice that Severa's forehead is red from the impact with the bucket.
Just to rub it in, I pull my yukata close and give her a look. "Peeper."
"Are you still on about that?!" the red-haired princess asks exasperated.
"Jack, please. Cordelia has already given Severa a stern talking-to regarding what happened." Chrom tells me. "Can you please just drop the matter?"
"Chrom, this is about more than simple indignity." I reply. "Dozens, if not hundreds, of young men have suffered humiliating injustices in establishments such as these at the hands of women who were never held accountable for their wrongdoings." I clench my fist as I'm enveloped in a blue aura. "Today, I grant those young men vengeance."
Chrom regards me with a sweatdrop. "Riiight…"
We enter the dining hall to find tables arranged in a big rectangle, with a small feast laid out along the plates, cups, chopsticks and seat cushions. Wow. Those golden bath passes sure come with their fair share of boons.
I try sitting on my knees the same way I've seen in my fair share of animé, only to give up right away because of how uncomfortable it feels. Yes, despite my superhuman strength. Sitting on my knees just feels wrong after a lifetime of sitting on my butt. At least the cushions are comfortable.
The atmosphere is quite cheery during the meal. There are, of course, several remarks made to our young bridal couple. But more than that, the most noise made is from Flavia after Say'ri introduced the iconic liquid known as saké and the khan had a sip. Sure, there's quite a few moments of shouting, laughing out loud and slapping the Dynast princess over the shoulder, but it's all in good fun.
Though I find it a bit weird that Flavia is giggling in my general direction. Is there something on my face or-
"I finally found Robin's weakness, Jack." Flavia states with a face-splitting grin. "Your wife's a lightweight!"
Lightweight? Wait, don't tell me…
"*Hic*"
I slowly turn towards Robin. My wife looks back at me with a half-lidded stare and cheeks that are clearly flushed from the alcohol.
A dopey smile forms on Robin's face. "Jhack… Dis stuff's ghoood…"
"Robin…" I reply as I gently place a hand on her shoulder. "How much did you drink?"
Robin's face scrunches up in thought before she picks up the saké bottle in front of her and gives it a few shakes. Judging from the sloshing sounds, it's still about half full. My wife shrugs before she takes another swig.
"Robin, no!"
"Ah, don't be like that, Jack!" Flavia yells. "We finally get to relax for real after all that war business! Let your wife live a little!"
In response, Robin leans out of her seat to practically drape herself over my left side.
"Hmm… Gimme…" she purrs as she rubs her chin against my shoulder.
"You're telling me your wife is the horny kind of drunk, and we only learn this now?!" Sparrow yells from inside my mind. "Dang… You scored the jackpot!"
"What are you implying?"
"Like that Flavia lady said: let her live a little. If Robin's in the mood, why refuse?"
"I am not taking advantage of my wife while she's in this-"
My thoughts grind to a halt as Robin's left hand rubs its way up my leg towards my manhood and she leans towards my ear.
"Give it to me."
"See?"
…F-ck it. Literally.
I lift my wife in a bridal carry as I stand up, much to her happy surprise.
"Morgan, your mother and I will retire early for the evening." I tell my son as I move to leave the dining hall. "Don't mind us. You and your wife just enjoy yourselves. And remember everything I told you. Hold nothing back."
Morgan nods with a blush on his face and his lips pressed into a thin line. That's the last thing I see before I leave with Robin in my arms, all while she cheers happily.
As lazy as it might sound, Telekinesis makes for a great door opener when both your arms are occupied. Walking around with my wife in a princess carry counts as one such instance. I put her back on the floor as I close the sliding door behind me, providing support as she stumbles a bit due to the alcohol.
"You do realize I have no intention of going easy on you, even though you're drunk, right?" I ask Robin.
Robin leans up against my face with her gaze filled with lust as potent as the smell of alcohol in her breath. "Just like I want it."
Robin mashes her lips against mine before I can reply. And just as I regain my bearings, I feel her hand slip beneath my yukata and- OhNaganotthe liiightniiiing maaGIIIIC!
You have slept in a bed. HP and MP have been fully restored. All negative status conditions are removed.
It's official: sex with a drunk Robin is freakin' awesome.
It may be due to all the desire building up underneath the stress that's been plaguing us over the course of our Valmese campaign, the alcohol loosening what restraints there were, the comfy atmosphere at the inn or a combination of all three. Whatever the reason, Robin would not let up. So we just kept going, to the point that even little-me started to feel the strain. And to think; I once considered Frederick's fanatical fitness hour to be exhausting. Last night with Robin blew that out of the water, in all the right ways.
"Best. Wife. Ever." Sparrow sighs happily in my mind.
"You know, I'll agree with you wholeheartedly for once." I reply. "I'm not a fan of booze, but if it has this kind of effect on Robin, I won't mind if she takes a few swigs every now and then. Just need to make sure I can keep up."
"What's the matter? Having performance issues already, old man?" my Hollow spirit taunts.
"You saw everything that happened last night."
"I FELT everything!"
"So you should know how draining that was. Seriously, I had no idea I still had anything left to give during the last half a dozen rounds or so until Robin got it out. Somehow."
Sparrow chuckles. "Heh. Draining, indeed. Literally."
"Uhn…" Robin groans as she wakes up.
"Sleep well, hon?" I ask.
Robin puts a hand on her temple. "My head… It feels like a smithy's anvil. And my eyes sting. My everything hurts…"
I make sure to cover her head with the covers as I gently rub her back.
"Shh… The pain will pass." I whisper. "I'll be here for you until it does."
Robin's only reply is to whimper as she attempts to bury her face on my chest. In response, I make a Shadow clone for the express purpose to bring Robin a cup of water. It won't get rid of the hangover, but it should help rehydrating her a little.
Correction: Sex with a drunk Robin is freakin' awesome, but it's not worth the hangover the day after.
"Aw, come on!" Sparrow protests. "You know just as well as I do that you both enjoyed it! Just cross that bridge when you get there!"
"Honestly, I think Robin is too sensible to walk into that trap again. So I doubt I'll experience anything like last night again." I reason. "If nothing else, it will be a memory that I treasure for all my days."
"Feh! Killjoy…"
Even though the hangover is still giving my wife one heck of a headache, she insists on taking a walk out of the room a few hours later. Something about not wanting to spend the whole day bedridden, now that we're in such a fancy place. So it is that I walk out of our shared room with her arm draped over my shoulder. The door in front of us slides open to reveal Lucina exit with the most serene smile I have ever seen on the princess's face. Morgan follows right behind her, looking a bit pale and tired, but smiling nonetheless. The context of it all becomes clear when I discover that, not only did my son gain the Sexual prowess skill, but it already sits at 11.
I make a clone to take my place as Robin's support so I can walk over to my son and clap him on the shoulder, while giving a thumbs-up with the other hand.
"You have done well, my son." I tell Morgan as a mysterious radiance shines over us.
Morgan nods shakily. "Thanks… Not sure if I can do this every night, though."
"And here I thought we could try something new tonight…" Lucina muses.
That makes Morgan perk up. "Er… Well, if you insist."
Man, she's already got Morgan wrapped around her finger. So I give my son one last piece of advice.
"Be strong. It will be worth every moment."
Morgan's smile grows wider – and more tired. "Oh, I know."
You know, at this point, I'm not even upset that Morgan has surpassed me in that area, mainly due to how much Robin and I enjoyed ourselves last night. Being able to satisfy the woman you love can do wonders for the ego of even the meekest of men.
To be continued
Omake: Jack's prototype tactics
As part of the preparations for the banquet at the end of the peace talks, Say'ri has enlisted the aid of the Shepherds to help subdue the various bandit groups that have formed during Walhart's rule and thrived in the absence of a strong enough local military force. Robin examines a map and some documents detailing reports of bandit activity in various regions across Valm to pinpoint likely locations for the bandits' bases of operations.
"This is going to be tougher than I thought." the Grandmaster remarks with a sigh. "If I'm correct, there's bandit groups spread out over a vast majority of the continent. Bringing them all in is going to take a lot of work."
Jack rubs his chin. "It might go faster if we sent smaller bands to each take on one group. I'm pretty sure our allies are strong enough to handle a bunch of bandits at this point."
Robin frowns. "That might be true, but that means I have to make a roster of who teams up with who and where to send them. That could take half a day in and of itself."
Jack smiles. "No need. I already have some notes with ideas of possible team-ups."
Robin blinks. "Since when do you dabble in that?"
"Former captain with his own unit, remember? Ever since Lucina and her friends joined our ranks, I've taken moments when I had free time to draw up some plans of my own of what combinations of Shepherds could become effective if we only gave it a try."
"And how come you never told me?"
The Reaper shrugs. "They were thought experiments at best. Far too unrefined for testing in an all-out war. But bandit quelling? That might prove a bit safer."
Robin mulls it over in her head before she nods. "That's a fair point. I can at least hear you out. What do you suggest, Jack?"
Jack pulls a stack of documents bound together with some string out of his bag. "Let's start with this one…"
Formation 002, Code name: Vaike-up-call
The newly recruited bandit looks up at the closed gate that serves as the entrance to the hideout. "Man… No matter how many times I look at it, I'm always impressed by how sturdy this thing looks."
His fellow veteran bandit grins and pats the wooden entrance. "Ain't that the truth! This sucker is so durable, you need a battering ram to get through! Between this and our secret escape route in the back, no one will get the drop on us! They either tire themselves out getting through the gate, or they take so long that by the time they're through, we've already skedaddled."
The newbie nods along. "That's some solid craftsmanship, alright. Never took you guys for carpenters."
"Oh, we didn't build this thing. It was already there when we made ourselves at home some three months ago. Comes along with taking over an abandoned fort, ya know."
The newbie bandit snickers. "Joke's on the builders. I'm pretty sure this place was built to keep us away."
The veteran laughs along. "Couldn't have said it better myself. I'd love to see someone try to break it down, though."
"Pff. As if someone would be that stupid."
*Heavy incoming* *CRASH!*
With nary a warning, the gate gets slammed so hard that it breaks off the frame and falls on top of the unsuspecting bandits.
Vaike gets up and dusts himself off. Then he grins, turns to his partner and gives her a thumbs-up. "Works like a charm, Miriel!"
Miriel adjusts her glasses with a pleased smile. "I am starting to understand why Jack is so fond of using wind magic as a means of propulsion."
Formation 013, Code name: Ghost in the Kjelle
The bandits around the camp are inspecting their gear in preparation of their next raid. A lot of the recent fighting has happened not far from their current camp site, so they figure they could swoop in while the people are busy rebuilding from all the fighting and grab some easy loot.
That is, until some armored chick walks right up to the entrance of the camp.
"Scoundrels! Come out and face me!" Kjelle shouts.
The entire camp comes alive. All the bandits in the camp soon gather near the entrance, armed and curious to find out what the deal is.
The leader of the group sneers at Kjelle. "Hah! You think you can take all of us on your own? You're dumber than you look!"
Kjelle scowls at the leader. "I'd consider it if you had more men to threaten me with."
That makes the bandit leader blink. "What're ya talkin' about? Don't ya see all the men behind-"
"Augh!"
The bandit leader pauses at the sound of one of his underlings screaming. By the time the top outlaw turns around, the underling is already dead.
"What in blazes?"
"Gah!"
Another bandit bites the dust without warning. And another. And then another one. That puts the remaining bandits on alert.
"What's happening?!" the bandit leader shouts. "Why's everyone suddenly dropping like flies?!"
"We don't know, Boss!" a surviving underling replies. "Someone's obviously snuck in among us and killing us before we know it, but we don't know where they are."
"Then find that dastard and kill him already!" the leader yells. "I don't have time with this when we've got this intruder ready to kill us too!"
"We don't even know where to look at! Our men get cut down by some invisible- Gah!"
Some of the less brave bandits try to make a run for it, only to remember that Kjelle is barring their way. Any attempt to get past her is instantly stopped by a sudden ambush in broad daylight.
In the span of a few minutes, the bandits' ranks have been cut down to half a dozen, leader included. Said bandit leader has only grown more fearful as his men got cut down by this mysterious assailant, and now he's on the verge of freaking out.
The bandit leader shakes his head in disbelief. "This can't be happening… My men are all dying, and no one can figure out why…"
"I give you two options." Kjelle cuts in. "Either surrender and have all this killing stop, or keep defying me and fall like the rest of your men."
The bandit leader rounds on the Knight. "You're telling me you're the one responsible for this?! Then I can get this whole thing over with if I just kill you!"
But since this is some no-name antagonist instead of a notable one with name and everything, he stands no chance against Kjelle and soon falls at her feet. The remaining bandits promptly surrender.
Kjelle sighs as she looks at all the dead bandits in the camp. "Maybe I should have delivered the terms of surrender first. It might have saved us the trouble of burying all these bandits."
"Hey, I did most of the heavy lifting, you know." Kellam's voice points out from thin air (which causes the surviving bandits to freak out). "*Sigh* I still find it hard to believe that none of the bandits noticed me assassinating them in the open and in broad daylight."
Kjelle coughs into her fist. "Hrm! Right. Maybe we could enlist some help from the local populace, then."
"I forgot he was there, even though he accompanied me here." Kjelle muses for herself. "How does he do that?"
Formation 018, Code name: Morgan REEEE-man
The bandits were quick to react and formed up the moment they noticed the Shepherds approaching. Even though their camp lacks any walls or other defensive installments, their numbers and organization make them a formidable force.
That is, until Jack zips towards the back of their ranks and lifts their leader into the air.
"Morgan! This guy said that Lucina's flat!" the Reaper shouts.
"Wha- I did no such thing!" the bandit leader protests. "And who in blazes is "Lucina"?!"
"You…" Morgan growls as he draws his lightsaber. "Die, you scum!"
Jack drops the bandit leader and returns to the safety of his owns ranks, even as Morgan tears the bandits apart with extreme prejudice, with the express goal of reaching their leader.
Rose gives Jack a dry look. "Really, Dad? That's low, even for you."
Jack shrugs uncaringly. "The plan works as intended, and the results are undeniable."
"Lucina is NOT flat! She's slender!" Morgan roars as he prepares to drop a dozen lightning bolts on the hapless (and thoroughly confused) bandits.
"Somebody stop this madman!" one of them begs while running for dear life.
Jack smiles. "There are few things as powerful as a motivated man."
"Admit it. You just did this for laughs. Heck, the name of the whole strategy is so out of this world that we're probably the only ones who get the joke." Rose remarks.
"Whatever could you mean?" Jack asks with false innocence. "The acronym stands for "Rapid Enemy Elimination Extravaganza Edition"."
"My spleen!"
"It's quite self-explanatory." Jack continues while pretending to ignore the bandits who are getting slaughtered by an utterly pissed-off Morgan.
Formation 024, Code name: Tactical Nah
After the recent rumors of the Shepherds being on the prowl across the countryside, this particular band of outlaws have decided to take no chances. Find (or build) a stronghold solid enough to weather an actual siege, have an escape plan in case things go south, put the guards on constant and heightened alert, and make sure that everyone is ready for combat. The moment the Shepherds are sighted, either prepare for full-scale war or grab anything that's not too heavy and run as fast as you can. No chances taken, no glorious last stand against impossible odds, no slacking off. Just make a snap decision and follow through on it. Simple, easy, effective, and everyone gets to live to see another day away from bars.
The bandits currently manning the watch tower are taking turns between keeping watch or checking their gear to pass the time.
"Are all these preparations really necessary?" the younger bandit asks.
"Of course they are!" his senior snaps before he directs his gaze back towards the outside fields. "Haven't you heard the recent rumors? Some militia from overseas have been hunting free spirits like us down like it's a sport. And judging from the few who manage to get away and spread the word, those guys are freakishly strong. The weirdest part? They call themselves "shepherds"."
The junior bandit snorts. "Shepherds? Really? Ain't no sheep around these parts. What a stupid name."
The senior bandit rolls his eyes. "That's not the point. I don't care how confident the Boss is in the fortifications. If I see someone who matches the descriptions in the rumor, I'll sound the escape alarm and get the heck outta here. You'd better do the same in case it happens on your watch."
The younger bandit purses his lips. "That bad, huh?"
Meanwhile, some 6 000 feet (or a bit over 1 800 metres) up in the air, Minerva is hovering with Gerome, Laurent and Nah riding on her back and both full humans bundled up in plenty of thick clothing.
"I still find it incredible how you made Minerva fly so high, Laurent." Nah tells the Mage. "I've never heard of wyverns flying this high."
"A simple application of wind magic." Laurent replies. "So long as Minerva can keep her wings locked in place, applying an upward air current is all we need to have her lift us into the air."
Gerome nods. "Minerva is a strong wyvern. It is one of the reasons why I always consider her a reliable partner, no matter the situation. This is an easy task for her."
Nah takes a downward glance. "That's great and all, but how are we even supposed to aim from here. Seems kind of hard to spot where the target is."
Laurent adjusts his glasses. "I did consider that, of course. I had Noire measure our distance from the bandit camp on the ground before we took flight. From there, I simply calculated how long we had to ascend before we reached our position. I merely needed to keep the angle of Minerva's ascent constant the whole time."
The half-manakete looks at the Mage in awe. "You kept track of what's beneath us with math? That's crazy!"
"It is a simple matter of applying what I have learned, Nah." Laurent corrects. "Besides, your abilities greatly increase our margin of error. That was the only reason why I even considered this method of attack viable."
"Well, what's our position?" Gerome asks.
Laurent reaches into his robes and pulls out an hourglass. "According to the hourglass that I primed prior to our takeoff; half a minute should allow for optimal placement."
Nah looks at Laurent with a sweatdrop. "I sometimes forget how much you work you brain on all kinds of stuff. When did you even have time to prepare an hourglass?"
"We had some time to prepare before setting out on Lady Robin's orders. I took the opportunity to procure anything that I deemed necessary to maximize the efficacy of Master Jack's proposed idea." Laurent explains.
Gerome allows the teensiest smile. "Sensei always had a knack for odd plans and ideas."
Laurent nods. "Indeed. That said, it is time. Nah, prepare for the drop."
"You got it." Nah replies as she moves further back and grabs onto Minerva's tail, while being mindful of the axe blade.
Gerome tightens his hold on the saddle. "You had better grab on tight, Laurent. Minerva's twists can get snappy."
Laurent puts his glasses and hourglass away before he grabs onto Gerome as best he can. Moments later, Gerome commands Minerva into a frontal flip that ends with Minerva putting all her momentum into a tail-slamming move. The swing sends Nah careening back down towards the ground.
Laurent puts his glasses back on while adjusting his hat (which miraculously stayed on his head the entire time). "We are done with our part. Shall we head back down?"
Meanwhile, Nah keeps plummeting towards the ground. To make sure she can maintain her speed, the half-manakete blasts dragonfire from the soles of her feet to counteract any air resistance and maybe even increase her speed. She soon spots her target and adjusts her trajectory with slight bursts of dragonfire from her hands. The moment she is sure that she's on the mark, she shrouds her entire body in flames and ups the output from her feet.
The younger bandit is about to switch with his senior when he notices something in the sky. "Hey, I'm not an expert on stargazing, but I'm pretty sure stars can't be seen during the day."
The older bandit raises an eyebrow. "What's yer point?"
The younger bandit points up. "Well, if that ain't a star, then what is it?"
*Tactical nuke incoming*
The older bandit takes a look where his junior is indicating. "Yeah, that's no star. Wait… It seems to be getting bigger. Almost like a-"
*Ka-BOOOM!"
In a single moment, the entire camp is reduced to a smoking crater. Nothing remains, save for the odd piece of rubble or a sword that lay behind a wall before the impact. Nah dusts herself off as she walks out of the crater she made upon impact with the ground and heads back to her friends.
"Well, Nah? Any injuries?" Brady asks as Nah returns.
Nah places a hand on her biceps as she smiles. "Nope. Not a scratch."
The Priest shakes his head. "I swear, manaketes weird me out. The heck did Sensei do to turn you out like that?"
Jack's encyclopedic corner
Golden Bath Pass, Miscellaneous, Very rare
A ticket to the most exclusive of services offered in the bathrealms. Just one of these beauties can cost as much as the average modern-day salaryman's monthly wage, depending on how much extra service is included in the booking. Part of the reason why this item is unusually thick compared to other tickets is because of a thin sheet of magic-conducting metal embedded in the middle. This is to make sure that fabrications are recognized on the spot. Incredibly, the golden hue is from real gold. How the outermost layer could be produced so thin is, like many other parts of an Anna's business, a secret.
Tome of Arts Vol. 3, Book, Rare
A tome that covers the history and aspects of various arts, spanning from 700 to 1200 YKM (Year of King Marth). The sheer number of pages is due to the tome covering not just prominent forms of art during this time span, but also more obscure forms of art as well as art forms that would only gain relevance in later centuries. This edition also comes with a set of blank pages at the end to allow the reader to make notes to share ideas or debate with fellow arts enthusiasts. Jokingly called "training weight for arts scholars" due to its weight.
Saké, Consumable, Uncommon
Japanese rice wine that became famous worldwide through the media of animé. This beverage can be served in a multitude of various occasions, from party drinks and celebrations to casual meetups and even when making formal pacts. The preferred method of serving is in small cups, though enjoyers of this drink are not averse to drink straight from the bottle. Alcohol content is typically 13 %.
Hangover, Status condition
There's no denying it; you drank too much last night. And now you pay the price for overstepping your bounds. Be it a pounding headache, hypersensitivity to light and sounds or just plain nausea to the point that you lose your stomach contents, this is one condition where you can only ride it out until it passes. You should hopefully have learned your lesson by then. Although, if you have experienced this more than once, chances are you didn't learn anything.
Efficiency of all physical and mental attributes are reduced by 80%. Any action has a 25 % chance of automatically failing. Characters with this status condition are 50 % more susceptible to the "Stunned" and status conditions.
I got the inspiration for the scene between Cherche and Gerome when I roamed the internet one day and came upon a piece of fanart depicting Cherche with Gerome's mask in her hands while Gerome's eyes are shut. That gave me the idea of letting Gerome adopt the trope of blind swordsman, which later gave me the inspiration for his character build.
Peeping, and the violent shenanigans that ensue surrounding them, are a common staple in many scenes involving hot springs in animé and video games. They are often a combination of fan service – mainly regarding the female characters – and slapstick humor – often at the expense of the male characters. However, the slapstick portion is sometimes used even though no male character involved actually deserved it. Prominent examples are Persona 4 (Golden version included) and Bravely Second. One detail that stands out in such scenarios is that no female character is ever held accountable, even when they are clearly in the wrong. As you might have guessed, the peeping scene in this chapter is my way of reversing the roles in an attempt to exact some much-needed (if somewhat obscure) gender-related justice.
