This is going to be a big one, prepare yourselves.

The Princess's Dragon Bride

Chapter 11: The Trickster

The Dragon's Claw wasn't an actual bar or inn, at least not as far as the city guard was concerned. No one was sure what the maze of underground passages beneath Ylissetol originally was, but whatever they were used for at first became relevant. The Kingdom left them in the shadows, long forgotten to time until the guild got ahold of them. The Dragon's Claw was built within those long-forgotten tunnels.

Today it is known to anyone and everyone who considers themselves a proper thief. With entrances scattered all over the city, the bar was a mixing pot of criminals, from the petty pickpocket to the gentleman thief.

A young man grips his mug tightly, surrounded by three teammates. His dark eyes staring into his drink, lost deep in thought, his temperament clearly at its limits.

"Joker," a green-haired man said as he lowered his ale, "are you going to say anything, or are you just going to pout into your coffee."

"He's still upset he lost his first place spot on the leaderboard," said the spiky-haired man beside him.

"No," Joker put his cup down and crossed his arms, "this has nothing to do with the leaderboard."

"Ashen is right," the young man at his right said. "You're clearly upset" he placed a reassuring hand on Joker's shoulder, "is there anything we can do to help?"

"No Lantern," Joker patted his friend's hand before lightly brushing it off. "If we do it as a team, it won't boost my ranking, just ours."

Ashen downed the rest of his ale. "You say it like that's not what you want."

"I mean," Joker slumped forwards, "we're already the top band of thieves."

Soldier took another swig of whisky, "What did he steal anyways?"

"Some stupid gem," Joker huffed, "nabbed it out to the city bank as if that's something difficult."

Another man joined the group, his honey gold eyes twinkling mischievously as he took his seat beside Ashen. "What's Joker crying about now?"

"Hey Grim," Lantern beamed as he greeted the last member of their band.

"I'm not crying!" Joker snapped.

"He's still mad about the Nabbit thing."

"Soldier!"

"You have to let this thing go," Lantern resumed petting Joker's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll steal something better in time."

Joker peered up at the rest of his team, his eyes glowing darkly as they peeked out from his glasses. "The longer he stays up there, the more it'll go to his head."

Soldier smirked down at Joker's frustrated scowl. "What could you possibly do that would get you even higher renounce than stealing from the city vault?"

Joker straightened. His brow furrowed in deep contemplation, "Stealing … from," then realization crossed his face. Followed by a deep and dark yet mischievous grin.

Grim's eyes narrowed as he lowered his glass from his lips, a faint weariness overtaking his face. "Joker?"

"I'm going to steal from the castle."

It was early for Chrom to be awake at this hour: he was never much of an early riser. Although he hadn't woken up early as much as he had stayed awake through the night. The image of last night was still fuzzy but ever-present in his mind.

He had taken a moment to regain himself, drank quite a fair amount of water, and now was walking to his study. Perhaps the large amount of paperwork would yank him into ever-needed slumber.

While he trudged through the halls, he came upon his children's dorms. Something in the back of his mind told him to peek inside.

He opened Lucina's door first, while most of it was as expected, something caught his eye. Her teapot and two cups were still on the table beside the fireplace. The thought of his daughter having a visitor late in the night worried him for a moment, but no more. Lucina herself was peacefully asleep with her back to the door.

He smiled; whatever his daughter was up to, it didn't matter as long as she was happily sleeping. He closed the door as soundlessly as he had opened it. Then turned towards his son's room.

Marth was nothing like his sister. He was not in bed, his head nestled into the crook of his elbow, his hand still holding his quill. A smudge of ink on his cheek, no doubt. Chrom had seen a workaholic pass out at his desk before. His heart was heavy then, an image of a brilliant young man working himself to the point of exhaustion all in hopes of meeting some needless standers.

Marth was far too young to carry this burden. A burden he had thrust upon him without realizing it. A young prince named after the Hero King seeking to live up to the name of his forefather. He wondered faintly what his son would be like if he had given him a different name. Perhaps he would have been a bit more free-spirited like his sister, just as brilliant, no doubt but maybe a little happier.

He closed the door as soundlessly as he could. He wondered if he should talk to Marth about this. He quietly walked to his room when a figure caught his eye.

"Shulk," he greeted the seer, "what has you up so early?"

"Oh, your Majesty," Shulk bowed respectfully before speaking again, "oh, I was," he pinkened a little, "going to check on the Prince to ensure he went to bed on time."

Chrom couldn't help but smirk a bit at the implication. "But?"

Shulk looked away, his cheeks reddening a bit more. "I ended up falling asleep in the library and ..." the pleading stare he gave Chrom told him everything he needed to know.

So that's where he gets it. Chrom smiled and shook his head "well, he's asleep at least."

Shulk visibly deflated. "He fell asleep on his desk again, didn't he?"

"Yup," both the king and the seer sighed. Chrom couldn't help but chuckle softly. Shulk righted himself and turned to leave before another thought crossed Chrom's mind.

"Shulk, wait" the Seer turned to face his king. "I wanted to know more about that vision you mentioned a while ago."

Shulk lightly clutched the cross-shaped stone around his neck "very well, where shall we go."

"We can talk in my study" Chrom turned and continued his walk with Shulk a step behind.

Lucina awoke softly to a gentle weight leaning against her. A tender embrace locked around her. Memories of being a child flooded her. Happier times when she would wake up nestled close to her father and brother before Marth became obsessed with studying.

Her eyes fluttered open to see her a soft mess of white. Corrin, her mind reminded her. Corrin had slept in her bed and was now snuggled up against her chest.

She looked a lot more peaceful than she did last night. With a sudden urge compelling her, she ran a hand through Corrin's silver hair. That had earned her a sleepy mumble. Before long, Corrin's eyes began to flutter open.

"Good morning," Corrin mumbled out sleepily as she turned her ruby gaze on Lucina.

"Good," Lucina could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks, "Good Morning, Corrin" she tried her best to keep her calm.

"Lucina," the spark of recognition serged in Corrin's eyes. She had let go of the Ylissean princess in that instinct; Lucina, deep down, was disappointed.

The two of them lay beside one another, neither daring to speak for a brief moment. It had gone from a pleasant morning to an awkward one.

Corrin took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out as she spoke, "Thank you."

Lucina turned her head to face her friend, "Huh?" before the wheels in her head sparked to life. "Oh, it was nothing."

"No, I mean it," Corrin had turned to face her too, "nights like those used to be hell to go through." they locked eyes, and Lucina could tell she wasn't lying about her pain.

"What do you normally do when this happens?" Lucina paled and then reached out softly to hold Corrin's hands in her own, "don't tell me you bear through it."

"Uhhh" Corrin closed her eyes in a clear attempt to hide her pain. "Then maybe I shouldn't," but there were tears welling up in her eyes again, peeking through her eyelashes.

"Corrin," Lucina said in almost a whisper. She gently squeezed Corrin's hands, "I can't imagine such a cruel ordeal."

"Well, it's not always so bad" Corrin tried to smile.

"Some nights, I would visit Summer, and she would always wrap me up in her wings," she opened her eyes, and Lucina resisted the urge to pull her into a tight embrace. "She was always so warm, and I would end up napping there."

Lucina loosened her grip on Corrin's hand, only for the Koopa princess to interlock their fingers. "If it was truly a terrible night, I would go see Pyra."

Lucina winced in sympathy but squeezed her hand softly in reassurance. "Why wouldn't you seek Pyra out first?"

"She has a lot of work," Corrin let out a heartbroken sigh. "My father always has her doing something or other."

"I see" Lucina wasn't sure how she could help, so she gave Corrin's hand another little squeeze.

They laid like that, another long silence, this time; however, it was far more melancholic than awkward.

"Well," Corrin sat up, and Lucina almost wanted to stop her. "I should probably get to my room before Pyra realizes I was gone."

Corrin pulled herself out of bed, and Lucina, despite everything in her body telling her otherwise, she remained in bed. "Uh, right." It wasn't until Corrin was at the door that Lucina found her voice. "Oh wait," she bolted out of bed.

Corrin turned to face her as Lucina was only a few paces away from her. Her courage found her as she awkwardly ran a hand through her own hair, trying to pull any knots from it. "Would you like to join me for tea later today?" she wasn't sure why it felt so different from the other times she had asked Corrin to have tea with her.

Lucina was aware of her heart, standing so delicately on a wire.

Then that radiant smile returned, and Lucina could hear her heart; she was surprised Corrin didn't seem to. "Absolutely," and suddenly, it was as if she was flying again.

Chrom dropped into his desk chair as Shulk closed the door behind them. Chrom's fatigue was starting to show itself. He really should be getting some sleep after they finish up this conversation. He let out a long sigh before he returned his gaze to the young seer that still had yet to start talking. "Is it really that bad?"

Shulk shifted awkwardly for a moment, "What do you mean?"

"Shulk," Chrom said in a sigh. He leaned back in his chair, obviously exhausted. "Clearly, you saw something, and now it's time for you to come clean, no more vague anything."

Shulk sighed "very well," he took a deep breath to steel himself before speaking up, "I saw you and Lord Bowser in the midst of combat."

He's being vague again. Chrom rested his chin in his palm as he watched the young man intently. "Shulk, is that really what you were hiding from me?"

"You two were under attack, I believe."

Chrom straightened up, concern starting to creep into him. "Assassins then."

Shulk slowly nodded, clearly displeased with the thought itself. "While I wasn't able to see who was batting his highness, I was able to see your opponent." Shulk looked away slightly. He must be scared or nervous.

"This must be someone of importance," Chrom tried to feign a smile, hoping to ease Shulk's nerves. "To have you so tightlipped about it."

Shulk's hand returned to the stone around his neck. "They wore a mask, a strange black one, with purple engravings, it had six eyes." he looked back at his King, "their outfit was adorned with similar designs."

Chrom knew those colors well, a phantom from his past, to be sure. "Plegia."

"The individual matched your every step." while Chrom didn't fully understand what Shulk meant by that. "A truly dangerous adversary, I can imagine."

Chrom tightened his grip on a nearby object. "So, Plegia is sending more assassins." his sister's image came rushing to the forefront of his memories. Plegia was never satisfied. "I had hoped that the war had ended, but it seems tensions are still high."

Shulk let go of his charm, "They must be plotting another war."

"Ylisse can't handle another war." Chrom almost cursed. He lost so much in that war, now a new one threatened to take everything from his children. Then a thought shot through his mind like an arrow. "Unless we were to get the Koopa Kingdom's aid."

"With warships like the ones he has floating above the city ..." Shulk's eyes widened. "If we were to get a peace treaty signed, the war would be over as quickly as it started."

Chrom covered his face, "and I think I know what his highness would want in exchange."

Lucina strolled tranquility down the hall. The moonlight seeped in through the long hallway windows. Her hands absentmindedly tweaked a small lock of hair that fell over her shoulder. There was something about today that had felt different. After this morning, she had rushed through the day. Nothing seemed more important than seeing Corrin again. Once she had sat down to have tea with her, she couldn't focus on anything else.

The image of Corrin's radiant smile filled her mind, and her hands continued to repeat the same motion. Her heart was pounding in her chest; she wasn't quite sure what was happening. Her mind replayed the Koopa princess's joyous laugh over and over again.

She must have been too engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the wrong turn she made. At first, she hadn't noticed but was snapped out of her daze as a faint but unfamiliar noise caught her ear.

She turned to her left and found a young man dressed in black and wearing a mask fiddling with a door she knew led to the treasury. The guards were stationed outside, not the dark and shadowy hallway. She was about to turn and alert the guards of the intruder when she saw the door crack open.

The door opened soundlessly, and the thief slid inside without a sound as if he was a shadow himself. She tightened her grip on the blade she had started carrying. She won't stand for this and just let it happen. If she choose to get the guards, that would be precious time he would have to steal and get away.

She darted into the room after yanking the door open. Hopefully, the noise she made would attract the guards. Once she darted into the room, she slammed the door shut behind her. She prayed there wasn't a window he could jump out of. She hadn't ever been to this room before.

The thief had his back to her as he scooped up the fire emblem.

"Thief!" she unsheathed her weapon then, "Who are you? and how did you get in here?!"

He jumped and turned around so sharply she could have sworn he almost fell backward. There was a panicked look on his face. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting her.

AN/ halfway through writing this chapter, I got sick. So, sorry if this chapter was a bit late.

~ (12/6/2021)