Oh, this chapter. I'm excited about this chapter. I hope to get the art piece for this one done … since I like the idea of it. Also, this chapter originated as a suggestion for a one-shot pitched to me by a friend, and … I somehow connected it to this fic, so … I made it relevant. Anyways I hope you enjoy.
The Princess's Dragon Bride
Chapter 30: Steamy Secrets
Chrom watched Kamek carefully as the ship came to a slow stop, still somehow remaining in the air. "He's in the area. We should be running into him soon."
Chrom nodded, "Send a search party." as he raised his voice, a handful of Ylissean troops stood at attention.
As he took a deep breath to start giving orders, he felt a large clawed hand on his shoulder. In a semi-hushed tone, Bowser said, "It's freezing out there. Are you sure about this?"
Chrom's mind took a second to process the concern. "Ah," his men, while ready for a fight, weren't ready for the snowy peaks of the mountains, let alone a possible fight in them.
He took a deep breath and waved his men to disband. In his rush to find these thieves, he almost forgot the weight of the power he held. He walked over to the nearby railing, his mind reminding himself of the dangers while his heart screamed he take action.
"Chrom," he turned to face the Koopa King. Concern wasn't a look he was used to seeing on the other king's face. "You seem stressed."
Chrom only sighed. They had their ace. Karmek had tracked Eleven. He would be found, no doubt leading them to the others, and yet Chrom was uneasy. It was as if there was more on the line, "That's an understatement."
The Koopa king then tossed an arm over his shoulder, a gesture Chrom was used to seeing before he would offer an ale, wine, or something of the sort. "Come then. My scouts found a hot spring up ahead. Let's go take a load off before we continue the search."
Chrom's face paled suddenly as old memories resurfaced, "I have a bad feeling about this."
Bowser only laughed as he led the Exalt into his Clown Car.
Robin and the boys had returned to rowing the boat after Lucina stopped casting magic. While Akira hadn't picked up his paddle, Leven had thankfully done so, and the group had progressed their slow ascent up the mountain.
Robin raised a hand to cover his face from the glare of the setting sun against the faint snow along the crests of the mountains. He cursed quietly under his breath as he raised a hand to the team. "We've hit a wall." As if to emphasize his point, the boat rocked as it reached shallow water.
Robin jumped out of the boat and reached into his coat. He pulled out his map and traced the river to their current location. "There's supposed to be another river just across the clearing." he turned around to face the group.
"Byleth, Cloud." The two mercenaries gave a single nod before getting out and taking their spots on either side of the boat. "Let's get a move on."
The girls were the next to get out of the boat. Lucina seemed eager to stretch her legs. Corrin, meanwhile, was satisfied to simply stand in the freezing river. Akira had to be carried out by Leven as he had fallen asleep while fishing.
After everyone had gotten off the boat, the two mercenaries, without any hesitation or difficulties, picked up the boat and carried it, supplies included, out of the river and waited for Robin to lead the way to the next river.
As the group kept close to the edge of the mountain walls, Robin heard Corrin squeak excitedly. "Luci, look, a hot spring!" Robin mentally cursed. What lunatic sets up a hot spring in the middle of the freezing mountain?
"Can we go, Luci?" The Koopa Princess's excitement was palpable.
"I don't know, Corrin-" Lucina sounded concerned, as she should! They were still being hunted, and Robin already felt uneasy with them pausing to rest along the roadside, but to check into a hot spring...
Corrin's voice was almost pleading, "Please, Luci, we haven't had a proper warm bath in so long."
Robin couldn't hold back a smile, "Well, when you put it that way." The look on Lucina's face melted immediately, "A warm bath does sound really nice."
Akira was suddenly beside them, "To the Hot Springs!"
Robin let out another deep sigh, then turned to Byleth and Cloud and motioned to a corner of the clearing. "River 's over there."
When neither of them moved, Robin put the map away, then motioned for them to follow him. "We'll catch up with you guys."
Neither Leven nor the girls moved, and although Akira began to walk away, Leven grabbed the back of his vest and somehow managed to keep him from moving.
They left the boat tucked out of sight and returned to the group. Robin's mind was racing the entire time, dread pooling in his gut. He hadn't been into a hot spring since war times. He tried to shake those thoughts; he couldn't think about Chrom now.
When they rejoined the others, Leven let Akira go, and they began approaching the Hotspring. "Akira, please, for the love of the Gods, don't sign us in as the Phantom Thieves."
Corrin chuckled, "I'm sure he's not that stupid."
Oh, you sweet foolish child. Robin only shook his head quietly. "Of course." They have no idea how deep Akira's hubris runs.
Despite his initial hesitation to slow down in their journey again. The genuine excitement from the princess and the upbeat mood of the rest of the team eased his nerves. It was almost like he was a Shepherd again.
As Robin signed in, he double-checked the others' sign-in to ensure Akira wasn't allowed to sign them in. Thankfully Leven distracted him and sighed them both under different names. Naga blesses Leven's return.
When the group arrives at the rented room to change, a horrible realization dawns on Robin at that particular moment. "So what are we going to do about the girls? We can't just leave them unguarded."
Byleth yawned, "I'll take care of it." He grabbed a nearby towel "for safety."
Cloud rolled his eyes. "They are going to sleep, most likely," Robin could hear the faint smirk on his face as he added, "and don't want you nagging them."
Robin took a little longer than the others. Despite his multiple layers, the real reason he dragged his heels was the lingering memories. Left alone, his thoughts dragged him into deeper regret. The voices of the shepherds lingered in his mind like whispers in the wind. Those happy memories dug its claws into his chest, and the tears prickled at the corners of his eyes.
"Gods, this hit the spot!" Akira's voice broke through his memories like a hammer through glass. He gathered himself as best he could. Out of every thief on the team, Akira would be the last one to see him break. "It's been years since I've been to a hot spring."
Robin gathered his resolve and left the changing room. Cloud was leaning against the spring's edge, half asleep. Akira and Leven sat close together, and despite Akira abandoning his glasses in favor of relaxing properly, Leven still wore his satchel. The shield-wielding thief seemed the most hesitant to enter the water, lowering himself ever so slowly but refusing to drop lower than chest level.
"Don't even think about it,"
Akira stopped suddenly, the bucket of water still held over Leven's head. Both Akira and Robin were stunned at Leven's abrupt use of full sentences.
Robin couldn't think of much else to say, "Fish curse?"
"Yes" As if to emphasize his point, he reached over and yanked Akira underwater, dropping the bucket on his own head.
"Ah."
"Luci, look over here." The Ylisean turned to face her excitable princess. Only to find her holding up the Photo Tome. But before she could get a word out, she heard a soft chime as the image of the two of them began to fill the page.
"Corrin," she was a bit embarrassed, having only been wearing a towel at the time when the other princess had captured her image. While it was indeed endearing, she couldn't help the knot forming in her stomach. "I thought we said you'd try not to use magic."
The other girl shrank then. "It's not like it's a lot of magic."
The Ylissean pouted momentarily, "How about I try to take the photos from now on?"
Corrin's face pinkened. "Um, well, you see." she tried to hide the tome behind her.
Lucina crossed her arms, hiding her amusement as her gaze seemed to break Corrin's resolve as she sighed and held out the tome to her friend.
Upon opening the tome, Lucina realized that Corrin had been busy taking photos—a few of them she recognized. However, a lot of them she didn't. Quite a few were candid images of Lucina herself, some of her outlined in the light of the setting sun. a cute little image of her napping, her hand interlocked with Corrin's. And an embarrassing image of her in the middle of stuffing her face with dinner.
Her face heated up suddenly. "You couldn't have taken better shots?"
Corrin pouted, "I think they're cute." Despite the look on her face, Lucina could hear the smile threatening to break free.
"Maybe I'll take a few of you when you're not looking." she teased as she placed the tome on the small edge of the spring and eased herself into the water—letting out an audible sigh as the water's heat seeped into her bones.
Corrin unceremoniously stopped at the water's edge, dropped her towel, and almost lept into the hot spring. While it had been cute at first, the secondary splash she received from Corrin's tail was less adorable.
"Oops, sorry." Corrin pinkened as she pulled her tail closer to herself, the end of it flopping about excitedly as if it had a mind of its own. Okay, fine, the tail was cute too.
"It's fine. You're still not used to having it there." She gave Corrin an easy smile as the Koopa princess began to swim around the warm water.
She tried to ease herself in the water's warmth, but as Corrin continued her leisurely swim, the secondary splashing reminded Lucina of her slowly growing unease. Corrin's tail, her suddenly loosening control of her draconic attributes.
It all left Lucina with a chunk of ice in her stomach. Robin's words rushed back into her mind. This wasn't her fault. How could it not be? The look of agony on Corrin's face following the bandit attack rushed to the forefront of her mind. Would she have been happier at the castle? She'd be safer, that's for sure. She swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Luci?" Corrin peeked over her shoulder as if she knew the spiral her girlfriend had started down. "Luci? Are you okay?" Corrin's voice snapped her out of her downward spiral.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I'm fine."
She tried to give a reassuring smile as she attempted to ease Corrin's concerns. "It's just been a very long time since I've been at a hot spring, and even then …." she smiled genuinely at the memory. "I was very young when my father took my brother and me."
Corrin swam over, keen on listening to the princess's story. "Really?"
Lucina smiled, the ice in her stomach melting at the genuine excitable interest of the other girl. "Yeah." she grinned at the memory of her younger self splashing a younger Marth and chasing him down with buckets of water held over her head. "The lady in charge gave all of us custom kimonos." She chose not to mention her terrorizing her younger twin.
"They don't fit anymore," she smiled, much to Corrin's disappointment, "but I think we have a painting or something somewhere."
When Corrin's eyes seemed almost pleading, Lucina relented, "We can have them remade when we return to the castle."
The thought of returning to the castle rushed back to her as she spoke those words. Somehow she had simply expected they would be able to return home. But was that even part of the plan? Would Akira surrender them if I asked him? We could always fake an escape from Fodlen if not.
She began scheming, Maybe we can con Robin into playing traitor since he has a history with Father.
Lucina was pulled out of her plotting by a splash of water, soaking her face and hair completely. "Oops, sorry," Corrin squeaked as she pulled her tail closer to herself.
It was at that moment that Lucina was reminded of her failures. "Hey, Corrin?"
"What's up?"
"When do you want to return to the castle?" Lucina's heart raced as she thought about Corrin's unstable seal. How long would it last? Would it benefit them to return to the castle by then? Should they return now?
The other princess gave her answer, but the Ylissean's thoughts were roaring in her head so loudly they drowned out her girlfriend's response. Corrin, as if able to sense her girlfriend's spiraling thoughts, swam closer to her. Lucina only registered the other princess when the other girl caressed her face and gently tilted her head to face her.
It was at that moment that Lucina's mind started swirling about something else, namely her naked girlfriend, only an inch away from her. The heat in her face burned far hotter than the water in the spring. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah," but the look Corrin gave her told her she knew she was lying. She swallowed the lump in her throat and gathered her courage, "I think we should go back to the castle. We need to get your seal fixed."
The sudden change in Corrin's face pierced Lucina's resolve. Corrin's tail curled around herself in a way that felt almost protective. Lucina reached out and pulled the other girl into a soft embrace. "Corrin?"
Corrin seemed so small then, "I just-" her voice wavered as she continued, "I don't."
Lucina pulled the other princess into a tight embrace. "We can wait." she didn't fully understand what was going on but seeing Corrin so vulnerable hurt. All the other thoughts, the worry about Corrin's seal, were drowned out by that nagging voice that welled up in her mind anytime her chest squeezed her heart so tightly it might break. They still had time. She'll just have to be more careful until then.
The first thing that Marth registered was the distant sound of birds and voices far too distant to recognize. The next thing he registered was the feeling of the earth and fresh grass underneath his palm.
There was a hum in his chest, a soft pain that faded into a gentle ache. The warmth that flowed into his chest returned the feeling to his back and legs.
Slowly, his eyes fluttered open. The orange sky came into view, followed by the loveliest shades of gold, as the figure huddled over him was illuminated by evening light. The more he blinked, the clearer the image became.
A chiseled jaw and sharpened cheekbones cut a handsome visage. Then slowly, that half-lidded stare came to rest on him. And the prince found himself lost in deep ocean blues overflowing with gentle concern. They opened slowly as relief flooded his gaze.
"Oh, thank goodness." Marth's mind struggled to arrange his thoughts as the young man holding him righted him into a sitting position. "How do you feel?"
The question spun in his head for a long moment as he took in the scenery around him. Everything was green and full of life. Lush greens everywhere he looked, only interrupted by a vast array of different colors. Flowers of all types surrounded the two of them. It was like something out of a dream.
That was until his wits began to return to him. The lovely dreamlike scenery outlined an old and well-worn gazebo overtaken by many plants and flowers. The only thing that ruined the almost storybook beauty was the sizable pieces of rubble scattered to his left.
Then the memory of crashing through one of the walls that surrounded the training ground rushed to the forefront of his mind. Panic surged through his brain as he began inspecting himself, and despite not finding any severe injuries, his body felt as if he had just crawled out of hell itself.
The pain surged, and he found himself slumping onto Shulk. ''Ow…" was the only thing he was able to force out through the pain.
Shulk eased him back into a comfier position, shifting the prince's weight onto himself to lessen the strain of his injuries. Before continuing his healing magic. "Easy."
Marth winced for a second before the ache subsided. "Thank you." he took in the scenery again as he had little else to do. "What happened?" although the rubble told him most of what he needed to know. The state of his body told him the rest of it.
"Mythra got a little carried away." It was Pyra who spoke up this time. She stepped through the gaping hole in the castle wall. "Needless to say, training for today is over."
Pyra's face pinkened, "I had to stop her when you didn't get up," and then, in a smaller voice, she whispered, "and I had to send the young master away. He tried coming after you with a stick once he realized I was stopping."
She lowered her head, "I'm terribly sorry about everything … including the property damage."
Marth laughed and regarded it almost immediately, "It's fine. My Father and sister have broken more property during their training than this."
The look Pyra gave him told him that that didn't make her feel any better. Perhaps I should change the subject. "So, does Corrin train with you or Mythra?"
Pyra actually looked surprised, "Oh, no, Corrin doesn't receive any combat training," then she looked pensive, "although perhaps I should bring that up to his Majesty so that this kind of thing doesn't happen again."
"Really?" Marth raised an eyebrow at that, "I thought she was training to be a Wyvern Rider,"
Pyra looked puzzled at that before realization dawned on her. "Oh, you must mean Summer." She smiled fondly at the memory. "Corrin raised her since she was very young,"
"In truth, I never considered her a combat mount," she looked pensive. "But I suppose that's simply due to wyverns not being common in the Koopa Kingdom."
She plopped herself on one of the larger pieces of rubble. "Does Lucina have anything like Summer?"
He laughed again, "Oh no, my sister is terrible with mounted combat," Shulk's diligent healing was showing as he actually laughed with his full chest. "Although she more than makes up for it with everything else. Sword, lances, axes, bows, even daggers."
"Really?"
"My sister is a talented warrior. Even the council can admit to that much." he couldn't hold back his smile. "She's naturally approachable, I suppose that must be why she and Corrin get along so well." The image of the two princesses ran through his memory. They were like two peas in a pod.
Pyra gave a small smile at that, "Opposites do attract, I suppose."
Those words had his brain coming to a halt. "What do you mean?"
"Corrin is very reserved. She doesn't leave her tower much." Marth prayed that his face didn't pale too much as he listened to Pyra continue, "Mostly due to His Majesty's castle being a little chaotic."
Corrin, reserved? Were they talking about the same princess? "Wouldn't she need to access the stables?" Pyra only shook her head, "Summer's roost is attached to her tower, so I suppose she doesn't have much of a reason to leave it." She smiled, her hand drifting to the gem in her outfit, the same shape as Shulk's necklace, although hers was emerald green. "I'm responsible for bringing her everything she needs"
Oh, maybe they just didn't know about her more adventurous side? "Wouldn't that encourage her to leave the tower?" That must be it, Corrin was just as cheeky as his sister, but she was just very good at keeping composed.
She seemed a bit sheepish, "As I said, the castle is chaotic … not even the skies are safe, at least not with the castle guards as twitchy as they are." Pyra only shook her head, "Besides, she's prone to daydreaming and reading the day away."
There was no way they were talking about the same girl. There was no way the same princess that practically jumped into Lucina's arms every time they spoke was reserved. Absent-mindedly he murmured, "Then why …."
Her voice snapped him out of his mind's spiraling. "I hear you're a bookworm yourself. I'm sure you'll get along swimmingly." His face pinkened at that.
As if in response, she continued, "That reminds me." She gave him a honey-sweet smile with a look that told him she knew everything. "A little bird told me you and Corrin spent the ball dancing together all night."
He froze. Impossible. He peeked upward to look at Shulk as if his reaction would reveal the truth. And it did, as the blonde looked just as confused as Marth felt.
The way Pyra speaks, she must have thought I had the first dance with Corrin, but … but Shulk and I arrived late, then father must have also arrived late. His heart raced at the possible implications.
The only person that could lead the dance had to be My Father, Lucina, or me, and neither Father nor I were there. And the only person who could pull off being my imposter is ...
"Oh."
Corrin was reserved according to her retainer, yet she was practically attached to Lucina's hip, inseparable at every opportunity. Practically cuddling in the library. The way Lucina would end their sparring early when she would usually indulge in winning every fight.
He shot up from his resting position, "Oh!"
Corrin nestled her head against Lucina's shoulder. The other girl's presence soothed her to her very soul. She peeked up at her now-girlfriend only to notice the red in her face. "Luci?"
She reached up and lightly poked her cheek, "Are you okay?" The contact snapped the other princess out of her determined stare into the distance. "Is the heat getting to you?"
"No, no, I'm fine," Lucina gave her the sweetest smile, but her pinkened face betrayed her calm demeanor.
"Luci," Corrin put on her serious face. But it seemed to have the opposite effect as the other girl laughed, and Corrin couldn't be mad at such a lovely sound.
"I suppose I'm not used to-," she motioned to Corrin, "your state of undress."
"I thought this was how you were supposed to enjoy the hot spring?" She could have sworn this was how it was done, but perhaps it was a Ylissean custom to keep a towel on while bathing with others. However, the thought of wrapping herself again felt suffocating.
"You're usually supposed to keep something on while bathing with others." Lucina corrected.
Perhaps all the books she had read about hot springs had been nothing but fanciful tales. That could explain, despite the amount of steam, the water still felt lukewarm. "Do I really need to?"
She decided at that moment to poke a proverbial bear. "Besides, it's nothing you haven't seen before."
"That-" Lucina sputtered, "that was different." but the look on her face was absolutely lovely. Corrin couldn't hold back her giggling.
"I'm sorry- I'm sorry," Corrin tried to study herself. "You're just so adorable when you panic like that." Lucina took the teasing well, it seemed. As she mirrored Corrin's earlier serious face, Corrin understood why Lucina had found it funny.
"Well, do you want me to put a towel on?" Corrin did her best to hide her own feelings on the matter.
Lucina looked pensive, only shaking her head. "Whatever you find more comfortable." Corrin couldn't have been more thankful.
Corrin took that as her cue to return to her leisurely swim around the hot spring. She wasn't sure how long she swam around, but she had caught her girlfriend's attention again. The Ylissean princess beckoned her over.
"Yes?" Lucina offered an awkward smile before motioning to her tail. Corrin looked down and studied her tail for a long moment before she realized what was wrong. The scales didn't shimmer the lustrous silver as they should. An unfortunate side effect of having her tail out all the time, it seemed. "Oh."
"Would you like some help?" Lucina asked shyly. "I still remember how we cleaned Summer's scales," she seemed a little embarrassed as she added, "or is it different?"
Corrin took a moment to consider this. She hadn't needed to clean her scales until now. And while her scales were a bit different from Summer's, there were some spots she couldn't quite reach easily. "I think I'll take you up on that."
The cleaning had gone easily at first, but the closer they had gotten to those hard-to-reach areas, the harder it was for Corrin to multitask.
Her diligent control of her tail had wavered every time she scrubbed a little too hard in places. Leading her to apply more pressure as she increased her focus. It was a dangerous cycle that led to her tail flailing and plashing Lucina multiple times. Until finally, she had allowed Lucina to do most of the remaining work.
She had almost drifted off to sleep under Lucina's delicate care. However, just as she was on the verge of fully closing her eyes, she heard the wooden sliding door open. Someone is here.
Her mind worked slowly before it jumped into action. She shot up and most definitely splashed Lucina in the process. Corrin's eyes shot towards the entrance to the hot spring, where a young woman with familiar-looking dark blueish-green hair stood.
They locked eyes, and in a familiar monotone, she only lifted a hand and said, "I won't interrupt. I'll be in the back."
"Byleht?" Lucina asked incredulously. Indeed, this woman possessed the same eyes, hair, and stoic demeanor as their stoic mercenary companion. Yet they weren't identical in the same way Lucina could pass for her twin just by tying up her hair. If this was the Byleth they knew, it was quite the transformation. "How…?"
"Magic Goddess powers beyond mortal understanding." She said it so flatly that Corrin wasn't sure if they were meant to take it seriously. At their stunned looks, she elaborated, "They only let girls in on this side. This way, I can keep guarding you."
Without another word, she made her way to the back of the spring, leaving the two princesses in stunned silence.
Corrin shifted for a moment before deciding to break the silence by splashing Lucina. That, thankfully, resulted in that lovely laugh.
Robin hadn't been sleeping completely. After all his time in the war, he hadn't been able to relax fully. So the sound of the sliding door opening didn't slip his notice.
It hadn't been Byleth. They would have walked in hours ago had the girls kicked them out. So he took it upon himself to turn to face the stranger.
It hadn't been a stranger, and perhaps it would have been better if it had been. But it seemed his terrible luck insisted that a handsomely familiar face crossed his path again.
In a faint whisper, only loud enough for Joker to his left to hear, he said. "We've got a problem."
Akira, who had started to drift off, took a second to register Robin's words. "What kind of problem?"
Robin pressed himself against the stone that shielded them from the Exalt's line of sight. "The Kings are here."
That jump-started his brain instantly. "Wait, what!" Leven, thankfully, grabbed him before he could shout too loudly.
Robin peeked over the rock again. "Chrom's here, so Bowser shouldn't be too far." He returned his attention to the other thieves. "I don't see him, but I'm not sure how in the clear that makes us."
Akira winced, "Do you think they know we're here?"
Robin looked pensive. "At this point, that would be a safe assumption. We should probably grab our stuff without drawing any attention."
Leven, at that very moment, clutched his bag and got out of the water. But before any of the boys could stop him, he made a mad dash for the wooden fence and leaped over.
Robin gave a bitter smirk. He admired Leven's foresight. He had thought the choice to put his clothes in that bag and drag it along with him into the hot spring was a strange idea, but it had been worth it, apparently.
However, it seemed Leven didn't leave without catching the attention of the Exalt. Robin cursed under his breath as Chrom turned in the direction of the noise.
Robin whispered over to the remaining thieves. "I'll keep Chrom busy. You two get out without getting caught." Akira didn't seem in the mood to sass him since he simply melted into the shadows, with Cloud following suit.
Robin quickly glanced around and grabbed the first weapon-like thing he could find. He knew how to buy those idiots some time.
Chrom squinted and observed the bushes. He could have sworn he had heard something. He turned suddenly, feeling a sudden change in the wind. Then there was the thud of the sliding door moving.
Kamek's tracking spell came to the forefront of his mind. He hadn't expected the thieves to be here, but his instincts told him they were.
He took a step backward, missing the broom that was swung at him. He caught the broom and tightened his grip as he stared down his attacker.
"Robin." The name left a bitter-sweet taste in his mouth.
His tactician gave him a smug grin. "Chrom." his voice still carries that playful lilt, "Good to see you've kept your edge."
"If you're here, then the others shouldn't be far." with one strong yank, he pulled the broom from Robin's hands.
Robin, seemingly unfazed, let Chrom take his weapon, "Who's to say." He made a motion to a broom just on the edge of Chrom's vision and called it over. The winds gathered it and sent it flying in Robin's direction. "I could have ditched them, you know."
Chrom scowled, "You wouldn't be trying to stall if that was the case."
"Maybe I wanted something else." he punctuated his statement by taking a fighting stance.
"And what would that be?" Chrom spun the broom in his own hands before taking a fighting stance of his own.
"Wouldn't you like to know, pretty boy." The taunt had the Exalt struggling to hold back a laugh. He was far too old to be called boy, let alone by the very definition of a pretty boy. However, he had no intention of going easy on his old tactician.
Akira cursed Leven's foresight. Had he known they would have been ambushed, he would have brought his clothes with him and left them by the fence. He had no idea how they managed to find him.
If this was all some poorly timed luck, then he had no idea what he did to deserve this. Aside from kidnapping the princesses, that didn't count.
Thankfully he and Cloud managed to get to the changing room without getting spotted. However, his luck ran really thin as they noticed someone already in the changing room.
Akira had no idea what King Turtle was doing here, but he conveniently did not look their way. And for once, Akira didn't feel like testing his luck.
Carefully they crawled along the wall. Ducking into any shadows, they could find in the small room. They grabbed their belongings and, as soundlessly as they could, bolted for the nearest window they could find.
That window, it seems, led to thick bushes that, while dense enough to hide them, didn't make for the most painless escape.
They decided to change into their clothes then, choosing to keep what little dignity he had left. It can't get any worse than this.
As they reached the boat, it seemed the gods heard his challenge and proved him wrong. Because standing there, nosing around their boat, was his archnemesis.
Robin knew his strikes wouldn't leave much of a scratch on Chrom, and he damn near cursed himself for even attempting to use a broom. Not because it wouldn't do any real damage. No, that was exclusively why he chose the broom. No, it was due to his lack of training with polearms.
He attempted to steady his stance, Byleth's training coming to the forefront of his mind. He knew his stance was amateur at best, but he tried desperately to hide that fact from the Exalt. He mirrored Chrom's stance and almost envied his other half's talent.
He rushed at Chrom with all he had, but it seemed far too slow for the Exalt, as he was countered almost immediately.
Chrom's years of training were on full display at that moment. In one swift motion, he stopped Robin mid-strike and effortlessly countered with a single powerful blow. Knocking the wind entirely from Robin's lungs.
Robin cursed to himself. Between the towel around his waist and the skill difference between him and Chrom when it came to lances, he was doubting any chance of getting out of this.
His skills were with swords and magic, yet here he was with a makeshift lance and no tomes. Meanwhile, Chrom had him outmatched in experience in this field.
Chrom rushed him with a flurry of jabs. Robin was quick to dive out of the way, keen to keep the air in his lungs. He winced as he heard the wood crack a bit under the force of one of those jabs hitting a rock.
If only he could get his hands on a sword, he could outspeed the Ylissean King. He was always a bit nimbler than Chrom when it came to swords.
Then an idea rushed to the forefront of his mind.
He readjusted his stance, a more defensive stance. Images of Byleth's demonstrations with that monstrous axe, along with Akira and his Rebel's Guard, flashed into his mind. Chrom's eyes shone with recognition. "Where did you learn all this from?"
"My whole life doesn't revolve around you." Robin was careful to keep his footing, damning the towel around his waist as any strong motion could have it falling to the ground. "No matter how tempting that sounds," the last statement had slipped out in an absentminded whisper. Although, judging by the soft look Chrom gave him, it hadn't gone unheard.
"Lay down your weapon, Robin" Chrom tightened his grip despite the conflicted look on his face.
Robin dug his heels into the stone underfoot, fully determined to stand his ground. "You know I can't do that."
Chrom closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, "So be it."
Like a moth to a flame, Chrom fell right into his plot, charging forward and delivering a powerful barrage of jabs before swinging his makeshift lance down with all his might.
Robin blocked every strike, and just as he'd planned, his broom was snapped clean in two.
Lucina motioned Corrin over and playfully held up the photo tome. The Koopa princess swam up eagerly and embraced her as the Ylissean attempted to get the right angle. She couldn't help but notice the bright and absolutely beautiful smile from her girlfriend. Corrin, my girlfriend. The thought alone was almost surreal,
She was snapped out of her lovesick musings by a sudden crash sounding from the other side of the fence to their immediate left. She struggled to remember if that came from outside the hot springs or from the boys' side. Regardless, the resulting message was clear. They had to get back to the boat.
She heard a frustrated groan from the back where assumedly, Byleth was resting. Clearly frustrated with being woken up early from their nap, they didn't even bother to tell the girls to follow. Byleth didn't stop by the changing room to grab their clothes, clearly driven by blind irritation.
Corrin and Lucina were more careful about dressing themselves before leaving the hot spring.
Byleth's silent rage was evident as they rushed down the hallways. They had to step over the unconscious and cowering soldiers that had been patrolling the hallways when the mercenary came through.
Somehow they managed to beat Byleth to the boat, but not the others, it seemed. Leven and Cloud were fully dressed and watching off to the side as Akira wrestled that strangely large purple rabbit while muttering something about being the better thief.
The girls, much like the other two, just watched, as this whole situation was amusingly entertaining. That was until the snapping of twigs signaled the arrival of a very annoyed member of their team, one who, despite their trail of destruction, still radiated furious energy.
Cloud seeming to understand the situation, pulled Akira off the rabbit. And despite the embodiment of rage quickly approaching him, he still insisted on acting like a stay cat being carried.
That was until Byleth reached the large rabbit and, with one arm, lifted and flung it off into the vast and dense forest. Its path through the trees was left behind.
Akira, either terrified by Byleth's power or rage, simply hopped back into the boat and motioned for them to climb on. "Come on. Your dads are at the hot springs. Let's get out of here."
That had everyone rushing into the boat, but as Akira raised the sail, Lucina couldn't help but notice someone was missing. "Where's Robin?"
Akira gave her a dismissive wave, "He can fly. He'll catch up."
Chrom should have expected something like this. The second Robin's broom snapped, it was as if he was fighting someone completely different.
Robin, in one fluid motion, tossed the broom's head at him, and though he sidestepped it, he wasn't prepared for the flurry of strikes from Robin's makeshift sword. Robin just has to be so damned clever. Chrom couldn't hold back a smirk as Robin gave him all he had.
Robin's agility was by far his best attribute. The way he moved with the very wind made him infuriating to hit, even with Chrom's superior range. However, despite Robin falling into a more familiar fighting style, he was unable to land a solid hit on Chrom.
Chrom could see Robin's frustration rising as he blocked most of his strikes, and whenever a counter from Chrom landed, it would leave him breathless. He knew Robin was trying a battle of attrition, but he must have forgotten that his stamina was more than Robin could handle.
Robin was already starting to show his exhaustion, "Tired?"
"Bite me," the way the mage growled through clenched teeth left a playful spark in Chrom's heart. Maybe the sparing had sparked something inside him.
As Robin was, despite all his bravado, he was still susceptible to playful teasing, and Chrom felt it was his turn, "Don't tempt me. I just might."
The way Robin's face reddened was enough to let Chrom know he was winning this mental battle. His tactician started taking small steps backward, perhaps trying to buy his time and recover his energy.
Chrom approached him, and for every step he took, Robin took another step back. Chrom took lazy jabs at Robin, keen on luring him into the wall on the other side of the Hotspring.
That was until, in one of Robin's dive-rolls away, his towel had decided that, at that moment, it would let go.
And the fight stopped completely.
"Are you going to … pick that up?" Chrom prayed his face didn't betray his thoughts.
"So you can catch me when my back is turned, no thank you." Maybe it was their shared past that kept Robin so cool-headed despite being completely exposed.
"Just pick it up and keep your dignity." Honestly, it was because Chrom admittedly couldn't focus under these conditions.
"The thing is-" Robin reached downwards and carefully picked up the towel.
"I'm a Sheperd-" Then he hurled it at Chrom. "We don't do anything with dignity!"
Chrom was blinded at that moment, but he wasn't going to let Robin get away with beginning up that memory, "Can you just let me live that down!"
"Never!" Chrom heard the sound of a sliding door and, without hesitation, dropped his broom and bolted forward. Tackling and pinning down someone almost immediately.
It turned out that that wall was actually a sliding door as when Chrom managed to shake off the towel, he found himself in one of the hot springs designated inns, and thankfully Robin was pinned down underneath him.
"You're not going to stab me with lightning again, are you?" He made sure to keep Robin's hands above his head.
"I mean," Robin made a weak attempt to get out of Chrom's grip, "I would if I could." Despite his words, Robin was smirking. He's being cheeky again.
The longer Chrom looked at Robin, the worse everything got especially when Robin started blushing too. "Well, you caught me." The playful tone made it harder for Chrom to keep focused, "What do we do now?"
The obvious answer seemed far from his mind. All he could think about was Robin. The way the light made his eyes gleam gold, the way his hair shone silver. The way his blush seemed all too prevalent on his pale skin.
"Chrom?" the way Robin said his name made his heart squeeze. If Robin simply asked to be let go, Chrom wouldn't be able to refuse.
Chrom only realized he had let Robin's arms go when a hand caressed his face. He closed his eyes, ready to be struck by lightning magic again. But as the other hand trailed down his chest, he was all too aware of the featherlight touch along the darkened burn he had left behind. Only then did he open his eyes.
There were tears in those deep golden pools, and despite all his anger and fear, Chrom couldn't bear to see his other half this way. And he pulled him into his tight embrace.
Robin returned the embrace then and pressed together this way, Chrom felt young again. When he and Robin made eye contact again, it was as if nothing had changed.
Tenderly he cupped Robin's cheek. Robin softly closed his eyes and closed the distance between them. At that moment, everything was perfect.
AN/ I'm absolutely sorry for the huge hiatus I went on. I got stuck on Corrin and Luci's scenes and even added Marth's scene in hopes of getting back into the groove. Needless to say, it didn't ultimately help, and Corrin's section took three attempted rewrites for me to actually finish it. Don't even get me started on the Chrobin fight scene, and yes, I did have to segment it in order to be able to make it less intimidating. And I mean … it worked. Also, just as a quick reminder, I base all of the characters' fighting styles/weapon mastery off both Super Smash Brothers and Fire Emblem Heros. That's why Robin and Chrom both know how to use spears/lances. As for Shulk being able to heal … that was pulled from Xenoblade Chronicles 1. In which he has a starting ability called Light heal. It's not much, and he gets outclassed later, but it is in his skillset, so … bleh. Occasionally I'll pull from canon, but only if it's convenient. Also, fun fact, that last scene with Chrom and Robin was supposed to be spicy, but I ended up drowning in feels, so … yeah. This chapter was also supposed to have another scene that I moved.
~ (6/28/23)