Ana's Frederick x female Robin (and related) Awakening One-shots

[Anacybele]

With the attention Frederick's been getting lately between the summer banner in FE Heroes and his reveal for FE Warriors, I started feeling like writing something with him in it again! Here's a one-shot about my Robin's crush on him, some time before they were engaged or married. :3

I would've liked a better title, but this is the best I could come up with. But hope you like the story anyway. ^^ Feedback thread is here.

A Tactical Crush

 

Sunset was nearing in the land of Ylisse as afternoon sunlight overlooked a camp established by a group of warriors near a wooded area. Inside the medical tent, which was in the camp’s center, a teenage girl with blonde pigtails and a poofy dress and hoop skirt sat on a cot with a young woman, wrapping a bandage around her right wrist. The young woman wore a dark purple robe and a teal curled ponytail draped behind her.

“Wow, thank you for helping me, Lissa,” the woman said. “When I twisted my wrist in that battle back there, I wasn’t sure if I’d get out of there in one piece. I need that hand to use my weapons!”

“You ended up with a bunch of cuts after that Risen got to you too,” Lissa replied. “But no problem, Kelli! Treating wounds is why I’m here!”

“And you do a great job of it!” Kelli complimented with a smile.

“Aw, thanks!”

Lissa finished tying off the bandage as she spoke.

“This should do it. Just don’t put too much strain on your wrist and it should feel better in no time.”

“Great! Thanks again,” Kelli replied.

“Of course! You can always count on me when stuff like that happens!”

“Heh, right! It’s a good thing Frederick was nearby too, though,” Kelli remembered. “If it wasn’t for him, that Risen might’ve done worse! I dropped my sword and my tome when it knocked me backwards!”

 “Oh, I saw! Frederick never hesitated either. He chopped that Risen to pieces, scooped you up, put you on his horse, and that was that!”

“Heh, yeah. He does a lot of things to help everyone, I notice. Especially you and Chrom.”

“Yep, that’s Frederick for you. I swear, he never takes a break for anything! He’s always doing something, whether it’s patrolling, fighting, or picking up those pebbles! I wonder if he ever actually gets tired or goes to sleep!”

“I’m sure he sleeps,” Kelli said with a chuckle. “Though yeah, it doesn’t always seem like he does. But you know…I have to admire how hard Frederick works. And he’s very sweet in his own ways. He must be very strong to do what he does while wearing all that armor too! And he’s so handsome on top of that…”

Kelli soon noticed Frederick himself, still fully donned in the armor she mentioned, walk past the entrance to the tent. He appeared to be patrolling, as he usually did at camp. She watched him disappear past the tent.

“You and Chrom are lucky to have him, I would say,” Kelli finished.

At this, Lissa couldn’t prevent a punchy grin from forming on her features. She let out a giggle.

“Oooooh!” she babbled excitedly. “I get it now! You have a crush on Frederick!”

Kelli’s face went beet red at these words, her eyes widening.

“What?! I-I do not!” she denied, turning her head away.

“Hee hee, yes you do! Yes you do!” Lissa chimed. “I see it now! I thought I saw you go pink after he picked you up! And before that, I’ve seen you spend some time with him!”

“I was doing him a favor!” Kelli protested. “Why would I love him anyway? He’s also way too serious and overprotective! And…and…he acts like a jerk sometimes!”

“Aw, you’re just making stuff up!” Lissa insisted. “I can tell, and I know you love him! You’ve gotta tell him how you feel!”

“I’m not making anything up! Frederick does act like a jerk sometimes!”

“But you don’t really think he is one! Hee hee, you love him, you love him!”

“Lissa, cut it out!”

“You still have to go tell him! He needs to know! You won’t ever know if he loves you too if you don’t!”

“There isn’t anything for him to know!”

“But there is! If you’re not going to tell him, I’ll tell him for you! Hee hee!”

Lissa then stood up and made for the camp.

“Lissa, don’t you dare!” Kelli ordered. Lissa didn’t listen, however, and dashed out of the tent.

“LISSA, COME BACK HERE!!” Kelli hollered as she ran after her.

Lissa could only laugh as she kept several feet away from Kelli, who was trying to run and nurse her wrist at the same time. Both noticed Frederick turn a corner up ahead. Kelli called Lissa’s name again, but she kept running, and soon stopped paying attention to where she was going. Kelli was focused too much on catching up with her. Neither noticed that they were approaching Frederick quickly. By the time Lissa turned her attention back to in front of her, it was too late.

“AH!” she gasped. Within seconds, she slammed into Frederick’s armored backside, with Kelli sandwiching her there.

“ACK!” Kelli blurted.

“Agh! What in the—?!” Frederick spoke up, having been jerked forward a little. He turned around to see Lissa and Kelli lying on the ground, with the former having landed on top of the latter.

“Owwww,” Lissa uttered, rubbing the side of her face where it collided with Frederick’s armor.

“Milady! Kelli!” Frederick said and immediately helped the two up. “Are you both alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Yeah, we’re fine,” Lissa replied. “Sorry…”

“What she said,” Kelli seconded. “Glad I didn’t land on my bad wrist.”

“Well, what in the name of Naga were you doing?!” Frederick continued, brushing Lissa’s dress off. “Neither of you should be running through camp like that. Especially when you’re still recovering, Kelli.”

He then proceeded to wipe Kelli’s robe as well.

“Well, uh…” Kelli began, desperately trying to think of an answer.

“We were…um…” Lissa uttered. “…Playing a game! We got a little bored and were racing to see who could find you first since you’re always patrolling!”

“…Oh, yeah!” Kelli agreed, trying hard not to let herself go red again, but likely failing.

Frederick could only raise an eyebrow at this.

“…That is a strange game. But whatever pleases you, I suppose,” he said. “Also, Kelli, you’re looking a little pink and sweaty. You might want to see if you’re getting a fever. The Shepherds can’t have their tactician falling ill.”

Damn it! Kelli chastised in her head.

“If either of you would like me to collect any medicinal herbs, I shall do so!” Frederick offered.

“…Oh, n-no, that won’t be necessary,” Kelli insisted. “I think we have some somewhere.”

“Well, should you ever need my help, I’m here. Just…approach me in a safer manner next time, please.”

“R-Right.”

“We will, Frederick!” Lissa assured.

Frederick nodded and then resumed his patrolling. Once he was out of earshot, Kelli found herself gazing upon him. Even from behind, he looked…good. Lissa couldn’t help but shoot a punchy grin at Kelli again.

“You blushed! I saw it! And you’re gazing! See, you do have a crush on him! You do!”

“Lissa, stop it already!” Kelli protested. “But…thanks for not actually telling him that, by the way. I honestly thought you were about to.”

“Oh, yeah, that. I never actually was going to,” Lissa admitted. “I only made you think that to get you to do it instead. I like having fun that way. I’m sorry if that upset you.”

“Ah, I see. Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you came up with an explanation there as quickly as you did.”

“No problem!”

“But…even if I did love Frederick, why would he ever love me back? He doesn’t even seem to fully trust me yet, despite that favor I mentioned and such.”

“Weeeell, how about how quick he was to help you earlier? I’m not sure I’ve seen him move so fast!” Lissa said, though she wasn’t entirely sure if that was true. She did want to boost Kelli’s confidence, however. Lissa always felt that Frederick would benefit from a pretty girl loving him. A girlfriend or wife would surely help get his bad habits under control, at the very least. And Kelli definitely did love him, Lissa was positive of that, and the tactician seemed like the kind of person who could handle Frederick. She wanted them to be together someday no matter what.

“That was probably because you and Chrom actually do trust me,” Kelli replied. “Frederick probably thought you both would have his hide if he just left me there.”

“Heh, tell you what!” Lissa decided. “I’ll see if I notice him paying any kind of special attention to you! I still think you do love him and I’d love to help you win him over!”

“Lissa, you do realize we’re talking about Frederick, don’t you? He thought my blush was a fever!”

“…Yeah, he’ll be a tough nut to crack, I won’t deny that. But he can fall for someone! I’m sure of it!”

“Well, do as you want, I guess. I’m going to continue working on battle plans.”

“Oh, okay then! But anything you want me to do to get Frederick’s attention for you, just name it! And you better eventually tell him you love him someday!”

With that, Lissa walked off, probably still giggling. Kelli sighed and made for her tent. She soon saw Frederick past some other tents again, his hands always behind his back as he patrolled. Kelli paused and smiled.

“Oh, Frederick. I guess I can’t really deny it anymore thanks to Lissa, huh? I do love you!” she said to herself. “Even if you were a jerk sometimes, I really think you’re very wonderful. I only hope that someday you can trust me more and understand that. Even if you don’t love me back…”

Kelli merely sighed and continued for her tent. Like she had said, how could someone who was taking plenty of time to even trust her ever love her?

Edited August 2, 2017 by Anacybele

[Anacybele]

Okay, I've decided to make this a little series since I'm enjoying this right now. ^^ Here's the next one-shot! This one is about the reunion between Kelli and the Shepherds after Grima is defeated. It follows the ending where Robin/the Avatar deals the final blow. It focuses a lot on Frederick and Kelli's love for each other, and future one-shots probably won't have that big a focus, but I hope you enjoy! I might make a feedback thread for this sometime, but for now, feedback can go in here.

 

Everlasting Love

"Kelli! No!" Chrom shouted, his tone implicating some fear.

"KELLI!" Frederick bellowed, practically leaping off of Sir Kieran as he rushed to his wife, whose body looked more and more transparent.

"Kelli, you can't do this! This can't happen!" he continued, taking Kelli into his arms. Even though she was fading, she was still solid enough for him to hold her.

"There has to be another way!"

"Frederick, I'm sorry..." Kelli said, almost in a whisper, as she was growing weak. "I could not allow Grima to endanger anyone again... But thank you, my love...and Chrom, for...everything... Tell the others...my last thoughts were of all of you... May we meet again, in a better life..."

"Kelli...!" Frederick uttered shakily, his eyes welding up.

"I love you...Frederick..."

Kelli rose to her tip toes, and as soon as her lips touched the skin of Frederick's cheek, she had disappeared. Before Frederick could comprehend it, the woman he loved above everything was gone.

"Kelli! No! Ah, gods! NO!" Chrom shouted again.

Frederick had only half paid attention to his lord. His legs began to feel like gelatin as tears began to fall down his cheeks. It wasn't long before he uttered Kelli's name again and fell to his knees, striking the ground with both fists...as a scream of agony and pain left his lips.

The day was normal. As normal as it could've been, anyway. The Shepherds, a militia type force for the halidom of Ylisse, were making some usual rounds in the countryside. They did this ensure that the Ylissean people would remain safe. A large war had ended only several months before, and recovery was still in progress. With war comes destruction and casualties, so there were reconstruction efforts and wounded people had to be treated. The Shepherds played a major role in this war, having gathered more troops to fight a powerful enemy. That enemy had been the Fell Dragon, Grima. He was a god-like being who'd slept for centuries before awakening to attempt to destroy the world. And the Shepherds had to do everything in their power to stop him, which they had done.

They were led by Ylisse's own crown prince, Chrom, who was now Exalt and king. Nowadays, the Shepherds had another leader, however, in the case that Chrom had duties that would prevent him from going on a mission with them. This was Frederick, the knight captain who was also in charge of training and commanding new recruits. Ever since the war ended, they had been trying to recruit more soldiers so Ylisse could have a proper army that could defend it in the future if need be.

However, Frederick now rode his great warhorse, Sir Kieran, with a heart heavier than his large, light blue and silver armor could ever be, as that war hadn't ended without great tragedy. His shoulders sagged a lot, his somewhat unruly brown hair seemed even unrulier than usual, and he often found himself staring at the ground without even realizing. And at times, tears fell from his chestnut eyes. For he was burdened with the greatest pain caused by this tragedy.

His beloved wife had been lost.

The woman he'd utterly lost his heart to and later placed a ring upon the finger of was gone almost before his very eyes. Kelli had been the Shepherds' keen tactician and a helpful ally in battle. Frederick, as he always would have, had done everything he could to protect her while they fought. After all, when he had proposed to her, he vowed that he would defend her until death did them part. He loved her more than anything in the world, and she held the same deep love for him. She had even loved him before he knew that he would ever feel the same for her. Kelli would often mention how sweet, strong, and handsome Frederick was. That he was a gentleman who worked harder than anyone so he could help take care of everyone. She also had her own special nickname for Frederick, "Freddy Bear."

At first, this had annoyed Frederick, but after seeing how much Kelli was enamored with him, and later how he was falling for her in return, he no longer minded it. It made her happy and it always showed just how much she cared for him. I would give anything to hear her call me that again now... Frederick thought to himself.

Kelli never minded helping Frederick with his duties either. She always wanted to spend time with him when she wasn't working on battle plans or other tasks she did on her own. They often sparred together too, though there were times here where the spars ended in lip-locking on the ground rather than with a winner and loser. And also rather often, someone would find them this way, usually Chrom or his sister, Lissa. Lissa would giggle out loud, causing the couple to go redder than tomatoes. Chrom would simply stand there and watch with a goofy smile on his face until the couple finally noticed him, and Frederick would quickly dart to his feet in an attempt to look professional. This would always make Kelli laugh.

That was another thing she so loved about Frederick. He could make her laugh that way even though he wasn't even trying. Frederick had never been one to attempt to be funny, and yet while some of his habits would only aggravate some others, Kelli would only chuckle. She thought he was cute this way.

Through the months since the war's end, Frederick would remember many other moments with his wife as well. He remembered when they had been married in Ylisstol's grand cathedral, and he had needed some convincing to go on a honeymoon rather than stay at the palace in Ylisse's capital of Ylisstol and help Chrom and Lissa. But was he ever glad he had been convinced. It hadn't been without some trouble, as the two had been attacked by a mysterious sorcerer named Phantom who claimed to have been the man Kelli was originally supposed to marry. But Frederick defeated him, even though he had been beaten to a pulp in doing so, and Kelli remained safe and him her only love. And she went on to show him what a good time was. Frederick had never realized how nice it had been to actually take a break from his usual duties for a little while. Now he was a little more willing to take a rest once in awhile to recharge himself.

He would also remember how before they were engaged, Kelli had helped him overcome an aversion to certain gamey meats, most particularly bear meat. He asked her this favor after he helped her train a few times. And now Frederick could eat bear and other gamey meats without wanting to lean into a toilet and empty his stomach. It was after this that he proposed to Kelli too. It wasn't the most romantic way to do it, but Kelli hadn't cared. She'd already been in love with him for some time.

He would also remember how they eventually talked about possibly having children one day too. Frederick was never sure what kind of father he would be, but he would have done his best to be an excellent one. And Kelli would have made a wonderful mother.

And of course, Frederick remembered all the battles they fought together.

Such memories could bring a small smile to Frederick's face, and it was probably the one thing that kept him going. But it also prevented him from truly being happy again. They day the Shepherds had found out who Kelli truly was had only been the beginning of a horror story that was to come. It turned out that she had been conceived and born to be the vessel for Grima. And as such, she was essentially a form of the dragon himself. During the final battle, Naga had warned the group that they had two choices once Grima had been weakened. Chrom could deliver the final blow with his divine sword, the Falchion, to put Grima back into a long time slumber. ...Or Kelli could deliver the final blow and destroy Grima all together...along with herself. For the only way to destroy Grima, was for Grima to destroy himself. And since Kelli was Grima in a way, she would take her own life as well.

And that was the choice she had made. To ensure that Grima would never again endanger this world or any other.

To Frederick, this was the most selfless thing one could ever do, and it was one thing that made him love Kelli the way he did. She thought of others before herself. But it still didn't prevent her death from being the equivalent to a blade through his heart.

Chrom and Lissa assured him of what the divine dragon Naga had also told them, that if Kelli's ties with them had been strong enough, she would live. And Frederick did his best to believe that she was not truly gone.

Unfortunately, this did not appear to be the case.

Days turned into weeks, and then months. Frederick had committed himself to searching the continent for his wife, even the neighboring land of Valm across the sea, if he had to. Yet he could never find Kelli. He'd question people about where she might be or if they'd seen her. But no one could give him the answers he wanted to hear. Chrom and Lissa's hopes also were dying down because of this. Frederick hadn't wanted to give up at the time, but he wasn't doing him or anyone any favors by wandering off on hopeless journeys. At times, he'd be gone so long that when he returned, he had a full beard on his chin and the first thing he did was shave it. Frederick would've never kept a beard, or at least one like the ones he ended up with. He was too professional and proper.

And yet, Chrom and Lissa did try their best to raise his spirits.

"Frederick, please stop moping like this," Lissa said. "Kelli wouldn't have ever wanted you to!"

"Lissa's right, Frederick," Chrom seconded. "Kelli would be upset to see you like this. We're all sad that our bond with her failed, but... We have to be strong for her."

Frederick admitted they were right. But it wasn't easy. This still hurt like a stab to the chest. Because it basically meant that he didn't love Kelli enough. Even though he'd tried to give her all the love he could possibly have for her.

After a couple months passed with no sign of Kelli, the Shepherds had decided to erect a beautiful grave stone for her in the royal cemetery, even though she was not buried. She would be honored as a heroine this way. Frederick placed flowers upon it every week. And a few big bouquets of them when her birthday had come around.

Yet as time passed, Frederick found it hard to concentrate on his duties. Sometimes he'd randomly tear up while trying to train soldiers or doing chores in the palace.  He'd also sometimes cry himself to sleep at night, knowing Kelli would not be lying there in his arms anymore. In the morning, he'd wake up, wanting to kiss his wife good morning...only to be unable to. He'd fidget with his wedding ring at times too, though he would never take it off except to bathe or when he had to wear his armor. And when he wore his armor, he kept the ring in a safe pouch on Sir Kieran's saddlebag. Frederick could never love another woman the way he loved Kelli. She was his one and only. And she was gone.

And one day, Frederick went to Chrom and Lissa with words that he and no one else would've ever expected him to say.

"Milord. Milady," he began. "I...I wish...to resign."

All either Chrom or Lissa could say to this at first was, "What?!"

"I am serious," Frederick said.

"...Frederick, I can't allow that," Chrom protested.

"But milord... I find I simply can't function. I'm no good to you in this state. The pain...it hurts too much. I feel you would be better off with a new bodyguard and captain who wouldn't have such burdens. And so, I would like to return to my parents in our village."

"Frederick! No!" Lissa spoke up, sniffling. "You can't leave us too! You're not just our knight, you're our friend! You're like a best friend and a second big brother to me!"

"Thank you, milady... But I feel I am only hindering you and milord by being hampered with grief and sorrow."

"Frederick, we understand what you're going through," Chrom assured. "But you're not going anywhere and that's an order. It's as Lissa said. You're our friend just as Kelli was, and we would be sad to see you leave."

"I understand, but..."

"Frederick! What about Ralph? Your own best friend who looks up to you and thinks of you like a mentor. Would you leave him behind?" Chrom continued. "Your parents would be disappointed in you for giving up your dream too, wouldn't they? And I don't even want to know how your sister would react. And most importantly, Kelli. Do you think she would ever want you to leave us?"

"I..." Frederick began, but couldn't find an answer. "...No. I would think not."

"And don't forget what Chrom and I told you before!" Lissa continued. "We have to be strong for Kelli!"

They were right. Frederick's closest friend from childhood, Ralph, had been training in the palace to become a knight of sorts himself after Frederick and Kelli had found him during their honeymoon. It had been a whopping fourteen years since Frederick had last seen him due to Ralph having gone into hiding when his family went into poverty. Now Ralph's skills with a sword were sharpening, and he also had an extraordinary vocal talent that aided the Shepherds and brought smiles to people everywhere. Ralph even often tried to cheer Frederick up with his songs, but even a smile made from his voice was only temporary for the knight. And Frederick's parents, James and Marie, had supported their son for years as he rose in the ranks of knighthood after dreaming of it since he was a boy and after their family held the tradition of serving the royal family for generations. They would be upset with him, without a doubt. Frederick's younger sister, Isabelle, might've hated him. And Kelli...she'd probably have yelled at him for practically running away. Frederick couldn't believe he hadn't thought of these things.

"I shall try to be stronger. For them, milord and milady," Frederick decided. "Still...I apologize for any inconvenience I've caused you."

"Nonsense, Frederick. Don't worry. Like I said, we understand," Chrom repeated.

Frederick nodded and returned to his duties. From then on, he tried his hardest to think more about Kelli being proud of him instead of succumbing to sadness so often. It wasn't easy, but he tried.

But on days like this, that figurative blade did its best to drive itself through Frederick's chest again. As the group traveled, they came to a very familiar area not too far from the border of neighboring Plegia.

It was the area where they had first met Kelli. She had been lying unconscious in the grass, and when she awoke, she had no memories. Frederick hadn't trusted her at first. For she somehow knew Chrom's name, but not her own for a moment. And she could remember battle tactics, but nothing else. It was suspicious. They hadn't gotten off on the right foot due to this, and Kelli even sometimes said he acted like a jerk because he refused to trust her even though the others did after she had helped them in battle after battle. Frederick always felt bad for this, even though Kelli definitely forgave him for it later. She did eventually fall head over heels for him, after all. But he would always regret the way he'd treated her, even if it was a small regret.

And every time the Shepherds passed this area, Frederick felt some of the pain return to him. As he guided Sir Kieran, he grew distracted with these thoughts, not seeing Chrom and Lissa rush ahead at first. They had noticed something strange, yet oddly very familiar, lying in the grass. It looked like...a blob of dark purple, and a hint of teal blue.

"Frederick!" Lissa called moments later, snapping the knight out of his trance. "Come over here! Hurry up!"

"Huh? Milady, what is all the shouting for?" Frederick wondered, trotting over.

Within seconds, he jerked Sir Kieran to a sudden halt. His eyes grew wide when he saw just what Chrom and Lissa had found in the grass. And it seemed far too good to be true.

It was her.

Her beautiful teal blue curled ponytail cascaded behind her back. Her purple, gold embroidered robe was still on her back and shoulders. And she stood there, looking only at her husband after she had greeted Chrom and Lissa. Lissa's blonde pigtails bounced up and down as she jumped with joy, her hoop skirt underneath her dress almost sounding like it was about to break. Chrom's storm blue hair waved in the breeze as he gestured Frederick to come forward.

Finally, Frederick leaped off Sir Kieran, almost falling over in the process, and rushed over.

"Kelli...!" he greeted, scooping her into his arms and hugging her tight.

She was real. She was very real!

Frederick couldn't help himself as he lifted his wife off the ground and happily took her into a spin. She was back! ...But there was one question going through Frederick's mind.

"Kelli..." he said as he then put her down. "Do you...remember me? Or any of us?"

"...I do, Frederick," she replied, her eyes turning glassy. "Don't worry. I didn't lose any of my memories this time."

She then showed him her left hand. Both her engagement ring and her wedding ring were still there.

"These are still here too," she said with a smile.

"Oh... Kelli!" Frederick uttered, still having trouble finding words. "I...I...I've missed you so...!"

"I know, my love...!" Kelli replied, burying herself in Frederick's chest plate even though it wasn't that comfortable. "I won't lie, I was frightened. I wasn't sure where I was going when I was vanishing... And then I woke up here just like I did when we met! With Chrom and Lissa standing over me. At first I thought I'd been sent back in time and it would be you all that wouldn't remember me! But then I saw that Grima's mark wasn't on my hand anymore."

"...You're right, it isn't!" Frederick realized. "This means you're free of him and his power. It's over. It's truly over."

"It is. How long have I been here? It seems like it was only a few minutes, maybe hours..."

"Actually...it's been almost six months," Chrom revealed.

"...Huh?! But how?!" Kelli gasped. "Nobody could survive that long without food or water or anything!"

"Hmm..." Frederick wondered. "Maybe you did actually travel through time then. Six months ahead."

"Really? But how could I? I don't know any spells to do that," Kelli pointed out.

"I don't mean in the literal sense. I can only think that it simply took six months for you to physically reappear after ridding yourself of Grima's power. I'm not sure why."

"Yeah, what Frederick said," Chrom agreed. "None of us are sure. But there are just some things that nobody can explain. They just happen."

"Well...even though it seems like it's only been minutes," Kelli continued. "I feel as if I haven't seen in any of you in ages! It does make sense that more time did go by. And you're right. Some things just remain a mystery."

"And Kelli... I'm just so glad to have you back!" Frederick repeated, tears building up in his eyes again. They fell down his cheeks as he embraced his wife once more.

"Oh Frederick...me too!" Kelli sniffled. "I bet it was your love combined with everyone's friendship here that helped bring me back. It was just as Naga said."

"Yes...just as she'd said. And words cannot describe how much I missed you and wished to find you again... I searched all over, and even made a voyage to Valm to look there."

"Oh..."

"And the pain grew so much that...I tried to give up my knighthood."

Kelli's mouth dropped open upon hearing this, unable to say anything at first.

"He's not lying," Chrom said.

"Nope!" Lissa added.

"...What?! Frederick! I can't believe you!" Kelli then scolded. "You can absolutely never do such a ridiculous thing! That's not the man I love at all! But I'm guessing Chrom and Lissa talked you out of it."

Just as Frederick had figured, his wife was indeed yelling at him for that.

"Yes, they did. And I'm glad they did," Frederick confirmed. "They made me realize I was being preposterous. I was letting my grief get to me far too much."

"You definitely did. I'm glad you listened to them."

"Me too. I can't wait until we can tell Ralph, Isabelle, and my parents that you've returned! They'll be so overjoyed! Ralph is back at the palace right now preparing for a performance, so he didn't come with us today."

"Oh yes, they certainly will! It'll be exciting!"

"Indeed. But Kelli... I am just extremely thankful and happy right now. To have you in my arms again after so long..."

"I am too! I can't put the feeling into words..."

"Neither can I... And I will love you with all my heart for as long as time goes on."

"And I'll always love you that much too, Freddy Bear. More than anything."

"Anything..."

At that moment, Kelli couldn't resist leaping to her husband's eye level, clinging to the back of his armor, and pressing her lips against his for the first time in what felt like forever. Frederick made no hesitation to return the gesture as he held onto her as tightly as he could. And they did not let go for a long, long time. It was a bit awkward, as Frederick's armor was still not comfortable as usual, and Frederick was always at least a head taller than Kelli, often forcing her to stand on her tip toes to kiss him, but they didn't care. All that mattered was that they were together again. And that their love continued to last.

"Awww..." Lissa spoke up a moment later, a big smile donning her features. She was the happiest she'd ever been for the couple before her.

"We should give them some space," Chrom suggested, a tear coming to his own eye. "They deserve it after what they've been through."

"Oh, yes!" Lissa agreed.

The other Shepherds voiced their happiness for Kelli's return, and Chrom assured that they'd all get their chance to talk with her later as they left the still lip-locking couple alone. By this time, Frederick was sitting in the grass with Kelli atop his lap anyway. He had probably lost his balance while holding her against him and tumbled over. Kelli had slipped her hands around her husband's neck. Lissa could only giggle as the rest of the group further distanced themselves from them.

A moment later, Vaike, a somewhat irresponsible axe wielder with wild blonde hair and tanned skin, grinned.

"So!" he said. "Who wants to bet how long it'll take for those two to start ripping their clothes and armor off and going at it right there?"

Chrom and Lissa merely looked at him stupefied. Everyone else also just gave him looks that said something along the lines of "are you crazy?"

"...Vaike, are you an idiot?" Chrom retorted.

"What? We'd get a good seat! And I'd totally pay to see Frederick do the dance with no pants!" Vaike said with a punchy smile.

"...Are you serious?" Lissa wondered in annoyance.

"Oh! Of all the inappropriate ideas!" Maribelle, Lissa's best friend, retorted in disgust. She quickly turned her head away while guiding her horse, her blonde curls flipping behind her. She was a proper lady as the member of a noble house.

"...Awkward," Stahl, a rather scatterbrained knight with messy dark green hair uttered.

"Vaike, how about no? Do you want them to beat us down and make us pick up pebbles for a month?" Chrom said. "And besides, they'd probably spend more time getting that armor off Frederick than actually doing what you're talking about anyway. Now come on!"

Chrom then yanked Vaike away by his metal collar and motioned the others to follow.

"And if you suggest something stupid like that again, you're sleeping outside with my horse!" Sully, Vaike's fiery red-headed wife, threatened. She was a tough woman and knight who kept her hair sporty and short.

Frederick and Kelli hadn't paid any attention or heard a word of this, as they were too enveloped in their affection. They were simply overjoyed to be together again, and just as in love as they always had been, perhaps even more so.

Edited July 22, 2017 by Anacybele

[Anacybele]

Time for one-shot number 3! We see the return of an old friend from my short fic Happy Together in this one: Winfrey! He's probably better understood if you read that fic first, but yeah. Also, I think I'll make a feedback thread for this, actually, that'll also serve as a feedback thread for my DoD one-shots.

 

Frederick's Search

 

A heavy rain poured over a small town in northeastern Ylisse. There was no lightning or thunder, but it felt like there should've been. Even so, it wasn't stopping a small tavern in town from getting business, as it was midday and some people were looking for lunch or shelter from the downpour. It was the T-Bone Tavern, known mainly for t-bone steaks, but also had other delights. It wasn't the fanciest establishment, but it was decently modest anyway, with clean wooden counters and tables and fine decor sporting a theme of bulls and wild game.

Which was rather ironic for the cloaked man that just entered, the little bell above the main door jingling as he opened it. Dripping from head to toe, he threw off his reddish brown hood to reveal a brown mop of hair that had been dampened by rain seeping through the hood's fabric. The cloak didn't appear to be anything special, but beneath it, the man wore a simple suit made of a white shirt, black bow tie, and smooth dark blue pants. The bow tie was loose, though, and his clothing slightly dirty. His brown eyes paid no real attention to no one as he moved a few strands of wet hair from his face and sat down on a stool at the counter.

"I'll just have a couple chicken legs," he said to the slightly heavyset waiter behind it. He fidgeted with the wedding band on his left ring finger as he began waiting for his food.

Two seats away, a man around the same bulk as the cloaked one turned his head towards him. He was garbed in a type of outfit usually worn by experienced axe wielding warriors in the country. A large furry collar with armor covering the arms and legs. A thin dark red shirt was worn, but did not cover the abdomen. This particular warrior also wore a helmet with two bull-like horns protruding from it. It mostly covered his eyes. He removed it after turning his attention to the man and blinked when he saw who was sitting near him.

"...Sir Frederick? Is that you?" he said.

Frederick was snapped out of a trance he had gone into and nearly fell off his stool. He jerked around to see who had said his name and was just about as surprised.

"Winfrey?" he replied. "This is a surprise..."

"It certainly is," Winfrey agreed. "What are you doing in a place like this? I'd have expected you to eat at more...well, pleasing establishments. This place isn't bad, but it's certainly no fancy cafe or restaurant either."

"Hm... Well, I might ask the same of you," Frederick pointed out. "Aren't you still a wealthy festival owner?"

"Shhh!" Winfrey beckoned. "Point taken. But I...guess I didn't tell you last time we met. But my...side job as a warrior isn't known to many. In fact, you might say I have an alter ego in Azura. They call me the Azura Warrior. But no one there except for a select few know that I'm that warrior."

"Oh. I think I remember something like that, actually. You didn't mention it, Tara did while we were on Altea Island," Frederick recalled. "She asked you what people in Azura would think if they knew of your other activities."

"Ah, yes. As she implied, I'm afraid of what they might think..." Winfrey admitted. "That they could say it's not fitting for someone like me to be fighting bloody battles. Maybe even fear me for my ability and wealth. People with money and power are capable of a lot, you know. It takes a strong and sensible person not to let it go to their head."

"Mm. Indeed," Frederick replied. "I see. I suppose it's understandable."

"I would hope. And as for why I'm here, it's to sort of keep my cover. I never know who may have also come from Azura," Winfrey continued. "And I like to bring word of my festival all over the continent. Of course, I change out of this garb when I do."

"Ah, makes sense. The Heroes Festival in Azura is quite grand," Frederick commented, his eyes beginning to grow glassy. He had fond, yet now sad memories of that festival.

"Are you alright? You look a little disheveled too. And you have yet to tell me why you're here."

"Right... I'm sorry... I'm...searching for my wife."

Frederick sniffled as he spoke his words.

"...Kelli? What? I heard something had happened to her, but I didn't get all of the details. What do you mean?"

"She's...gone. It appears that she's actually dead. But there's a chance she's alive out there somewhere. It's...rather complicated," Frederick continued. "You know about the Fell Dragon, Grima, right?"

Winfrey nodded, and beckoned Frederick to continue.

"Well, Kelli was supposed to be his vessel."

"...WHAT?" Winfrey almost yelled out loud, but managed to restrain himself. "So that dragon took her away?"

"Yes...in a manner of speaking. Kelli had Grima's essence within her. Essentially, she was the dragon himself. And the only way to kill Grima was for Grima to kill himself. You can probably guess what choice Kelli made. Though the divine dragon Naga told us that she could survive if our bonds with her were strong enough. It doesn't seem like that was the case. She...disappeared, just as the dragon did."

"...Oh.  Damn. I'm so sorry. No wonder you're a bit of a mess. You even have a beard coming in, and from what I remember, you shaved every day."

"I know. I apologize for my...appearance. I've been searching for Kelli for days. Sometimes I leave the palace for weeks."

"What? Seriously? Frederick, I'd have never known you do to such a thing. Didn't Lord Chrom send out search parties too?"

"Yes, but with no luck. I wanted to try finding my wife myself. I love her... I miss her so much... She gave my life...so much more meaning..."

A pair of tears trickled down Frederick's cheeks.

"I can imagine... I wish I could help more, but of course, I have my own duties. However, I will be sure to keep my eyes peeled wherever I go."

"Thank you. I can't...I can't tell you how much she meant to me..."

"I know... You meant a lot to her too. I could tell she loved you like crazy."

"Heh... Yeah. Kelli always did. From what I know, she'd been completely enamored with me since not too long after we met. I charmed her without even trying."

"Haha, oh wow. Talk about a lady's man!" Winfrey joked. "But I can believe it. She screamed at other women in the stands during that tournament when they started swooning over you."

"Indeed. And one time, we had returned from a nice anniversary date and she hadn't yet washed off her lipstick. I didn't realize this at first, and as we were talking about how much we enjoyed our date, she eventually got a little playful and plastered kisses all over me. For a moment I felt warm and fuzzy inside. Then I left the room to see if Lord Chrom needed me for anything. He was right down the hall, coming to see how things went. He noticed my face and couldn't keep himself from chuckling out loud. I was confused at first, and milord told me to look in a mirror. When I did, I found my face covered with lipstick marks."

"Oh my goodness," Winfrey uttered, finding it difficult not to laugh himself. "Kelli's sure something, huh?"

"She was... Just...what did I do to not love her enough? Why haven't I found her yet...?"

"I wish I could say," Winfrey said with a sigh and then put a comforting hand on Frederick's shoulder. "But if there's a chance Kelli survived that blow thanks to your love for her and the friendship of everyone else at the palace, then I believe she did. You'll find her someday."

"But...it's been a few months now."

"It doesn't matter. I still feel you'll eventually see her again."

"...I hope you're right," Frederick replied with another sniffle.

Winfrey looked away for a moment, wondering what he could do to help lift his friend's spirits. He knew just how it felt to lose someone he deeply cared for. His own mother had been cut down by bandits when he was small, and his father was depressed over it for a long time. Winfrey even wondered if he was all that kept his father going at that time. That the man knew he needed to be around for his son. Whatever the case, Winfrey sympathized, and wanted to do whatever he could.

Soon enough, a small smile appeared on his face as he now thought of something to say.

"Hey, why not tell me how Ralph is doing?" Winfrey decided. "And your parents and sister? Have they been handling it alright?"

"Well, as best as they could be, I suppose. Everyone misses Kelli..." Frederick replied.

"Ah, I bet. I ought to come visit sometime. Ralph is a good new friend, after all. And he performs at my festival now as well."

"Heh, he'd like that. He's also trying to get a song or two about Kelli. He'll write it all himself if he has to, he said, even though he only really knows how to sing music, not actually write it."

"I thought he did have some of his own songs though?"

"He does, but he was always assisted in writing them. I suppose he'll try that again first if he wants to make a new one for Kelli."

"Ah, I see. You know, you never told me much about your sister though. What was her name again? Isabelle, right?"

"Yes. She's younger than me by about three and a half years, so she's slightly older than Kelli. I was a tot when my parents first fled to our village from Ylisstol. It didn't take them long to decide to give me a sibling. I suppose they thought I might be lonely or want more company."

"Heh, interesting. Now that I think about it though, I remember seeing a clothing store in Ylisstol, named Isabelle Fashions. I heard it's a very good place for clothes."

"Indeed. That's my sister's place."

"Whoa, seriously? Success must run in your family!"

"Heh, perhaps. Our family has served the Ylisse royal family for generations, but sometimes members are able to make that a lesser goal in life, as Isabelle was. She's been designing clothes and running that store for a few years now.  She didn't start it without some assistance, but she set the place up, hired some employees to help make the clothes, and the rest is history. And while she doesn't serve Lord Chrom and Lady Lissa directly, she does help the palace when she can. She also hunts, and is skilled with a bow."

"...Your sister hunts? As in wild game?"

"...Yes. I know, it's ironic."

"I'll say it is! You're the one person I know that hates pretty much any gamey meat."

"Of course..." Frederick uttered, going slightly pink. "Isabelle hunts to use furs for the clothes and to sell the meat she doesn't need for extra funds. Some of that meat goes to the palace and some people at the palace have bought her clothes. She helped with the gowns the ladies wore in mine and Kelli's wedding. Was greatly appreciated."

"I see. I bet that was!"

"If only you could've seen Kelli in her wedding gown... She was...so radiant..."

A few moments later, the waiter brought Frederick the chicken he'd asked for. Two somewhat sizeable legs, slightly steaming, but well-cooked. Winfrey was also brought a plate with what looked like a lamb chop and soup.

"I can believe it," Winfrey agreed as they picked up their utensils to begin eating.

"I...I'm sorry you had to see me this way," Frederick continued, not making eye contact. "I'm such a mess now..."

"It's alright. You might want to return to the palace and freshen up though. Lord Chrom and the others could be worried about you too."

"Ah, yes... He probably is."

"And hang in there," Winfrey encouraged. "I know Kelli being gone is really hard. I should know, I told you about my mother's death, if you remember. And not even knowing for sure if Kelli's really alive or not might be worse than knowing. But she would want you to go on and continue being the best knight captain you can be for her. Not wallowing in grief."

"I know. Lord Chrom and Lady Lissa told me the same thing... It's just hard, as you say."

"I understand. But I believe in you, you know."

"Thank you..."

Winfrey put a hand on Frederick's shoulder again and gave him a smile.

"So stop ruining yourself like this," he continued. "You know Kelli would say this isn't the man she loves. The Frederick she fell in love with never disheveled himself or left his duties so many times or sat in taverns pitying himself. He was stronger, more dedicated, and worked hard."

"...Yes. You're absolutely right," Frederick decided. "Milord and milady have said they don't like me doing this either. I think it's time to listen."

"Good! I'm glad to hear it."

"It...won't be easy," Frederick admitted. "I still wish for someone to search for Kelli, at the very least. But I shall try my best to be stronger again. For my wife."

"Perfect words! Also, maybe I'll go along with you. I bet you could use the company, and I'm going back in Ylisstol's direction soon anyway."

"Really? That is much appreciated, Winfrey. Thank you. Some of my pain has been caused by loneliness from being without Kelli, I'm certain."

"Makes sense. I'm glad I could give you support in this tough time."

It was during times like these that Frederick was more thankful than ever that he had good friends to help him. He was considering visiting Isabelle in her shop more, or helping Ralph with his performances too, just to keep himself busier again and take his mind off his troubles. And who knows? Maybe Kelli would still be found again someday. Hopefully, that time wasn't far off.

Edited August 2, 2017 by Anacybele

[Anacybele]

Time for one-shot number 4! This one is a lot more comedic than the other three. lol

 

Dinner Disruption

"Oh, Frederick... Today was amazing," a young woman with a teal blue ponytail and silvery armor said with a bright smile. She and her husband rode the latter's great warhorse towards a camp they and their allies had set up for the evening.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, my love," Frederick replied, his own smile just as radiant as his unruly brown hair flew gently in the breeze. "We had been apart so long, Kelli... I wanted us to cherish being together again at last."

"Oh, of course," Kelli guessed with a chuckle. "Even if you had to stay in that armor all day to do it."

"Even if. I've done that many times anyway, you know. I must do all I can to protect Chrom and Lissa."

"Heh, I know. It's just cute. You know I always thought you were cute this way," Kelli pointed out.

"Oh, indeed," Frederick replied, his cheeks flushing pink.

The young couple was returning from a pleasant ride through the forest after having been reunited in a small meadow not far away. Kelli had disappeared for more than half a year after seemingly sacrificing herself to destroy the fell dragon, Grima. She had unknowingly been bred as his vessel, and carried his essence as a result. The divine dragon, Naga, had told Chrom, the prince of the halidom of Ylisse, Kelli, Frederick, and the others in their group known as the Shepherds that Grima would only be destroyed if he could destroy himself. Which meant that if Kelli dealt the final blow, she would be taken down along with him. This was the choice she had made to ensure that the dragon never again threatened the world. And she vanished.

For those six long months, Frederick grieved heavily, and all the Shepherds tried not to give up hope that Kelli would return one day. However, searches had proved fruitless, and eventually a gravestone was erected for her in case she really was gone forever. And of course, today had been the day that she was finally found, in the little meadow that Chrom, his sister, Lissa, and Frederick first met Kelli. Though there was no clear explanation for how this had occurred, and no one was sure what to do with the gravestone now yet, but no one really cared. They were simply all too overjoyed to see Kelli again at last, Frederick especially. He had been bearing the worst pain of his life, and finally it could be eased entirely. All they could say was that somehow fate and strong bonds had intervened here.

"You're even cuter when you blush," Kelli continued with a giggle.

"Heh, thank you," Frederick replied.

"Oh, but the most beautiful thing was that waterfall we went past!" Kelli remembered. "It's so gorgeous, and romantic too!"

"It is lovely," Frederick agreed. "I had wanted to show it to you for awhile, but couldn't find enough time, and then of course...you were gone."

"Yeah... But I finally did see it, and that's what matters, right?"

"Oh, yes. I am most thankful!"

"It might not be a bad idea to go swimming in the little lake it's in someday," Kelli thought. "I probably would've tried convincing you right then, but we have a lot of armor on right now. It would've been too much of a hassle to take it off and then put it all right back on a little later only to take it off again for the evening."

"Indeed... And milord and milady would've probably gotten quite curious about why we're returning with wet hair and damp clothes," Frederick pointed out. "We have no towels with us...or swimsuits."

"Yeah, good point. But we've kind of been in a lake with nothing on before, remember?" Kelli replied, referring to a little escapade the two had had in a lake during their honeymoon.

"True, but we still had swimsuits with us. We only took them off temporarily to...well, you know."

"And it was still amazing. We even made that sorcerer, Phantom, super mad! Hahaha!"

"Heh, indeed! But I'm still happy and thankful for what we were able to do today."

"Oh, me too! I love you more than words can say, Freddy Bear."

"And I love you all the same, Kelli."

Kelli, who was sitting in front of Frederick on the saddle, turned to let her lips meet with Frederick's for a moment. They parted quickly so Frederick didn't lose track of where he was guiding his horse. Sir Kieran seemed a little irritated when the two would make out on his back as well for some reason. Maybe he felt like a third wheel of sorts or it was simply awkward. They couldn't tell for sure.

The camp came into view a couple minutes later. Several tents were lined up in rows, and an unlit pile of firewood sat near the edge where Frederick and Kelli were entering. There was no campfire lit yet because that was always Frederick's job. He enjoyed building them so much that he almost never let anyone else do it. And when he did have to do that, he was injured and Kelli did it instead. Frederick had taught her mainly for that reason and she was more than happy to help.

The two dismounted Sir Kieran and put him in the stable tent first so he could rest. When Kelli noticed Cordelia's Pegasus, Palla, there as well, a thought suddenly struck her.

"Oh, Frederick! I can't believe I forgot! How is Twilight? Is she alright?"

"Ah, she's fine, don't worry," Frederick assured with a smile. "Sumia has been taking care of her for you."

"Oh, thank goodness. Though I bet she's missed me. I can't wait to see my pretty Pegasus again."

"I can tell she has. I let Sir Kieran keep her company when I could, but there were always times where the poor thing looked gloomy... Can't say I blame her."

"True... But once I get to the palace, I'll go see her first thing! And thank Sumia for her help."

Sometime during the war in the neighboring continent of Valm, Frederick and Cordelia taught Kelli to ride and she chose to fight atop a Pegasus with feathers and fur as dark blue as the night. She also traded in her sword for lances, but still wielded magic as always.

Frederick then lit the campfire for the others so whoever was in charge of hunting and cooking this time could begin preparing dinner. Frederick typically helped with one or both, but this time he knew spending time with his wife after he hadn't been with her in so long was more important. He only hoped that bear or anything else very gamey wasn't on the menu. Kelli had helped him be able to stomach the meat awhile back, but it didn't mean he suddenly enjoyed it.

He and Kelli then headed to their own tent for a short rest before dinner. Kelli decided to shed her armor, even if it was fairly light due to being that of a Pegasus rider. Her dark purple coat was also put aside. It was the only garment she kept when she switched to a Pegasus class. She didn't wear it much anymore, however, as it reminded her too much of the past.

"I wish I could just get rid of this coat, honestly," Kelli commented. "It still has Grima written all over it. But it's rather warm and comfortable too and somehow I just can't bring myself to toss it."

"True, it has unwanted memories with it. But it also has some fine ones. Like when we met," Frederick pointed out with a smile.

"Heh, yeah, that's true..."

"Well, I'll take my armor off for the evening too," Frederick then decided. "We'll be more comfortable tonight that way. And I can still fight without it if I need to anyway."

"Heh, good idea. And I've seen that first hand! You're really fast when you're not clanging around!"

"It's as I told Winfrey down in the arena during the Altea Island tournament, when you're not wearing armor, speed becomes more important in order to avoid taking blows," Frederick pointed out with a smile as he gradually unbuckled and gently set down his armor piece by piece.

"That is true! I wonder how Winfrey is doing too, now that you mention him. We haven't seen him in quite awhile."

"Ah, I actually ran into him while searching for you. He seems to be doing fine. He even decided to help and visit sometime."

"Oh, that's good to hear! I'm glad. I bet Ralph really liked that! I mean, if Winfrey already came by, that is."

"He sure did. Winfrey only visited a couple times, but it was still nice to see him and have more company. Especially since it was taking my mind off of having lost you."

"Aw, I'm glad you were okay all things considered."

"Indeed. Ralph's beautiful songs helped some, and then Winfrey did too. I know I had nearly been overwhelmed with grief since I tried to resign from knighthood, but...they still did a lot to help me through the pain."

"And I'm so thankful for that. I don't know what I would do if something bad had happened to you because of my absence..."

"I know... But now we can put it all behind us and just enjoy being together. And I won't ever let anything part us again."

"Oh, Freddy Bear, I know you won't. I won't either!"

"I'm glad," Frederick replied, a big smile forming on his features. "So..."

The knight captain of Ylisse had finished setting his silver and blue armor aside.

"May I...give you a quick one before dinner?" he wondered, gesturing towards their bedrolls.
 
Kelli's mouth almost dropped open.

"Why, Frederick, I'm a bit surprised! Normally I'm the one suggesting that," she said with a chuckle.

"That was only because you beat me to it every time. I had the idea in my mind once or twice," Frederick replied, still smiling. "Besides, haven't you noticed how long it's been since the last time we did it?"

"Heh, good point. It really has been too long. Besides, how could I say no anyway?" Kelli said, fiddling with Frederick's black bow tie. "Oh, but keep the light off. Don't want anyone to see our shadows moving around so awkwardly."

Frederick nodded, and with that, Kelli rose to her tip toes and pressed her lips against his again without hesitation. And this time, they didn't part right away, as they were now enveloped in affection. Between kisses, Kelli undid her husband's bow tie and a few buttons of his white dress shirt. Frederick fiddled with her plum colored tunic as she did so. They descended to the bedrolls moments later when Kelli began stroking Frederick's rippled stomach muscles and her undergarments peeked from under her opened tunic. At this point, they were lost in their affection, even completely forgetting that the other Shepherds were outside. But it hardly mattered, of course. All that was important was enjoying the time they finally had together again.
 

***

Outside, the campfire continued to blaze warmly. Chrom was sitting by it with Lissa as fireflies fluttered and glowed nearby. A few of the other Shepherds had gone out to hunt for dinner. Chrom asked them to find something other than bear meat since learning of Frederick's disdain for it. Frederick was...overbearing at times with his attempts to please Chrom and Lissa with his duties, but he worked hard and did great service nonetheless. Chrom didn't want to make his job any harder than it had to be, and Frederick skipping meals surely would never help with that. The prince and princess only hoped that Frederick wouldn't notice how long they'd gone without bear meat, for the knight didn't know that they knew this secret of his. Chrom wondered if Frederick thought others would think less of him if they knew, but this could never be the case. But there was a reason Chrom often called Frederick "Frederick the Wary." He was rather pessimistic about these things. Chrom was careful not to reveal the bear meat secret to everyone else, though. Frederick surely would not have been happy if he had.

Several minutes passed as Chrom and Lissa had some idle chat about recent events, particularly the excitement still setting in on Kelli's return. It was the happiest thing that had happened to them in a long time. The return of a good friend who had previously been lost was too great a feeling for words. What's more, Frederick was back to his old self and smiling the way he used to again. He had of course been affected most heavily by Kelli's disappearance, so it also pained others to see him in such low spirits. Not only did they grieve for Kelli by nature, they also worried for the knight captain and how he would cope. And now those worries were over.

When the sun was about halfway below the horizon, the sounds of galloping hooves echoed nearby. From the nearby woods came Stahl atop his mare, followed by the rough fighter Vaike and his wife, Sully atop her stallion. Together, they were carrying what looked like a nearly full grown buck. Frederick would be fine with venison, Chrom figured. It wasn't an unusual meat.

"Oh, that's a nice catch!" Chrom commented. "Good work, you guys."

"Thanks!" Sully said, her fiery short hair bouncing upon her head as her horse was brought to a trot. Stahl followed suit with his mount and the two soon halted their steeds to set the deer down.

"We might be able to save some of the meat to bring back to the palace too, I bet," Stahl replied. His ever unruly green hair looked a bit worse than usual, likely from the hunt.

"This'll be great!" Vaike said. "Probably the best thing we ever got outside the palace!"

"I can definitely agree with that," Stahl seconded. "Let's start cutting and cooking!"

"Uh, I can't really cook. The rest of you will have to take care of that," Sully said.

"Heh, Lissa and I can do it, it's fine," Chrom offered. "Cordelia can probably help too, once she's finished looking after her Pegasus."

"No problem, I can help too," Stahl said with a smile, brushing his hands together. He was the biggest eater of the group, and by far. He never hesitated to help with a meal if he could.

"Where's Frederick, though? He usually helps cook meals too," Lissa pointed out. "...Actually, scratch that, he tries to help with everything."

"Haha, true. But he's still spending time with Kelli, so we'll leave them be," Chrom decided with a chuckle. "I saw them go into their tent not long ago. I'll go let them know dinner is here once we put some meat over the fire."

"Oh yeah, those two just can't be torn away from one another right now, can they?" Lissa replied, giggling. She honestly didn't know how true that statement was at the moment.

Chrom, Lissa, and Stahl grabbed some large knives they carried with them specifically for cutting meat and got to work on the buck. They went for the legs first since due to how much work those muscles got, they contained the freshest and least fatty meat.

"Oh, but don't ruin the fur!" Lissa said. "Chrom, Stahl, we can't forget that Frederick's sister uses animal furs!"

"Ah, that's right," Chrom realized. "Don't worry, we won't forget. It would be a waste not to give the fur to someone who could use it anyway."

"Yeah, sure thing," Stahl replied. "Those gowns Isabelle designed for his and Kelli's wedding were lovely too!"

"Oh, they were! That was one of the prettiest dresses I ever got!" Lissa agreed. "Stahl, you need to get her to make more for yours and Cordelia's ceremony!"

Stahl almost dropped his knife.

"Wa-huh?!" he gasped, going very pink. "Well...uh...I..."

"Oh Stahl, don't try to hide it! I saw a ring on Cordelia's finger! And I could tell you two were growing close. Hee hee."

"Ah...nuts. I wanted to surprise everyone with that later... I only just popped the question a day ago."

"...Oh. Oops. Sorry about that."

"It's okay, just don't go blabbing it to everyone else, alright?"

"Oh, sure!"

"Same here, but congrats to you both anyway!" Chrom complimented with a big smile.

"Thanks, captain!" Stahl replied excitedly. "And I'm glad we found Kelli in time for it too. I wonder if fate had a handle in that as well, honestly..."

"Maybe. It seems to work in mysterious ways."

"So it seems..."

Within minutes, slabs of meat from deer drumsticks were roasting over the fire. The neck and breasts were next, and Lissa and Stahl worked on those while Chrom wiped his hands and headed for Frederick and Kelli's tent. It wasn't far, just a couple tents down from the campfire. The drapes were closed, and at first, Chrom thought he heard some odd noises coming from inside. But figured he must've been hearing things. He had no idea what would be making such noises in there. He shrugged and poked his head inside.

"Hey Frederick, Kelli, we have dinner on--WHAT THE--?!"

Chrom went far redder than Sully's hair when he realized what he was looking at. Frederick and Kelli were sitting on their bedrolls embracing...and completely unclothed. Their blankets covered much of the lower halves of their bodies, but there was enough exposed for Chrom to see that neither of them had anything on.

"AAAAH!" Kelli screamed when hers and Frederick's lips parted, followed by a loud shriek from Frederick as well. "CHROM, YOU GOD DAMN IDIOT!!"

Kelli clutched her husband's neck as she pressed her torso against him to conceal her modesty. Frederick almost lost his balance and fell backward as a result, but managed to catch himself with a free hand.

"WHAT IN GODS' NAME ARE YOU DOING?!" Frederick bellowed. Both he and Kelli were just as red as Chrom was now.

"AAH, I'M SORRY I'M SORRY!!" Chrom cried, almost in a squeal. "I--!"

"GET OUT!!" the couple thundered at the same time.

Chrom made no hesitation to whip his head out, leaving Kelli to growl angrily.

"I can't believe he did that!" she blurted. "If I wasn't naked, I swear I'd have catapulted our armor pieces in his face!"

"Gods, that was the most embarrassing moment of my entire life!" Frederick added, just as furious.

Outside, Chrom had bunched himself on the ground and brought his hands to his face.

"Oh gods..." he uttered, almost in a squeal again. "What have I done, what have I done, what have I done...?"

Chrom couldn't blame Frederick and Kelli for wanting to be intimate and so affectionate after they'd been apart for as long as they were, but they couldn't wait until they returned to their bedchambers in the palace? And regardless, he hardly thought they'd do it in a tent in the middle of camp. Yet Chrom was never going to live this down. He'd just seen his tactician and his primary retainer in the nude when they had been making love. How long were they going to be mad at him?

Lissa and Vaike soon came rushing over to see what the commotion was, as they'd heard a scream.

"Chrom! We heard Kelli scream and...! ...What's going on? What are you doing down there?" Lissa wondered, arching an eyebrow when she saw her brother sitting in the dirt.

"Yeah, captain, what's gotten into ya?" Vaike added.

"Oh man...!" Chrom groaned, not showing his face. Of all the people that had to find him here, it just had to be Lissa and Vaike.

"...Wait, this is Frederick and Kelli's tent," Lissa realized. "And the drapes are closed and you're sitting here red as a tomato like you saw something terrifying. ...Chrom. You didn't."

"DON'T," Chrom whined.

"Huh? What?" Vaike wondered, until his eyes widened and it finally hit him. "...Wait! Were they...? Oh my gods. OH MY GODS."

"I think they were, Vaike! Oh my gods indeed!" Lissa added, hardly able to suppress some giggles.

Vaike couldn't prevent himself from bursting into laughter and falling over like a fool.

"OH MAN! YOU ACTUALLY SAW FREDERICK AND KELLI DOING IT!" he blurted in his laughter.

"Both of you, SHUT UP!" Chrom warned. "Do you want the whole damn camp to hear?!"

"Just give us the juicy details!" Vaike insisted. "I mean, this is Frederick, man! Who'd have thunk a guy like him would be doin' that right here? And does he really have boxer underwear with bears on them? I heard a rumor once that he might and gods would it be the funniest thing ever! That was why I tried to make that bet with you the one time, the one where one of us would have to pull down his pantaloons."

"NO!" Chrom insisted. "Stop it, I've embarrassed them and myself enough...! Besides...I...think they had already finished."

"Aw crud..."

"And Vaike, I don't really want to know either and definitely don't think we want everyone to know about this. Though that underwear sounds cute. Hee hee," Lissa said, still having a hard time not laughing.

"Thanks, Lissa," Chrom replied. Even though I know you'll never let me hear the end of this.

"Sure thing! Vaike, let's go eat. And no telling anyone of this, as funny as it might be. We'd never see the end of everyone teasing and joking about the three of them."

"Aw, okay..."

With that, the two went back to the campfire, leaving Chrom to sigh and wonder just how he would make up for this massive blunder. He just hoped Vaike and Lissa would do as the latter had said and keep their mouths shut.

A few moments later, Frederick and Kelli came out of their tent, this time fully clothed again, though without their armor. However, even as Chrom stood up to try apologizing, he was still met with glares.

"Ah, Frederick, Kelli, please! I'm really sorry!" Chrom pleaded. "I didn't see everything, I swear, but I shouldn't have looked inside, I should've just called your names..."

"You're damn right you should have!" Frederick shot back. "I believe I heard Vaike and milady laughing out here like fools! It's fortunate for you that you're my liege, or I would be doing more than yelling right now!"

"Yeah, is this going to become some kind of habit with you now?!" Kelli added. "First you walk in on me while I'm bathing during the war, and now this!"

"...I-I know! I don't want to make it a habit! Honest!" Chrom continued. "I really am truly sorry... I wasn't at all expecting you two to be...well, you know! But I'll never let it happen again. Please forgive me!"

"I would hope not!" Frederick retorted.

"Yeah. Although...maybe we were getting crazy at a bit of an odd time," Kelli admitted. "Still, we hadn't seen each other in months and you should've just stayed out!"

"Perhaps, but yes," Frederick agreed, and then sighed. "However...I do not like to hold a grudge, especially against you or milady. And...I suppose this also makes us even, milord."

"...Huh?" Chrom wondered.

"...The posters."

"...Oh yeah. But that was awhile ago, and we'd put it behind us."

"True, but... I had unintentionally embarrassed you. Now you've done so to me, and both cases involved one of us being...unclothed in some way. And milady laughing. What goes around..."

"Well, I don't believe that excuses my actions here at all. I should have thought more before doing anything," Chrom insisted. "But let's...try to forget this and have some dinner. The guys caught us a nice buck."

"Ah, that sounds wonderful," Frederick commented. "Although I've begun to notice that no one has brought bear meat in quite some time..."

"Oh, uh..."

"Ah, Frederick... I kind of told Chrom awhile back that you hate it. I thought he would like to know," Kelli revealed. "But only he and Lissa know! No one else does!"

"What? Kelli!" Frederick protested. "...Well, I guess so long as none of the others know. It's...also rather embarrassing."

"Don't worry, Frederick. I'm glad Kelli told me," Chrom replied. "We don't like you skipping meals when you work so hard for us. You need your energy."

"...Ah, well, thank you," Frederick replied with a smile. "I appreciate it. And I...can forgive you."

"Yeah, me too," Kelli decided. "You just better keep your word that you won't do it again. And Vaike and Lissa better not say anything."

"Oh, believe me, I will!" Chrom assured. "And they said they wouldn't. I'll make sure of that too."

"Good," Frederick replied. "The last thing we need is everyone jesting at us."

"Agreed," Chrom said. "Now let's hurry, the meat should be nearly finished cooking."

"Right."

With that, the three made their way to the campfire. Chrom swore he dodged an arrow here. He thought Frederick and Kelli might've done worse to him since he'd effectively ruined the first romantic evening that they'd had in months and Lissa and Vaike had gotten involved. But thankfully, this wasn't the case, and Chrom could heave a sigh of relief. One thing was certain though. He was always going to be cautious about going to Frederick's and Kelli's tent and bedchambers from then on. But hopefully that was only a good thing.

Edited August 27, 2017 by Anacybele

[Anacybele]

Wow, it's been a good few months! But I got a new one-shot idea to add to this! ^^

 

A Different New Addition

"Annie, sweetie, I'm just not sure what to do," a teal haired woman spoke to the infant she was nursing in her bedchambers. "Your father doesn't even know what else could be done."

Of course, since infants could not talk, Antoinette merely kept suckling. She was several months old at this point, and gaining a nice head of hair with the same color as her mother. It wouldn't be long before she would begin weaning Antoinette, however, as the baby girl was also in the process of teething and learning to eat solid foods. Her mother merely sighed as she continued feasting on the breast milk.

"I've given Twilight plenty of exercise and fed her properly," she said. "And even tried following your father's own crazy steed exercise regiment. He would always say it kept Sir Kieran in shape. But Twilight still looks too heavy..."

For the past few months, her Pegasus, Twilight, had been steadily gaining weight despite any efforts to keep her healthy. Though she looked fine otherwise, her owner still feared for her health.

A few moments later, the doors of the bedchambers opened to reveal a dark brown-haired man in a fairly formal white shirt and ribbon bow tie. He was carrying a boy between two and three years with the same hair color, also dressed in his own little suit. He paused for a moment when he saw his wife suckling their daughter.

"Oh, Kelli, my apologies," he said. "I didn't know you were breast-feeding."

"Ah, Frederick. Don't worry, it's fine," Kelli replied. "I've had other things on my mind lately, you know..."

"Ah, yes, Twilight," Frederick realized. "Hopefully she'll be alright. Other than her weight, nothing seems to be out of the ordinary."

"That's true."

"Mommy! Hi!" the boy cried out with a smile.

"Hi, sweetheart! Heh, you're starting to become quite the talker, aren't you Morgan?" Kelli replied with a big grin.

"Oh yes, he certainly is! Kelli, he said "Daddy make you pick a god and pray!" earlier!" Frederick excitedly announced. "Well, he says "pray" more like "pway" but isn't that wonderful?"

Kelli blinked before responding.

"Oh my goodness, that is priceless," she commented, bursting into a laugh. "But, uh, where exactly did he get your most famous battle cry?"

"Ah, er... I think he either heard me training or remembered it from a story I told him. Maybe I improvised a little too much on some of those bedtime stories..."

"I hope it's just the stories. Why would he hear you training?"

"Well... sometimes when you're busy with Antoinette or another task and Ralph doesn't have time to babysit, I look after Morgan during training. Many of us here have our own duties and children now, so I hate to burden anyone else. And using a battle cry in training gets me more eager to keep going!"

"What? Frederick, I hope you're being careful!"

"Oh, I am, believe me. I let Morgan play off to the side, but I never take my eyes off him, nor does he ever get near the weapons or people sparring. I always try to have someone spar with me when I do too."

"Ah, alright. I should've guessed, with you being you."

"Indeed. Well, shall we turn in for the night?"

"Sure, Annie seems to be finished by now. I'll burp her and we can go to bed."

"Ah, why don't I do that for you? I'll also put her to sleep as well. You've had much on your mind, my sweet."

"Oh, but Frederick, you already work so hard. And fathering two children now has practically doubled your duties."

"Don't worry, it is no trouble. I'm fine."

Frederick gave his wife a reassuring smile. Kelli then couldn't help but smile back and give in.

"Oh, alright. You're such a sweetie, Freddy Bear."

"Of course!" Frederick obliged, still smiling. "Though I must say, while I wouldn't object to more children if you wanted them, I would not at all mind stopping at two. I do have my hands quite full."

"Ah, I think I would agree, honestly. Two is enough!"

"Heh, alright then."

Frederick then took his infant daughter and gently began patting her back until she let out a tiny belch. While Kelli set Morgan up on his little bed, Frederick did a quick check of Antoinette's diaper to make sure she did not need changed. Kelli was as good about it as he was, but he still always made sure just in case, as they really never did know for sure when she or Morgan would need one. Morgan was in the process of being potty trained at this point, but even he still wet himself at times. When Frederick saw that she was dry, he began rocking Antoinette to lull her to sleep. He could not sing beautiful lullabies like his best friend, Ralph, but he knew some of the music and did his best to hum it. Kelli watched her husband lovingly as he gently kissed Antoinette and laid her in her crib some minutes later. Frederick might've had no singing voice akin to Ralph's, but somehow despite his tall, bulky, and muscular frame, he had no trouble being as gentle as a feather with his children, to the point where he was just as good as the royal singer at getting them to sleep. He then gave Morgan a kiss good night as well, as he had been doing every night.

Frederick might not have seemed like it sometimes due to his nature, but he loved his children as much as any great father would have, perhaps even more. He wasn't sure of his abilities as one at first, but Kelli knew he had it in him. He removed his more formal wear until he was only in underclothes and approached her in the bed moments later. They soon slipped under the blankets.

"Frederick, you do amaze me every time you put them to sleep. I love you," Kelli praised, resting her head upon Frederick's shoulder.

"Ah, I love you too," Frederick replied, putting an arm around her. "And I do believe we have created a beautiful family."

"We have! I hope it has many great years to come too."

"So do I. For now, however, let's have a good night sleep."

"Yes, let's."

With that, they came together for a passionate good night kiss before beginning to drift off to sleep.
 

*** A Few Months Later ***

 

"Oh my gods, Frederick, is it just me, or has Twilight gotten even heavier?!" Kelli observed when she went to feed her midnight-colored Pegasus in her stall. Twilight was lying on the ground in soft hay, her pudgy belly seemingly taking up near half of the floor space she had.

"Hmm, she might have... This is quite unusual," Frederick commented, also feeding his horse, Sir Kieran. "She still hasn't shown any signs of health issues otherwise though, at least according to Sumia and Cordelia. And having been longtime Pegasus owners themselves, they would know."

"That is true... But I hope this gets resolved soon, Twilight will rarely give me rides anymore!"

"Oh, that's no good... If there's no improvement within the next few months, we'll consult an animal physician," Frederick decided. "Although..."

"Alright. And what?"

"Well, I did also notice Sir Kieran looking at and sniffing her a lot awhile back. Like he's keeping an even closer watch than usual, despite always being in the next stall over."

"Huh... I guess he's pretty concerned too then. They do spend a lot of time together due to our marriage."

"That they do, yes... Well, we should go tend to the children and our duties. We always have recruits to train and those recent increased reports of bandit activity may not stop yet."

"True, yes. We do have work to do. We'll be back later, Twilight, I promise!"

With that, after leaving plenty of food for both steeds, Frederick and Kelli left to care for their children and do the usual day's work. Not long ago, bandit activity increased slightly and they were helping to resolve the issue. They also had been training new recruits for the army ever since the most recent war ended a few years before. And Frederick always did various other tasks for Chrom, who was now the Exalt and ruler of Ylisse, and his sister, Lissa. Though in recent months, Lissa was also spending quite a bit of time with a farm boy they had been allied with named Donnel. Frederick and Kelli suspected they would soon wed themselves, as they were close. Frederick almost seemed afraid of this, however, as he didn't like the idea of having to say good bye to Lissa. She would go live on the farm with Donnel if she married him. Donnel could not leave his mother or farm behind, after all. Lissa promised she'd visit a lot if they were to marry, but Frederick wasn't sure how well she could keep to that since she was still young. And he was just so used to serving her. It almost felt like he was going to watch his child move away and start their own life.

Kelli couldn't imagine how he'd be when the real thing eventually happened with Morgan and Antoinette. Nothing short of tears on her shoulder, most probably.

Later that afternoon, while Ralph watched the children after doing a show rehearsal, Kelli and Frederick went to do a few separate chores, including weapon and armor checks, patrol checks, and more after a few training sessions with the recruits. Kelli also still occasionally studied her strategy books since she was the army's main tactician. Cordelia, another Pegasus knight, was returning from a flight and offered to check on Twilight for Kelli, who was making sure the tomes in the armory were organized.

Cordelia's Pegasus, Palla, was a beautiful white mare whose stall was near Twilight's. Next to Cordelia's was Sumia's also white Pegasus stallion, Snowflake. Sumia wasn't too bright and she met her Pegasus by chance in the middle of a mission, so she couldn't take time to come up with a more creative name. She knew a lot about animals and raising Pegasi, as well as telling fortunes, but not much else, and was also very clumsy.

Cordelia pushed back her long flowing red hair as she let Palla into her stall and patted her happily. Before she could even turn around after locking the door, however, a somewhat faint whinnying reached her ears. She realized it was coming from Twilight's stall. Cordelia was going to check on her anyway, so she walked over and looked inside. Twilight was laying in the hay as usual, and repeatedly letting out small whinnies and whimpers. Sir Kieran was also watching her from his stall and whinnying as wlel. For some reason, Twilight's leg was raised a little and...her swollen belly looked a little lower than before. When the answer to what was happening suddenly hit her, Cordelia shook her head, her eyes widening, and gasped.

"Oh my gods! How did we not see this before?!" she cried and ran out of the royal stable as fast as she could. "I have to get Kelli!"

Oh, everyone is going to feel like such fools! Cordelia fumed in her head as she raced back to the armory, where Kelli likely still was. She was huffing and puffing when she entered, struggling to catch her breath. Kelli was still there, only this time cleaning her lance.

"Whoa! Cordelia! What's the matter? You look like Frederick just made you run laps around the palace!" she said, startled. "Is Twilight alright?!"

"Er, yes and no," Cordelia answered as best as she could between breaths. "Yes in that she'll eventually be alright, but no in that right now, she's in pain! I know what's been going on with her! And I feel so bad for not seeing it sooner!"

"Wait, slow down, what's happening here, exactly?"

"Kelli, your Pegasus is giving birth!" Cordelia blurted.

At this, Kelli froze, not answering for more than a second.

"...WHAT?!" she suddenly shouted. "You mean she was pregnant?! ...Wait, she's birthing RIGHT NOW?!"

"YES! She's in deep labor and will be foaling real soon," Cordelia continued. "That's when the foal begins to...well, come out. We have to get someone in there to help her and make sure it goes smoothly!"

"ARGH! Damn it all! Can you get Sumia and go in there until I get an animal doctor? I have a husband to yell at! I'm positive his horse did this! He's in SO much trouble!"

"Wait, are you certain Sir Kieran is the father?"

"It can only be him! They spent the most time together by a long shot, and that explains why Frederick noticed him paying closer attention to Twilight lately! Sir Kieran mated with her and knew!"

"That would make the most sense... Well, this is going to be a bit messy and disgusting, but alright, I'll go get Sumia. She'll be glad to help until you bring an animal doctor. But hurry! There's not much time!"

"Right!"

Both women soon rushed out of the armory and went separate ways to find the two people they sought. Kelli knew Frederick went to report to Chrom a few minutes before, so he was probably still in the throne room. She made for it as fast as her legs could, just as Cordelia had. Once she made it to the top of the stairs and rushed to the large doors, she shoved them open as hard as she could, her face almost a rosy red with exhaustion and anger.

"FREDERICK!" she yelled, seeing her husband still speaking with Chrom, who stood in front of two large thrones alongside his wife and queen, Olivia. All three of them jumped instantly, Olivia's long pink curls bouncing as she did so.

"Wha--?!" Frederick uttered. "Kelli! What's wrong? Why are you yelling at me?"

"Yeah, Kelli, you scared us!" Chrom added. "Is there a reason you're raising your voice like this?"

"Yes, because I have words for my husband here!" Kelli shot back. "Cordelia found out what was wrong with Twilight! WHY DID YOU NEVER TELL ME MY PEGASUS WAS PREGNANT?!"

Frederick blinked, feeling a mixture of shock, surprise, confusion, and wondering how he was going to calm his wife down.

"Huh?! What?! I-I had no idea!" Frederick protested. "Honest to the gods! I told you I was as confused as you were about her weight! But please, calm down! Why is this making you so angry with me?"

"Because your horse is obviously the one who impregnated her and now she's in the middle of giving birth! They spent the most time together and you did say you saw Sir Kieran paying closer attention recently! How could you let your horse mate with my Pegasus and get her pregnant without either of us knowing?! If I hadn't asked Cordelia to check on her, she might've tried to give birth all by herself and died!"

"...Alright, I do owe you an apology there, but--wait, she's foaling NOW?!" Frederick gasped.

"She's about to, yes!"

"Oh, gods! Milord, I'm sorry, but we--"

"Yes, Frederick, I know. You two need to get an animal physician as fast as you can. Go and hurry!" Chrom ordered.

"Yeah, we can wait. Go help your poor Pegasus!" Olivia agreed.

"We'll go let Ralph know what's going on too so he knows to stay with Morgan and Antoinette," Chrom offered.

"Alright, thank you, milord and milady!"

Both Frederick and Kelli rushed out as quickly as they could and began making their way down the stairs.

"Kelli, I deeply apologize!" Frederick said again. "I was never even sure if a normal horse could reproduce with a Pegasus!"

"I never was either, but like I said, ours did spend a lot of time together, and horses can reproduce with donkeys, so I always figured it was probably possible that they could do it with Pegasi too!"

"You have a point, yes... But still, I should've kept a better eye on Sir Kieran. I guess it didn't occur to me that he could try to mate with Twilight. I was irresponsible! I really am truly sorry!"

Frederick grimaced, and Kelli could now tell he was beginning to beat himself up, and she only helped him do that by screaming at him in front of his liege in the throne room.

"...Well, I'm also sorry I yelled," she replied. "This just came as a huge shock. And maybe I should've watched them better too, honestly."

"Don't worry, I fully understand your anger," Frederick said. "Even if the yelling was...startling. But we have a pressing matter to attend to, so we'll have to talk more later."

"Yes, right!"

The two then rushed into the royal infirmary. It had a few animal physicians working there as well as ones for people. After quickly relaying their situation to one, the man followed the couple out to the stable, where Cordelia and Sumia waited inside Twilight's stall. Just as Cordelia had told Kelli before, the Pegasus was indeed about to bear a foal. Sir Kieran was looking over his own stall again and not looking back. Sumia did her best to keep Twilight comfortable by stroking her, while Cordelia watched and waited for when the foal was going to appear.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Sumia exclaimed. "Twilight just started foaling!"

"Yes, I can feel the foal coming!" Cordelia reported, having placed a hand on Twilight's still swollen stomach.

"I say again, everyone needs to pay a little more attention next time!" the animal physician replied. "Looks like you ladies did fine though, so I can take it from here. Thank you both!"

"Of course!" Sumia said with a smile. Somehow, while everyone else seemed tense and anxious to some degree, she was fairly calm. She was used to being around Pegasi and raising them, but she hadn't seen one give birth before. Perhaps she was more excited to see the foal than she was scared.

Sumia and Cordelia both then left the stall to allow the physician to tend to Twilight and join Frederick and Kelli nearby.

"What I'm mostly surprised at is that you two got your steeds to breed at all!" Sumia said with a smile. "Horses and Pegasi can breed together, but they more often breed with their own species, just as horses and donkeys would."

"Wow... We must've spent a little too much time out riding together," Frederick surmised. "Those are the only times the two could've mated."

"Yeah," Kelli agreed. "I figured a horse and Pegasi could breed since they could with donkeys, but... This is just crazy. I can't believe none of us noticed Twilight was pregnant. I feel so bad! Twilight might've been uncomfortable or in pain for a long time and then I went and yelled at Frederick because his horse is definitely the father..."

"And Sumia and I know Pegasi, we could've seen it..." Cordelia admitted. "It looks like these two breeding just didn't occur to any of us."

"Yeah, but it looks like your love rubbed off on them!" Sumia observed with a giggle.

"Heh, I suppose so," Frederick admitted, a somewhat embarrassed grin forming on his features.

"Hey, we'll have to come up with a name for the foal and figure out what to do with it as it gets older," Kelli pointed out. "And will it be sterile or have other developmental problems like other hybrids tend to?"

"We can worry about the name once we know the gender, but that's a good question..."

"Well, from what I know, and unfortunately it isn't much since I've never worked with horse and Pegasi hybrids, I've heard that sometimes they can be born with wings too small or too weak to fly," Sumia explained. "And males are normally sterile, but females can definitely be capable of reproducing, just as with mules and hinnies. In fact, I've seen a couple books theorize that it's more likely for a horse and Pegasus hybrid to be fertile than a mule or hinny because horses and Pegasi appear to be more closely related biologically. This is only a theory though, because it comes from people who studied the corpses and anatomy of both and there isn't yet a way to prove it."

"I think I've heard something like that too, actually," Cordelia added. "Also, there isn't a special term for horse and Pegasus hybrids, they're simply called horses or Pegasi depending on if the foal has wings or not. And another theory is that the foal is more likely to have wings if the mother is the Pegasus."

"Ah, I see..." Kelli commented. "I guess we'll have to wait and see what the foal's physical capabilities will be then."

"Indeed," Frederick agreed.

The area grew quiet after this, save for Twilight's and Sir Kieran's whinnying. Kelli was still worried, but did her best to be calm with reassurance from Sumia and Cordelia that the physician was doing the best he could. Frederick also held onto her hand, giving her a smile, even though behind that, he also held concern. The group felt like they were waiting forever for the physician to give the word. It hadn't felt so slow since they were in the process of having babies themselves. Twilight let out a couple louder whinnies moments later, almost making Kelli gasp fearfully, but the Pegasus soon sounded calm again. And the words everyone was waiting to hear finally rang out soon after that.

"That was a close one, folks, but congratulations, you now have a new filly!" the physician announced. Everyone smiled happily.

"Oh, a filly is a girl!" Sumia cried. "A boy would've been a colt."

"Yes, let's go see her!" Cordelia said.

"Right! And thank goodness, I'm glad that's all over," Kelli agreed, breathing a heavy sigh of relief.

"I second that," Frederick also put in.

The four then went to rejoin the physician inside Twilight's stall. Sir Kieran had leaned over the wall of his own and was licking Twilight's face.

"Awww!" Sumia commented when she saw this. "Sir Kieran really cares!"

"Heh, that is very cute!" Frederick agreed, a large smile crossing his features.

Kelli and Cordelia very much agreed, also in awe. The physician then reported that both mother and baby were doing fine. Laying beside Twilight, and being wiped off with a towel by the physician, was the newborn filly, covered in the same midnight blue fur as her mother. Her main and tail were much closer to none other than Sir Kieran's, however. And most notably, she had wings.

"She's lovely!" Kelli said. "Oh and, see, Frederick? Only Sir Kieran could give this foal that mane and tail color! None of the other steeds Twilight interacted with have that!"

"Yes, you're right. That confirms it," Frederick agreed and turned to Sir Kieran. "Seems we're both fathers now, my old friend! I just wish I'd known sooner!"

He then patted his horse affectionately.

"And I do agree, the filly is beautiful!" he continued.

"She has wings too," Kelli pointed out. "That's nice to see. They look normal enough to let her fly someday too!"

"They do, yeah," Sumia agreed. "A Pegasus foal keeps their wings folded until they've learned to walk well though. It's like how a human baby has to learn to crawl before walking. A Pegasus has to learn to walk before flying. We'll see after that if the wings and other muscles are strong enough for flight."

"Yes, and we'll help you out," Cordelia offered with a smile. "We know about raising a Pegasus, so any questions, you can ask us."

"And you can ask me about any problems you might have as well," the physician added.

"That is most appreciated," Frederick replied with a smile.

"Yes, it is!" Kelli agreed. "So...Frederick, what do you think we should name her? I'm still thinking on that..."

"Hmm, well..." Frederick began. "She was certainly the biggest surprise in our lives, so perhaps...Surprise?"

Kelli chuckled.

"Oh, wow, you're definitely right! That's perfect!" she complimented. "Surprise it is!"

"That works!" Cordelia commented.

"Yeah, I'll say!" Sumia put in, also laughing.

The group watched as Twilight began letting Surprise nurse. She also licked her filly to make sure she was entirely clean from the birth. Frederick and Kelli also decided to go get fresh hay for the stall since much of what was there had gotten wet from amniotic fluid. The others agreed this was the best idea anyway to promote the health of the new mother and baby.

"Next time though, you two," Kelli spoke up, eyeing both Twilight and Sir Kieran. "If you want more foals, we'll be watching more closely! No more surprises!"

"That's for certain!" Frederick seconded.

Edited January 6, 2018 by Anacybele

[Anacybele]

I forgot to put this in here! :P My latest one-shot featuring Frederick and Kelli won round 8 of the writing contest. ^^ Though this one is actually more about their son, Morgan, with an appearance from Antoinette, his younger sister and my fan daughter for Freddy. I also made a few little alterations. This thread needed a new entry anyway, so enjoy! :)

 

The Strength Within

 

A teenage boy with chocolate brown hair and cerulean armor gripped his lance tensely as he went to stand in line behind other knights. He was preparing to register for a recruits' tournament, an event often held at the Ylisse Palace to test the skills of knights and soldiers in training. A drop of sweat trickled down the side of his forehead as the boy eyed all of the other contenders, many of which towered over him.

"I hate this line," he said with a sigh. "But I must show Father--"

Suddenly, the boy felt something shove him forward an inch or two from behind.

"Ah!" he cried. "Hey!"

"Oh! Sorry about that--" another male voice, certainly from above him, replied. "Ah, Morgan. It's you. Should've known. You're so easy to bump into. What are you doing here, Shortstuff?"

"Stop that!" Morgan retorted. "I'm entering the tournament. I'm a new recruit just like everyone else here."

The other knight, a taller and bulkier young man with dark green hair, allowed a goofy grin to paint his features.

"Heh, well of course, I suppose.  You still think you can be on the level of the rest of us, eh?"

"Well, yeah!"

"Morgan, come on. You have resolve, and you may be the knight captain's kid, but really. You're going to have a hard time being a good soldier with that small body. You won't go far in this tourney. Your sister looks like she might outgrow you!"

"Shut up! Th-That doesn't matter! I've followed my father's training regimens completely and you wouldn't believe how strict they are!"

"Ha, I doubt it. I wouldn't be surprised if he takes it easy on you. You need real physical strength and defensive capabilities. You can't have that being small. You'll get shoved around too easily."

"I will not! Leave me alone! And my dad does not go easy on me!"

"Well look at Captain Frederick! He's strong, bulky, and tall. He's taller than the king! I do wonder how you're even as small as you are with him as your father though. Are your parents not feeding you enough of the right foods? Or...did your mom actually cheat on your dad at some point?"

This time, Morgan gritted his teeth and his face turned a blood red.

"HOW...HOW DARE YOU?! YOU DASTARD!!"

With that, the boy threw down his lance and launched a tight fist right into the taller knight's face. Despite Morgan being shorter, he actually hit him with enough force to send him stumbling. The knight maintained his footing, however, and gasped when he saw blood trickle from his nose to his fingers. Bystanders were now gasping and cupping their mouths with their hands. However, Morgan wasn't done with the man, as he launched himself into his body, forcing him to the floor for real.

"NO ONE TALKS ABOUT MY MOTHER LIKE THAT!" Morgan continued, his eyes as fiery as a bonfire.

He attempted to throw his fist at the man again, but two guards came rushing over and yanked the boy off of him.

"Hey! LET GO OF ME!"

"Enough of this, recruit! Such behavior is not acceptable and we cannot allow you to register for this tournament if you act like this."

"AAGH! ...What the...? You stupid pipsqueak! You're a lunatic!" the knight Morgan had attacked added, placing a hand to his still bleeding nose.

"You go get yourself cleaned up," one of the guards ordered.

A bystander who was also a knight soon stepped in.

"Sirs, I overheard their conversation. That man said some really mean things to the boy, something about his mother cheating on his father," he reported. "That was uncalled for."

"Yeah, and he made fun of my height!" Morgan added, sniffling and feeling his eyes go glassy. "It's the truth!"

"I see. Then we'll talk to him about that," the other guard promised. "But for now, you are to leave this hall and report yourself to Captain Frederick."

"Ugh..." Morgan uttered. "Fine..."

With that, the boy picked his lance up and stormed off. He did not want the other soldiers see tears stream down his face anyway. Though he also was not in the mood to speak with anyone, even his father. Especially not him. Frederick was strict, just as Morgan had said, and would not at all be pleased to learn that his son had caused a scene and assaulted a fellow knight. He probably would bar him from the tournament entirely. Hell, Morgan wouldn't be surprised if his mother and the army's tactician, Lady Kelli, supported any punishment Frederick gave him. She was not as strict as her husband, but over their current near two decade marriage, he had rubbed off a little bit on her.

For a little while, Morgan just wandered through a few halls in the palace, paying attention to no one around him. One maid asked him if she could help him, but of course he said no. He just let himself and his mind continue wandering, until he felt like returning to his quarters and preparing to meet with his father.

Why do I have to be short...? Why did I have to be a premature birth? Morgan wondered to himself, sniffling again. Another tear trickled down his cheek.

"I did make that guy stumble when I punched him, but..." he said to himself. "He didn't move much. I hoped to knock him to the floor... Instead I had to throw my whole body on him to do it."

He let out a sigh as he began viewing his faint reflection in a palace window.

"Maybe I really can only go so far with my size..."

"Now don't you say that!" a familiar, young feminine voice interrupted, jerking Morgan out of his trance.

The boy turned to see his mother, garbed in her Pegasus riding armor, her long curly teal ponytail trailing behind her. With her was a girl who resembled her, except her teal ponytail was thicker and straighter, and accented by a purple bow. She was also dressed in matching riding gear and carrying a healing staff. The girl was slightly taller, as was Morgan.

"Uh! Annie, Mother," Morgan greeted, quickly wiping his eyes. Maybe Annie is going to outgrow me. How embarrassing...

"Morgan, we heard what happened," Kelli said rather bluntly.

"Yeah," Antoinette added. "I'm going to be Sir Ike level blunt here, Morgan. How could you let that idiot rile you up like that, you dope?! Father will not be pleased at all!"

"Well, what would you have done if someone said awful things about our parents in front of you like that?!" Morgan retorted.

"Antoinette, you do not need to call your brother names," Kelli stepped in. "However, Morgan, she is right that you have to keep a level head if you want to be the best knight you can be. Your father has told you this."

"I know, but..." Morgan began. "I'm just so sick of people saying I can't fight because I'm smaller! My size shouldn't matter! And to hear that guy say what he said about you, it just made me..."

"I understand. I don't blame you for being angry about that. Your size really shouldn't matter that much. And I would have never done such a thing to your father. I am seeing to it that that young man is punished for saying those things."

"Thanks. I don't feel like talking right now though. Can we do this later?"

"No! Morgan, you really need to talk to Father," Antoinette insisted. "You can't hide this from him. He would only be angrier!"

"Well yeah, I'm not going to hide it. That's impossible anyway. You both already heard, so eventually word will reach him too," Morgan pointed out.

"It's best if you go tell him yourself," Kelli said.

"I know. I will at some point. I want to go to my room right now though."

"Well, I guess I can't get through to you here," Antoinette replied. "But Morgan, just know that I always think of you as my big brother, no matter what. Even if I end up being taller. I swear it."

"I hope you don't just say that to make me feel better."

"No, of course not! Don't be ridiculous, I'd never lie about that."

"Well, thanks. I do appreciate that. See you both later."

With that, Morgan walked away, this time towards his quarters, which were at the palace's large barracks. Kelli wished she could say more to her son, but she could only sigh as she turned to her daughter.

"Antoinette, why don't you go let Ralph know what's going on and see how Polly's doing? It's been a year or so, but she may still be working on adjusting to this life after Ralph found and adopted her. I have to speak to your father."

"Alright. And goodness knows, that little taguel girl never doesn't want to spend time with me. It's almost overbearing!"

"Heh, well, it's still good that she has someone besides Ralph that she can trust in and love."

"That's true. Well, I'll be off then!"

Antoinette then departed from her mother as well, leaving Kelli to head upstairs to where her husband surely was. Frederick spent a lot of time giving reports to King Chrom and Queen Olivia and doing various other things for them. He was as dedicated to his duties as one could get, sometimes to the point of absurdity. Probably his favorite things to do were clear pebbles from the roads and paths so no one tripped on them and do "landscaping" around his liege's tent if they went camping. He was always in charge of building the campfires as well, something else he really loved.

Kelli approached the large ornate doors to the throne room and opened them. Just as she had figured, Frederick was inside, reading off of a scroll to the king and queen. As always, he was garbed in his heavy light blue armor, and his hair, the same chocolate brown as their son's, had the uncharacteristically messy spikes in the back that she never didn't love.

"Sorry to interrupt, everyone," Kelli spoke up. "I'm going to need my husband for a few minutes."

"Oh, Kelli. What's going on?" Chrom wondered.

"Did something happen?" Olivia added. Her long pink curls bounced behind her.

"Yes, I do hope it's not dire," Frederick said. "I have duties that I must attend to."

"I know, Frederick dear," Kelli replied. "But this concerns our son. Morgan...got into an altercation downstairs at the tournament registration. And they want to bar him from the tournament now. He doesn't want to talk to you yet, so I'm asking you to help. I already spoke with him, but you would be better suited to helping him in this case. You're the knight captain, after all. As well as his father."

Frederick lowered the scroll he was holding and let out a long sigh.

"...I see," was all he said at first. "Why exactly did he do this?"

"I think it's best if he explained it to you. I also told him that. Please, I know you have things to do, but talk to your son. He needs your support."

"Hmm. I understand."

"Frederick, this does sound like a bad situation," Chrom agreed. "You should go talk to Morgan. Your family is important, more important than your duties right now."

"You're right, Milord," Frederick replied. "Thank you."

"I do hope he will be okay," Olivia voiced. "You can tell him we're both here for him. Lucina and Inigo would say the same too."

"Much obliged, Milady."

"Thank you, Freddy Bear," Kelli replied, shooting a loving smile with the affectionate nickname she'd used for her husband for years. Frederick used to cringe at it, but over time he accepted it, knowing that it was one of his wife's ways of showing him how much she loved him. However, he did wish she would only use it when they were alone. For the sake of keeping himself composed in front of his lieges, however, Frederick had to let it slide when they were present.

"I last saw Morgan heading to his quarters. You should find him there," Kelli continued. "Oh, but Frederick... I will tell you that Morgan's behavior was somewhat justified. Don't...go too hard on him."

"Alright. I should hope he had a good reason, in any case. I shall do what I can."

Frederick then put his scroll away and departed the throne room. He made his way downstairs to the barracks. He had made a note long ago to remember where both his son and daughter stayed inside the barracks, as well as keep a document telling which soldier stayed in which room. This way he could easily know if anyone did not or could not report to a meeting or mission one day. It would not do to have a soldier go missing and him not know of this until it was too late. When Frederick approached his son's room, he gently knocked.

"Morgan, it's me," he said. "May I come in?"

"...Oh, Father," Morgan replied. "...Sure."

He knew he could not say no to his father now. He would only feel even worse and probably make the situation worse too. Frederick then entered and gently closed the door behind him. Morgan had stripped himself of his armor and was lying on his bed, one of Kelli's tactics books in his hands.

"I see you're further studying your mother's strategies," Frederick said, sitting down next to his son.

"Yeah. I figured I might as well right now," Morgan replied. "I think it's going well."

"That's good to hear," Frederick commented with a smile. "However, I came to discuss what occurred today. Your mother informed me."

"She told you?" Morgan said in irritation, taking his eyes away from the book. "Ugh. I should've known."

"Well, not every detail. She did say that you ought to be the one to explain the rest. But Morgan, I will not lie. I am extremely disappointed in you. This is not the boy I raised into a knight."

"I...I know. I will explain since you're here now. I'm really sorry, Dad..."

Morgan then described the taller knight and what he had done, making sure not to leave out anything either young man had said. He also admitted to the assault, tears beginning to well in his eyes again.

"Like I said, I'm really sorry for what I did..." he finished. "I just couldn't believe he would suggest Mom cheated on you! And I'm tired of all the comments about my size! I just want people to stop putting me down just because I'm a little smaller! All I want is to be strong and a great commander like you and a great tactician like Mother one day... I'd love to win a tournament like you did too! You even won multiple!"

"Hm. I understand," Frederick replied. "I do wish that people would stop treating you that way as well. And I most definitely do not approve of that young man's comment about your mother. He will be punished for it."

"Good. He needs to be."

"However, Morgan, you were in the wrong as well. And I cannot give you any special treatment merely because you are my son. I must treat you as I do any recruit."

"...Yes. I was. And I accept any punishment you are going to give me. The guards said they don't want to allow me into the tournament, and if that's what you're going to say as well...then I understand."

"I am pleased to hear that," Frederick said. "And I would bar you from entering. However, this would be your first one, and this is your first offense. You need the combat experience to grow, and registration lasts two days. For now, I will only ban you from registering today and you will perform various other duties and chores for the remainder of the day instead and remain here in your quarters otherwise. You may register tomorrow. Provided that you remain level-headed and behave. I have told you before that keeping your composure in difficult situations is an essential skill for any knight and retainer to the royal family. You do get in trouble again, and you will be barred from the tournament. Is this clear?"

Morgan closed his eyes and gave a nod.

"Yes, Father."

"Good."

Before the two could say anything more, there was another knock at the door.

"Ah, it's Ralph," the masculine voice replied. "Are you there, Morgan? Fred?"

"Ah, yes, we are," Frederick replied. "Come in."

"Yeah," Morgan added.

The dirty blonde knight, known for his angelic singing voice and close friendship with Frederick, then entered, closing the door behind him.

"Annie told me what happened," Ralph said. "I came to see how you're doing. I'm sorry about it all, Morgan. What that guy said about your mother, despicable! It wasn't right of you to attack him, but I can't say I blame you for it."

"I agree, and thanks," Morgan replied.

"It's kind of you to check on him, Ralph," Frederick commented with a smile. "Thank you."

"Of course! Also, Polly sends her love. Annie's with her right now," Ralph added.

"Heh, tell her that I say thanks to both her and her papa," Morgan said, grinning.

"I certainly will!"

"And there we finally see a smile again," Frederick commented. "I'm pleased to see you're cheering up, Morgan."

"Yeah, I do feel better," Morgan admitted. "I have to admit though. I'm wondering now if my size really may be a hindrance after all. When I punched that guy, he stumbled, but didn't fall over. I was trying to make him fall over. But because he's bigger, he didn't. It took the force of my whole body to get him on the floor. And...I felt so intimidated being towered over by everyone around me. And when I think of you and especially look at you, Dad... I really envy how tall and strong you are. I always wished I could have a body like yours."

"Well..." Frederick said. "The truth is, in such situations, the size difference is a small factor. But Morgan, it's minimal. You managed to overpower him in some way regardless."

"...Huh. You do make a point. I did still put him on the floor, even if it took more than a punch to do it."

"Yeah, Morgan," Ralph stepped in. "You may be a bit of a little guy, but there are always ways to win against someone taller! And think of it like this, if being smaller does make it harder, it's just more satisfying when you overcome that challenge!"

"Exactly, Morgan. Ralph is correct," Frederick agreed. "All those people who say your height will prevent you from going far, they are wrong. You and Antoinette will outgrow your mother, and she does just fine the way she is, you know. Why, I may be tall and bulky, but your mother has kept me on my own toes in sparring matches! You have to remember something else I've told you before. True strength comes from within. It may help greatly to hone your body and wield the strongest weapon you can find, but you can still do that even at your height, and all the strength in the world does not matter if one does not know how to properly use it. You are learning to use such strength."

Morgan remained silent for a moment, processing what his father and family friend had just said.

"Wow... Dad, Ralph, I think you both are right!" he finally said. "I do remember when you said that about strength, Dad. The truth is, I didn't quite understand it back then. But I do now. It makes so much sense."

"Indeed. I'm pleased to hear this," Frederick replied with a smile.

"Yeah, that's right, Morgan," Ralph added. "And you know what else? People make mistakes. No one is perfect, after all, and life can get messy even at the best of times. Don't be too hard on yourself, okay?"

"That is good advice," Frederick said.

"Yeah. Thanks so much," Morgan replied, smiling as well.

"Now, I shall go prepare those chores I mentioned," Frederick declared. "Morgan, you remain here until I am ready for you. Ralph, I'd like your assistance."

"Yes, Father."

"Of course, Fred!" Ralph obliged.

"Oh... But one last thing," Frederick continued. "Morgan... When the tournament begins, do me a favor and show your opponents that big things can come in small packages!"

"Ha, I will, Dad! I promise not to disappoint you again!"

"That's the spirit."

"Yeah! We're all rooting for you!" Ralph added.

"Thanks," Morgan said, his smile bigger now. For once, he felt like he could walk back into that registration hall with full confidence and no nervousness to hold him back.

Edited March 31, 2019 by Anacybele