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A Change Of Tactics	By : JLDavenport Category: +A through F > Fire Emblem (all) > Fire Emblem (all) Views: 90773 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I don't own any elements of Fire Emblem or it's characters. I make no money from this.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Bonus – A Short Interlude
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Authors Note: Phew, finally another chapter up. This one probably feels a long time coming for anyone who’s been following my updates, since I mentioned intending to get it out before Christmas and then aiming for after New Years. Well, more than just dragging on getting it done, it turns out January is a hell of a time to try get any free time to write at all, a lot of everything going on and a lot of people taking up more of my time than I was planning for. So, I’m sorry for that!
If you’re not into that stuff, then I’m sorry, but you won’t have to worry about it much in the future. Alternatively, if you are super into that stuff, give me a heads up, I’m always interested to know what’s popular and what isn’t for my readers. I’ve no problems showing more scenes/characters that’re higher recommended.
Other than that, I wanted to quickly put down a note about something I’ve gotten a few comments and PM’s about, namely, to reiterate what I mentioned in the first chapter, as bluntly as possible: There’s no mind control, or passive domination going on at all. Obviously there’s an effect that Robin’s having on the Manakete’s (and them on him) and we’ll go into more details about that as the story evolves, but that’s only relevant to the Dragons. Lissa, Olivia, Tharja and everyone else aren’t affected by this at all.
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Recap: Robin returned to life a little more than 6 months after sacrificing himself to slay the Fell Dragon. However, when he returned, he found himself soon overcome with incredible lusts, desires that Lucina (his secret fiancé) was unable to entirely sate.
Over the next four months things got steadily worse for the Grandmaster and soon Robin was driven almost to the point of madness, holding back his rampaging desires, all the while knowing full well that sooner or later his willpower would give out and he’d lose control of himself entirely. With that terrible knowledge in mind, he resolved to at least make the choice of his own sanity and finally slept with Tharja.
Overwhelmed with the ensuing relief her body granted him, Robin listened attentively while the Dark Mage informed him of the truth- that in being revived he’d established dominion of the power that used to belong to Grima, power buried deep inside his bloodline. She claimed that Robin had now unlocked the true potential of his heritage and in doing so, gained both the power and instincts of a Manakete, desires far stronger than what should be contained within a human vessel. Among those desires was the most basic, primal urges, to Conquer, to Dominate and to Breed, the same callings that until now Robin had been fighting, at terrible cost to his very sanity.
Eventually he accepted that the only path forward for him, to protect his family and friends from himself, was to sate those same desires. And so, Robin set out, using his wits as a tactician and his influence as the Shepherds Grandmaster to seduce enough powerful women to satisfy even a dragon’s selfish greed. So far, he’s succeeded in having sex with Lucina, Tharja, Lissa, Olivia, Miriel, Nowi and most recently Panne.
And, where we left off last time, his efforts so far had all come to a head after Lon’qu left to return to Ferox, culminating in a wild orgy in Lissa’s room, between Robin, Lissa, Tharja, Nowi and Olivia. All of them are now very aware of each other and of Robin’s activities with them.
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It always seems like right when things are the calmest, that the biggest changes suddenly occur.
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Ylisstol Palace – Lissa’s Bedroom
Rolling away from the women wrapped around him, Robin breathed out a peaceful sigh.
It had been an incredibly productive day. Or, at least, it had been a remarkably enjoyable one.
A small part of him was worried that none of this had been within his plans- neither Tharja bringing Nowi to him the previous night, nor the orgy that’d just ensued throughout Lissa’s bedroom today. Looking at how things were now, it seemed almost ridiculous that he’d originally envisioned his carnal indiscretions to be as discrete as possible, things were quickly getting well out of hand.
But… He couldn’t bring himself to really be too concerned, that was a worry for another time. Despite his role as a world-famous strategist, Robin was still a man. And, looking around him, from Tharja, to Lissa, to Nowi to Olivia, four incredibly beautiful women, all splayed out naked across the bed, and all with his seed covering their thighs, dripping from both their holes. After having spent an entire morning savouring their bodies at his whims, no matter how it had happened, he knew he couldn’t possibly raise any complaint.
Lissa and Nowi had both sucked on Tharja’s massive breasts as she’d bounced excitedly atop his cock.
Tharja had taught Olivia a masterclass on her techniques for swallowing his length.
Lissa had eaten out the Manakete as Robin had filled her royal pussy from behind.
Nowi and Olivia had both surrendered their anal-virginity to him, cementing their new role as half-sisters.
As the adrenaline slowly faded, more and more incredible memories swirled through him and a delighted shiver shot up Robin’s spine. Just a few months ago, even imagining something like this would have been unthinkable, but now it felt almost natural, as if it was only to be expected. And, no matter how often his rationality told him that things weren’t so simple, to his deepest, most primeval instincts, he knew that this was natural. After all, a thought at the edge of his consciousness reminded him, these women belonged to him, did they not? And they’d all given themselves to him of their own free will, it was what they wanted… so then, wouldn’t it have been more unnatural to hide them from each other?
Chuckling sardonically, Robin swept such thoughts from his mind. As appealing an image as that was, he knew he would never let himself be ruled by such desires. Everything he’d done was for the sake of overcoming his needs, not to revel in them. This was an anomaly, secrecy and discretion were his lodestars, as fun as it was to imagine himself indulging in some hedonistic harem lifestyle, he had no plans to make things even more complicated than they already were.
Savouring a moment trailing his fingers down the soft-skin of Lissa’s delicious, lightly-tanned legs, he reminded himself that the biggest part of that was to not let something like this become normal. Running his other hand lovingly over the Tharja’s porcelain thigh, he reminded himself that this was as far from normal as possible! This was amazing! Incredible! He’d just spent more than half a day fucking four beautiful girls senseless! Any other man would kill to experience something like this!
‘Absolutely unbelievable,’ he told himself, smiling wholeheartedly. And, as drank in the moment, not even the lingering guilt he still felt towards Lucina could dowse the sheer ego boost of having a whole bed full of women to himself, ‘I never could have dreamed I’d ever experience anything like this.’
He sighed again, but with a note of wistfulness this time. No matter how wonderful the morning had been so far, it still had to come to an end. Staying as long as he had in Lissa’s room was dangerous already, especially given that is was even the very same day her husband had left the Halidom, and even besides that, he still had a good pile of work waiting for him back in his office.
However, just as Robin was making to push himself to his feet, he felt a pair of hands wrap gently around his chest and a wonderfully soft pair of breasts pushing into his back.
“Tharja?”
“You’re leaving?” she breathed against his shoulder, clearly unhappy, “Already?”
“Mmmm, I’d love to stay longer, but it’s too risky to stay here much longer. Really, we should all get going.”
“No-one’s going to check on me today,” Lissa cut in, propping herself up to her elbow she’d apparently been stirred from her daze by Tharja’s words.
“I’m still tirrrreeeeed…” Nowi yawned, rolling over and stretching out in the early afternoon sun. A very enticing sight for the resident Tactician, given the thick layer of his seed painted all down her thighs, “It’s warm here… Let’s stay like this a little longer…”
“You were er… very thorough with us, Master.” Olivia added softly, gingerly caressing her now incredibly sensitive and formally virgin ass, “It was exhausting.”
“And you worked harder than any of us,” Tharja continued, “I don’t know exactly what happened to you the day before last, but I know Morgan believes you were up all night in your office. And then last night, me and Nowi kept you busy until long past midnight, yet you were still awake before either of us, and then, after all you’ve done today… Even for you, your strength has limits.”
Robin paused, unable to directly refute her words. Tharja was as perceptive as ever, in truth he could feel a leaden weigh of fatigue throughout his body. He’d pushed himself hard the last few days and he knew he was undeniably exhausted, it couldn’t be good to stay up any longer. Yet,
“There’s no way I can sleep right now,” he answered simply. Not after having so thoroughly conquered a whole group of women at the same time. His very soul was ablaze with delight, “I’m far too wound up right now, it’s like my entire body is pulsing with life. I’m satisfied, but I still feel like I need to keep myself moving, like all me blood is rushing through me, I can’t calm down just yet.”
“I had thought so… Then, let me help, please,” the Dark Mage pleaded, and her arms wrapped tighter around him, fearing to let him go, “My love, entrust yourself to me for now. I can cast a sleeping hex for you, it’ll soothe your fervour and give you a proper, deep slumber. Exactly what you’ve been missing.”
“Tharja, you know I can’t ju-”
“You won’t oversleep. We shall keep watch and wake you in just a few hours,” she assured him, cutting off his objection as her grip slackened and her fingers caressed his chest, “Robin, my adoration… Please, rest for now. Take it easy for the rest of the day, and then return to me tonight and sleep soundly in my arms.”
Her words were soft, filled with both warm love and gentle care- Robin had a hard time finding a reason to resist.
“Or, you can come back here,” Lissa added, “You’re always welcome in my bed. You can bring Tharja too if you want, you always sleep well between us, don’t you?”
“Ah! Or you ca- oh, ah… No, Nah’s home right now.” Nowi’s voice trailed off with a pout.
“Master…” similarly, Olivia wined in disappointment. Unlike Lissa, her husband was at home right now. She couldn’t offer succour to the man she loved, “I-I could make an excuse to stay over and look after you?”
With Tharja still gently urging him backward and the others joining in pulling him toward the middle of the bed, Robin breathed out a laugh, giving in and falling down into their arms. Of course, if he was going to choose someone to spend the night wrapped up around, it would be Lucina- but for now, he couldn’t think of any reason not to indulge in their requests. He wasn’t a man for pointless arguments and he didn’t want to let down people who had his own interests in mind.
He settled himself back into the bed, laying his head down onto Tharja’s lap and consciously accepting her magic, as she began the spell, allowing it to wrap around him while she threaded her fingers lovingly through his hair, whispering her hex with in soft chant.
Her words were rhythmic, almost hypnotic, spoken in a language he couldn’t understand. And, as her spell washed gently through his body, he could feel the triumphant blaze burning within him slowly begin to cool. His muscles went slack and his heartbeat slowed, and slowly, his tension unwound and Ylisse’s Grandmaster began to relax. Taking one last, very satisfied, look at the warm smiles, naked bodies and adoring expressions of the women surrounding him, Robin’s eyes slid shut and his consciousness began to fade.
As part of both his nature and his role as a Tactician, Robin was an exceedingly organised person, that was normal for a strategist like him. It was also why, just as he stood right on the verge of sleep, one final stray reminder slipped through his thoughts.
‘Oh, right. Cynthia’s training is later today, isn’t it? I’ll have to… to remember… to… go see…’
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“Geez,” Lissa sighed, stroking her hand gently back and forth across the Tactician’s chest as she gazed kindly down on his quietly sleeping form. Even now just looking at him sent light shivers through her body from the still lingering delight. She’d never been so utterly satisfied before, nor had she ever been so thoroughly fucked, “You really are quite a guy, aren’t you Robin? To think you’d push yourself so far, and still last longer than any of us. Although, I guess, I couldn’t have expected it since I never expected anything like this… Actually, what is this? Are we all part of your harem or something now?”
“It’s fun like this!” Nowi answered happily, wrapping herself around their lover’s right arm, “I’m really glad we can stay together like this, we’re all one big family!”
“Y-Yeah! I’m relieved that Master has so many others looking after him too. He always takes on more than he needs to.”
Watching Olivia curl up around Robin’s feet, Lissa could only sigh, ‘Naga, he really did a number on you, didn’t he?’ once again, she was tempted to wonder about the Dancer’s status as a married woman, but, once again she held back, remembering that she didn’t want to go into any details about her own marriage, ‘Well, I suppose I’m no better, am I? I’m not gonna start calling him Master anytime soon though!’
Nodding to herself at just what kind of achievement that was supposed to be, it was then that she caught sight of her Plegian companion’s strange actions, “Huh, hey, Tharja, what’re you doing?”
Staring intently down at Robin’s sleeping face while waving her hands through the air, filling the room with her power, the Sorceress gave no response.
“Th-Tharja?”
“Heeeeey! Sis! What’cha doing?”
“Quiet!” she grunted finally acknowledging them, “I need to concentrate. Th-gh-This is a rather complicated piece of scrying magic.”
“Eh? Scrying?”
“Indeed… I just need to… Ah! There! Hehe, perfect…”
At her words, the spell coalesced and a glowing silver light rose from the Tactician, collecting into a small ball. Letting out soft pulses, it changed before their eyes, flattening to a disc and slowly beginning to expand.
“Tharja… What is this?”
The other women levelled stony gazes towards the Sorceress, silently demanding an explanation for the unsolicited spell.
She huffed, “Oh stop looking at me like that, it’s nothing to worry about. I put him to sleep, just as I said I would. But this sleep spell is just a little different… It will guarantee that he gets all the rest he needs, and also that he’ll enjoy a wonderful, sexual dream.”
As if on cue with her words, Robin’s mighty shaft began to rise to full prominence once more. The sight of it captured all their attention and gave each girl a moment’s pause, a dry gulp echoed across every member of their group. No matter how exhausted or satisfied they were, this was the cock that had subdued them each in turn, their submission had become instinctual.
“Hehe…” Tharja recovered first, her breathing notably faster as she gestured towards the silver disc still taking shape in the air above the man’s chest, “And now, I will get a chance to see exactly what his fantasies of me truly are, just what he sees in his own private thoughts. I shall finally be able to make his very dreams come true!”
Even when she was being sneaky, Tharja was still a good girl at heart.
“Hey! W-What makes you so sure he’ll dream about you?” Olivia interjected with uncharacteristic force. She staked her belief in Robin’s feelings for her no less deeply than the Plegian. Lissa and Nowi nodded too, equally affronted by the suggestion.
“Hmph. Even if I didn’t expect it from him, the spell makes sure of that. The dream it grants will typically focus on the last person they were thinking of, and since I was the one gently lulling him to sleep… heheh… Now, show me Robin! Shall I dress up for you? Play games for you? Show me exactly how you desire me!”
Right on cue with her words, the scrying spell shimmered one final time, pulsing with silvery light for a moment before spreading out to the size of a serving dish and a scene slowly faded into view.
“Oh! Oh! OooohHHHH! Naga! It’s too good!”
Accompanying the image, a very familiar voice rang out loud, filling the room…
“Eh!?”
“Wha!?”
“Tch!”
“Oooh!”
… But the woman they could see, screaming in delight and slamming herself down atop Robin’s cock wasn’t the Dark Mage.
“Ah, Robin! You always drive me crazy! Nnhh! You really are My Hero!”
Instead, the younger time-travelling Princess, Chrom’s second daughter, Cynthia was currently right where Tharja had expected to be, filling the projection before their eyes and eagerly filling her pussy with Robin’s shaft!
Stripped of her chestplate and tunic, the excitable young girl was currently wearing only her gauntlets, scarf and boots, showing off every inch of her deliciously round hips, tight-toned stomach, and -most of all- her massive, soft breasts, currently bouncing free in the air. Her hands were braced on Robin’s chest and her face flushed deep with joy as she tossed her blue hair from side to side, alternating between chewing on her lip and moaning wildly as his hands clenched around her waist, continuously slamming her bouncy, round ass roughly down the full length of his shaft.
Howling in abandon, as characteristically loud as ever, each of the women watching could see the shudders running through the Bluenette’s body and the way her eyes squeezed shut with each time her hips crashed down onto the Tactician’s. She was clearly delighting in the ecstasy, cumming her brains out each time his cock filled her and begging for more each time he pushed her back up. Cynthia was as unstoppable as ever, even as her body exploded in bliss.
“W-Whoa.” Lissa breathed, tearing her gaze away from their frantic coupling for a moment to offer a sympathetic pat on the back to the ashen-faced Sorceress slumped beside her. They were sisters now, after all.
“So… master is, is sleeping with Cynthia too?”
“No,” Tharja answered with more than a trace of bitterness. He surely would one day, and she would welcome the younger Princess into his bed, just like any of his other lovers, but she knew that, for now, his loyalty to Lucina meant that her sister remained off limits to him. She was fine with that, she didn’t begrudge him taking his future-wife’s sister for himself… but this, this was meant to be her, “He absolutely isn’t.”
Unfortunately for the Dark Mage, even the harsh tone of her words was undone by the soft, wet shlick of her fingers pressed between her legs, working their way in and out of her pussy, as well as the slight gasp in her breath as she brought her free hand up to roughly massage her still oversensitive breasts. No matter the situation and no matter her mood, Tharja could never resist Robin. Even as she watched him with yet another of her potential love rivals, still her body reacted to him.
“Looking at this, he definitely wants to though!” Nowi cheered, “Oooh, that’s great, I like Cynthia! She’s a lott’a fun!”
The Manakete’s priorities were a little different from the other’s in the room, but none of them could deny her words. Watching the dream, and how Robin had just flipped Cynthia onto her back, holding her tanned, athletic legs aloft, and was mercilessly driving his cock into her with his full strength, there was absolutely no denying his visible enthusiasm. There was no lack of eagerness at all in the way the Grandmaster claimed Chrom’s youngest daughter. And, as the scene continued, a growing desire built within each of them, to see this scenario truly play out in reality.
“N-Naga! NaaaaGA! Robin! I’m, I’m going crazy!” Dream-Cynthia screamed, throwing her head back and arching up from the mattress, as her toes clenched and body squirmed, “I’m losing my mind! I-ahh, pl-please! Don’t stop! Fuck me! Please!”
“Huh, hey! Wait a second…” Pausing from her own self-ministrations, having followed her Plegian sister’s lead, Lissa peered closer to the vision before them, “Were her breasts always that big?”
“Oh! You’re right,” Olivia nodded, despite her own fingers equally twisting around (mildly-satisfyingly) between her legs.
Taking after her mother, Cynthia had always been among the most well-endowed female Shepherds, she was matched only by Noire among the time-travellers, it was no secret that her breastplate had always been custom fitted. But, looking now at the mountainous round chest, heaving back and forth with her lover’s thrusts, they appeared to be bigger than ever! Even bigger than Tharja, or Tiki’s, in this dream, the Pegasus Knight’s chest was currently several sizes above her already impressive normal.
Nowi pouted, “I guess he really does like big breasts.”
“I-I think it depends on Master’s mood.” Olivia consoled the small Manakete, sparing a sidelong look at where Tharja was alternating between jealously and preening.
“Damn,” Lissa whistled, staring mesmerised at the way her niece’s body was being so thoroughly used by Robin and finding herself far more excited than she’d ever have expected, “Look at them! They look almost like they’re ready to be milked!”
Beside her, the Tactician groaned lightly, murmuring in his sleep. And then, before their eyes, as if stirred by their words, Robin released Cynthia’s legs to kick out into the air and instead reached over, taking her huge breasts into his hands.
“O-Ooh, w-w-wait!”
Cynthia’s gasped and squirmed, but her cries fell on deaf ears as he began gently stroking and squeezing her chest, kneading and caressing each breast in time with his thrusts- purposefully flicking his finger over her sensitive nipples whenever his cock hilted fully inside her, combining the sensation with the feeling of her deepest walls stretched wide around his shaft.
And, moments later,
“S-S-Stop! I’m, hhnhgh, it’s too much! I’m g-gonna…! G-GONNA…”
Cynthia bucked ferociously into his touch, squeezing herself tight around his shaft in a breath-taking orgasm and, right on cue, Lissa’s words rang true… fine, white droplets of milk sprayed lightly in the air as her body gave in and her mind crashed.
Not pausing for a second, even as his lover lost her senses under him, Robin drove himself into her once more, stretching the full length of her tight pussy around him. And, this time, when his fingers toyed with her nipples and his hands squeezed carefully around her heaving breasts, he was rewarded with another small spray of milk, and another equally shameless scream from the overcome Pegasus Knight.
“Wow…”
The four witnesses swallowed dry throats in unison, their hands pumping between their legs and their captivated gazes swapping back and forth between the sight of the Tactician’s long, thick cock pulsing before them and to where his dream-self was forcefully claiming the younger Princess, even harder and faster than before, a small pool of her liquid pooling over his hands as he continued caressing her oversized chest.
Thoroughly delighting himself in her incredibly light, toned body, Robin soon lost the last limits of any control, driving even harder forwards, grunting in pleasure he began kneading her breasts all the way up to her chin, sending a small spray of her own milk splashing across her face and into her mouth. Too caught up in crashing headlong through violent waves of pleasure, Cynthia only gasped and moaned in response, swallowing instinctively she was already completely lost to reason.
Spurred on as much by the sight of this new depravity as by the feeling of her tight pussy hungrily pulsing around his shaft, Robin quickly rocketed through his own peak! Acting on impulse as the pressure finally erupted, he abruptly pulled his length out, staggering up and thrusting one final time in the air, right over the Princess’s quivering thighs.
Groaning in bliss, his release thundered through him and his cock twitched again and again, each time unloading another thick load of cum across the Bluenette’s lightly tanned skin- coating across her taut stomach, pooling over her heaving breasts and even splattering warm across her face!
Panting as he blazed with satisfaction, Robin’s breath caught in his throat as his eyes refocussed, for before him was an almost unbelievable sight. With her eyes glazed, her cheeks flushed and her usually innocent, playful expression thoroughly stained, both with his seed and her own milk, Cynthia was practically unrecognisable from the girl he knew. Barely conscious, she was staring dizzily back at him, beaming happily and shivering with aftershocks of pleasure as the fluids coating her mixed together, dripping slowly down her massive breasts and trickling across her stomach. Looking at her now, Robin realised he’d never even imagined the earnest Pegasus Knight in such a state; practically naked, utterly conquered and eagerly defiled, Cynthia was radiating an expression of both pure joy and complete, womanly satisfaction. It somehow made her look more mature than she’d ever seemed before, to see such a beautiful, pure Princess like this was almost unthinkable.
It was a truly breath-taking moment…
…And one that went completely unnoticed by any of the four girls that had been spectating the dream!
While watching over the Tactician’s slumbering form, there had been an unspoken agreement formed between the women- an acknowledgement that even if any of them had still had the energy to ride him, they would still refrain from touching him. Aside from Tharja’s scrying, their whole aim had been to help ensure Robin had a chance to rest, risking disturbing his sleep in any way would ruin everything.
That didn’t mean however, that they would let the man they loved wake up, sticky in in his own prelease… or that any of them would possibly accept letting a drop of his seed go to waste! The very instant they saw his balls tighten and cock pulse, the very second they saw his release erupt into the air, all four were already diving towards him, their mouths open and eyes wide with shameless hunger.
Nowi was the one with the fastest reflexes. She was able to catch several ropes of cum directly across her face, or in her mouth. Trilling in delight, she beamed as she felt it splashing warm and heavy onto her bare skin.
Olivia was only a single beat slower. Happily receiving one thick load across her nose and another right onto her tongue, she linked her arms around the Manakete and the two girls quickly moved together, kissing and passing his taste back and forth as they licked each other clean.
Lissa was the boldest. Coming dangerously close to breaking their agreement, she wrapped her lips -soft and tenderly- around the head of his cock, lovingly suckling up his precum and every last drop remaining in his release.
Tharja was the most dutiful. Dragging her tongue adoringly across every inch of his chest, from his well-toned stomach to his pecs and down his abdomen, Robin’s Dark Mage happily cleaned up every drop the others missed.
Several very enjoyable minutes passed just like that before normalcy finally returned.
“Well, that was unpleasant,” Tharja complained, nodding toward the dreamscape where Robin and Cynthia were now resting comfortably in each other’s arms as she finished licking her lips clean, “Luckily… Given how he’s adjusted to his new lifestyle, I know my love would never be satisfied with just one round, not even in his dreams…”
So saying, she dropped to the bed, crawling towards the man and sidling up against him as she purred his name to his ears, “Robin… You’re waiting for me aren’t you? Mmm, don’t worry, I’ll be right there for you…”
Once again, the Tactician grunted, his expression changing as he shifted in his sleep. And, as he rolled his head to the side, in response to her words, the dreamscape began to change.
“Oh? You started without me?”
However, unfortunately for the Sorceress… After being in Cynthia’s arms, Robin’s mind was already focussed on thoughts of the Time-Travelling younger generation of Shepherds…
“N-Noire! Finally, you’re here!”
“We were waiting for you, of course.”
And so, the curious onlookers (and one very shell-shocked Plegian Witch) watched in astonishment as Tharja’s daughter sauntered into view.
Unlike the trainee Pegasus Knight’s stripped-down uniform, Noire was wearing only her usual feather-headband and an uncharacteristically sultry smile as she joined them on the bed- her equally massive breasts swaying and bouncing with every step, and her bare pussy already glistening before their eyes.
“Wow…” Noire breathed, leaning over and caressing a finger softly along Cynthia’s stained, flushed cheek, “You really made a mess, didn’t you?”
Scooping a little up and sucking it clean from her fingertip, the Archer shivered in unrestrained delight as she tasted the mixture of Cynthia’s milk and Robin’s cum, her own cheeks reddened in desire and a heavy pant fell from her mouth as she rolled it across her tongue. Suddenly too impatient to say even another word, she dived straight back in! Kissing and licking along her companion’s cum-covered face, she quickly cleaned up every last drop!
The two girl’s lips came together as she did so, meeting in an eager, passionate kiss. But even that lasted only a minute before Noire slid herself further down, tracing her tongue along the Bluenette’s throat and through the crevice of her breasts. Throwing her head back into the bed, Cynthia gasped in reply, unable to stop herself from all but urging the Archer’s mouth upwards, towards her now over-sensitive nipples.
AhhNUUAAAH!”
Not even Tharja could hold back a heated gasp at hearing Cynthia’s trembling cry when Noire finally finished cleaning the heaving breasts and squeezed them together for the main course. Suckling softly on each nipple in turn as she alternated between them, it was only moments before the Archer’s tender ministrations had her companion bucking and moaning.
And, all the while she was doing this, as Cynthia’s arms cling to her shoulders and as Noire delighted both in drinking the other girl’s milk as letting it splash onto her face, her tight, round ass was swaying enticingly in the air, waving enticingly (and very intentionally) back and forth before the Tactician’s eyes.
Robin had happily enjoyed the show to this point, but he was hardly a man to turn down such a welcome invitation…
“HhmmmUUAAAH! Yes! Tha-thank you!”
The usually quiet Archer’s voice abruptly echoed joyously around the room as the Grandmaster’s hands took possession of her hips and his shaft was suddenly slammed roughly all the way to the deepest walls of her awaiting pussy.
“Whoah…”
“Mmm…”
“Ahh, that… looks nice…”
“Tch…”
All four of the spectators gave out their own (softer) moans at the sight, their hands twisting between their legs once more as they watched him begin to alternate between claiming his two lovers, just as he had with them only a short time ago. Of course, one of them was scowling the entire time she was doing so, even as he hips bucked against her touch and her body flamed with arousal at watching Robin’s form.
“Awww, sis! Don’t be mad!” Nowi was the first to speak since the show had begun, shuffling herself across the bed with words of consolation, “Let them have their fun, you get to be with him in reality anyway. Now, here! Don’t you worry, just relax and let Big-Sis make you feel better!”
“Ah-eh? What are you-?”
Whether due to being caught off guard, or simply due to how much she’d accepted her, Tharja didn’t resist the smaller girl’s advance. And so, she allowed the Manakete’s hands on her as she was pushed smoothly back down onto the mattress once more.
“Here, now, just… like… thisssss.”
Acting without a single word of explanation, Nowi then slid herself down under and opposite the Sorceress, entwining their legs until they were scissor together with both their well fucked pussies pressing softly against one another.
And so, after twisting themselves around so that they were both able to watch Noire having the time of her life (Tharja concentrated mostly on Robin rather than her daughter), the Manakete began slowly, gently rocking her hips back and forth, sighing and moaning as their most sensitive spots tenderly and pleasantly slid together in synch.
Gasping lightly, Tharja felt herself trembling in blissful response, her body automatically moving in time with the Manakete’s and her fingers twisting into the bedsheets as a leisurely pleasure began spreading through her. And slowly, slowly, as she watched the man she loved filling her daughter up with his cum, again and again, even Tharja’s many frustrations began to ebb away. She always reacted to Robin, she couldn’t help it, even as she watched him with another woman, even as she watched him with her own daughter, she could never resist him.
And so, as the Tactician finally got the rest he needed, and as his lovers got a show they’d never expected (as well as several more tastings of his seed), the day passed fully into the afternoon, in a warm, pleasant haze of desire and affection.
---------------------------------***********************---------------------------------
“Hmph.”
Breathing out a whistling sigh, Robin listlessly pushed the pile of documents around his desk once again. Just as she’d promised, Tharja’s spell had done wonders for his condition. Even having taken only a few hours rest, the fatigue that was eating him had been completely dispelled and he felt almost entirely refreshed.
Unfortunately, the same excited, restlessness that’d been coursing through him before had returned. It had been a minor bother at first, but ever since he’d gone to assist Cynthia with her Pegasus Knight training, it had been almost unbearable. For some reason, he’d felt his heart racing and blood pumping from the moment he’d first laid eyes on the younger Princess. He’d long since accepted that he desired Lucina’s sister, it had been almost impossible to ignore the effect she had on him after she’d practically confessed to him just a short time ago, but today, after everything he’d done this morning (or perhaps in spite of it), it’d been harder than ever to hold himself back when he’d felt her leaning her surprisingly-soft body against him while he’d assisted her back to the Palace.
Judging from how red her face had been, and how she’d (probably for her) attempted to subtly push her massive chest against his arm, Robin had a distinct impression that his spiralling arousal towards the Bluenette wasn’t unreciprocated.
‘I’ll have to be careful around her.’
No matter what he’d done already, and no matter how tempted he may be, he knew he wouldn’t lay his hands on Lucina’s sister. Of course not. Not on Chrom’s other child. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t. There was no way.
Clearing his mind, Robin slowly released the breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding and unclenched the fists he hadn’t realised he’d tightened.
Thankfully, the dancing training he’d organised between Cynthia and Chrom seemed to be paying dividends already, as she’d been in a far better state today than when he usually went to meet her. Apparently today had been a shorter than standard training session, but even so, today she hadn’t needed him to massage or aid her bruised body in the least. He’d helped her home and then she’d stumbled off, her face blazing a bright, cherry red as she tripped over a few words of farewell, and that’d been the end of it.
He wasn’t disappointed. It was a good thing. Robin was happy.
His blood thundered in his ears at the memory and the Tactician groaned in frustration. Given how insanely pleasurable his life had become, it hardly seemed appropriate to complain, but even with everything Tharja had told him in warning for the changes being wrought within him, Robin had never expected to feel so affected after having spent the morning unleashing his lusts however he desired, into and onto a whole group of incredible women! It was new and difficult territory, his plans had always revolved around seeking something like a release-valve for his desires, a way to sate them and return to normalcy, he’d never expected to have to face such a consuming ache for even more.
He was restless with success and delight, he recognised. It was a dangerous, heady feeling and one he knew well, exactly the same as the dizzying rush of victory after a long battle. His blood raced, his heart pumped and his entire body was enflamed with excitement, he felt as if he was invincible! As if he could do anything!
He’d conquered so many of the most beautiful, most intelligent and most powerful women he’d ever met; Chrom’s daughter and the once Exalt of a ruined Ylisse, a terrifyingly devoted Dark Mage from Plegia, the crown Princess of Ylisse, a beautiful and famous Feroxian dancer, one of the greatest minds of the Ylissean scientific community, a thousand year old Manakete, (and, a voice echoed around a portcullis in the depths of his mind… wasn’t there one more?)… It was like a dream, or a fantasy, to have so many utterly incomparable women spread around him, that after engaging in such an incredible orgy, his soul was practically a bonfire of approval.
‘This will take some getting used to,’ he supposed, carefully examining his psyche, ‘Although, I’ll need to be very careful not to go any further than I already have. Feeling like this, this feeling of victory, could easily become dangerously addictive… The last thing I need to do, is to start acting irra-‘
“Robin? Hello, are you free presently?”
“Uh?”
His self-reflection was suddenly scattered, as the Shepherd’s most famous researcher and one of the objects of his thoughts just moments ago, strode into his office, closing the door primly behind her prim behind.
“Ah, good, you’re alone. That is most fortuitous,” Miriel sighed in what he took for relief, not even waiting for his first answer before barrelling on, “If at all reasonable to do so, I would appreciate you allocating me some of your time right now. After much consideration and some research, I have settled on some new parameters that I believe have great potential and suspect will yield highly valuable data. I require your assistance for the testing.”
Leaning over his desk, Robin rested his chin atop his hand with a smirk, “You look nice like that, Miriel. Very cute.”
Caught off guard and spluttering to a halt, the Mage blushed a vibrant red. Reaching up to bashfully tug on the bring of her hat, her gaze slid from his. Forgoing her usual practical outfit, aside from the hat he’d praised on her previously, Miriel was currently taking advantage of the pleasant summer weather by wearing a light creamy sundress.
Exactly as he had instructed.
The low cut of the dress and the thin shoulder straps did a wonderful of job of showing off her impressively slim physique and considerable bust, and despite the hem falling conservatively a few centimetres above her knees, it still gave a very enticing look down the slender, creamy-white legs she usually had hidden under her thick baggy trousers. In truth the whole look was somewhat ruined by the wide-sweeping mage’s hat still positioned securely atop her head; it became a strange mix of casual and business that didn’t really work together.
However, Robin couldn’t possible have cared less. Miriel had come to him in a dress, exactly as he’d instructed her to. Exactly as he’d told her to do, for he next time she was craving him.
He didn’t believe for a second that she would have clothes like this in her lab, which meant that she’d gone all the way home to get changed into an outfit specifically for his pleasure. And then, she’d walked all the way across Ylisstol to his office, dressed like this, visiting him for sex. No, Robin corrected himself as his grin widened… At this time of day, Henry would almost certainly be over in the Western Quarter, which meant that Miriel had gone home, gotten dressed up for him, and then -without asking her husband’s permission- she’d come all the way here, to get fucked.
Even for someone as naturally stoic and collected as Miriel, it was impossible that something like that wasn’t having an effect on her. That was, he realised, probably why the usually unflappable scientist was currently blushing like a virgin and clenching her fists for calm.
“*Ahem*, y-yes, thank you for your compliment. Your praise is unnecessary, b-but, agreeable,” she recovered awkwardly, pushing her glasses up her nose, “Then, as you have… as you have most likely guessed. I have visited with the intention to continue our shared experiment.”
“Is it really an experiment if Henry doesn’t know?” He needled her, holding back a smirk. After all, wasn’t this whole thing for the sake of her husband’s pleasure? Had she forgotten that already?
“I-I shall inform him tonight, over dinner,” she answered quickly, confirming his earlier suspicion as a momentary look of guilt flashed across her face, “I-I’m sure he’ll enjoy that, he has always been favourable to listening to our, to er, to my reports!”
“Of course, I’m sorry. So, what did you want to test?”
Sucking in a breath, the tension drained from Miriel’s body and her awkwardness dissipated. Her eyes sparkled behind her glasses and she drew herself up with a grin, she was finally back in her element.
“As I’ve analysed the notes I’ve taken from our previous times together as lovers, it has become abundantly clear to me that even from our initial encounter you have always asserted a very strong dominance over me. My data is certain about this, and furthermore, this dominance has been showcased in even greater propensity the more we’ve coupled. In short, it appears that the more time we’ve spent together, the more comfortable you are taking firm control over both me and our sexual encounter.
Most interestingly however, this manner of yours appears to be very agreeable to both of our demeanours. This has come as something of a surprise to me, I have never believed myself to hold such a preference previously and I have never desired such treatment before we began having sex. However, the effect is undeniable; my body has begun to naturally submit to you, and I have repeatedly recorded notable spikes in my arousal at just the thought of your hands pressing me down or holding me in place at your whim. These and similar considerations have also been filling my dreams as of late.”
Miriel was difficult to deal with at the best of times. Hearing her rattle off such a ridiculously frank and open description of their sex-life in her own matter-of-fact way, it was all Robin could just to maintain his calm appearance. So, taking his silence as encouragement, she continued on,
“As I mentioned, the awakening of such a kink is all very new to me, so in light of the need to understand these desires, I have been conducting extensive research on this topic in my spare time and, the results of that, is that almost all my sources have led me to the exact same conclusion. Namely, that small, manageable, additions of pain within the pleasure you cause me would greatly heighten the experience for us both. Now, of the two most suggested methods for achieving this, I don’t have a ponytail for you to tug so-”
“You should grow your hair out.”
Miriel paused a moment, then nodded her acquiescence, “S-So, so I believe the best method for now, would be for you to… Er, to deliver a sharp, open handed blow to my behind, while we’re in the process of being intimate.”
Pushing her glasses back up her nose, she gave of a confident, self-satisfied smile, “I believe that this should add a powerful, physical dimension to your sexual dominance over my body, as well as supplementing and ensuring my resulting submission. And, if my research is correct, the outcome of this should be extraordinary!”
“I see. Alright then, I agree. It sounds like you’ve really considered this, we should definitely test it out at some point.”
Even as he looked down to make a show of turning over one of the papers spread across his desk, Robin couldn’t possibly have missed the way she shifted at his response, nor how her confidence evaporated like the morning dew.
“A-Are you unavailable presently? I had thought we could take advantage of this moment where Olivia and Morgan both appear to be otherwise occupied. I… Robin, I had hoped to test this theory forthwith!”
“Miriel,” he pushed her boundaries just a little more, “You must know how busy I am. You’ve come to my work to request a favour. Don’t you think you should ask properly?”
Watching as the last of the stoic, collected composure dissipated from the typically unflappable scientist, another warm thrill ran up Robin’s spine. She wouldn’t deny him, he was sure of that. She would recognise the importance of him doing this to her for their “game”, and so, she would fall even deeper.
A long, silent moment passed between them at his question, as the Scientist’s pride and logic warred with her desires…
…Until finally, at long last, swallowing heavily and blushing in deep mortification, Miriel reached down with trembling fingers and raised up the hem of her dress, displaying before his eyes, the sight of her bare pussy, already glistening wet, soaked undeniably with her lust. The famously prim and emotionless Shepherd, Miriel, had dressed up for him, then walked through the streets of Ylisstol, without panties, to see him.
Exactly as he’d instructed.
“Robin, ah, p-please…”
Her voice was as monotonal as ever. But, seeing such bashfulness from her, when she’d once stripped naked for him without a moment’s shame, only made him desire her even more.
“Please, would you… Robin, I’m, I’m asking you to please… Please, fuck me over your desk and spank my ass red!”
Robin grinned wildly. He hadn’t expected to see her today, but if she was going to ask so sweetly, how could be possibly say no?
---------------------------------***********************---------------------------------
A while later
Miriel was splayed out, groaning softly, atop Robin’s bed- wearing only her hat and a thick coating of his seed across her back and thighs, the evidence of their seven rounds of frenzied coupling and the proof of how thoroughly her body had been claimed by the Tactician once again. For his part, Robin was already back at his desk, pushing the papers around with a dissatisfied expression once again.
Playing around with the scientist had, of course, been great fun. Hearing her sudden shrieks or squeals along with the way her pussy tensed around him each time he’d slapped her soft ass had turned out to be even more fun than he’d anticipated. But it had only poured oil on the fire of his restlessness.
His dragon-born, rampaging lusts were thoroughly sated, they had been since the previous night with Tharja and Nowi. That wasn’t the cause of the sensations coursing through him now. He was happy, he was fully satisfied… but more than anything, he was overflowing with his success, he could practically feel his ego swelling with pride at thoughts of his Conquests and the delight pulsing through him was undeniable. Few men could ever even imagine living the life he was living right now! It was hedonism fit for a King, and he could feel his greed growing. The inexplicable need to push the boundaries, to take even more… beyond what he needed to solve the issue of his desires, to take more simply to see if he could…
He clenched his eyes shut, pushing the thoughts down for the thousandth time. For all his spiralling emotions, Robin was still a man of strategy and rationale, he was smart enough to recognise the growing weakness within him and also to know that, unlike the lusts that had almost driven him mad, this sensation would pass. This was a honeymoon novelty. So long as he kept control of himself… such things would become (dangerously) normal, and he would be fine.
That knowledge was cold comfort as the work spread out before him continued to slip through his mind. No matter how he tried to concentrate, or how he attempted to diligence that was usually second nature to him, right now the words on the pages seemed to simply pass through his focus, and his frustration only grew.
Robin wasn’t the kind of man to give up easily, nor the kind who would leave important work for later, pushing on and wringing out what little successes his efforts managed, even as his thoughts continued to drift and his focus faltered, he continued in that state for another half hour, before finally throwing his hands up in defeat.
“Fine! Fine! I suppose I’m just not getting any work done today then!”
Thankfully, he supposed, as he settled back into his chair with a groan, there was at least one other slightly productive thing he could spend his afternoon doing instead, something that he knew he needed to allocate more time to anyway as it was. It didn’t make him feel any better, and it didn’t lessen the feeling of guilt at putting off his duties (even if he was well ahead of this quarter’s targets), but it at least would be a better compromise than sitting in his chair, achieving nothing but wearing out his patience.
‘Now isn’t exactly the best time, but no-one does appear to be around…’
Pulling his clothes back into place, he trudged over to his set of bookshelves, reaching up and pulling down a thin tome he’d hidden atop the furthest one before turning to make his way downstairs, back into the main site of the Shepherd’s barracks.
“I’m going out for a bit,” he called back to his half-conscious guest, “I’ll lock the door behind me, so you can stay as long as you like.”
---------------------------------***********************---------------------------------
Sometime later
“Ho now, what’s this?”
“A-Eh!?”
Caught unaware, Robin let out a surprised cry, stumbling to an ungainly halt as a light peal of laughter suddenly interrupted his concentration.
“I thought I heard someone bumping around in here, so I came to check if someone had broken in… I must say, I never thought it would be you. Just what am I looking at exactly? Has our Master Tactician finally lost his mind?”
“Cordelia…”
Slowly standing back upright and tugging awkwardly on his coat, Robin had a distinct feeling like he’d just been caught in the act and, for the first time, he found it difficult to meet the beautiful knight’s eyes. Despite her teasing words, Cordelia’s voice was gentle and her expression as friendly as ever, she clearly meant no ill-will with her laughter. Even so, he couldn’t help but feel his cheeks burn under her gaze.
He’d specifically decided to use the Shepherd’s small indoor sparring hall because he hadn’t expected anyone else would be around! The barracks as a whole was mostly unoccupied at this time of day, even Morgan was nowhere to be seen and she was meant to be here. Aside from Miriel, who he’d left upstairs, there shouldn’t have been any reason for anyone else to come by on a day like today!
And yet, here she was! Robin groaned, this was why he usually made sure not to do this during daytime, and now it seemed simple co-incidence had conspired against him. Was nothing going right today!?
‘Er…’
His cheeks burned redder at that thought. No matter how frustrated he’d become, he felt embarrassed just for having considered it. Five women currently had their wombs stuffed full with his seed, and his desires were so completely sated he’d been planning to spend the night making sweet and slow love to Lucina for a change of pace. No, the problem with today was that far too much had gone wonderfully, unbelievably too right. And now it was making things go wrong! He suspected that logic didn’t quite hold up, but as he wilted under the Wing Commander’s kindly expression, it felt justified.
“I was… *Ahem* If it matters- I was just brushing up on my formal dancing,” he explained at length, facing her straight on and forcing out every bit of composure he could manage, “The Princess Lucina’s birthday, as well as several major Naganite events are coming up… So, so, as Chrom’s right hand, I need to make sure I represent the Halidom to the best of my ability.”
A moment passed, the corner of her lip twitched, but she remained silent, waiting for him to continue. Cordelia was annoyingly perceptive sometimes.
“And… I wanted to surprise Lucina with it.” He added, explaining the secrecy, his composure faltering a little as he tried not to make that sound like an admission.
This time, she at least attempted to stifle her laughter as she looked him over, spotting the instructional manual he was holding, half hidden behind his back.
“You’re trying to learn to dance… from a book? Oh Naga! I-I’m sorry, that’s just, that’s so like you! Stuck away from everyone else, lost in your own world. Robin! Come now, you can’t learn everything in life from a book!”
“I thought I was doing fairly well.” He answered, only a little defensively.
Raising an eyebrow, Cordelia turned an appraising eye towards him once again, looking surprisingly contrite, even as her gorgeous face was still lit with amusement, “Ah, geez… You really have been working hard, haven’t you?”
Robin blinked before suddenly becoming aware of his uncharacteristically dishevelled state, he probably looked an absolute mess. Thankfully, it seemed that she’d mistaken his hour or so of bumbling attempts at dancing for his current sweaty, unkempt appearance. Wincing internally, he was immediately glad to be on the other side of the room from the red-head, after all the time he’d spent enjoying Miriel’s request, he was probably absolutely reeking of sex.
“Alright,” clapping her hands as she resolved a decision, Cordelia offered him another kind smile, “I’m sorry for laughing at you Robin, trying to improve yourself is always commendable. But, even so, you can’t learn to dance like this. As an apology, why don’t you let me help you? It won’t take me long to finish up here, and then I’m free after that. Why don’t you give me a bit of time to get cleaned up out of my uniform and then meet me at my place in about an hour? I-I’m no expert, but I’m sure I can teach you better than some book!”
She flushed slightly at her offer, brushing at the sleeve of her outfit with a hint of bashfulness and it occurred to Robin that she must have been busy until now, taking care of the training for the rookie Pegasus Knights, even after the practice had ended. He supposed she was embarrassed at the thought of letting him close to her after what was surely a physical day. Seeing his current appearance had made her aware of her own… But, as always with Cordelia, Robin couldn’t tell the difference in the least, barely a hair seemed out of place on her head, she simply looked perfect.
Still, he couldn’t discount her offer, it was certainly a lot less daunting than asking a professional like Olivia to teach him the absolute basics. And that was without even considering any potential consequences of letting himself be in any position of deference to the woman who’d branded herself as his property.
---------------------------------***********************---------------------------------
Cordelia wasn’t a noble, but her family had been a prominent house in Ylisse for generations and had long standing connections throughout both the knight orders and the merchant companies. And, as such, the house she’d inherited was a very impressive one. Resting comfortably on the quieter, wealthier side of Ylisstol, it was a modern looking mid-sized, two-story manor with a large rolling courtyard, sweeping open country views and, most importantly for their purposes, a large open showroom used to display the family’s impressive collection of assorted weapons and armaments.
Numerous embossed shields, shining spears and gilded swords, all carefully maintained and polished, hung proudly from every section of the wall… and, all were completely ignored as the Tactician and Wing Commander embraced each other tightly, sweeping (somewhat) gallantly across the polished, oaken floor.
To Robin’s eyes, Cordelia herself was no less impressive than her legacy; forging the usual uniform he was accustomed to seeing her in for a slim aquamarine coloured dress, she had done a magnificent job of making Robin feel underdressed for the lesson- despite the fact that, after cleaning himself up, he’d gone through the effort of actually changing into some of his nicer clothes and had even left his signature cloak behind (after his initial forays, he’d concluded it was unfortunately impractical for dancing). The modest cut of the dress hung just slightly below her neckline and showed off only very little of her creamy smooth skin. Instead, it wrapped tight around her figure, outlining both her beautifully trim, athletic physique as well as accentuating her nicely-sized, modest bust. The perceptive part of the Tactician’s mind noted that said bust was sitting somewhat strangely on her and that it seemed to move a little stiffly with her motions, but he wisely put such thoughts out of his mind and kept his mouth closed.
Given Cordelia’s overabundance of natural talent, learning anything from her was always a difficult feat, but Robin was a fast study himself and she thankfully kept their lessons to the simple, traditional dances. So, while he knew she still had a lot to teach him, it wasn’t long before he was able to simply go with the flow, leading her (somewhat) confidently around the room and allowing her to smoothly cover his mistakes with the usual peerless grace he’d, rather unfairly, come to expect from her.
Before either of them had noticed, more than an hour had passed like this, comfortably spent in each other’s arms.
“This… this is actually really nice,” Cordelia sighed softly, pulling him a little closer and letting her head rest on his shoulder as their tempo slowed.
“Oh?”
“A-hah, oh sorry… I was… I was just lost in thought for a moment there,” he could practically hear her blush, but he kept his arms tight around her and she didn’t raise her head from him, “This is- er, this is actually the first time I’ve ever danced with a man.”
Being the hopelessly romantic soul she was, a part of her had always wondered what it would feel like, and now that she was here, leaning against a man and feeling herself comfortably held in his embrace as he led her to the tune of a beat inside their head, she had to admit, it wasn’t quite like how she’d expected. And yet, in all the ways it differed from her fantasies, it filled her heart with a surprising amount of delight just the same.
Relaxing against his chest, feeling his arms around her and his presence, strong and sure, enveloping her, she felt secure, both safe and warm…
…She felt exactly as she had the last time he’d taken hold of her. The time in his office when he’d gra-
She shook the memory away. It was a silly thought, one unbecoming of a veteran warrior like herself. She could protect herself better than almost anyone in the Halidom… And yet, it was an undeniably comforting feeling all the same. There was something about the way he looked at her, about the way his hands felt on her body, as if he wanted to possess her, to keep him all to himself. It was such a simple thing, and something she’d never have expected to want, but, Cordelia knew that she’d never before felt as protected and as desired as she did wrapped up in Robin’s arms. In her imagination, she’d thought her heart would be racing, but it wasn’t, she wasn’t embarrassed or shy… she simply felt comfortable.
Perhaps it was just because he was a man, or perhaps it was because it was him. She didn’t know and she didn’t care, it didn’t matter, even today there was only one other man she’d ever considered letting this close to her.
“All us Pegasus Knights were taught formal dancing in those days, but I only ever danced with Sumia at the balls,” she explained, “I got invitations from some of the other Soldiers and a few of the nobles, but I always turned them down…”
“You were always working up the courage to ask Chrom.”
He could easily picture her dithering back and forth on the edge of the dance hall, taking a step forwards and two steps backwards every time the Prince looked her way. He actually felt a little sorry for Sumia who no doubt had any of her own plans scuttled by having to rescue her friend before things got too awkward, or she got completely surrounded by suitors.
“It all feels so silly now…”
Robin pulled her a little tighter against him, projecting what confidence he could as he led her around to his right, “That’s all in the past Cordelia. Forget it, or learn from it, either way, you’ve got your future still ahead of you.”
Blinking her eyes open, Cordelia almost missed her step at that. Raising her head from his shoulder, she peered quizzically at the Tactician, “That wasn’t what I expected you to say at all Robin… All this time already… Don’t you have something you want to say to me?”
He frowned, making a show of thinking that through.
“Thanks for your help? You’re a very skilled dancer?”
“No.”
“You’re remarkably soft and light in my arms, I never expected such a trained warrior could feel so amazing to hold.”
“R-Robin!?”
“What do you want from me Cordelia?”
His face was suddenly serious and expression piercing. Still reeling from the unexpectedly bold compliment, her confidence faltered and she flushed, feeling a little breathless, “Aren’t… aren’t you going to apologise?”
“Apologise?” he hummed, “No, I wasn’t planning on it.”
The red-head balked, fumbling over her words, this wasn’t going how she’d expected at all!
Inviting a man over to her house for the first time, she hadn’t been able to help but play everything out in her head over and over. This was the first time they were alone together since, since then, and she was doing him a favour, showing that she didn’t bear him any grudge for his actions! What better time was there!? He was meant to apologise for how he’d treated her last time and to actually ask her out properly! She hadn’t decided what her answer would be yet, she had imagined she’d tell him she needed to consider it! But, even so, after what he’d done, it was only polite for him to ask!
“Y-Y-You! You stole my first kiss! And you did it right after declaring your love for another woman! Don’t you feel guilty!? Look, look, I know you didn’t mean it, so, so if you apologise, I’ll forgive you. S-So, so just… just… stop looking at me like that…”
Robin stopped completely and their dance came to an abrupt halt, even before her words had petered out.
“No. I don’t feel guilty at all. Surely you know I respect you far too much for that.”
Thoughts spinning in confusion and lost completely out of her depths, Cordelia swallowed nervously. Blushing under the intensity of his gaze, she stepped back.
He moved forward, still perfectly in synch, “You’re one of the strongest, most self-reliant women I’ve ever met.”
She stepped backwards, aware somewhere within her rushing thoughts that she was only retreating a single step at a time. His arms were still around her but, somehow, she felt no desire to pull away.
He stepped forward, “I can put you on any battlefield and know that you’ll always turn the tide for me.”
She stepped backwards. Squirming at his unabashed praise and the deep sincerity of his tone, she found herself enraptured by his gaze, suddenly very aware it was only centimetres from her own face. It was almost too intense to look at right now, but also too commanding to turn away from. This, she realised as her heart thumped, was the focus of the man who’d led her through countless battles, the words of the leader whose orders she’d entrusted her life to.
He stepped forwards. “Throughout three wars and more misery than I care to think about, you’ve always stayed strong, you’ve always steadfast and unwavering, you’ve always been at my side.
She stepped backwards. Now however, Cordelia found that she’d backed all the way to the showroom’s eastern wall. She gulped, still somehow unable to look away and still strangely unwilling to leave his embrace. Her back was pressed up against the wall and his hands were wrapped around her waist- just like last time.
He stepped forwards. “I’ve seen you dodge an arrow in flight and throw off men twice your size. No, Cordelia, I don’t feel guilty at all. Because, I know you. And I know how securely you guard your heart. I know you would never let anyone lay so much as a finger on you without your permission.”
Raising his right hand from her hip, he cupped it against her face, stroking his thumb tenderly over her cheek, “I’ve got some confidence in my skills, but I know I could never match you in a straight fight, nor have even a hope of taking you by surprise. Cordelia, I could never have kissed you if you didn’t want me to.”
Her world slammed to a halt and her head spun. And yet, faltering in place and feeling a warm, electric shiver running down her spine, she realised she couldn’t deny the truth in his words.
While he was certainly in great shape, the Shepherds were the most elite of elite warriors, and Robin was definitely not the most physical among them. Especially now, after the wars, without anyone to fight and with far less time spent on training, he couldn’t be even as strong as he’d been during those days. So… So then why did it feel like she couldn’t resist him at all? Her logic told her she could easily throw off his touch, but somehow, impossibly, the fighter’s instinct she’d honed to a razor-sharp point, sung only of his superiority.
‘Is, is this what I want? To feel so overpowered?’
Did she wish to feel as if she was desired so strongly that Robin would never let anything keep her from him? Is that why he felt so overwhelming right now? And why she felt so unwaveringly safe in his arms, despite how he’d backed her up against a wall?
Her heart raced and she squirmed as a yearning warmth pulsed through her body, spreading from her core.
“You’re never one to do things by impulse Cordelia. If you truly only wanted me to apologise, you’d never let me kiss you a second time.”
“Ah!”
She had plenty of time to react as he leant in, as his hand pulled her waist against him. She had all the time in the world.
But she didn’t.
Robin kissed her slower this time, softer and gentler, as if they had all the time in the world, as if he planned to treasure her for as long as he could. He pulled her carefully against and slid himself even further forwards, pressing her back against the wall behind her with just a little force, just enough to leave her feeling giddily trapped between two solid objects as their embrace deepened.
And this time, for her first time, Cordelia kissed him back. No longer taken by surprise, she moved with his motions, clumsily and awkwardly, but with no small amount of tenderness. Ylisse’s Wing Commander was naturally gifted in anything she sought to do, and it took almost no time at all for her adjust, opening her mouth to his, she moaned with contentment as she linked her arms around his shoulders and let herself fully melt into the Tactician.
Once again, Cordelia was held in his arms, pressed up against the wall and feeling her body give itself up entirely to his mercies, but, as the minutes passed between them, far from the shock and passion she’d felt the previous time he’d kissed her, this time Robin never sought to escalate or hurry things between them. And so instead, the spark of lust between them was replaced by a tender, smouldering sensuality. Following his movements as the hesitation slowly dissipated from her own, his tongue led hers in a gentle dance and she pushed her body back tentatively against him in response, grinding against him more by instinct than anything planned, she moaned aloud a moment later, feeling every womanly instinct within her tremble in delight.
Even through her dress and bra, she could feel her breasts scraping against his chest, sending electric pulses down her spine as her nipples grew hard. She could feel his hands moving possessively over her skin, leaving her quaking and trembling as her body grew hotter in a way she’d never felt before. She could feel an ache growing and pulsing within her core, sated momentarily with each new touch but still yearning hungrily for more.
And, unlike in his office, this time, Cordelia couldn’t possibly pretend that the thick length she could feel pushing unbelievably long and undeniably hard all the way up to her abdomen was anything else. It was a sensation she’d tried not to think about ever since, but one that had haunted the edges of her imagination and her nights all this time. Somehow, it seemed even larger than in even the most risqué stories she’d read, ‘A-Are they normally that big?’ it was somehow a little daunting, and surpassingly manly at the same time.
She could feel the physical proof of his desire for her pressing so forcefully against her. It was indecent, downright depraved, and yet she couldn’t help but shiver in response.
Her arms linked tighter around him, and her tongue followed his more confidently, kissing like this was nothing at all like what she’d expected or fantasised about, it was completely different to her romantic daydreams. But, right now, feeling his strong body holding hers with such desire, feeling so plainly and openly wanted, Cordelia dizzy wish a rush she’d never experienced before.
“…Robin…”
“Cordelia…”
They broke apart together, gasping for breath, but a moment later the second kiss became a third, and then a fourth, and then-
“Heeeeeeey! I’m home!”
And then, the mood was suddenly shattered by the sound of Severa’s voice calling out, followed a moment later by the impact of a good number of bags being lazily dumped onto the ground.
Jaws falling open, they instantly fell away from each other, attempting to pull their clothing back into place.
“Se-Severa? Is that you?” Cordelia, sang out, desperately trying to calm her racing heart. Covering her cheeks with her hands, she was immediately glad she hadn’t decided to wear lipstick for the lesson.
“Duh! Who else would it be?” the eyeroll was practically verbalised as the younger red-head trumped through the house towards them, “Why, what’re you doing back here anyway- Huh? Robin? Why’re you here?”
Standing as if to bar the entryway, the mercenary’s mood turned icy and she eyed Cordelia with a piercing look. Severa had actually had a very enjoyable day out on the town, but coming home to find her mother home alone, with a man who wasn’t her father, put her instantly on guard.
“Robin, er, Robin actually, he just got here! He said he wa-”
“I’m here for you of course,” Robin cut in, speaking over the panicking Knight with a smooth candour as he leaned against the wall with an easy smile, as if nothing at all was amiss, “I’m here to take you on a date.”
Severa paused.
Then she blinked.
Thrown off balance and forced to switch gears, it was a moment before she could make sense of a statement like that. As soon as she did, she reeled back, her eyes shooting wide as she spluttered in confused surprise, “Wh-Wha!? What the hells!? A date? With you? When did I ever agree to something like that!?”
“You didn’t.”
She gaped.
“But then, I haven’t had the chance to ask, have I? How long have you been back in Ylisstol now? You haven’t come to see me even once!”
At that comment, Severa’s mood shifted. She couldn’t help but feel a little abashed at that, especially given that she’d blown off the Shepherd’s meeting the other day too. She’d never expected him to complain about something like that, it wasn’t as if she was avoiding him after Noire put all those strange thoughts in her head!
“I… I just thought you’d be busy,” she admitted, tugging guiltily at the hem of her shirt.
He answered her with an infuriatingly smug smile, “Well, I figured it’s long past time I rectified that. And, I knew that rather than trying to chase you around town, if I waited here for you, eventually I’d catch you for sure. Aha, just as planned! Thanks for your help, Cordelia.”
Severa fumed! Even Inigo wasn’t this presumptuous! He just thought he could waltz in her and then, an-
And just as she was puffing herself up to bite her head off, her anger slowed. There was no way someone with an eye for fashion like her could miss that Robin was dressed up far nicer than usual. He’d even left his signature cloak behind and she knew how much he loved that gaudy thing. Her heart clenched, just a little. Was this all for her sake? Had he really gone to all this effort for her?
“A-Are you stupid!? You set this all up with my mother? What kind of plan is that!? And, and anyway, what are you even thinking? What’s wrong with you!? If you’re going to be taking anyone out, it should be Lucina! She’s the one you’re supposed to be with.”
She didn’t see her mother wince at that. Instead, her thoughts went to Noire and to the discussion they’d shared, just for a single moment before she shook them away.
Amazingly, Robin completely ignored her. Clapping his hands, as if he’d just come up with a brilliant suggestion, he turned away towards the older red-head, “Ah, actually, that’s a great point. Cordelia, would you like to come along with us too? I can go find Ricken and we’ll make it a double date!”
Predictably, both women balked at that suggestion. But luckily Cordelia was spared the need to come up with an excuse by her daughter’s familiar hair-trigger anger.
“WHAT!? No! NO WAY! I am not bringing my father on a date!”
“Oh? So just you and me then?” facing her once more, Robin offered an understanding nod, “Actually, I’d prefer that myself. I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable, I thought that might be better for you.”
‘Urk. Gawds. Aren’t you meant to be smart? You don’t know the first thing about women.”
If Severa had been paying attention, she might have noticed that Robin had shifted the direction of the conversation from whether or not they would go on a date together, to instead what kind of date they’d go on.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got enough money and I’ve already made reservations,” he lied smoothly, knowing that his reputation would guarantee him a table anywhere regardless, “You’ll like it, I’ll take you somewhere really nice.”
“You think that’s all I ca- URGGH! Fine! Fine, if you’re going to go this far!” she huffed, “Gawds. At least give me a chance to get changed out of these clothes then! Urgh, just wait here. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
“You already look stunning as you are!” Robin teased to her back as the volatile Mercenary spun on her heel and stomped off, disappearing back into the house a moment later.
“H-Hhaa…”
Watching her daughter’s furious retreat back to her room, Cordelia let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding, sagging in relief. It wasn’t as if she was doing anything wrong by being with Robin like this, but, even so, she absolutely didn’t want Severa to know that she’d kissed a man who wasn’t Ricken. At least, not before she’d sorted through the mess of her own feelings on the matter.
However, just as she was beginning to relax, she was startled from her reverie by the sensation of Robin’s hands curling around her once more. Gasping in surprise, she barely reacted as he turned her in place, pulling her against him and pushing her back up against the wall once again.
“Now,” he purred, trailing his lips along her neck and leaving her mouth open in a moan as her fingers clung weakly to his shirt, “Where were we?”
“Ah, w-wait, no, Robin I-”
He moved to kiss her, but this time, she turned away and his nestled his lips under her ear instead.
Severa’s interruption, as well as the daunting threat of discovery, had finally cleared Cordelia’s mind; enough that she could think and enough for her to remember the last time he’d held her so tight in his embrace, the secret he’d shared with her that her daughter had hit on only moments ago.
“Lucina… You told me you loved her, but that you couldn’t be with her. Th-That she doesn’t want to marry you. Then… Then, in that case, Robin,” her body trembled against him and her words came as a whisper, as she voiced the insidious, curious thought that’d drifted through her mind ever since that day, “Then could you love someone else in that way instead? Like how you love Lucina?”
After what he’d told her, she’d considered this situation countless times. After all, was Robin not now exactly as she had been, with her old helpless love for Chrom? He’d counselled her about that himself, years ago, he’d been somewhat cruel to her, but in doing so, he’d saved both her heart and her closest friendship. So then… if he was like that with Lucina… then… what if the two of them…
“No,” she could understand from the moment she looked into his eyes. Cordelia had agonised over her love for Chrom, especially after his engagement had been announced, she’d wanted to let go of it. Robin had no such intentions of giving up on Lucina, “I love all the Shepherds, they’re dearer to me than anything. But the love I feel for her is unique, it’s irreplaceable.”
And yet, unbelievably, right after saying that he moved forwards to kiss her once more. The temptation tugged at her, but once again Cordelia turned away, leaving his lips teasing along the underside of her jaw instead.
“Then… why?”
Why was he driving her so crazy? Why was he doing all this to her? Why did he make her feel so… so…
“Robin… then, what is this? What are we doing?”
He looked towards her with a soft chuckle, running his fingertips across her cheeks and looking at her as if the answer was almost too obvious to say.
“Cordelia, come now, isn’t that up to you? I told you, this is a message, a reminder. It’s anything you want it to be, exactly what you wish it to be. And, just because I love Lucina, doesn’t mean I don’t adore you.”
For a second, she fumed in disbelief at the sheer audacity he was showing her… but then, a heartbeat later, she was surprised to find that there was no icy dagger through her heart at his words, nor any heat of betrayal. He’d continued declaring his love for another woman, while holding her in his arms, and somehow, she wasn’t as jealous as she had expected to be.
And so, recognising that, Cordelia slowly relaxed, playing her thoughts through her mind once more.
‘So, what if he loves Lucina?’
Lucina wasn’t the one in his arms right now. Lucina had rejected him, she’d held back from making a move on him. Lucina was exactly as she had been when she’d always ran away from Chrom and ruined any chances to win his love. Lucina wasn’t the one Robin was trying to kiss, nor was she the one making him as excited as Cordelia could plainly feel from him.
“Who cares how I feel?” Robin whispered, as if reading her mind, in that frustratingly perceptive manner of his, “Wouldn’t it be nice to focus on how you felt instead? Aren’t you tired of always having your love dictated by someone else?”
She didn’t know if his words were carefully chosen, or spoken from the tip of his tongue, but they resonated with every bit of frustration, resentment and anguish she’d pushed down, for years. She acknowledged them throughout the deepest levels of her soul. First by Chrom and Sumia, then by Ricken and Severa. She hadn’t been able to be with the man she’d loved, and when she’d been trying to move on, her daughter had arrived and suddenly every bachelor around her had disappeared. Always her heart had been restricted, her choices pre-ordained. She couldn’t marry Chrom. She had to marry Ricken.
When she’d come to Robin in his office, she’d been nearing her breaking point, she’d been almost completely resigned to the thought of simply doing what was best to make everyone else happy.
That was why she’d never been truly angry at him for kissing her, because just like all those years ago, she knew he’d saved her once again. In the same cruel, painful way as before.
And here again now, once more, Robin was throwing her world and everything she’d expected into chaos. He wasn’t acting in the least like any suitor she’d ever dreamed of, he was asking for everything while promising nothing and offering her not even a single commitment. But her heart pounded in her chest and her fingers clung tighter to his shirt, because, once again, it felt like he was saving her.
The third time he moved towards her, Cordelia didn’t turn away. Melting into his embrace, with one hand threading through his beautifully snowy white hair, and the other wrapping tight around his neck, Cordelia, finally and truly, let go. Losing herself in the moment, her thoughts drifted and she fell against him, and into him, with all that she was.
By the time Severa finally came back downstairs, almost 45 minutes later, Cordelia was an absolute mess; she was breathless, her heart was pounding worse than on any battlefield and she could feel an almost painful yearning heat radiating from her core. It took everything she had just to maintain her composure as her daughter swept back into the room. But luckily, Severa -now looking much calmer, significantly more embarrassed and a little overdressed- barely even looked her mother’s way. Blushing deeply, but still allowing Robin to take her arm and lead her out, the two of them were gone almost before Cordelia realised it.
And then, as the door swung shut behind them, and she realised she was alone with no pretences to maintain- Ylisse’s Wing Commander slumped to her knees, panting for breath and shivering at the powerful wet heat pooling thick across her thighs.
It was several long minutes before the excitement and adrenaline finally began to fade. And, as she calmed down, as her rationality returned and as she thought back to just exactly what had happened, Cordelia’s head spun in a whirl.
“Wh-What the hell!? What… Just what exactly am I doing!?”
It wasn’t altogether strange for her to be propositioned, in her time she’d received no shortage of romantic offers from men. Commoners, Knights and even some of the nobles had all come seeking her hand with promises of loyalty, tales of their valour, or simply by attempting to ply her with gifts.
And yet, twice now, Robin had toyed with her, completely at his whims, and all without promising her single thing at all! He hadn’t given her a ring, he hadn’t asked for her favour and he hadn’t even offered a single word of faithfulness to her! Did he want her to be his partner, or was he treating her like some carefree fling? She didn’t even know. Seemingly without any effort on his part, he threw her into a spin and made her feel so… so… confused.
Shaking her head with another sigh, she reprimanded herself. There was no point denying it, she knew that a small part of her had been hoping he’d hold her like that again when she’d invited him around, the thought had excited her. Was that why he was so uncharacteristically bold with her lately? Had he really seen through her so easily?
“Dastard! Dastard… You, you cad of a man! There’s a limit to how arrogant you can be!” she whined uselessly, pushing herself back to her feet. If he was going to kiss her, then he should at least have the decency to ask her out, rather than running off with her daughter!
Well… Cordelia corrected herself, it’s not like she would have accepted an invitation from him anyway. Of course. She couldn’t possibly do something like that to Sumia, let alone Lucina or Morgan. She wouldn’t. But! Still! She should at least have had the chance to turn him down! ‘Right’ She nodded, that was why she was such a mess right now. If he was going to toy with her, then he should have at least had the good grace to have made his intentions clear. Not because she wanted to spend the evening with him, but just… just so she could clear things properly between them, and make it clear she couldn’t possibly accept his advances. She tried very hard in that moment not to think back to the last question he’d posed to her.
“Huh… Wait… So, my daughter is going on a date before me?”
That thought was far too annoying to consider.
“Well, it’s not as if it’s a real date anyway.”
Still, she considered idly as she collected herself. Now that she thought about it in a calmer state of mind, Severa’s reaction had been a little surprising, ‘Didn’t she tell him that she couldn’t be with him because he was meant to be with Lucina?’
She could remember that well enough, the words had hit her like an iron bar to her stomach. They were exactly the same words that had been implied so many countless times towards her, by all her well-intentioned comrades and friends. The same weight of expectations that had left her on the verge of offering herself up to Ricken for her the sake of her daughter’s happiness.
‘But, wouldn’t you normally expect something like, “As if I’d want to go on a date with you!” or, “You really think I’m just going to date you, just ‘cause you say so!?” from her?’
Cordelia paused, her daughter had softened a little from the time she’d been with the Shepherds but even so, she couldn’t help but think back to the way Severa had been looking at Robin after she’d returned, and the way she’d shuffled under his gaze before they’d left.
‘It couldn’t be… there’s no way she would actually… No. No, I’m being silly. Naga, I’m so messed up that I’m over-thinking everything right now, aren’t I?’
And anyway, she reminded herself, what did it matter? Robin was just trying to distract Severa from what he’d been doing with her. He hadn’t taken her out on real date, she repeated the assurance to herself.
Strangely though, as Cordelia passed back into the main house, she found that after all the emotional stress she’d just been through, she couldn’t muster the energy to work on any of the other errands she’d left for the afternoon. Slumping down onto her comfortable, oversized leather couch, she closed her eyes, soaking in her mood and pressing her fingers back to her lips, basking in the heat she could feel pulsing through her body- the pleasant, wet ache she could feel from between her legs.
She’d never felt wanted like this before, nor had she ever felt so clearly physically desired and the effect it had on her was substantial; even her deepest, most secret fantasies of Chrom had never turned her on this much. It was overpowering and dominating, nothing at all like the sweet and soft romance she’d imagined, but exhilarating in a way she couldn’t put into words.
Obviously, Robin wasn’t serious about her, he’d made that clear enough. Nor did she think he was so callous or selfish a man as to simply tease her for his own enjoyment, she knew he was correct in his assessment of her, she would have never let him lay even a finger on her if she truly believed that. Which meant, most likely, he truly was trying to help her, to bolster her wavering self-esteem.
And, just as obviously, she wouldn’t actually do anything with him unless he finally, properly asked her out, like a gentleman. Cordelia wasn’t that type of girl.
And, clearly, if -when- he finally did ask her out, she would turn him down. She was flattered by his attention of course, and, and it wasn’t as if she thought he’d be a bad partner… when she’d been trying to move on from Chrom, he’d been one of the men she’d most enjoyed spending time with, as well as the man she’d most pictured a possible future with. All the way until she’d learned she was supposed to marry Ricken. But she couldn’t possibly even consider stealing the man that was supposed to marry her best friend’s daughter! (Could she?)
…
‘Still…’
Cordelia hummed, chewing her lips as her mind wandered and a lingering shiver inched down her spine.
‘…In the meantime… maybe it would be okay… letting him toy with me again… just a little…?’
Cordelia sighed.
---------------------------------***********************---------------------------------
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Noire was having a difficult afternoon.
It had been an unremarkable day really, she’d managed the shop, she’d done some chores and she’d cooked a little, completely unmemorable. Right until her mother had come home.
That in itself wasn’t too strange, despite the decorations and design being all towards Noire’s own (pleasant) tastes, her mother did own this place after all, and while Tharja mostly stayed in her room at the Palace, she did occasionally spend some time in the apartment with Noire. She wasn’t sure exactly what prompted these visits, but Noire liked to think it was because she wanted to spend time in her daughter’s company.
It had been nice to see her actually, and especially to find her in such an unexpectedly good mood. Her mother had seemed tired, borderline exhausted really, looking just as weary as she’d seen her after their most difficult battles and things had been strangely awkward between them at first too, for some reason it had felt like her mother was almost unable to look at her. But, after Noire sat her down at the table and brought out some food, things had returned to normal and they’d talked. She’d spoken about her day, and Tharja, in turn, had told her all about how she’d spent a very enjoyable morning with Nowi, Lissa, and Robin.
And then Noire had ruined everything.
“And Robin?” she’d asked, feeling her insides clench tight together even as she’d spoken, “You wouldn’t be this happy just being with them, would you?”
Even now, she didn’t know why she’d said it. She knew far better than to pry into her mother’s affairs. But somehow, when she’d seen the woman she’d come back to the past for practically glowing, the words had just slipped free.
As soon as she realised what she’d said, she’d expected her mother to simply deny it, or to tell her off for her impudence…
…But instead, Tharja had suddenly looked gentler than Noire had ever seen from her. Without even attempting to hide the bright smile on her face, she’d laid her head down on the table, sighing happily and running her fingers along the golden armlet she’d recently taken to wearing.
“It’s wonderful,” she’d whispered, as the Archer had stared in disbelief, “Every day now feels like a dream come true.”
Lost for words and equally lost in a world that barely seemed to be making sense, Noire had excused herself a moment later. And, ever since then, she’d been just as she was now, lying atop her bed, tossing and turning, twisted up with herself and with a thousand warring emotions eating her up inside.
She was overjoyed for Tharja’s sake, of course. She’d never seen her mother as unashamedly happy as she’d been lately, it was enough to make her heart sing and enough to bring a tear to her eyes. It was exactly what she’d come back in time for…
…And yet, her heart ached. It ached so badly she wanted to cry.
For more than a year, she’d resigned herself to the fact that Robin would (and should) marry Lucina. Lucina was her liege, the Exalt from their time she still held fealty towards, she respected her more than anyone. She was the one who’d lead them through hell on earth and through to the peace they knew now, none of the happiness they held would have been possible if not for Lucina and in doing so, they all knew that she was the one who’d suffered more than any of them. Noire knew, without a doubt, that after all she’d been through that she deserved whatever happiness she could find. She’d resolved herself that she would bury any other feelings inside her, that she would smile for her Exalt and honestly, happily congratulate them both on their wedding day.
But the war was over now, and Robin was back to life and months had passed… And still, nothing seemed to have happened between them! Even despite the presence of their own child from the future bouncing around, neither the Princess nor the Tactician seemed to have made any move at all!
And instead, more and more, he actually seemed to be growing closer to other women; she often saw him walking around the Palace with Lissa, Olivia was working with him now, Nowi had been stealing glances his way and laughing all through their last meeting, and Tharja… her mother was happier than ever, happy in a way Noire could only remember from her childhood, and even then, only in small doses.
“Arrrugh!”
She wasn’t prepared for this at all! This wasn’t what she’d imagined! Noire agonised, how was she even supposed to react to the idea of Robin being with another woman?
If Robin did choose her mother, then she would be happy, she knew that, she would honestly and truly be overjoyed for them. She was already pleased just to see them getting along so well…
…But she was still painfully jealous. No matter how glad she would be, or how she would congratulate them, just the thought of it burned through her soul.
She couldn’t help it. She knew she had no right to love him and that her feelings were inappropriate to begin with, given the role his other-self had held in her life. But she couldn’t help it. Ever since that day, ever since that moment, ever since she’d had his arms around her and the sense that she was finally safe, it had been impossible to remove him from her heart, it was as if he’d carved his name deep inside her. Noire was her mother’s daughter and she loved the same man with just the same unflinching stubbornness.
Not for the first time, she wished that this could all just be easier, that they could all just simply share him- to be with him without taking him away from anyone else. It was unconventional, but given the life she’d lived, she hardly cared, if only it were possible, it would keep everyone happy. They could all be a big family together. But, unfortunately, Noire knew her mother, and she knew Tharja would never accept another woman with Robin, that she wouldn’t even consider sharing him with anyone else.
She would never consider taking him from Lucina, and if the Princess truly wish to take his heart, then she knew Tharja would. And, no matter her feelings, no matter how her heart ached, Noire knew that she would stand aside. She loved her mother, she wouldn’t betray her for anything, not even for Robin.
Which meant that everything tormenting her all boiled down to one simple answer: Even if Robin wasn’t with Lucina, he still wouldn’t be with her.
That was the cold truth, the painful reality she could barely stand to face, and it cut through her until she felt like she could hardly breathe.
Flipping over on the bed once more, Noire stifled a wrenching cry with her pillow. This was too much! She wasn’t ready to accept that, she wasn’t prepared for any this! It was too overwhelming! She knew she needed to calm down, that she needed to chase these dangerous thoughts away and bring herself back to normalcy once more. But her mother was home and so, the pictures that had served the Archer so faithfully as an outlet for her stress relief were unavailable.
Another stray thought, another dangerous impulse danced across her mind.
‘No, no… I can’t… Ahahh, no, I can’t, I couldn’t do something like that…’
Unfortunately, despite her mental assurances, the poor girl’s resolve was in tatters and her hands were already reaching under the bed, pulling out a small wooden box that she had hidd- that she’d placed there, for safe keeping.
“No, no… I… I… Aha-uaaahhh”
Opening it up, she pulled out a completely plain looking, slightly crinkled, off-white shirt.
As it turns out, by complete co-incidence, a few days ago she’d been collecting her and her mother’s laundry at exactly two minutes after Olivia had finished dropping off some of Robin’s clothes from his office. And somehow, entirely by accident, one of Robin’s shirts had wound up getting mixed up with Noire’s washing and she’d ended up taking it home with her. This accident tended to happen every few weeks, so Noire knew all she had to do was simply clean it herself and then sneak it back in with the rest of his laundry, next Thursday, at exactly 2pm after the Palace maids had finished ironing and folding it.
But, for now, she brought it up to her face, sinking back into the bed as she clutched it against herself.
“Ahhaaah, it smells like him…”
She’d never had the courage to do this before. But today, she couldn’t help it.
Flicking open the button to her trousers, she slid her left hand down, inside and against the hot, wet heat of her pussy, using her other hand to raise the shirt to her face, drinking in the Tactician’s comforting smell.
It always amazed her just how wet she became like this, whenever she let herself revel in thoughts of Robin. She’d never gotten anything close to the same reaction from any of the other fantasies she’d sometimes entertained and, rather than exciting her, even trying to think of any other man always just made her feel guilty and contrite. More than once she’d heard people wondering why her mother was so obsessed with one man over so many years, but Noire had never struggled to understand, the effect he had on her was intoxicating, she wondered sometimes if Naga had made her just for his sake, as if her body was made for him.
Occasionally, she found it almost scary, thinking of just how much power he didn’t even know he held over her. And tonight, as she let her mind fill with thoughts of the man she loved, and as she surrounded her senses with his scent, the effect was even stronger than ever.
Her hips bucked greedily against her fingers and she cried out even louder than she’d intended, automatically moaning out the Tactician’s name without even intending to do so as her body trembled in delight.
Flipping over, Noire quickly threw her head back into her pillow in an attempt to stifle her voice. But her hips remained raised in the air (as if being offered up for him to claim) and her fingers didn’t even pause for an instant as they ran over the edges of her labia and teased across her pussy lips.
‘RobinRobinRobinRobinRobinRobinRobinROBIN!’
Bolts of pleasure raced through her body and her legs trembled as her mind collapsed, ‘Oh! Oh! Nag-Robin!’ she couldn’t stop, or even think of slowing down! With her eyes closed and his shirt held up against her, it was like he was right there in the room with her! She’d only just begun and already the pleasure was driving her insane!
“AhnNNN! Ah! R-Robin! I’m sorry! Ihhuaaa, I-I’m sorry for being such a creepy girl, doing things like this! You must hate it, don’t you?”
Filling her thoughts with the man she’d fallen for, Noire could only imagine if he saw her now, like this and she couldn’t help but apologise as her body burned with shame…
…But, thoughts of being displayed for him also had her plunging two fingers into her eager pussy, choking back a scream as her virgin walls constricted painfully right around the digits.
“I’m, uhhha, I’m, sorry, I’m, NnnGHH! Ro-Robin, I’m just like my Mother, aren’t I? I can’t help myself around you! AHHNNNN! So, if, if, hhhaa, if you choose her, pl-please, choose me too! I won’t mind, at alllllll! Ah-ah, Robin!Robin!ROBIN!”
Both Noire’s words and thoughts became hazy as she drove her fingers even harder into herself, scraping them against the spots inside her that felt especially wonderful and trying to imagine it was the Tactician’s shaft inside her instead. With how many times she’d borrowed her that picture of him from her mother’s study, she had no problem at all picturing Robin’s cock in her mind or imagining him holding it against her from behind. And, given how tightly her unclaimed pussy clenched around the two digits she managed to push inside herself, she could only drool at imagining what it would feel like to have his cock shaping her walls around it instead.
Noire’s huge breasts ground pleasantly back and forth across the mattress as she bucked and trembled against her fingers, her tight round ass swayed deliciously in the air and her legs trembled weakly at the pleasure running through her. Basking in thoughts of Robin’s presence and lost in the way her body seemed to automatically submit to his, the Archer’s juices were spread thick down her thighs, and within minutes, her world was sparking with white light as she felt a tremendous orgasm surging throughout her core.
Her womb throbbed with yearning and her body jolted hard into the bed, squishing her breasts hard into the mattress as the rush of bliss overwhelmed her all at once!
Just barely succeeding in muffling her screams into her pillow, Noire shuddered, shivered and squirmed as she came, with her walls pulsing vice-tight around her fingers and her hips
Squeezing her eyes shut, Noire shuddered, gasped and screamed as she came, with her walls pulsing vice-tight around her fingers and her hips trembling in the air. Unable to keep herself from crying out for the man she adored, she was kept from disturbing her mother only by how desperately she forced her head into her pillow- and, even more desperately, into Robin’s shirt.
A minute passed like that and, as the euphoria ebbed away, so too did the little strength still remaining in the Archer’s body. Breathing in ragged pants and still shivering from the afterglow, Noire slid gracelessly down onto the mattress, slowly removing her fingers from between her legs as she rolled over, onto her back.
“Th-That… that was… incredible…”
In time she knew she would feel absolutely terrible about doing something as shameless as this. She knew Robin would be mortified and probably disgusted if he ever found out that she’d used something of his for stress-relief. But when this was the only outlet she had for her rampaging emotions she couldn’t help it. And, for now at least, she couldn’t possibly care about the future. Right now, she felt a lot better, she simply felt good.
Robin always made he feel good. He always made things better. The old Robin had, ever since she was a child, and this Robin had, ever since that day.
With her mind still dizzy from lust, it felt strangely out of place to be still completely dressed while soaking in the afterglow of being pleasured by (her imagination of) the man she loved. So, now that the heat inside her was quelled, and now that her heart was filled only with joy and affection, Noire kicked her clothes off into a pile by her bed and wriggled herself naked under the covers, taking a moment to then stretch herself out and run her fingers teasingly across her still hyper-sensitive skin.
Which of course, brought another irresistible thought to mind.
‘Would… would it be okay to try it on?’ Noire’s core throbbed at the question and she chewed on her lip in contemplation, ‘It’s pretty good material, it won’t get stretched, right?’
In the end, it would be several more hours and several more intense orgasms before the love-lost Archer finally calmed enough to fall asleep. But when she did so, it was with a relaxed smile finally on her face and the Tactician’s shirt wrapped comfortingly tight over her massive chest.
She didn’t know it yet but, unfortunately for Noire’s dignity, this experience had awakened something new within her. And as a result, unfortunately for Robin’s wardrobe, his shirts began going missing more often.
---------------------------------***********************---------------------------------
Themis – Maribelle’s Bedroom
Similarly, some long distance from Ylisstol proper, Maribelle was also tossing and turning, suffering through a restless night. Another one.
What made this worse today, of all nights, was that she’d specifically made sure to have an early night, just to try avoid this. And yet, sleep continued eluding her. This had been happening frustratingly regularly as of late and it had left her sleeping poorly for some time now. If anyone asked, she blamed her fatigue on the early year heat. That was also the exact same reason she tried to give herself.
But, in truth, it wasn’t so easy to lie to yourself and she knew that it was much more than that. She was feeling a difficult, unsatisfied restlessness, one that had been kindled within her only recently. And, it was one that left her thoughts constantly drifting back towards her closest friend, to Lissa, time after time.
Not for the first time, Maribelle wished that Gaius could have been in this bed with her. She was certain that the presence of the man she loved would surely grant her some peace of mind.
But it wasn’t to be. And she felt ridiculous each time she considered it. That was the price of her noble position, the image and dignity that she upheld as part of a pillar that all of Ylisse looked to. Despite that she proudly wore his ring and despite that they shared a roof in her father’s estate, he was still not yet officially her husband, and so, it would still not yet be proper.
They had been engaged for some time now, but she was a Duke’s daughter and marrying nobility, especially at the upper echelons, was no simple feat. She couldn’t even possibly consider eloping and she’d roundly rejected the idea of holding a simple camp-ground wedding like so many of the other Shepherds or Ylissean soldiers- it would have been absolutely unthinkable for her to be wed without her parent’s presence. And so, there had been nothing for it, but to wait.
Unfortunately, as she’d expected, when they’d finally returned from the war, the country had been in such a state that, with all she’d had to do, just to get things running again, she’d hardly had time to think. Between the endless number of things she’d been tasked with to get the Halidom back in proper shape and her mother’s insistence about the particulars of the ceremony, even after all this time, the actual wedding would only be held more a year hence.
Attempting to push at least that thought from her mind, Maribelle punched her fists into the pillows, frustrated as much with herself as with the continued hot, restless night.
It was difficult to deal with, with all that was going on and all the changes happening, right now it felt like her whole life was in flux, and even the things she’d thought certain felt dangerously unmoored.
Because of how long it was taking or organise the wedding (as well as to deal with suffering through at least the bare minimum of a proper engagement period first), her first kiss, the very kiss she’d intended to give to her husband at the altar on that day, had instead been claimed by her beloved Lissa instead.
It was hard to begrudge her darling anything, she knew that she had absolutely no ill-intentions and she also knew that she was over-reacting herself to even worry about such things. She knew that it was simply a Princess indulging in an act of whimsy, Lissa had said as much herself.
It didn’t mean anything.
It didn’t mean anything.
It didn’t mean anything.
Maribelle sighed, turning over once more.
Of course it didn’t. She and Lissa were both nobles, they were the highest crust of Ylissean society, raised in the best environments, with the most skilled tutors and born from the most respectable lineages possible. They were both respectable, decent and innocent women. There was obviously no way they were the kind of deviant women who took interest in other girls. Lissa’s marriage and her own physical attraction to Gaius was proof enough of that, never mind any of the other male Shepherd’s she’d admired from time to time.
It didn’t mean anything.
And so, Maribelle passed another night slowly, twisting around herself and trying not to think of a bed with three. She tried very hard not to want share in witnessing her friend’s most intimate expressions, nor hear her most secret cries. She did her best not to dream of warm hands around her, of tussled blonde hair spread out before her and of the beautiful softness of the lips she’d felt that day.
---------------------------------***********************---------------------------------
Night had long since fallen by the time Robin and Severa returned. Walking together at a leisurely pace under a sky lit with stars, thankfully, given the prestige of her home district, the way was guided by well maintained magical lanterns set along the streets.
“Well,” Severa announced with a haughtily, skipping ahead of her companion as they drew up to her house, “Hmph, I suppose that was actually kind of fun! I guess if you really wan-Eh!?”
He was so close!
Cutting off her words as she reeled backwards in surprise and, before she even realised it, the red-headed time-traveller was suddenly standing flush against the outer wall to her house, just barely a few metres from the door.
“What are you-huh?”
Robin had followed her, matching her step by step and her breath was suddenly caught in her throat. He was suddenly right in front of her, without any warning, he was standing just centimetres away, staring directly at her! As her head spun, she couldn’t help but wonder idly if anyone had ever looked at her so intently before.
Robin’s left hand thudded into the wall above her shoulder with a soft thump and his right reached out, stroking softly across her cheek before lifting her chin gently up towards him.
“R-Robin, hey, this is n-AhmmMMMMPH!?”
Cupping her face with his hand, Robin closed the distance between and before she could even get a word out, he’d already sealed her lips with his own.
Severa’s world jolted. His kiss was tender and filled with a surprising wealth of affection. And, feeling him pressing against her like this, with his body pushing gently against hers, squeezing her lightly against the wall to her back, he suddenly felt bigger and stronger than she’d ever imagined him. Despite the shock, feeling herself held in place against him like this, she felt strangely comforted in his arms. Perhaps it was just due to how deeply the absolutely trust she’d held in him for years ran, but she felt safe, secure in a way a life like hers had never allowed.
For just one second, Severa melted into his embrace.
And then, a moment later, reality snapped back into place and she tore herself away with a furious, scandalised gasp!
“Wh-What! What was that!?” she demanded, her face blazing red and her chest pounding, both with relief and disappointment when he stepped away, giving her some distance.
“Mmm, that…” Robin whispered cheekily in response, drawing the word out as he stroked his fingers back and away from her chin, releasing her completely, “Was whatever you want it to be. No more, no less.”
She spluttered in wordless confusion, so he continued.
“I wanted to make myself clear, so you didn’t think I was making fun of you, or that I wasn’t taking you seriously. I’m not playing around and I’m not treating you lightly. I said I had come to take you on a date, and I meant it, a kiss is how a date ends. I know you have trouble trusting people, but I want you to always believe in my words.”
Mixed between glaring in silent fury and trying to process his surprising explanation, it took Severa another minute to find her voice.
“Wha-What the hells!?” she hissed, “You-You… What are you doing!? What about Lucina!?”
“I love Lucina, of course. But that doesn’t mean I don’t adore you.”
He spoke his heart so boldly that she could only stare, hearing something like that right after being told that one of the few men she did believe in wanted her to trust him made the confusion hit her twice as hard. Of course, as she slowly made sense of just what he seemed to be saying, it took no time at all for the familiar fire inside her to spike red-hot, “Y-You… You expect me to just accept that!?” she scoffed, scowling violently, “What, do you think I’m meant to be happy to hear that? Am I to be your mistress or something then!? Gawds, don’t you think highly of yours-”
“I don’t expect anything from you at all. It was important to me simply to show you my sincerity, to make sure you understood how I feel. You’re free to answer however you like.”
Now her glare became downright predatory, “Oh? However I like eh? Well then, maybe I’ll answer by telling Lucina about this then!”
To her surprise, despite the anger and sharp words enough to have set any other man running, the calm, affectionate smile never even slipped from Robin’s face, ‘You could,” he nodded, “But, I don’t think you will.”
‘Oh, that’s it!’
Blood pumping in her veins, she raised herself up, ready to bite his head off!
And then, suddenly her instincts flared and she paused, her breath catching in her throat and her entire body slamming to a halt. The world slowed to a crawl as she felt herself deflate. She couldn’t explain it, and she didn’t have a clue where it was from, but the moment she’d looked into his eyes, she’d been struck by a feeling she’d never felt before. It was a sudden realisation, that she was staring across not at Robin, the comrade she’d known for so long, but at the man who’d twice brought ruin to Plegia, who’d crushed Walhart’s ambitions and conquered Grima himself, she was staring at the Grandmaster of the Shepherds, and he was looking right through her. He could see right past all her bluster, all of her pride and all of her bark, he’d always been able to. Somehow, Severa realised, he understood her.
It was a thought as wonderful as it was terrifying, and to the woman who closed her heart off tighter than anyone else, she could only feel her chest tighten as he slid closer once more, caressing a hand soothingly across her shoulder.
“You respect Lucina deeply, more than anyone. You’ve been with her the longest, you’ve protected her, been saved by her and supported her in every way possible. You admire her and you love her…”
Severa shivered, her mouth too dry to respond. She could practically feel the “But” hanging in the air, yet, even as Robin gently gave voice to her innermost secrets, she couldn’t act to silence it.
“…But, a tiny part of you, a small dark corner of your heart, also resents her.”
“N-No, tha-”
“Because, both back then, and again now, it’s Lucina who gets to live out the perfectly happy, family life that you’ve always wanted. The life you’ve never had. And, while part of the blame for that falls on your mother, it also falls on her father.”
Suddenly, Severa found she couldn’t look at him anymore. Her face was to hot and her breathing too ragged.
She wanted to say something, but nothing came out whenever her she opened her voice. She couldn’t deny it.
Even now, after their victory and everything was over, Lucina had a perfect, idyllic life together with her family. She had both her parents together, she had a beloved sister, and somehow, she’d even picked up not just an incredible catch of a husband, but a daughter that was the apple of everyone’s eye!
And meanwhile, this was the first date that Severa had ever been on and it was all she could do to even just get her mother in the same room as her father!
It was a pathetic jealousy and not anything her once Exalt deserved, Lucina had done absolutely nothing wrong. She knew that and she hated herself for even giving such things a moment’s consideration. But, it was an insidious thought, one that lingered darkly in the depths of her soul- the fact that Lucina got everything, when it was her father’s fault that Severa’s own family was such a mess.
Even so. Severa was a warrior and one with pride enough to spare, her shock lasted only a moment and as her composure slowly recovered so too did her stubbornness, she would never admit defeat so easily.
“H-Hah, that’s just st-stupid! You’re really dumb enough to think that? Hah, so much for the brilliant tactician! I-If that was really the case, then why wouldn’t I tell her!? Wouldn’t I want to get back at her? Moron! You’re just scared that she’ll know you’re really playing ar-”
Robin shifted his touch from her shoulder back to her chin and he turned her head towards him once more, “I already said, didn’t I? That’s only a small part of you, a tiny fragment of your feelings. Far more than that, a thousand times more than that, you adore her. You’d give your life for hers and have been ready to many times. You would never want to hurt her,” she and he were alike in that, he knew.
“I’m not married to Lucina. Or, to be precise, she’s already turned down marrying me…” lowering his voice to a whisper, his fingers caressed her cheek and she felt herself shiver in response, “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you stealing me away from her… if that’s what you want?”
At that, he stood still, staring expectantly down at her, preparing herself for her reaction, her response.
A moment passed… And then another… And then, all at once, Severa’s expression crumbled as she screwed up her eyes and thumped her fists into his chest!
“Auuugh! Jerk! Jerk! You stupid, big, dumb, tactical JERK!” she complained, although there was thankfully almost no power in her fists as she hit them repeatedly against him, “That was my first kiss!”
He had to grin at that, “Ah, I never expected you to be such a romantic.”
‘She really is just like her mother, isn’t she? They taste the same too.’
“S-So what if I am!?” she huffed, “Is there something wrong with that!?”
“Not at all. It makes me really happy actually. It’s not often I get to see another side of you like this, it’s really cute.”
For all her beauty and for all her usual show of feigned-confidence, Severa was still absolutely no good at receiving compliments. Her words caught in her throat and her face burned a much more pleasant shade of crimson.
“I said before I wanted you to believe in me. I would never have kissed you if I didn’t care deeply for you,” leaning close, his words tickled softly past her ear, “And, if you didn’t like me, I don’t think you would have let me. Or at least, I don’t think I’d still be standing here."
Sliding an arm into place around her waist, Robin stepped forwards, pulling her carefully towards him once more. Staring into her eyes for one heartbeat, the Tactician then stole her lips a second time. But, now, as she felt herself again held comfortably between his chest and the wall at her back, Severa’s arms linked around his neck and her lips parted cautiously against his.
And this time, she melted into his embrace for two wonderful moments, before both reality and embarrassment snapped back into place and she pushed him away with a gasp.
Retreating to give her space once again, Robin made no attempt to stop her and, acting more on instinct than any rational thought, before Severa even knew what was happening, her trembling legs had already carried her away from him and brought her back into the house.
“Ahhh… Haha…”
Watching her stumble away and seeing the door swing shut behind her, Robin chuckled -just slightly ruefully- to himself. He knew better than this. He knew far better than to be doing this. This was exactly what he’d warned himself about. He knew for certain he would regret this tomorrow, he’d never had the slighted intention of taking things this far, he’d even only asked her out as an excuse for what he was doing with Cordelia in the first place! But their date had been so much fun, and she’d been so incredibly cute, after running on a high all day, he hadn’t been able to resist!
He sighed.
It was absolutely, undeniably a mistake. Even coming to Cordelia’s place had been insane of him. He was more than smart enough to understand both those things. Getting even more involved with Cordelia was only courting disaster and to do even more than that, at the same time, was playing with fire.
And yet, right now, he was blazing with such absolute satisfaction that he couldn’t possibly bring himself to worry. Fire was what kept mankind’s souls warm, and it was a tactician’s duty to plan a path through any disaster! He’d done so countless times, the thrill of facing down a challenge was what made him know he was truly alive.
A mother and her daughter. Robin laughed again as his instincts smouldered in excitement. For such an unbelievable, unthinkable, unimaginable thought… it certainly was an appealing one.
---------------------------------***********************---------------------------------
“Hey. I’m back.”
Jolting from her stupor at the sound of Severa’s voice, Cordelia did her very best impression of someone who had been lounging around, absorbed in a good book, and definitely hadn’t been waiting anxiously for her daughter to come back home.
“H-Hello! I, ah, welcome home, dear. Ah, Robin didn’t come inside with you?”
“Mmm. I already sent him home.”
“Oh, oh, well… Well, how was your dat- how was your night?”
“Eh. It was fun, I guess.”
Severa shrugged noncommittally, doing her very best impression of someone who hadn’t just spent several minutes leaning against the inner-door at the entryway, catching her breath and waiting for her world to stop spinning. But then, right as she made to brush past her mother’s questions and head back to her room, she paused. Despite her occasional struggles with self-esteem, Severa was a very sharp girl, one with half a lifetime’s worth of sharply honed instincts. And, looking back at Cordelia from the corner of her eye, she could easily recognise the anxiousness writ across the other woman’s face, what specifically she was anxious about, she couldn’t tell, but all the same, she suddenly felt just a little excited.
“Hmm. Well, he was a pretty good kisser at least.”
“WHAbuh!?”
Severa was just a little vindictive; watching her mother’s ever-perfect expression explode in to a shocked coughing fit, she only just managed to hold back a laugh.
And suddenly, she felt a whole lot better. In truth, she’d been anxious herself, ever since she’d come home and found her mother alone with another man, she hadn’t been able to stop worrying that there was something going on between them. But after tonight, and after the time she’d spent enjoying his company, she was filled with relief.
‘Huh, wait. That’s… that’s probably why he kissed me, isn’t it?’ she realised, blinking in surprise as she reconsidered Robin’s actions, ‘He said he’d wanted me to believe in his words, and… and that he’d come here to take me on a date. He wanted to show me that he was serious, that he wasn’t playing around. So, I wouldn’t think he had any intentions towards Mother…’
Her face burned hot, as much at the memory as the conclusion she’d reached, and as her heart leapt in her chest, Severa found her thoughts returning back to that day so long ago, and the scar on his chest that she’d never managed to apologise for, ‘G-Gawds… That man… He’s always doing unnecessary things…’
The memories lasted only a moment, but her good mood persisted. And so, shaking her thoughts clear, Severa bounced up the stairs with a spring in her step.
No matter her attitude, she loved her mother, painfully so and more than she was ever able to properly convey. Under all her bluster and complaints, she respected her deeply and had always admired her. But it was also true that she’d grown up in Cordelia’s shadow and she’d dealt with a feeling of inferiority all her life. Tonight though, as she thought back to the feeling of Robin’s arms wrapped around her and the sight of her mother’s stunned face, tonight, Severa felt like she’d finally won.
…
A minute or so later, when her daughter had already disappeared and Cordelia had remembered how to breathe, she sank back into the couch with a frustrated scowl.
‘She was just winding me up… of course,’ it had been impossible to miss the way Severa’s face had lit up at seeing her surprise, ‘Just trying to get a reaction out of me, as usual.’
She was very aware her daughter had a testy personality, but really, a joke like that was just poor taste.
---------------------------------***********************---------------------------------
That Evening – Ylisstol Palace
Lifting up stacks of papers, leafing through documents and peering through drawers, Chrom was very quickly beginning to regret the absolutely disorganised mess his office had devolved into. Robin had warned him many times about the state of his workspace, and Frederick had been more than helpful suggesting filing systems that the Exalt had completely ignored.
It wasn’t out of ignorance, nor even laziness. He’d simply been busy, and things had gotten away from him and he hadn’t managed to get them under control. It had always been something he was planning to take care of at a later date. But, with a lead weight sitting heavy in his stomach, Chrom had a sinking feeling that he was soon to find himself paying his dues.
This had not been how he’d been expecting to end his evening.
Originally, he’d only thought to return to his office after dinner to finish authorising a few of the documents he’d known he needed to have issued tomorrow, it hadn’t been particularly difficult, nor had it taken a particularly long time. However, right as he had been intending to leave and turn in for the night, by nothing more than a quirk of fate, he’d knocked over a ramshackle heap of forms he’d left precariously stacked on the edge of his desk.
And, in doing so, Chrom had unearthed a letter. A very important letter. A letter signed and sealed with the stamp of the East Khan of Ferox. And, unfortunately for the Exalt, a very old letter- one he’d received along with a pile of other matters, that he’d deemed too important to take care of at the same time and put aside… and one that he’d then completely forgotten about until just now.
The letter, currently clutched tight enough in his left hand to turn his knuckles white, was trouble.
Specifically, it was an announcement, dated some months ago, from Flavia informing him that the Khanate tournament was coming up and that she was requesting, not just his attendance, but his participation. And now, having checked the dates in a panic, never mind that he hadn’t sent a reply, Chrom had only a scant few weeks to organise a representative to be sent to Ferox in support of Ylisse’s greatest alliance.
That was trouble. But that wasn’t insurmountable. He could deal with that, he would deal with that. The Shepherds were an agile bunch and there were plenty of them not currently on any serious active duty that would be more or less available.
Instead, the reason the Exalt as currently in the process of turning his office upside down, was because on seeing the Khan’s missive, and specifically on remembering a letter from a fellow Ruler that he’d deemed ‘too important to deal with alongside this other stuff’, a long, half-forgotten memory had been sparked back to life about another, terrifyingly similar letter he’d received.
“…Ah… Found it.”
His stomach sank. He’d really hoped he’d just been imagining things.
But just where he now remembered he’d put it for safe keeping (securely in a sturdy lockbox he never used, that had been pushed to the far corner of his office) was a small crisp envelope, still closed with what he recognised instantly as the personal wax seal of the Empress of Chon’sin.
‘Oh Gods…’
Chrom winced when he saw the date at the top of the letter, more than four months old. This was bad.
Already far too used to political letters, his eyes automatically skimmed over the pre-amble, the well wishes, the reminders about how valuable and important their alliance was, all the usual guff. There was a surprising amount of it, enough that he had to wonder if Say’ri had even written this herself, or if it was all pre-prepared for her, but the crux of the message, the part undoubtably written by the Empress herself, boiled down to one, very terse line.
“I am coming to fulfil my promise.”
What exactly that meant and what promise she’d made, Chrom had absolutely no clue, but that wasn’t important, they could figure that out later. Robin had been close to her during their time in the Shepherds, so he would probably have some idea, and if he didn’t and it was some kind of political obligation, then one of his advisors could surely fill in the details.
What mattered, was that Say’ri, the Empress of Chon’sin, was coming to Ylisse. And, given the months of advance notice she’d given, along with her vastly improved status, he severely doubted this was some informal catch up. She would have an entourage and would be expected to be met with one befitting royalty.
‘Okay, okay. I can get Robin to, he can arrange something with the Shepherds? And, if I get Cordelia and Frederick together, then the Palace Guards are surely sui-’
Just as Chrom was halfway through trying to panic up a plan, his eyes caught on the other vitally important part of the document, right at the very bottom under the Empresses beautifully handwritten signature.
Her estimated date of arrival.
The day after tomorrow.
“Oh shit.”
---------------------------------***********************---------------------------------
A/N: Dundundun! Now we finally know just what it was that had Chrom so freaked out about the letters from the previous chapter, I had a lot of fun reading through your guesses as to what was going on, some of you guys were dead on the mark and others were thinking way ahead of me, but it was all really enjoyable regardless.
Other than that, we've got Cordelia back in the picture AND Severa's now been thrown into the mix. I enjoyed writing them both, and especially writing Robin as the kind of guy brazen enough to use almost exactly the same lines on the mother as the daughter. Hopefully you found that fun too, and hopefully you're looking forward to where that's going to evolve!
And hey, we also got a lot of scenes with a whole bunch of the girls, Tharja, Lissa, Olivia, Nowi, Miriel, Maribelle and Noire, as well as cameo's for Cynthia. So hopefully you all enjoyed that, the sharp eyed among you may notice that almost all the "cameo" scenes were from the most popular results of the most recent poll I ran. That's right, not just the winner (which was Noire)! Everyone was a winner! Yay?
And, because I'm self-conscious and don't always know if the intentions I try make clear pay off
In the scene where she's dancing with Robin, Cordelia is padding her bra. That's why she's wearing such a high-cut dress, and why Robin notes that her breasts are sitting a little stiffly on her. She's still not comfortable enough around him to admit that her breastplate is a lie.
Anyhow, what do you think is gonna happen now that Robin's gone and made out with both a mother and daughter, behind each other's backs?

As always, more information about my story statuses as well as a weekly updates and any other details can be found at:
http://jlcdavenport.blogspot.com
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A Change Of Tactics