Chapter Text
The music room on the third floor of Ylisstol castle had been designed with the simple goal of having the best acoustics anywhere within the capitol, if not within all of Ylisse itself. Even the tiniest whisper of a flute reverberated through the walls of the chamber and echoed out into the main floor hallway, giving anyone who happened to walk by the distinct pleasure of listening to a cheerful melody as they went about their day.
That was assuming, of course, that Lissa was not the one practicing at the time.
Lissa blew into her flute for the umpeenth time that day and once again got the same screeching note for her troubles. Down the hall, a maid dropped the blanket she was folding in shock and a cat yowled. Lissa’s music tutor winced but tried to cover her motion up as a slight gesture.
“Remember Lissa, purse your lips. The embouchure is everything. Try it again from the 8th measure.”
Lissa huffed under her breath. She sounded just as bad now on her second hour of practicing as she had when she’d begun. You think by now Music Mistress would have realized she was a lost cause- flutes were made for the like of Maribelle and Emmeryn, not her.
Thinking of Emmeryn sparked the usual ache in her chest. This ache has become so familiar to her that it almost doesn’t hurt. Biting the inside of her lip to keep from scowling in an un-princess like manner, Lissa attempted to play her flute once more. The note that followed was so horrendous that Naga herself must have wept tears. With a hand on her heart and a scowl on her face, Music Mistress signalled for Lissa to take a break.
Liss sighed. Whatever Maribelle and Chrom were up to, it had to be better than this.
*~*~*
“Oh Mar Bear! Oh Belle! We’ve missed you so much!” cried Maribelle’s father, throwing his arms around the girl. Since the Duke of Themis was such a large man, Maribelle had to squirm to avoid suffocating in his grip. As she pulled away, she saw Chrom smile to himself. Maribelle made a mental note to murder him later.
“We haven’t heard from you in so long, my dear!” her father exclaimed.
“4 months, 15 days, and 7 hours since we last received any sort of word from you to be precise, but who’s keeping track?”
Maribelle turned to her mother. Unlike her father, her mother had stayed seated in her chair, calmly sipping at her tea. At her side sat snuggled her sleek white cat, Precious. Precious opened one eye lazily and glared at Maribelle. She glared back at it.
“My apologies Mother, Father. I’ve been quite...busy. May I ask what you’re doing here?” asked Maribelle as evenly as she could manage. Her face already hurt from fake smiling. Her father pulled out a handkerchief and wiped at his forehead.
“Prince Chro- I mean His Excellency invited us here,” said the Duke, nodding politely in Chrom’s direction. Chrom clearly looked uncomfortable, but Maribelle wasn’t exactly in the mindset to spare him any pity. Chrom gestured at the seat.
“Maribelle, sir, why don’t you sit down so we can get started,” Chrom suggested.
Maribelle squeezed in the space between her mother and her father. Glowering at Maribelle for making her give up her perfect spot on the couch, Precious tucked herself under the Duchess’s arm, and purred loudly. Somehow Maribelle knew the cat was doing that just to bother her.
“So for what reason do we have the honor of meeting with the Exalt today?” asked the Duke.
Chrom glanced at Maribelle. Maribelle took a sudden interest in stirring her tea.
She knew she should probably be the one to break the news to her parents, but a mean part of her wanted to see how Chrom would handle this. When it became clear Maribelle wasn’t going to say anything, Chrom coughed.
“I called you here today to, um, Maribelle and I would like to ask you for a blessing on our marriage.” He grabbed her hand when he said that last part, perhaps as some symbol of unity. His hand was surprisingly clammy. Eyes wide, the Duke looked between the two youngsters. The Duchess said nothing, just continued petting her cat with that closed-off look Maribelle knew so well.
“We know it’s quite sudden, but we hope to iron out any of the details as soon as possible,” Maribelle said finally. Chrom smiled at her gratefully. “We will need to make the invitation list first, of course, so if you would be so kind to provide us with the addresses of-”
“Are you pregnant?”
The question came from her mother. Both Chrom and Maribelle turned red, pulling their hands apart quickly.
“Why, Mother I- what in the world would give you such an idea!” she asked, pointedly avoiding Chrom’s gaze. Maribelle’s mother put down her teacup as calmly as if they were discussing the weather.
“An out-of-wedlock pregnancy seems like the only reason why you two of all people would plan something like this without following the proper engagement protocol.” Her mother leaned forward.
“I agree protocol is important, Mother, but sometimes there are extenuating circumstances at hand.”
“‘Extenuating circumstances’? Please enlighten me on what extenuating circumstances there are in this situation.”
“Haha, okay, dear, Belle, I think it would be best to get back to the topic at hand,” said the Duke with a nervous laugh.
“Perhaps it would be best for our daughter to remember her place.”
Maribelle recoiled as if someone had struck her. Her mother’s gray eyes bore into her like two swords. She looked down at her hands, knowing her face was going to get blotchy, as it always did when she got this upset.
“Lady Themis, if I may interrupt.” Maribelle looked up to see Chrom leaning forward, a determined look on his face.
“I’m sure Maribelle, I mean we- I apologize for any inconvenience this must be causing you. I understand how important tradition is in matters such as these, and I assure you that I meant no disrespect in keeping it from you for so long.”
Maribelle stared. For someone who hated courtly matters, Chrom was surprisingly coherent. He stared dead on, head held high at her mother. The Duchess stared back, one hand stroking the cat’s back lazily. Then she shifted, looking away from the lord.
“When do you plan on making the official announcement?” she finally asked.
“Lissa’s birthday is quickly approaching, and most of the court will be in attendance for the celebration. I’ve been thinking that would be the best moment to get the word out to as many people as possible,” replied Maribelle. Truthfully she’d come up with the idea right there on the spot, but as soon as she said it she knew that was the best option.
The rest of the conversation flowed without incident, if not a little awkwardly. Neither of Maribelle’s parents inquired further into the origins of their courtship, which relieved Maribelle greatly. It wasn’t all that unusual to have a noble marriage born out of obligation rather than love, but she still didn’t like admitting that out loud.
As it turned out, the Duchess of Themis had many opinions on how the engagement announcement should go, and it was several hours before the two finally excused themselves to return to their rented home in Ylisstol, the Duke hugging his daughter tightly crying about how nice it was to see her while the Duchess stood coolly in the corner. Chrom played the gracious host the entire time, even down to the moment when he waved the off from the banister outside the study.
It was only when the two bobbed out of view that Chrom let his hand and smile drop.
“All things considered, that could have gone a lot worse,” he sighed.
“Seeing as no one ended up with a fractured limb, it already went better than my last family reunion. But Chrom, one question: when did you call for my parents and how did you manage to get them here without me knowing?”
Maribelle gave Chrom a glare that made his blood run cold. He might have not noticed the family resemblance between Maribelle and her mother before, but he certainly noticed it then.
“I sent word for them as soon as I heard your decision,” he confessed. “They arrived late last night, and the only reason I didn’t tell you they were in the city is because I thought they would have told you that themselves.”
Maribelle eyed Chrom warily. She could tell he wasn’t lying- Maribelle had a talent for sniffing out lies, and Lissa’s brother was so notoriously bad at them that she would have found him out in a heartbeat. No, he was telling the truth.
Brushing away the sting from knowing that her parents had not even bothered to contact her upon their arrival in Ylisstol, she said, “You had no right to dig into my personal affairs like that.”
“I hardly see how inviting your parents in for tea counts as ‘digging into your personal affairs,’ Maribelle.”
“You did it without alerting me. Being royalty doesn’t give you the right to do whatever you’d like behind other people’s backs.”
The words were out of her mouth before she could reclaim them. Chrom’s expression shifted from one of apology to one of annoyance.
“Then what about the time you sacrificed yourself to King Gangrel without telling anyone? Was it okay for you to do something so foolish behind all of our backs?”
“You are well aware that those were different circumstances. Besides, I considered the feelings of all parties involved before acting whereas you never even bothered to consider mine!”
“Don’t lie to yourself, Maribelle. We both know the only ‘feelings’ you considered are the same ones for my sister that you usually let cloud your judgement!”
The sound of flesh hitting flesh resounded through the Great Hall as Maribelle smacked the Exalt of the Halidom clear across the face. She felt a sudden rush of satisfaction from the deed, but that was quickly replaced by pure shock as the realization of what she’d done hit her. Maribelle recoiled from the royal, placing a hand on the banister to steady herself.
“I’m so-...I don’t...”
Chrom looked at her, the blue hair of his bangs partly obscuring his face. The part of his cheek she’d slapped was quickly swelling an ugly red. He didn’t say anything to her, but there was an anger in his eyes that made the girl’s blood run cold.
“Maribelle! Chrom! What’s going on!”
The look vanished from Chrom’s eyes just as quickly as it had come. They both turned to see Lissa at running frantically up the stairs, her flute still clenched in her hands.
“What happened here? I thought I heard someone get hit!” exclaimed Lissa. Her eyes went wide at the bruise purpling Chrom’s face. “Mar, did you do that?”
“It’s nothing to worry about Lissa,” said Chrom coolly.
“Lissa, I won’t be at dinner tonight. My sincerest apologies. Please give my excuses to the court.”
Lissa opened her mouth as if to protest, but Maribelle was gone before any words could come out. She kept herself at a steady pace, head held high all the way. It wasn’t until she’d reached the safety of her bedroom and the door was firmly locked behind her that she let her tears fall.
*~*~*
“Can you rewind back to the part where you hit Chrom upside the head and expound on that in excruciating detail?”
Maribelle groaned. “I didn’t hit him. It was more of a...slap.”
“Hit, slap, punch- it’s hilarious, that's what it is.”
Maribelle groaned again. Across from her Gaius grinned, slipping back into a defensive stance. Of all the people to run into in the barracks, he’d been the last one she’d expect (Unlike their on the road barracks, Gaius tended to avoid the Ylisstol one due to it’s uncomfortable closeness to the barracks of the city guards). But on the other hand, maybe she should be glad she had run into him and not someone like Sumia, or gods forbid, Frederick!
“Life in the castle sounds like it sucks, it honestly does, but it almost seems worth it if there’s shit like this going down,” remarked Gaius.
“I can assure you that this is not a normal occurrence for me or anyone else who lives there.”
“You know, for someone who claims to love peace and order, you attract conflict like a beehive of attracts bears. Speaking of beehives, I could really go for some honey cake today. How’s about after this you and me head down to a cafe and you throw some of that rich girl money my way?”
“If you don’t mind, I think we should focus on the match at hand?”
Gaius shrugged.
“Personally, I find sugar to be more helpful that hand-to-hand combat after a fight, but, hey, what do I know?”
Maribelle slipped into a stance that mirrored Gaius's. The two circled each other slowly, neither ready to make the first move. Finally Maribelle’s patience won out and Gaius lunged towards her first. She dodged the tip of his practice blade daintily.
Swinging her body in a half arc, she jabbed her elbow in his back and a knee into his chest. Gaius grunted, the air gone from his lungs, and Maribelle followed up by a quick jab to the chin.
The thief fell back, a cloud of dust puffing up when his back hit the ground. Several moments passed before Maribelle straightened up and asked, “Had enough already?”
Sitting up halfway, Gaius grinned.
“Not bad, Twinkles. Not bad at all. You’ve improved a lot.”
Maribelle bent down, her hand extended towards Gaius to help him up.
“A lady must stay in top form, war or no-OH!”
Maribelle was cut off as Gaius used her extended hand to pull her down, hooking his own foot behind hers. In one swift movement he had Maribelle on the ground and the tip of his sword pressed against the soft flesh of her neck.
“You’ve gotten better, Twinkles,” he said, coking an eyebrow. “But you’re not the best.”
Maribelle groaned.
There was a time when Maribelle had found hand-to-hand combat to be a fighting form only suited for the baseborn classes, but that had been before she’d been attacked by literal armies of the undead. Since there was a lull in fighting with peacetime happening around them, now seemed a good a time as any to learn to defend herself better.
Though maybe picking Gaius to be her sparring partner hadn’t been her best idea.
Gaius backed up and gave Maribelle room to pull herself up from the ground.
“I think that makes nine for me and three for you?” he teased. Checking to make sure no dirt had gotten inside of her sparring boots, Maribelle rolled her eyes.
“You’ve only beaten me so many times because you always cheat.”
“You know as well as I do that the world is full of cheaters. The only difference between them and the losers is who gets caught.”
Maribelle narrowed her eyes but said nothing. Shifting back into her stance, she said with a grin, “We’ll see about that.”
The sun had nearly set behind the horizon by the time they finished sparring for the day. After one last decisive blow, the two of them fell to the ground too tired to continue. Panting heavily, Maribelle wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“So that makes the final count five you and fourteen me,” said Gaius.
“Don’t remind me.”
“Hey, sparring was your idea, not mine. Were it not for you, I would be halfway through the Royal Reserve right now.”
Maribelle cringed at the mention of Gaius’s more unscrupulous endeavors. It was an odd friendship they had, the noblewoman and the thief. Even some within the Shepherds didn’t understand why someone like Maribelle would willingly spend so much time with a man that seemed to embody everything she detested in society. But at this moment with everything seemingly falling down around her ears, she was glad there was at least one more person by her side.
“My apologies for turning you towards a life of righteousness and good will.”
Maribelle rolled to her side to stare at her right hand. Her hand still tingled from where it had made contact with Chrom, though she was pretty sure that that was her own guilt she was feeling rather than any lasting damage.
“Anyway, let’s take a break for now and try out some of those tasty- Twinkles? Are you alright?”
“She hates me.” Maribelle closed her hand and drew it close to her chest. “She’s never going to want to see me again.”
"Great gods, are you talking about Lissa? I don’t think that girl knows how to hate anyone.”
“I harmed the only family she has left! How could she possibly want to be near me after that? I’m the worst.”
A part of Maribelle knew this was completely irrational thinking and even if it wasn’t, she should at least get off the ground. But that part of her wasn’t in control at the moment, and it was all she could do to not break into tears right there.
Something hit the top of her head. Peaking up between her bangs, Maribelle spotted a tightly wrapped piece of candy lying in the grass near her. Gaius shifted awkwardly and looked away.
“You’re too hard on yourself, Maribelle,” he said. “But it’s alright. If anyone deserves a chance to just cut loose and be miserable for a little while, it’s you.”
Maribelle sniffed once. Then, rubbing at her eyes, she pulled herself up, the candy grasped firmly in one hand.
“Well I never thought I’d see the day,” said Maribelle. Gaius gave her a curious look and she waved the sweet in response. “Legendary Thief Gaius the Great sharing a piece of his famous loot? Now that is something even I can’t believe.”
Gaius grinned.
“Don’t let this whole ‘sharing thing’ get out. I have a reputation to protect you know.”
Maribelle did something then she couldn’t have imagined herself doing mere minutes ago: she laughed. Gaius grinned at her.
“You want to know my opinion on the whole Chromgate scandal?”
“Why do I feel like no matter what answer I give, you are going to tell me anyway?”
“The way I see it, you noble types like to make a pound cake out of a sugarcube.” At the confused look on Maribelle’s face, Gaius rolled his eyes and reiterated, “You like to make a big stink out of nothing for no reason other than because you can.”
“What do you-”
“Lissa is your best friend right?” interrupted Gaius.
“...Yes.”
“And you and Chrom have known each other since the two of you were shitting in silver diapers, haven’t you?”
“That is quite the uncouth way of putting it but yes, we have.”
“The point I’m trying to make is, you love those royal knuckleheads. I’m not saying in what way, but you can’t deny that you do. A bond like that doesn’t die over something stupid like this.”
Maribelle rolled the candy between her palm in silence, letting the redhead’s words sink in.
“You have a revoltingly charming way with words, do you know that?” she said, though the harshness of her words were diluted by the small smile on her face. It was the first genuine smile she had given all afternoon and the sight of it was enough to bring a smile to Gaius’s face as well.
“That’s me- giving and giving with no heed for my own well being. They should make me a priest.” Gaius ginned. “So are we gonna get that cake or what?”
*~*~*
Maribelle returned from the afternoon with Gaius feeling cautiously optimistic. She greeted those who passed her in the castle with more warmth than usual, which gave a few serving girls the chills. Perhaps they could sense that he good mood was slightly forced, but it was preferable to the misery she’d felt earlier. With determination in her step, Maribelle headed to the cleric’s ward.
She found Lissa pretending to clean out some tonic bottles in the corner of the room. Even the medic staff had more downtime than they were used to after the war. Lissa had her back turned to the door, so she didn’t notice Maribelle’s presence until the other girl gave a dainty cough.
“Mar!” said Lissa,
“Ah yes, just the princess I was hoping to see,” said Maribelle nonchalantly as if she hadn’t run over this conversation fifty different times in her head. “I’m terribly sorry for disappearing this afternoon and I do apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused you...”
Maribelle stumbled backwards, the force of Lissa suddenly tackling her nearly enough to send her toppling over. Completely bewildered, Maribelle looked down to see her best friend with tears brimming in her eyes and snot running down her nose.
“I thought you were mad at me!” hiccuped Lissa. “Both you and Chrom disappeared all day and nobody would tell me what you were fighting over! I thought...I thought...”
“Oh Lissa, my dear...”
Pulling a handkerchief out of her pocket, Maribelle wiped at her friend’s eyes. Lissa sniffed once, then broke out into a weak grin.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “for getting all worked up over nothing. Here I am blubbering like a baby when I’m sure everything is already hunky-dory between you and Chrom.”
“Actually,” confessed Maribelle, taking a moment to readjust one of Lissa’s pigtails, “I haven’t spoken to Chrom yet. You’re the first person I’ve seen since returning to the castle.” Satisfied with Lissa's hair, Maribelle pulled back.
“How is...Chrom doing, though?”
Lissa pouted at her brother’s name.
“Chrom’s being a big old sourpuss, as usual. He’s locked himself up in Emm’s old study and didn’t even come out for dinner!”
Unlike everybody else, Lissa said Emmeryn’s name so easily it was as if she’d never even died. In some ways, mused Maribelle, Lissa was truly the strongest of them all.
“Well Ylisse can’t have her Exalt brooding in solitude while there are parties to be planned and borders to be maintained, can she?” Maribelle argued. “I suppose it is our duty to go pay him a visit.”
Lissa nodded excitedly, and the two headed off arm in arm in the direction of the castle’s private quarters.Though she didn’t dare let it show on her face, Maribelle’s heart practically exploded with ecstasy. Lissa was by her side and most importantly of all, she hadn’t heard what Chrom had said.
The door was less intimidating than it had been that morning. Maribelle raised a hand to knock, pulled it back, then turned to Lissa with an apologetic smile.
“Actually, I think it would be best if you waited somewhere else while Chrom and I...discuss things. I promise I will catch up with you as soon as we have this little mess all sorted out.”
Lissa’s face fell for only half a moment, but then her usual sunny grin returned.
“Of course! I wouldn’t want to get in the way of a lover’s make-up after all!”
“Lissa, please, that was hardly a lover’s quarrel!”
But Lissa was off and running before Maribelle could finish.
Sighing, Maribelle knocked twice on the study door. There came no reply.
“Milord? It’s Maribelle. I’d like to come in please.”
No response.
She pressed a hand against the door, noticing for the first time the intricate carvings embossed in the warm wood. It made sense it would be a floral pattern; this study had belonged to Emmeryn after all. She wondered which flowers these were. Storksbill, perhaps?
Maribelle quickly cut off that train of thought, shaking her head to come back to the present. No use avoiding the inevitable.
She tried the door handle and found it unlocked. Taking a deep breath, Maribell entered the room.
The study was exactly as she had left it that afternoon. The tea cups her parents had drank from sat untouched.. Maribelle took one look at the half-finished tea and grimaced.
In the back of the room, working by flickering candlelight, sat Chrom. He was wearing his night glasses, a recent accessory forced upon him by the medic staff and Fredrick after they’d noticed how farsighted the royal had become after his tour of war. In his hands he held a letter with a long list that Maribelle couldn’t quite make out.
“If I may have a moment of your time, milord?” asked Maribelle.
“I’m very busy right now, Maribelle,” said Chrom, his back still turned to her. “We can discuss more in the morning.”
“It’s rude to not look people in the eye when you’re speaking to them,” she snapped.
At this Chrom turned to face her, the sole candle in the room casting long shadows on his face. Even in the dim light, she could still make out the bruise she had given him earlier and she winced at the sight of it.
“Why, so you have a better angle to hit me again?”
Oh, okay, so maybe that one stung a little.
“No I...milo- Chrom,” said Maribelle. She moved forward till she was standing right by his chair, arms clasped in front of her right where he could see them. The suspicion in his eyes pained her, but gods be damned if she hadn’t come all this way to say her part. “What I did earlier, there are no words to explain how sorry I am. No matter how angry I was, it was completely reprehensible or me to strike you like that. It’s not...I’m sorry.”
Maribelle looked up to see Chrom still frowning. Shifting from foot to foot, she added, “Please feel free to punish me in any way you see fit.
Chrom sighed.
“I’m not going to punish you, Maribelle. What kind of tyrant would I be if I locked up every person in Ylisse who made a poor decision? We’d have no free citizens left.”
Neither of them said anything for several long minutes. Then Chrom sighed and turned so he was fully facing Maribelle and for the first time since she’d entered the room, his face shifting from the cold mask he’d been wearing.
“It’s not fair to you to act like this whole situation was solely your fault,” he admitted. “You only did what you did because of what I said. I was out of line and you were completely justified for acting as you did. I’m sorry and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
Maribelle blinked. Of all the ways she’d expected it to go, this was not a path she’d expected. Was it possible that Chrom had been stressing over his apology as much as she had been over hers?
“I forgive you. Holding grudges is so uncivilized anyway,” she replied and that was enough to get a smile out of Chrom. Though his smile wasn’t as bright as Lissa’s, Maribelle noted how much younger it made the man.
“Why Maribelle, I believe we just had our first real quarrel,” said Chrom. “And we’re not even married yet.”
“Well you know me- always ahead of the curve.”
They both laughed at this, not hearty booming laughs but something softer, much more fragile. Then Maribelle asked Chrom what he was working on and Chrom showed Maribelle the plan for the new road that would connect Ylisstol directly to the outer lands. Maribelle made several suggestions for the plan that would overhaul the entire project for half the cost and Chrom thanked her sincerely. In this quiet, awkward manner they worked through the night, until the candle had burned itself down into a nub, at which point they said goodbye with tired smiles on their faces.