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That Marth should have been recognised as a great hero in Askr, Caeda felt, was perfectly natural. The Order of Heroes was a union of different, disparate worlds; an army built on stories, on myths and legends of the brave and the bold. In such a place—in that strange yet marvellous confluence of realms—it only made sense for Marth’s deeds to have reached them – and for his arrival, now several years ago, to have been heralded as a turning point in Askr’s then-endless war against the Emblian Empire.
That there was another world beyond their own, as she’d discovered, where Marth was revered as a figure of legend… was rather more astonishing.
It had taken her some time to get her head around it all. To learn all she could learn, in the months that had followed, about that curious world – about Elyos. A place where not only Marth, but others besides—little Tiki, for one, but also those such as Princess Celica and Queen Micaiah—had manifested as beings known as Emblems. Echoes of heroes who had been involved in a great and terrible conflict in Elyos’s past, and who bestowed extraordinary power on those who called upon them in battle.
Marth, more than any other Emblem, was said to have held a special bond with one person in particular. For a moment, with equal curiosity and apprehension, Caeda had half-wondered if she might have found her own name in Elyos’s history books… but then she’d discovered, reading on, that the person in question was none other than Alear – daughter of the Divine Dragon, Queen Lumera, and heir to Lumera’s power as a Divine Dragon herself.
Marth, it seemed—to Caeda’s amusement, as much as anything else—could never quite escape being a guardian and guiding light to the children of Divine Dragons, regardless of the worlds he found himself in. And yet, where Marth had been Tiki’s protector, saving her from dark forces that would have used her power and heritage for evil… it had been Alear, in Elyos, who had protected Marth.
Marth, not Alear, had been stolen away by villains; his Emblem ring corrupted so that he would only heed and serve the Fell Dragon, Sombron. And Marth, not Alear, had been saved from that terrible fate – rescued near journey’s end, and afforded the chance once more to fight for all that was good and just.
Alear had done so much—had fought, and bled, and suffered—for Marth’s sake. She had been there for him every bit as much as he had been there for her. And despite it all… despite going to such lengths for him… Caeda herself had yet to thank her in any meaningful way.
The thought shamed Caeda – who placed such importance on making her appreciation known and felt, on being open with her affections. Her Marth—her betrothed —had been in such peril, in a world and time where she herself could never have reached him… and his saviour, all the while, had been here in Askr, so open and eager for conversation that Caeda could have approached her at any time, on any occasion, and offered the show of gratitude she so richly deserved.
So maybe it was just as well—after all her hithering and dithering, and all the opportunities she’d missed in her thoughtless negligence—that the occasion, in the end, came to her.
Caeda hadn’t expected much, admittedly, of that year’s visit to the Beachrealms. Though she prided herself on being the sociable, proactive sort, most of her close friends seemed to have already made plans. Little Tiki was going to be spending the summer with her older self, with both of them—the eldest, most of all—under the watchful eye of Archbishop Rhea. Linde had opted to skip the shore and focus on her studies, fearing that she’d been lagging behind. Kris, as usual, was off somewhere else – doubtless being pulled two ways at once by an insistent Norne and a beguiling Phina. And even Plumeria, who had been such a lovely companion on previous occasions, had now decided that two summers over two years had been quite enough.
As for Marth… well, he was the sort to keep himself busy all throughout the year, even when the rest of the Order were taking breaks. But Caeda knew quite well, having teased it out of him one year, that the mighty Hero King was actually rather embarrassed at the thought of braving a pair of swimming trunks… so, feeling pity for the poor thing, she had asked Ogma to accompany him on his errands, if only to reassure him that he wasn’t the only one working instead of playing.
For all her usual cheer, however, it had left her feeling a little lonely. Of course, she could surely have joined any of her friends, if only she asked nicely enough; could even have stayed with her beloved, and kept him company in Ogma’s place. But to have gone along with her friends, she feared, would only have been to intrude upon plans already made… and to join Marth, no matter how delightful the prospect always was, would have been to leave the beach altogether, and to let the summer pass unmarked. After an especially trying year for the Order, such serenity was a cherished thing – hard-won, and not to be lightly relinquished.
She had only needed something to give her reason enough to stay. Someone to talk to, to distract her for a while – and to help her forget her loneliness for a time.
So how lucky she’d felt—how fortunate, how blessed—when she’d found none other than Alear herself… presently rushing after the most adorable little creature, which had waddled up to Caeda with eager, steady steps and was now circling her feet.
“Goodness me…!” she said, with a smile – dropping slowly to her knees, and taking the creature’s round, fuzzy head in her hands as it finally stopped in front of her. “Oh, but what a dear you are…! Are you out here enjoying the sun as well?”
Even as she ruffled its fur, the creature’s sweet smile held strong – and Alear, at last, caught up to the both of them, as if it had somehow outpaced her even despite its slow, plodding speed.
“H-hah… my apologies,” she said, between pants. “Sommie’s not the fastest in the world, but… but they can slip out of sight just like that, the moment you turn your back…”
The creature—Sommie, Alear had called it—was already leaning into Caeda’s touch; and so, sensing they were comfortable enough, Caeda scooped them up in her arms as if cradling a baby and rose to her feet, offering Alear her full attention.
“I’ve never seen their like before,” Caeda said, scratching under Sommie’s chin. “Are they native to Elyos, perhaps…?”
“O-oh – oh, yes,” Alear replied. “And… I don’t know that there’s any others like them, to be honest. My home—my base, really—it has this shrine, tucked away where only a few people wander. Sommie’s… well, I guess you’d call them the guardian of that shrine. Some even say they’ve been around ever since the place was built…”
“A guardian spirit… One would hardly think it, looking at them.”
And indeed, Caeda suddenly felt a strange weight in her arms – as if the creature were no longer simply a cute and cuddly pet, but a being far beyond her reckoning.
A being better kept, perhaps, in the arms of the Divine Dragon’s daughter… who accepted them back with a smile of her own.
“One of my stewards brought them here,” she said. “A boy named Clanne – perhaps you’ve seen him down the shore. I’ll be returning to him before long, once he’s had a chance to enjoy the beach himself, but… well, I’m learning it’s rather trickier to keep watch on Sommie than I’d assumed. It’s like they can warp from place to place… I don’t doubt that they can, actually, even though I’ve never seen it with my own eyes.”
Caeda giggled. “They’re just eager to have a look around – aren’t you, Sommie?”
She scratched behind the creature’s little pointy ears, and watched them wriggle their whole body in satisfaction.
Alear, though still a little reserved, laughed too.
“They seem very fond of you, at least,” she said. “Even fonder than they are with most, I’d say… You wouldn’t happen to have any relation to one of the Heroes who became Emblems in my world, would you? Someone like… Princess Lucina, perhaps?”
Caeda’s smile grew. There, now, was a name she was very familiar with – though were it not for Askr, she would never have seen far enough into her world’s distant future to know it.
“I believe there’s at least some relation, in the long history of my world’s royal bloodlines,” she said. “But, Alear—if I might be so bold as to call you by your name?—I believe you’ll be more familiar with my fiancé… Prince Marth.”
For a moment, quite preciously, Alear simply stood and stared. Then, the next instant, her face flushed the same bright crimson as her hair – and, with eyes wide and mouth agape, she started to stammer out a reply.
“Oh – oh…! Then… t-then that would make you—!”
“Princess Caeda,” Caeda confirmed, with a bow of her head and another, playful smile. “And I must say, Alear… I’m simply delighted to meet you at last.”
Caeda was pleased to find that Alear, in spite of her initial surprise, didn’t treat her with any greater formality upon discovering who she was. And, with Sommie soon returned to Clanne—a boy who seemed just as startled to be introduced to the Hero King’s betrothed—the two of them were free to stroll further down the beach together, where they could spend some time alone.
As they walked—and with Sommie no longer there to draw and distract her attention—Caeda couldn’t help but notice how much of a vision Alear really was. Elyos’s stories spoke of her beauty, as all flattering stories about legendary heroes tended to do… but with her hair tied back into a long, delightful ponytail, and a swimsuit so charming and vibrant, she was as adorable as she was enticing to the eye.
It was a silly, improper thought, of course – hardly suited for their very first conversation. And so, Caeda allowed her appreciation for Alear and her body to sink deeper beneath the surface as they walked and talked… even if her gaze occasionally betrayed her, and slipped down over her curves, admiring the way her outfit clung so snugly to her hips and thighs.
The topic, inevitably, settled on Marth. And Caeda was more than happy for it to do so – telling tales of his heroic deeds to an enraptured Alear, while sprinkling in just enough humorous anecdotes—Marth would surely have called them ‘mortifying’, but he wasn’t there to stop her—to ground him as a real person, in spite of his apparent perfection. Alear, in turn, spoke of the Emblem she knew – how he had watched over her for two-thousand years, and guided her through her earliest battles… and how he had been stolen from her, his noble heart twisted in service to evil.
Caeda knew the stories well; had read them time and time again in the written histories of Elyos, which had recorded every step of the Divine Dragon heir’s journey. But to hear them from Alear herself, rather than the dusty old pages of a chronicle… to rediscover her Marth, her beloved, through the first-hand account of someone who adored him every bit as strongly…
In a way, she felt herself falling in love with him all over again – no longer the mature and responsible queen-to-be, but rather the fresh-faced and blushing princess of Talys, who could be swept up so easily by flights of fancy and tales of derring-do.
Small wonder, then, that her thoughts towards Alear—who had already seemed simply marvellous to her, yet now was positively dazzling for such an earnest account of her struggles—were quickly turning a very similar way.
Her reward, long overdue, couldn’t come soon enough.
“I really must thank you, Alear,” she said, as the conversation finally came to a gentle, natural lull. “For protecting my dear Marth, in an age where I could no longer reach him.”
“It… was the honour of my life,” Alear said, with a blush – smiling brilliantly, in spite of it. “For all that happened, and for all my failings… that I was entrusted with him at all, and thought worthy of him, gave me the strength I needed through the darkest times.”
Caeda giggled – and, taking care not to move so quickly as to startle her, she put an arm around Alear’s shoulder, drawing her in.
Baked in the summer sun, her skin was so very warm. But it was the kind of warmth that only drew Caeda closer, wanting more – a gentle, familiar heat that soothed her as much as it excited her, and had her thoughts turning once again in a most improper direction.
Still, as Alear smiled and leaned into her, it was hard to feel too ashamed.
“It gladdens me to hear that even in such distant realms, he’s still a source of light and hope,” she said. “And, as for any ‘failings’ along the way – well, I know full well that he wouldn’t blame you for them one bit. We all stumble from time to time… The key is to never walk alone, so that you always have someone to catch you.”
Alear smiled. “Let me guess… You had to catch Marth from time to time, as well.”
“Oh, on more occasions than I can count! My dearest shouldered such strife and hardship through the years… I suppose one might never suspect it of such an esteemed, legendary figure. But no-one is invincible – not even the Marth from your world. And I daresay you helped him every bit as much as he helped you.”
“That’s kind of you to say, Princess Caeda. Though, it was my fault that–”
“Just Caeda will do, dear,” Caeda cut in, with another gentle laugh. “And anyway, you mustn’t worry yourself so over the past. As I just said, Marth would never blame you for any of it – and neither would I, seeing how very kind and earnest you are.”
Alear’s blush deepened, at that – even as she smiled, and turned her eyes shyly down towards the sand. She was so very easy to fluster, Caeda thought, though no less endearing for it; and it would have been just terrible of her to try and tease her further…
But an idea for that long-deserved reward, impulsive and irresistible, had already taken root in her mind. And before she could hesitate, and give herself enough time to question or reconsider it… she looked a little further down the beach, towards the now-setting sun, where a tall cluster of rocks offered the perfect amount of privacy.
“Say, Alear,” she began; her voice innocent enough, yet her words all but a whisper in Alear’s ear. “I confess, I’m not the best swimmer… but what would you say to spending a little time together in the shallows? You’ve done so very much for Marth, and… well, I do feel just a little obliged…”
At first, in the same charmingly innocent way as before, Alear only stared and blinked – until Caeda’s other hand reached up to the ribbon binding her swimsuit at the front, idly tugging and playing with it as if to loosen its hold.
And then, as a measure of understanding finally dawned… the colour rushed back to Alear’s cheeks.
“O-obliged, you say…?” she murmured; her lips parted, and her gaze suddenly wandering freely down from Caeda’s shoulders to her chest. “I’m not sure I… I mean, we’ve only just…”
“Met?” Caeda suggested, with a giggle. “That’s quite true. And yet, I can’t help but feel we already know each other so well. Whether it’s because you remind me of him, or of myself, I can’t rightly say… but I’m certain we’d make excellent friends, you and I.”
Alear swallowed, then, as Caeda’s hand slowly, subtly pulled at the bow – a knot so simple, so innocent-looking, and yet surely capable of unravelling her outfit—and her composure—all at once.
“…I-I think so too,” she managed, after a time. “I… I think we already are, truly. And the more I talk with you, the more I… the more I can see why Marth still remembered you, and remembered you so fondly, even after a thousand years. You’re… you’re quite wonderful, Caeda.”
Now, it was Caeda’s turn to blush in earnest. Alear might not have had a perfect way with words, but her sincerity—and her earnest desire to speak her mind, no matter how nervous she seemed—was enough to have her heart fluttering wildly, and her own thoughts wandering even more shamelessly than she’d previously dared allow.
It would have been the easiest thing in the world, then, to act on those thoughts. To push Alear down into the sand, and stoke the passion rising between them until the sun set completely and the stars rose over the ocean.
But she wanted something better than that. Something a little softer, a little slower… and far more rewarding than a hurried and desperate tryst.
“Oh, my sweet Alear,” she whispered, bringing her other hand up from the ribbon to stroke Alear’s cheek. “I can be far more wonderful, if you’ll only permit me…”
This time, there was no hesitation. Alear didn’t stare, or blink, or question the implication of Caeda’s words.
Instead, her shy smile only grew… and with a silent nod, she let Caeda lead her down towards the rocks, where the tide gently lapped against the sand.
She was still a little stiff, Caeda noticed, as they made their way across the final stretch of the beach. She wondered if it betrayed a measure of inexperience; of hesitance, or uncertainty. Or perhaps—as Caeda caught her staring, very obviously, at her swimsuit, and her breasts—she was simply overwhelmed by the thought of what was to come, and the sheer intensity of her own desires.
Whatever the reason, Caeda was determined to help her. To ease her into it, as slowly and gently as one eased themselves into the sea… and then, only when she was comfortable and ready, to let her sink beneath the surface, and be enveloped by bliss.
They took a slow, lazy path around the rocks, and through the water lapping gently around their feet. Here, the shadows had already begun to grow longer, and the air a little cooler; though there was still enough light left in the sky for Caeda to admire her companion, and the way the setting sun caught her hair to bathe her in the most beautiful golden glow.
“Is the water warm enough for you, Alear?” she asked, her arm still around the other girl’s shoulders. “I shouldn’t want you to get a chill as the evening goes on…”
Alear gave a small shake of her head. “No… It’s perfect,” she replied. “I’m sure Clanne will come looking, if I’m out here all night… but I’ve no intention of leaving just yet. I’m… enjoying this. Far too much.”
Caeda’s smile grew a little wider.
“Enjoying it, you say…? And to think, we haven’t even reached the fun part yet.”
At last, they found the perfect spot; and as Caeda withdrew her arm, letting her hands stroke down Alear’s sides and settle on her hips, she leaned into the other girl’s ear.
“Are you nervous, Alear?” she whispered.
“Of course,” Alear admitted, sheepishly. “But, um… Marth won’t mind, will he? That you’re doing this with me…?”
Caeda laughed, her breath hot against Alear’s neck.
“Heavens, no. We’re both quite open in our love, you see. And if he were here, why… he’d probably insist on joining us.”
From Alear’s wide-eyed reaction, and the sudden sharpness of her breath, Caeda could only imagine the indecent images that had just flooded the poor girl’s mind… and with any luck, they’d even be made real before the summer was through.
But, for the time being, they both had more than enough to occupy themselves with. And so, to draw Alear back from the future, and into the present, wonderful moment… Caeda leaned in, and closed the distance between them in a soft, lingering kiss.
Alear, she could tell, wasn’t a practised kisser. There was some small experience there, the hint of which intrigued Caeda greatly… yet she was far more tentative, and her manner clumsy and uncertain.
Still, though, it was more than enough – especially with her lips so warm and welcoming, and her arms wrapping tight around Caeda’s waist, drawing her close.
And Caeda, now letting one hand slide down beneath the waistband of Alear’s swimsuit—and willing to try her luck—was more than ready to start repaying her debt.
Alear shuddered, sharp and shallow, at the first brush of Caeda’s fingers – breaking the kiss with a gasp, then a quiet whimper, that were both just too cute for words.
“Do tell me if it’s ever too much,” Caeda teased, as her fingertips traced slowly through the soft, delicate curls to find her already so wonderfully wet. “I don’t want to rush you.”
With some effort, Alear managed to shake her head.
“N-no,” she said. “I… I want this. All of this. But, I… I haven’t really, um… done anything like this before, so…”
“Don’t worry, dear,” Caeda whispered. “Just leave everything to me.”
Then, without another word, she pressed her lips back to Alear’s; her tongue brushing lightly against the other girl’s mouth with an invitation, rather than a demand, to go further, and deeper.
Alear, it seemed, was only too eager to take her up on it – leaning gently back against the smooth rock behind her, and opening her mouth for Caeda to slip her way inside. And though Caeda didn’t want to surprise her with a second, unfamiliar sensation at once, her fingers continued stroking and exploring her all the same, drawing slow and lazy circles over her entrance and around her clit.
Alear, breath and tongue both entwined with Caeda’s, shuddered again. Her hips pushed forwards, seeking a firmer touch – and as the kiss grew harder, and hungrier, her urgency grew ever more obvious.
It was a wonderful, thrilling embrace, Caeda thought – and one that left her all too eager to push Alear to the brink, and beyond.
“M-more…” Alear managed, eventually; the word a soft, pleading whimper. “Caeda… Please…”
“Of course,” Caeda purred. “But why don’t we take these off first? Charming as your swimsuit is, I wouldn’t want it getting spoiled… and I’d so love to see all of you.”
“O-oh. Right, um… Yes, please.”
Caeda grinned – and then, in a matter of moments, she set to work. For as intricately designed as Alear’s swimsuit was, it was remarkably easy to untie it and strip each garment down and away, tossing them to the safety of the shore… and it was remarkably difficult, as she did so, not to grow impossibly distracted by every newly revealed inch of her body.
She was hardly statuesque. Few legendary figures, Marth included, truly were. But what Caeda found, instead, was someone who—despite her draconic heritage—was astonishingly human – in the small, slight imperfections, in the delightful chubbiness of her thighs, in the scars and scuffs that were still in the process of healing. A woman who, for all her divinity, was still deeply acquainted with mortality… and whose beauty—as she finally stood before Caeda, naked save for the golden bands around her arm and leg—was all the more radiant for it.
“Incredible,” Caeda breathed, as her eyes took in every detail, and her fingertips brushed and traced their way along Alear’s bare skin. “You’re stunning, Alear. Utterly, unbelievably so…”
“And… you’re now overdressed, Caeda,” Alear said, with a small, nervous laugh. “You should, um… take yours off, too. If you want to. Please.”
Caeda blinked, then laughed in turn – and with a few swift movements, her own swimsuit followed Alear’s to the shore.
“Ah, that does feel better,” she sighed, stretching; her cheeks a little warmer, suddenly, as Alear’s eyes—so innocent, and yet so terribly hungry—took her in. “I hope you like what you see, Alear. You’ve certainly earned the right to stare…”
“I do like it,” Alear blurted, a little too quickly. “Very much. You’re… gods, Caeda, I-I’m…”
She trailed off, shaking her head, as if at a loss for words. But that was fine.
Right now, there were much easier ways of expressing themselves.
“Come,” Caeda cooed, taking Alear’s hands in her own. “Lie down, dear… and I’ll give you everything you need.”
Alear did, then, as she was asked – laying down in the shallow water, where the sand beneath them was as soft and silky as any bed. And as Caeda straddled her, skin touching skin and with no more barriers between them, she gasped; the sound soft, and sweet, and utterly irresistible.
“Is this alright?” Caeda asked. “I may be light enough to fly on a pegasus, but that’s no guarantee of comfort…”
“Y-yes,” Alear gasped. “Yes, it’s… it’s… a-ah…”
She shuddered, then, as Caeda shifted just slightly in place; so sensitive, so eager, that even the briefest friction was more than enough to have her squirming and moaning.
And just like that, Caeda had a wonderful idea.
“Mm… I could use my fingers… or even my mouth,” she began, with a smile that was every bit as sultry as her tone. “But, since you’ve gotten me rather worked up now, too… I wonder if we can’t help one another, at the same time…”
Alear, still panting and blushing and beautiful, stared up at her; her expression confused but curious, and her eyes bright with both wonder and desire.
“I’d… I’d love that,” she said, a little breathlessly. “But… how? What do I need to do…?”
“Precious little at all,” Caeda replied, with a smile. “Just lie back, and let the waves wash over you… and I’ll take care of the rest.”
And so, with Alear’s approval assured, Caeda set herself to the task – grinding her pussy slowly and gently against her new lover’s, guided by the rhythm of the waves and eased by the slick water lapping around their bodies.
She’d made the right choice, she felt, in taking her time; in easing Alear into it, rather than rushing her to the peak. Certainly, Alear was already offering such lovely reactions, so richly deserved and so utterly delectable – but she was also more relaxed, more comfortable, more in control of her self and senses. Far from losing herself, she was able to meet Caeda’s gaze, to smile a brilliant smile; and before long, she was even familiar enough with the pace to work her own hips, and share fully in the pleasure.
Not that there was any hurry. There was no reason at all to rush things when the evening was young, and the water and the waves so wonderfully warm.
“That’s it,” Caeda encouraged her. “Oh, yes, just like that. You’re a natural, Alear. I… if you keep at it like that, I might just lose myself before you do…”
She’d said it like a joke – and yet, she wasn’t lying. The pleasure was growing, rising like a wave, threatening to drown her in bliss… and the sight of Alear enjoying herself so thoroughly was enough to make her pulse quicken, and her thoughts dissolve into nothing but sweet, wonderful lust.
“I’m… I’m glad,” Alear said, grunting and panting; her eyes never leaving Caeda’s. “I… nn… I don’t want to be selfish, Caeda. I-I want you to enjoy this, too… hah… every bit as much…”
She was enjoying it. Gods, she was enjoying it. Though Caeda wanted desperately for Alear to be rewarded—to be treated and cherished, as well as deserved to be—she could no longer ignore her own desires, her own burning need for the woman beneath her.
It was just as well, then, that Alear—in that very same way as Marth—seemed to find no greater reward than in the happiness and satisfaction of others.
“Y-yes,” Caeda breathed, rocking her hips faster. “Oh, gods, I… I’m close, Alear. I’m close, and… a-and…”
The rest was lost, the words devolving into a helpless moan, as Alear’s own pace quickened to meet hers; building and building until it was impossible to tell which of them was leading, and which was only following desperately along.
Caeda wanted to last. She wanted to hold back; to see Alear come undone beneath her, and savour the moment to its fullest.
But she couldn’t. Even as she felt Alear’s whole body tensing and tightening, rushing towards the same, inevitable end… even as she tried, with all her will, to maintain some measure of composure… it was too late.
And so, to let them both tumble over the edge together as one… Caeda leaned down, and claimed Alear’s lips in a frantic, fervent kiss.
“C-Caeda… mm… Caeda…” Alear gasped; her cries muffled and broken by Caeda’s mouth, and her breath hot and sharp and delicious as their tongues twined. “Oh, gods… oh, gods…”
Her nails dug into Caeda’s back, clinging on for dear life; and Caeda—just a moment ahead of her, but equally overwhelmed—groaned into the embrace, holding fast and firm.
Their bodies were one. Their hearts were one. Their pleasure was one; a beautiful, irreplaceable thing born of gratitude and reverence in equal measure.
And Caeda, on the verge of drowning in it… let the tide swallow and sweep her away.
“A-Alear…” she panted. “Gods, Alear, I… a-ah, a-aha… ahhh…!”
The moment, when at last it came for them both, was messy; inelegant. A raw, ragged, animal thing that had their bodies bucking, their voices breaking – the dragon beneath Alear’s human facade briefly, desperately showing itself, as her nails felt suddenly more like claws, leaving marks through Caeda’s skin that would surely linger for hours.
But it was also, in its simplicity, utterly pure. A perfect culmination of a most wonderful first encounter… and a tantalising prelude to all, Caeda hoped, that was yet to come.
Caeda couldn’t say how long she and Alear had lingered there, riding the pleasure before it slowly began to fade – their kisses turning to gentle brushes, and their hearts beating in perfect time.
It was, however, Alear who was the first to speak – as they lay, some time later, in each other’s arms, basking in the afterglow and the gently lapping sea.
“Caeda… That was… gods. Thank you. For… For all of that.”
Caeda, head resting on Alear’s shoulder, only giggled.
“You’re very welcome,” she whispered. “And thank you, dear, for everything you’ve done. You’ve earned this. This, and so, so much more…”
Alear found a laugh of her own; a small, nervous, irresistible thing.
“I’m… still getting used to it,” she said. “The thought that I might have accomplished great things, with the support of my friends… even despite all the ways I’ve failed…”
“Our failures don’t define us,” Caeda insisted, shifting so she could look into Alear’s eyes. “It’s what we do for others… the ways we help them, whether small or significant… that makes us who we are. Your kind heart saved the Marth of your world from a terrible fate… and for that, you’ll always hold a very special place in my heart. A place, I daresay, that could even grow to rival his.”
“I-I… thank you, Caeda,” Alear said – her voice soft, but sincere. “Not that I should want to overtake him in any way, but… it’s a wonderful thought. And, um…”
She smiled, shy but beautiful, and pressed her forehead lightly to Caeda’s.
“Did you… mean it, about him…?” she asked. “When you said that, if Marth was here… he might have joined us today?”
Caeda chuckled. “Why, but of course. We’ve never been ones to shy away from sharing.”
Alear’s blush deepened, and she glanced away – but her smile held firm.
“Then, do you think… if he knew about today, he might…?”
At the question—and knowing full well what Alear wanted—Caeda’s smile curled into a mischievous grin.
“I’m quite certain he will,” she purred. “Once he hears every last lovely detail… you’ll come to find just how very generous my Marth can be.”
Alear’s expression, then—her imagination surely running wild, and her heart beating ever faster—was, Caeda decided, the most adorable she’d looked all day.