Before we knew it, the year was over. The chilly winds of December blew into the fridged ones of January. For the first time in what felt like forever, two weeks were able to pass quietly. No life-changing news. No events. Nothing.

My days were blurs of training and exploring. Finally, I was able to consider myself a formattable Luna warrior. The thick blankets of snow on the forest floor proved to make hunting difficult; but, it was nothing I could not handle.

Even though I wanted to avoid him, my training sessions with Chrom still continued. I couldn't stay away, no matter how hard I tried. This love I felt for the prince was a mistake.

I'm not in love with him. I just feel strongly for my friend, that's all, I told myself. I repeated this mantra whenever my heart wanted to tell me otherwise. It's only been two weeks. These feelings will disappear any day, now.

Everyone went about their lives normally while mine felt like it was completely messed up. I tried to act like nothing was wrong. I thought I was doing a good job concealing things. Maybe.

It's nothing. It's all nothing. A silly crush won't change things. Soon, I'll feel normal and we can go back to the way things were...

I sighed, burying my face in my hands; my elbows digging into the hardwood table in the Garrison. Besides, what do I know about love? My whole life, I wanted nothing to do with it! The thought of marriage made me sick! I was scared to love! I mean, I know Chrom would never suppress me. He would always want me by his side: whether it'd be fighting, advising, or even random things! Wait. No. I can't think like this! Stop daydreaming!

"ANNA!" A voice shouted, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"WAH-! Who's there?!" I shot out of my seat, hand on the hilt of my blade. I turned to see a terrified Kellam. What the-? When did he get here?

The knight held up his hands. "S-sorry! It's just me!" he apologized. "I-it's just that - well, I've been trying to get you out of the loop for five minutes and nothing was working!"

I let out a breath, my racing heart starting to calm. "It's all right. I'm sorry for not noticing you." I forced myself to smile. "Do you need anything?"

"Well, I don't," he said. "Um, the captain is requesting you."

My poor heart only had a few moments of respite. It began to race once more. "O-oh. Right. Training."

Kellam scratched the back of his head. "D-do you need me to escort you to the grounds?"

I shook my head. Dammit, heart! You know that people can hear you, right! "I'll be fine. Thank you." With a polite bow, I left the presence of the sneaky knight and made my way to the training grounds. I just need to get through this lesson. After that, I won't have to deal with Chrom anymore, today.

...

"There you are! I was afraid that you forgot about our session!" Chrom exclaimed as soon as he saw me enter.

I flashed a small smile at the prince. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't miss these for the world."

He crossed his arms, an amused smirk painting his face. "Well, your tardiness speaks otherwise."

My face flushed in shame. "I-I don't-"

"Relax, I'm kidding," he chuckled. He went to pick up two practice blades. "Jumping right into business, I think we should spar for a bit. I can't gauge your skills without seeing them for myself."

I nodded, catching the practice blade he tossed to me. "Good idea. Ready when you are."

He got into his battle stance, sword held in both hands. And, like clockwork, we sprung into battle at the same time.

I held off his blows and he held off mine. I moved with speed and precision, he moved with strength and power. Swords slashed and swung, never finding their intended target. It was almost like a dance.

Despite my full focus being on the fight, my mind still wandered; and to places I forbade it to go, nonetheless.

I can't love him! Look at us! We're simply friends! And he's my commander! Having these feelings are inappropriate. He relies on me and I on him. Even though I'm not officially a tactical advisor to him, he heeds all of my strategic advice. Love can't get in the way of that; it could ruin our comradery.

My blows became stronger and more rushed, adrenaline and rage filling me.

It's not fair! It's just not fair! Why did my heart choose him? Why must I always look at the negatives? Why do I only think of hypothetical situations in which we are together? I hate this! I hate him! I hate me!

Chrom's eyes flashed with concern as my movements grew more and more shaky. My frenzy was nothing but blind emotions.

What am I even saying... I don't hate him. I could never hate him. I love him with all of my heart and being. I've always loved him since the very first day I met him. But...he could never love me. He's a prince. I'm a nobody. A nobody who was once Human. We are not intended to be mates. It's impossible. Mother Naga has blessed me with such an amazing life, but I know that this is the one thing I cannot have.

My heart shattered as my thoughts took over, making me weak. Chrom made little effort in knocking me down. I fell to the ground with a thud, white noise filling my ears. I couldn't care less.

The only thing that brought me back to the world was Chrom's voice. "Hey, you all right?" he asked. "That was quite a nasty hit."

My vision cleared as he offered me his hand. I blindly reached for it.

I was hefted off the ground with no qualms. However, once I was standing, it felt as if Chrom was in no rush to release my hand. I wasn't, either.

"Th-thank you..." I rasped, looking to the ground.

"Well...you're swordsmanship is getting way better, I can say that much." I could tell in his voice that he cared little about our mock-fight. "Y-you've been acting quite strangely for a while. Is there something wrong?"

I couldn't contain it any longer. I collapsed into him, sobbing. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

Instead of pushing me away, he pulled me closer; one hand resting on the back of my head and the other rubbing soothing circles onto my back. "Shh...it's ok. Deep breaths. I'm right here." His own breathing was enough to calm me down, but only a little. "If you need to talk, I'm all ears."

I cried even harder, involuntarily nuzzling closer to him. His arms felt like home. His warmth was enough to block out the harshest chills. "I-I just... I can't-!"

"Hey. Calm down. Breathe," he whispered. "You're all right. Whatever is going on, I promise that it'll be ok. If you don't want to talk about it right now, then that's ok, too. But I'm always here for you. You know that. Whenever you do decide you're ready, I'll be right here to listen. You're not alone."

How he could make me feel so comforted, I would never know. However, his words also made me more depressed.

He is just so caring and kind. He's the greatest friend I've ever had. How could I not fall in love with him? How could I ever think otherwise? Why must I be tortured so? We can't be mates. Someday, I'm going to find a wolf that is not Chrom who is my mate. The same will happen to him. I am dreading that day more than anything.

I cannot imagine loving someone other than Chrom.

*****
You swoon, you sigh, who deny it uh-oh. So I decided to be mean about it. SHE HASN'T FELT TRUE AFFECTION OR LOVE IN YEARS AND SHE'S HURTIN. AHHHHHH. This was one of my most favorite chapters to write. I'm a slut for hurt/comfort. Mmm. Thank you so much for reading and look forward to reading more!

Link: https://youtu.be/YfJBoV3bySo