Chrom

About a month had passed since I received Falchion. In this time, my confidence as a leader grew and grew. Now that we had our own barracks and training spaces, our organization skills were much better. Although most of our missions never extended as far as a few miles out of Ylisstol, and the problems themselves were never that big of battles, we were more than happy to at least be able to do something.

To add to everything that we have been gaining these past few months, I received a letter from Sumia saying that her parents are beginning to reconsider allowing her to join the Shepherds. She said to expect a definite answer within a month. Apparently, the reputation we were gaining truly was on our sides.

Currently, I was on my way to speak with Emm regarding a potential mission. When she wasn't in the Throne Room or Main Hall, you could almost always find her in her study. And seeing that I couldn't find her anywhere, she was most likely in there.

As I approached her room, I noticed that the door was ajar. What the... She always keeps it closed, even when she's not inside. I lightly pushed it open, peaking my head inside. No signs of life anywhere. I almost sighed in relief. Well, at least there are no signs of a skirmish. However, I saw light peaking out from beneath the door to her study. Ah! There she is! I walked over to the door, preparing to knock, but the sound of voices stopped me.

"--The timing is very wrong, Emmeryn." The voice of Phila spoke.

"I-I know that! When has it not?" Emm sighed.

"I don't think there is a right time, nor will there ever be. When it comes to...this."

"These kinds of marriages have been legal and accepted in Ylisse since my great-great-grandmother's reign," Emm reasoned. "They have been legal in Regna Ferox since it was first established, and it's even quite common in Plegia! It's not a new thing!"

What in Naga's name are they talking about...? I moved to the side of the door, leaning against the wall and training my ears so I could pick up everything they were saying. I know it's rude to eavesdrop, but... Curiosity certainly took the best of everyone.

I could tell Phila was fidgeting. "Y-yes, I know. They certainly have. But not for royalty! I know there are records of members of the Ylissean Royal Family taking on partners of the same sex, but never in one of those records is it mentioned that the current ruler of that time had one! Emm, there would be chaos!"

My mouth started to gape. Did she just call her Emm? And why did she mention same-sex relationships?

"...I'm afraid my kingdom has had its fair share of chaos all throughout my rule," Emm muttered. "I know the timing is wrong. I know this isn't something I should come out with right now. And, loathe I am to say it, the Plegians have provided a distraction and an excuse for me to postpone marriage decisions for me."

"But what about when this conflict settles down? What then? Will you be forced to find a husband?" Phila's tone was that of worry and sadness.

"Phila, some of the more observant nobles already have suspicions. I am in the middle of my twenties and I've shown no interest in marriage. Or in men. They have never brought it to my attention or to court, but I just have a sinking feeling in my gut that they know."

Realization began to settle within me as I connected the dots. Is...is Emm... Oh. Soooo many things make a lot of sense, now. I weakly smiled to myself. But why didn't she tell us? The fact that she likes women does not bother me! She's still my sister and I love her to pieces!

"I-I understand the feeling, Emmeryn, but I can assure you that that is not the case. I'm sure no one suspects. We certainly would have heard gossip regarding it, would we not? And have you told anyone?"

"I...no. No, I haven't," she replied. "The only person that did know was my mother, but she's long dead. I haven't even told Chrom or Lissa."

"Yes, I know..." Phila trailed off. "A few of my closest knights know about me, but that's it. Our secret is still between us. May I ask why you haven't told your siblings?"

Emm sighed. "I'm not afraid of them resenting me or looking at me any differently, not at all. It's just... You know how I feel about surrogacy. I have nothing against it and I think it is a wonderful thing, but it is nothing I personally would do. Meaning, I will not be able to provide biological heirs to the throne. Sure, I can adopt, but those children will have no claim to the throne. The reason I have not told Chrom or Lissa is that I don't want them to feel pressured to get married and have kids for my sake."

"I...I see."

Pressured to get married? Gods, why would she think that!

"I-I'm hoping, someday in the future, that once my siblings do have children of their own, I will be able to name one as my heir. Not in the sense of taking the child and raising them as my own, but simply assuring that there is a direct heir to the throne."

"It sounds like you've thought about this a lot, Emm," Phila giggled. "But this is for the future to worry about. I know that I'm constantly worried about our next moves and how I will lead the Pegasus Knights moving forward and I sound like a bit of a hypocrite. But, when I have these moments alone with you when it's just us, I can forget about all of that."

"I'm glad you feel that way, my love."

I choked on my own breath, covering my mouth with my hand. What did she just say?! Wait - no. What?! Are she and Phila together?!

"D-did you hear that?" Phila spoke, anxiety lacing her voice. ...Dammit.

"Y-yes... You don't think someone was listening, do you...?" Emmeryn replied.

Crap crap crap crap crap. What do I do?! Should I just run while I can?! Do I stay here and talk to her?! Oh, gods! What do I do!

Before I could make up my mind, the door swung open, revealing my older sister. The look in her eyes was one of anxiety, shock, but I could have sworn that I also saw relief. "...Chrom? How long have you been listening to us?"

She's just going to cut to the point, is she? I scratched the back of my head nervously. "...Longer that I should have?"

She sighed, stepping aside and gesturing for me to come inside. "I suppose we have some explaining to do."

I swallowed. "N-no! You don't have to!" I shook my head and hands. "I promise that I won't say anything! Not even to Lissa-"

"No, Chrom. I've been doing nothing but keeping things from you," she breathed. "And although this isn't how I expected you to find out, it's how it's happening. Now, sit down."

I nodded shakily, entering the room. I exchanged an apologetic look with Phila. Oh, gods... I'm the worst brother ever.

...

Emm and Phila spent a good part of a half hour explaining a lot of information to me, more words coming from my sister. She told me how long she's been feeling this way, how she knew for sure, all of her smaller worries, and even how she and Phila got together. All I could do was sit and listen, not speaking a word.

"So...that's pretty much the bulk of it," Emm sighed. "H-how do you feel about all of this?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I-I'm not really sure why you're asking me that question of all things. If anything, I should be asking that of you." I smiled softly at her. "Emm, you know I love you. Nothing can change that. I completely understand that this sort of thing is hard to come out with, especially of someone like you. And I'm really sorry for eavesdropping on your private conversation. I don't think I could ever say that enough. But you can trust me! I won't utter a word about you and Phila to anyone. I promise."

Phila was the one to reply, her hold on Emmeryn's arm tightening. "Thank you, Milord. In all honesty, we were planning on telling you really soon. Believe us."

"What about Lissa?"

Emm scratched the back of her head. "Well... You know I love her to death and want to tell her, but you never know with that girl. She has a wonderful heart and would never do a thing to hurt anyone unintentionally, but she's terrible at keeping secrets."

"Oh, er, right."

"I'm comfortable with who I am and who I love, but I'm just not ready for the whole world to know just yet." She exchanged a loving glance with Phila. "We want to wait until we know for sure the situation with the Plegians is settled before we say anything. And...we want to wait for something else..."

I had a sinking feeling that I knew what that was. "...You want to wait until one of us is married and can provide heirs, don't you?"

Worry painted her face. "N-no! I mean, yes! I mean-"

I smiled warmly at her. "Emm, it's all right. I understand where this is coming from and why you're so worried." I crossed over to her, wrapping my arms around her. Well, this feels quite reversed, doesn't it? She's usually the one giving me emotional embraces. "You don't have to worry. I'll get married someday and my children will be eligible for the throne, I promise."

She stiffened in my hold. "Chrom, no! You don't have to force yourself to get married and have children just for my sake!"

I laughed, pulling away. "I'm not forcing myself to do anything," I said. "I know that in the past, I was quite adamant about never marrying, but I think we all knew that would change. And I'm ok with that. Sure, I'm still really uneasy about the thought of marrying, but I think that's because I'm yet to experience love for myself."

The worried look wouldn't leave her eyes. "Still..."

"I promise that I won't force myself into anything. I'm not putting a time limit on myself, I'm not actively searching for a spouse, and I won't let politics or demands put me in any kind of situation," I stated. "Trust me when I say I'll allow life to happen as it happens. And if I just so happen to fall in love with someone along the way, then fine. I won't object to marriage if it is to someone I want to spend my life and have a family with. Isn't that how most people see life and love, anyway?"

She remained silent for a long, long moment. Then, she finally spoke, "...Thank you, Chrom. I truly do mean that."

Phila added on. "Yes, thank you. We feel a great amount of relief knowing we can rely on you." She smiled.

I smiled back. "Please, it's the least I can do." I squeezed Emm's shoulders. "You always tell me and Lissa to follow our hearts. We want you to do the same. You deserve to be happy."

Emm sat back running a hand through her hair. "Thank you once again. I feel like I can rest easier now that this has been settled," she sighed.

"And that's all I could ever wish for you," I said, standing up. "Now, I should head back to the Shepherds. I wasn't planning on being gone this long."

My sister raised an eyebrow. "Er, but didn't you have something to ask of me?"

My face heated. "Oh, um, right..." Dammit! How could I have forgotten! I wish my mind did a better job at working! "So I've gotten a request for the Shepherds to head out on a mission..." The rest of my words were drowned out to the world as we discussed things.

I'm so glad things are clearer, now. And, I was able to take some stress off of Emm's shoulders. I'll always be supportive of her! No matter what! She's done so much for us already, if I can give back to her in some way, I'll gladly do it. She doesn't have to worry about me forcing myself into marriage. I'll fall in love in my own time. Plus, it's not my biggest priority right now. It'll happen when it'll happen.

*****
So this happened. Yee. DON'T WORRY CHROM, YOU WILL FINAPPENED. EVENTUALLY. So I'm FINALLY done with my exams. I'm halfway done with this school year! Ahhhhhh. Yeah that's all I got. XD

Currently listening to: 7 rings - Ariana Grande