Thorns and Roses | Fire Emblem Awakening (Holiday Shepherds Book 2)

Chapter 1: A Case for Lady Robin

Charlotte

It is amazing how suddenly someone can believe that they are going to die.

Lady Charlotte had been having the time of her life just half an hour before. The party was in full swing, and she'd had flocks of people surrounding her in the ballroom, all desiring to be included in her social circle. Her best friends had been among them, hanging onto her every word. A beautiful man had offered her a drink. All had been going well.

She would never admit it to anyone, but she had always harboured silly feelings for the man. So when he had given her a glass of wine and talked to her, she'd felt a warm glow inside. It was mixture of pleasure from being in the spotlight and a sense of rebellion. Her father would rarely let her drink, even though she was certainly old enough, and he would definitely frown upon any close relations between her and this man. She was twenty, but he was so protective of her.

But now the warm feeling had departed along with the safe environment. She was tearing down the street, barely able to stay standing on the road as it slid sideways into the sky. It was pitch black except for the occasional lantern, and she just wanted to go home. But home was behind her, in the direction of the pursuer she was trying to outrun. She had no choice but to move further and further away from it.

Her head was pounding, and her vision was turning fuzzy. What a time for the gods to pick to deal her a bad hand in life. If these symptoms had presented themselves just half an hour ago, she would have been safely tucked up in bed. Instead, she was trying to save herself. All she wanted to do was fall to her knees and be sick.

She forced the bile down her throat and kept on running. Her foot slipped on the cobblestones that were slick from recent rain, and the heel of her shoe caught the back of her dress. The sound of the silk tearing rung in her ears as she toppled forwards, but for once, she didn't worry about the state of such an expensive garment. Instead, as her knees hit the floor and someone grabbed her by the waist, she worried about herself.

❤ ❤ ❤

Robin

Sir Amias' Day is a celebration that originates from the legend of Sir Amias, a man who married Ylissean soldiers together during an ancient war hundreds of years ago. Wedding ceremonies were far from the minds of many priests during that period, but Sir Amias was adamant that couples should be united under the name of the divine dragon during such hard times. It is said that these strong ties he allowed the soldiers to create were the key reason for their victory. – A History of Sir Amias' Day, Kaius Mullaney.

Usually, if there was a book about tactics on my desk, I could never help but read it. Whether I was holding a novel, a spell book, or even a report, I would always drop it and reach towards the more strategic text. However, with less than a week to go until Sir Amias' Day, the book on tactics I had been reading was lying to one side. In its place was a book that I had read many times before over the past month but felt as if I needed to read again.

On the eve of Sir Amias' Day, the annual Ball of Amias was to be held at Castle Ylisse, and I wanted to make certain that I had my facts on the holiday just right. It wouldn't do for the princess-to-be to make a mistake on the night. I'd been just as fanatic in my research about Divine Day a few months ago, and though Chrom had thought it unnecessary both times, it was just my way.

Another thing that was troubling me was Sumia. She had insisted the royal dressmakers should sew me a gown especially for the event. Now that the engagement between Chrom and me was official, we would be watched carefully at the ball. Apparently, a cast-off frock of the Shepherds' wouldn't do for the ruler's fiancé.