Unscripted Love | Fire Emblem Awakening

Chapter 10: Letter to a Delinquent

We prepared to travel back to Ylisstol the next morning. The world seemed strange and boring after the magic of the ball with Merton, and looking at myself in the mirror was unsettling. It was as if the plain woman in her uniform was an old friend who'd changed.

Earl Mathis and Lady Charlotte came out to see us off, but Lady Florence and her family remained inside. Merton seemed grateful. He was the first of us to board our carriage.

I lingered over my farewells a little longer, surprised to find that I was going to miss our hosts.

"Look after yourself," Earl Mathis said as the others boarded behind me. "When I next see you, I want you to be the picture of health. Understood?"

I smiled. "Yes, Your Lordship."

Lady Charlotte threw her arms around me. Startled, I did nothing for a moment. Then I hesitantly returned her hug.

"Thank you so much for everything. Take care." She lowered her voice. "And good luck with Commander Merton."

"Won't you and Cordelia give it a rest?"

She said nothing to that. She just smiled knowingly.

I boarded the carriage and waved to them as we began to move. Once we were trundling down the road and out of sight, I sat back again. Cordelia was grinning at me.

"What?" I said.

"You've changed. You'll be Miss Popular before we know it."

"Cordelia," I tutted. Then I grinned. "I never thought I'd see the day when I could call a noble lady a friend."

My gaze slid to Merton, but he was staring out the window with a frown. It was clear he hadn't heard a word.

My smile faded. It seemed his problems were going to eat him up all the way back to Ylisstol.

***

It only took us a few hours to reach the castle, but once we had arrived, the effects of the ball were already fading. I felt much more like my usual self as we strode into the entrance hall, and I snapped back into the role of a commander when Merton requested an audience with our rulers.

He and I went into the Great Hall, letting the servants take our bags to our rooms. We sat down opposite each other at the grand table and waited in silence. Merton clasped his hands together, his face a shade paler than usual. I crossed and uncrossed my legs, drummed my fingers, and sighed a lot.

"Calla, you're not helping," he said eventually.

I stopped shifting. "My apologies. I'm just impatient to get help for you. Are you nervous?"

He lowered his eyes to the table, a muscle in his jaw flickering.

"It will be fine," I said. "Trust me. Princess Robin can help."

"I hope so. But I wouldn't have to bother her at all had it not been for the mistakes I made with Gailee."

I shifted about again. My chair felt as unwelcoming as a rock today, and my eyes drifted to the empty space where Yukio usually sat.

I stood up and moved around the table, aware of Merton's heavy gaze following me. I didn't meet his eyes until I'd sat down beside him. "I've been thinking...did you really make as many mistakes as you claim?"

His eyebrows rose. "I'm sorry?"

"Was there a right answer for your situation? As far as you knew, if you'd stayed with Gailee, you would have given up everything you wanted. A domestic lifestyle would have drenched you in misery, and that only makes for bitter fathers. Had they lived, Gailee and your child would have been as unhappy as you. Surely she would have had a better life alone, struggling sometimes, then putting up with that kind of relationship."