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Flawless Ruler(?)

When Rosalie said that she was going to get Chrom a present for his birthday, she had not intended on Old Hubba calling upon them in need of assistance. She did not expect to have to drop everything to travel to the island, nor did she expect not one, but two rogue armies of Einherjar that needed defeating. The final thing, and this was the cherry on top, was that she did not expect both armies to be completely against them. Neither were their allies, it seemed.

So when it came to choosing ten soldiers, and only ten, to go through the Outrealm Gate and fight, one could say she had her difficulties.

But somehow, by the great grace of Naga, she had succeeded in calming both the armies down.

"That's all of them..." Chrom sighed, sheathing Falchion. "These ruins only seem to go deeper, though..."

"I don't sense any threat." Rosalie said, sheathing her own sword. "I think it's safe to assume we're done here."

"Then it's time to go." Chrom said, gathering together their small army. In truth, they didn't come out completely unscathed. Some of their soldiers got injured, but it was nothing that their sages back in their own time couldn't fix up.

"Aunt Rosalie!" Owain bounded up to her, holding a single card. "Behold! It is but an Einherjar card, depicting that of a lost hero of the past!" Rosalie smiled slightly at his antics, though accepted the card. She glanced at the title.

"Elincia, Devoted Queen." she read.

"She was a great hero of Tellius!" Pia exclaimed. "At least," she smiled bashfully. "That's what Mom told me."

"What's her story, I wonder?" Rosalie muttered. The card glowed a moment, and she was suddenly enveloped in a blinding light. Rosalie knew the sensation all to well. The hero depicted was calling out to her, to ask of her worthiness. She had remembered the first time she had been called. She herself was a panicked mess, but no match for Chrom, who opted to rip the depicting Roy in half, or Morgan, who practically had a panic attack at the very thought of loosing the only thing he could remember.

"I knew you were not the enemy." the queen stated, approaching her. Rosalie always found it odd how the heroes could walk through the plane as if on earth, whereas she seemed to be floating. "I should have listened to my heart." she bowed her head slightly. "Please forgive me for wronging you. I had no ill intentions."

"Well, nothing a good healer can't fix, I'm sure." Rosalie smiled. Elincia smiled.

"I'm glad. My name is Elincia. I don't suppose you have heard of me?"

"I have." Rosalie inwardly shuddered at the multitudes of history textbooks that Frederick made her go through the week before she married Chrom. It nearly made her fearful of the royal library.

"Oh? Then I have underestimated you, my lady. After such brilliant fighting, I should put nothing past you again. What is your name? I believe I heard that blue haired man shout it when you were nearly struck by lightening magic."

"Rosalie."

"Lady Rosalie..." Elincia trailed off thoughtfully. "I wish to ask you something."

"I will answer to the best of my abilities."

"Your world has kingdoms, yes? Or something akin to it?"

"Yes."

"I, in fact, am also a queen of such a kingdom."

"Ah, so your husband is the king?"

"Exalt is the term we use."

"Ah, yes. Forgive me for my ignorance." she continued on. "They come in many forms in my world, and each are led by a ruler. Some are strong and some are kind, but far to many are tyrants of the highest order. Tell me, what if your ruler like? Your husband, the Exalt. He must be utterly flawless if someone as great as you married and now serve him. Do you serve a flawless ruler?"

Yow.

That was the first thing that popped into her mind. Flawless? Her husband was a far cry from flawless. She's seen him break more holes in walls than she could count, and even more training weapons.

"Well..." she swallowed. "My ruler, my husband, Chrom, is not flawless, but is, in a way."

"Oh?"

"Yes. You see," she paused. "Well, first he called me manly. Don't ask how the subject came about, he just did, though I think it was meant to be a compliment. And then he walked in on me while I was bathing."

"Oh my!" Elincia gasped.

"Yes, then he practically avoided me for a month after the same thing happened vice-versa, which is not good for the army, mind you. Then, when he proposed, immediately after we won a war, he didn't get me a ring. Yes, Queen Elincia, he forgot to get a ring. And he can be a total dork at times. You don't even want to how many holes he made in the wall from training. Sometimes he lets his emotions get in the way of logic. Whenever I fight with him in battle, he says "Thanks, friend." Even though I'm his wife of nearly four years and had three children, one being a set of twins, by him. He always sticks the Flachion in the ground, which one would think would be disrespectful towards all those who wielded the great sword before him, and for some reason, his cape is ALWAYS billowing heroically behind him, even when there's no wind. Did I note how many holes he's made while training? Yeah, triple that number and you'd have the number of training weapons."

"Why... What on earth?" Elincia responded.

"But," Rosalie said. "He's saved me more times than I could count. He's my best friend. He's willing to sacrifice anything for me, and he loves me more than anything. Really, his dorkiness is quite adorable sometimes. He usually always lets his emotions get in the way when his family is threatened, willing to fight a war at even the smallest threat towards any of us.

"Whenever I get nightmares, which can be quite frequent and graphic, mind you, he'll hold me until I fall back asleep, and usually wake up in his arms. I have scars from before I meat him, ugly, jagged things, but he tells me I'm beautiful. He's given me everything, from a home and identity to a reason to continue living, and he continues to give. He'd give me the moon and more if I asked, and he trusts me with his life, the lives of his children, the lives of his elite soldiers and comrades in arms, despite myself not having memories, and his children have been branded with the same mark I have."

To prove her point, she pulled off her glove and showed her the Mark of Grima. Elincia glanced at it, confused.

"It means something very, very bad in my world. It means I come from something bad." Rosalie explained. "But even though he knew this, even though he understood what it meant, he married me, despite public opinion, despite what everyone else said."

She sighed after that rant. Elincia blinked curiously.

"So is Chrom flawless? No." Rosalie chuckled slightly at that. "He's got enough flaws to fill a merchants cart. But he's absolutely perfect to me."

"I did not expect that answer." Elincia stated. "But color me jealous. I did not ask to rule Crimea, the duty was thrust upon me by birth."

"Ah, Chrom did not ask to rule the Halidom of Ylisse, either." Rosalie sighed, recalling Emmeryn. "The duty was forced upon him, as well, with the death of his elder sister. I myself often wonder whether or not I live up to other expectations as the Queen."

"It seems we share similar feelings. Tell me more about your kingdom, Lady Rosalie. Tell me more about Exalt Chrom. Perhaps I might learn something from it... If you do, I will join you on the battle lines."

o.0.o.0.o

"It seemed as if that took longer than expected." Chrom stated as she leapt from the Outrealm gate. He glanced at the deck of Einherjar cards on her hip, knowing it now held a new member. "What did she ask?"

"She wanted to know about my ruler." Rosalie smiled. "She asked if he was flawless."

"Really now? Hopefully you said kind things about your ruler?" Chrom grinned. "What'd you say?

"I mentioned the broken training weapons."

"H-Huh?"

"Oh, and the broken holes in our walls, as well as how you courted me." she smiled. "Speaking of which, have you told Lucina that story yet? Because I told Morgan and Mikayla all about it."

"What?! Rosalie!" Chrom exclaimed, blushing madly.

"Calm down." Rosalie sighed, though still smiling. "I was lying." Chrom seemed to calm slightly at this when she pecked him lightly on the cheek. "About telling Morgan and Mikayla."

"What?" Chrom asked. "You mean... you actually told Elincia all of that?!"

Rosalie only smirked, dodging out of his grasp, snickering at his attempts to find out what she had said, a single thought going through her head.

"Happy birthday, Chrom."

o.0.o.0.o

Well, a little early, but this is a birthday gift for Chrom. That was seriously my thought process when I recruited Elincia. Not much of a birthday gift, so to say, but I figured it'd be cute.

Amy47101 signing off! ^.^