Copyright, Aviatrix8, 2005. Fire Emblem and all related characters are property of Nintendo et al., and are used without permission.

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My first Fire Emblem 8 fic. I hope I get the characters right...

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Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

"Hold That Pose"

by Avi

The pegasus knight known as Vanessa flew high above the perimeter of the current encampment of Lord Ephraim's and Lady Eirika's army... She had already scanned the area surrounding the camp twice over, searching for enemies, but the stalwart pegasus knight of Frelia figured that another circuit couldn't hurt.

Her pegasus whinnied impatiently, and Vanessa patted her mount fondly on the neck. "Don't worry, Titania. Just one more circle around the camp, and then I promise you'll have some nice oats in your belly... And perhaps an apple, as well." Her mount then calmed down a bit, somewhat mollified by the prospect of a sweet bribe.

Just then, the pegasus knight thought she spotted something odd in the fields below her; squinting to see a little better, Vanessa recognized the dull gleam that could only come off a suit of armour.

She cursed silently to herself. How could she have missed this before? Granted, the armoured figure was mostly concealed under the shade of a tree, but her lack of vigilance shamed her... Certainly her elder sister would never be as lax as this!

The pegasus knight steered her mount downwards carefully, so not to alert the enemy soldier. Her stealthiness must have succeeded, for the figure made no effort to conceal himself; in fact, he was lying very still.

Vanessa's brow furrowed. There was something awfully familiar about the prone position the soldier was in; and the dented red armour, as well... A look of suspicion crept across the pegasus knight's face.

As she landed her mount beside the tree openly, the figure lying underneath it still didn't stir... With his head resting upon the tree's roots, and some sort of book lying open on his face, it was obvious that the soldier was fast asleep.

She couldn't restrain herself. Vanessa picked up the book lying upon the soldier's face, and dropped on his head.

"Zzzzzzzzz... Ow! What the heck...?" Forde sat up, a look of irritation spreading across his sleepy expression. Looking up, he then noticed Vanessa glaring down at him.

"Oh. Hi Vanessa," greeted the cavalier casually, as he yawned and stretched. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," commented the pegasus knight coolly, crossing her arms before her. "What are you doing outside of the encampment? And unmounted, no less?"

Forde cocked his head to one side and grinned. "Concerned about my well-being, are you?"

Vanessa felt herself flush, and fought it back. "Not in the way you think! What if enemy soldiers should capture you?"

"We're not that far away from the camp," reasoned Forde. "And that's why I didn't ride over here; I wanted to be alone with my thoughts."

"Take a nap, you mean," replied Vanessa tartly.

The cavalier rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Actually, that was a bit of an accident... The reason I came here was because... Well, here, take a look."

Forde rummaged in the grass for the book that had been dropped unceremoniously on his head, and handed it to Vanessa.

The pegasus knight opened it, mystified. The book had appeared unmarked, and the pages she first flicked through blank. Then she came to the book's real content, and she stared.

Forde watched her expression, seemingly amused. "What do you think?"

She looked up at him, astonished. "You drew these?"

The cavalier nodded. "Uh-huh."

As Vanessa continued to stare at Forde's sketchbook, the cavalier found himself coughing in embarassment.

"To be honest, I'm more of a painter..." he explained. "But I find that a sketchbook is much easier to carry around a battlefield than an easel and paints," he added jokingly. "Besides, the drawings help to refresh my memory, so I can paint them later on."

Vanessa listened to Forde's ramblings with half an ear. She was currently looking at what must've been the cavalier's latest piece, a landscape of rolling fields, scattered apple trees, and a stream bubbling across it... Though unfinished, it was a detailed rendering of the view that lay before them now, but in charcoal.

"I caught a glimpse of this vista on our ride over here," Forde told her, gazing into the distance. "It's so peaceful here... A rare thing, in this time of war." He then looked sheepish. "But I guess it was little too peaceful; I must have dozed off again..."

Vanessa opened her mouth, but then, bit off the sharp retort she was about to say. "I... I never dreamed you had such talent, Forde," she finally commented, surprising the cavalier. The pegasus knight then seated herself in the grass beside him, still staring at the book. "These drawings... I have no words to describe them..."

As Vanessa continued to scan the cavalier's sketchbook, completely absorbed, Forde gazed at her intently for a moment.

"Wait. Stop," he said suddenly. As she looked up curiously, he held up a hand. "Don't move a muscle..."

And to her surprise, Forde plucked the sketchbook from her hands. As Vanessa opened her mouth to protest, he placed a finger in front of her mouth, to quiet her. "Hold that pose," he told her, with a smile.

The pegasus knight found herself mouthing his words silently. Hold that...? Vanessa's eyes then widened.

Wait, he doesn't mean to sketch me, does he? she suddenly thought to herself, in blind panic. I mean, all those drawings of his were of landscapes... He couldn't possibly want to draw me! I'm not half as pretty as my sister; he couldn't possibly... Vanessa found herself babbling in her mind.

She cast a quick glance at Forde, and their eyes met. As she fought back a blush, the cavalier continued to smile at her in that manner she always found slightly infuriating... And he still stared at her penetratingly, as if examining every nuance of her expression.

"That's it. Keep still..." he told her softly, leaning towards her.

Vanessa found herself drawing away from him, then stopped herself. She had nothing to fear from Forde, right? He wasn't the type to try anything... At least, she was pretty sure. And she could certainly defend herself, if necessary.

But as the cavalier looked deeply into her eyes, she wondered if she really wanted to...

The sketchbook, which Forde still held, lay in his lap, perhaps forgotten. Then suddenly, Forde finally dropped his gaze, and his head, with a sigh.

As the moment was broken, Vanessa found herself in shock... But her reaction might have also been because the cavalier had decided to rest the side of his head in her lap.

Forde then rolled onto his back, in a comfortable sleeping position, and stretched out his legs. "Ah... You make a much comfier pillow than those tough, old tree roots, Vanessa," he sighed.

Vanessa felt the beginnings of a vein throbbing in her head. Surely, he's not serious... Using me as a pillow, of all things! she thought to herself furiously.

It must be one of his jokes, to get under my skin. Yes, that's it. Just one of his jokes. Any moment now, he'll stand up and grin at me...

She sat there, fidgeting impatiently, waiting for the cavalier to pretend to stop napping. And then...

"Zzzzzzzzzz..."

The pegasus knight had had enough. Vanessa stood up abruptly, causing Forde to bang his head on an offending tree root.

"Ow!"

As the cavalier sat up and rubbed his bleary eyes, Vanessa could only glare at him in impotent rage.

"You... You... Ooo!"

And with that, Vanessa grabbed the reins of her pegasus, mounted, and flew away in a huff.

Forde watched her go. "Ah well," sighed the cavalier, with a sad smile on his face. "It was worth a shot, wasn't it? And you did make a nice pillow to dream on..."

He then remembered that expression on her face, the look of wonderment as she gazed at his drawings. Forde wondered that if, one day, she would ever look at him with that same expression...

Perhaps I should've told Vanessa that I wanted to sketch her, he mused to himself. The cavalier then shook his head. Nah. She would've taken it the wrong way... Besides, she probably would've refused in the first place...

Pulling out a fresh charcoal stick from his pouch, the cavalier picked up his sketchbook, and continued the sketch that he had been working on, before his impromptu nap.

"At least landscapes can never refuse a portrait..." Forde sighed to himself.

END

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This story was actually inspired by an idea for a FE8 fanart I came up with (Forde napping, with his head resting on Vanessa's lap, and her looking dismayed about it)... But instead of drawing it, I ended up writing about it. ;)P