#ALSO I WAS SO BRAVE KEEPING EYE CONTACT WITH HER DURING THE MASTER POSE

[thirteenastankova]

Anyway y'all I did the lords work this weekend by providing the world with Mandip!Doctor and Gill!Master in one single day

After she did the pose Mandip said "my master would be quite sassy wouldn't he?" so he/him Gill!Master is canon

[yukiwrites]

Surprise, Ryoma!

Thank you so much for commissioning me again, @xpegasusuniverse! This one was so much fun to write, I hope you like it! :D

Summary: Ryoma had been out of contact for months during his stay with the Chevois resistance. Now that everyone is together again, how is he going to react to all of his siblings’ choices in marriage partners?

Commission info HERE and HERE!

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

Dusk was finally covering Cheve like a blanket, a day of fighting over. The nohrian army had retreated thanks to the combined forces of the chevois resistance's knights, their concealed tactician and the hoshidan army, led by their lost prince, Corrin.

After the battle was done, Corrin approached the blonde wyvern rider who ambushed the nohrians, forcing them to retreat at the last minute. "Thank you stranger. I'm not sure what would have happened if you hadn't arrived."

The knight jumped off of her wyvern and grinned. "No problem. I'm Scarlet, by the way."

The woman named Scarlet then explained that she was part of a resistance against Garon's oppressive reach, despite them living in nohrian soil. The knight who helped her and guided their swords simply crossed his arms beside her and silently chuckled.

"Heh, heh..." He couldn't help himself -- everyone was acting as though he was a stranger and were all so polite: even his retainer Saizo was mostly keeping to himself, though his watchful eye certainly looked for his master.

Noticing the low laugh, Corrin approached the knight, feeling somewhat closer to him than before. "Oh, and you're the brave soldier who was first on the scene. You weren't scared at all, were you? I wish I could say we were as brave."

The knight laughed louder this time. "You still don't know who I am, do you?"

Corrin tilted his head to the side in confusion, though his siblings and servants behind him all widened their eyes and covered their mouths in surprise. Before they could voice their reaction, however, the knight took off his helmet.

"Haha! Thanks for coming all the way here to my aid, Corrin." Ryoma smiled, wiping the sweat off of his face with the back of his arm, huffing with delight for finally being free from that suffocating helmet.

"Ryoma!" He gasped in surprise, "boy, are we glad to see you!" He meant to hug his brother instinctively, but his sisters were faster.

Sakura threw herself into Ryoma's arms, tears fresh in her eyes. "B-big brother! We were s-so worried about you!" She sniffled. Hinoka put both hands on her waist.

"Don't go on scaring us like that, Ryoma." She scowled, but then smiled. Ryoma disheveled her hair with one hand as he patted Sakura's back with the other.

"Forgive me for worrying you both so, Sisters. However we now have our way into the nohrian soil, as well as trained guides! Come, let us head back to the resistance's base." He nodded to Scarlet beside him, who gestured back and turned to her soldiers.

"Men! Clean this mess up and let's meet back at our base! Tonight we eat and drink 'till we drop!" She laughed, raising her spear. That rared the men into a loud cheer.

"Hah, for a nohrian, it's surprising that she knows how to rally her men" Takumi remarked as he crossed his arms, following his brother's lead. He wasn't particularly worried about him, mind, but it's always good knowing that he was okay, after all.

"Ugh, too true. I don't even see what's so great about it all." Oboro concurred beside him, both talking in whispers as they started getting used to in the past few months. "Your leadership is never gonna be toppled, Takumi-- I-I mean," she blushed for a second, coughing so as to clear her throat. "Lord Takumi."

The prince covered his mouth with his hand, trying to hide his own red cheeks. "Gee, yell it all to the world, will you?" He looked away, slightly embarrassed. Their relationship wasn't really a secret, but they didn't go out of their way to tell everyone, either.

But Takumi knew he had to inform his brother, at least. As High Prince and all, Ryoma was the one responsible for his and his siblings' betrotheds.

Such thoughts occurred to every one of the siblings -- even Azura, if she might be so bold to think of herself as family as they insisted to -- for they all had already chosen their significant other.

Hinoka stole glances behind her back towards Silas, who was possibly the most nervous man alive at that moment: He was bright red and his entire body was stiff, making the walk a strenuous one at best. The eldest princess snorted after their eyes met, then turned back to her brother.

"Hm? What's wrong, Hinoka?" Ryoma asked, in the middle of his two sisters. The red-haired princess shook her head.

"I'll tell you later."

Sakura, being the youngest one, felt her palms sweat and her heart beat uncontrollably inside her chest. She didn't feel like she did something wrong, no, because she loved her Hayato very much, but agreeing to marry the future Leader of the Wind Tribe behind her brother's back? What if it was too big of a diplomatic measure? What if he didn't allow it because she was too young (despite already having had her coming of age ceremony)? What ifs, what ifs... Her head was spinning.

Suddenly, she felt someone grab her hand. "Forgive me, Lord Ryoma, but may I borrow Princess Sakura for a bit?" Hayato approached from behind, knowing his beloved too well. The moment she turned to him, his fears ended up being true: she was on the verge of an anxious attack, but seeing him filled her chest with warmth and strength.

"Of course. Hayato from the Wind Tribe, was it? I have heard how much you've helped my siblings and I would like to thank you in their behalf." Ryoma gave Hayato a head nod, which was reciprocated. "I am in your debt."

The young man smirked, glancing at the shivering Sakura before turning back to Ryoma. "We'll see who's indebted to whom later, my Lord. Now, if you may." He bowed and pulled Sakura by her hand.

Ryoma watched as they went to the rear of the march, then simply turned back to leading the way. They look like they're the same age, he thought with a far-off smile. I'm glad little Sakura managed to make a new friend.

"You weren't hurt, right, Rinkah?" Corrin walked close to the warrior, nudging their shoulders. Her entire face reddened.

"Wha- Don't get so close to me like that in public!" She whispered gravely, taking two steps back. "How shameless!" She coughed, turning her head away.

Corrin smiled, never getting tired of how ironically reserved a woman from the Fire Tribe was. "Forgive me, I was just worried."

"Well, worry no more." She crossed her arms, resuming the walk. "Do you think I'd lower myself to be hurt by nohrians again? I'm stronger than I was when we first met!"

"Of course, I believe you." He nodded, then slightly covered the gap between them, staying at a reasonable distance away from her. "I just can't help it."

Rinkah blushed ever more, unable to tear her eyes away from that stupidly cute and puppy faced prince she promised her future to. "A-alright, alright! But I'm fine, see? So stop worrying and... get... farther." She stuttered, pressing her lips into a thin line. "I can't concentrate if you're walking so close to me."

For someone so passionate when they were alone, Rinkah was very reserved whenever there were people anywhere near their sights. It was something Corrin had also grown to love about her, so he respected her wishes and walked a bit farther, the smile never leaving his face.

Azura walked in silence behind them, glad that her beloved didn't have a chance to battle that time. She held her lance with one hand, the other one tightly clutching her heart, a bubbly happiness filling it just from being close to him.

Though Kaden was walking amongst the younger soldiers (and just pestering Hayato in general, making Sakura laugh), it reassured Azura that his smile was so carefree. It somehow freed her from her own worries and anxieties; making her even dare to hope to live a life after the war alongside him.

As though being summoned, Kaden looked at her in the distance and waved, the big smile splattered across his face. Azura giggled, covering her face with one hand before shyly waving back. She would protect that happiness with everything she had, and hopefully Ryoma wouldn't pose a threat to it once he found out about all other proposals their siblings had accepted.

Unaware of the small hints of his brothers and sisters all around him, Ryoma led the way with a confident smile and a level heart. His family had been reunited and the wind of that war was finally blowing in their favor. Everything couldn't be better.

"Welcome to the Cheve Underground. This is where the resistance meets. We should be safe here for the time being." He opened the door to a well0lit and clean facility; it was made out of stone and covered in nohrian decoration. Both Takumi and Oboro groaned between themselves.

"If we stay here for more than one hour I might vomit." She said, then added: "No, if we stay here for more than one day I'll take it upon myself to redecorate this entire thing."

"I'll leave it to you." He nudged her arm, both of them smiling. Then they giggled amongst themselves.

"Hum. Not bad." Rinkah crossed her arms and looked up. "We have our share of underground bases back at the Fire Tribe, but this one looks like it could hold any attack from aboveground."

"Indeed it can, Rinkah." Ryoma turned to her after formally introducing himself to a stunned Scarlet who had been unaware of his royal status until that moment. "It is also connected to a myriad of tunnels, making our movements easier and unpredictable for the nohrian forces."

"That sounds pretty good." Hinoka nodded, then patted Silas on the shoulder. He had just walked in and tried to avoid her general location (since she was close to Ryoma), but she couldn't help it. "We also have someone who knows the territory deeper in Nohr, so I'm sure we'll put an end to this war even quicker now."

"Ah, so you are the nohrian knight who followed Corrin." Ryoma spared Silas a head nod, still not fully comfortable with the man's presence, but acknowledging his loyalty, at least. If both Corrin and Hinoka vouched for his competence, Ryoma could be more at ease, though still no less mindful of the man.

"Ah, um, y-yes, I'm Silas, my Lord." The poor knight blushed and bowed his head as Ryoma turned to lead them to the mess hall, then puffed his cheek as Hinoka nudged his arm. "That was mean, Hinoka! I'm still not ready for this..." He breathed out, putting one hand over his chest.

"Haha, it'll be okay, Silas. I'll hold your hand." She winked, then followed her brother.

Soon after, they were sitting around a large table with Ryoma at the leftmost corner, being able to watch how everyone chose their seats.

It was then that he couldn't help but find it strange how their siblings weren't just sitting around themselves, but had other people between them as well. Namely: How strange it was that Hayato and Sakura had their shoulders so close to one another and shared their sweet side dishes with each other. How odd that Oboro sat beside Takumi and not behind him as she usually did. She was simply his retainer, after all, right? And why was Corrin having so much fun putting his own sweet side dishes over Rinkah's plate and smiling so much after she scolded him with the reddest face Ryoma has ever seen?

Kaden sat so close to Azura he used the tip of his tail to take a bit of food that stuck on her face, as though that was the normal thing to do. Ryoma frowned at all these unthinkable displays of intimacy right there on the dining table, like they were used to it. But the most upsetting thing, apart from all of the others, was that Hinoka, as the elder sister, sat at Ryoma's left and somehow had pulled that knight from earlier, Silas, he believed, to sit right beside her!

What was going on?!

Sure, he had made an alliance with the chevois, who were nohrian people, but he didn't start sharing their table, their seats and the head of their families' inner circle! What was that audacity he was witnessing?

Ryoma felt his heart rilling up with these small gestures, his hand shaking the chopsticks he held, almost breaking them in half.

Hinoka laughed beside him, having fun at how Silas still haven't mastered how to eat with chopsticks yet. "We're in Nohr, you know. You can eat with the forks they have around here if you want." She teased, taking a mouthful of her own food. Silas' hands trembled as he tried to do the same, almost failing in putting the food into his mouth.

"I... must be able to do at least this... if I want..." He was so focused on the task at hand he momentarily forgot her was at Ryoma's earshot. "If I want to ask your hand and make you happy." He said, then smiled when he managed to eat without dropping a single rice grain.

"If you want WHAT?" Ryoma got on his feet, instantly disgusted at the words and the vile intention of that nohrian of simply considering asking for his sister's hand.

Silas dropped chopsticks, food and his chin altogether, the color leaving his face. "I, um, I mean, Lord Ryoma--" He stuttered, also getting up. Hinoka did the same.

"What is the meaning of this?! First you," Ryoma pointed to Silas, then gestured to the rest of the table, "then you, and you and you all." He huffed, feeling the rage go up to his head.

"Brother," Takumi got up, followed by Corrin, Oboro and Rinkah. Sakura weekly grasped at Hayato's sleeve, her eyes glued on her enraged brother. Azura avoided the scene altogether, looking at her food with her head down. Kaden wrapped his tail around her, patting her back, his smile never leaving his face.

"Stop this, Ryoma." Hinoka protectively put one arm in front of Silas. "You might be my brother, but I won't let you get in the way of my happiness."

Ryoma choked. "Your- happiness?! With this... nohrian?" He clenched his fists so hard his hands were trembling. "We're at WAR with them, Hinoka! This isn't the time for such bridge-gapping play!"

"This is EXACTLY the time for us to get along with them! Aren't we doing so at this very moment? We're under the care of good nohrians who also want this war to end."

"This and that are two unrelated things, Hinoka." His voice sounded deep and controlled, taking all he had not to jump at Silas' throat at that very moment.

"I know, and I understand." She returned his piercing gaze with fire in her eyes. "I know of my own responsibilities as a princess, as well as of our differences as hoshidan and nohrian. At first, I didn't know how to react to these feelings, but after we talked things through, we realized we could take it slow: we'll both get used to each other's customs, and we'll talk it over with our families -- meaning you too, of course."

"You're talking it over with me now, and my answer is no."

"And I won't accept it so readily." She took one step closer, lifting her chin. "I know you're the High Prince and future King of Hoshido, but you have no right to command my heart. We were never a kingdom to force marriage to their royals and I won't let you bring your duties as King as an excuse to do so."

Before Ryoma could breathe in to reply, Sakura shot herself up. "I-I also agree with big sister!" She said boldly, though no less shakingly. "I m-might not be the oldest nor the wisest, or even have any value as a marriage partner, b-but I still want to follow my heart, too!" She squeezed Hayato's hand with everything she had, her face bright red.

Ryoma felt the ground open under his feet. "Sakura?"

Hayato got up, holding her hand and showing the rings both of them wore as necklaces. "There's no debt between us now, is there, Lord Ryoma? I'm the heir to the Wind Tribe and even if you wanted to marry your sisters off to some noble house, mine would be near the top."

Ryoma couldn't disagree with that logic, but that was his baby sister. His brain started to hurt when someone else also spoke up.

"I might not be from a noble house, my Lord," Oboro lowered her head, "but I can assure you that no one else in the world will serve and love Lord Takumi better than I ever will."

"Hey, you stole my cue!" Takumi helped his beloved raise her head, then turned to his brother. "I wanted to let you know, too, Brother, and that I'm willing to fight to follow m-my own heart." He stuttered, holding the hand in which Oboro wore the ring he had given her.

Ryoma hadn't noticed it.

He hadn't noticed at all.

Dumbfounded, he looked carefully across the table and he could actually see them: Hinoka, Silas, Takumi, Oboro, Corrin and Rinkah all wore engagement rings on their fingers. Azura had a tribal kitsune necklace around her neck, alongside her usual pendant. Sakura and Hayato shared necklaces of the rings -- engraved with the Wind Tribe's seals, no less!

How... how could they? They schemed everything behind his back while he was simply trying to help his kingdom by undergoing a secret mission? True, he purposely avoided contacting them so his cover wouldn't be blown, but he didn't deserve to be bombarded with so many news all at once.

He couldn't use his authority as older brother to stop them; he couldn't use his authority as future King to stop them; he couldn't even physically fight them so they could win the honor of his siblings since he already knew how good of a fighter everyone in that table was.

The hole under his feet widened until it covered the entire room in black, his heart plunging deep into it as well.

First, his face was red with rage, but then as his siblings spoke, it started losing its color, until he was white as a sheet, the strength gone from his limbs and body.

However, he still managed to slam the table with his fist before turning his back to it, leaving the mess hall at large steps.

"Brother-" Hinoka reached out to him, but his voice rared from afar:

"I need some time alone." And then he left.

He walked all the way back up to the ugly nohrian sky, at least feeling the cold wind on his tired bones. He was devastated. He couldn't believe the GALL of his siblings -- how could they hide everything from him like that? "Ugh," he massaged the bridge between his eyes, sitting under a tree, close to a stream.

"Haha, rough night, huh?" Scarlet laughed from behind the tree, holding two bottles of sake.

"Scarlet, please." Ryoma tried to shoo her away. "I need to be alone."

"The hell you do!" She sat beside him, handing him one bottle. "You need to drink and loosen up! Let your siblings be happy, man! You seriously didn't notice anything?"

"What do you mean?" He was forced to hold the bottle, but didn't look at her, trying to focus on the moon hiding all the way up in the sky.

Scarlet snorted. "They were all lovey-dovey from the moment you all were reunited. You were just really that blind, huh? Well, not that it matters now, you just gotta live with it."

Ryoma groaned, taking a large gulp of the sake. "Even my baby sister..." He leaned his head on the trunk, once again clenching his fist. He would need to get used to it, she says? How could he even begin to? How could he even FATHOM the fact that his family grew up and are about to lead their own lives despite of the war around them?

He sighed. Maybe he would never get used to it, after all.