Christmas With The Shepherds ( a fire emblem awakening fan fiction)

Chapter 5: The Perfect Gift

"Hey bubbles, watch where you're going!" the ginger exclaimed.

"It's not my fault you don't pay attention! And for the seventeenth time Gaius, stop calling me bubbles!" I yelled back. I huffed, angry at his accusation. "Anyway, what are you doing here? Did you follow us too?" I asked, glaring at him.

"No, why would I? And anyway, I always go to this bakery. It's the closest one to camp and I need to restock my stash. I hardly have any to last me the rest of the day!" Gaius gestured to the oversized sack he was carrying. It was filled to the brim, and I suddenly wondered how he would be able to fit anything else in there. His dark green eyes suddenly drifted to the box I was carrying.

"So bubbles, you gonna tell me whats in the box?" He asked curiously. I gave a frustrated sigh as he called me bubbles again. He never learns, I thought.

"Christmas cookies." I replied curtly. His eyes went wide and seemed to sparkle with excitement. His lollipop stick bounced eagerly as he thought of the treats in the box.

"Sugar..." He sighed. Gaius suddenly grabbed for the box in my arms. With fast reflexes, I slapped his hand away and made some distance between us, making him become irritated.

"Whats wrong, bubbles? Don't I get some?" He asked accusingly.

"Not 'til Christmas Day!" I replied.

"We should get going." Megan suddenly piped in. At her statement, I looked up to see the sun was already setting in the sky.

"She's right." Stahl agreed.

"We have to go, Gaius. See you back at camp."

"Fine, bubbles, but I'm holding you to your promise!" He exclaimed as we started down the road. We had to figure out what we were going to buy soon, or the others would start to worry. Stahl decided to head back to camp, so we said our goodbyes and parted ways. Most of the stalls were empty of any customers by now, but it made it easier to shop without fighting the crowds. After walking around a while we came upon a stall that was selling decorative scarfs and jewelry. We decided to check it out and see what we could find. As we started to look, Megan suddenly became excited about some scarves she was looking at.

"Rin!" she called out to me, "These would be great for Frederick! Stylish, but practical." She began debating which color she should buy. She was torn between a bright white, dark black, and a ruby red scarf. "Which one?" She whispered, fixing her glasses as she thought.

"Up to you. You know him better then I." I replied to her question, whether it was meant for me or herself. After a few minutes of internal debate, she called the merchant of the stall over so she could confirm her purchase. Now that I think about it, the merchant looked a lot like Anna. Megan handed the Anna look-alike the white scarf. As she was purchasing it, I decided to look around a bit more. There were necklaces and bracelets of all shapes and materials scattered around the table. As I walked around the stall, a light glinted in the corner of my eye, reflecting the the oil lamp's glow off of it. I turned to see the prettiest brooch I had ever seen. It was an elegant oval shape made of a shimmery silver. It had a crystal blue trim on the outer and innermost sections of it, and in the middle was a sapphire in the shape of the royal crest of Ylisse. This would be perfect to attach to the chain of his cape, I thought. I imagined it placed on Chrom's chest, glimmering in the sun and complimenting his deep blue eyes.
I called over the merchant and asked the price of the brooch. It was about 900 gold, and even though I knew Chrom wouldn't approve, I bought it for him with all of the gold I had. After she wrapped it in a brown paper bag for safe keeping, I tucked it into my quiver so he wouldn't spot it when I got back to camp. Megan and I headed back to the gates of town, hopped onto the back of her Pegasus, and with satisfied grins on our faces, headed back to camp.

...............................................................

As soon as we entered the camp, Chrom and Frederick jogged up to us, a worried look spread across their faces.

"Hi Chr--" I started, but was interrupted by Chrom's strong embrace. I felt his hand travel up my back and into my hair, gently stroking it in a comforting way. " Chrom?" I asked him curiously, puzzled by his sudden gesture of affection.

"I was so worried. You were taking so long, I started to think the worst. Frederick and I were going to go look for you two. " He whispered in my ear, his voice wavering as he spoke. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Chrom. I'm sorry I made you worry," I replied.

"I'm just glad you're safe." He looked me in the eye lovingly. He started to lean in close, his lips parted in a way that could only mean he was going to kiss me. Normally, I would have backed away embarrassed to kiss in public, but at that moment, I didn't care. I filled the gap between us and proceeded to kiss him. It didn't last long, but the kiss sent warmth coursing throughout my whole body. I smiled at him, a slight pink color surfacing on my cheeks. In the corner of my eye, I could see Frederick checking Megan for injuries. When he confirmed there was none, he embraced her in a warm hug, which she returned happily. I quickly smiled at the happy couple, then turned back to Chrom.

"I'm going to go back to my tent." I told him.

"Alright. Goodnight, my love." He replied. I felt my face turn even pinker at the mention of my pet name. I gave him a small curtsy and then skipped happily back to my tent, a stupid grin plastered on my face.