First Time Destiny | Fire Emblem Awakening (Oneshots)

Wrapping Paper

Original prompt: Wrapping paper

"Royals are useless at mundane tasks," is probably an opinion held by many, Lissa thought as she wrestled with her opponent of the afternoon, and they're not wrong here.

She could imagine a five-year-old making a better job of this. The wrapping paper was scrunched up at the ends instead of neatly folded, and she'd managed to tear it in the middle. It was tied up with almost an entire ball of string, and she was now trying to untangle the stuff from around her fingers. She'd accidentally bound some of them together, leaving her looking as if she was wearing a bandage.

"Why can't I do this?" she asked the world loudly, tipping her head back to look at the ceiling. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, Emmeryn's present nestled in her lap. She was going to have to rewrap it yet again, and the thought made her want to cry.

She focused on freeing her fingers and found herself complaining to the room once more as the string refused to come unknotted. "Ouch!"

There was a knock on the door. Chrom's voice came through the wood. "Lissa? What in Naga's name are you doing in there? Everyone in the castle can hear you!"

"I'm stuck," she said in a sulky tone, deciding that a lecture from her brother was preferable to what Frederick would say if he found her like this. "Can you help me?"

The door opened, and Chrom peeked around it. He looked flustered, and Lissa wondered what exactly he thought she'd been stuck in. He relaxed when he saw her, then laughed when his eyes fell upon her hands.

"It's not funny!" Lissa said. "Can you help me or not?"

Chrom entered properly, still chuckling, and took her hands in his for inspection. Just thirty seconds later, Lissa was free to move her fingers.

"Thank you." She beamed at him. "Now, can I have one more favour?"

He looked wary. "Perhaps."

"Could you wrap this present? It's for Emm's birthday."

He eyeballed the present pensively, but she could tell that the mention of their older sister had already softened him up. All she had to do was pull the cutest face imaginable...

"Fine," Chrom sighed. "I can try."

***

"Gods, Chrom! What are you doing now?"

"You're supposed to wrap it like this, aren't you?"

"No! You're even worse than I am!"

Chrom flung the gift onto the bed with a frustrated growl. He tugged a hand through his hair, leaving the blue strands sticking out every which way. "Lissa, find someone else to do this. It's clearly not working."

"What have you done with your present for Emm?"

"Nothing. I never wrap them. I just give them to her."

"Really? Really?" Lissa shook her head at him. "Gods, men. Don't you know that the best part about having a present is the excitement of unwrapping it?"

Chrom was looking at her as if she'd grown another head. "Emm's not a child, Lissa. I don't think she minds."

"Are you saying I'm a child?" She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"No! I just –"

"Milord, milady. Is everything all right in here?"

Both siblings jumped and looked towards the doorway. Frederick was standing there, regarding them with his usual stern expression.

Lissa glowered at Chrom again. "Great! You didn't shut the door be-"

"Frederick, please tell me you know how to wrap presents." Chrom thrust the scraggly heap of wrapping paper towards his lieutenant. He pulled his own cute face, one that Lissa hadn't seen since he was ten, and instantly lost all high ground in his argument.

Frederick looked between them both with an incredulous expression.

***

Five minutes later, the room contained a perfectly wrapped gift complete with a bow, two very astonished siblings, and one very flustered Frederick.

"Wow, I didn't know you could do that!" Lissa said. "Did someone teach you that? Teach me! You should be a professional."

"It's fairly simple." Frederick backed away towards the door. "Anyone can do it."

"Well, I can't! And I've never seen a present wrapped so neatly. You should wrap Chrom's."

"The exalt may become concerned if Prince Chrom actually wrapped her present."

Chrom blushed. "Hold on –"

Lissa grinned. "See, Chrom? Everyone knows that unwrapping presents is the best bit. Emm just didn't want to tell you."

"I don't think that's what Frederick –"

"And while you're at it, Frederick, could you wrap all of my presents for Maribelle, too? I got them early this year, and Sully's, actually, so –"

But Frederick had already fled.