First Time Destiny | Fire Emblem Awakening (Oneshots)

Only Human

Original prompt: Only Human

It was only supposed to be a small mission. In those two years of peace after the Plegian war, it quickly became the Shepherds' routine to dispatch groups of Risen from various places in Ylisse. No one was usually injured too seriously.

Frederick couldn't remember having to spend any time in the medical ward for several years. He honestly didn't know who'd been more surprised when the Risen had found a gap in his armour: him, or the rest of the Shepherds.

He remembered falling from his horse, and Chrom kneeling at his side, his brow creased with the level of concern he usually saved only for Robin. He remembered the white-hot pain and the stars closing in on his vision. He remembered passing out for the first time in his life.

Lissa wouldn't stop telling him about how stressed Chrom had been, and she herself checked in on him numerous times every day. Chrom also visited on several occasions, trying to make Frederick understand that it was okay to have some time off.

It would have been touching to know how much his lord and lady cared for him if he hadn't been so angry with himself. On top of his stab wound, he'd broken his leg when he'd fallen, so now he was spending his days in his own bed. He was miserable, and he was also worried about who was looking after the prince and princess.

Chrom was married to Robin, at least, so she could protect him. Sumia was now a royal guard, too. That made two people. And, of course, there were Calla and Merton, and Lon'qu was often with Lissa. But it wasn't the same as knowing for certain that there was someone at their side when they needed it. Robin wasn't always with Chrom, and Lon'qu wasn't always with Lissa, and Calla and Merton had duties to attend to, and Sumia liked checking up on Frederick.

He was always both relieved and horrified to see her. She made his day brighter, but he was ashamed that she had to see him like this. Once, he fell off the bed in his haste to hide his bandages under the blankets when he heard her in the corridor. He didn't want her to look at them.

She walked in to find him on the floor, his arms wrapped around his leg while he growled in pain. She somehow managed to get him up without finding Chrom for assistance. Then she busied herself with moving his crutches closer to him. He avoided looking at her.

"Frederick," she said quietly when she'd finished. He could feel her eyes on him. "I think you sometimes forget that you're only human."

He looked up slowly.

"Cordelia broke her arm when we first started doing these missions," she said. "She'd never been known to fall from her pegasus until then. Miriel got a concussion a few months ago, and Stahl was stabbed in the leg last year. He had to have crutches for a few weeks, remember?" She lifted one of Frederick's crutches up for emphasis and almost hit him in the head with it. "Oops! Sorry. Look at me. I've fallen over five times today already, and last night I tripped over thin air on my way to the bathroom. I woke you up, and you'd been finding it so hard to sleep all night."

Now Frederick was blushing.

"Look, what I'm trying to say is, we're all human. We all mistakes, whether they happen regularly or once in a blue moon. You can't expect to go into battle and not eventually have a few scars. In fact, you've been very lucky. You're rarely injured. Please, just...don't beat yourself up over it. It hurts me to see you doing that."

She turned to go, but her foot caught on his crutches. His hand shot out and caught her by the waist before she could fall. She teetered for a moment, not quite able to gain all the balance she needed from Frederick due to his awkward position. Then she grabbed hold of the bedside table and righted herself.

Frederick frowned. "Are you all right?"

She blushed. "Yes, thank you. I'm supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around." She suddenly broke into a grin. "It's quite a novelty, by the way, seeing as I'm so clumsy."

Frederick couldn't help but return that smile, his spirits lifting slightly. "Yes. I suppose it is."

For a moment, he almost forgot everything that had been troubling him. And later, when his wife had left and he was feeling miserable again, it helped a little to say those words.

You're only human. We all make mistakes.