The Story of Chrom And Azura

He had gone to stretch his wings. Flying always managed to calm his nerves. After a long day, nothing was better. He was also trying to get in some time before the blizzard hit. He could feel it in his wings that snow was coming but wanted some last air time before he would be cooped up inside for an indefinite period of time. However, his flight didn’t go as planned. He heard a scream just as he was about to turn back. It wasn’t a typically Unseelie thing to do – rushing into supposed danger all because he heard a scream. But when a loud roar followed it, he flew swiftly to the clearing. A woman – another faery – was on her knees before a fierce wyvern. She was unarmed and battered.

"Help me! Please!"

One look at her hand his hand on his sword. The plead sent him across the clearing, beheading the Wyvern before it knew what happened. It surprised even him when the beast crumpled to the ground. Over. Just like that. Chrom Malone did not do heroics. Yet he found himself standing there, over the beast’s dead body. He sheathed his sword before turning to face the woman. She sat, staring at him in wide eyed horror. She was trembling, though Chrom didn’t know if that was from the cold or fear. He took one step towards her. He grimaced when she flinched.

Fear.

"Are you okay?"

He offered out his hand. Now that he had a good look at her, he realized why she hadn’t fought the wyvern or flew to safety. A long staff was embedded in a tree behind her. Her wing might as well as have been crumpled paper for how much abuse it had suffered. Her skin was coated in bruises. She had tried to fight back, but was overwhelmed. Luckily, she wasn’t bleeding or poisoned. Then there would have been nothing Chrom could have done for her.

Gingerly the woman placed her hand in his. He helped her back to her feet. However, because she was still unsteady, she collapsed into his arms just as quickly. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her upright. Being this close, he could not deny she was a beautiful faery. For a Seelie. There was a light about her that gave away her disposition. A spread of pink doused her skin in a way that Chrom found very cute. The word wasn’t in his vocabulary but he could make an exception for this moment.

"Take it easy."

"Let go."

She pulled away from him, still unsteady and when he tried to help her upright once more, she smacked his hands away from him, as if his touch were iron. He frowned. He hadn’t done anything to warrant this kind of behavior. The blue haired faery limped over to the staff embedded in the bark of the tree. She gripped the weapon tightly and pulled. Except her tugging did nothing to free the staff. He stood by, just watching. He could free the staff easily, but he wasn’t the one who was nearly bested by a wyvern.

"I think the words you’re looking for are ‘thank you.’" He said coolly. "You did ask for help after all."

"You didn’t have to kill it!"

Chrom’s eyes narrowed as he glared. He saved her life and she was berating him for how he did it? Who did she think she was? He took care of the creature. It wouldn’t bother her or anyone else ever. He felt a flash of rage and a part of him hissed he should have just let the wyvern eat her. But then he felt guilty for that. No one deserved to get eaten alive, even if they were being rude. That was the darker more Unseelie part of him, rearing out and angry because she was rebuking his act of heroics on her behalf. She had after all, called for help and he had come running, but was showing no gratitude for it.

"I saved your life!"

The woman winced. She stopped trying to free her weapon from the confines of the tree. It was then he noticed her hand was trembling. Had she been hurt before he got there? He didn’t see any injuries on her. Slowly, she looked at him. The fear that sparkled in her eyes took him by surprise. That was the same fear she had when the wyvern had her cornered, but now it was turned on him.

"Are you going to kill me too?" she whispered.

"What?"

Killing her, even if she made him mad, was pointless. She hadn’t done anything to him. Even if she had, she couldn’t fight back. She wasn’t a threat. There was no honor in killing her. It would also be such a waste to kill such a beautiful faery, pain in the ass or not. He hadn’t really had contact with the Seelie Court before now. He mostly spent his days protecting the Unseelie King from would-be assassins. It was more or less a glorified bouncer job as humans put it because assassins were few and far between.

"You’re Unseelie aren’t you?" she spat. "They fight and they love it! So if you’re going to kill me… just do it."

Her eyes had been filled with unshed tears. She closed them shut, as if not to see her impending doom. She sincerely thought that he would be the death of her, that he would strike her down just as he struck down the mindless beast that attacked her. He realized now how scared she must have been. She had traded one monster for another. Instead of angering him further, it sapped the fight right out of him. If he were truly honest, the fear she felt for him made him ill.

"I swear on my honor, I will not harm you."

She looked up at him startled before blinking once, then twice. She was fighting back tears. He wasn’t sure if him swearing on his honor not to hurt her would help or not. She didn’t seem to trust him as far as she could throw him. She had the appearance of vulnerability but if she carried a weapon like her trapped one, she wasn’t helpless. She was likely ambushed by the creature that had attacked her, caught off guard and unprepared to defend herself. It unfortunately happened, but in Chrom’s forest - his home - that was all but a death sentence.

"We got off on the wrong foot," he said. "My name is Chrom. What’s yours?"

"Azura."

"Well, Miss Azura, where is home for you? I doubt you’ll be getting far on a busted wing."

She looked suspicious for a moment before looking at her wing. She was a healer but magical inclination to those arts or not, wing injuries took time to heal especially if you wanted it to heal right. Faeries always wanted those injuries to heal right. They took wings very seriously. A downed faery could be a dead one. If they were unable to fly to get away or unable to fly in general, they were the most miserable creatures.

"Helios Forest."

Chrom almost did a double take. However, it made sense. In Helios, things were still warm, hence the name Helios. It meant Sun. Azura was dressed for spring at best. This did not bode well as she was in a forest that was about to see a snow storm. Just looking at her in her light attire made him feel cold but he was wearing furs, likely more prepared for any ill weather than she was.

"A blizzard is going to hit soon. You’ll never make it."

"I have to try."

"Or you could stop being so stubborn and come to my cabin. It’s not far. It’ll be warm and you can rest."

All of those were positives in his book, at least if he were in her situation. He wouldn’t want to be caught dead in the middle of a blizzard, which they both would be if they didn’t get a move on. She couldn’t exactly be selective in her situation. His offer was one that would keep her alive, warm and taken care of, at least until the weather passed. It was probably the best she would get unless she would camp out in a cave. In a cave, there was no telling if she would be the cave’s only inhabitant.

"And what do you want in return?"

He groaned in frustration. Was it a Seelie thing to be so suspicious? Chrom only offered because he felt responsible for her. He had saved her life once, if he left her to fend for herself once the snow started falling, it would sign her death sentence. No one would see a pretty little thing like her in the snow for months, or at least until things thawed. He didn’t want to find her months later, scavenged by animals and frozen to death. No. So he was willing to put up with her at least until she was better. He would just have to ration the food a little differently.

"I saved you and haven’t asked for a reward. I can’t leave you out here for the blizzard to finish you off."

"I… suppose freezing would be an awful way to go."

"Good. Then it’s settled."

He stepped around her. He took a firm grip of her staff before yanking it out of the tree. He was taller than she was so he could get a better grip on the weapon. He was also stronger, a natural thing for a warrior. Azura didn’t look like a fighter. She flinched at the loud noise, though she seemed grateful when he handed her weapon back. She held onto it like it was her only lifeline in the world.

"Where is your cabin?"

"We can hike… or I could fly us both there."

Her face colored delightfully. They were back to shyness it seemed. Not that Chrom minded one bit. She was gorgeous with a blush, pretty and all but glowing. He silently vowed to make her blush as much as he could while she stayed at the cabin. He could tease her as much as he wanted while she was there. He would consider it payment for letting her stay with him during the storm.

"I can walk."

"Three miles?" he asked and when he received no response, he smirked. "That’s what I thought."

Chrom stepped a little closer. Azura gave a gasp when he scooped her up in his arms, her weapon and all. With a powerful push of his wings they were airborne. Azura clung to him in surprise. Chrom tried not to let it show that he liked that. He held her a little tighter. He was trying to reassure her that he wasn’t going to drop her. It was freezing once they left the ground, but Chrom expected that. He was dressed for the weather. Azura was not. She curled into his chest, trying to leech what warmth he had. He let her.

The flight was short, but he didn’t put Azura down until he was inside his cabin. He placed her on one of the arm chairs, like a delicate little doll. She was shivering almost pathetically. She curled in on herself. Chrom took pity on her and draped a blanket over her. He didn’t stick around to pay attention to her reaction. He went to the fire place to start a fire. He had plenty of firewood so they would stay warm. He didn’t say anything until the fire was going strong.

"Sit by the fire." He told Azura. "And warm up. I’ll go see if I have any warmer clothes for you."

He headed back to his room without bothering to check if she listened. She was an adult. If she were smart, she would do as he said. Unfortunately, the only warm clothes were all his. He didn’t make a habit of having female guests. He found some things that would probably fit her smaller stature. It would be warmer than what she had, that much he was certain. When he came back out of his room, he could only stop and stare.

Azura had shed the blanket, but she had moved over to the fire. She had her long thin wings spread out. One of them looked like crumpled paper, the other, a blue and white speckled piece of art. Vaguely his mind supplied the words ‘stained glass’ like the murals that humans liked to make in historical buildings. He realized then how much pain she must have been in. Wing injuries were obviously painful, but she looked on the verge of crying. Her arms wrapped around her tiny frame and a look of agony about her that made his heart twinge.

"I could help." He said softly.

Azura startled at the sound of his voice. She looked up at him, over her shoulder, wide eyed and wary. Her wings moved to lay flat but a hiss of pain stopped that quickly. Chrom’s expression softened. He didn’t have a lot in the means of medicine. He was the tough out the pain sort. But that didn’t stop him from holding out his hands, as if to show her he meant her no harm, and the expression of concern that lined his features.

"You… would do that?"

Touching another faery’s wings was personal, sometimes even considered intimate. Wings were like raw nerves. They could feel every touch, every gesture, and every iota of pain when injured. He was surprised she hadn’t passed out from the pain. They could also feel every caress and every feather-like touch. If he helped her with her wings, he would have her at his complete and utter mercy, free to do with her as he pleased. It was a lot of trust he was asking for her to place on him, especially since she had been so certain he would kill her before.

"If you’ll let me."

He waited for her response. He wouldn’t want just anyone touching his wings either. He wouldn’t do anything without her permission. She was his guest, but he was also a stranger, a man at that, and she had just seen him kill a monster in front of her without any remorse. He had to be frightening. But humans had a phrase, you could catch more flies with honey, than vinegar. He assumed it was something along the lines of if you were nice, people liked you more than if you were bitter.

"Please?"

That soft tone again. It compelled him to do strange things, like lead her to the couch. She laid out, with her wings up. She must have been frightened. Chrom had her in such a vulnerable state. Instead he gently touched her crumpled wing, eliciting a gasp from his house guest. He ran his hands over each crack and crinkle, slowly smoothing it out, back into shape. Each movement of his hand was slow, deliberate and very careful as to not bring her any more pain than absolutely necessary. It would help the shape and a little of her pain, but he wouldn’t recommend her fly any time soon. Azura fought valiantly to keep all noise to herself. He only hoped that she felt better once her wing was straightened out.

"That wasn’t so bad, was it?" he teased.

She mumbled something softly into the couch cushion. He smirked deviously. He had heard her. She knew he did, but he wanted her to say it out loud. He supposed that was a little spiteful of him. She was being such a compliant little ‘patient’ while he played ‘doctor’ on her wings. But he was also hosting someone he didn’t expect to be hosting before the storm. A little appreciation for that wouldn’t be out of her way.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that." He said.

She shivered deliciously when he ran a finger down the expanse of her wing – now set in place. Her wings were beautiful now that he got a really good look at them. They almost felt like running his fingers through silk. His were more like smooth leather, but he supposed he had grown used to the feel of his own wings. It was actually quite nice to feel someone else’s even if the circumstance wasn’t exactly ideal.

"I said thank you."

"You’re welcome."

Her face was blazingly red. Chrom liked the color on her. However, he didn’t tease her any further. He could have. He wanted to. Instead, he got up, picked up the clothes from before and set them beside Azura. Warm leathers and wool, to keep her warm. Instead of that light weight dress she was wearing. Wool might have been itchy, but at least it was warm, and this was very finely woven (some of his best and warmest clothes). Bright blue eyes looked up at him, glittering in confusion. She was far too expressive than should have been allowed. It must be a Seelie thing.

"My room is in the back if you want to change." He informed her. "I’ll get dinner started."

The startled look of surprise on his face almost made him laugh. She was like a deer, caught in the headlights. He supposed that would make him the predator. He was having fun teasing her. She had been so quick to judge and assume he had the worst intentions for her. He was helping her because it amused him and because of her injury. Unseelie or not, he couldn’t leave her to die in a blizzard.

As much as he could have teased her about trusting a man – no less a stranger – he had to make food in case they lost power. It was always a possibility when weather got bad. Cooking was easy. He could temporarily forget his guest. He settled on making a soup, something warm and hearty. He figured it was the least likely thing to make her sick and if she didn’t like something, she could pick it out.

"Do you do this for everyone you save?"

Azura in his clothes. That shouldn’t have been as appealing as it was. It made all logical thought in him come to a screeching halt. He almost laughed at how foolish he was being, like some slack jaw idiot, struck by a love spell. He was a centuries old being but he was lusting over some faery with a few looks and some well-placed words on her part. He almost felt like a child, green and falling for the first person they met. So eager to please.

"Not exactly."

"Then why help me?"

"Curious little Seelie, aren’t you?" he teased.

Her delightful blush returned with a vengeance. He didn’t think he would ever get tired of that blush of hers. That alone made all the trouble of saving her worth it. She had bowed her head at this point, her long hair trying to veil her face from him. He briefly wondered what it would be like to touch her hair since he had already touched her wings. He didn’t dare press his luck further. The last thing he wanted was some Seelie going back to her Queen saying he was touching her inappropriately. The King would have laughed and handed him over to the Queen’s ‘justice’ for that alone.

"Stop evading the question." She protested.

"Do you want me to throw you out into the snow?"

He gestured to the window. The snow had picked up to such a degree that they only saw white outside. Azura visibly shivered. If she had tried to leave, he would have stopped her anyways. He would not let her throw away her life when he went to all this effort to save it.

"I won’t," he reassured her. "So stop worrying about the why."

(I will be adding more so that their whole story is in once central area instead of multiple threads)