Those Awakening Boys

[VGKforever]

Chrom knew that his son, Brady, was a healer like his mother. He and Lucina were the fighters of the family, while Maribelle and Brady stood behind them to support them. For the most part, the Exalt of Ylisse was fine with this. In spite of not making an appearance on the front lines, Maribelle was still fearless. She rode into battle only weeks after giving birth, patching up her fallen allies and shooting enemies down from the back of her horse. The same could not always be said for Brady, however. In fact, there were times when the boy was downright cowardly. The skirmish on the outskirts of Plegia this afternoon had been one of those times. While Maribelle, Lissa, and Libra dashed into the fray to heal their comrades' wounds, Brady had taken cover behind the nearest rock and stayed there. Chrom was beyond disappointed.

[RedHott BareButt]

Brady could sense his father's disappointment, and was already tearing up just because he let his father down. His father, who meant the world to him, was disappointed.

[VGKforever]

After dinner that night, Chrom summoned Brady to his tent. When they were both sitting, the Exalt put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Son," he began. "I can't lie. I was disappointed by what I saw today. Before you say anything, I want to remind you that it's your choice whether or not you want to fight at all. With the future you came from, I would understand if you wanted to go back to the palace and stay there until the war is over. Is that what you want to do?"

[RedHott BareButt]

Brady sniffled. "I-I'm so sorry Pa!" He whimpered. "I know I'm not as strong as you, or Ma, or even Morgan, but I want to fight. I can fight. I know I can. I just...I got scared today. Please don't send me away!"

[VGKforever]

"I don't want to send you home, Brady. I'd love nothing more than to fight alongside my son," Chrom assured him, squeezing his shoulder. His expression became sterner. "But the problem is, we absolutely cannot have you here if you're going to... well... become a liability. If you're going to be part of our battles, then we need you to do your duty. I saw Lucina keeping one eye on you and one eye on the fight today. We just can't have the others worrying about your safety and having it distract them."

[RedHott BareButt]

Brady looked down, ashamed. "I'm so sorry Pa," he whispered.

[VGKforever]

Chrom nodded slowly. "All right. But Brady, I'm telling you now that if this happens again in any of our battles, I'll send you right home." With a smarting butt to boot, but Chrom didn't say that. "I expect our next skirmish could be tomorrow when we cross the desert. Last time, there were Wyvern Riders waiting to ambush us. Can you do this, son?"

[RedHott BareButt]

Brady nodded. "I can," he promised. "Wyverns...they don't scare me." It was clear from his tone of voice that this wasn't entirely true, but he had already screwed up once and he wasn't going to let his dad down again.

[VGKforever]

Chrom wasn't entirely convinced by that, but for Brady's sake, he had to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Okay. Then get some dinner, and get back to your own tent for some rest. We're marching early, and we can't have you tired. Good night, son."
The Exalt was the first to rise the next morning. After an abbreviated workout and a hearty breakfast, he got the plan of the day from his tactician, Robin, rallied his allies, and led them off, en route to the heart of Plegia. As they were crossing the desert, they were immediately welcomed with a bombardment of fireballs. Validar had been expecting them, and had sent an army of Dark Mages to greet them.

[RedHott BareButt]

Brady gripped his staff, nervous but feeling good that at least it wasn't a bunch of Wyvern Riders. Magic he could handle no problem thanks to his mom's skills that she had taught him.