shiningboxofjustice | Open Shipping Meme

It was a fairly festive day in Windmire. As always, the long Nohrian winter had finally come to an end and the last snowdrifts had melted away. Winter crops were ready for harvest, and the rest were ready for planting. But above all, the weather was finally nice again. Though Windmire got little benefit from the sun, the rising temperature was always welcome.

It's due to the festive nature that Xander was able to walk into town with little fanfare. People were too busy enjoying themselves to pay much attention when a member of the royal family, even the crown prince, wandered into the market. Xander wasn't wearing his usual outfit, either, eschewing his armor in favor of a semi-formal black longcoat and slacks, and a white shirt.

Today, though, there seemed to be a commotion near the tavern. Curious, Xander strolled over to see what was going on. As he got nearer, he could see that a throng of people had gathered around a dancer who was performing outside the tavern. She had already amassed a respectable pile of gold coins, and it appeared to only grow as she performed. Xander approached the throng, and carefully moved his way to the front -- something fairly easy when you were recognizable, as people moved aside then. And once he was in front, he was able to get an eyeful of the dancer.

There were two things he noticed. First, she was very skilled. Xander had seen many performers in his life, particularly when he accompanied his father to Nestra for the shows there, so he was familiar enough with the performing arts to recognize her skill.

Second: She was the most beautiful woman Xander had ever laid eyes on. It was almost as if he had lived his whole life in black and white, and gazing upon her features for the first time flooded his world with color.

When the song finished and the crowd burst out in applause, Xander joined them. However, when the crowd began to disperse, he remained. He'd wait for her to collect her earnings. When she did, he stepped closer.

"Pardon me, but I just wanted to tell you that was an incredible performance. Dancers with your skill are few and far between in my experience."

A little flower of pride bloomed in Olivia's heart. Although she constantly downplayed how good of a dancer it was, moments like this happily proved her wrong. She bowed deeply in gratitude at her audience, choosing not to say a word. She often found herself stuttering and stammering whenever she tried to thank people anyway - it kind of shattered the illusion she gave when she danced.

Olivia had noticed a small part in the crowd, but she didn't have the frame of mind to really notice or care why. Not that'd recognize the crown prince of this new land if she saw him, or even knew there was a crown prince. Right now, with the dance over and money earned, there were more important things to think about. She had to be careful with her coins - she mentally began to calculate what would be used for food and shelter when a voice spoke.

Ah, well, she'd have to thank this person, if they went through all that effort to speak to her. She lifted her eyes -

Wow.

Prince Chrom had nothing on... whoever this was. What gorgeous deep eyes, what stunning good features, what a strong build! She was so overcome that her grip loosened - she'd been collecting the coins in a small pouch, and now she dropped it, spilling the contents back on the ground. Her cheeks went crimson - the first good looking guy she sees and she embarrasses herself in two seconds. It was a new record.

"I-I'm sorry!" She choked out, kneeling down to quickly collect her earnings again, now far too humiliated to even look at him. "I mean, that is... th-thank you very much for your kind words, sir."

Well, uh. Xander hadn't meant to startle Olivia like that. Immediately he crouches down and begins to help her pick her coins up.

"Let me help."

It was the least he could do after that.

"I should be the one apologizing. I never wanted to startle you."

"No, no, no, no! I-I'm the artist, you're the audience, you shouldn't have to..." She could barely think, overwhelmed as she was. "I-It's my fault... I'm, uh, that is. This is a new land for me." She swallows. "So my nerves are a little frayed, I guess."

"Even so, I would be remiss to not help." Xander is many things, including a gentleman. So he feels obligated to help. More than that, he wants to help the vision of loveliness in front of him.

Yes, even when she's totally embarrassed, she's still fantastically beautiful.

"Ah, so you're a traveler. Well, in that case, welcome to Windmire. I hope you enjoy it here." Especially so much that she might decide to stay forever...

"I'd be more than happy to help you adjust here. It's an unusual city, but it's still a fine place."

Windmire... There wasn't even a faint wisp of familiarity to this name. She couldn't place it in Ylisse, or any of the other neighboring lands. Just how far away had she gotten? Was she truly in an Outrealm, with no idea how to return?

Oh, but here she was, sulking when this kind man was still offering so many pleasantries. "Th...thank you very much, good sir. But I think I'll be more trouble than I'm worth."

How did you explain Outrealms when the majority of the population didn't even know they existed? She'd sound insane! "You see, I literally only have the clothes on my back."

Xander shook his head. Helping Olivia would be the polar opposite of trouble for him. "It's no trouble at all. I'm more than happy to help. And all the more reason to do so if all you have are the clothes you're wearing."

However, Xander had to wonder how Olivia got here with just one set of clothes...especially clothes like dancer's clothing. He just hoped she hadn't traveled her on the surface of the city.

"Let me help." He offered her a hand.

Olivia hesitated... but eventually relented. It'd be rude to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially when the horse was this good-looking.

... That sounded better in her head, really.

She bowed her head low. "I can't thank you enough... my name is Olivia."

"Olivia..." Xander couldn't help but think it was a lovely name. Fitting for such a lovely woman.

"And my name is Xander. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Another sign that she clearly wasn't from around here - the name didn't register anything at all. She had no idea she was talking to a crown prince - she just thought it was a handsome name for a handsome man, and she dared to smile.

"Yes... you too, Xander. How can I repay your kindness?"

Xander waved a hand dismissively. "You need not worry about that. All that matters is that you can get on your feet."

He wasn't sure what to do first, though. But then he noticed that his stomach was feeling empty. That would be as good a place to start as any.

"Would you care to join me for a bite to eat?"

Olivia blinked once, then felt the weight of her satchel in one hand. Yes... yes, there was enough to afford a nice meal, thank goodness.

"Um... well, if you'd like. I could eat anything, so please don't fret too much."

Xander would see to it that Olivia didn't spend that money on a meal with him. He was planning to pay for the whole thing.

"Perfect! Then let's head into the tavern right here. It's been ages since I ate anything from the kitchen here."

With that, Xander walked over and held the door open for Olivia.

"After you."

"Thank you," she said again, bowing her head and walking toward the door. It was a nice enough place, and thankfully it wasn't too crowded. But once the two of them were inside, she couldn't help but noticed that they were getting stares - specifically, Xander was. The crown prince of Nohr! And... was he with a woman?!

Of course, Olivia had no idea she was with someone so famous, and she rubbed her face, wondering if they were staring at her. Did she have food stuck in her teeth? "Oh dear."

"Pay them no mind. They won't do anything." Not while the two of them were there, at any rate. But this would be sure to get the rumor mill grinding. Xander didn't really care what people said about him; he was used to people gossiping about the Nohrian royal family.

So, for now he showed Olivia to a table in the corner, where she could sit facing away from everyone else in the tavern. Xander would sit opposite her.

"It's all right." Olivia replied as she took her seat. "I guess it's something you can't help when you're an outsider. I've been to a few different lands, but I'm still not used to it." A helpless shrug.

Xander knew full well that that wasn't the case here. Well, there may be the random man in there seething with jealousy (after all, who wouldn't, with such a gorgeous woman with him), but most were looking at Xander. And he could handle it. He wasn't here to give a speech.

"Everyone will return to their business in due time. People tend to have fairly short attention spans in their everyday lives. Now, what would you like to eat? Feel free to order anything on the menu."

No surprise, Olivia was leaning towards whatever was cheapest - but also nothing that would be too fattening. A dancer had to keep her figure, after all.

"This will be fine," She indicated with a point of her finger, the smallest. "But it's all right if they remember me. In my line of work, word-of-mouth is very important."

Xander looked at the item Olivia pointed at and frowned. "That's all? Are you sure? Money is no object, so don't feel concerned about it."

Sure, a dancer had to keep her figure, but she also had to eat a sufficient amount.

"That's kind of you to say... but, like it or not, money is an object." She shook her head. "You are very kind, sir, but you're still a stranger. For all I know this could be what you've been saving up for months, or you worked very hard for it, or..."

She hesitated, not really wanting to say this next part, but it had happened once before. Thank goodness Basilio had been there, but he wasn't now, and she was on her own. "Or you might try to buy me."

That last bit caused Xander to pause. Buy her? What in the world?

There was only one reason why she would even float such an idea in front of him. It must have happened in the past. Though, it would make sense if she ever ran into someone unscrupulous enough to attempt to do just that. A woman so beautiful would attract much unwanted attention. Too much beauty can be a curse.

"...I'm sorry. I can't imagine what must have happened to make that something that happened to you. I apologize for overstepping my bounds."

Olivia shook her head, a small smile returning to her face. "It's all right, it's not something I usually bring up right away. As you can imagine." A little chuckle. "But weirdly enough, it's a happy story... You see, a good man named Basilio saw what was happening and immediately put a stop to it. He was the Khan... sort of like the king, the leader of the land. And there wasn't going to be any slavery if he had anything to say about it." A louder giggle this time, remembering his voice.

"And it was thanks to him I had a good home... he also taught me how to defend myself with a sword. Truly, I owe everything to Basilio. So to make sure his victories were never in vain, I do all that I can to take care of myself."

Olivia's story gave Xander some relief...but also there was a hint of jealousy. However, it was easy to notice that she was by herself, which meant that whatever her relationship to this Basilio was, it wasn't romantic.

"I see. In that sense, you're very lucky. There's something to be said for having someone watching out for you." That was one thing that Xander missed, with the way that his father had changed after Queen Arete's death. Not only that, but he had to take on that role for his younger siblings.

"I find that's much the approach that I take to my younger siblings. Over the past several years, I've become someone they look up to and seek for help."

It was possible this man could be lying about having siblings in order for Olivia to lower her guard... But that seemed like a stretch. So she smiled, deciding to test this for herself and get some details.

"I'm an only child," She said first before prodding. "What are your siblings like? Are you the oldest out of all the children?"

Talk of Xander's siblings would always get him to smile, no matter how detached he tried to be. Being before a beautiful woman only exaggerated that feeling.

"I am the oldest. I have two sisters, named Camilla and Elise, and a brother named Leo. They're all quite outstanding in terms of personality, I've found. Camilla is very maternal and affectionate to her younger siblings. Leo is by far the most intelligent of all of us. I'd even go so far as to say he's a genius. He tends to overcompensate for his image a bit, though. And Elise is the youngest, and the most childlike. But that also means she has an innocence and perspective the rest of us lack."

Even the tone of Xander's voice was affectionate. It was clear that he loved all of his siblings very much.

Open Shipping Meme

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