Fire Emblem A-Weight-Gaining: Maribelle

“No, no, your Majesty. It's a pleasure to have you here. Please, come and sit.”

“Maribelle, please, 'Chrom' is fine.”

“Absolutely not. You're a ruler now, Chrom. I simply can't call you anything but. It would be rude.”

“... Isn't it also rude to not do as your king asks? And you kinda already called me Chrom anyway.”

“Oh, well, have a biscuit.” Maribelle's face flushed, as she flourished her hand to a tray at Chrom's left. Standing on a marble topped side table, a polished porcelain plate was housing several meticulously placed cookies. Oatmeal. Shrugging, Chrom snapped one up and sat himself down in the nearest chair.

Maribelle's parlor was, as expected, immaculate. Lovely white linens were pulled back by the window, letting the daylight pour in onto her beautiful plush carpet... though it was pink. If there was one fault Chrom could find with the room, it was an over abundance of pink. A pale pink for the rug, pink painted bows on the biscuit plate, his chair (a lovely Fauteuil, made from the darkest wood and white leather for the cushions) had pink buttons, the white walls had many pieces of art with pink frames (and most of them were pictures of Maribelle's own family), and Maribelle herself was wearing a favorite of hers: a pink and white shirt and pants combo that was flattering to her figure, stylish, and sensible all in one.

In a chair, mirror to Chroms own, Maribelle sat cross-legged smiling.

“Sho, where'sh Gaiush” Chrom sputtered, dry oatmeal falling from his mouth onto his own regal attire... which he'd gotten around to just making it his armor. He reasoned it away as a precaution while traveling. He wondered briefly if he should have taken a napkin or plate to eat over, and dared not make direct eye contact with Maribelle, lest some crumbs found their way to her pristine rug. She hadn't even let him wear shoes into the room.

“Oh, he's out running errands. We needed a few things for dinner tonight.” Maribelle laughed, and pulled out her little folding fan and began to flutter it around at her face. “But, before we truly begin our meeting, and I'm certain whatever you have to say is of the utmost importance, it is tea-time.”

Flinging one of her golden spiraling side tails out of her face, Maribelle shouted: “Brady! Come here please!”

After a few seconds of shuffling heard, as well as a few blunders in which cursing could be heard quite clearly, a young man Chrom recognized stumbled into the room. Though, unlike Chrom remembered, Brady was not wearing his medic's robes, but rather a suit that looked it was a bit tight around the shoulders. Hunched over, hands in his pockets, and blushing furiously to see somebody, anybody, around while he was wearing it, he turned his head to the wall.

“Yeah, Ma? Whatcha need?”

“Brady...” With a single word, delivered with the utmost sterness, Brady's whole body seemed to shiver for a second before he went rigid, back straight, his mouth trembling and a line of sweat rolling down the side of his forehead.

“I mean... Yes, mother? Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Yes, Brady. I am in the middle of talking to Chrom and would like you to prepare us tea. Any preferences, Chrom?”

“Er...”

“Might I suggest peppermint, mister Chrom?” Brady asked, still stiff. Chrom met eyes with Brady and nodded. Brady seemed to want to get out of there as fast as possible.

“Now then, down to business.” Maribelle resumed fanning herself and smiled at Chrom. “What brings you here today, Chrom?”

“Well, honestly...” Chrom searched for a way to say what he was thinking without looking like a complete idiot. But, deciding there wasn't, he simply decide to say it as seriously as possible. “... I think Tharja's cursed our group, you know, us who were close during the war. Or, at least, just cursed the women.”

For a second, Maribelle simply stared at Chrom, a single eyebrow raised. “This is quite the serious accusation, Chrom. What kind of curse?”

And that's where it was going to go down hill. Taking a deep breath, Chrom pressed on. “Well, remember that night when Tharja tried to use a charm on Robin, to get him to love her?”

“Yes, I also remember having to hold Cordelia back from skewering Tharja like a dumpling. She was so fat after that spell. And so furious when we made her break it. Can I really blame her though? If I were stuck like that...”

“Yeah, well, she shouted a few things at all of us that night, and since then, well. Have you noticed how many of the women in the group have started, well... putting on a few pounds?” This is where Chrom was fearing to tread.

And Maribelle reacted almost as he expected her to. The color draining from her face, and little of her composure being lost. But only for half and instant, before she straightened herself back up.

“I have heard news of Olivia from people, but honestly, some women just put on a few pounds during pregnancy, Chrom.”

“But it's not just Olivia, even Severa, Robin's daughter-”

“I know very well who she is, and Brady has told me that her training with Kjelle is going quite well and she's slimming down again.”

“But have you heard about Miriel?”

“Chrom, everyone has heard the rumors of her and Stahl's weekly 'playtime'. Even if they are true, then Miriel's just using a temporary spell. She is completely fine afterward.”

Chrom sat in his chair for a second, thinking hard. Maribelle, however, was the one to break the silence.

“Chrom, while I appreciate your concern for everyone, I don't see why you'd come to me about this.”

Chrom leaned back in his chair and began to rub his temples.

“You're my little sister's best friend. I've known you longer than almost anyone else. And, you know, I felt like I needed to tell someone. Someone who I won't have to see everyday. Not just that, but someone who'd understand what I'm saying and care.”

Honestly touched, Maribelle gave a sweet smile to Chrom.

“I do understand, Chrom, but I seriously doubt there's a curse.”

“I know, I know, it just feels so weird.”

“Do you still love Olivia?”

“Of course I do!”

“Then there's nothing to be worried about. She's expressed a drive to lose the weight, and she seems to be succeeding. Don't worry, Chrom, everything will be alright.”

Chrom smiled. This is what he had hoped for. While Maribelle might seem rigid and uptight at times, she really was one of the nicest people he knew, at her core. And her reassurances never felt hallow.

“Well, I'd hate to leave before tea, but I really should be getting back. Frederick's waiting outside, and if I don't get out there soon, he may think you kidnapped me. I only told him I'd be a few minutes.”

“Of course, Chrom. I assume you can find the way out?”

“Yeah, no problem.”

“Very well. Please be sure to visit again soon. It's a delight.”

-

“Is he gone?”

Brady re-entered the room just after Chrom left, carrying a silver tray with a delicate teapot, steaming, and two tiny cups. Maribelle nodded furiously and jumped out of her chair, breathing heavily.

“Ma?”

“Just put down the tray, dear, then go practice with your violin. I need to... do something.”

Brady watched as his mother shuffled out of the room, so flushed, the heat from her cheeks coulda obscured her eyes.

-

Maribelle ran to the safest place in her home. A small room used for storing unused furniture, right across from her own bedroom. Flinging open the door, she quickly got to work lighting the small oil lamps on the wall, then slammed the door shut behind her, locking it.

She needed the privacy.

But she wouldn't get it. Of course not. In one of the still shadowed corners of the room, a very familiar face with a mess of orange hair stepped out, looking a bit smug with the paper stick of a lollipop jutting out of his mouth.

“Gaius!” Maribelle screamed, jumping. Last she'd checked, her husband was out at the market, and her face must have said as much.

“Saw you were talking to Chrom and didn't want to, er... be found, ya know? I get a bit jumpy around kingy types these days. Even if I know the guy, the thought if one of his crowned jewels or something went missing around me... gives me the shudders.” Maribelle watched as he nudged a small bag behind him with his foot, his eye's staring at the ceiling.

“Gaius! You know perfectly well I how I feel about your 'profession'. No matter who it was, how much they deserved it, or where you are sending the money, I cannot allow such sullied goods to be brought in this house.”

“Hey, the little snot was asking for it. Said my clothes made my butt look big.”

“Oh dear, you did NOT steal from a child. My husband is going to jail for stealing from a child.”

“Relax, I'm joking. You know kids are off limits. Besides, I didn't steal it. It's just the rice for supper.”

Maribelle began to calm down at these words. Gaius was a wonderful thief, but terrible at lying to someone's face, or at least faces of people he gave half a thought about. Given the calm in his voice, he was telling the truth.

But her face stayed just as red as before. And Gaius didn't seem to be leaving. She was left with no choice.

Giving in, Mairbelle began to claw at her outfit, untying it's little knots and practically ripping it off her body. Her fingers fumbled in her rush, but it still wasn't long before she was throwing off her top and bottom, revealing a few things that were hidden before. The first, of course, being her underwear.

Bright pink like much else she owned, and holding in her rather nice figure well, though her underwear did seem to be a little bit on the small side. In fact, her thighs, previously hidden by her baggy pants, were rather plump and jiggled the tiniest amount as she fiddled with the last part of her 'presentable' outfit.

A corset strung tightly around her waist, causing her rump and chest to look quite a bit more swollen than usual. Maribelle breathed heavy. This damn thing had been on her all day, while she waited for Chrom to show up. And now she couldn't wait to get it off. She was fixing to smother. Her legs were getting weak... so she fell into the chair.

And with the newly applied pressure on her compressed middle, the stalwart underclothing finally gave way.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip

Maribelle watched in horror, teeth clenched and hands out and away from the snapping cords, as her corset began to split with her heavy panting, from top to bottom, a mound of restricted fat leaking over the rip and powering through the weakened garment with the speed of a lightning bolt. In less than a second, the corset had popped off of Maribelle, falling to the ground, and leaving her with her potbelly hanging out, still jiggling from it's sweet release.

Despite the rather speedy turn of events in front of him, Gaius didn't bat an eyelash as Mirabelle placed of her hands on her little muffintop, gasping in relief.

“Honestly, I'm surprised you made it this long.” Gaius shrugged and kicked the bag he'd been fiddling with off the floor and up into his hands. Drawing up a chair of his own, he sat backwards, legs straddling the chair, one arm resting on the back, and the other casually swinging the bag back and forth like a pendulum.  

Maribelle, catching her breath, didn't allow the look of anger to escape her. Brow furrowed, she stood back up and placed her hands firmly on her hips and bent down to look Gaius in the face.

"Excuse me, Gaius, but this-" she stopped to grab her belly, wrapping both hands around it and "- is YOUR fault, Mister." 

"Woah! Let's not go pointing any fingers, or guts, in my direction, Doll!" 

"It's you who brings all those sugary and sweet things in the house!"

"Hey, I never told you you had to eat them... in fact I think I said the opposite for most of it."

"I! WELL!... of course, you are right, Gaius, dear." Maribelle's pent up anger and embarrasment seemed to deflate her as they spirited away. She rocked a few seconds on the balls of her feet, her tummy bobbing with the motions, and then slumped back into her chair. "I'm sorry, Gaius. I've just been under so much stress lately. Studying law, taking care of the finances, assisting the King and Queen, and so on-"

-

A Few Months Prior

Piles of books surrounded Maribelle at her personal desk. The lamps in the room were flickering dimly, and bags were forming under Maribelle's eyes. She hadn't looked this bad in months, but she had to look over all of these case files. She needed to cram all the info she could, or she'd never be able to make it. Or at least she wouldn't make it on the merit that she deserved to be a Magistrate. She was going to get that job by hard work, not by her name... 

Her mouth fidgeted in a jagged grimace the more she stared at the words in front of her. The old dusty book was about as boring as the last book (which was simply dusty, not old), and covered very few cases which sparked her interest. Nothing that led to any great breakthrough in the justice system. Nothing that could be used as an example for future cases that others didn't do better. But if she didn't look, she would be shirking her duty. Taking one last look at the brown and black pages, speckled with ink and age, Maribelle's eyes could no longer take another second of it and she wrenched them off, if only for a small break.

Stretching her arms, she waited to yawn before she could cup a dainty hand over her mouth. Even when alone, posture and manners were paramount. Or when everyone else was asleep, rather.

At this late hour, the only thing keeping her awake was a pot of the strongest black tea she could get, and a platter of chocolates no one but Gaius could have planted there. And he was also the most likely one to leave the crudely scrawled note she found on top of them: "Not Stolen. Well, the chocolates weren't. Can't tell with the gold these days."

Pouring herself another steaming cup of tea, she blew on it for a few seconds before turning to the still full tray of candies. She'd avoided them all night... but this tea was awfully bitter. And she was awfully hungry.

Placing her cup back on it's saucer (which was on a doily of its own), she removed the note and inspected the chocolates. Small thin squares textured with many diagonal lines, and a small rose shaped indent in the center. "How charming." 

Surely such finely crafted delicacies couldn't be ignored. Not if money was spent on it. Just because she HAD money didn't mean it had to be spent. Especially since their surplus had never been too large to begin with. No, keeping Gaius in check was almost a job on its own. Not just from spending more than he was allowed (keeping him away from the Bakery usually fixed that), but stopping him from doing what he was best at.

The thought of Gaius's 'job' caused another wave of stress to hit Mirabelle, and with that, she picked up the first chocolate. Anything to make her feel better. 

And it did, the taste of the first tiny chocolate took her mind off her troubles as it melted in her mouth. Sweet, nutty, and a little kick to her mind. She felt a lot sharper as the sugar hit her system. For a brief minute, she was focused and relaxed. But as soon as the last bit slid down her throat, she began to remember where the chocolate came from. And looking at her books, an anvil fell into the pit of her stomachs. A fear that she tried to avoid. Sure he didn't steal these but one day, no doubt, if she were to be a judge, Gaius would end up in front of her in court one day. She would have to give trial to her own husband... and she would be faced with the straight up humiliation of having a thief for a husband, which she could ignore... but it would also come with the price of her credibility being drained, a possible loss of her whole family's status, and WORSE of all... knowing she'd have to give the order to put Gaius in prison. Or worse.

The growing void in the pit of her stomach began to pain her. So she tried to return to her books. But now the pages looked jumbled, she saw nothing but squiggles, and each time she tried to tighten her focus, a nagging voice in the back of her head told her what would happen if she did what she wanted to do.
And, without thinking, Maribelle reached back to the plate and grabbed another chocolate.

and another

and another

Until she wasn't only full, and the platter almost emptied, but Maribelle found herself at the end of the stack of books she'd allotted for the night, with a concise list of notes that held all the information she would need from them in neat handwriting. 

-

And from then on, not really knowing that having something to nibble on was helping her focus, Maribelle subconsciously not only allowed Gaius to supply her with a snack or two, but asked for it. It was never anything BIG, but always something sweet (Cause anything else to Gaius was food-homework), and something added to Maribelle's perfectly portioned meals.

As such, over time, her stomach went from flat and healthy (not too skinny, but no jiggling), to having the tiniest bulge. Maribelle knew then what the cause of it was, but instead of giving up her answer to her problems, she simply brought out one of her mother's old corsets and used that to keep her curves in check outside the house. Though, the corset wasn't really made to hold in much, and Maribelle's snail paced growth didn't seem to be stopped, no matter how sluggish. 

And just as king Chrom himself was scheduled to arrive for a meeting, Maribelle fretted even more at the fact that the corset could barely be tied anymore.

-


"I know, babe, I know. And you know I don't care if you have a bit of fluff for now." Gaius reached over his chair and rubbed his gloved hand on top of Maribelle's little globe, patting it. And it jiggled in tandem with both that and Maribelle's regal laugh. 

"Ohohoho! Stop it, Gaius. Please." She begged, lightly slapping his hand away. The flush had returned to her face, but it was no longer for any reason of discomfort.

"Oh, but you know how I love muffins." Gaius shot back a roguish smile, but removed his hand anyway. 

"But it's unsightly Gaius. And it gives me a soft image. The people won't take me seriously. Or they'll think me indulgent. It's just all not in my favor." Maribelle placed a hand on Gaius's own and looked him in the eyes. "So, for me, I have to ask you to take all your candies and other such nonsense and hide them away from me. Some place where only you can find them, Darling. I have a strict diet from today forward." A frown flashed on Maribelle's face. All of this had started as a way to escape her problems briefly, but had done nothing but cause more that were much harder to remove. 

For a bit earlier in the day, she had almost wanted to believe Chrom's 'curse' talk to explain her newfound porky middle, but in her heart she knew it was just Chrom being Chrom. There was no curse. Just a bunch of women trying to find peace with themselves after a long war... and she needed to buck up and face that instead of drowning her fears in chocolate. And that also meant putting her foot down.

"And you, Gaius... are forbidden from thieving." 

"E-excuse me?"

"You have no reason to steal any longer, do you hear me? You have all the money you need. It is no longer, in any way, a 'noble' pursuit to escape poverty."

"B-but-"

"No buts! Gaius, I am a judge and I'd sooner throw myself in prison than put you there. So for our sake, please, find a new hobby."

And there was not a mark of a tear in Maribelle's face at that moment. No cringing, no cowering. Even with a potbelly and nothing but her underclothes, Gaius could do nothing but close his mouth. Maribelle was the strongest person he knew when it came to presence. That steely glint in her eye, that perfect posture... he knew that not a single word of what she said was idle. She would gladly give her own freedom for his if it came down to it. 

"I promise." No sappiness entered Gaius's words. He was going to do his best in this relationship. Maribelle was the kinda girl you stole FOR... or rather, stopped stealing for. And if she was by his side, there was no reason to continue. "I'm sure I can find something. Maybe I can sign up to help train Chrom's new recruits? I mean, I only have one skill set."

"Then it's a deal?" Maribelle held out her hand, a light smile on her face.

Gaius reached forward and grabbed her hand and gave it a firm shake, meeting her eyes. 

"You got it, Boss."