Learning To Trust

Summary: Yunaka lied to Alfred and the Divine Dragon. It's a habit she needs to be trained out of. As the Prince of Firene, Alfred decides it's his responsibility to help train her out of her first instincts to lie; which involves punishing her for lying to him and Alear on their first meeting
Warning(s): Spanking; spoilers for Fire Emblem: Engage; references to violence
Author's Note: The idea of Yunaka being punished is discussed in the game, but the characters consider her 'punishment' to be joining them in their battle. Since it feels like being recruited into a fight to save the world shouldn't be considered a punishment, this fic was born

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It was later in the evening, when they were all resting at the Somniel, that Alfred realised he wouldn't be able to sleep.

He finished playing his music for the Divine One, hoping to soothe them to sleep, and then left the area. He hoped that he'd succeeded in soothing Alear to sleep, but he knew that sleep was going to prove to be elusive to him.

He was troubled by the newest ally the Divine Dragon had recruited. Yunaka had seemed harmless enough. She'd seemed like someone who was open and sincere...and then she'd revealed that she lied to them. On their very first meeting, her initial instinct had been to lie.

Alfred knew that trust was incredibly important when it came to those you fought alongside. How could any of them fight alongside Yunaka if they didn't know how much she said was the truth or not? She might not try to attack them, but without trust, they wouldn't be able to comfortably turn their backs on her.

Sighing quietly to himself, Alfred took a few moments to make his decision. Yunaka might be resting like the rest of their allies, but if she wasn't, then he could take that time to talk to her.

Walking into the main building, Alfred headed towards Yunaka's room, wondering if she might still be awake...or if he was about to disturb her. If he didn't feel like this was so important, he would have waited until the morning and dealt with the sleepless night.

But they were all fighting together. And it was necessary they all be able to trust each other. On his very first meeting with her, Yunaka had proven just how easy she found it to lie. And the Divine One seemed inclined to trust her, but Alfred had noticed other things about their newest recruit that had raised his suspicions even further, especially in the way she dodged any of his questions about her past.

So now, he stood outside her door, hoping he'd find a reason to trust her; hoping to find that Alear hadn't made a mistake in recruiting the would-be thief to their cause.

Taking a deep breath to fortify himself (he was a Prince; he needed to get used to having the difficult conversations), Alfred knocked on the door.

It was almost immediately opened and Yunaka stood on the other side. Her eyes widened...and then she gave him a wide, happy grin. "Prince Alfred! What brings you to my humble abode?"

"I'd like to talk to you." He smiled at her, trying to put her at ease. "May I come in?"

"Of course!" She stepped back from the door, allowing him to enter her room, and then closed the door behind him. "Would you like some tea? I noticed Princess Céline loves to drink it, so I picked some new leaves up during my last trip out. Would you like to try some and tell me if you think she'd like it?"

"Of course. That would be nice." He lingered near the door, watching as she moved over to her small table and began to prepare the tea. It took a few minutes, so he had time to figure out what he wanted to say to her. When she brought the cup to him and handed it over, he took a sip and then smiled at her. "This is really good! It might even become my sister's new favourite."

"Thank you!" She beamed brightly at him. "So what brings the Prince of Firene to my room? I know it's not just to taste my great tea," she teased.

"You're right." He took another sip of the tea, then put the cup down. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened at our first meeting," he said seriously.

"Uh-oh. That sounds ominous." She laughed.

"You lied to us." There was no reason to dance around the problem, so he went straight for it. "On our first meeting. You had the choice to be honest with us, and you chose not to take it. I know the Divine One trusts you, but I don't feel quite so easy, knowing that you lied without a second thought."

Yunaka winced and looked down, giving every appearance of a scolded child who knew she'd been naughty. "You're right," she said quietly. "I did lie to you. I lied to both of you. I'm surprised that my only 'punishment' has been to be recruited into this war...which I don't think I can really consider a true punishment, given I know we're saving the world." She looked up at him. "Have you changed your mind about me? Would you rather I return the ring and leave you all?"

"No. Of course not." He winced, wondering if he should have instead left this up to his sister. She was better at this kind of thing than he was. Even he knew that his methods of dealing with things tended to be more towards flashy and showy rather than subtle. "I don't want you to leave. I don't think you should leave," he said. "But I'm not willing to let your lying go by without some kind of response. Some kind of punishment that's not being recruited into a war."

"Yeah." Yunaka sighed. "Honestly, being recruited doesn't really feel like much of a punishment. I actually feel like I belong here more than I did anywhere else...." Her voice trailed off and she shook her head. "I'm probably not making much sense."

"No. I agree with you." Alfred smiled at her. "The Divine One has a way of making all those here feel like a family. But as a family, we shouldn't be lying to each other."

"What about hiding things? Is that the same as lying?"

"If you don't want to reveal something about your past, that's absolutely your right," he said. "But you don't need to lie about it. All you need to do is say you don't want to talk about it. I won't push," he promised.

"But if I outright lie, you'll punish me?" She raised her eyebrows. "What did you have in mind?"

"Spanking." He winced when the word came out more bluntly than he was intending. "I mean...when I was much younger and told lies, my own mother used spanking. And I learned a great deal from it and her. So I think it's a punishment worth using that won't be damaging or cause lasting harm."

"But you know I'm not actually a child, right?"

"I know," he agreed. "But spanking is a punishment used among family members. And we're a family here. I know you feel it too," he said honestly.

Yunaka looked into his eyes for a few moments, almost searching them, before she finally nodded. "You're right. I do feel like I'm part of the family here. Like I belong here. But of all the ways I thought you might punish me, spanking wasn't anywhere close to the top of the list."

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Alfred smiled at her. She sounded incredulous, but not as if she was going to refuse or argue with him. "I know it's not exactly a conventional way of dealing with things, but it works as a deterrent and it's used by someone who cares about you."

A tiny smile passed across her face and she whispered, "I never had anyone care about me in that way before. I think being cared about in that way might be worth being punished in such a strange way."

"I'm glad you said that," Alfred said quietly. "I hope you won't be upset with me for saying this, but I think, based on our first meeting and so you know what to expect in the future, I should give you a spanking now."

"Yeah." Yunaka sighed. "I sort of figured you might say that. So how do you want to do this?"

"If you're comfortable here, we might as well take care of it right now," he replied. "I'm going to sit on the bed and you're going to walk over to me. Then I'm going to put you over my lap and lower your trousers and underwear so that I can spank your bare bottom." He waited long enough for her to voice any objections, or ask any questions, before he walked over to the bed. He sat down far enough on the bed to ensure her body would be fully supported, then waited.

She took a deep breath and walked over to his side. Making eye contact with him, she said quietly, "For what it's worth, I am sorry I lied to you. I should have told both you and the Divine One the truth from the start."

He nodded. "I appreciate that. I hope you'll remember this the next time you're tempted to lie. You don't need to. Neither I or the Divine Dragon will judge you for being honest, or for telling us that you don't want to talk about it." He took her hand and pulled her into position across his lap.

Breathing out slowly, Yunaka crossed her hands behind her back. "You might need to hold me in place. I'm not sure I'll be able to resist trying to fight," she admitted.

"Thank you." Alfred took her hands and squeezed them gently, holding them in place against her back. He then proceeded to tug both her trousers and underwear down.

"I'm sorry I lied." She spoke the words to the floor, her body slumping over his lap.

"I appreciate that. I hope you'll learn from this and realise you don't need to lie. We're a family. We won't judge you." He rubbed her back gently for a few moments, then moved his hand a little lower. Raising it, he brought it down in a firm smack at the crest of her right cheek.

Yunaka's body jerked and she let out a sharp cry before whimpering, "That hurt."

He nearly apologised, but thought better of it. After all, the point of the punishment was to cause discomfort; to make her think next time, so that she didn't lie again. Still, he used a bit less force behind the matching swat he gave her left buttock.

Another tiny whimper escaped her lips, but she didn't voice another protest. Her body began shifting slightly as he continued to pepper her backside with firm, stinging smacks all the way down to the tops of her thighs. By the time he completed a second circuit of swats, her bottom was flushed to a light pink in colour and he could hear her beginning to sniffle softly.

"I don't know what happened in your past. I don't know if I ever will know. But I can tell you this: the people here, including me and the Divine One, are your family. You can trust us." Alfred began a third circuit of smacks, swatting a fraction harder and faster. "You have no reason to lie. And if you lie to us again...if you lie to me again...then you will find yourself in this position once more," he promised.

"I'm sorry!" Yunaka's voice broke and she slumped over his lap, beginning to sob in earnest.

His hand slowed and then stopped as he winced at the sound of her tears. He squeezed her hands and rubbed her back gently before he spoke in a soft voice. "I believe you're sorry. I believe you didn't intend to lie and potentially damage our trust in you. I forgive you," he promised.

Her sobs increased in strength a little before they began to die down. She gently gripped his hands in return. "I can't say I really wanted you to spank me, but I feel...better now? Almost lighter. Freer." Her voice was thick with tears, but she sounded calm and accepting. Almost at peace.

"Good. I'm glad." He rubbed her back for a few more moments, giving her a bit more time to calm down, and then carefully pulled her clothing back into place. He then helped her to stand up and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close and tight. "I believe in you."

"Thank you." She breathed in deeply and relaxed into his arms, wrapping her own tight around him in return.

For now, they had peace. It couldn't last, but Alfred could be happy right now, in this moment.

The End