A/N:This story follows You are the Wind at My Back, but could stand alone (if you squint and tilt your head).

Summary: 1 year after Grima's demise, Chrom returns to Ylisse to pick up the pieces of his life, and struggles to come to terms with the loss of Ophelia, his wife and tactician. This could be dark at times, I really wanted to capture just how deeply a loss can affect you. My OC, Ophelia, is essentially Robin, just renamed. :)

I plan on updating weekly, but I'm a dreadfully slow writer so who knows. :p

I hope you enjoy it. As always, I love hearing from you. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 1

Falchion cut through its target with ease; the fallen Grimleal shrieked before it breathed its last. I swiped a spattering of its putrid blood from my cheek, staining my glove. I glanced around through the misty air; the sound of battle echoed hollowly in my ears. Around me, my comrades and the Grimleal mixed in an indistinguishable mass of bodies and weapons. The fighting layered Grima's slick scales with steaming blood. I breathed heavily; the long battle had worn me down, and I could tell my companions were growing fatigued. My tactician Ophelia was still at my side. Her steady presence was reassuring, and gave me the strength to push forward through the enemy ranks along the dragon's thick neck. Spells erupted around us; the clashing of metal on metal was deafening. Ophelia shot a thunderbolt at a thrashing enemy ahead of us and I finished it off with an arcing slash of Falchion.

"Chrom, they just keep appearing!" Ophelia cried over the din. Grima's growing army had slowly encased us. I willed myself not to acknowledge the sickening dread creeping into my mind. Doubt had no place in a leader's mind.

"We must press on! We can't give up when we are so close!" I said. Even when the odds were against us, I knew we had to continue forward. Our goal was too important to give up now. Ophelia nodded. A quick and sly smile played over her lips before disappearing again; she knew I was too stubborn to surrender.

Then, above the sounds of battle, a melodic and calming voice rang clearly in my ears:

"Hear my words, Awakener! Grima's servants will beset you to no end. Dispatch him as soon as you are able! Once the fell one is weakened, a choice will await you... If Chrom lets fall the final blow, Grima shall survive but return to his slumber...

If Ophelia strikes in Chrom's stead, both her life and Grima's are forever over. Only in this way may the fell dragon be destroyed for good and all.

The final decision...is yours."**

"The dragon is weak; we can finish this together!" Ophelia said to me. Her eyes gleamed dangerously behind the grime on her face. She quickly squeezed my hand, and I felt a rush of strength from her touch. With Ophelia by my side, I could do anything.

Grima's roar shook its body beneath our feet, but we continued forward. I knew what I had to do.

I would fall the final blow. It was the only way to protect what meant the most to me.

A horde of enemies crashed into me and separated Ophelia from my side. By the time I had fought my way out, my tactician had jumped out ahead. She stopped at the base of Grima's neck and in front of her stood her replica, Grima's human form. Grima fired a bright orb of energy and Ophelia jumped out the way, parrying with her own thunderbolt. It struck the replica in the chest and it fell to the ground, doubled over in pain. Ophelia stood over it; her hands began to glow with a purple energy.

"Ophelia, what are you-" I choked on my words. Without even a moment's hesitation, Ophelia released an energy orb that connected instantly with Grima. The human form of Grima exploded into a purple miasma. It let out an otherworldly scream that soon mingled with the dragon's own shrieks. I covered my ears against the roars. The body of the great dragon thrashed beneath my feet and I fell to one knee. The world tumbled around me; I felt like I was spinning out of control.

Ophelia had made the final blow. This was the end of Grima.

Grima's army faded around us. My faithful companions became shrouded in the purple haze of the fading soldiers. Ophelia shimmered in the haze… Or was she also fading into the darkening sky? Ophelia turned toward me, a smile on her face. The wind rushed around her, rippling the once solid outline of her body.

"No! Ophelia! Ah gods, no!" I bellowed, yet no matter how loudly I yelled or how quickly I ran, I still could not seem to bridge the distance between us. I stumbled as I raced toward her and I faltered. Her colors were softening. Her outline was hard to make out against the sky. Tears began to mingle with the sweat on my face.

"Tell the others my last thoughts were of them. May we meet again in a better life."* Her voice was soft and calming.

"Ophelia!" I screamed. She turned away from me; a placid smile was still on her face.

She waved and faded into the setting sun.

I awoke with a quick and sharp shudder that shook my whole body. My eyes peeled open slowly, fighting against the grip of my dream. Reality settled in around me and the darkened room in the inn appeared in my vision. I slithered out from under the blankets, shivering against the cool air on my sweat-drenched skin. Rubbing my arms, I stopped by the drafty window. Gazing through the murky purple light of the sunrise, I could just make out the light blinking off the crisp white walls of Yllistol in the distance. On the street below me, the village was beginning to wake up.

Despite being awake, I still felt the foggy grips of my nightmare pulling at the edges of my consciousness. I pushed away at the memories, both real and imagined, that were flooding into my mind. It had been so long since I had dreamt of her… I was unprepared for the emotions that still cut me sharply, despite how long it has been. Strains of her voice replayed in my mind. I shook my head and tried to divert my thoughts. I reminded myself of my task in Ylisstol.

I had received a letter from Frederick urging me to return to the capitol and properly rule my halidom. For the past year, I had been running the state through correspondence with Lissa. I begrudgingly agreed with Frederick's logic. Ylisse needed their king to be present at the capitol, instead of roaming nomadically throughout the continent. I had already decided that I would stay for a few weeks to please Frederick, but in no way would my visit be permanent.

The faster I got back to the capitol, the faster I could leave. Luckily, with the sun making its way higher into the sky, I had no reason to go back to sleep and tempt the nightmares to reappear. I pulled on my traveling clothes and headed out of the little inn. When I emerged, the street-vendors were open and the early risers were perusing the fresh wares. I stopped to inspect a fine leather scabbard, and a small, plaintive voice called out to me.

"Sir, could you spare a cent?" I looked for the owner of the voice and found a small woman huddled by the stall. Her clothes were threadbare and she held a small jug in her hands for collecting money, "My husband was lost in the war, and we've been struggling ever since." She gestured to the two children sleeping against her. Nodding my head, I deposited a handful of gold pieces into her jug. Her eyes lit up at my contribution and a large, surprised smile spread across her face.

"Thank you, sir! Naga be praised." I nodded curtly and went on my way.

The Valmese war had concluded a little over a year ago. It had hit Ylisse during a time of prosperity following the Plegian War. I had expected the halidom to bounce back as quickly as it had before. Yet, most towns were still suffering and the reconstruction was taking much longer than it had in the past. Squalor and economic downturn was hard to reverse and my job was slow going. I was frustrated by my own lack of power; even as the king I could do nothing to help those suffering. It seemed like Ylisse would never be as it was before the Valmese War.

Then again, I did not know if I would ever be the same as I had been before the war…

The trek from the inn to Ylisstol was pleasant; the shining sun was tempered by spring clouds lazily floating across the sky. I moved quickly, one always does over roads they know well. When I arrived at the capitol, I pulled my traveling hood over my head. I had no desire to be recognized here. I hoped to slip into my home with little fanfare.

Passing through the town gates, I felt as I if I had entered the past. The capitol was bustling and thriving. The buildings shone as if they were all freshly painted. The struggles that the halidom was facing did not seem to have reached Ylisstol. The merchants eagerly proclaimed their wares and the shoppers thronged through the streets in dense crowds. Even the people themselves looked healthy and sanguine; they were not privy to the suffering of the rest of the halidom.

I allowed my pace to slow and my eyes to wander around my hometown. I scanned the marble buildings and elegant architecture. The familiarity was somewhat comforting. However, behind each friendly façade was a hidden memory poking at my subconscious, waiting for spill to the surface and fill me with bitterness. I pushed them away as I had been doing for months. Otherwise, I was bound to fall back into the past. I dreaded going back to that dark place.

I pushed inwards toward the capitol building, but the people and animals that filled much of the space hindered my movements. Amidst the crowd, a hooded figure pushed past me. I began to protest their indecency, but I caught a glimpse of auburn hair and the outline of a familiar face. I let out a sound of surprise, my head spinning.

Ophelia?

I wanted to leap forward but my limbs were frozen in place. In a flash, the figure was gone. I wildly scanned the crowd. My eyes flicked blindingly fast over the heads of the people around me. Finally, I caught sight of the figure. It was just a stranger.

Not her, not her, not her. I repeated it until I could breathe again. Slowly, my body began to respond again and I took a few haggard breaths. My heart still pounded loudly in my ears, nearly drowning out the crowd around me. I tried to calm my reeling mind. This was not the first time I had seen a specter like this one. I blamed the nightmares that had plagued me last night and my own weak mind. I forced myself to calm my breathing and my heart beat. Finally easing my pulse rate, I hurried back off into the crowd. Yet, even when the realization had settled in, my hands did not cease their quivering.

Any desire to walk leisurely through the town was quickly forgotten and I took the quickest route to the front gates. I came to the front gate of my home. The white facade stared coldly down at me. I realized suddenly it no longer felt like home.

A soldier positioned out of the doors stood up straighter as I approached.

"Good day! What business do you have here?" The knight asked immediately once I was in earshot.

"I'm returning home." I replied, removing my hood as I spoke. The knight's eyes widened a little as he recognized my face.

"My apologies, milord," The knight hurriedly opened the front gates and ushered me inside. The knight quickly regained his decorum, "I'll announce your arrival at once."

"There's no need for that," I said quickly, but the knight had already run off. I ran a hand through my hair; that did not leave me much time to prepare for the reunion. I wandered into the central courtyard debating what to do.

I had not been home for much too long, and Frederick had already insinuated in his letter that I was disregarding my duties. My heart sunk; it was unlikely that I would be getting a friendly greeting from anyone. Not to mention that, after year of scouring the entire continent, I had returned empty handed in my quest. My chest tightened at the thought, and I sucked in a breath at the sudden pain. Then my mind flashed to Lucina. Her face is so much like her mother's…

Deep in my thoughts, the slamming of a distant door caught my attention. I was still rooted in place in the courtyard. My heart started to race; this was all happening too fast. I hastily looked around the courtyard for an escape route.

The form a woman appeared under the open-air hallways and leaped into the courtyard with excited, energetic movements. Her pigtails bobbed wildly as she bounded towards me. With a little jump, she catapulted into my arms and wrapped her arms around my neck

"Chrom! I've missed you so much!" She cried, squeezing me in an excessively tight hug, "I'm so glad you're back!"

"Hey Lissa," I muttered into her wild blonde hair, "I've missed you too. But I can't breathe." With a loud giggle, Lissa released me. She wiped a small tear off her cheek, still smiling brightly.

"You've lost weight! Wait 'till Frederick sees that you haven't been keeping up your training regimen!" She teased with a playful jab at my stomach.

"I missed you for a good whole minute there Lissa, but now, not so much" I ruffled her hair, purposefully messing it up. Her eyebrows furrowed and she wriggled underneath my hand.

"Hey! Don't do that!" Lissa cried, trying to push my hand way. I laughed softly at her vain attempts. Over Lissa's head, I noticed another figure as they entered the courtyard.

"Hold milord, my companion can only move so fast." Frederick called to us and I turned fully in his direction. Frederick walked slowly, an eager child in tow. My feet started moving before I had even processed his appearance. I met them halfway. The navy haired child looked up at me and smiled broadly.

"Daddy!" She cried; letting go of Frederick's hand, she lifted her arms to me.

"Lucina," I breathed and scooped the small girl into my arms. She had grown so much since I had last seen her. My heart was in my throat, "Daddy's here."

"I love Daddy!" Lucina said animatedly; it was the only understandable phrase.

Had she been able to talk this well before?

She stopped talking suddenly. She wrapped her small arms around my neck and nuzzled in the nook above my collarbone. I stroked her hair gently. Holding Lucina with one hand, I offered my other hand to Frederick.

"It's good to see you, Frederick." Frederick grasped my hand, his expression uncharacteristically wistful.

"You were well missed, milord." Frederick replied with heartwarming sincerity.

"Come in!" Lissa called, leading Frederick and me toward the front doors. "You can't make it all this way and then just stand outside."

The doors yawned open before me; the hallway was dark and foreboding. My legs felt too heavy to move for a moment, but then I heard a soft breath from Lucina. She had fallen asleep on my shoulder. Her stillness was comforting, and I felt a sturdy solidarity in each of her even breaths. I let Lissa lead me into my home, unsure of what I would see in the familiar halls.

I do not own Fire Emblem

Text denoted with a ** is directly quoted from the game script.

Thanks for reading. :D