A/N: A new, relatively unknown couple I fell in love with after playing Path of Radiance. Titania and Greil... such an interesting dynamic. The way it's addressed in the game, I was wondering about it during just the canon scenes, before I even knew about the lines in the Ike/Titania support. Once I read that, I was very excited, and knew I had found another couple I could really enjoy writing about.

They are so close, and yet the guilt Greil must feel about the way Elena died, and then if he fell in love again? I can't even imagine. And Titania, too, I'm sure, would feel incredibly terrible about loving him, knowing how close he was to Elena. So I hope I can convey all the mixed emotions, confusion, etc., and still get their characters right.

This will PROBABLY be probably seven parts, ROUGHLY chronological. Not quite, though, but I'll try to explain that when I get to it. For now, this chapter is about when Greil and Titania meet, the circumstances of which I remember from the Titania/Ike support in PoR. More chapters will come soon, all the way until Titania's thoughts after Greil's death. So please keep on the watch! I know this probably doesn't have a huge fandom, but give it a try, and please leave a review. I need the reviews more than ever on this kind of fic. Thank you and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is owned by Nintendo, not me.

The hall was full of beaten men and stuffed-up knights who had thought they could stand up to Greil's might. As Titania's axe fell with a clatter to the floor, the great warrior sized her up and gave her a small nod. He had barely broken a sweat. "What's your name?"

"Titania. I'm here on an exchange from Crimea."

"You fought very well," Greil said. "Much better than the rest of these eggheads."

"I'm – I'm honored," Titania replied, a little flustered, but still in pure awe of his skill. "Sir – are you going to be in Gallia for a long while?"

"I expect so."

By now, the rest of the knights and soldiers were starting to filter out of the royal hall, all avoiding eye contact with Greil. They bent their heads in shame, trying to exit without being seen. But Titania met his gaze boldly, suppressing another tremble at the power in his eyes and his stance. "If you have the time or inclination," she began, fighting to keep her voice steady, for she was quite exhausted, "I would be honored beyond words if you would teach me how to fight like you do."

Again Greil studied her. As Titania held her breath, hoping beyond hope, he nodded, very slowly. "Be here bright and early tomorrow – daybreak – and we'll begin, out in the back. There are handy plains and woods that will provide decent training ground."

"Thank you, sir!" breathed Titania, nodding hurriedly. She gave him a quick salute, a young knight determined to please. To her relief, Greil smiled, and the change in his face was remarkable. He didn't seem quite as scary when he smiled.

"Titania, this is my wife, Elena. And my son, Ike."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Titania!" smiled Elena. Her face was radiant with true sincerity and shimmered with quiet beauty, bright eyes crinkled by her curving lips. She held a tiny bundle of blankets and fluffy hair, the boy called Ike, gently in her arms. Her fingers rested near the boy's rosy face. Every now and then, Titania noticed Elena patting her son's cheek, ever so faintly, just the tiniest touch enough to reassure her of the warmth, strength, and life emanating from the helpless infant in her arms. She smiled and looked from Greil to Titania before speaking again. "You have been sparring against my husband, then? He must have been impressed!"

"I was, quite! She's nearly gotten the better of me, many times. She could beat all those other barking, wasted men with one arm tied behind her back, at the very least," said Greil, giving Titania a nod and a grin. Titania brushed away his praise, though inside she was delighted.

"That's not a particularly hard task, though," she said, grinning back at Greil.

Elena laughed. Out of the corner of her eye, Titania saw the great fighter's entire manner change in seconds. The gruff, powerful, unyielding warrior she had gotten to know vanished, to be replaced by a man who was hardly recognizable, so different were the two behaviors. Greil's tough face lit up at Elena's laugh. His smile soared into his eyes. Standing beside his wife, with one arm around her shoulders, his fingers absently twining in her hair, he cooed to his baby son like the gentlest of nannies, the kindest of saints. The love in his face, his eyes, and his touch was absolute, full, and so warm; Titania imagined she could see their affection for one another filling the space around them, the entire room, perhaps even the whole world.

"Would you like to say hello?" said Elena, nodding towards little Ike.

Rather involuntarily, Titania smiled and hurried over, accepting the baby from Elena's arms. It had been years since she last held a child, she realized suddenly – ever since she had left her home to serve Crimea, then left Crimea in the exchange with Gallia. But she still knew, intuitively, what to do. Ike's face was tiny and red, as innocent as the smallest flower, and as she slowly rocked him back and forth, he wriggled comfortably in her arms. Titania laughed. His shock of bluish hair, so like his mother's, was as soft as down against her fingertips. Feeling his parents' warm gazes upon her, she looked up, touched by their unexpected kindness.

As the days wore on into weeks and months, Titania was still sore and achy after every sparring session with Greil, but at the same time proud, full of the knowledge that she was receiving training unlike any that any other knight of Crimea would ever experience. Whenever she visited Greil's home, she sat with Elena and held baby Ike, and they told stories of their homeland and their time away while waiting for Greil to return. He always spent some time honing his skills on his own after Titania was done for the day. When he came back, Titania would thank him, embrace her friend Elena, and wave to Ike before departing, leaving the young family to spend the afternoon together. Every day, even in the dead of winter, the lovely warmth still seemed to radiate from their home, making Titania smile every time she felt it.