A/N: This was done for Absol master's FE 7 challenge, where you must write a FlorinaxHector pairing, with Lucius as the main character. This was actually the hardest challenge I've accepted so far. xx
Disclaimer: I don't own.
-x-
Another Battle against Nergal's Morph army had Lucius tired.
"Will the fighting never end?" he sighed into the cloudy skies above. The cold, white snow fell onto his nose gingerly; he wiped it off with a finger. He spotted Florina in combat up ahead; she pierced the enemy mage easily with her steel lance, sending the morph mage to the ground to turn into dust. He smiled. She's so timid around men but always felt at ease with him. Which is why he wasn't surprised when she came into his tent late last night asking him a favor.
"Help me talk to Lord Hector…" she had told him, Lucius chuckled,
"Don't worry, Florina, I'll help you." He looked ahead and found that the three Lords had defeated the Bishop Kenneth; Lucius shook his head, that man was a sorry excuse for a Bishop. He waited for Lyn and Eliwood to leave Hector so Lucius could talk to him.
He walked up to the blue-haired Lord casually.
"Hello, Lord Hector." The lord appeared surprised when he turned around to see Lucius.
"Oh, Lucius, what brings you here?"
"I was wondering have you spoken to that girl over there?" he pointed to Florina who was conversing with Lyndis.
"Oh, her. I've spoken to her on occasions… "His eyes rolled. "Mostly when her winged beast decides my hair is a tasty bunch of grass." Lucius chuckled at him.
"Oh wonderful humor, my Lord. But honestly, you should speak to her. She's a very kind girl.
"How come? What's there to talk about?"
"She enjoys talking about many things, just ask her." Lucius walked off quickly after saying that. Hector stared after him. "What the heck was that about?"
-x-
After setting up camp in the snow-blanketed mountains of Bern, Florina decided to seek out Lucius, finally finding his tent, she went inside after addressing her name to Lucius, to be polite.
"Um, father Lucius…" Lucius looked up from his book.
"Please, let's not be formal here, call me Lucius." He smiled.
"Um, Lucius… Lord Hector came to me earlier and…"
"Yes?"
"He… he said hi…" She seemed to shake in fear.
"…That's all?" he said. " Florina, what did you say to him?" He stood up from his chair.
"I said… nothing, I-I ran a-away…" Lucius sighed.
"Florina, you mustn't be afraid of him." He tried to soothe her.
"B-but I can't help it… I just feel so uncomfortable around men…" Lucius gave her a look.
"I-I mean, around Hector… your nice, Lucius." He laughed,
"This calls for a potion," He walked over to a small desk.
"P-potion?" He nodded as he showed her a small bottle, green liquid sloshed inside.
"Will it hurt?"
"No." He laughed, "Drink this and your shy, timid-ness towards men will disappear!"
He handed it to her.
"R-really? Okay, I'll try…" She took out the cork and sniffed the liquid inside, her face turned into a look of disgust.
"What is the flavor?" she asked meekly.
"It doesn't have a flavor, though it does have an odd smell…" the monk replied.
Florina smiled weakly and downed the potion in several large gulps, making an odd face afterwards.
"I don't feel any different…" Lucius chuckled.
"It will not take effect for two more hours."
Florina sighed.
"Don't worry Florina; try talking to him again in two hours, alright?"
The lavender haired girl nodded and left the tent quickly. Lucius sighed.
"May Elimine give her hope."
-x-
It had been too hours and twenty minutes, Lucius decided to seek out Hector. He wanted to ask him about Florina, even though the Lord seemed to not show any interest in the timid Pegasus knight, Lucius could sense the smallest hint of curiosity when talking about her.
The snow fell quietly from the grey skies above; Lucius had to pull his robes closer to his body to keep warm in the frigid winds. When he finally reached Lord Hector's tent, he swore he heard a voice, a female voice at that.
His curiosity began to get the best of him; he knelt down and opened the flap, lifting it ever so slightly to hear the conversation clearer.
"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry," he heard Florina's tiny voice pipe.
"For landing on you before, back in Caelin…" Hector chuckled.
"Huh, that's okay, I didn't think of it before, but…" he paused a moment. "I'm glad you weren't hurt in that accident."
"I was so scared, t-that arrow almost… I could have died!" Florina sighed. "… Thank you…"
Lucius smiled, he was so very proud of Florina. After hearing silence for a moment, he opened the flap more so he could see inside; he was startled when he found them holding each other's hands, staring into the other's eyes dreamily.
He quickly closed the flap quietly when he saw the couple move in for a kiss. He smiled to himself, he knew they would be fine, maybe stay together after the war.
Lucius turned around, he gasped when he found Raven staring at him, arms folded over his chest.
"L-lord Raymond, I-it's not what it looks like I'm doing!" Lucius stuttered. Raven simply smirked.
"I know exactly what you're doing…" Lucius frowned; Elimine would shun him for spying like he just did.
"You're watching that Ostian lout to find a weakness. And I thought you were against my plans of revenge against Ostia…" He trailed of as he walked away, chuckling to himself.
Lucius stared after him, after a moment, laughed to himself, walking back to his own tent and escaping the cold.
-x-
"Father Lucius!" Florina ran into his tent excitedly.
"How many times, Florina, call me-"
"I'm sorry, but I wanted to tell you that I talked to him! I talked to Lord Hector!"
Lucius laughed at her energy.
"Your potion truly worked, Lucius, thank you!"
Lucius shook his head.
"Actually, Florina, That 'potion' was nothing but some mixed herbs and leaves in water. You believed it would help you, by Believing in yourself. The potion didn't do anything."
Florina stared. "… You mean, I did that all on my own?"
Lucius nodded and Florina threw him into a hug.
"Oh thank you, father Lucius!" Lucius coughed.
"Oops, I mean, Lucius."
They both laughed it off, knowing Florina was going to spend more time than ever with Hector now, they were truly meant to be.
Fin.
A/N: Okay, so hopefully it's good because I had little to NO inspiration at all for this, and that's what took me so darn long to get it up here since I accepted the challenge two months ago… I fail.
Reviews make a girl very happy!