"Hah!"

With a sickening crunch, Seris felt a fist slam full into his face, sending him sprawling to the ground. His sparring partner, Raimi, had never pulled her punches against him, but this time, her strike had been with all her might. The knight had never liked the tactician, ever since he orchestrated her defeat almost three years prior, and took out her dislike whenever they were paired up for sparring sessions. Looking at her fallen opponent, the tall knight shook her head in disgust and walked away.

Rolling onto one knee, Seris spat out a large globule of blood, and was about to charge the woman from behind when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw the tall form of the Khan of Regna Ferox, Flavia, her dark skin standing out in the light flurry of snow.

"I think it's time I sat you two idiots down for a talk. Is your nose broken? All your teeth still attached to your head?" Flavia's voice had a strangely worried tone, almost like a concerned elder sister. She had taken a liking to Seris, and he had a feeling that the only reason Raimi actually stopped attacking was because she had orders not to permanently injure the young man.

He was not a poor fighter. On the contrary, the long campaigns against Valm and Plegia, combined with constant, brutal training under the watchful eyes of Frederick, had hardened his body. While in terms of height and stature, he would probably never rival the likes of Basilio or Vaike, he could still fight on par with the both of them. Especially since he had moved to Regna Ferox at Flavia's insistence, shortly following the war's end.

He still felt uncomfortable, having stood by and allowed Chrom to put the Fell Dragon, Grima, back to sleep, rather than sacrifice himself and destroy the fiend forever. He suspected that his decision would bother him for many years to come.

Shaking himself back to reality, Seris slowly got to his feet, and discovered to his dismay that his back left molar had come loose. No doubt due to Raimi's tender care. Shaking the snow off his tunic, the tactician ran a hand along the rest of his almond-shaped face, checking for any other signs of damage. To his relief, nothing seemed broken, though the area that had been struck would no doubt swell up unless he got some ice on it. There seemed to be an overabundance of that in Regna Ferox these days.

"I'm fine. Thank you, though." The tactician looked at the tall woman standing next to him, slightly intimidated by her mere presence, as usual.

Khan Flavia made many people feel like that. While Basilio was an enormous man, you could tell just by looking at him that he was also nowhere near as harsh as the weather in his home. Flavia was different. She was friendly, yes, but unlike her friend and rival, she didn't wear her emotions on her sleeves (or lack thereof). The tall, dark skinned woman was beautiful, but that beauty was someone tempered by the fact that she was VERY rarely seen without her armor, a trait typical for a Khan.

For some reason, she had taken a liking to Seris, and had requested that he become her tactician after the war. While Seris definitely enjoyed the camaraderie he had found in Ylisstol, and missed the friends he had made, he had left seeking new challenges. Chrom had been unhappy to see his friend leave, but hadn't complained, given that Ylisstol and Regna Ferox were not too far apart from each other.

Flavia hadn't answered him, but was instead staring intently at his jaw. The intensity of her gaze surprised Seris, and he couldn't help but turn away, slightly red. He wasn't used to this kind of attention from the fairer sex, and, for some reason, thinking about the Khan made him flush slightly. He had never had much time to pay attention to the various women he had encountered, prior to awakening in a field, but now his schedule was much more open to possibilities other than simply being the best tactician Ylisse had ever seen.

Looking at the Khan, Seris realized that she wasn't usually present for the randomized sparring matches the Feroxian general was so fond of. She must have been there for a specific reason, and Seris was determined to find out what it was.

"You aren't usually around to see me get tossed in the snow, Khan Flavia. Is there something I can help you with?" He asked, a little warily, before grabbing a small handful of snow, and stuffing it into his mouth. Waiting until it melted, he swished the water around before spitting out the frothy pink liquid.

"Yes, actually. The yearly gathering of Khan's is approaching, and I want you to be my champion, if it's not too much to ask." Flavia seemed to snap out of a reverie, and stood up to her full height. Tall though Seris was, he was still a few inches shorter than the Khan.

Stunned, Seris took a step back. Flavia usually asked Chrom to champion her, and for a good reason. Chrom was slightly shorter than Seris, but more muscular, and a better swordsman, in Seris' eyes. Seris was a competent fighter, but was more suited towards magic than swordsfaire.

"But what about Chrom? You usually ask him to champion you." He managed to stop himself from stammering in shock.

Flavia looked down in irritation.

"The oaf already got to him. And since Lucina disappeared, the only one I can think of that could match him is you."

Sometime after the war, Chrom's daughter from the future had vanished, without a trace. It had worried the Ylissean Exalt and his wife to no end, and had intrigued Seris, who had pondered it for a while. Maybe she had left to find a future in some other corner of the world, now that the threat of Grima was no more. Maybe she returned to her time through the Outrealm Gate, in order to secure peace at last to her war torn home. No one would know, given that she had left without saying farewell to anyone except her infant counterpart.

"Khan Basilio moves fast. But are you sure you want me? I'm sure there are others better suited to the task. Lon'qu, maybe. Or Priam." Seris couldn't help but ask.

"Lon'qu refused to, citing his defeat by Lucina as a disgrace. But I personally think he doesn't want to worry his wife. As for the Radiant Descendant, I couldn't find him. Even so, you were my first choice. Of all the fighter's I have ever seen, you are the only one who could possibly stand a snowballs chance in hell against Chrom."

"I would have your answer, Seris. Will you champion me, or not?" She rode him off as he opened his mouth."

Sighing in defeat, Seris slumped his broad shoulders.

"Yes, Khan Flavia. I will be your champion."