Disclaimer:This work is completely fiction, not-for-profit, and is not intended to infringe on any rights by and of Nintendo and/or other entities involved with production of the Fire Emblem franchise.

Chapter: The Rolling Hills of Chon'sin

Characters/Pairings: Lon'qu, Say'ri / (slight Lon'qu X Olivia)

Summary: Say'ri finds a hidden talent as a travel agent.

After an arduous travel to Valm the Shepards had finally found time for recovery and strategy. After traveling by sea for so long, the rest on land was welcomed by all. Lon'qu preferred to distance himself from the camp, which was becoming livelier with each character the Shepards recruited along their journey. Not so far he found a rather large tree on a hill which overlooked the camp. The tree's trunk was old and wrinkly with large branches curling about and covered with leaves. Its flowers were beginning to bloom. The blue petals were falling to the ground or blown off below by the slight breeze. For some reason Lon'qu felt very comforted by this tree and leaned against it. He began to close his eyes, slowly drifting into slumber.

"Ah, I see you've been drawn here as well." Lon'qu opened his eyes and tensed up. Not just because someone had found him, but because his intruder was a woman.

"Who's there?" He looked around, while trying to shake the thoughts of sleep from his mind.

"Tis I, Say'ri. The one you've rescued from port." She bowed slightly, a form of respect Lon'qu recognized. He looked at the woman again and recalled her from the past battle. How could he not? She was as Chon'sin as they came, the armor, the sword, her speech… She held the qualities for royalty. It annoyed him. She spoke again, "Ah, I see you're a true Chon'sin swordsman."

She gestured to his hand, which held the hilt of his sword.

"Any Chon'sin soldier is ready for battle at a moment's notice."

"Stop saying that."

"Am I false? You are Lon'qu, are you not?"

Lon'qu stayed silent, hoping that would be enough to shoo the woman away. He was not in the mood for conversation, particularly with her. After a few moments of silence Say'ri started to walk away. Lon'qu sighed in relief.

However only a few seconds she turned back, dashing towards him with her sword removed from its sheath. Swiftly she closed the distance between the two and attacked. Surprised but not fazed, he parried her attack.

"Are you mad?!" Lon'qu said as he pulled his sword back. Say'ri not yet satisfied swung her sword, with full intent to injure. Lon'qu parried again. Out of frustration he shifted into an aggressive stance, taking a strike of his own. Say'ri, slightly impressed blocked his attack. One hand-held the hilt, the other pushed onto the flat of her blade.

"You are Chon'sin." She said through the grit of her teeth. Once the pressure of his sword lightened, Say'ri pulled her sword back into her sheath, "Quite a unique style. Is it a mix between family styles perhaps?"

'Nothing but the techniques of a street dog.'

"Leave." Lon'qu said. He wondered how long his patience would last.

"As generous as Prince Chrom was, I am happy seeing a fellow Chon'sin within the group. Yet he treats me with such defiance! Despite my status! Despite our shared blood!"

"I left Chon'sin a long time ago. I am no longer your kinsman."

Say'ri laughed slightly, amused. Lon'qu however kept his anger.

"You say such things but your actions betray you." Say'ri said, circling him in observation.

"You fight like Chon'sin, swiftly and confidently. Your armor, its the preference of any Chon'sin warrior. It's thin, yet strong. You forgo the thickness many knights in our company prefer because it would only get in your way, correct?"

Lon'qu stayed silent. He agreed but it didn't mean he had to say so aloud.

"Aye. You look Chon'sin as well. Your clothes aren't as traditional as mine, but such isn't expected from non-royalty. Even your features, your eyes are sharp. And your hair! Its shade matches my own."

To prove as much, she grabbed a lock of her own hair and put it in front of Lon'qu's face.

"Back!" Lon'qu barked, uncomfortable with the invasion of personal space, "Chon'sin has nothing to do with me anymore."

"Ah you say as much, but how can a bird forget the sky? You have abandoned the rolling hills? The great expanses of land? The ocean's waves? The calm lakes?"

"Nay, 'tis nothing to me." Upon realization Lon'qu internally reprimanded himself, tsking in disapproval for slipping into a Chon'sin dialect. This woman was driving him mad. Yet even now, she smiled with confidence.

"Aye of course." Say'ri said in mock approval. She walked toward the tree, touching the bark and looking at its leaves. "This reminds you of the cherry trees, do they not?"

"It looked fine for a place to nap if anything else." However as Lon'qu looked at the swirling bark as it reached up towards the sky… and how the flowers began to blossom, he remembered his past home. Nostalgia began to overwhelm him.

They weren't his unpleasant memories of Ke'ri's death... But of the rivers he used to swim in. Or the way the city buzzed with life. He missed the simple food of dried fish and rice, a common meal for the poor. Seafood was much rarer in Feroxi, as its people preferred wild game from hunts. However what he missed most was Chon'sin's spring. For a few days the cherry blossoms would float throughout the air, carried by the breeze. Like the snow that commonly fell in Ferox.

"Your wife…" The sudden turn in conversation and spontaneity of Say'ri made Lon'qu blushed heavily and snapped him back to reality.

"I have no wife." He confirmed quickly. His mind now thinking of Olivia alone, and how unfortunate it was that Say'ri was not correct.

"Ah! That lass with the cherry blossom hair is not your betrothed?" Lon'qu shook his head furiously. Now both were red with embarrassment. Say'ri's voice weakened as she spoke, "My apologies! B-but you are her lover are you not? 'Tis is what I heard as I walked about camp…"

Lon'qu felt his face twitch. He didn't like to hear others gossiping about him, especially his love life. It also didn't help that Say'ri was rather direct with her words. However, with such honesty Lon'qu felt compelled to respond just the same.

"S-She will be my wife. Eventually." He said, looking off to the side. His face felt hot, it was a rare occasion he spoke of his own desires out loud to others, "But! Speak of this to none."

"I would not dare to betray your intentions. However I cannot help but be reminded by the cherry trees of Chon'sin when I look at her. Her movements are like the petals twirling as they fall to the ground... So do you really wish to never return? To never visit your birthplace? To show her?" The thought saddened Say' her travels trying to recruit others, everywhere paled in consideration of Chon'sin. To think one who grew up there could abandon it... Such a thought was a betrayal to the person them self.

A long pause drifted by.

"I left Chon'sin because I wanted to grow stronger. That has preoccupied my mind for so long… To visit, I've never considered it."

"From what I've seen, your strength could match a clan leader's." Say'ri smirked, "Parrying my attack is no small feat. Besides what Chon'sin truly values is not strength in sword-but strength in will."

Lon'qu walked to the trunk of the tree and sat down. He looked out and admired the view. However he knew it was not as great as Chon'sin. He thought about what Say'ri said. She was right.

Being on the streets, in the slums, it was hard but Lon'qu didn't hate it. However when Ke'ri died, he found himself lost and without purpose. Guilt consumed him. He only thought about training, that he could find some meaning through that somehow. It was either that or go mad.

In Ferox things began to change. Through the luck of the gods he ended up in Basilio's service. He began to grow stronger and was able to be useful for once. Serving the Khan, it made Lon'qu feel a sense of purpose again.

And now here he was with the Shepards. He looked towards the camp. He could make out some people walking about, who who they were or their intentions Lon'qu didn't know. Regardless those people were his... comrades and accepted him. In his own way he was trying to interact with them, but that could only be seen through grunts and gestures. He could only believe the others knew his true intentions, as anything more than that was too challenging.

If anything, he knew Olivia understood him. She understood his clumsiness with others, his desire to improve in skill. It surprised him how he was not scared of her, he did not shrink from her touch. Instead he found himself reaching out to her, desiring her touch. Her smile... Just that could give him strength. This was his will: to protect her, to protect his comrades, to protect Basilio, to protect everyone he cared for. Although he would never say it out loud, he was thankful Basilio sent him to journey with Prince Chrom.

Say'ri came to sit down on the opposite side of the tree admiring a different, yet similar view.

"Perhaps..." Lon'qu said.

"Perhaps?" Say'ri asked in excitement.

"Perhaps once this war is over and perhaps if Basilio will allow, I will visit Chon'sin." Lon'qu paused, stringing his thoughts together carefully. After all, he was not one to babble, "Travelling with this group of people has helped me come to terms with my past. Perhaps returning will not be as painful as I imagined."

"Yes, once this war is finished. You will help, so will Prince Chrom I know..." Say'ri said in comfort. For so long she had struggled alone dealing with silly politics, recruiting others, and dealing with Yen'fay's betrayal. It had been hard. However after joining this group, it finally felt like Naga was smiling down on her.

"Tell me when you return. I will guide you and your wife to all you have missed after your years of absence!" Say'ri said in excitement, "There's the hills of Rey'la... Or the city of Ao? Their seafood is the freshest I've tasted!"

Was she too giddy? Say'ri thought. Perhaps, but she allowed herself to continue. She hadn't felt like this since her parents had been slain. With these feelings Say'ri remembered how Chon'sin was before its troubles, the greatest the land had seen yet. She remembered escaping, how her kinsmen had abandoned such hope with the chaos surrounding them. The very land was crying out in pain. She wanted her people to regain their pride, for Chon'sin to be free once more. That was her will.

The two fell into a comfortable silence. And in rare turn of events, Lon'qu felt compelled to speak.

"… On one condition." He said rather quietly. His own outburst made him blush slightly.

"Aye?"

"You must visit Ferox, and I will show you around as well."

Unbeknownst to both each of them were smiling, founded from a bond created through the memories of Chon'sin.

"Aye."

A/N: I hope these two stayed in-character. My main concern was how Lon'qu responded to Say'ri. It feels like it would take time for him to talk like this, but hopefully their conversations made it feel like he was comfortable speaking. It seems like Say'ri would be the one to make him open up through her honesty and persistence. And the thought of Lon'qu speaking in a Chon'sin dialect whenever he got worked up amused me much more than I'd like to admit.

And that's it! My first submitted work of fanfiction. I think these one-shots will be good for practice before jumping into larger multi-chapter works. Constructive advice and feedback would be most appreciated, it'll definitely help me know how to continue on from here. I have a (small) list of ideas for future one-shots but nothing more than the summaries written out. If there's any character(s) anyone wants to see next feel free to write so in your review. If they're on my list I'll try to work on that one next!

Finally, to everyone who read this: thank you for taking time to read this work of mine. Hopefully you enjoyed it!