It was when they dragged in the next brute that Maribelle realized something would be off. Most of the thieves that were captured kept their signature hoods up to protect what little dignity they retained, and usually had a good deal to say on what they thought of the soldiers dragging them in or the magistrates that awaited them. This man was noticeably different; the great doors opened before him and yet he said nothing, holding his tongue like a man with something on his mind. His hood was down, revealing a sheen of polished copper hair and a thin black headband Maribelle was all too familiar with. He only reacted at all to his predicament when the soldier on his left shoved him forward, when he fought against the belittling treatment and shoved back. His slim eyes were cold chips of emerald, and indeed all Maribelle could see of them were slivers like broken rock. He was, in a sense, a broken rock. Maribelle had known him when he was proud, reckless, haughty, and just a little bit dangerous, and the man she saw now posed no such threats. He was not even a shell of his former self; the other man was gone completely.

"What's the charges on this one?" Maribelle asked the guards, her heart cracking along with the last word of her question.

"His name's Gaius, and he's a nobody," the dehumanizing soldier on the man's left announced. "He's been in for several petty crimes before, and this time he stole some gold and jewels from the royal treasury."

"Given his record," the other guard interjected, "he should be imprisoned for a long time. We've been chasing him a while, too. He's probably hiding some big crime."

"I'm not too sure, but he might be the same Gaius that was released a few years back," the first soldier spoke again. "That man was a dirty criminal. Shoulda gone to the block..."

"Enough." If there was one thing Maribelle despised more than barbaric criminals, it was vulgar men such as these that were revered to know better. "So, this man Gaius stole from the royal treasury? How much did he take?"

"A sufficient amount." Gaius's persecutor answered promptly. "Exalt Chrom says it was enough to hire an army that would guard the treasury. Maybe more."

"And why have I not heard of this?" Maribelle spat under her breath. Her devoted husband usually did his best to include her in the affairs of the realm, especially those which involved the courts she participated in, so why should Chrom selectively forget to tell her about this one? "Is Exalt Chrom familiar with this thief?"

In that moment, Gaius's listless eyes reanimated and met Maribelle's. He remained an emotionless mask, but the thought of those deadly eyes burning into her made Maribelle regret the question.

"Yeah, actually, Gaius claimed he and the exalt fought side by side in the war a few months ago." The soldier chuckled at his own reply. "Like this lowlife would serve alongside the Shepherds... The exalt actually requested you see to this man's trial personally."

Maribelle shook her head slowly, noting the way Gaius continued to watch her. "Well... I recall this man from his days of service. Even then, he... He was not to be trusted... But his actions then do not nullify his punishment now."

"So, what is his punishment?"

"I would like to know something first," Maribelle said tactfully, choosing her words carefully so that Gaius could see she was truly working to save his life. It was Chrom's purpose in sending the thief to her; criminal or no, Gaius had been Chrom's close companion throughout the war, and at the war's end, it had been Gaius to suffer the greatest loss. "You said that you were unsure if this is the same man released from prison a few years ago. Aren't all convicted inmates tattooed?"

Beads of sweat rolled down from under the insensitive soldier's helmet. "Y-yes, milady, but we didn't-"

Gaius seemed invigorated by the man's words. He tore his right arm free and forcefully yanked up his left sleeve, as if he were proving a point. His eyes never straying from Maribelle, Gaius's strong but nimble fingers rested briefly on a tightly knotted black bandana tied around his left forearm. When the cloth fell, for Gaius had untied it and removed his hand, Maribelle's eyes widened in disbelief and defeat. There, emblazoned in Gaius's flesh, was the tattoo used to brand all inmates as the filth they were. He was one of them, and now Maribelle's final card was trumped. Had Gaius been innocent of that past crime, she would have imprisoned him a few months and released him, but now... With all the crimes mounting up against him, in addition to stirrings of previous resentment Maribelle recalled from when Gaius had framed her father, there was nothing she could do but send him to the block.

Perhaps it was the most humane. Gaius had lost everything to the war; the death of beloved tactician Helena still stung fresh in the memories of the Shepherds, but none so severely as the man she had married. Under Helena's critical eye, Gaius had begun a reformation, and because of her his reason to live was sound and pure. Her death had been the final straw in a surmounting collection of hardships. Gaius had snapped under the weight, Maribelle could see it clearly as the brand in his flesh.

"Thirty days," she murmured, more for herself than for the soldiers to carry out Gaius's sentence. "He has thirty days until his execution. If no one comes to argue for his release within that time, it will be death by beheading. This is my final sentence."

Both soldiers nodded, dragging the lifeless Gaius away. Before he was completely out of sight, Maribelle stole a last glance at the eyes of the thief. Within them she saw a small ember of emotion, but as to what emotion, she could not be certain.

"I am done for the day," she announced absentmindedly. "I will continue trials on the morrow."

Maribelle left her seat abruptly and walked briskly away from the hall that served as her courtroom. She had seen the direction they had taken Gaius; perhaps she could track him down and have a last word with him to discover what that emotion had been. It was unlikely he would talk, but perhaps the chance to look into his eyes again would offer some clarity. Certainly there was hope for that much?

Gaius was slumped in the corner of his cell in a manner that made him appear a corpse. The cell was too black for Maribelle to get a proper look at him, but his eyes opened ever so slightly to regard her. The light was gone from them again, and from what Maribelle could see of his face, he was displeased.

"Looks like Twinkles got herself a nice job," he seethed, his voice almost tangibly dry and broken, as if he had neglected it since Helena's death.

"Would you like to know why I did it?" Maribelle asked, fighting to retain her own nasty comments to the sorry, empty carcass that Gaius had become.

"It won't matter in thirty days, now, will it?" Gaius's eyes fixed on the torch in Maribelle's hand. "Is this the last I'll see of light until then?"

"Honestly, Gaius, I expected a little more than this from you." Maribelle waved the torch carelessly. "I doubt this is the last you'll see of light. Chrom will likely be down here to visit you."

"But he won't argue for my release."

The truth of his words stung. Chrom was entitled the right to free Gaius with the wave of his hand, but that sort of liberty granted to just one criminal would not be the type of justice Chrom represented. With no one to argue for his release, this was Gaius's final month.

"I could bring you something," Maribelle offered gently, making the difficult decision to drop her anger and instead pity the dying man. "Any sort of sweet your heart desires."

"I want Helena," came the broken reply. "Only her."

"My apologies, but no amount of even the blackest magic can reverse the hand of fate like that," Maribelle explained dryly. It had been a conversation Chrom entered into almost daily, and though Maribelle respected the bond her husband and the late tactician had shared, his sorrow at her death had been almost more than the loss of a comrade.

"It wasn't fate!" The torchlight reflected in Gaius's eyes seemed to ignite them, and he lunged forward at Maribelle, only stopped by heavy chains that kept him just out of reach of the bars. "If fate had its way, she would be one with the fell dragon! This was her decision, and hers alone! Why the hell did she-"

Gaius clenched his fists and bit his lip, hanging his head in submission. Maribelle saw the way the old chains cut into his wrists. He was lost again, and thus it was time for Maribelle to leave.

"Not that it matters much," she called over her shoulder, "but she did it for you."

Maribelle chose not to recognize the sounds of Gaius's chains rattling as his body shook with sobs.

"Is there any particular reason you want to talk to that madman?" The guard seemed genuinely surprised, especially considering he was talking to the supreme monarch of his country.

"He was a comrade during the war," Chrom explained smoothly, his first excuse coming to mind easily. He assumed the guard would not understand his reasoning beyond that.

"Well, he's mad now." The guard shook his head. "Shame, too. They tell me he was good at what he did."

"How is he mad? Wouldn't you be a bit insane too, going through what he is?"

The guard shrugged. "All I know is his type. They're all insane from the start. If I were one of them, I would be mad too."

"I don't think you understand him," Chrom murmured, casting his eyes down the long rows of silent cells. "He was brought up in a life of thieving. He did what he had to do for survival. In the war, he tried to change his ways for a woman, and then she died. You don't sympathize with him."

"With all due respect, sir, there is no sympathizing with people like this." The guard stopped abruptly, pointing at a black cell on Chrom's right. "He's in there."

Chrom had to squint to even detect the man within. He was hunched in the corner, his hands and wrists hidden under his arms and his face permanently pained. His eyes slid open at the sound of voices, as it had been twenty-six days since he had last heard a voice outside his own and that of the guards that tended him. Chrom's eyes caught the chains draped over the man in the cell, and suddenly he was filled with rage.

"He's already in a cage!" the monarch roared, indicating to the bars of the cell. "Why does he need to wear chains as well?!"

"He's dangerous, sire," the guard explained gently, as if soothing a child. "He lunged at your wife when she came down here, and if not for the chains he would have grabbed her through the bars. Naga knows what he would have done with her then."

"Gaius, show me your hands," Chrom commanded. A spark of the past submission ground into Gaius reacted with the exalt's words, and he slowly revealed his wrists, bloody and rotting from the shackles.

Chrom's eyes burned into Gaius's. "Would you like those chains removed?"

Gaius's head lifted slowly, seeming to melt under Chrom's gaze. It had been months since they last spoke, especially on friendly terms, and the last thing Chrom had said had been a short but heartfelt apology on Gaius's loss.

"Yes," came the raspy reply.

Chrom nodded, and for the sake of their past friendship, he turned to the guard. "Let me in, and give me the keys to his shackles. You can leave us after that."

"But, sire," the guard protested with an anxious glance at Gaius. "He's dangerous! If you remove those chains he could attack you! And I wouldn't be here to stop him!"

"You can trust him," Chrom said, his voice that of the general that had reported Helena's death. "I have given you orders, and I expect you to carry them out."

The unwilling guard acquiesced, handing the exalt a set of keys before unlocking Gaius's cell with a separate one. Chrom entered the prison with confidence, as he knew Gaius would neither attack nor attempt to escape. The prisoner still huddled in the corner of the cell, reluctant to move until the despised, insensitive guard had all but vanished into the darkness. The only light that then fell upon the two men came from the sliver of a window at the top of Gaius's cell, but it was enough for Chrom to see in what state this predicament had left his old companion.

Gently, as if working with an unpredictable beast, Chrom knelt beside Gaius and took one of his wrists, his other hand fumbling to find a matching key. The first two did nothing, but at last the exalt located the correct key and freed Gaius of the painful shackles. The skin that was revealed was worse that what Chrom had seen in just a glace. Gaius's clothing was torn away from the shackles, and the exposed flesh so raw and bloody Chrom wondered if it was even skin or just Gaius's muscles.

"The cold made them feel better," Gaius explained airily when Chrom eyed the fraying fabric. "But the air feels best..."

Chrom sighed guiltily. "Gaius... This is my fault. I didn't stop Helena. I could have, but... All I could do was make her promise to stay with us... If there's any last request you have, I'll do everything in my power to grant it."

"I just want to see my girl again," came the strangled reply. "And Morgan. He has her eyes... I want to see Morgan before I die, and I want to see Helena."

"Morgan I can do, but if you're going to die, then won't you-"

Gaius killed the thought before it could finish.

"I won't see Helena where I'm going..." He sighed and rubbed his wrists, wincing. "But it would be nice to see Morgan before I go. He's Helena's kid, y'know? I'll tell him where I've hidden my master stash, and he'll know what to do with it."

"Is there anything else?" Chrom urged. Surely the dying man had more on his mind that just his son and his stash.

"I do want to know something," Gaius admitted reluctantly. "Naga said that if Helena's bonds in this world were strong enough, she wouldn't die. And you and I both know how strong her bonds were. So why's she still gone?"

"I'll get you an answer," Chrom vowed, his typical rash instinct to please coming forth. "Before you go to the block, I'll get you an answer."

"Much obliged." Gaius took a deep breath. "That's it for my bucket list. I'll see you in four days."

"Four days," Chrom agreed, his heart sinking. Not even a thief deserved this sort of chilling end to an already insane life. As the exalt left the cell, Gaius was attentive enough to notice the way Chrom left the door unlocked.

The unaccustomed torchlight burned Gaius's eyes as he continued to stare into the blackness. The guards were coming, for it was the day. Chrom had never come with his promised explanation, and Morgan had never been sent for, he suspected. Though stinging, Gaius couldn't really expect much else. He was a criminal on death row; why would the supreme ruler of his country grant him such extreme last requests? It was to be expected, and Gaius had lost the ability to hope after the first month without Helena.

The guards, upon noticing that the cell door was unlocked, flew into a rage at Gaius for attempting to escape, yet they failed to see that Gaius had remained in his spot in the corner, only allowing himself the bare minimum amount of movements to satisfy the life-sustaining needs he still had. It was not as if he were staying alive because he hoped to escape, but rather because at least he could die on the block like a man and not alone in the darkness like a coward. Not that he had ever cared much for such petty matters as image and legacy, but perhaps Helena would smile down at him and know that he had tried.

"On your feet!" one of the guards commanded, aiming a kick for Gaius's stomach. It was the same man that had so easily talked about him as if he were filth to Exalt Chrom. Just to exact his revenge, as it was his last day of life, he nimbly rolled away from the man, and using the strength he had stored by not fighting back every waking moment, he stayed low and weaved between clumsy soldiers until he was outside the cell under they were trapped within.

"Looks like there's been an exchange of prisoners," Gaius commented to the guards, his old sarcasm sparking for a moment. "Have fun in there, ya bunch of dastards."

There were several curses from the guards as Gaius strolled away from them. The idiots hadn't realized that he had no way of locking the door. It didn't matter; they could rot for all Gaius cared. He was a dead man, and as such none of his actions this last day would matter. Helena wouldn't be smiling at this, but Gaius knew just how to fix that. Maybe the gods would be good and he wouldn't spend his afterlife in the fires of eternal torture, but rather, with Helena in whatever paradise she had gone to.

"Gaius."

The voice alone was enough to freeze the dead man in his tracks. The tone made the cold, lonely, maddening cell suddenly attractive in comparison. Gaius narrowed his eyes and tried not to show his newly developed fear and weakness as Exalt Chrom approached him.

"Come to fetch me, Blue?" he said in a low voice. Chrom sighed and walked up to stand over Gaius.

"I left the door unlocked so that you could escape a few days ago, not the day of your execution," Chrom muttered, his eyes darting around as he searched for the guards. "There are soldiers everywhere to ensure you don't escape."

"I'm not escaping." Gaius held up his hands in surrender. "I just don't want to have to deal with those guys. It's my last day. I should get something special."

"And I think I have just the thing," Chrom replied with a slim smile. Despite the circumstances, and the event that was creeping closer with each passing heartbeat, Gaius felt himself smile too.

"Is it something to do with my question?" Gaius asked softly, a light in his eyes.

Chrom nodded and turned away from the thief. "Stay close to me if you want your answer. Don't run away, or try, or even think about it, and this will be painless."

"Fine. It's not like I would get very far anyway."

From then on, the pair walked in silence. Gaius followed Chrom with all the dedication of a dog, since the promise of any explanation to Helena's disappearance would be more than enough to die happy with. Both men remained focused on that very topic, Chrom's mind brimming with the information he had struggled to obtain for Gaius's sake, and how best to explain to the dying thief everything he now knew. On the other hand, Gaius was trying to decide how best to process any news Chrom might have. It would likely be best for the exalt to tell him everything as the blade was lowered on his neck. Then he would not have to think very long at all. But, perhaps he wanted a moment's reflection to recall Helena before he was sent off to search for her in the afterlife.

Chrom led the thief through the vast labyrinth that was Ylisstol, right into the courtyard in the palace itself. The sun was bright, and Gaius had to cover his eyes and trust Chrom to lead him safely. It was strange to feel the exalt's hands on his shoulders when for so long it had been Gaius leading Chrom as they lived life outside of the gilded cage together. Those were the days; before either of them truly had to worry about women or the state of the realm and all they were required to do was show up on the battlefield with a sword. That was before Gaius had truly noticed Helena, and before he had been plunged into this inevitable downward spiral.

"Now, Gaius," Chrom said slowly as he came to a halt on the edge of the courtyard, "what I learned about Helena... was basically everything we already knew. By killing the fell dragon, she killed herself as well, and only if her ties to us were strong enough to break fate would she remain in this world."

Gaius unwillingly tore his hands away from his eyes. "You didn't learn a thing? Not one thing about how strong her ties to this world were?"

"Well, I did learn a little about that," Chrom admitted, meeting Gaius's revealed gaze critically. "And I think you might be somewhat shocked."

Chrom released the shoulders of the thief and took a step away from him. With the sunlight now entering his eyes fully, Gaius had to pause for a moment and let his vision reappear before scanning the courtyard. His eyes came to rest on a figure crouched among a stray patch of flowers, their long, black cloak a strong indicator to their identity. The white hair was another clue. Briefly Gaius's mind went to Henry, but this he pushed aside. Why would Chrom bring the sadistic witch boy? Gaius took several steps in the direction of the figure before they acknowledged him.

Gray eyes full of kindness and compassion, a slim but sincere smile, and the white hair carelessly tied just enough so that the eyes remained uncovered. There was no mistaking it anymore. Gaius broke into a run, deciding he had died sometime in the prison cell and that by some grace of the gods he had been allowed to follow Helena.

She couldn't stand fast enough. Gaius's arms were around her before she could even form a coherent thought, and his momentum drove her back into the ground.

"Seven hells, Bubbles," was the first thing to escape his lips. His arms tightened around her, ensuring that this was honestly and truly his Helena. "I thought I'd lost you."

"My ties to this world were strong," Helena said with a soft laugh, her hands clinging to Gaius's clothing tightly. "There wasn't even a chance I wouldn't make it. And I would never leave you."

"You've been gone for months," Gaius protested. "You have no idea what I did because I thought you were dead!"

"What, like breaking into the royal treasury and stealing enough money to hire an army?" Helena laughed again. "I know you're on death row, and that's why you reek. But Chrom found me just a few days ago, and I went to the court this morning to argue for your release. I had to pay quite the hefty sum for you, but you were released without too much protest."

"You... You bailed me out?" Gaius, who had buried his head in Helena's hair, shifted to meet her eyes. "Not this again... What would you like in return for this one?"

Helena stared at him blankly. "In return?"

"We've been over this. In my line of work, the gal that does you a large favor is the first one to ask for a large favor." His eyes flashed. "Got anything in mind?"

Helena wrinkled her nose playfully. "You need to bathe first. And then I want you to set your life straight and help me raise our son. You can build a new life with me, right?"

"Son? New life? Aren't we dead?"

"Dead?" Helena shook her head. "Why would we be dead? I came back, or rather, I never left, and you were never executed."

Gaius narrowed his eyes as he processed which train of thought he had actually been following at the sight of Helena. Were they dead? Was this just a dream? Or, was it honestly and truthfully reality?

"Hey, I've heard you were imprisoned for thirty days and didn't once ask for candy," Helena said suddenly. "Are you over your addiction?"

"No way, baby. Why?"

Helena's eyes sparkled. "It was the first thing I did after bailing you out. I stocked up on sweets."

"You know me well." Gaius glanced over at Chrom suddenly, realizing that there was one term Chrom hadn't met. "Hey, Blue, where's my son? You said you could get him."

Helena raised an eyebrow and sat up. "What? Is Morgan missing?"

"No-well, when I was on death row Chrom promised me a last request." Gaius followed her lead. "I wanted to know why I couldn't find you, and then I wanted to see Morgan."

"You wanted to see our son?" Helena eyed Gaius uncertainly. He and Morgan had certainly been friends, but the nature of their friendship would never lead anyone to believe that they were father and son. "Is he here?"

"Actually..." Chrom interjected slowly, averting his eyes from the pair. "Morgan was captured in Ferox. He was caught robbing a convoy and imprisoned. I've been told his bail is pretty high..."

Gaius and Helena locked eyes. Gaius narrowed his. "Guess we gotta go bail him out too..."

"I suppose we do," Helena sighed playfully. "But first, I'm glad you're okay."

Gaius grinned, pulling her into his arms once more. "You took the words right out of my mouth."