Two weeks have passed since the death of Ylisse's Exalt and the young prince Chrom had lost his will to fight until the Pegasus Knight Sumia smacked him hard with a fist instead of a palm four days ago.
With the fire reignited, the Shepherds were ready to take down the tyrant king Gangrel, but first they needed to find the monster since he had gone into hiding.

Alex, the tactician that has long joined and aided the Shepherds through several key battles, was sitting in his tent as he sorted through the various amount of data that was collected about the Plegian forces that would be knew to be ready for their return, but the scouts have done so much for little as there appeared to be some form of wide-spread revolution going on, making the gather of information difficult to do.

He moved several forms away and started to write out his response for the combined forces to follow, in case Gangrel made for a preemptive attack, but soon he was sweating on the words, huffing a bit as he waved at his face, curious to why the heat was getting to him. 'Where did the heat come from, we've in Regna Ferox so it should be cold, right...?' After a few more moments in the unbearable heat, the young tactician stood up and grabbed his cloak, putting it on as he stepped out into the snow-laden ground, his boots crunching the puffy white in his intent of wandering the camp, the frigid touching his soul as a soothing tone as he looked at the members that were out and about at the time.

He passed Nowi, Gregor, Ricken, and Panne as they enjoyed the snow with several others, pleased to see such ease among the Shepherds as the war was not the only thing to live for. He was also reminded that new experiences would be learned as Sumia and Cordelia drilled the fledgling riders of Lissa, Marabelle, and the unexpected guest of Olivia of how to ride the Pegasus mounts as the nearby trek of hooves meant that Stahl and Sully were drilling others on how to perform their duties as a mounted soldier.

It was a peaceful pace of mind as he continued to hear Vaike drunkenly cheering with other members of the united Ylisse-Ferox army, shuddering at the thought of a drunk Vaike in combat before heading into the temp barracks that they had set up for casual relief, breathing as he looked around before pausing when he felt a familiar presence that had been stalking him for some time, the person that had joined them in the escape of Plegia Castle.

"Tharja? ...are you following me?" The reply was sudden, even to himself, but Alex had to know why the dark mage had been stalking him for some time, catching her here would mean that she could not hide forever and had to come out... if she was not a spy or enemy agent.

The silence followed in the wake of his words before her voice came to light. "...Maybe." Alex turned to the stack of crates by the entrance and, sure enough, she stepped out from behind the wooden barrier, a hand trailing on the wood as her other hand was gripping a Ruin that they had found in one of the Anna's shop. He was somewhat relieved that she was not going to prolong the conversation, but his mind picked out her form as unusual as she usually stood straight and rigid and only displayed emotion in battle, yet her stance was odd as it radiated a nervous air about her like she was indecisive on something.

The teal-haired young man shook the image out of his mind as he spoke in a hushed voice as to not attract attention from anyone who could come close to the tent. "Maybe?! I've seen you hiding behind tents and wagons all week!" It was a tough topic, but the tactician had to know, did she have some prior arrangements to the king or did she have something else to be here for?

Tharja stepped closer to him, leaving inches from each other's bodies as her right hand was placed on his shirt, her cheeks a tad pink as it moved over the texture. "So you finally noticed... my love." The response was an odd thing to hear as she usually hid in the shadows and didn't show any form of care for anyone.

Alex wanted to remove the hand from touching him, but he was more conflicted on her words. 'Love...?' Did she see him as someone she liked or was she so interested in him as she wanted to keep him all to herself so he spoke with a questioning manner. "Sorry, what? My... love?"

She pressed closer as if she wanted to be as close as she could, her chest pressing into his chest as she did not raised her eyes to look him straight in the eyes like... a fear was keeping her from doing such other than using a hand to feel his heartbeat. "Oh yes. I realized it the first moment we locked eyes. "He isn't like the others," I thought. "He's the one I've been looking for"!" Alex nearly felt the nailed fingers dig into his flesh through the shirt so, to both ease the pain and to get some breathing room, he took the hand and removed it from the material before releasing it.

"Riiiiiight. Well, um, thank you? ...I guess?" He took a step back to keep room between them, his mind racing on the fact that she referred to him as 'my love' which could be seen in several different lights.

"That's why I've been watching your every... single... move." Alex was certain that he should be uncomfortable as Tharja closed the gap again, though inches once more than pressing into him, her body losing the nervous edge as she continued. "Yesterday you read two books and part of a third." Her hand reached out again, but instead withdrew which was odd to Alex's view. "You snacked on an apple. And last night, you turned over twelve times in your sleep... Well above average."

Alex wanted his body to panic over the short mentions of his behavior, but he was more curious than scared as he tried to think why she would watch him in such a way. "You've been watching my sleep?!" He cringed as it was a small yelp, but he was not caring, he was wanting to understand her reasons.

"I thought you'd be grateful." Her tone changed to one of pain, of hurt, but Alex was more worry of why than hate her like a foe.

He shook his head and he could see that her mood had lightened up as he spoke again. "No, I think "disturbed" is more the word." He rubbed the back of his neck in the loss of words if she was a devoted ally or a stalking enemy, though she would have slain him if she was an enemy still. "You mean to tell me you've been following me every day since we met?"

Tharja shifted in place as she tried to turn the chat the other way, but she decided to explain it as simple as she believed. "...Yes." That simple word filled Alex with some worry, but he would play along to continue on.

"I suddenly feel very ill." It was a minor thing that he understood her belief, but for some odd reason, he was grieved that she could easily kill him should the event come up, but the way she moved to help him sit just didn't shout enemy, more like interested person.

She spoke with a minor blush to her face as she whispered. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you." She leaned closer as she finished her sentence. "...Veeery good care."

Alex could not fault Tharja's strange devotion, but he was concerned with who could be listening to their exchange, leaning forward out of reach of the lips. "Coming from a normal friend, I'd probably be happy to hear that." He breathed as he looked forth to the entrance, the cold breeze filling his soul like a remainder. "But somehow when you say it, it's not quite so comforting..." He sighed inward at the words, afraid that he may have offended her in some way.

Instead, she stood up and had her back to him as she hummed in question, the tone a questioning one than a hurt one. "Is that what you want, Alex?" She turned around with her eyes sparkling in wonderment that the tactician was sure that she was not hurt, but more wanting to please... him. "Someone... "normal"?" perhaps she was hurt from the words, but she was showing an interest of learning what he could want.

"Well, I... suppose?" Alex said with a rub of his jaw as he thought about it. Love and romance had never touched his mind before and, sure there were several in the Shepherds who are lovely, he is a tactician, not a romantic. "That's to say-"

But before he could finish, the dark mage held up a hand, halting his stream as she spoke. "All I needed to hear." And with that, she turned back around and took off into the winds.

"Wait, Tharja! Stay here!" But she was already gone by the time he finished his new sentence. "...Where I can see you!" Silence filled the gaps as Alex slumped into the chair, hand to his face as he was now wishing he hadn't said that. "Oh gods, this will not end well..." For a few minutes, he just sat there, trying to figure out her motive before he stood up and headed out to find her, but even her tent was empty when he investigated and asked around if they had seen Tharja, but not many knew where she was now, Nowi and Donnel were the only one she passed and they only briefly saw her before she bolted past them. He sighed as he instead retired to his tent, returning to work with his head cooled off, but now rampant with the thoughts of Tharja and what she wants as he worked to complete the paperwork until his work was interrupted by the leader of the Shepherds, Prince Chrom, entering the tent with a look of worry on his face. "Ah, Chrom, I didn't know you were going to pay me a visit."

"Yeah..." Chrom's tone was worrying as he took a seat across from Alex and the tactician stopped working with one of the brief reports to address his friend.

"Chrom, what is your trouble, this doesn't have anything to do with Gangrel, is it?"

"No, it doesn't..." The prince said as Alex listened for the reason. "It has everything to do with Fredrick..."

"Oh, that is not a good tone, what has he done...?" Chrom's friend watched carefully to see if he could figure out what it could be as he took in the prince's awkward seating, an effort to hide his face, and a small shake in his sword hand as if he is wanting to use it to...
Alex then figured it out as Chrom had told him something in a familiar position, a thing that Fredrick had done to improve the morale of the troops to varying emotions before they even entered the Plegian desert. Though it was a minor thing, Chrom was mortified by it as a number of Shepherds would have some form of terror or glee as Lissa was laughing her head off and Sumia couldn't even speak without wearing a strong blush toward the Captain.

"I have begun to hear rumors that some of the Shepherds had hidden their copy of Fredrick's morality posters from me and I just don't want them to... reveal those posters to the people once this is done..."

Alex sighed as he slumped into his seat. "Come now, they are not that terrible, I am more curious as to who Fredrick asked to create your... royal stature." Alex smirked as Chrom sharply looked up with a glare on his face, the shaking gone as he readied his left hand to pull out Falchion.

"Alex, you didn't...!"

"Sumia, Lissa, and I all agreed to keep ours hidden until we could 'properly' deliver them to a more reasonable location where no foes can find out about Fredrick's handiwork." This was a difficult position as Chrom stood up and slowly pulled out his blade before Alex spoke. "Now now, no need for that in here, I like my office as it is."

Though Chrom was well within his rights to break the office, he decided otherwise as he asked. "Then fight me on the field, if I win, you all will burn those posters."

"And if I win, Chrom, WE keep the secret to ourselves and the posters until we can give them over as 'disposable material'."

"Deal." They both shook on it and then headed out to the combat field to duel in the wind and snow as members soon joining to cheer on both sides as they exchanged blow for blow, neither willing to back down as the bond between them grew, Alex's mind easing Tharja away for the time as he focused solely on fighting his opponent...