Author's Notes: Fire Emblem is not my property, nor are Lyndis and Florina themselves. Said characters are property of Intelligent Systems and the people who participated in their creation. Cover art graciously permitted by AutumnSacura, taken from DeviantArt. I have no particular plan for this story, and may occasionally ask for reader input when at a crossroads, or simply pick things up from comments if people are kind enough to leave any. Mostly this exists so that when my brain fails to give me anything to work with on my original works, I can still keep my head in the game writing something. But I hope you'll enjoy it regardless! Any and all feedback is appreciated beyond my ability to relay.

00 - In Which Leave is Silently Taken

"It's too cold!"

"But I'm used to the cold..."

"I'm not! I'm used to the plains and inside the keep!"

"But...but what if someone sees u-"

Strong arms encircled the smaller girl, stopping the fidgeting that she was about to begin. She stiffened briefly, then relaxed a little, though sea-green eyes still glanced about furtively.

Lyndis sighed exaggeratedly as she allowed herself to fall back down onto her bedroll, dragging Florina down with her so that the other girl had little choice but to lose her footing and fall down onto the older girl's lap. "It's too cold for me to ride without something to keep me warm," she explained more quietly, propping her chin on Florina's shoulder and watching her pale cheeks grow darker.

The pegasus knight's fingers were still free though, and they picked at the edge of the tunic she had half-on, worrying at a loose thread. Lyn watched her for a moment, making a mental note to deal with that thread that evening when they made camp again, then gave the girl in her arms a squeeze and pulled her closer. "Ought I add a 'please?'"

Florina squirmed, and Lyn hid a grin against the girl's shoulder. Though she had been slowly breaking Florina of the need to stand on rank and title with her, it was a long and uphill battle, even after abdicating her position as Marchioness of Caelin. Technically, she was just a noble-blooded bum, but even still Florina seemed to have problems with formality. She appeared especially bothered by Lyn essentially begging her for anything. "No..." the smaller girl eventually answered, tone low with either reluctance or shyness. Lyn opted to believe the latter.

"Good," she quipped, lifting her face again. "I'd prefer to save 'please' for something else." Florina's cheeks colored darker before Lyn leaned forward just enough to press a quick kiss to one, then patted Florina's leg and made to stand, slowly enough that Florina could get to her feet before being dumped off.

Standing up herself Lyn smoothed down the front of her clothes. They were more accommodating to colder temperatures than what had been her standard fare on the plains. A full-length skirt in blues with green trim, it still had the long slits up the sides to allow her to ride and run without a problem. It kept her legs much warmer, as well, but still felt a little too much for her. She preferred the light and free feeling of her old one-piece wrap. But it was packed with the rest of her things, and once it got warm enough, or they made it onto the plains proper, she could change again.

Unchanged was the belt that held her swords, one at each side. It had been near a year and a half since she had used them in any sort of dangerous situation, since the conflict with the dragons. She had worn them for show, with her grandfather at court functions, or as a mark of honor for her part in the conflict, but it had been quite some time since she had used them. Not that was a bad thing. She and Florina both had continued training with the guard, mostly practice weapons; Lyn had no doubt that they could protect themselves.

She buckled the swordbelt around her waist and collected her bedroll and things, packing them away and attaching them to the harness on the pack-mule they had brought with them. Florina's bedroll went on the opposite side, and in short order their campsite had been returned to nearly as pure and unspoiled a glade as could be done. Due to the snow on the ground and in the trees, it was impossible to look perfectly as it had the day before. Only a fresh snowfall could do that, and it would take a heavy one to break through the cover of branches ahead again. This snow, Lyn knew, had fallen well over a week before, and for two nights. It was no wonder it had penetrated so heavily even to the forest floor.

Satisfied, Lyn pulled a blanket from one of the mule's saddlebags and laid it across her own horse. Karis shifted where he stood, prepared for Lyn to leap up onto his back, but she gave his shoulder a pat instead and walked away, across the campsite to where Florina stood with Huey.

Without a word she went to the pegasus' other side and helped to make sure her saddle and trappings were secure for a solo flight, and that nothing could flip up to catch on a wing or one of her legs. When she was sure of her own side she moved around behind and to one side of Florina, reaching around her with one arm and resting her hand lightly on her hip.

Though Florina still jumped with surprise and looked around nervously, Lyn delighted in finally being able to do such things, to share embraces, casual touches, to hold her hand for hours at a time. Florina had never been comfortable at Caelin, with so many men around and so many eyes on her, and knowing what a lot would think if they knew the sort of "friendship" they shared...

Lyn was convinced it would not be as bad as all that, but such things were harsher in Ilia, and Florina was apologetically adamant about it. So they had been confined to brief touches, an occasional stolen kiss, and long looks across the room. For all that the death of her grandfather weighed on her, Lyn's heart was light with the feeling of freedom for the first time in two years. She was going home, and she was going there with Florina, just the two of them.

Simply thinking about it made her smile, enough so that when she realized Florina was staring up at her she blinked in startlement. Huey, too, was looking at her from over Florina's shoulder. "What were you thinking about?" the smaller girl asked, her eyebrows furrowed a little bit in concern.

Lyndis smiled wider and moved her other arm around the girl's waist, lacing her fingers together and resting them against the curve of her behind. "Home," she answered simply, regarding the girl with a look significant enough that it was clear she picked up on that home meant her. "Huey all set?" Best, probably, to change the subject before Florina could grow too embarrassed or flustered.

Bowing her head a little, no doubt to hide a blush, Florina nodded. "Yeah, I told her what direction we're gonna come out of the woods from, so she'll just keep a holding pattern on that end and wait until she sees us, then she'll follow until we stop." Behind her, the pegasus nodded in that way that made Lyn wonder, once more, if she were not more intelligent than the simple horse (with wings) that she looked like.

'It must be the training...' But then again, she had seen stranger things.

"Then are you ready?" she asked, raising one hand to cup Florina's chin and raise it to look up at her. Lyn's expression softened, her smile a little chagrined. "I don't want to force you to..."

She could feel Florina's jaw clench beneath her fingers, and her eyes hardened a little, their color that of a calm sea, as if she were preparing to march into combat. "No...Lyn, I want to." The look of control broke a little and she sucked her lower lip between her teeth, worrying at it out of habit. One of many. "I'm sorry, it's...it's hard to get used to." She felt fingers clutch at the material of the front of her dress, hesitant, cautious, like a kitten's paws. "I want to."

Lyn's thumb moved up, tracing the girl's chin and up to her lips, running across her poor abused lower lip. She thought, for a moment, about leaning in to kiss it, but decided not to press it. Florina would continue out of her shyness with time. It happened with starts and hiccups, but she had done it in the past, and she would again. "I'm glad," she answered, closing her eyes and pressing a soft kiss to the girl's forehead.

The plainswoman broke the moment with a grin as she stepped backward toward Karis, and caught one of Florina's hands in her own to tug her along with her. Their fingers slid together with an easy familiarity that helped fight away the chill morning breeze. Florina followed her with a laugh, almost tripping on the little mound of freshly turned dirt that marked where their fire had been. With a flare of her separated dress Lyndis leapt up onto the horse's back and settled easily into the saddle. Not quite as easily as Florina sat Huey, but nearly so. Lyn scooted to the back of the saddle, making as much room as she could for Florina, then smiled down at her and gave her arm a tug.

It was less to actually haul her up than it was to signal that she was ready to help her, and as if they rode double all the time Florina bounced up into the saddle, a leg to either side of the horse as Lyn rode.

"Comfortable?" Lyn's heart fluttered in her chest as Florina molded herself to her, and inappropriate thoughts threatened to draw her attention away as the soft, gently curved warmth settled between her thighs. It was a chore not to add 'because I am' to the end of her question.

Florina nodded without looking back at Lyn, then hesitantly leaned further back against her, shifting a little to the side so that she could rest her head back against her shoulder.

She couldn't resist the chance; Lyn turned her head a little, it didn't take much, and nuzzled the smaller girl's cheek with her own as her lips traced along her jaw. To her pleasure, Florina didn't shy away, and Lyn smiled both to herself and to the pegasus knight, and kissed just the corner of her mouth before pulling away enough to jerk the blanket out from under the edge of the saddle. "Just in case..." With a flourish, though gentle so as not to disturb Florina overmuch, Lyn wrapped the blanket about the both of them and tucked the edges into Florina's hands, so that Lyn could keep the reins in one hand. The other rested on Florina's belly, holding her gently against her until they could begin to move in time to each other with Karis' movements.

Long after they had gotten the rhythm, Lyn's hand remained there, simply because she could.