The day usually started with Leon spending an unnecessary amount of time preening in front of the full length mirror in his bedroom, and the day of his archery demonstration was no different.

"I really am the best merchant around!" Leon had missed the comforting weight of light archer's armor. It was brand new from his own shop, since his original trusted coat was destroyed when he'd been injured. Leon felt confident and at home as he adjusted the pauldron over his left shoulder and turned around to check how the calf length coat flowed with him. His right shoulder area twinged with pain and he huffed, eying his reflection in the mirror as he slung his quiver onto his back.

"Damn it- just for a day, pull it together," he mumbled. Leon compulsively checked that his face was blemish free and that the soft amount of makeup under his eyes to disguise his occasional restless night was perfect. He'd spent even longer than usually fussing over his hair, as if he couldn't style it in his sleep by now. His new archery coat was strikingly similar to what he used to have, except it was a lighter shade of purple iris with even more embellishments down the front of turquoise and gold, designed to guide eyes all the way from head to toe.

Valbar might not judge by appearances, expect such meticulous perfection, or even notice how Leon aimed to impress every day, but he didn't care. His charming smile and charisma came in handy for haggling with vendors and at this point it was the one aspect of himself he hadn't lost.

He cheerily waved at passerby on the street, a spring in his step as he imagined Valbar's proud expression when Leon finished the course. He'd set up the course the night before himself, with targets set at varying distances ranging from fifty to eighty yards, a few angled targets, and even a set of three wrapped around a giant tree trunk to test speed, depth perception, and general reflexes. Leon could pull such a stunt in his sleep, but after the years he worried his talent was forgotten. He couldn't disappoint Valbar in any way, shape or form.

Leon's determination brewed inside of him, hot and potent as he and a stablehand groomed and saddled his horse. The sun was minutes from its full height in the sky as Leon rode out to the training field, proud and striking as he made a dramatic galloping entrance. He automatically scanned the small crowd of archery students and other curious knights for Valbar. He noticed the slouching hooded boy Forsyth had glared at and Luthier standing next to Valbar in the back. Leon beamed with joy at seeing Valbar, despite how skeptical Valbar looked.

He could fix that.

Leon gradually came to a halt in front of the group, tossing his hair over his shoulder as he gave them all a smile. It was satisfying being on a horse in front of a crowd of people on foot. "Good afternoon! Welcome! I'm Sir Leon, not that anyone doesn't know who I am, and I will be giving a lesson on navigating this year's archery games! Archery on horseback requires both precision and speed, as well as expert horsemanship. While you'll have to fire rapidly, it pays to know how you'll be moving with your horse. There's a point in a galloping gait where all four hooves are off the ground, which makes for the smoothest time to fire…"

He rambled on while idly running his fingertips along the edges of the fletching on his arrows, praying to whatever gods that were still alive that he wasn't about to actually do something stupid. Leon finished his lecture and, with all eyes of his students and scattered friends on him, rode to the start of the course with his light bow in hand.

Leon turned smoothly onto the opening stretch of the straight dirt path and draped his reigns over the pommel, letting his horse canter without his lead. Adrenaline shot down his spine from years of warfare and he reflexively readied an arrow in a fluid motion and drew it back-

"AAAAAAAAAAAUGH!" he bellowed in agony. Pain paralyzed his right arm down from his shoulder to his fingertips, muscles and nerves screaming to stop the strain. Time seemed to freeze and he fired the arrow, the release a welcome relief. Tears threatened to spill into Leon's eyes and he bit his tongue, anger at himself, his inability, his loss burning inside of him.

There was no way in hell he could draw another arrow with his shoulder.

Leon was officially, finally facing how done his career was. He couldn't even pretend or lie to himself anymore thinking he was indefinitely in reserve.

He was legitimately useless to Valbar on the battlefield. It couldn't be.

[[MORE]]

In his muddled shock, he could feel every hoof fall under him. If this was his last time with a bow in hand, in front of his beloved- the last battle, even if it was against himself, he'd give it his one hundred and ten percent. Valbar was there. Leon had never been anything but his best self with Valbar watching.

Leon's right arm and upper back made every motion torturous as his horse galloped and he quickly switched hands. His right hand gripped the bow with seized up muscles as his left frantically fumbled for arrows. Leon grit his teeth and rapidly fired as many arrows as he could, only having passed by a few targets. It was awkward, clumsy, and he could barely see, much less hold himself steady anymore. The arrows rested on the opposite side of the bow, his left shoulder had barely ever done such a motion before, and his instincts screamed that it was all wrong, but he attempted to hit every single target he'd set up.

The entire course only took forty seconds, but Leon was too far gone to hear the scattered applause and shouts, or notice his horse was slowing down to bring him back to Valbar and everyone else before he simply let his feet leave the stirrups and flew off his mount.

Death tasted like mana herbs.

Leon groaned and discovered he wasn't dead, and had just spit saliva coated clumps of herbs on himself. His entire body was numb except his face. He managed to wiggle a foot and open his eyes to the crowd of spectators standing around him. He was exceptionally pleased to see Valbar's face above his, with a hand in Leon's hair. If only it was under different circumstances. "You okay?" asked Valbar.

The initial shock of impact was wearing off and Leon tried to talk around the bitter leaves. "Yur uh difficult persob to argue wiff." Valbar gently wrapped an arm around Leon's waist and lifted him from the ground easily, helping him to his feet. Despite the dulled pain in his upper back, being in Valbar's arms for a moment made Leon smile lightheadedly. Leon wavered but could brace himself against Valbar enough to stand, forcing down the herbs with a cough. "Ugggghhh. How'd I do?"

Silence.

Leon looked around in confusion at the huddle around him. "Well?"

Luthier took one for the group as he put his hands on Leon's back and channeled a healing spell into him. "After the first shot, you missed every single target by a country mile."

Well then. Leon leaned on Valbar and snorted, laughing so hard he wheezed. A few students hesitantly giggled and Leon wiped at his face. "God, okay. Alright. I'm retired for a reason everybody- sorry to disappoint."

A teenage girl raised her hand and bounced on her heels. "Is it true you shot a necrodragon but didn't hurt it because your arrow went through both eye sockets?"

Leon nodded, puffing his chest out but then winced. "Yes, that was quite a battle. Necrodragons are only really susceptible to seraphim magic."

"Are you ambidextrous?" asked another student. "I've never even tried to shoot left handed."

Leon blinked in confusion. He'd expected them to all disperse with disappointment. Instead, all of Valbar's students and a few outsiders were surrounding him eagerly. "Er, no. I've only shot left handed a couple times. It feels really different to switch sides, although it's not a bad idea for you young, able bodied people to experiment."

"Could you teach us with Valbar?"

"I bet you have tons of stories!"

"I'm still scared of riding a horse without holding the reigns, how do you do it?"

Leon couldn't help a grin spreading across his face. Warm pride blossomed in his chest, perhaps even moreso than if he'd actually shown off. "You guys still want me to hang around and teach after that?"

"Yeah!"

Valbar affectionately nudged Leon. "I think you've already taught them something, Leon."

"That's true." Leon gingerly stretched his arms, sighing in relief that he could still move fluidly with only a few minor aches that would eventually fade. "Only you can know your own limits- on the battlefield and anywhere else. And-" he turned to face Valbar with a fond expression. "-no matter how proud, arrogant, and stubborn you are, it's okay to need help."

"That's right." Valbar surveyed the group. "Alright, let's get some practice in! Leon, up to being my assistant?"

"Always."

Leon favored his right arm for the rest of the day, but thoroughly enjoyed working at Valbar's side. He gave archers tips and pointers on foot, directed simple calvary exercises, and couldn't stop feeling elated with Valbar close by. While Forsyth was strict, Lukas was reserved, and Mycen was a rare sight but one to be reckoned with, Valbar was warm and kind. He focused on team exercises and positive encouragement, eyes sweeping over his pool of students and making sure no one was left behind. Leon tried to adopt the same teaching method, giving praise and aid wherever merited.

"Canter! Good!" Leon had the timid student who was unsure of themselves out on a lunge line, putting their horse through their paces while the student held their bow, eyes constantly darting to their saddle horn. Leon tsked and called out to them, "Eyes up! Straighten your posture, relax into it- good! Keep it up!"

He didn't even notice Valbar watching him until he was helping his pupil dismount (with more encouraging words than actual muscle). Leon turned and almost ran directly into Valbar, stopping just short of his imposing chest with a laugh. "Oh! Hi- my bad."

"Will you join us for dinner?"

Leon shrugged. "Sure, why not?" He grinned at the small group of adolescents milling around, getting ready to leave for supper. "If anyone's qualified to gossip about you to all of your adoring students, it's me."

Valbar chuckled and clapped Leon on his good shoulder. "I know, you could make me blush with your wild, vivid tales of our adventures together. But-" he gestured to the field as they walked. "-I don't think I'm the only one adored here, Leon. Beneath all that snark, you have a soft heart after all. The ability to teach proves your skills even better than a simple demonstration would've. You're far more than your ability to hit a target."

Leon could never stop Valbar-induced smiles from spreading across his face with pure joy. "Oh please- now you're flattering me. I quite like it! Listen though, I know how much you helped me when I was just some scrawny archer who was terrified, hopeless, alone, and far from home. If you give anyone the sort of confidence and stability you gave me, you're the best teacher in all of Zofia."

Valbar finally did blush. "Well, how to respond? You're biased for one thing- no one else admires me in every way as much as you to begin with."

Leon's heart skipped a beat in fear that he'd gone too far, but he laughed as he read Valbar's easygoing gait and sly grin as only pleased. They mutually avoided mentioning Leon's romantic inclination towards Valbar. Leon knew he'd been let down gently in the past, and was more than happy to just be friends with the most important person in his life. Valbar bringing it up so casually made an ancient knot of tension loose in Leon's chest. Valbar genuinely didn't mind after all. "Hmmm, yes, I suppose I am. I see the truth clearer than anyone else."

"Oh? And what's the truth?"

"Oooooh, I could gush about you for hours, but if I had to pick one thing- you give the best hugs."

Whatever Valbar was expecting, it wasn't that. "Hugs?"

"Yes!" Leon's own cheeks tinged pink. He had no qualms about singing Valbar's praises, but it was such an intimate thing to admit. "Those bulky muscles of yours give strong, secure, perfect hugs where I feel like I'm cocooned in pure security and warmth. Sometimes you even pick me up a bit and my feet leave the ground and I totally relax in your supernatural hugging abilities. You're astounding."

"Wow." Valbar huffed fondly. "No wonder you're a merchant. Now I want to be hugged by me."

Leon opened his mouth to continue but he inhaled deeply instead, eyes widening and stopping in his tracks, urgently tugging Valbar's arm. "Wait- do I smell-"

Valbar nodded, sniffing too. "Ah, it seems Prince Conrad has been stress baking."

"COOKIES!" Leon bolted forward, Valbar momentarily forgotten as he sprinted towards the intoxicating scent radiating from the dining hall and kitchen. "MOVE, I'M GAY!" He had so much momentum he couldn't stop in time as a group of people rounding a corner in the crosshairs of his path and he body slammed someone in his cookie inspired frenzy, shrieking as they toppled over.

"Oh gods, you haven't changed a bit." A familiar groan sounded from below Leon and Leon gasped with disbelief.

"Kamui?!" Leon sat up off where they were sprawled on the stone pathway and grinned, brushing himself off. "Oh I'm so sorry- I can't believe you're here!"

"Not just Kamui." A tanned hand appeared in Leon's field of vision and Leon widened his eyes. He pulled himself up with help by Jesse, who giving Leon his best smile complete with a friendly wink. "King Jesse of the Eastern Sands, at your service."

Kamui rolled over on the ground with a sigh. "Why don't the pretty boys help me up?"

Another familiar voice pulled Leon from staring at Jesse in disbelief. "Stop your drama, kid!" Saber pulled Kamui to his feet with a roll of his eye. "We gotta see Celica, it's just easy to get lost in such a huge castle."

"WATCH OUT BELOW!"

A crowd was gathering again at the sight of new arrivals, and this time it was clear why. Three falcon knights circled high above the castle parapets, swooping down admist wild cheering to land in a triangular stance together. The three girls struck a pose with the gathering of spectators around them, introducing themselves with flourishes.

"Palla!"

"Catria!"

"And EST!"

"The Whitewing Sisters!" Clair broke through the crowd and almost fell into Est's arms with excitement as Est dismounted. Est laughed and hugged her as Clair gushed. "I'm so excited to meet you!"

"It's fun to see Valentia again! This part of Zofia is beautiful!" Est bounced on her feet excitedly as Catria and Palla surveyed the area around them.

Catria nudged Palla and gestured away from everyone. "The throne room is that way if we saw correctly. Let's go."

Jesse held his hands up and waved. "Hey! Wait, wait we should all go together! Did I lose anyone? All three Pegasus riders, me, Saber- Genny and Atlas, you guys stuck?"

Atlas and Genny emerged from behind the alicorns. Atlas had made visits to Zofia Castle for Celica before and shrugged, still in his fur trimmed woodcutter outfit. Genny stood next to him scribbling excitedly in a leather bound journal. She looked up and smiled brightly. "Oh, this sequel to our adventure is going so well! I can't wait to see Celica."

Valbar stood in the center of the group and beckoned everyone towards him. "Why not have dinner first? Celica has been resting in private lately."

"YES! CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!" Leon grabbed Valbar and Kamui's hands and led a charge into the dining hall, laughing and elated as they surrounded Prince Conrad who was handing out warm cookies from a table covered with baking pans. Mae, Boey, and their children were helping him with cleaning up, Boey gently shooing all of the little ones away from the table to wash their hands.

Conrad was shaking with a severe lack of sleep and the area under his eyes was an exhausted gray but he smiled for Leon. "Oh, my biggest fan! It's relief to have at least one thing under control."

Leon eagerly gave Valbar a cookie so fast he almost dropped it and then unceremoniously shoved one in his own face with a low groan. Kamui rolled his eyes and had to grab one for himself, reaching around Leon. Leon listened to the alicorn riders and all of the new arrivals mix together around him to introduce themselves and get situated at Alm's huge table for dinner as he entered a chocolate induced trance. His eyes fell closed and Leon moaned again, a soft sigh escaping his lips as the warm bittersweet chocolate melted into the brown sugar and vanilla against his tongue. It was baked to perfection- the center moist and rich with the lightest crisp on the edges. His toes curled and Leon hazily opened his eyes to take another bite of sugary heaven. "Ooooooooooooh, aaaah, hmmmmm- /yes/."

"I feel like I should leave the room," joked Kamui next to him.

Leon ignored him and grabbed another cookie, sitting by Valbar with another sensual groan, ignoring the stares and giggles at the table and missing how Valbar's face was pink from Leon's shameless noises of euphoria. "Aaaaaaahhhhhh- God it's so GOOD!"

Conrad laughed weakly. "I'm glad. I've been barely sleeping with all the event planning."

Alm was busy greeting everyone but got enough space to himself to sit down. "Conrad, please, sit down and promise me you'll sleep tonight and just-" he glanced around to make sure Sir Mycen was out of earshot, "-make my grandfather do everything, since he clearly doesn't need sleep like the rest of us. Wow, everyone! It's amazing to meet you all again- Celica is expecting you."

Saber dished himself up a heaping plate of potatoes and meat. "She better be- she invited us."

"Oh don't be so grumpy to our majesty!" chastised Jesse. He flung his blond curls back and grabbed a plate. "We were unfortunately delayed by weather conditions. We were all traveling together for days longer than we anticipated." Jesse beamed happily. "I'd say we got quite cozy!"

Catria and Palla groaned as Est and Genny giggled. "We're flying back ALONE," declared Catria.

Palla made eye contact with Jesse as he opened his mouth. "No, Jesse."

Jesse turned to Est. "H-"

"I'm married." Est held up her hand to show off a wedding band to ooohs and aaahs from around the table. "I'm having my honeymoon once we get back!"

Genny set her pen aside only to eat a bite now and then, absorbed in her writing and barely paying attention to her own plate. "I'm married too."

Mae shrieked and smacked the table across from Genny hard enough to rattle the silverware. "TO WHO?"

"It's a secret!" Genny hid behind her book, grinning as Mae bounced in her seat.

Gray leaned forward towards the Whitewing Sisters and Clair sighed loudly as he spoke. "Tobin and I have been thinking-"

"No we haven't," interjected Tobin. "Don't blame me for this-"

"-and we've decided that a group of Pegasi would be called a flerd- a flock and herd! Are we right?"

Palla thought about it while Est readily nodded. "Uh- you know? They're more horse than bird, so I guess we always said herd."

"I like 'flerd'," Est said.

Luthier, at the discussions of Pegasi, leaned forward in his seat from all the way down the table. "While language itself is ever evolving and contractions may become words themselves over time, the idea of mixing two definitions for the sake of-"

"No, no, it's Flerd now," agreed Catria, cracking a smile.

The conversations paused as Boey arrived late, herding his three recently washed toddlers. "Prince Conrad's cookies are done! Leon even saved you some! What do you say?"

"Yay!" chorused all three children.

"I'll take that." Boey sighed and sat down next to Mae. "I know kids are supposed to eat in the nursery-"

"It's alright," said Alm with his typical gentleness. He glanced at the kids excitedly getting themselves fresh cookies. "They could be my son's playmates someday."

There had been rumors going around about what the royal family would name their new prince. No one was supposed to know until the christening, but it wasn't going to stop anyone from speculating.

"Ah yes." Jesse straightened himself in his seat. "Prince Jesse, was it?"

"Oh please, he's DEFINITELY gonna name his kid Prince Gray," replied Gray.

Clive caught on to the game and grinned as it bounced around the table. "May I submit Clive as a good possibility?"

"Kamui is an honorable name."

"Hmmm, surely you went with Lukas."

"Prince Tobin, cause I'm your BEST friend, right?"

Alm waved his hand. "I'm not allowed to tell! It'll be a surprise!"

Boey lifted one of the toddlers up to cuddle between him and Mae. "I'd say Boey, but we have that covered."

Mae nodded energetically. "Boey, Zoe, and Chloe!" She held one of the triplets on her lap, careful to not get any chocolate on herself as the child happily ate their cookie. "I'm missing one right now- oh there they are! It's okay, they're all cuddly and mostly harmless."

Leon blinked with confusion as he felt a small tug on his sleeve. He looked down at the child next to him. All three of them looked practically identical with bright pale pink hair, Boey's skin tone, and Mae's eyes. Leon had never known exactly how to interact with kids even when he was one. "Uh, hi."

"Purble!" The toddler rested their cheek against Leon's thigh and pointed at his hair.

"Yes. I'm purple."

Leon was ready to accept being cuddled until they giggled and fully hugged him from the side, so overcome with joy that a wave of uncontrolled magical static jolted them both. Leon jumped with a shriek, the sensation not painful but deeply unsettling. "Agh! What- oh no!" Leon sprung out of his chair and desperately tried to pet his hair down, panicking as people laughed at their antics. His soft hair relentlessly stood on end as he had a catfight with his own head, facing away from Valbar specifically.

"They're going to be quite powerful mages," commented Luthier. "Delthea was casting all sorts of accidental spells at a young age." He paled at the mere memory of it and Delthea giggled.

Kamui warily scooted away from the gleeful toddler next to him whose hair was standing on end. Valbar, however, scooped them up into his arms and smiled as they immediately started eating his dinner with their bare hands. "I miss having my own little one. Having three must be quite a handful."

"Oh yes." Mae nodded. "I'm sorry if it's a bad time- you were a father?"

Valbar chuckled as the toddler on him managed to get potato on his leg. "It's alright, the wound isn't as raw anymore. I lost my entire family to a pirate raid. However, as much as I loved having a son, I don't see myself having another kid." Valbar tried to help the child on him clean their mouth with a napkin and didn't bat an eye when they suddenly decided to doze against his shoulder. "My life is going in a different direction, and there are enough people around me to love."

Leon clamored back into his seat, still fussing with his hair as he fondly eyed Valbar. Even after Leon's embarrassment at the archery field, Valbar still valued him. Valbar loved everyone. It made Leon's heart swell with affectionate pride, impressed that his own feelings could blossom further. "You've never been bitter. That's so sweet of you, being so good with kids."

"I love them." Valbar looked at the child snoozing on him with such affection as if they were his own. "Right now it feels like I have 50 kids with all those recruits."

The conversation would've continued but a sudden hush fell over the dining hall. Within a moment of glancing around, Leon could see why.

Queen Celica entered the room flanked by Sir Mycen and Mathilda. Mathilda rarely appeared in public anymore, while she usually said it was to stay at her and Clive's estate to be a mother, those in the castle had figured out that she was a personal guard to Celica when needed. Several people rose to their feet and Jesse scrambled out of his seat to bow but Celica smiled and offered him her hand up. "My friends, you bow to no one. It's so good to see you all again."

Genny and Mae exchanged a glance and then ran to hug Celica together, squishing Jesse (who didn't seem particularly bothered) in with them. The Whitewing Sisters joined in on the group hug and Celica was practically hidden from sight, surrounded by loving friends. She was just as casual as Alm around the castle, happy to see familiar faces.

"We missed you!"

"Are you okay? You just had a kid!"

"You should demand we visit more!"

Celica stood on her tiptoes and waved to Alm frantically, laughing as he and Mathilda rescued her. "Yes! I'm only suffering from being fussed over too much, the baby and I are just fine. He's fast asleep and well fussed over."

"Would that be Prince Jesse, my lady?" Jesse teased.

"Forsyth is a much better name!" stated Forsyth.

Leon jumped in on the fun, not missing an opportunity to declare his love for Valbar. "Now let's be honest- Valbar is the best name."

"Is this what you've had to put up with?" giggled Celica, sitting next to Alm at the head of the table.

"Yes, dear. They're relentless."

Celica warmly looked around at everyone, inner circle and commoner alike. "We have less than two weeks before the festivities to get ready- lets make it the best Zofia has ever seen!"