Ilina carefully arranged the flowers in the wagon, ready to leave at a moment's notice. "Ilina, are you sure you feel well enough to work today?" her mother asked from behind the counter at the front of the store.

"I'm fine, Mother," Ilina replied with only the tiniest hint of irritation. It was one thing to return home in the middle of the night; it was another to be accompanied by the prince and princess of the halidom. And it was yet another for Chrom to explain everything that had happened – even the circumstances in which he found her – in meticulous detail and to apologize profusely for putting her in danger. Her mother spent the next day dragging her from medic to medic, and none of them found anything wrong on a physical level. The day after that, Ilina was forced to remain in bed for the entire day, where she did little more than sleep (a warm, soft bed felt amazing after sleeping in the back of a carriage and on the cold forest floor) and read. And all the while, her mother refused to stop asking her if she was all right.

Her mother sighed harshly, the frown lines on her forehead prominent as she furrowed her brow. "I knew I shouldn't have sent you on that delivery."

"What's a wedding without flowers?" Ilina retorted as she smoothed out her dress and picked up the handles of her wagon. "Besides – I'm glad you didn't have to get caught up in everything that happened."

"Hydrangea."

Ilina sighed in irritation and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Mother, please."

"Answer me," her mother said emphatically, her expression blank except for the slight furrow in her brow and the trembling in her shoulders. "Hydrangea."

Ilina relented. "Perseverance." Her mother sighed in relief, and Ilina couldn't help but feel a little guilty, though she couldn't understand why. All of a sudden, her mother would look at her like Ilina wasn't herself anymore. Like she'd been possessed by some demon. It seemed that their shared knowledge of flowers was the only thing that convinced her that Ilina was the same girl she'd always known.

There was a bell chime as the front door swung open. "Hello, I'm looking for—" Ilina was almost mortified to find Chrom standing at the doorway, and her face flushed scarlet as he turned his head to regard her. "Ah, there you are. I was just looking for you."

Her mother rushed to the door and curtseyed to the prince. "To what do we owe this honor, your highness?"

"Ilina, if you don't mind…" Chrom started slowly, smiling gently, "… my sister would like to speak with you."

"Lissa?" Ilina blurted out before she could stop herself, though the look on Chrom's face and the way he carried himself said otherwise.

"Emmeryn, actually," he said, though he didn't have to at this point.

"The Exalt?" her mother gasped. "But why…? Is it because of what you saw?"

"It is," Chrom answered, nodding once.

"But why?" Ilina couldn't help but ask. "You saw exactly what I saw… or at least Lissa did."

"There's no need to argue, Ilina," her mother said briskly as she wheeled the flower wagon over and handed it to her. "Take these to the Exalt, will you, dear?"

"But I…" Ilina clamped her mouth shut and exhaled sharply, simultaneously hating both Chrom and her mother for putting her in this position.


The walk to the palace was awkward, to say the least. "Are you feeling better?" Chrom asked politely.

"I was never ill to begin with," Ilina replied, staring down at the flowers instead of him, "but thank you for asking." The people's stares were another thing entirely; it wasn't every day that Prince Chrom would stroll through the streets with a commoner, after all.

"I'm sorry for any… inconvenience this might have caused," Chrom said, as if reading her mind. "But… well… Allow me to explain the situation. Those strange creatures that attacked us that night – Risen, we call them now – are a threat we need to address. And… forgive me, but you seemed to know quite a bit about them."

"I didn't know anything about them," Ilina told him. "Not from beforehand, at least."

"Frederick's account of fighting them accurately matched your description," Chrom pointed out.

"But you could tell all of that from just looking at them!"

"I couldn't. Neither could Lissa or Frederick." Ilina just sighed, not entirely sure where he was going with this. "Just think, Ilina – if you applied yourself and honed this skill of yours, you could become an excellent strategist."

"I don't know the first thing about battle itself," Ilina admitted, "and all that I know about military strategy comes from books."

Chrom smiled knowingly, and Ilina bristled, but didn't dare show it. "If you need more proof that this is actually an incredible skill, then recall our first battle together. Not only were you able to size up the enemy at a glance, but you could also tell what it would take to strike him down."

Ilina looked down at the flowers, her heart racing. She was a civilian, for better or worse. A florist. The world of fighting, battle, and strategy was well beyond her. And yet, somehow… "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because…" Chrom said slowly. "Well…" The palace gates neared sight. "I'll tell you later." He fell silent after that, but Ilina could feel his eyes on her, watching her every move, and she couldn't even begin to comprehend why. "You've been pushing that wagon a long way. You must be tired."

"I'm used to it," Ilina said, and she couldn't help but smile at him. Without warning, Chrom reached over and grabbed the handles of the wagon, just below her own hands. Their hands brushed together for an instant, and Ilina jerked hers away, allowing Chrom to comfortably adjust his grip. "Careful," she warned him. "That wagon can be a bit unsteady at times." As if to prove her point, the wagon jerked to one side, and Chrom stumbled while trying to right it.

He chuckled, and Ilina quickly relieved him of wagon-pushing duties. "So what do you usually do with all these flowers?"

"We sell them," Ilina replied with a smile. "As single flowers, or bundles, or bouquets, or arrangements. But I'm just going to give these to the Exalt. Like my mother said. I don't know why I'm repeating it now, sorry."

Chrom chuckled again, and then his hand was on her head, making her feel like her face was melting clean off. "Don't worry about it."


"That's her, Emm!" Lissa stood by the Exalt, pointing wildly at Ilina. Ilina shivered, slowing her pace and sucking in a breath.

Chrom laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "This is Ilina, Sis," he said.

"Ah, yes," Emmeryn said in a gentle voice. "Chrom and Lissa have told me great things about you."

Ilina pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and couldn't be more thankful that one of the Pegasus knights had relieved her of her wagon. "They probably exaggerated, your highness."

"Regardless, it sounds as though Ylisse owes you a debt of gratitude, Ilina," Emmeryn said, smiling.

"But all I did was—" Ilina clamped her mouth shut and exhaled sharply. She curtsied shakily, fixating her eyes on the floor. "Th-Thank you, milady. But I sincerely believe that anyone else would have done the same."

"Then you must have great faith in your fellow citizens."

Chrom stepped forward, his shoulders squared and his expression confident. "I've decided to make her a Shepherd."

"Wh-What?" Ilina gasped, despite herself. So all that talk about her deductive skills was…

"What prompted this decision, Chrom?" Emmeryn asked, her face completely placid.

"As it stands, we lack a tactician," Chrom explained. "She may not be able to plan out entire battle strategies on her own just yet, but give her some battle experience, and she will. Not to mention, she can size up any enemy at a glance, her lack of battle experience notwithstanding."

"Have you asked for her thoughts on the matter?" Emmeryn asked gently, her gaze drifting over to Ilina.

"I…" Ilina took a step backward self-consciously. "But I…"

"A week of training with Frederick, and she'll be almost up to speed," Chrom said. "Not to mention, she can use some magic training, so perhaps Miriel can—"

Emmeryn held up a hand to stop him. "Chrom, please." She smiled gently at Ilina. "What say you, child?"

What Ilina wanted to ask was if Chrom was so desperate for a tactician that he'd pick someone so random as her to fill the position. What she said instead was: "But surely there must be someone else. Someone… better qualified than I am. I mean… I would like to learn magic, and perhaps even to fight, so that I can protect my mother if I have to, but I'd just get in the way if I—"

"You didn't get in the way when we were fighting those bandits in Southtown," Lissa pointed out.

"There was one bandit," Ilina reminded her. "And Sir Frederick disposed of him easily."

"Yeah, but—"

"It would be foolish to make such an important decision right this very moment," Emmeryn said calmly, "so I suggest that you go home and think about the offer."

"Remember," Chrom interjected. "It's okay if you don't know how to fight. We can train you. We will train you."

"I…" Ilina swallowed hard. "I'll think about it."


"Absolutely not."

"But Mother, think of what an excellent opportunity this is!"

"Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? You could be killed! Or worse!"

"What could possibly worse than getting killed?" Ilina's mother didn't respond to that, and somehow, that scared Ilina more. The past two hours were spent arguing whether Ilina would take up Chrom's offer to join the Shepherds or not. Normally, her mother would have been supportive – if anything, she'd be the one pushing Ilina to do something besides reading books and selling flowers all day, every day – but Ilina couldn't understand why her mother was being so difficult with this. "I understand that Ylisse is at war, but—"

"At war with Plegia, Ilina," her mother cut her off. "Plegia. I don't want you setting foot in there."

"You had no problem with Regna Ferox," Ilina pointed out.

Her mother's mouth formed a hard line. "They may be barbaric, but at least they're honorable. They're not…" She gave a harsh sigh. "Why do you even want to go?"

And there was the crux of the matter. The truth was that, once she got past convincing herself that she'd be a horrible candidate for the Shepherds, despite everything, Ilina wanted to join the Shepherds. She didn't want to fight, necessarily, but she wanted to at least learn how – for herself, if for no one else. Actually, it was hardly a matter of want anymore. "Mother, I have to do this."

"But why?"

"I just… feel that I do. And if I don't take this chance, then I know I'll regret it forever." Her mother sank into a chair at the dining table in their home above the flower shop. "I don't know how Prince Chrom managed to see potential in someone like me, of all people… but I do know that this is not an offer that he'd extend lightly, and I'd be a fool to turn it down." Her mother remained silent. "Mother?"

"If you do go to Plegia, for whatever reason…" her mother said faintly, "… stay away from the Grimleal. That's all I ask. That, and that you come home safely."

At that, Ilina couldn't stop herself from hugging her mother right then and there. Her mother hugged her back and nearly pulled her into her lap like she used to do when Ilina was smaller in age and stature than she was now. "It's not forever. I'll be back before you know it."

"Please, be careful," her mother told her seriously. "There's one thing I want you remember." She pried Ilina off of her gently and stood up. They were both close in height, though Ilina was slightly taller, and her mother had to reach up to put her hand on top of Ilina's head. "Your head and your heart are yours to command. No one else's. Don't let anyone or anything take them away from you, no matter what the reason is. You are Ilina, my beautiful, strong, brave daughter. Don't let anyone or anything change that."

Of course, that had to come at some point. Her mother had the uncanny ability to worm the whole "don't let anyone take your head and heart away from you" speech into almost every conversation. "All right, Mother," she said as she always did, but then something seemed to wilt in her mother's expression. "I'll be fine."

Her mother gave a heavy sigh. "I hope so…"


"Here we are!" Lissa said excitedly the next day. "The Shepherds' garrison. Make yourself at home." The garrison was a rather small building just a little ways north of Ylisstol. Scattered around the room Lissa had led Ilina to were swords, lances, bows and arrows, and armor, as well as tomes and staves.

"Ilina, what are you doing here?" Really, it was to be expected that she'd run into Sumia here; Ilina didn't know why she was surprised, nonetheless. "Have you decided to join the Shepherds?" Ilina merely shrugged. "That's wonderful!"

"Great, so you two already know each other," Lissa said. "Anyway—"

"What's this about us getting a new recruit?" an armored man with messy brown hair asked.

"Right," Lissa said. "Chrom wanted—"

Before Ilina could process what was happening, an woman with short red hair had taken her hands and was examining them. "She's too soft," the woman concluded quickly.

"That's because she's not trained yet," Lissa said. "So as I was saying—"

"Not trained?" a boisterous-looking man with blonde hair repeated. "Don't you worry, milady. Let ol' Teach show you the ropes!"

"Well actually, she's—"

"Beg pardon," Sumia interjected, "but may we see the captain?"

"Poor Sumia," a woman with blonde curls and ribbons in her hair sighed. "She's simply been beside herself with concern. She's been asking every single day since you've returned…"

"Okay!" Lissa said loudly and emphatically, putting her hands on Ilina's shoulders. "So for those of you who don't know, which is everyone except Sumia, this is Ilina. Chrom's made her our new tactician."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Ilina said, curtseying to them.

"That's Sully, Stahl, Vaike, and Maribelle," Lissa said, pointing to the red-haired woman, brown-haired man, the blonde man, and the blonde woman respectively. "And you already know Sumia."

"I see you made it." Ilina jumped when she noticed that Chrom was standing just a little ways behind Lissa and her, and she couldn't help but wonder when he'd arrived at all.

"C-Captain!" Sumia squeaked as she took a hasty step forward. "We've been eagerly awaiting your—" And with that, she tripped and fell face-first.

"Sumia, are you all right?" Chrom asked immediately. "Those boots of yours again?"

"No!" Sumia denied quickly. "I mean yes! I mean…" She sighed and dropped the issue altogether.

"All right, listen," he said, suddenly all business. "In the morning, we'll be marching to Regna Ferox."

"But aren't they…?" Ilina asked quietly. "Aren't they barbarians?"

"Warriors are what they are," Chrom corrected her, "and we'll need their strength to quell this new menace. Typically, the Exalt would request such aid in person, but due to recent events… Well, the people might worry should my sister suddenly leave the capital. So the task has been passed to us. Now, this mission is strictly voluntary, so if, for any—"

"I volunteer!" Lissa said immediately.

"Me too!" Vaike added, grinning goofily at him. "You'll be needin' ol' Teach along for such a delicate mission!"

"I'll come too," said a quiet voice from somewhere in the back of the room.

"I…" Sumia mumbled. "Um…"

"Yes, Sumia?" Chrom said patiently.

"It's just that…" the brown-haired girl said quietly. "I'm not sure I'm quite ready for a proper mission just yet. I'll probably just get in the way…"

"Well," Chrom said slowly, "you could stay behind the main group, and if a battle is met, just watch and learn? Your choice, of course, but some lessons can only be learned on the battlefield."

"Can I do that as well?" Ilina asked. "I know for a fact that I'm much less prepared for battle than Sumia is, but I would like to train and gain some experience."

"Both of you, just stay by me," Chrom ordered. "You both will be fine."

"Th-Thank you…" Sumia and Ilina said in perfect unison, and Sumia bowed as Ilina curtsied. They looked to each other when they realized what they'd just done and giggled.

"All right then, rookie," Sully said, and suddenly, her arm was around Ilina's shoulders, and she was dragging the shorter girl with her. "It's whoopass time."


So a little disclaimer that I forgot to put in the last chapter: the ships covered in this story do NOT reflect my shipping preferences. Accurately. Actually, I ship just about everything in the game, except maybe Frederick/Cordelia. I know shipping was such a huge part of the game itself, but here, it's going to be a relatively minor thing. I haven't entirely decided what pairings I'm going to use for this one, so the only thing I can say is that there WILL be some Chrom/Ilina fluff, but not so much that it takes over the plot. I'm not sure if this is going to mean much, but I'm not one of those fanatically rabid Chrom/Avatar supporters who hate on everything else. Hey, Chrom/Sumia is pretty freaking cute, too. And the Lucina/Morgan sibling duo stands on the same ground as the Lucina/Cynthia sibling duo.

Also, there's a tiny little Persona reference. Sorry.

Please review!