Chapter 3: Changes in Opinion and the Resolution

Rebecca's POV

That was a good nap! Since Eliwood and the other lords went into town for supplies, we weren't on the move today, so I needed the sleep. There was this weird noise I heard a couple of minutes ago, but I guess it's gone. Oh yes, I just remembered... Raven. I was mad at him! And yet... I'm not one to hold a grudge. Maybe there was a reason he was so snarky, and I'm just jumping to conclusions like that time I kicked Will in the stomach...

I think I should go find Raven! I'll confront him, ask him why he acted the way he did, and then work from there. Perfect! Let's just put his sweater back on, (it's so warm and snuggly!) and... wait a minute!

There's a rose on my pillow!

And there's a note attached!

Good thing I didn't roll on top of it! Someone must have come into my tent and dropped it off while I was sleeping. Weird... anyway, I need to find out what it says!

Untying the bow attaching the note to the rose, I examine it excitedly. Secret admirer? Letter from my mom? Prank from Will? Although, looking at the neat handwriting the mystery person penned, I don't think it's Will. Maybe the writer will identify themselves...

Dear Rebecca,

This is Raven. The reason I reacted so rashly to your question about Priscilla was not because of my loner mentality. You know that I obviously love her, but that is because she is my sister, and not my lover...

SISTER?!

Could you see me, of all people, with a lover? Who could love me in that way in the first place? Silly girl.

I have selfish reasons as to why I kept our relationship a secret, but I will not reveal them to you now. You are the only person who actually tried to care about me, but I shrugged it off, so you paid for my ignorance. An explanation was the least I could do.

Raven

He wrote this... for me?

How sweet of him! Ha ha, I can imagine him grumbling away while writing it. I'm going to go talk to him! Maybe we can go back to being friends!

Wow, I forgive people really easily!

Raven's POV

What does Priscilla want? She stormed up to me and asked why I must always be so angry. Did she notice Rebecca was upset? I wrote her the letter to apologize, so I should probably mention that to Priscilla before SHE gets upset. Can't have two people angry at me. Although, perhaps Lucius will find a reason to hate me, and then THAT will be a fun mess to clean up.

"Lord Brother! I asked you a question!" Priscilla says, disrupting my thoughts. "What did you do to Rebecca to make her so upset? She just ran by me, sobbing and mumbling something about you being a cold, heartless jerk."

This causes me to raise my eyebrow in surprise. "Sobbing?" I ask her to clarify.

"Yes, sobbing..." she replies as her eyes droop into disappointment. "I've never seen someone so visibly hurt by something you've done or said to them."

Something I've done... or said...

This is ridiculous. I've never cared at all about how people reacted to what I've done... and yet, for the first time in many, many years, I feel guilty. I can imagine Rebecca crying her eyes out, ashamed of the undeserved effort she put into being my friend. Hmph. Maybe there is something wrong with me.

Ugh! That stupid heartburn is coming back! Great timing.

"Lord Brother? You seem... troubled."

Instead of responding to the question, I decide to explain the story of the situation, and I can tell she understands my point, although she still seems a tad upset by the end. Figures. Priscilla was always a very emotional and kind-hearted person. That's probably the first thing that stupid green armoured cavalier noticed about her when they met... after looking her over. Which reminds me; I have to kill him soon.

"So that's what happened... you should still apologize to her face-to-face, though."

I snort and cross my arms in amusement. "You always say that about the people I talk to."

Surprisingly, she laughs at my comment before going back to her tent. I wonder what that was for. She doesn't usually laugh in my presence...

I think I'll just lie down and think for a while. It's been a weird day.

Rebecca's POV

There's Raven! He's sleeping though. His tent is only 50 feet away! Why isn't he in there? Enemies could be lurking! At least I can talk to him privately now! How should I start the conversation? 'Hello Raven! Why didn't you say anything earlier?' Or maybe a meaner approach? 'Jerkhead! You made me really upset!' Yeah! I'll use that! Hee hee, Will's going to get a kick out of this!

I prep myself to wake up Raven and begin the conversation about the situation and his letter, but to my dismay, he's gone! Where did he go? I search around the entire area, going in circles to see if he's just randomly traversing the woods, but I can't find him anywhere. Only when I sit down to improvise my plan of attack do I notice him lurking in my direction with a bored look on his face. I'm about to speak...

"I'm sorry."

What? He said that?

Hmm... I forgot what I was going to say! So much for prepping!

"I know that I explained myself in that letter..." he says hesitantly, "but I should have considered how you would react. Priscilla told me you were crying... because of me..."

I examine him as he speaks, and right now, his eyes aren't cold and hardened; instead, they're filled with... guilt?! Something must have really changed him if the situation is actually affecting him this much! I don't think he's ever done that for anyone else.

Which means... he really does care...

Raven's POV

Why does Rebecca look so happy? It's almost like she's in a daydream. I can't say I hate it, but... it's just strange to me. Well, at least she seems better now. Hmm... she's still carrying that rose I sent with the letter. I wonder why?

"Raven," she says, "I know you are who you are, but you shouldn't make people not like you because of your personality." Pausing for a moment, she continues, "that being said... can we be friends again?"

I nod in affirmation, and she quickly hugs me in response, causing me to look at her confusingly. "If we both put in enough effort... I think things will be okay. Can you promise me that, Raven?"

After a moment's thought, I give her my answer: "Yes, I promise."

My answer causes her to tighten her hold on me, and I notice something poking me in my back before remembering that she's still holding the rose. "Rebecca, why did you keep the rose? I only gave it to you to hold the letter."

Now that I think about it, I never needed to tie the letter to anything, so I'm not sure if that reasoning is actually correct. "Well, Raven," she replies, releasing me from her hug, "it was such a pretty rose! I couldn't bear to get rid of it!" Her eyes seem to be lighting up as she examines the rose further; she must not have looked at it clearly when she first found it. "I don't know what to do with it, though!"

I'm not entirely sure either. Technically, the rose is still as useless to her as it is to me. "You could wear it?"

"Perfect! Could you help me tie it in my hair?"

Great. She's turning into Priscilla. Kneeling down, I weave the rose through her thin tresses of hair while carefully making sure I don't pull too hard. After what she's gone through today because of me, I don't want to make her more upset by literally hurting her. After a couple of minutes, it is finished, and Rebecca thanks me while giving me a warm smile (it's almost ridiculous how smiley she is...) before cheerfully leaving to grab some lunch. She probably didn't eat.

Wait a minute... she must have completely forgotten that Priscilla was the one who gave me that rose in the first place. I almost call out to her, but decide against it; she'll probably be happier thinking it was my intention to let her keep it.

I don't see any reason to tell her otherwise.

EPILOGUE

Rebecca's POV

Wow, it's cold out here. I know the fire is warm, but I'm kind of far away from it. Not even Raven's sweater is warm enough tonight! I feel like I'm shivering in my boots! Wait, that's because I AM shivering in my boots!

As I try to think of a solution to my problem, I'm interrupted by somebody picking me up and placing me on their lap! Looking up, it's... Raven? "Don't be stupid; you shouldn't be shivering like that," he mumbles before pulling me into a tight embrace, and while I'm initially embarrassed by the gesture, I hug him in return, taking in his satisfying warmth. Now I'm really comfortable!

You know, I think he's starting to grow on me! If you can get past his initial scariness, there is really nothing wrong with him. There is definitely a kind person in there. I hope we can get closer in the future...

"Raven," I whisper, snuggling even closer to him, "no matter what anyone says, I know you're a good person."

Raven's POV

Rebecca does some really stupid things sometimes. If she was cold, she should have said something. Hmph. This far away from the fire, she could have easily gotten sick, or worse. Guess I still have to keep an eye on her. Can't let her get killed. She still probably shouldn't be out here, though.

I look down at Rebecca, and she's happily holding on to my waist with... what else, a huge smile on her face. Wait, did she fall asleep? She did. Hmph. It's weird, having someone so comfortable around me to actually... smile...

Oh yeah, and that last comment she made. I don't think I've ever seen anybody that happy while speaking before. Whatever. Nothing I need to worry about.

Well, at least that stupid dull ache from my chest is gone. And yet, some other strange feeling seems to have replaced it... it is a pleasant sensation, but I'm just not sure what it is. Only seems to happen whenever Rebecca's smiling... maybe she's wearing that light scent again from when I first met her yesterday.

Yeah, that's it.

Priscilla's POV

I love sitting at the campfire. It's just so warm and cozy, especially when the entire army is with us. We get to share stories, talk to people we may not normally talk to, or maybe just watch the flames in comfortable silence, like right now. So peaceful...

As I revel in the calmness of the situation, I glance around the campfire, and surprisingly, I notice Rebecca curled up in my brother's embrace as he calmly watches the fire. Wasn't she... horribly upset with him? And even stranger, my rose is tied into her hair? What's going on?

This is when I shift my gaze towards Raymond. He must have apologized to Rebecca and given her the rose. I secretly giggle to myself. Could he... actually like her? He won't even let me hold on to his arm, let alone fall asleep on his lap. I've never seen anybody put so much trust in him before. And perhaps my brother is... changing, because of her. I bet she probably likes him too...

Tee hee... for their sake, I sure hope so.

THE END

Author's Notes

Ah! A nice happy ending! Nobody would have thought of that. :p

I don't think I'm ever going to write Raven again. I just have a hard time working with his character. I can't just ignore ideas, though! If I get inspiration, I write. Don't all writers do that? Thankfully, other than A Glimmer of Hope, I have a few one-shot ideas to work with.

It took a long time to word Raven's letter so it wouldn't make him sound OOC, but even then, I'm not sure if I succeeded. Honestly, I'm not sure if I resolved the conflict correctly either. Perhaps Rebecca was too easily forgiving? Perhaps Raven showed too much emotion? Only reader's opinions can answer that question. I like your guys' opinions! The ladies' as well!

I'm happy with the way things turned out. Raven and Rebecca are clearly unaware of their crushes for each other, (even though Priscilla noticed pretty quickly!) and it leaves a perfect open-ended ending for the two of them, although it is OBVIOUS that their relationship will bloom into romance. :p Like I said, I can't do a full-fledged romance when it involves Raven, so this is perfect.

Time to turn AGOH back into a decent submission! And then, a new one-shot! As well, I've updated my profile! I deleted the subheading My Fire Emblem Pairings. Now, I made a new subheading that gives people reasons why they should read specific submissions in my normally humourous manner, so check it out! You may find a gem you never thought of reading before. Or maybe it will keep you away instead. :p

Signed, COOKIECHEESEMAN