Heyo. None of these are very well connected; it's mostly just kind of stupid, fluffy stuff. Enjoy.

There was a knife at Maribelle's throat. Or was it a knife? Now it looked like a sword, digging in, cutting her flesh. Lissa stood, as though cast in lead, as he friend struggled, as Emmeryn, King Gangrel of Plegia, and Chrom attempted to conduct some form of diplomacy. Lissa couldn't speak, she saw naught but fear in her friend's eyes. There was an understanding that flashed between them; the likelihood that everyone would make it out of this struggle intact was low. The sword was at her throat, tearing at Maribelle's pale skin mercilessly. A thin line of blood trickled down, and Maribelle squeaked. Lissa tried to draw Chrom's attention to it, but he was too busy, and Emmeryn was attempting so hard to keep a level head. "Help!" she tried to call, but her tongue was heavy. She was far too heavy. She was dead weight. The ruffian smirked at Lissa, yanked Maribelle's head back, and drew the sword—

"No!" Lissa sat bolt upright, her shoulders shaking as she tried to catch her breath. That didn't happen. Maribelle is safe. She's safe. We're all safe. We rescued her yesterday. Started a damned war, too, but Maribelle is safe. Stupid Plegians. She drew her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on them, ignoring the gray light of dawn. Lon'qu, her tentmate, seemed to be deep asleep.

She had felt so useless. Lissa was but a mere cleric; she'd supported Lon'qu all battle, but she had been so distracted and afraid. It wasn't until the end of the battle that she knew Maribelle was okay; throughout the battle, she had almost been sabotaging her partner more than helping him. Lon'qu was more beat up than he normally was; his arms and chest were bruised, and he had received a number of cuts from people's weapons.

I'm not good at fighting. I just get lucky sometimes. This battle was not one of those times, she thought, rubbing at her face. There was still dried blood there, splattered on her by Lon'qu as he tore through enemies. What use do I serve to this army if I get flustered and can't do what I'm supposed to do? C'mon Lissa, you have to do better than that.

She heard Lon'qu stir. He woke up early; she had to avoid him. She flopped onto her side and pulled her covers over her head. The uncomfortable bed roll met her shoulder with bruising resistance, and it took all she had to not whimper. A minute of silence passed, and Lissa thought she was safe. As she began to stir again, she heard Lon'qu say, "You're not fooling anybody."

"Aw, really? I thought I was being quiet and everything," she muttered, a bit grumpily.

Lon'qu thought for a moment before saying, "Not really. You shouted 'No.' It was loud."

Lissa groaned and buried her face in her pillow. "Well, that figures."

More silence ensued. Maybe Lon'qu had fallen asleep sitting up. She wouldn't put it past him; he seemed to be able to block out things enough that it was possible. "Something...is bothering you," he said, hesitantly. "Are you injured? Do you need a healer?"

"No," she responded, albeit with a muffled voice directly into a pillow.

"Do you...uh...need a woman to talk to?" he asked, sounding horribly awkward. Lissa wondered if he meant feminine hygiene or what Emmeryn had always referred to as "girl troubles," and she somehow had the vague feeling he meant the former of the two options.

Lissa sat up, wrapping her blankets around herself. "Not that, either," she muttered as she gazed at her bare toes.

Lon'qu sighed. He twisted himself around, not quite facing her, but clearly in a position to listen. "Then what is bothering you? I don't enjoy guessing games, woman."

"I was so useless against those Plegians yesterday. You got all banged up, and Donnel and Miriel both had to leave because of injuries I should've healed. I mean, I did after, but they had a lot of meaningless suffering. Miriel's left arm, the radius, was completely shattered. Donnel...gods, did he ever bleed a lot. I should've healed them before it got bad. As far as this shepherd thing goes, I'm really bad at it," she admitted.

The tent was quiet. Some crickets were still chirping outside. They were so cheerful and simple; Lissa almost envied these creatures at the moment. "Also," she added, not without taking a deep, shaky breath, "I dreamed that Maribelle died because of me. Because I was slow and useless. I'm pretty sure this is stupid to think about in the middle of a new war with Plegia, but it's all I can think about, Lon'qu."

She was prepared for him to berate her. Not one for petty problems, Lon'qu never took part in camp gossip, and he tended to brush off anything aside from practical conversation. It truly did surprise her when she heard him say, "You are not useless as a shepherd."

Lissa stared in shock as Lon'qu turned to directly face her. In the weak light, she could just make out his serious expression—not that he was one for jokes anyway, but it comforted her to know that he wasn't jesting, nonetheless. "You are important around this camp. People look to you, because you keep their spirits up. The shepherds would not be the same without you. Also, your battles are very rarely that sloppy, so quit berating yourself."

She ducked her head in attempt to hide her smile from him. Lon'qu had just given her a pep talk! What a great development! Plus, it was reassuring to hear those things from someone as critical and perusatory as Lon'qu. Disgruntled by her silence, he then added, "W-what? What did I say?"

"You said some good things, Lon'qu. You might've actually given me a pep talk," Lissa said cheerfully. "I'm proud of you."

"That is not something to be proud of," he grumbled. He turned back over onto his side. "There are a few hours before I have duties. I'd like to sleep longer. Don't yell in your sleep anymore. It's worrisome."

Lissa blushed. He worries about things? Scratch that—I think he just said he was worried about me. She gazed at Lon'qu's form in the dark, the ashen dawn washing over his body. His breathing slowed and deepened as she watched him; under that cool facade of his was someone with a big heart, she decided. It was just a matter of getting to it.

Realizing that she was still staring at Lon'qu as he attempted to sleep for a bit longer, she rolled back over onto her back, her face still hot. Do I have feelings for him? Lissa asked herself as she wrapped her blanket more tightly about herself. Sleep already creeped into the corners of her vision. Her final thought before dozing off was, Well, if I do, I don't know that he has those sorts of feelings for me. This is gonna be awfully weird.

Drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, Lon'qu felt that his most recent sparring session with Vaike was successful. Chrom announced a brief campaign in nearby villages to defeat Plegian raiders and Risen as needed before heading back to Ylisstol to strategize with Phila and Emmeryn; for Lon'qu, that meant that it was time to get back into shape. Between his lack of practice from cushy days spent in Ylisstol and the beating he took in their last battle, this workout was definitely needed. The longer they sparred, the more Lon'qu felt attuned to his body. "Use it or lose it" certainly applied to swordfighting.

Vaike spent most of his time deflecting Lon'qu's furious attacks as the practice dragged on, wheezing with laughter. "You're a brutal one, Lonnie Boy!"

Lon'qu brought his sword down in a hot, steely arc and froze just inches before Lon'qu's throat. "I am not Lonnie, nor am I a child," he remarked, eyes narrowed.

His anger was sorely disrupted by clapping behind him. "Wow! That was really great, Lon'qu!" Huffing a sigh, he turned to see Lissa standing there, her stave nestled in the crook of her arm as she expressed obvious amazement at his skills. "Toward the end there I don't know how Vaike even kept up! You're so fast!"

"Ol' Teach is faster than you know! That is, I'm faster than slow. Fine, I'm not slow, and that's what I'm sayin'," Vaike retorted, looking a bit grumpy. Noticing Lissa's eyes on his axe, his expression warmed. "Girly, get over here. I'm gonna show you more axe throwing! I got a little bronze axe that you can use."

Her eyes lit up, and Lon'qu stepped aside as Lissa dashed over. "Lon'qu, watch this! If I get good enough at it, I could became a war cleric! Wouldn't that be great?"

"If you want to use a brutish weapon like that," Lon'qu remarked, but her enthusiasm was hard to dent. Vaike brought over the bronze axe, which she accepted with a grin. "What are you even going to throw that thing at? We're in between Chrom's tent and Robin's tent. There are no stumps, targets, or anything of the nature," he added.

"Well, Lonnie Boy—" Lon'qu could feel his heart rate pick up in an unhealthy way when he heard that awful nickname— "you could just deflect all of her throws with your sword."

Lissa made a small noise of protest. "I'm not gonna throw this at Lon'qu!" she said, testing the weight of the weapon in her small hand. "What if I have a bad throw and bury it in his face or something? Khan Basilio would hate my family forever. Plus, he's been pretty nice to me, and so I don't really want to hurt him."

Lon'qu suddenly remembered how she'd called him good-looking, back in Ylisstol. She had just called him nice as well. I'm tolerable to her, he decided. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. "When we get back to Ylisstol, Vaike and I will help you with axes at the barracks. There simply isn't a good spot around here that is close to camp."

"Don't speak for Ol' Teach! What do you know about axes, anyway, Lonnie Boy? I'm going to be teaching someone who wants to fight with axes 'bout axes, got that?" Vaike said, clapping one hand on Lissa's shoulder and pointing the other hand, the one holding his massive Iron Axe, at Lon'qu.

The myrmidon felt a twinge of unexplained annoyance at Vaike's gesture. Vaike guffawed at Lon'qu's expression. Releasing Lissa's shoulder, he declared, "What? Don't like it when another man teaches your girl about weapons you know nothin' about, Lonnie Boy?"

Lissa turned pink again, sputtering something indignantly, and Lon'qu couldn't even begin to chastise Vaike before the three heard, "What is going on out here?" Chrom had appeared out of seemingly nowhere during the conversation. Lon'qu kicked himself internally for deciding to spar with Vaike near his tent, knowing the sort of foolish nonsense that Vaike spewed. "What's all this about Lissa learning how to use an axe?"

"Someday, I gotta be something more than a cleric," Lissa commented, pulling away from Vaike and trotting over to Chrom. "Don't tell me you're going to say that I can't play with axes now."

Chrom, bewildered by Lissa's menacing tone, pulled at his collar and stepped back. "No, not at all. That's definitely not where this was going. Anyway, Lissa, I need you to join me in my tent for a moment."

She glanced back at Lon'qu. "My incredibly great bodyguard, too?" Lon'qu resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her.

Chrom looked past her to Lon'qu, and then back to his sister with a nod. "Wherever one of you goes, the other has to go with, at least until we sort out this assassination plot mess. So yes." Lissa grinned at Lon'qu and bounded after Chrom.

"Why the hell is she acting so silly?" he muttered to himself.

"Because she looooooooooves you!" Lon'qu flinched at the sound of Vaike's voice over his shoulder. Resisting the urge to elbow Ol' Teach in the diaphragm, he simply shoved Vaike away and walked after Lissa. He really hoped she hadn't heard that; it was doubtful that she loved him. Who could love someone who spent most of his time concerned about becoming the greatest known swordfighter or sitting in sunny spots? There was nothing about his character that was even remotely loveable. Nonetheless, Vaike's laughter could be heard, even as Lon'qu entered Chrom's tent, where a few people were waiting.

Inside were the two Ylissean royals, Robin, and none other than Maribelle, in the middle of what seemed like a fairly serious conversation. Lon'qu disliked her; she was opinionated and haughty. She was some low-ranking royal who somehow had a greater opinion of herself than Lissa, who was a princess of Ylisse and had more of a right to think the sun and stars revolved around her; Lissa claimed she had finer points, but Lon'qu had yet to see them. Chrom gestured for him to sit down, which he did in the free seat beside Lissa. The presence of Robin and Maribelle set him on edge; where he had grown more comfortable with Lissa, he still feared most women greatly.

Lon'qu focused in on the conversation, where Robin was saying, "So, Maribelle, you've blustered quite a bit, but what are you actually here to say? I feel as though I've listened to a soliloquy from the latest drama."

Fiddling with her parasol anxiously, the royal gave a great sigh. "You all have helped me more than I deserve. You started a war with Plegia to assist me with my...erm...troubles," she paused here, knowing how large of an understatement she had made concerning her plight. With a deep breath to prepare herself, she continued, "I have...realized something very important."

"That being?" Chrom prompted.

"All of you are doing great, important things every day. You assist people. I would like to officially be a shepherd full-time, as my town was razed to the ground, and I have very little to return to," she finished. Meeting everyone's gaze briefly, she added, "As long as you would like to have me."

Lissa shrieked with joy and hopped out of her seat to embrace her friend. "Yes! A hundred times yes! I was wondering when you'd come around!" she cried. Lon'qu clapped a hand to his ear with a sigh.

Chrom laughed. "Lissa, it's my job to decide. But yes, Maribelle. You are very much welcomed to the shepherds. We're always in need of more people who can heal."

Why was I brought in here for this? Lon'qu wondered as Maribelle hugged Lissa back tightly, giving a teary-eyed smile. Chrom directed Robin to get their newest recruit set up with a tent and personal supplies; as the two women left, Chrom's expression turned more serious, his eyes cool. There had to be a second discussion topic at hand, but what?

When Maribelle and Robin could no longer be heard, the captain steepled his hands, planting his elbows on his desk as he gazed upon Lon'qu and Lissa. Clearly uncomfortable under his gaze, Lissa folded her arms across his chest. "What's this about?" she asked her brother. "You're looking at us like we did something wrong."

"I have an update for both of you," he said slowly. "The threat is from some brigands on the Plegian border who live in our borders but are loyal to Plegia. Other than that, little progress has been made. We have our best men and women on it, but they're a small guerrilla force that happens to be very difficult to track. The minute we get a pegasus knight or mage tailing these bastards, we subsequently lose them."

Lon'qu remarked, "Cheap tactics, then. You can't just point at them so I can go stab them."

"It's much easier to fight a threat with a uniform, that's for certain," Chrom said with a sigh. He dropped into a chair across from Lon'qu and Lissa, looking horribly exhausted. "Lon'qu, I didn't think I would have you do this for so long. I underestimated this group. Earlier today I talked to Vaike and Sully; both are willing to do guard duty if you'd like to quit guarding my sister."

"Hey, wait a second! Do I get a say in this?" Lissa piped up, rising to her feet. "You decided this without asking me? What if I really like Lon'qu as a guard? What if I feel especially safe and all that with Lon'qu around?"

"This is a lot to ask of him, Lissa. Can you not see that?" Chrom growled. Lon'qu had never seen him act this...well...burned out before. He always had this way of keeping a brave face and a light tone; it seemed to be a family trait.

Lissa sighed heavily. "Yes. It is. So...if he's willing, I want him to continue guarding me," she said. She angled herself toward Lon'qu, meeting his gaze with imploring, moss-colored eyes. "Lon'qu. If...if you want to stop guarding me, then it's fine. I'll go with Sully or Vaike or whoever."

Freedom. All Lon'qu had to do was tell her that he was ready to pass her onto someone else, and he would be liberated. He could spend as much time as he liked practicing once again, and he could go wherever he wanted without someone tailing him. But liberated from what? Her. She would go with Vaike, potentially, where he would instead be kept up at night in Ylisstol with chatter or towed around in her healing rounds; or she would go with Sully, who would likely drag her around remorselessly.

He felt that irritation rise within him again. Without further though, Lon'qu shook his head. "No. I said I would guard you. So I will keep guarding you," he said, meeting her gaze. Her face went from obviously worried, to shocked, and to insanely happy in the space of about three seconds. She beamed brightly, her hands gripping her skirts. She wants to hug me, he thought, half-hoping she didn't and half-wishing that she'd just throw herself at him.

Yes, she had really grown on him.

Chrom sighed. "Okay, if that's all settled, I have business to return to." Lon'qu barely heard a word of it; the happiness in Lissa's features distracted him. It was only when she trotted out of the tent, humming happily, that he got up and followed her.

She trotted straight back to their shared tent. When he met up with her there, entering through that flap carefully, she was standing there with a very conflicted look on his face. "Lon'qu...I know you don't like it when women touch you, or anything like that, but I really want to hug you right now," she said, examining her hands with a wistful sigh. "So I'll just say thank you. I'm really glad that you didn't push me off on someone else."

Lon'qu glanced behind him. Wordlessly, he turned back to her. Her gaze was so steady upon him, a smile still curving her mouth, and he supposed that make what he was about to do easy enough. Hesitantly, slowly, he moved toward her, reaching out...and quickly snagging her into his arms. She squeaked in shock. Lon'qu was surprised by how nice it was, enveloping the tiny woman into his arms. Part of him still wanted to push her away with some declarations of her she-witch qualities, but most of him was intrigued by how soft she was and how her hair smelled so intoxicating. This isn't...horrible.

Having gotten over her shock, Lissa hugged him back, her arms wrapped around his midriff. Her cheek was pressed against his sternum. It was at that moment, when she was so close and obviously comfortable in his arms, that he felt his gynophobia return. His body stiffened. Lissa asked, "Um...did I take it too far?"

He released her, stepping back with a very hot face. "It wasn't you," he muttered. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, thinking deeply. "I think you know already that I don't fear you as much as I fear other women."

"What a high compliment, Lon'qu," Lissa remarked, giggling a bit. He looked at her; she was so warm, her cheeks pink and her eyes glimmering with a kind of happiness he hadn't seen in her yet. Unable to help himself, he smiled a little bit at her, which only increased the size of her smile.

Something told him he'd made the right choice, deciding to stay in his position as her bodyguard. Whatever it was that he felt for her, whether it was attraction or just the first friendship with a woman that he'd had since he was a child, Lon'qu felt more whole for it.

"Emmeryn?"

The Ylissean Exalt, having finished talking over the campaign's successes and the impending trouble with Plegia, was surprised when her sister came to her in the main hall, a slightly guilty expression on her face. Her guard—the man from Chon'sin and Regna Ferox jointly, the myrmidon Lon'qu—was nowhere in sight. Emmeryn focused on her younger sister, murmuring, "Hello, Lissa. Where is your guard?"

"Well…" she laughed nervously, rubbing at the back of her head. "We went to my room to nap, because we marched a long way to get back here, and when he fell asleep, I came out here."

Emmeryn raised her eyebrows slightly with an airy laugh. "Oh, Lissa, what is this about?"

"You're smart. I need smart person advice," she muttered. "About...feelings."

Ah. Feelings. She wondered when her sister would stop simply ogling boys from afar and actually attempt to start a relationship with one. With a surprised smile, Emmeryn gestured to one of her sitting rooms. "Oh, of course. We can go right in there. You should hope that Lon'qu wakes after we're done talking."

Alone in the sitting room with her younger sister, Emmeryn offered her tea or some sort of snack, which she declined politely. Emmeryn gazed at Lissa with a faint smile. "So. You have feelings for your guard, as I would understand it?"

"...Yes. I think so," Lissa responded hesitantly, wringing her hands. She seemed so tiny and uncertain on the huge, plushy couch, one of the few relics of their mother in this castle. "Except I can't tell if he's humoring me or not half the time."

Emmeryn sighed. "Dear, why would he simply be humoring you?"

"Well…" she sighed, rubbing at her forehead. "I told him about my insecurities."

"Lon'qu does not seem to be the sort to sugarcoat things, Lissa," Emmeryn responded. She reached over the gap between their couches and grasped Lissa's hand in both of her own. "I don't understand romantic love. I really only care for the people of our nation; however, Lissa, I can tell you right now that he may be slow to reciprocate affection, or anything quite like that—"

"Well, he hugged me. Of his own volition," Lissa murmured.

Emmeryn smiled. "Oh, really?"

"Yes. He did. And he gave me a peptalk and everything. He said he's not as scared of me as he is of other women, but that doesn't mean love. I don't know jack about love, anyway," she grumbled, flopping onto the couch with a huff. "Looking at cute boys from afar is a lot easier than guessing what someone feels for you. Now I'm trying to figure out a cute boy up close, and sometimes I feel like I'm at a total loss."

"Well, you picked an interesting first love, sweetheart," Emmeryn responded. From the time Lissa was able to walk and speak, she worried that, like the Exalt herself, Lissa would experience strange emotional growth and lose the ability to make as strong of personal connections. The minute she started watching boys, Emmeryn grew less worried. Now, as Lissa spoke of Lon'qu with personal interest, many of her worries about her younger sister were dissolving. Perhaps the man she was interested in was not what Emmeryn would have hoped for; he was older than she would've liked him to be and clearly carrying some baggage, but it made Emmeryn happy to know that her sister had that capacity.

Lissa gazed at Emmeryn furtively. "Have you ever liked anyone like that?"

Emmeryn shook her head. "I was too busy piecing apart our kingdom for the past fifteen years. I don't feel very personal love for people aside from you and Chrom. My hope for you is that you find a man who treats you well, whether or not things work out with Lon'qu. My hope is that you are able to be more interpersonal than I am, Lissa, and that you let your guard down and let someone understand you. Do not follow my path," she sternly warned her sister. Lissa nodded to her, looking equally as serious. "Also, I do hope that either you or Chrom have children. I would spoil them rotten in lieu of having my own."

Lissa giggled. "Sure you would. If it's up to Sumia, she and Chrom will be married in the next three months."

The door burst open. "Exalt Emmeryn! Your sister—" It was Lon'qu, looking frantic. Lissa and Emmeryn gazed at the myrmidon as his expression went from fearful to infuriated. "Lissa. I have been looking for you all over this gods-forsaken castle. I woke up and you were gone."

Lissa laughed, a note of fear coloring it orange, and she slowly sat up, smoothing his skirt. "Well...I...needed to talk to Emmeryn?" she explained weakly, attempting to beam at him.

"I do apologize. She had something urgent to speak to me about," Emmeryn responded.

Lon'qu marched into the room and immediately sat next to Lissa, obviously in an attempt to be overbearing and aggravating. "Well, continue. You have plenty of conversations with me hanging around in the background."

Lissa's face went red. "Not this one."

"Why not this one?" Lon'qu questioned. Emmeryn resisted the urge to laugh; Lon'qu and her sister were easily some of the clumsiest people she had ever seen in love—that is, if Lon'qu reciprocated her feelings. She supposed she would have to rescue her sister.

With a very authoritative expression, Emmeryn informed Lon'qu, "We were speaking of cycles."

"Cycles?"

"What a woman experiences. It is of little interest to you, I promise," Emmeryn said airily.

Lon'qu, barely concealing disgust, inched slightly away from Lissa. "Women," he said quietly. Remembering his agitation with Lissa, he turned to her and implored, "We need to speak privately, you and I."

"I suppose so," she said with a laugh. Emmeryn watched, bemused, as she followed Lon'qu from the room.

She stood and straightened her garments with a sigh after the door closed. The worry in Lon'qu's eyes when he burst in...that was beyond that of a bodyguard's, wasn't it? He sounded frantic, like someone who had lost a loved one in a large crowd. Perhaps he also loves her, she thought. If that is for certain, I hope he acts on it and treats her well. If not, Khan Basilio and I will have to have a little chat, she decided.

In the meantime, she would enjoy the peace and quiet.

"You cannot leave like that and not expect me to worry, woman!"

"Well, you can't just burst in and interrupt my sister and I when we're talking!"

"I did not know where you were and I could not find you. I was going to alert Emmeryn."

"Ugh, but I was with her!"

"How was I to know that?"

Out in one of the gardens, as the sun began to set, Lissa and Lon'qu were arguing. Yes, arguing. Lissa couldn't help it; she was so startled and overrun by his appearance and how he immediately started tearing into her when they were out of earshot of the castle staff. Lissa huffed and massaged her tight throat; she hated arguing. It made her tear up. No one took an angry crier seriously. "I guess you weren't supposed to know that at all," she spat, her brow furrowed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lon'qu retorted, folding his arms over his chest and using his immense height to loom over her.

"We were having a private conversation! You didn't need to know about it, Lon'qu!" she exclaimed. Her eyes were threatening to leak now, and she wiped at them.

He seemed perplexed by her emotional response. "Are you...crying?"

"Yes! I can't help it! I start arguing and the waterworks start!" Lissa retorted. Her eyes leaked over, and she wiped at them again. "You probably aren't even taking me seriously because of this."

"I have never met someone who gets angry and sobs as though their world has collapsed before," Lon'qu responded.

Lissa whacked his arm. "Quiet, you nub. It's stupid. I know."

Their tempers cooled by this exchange. the two went to sit on the steps together. Lon'qu sat a step higher than her, as was customary for him. "Lissa," he said, and Lissa was startled, hearing her name said with his voice. His low voice made her name send shivers down her spine. "If you need to speak with someone in private, just say. I will leave the area and watch from afar. You didn't need to sneak away while I was sleeping to find Emmeryn."

Lissa sniffled and dabbed at her face with her handkerchief. "In the moment, I thought it was better than telling Chrom I told you to go away for twenty minutes so I could speak with my sister."

"Chrom," Lon'qu simply muttered with a sigh. "I could close the distance between myself and a potential assassin faster than he could say 'shepherd'."

Lissa sighed. Lon'qu's long legs were stretched out beside her; she had a feeling that he had been a gangly, awkward teenager. "Can I admit something to you?"

"Yes," he said, his voice earnest.

"When Chrom talked about taking you off guard duty, I was worried. I feel like we work well together. So far, we've fought all of once, and I cried and we stopped so it didn't count," she said, earning a quiet snort of amusement from Lon'qu. "I really can trust you, and you seem to trust me, and I didn't want to start over with someone like Vaike, of all people. I really like him; he's funny and has been very helpful while I'm learning how to use axes and things. But...I don't think he'd match up as well with me as you would. And Sully—"

"—would probably push you/me around," they said at the same time.

Lissa laughed. "See what I mean?" She reclined, ignoring the sharp jab of the marble stairs as she looked at Lon'qu, who seemed at least mildly amused by their shared thoughts. Lissa smiled at him, and he acknowledged it with a nod. "Anyway, Lon'qu, I'm sorry. I won't take off like that again. Just...don't let Chrom know about our agreement."

"Easy," he responded, and she giggled. Closing her eyes, she soaked up the last rays of sunlight. In a few days, they would be back on the road again, fighting Plegians, brigands, and Risen. Lissa simply wanted to enjoy this moment with Lon'qu at her side; she wasn't sure how many more there would be in the near future.

Hello, it is I, Mars. Again. You know the drill. I wrote goofy fluffy things to make myself feel better...and also to stave off the assassination attempts (and success ;A;) on Emmeryn. It is too late and I should not be updating this story. It's two in the morning. I have to move back to college tomorrow. What in God's name am I doing.

So, quick request for you all: if you're going to make a confusing, nitpicky review, please do not do it on anon. Do it with your account. I don't bite. If I can't figure out why what I'm doing bothers you or your review in general is just like ? for me, I'm not going to fix whatever it is you have issues with. I don't mean to sound rude; I'm just asking that you review in a way that is constructive.

On a different note, many of you share my sentiments. ROY'S OUR BOY FOR REAL PALS. ROY IS OUR BOY.

I still don't know what I'm aiming for with this fic. Fluff? Plot? I don't know. We'll see how it turns out. Hopefully okay in the end, right? *sweats nervously* This is mostly for me to become acquainted with this pairing and have a little fun while doing it.

I'm hoping to update again sometime in the upcoming week, and hopefully I will also be publishing a one or two part modern au for these two as a little side jaunt. Have a great week, everyone. Leave room for Naga. You know.