Interlude - Eastern Khan


We were attacked on the border. I am almost certain it was a trap by Plegia, but what sort, it's hard to say. But it almost killed Chrom and it did kill Feroxi soldiers. While I didn't think it would hurt negotiations, I wasn't sure if it wouldn't come back to bite us.

But, for now, we make our way towards towards Eclil, the Capital of Ferox with the oldest arena on the entire continent, with Raimi as our guide. We can only pray we find the help we need, but I somehow doubt it'll be easy. The gods hate me, and so, I'm certain they hate the others for being nice to me.


Based on how festive everything was, we had actually arrived at Ferox during its Founding Celebrations, punctuated by lots of drinking, plays, parties. It was one of my favorite holidays, truthfully. After all, the unofficial motto of Ferox was 'fight hard, party harder' and they were very much into making sure visitors felt welcome to join the festivities.

"So, if you like Ribald, then I was thinking you might like a few others," Sumia chattered, smiling brightly. We were outside the Eastern Manor, where Chrom and Robin would meet with the East Khan, and already it seemed like the Shepherds were infected by the cheer. "I could give you a few suggestions, if you'd like."

"That does sound fun," I replied, smiling slightly as Blondie and Stahl started playing with some kids who passed by. "I enjoyed the last recommendation."

"I love speculations of the heroes of shadow in the past!" She giggled, clapping her hands. Nearby, Miriel and Lissa read to some more children who ventured close, curious about the strangers. "I think it's so strange that we know so little about the bodyguards of the Hero-King and Last Empress."

"Well, to be fair, what do we really know about those two, or any of those from the War of Shadows, and the War of Heroes?" I laughed as some kids jumped on Frederick's back, nearly knocking him over, and Red encouraged them to jump over to her.

"That is a good point." Sumia giggled again. "Oh, we should just lounge around and read and…" She trailed off suddenly and turned a little red. "Ah, Captain! Did you need something?"

"Yeah, Kestrel." Chrom appeared next to me and snagged my arm. "I'm stealing her," he declared, dragging me behind him. "Sorry!"

"Do I have no say in this?" I yelped, twisting so that I could keep my feet under me. I glanced up and saw we were heading inside the manor, and Robin easily fell in step next to us. "Why am I coming along?"

"Ah, yes, whyever would I want to bring along the only Shepherd who has any sort of substantial knowledge of Ferox when I'm about to meet the Khan and beg for assistance?"

"Why do you have to make sense now? I had plans!"

"You were just going to sit around reading from what I overheard."

"I like reading!" I huffed a bit and pouted at Robin. "Did you agree to this?"

"Well, you are the most knowledgeable," Robin pointed out as we walked down the halls. He looked thoughtful. "Sumia seemed a little upset, though. I think she was really looking forward reading with Kestrel."

"We'll make it up to her," Chrom replied. We stopped in the middle of a large room and he turned to face me. "Raimi went to get the Khan, and while we were waiting, Robin and I realized we didn't know that much about Feroxi culture and ran to get you."

"Of course," I sighed. I looked down to his hand, still holding my arm. "So, you planning on letting go anytime soon?"

"Huh? Oh!" He dropped my arm abruptly and coughed, blushing slightly. "Sorry."

"It's fine." I shook my head and gave him a little frown. "You know; I do need my armored gloves fixed…"

"Done. Do you want them fixed or new ones made?"

"...You do know how expensive getting customized armor is, right?"

"You do know that I am a prince and have way too much personal funds, right?" He grinned as I rolled my eyes. "As Captain of the Shepherds, I am legally required to get a paycheck too, and also as prince, I am legally required to have a stipend. Half of it goes to some various charities, while I keep the rest to spoil friends and family. We're no Plegia, but Ylisse does have far too much coin."

"Why would Plegia be rich?" Robin asked, looking a little curious. "Given the stigma…"

"Plegia has a lot of gem mines, and their access to the sea gives them a lot of trading," Chrom explained. He sighed. "If we could just cooperate… but given what my father did, it would've been too much to ask, and now…" He shook his head. "Well, now, we're here to ask for aid, and waiting for the Khan."

"A warrior ruler, huh?" He smiled slightly, closing his eyes. "I can picture him now. A giant of a man of unparalleled thew…"

"Am I now?" A dry voice echoed through the hall, and a rather petite woman wearing a sleeveless shirt and loose pants walked in, absently pulling her hair into a ponytail. "Please, do go on," she continued, eyes narrowed slightly as she stopped in front of us. "I'm quite interested in this… picture."

"Hello, East-Khan Flavia," I replied, barely resisting the urge to facepalm as Chrom and Robin both squirmed. "Please, forgive my twin brother. He recently suffered a head injury that left him without memories and he is relearning things. Like basic manners."

"Oh, you, I like." Flavia's expression relaxed for a small smile. "You are?"

"Kestrel, a humble mercenary turned Shepherd." I gestured to Chrom, who had since recovered. "This is Prince Chrom, if the mark wasn't obvious."

"A very polite jab at Raimi." Her smile widened slightly and she nodded. "Welcome, Prince Chrom. I apologize for the border trouble. Know that you are always welcome in Regna Ferox."

"You are very kind, Khan Flavia," Chrom replied. He spoke slowly, and I knew he was picking his words with care. "But I am confident that we can put that incident behind us."

"Still, I do feel terribly about it," Flavia continued. Her eyes narrowed slightly again, and I had a bad feeling she was about to test us. "Please, allow us to compensate for the injuries you suffered." Yes. Yes, she was.

"There is no need for you to do that." Chrom glanced at me when I nudged his leg and nodded when I shook my head slightly. "However, I happily accept your generous offer."

"...I like you two." Flavia grinned. "I like you two indeed."

As she laughed to herself, Chrom leaned down to whisper in my ear, "You know; in Ylisse, refusing would've been polite."

"Yes, but in Ferox, refusing is saying that you are too good for help," I whispered back. I glanced over at Robin, and noticed he was just doing his best to remain hidden. "That's why."

"...No wonder Ferox doesn't like us most days." Chrom shook his head, and smiled at Flavia when she focused her attention back on us. "Regardless, what your soldier told us, your grace, troubles me. Your border villages?"

"Some were razed completely to the ground," Flavia replied. She crossed her arms and glowered at the ceiling. "Damn Plegian dogs. No survivors."

"Damn them," Chrom instantly growled. He paused, though, and coughed awkwardly. "Ah, forgive me. That was… ah…"

"Damn them! You should've shouted it." Flavia laughed again, relaxing. "Here in Ferox, we appreciate plain speech."

"Well, in that case, you need to tell your damn border guard to think twice when someone with the Mark of the Exalt shows us."

"Now that's Feroxi diplomacy!" Flavia grinned. "Yes, yes, I very much like you. Give your sister my thanks. Her last diplomat went far too much about propriety instead of adapting."

"In my sister's defense, Hierarch Nero is supposed to worry about propriety and the safety of Ylisse. It's part of his job." Chrom bowed. "Still, I apologize for whatever insults he threw at you."

"Oh, I stopped listening after he called me a barbarian. I figured he didn't quite say what Exalt Emmeryn wanted him to. You may thank your people's love for that, as I was sorely tempted to show him how barbaric I could get." Her tone chilled for a brief second to emphasize the threat before she shook her head. "Regardless, I think we've danced around the main topic. I know why you're here, Prince Chrom. These strange creatures have gnawed on quite a few of my people as well." Her expression became serious, and mournful. "But I cannot give you the aid you seek."

"Pardon?" Chrom looked startled. "Why not?"

"I am afraid that lack the authority."

"Well, that's new," I replied as Chrom tried to mask his surprise and disappointment. I tried not to flinch as her eyes sharpened and focused on me. "When I lived here, you were the Ruling Khan."

"Ah, you lived here once? A shame I didn't recruit you then," Flavia murmured. She shook her head, and sighed. "Sadly, Basilio fielded a skilled swordsman from Chon'sin during the last bout, and he destroyed my own champion."

"I see." I nodded and turned to Chrom. "Sorry. If I'd realized she wasn't the Ruling Khan, I would've warned you." I knew Chrom also didn't really know what I was talking about, but I didn't want her to know-know that so, instead, I turned to Robin.

He caught what I'd wanted instantly and stepped forward, looking confused. "Forgive me, but what is meant, exactly, by the 'Ruling Khan'?" he asked, smiling charmingly when Flavia turned her attention to him. "I'm afraid I haven't found any good books detailing Feroxi culture."

"Well, your first problem is trying to read about it," Flavia retorted. Her smile softened the words to 'teasing', and she nodded. "In Ferox, there is an East Khan and a West Khan, and every few years, a tournament is held to let war and gods decide who gains total sovereignty. And that means authority to officialize alliances, and aid."

"I see. So, what you're saying is that you cannot officially help us." Robin's eyes sharpened. "What about… unofficial aid? Can we include some of that in the 'compensation' you mentioned earlier?"

"...I like all three of you, and want to steal you all." She laughed, shaking her head. "Calm your conniving mind, though. The next tournament is nigh and, as luck would have it, I am still in need of champions. The one I had picked originally was injured by those creatures."

"We call them 'Risen'."

"I'll remember that. It's easier to remember." Her smile widened. "So, what about it? Raimi says you're skilled, but know how to hold back. That would make your perfect for the tournament."

"Would Ylisseans even be allowed?"

"Of course. I mentioned before that Basilio's last champion was a kid from Chon'sin. That's across the sea on the Valm continent." She crossed her arms and waited for Robin to nod before continuing. "The Khans don't fight directly, nor do they allow shield-siblings and kin to fight, as otherwise, we'd have issues with blood feuds and dead khans all over the place. Champions are chosen, and over time, it was decided to be much easier just to bring in outsiders. Many mercenaries will fight, in fact, to gain a name for themselves." She grinned suddenly. "Of course, it's never involved foreign royalty before, but there's no rule against it yet! But the choice is yours."

"There's not really a choice there," Chrom sighed. He frowned a bit and nodded to himself. "However, one moment please." He snagged my arm and dragged me to the side, leaving Robin to talk with Flavia alone. Before I could even yelp, he turned to me with a very, very serious look. "What is this tournament? What does it entail?"

"It involves seven rounds of combat," I answered after a moment. I closed my eyes, trying to remember. "The first six rounds are worth one point each, while the final round, fought by the Champions of the Khans, is worth six points. The Khan with the most points 'wins' and is the Ruling Khan until the next tournament, though for the life of me, I can't remember how many that is. I think it's four."

"Is it to the death?"

"It's to surrender or incapacitation. Mostly the latter since Feroxi rarely surrender. Healers are on hand to assist, so deaths are pretty rare."

"So, good idea? Bad?" He sighed, looking a little lost. "If it's fighting, I think… no, I know our group can win, but…"

"If we win, she's the Ruling Khan. If we lose, but put up a good showing, then Basilio himself will likely come to speak with us and, if not, I'm pretty damn certain Flavia will introduce you to him." I shook my head. "She's not suggesting this as an ultimatum, I think."

"No, I got the impression that she was suggesting this because it would be much more expedient, and legal." He nodded. "All right. So, good idea."

"I think it's our best one."

"Okay." He closed his eyes and sighed. "Emm is going to kill me."

"I'll protect you."

"Watch it. I might take you up on it." He laughed a bit and returned to Flavia, who looked at him expectedly. Apparently, she and Robin hadn't even pretended to have a conversation. "My apologies for making you wait."

"It's fine, Prince Chrom," Flavia replied easily. She looked at him with a calm, studying look. "What is your decision?"

"If serving as your champions is the quickest way to an alliance, Khan Flavia, then we shall take up our steel." He said the words firmly and clearly, and held himself with steely dignity. "My people are desperate, and I do not wish to see Ylisse crumple as it did under my father."

"Well spoken indeed." She smiled slowly. "Is it fair to warn you now that Basilio's champion this year is supposed to be a very skilled swordsman?"

"It doesn't matter. They, and all those who fight in this tournament, shall be defeated by our necessity."

"Well spoken again! If you're as skilled with words as you are with a blade, then there is no need to worry at all." She laughed softly. "I shall handle the necessary paperwork, and make sure there are rooms ready for you and yours to rest here for the night."

"Shall I assist?"

"No, today, you are simply guests of mine, and of Ferox." She smiled warmly. "So go, and enjoy the Founding Celebrations and all that it offers. I'm sure that with everything going on, you need to have a bit of good old fashion fun."

"I…" Chrom looked a bit confused, but Robin and I both nodded when he glanced at us, and so, he bowed to her. "Thank you. I think we will."


"Ah, there are so many…!" I couldn't help but gush over the tall piles of books at one of the book-stalls in the market. "Oh, I don't even know where to begin…" I whispered, peering at the different colored covers. "The printing press is definitely the best invention."

"I know, right?" Sumia laughed. She and I had decided to go shopping and after looking a bit at some dresses and weapons, we'd given to the inevitable and gone book shopping. "Oh, which one did you find?"

"This?" I held up the small book I'd already snagged. "It's a book of poems. I love poetry."

"Oh! There's this one over here that Maribelle has been trying to get me to read." Sumia plucked it from a pile and squeaked as the pile fell, and knocked over a bunch of other piles. "Oh…" She flinched as the proprietor gave her a dirty look. "S-sorry…"

"I'll take that book." I took it from her, and smiled at the proprietor. "Sorry, we're just super excited by all your wonderful books."

"What trouble are you two getting yourselves into?" Chrom and Robin walked up then, and Robin immediately went to help straighten out the books while Chrom came to us. "Are we going to have a duel over books again, Sumia?" he teased. Sumia just went red and ducked her head. "At least you didn't fall."

"Not yet, at least," Sumia mumbled. She turned a little redder. "We should probably just purchase the books and go…"

"In that case, I'll buy them for you." Chrom took the books from us and smiled. "One moment."

"Oh, Captain, you don't need to…!" Sumia chased after him as he walked over to the counter to buy the stuff. "I have pocket money…!"

"Oh, Captain, my Captain, you need to stop being so pushy," I deadpanned, following behind the two. "You already got me to agree to new gloves."

"You didn't put up much of a fight on that one," Chrom pointed out. He handed the books to the person at the counter, and looked curious. "Also, 'oh captain, my captain'?"

"It's a line from a poem, a favorite of mine." I paused, and grimaced. "Then again, saying that might be a bad omen. The whole reason they're crying for the captain is because he's dead."

"I'm not going to die anytime soon." Chrom purchased the books and passed them back to Sumia and me. "Now, time to escape before Robin gets sucked in."

"But Chrom, it's books…!" Robin instantly retorted as he came over, making his voice whiny. "Books!"

"Yes, yes, this way," Chrom laughed, slinging an arm around Robin's shoulders and dragging him away. Sumia and I glanced at each other, shrugged, and followed. "Didn't you get a bunch at the other stall?"

"One can never have too many books. You should read a few of them, though." Robin's eyes sparkled as he fished through his pack. "They're biographies of some great leaders of the past. Kings, queens, generals…"

"I'm not sure you should've bought so many that your pack now qualifies as a lethal weapon."

"Oh, thanks to the straps, it was technically a lethal weapon already." Robin said the words so cheerfully that even I did a doubletake. "Regardless…" His eyes became distant briefly and then he shook his head. "That was…" He paused and looked to me. "Kestrel, did we ever come here with people before?"

"With… people?" I asked, confused. I shook my head. "No, not since we were very little."

"Really? I swear that was…" He frowned a bit, and Chrom moved so that I could take his place at Robin's side. "It felt… like a memory, perhaps? You and me, with two others, walking through a festival…"

"Never happened."

"It must've been another longing dream, then, like before. The other two must've been some old friends or something that I'd forgotten." He shook his head, and smiled at me. "Do you have good memories of these festivals?"

"Actually, yes, I do." The yearly festival here in Ferox was the one time of the year even Mom had relaxed. I had loved that. "So…" I trailed off as I realized something. "Both Sumia and Chrom disappeared." I looked around, a little curious. "Did we lose them in the crowd?"

"Chrom mentioned wanting to buy Lissa a present, so I'm sure he went to do that. Sumia might've gone to help." He smiled shyly. "I remember telling Chrom that I'd hoped to spend some time with you too. It seems like a fun family activity."

"Silly." I laughed. "Well, there is one thing we always did when we visited in the past. Want to do that?"

"Yes!" His eyes sparkled. "What is it?"

"We always went to see the dancers on the stage." I pointed to the center of the square not far away. "Looks like there's a performance now."

"Let's go!" He took my hand and dragged me over, and I couldn't help but laugh as we pushed our way into the crowd to get a better view of the very pretty dancer twirling on the stage. Small bells clinked and chimed as she moved, providing her own background music that perfectly matched her dance. "Wow…"

"Yeah, this is why we always came to watch. Dancers are amazing." This one, though, was particularly skilled. "I wonder who she is."

"Her name is Olivia," one of the other spectators standing near us explained, a little girl with stars in her eyes as she watched. "She's the best dancer in all of Ferox! And on the continent! And she's basically like… a princess!"

"Is she?" I asked, a little curious. Ferox didn't really have 'princes and princesses' since all Khans were either hand picked successors or won through special tournaments.

"Yeah!" The girl nodded vigorously. "There's nothing official, but pretty much everyone knows that Khan Basilio dotes on her like a daughter! Lon'qu is basically his son too."

"Lon'qu?"

"Lon'qu was Khan Basilio's champion in the previous Championship, but for some reason, it's a random mercenary this time." The girl frowned, clearly put out about that. But then she was back to smiles. "He's a weirdo! But super skilled."

"I see." I smiled at her. "Thank you. My brother and I are travelers."

"Welcome to Ferox!" She reached into her pocket and handed me a very pretty necklace, a black cord with a red beaded pendant. "My mama makes these. They're for safe travels. She makes others too, but these ones, she likes giving away to visitors."

"Thank you." I made a mental note to find and visit the stall. "I'll treasure it." I slipped it on for good measure and the girl grinned. "Is it the shape that conveys the charm?"

"Both that and the colors. In Ferox, we wear red during war, so it's a symbol to death. 'I will fight back', and it encourages Death to help make sure nothing happens because Death doesn't like to fight." Her eyes lit up. "Oh! Olivia's finishing up!"

She did, with a beautiful, and rather awe-inspiring spin that went on for at least seven full turns before she sunk down into a bow. The crowd erupted into cheers, and she looked up with a small, relieved smile before bowing again and exiting the stage.

"Do you think we can go and thank her for the beautiful show?" Robin asked as the crowd began surging around us. His eyes were still sparkling. "It was so lovely! I can see why we had fun watching dancers in the past."

"Well, we can try," I replied. I glanced back and noticed the girl was already gone. "Looks like she exited this way."

"Right." Slowly, we pushed our way through the crowd, and I tucked the necklace under my collar to make sure it didn't snap off with all the jostling. But, before long, we made it to that side exit, and looked around, hoping to see if we could see her. A soft 'chime' caught my ear through the mess of sounds, and I turned to see her off in a corner… along with a very, very drunk man grabbing roughly at her arm. I nudged Robin and pointed, and his eyes narrowed dangerously as he realized what was going on too. We shared a nod and pushed our way through the crowd, heading for her.

"Let's have a bit of fun, okay?" one of them urged. His face was flushed and his eyes were glazed over. "You won't regret it…"

"P-please, leave me be…" Olivia whispered. She sounded much shyer than I would've thought, and kept trying to pull her arm out. "I just…"

"C'mon, you're clearing asking for something, dressed like that!"

"It's a dancer's outfit. I dance. I just got done, and would really…"

"I'm telling you to come with me!"

"Leave her alone," Robin growled, stepping between Olivia and the drunkard. He grabbed the man by the wrist and squeezed, easily twisting him off of her. "She said no. Surely you have at least as much intelligence as a dog to understand that word, yes?"

"The hell?!" the man yelped. He tried to jerk himself out of Robin's grip, but his coordination was shot thanks to the drunk. "Who do you think you are?"

"I should ask you the same. Who do you think you are to make such demands of anyone, especially when you're this drunk while the sun is still high in the sky." Robin shifted to stand a little more protectively in front of Olivia, and I slid to her side to gently take a look at her arm. She looked very bewildered, so I smiled reassuringly before checking the marks on her arm. Red, but it didn't look like they'd bruise. "Leave."

"Like hell!" He took a wild swing at Robin. "I saw her first!"

"She was literally just dancing." Robin sighed and leaned back to avoid the blow. "Did you also forget that I still have your other arm?" He twisted it behind the man's back, and put pressure on it to make the man kneel in the dirt or risk breaking his arm. "I wonder. Should I bring you to Flavia? I'm sure she'd love to meet a drunk man who tried to attack a dancer and one of her guests." He smiled as the man's face went pale. Clearly, bringing him to Flavia was definitely the worst thing we could do to the man. "Actually, that does sound like a good idea." Robin raised a hand and waved to a burly looking man nearby. "My pardon, but might I ask a favor?"

"Yeah, sure," he answered with a shrug, looking curious. He came over, and looked at our little group before nodding. "You want him to go to the guard or something?"

"I was thinking Flavia, actually. I don't much know the rules, but I'm a guest of hers, and from my understanding, the lady he attacked is a guest of Khan Basilio." Robin smiled sweetly and the drunkard actually whimpered. "So…"

"You are a very evil person." The man grinned and picked up the drunkard, slinging him over his shoulder. "We'll get him there. Easy."

"Thank you." Robin reached into his pocket and passed the man five gold pieces. "As my thanks."

"You know how to talk Feroxi!" The man laughed, and walked off, easily making his way through the crowd.

Robin laughed a bit, smiling, before turning to Olivia and me. "Is she alright?" he asked me, mostly because Olivia looked a little dazed. "I mean…"

"Red marks but no bruises," I answered. I made sure to smile again as Olivia looked between Robin and me. "I'm not sure mentally yet. I think we surprised her."

"Well, we did just appear from nowhere." Robin peered at her worriedly. "Do you need to go to a healer?"

"N-no, I'm fine!" Olivia finally yelped. "I…" She bowed quickly, the coins on her scarf and the bells in her hair clinking and chiming. "Th-thank you very much! I…" She sighed, whimpering a little. "I'm… oh, I knew I should've taken up Basilio's offer of a guard, but Lon'qu was the only one free and he hates crowds, and I don't think he likes me much and-"

"It was really no trouble, Miss Olivia," Robin replied. He smiled warmly as Olivia glanced up tentatively. "However, since you don't have a guard, might you allow either my sister or myself to escort you? Just in case?"

"I… well…"

"If it's only one of us, then you're a better option, Robin," I pointed out. I glanced around, and noticed the man was out of sight. "Guys tend to view only other guys as threats." I turned to smile at Olivia. "He's a sweetheart, and it's not just my twin-bias saying that. You'll be perfectly safe with him."

"Um…" Olivia stammered. She looked back to her feet, and sighed. "I'm sorry to be a bother."

"It's no bother." I stepped away from the two, and grinned. "Robin, I'll meet you later, okay?"

"All right, Kestrel," Robin replied. His smile saddened slightly, and I could tell it was because he wanted to spend more time with me. But, really, we couldn't let this girl walk back alone. "Then, let's head off, Miss Olivia. Do you want to borrow my coat? It's rather chilly."

"N-no, I'm fine, actually," Olivia yelped, even as she led Robin down the path. "I'm quite good with the cold. I used to sleep on the streets, you see…"

"That doesn't mean you're not cold now." The two of them devolved into what had to be the politest argument ever, and I darted back to the stalls to take a closer look at some of the things Robin had seemed interested in.

It used to be a lot of fun, surprising him with gifts, and I doubted that had changed.


It was just as fun, surprising him. It was equally fun being surprised, as Robin had also taken the opportunity to buy me a gift: my own copy of The Ribald Tales of the Faith War alongside a couple of other, more serious, books on the same topic. I giggled and squealed like I was five years old again, and laughed brightly as he gleefully thanks me for buying him some history and strategy books.

"So, here, this is the scene I was talking about," I explained, pointing to it in my own book. Sumia and I were sprawled out in our room, surrounded in an impromptu nest of pillows and blankets, showing and discussing our favorite scenes. "See, she's already figured it out, but doesn't trust herself because of how unlikely it is."

"Oh, that's what you meant," Sumia gasped. She laughed and flipped to a page in her own copy. "I was thinking this one, because the first one shows he's got close ties to the royal family, but this one more shows he's got knowledge of the past."

"Mmm, that is a good point." I nodded, giggling a bit. "Oh, but the scene where she gets the… is it 'Hero Sword' or 'Brave Sword' in your copy? I know earlier versions had the former."

"This is one of the first printings, so the first." She hummed a bit. "I wonder why they changed it?"

"Probably to make it easier for people to visualize what sort of weapon she got." I shook my head. "Regardless, that scene where she got it from… that other guy who I am blanking on at the moment."

"You are?!"

"Give me a break! There's how many names in this book?"

"But he gets some of the sexiest scenes in the book!"

"Really? I thought Ares and Lene were better."

"Oh? Why?"

"Well, they start off all cute, you know. Some cuddling, kissing, flirtatious banter…" I laughed as she started turning red. "You have to admit that's just adorable! And then it transitions into…"

"Yeah, point." She coughed, embarrassed, and hid her face in her pillow. "But it's not quite as descriptive."

"I like less description. Makes it easier to use my imagination~" I laughed again as she groaned, and her ears turned red. But it died a bit as I thought of the past two incidents where I'd been certain she was staring, but then looking away. I thought about asking, but ultimately decided against it. We were having so much fun that I'd hate to put a damper on it. "I think the author realized that as time went on. Feels a lot more natural and less 'insert thing here'."

"KESTREL!" Her face went so red that I thought steam would start billowing from her head. "Oh my gods!" She collapsed in laughter, and I soon joined in. Yes, we were having far too much fun for me to bring up that potential awkwardness.

"Wow, I could hear you guys from down the hall." The door opened and Lissa poked her head in. "Mind if we join in?" she asked cheerfully, skipping into the room with Red and Miriel trailing behind her. "I brought snacks!"

"Lissa insisted on a girls' night, for some reason," Red explained. She sat down on one of the pillows and set down a basket as Lissa closed the door behind them. "I thought what the hell, so, here we are."

"I thought it might be illuminating," Miriel added. She picked up Sumia's copy of Ribald and narrowed her eyes. "'And, so he approached her, like a panther, muscles rippling as he-"

"Is it that book?" Red roared with laughter as Sumia and Lissa squeaked. "Well, now, this is going to be a party. Go on! Let's find some of the scenes to read aloud!"

"If we're doing that, pick a better one!" I insisted, reaching over to flip the pages. "Here! Read this one aloud! I want to see how red Lissa and Sumia get!"

Miriel obliged, reading the saucy scenes in the most academic voice ever, and even she struggled to keep a straight face as we hit some of the naughtiest bits. Sumia and Lissa went redder than Sully's hair as we switched scenes and so past the night. Laughter echoed on and on, and for the first time, I found it… just nice. It wasn't scary. It wasn't unnerving. It was just fun.

Maybe I was actually getting used to the madness of my situation. I wasn't very certain that was a good thing, though.


Notes on Virion:

Class - Archer; Reclass - Wyvern, Mage

Once called 'Ruffles' by Kestrel

The exiled Duke of Rosanne, who fled his home in the hopes that his people would surrender and live, instead of fighting and dying.

Pompous, melodramatic, with an uncanny ability to actually back up his words. When it comes to his skills with archery, he's probably humble with his boasts, and he is shown to have at least some proficiency in every weapon save Dark Magic itself.

Flirtatious with women, and really gets around, but it's clear that he holds himself to a certain code, and is always careful to not tread into harassment, apologizing and correcting his behavior if he accidentally does so.


Author's notes: So, this is mostly to lessen some of the coincidence in that the day Chrom and the others arrived just so happened to be the day of the tournament. I changed the formatting so that it's less of a free-for-all (and to better match with scene shown). I also added some mentions of Lon'qu, and an Olivia cameo! For fun. The Hierarch is an unnamed character who features very briefly in Chapter 7; I added a name and reference for convenience. There isn't really a name of the capital for Ferox, so I added one for convenience.

'Oh Captain! My Captain!' is a poem by Walt Whitman, and it's used for a damn good scene towards the end of the Dead Poet's Society movie.

Oh, right, since this has come up: for purposes of pacing and plot, I'll be combining a lot of the Paralogues together.

Next Chapter - The Two Falchions