That morning, Cordelia woke up feeling horrifically depressed. She had dreamed of the last time she had seen Lon'qu before he went off to war. She had made his favorite dish, cabbage stew, and focused on their little family spending as much time together as possible. They trained together (Cordelia was on the fencing team in high school and Lon'qu had learned the art of sword fighting back in Chon'sin) and Lon'qu made sure to teach Severa various fighting techniques because he knew his precious baby girl would steal everyone's heart without ever trying and would have to fend off would-be suitors. On the last day, before he boarded the bus, he gave her the knife of a friend he had lost years ago. The knife was perfectly acceptable to use in Chon'sin, because of the blade's ability to be whipped out quickly, so it was popular among the women. In Ylisstol, it was illegal because it was seen as being too dangerous because of this same ability. Lon'qu had managed to sneak it past the border when he emigrated, and knew it would be handy for Severa. She loved it, and knew this was an important gift to receive from her father.

The day she received the news that Lon'qu would never return had destroyed Cordelia. She was such a hopeless romantic, and having married Lon'qu and having a family with him was her idea of perfection. Severa was always a difficult child to raise, but she used to be so pleasant. Her father's death changed the girl for the worst.

Cordelia was quite introspective that morning, and felt she needed to visit her husband's grave. The body was fortunately returned unmarred, and they had shown her the wound that led to his death. A skilled sniper had hit him perfectly in his heart. Cordelia often wondered what her husband's final thoughts were.

But she knew, in her own heart, that he must have thought of her and Severa, because his family was the utmost important thing to him. He cherished them, lavished them with love, and even spoiled them. The wife and the daughter had never been luckier.

She wanted to walk, as the cemetery wasn't very far, and the walk would clear her head. She just needed to be in his presence. But she knew it wasn't the best idea to walk, for what if she needed to go elsewhere? So she slung herself into the SUV and drove.

It was a nice day. The weather was milder, there was a breeze that cooled her down when she rolled down the window, and the sun was quite lovely. Of course, on a beautiful day like this, she would be at her saddest.

She arrived and went directly to his grave. She sat before it, looking at the grave marker with his name, birth date and death date, and a short epitaph that described him as a loyal and devoted husband and father. She openly wept and hoped that he was happy in the afterlife.

She had stayed like that for a long time, telling him about Severa disappearing, how everything seemed so much duller without him around, how she missed him and wanted him at her side. She even told him that she wished she could join him. But Cordelia wasn't suicidal and would never leave her daughter like that. She just craved her husband. She felt empty.

But after speaking to her dead husband for nearly an hour, she finally felt better, and decided she'd splurge and cheat on her diet a bit by visiting the local ice cream parlor. She needed the comfort of junk food today.

She closed the door of her vehicle when she got in, but stayed still for a moment. Naturally she was worried about her daughter, but Severa was always very independent and Cordelia knew the girl could take care of herself. Lon'qu had done an excellent job of teaching his daughter how to defend herself.

She thought about Chrom then, and was thankful he was kind enough to look out for her daughter. Severa needed a father figure, and even though it was obvious the girl wouldn't accept a new father, knowing someone who was willing to at least protect her was comforting for Cordelia.

The drive seemed endless, but she eventually arrived. Cordelia ordered a strawberry cone topped with blueberries, and sat alone at a booth. It was then she noticed her old friend Flavia.

Flavia was the co-owner of the dojo Lon'qu had joined when he first arrived in Ylisstol. Fighting was one thing Lon'qu had always known. To fall in love with Cordelia was quite the experience, and it took a long time before he was comfortable with even touching her. But Cordelia was patient, and it proved fruitful.

She greeted Flavia who was in a deep conversation with a woman with white hair and a young boy with blue hair. He looked like Chrom. Cordelia wondered if these people were Chrom's wife and son.

"Hello, Flavia," Cordelia greeted quietly. The blonde, tan woman turned around and her face lit up.

"Cordelia! It's been a long time! I think the last time I saw you was the…" Flavia caught herself. "Well, you know."

Cordelia shrugged. "It's fine. I visited him today." She seemed very downtrodden, Robin observed. "I miss him dearly, but this isn't really the time to talk about such things."

Robin spoke up. "You seem very crestfallen. If you'd like to talk, I wouldn't mind listening." She blushed. "I'm going through a rough time too. It'd be nice to talk to someone who may understand."

Flavia chuckled. "And what about me? Am I nothing but your adopted sister?" They weren't actually sisters, but Flavia loved Robin deeply, and was protective of the woman.

Robin shook her head. "Oh, Flavia, don't say such things."

Cordelia sat down next to Flavia and sighed greatly. "I don't mind talking about it. I need to let it out." She smiled sadly. "I don't have many friends, and the one I do have recently went on a trip to study and live among horses. She wants to be an equine veterinarian."

Robin nodded. "Begin your tale."

Cordelia looked away, a bit embarrassed. "A month ago I lost my husband to the war, and neither I nor my daughter took to it very well."

"I wouldn't think you two would. That's such a traumatizing and tragic experience."

"It is." She stayed quiet for a moment. "He was such a good father to my daughter. He was so good to me. I had never met a kinder man. He was so protective, but not in a bad away. He wouldn't let anyone hurt us." She looked at Robin, stared into her eyes. "He was so strong. I can't imagine a sniper could get the better of him, but I suppose that's how it goes. He was always stronger in hand to hand combat." She remembered she'd watch him spar at the dojo with the other students. Lon'qu was an honorary sensei there, and Basilio often said he wanted Lon'qu to inherit the place when the time came to do that. Flavia always joked that she couldn't leave it in the hands of a student, but everyone had always known it was a joke. Lon'qu was the perfect candidate.

But none of that mattered now.

"I met him through Flavia and Basilio actually." Flavia let out a hearty laugh at that. "They were practicing some fighting technique in the tennis court at the college. I was entering the court when Basilio threw this tall, dark haired man at me." Her cheeks turned red. "Obviously, it wasn't at me, but Basilio didn't see me come in. So this man is on top of me, and when he sees me," and Cordelia started to laugh at how bizarre the moment was, "his face turns the brightest shade of red I had ever seen. He was redder than my hair. And he practically yells in my face and just runs away. I swear to you, he hid behind Basilio, like I was some beast." Cordelia had tears in her eyes at the hilarious memory. "I was just so offended. How dare this man act like I'm a monster! But Basilio just said he had issues with pretty girls like me and Flavia even said I wasn't the only one, and I did notice he wouldn't stand near her." Her laughing died down a bit. "And after that, I would show up conveniently at their practice sessions, purely coincidental," and her voice had a drip of sarcasm to it, "and put on this whole show of how I could wait till they're done to play tennis with my friend. Poor Sumia, my equine vet friend actually, would get so tired of this charade, but she thought it was funny too. Eventually, this man, Lon'qu as I found out he was called, asked if I was interested in sparring sometime. I found the suggestion strange because it was clear I knew no martial arts, and I told him so. He stumbled over his words and wouldn't look me in the face and that's when I knew he was trying to ask me out on a date." She sighed. "And we were together ever since."

"He sounded like he was quite the character," Robin chuckled. "My husband met me in a similar way."

"This sounds intriguing. What happened?"

Flavia couldn't contain herself. She loved this story.

"He walked in on me in the shower."

Cordelia's jaw dropped. "How?!"

"The big doofus came over to my apartment to discuss some political things. I was a political science major," Flavia added. "He then went to use the restroom, but he had no idea Robin was visiting me on break from school. Before I could stop him, I hear the loudest shriek. And poor Chrom is being pelted with various toiletries."

Cordelia stiffened at his name. So this was indeed the wife and son. She couldn't say she knew him. This could get ugly.

"Yes, I did. And shortly after that, I visited Basilio because he needed my insight on a student with problems, since I was studying to be a teacher and he wanted to help me with dealing with children. I go to use the bathroom, and guess who was already in there showering."

"But how?! Why didn't Flavia or Basilio warn either of you?"

Flavia chortled. "There's nothing I love more than watching two college kids get flustered over nudity. Fills my old heart with glee."

Robin sighed. "Because of this, we decided that maybe we should actually get to know each other since we already saw each other naked. And it was bliss after that." She sighed. "Except now…" She looked at her son. "Well, I think you can see what's going on."

Morgan was coloring in the kids' menu and wasn't even aware of the conversation around him, but Cordelia understood why Robin didn't want to say anything. Talking about divorce in front of a child was not a very kind thing to do.

"I'm so sorry. I can't imagine the pain you're going through."

"Nor I you! Even though it's rough right now, the idea of losing him to the war…" Robin shuddered. "I don't want that at all."

"So you still love him."

Robin blushed. "I suppose I do. He's… He's very good to me and my children… There are just some kinks… I don't want it to end, but I'm having a hard time getting past the hurdle."

Cordelia knew it wasn't her place to give love advice, especially when she was talking to the woman married to the man she was growing increasingly fond of. "I hope both of you stay strong. This isn't an easy time, but I believe the right choice will make itself apparent." Cordelia looked out the window then, wistful. "Lon'qu's death showed me how lucky I was in choosing to marry him. While I am miserable without him, knowing he was once by my side… I feel very blessed to have known him."

Robin let that statement sink in. "That's very powerful. Sometimes, I feel the same…" She ruffled Morgan's hair, which brought the boy back to the real world. "We'll see what the future holds."

"What, Mom?"

She chuckled. "Just having girl talk, dear." He shrugged and went back to coloring.

Cordelia knew then that it was her time to go. "I didn't mean to intrude, so I will take my leave now."

Robin smiled kindly. "It was a pleasure to meet you. If you don't mind, we should get together again. I think we could help each other."

Cordelia felt like she was about to go into a cold sweat, and knew she couldn't admit to speaking with Chrom. But she didn't want to deny Robin's request either, as she felt it would make her suspicious.

"That would be nice," she replied, and they exchanged numbers.

Robin and Flavia bade her a good day, and Cordelia left, feeling incredibly guilty. Here she was, thinking of Chrom nonstop, and starting an acquaintanceship with Robin. She knew she was on a path that couldn't lead to anything good, and she wondered if she could somehow change course.