Alrighty, folks, welcome back! This chapter is going to be Caeldori's chapter, AKA the one I've been dreading since the beginning. I'll admit, I don't know much about her character, even after all the support conversations I've watched on YouTube, I'm still a bit iffy on the subject. However, I tried my best to work with what I got, and hopefully it pays off. Honestly, I don't think I've ever pooled this much effort into a story before! Dwyer is one of my favorite Fire Emblem character (next to Lute, that adorable little mage from Sacred Stones, d'aww...) and I really want this story to stand out among the crowd. Judging by your reviews, I'm hoping that I'm actually doing something right.

So all in all, this is my 'dream story', Caeldori is a bitch to write, and Lute is waifu! Enjoy the chapter, everyone!

...

Dwyer would never admit it to anyone, but he had a small crush on Caeldori.

It seemed like most of the male children in the army did as well, and who could blame them? Caeldori was a beautiful sight to behold for many. The way she bravely charged into battle, her strong sense of duty and loyalty, her friendly attitude to just about everyone on camp... She was almost perfection!

Key word: almost.

The woman had several quirks that were a little strange to witness, and for all the money in the world, she would never back down from a challenge. This may have been fine, Dwyer had learned over the course of his training that it's perfectly acceptable to push yourself.

However, Caeldori was...different from most.

It started when Dwyer had just beaten Asugi in another spar, a few days having past since Midori joined the army. Asugi groaned as he struggled to his feet, glaring playfully at the butler. "Dammit, Naps!" he hissed. "How are you so good at this?"

Dwyer shrugged. "Luck?" he suggested, but the sweets loving ninja shook his head.

"Nah," he disagreed. "If all it took was luck, then Percy would've won the war for us twenty times over by now!"

It was then that Dwyer felt something staring at him from behind, sending shivers up his spine. Turning around slowly, he saw a familiar red haired figure locking eyes onto him from behind a tree. Caeldori saw that Dwyer had noticed her, and with a small cry of surprise she ducked behind the tree and out of sight. The butler blinked, confused. He turned back to Asugi and jabbed his thumb at Caeldori's direction.

"How long has she been there?" he asked.

Asugi shrugged. "As long as I can remember," he answered, sticking a sucker in his mouth. "She's been watching you for awhile now, actually."

"Why?" Dwyer wondered, rubbing his chin. Surely he wasn't that popular, right? He had friends, but he wasn't 'cool' enough for stalkers yet, was he?

"Oh, who knows!" Asugi growled, crossing his arms. "I hope you know you're one lucky bastard, having all the pretty girls after you. Seriously, your leagues above me, and I bake sweets!" Asugi reached out and grabbed Dwyer's shoulders, eyes wide. "What girl doesn't love a guy with great baking talent?! What the hell is your secret, Naps?!"

"I-I wouldn't know!" Dwyer stammered, squirming out of his friend's grasp. "It's not like I'm trying or anything!"

Apparently he said the wrong thing, because Asugi collapsed to his knees, eyes blank. Dwyer could've sworn there was a rain cloud over the ninja's head. "He doesn't even try." Asugi stated, his voice void of all emotion. "He doesn't even try. He doesn't even try. He doesn't even-"

Dwyer decided the best thing to do was give the ninja with a sweet tooth some space...

Walking away from the training grounds, he took a moment to glance at the high castle walls. Oh, it felt great to be back at the castle. Dwyer honestly could not have imagined marching much further, and he was happy to be back in familiar territory. He then turned his attention to the tree that Caeldori hid behind. He began walking towards it, curious to see if Caeldori was still hiding behind it.

As he grew closer, Dwyer heard the girl's voice, and it sounded like she was talking to herself. 'I wonder why.' he thought, now standing right next to the tree. He peeked his head around hesitantly, curiosity out weighing his respect for privacy. Caeldori was picking the petals off of a flower, chanting something underneath her breath with each pluck. Dwyer had to strain his ears to hear her.

"I'm perfect, I'm not perfect..." The Pegasus knight whispered, plucking off two more petals. "I'm perfect, I'm n-" She gasped as she plucked off the last petal, staring at the bare flower with shock. "I-I'm...NOT PERFECT?!" she choked out, flinging the flower away and burying her head in her arms. "Oh, gods..."

Dwyer shook his head and sighed. "Y'know, I don't think plucking a flower is a reliable way to learn to view yourself," he commented, startling the red haired girl.

Caeldori gasped and leaped to her feet, gulping. "Dwyer!" she cried. "D-Did you see what I was doing?"

'It's like Soleil's dancing all over again.' the butler thought to himself. "Everything," he stated bluntly.

Caeldori blushed, and glanced away. "D-Dammit..." She took a deep breath and locked eyes with Dwyer. "Go on then, tell me how foolish I am. It's what you're good at, right?"

The sleepy butler raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked. "Why on earth would I-"

"Oh, Dwyer, I'm so jealous of you!" Caeldori suddenly blurted out, clenching her fists. "You're always so good, so perfect at everything, while I'm stuck playing second fiddle!"

Dwyer's mouth actually fell open, and he officially had no idea what the hell was going on. "What are you talking ab-"

"I should be the one that's perfect!" Caeldori declared. "It's my duty as a Pegasus knight, and if I can't reach perfection then I only bring shame to the army!"

"You're taking this too far!" Dwyer tried reasoning. "There's no such thing as perfection! Hell, I'm barely capable of anything!" He took a deep breath. "Listen, I don't usually give out advice like this, but you just try being yoursel-"

"Mark my words, Dwyer!" Caeldori interrupted, pointing a finger at the butler's face. "Before this day ends, I will prove my perfection to you! Whether it be outdoing you in a contest of chores or winning your heart!"

"Contest of chores?" Dwyer echoed. "Winning my heart? Caeldori, what are-"

"I shall see you at lunchtime, Dwyer," Caeldori finished, winking before walking away, swaying her hips in an almost teasing manner.

Dwyer stared blankly after the girl as his mind slowly rebooted from that overload of...whatever it was. When he finally recovered, he shook his head and walked away in the opposite direction. 'That was strange,' he thought, hand reaching inside his pocket to play with shuriken inside it. Playing with the weapon was a habit Dwyer developed soon after learning his so called 'talent' with it.

"Dwyer!" Jakob's voice rang. Rolling his eyes, Dwyer turned around and waited for his father to approach him.

"Yes, Father?" the younger butler asked when the older one stood in front of him.

Jakob sighed. "Your mother caught a cold, so I need to be taking care of her instead of serving food to the army," he explained. "So I'm placing you on kitchen duty for today."

Dwyer's shoulders drooped. "All day...?"

"Of course not!" Jakob hissed. "Flora will eventually take over, I just need you to make and serve lunch to everyone, understand?"

"Understand," Dwyer sighed.

"Hmph." the older butler grunted. "Good. That will be all, then." Without speaking another word, Jakob walked off, leaving Dwyer alone once again. Dwyer watched his father enter the house he shared with Charlotte. The sleepy butler then made his way towards the mess hall, racking up ideas in his mind of what to serve the army. Lady Elise preferred vegetarian, Velouria and Selkie loved rare meat, and Miss Effie...

Miss Effie could eat a faceless and still ask for seconds.

Stepping into the dining area, he was greeted by Flora, Felicia's better, pretty much.

"You look tired," the ice maid noted.

Dwyer shrugged. "Things got a little strange before coming here," he explained vaguely.

Flora hummed, before she smiled. "Oh, and someone volunteered to help you out with your duties today!" she told him. "Isn't that sweet?"

Dwyer just grunted, making his way to the kitchen, grabbing an apron and tying it around his waist. He heard the sound of pots and pans cluttering, and he quickened his pace, throwing open the kitchen door. His eyes widened slightly. "Oh, gods...no..." he whispered to himself.

"Glad you finally made it!" Caeldori exclaimed, donning an apron of her own and wearing a chef's hat that was comically tilted, not that the Pegasus knight noticed.

"What are you doing here?" Dwyer demanded, stepping into the kitchen and searching for ingredients to use.

"I told you I would prove to you my perfection," Caeldori reminded the butler, smirking. "And what better way to prove it than showing you my kitchen skills?"

"...I can think of about a dozen different ways, actually," Dwyer deadpanned, pulling some garlic salt out of the pantry.

Caeldori chose to ignore that comment, instead she also began searching the pantry. "So what are we making?" she asked.

Dwyer shrugged. "A little bit of everything," he explained. "Everyone in the army has a very specific set of taste buds, they all prefer something different. Our jobs as cooks is to somehow create a dish that will leave everyone satisfied." His eyes caught the sight of a large salmon in the back, covered in ice. He approached it and lifted it up. 'It'll do,' he told himself.

"Wow, you're so smart, Dwyer!" Caeldori praised, her words just a bit too sweet for Dwyer's comfort.

"Uh, yeah..." His mother pulled the same tone whenever she was around people besides her family, and hearing it in Caeldori worried him slightly. However, he chose to shove down the feeling, just wanting to get the dish done. Caeldori walked over to him, fixing her chef's hat.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked him.

Without looking, Dwyer pointed to his left. "Prepare the bread," he told her. "It needs to be baked just right. You don't recognize good bread by its texture or smell or anything like that, you recognize it by the sound it makes if you squeeze it."

Caeldori hummed in response, and Dwyer let out a small sigh of relief. 'That should keep her busy for awhile,' he thought, happy to now be focusing on his own task. 'Let's hope she doesn't screw it up...' He shuddered as he remembered the time Sophie accidentally burned all of the army's meat supply to a crisp. Velouria and her father actually had to steal the cows from local villages just to restock the supply.

He heard Caeldori carefully cracking each loaf of bread until the right sound emerged. It was always satisfying to hear, and Caeldori seemed to recognize that. She opened the oven and placed the bread inside, before glancing at the shadows and making note of their location. Nodding to herself, she searched for another task to do.

"You can handle the fish," Dwyer told her. "I'll make some chowder to go with it."

"Whatever you say, Dwyer," Caeldori said, eyes briefly shifting towards the shadows. The butler saw her do this, and raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you doing that?" he asked.

Caeldori smiled proudly. "To keep track of the time," she answered. "The bread has to be baked just right, after all!"

"And I agree with that," Dwyer said, nodding his head. Then he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small pocket watch. "However, that's why we have these things."

"Oh..." Caeldori suddenly looked embarrassed. "O-Of course..."

The two stood there in silence, before quickly getting back to work. For the most part, the whole process went surprisingly smooth, much to Dwyer's delight. Although she needed some guidance every once and awhile, Caeldori was doing a good job keeping up with the butler. It was definitely the most time they've spent together, Dwyer noticed with an ever so faint blush on his cheeks.

Finally, the food was done, and Dwyer and Caeldori carried it out for the army, setting it down and allowing the soldiers to collect whatever it was they wished. However, Dwyer made sure to place a sign next to the food that said Miss Effie is only allowed two large servings at most.

The knight was disappointed, to say the least.

"They look like they're really enjoying it," Caeldori noted as she and Dwyer sat down at a table away from the others, taking small bites of their own meals. "Did I do well?"

"Admittedly, yes." Dwyer nodded his head and took another bite of his fish. "You have some decent kitchen skills."

Caeldori raised an eyebrow. "But...not perfect?" she assumed.

Dwyer sighed and rolled his eyes. "There's no such thing as perfect, Caeldori," he hissed. "I'm not sure where you got that idea from, but you should let it go."

Caeldori's eyes widened. "B-But I..." She trailed off, and suddenly the look on her face changed. "I mean, of course! You're absolutely right, Dwyer!"

The sleepy butler frowned. "Okay, what's with that tone?" he demanded. "There's only one person who also has that tone, and that's my mother. And if you're developing her tone, I feel like I should seriously be worried."

"Lesson number one!" The Pegasus knight declared. "You'll win people over if you're perfectly agreeable!" She grinned and leaned in close. "Did it work, Dwyer? Can you feel the barrier between us vanishing?"

Dwyer was silent for a few moments, before he sighed heavily through his nose. Shaking his head and wiping his mouth with a napkin, he stood up and took his plate of food. "Yup, not dealing with this," he grumbled. "Bye." He walked away, leaving Caeldori in shock.

"W-Wait!" she called, extending her arm toward the boy. "Dwyer, come back!"

Dwyer ignored the girl, sitting down on the empty seat next to Kana. The young princess looked up at him, tilting her head. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Dwyer shrugged. "Just Caeldori being Caeldori," he growled. "Can't she just see that she's already great the way she is? That she doesn't need anything else to make her quote unquote perfect?"

Kana tapped her chin in thought. "Maybe you gotta tell her that," she suggested.

"Think I haven't tried?"

"Then try harder!"

Dwyer couldn't help but smile as he ruffled the princess's hair. She was too cute sometimes...

...

Later that night, Dwyer couldn't sleep. He laid there in his bed, tossing and turning, unable to find a comfortable position. Groaning, he sat up and slid out of his bed. Nope, he definitely wasn't getting any sleep until he got Caeldori out of his head, and the only way to do that was to confront her. 'I wonder if she's even still up,' he thought as he slid on his boots.

Stepping outside, he allowed himself a brief second to simply enjoy the cool night air. Sighing, he began walking towards the bunking area where the other children slept. He knew that only a select few, as in the royal children, actually slept in huts, the rest sleeping in tents. Dwyer knew Caeldori stayed in such a tent, and that hers was a bit more straight than the others.

As he made his way over there, he could've sworn he heard the sound of crying. Approaching the collection of tents, he noticed that it was coming from Caeldori's. Carefully weaving his way through the campgrounds, he stopped in front of the Pegasus knight's tent and knelt down. "Caeldori?" he whispered, hoping to catch her attention. The crying stopped, and Caeldori poked her head out of the tent flap.

"Dwyer?" she sniffled, wiping her nose. "What are you doing here..?"

"Checking up on you," the butler answered. "May I come in?"

Caeldori hesitated, but finally nodded, opening the flap. Dwyer crawled in, immediately taking note of the thin nightgown the red head was wearing. Dwyer coughed and looked away to cover his blush. Caeldori tilted her head in confusion, before she finally realized her state of dress. Coughing as well, she wrapped a blanket around herself before speaking to the boy across from her.

"Dwyer, I'm sorry..." she murmured.

Dwyer raised an eyebrow. "For?"

"For trying to prove to you that I was perfect," Caeldori explained.

Dwyer sighed. "Caeldori, you don't have to-"

"Do you know what it feels like, Dwyer?" the Pegasus knight whispered, cutting the butler off. "To live underneath your father's shadow, to want to be just like him but you're just not good enough!" Caeldori buried her face in her arms, her shoulders shaking as she began to cry. "My father is perfection, there's nothing he can't conquer! He was my hero for all of my life, my inspiration!"

"Caeldori..."

"But I'm useless!" the girl sobbed. "I can never live up to his expectations! I can never be like him! To have expectations set so high for yourself, but being unable to ever reach them..." She finally looked up at the butler, tears cascading down her face. "Do you know...what that feels like, Dwyer?"

Dwyer remained silent, and just when Caeldori thought he would never answer, the butler slowly nodded his head. "Yeah..." he muttered. "I do..." He locked eyes with her, giving her a look that was oddly comforting. "Everyday, I live underneath my father's thumb. He has his expectations for me, that I just can't reach. No matter what I did, what I do, it's never good enough for him." He shook his head. "I know how it feels, Caledori... I know how it feels for it to seem like the whole world is stacked against you..."

"Dwyer, I-"

"But you know what?" Dwyer continued. "I decided long ago that I wouldn't let my father's expectations control me. I decided that if I was going to succeed in being a butler, I would do it my way, not the way my father does." He scooted closer. "Caeldori, you don't need anyone's approval. Believe me, you're perfect just the way you are, so just keeping doing you."

"D-Do you mean it?" Caeldori whispered.

Dwyer nodded, and smiled. "Keep it up, and the future will be just as bright and beautiful as you, Caeldori."

The girl blushed, and she glanced away. "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," she admitted. "I never would've thought I'd hear it from you, Dwyer."

The butler shrugged and winked. "Let's keep it our little secret," he told her. Caeldori giggled and nodded in agreement, before she suddenly threw her arms around Dwyer in a tight hug.

"Thank you, Dwyer..." she murmured, closing her eyes.

Dwyer blushed, but hugged the girl back. "No problem..."

The two finally pulled away, and said goodnight. Then Dwyer left the tent and began walking back to his own hut. However, halfway across the castle, he noticed his father keeping watch on top of one of the walls. Dwyer stared at Jakob for a few moments, before she shook his head and continued walking.

"Sometimes, I think you're the greatest mystery in the world, old man." Dwyer murmured.

...

Well if Caeldori doesn't fall for the guy after THAT, then I don't know... XD Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! Let me know what you think of Caeldori, and also how you feel about Dwyer's interactions with his father. While this is a story about Dwyer's love life, the secondary plot is his rocky relationship with his father. Eventually, I want the two to be able to fully interact with each other without anything getting in the way, y'know? I want them to eventually be father and son by the end of this fic.

ALSO, anyone notice the Ratatouille reference I snuck in there? ;D

Don't forget to review! And remember, stay wykkyd!