A/N: I'm not dead~! The last few months just got a liiiiittle hectic, that's all. Fine, okay, it was a lot hectic. I'm on my last year of college, after all. That said, I'm sorry to keep you guys waiting. I finished this as soon as I could. It's really filler, this chapter, but I hope you read it all the same because I was hoping I managed to make this one warm and fuzzy. I'll stop here and continue on at the bottom. See you there!

Chapter Eight

-oo-

"River," Frederick whispered from beside me. "Stop squirming."

If only it were that easy. But alas, I was constantly being bothered by the raised voices in the room—voices that belonged to huffy, stuffy nobles arguing with each other like they knew what was the best for everyone here in Ylisse. And actually, I was pretty sure they didn't. It also didn't help that I was still feeling very sore from the knight's intense training yesterday, and if Frederick hadn't woken me up with a bucket of ice cold water (he'd tried sprinkling my face with lukewarm water earlier, but that didn't work out), I might have ended up sleeping the entire morning away. Or the whole day.

Which was clearly not a good thing if I was going to be a bona fide Shepherd. Some of the things I was used to doing back in my home village was going to be shoved out of the window. Even if it didn't fit through.

"Sorry." I didn't bother looking sheepish. Hell, I didn't bother looking his way, either. Considering that I was currently standing guard for threats in the room as the council "meeting"—I use the term loosely, because, oh gods, this whole thing was a damn headache—went on, I couldn't risk looking unprofessional around these high-ranking Ylisseans. Also, a real castle guard would have his own eyes looking deceptively straight ahead but was, in reality, keeping them wide open and alert for anything that might end up going wrong in the room.

…Or at least, I was pretty sure that was the kind of impression Frederick wanted me to emulate. He was the one that assigned me to guard duty, after all. Although, a part of me thought I ended up with that role today because, frankly, I was the kind of person that one could consider a jack of all trades but a master of none. And as such, they didn't know what kind of role I'd be good at during the brief stay here in Ylisstol.

Also, I was pretty sure that, more or less, I was also given a pass from patrolling with the other Shepherds—Sully, Stahl, Miriel, and Vaike—today because I "looked like hell" and was "more likely to lose all feeling in my legs halfway towards the first town and would therefore have to be carried over one's shoulder like a sack of potatoes."

Because, you know, that was how extreme Frederick's training was and apparently people felt sorry for me. I felt sorry for me, despite my willingness to keep this up so I could get used to it. But for the love of Naga, I might be moving much more stiffly than a gods-damned Risen and was so sore every movement brought fiery pain to my body, that didn't automatically mean I was about to keel over any time soon.

And… fine, I didn't know what my place was among the Shepherds, either. Everyone pretty much knew me by now as Robin's sister, but that was that. And the girl who survived Frederick's training session. Right. I had my self-appointed task of finding out if I could develop some sort of healing magic to enhance my ability to recall my old memories, but I haven't even found out if I was compatible for healing spells. Destruction magic came to me more naturally than the other.

I did caution a swift but subtle glance at Robin in the other side of the room, though. Chrom had insisted that, as the group's new tactician, he come along with her so she could learn more about Ylisse's current condition. But if you ask me, Chrom just wanted my older sister around because he didn't want to go through this kind of hell with just Lissa beside him. There was no mistaking the alarmed look in his eyes whenever he was being focused on by a noble or two when it came to certain decisions that should be made for the halidom. The silent plea for help directed towards the tactician, who wisely said not a word.

Chrom very much resembled a tiny mouse, caught in action by several hungry cats.

(Or maybe, in this case, those cats happen to be lions.)

Emmeryn found it amusing every time; her eyes would twinkle. So did Lissa, for that matter. And, okay, Robin too. Frederick simply wanted to palm his face.

...And me? Well, the most I could do was pretend that nothing happened. I was the one cursed with standing beside Mister Wary, after all.

However, the tiny moments of amusement had long since come and gone. And now the atmosphere was more tense than anything else. The nobles couldn't seem to come to an agreement about how the Plegian threat should be handled—and the Risen, now that they were starting to receive more and more word from panicking messengers about Risen sightings during their travels from one place to another. It was getting on my nerves, damn it.

"I say we should just give what Plegia wants and give it the thrashing it deserves!" One noble insisted. He smacked his hands on the table, making the others wince. "We've been standing idly by long enough. I am all for peace, Your Grace, but I believe it's about time we showed that we can fight back against those wretched dogs."

"And I still insist we continue on with our attempts at peace talks with Plegia, no matter how stubborn their king is about wanting a war between us. We need to set an example among the other nations in the continent. We have always valued our peaceful ways, and we will continue to do so. We need to be better than this." Another said in the most diplomatic tone he could muster. It was plain as day that the stress of the whole situation was getting to him, though.

"Do we even have the men to fight Plegia back with anyway, should we end up in war?" Another couldn't help but say, and I appreciated how mellow he was compared to the others. "And are they enough to face their own armies? They've got dark mages by the hundreds, for Naga's sake! I think we need to evaluate how much military power we even have before resorting to violence."

And then the argument went on and on until I was feeling particularly certain that we were, once again, going in circles. I've lost count since the first full circle occurred.

I didn't really know what came over me just then. Whether it was because the nobles started acting like children with their passive-aggressive comments and their constant posturing (oh gods) or I was completely fed up about how they're really proving to the entire council exactly how stuffy and entitled they could get, I would never find out. All I knew was that I just snapped after one particular noble started the whole "My House had served the line of the Exalt for X years and I demand to be treated as befits my station!" speech. Again.

"Well, do you know what I think?" I stepped forward irritably, my voice ringing all across the room. All eyes were on me, but they didn't make me falter one bit. "Either you gentlemen—and ladies—find one solution and stick with it without getting your egos bruised, or we can all be swallowed whole by a horde of Risen and an army of Plegians!"

Suffice to say, I learned a valuable lesson that morning.

·٠• Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ •٠·

"It had been bad enough that you could not hold your tongue and interrupted the meeting, but was it really necessary to call Duke Fenwick a—"

"He called me a lowborn brat and many other demeaning terms," I interjected Frederick with a raised hand. He'd ended up taking me to a deserted hallway after the disaster that was this morning's war council. And boy, he looked like he was going to suffer an aneurysm the whole time he excused himself and he dragged me away from the room. His scolding had gone on for a good fifteen minutes. And counting—considering that the meeting should be over by now. Anytime soon, more like. "In the most 'I am leagues better than you' tone I've ever heard in my entire life! I've never heard such a nasally-sounding voice all my life." At Frederick's raised eyebrows, I added, "What was I to do, stand back and take that kind of crap? He practically insulted my parents. Who, by the way, are actually well-off."

"You"—Frederick started, but stopped and took a deep breath, as if attempting to maintain a level tone—"should have dealt with the insult in a different way, instead, if you found it nigh impossible to let those words enter one ear and exit the other. Yes, we can say that perhaps the duke had crossed a line."

"Perhaps? That's a rather diplomatic way of putting it."

"Or perhaps not," the knight continued as if he didn't hear me. "Either way, my point stands. You've behaved poorly back there, River, and you need to realize that your actions would reflect badly on the Shepherds as a whole."

Just like the way one wayward student's actions could reflect poorly on a school he's enrolled at. Alright, I couldn't dispute that. What little anger I had left evaporated to the air, and in its place came the cold, biting shame. I shuffled on my feet and bowed my head. "Fine, you got me there. If the Duke demands I apologize, I'll do so. And if I need to be punished, then so be it."

"However," a smooth, lilting, female voice from our right interrupted us before Frederick could say anything. "I, on the other hand, would say that the 'gracious' duke deserves a tongue-lashing from time to time. And you've given exactly that!"

Elegant, refined, graceful. A noblewoman in every way. Those were some of the few things I could describe Maribelle with as she confidently strode towards us, and there was no mistaking the air of dignity she carried. Well, other than snobbish and prideful. But since I wasn't the receiving end of those particular character traits, she was good in my books. The Duke of Themis' daughter was looking right at me with interest.

"Ah, Maribelle. I apologize on River's behalf for her behavior earlier. I recall your father being in attendance as well, and I assure you that no personal offense had been intended." Frederick said.

"Oh, there is no need for that." Maribelle replied, waving away the apology. "Father is not so easily offended. And he'd told me he found Duke Fenwick's sputtering very entertaining. He's very hard to shut up. And I am not surprised, either; that horrid man had been getting on everyone's nerves lately—I've begun to wonder, myself, how a man with such atrocious manners is continually invited to participate in the decision-making process of the court." She took on a look of disgust. "And you must admit, there is a certain unpleasantness to the way he speaks."

"Amen to that, but…" I blinked in surprise. "Wait. Waaait. You're not mad?"

Maribelle giggled with the back of her hand covering her mouth. "My dear, no one has been able to render the Duke speechless in ages. And for a commoner to do so and leave the room unscathed? I almost wish I was present to witness the scene. Alas, I'll have to make do with having watched him angrily stomp out of that room with a face that can't be any redder than a tomato."

"If that's the case, I feel like I sorely exist to cause one scene after another." I sighed, flushing slightly. "Gods, no amount of Frederick's hellish training is going to make me live this down."

"You'll recover in time, I'm sure," Frederick said, though I was going to have a hard time believing that. Especially after the lack of sympathy in his tone.

"You've certainly made a far bigger impression than your sister. A more pleasant one, if you may." Maribelle then said. "First, surviving sir Frederick's training, and now… this."

"Erm, I tried, I guess?" I didn't really know what to say to that one. At all. Maribelle being impressed was something that I had a hard time swallowing since she wasn't exactly that warm towards Robin.

"It appears that you did," Maribelle said. And she was smiling at me. "Well! If you'll excuse me, I need to be on my way. Father will want to see me soon, and I've a busy day ahead of me."

"We won't delay you any longer then, Maribelle." Frederick was, as always, polite as can be. Maribelle took that as her cue to take her leave, nodding at me and the knight before finally departing.

But then a thought occurred to me, surfacing and pushing aside the embarrassment currently invading my head. Before the noblewoman could take a step or two away from us, I called out to her. "Hey, wait!"

"Yes? What is it?" Maribelle questioned, turning back to me slightly.

"I don't suppose I can talk to you sometime soon, can I? I mean, you're a healer after all—and I'm a mage—and I was hoping you could help me out with some things healing magic-related. You seem to be well-versed on the topic." I got the feeling that appealing to Maribelle's ego was the most surefire way of getting her to agree. So despite my reservations, those words were what I went with.

And it worked. Maribelle actually looked flattered, if the way her smile grew brighter were of any indication. "You, at least, know how to deliver a compliment properly. I think I have no responsibilities to handle on the next day. I shall seek you out then."

Then she left, leaving me with my own small smile on my face as it finally sunk in that I managed to get some progress on my plans. Unfortunately, the smile didn't last long because I then remembered that Frederick was in the middle of making sure I really learned the error of my ways. I shyly looked up at the knight, a kind of action I remembered doing once or twice whenever Robin reprimanded me about my screwups. Maybe there was something about the way I did it, because Frederick actually lost a bit of his edge and looked at me a little less sternly than before.

"I'm really, really sorry, okay?" I decided to add for good measure.

Frederick stared at me for one second, sighed and shook his head. "River, I swear…"

I'm… what? My expression reflected the question as I stared up at him.

"…No, it's nothing. Come, we're going to be checking if everything back at the barracks. I do believe we also have a number of weapons in need of polishing…"

I already knew what he meant. "I'll make them shine so hard, you'll go blind."

"Good." The smile on Frederick's face just now wasn't exactly… reassuring. "Because that will not be the only thing you'll be tasked with. I'm glad to see you're eager to make up for your earlier blunder, however."

I was pretty sure that 'eager' wasn't going to describe me best later.

·٠• Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ •٠·

Weapons all polished and arranged on the rack? Check.

Training grounds swept of any fallen leaves and cleared of any accident-inducing rubble? One weird task overall, but yep, check. Also: rest in peace, arms.

Tents and other necessities prepared for the trip to Ferox (even though I haven't thought on whether I should really go)? Checkaroo.

I practically dragged my feet through the ground as I went to report to Frederick about finishing everything that he asked me to do. We were currently by the arched doorway leading to the castle's training grounds—with Frederick keeping watch over the sparring session—and from where I stood, I could easily see the sparring match that was occurring between Chrom and Robin. The way those two moved made me think that despite my focus on my training, they'd still end up leagues better than me. Although…

Y'know, I was starting to notice more and more how those two were practically made for each other. I mean, I still remembered that Robin would undoubtedly grow a bond with the prince, but I didn't realize until now significant that bond could actually become. I wasn't really disapproving about whatever direction their relationship could take; after all, whoever managed to drag my sister away from her books and brought out into the great outdoors was very, very good in my books. It was just that… well, I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous about how comfortable the two are around each other.

That Robin would've been that comfortable around me if she didn't lose her memories.

"Is everything done?" Frederick said as he tore his gaze away from the sparring match, having noticed me come closer. I immediately shoved away any sad thoughts and nodded in affirmation.

"Yep," I replied, rubbing my forearm. "And before you ask, yes, the tents are folded just the way you demonstrated to me. And the bedrolls are… well, rolled. Neatly."

That brought an approving expression to the knight's face. Honestly, he should really smile more often. "That is good to hear."

"Anything else I need to do, Frederick?" I asked. But on the inside, I was praying to every deity out there that he'd say no.

The gods seemed to have listened, because the man shook his head.

"I believe that's all we need have done for the day." He said. And then he took on an amused tone as he noticed my ill-concealed relief. "Though you could stand to be a little less happy than that. The kind of work you just performed is hardly on the level I do on a daily basis."

I crossed my arms. "Yes, well, you're Frederick. Your normal is not my normal." I glanced aside at Robin and Chrom, who were actually enjoying their time together. I tried not to flinch as my sister received a nasty blow from the strike that she didn't manage to block in time. Robin frowned for a moment, later smirking as she immediately returned the favor by faking an attack and successfully hitting the prince's unguarded spot. Thank the gods those swords were blunt as a club. "Anyway, I guess I ought to go spar, too. Daily training and all that."

"I can train you again today, if you wish. I've the time." The knight then offered.

The memories of yesterday flashed by my head, reminding me exactly what I was going to be in for if I actually said yes. A simple sword fight wasn't going to be the only thing on the agenda—I was a hundred and ten percent sure of it. I still needed to recover from that one since I was still adjusting to his training.

"Tempting, but I'd rather not monopolize your time." I said, hoping that I'd sounded tactful enough. After rummaging my thoughts for a legitimate reason, I added, "Besides, I ought to learn how to fight against different fighting styles. All I've got for training partners in the past—other than you—was Robin and my parents. Well, that is, Mom was more of the magicky kind of person while dad preferred melee attacks."

I think Frederick didn't find any fault with that logic. It was hard to tell what the man thought.

"Alright. But tomorrow, we resume what we've started yesterday."

"Deal."

It was just then that we heard Robin and Chrom's voice grow louder. Turning towards them revealed that they were finally done with their practice, and despite the sweat on their faces that indicated just how intense their fight was, they were grinning like they just had a pretty fun game. Heck, maybe it was; it wasn't like I could hear them from over here. I quickly grabbed the towels from the bench by the cracked (Chrom's doing, no doubt) stone wall and handed it over to the two. I actually felt a bit happier when Robin smiled at me gratefully. It reminded me of the good old days, odd as that sounded.

"You might have to fix your ponytail, Robin," I pointed out with a wry smile of my own. Some of the strands had gotten loose from her hair tie. "Unless you're planning on shutting yourself in the room again like yesterday. If that's the case, never mind."

My sister tucked the loose hair behind her ears before burying her face on the towel. "Duly noted. Though... honestly, I probably would have finished my last book if Chrom here hadn't hidden it somewhere. He"—she looked at him accusingly and crossed her arms—"kept distracting me from deducing where he'd put it. And he's actually doing a good job."

"It's the only way to get you out of that room," Chrom said as his explanation, shrugging. "You'll get back at the end of the day—provided that you stop confining yourself to your room like that."

Robin lightly smacked the prince on the arm. A part of me then thought that, yeah, those two have definitely become fast friends. Probably well on their way to attaining best friend status by the end of the month. Or less, if they spent their time together like this again. The fact that my sister probably would have been fine without me kind of stung, though. She's moving forward in life at a quicker pace while I'm struggling to make a single step just to catch up.

Stupid amnesia.

Regardless of what I felt on the inside, I grinned. There was no way I'm allowing depression to creep in and stay. "Sorry about that, Chrom. If it helps, you're doing a far better job than I at keeping my dear sister away from her books even just for five minutes. Our mother had to lock the door to the mini library once just to get her to spend some time outdoors."

"It still strikes me as odd to hear that I have a family, admittedly," Robin said, still going through the high of a good fight. But after she saw my expression flicker, she sobered up and added, "But all the same, I'm glad I do. It means I was never alone. Um. Sorry about that, River."

"It's fine." I said, waving off the apology.

"Well, anyway," Chrom redirected the conversation before it could head anywhere he couldn't handle. He looked at Frederick. "I see you've been keeping our new recruit busy."

"I'm disciplining her," the knight said. I nodded sheepishly and tugged at one of my braids. "After the morning incident, I thought it apt that she learns not to commit such an error ever again."

"The ache on my arms will be glad to remind me of that lesson for the next couple of days," I said with a small grimace. "Gods, I don't need to bow to that duke's feet or something, do I? I swear I'll never commit such a heinous act ever again."

"I'll make sure there's no need for that. Don't lose sleep over it." Chrom chuckled. "But honestly, I found the whole thing hilarious. I've never seen a person with a face that red before." He paused and reconsidered. "Or, well, now that I think about it, perhaps it was more purple than red. Still, I'm actually glad you were there to spice things up. Those meetings are usually boring."

Frederick regarded the prince disapprovingly but decided to say nothing. Oh, he was definitely used to this.

"I'm not about to do an encore, if that's what you're going to ask me next, Prince." I said with my usual dry tone. And then I shook my head. "Can we change the subject now? So, um… anyway. Is anyone else due for a training session right now? I could use a sparring partner."

After a brief sweep of the training grounds with my eyes, I probably shouldn't have asked. There were no dull sounds of clashing practice weapons to be heard anywhere. No voices other than Chrom, Frederick, Robin and I. No teasing, no provoking. And if I needed more convincing, the obvious lack of another person in the area was clue enough for the fact that we were the only ones there.

Understandably, some of the Shepherds were still out on their patrols. And some, like Maribelle, still had other responsibilities—most of the people in this group were nobles, after all. Probably minor ones, but nobles all the same.

Of course, it's a given that the line separating a commoner from the upper class blurred a hell lot during times of war. Still, I wished someone else was here. Because the only other person I've no history of sparring with was…

Chrom. "I could go for another round if you want, River."

I quickly shook my head. "I-I dunno, Chrom. I wouldn't want to impose on your busy schedule—I mean, you're a prince, aren't you? Princes have… well, princely responsibilities, after all. Won't your older sister need you?"

"Emm will be fine," the prince reassured me with a smile. He patted my shoulder. "Though it's kind of you to be so considerate. Thank you, but I can spare an hour or two."

"…Frederick?" I turned to him with a desperation that I really tried to keep from showing.

He merely smiled. "You did say that you needed to spar with someone other than those you've already sparred with. Milord will do just fine."

Usually, I wasn't really hesitant about getting to practice with someone. But considering that it was Chrom whom I was about to face… Not to sound arrogant, but I didn't really know what to do if I beat him. It would probably make for some bragging rights on some social circles outside of the Shepherds, but I prefer staying known as one of the lucky few survivors of Frederick's Fanatical Fitness hour. And after this morning, the village girl who embarrassed a duke in front of his fellow noblemen.

No more spotlights for me, thank you very much.

"I say, go for it," Robin then said. And whether she was aware of it or not, she was using that tone that usually got her what she wanted. Too many were the times my sister suckered me into helping her out with loads of stuff for the past several years. "I do need to evaluate you better as a fighter. The time will come when it's back to fighting on battlefields, after all."

…I hate it when she used logic on me, even though I also had the tendency to think logically from time to time. I hated it because it always worked.

I let out a sigh, one that would sound dramatic to their ears. "Fine. But let it be known that it's going to be awkward as hell fighting against a prince, of all people. Even though I'm very much aware of the we're-all-equals thing we have going on here."

"Hey," Chrom said, not the least bit offended with the way I referred to him by his position in society. Again. "It'll be fine. Besides…" He smirked at me. Challenging me. "We don't even know who's going to win here."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

Well. Suddenly I thought I could deal with this situation better.

"You know what, Chrom?" I then said, wordlessly asking Robin to hand over her practice sword with a stare and an outstretched hand. "You're on."

·٠• Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ •٠·

And then I lost.

"Yield." I raised my hands in surrender. His wooden sword was pointed straight at my neck, with me lying on my back after he managed to make me lose my footing. At least now I know that Chrom's combat instructors taught him well.

The prince laughed under his breath, the exhilaration of the fight definitely getting to him. "You're actually pretty good. You almost got me with that maneuver."

"And it's definitely not going to work against you again." I said, sighing.

"See? I told you you'll be enjoying this. Want to go for another round?"

"I'll make sure you get to lie on the ground, too."

"That's the spirit!"

·٠• Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ •٠·

I saw the sword lunge coming before he could even move his sword. Without pausing to think, I immediately sidestepped, dashed forward, feinted, and twirled around him before I shot my leg forward and sent him stumbling down.

And then, in almost the same manner that Chrom moved earlier, I placed the tip of my sword over his heart. I wiped my brow with my free hand and smirked.

"Alright, I give." The prince said. I pulled back my weapon and helped him up with a proffered hand.

"Okay, so that wasn't too bad," I admitted as the both of us returned to Robin and Frederick—and some of the Shepherds who had come to spectate. I didn't realize until now that a lot of time had passed. The sun was getting ready to set and was turning the blue sky into an orange one.

"That was… ten rounds, I think. With a few minutes of rest every two. From those fights, I think I won six and you won four." Chrom said as he walked beside me. He wasn't all that tall, but he towered over me anyway.

"I will respectfully correct you about that, good sir, and say that overall, we had a tie." I said, adopting the accent that Maribelle had.

"If your voice weren't a pitch lower than Maribelle's, and if I didn't know what you look like, I would have mistaken you for her."

I grinned. "Glad to know I could end up fooling you." And then a thought suddenly occurred to me mid-stride, making me stop.

I was smiling the same way Robin smiled at him too, wasn't I? That reminded me of something I decided to tell the prince once we were done sparring.

Chrom ending up pausing, too. "Something wrong?"

"Nah, but I just remembered something." The image of Chrom and Robin grinning at each other like they've been friends for forever appeared on my head. I faced the man and took on a more serious tone. "So hey, I noticed that you seemed to enjoy Robin's company."

"It's true. I know we haven't met for long, but there's something about her that… well, makes me want to just trust her. Silly as it sounds, I could feel a bond forming between us." The prince said honestly. And realizing what that could imply, he quickly added, "But not in that way. Not yet, I think. Or never? I'm not sure. Robin right now just strikes me as the kind of friend I've always wanted. She's easy to get along with."

Robin had that effect on people, though it would have been displayed more often if she could go out and socialize like a normal teenager in this period of time.

"And I'm glad that she has a friend. It's not really obvious, but Robin doesn't really have a lot of friends back home. She only has me for company most of the time." I told him. Friendship wasn't really easy to make when one was a chosen avatar for Grima. Especially when said person was meant to be in hiding. "And… well, okay, I'm actually jealous that she seems closer to you than she'll ever be with me now. But!" I raised a hand before the man could speak. "That's fine. I mean it. I just wanted to say that I want to entrust her well-being to you since I can't be around her all the time anymore. That, and I hope that you two keep staying on good terms with each other. And if you two end up being lovebirds in the future—"

"River—"

"Calm down, milord. I'm just saying, sheesh. My point is, I've been thinking on this while we fought, and I need to tell you that I only wish the very best for my sister. No matter what direction the relationship between the two of you goes. Be it close friendship, romance, or familial love… I don't care. I just like to see her happy despite her amnesia, even if I doubt I'll ever have that amount of joy ever again. That's all." I finished with the most genuine smile I've ever made in my entire life. Gods, I might have wanted to tear up just then because I didn't realize how much those words came from my heart.

It actually made Chrom smile, too. My smiles could be infectious like that, I guess. "Alright, then. You needn't worry any longer. I promise she'll be safe with us—and you'll be safe, too, of course. You are a Shepherd."

"Heh. That's right. Which means that I'll be making my own efforts to keep my sister's happiness secure, too. I know how to make sacrifices." I held out a hand. "And I know that you've already promised, but… will you swear on it, too?"

Chrom grasped it and clenched it with his. "I swear on it."

Once we resumed walking, I felt like I've taken a load off my chest. I guess I was being bothered by those stuff for a while now.

"I noticed you two stop for a moment," Robin said as she and Frederick greeted me. "Is something up?"

I gave her a hug that was so out of the blue, my sister didn't get to react. I'd taken a step back before she regained her senses. "Nothing. And don't bother asking about what I just did, either. I just felt like doing that, is all, and expect the same thing in the future."

At this, Robin couldn't help but let out a soft, amused laugh. "Alright, I'll take your word for it. You do seem oddly happier, though."

"Let's just say I needed that sparring session."

This chapter has been a long time coming. I'm glad I finally managed to focus on it, haha. Though I might have to write more just to get back into the swing of things.

So, S.S. Chrobin may or may not set sail, but God (I actually ended up typing 'gods' out of habit, lmao), maybe I could end up writing that ship anyway and make it better than what we have in the in-game support convos. Like, say, a personal challenge to make it work. As for who River ends up with... well, it honestly depends on what direction my writing goes. I have no outlines for this story whatsoever and frankly, I'm trying not to overexpose the poor girl since this whole thing is still an Awakening story overall. DX

Please review if you have anything you want to say! Silence is fine since I can't force silent readers to do anything, but I just wanted to also say that I really do appreciate the support you've all given me. Thank you so much!