When Lon'qu opened his eyes he was in a cabin. The bed beneath him was soft and welcoming, and the smell of delicious beef wafted through the air.

He got up with a start and looked around the room. Two identical beds were on either side, with quaint windows between them. In a far corner was a shelf, with numerous staves resting on it. Where was he?

As he got up, he realized his pain was gone. Lon'qu looked down to his side, and found that he was wrapped with brand new bandages. All of the wounds he had gained from the battles on the island were gone, already healed. His movements no longer hurt; in fact, he felt better than he had in a while.

Where was Florina?

Lon'qu made his way to the door and opened it. It gave way to a reception area, with a man and woman speaking by a counter. They were talking about a horse, but stopped when they saw Lon'qu. "You're awake!" the woman said, clapping her hands together. "How do you feel?"

Lon'qu nodded his acknowledgement. "Much better," he told her. "Is that your doing?"

"It's Benedict's," she told him, pointing to the man. "Best healer in all of town, he is. Healed your friend, too. Sweet girl, she went off in search of someone, I think she mentioned a pegasus?"

Lon'qu turned to the man and thanked him. He noticed his overcoat resting on the counter and slipped it on. "The girl, did you see what direction she went in?"

They both considered it a moment. "She was heading east," said Benedict. "I don't know more than that. I wish you luck."

Lon'qu thanked the two again and was off in search of Florina and the pegasus. He didn't know how he had ended up in the hospital, but he figured he had Florina to thank for that. Assuming she wouldn't have left him alone on the island, he wondered just where she might have wandered off to.

The swordmaster did his own wandering, and was able to confirm that he was in Mountain Village. Two days had passed since he'd woken up on the island that first time. Had the Shepherds bothered looking for him? He made his way to the dock and spoke with the sailors there. Their ships, they said, would not be going anywhere until the storm passed. They suggested heading to the inn for the night, and coming back in the morning.

Lon'qu made his way to the inn, and once again the smell of grilled meat met his nostrils. His stomach growled loudly to express its desire. Had he really not eaten in two days? As he stepped inside the building, he instantly saw a head of pink hair. Florina was there, chatting with the female bartender. As Lon'qu approached she perked up and trotted to him. "How are you feeling?" she asked him. After their talk before she seemed more open, but she still stood defensively, as if afraid of him. She was smiling, and the look in her eye told him she was genuinely glad to see him. "I meant to go right back to the hospital, but I got a little sidetracked."

Lon'qu gave her a very small smile. "I am well," he told her. "You look better. What happened?"

"You mean, since we got a ride? You passed out as we were landing, so I took you to the hospital and they patched you up. After that I went to go find the owner of the pegasus, and would you believe it? It was the new pet of the mayor's daughter, and she was very happy to have her back! The mayor told us he would send a ship for us to Port Ferox, free of charge! I spoke with the people at the dock, they said there's a storm coming and that we should wait until morning to leave. So I came here, and Hannah, the innkeeper, she said she'll lend us a room for the night on the house. Do you smell that? She's cooking something that smells delicious, and she said it's free to whoever's staying in the inn. We have food, a place to stay, and a ride home. Isn't it amazing how it all turned out?"

Lon'qu could hardly believe his ears. Just a little time ago-how long had it been, anyway?-they were swapping stories they'd not told anyone, because they were sure they would die. And now, they were going to be taken home as soon as tomorrow morning. That damn horse had saved their hide, after all. Lon'qu looked to the innkeeper-Hannah-and thanked her. She easily waved him off and welcomed the both of them to dinner.

At supper, Florina spoke freely to the innkeeper, her previous shyness gone. She spoke of her closest friend, Lady Lyndis, and of the stories from Elibe. Lon'qu spoke when spoken to, but mainly opted to eat and listen to Florina. She... wasn't so bad, actually. A girl that was fighting for a friend back home. Who had prayed for a challenge and had been granted one, who had overcome a treacherous journey on this island, and who would be returning to Lyndis with what she'd learned. She had joined the Shepherds with the intention of learning from them, but she told Hannah that she had learned more on the island, traveling with her quiet friend.

With stomachs full, Lon'qu and Florina went up to their respective rooms in the inn and prepared for bed. The moon was a distant face from the window in Lon'qu's room, and he sat up watching it. Suddenly, there was a knock on his door, and Florina's quiet voice: "Are you awake?"

The girl entered the room, and she was surprised to find Lon'qu gazing out the window. "I'm sorry to bother you," she started.

"It's no bother." Lon'qu, too, had changed. He was no longer so quickly irritated by this girl, and he almost seemed to welcome her company. "I couldn't sleep. I got enough rest at the hospital."

Florina followed his gaze to the moon, and she smiled lightly. Then, she turned to Lon'qu. "Can we go for a walk?"

There was a chilling wind outside, but neither of them seemed to notice as they walked through the dark village. Florina was leading the way, and they were silent as they moved about, the moon their only guide. Finally, Florina stopped, just before a field of cherry blossom trees. The floor was littered in the soft pink of the trees, and Florina smiled at them. "We have these in Elibe, too," she told him. "After all the new things here in the future, it's nice to know some things are still around. Back home, we called these sakura trees."

Lon'qu looked over the pink field. The trees were starting to lose their leaves, and some were even bare. "What is it like?" he asked her. "Traveling to a place you do not know? Is Lady Lyndis really worth that?"

Florina did not miss a beat. "Of course she is," she responded. "Lyn is my best friend. She's such a strong person, one I can only hope to be like some day. I hope I've become stronger here. I really want her to not have to worry so much."

"Lyn is spoken of in legends," Lon'qu told her. "The great lord of the Sacae Plains. I always admired her strength."

"Oh, she will be so happy to hear that!" Florina said excitedly. "I'll be sure to tell her how you admired her." Her smile faded and she grew quiet for a moment. "I think I might miss it here." When Lon'qu didn't comment, she went on. "My two older sisters always doted on me, and when I was finally able to be on my own, I found Lyn to look after me. Out here, I really got a sense of independence. And... I made it. Even when I thought I couldn't. I learned a lot, and everyone here was very nice to me."

Lon'qu looked away, knowing he had been the exception. Why had he been so mean to her? Why had she annoyed him so much? Lon'qu had been foolish, judging the girl before she'd ever had a chance. And he'd been wrong; she was undeserving of all he'd done. "About what I said," he said quietly. "How you should go back to where you come from? I am very sorry I said that. I didn't mean it; I was foolish."

Florina shook her head. "Pretty soon I will be going home," she told him, then turned back to the trees. "When you're traveling through eras, it's hard to keep track of time. The Divine Dragon told me I would only have a short time in this place. When the leaves of the sakura trees fall, that's when I would go home." A leaf blew right past her, gently landing to the ground.

"You will be leaving soon?" There was a disappointment in Lon'qu's voice. He was just starting to know her, and just beginning to open up to her. That hardly seemed fair to him. "You've only just got here."

Florina shook her head. "But I haven't," she told him. "I had joined the Shepherds before they all joined up with you. Lord Chrom and his sister-Lissa? They took me in and trained me for a while, and then took me to meet with everyone else. That's when I was introduced to you."

Lon'qu turned away, not knowing what to say. All this time he could have been getting to know this pegasus knight, and instead he'd been despising her. He really was the fool. "I hope you have been able to fulfill your purposes here," he told her.

She nodded her head. "I think so," she told him. "I really have you to thank for that. It was actually your attitude that made me have to fight for myself. And when I had to knock you out to get you to run away, that was so scary, but I did it. Sorry about that again, I really hope I didn't hurt you."

Lon'qu waved her off. "I may have deserved it," he told her. His mind went to words she had said before. I have only ever been a coward. "You were very brave to fight those bandits, especially alone. If you once were a coward, you are no longer."

Florina looked back to him, her blue eyes aglow. "You mean that?" she said quietly. "Thank you," she breathed. "Thank you so much. For everything."