Consider this the shoujo manga chapter. Enjoy!

"So the Risen appeared here…" Ilina mumbled to herself as she scribbled on a map. "All archers, so sending the pegasus knights there would be out of the question. Perhaps the cavaliers and knights? And what if Cordelia of Sumia flew up to catch the Exalt as she fell? … but if the Risen tried to shoot me down for just trying to shield her, then who knows what they would have done to anyone else?" In her frustration and anxiety, she knocked the bottle of ink onto the map, staining it black. "Damn it!" She dropped the pen and buried her head in her hands.

Chrom really picked the worst possible moment to come see her. "Ilina, the Khans wish to speak with us."

"Oh…" Ilina said quietly. It took longer than necessary to stand up; the bandages made it difficult to move, and she didn't want to get ink on the dress Flavia had lent her. "S-Sorry. I'm coming."

He decided to examine the maps she had been working on, his expression deceptively blank. "What is all of this?"

"Just… battle plans," Ilina replied weakly.

He frowned slightly as he gently moved away the ruined map and examined the dozens below. "This is all for what happened today…" Ilina didn't say anything. "Is this what you've been doing since we arrived?"

And before she could process what was happening, she was crying again. She wasn't quite wailing like Lissa was earlier, but her nose was running and she was sniffling and hiccupping so much that it was nearly impossible to talk. No doubt, Lissa would definitely have been easier to deal with. "I'm sorry…" Ilina somehow managed to choke out between all the snot and tears. "I'm so sorry…"

Chrom sighed heavily. "No… You did your best, Ilina… You have my thanks. What happened today was a result of my own failures." His whole body seemed to tense up. "Gods, I was just so powerless!" He sank to the floor, his back propped up against the wall. "She did it for me, Ilina. She chose for me… so that I wouldn't have to live with the guilt of either choice."

Ilina winced as she gingerly sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. For once, her mind was completely blank; instead of feeling determined, she felt so, so tired. "What are we going to do?" she whispered.

Chrom adjusted so that he could lean more comfortably against her. "I can't do this, you know. I'm not worthy of her ideals. I'll take a worse fall than she did…"

Ilina gave a small smile and took his hand in hers, entwining her fingers with his. "Then I'll be there to pull you back up. When you do fight for your sister's ideals, I'll be there by your side." It was strange, how just saying those words made her feel more confident.

Just then, the door burst open. "You know," Flavia said, "when I told you to go look for your tactician, I meant that I wanted you to bring her back to the throne room."

Ilina pulled away from Chrom quickly, feeling embarrassed, but the sudden movement made the wound in her side hurt. As it turned out, all of the Shepherds were there. "C-Captain, are you okay?" Sumia asked worriedly.

"Aw, don't tell me you're all mopey, too," Vaike almost whined.

Sully whacked him upside the head. "Of course he's mopey! His sister just died!"

Miriel pushed her glasses up her nose. "Vaike, your tactlessness never ceases to astound me."

Gaius simply handed Chrom a crumpled bag that looked all too familiar to Ilina. "Here," he said. "You need it more than I do."

"Hey," Nowi said cheerfully. "I wouldn't even be here if not for you, so even if today didn't work out, you're still a great leader. So… don't feel too bad about what happened today, okay? It wasn't your fault."

"Neither would I!" Donnel proclaimed.

"Me too, actually," Anna added.

"You gave me your trust, and now you have mine," Tharja said in a low voice. "… For the time being."

"Were you unworthy, I would have left long ago," Lon'qu said.

"Yeah," Ricken said. "We all look up to you! You're like a hero to us."

Chrom stood up and helped Ilina up as well. "Thank you, everyone," he said sincerely. "Your words mean more than you could know. My Shepherds… my warriors… There is work to be done. Gangrel must be stopped so that peace can once again reign in Ylisse. Will you help me?"

"You can count me in!" Lissa said loudly from the back of the crowd by the door.

"Hear hear, darling!" Maribelle added. "Our people have suffered enough."

"Gladly would I fight and die for House Ylisse!" Stahl said emphatically.

"Gladly would I fight and kill those dastards for House Ylisse!" Sully amended.

"Our hearts echo yours, sire," Libra said softly.

"I'm with you, too!" Kellam said in the loudest voice Ilina had ever heard from him.

"Teach is here, and class is in session!" said Vaike.

Gregor crossed his arms, and Nowi elbowed him surreptitiously. "How much you pay Gregor?" When Gregor started laughing, everyone glared at him. "Gregor make joke! … Why you look at Gregor like that?"

"Your sister earned my respect," Panne said. "The last Taguel shall champion her."

"I apologize for setting such a poor example as a knight, milord," Frederick said, "but I swear to you, I shall die before any more exalted blood is spilled!"

Chrom smiled gently. "Thank you all, truly. You honor me with your fealty. I will not falter again. The Mad King must be stopped!"

"Oy," Basilio said, tugging on Flavia's ponytail. "Wasn't there something you wanted to say?"

"You don't need to remind me, you brute," Flavia muttered. "Prince Chrom, the whole of the Feroxi army is yours to send crashing against the Mad King!"

"Um…" said a shy-looking pink-haired girl from behind Basilio – Olivia, the girl who'd helped everyone escape Plegia, if Ilina remembered correctly. "I'd like to go, too, if I may. The Exalt did me a kindness once. It would honor me to have a part in giving her justice! Although… all I can do is dance… and I'm not so skilled at that, if we're being honest…"

Basilio roared with laughter. "Don't believe a word she says. Olivia is a Feroxi treasure. You won't meet a finer dancer in all the realms!"

"I suppose here is as good a place as any to discuss our next strategy," Flavia said. "I will lead Basilio and the other Feroxi in a head-on assault. That should buy you enough time for you to take down Gangrel."

"Little Miss Tactician, it was your abilities that guided everyone to safety after that whole fiasco," Basilio said, and Ilina thought back to the direct aftermath of Emmeryn's death, when Plegian soldiers tried to stop them and capture them; that felt like a lifetime ago. "You may have done it while crying non-stop, but anyone who can do that while so emotionally wrecked deserves respect."

Part of Ilina felt like she didn't deserve this sort of praise in the slightest, but a more significant part felt warm and comforted nonetheless. "Thank you, Basilio."

"All right, enough talk," the East-Khan said. "It's time to raise some hell! Gangrel may try to hit us while we're still licking our wounds."

"Let him try," Chrom said confidently. "This time, I'm ready to dethrone the Mad King, once and for all!"

"So… this is a thing," Tharja drawled. She, Ilina, Miriel, and Ricken were out in a clearing, training together for the first time in what felt like forever. "Training. Together."

"Well, it doesn't happen that often, but we try," Ilina told her.

"Unfortunately, none of us have any experience with Dark magic," Miriel said.

"So do you know how to use Anima magic?" Ricken asked. "That'll make training a lot easier."

"Haven't picked up one of those tomes in years," Tharja said blandly.

"Yeah, but the thing about magic is that you never really forget it once you learn it, you know?" Ricken said.

"The reason is simple," Miriel continued, pushing her glasses up her nose. "When training with a weapon, one must consider multiple factors – the person's body weight, the person's muscle mass, the person's previous experience with the weapon, and the person's current proficiency with the weapon, to name a few. Any of these factors can fluctuate, and it is entirely possible for one to fall 'out of practice' with a normal weapon. Ricken, would you like to continue?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Ricken answered cheerfully. "The thing about magic – offensive magic, at least – is that it relies almost completely on the mind. And once you learn a certain magic discipline, you never really forget it."

"So even if you don't remember ever learning it, you'll still be able to do it?" Ilina asked, more out of curiosity than anything. She eyed Tharja's Dark magic tome almost suspiciously.

"Go for it," the Dark mage said, holding out the tome toward her.

Ilina took it from her and weighed it in her hands. It was a simple Flux tome – one of the most elementary Dark magic spells. She didn't know why she was even trying. Sure, she didn't remember anything from before moving to Ylisse, but could she have learned anything like this in the four years preceding her move from Plegia?

She really shouldn't have been surprised when she managed to execute the spell easily and effortlessly. "Nice form," Tharja said. "You're a little stiff, though."

"It's probably lack of practice," Ricken said.

"Though I must agree with our newest comrade," Miriel said. "Your form is flawless."

"But I…" Ilina mumbled as she stared at the Dark magic tome in her hands, which only felt more and more familiar by the minute. "I don't…"

"Didn't you hear them?" Tharja deadpanned. "You obviously learned Dark magic at some point, even if you don't remember it."

Ilina made a mental note to talk to her mother about this as soon as she could.

Ilina scribbled on yet another map, though this time, she focused on battles to come, rather than previous ones. Laying by her feet was a tome for the Dark magic spell Nosferatu, lent to her by Tharja. Whether she'd use it in the upcoming battle or not, she still had no idea. Maybe it wouldn't be a good time to reveal that she was actually quite skilled with Dark magic (more skilled than she ever would be with Anima magic, at any rate), or maybe the others would simply assume that she'd been practicing with Tharja, which wasn't too far from the truth.

When strong arms encircled her from behind, she couldn't help but smile. She raised her head, looking upward at Chrom. "Shouldn't you be training with Frederick?"

"I had to see how the battle plans were going," Chrom replied easily. He crouched down, resting his head on her shoulder. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ilina sighed. "Well, I can't do much until Flavia or Basilio tells me what the Feroxi forces are doing. But I'm prepared for any Risen that Aversa might summon."

Chrom reached over to adjust some maps so that they were easier to view. "Or just Risen in general… Actually, I just spoke to Flavia and Basilio."

"Really?" Ilina asked. "What did they say?"

Chrom pointed to a specific spot on one map. "The Khans will lead the Feroxi soldiers in a head-on assault here. Meanwhile…" He dragged his finger to a location on the other side of the map. "We will attack Gangrel directly."

Ilina chewed on her lower lip. "How many soldiers will be accompanying Flavia and Basilio?"

"Dozens," Chrom answered. "Hundreds, even."

"Is that enough, though?"

"Both Flavia and Basilio are extremely capable fighters. You've seen them."

"But if it's Aversa they have to face…" Ilina sighed. "They'll be fine," she whispered to herself. Aversa isn't a monster. She wouldn't…"

"You seem awfully sure of Aversa's… goodness," Chrom said lamely.

"It's more my gut instinct than anything," Ilina replied sheepishly. "Aversa is the one variable that's impossible to predict. I don't know the full extent of her abilities, but it's obvious that she hasn't shown us all she's capable of. I doubt we'd stand much of a chance against her if she did."

"So, if possible, we won't be confronting Aversa."

"Definitely not," Ilina said firmly. "We avoid her, if possible – whether she's on the battlefield, or off it." Chrom fell silent, a strange smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Chrom?"

His face suddenly turned very, very red. "Oh!" he yelped, his voice cracking. "I-It's nothing. There's just… I need to speak with you about something."

"Well, we have some time now," Ilina said slowly, not entirely sure where he was going with this.

His face turned even redder, if possible. "It can wait," he whispered.

Ilina chuckled, smiling at him. "You can tell me after the war. Right now, we need to focus on the upcoming battle."

"Yes, we do," Chrom agreed a little too quickly. "Well, I won't distract you any longer. You know where to find me if you need me." He left her alone then, but not without planting a small, barely noticeable kiss on her cheek.

It took Ilina several agonizingly slow seconds to process what Chrom had just done, and she gave a mortified shriek, slapping her hands on her burning cheeks. "Wh-What was—" She clasped both hands over her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut. There was no way anyone had seen that. Absolutely none. And it wasn't becoming more and more obvious what exactly Chrom wished to speak to her about. Definitely not.

But it wasn't like this was anything new. She and Chrom had always been like this… right?

A small boy, tugging on a smaller girl's hand. Beautiful stars sparkling in the night sky. "This is the best place to look at the stars. Emm says that Naga herself smiles down at us from up there." The girl, unable to say anything in return, squeezing his hand in response.

The image didn't shock her nearly as much as it should have. After all, Chrom had said that she'd spent enough time in the palace as a child for the two of them to interact to enough of an extent that Chrom would recognize her years later. But that didn't mean Chrom had to be…

What have I gotten myself into…?

"Milord, I've received word from Khan Flavia," Frederick said less than an hour before they were to march into Plegia's capital, while Chrom and Ilina were discussing battle strategy. "The Plegian army is in disarray. It seems many of their soldiers are opposed to further violence. There has been infighting, desertation… Gangrel is trying to stamp out the mutiny by force, but with little success. Outside the few faithful who serve him directly, his army has all but collapsed."

"But why…?" Chrom whispered, and then something hardened in his expression. "Emmeryn." Ilina took his hand in hers and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"The report says that Gangrel's men chant her name as they abandon the field, milord," Frederick said solemnly.

Ilina sighed heavily. "We can't celebrate just yet," she said quietly. "Aversa has the power to rally Risen to her cause. If she's with Gangrel now, then we may have to deal with an army of Risen instead of soldiers. And I know for a fact that they won't be screaming the Exalt's name and deserting the battlefield."

Chrom squeezed her hand in return. "Regardless… the Mad King's reign ends today. We will put a stop to this senseless war."

The war ended quickly and painlessly. The battle with Gangrel was almost too easy, with nothing but a few loyal soldiers surrounding him. No Risen… and no Aversa. It felt more like training than anything. The rest of the Shepherds had gone somewhere, probably to celebrate, leaving Chrom, Ilina, Flavia, and Basilio alone. "I owe you all my deepest thanks," Chrom said. "If it weren't for you, this war would have dragged on for another century." He sighed, an unreadable emotion swirling in his eyes. "We've finally put an end to this bloody business, once and for all…"

Ilina gave his hand a comforting squeeze. "Are you all right?"

Chrom sighed. "We won, but somehow, I don't feel like celebrating."

"Victory can be bitter as well as sweet, boy," Basilio said sagely. "It's good you learn that now."

"Regna Ferox lost many good soldiers today," Flavia added. "We need to see to our dead. Then it's time to attend to the living and rebuild our army."

"I'm so sorry, Flavia," Chrom said solemnly. "Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. Ylisse will compensate your nation in whatever fashion—"

"Oh?" Flavia said, smirking a little. "In that case, how about you hand over the Fire Emblem or that tactician of yours, and we'll call it even?"

"Wh-What?" Ilina squeaked. "I-Isn't there some other way?"

Flavia chuckled. "Just a little Feroxi humor. Don't worry about our finances, Chrom. Reparations will fall to Plegia – they can well afford it."

"Come now," Basilio said, slinging an arm around Flavia's neck and practically dragging her away. "Let them have their moment."

The Khans left the fort surprisingly quickly, and Ilina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear self-consciously. "So… you're going to be Exalt now, right?"

"I suppose I am," Chrom answered with a sigh.

"That means that this battle wasn't the end of your duties," Ilina reminded him. "You still have to rebuild the Pegasus Knights when you can—"

"Cordelia and Sumia can take care of that."

"—and perhaps mobilize an army, because I can't imagine that everyone's happy with the outcome of this war—"

"That's what the Shepherds are for, but I suppose Frederick could lead the army."

"Relations with Plegia will be messy, if not downright hostile—"

"Trust will build over time."

Ilina smiled and bowed to him. "—and I'll assist you to the best of my abilities."

"I…" Chrom swallowed hard. "I can't ask that of you. Y-Your mother surely misses you terribly, so you should stay by her side."

"But I promised you, didn't I?" Ilina asked. "I'll always be here by your side."

"Speaking of which…" Chrom said slowly. "I… I have to tell you something."

Ilina took a deep breath, mentally bracing herself for whatever it was that he was going to say. "Well, go on. What was it that you wanted to say?"

Chrom refused to meet her eyes, and his face turned very, very red. "It's just… We've been fighting a lot together. We're always side by side. From the very moment I met you, all those many years ago, I've considered you my friend… and as of recently, you've also become my ally and one of my most trusted comrades. I've felt the bonds of trust grow between us, stronger and stronger. And then… well, perhaps I've always known this, but… To me, you are far more than just a friend."

Ilina couldn't fight the rapidly forming blush. "Chrom…?"

"Wait, please!" Chrom yelled suddenly. "You've made me come this far, and now I'm going to say my piece."

She put her hands on his shoulders. "Chrom, just calm down for a second. Breathe. You might say something you'll regret."

"I don't care!" he interjected. "I've tried to keep this bottled up, and I can't do it anymore! I'm going to tell you how I feel, even if your head explodes in embarrassment!"

Ilina drew her arms away slowly and clasped them tightly together. "Okay…"

"All right, deep breath," he said before inhaling deeply and audibly. "… Hold… and out…" He exhaled. "Once more…"

Ilina couldn't help but laugh. "Well then, while you're mentally preparing yourself for whatever it is that you're going to say, may I say my piece?" He stopped suddenly, looking at her questioningly. "I owe you so much, Chrom. You've saved my life more times than I can count. I wasn't a fighter at all when I joined the Shepherds, and I knew next to nothing about battle. But somehow, despite everything, you saw something in me that was worth your time and effort, and you were so patient as I caught up to everyone else." She laughed nervously and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, I guess I still haven't entirely caught up… but I'm getting there. From what I remember, we've only known each other for a short time… but it feels like I've known you for a whole lifetime. And… it's the same with me. You're more than a friend to me, too. And…"

"Ilina…"

"I'm in love with you!" they both blurted out at the same time.

"I have been from the very moment I laid eyes on you," Chrom continued. "I just… never realized it until recently." Chrom cringed. "Gods, I'm coming on like a wyvern in heat…" He exhaled sharply and took both her hands in his. "I never want to let you go, Ilina. Does that make me selfish?"

"If so, then let me be selfish, too," Ilina answered.

"Then let me ask this," Chrom said, and all of a sudden, he dropped down on one knee and pulled a small silver ring out of his pocket. "Will you marry me?"

Ilina giggled. "Yes. Of course."

Chrom laughed. "With a word, you've made me the happiest man in all the realm!" He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "We have to tell your mother the good news."

Ilina laughed. "We have to tell all of Ylisse the good news! But maybe we should start small? We'll tell Lissa first. Then the rest of the Shepherds, and then my mother."

And the exhaustion that had no doubt piled up over the course of the war, they talked happily about their upcoming wedding and their lives together as they made their way back to Ylisse.

So I made the mistake of restarting the game last week. You won't believe how many times while writing this chapter, I thought something along the lines of: "WAIT A MINUTE. WHY AM I WRITING ABOUT THARJA? I JUST GOT GREGOR AND NOWI, AND THARJA COMES LATER AND WHAT IS GOING ON?" And then I remember that this fic is independent of my game-playing shenanigans.

Speaking of game-playing shenanigans, what's your record for fastest Chrom S-support? Because I don't remember exactly when it happened for me, but it was definitely before Validar tried to kill Emmeryn… which I guess is pretty freaking early? Other pairings include Lissa and Lon'qu (my first Lissa pairing, but sadly not the one to be carried out in this fic), Sully and Kellam (I ship them so hard, I literally cannot pair them up with anyone but each other), Frederick and Sumia (and thanks to trying to get their S-support as soon as possible, Sumia is now ridiculously overleveled), Gregor and Nowi (which started literally RIGHT AFTER their introductory battle), Ricken and Maribelle (I SERIOUSLY DID NOT KNOW HOW ADORABLE THEIR ENTIRE SUPPORT WAS BEFORE THIS PLAYTHROUGH), and Gaius and Cordelia.

And I SO didn't do Chrom and Ilina's S-support justice. Ugh.

Also, I've made an executive decision to tweak Validar's character a bit for this fic. Something that always kind of bugged me about the game was the general morality of the villains. They were always "chaotic evil," for lack of a better term. Going by TV Tropes' character alignment list, I'll be making Validar "lawful neutral," though I'm still debating how "lawful" he'll actually be. Yes, you can have completely evil, irredeemable villains, but if ALL of your main villains are evil and irredeemable, then you have a problem.

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