Chapter 11

Nathan's eyes snapped open as he bolted awake, sitting up in his bedroll. Sweat rolled down his cheeks.

The tactician had experienced a dream he had had many times before. It was him, and Chrom, fighting against Validar. They won, but Validar was able to do something to take over Nathan's body. The last thing he always remembered in the dream was stabbing Chrom, watching in horror as the man's lifeless body crumpled to the floor. He had only ever told Lissa of the dream, as it would have been an impossible secret to keep from the person he shared a bedroll with every night.

Sure enough, the tactician turned over to his wife and saw her looking up at him with concern.

"That dream again…wasn't it?" She asked. Nathan nodded grimly.

"I'm starting to think it may not be a dream…maybe it's a vision? Of the future…" He muttered, shaking his head in confusion. He had been doing that over the course of the past day.

Lissa scoffed at the man. "Yeah, right. Since when would my husband, the tactician, the most logical person in this army, and in the world in my opinion, believe in something as far fetched as 'a vision of the future'?"

Nathan sighed before smiling back at his wife. "You know, every once in a while, you say something smart."

Lissa smiled back. "Why thank you…hey!" The Princess smacked Nathan in the face with her pillow, knocking him back down onto the bedroll next to her.

Nathan laughed, pulling Lissa into his arms as she curled up and rested her head on his stomach. The two could hear the birds chirping outside, and could see the sunlight creeping into their tent.

"So…how did the fight go last night?" He asked eagerly.

Lissa shrugged. "You know, we won and such. The usual."

Nathan grunted. "Overconfidence can be a problem. Especially considering what we're heading into."

Lissa nodded. "I know." She replied, adding, "But now is definitely not a time to be stressing you out, especially after what happened to you yesterday."

Nathan sighed in agreement. "Fair enough," He admitted.

Lissa looked up at the man. "You know what you need today?" She asked him with a mischievous smile.

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "An Elixir?"

The princess rolled her eyes. "No, of course not! Well, actually, that probably would be a good idea, but other than that, I mean?"

Nathan thought for a second, before grinning slyly at Lissa. "Oh, I see what you're getting at…" He then started to pull off his shirt before Lissa slapped him, blushing madly but also giggling slightly.

"No, you dork, not that either! No more kids right now, I'm not going out on the battlefield pregnant!" She replied sternly, glaring at the man.

Nathan sighed loudly, leaning back and stretching out his arms, laying them flatly at his sides. "I give up… what is it?"

Lissa grinned at him. "You need…a good old-fashioned prank!"

Nathan's eyes lit up with curiosity. "I haven't heard you say that in a while…" He confessed. Lissa shrugged.

"Owain has been kinda taking up my time for the past year or so." She replied. Nathan nodded.

"What did you have in mind?"

Frederick strolled about the campsite, trying to repair any damages from last night's encounter. He carried with him a large sack, in which he placed any broken pieces of swords, helmets, and whatnot that he found lying about. He also added any rocks he found on the ground, wanting to make sure that his fellow shepherds, and most importantly, Chrom, would not trip on such things.

"Naga forbid we lose a soldier to one of these…" The great knight muttered to himself, picking up another rock he had spotted lying nearby, and tossing it into his sack.

"Hey, Freddy!" A voice called out from nearby. The great knight turned in the direction of the voice to see Lissa and Nathan walking over, holding hands and waving to him. Frederick smiled and cheerfully waved back, happy to see the tactician was up and moving again.

Out of the corner of his eye, the blue-armoured man spotted a stone poking out of the ground on the path in front of Nathan and Lissa. Reacting as quickly as he could, He blurted, "Watch out!" and tossed aside his sack, diving towards the two. He slid down in front of them, pulling the stone out of the ground and breathing a sigh of relief. Nathan, still on edge from the events of the previous night, had pushed Lissa behind him and drawn his blade. He then rolled his eyes and relaxed his grip, looking down at the great knight, lying on the ground triumphantly clutching the small stone.

The tactician exhaled loudly, sliding his sword back into its hilt and looking down at Frederick. "I'm sorry, but what just happened?" He asked.

The great knight ignored the man, staring at the stone he had picked up and smiling madly. "Ha-HA! You'll have to think twice before you try to injure Milord or Milady as long as I am in their service, oh cunning pebble!" The man then emphatically tossed the rock into his sack before turning back to Nathan and Lissa.

"Er…right…" Lissa sputtered, trying not to laugh. Nathan lightly elbowed her in the ribs, trying to remind her of the task at hand.

"So, is there anything I can do for you, Milord and Milady?" Frederick inquired as he walked over to his large sack, hoisting it yet again onto his back.

"Actually, there is something at the moment, Frederick, if you wouldn't mind." Nathan mused. "It doesn't involve us, however…it's about Chrom."

The great knight's ears perked up at the sound of the Blue-haired lord's name. "Hm? What concerns you about his Highness?"

"Well, Freddy," Lissa replied, "We think he's been very much so…carrying everyone, in battle, so to speak. The rest of the shepherds have seemed very unmotivated."

Nathan continued. "So, we were thinking about it, and we thought the best way to motivate the other shepherds would be if they could have something that would remind them of Chrom and how hard he works, but we're not sure what…"

Frederick's eyes lit up. "I know exactly what should be done!" He declared proudly. "Thank you for letting me know of this, Milord and Milady! I promise I will not let you down!" And with that, the great knight dashed off into the camp.

Nathan tilted his head at Lissa, giving the princess a confused look. "So…do we follow him?"

Lissa giggled before taking Nathan's hand again and pulling him behind her as they ran to catch up with the great knight.

Lissa and Nathan followed Frederick around from a far distance, hiding behind tents and bushes to try and ensure he couldn't see them. Luckily for the two of them, as good as the great knight's senses of awareness were, Nathan's tactics were on a level above, keeping them from being spotted. It also helped that anyone following Frederick was the last thing on the man's mind, as he was singularly focused on his task at hand.

Nathan and Lissa ducked behind another bush as they saw Frederick enter a tent. A closer examination told them it was Libra's, judging from the holy symbols in patterns decorating the sides of it.

"Libra? What is Libra gonna be able to do for him?" Lissa mused to herself. Nathan rubbed his chin for a moment, before his eyes lit up.

"He's a painter."

"What?"

The tactician nodded to the princess. "A painter. Like, as in artwork. It's more of a side passion, but I've seen the man's work. It's quite good."

Lissa raised an eyebrow before turning back to leer at the tent. "Huh. I never pegged him for the type, but then again, I don't exactly know any painters in the first place…"

Nathan chuckled slightly. "Yeah, I suppose not…what do you suppose Freddy needs a painter for?"

The princess scratched her head. "I…have no clue. Whatever he has in mind, it sure is…unique."

Her husband laughed in agreement, before the two quickly ducked down as Frederick walked out of the tent. The great knight looked around for a moment before walking off yet again.

"Uh…so are we still following him, or…" Nathan asked Lissa. The princess thought for a moment.

"…I guess so?" She replied, frowning slightly.

Nathan frowned back at her. "This doesn't really count as a prank, you know, if Frederick is doing all the work…"

"Hey, I've been off the job for the past two years, give or take, so cut me some slack!" Lissa snapped back. "However, you are right…" Her eyes then lit up. "Alright, well then let's get going, and pull off as many pranks as we can to anyone we find!" The princess declared, itching to have some fun.

The tactician smiled back. "My sword is yours, Milady!" He mockingly cried out, emphatically raising his fist. Lissa giggled at the man as the two got up again, heading off to find some more shepherds.

Hey Guys! Thanks for the continued support on the story. Let me know what you think.

-Nate