Two days later, the Shepherds were nearly finished with organizing the liberated goods and were about to send them, guarded by their Ylissean League soldier attachment, north to join back up with the army proper. Chrom called a meeting of the small council that morning to discuss their next move, and Pyrrhus went looking for Sumia to notify her.

He walked into the mess tent to spot the familiar flash of red hair that had become synonymous with his happiness. "Hey, Cordelia!" he said, walking over.

Cordelia, who had been talking to someone else, turned and flashed a brilliant smile. "Pyrrhus! Good morning!"

"I got that report on the full contents of the supply wagons, thank you for that." Cordelia had felt better the next morning and returned to work, reluctantly allowing Miriel to assist her at Pyrrhus's insistence. With two people to divide the work, the job was completed the following evening. A full accounting of the supplies had been made, less a lovely bottle of wine that Pyrrhus had sneaked away for his private stash. "It was most helpful."

She brushed a stray bit of hair behind her ear. "You're very welcome! I was thinking about you when I wrote it. Because, uhh..." she trailed off a bit.

"Because I told you I'd like to read it?" he supplied.

"Yeah, that's right!"

"Pretty good reason." He smiled broadly. He noticed that she was holding a piece of parchment in her hand. "What's that?"

Cordelia folded it up along premade creases. "Oh, letter from home. Apparently they have a relative visiting, Lady Severa. She's my... second cousin, I think? I've only met her once before, when we were very young."

"Severa? What an unusual name."

"No more unusual than Pyrrhus, I suspect," she replied dryly. "It's a family name, my great grandmother on my mother's side was the first one I think. I'm actually quite fond of the name. Not the cousin, though," she remarked, frowning. "She pulled my hair."

"I see," nodded Pyrrhus understandingly. "I hope she's stopped doing that." He took a step closer, so that she had to tilt her head up a little bit to look him in the eyes from her sitting position.

"Hey Pyrrhus," Sumia said, and it was only then that Pyrrhus realized who Cordelia had been talking to.

"Oh... hey!" he said. "Sumia, I was actually looking for you. Chrom needs you in the strategy tent for a meeting."

She stood briskly. "Okay then, let's go!" She picked up a book that had been sitting on the table next to her. "Cordelia, we'll talk later."

"Oh, Cordelia, lunch?" Pyrrhus asked, turning to his ladylove as she stood up and pocketed her letter.

"Yup. Meet you outside your tent in two hours."

"Sounds good."

"Okay then."

"Alright."

"Oh gods, let's go already!" Sumia said, grabbing Pyrrhus's arm and yanking him away.

Pyrrhus and Sumia walked together to the meeting, and he couldn't help but notice a smug smile on her face.

"What is it?" he asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing. You two have definitely not consummated."

Pyrrhus nearly choked on his own saliva. He stopped for several seconds and coughed before he could sputter out a strangled, "What?" A few seconds later, his mind caught up. "Oh, so Cordelia talked to you, then?"

"She did, but I didn't believe her. Until now. I have never heard so much sexual tension in a conversation about reports."

"Yes. Well." Pyrrhus cleared his throat as they kept walking. "I suppose I've been a little bit cautious in that... field."

Sumia bit down on her cheeks, obviously trying to hide a smile. "Well... I wouldn't keep waiting much longer, if you plan on being the one to act. I think she's getting impatient. She's asked me for some advice."

Pyrrhus took a deep breath. "I just like to go into things with a plan. I've never seduced anyone before. Moreover, I am unable to recall the vital period of my adolescence that might have clued me in regarding such matters."

"Hmm..." Sumia tapped her chin in thought. "I might know of a way. There's a few books I could recommend. Strictly fiction, of course; nevertheless, they may give you some ideas." With her head tilted upwards as she thought, she missed a branch lying about camp and tripped.

Without missing a beat, Pyrrhus intervened, grabbing the back of her armor and holding her up firmly so that she didn't hurt herself, then pulled back as she got her footing. "That would be very helpful," he replied.

"I'll drop one by your tent while you're at lunch."

They entered the tent to find the rest of the group assembled, plus Cherche. "We're here," Pyrrhus announced. "What's the news?" He took his normal seat at the table with everyone else.

"We have an unexpected windfall. Cherche, would you like to explain what you saw?"

"Of course," the rider began. She stood and addressed the group. "I was on surveillance duty this morning, and I happened to notice another military caravan traveling north along the Thalian Way. There were Valmese soldiers guarding it, but very few compared to our last strike."

"We have the opportunity to snare a second rabbit in our trap, it seems," Frederick mused.

"True, but what could be inside? Valm was sending supply shipments south to Chon'sin, what would Chon'sin be sending back?"

"Payment," muttered Say'ri. "Oh, Yen'fay, I did not think you would fall so far."

"What do you mean?" Pyrrhus asked.

Say'ri winced and explained. "I know what they're sending back. Walhart didn't want to fight Yen'fay, so he began by sending an envoy to Chon'sin. The envoy offered a proposition whereby Chon'sin would become a satrapy of Valm in exchange for relative independence. It stipulated, however, a payment as a show of good faith from Chon'sin to Valm. This payment was a goodly portion of the treasury of Chon'sin and several dozen highly prized antiquities, including Vert, the Gemstone of the Fire Emblem that was entrusted to us. Vert was handed over by my brother when he turned traitor, but the remainder of Chon'sin's wealth was left behind."

"And now Yen'fay is sending it to Valm?" supplied Chrom.

Say'ri nodded. "Chon'sin has little food to spare, and its goods are not suitable for war. Our iron mines are small and the ore is of poor quality; we import most of our iron goods from other countries. I don't know what else it could be."

"Maybe our plan is working too well," Pyrrhus wondered aloud. "By cutting off so much of their grain supply, it's logical that Valm's logistics division might be rationing the remainder, and requiring payment for additional supplies. Yen'fay commands nearly half of Valm's standing army, and if they're stationed in Chon'sin, he won't want them taking food from his people."

"I don't know why such a convoy would be understaffed, though," Sumia said. "You'd think if it was so valuable, they'd have extra guards."

"Maybe they can't afford to send any men back to Valm," reasoned Chrom. "What's important is that we have the means and opportunity to stop it."

"Absolutely," Pyrrhus agreed. "If we seize a convoy of that size, we'll put a sizable dent in Valm's treasury." He glanced at Say'ri, noticing the depressed look on her face. "We can find a place to stash it to wait out the war, and return it to Chon'sin where it belongs."

Say'ri was stunned. "Fie! You would be better served to spend the loot to fund the war!"

Chrom chuckled. "Except we're not funding the war. Plegia is."

"Just nobody tell them we had the opportunity to save them a few tons of gold," Pyrrhus agreed. "Cherche, when will the convoy be here?"

"At their current speed, they will pass by the same area that we captured the last convoy this afternoon."

"Okay then," Chrom said, standing up. "Pyrrhus, I'll leave the minutiae of the plan to you. Let's make sure everyone's in position after lunch."

"Gaius is gonna love this," Pyrrhus said, laughing. "Stealing plunder from a kingdom's royal hoard. I suppose I should tell him that we're not keeping it, though. He won't be so pleased about that part."

Three hours later, Pyrrhus found himself in much the same place he was before. Cordelia and Nowi sat at each side of him, and they waited along the eastern edge of the road for the second convoy of the week. Sumia had left an informative book on his cot, but he hadn't had a chance to read it, what with the last minute preparations. His intolerance of Nowi's incessant blather notwithstanding, he was having a decent time discussing lances with Cordelia.

A call went out, and their attention was pulled away from their conversation and towards the road. The ambush had been inverted, so now Pyrrhus and his two partners sat at the northern end of the strike force. The bird call was from the southern end, indicating that the convoy was here. Pyrrhus peered carefully through the cover to catch a glimpse. Several minutes went by in near silence, which Pyrrhus thought odd. This was a busy thoroughfare, and during the last ambush they'd captured several civilian travelers on the road along with the caravan. The Thalian Way was empty now, though. It was quite fortunate.

Eventually, he spotted the lead wagon. As it crept closer, he noticed two things. First of all, the guard for the convoy was indeed much smaller than the last one. Second, the wagons were all covered with white canvas sheets. Pyrrhus figured that it would have been a bad idea to tempt bandits with open wagons filled with gold and valuables. The man at the helm of the lead wagon seemed preoccupied, distracted. He kept glancing over his shoulder, perhaps to check that the other wagons were still behind him. This was going to be easy.

So why did he have a bad feeling about this?

"What's wrong?" Cordelia asked quietly, apparently noticing the odd look on his face.

"Doesn't this seem a little odd?" he asked her in a whisper. "It feels a bit too quiet."

"Now that you mention it, you're right. The guards aren't talking or anything."

"They aren't," Pyrrhus agreed. "And they're all on this side of the wagons, too. They're acting like they're barely paying attention, but look at how they're scanning the forest. They're on alert but they're trying not to show it."

"Wait!" she whispered, taking hold of his left arm. "Look at that canvas! It's moving, but not with the wind! There's someone underneath it!" She pointed at one of the wagons.

Pyrrhus followed her finger, and indeed she was right. The third wagon must have had its canvas a little loosely tied, and a minute flutter gave away someone's breathing. "It's a trap," he concluded. "For us." He looked to her. "Gods, you're beautiful when you're making astute tactical observations."

"Focus," Cordelia reminded him.

"How could it be, though? We only attacked the last convoy a few days ago!" Nowi asked.

"I don't know, but there's no way this is a coincidence. It's got to be Yen'fay, somehow."

"So what do we do? What's our move?" Cordelia asked.

Pyrrhus thought for a minute. They'd already heard the bird call, and if their information was good then Yen'fay would know that was how they coordinated the last ambush. If he sounded a retreat, Yen'fay's men could easily climb out and search the forest. Each of those wagons could easily hold five men, and based on Cherche's estimate, that was five hundred soldiers. The camp wasn't that well hidden, or even that far from here. But there was one way to salvage the mission. It was absurdly risky, but then he'd be the one taking the most risk.

"Nowi!" he turned to the manakete. "Can you get to the other side of the road without being seen?"

"Uh... yeah, I can fly overhead and dip back down into the forest behind the wagons, but I'll need a distraction."

"Don't worry about that, I'll be drawing their attention from you. What are the chances that Yen'fay or his men have seen a manakete in battle before?"

Nowi thought for a second. "Not likely. We're pretty rare, I've only met a handful of other manaketes in my life. And we don't fight often, either."

"Good. Get to the other side and watch me. When I give a signal, use your dragonflame to destroy whichever wagon I indicate."

"Got it!" Nowi nodded in understanding.

Cordelia gave a bit of a groan. "Pyrrhus, what are you planning, and why does it sound really dangerous?"

Pyrrhus held up his hands and took a deep breath as if he were about to start explaining, but then he stopped. "Sorry, love, but I don't have time to discuss this. Sound the retreat call, and have the rest of the Shepherds get back to camp immediately and prepare to depart."

"Pyrrhus!"

"I'll be fine, Cordelia. Trust me." He gave his best reassuring smile.

She groaned again. "You'd better be." She placed her hands around her mouth and blew a bird call. "Because if something goes wrong, I'm coming out there to get you."

"Understood." He stood up, straightened his armor, and proudly strode out to meet the lead caravan. As he suspected, every guard in the convoy turned to look at him, the stranger in heavy plate armor. The man piloting the wagon didn't look remotely surprised at his appearance. Not a one of them noticed a dragon silently shoot into the sky from fifty feet into the forest. They were too busy scanning the base of the trees for other soldiers that they assumed would be close behind, and neglected to look up at all.

Pyrrhus walked right up to the lead wagon and held out his hand as the man came to a stop. He was young, probably also a soldier in disguise. He looked to Pyrrhus with narrowed eyes.

"What's wrong? This some sort of hold-up or robbery?"

Pyrrhus flashed a wide grin. "Oh, no, nothing of the sort, actually. I'd just like to have a word with your commander, Yen'fay."

"I don't know what you're talking about, son." Behind the denial, Pyrrhus caught the flash of the eyes from when he mentioned the name Yen'fay that told him the man was lying.

"Yes you do," Pyrrhus corrected. "I just need to talk to him. Is he hiding in your wagon? The one behind it? Which one?"

"Don't know anyone by the name of Yen'fay, sonny," the man said, but this time the canvas behind him came loose and a man tumbled out of the back. He was tall and thin, with long, flowing white hair and narrow eyes. His armor was similar enough to Say'ri's, and he carried a sword on his waist that was, like him, long and slender, with a delicate curve.

"Enough," the new man said, walking around the back of the wagon and over to Pyrrhus. "Clearly he knows about this, so there is no point in continuing the charade. My name is Yen'fay." He did not offer his hand, and neither did Pyrrhus.

Here we go, Pyrrhus thought to himself. "My name is Pyrrhus, of the Ylissean League. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

"I have." The man's face and voice betrayed nothing. "Tactician of the Shepherds."

"That's it!" Pyrrhus said, his grin widening even further. "I can only guess that this little trap was created for the purpose of capturing myself and my Shepherds. It's really quite a nice bit of work. I really have no idea how you pulled this counter-ambush together so quickly. From one professional to another, you've earned my respect today. It's a tribute to your skill."

"Thank you," he replied impassively. "Will you surrender now, or will my men be required to hunt your party down and dispatch them individually?"

"Neither," Pyrrhus corrected. "You see, you forgot to take into account one very important detail. I'm not just traveling with the Shepherds."

"Is that so? I suppose my men won't mind taking a few more prisoners. Some brutish Feroxi, I suppose." Yen'fay rolled his eyes slightly.

"Have you ever heard of the Plegian Royal Mages?" Pyrrhus asked with a smile, and he got his first real reaction out of the man. His eyes widened a bit, and he inhaled deeply. "I take it that you have, then. Those casters can do some crazy things with their magic, you know. For example, did you know that they can inscribe an explosive spell into an invisible rune, place it upon the ground, and trigger it at will?"

Yen'fay sighed just a bit, and Pyrrhus continued. "So I'm sitting there, over there," Pyrrhus turned and pointed back into the woods in the rough direction of their camp, "Planning out the first ambush that we both know happened a few days back, and I'm thinking 'what do I do if something goes really wrong?' And then I figure 'hey, why not have those Plegians set up their little runes along the road?'"

"Let me guess," Yen'fay interrupted him. "You've got runes underneath every wagon on the road, and if I don't surrender you'll trip them and destroy the whole convoy."

"I heard you were clever," Pyrrhus answered. "Actually, I was just going to come out here and ask if there was a compelling reason why I shouldn't trip them anyway. But still, you were pretty close."

Yen'fay let out a barking noise that Pyrrhus took to be a laugh. "I'll give you credit for bravery, Pyrrhus. But this tale is ridiculous. Here's what I think happened: you have no Royal Mages with you, no mysterious rune magic, and you're doing this as part of a ridiculous last-ditch bluff to keep me from finding the rest of your Shepherds. I have seen through your farce, now what will you do?"

"Certainly I wouldn't expect you to believe me without a demonstration," Pyrrhus offered. Dear gods, Nowi, please don't screw this up. He held up his hand and shouted to the heavens. "Mages! Detonate the second wagon!"

He winced momentarily, dropping his hand and shutting his eyes. Yen'fay didn't move, but looked to scan the forest a bit. One second passed, then two, and then five. Nothing.

Yep, this is about what I expected, Pyrrhus thought. Well, I had a pretty good run. Maybe take a swipe at Yen'fay and see if I can kill him before I die?

Yen'fay sighed. "A shame. What were you expecting would-"

BOOM!

The wagon directly behind him splintered with a deafening roar. The horses carrying it, suddenly finding themselves without wagon or guide, bolted, and every other wagoner had to take firm hold of their reins to keep their own horses from doing likewise. Pyrrhus very nearly soiled himself, and he had been expecting it, so he was unsurprised that several of the guards looked ready to bolt too, and Yen'fay was struck dumb. With all of them scanning the right side so fervently, and with the wagons obscuring their view, not one seemed to notice the ball of dragonflame that had done the damage.

But that alone wouldn't sell this facade. No, not even Pyrrhus himself could really sell it. But there was a Pyrrhus who could: the heartless, intimidating man that he became in his dreams. And he knew it was possible for him to be that man.

Pyrrhus dropped his voice half an octave and narrowed his eyes. "I wonder how many of your men were in that wagon." He casually gazed behind Yen'fay to examine the wreckage. "Looks like four or five." He leaned in closer to Yen'fay and spoke just above a whisper. "I hope they weren't your good soldiers."

Yen'fay wasn't even remotely squinting anymore. His eyes wide with newfound terror and rage in equal measure, he twisted to see the wreckage before looking back to Pyrrhus. "How?"

Pyrrhus took a deep breath, rearing back to full height, making himself as intimidating as he possibly could. "How? You ask how I could so easily out-think you? How I could possibly have every eventuality so well covered that I'd know your plan before you even made it? How could I be two steps ahead of the most brilliant tactician in Valm? How am I this good? I will answer your question, Yen'fay. It is because I am Pyrrhus," he shouted, "And I am the best there is!"

Yen'fay was breathing quickly. "I could still kill you, right now. It would do more damage to your cause than losing these men would mine."

"You could try," Pyrrhus replied, returning to a normal volume. "But that little steak knife of yours will have a tough time getting through all this steel before you get roasted with Plegian fire. And even if you did kill me, how many families are you going to split up today?" he asked mercilessly. "The fate of every man in your charge today rests directly in your hands. I don't want to kill them, like I did the thousands of their comrades at sea. So convince me. Why should I let you and your men live?"

Yen'fay, to his credit, came up with a quick answer despite his fear. "These men are very well armed. Their weapons would be destroyed with the wagons, but they could serve as ransom for their lives."

"Interesting," Pyrrhus said, pretending to consider the offer. "I like it. But there's something else I want as well, from you specifically."

"What is it?" Yen'fay asked, regaining a bit of his composure.

"You are a man of your word, are you not?"

"I am."

"Then, I will let you go if you give me your word that you will convey the following message to every man under your command. Not just the ones here today, all of them. Tell them that the Shepherds and the Ylissean League are merciful in victory, and that our goal is not one of killing Valm's men but of stopping its leader. Any Valmese soldier who lays down his arms in surrender when Ylisse comes will be spared. But if they stand and fight out of some misguided desire to protect their foolish leader, they will be destroyed as easily as them," Pyrrhus pointed towards the bodies from the shattered remnants of the wagon. "Do you accept?"

Yen'fay spent a handful of seconds in consideration before nodding once.

"Very well." Pyrrhus began laying out the disarming procedure. "You and I will stand here, and each cart will pass by us. As they do, each soldier inside will surrender his or her weapons before me, and then proceed onward. When the last cart is disarmed, I will allow you to climb aboard it and continue your trip north."

And Pyrrhus and Yen'fay stood there while each cart did. Pyrrhus remained in perfect silence, Yen'fay speaking only to explain to each subsequent cart the situation and make certain that every soldier was completely barren. The second cart had been sufficiently obliterated that there was no need to clear away the wreckage, although Pyrrhus did find himself trying harder than strictly necessary not to look at the remains of the bodies.

At last, the final wagon was emptied, and Yen'fay prepared to climb aboard.

"I underestimated you, Pyrrhus. I will not do so again. I think our next meeting will not be so one-sided," he said carefully.

"Oh, believe me, Yen'fay," Pyrrhus replied. "I'm already looking forward to it." He glanced at the massive pile of weapons before him.

Yen'fay pulled himself onto the wagon and gave the order to depart. He looked back and locked eyes with Pyrrhus, who followed suit. They stared at each other for several minutes until the wagon finally turned the corner and disappeared.

Pyrrhus let out a sigh of relief. He felt lightheaded, and his hands were shaking from the adrenaline. "Nowi!" he called, turning to the western forest edge.

A head of green hair popped out through the underbrush, and Nowi emerged a few moments later. "Hey, it worked!" She noticed that he was clenching and unclenching his fists rapidly. "You okay? Sorry it took so long, but you wanted the wagon destroyed, so I had to charge up an extra large blast."

"It's fine," Pyrrhus said distractedly. Truth be told, he barely heard her through the pounding in his head. He'd done some pretty stupid and dangerous things in the three years he could recall, but that was easily the most directly terrifying. Even worse, becoming that other person had been so easy, far more than he'd expected. It was like Pierce was already there, just waiting to be called on. Pyrrhus didn't relish having to do that again.

With a whoosh of air, Diomedes landed next to him, and Cordelia leaped from him to grab Pyrrhus. "What were you thinking, Pyrrhus?" she asked desperately. "Why would you do that?"

"If we're going to win this war, I need Yen'fay terrified of me. I need him to second guess every move he makes for fear that I've already thought of it. And just think of the damage to his men's morale. Not only did I single-handedly disarm hundreds of his best soldiers, but now he's carrying back the message that Ylisse shows mercy to those who surrender."

"I hope Chrom understands when you tell him, because he's absolutely livid," Cordelia replied, her eyes trailing downward to examine the confiscated arms. "He's practically incoherent."

"Well, maybe these new weapons will assuage his anger," reasoned Pyrrhus. "There's enough metal here to forge a throne or something."

Chrom's anger did indeed abate quickly after Pyrrhus explained what he was doing, although he did receive verbal reprimands from Chrom, Frederick, and Cordelia, each insisting that if he ever did anything that dangerous alone again, he'd be killed (by Chrom), officially censured and removed from office (by Frederick), and dumped (by Cordelia). Nevertheless, when he left the strategy tent it was to thunderous applause from the Shepherds, despite Cordelia demanding that they 'stop encouraging him.'

They broke camp that evening and marched through the night, concerned that Yen'fay might return with reinforcements to reclaim his dignity and the confiscated weapons. It was one of the least enjoyable marches of Pyrrhus's life, as they were still unable to take the road and the darkness did a wonderful job of obscuring trip hazards. They called a rest a few hours before dawn, when they were sufficiently far away from the ambush site to not worry about being followed. Pyrrhus collapsed into his tent and, dead tired, was asleep in moments.

The next day was rather more pleasant. Because of the overnight march, the Shepherds were allowed to sleep in. Pyrrhus had a leisurely lunch with Cordelia at around noon and then joined the Shepherds to see off the captured convoy. As spoils, each Shepherd had claimed one of the weapons, which were a substantial upgrade to the rather mundane equipment that they normally used. The rest were dispersed among the convoy wagons and shipped to the troops in the north, who would no doubt have need of them, and soon.

The Shepherds remained on alert for Yen'fay, but he did not return. Pyrrhus spent the day researching the book that Sumia had given him. It was more explicit than he'd ever thought books could be, and made him wonder how Sumia could ever read it. He did find some useful advice within, however. The group would be leaving the next morning and heading south into Chon'sin to continue their guerrilla warfare tactics. Pyrrhus intended to make his move with Cordelia the following evening, which would mark the one month anniversary of their first kiss. With the aide of Sumia's book, he had a number of specifics, but he still needed someone to go over his plan with him. And for that, he turned to his best source. Or rather, the only source he had that he could be certain wouldn't spill the secret to Cordelia, even when pressed.

"Bubbles, you want me to help you seduce Cordelia?" Gaius asked. "I think I might cry."

"I can't believe I've been driven to this," Pyrrhus said, mostly to himself.

"You've come to the right place!" Gaius said cheerfully. "By the time tomorrow's come and gone, you'll have come and gone."

"Ugh," Pyrrhus gagged. "I acknowledge that this was a mistake. Just... you've been helpful before. Spare me the double entendre, confirm that this is a good idea and I'll leave you alone."

Gaius sighed, apparently relinquishing his jubilation and returning to his standard carefree demeanor. "Fine, Bubbles, but I'm going to need a little something for my time."

Pyrrhus winced. "What do you want?"

Gaius flashed a smile and slid a lollipop into his mouth. "Simple. I want you to ask Sunshine what it is about you that she likes."

"That's still happening, huh?" Pyrrhus asked. "All this time and you still haven't managed to seal the deal with Tharja? Maybe I should be going to someone else for advice."

"She's tricky," Gaius explained. "For one, I've never tried to hook up with a crazy chick before."

In lieu of a verbal response, Pyrrhus gave him a deadpan glare.

"Fine, but never one that's this crazy," Gaius corrected himself. "And normally, when they turn me down the fifth time, I put the ol' rod back in the water and try for another fish. But what with this whole 'Shepherds' thing, there's a finite number of available women. It's a small pond!"

"That's actually some solid reasoning," deduced Pyrrhus. "And a lot of the women here would kill you if you came on to them. Like Sully... or Cherche... or Maribelle..."

"Hey, if I'm going to hold off on the sexual innuendo, I can't have you insulting me," Gaius retorted.

"Wasn't an insult, Gaius. I genuinely think Maribelle'd kill you."

Gaius thought for a moment. "Fair point. But none of this matters. Will you talk to Sunshine for me?"

Pyrrhus groaned. Every conversation with Tharja was an ordeal. "Fine. I will ask her why she's so obsessed with me. Now then, about this plan..."

The next evening, Pyrrhus walked over to Cordelia's tent. He was wearing his standard civilian garb and robe, not wanting to arouse any suspicion from her. He knocked on the flap of her tent and called for her.

"Cordelia, are you there?"

The response came from within. "Just a second!"

Pyrrhus turned around, twiddling his thumbs and pacing a bit as he waited. He thought he heard some hushed voices in her tent, but that didn't seem likely. He decided that it must have been from elsewhere in camp, or perhaps just the wind. But he didn't have much time to think about it, because not long after, Cordelia stepped out of the tent, and his mind went blank.

Cordelia wasn't wearing her armor again, which was becoming less and less unusual recently. But what she was wearing instead was a lovely bright orange dress with a white floral pattern. It was beautiful, and probably expensive. But it was very becoming, and unlike the green dress she'd worn on their date to the Dragon's Hoard, it had clearly been tailored to fit her.

Pyrrhus gave a low whistle. "Cordelia! You look amazing!"

She smirked and walked over to him. "I thought I deserved a bit of a treat."

"Whose dress is that? I've never seen it before!" Pyrrhus tried not to sound too incredulous.

"It's mine. I bought it," she said simply. "I needed something to wear, and this just looked so nice on me..." She spun around, her hair cascading beautifully. "But don't worry, it was very sensibly priced. I haven't abandoned all reason," she joked, giving him a peck on the cheek. "So what's the plan for this evening? You're not usually so... oblique... when you invite me out."

"Well, maybe there will be a surprise," Pyrrhus said in mock annoyance.

"I think that's a safe bet," Cordelia said slyly.

"What?" Pyrrhus asked.

Cordelia's smile disappeared, caught off guard. "Oh, uhh... I'm sure you'll have some sort of surprise! You're... good... at them."

Pyrrhus raised his right eyebrow suspiciously. She was certainly acting odd. "Okaaay. Let's go, then."

She took his hand and he led her out and away from camp, to the spot he'd readied. The embers of a small fire crackled, and a covered pot sat upon them. He laid her down upon a blanket that he'd put out. "Last time we had a picnic, the food was cold. I figured this would be the next logical step."

"Smells heavenly," she said.

Pyrrhus lifted the pot, reached for the spoon lying by the fire, and stirred the contents. "It's a beef stew, and it's going to blow you away."

Lying back, she took a deep breath that seemed to push her chest outward. Pyrrhus very nearly dropped the spoon into the stew. "I'll bet," she said.

He cleared his throat. "Looks like it's got a while to go yet." He closed the lid and set the spoon aside. "Why don't I pour us some wine?"

"Sounds good."

Pyrrhus took a step around the fire where he'd kept the wine, a pair of glasses, and a plate of fruit. "Bit of an appetizer?" he offered, placing the plate before her on the blanket and lying back next to her.

Cordelia took a look at the plate and covered her mouth to hide a smile. "Limberries?"

"Limberries," Pyrrhus confirmed. "I checked with Say'ri, turns out Nowi was right. Freshly picked."

Cordelia took a single one of the bright pink berries and popped it into her mouth. "Oh, they're lovely!" she said in surprise.

"I know, I was surprised too." Pyrrhus uncorked the wine and poured it into the two glasses, handing one to Cordelia. "Cheers."

She swirled the glass a bit, sniffed, and took a measured sip of the red liquid. "Wonderful! What kind of wine is this?"

Pyrrhus handed her the bottle. "It's one I took from the captured convoy." He ignored her gasp. "Don't worry, they won't miss it. I took it from one of the wagons before you searched it, so it's not on the inventory. Consider it thanks for taking such an excellent inventory of the contents."

Cordelia gave him a half-frown, half-smile that made him chuckle. "Honestly I don't know how it got in there in the first place.\," he continued. "This was a very good year, and an excellent label." He took the bottle back and examined the label again. "I could tell you more, but sadly I don't read Valmese."

She felt obligated to give him a half-hearted reprimand. "Really now, Pyrrhus, you should have at least told someone you took it."

"We'll just have to get rid of the evidence," he joked, taking a sip.

Cordelia turned to look at the fire, still on her back, then looked sideways at him. "You know what would make this evening perfect?"

"Hmm?" Pyrrhus mumbled, taking another drink.

Cordelia rolled over onto her stomach. "I don't suppose... I know it's a bit much to ask since you've already made dinner and everything, but my shoulders are so tight... would you mind giving me a massage?"

Pyrrhus smiled. That was the opportunity he was looking for. He had been thinking after dinner, but this would definitely work. "Of course I wouldn't mind!" he insisted, setting down his glass. He very carefully shifted his position so that he was on his knees, straddling her, and leaned down to put his hands on the back of her shoulders to start rubbing.

At the first touch of his hands, she uttered a moan that made Pyrrhus jump. He cleared his throat nervously. "Are you feeling alright?"

Cordelia let out a luxurious sigh. "Oh, wonderful, having your hands on my back. But you know, something's in the way." She reached behind her back and undid the button at the back of her neck. "Help me get this off, would you?"

Pyrrhus paused in consideration for a few moments. Something was definitely wrong. Cordelia didn't act like this. That said, it was another step in the right direction, so what was he going to do, refuse?

He gently unbuttoned the back of her dress and peeled it away from her shoulders. To his shock, he didn't see anything... else.

"Cordelia, did you forget to put on your smallclothes?" he asked, puzzled.

"Oh, that," she said casually. "They didn't feel very comfortable in this dress. I hope you don't mind." The way she said it... it was so seductive that Pyrrhus finally figured out what was going on.

"Cordelia, are you trying to seduce me?"

She carefully spun around underneath him so that she could look him in the eyes. "I'm sorry. I just feel like we're ready, and you were taking a while getting to it. I asked Sumia for some advice, and she was coaching me a bit in the tent when you arrived. But if you want to keep taking things slow, that's okay with me."

"I'm afraid you misunderstand," Pyrrhus replied, mildly aggravated that Sumia would double deal in such a way. "This date was me trying to seduce you."

Her eyes widened and she held a hand over her mouth in shock. "So the fire and the wine... of course!" She pulled her hand away briefly, and Pyrrhus didn't give her the chance to say anything else. He leaned down and kissed her.

A few hours later, Pyrrhus woke from a light doze to the smell of cherry blossoms. He looked down to see red hair, and the memories came rushing back. How he came to be here, spooning the woman he loved, the two of them lying on the ground between the blanket he'd bought and his tactician robe, all beneath the soft dimness of a waxing half moon and starlight. The fire was almost dead in front of him, and the forgotten stew still sat in its pot, probably ruinously overcooked.

It was, all told, the most pleasant moment of his entire life. And there was only one real word to describe it.

"Wow."

Cordelia stirred before him, nuzzling back against him and then apparently waking up. Turning around in his arms, she smiled nervously at him.

"Wow," she said. She stifled a bit of a giggle, which may have been the most adorable thing Pyrrhus had ever seen. He couldn't help but kiss her. When he pulled back, she continued. "That was..."

"Wow," Pyrrhus supplied, smiling. "You were wonderful."

"Me? What about you?" she asked in surprise. "I mean, the first one we were mostly just getting sorted out, but the other times! Those things you did! The thing with your mouth! Where'd you learn that?"

Pyrrhus looked away for a moment. "Suffice it to say, they weren't kidding about the title Ribald Tales of the Faith War."

Cordelia started laughing. "You did research in lovemaking?" She looked upward in thought for a moment. "Actually, that doesn't surprise me at all."

"Uh huh," Pyrrhus replied dismissively. "What about you? If you're going to be that loud, we won't be able to do this in camp! And who taught you those moves with your hips?"

She gave him a gentle smack across the cheek. "How dare you! Nobody taught me anything! I just picked up on what you seemed to enjoy!"

"If that was your first time, then you really are a genius," Pyrrhus replied cheekily, earning himself another gentle slap.

Cordelia turned around and looked to the fire. "Stew's probably past ready. You hungry?" She tried to pull his robe around her so that she could sit up without revealing herself to the cool night air.

"Matter of fact, I am," Pyrrhus replied. He took gentle hold of the wrist she was using to prop herself up. "Just not for stew."

He yanked her back down to the blanket, eliciting a burst of laughter as she fell back onto him and they continued to celebrate the next step in their relationship.

A/N: Hey, I'm back. I'm still not super happy with this chapter, but I'm sick of trying to fix it. Maybe I'll come back to it a few months down the road and make some changes, unless it grows on me.

So we've got another important character development chapter, mostly between Pyrrhus and Yen'fay. I wanted to set up Yen'fay as a foil for Pyrrhus, but it's tough to do correctly. On the one hand, if he doesn't kill anyone, he's not a threat. But I also can't have him kill off a bunch of Shepherds. I do have a solution for later on, but he still needed a proper introduction. We get one here, and it's only by the skin of his teeth that Pyrrhus doesn't get all the Shepherds killed.

We also get the major "relationship upgrade" between Pyrrhus and Cordelia. It was easily the most difficult part of the chapter for me to write; I'm always terrified I'll appear to be some sort of pornographer. So I tried to be as tasteful as possible and stay well within the "primetime network TV" barrier: if it could be on a TV network at 8 PM, then I feel safe calling it "teen."

Lastly, there's our first mention of a person named Severa. It's such an unusual name that I felt it warranted some explanation, and it being a family name is as good a reason as any. To those of you who have been asking me when Severa will be in the story, well, there she is. You probably should have been more specific about which Severa, though. That's right, I'm like the author version of one of those monkey paws.

Next chapter, the war will drag on, Yen'fay will strike back, Chrom and Pyrrhus will have some important tactical decisions to make, and Pyrrhus will find out more than he ever wanted to know about Gaius and Tharja. Uncomfortableness ensues.