Author's note: One more preparation chapter before the next climax. I hope you enjoy Leo's point of view.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Fire Emblem.

Chapter fourteen: Battle Plan

Leo left his house calmly, closing the door softly and locking it behind him. As he slipped the key into his pocket, a door inside himself burst open; shameful anxiety and fear fell upon him, causing his now running legs to quiver and his clenched teeth to chatter violently.

I trust Niles, Leo thought, not for the first time. I trust Niles. I trust Niles. I trust Niles… I think.

Xander had never failed to make Leo doubt himself and his decisions. When I wanted to learn the art of magic, Xander tried to convince me that a sword is a more enduring weapon. When I wanted to learn to ride like Xander, he told me it was "more difficult than he made it seem". When I wanted to jump off the barn roof into that pile of hay, he told me I was stupid! But I was right on all accounts! Except maybe for that last one…

Leo realized that his choices had always been different from what Xander and their siblings wanted for Leo; but, despite a few childhood mishaps, they had still turned out to be right for him. Niles will be no exception, Leo thought, gaining confidence. I'll say the same to Xander — I'm right about Niles!

Leo ran faster, wishing to reach Xander's house before his bravado gave out. But his recklessness only caused him to lose more time, as his riding boots tripped him up and sent him sprawling, head first, into the dirt.

Leo spat grass and curses from his mouth, pushing himself up on bruised elbows. Damn my luck! he thought, grimacing. Now all I need is for someone to see me humiliating myself. Selena will do, or Charlotte. They'll have the story spread to everyone before tea tomorrow.

Leo's luck did bring an audience to the scene of his disgrace, though not the gossips he feared. Leo had fallen at the foot of Camilla's house, which was situated somewhere in between his own home and Xander's. As he struggled to lift his aching body out of the dust, the door to Camilla's house opened. Leo stared as Camilla and Elise emerged from the house and stood, shocked and still, on the top step above him.

Leo found his voice first. "What are you two doing at this hour?" he demanded.

Elise ran down the steps to her brother's side. "Are you hurt?" she asked, helping him to sit up.

"What were you doing?" Leo repeated.

Camilla continued to watch from the perch of her front door. "Leo, sweetie, what a mess you now look! Why don't you run — no, better yet, jog carefully back home and get washed up? Isn't it also time for your beddy-bye?"

Leo sighed. He knew he was being excluded from something when his siblings started dodging his questions.

"What's going on?" he asked, making his exasperation clear in his tone. "Has something happened?"

Camilla and Elise exchanged glances. That's never a good sign, Leo thought.

"Why should you ask us if anything's the matter?" Camilla returned lazily. "You are the one, little brother, who is running about at all hours of the night."

"I'll tell you my business," offered Leo, "if you first share yours."

Elise perked up immediately. She was always eager to buy information. "Camilla and I met tonight to discuss the Corrin situation, as Camilla calls it," she explained quickly. "We never can get a word in when Xander's in the room; plus, he seems to think he's got all the answers to the problem, but we have some valuable insight, too!" In the dim light, Leo couldn't see her face, but Elise sounded as though she were pouting. "We're not house fraus! We have rights, you know!"

Leo looked to Camilla, who shrugged her shoulders. "Our little firecracker has been reading again," she said in a sweet voice, but Leo thought Camilla must be as fed up with Elise's literature of late as he was.

Elise tugged on Leo's shirt sleeve. "Well? I told you what we were doing — now tell us your news!"

"Not so fast!" Leo shook Elise off. "That does explain why you're up and about at this hour, but why wasn't I invited to your tête-à-tête? I have an opinion on the subject as well! And it's not as though Xander will listen to me any more than he will listen to anyone else."

Camilla and Elise exchanged glances again. "I wish you would stop doing that," Leo muttered.

Camilla sighed. "Sorry, darling, but we didn't invite you because… Well…"

"Your opinion doesn't really matter to us." Elise said.

"Elise!" Camilla exclaimed. "I never said that!" she told Leo.

"You said, 'Leo doesn't know a love poem from a lima bean,'" Elise said, giggling. "And I totally agree!" Turning on Leo, she continued, "You're always reading big, boring books on history and politics; have you ever picked up a book for fun?"

"Those books are fun…" Leo whimpered.

Elise glared at him. "No they're not! Romance is fun — novels about love affairs and swashbuckling adventures are the thing! You don't even know that much, Leo, so how could we expect you to have an intelligent opinion on Corrin's engagement?"

Leo's mouth opened and closed like a gasping fish. He was humiliated, horrified — too humiliated and horrified to even think up another adjective that began with "H"!

Leo suddenly remembered his mission to Xander's house. Slowly, his hurt feelings melted into a sly smirk. He laughed callously in Elise's face.

"Say what you will about my tastes in literature and lack of romantic experience!" he declared, jumping to his feet. "But tonight, I have the upper hand in that I alone am in control of such distressing information that neither of you could ever possibly guess its dark heart!"

Leo thought his speech would impress his sisters, and maybe cause them to repent of their excluding him. The scenario reminded him too much of when he had been a small boy and he would be left out of his three sisters' tea parties; Xander had always been a welcome guest at their table full of dolls, but Leo had been ostracized because of that singular mishap regarding Miss Molly's missing head.

Leo was very, very wrong. Instead of apologizing, Camilla and Elise jumped on Leo; each sister attached themselves to one arm and clung, not with the weak hands of regret, but with the claws of curiosity.

"What's happened? What's happened?" Elise shouted, bouncing up and down, shaking Leo.

"Leo, darling," Camilla purred, "has something more occurred between poor Niles and my baby sister — something a priest wouldn't approve of? I hope not, because I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to poor, poor Niles…"

Leo tried to free himself, but fighting his sisters only made them tighten their hold. "Let me go, harpies!" he screamed. "I don't know anything!"

"You said you did!" Camilla bit back.

"You promised to tell us!" Elise exclaimed. "Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!"

At that moment, a new voice screeched, "What is going on, here?" The voice sounded from behind Leo, but he couldn't turn around because of his sisters locking him in place. They, however, could see just fine from where they hung off his arms; whoever had yelled made them release Leo, causing him to again tumble into the dust. He landed with a groan.

"I hate my life…" Leo mumbled, slowly standing. He blushed to find Azura staring at him, flanked by two members of the night watch.

"Oh. Uh…." Leo bit his tongue trying to find a word to explain himself. Camilla rushed to their rescue.

"So sorry for the scare we caused!" she said, smiling. "We were just having a little sibling squabble, that's all. Please return to your posts now, Benny, Laslow."

The two wide-eyed soldiers bowed and hesitatingly began to retreat back into the dark. When they had disappeared, Camilla addressed Azura. "What are you doing out so late, darling? It's not at all safe for you."

"I was speaking with Xander," Azura admitted. "And what are all you doing?"

"As Camilla said," Leo muttered bitterly, taking several precautionary steps away from his sisters, "we're fighting."

"But why? Over what?"

Elise explained, "Over Corrin, that's what! That's what everything's been about lately, hasn't it?"

Camilla sighed. "I suppose our sister's engagement has rather overshadowed our life lately." she agreed quietly.

"But a wedding is suppose to be happy!" Elise sounded exasperated. "Maybe if stupid brothers stopped going around telling their poor sisters what to do, this could still be a happy wedding."

Leo shook his head. "You shouldn't speak that way about Xander. He's only trying to do what's best for Corrin."

"I was talking about you." Elise stuck out her tongue at Leo.

Azura sighed. "I'm afraid Elise — if she were referring to Xander — would be right. He's stepped completely over the line of being protective of Corrin and has settled himself in the realm of deciding what is best for Corrin."

"But that's what family does, darling," Camilla said.

"I disagree!" Azura responded warmly.

"So do I!" Elise exclaimed. "Only Corrin knows what will make her happy!"

"But if Niles does turn out to be unsuitable for her," Camilla continued firmly, "how could we ever forgive ourselves for not interfering?"

"We have interfered," Leo said. "I don't think we've interfered more than we should have, though perhaps Xander did cross a line tonight, as Azura said."

"What?" Camilla asked. "To what are you two referring and why are we out of the loop?"

Leo sneered. "It's not fun, is it?"

Azura stared at Leo. "How do you know what happened tonight?"

Leo recalled Niles' and Odin's conversation, and grimaced. "It's too much to explain right now. Let me finish my original thought."

"Which was?" Eise asked, sounding bored.

"I was saying I think we all did right by interfering, only we went about it in the wrong way. We can't say for sure why Niles wants to marry Corrin, because we never asked him. Instead, we scared ourselves with 'what-ifs' and tried to break off the engagement."

His sisters were silent, taking in his words. Camilla asked, "Why did we try and scare ourselves, do you think?"

Leo had already asked himself that question, and answered, "I guess because we didn't want to lose Corrin. It seems the most obvious answer, doesn't it? After all, we have only just gotten her back from Hoshido. No one wants to lose her again."

Elise nodded eagerly. "That's usually the reason the family objects in all the good novels." she said.

Leo scoffed. "Well, if it's in a novel, then I must be on the right track."

Azura put a hand on Leo's shoulder. He turned and found her smiling at him. "Your words are so touching," she said. "You're really a very wise man, Leo. I hope you know that."

Leo blushed. Thinking he should be humble, he murmured, "I guess we all have our good days once in a while." What the hell does that mean? he asked himself.

Camilla laughed. "My genius little brother, always the voice of reason!" Leo knew that wasn't true; Xander's reason was the only voice his sisters ever heard. Camilla continued, "You were so eloquent, it made me regret not inviting you to my house this evening!"

"Thank you," Leo said, ignoring his doubts and forcing a smile. For that moment, he wouldn't care about Xander's opinion or his sisters' opinions — he thought Azura understood him, and to be understood by one person was enough for this night. "But now that we have an understanding of the situation, how shall we proceed?" he asked.

"We shall take your advice," Azura said, "and ask Niles directly about his intentions."

"Shall we get Xander to do it?" Camilla suggested.

"No." Azura shook her head. "I'm afraid Xander is too wrapped up in his own fantasies to go about discovering the truth just now. He needs time to cool down before he can confront Niles."

"But then, who will?" Elise asked, sounding worried. "We shouldn't put it off!"

"I'll do it tonight," volunteered Leo. "Niles will talk to me."

"I'll do it," Camilla insisted, "I am Corrin's big sister."

"I wanna come!" Elise whined.

Azura sighed. "But we can't all be jumping down Niles' throat."

"Why not?" Leo asked, remembering his own feelings at being excluded. He smirked. "We've always worked together, that's how our family is. If Niles wants to marry Corrin, then he will just have to get used to our pack-like behavior."

His sisters laughed. He had convinced them yet again. Twice in one night, he thought. I really am doing well tonight.

Aloud, he asked, "Are we all set then to confront Niles?"

"Now?" Elise asked, breathless.

"As you said, this can't wait any longer."

"Hurray!" Elise cheered.

"Leo," Azura said, "I know you work in a pack, but usually, Xander is the alpha male. Tonight, I think you should lead — it's your advice that has inspired us, and the battle field will be in your house."

Leo grimaced. "Ah, actually, we're not going to my house. Niles isn't there."

There was a slight pause before Camilla asked, "Is he on duty?"

"I think you already know the answer to that question, Camilla." Leo took a deep breath. He could feel his determination wavering. "Please, no panicking, but we're actually going to Corrin's house. Camilla, put the knife away. I'll explain as best I can on the way. Let's just hurry and get this over with…"

Here's a teaser for the next chapter: it is titled, I Love You. Sappy title? oh, definitely. But let us remember this is a romance story - it's supposed to be sappy at times.