Chapter 11) Sickles and Merchants

Our days are spent more or less the same. The main difference, really, is that poems are not snuck into my room. Instead, Chrom gives them to me directly, along with a kiss on the cheek. I still blush madly, but I wouldn't give up the happiness for anything. It's almost easy to forget that we are still preparing for a war.

But prepare we do. Gangrel will regret everything when we fall on him. We'll make sure of it.

Word spread quickly that Chrom and I were officially 'together'. Basilio and Flavia were apparently very confused because they thought we already were together, but promptly threw us a congratulations party that resulted in half the Shepherds in the infirmary. Somehow.

"You should move your right foot a little more out, Kestrel," Robin instructed. He was helping me practice how to dance in a large empty room. "See? Better for the turn."

"I suppose so," I replied, still feeling all tangled up. I could fight on a battlefield with ease, but I swore waltzes were going to kill me. Not even going into the other dances I had to learn, according to Sumia and Sully. "How did you learn again?"

"Sumia let slip that you were having some trouble, and I figured it would be a good skill to know, so I asked Olivia to teach me." He grinned and spun me around, laughing as I stumbled. "How are you so graceful on the field and bad at this?"

"I don't know. How can Sumia trip over air, yet fly through it with an elegance that rivals Virion?" I scowled when he just laughed more. "But you seriously just learned to help me?"

"And because, as I said, I thought I might need to know as well. After all, I'm not making you attend balls without at least me to gripe at." His laughter faded for a soft smile. "Virion and Maribelle have been teaching me as well. Something about how, given my role during the war, and how I'm your brother, and how there are some vacancies in the ranks, I'll be cursed with a noble title." He made a face and my annoyance cracked enough for a giggle. "So, it's beneficial for both of us!"

"And you learned from Olivia." I moved to sit on the windowsill nearby, looking out the window. A thin layer of frost covered it, making the outside scenery looked faded. I had to make myself remember the fun times like snowball fights, looking at all the snow. I used to avoid being around so much snow. "You've spent quite a bit of time with her."

"Well, that's the secret. She's been teaching me to dance." Robin sat beside me, leaning against the window. "And we've chatted a bit. She wants to open a theater and she explained to me what sort of things happened there. Like plays! They sound interesting."

"I see." I smiled, remembering something. "You and I saw one play, long ago as children. We had to sneak in, and you always wanted to see one 'properly'."

"When things are peaceful, let's go!" He grinned, eyes sparkling at the idea. "Or, well, there will supposedly be one at the end of next month. Olivia's performing in it."

"Then let's see if we can snag seats for it. I'm sure it'll be very popular." Movement outside caught my attention, and I leaned against the glass to try and pick it out. I smiled when I realized it was Frederick and Sumia walking through the snow, with Sumia slipping on some ice and Frederick catching her. "Anything I should know about?"

"With… what?" He frowned a little. "In general?"

"Yes. I've been stuck in 'Queen Lessons' for quite some time."

"I'll tell Gaius to steal you away for some fun." He grinned. "Aside from that… well, you know me. Everyone talks with me, or at me, but not all of it is substantial. Gaius is convinced he owes you for silence and keeps Tharja busy when she tries to watch me sleep again, Libra scolds Cordelia for overworking, Maribelle and Lon'qu work through his gynophobia together, Miriel tries to investigate Kellam's ability to disappear, Stahl and Panne hang out with the horses a lot, Sully and Vaike spar constantly…" He shrugged, and I tried to not react to the whole 'Tharja watches my twin brother sleep' thing. He wasn't bothered, but I had to say I didn't like it. Still, Gaius was a very capable person, so maybe I could just… leave it to him… "Virion writes letters, while Lissa takes on more duties since she is now 'technically' the heir. She made a mention of looking forward to when she'd no longer be the direct heir." He yelped as I went red. "Y-you okay?"

"I'm fine!" My voice was squeaky. "She's… Lissa won't be the 'direct heir' when Chrom has a child. That's what she meant."

"Oh." He paused, getting a thoughtful look. Then he grinned. "Wait, I'd be an uncle in that case, right? That's how it works?" The grin faded for confusion and a trace of fear. "Wait, how does one be an uncle!? Augh… I need to look that up!" He leapt to his feet and then yelped as I snagged him by the shirt and dragged him back down. "Hey!"

"Chrom and I haven't even… we're not even engaged yet!" My face hurt from the blush. "Don't get ahead of yourself!" I whimpered, thinking of all the lessons. "Ugh… at the rate that I'm going, it might be a good idea for me not to be queen anyway…"

"Ah. No." Robin poked my forehead, making me squeak. "If I can learn to be a good tactician, then you can learn to be a good queen. You're my twin sister. I have the uttermost faith in your ability to learn." He smiled warmly and took my hands to squeeze reassuringly. "And if you mess up, I'm right here with you. So are all the Shepherds. You'll learn how to be queen one step at a time."

"...Okay…" I smiled back, touched by the words. He was right, of course. I knew I had everyone. It was just a rather daunting task. "Well, do we continue the lessons or…" A knock on the door cut me off, and I had to fight back a sigh. "Or get caught up in trouble?"

"Trouble, of course. It's us." Robin grinned before turning to the door and standing. "Come in."

"Sorry!" The door creaked open and Olivia poked her head inside. She gave us a small smile before it faded. "We just got some troubling news," she whispered. "A nearby village might be under attack."

Well, here we go again.

So, it wasn't just a village under assault. We learned of the attack because we had a female merchant also being attacked, and one of her traveling companions had raced for us, hoping that we could mount some sort of defense.

"Chrom, I'm going to remind you that I am a hardened mercenary," I noted dryly as he helped me over a fallen log hidden in the snow. The blizzards had knocked down quite a few trees, but thankfully, there was no word of any casualties. Feroxi knew how to weather their blizzards. "I do not suddenly lose my ability to handle things just because I admitted to being in love with you."

"Aw, but I like helping you, Kes," he teased. He brought my hand up and kissed it through the gloves. "Besides, it's an excuse to hold your hand."

"You don't need an excuse, Chrom. Unless I need an excuse to hold yours?"

"Never. My hands are ever yours, as is my heart."

"Oh. My. Gods. I'm going to vomit rainbows," Lissa teased. She jumped next to me and took my arm. I glanced back to see the rest of the Shepherds were hanging back to help with the horses, bogged down by the snows. Lissa must've given up with helping. "Seriously, wow, you guys say that with a straight face?"

"I suppose we are a little silly," I laughed, smiling down at her. It did my confidence some good, knowing she accepted my being Chrom's lover. "Should we tone it down?"

"No way. I have a new things to tease Chrom about!" She leaned around me to grin at Chrom. "Stay the same! You two are fine!"

"Whenever you find someone to catch your eye, dear little sister, remember I will repay any and all teasing," Chrom half-warned. His smile softened the words. "Which reminds me. Has anyone caught your eye?"

"Um… nope!" Lissa chirped. She gave me a little look that said 'I want to talk later', though. "Anyway… hey, what's that?" She pointed to a little odd lump in the distance. "Is that… a person?"

"I think so." Chrom frowned. "Get your staff."

"On it!" She scampered off, and Chrom and I ran forward, slipping in the snow and ice as we ran towards the lump. At first, I thought it was just a cluster of discarded clothes, and a pot for some reason, but then the cluster moved, revealing it to be a young boy. With a pot on his head. For some reason.

"Easy, easy," Chrom murmured, helping the boy up. I took off my coat and draped it over the boy, knocking off snow in the process. "You okay?"

"I… uh…" the boy groaned. He blinked slowly, and a bit of clarity came to his eyes. "Who are… wait, the village!" The boy lurched forward, but Chrom and I stopped him. "But…"

"Easy, my friends and I are here to assist." Chrom smiled at the boy's startled look. "Though, if you can tell us what's going on?"

"You're here to help?" The boy's face lit up with a bright, relieved smile. "Y-yes, milord! Right away, your… your graciousness!"

"...That's not a…" He sighed, smiling slightly. "Chrom. My name is Chrom. So, lad, what is-"

"PRINCE CHROM?!" The boy looked more and more frantic and confused, even flailing about slightly. "W-what are you… oh, man, did I fall asleep in the fields again?"

"You're awake." Chrom's smile grew, but I could also tell he was warring between amusement and exasperation by how he shifted. "So-"

"Oh, man, how are you supposed to talk to a… no one back home will believe this." The boy was clearly in his own little world. "Actually meeting our prince!"

"...Your prince?"

"Yeah, I'm from Ylisse! Evacuated with Ma and the rest of the village because of the war." He bowed low suddenly, pot helmet nearly falling off. "I am so not worthy…"

"I… that's…" Chrom sighed. Exasperation won. "Can we get to why you were fallen in the snow without any sort of protection from the cold?"

"Oh. Right. Sorry, Your Majestyful." The boy straightened, and I had to turn away to hide my laugh, and facepalm. "Oh, wait, is that lady the one you're courting?"

"...Kestrel?" He pointed to me, and the boy nodded. "Yes? That's… wait, how do you know about that?"

"Gossip spreads fast, and it's good news. The villagers will be ecastatic to meet your wife!"

"...'Ecstatic'. And we're not married yet." Chrom looked amused, and I had to fight to keep from blushing. I knew I failed by how his smile grew. "But villagers? Cold?"

"RIGHT!" He bowed again. "S-sorry, your-"

"Deep breath, child," I finally interrupted. My face was red, but the poor boy was having a heart attack. "He talks in his sleep, by the way, and he's always breaking things."

"Don't go telling people that!" Chrom yelped. His face went red as the boy tentatively looked up. "And I don't break everything!"

"Well, that's good to hear, since you have my heart. I'm rather certain I'd dislike that being broken." I smiled gently at the boy while Chrom went even redder. "So, child? Your name?"

"Donny!" the boy instantly squeaked. He smiled sheepishly. "That is… Donnel. I'm called Donny."

"Well then, Donny…" My smiled widened. "Are you calm enough to tell us what happened? I imagine meeting a royal in the middle of snowy nowhere did nothing for your nerves."

"Nope!" He grinned, but it soon fell. "Those rotten-teethed, pig-stinkin' bandits have attacked the village that took us in! They're rounding people up for bandit camps, and… and Ma told me to run, so I did, but…" Tears suddenly filled his eyes, and I knew everything was catching up at last. Poor child. "She's… she's all I got. Bandits killed my Pa, and the village I lived in is all scattered…"

"The war breeds more evils by the day," Chrom sighed. His blush had faded by now, so his determined look actually looked dignified. "Easy, Donny. We'll save your 'ma'. For now, let's get you treated."

We got Donny over to the others and explained what was going on. Chrom and Robin began to plan, but while they did, I noticed something odd. While everyone did their best to hide it, I could see the hesitancy in their eyes, the insecurity in their movements. I watched them for a moment, seeing it wasn't just one or two people. It was nearly everyone. Hell, even Frederick seemed off, though he hid it by helping Sumia fix something on her saddle. Sumia gave me a strained smile that was supposed to be brave, but fell short. That was sort of the point I decided someone had to bring it up, and clearly, it was going to be me. I was tactless like that.

"...What's wrong, everyone?" I called, waiting until they all looked at me before continuing. "We're going to save some villages from bandits. It's nothing fancy." They all still looked hesitant, and I wondered if it was because the last time we mobilized… it had been to that failure. Emmeryn had died. "Didn't you all declare that you'd walk forward with your heads held high? That you'd end the war? Well, how can you end the war if you can't save a village?" I crossed my arms, and gave them a droll expression. "If fear takes you, then you've already lost. If you hesitate, innocent people are going to die. So, Shepherds, are you going to retreat back into that melancholic fear?"

I waited. I waited for a significant time, the blood roaring through my ears as the silence seemed to stretch forever. But then I saw small little smiles and nods, and the hesitancy in their eyes faded for the determination I was so used to. It was still there. But there was the courage I was used to.

"There we go. That's the look." I grinned, my stomach in knots. "You're the Shepherds, the band of kind-hearted weirdos I love. You dare to do the impossible. So, let's get the villagers and kill some bandits, yeah?"

The Shepherds cheered, the sound loud enough to shake some snow from the branches. As they did, Chrom moved to stand beside me, and gave me a smile so filled with warmth and affection that I went bright red and ducked my head to hide my face in my scarf, scared that my cheeks were warm enough to melt the snow.

I just… oh, I didn't even know. I'd feel more like myself after killing some bandits. Maybe.

The plan was simple. Distraction, bait, and escape. Half the Shepherds would distract, most of the others would bait, while Donny, Gregor, and I snuck past to reach the villagers. It almost seemed too simple of a plan, but Robin had protested against a complex strategy. He freely admitted that the plan to save Emmeryn had been too complicated, with too many things that could go wrong, and felt that it was better to stick to basics. The other Shepherds seemed to agree.

"Man, you guys are amazing," Donny whispered. I nearly winced when he kicked a stone, but he fixed his footing after I nudged his leg. If nothing else, he could learn fast. "I wish I could do all those sorts of things. Being strong, killing bandits…"

"Nearly dying and losing friends," I instantly pointed out, pressing against the side of a house and peering around the corner. The villagers, as best as we could tell, were being held in the town hall, and we had to go the long way around. "Fighting isn't sunshine and rainbows."

"Neither is being helpless in a bandit fight." There was an awkward pause. "If you'll pardon my rudeness, my lady."

"None taken. It's a good point." I frowned as I noticed some bandits passing close. "Okay, Gregor? You and I might need to silence a couple."

"Wish I could help…"

"You can, wee one," Gregor suddenly reassured. He smiled kindly and patted Donny on the head. "No one is born warrior. Farm work good training. Sickle and sword similar. You can do it, if you want."

"I… huh?" Donny looked so confused. "Seriously?" he asked. "But I-?"

"If you be wanting, but if so, must stay frosty."

"Oh, I'm already frozen."

"He means stay calm," I translated. I frowned as some bandits got a little closer. "Gregor, if he tries, he's your responsibility. I don't know how to keep an eye on someone like him."

"That be fine, for I have done so many times before," Gregor agreed. He laid a hand on Donny's shoulder. "But only if you be willing, wee one."

"I… er…" Donny began. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before nodding. "I… yes. Please. These are my people. I hate… only being able to run away."

"Good." Gregor passed Donny one of his swords, and showed him quickly how to hold it. "Hold like me. Swing like me. Kestrel's style too dodgy and countery for you."

"O-Okay…"

"They're almost on us," I whispered. I drew my own sword, and looked to Gregor and Donny. Gregor looked ready; Donny looked ready to be sick. "He's yours. And they're ours."

I fell on the first one easily, catching them completely off-guard. Gregor and Donny worked together on the second, but I didn't stick around to see if it worked out. Instead, I darted down another alley and made my way towards the Town Hall, the largest building in the village. The bandits here weren't particularly skilled or anything, it seemed. They were just clever enough to wait until the snows made it hard for help to come. Except, of course, us Shepherds, who were more than willing to mobilize to thank the Khans for their assistance.

I made it to the Town Hall long before Gregor and Donny, and I slipped in through an open window, wondering how long I should wait. I knew that I didn't want to liberate the villagers alone, but at the same time, I didn't want to wait too long. The longer we waited, the greater the chances of a hostage situation. I didn't want that, and not just because hostage situations sucked. I wasn't sure how much another hostage situation would shake up the others. So, carefully, I picked my way to the main part of the Town Hall, wondering what, exactly, I should do.

"Careful, big boy. Prices aren't the only things I can cut in half." Of course, I hadn't expected a fancily dressed redhaired lady snarking at a bandit when I arrived. But I couldn't complain. "Just leave the nice people be, okay?" the lady commented. She held a steel sword in a reverse grip, bringing the blade flat against her arm, and she stood protectively in front of some of the other villagers.

"Why is a merchant holding a sword anyway?" the bandit complained. He growled and leaned down to snag one of the villagers. The girl, however, glared, and he leaned back, intimidated. I wondered why, but then noticed there was a dead bandit already on the ground. Clearly, the girl had already proven her words. "I mean…"

"Depends on where you go." The girl shrugged, and I decided to use her as a distraction to get close. "Round here, there's not much, but other countries have merchants knowing bows and lances among other things." The girl's eyes darted towards me, but I smiled and she subtly nodded and kept on talking. "Different places are fun like that."

"Bah!" The bandit spat, almost on a villager. I was almost behind him. "You'd make a good price if you weren't so cheeky."

"Now, now, big boy." The girl grinned. "I'm expensive~ And you couldn't afford me even if you lived thirteen lives."

"Thirteen?"

"Unlucky thirteen. And you are very, very unlucky."

"Hu-ugh…" That little moan was the last thing he ever said, as I'd stabbed him through the back. He dropped like a stone, and I kicked him off the blade.

I rolled him a bit to try and keep the blood away from the villagers. Then I looked up at the girl, who wore a very distinctively smirk. "Merchant girl?" I asked. She nodded. "Well, part of the reason we're here is to save you, but it feels a little silly now."

"Aw, don't sweat it, gorgeous," the girl chirped. Her smirk widened, and the villagers began looking a little hopeful. "Most merchants would face trouble. I'm one of the few in my family that knows how to fight." She winked. "It's super sweet that you worry about strangers. That sweetness is needed in this world. So, what say we open up a few more rogues and then we'll split the loot they had?"

"After giving some to the villagers to help them repair." It was hard not to laugh as she playfully pouted before nodding. "Thief, then?"

"Locksmith, thank you. Rogue or lock, I'll have it smiling wide in a trice." Her grin widened. "Speaking of rogues, though… mind teaming up? I didn't want to liberate the place alone, even with them being all weak and all."

"What a coincidence. I was worried about the same." I smiled back and brought my sword up as another bandit rushed in. He blinked slowly, jaw dropped. "Shall we?"

"Let's~" She giggled. "It's Anna, by the way. You?"

"Kestrel, of the Ylissean Shepherds." My smile grew. "Let's get everyone liberated in time for supper."

"On it~!"

"So, we kill some bandits, protected some villages, got a morale boost, and got two more members," I summarized neatly. We dealt with all the bandits in record time, freed all the hostages, and returned in triumph. So now, I was sprawled out on Chrom's bed, reading through some history books Maribelle recommended. Supposedly, as… as 'queen', I'd be expected to have a lot of this memorized. She and Cordelia were already plotting ways to teach and test me. I didn't need foresight to know that I was going to spend a lot of time buried in books these next few weeks. "Why are they coming with us?"

"Donnel wants to learn how to be stronger and thinks we'll be good for training," Chrom absently explained. He was at his desk, frowning over some paperwork. "Anna thinks it'll simply be safer with us, given the Risen and the war. She's promised to secure us discounts on supplies."

"Oh, that'll be good."

"Yeah." Chrom sighed and then suddenly stood, stumbling over to the bed and flopping on it, cuddling into me. "Mmm… warm…"

"Move your head." I lifted my arm so that he could slide into my side. "I'm trying to read."

"Meh…" Still, he did shift a little lower. "Shouldn't you take a break?"

"I will when I finish this chapter. I have a lot to learn."

"Including how to take breaks, apparently." He reached up and caressed my cheek. "Your eyes are puffy. You've been staying up." He shifted again, this time to pluck the book from me, mark the page, and then set it to the side. "Break now."

"Hold on a-!" I squeaked when Chrom wrapped his arms around me and dragged me down, tugging the blanket over both of us. "Chrom, Maribelle is going to scold me!"

"Blame me. I'll be sure to inform Lissa she's making you overwork."

"Don't do that." I huffed, pouting, and he simply smiled and pulled me a little closer. "...I have been staying up…"

"You and Robin are workaholics. It's kind of amusing."

"We both just want to do what we can to make sure no one questions you and the Shepherds." My voice sounded tiny to me, so I ducked my head. "We… I mean… regardless of everything, Chrom, you all gave us a home. Robin doesn't remember, consciously, but we haven't had one in a while. When Mother died, we had no one. We had to stay away from people. So…"

"You two don't need to overwork to prove how amazing you are. You do that by nature." He kissed the top of my head. "Maybe I should set up some sort of 'compliment Kes and Robin' event."

"Please don't. We'll die of embarrassment." I went red just thinking about it.

"Well, maybe not then." He tilted my face up and kissed me gently, a nice little kiss that made me feel very warm and tingly, just like a stereotypical kiss from one of my romance novels. But nicer, because it was real and mine… "Hey, if you don't mind a change in subject?"

"Kiss me again, and I think I'll let you get away with that."

"Gladly." The next kiss was a little fiercer, and he looked a little smug when he pulled away. I batted at his shoulder and he laughed. "But, in all your travels, have you ever been to Ylisse's Spring Festival?"

"That's the one where you decorate eggs and dress up in colorful clothes and rabbit costumes, right?" I smiled and shook my head. "No, Robin and I never went. We heard about it, and thought it might be fun, but we worried that our father's people would attack during one."

"It's one of my favorite festivals. It'll probably be held late this year, since Emm…" His smile faltered, and I rested my hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into it briefly. "The festival should still be fun, though. We could make it your official debut."

"Dressed up and painting eggs?" I laughed, amused by the idea. "Why not? It sounds silly."

"Meaning you should laugh a lot, I hope." He smiled again, but it was tinged with a bit of sadness. "Emm would've had fun with it. She loved that festival too."

"Then we must have twice as much fun, for her."

"Yeah…" He sighed and pulled me closer. "I'm so tired…"

"Then sleep, silly."

"Mmm…" His face screwed up like he wanted to protest, but he shrugged and closed his eyes. Before long, his breathing had evened out, and his grip on me loosened slightly in slumber.

I watched him sleep for a while before moving to sit up, kissing his cheek gently before retrieving my book and reading. I wanted to at least finish this chapter, after all. The sooner I did, the more time I had to commit it to memory.

Maribelle had threatened to make the next test the hardest yet. I wanted to be ready.

Notes on Gregor:

Class - Mercenary; Reclass - Barbarian, Myrmidon

An older mercenary with an accent no one ever seems to figure out, known for his incredible skill in combat and his kind and wise words. He and Basilio are old friends and rivals.

Skilled and strong, though his age and long years of fighting have slowed him some, since the body remembers all the injuries forced on it. However, that has simply taught him patience to strike where it hurts.

Seriously, no one knows where he's from, and he tells a story every time. For all anyone knows, 'Gregor' might not even be his real name, and for all his jokes, it's clear that he has had a hard life. However, it's tempered him into someone willing to give aid where needed.

Author's note: Okay, as can be seen by the title, I'm making 'paralogues' into proper chapters, so from here on, chapter numbers will be off from the game. I will also fully admit that while we'll be recruiting all the chars, some of them will be combined with 'main chapters' just for the flow of the story. No, I won't announce who will go where. That'll ruin the surprise.

In game, Donnel starts off with a lance. But none of his reclasses can use it, so instead, I'm taking a nod from FE2/FE15's villagers, which use swords. Also in game, Chrom is the one who encourages Donnel, but I regulated that to Gregor instead. Anna's mentioning of merchants wielding bows and lances is a nod to Fates, where the Merchant class wields naginatas and yumis.

The Spring Festival mentioned here is the one used to explain the 'Easter' Event in FE:H. Because why not?

Next Chapter - Winterlude 2