Chapter 21) Wings of Justice

You know… I'd appreciate being right about simpler things than what I am typically right about. Namely, operation 'take major fort' was a pyrrhic victory. We took it, but we had to abandon it immediately afterwards due to rebels turning against us. Why? Because Excellus is a bastard who doesn't seem to understand that always playing the smug snake is only going to lead to people to stop caring. Well, Tharja cursed him with withering, so I imagine he's a little too busy being in pain to actually do anything important.

The problem, though, was that we're running and had to leave some people behind to act as bait for Walhart so that we could escape. And we're all very, very tired.

The only way the army could've been more like how they were in the aftermath of Emmeryn's death was if it was raining and if we were in carriages. And if someone committed suicide in front of us and a madman laughed about it. But, hopefully, those last two wouldn't happen. And we'd just get a messenger about deaths, because we were spending lives to escape and we all knew it. Running away again. Leaving people to die while we ran away again. Some things never changed, huh?

"You take very good care of your hair, Severa," I complimented, carefully brushing her hair. She and I were seated around the campfire, with her leaning against my legs, while the army set up for the evening. "Much better than Lucina."

"Lucina would walk around in rags if you let her," Severa groaned, sighing gustily. Still, I noticed her mood lighten a little at the praise. "Victoria is better about it. Barely."

"Are the three of you good friends?"

"I feel like I'm their babysitter sometimes!" Despite the 'complaint', Severa smiled. "But I guess we go way back. Lots of playdates and sharing rooms." Her smile faded, replaced by a slight grimace. "Lots of them."

"I'm glad you three get along." I purposely didn't ask why. Something I had noticed over the past few days was how, unlike her fellows, Severa alternated between clinging to her parents and being as far away from them as possible. Hot and cold. And I was definitely not qualified to tackle that. At all. "And I'm glad they have such a good friend to make sure they take care of themselves."

"W-well, it's just because it bothers me!" Severa pulled her knees to her chest and ducked her head slightly to hide behind them. I just kept on brushing her hair, watching a couple of soldiers wander aimlessly as they tried to find something to do. Before they went too far, though, Vaike swung in, however, and dragged them over to… somewhere, joking and laughing about something I didn't quite catch. He talked too fast. "...Victoria better be okay. I thought she'd be with Lucina."

"I'm sure she's fine." I hoped, at least? "What do you think she's up to?"

"Well, since she's not here?" She fell silent for a moment, thinking. "Honestly? She's probably spying or something. That's what she did primarily in our time. Spy on the enemies, rescue civilians, quickly kill the enemy leader to jumble up the Risen…" Severa lifted her head up to scowl suddenly. "Often on her own. Without telling anyone. And then she'd show up bleeding all over the place with a 'Huh? You were worried?'." She grumbled something else under her breath. "Freaking hell, I bet that's going to be exactly what she does too! Argh! I'm going to give her the scolding of a lifetime!"

"So, confident?"

"Eh, sorta. But it's mostly like she thinks too logically and forgets that it would kill m… Lucina and the others if she died." Severa sighed gustily again, and I parted her hair to pull it into the twintails she preferred. "Stupid."

"Very." Ah, I wished she hadn't gotten some of my bad habits… "But that's why she has you looking out for her, and Lucina. And all of you, really. So, thank you."

"I-it's nothing! I just… uh..." As soon as I got her hair tied up, she leapt to her feet. "I've got to go… do stuff!" And off she ran, a faint blush on her face.

I muffled a laugh and stood up to take my brush back to my tent, amused. "Rather like Cordelia," I murmured, tossing the brush inside and closing the flap before stretching. Though, from what I saw, Severa was better at running. Faster, and kept a better eye on her footing. "Okay, it's back to patrol for me."

I wasn't sure when I started these 'patrols' and certainly no one had asked me too. It was just something I did, and I was quickly learning that it was much harder to be stuck in my head when I felt like there were Things To Do. Like making sure no one was starving and that everyone was getting enough sleep. Particularly those inclined to get engrossed in their work like… say… Robin. Though, when I went to check, I found him napping at his desk, with Inigo and Morgan asleep on either side of him and countless papers strewn about. Olivia was covering them with a blanket and just caught sight of me before I could leave them to it.

"Hee… you checking on us again?" she asked, meeting me outside. Though she spoke quietly, Inigo mumbled in his sleep and lifted his head to blearily look at us. Olivia and I both smiled at him, though, and he nodded and went straight back to sleep. "Here…" Shyly, she took my arm and led me away. "Inigo is a very light sleeper."

"I'm not surprised," I replied, feeling a little saddened by the thought. I remembered how lightly both Robin and I used to sleep… even if we slept a little more deeply nowadays. "But yes, I'm fretting. Again. Big surprise."

"You said it, not me!" Olivia laughed, smiling. But I could see how pale she was, and there were some bags under her eyes almost hidden by her makeup. "We're doing okay."

"Does he finally believe you when you say that you don't blame him for that tactical decision?"

"I think I've at least convinced him that I don't hate him, and will never hate him." She stumbled suddenly, but I steadied her. "Ah, sorry…"

"You weren't sleeping well before this too, because Robin got poisoned."

"Well, no… poison isn't something I'm used to." She scowled a little at me, puffing out her cheeks. It was adorable, really, but I bit my tongue. "I'm from Ferox. This isn't the first time Basilio has gone off to fight. I'm aware he might not come back."

"So, what has you not sleeping nowadays?"

"Hmm? Ah, well…" Olivia hesitated before tugging me a little further from the main part of the camp. In fact, she pulled me towards the perimeter, where no one was. "Firstly, it was because Robin stayed up late overworking." Of course he was. He felt guilty. "But last night, he… ah…" She looked around, checking for people, and I realized just what she was going to say. "He told me about your bloodline. Er… wait, not quite right. He had already told me about the mark thingy. But the…"

"What the Grimleal plan, and what likely happened in the future." I smiled bitterly, feeling… I didn't know. But Robin was able to tell Olivia far sooner than I could tell Chrom. I was a horrible wife. "Are you okay?"

"Me? I'm fine. It's just one more reason to make sure that bad future never happens!" She smiled briefly, a determined light in her eyes, before her expression turned to worry. "I'm concerned about you, though." Her free hand touched my cheek gently. "I know that because we're both running around we don't spend as much time together as we should, but we will be related by marriage."

"That's quite true. And you bring out Robin's best smiles." I smiled at her, hoping it was reassuring. "I'm… getting better. I think. Certainly got knocked for a loop or ten."

"So, it was what had you so melancholic." She still looked worried, but after a moment, she did smile back. "I know a lot about how your thoughts can spiral when everything seems to be going wrong. You think you're out of it?"

"I think so." I leaned into her and she laughed, relieved now. "If I find myself spiraling again, I'll make sure to seek people. I fell into my old habits."

"I hate it when I do that, especially since it's just so hard. So, next time I think something is wrong, I'll just come over to you, okay?"

"And I'll do the same for you."

The two of us walked for a while longer before Panne called her over for something involving Yarne. I waved at them, but decided to continue my walk along the edges of the camp, to enjoy the quiet and to make sure… well, last time I went walking, I got that note. Wanted to be sure there wasn't anything like that again. But, thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case. There was nothing out of the ordinary, and before long, I came across Frederick, taking first watch as had become his norm since marrying Sumia. I thought about not disturbing him, but he noticed me almost immediately, so I walked on over.

"So, how is everything?" I asked, peering up at him. Though he looked serious, as always, he was relaxed. "Nothing strange?"

"It seems like what pursuers we had have given up the hunt for now," he confirmed, glancing around again. Once he was certain things were clear, he focused back on me. "Did you come to check?"

"No, I was just walking. I had a lovely chat with Olivia before duties took her away." And hopefully, things would eventually calm down so that I could have a few more. But with this war and the Grimleal… "Anyway, where exactly are we heading? I never asked." All I knew was 'east'.

"Wyvern Valley." He chuckled at my disbelieving look. "Virion suggested it. The wyvern population there should deter any potential pursuers."

"And if any give us trouble…?" Well, it did explain why Minerva had been rather excited all morning. "Meh, a good whack on the nose should get them to behave. I think."

"'Think', your majesty?"

"Wyverns tended to avoid Robin and me, but then again, we had only been there once." We had just been passing by and planned to avoid it, but then we saw some poachers and went after them. Or, rather, Robin had gone after them and I had followed. "Whatever. Say, I did have a question for you."

"Hmm?"

"How are things with Cynthia?" I watched his expression carefully, looking for any sign of discomfort. "She did just kinda…"

"They're… well, I hope things are well? Flower petals aside." He grimaced and I snickered, remembering how after the Flower Festival, Cynthia had all-but-buried him in petals! "Other than that, I can't truly say. I… hadn't actually considered having children before." His eyes darkened with old pain, and I winced, knowing why. Emmeryn… "Thankfully, though, my experience as babysitter seems to be pulling me through."

"That's good, at least." I smiled in relief, glad. Even after knowing him for two years, it could be hard to read him sometimes. Especially since I knew he was the type to quietly suffer for the sake of duty and loved ones. "Very good."

"Ah, did that contribute to your many worries?" He smiled very slightly, and I made a face. "I am not certain what all worries you. No doubt it involves your past." That was… right on the mark. "But I promise, on my honor as a knight, that I will keep you and your family safe."

"...I know, Frederick." And I did. The only way danger would fall on us was if Frederick was away. But I feared our enemies knew that as well. After all, where was Frederick in that 'glimpse of the future' Robin had? Clearly not near enough, if… "But please, remember to take care of yourself as well. If you make Sumia cry, I will drag you back and give you a good reprimand!"

I wanted the Shepherds to prove me wrong. I hoped they would. So that all of them would get the happy endings they deserved...

No one quite knew when and how wyverns came to Valm. Everyone agreed that it was after the Schism, but other than that? No one really knew. All they did know was that the wyverns swooped in, decimated the local griffon populations, and took over one of the more popular roosts. Now, griffons were only seen once in a blue moon, hiding high up in the mountains where even wyverns feared to fly, and wyverns made themselves home. Of course, having a well-known 'roost' meant that you had a well-known 'target'... poachers were a common threat here.

"You are really deep in your head," Maribelle noted, peering at me worriedly. I blinked a couple of times, and it took a moment for me to remember that we were resting in the Valley while others scouted. We weren't sure if we should attempt to camp here or push on a little. Though, I did vaguely remember a couple of villages nearby… "Kestrel?"

"Ah, sorry, my mind is just…" I began, trying to think of some sort of explanation. But coming up with nothing, I just gestured vaguely. "Suppose I'm just tired. But I'm fine. Just thinking about what I know about the place."

"If you're sure…" She frowned, still studying me, but she relaxed when I smiled. "Sorry to be a bother. You were just so worried before and it seems like you're getting back on your feet, so…"

"Ha… I worried a lot of you, huh?" Why was it so easy to hide and run? "I'm sorry. But yes, I think I'm steadier."

"I'm glad to hear that, but you've forgotten something." She scowled at me then, but I saw the humor twinkling in her eyes. "I know I've given you advice on what to say instead of apologizing?"

"...Ha… and I gave that same advice to Lucina." Hard to not be amused. "Thank you for caring for me, Maribelle."

"And it is, as always, an absolute delight!" She beamed at me, perfectly pleased, and I had to laugh. "But really, why are they having us wait here? Everything is so narrow… and those bridges do not look stable."

"They're stronger than they look. I've seen full grown wyverns land hard on them." The wind blew particularly hard and I had to hold my hair to keep it from flying into my face. Maribelle had to do the same. "Ah, anyway, have you been okay? I've been stuck in my own gloom and doom." And truthfully wasn't fully out yet, but hey, I probably never would be, so!

"I'm well, though I can't believe the things my future self let Brady get away with!" She huffed, looking both cross and scandalized. I wisely kept silent. "Though, I do have a bit of fun."

"Like…?" I glanced around, noticing that everyone was on edge, but still relaxed. And no one that we knew was near. "Are we talking pranks like what Lissa does? Though, she's calmed that down. Probably too busy flirting with Henry."

"Don't get me started on that." She scowled, and again, I kept silent. Lissa hadn't actually talked to me about it, so I wasn't going to get involved. Sister by marriage she might be, but it seemed like private things should stay private? "But sort of? I made him think Lon'qu had an entire ritual for his tea time."

"...Does Lon'qu… wait, what?" I quickly muffled my laughter, because the idea was rather ridiculous. "Oh goodness…"

"Gave me a good laugh!" Maribelle didn't bother keeping her laugh quiet. But, then again, she had a rather quiet laugh to begin with. "I feel a bit bad that he knows so little, but at the same time…"

"I hope Lon'qu didn't mind?" He was a terribly quiet person. "So…" I trailed off when I realized I heard something… clanging… "That can't be…?" Maribelle's facepalm told me that I was hearing correctly. So did how tense all the other soldiers became. But why would I be hearing a battle?

"Everyone, prepare for battle!" Cordelia swooped near, already splattered with blood. "Move quickly and carefully to the north!" she ordered, no doubt relaying what Robin had told her. Fliers were an important part of strategies for that reason. "And keep your eyes above! The local wyvern population is riled!" How lovely.

"Cordelia?" I called, walking towards the edge of… whatever you called this. A cliff? Maribelle went to help coordinate the healers. "Hey, what happened? How did we get…?" I stopped myself and sighed. I knew how: Chrom and Robin. "Never mind. What happened?"

"It started with some villagers running." Cordelia sighed. "And then we saw some armored girl named 'Shell' or 'Shelly' or something get surrounded, so…"

"I can guess from there." Those two… well, I wouldn't have them any other way. "Wait, how do we know the girl's name?"

"The villagers were screaming for her to run with them."

"That makes too much sense." I reached for her and she pulled me up behind her in the saddle easily. "Narrow battlefields that are incredibly open and have precarious drops just a step away." Last time we had a battlefield like this was when we were trying to escort Emmeryn… gods, my mind was really fixating on her recently… "Fun, fun."

Cordelia didn't even bother replying, just rolled her eyes and flew up into the air to help me get to the battle just a little quicker. A good thing too, since things were so all over the place that the villagers were in direct danger. So, I had her drop me off there so that I could hold the bridge with Gaius, of all people.

"How the hell did you end up on this job?" I asked in between waves. While there probably weren't a lot of enemies, it sure felt like it when they were forced to come at you two at a time and all. "And you're sniffling. If you have a cold…"

"I'm fine," he replied, shrugging and rolling his shoulder. And sniffling. "It's just a curse Sunshine put on me."

"...I'm sure you mean that in a lighthearted manner, I hope, but considering I had a father who tried to use a curse to take over my mind?" And might have done the same to Robin in the future to force him to kill Chrom? "That kind of makes it worse for me?"

"We're… ah… working on it?" He smiled and shrugged again. "I gather that dark mages of Plegia use curses the same way other parents use spankings."

"That could be true, but…"

"Look, the only reason I'm suffering still is because the curse has to run its course. I promise."

"Okay…" I sighed, grimacing now. "Oh, listen to me be a nag and busybody."

"We're talking, and she likely won't do it again. And, to be slightly fair, I stole her cursing equipment. Which would be as bad as someone stealing my candy stash!" He shuddered in horror, and I did have to laugh. "No need to ruffle your feathers. We're okay. It's a culture clash. Not the first time, but probably the first time it's been noticeable."

"Of course…" Still, I felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"You might've jumped on it quick, but that's only because you care and you know how bad it can get. And, from what I've heard from Noire, it… ah… did. Which is why I'm making a point to work on it." He popped some sort of chocolate piece into his mouth before passing me a piece of hard candy. I hesitated before taking it, deciding that I did need the sugar. "Ah, and here's the next wave."

"I've got your back."

"Sweet~!"

And then we were fighting again, though sadly, our enemy had no qualms pushing the dead off the side to free up room for themselves. As morbid as it was, corpses did normally make a handy barricade. But not here. Still, Gaius and I held up long enough for the villagers to safely escape, which was our goal, and even better, we eventually got reinforcements in the form of Sully and Ricken. Of course, I was startled to see Ricken on a horse, but you know, I was blind to a lot of things, and Ricken took to avoiding me after I scolded him way back when, so I was just going to smile and nod. And be amused that he was almost too small for said horse.

Regardless, things cleared and while Gaius ran ahead to get his next orders, I stayed back to catch my breath. It was irritating how long it took to get back in shape. But I didn't ache as much, thankfully. That proved that I was improving, at least. Made me feel a bit better.

Because I was farther back, I was able to see Cherche and Minerva suddenly arc over my head, heading away from the battle for some reason. Heading for a cliff… plateau… whatever not far away. It took a second for me to see why, but hidden in the shadows was a boy and a wyvern, side-by-side, both wearing dark armor. The boy wore a mask, for whatever reason, so it was impossible to tell his expression as Cherche had Minerva land right next to them. But he did shift back, so I thought… he might not be happy about it.

"You do not look like a villager in need of help," Cherche said, studying both him and his wyvern. I could barely hear her and I moved a little closer to the edge. Something was… not quite bothering me, but my intuition had picked up something. "You look as if you're a knight."

"I am nothing but a traveler far from home," the boy replied. He had a deeper voice than you'd expect, and there was something tired about it. "I am certainly no knight."

"Still, you are armed and armored." Cherche leaned back in her saddle, and Minerva shifted down to be a little less imposing. "Will you aid us?"

"Why?" The boy shrugged, nonchalant. I didn't think so, at least. The mask made it hard to read his face. "No man can stop fate."

"These people will be killed by people's spears, traveler. Not fate." Cherche's tone flattened, but she continued to smile ever-so-politely. "Anything else is nothing more than excuses to wander the fog of cowardice." ...Aha… ow, that made me wince. "What of your wyvern? Does she surrender to so-called fate as well?"

"You would know better than me." The boy gently pet his wyvern's flank and she crooned, leaned around to nuzzle him. It conveniently let him ignore Cherche's confused frown. "Ah, so you would like to fight, dear one? Then perhaps death will accept some substitutes for its price."

"Then you'll aid us?"

"My partner will. I'll just be along for the flight." He sighed and pulled himself into the saddle. "I must be the biggest fool of all, fighting against fate's tide."

"Who's to say that it wasn't fate that led you to help them?" Still, Cherche smiled, perfectly pleased. I, however, noticed something interesting. Namely… the boy's wyvern was the same exact color as Cherche's Minerva and stood and shifted the same way to adapt to her rider. And the boy's hair was the same shade as Virion's. "If one must believe in fate."

"Fate leads everything to an end. No more, and no less." And he took to the air with as much ease as Cherche herself. As if he had been born in the saddle, bonded with his wyvern since both were young. Or, at least, had known each other all of his life…

Cherche returned to the battle, and I focused back on it, this time trying to figure out a good way to enter it again. It was difficult to gauge, though. Narrow battlefields were a blessing and a curse, but ones with fatal drops? No one could fight to their fullest extent and no one could guard properly. Meaning I couldn't figure out a 'rhythm' where I could safely jump in. It was too chaotic.

I almost did anyway, though, when I saw Lucina stumble out of the mess with a large gash on her side and an enemy soldier chase after her with a lance aimed at her head. But before I could take two steps, the boy and his wyvern appeared from nowhere and slid in between to intercept the blow. The lance scratched against the wyvern's armor, effectively useless, and the boy took advantage of that to crack open the lancer's skull with an axe. It was all a quick and easy movement, as if he did this sort of thing all the time...

"Gerome…?" Lucina gasped, blinking slowly. Then she smiled up at him, proving my earlier 'guess' correct. He was from the future and with that wyvern, he could only be… "I should've guessed you had brought Minerva here. Kjelle didn't mention you, though."

"I didn't interact with the villagers," Gerome replied, reaching down. He pulled her up into the saddle behind him and his wyvern (no, Minerva) took to the air again. "To Brady?"

"Or whoever is free. They have lots of healers."

"Oh, lovely. More people to scream as fate takes their patients."

"Someone needs Cynthia therapy again."

"Please no."

The two continued 'bickering' as Gerome flew her back. I watched with a little smile, and couldn't help but chuckle when Cynthia flew up next to them, her happy cheer easily seen by her bright smile and how she bounced in the saddle. It became even more amusing when Morgan flew up on Gerome's other side, effectively 'pinning' him between two rays of sunshine. Lucina, above, laughed as well, finding as much joy from it as I did.

"Well, seems that you lot have some spine!" Of course, someone just had to ruin the moment and grab me from behind before aiming a dagger at my throat. "Need to break some backs, then!" the person laughed. It took me a couple of blinks to realize what was going on. "Hey-!"

"Are you… trying to take me hostage?" I asked, not quite comprehending. I… ah… never had that happen before. "Seriously?" Rolling my eyes at how ridiculous this was, I flipped my sword around to hold it in a reverse-grip and stabbed their leg. "Why me? Was it because I was distracted or something?" This was going to bother me for a while. "Ugh…" Thanks to the pain, their grip loosened, so I twisted out and kicked them off the side so that they plummeted into the rocks below.

When the battle wrapped up a few minutes later, I learned that the person I unceremoniously killed had been the leader of this group of poachers. Whoops.

"Chrom, you're being ridiculous," I grumbled, mostly to hide how he was accidentally tickling me. Someone, I had no idea who, had told them of the attempt of making me hostage and now he was fussing, checking my neck personally to prove that yes, I was fine. "You really think between Libra, Maribelle, and Lissa that I would be anything less than perfect health?"

"Well… no…" Chrom slowly admitted, his worried look finally dropping for sheepishness instead. He'd been fretting ever since we set up camp and he dragged me to our tent. "But you…"

"Are just fine. More annoyed than anything. And bewildered." I tried to not squirm when he brushed his fingers over my neck again. "Why me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean; why take me hostage?" I sighed and scooted over to sit closer to him. "I must've looked out of it or something, but…"

"...Well, I don't know, but it may have something to do with how I am very recognizably the Exalt of Ylisse, and you are equally recognizable as my wife and queen?" Chrom's voice became dryer with every word and I knew I flushed from embarrassment at not considering the obvious. "And that I love you very much? And, you know, how Robin is also easy to recognize and everyone knows that his twin sister is-"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" I turned away in the hopes of hiding how red my face was, but he just pulled me into a hug, chuckling. "Still, I had a sword!"

"How's Cordelia, by the way?"

"Annoyed, since she's supposed to stop those sorts of things. Still, she was needed in the air and knows it, so she's not feeling guilty." Or, at least, she wasn't after Libra poked holes through her guilt while he checked me over. "That's not a subtle subject change."

"Wasn't meant to be."

Chrom continued to tease me, while also holding me tight and giving me numerous kisses. Eventually, I had to shove him out of the tent because he did still have work to do and he playfully sulked and whined before going to be responsible. I thought about reading, since I was technically done for the day, but decided to take a walk around and see how everything was. And it was… well… better. I wouldn't call it a 'happy' camp or anything, but everyone's moods were brighter than they had been this morning. Probably because of how welcoming and thankful the villagers were. Seriously, this all reminded me of Emmeryn's death. All we were missing was the death of a leader at this point…

"You know… I can't help but wonder if I fixate on that in the hopes that the gods keep everyone alive to prove me wrong," I whispered to myself, smiling wryly. The other option was, of course, that I'd be proven 'right', but… "Ah, no, different thoughts!" And the best way to do that was to walk and find a distraction.

So, I did. I walked through the camp, checking in on people as I passed. Mostly it was just simple conversations, but they were enough to keep me distracted. And to tire me out, truthfully, in a way completely different from a battle. So, it was a bit of a relief when I reached the edges of the camp, though that feeling wasn't entirely due to no longer having to socialize. From here, it was easy to see the soft lights of the village. They had offered to let us stay, but we had refused, citing our numbers. Still, we camped close and it was just comforting to see those lights, knowing that we had saved them.

Still, one couldn't stare in the distance forever, so I turned away to head back. When I did, though, I saw Gerome and his Minerva nearby, with him tending to Minerva. While I was sure he was so far away from the others because he wanted to be alone, I… "Gerome?" I called softly. I wasn't sure if he acknowledged me, but Minerva did with a gentle croon, so I walked up anyway. "I won't trouble you long. I just wanted to thank you for saving Lucina."

"I'm used to it," he replied, words slightly clipped. He took a half-step away from me, but continued rubbing Minerva down. "When I was younger, you charged me with her safety."

"Did I?" I could only blink slowly at that. What the hell had my future-self been thinking? "I…"

"I doubt you were serious. In hindsight, I'm certain it was you trying to keep me out of the way while Ylistol burned." But he had taken it seriously, and still did now. "That's all."

"Well, you've clearly done a very good job." I reached up to ruffle his hair, but seeing him flinch, I instead moved to pet Minerva… 2? How were we going to differentiate between the two Minervas, actually? "So, please, let me thank you again."

He made some sort of noise in acknowledgement, and I took that as a sign to just… make a hasty if awkward escape. An escape that was made even more awkward because I ran into Virion. Literally. Who had probably been on his way to talk to his son and… uh…

"Quite the prickly one, isn't he?" Virion joked, steadying me. My face burned from mortification, though I ducked my head to hide it. "I see you beat me to him, though."

"I'm so sorry…" I mumbled, just… this was the second time today I overstepped boundaries and the like! "I hadn't… um…"

"Relax, my dear lady. It gave me an opportunity to observe and make some inferences." He smiled kindly, but I still felt terrible. "Based on that interaction, it is easy to see he bristles out of fear of being hurt again. No doubt the weight of failures weighs heavily on him, so heavy that he would rather pretend it isn't there. At the same time, his own sense of justice refuses to let him." He looked back to where Gerome was half-hiding behind Minerva's wing, and smiled warmly. He didn't mind at all. "Probably best I play the fool to get a reaction out of him. Cherche can fuss."

"Let me know if you need help, okay?"

"I shall. Promise."

"I mean it." I gave him a very serious look. "You've listened to my woes in the past and I know things are strange."

"And I do mean my promise." He smiled reassuringly at me, and I relaxed. "Things are only going to get stranger, but we must rely on each other. And if I, the magnificent Virion, say that, then we know it must be true."

"Of course." I did have to laugh at that, though I was quick to muffle it. "Should probably head back…"

"Allow me the honor of escorting you."

"And such a fine one, indeed!"

Virion had me outright laughing again by the time we returned to the main part of the camp, though he did leave quickly to go talk to Cherche. No doubt about Gerome. And possibly to avoid the other Shepherds being nosy. Or something. I had no idea. But meeting Gerome here reminded me that Kjelle (named for her grandmother apparently) had also joined us. Because she was Sully and Vaike's daughter. I had no idea how exactly she had been recruited or anything, because I had been in a different area of the battlefield, but she was here, and I was worried about how she was getting along with everyone. But I needn't have bothered. She was sparring with the soldiers, easily trouncing all who decided to try. Cynthia cheered her on from the sidelines with Nah, while Lucina and Severa watching. Laurent was also not far away, taking notes for some reason, while Brady tended to injured. Not quite knowing what was going on, I just decided it would be a good idea to not get involved, and instead walked through the camp again before heading for my tent. Where I got a surprise and, sadly, not something like flowers or anything from Chrom.

"Hello!" Tiki chirped, grinning at me. While I just stared like an idiot. Had someone forgotten to mention she was on the way or something?! "Ah, I knew that if I simply followed the power, I would find you." Shei laughed, impishly delighted by how shocked I looked. "I'm glad Ban-Ban… ah, Bantu taught me how to do that. Certainly very useful for finding people."

"I'm sure," I managed to reply. Though I sounded a little strangled. And I knew I had a strange expression on my face. At least no one else was around. "Uh… so…"

"What am I doing here?" She became a little more serious, though with her hands behind her back and her grin, she still looked far too pleased with herself. "The Divine Dragon Grounds are south from here, and I am heading there."

"Why?"

"To recover some of my sealed power." Her smile faded for a sad yet serious look. "I cannot take all of it. Not while the Fire Emblem remains in its broken state. If I do, I would go mad just like the manaketes of old, overwhelmed by destructive impulses until I became a threat beyond even Grima." That… uh… "But I can safely take some. I will do so by communicating with my mother's spirit."

"And that's why you have to go to this… special place?"

"Yes." She smiled again. "I'm not quite sure what it used to be. Since it's not far from the water, it could have been a port, or even once a castle. But during the Schism, it is where the First Exalt first met my mother and, thus, her power lingers there."

"Aaaand you want us to come with you." Wait, hold on… "Why are you getting power again?"

"Simple. Though my power has isolated me in the past, even leading to me being sealed away, I simply cannot wait for soldiers to come back from the fighting. It's horrid." Her eyes became steely then. "And I want to see Walhart deny the gods when he sees a Divine Dragon take the field."

She skipped off then, no doubt to scare others. I remained where I was, thinking. First of all, would a place sacred to Naga be safe for Robin and me? And, for another… was it possible… would there be some sort of answers there? It would be nice, but far too convenient if so, but… ah, well. I supposed we were going to find out one way or another.

Notes on Yarne:

Class - Taguel; Reclass - Cavalier, Myrmidon, Archer, Thief, Barbarian

The son of Panne and Stahl, the first known half-taguel. And, in the future, he is known as 'the Last Taguel'. Suffers from terrible anxiety, to the point that it interferes severely with his everyday life and, worse, his ability to battle. He also suffers from thanatophobia, stemming from his status as the 'last taguel' and from all the death he has seen

When his heart is in a battle, however, he is almost viciously strong, skilled, and strong. This is especially apparent when he is protecting someone, particularly his friends, showing that he is, at heart, as knightly as his father.

Perhaps due to his anxiety or perhaps because he tends to be farther away from others, he is easily the loudest person in the army. He's also not very stealthy, particularly compared to his mother. Panne, however, has him going through extensive training to make him learn how to be a 'proper taguel'.

Author's notes: So, full disclosure, I actually mixed up some names of paralogues. 'Wings of Justice' is paralogue 9, and is Cynthia's recruitment in-game. This chapter, however, is based off of Twin Wyverns, Gerome's paralogue, with the addition of Kjelle. At this point, only Owain and Victoria are left of the child chars, since male!Morgan isn't being recruited. ...Unless I forgot one, which is entirely possible.

With Stahl as his father, Yarne has a +5 bonus to strength, and a +4 bonus to Skill, Speed, and Defense, iirc. As such, he's an absolute beast in battle… if you'll pardon the pun there. (And can be even more insane depending)

FE13 is strange in that it introduces Griffons and… never does anything with them, lore wise. You only have them as they are gameplay wise. Sooooo, I'm throwing it in that wyverns took most of the local populations out, bringing them to much smaller numbers that hide. (Meaning that yes, griffons will at least be mentioned in Shadows of the Branded) And it's kind of hard to place where the 'divine dragon grounds' would've been in relation to Valentia, but based on the map… well, the area most resembles the area between Zofia Castle and Zofia port, hence the mention of ports. As well as a lore reason for why it's called what it's called.

Next Chapter - The Threat of Silence (Paralogue… 17, I think)