Author's Note: Drunk Raven. It's a thing. It's a gloriously bad thing.

This was supposed to be out last Friday, but things have been crazy around here. Hope all of you are safe with this whole pandemic going on. Customers are picking up at work, because it seems there's not many other drivers on the road, so there's that. Thing are just crazy. Then the election season. Then a bunch of other things.

If I wasn't making so much taking advantage of the fact other drivers are nervous about coming out, I'd stay home and crank out chapters for all of you. Give you some kind of escape from the grim society and world going on around us. At least, you get this chapter! Gonna TRY to write a Friday chapter as well.

Funny Side Note: This chapter has virtually the same number of words as the last chapter (give or take 5 words). Totally wasn't intentional.

Chapter 21
Ranting and Raven

I woke up with a pounding headache, feeling very constricted around my chest area. I was curled up in a ball in the corner of a room. I groaned slightly as I began to stir. Why was I curled in a ball in the corner of a room, wearing armor?

"Oh, you're finally awake. About damn time," I heard a voice snap at me. I held my head as the voice echoed inside, drilling down every fiber of my being.

"My head… what happened?" I said as I tried to open my eyes. The bright light in the room ensured I didn't.

"You barged into the room last night saying you were being chased by ghosts, closed the door, curled up in the corner, and passed out."

"Oh. Who… am I talking to? Oh gods, my head won't stop vibrating," I moaned.

"The great General of Flames, Sir Raven, done in by a hangover. What a damn mess you are," the snarky voice continued.

"Yeah, well, that's not me anymore, Marth," I replied.

"… I'm not her, but I can see why you'd think that. How many other people know you by that title?" she asked. It clicked in my head.

"Oh gods, Selena, I'm sorry I'm in your room," I said apologetically. I slowly opened my eyes and started to move, but I found myself unable to stand from the headache.

"You're… fine," she said with a huff. "Just… stay there for a moment and get your bearings. It's fine to sit there for a bit until you're better… then get out."

"I… wait… you know that I know?" I asked.

"What a stupid question! Who knows about who with what?" she snapped.

"You have been informed that I know about your origins, specifically in regards to time and the travel through it?" I asked.

"Yes, Lu—Marth told me you figured it out. It should've been expected with how intuitive we knew you to be," she said. A sudden revelation came through my head.

"Ah, so her name does begin with an L," I said with a smirk.

"Why does it matter to you?" she asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Anyway, like I told her, I really do appreciate that you two actually came back and are actively trying to prevent a bad future from happening," I said.

"I didn't ask for your sympathy or your care," Selena snapped. I frowned and tried standing up again. I was a bit wobbly, but at least I could stand now. I looked down to see grey armor with gold trimming. Wait, this isn't my armor.

"… why am I wearing Elise's armor?" I wondered aloud. No wonder I felt so constricted.

"… as per what I mentioned earlier, if you were listening, you burst into the room last night claiming to be chased by ghosts, before you fell asleep in the corner. Anything past that, I have no idea," she replied in a snippy tone. "Since you're finally able to walk, will you kindly get out of my room?"

I sighed to myself. Looks like this one hates me as much as Marth did.

"Mm, very well, Selena. I'll be out of your sight," I said.

"What's the sigh for?" she asked with a slightly confused expression.

"… you and Marth both judge me for what my future self did, both to humanity and to each of you specifically. She's told me what I did to her in the future, but it seems to be the same for you… I hate that I'm associated with that, but I also hate that this person you know was what I turned into and I hate how poorly I treated all of you," I said.

"Hmph, you didn't do anything to me. Unlike Marth there, I actually didn't participate in your psychotic training sessions," Selena said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She might have consistently complained about your training sessions to us, but she was the one who willingly went to all of them, so don't buy her damn pity story about how she kept getting injured or that you broke her arm once or that she was bedridden for three days recovering another time. Your sessions were voluntary. I had the good sense to stay away after the first one. She kept going back, hungrier than ever with a crazed look in her eye, intent on one day being good enough to take you down. Every day she didn't train with you, she was training forms and movements in the courtyard or working out. I kept telling her to stop, that she'd never beat you, but she wouldn't give up. Not until she landed one blow. It was like her personal obsession," Selena said.

"She never landed a single blow?" I asked.

"You… were responsible for keeping humanity alive as long as it did, loathe as I am to admit. As terrible of a person you were, you were a fighter without parallel. You were untouched by her until the day you died," she replied begrudgingly.

"I… I didn't know," I said.

"The rest of us? We were perfectly fine having nothing to do with you and your insanity. Just as we're fine having nothing to do with you now. Marth is a special case. Why she still talks to you now after all you put her through before makes no sense… but don't you dare ever hurt her again, because you will have more than just me to answer to. She was our leader and we all look up to her," Selena said.

"I wouldn't dream of it. If anything… I wish I could be more like her. She should be leading this mission, not me," I said. "I feel I have so much to learn that she could teach me. She did offer to train me"

"She'd only be teaching you what you had initially taught her. What a crazy cycle. Maybe she'll put you through what you once did to her," Selena said with a sigh. "But, yes, she is someone that should be looked up to. She took the mantle of being our leader after you and Chrom passed, but without the Fire Emblem, we would never have the chance to succeed."

"Was it truly that hopeless?" I asked.

"You have no idea the horrors of feeling hopeless and knowing the only chance for success vanished," she merely replied. "Now get out."

"Okay, I will. I assume you know, but Marth asked me for a favor," I said.

"… a favor for what?" she asked.

"… that we use the Aum staff on Cordelia for your sake," I said.

"For… my sake? It's not just for my sake," she said. "I understand her supposedly noble intentions, but that was more of a selfish request than she made it seem on the surface."

"Oh? How so?" I asked.

"Not your business. Now out!" she said, throwing a pillow at me. I hastily dodged the pillow and left the room. My head was still vibrating, but I made my way back to my room. Marth was still sleeping as evident by the slight snoring and Gaius was nowhere to be found, although I could see the other bed was unused.

I looked around the room looking for my battle armor, but I couldn't find it. Where could it have gone?

"Raven, you…"

I turned to the voice to see Marth sitting awake in the bed with a slightly fatigued expression.

"Morning, Marth," I said with an embarrassed laugh.

"… I must still be dreaming," she said.

"Should I be concerned or flattered that you might be dreaming about me?" I asked. She gave me a piercing glare that could fell a full-grown bull before putting a hand to her head. That headache that's been bothering her since the Gangrel battle seems to just keep getting worse.

"You know what I meant. I'm having trouble understanding what I am seeing," she said.

"Why?" I asked. "This is my room as well."

"Why are you wearing Elise's armor?"

"I've been wondering that myself," I said. I heard the door to the room open and Elise walked in.

"There you are! Why are you wearing my armor?" she asked me. I swear I just answered this.

"What happened last night?" I asked, holding my head.

"We walked out of the tavern and as we were walking back, you spotted a guy wearing a fur coat and started talking to him like a dog. We had to drag you away from him. As soon as we got you away, you said to us 'catch me if you can' and flicked away. That was the last we saw of you," Marth said.

"Apparently, I ran into Selena's room while wearing this armor, was convinced I was being chased by ghosts, curled up in the corner, and passed out," I said. "Was Gaius not back last night?"

"Why do you ask that?" Marth asked.

"The other bed is unused. If I wasn't here, surely he would've used it," I said.

"… he slept on the floor," Marth said, looking out the window.

"Oh, any reason why?" I asked.

"None in particular," she replied, still looking out the window.

"Any reason you won't make eye contact, Marth?" I asked.

"I'm noticing the sun is coming up, which means we should probably be grabbing our ship to head over to the Outrealm Gate soon," Marth said. I was completely unconvinced at that answer.

"… suit yourself, Marth. Ever the young lady with a full bag of mysteries. We grab breakfast and then we head out," I said.

"Can I have my armor back?" Elise asked. I nodded and attempted to take it off, but to no success.

"How… do you get this off?" I asked. She sighed and helped take it off.

"I believe your armor is there," Marth said, pointing to a corner.

"I looked there already," I said.

"I saw it there earlier," she replied to me.

"… fine, I'll check again," I said. I walked to the corner she pointed to and found it under my pack, which was under my tunic.

"… perhaps you didn't look hard enough," Marth commented. I glared at her in reply.

"Very funny, Marth," I said sarcastically. Elise made a sound that seemed like she had a strange thought.

"Raven… is there something you would like to admit to us?" Elise said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, the armor you wear now used to be Miriel's outfit… and this morning, we find you wearing my armor. Do you, perhaps… have a penchant for wearing female clothing?" she asked. I must have turned bright red, because I could feel my face burning.

"Wh-what… but… no! Absolutely not! Ludicrious!" I replied quickly and emphatically.

"Sir Raven, you are blushing most furiously," Marth said with a smirk. I noticed something.

"Wait, you're red as well," I pointed out. "I have reason to be embarrassed. What's your reason?"

She gave me a surprised look and turned away from me. I sidestepped slightly to get a second glance, but she purposefully kept turning to keep the back of her head to me.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. This is not about me, anyway! It's about you," she replied emphatically. I frowned a bit. I wasn't going anywhere with that train of thought. It seems the more I get to know her, the more guarded she seems. It's almost like I'm working backward in earning her trust… and especially after that conversation with Selena this morning, I think we should probably have a chat soon.

"Could you two, you know… give me some privacy while I get changed?" I asked. The two of them nodded.

"We'll just be getting some breakfast," Marth said as she left the room in a hurry, still in her nightgown. I wonder if she realizes that's not the best outfit to wear to breakfast. Then again, after those curtains, I don't even really care to question her tastes. I'm still pondering everything Selena told me about her.

"We'll see you down there. I would say to not be late, but pretty sure there's a princess that will be there before you," Elise said with a smirk. Marth gave her a curious look as she walked out of the doorway.

"You have to explain this to me," she said to Elise as they walked away.

"Oh, of course. See, it started a while ago with…" Elise began explaining as they walked away. I closed the door behind them and got changed into my battle outfit. As I got ready to leave, I saw Gaius walk into the room.

"Oh, Shady, there you are. Where were you last night? I had to sleep on the floor because of you!" he said in an accusatory tone.

"Marth told me you did. The bed wasn't being used, though?" I asked.

"She's the reason it wasn't being used. She told me that bed was for you," Gaius said. "Made me sleep on the floor and the bed ended up not being used. What a waste of a perfectly good bed."

"Shh, you can have the bed next time we have a room," I said. "Man, you let her bully you like that?"

"She's downright intimidating, in case you haven't noticed," he replied.

"Really? I find her to be a nice person deep down. With some serious character flaws, but overall a nice person," I said.

"… yeah, well, ain't many of us got the equipment to really dig deep into her. You're all alone on that, buddy," he replied with a shrug.

"Okay, okay, how about breakfast? This place has a breakfast, right?" I asked.

"Yes they do. Better head down soon, though," he said.

"Are you coming?" I asked.

"I'm just came back from it. I'm going to take a power nap in the bed and give it some use. Wake me up when you're done eating and we have a ship. I was out late last night," he said. I nodded.

"The red-head?" I asked.

"Yes, sir!" Gaius replied with a cunning smile before hopping onto the bed with a small bounce. He laid down and started staring at the ceiling. "I see you pay attention to and remember details. Perhaps you wouldn't be half bad in my line of work. Either way, I'm going to… go… take that nap…"

"Perhaps. Alright, sleep well," I said. I left the room and closed the door behind me as I headed to the entrance of the inn. I saw Marth and Elise deep in conversation at one side of the room as other patrons were giving Marth weird glances, Donnel and Miriel sitting together at another part while deep in conversation and pouring over a textbook, and Sophia sitting alone near the middle of the room. I walked over to Sophia with a smile.

"Would you like some company?" I asked.

"… I am quite used to enjoying the quiet and peace of solitude, but your company is always appreciated," she replied with a dreamy smile.

"That's nice to hear. So, Sophia… tell me more about yourself," I said.

"You are as direct as always. What would you like to know, dear Ra… Robin… Raven? Yes, Raven," she asked.

"You got it right," I said with a smile. "I just want to know more about you. You've been around for a while and I know practically nothing about you."

"You know I am a Chosen One," she replied.

"I would ask more about that, but it seems many of your traditions are steeped in secrecy. Tell me more about you as a person. Do you have any hobbies?" I asked.

"I… hm… I suppose I enjoy collecting gems," she said.

"You suppose?" I asked.

"I never gave it much thought," she replied. "I do not exactly do a lot of things for fun."

"That… hm," I said quietly. That was oddly depressing to hear.

"How about you, Raven? What do you do for fun?" she asked.

"… I train," I replied. What a terrible answer. I feel like a hypocrite now.

"I mean, what do you do for fun when you're not training?" she asked.

"I… uh, I like to eat," I replied with a smile.

"Really? Doesn't everyone?" she asked.

"Most people eat out of necessity. I try to find a way to enjoy a necessity in life. If we're required to eat to survive, why not find ways to take a menial required task and make it enjoyable!" I said with a smile.

"What an interesting philosophy," she replied with a smile.

"Heh, perhaps," I replied. I saw the waitress lady come over to our table.

"Good morning, you two. Can I start you with something to drink?" she asked.

"A water," Sophia and I both said. We looked at each other and laughed a little bit.

"Okay, did you already know what you wanted?" she asked.

"I'll take the first breakfast special," I said.

"I'll do the same," Sophia added.

"Very well. Two number one's coming right up," the waitress replied with a smile.

"Ah, so the Chosen One has similar tastes to this humble soul," I said with a smirk. "Perhaps it was fate that brought me to this table after all."

"You wield your words well, young wordsmith. Perhaps one day you could become a Chosen One as well," she replied with a smile.

"Ah, Sophia, no, I could never do the feats that you do," I replied.

"Oh, those are because of my bloodline," she replied. She quickly looked down and adjusted her gloves.

"Sophia, can I ask you a question?"

"You already asked one, how presumptuous of you," she replied dreamily.

"May I ask another one?" I said.

"You have just asked another one. However, this soul is inclined to satiate the curiosity that dwells within you, quench the thirst of knowledge, and quell your hunger for wisdom," she replied with that curiously quaint smile.

"Right. Um, why do you wear those gloves all the time?" I asked. She gave a startled look.

"Because I can," she replied quickly and decisively.

"… that was an oddly direct answer," I remarked.

"That was a question that was not dignified to be answered by a Chosen One," she replied quietly, although I could tell she was a little nervous at the train of thought.

"Do you not trust me?" I asked.

"I trust you as much as I can and am allowed, given the circumstances," she replied.

"That is an oddly vague answer," I said.

"… I am afraid there are some things in which I cannot talk to you about," she said. "These gloves would be one of them."

"Are they magical or are you merely hiding secrets beneath them?" I asked. She bit her lip for a second, unsure how to answer the question.

"They… are normal gloves," she replied finally.

"Is this secret something that is specific to you or is it something part of a bigger picture?" I asked. She paused as she thought about her answer, although I could see her beginning to frown a bit.

"… hmm, part of what is hidden pertains specifically to me, but part of what is hidden also pertains to my bloodline, particularly my father," she said quietly, looking out the window, as if trying to avoid eye contact.

"Ah, is it something major or is it just something small?" I asked.

"Goodness, Nikki was right about your inquisitive nature!" she burst out. She immediately gave a surprised look and put her hands over her mouth.

"… who?" I asked.

"… it is of little concern to you, Raven. Merely an individual who is connected to the Chosen Ones. Is there a reason you are so inquisitive?" she asked.

"… part of me is curious about you, but part of it is also my responsibility to this group in ensuring that I know as much as possible to ensure their safety and this mission's success," I said.

"I understand. I apologize for not being able to give you more details, but I can assure you that nothing I have will be of anything other than a boon to your plans. Had I suspected my abilities be a detriment to your cause or a burden to your planning, I would have excused myself from this mission," she said. I smiled a bit at her.

"… I thank you for that bit of honesty, Sophia. It puts my mind at ease knowing that. I wish I could know more, but… you seem to understand the reason I was asking so much," I said.

"I apologize for my outburst, Raven. There is so much I wish I could tell you and explain to you, but I cannot at this point in time. I feel like I disappointed you and that was never my intention," she said before sighing. I nodded to her in response.

"I… trust you," I said. She smiled to me.

"I trust you as well. When the time comes and I can talk about my background, then you will be the first to know. You deserve it," she said.

"I deserve it?" I asked.

"Many of the others in the company are casual acquaintances. They appreciate what I can do and appreciate my usually even-tempered, although perhaps a quaint bit verbose and poetic nature, but none have truly taken the time to get to know me as you have. The conflict I struggle to face between wanting to tell you more in an effort to close the chasm between our trust and the need to protect the privacy of others and protect the greater good come into conflict," she said.

"Then if there is a chasm that cannot be closed so easily, then I am fine with interactions like these that build a bridge over that chasm. Perhaps it might never be closed, but at least we can cross it from time to time," I said with a smile.

"Truly, you are excellent at words," she replied with a warm smile. "It gives me no small amount of pleasure to have gotten to know you. I am ever appreciative that Chrom allowed me to travel with your group. I also appreciate being chosen to go on this mission. You may have some personal deficiencies that make you a different type of leader than Chrom, but perhaps in time you will persevere and overcome!"

"Uh, thanks? Anyway, we all are appreciative of Chrom," I said. The waitress returned to our table with our plates of food and we began eating in earnest. Nothing else was said between us, but the silence was hardly awkward. For some reason, her quirkiness and odd sense of brutal honesty hidden behind flowery words was a charm in and of itself.

After breakfast, I paid for my meal and Sophia's as well, despite her protest. Thank you for keeping me company during breakfast. I walked out of the inn and began my quest to find a ship that would take us to the Outrealm Gate. I had already been to a few different captains and found no such luck. Getting frustrated with my lack of success after wandering the docks, I noticed Elise and Marth wandering around.

"Oh, Raven!" Elise said as she came back to me with a smile.

"Hello, Elise. What brings you out here?" I asked.

"We found a ship! One that can ferry all of us comfortably," she replied brightly.

"… what?" I asked. Did they really find one?

"It would appear that a captain is willing to take us across for a small fee," Marth said.

"I expected to pay a fee, but… this is amazing news. Thank you both," I said with a smile.

"It was the least we could do to help alleviate your worries. The ship departs in two hours," Elise said.

"Oh, I better get Gaius, then," I said.

"You could leave him," Marth commented.

"… did something happen?" I asked. "He told me you made him sleep on the floor."

"That's because after his escapade last night, I… understood… what he was referring to yesterday," Marth said, turning slightly red. I put my hand on my forehead and began rubbing it. I feel a headache coming on.

"Marth, look, he was only joking. There is nothing of that nature that will ever happen between us," I said. "Just let the joke go and let's get on with this mission. We're on a tight time schedule here."

"There are no guarantees in life, Raven. The only absolute in life is the fate we meet at the end," she replied.

"… such dreary words. Who could have said such a thing?" Elise said with a frown.

"The man who trained me," Marth replied. I rolled my eyes. Every story I hear makes me hate my future self more and more.

"Speaking of the person who trained you, Marth, might I have a word with you when we get on the ship? In private? There are certain things I would like to discuss," I said.

"Might I inquire the topic of these things?" she asked.

"Well, first, I was hoping you could train me a bit or spar with me. Second, I had a conversation with Selena this morning. You can probably understand, just from that sentence, why I would like to have a conversation with you," I said firmly. She broke eye contact and looked at the path ahead.

"Understood," she replied. "I admit I hadn't been fully honest with you. I may have not told a lie, but some truths told were of a misleading nature."

"… I see you already understand the direction of our future conversation, but do not think you can avoid the responsibility of sitting down and fully clearing the air with such a trite answer," I said firmly.

"I never lied to you, Sir Raven. Everything I told was the truth," she replied vehemently.

"Yet, you implied so many things that were completely not factual. How about we talk about the training sessions you had as a child being optional?" I asked in an irritated voice.

"We are not discussing this here," Marth shot back firmly. Elise looked at the both of us carefully.

"Raven? Marth? Is… there something I should know about?" she asked.

"Oh, no, I just want to make sure each and every single person on this mission is on the same page. I am responsible for all of you, after all. Chrom entrusted this mission's success and safety to me, so I just want to make sure everyone and I are on the same line of thought before we push forward. I need to make absolutely sure I can trust every individual here, and some of them I will need to re-address at what level I should trust them," I said, looking directly at Marth the entire time.

"Well, glad you cleared that up!" Elise enthusiastically replied with a smile, walking between Marth and I and doing her best to diffuse the tension of the situation. Marth started staring forward, avoiding eye contact with me. Yes, prepare yourself, because we have much to talk about. You give me a story of how you were treated, only to find out later it was all voluntary and you were really just obsessively trying to rage against me. I thought I could trust you, Marth, but it seems you still had much you kept to yourself. What can I even trust of what you told me anymore?

I looked to the side and saw a frog hopping along the dock. What a random occurrence to suddenly show up in front of me. I thought back to my association with frogs and my rather unkindly first meeting with one after waking up…

… frog in my boot. Lissa… I'm… sorry. I sighed to myself and walked to the frog, who curiously didn't try running away. Elise gave me a weird look as I picked up the frog and put it in my storage pouch. I could hear it croaking quietly through the slightly opened top.

"Do I even want to ask?" Elise asked. Marth looked at me curiously.

"I would like to ask about what you're doing with the frog," Marth said.

"If he's doing what I think he's going to do, you don't want to know," Elise said.

"That answers nothing and raises even more questions," Marth replied. I shrugged and wordlessly walked ahead to the inn, ignoring Marth's presence.

"Is this a tribute to Lissa?" Elise asked. I twitched slightly at hearing her name. The look on her face as she shut the door on me still bothered me. I hope she's okay…

"Y-yes," I said.

"Raven… I feel like there's something we should talk about soon," Elise said in a rather pointed manner. "There is a reason she didn't show up to bid us farewell, isn't there?"

"There is a reason for everything in life, Elise," I replied.

"Cut the theatrics, Raven," Elise forcefully said. I gave her a look of shock. That was a first…

"Can we not talk about this here? In front of mixed company?" I asked. Marth gave me a look that seemed almost… apologetic.

"Raven, look, I'm sorry I wasn't entirely honest with you at first…" she began, but paused. I stared at her in her mismatched eyes.

"What we can discuss can be discussed on the ship. There are details I would like to iron out before I can trust you again," I said. She looked down and to the left in resignation.

"Yes, Raven…" she replied quietly. I frowned.

"Look, Marth, I'm not… I'm just… I don't appreciate being blindsided by something like that when I'm already under enough stress as is with this mission. I want to trust you, but I need to know that I can trust you," I said.

"Outside of not feeling comfortable giving you my entire life story's details, has there ever been any other reason for you to mistrust me?" she asked.

"If you had given me another reason, would I be giving you a second chance?" I asked.

"… I suppose not. My trainer was also a very strict man who knew who to keep close and who to keep far away," she replied.

"Well, with that situation resolved, let's get ready to go to sea!" Elise said in an uncharacteristically chipper manner. I nodded in agreement.

"Did the captain say how long the voyage would be?" I asked.

"Two days," she replied.

"Well, that's not bad at all. I'll go wake Gaius up. Elise, could you let the other room know? Marth, if you could let Selena know as well?" I asked. The both of them nodded in acknowledgement and the three of us went our separate directions.

I arrived at the room to see Gaius fast asleep on the bed. Huh, he looks peaceful and pensive for once. I walked over to him, unsure if there was a proper way of waking him up. Before doing anything else, I snuck the frog out from the pouch to his boot. It plopped inside with a satisfying sound. I stook back up and reached a hand over to tap him on the shoulder when, before I realized what had happened, I had my hand locked in a vicegrip. Gaius opened his eyes and looked over at me.

"I know I'm charming when I sleep, but did you have to watch? Also, reaching for my candy supply, Shady?" he asked.

"Geez, you asked me to wake you up when we got a ship. I thought poking you in the shoulder would be the best way to wake you up," I said.

"I woke up when you entered the room. I'm a light sleeper, Shady," he replied as he let go of my hand. I rubbed the hand he grabbed tenderly. He was deceptively strong.

"Well, you're awake. The ship departs in two hours. Enough for you to pack and have a quick escapade with your red-headed beauty. You always did say you were quick at everything you do," I remarked with a smirk.

"Oh, ha, ha, ha, Shady. Very funny. You got me there," Gaius said sarcastically.

"Oh, it's fine, Gaius. I'm sure one day you'll find someone to spend your life with. Until then, I guess you can enjoy your… speed dating," I said. I managed to flick my way out of the room as the pillow came flying at my head. That's your karma for yesterday's Marth comments and implications.

Why am I getting defensive over that?

… and Marth really does have a lot of explaining to do.

The group of us headed to the dock and began loading our equipment onto the ship. This wasn't just a boat, but an actual passenger ship! This was wonderful, Elise. You found us a vessel we could travel comfortably in. I walked up to the captain and handed him the gold out of my bag. He explained the ship was currently not in use by any passengers due to the rumors hitting the shoreline of a war between Plegia and Ylisse. I declined to correct him on that for now. News must travel pretty slow.

Within the hour, we had loaded and set sail. I could feel the indentation in my finances growing bigger and bigger and it was getting me more and more irritated for some reason. I sighed to myself and went down under the deck. I went to the storage room and grabbed a practice lance. Maybe I could vent this frustration with some intense training.

I walked into what appeared to be a larger room on the ship with my wooden practice lance and saw Marth standing there in a tunic and tights, training with a practice sword. The door shut behind me with a click and she turned, startled, to me.

"Sir Raven, I… I didn't hear you," she said.

"That's fine, Marth," I said.

"… so, is there a reason you're here?" she asked.

"I was hoping to train and work on my forms, but if you're already here, I guess there's no point. There is hardly enough room for the both of us," I said with a shrug.

"How about a spar?" she asked. I was reminded of what Selena said about Marth and her obsession with needing to land a blow.

"You're still waiting for the day you can land a blow, aren't you?" I asked. She gave me a surprised look.

"How did you… know?" she asked.

"The important part is that I am not him. Is this really what you want?" I asked as I got into stance.

"Yes it is," she said firmly. I saw the light in her eyes dim almost to a frightening lifelessness as if she was recollecting some dark memory. She ran forward and swung a blow, which I carefully sidestepped.

"Tell me something, Marth," I said, dodging her rather telegraphed, but exceedingly powerful swings nimbly and easily.

"Nngh, what?" she grunted in frustration.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"I can't tell you," she replied. I found myself backed up against a wall, and she swung again. This time, I was forced to block the blow. Just like the time in the arena, I felt my whole body vibrate with the sheer power and force behind her strikes. I tipped my lance and her blade slid off the handle of the lance before I deftly positioned myself away from the wall. You're not going to back me into a vulnerable position a second time.

"Tell me, Marth. Tell me your name," I said again.

"I will not tell you. I cannot tell you," she said again. We began our spar again. This time, I charged forward with nimble grace and executed a fast barrage of thrusts. She attempted to dodge some of them, but a few struck her on the shoulder and chest.

"You will tell me if you want me to trust you again," I said firmly. "No more of this dancing around fluff that you've been leading me around on. I trusted you the last time and you made me feel like a fool with your misleading language. Your room for leeway and slack has shrunk considerably."

"I cannot tell you, and that's final," she said firmly. She managed to parry one of my thrusts and launch a surprisingly quick thrust of her own as a counterattack. I sidestepped it and swung the butt of my lance upward, knocking the blade upward, before kicking her hard in the stomach. She stumbled backward as she grabbed her stomach, coughing and wheezing, before she tripped and fell on the floor. She landed on the ground completely winded and gave me a hateful glare.

"How did you ever manage to survive with skill like that?" I asked aloud.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her expression one of shock and anger.

"Rhetorical question, Marth. Or you can answer that if you want, after you answer my first question. What's your name?" I asked again.

"I will not tell you. That is the one thing I cannot tell you," she said.

"Why not, then?" I asked. She got into an offensive stance and I leaned back slightly, bracing myself for whatever attack she was going to launch.

"… because I have not been born yet, and I would like to make sure I do not mess that up as well," she said firmly. I sighed.

"Fine, then," I said. She dashed forward, faster than she was before, and started executing a few quick thrusts. It was as if she was evolving on the fly. She rarely thrust before, preferring to hack and slash at everything.

Much like Chrom… but slower and sloppier, but admittedly stronger.

I found myself having some trouble dodging her thrusts, so I quickly hopped back out of her range and started using the length of my lance to my advantage as I executed my own series of quick thrusts. Quite a few hit her on her shoulders, chest, and hips. She stumbled backward from the force of my blows. She definitely had to have quite a few bruises from that. These weapons may be wooden, but they still hurt.

"Marth, look, maybe we should stop thi—"

"No!"

She yelled that one singular word and an unreadable expression was etched on her face. It was almost like pure, unbridled rage mixed with embarrassment.

"I thought you were better than me back then because you were an adult and I was a child. Now here we are, almost the same age, and I still cannot land a single blow! Why? Why!" she asked furiously.

"… our fighting styles naturally oppose each other," I said. "You have fearsome power behind your blows, and most warriors would fall to such power. However, I work with finesse, grace, a flow of long strings of combinations of moves that seamlessly transition to each other, and above average speed. I read your movements and react thanks to these battle senses that I apparently have. Your moves are too predictable. You cannot hit me using your full strength, although I shudder to think how it will feel if you ever did," I said, shivering slightly. If she actually managed to hit me, she might actually break a rib or three. I looked at the shaft of my practice lance where she hit it earlier to see it cracked.

"All these questions and analysis on me, Raven. Why don't you tell ME something that I want to know," she said.

"… and there's the golden question that had been bugging me for a while," I said.

"Oh, what is it now?" she asked.

"You never trusted me… regardless of whatever empty fluffy words you've been saying to me, you still don't trust me," I said firmly. She paused and stared at me.

"I can't get over who I know you as. I know you're not the same person, but that doesn't make the damage no less significant. You look like him. You sound like him. You act like him. You talk like him. You fight like him. You are him in too many ways for me to just ignore it," she said. "There, I said it. I can't trust you, because you never gave me a reason to. Not now, and most definitely not in my childhood."

"Hmph, well, now you're being honest with me. For the first time, I can see absolute sincerity in that statement without even a hint of being misleading," I said.

"So, tell me why I should trust you any further than necessary?" she asked.

"… you know, Marth, you're a fool. A damned fool… and maybe that's partly my fault," I said.

"Me? A fool? Tell me. I would love to hear your explanation," she said. She charged forward toward me, executing a series of thrusts and catching me by surprise.

"Ngh, you're a fool, because, in case you hadn't noticed, I did trust you. I trusted you with Chrom's company when logically I should not have. I trusted you enough to fall asleep around you. I thought you trusted me as well that night you came to camp and we kept each other company that night? I thought you genuinely cared when you gave me that gift! Was waking up to you with your hand in my hair trying to calm my nightmare some kind of act?" I asked in between grunts. She was making this more difficult with every passing moment, both in training and in conversation.

"I tried. I really tried! That was no act. I'm sorry if you were unable to see that I actually was trying to see you as a different person," she said emphatically. "I tried to trust you. I tried to put it behind me. I wanted to be your friend. You've treated me better than most people I have met. But then you have habits that are the same as his, and it just makes me want to fight you or run away. Your common behaviors cloud my vision."

I growled as I hopped backward a few quick steps, out of her range. I flicked out of sight and swiftly moved behind her, swinging at her with every ounce of strength I had. She gasped in surprise and awkwardly blocked the attack at a weird angle. The sword was knocked out of her hand from the strength of my blow as the shaft of my lance cracked her in the ribs, causing her to instinctively grab her side and cry out in pain. I grabbed her by the back of the tunic and pulled her back toward me as I tossed my lance aside. Before she could react and reacting purely on reflexes, I put my arms under hers and linked my fingers behind her neck. She started struggling, but this was one of the few grappling moves I instinctively knew. I put a slight bit of pressure on her neck and she immediately stopped squirming.

All that strength and absolutely no technique to show for it. What a waste of damn talent! This girl… what an ignorant fool she is.

"Tell me something. Were you really entertaining thoughts of beating my older self? You can't even handle me now. You have no true technique in how you fight. You seem to be fighting with a small assortment of Chrom's moves that you cannot even properly execute. Had it not been for your abnormally overwhelming strength, Chrom would have defeated you so easily in that arena. What idiotic ideological fantasy did you indulge in if you thought you could beat my older self? Did you really think the gap between yourself and him was that small? Do you think things through, Marth? You purposefully misinformed me of things, prevented one assassination attempt, and just went on your merry way… then had the audacity to get upset at me over your incompetence because I, without knowledge of the future, could not prevent Emmeryn's death? You say you wield that sword because it deemed you worthy. What a boringly unbelievable claim! You're no hero. You're no savior. You're not Chrom, that's for damn sure. You insult the great man who held that sword before you. You're just a delusional girl with some half-baked techniques… pretending to be hero by naming yourself after one of the heroes of the past…"

"Please, Raven… let go… please let me go…"

"Like I am to believe that. You expect me to trust you now? I let go and you quickly turn and punch me or something, is that it? You expect me to trust you?"

"No, I… yield. Please… don't do this again… please," I heard her say quietly. I quickly let go and stepped back. She stood in place, staring at the floor and her shoulders hunched over.

"Marth…?" I asked. She turned slowly to me and a look of defeat was on her face, her eyes watering in… was she really upset at what I said?

"Is that what you wanted? To overpower me again, like you always do? To make me feel powerless and helpless? To restrain me, or to knock me to the ground, or to injure me to the point I couldn't fight back? You really are like him…"

"I'm… I'm sorry. That was too far. I… damn it," I said quietly. I'm turning into the person I didn't want to be.

"Why?" she asked.

"You just… you have so much potential. You have basic fighting techniques, but they're sloppy. You have abnormally strong blows, but your form is unrefined, and it makes you predictable. You should have been able to block that last blow. You should have been able to avoid getting caught in that hold. You have so much potential, but you're not honing it! You're not fighting for your life anymore, Marth. Hone your skill! It's damn frustrating. Still, I had no right to hold it any longer than acquiring your yield in that spar."

"… then teach me," she said.

"Clearly I didn't do a good job of that the first time," I said.

"… you want to prove to me you're not him, then do what he couldn't," she said. She picked up her sword from the floor and got into another stance. "Again."

"No, Marth, that's it. We're done for today. I already regret what I did…" I said quietly.

"Again," she repeated.

"No, Marth."

"Again! Face me!" she said again, in an almost commanding tone.

"Why?"

"There is no value if I cannot get stronger," she said.

"Strength is hardly your issue," I replied.

"Then show me what I'm missing!" she said emphatically. "If I cannot prove to be better than you and Chrom, what am I even doing here? What difference am I even making? Emmeryn already died. Who's next if I don't step up and be the fighter I need to be."

"Marth! Snap out of it. The value of a warrior is not just what you can do individually. You're not alone," I said.

"I feel like it," she said.

"When I said to you before I would help you, I meant it! Why are we going backward? We're back to being in that hallway, protecting the exalt from the assassins. I feel like we're back to where we started!" I said in frustration. "How did we get back to this point?"

"Lack of communication and trust. Neither of us are good at either," she said. I opened my mouth to retort, but nothing came to mind. I went over to my lance and picked up.

"Then let us communicate in the way we know best," I said. "Obviously words have failed us and we can't seem to trust each other just by thought and action, so, let's have our weapons speak for us."

"Very well," she replied. She lunged forward with a quick thrust, like a rapier. I easily dodged it and swung my lance at her. Why am I swinging more than usual? That's usually reserved for momentum shifting blows and attacks I know I'm guaranteed to hit. She blocked the swing easily, and executed a series of thrusts, not too unlike my own moves. I found myself on the defensive, walking backward toward a wall.

Oh, no, don't even try it.

I flicked to a location three feet to the right of where I was and stumbled slightly. I think I only have enough energy for one more of those. Better make it count. A look crossed her face, as if she just realized something.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing," she replied. My response to that non-answer was a lunge forward, executing my series of thrusts, before finishing it with a bit of an uppercut type blow. She dodged all the blows, before executing her own series of thrusts. We were going back and forth, over and over, rhythmically working with and against each other. I started marveling at how quickly she was learning.

How bad of a teacher was my future self that I could do this with her in a short amount of time what he couldn't do in the years he knew her?

Again, she started putting pressure on me and driving me back toward the wall. This time, I think it's time we ended this spar. As soon as I touched the wall, I watched her raise her sword to do a powerful vertical blow downward on me, like a club. I used my last flick to appear behind her and readied a thrust.

It was at that moment, I realized I was baited. I heard a small "heh" come from her as she turned her head toward me with a smirk on her face. Whatever she's planning, I'm not letting her do it. I thrust my lance forward at her. It was at that moment I realized I was baited a second time. She disappeared out of sight and I… felt her presence behind me.

When… did she… learn how to do that?

With her sword still raised, she swung down as hard as she could. Unable to dodge, I quickly spun and blocked the blow again with the shaft of my wooden lance. The last thing I saw was the shaft of the lance splitting in two under the power of her attack and the wooden sword heading straight for my head.