(A/N: I'm not sure if this means much, but I redid the entirety of this chapter before posting it. The original was shorter, but I'm more satisfied with this one. This way, you also get a little bit more info about Marth and Malin. And before you ask; no, you will never get a break from them. From the third arc on, they're main-ish characters. One last thing: the Wednesday update may be delayed or skipped over. I'll definitely update on Friday if the latter occurs, assuming nothing else comes up.)

A common sight in Regna Ferox was fights. Sometimes violent, sometimes friendly, it depended on the person. Flavia and Basilio were no different than the common folk in that matter—but gods, the feeling of besting someone else was amazing.

Sparring matches was one of Flavia's favorite pastimes. You got to beat up people, bet on a bit of coin, and then laugh it off over a drink as the night goes by. She had plenty of time during the day to make Basilio wish he had enough authority to kick her out of Regna Ferox altogether.

"Damn it!" Basilio said eventually. "How can you keep on beating me?"

"Swords over axes, you oaf," Flavia replied simply. "That's what you get for letting me chose my weapons. Didn't you listen to anything Robin said about advantages and disadvantages while you're fighting?"

"In my defense, I was thrown off of the stage sooner than you were," Basilio said. "That, and I was never present for any of her new-recruit things. Why should I?"

"Because she was the tactician," Flavia said simply. "Still is, just not in an army."

Before Basilio could challenge her to another sparring match despite knowing the outcome, a messenger came.

"A note for Khan Basilio!" He announced. "It regards the letter sent to the Ylissean royals, and the results of that particular event."

"Let me hear it," Basilio replied, more commanding than he was earlier.

The messenger bowed, continuing on with, "Sir! The letter was received as planned, but a small group was sent out instead of the royal family."

"The Mini Shepherds?" Flavia guessed.

"Yes," the messenger said. "Princess Lucina and six people accompanying her. In addition, three of the guests weren't currently present. The group met the late-exalt Emmeryn and late-king Gangrel, but late-mage Aversa wasn't in the town; she was, however, reportedly encountered by the group before she left Regna Ferox altogether. The two mercenaries weren't there at all, instead dealing with business near Plegia. They travel in this direction now as an apology. That concludes my report, sir."

"Go on then," Basilio said, shooing the messenger away. "Thank you for your time."

With one last "Sir!" and bow, the messenger left. Flavia waited a few minutes before she let out a blunt, "Damn."

"Agreed," Basilio replied. "The whole point of that was to get Chrom out there, not the kids! And those two mercenaries never showed up?! Damn it all! Not to mention how long it took for the report to get here."

"To be fair," Flavia began matter-of-factly, "You should've gone yourself. Not quite sure why Marth and Malin decided to focus on other things now, though. I specifically told them to be there, and they disobeyed a direct request from the ruling khan. At least they're heading this way now. Even if we can't set up a reunion with Chrom's friends and enemies, I can still see if Marth's as strong as she used to be."

"Marth will probably end up running away again," Basilio muttered. "That damn girl, I swear… She saved me, once, but won't let me return the favor by saving her from a mental disaster. She's going to have as much regrets as her brother if she keeps this up."

"Don't bash the kids, oaf," Flavia replied. "Especially when they're not kids anymore. How do you plan on fixing this? Throwing darts at your elaborate plans?"

"There's no good reason I can bring Chrom, Robin, and the rest here," Basilio admitted. "Especially all at once. But I can go to Ylisstol."

"What purpose could you possibly have in Ylisstol?" Flavia asked skeptically.

"I'll bring the kids here," Basilio replied. "You keep on beating me, and I can't return the favor myself. To solve that, we'll hold a tournament—the Mini Shepherds against whoever you chose."

"We were just discussing advantages and disadvantages," Flavia pointed out. "I'm pretty sure any given person or people I could chose would be able to crush those kids into pulp, regardless of weapons. And we both know no one would be very happy if their kids come back bruised."

"Battle injuries build character!" Basilio protested. "I have plenty of both!"

"Try telling Robin that," Flavia said, scoffing. "I don't want her to sic that dark mage on me if Morgan comes back with a few scratches."

"There can be adjustments made," Basilio replied. "You can chose three people—roughly half of the Mini Shepherds' numbers—and we can see who's stronger. As I said earlier, I'll deliver the invitation to Chrom in person."

"You know who I'm going to chose, right?" Flavia asked. "There's three candidates in the form of your right-hand man, Marth, and Malin. Marth alone will murder them."

"Now that would be ironic," Basilio said, chuckling a bit. "But I'm sure the Mini Shepherds could beat them. Plus, we'll finally be able to see if they live up to their future counterparts!"

Flavia let the debate drop there, deciding that—if nothing else—watching Basilio get knocked down from whatever oblivious cloud he's on would be fine entertainment. "Fine, then. Set out whenever you'd like, and tell Chrom about your idea. Just keep in mind that Marth won't like it if you share her name."

"Like I'd betray a friend's trust!" Basilio replied. "I'll leave tomorrow. Best start on preparations now."

And thus, the big, one-eyed oaf left. Flavia called over the next passing guard as her sparring partner, and continued on with her planned afternoon.

This'll be fun to watch.