Chapter Eight
Return

The rain came down thick and cold. Flashes of lightning illuminated the field, revealing Feroxi soldiers fighting a losing battle against an unknown army of black mass and shapes. "Fall back and form up!" shouted Khan Basilio. "Don't let them scatter us!"

The soldiers obey, running to the opposite side of the field. Basilio's order, however, did not stop them from taking out any opposing stragglers they happened upon. Ever the warriors. "Sir, we have trouble," one of the west-Khan's scouts shouted, approaching his commander. "Their cavalry is riding right over us!"

"So we hold our ground!" Basilio barked at him. "We show them how a real Feroxi warrior fights!"

Anguished cries rivaled the sound of thunder. Blood mixed with the rain and painted the ground red. The Khan's men hardly had the chance to react before they were met with a swift and brutal end. "Sir" one of Basilio's men shouted. He staggered up to his commander, a hand pressed firmly over the crook of his neck where it was bleeding. "We're dropping like cattle out there, we need to cut our losses!"

"Soldier, you'll find that 'surrender' is nowhere in my vocabulary!" Basilio barked back, then he pointed back to the battlefield. "Now we fight his army until one man is standing if we have to!"

"Sir we're not fighting an army!"

No sooner had Basilio's man spoke, another flash of lightning illuminated the battlefield. "Aw crap," Basilio muttered under his breath.

Both the rider and the horse he rode upon were larger than life. The horse was decked out in grey and red barding with a dangerous look in its eye. Its rider was a behemoth of a man in vibrant red armor. His armor gave off the impression that he was barrel-chested and the helm he wore gave off the impression of two demonic horns. In one hand he carried a massive, red, and black axe that looked like it needed two hands to attack it with.

Gripping his axe tight in his hands, Basilio charged straight at the behemoth. And Basilio was not given the chance to attack. Swiftly the behemoth lifted his axe, taking it in two hands. He raised it and brought it down upon Basilio. The East-Khan flew back, blood seeping out of the fresh wound traveling from his right shoulder to the left of his torso.

"Impressive," said the behemoth. "Not many can withstand a single attack. But all have met with the same fate."

"It's a… a fate we both… share," Basilio choked out. Bowing his head, he started to cough violently. When he looked back up at the behemoth, there was blood around his mouth. "Believe me… I look forward to our… our rematch in hell…"

The behemoth listed his head ever so slightly. Then brought his axe back up again. "I'm afraid you'll have quite some time to wait then."

He brought his axe down, his blade connected with Basilio's neck. His body fell like a rag doll and his head flew several meters into the field.


She awoke with a flinch, her breath caught in her throat. Sitting up in her cot, Anali ignored the cool air that met her face. Sumia, Sully, Miriel, and Ruby were still asleep, leaving Anali essentially alone. Fighting back tears, she pushed her bangs back out of her eyes. She brought her knees close to her chest, then rested her forehead against them.

'It was just a dream,' she told herself. 'Just a dream.'

But there was a split second when Anali could have sworn that it was real. Even if the notion was rather ludicrous. Regna Ferox wasn't exactly at war with anyone just yet. And there was no way Khan Basilio would ever be brought down in two attacks.

Bringing her knees in closer, Anali muttered over and over that it was just a dream. Just a dream. Just a dream. Just a dream.

She was completely unaware of the red-haired young woman beside her who was wide awake and listening in.


"So, what do you say?" Sumia said, brushing her hands through Rosella's mane. "Ride back to Ylisstol with us?"

Anali stared dumbly at Rosella. While it was true that the mare had settled down immensely since Sumia took care of her wing, Anali was not ready to start flying. Especially since pegasi were so closely related to horses. What happened when a pegasus was spooked… in mid-flight. "Let's not get carried away," Anali said with a weak smile.

"Oh, come on," her friend argued. "You'll love it, cross my heart and-"

"I think I'll pass, thanks."

"Okay," Sumia relented. She pulled herself upon Rosella's saddle. "But don't think I'm going to let this drop."

For some reason, Anali felt the overwhelming urge to run and hide.

By the end of the day, they were finally out of Regna Ferox and out of the snowy weather. However, they came across a small pack of five Risen a few miles out of Ferox. Anali had Sumia circle the area on Rosella and draw out any more hiding in the shadows. Then she had Stahl, Sully, and Frederick corner them against the Galadriel river. Anali was quick to note that Risen floated in the water, but they couldn't very well swim. The Risen were not difficult to deal with, but they threw them off schedule and so Chrom announced that they would set up camp early.

After camp was set up, everyone was out doing their business. Vaike and Lon'qu may have become instant best friends through training together. Sully would have been included had Lon'qu not stayed as far away from her as possible. And Donnel was on kitchen duty that night, and the first thing he did was set up a few quick and easy traps and snares.

Sumia scurried around the campsite, searching for Chrom. Anali had come to her asking for help, as she couldn't find him. The two of them were supposed to be having a brief meeting to discuss a safe return route. After all, it wasn't just Risen they had to worry about.

But they both worked too hard.

Ever since the Farfort, Anali spent most of her free time reading up on tactics, and working on the little game she played with Virion before testing new tactics out on the Shepherds themselves. And then she would work on more. There were books stacked beside her bed back at the garrison. And it would not have surprised Sumia in the least if it turned out there were bits of paper in Anali's coat pockets with notes written on every one of them.

And then there was Chrom. As Ylisse's prince, he had his duties both on and off the battlefield. Odds were, as soon as they returned to Ylisstol he would have another council meeting to inform them of the alliance and discuss their next move. Even then, he was charged with keeping the people safe from bandits, and now the Risen, as well as being the captain of an entire militia.

Well, despite her mother hen tendencies, this was important. Bandits could be just as frightening as Risen after all. So, she was going to help Anali find Chrom. If he wasn't in his tent, then there were two likely places Sumia could think to find him. And since he wasn't on the training field…

She poked her head into the weapons tent; just as she predicted the captain was there. "Found you!" Sumia beamed as she walked into the tent.

Chrom looked over his shoulder and smiled slightly at the sight of the Pegasus Knight. "Sumia," he said with a slight nod of acknowledgment. "Did you need something?"

"Um, no, not really," Sumia said, instinctually slipping a lock of hair behind her ear. "Anali was just looking for you."

"Oh, right, the strategy meeting!" Chrom brought a hand to his forehead. He mentally cursed himself. Bringing his hand down, Chrom chuckled to himself as he walked up towards the exit. "Anali sure does love to-"

Sumia nearly leaped out of her skin. Chrom tumbled forward, catching himself on the rack of axes, at most he just landed on his knees. "Are you all right?!" Sumia gasped, dropping to her knees to assist him.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Chrom said, waving his hand lazily. Gathering his barring, he stood back onto his feet. "I just tripped on a pebble. Gods, this is embarrassing."

"It's because you're so exhausted!" Sumia chided as she stood back up. "You've been working too hard lately."

"I'm fine, Sumia," Chrom insisted. "And besides, we're all tired. Traveling for three days does that to people."

Shaking her head, Sumia crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't need to don a brave face for my sake," she said. "You carry twice the burden of anyone. It's only natural you're exhausted."

"You're kind to say so. But in truth, everyone looks to their commander for inspiration and strength. An army is only as stalwart as its leader. The instant I show weakness, we're through."

"It must be hard for you," murmured Sumia.

Avoiding Sumia's gaze, Chrom rubbed the back of his neck. This was not the sort of thing he wanted to say in front of one of his subordinates, or his friends. But here it was, all on the table. "I'll… be fine," Chrom reassured her. "And please, don't speak of this conversation to anyone. All right?"

"N-No!" Sumia blurted out, her face turning red. "O-Of course not! I would never-"

She was cut off by the sound of Chrom's laughter. "At ease, Sumia," he said. "And stop worrying so much. It'll take more than a few hard battles to bring this soldier to his knees."

"I know," the ash-haired woman replied with a bob of the head. "You're the greatest warrior I've ever… Hm… I just realized something."

"What is it?"

"You trusted me with a secret!" Sumia said beaming. She almost bounced in place as she spoke. "It's our first secret together!"

"Um… yes, I suppose it is," Chrom said, a little confused. It wasn't that huge a deal. Chrom shared secrets between other subordinates. Not all of them were his, but they were still secrets. Sumia was acting as he had just given her all the suns she would ever need for the rest of her life.

Whatever made her happy?

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed," Sumia said, placing a finger to her lips. "So long as you promise to take a nap at least."

The prince's brow arched. "What?"

"I'll just tell Anali that your meeting's been delayed."

"And if I don't agree to your terms?"

"Then I'll tell everyone the mighty Chrom was bested by a mere pebble!"

"That sounds like blackmail," Chrom said with a lopsided grin. "I suppose there's no harm in putting it off a couple of hours."

"It's so thrilling to be able to help out like this," Sumia said as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear again. "Anyway, I'll leave you to it. Sleep tight!"

The clumsy Pegasus Knight gave him one last wave goodbye before she slipped back outside. Shaking his head, Chrom couldn't help but chuckle. It was wonderful to hear that one of his men-at-arms was able to find some levity in light of recent events.

As promised, Sumia informed Anali that Chrom was delayed for a few hours, that he was busy with Frederick. Although Anali nodded in understanding, Sumia got the feeling that Anali had an inkling why their meeting was delayed. But she didn't say anything, just that she would be in their tent, reading one of the books Sumia lent her.

Dinner that night consisted of squirrel and rabbit meat, and a few potatoes, carrots, and radishes. Anali found herself seated at the table with most of the Shepherds. Though Lon'qu opted to stay as far away from her as possible. It wasn't even the fact that she was a woman, he sat beside Stahl, sandwiched between Miriel. He singled her out in particular.

Anali must have made a pretty good first impression with the great fig chase last night. It only ended because Anali ran out of figs. Well, that and she was scolded by Frederick.

Regardless of Lon'qu, Anali loved moments like this. She loved the camaraderie amongst the Shepherds. She loved sitting amongst her friends at the dining table, listening to and sharing stories. It was moments like these that made her feel like she could trust these people on the battlefield.

After dinner, she decided to wash up before she readied herself for bed. Anali hadn't seen or heard from Chrom since Sumia told her that their meeting was to be postponed, or even during dinner. So she assumed they would discuss it briefly in the morning.

So, Anali filled up the tub with hot water, chose one of the three offered soaps, and stripped herself of her clothes. The water was more than welcomed after two days of sleeping in the frigid Ferox. The snow had chilled her right to her very bones and she was slowly warming up since they left. A nice hot bath was just what Anali needed.


Chrom had been looking all over the campsite for Anali. She disappeared after dinner and no one had seen her since. It was Lissa who pointed out a tent she thought Anali might have gone into. So, with his papers in hand, Chrom stood outside the tent. "Hey, Anali?" called Chrom. No answer. "Anali, are you in here? I have a question about our next move tomorrow."

"Chrom?" he heard Anali reply. She sounded like she could have been on the other side of the tent. She said something he couldn't quite make out.

"What was that?" Chrom asked, pushing the flap to the side so he could enter.

The first thing he noticed was how humid it was inside, even for a cool spring night. And then there was the steam that filled the entire tent. "Gods, why is it so steamy in here?" he murmured.

A scream came from the opposite end of the tent. "Ah, there you are," Chrom said with a slight smile. "I could hardly see anything through this blasted steam… Anyway, I wanted to consult with you on tomorrow's march. You see…" Chrom's voice trailed off as he stared at Anali.

She stood, stone-still, and red eyes widened as she looked at him in utter horror. Her hair, which she always kept up in pigtails, was currently out of its usual up-do. If there was one thing peculiar about the scene, aside from Anali's horrified expression, was that she was completely naked. She had her arms crossed over her chest, the water around her waist churned from sinking in. Her shoulders were hunched as if she were trying to make herself shrink. "Er…" Chrom's voice trailed off. "Is there any special reason why you aren't wearing any clothing?"

That one statement seemed to snap Anali out of her stupor. "Chrom…" her voice low in a way he had never heard. Her face beginning to turn red. "Instead of just standing there like some slack-jawed village idiot, YOU COULD WAIT OUTSIDE LIKE I ASKED!"

Chrom stood for a moment, finally, finally registering the fact that Anali was crouched waist-deep in a wooden tub of water.

Oh…

Oh, shit.

"Oh gods, I'm so sorry!" Chrom blurted out. He turned and used one hand to shield his eyes. Was there a hole somewhere he could go bury himself in? Maybe it would have been swifter to just fill his pockets with rocks and lay in the river. "I-I didn't mean to- That is to say-"

"GET OUT!" screamed Anali.

"R-Right! Absolutely! Straight away! I-I'll, er… be waiting for you."

Chrom felt like he could have melted a block of ice with just the blush on his face alone. Good gods, how could he be so stupid? Was the steam really not a give away? What Anali must have thought of him now…


Anali put little effort into drying herself, her skin was still damp and her hair was still dripping wet. She did not bother to put on her bands to cover the mark on her hand, her coat, or even her boots. No, Anali just put on her smallclothes, tunic, and slacks and stomped right up to Chrom's tent. "All right, you!" she seethed. "What sort of idiot blunders straight into the women's bathing tent?!'

The blue-haired prince still carried a notable trace of scarlet upon his cheeks and a pleading look in his eye. "I'm sorry!" he apologized quickly, hesitant to look her straight in the eye. "Very, very sorry! I didn't realize where we were, I swear it. I had no intention of peeping!"

The strange thing was how quickly Anali found her anger dissipate into simple annoyance. This prince was surprisingly dense, but he was also sincere. With big pleading eyes Chrom looked more like a little boy afraid of being scolded, than a warrior prince leading the country's military. It just reminded Anali how easily she forgot that he was the scion of the Ylissean royal line. He wasn't some dashing prince in Sumia's books, he was just Chrom.

And just Chrom could be a huge dolt at times. This blunder was a prime example.

"Just… fine. Apology accepted," Anali said, trying not to sound too irritated. Just because he was forgiven did not mean she had to like the situation. "Now what was so damned important?"

"Oh, er," Chrom placed the sheets down on the small table by his lantern. "I was just hoping you could offer some advice on tomorrow's route?"

"The meeting, right. What are our options?"

"Well, according to this map," Chrom said, flattening the map out further. He started to trace a couple of routes out. "One route is this steep trail through the hills. Or we could circle the hills and follow the main road. I imagine either would work but I wanted to see if you had a preference."

Chrom was right, either route would work, however, circling around the hills would have taken less time. And going through them would have meant more work. "I'd say we take the path through the hills," Anali said, tracing out the path on the map. "Yes, the main road would be easier, but we'd be more exposed if we encountered foes."

"Right," Chrom rolled the map back up. "That's what I was thinking. Thank you for the advice. And, er…"

His face began to turn red again. Slowly, Chrom started to walk back towards the door. "That's uh… that's it, I guess," he said, using his free hand to talk with him until he gave Anali a small, awkward wave. "Bye."

"Bye," Anali said with a small, amused smile. Did Chrom forget that this was his tent and that Anali should be the one leaving?

"And Anali?" Chrom asked, coming to an abrupt halt just before the door. He definitely forgot that this was his tent. "I'm really sorry about the bath thing. I honestly didn't mean to catch you like that."

"It's fine," Anali said, trying to be firm, but sweet. She held a hand up for further emphasis. "Let's forget about it and move on."

"Er, right," Chrom said, his face still red. "Good idea. I'll catch you later?" His pupils shrunk when he realized his poor choice of words. "Argh, no! I mean, I'll see you later!"

No, no! That was a bad choice, too!

Anali tried to suppress her smile. Chrom's discomfort was so funny, it was kind of cute. He really had no idea how to talk to women, did he? Or at least, Chrom did not know how to let bygones be bygone. Anali wasn't angry at him anymore, she understood that Chrom did not walk in on her on purpose. He was no Prince Charming, but it was not in his character to do something like that intentionally.

With this in mind, Anali really should not say what she was about to. But she simply could not resist. "Are you still having trouble seeing me as a lady, now?" she asked.

That was enough to finally send Chrom out of the tent with an uncharacteristic, high-pitched whine. Anali realized she probably shouldn't have said that and would apologize for that the minute she saw him again. When she did in the morning, Chrom simply said they should call it even, his face was still red.

After another two days of travel, they finally returned to Ylisstol. Emmeryn greeted her brother and sister with a warm embrace for each and an added gesture of affection for Lissa. Chrom, Frederick, and Lissa would spend the next hour or so recounting the events at the borders, the tournament, and, most importantly, the alliance made between Ylisse and Regna Ferox.

Lon'qu was shown around the garrison by Vaike, who was 'volunteered' by Lissa. Neither one seemed to mind, but Lon'qu looked like he was more interested in the training yard. When Anali returned to her room, she found that Elaine was not there, probably going about her daily duties. She could not help but sigh, she was able to unpack

without the young Cleric begging to know what happened.

Anali placed her books back in their usual place by her bunk, her tactical notes were placed under her bed with her ocarina. She smiled slightly at the sight of the instrument and played a few random notes before she placed it back. With her dirty clothes set aside with the rest of the laundry she needed to do, Anali deemed herself more or less done. Seated on her bed, Anali unsheathed her broken sword. She was going to need a new one, sooner rather than later.

She should still have enough time to go to the blacksmith if she left now. So, Anali left a brief note for Sumia, who was currently in the stable with Rosella, helping her settle into her new home, and Ruby and Elaine. It was simple and straightforward, Anali was going out, and she hoped to be back before dark.

The blacksmith, a man called Benny, was a bit intimidating at first. Tall and muscular, with a bushy, graying beard, and scars covering his hands. But he enjoyed a good joke with a drink as much as the next man. He was more than willing to forge Anali a new, sturdier, sword. They went over the design and payment. The mental picture Benny painted for her made Anali excited to see the finished product.

Benny wouldn't have her sword done for another three and a-half weeks, as he had another project ahead of hers. So Anali was stuck with a training sword until then. Things remained the same, Anali trained with Stahl, Kellam, Donnel and now Vaike, she had a few rematches with Virion in the library, and she even started to work on her riding with Sumia.

Anali quickly returned her game board and pieces to her room after another lost match against Virion. He left to philander with Miriel, who had asked him to fetch her notes back in her room. When Anali set foot into her room, she was met with Sumia, who nearly shoved a leather bag into her face, and beamed, "Ta-da!"

Anali's heart had nearly jumped out of her chest, but still, she took the bag from Sumia, to study it. It was beautifully made, sturdy, and looked like it must have cost a small fortune. "What's this?" she asked Sumia.

"It's for Chrom," Sumia replied; she nearly bounced in place as she spoke.

For Chrom? Anali could hardly see him keeping this on him during a march. She worried that it would collect dust in his room, not out of malicious intent, but because he already had a few bags to carry his belongings, and this was too nice to take on a march.

"Oh," Anali said as she handed the bag back to Sumia. "What's the occasion?"

"His birthday, of course!"

"What?" Anali asked dumbly.

"What?" her friend repeated. "No one told you?" She placed the bag on her bed. "You still have until the twenty-seventh. See, on the royal's birthday, a ball is held for them. And Chrom always invites the Shepherds. Oh! We could fix up the dress you bought! See, I told you it was good to know you have it!"

"Y-yeah, I guess," Anali said, tying her pouch of money onto her belt. "But can it wait 'till tomorrow? I need to go to market." She brisked past Sumia with a hastily added, "Won't be long."

In the market place, Anali marched with her thoughts running a mile a minute. On the twenty-seventh; Anali had twenty days to find a gift for Chrom, and prepare her dress. The damn thing was far too simple for a royal ball. But what could she give him that he did not already have?

Anali's breath caught in her throat as she felt something bump into her. "Billie, watch where you're going," a woman said, scolding her daughter. She flashed Anali a weak smile. "I'm sorry, ma'am."

"It's fine," Anali smiled back.

The woman lead Billie away by her hand. "Mama," said Billie. "Can we get a few honey buns before we go home?"

"We'll see," her mother replied.

Anali watched the mother and daughter, biting her lip as she felt a pang in her chest. The twenty-seventh also meant that it would have been a little over two months since she first met Chrom, having been found on the twentieth of March. And Anali still had no idea what happened before, or what happened to her family.

Everyone had a family, didn't they? So, someone had to be missing her. Anali had to belong somewhere.

She remembered, much to her embarrassment, the little game she played with the others last night after dinner. With an empty mead bottle (courtesy of Khan Flavia) someone would spin it around the table, and whoever the nose pointed to had to reveal something personal. An embarrassing secret, their dream, anything. Though, what you had to tell depending on who spun the bottle, who was the last person that revealed their secret.

The game had attracted a bit of attention, which included Lissa and Miriel. When the bottle landed on Anali, Stahl had asked what Anali's dream was. She immediately answered, "To be a great tactician."

"Ah, what?" Sully asked her in disbelief. She pointed a finger at her, and said, "Try again, but this time tell us something you haven't accomplished."

Anali's face turned red, although, she wasn't quite sure if it was because she had to reveal something else, or because Sully already considered her a great tactician. Anali refused to meet with anyone's glance as she fiddled with her fingers under the table. "To…" her voice trailed off, and her heart thumped loudly in her chest. "To get married… and have children…"

Sully gave her a smile that clearly said, 'now that's more like it,' while Sumia brought her hands together in front of her mouth, smiling. Lissa had let out a dreamy, 'Ahh!' It almost turned ugly when Vaike said with a laugh, "Man, you're such a girl!"

"Hey!" Lissa and Sully shouted back.

Anali wasn't quite sure why it embarrassed her so much, what was wrong with the idea of marriage? If her reaction to Vaike's jape meant anything, even Sully must have thought about it once or twice. However, Anali had no way of knowing if it was something she wanted before she lost her memory or not. When she thought about it today, Anali reasoned that she wanted a husband and children one day because she could not remember her own mother and father, or even if she had siblings.

Still, it would have been nice to have a 'happily ever after,' with little ones running around and keeping her busy. But then it all went back to what Anali told Sumia that day two months ago. Anali had no memory of herself before meeting the Exalts brother and sister. What man would want to marry a woman with no past? What future could a woman with no past actually have?

"How much farther is Benny's?" Anali asked herself under her breath. "I'm starting to depress myself."

Thankfully, the blacksmith's shop was not that much farther. Benny seemed all too proud of his own work. Her new sword had a bit of a rapier feel to it. A sturdy blade with a white-colored hilt. The guard circled between where the blade ended, and the hilt began. Four small, metal rods in an X formation kept the guard in place. On the guard were two blue stones, the stones were lined with purple metal. "It's gorgeous!" Anali said, giving it a swish through the air. It seemed like a shame to use it in battle.

"Isn't it?" Benny boastfully asked. "And, it will last, unlike that flimsy piece of garbage you had. Sikanda will serve you well."

"Sikanda?" Anali repeated.

"A good sword needs a good name. I hear in Plegia 'sikanda' means something along the line of 'defender.'"

Anali grinned a lopsided grin. Sikanda it was. She happily paid Benny all the sun's he wanted for such a beautiful sword.

Ten days passed, and Anali still could not think of a gift for Chrom. Chrom hardly seemed like the person who needed a gift from everyone but… It seemed wrong for Anali personally not to give him something. He had given her so much, a form of purpose, a place to call home; she hated that she couldn't hope to repay him.

In the mess hall, Anali had her notes in front of her, with a few things written and crossed out on the sheet. Anali really wanted to hit herself for even thinking of giving Chrom a sword. Yes, he clearly needed a new sword when he owned Ylisse's most treasured sword!

"Ah!" she groaned.

Holding her head in her hands, Anali hardly noticed Stahl walk by with a small loaf of bread in his hands. "Heya, Anali," he greeted, which nearly caused her to jump. He looked over her shoulder and studied the sheet in front of her. "You thinking up a birthday present for old man Chrom?"

"I'd hardly call twenty 'old,' Stahl," Anali replied, lowering her hands as she spoke. Wasn't Stahl a year older than Chrom? "But, yes, and I'm at a loss of ideas. Buying for anyone would have been hard enough, but I'd be buying for royalty. Do I go for expensive? I'm sure all the high class would have taken care of that, and I'm sure Chrom wouldn't accept if I presented him with something so stupidly expensive."

"Yeah, cheap is good," Stahl took a seat beside Anali and tore off a bit of his bread. "I was actually thinking of brewing up a special concoction for him."

Anali's brow perked when she heard this. She had almost forgotten that Stahl dabbled in a bit of apothecary. The salve he had given her had really helped her hands on more than one occasion. "Homemade gifts are always the best," Anali said with a slight smile. "Now if only I possessed such a talent."

"Actually," Stahl bit off another bite. "The ingredients are quite costly, so…"

Her brow perked up again. Was Stahl suggesting what she thought he was suggesting? "Perhaps… I could pitch in?" she suggested.

"Yes, exactly!" Stahl said, with a snap of the fingers and a wink. "Then the present could be from both of us."

"Okay!" Anali said with a small smile. It was not quite what she had in mind, but a concoction could be much more useful than the other silly ideas she came up with.


As the twenty-seventh drew ever closer, Sumia had helped Anali spruce up the plain, drab dress the Pegasus Knight

convinced her to buy. Anali knew little about fashion designing and was next to useless as Sumia used another, equally, plain dress, cut up various pieces of the two, and combined them into one.

Sumia did not stop there, however, she added to the collar, added to the dress. She told Anali there was something she wanted to try, but did not have the time for it.

The day of the twenty-seventh came as any other. By this point, Anali knew that the royal's birthdays were quite the festivities in Ylisstol, more Chrom and Lissa's than Emmeryn's due to the Exalt being born towards the end of the year when winter was in full swing. For the younger two, the entire city was open to everyone, traveling merchants took advantage of the situation, the castle cooks prepared food and drinks, and music was played in the heart of Ylisstol. Things were often downgraded for Emmeryn to accommodate for the season. The festivities were held in the palace, though it was open to the public.

Come mid-day, the Shepherds would be preparing for the festivities, set to begin before sunset. It was not until Chrom paid a visit to the garrison that Anali and Stahl gave Chrom the concoction they whipped up for him for muscle pain. They both pooled their sources for the ingredients, as planned, and Stahl even instructed Anali on how she could help when it came time to make the thing.

Sumia may have been a tad overeager when she gave Chrom the leather bag. There was a spring in her step, which ended up making it all too easy for her to trip over her own feet. Anali did dive to catch her but was too little too late and Sumia ended up on the floor. Chrom looked like he was about to offer her a hand when Sumia suddenly hopped onto her feet and nearly shoved the bag into his face.

She met up with Anali and Sully in the back of the room shortly after, fanning her flushed face with her hands. "Are you alright?" asked Anali.

"Yeah," Sumia said breathily. "It's just dawning on me that the day isn't over yet, and we have a ball tonight."

Sully grimaced, though Anali couldn't tell if it was from the prospect of the ball in general, or if she sympathized with Sumia's plight. Since it was Sully, Anali could believe it either way.


Authors Note: Not a whole lot to say about this one. Next time though.