Birth and Re-Death

by ThreeDollarBratwurst

I swear, every time I turn around, someone else has got a clever idea to get me killed. And it usually works. Death doesn't seem too keen on sticking with me, though, so I guess I can get over it. Self-insert. Playfully testing the limits of what Rated T means. Cover image by Xcell

53. Ch 53: Gaius Lays the Foundation

Birth and Re-Death

Chapter 53: Gaius Lays the Foundation…

Today I am training with Chrom. I asked Lucina if she wanted to join me, but she wisely pointed out that training with him would incur a risk that he would notice how similar their fighting styles are, even though she's put some effort into disguising the Parallel Falchion. So for now, I am sparring with the future Exalt alone.

He's kicking my ass. I'm pretty sure he can't help but go all out when he trains, so I'm going up against probably the best single fighter in the continent in his prime. Give or take. Certainly enough to beat me into the dirt, in any case. It's a good thing we have a case of vulnerary on hand to take care of injuries.

I realize, on a rather dark note, that my tolerance for pain has increased exponentially in the last almost-year. I suppose getting killed eighteen times in that span of time will do that to you.

Still, the weapon triangle doesn't exist for no reason. Longinus does outrange the Falchion by a decent margin. It's not as often as I'd like, but I do occasionally score blows on him by getting in a poke from outside his range. It's always a moment of grim satisfaction when Chrom has to down a vial of vulnerary to patch up one of his wounds for a change.

We've been at it for what feels like ages when Chrom calls for us to take a break.

"Thank God," I mutter under my heaving breath. I head for one of the benches dotting the training yard and take a seat.

"Randyyy!" I hear behind me. I look and see Nowi running excitedly down the training field, with a canteen and a rag in hand. "Do you need theeese?"

"Uh, sure?" I ask as the smol dragon skids to a stop in front of me. She enthusiastically hands the canteen and rag over. "Thanks," I say before taking a mighty swig of water. I wet down the rag and wipe some of the blood and sweat off myself.

Instead of scampering off like I expected, Nowi just hangs around and watches me clean myself off. "Did you need something?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "Nope! Just watching!"

"Uh...huh," I reply. I decide it's just Nowi being Nowi. I notice Chrom walking back onto the fighting field, holding a sword and lance. "Well, enjoy the view then, I guess." I rise to join Chrom again.

"Okay!" Nowi shouts at me as I walk away from her.

I get the feeling she's fishing for a favor or something. I might have just tacitly agreed to participate in some prank or game by accepting her water. Devilish if true.

To my surprise, when I go to rejoin Chrom, he tosses me the steel sword in his hand. "What's this about?" I ask.

He raises his lance. "We need to improve our versatility. Training with more than one type of weapon is essential."

"I already train with tomes too!" I protest, but he's already begun his charge. I bat aside his first lunge in a panic, trying to back up before I get stabbed.

"Close the gap, Randall! I have the edge if you let me keep you at a distance!" Chrom shouts, pressing me back with a flurry of jabs.

"You have the edge everywhere, you jackoff!" I reply, gritting my teeth as one of his jabs nicks my right elbow. He's right, though; I won't stand a chance if I don't get in close.

I rush forward, resolved to take a blow as the price of closing the distance between us. I manage to hit his jab to the side, but not totally clear of me, and it still slices above my hip. Despite the rush of pain, though, I got what I needed: he's close, and his lance is out of the way. I swing down, hard, on the shaft of the lance to try to knock it from his grip. It doesn't work, but it does force him to take it with both hands to hang onto it. This allows me to swing my right hand into his face and disorient him enough to give me time to raise my blade to his throat.

We're still for a second or two, each of us heaving for breath. That's how fights usually are between us: resolved quickly in a matter of a few blows. I step back, lowering my blade. Nowi cheers from the bench.

Chrom laughs. "Hardly a conventional means of fighting. Taking a hit like that, just to punch me in the face instead of using your sword."

"It worked, right?" I ask, gasping for air and holding my side. "And you can't say I didn't get in close."

"At what cost, though?" he asks in reply, nodding at my bleeding side.

I examine the wound. Yeah, he got me good. A slice about an inch and a half deep clear across my side, just above the pelvis. Not fatal or anything, but it hurts like a madman now that I don't have the rush of the fight to keep my focus off the pain. My breathing becomes faster and shallower in an attempt to move the cut as little as possible.

Nowi appears at my side with a little vial of vulnerary in hand. "Here ya go!" she chirps.

"Thanks." I take the vial and down it quickly. I suck air in through my teeth as my elbow and side stitch themselves together. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that," I hiss.

"It's good that you can win a fight, but some semblance of self-preservation is important too," Chrom says. "And I know, before you even say it: I'm one to talk. But at least I never go into a clash intending to get hurt. It seemed to me like getting sliced was part of your plan there."

"I know you're better at this than me, Chrom. I can't beat you head-on, not when I'm at a weapon disadvantage like that, unless I get crafty. That was just my way of giving myself a chance," I say.

He frowns. "Well, if the situation is really desperate, I guess it's good to think of unorthodox tactics like that. But if this were a real battle, even after defeating me, you might be too injured to beat the next opponent you face."

"Sure. But it's also a problem that you would have lost to an opponent like me just because I got desperate and a little sneaky. If I was a soldier in a big-ass army and I knew there would be more troops to keep up the fight after I fell, I might consider it a worthy sacrifice to give my life to bring down the enemy commander," I say.

"You make a good point. I have to make sure I don't get rusty just because we're in peacetime."

That's good. I don't know what it's going to be like to fight the Valmese. In the game, you were basically just fighting the same couple dozen enemies per map like usual, but I distinctly remember something to the effect of the Valmese army having as many as a million troops. If that really is true, the process of fighting the real war might be a long, grueling marathon through a veritable gauntlet of enemies the entire time we're over there. With that many loyal soldiers to worry about, I need to be sure that Chrom and the others are prepared for the opponent to fight dirty.

We continue training for a while, both of us getting plenty of rounds with both the sword and lance in. I prefer Longinus still, but I'm slowly getting used to handling a sword too. Chrom continues to win most rounds, but over time I'm getting more familiar with his fighting style. There are rare, thrilling moments where I predict a move he'll make and move to counter it before he can respond. All the training I've been doing for the last year-ish is starting to pay off.

Finally, we wrap up for the morning. As we clean ourselves up and start gathering up our weapons to put them away, Chrom says, "Hey, there's something I want to ask you."

"Shoot."

"So, as you know, Maribelle and I will be getting married."

"So I've heard," I say.

"Right. And actually, she's putting in the work to make sure that can happen relatively soon. That's because I'm actually going to be officially rising to the position of Exalt soon. It's not fair to have this pressure on Emm to recover from her injury just to return to that incredibly stressful job. She's earned her rest. So we're planning on making those announcements as a group: I'm rising to the role of Exalt, I'm rebuilding the army, and I'm getting married. We're hoping they'll go over better as a group. I know a lot of people will be skeptical about the rebuilding of the army."

"Sure, that all makes sense." We start walking back to the barracks, with Nowi half-skipping behind us. "You said you wanted to ask something."

"Ah, yes. Sorry. It's just something that's a little nerve-wracking to ask," Chrom says, getting a bit of a sheepish look.

"Well, what is it? Does Maribelle need help with organizing the wedding or something?"

"Not exactly. Well, maybe. I guess I haven't asked. I've been busy making preparations to meet the Plegian lords. But no, that wasn't it. I wanted to ask… if you'd be willing to be one of my groomsmen. Oh!" He pauses. "Maybe I need to explain what a groomsman is. I don't know if they have that in Americano."

"It's America. And yeah, we have groomsmen, don't worry," I say with a chuckle. "I just don't know why you were nervous in the first place. Of course I'd be willing."

"Ah, well, you know. It's just… you know, you and Maribelle… not to mention that time we fought over her and all..."

I'm flattered that he describes it as a 'fight'. I seem to recall more of a hilariously one-sided beatdown. "Look, I've already talked with Maribelle about that. I'm not going to be weird about all that, I promise. I'm all good, and obviously she's moved on too. No need to dwell on it," I say.

He smiles, visibly relieved. "That's great. I shouldn't have worked myself up. It's funny; it seems like I get so much more nervous about this wedding stuff than I've ever felt going into a battle. It's all so unfamiliar to me."

"I understand. This stuff is intimidating, for sure." We resume walking. "So, you've got me. Who else is lined up to stand by you up there?"

"Well, in Ylissean weddings, it's customary to have your best man and three additional groomsmen. I think it goes way back to the wedding of the Hero-King. His best man, Merric, and his three groomsmen, Cain, Abel, and Frey. My other two groomsmen are Vaike and, assuming I can best him this afternoon, Khan Basilio."

"He's conditioned his agreement to be a groomsmen on your ability to beat him in a fight?" I think about what I just said. "You know what, that actually sounds exactly right."

Chrom laughs. "I wasn't terribly surprised either. The honor of having a khan at your wedding requires a show of strength."

"So that leaves your best man. Though I don't think I need to ask who that is."

A smile grows on Chrom's face. "No, I think you've probably got it. He's done more for me and my family than anyone else. The most steadfast friend I've ever known. There was never any doubt."

"Have you asked him yet?" I ask.

"Not yet. I've arranged to have dinner with him, Maribelle, and my sisters tonight. I'll ask then."

"What about Maribelle's bridesmaids?"

"Well, Lissa's place as the maid of honor is all but certain, obviously. She's still thinking about the others," Chrom replies.

"Oh! Oh! What about me?" Nowi pipes up from behind us. "I'd make a good maid!"

"I'm sure you would, Nowi," Chrom says over his shoulder. "It's not my call, though. I want to let Maribelle make that choice for herself."

"Aww. Well anyway, even if she doesn't want me to be a maid, can I have something to do to help with the wedding? I love helping with parties," Nowi asks brightly.

"We'll definitely find something for you to do," Chrom replies kindly. "But Maribelle is really the one taking charge of the whole thing. I'll have to bring it up with her."

"Okay!" She hums happily as she walks behind us.

We reach the barracks and go into the weapons storage room to replace the sword and lance we used in addition to the Falchion and Longinus. As we head back into the common area, we run into Robin, Gaius, Sumia, Stahl, and Panne, all chatting with each other. Looks like they just came from the mess hall. It's nice to see Robin socializing with others. She finally has the time.

"Damn, you two look like you put each other through hell," Gaius says, glancing down at our bloodstained and shredded training clothes. "Specially you, Bear. Is that just from training?"

"Yeah, we kind of went at it pretty hard," I reply, a little embarrassed.

"It was crazy! They were both fighting like demons!" Nowi shouts, leaping nimbly up on my back and wrapping her arms around my shoulders. She pulls herself up to my eye level without any help from me at all; kind of impressive, actually.

"Maybe a little restraint during training is called for," Robin says irritably. "How much healing supplies did you go through?"

Chrom and I both redden. "A lot," Chrom says. "I'll make sure to restock our vulnerary supplies. Sorry Robin."

She sighs. "Every time you draw from the treasury to do stuff like this, it's money the Ylissean army doesn't get to use to grow."

"Right, right. Sorry." Chrom gives me a brief sideways glance that clearly communicates his intention to train exactly like that again at some point.

Robin looks like she wants to say something more on the subject, but she decides against it. "Anyway, you'd better get ready, Chrom. Our journey for the border begins tomorrow. Make sure you're packed and ready to go."

"Will do," Chrom sighs exasperatedly. He takes his leave and shuffles unenthusiastically out the door, presumably heading for the palace to pack.

"By the way, did you need something from me?" I ask Nowi, who I notice is still hanging from my shoulders. She's so light I can almost forget she's there after a while.

"Nope! I just wanted to hang out with you!" she replies too loudly. I feel slightly guilty about my earlier assumption that she had an ulterior motive for being helpful before. I forgot that this is just how Nowi is.

"Fair enough. What do you want to do?"

"Hmm… Can we get some lunch together?"

My stomach growls in agreement. "That sounds perfect."

"I'll show you how a real dragon does lunch~" she says, then points with one arm to the mess hall. "Onward, man-steed!"

"Man-steed, huh." I carry the dragon girl toward the mess hall. "That's a new one."

---

...Man-steed?! I just barely manage to keep my incredulity bottled up while Randy carries Nowi out of the common area.

I could swear the little shit was shooting me a look as they left, too. It's like she's lording her tininess and innocuousness and cuteness over me! I didn't even know she liked him!

I notice that Gaius is smiling at me.

"...What?"

"Is something bothering you, Bubbles?" he asks.

"Yeah, you," I reply irritably. Stahl laughs at that.

"I never thought we'd get to see our stoic tactician being so…" Gaius says.

"So what?" My face is heating up.

"Oh, you know," he says with an exaggeratedly dismissive wave. "Anyway, you're coming with us, right?"

"To do what?"

"I heard a new sweetshop opened up on the south side of the city, and Sumia's been wanting to visit a bookstore in the same neighborhood. We're making a day of it."

"And Panne will be coming to get more acclimated to human city life," Stahl adds. Panne nods in acknowledgment.

"Didn't you hear me telling Chrom off for not being packed and ready to go in the morning?" I ask. "How would it look if I turned around and spent the day goofing off?"

"Come on, Bubbles, you think any of us would believe you haven't packed, re-packed, and packed a third time for good measure?" Gaius asks skeptically. "Come on, take an afternoon off."

He's not wrong, I have to admit. I've been ready for almost a week now.

"I guess it couldn't hurt," I say finally.

"Now we're talking! Come along, Bubbles, we're off to catch a carriage." Gaius struts out the door, confident that we're all following him.

I'll admit, it's a really nice day for an open-topped carriage ride. Stahl's horse, Fennec, carries us down to the southeast section of the city, and along the way we pass through a lot of the areas of the city undergoing reconstruction. It's nice to see the city starting to resemble the shining beacon I remember from before all this craziness started. Back when the world was still so new to me, this city was the grandest thing I had ever seen. Even now, I think perhaps nothing tops it.

"So, Bubbles," Gaius says, drawing my attention away from the buildings lining the street. I turn to look at him. "What are you going to do about the little dragon?"

"What do you mean?" I ask. I know what he means. I just hope asking that will make him back off the topic.

I should have considered who I was talking to more carefully. He replies immediately, "I mean Nowi. She was laying it on real thick for ya." He snorts. "'Man-steed. Are you gonna do anything about it?"

"Like what? Tell her she can't hang out with Randall anymore? Tell them to stay an arm's length apart? She's not doing anything wrong, Gaius," I say.

"Then why did it bother you?" he asks.

"Who says it bothered me?" I turn back and look out the side of the carriage again.

"I think it did." His tone is more serious than I'm used to.

"And I think I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine, fine. But if you just leave it alone forever, you might not like what happens. Just saying."

"Gaius, please," Sumia interrupts. "It's not our business."

"Alright. Just wanted to say my piece. Making it a lot harder than it needs to be."

I'm a little surprised when Panne speaks up. "If it puts your mind at ease, I will tell you Randall's heartbeat did not noticeably increase when Nowi leapt onto him. I noticed no signals that he is attracted to her."

"Uh… thanks, Panne," I say.

"You are welcome."

Is it really so obvious that I was jealous of Nowi? Did I make that much of a fool of myself? I feel my face heating up. I feel so clueless. I'm positive that I'm in love with him, but I have no idea what to do with that feeling. Where to start. Gaius said I shouldn't leave it alone, but I have no idea what the actual process is supposed to be like. Which, considering how invested I've been in other people's romances, I realize now is ridiculous.

I need to remedy my lack of knowledge.

After a while, we arrive in the neighborhood we set out for. Gaius and Sumia leap eagerly out of the carriage and make beelines for the sweetshop and bookstore respectively with childlike enthusiasm. Panne and I dismount while Stahl finds a hitching post for Fennec.

Actually, if there's anyone that might know the normal way that a couple gets together, it would have to be the most normal guy I know. When Stahl returns, I swallow my nerves and clear my throat.

"So Stahl, Panne. I had a question," I say.

"Sure Robin, what's up?" Stahl asks cheerfully.

"W-well, you two are, you know, together, and all," I say, the heat rising in my face once more.

"Right," Stahl replies, a grin growing on his face. That's not helping my nervousness.

"I just wanted to know, like… how? As in, how did that happen? How do you go from liking someone from afar to actually being a couple?"

Stahl chuckles. "If you're trying to work out the typical way a couple gets together, I don't know how much help we'd be. The only reason we took that next step was because of Panne's refined taguel senses."

"Huh?"

Panne says, "I noticed that, over time, Stahl's reaction toward my presence was akin to a fear response. Heightened heart rate, tensing of muscles, and so on. It was as if he was preparing to fight me every time he saw me. I confronted him about this, because I thought we were friends, and I wanted to know why he was so afraid of me. It turns out, I was misreading him. What I was seeing as fear could more accurately said to be a mix of attraction and apprehension."

"I see. You mentioned before that you know Randall isn't attracted to Nowi. I guess that's what you meant?"

"Yes. I have gotten better at reading signs of human attraction. For example, when you are in the same room as Randall, your body behaves in much the same way as Stahl's did around me before we became a couple."

My face is on fire. "Ah. So I guess, even if you didn't know at the time that it was attraction, you could say you sort of knew in advance that he was acting oddly around you."

"Yes."

"And now you would say you recognize human attraction?"

"That's what I said," she says flatly.

"So… do you know what Randall thinks of me?" I ask. I try to ignore Stahl grinning sunnily at me from behind his woman.

"I do not know," Panne says.

"What? Why not?" Is it because there's no attraction to read? I feel my heart sink.

"Because Randall's bodily reactions to others are much more muted than the average human. It is as if he actively suppresses them," she replies.

Like what he does in battle? Maintaining total control of his body, even down to physiological reactions to others?

But wait. He doesn't just do that in battle, does he? I remember when we drank after Gangrel's trial, he said something that gave me pause.

"I told her the truth. I don't have some special way to deal with all this. I just sort of, you know, cram it all down, keep going, and wait for a chance to sort through it all later."

Is this what he meant? To deny himself even basic reactions to the people around him? To put on an act all the time to spare everybody the need to worry about him? Gods, he's been putting all this on his shoulders and just soldiering on. How long has this been going on?

"Robin?"

I snap out of my train of thought. Stahl looks at me, his brow etched with concern. "You alright?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking about… things. So Randall is a secretive guy even down to his reactions to others, huh?" I ask with a nervous laugh.

"Yes. I don't think he used to be like that, though. He used to have the same reactions and changes in response to outside influences as any other man. At some point that must have changed," Panne says.

So my hunch was right. Just like he said, he's just shoving it all down. Trying not to be hurt. But he said he was waiting for a chance to sort it out later. Isn't now the time? We're in peacetime. The Patriots are disbanding. There might be threats down the line, true, but for now, aren't we safe?

"So hold on," Stahl says. "If Randall doesn't react significantly to any woman, why did you say that about him not being attracted to Nowi before? Isn't that just how he reacts to everyone?"

"I was just being nice, Stahl," Panne snaps.

"Ah. Sorry, then."

I'm not worried about Nowi anymore. Now I'm worried about Randy. He needs help, and he's not getting it. I'm sure of it.

Still… the term 'man-steed' echoes in my mind. Maybe I am a little bitter about Nowi after all.

---

Khan Basilio was a hell of an opponent. I've seen him fight before, but to face it down firsthand was another matter entirely. If it weren't for the raininess the last few days leaving the ground damp, I think I may have lost. The Feroxi aren't used to rain; in Ný Von it's been snow for centuries. A stray puddle on the training field gave me the edge at the last moment, and I secured Basilio as one of my groomsmen. That's Randall, Vaike, and Basilio down.

Now I have to secure the most important man of all. While there isn't a doubt in my mind that he'll say yes, there's still something about the asking that just sets my nerves on edge.

Frederick, Lissa, Emm, Maribelle, and I haven't dined together, just the five of us, in years by my reckoning. I think the last time must have been while Frederick was still Emm's personal knight. It feels incredibly nostalgic to eat around the palace dining table again.

I can't help but think of how close things came to disaster. But for a series of miraculous events, Emmeryn's seat would be empty right now. Frederick's too, perhaps. Even mine. We are beyond lucky, beyond blessed, to be sitting at this table like this again. My heart swells with gratitude at the thought.

A member of the kitchen staff clears the remaining plates from the table. Maribelle clears her throat.

"Excuse me, dear friends. Chrom and I have a question we would like to ask you," she says, reaching for my hand over the table. I take it gently. I still haven't gotten used to how soft her hands are.

"Of course, Lady Maribelle. What is it?" Frederick asks.

"What's up?" Lissa adds.

"Well, Lissa. You have been my dearest, closest friend for nearly my entire life. I never had the chance to have any siblings of my own, but when you came into my life, I truly felt as though I had gained a little sister. As children, this was a notion of sentiment, but now that Chrom and I are engaged, it will soon be a fact of law. You and I are family, and we always will be. For that reason, I pray you will do me the honor of standing beside me on my wedding day, as my maid of honor."

The whole time Maribelle has been speaking, the smile on Lissa's face has been steadily growing as she realizes where she is going with this. The words 'maid of honor' are barely out of Maribelle's mouth before Lissa has sprung from her chair and thrown her arms around Maribelle's shoulders, shouting, "Of course you dummy! You're my big sister!" Maribelle stands to hug her soon-to-be sister-in-law properly, and the pair laugh and sway with joy. I could swear Lissa is almost vibrating. "You have to let me help with wedding prep! It's going to get so busy, and I want to be there with you every step of the way. Well, when I'm not with Emm, anyway."

"Actually," Maribelle wheezes through her crushed lungs, "that brings up another question I had. For Lady Emmeryn."

Lissa releases Maribelle and takes a step back. Emmeryn looks up at Maribelle. "Yes?" Emmeryn asks.

"I know it would be asking a lot. But it would mean the world to me, and to Chrom, if you would be willing to stand as one of my bridesmaids alongside Lissa," Maribelle says.

Emmeryn, apparently having heard the request to 'stand,' takes it literally and gets out of her chair. "Like this?" she asks, stepping next to Lissa.

"Not quite, milady," Maribelle replies with a nervous laugh. "What I mean is… how to put it…?"

Lissa intervenes. "I told you that Chrom and Maribelle are getting married, remember?"

Emmeryn nods. "Mmhmm."

"The thing is, getting married is a really big deal. Most people don't want to do it by themselves. They need friends and family to support them. That's what a bridesmaid does. She supports the bride so she can have the best wedding possible. Do you want to help Maribelle with her wedding?" She takes Emm's hand.

"Will it be… hard?" Emm asks.

"Maybe a little. But more importantly, it'll be fun! And you know, after Chrom and Maribelle get married, Maribelle will be your new sister."

"Maribelle will be my sister?" Emm asks, looking at Maribelle.

"That's right, milady," Maribelle says with a smile. "You will be my elder sister before long. And it would mean the world to me if, on that day, you were there with me, at my side."

Emm smiles. "Okay. Little sister Maribelle."

"Oh, Lady Emmeryn!" Maribelle cries. "And Lissa too! I am so excited to join this family!" She steps forward and wraps one arm around each of them. Lissa returns the hug with a giddy laugh, and Emmeryn cautiously imitates her sister a few seconds later.

After a moment, the trio releases each other, but Lissa's excitement remains unabated. "Maribelle! We have SO MUCH to talk about! Come on! And you too, Emm!" She grabs each of the others by the hand and starts pulling them toward the door.

"Lissa, we're still at dinner!" Maribelle protests, glancing at me over her shoulder. I just shrug. I know there's no denying Lissa in this situation.

"We're already done eating, Maribelle! Let's go!" Lissa insists. Maribelle relents and allows herself to be pulled along, like a weary owner letting her dog guide her on a walk.

"I'll catch up with you later," I call to Maribelle as she is dragged away.

"Alright, dear!" Maribelle manages before she disappears through the doorway.

As the door to the dining room closes behind them, I'm a little surprised to hear Frederick actually chuckling under his breath. A rare sound indeed. I'm glad he's apparently in as good a mood as I am.

"Looks like we've been left to our own devices," I say as I stand up and walk around the table to sit next to his place.

"It appears so, milord," he replies.

"While we have all these wedding matters on the brain, there's also something important I want to ask you," I say, still a touch nervous in spite of myself.

"Ah, of course. My apologies for waiting so long to bring it up with you." Huh? "I've been so occupied with my own problems lately, I'm afraid I've fallen behind in my other duties. Rest assured, milord, the security for your wedding will be under control by the day of the ceremony, you have my word."

He thinks I just want his help with security. "Um, Frederick. That wasn't what I meant," I stammer.

"I see. While I'm afraid I don't have the most refined tastes, I will endeavor to assist with the decor of the wedding as much as possible. And your wedding banquet will be well in hand as well. You can count on me to rally the kitchen staff."

This conversation is going afield quickly. "Frederick, that's not it either."

"Right. I will work with the pegasus post to ensure that all the invitations are sent in a timely manner after your annou–"

"Frederick. Please, let me finish," I interrupt.

"A-ah. I apologize. Please, go on," he says shamefully.

I take a deep breath. "Frederick, I think perhaps this family has never, in its thousand-year history, had a friend as steadfast as you. For over a decade, you have worked tirelessly to help us with every problem we have faced, including no doubt hundreds of problems we never knew we had. You have been more than a servant, more than a battlefield ally, more even than a friend. As far as I'm concerned, you're a member of this family."

"Milord…" Frederick almost whispers.

"You've been like an older brother to me and to Lissa. I'm sure even Emm saw you that way at times. I can think of no one I would rather have at my side on the most important day of my life. It would be my honor if you would be my best man." I take another breath.

I'll admit, I was expecting Frederick to accept straight away. I kind of anticipated he would give his usual dutiful "Yes milord!" He would understand the importance of the role, of course, but he wouldn't be able to help treating it like a job.

Instead, I'm surprised to see him visibly holding back tears. "Milord," he says disbelievingly. "Surely there must be someone else more deserving of this honor."

I shake my head. "There's no one. You have done so much for me and my sisters, more than we could ever repay. No one in the halidom, perhaps no one in the world, is more fiercely loyal and dutiful, while at the same time being so kind and earnest. You are one of the greatest men I have ever known. It would be my privilege to have you with me that day."

"Milord, I–"

"Frederick, please. At least this once, call me by my name."

He hesitates. "Chrom," he says at last, "I would be… beyond honored to be at your side when you take Lady Maribelle for your wife."

I can finally breathe easy again. "Thank you, Frederick. I can't tell you how much this means to me."

I hesitate for a moment. This is Frederick, after all. Physical displays of affection aren't really his thing. Not really mine either, for that matter. But this is a unique circumstance. I lean forward and, a little awkwardly because of his seated position, embrace him around the shoulders. He seems unsure how to react for a few seconds, but in the end, he reaches up and returns the embrace.

"It is my honor, milord," he says over my shoulder.

---

The time has finally come to send Robin, Chrom, the khans, and their entourage off to meet with the Plegian lords. I was a little surprised to find that they had chosen the Border Pass as the place to meet, considering it's the site of both the first and last battles of the war we just finished fighting, but I guess that was a deliberate choice. Make sure everyone there feels the gravity of the negotiations and all.

Outside of Robin, Chrom, and the khans, most of the others going to the meeting are people I don't know. I gather several of them are members of the counsel of Ylissean lords as well as their personal security details. Frederick has also insisted on going, and sits astride Imperium, lance at his side. It's an impressive group when they're all gathered together like this. Getting to and from the border is going to take a couple weeks, I expect. And I have no idea what to anticipate from the meeting itself.

Frankly, I'm a little worried. I've been puzzling about whether I should go, just in case, but having both Robin and me leave the capital unattended so soon after that Risen attack just doesn't seem wise. There's not really a right answer here. If we both go to the meeting, Ylisstol doesn't have a respawner watching it. If neither goes, Chrom could be walking into a trap without respawner backup. If we split up, we risk one dying without being able to notify the other.

We've reasoned that of the three options, splitting up is the safest at the moment. If something does go wrong on either side, we've made arrangements to make sure there is a pegasus knight set aside for the purpose of getting one to the other. The Border Pass might be over a week away by foot, but a trained flier can make that flight in a day. Of course, we could have a messenger set up even if we stuck together either here or there, but then if we had to respawn, there would be no one in the target location to help mitigate whatever caused the need for a respawn in the first place. This is the best we can do right now.

The wagons are loaded up, and Maribelle, Lissa, Emm (in her street disguise), and I are seeing the group off.

"See ya later, Chrom! Make sure to come back with a great big heap of gold!" Lissa says with a cheerful wave.

"And more importantly, come home safely," Maribelle adds, giving her fiancé a quick, chaste hug before he gets on his horse.

"Good-bye," Emmeryn says serenely, waving to Chrom and Frederick.

"We will return posthaste, milady. Worry not," Frederick replies with a kind smile. Makes my heart ache a little.

I'm standing with Robin over by the command wagon, some fifteen feet away. I can tell by the look on her face that she's nervous. Her eyes keep wandering, as if searching for danger even here.

"It's gonna be fine, Robin," I assure her quietly. "We're in the timeskip. The script literally just passes over this time. We should be okay."

"Except we agree it's likely that Grima or whoever the hell sent all those Risen knows enough about the script to subvert it and throw us for a loop," she says quietly. She shakes her head and returns her gaze to me. "Sorry. You're right. It's not worth it to worry constantly about it. I just want to make sure you're going to be okay here."

I chuckle. "Me? I'm staying right here, with almost the entirety of the Shepherds and the Ylissean and Feroxi armies keeping an eye on things. I'm more worried about you."

"I don't…" She stops mid-sentence. "Nevermind. It's only for a few weeks. It's gonna be fine," she goes on, clearly trying to convince herself more than me.

"And even if it's not, we're ready," I say.

She shakes out her shoulders, loosening up a bit. "Right. You don't have to worry about anything. I'll handle it."

I recognize that she's just acting tough for my sake, but right now it seems like the best thing to do is just play along. "Alright. Just keep safe, okay?"

She reaches out suddenly and snatches me into a quick, forceful hug. I barely have time to return it before she lets go and steps back. "Okay. You too." With that, she climbs up into the command wagon.

I feel like there's more she wanted to say, but I trust she has her reasons for keeping it to herself for now.

I turn to start heading back to the others. As I start walking, I catch the eye of Flavia, sitting astride her own horse. I'm not really sure how best to acknowledge her. On one hand, I'd like to think we're good now. On the other, it wasn't that long ago that she wanted me convicted of high treason. It might be a minute before I'm ready to have dinner with the lady.

I settle for raising my hand at the elbow, a muted wave in her direction. She nods in reply, the stony frown on her face not moving a bit. Guess neither of us is ready for normality between us yet.

"Yeesh," Lissa says with a look in Flavia's direction as the khan leaves to join the others. "I think I felt a chill just there."

"That's cuz she's from the north. She brings the cold with her," I reply.

"Hardy-har. But for real, it's not like she has any reason to be angry at you. You're the one who was falsely accused." Lissa crosses her arms, evidently unsatisfied with my lack of anger. Adorably, Emmeryn imitates her little sister and crosses her arms too.

"It's not worth it to be angry at Flavia," I say. "Just because I was found not guilty, that doesn't make her soldiers any less dead. All it means is that after all that heartbreak, the real traitor is still out there somewhere."

"It's not like that's your fault, though," Lissa insists. "She's just being dumb and proud. Has she even apologized for arresting you yet?"

"No, and I don't expect her to. She had good reason to suspect me. She doesn't have to feel guilty about being wrong about that."

"Ugh, but we're supposed to be friends! How can a friend distrust a friend at the drop of a hat like that?"

"Flavia isn't my friend. She's our ally. My friendship isn't required for that to be true."

"Yeah, but you're my friend, and it makes it hard to see someone who tries to kill your friend as an ally. Especially if she won't even flippin' apologize!"

"Lissa, please," Maribelle intervenes, clearly aghast at her pseudo-swearing. "It isn't for you or me to apologize or to forgive. This matter is between Randy and Khan Flavia; that's all."

Lissa frowns for a few seconds longer. "I don't like it. She should apologize so I can feel normal around her again. But fine. It's not my business."

"Come on, let's get out of here," I say. "We've got plenty to do too."

"You're quite right, Randy," Maribelle says, sounding eager to change the subject. "There's a great deal to do, and in fairly short order. Chrom wants to announce his ascendency to the Exalt station, the rebuilding of the army, and our marriage within a few days of their return. After that, the transition to preparing the palace for the wedding is going to be quick indeed."

"Sounds like it'll be rough. Well, whatever you need, I'm around. I still haven't figured out exactly what I plan to spend the next long while doing," I say. We start walking toward the carriage pulled by Fleur-de-lis set to take us back to the palace.

"You know, in all the excitement of the last few weeks, I've never really had a chance to follow up with you about this whole 'America' story," Maribelle says as her horse begins pulling us along. "What sort of life did you lead before you were brought here? Is there any way life in this country could come to resemble the life you had?"

"I was a student, for the most part," I reply. "I was in college, studying to become an attorney down the line, when I first came here. I'd had a few jobs, but nothing that could be said to have real, you know, direction."

"You were a legal scholar?" Maribelle gasps in surprise. I choose to take her apparent shock in its most complimentary light.

"Yeah, you could say so. Remember that whole stink I raised about hearsay during my trial? That was a mainstay of American evidence law. And it wasn't just Robin who buried her head in books trying to get ready for that trial in the first place."

"I just can't believe you never told me!" Maribelle exclaims. "There's so much I'd love to talk about with you! The reforms I hope to institute! I'm sure as a scholar yourself, you must have scores of ideas yourself now that you've seen our legal system in action firsthand."

Lissa audibly yawns. "This legal mumbo-jumbo makes no sense to me."

Emmeryn yawns a few seconds later. Hard to tell if it was in an effort to imitate Lissa or just because yawns are contagious.

"I mean, sure, I've got tons of thoughts about the Ylissean legal system, and not all of them good. But I'm a foreigner, or like, a super-foreigner. I'm not even used to living in a society with a monarch generally. If I tried to impose my culture on your country, it almost certainly wouldn't work," I say to Maribelle.

"Well, as a magistrate myself, I think I am qualified to tell you to what extent your ideas might mesh with our culture. So go on! Tell me at least one change you would make," Maribelle says.

"Well, for one thing, I think your legal system needs a rule about judicial conflict of interest. If I'm honest, you shouldn't have been allowed to preside over Gangrel's case or mine. You had way too much of a personal stake in both cases. The American court system would never have allowed that."

Maribelle looks almost… wounded? "Do you think I allowed my personal feelings to influence my verdicts?" she asks.

"No. You said you judged my case impartially, and I believe you. And Gangrel pretty much admitted his guilt up on the stand. You weren't wrong about either case. Gangrel was guilty, and I was not. But I saw you deliver Gangrel's sentence. That part was personal. Wasn't it?"

She's silent for a moment. "Yes, it was. He killed so many of our friends, Randy. I couldn't keep my feelings out of that decision."

"That's what I mean. You were kidnapped on Gangrel's orders. Your family's staff were killed in the attack. You were personally affected by his crimes way more than basically anybody else. There was never a chance that you could have really approached his case impartially. It will never really come up, because Gangrel didn't even try, but imagine if he had. What if he'd brought witnesses and evidence that he never ordered the attack on Themis? That he'd been coerced by someone else to do what he did? That there was some other extenuating circumstance? Would you have even considered them? Would you have given a shit about his defenses?"

Uncomfortable silence descends on the four of us as Maribelle tries really hard not to say what we all know she's thinking.

"...I would have tried," she says at last. "I don't know if I would have succeeded."

"That's my point. When there's a conflict of interest like that, there's always a ton of doubt that comes with it. In America, the judge can't have a personal connection to any party in a case, except the state, obviously. And furthermore, opposing counsel can't have a personal connection to the opposing parties. Like, if I was that prosecutor Danica's husband, that would have been super illegal for her to prosecute me. And don't get me started on what qualifies a person to even be an attorney in the first place–"

Lissa chuckles. "I thought you didn't want to talk about this, Randy."

"Well, you went and got me started!" I reply a little defensively. "But you see what I mean? Those are just a couple things, and I'm sure if I went and sorted through all the issues I have with the system they'd fill a small book. To implement even a few of the changes I would put in place would be a total upturning of the Ylissean court system."

Maribelle still seems a bit sore that I called her out, but she doesn't look angry with me. "Well, painful though it may be for me, I think it's important to know the ways in which the system fails. At some point, I would like to go through and get a thorough record of every change you think should be made to the court system. We have an opportunity to usher in a new era of justice under the law. I can't allow that opportunity to slip past me just because it will hurt to find out that I have played into a corrupt system."

Considering how prideful I know Maribelle can be, this is genuinely a big step for her. An overabundance of pride has been the source of a lot of the continent's problems in the last year.

"Well anyway, for now you have a wedding to plan. We can worry about legal reforms when you actually have some time to spare." Not to mention we have several wars to prepare for in the meantime. I decide to leave that part out for now.

---

The days pass strangely for me. They feel rushed, but at the same time empty. And yet at the end of the day, I always feel drained. Despite that, though, sleeping is difficult. And when I wake up, I often feel like I barely slept. A heap of contradictions that just leave me tired.

I recognize I'm doing things. Useful things, even. Helping Vaike and Sully drill recruits. Training with the lance and sword with Lon'qu. Continuing to improve my grasp on dark magic (though I haven't seen Tharja in a while; wonder what that's about). Helping Lissa plan guest lists and logistical planning for the wedding and reception (and learning more about Ylissean weddings in the process). I even spend an afternoon helping Sumia brush and groom the pegasi in the royal guard's stables (a job that's been rendered a lot more cumbersome when most of the royal guard is currently sitting in prison awaiting trial).

There have even been times when Maribelle wants my opinion about something, be they the colors of the wedding decor (it's looking like blue and gold are going to win out after all, if you can imagine that), the types or placement options for flowers, or even the style of the dress. Of course, I know borderline nothing about wedding dresses, so my only input is usually 'waow pretty'. As long as she feels like it's helping, I guess.

Even so, when I go to bed at the end of the day, I can never shake the feeling that I didn't really do anything. Is it just because I feel the impending invasion in less than two years? Is it because I'm worrying about Grima? I'm getting stronger, and our army is too. Chrom and Maribelle getting married will soon secure Lucina's birth in this timeline. Almost everything I'm doing is necessary and beneficial. Why do I never feel like it's enough?

I think I know at least part of the reason. Because of the stories I've heard about the Thomas Paine that killed Phila and Campari. He just walked in, casually assassinated two commanding officers, and left without a care. Right in front of basically all of the continent's most powerful fighters. Whether that guy is Validar, or another Grimleal, or Grima himself, or just some fucking lunatic, the fact is that he's powerful. Remorseless. The look on Robin's face when she would talk about him stands out in my mind. She's scared of him. And I am too.

Compared to a power like that, it's hard to feel like anything I'm doing is measuring up. I might be getting stronger, but I'm not getting stronger fast enough, and I don't know what to do about it. I think for a while, I figured having the respawn power meant that even if we didn't do everything right the first time, we could try as many times as we needed to beat Grima. But if Grima knows when we respawn and can adapt accordingly, we run the risk of putting ourselves in an inescapable situation where he's always one step ahead of us in battle and won't let us get away. Combined with the possibility that Grima knows the game's storyline, twists and all, we might get only one chance to subvert the game in a way he doesn't expect and get the drop on him. The thought scares me.

I'm lying in bed, wishing I could just close my eyes and rest, but these thoughts swim around in my mind, locking my eyelids open and compelling me to count the uneven, curving lines in the moonlit ceiling boards.

"Fuck it," I mutter, throwing my sheet aside and getting out of bed. I throw on some pants and shoes and shuffle outside, hoping some cool night air might do me some good. Or at least that walking around a bit might tire me out that last little bit necessary to make sleep actually happen.

Some distance from the barracks building is a nice little gazebo set on stone, not far from the path that takes you from the barracks to the road that connects with the main east-west thoroughfare cutting through the middle of the city. During the day, children, especially the noble or wealthy children that live in the northern districts, come to play around here pretty often. One day Nowi dragged me here and I ended up essentially becoming a piece of climbing equipment for a bunch of rich kids and their manakete handler for a while.

At night, though, the place is usually empty. On this occasion, though, I realize I'm going to have company. I can make out her long red hair even in the dim light of the half-ish moon.

"Hey Cordelia," I announce from a ways away to make sure she knows it's me as I approach.

"Oh!" she says, still a bit startled despite my efforts not to do that. "I'm sorry, Randall. My thoughts were elsewhere. And I wasn't expecting anyone to be out at this time of night."

"I could say the same. What's eating you?" I ask, then immediately realize it was a stupid thing to ask. Gee, Cordelia, which of the dozen horrible things that have happened to you lately is keeping you up this time? Great.

"Oh, I've just had a tough time getting to sleep lately," she replies with a characteristic sigh.

"I definitely feel you there. I've been super drained lately, but I have not been able to sleep for the life of me."

She glances briefly at me. "Is your room in the back left corner of the men's floor?"

I can't help but laugh. "That's a hell of a non-sequitur there, Cordy. But no, it's not."

"Ah. My mistake, then." She looks away again.

"Why do you ask?"

She averts my eyes even harder. "It's… really not my business to say."

I lean forward to try and re-enter her field of view. "Come on now, you can't ask a goofy-ass question like that and not expect me to ask what you meant."

"Ugh…" She takes one look at my grin and sighs again. "I was referring to what has been keeping me up recently."

"Uh-huh. And what might that be?" I think I'm starting to get it, but now I'm having fun.

"Well… I suppose if you swear not to tell a soul…"

I raise a hand. "Shepherd's honor. If that's a thing."

She sighs once more for good measure. "It's just that Sumia and Gaius are… very much in love, evidently. And they make that clear nearly every night… repeatedly."

And that's it. I am cackling. Cordelia doesn't look nearly as entertained.

"I could see why that might be keeping you up," I manage to say eventually.

"Yes, well, I'm glad it's so funny to you," she says curtly.

"I mean, among the reasons that one could have for not being able to sleep, that's definitely one of the more manageable ones," I say with a shrug. "Have you tried just, like, asking them to keep it down?"

Her face scrunches. "Of course not! That would be mortifying for everyone involved!"

"Well, if you're not willing to take steps to fix the problem, then you can't really expect it to get fixed, can you?"

"It's not like it would totally fix my problem anyway," she mutters with a frown. "It's far from the only thing keeping me up."

"It would help though, right? As for the rest of your problem, maybe I can help you. What's going on?" I ask.

"I just have a lot on my mind at the moment," she replies. "I don't want to trouble you with it."

"Well hell, maybe whatever's on your mind will help me get out of my own head for a minute. That'd be welcome," I say, sitting next to her on one of the stone benches surrounding the round table in the center of the gazebo.

She takes a moment to collect her thoughts. "Well… remember that time that you and I, you know… accidentally bathed near one another?"

That was one memory I didn't expect to be dredged up. "Uh, yeah?"

"Remember what we talked about then? How I first came to be… in love with Chrom?" she asks.

"Ah." I should have guessed that's where she was going with this. "Right."

"I was just thinking about how silly it was. To ever think I might have had a chance with a man like that, let alone entertain that notion for so many years," she says, her head dipping a bit.

"Ugh, please." She looks up at me, giving me a sort of skeptical side-eye. I go on, "Do you really think that you are, or were, somehow unworthy of Chrom?"

"Well, clearly I am. He's marrying another woman."

"Yeah, but that's not saying that you were lesser than. It wasn't because you, like, failed some test or something. You're seriously one of the coolest people I know. Anybody, Chrom included, would be lucky to have you. It's not your fault that his attention was so fixed on someone else. That's totally on his end."

"But doesn't that mean that, in his estimation at least, I wasn't up to her level?" she asks helplessly.

"It means there wasn't a 'competition' in the first place! He never considered anybody else. At least that's what I've gathered from what he told me. It's like what I tried to tell you that night after Gangrel's trial. If he's not even letting his hook in the water, the fish can't blame herself for not getting caught."

"Well, how do you feel about Maribelle getting married?" Cordelia asks, almost accusingly.

"What, like does it bother me? No, not at all. I've had an ex-girlfriend get married to another guy before. More than once, now that I think about it."

"You have?" Her stern look is replaced with raised-brow surprise.

"Yes. I saw a lot of things in my time before I came to this country. Granted, I've never been asked to be a groomsman at the wedding of an ex before. That'll be new. But I'm not going to make it weird for them. It's not about me. And we're not worrying about me right now anyway, this is me trying to be helpful to you."

She's at a loss for words. I can tell she wants me to be bothered by it. She wants to feel like she's not the only one who's going to be uncomfortable that day.

"Look, I get it," I go on. "You're not over Chrom, and it hurts that that door is going to close soon. You don't have to be okay with it just yet." I feel like I'm just making everything worse. I never really did get the hang of helping Cordelia feel better about stuff.

Her voice is quieter now. "I spoke with Chrom about it, you know. After that night when I mortified myself in front of him. I felt like maybe I could get some closure out of it if he just rejected me to my face."

"I take it that didn't go as well as you hoped?" I ask.

"It was horrible. He was so kind about it. I would have almost preferred if he had laughed in my face, called me an impudent strumpet, done something, anything to make the loss of him seem lighter. Instead, even while rejecting me, he was as gentle as I have ever seen him. He was so sympathetic. He genuinely regretted that he had to hurt me by turning me down."

She sobs, her shoulders hiking up suddenly. "I'm sorry," she says, her voice choked up.

"Hey, come on, no need to be sorry," I say. At first I'm not sure if it's the right move, but I decide to put an arm around her shoulders after all. Her left shoulder trembles under my hand. I give it what I hope is a reassuring little squeeze. "You never have to apologize for being in pain."

"I feel so stupid," she says between sobs. "All these years, I knew deep down that Chrom only had eyes for Maribelle. I ignored what was coming, and now that it's here, it hurts anyway. What am I supposed to do now?"

"You're not stupid. You're just experiencing a lot of this for the first time, and that's scary. This is a painful moment for you, but it's not useless pain. You'll come out the other side stronger. Or maybe wiser is a better word. You'll move on, and you'll find someone who makes you as happy as you deserve. Happier than you ever imagined being with Chrom."

She sniffles. "How could you know something like that?"

With my other hand, I tap my temple sagely. "I am an expert on the future. I have it on good authority that you'll find an exemplary husband and start a wonderful family. All of that is just a little ways down the road, I promise. You just have to get through this painful part first."

She chuckles a sort of gross post-crying chuckle. "You're just saying that. No one could know something like that."

"You'd be surprised."

She slowly gets to her feet, and I allow my arm to limply fall to my side as she moves out from under it. "Still, I know you're saying that to be kind. I appreciate it."

"I meant every word, but as long as it made you feel better, that's good enough for now." I stand up as well. "And as for the day of the wedding itself, my advice is just to surround yourself with good friends, good food, and good drink. Make the day as much about just letting loose and having fun as possible, rather than worrying about anything else."

She nods. "I'll try."

"And as for the, uh, Gaius and Sumia situation, I'd say you're within your rights to tell them to at least try to keep it down. We both need more sleep than we're getting."

Cordelia's gaze falls on the ground between our feet. "Right. I'll see about that as well. But for now, I think I'm going to go."

"Oh. You sure? Nice night out." I don't want to go back to my room already. But I only just realized how much nicer it is to have company.

"It is, and I think we both should be sleeping through it," she says with a kind, small smile. "Let's head back, Randall."

It's my turn to sigh. "Alright."

---

I jolt awake with a shout, my Elthunder tome already in my hand and crackling. I'm in my tent. I'm sweating, breathing heavily.

In seconds, there are soldiers outside my tent flaps.

"General! Is everything alright?" one of the men asks urgently, sword drawn.

I take a couple deep breaths before responding. "Yes… Yes, everything is fine… I apologize for alarming you. It was… just a dream."

The soldiers bow dutifully. "Of course, General. We will be nearby if you need anything."

"Right. Thank you," I reply. As the men return to their post, I breathe out slowly, trying to remember how Randy taught me to breathe to relax.

I've been having dreams like this for days now. We get an urgent letter from a pegasus rider, telling us the capital is under attack. We make haste back to the city to find it in flames. The enemy is everywhere, but indefinite. I can't tell if they're Risen, Plegians, Patriots, bandits; I can't even tell if they're human. And I barely care, because I ignore them anyway. The important thing is finding Randy.

And I do find him, eventually. Broken, bloodied, and dead, on a pile of rubble, or crumpled up under a burning tree, or strewn over a fountain, still reddening the water with his blood. Too late to respawn. Too late to save him. Too late to do anything except panic. Panic, shake, scream, and finally wake up.

I hate dreaming like this. It's stupid. I know we don't have much cause to worry right now. I know that getting this worked up is probably exactly what Grima and Aversa and Validar intended. They want me scared, on edge, and exhausted.

And I trust Randy to take care of things. Even though I'm worried about him for his mental health, there's no doubt that he holds up better than ever in battle these days. Chrom told me Randy even beat him a couple times when they trained together the other day. And on top of that, almost all of the Shepherds are there to back him up.

That's right. You have nothing to worry about. You need to focus on yourself and the coming meeting with the Plegian lords. You have more to worry about here than you do in Ylisstol. The heads of state of the three countries are coming together at the border; if there's a place that's likely to get targeted, it's there.

But right now, you need to calm down. I sit up cross-legged, trying to get more comfortable. I start breathing the way Randy showed me. Libra's method. Focus on the body. Get out of your head for a moment.

I do this for a few minutes. Well, I make an effort at it, anyway. It helps a little. As I close my eyes and focus on my breath, I imagine myself sitting on his bedroom floor just across from him. It's a comforting thought. Though I also remember the peering gaze of that Feroxi woman, Litica. That tall, dark, incredibly fit swordswoman. The one that Randy was constantly flirting with. The one that I, a pale, short, skinny little bookworm, look and act nothing like.

Ugh. Stop thinking like that. First it was Cordelia, then Nowi, now this? Are you going to do this with every woman Randy looks at? Am I really this jealous of a person?

I remember my conversation with Gaius. He could tell right away how much Nowi was bothering me. And I recall what he said afterward: "But if you just leave it alone forever, you might not like what happens."

I know he's right. Just leaving it alone is apparently making me into a bitter, jealous sadsack. But what the heck am I supposed to do?

I shake my head, sending my white hair fluttering about. This is all nonsense. I already decided that none of this is as important as just making sure Randy's okay. With everything that's happened, especially with what we recently learned about Libra making his death hurt even more, it's obvious to me that he's in more pain than he lets on. Compared to that, whether I get to go on a date with him is in a distant second. All this petty jealousy is just selfish.

"Something is bothering you."

I leap about three feet in the air from my sitting position, my tome flying across the room. I scramble for my Levin sword for a moment before I get a better look at the intruder in my tent seated behind me.

"Tharja! What the hell are you doing here?" I demand between panicked heavy breaths.

"Why, I'm making sure my best friend is safe, of course. You're heading into potential danger, you know. I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you," she says matter-of-factly.

"So you followed us all the way to the western edge of the country?"

"I didn't 'follow' you. I went with you. Not my fault you didn't notice me until now."

"You've been with us the whole time? Why didn't you say anything?"

She shrugs. "Didn't have anything to say. But when I heard you cry out like that, I couldn't leave it alone."

Embarrassment flushes my face. "Well, it was just a dream. It's nothing."

Tharja shakes her head. "We dark mages understand the importance of dreams. They have an impact on your mental and emotional state, which in turn affects your ability to use dark magic. Dreams are never nothing. Even if you don't use dark magic."

"I guess that makes sense. Still, it's fine. I'm alright."

Tharja stares intently for a moment, making my skin prickle uncomfortably. "You're worried about something."

"Of course I am. There are so many things that could go wrong with this meeting. We might be walking into a trap. I doubt it, but it's not impossible," I say.

She rubs her chin thoughtfully. "True. But that's not it, is it? I don't see any traces of the expression on your face while you were sleeping."

"You said you came in after I woke up shouting!"

A sly grin creeps onto her face. "Whoops."

"I thought I was clear that you can't do that anymore!" I realize I have a whining, almost childish tone to my voice. I wonder if this is how we used to bicker, back when we were both wards of the Grimleal.

"I didn't at first! But you've been sleeping restlessly for days now, and it made me worry about you. Eventually I couldn't ignore it any longer. So I've been keeping watch for… a while."

I feel extremely naked right now. And cold. Even though I'm still in my sleepwear, I feel compelled to pull on my coat.

"So what is it that really bothers you?" Tharja asks, surprisingly sincere.

Something about the change in her tone, along with an increasing urge to get it off my chest, makes me want to just tell her. At least a little. "I'm worried about Ylisstol… And about Randall. I'm worried that it will be attacked and he will be killed when we're too far away to help."

Tharja nods thoughtfully as I speak. "Not an unreasonable worry. There are many threats in the world. Do you think Randall is unequipped to deal with an attack on the city?"

I sigh. "It's not that I think he's not prepared. And he's not alone, anyway. But it's the not knowing that kills me. I know it's probably nothing, but it doesn't feel like nothing."

"Of course it's not nothing. It's a real danger. You're right to worry. Especially because it is the man you love who might be in danger," Tharja says.

It sends a shock of embarrassment up my spine to hear her speaking so casually about 'the man I love.' It really is obvious to everyone, isn't it?

"Well in any case, I know worrying doesn't help. If he's safe, he's safe. If he's not, he's not. Whether I worried about it or not will not change that on its own, and we have already decided on our course of action," I say.

"True enough."

Having Tharja here makes me wonder something, though. "Are there magical means that people can communicate with each other over long distances? Like a two-way book or something?"

"I have never heard of such a thing if it exists. There are some stories of the most powerful sages of old being so powerful that they could project their visages to others to communicate with them, but I have never seen anything like that."

"Is there a way you could do it with, say, a curse? Create a stream of communication between two people?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "That doesn't sound like the kind of thing a curse could do. Curses aren't really supposed to be 'useful' like that. Curses harm people. They don't really help."

"You used a curse to help me get to sleep that other time, though."

She shrugs. "Most people use sleep curses for kidnapping or assassination purposes. I just happened to find a use for yours that ultimately helped you."

"Huh…" I wonder if there isn't some way I could make use of a curse to solve this problem after all. I'll have to give that some thought. "Could you tell me more about how curses work, Tharja? I want to really understand them before I try to play around with them too much."

I have never seen Tharja look this enthused about anything. Her eyes light up with almost Lissa-like excitement. "Do you mean it? Oh, it will be just like old times! It'll be just like our days in the Grimleal compound!"

I'm already starting to have some second thoughts.

---

Two weeks. That's how long it's been since Robin and Chrom and the others left. By now they should at least be in Themis, I think. Which means if shit's going to hit the fan over there, I should hear about in the next couple days. I'm trying to take it easy today, make sure that I'm conserving energy, since I've resolved not to sleep more than absolutely necessary for a few days. Which shouldn't be a problem, considering I sleep like shit these days anyway. So, I've been soaking in a hot bath for I-don't-know-how-long. Long enough that I've started to deform into one giant wrinkle. No one really bathes in the middle of the afternoon like this, so I haven't seen anybody in the bathhouse today. Maybe I should actually move.

I pull myself out of the bath, pull on a towel, and stagger over to the mirror. God alive, I look tired. Dark shadows cradle the undersides of my eyes. Despite the extended hot bath, my face is pale. The corners of my mouth drag down, leaving my natural expression a defeated frown. Sleep deprivation really did a number on me.

"You look awful," I tell the man in the mirror.

He just looks at me sadly in response.

The door to the men's wing slides open. In the reflection of the mirror, I can see it's Gaius.

"Ah, didn't expect anyone else to be here. How's things, Bear?" he asks cheerfully.

"Better all the time," I reply, turning to face him.

He all but winces at the sight of me. "Gods, Randall. I've noticed you've looked out of sorts lately, but, uh… are you okay?"

I shrug.

"Are you sick? Maybe you should go see Princess or Twinkles." His brow arches with concern.

"What, and bother them in the middle of Maribelle's wedding prep? They probably look worse than I do right now," I say.

"Fine, then what about Red? She and Gramps have committed to hanging around at least until after the wedding."

"You know, she's really not as good a healer as her prices would have you believe." I start pulling on my clothes.

"Would you quit being a smartass for a second? You're worrying me here, man," he says irritably. "Something's up with you. Is it..?"

"Is it what?" I button my pants and put my boots on.

"It's not about Robin, is it? You missing her?"

That catches me off guard. "Robin? What makes you bring her up?"

"Well, she's been gone for a couple weeks now. It would make sense if you were, I dunno, worried about her. Plus, it's not like it'd be the first time between the pair of you."

"Huh?"

He raises a brow. "You didn't know? Bubbles was a mess when you were gone. Rarely ate. Hardly ever slept. Had a much shorter temper. Honestly, at times she was damn scary. She spent nearly every minute of the day either planning out siege movements or working out how she was gonna get you back."

I shake my head. "I didn't know that."

Gaius chuckles. "Brother, outside of electrocuting Plegian soldiers, you were the only thing on her mind."

The cold, iron hand of guilt wraps its fingers around my stomach. "She blamed herself for my kidnapping. Seems like a lot of people did. Cordelia and Sumia did, at least. It hurt a lot of people, huh? Cordelia's still losing sleep over everything that happened in the war."

The already-weak smile leaves Gaius's face. "You know, it doesn't have to be just doom and gloom about the whole thing. You had these beauties worried sick over you! Isn't that at least a little flattering?"

"I'm meant to find it flattering that I had multiple people worried to the point of turning into a 'damn scary' mess?" I ask skeptically.

"Yes! At least a tiny bit! Look, it's not great that everyone felt bad. I know firsthand that Sumia was kicking herself for weeks after you were taken. But come on, man. You have several beautiful, single women—Sumia notwithstanding—who care so much about you that they're all just about fighting over who gets to take responsibility that you got snatched in the first place! You're the most eligible guy in the Shepherds right now! You've even got the little dragon brat literally hanging from your shoulders half the time these days. I know she's not your type, but the point at least kinda stands! Would you quit beating yourself up and just enjoy your popular phase already?" I've never seen Gaius look so exasperated.

"I wouldn't call it a 'popular phase,' Gaius. I'd call it accumulated guilt and pity."

He sighs, clearly getting tired of me. "You moron. If they didn't like you, they wouldn't feel bad. And the worse they feel, the more they like you. And since they clearly felt awful, that means they all are at least a little crazy about you! As a friend, in Sumia's case, obviously, cuz, y'know." He gestures vaguely at himself.

"I feel like you're really oversimplifying this," I reply.

"It's a counterweight to you overcomplicating it. Look, I get that you have a lot going on. I would never tell you that you're wrong to feel awful about Libra and everything else. But lately it seems like you're just hurting yourself even more on top of what's already happened to you. Did you think I didn't notice? You act like you're fine, but you're not!" He's got a sad, almost disappointed look in his eyes.

For a while, I can't really say anything. He's not wrong. The only sound between us is the dripping of condensed water around the walls.

"What am I supposed to do?" I ask finally. "How do you… be fine?"

He guiltily rubs the back of his neck. "I have no idea, Bear. But I'll tell you this much. Trying to shoulder it alone isn't the right way. You and Robin and Cordelia all do this to yourselves. You're all so scared of putting a burden on someone else that you just keep it all crammed down where no one can get at it. And you all know you do it, and you wish each other wouldn't, but you're not gonna stop doing it yourself. It's kinda hypocritical, really. You want Robin and Cordelia to trust you, but you don't trust them. You have to give it to get it."

"So… just find someone to dump it all on?" I ask.

He shrugs. "It's been working for Sumia and me. She bitches about her problems, I bitch about mine. Then neither person's problems seem so bad, cuz you have the other person backing you up all the way. It's, uh, what's the word..?"

"Symbiotic?" I offer.

"Whuh? No. What even is..? Nevermind. Anyway, you gotta at least try unpacking some of this stuff."

I hesitate. But I know he's right. Bottling it up only works for so long. And the outlets I had in my old life are pretty much all gone.

"I guess you have a point."

"Damn right I do. Now I'm not saying you have to just spill your guts on somebody all at once. I'm sure you've got all kinds of crazy shit to work through. But you gotta stop believing that you have to do it all on your own. Alright?"

I sigh, defeated. "Alright."

Gaius finally starts disrobing, reminding me that we're standing in the bathhouse. "Now I'm sorry to kill the mood, but I gotta get cleaned up. The lady and I have a nice, romantic night planned. Just like you could if you'd start capitalizing on your popular phase! So here's your assignment. The wedding is coming up soon. You're one of Chrom's groomsmen. You are going to let yourself have real, actual fun for once. You're going to dance, drink, sing, eat a crapload of rich people food, and have a great damn time basking in the attention of all these eligible bachelorettes that have you on their minds so often. You are going to be the envy of every single man in Ylisstol. Got it?"

For the first time in a while, I smile genuinely. "I think I can manage that. Thank you, Gaius."

"Any time, Bear."

---

"Hyaaah~! Yes, yes, gods yes!"

"*grunt*"

"Right there, Gaius~ Yes–oooh~"

"*grunt*"

"Gods, I love you, Gaius~!"

Cordelia's eyes snap open. She's had enough of this. She flings off her sheet and storms out of her room. For being barefoot, her footfalls make impressively imposing thuds as she stomps to the room next door at the end of the hall. She raps her knuckles on the door several times in quick succession. She hears a startled yelp behind the door. About a second later, her impatience gets the better of her, and she throws open the door, her silver nightgown billowing behind her.

For a moment, she averts her eyes, not wishing to actually see Gaius or Sumia nude. But she forces herself to look, and is relieved to see they have both taken refuge under Sumia's sheets. Both of them are sweating, red-faced, and messy-haired.

"What is it?" Sumia squeaks.

"Do you two have any idea how much sleep I lose on account of your constant noise?" Cordelia hisses. "Nearly every night, for hours on end, and almost always in this room."

"Cordelia, I–"

"I realize you're happily in love, and that's great, but must you always make such an unbearable racket?" Cordelia's voice carries all the righteous fury possible at this volume level.

"Look," Gaius says, "it's not like we're trying to keep anyone up. That's why we use Sumia's room instead of mine, since hers is at the end of the hall."

"It's still next to me though, Gaius."

"Alright, yeah, that's fa–"

"And I wouldn't mind you two spending so much time doing it if you weren't so damned loud! Sumia especially, making every undignified noise under the sun. It's already bad enough that the two of you are doing this without being engaged, but this is just ridiculous!"

That's enough to anger Gaius and drive him out from the bed's protection. He springs to his feet, evidently unconcerned even as Cordelia shields her eyes from his nudity.

"Gaius! At least cover yourself!" Cordelia whisper-shouts.

"Oh no, Mother. You barged in here when you knew we were getting busy, so a glimpse at the sugar cane is what you bargained for." Gaius defiantly crosses his arms while Sumia sort of flails hers from under the sheets, torn between the desire to come between them and the desire to keep herself covered.

Gaius points accusingly at Cordelia. "You wanna talk about 'undignified'? You, Cordelia? The one who's been shamelessly slobbering over the prince since the day I met her? And I'm led to believe that you've been doing that for years. Which, okay, that'd be one thing, but the bastard is engaged now, you know."

"What does that have to do with–"

"It means you have no leg to stand on, Cordelia," Gaius interrupts. "You should be ashamed! Every day that you've still held out for him since the day you learned he was engaged should be an embarrassment for you!" Sumia claps her hands over her mouth, shocked. Gaius turns to look at his girlfriend in the bed. "Am I wrong?"

"What's gotten into you?" Sumia asks, scandalized.

"All these people! Can't have a normal gods-damned relationship! Alright, some of them are fine." He turns back to Cordelia. "Kellam and Miriel figured it out. Gregor and Anna figured it out. Hell, Stahl figured it out, and he's dating a fucking rabbit-woman! The only member of the human race that's dating a bunny, and he still has a more normal love life than you people."

"'You people'? Who are you talking about?" Cordelia asks, her mouth tight.

"You! The rest of the Shepherds! Blue, Twinkles, Bear, Bubbles, even our dear Princess can't seem to just grow a lady-pair and get with her bodyguard already! And you all make it so much harder than it needs to be! You wanna know how easy it is?"

"I don't even know what you're saying," Cordelia says, lost in the surreal moment of watching this naked man ranting and pacing around the room.

"Here's how easy it is," Gaius goes on, apparently having ignored Cordelia's response. "You like someone, you get some drinks with them a couple times, you make out, you do the dirty a bunch, you decide you want to do it forever, and then you get married! Gods, you people!" He notices Sumia again, watching silently from the bed. "I know you don't disagree, Sumia."

"I mean… you're right, but…" Sumia glances nervously between Gaius and Cordelia. "It is a little scandalous that we're doing this without being engaged first. And, you know, maybe we really were being a bit too loud?"

Gaius is still for a moment, apparently lost in a moment of deep clarity. He sighs, visibly calming down. "Well if she's complaining about the noise, that is definitely on you, Stumbles."

"Hey!"

He turns back to Cordelia again. "Look, in case you couldn't tell, this wasn't completely about you. I want my friends to be happy, and it drives me nuts when they seem so determined to go the long way round to get there. I guess you just happened to be the snowflake that collapsed the roof." At long last, he picks up a shirt off the floor and covers his sugar cane up.

Cordelia, to Gaius and Sumia's surprise, actually laughs. "You know, you have a point. I should be ashamed. And I am. I'm embarrassed. But then again, I've been embarrassed to be in love with him from the beginning, so that's really nothing new. But you're right! I need to move on, don't I?"

"Uhh… yeah," Gaius says cautiously, wary of how wholeheartedly Cordelia seems to have accepted his ravings.

"Then that's what I'll do." Cordelia turns to leave.

"For what it's worth," Gaius says a little awkwardly to her back as she opens the door, "I'm sorry. We'll try to keep it down, Mother."

Cordelia smiles over her shoulder at the pair. "I would appreciate that, thank you." She closes the door behind her.

Gaius and Sumia share a look of utter dumbfoundment.

"Huh." Gaius drops the shirt and climbs back onto the bed. "That was weird."

"You were weird," Sumia replies.

"I'm not the crazy one. I'm normal. It's everyone else that's crazy around me."

"Even me?"

"Especially you." He pulls the sheet over him to join his woman in its warm, cozy protection.

"That's mean." Sumia pouts.

Gaius's only reply is to give her side a covert pinch, earning a surprised squeal and giggle from Sumia.

"You're supposed to keep it down, Sumia," Gaius teases. "You're the one making all this noise~"

"How am I supposed to do that when you… you jerk," Sumia shoots back, trying to sound offended, but unable to keep the smile off her lips. "So… did you mean what you said?"

"Which thing?"

"About, you know… the normal progression of relationships. It sounds like the next step for us would be…" Her bashfulness wins out, and she stops short of finishing her thought.

Gaius chuckles. "Yeah, I meant that part. We'll get there."

The pegasus knight feels a tight, thrilling joy build up in her chest, creeping up her throat. Finally, it forces itself out of her mouth, a loving, breathless giggle. She snuggles closer to the thief, sending a pleasant shiver up his spine and affirming that he said the right thing. After a long day of wrangling his exceedingly dramatic friends, just being here with this beautiful, loving, and mercifully uncomplicated woman feels like exactly what he needs.

---

Randy tried to warn me about how influential the Grimleal were going to become in the next couple years, but I never anticipated how quickly his predictions would come to pass.

Every Plegian lord, every single one, has at least one Grimleal priest advising his contributions to the talks. The actual substance of their influence isn't really that impactful; for the most part, they're just demanding repeated and public assurances that Chrom isn't going to follow Gideon's footsteps and leverage our postwar position of power to start a campaign to wipe out the Grimleal faithful. The demands themselves are frankly reasonable, and we have no reason to deny them. The real message is just how deferential these lords are to their advisors. It's clear that none of these men really had much power under Gangrel's rule, and they're not sure what to do with functional leadership over the country.

One of the most pressing issues for Plegia is what to do now that Gangrel has been deemed unfit to rule and has lost his claim to the throne.

"So Gangrel has no living relatives at all?" Chrom asks exasperatedly. "How could someone in such high standing have no family whatsoever?"

Lord Vendrick, the lord of a large northwestern province occupying much of former Altean territory, seems to be the foremost among the lords. I gather it's because his territory has the greatest access to the western sea and to Valm beyond, making it the country's international trade hub. Vendrick himself is not especially old, perhaps middle-aged, clean-cut and well-spoken. No doubt this is why he has three advising priests hovering around him. He says, "The former king's mother, Carmina, died from illness when Gangrel was quite young. She had no other children. Any other relatives of Carmina or Hartyr are lost now. There is no one to claim the throne of Plegia."

It's hard for me to say, as I've only known the man during these talks, but I feel like he wants to say more. I suspect his hangers-on are the reason he can't be as frank as he might like.

"What will you do, then?" Chrom asks. "Your people will need leadership. Will one of you rise to the throne?"

After a few scattered glances at each other, Vendricks speaks again. "We have conferred and agreed that it is not in anyone's best interest for one of us to try to seek the throne. If any one of us tried to claim kingship, it invites conflict with the others. Our provinces cannot afford a civil war so close on the heels of the last war. So we have collectively agreed to foreswear any claim to the throne."

"Well, who does that leave? The military high command has been largely decimated since the war began, am I right?" Chrom asks. I can tell he wants to expressly appear not to be accusing the Grimleal of any underhanded moves, but I can see in his eyes that he is on the same page as everyone else. The Grimleal are going to be taking over.

"In times like these, we need a strong sense of national unity. I would not be surprised to find that the people will turn to the church for leadership," Vendrick says. "However, time alone will tell for sure. In the meantime, while we appreciate your concern for our country's wellbeing, the principal matter before us in this meeting is still regarding compensation for Ylisse's and Ferox's wartime losses. Are the terms that we have hitherto discussed agreeable to you?"

Flavia speaks up. "The khans find no problem with your terms, Vendrick. Provided that the funds are transferred quickly, that is."

Vendrick chuckles good-naturedly. "Luckily, we were warned in advance about the dangers of coming between the khan regent and gold that is rightfully hers. We brought the first of several shipments with us here to this meeting. Of course, we did not bring the full amount negotiated for, but it should be a large enough supply to assure you of our good faith."

Flavia nods. "Works for me. Chrom?"

"Er, right. The halidom is also prepared to accept these terms."

"Excellent. And of course, the other major issue we have addressed is Ylisse's plans for accelerated rearmament and the rebuilding of the Ylissean army. We have agreed to refrain from protesting your decision to rebuild your army, as much as it may worry us that you feel the need to fortify your military so soon."

I decide to speak up. "You have me to blame for that. As the Grandmaster General of the new Ylissean army, I'll be responsible for the revival of the country's military. It's not a choice I make out of any distrust for Plegia; in fact, until this week I had never meaningfully met any of you to have an opinion about you. This is my belief about every sovereign state, regardless of disposition or international status. Every country should have the means to defend itself with force. It's nothing personal."

Vendrick nods respectfully. "I can understand that position, General Robin. I merely pray that we do not come to regret giving you the funds you need to build an army that may one day be mobilized against us."

"Consider it a gesture of our countries' newfound friendship," I reply. That gets a grim laugh out of a few people gathered around the table.

"I suppose that is one way to make this bitter medicine easier to swallow," Vendrick says. One of his advisors, a scrawny and pale girl with unkind eyes, whispers something in his ear. He listens, then nods in acknowledgment. "With that, khans, Exalt, General, and all esteemed company, am I right in believing these matters are resolved between us? May we adjourn?"

Chrom and the khans whisper to one another for a few seconds, then turn back to the lords. "We believe so, Lord Vendrick," Chrom says.

"Wonderful." Vendrick stands, and the others rise after him. As they start heading back for their encampment, Vendrick pauses and doubles back. "Ah, I nearly forgot." He pulls an envelope from within his vestment. "General Robin, I hope you might do me a favor. This is the declaration officially divesting the former king Gangrel from his rule over Plegia. Obviously we have not had a chance to deliver it to him. I wonder if I could count on you to get this to his hands."

A divestment declaration? I've never heard of such a thing. The Plegians have some strange governmental practices. "Of course. Assuming that doesn't violate the terms of Maribelle's sentence?" I ask Chrom.

"Somehow I think she'd make an exception for this," Chrom says with a bitter half-smile.

"Fair enough." I reach out to take the envelope. I see that it's been sealed with red wax, with a coat of arms I can't quite make out adorning the seal.

As he hands me the envelope, he keeps his grip on it for just a couple seconds. I look at his face, but I can't make out the meaning behind his expression. His index finger reaches out and taps my knuckle twice, then taps the envelope. Then he finally lets go.

"I am in your debt, General. Until we meet again," he says with a painted smile.

"Farewell, Lord Vendrick," I reply, stowing the envelope in my coat.

The Plegians and the Feroxi handle the logistics of getting the gold shipments into our caravan to bring back east. Thankfully, Flavia is so excited about the influx of money that I don't even get asked to help. Not that I would have been much help anyway, because my mind is elsewhere.

What was that? It was no accident that he tapped my hand and then the envelope. Does he want me to read what's inside? It seems the most logical conclusion. Something he didn't want the Grimleal to see? Curiosity burns a hole in my coat pocket for what feels like ages, until we're finally on the road heading back east.

When I'm sure we're underway, I pull out the envelope. The seal is adorned with what looks like a wyvern design. I guess it would make sense, given that the western part of the country is known for its wyvern market. Wyverns shipped across the ocean from Valm supply the Plegian military with most of its battle fliers.

I break the seal and open the envelope, then pull out the parchment inside. Far from any seemingly official government document, this is just a handwritten note. It's addressed to "Ylisseans and Feroxi" generally. It reads:

The Grimleal are gathering power. Their doctrine is radicalizing. They will use this meeting, and the money we have given you, as proof of the lords' incompetence. We will not be able to stop them. Expect a Grimleal on the throne in short order. Guard your nobles, your towns, and your lives. I do not know what the church plans. We are all being watched. Do not lower your guard.

- V

My heart pounds as I read and reread the note. It's exactly as Randy feared. And it's already started.

There is no time to waste. Building an army is the first priority now. We can't afford to wait.

---

A/N: Bit of a longer wait on this one, which I wasn't terribly pleased about. It's pretty draining to write about some of the more introspective and trauma-oriented matters of peacetime, and that sapped my pace big time. Also, y'know, law school hard. But it's here! I was hoping to get to the wedding itself in this chapter, but I came to realize I just had too much to say, so that's been held off for one more chapter. I hope you liked this more muted, surprisingly Gaius-focused chapter. As always, Mixed Valence and Syntaxis deserve thanks for their help, and this time I also have IWantMyBurd to thank for beta reading the chapter. And here is your Mixed Valence out-of-context quote of the week: "We fishing in doo doo waters."

Some responses:

Ninni51: Nowi yes~

runelt99: I was updating pretty rapid-fire for a minute there lol. Also yes, that's a worthy consideration. One that I haven't overlooked ;)

IHev9Sun: As a matter of fact, Randall did get to play Fates before he got isekai'd over. I had a particular specific date in mind for when the crossover happened: June 1, 2018. So anything that existed before that day is fair game for Randall to have seen. Which does in fact mean he never got to play 3H, sadly. In any case, thank you for your kind words!

Steelrain66: Noire is going to need a hug and a therapist in the worst way, more than she already does. And yeah, I've always been kind of torn on the subject of Nowi myself. I think having her as your waifu is... iffy at best, but she's a good person and would be fun to hang out with. I think that's pretty much where I'm at with her. I love the dragon gremin, but wholly platonically.

RedNephilim: At least one of those things is true.

MountainBookSage25: Good Nowi. Blessed Nowi. She can do no wrong. As for the time travel question, the game really doesn't make it super clear, does it? On one hand, if you recruit a child unit then get their dad killed, that doesn't erase the kid, suggesting the past does not directly and immediately affect the future. But on the other, Grima felt the need to chase the children to the past to ensure they couldn't succeed. We never find out exactly why. Is his future success at risk? Was it just in the interest of thoroughness? There's a lot we don't know!

Izunama: Man cannot live on edge alone. He must, in his course, embrace the fluffe at times.

patattack: She's proven pretty tame so far, but her schemes are not done yet~

Argo Devilian: Yeah, Noire is going to have a rough time of it. True that Tharja could have a child with someone else, and maybe that child would even be a daughter that largely resembles Noire, but at her core, that's not the same person and never could be. It's sort of a separation between game mechanics and just how real life works. The Noire of BaRD that we will meet is Libra's daughter and could never be anyone else's, if that makes sense.

iwantmyburd: Mood whiplash is a perennial concern of mine, so it's good to find that I've narrowly skirted past it. But yeah, I thought we needed a chapter or two to sort of check in with everyone and make sure the gang is alright, or at least evaluate how they're not alright yet. As for Libra, I've had a fun and interesting time planning out how far-reaching the consequences of his death are. Much like a real-life unexpected death of a friend never fully goes away, I think the vestiges of his absence will be felt pretty much for the rest of the story. And as for Nowi, you've already seen how she puts her plan into motion, if more than a bit ungracefully. Thanks for pre-reading by the way!

FlamelessRider: I've had so much fun working out the dynamics that Future!Randall, as well as his current self, have or will have with the second gen. A lot of my favorite units are in the second gen and I'm so damn pumped to get to include them more down the line. Even more fun than writing Nowi, which is of course a blast already~

Hello I am Username: No, it isn't just you, I was really motivated to pump them out for a while. Switching perspectives is a dangerous game for a lot of reasons, not least of which is the risk of confusion, but so far I think I've largely gotten away with it. We'll see if that persists lol. On the subject of Noire, I'll echo what I said to Argo, which is that regardless of game mechanics, the fact is that the Noire that exists in the world is Libra's daughter. Tharja could have a kid with another man, and she could name that kid Noire if she wanted, but that kid would not be the same person and never could be. Don't worry, plenty of existential crises to come! And yeah, I've really been building up the shipping pressure lately, huh? Here's hoping I can manage the payoff, if or when I get around to it ;)

Cavik: Mwehehe :3

Syntaxis: Aaah so nice to have a review from you~
I tried to sort of have a legal system that seems like a largely benevolent but still medieval society might have. The right to a jury trial, for example, seemed a bit too modern, but the right to have representation if you can afford it seemed pretty much fine. It was a unique challenge to sort of craft a legal system from the ground up, so I'm glad it seems to have paid off!
This chapter at least started the long process of addressing the concerns you raise. Some of the evident unfairnesses of the court system have been at least pointed out to Maribelle now, and that ball has started rolling. I hope everyone will enjoy some of the plans I have for that down the line. In any case, yeah, I was also hoping some might reflect on whether Gangrel or Randall got what they really deserved. Was Gangrel punished too harshly? Was Randall given a free pass? These are the questions you can never really answer so long as the judge is so involved in the affairs before the court directly.
I'm having a lot of fun ramping up the tension with our dear Bubblebear. I'm astounded that the general consensus isn't that it's overstayed its welcome, but I guess I just got lucky enough to have an exceedingly patient reader base lol. As for whether we'll be meeting the long-foreshadowed OC daugther soon, whooo could saaay~?
In any case, thanks as always for reading, and for your kind words and support! ^^

Guest: Yeeeah, early-story Randall was a considerably less careful and more foolhardy person. If you're reading this, I hope you'll agree he's managed some degree of growth since then.

DD360: You did this. The monster is of your making. Though so far I think you'll agree she's been... relatively harmless. The enduring effects of wartime trauma are definitely highlighted in this chapter, which is part of what contributed to the delay with this one. I hope it came across as convincingly as it did last time. As for Cordelia, I think you'll agree that she's not heading in a very positive direction at the moment. But where could this be leading~? In any case, I'm glad you enjoyed!

DaedalusFlights: I have a great love for eyepatch waifus. Even the ones who don't actually need them.

mexicanimator: I'm glad you think I've handled it well! It's been pretty much a clusterfuck, but I think I agree that that contributes to the realism lol. The point you bring up about "is it love or is this just codependence?" is particularly potent, as you may have noticed in this chapter. Randall will need to take care that the thing that killed his relationship with Maribelle doesn't kill whatever might come next for him.

BatCornMan: Randall has two children, a son and a daughter.

Uraharaisgod: I looove me some good speculation from readers! And all of your analysis is pointed at very relevant questions. I do have explanations in mind for why Grima (or what Diana/Aversa is calling Grima) doesn't resemble Robin at all, but the time has not yet come to reveal them. I think you'll enjoy seeing to what extent your predictions play out!

sundered starlight: You touch on points that I'm really glad came across. Robin and Randall feeling separated from the crowd is a super important development, as you may have noticed in this chapter, where being apart for a few weeks is tearing both of them up. Lucina was never really made for this life, and it's a crime that she had to endure what she did. Ideally, she grows close enough to the first gen to feel comfortable trusting them with doing what they could not in her future.
To say Cordelia has found closure is... quite a stretch at this stage, as you no doubt observed in this chapter. She needs time to get past this borderline-obsession, and she'll probably need help from friends as well. But for now she's still on the way down, not up, sadly. I also appreciate your comment about Chrom! It's a little hard to keep him in the spotlight consistently when 1) he's not technically the main character or even the secondary main character of this story, and 2) it's a biiiig cast to juggle, so I'm happy that I'm making it work anyway!
I actually think Nowi and Lissa don't have supports, which now that you've pointed it out I find an abject travesty! I will have to include them interacting more! And yeah, Nowi is smarter than she looks or acts, in my opinion. She just finds acting like a kid more fulfilling and fun than acting her age.
Overall, I really appreciate your kind words! The next chapter should be a faster release, because damn am I excited to get to some of this stuff!

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As always, comments and critiques are welcome. See you next time!