Hello everyone!

Now I'm wanting to keep this note a bit short so here we go!

Severa: Wait a second! What are you doing!

7: Trying to get this note out of the way. Why?

Severa: Me and Lucy don't know what's going on here! That's why!

7: Oh! Sorry, here's the script.

*Severa and Lucina look over the script*

Lucina: Ah! Ok we'll get right on it!

7: Thanks you two! Now we return to the site of a miracle!

Castle Flavia-Night

Chrom stared at Emmeryn in stunned disbelief.

Here before him sat his sister, her eyes shining with mirth even as not but a thick blanket kept her decent. His sister that he had watched fall to her doom and whose body was being prepared for burial that very moment.

His mind simply couldn't understand.

Emmeryn tilted her head. "Well, I guess I should explain. Take a seat, this'll take a few minutes."

Chrom nodded slowly before sitting in the other chair, just staring at Emmeryn.

She made a show of covering herself. "Chrom, it's quite rude to stare."

He continued to stare, Emmeryn eventually shook her head. "I'm sorry, I sought to lighten the mood. As for why I'm here before you, when I should by all rights be dead… it's complicated."

Chrom rested his head on his hands. "I have all night. I'm still trying to decide if this is real or a cruel nightmare."

Emmeryn blinked at his blasé tone. "Well, I can tell you this is no dream. I'm here, touching, tasting, smelling, all sensations are here with me. I feel the cold in the room and the warmth of this blanket, but… I'm not here as you may think."

Chrom nodded. "So… what are you?"

Emmeryn reached over and grabbed the blue jewel that Chrom had placed on the table, a white light flashing with each word she spoke. "I am a construct, a vessel through which my body can experience the world. I can hold things, but do no magic, feel heat, but not burn. Even should I be cut, I will not bleed, for this form is not permanent. Instead, I reside in this gem, the final gift our mother gave me before Lissa was born."

Chrom reached out and held the gem, his mind still playing catch up. "But… how could mother's gift save you from death? What is this gem? Hell, what made it call you out when I placed it next to that shield?!"

Emmeryn grabbed his hand softly, voice firm. "This gem was a gift from Naga herself. Should the holder face death, the gem will look through their life and determine whether their soul is worth saving. It looked into mine and… found value, I suppose. Through it, I may now see what the future will hold, but I cannot continue to rule."

Chrom shook his head. "That much, I can agree with. You've been announced dead, to reverse it after three days is ill advised. Even if you only truly exist in that gem, then I am glad. But, the question remains, why come out now?"

Emmeryn smiled and took the gem back, tapping the shield on the table. "The gem only creates a construct when it comes close to a pure font of Naga's power. So, I did not appear until you placed me next to this shield."

Chrom stared at the shield, not sure why it would do such a thing. "But, it's just a shield. A far sturdier and lighter shield than I expected, but it's no font of holy power."

Emmeryn's smile did not falter. "That doesn't surprise me. The enchantment was made by some of the most powerful sages to ever live. But, that enchantment is weak enough that I can now dispel it."

Her hand reached over and tapped the shield, the worn wood, rusted moorings, and chipped paint curling and shedding to the floor. Chrom, after watching the excess fade for a moment, caught sight of gold and the blue gem he'd found hidden in the shield slowly changed to white.

Emmeryn giggled at his stunned face as the transformation came to an end. "Shocking, isn't it? You offered the Emblem to Gangrel, thinking you could buy time with something you didn't have, when the very same treasure sat on your arm the entire time."

Chrom stared again, his mind trying desperately to wrap his head around all the new information. Eventually, he gave up and sighed. "This… I need some time to take all this in. I'll go get your robes at least, but dear Naga, don't wander away from this room. I fear we'll have the others calling for an exorcism and Lissa may have a heart attack."

Emmeryn giggled. "Don't worry, I won't leave. If it makes you feel better, I'll stay in the corner while I wait."

Chrom shook his head and swept out of the room, leaving Emmeryn to hum an old tune. She was glad, about how things had turned out, but she could not mourn quite yet. Her life may have been spared, but Phila, her oldest friend, had not been so lucky.

She sighed and blinked, a curious sight greeting her eyes.

Is it just me… or did the room get darker?

A quick glance around confirmed the idea. The three candles that had been providing light to the room had darkened considerably, but the flames were too large to give off so little light. She narrowed her eyes before her mind screamed in pain. Her vision scrambled and her soul strained in the gem that was her home. Eventually, dark boots enter her blurred vision.

A dark chuckle reached her ears. "I see… so, Naga keeps one of her favorite pets alive through something I had no way of knowing about. Clever, if only just."

Emmeryn saw another pair of boots enter her vision, these decidedly smaller. "My lord, can we not take her as is? I've always wanted this particular soul…"

The dark chuckle sounded again. "No, not yet. Let her steep in the fear that her presence changes nothing. My resurrection and yours will be soon enough, my queen, all we need is patience."

The two voices laughed before the boots disappeared and Emmeryn's mind returned. She panted into the stillness, the breaths doing nothing to help the pain she'd felt in their presence.

What… was that? I knew those voices, even as corrupt as they were, but why were they here? What resurrection were they talking about?

Her mind tried in vain to conjure the faces that went with those voices, the strain from the brief encounter making her ache.

"Emm!"

Chrom rushed into the room, her robes in hand. His hands found her shoulders and she felt her soul relax. "What happened? Are you alright?!"

Emmeryn slowly took her hands from her head. "I'm… I'm alright. I guess coming out of the crystal the first time was more of a strain than I thought it would be."

Chrom didn't look convinced, but he let the subject drop. "Alright then… Anyway, I brought your robes. Just so you know, it's nearly dawn and I'd prefer Robin and Lissa know about this before we do anything further."

Emmeryn paused as she reached for the robes. "Robin? I thought for sure you'd have Frederick here too."

Chrom shook his head. "You saw what happened to Kellam and Sully. Frederick trained them himself, so he's more or less become their sentry. Robin will shake out of his guilt if he sees you and we can get back on track."

Emmeryn nodded, but stared at him when he presented her with her halo, the symbol of her position. "Chrom, enough. I cannot lead further and there is no point in giving that to me. Let it be buried with my body and let me start over again, as both your sister and your advisor."

Chrom pulled back his offering. "I thought you'd say that. You always did hate this thing."

Emmeryn chuckled and gestured for Chrom to leave. "You know me so well. Anyway, if you'd let a lady have her privacy?"

Chrom nodded, but looked back one more time before he left. "Thank you, Emm."

Emmeryn just smiled at him and he left. She chuckled as the blanket fell around her and she began her usual routine.

You thank me, Chrom? If anything, I should thank you. Your daughter's the one that let me believe this could ever be possible.

She paused in her musings. Hm… I wonder how she and Cynthia are doing?

-Ylissean Forest, Same time-

What were they going to do now?

They'd arrived in Xaldornos just in time to see Emmeryn make her final plea and die. Were it not for Severa, Lucina and Cynthia would have just dropped to the sand and let death take them. Even now, as they tried to spar, their grief was clear in every movement.

Severa sighed, rubbing the cover of her tome. It was the last piece she had of her once loving family, the very essence of her mother's magic bound into the never ending pages. Even after going through the bare scraps of writing her father had left with Laurent, she'd never learned how the magic was bound. Let alone how it never ran out of pages, regardless of how often she used the tome.

Quite the gift, though naming it Ragnorok had always made her chuckle darkly. Maybe they knew it would be their last gift and named it as such?

She shook her head of those thoughts, her eyes looking down to Mercurius.

If Ragnorok was her gift, Mercurius was her inheritance. Mother may have tried to get her interested in using a lance, but Severa always preferred swords. They bonded over magic at least, but it was Mercurius she was presented with after Dad's death. Morgan got Gungnir instead.

She sighed, letting those thoughts go. Lucina and Cynthia needed to snap out of this before anything else could be done. She couldn't even allow herself thoughts of Morgan.

Honestly, if Dad hadn't drilled the ability to keep calm in the face of adversity into her head, they'd likely be dead by now. It's what allowed her to be annoyed when Cynthia tackled Lucina to the ground and disarmed her.

Severa walked up to them and pulled Cynthia off of her sister. "Alright, that's enough. Team meeting, now."

Cynthia nodded and reached to help up her sister, but Lucina slapped the hand away. Severa's eyes narrowed at Lucina as she picked herself up. "What's your problem?"

Lucina glared at her. "My problem? What's your problem? You haven't cared about any of this, not even a blink when Emmeryn fell off the cliff!"

Severa groaned, this wasn't the time. "Lucy, let's not do this-"

Lucina growled. "No, you want to know why I'm upset? Fine, you're why I'm upset. What happened is why I'm upset. Everything I've done since I was a child amounting to nothing is why I'm upset! Get it?!"

Severa snarled back. "I'm, making you upset?! If I hadn't kept my head, you'd be a dried up husk in the desert! And why are you being so freakin' angst ridden about what happened, you're not a thrice damned messiah!"

"I watched my aunt die, because we were late! Because you insisted that we take the long way around!" Lucina screamed in Severa's face.

Cynthia broke her silence. "I'm sorry, your aunt? She's my aunt too, and I didn't get the special privilege of speaking to her! You don't have the right to be all high and mighty about this!"

Lucina rounded on her sister, but Cynthia was nowhere close to done. "And why do you always take everything personally, why are you the special one! You saw Dad before he died, you saw Mom before she died, and now you met auntie?! Why the hell do you go off and do all these things and never tell me?!"

Cynthia started to sob, despair rolling in her gut. "You saw Dad the night he left, but you didn't wake me when your gut told you something was going to happen! You saw Mom off in the wee hours of the morning, but you left me in my room! You didn't even have one of the servants get me! All you've ever been is selfish, even when you suffer, I'm sick of it!"

She spun on her heel and ran into the forest, leaving Lucina and Severa's anger to drown under a pall of shock. Lucina didn't look like she'd be moving anytime soon, so Severa took off after the wayward princess.

It took some searching, but she found Cynthia sobbing in a tiny clearing. It was really weird to see the chipper girl lose her cool, but Severa could sympathize. They both knew Lucina had a martyr and messiah complex and it got annoying to deal with, but they'd persevered. At least… they had until Lucina went and took all the blame again.

Severa sighed and walked over to Cynthia, plopping next to her with a sigh. "Don't be so hard on yourself. I'd have exploded at her if you hadn't."

Cynthia choked another sob. "I'm mad at everything, Sev. I just want to be alone."

Sev wrapped an arm around the younger girl. "So do I, but we don't exactly have a choice. Look, Lucina's thinking everything's gone downhill and so are you. But, we have changed things, right? Uncle Kellam can still fight, your dad's not hurt, everyone's safe in Ferox right now. This whole war could be over in three months, not three years. That's something, right?

Cynthia's sobs slowed, but her words were not what Severa expected. "Stop trying to be the grown-up, Severa. You're just as broken over this, don't try and hide it from me. Besides, I don't need you to comfort me, I'm not Morgan."

Severa jumped to her feet like she'd been branded. "Well, if you're going to be prissy about it, fine! Come find me when you get your damn head on straight... and I expect an apology at that!"

She turned with a huff and stomped further into the forest, not once looking back. She didn't know where she was going; all she knew was that she needed to get the hell away from the two self-pitying sad sacks that had the gall to masquerade as her friends.

Seriously, they're so caught up in their moping they don't see the good in it. Yes, I'm sad we couldn't save Emmeryn, but her death meant something this time! Every Plegian patrol we slipped by looked like they didn't want to be there at all, and I heard more than a few whispers that Gangrel's support is crumbling.

She finally slumped against a tree and stared into the leaves. "Damn it, where are you, Morgan? I need your optimism."

Only a breeze rustling the leaves answered her.

Her heart sped in anger and her back pulsed with pain. "What, you won't answer me?! Ok, I admit I was jealous when we were younger, but can you blame me? I didn't know you had a breathing problem; you were just a brat that took all of Mom and Dad's attention from me! But we're sisters damn it, we got past that. So come on… just tell me where you are…"

Silence was her answer.

Severa felt her pulse slow and she sighed. "Look at me, bargaining with someone that can't hear me. I don't know where she is, no one does. I can just hear Mom and Dad telling me that I should keep a better eye on her though, even if she's old enough as is."

The leaves rustled again, but there was no breeze. Instead, the noise came from the undergrowth further in the woods. Severa frowned and stood up, eyes scanning the brush. Eventually, her eyes spotted a dark spot a long way off from where she stood, but it was growing by the second.

The hell?!

Severa dove to the side and avoided a big, black, neighing object. It wasn't until she was sure the thing wouldn't charge her again that Severa finally got a good look at the creature.

Her throat ran dry. "T-Theresa!"

The Pegasus neighed in greeting, her snout nuzzling Severa's shoulder. Severa had just enough control to pat the Pegasus's head, but her mind was spinning.

This has to be Theresa, I'd never forget those eyes! But, why is she black? She was still white when she came back to us and there were only grey feathers when she was with-

She caught up with her thoughts and her breath froze. "Theresa… is Morgan with you? Is she ok, can you take me to her?!"

Theresa snorted, her head gesturing where she came from. At that moment, a young woman's voice rang through the air. "Theresa, where'd you go? Come on girl, we can't just have you run off like that, we need to find sis!"

Severa ignored the tears that burst from her eyes, her mind racing to memorize every last detail around her. The way the light fell through the trees, how Theresa's mane shifted, how she moved, and the way the leaves parted to reveal a head of scarlet red.

The figure's eyes landed on Theresa first. "There you are! You need to stop running off so much, I can-"

The girl's eyes found Severa and they widened, her voice fell to a whisper. "…Sis?"

Severa's brain raced to memorize the new image, words failing her. The other girl was shorter than her, only coming to her nose even in her riding boots. A black and white riding dress covered her, dirt and grime smudging the once pristine cloth, but the steel of her armor shone in the light. Above the metal that encased her torso and arms was a youthful face with tears starting to make tracks in the dirt. Mismatched eyes made a mirror of Severa's own, an opal on the left and a garnet on the right, before a mat of tangled scarlet hair hid them from view. The last thing Severa saw were a pair of light blue hair clips, the silver stained and the gold caps long since gone.

Words finally came to Severa's mouth. "…Morgan, i-it's you."

Morgan's only answer was to start sobbing, hands covering her eyes. Severa almost ran to her, but Morgan took a shaky step forward. Then another, and another, until she was right in front of Severa.

Severa reached out shakily. "Morg?"

Morgan choked another sob before she wrapped Severa in a crushing hug, wailing into Severa's shoulder. "Sev, I missed you so, so much! Don't leave me again!"

Severa rubbed her sister's head, wrapping her other arm around the smaller girl. "I'm the one who should be saying that. Next time, you come with me when I say so, no heroics."

Morgan nodded into her sister's shoulder, still sobbing. Theresa, wanting in on the hug, draped one of her wings over the sisters. Severa was glad for the privacy the wing provided, a brief thanks going to Theresa before she buried her face in her sister's messy mane.

For once, as her tears wet the scarlet tresses, she knew no pain. Her mind was at ease and her back was silent.

All she felt was raw, honest, relief.

Lucina and Cynthia, their issues worked out after a long argument and even longer apology, hid in the brush. They were desperate to greet their wayward friend and humble themselves before Severa, but they would not interrupt this moment.

Severa had her family back. To ruin this was to court damnation.

-Castle Flavia-

Lissa stared silently into the lightening sky, eyes glassy. She'd worked so hard, stretching every minute of her training to the limit, and it hadn't done squat. She wasn't able to heal her friends until their new members had broken the curse, hadn't been able to help Cordelia cope with her grief, and now…

She'd failed her sister, at the time when she needed her most.

She didn't really care that the sun was about to rise, or that they'd come to an agreement about taking down Gangrel next month. She just wanted to be away from everyone and stew in her failure. Emmeryn would be buried with full honors the moment the war was over, but there was still the problem of restoring order to Ylisse in the wake of everything.

Lissa sighed for the millionth time, kicking her feet against the ledge she was sitting on. The top of the castle was nice and quiet, if cold, but she welcomed the pricks dancing on her skin. It made her feel alive and awake as she gazed at the frozen world of snow.

Boots thudded against the stonework, but Lissa ignored the noise. It wasn't until the wonderful scent of roast chicken found her nose that she looked back. "Oh, hi Donny. How'd you find me?"

Donnel shrugged and plopped next to her, placing a wrapped pair of drumsticks on the stone between them. "Well, the roof's a right place to be alone. I sat myself down here too, 'member?"

Lissa nodded. "Oh, right… You came up after you came with us because… oh."

Donnel sighed, breath misting in front of them. "Yeah, my pop. He taught me how to hunt, ya know, and a lot of other things. The goatkeep may have taught me how to read, but pa knew everthin' else. It's… still raw."

Lissa nodded and grabbed her drumstick, tearing a bite out of it before speaking. "I know if anyone feels like that, it's me. You lost him when those dastards attacked your village and I just lost Emm."

Donnel nodded and took a bite out of his piece. "Yeah… Sorry, didn't want to make ya all glum. Just… wantin' to lend an ear I guess."

Lissa almost smiled, his goal warming her heart. "That's kind of you, Donny. But… I just want to be alone right now."

Donnel shook his head. "That's the last thing a perty girl like you needs. My ma always said, 'people need people to mourn, bein' alone only makes it worse.'"

Lissa felt her cheeks flame up and she was glad for the cold. "She's… very wise. Really, Donny, I appreciate it, but I just want to sort this out myself."

Donnel sighed and tore through the rest of his snack before standing. "Well, ya ain't got a choice. Your brother asked me ta get you, said it was important."

Lissa rolled her eyes, a grimace painting her face. "Well, if that's what you were told, fine. Just let me finish this off."

Donnel shrugged and had to keep a smirk off his face. Lissa took note of the mirth, but resigned herself to tear through the chicken as quick as she could. Not very ladylike, but she didn't care right now.

Donnel grabbed the bone from her when she was done. "Hey, want to hear sometin' cool?"

Lissa's curious eyes were his answer. "Ok, in ma village, it's a tradition use bones when one a the villagers dies. We go to a cliff, take a thigh bone a whatever we have the most of, and snap it. Then, we toss the bones over the cliff."

Lissa wondered at that. "Why?"

Donnel shrugged. "The bones 're suppose to represent the life, strong and steady, till death breaks it and frees the soul inside it. Then, castin' 'em over the cliff shows that they've left the world and we gotta move on. It's our way of showing them they'll be missed."

Lissa felt a faint stirring in her mind at that, a voice she hadn't heard in a while. "A surprisingly fitting tribute. Humble, but to the point. Take note, little arbiter, you may be doing this and more one day."

Lissa shook her head and the voice was gone. That was… odd. "Do you… want to do that here?"

Donnel nodded, snapping the thigh bones like twigs. "This here's for my pa and your sister. Want to do the next part?"

Lissa gulped and took the bones reverently, a part of her mind feeling a little silly at holding the broken pieces so carefully. But she took the pieces to the edge and paused. "Um, do I say something?"

Donnel chuckled. "You don't have to if you don't want to. Ma says silence can say more t'an anything."

Lissa chuckled too, her heart a little lighter. "Well, I think I need to say something. …Ok, here I go."

She stepped to the ledge and held out the bones. "Emm, I'm sorry I couldn't help you. I'm sorry that I couldn't help my friends. I'm sorry I couldn't live up to what I've always wanted to be."

Only the winter wind answered her. "But… I'm going to keep trying. That's what you always told me, and I'll live by it from now on. I may not be able to help everyone, but I'll follow your example 'till the day I die. Thank you, for all the years you've given me. Now, I hope you can rest and be at peace."

She was surprised at the strength in her voice, but her heart ached with relief as the words spilled out. She smiled and looked back to Donnel. "Hey, Donny, what was your pa's name?"

Donnel smiled at her, eyes alight with something she couldn't describe. "My pa's name was Owain. My grandma and grandpa were kinda funny."

Lissa smiled. "Owain, huh? Well, Mr. Owain, I'm glad you helped bring Donny along. He may not be the cleverest, or the most articulate, but I wouldn't trade his friendship for anything. I hope you can rest in peace too, and know that Donny's a great guy."

She closed her eyes and let the bones drop, feeling at peace with the winter sun that finally crested the horizon.

Donnel was struck by her poise and beauty, silently committing the sun around her to memory. Lissa chuckled and started towards the stairs, waving for Donnel to follow her. "Come on, Donny, we have to meet Chrom!"

Donnel snapped back to reality and ran after her, glad to see the sun finally rising for her.

-Robin-

Heaven above was that embarrassing.

Robin grunted as he helped Kellam with a training lance. On the orders of the Shepherd's newest healer, a beautiful priest named Libra, Kellam was slowly working himself back into fighting shape with liberal applications of healing magic and physical therapy. Robin had volunteered to help in the process, both to help his friend and ease his guilt.

Kellam's voice caught his ear. "Still thinking about what happened with Libra?"

Robin snorted, feeling his ears burn. "Of course I am, everyone is. I called him a woman to his face, how would I not be embarrassed?"

Kellam chuckled, but the grimace on his face belied the mirth. "Yes, well, you aren't the only one. He's just so… ethereal, I guess."

Robin laughed. "Did you hear what Virion said about him? He said that if he had even a tenth of Libra's beauty, every maiden's heart would be his!"

Kellam coughed a laugh, his lance shaking. "That sounds just like him. And, how many more times are we doing this today?"

Robin did the math with a hum. "About twenty more, we're almost done."

Kellam nodded. "Good, good. It's a lot better, but it still smarts."

Robin's mood fell at the reminder of the injury. "How's… how's Sully doing?"

Kellam sighed as they stopped the exercise. "She's not taking it all that well. The dastard's spear may have missed anything vital, but the curse… It'll be a miracle if we can ever make a family."

Robin sighed, melancholy making him nauseous. "I'm sorry. I know you two were hoping to have children some day."

Kellam sighed in turn, massaging his temples. "Yeah, and I doubt her family's going to be happy about it. She's an only child and her family wants an heir, continue the good name and all that. They weren't too happy when she accepted my proposal either, her father still refuses to speak with me."

Robin shook his head, silently cursing the sheer misfortune. "Well, she loves you and you alone. I think you two'll be fine, you just need to have faith."

Kellam chuckled under his breath. "At this point, that's all we have. Remind me to thank Frederick later, he's likely telling Sully the same thing right now."

Robin nodded, but a familiar voice interrupted their heart-to-heart. "Sir Robin, Lord Chrom requires your presence. I'll take over Sir Kellam's care for now."

Robin turned to find the one and only Libra walking towards them, accompanied by their other new member. "Libra, Tharja. Is it important?"

Libra nodded his head at the greeting and the dour woman behind him muttered what sounded like a greeting. "He said it was urgent."

Robin puffed his hair out of his face and stood up. "Alright, I leave my friend to you. Try not to lose him this time, ok?"

Libra huffed while Tharja chuckled darkly. Robin ignored them and strode into the guts of the castle, his thoughts only turning to his new arrivals when he was well away from them.

Libra was, as his conversation with Kellam showed, a priest of such beauty he was often mistaken for a woman. His patience was saintly too, if his handling of the misunderstanding was anything to go by.

Tharja was a dark mage and formerly part of Gangrel's forces. She'd defected when the realization that her life and that of those around her meant nothing to the king and Libra had trusted her enough to offer his help when she'd been injured trying to flee.

She was a little creepy, all things told, but she'd broken the curse on their injured comrades for what amounted to an act of generosity and it seemed Libra had her undying loyalty. Combine that with Libra's devotion to Ylisse and she was assured to stay with them.

Still didn't make her any less unnerving, even if she was starting to lighten up a bit.

Robin shook his mind free just in time to avoid Frederick. By the looks of it, Sully's lesson was over and Nowi had taken advantage by jumping onto her customary spot on his back.

Robin waved to the manakete, glad she was in her adult form today. "Good day, Nowi. Bothering Frederick like always, are we?"

Nowi giggled from Frederick's back, the other man holding her with ease. "Nah, I'm just hanging out with him. Sully's supposed to rest up, but I asked Frederick to do something fun that wasn't training."

Robin's eyes widened. "And what could that be? I've only ever seen him enjoy training and starting fires."

Frederick sniffed, annoyance cracking his stoic mask. "I'll have you know I can do more than just that for enjoyment. Lady Nowi observed Lady Olivia practicing a routine and wished to learn from her. However, Lady Olivia is not the best teacher, so I've been asked to teach her the basics."

Robin popped his lips. "Ah, that explains it then. Well, don't let me stop you, have fun."

Frederick nodded and marched away, Nowi giggling on his back the whole way. Robin sincerely hoped she'd stop doing that at some point, if only because it was strange for a young woman to be carried everywhere, dragonhood be damned.

A breath exploded from his mouth and he hurried along, almost running over Vaike and Cherche in his haste. He exchanged a quick apology and well-wishes before taking off again, this time feeling his lips twist in a smirk.

Cherche had taken Vaike's injury personally and had appointed herself his caretaker. Vaike had complained about not needing help for all of five seconds before he realized his crush was going to be interacting with him day in and day out for his entire recovery.

It truly was entertaining to see how charmed they were with each other. Though it made Virion and Minerva more than a little exasperated, much to everyone else's amusement.

Finally, after far too long a delay, Robin arrived at Chrom's room. The prince was always here, after what had happened, so Robin never bothered asking where to find him.

He opened the door with a sigh. "Alright, Chrom, what-"

His eyes caught sight of an apparition and he retreated from the room, slamming the door behind him. He counted to ten before slowly opening the door again, just enough to peek inside. Yep, that was Emmeryn's ghost, she'd come to haunt him.

The spirit was smiling at the door, but he refused to enter. He'd read stories of events such as these, where the dead would appear before the living, and such encounters rarely ended well.

"Hey, Robin, what are you doing?"

The voice made him jump from the door, adrenaline making him burst into a cold sweat. "Begone spirit!"

His eyes found a smiling Lissa, her face scrunched in an attempt to keep her mirth in. Miraculously, she succeeded. "Well, I'm no spirit and don't intend on being one anytime soon. Now, why are you peeking into my brother's room? He and Sumia finally pluck up and tango?"

Robin's ears subconsciously flamed. "No, that, what are you even asking?! Look, just, don't go in there, he's not here!"

Lissa frowned. "Really? Then he wouldn't mind us checking, now would he?"

Robin grabbed her reaching hand. "No, I already looked! He… must be getting something to eat, yes!"

Lissa rolled her eyes. "Please, we both know he's taken his food in his room ever since we came back. Now let me go!"

Robin tried to stop her other hand, but the door flew open to reveal a very annoyed Chrom. "What the devil are you two doing?! Get in here, before anyone else comes!"

Lissa smirked at Robin before following him inside. A moment later, a piercing shriek rent the air and there was the sound of two voices panicking. Robin took a deep breath and forced himself into the room, his back to anyone there until he'd shut the door.

His entire being felt drowned in sweat, but he dredged up his courage and turned to face the phantom. Who was, surprisingly, carrying Lissa to the bed.

Chrom must have seen his face. "This… is complicated. Believe it or not, that's Emmeryn, though not exactly in the flesh."

Emmeryn, honest to heaven Emmeryn, finished making Lissa comfortable and walked in front of Robin. She looked him up and down before smiling warmly. "You don't believe I'm real, do you?"

Robin shook his head, mute in the face of a miracle.

Emmeryn's smile turned to a smirk. "Well, how about this?"

Emmeryn stepped close to him, a little too close for his liking, and he felt a warm pair of lips press against his cheeks.

His mind froze, she was real!

Emmeryn pulled back from him, smiling like a cat at both Robin and her brother. "Believe now?"

Robin did the only thing he could, even as Chrom gave him a surprised stare.

He followed Lissa's lead and screeched for all he was worth before he blacked out.

Ch 18 End

Ah, this rewrite is a lot of fun.

Ok now here's the poll result for the name!

*Severa and Lucina enter with a big screen*

With a result of 6-1, I will NOT be changing Robin's name!

Severa: Thank heaven! That would take a while to get used to

Lucina: Indeed, and I like Uncle Rob better then Uncle Helel anyway.

7: Moving on! We have the results from my other poll!

Severa: Um, 7? We got one vote and that's it.

7: What!? But, I need at least three!

Lucina: Sorry 7, I guess most of the readers didn't know about it.

7: Fine… I'll hold it open until Ch 19 then, so get voting people!

Anyway, I'd like to thank you all for sticking with the story! It's been running for about two months now and I can't believe how much support it's gotten!

So everyone knows this is only the first part of a two-part side section (maybe three parts). I wanted to give some of the others some screen time and develop relations a bit, so no big action just yet!

Now Review responses!

Goodralisk: I do agree that a berserk Chrom would have done a great job of adding further drama in the game! Also it's the Sumia Punchthat I copyrighted so you can have the Pegasus Punch!

Warlord 40k: While he is indeed a warmongering religious fanatic, the former Exalt wanted ALL Plegians dead. This included both willing and unwilling members of the Grimleal. He also forced his people into a war they didn't want, sending them to die in his crusade. Lastly, the fanatic leaders of the Grimleal are leaders because they're fanatics. They just bully the others or convert them to extremism.

Strider Shade: Thanks! I thought that Chrom going berserk fit better into his character and was a great way to convey just how close he was to Emmeryn. Though sadly, the Sumia Punchis not a fiery Pegasus. It's closer to a Pegasus shaped rock giving you a hard kick. Lastly, GIVE ME THE POMERANIAN! NOW!

The Lavender Empress: Chrom being violent IS kinda cool huh? Also I can't thank you enough for the flashback idea, it really got the chapter rolling. I hope this chapter lives up to expectations!

Guest: Sadly, Robin will not have his name changed. If I did change it, I'd change his name in every instance from the beginning to now.

Csihawk: Yes that was Mustafa he went crazy on (the poor manL). Also, Cordelia is awesome to write. I came up with the angelic imagery after seeing a post on deviant art so I can't wait to expand their relationship! Lastly, you have been heard Sir! The poll says not to change the name, so I won't!

That's all I have so,

Squad 7 Dismissed!