Chapter 16) Smoldering Resistance

The rest of the journey is a strange mix of quiet and cheerful. We ran into no more Valmese soldiers, and Cynthia and Laurent add new dynamics to the group. Though there is some awkwardness, of course. But the parents manage to adapt, with Frederick even knitting Cynthia some gloves and Kellam quietly supporting Laurent whenever he pulled some experiment or other.

I do my best to not bring down the mood, but it is hard. All my old fears… they've roared back with a vengeance. They gnaw at my mind until I'm nothing but exhausted day and night. During the worse of it, I wished I never even met the group. Things had been so much easier when I could pretend to not feel anything.

The worst part about sailing was how boring it was. You were confined to a small space for hours on end, with barely anything to do. All the more aggravating to me was… well… after our conversation, Chrom had taken to hovering near. Clinging without seeming to cling No small part of me wanted to snap, because no matter how much I loved him and loved being near him, I did need my own space. It didn't help that the conversation weighed heavily on both of us, though we did our best to not let anyone know about it.

"The worst part was that I know he can be far more logical when it doesn't involve people he loves," I grumbled, resting against the railing. It was very, very early, the first of dawn's light creeping across the skies to chase away the night, and therefore, I had the deck all to myself. "If it were a stranger, he'd probably still fight, but he'd be far more willing to listen." But it wasn't. As things stood, it was 'find another way' or 'sacrifice your wife and best friend'. Of course he fought against it.

Me, though? If I weren't so scared of dying, I'd probably have already done it. I couldn't take gambles like this. I'd rather take the more certain path, the path I knew would work, instead of gambling on something better. When you gambled, you could win or lose. But losing would doom so many… thousands… millions… and, far more selfishly, it would doom my little girls. I couldn't take a gamble like that. I wasn't worth…

"Do you normally wake up this early to brood by the water, or is today a special day?" Robin walked up, laughing softly as he shifted his coat on a little better. It did little to hide the hickey on his neck. "I would've thought you'd be asleep still, like a sane person," he joked, joining me by the railing. "Or cuddling with your husband."

"I wanted a bit of fresh air," I replied, barely looking at him. I pointed to his neck, and he blushed before attempting to hide the hickey better. He failed miserably. "That's all."

"It's so early, though."

"You're up."

"Unsettling dreams." Robin shrugged, and then slowly stretched out his neck. "Many unsettling dreams. Perhaps my unconscious trying to remind me of our past."

"I hope not. You're much happier without the memories. You smile more."

"Then I almost wish I could take them from you, so that you'd smile more instead." He poked my cheek a few times until I had to smile and laugh a little. "You've been fraying a bit. Your nerves, I mean."

"Everyone is, you know. A group as rambunctious as ours isn't suited to cramped quarters." I gave him a slightly dirty look. "And someone decided that destroying part of our armada was a smart idea, making us a little cramped."

"Hey, it destroyed a good portion of their army?" He smiled sheepishly, but I couldn't smile back. I couldn't help but remember the people who burned, and the people who drowned. I knew it was a sound tactic, and it got a lot of us out alive, but… "However, I can trace most of our group's frayed nerves to simply the travel. You, however… I'm not so sure. In fact, I'm certain that it's primarily something else. Perhaps, say… Grima?"

"Gods damn it." I groaned, dropping my head and barely resisting the urge to just bang my head on the railing. "You're a horrible person."

"For poking at my trying too hard sister?"

"I'm not trying anything." It was so hard to not grumble. "Except trying to not scream."

"Whichever." He poked me again, but I didn't look up. "You were smiling a lot, before all of this."

"Well, there's a lot to worry about now, Robin." The words were snappier than I wanted, and I sighed. "I'm sorry. I was… I thought I was doing better, with all the support." But learning that I was destined to lose everything, my greatest fear… learning that I was destined to essentially doom my children, my friends' children, to a future of despair… that was enough to shake anyone. "It's nothing but me being stupid."

"I highly doubt that. What bothers you? Is it what happened in the future? Will happen if we don't do something?"

"If we even can do something."

"We can. We are not pawns on destiny's boards. We are not actors following a script. There are invisible ties connecting us together, giving us strength." He took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "We forge the ties and we strengthen them. Through those ties, we make our own choices."

"…I wonder if your future self thought that." I smiled bitterly, shaking my head. "I can't believe that, Robin. I can believe in you and I can believe in Chrom, but I can't believe destiny is something that we can outrun. Out maneuver. We've run all our lives, and yet, apparently, we're still on the path to it."

"Perhaps we're not."

"In the future, apparently all the couples that we have now paired off just as they are now, particularly impressive given your amnesia. There was the war with Plegia, and then the war with Valm. Emmeryn died, no matter what."

"She died in a different way."

"But she still died." I sighed, closing my eyes briefly to try and ward off my headache. "Honestly, Robin, the only way I can see us subverting it is by taking us off the path entirely."

"I can't agree to that."

"I know you can't, and I know I'm afraid to." I looked down at the waves, and watched them crash against the boat. "It's pathetic, really."

"It's not pathetic to hold onto hope, Kestrel."

"I'm not, though. I'm not holding onto any hope. I'm just too scared to die, Robin. I'm just too scared of everything."

He didn't reply, probably because he knew there was nothing to be said to that. Instead, he leaned into my side affectionately, and let me rest my head on his shoulder. The comfort was enough.

I couldn't believe destiny could change. But I could still believe in the others. Maybe that would be enough. But gods, I was scared it wasn't.

With that gloomy start to my day, I couldn't cheer with the others as we finally pulled into Valm Harbor, even though it meant our sea travels were over for now. Though, their cheer didn't last long. When we arrived, it was in the middle of some sort of altercation, so we immediately disembarked and split up to try and ensure the civilians were safe. I ended up with Virion and Tharja, as was quickly becoming our normal, and we ran around covering people as they ducked into safety. When we had a bit of a break, though, I noticed something. The Valmese soldiers… they were chasing someone.

"Based on how they are running, I would say that the person is…" I murmured aloud from my perch on a roof. Tharja and Virion had insisted on climbing up to better cover and since the Valmese soldiers had thought to look up yet, I focused on trying to find where the person they were chasing likely was. "Hmmm… perhaps…" I went on my tiptoes and grinned when I discovered I was right. There, tucked in a corner between two houses, was a woman not dressed in Valmese armor, but armored to the teeth and snarling at any Valmese soldier who got too close. "Is she dual-wielding?"

"Is who?" Tharja asked, taking a break from throwing thunderbolts to lean over my shoulder. She looked a bit and I pointed to help her. "Oh. Huh. Looks like it. That's odd. Do you kill twice as fast when you dual wield?"

"It's honestly not that practical in my experience, but that could be because I'm not trained in it."

"I see." She rested her chin on my shoulder, still watching the woman. "So many soldiers for one woman? This Walhart is clearly compensating for something. Perhaps a curse to 'help' him out."

"Tharja!" I burst into laughter, unable to help it. Virion fired an arrow, the last one in his quiver, and then gave us a weird look. "Tharja thinks Walhart is lashing out due to feel too 'small' in certain areas."

"Too… ah." Virion smiled, but hid it, likely to try and keep from laughing. "Well, I suppose…" he began. However, he began laughing, and shook his head. "I shouldn't find that so amusing. I've seen what he has done."

"You see what men obsessed with their masculinity and power do all the time," Tharja countered. She pointed to the woman, who was now looking around in confusion. Probably the laughter. "We think the soldiers are after her."

"Oh?" Virion walked over and found her instantly. "Well, I'll be…" He smiled warmly, though the accompanying laugh was surprised. "That's Say'ri, the princess of Chon'sin."

"You know her?"

"A trifle. I did more business with her brother, Yen'fey, the ruler of Chon'sin. But I have seen her before. I am not surprised to see her fighting." His smile dropped for seriousness. "We should go to her aid. She is a strong swordmaster, like many of Chon'sin nobles, but from here, I can see she is haggard."

"Let's climb down, then." Tharja looked around and nodded. "The others don't need cover for right now. Kestrel, do you mind helping me? I still can't believe I made it up here."

"And yet, you were the one who insisted," I teased. She glowered and I laughed. "Come on. I'll help you down."

The three of us climbed down slowly, and picked our way towards 'Say'ri'. There were a few soldiers, but they didn't like Tharja's magic. Or my sword. Or Virion's back-up dagger since he needed more arrows. Regardless, we made our way through fairly easily, and thus, found Say'ri, still looking around confused, but she smiled when she saw us.

"You do not bear the garb of Walhart's soldiers," she murmured, bowing to us. Her tone and accent were strangely formal, but her smile was kind when she saw me. "Ah, pray tell, might you been Queen Kestrel of Ylisse?"

"Er… yes?" I squeaked, startled. Virion patted my back reassuringly while Tharja snickered. "How did you…?"

"We do still get travelers, your majesty. Many merchants have come over the past two years and regaled us with tales of Ylisse's Warrior Queen." She bowed slightly, and I had to fight to keep from blushing. And stifle the urge to glower at Chrom for that 'nickname'. "I am Say'ri, your majesty, of Chon'sin."

"Ah, yes, I… Virion told me." I gestured to him and silently begged him to help. He gave me a teasing look at first, but my panic must've shown, because he immediately stepped up. "You might remember him?"

"Duke Virion?" Say'ri replied. She started for a moment before bowing slightly again. "You must forgive my surprise. I had heard you had fled."

"I did, to keep my people from fighting, and dying, in a hopeless battle," Virion replied with great dignity. He bowed back, smiling kindly. I worked on calming down a bit, and was touched when Tharja actually took my hand and patted my shoulder. I'd rather have their hatred than their deaths."

"That…" She frowned, but then smiled bitterly. "I am afraid I cannot quite grasp the logic of your reasoning. The words make sense, yet I cannot help but think of other scenarios."

"You and I had very different upbringings, Princess Say'ri. Chon'sin values honor far more than my home."

"'Tis true, yes." Her smile warmed, though. "Yet you return, alongside allies. I pray your people will see your logic, even if I do not."

"I will earn their trust again, the hard way."

"Better than my brother." She scowled, glowering at the ground. "May Duma's fires roast him."

"That's… surprising." Virion frowned. "Yen'fey always came across as a quiet, but honorable man."

"Yet he sided with Walhart without a single fight, and leads our armies to destroy villages." Say'ri spat out the words, hatred making them venomous. "He was once good, but no longer. He is not my brother, and if we meet him on the field of battle, I would cut him down, same as any other imperial."

"It seems much has changed in two years, then." Virion managed to smile again, though. "Your fire and beauty, however, has not, Princess Say'ri."

"Ah, there is the silver-tongue that trots out flattery as easily as the wind blows." She relaxed, shaking her head. "You change the subject to keep me from stressing."

"Now, now. I merely am paying you a compliment."

"I shall pretend to fall for that." She grew a little more serious, but her smile remained as she turned to me. "Queen Kestrel, do you lead the army or does another?"

"Me? No, that would be my husband and my brother, along with Flavia, Ferox's ruling Khan," I replied. I felt a little steadier now, though Tharja still held my hand. "Here, let's take you to them, and finish up this battle."

"Verily!" Say'ri replied, nodding firmly. She really did speak formally. "Lead on."

We made our way through the battle, Say'ri and I taking point, and found Chrom and Robin who had been looking for us. Quick introductions all around, before we finished off the last of the enemies and then began helping people with dealing with the rubble and their injured. I took the grim duty of body detail, out of habit, and carried the corpses of our soldiers, their soldiers, and the civilians all caught up in the mess.

At one point, though, I had to pause. I was picking up the body of a half-trampled child, bloody making their body horrendously sticky. Only their lowered half was gone. They'd bled out, slowly and in terrible pain, and no one came to help. For a split second, I saw my baby girls in their place, and I looked up to shake my head, but all I saw was devastation. Ruin. Burning and broken houses. Crying and sobbing people. Corpses lining the streets. Blood streaming into the sewers. It was a sight you saw often when war happened. I also knew, though, that if Grima came back, such scenes would be tame. If Grima came back, all would die and…

"Mother?" A hand fell on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Lucina looking at me worriedly. "Mother, you don't look like you've slept well," she whispered, crouching down next to me and reaching for the child. "Why don't you rest? I'm used to things like this."

"That isn't…" I began. My heart broke at how easily she offered, but I managed to hold onto my calm. Of all the people I didn't want to know how scared I was… a parent was supposed to be strong for their child. My mother did that. "I'm just worried, Lucina. That's all." I ruffled her hair and smiled, and Lucina smiled back, relieved. Neither of us mentioned the blood in her hair, or the blood sticking awkwardly to my face and neck. "How about you and I work together, though? We'll get done faster, and then have more time to spend on happier things."

"I'd love that!" Lucina's expression lit up and I softened, relaxing. That smile… I wanted to protect it. Even if her being here caused me a host of problems… I wanted to protect her and her smile. "Here, I'll get the top half…"

"You have my gratitude for coming to assist us," Say'ri whispered, bowing even though she was sitting. With everything a little more settled, Chrom, Robin, and Flavia all decided to talk to Say'ri. Robin asked for me to join in, since Virion wanted to patrol with Cherche. "Truly, it is appreciated."

"Well, it's not like we had too much of a choice," Chrom explained, smiling awkwardly. We were borrowing one of the intact houses, sitting around a kitchen table. Say'ri sat with her legs tucked under her, something I did vaguely remember from my own travels through Chon'sin. "Walhart has attacked our own shores and, worse, sent an assassin after our children." Chrom and I shared a pained look. We both worried deathly for our girls even now. "We had to answer."

"I understand completely." Say'ri sat ramrod straight, smiling. "Well, I am one of the leaders of the Resistance, though many do distrust me, due to my brother being Walhart's general."

"I had thought Walhart stamped out all dissenters."

"He tries, but we are far too swift. We strike quickly and vanish again into the dark of night. The people support us. They help where they can."

"I would've thought them too afraid."

"Some are. But others turn to anger when their villages are razed to the ground for no reason but sport." Say'ri smiled proudly. "They even say that a woman named Berenice assists and leads a resistance group within the heart of Walhart's troops, though of course, I cannot verify that. No matter how hard I try to bring us together, my reach and stealth cannot make it past Valm's guards. But still, I do believe it. Even now, rebels ride to the banner of dynasts across the continent. United, we can be a veritable threat to Walhart."

"Is that so?" Flavia asked. She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. "What's stopping this union? Pride?"

"Greed, jealousy, sloth. All of the old weaknesses of man." Say'ri growled under her breath. "They want freedom, but on their terms and will not ride unless promised some riches. Some refuse to take up arms unless they are directly threatened. Others thrive in these harsh times and will not join unless we prove to be more 'profitable'."

"Liberty is a fine word, but not always enough to rouse the people from their foolishness."

"It's not enough to stir up hope," I countered gently. I felt I had to. I knew what it was like, to simply lose all hope. I was battling it now, with Grima. "When you see everything fall apart, it takes special people to help the broken masses pick up the pieces. Easier to simply let it be."

"Too true," Robin agreed. Since I was sitting between him and Chrom, he snuck his hand down to squeeze mine. "So, what we'll have to do also is show them hope, a hope greater than the fear they have."

"And hope they're aren't hostages." If this… Excellus was the type to send assassins, he had to be the type to take hostages. "Not to mention a good rallying point… we won't do. We're outsiders, coming to help. We can lead the forces, but we can't be the rallying point."

"Otherwise, we're not much better than Walhart, or at least, so people will think," Chrom murmured. He fell silent for a moment before looking at Say'ri. "Do you have any ideas to unite your people?"

"Yes, one," Say'ri replied. She leaned forward, eyes sparkling with excitement and hope. "After the Schism, our people began worshiping Naga, much as those of Ylisse do, though you still have those who worship the Earth Mother and War Father. And in Mila's very own tree is a temple where Lady Tiki, Oracle of Naga, rests. She has been kept prisoner there for some time, but if she were freed…"

"A very convenient rallying point."

"Precisely." Say'ri pointed in a 'random' direction. I was certain it wasn't random to her, but I certainly didn't know. "The way to the Mila Tree is blocked from this direction, but I believe the north should be less protected. Only the Shrine Ruins are there."

"A shrine to Mila?"

"Some believe that. Others believe it was a shrine to Duma, the War Father. Sadly, while some records from before the Schism remain in Valm's libraries, the true knowledge of the shrine did not." Say'ri smiled slightly. "Not helped, of course, by how the lands were said to have shifted."

"Ah, yes, we lost many records as well."

"Any potential problems?" Flavia asked, linking her hands together and stretching her arms above her head. "Fighting?"

"Not until we reach the Great Gate, providing that things are typical," Say'ri explained. She sketched in the air, like she had a mental map. "Even then, we might be able to bypass the nearby towns and cities. There will be a festival soon. People move in and out all the time during a festival."

"Sounds perfect for slipping people through." Flavia grinned and stood. "Let's sort out the details later. I think we can all use a little break."

The group dispersed then, or tried to. I noticed Chrom sticking close to me again and stopped in the middle of the room while Say'ri, Flavia, and Robin left. Chrom stopped as well, and it just… I was sure there were some people who wanted to spend every waking moment with their beloved, but there was a difference between choosing to do that and having your partner cling.

"Chrom, there's no need to stay so close," I grumbled, leaning against the table. I didn't look up at him. "If I plan on killing myself, I will inform you first."

"That's not…" Chrom began, sounding hurt. There was a very long silence before he continued. "Why joke about that?"

"It's not really a joke."

"Kes…" He sighed. "May I hug you?"

"…You may." I leaned into his and closed my eyes to listen to his heartbeat. Absently, my hand fell to his and lingered over his wedding ring. "I love you."

"I love you too. I wish…" He sighed again and hugged me a little tighter. "You know, even now, some days, I can't believe you're here. You're here and you're my wife. It's like a dream, really." He kissed the top of my head and twisted his hand to clutch mine. Both of our wedding rings shone in the fading light. "You appeared in my life very quickly. Out of nowhere, really. Even after two years, three… however long, I feel like you'll disappear."

"Chrom…"

"I'm braver when you're near. I'm steadier. I don't feel quite so lost. And…" His hand began shaking, and I lifted it up to kiss it. "I'm terrified that I will look away, so very briefly, and you'll go away, because you're noble enough to sacrifice yourself, and I… it may be foolish, but I believe that we can find a future where you and Robin live, and our people are safe. A future where, when everything is over, we both return to our girls, and we rule Ylisse together."

"…I'm not noble." I just wanted to spare my family and friends. I just didn't want to lose everything. I'd rather die than watch everything fall apart. "It's selfish, really." I sighed, though, and opened my eyes to look at him. "Fine. I won't go far from you. You don't go far from me. You find a way, and I'll see if you can manage it."

"You have no faith I can do it, huh?"

"I believe that if anyone can, Chrom, you and this crazy group can." I smiled bitterly up at him. "I'm just not so certain it's even possible. But, if anyone can, you can. So, I'll try to believe for a while longer."

"Kes…" He leaned down to kiss me, hard and desperate. I responded in kind, clinging to him tightly.

I wished I could just magically have faith, could magically just… not be the way I was. But I couldn't. All the anxiety I felt… all my guilt and hatred… it didn't just disappear. All I could do was try and fight it off long enough to believe in them. Along with everything else we had to fight. Gods, the next few days were going to be horribly tiring. I wanted to go home.

After the conversation, and ensuing make out session because my husband was far too good of a kisser, Chrom went to talk to Say'ri about what supplies and fighters the Resistance had. I decided to cook for everyone, which ended up being a surprisingly lively cooking session with some of the villagers. Cynthia, exuberant as always, insisted on helping, though after she fell and nearly knocked things over for the fifth time, I assigned her as the bread kneader and official taste tester. She dragged Laurent into helping out too, and Lucina shyly asked to assist, since she didn't actually know how to cook but wanted to learn. I ended up teaching all three of them, and wondered why my future self never did. Maybe 'she' hadn't had the time.

Once everything was cooked and served, I ducked into one of the empty houses and sharpened my sword, relaxing into the familiar rhythm. I'd need a new sword soon. This on was the same one I'd fought with during the war with Plegia, and it was showing its age. I wondered if Say'ri knew of a good armory where we could buy swords and not have to worry about being caught.

"Ah, there's the cooking queen!" Basilio walked in with a boisterous laugh. I looked up to smile at him, but continued with my task. "So, Flavia was wondering if you and Chrom had an argument," he said, leaning against the wall. I nearly bit my tongue because I was so startled at the bluntness. Then again, it did suit him. "She's been trying to sort of poke around and see, but I figured I'd ask."

"It's not exactly an argument," I sighed, grimacing. I didn't really like it that the… whatever… was gossip for the people. "I'm in a bit of a… mental downturn I suppose you could say…"

"Ah, one of those." He nodded, fully understanding. "You swear you're fine, then something happens and bam! You wonder if you actually made any progress or just fooled yourself into think you did."

"Yeah. Then you have the thing with the future, and destiny…"

"Oh, all that destiny stuff is hogwash." Basilio said it easily, and perhaps with a touch of annoyance. "Yes, the gods do favor some sides and whatnot, but they've better things to do than plot out every bit of our lives. One's 'fate', if it can be called that, is simply the choices that you make, based on you and your personality, and the consequences of those choices."

"What if they only lead you to one road, though?" I stopped sharpening my sword and looked up at him. "What if…" What if you were 'destined' to bring about the end of everything? "What if you can only see one way to get off said road?"

"Oh, wow, no wonder Chrom's been worried." He sighed and sat down next to me. "Okay, here's what I'm hearing. You're panicking because of the war, the threat to your children, having to be the mother to a… hmm…" He paused, thinking of his words. "Technically an adult, but in many ways, is still a child desperate for love and attention… person. Persons, rather. Cynthia and Laurent might cling to their parents, but I've noticed how they'll pop over to you."

"My future self apparently raised them."

"That's… oh, lovely, so we're also dealing with preliminary survivor guilt, and the whole 'will I watch them all die' thing. That's never fun." He nodded a bit, closing his eyes as he thought. "Then we have the whole 'bad future' thing and I'm guessing there's a tie to that past you prefer keeping quiet about."

"Sorry…"

"You kidding? You don't hear Flavia and me talk about our pasts either. You don't become a Khan of Ferox without seeing a lot of blood and a lot of pain." He paused briefly, and a dark look appeared in his eyes before he shook his head. "And we're not the only ones. Nowi doesn't talk about hers, and she's apparently old enough to remember when 'Witches' existed and this land was called 'Valentia'." That would… that would make Nowi very old. "Panne mentions her people's genocide, but you hear nothing about how she survived the years. I'm an old friend of Gregor's, but hell if I know all of his past, just bits and pieces."

"I… suppose…"

"You're a harsh critic of yourself. Not too much of a surprise. Gods know I was, once. Then I decided to screw everything and keep on laughing." He patted my head, and I made a face. "So, if you need quiet time, take it. If you need a laugh or something… well, I've a few good stories."

"…Thank you…" I smiled at him, touched. I wasn't sure how reassuring the words were, but I was comforted nonetheless. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Good on you." He pushed himself up and rolled his shoulders. "Ah, that's far too much introspection for me, so I think I'll take my fine brown arse out of here and tease Robin and Olivia."

"Lucina mentioned they have a 'youngest' daughter, so they likely have at least two kids."

"Oh, that's going to be hilarious." He laughed loudly, and I had to giggle. It was probably mean, but… well… "Now, how should I use that information? Hmm…"

He was still laughing as he left, and I returned to sharpening my weapon. When that was done, I debated a bit before stepping outside, not joining the crowd, but at least being visible. Someone, a person I didn't recognize, swung by and passed me a drink of water. However, as they left, just before I took a sip, I heard something very odd, and very troubling.

"Quia nihil mali ei dare. Ille demens, si ea non sit mortua, et usque ad ánimos conciliandos se est bonum idea." The words were very soft, half-muttered, and if I weren't a little hyper-sensitive, I might not have heard it. In fact, I wasn't certain I did. But I watched the person out of the corner of my eye, pretending to drink the drink, and saw how they kept a careful watch on all of us, while keeping as unobtrusive as possible. Combined with what I thought I heard, it painted quite the picture. So, I discarded the drink, passed the drink to someone else, and asked where Chrom or Robin was. After all, a benefit to being the wife of one leader and the twin sister to another was definitely how no one suspected anything when you went to find them.

Chrom was sitting alone on a barrel, laughing as he watched Flavia and Gregor spar, Donnel watching closely with sparkling and determined eyes. Flavia glanced over a bit worriedly when she saw me, but when she saw me walk over to Chrom and lean down to hug him, she smiled in relief and focused her all on the sparring.

Chrom, for his part, simply reached up and held my arm, not saying anything and only smiling in reaction. I waited for a moment before I leaned down to whisper in his ear, "we've Grimleal among our number, love. Spies."

"Is that so?" he asked, speaking just as quietly. He did a fairly good job in not reacting to the news, though his smile did falter. "You're sure?"

"Fairly. It also makes sense, given what I know of them."

"I see." He nodded and leaned his head back. "I'll let Robin know. I've a meeting with him soon. Should be in now, but Basilio insisted teasing took precedence."

"It always does." I kissed his cheek and he went back to smiling, and I quickly tried to think of a cover for what we'd been whispering about. "Say, Chrom, I was thinking of sharing to Lucina how you confessed to me."

"You what?!" Chrom immediately yelped and went red, and I stepped away to laugh and laugh. "No way, don't tell her that!"

"Why not? It's a good memory for me!" I jumped back and skipped a bit off to not bother Flavia, Gregor, and Donnel. Chrom, of course, followed. "Though, I suppose I could just show her the poems."

"Those are for you only!"

"But she's our daughter. Our precious Lucina should know her father is quite the poet."

"No, she shouldn't!"

"Is… Is everything okay?" With the most perfect timing ever, Lucina walked up, looking very confused. What was amusing was that it was almost the same confused look her baby-self had. "Are you two… arguing?" she asked hesitantly, fidgeting with her hands. I wondered briefly why she'd think that, before realizing that Chrom must've died when she was young. She likely had never seen me tease him. "Um…"

"No, no, I'm just teasing him silly," I explained, making sure to smile. Chrom hugged me from behind and tried to twist me away. "He's just protested me sharing how he confessed to me."

"Wait, you'll tell?!" Lucina grinned, bouncing on her toes briefly before scowling. "Oh, drat, that's one of the wagers for our sparring matches! I should've just asked you. I really want to know!"

"Kes, please, mercy," Chrom groaned. I simply smiled and leaned into him a bit more. "Please, love and light of my life."

"And what do I get in exchange?" I asked, looking up at him. I made sure to smirk and he groaned. "Come now. She's so excited."

"My eternal devotion?"

"Do I not have that already?" Still, I did blush, more so when I saw Lucina watching with rapt attention. "I think you swore that to me in your wedding vows."

"I… well, yes…" He whimpered and I snickered. "Please?"

"Oh, fine, I'll relent." Considering our earlier conversation, I did owe him. "She did get a little tidbit anyway." And her bright smile showed how much she adored even that little bit. "I suppose I could tell Cynthia about how Sumia accidentally confessed to Frederick and ran, though. Or tell Laurent how Miriel and Kellam eloped."

"She did? They did?" Lucina asked, eyes going wide. "I didn't know that!"

"Really?" I replied, wondering why my future-self didn't tell. Maybe 'she' had found it too painful? "Well, go ahead and snag them. I'll gladly tell."

"Yay! I love you!" Lucina hugged both Chrom and me tightly before rushing off to find them.

Chrom lingered a bit, kissing my cheek and temple, before he pulled away. As Lucina returned with an openly excited Cynthia, and a quietly-trying-to-hide-his-curiousity Laurent, I saw Chrom head over to where Robin had apparently been lingering and whisper something to him. Robin's eyes widened briefly, before nodding, the gears already turning in his head. He quickly caught my eye and smiled secretively. In it, I saw 'leave it to me.' I smiled back, somewhere between reassuring and sad before focusing on the three, starting first with Sumia and Frederick's confession, fully aware that I'd deal with a horribly embarrassed Sumia later.

They held onto hope. I had been kicked down so much by destiny that I wasn't sure I could. But I'd smile and pretend. Maybe I'd eventually believe too. If nothing else, though, I supposed I could take Basilio's tactic and just try to laugh. Maybe it would at least make the inevitable end feel better.

Notes on Cynthia:

Class – Pegasus Knight; Reclass – Knight, Cleric, Cavalier, Wyvern Rider

Daughter of Sumia and Frederick, from the future. She's a bright and cheerful girl, with a strong desire to be a 'hero' like her parents.

Perhaps because of how differently her parents fight, she's a rather balanced fighter, with an impressive amount of skill. Though she is a pegasus knight like Sumia, she is stronger than her mother, perhaps something she inherited from her father.

She can be very theatrical and, combined with inheriting Sumia's disagreement with gravity, it can lead to unintentionally hilarious, or terrifying, moments. Still, since she also inherited Frederick's sense of duty, she keeps at it, no matter what.

Author's notes: So, for the record, Kestrel basically suffers from PTSD, anxiety, and depression. None of these things magically just 'disappear' because she's got a loving husband and caring friends, though the support network did, and does, help her fight back the worst of it. Sadly, though, all the recent stresses (War, Daughter from the future appearing, learning what happens in said future which includes two of her worst fears…) caused lots of it to surge back. (This is also why updates will likely be sporadic during the winter. It's not a mindset I want to be in much during the season.)

Robin's talk about 'not being pawns' is technically from the previous chapter, but Kestrel wasn't there to overhear it. The 'Plegian Spies' is something the game reveals much, much later, but I'm setting up now. Lucina mentioning a wager for sparring comes from her B support with Chrom, though that one specifically mentions 'how you and mom met'. Normally in game, you'd just head directly to the Mila Tree, but we're taking a slight… detour.

Next Chapter – Festival of Flowers (based on Paralogue 6)