DISCLAIMER: HELLSING IS OWNED BY KOUTA HIRANO. I DO NOT ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

FIRE EMBLEM IS OWNED BY NINTENDO. I DON'T OWN IT'S CHARACTERS EITHER.

ITALICS=THOUGHTS, WRITING, EMPHASIS, AND SOUNDS

BOLD= DATES, PLACES, ECT.

BOLD ITALICS=WRITER


Ylisstol, Ylisse ~ Shepherds' Garrison – Training Hall

December 6, Age 2609 (7:26 P.M.)

Autumn has come and gone; Winter has arrived to replace it.

Walter loved the winter; he was never one for the summer heat, his fair skin always burning in the sun. Autumn was fine—as was spring—but he always enjoyed the crisp atmosphere that the cold brought. There was just something about the season that made him merrier. Then again, him being in high spirits probably had more to do with what he was doing at the moment.

"Feel free to charge in whenever you like, I'm in no rush…" Walter challenged, dummy sword in a low guard position. His opponents carefully encircled him, leaving him no feasible method of escape.

Group training, he loved the Shepherds' group training sessions.

At once the first of his gutsy opponents charged him. Quickly sidestepping Gaius, Walter 'lightly' shoved the thief, his redirected momentum causing him to stumble into Stahl; the butler swiftly ducking a strike from Sully. Gripping the cavalier's outstretched hand, he performed a flawless over-the-shoulder throw, slamming the woman into Virion—who, smartly, attempted to blindside him. Gaius and Stahl were quick in their attempt to capitalize on a perceived opening, only for Walter to seemingly flash step behind the duo. Without exerting any effort at all, he grabbed Gaius by the collar, kicked Stahl into the recovering Sully and Virion, before spinning around and tossing Gaius; all four sent tumbling out of the ring.

"Was that all? Didn't even force me to raise my weapon…" Walter yawned.

Donnel and, surprisingly, Lissa were next to attack, both attacking simultaneously. Walter skillfully parried Lissa's less than measured strike into Donnel's sword, forcing the two into a bind. Lissa had no time to recover before being 'gently' nudged out of the ring. Before he could lay the finishing blow on his young ward, something in his peripheral vision caught his eye. Nimbly, the butler butterfly jumped between two lance swings; launched by Frederick and Cordelia. Taking hold of Cordelia's weapon, he yanked on it while kicking her in the gut, releasing it from her grip instantly; the kick sending her into Vaike, who caught her in time to prevent her from ringing out. The small victory was short lived, as Walter redirected one of Frederick's attacks into the duo, sending them out of the ring.

Donnel finally struck again, forcing Walter to block with the lance in his hand. Walter, seeing Fredrick moving in to stab him with his lance, forced Donnel's weapon to block the strike for him; the three entering a three-way bind. Without warning, Gregor and Lon'qu joined the fray—two of the best swordsmen in the Shepherds'—flanking him opposite of Frederick and Donnel. Walter quickly dropped the lance he was blocking Frederick and Donnel with, causing the duo to stumble since they were putting all their weight into the strikes. Moving out of the way, Walter resisted the urge to laugh as Frederick and Donnel tumbled into Lon'qu; Gregor reacting fast enough to avoid being tripped. This would ultimately prove to be their undoing, as Walter grabbed the aged mercenary and threw him at the threesome; all four sent out of the ring in a pile. Walter scoffed.

"Who's next?" the butler smirked.

Walter's brow furrowed when he saw Chrom and Sumia step forward; they were the only two left. Frowning, he discarded the lance he took from Cordelia before raising his dummy sword in a defensive position: held out in front of him, slightly raised to block his head, and gripped with both hands. Chrom mirrored the stance, gripping his weapon tightly, and Sumia held her lance parallel to the ground, albeit angled slightly up. The two struck in sync, Walter briefly taken off-guard by the swiftness of their attack. Undeterred, the butler flash stepped behind Sumia to strike her, but was stopped when Chrom deflected the strike for the Pegasus Knight. Weapon still locked with Chrom, Walter barely had time to retreat from Sumia's quick lance jab.

Humming, Walter made the next move; the butler feigning Chrom into raising his weapon high before he struck low. His attack never met it's mark, as Sumia batted it to the ground with her lance. Weapon already raised because of Walter's feign, Chrom brought his sword down upon the butler. Walter, less than a fraction of a second to respond, sidestepped. Redirecting the momentum of his dodge into a slash, Walter moved to attack the prince's side. However, Sumia deflected Walter once more. With the click of his teeth, the butler hopped back.

"Immaculate defense," Walter complimented. "I'm half-tempted to give up right now, seeing as how I could poke and prod all day and still have little chance of getting past it."

"No need," Chrom smirked. "The match is over anyway."

Walter raised a brow.

"Is it? All of us are still-"

"Look at where your foot is, Walter," Sumia pointed, a tiny grin on her face.

Furrowing his brow, Walter looked down at where his foot was. The butler deflated, blushing slightly in embarrassment. His back foot had crossed the ring's boundary; he'd been rung out.

"Oh, well that's premature…" the butler muttered. "Embarrassing as it is, that's match," he called.

With a sigh of relief—except from Frederick, who slumped in defeat—the other Shepherd's collapsed onto their backs.

"Jeez, would it kill ya to go a bit easier next time?" Lissa complained. "I've got bruises on my bruises because of you!"

"You think you had it bad, I had this guy's fat ass tumble on top of me!" Sully glared daggers at Stahl.

"Hey, it's not my fault…" Stahl shrunk backwards from the redhead. "I got kicked in the back…"

"At least you didn't get thrown, Chowhound…" Gaius muttered, rubbing his aching back.

"Don't know what all y'all are complain' about, Ol' Teach had fun," Vaike grinned.

"Easy for you to say, Blondie, you didn't even get a hit in," Gaius retorted.

"Ey! I was busy keepin' Cordy from flying out of the ring!" Vaike defended. "If it weren't for me, she would've been rung out earlier!"

"Firstly, don't call me 'Cordy' ever again. Secondly, I didn't ask for your help," Cordelia glared at the warrior. "It didn't do either of us any good anyway, we were both beaten seconds later; you should've gone in for an attack rather than stopping to help me."

"Jeez, so ungrateful…" Vaike flinched.

"Enough bickering…" Walter stopped the conversation from progressing. "You lot failed because you didn't fight as a unit, a single group."

"Yeah we did!" Lissa argued. "We attacked you all at once, but it still wasn't enough! Only reason that Chrom and Sumia won was because you stepped out of the ring!"

"Not exactly accurate, milady…" Frederick cut in. "Yes, many of us paired up and fought as a singular offense against Walter but seeing milord fight alongside Sumia has made me realize what we were lacking: defense."

"Precisely," Walter smirked. "Chrom and Sumia fought together, but they also defended each other. They watched each other's backs and protected one another from attack."

"So that's it? They fought as one?" Donnel raised a brow. "It's that simple?"

"Well, there are also a multitude of other factors to consider when in combat, but I'm certain you all know those seeing as how you all survived the bulk of the war without me. No, it's not simple, but something as little as having another person watch your back can turn the tide of a battle. Would it have been enough to overcome the likes of Gangrel? Probably not, but against any other opponent, I'd wager good coin that pairing up tips the battle in your favor," Walter grinned. "In light of this, I'm making pair-ups mandatory from here on out. You've all been assigned a partner after careful consideration—having looked into all of your strengths and weaknesses," the butler paused.

"The pair-ups that will be unchanged are as follows: Chrom will remain partnered with Sumia, Lissa will remain partnered with Frederick, Virion will remain partnered with Sully," Walter listed. For the most part, those called were satisfied with their partner.

"Stahl will be partnered with Panne, Kellam will be partnered with Miriel, Gaius will be partnered with Maribelle, Vaike will be partnered with Cordelia, Gregor will be partnered with Lon'qu, and Donnel will be partnered with me," Walter finished. "You don't need to worry about informing those who aren't currently present, they've been informed of their pair-ups already."

The reception for the newly solidified partnerships were… mixed to say the least. Stahl and Kellam seemed more or less happy with their pair-ups, but the same could not be said for the others.

"Hey, Wires? Do you mind partnering me with someone else?" Gaius asked. "No disrespect to you or anything, but I don't think the likes of me will mix well with the likes of Twinkles."

"I already spoke to Maribelle on the subject, and she seemed rather adamant that she be partnered with you; though I don't know why," Walter shrugged.

"Oh…" Gaius slumped. "Well, if you find my strangled corpse on the battlefield, I'll tell you now that it probably wasn't the enemy that killed me…" the thief muttered dejectedly.

"Could you perhaps partner me with someone else as well?" Cordelia shuffled away from Vaike.

"Jeez, whatcha have against me?" Vaike raised his hands, the fact that he'd broken his habit of speaking in third person not lost on Walter. "I mean, come on; I bet you that you wouldn't complain if you'd been partnered with ANYONE else."

"Not inaccurate…" Cordelia clicked her teeth.

"Cordelia…" Walter warned. "Question my decision all you want, but don't deride Vaike."

"Yes sir…" Cordelia sighed, less than enthused.

"Good, I take it we have no other complaints?" Walter lifted a brow. Scanning the room, seeing no one voice any more opposition, he smirked.

"Alright, you're all dismissed. I expect better results the next group sparring session; take the time to train with your newly assigned partner. Learn each other's ins and outs; learn how to better one another," Walter finished.

With that, the group dispersed. With the sparring session finished, the Shepherds left to go about their morning.

"You've gotten better with a sword," Chrom noted as he hung up his dummy weapon.

"You noticed? I didn't exactly need to use it that much," Walter smirked as he put away his weapon.

"That feign was impressive, though," Chrom complimented. "If Sumia wasn't guarding my openings, I'd probably have been hit."

"No doubt about it," the butler chuckled. "You and Sumia are quite the formidable duo. You certainly put everyone else to shame."

Chrom scratched the back of his head sheepishly, turning to watch Sumia walk out of the room; the Pegasus Rider amidst conversation with Cordelia. A fond smile formed on the prince's face, something that didn't go unnoticed by Walter.

"She's come a long way," Chrom murmured.

"Is that an iota of affection I'm sensing?" Walter smiled coyly.

"Hey… don't get any funny ideas…" the blue-haired prince frowned. "The relationship between Sumia and I is strictly professional; I consider her a close friend, nothing more."

Walter raised a brow, not at all convinced.

"You do realize how cliche that sounds? 'There's nothing going on between the two of us, it's all strictly professional; nothing more than that, I swear'," the butler mocked. "You with your professional staring at Sumia when you think no one else is watching. Not to mention the professional brushing against her hand when you're standing beside one another. Also-"

"Alright, I get it," Chrom raised his hand in defeat. "I'll concede the fact that I think she's a very beautiful woman, nothing more."

"Good heavens, you sound like a pubescent school girl; could you word it with at least a modicum of dignity?" Walter rolled his eyes.

"Does it really matter? This is sort of embarrassing to talk about, you know," the prince frowned. "Naga knows that if I told anyone else that they'd cause a massive uproar."

"Yes, I could see the tabloids now, 'Prince Chrom is absolutely enamored with Sumia of the Pegasus Knights'; I imagine that Vaike would be the first to spill."

"Ha ha…" Chrom sighed despondently. "The tabloids would be the least of my problems if people found out…"

Walter furrowed his brow again.

"I suppose being crown prince of Ylisse has something to do with it?" Walter looked to Chrom for confirmation. The prince nodded.

"I may not be one for formality, but the rest of the nobility—the dukes and duchesses making up the royal court in particular—are," Chrom ruffled his midnight locks. "They'd be up in arms at the very thought of the crown prince—second child of Exalt Cronus and firstborn son—marrying a 'low born soldier'; regardless of her rising standing in both the Shepherds AND the Pegasus Corps. It'd never work out…" he finished morosely. Walter resisted the urge to laugh—mostly out of respect.

"Tale as old as time…" Walter muttered. "Swap the genders around, and you have the basis for a cliche romance story. Oh woe! The starcrossed lovers—seperated due to social status! The royal and the soldier; truly, a love that was never meant to be!" Walter cried overdramatically, laughing.

"Very funny, Walter..." Chrom rolled his eyes.

"I know, that's why I'm laughing," Walter smiled. "In all seriousness, surely Emmeryn wouldn't mind bending tradition; she doesn't seem the sort to abide such an archaic tradition anyway."

"She isn't," Chrom smirked. "In fact, Emm's been trying to reform the more restrictive polices—outright abolishing others—throughout her reign. She's been very vocal about her disgust for arranged marriage and segregation based on class, but has gotten very little support from the nobility. Of the five Dukes and Duchesses on the court, only Duke Marquis has ever voted in favor of the reforms. The others are either too afraid to see the change enacted, or benefit too much from the current system to allow it to change. In particular, Duke Lucius of Oceanus and Duchess Lucretia of Tethys have been blocking Emmeryn at every turn.

"The woes of a constitutional monarchy; I've had a few conflicts with those two, actually," Walter revealed.

"Really? What reason do they have to target you of all people?" Chrome furrowed his brows.

"Oh, nothing really—it likely has nothing to do with the fact that I arrived in Ylisse around six months ago and have already been granted a rank within the hierarchy eclipsed only by the royal family," Walter said, tone absolutely brimming with sarcasm. "It must be my face, I must have a really hatable face."

"Well, Gangrel probably thought so," Chrom chuckled.

"Oh yes, but at least Gangrel had a valid reason to hate me; Duke and Duchess Lucius and Lucretia bombard me with letters—the contents ranging from tiny nitpicks regarding decisions I've made as Grandmaster, to scathing essays on how I dishonor the noble house that employed me. Really, if I wanted to be derided for my mere existence, I'd teach second year secondary school students; they'd at least be more creative with their vitriol."

"Secondary school?" Chrome raised a brow.

"Don't concern yourself with it—just a flawed form of schooling from where I'm from," Walter hand waved the prince's curiosity. "Either way, my fondness for those two is middling at best."

"Well that's tough," Chrom patted the butler's shoulder. "Hey, let Emm and I know if they give you anymore trouble; we owe you more than our support anyway."

Walter smiled.

"I'll take that into consideration," the butler returned the gesture and gave the prince smack in the back.

Walter had imagined life as a vampire to be much different than what it was now. He knew the cons of vampirism like the back of his hand—an aversion to sunlight, a weakness to blessed weapons, a inability to cross large bodies of water, and a reliance on blood for most of his nutrients—but, maybe due to his status as an 'Artificial Vampire', these weaknesses were largely non-issues. Sunlight seemed to be more of a mild irritant at worst—even a normal vampire, so long as they ingested enough blood, could render sunlight nothing more than a light itch against their skin. Blessed weapons could still be handled so long as he was wearing his gloves, and he was quite spry to begin with so getting hit wasn't much of a worry. He didn't know how, but Millennium—courtesy of that mad scientist, Herr Doktor—had managed to remove, at the very least lessen, the effects of running water on a vampire; the fact that First Lieutenant Rip Van Winkle seemed to not require a coffin when she commandeered the HMS Eagle was indication of this, though Walter was just speculating based on what he saw.

If anything, the reliance on blood was his only weakness; even then, it was manageable. He could still partake in 'normal' food—probably because he was artificial—and he could gain some amount of nutrition from it; though blood still remained the absolute best sustenance for him. Still, he had yet to drink anymore than an ounce in the month since he was turned; tiny drops graciously donated by his allies in the Shepherds, and a mild amount sucked directly from the neck of a certain blue-haired princess.

Speaking of relationships, it was what he was most concerned about; how was everyone around him going to react to his change? To his relief, no one seemed to treat him any different than before. No one seemed averted to him, and were largely just as friendly as before. The general populace was a different story.

It was no secret that he was something meta human in nature; something beyond the normal realms of humanity. Though it was a well-kept secret that he was a vampire like Gangrel had been—a secret known only to those within the Shepherds and the leaders of the three nations—much speculation had been had among the people. Some had taken his given title—'Guardian Angel of Ylisse'—literally, and surmised that he was indeed an angel sent by Naga to protect the Exalted family. Others considered that he was perhaps the result of some sort of arcane ritual—a mage that had somehow augmented his abilities with magic. A smaller number—mostly his detractors—were wary of him; believing him to be a monster in human form, a creature come to bring about the end times. The theory that was believed was inconsequential however, as it didn't change the fact that he was largely worshipped as the hero of the war; the man who defeated the Monster of Plegia: Gangrel.

Still, so long as his… dare he call them… friends?

Yes, so long as his friends accepted him, he could care less about those that hated him.

"I do have a question before we go," Walter spoke up. Giving the prince a serious stare, the butler placed his hand on Chrom's branded shoulder.

"Have you managed to find out anything else about that power of yours?" the butler asked. Chrom slumped slightly.

"No, not really," he shook his head. "I asked everyone I could, even Emm, and I haven't found anything conclusive on the power. Other than it's name and what it does, I don't have anything on it; least of all how to activate it at will."

Aether, the power wielded by Chrom and Lucina; a power that closed the gap in strength between human and monster. Upon seeing it in action for himself—brief as it was—Walter knew that he had to push Chrom into being able to utilize it at will. It was something that could allow the prince to rival even him in battle. However, information on it was lacking—if not, nonexistent. Walter had searched the archives of the palace for something on it; Chrom was told to ask those that could have some modicum of knowledge on it. So far, their search had turned up empty.

"Damn… not what I wanted to hear…" Walter clicked his teeth. "Are you certain that no one knows about it?"

"Yes, I even ended up looking into the archives within the Church of Naga; even their historical texts dating back to the reign of the Hero-King said nothing about it," Chrom sighed. "As it is, the only person you and I both know that has information on Aether is 'Marth'."

Walter flinched at the mentioning of the princess.

"Come on, I know that you know where she is," Chrom frowned at the butler.

"Chrom, I'd rather not get her involved in anymore of our-"

"Why?" the prince crossed his arms over his chest. "Why is it that you're not telling me anything about her? Why do you seem to know more about that girl than you're letting on?"

"Chrom…" Walter stood up straight, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Anything she's shared with me is strictly confidential, surely you can understand how important it is that I maintain her trust?"

"I do—she's an asset, an ally, that much I'm certain—but why can't you tell me anything about her? Both of you must think I'm really stupid if you feel that I'm at all convinced that 'Marth' is even her real name," Chrom met Walter's glare with his own. "Or how it's suspicious that she wields a sword identical to the Falchion. I'm not asking you to spill all her secrets, I just want you to give me something; a sign that you trust me."

Walter sighed. He didn't like the insinuation that he didn't trust Chrom—he trusted the man he respected as a leader with his life. Still, he couldn't at all blame him. If only the situation weren't so… complicated. If it were simple, he would've made Lucina spill her secret a long time ago, but it wasn't. As things were, it was still far too soon to reveal anything to Chrom. But…

"Chrom…" Walter sighed as he wiped his face with his hand. "Trust me, 'Marth' herself will reveal her secrets to you when the time is right. I cannot—without breaking 'Marth's' trust—tell you anything. It's all... too sensitive to reveal."

"What kind of-"

"I can't tell you," Walter cut the prince off. "Even if I could, I don't think I have a right to; it's her story to tell. All you need to know is that she's suffered more than a lifetime's worth of tragedy; tragedy that neither of us could even hope to imagine. I'm not telling anything because I don't trust you, alright?"

The butler placed his hand on Chrom's shoulder again. Giving it a small squeeze, he smiled warmly. Chrom refused to meet his gaze for a moment before sighing, shoulders slumping slightly.

"Has she really suffered that much?" he asked, meeting his gaze with his head tilted down. Walter nodded.

"More than anyone as kind and brave as her deserves," he replied morosely.

Chrom sighed again. Raising his hands in defeat, the prince shook his head. Lips thinning, he lifted his head to meet Walter.

"Alright, I won't pry anymore; not about her secrets," Chrom smirked.

"Thank you, Chrom, I know that she'd appreciate it just as much as I do," Walter returned the smile. "If it's any consolation, I'll definitely pry for information regarding Aether the next time I see her."

Chrom's grin seemed to turn a bit more cheeky.

"Heh, the next time you see her? Seems like I picked the wrong thing to argue with you over; you seem to care about her a lot—more than professional courtesy, at least," the prince chuckled. Walter paled.

"You are NOT turning that whole 'professional' relationship thing against me," Walter sputtered, incredulous.

"Looks like the shoe's on the other foot," Chrom grinned childishly. "Now you know how I feel."

"I suppose I do…" Walter narrowed his eyes.

An idea suddenly popped into his head. Smirking, he unracked his dummy weapon.

"Seems as if I need to teach you some manners," Walter pointed the training sword at the prince. Chrom, taking the action in stride, laughed as he grabbed his dummy weapon from the rack.

"As if you could even land a hit on me," the prince taunted. "You've improved a lot since we met, but not enough to match me in pure skill."

Walter held his weapon out in a defensive position.

"I don't know, you needed Sumia to cover for the fact that you fell for my feign; that says otherwise, sir…" Walter emphasized the 'sir'.

"True, but I'm not falling for that move again," Chrom held his weapon in his standard low guard position.

Walter, channeling his 'Angel of Death' persona for the first time in awhile, flashed the prince his signature chilling smile; Chrom wincing slightly as a result.

"We'll see…" Walter purred before lunging at the blue-haired prince.


Ylisstol, Ylisse ~ Royal Palace

December 6, Age 2609 (8:26 A.M.)

"Jeez, you'd think you'd know better than to challenge Walts to a one-on-one fight…"

"I thought I could handle him- ouch!"

Chrom winced as Lissa applied some aloe vera onto one of his many bruises. The match with Walter went about as well as transporting ice through a desert. He landed a few good hits on the butler, but wasn't able to keep up with his nimble feigns, dodges, and counters; he only tapped out after his entire arm began to turn purple from being smacked one too many times. Overall, he learned that Walter wasn't just relying on his new found power, he was still actively improving his skills little-by-little.

"Oh, hush will ya! You're big enough to be able to handle a small sting or two!" Lissa chided as she rubbed the aloe vera into her brother's purple bruises.

"Sorry, just wasn't expecting it, that's all," Chrom laughed sheepishly. Lissa rolled her eyes as she went to grab her healing staff. Chrom's brow furrowed as he eyed it.

"That's a new staff, right?"

Indeed, instead of her usual heal staff—a black rod topped by a golden, bird-like, ornament with a blue orb at the tip—she held a new one all together. The design was overall the same—black rod with a golden topper—but more angular, the orb itself was replaced by a similarly colored crystal.

"You noticed? Yeah, Walts' got it for me a few days back," Lissa said cheerfully. "He said that I could use a more powerful staff, seeing as how I've started to become more proficient as a healer. I think this one's called a 'Mend Staff'," she explained.

"Really?" Chrom raised a brow. "Any big differences?"

Lissa grinned.

"Watch and be amazed!" she exclaimed as she pointed the staff at Chrom. "Mend!"

On command, a minty green aura surrounded Chrom. Immediately, the prince felt his bruises fade away; his aches immediately being soothed. By the time Lissa was done healing him, he felt good as new.

"Huh, that's some impressive work…" Chrom complimented, rolling his shoulders a few times to loosen them up. "I feel better than ever."

"I know, right? This new staff that Walts got me is REALLY incredible. I can really channel my magic through it and heal the tougher wounds now!" Lissa hugged her new staff. Chrom smiled.

"Does that man ever take a break?" the prince laughed. "Not only does he still supervise the cleaning of the palace AND the garrison, but he also manages so many other things; from the Shepherds to parts of the economy, he's practically always working."

"Y'know, he's also making more weapons too," Lissa added. "Apparently Vaike requested that he make him an axe that'll be 'worthy of a rival to Chrom', or something like that. Apparently, he's still using the Sacred Fire from the church to bless weapons."

"Really?" Chrom chuckled. "I bet you Leo and Aquarius don't like that."

Lissa shrugged.

"Eh, what're they gonna do? Emm gave Walts permission to do what he wants with the torch; he does kinda deserve it too," the princess said as she placed her new staff down. "The way everyone else sees it, Walts is just doing his best to make sure everyone's better equipped to deal with problems. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah, but not everyone sees it that way…" Chrom muttered. Lissa sighed as she sat beside her brother.

"Emm got another one, didn't she?" the princess inquired. Chrom nodded.

"Lucius is really determined to get Walter arrested…" the prince ran his hand through his hair. "It's not enough that he doesn't trust him—the man that ended the war for us—but he also wants him tried and and executed; all because he doesn't understand what Walter is…"

"It sucks…" Lissa exhaled. "Does Walter even know?"

"No, I haven't told him," Chrom revealed. "As far as he knows, Lucius is just a noble that hates him; he doesn't know just how much of it is just fear. I don't want to make Walter feel like he made the wrong choice sacrificing his…" the prince stopped himself.

"Damn it, he didn't even really sacrifice his humanity, all he did was become a vampire; he's not like Gangrel…" Chrom growled. "I don't like how most of the court views Walter, I just don't."

"I don't think anyone in the know does either, Chrom; that's part of why Emm's trying to change up the court in the first place. Not to mention all the stuff that's come out after the Hierarch was revealed as a traitor," Lissa muttered.

"Yeah… there's a lot of changes coming on the horizon," Chrom whispered. "Hopefully nothing bad happens to stop them…"

Lissa nodded in agreement. The two siblings had their arguments—bickering like all siblings do—but they still cared for another; they also agreed on more things than most would assume. Among them was their opinion on Walter. They both loved the man that had done so much for their family—even saving their older sister. For a time, he even filled the role of a father figure for the two—that had melted away in favor of him slowly becoming more of an older brother to the two of them; someone they could go to for advice like they could with Emmeryn. They loved the butler and hated the fact that there were still people who didn't see him for what he was: a hero.

"You know, you asked something about whether Walts ever takes breaks or not," Lissa broke the silence between them. "Well, have you noticed that Walter's started spending less and less nights in the palace?"

Chrom raised a brow. He hadn't ever noticed Walter ever leaving the palace before dark.

"No, I haven't," Chrom replied simply. Lissa giggled girlishly, the type that was associated with gossip.

"Well, word is that he's been spotted leaving the palace after he's finished working," Lissa smirked. "Problem is, no one know's where he runs off to; anyone who tries to follow him almost always loses him by the time he enters the upper district."

"Really?" Chrom hummed in curiosity. "I don't think we should be prying into-"

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Chrom!" Lissa smacked her brother's arm lightly. "Aren't you even just a TEENY TINY bit curious as to where he goes?"

Chrom was tempted to say no, but he couldn't lie; he was absolutely curious to find out. If there's one aspect of Walter he didn't like, it was the fact that Walter was so withheld when it came to his private life. Aside from a few bits and pieces gathered over the last few months, no one had much of a picture of what the man was like outside of his work. In fact, it had become a rather popular conversation piece among the Shepherds that they hypothesize on Walter's life outside of the Shepherds; even on his life before Chrom found him in the that field by Southtown.

Hell, even the Pegasus Knights—according to Cordelia and Sumia—were intrigued by the 'handsome young butler' that had fought Plegia's monster king, Gangrel, and ended the war; the fact that the Pegasus Knights were made up entirely of women probably bolstered the gossip.

So yes, Chrom was curious to find out where exactly Walter spent his time after he was done working in the palace and Garrison. After all, what does a man like Walter do with his free time?


Ylisstol, Ylisse

December 6, Age 2609 (3:40 P.M.)

Walter ran a stressed hand through his dark locks as he walked out of the palace doors and through the front gate. He briefly acknowledged the two sentries standing guard—giving each an encouraging smirk and a small wave—as he wandered by. Greeting them was an after thought, as his mind was far too focused on his destination.

He had approximately two hours, maybe less, to spend before he had to attend a meeting involving Emmeryn, himself, Chrom, Frederick, and Phila. The meeting was to be held so that they could address the current state of the Halidom; it had only been a month since the end of the war and updates were needed on the current state of affairs. Walter himself had been inundated with work.

Firstly, he had to organize the reparation funds granted to Ylisse by Plegia following the end of the war. Deciding where to allocate the money was a monumental task for the butler—after all, he wasn't an economist—and the dukes breathing down his neck to choose whose territory would best be granted funds didn't help him. At the end of the day, he felt that much of the money was best used in rebuilding the ravaged territories along the border between Ylisse and Plegia—the dukedoms of Coeus and Themis. They suffered the brunt of the war—the border being where the war was chiefly fought—and they sorely needed the money to repair their crumbling infrastructure.

This move definitely endeared him to the dukes of the two territories, but decreased his popularity with others. It really was stressful thinking that he'd have displeased someone no matter what he did, but he got over the feeling rather quickly. The wonderful world of politics; the world where the corrupt do what they can to ensure money goes to their pockets rather than the people's.

The second issue he had to deal with was in regard to how best to reorganize Ylisse's forces. To say that Ylisse had suffered a critical loss of soldiers was an understatement; hundreds of thousands of lives were lost in the war. If Walter had one criticism of Emmeryn, it was the fact that she let her pacifistic ideals blind her from the truth; even if you preach nonviolence, your enemies will not show you the same courtesy that you do. Emmeryn was not a military leader—she didn't know how to lead an army; she certainly knew how to inspire one to fight in her name, but not lead them.

That's where much of what was left of the reparation money was spent; in strengthening Ylisse's military. Walter firmly believed that the best defense was a good offense. There was nothing wrong with pacifism, but there was a marked difference between pacifism and cowardice. The pacifist is the one who never draws their weapon until absolutely necessary, the coward is the one that hides behind pacifism for the sake of not fighting. He didn't believe Emmeryn to be a coward, but he knew she wasn't going to take up arms any time soon either.

In the end, he was burnt out from work and he needed to relax.

Done thinking about the issues for the time being, Walter shoved his hands in his pockets as a cool winter breeze swept past him, kicking up his black long coat. As he wandered through the streets, he noted the ever increasing amount of Yuletide decorations—could he even call them Yuletide decorations?

The Winter Festival, a celebration held before the end of the year which thanks were given for the blessings and trials throughout the year. Held on the same day as Christmas—the overlap of ideas between his world and Ylisse's had stopped being conspicuous after he heard Gregor's 'Russian' accent—and a sort of combination of that and the American Thanksgiving. Walter wasn't too concerned with the details—not yet, at least—all he knew was that the occasion was oft marked by a ball held by the Exalt; a ball that he had to attend to keep up appearances.

Walter, admittedly, wasn't looking forward to the political side of the celebration. It would be the first time he'd be personally introduced to the actual nobility of Ylisse; he didn't interact with any during the post-war party and he'd made it a general rule of thumb not to seek them out. Still, he was obligated to meet at least one or two—forge a relationship and what not—but he certainly wasn't going to enjoy it.

Wandering through the streets, he made sure to take as roundabout a route towards his destination as humanely possible. He knew that he was followed by more than few curious Shepherds in the past—Gaius nearly fell under his radar once before he managed to lose him. It wasn't that he didn't trust any of them, he'd just rather his private life remain just that, private. Walking through small crowds, out of the way alleyways, and even taking to the rooftops once in awhile; Walter maneuvered in a way that ensured no one could give chase.

By the time he reached his destination—after making sure no one was following him—the sky had become a blanket of light gray clouds. His destination was a medium-sized cottage, a rather humble abode. Walter smiled as he approached, spotting the puffs of smoke billowing from the chimney; a sign that it's occupant was home. Walking to the door—whose surface was painted Ylissean Royal Blue, the Brand of Exalt etched in—he reached into his pocket and located his key. Briskly, he unlocked the door and strode in just as rain began to fall. Closing the door behind him, he hung his coat on a coat hanger, before scanning the room. He smiled as his eyes landed on the couch.

Lying back on the deep blue couch—book in her hands and bundled up in at least three fluffy blankets—was Lucina. Sitting by the lit fireplace, her skin positively glowed. Her eased expression made Walter's heart skip a beat.

Wordlessly, the butler quietly approached the couch from behind. Lucina, having not noticed him just yet, was briefly taken off-guard when he suddenly leaned over her and planted a small kiss on her lips.

"Hello there…" he grinned at the blushing princess.

"You're home early," she greeted warmly, repaying him with a peck on his lips. Walter laughed a bit as he maneuvered around the couch so he could sit beside her. The princess graciously shared her blankets, snuggling close to him as she wrapped them around the two of them.

"On break?" she asked as she placed her book down on the end table beside her.

"Yes, I actually have a meeting to attend in about two hours," Walter replied as he threw his arm around Lucina, pulling her in closer.

It had been nearly two months since they began their relationship. After the war ended, and the fear of impending death for Walter was lifted, the pair had awkwardly attempted to find an equilibrium of sorts between the two of them. For Walter, a man who was no stranger to romance, he easily found his footing in the relationship. Lucina was another story.

The princess who'd escaped the escaped the apocalypse had absolutely no idea what being in love—let alone being in a relationship—entailed. She knew that she loved Walter—from his wit, to his handsome face—but she had trouble figuring out how to express it; beyond kissing and sex, of course. Beyond the physical intimacy, as well as the emotional support, Lucina had no idea what to do. She could still recall the look of absolute endearment that Walter had when she asked him what came after sex; in her mind, showing affection was some sort of ladder you climb starting with a hug and ending at consummation.

"Just be you, and it'll all work out," he had said.

Hearing this, Lucina managed to find her footing and figure out what to do.

"How's your day been so far?" Walter asked.

"Fine, I've mostly stayed indoors, though," Lucina replied with a sigh. "It was so cold that I barely managed to muster the strength to get out of bed this morning." Walter scoffed, shooting her a smirk.

"Looks like someone's getting a bit lazy," he joked. "You'll start putting on weight if you stay complacent, darling. In fact…" the butler leaned in closer—squinting his eyes as if he was observing her closely.

"I think you're getting a bit more fat around the face, Luce."

"Hey!" Lucina puffed up her cheeks, blushing. "I'm not- are you calling me-"

"I'm kidding…" he chuckled. "You still look as beautiful as ever."

Lucina pouted as she turned away.

"That was mean…" she muttered. This only made Walter chuckle even more.

"Just don't get too lazy, Luce; lying around all day isn't exactly the healthiest of lifestyles," he said as leaned back and relaxed.

"I'll keep that in mind," Lucina playfully nuzzled her cheek against Walter's, relaxing against him.

The couple sat beside one another—warm blankets wrapped around them—for what felt like hours. The warm fire from the fireplace brought a welcome respite from the cold, though not as much as Lucina's loving embrace. One month of bliss, one single month of being able to go home to the welcoming arms of the woman he loved. How he was so blessed was beyond him, he was just glad that he was.

"Anything interesting come up?" Lucina asked as she rested her head on Walter's shoulder.

"Well…" the butler considered the conversation he'd had with Chrom. "Chrom asked about you."

Lucina immediately bolted upright. Staring at him with wide eyes, she sat up stiffly.

"You didn't tell him anything, right?" she asked cautiously. Walter shook his head.

"Other than the fact that you've gone through enough conflict for one lifetime, nothing," the butler eased. Lucina loosened up immediately.

"Good, you know why I can't-"

"Yes yes, we've had this conversation a hundred times by now," Walter stopped her.

"Oh… uh, you've kept count?" Lucina raised a brow. Walter laughed.

"No, that was just a figure of speech, Luce," the butler chuckled.

"Oh…" the princess' cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Honestly, sometimes I can't tell whether you've grown less literal minded or more," Walter jabbed playfully. "You'd think being close to my wonderful self, you'd have picked up a thing or two by now."

"I'm… making progress…" Lucina muttered weakly. Walter couldn't resist planting a small peck on her cheek; she looked just too cute whenever she was embarrassed. This made Lucina turn even redder.

"W-why were you and father even discussing me in the first place…?" the princess murmured shyly.

"Oh, we weren't talking about you initially; you were just sort of brought up," Walter replied. "We were actually talking about Aether beforehand."

The mention of the Aether caused Lucina to perk up slightly.

"Is that so? I'm guessing father's trying to learn how to utilize it."

"With little luck," Walter sighed. "He doesn't understand how to activate it at will. I told him that I'd ask you about what you know about the technique."

"I'll happily pass on what I know about it," Lucina offered.

"That'd be helpful," Walter smiled.

He'd have been content to sit there listening to Lucina explain the intricacies of the Aether ability, but—glancing at the grandfather clock ticking away—he remembered that he was on a time schedule. Glancing back at Lucina, who was sitting up to begin her explanation, Walter eyed the clock again before coming to a decision.

"Well, Aether is what's called a ski- mmph!?" Lucina's eyes widened in shock as Walter cut her off, suddenly locking lips with her. Though briefly alarmed, she quickly melted into the butler's arms as he slowly guided her into lying back on the couch. Parting, she stared up at him with dazed eyes.

"Isn't it a bit early for us to be-"

Walter cut her off again, kissing her passionately once more. Lucina, no longer caring about explaining Aether, wrapped her arms around him, pulling the butler in closer. They separated after a few seconds, exhaling breathily as they became lost in their own little world.


Ylisstol, Ylisse ~ Royal Palace

December 6, Age 2609 (5:40 P.M.)

"Any news on the current state of the Dukedoms of Themis and Coeus?"

"The rebuilding process has been bolstered thanks to the funds we gifted them. From the looks of things, all the damages dealt to the territories will be rebuilt within the next three months; well ahead of the initial predictions we had."

"Very good."

Walter shifted in his seat slightly as he passively watched the back and forth between Emmeryn and Philia. Sitting on the royal council of Ylisse—the Exalt's inner circle—was truly a joy and honor, but a fairly stressful one. He'd gone from butler, to tactician, to Prince Chrom's personal advisor, to Grandmaster of Ylisse; a quick series of promotions he scarcely believed he deserved. All the more reason to not screw up.

"I recently received a complaint from the Dukedoms of Oceanus and Tethys; Duke Lucius and Duchess Lucretia don't seem at all pleased being denied funds like Dukes Marquis and Giovanni," Walter bought up.

Emmeryn shook her head and sighed.

"Have you written to them on the matter?" she inquired.

"No, I wanted to inform you first before drafting a reply," Walter answered simply.

"I appreciate the gesture. Please, hold off on the reply; I wish to personally address them regarding the matter," Emmeryn declared. "As it stands, it seems I must make it clear that their decorum is borderline disrespect," she finished.

Chrom scoffed.

"That's an understatment," he shook his head. "Emm, why haven't they been removed from power? It's like they oppose just about everything you do."

"Milord, it is not that simple," Phila replied for Emmeryn. "Yes, they scarcely cooperate with her majesty, but that isn't reason enough to strip them of their dukedoms; dukedoms they've held since before Lady Emmeryn even ascended to the throne."

"I know, but still…" Chrom sighed. "While Regna Ferox and Plegia recover from the war, we're busy fighting against our own houses."

"Who knows why they're so uncooperative…" Frederick shook his head. "Still, as Knight-Captain Phila said, there's nothing that can be done about either of them for the time being. We must simply tolerate them for now; so long as they break no laws, there's no need to act."

"I suppose…" Chrom slouched in his seat. It was clear he disagreed, but he could hardly do anything about it.

"Milady!"

All heads turned to the entrance to the council chamber. A messenger bearing two sealed envelopes ran in. From his panicked expression, the messages he had were rather important; especially considering he was interrupting a meeting.

"For you milady," he bowed as he presented the letters to Exalt Emmeryn. Emmeryn briskly took them from his hands before dismissing him. The messenger retreated from the chamber swiftly, leaving everyone curious as to the messages he bore.

Both carried two different wax seals: one carrying the seal of Duke Marquis of Themis, the other carrying the seal of Duchess Annabel of Theia. Emmeryn gestured for Phila to hand her a letter opener. The small knife was handed to the Exalt quickly, Emmeryn briskly cutting one of the envelopes open. Slipping the signed parchment out from the torn envelope, she began reading it to herself; her expression growing grimmer as she did.

"What is it, Emm?" Chrom asked concernedly.

"It's Duke Marquis," Emmeryn replied. "He's requested a detachment of soldiers be sent to his territory immediately."

"What?" Phila's eyes widened in surprise. "Whatever for?"

Emmeryn shook her head as she raised her hand to her temple.

"According to this letter, there's been a string of murders recently; quite a lot, in fact," she answered seriously. "They began nearly two weeks ago; a woman and her husband were found dead in their home, corpses horrifyingly mutilated. The bodies were cut up—limbs slashed cleanly through, and lacerations all over the body. Terrifyingly, new murders bearing the same injuries began appearing subsequently after that day; at least one every night."

"That's…" Chrom murmured, disturbed.

"Indeed," Emmeryn sighed. "Duke Marquis writes that he increased security throughout the city, but that only served to magnify the death toll, as any soldier that encountered this mysterious killer was found dead; armor slashed through, as if it were made of paper."

There was a collective chill around the room. So soon after the war ended, and there was already a murderer on the loose.

"Patterns, are there any patterns to these killings?" Walter asked.

"Other than the injuries found on the corpses, they were all purportedly committed at night; just after midnight, in fact," Emmeryn read off the letter.

Nighttime murders… Walter thought to himself grimly. It sounded all too similar to…

"What of the other letter, the one sent from Duchess Annabel?" Phila asked, gesturing to the unopened envelope.

Without second thought, Emmeryn swiftly opened the envelope, reading to herself once more. Her expression once again betrayed her thoughts: she looked absolutely tense.

"Risen were spotted amassing in the Theia territory; just east of Southtown," she informed with a sigh.

"Damn it…" Chrom cursed under his breath. "Now there's this to deal with…" he growled.

"The Pegasus Knights can deal with the Risen threat in Theia," Phila offered.

"Not alone," Walter objected. "Your knights are strong, Knight-Captain, but they're still recovering from the war."

Indeed, while the Pegasus Knights were widely considered one of the best fighting forces within Ylisse—rivaled only by the Ylissean Royal Guard and, rather recently, the Shepherds—they suffered great losses during the war. First, the loss of the western battalion—the battalion which Cordelia hailed from—during the siege of Coeus. Secondly, the death of much of their elite forces during the capture of Exalt Emmeryn. Finally, the continuous decline in numbers as Plegia's forces continuously pushed past the borders. The Pegasus Knights were only just recruiting once more, so their numbers are still astronomically lessened.

"The Shepherds should be sent instead," Chrom suggested. "We have the most experience dealing with Risen; undead monsters in general, honestly."

"That still leaves the murderer in Themis," Emmeryn pointed out.

"That's true, that has to be dealt with immediately…" Chrom raised his hand to his chin before turning to Walter. "What do you think, Walter? You're the strategist, what should we do?"

Walter hummed to himself in thought. Considering the situation they were in, he knew that the Shepherds could deal with the Risen without issue. However, the thought of a killer running rampant in Themis—one that made mince meat of the average soldier—meant that a group of more experienced fighters had to be sent there as well.

"I'll lead a small group of Shepherd's to deal with the Risen," Walter began. "I have the most experience dealing with the undead, I'll be able to minimize the damage as much as possible. Chrom will lead the rest of the Shepherds to Themis; there, they'll either arrest or kill the murderer running rampant. Any objections?"

"Are you certain the Pegasus Knights can't-"

"No, Knight-Captain," Walter stopped Phila from continuing. "The Pegasus Knights should not be deployed unless absolutely necessary."

Phila, though disappointed that her forces were being brushed aside for time being, lowered her head in acknowledgement. Her knights were in no condition to be fighting, not yet at least. She'd build her girls back up and the Pegasus Knight's would return better than ever.

"Well, if there are no objections, there is nothing left to discuss," Emmeryn clapped her hands together. "With that, this meeting is adjourned."

Walter stood up from his chair, troubled by the news. Risen in the Theia region and a mass murderer on the loose in the Themis region. He ran a hand through his silky black locks, stressed. He'd have to draft up a list of Shepherds to bring with him to Southtown, as well as who to send with Chrom to Themis.

He felt a sense of foreboding regarding the issue in Themis. Even though he was certain that Chrom would deal with the issue without him, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about the entire situation. There was nothing out of the ordinary though—not on the surface, at least; mass murderers were a thing wherever society existed. Still, there was a part of him that was telling him that something was going on; something deeper, something dark and malignant.

Whatever it was, he was certain he could handle it when the time came to do so.


North Regna Ferox

December 6, Age 2609 (6:12 P.M.)

"Ugh…"

Kjelle wiped a bead of sweat from her brow as she shoveled more snow off the walkway and into a nice orderly pile. She had no idea how sweating in frigid weather was possible, but here she was sweating all the same; in Northern Regna Ferox, nonetheless! Still, the knight from the future wasn't one to back away from manual labor, what knight complained about something as mundane as shoveling snow? Especially when it served to increase her endurance.

It had been two months since she arrived in Regna Ferox, two months since she arrived in this time. Though, she was eager to locate her allies—her friends—she also was eager to better herself first. She kept her ears open for the latest news, and she was up to date with all the recent events. Ylisse's war against Plegia had just ended, a month later than it had before, and both sides suffered from massive casualties. Apparently, Gangrel had turned into some kind of unstoppable monster that turned people into Risen-like undead. It was terrifying to think such a power existed, and Kjelle was very close to rushing in and joining the fight when news of the war ending reached her ears; a powerful warrior with title of "Ylisse's Guardian Angel' had apparently ended Gangrel in a battle to end all battles.

The war had ended with Plegia agreeing to not only pay reparations for the war, but welcoming open relations with Ylisse; a stark contrast to how things were originally.

Lucina, it had to be the work of Lucina, Kjelle knew. Somehow, Lucina had changed the future. Kjelle didn't know if she had help—Naga knows she wouldn't be surprised if Gerome had located her first and began tailing her like the love-starved puppy he really was—but she did it. The future was changed, and Grima had been prevented from rising.

Still, before Kjelle would regroup and celebrate with Lucina and the others, she would get stronger first. Ever since she arrived in this time, she'd been training under a former mercenary—one that once competed for the title of East-Khan against Flavia—named Vargus. Him and his wife—Penelope—had taken her in and treated her well. Having come from a post-apocalyptic time, their small home was akin to heaven to her, and she was thankful to them. Under Vargus' tutelage, she had steadily begun to improve as a fighter; so much so that she was certain she could hold her own against Gerome and perhaps even Lucina.

It was gratifying.

"I'm all done clearing the path, master!" Kjelle shouted as she wiped another bead of sweat from her forehead. "Do you have another task for me or is that all for today?" the dark-haired knight looked to the entrance to their tiny home. When she received no reply, she raised a brow.

"Master Vargus?" she repeated, grabbing her discarded lance from a tree trunk she planted it in. "Penelope?" she called.

Curious, Kjelle slowly opened the door to the home.

"Didn't your parents ever tell you to knock before you enter?"

Kjelle's eyes widened at the unfamiliar voice, immediately slamming the door open. She felt her heart stop in her chest at the sight that greeted her. Lying dead on the floor was her master—Vargus; blood gushing from the countless slashes and cuts on his back. His wife, Penelope sat upright—bound and gagged—tears streaming down her eyes; the terror in them practically signaling Kjelle to run. Kjelle wouldn't, not when faced with the smug grinning face of the man that seemingly killed her master.

He was a tall lanky man—easily standing a head taller than her—wearing a white blood-stained coat over the strangest attire she'd ever seen. His pale pasty skin made Kjelle's skin crawl, as did the man's strange, multi-lensed, spectacles. His shoulder length golden hair—perfectly parted at the center—framed his face; contorted by a chillingly pleased smile.

"Oh, your parents must be disappointed with you; such a volatile reaction you have towards strangers…" he spoke in a thick accent; one that Kjelle was unfamiliar with. "Then again, I suppose you wouldn't care if your parents were disappointed in you, so long as you saw them alive once more?" the stranger snickered.

Kjelle grit her teeth in rage. How dare this man bring up her parents!

"You…" she growled. "I don't care who you are, you're dead!"

The stranger made an 'o' with his mouth before raising a hand to his chin.

"I suppose I am, aren't I? But I'm not… such a conundrum…" the man muttered, mostly to himself. This only served to nettle Kjelle even more.

"Don't ignore me!" Kjelle launched herself forward, lance poised to impale the murderer.

However, before she could make contact, she felt something tug on her lance, stopping it from hitting it's mark. Not a second later, she was suddenly violently thrown into the wall. Impacting it face first, Kjelle grunted with pain, losing her grip on her lance. Landing on the ground with a thud, she was stopped from standing back up by someone planting their foot roughly on her back.

"Please be gentle with her, my friend; I'd rather experiment on an undamaged specimen," the stranger told whoever was stepping on Kjelle. "Bound her and gag her like the wife."

"Of course, sir…" another voice, presumably the man standing on her, replied politely. His voice was a stark contrast to the stranger; a calm and cool baritone, his aristocratic accent reminding Kjelle of her father.

Without wasting time, Kjelle's arms were roughly tied behind her back, and a rag positioned to gag her. The proud knight—daughter to one of Ylisse's finest cavaliers—was rendered a helpless damsel in a matter of seconds.

"What of the wife, sir?" the 'servant', as Kjelle had taken to calling him, asked the stranger. The golden-haired maniac considered the widow for a moment before shrugging.

"Take her and the body of the husband as well, I can use both," the madman replied, as if both tasks weren't at all twisted. "Don't forget to drug them; we don't want either to struggle…"

"By your orders…" the servant replied morosely as he turned Kjelle over to face him.

Helpless to fight against her captors, she felt a thin needle like object stab into the side of her neck. Seconds later, Kjelle's vision began to blur and distort. Losing consciousness, she tried to focus on the face of her captor, but was unable to soak in any of his details…

…save for his cold silver eyes.


Writer's Notes

I'm alive guys! I'm alive, and I'm back!

Jeez, I didn't think I'd be between arcs for more than a month, but here we are.

Well, this is the beginning of the next arc, the 'Monster of Ylisse' Arc. Who's the monster, who knows? Wonder and speculate among yourselves!

Peace has prevailed in Ylisse, but now that peace has broken as the Dukedoms of Themis and Theia suffer from two separate issues: murders in Themis and Risen in Theia. The Shepherds must now separate to deal with both issues. What of the Dukes of Oceanus and Tethys being uncooperative; how will that affect Emmeryn and Chrom? What of Kjelle? Who kidnapped-

Actually… it's obvious who did…

Who helped 'him' kidnap Kjelle!?

So many questions to be answered! It's the beginning of a new story arc, and I know we're all itching to see where things go from here!


Behind the Keyboard

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The Dukedoms – The only dukedom we're given the name of is Themis, and it's the one that Maribelle hails from. Having done 'research'—by that, I mean I looked it up on google—'Themis' is named after a Grecian titan, I decided to follow the naming scheme and use my rudimentary knowledge of Greek Mythology to name the other dukedoms. The dukedoms I came up with—along with their ruling duke/duchess—are as follows:

Themis – Duke Marquis

Coeus – Duke Giovanni

Tethys – Duchess Lucretia

Oceanus – Duke Lucius

Theia – Duchess Annabel

Themis and Coeus make up the north west and south west of Ylisse—on the border of Plegia—respectively. Tethys and Oceanus are fittingly on the eastern coast of Ylisse. The territory of Theia makes up the southern area of Ylisse; Southtown being in that territory. These five dukedoms surround the center of Ylisse, which the Exalt directly presides over.

This is all stuff I came up with because I have too much time on my hands.


Reviews

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Aergaia – Well, he commented on it; the question now is whether anyone else will.

Emmeryn's quote, "Sometimes, the only thing you need to do to make a man love you is be there when no one else would. If there's one thing that I'm sure of, it's that sometimes all it takes for love to blossom is someone taking your hand and being reassured that you aren't alone," is one that I've had personal experience with—for better or worse. To me, it's less a quote I wrote for Emmeryn to say, and more something that I've had happen to me am now passing on to you.

Like everything, I'm going to explain how Herr Doktor got to Ylisse, and how the hell he's 'alive' and kicking. His goal is… something, but he's supposedly working for Grima.

As I said last time, Walter and Lucina—mostly Walter—were the focus of the last arc. Well, it was mostly how Walter's stubborn refusal to not become a vampire affected those around him; Lucina just happened to be the person he was closest with. Well get more of the Shepherds this arc.

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Bridd – Eh, Walter's like one of those 'legal lolis'—the ones that look like little girls, but are really ten-thousand years old, or something. The age difference thing is a matter of preference I suppose—you either accept that he's now sixty-nine year old with a body in his mid-twenties or you don't. There's enough fiction in the world where the butler falls in love with their master's daughter, or vice-versa, so this isn't really anything new; just be glad Walter didn't fall in love with Chrom instead.

I guess a lot of it depends on how you interpret Walter as a character. You say being in a relationship goes against his work ethic, but is that really applicable to him as a twenty something year old? Sure, if he were still physically sixty-nine, I'd say that makes sense, but physically de-aging is bound to change something mentally. The immortality factor is going to become an issue, that's a given, but not at this point the story.

As for Lucina, considering how attached to her own dad she is…

…is it really out of place for her to have a dad kink?

I'm joking!

Maybe…

Either way, I don't know. Maybe I fumbled the proverbial ball, maybe I didn't. I guess the issue lies on whether you can suspend your disbelief and believe that the relationship works. I mean, Walter only gave in AFTER Lucina said that she didn't care if he died or not, she was going to love him anyway. As a writer, you win some, you lose some.

I suppose older vampires being stronger than younger ones a general rule, but Hellsing places special emphasis on the souls absorbed through the ingesting of blood.

"Blood is the currency of the soul, the vehicle of life. Blood is the medium by which life can be transferred. To drink blood is take the essence of a soul into oneself."

In Hellsing, the reason why Alucard is nigh-unkillable—even regenerating from being turned into bloody pulp—is because of the many souls he has stockpiled from his five-hundred years of unlife. He's fed on armies upon armies of people, friend and foe alike.

A better example in Hellsing is Seras Victoria, who—upon absorbing a single soul—easily overpowered someone who was wiping the floor with her.

If you're questioning why Gangrel started having trouble against Chrom and—much later—Lucina, it's because of the fact that he'd already been fighting Walter beforehand. Walter—though he was dying the first round—managed to deal a decent amount of damage; enough that Chrom—while using Aether, an ability known for halving defense and healing the user—could handle him for a while. Later still, Gangrel fought Lucina after being absolutely destroyed by Walter, so he was weakened even more. Add in the fact she was also using Aether, and you have the reason why he was briefly put on the backfoot.

I don't know what you mean in your last sentence, but if it has something to do with why Gangrel was beating Walter at first, that's because Walter was at his weakest. Walter may have had the power to kill Gangrel before he unlocked his seal, but he didn't have the endurance. After he did unlock the seal, Gangrel never stood a chance. Gangrel may have taken the advantage once or twice during the final fight against Walter, but he was never going to win.

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kerrowe – I dunno, I learned how to spell it consistently eventually.

Oh, that's why it was a guest… the site was wonky that month…

Well, Walhart's still the least of their concern, since a certain Nazi scientist is running around Ylisse; he just kidnapped Kjelle too! The Grimleal are going to have issues of their own, especially since Plegia is on friendly terms with Ylisse now. Emmeryn's survival is still in the air, especially since Validar and Grima are interested in 'course correction'.

I'm glad you liked the Lucina and Donnel parts, they're gonna stay important; I just gotta raise the quality of everyone else in the story.

I think I made it obvious enough who Chrom's marrying in this story without saying it out loud, but I'll leave you—as well as everyone else—to piece it together yourselves. No time for downtime just yet, they have Risen and a murderer to catch first!

1/3? Feels more like in all honesty…

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mistersnx – Well, the story continues, and I hope it continues to be fantastic!

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Starlight's Poet – the canon was shot out of this story by a cannon. Vampires, Walter Dornez, and a Nazi running around Ylisse will do that to a story.

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GUEST – Farwell almighty 'GUEST', it 'twas nice while it lasted…

Either way, I'm glad you liked the pairing; as I said in the latest response, you win some and you lose some. I'm just glad that it's mostly wins so far.

Well, in what world does a Nazi scientist whack job end well?

Well, we're gonna find out how his 'science' works sooner or later. Either way, it won't be pretty…

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Touhoufanatic – Well, being grandmaster has ensured that Walter is twice as stressed as he was before…

…at least he has Lucina to help ease his stress.

Well, before they get to the madness the occurs two years later, they have to deal with the madness of the now.

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Aergaia(again :P) – It's strange, because a lot of people don't like reviews. I know for a fact that a review like the one that 'Bridd' posted would've been ignored or even have been grounds for a verbal tirade. I just like responding, good or bad; gives me a reason to think things through.

There's a reason why I went back and rewrote everything pre chapter 6; my writing was… passable…

Well, I don't particularly consider myself underrated—at least confined to the niche that I am. In the grand scheme of this site? Yeah, the story is a bit underrepresented, but that's the reason why I spend so many hours at the keyboard. Well, that and the fact that I love writing.

Well, character development is something I'm working on during this arc, so if you like it now, you're gonna like it even more later on. Staying in character is a challenge, and avoiding flanderization—the act of taking a single (often minor) action or trait of a character within a work and exaggerating it more and more over time until it completely consumes the character—is even more difficult. I just don't believe in making characters OOC, it just seems… stupid.

I mean, that's what OCs are for.

TFS Walter is almost the same as 'canon' Walter, save for the fact that his motivations for wanting to defeat Alucard are much MUCH more ambiguous, to the point that his character can change if you interpret it a certain way. He's either a selfish jerk that betrayed Hellsing to massage his ego, a misguided 'friend' that wanted to end Alucard's 'suffering' on earth, a brainwashed vampire that didn't know what he was doing, or an overall good guy that wanted to simply kill Alucard for reasons unknown. I used his personality before he turned into Dark Walter as a basis, and went from there. In the end, he came out as Obi-wan Kenobi meets Alfred Pennyworth with tiny bit of James Bond sprinkled in—although the James Bond aspects are gonna REALLY come out later on.

Walter being a badass from the beginning would've been kinda boring… I mean, I like power fantasies. Still, I went the serious route because it's more interesting that way. I mean, out of all the major fights Walter's been in so far, Walter's only won two, but not before nearly losing in one of them(the fight against Validar).

That's not counting the many times he's been put out of commission. Fact of the matter, Walter gets his butt kicked throughout the story, but STILL manages to be a badass in the end.

Thanks for the encouragement, I know I've improved a lot since this story's humble beginnings, but it helps to reminded of that fact every now and then.

Thanks for the second review…

…also the third one…

…how dare you not favorite this story.

In all seriousness, thank you again.

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Doctor Snake Eater – What's gonna make things complicated? The fact that we have a Nazi mad scientist running around? Maybe it's the fact that Walter and Lucina have entered a doomed romance because Lucina will inevitably die, and Walter will not. Perhaps it's the fact that the timeline is nearly irreparably altered.

There's a lot of complicated issues going on, so you—my good reader/reviewer—have made the understatement of the century.

Also, thank you for the review. I hope you're enjoying the story so far.

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Guest(not capitalized) – Don't just be a guest! Come up with a name! You don't want me to name you myself, there's a reason why I'm 'WizardCantNameThings'!

Either way, I'm gonna avoid taking another five years to write the next part of the story. Okay? Okay.

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So…

I'm not dead, and I'm hoping you guys aren't dead either. This took a while to get out mostly because I've been both struggling to solidify my vision for this story arc and putting off on writing.

I mean, I'm just gonna say that this arc is pretty different from the last one and that served as a road block I've had to get past. Writing wise, there's definitely a little more 'camp' than before; conversely, things are going to get darker (some how, more so than it already was).

Thank you all for your patience, and for your continued support!

Stay safe!

~WizardCantNameThings


Next time on Walter Dornez of the Emblem!

The Game Begins