As it turned out, Alexander had caused so much more trouble for Chrom to sort through, but he was thankful, the noble in question, one Lord Veir, had been an open oppressor of his sister's standing, even disagreeing with many of Chrom's choice plans and methods, instead calling out to battle and kill Plegian civilians and members that openly travel the roads which would have come to pass as he had taken the Lady Sumia to force Chrom out, little did any of them realize that Alexander was the wild card and it was in Chrom's deck and the winner every time it was used.
He was sent to the duchy of Themis where Maribelle's father was not too happy to see Veir, his name actually coming up on some of the papers that Alex had loaned to them. Whereas anger should have been the controlling factor, the Duke made a different move as he instead displayed the fallen noble to the populace, charging him with serious charges, enough to force him to be locked up, but the man couldn't refute it as he mumbled in a trance of fear, of despair and power unstoppable as Chrom felt a groan come on as he spoke. "I'll say it... Alex's influence is far more powerful than my own."
"It is only because he is looking out for you, Milord." Fredrick spoke as he stood by Chrom's side. "He is now a lord, but he feels like his service is only worth while with you, you have asked of him to head home and he instead rescues Milady for you and brings us a viable piece of treason..." Fredrick cleared his throat as he continued. "If anything, he provides a stable platform for your work and he would not give you any grief unless it was fully demanded of him."
"Yeah... I know..." Chrom looked over the documents as he mused. "Still, it is a wonder why he is not here and instead just ruling his own."
"That's because you got 'heated under the collar' at the nobility's disrespect of him and it further committed the act when you learned he was injured and not many were willing to give him a chance to heal." A resounding thud and Fredrick chuckled lightly as he continued. "Well now, I best leave you to your 'angst', I will be back shortly." Chrom groaned loudly as Fredrick left, locked the room and headed on out, his training with Panne was at hand and he made to train himself for the event to come...
For the most part, Alex could be thinking of several different things, but this was not the least ideal plan, there was a massive bandit issue up in Regna Ferox and Flavia asked for his aid, he accepted to help while Chrom sorted through the documents back in Ylisstol which actually also allowed him to bring the Marauders in to test their abilities in the frigid realm of Ferox. Though it was simple to just take out the bandits with the Marauders' aid, it was only made slightly worse with the involvement of a Anna and she joining them, his temples rubbed some as he spoke to himself in the midst of his meeting tent. "Great... just great, the last thing we have need of is an Anna..." He raised his head as he contemplated the matter. It was actually wise to get Anna on their side, she was a supplier of many things and she has connections across her family, the only problem was funds, Annas were interested in doing business with large portions of money and the only source of such funds were from the bullions obtained from Risen forces and some bandits somehow. "Sometimes I wonder if I am of sound mind and body..." The notion faded off just as quickly as Barlowe came in and Alexander sighed. "Yes, what seems to be the problem now?" He felt some bile build up in his throat as the statement sounded hostile, the captain didn't notice as he spoke.
"Sir, we have incoming forces from the south." His brow drew forward as he thought about it before Barlowe continued. "Sir... it is a small force being led by Princess Lissa." A silent terror filled the tactician as he opened his mouth with Amirg doing the same thing in disbelief.
"Tell me, it is not so, Barlowe." But to the Mercenary's silence, Alex groaned before he pushed off from the number of parchments and walked out of the tent to peer at the coming forces, small yes, but they were some of the Shepherds as he lightly grimaced. "Oh, Naga... what have I done to you in a past life...?"
The surprise was evident to himself that Lissa had come this far just to lend a hand in reducing the bandit numbers. She didn't come alone either as she managed to pull Lon'qu, Christian, Donnel, Gregor, and Tharja in to aid in cleanup. The Marauders didn't have a problem with the sudden aid, especially when they were the original company that won some great battles and would likely to win many more to come.
Alex just lightly shook his head as the small group managed to repel a attack from the returning, enraged brigands and show their skills then before they settled in. With that, he himself moved about in the light of three hours when they all trained and practiced with the Marauders, refining their belief of the powerful company and their feats, Lissa became the little sister to help out, Donnel somehow her... guardian as he walked beside her nowadays, Gregor the grizzled soldier with many stories, Lon'qu a skilled teacher and personally relieved that he didn't have too many females interrupting his chances of practice with Tharja slipping back into her stalker interests as Alex walked about in relief, for some uneasy reason. "I still can't believe them... coming this far to just help me out." He rubbed his temples before he looked again. He paused for a moment as it felt like his vision blurred before he blinked and it was back as he hummed to himself. 'Was... Was that just now a side effect of going for too long...?' He lightly shook his head as he continued on the path to the tent once more, Christian likely to be there beforehand than anyone else as part of his own training to be a better person in the court life by Alexander and to ease up on the tough guy appearance... for Olivia. 'Hopeless romantics... the lot of us, it would seem.'
He removed the massaging hand once more as he entered the tent, all quieting as everyone was accounted for before Lissa spoke, a tone of concern in her voice. "Hey..." She stepped around and brought a hand up to his check as she spoke, Tharja hissing in a silent tone as Donnel lightly coughed. "Have you been getting the right amount of sleep, Alex? Chrom doesn't want you to drive yourself down into the ground."
"I... feel fine, nothing too strange as of the moment." Lissa still wore the look before she removed her hand and returned, Tharja rather tame about it as the tactician started. "Now then, while the main body of brigands has been dealt with, I would like to advise all that engage in field operations to be careful, sightings of more Risen has come in from both scouts and local villages, and I don't need to remind anyone of their threat." All nodded to the words as Alex continued. "So, does anyone mind telling me... whose bright idea was coming out here for me or is it for both the safety and the watch of the Marauders?" As fortune had it, Lon'qu was the vocal one on it as he spoke.
"Far from it, we have seen how you have managed such a large following, taming the broken soul of the Plegian people to your hands." The swordsman shook his head as he continued. "No, it is the notion that you are being too... widespread, the Prince has it in his head that you are stretching a bit much and need to take a step back." Alex looked among the group and his face lightly dropped as he sighed.
"Perhaps..." He straightened up as he mused before pressing on. "...But I still have a sizable amount of work that needs my attention, so you will have to mind my interest to get..." Alex grimaced as his light grip slipped and he toppled down as the party nearly rushed over before he exclaimed. "I'm okay!" He huffed as he pulled himself up, his legs feeling like jelly as Amirg whispered to him.
'Alex, you are running a very high fever, you NEED to lay down soon!'
'Not right now, Amirg, I have to hold up for now. Besides, it is not a curse one bit, right?' Amirg returned to quiet watch as Alex breathed as he spoke. "My apologizes, several nights ago was a large raid and we briefly had to hold out through the night, not many were able to sleep then."
"Maybe you should..."
"No, Christian, I need to make sure of things before I can retire." As if a phantom, Alexander was gone again and the party sighed as they started.
"He is driving himself too hard, what else does he have to prove to those ignorant nobles?" Lon'qu surprisingly hissed with a click of his tongue.
"I know, Lon'qu..." Lissa stated with a frown as she continued. "But if he is unwilling to just rest for five minutes, Chrom did say to take him back by any measures, if it came necessary."
"Gosh, I ain't seen a fellar look so darn messed up than this one guy back at m' village." Donnel answered as he fiddled with his pot hat. "I jus' hopes that we can be gettin' him to rest soon, 'cause I darn don't think we can handles a overworked lordship like him."
"Yes, but what can we do...?" Christian asked as he gestured to the party around the table. "Gregor isn't here to help out in keeping him down and we also decided to walk straight into both brigand and Risen territory, I don't know how else we can help other than easing some of the factions out of here." The members actually agreed to that notion as they made to organize themselves for more combat and to direct the Marauders about, lacking one however as Tharja seemed to have vanished to parts unknown...
Alex could feel the gaze of Tharja on his back as he mused some with a breath. "I'm glad Tharja's acting like her old self again." Alex lightly stumbled as he grimaced, the images started to flicker in his vision again as he gripped one hand on a barrel. "A-although... I feel... Urk!" He gasped as the images seemed to triple, his body felt like it was blazing with fire, and he was also feeling the notion of vomit bile up his throat. "Ch-chills up my spine... G-goose bumps... C-can't stop sh-sh-shivers..." His last thought before dropping were the facts as Amirg seemed to be shouting in his ear, words disappearing before they could reach as even Amirg succumb to the fever or illness that flood over their body as Tharja popped out of hiding with concern.
"Alex? ...You all right?" She dashed over and ran a hand over his coat as she stated with worry. "Alexander, you're shaking like a leaf!" She dared to even touch his head and winced to the heat as she stated some more. "And your forehead's on fire!" Her mind raced to think of what could be done, she had taken notice of his sluggish state, but now regretted it as her spell was forcing it all out tenfold, this was why she shouldn't JUST cast some random hex without the proper measures to counter the effects that could come with. "Okay, Tharja, think." She paced lightly as she made to haul him to the medical tent. "We need cold water and a spell to bring down the fever..." She tried, but her strength was not enough, she groaned and moaned in sorrow for if she didn't fix it in time...!
"Oy, let Gregor be the helping hand!" Without a measure of restraint, Gregor had arrived and hoisted Alex onto his shoulder and headed to the tent with Tharja behind in a dark mood, she didn't expect the jolly giant to be close by. "Now, we will be getting this one to bed and see if old Gregor's box of remedies..."
"NO!" Tharja yelped, Gregor pausing with them in the tent as she cleared her throat and spoke again. "No, I will tend to him, this is... my fault in the first place."
"Oh. Is Gregor too much for dark lady?" He bellowed in laughter as Tharja glared at him before he turned, settling Alex down in a bunk and headed on. "Take good care, Dark Lady, is fine tactician and would hate to see young love broken because of lack of try." She kept her glare before he disappeared out and she started to work, to heal her Alexander and wanting to remedy her own mistake of trying to keep him awake...
Alex stirred with a loud groan after Tharja settled in for a small section of reading as he shifted a bit and Tharja greeted him as she put her book down, a bookmark in it to mark her place. "Hello."
"Huh?" Alex opened his eyes and looked around as he mused. "Wh-what happened? Why am I lying here?" It didn't fit that Tharja had decided to bring him to the medical tent, but a hidden feature under her stone face told him enough somehow, she was guilty of something, maybe it was something to do with him.
"You lost consciousness and collapsed." Tharja answered as she rested a hand on the bedside. "It was because of the fever." Alex didn't dare to argue that he was brought low by such a simple thing, but it wasn't so bad, it was only after reports of a small force coming toward them did he seem to have gotten worse, something must have indeed happened as he answered, raising a hand to his face and humming.
"Yes, I-I've been feeling unwell for a while." He blew some hair out of his face as he felt slightly undressed without his coat. "Probably been working too hard." Tharja glowered as she asked a interesting answer.
"I thought you might accuse me of putting a curse on you..." Though that thought did occur in his mind, he was better than to assume the worse, she would rather heal him than to force him to be sick, it may have been a bad casting of a spell on her part as Alexander countered.
"I'd never assume that!" He didn't know when he lashed out his hands, but he regretted it as he winced some and pulled them back as he answered. "What kind of monster would curse their friend..." Tharja wore a surprised look before she uneasily chuckled at the terming.
"...Oh. Right. That would be crazy!" She chuckled a bit more before Alex breathed and laid back down.
"Anyway, thank you so much for taking care of me." Tharja reflected back their first real talk, she knew that he didn't hold her in that light anymore, but she still reflected back to that one meeting... she just couldn't get it out of her mind and they never did talk about it.
"Didn't you once say you wouldn't want me taking care of you?" Alex didn't question it as he hummed before giving an reply, feeling that he needed to clear the water a bit more than before.
"Clearly, I was mistaken." Tharja countered that without any hold on her thoughts about it.
"You're just saying that because I helped you out."
"No, it's true!" Alexander's dozy feeling started to bubble up and he hummed some as he tried to repel the sleep for a bit in vain. "In fact, I wonder if you wouldn't mind...staying..." He uttered a sizable yawn before his eyes started to droop and he slumped into the bed. "Just...just for a while..." With that, he passed out as Tharja kneel before the side and tilted her head in glee as she spoke some.
"Aw, how sweet." She slipped a hand over his locks and smiled. "He's sleeping. Sleeping and...helpless." She chuckled some before she reached over to her ingredient bag and pulled out a pair of scissors, that sweets thief didn't exactly accept her demands, but the chance to get some of Alex's locks was presented before her and she was taking it. She should have been more careful than that as, before she could get a grip and a snipe in, Alex suddenly lashed out, Tharja quickly overtaken as her scissors somehow dropping onto the bedside table with her bag and she was pulled under the sheets, in close proximity of his body, the same body that she dressed as she grimaced. 'On my Naga, I was not ready for this sort of reaction, I need to get out of here!' She struggled to escape, but his grip was tight, like he was... possessive of her for some reason, suddenly that one meeting was now amiss to the current issue here. 'How does he have this tight of a grip, but a gentle touch for his tactics!?' She struggled once more for freedom, but she tried too hard as she was pulled close and Alexander spoke softly, his tired voice crept across her collar.
"Don't go, my shadow, I haven't slept in a while, so accept this command and rest with me, that will be your punishment for your charms and tricks." Tharja didn't know why, but she felt that his words had her full attention, but since he was sleepy, it felt like jam or the equal feeling of jam-like honey. "Thank you, I know how much of a problem I am when I just don't listen often."
"You could say that again..." Tharja mused as the grip loosened, but Tharja simply rolled over, resting her head on his collar and slept with him, so what if she couldn't get a lock of hair, she had a better prize, the chance to just rest beside her love, hair can come later on...
Christian was no fool, nor did he have a single reason to go hunting for Alexander, he needed the rest and he could tell that the tactician had been running himself rugged from all he had been doing, even some of the Marauders spoke of his tiring behavior. Though, he nearly falling over in the meeting tent was a alarm going off that someone may have cursed him, but it was strange, he had seen one dark mage work and her hexes were not so... affecting to his best friend as Lissa lead the way, Barlowe and Donnel behind her as they made their way to the medical tent, Gregor had actually dropping Alexander off there with the company of Tharja, she saying that she was dealing with it as she could through Gregor's own understanding. "I'm not sure that we should go looking for the pair of them, Tharja may curse us."
"But shouldn't we check on up Alex, it is only right that we make sure that he is okay." Lissa answered and the others slightly shook their heads as she may not be on the curse list, they could be and they were unwilling to get on Tharja's bad side if she was 'spending' her time with Alex. "Besides, what else are we suppose to do? The whole bandit issue has lessened up so we have some time on our hands." Before any could point out otherwise, Lissa strode for the tent flap to walk on through...
...Only to slam into something and tumbling backward as she rubbed her face, the impact somehow hurting her face. "What the heck was that, what did I run into?"
"A man with a full note of recovery?" Lissa looked up and chuckled uneasily as Alex stood there with raised brow before he reached down and she took the hand to lift her up before dusting herself off as he continued. "Not that I am complaining, but what exactly are you guys doing here? Have the brigands already been dealt with?"
"Uh, yeah, actually..." Christian started as he explained. "It was rather easy to deal with the remnants of the bandit menace, but just as soon as we had finished up, we were shortly plagued by Risen, they just creeped out of the woodwork somehow." Christian looked about and peered behind Alexander as he asked. "Speaking of recovery, Gregor said that Tharja was... tending to you, is she still here?"
"The word is 'was'." Alex sighed as he spoke. "Before I even woke up, she was already gone, a note saying that she had found a few ingredients of her hexes and potions near here and she wanted to collect them before heading back to Ylisse, other than this 'supposed' treatment on her part, I haven't seen her around for the most part." That made a shift in their behavior as they looked among the others before Lissa spoke with resign, why was a question as the young princess spoke.
"Aw man, I was hoping to find her, she has been cryptic during and since the trip." The party behind her lightly winced, but Alex kept his focus on the smaller woman before him. "Oh, well, maybe we'll find her around the camp some time." She took off in a graceful pace as the party shook their heads and followed suit, leaving Alex to watch them go without another word before he spoke without looking.
"The coast is clear, you can come out now." From the shadows and behind his back stepped Tharja as she huffed in relief.
"Thank you, I don't know how long I could handle the princess's spirit."
"Well, she is high spirited..." Alex spoke before he reached into his bag that he carried for trips and pulled out a large coat before offering it to the dark mage standing beside him, her eyes widening as he spoke. "You forgot your coat for this winter weather, didn't you?" She made a 'tch' before taking the coat in hand, taking a moment to slip it on, and take a breath from it, it scented with cinnamon as she spoke.
"Shut up..."
"I take that as a compliment." Alex smiled as he headed off, Tharja close behind as he turned the chat elsewhere to avoid the tension that had formed in the medical tent. "So when did Donnel and Lissa get engaged?" Tharja sighed as she explained, the members passed saluting and nodding to Alex which he returned as he listened.
"The far... Donnel actually saved Lissa's life when a sudden bandit attack besieged us, we were just fine, but Donnel took the lion's share of foes, even besting the leader who was gunning for Lissa as a trophy before, after the end, he dropped to a knee, looking like he was harmed, but we were all actually surprised when he pulled out a box and spoke these words, forgive my rough translation..." She cleared her throat before she spoke again. "Will ya'll make me the happiest man and be ma wife, ma'am?"
"That takes guts..." Alex nodded as he reached out an arm and pulled Tharja close, she not complaining for the moment as he continued. "But Chrom doesn't know and I would like to believe that they will do well to be on my good side if they don't want an Exalt on their tail from the get-go." She chuckled with his light laugh at the possible villain move, but neither said anything as they headed to her tent first and she paused at the entrance.
"Will you..." Alex looked at her before she stammered. "N-N-Nevermind... I need to get back to my things." The tent flap opened and closed as Alexander huffed, the vapor puffing out his nose before he turned and headed back to his tent as Amirg formed around his collar.
"Bold move on both of the farmer and you, I never thought you would have the guts to pull that sort of act."
"Indeed, but we are still... cracked in ways." He breathed as he glanced to the glow of Amirg's eyes. "The world is changing, I know this, but we are also feeling the embrace of love itself, perhaps that is why we march for glory, to come home to someone that misses us."
"We are not going to die, kid."
"No..." Alex spoke as he breathed, feeling the pocket inside and the doubt bloomed once more to the solid thing inside. "We just march on the dead to proceed through life and if the dead rise up, we have troubles to face... just what ARE the Risen...?" That question was unanswered, not that he needed one, it just helped to ease to know what they often face, even with the involvement of the Marauders.
Alex didn't want to say it or speak of it as there was much work to be done, but for now, there was paperwork to publish and manage...