The issue had not resolved itself, come Christmas morning. Roy was able to sleep–that much was a relief, especially after last night, when sleep had been so hard to find–but the thoughts had done very little to settle his mind. He spent half the night awake, and by the time he woke up the next day, it was nearly 11:30AM.

Six and a half hours until I have to meet her, he thought, his head in his hands. More than enough to make my decision.

And yet, it still felt too short. What to do, what to do?

Could he ignore it? He could, maybe if he was Robin, or Byleth. Those four were quite good at keeping their feelings in check; they knew how to deal with things like this professionally. And it wasn't like he wore his emotions on his face–he could keep them in check if he wanted to, but this was a woman he'd loved, a woman he still loved. He was barely keeping to himself, but with this... he couldn't keep going like this.

But could I really bring it up now? It's Christmas. What would I even say? Zelda, did you truly kill all those people? Roy groaned again. And then there's her boyfriend. Gods, she might bring him with her. I'll just bring them down, won't I?

But he couldn't just not show up, could he? She'd been so excited that he still wanted to be friends with her. Lucina's words echoed in his mind; their friendship was such a precious thing–he'd be heartless to let it go to waste. If he didn't show, would she be devastated?

Did he want to be friends with someone who could condemn so many people to death? What would people think of her? What would people think of him?

Roy decided that he wouldn't come to much of a decision, laid in bed, so with a groan, he pushed himself out of bed.

The other Fire Emblem fighters had already left–he remembered Chrom had said something about a celebration in Delfino Plaza, but when he'd invited him, Roy said he hadn't been feeling it.

Just past a set of glass tables, he could see the Christmas tree Ike had set up the night before still glowing. Many of the presents were opened beneath them; a few, he assumed, were the unfinished puzzles on the table and the one finished one that he assumed was Robin's. There were a few still wrapped, and those he assumed were his.

If nothing else, Roy supposed it was better to get that out of the way first, so he stumbled over and began to unwrap.

The first was a box of pens. Robin's gift, probably. The one wrapped in green was a scarf with the Exalt's brand, Chrom's he could only assume. And the third one, wrapped in blue, was... well, from what he could tell from the shape, it was a book. As he peeled back the wrapped, however, he saw that it was not just any book, but a fairy tale; just like the one he had given Zelda.

Roy stared at it, his eyes scanning over the front cover, then the back cover.

She'd looked so excited when he had given her the book. If he didn't show up... he could imagine her devastated face when he didn't show up.

Friend or no, he didn't want to disappoint her, so with a sigh, he set the book down on a table and adjusted his belt.

No matter what he thought, he would go. He would smile with her, he would laugh with her, for her sake and hers alone.


"Hello, Roy," Zelda said, her hands folded in front of her as she stood before him with a smile. Above her, a wooden sign labeled "The 5-8 Pub" swayed, a giant red turtle skull etched in, and for a moment Roy thought it may fall on her, if not for the chains holding it in place.

She looked different today. She wore the same, white dress, and she was smiling that same pretty smile, and maybe it was just him, and maybe it was just that she no longer looked the same shade of pink, but something had changed.

"So," Roy said, and he glanced inside the shop. The whole place was covered in ash gray and orange, like the inside of a fiery hot dungeon, and bones that he really hoped were fake were scattered over the floor. He gulped and took a step back.

"So, is this the place?" he asked, running a hand through his red hair.

Zelda nodded. "This is the place."

"It looks rather frightening."

"You don't go drinking very much, do you?" Zelda said, looking him up and down.

Fidgeting with his hands, Roy sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

"You don't try to hide it."

"Well... my father... that is to say, I don't think he would have approved." Then he paused, and gave her a look. "Do you?"

"Oh, I have not. But Link tells me that this is not that unusual for a bar."

"Oh." Link. Her boyfriend. Roy looked around, but as far as he could tell, he wasn't here. "Is it just us tonight?"

Zelda's smile dropped just a little. "I didn't think to invite anyone else."

"I see."

Roy wasn't sure where to go with that, so he fell silent. Zelda went quiet too. They stood there, saying nothing for a minute before Zelda cleared her throat.

"Would you like to go inside?"

"I wouldn't mind," Roy replied.

Nodding her head toward the door, Zelda walked through the door and slipped inside. Roy looked around one last time, then he followed.

The pub did not look any more inviting inside than it did before; if anything, as Roy walked deeper inside, he found himself wishing more and more he could leave. The place was quiet, save for a few low whispers passed beneath the table. Chains hung from the rafters, clinking softly as he passed by them, and he couldn't help but feel like all the people there were staring at them whenever he turned away. It didn't help that they all looked rather unfriendly; a few bug-like creatures sat huddled by the television, a pair of round orange creatures sharing a basket of fries, and was that Wolf smashing one of the buttons in the jukebox?

On the other side of the room was a stone-brick stage. Even from here, Roy could see a small crowd gathered around it, watching as the round purple creature from the soup kitchen rocked back and forth on a bright, colorful ball.

"...and so the star says to the moon, I'm blowing up? Well maybe if you weren't trying to flare me up, you'd see how full of yourself you are!"

The audience chuckled lightly, even as Roy followed Zelda to a seat at the back. At the front, he saw Marx grin sheepishly.

"Sorry for that, guys. Not starting off strong, I know. But it's Christmas, and who am I to let you down? Anyway, speaking of Christmas, did I ever tell you about the time Kirby and I–"

Beside him, Roy heard Zelda move. He looked over, only to find a plate of thickly cut french fries under his nose.

"Would you like some?" Zelda asked, holding the plate closer.

It smelled good–it really good–but Roy found he did not have the appetite for it.

"I'm fine," he replied. "I've already eaten lunch."

"Are you certain? It would not hurt to have one or two."

"Truly, I'm fine."

A laugh rippled through the audience–something Marx had said, perhaps. It did little to change the look on Zelda's face, a frown slowly creeping up on her lips. "I see," she said. "My apologies."

"It's not your fault." But even as he said it, he felt like it was. Zelda tried to hide it, but he could still see the frown on her face grow.

He turned his attention back to the show. Marx had moved on, now, saying something about a big red sleigh; Roy wasn't the most knowledgeable on the customs of Christmas, so he didn't quite understand what it was about, but when the turtle in the corner tapped the drums and everyone started chuckling, Roy chuckled along with it to not look out of place.

He heard something pass through his ear, so quiet, he almost missed it. He glanced over at Zelda, who ducked away from his gaze, and when she cleared her throat, she said again, louder, "Do you have any plans after this?"

Roy blinked. "Why do you want to know?"

Humming, Zelda picked at her sleeves again. "It's Christmas. There is something I would like to show you. Ah, as thanks, for your present."

"Oh, right."

Roy turned back to the show. He heard Zelda shift beside him, before she added, "I read it, by the way. The first few chapters. I liked it. You know me well."

"Well, I assumed you would like it." Roy ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I mean, I don't think you would read fairy tales to the kids if you didn't like them, and you know all about Santa."

"So, would you like to come with me once this is over?"

"I don't think I'll have time."

The chair next to him scraped back against the floor. Roy looked over just in time to see Zelda turn and begin to walk away. Roy cursed, and he stumbled out of his own seat and ran after her.

"Wait!" he said, catching up to her in a few steps. It wasn't like she was trying to run away from him, after all. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"Out," Zelda replied, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Out? Where?"

"I'm not quite sure." Slowly, Zelda raised her eyes to meet his. "If you didn't want to be with me, you should have just said so."

"Of course I want to be with you," Roy said, but from the way Zelda's brows pulled down, she saw right through him. "Okay, I don't know if I do."

"Are you still my friend, Roy?"

"Of course I–" Roy stopped, then scowled. "I don't know. I don't know if I still want to be your friend. But–" he said, before she could turn away. "I don't believe I don't want to still be friends."

"Don't try to pretend you do," Zelda said softly. "You know what I've done."

"But you have done many good things here too."

"That does not undo the lives lost, Roy." Then, the oddest thing happened. The frown faded from Zelda's face, and slowly, she smiled. "It's alright. You do not need to lie for my sake. I would not want to be my friend as well."

And what could he say to that? That she was wrong? They both knew she wasn't. That he would stay with her? She had made it clear she didn't want that.

So, what else could he do but watch as she walked through the doors and disappeared into the bustling crowd outside.

Behind him, the crowd laughed.

Come here to spare her feelings? What a joke.


I'm back.

It's time for the 3rd act break-up.