On Wings of Love

by Cyberchao X

Disclaimer: Why do they call them "disclaimers"? The in-program thesaurus lists the synonyms of disclaimer to be surrender, abandonment, disavowal, renunciation, abdication, quittance, repudiation, resignation, or cession. We're not giving up ownership! We never had ownership! Though we are certainly not claiming ownership, we are not undoing a claim to ownership, which is what disclaim means. Therefore, I shall start looking for a better word for the part of the chapter where I tell you all that I do not own Fire Emblem, and you shall read this chapter in the meantime.

"You don't mind that we're going all this distance, do you?" Fiora asked Florina.

"It'd be longer to go back now," Florina replied, "and besides, I wanted to go."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I..." She stopped. "I wanted to see Lord Eliwood again."

"As did I. Still, I'm a bit suspicious. If Farina really had 'misgivings' about my motives, why did she agree to go?"

"She's just teasing you again," Florina said, "Don't worry about it."

"Yeah...you're probably right."

----------------(I'm just going to do this because it's easier.)

"You okay, Rebecca?" Wil asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine...as fine as possible, anyway."

"I'll be here for you any time you need me, okay?"

"Yeah...thanks."

"Lord Eliwood."

"Yes, Marcus? What is it?"

"We have just received word that Lady Lyndis is returning, with her guests from Ilia.

"A better situation for all, I should think," Eliwood replied. A knock sounded at the door of the castle. "Ah, yes, that must be them. They should be in any second now."

"Hello, dear," Lyn called. "We decided to come back here."

"I noticed. Good to see you again," he greeted the pegasus knights.

"And you as well, Lord Eliwood," Fiora replied, bowing.

"I think it would've been better if you curtsied," Farina whispered to her, seeing Kent and Sain go red in the face.

"True. Modesty is not easy when riding is to be done." (Surely you noticed that none of the horse-riding women have terribly long skirts. It makes sense, as longer ones would get in the way—and pants for females were unacceptable in such an era as this is assumed to take place in.)

"Don't worry about it. You need to start impressing the men!" Farina said, before receiving the butt of a lance in her face. "Sorry, Fiora..."

Eliwood and Lyn were looking at this scene with much amusement. Wil and Rebecca, of course, had already retired to their room, as he insisted she needed to rest. "I suppose that you'll want to be finding a room, then," Eliwood said.

"Yes, that would be nice, Lord Eliwood," Fiora said.

"And you can prevent such embarrassing accidents from happening again," Florina added.

"Florina..." Fiora sighed. She had done it on purpose, and had no real need to change. Besides, it was the middle of summer, and not even in Ilia, either. Long clothing would only be a burden right now.

A servant showed them to their rooms. "I'm afraid that we will be unable to put all of you in the same room. Who wishes for a room by herself?"

Fiora started to speak up, but Florina beat her to it. "I'll be by myself." Fiora looked at her strangely, but Farina understood.

Fiora muttered, "Great. So much for a relaxing vacation."

"How about we all take different rooms. Is that okay?" Farina asked.

"If that is what you wish, then yes, it is okay."

"That'll be fine," Farina and Florina said together, before Fiora could say anything to the contrary, and it was settled.

----------------(Nighttime)

Sain carefully opened the door to one of the guest rooms, hoping he'd chosen the right one. He found that the resident was not asleep in the first place. "Good evening, Sain," Farina said.

"Farina. Which room is Florina's? I told Lowen that you three were here, but we didn't get a chance to see you until now."

"I'll get her. I don't think she'd be at ease if you were to rouse her," she replied.

Sain had to refrain from making a comment about how much he'd like to rouse her. "Good. I'll show you two to the knights' quarters. By the way," he added, right before she entered her sister's room, "you look...nice, tonight." He blushed.

"Oh, uh...thanks...I guess..." She blushed back, and went in. "Hey, Florina?" She had to shake her sister a bit.

Florina groggily rose. "Huh? Wha...oh, Farina. Why are you waking me up so early?"

"I'd think you'd be a bit happier to see Lowen again. Sain's going to take us to see him. Well, mostly you—I'm just going along because I'm already part of this anyway."

Florina's immediately brightened up. "Well, that makes all the difference. Let's go!"

"Sh, not so loud. You want to wake Fiora? Or the rest of the castle?"

"Oh. Sorry."

"Now then, right this way, ladies," Sain said, wrapping an arm around each.

She's totally oblivious, Florina thought, seeing Sain's arm lower on Farina. In reality, she wasn't. At least he's not doing it to me...

"Ah, my dear Florina," Lowen began. "It has been far too long."

"We'll just get out of your way now," Sain said, "so you can do whatever you like."

Lowen hit him, then hit him again. "What do you mean, 'we'? Someone else knows?"

"It was an accident. It's not like it's the first time it happened. Wil found out, too, back when we were talking."

"Don't worry," Farina added, "I won't tell a soul."

"Actually, that's something I wanted to talk to you about," Florina said. "Why do you want to keep it secret?"

"Because...because I need to be there for Lord Eliwood. We can't—"

"Yes we can," she insisted, "I could come to live here, with you. We could live together always..."

"There's more," Sain added. "Farina?"

"Well, Florina and I have both been worried that Fiora hasn't been paying enough attention to her own life, and too much to Florina's. If she knew, then she'd be free to live as she pleases."

"And pleasing her will be all too easy, since we already have someone lined up for her."

"You?" Lowen guessed.

"No. Kent," Sain replied.

"Yes?" Kent's voice answered from the darkness.

"Wah!" all four cried.

"What's going on here?"

"Um, uh...third door from the left!" Farina cried, bewildering the three cavaliers. (Or more likely paladins, right?) Kent went off.

"What was that, Farina?"

"That was...Fiora's room. Fiora's a fairly light sleeper—she's probably on her guard from when Florina got a bit too excited."

"At the news that we'd be seeing each other again, of course," she informed Lowen.

"So she'll wake up when Kent enters her room. Brilliant job, Farina!"

"A mercenary like me needs to be cunning."

"Beautiful and cunning! I like it!" Sain replied.

"You...think I'm beautiful?" Farina stammered.

"Yes, of course. You're very beautiful, Farina."

"I...always thought...because I wasn't...like them..."

"I see. You were never confident in your looks because of how lovely your sisters are. That's still no excuse. All three of you are pretty, not just those two."

"Th-thanks. No one's ever said that about me before...they always expected more, because Florina and Fiora were so much better looking than me."

"It's...no problem." Farina was looking like she wanted him to embrace her, so he did. She did, as it turned out.

A/N: Like you didn't know that was going to happen eventually? I think it's a crime that there are no support conversations between the two, because they make a perfect match. In fact, I've had this idea going for awhile now—though the Lowen-Florina bit only came to me right before I started the fic. As always, read and review, and I'll try to keep this PG. While we're on the topic of support conversations, I reached 50...go me! As for the disclaimer thing, I think I get why it's called a disclaimer, so it shall stay that way.