Winteress: Hello all! Hello! Hello! –glomps the Heath bars and sour candy-

Miss Daisy: Ignore her. She's hyper because Halloween was yesterday and now she's on sugar high.

Quickening: -sweatdrop- Yeah, well, at least it's not as bad as...remember the night we went to the bowling alley and got HP & The Order of the Phoenix at midnight?

Miss Daisy: Please. Don't remind me. .

lzn64: Yeah, I shouldn't promise things... x.x AND HECTOR IS IN THIS CHAPTER!!! -cheers- Serra will show up, too. Oh, and I love how Crossroads of the Heart is going, I keep reviewing it. :P Thanx for reviewing!

Several hours later, I lingered by the front of the tent I shared with Fiora, watching Farina chat amiably with several members of the camp around the campfire. She was usually easy-going around people, unless it came to business deals, which of course turned her into a completely different person.

Lord Hector had been furious when he had discovered that the whole battle in the marshlands had been a ruse, to draw us away from the Fire Emblem. Now, he was determined to find it, but we were to get a night's rest here first. It was too late to start on another journey, anyway, but we were planning to actually go into the mountains, to the Black Fang fortress. I shivered slightly. Fighting the enemy was one thing, but to actually confront them at their own stronghold? I wasn't so sure about this idea.

Lord Hector...I turned away from the sight of Farina chatting her head off to Dorcas and stared into the rough canvas of the tent. I still hadn't mustered the courage to thank him for saving me back in Caelin, when Lady Lyndis had sent me to inform him...but the archers had shot at me, and I had fallen...

OoOoOoOoO

I had to do my best. For Lyn.

The thought echoed in my head as Huey winged his way swiftly through the blue sky. I risked a quick glance downwards. The enemy was still unmoving.

I can still reach them, I thought, seeing Lord Hector and the others in the distance. Come on, Huey! I urged mentally, spurring him forwards. They were close now. Time to start descending. Gently, I tugged his reins –

"FLORINA! Watch out!"

The voice came from far down below.

"Ah! What?!" I exclaimed, startled. I turned, too late to see the arrows flying at me...

Then I was falling, falling through empty space, empty air, and Huey was shrinking rapidly above me, faltering. I tried to scream, but no sound came out –

"Ah!" A gasp escaped my lungs as I crashed onto something, metal plates – armor? – pushing sharply into my back. "Wha - ?"

I suddenly realized I had fallen on top of Lord Hector, who was now holding me awkwardly in his arms, his plate armor digging into me very uncomfortably.

"I – ah –" I managed, struggling to get out of his grasp. It was very uncomfortable, being in a man's arms like this. Before I could do further, a feathery white shape careened out of the sky and fell to the ground near me, wings banging Lord Hector.

"Darned flying horse!" he yelled, dropping me and turning to a forlorn Huey, lying on the ground. I fell to the ground with a gasp, the wind knocked out of me, lavender hair askew, but glad and relieved to be on the ground again.

"Huey!" I cried, scrambling over to my pegasus. He nicked softly, then struggled to his feet when I came over. I whispered calming things in his ear, stroking his pale neck softly.

"Hey, you!" called Lord Hector, interrupting Huey and I. I jumped, then fastened my gloved hands in Huey's thick mane for comfort. "You –" he began.

I squeaked, and jerked Huey forward by the bridle, running in terror. Lady Lyn had wanted me to speak to Lord Eliwood...

It wasn't until I had gotten far away until I realized that he had probably saved me from my death – or at least several uncomfortable broken bones.

OoOoOoOoO

I shook myself out of my memories and looked back at Farina, now babbling on to the big strong pirate – what was his name? Dart. I had to be more like her, able to easily talk to people.

I bit my lip stubbornly. I had to do it now. It was now or never.

The young Ostian lord was standing a ways off, watching Farina as well. People seemed to be rather interested in her, but then, they were always excited to have a new comrade.

Slowly I snuck around, behind the tents, until I was almost directly behind Lord Hector.

I had to thank him for saving me back in Caelin. I had to. Be strong, Florina.

I took a deep breath, tried to calm my racing heart, and stepped forward slightly, hands clasped in front of me. Lord Hector was standing with his back to me.

I blinked, and took a breath again. What was supposed to come out as a greeting came out sounding more like "um..."

"Huh?" The young lord of Ostia turned abruptly, and saw me. His face turned confused, and he had good reason too, seeing little me, hands clasped, cheeks red.

"Umm, I...I..." I choked out, trying in vain to form a complete sentence. Damn it, Florina! Why couldn't I ever talk to men, even the nice ones, or the ones that I needed to thank?

"You say something?" queried Hector, leaning in a bit closer. I shrank back, and shook my head dumbly.

"Guess not," he said lightly, and turned around again. "Hey, Eliwood!" He jogged over easily to where his friend was waiting, and the two of them began to speak.

I choked down a sob. I was so pitiful. I couldn't even say full sentences!

I turned and fled back to my tent.

I was so deep in thought and self-pity, curled up on my pallet, that I didn't even hear Fiora come in quietly a few minutes later. Immediately, she knelt down next to me. "Florina? Are you feeling okay?"

"Ah!" I jerked my head up. "Sister!"

"Florina, what's wrong?" she questioned.

"Nothing," I said miserably. "You can't do anything about it."

I wished for the thousandth time I could just be like Fiora, calmly and politely walking up to Lord Hector and thanking him.

Or even Farina. She would have had him thanked in no time in that business-like way of hers.

Farina. It had been so long since I'd seen her, and now she was back.

"Um, Fiora?" I said softly.

"What is it, Florina?"

"What was it that you and Farina were arguing about so terribly?"

She sighed deeply, and seemed to me that she was filled with a bone-deep weariness, a fatigue that tired her even as she stroked my hair gently.

"It...was nothing, Florina. Forget it."

"But now that she's back --" I faltered. "Shouldn't you two talk about it?"

"Perhaps I should," she said slowly, quietly. "Perhaps it would be better. Perhaps I need to speak with her." Her blue eyes flicked out the open tent flap, to where Farina was. "Florina, do you mind if I leave you for a bit?"

"No, not at all!" I said hurriedly. "I can take care of myself. Really!"

She smiled sadly, and stood. "Very well then."

Turning, Fiora left the tent. I saw her walking over to where Farina was.

Suddenly, I was struck by a ferocious curiosity to know what they were going to talk about. I wanted to know why my sister had left home, what they had been arguing about.

Quietly, I got up from my pallet, making sure to not rustle the sheets. I stole out of the tent and stayed away from the illuminating light of the campfire, edging along the sides of a few tents. Silently, I tucked myself into a dark corner, where I had a full view of my sisters.

"Farina," said Fiora softly, moving up next to her elder sister, who blinked at her. "May I speak with you?"

"Hey, sis!" exclaimed Farina brightly, concealing her initial surprise. "So...haven't seen you around in a bit."

Was it just me, or was that last comment laced with a hint of irony?

"I'm sorry," said Fiora quietly, looking at the ground. "The last time...I spoke too harshly..."

"We shouldn't exactly be discussing this here, you know?" cut in Farina nervously, glancing around. Without waiting for a response, she seized Fiora's arm and dragged her around the corner. A gasp rose in my throat, that I quickly forced down and retreated farther into the corner. They hadn't seen me. Good.

"I am sorry for what I said," repeated Fiora, meeting Farina's gaze levelly.

"It's fine," said Farina, perhaps a little too cheerfully. "Besides, I was at fault, anyway. I always think about money first and everything else later."

Money. Part of the issue was about money. But I had a hinting, doubting suspicion that it wasn't just about our family's funds. After all, we had still managed after Farina left, right?

"No, I should be the one to apologize," argued Fiora. "And it is only natural that you should call me naïve, you being the oldest, and all. I mean, of course mercenaries should care about when and how much they get paid to fight, and --"

Farina cut her off abruptly, glancing around hurriedly. "Aw, now, look, it's all behind us..."

"No, it's not," said Fiora softly. "You can't just forget like that. You can't leave a person behind the way you do money, or old clothes, or --"

"I was just an idiot!" said Farina sharply. "You did nothing wrong!"

"How can you say that?" exploded Fiora. "I was terrible to you, and now that I really think about it, you were right all along! Why can't you get that through your thick skull?!"

"I'm telling you! I was not right! You were! I never should have flown off in a tizzy like that, you dope!"

"Stop contradicting me!" screamed Fiora, and I jumped, because it was the loudest I'd ever heard my sister yell. She had never, ever screamed at me like that before. I was amazed that no one noticed, or perhaps they decided wisely to ignore it.

"I was wrong!" she said bitterly. "I should have tried harder to grasp your greedy, insensitive ways!"

"Now you listen here, you uptight, worn-out..." began Farina. I winced and started to cover my ears. Farina had the best vocabulary of insults of anyone I had ever met.

She opened her mouth, to say something vulgar, no doubt, and stopped suddenly. "Hey."

"It's weird, isn't it?" said Fiora darkly, arms crossed across her chest. "Fighting over a sister?"

Sister. The word hit me like a slap in the face. I had been right, with that feeling it had been something about me five years ago. It was me they had been arguing about. It was me that had caused Farina to leave, me that had caused this terrible rift in our family.

But why?

"I wasn't fighting," said Farina, cheeks flushed from their previous shouting match. "I was merely saying that five years ago, you were incapable of taking care of Florina, and incapable of managing funds."

"Oh, and so you flew off and left me with her BECAUSE I was incapable?" Fiora stared at Farina like she was mad.

"No, well --" Farina stopped abruptly, and cocked her head.

Fiora paused. "Why...Why are we even fighting?"

"Um...I dunno." mumbled Farina, cheeks bright red. "Let's just drop it, okay? Florina's older now...she can take care of herself. We're all older. We've got to get along, especially in the midst of battle like this." She ploughed on. "I'll even pay you to stop arguing!"

Fiora laughed at that, all the contempt and weariness leaving her as she smiled at her sister. "No, that won't be necessary." Her tone turned more serious. "Say, Farina...You know I don't hate you, right?"

"Yeah, I've always known that," said Farina lightly, clapping Fiora on the armored shoulder. "I mean, I've known you forever, right?"

Fiora smiled. "I'm glad we got that resolved."

My two sisters walked away, finally at peace.

I waited in the darkness until they were gone, pondering what they had said. Farina had left because of an argument with Fiora, supposedly because she thought my middle sister was incapable of taking care of me?

It didn't matter. They weren't mad at each other anymore, and we were a family again.

When I returned to the tent Fiora and I shared, I found someone else rolling out a bedroll.

"Oh! Sister! Farina!" I said, surprised. "What are you doing?"

"Hey, Florina!" said Farina, smoothing out the bedroll and straightening. "We were wondering where you were!"

I looked down, not wanting to tell her I had eavesdropped.

"Ah, nevermind," she said, grinning. "Well, didn't you hear? I'm going to be staying in here with you now! Figured my little sisters could do with a bit of protection."

"Farina...Really?" My eyes widened, and I remembered to pretend I didn't know anything about their earlier conversation. "But I thought you and Fiora --"

She waved a hand vaguely. "It's all resolved now. We're happy now."

"Welcome back, Farina," I whispered, giving her a quick hug.

A/N: The reason Fi and Fa are arguing is my invention. So, don't complain. Again, I got sick of not being able to find convos (this time for Noble Lady of Caelin) so I just write! Muwahahahhaha!

Miss Daisy: -.-;;

Nino: Next chapter! Serra/Florina supports!

Quickening: MUST you give the story away EVERY time?

Nino: :/

Woodbark: -squeak-

Quickening: -squeezes chapter- The Peg Knight Sisters are so cute when they're arguing, and then they make up.

Miss Daisy: Sisters. -.- Glad I never had any.

Winteress: Ah, who knows, we don't know your past anyways.

Miss Daisy: -.-

Quickening: That has GOT to be your favorite expression.

Miss Daisy: -.-;;

Quickening: -backs away-

Nino: -cheers up- Well! Thank you for reading! Review please?

Miss Daisy: -whisper- She says the same friggin thing every chapter.

Woodbark: -squeak-