"Oh goddess, a hero's ball? That sounds glamorous." Hilda had started brushing Severa's hair, as others looked on inside the wagon. "Oh! I could make some really cute accessories for all of us to wear!"

"I am so in," Severa replied, sighing in contentment, "I have been dying to go dress shopping again." She looked at Lucina. The swordswoman looked at Hilda suspiciously, but also looked eager to join in. "Lucy, we should get you something to wear, as well." With that, Hilda sidled up to Lucina, and looked her up and down.

Lucina looked uncomfortable. "Is there something wrong?" She asked. Hilda stared down the princess, before looking over the rest of her body.

"I really think a butterfly charm would look super cute on you!" Hilda finally announced, "I've just gotta make something that matches your hair, and … uh … really brings out your feminine side!"

Another voice spoke up. "There was a long pause before you said 'feminine', you know." Nah was sitting on the wagon floor, gnawing on a pine cone. Severa and Hilda gave the manakete a ghastly look. "What? I'm hungry."

"Nah, there is actual food here, you know?" Severa replied sarcastically, "I could go get you a piece of bread or some dried fruit if you're actually starving."

"Pine cones are a good source of fiber," Nah answered, mouth struggling to contain the pine cone within. "Plus the sap is a nice sweet surprise." She began to gnaw on the cone, eliciting a gagging sound from Severa.

"Oh, do I hear the lovely sounds of Severa gagging?" Came a voice from the outside of the wagon. Nah pulled away the canvas flap, revealing Inigo, who looked around rather sheepishly. "Oh ho, and Nah is, um, chewing on a pine cone; what a … magnificent visage." Lucina grabbed the flirt by the collar and dragged him into the wagon.

"Inigo, what an excellent impression you make," Severa remarked, "How do you do it?"

Inigo gave a slight grin. "My … uh … natural charm?"

"Is that what they call it?"

Inigo looked uncomfortable. "Okay, maybe I still need to work on it …"

"That's putting it lightly," Nah remarked, "Glad to see you haven't changed much, Inigo." She tossed the pine cone out of the wagon, eliciting a sigh of relief from Severa. "How have you been?"

Inigo was non-committal, "Well, that's kind of what I wanted to discuss with you beauties ... "

Severa scoffed, "Just spit it out," she stated coldly, "I can feel my eyes rolling already."

"This doesn't have anything to do with that girl that's been following you around?" Lucina asked, "The one with the really colorful hair?"

Inigo shook his head, "Peri?" he asked, "She's harmless."

"Jury's out on that one," Severa interjected, "but continue."

"Well, Owain and I have been recruited to help … uh … someone … on a project that we aren't keen on working on."

Hilda spoke up. "Why don't you just ask someone else to do it? That's what I always do." Inigo sighed, and shook his head.

"She was very adamant that we should help her." He explained. Lucina sighed. "And yes, I know that I struggle to say no to beautiful women, but she's also the kind of woman that you just don't say no to!"

"She's remotely feminine?" Nah asked dryly.

"More like remotely omnivorous." Inigo remarked. "Will you guys help us or not?"

Lucina gave it a moment of thought, but Severa spoke first. "If this ends up being another one of your messes, I'll expect compensation."

"I can get you those little cakes you like so much!" Inigo exclamed.

Severa glared. "It'll do for now."

"So, what are your markings representing?"

Aversa groaned. Cordelia and Sumia had insisted that the two newest interlopers join the scout team in the air. Aversa knew Cynthia … unfortunately; but now she was stuck with the new girl, Petra, and she was insanely curious. About everything. She had already asked about her black pegasus, her spellbook, her white hair ...

"These markings represent my status as a High Dark Mage of the Grimleal." She stated, "It was considered an honor at the time."

"It is not the honor now?" Petra asked.

"No," Aversa replied, "It was never an honor for me, anyways. It was just the means to get what I wanted."

"What is it you were wanting?"

Aversa pondered the question for a minute. "I suppose …" she answered, "I wanted approval ... what a ridiculous idea."

Petra nodded sagely. "Ah, yes," she said, "Ferdie is very much the same."

"Ferdie?"

"Ferdie is a good friend," came the response, "But he is always wanting to prove his worth. It can be … what is the word … aggravating?"

Aversa chuckled. "Good word." She replied, and looked over the girl flying next to her. "So, what's the story behind your marking?" Aversa intended for the line of questioning to be intimidating, but Petra seemed to take it in stride.

Petra touched the marking on her face. "These are blessings for my family, for my people of Brigid." She looked excited, "I have more on my back, if you are wanting to see!"

"Maybe later, I don't think it's smart to try to disrobe on a pegasus."

Petra's lips thinned and she blushed slightly. "Of course, that would be very … silly?"

"Not my choice of word, but I suppose it works." More silence followed, but Aversa found it rather comforting. "Most people stop talking to me after a few sentences, but you seem to be fine with it." She noted.

Petra pondered this statement for a moment. She couldn't recall any moment that Aversa was being mean, or cruel. She just felt familiar, and Petra enjoyed the conversation they were having. "You remind me of … Hubert!" She exclaimed, "He also grumbles like you, but he is very kind when he wants to be."

"Kind, hmmm?" Aversa replied, "Are you sure the word you're looking for isn't 'cruel' or 'sinister'?"

Petra laughed at this. "You are very much like Hubert, he also does the acting sinister."

Aversa was about to respond, but she heard the distinct flapping of other pegasi nearing the duo, along with the very loud voice of -

"And then we went PHWOOOSH, and then Edelgard chopped down with a big CLAAANG!" Cynthia swooped in, as Morgan followed suit. "How are you doing, fellow mediators of justice?" She called out. Aversa sighed.

"I'm not part of your little club, child," She droned, "What brings your exceedingly loud person here?"

Morgan sighed heavily. "I'm boooooored, Auntie Aversa." She wailed, "I was hoping you guys had discovered some bandits or something."

"As you can see, there is nothing here but us and the pasture of sheep below our feet," she replied, "Why don't the three of you entertain yourselves if this is too boring for you?"

Cynthia either took the hint or ignored the barb at the end. "C'mon, Petra! Let's race!" She called out. Petra followed the other two pegasus riders, laughing all the while. Aversa sighed in exhaustion, she simply was not used to this much social interaction.

"They can be a bit much," she heard Cordelia say behind her, "Sorry we left you with Petra, that wasn't intentional."

Aversa snorted, "You should probably save that apology for the girl," she replied, "Talking to her was no trouble for me."

Cordelia frowned. "Okay, I know we have had our fights," she began, "but you're right, I should try to do better as a sister-in-law."

"Oh?" came the snide reply, "A change of heart?"

"You've been very good with Morgan," Cordelia admitted, "Robin and I have a hard time with her on occasion, and she pretty much worships the ground you step on."

"News to me, I just dote on the child as much as I can." She winked at the redhead, "Spoil the child rotten." Cordelia grinned at that. "By the way, isn't the Queen of Ylisse supposed to be with you?"

"She … uh … tripped into the stream earlier."

"Ah."

"And then she tripped on a wagon wheel."

"Dear me, it's been a long day for our gracious queen."

Cordelia huffed. "Don't push it." She warned. Aversa cackled, but remained silent after that. Best not to make her brother's lover too angry, Robin wouldn't let her hear the end of it. Cordelia breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. You can see the castle from here."

Aversa noticed it as well, the spires of the castle seemed to sprout from the nearby hills. She felt a tangible sense of relief at the thought of decompression and a real bath.

Forests soon gave way to a large bridge crossing a furious flow of water. The river Askr reminded Edelgard of the Airmid, with it's fast currents and white rapids. She could see herself, a version of herself, crossing the great Myrrdin Bridge … The Empress shook her head, perhaps it was just a dream. She turned to Alphonse, who had invited her and Claude to their wagon. "How long until we reach your castle?" She called out over the sounds of the river.

"Not very, Lady Edelgard," Alphonse replied, "The township is only an hour or so away from here. The castle should be visible past the hills."

"Visible? From this far out?" She asked, "That seems quite extravagant."

"The castle used to be the capital," Alphonse explained, "But it was too close to several borders, so it was moved a century ago." Sharena rolled her eyes and mouthed something to Anna. Edelgard looked at her fellow passengers. The tension seemed rather high. There were the Askrian royal siblings, their commander Anna, but also Laegjarn and Laevatein, who had been introduced as royalty of Muspell. There was also the princess Fjorm, the Summoner, and his … bodyguard? Ishtar had a royal air about her, but did not address herself as such. It would be best to be cautious and …

"Wow, it really looks like the Airmid, wouldn't you say, princess?" Edelgard's lips tightened. Claude was not a bad person, but he was an expert at pushing buttons. He didn't even have to say anything objectionable, he could do it with inflection, which Edelgard would find impressive if he wasn't so focused on using it on her. "Perhaps you should stay in the wagon, the moist air could annihilate your fragile skin!"

"Perhaps we could have a sparring match here," Edelgard offered, "And we can see who has the fragile skin?"

Claude put his hands up in mock surrender. "Right, right, my apologies, princess; just trying to keep your precious head safe!"

Edelgard huffed at this, but turned away to face the waters again. Something about the waters was haunting, and it felt like the water was ... calling to her. Voices echoed in her head, both familiar and not. It started to make her head hurt.

The sound of feet on the stone path, and a small hitch in the wagon alerted Edelgard to another presence. A blonde archer had leapt onto the outside, and was speaking to the Summoner in hushed tones. She seemed rather aggravated, and glared at pretty much anyone who looked her way.

"We've never needed a security detail before, Clarisse," she overheard the Summoner explain, "I think we can all take care of ourselves."

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to taking you to the infirmary again." came the snide reply, "If you won't have a full detail looking after you, you're stuck with me."

"I can't think of a better solution," Ishtar said quickly, "Your expertise is very welcome." This seemed to calm Clarisse down enough for her to focus on her surroundings. Her hawkish grey blue eyes scanned the horizon, but still managed to get a glare in on Edelgard. The Empress quickly turned away. She was stubborn, but not stupid.

"Home is in sight!" Sharena squealed in delight. Edelgard turned away from the river, and faced the hills. She could see the silhouette of a large castle, nearly the size of Garreg Mach. The sheer magnitude of the structure made Edelgard cringe. Much like home, it felt … oppressive in a way.

"So, that's the castle?" She heard Laegjarn ask, "It is a much more welcoming structure than Castle Muspell."

"You call that welcoming?" Claude replied, "It's nearly the size of Garreg Mach!"

"Yes," Edelgard spoke up, "Imposing would be a better word."

"I think you'll find it quite nice once you enter," Kiran stated, "And the town is quite lovely as well."

"Oh!" Ishtar interjected, "Don't you think we shou-" she paused, and whispered the rest into the summoner's ear. Both Sharena and Claude grinned at this, which Edelgard recognized as a cat cornering a mouse.

"Well, don't leave the room in suspense!" Claude called out, "What secrets are you two hiding?"

"Yeah," Sharena piled on, "Are you two gonna go smooch on a balcony?"

"Ah, a romantic excursion! Perhaps one of a more salacious nature?" Kiran blushed but didn't reply.

Clarisse looked into the wagon. "Keep it up, and you'll both volunteer to retrieve my arrows during training." That shut the duo up quickly, and all Edelgard could hear were hooves on the beaten-down path.

"You seem rather lost in thought, Lady Edelgard," Alphonse noted, "Is something the matter?"

Edelgard didn't answer immediately; the imposing castle made her think of several truths she had realized over her short life. "I worry that a castle this large may create too large a shadow for the people living under it." The Empress stated. Alphonse frowned, but didn't reply. It was something to consider.

The town was bustling when the army arrived; loads of citizens seemed prepared for a large celebration. Gold and white pennants were hung from balcony to balcony, and Alphonse could hear cheering as the army marched through. While Alphonse appreciated the response, he couldn't help but wonder who had organized such a thing. It wasn't like father would be eager to celebrate much of anything, and mother said she was busy working with the local farmers … Alphonse took a closer look at one of the pennants. The little flag had small illustrations of the two Askrian royals, with vague words of encouragement pasted above. Definitely his mother, then.

"I'm going to have a talk with mother about this," Sharena said, "These flags are just too cute!"

Anna looked pale. "Don't think about how much each one of these cost, Anna … You are an unbreakable stone pillar … You are the calm ocean waves …" She kept muttering to herself as villagers began pouring confetti down.

"Do you think mother and father are here?" Sharena asked her brother.

"Lucky you, Alph," Claude spoke up, "Getting a personal congratulations? What a guy."

Alphonse didn't look as excited as the others. "Yes, I suppose it is…" He managed to say, but it was clear he didn't believe it.

A cool breeze wandered across the front gate of the castle, causing Laevatein to shiver. Late spring in Askr was temperate, but for the Muspellan it might as well have been autumn. She cuddled closer to Laegjarn as the wagons were unloaded. "It's too cold here." The princess muttered.

"Oh, thank goodness we're back," A voice from behind hissed, "I could feel the last bits of sanity leave me." Tharja skulked her way past the Muspellans, towards the main entrance of the castle. Other heroes followed suit, all relieved that that got to be back in the castle. Laegjarn held Laevatein closer; after all, they might not have a home to go back to. The Summoner approached her, looking rather uncomfortable.

"Princess Laegjarn," he said stiffly, "As our guests in Askr, would you and Princess Laevatein join us for a tour of our castle?"

Laegjarn frowned. "Guests? Laevatein and I are political prisoners, are we not? As well as Princess Veronica?"

Kiran shifted his weight. "I would prefer the three of you to be guests, rather than prisoners. The fighting is done, so I personally find it pretty petty to force someone into the prisons, you know?"

"Do as you like," came the reply, "But I hope that the royalty of Askr is more aware than yourself."

"Don't expect too much." The tiny voice of Veronica interjected. She and Ylgr were both sharing a sweet bun, and her face was covered in cinnamon glaze. "Askrians are very loud and simple." Kiran didn't argue this statement, and instead guided the 4 to the main hall, where Alphonse and Sharena waited, along with someone that seemed to emanate an intensely welcoming air.

"So you must be Kiran!" She exclaimed. Her voice glistened and nearly made Laegjarn flinch from it's saccharine intensity. "Alph and Sharena have told me so much about you! Come here and give me a hug!" Before Kiran could protest, he was wrapped in a fur laden bear hug, and he swore he heard some ribs crack. He could feel a very pointed stare from behind him, and hoped it wasn't who he thought it was.

Alphonse groaned. "Kiran, this is my mother, Queen Henriette of Askr." He stated.

"Alphy! No need to sound so professional!" She cried out, "Just call me Henriette." The Queen approached Laegjarn. "Now which one of you is Laegjarn and which one of you is Laevatein?"

Laegjarn stepped forward proudly, attempting to dissuade Henriette from delivering a bone-crushing hug to her sister. "I am Laegjarn, Queen Henriette. Your presence is, if you do not mind me saying, most unusual."

"Now why would I miss meeting new friends for anything?" Henriette asked innocuously, giving Laegjarn a pointed wink. She faced Veronica. "And you must be Princess Veronica."

Veronica did not stop eating her cinnamon bun, and instead nodded for confirmation. Henriette lifted the girl up into her arms. "You will put me down this instant, Askrian witch." Veronica ordered. The Queen giggled at this.

"You enjoy cinnamon buns, do you? I'll have the royal baker make you some delicious pastries for tomorrow; how does that sound?"

Veronica peered over Henriette's shoulder. "Prince Alphonse, Princess Sharena," She proclaimed, "I am taking your mother and your royal baker with me forever. They are my mother and royal baker now."

Ylgr pouted. "No fair! I want sweets too!"

Henriette laughed, "Oh my, you certainly know how to flatter me!" She turned to Alphonse and Sharena. "I'll take these two to the kitchen, why don't we all get better acquainted with each other?"

Laegjarn detected more than a hint of 'or else' in her statement. "I see no reason to object." She stated plainly. As a political 'guest', it was smarter to make nice with the strange, but mostly agreeable Queen. Perhaps she could steal a few recipes that Laevatein would like as well …

"Inigo, did you find a few helpers for this ... whatever it is?"

Inigo nodded blankly. He and Owain had spent the last hour back in Askr procuring as much wood as they could hold. Severa had managed to call in a favor from Donnel as well. She had not negotiated the price of such a favor, and that caused both of them to shiver. Severa never did anything for free, or even cheap. At least Donnel had convinced a couple of friends to help as well.

"Donny, hafta say," Nephenee rambled on, "I didn't think haulin' wood would be the first thing I did once we got back."

"Same here, Nephenee," Donnel replied, "But Severa said it was an emergency."

Owain looked relieved. "Emergency or not, the two of us would have been at work until late in the night, in which my uncontrollable urges for the blood of the cruel may have overcome me! You have our eternal thanks, and our heartfelt gratitude!"

"Urges for blood," Kagero replied coolly, "Are you some demon from the highlands?"

"Milady, I am merely a demon for justice!" Owain began, "A horror for the cruel and evil, a-"

Inigo interrupted quickly. "He's very loud and stabs bad guys."

"Inigo, come on man …" Owain whined. All the talking stopped as a shadow quickly loomed overhead, and the strange sounds of multiple wings flapping echoed around the courtyard. Grima floated to a soft landing in front of the group, and stared down the five in front of her.

"Humans are so shrill," she commented, "I don't know how you people don't go insane just being around each other." The Fell Dragon sneered as she looked down upon them, but her expression turned into one of delight as she saw the amount of wood they had amassed for her. "Did you collect all of this for little old me?" She asked, clapping with glee. "I'll let you all live in my new empire." Grima began to lift the planks from the ground, and floated over to a nearby tree. The wood began to shift and bend, and a small treehouse began to form.

"A … treehouse?" Donnel asked, "What're you gonna use that for?" Grima patted the farmer's head in a mock gesture of pity.

"Oh Donnel," she began, "Oh Donnel Donnel Donnel Donny boy. That information is irrelevant for such simple-brains are yourselves. I appreciate all that you have done, but you can all leave now."

"B-but why a treeh-"

Grima's eyes glowed an unholy red, and she seemed to grow extra rows of teeth in her mouth. "Leave. Now." She hissed. The group left, somewhat more frightened than before, but also grumbling from the disrespect. The fell dragon admired her work. She had made it down to the exact detail, even the cracked rail from when Lucina had taken a swing too many with her practice sword. Now all that was left were the actors. She began flying from window to window, looking for a familiar face …

It took two rounds around the castle before she caught a glimpse. He was talking to the klutz, that imbecile Sumia. Grima began to shake with rage, and with a swipe of her hand, the windows leading into their bedroom were torn open. Chrom whipped around and found himself face to face with a six winged Robin, who stared at him with focused red eyes.

"Hello, honey." Grima croaked out, before grabbing him and floating back into the evening skies.

Chrom was placed gently onto the treehouse floor. The familiarity of the structure surprised him. He was halfway finished with a treehouse just like this one back home. Grima twirled on one foot in front of him, her eyes the only things illuminated in the darkness. "Isn't this wonderful, my love? Just the two of us, in the little treehouse you created. Soon, our little child will join us as well."

Chrom paused, careful not to say anything that could get him in trouble. "Robin," he began, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Grima paused, her eyes flashed for a moment. "What … do you mean, my love?" She asked quietly. She looked at him, her gaze pleading for something that he could not provide. "Don't you want things to be the way they were?"

Chrom stood up, and looked Grima in the eyes. Robin was in there, and she seemed confused. "I didn't want to believe it, but when we last spoke, I wondered if … you and I … in that parallel time ... "

"We did!" Grima insisted, "and we had Lucy and Morgan!" She began to tear up. "But this place is all wrong! You're with … that … Sumia! It can't be right! I won't accept it!" Her voice began to take on a growl in the background. "Please," she begged, "All I want is this."

"I wish, with all my heart," Chrom began, "That I could give you what you want. But I'm not the Chrom you knew, and I'll never truly be able to replace him."

"Shut your feeble mouth!" Grima cried, as she struck the Exalt with her open palm. The moment she connected, the Fell Dragon gasped. As Chrom reeled from the impact, he could hear her whimper in the corner. "No … no it's not supposed to be like this…"

There was a bustle from outside the tree-fort. Chrom hesitated to look, but deep down he knew who had come to rescue him.

"What the heck, Lucy," he heard Severa exclaim, "Isn't this …"

"Sev, I need you to stay here, make sure our mothers find us, okay?" Lucina explained. Chrom saw his daughter climb up the last rung, and touch the railing with a shaky hand. "How in Naga's name ... " He heard her mutter. She paused at the doorway when she heard sobbing. "Father? Are you in here?"

"Yes, Lucina, I'm here." He replied hoarsely. In a flash, she was by his side, looking at the slouched figure in the corner.

"When I saw her in battle, I could scarcely believe it," Lucina whispered, "But that's Grima, is it not?"

Chrom shook his head. "No, this is a different Robin. Even if she's possessed, she's Robin all the same." Lucina frowned at this, and began to approach the sobbing figure.

Grima looked up to the blue haired girl and a smile crossed her face. "Lucy …" She muttered, "Oh, Lucy, you've grown up to be so pretty." Her eyes no longer glowed with the malice of the Fell Dragon, and they mostly looked tired now. She shifted her gaze away and bit her lip. "But … you really aren't my Lucy, are you?" Lucina shook her head, bewildered at the route the conversation had taken. Grima sighed and slumped against the wall. "I ... figured as much. Nobody recognized me from the moment I was taken to this abysmal place. I wanted to believe that they just feared me, but the reality is…" She heaved a single sob, and her words began to quiver. "I was never meant to even exist here." Grima touched Lucina's hair for a moment, then wavered away.

"It's just not fair."

Chrom looked at Lucina sadly, then back to the lost soul. "I cannot replace your Chrom, but you don't have to be alone here." He extended his hand to the Fell Dragon, who looked at it. She smiled weakly.

"Thank you," she replied, "But I would prefer to be alone for now." Grima looked up at Lucina. "Lucy … I'm sorry."

Lucina didn't answer; she knew that apology was intended for a Lucina that didn't exist here, or perhaps at all anymore. She didn't say anything as the two left a sobbing huddled mass behind.

Wow, It's been awhile since the last update. Apologies if this chapter seems hectic, I had a lot of ideas I wanted to get out in this update, and with the virus essentially shutting me in, updates should come at a quicker pace. This year has been insane for me, so a break was definitely what I needed, and I thank you all for your patience.

Comments, Questions, Critiques, and etc are all appreciated and loved, as always! Thank you so much for reading!

Next Chapter: The Lute Investigation Team in: The Caffeinated Caper!