Fire Emblem: Eternal Slumber

by SimpleCinema

One year after the events of Awakening, the Ylissean alliance knows peace. The Shepherds have mostly settled down, and even the children are beginning to enjoy their second chance at a happy life. However, a new overseas threat looms, approaching Ylisse with suspicious intent and the possibility of another disastrous war. (My take on an Awakening Sequel w/original villains)

1. I

Chapter I:

Everyone in the household was scurrying about like madmen save for Cordelia. It was hardly the first time she had been the sole 'calm and collected' member of her family in a given moment of stress, but it was still something she couldn't get used to.

"Mom where's my dress? The red one?" Severa impatiently asked from upstairs.

"Left side of your closet, sweetie!" she called up, "I washed it this morning, but I didn't want to lay it on your bed and get it all wrinkled again!"

"Oh," she called down meekly, "T-Thanks mom,"

Cordelia smiled, content and satisfied she detected genuine appreciation from her eldest daughter. One of her favorite parts about how things had changed so much over the past year was that she and Severa now got along… most of the time, anyway.

Robin, draped by his disheveled tactician's robe, rushed down the stairs through the walkway and into the kitchen, where Cordelia sat at the table as footsteps seemingly skittered all throughout the house despite it only having four occupants. He quickly hung up said robe on the coathanger in the hall, walking to Cordelia to help him finish buttoning-up a shirt since his hands were always a bit jittery.

He stopped briefly just before she could stand up, looking at her blankly.

"Wow," he said with a hushed, breathy exclamation of awe, "You look-"

"Tired?" she said with a weary smile, her eyelashes fluttering as she stood up to fix her husband's shirt.

"Phenomenal," he corrected.

She currently opted for a simple, teal dress she bought just because the tailor back in Ylisstol told her it contrasted beautifully with her crimson hair. Finally getting a chance to wear it at one of Chrom's monthly gatherings of the Shepherds was something she'd been looking forward to, but she also enjoyed wearing it just to see Robin look at her like that. Aloof and clueless though he often was, he was simply incapable of making her feel unwanted.

Robin opted for a sleek vest and waistcoat, which she found looked rather dashing on him. His often unkempt medium-length dark brown hair was washed for a change, still a bit messy, but a far cry from its 'natural' state. It was odd seeing him in more snazzy attire, as he was a simple, utilitarian man who fared more on the side of comfort than style. Clearly her shopping trip with Lissa and Maribelle had yielded dividends.

Next to come down the steps and enter the kitchen was Morgan, who was wearing a set of clothes that were, bar the color palette, near-identical to her father's. Her waistcoat draped down a bit in the back and generally complimented her figure in a way her father's didn't, but it suited her rather well.

"Ta-da!" the strawberry-haired girl exclaimed as she jumped into the room, back leaning against the wall with her head tilted up and one arm in the air, as if she were about to grab someone and do the tango.

"You look very handsome dear," Cordelia encouraged, Robin gave her a sly wink.

A very flushed Severa finally arrived down the steps, wearing a red silk dress and two matching bows she did her dark brown pigtails in.

"Think maybe I should've gotten this an inch wider," she grumbled, "Feel like my waist is being strangled,"

It definitely clung to her a bit more tightly than a dress ought to, but she still wore it rather well.

"But you look so good!" Morgan exclaimed with enthusiasm, "And the bows are so cute! I told you it would pull the whole look together,"

"I feel a bit like a show pony," Severa said, slightly disgruntled.

"You do look gorgeous, sweetheart," Robin complimented, "We can always take it back to the tailor and get it altered if it's a bit snug,"

"Yeah, that would be ideal… at least I look good," she murmured to herself as she placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head back, examining it up and down.

"Damn right you do," Morgan slyly encouraged, "Kjelle will be alllll over you,"

Severa's face flushed red enough to match the dress she wore as Morgan taunted her, making kissy faces and sticking out her tongue.

"Oh pipe down you little gremlin," Severa said as her eyes narrowed.

Robin pecked Cordelia on the cheek as she finished straightening out his clothes, looking out the small square window in the front door of their home to see that their carriage arrived out front.

After living such a tumultuous life, and after fighting through a war (two in the case of Robin and Cordelia), they all grew to enjoy these get-togethers more than anything, even if it meant them having to leave their incredibly spacious house, courtesy of the Exalt's estate, naturally. Once things settled, Sully and Chrom had the idea to provide homes for all the shepherds and their children out in the Ylissean countryside. A few acres of land each, but all within walking distance of the other, just a few miles outside Ylisstol. The houses were large, but had a humility about them as well, plenty of space and accommodations but nothing ostentatious. Mostly just large, two-level cottages with however many bedrooms were needed. They had fought long and hard for peace, so they all figured it was best they truly enjoy it.

And enjoy it they would.

"Ride's here," Robin said, turning to take Cordelia's hand.

Morgan took note of the gesture, and turned to face Severa, offering her arm to escort her forward.

"My lady," Morgan said in a comically exaggerated lower tone of voice.

Severa rolled her eyes.

"Gods you're worse than Owain," she said, reluctantly taking hold of her little sister's arm as she walked forward.

Cordelia smiled as she watched them walk forward, a spring in Morgan's step and Severa's now limp posture causing her and her husband to lightly chuckle.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Bring it on," Cordelia said with a smirk, "Hope they're breaking out the expensive wine again because I'm going to get trashed tonight,"

Robin laughed.

"Damn Cordy what's gotten into you?" he chuckled as they headed to the door.

"Just haven't cut loose in a while," she hummed, "I'm still getting used to being able to… but I like it,"

"I like it too," he said with a confident smirk.

She felt her cheeks warm up.

"Yeah I bet you do," she said, "You really liked it that one night three months ago. Don't get your hopes up. I'll have to get into a drinking contest with Sumia again to get that far and I don't know if my liver can take that,"

"A man can dream, can't he?" he said.

He was being uncharacteristically smooth tonight. Someone had to be giving him lessons. Virion? Probably. She'd have to smack him if she ever got that confirmed, even if she was secretly grateful.

"Love you Robin," she said, turning to him right as the girls got onto the porch and they got to the door.

"I-I love you too," Robin said, somewhat caught off-guard by just how plainly affectionate she was being. She was by no means a cold woman, but something about her tonight made his heart flutter.

She kissed him on the lips very briefly, and then tilted her head towards the carriage.

"Our chariot awaits," she said.

---

"Does it ever get strange? Looking at yourself?" Sully asked.

Lucina was leaning on the doorframe to her younger self's room when her mother, who had finally got dressed for the evening, passed by on her way outside. She nearly jumped from fright when her mother spoke, as she was too enthralled by being lost in thought, looking at Noire as she played with baby Luci.

"Gods be damned mother, you're far too good at being stealthy these days," she said.

Sully suppressed a light giggle at her daughter's brief distress. She pointed to her feet, which currently adorned a nice pair of sandals.

"If you think I'd be caught dead in those clackity-ass noisy heels, you don't know me very well, hon," she teased.

"Of course," Lucina said, finding a kinship in her mother's tomboyish tendencies.

She looked back into the room as Noire began to play peekaboo with the now eighteen-month-old Lucina, still the first of the children that had been born in this timeline. Seeing the tousled blue hair, the brand in her eye, and her face that slowly resembled her own more and more every day was certainly surreal, but she couldn't say it was negative in any way. Since it seemed like the children from another time were there to stay, she made her peace with it, and viewed the baby as more of a younger sister.

"And, for the record, it is sometimes," Lucina followed-up, "Very fortunate though that I'm quite an adorable child,"

Noire perked up, looking over at her girlfriend and her mother, who she hadn't realized were watching her. She was quite attentive with the baby, as she always was, and tended to get quite absorbed in whatever she did with her. That focus proved to be a double-edged sword, but it was one Sully was grateful for. Having Noire and Lucina ready and willing to take the baby off her and Chrom's hands was a godsend that allowed them a lot of breathing room.

"H-Hello Sully," Noire greeted with a nervous smile, "Lucina how long have you been staring at me?"

Lucina blushed.

"Uhhh a few minutes? I think?" she answered haphazardly, "What? It's not like I can help it. You're cute when you play with her,"

"Goodness girls, everyone's so busy staring at one version or another of Lucina and nobody's here to appreciate that I got all dressed up," Sully declared confidently.

It was certainly rare to see her like this. She wore a tasteful summer dress adorned with roses along the hem. Far more girly than anything she had ever worn, but she knew better than to waste a gift from Maribelle.

"You look spectacular, mother," Lucina said, "It's certainly different,"

Sully half-scoffed and half-laughed.

"I kinda hate it but everyone said I pulled it off well so who am I to disagree?" she said, "Everyone should be here in a half-hour or so, be ready out back by then girls, eh?"

Noire and Lucina nodded. Sully began to walk down the hall, but turned around to look at her daughter.

"You should wear your hair up more, hon," she said with a smile and a sparkle in her eye, "It's cute,"

She continued back down the hall as Lucina ran her fingers through her hair, which she had done up in a ponytail just to keep her hair a bit more tame for the evening. She wasn't used to it seeing it like that yet, so she appreciated the compliment. Her mother, while by no means the apex of grace or traditional femininity, had come into her own since she'd become queen, and even more so when the war was over. She managed to embrace her lackadaisical approach to beauty and make it a part of her, something Lucina longed to do as well.

"She's right, y'know?" Noire said, "It's quite flattering. Lets me see your eyes better,"

Lucina could never get the hang of accepting compliments, and between her mother and Noire she felt totally bombarded by them. Now that Noire's anxiety was getting better, she got a lot bolder with them too.

Before she could respond, baby Lucina threw a stuffed bear at Noire's face just before she became fully enraptured with her again. Both girls immediately laughed.

"Now why are you being so mean to your auntie Noire, hm?" Lucina said in a higher-pitched baby voice, looking at the baby who currently wore a grin proudly showing off her few teeth.

She leaned forward, and walked over to her, picking her up quickly to shoot her arms up in the air and pretend like she was flying about. The baby laughed gleefully until she brought her down normally, propping her up with one side of her hip.

"She's just playing rough because she's going to grow up big and strong just like you," she said, leaning forward to plant a chaste kiss on Lucina's cheek.

"Noire at this rate I'm going to melt," she said, cheeks flushed.

Somewhere from inside the castle, a loud, booming echo could be heard as a door slammed open, causing both girls to jump in alarm.

"A most pleasant evening! I yearn for the company of friends and a glorious meal!" an enthusiastically campy voice rang out.

Noire sighed.

"Guess Owain is here," Noire plainly noted.

Ever the life of the party that boy was, for better and for worse.

---

Once everyone arrived they all gathered outside. The royal garden on the eastern section of the palace had been converted into a gathering area of sorts. A gazebo, a large wood-paneled porch with lots of comfortable outdoor furniture, a long table for each and every one of them to sit underneath a white tent. For all intents and purposes, it was a perfect day. Perfect summer breeze, ideal temperature, the slight haze of the oncoming evening permeating the air. It was exactly what Chrom imagined when he first had the idea to do this for his friends, and he was infinitely grateful.

Everyone was finding a seat on the porch, already separating into their little cliques they'd formed within the Shepherds after they greeted everyone. All the kids sat around near the edge, moving the furniture slightly to accommodate themselves, and as usual, they were both the merriest and the noisiest, though no one minded considering the kids had certainly earned their right to joviality and then some. A few of the cavaliers sat together, Sully, Sumia, Cordelia, Stahl, Cherche, and Maribelle all sat together on some of the lounge seats. Chrom, Robin, Morgan, (the sole exception out of all the children to elsewhere) Lon Qu, Say'ri, Gaius, Lissa, Frederick, and Miriel were smack in the middle of it all. Off on the opposite end of the porch were Tharja, Libra, Nowi, Vaike, Virion, Muriel, Ricken, and Henry. Everyone was dressed in something fancier than normal clothes, but nothing too garish to detract from comfort… all save for Severa, at least.

It may have been early in the evening, but everyone had already begun drinking one of the many varieties of alcohol provided inside. Mostly wines, but there were beers from Chrom's favorite local brewery, some fancier fruit-infused drinks, and bourbon for the few of them that liked the harder stuff right off the bat. It didn't exactly take long for them to get chatty, but then again, it never did.

"You look disastrously hot in that dress," Kjelle quietly said to Severa, interlocking her fingers with the brunette girl's as they sat together on the wicker couch, "Unfairly hot, even,"

Severa briefly grumbled about Morgan's uncanny ability to predict her significant other's taste in clothing when she herself could never quite pin it down.

"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself," Severa said, trying to put up her usual front whilst failing desperately.

Kjelle was always confused as to why she kept up the wall of being a brat, even though she was sure she had knocked it down a few months ago when they first started dating. Under the surface, she was an adorable, bubbly girl who could kick as much ass as anyone in the ranks of the army. She was also insecure, so that was most likely the reason, but Kjelle was doing her best to finally urge Severa into being herself. She was better now that she had made peace with her mom, but the old Severa still lingered stubbornly.

"You wanna sneak outta here after dessert?" Kjelle provocatively whispered.

Severa nearly choked on her wine, but did her best to hide it with grace, Kjelle made no such attempt to hide her snicker. Once Severa gathered herself, she sat up properly and took another sip, wearing a smug smile more befitting of her.

"No reason to eat dessert twice, dear," she said slyly.

Kjelle was always a bit slow on the uptake, which Severa enjoyed because she could occasionally sneak in quips like that. They were both perfectly designed to get under each other's skin in the best of ways.

It took her a minute, but she suppressed a heavy belly-laugh at that one.

"I'm gonna call your bluff there, babe," she teased, "You will most certainly want dessert twice. Pretty sure dad got the chocolate cheesecake you really like for tonight,"

Severa lit up.

"Fair enough," she said, "You're still the priority,"

"I better be," Kjelle said with a smile, planting a kiss on Severa's cheek.

"The lovebirds are at it again," Jerome said from the sidelines.

"Oh don't be a grump just cause you're a brooding dork," Nah fired back.

"Also the both of us could whoop your ass, dragon boy," Kjelle said, eyes narrowing.

Severa enjoyed someone doing the heavy lifting when it came to insults so she didn't have to, and just continually sipped her wine.

"I will refrain from being a keen observer of the obvious, then," Jerome said, eyes widened slightly.

Seeing him without the mask was something they were all still getting accustomed to, but it definitely made him easier to read.

"Oh come on now, let's not be too mean," Lucina said, "Jerome you're quite handsome and surely someone will come along and thaw that icy heart of yours,"

Jerome sighed.

"Quite easy for you to say, Princess," he said, "Though I admit, I'm quite content on my own right now. We never truly got to have much time to focus on ourselves and I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it,"

"Fair enough," Lucina responded, "What exactly have you been up to beyond caring for Minerva? I can't remember the last time you talked about yourself,"

She couldn't remember because Jerome hadn't. Out of all the children, he was by far the quietest. Secretly, he was also the shyest, which most people mistook for hardened brooding.

"Well, I've taken up the guitar, semi-recently. I'm not any good but it's a decent way to spend my free time," he said, mostly trying to answer in order to move the conversation away from him as fast as possible.

"Oh! That's exciting!" Nah encouraged, "You'll have to play something for us some time!"

Jerome nodded, knowing full good and well that would not be any time in the near future.

"I have to agree," Laurent said, "I've been quite happy writing and doing research as of late, though I suspect that won't exactly surprise anyone here,"

They all chuckled.

"Nothing wrong with doing what you love," Lucina said before taking another sip.

"Exactly. For example, you love Noire, so you do Noire," Kjelle joked.

There was a moment of pure, undiluted silence before everyone burst out laughing.

"Naga's name Kjelle!" Lucina said, unable to suppress her embarrassed laugh, "Do you have no solidarity for your older sister? Am I too, trapped? Granted no immunity from your excessively horny quips? I'll have you know I have enough ammunition to fire back and choose not to, I may decide to enact judgment on you one of these days,"

"I'm not locked in here with you, sis, you're locked in here with me," she taunted back.

Everyone smirked, even Noire, who most certainly laughed out of pure embarrassment rather than laughter. Thankfully she had become rather good at disguising it.

"Ah I'm sure you'll be quite content going after me instead, cousin," Owain remarked, "It would not be the first time I'd be on the end of your verbal assaults,"

"Not her fault you make it so easy," Severa chided after another sip.

"You could always stop talking like you're in a primary school theater production," Nah offered.

"I shan't bend the knee for anyone! Self-expression is the key to happiness!" he said before taking a hearty swig of beer, "Though I hardly think my vernacular is adequate reason for your… aggressive… meanness,"

Even the great chosen hero couldn't always think of the right word after a little beer.

"In my own defense, I didn't specify that your speaking habits resembled a particularly good primary school theater production. You can certainly emote, I will give you that much," Nah followed-up humorously.

Owain looked briefly contemplative.

"You know, you raise an interesting query, Nah… though as I'm sure you all guessed, my free time is filled with training, but even then I find my schedule to be a bit… uneventful. Laurent has research, Jerome has an instrument, some of us have one another… perhaps I should take up acting," he said.

It wasn't often that he'd say something that would foster unanimous agreement amongst the others, but that certainly would've made sense.

"I think that's a great idea," Noire gently encouraged, "You certainly have the charisma for it,"

"Do you think?" Owain asked brightly, giving them a glimpse of the young man without his typical facade.

It was well-known to just about everyone that his behavior was mostly a coping mechanism he'd adopted in their original timeline. Pretending to be this chosen hero, talking big, making himself into a larger than life personality, his seemingly outgoing nature was a result of crippling fear. It had stuck with him, and he liked it. The notion of doing it for recreational purposes might've been a healthy outlet for him. While he could be a handful, they enjoyed him no matter what, but they all appreciated the rare moments they'd get where they saw the Owain underneath it all.

"I think so, Owain," Severa said with a sincere nod, "You're quite talented. I'll be first in line to buy tickets if you land a role,"

Kjelle affectionately squeezed Severa's arm as Owain wore a content smile. There was nothing more lovely than seeing her display genuine kindness, a privilege that not everyone had been afforded back in the day.

As that sentiment settled, the final three guests arrived, stepping out onto the porch to receive a warm greeting from everyone. Of all the people to be late, it was strange that it managed to be them.

Kellam gave a comforting smile to Chrom as the exalt stood to welcome him and offer them drinks, Olvia at his side, both of her arms snaked around one of her husband's. Inigo followed closely behind, immediately turning his attention to the others after he snagged a glass of bourbon from one of the tables. He looked at them curiously for a moment before casting a glance back to the other side of the porch, but returned to his peers as he sat in the chair they'd reserved for him while his parents did the same.

"Hello all," he said, "What have I missed?"

"Just the man we're looking for, actually," Lucina said, "Owain was just talking about how he wants to give acting a shot. Maybe you can pass the word along to some of your friends at the theater?"

Once the war ended, and when all the pretenses were lifted, Inigo was a bit more forthcoming about the fact that he was an enthusiastic adoptee of his mother's vocation: dancing. He was quite good at it, they all saw him perform in a few ballet productions in Ylisstol. For all intents and purposes, he was a real rising star. He'd even served as an understudy in a theater production and got to play the leading man when the other actor fell ill.

Inigo looked delighted.

"Of course! I didn't even know you were interested? I could certainly use someone to practice lines with!" he said.

"Did you get a part?" Nah asked, leaning in slightly.

Inigo nodded as he took a surprisingly large drink.

"I did! It's why we were unfortunately late, the director asked me to stay after during rehearsal for the role I'm still an understudy for. Said he didn't want talent like mine wasted! We're doing a performance for the press and critics in a month, and the official production is in two months. Not the leading man or anything but it's a sizable role! Luckily for you Owain we're still casting, I think I might be able to put in a good word,"

"That's wonderful, Inigo! I'm proud of you," Nah said, holding up her drink to toast him, the others following suit.

"You're all too kind," Inigo said dismissively, still with his charming smile, "Though uh, actually, Severa?"

His smile went quickly, which was odd. That was Inigo's regular state of being. He didn't look grim or anything, but there seemed to be something that overcame him.

Severa cocked an eyebrow, looking at the dancer expectantly.

"I was wondering if I could have a word with you?" he asked.

Everyone blinked.

"What… like now?" Severa asked, sounding more confused than irritated.

Owain rubbed the back of his neck, trying to force his smile back.

"If you wouldn't mind, yes," he said, "I have a… er… private matter? Yes, I suppose that. A private matter to discuss and I wanted to do it-"

He quickly turned his head, looking back at the other groups of people there amongst them, and turned back.

"-before we all got settled for the night but I was late. It'll only take a second,"

"Flirt with her and I'll kill you, loverboy," Kjelle said with her eyes narrowed.

Inigo let out nervous laughter. As much as they all cared for each other, Inigo's womanizing habits had certainly remained at the forefront of his character and perception thereof.

"Trust me, I know better than to act out of turn. I respect the both of you far too much… and fear the both of you even more than I respect you," he declared.

Everyone chuckled.

Severa stood up, placing her glass on the small table next to where they sat.

"I appreciate it Kjelle but I think we all know I'd kill him far before you ever got the chance," she said slyly.

"Under normal circumstances? Sure," Kjelle said, "In that dress? I don't know if you could kill a housefly,"

Severa snorted.

"Fair enough. Well, I'd just ask Nah to turn into a dragon and eat him," she said.

Nah smiled politely and said nothing, but sipped her drink as everyone looked at her as she emanated a quietly threatening aura.

"No need to give her indigestion," Lucina offered, "I could always just run em' through with Falchion,"

Inigo laughed nervously as he side-eyed everyone after taking another drink.

"Boy everyone here sure is keen on incredibly specific methods of my hypothetical murder…" he said quietly.

He stood up, waited for Severa to be closer behind him, and led her away from the porch, going inside the castle and down the hall that led there to be totally out of earshot.

---

Everyone looked on with awe as Say'ri downed her fourth glass of bourbon. All the conversation stopped, mostly out of concern since if any of them had done such a thing in such a short span of time, they'd have passed out or died. She set the glass down and looked up at everyone's gazes that all stared wide-eyed and curious.

"Did I miss something?" she asked cluelessly.

Frederick laughed.

"My dear I believe that the others haven't been exposed to your superhuman tolerance of alcohol," he suggested.

She smiled.

"Ah fie to that, you Ylisseans are just a bunch of lightweights. In Chon'sin I knew teenagers who could outdrink you lot," she said defiantly.

"I'll hold you to that," Gaius chimed in confidently, "I bet I could go toe-to-toe with you,"

Lissa smirked.

"I wouldn't be so quick to boast, Gaius, your own wife can drink you under the table," she fired back.

Gaius's expression soured.

"Sometimes I think I fear that woman almost as much as I love her," Gaius said quietly, gazing at the back of Sumia's head as she conversed with the others.

"You'd better fear me, you little scoundrel," she called over to him without as much as turning her head.

Everyone snickered as Gaius's eyes widening, wondering just how in the hell she managed to pick that little snippet up so clearly.

"Say'ri's got a bit of a point, I can outdrink most of you," Morgan said confidently as she polished off her third glass of wine.

"We're women of fortitude," Say'ri followed-up, winking at Morgan.

"Damn straight," the amateur tactician said with bright enthusiasm.

"Yeah I won't pretend otherwise, I'm the weak spot in the family," Robin admitted, "Cordelia can compete with Sumia, Morgan is… impressive, to say the least, Severa isn't exactly endowed with a lot of staying power but she's got me beat,"

Chrom laughed.

"I figured that might change, maybe build up your tolerance a bit as the years went on. When you first joined up with us even you didn't know if you liked alcohol," he said, "But oh how dreadfully wrong I was. You remember the first time we celebrated after that Plegian invasion we fought off?"

Robin chuckled.

"No!" he emphatically (but lightheartedly) insisted, "Which was precisely the problem! I only know what you've told me,"

Chrom set his glass down on the side table, leaning forward in his chair. Morgan nearly did the same as she saw her father let out a good-natured groan. No matter the topic, she loved hearing stories about her parents.

"Oh boy here we go," Lissa said.

"So back when the Shepherds were less than maybe a dozen of us, we have a proper celebration for our victory and a belated 'welcome' party for Robin," Chrom began, "And this guy has amnesia, so naturally, he's got no clue what he likes, so Miriel says he should try a little bit of everything, frames it all as being an 'experiment'-"

Miriel leaned back in her chair over where the others sat.

"For the record it was not my intention to cause him harm, I was merely curious," she said, smiling mischievously.

"Thanks for that, Miriel," Robin said, giving her a mock toast with his glass that she returned.

"So when she says 'try everything'- he does. And keep in mind, since his memory is gone, he's got no idea what his limits are or even how much one can consider 'reasonable' in terms of serving sizes,"

"I remember this," Lon'qu spoke up, "I thought it was some kind of Ylissean custom to become… lavishly intoxicated,"

"Glad someone remembers that night," Robin joked.

"For a while he's fine, and I figure he's actually some kind of secret God or Demon because when he returns from the table where we keep all the drinks, I swear nearly half of everything is gone. He keeps himself together for about ten minutes, and then just disappears for the rest of the night,"

"And then I scurried about the castle looking for him, and found him sobbing next to a suit of armor in the great hall. Apparently he'd confessed his love for it, but the feelings weren't mutual," Frederick mused.

Everyone laughed.

"Worst damn hangover of my life," Robin said with a wince.

"For being so smart you're kind of an idiot, dad," Morgan teased.

Another round of laughter.

"Aren't you supposed to mind your elders?" Robin playfully shot back.

"Elders? You're a year older than me," she said sticking out her tongue at him.

Chrom took a brief glance over in Kjelle's direction.

"Doesn't change that some of us are probably going to be grandparents in the next five years," Chrom said, an air of both pride and worry in his voice.

"Hey at least we'll be brothers-in-law," Robin offered, "Always felt like that anyway, may as well let Kjelle and Severa make it all official,"

"Holy shit!" Morgan exclaimed, "I didn't even think about that, Severa's gonna marry into the royal family! Does that mean she's gonna be a princess? Does that mean I'm gonna be a princess?!"

"Slow down there sport," Robin said with a chuckle at his daughter's boundless enthusiasm, "Kjelle and Severa aren't engaged-"

"Not yet they aren't," Morgan said under her breath, making the others wonder if maybe she knew more about that specific situation than she let on.

"But technically yes, Severa would be a princess if she married Kjelle. You however I think would be a… duchess? Is that how that works?" Robin asked as he turned to Chrom.

The exalt shrugged his shoulders.

"Gods if I know," he said, "Maybe. She'd have some title. As would you. I'm fairly sure you and Cordelia would be a Duke and Duchess combo, but I'm not up to date on all that. Technically,"

"Technically?" Morgan asked.

"Well it's a bit hazy, considering our circumstances," Chrom said, "Strictly speaking, I consider Lucina and Kjelle my daughters despite the timeline discrepancy, but we still have our own Lucina here as well. With the way this works we can only guess Kjelle will be on the way sometime in the near future, and they'll be princesses too,"

"I'm perfectly fine not being in the line of succession dad, thank you!" Kjelle called over, "I'd like to enjoy my life!"

A bit of light-hearted laughter rang out. Those kids were stupendously gifted at eavesdropping.

"Of course," Chrom answered her, "Thankfully that seems to be the unanimous attitude. They're all just titles anyway,"

Morgan thought about it for a moment.

"Interesting… I wonder if the kids in this timeline will end up with the same people. Like, what if this timeline's Lucina still ends up with Noire? Wouldn't that be funny," she proposed.

"It would, but actually, I doubt that," Robin said.

"How so?" Miriel asked, "I for one think it's reasonable to assume that the children would still be predisposed to their inherent characteristics that would still draw them to one another,"

"I don't think it would be fair to write that off, actually," Robin said, "However now it's more a 'nature versus nurture' situation. I think the experiences they've had define them just as much as who they are inherently, since Lucina was in fact born in two separate timelines, we can guess that there's some element of parallelism at play. But since the kids will be raised in a new environment, so they're likely to be similar to their older counterparts, but still different versions altogether,"

"Interesting," Miriel said contemplatively, "I'd like to exchange notes with you on the subject if at all possible,"

"I'm down," Robin agreed, "It's certainly interesting to speculate, but only time will tell,"

"Don't worry Mom and Dad," Kjelle called over, "You still have a chance at getting grandkids after all,"

Chrom snorted.

"We're perfectly content with you all for the time being… Gods the thought of grandchildren right now. I think I'd lose my mind," Chrom mused.

"Sweetie we're quite happy even if we don't have any. You could always still adopt," Sully said to Kjelle, "What's important is you being happy,"

Kjelle smiled, because she knew her mother was being truthful. Coming out to Chrom and Sully was a process for her, since she hadn't gotten the chance to do so in her original timeline. Once she told them she was gay it came as a relief that her parents both thought nothing of it and accepted it instantly. There wasn't a huge stigma about it in Ylisse, but it was still seen as uncommon and occasionally looked down on by more traditionally 'set in their ways' people. There were already members of the Shepherds who didn't align themselves with traditional sexuality (notably Stahl and Vaike), but both Chrom and Sully thought this may have been a blessing. If members of the royal family were out in the open about who they were, maybe the stigma could be removed entirely like it was in other countries overseas. It made it a lot easier for Lucina to follow in her sister's example to come out as bi almost immediately after. Severa and Noire followed soon subsequently, and were relieved to see their parents were totally accepting, and just wanted them to be happy. The last thing any of the parents wanted was their children to live their peaceful lives without getting to properly be themselves.

"Oh boy, all this timeline talk makes my head hurt," Lissa said, "I need another drink,"

Chrom perked up a bit.

"Well, Lissa, you might be in luck, I think I smell something coming from the kitchen, and I'd be more than willing to guess that the food is ready," Chrom said.

Everyone stood up at that, mention of food was an easy way to get everyone's attention very quickly.

"Hell yes! I'm starving!" Morgan called out as she nearly leapt to her feet.

---

"So, what's so important?" Severa asked Inigo, a little bit of her former self bleeding through in her demanding tone.

The two of them stood in the hall, far down enough not to be heard by anyone, still allowing Inigo a view over Severa's shoulder if anyone were to come inside just to be safe.

"Right to the point then," he said nervously, "I don't mean to be an imposition, but I need your help,"

Severa was stunned, Inigo dropping his act was about as common as Owain dropping his, the difference being that nobody really knew the real Inigo. He was a valiant fighter and a dedicated comrade, selfless to fault when it came down to protecting the others, but his vulnerability was 'elusive'- as Noire had once put it. Asking for help was just so distinctly… unlike him. That swaggering, lone wolf confidence fit him like a glove

"My help? What for?" she asked.

Inigo cleared his throat.

"More or less. A favor… or maybe just advice? I don't really know how to classify it. Maybe it's more along the lines of general guidance-"

"Inigo," Severa interrupted, fighting back sounding stern or mean and just trying to push the boy forward, "I'm not going anywhere. Think first, then speak,"

Severa's lack of bite surprised him.

"Well this is harder than I thought. Um… I suppose you're quite aware of my reputation as a… uh… well a-"

"Philandering man-whore," she finished plainly.

There it was. Inigo felt a bit wounded, even if she wasn't entirely off-base.

"Yes, that," he said, "And see… if someone who was, in fact, informed as to my perceived nature, and found themselves approached by me, they would no doubt be skeptical if I were to propose that I had feelings for them. True, honest feelings, ones in a more… traditionally chivalric sense?"

Severa just stared at him, waiting for him to get to the point. If this was headed where she suspected she wondered why in the seven hells he, of all people, was coming to her to ask for romantic advice. She was a confident girl, but also one who knew her limits, and matters of the heart were something she felt like she'd never fully wrap her head around. He, however, was the ladies man with a surplus of charm that threatened to make him unbearable in some circumstances.

"What I'm saying is that there is someone who we know… who you know very well that I may indeed have such feelings for. And I want to know how to approach the situation. I'm not lying just to get into anyone's pants, and if I can do anything to convince you of the purity of my intentions then I will… but this someone is very important to me. Someone I don't want to ruin my chances with. The last thing I want is to come across as-"

"A philandering man-whore," she reiterated.

"Precisely," he said with an apprehensive nod.

She was almost at a loss, mainly because she believed him. She didn't know how that was even possible considering how often he'd flirted with everything that looked good in a skirt, herself included, but something about this was different. There was an urgency to his words, a clumsiness even. He was always the one to get the last word in, had a response for everything and could articulate himself flawlessly… but now he was nervous? The other question still remained, why ask her?

"So… who is it?" Severa asked, trying to hide her genuine curiosity.

He looked around to make sure no one was around to hear him.

"It's… your sister," he said, a hint of shame somewhat detectable in his tone.

Severa's jaw-dropped.

Her disbelief mostly had to do with the fact that her little sister was perhaps the furthest thing from 'dating material' she could possibly fathom. It wasn't because she didn't like her, or because she was unpleasant, or even because she wasn't pretty. She was a very likable, plucky young girl who benefitted from their parent's genes every bit as much as Severa had, and she was passionate and bright to top it all off. Maybe it was more to do with the fact that she was just not at all what seemed to be 'Inigo's type'

"And you came to me about this, because?" Severa inquired.

Inigo sighed.

"Truly, I don't mean to belabor you-"

"You're not belaboring anyone, Inigo," she interrupted.

This was definitely not the reaction he'd expected. Sure he came to her for help, but he expected more reluctance, to put it mildly. He knew Severa had eased up on her mean girl schtick, but he was keenly aware she wasn't his biggest fan. His hypothetical worst-case scenario involved a lot of slapping, shouting, and accusations about trying to deflower her little sister. They weren't exactly unfounded and Inigo knew she cared for Morgan, but he had to at least try considering his circumstances.

"Thank you, Severa," he said with humility, "The truth is, I came to you because I think you're the one who knows her the best. She wasn't with us back in our time, so none of us are familiar with her like we are with each other. I know she's close with your father, but I think we both know me asking Robin or Cordelia for advice on this matter is… impractical,"

That was certainly true. Severa nearly chuckled at the thought of her father giving him the 'protective dad' shakedown. Despite them only being a few years younger than their parents, they nonetheless adopted the traditional parental roles quite quickly. The children all secretly appreciated it, given how much they missed it.

"So all that leaves is you. I know she's good friends with Nah, Lucina, and Owain, but you're her family. I feel like asking you is the best thing to do… not to mention I trust you to keep your mouth shut about all this far more than the others,"

"You trust me?" she asked.

Inigo nodded.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I? You've had a bit of a mean streak but you aren't malicious. I know you want her to be happy… and I would like to think you at least wouldn't want me to be unhappy. You won't sabotage me unless you think I'm going to break her heart or hurt her,"

"Are you?"

"Absolutely not," he said with sincerity, "I swear,"

She had to admit, his logic was pretty impenetrable. She was protective of Morgan, even if she wasn't sure she understood her completely.

"So, what exactly do you need my advice regarding?" Severa asked, "How to approach her? How to talk to her? Ask her out, what?"

Inigo nervously ran his fingers through his dark brown hair with one hand, clearly frustrated.

"I honestly don't know," he said, "It's not as if we've never interacted before. She's just a bit-"

"Unusual?" Severa offered.

Inigo smiled.

"That she is, I suppose," he agreed.

"Well, if you want my two cents," Severa began, "Morgan's very direct. She's not great at cues, always distracted, always with her head in the clouds. If you're dropping hints or being vague to try and probe her, it won't go over well. You have to match her, be direct, leave no room for misunderstanding,"

Inigo looked like he was taking invisible notes with his mind. This did make a lot of sense, he'd attempted to flirt with her before but she always proved resilient, not rejecting his comments, but ignoring them entirely.

"So if I were to have a conversation with her, break the ice a bit, being upfront with her at the end… would that be a good way to go about it, you think?"

For as much of an enigma as her sister was, if she had to develop some kind of strategy for this, that would certainly be it. She nodded… but there was a bit more to it, now that she thought about it.

"Inigo," she said, stepping forward a bit, expression softening, "I appreciate you asking. It lets me know you aren't just trying to use her, and spares you from me beating you senseless,"

They both laughed a little.

"But," she followed up, "I hope you know, Morgan is… different. She's weird and awkward and even I don't know what goes on in that head of hers. You could do everything right and she might still shoot you down. I don't even know if she's the type who wants to be with someone right now… or ever, if I'm being honest. If that happens, don't blame yourself, alright?"

He definitely appreciated her honesty. He was naturally optimistic and tried to be confident, but it never heard to temper expectations to spare oneself from emotional disasters.

"I will keep that in mind… thank you Sev," he said with a polite nod.

Severa smiled, but it faded quickly.

"Just so we're clear… Inigo, why are you interested in her?" she asked.

Under normal circumstances, he'd play that question off, say something witty to deflect it so he could focus on what his real goals were, but Severa deserved honesty. All their friends did.

"I think… it's because she's so strange," he said with a wistful smile as he conjured up an image of the girl in his head, "She's enigmatic, but she's kind. Resourceful. She's… comforting, and she's fun,"

Severa couldn't argue with that. While they occasionally would pester one another like sisters would, she loved her playfulness. Ever since peacetime began, they got to catch up on a lifetime's worth of sisterly activities. Staying up late and telling bedtime stories, doing each other's hair, even just having someone to talk to was such a relief. She wished she had Morgan back in the old timeline, she would've felt so much less alone, but it made her time with her all the more precious. She was happy Morgan, despite her occasional weirdness, was able to socialize enough to make that kind of impression on someone like Inigo.

"Doesn't hurt that she's cute, I'm guessing?" Severa taunted.

Inigo blushed.

"Uh, no, it certainly does not. Hurt, that is," he almost squeaked out.

"Well good luck," Severa assured him, then looking down at the glass of bourbon he held at his side, "And don't drink too much, you're not even drunk yet and you're stumbling over your words. Find a happy medium to take the edge off,"

Inigo looked at the glass, her advice was certainly practical, and she was probably correct.

"Duly noted," he said, "Thank you,"

She nodded, turning around to head back outside, pleased that Inigo might soon be revealing that oh-so-elusive genuine side that evaded them for so long. Whoever she just spoke with, she liked him a lot, and wanted to see more of him, and knew the others would too.

---

"You've been awfully quiet this evening," Lucina said as she sat down with her plate of food amongst the others, this time opting to pick a seat beside Cynthia.

It was somewhat concerning if she was being totally honest, usually the auburn-haired girl was a beacon of personality, but she'd hardly said a word all night. That and she'd barely eaten, which was very unlike her.

"Who, me?" she asked with surprise, as she had been so lost in thought she didn't notice Lucina sit next to her.

"No, the other cute girl with pigtails," Lucina sardonically mused, "Yeah you. Everything okay?"

Cynthia laughed.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine Luci. Thanks for asking though. Just… very tired,"

Cynthia had taken up training alongside Owain, which was enough in and of itself to drain one's energy rather significantly. However it was her other job, helping her mother instruct the new pegasus knights at the academy, that was likely doing her in. Sumia had become an instructor for riding alongside Cordelia, alternating teaching every week, and Cynthia served as a teacher's assistant for both.

"I'll bet. You ever think about taking some time off?" Lucina offered, "Bet you I can get Kjelle to talk Severa into covering for you for a week or so,"

Cynthia sighed.

"I appreciate it… but I don't wanna give up or let anybody down," she said.

"Taking a break isn't letting anybody down, you know?" Lucina said.

"I mean… I guess not? I don't know. I just don't want to risk it," she said.

"It might be a little unhealthy though, I'm sure everyone would understand. Hell even if it's just with Owain, surely he'd get it," she said, knowing full well her cousin wouldn't begrudge her in the slightest.

"I have too much fun with Owain. It's exhausting but it's the only way to cut loose, I guess," she said.

Lucina knew what was going on, but couldn't bring herself to address the issue directly. A part of her suspected Cynthia knew that, too.

The issue in question being Panne.

During the final phase of the war, everyone fought to protect each other with reckless abandon. People followed Robin's lead as best they could, but even the greatest tactical mind in the world couldn't account for everything. During the skirmish with Validar, Panne had instinctively leaped in front of Cynthia when she had left herself open, sparing her a hit from a spell that would've killed her, which ended up costing the Taguel her own life. Cynthia hadn't been herself since, and Lucina figured she was running herself into the ground as some form of self-imposed penance, or even just a distraction from lingering guilt that she couldn't shake. Being responsible for the only death amongst the shepherds was not something she figured would fade easily.

Lucina just didn't really know how to help her. She would have to change that soon, as it had persisted for so long that she knew this wasn't going to just go away. Maybe she'd have to talk to Sumia and Gaius to see if they could lend her some insight.

She placed a hand on Cynthia's shoulder.

"Well, just think about it okay?" Lucina said, trying to force a smile and push away the concern in her voice, "And if you ever need to talk to somebody, you know I'm always around, right? And so are the others,"

Cynthia turned to look at the blue-haired princess and gave a weary smile. Lucina hoped that she had been general enough not to touch a nerve, and from the looks of it, she had done just that.

"Thanks, I'll feel better once I get a decent night's sleep," she tried to assure her.

Lucina nodded, feeling silent relief as the girl finally took a bite of her food.

Cynthia had been a brave fighter in their home timeline. Always at Lucina's side, always covering her, and obeyed orders to a fault. Once they'd arrived in this world, she'd gotten to properly show off her inner bubbly enthusiasm that she wasn't afforded the opportunity to showcase. That was what Lucina had loved so much about coming here, she was their leader, just as her father had been the leader of the shepherds. But once their parents had died, everyone was forced into a life on the run. It was a world of constant fight or flight, so once they escaped, they got to be themselves, which endlessly relieved her. Everyone was slowly coming into their own… except for Cynthia, and for that, her heart ached.

At the end of the day, she just wanted her friends to be happy, and she knew she wouldn't experience that very happiness until everyone was comfortable in their own skin. She felt lingering responsibility, and how could she be blamed? She had taken care of them for so long, she simply couldn't help it.

She'd do her best, and with enough time, she was confident she could help her.

---

Once the food was all but gone and as the evening progressed, everyone found themselves tipsier but with zero signs of stopping. They all began to branch off further, some walking around the courtyard, some wondering about the palace, some still on the porch, everyone generally having a good time as the blanket of the night sky enveloped them all.

Tharja had excused herself a while ago, planning on returning for dessert, finding herself easily lost amongst the castle's art gallery. Emmeryn had done her best to preserve several ancient paintings and sculptures from all around Ylisse, believing them to hold significant cultural value. Such items included artwork from her home country, Plegia, which originally irked her somewhat despite not being the biggest fan of her home country. However, Chrom informed her that it was Emmeryn's wish to collect enough artwork from both countries and open a museum installation of sorts near the border of both countries, adjoining it to an embassy. A wish Chrom promised to continue, right after he named Tharja the head official Plegian ambassador to Ylisse.

She was shocked, frankly. Tharja had been considered one of the Shepherds, but she figured it was mostly out of convenience and circumstance. When she joined them, tensions were high after Emmeryn died. They were kind people, and didn't let some form of undue prejudice change how they treated her, but she knew it was impossible for them to completely trust her. Thankfully that faded in time, and she had become one of them, even if perhaps she wasn't the most social.

She found herself looking at one of the paintings from her home country. An impressionist work that seemed to be the portrait of a noble family sitting in their home. The format itself made looking at the painting strange, as the faces were blurred, the only things recognizable about the family of four were faint Plegian facial features, dark hair, and clothes that would've been in keeping with fashion around fifty years ago.

"Mom?" a soft voice reverberated throughout the large room.

Tharja turned to find her daughter a mere ten feet away from her. That girl had inherited her mother's uncanny ability to be undetectable when she wanted.

"Hey," she said in her typically dry tone of voice.

Since Noire had been living in the palace with Lucina for the last four months, she'd only seen her when the two girls came to visit for a weekly dinner.

Their relationship was, to put it mildly, strained. The worst part wasn't even really because either of them had done or said anything. Noire had baggage from the previous version of her mother she had known, and such baggage was something she couldn't just abandon. Years of being treated like a personal guinea pig, abuse both verbal and physical, and just a general attitude that she was nothing more than a tool for her mother. In that timeline, Libra, her father, had died in the initial Plegian conflict after meeting her mother, and as a result, she'd grown into her darker tendencies. Once Noire divulged all of this to her parents, they were both horrified. Tharja was far from someone who would be considered 'normal' by most standards, but she was also the furthest thing from being a monster. She had quite the existential crisis when she learned a version of herself had gone mad and abused her own family because she suffered a loss. Would she have done the same in this timeline? Thankfully, if Libra was good at anything, it was easing worry. Their mutual bond over both coming from a harsh background was what brought them together, and to think that she would subject her own daughter to something similar sickened her.

At the same time, Tharja didn't know how to be nurturing. Hell, she barely knew how to be 'nice' to most people. She did her best with her daughter, but she knew the look Noire had whenever she looked at her. It was a look she had given her own mother, once upon a time.

Now things were different. She wanted them to be different. With the way things were going, she was going to marry into the royal family. They'd be seeing a lot more of each other after that, which she actually wanted, but was wary seeing as she didn't want to upset Noire. She had to try and do her best to mimic her husband's gentler approach.

"Dessert is ready, they wanted me to tell you," Noire said politely.

"Thanks," Tharja said casually, "How'd you know where to find me?"

Noire didn't anticipate a question like that.

"Oh, well, I just thought you'd be here. You always take time to look at the paintings when you visit,"

Tharja looked at her daughter skeptically. As far as she was concerned, her visits to this place had always been alone.

"I do?" she asked, intentionally leading Noire a bit.

Noire looked mildly alarmed.

"I… see you in here… occasionally," Noire admitted.

Tharja was more amused than she was surprised that Noire had taken to watching her from afar. In a way, it was comforting. Like mother like daughter.

"Did you ever think to speak to me when you saw me here?" Tharja asked, displaying uncharacteristic gentleness in both her expression and tone of voice.

Noire was stunned. Her mother spoke exactly like she did when her normal cadence was abandoned. Even Tharja herself was surprised, doubly by the fact that she leaped at the opportunity to make this conversation an actual conversation.

"N-No," she admitted, "I didn't want to disturb you,"

"You wouldn't be disturbing me," Tharja said, "I wouldn't mind… talking to you, that is,"

When it came right down to it, she was just as nervous talking to other people as Noire was. She was, if nothing else, grateful she could at least have conversations without her notoriously awful mood swings, something that Lucina had helped her with through practice.

"I wouldn't mind either," Noire said with a slight nod.

Noire turned around, quickly scampering off back towards the direction she came from, no doubt eager to share dessert with Lucina and the others.

Tharja's situation was less than ideal, but as she watched her exit the room, she did feel a certain level of satisfaction. Noire was happy. She was healthy, too. It would've been nice if she was more a part of her life like Robin had been with Severa and Morgan, she just didn't really know how.

As soon as she took a step forward, she detected another presence in the room. She didn't even have to look to know who it was.

Libra approached her from the side, long blonde hair looking as idyllic as any of the paintings around the two of them. Without so much as saying a word, he embraced Tharja, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Well what was that for?" Tharja asked.

"Trying," Libra said softly, "It was very sweet of you,"

Tharja let out a small 'tsk' and silently cursed herself for being so damn sentimental.

"Ugh, feel like I'm never gonna get a handle on this… on her," Tharja muttered.

Libra looked at her with sympathetic eyes.

"She's the same way with me… some days I feel like she sees me as little more than a ghost," he lamented, taking her by the hand as they headed out.

"At least she likes you," Tharja said.

"She loves you,"

"She doesn't like me," Tharja replied, "I just don't know how to do this,"

Libra put his arm around her.

"Our circumstances are… rather extraordinary. I don't know a soul on this continent that would begrudge your frustration," he assured her, "She's more receptive to me, what if I tried talking to her sometime this week? Maybe we can start… fixing this, I dunno,"

Tharja gave a thin smile.

"That's alright by me, dear,"

Libra knew that her words masked genuine enthusiasm. In that moment, he thanked Naga he lived in the world where he was lucky enough to be at her side.

---

Morgan had been sitting with a few of the other kids for a while, drifting from group to group. Her father said it was good for her to socialize when she got the chance, as she did spend a lot of time secluded in her room. She knew he was correct and did want to follow his advice, but her brain didn't always work like that. She could devote all of her attention to one thing, but multitasking or trying to keep multiple things in mind. However, she did genuinely enjoy talking to everyone.

Once she finished a friendly debate with Henry regarding magical practices, she ran her plate (which had previously hosted two servings of devil's food chocolate cake) over to where the dirty dishes were kept, and then walked to her favorite place to be when afforded a second or two alone at gatherings like this: the gazebo.

Once it was dark out, one of the maids had come and lit the candles that adorned said gazebo, making the ambiance perfect. Morgan sat on the edge that pointed her towards the best view of the night sky, and she began to mentally trace constellations from memory.

Her fixations on singular tasks tended to mess with her perception of time, which is why she would so frequently lose herself in her work and studies. It was also what led her to be surprised when someone broke her concentration.

"Mind if I have a seat?" a voice a few feet above her asked.

She was startled, looking up to find Inigo, of all people, looking down at her. It was doubly surprising since she hadn't really gotten the chance to speak with him all night.

"Here? Yeah sure! Not like I got a monopoly on space over here or anything," she said with a grin.

Inigo sat down next to her, leaving a solid foot of room in between them, propping himself up on his hands as he laid back a bit.

"You like looking at the constellations?" the strawberry-haired girl asked.

He looked like he was nervous, which was strange. Inigo was never nervous.

"Me? Oh, nothing that fancy. I like a good view of the sky on a particularly beautiful night, nothing that academic. Not sure I have the mind for it," he said.

Morgan chuckled.

"Nothing academic about it, but fair enough," she said, "Sometimes I wish I didn't bury my head in so many books, then I could look at the sky without trying to constantly find something in it. Just look at it for what it is,"

"Ah, understandable," he replied, "Honestly I think I'd like to look at it with more discerning eyes. Sometimes I see the sky and it reminds me too much of… well… the old world,"

That was a topic that Morgan was, for lack of better judgment, very interested in. Her natural inquisitiveness made her want to know everything about everything, but she wasn't so insensitive as to probe her friends about the most traumatic time in their lives. Inigo himself looked slightly surprised he had even brought it up. What was up with him?

"Oh yeah," Morgan said, concern tinting her voice, "You guys had to travel by night then, huh?"

Inigo nodded.

"That we did," he sighed, "Some nights we got glimpses at the stars, other nights there was too much smoke or smog in the atmosphere. Smelled positively wretched too,"

His attempt to alleviate a bit of the tension from a heavy subject worked. They both laughed.

"So I like to try and not let that pollute my feelings on something so beautiful. Er, pardon the pun,"

"Sounds swell," she said, looking at Inigo a bit more closely, "Would've been strange knowing you back then,"

Inigo looked puzzled.

"Strange?" he asked.

"Well, I guess since my memory is a bit wonky I may have known you and just don't remember, but I can't imagine an Inigo who doesn't use product in his hair or doesn't smell faintly of perfume,"

His eyes widened and his face reddened, he attempted to deflect the comment by clearing his throat as Morgan giggled.

"Dark times indeed," he said, trying to turn his throat-clearing into a more restrained chuckle, "I guess it's only reasonable that you'd find it hard to picture me as anything less than the dashing scoundrel I am then, hm?"

His playful prodding made Morgan feel strange. She couldn't quite nail down why, or even how exactly.

"Well you're half right," Morgan said with a wink, "Really I'd just want to see you with different hair,"

Inigo rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh believe me, you absolutely would not," he said nervously, "It was long, totally unkempt, hardly ever washed… hell, it was long enough to be braided. I'd look just like mom…"

His thoughts traveled to picturing himself with such a look, which really wasn't hard considering he was a dead ringer for Olivia. Morgan snickered.

"If you ever grow it out that far again, I call dibs on braiding it. I'd make you look cute!" she offered with a mischievous grin.

Inigo nodded.

"Duly noted, but I wouldn't hold my breath," he said, "Though if it got me an excuse to spend time with you I might reconsider,"

Inigo held on for a beat, considering maybe he'd switched gears too quickly. It was such a perfect segue he just couldn't resist, and now he risked sounding like his old self again.

"Hey I'm not going anywhere!" she said right before leaning in slightly, "Might have to swipe some of Sevs hair stuff to do it though. If we get caught it's your funeral,"

He wasn't sure what he found more surprising, her total lack of absorption when it came to his flirtatious comment, or that there seemed to be a slim chance that she was taking this hair braiding business seriously.

He smiled and shook his head.

"Ah that'll be a definite 'no' then," he said, "There are few worse places to be on than on your sister's bad side,"

Morgan gave a playful pout where she stuck out her lower lip, and then snapped back to her normal self instantly.

"Eh, could be worse. I annoy her all the time and she still likes me… I think," she said, a little bit of doubt in her voice at the end.

Inigo tilted his head.

"Nothing to think about, I assure you," Inigo said, "Your sister certainly likes you. She speaks fondly of you,"

If only one good thing could come from this, he hoped that maybe he could help ease her feelings towards Severa a bit. Morgan looked a little surprised.

"She does? Huh," she said plainly, "Well I guess I have more ammo for when she gets snippy with me,"

That wasn't exactly the intended effect, but it was better than nothing.

"In her defense, it's easy to compliment those who are deserving of kind words," he said a bit more elegantly.

Morgan perked up.

"Me? Deserving? I dunno about that. I mean I'm not a risen or anything but I can't imagine I inspire much in people," she said with a distinct lack of confidence.

Inigo shook his head with enthusiasm.

"Nonsense!" he said with a nervous smile, "You have plenty of things about you that are worthy of praise,"

Morgan's brow furrowed, her hesitant smile lingering.

"... I do? Like what?" she asked, genuinely clueless.

He couldn't detect if this was going over her head or not. Her nervousness could've indicated that she had picked up on him, but it also just could've been general curiosity. For as intelligent, enthusiastic, and energized as she was, she certainly didn't have a high opinion of herself. In many respects, she was just like Severa, constantly living in the shadow of a parent that she felt she could never live up to. Unlike her sister, however, she channeled that to work harder, whereas it had done severe emotional damage to Severa.

But it didn't matter. He was nervous, he had worked up the courage to go over there, and it was the perfect moment.

"Well, I could tell you plenty of things, if I'm being truthful," he said, his tone becoming more sincere, "But… I'm a man who puts a lot of value in his words. So how about a little transaction, so to speak?"

He was getting a bit laborious with his conduct. He had to try and be more direct in the future, he couldn't let himself go too far against Severa's advice.

"A… transaction?" she asked.

"Yes, so to speak," he said, "I'd be more than willing to list all kinds of words about you if… maybe you would accompany me to dinner one night this week?"

Morgan's face remained concerningly still, like the words bounced off of her, which sent off many of Inigo's internal alarms. Eventually, it just contorted into mild confusion.

"Dinner… like… like a date?" she said, gears visibly turning in her head.

Inigo felt a small wave of relief, worried he was going to have to spell it out for her and come across as demanding. He summoned up every ounce of willpower he could muster so he could respond beyond nodding.

"Yes," he said, lightly placing one hand on her as he turned himself to face her fully, "And I'm not kidding, as hard as that may be to believe,"

Morgan laughed nervously.

"Uh… huh. Well that's… interesting," she squeaked out, "You want to go out… with me?"

Now all he could do was nod.

Morgan wasn't exactly opposed to the notion of relationships, but they existed on another planet to her. They orbited her mind, but it was never something she thought about actively. She had certainly taken note of several men and women in the Shepherds who were attractive, but even then, it felt distant. It also endlessly confused her that Inigo would try to ask her out, of all people. She was a bit more modest and just more homely. She would've thought this was a joke, had it not been for Inigo's surprisingly left-field turn at dropping the womanizing act.

"Are you… sure?" was all she could manage.

Inigo laughed.

"Quite sure," he said, "I… may or may not have asked Severa for advice on talking to you,"

Morgan suddenly began to feel her nerves get hit with a hot was of embarrassment as her cheeks became rosy. She turned around, looking towards the other children still lounging about to find Severa and Kjelle watching the two of them very intently. Severa gave her a solid thumbs-up when they maintained eye-contact.

She turned back to Inigo, who was doing his best impersonation of someone who didn't feel like they were about to explode.

"Y-yeah," she answered, "That sounds nice,"

Inigo's heart fluttered. He had almost convinced himself that he would be turned down, but there would always be a part of him that held onto hope. You didn't survive for as long as Inigo and abandon all prospects of things becoming better and brighter.

"How about tomorrow evening?" he asked her, "I'll get a carriage over to your place and we can go anywhere you'd like to eat in Ylisstol,"

She gave a nod, still looking at him with disbelief. Inigo had been emboldened by the answer, and by the fact that she hadn't moved her hand the entire time.

He leaned in, giving her a light kiss on the cheek. Morgan could barely register what happened, she felt like she'd had a stroke.

He winked at her, nearly making her melt. How had she never noticed how offensively cute he was.

"I meant what I said earlier. I have plenty of nice things to say about you. Maybe you can say the same about me here soon?" he rhetorically posed as he stood up.

"I think it'll take more than my word to alleviate your reputation, buddy," she nervously teased.

He feigned stumbling back, placing his hand over his heart.

"Ah, you wound me so. Though I suppose I deserve it," he said, "I'll see you tomorrow,"

She nodded in response, watching him as he walked back to the drink table to finally take the rest of the edge off now that the euphoria of success was setting in. She caught Severa's eyes, looking straight at her. She was grinning ear to ear.

Morgan wasn't sure why, but that didn't really matter. Severa wasn't going to miss a chance to tell her baby sister she was proud of her. Inigo looked like he had already downed a shot of something or other as he sat down on one of the chairs with the others.

She had no clue what to do, or how to process what happened… maybe a drink was a good idea.

---

At the edge of the night's turn into the next day, everyone was telling their drunken goodbyes to one another. It had been an eventful evening, and they were all the furthest thing from sober imaginable. So much so that Chrom actually had to help Robin walk out to his ride home, despite him not really being in any shape to walk himself. There was a lot of mumbling, a lot of laughing, and a lot of groans from Severa who just wanted to get home and rest. She had disappeared from the event entirely for a while with Kjelle, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why she was so exhausted when they returned.

Morgan was too dazed to talk, which was rare for her.

Once Chrom had gotten his best friend inside their ride safely, he took a step back, letting the girls inside.

"Thanks, Chrom," Cordelia mused as Morgan nearly tripped inside onto her sister, "I didn't really feel like carrying anyone tonight,"

Chrom nodded, trying to put up a chivalric front even though he felt like he was going to collapse any moment now. He did not look forward to getting the drunkenly snoozing Sully all the way into their bedroom from the porch, where she currently resided.

"Don't mention it," he assured her.

There was an awkward glance between the two before she got in. Being intoxicated had its way of drumming up old memories, memories that, in this case, included a history of unrequited love. Cordelia had pined after the exalt for years before the Shepherds had even formed, and while she never told Chrom, he still knew. Her adolescent feelings faded with time, and were nearly completely tarnished by Robin once he came along. She had fallen for him so quickly it made Chrom feel like a far-off dream… but both of them still had that unspoken thing that lay dormant. But they were both happy, and they were both good friends, and that was pretty much all that mattered.

As much as she had once loved Chrom, she could never love him like she did Robin and the girls. Chrom hoped this was the case, for her sake, and figured as much, but a part of him felt bad knowing his best friend's wife had been so taken with him, once upon a time.

She mouthed the word 'bye' through the carriage window as the horses began to take them home, which he returned.

Before he went to fetch his wife, he took a moment to just stand in the crisp night air. Never in his life did he expect to encounter such a feeling. Such contentment. Being the Exalt was no easy task, but he managed it. He'd created a home and a family that he cherished, and helped his friends do the same. He'd help rebuild this country from ruin, aided everyone affected by the Valmese conflict, strengthened their relationship with the Khans, made amends with Plegia, defeated an unspeakable evil that threatened to destroy them all, and saved their children from a dying world. He had effectively destroyed the curse of his family name that had clung to tragedy, created by his war-mongering father and unfairly burdened his pacifist older sister.

He could only hope Emmeryn was out there somewhere, looking down on him and his family, on all the shepherds, with pride knowing that her sacrifice all those years ago was not in vain. There was a bitter sadness that he felt, knowing she wasn't around to celebrate with them, but he took solace in knowing that she would've embraced the many recent additions to his family. She would've been such a wonderful aunt to the kids.

Life… for the first time in a very long time, was truly and unequivocally, good.

---

"Gods be damned, I hate the ocean," Atalliana grumbled as she took a seat behind the desk in the captain's quarters.

They had been stuck in that ship for nearly two weeks at this point, and to say that the Vallethean princess had cabin fever was an understatement. Traveling overseas was not something she was unfamiliar with, but she liked to avoid it as much as possible since it was so damned uncomfortable.

The boat rocked gently against the steady waves, pressing forward a little faster than normal because the wind had picked up that night. She stared at the candlelight on the desk as it seemed to flicker with every buoyant motion the boat made. Her chin lay flat on her hands, which were pressed onto the surface of the desk, eyes going back and forth with the flame.

"I'm sure the ocean hates you back," her brother quipped as he absentmindedly flipped through a book, laying on the couch that had been nailed into the floor on the side of the room to keep it steady. The royal fleet wasn't exactly hugely accommodating when it came to comfort, but they made exceptions for the royal family's personal vessel, which was enormous and decorated like the interior of a castle in its rooms. Rugs, bookshelves, carpets, lanterns, the whole treatment.

"Reassuring, thanks," she fired at her younger brother, making no attempt to hide her annoyance.

Asyllus closed his book, and as if on cue, the door to the quarters opened, getting both noble children to turn their heads. In the doorway stood the final member of the royal trio, their brother Tyrius. He stumbled in, holding a plate of food in each hand, silverware stacked atop said food. He shut the door behind him with his foot, looking back and forth at his brother and sister.

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked innocently.

Asyllus side-eyed his sister.

"No, just Atalliana musing about the tempestuous relationship between herself and the waters we find ourselves on," he teased.

She rolled her eyes.

"Tempestuous? You really think you're clever, don't you?" she asked.

Tyrius walked over to Asyllus, handing him a plate of food, for which his elder brother thanked him.

"No, just eager to use any version of the word 'tempest' in a sentence," he said before he took a bite, "I like that word. Rolls off the tongue,"

She nodded to Tyrius as she accepted her own plate, allowing Tyrius to grab a seat on the side opposite of Asyllus. He looked at both of his siblings, now focused intently on the food in front of them, wondering why they were deliberately putting themselves in each other's presence. They were both perfectly pleasant to him, but they fought one another like cats and dogs when left to their own devices. Spending time with each other in such a cramped environment was a recipe for disaster, which confirmed to him that deep down, they both secretly enjoyed ripping into one another.

There was enough blonde hair in that room to build some kind of bizarre scarecrow. Tyrius, the youngest of the three, had a stocky build and a light beard and goatee that made him look very much like their father, King Andromedus. He was the shortest, but also the most muscular of the three, even though his sister could handily beat him whilst sparring.

Atalliana and Asyllus looked quite similar, both taking after their mother more. Both of them slender and endowed with far longer flaxen hair, Asyllus's reaching his neck and Attaliana's reaching to her lower back. Both had narrow frames, but were still well-built, as they all kept up their training regiments even in their rather… adverse circumstances. Atalliana had an aura about her that made her intimidating even when she was at her most pleasant, and Asyllus was a lively smooth-talker, two personalities that often clashed… even if tonight they seemed to be duller than ever. Traveling had really taken the spirit out of them, and Tyrius didn't like seeing them so thoroughly… not themselves, even if it meant them actively shouting at each other rather than escalating to, at worst, petty annoyance.

"So…" Tyrius said, attempting to break the silence with some good news, "Dannigan was topside when our cartographer was going over routes with the crew, apparently we've managed to shave off a day with this wind,"

Atalliana breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ah, finally, news that doesn't make me want to hurl myself overboard," she said, her expression softening.

Seeing Atalliana both wearing casual clothing rather than armor AND in a relatively pleasant mood was a rarity among rarities. It actually felt off-putting, considering her normal disposition and reputation.

They didn't call her the 'widowmaker' back home for nothing.

Asyllus threw his head back and smiled.

"He managed to catch a window for our arrival time?" he asked Tyrius.

"Sometime tomorrow evening, give or take an hour depending on how long the wind lasts," he said, "They said definitely before midnight,"

"Not bad," Asyllus said, placing his hands behind his head as he laid down on the couch more properly.

"All this for a fucking treaty," Atalliana said, her terminal unpleasantness returning, "Trade negotiations. The single most boring thing in the known universe,"

"Now, I wonder, what would dear old dad say if he heard you being so dismissive of this very serious job he handed to you personally?" Asyllus taunted.

"Is that a threat?" she growled without missing a beat.

Asyllus laughed, and Tyrius just sighed.

"No. It was a provocation. How often are you going to fall for those? It's not like I'm particularly subtle," he said smugly.

"Would it be particularly subtle if I impaled you on the ship's mast?" she asked, mimicking his tone of voice.

"No, actually. It would not," he responded plainly.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"No matter how tedious this affair ends up being, at least I can count on these Ylisseans to be more bearable than you. Though that bar is fairly low, so excuse me if I don't jump for joy," she remarked, "Just don't run your mouth or make us look bad in front of their King,"

"Exalt," Tyrius corrected.

She looked at her other brother skeptically.

"What?" she asked, mostly confused rather than annoyed.

"Titles are different. Over there the 'King' is called the 'Exalt'," he elaborated.

Atalliana chuckled.

"That's awfully pretentious," she said, "Almost hope he gets under my skin now. Haven't been in a good fight in far too long,"

"Now, correct me if I'm wrong," Asyllus said, raising his head in the air and pointing his finger upward, "But getting into a 'fight' with a 'King'-"

"Exalt," Tyrius once again corrected.

"-right yeah, 'Exalt'," he continued, "But getting into a fight with him, that would be… ah… come now, what's the word I'm looking for?"

"An act of war?" Tyrius suggested.

Asyllus snapped his fingers.

"Ah, yes, that's it. War," he explained, "Which would kind of defeat the purpose of this little visit, now wouldn't it?"

She rolled her eyes yet again.

"Gods be damned Asyllus, can a girl not indulge in hyperbole every once in a while?" she spat, "I'm not an idiot. And you know as well as I have that war isn't exactly off the table,"

Asyllus shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm well aware. Just don't want you to lose your cool just because you and father happen to think the Exalt is a bit soft. Hardly a reason to start something,"

Tyrius grit his teeth. Asyllus was playing his hand a bit early, and he knew it wouldn't go over well.

"If he's soft he deserves it," she muttered, grabbing her plate and standing up, assumedly headed to her bed below deck, "Try not to fuck anything up while I'm asleep,"

She intently stepped toward the door, giving Asyllus a fierce glare before she exited the room. Once she shut the door, allowing a but of the ocean breeze to seep in. Asyllus laid back nonchalantly as Tyrius ran his fingers through his hair.

"Is there a reason you so deliberately antagonize her?" he asked.

Asyllus scoffed.

"I wouldn't call it that, exactly. I'm calling her bluff," he said.

"And how do you figure that?" Tyrius asked, his older brother clearly operating on something unbeknownst to him.

Asyllus sat up, facing his brother as he leaned forward, his hands coming together as his fingers interlocked in front of him, resting his elbows on his knees. A telltale sign he was thinking intently.

"She wants to start a war, brother. She's not joking," he said, dead serious.

Tyrius apprehensively chuckled.

"Come now, I know she's restless and she's not exactly the most amicable woman alive but you can't seriously think she'd start a war-"

"I most certainly can," he interrupted, "They prepared for it. We've been smuggling ships in and out of their ports for nearly a week now just in case, if things go south, she has a failsafe, which means she will do just that, if provoked enough,"

Tyrius still wasn't convinced. Their sister was a warrior of great renown, and had recently been in talks to be made commander of the imperial army. This mission, to begin and foster an alliance with Ylisse in order to prepare for an upcoming and unfortunately inevitable war with Dratalia, another overseas country, was of severe importance, and it surprised the three siblings greatly when they were trusted with it.

"I don't know… this feels like a bit of a stretch. She's still our sister,"

Asyllus laughed that off instantly.

"Tyrius I do love you, but you're naive if you think familial relation bars our family from being capable of atrocities," he reminded him.

Tyrius couldn't argue with that, even if he had a hard time reconciling that his sister was truly capable of such wanton bloodshed… for which there was ample evidence, unfortunately.

"Fair enough, but she's doing this for father. She wouldn't risk messing this up considering what's at stake. She'd be passed up for a position she certainly wants AND she'd start a war with a country who unified little more than a year ago. You've heard the stories, right? I have it on good authority there was a dragon. Or a demon. Or both,"

Asyllus shrugged.

"There's always a dragon. Or a demon. Or both," he said, "However that's not the point. Firstly, war with Ylisse would be a pain in the ass, for sure, but let me ask you this: do you think we could win?"

Tyrius had to think on that. His older sister may have been eyed for a prestigious military position, but he was still the youngest general in the army, earning his position, not through nepotism, but bravery in battle. His sister earned hers through a fear-inducing reputation. In terms of strategic skills, they were both about equal, which made whatever his evaluation was likely to be similar to Atalliana's. All that said, Asyllus was the strategist of the family, and whatever his answer was would more than likely be the correct one.

"I don't know," Tyrius said, "Maybe. It's certainly not impossible,"

Asyllus pointed at him.

"As long as she knows failure isn't inevitable, she'll cling to that. Do you know how many major conflicts Vallethea has been in since we've been alive?"

Just a little over twenty years for all three of them… he had to think hard to remember. He figured he'd have to account for the two-year difference in between each of them, so technically he had to go as far back as Atalliana's birth twenty-five years ago.

"Six," he answered.

"How many times have we won and expanded our territory?" Asyllus pressed.

"Six," he answered again.

"Exactly," he said, a wary look overtaking his face, "We have a perfect track record and the element of surprise on our hands. It isn't smart to overestimate, but in her eyes, we're more than capable,"

Tyrius shook his head.

"That still doesn't account for the resources and time it would cost us. We'd lose soldiers. Food. Money. We need that for Dratalia. She knows that," he insisted.

Asyllus scoffed.

"Please, if we found a way to siege the capital of Ylisse, we'd take Ferox in the north, we'd take Plegia in the south, and we'd take Chon'sin and Valm in the west in a matter of weeks. They still haven't entirely finished rebuilding yet, they'd likely surrender-"

"Allowing us to absorb their soldiers and have the largest military force on the planet," Tyrius finished in disbelief.

"Exactly," Asyllus said, sitting back, "Whether or not they agree to the treaty or its conditions is irrelevant. Personally, I think this is a test,"

"Of what nature?" Tyrius asked.

"For her," he motioned to the door their sister had left a few minutes ago, "Father thinks Ylisse has been ruled by weaklings ever since the first Exalt's daughter was forced to take the throne. Then she died and that led to the new Exalt. Tell me, just what exactly has he done with his years on the throne?"

"Well," Tyrius began, recalling their briefing on the country they were headed to before they had left, "He… unified the country, defeated a Warlord, and basically quelled all dissent. It's peaceful there,"

Asyllus looked at his brother expectantly.

"Father is testing her," he declared, "He wants to see if she despises the Ylisseans perceived weakness as much as he does. He wants her to instigate a war. Even if she doesn't, the job will be done, but this is about more than that. He knows I don't want the throne, and even if I did he'd never give it to me. Dimitirus…"

He paused for a moment, allowing both men to think about their embarrassment of a brother.

"Well if he doesn't drink himself into an early grave first, of course, but if he was offered the throne? He'd never take it, that layabout. And you?" Asyllus finished with hesitation.

He swallowed, locking eyes with his younger brother.

"He knows you'd make a good king. But not his vision of a good king. I know we have our differences, but this is our first official mission for our family. We have to face facts. Father is a warlord who profits from suffering. He knows you would take the throne, but he wants Attaliana to prove herself as his worthy successor. She obviously wants this. I know you may doubt me… but it's true," he said.

Tyrius did not expect to come to face so many uncomfortable truths that evening.

Asyllus looked at him with a pleading gaze. He rarely ever saw his brother, the picture of confidence, so openly vulnerable.

"You know Father knew the current Exalt's father, right? He was the one who helped put him in a position of power. They were war buddies since before Vallethea was even a proper territory. They were cut from the same cloth. So you tell me, what would our father have done if he ruled Ylisse? After the Plegian conflict,"

Unlike throughout most of this conversation, Tyrius hardly had to think twice about his answer.

"He would've conquered Plegia, then the north, then all of Chon'sin and Valm. Completely. He'd depose all leaders and unify the continent as one territory so the Ylissean government would rule unopposed rather than remain an alliance," he said.

"So you see what I mean now, right?" Asyllus asked, "Trust me, brother, I'm not being paranoid. The sea isn't driving me mad. I know what this is. He sees Ylisse and he takes personal offense that the legacy under which that land was founded is being betrayed by… peace. Of all things,"

"Why send us with her?" Tyrius asked, "He knows you're… well… he knows you don't approve of his leadership. He knows I follow orders but surely he knows I'd side with you before I'd side with Atalliana,"

Asyllus looked stunned for a moment.

"You would? Truly? If it came to that?" he asked in disbelief.

Now it was Tyrius's turn to be surprised.

"Of course I would… Asyllus… I know I seem like a lapdog at times but… I do what father says so I can work hard. Earn respect. It may be slow and it may not yield anything immediately, but I want to change this country for the better. As much as I admire how outspokenly you oppose him and the aristocracy, I don't see how you can truly seek the change you desire with your methods. It's… impractical, even if you're right,"

Asyllus looked touched. He had always been far closer to Tyrius than his other siblings, and that sentiment ran both ways, but when it came to their long-term goals, he didn't know his brother looked at him that way. He considered him naive rather than looking at him as someone who wanted exactly what he did: change.

He leaned forward once again.

"I think then, we must consider that father sent us along as part of a test. He knows what he's doing. He wants to see if she truly has it in her, and wants to see if she can do it despite our opposition. He knows we'll fight for peace until it isn't on the table anymore… this is a game. He's not testing her, he's testing all of us. He's just betting on her,"

As much as Tyrius didn't hate his father as Asyllus did, it was not out of character to do something like this.

"You don't think… he'd send us here with the intention of having her kill us to see this through, do you?" Tyrius asked.

Asyllus tried his best to not let his bias cloud him.

"I think that is certainly possible, yes," he said plainly.

It was Asyllus's turn to grit his teeth.

"This is our chance. We can finally start to enact some true change if we hold the line and make peace. Just think, with the Ylisseans at our side, we'd have an entirely new angle for the Dratalian conflict. We'd have a beacon of hope at our side, willing to make peace first and foremost. This Exalt could help us make waves, Tyrius,"

He was correct. Vallethea was a superpower, but Ylisse was no slouch. If they could approach the conflict as a joint venture, they could feasibly avoid not just one costly war, but two. Their father had the final say on all their actions, but they'd have someone else who didn't operate under his rule. Someone with power.

"So then what do we do?" Tyrius asked, sounding rather helpless.

Asyllus smiled.

"We play the game, of course," he said, "And we beat him. Do whatever we can to steer our dear sister from playing on the offensive when we arrive. I can take the part of the diplomat and strategist, you can be the practical economic advisor. If he sent us here to test us, to see if we can thwart her, we do just that. We make friends, we smile, we nod, and we make sure Atalliana doesn't get too aggressive… and we do our best to stay alive considering the very real possibility that she will kill us,"

Tyrius swallowed.

"Would she really? Kill us?" he said.

Asyllus chuckled.

"She'd hire assassins for you. She'd kill me personally," he said, "Who knows? She may even keep you alive, she doesn't view you as a threat like she does me,"

"And if she finds out I conspired against her, with you?" he continued.

"She'd certainly kill you as well. Perhaps a bit more stubbornly, but she'd do it," he said, "Tyrius, if we're really going to do this, I need you to promise me that we'll see this through to the end. At all cost,"

Tyrius knew what his brother was asking, and he knew that deep down, they did indeed want the same thing. This was a shining opportunity, as much an opportunity for them as it was her.

It would be one hell of a game of tug of war.

"I promise," he assured, "To the end,"