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)

2. II

Chapter II:

Cynthia enjoyed stepping along the busy streets in the middle of the morning on her day off. She got to summon some of her usual trademarked pep as she saw people shopping and running around with friends and family. A healthy little reminder of the peace they achieved was getting to see everyone just go about their lives in a way they couldn't during wartime. Curfews. Limits of one shopper per household. Constant mistrust brewing about. Chrom received pushback when implementing these policies, but it reduced the overall level of risk people in cities that were likely to be attacked would face. Thankfully no such attacks happened, but it still let people know he had their best interest at heart.

She didn't have anywhere specific to go, it was just nice to get out on days like this where the sun was out and the sky was blue. She even had a few people recognize her and wave to her. The Shepherds were minor celebrities in their home countries, a vanguard of heroes that people told stories about… even if they were occasionally embellished. Between teaching new Pegasus Knights in training over at the school with her mother and Cordelia, she was a relatively popular girl.

Another pro of being one of the Shepherds was that since there were so many of them, it never really took long for her to run into one of her friends.

Walking down the street, on the opposite side and walking in the opposite direction, Cynthia spied her parents and Owain walking together, which was slightly unusual. Owain typically trained day and night or did some easy mercenary jobs for money when he could. As far as she knew he wasn't particularly close with her parents, though they seemed to be talking intently. Even seeing her parents out like this odd, were they on some kind of lunch date perhaps? It did sound like something Gaius would've done for his wife on her day off, any excuse to spend time with her and grab something sweet. She occasionally found it difficult not to gush over how cute a couple she thought they were. Sumia the unassuming and klutzy knight of infinite duty, and Gaius the smooth-talking former thief with a surprising romantic streak. It was never boring in their house.

She waded through the crowd of people to reach them, just to stop by and say hello (and potentially be a bit nosy as to what Owain was doing there) to them. As she drew closer, much to her surprise, they were with someone else as well. Someone wearing a cloak and a hood that hid their identity at the angle she approached from. Goodness, why wasn't she invited to this little party.

Once she made her way over to them, she tapped her mom on the shoulder, who jumped a bit until she turned around, Owain and Gaius following suit.

"Hey mom!"

"Hey Cynthia," she said.

Cynthia anticipated a hug that didn't come. She stiffened a bit. Her mother didn't ever shy away from public displays of affection. She didn't look like she was angry or annoyed. Same with her father.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked.

"Just out and about," Gaius said casually, "Nice day though, huh?"

"Yeah," Cynthia agreed, slightly confused since something about her father's tone of voice felt off.

Were they about to play some kind of prank on her? She resisted the urge to jump on the hooded person who still hadn't turned around, positive that it was Lissa about to dump a bucket of water on her.

"Who's your friend?" Cynthia asked, trying to mask her lighthearted suspicion.

Their faces grew still. Indifferent.

The world around Cynthia stopped. Everything was still, and there was no noise beyond her slowly escalating breathing.

The cloaked figure turned around slowly, and the sky overhead lost all color, the world around her losing it's detail as it revealed itself to be a colorless void that contained them all. The figure took down her hood, revealing her face, as indifferent as the others around her. Unfeeling, but somehow harsher. A pit formed in her stomach.

It was Panne.

It came in raining fire. An inferno of shadow and flame that swallowed everything around her. A pillar of blinding light that cut through the darkness that nearly blinded her, the sound of anguished screams all swirling together into one primal, hellish sound that felt like she was being ripped apart as she heard it. It was an apocryphal sight, something that even the horrors she had seen in her home timeline couldn't compare to. Her parents and Owain torn to shreds, but Panne standing there amidst the chaos, her eyes black as the abyss that felt like they were drawing everything they saw into them, herself included.

Cynthia saw it happen all over again.

Panne, in her human form, jumped in front of her. The javelin that had been tossed her way pierced the Taguel's neck. Cynthia was much shorter, had the woman not taken the blow, it would have gone straight through her skull.

Cynthia couldn't move, she only stared at Panne's corpse atop the bloodied battlefield. Nothing around her was real, she existed in an orb of unreality where only what was directly in front of her truly existed. It was instant. Her body was limp, she had barely made a sound beyond a harsh gurgle when blood filled her lungs in the brief seconds she was conscious before her light faded. She hadn't even said anything, her face buried in the grass.

Cynthia still wondered what her face would've looked like. Unceremoniously lying there, no heroism, no final words, just the cold embrace of bitter emptiness.

Just like in reality, she recalled Severa then tackling her to the ground to keep her from being on the receiving end of another projectile, cracking one of her ribs. She couldn't even move of her own accord when Panne had given her another shot.

The last thing she heard was the sound of her own angry, embittered voice.

"It's all your fault,"

---

"Cynthia?! Cynthia please wake up honey. Cynthia?" her father's voice rang out.

She bolted upright, her breathing heavy and labored as her eyes shot open, like a bolt of adrenaline had been shot through her body. She was covered in sweat, her hands were shaking, her arms ached with a pain she'd never felt before, and tears streamed down her face even though she wasn't actively crying.

She looked down at her hands, palms facing upwards, horrified to discover there was blood and small chunks of skin under all her fingernails. Both of her forearms had been raked mercilessly, lines of blood and irritated skin starting at her palms and going down to the interior side of her elbows.

"Naga," her father whispered, quickly getting up and grabbing bandages and disinfectant from the adjoining bathroom as fast as he could, not wanting her to be alone for a single second longer than was necessary.

She looked around her room, it was clearly the middle of the night still, her bedside lamp had been lit by her father, allowing a dim orange glow amidst the near dark blue of the early morning hours. She looked around to see her bedroom look exactly how she had seen it before she fell asleep. She still couldn't stop shaking.

Gaius put a warm wet rag against her arms, cleaning them, doing his best to be gentle with his dexterous hands. He did so quickly, but before he could reach to grab the disinfectant, Cynthia leaned forward to hug Gaius, finally allowing herself to cry.

He was apprehensive at first, not sure what was the right thing to do or say. When it came to parenting, he knew next to nothing, and was still largely unconfident in what little knowledge he had. He'd learned mostly through osmosis with Sumia, allowing her to pass on whatever advice she had, since she was naturally just better with children.

He decided to abandon all pretense and just act like a human being first and a parent second, returning his daughter's embrace as she weeped into his shoulder. His parental instincts may have been lacking, but his heart still ached for the girl. She sounded so much younger when she cried, evoking something primal and empathic in him. He still felt the need to protect her and keep her safe, even if he didn't know how.

He leaned back when she eased up slightly, gently pulling her arms out in front of her so he could dab the wounds with disinfectant. It was so sudden it didn't feel real. If Cynthia had night terrors before this, they didn't know about them, which was a terrifying prospect.

He wrapped the bandages around her arms quickly, something he got quite good at during the war, and fastened them both with two safety pins he found in the drawers. Cynthia merely stared at him and sniffled.

"Let me go get your mother, okay?" Gaius said, doing his best to sound comforting.

She grabbed him by the arm.

"Please," she said weakly, "Don't wake her up if she's still asleep… I don't want to bother here. Just stay here with me, please?"

Gaius hesitated, but nodded, sitting up on the bed next to her as she lay her head down on his shoulder, tears still forming in the corner of her eyes.

"You aren't bothering her, Cynthia. She's your mother. She loves you," Gaius said.

"I know," she breathed, "But I feel bad… did I wake you up?"

Gaius shook his head.

"No, I was awake, thought I heard something and… well, lo and behold," he said.

He wanted to try and ask if this was the first time this happened, but now probably wasn't the best time to pry. She didn't need that. That begged the question: what did she need?

He knew what this was about. Cynthia was inconsolable for weeks even after the war was over. They asked her to see a post-war trauma counselor, a position and field of study Chrom made adequate room for in his cabinet after the first Plegian conflict, and things got better after that. Cynthia had been so busy after the obvious symptoms disappeared that he just figured she was better now… which obviously wasn't the case.

"Cynthia," he began softly, "If we talk about… what we're about to talk about, will you promise to be honest with me?"

She glumly nodded.

Gaius wished he could be more useful, all things considered. It didn't take a genius to know where the source of her trauma was rooted.

He was so out of his elements, but he had to do something. She managed a nod, letting him continue.

"Look, I'm not going to pretend to be an expert at this stuff. We've known each other for two years, we had to deal with all that time travel hocus pocus, you're basically as old as I am, and even if you weren't, I'm still not convinced I'd be good at this whole 'dad' thing," he told her.

She raised up her head, wiping off her face and forehead with her sleeves, looking her father in the eye. She wanted to protest, but he wasn't finished.

"But I care about you. You're my kid. So, I guess what I'm saying here is that I wish I could make it all go away, cause if I could, I would," he said.

She sniffled again.

"Thanks dad,"

It would probably take another year for him to properly get used to being called that.

"You know, I had a lot of bad dreams too, back when I first joined Chrom and all those guys," Gaius said.

"You did?" she asked.

He nodded.

"I don't know if anybody's told you this, but before I joined… I really wasn't a 'good guy'- in fact, I joined Chrom out of pure chance. At the time, it simply benefited me," he explained.

She looked a trifle confused. She couldn't imagine her father as being anyone other than what she saw right now. In her original timeline, he was almost exactly the same.

"I was a criminal, Cynthia. I was a thief for hire. I did a lot of bad things, I hurt a lot of good people. Do you know what I was doing when the others found me?" he asked.

"N-No," she answered hesitantly.

"I was working for the people who were going to assassinate Chrom's older sister Emmeryn. I didn't know it at the time, but that doesn't really change anything, if you ask me," he said a bit more monotone than he had been previously, remorse bleeding into his tone.

Cynthia didn't know what to say. It wasn't as if she couldn't see her father as being a more hardened man than he appeared, he always had a roguish swagger about him that separated him from the more knight-like Shepherds, but this as the furthest cry from her mother's background she could fathom.

Gaius scoffed a little at himself.

"I got mixed up in a lot of bad things. I walked myself right to the edge and almost got an innocent man and his daughter killed, and I probably would've followed close behind them if I didn't come to my senses. You know Maribelle, right?" he asked.

Cynthia nodded, still in disbelief.

"I almost framed her father to get out of a tight spot once. Nearly got him and her both killed…" he said, nearly trailing off as he recalled the pain of his actions, "After I did the right thing, I still couldn't really change. It was who I was. But that night I met Chrom… When I learned the people who hired me were going to kill Emmeryn, that was the last straw. I agreed to work with the Shepherds and they took me in. Even still, that shit kept me awake at night. I'd wake up in a cold sweat, remembering everything I'd done, thinking about how I didn't deserve anything I'd been given,"

For the first time since she'd met this incarnation of her father, she felt like she connected with him. Even the Gaius of her timeline had never told her this. She was slightly frightened, but his weakness and remorse was something she saw herself in.

"How did you deal with the dreams?" she asked him.

Gaius took a deep breath.

"I think it was Tharja who helped me with that," he recalled, "They wouldn't go away on their own, they were stubborn… but then again that may have been more of my own fault considering how damn stubborn I am,"

He said that with a good natured tone in his voice, allowing Cynthia a mild smile.

"She cooked up some concoction for me. Took it every night before bed for a month, helped me sleep like a baby," he elaborated, "But after that, they still showed up. As time went on they were less and less frequent, but I think they got better once I really started talking to everyone. Made friends. You're already halfway there, kiddo. You're a fearless fighter and I'm proud of you. You're a good kid, and I know I'm far from the only person who knows that,"

Cynthia nodded. Perhaps closing herself off from everyone wasn't the best thing to do. It sounded silly that she thought it would work to begin with now, but perspective made everything feel silly.

"I know I'm not easy to talk to," he said, "So… ya know, I get it. But I am here. So is your mother. It's not a burden, I promise you. You've got your friends, right? You talk to them?"

She shied away from his slightly hopeful gaze.

"Y-Yeah but I don't talk to them as much as I should," she admitted, "I'm just scared…"

"Don't be," he said plainly, "They're your friends, and they love you. I do too. I know it doesn't do you a lot of good now, but it gets better with time, I promise. I tell you what, I'm gonna run by Tharja's tomorrow and ask her for some of that concoction for you, see if that'll help put a dent. Just promise me if you wanna talk about stuff, go to someone you trust. Open up a little bit. Doesn't have to be me… hell might be helpful if it isn't me,"

Cynthia gave him a very light, playful punch, followed up by a slightly unexpected hug.

"You're a good dad," she whispered.

His eyes popped open slightly. Usually it took something exceptionally sweet of Sumia to say to get him to feel all mushy inside, but hearing that from Cynthia suddenly made him feel like his change from the man he was to the man he became was a worthwhile one.

They pulled apart from one another, and Gaius stood, stretching his limbs as he looked down at the girl who had his exact orange/caramel-colored hair and her mother's beautiful saucer-like eyes. She looked better, more calm, but this wasn't going to go away overnight.

"Also if you want my advice," Gaius followed-up, "I'd recommend a quick bath. Ain't no feeling worse than waking up and having your sweaty clothes cling to you. Might help clear your head, usually helped me,"

As Cynthia had simmered down, she was much more aware of how gross she felt. She couldn't have gone back to sleep feeling like that even if she wanted to.

She nodded, and he leaned over to give her an encouraging pat on the head, ruffling her hair a bit.

"I'll be up a little while, okay? Even if I'm asleep I won't mind, just wake my lazy ass up. You're important," he awkwardly assured her, "I'll talk to your mom in the morning, fill her in myself so we don't have to make this even more uncomfortable for ya,"

He was really trying. For Cynthia, that was enough right now.

She finally smiled in a fashion more becoming of her as her father exited the room. A smile that, unfortunately, ran away quickly when her mind wandered exactly where it shouldn't have in the following seconds.

"Hey dad?" she asked, more softly again this time.

Gaius spun around, giving her his attention.

"Yeah?"

Cynthia looked down at the carpet as she spoke.

"Maribelle… did she ever forgive you for what happened?" she asked.

Gaius hadn't mentioned where that little debacle led, only natural she ask about it, all things considered.

"Yeah," he said, "As a matter of fact, she did,"

She nodded, taking that in for a moment. She looked back up at Gaius, who looked a little worried again.

"That's good," she said, "Love you dad,"

His look of relief returned.

"Love you too," Gaius said, "Sweet dreams, and don't forget to change your bandages after your bath, might wash away the disinfectant,"

As he exited the door, Cynthia knew she felt better, but there was an undercurrent of sadness still permeating the air. She wanted to deal with this, make it go away if possible, and it seemed like she was going to get the chance to do just that.

The only trouble was, unlike her father, the person she had failed wasn't alive to forgive her. The only thing that could give her complete absolution didn't exist anymore.

She shuddered, trying to force those thoughts out of her brain. Thoughts that said the same thing over and over again, the only relief from which she could get was unattainable. Maybe, in time, she could forgive herself. Maybe. But the question remained: would Panne?

"It's all your fault,"

---

"You've really got to stop letting me drink so much," Noire half-slurred, "I blame you for my inevitable hangover,"

Lucina laughed as she got into bed, laying down next to Noire. Once they returned from the party, they both had to go and put a crying baby Luci to bed, seeing as Sully was recently passed out, and being carried to her bedroom by Chrom. It took a good while, pushing both girls past their breaking point, so they were both beyond tired.

"I'll make you an omelet for breakfast in the morning. And we can go get dinner somewhere nice later," Lucina offered with a tired smile.

Noire turned to face her girlfriend, cracking one eye open.

"I w-wasn't trying to get you to spoil me… but if you insist," she said, returning Lucina's expression.

"I'm not spoiling you," she insisted, leaning in to give her a brief kiss, "I'm taking you out because tomorrow is special,"

Noire's other eye popped open with immediacy.

"Special? Oh Gods be damned did I forget our anniversary? I thought that wasn't for another two weeks," she exclaimed in a mild panic.

Lucina chuckled.

"Firstly, I'm not the type of girl to blow up because you forgot an anniversary. Mainly because I will most definitely forget one day," she said humorously, "Secondly, you're right, our anniversary isn't for another two weeks. I just happened to remember tomorrow makes eight perfect months since you found me all alone in that tent I used to sleep in,"

It had truly felt like so much more time had passed since that fateful night, but in the best of ways. Noire couldn't believe the princess had remembered it down to the day.

Lucina had found it difficult to sleep, adjusting to normal life after the war. She simply couldn't rest in that comfortable royal bed she slept in now, having to resort to setting up a makeshift tent in the backyard that allowed her a sense of familiarity. A struggle Noire observed from afar that led to her approaching her one night, a night they both looked back on fondly as it had been the unofficial beginning to their relationship.

Noire softened a bit, recalling that very memory.

"Thank God we were both drunk that night," Noire said with a content sigh, "I don't know if I would've been able to get all of that out in the open,"

"You, Luci. Our fearless leader. Who could be afraid of nightmares with someone like you looking out for them?" Lucina theatrically quoted the phrase Noire had said to her to make her fall for her like some dumb, smitten teenager… which they really weren't too far away from, in all honesty.

Noire turned pink.

"You r-remember that? That's so sweet," she said.

Lucina nodded, nestling up to the blonde and placing her arm around her.

"Of course. It's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me," Lucina told her.

"You really are my knight in shining armor," Noire said timidly.

Lucina chuckled.

"We're disgustingly sappy. We need to be thrown in some kind of jail for saying things like this and meaning it," she chuckled.

Noire turned around, allowing herself to be spooned in the position that normally got the both of them to go to sleep fastest.

"As long as you know I mean it," Noire said, kissing Lucina's hand.

"Always," she assured her.

"G'night Lucina," Noire hummed.

"Goodnight Noire,"

---

Nah knocked on the door nervously, wondering if she was either too drunk or not drunk enough. It wasn't exactly like this was new, or like this was the first time she'd gone there, but it definitely never stopped feeling like a secret worth hiding. A secret that involved feelings she didn't feel equipped to properly define.

But it was also exciting.

She heard the pitter-patter of a pair of dainty feet come down the wooden steps, and as the sound got closer, her heartbeat picked up. It wasn't like anyone unexpected was going to answer the door, but it still held this strange allure to her. Being out there in the middle of the night, sneaking out of her own house, it was like an adventure.

The door opened and there stood Maribelle, wearing a pair of adorable pink slippers and a matching fancy nightgown. She rubbed her eyes, blinking to see if she was actually seeing what she thought she was.

"I'm so sorry, did I wake you?" Nah asked, feeling even worse than she already did for the impromptu visit.

Maribelle stretched briefly, yawning in an effort to wake herself up, her confused expression quickly becoming a more warm (but still tired) one. She looked at her through lidded eyes that grew wider by the second.

Nah looked positively enchanting, to the point where Maribelle felt like she was hideously underdressed even though this was a surprise visit. She had no reason to feel unkempt or unsightly, especially considering where she suspected the night was about to go, but she couldn't help it. The moonlight danced on the half-dragon's porcelain skin, her white dress and hair making her look like a woman right out of some forgotten painting you'd find in a gothic mansion. Her boots rode up her long, slender legs, and her eyes were practically glittering despite the lack of light. It wasn't as if it was entirely one-sided either, even though Maribelle had literally just rolled out of bed, her voluminous blonde hair and weary smile still made her look like an absolute vision. Nah felt like she was weightless in the microscopic silence that existed between the two until Maribelle responded.

"Well, love, I won't lie to you and say you didn't, but I can certainly tell you that you shouldn't worry yourself over it. If I get to see you, it's well worth it," she said, her highbrow, aristocratic tone and hint of an eastern accent showing through a little more with each passing syllable.

"T-That's awfully sweet of you to say," she said, blushing.

Maribelle couldn't believe how taken she was with her. It was like she was a lone beautiful white lily in a meadow. She felt bad, succumbing to such base desires so quickly upon seeing her, but beauty like hers would've been criminal not to appreciate fully.

Maribelle took a step forward, bringing the two of them within arms reach of each other.

"So what do I owe such a lovely surprise visit?" she purred.

Nah briefly bit her bottom lip, clearly nervous. Every time they'd met up in the last few months it had been planned out of mutual agreement. More spontaneous offers had been up in the air but never acted on… until tonight. She figured it would be easier than this, but she had no idea how to say it without sounding crass.

"Um… w-well I couldn't sleep. I was a bit… restless. And I was thinking about you," she said, trying to force all of that out.

Maribelle cocked an eyebrow.

"You were?" Maribelle asked, "Anything specific you were thinking about?"

Oh now she was just being cruel. The edges of her mouth curled into the faintest of smiles, and all Nah did was blush more.

"I was wondering if… maybe I could spend the night with you… here," she asked, "If that's alright. I understand if you're tired or not in the mood but-"

Maribelle stepped forward, a cat-like grin finally superimposed on her face, looking down at the smaller girl as she drew closer. She lifted up Nah's head gently by pressing under her chin with one finger. Both of them felt like they were floating as soon as contact between the two was made.

"Darling, how could you expect me to be in any other kind of mood when you show up looking so beautiful?" she asked, her voice softly going from playful to authentic.

Nah closed her eyes, and Maribelle leaned down, kissing the girl's soft, thin lips with enough passion to let her know she was more than happy to oblige her. Nah didn't let it end there either, as she snaked one arm over Maribelle's shoulder, pushing them together to up the intensity further.

Once their lips parted, both women smiled innocently, happily dropping all pretenses and just being themselves, able to enjoy one another's company.

Maribelle extended her reach after she stepped away, waiting for Nah to place her own hand in her palm.

"May I escort you to the bedroom, mademoiselle?" she offered with a smile far more down-to-earth than most people would see on her.

Nah gave an excited giggle.

"Of course," she said, placing her hand in the noblewoman's care, ready to be whisked upstairs.

---

The journey to the bedroom didn't feel real, both girls were too excited at their own lustful prospects to register anything beyond wanting to arrive at their destination. Maribelle's room, lavishly decorated as if it were some kind of wedding cake, was one of immaculate furnishings that you wouldn't find in any of the other Shepherd's homes, and that was fine by Maribelle. During their first night together, Nah remarked that it looked like she lived in a gingerbread house where the gingerbread was just more icing, which Maribelle chose to interpret as a compliment.

Once they finally arrived at the bed, high thread count pillowcases and sheets awaited them beyond two large veils of see-through fabric hung from the ceiling, hiding the bed within. When the fabric was lifted and once they entered, it made them feel like the entire world had been muted, and only they existed.

They crawled into place onto the center of the bed, legs laying to the side, immediately torsos pressed against each other as they kissed, which went from being soft and sensual to more intense and deep. They were like two drunken teenagers losing themselves in one another, and there were few feelings better than that.

This was pretty much their routine at this point, and it allowed them easier access to each other's clothing. Thankfully Maribelle just had on her nightgown and a pair of comfortable smallclothes, the former of which she disposed of with relative ease. She was delighted to see Maribelle wasn't wearing a bra, which was new.

As Nah alternated between making out with the blonde and massaging her breasts with her warm hands, which made Maribelle shiver with delight, Maribelle got to work on Nah's dress, unfastening the back as she held back moans from the girl's ministrations.

She finally did away with it until both of them were left in only their underwear, which prompted them both to scurry under the covers of the bed, laying their heads against the pillows as they brought their bodies together after a brief moment of mutual admiration. Maribelle finally got to pay Nah's breasts some overdue attention, something she very much liked doing because she knew Nah was sensitive about them being relatively small. They both pressed their hands all over the other's chests, kneading as they kissed with spectacular fervor.

"You're truly the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on," Maribelle said, breaking away from the kiss for just a moment to get out a kind word.

Nah laughed, fighting the urge to contest that claim, but it felt too good, so she ran with it.

They returned back to their state of mutual play, and Maribelle slid one arm down the other girl's torso, cupping her rear and squeezing it. Nah yelped, causing another brief fit of laughter, which Maribelle could've listened to for hours.

As things became a bit slower, Maribelle moved her hand slowly, palm flat against the other girl's soft skin, and slipped into the girl's underwear from the side, ultimately cupping the girl's sensitive womanhood, prompting a gasp from the dragon girl.

She let out a sharp hiss that melodically eased its way into a soft moan. Maribelle teased her, running her fingers delicately over the girl's outer lips, which were still incredibly wet. Far too wet to have only been that way for as long as they'd been up there.

"Darling, did you try touching yourself before you came here?" Maribelle cooed.

Nah gave her an urgent nod, still eagerly massaging the blonde's breasts, readying for one of them to take action.

"I told you love," she began, leaning in, placing her lips right above the white-haired girl's ear, "If you're ever horny, come to me first,"

That last whisper made Nah's entire nervous system feel like it was on fire. Her voice trickled down her spine like a wave of pleasure, which only intensified when Maribelle teased one finger further inside her.

"I-I didn't… I felt bad. I didn't want to w-wake you," Nah said, voice almost begging with it's tone alone.

"But clearly not enough to keep you at home. Did you have trouble getting all the way, my love?" she asked with a voice softer than her bedsheets.

Nah nodded again, eyes wide and begging the woman not to hold on to inaction any longer than she had to. Nah liked to be teased on occasion, but this was just pure desperation.

"As much as I love how you touch me, I don't want you to suffer any longer. You came all this way, a thirty minute walk just to be with me? I think you deserve a reward," she whispered.

Nah's arms went limp as Maribelle began to pump two fingers inside her, a bolt of pleasure erupting from in between her legs. Mirabelle seized the girl's open mouth with her own, burying Nah's muffled moans in her own mouth. Their tongues met, and Nah desperately bucked her own hips forward, one of her willowy legs draping over Maribelle's waist just to pull them closer together.

She pulled away so they could look at one another in the heat of, what each of them saw heightening their arousal even further. Nah was wetter than she ever had been, and Maribelle couldn't get enough of it.

"Mari… belle," she squeaked out, "I… I… oh fuck,"

Maribelle nearly growled, getting an erotically charged curse from the girl in the heat of the moment was a thrill like no other. Nah didn't even finish what she was trying to say, and instead lunged back for her mouth.

Maribelle accidentally cut her tongue on one of Nah's sharper fangs, a small amount of blood being caught in their exchange of saliva. Nah didn't even notice, but Maribelle was slowly growing fond of the feeling, which could only come from both of them being so mutually aggressive that they'd both just lost control, which was a euphoric feeling.

Nah pulled herself away, nearly making a 'pop' noise when their mouths fully separated. Maribelle did nothing but rhythmically finger-fuck the girl as aggressively and as elegantly as possible while still maintaining balance. She could feel her inner walls almost wrapping around her fingers, one of her favorite sensations from their lovemaking.

"Maribelle," Nah finally groaned out, "Please… baby…"

Maribelle excitedly purred at Nah calling her a pet name, something she didn't often do but was appreciated for its rarity.

"What, love?" she asked in a harsh whisper, fire in her eyes, "What do you want? Tell me,"

Nah leaned forward, giving her one more brief, hot kiss before pulling back, matching her playful energy.

"Your mouth," she moaned, "Use your mouth,"

Maribelle slowed herself down, nearly getting a whine from the smaller woman, but she leaned in, taking a playful bite into her earlobe before she whispered again:

"Why, baby?" she asked wickedly, "Why do you want my mouth?"

Nah was going absolutely feral, she must've looked a mess, almost thrusting her hips to pick up the pace and get Maribelle to continue fucking her.

"B-because… shit…" she said, trying not to trail off, hurriedly rushing out her syllables so she could spur her lover on, "I want your tongue inside me. I love how… s-soft and h-hot your mouth is. P-Please,"

"Please what?" Maribelle asked, furthering Nah's near-orgasmic agony.

"L-Lick my pussy," Nah said, her cheeks flushed blood red and her voice needy, "Please. Please eat my pussy. Please,"

Maribelle leaned back, giving her another kiss, and smiled at her, using her other hand to brush some stray hairs out of her face.

"Anything for you," Maribelle said, her act disappearing and her face becoming more straightforward and loving, nearly causing Nah to let out a wistful romantic sigh, "I love you,"

"I love you too," Nah said as Maribelle pressed her lips into the girl's neck, slowly dragging her tongue down across the surface of her skin.

She slid down, adjusting her position relative to Nah, and then turned her fully onto her back as she grabbed her right breast in one hand, and took the other in her mouth, lazily dragging her tongue across it until she sucked on the girl's nipple, causing a sharp inhale to occur. She used this time to withdraw her fingers from Nah, which cause her physical anguish, but once she placed herself over her, eyes locking with the now hot and flushed white-haired woman, she languidly wrapped her lips around her wet fingers, licking them clean, and then dove for another kiss with Nah.

As much as she enjoyed herself, she couldn't torture the poor thing any longer.

Maribelle's hands moved down, hooking her fingers into Nah's panties and pulling them off swiftly, tossing them to the floor, revealing her prize underneath, the girl's soaking wet, glistening pussy, like a ripened fruit. She could've drooled if she stared at it for too long.

She wasted no time, diving in, licking from the bottom of her slit to the top in long, slow drags, causing Nah to cry out, and grab Maribelle's hair in one fist, bringing her even closer. Gods, she loved it when she was rough with her.

She locked eyes with her when Nah looked down, burying her tongue inside the girl as she licked around, trying to taste every possible inch of her before she went straight for the climax. She loved hearing the bombastic, symphonic noises of Nah's sexual cries. She was a tightly wound girl, and Maribelle so thoroughly enjoyed unwinding her. One of the perks of living alone was that she could be as loud as she wanted.

She decided Nah had waited long enough once she had her fill, wrapping her lips around the girl's clit and sucking lightly, slowly increasing the intensity. She felt like she was playing Nah like an instrument, and the noises she made sure backed up that feeling.

Nah felt a white hot warmth within her, Maribelle could do what most men and women would need both hands and their mouths to do with just her devilish tongue, and she never got tired of it. Being eaten out by someone skilled in the practice was the best sensation she'd ever known, and Maribelle felt like she somehow made it better each time.

"Fuck… Maribelle… Fuck… please,"

Maribelle finally applied her tongue, pressing it into the girl as she sucked harder, allowing Nah to finally cum, relinquishing an orgasm that had been pent up inside her for nearly an hour and a half now. Nah wasn't normally a squirter, but tonight that seemed to be the exception. Maribelle didn't complain, as it gave her more to lap up as Nah lay in the afterglow. She didn't know why as it didn't do much for her pleasure wise, but she enjoyed cleaning the girl with her tongue, relishing the mess she'd made and getting to taste the results of her work. Nah loved how she dragged her warm tongue inside her still even though she'd cum, around her, on the interior of her thighs and around her slightly puffy lips. The feeling in her lower body was nearly gone after the orgasm, but she loved that she could feel Maribelle still, lovingly touching her skin. Some nights she felt like that could've been enough to satisfy her.

Maribelle crawled up, looking at Nah, who stared back with the lidded eyes Maribelle had when she'd woken up when Nah first arrived there that night. She leaned in to give her a long, slow kiss, allowing Nah to taste herself on her lips on tongue, a thrillingly scandalous sensation. Post-orgasmic kissing was truly the best kind, when neither party was in a rush and the act itself was the focal point.

She lay back, looking at her lover as she grabbed her by the waist to press them together again. Gods she loved that feeling of closeness. And Nah loved the feeling of being held by someone.

"Did you mean what you said?" Nah asked quietly, "When you said you loved me?"

Maribelle nearly panicked. Had that truly been the first time they said that to one another?

"I did," she whispered, "Did you?"

Nah pulled back to look at Maribelle, gazing longingly into her eyes.

"I did," she answered.

Nah hugged Maribelle, in an unexpected turn of events.

"Gods I'm so happy. Maribelle I love you so much," Nah said with genuine enthusiasm as she eagerly and lovingly kissed the blonde's neck.

Maribelle loved when she took initiative like that.

They'd been lovers for months, each of them noticing traded and spare glances at one another. The way they were instantly nervous in each other's presence without knowing why. Tensions got high until one evening Nah dropped by, confessing to the woman that she felt something for her, and didn't know what to do. Maribelle's mutual attraction helped things, but since Maribelle and Nah were, to their knowledge, the only example of one of the original Shepherds and one of the children from the other world that were romantically involved, they decided to keep their affair secret. They didn't want to be scandalous, or be seen as scandalous, hell since Maribelle was one of the younger Shepherds, she and Nah were only a few months apart age-wise. That being said, they still felt strange about it, and as long as the other was happy, they were too. They had gone on dates in a more stealthy fashion, but Nah periodically showing up to make love with her was usually the name of the game.

Maribelle had been lost in thinking about how nice the last few months had been with Nah in them, so she hardly noticed when Nah began sucking on her nipples and massaging her, just as she had done earlier.

The girl's tongue and overall body temperature was hotter than most because of her species, which made sex even better. Currently it felt like her body was being lightly doused in a warm, comforting flame that brought only pleasure, no pain. She loved having Nah play with that part of her anatomy, as her clothes never really complimented how nice of a figure she had. Something she got to save for her and her alone.

Nah moved down further, shuffling herself under the blankets as she kissed down Maribelle's toned torso and rock-solid abs. Nah was athletic, but willowy and comparatively soft, whereas Maribelle was a true equestrian when it came to her own build. Calves, thighs, abs, forearms, but somehow it all looked perfectly elegant on her, so much for Nah to fawn over, and so much she loved to have appreciated.

Nah pulled down Maribelle's sole remaining article of clothing, and then and only then did Maribelle realize how actually wet she became. Her need felt like it multiplied tenfold.

Nah's long, hot tongue eased into her pussy slowly, as Nah was drawn in further and further until her lips wrapped around the entirety of her womanhood. Maribelle bucked forward not out of desire, but pure reflex. The way that girl could mouth-fuck her drove her absolutely mad, so when Nah inserted a finger, Maribelle thought she was about to burst.

"Nah, baby," she said, struggling to get the words out as she was diligently eaten out, "Can you lay down and give an idle girl something to do?"

She tried to say it with confidence but it came out shaky. Nah took a moment to process what exactly she was asking, because they'd never done this before, but she obliged happily. Maribelle had to ask, because if all her attention was focused on how good a job Nah was doing, she felt like she was going to have some kind of involuntary fit.

Nah angled herself properly, still keeping her tongue inside her the whole time so she wouldn't delay her girlfriend's pleasure, and once again, Maribelle was greeted by the lovely sight of the girl's long legs and hot, once again wet, pussy, that she gladly returned to.

She still kept bucking forward, so much so that both girls had the other;s head wrapped around their legs, to the point of near suffocation, but they both remained okay, greedily lapping at the other, tasting and feeling each other. Nah didn't expect to be pleasured so thoroughly again so quickly, so the sounds of them eating the other's pussy devolved into small, cute noises of gradual and intentful ministration, and moaning because they were close. Maribelle figured it was only fair she use her fingers too.

Maribelle didn't squirt, but ultimately when Nah finally wrapped her tongue around her clit, she had to briefly take her mouth away from Nah to let out something closer to a howl than anything else. She continually finger-fucked Nah, who simply writhed once she had licked around Maribelle enough, cleaning up her own mess, and came again, squirting just as much as last time.

As they gathered themselves, returning to a more comfortable position on the bed so Maribelled could be the big spoon, it was nothing but panting and sweating, until both girls settled into place, and finally let their bodies relax, the sheets and mattress enveloping them.

"That was the best night we've had together," Nah whispered as the both of them closed their eyes, finally both ready to nearly return to sleep.

"I couldn't agree more," Maribelle said, "I look forward to trying to outdo myself from now on,"

They both laughed, knowing their bodies were likely going to ache in the morning beyond comprehension. A small price to pay.

"Do you think so?" Nah asked, "Does that mean this is… official? You're my… girlfriend?"

Maribelle squeezed the ivory-haired beauty.

"I'm all yours," she hummed, "And I know it may involve you conjuring up a laborious story to your parents tomorrow, but perhaps you could sleep with me tonight? Our first night as an item?"

Maribelle hardly ever showed weakness, even when she was around Nah, at her most honest, but this was Maribelle's subtle way of saying 'please stay, I don't want you to go'

She feared, at the start of their relationship, that Maribelle had maybe just wanted to be with her because she was lonely. Because Lissa, the girl she loved with all her heart and soul, had eyes for another back when the Shepherds were at their start. Nah feared maybe she was nothing more than a tool, a body to be sued, but she grew to know Maribelle, and knew she wouldn't do that. Nah bared a slight resemblance to the girl, which didn't help matters, but it was the way she changed her demeanor when only Nah was around. When they had dinner together by candlelight, when they told stories about one another's youthful follies before their childhood's were ravished by tragic circumstances.

She knew she was more than just another person to her, and as someone who grew up thinking she was the last of her kind, someone who would never understand others, or by extension, be understood, it was beautiful to be proven wrong.

"Stay the night with me, my love," Maribelle said lovingly, "We can shower together in the morning,"

Nah nodded, turning around, and nestled herself into Maribelle's ample chest, more comfortable than she had ever been in her entire life.

---

Morgan was somehow lying awake nearly two hours after they got back home. She figured she would've past out instantly, but instead her thoughts were filled with Inigo, and how incredibly nervous she was.

"Sev? You awake?" she asked, whispering loudly in the doorway of her sister's room.

Severa let out a strained groan into her pillow.

"What do you want?" she asked, voice muffled.

"I'm… scared. About tomorrow," Morgan said, more weakness in her voice than Severa had ever heard.

This prompted her to sit up, looking more like her lower abdomen was forcibly pulling her limp upper-torso and head upward, looking her sister's way trying not to scowl or radiate her normal intimidating disposition. She knew something was definitely wrong when Morgan didn't even tease her about her undoubtedly wild hair and generally aggressive bedhead.

She patted the spot next to her on the bed, doing her best to be a proper older sister.

Morgan tiptoed over, hesitantly sitting down, staring at her own feet as she kept her composure. If she was being entirely truthful, she had never been this nervous about anything in her personal life. Even her gnawing, ever-encroaching fear that she'd never live up to her father felt secondary to this.

"What's up?" Severa asked, sounding slightly more awake.

Morgan sighed.

"I… don't even know," she said, "I just can't deal with this whole 'someone likes me' thing. And I-I've never been on a date before,"

"Think Inigo is cute?" Severa asked.

"Uh," Morgan couldn't believe that was something she had to think about, "Y-Yeah I suppose so. He's got really pretty eyes… and his hair is nice. Good smile, too,"

Severa almost laughed at how her sister was didactically explaining her attraction. It was pretty much exactly how she suspected she'd process something like this. She had the heart of a warm, kind person but a brain more akin to that of a mathematical formula.

"He's charming," Severa yawned, "He's a bit of a prick every now and again but when he talked to me he seemed serious,"

Morgan looked more alert at the mention of that.

"What exactly did he say? What did you say?" she asked.

"Just advice on how to best talk to you. I told him not to get his hopes up for good measure, said you might not be interested, but that he should just be as blunt as possible because you're…"

Morgan blinked, waiting for her to finish.

"Emotionally complicated," Severa creaked out.

"I'm emotionally complicated?" she asked, totally clueless.

"Well, for what it's worth, when someone you think is cute asks you out, it's natural to be nervous," she elaborated, "But it's also natural to be excited. Not really the kind of thing to keep you lying awake at night in an existential panic,"

"I'm not in an existential panic," Morgan said plainly.

"Morgan, I say this as someone who loves you a lot," Severa said, placing her hand on her sister's shoulder, "You're a little strange. And I can tell when something's really bothering you,"

Morgan's face crinkled a bit, souring.

"Am I really that transparent?" she asked.

"To me you are," Severa said, "So tell me, what about this is really bothering you? Because I know it's not just nerves,"

Morgan felt like it would've been easier to write her a book.

"Well… it's a few things," Morgan said, "I don't know how to feel about someone liking me. Like, I guess I'm not bad or ugly I suppose-"

"You are not," Severa said assertively, "Either. But, continue,"

Morgan nodded.

"Well I still just don't really understand my appeal. Inigo said he really liked me… but why? I just don't really get it. And I think he's cute and I've always liked talking to him but… would I enjoy a relationship? Is that the kind of thing I would even like? I just don't know how to feel about anything!" she exclaimed, falling backwards onto Severa's bed in frustration.

Severa followed in kind, peering over as her sister attempted to blow strands of hair out from over her face from her less-than-elegant fall.

"Well, if you want my advice on everything, here it is," Severa said, "You don't need to worry yourself over why he likes you. Or why anyone likes you. Odds are, they have plenty of reasons why and that's why they came to you in the first place. What you need to focus on is why, if in fact there is a 'why' you like him. It might sound callous but use Inigo as a… trial run, I guess. Use this experience to see if relationships are for you right now. It's perfectly okay if they aren't,"

Morgan found comfort in those words, but her apprehension still hadn't faded.

"But… I dunno, it's hard when almost everyone in the Shepherds has somebody. And they all seem really happy too, and the thing is I'm pretty happy as is, but it makes me wonder if maybe something is wrong with me? Like, are you incapable of being fully happy without someone?"

Severa felt her heart sink. She could certainly understand why living in an environment like this would foster such emotions, especially in someone like Morgan.

"You absolutely are," Severa said, looking more serious than she meant to, "It's perfectly normal to be on your own and still be happy. You've got friends who basically serve as a second family, you have mom, dad, me, and Kjelle, and you're young. Being single isn't the same thing as being alone. Honestly, until Kjelle came along, I figured I'd be on my own too. Sometimes it just takes the right person, and sometimes it doesn't. Just do what makes you the happiest. I think everyone in the Shepherds paired up so quickly because it's just how we all grew up. Our parents were all really close-knit, and they went through a lot together. Same with us, we just didn't get the luxury of being with anyone back in our time, so it felt like something new and mysterious for us. Just keep in mind, there's a shitload more friendships between all of us than there are romances,"

Severa didn't really know where that came from. Maybe that had been dwelling in the back of her thoughts before she and Kjelle started seeing each other. She knew Morgan was an oddball, but she certainly saw a lot of herself in her with this little predicament.

"Thanks Sev," Morgan nodded, "You really know how to make a convincing argument, you know?"

She sounded a little better. Severa wore a satisfied smile.

"I do know, thank you," she said, "And I'll help you pick out an outfit and do your hair before your date tomorrow just because I'm feeling nice,"

The thought of appearing presentable didn't even cross Morgan's worried mind. She figured Severa might fight her on clothing choice, since she didn't exactly dress the way a lot of the other girl's did, but it was nice knowing she cared enough to help her.

"Well, since I'm feeling nice, I'll let you go back to sleep," Morgan said as she sat up and stretched, "Sorry for… being weird,"

Severa leaned in to hug her.

"Never apologize for being yourself," she insisted.

Morgan laughed.

"Oh so myself is 'weird' then, huh?" she teased.

Severa rolled her eyes, returning to laying down on her bed like she had when Morgan found her.

"Goodnight you little…" she trailed off grumbling into her pillow near-inaudibly.

She laughed, able to feel relieved that she had someone like Severa looking out for her. Even if she was still monumentally nervous about tomorrow and how it was all going to go.

"Night Sev," she said, standing up, heading back to bed.

---

The next morning was a late morning for everyone. Lots of yawns, lots of half-hour time periods where half-conscious attendees of the party the previous night insisted on being in bed for 'just five more minutes'- save for the diligently awake Lucina, who was up making Noire breakfast just as she'd been promised. That and Nah, who thankfully snuck back into her own family's home undetected since her mother was still snoring quite loudly.

Thankfully almost all of them didn't have to be anywhere right away, save for Inigo, who found himself already late for rehearsal. He panicked even further as he noted that he promised to bring Owain with him, realizing he was going to be at least another half hour late considering he'd have to take a horse over to the Castle and wake the boy up.

He was going to have to haul ass back home in order to get ready, as he showered quickly and did little else to make himself look presentable. Even his hair was messy today, which under normal circumstances would've been absolutely unacceptable. He didn't really have time to do much complaining though, which was good, because he certainly had no shortage of ammunition when it came to things to bitch about whilst running about.

Once he got to the castle he realized he had no clue where anyone's rooms were, which was certainly a problem. No one seemed to be awake just yet, so Inigo did the only thing he could think of in a hurry: follow the smell of whatever was being cooked and hope that someone who knew their way around this monolithic building was at the end of it.

He at least recognized the final hall that led into the kitchen, giving him some idea where he was after feeling like a rat in a maze. In the kitchen he didn't find one of the staff members, but Lucina, happily cooking an omelet and some biscuits. He peeked in, trying not to be seduced by the divine smell that tempted his empty stomach.

"Heya there Lucina," Inigo greeted her.

She had been standing over the skillet, humming to herself, totally absorbed in what she was doing, so even Inigo's mild greeting was enough to surprise her. She yelped, her wrist flicking upward sending the omelet flying several feet into the air.

Thankfully, Inigo's expert balance and coordination from dancing helped him substantially in tight spots like this. He grabbed a cutting board from the table, unable to find a plate, and stuck it out in front of a now-flailing Lucina, letting it drop onto the surface without losing its shape. Thankfully, it was mostly cooked.

Lucina let out a steady exhale, taking the cutting board back and placing the dish back on her skillet.

"Hey yourself," she finally greeted back, a mixture of enthusiasm and mild irritation.

"Not to be a bother-"

"Has that ever stopped you before?" Lucina interrupted with a sly smile.

Inigo withheld his light irritation as he really needed to get a move on, but his reputation preceding him was no one's fault other than his own. He swallowed it with a faint chuckle.

"Sharp as ever, princess," he said, "Though I was hoping maybe you could help me find Owain? I'm already running late and if he wants to talk to my director about trying out for a part we gotta do it ASAP,"

Lucina nodded.

"Oh I gotcha," she said, "Hang a left when you head out of here, take the long hallway down south and then hang a right. Owain's the third door on the left. Don't slip up and go to the second door, that's Lissa and Lon'qu's room, trust me, that guy is not a happy camper in the morning and does not like to be woken up,"

Inigo nodded, taking a few steps backward in the direction of the doorway.

"Thanks! Though if it came down to it I'd much rather deal with your uncle than your aunt. I think Lissa may have trained him," he joked.

Lucina considered that and found it rather amusing… mainly because he was right.

"Good luck on your date tonight," Lucina said, her sly smile returning right as Inigo was about to exit, briefly halting him. His posture sunk a bit.

"Ah, I see that's already making rounds. Should've figured," he sighed.

"Yeah you really should've," Lucina teased, "But seriously, good luck. Morgan's a cutie. Marry into that family and we could be siblings-in-law,"

Inigo let out an exhaustive sigh.

"Everyone here is always so keen on talking about marriage… haven't even had our first date yet and I'm being groomed for royalty," he mumbled.

"Relax, I'm teasing," she insisted, "I am getting a kick out of seeing the 'smooth operator' himself getting his knickers in a twist because he's smitten,"

"I'm glad my suffering is such a potent form of amusement for you," he sardonically chided.

Lucina snorted.

"Yo," she said, keeping his attention for a few more seconds as she tossed him one of the biscuits, smiling as Inigo scrambled to catch it with both hands and cradle it, "Don't forget to eat. It'd be a recipe for a shitty day if you wore yourself out on an empty stomach,"

It was incredible to Inigo both how much and how little Lucina had changed over the span of a year. She was certainly more easygoing and learned how to kick back and enjoy things, even if she was stubborn at first. But even still, she was still keeping up her role as the resident den mother for all of them, looking after them in all the little ways only she could. She really was just like her father.

"Thanks Luci," he said, "One for Owain, too? Bad to audition on an empty stomach,"

She tossed him another.

"Good luck boys," she called to him as he caught the second biscuit, immediately running off to grab Owain.

---

They arrived at the theater, and by some miracle, everyone was so busy that they slipped in without being pegged as being late. There was a line of people nearly out the door ready for auditions, more than Inigo had ever seen. When Inigo snuck down into the audience seats mostly undetected by everyone, the director and a panel of various other theater heads were sitting in the second row, hands draped over the chairs in front of them as they partook in a heated discussion. Once it lulled and they took to taking more notes before the next person came out, Inigo tugged at the man's shoulder, ready to do his best with some first-class ass-kissing.

"Eh, Mikael, what's uh… what exactly is going on?" Inigo asks, genuinely curious as to why they were so swamped.

He was startled for a second, but then looked mildly relieved to see Inigo there, allowing him a sigh of relief. Inigo briefly wondered why it was the second time that morning he had managed to startle somehow with such a normal greeting.

"Oh, Gods above Inigo it's a disaster," Mikael exclaimed in a hushed whisper, "All morning it's been like this. We're going to have to postpone today's rehearsal, there's just no way,"

"Why are so many people even here to begin with? I didn't even know it was that big of a deal. It's an original you wrote, isn't it?"

Mikael nodded.

"It is, and it looks like it's going to do well, at this rate," he said, peering over the line of people, "Even if people are trying out for less-than-honorable reasons… though I suppose there isn't a vast amount of honor in our profession to begin with though, eh?"

"Less-than-honorable reasons?" Inigo asked, wrinkling his brow.

Mikael leaned in closer.

"Word on the street is that there are foreign dignitaries headed from all the way across the ocean over in Vallethea, and they're coming here to Ylisstol. Tonight.. Supposed to be some kind of visit for some treaty, some high-brow nonsense. So now everyone wants a shot at being in our first mock production seeing as they'll be here a good while and may very well likely head here to pass the time, seeing as we are the only theater in the capital,"

Inigo was stunned. Why in the seven hells was he only just now hearing about this? Why hadn't Chrom or the others mentioned it last night? Was this some kind of surprise?

"Wait, we're doing a new mock production for these people? They won't be here that long. What does that give us, a week to rehearse and coordinate? You can't be serious," Inigo exclaimed, "Why not just move forward with the one we're already doing?"

Mikael shrugged.

"It's a great opportunity. The Valletheans are wealthy beyond even royal standards, and those snooty aristocrats love their art. If I manage to wow them with something of my own we may end up getting a particularly large patronage from them. You know this place isn't doing so hot after the war, not everyone in Ylisse has the coin to spend on coming here, we could really use the money," he said, a look of partial worry overcoming him.

"Okay, fair enough. But is it really that likely? I mean, is it truly worth it? You're going to work yourself to death, what if they don't even show up? Maybe this is purely a business meet," Inigo said with concern.

"Well, like I said, they love their art, it's a reasonable assumption," he said, "However, this isn't just a few politicians or negotiators, the royal family themselves are coming here. Princess and two Princes. So when I'm talking money, I'm talking big money. Potentially 'enough money to expand overseas to a country with a bigger metropolitan space' kind of money,"

Inigo's eyes widened.

"Well… Mikael, you know I have a direct line to the Exalt, right?" he asked him, smile on his face.

He turned his entire body to face Inigo.

"I'm listening,"

Inigo motioned to Owain, who stood a few seats down behind him, aimlessly staring at all the goings on as props were being moved and stagehands were running around like wild animals.

"That right there is the Exalt's nephew. Lady Lissa's son Owain-"

"How on earth does Lady Lissa have a son that old-"

Inigo raised up his hand as if to physically wave that question off. There were a lot of murmurs around just who the children were exactly, as some people witnessed Lucina call Chrom 'dad' and things of that nature, so it tended to make people talk. Officially speaking, all of the children were known as being relatives of the older Shepherds, but most people didn't know in what way.

"Details aren't important," Inigo said, "The point is, he and I give you a strong connection to Chrom. I am absolutely positive that with our combined efforts we can get Chrom to take them all here for a special showing. I am no expert in geography or politics but I know he's not adverse to buttering up negotiations with a night on the town. Just give Owain here a part in the production and we can work wonders,"

Mikael's eyes widened, and then he looked skeptically at Owain.

"Can he act?" he asked.

"He can," Inigo assured him, "Real flair for the dramatic. Give him something loud and brief. I take it you don't really have time for an audition to properly size him up…"

Mikael looked briefly at the line.

"Yeah unless you wanna wait in line at the very back, that's a safe assumption. Can you really get this done? You're not pulling my leg?" the man asked, still skeptical but tinged with hope.

"We absolutely can," Inigo said with a charismatic grin.

He handed him a script he had lying on the floor next to him, and crossed out a name on one of his lists.

"Give that to your buddy. Tell him to rehearse and learn his lines, do some work with him. I want you both in here, day after tomorrow, ready to perform your asses off," he said with a bit of vigor.

Inigo could've cheered. The stars seemed to really align for him that day. Not to mention, if this all went smoothly, he could help out Mikael, a man who was essential to fostering his passion in the arts. A kind man who deserved a series win after the war left him and his family nearly penniless.

"I'm counting on you Inigo," he said, a bit more apprehensively, "If this works out, you're gonna be first on my team to go overseas,"

Inigo felt a small, smoldering, bright flame of passion ignited in him. As distant a prospect as it sounded, it still sounded incredibly appealing.

"I won't let you down sir,"

---

Owain, who only heard maybe half of the conversation between his friend and his friend's boss, observed Inigo in rare form: exuberantly happy. He was known for being cheerful, but this was something else. It made even his bombastic attitude feel withdrawn by comparison.

Once Inigo got him up to speed, they stopped at a local cafe, both getting coffee since they both needed it desperately, despite the fact that the morning had been full of good news. Owain had a mild hangover, and Inigo needed it just to keep going, thankfully his schedule was a bit clearer now that rehearsal had been put off, so he could prepare for his date later at his leisure.

"So, just for the record, you don't have a problem with me using your eh… 'lineage' as a way to get you a part?" Inigo asked him.

Inigo also got to see Owain in rare form, that being he was too tired for his usual schtick and just stuck to being himself as he sipped from the mug. Thankfully it was a warm, sunny day outside so it was rather invigorating for both of them, but not enough to get Owain into his usual mode.

"It's not exactly ideal but I'm certainly not going to complain," he said with a smile, "You pulled off the impossible. I thought for sure I'd have to start as an understudy… or a background character… I don't think I'm suited to playing the singing trees and what have you,"

Inigo chuckled, remembering that he did indeed have to play a singing tree at one point. He was allergic to the makeup they used and it did not go over all that well.

"Think we'll have a hard time convincing Chrom?" Inigo asked, a bit more serious.

Owain shrugged.

"I don't see why we would. You said it yourself, he's not opposed to trying to sweeten the deal by treating these guys to a night on the town. I wonder what exactly it is they're coming here for," he wondered aloud.

That truly was the mystifying part. Vallethea was not exactly a nation that was very close in proximity to Ylisse, so he didn't know all that much about them beyond a vague reputation. Their political matters in the last few years had been of little concern to them, they had far too much of their own drama going on. He did know that the current King was close with Chrom's father, which was slightly troubling.

"Well we'll talk to him about it later tonight," Inigo said, "We'll practice for a few hours, I've got somewhere to be at around 6ish, and once I'm back we can talk to your dear old uncle… does he even know about all this?"

Owain shook his head.

"Unlikely," he said, "Usually we get word of oncoming overseas ships right before they get here, usually by carrier pigeon, so he's likely the last to know, unfortunately. Been a lot of talk about an unusually high volume of trade ships coming in and out of ports so I imagine they've been rather busy and haven't gotten to him yet… and not to change the subject but uh... your little 'appointment' at 6 tonight, that wouldn't happen to be with Morgan, would it?"

Inigo sighed.

"Yes it would indeed," he said, "You going to tease me about it too?"

Owain blinked.

"Tease? Is there something to tease over?" he asked, "I was going to wish you both good luck. How rude of my friend to so casually imply I take a villainous route,"

He eyed Inigo, sipping his coffee with a narrowed gaze, which made Inigo laugh.

"Okay okay, my bad," he insisted, "Thank you. Just a bit used to the girls being hard on me,"

"You don't not deserve it," Owain casually remarked.

"Yeah," he said, "But still… I just want it to go well, you know? Morgan is… quite special. I think she's great,"

He said so almost dreamily.

"You really do like her then," Owain said, "I think if you put your best foot forward, she'd be quite the lucky maiden,"

Inigo finished up his mug of coffee, wiping off his face with his sleeve.

"Very much so. She's intelligent and hardworking. I'd have spoken to her more if I worked up the nerve, but I always liked sneaking away with her and Lissa to play pranks on the rest of you. Good times," he mused.

Owain snickered.

"I remember when you three dipped Jerome's mask in ink," he said, "That was quite the rousing spectacle. Looked like a nocturnal ferret,"

Inigo laughed at the strange simile.

"Okay, enough coffee and reminiscing. We have a script to rehearse and I have a date to prepare for," he said rather triumphantly.

---

Tharja and Maribelle, on the surface, would have been the last two people anyone would have guessed to be fast friends. Then again, the Shepherds were far from what they appeared to be, and putting any two of them together was like a volatile chemical reaction, so expecting the unexpected was a good mentality to have.

All that said, they hadn't come together through their own volition. Once Chrom made Tharja the official Plegian Ambassador to manage relations between their nations, she and Maribelle had to become affiliated for work rather quickly. Maribelle was in charge of general foreign affairs, so Tharja learned the ropes from her.

At first, both women expected to dislike each other. Tharja figured Maribelle was a snobby obnoxious prude and Maribelle was slightly intimidated by Tharja's quiet and occasionally intimidating disposition. After they got on the same playing field working for Chrom, they found they quite enjoyed each other's company. Maribelle's facade of being a snooty noble was just that, a facade, and Tharja was learning to come into her own and be more outspoken.

That day they both got an emergency messenger from the harbor, alerting them to the oncoming Vallethean royals aboard one of their largest vessels. Word hadn't even gotten to Chrom yet, but they were notified first mainly to draw up all the current trade agreements and legal documents so they could get up to speed with whatever this supposed 'deal' or 'treaty; was going to be. Tharja arrived at Maribelle's house, offering to help her sort through everything, seeing as it was inevitable that they'd have to compare whatever deal they had with Plegia as some sort of legal precedent. Maribelle was hardly one to refuse help, welcoming her friend inside as she had parchment scattered all over her kitchen table, a lone ink well in front of her seat just in case she needed it. Tharja took a seat and began helping as Maribelle finished up making tea, happily sharing it with the mage.

"Overseas deals," Tharja muttered after she sipped some of the tea from her cup, "Fuckin' pain in the ass. Don't know they're coming until they're here and we have no clue what they're gonna want. Thank God we don't have to figure out the taxes,"

Maribelle returned to her seat, sorting through her large stack of papers as she let her tea cool off, rubbing her temples.

"Quite true, but everyone down at the treasury does," she lamented.

Poor Ricken and Maribelle were going to be up to their ears once this was over and done with.

"Well, there's always the faint chance that this ends up giving us a new significant revenue stream. If they don't totally screw us, that is. We could get all post-war reparations done three months sooner if we play our cards right," Tharja pointed out.

Maribelle nodded.

"Very much so, and frankly I think that's likely," she said, "Chrom is a sensible man but he's not going to take a hit lying down. People think of Chrom and Emmeryn as rulers of great understanding, forgetting that they both had iron will and halted a great deal of conflict,"

Tharja had never truly considered that. She had sympathy for both leaders, despite what their father had done to her home country, but they did indeed possess far more than just empathy.

"That's ol' blue for ya," Tharja remarked, "If only he could find a way to make it less of a pain on our end,"

Maribelle chuckled.

"Indeed," she said, finally taking a sip, "How's the family?"

Tharja and Maribelle shared a lot of things, more than either woman expected to share with anyone, but Tharja never knew how to properly answer such a simple question. As far back as she could remember, her family was just never in a state that could yield a simple answer. Thank goodness her new family in Ylisse was at least far better and more close-knit than her one back home.

Tharja did something she almost never did, she gave a genuinely saddened sigh.

"Not as well as I'd like, unfortunately," Tharja admitted.

Maribelle looked up at the woman. This was a bit of a surprise to her. Not that Tharja was as cold as she seemed back in her earlier days, but seeing her care about others so openly was strange. She was better about it now, but was still a very reserved person.

"Something troubling you?" Maribelle asked.

Tharja contemplated whether or not it was a good idea to open up to anyone about personal matters of this specific nature, as she may have been overstepping her bounds when it came to Noire's privacy. But even still, if she didn't ask for advice from outside sources, what was she to do?

"It's Noire," Tharja said, still sorting through papers but not abandoning her solemn tone, "She and I still haven't really… connected. I figured it would go away by now but it hasn't,"

Maribelle bit her bottom lip before responding.

"Connected? I didn't figure you were close but I thought things were okay between the three of you," she posed.

Tharja shrugged.

"She doesn't hate me… at least I think she doesn't. Everything's alright with her father, but there's a… distance between us," Tharja said.

"Any idea on what the source of this distance is?" Maribelle asked.

Tharja really regretted bringing this up now. This was the hard part. The worst part. The part that made her look at all the things about herself she hated, and all the thing that could've made her into something she hated.

"Her… mother in her original timeline. She abused her. Experimented on her. Who knows what else she hasn't told me…" Tharja said, trailing off as she was really more just wondering that aloud.

She couldn't even say her own name to refer to her 'other' self. She had to externalize it. Deflect it.

Maribelle was taken aback. Tharja was a bit cold but it was difficult to imagine any version of her as being malicious or outright cruel. That couldn't have been easy for anyone, least of all Noire.

"Has she confronted you about it?" Maribelle asked.

"No, but even if she wanted to, she couldn't. She's too shy… guess that's my fault too," she gloomily mused.

"Absolutely not Tharja," Maribelle said sternly, earning the other woman's attention, "You are not responsible for the actions of your counterpart. That was a different world,"

"But it was still me wasn't it?" Tharja said, sounding less aggressive and more desperate, "A version of myself. You heard Robin and Miriel last night, there are a hell of a lot of similarities timeline-wise,"

"I did listen to them," Maribelle said a bit more gently, "And their exact point was that the children in this world and the children in the other world were going to be different because of their circumstances. When you have your own child you'll be able to raise them as the person you are now. I don't want to demean your daughter's struggle, it sounds dreadful, but this is not your fault,"

Tharja knew on some level, hell, most levels, that Maribelle was right. The tragedy was it didn't really help her situation all that much. Noire was still distant from her, she feared her, and as loathed as she was to admit it, she wanted a relationship with her.

"But if things were so similar in their world… how far away am I from the other Tharja?" she asked, her breath becoming shaky, "Am I walking on the razor's edge? If something unfortunate befalls us, would I become her? It's… it frightens me. I find it frustrating," she said exhaustively.

Tharja had clearly been thinking a lot about this.

"I don't mean to press, dear, truly," Maribelle continued, "But I think maybe you should have a little talk with her. Reach out to her. I know it may be hard for you, but the best thing you can do to assure both her and yourself is to prove it. Prove you aren't the woman who raised her,"

Tharja took a moment, and then slowly nodded. She was right. It would probably be best to let her husband be the middleman just to feel things out, but once he gave her the 'all clear'- she was going to do her best.

"Thank you, Maribelle," Tharja said with the faint hint of a smile around the corners of her mouth, "You know how my head just gets so damned cluttered. I-"

A knock interrupted her, both women turning to the doorway instantly, as they were so absorbed in conversation it was a bit shocking.

"Door's open!" Maribelle called, leaning forward to try and make out who the silhouette standing on the porch was.

The door opened, and to both women's surprise, it was Gaius. Not that they had expected anyone else, but Gaius wasn't exactly the type for impromptu visits.

"Yo," he greeted them as he walked into the entranceway, "Sorry to bother you ladies but I went over to Tharja's and Libra said you came here,"

"You needed to see me?" Tharja asked curiously.

Gaius walked into the room, standing there awkwardly like he had some kind of request to make. Tharja and Gaius were friends, as they were both resident 'outsiders' in the ranks of the army and got well acquainted with each other before everyone else, so it was strange that he'd appear nervous.

"Uh, yeah, briefly. More just to ask you something… but I don't wanna interrupt you ladies while you do… this," he said vaguely gesturing at the table.

"Pull up a chair, Gaius, I won't have anyone standing uncomfortably in my home," Maribelle said, "Tea?"

"Yes ma'am, if it's no trouble. And truly, I don't wanna be interruptin' you ladies if something is going on so I can make this quick," he said.

Maribelle gave a small smile and a nod, standing up to fetch him a cup.

"You aren't, honestly both of us are going to be here a good while so I don't think a brief visit is going to set us back a lot," Maribelle said as she poured tea from the kettle.

Gaius sat down, adjusting himself in his seat like he was at some kind of diplomatic meeting. Tharja figured it was because of Maribelle, who despite being perfectly amicable around him, was someone Gaius would likely never be able to be himself comfortably around due to their past. She was friends with both, and neither had a problem with the other, but Gaius's guilt seemed to overcome that even though Maribelle's forgiveness seemingly triumphed over her initial feelings towards the former thief.

Maribelle handed him a cup and he readily thanked her as she sat back down. He turned in his seat to face Tharja and instantly looked more comfortable.

"So, I have a bit of a favor to ask. I don't really know what it entails precisely but I'm willing to pay you if it's that much trouble," he said.

"Shoot," Tharja responded plainly.

"Well," he said, fidgeting in his seat before he took a drink of tea, "It's Cynthia. She's having nightmares. I'm not talking a bad dream here and there that riles her up, I mean last night she had a night terror where she was barely breathing and scratched up her own arms so much that we had to bandage them. Fingernails dug through her skin so much that she had footlong tears in her skin,"

Maribelle's eyes widened in shock, Tharja's did the same, her mouth had partially hung open too. That was beyond alarming, that was severe.

"Night terrors," Tharja said, "She's having night terrors. Does she have a history of them?"

Gaius shrugged.

"I was too busy trying to calm her down last night to ask if this was the first time, but considering our circumstance I think it's fair to guess that it isn't the first time," Gaius said.

He let that linger for a moment, both women knowing exactly what this is about.

"I was hoping you could maybe cook up some of that stuff you made me way back when I had my own nightmare issues. Hers are definitely worse and I don't know if that entails changing up your formula or whatever, but I figured it was worth a shot. I'm… worried. And I wanna help in any way I can," he said with more conviction than either of them had ever heard him speak with.

Tharja nodded.

"Of course," Tharja assured him, "It's actually pretty easy. I think I have the herbs and tonics I need at my lab back home. I'll be helping Maribelle here for a while, but I can make it when I go back home for dinner. I'll run it by your place with the dosing instructions on my way back over here,"

Gaius looked relieved.

"Thank Naga," he sighed, "You're a saint,"

Tharja grinned.

"Hardly, but hopefully it'll help," she said, "Though, I don't mean to pry, but I think this runs deeper than just night terrors and guilt,"

Gaius's look of worry instantly came back.

"Any idea on what the deal is, then?" he asked.

"It's not uncommon for a traumatic event to be the root of night terrors. Hell, it's not uncommon for people to cause themselves bodily harm while they occur, usually due to falling or disorientation. But to directly hurt yourself like that? I think that… and keep in mind I'm no apothecary- but I think that Cynthia is suffering from a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder," she said.

Those words carried a significant amount of weight. A brief but heavy silence ensued.

"She should certainly be taken to a doctor," Maribelle said gently, "Get one of those post-war trauma counselors for her. I hate that she's still suffering after all this time…"

Gaius nodded.

"Yeah, that was what I planned on doing. Booked an appointment next week, but the sooner I get her a good night's sleep, the better. Told Sumia about last night earlier this morning and she's been absolutely distraught since she found out," Gaius said.

"You're a good man, Gaius," Maribelle reassured him, "I'm sorry you're all still going through this. If there's anything I- well, we- can do to help, just say so,"

Gaius nodded, his expression becoming a bit more disarmed.

"T-Thank you," Gaius said, drinking the last remaining bit of tea in a large gulp, "And not to dismiss the pleasure of your company, ladies, but I should really get back to Sumia. She'll rest a bit easier knowing we've got you helping us,"

Tharja smiled.

"It's no trouble," Tharja said, "I'll be sure to get it to you in time for her to take some tonight. Say hello to Sumia for us,"

Gaius nodded, and Maribelle agreed.

"Please do. Take care, Gaius,"

"Will do. Thanks for the tea, ladies. Good luck with.. Whatever this mess is," he said, looking back at the hundreds of papers stacked next to them before he made his way out.

The two women made eye contact, both of them recalling the unfortunate root cause of poor Cynthia's woes. Panne was not an exceptionally social woman, but she had acquainted herself with everyone, both of them of course included.

"Gaius had nightmare problems?" Maribelle asked Tharja.

Tharja raised her eyebrows a bit.

"Oh certainly," she said, "They were mostly about you,"

Marribelle nearly scowled.

"Pardon?"

"Oh come on, Gaius has nightmares, what's the first thing you think of when you imagine why that might be the case?" Tharja asked, not entirely sure what Maribelle expected.

The blonde sighed.

"I didn't know he needed a medicinal aid to help him sleep… Gods I shouldn't have been so cruel to him when we met," she said.

Tharja squinted slightly.

"I don't know about that," Tharja said, "As much as we like to be all sunshine, rainbows, and feelings these days, I feel like you had pretty good cause to feel the way you did,"

"Are you saying I shouldn't have forgiven him?" she asked, slightly bewildered.

"Not at all," Tharja responded plainly, "I think you behaved how any sane person would behave. Just brushing things to the side like that isn't healthy. People do need to be held accountable and take some responsibility. Luckily that happened. Simple,"

Maribelle gave a slight, knowing grin.

"I can't disagree there, though I must admit it sounds like you might be projecting a wee bit there Tharja dear," she said.

She looked back with one eyebrow raised, mostly amused.

"I'll give you something to project, missy," she said in her lower tone of voice.

Maribelle laughed.

"Oh goodness," she said with a sigh, "Even in times like this we're all still a grand mess, aren't we?"

Tharja snorted.

"I think that's always going to be the case," she said, "We're a messy bunch of people, after all,"

---

Severa, Kjelle, and Gerome found the day to be far too nice to waste, deciding to go out to the recently zoned Ylisstol Nature Park outside the city. It was large, vast, full of wildlife, but was also just a good place to walk around if you were the type who enjoyed mid-afternoon strolls. Chrom noted that Ylisse was getting far too focused on industry and sectioned off land in order to maintain a sort of preserve, at the center of which was the only structure they built: A memorial statue of Emmeryn.

"She was so beautiful," Severa said as the three approached the statue, finally get a look at it for the first time.

"Wish I got to meet her," Kjelle said, letting out a wistful sigh as she looked at the visage of her departed aunt.

"Didn't Lucina get to meet Emmeryn? Back when she was doing that whole mask thing?" Gerome asked.

"Briefly, but she mostly just saw her from afar," Kjelle said, "Interesting that you phrase it like that though,"

Gerome wrinkled his brow.

"Phrase it like what?" he asked.

"I believe you said 'that whole mask thing'- you'd know all about that, huh?" Kjelle teased.

Gerome rolled his eyes.

"Yes I suppose I would, and people such as yourself make me wish I hadn't taken that damn thing off," Gerome muttered.

Severa nudged Kjelle in the shoulder, giving her a look that could only mean 'be nice'. Kjelle's posture reluctantly sank a bit. It was genuinely bizarre how their dynamic had shifted over the course of their relationship.

"I didn't mean anything by it, pal," she said putting an arm over his shoulder, turning them both around, "I'm just giving you shit cause you're too handsome without the mask, not fair that you'll be snatching away all the pretty girls from Severa and I's general vicinity,"

"Laying it on a bit thick there, honey," Severa said, mostly just happy Kjelle wasn't being stubborn.

"Not if she calls me handsome she's not," Jerome said with the faintest hint of a grin.

Severa let out a good-natured chuckle.

"Is that confidence I spy on your face, Gerome? Making jokes? Look at you go," she encouraged.

Gerome knew it was mostly just light-hearted banter, but he knew the girls at least partially meant when they said. He had been such a grumpy recluse, and no one, himself included, enjoyed that in the slightest.

"Ah it's mostly just around you all," he said, shrugging it off, "Still can't really talk to people I don't know well. At this rate I'll be able to normally talk to someone I've never met sometime within the next five years,"

Severa playfully shoved his shoulder.

"We'll get you there eventually. Learn to play that guitar of yours well enough and every eligible bachelor and bachelorette for miles is gonna try and bone you," she said slyly.

Gerome laughed.

"Wow at this rate you all might give me an ego… but I won't be complaining, provided they ask nicely," he said.

Kjelle was about to say something as they made their way over to the cobblestone path, but she stopped, looking forwards curiously.

"Speaking of talking to people, think one of us should do something about that?" Kjelle said, lowering her voice and pointing towards an innocuous-looking tree.

It took a moment for Severa and Gerome to notice what she was talking about, mainly because the person she was pointing out was half-hidden behind a large oak tree, back pressed against the base and facing away from them. It was faint, but when they studied the sight closely, they made out strands of long, butterscotch-colored hair in the form of half a visible pigtail.

Cynthia.

"Is she alright?" Severa asked, trying to get a look at her face without being seen, which proved to be impossible.

"I'd be willing to wager not," Kjelle said, "Lucina mentioned that she looked a little down last night. She hardly spoke a word,"

They all knew why, of course, which immediately made them feel helpless.

"Should we try and talk to her?" Kjelle followed up, "I don't really know if it would make things better or worse. I hate seeing her like this. She was one of the few sources of levity back in the old days,"

It was true. As much as they depended on Lucina's steadfast leadership, they appreciated Cynthia's enthusiasm just as much. She was always willing to lend a hand, her and Owain frequently being two of the only people willing to smile every once in a while aside from Inigo of course. Seeing how this was breaking her down was… disparaging, to say the least.

"Well, Severa," Gerome proposed, "You're the resident people person. What do we do?"

She scoffed.

"Oh yeah, that's me, alright. 'Severa: known fan of people'- I have no idea… who knows her the best?" she queried.

They all traded glances with another, all simultaneously coming to the conclusion that there was no obvious answer. The three of them were close mostly by merit of the fact that they had all been considered 'loners' when they had first come to this timeline, which Cynthia ostensibly wasn't. She also tended to hang out with the cavaliers and riders more than the infantry, so no one came out ahead.

"Well we certainly can't just leave her there… poor thing," Kjelle said brimming with sympathy for the quiet girl.

Gerome let out a confident exhale.

"I'll do it," he said steadfastly.

Both girls looked at him, surprised.

"You know I was about to step up just because I seem to be in the business of pep talks as of late but you go for it dragon boy," she said giving him a pat on the back.

Gerome stepped forward, adjusting his posture so that he could appear sturdier, as he imagined dragging himself over there lazily wouldn't be the best if he wanted to appear as a source of comfort like he expected he might have to.

Once he got close, he was at least relieved to see that she wasn't crying or talking to herself, two scenarios that would've left him clueless as to how he would approach the situation, but it begged the question: what was she doing there.

He was about to open his mouth and stumble over a greeting, but it was done for him.

"Ya know, if you're trying to be sneaky, it's usually a good idea to be quiet so your prey doesn't spring your trap, bucko," Cynthia said, still staring in front of her somewhat listlessly, freezing Gerome in place.

How was it that they all had such supernatural hearing?

"Ah… yes… well..." he said, fumbling even more than he thought he would.

Cynthia let out an empty chuckle.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to sound snippy," Cynthia said, a hopelessly translucent sad smile superimposed onto her face that was now in full view since Gerome kneeled beside her.

"Oh, no, that's fine," he choked out, "But… I still want to ask, are you all right?"

It was strange, he was having trouble with this, but his sincerity managed to bleed through in every syllable. Cynthia was, if nothing else, grateful for that.

Gerome noticed Cynthia was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, on a day where it was in the mid-70s temperature-wise. He didn't stare too intently to avoid being detected by her, but he also thought he was the edge of some bandages sticking out at the ends of both sleeves.

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay," she said, transparently giving every indication that she felt otherwise, "Thank you for asking. And thank the girls too. You guys are way too nice to me,"

Gerome smiled.

"There's no such thing as too nice. Especially not to friends," he said.

Cynthia had never heard him speak so kindly before. It wasn't as if he was mean, up until very recently he was just… distant. It made her want to say something that didn't sound vague and annoyed.

"Thanks Gerome," she said, trying her best not to tell him it was best he just leave.

"I'll let you be," Gerome said, "We're here for you if you need us, though. Please don't forget that. I'll be around,"

It was like he'd read her mind.

He gave the girl a nod and returned to the others, and she watched him readjust the tension in his posture. He was trying with her… a lot. But yet, he wasn't lying or being disingenuous.

Had she been in a better mood, and had he been by himself, she may have taken him up on that offer. He rejoined the others and she heard them step away, voices fading in the distance but still tinged with concern. They cared… why couldn't she bring herself to let them help?

She tried to do a breathing exercise Lucina once taught her for swordplay. In through the nose, out through the mouth, meant to steady your heart rate and focus your breathing. Helped with anxiety too. It was nice to take in the warm summer air, and it helped her gain a bit of footing on her own state of mind.

She had just the slightest break, the slightest bit of clarity that allowed her one uninterrupted thought:

Gods, she missed her friends.

---

While Severa was plying Morgan with tips for her date and doing her hair, Inigo was getting the same treatment from his mother, save for the tone in which she delivered it. In a shocking twist of fate, it was Severa who was more easygoing if a bit authoritative, and the oft soft-spoken Olivia who spoke sternly. She too was aware of her son's reputation.

"-and be sure to pay for dinner," Olivia added as she brushed her son's hair into something it more usually resembled, "But don't argue about it and insist, it'll make you look rude. And don't make that poor girl uncomfortable, she's a very sweet young lad-"

"Yes, mother, she is," Inigo said, struggling as his mother's brushstrokes casually began to get rougher, "Which is why I asked her out in the first place. I assure you, my intentions are honest,"

She turned him around, finally facing him head on, giving him a solid once-over. A collared shirt, casual slacks, nothing fancy but he looked rather dapper. Olivia certainly didn't want him to overdress.

She gave a meek smile, playfully pinching his cheek.

"That's good to hear… though you understand where my concern comes from, right? You being a… well-"

"Philandering man-whore?" he humorously proposed.

Olivia blushed, trying to contain a chuckle.

"I certainly wouldn't go that far but… you said it dear, not me," she said letting a small giggle escape.

Inigo shrugged.

"What better way to discard a troubled past than to prove yourself?" he said with a smile, "Maybe if we hit it off, a few months from now, people might actually pick up on the fact that I have an actual personality,"

Olivia patted him on the shoulder as she made her way out of the bathroom.

"And it's a very lovely one," Olivia said, "Just be nice, okay? I don't to have to ward off Cordelia or Robin if you hurt that girl,"

Inigo stood, following her into the living room, where Kellam was presently engaged with a book.

"Good thing I plan on erring on the side of caution. Though if you're afraid of anyone in that family, it should be Severa," Inigo noted, "Can't spell her name without 'sever' after all,"

Olivia paled at the slightly morbid jest, probably imagining a terrifying what-if scenario. Severa had mellowed, but she probably would've reverted right back to 'attack mode' if Morgan were to get her heart broken.

Kellam merely laughed.

"After all I do have a model of knighthood for a role model," Inigo continued, "Isn't that right, dad?"

Kellam looked up blankly.

"Uh, yes. Yes, sure," he sputtered, "Sorry I missed that,"

Olivia and Inigo both chuckled.

"Sorry I missed you!" Olivia said gingerly as she walked over to her husband at sat next to him, "Didn't even know you were here,"

Kellam snorted.

"Shocker," he said, drawing his attention back to the book, "Good luck though, Inigo. Hope you have a lovely time,"

Inigo nodded, looking at the sky, realizing he was in danger of being light, seeing as dusk was soon approaching. He perked up, waving at his parents as he took off to grab a horse.

"Bye mom! Bye dad!" he called out just before he ran out the front door.

Olivia gave a content sigh.

"He called us mom and dad," she said, "Not 'mother' or 'father- I think that's the first time he's done that,"

Kellam shifted his attention to his wife, who looked almost… sad?

"You alright?" Kellam asked, leaning in.

Olivia nodded.

"Yes," she said, "Very okay. I'm just… proud of him. And happy that I got to act like a real mom and give him a rough time for his first date, like he's some teenager. I bet the other Olivia didn't get the chance,"

Kellam grabbed her hand gently.

"He probably appreciates it too," he said warmly, "Though, I can't exactly say I'd buy that this is 'first' date, probably just the first one he told us about,"

Olivia laughed.

"Definitely not," Olivia said, "And frankly, I'm okay with not knowing,"

"Can't blame you," Kellam said, putting his arm around the pink-haired dancer, "Our son is a bit of a man-whore, after all,"

They both erupted into laughter.

---

Once Inigo arrived at Cordelia and Robin's humble abode, Morgan and Severa were on the porch to greet him. Severa looked at him like she did back before the war, like their conversation yesterday never happened. Figured she revert to it to go all 'big sister' on him.

Morgan almost always wore her tactician's garb, just like her father, so seeing her wearing something else was enough to surprise him, but that wasn't what mainly caught his eye. She wore a skirt and a rather modest blouse that he could've sworn was Severa's. She was also wearing earrings- small, tasteful ones, and her hair was a bit less messy than it was normally. It wasn't like she was dressed for a ball or anything, but it was a look that captivated him still.

"Back home by 10:00, Inigo, or I'll track you down and kill you if Morgan doesn't first," she said with a fake polite smile and a musical tone in her voice.

Morgan's eyes widened as she turned to Severa.

"Severa!" she exclaimed, "I'm perfectly capable of beating up Inigo myself, no need to start this off by making him uncomfortable!"

"People sure are keen on talking about me like I'm not here," Inigo chuckled.

Morgan stepped down from the porch, walking over to Inigo, and took his hand so she could easily get on horseback. She clung to him tightly once they were both on the saddle properly.

"Sorry, horses make me nervous," Morgan said through an awkward smile showing her slightly clenched teeth.

Inigo suppressed the urge to say 'you grabbing my waist makes me nervous'- figuring silence was the better option.

"Have fun kids," Severa said with a wave.

"We will," Inigo said, "And not too much fun, I know, I know. Not looking for a reason to get scalped by you, Sev,"

Severa genuinely laughed.

"Oh, Inigo, we both know that's far kinder than what I'd do to you," she said, still in her patented 'happy but horrifying' tone of voice.

Inigo gave her a mock salute as they rode into town, Morgan's grip on the dancer tightening, fearing she may fall off. Severa watched the two ride away, hoping that the evening went well for them.

"Sev, sweetie, you want a glass of wine?" Cordelia called from out back.

Severa basically bolted back inside to get to the back porch quicker. Gods, did she ever want some. It was odd, drinking with her parents recreationally, but it was pleasant still. It reminded her that in some way, they were still peers, friends, even. It wasn't something she saw herself being able to do several months ago, but she had very little to complain about.

Nothing to complain about, she thought.

Her, of all people, unable to make any misgivings. Maybe the naive happiness she was so dead-set against believing in so long ago was a real thing after all. Drinking with her parents, waiting for her sister to come home from a date. It was like she was living the life she had missed out on for so long.

---

The restaurant Morgan ended up picking was one with outdoor seating, which was the main reason she picked it in the first place. It was a lovely day that carried into a lovely evening, and the outdoor, overhanging pergola with cafe candles made it look absolutely gorgeous. Inigo had never been there, but it was a restaurant right on the Ylisstol harbor, so he assumed it was seafood. She certainly had an eye for an idyllic location.

Once they got their seats and looked at the menu, Morgan realized just how out of her depth she was. She knew Inigo was better at conversation than her, so she prayed he had something up his sleeve.

"Seafood joint," he commented upon looking at the menu, "You a fan?"

"Uh, honestly? Not really," Morgan said with a blush, "They have… oh wow they have a lot, so it's no biggie,"

Inigo laughed.

"Well I'm not either, so I guess it's both unfortunate and fortuitous that you picked this place," he said.

"Ah it's mostly for the weather. The air feels great," she said hesitantly, "Oh Gods… I'm talking about the weather. I'm really bad at this,"

She hung her head as Inigo chuckled, admiring how cute Morgan was when she was sheepish.

"Ah you're fine," he reassured her, "It's not as though we're an old married couple trying to pass the time because we hate one another,"

"It was on Severa's list of 'topics to avoid' so I tried my best… and it was the first thing I mentioned," Morgan sighed.

The waiter came over to take their drink orders. Inigo went for some odd drink Morgan had never heard of, Morgan just stuck to her guns and got a glass of wine.

"Even better at ordering drinks than I am, really can't gain my footing tonight," she said nervously.

"Hardly," he said, "Had this one recommended to me months ago by a bartender. Tastes like strawberries, teensy splash of vodka. It's fantastic… and speaking of fantastic,"

He exaggeratedly eyed Morgan with a knowing nod. She blushed instantly, her nerves igniting like she had been stuck with a knife.

"You look… incredible," he said with just enough genuine awe.

"Y-You do too!" she hurriedly responded, "I-It's just because I washed my hair. I mean, not that I don't normally. I just… bothered to make it look nice,"

She wasn't lying. He found her normally wavy hair quite fitting, but it straighter, done up in the back in a small bun.

"You usually look nice, but I fear I'm laying the flattery on a bit thick," Inigo said.

The waitress brought their drinks back, and took their orders, which thankfully were easy to select seeing as their options were slightly limited.

"It's alright," Morgan continued, taking a sip of her drink, "You did say you were going to compliment me, hope that's not all though… actually that sounds pretty boring, now that I think about it,"

Inigo figured as much, and while he could indeed make the entire evening nothing but flattery, he knew her sharp mind wouldn't exactly be entertained with cheap words. One of the reasons he liked her.

He could still tell she was nervous, he needed to do something about that.

"Certainly," Inigo said, "Though, I gotta admit, if there's anyone who should be nervous here, it's me,"

Morgan was definitely surprised.

"How come? Did I do something?" She asked, nearly gasping.

"No, no! You're fine, I promise," he said, "I just mean, I am sitting in front of one Ylisse's finest tactical minds. Not to talk myself down or anything, but I think it's a safe bet to say that if we had gotten the chance to go school, we wouldn't have been in the same classes,"

Something inside Morgan felt like it was glowing. She didn't necessarily like it, but there was a part of her that yearned for approval and recognition. A desire to both live up to her father and carve out her own path, which was difficult seeing as her field of expertise was, to say, quite limited. She was expanding her horizons, but progress didn't get made quickly. During peacetime, her skills weren't going to get her far. When Inigo said that, she felt her heart skip a beat. It was a little selfish, but everyone was allowed to be a little selfish now and then, right?

"Well I'm glad someone is around to appreciate me," she said playfully, indulging in a bit of disingenuous confidence, "Doing research and potion work all day is… rather thankless, I must admit,"

"Well then madame I would like to cordially thank you for your service," Inigo said with a smile and mock applause.

Morgan placed her hand on her chest, feigning surprise.

"I'm honored, good sir! I'm just doing my sworn civic duty!" she theatrically mused.

They both laughed, the nervousness that both of them had that lingered stubbornly beginning to melt away. The fear that the evening might have been a bust for the two of them was all but gone, and the two had a better time than either of them could've hoped for.

---

"Robin please slow down and tell me what's wrong," Cordelia said, voice full of worry as her husband grabbed his coat.

He blinked, bringing his mind back on track from it's singular purpose of 'get ready to leave and meet Chrom'

A messenger had arrived late into the evening, a messenger who called for Robin, an emergency meeting with Chrom had been requested, priority level one. Essentially, this meant something very very important or very very bad was about to happen. Hopefully not the latter, and hopefully not both.

Robin had gotten ready so fast he nearly forgot Cordelia and Severa had been left behind, wondering who was at their door and why it was keeping him so long.

"Chrom," he said hurriedly, "Emergency meeting. Priority level one. I have to go,"

Cordelia's face went from worry to shock.

"If he needs you… does that mean-"

"I don't know what it means, exactly," he said, looking his wife in the eye, "It means he needs me and I need to be quick,"

He nearly bolted out the door then and there, but Cordelia stopped him, grabbing the edge of his coat, halting him. Her concern was etched all over her face. If Robin could've torn his face away from her, he would've seen Severa watching them a few feet away, making an identical expression.

She hated when he got like this. When his focus prevented him from seeing the bigger picture. She knew he was scared too, but it didn't matter.

"Robin… if it's an emergency…"

She couldn't complete the sentence. They were both thinking it, but she just couldn't. Not now. Not again. It couldn't be, surely. This had to be something else, right?

But what else was a priority one threat meant to signal other than an immediate, pressing danger?

"Listen," Robin said, putting his hands on both of her shoulders, "Whatever this is, I have to go, I can't waste time. But if this-"

"How?" Cordelia asked, unable to maintain composure, her voice breaking, "It's not Plegia, is it? It couldn't be, right?"

A million thoughts were racing through his head. It was very unlikely that it was Plegia, but it wasn't impossible. But so suddenly? Surely Tharja would've been able to give them notice? Unless… it was a surprise attack.

"I don't know. I'm sorry. But if this-"

"Another war?" she asked, not fearing about jumping to conclusions as fear of the possibility of something disrupting the peace proved too strong.

Robin looked at her, Cordelia's eyes almost watering, hands shaking with worry. She had lost so much in the Plegian conflict. Her friends- no. Her sisters, her family, all wiped out. Now she had another family. A family she wanted to keep safe at all cost.

He looked at her with conviction.

"Not if I can help it," he assured her, lunging in to tightly embrace her tightly, leaning into her ear to whisper:

"I love you,"

Robin took off out the door, immediately stepping down to meet the messenger, who had taken a horse from their stable per Robin's request, ready to meet him in front of the porch.

Severa and Cordelia briskly followed out onto the porch as the tactician leapt onto the horse, following the messenger, taking off at full speed as they headed towards the road to Ylisstol.

The two girls just stood on the porch, suffering from the most severe mood whiplash they ever endured. They were fine mere minutes ago, talking and drinking as the minutes passed by. Not a care in the world save for Morgan coming on time.

And then a messenger showed up, perhaps the most unceremonious of ways to signal a potential earth-shattering disaster.

---

Robin arrived and rushed into the castle, running into the room in the back of Chrom's armory, one he'd built for the sole purpose of having private meetings of a sensitive nature with anyone he consulted or discussed political affairs with. A room that signaled you were in the inner circle of the Exalt's trust… a room Robin really didn't want to enter ever again.

He bolted into the door after running down the many halls that led him there, breathing heavily and sweating, both from nerves and from completely hauling ass. He opened the inconspicuous door to find the room exactly as they left it a year ago- wooden chairs around an enormous round wooden table with maps and documents spread everywhere. A total nightmare to sort through that no one had bothered cleaning up.

Wishful thinking was rather cruel, sometimes.

Chrom and Sully both stood on the balcony, the room opened up to oversee the Northern half of Ylisstol, giving them a good view. It was getting dark, but the night hadn't fully come yet, so the Exalt and his wife stood, backs to him, hands gripping the balcony's railing. They stood as silhouettes against a burnt orange sky, both turning when they heard Robin enter.

He sauntered over to them, still out of breath. He hadn't been as physically active in the past year as he should've, and it was really taking its toll now.

"Chrom… I… I'm here," he said, joining them.

He wanted to ask his friend if he was okay, maybe offer him some water, but it wasn't the time for that.

Chrom looked worried. Sully looked pissed.

"Sorry to call you so urgently, friend," Chrom said shakily, "I wouldn't have if it wasn't absolutely imperative,"

Robin nodded, finally standing up, leaning against the railing like they had been when he found them. His breathing steadied. Chrom approached it again, looking out toward the harbor.

"No apologies," Robin insisted, "Talk first. Apologies later,"

"Right," he said, "Well, two hours ago I was informed a Vallethean vessel was on its way here. Not exactly thrilled it happened on short notice but these things can't be helped. It would seem they've arrived,"

"That's… not exactly what I would call 'bad' news," Robin stated, clearly confused.

"They wanted to negotiate some trade details. Shit like that," Sully said, "Or so they claimed,"

Robin looked at both expectantly, waiting for a 'but'- this didn't exactly sound like a priority one threat yet.

"Everyone was preparing themselves, I got word Tharja and Maribelle were procuring documents for whatever this was. Apparently, they didn't send just anyone. Damn near the entire line of succession came with them. Two princes and a princess," Chrom explained.

Robin furrowed his brow.

"To negotiate an overseas trade deal? Seriously?" he asked.

"I thought it was suspicious too," Chrom said, "Especially considering it's been years since we even heard from them. The last time being when they told us they couldn't aid in our attempt to unify the alliance back when Walhart first showed,"

Robin was squarely out of his comfort zone here. He knew OF Vallethea, and knew Ylisse and Vallethea did indeed have a history, sohe knew a few things about it, but not nearly enough to get a handle on things. He didn't care for being thrust into situations with too little context.

"Okay, so they're coming, what exactly is cause for worry?" he asked impatiently.

Robin noted that Chrom still had yet to make eye contact with him. A tell tale sign this was definitely going to be a large problem.

"The worry is that they're here. Right now. Arrived a few minutes ago," the Exalt sighed, pointing out towards the horizon straight out in front of them,"

Robin took a moment to pick up on the cue, but turned himself to look in the direction Chrom was pointing at.

Due north was the large Ylisstol Harbor, immediately adjacent to the business district of the capital. Ships of all shapes and sizes came through there, and it was a valuable asset in procuring funds and shipment. A large area to be sure, but one full of movement and life that never really stopped moving. A visible economy that they all got used to once it had expanded in the post-war rebuilding. So naturally, when something looked like it didn't belong there, it was very obvious.

Pulling in to one of the docks was a ship so massive that it put even the largest trade vessels they had to shame. It was an enormous wooden titan of a ship that was as long as maybe four or five cargo ships. It was tall too, making the sight look intimidating as all hell, the tiny specks of people being dwarfed by its size.

Robin's stomach churned as he realized what the vessel was. Something he'd only read about in reference books, academic texts, or history books. Something he'd never seen and thought he would never see, since Ylisse wasn't really one for naval warfare.

"That…" Robin creaked out, "That's a warship,"

---

Upon their arrival, Atalliana did not make the most graceful of introductions. As soon as the ship halted, she immediately leaned over the edge and vomited. Upon seeing land, it seemed the relief proved too tempting to not expel what had been brewing in her stomach over the last few days.

"Classy," Asyllus said, "First impressions are off to a great start,"

"Fuck off Asyllus," she said, gathering herself, "I'm not the first princess to have bloody sea-sickness,"

The crew lowered the platform that extended out to the docking bay, which took it's sweet time considering how large it was. The three looked down over the largely empty dock, just a few workmen loading crates and a few vessel captains, all staring at the sight before them slack-jawed.

As soon as the platform lowered onto the cobblestone, a battalion of heavily-armored knights and soldiers rounded the corner, as if on cue. They filed into formation, four rows of nearly a dozen men. Hell of a way to say hello.

"What exactly were you saying about first impressions?" Atalliana smugly posed.

Tyrius and Asyllus both just looked confused. They'd sent the notice in time for the Ylisseans to know they were arriving, so this was certainly a strange course of action. Maybe they were less prone to be peacemakers than their briefing had them believe.

"Everyone stay on board until I give the okay," Tyrius said to the crew as the three royal children made their way down towards their friendly welcoming party.

From amidst the soldiers, two men walked forward confidently, both steeled eyes that still masked a very distinct anxiety behind them. One was a man donned in royal garbs, a scabbard on his back that held a formidable blade, and the jawline and cheekbones of a man who certainly had been the product of royal breeding. His dark blue hair matched his clothes, which Atalliana found rather humorous. The other was a man in a strange purple cloak with markings they'd never seen before, dark chestnut hair and soft features that made his gaze feel almost silly, even if it was still intimidating. This one didn't carry a sword, but a tome. A royal attendant perhaps?

"They look cheery," Asyllus said, looking them over.

"We did just put a warship in their dock," Atalliana said casually, "I'd probably be a bit nonplussed myself,"

Asyllus stopped, his siblings took a moment to notice he wasn't walking alongside them, and turned to him.

"You… did tell them in the message that we were coming in one of these, right?" Asyllus asked, genuinely afraid.

Atalliana shrugged.

"You know me little brother," she responded, "Always better to ask forgiveness than permission,"

She turned back around and confidently walked down as her brothers tried not to let the panic show on their faces. They exchanged a knowing glance, Asyllus's face containing a trace of 'See? I was right' and Tyrius's being more along the lines of 'I hate it when you're right'

They finally stood on dry land, casually approaching the two men whose expressions never faltered. The man in the robe even looked like he had a finger slipped into one of the pages of his tome, as if to bookmark an attack of choice in case of danger. Atalliana wore her always-confident grin, one that always retained a bit of barely detectable condescension only her brothers would notice. Asyllus and Tyrius merely copied the Ylisseans in the facial expression department.

They were only a few feet apart now.

"So… we just gonna stand around here like a bunch of jackasses the whole time?" Asyllus said, choosing to break the ice his own way would be far better than Atalliana's way.

"Depends on whether or not your explanation for why you just brought an imperial warship into this country without notifying us. If I don't like your answer, none of you will be 'standing' at all," the brown-haired man threatened, his own expression turning to something more confident.

"Fiery," Atalliana said, "I like you,"

"That's all well and good, but if I were you, I'd start trying to get me to like you," he fired back.

"Well, my name is Atalliana, imperial princess of the empire of Vallethea. These two chuckle fucks next to me are my brothers, Asyllus and Tyrius," she elaborated, "I trust you got our message?"

"My name is Robin, Grandmaster Tactician for the Ylissean army," he said, easing up, "And I take it you likely know my friend here, the Exalt Chrom. We got your message, but I think it's needless to say that you left out a few things,"

It was a cute front, but Atalliana saw through it easily. They caught them at a disadvantage, and they needed to appear stalwart. Chrom was taking the strong, silent approach while his associate did the heavy lifting. Commendable, if transparent.

"You'll have to forgive my sister," Asyllus rushed to answer, "Tact is not her strong suit. Our intentions are just as we said in the message. If you look topside, you'll see we still have a fairly small crew. Our homeland is currently amidst a bit of a financial crisis, and the only imperial vessel available to us was this. Inspect it if you like, beyond our crew and a mere half-dozen soldiers for our protection, I assure you that you'll find nothing,"

Atalliana had to bite her tongue, hating that Asyllus was stepping on her toes. He knew she couldn't verbally retaliate since they had to appear as a unified front.

"I'll hold you to that," Robin said, signaling for the soldiers behind them to go forward.

"So," Chrom finally spoke, "Trade negotiations, treaties, financial crisis, sounds like a lot of work. Sending three members of the royal family sounds like a bit of overkill when an ambassador would've done the trick,"

"Our father wanted to send his regards," Tyrius said, "He's otherwise occupied and feels terrible he couldn't make the trip himself. Considering our family's history, he felt it too impersonal to try and do this outside the family,"

"Your father as in, Andromedus the Fourth? My father's war… buddy?" Chrom asked.

It was all he could do not to brand the man as a 'war criminal' instead. Though since history was written by the victors, they were regrettably exempt from such titles, officially speaking.

"Good to see you're aware," Asyllus said, "We immensely regret our inability to aid you in the Valmese conflict, and since our trade agreements are all but dead, our father wished for us to stir the pot, so to speak. Mend a few bridges so we can be on good terms again,"

Robin chuckled, his eyes briefly moving upwards as one of the Ylissean soldiers gave them a thumbs up. Their search had yielded nothing.

"So, you're telling me you came all across the ocean to make friends?" Robin asked.

Asyllus gave a friendly smile.

"Essentially, yes," he answered, "We figured another source of significant trade revenue for you would aid your rebuilding, and we have plenty to offer. And on the less business-oriented side of things, times are rough, it helps to have powerful friends,"

Atalliana was trying her best not to display her rather escalating annoyance at her brother's passive display. He extended his hand.

"Perhaps we all got off on the wrong foot," he said as Chrom reached to hesitantly shake it, "I'm Prince Asyllus Andromedus, pleased to make your acquaintance,"

Chrom looked at Robin when the handshake ended, and Robin took the reins.

"Well then, I take it you plan on having a bit of an extended stay? Trade deals aren't exactly brief. Forging alliances aren't either," Robin said, leading them.

"If you would just like to be a normal business stay it certainly can be," Asyllus offered, "But we think it would be say… mutually beneficial if we perhaps get to know one another more personally. What else is peacetime good for?"

Robin looked back at Chrom. Every time they did this it was like a paragraphs-long conversation took place silently.

"Well, I think that's something we can get behind," Chrom said, smiling genuinely, "Your journey here was long and you all probably haven't had a decent meal in ages, I gather?"

"Gods no," Tyrius blurted out, "Feel like I haven't eaten properly in weeks,"

Asyllus smiled and patted his sister on the back.

"My sister here also has horrid seasickness so I'm sure she, of all people, would not say no to a late-night meal, should we be so lucky as to be offered one," Asyllus said.

Atalliana looked him dead in the eyes. To everyone else, it looked like an expression of endearment, to Asyllus, it was cause to be partially afraid she was about to snap him in half.

"Of course," Atalliana said, "It has been quite a tumultuous trip,"

Chrom nodded.

"Well then, follow the two of us and we can see if we can alleviate that situation a bit, hm?"

Everyone nodded.

Despite the mutual agreement and seemingly bad first impression that had faded away, there wasn't a single solitary fiber of anyone's beings that trusted those whom they'd just been acquainted with.