WOOHOO WE BROKE 10,000 VIEWS! Thank you guys so much for your continued support! It means a lot to me and makes me want to continue bringing more content to you! I alwas get so excited whenever I post a chapter because I can't wait for your guys's reactions to it! This has honestly been the most fulfilling fan project I've ever done, and I hope you're ready for the ride ahead, because we're only about halfway through the main Awakening plot!

Shorter chapter this time around because I... didn't actually have that much planned for it. You can thank baby Yarne for stealing the spotlight, my mind latched onto the idea of taguel baby and just would. Not. Let. Go.

"But he's so cute and tiny, how could you not want to think about him?!"

Ladies and gentlemen, the Fell Dragon.

"Shut up. You know I have a legitimate reason for fixating on small children."

Didn't say it was a bad thing. It's wonderfully hilarious, in my opinion.

Don't own, otherwise we'd get to see the baby versions of all the Future Children, not just Lucina!

"Wind!"

Three sharp green blades spiraled out of the bluenette's hand and slammed into the training dummy. Inigo gasped. "I-I did it! I really did it! I-I can cast magic!"

"Of course!" Chrom grinned at him. "Miriel and Ricken said you have a surprising amount of potential, so that's why we're here to hone it!"

Inigo looked down at the Wind tome. "I… I can cast… You know, I never dreamed of it because my own father never showed an aptitude for it, and Mother wa—um… well, she was a weird case, people could never decide whether she had magic or not. So I just… never thought it was an option. I picked up the sword from both of them."

"I see." The older bluenette nodded. "That can happen, apparently, some people miss out on things they could be really talented in because they don't think they have what it takes." He smiled. "I'm glad we're able to teach you this stuff now, late in the game as it is."

"Me too," said someone from the other side of the training arena. The two turned and found a certain red-eyed albino holding a five-month-old blue-haired infant girl. "I had an inkling Ciel was gonna be good, that's why I asked you to teach him. Although, what took you so long?"

Father chuckled. "He insisted on reading and studying all the theory beforehand, and then I had to teach him different casting techniques."

"Bababa!"

Grima laughed and tweaked little Lucina's nose. "That's right, bababa!"

"Baba!"

"Hmm, I see!"

"Babababa baba!"

"Oh, that's very interesting, why didn't I think of that before?"

Inigo burst out laughing at the scene. Luci would have a fit if she ever found out about this—the Fell Dragon, having a conversation in baby babble with her infant self. Well, that made him a lot less scary in the boy's opinion. We should've just tried to introduce him to the concept of children back in the future. Although, that probably wouldn't have gone over nearly as well, he needed to take care of a child first and grow to love them before opening his heart to all children. Maybe… maybe it was a good thing he raised my father. We might have just accomplished our mission without doing hardly anything.

Though he hasn't said anything about what he plans to do with the world… should I get him one-on-one and have a chat?

Before Grima had rescued the younger teen over a year ago, the boy would've quailed at speaking alone with the albino. How far he had come that he now felt relatively comfortable with the man's presence! So yes, he did need to have a talk with his grandfather. Grima wouldn't hurt him, he was Chrom's child and therefore Grima's family.

Except he seems to keep holding a grudge against my Lucina. I mean, I don't think I would appreciate someone stealing one of my friends' identities, so it makes sense. Still… Do dragons hold grudges for long periods of time since they live longer? Hmm, something to think about.

"Ciel?"

"Huh? Oh!" The swordsman snapped out of his reverie and shook his head. "Sorry, just lost in thought, I guess." He lifted the tome up. "Do you want me to go again?"

Father smiled. "Sure, why not? Try casting it a few times, but let me know if you start to feel weird or lousy, okay?"

"Okay!"

He cast Wind a couple more times before a screech cut him off. The younger bluenette whipped around to the source of the sound but found only Grima playing with Lucina. The little girl screeched again and grabbed for the albino's fingers, which the man yanked away just in time. "Now, now, Luci Rave, what do we say when we want something?"

"Bababa!" She screeched, finally clamping onto his fingers. Grima laughed.

"Taking what you want without asking first? My, my, what a naughty little princess you are." And he proceeded to tickle her with his free hand, generating delighted squeals from the baby girl.

Father beamed. "Aren't they just adorable together?"

Inigo chuckled, a wistful smile on his face.

"Yes, they sure are."

Grima could not say just how delighted he was that his grandson had invited him on an outing for some time together! Inigo looked to be finally accepting him as his grandfather! Although, the boy still didn't call him that, only "Raven." As hard as it was to wait, the albino dragon knew doing so would make Inigo more comfortable around him. One day…! But until then, he had to content himself with this.

He had to say, the boy certainly knew his teashops. According to the teen, this particular one served high-quality products at affordable prices, and the atmosphere was friendly and cozy. The waitstaff were pleasant, the tea itself was delicious, and the pastries accompanying were baked to perfection. It was a shame the only problem was that the shop was tucked away in a little alley and had a relatively small, if loyal, consumer base. Ah, well, all the better for private conversations like the one his mini blueberry had implied they would have.

"So, um, Raven?"

"Yes, mini one?" Grima took a sip of his tea. Ahhh, jasmine, imported from Chon'sin. Chrom would've loved this one.

Inigo fiddled with his raspberry scone. "I hope you aren't offended by my asking, but… what, um, what are your plans for the world?"

"My plans?" Oh. He hadn't actually divulged what he was going to do. Had he ever told the boy he wasn't going to destroy the world? He couldn't remember. Eh, it didn't hurt to tell him again if he had before. "Well, clearly I can't destroy the world because you and your father are in it. And your family. And friends. Besides, how would I take care of you if there's nothing to take care of you with? So that plan is out."

"But…?"

The albino pursed his lips in thought. "But this world is still a mess and needs cleaning up. So I decided, if I can't destroy it, then I should rule it instead!"

Inigo sweat-dropped and gave him a weak smile. "Uh, w-well… it-it's better than before, I guess."

"Hey, come on! I wouldn't have thought it was possible to make the world a better place if not for you and your dad!" Grima grinned, the image of Chrom as his High Priest surfacing in his mind. "I'll be humanity's just and fair ruler as your god, and Chrom will be my loyal High Priest—oh, and Olivia will be his High Priestess, can't forget about her—and the Shepherds and Grimleal will be my governors all over the world! Emmeryn will be Ylisse's governor, don't worry."

The boy gulped. "W-What about us kids?"

"Oh, well, let's see… You don't have to do anything unless you want to be a priest as well." He took another sip. "I'll be extending your parents' lives so they can live as long as I do—"

"You can do that?!" Inigo's eyes bugged. "Really?!"

The dragon scoffed. "Of course I can, what do you think I am? Actually, don't answer that question."

"Um, okay. What about Nag—"

"No." Grima hissed, eyes flashing red.

"… Okay, then. No Naga. Good to know."

He eyed the boy. "Don't tell me you're annoyed that I'm going to get rid of her?"

"No, that's not it. I mean, I understand she was the whole reason you became you-know-what and all, but is she really that bad?"

"Study history. Like I did." The man scoffed. "Naga is a traitor to her own kind and has been for millennia upon millennia. She constantly picks humanity over the wellbeing of her own race, and where has that led us? Near extinction for the rest of us while she sits pretty worshipped as a god to all those ignorant, blind fools." He took his spoon and pointed it at the boy. "Do you know something? She told me after I found out why I was put to sleep that she was prepared to do anything to keep humanity safe—including killing her own daughter!"

The bluenette gasped. "W-What?! You can't be serious!"

"That was my reaction, too."

"But why would she kill her own child?"

The dragon sighed. "Tiki was born extremely powerful, you see, and Naga was afraid she'd degenerate and destroy humanity. That's why she has her sleep so much." He shook his head. "When I heard that, I was disgusted. Here I am, a very young dragon who had escaped a parent figure that tried to kill me when I became too powerful, and now I find one of my friends is in the same situation?" His fist clenched. "I was so innocent, I thought she was somebody to idolize… and then I find out she's no better than Forneus."

"Your parent figure?"

"The alchemist who created me," Grima corrected. "Having raised Chrom, I can safely say that he didn't get anywhere near qualifying for parenthood. He was a cruel, deranged man who should not have been allowed custody of a baby dragon."

"Oh." Inigo's face fell, and the two sipped their tea and munched on their pastries in relative silence. Then,

"Do you ever wish you weren't born?"

The dragon blinked, stricken, and set down his teacup, running a finger along the rim in contemplation. "Well… when I was stuck in the labyrinth after he died… too many times to count, frankly. I didn't know what I was living for… or whom… and I could only hope that things would get better. I never thought of killing myself, though. I was too innocent to have ever heard of such a thing."

Tilting his head, the boy regarded him before placing his hand on the older man's. "Um… if it's any consolation… for what it's worth, despite everything you've done… I'm glad you're here. You… you're happier, and you love my dad, and that… that's really heartening."

Hope and joy filled his heart, and Grima beamed.

"Thank you, mini blueberry. I love you so much, kiddo."

When they left the teashop, Grima wrapped his arm around the boy, and his heart leapt when the teen leaned into his embrace.

"Hello there~! My, aren't you getting big, little bun-bun!"

The light-brown-skinned baby babbled and grabbed at his tiny feet, furry little ears flopping all over the floor. Chrom giggled and booped the little boy's nose, getting a squeal from him. Shame I'm not a taguel, their babies are just too adorable! Lucina would look so cute with her own set of bunny ears! He imagined Olivia with pink fur and bunny ears and giggled again, tickling at the baby's sides. Nearby, Lucina sat playing with her rag doll, chewing on the doll's arm and gazing at her dad.

Virion and Panne had asked him earlier to babysit their son when both realized they couldn't for the afternoon; the archer had to deal with issues pertaining to Rosanne (Chrom suspected he was a noble from that country), and the rabbit laguz was too wiped and needed a break from taking care of the four-month-old. Since the bluenette had a relatively free schedule today, he'd agreed and now sat in the playroom in the castle that Emmeryn had set aside for "baby Shepherds." On those days where the Shepherds couldn't take care of their little ones for whatever reason, they would leave the children in this nursery to be watched over by vetted nursemaids (or more often, Dad, when he was bored). Every now and again Chrom would bring Lucina here when he had nothing else to do and play with her and whatever children had been left for the day. It got even more enjoyable when his father happened to be in the room as well, the albino loved each and every one of the infants as if they were his own. Today it was just him, Lucina, and Yarne, which was just fine. The smaller the group, the less he had to divide his attention between them. He always felt bad about the bigger groups and worried whether he was giving them each enough time.

"Haaaaaa!" Yarne squealed again. Chrom leaned down, almost nose-to-nose with the baby, and the infant boy stared up at him in awe. Reaching up, the baby grabbed onto the young man's azure locks and yanked.

"Ouch! Yarne, buddy, please don't—ouchie!" The baby giggled and yanked again. "Okay, no more pulling on Uncle Chrom's hair today, all right?" He wormed his thumbs into the baby's hands and disentangled them from his hair. The boy latched onto one of his thumbs and put it in his mouth, sucking on it.

"Awww!"

Chrom glanced up and found his father leaning on the doorframe, delight playing all over his face. "Is it just these two today?"

"Yeah." The youth chuckled. "Wanna come and hang out?"

"Ooh, yes, please." The albino strode into the room and sat down in front of Lucina, pulling his cloak off and arranging it around her on the floor. "Well, how are you doing today, little Luci Rave?" The little girl squealed. "Somebody's happy to see her grandpa, huh! Okay then, what shall we do today?"

"Bababaga babaaa." The girl stuffed her doll's arm back into her mouth and chewed on it.

"Oh my, is it really that tasty? Well, far be it from me to question her royal highness!"

Chrom laughed, which prompted Yarne to let out a screechy laugh as well. The taguel baby put the bluenette's thumb back in his mouth and bit down, hard. Chrom yelped and slipped his thumb out of the baby's mouth, wincing at the tiny bleeding punctures in his nail. "Ow-how-how…"

"He teething?"

"Note to self: taguel teeth are sharp, no matter what their age!" The youth sent a bit of energy into the wounded phalange, and it healed up as if nothing ever happened.

Dad frowned. "Aren't taguel herbivores or something?"

"Yeah, but they have strong teeth and powerful jaws. Panne said baby taguel teeth are on the sharper side at first, to ward off predators just in case."

"… I can't exactly see how that would work, but okay. Why predators? I mean, I can tell a taguel from a rabbit by scent, but I'm a dragon. Do normal predators just not distinguish the difference?"

"I guess."

The albino grimaced. "Yeah, no, nope, not thinking about that."

"Me neither. Ugh, that turns my stomach."

"Haaaah?" Yarne grabbed for him again, and Chrom tickled his tummy. Lucina dropped her doll and fell over onto her side, the soft cloth of the tactician's coat cushioning her fall.

"Luciiiiiiii, what are you doing on the floor, silly princess?"

"Bagaba ba."

"Oh, that's very fair, I think it's cosy too."

"Baba."

"Yes, your daddy has one too! Just like mine, only blue!"

The bluenette laughed again. "You know, anyone who thinks you're scary should see you talking to babies, you're like a completely different person."

Dad blinked, his face blank with confusion. "Was I not like that with you?"

"Dad, I was four, not an infant. And as I recall, you had no idea what to do with small children."

"Okay, fair enough."

Chrom laid down next to Yarne and stroked his downy ear. The baby yawned and stuffed his fist in his mouth, sucking on it.

So cute… I could stay here all day…

Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

As two of the Shepherds who didn't have children to take care of (no matter how much Grima might argue to the contrary), Inigo and the dragon often got sent out to deal with bandits and other issues in the halidom in lieu of the other Shepherds. The excursions helped the bluenette sharpen his magic skills in real-life situations, and he was now trying out Elwind, at least in the training arena. His father's tips were helpful in figuring out how to sense his magic and use it accordingly in addition to cycling ambient mana into his body. Maybe he'd even be able to cast without a tome one day, but that probably wouldn't come until later in the future. Grandfather had suggested making a blood pact with him, and he wouldn't admit he was kind of considering the idea.

The sun glinted off the green leaves of the trees in the forest. It had rained recently, and water droplets sparkled everywhere, making Inigo smile at the beauty around him. "Hey, you know, we aren't that far from Virion and Panne's cabin retreat. You want to go say hi for a few minutes?"

"Yes please," the albino breathed. Inigo laughed and rolled his eyes.

"You just want to see Yarne, don't you."

Grima threw his arms out. "Baby bun-bun!" he cried, as if that was all the explanation necessary—which it was, of course.

"I think I'm going to see if I can get Miriel to diagnose you with addiction to babies or something, you go nuts when they're around," the teen quipped.

"Small children!"

"Fair enough."

They arrived at the cabin and knocked on the door. Virion opened it and smiled when he saw who it was. "Ah, come in, come in! It is delightful to see you, Ciel, Raven! Panne and Yarne are out playing in a nearby clearing." He ushered them into the cozy little building and offered them tea, which the two accepted gratefully. "Our little son has just learned that wonderful taguel ability of transformation, and my darling wife suggested they play together in their rabbit forms."

"Aww, that's so cute! I wonder what he looks like," Inigo squealed.

"Me too," the dragon murmured. "Is he like a miniature version of his mother, or more like a bunny—"

The door flew open, and Panne burst in, breathing hard and covered in scratches. She leaned over and put her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Virion approached her and rubbed her arms, concern deep in his eyes. "Darling? Where is our son?"

"Too—huff—too many—"

"Dearest, please do try to catch your breath first."

"Man-spawn," the brunette growled. "They—huff—hunters—"

The steel-haired man went white, expression hardening. "Hunters stole him? And there were too many for you to fend off all at once?"

She nodded. Grima stood, eyes blazing, and Inigo got up after him. "Virion. Let us track him down."

"Are you certain?"

"Positive." The dragon strode towards the laguz woman. "Which way did they go?"

"West." Panne took another gulp of air and straightened. "Let me go with you."

The albino arched an eyebrow at her. "If you think you have enough energy to help out—"

"That is my son," she snarled. "I won't let him get hurt, not on my watch."

He nodded. "Right, then. Ciel, you and I will fly overhead while Panne follows on the ground." He stalked out of the cabin, the bluenette and brunette following him out. "If he's injured, I'll teleport him to the castle where Chrom can heal him."

"Got it. Vir, start packing up. This place is no longer safe for us."

The archer nodded. "Right away. Meet you at the castle?"

"Yes. Don't wait up." She leaned in, grabbed his cravat, and kissed him. "See you when we find him."

Inigo wrapped his arms around his grandfather's neck and felt the older man clutching him close as two black, feathery wings spread from the dragon's back. Then, with a mighty flap, the two took to the sky in search of the missing baby taguel.

Grima caught the scent of wyverns, humans, and—wait, there it was! That was Yarne's scent! He dove forward, Inigo clinging to his neck, and settled the both of them in a tree just on the edge of the hunters' camp. Panne came up behind them and transformed back into her human form, climbing up into the tree. "Is he there?"

The Fell Dragon focused and found one especially bulky hunter holding the little bunny by the scruff of his neck. Yarne mewled and cried, his panic and fear sharp and sour in the albino's nose. "Yeah, he's there, all right," he growled.

"I will tear them all to shreds," the woman hissed, seething.

Grima held out a hand. "We can't go into this claws a'slicing, we might get him killed. We need a strategy first." The hunter holding the baby bunny grabbed him by the left leg and held him up by the appendage. Yarne screamed louder and louder.

One of the other hunters shifted in unease. "Hey, man, ya sure a bunny makes that kinda sound? It's cryin' like a babe, that's weirdin' me out."

"Oh, shush yer mouth, maybe it's jus' a different breed." The bulky hunter took out a knife.

"Man, are ya sure? It don't seem right ta me…"

"Aww, are ya chicken? Bawk bawk!" the others mocked him. The leader, the bulky hunter, grinned.

"I dunno 'bout y'all pansying over there, but I'mma 'bout to have me some rabbit stew. Ye want some, jus' ask!"

Grima's stomach flopped, and bile rose in his throat as red entered his vision. "Ciel."

"Right!"

The youth dashed out of the tree and whipped out his sword, holding the tip at the leader's throat. "Give me that child, or suffer the wrath of his mother and an overprotective dragon!"

The leader guffawed. "Go hunt yer own rabbit, chump, we got 'im first!" A white light shown from the little taguel boy, and the buff man squawked, dropping him. Inigo caught Yarne with one arm just before he hit the ground, the infant back to his human form. "Wha' the bleedin'—"

"DIE!" Panne transformed and rushed out, and Grima followed her, draconic traits out on display. The bluenette streaked towards him, cradling a bawling Yarne, and the dragon pushed the two behind him, throwing spikes at the shrieking hunters. In less than a minute, all of them were dead, having been mauled or impaled. The albino roared at the wyverns, and they cowered before fleeing into the woods.

"Raven!" Inigo's voice made him whip around. The boy held the baby, the little one's left leg hanging limp instead of scrunched up. "His leg is injured! You need to get him to Chrom, now!"

Grima took the baby and cradled him close. "Panne, take Ciel and get back to the castle." The two nodded. He focused and pulled, landing himself and the screaming child in the doorway to the nursery, where a startled Chrom squeaked and whirled around. "Yarne's leg was injured, you need to help him!" He handed the baby off to his son, who nodded, his expression understanding.

"Right, okay. Let me just set him down," and the bluenette went over to the changing table, gently laying the little boy down. He examined the baby's leg, and Grima smelled his power at work in determining the extent of the injury. "His leg was dislocated from his hip. I'll need to gently work it back in and pop it into place." He took hold of the baby's thigh and rolled it around in easy, slow circles. The dragon winced as the baby screamed and a pop sounded. "Now we just need to heal up the damaged tissue." The boy sent healing power into the infant's hip, and the baby's cries subsided into teary sniffles. When he was done, Chrom picked up the child and held him close, soothing him with soft, murmured words. "Shhhh… it's okay, sweetie, you're all right now… no more hurting, okay? Shhhh…"

Yarne's fluffy little tail twitched, and the baby snuggled into the youth's breast. The boy frowned. "What happened to him? Was he playing too rough with his mom, or…"

"Remember when we were talking about hunters? Or, no, predators?"

"… I already don't like where this is going."

Grima grit his teeth, clenching his fists. "Yarne learned how to transform—"

"Isn't he a bit too young for that?"

"Ask Panne. Anyway, a group of hunters ran across them."

"Oh, gods!" Chrom clapped a hand to his mouth, green tingeing his cheeks. "Oh, gods… oh, gods… oh, you poor little sweetheart." He clutched the baby closer. "Thank goodness you and Ciel got to them in time! Um, but where is Ciel?"

The dragon sighed, tension flowing out of his body. "He's with Panne, we came upon their cabin and she went with us to save Yarne. They're cutting their retreat short and heading back."

"Oh, dear," the bluenette murmured. "I'm so sorry it was so horribly ruined… but thank the gods everyone's safe."

"Yeah." Grima leaned in and booped Yarne's nose. "But this is not happening again. I don't think Yarne should be allowed out of the castle until he can control his transformations and learn how to defend himself."

Chrom nodded. "That's ultimately Panne and Virion's decision, but I absolutely agree with you. Don't want our favorite bun-bun running afoul of more nasty people!"

Yarne squealed as if in agreement.

If he were attracted to her, he'd say Tharja looked fabulous in normal Ylissean clothing. Which, she did, and she was attractive, but Grima did not want to get into a relationship with her, and anyway, this wasn't a date, no matter how much Robin might think so if he saw them together. (He'd been lucky enough to sneak the two of them out unhindered while the tactician was occupied.) The two of them sat at a table in Grima's favorite teashop, sipping iced tea on this rather warm summer day. The dark mage had her hair back in a ponytail, slim yellow sundress accentuating her curves and breasts in a subtly sexy manner. She nibbled on a bite of fruit tart, dark eyes riveted to the albino.

"So I want to make it clear that I'm not romantically interested in you—"

"I'd be a bit concerned if you were," she cut him off.

"… That's surprising, given your obsession with me and Robin. Why is that, anyway?"

Tharja sighed. "The other Shepherds would panic if they found out what I really think of you two. I dress it up in flirtation to make it less alarming."

"Less alarming than what?"

"Potentially trying to kill you."

The dragon blinked. "First of all, we need to talk about what qualifies as alarming, and secondly, why would you want to kill us?"

She leaned forward. "I think I know what—who—you are."

"Tell me."

"You're," she lowered her voice to an almost inaudible murmur, "you're the Fell Dragon. You're Grima, aren't you."

Well, bravo for her, he knew she'd catch on at some point. "I thought you might figure it out."

She sucked in a breath. "Please don't kill me."

"What? No—Tharja—" He facepalmed. "I'm not mad at you, I knew you were smart enough to put two and two together. I'm not gonna kill you, you're my friend—" He cut himself off. "Wait. You are my friend. I do feel that about you. Huh. Okay, then. Didn't know I could feel that way towards anyone who isn't Marth or Tiki or Emmeryn."

"You've been with the Shepherds over a year and a half and you didn't realize you were friends with them?" She quirked an eyebrow at him.

He huffed in mild annoyance. "Hey, give me a break! My last true friend lived over two thousand years ago!" He frowned. "Am I friends with all of them? Well, I don't know if they'd consider me their friend—"

"You've basically been unofficially installed as the Shepherds' grandfather and they trust you to take care of their children on a regular basis," the ravenette pointed out. "Of course they call you friend."

That… wow. Oh, that really warmed his heart, quite a tremendous amount. "I-I guess they're all my friends then, too. I never really thought about having so many friends before."

Tharja chuckled. "I have to admit, knowing who you are and seeing you around little children goes a long way towards softening your image."

"… I feel like normally I should be offended by that, but I don't think I care."

She shook her head and took another bite of tart, smiling.

"So, um, about the whole killing me thing?"

"Ah, that." She nailed him with a deep, soul-searching gaze. "What are your plans for our world? You were out to destroy it a millennium ago, should we be prepared for you to try to do so again? I mean, as much as I might worship you, I do so in the hope of justice, not annihilation." She fiddled with her fork. "I was kind of excommunicated from the Grimleal because of that."

Grima winced. "Heresy? Is that why were you fighting in the courtyard, as punishment?"

The woman shrugged. "A little bit of that, though I didn't realize it at the time. I wanted to do something worthwhile, but getting tossed as wyvern fodder into battle was not what I had in mind."

"I see. Well, you can rest easy knowing that the world is safe from my brand of destruction." He leaned back in his chair, holding his chin in contemplation. "I've decided I want to rule the world instead, clean it up a bit. All the Shepherds are getting top-tier positions, by the way, so if you want to be a priestess under Chrom—"

"Under Chrom?" Her eyebrows went up. "What is he going to be, your Hierophant?"

"Higher. My High Priest."

She gave a dry scoff. "So basically just a new and improved Hierophant, then."

"Nah, he doesn't have many responsibilities, I decided not to give him many seeing as he handled being Exalt pretty poorly. He's really kind of just a figurehead who's safe at the top." He shrugged. "He could probably work as a healer and go around tending to people if he really wanted to. I'm kind of going to let him have free reign with the position, except nobody's allowed to ask much of him unless their requests are genuine."

Tharja laughed. "Here I think you can't get anymore protective of him, and then you go and prove me wrong."

"Try having a kid. You'll understand."

"Maybe I will." She gave a small smile. "I finally figured out how I feel about Gaius, and… I think I want to stay with him."

"Really?!" Grima grinned. "Wow, congratulations! Can I expect to hear the pitter-patter of little dark mage feet soon?"

The woman smirked. "If Gaius is teaching them, you won't hear anything at all." She chuckled. "He loves the kiddos, and I think we'd both like to raise our own."

He laughed. "You have my best wishes—and my free time, if you ever need a babysitter."

That got a delighted howl of laughter out of her. "The Fell Dragon, conqueror of daycare. I love it." She wiped a tear out of her eye. "Thank you. For everything. I really appreciate it—and I'll keep your secret."

"You're welcome. And thank you."

All in all, the peacetime lasted over a good two years. And then, a messenger came from Regna Ferox with dire news.

"Raimi visited?" Dad asked as he entered the room where Chrom stood poring over the maps with Robin. "I saw her leaving just as I came in."

The bluenette nodded. "Flavia wants us at a summit at the capital a few days from now. Apparently Valm made a move and launched warships on us. They're heading for Ferox as we speak." He sighed. "We've got to go as soon as we can, but… what about the children? I mean, we do have enough nursemaids to efficiently take care of all of them—Noire's the only one breastfeeding—but, I don't know, I don't exactly want to leave them separated from their parents." He bit his lip. "Umm… I know you said you had a business trip to Plegia soon, but…"

Smiling, the older man patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Chrom. I'll stay as long as I can and teleport when I need to go." His expression turned serious. "You be safe out there, okay? Tonight, I want to strengthen the pact-bond between the two of us so I can be by your side the moment you need me."

"Well, we're expecting to leave within two hours, so if you can squeeze it in during that timeframe, you should be good to go," Robin spoke up.

"Two hours?!"

Chrom raised an eyebrow. "I did say as soon as we can."

"… Okay, that's fair." He sighed. "I'll see if I can have what I need ready before then. Chrom, you pack up and finish what you need to and meet me in my room, got it?"

The bluenette nodded. "Right. See you there."

After thirty minutes, the young man had packed up and coordinated the nursery schedule with the nursemaids. He held little Lucina and kissed her on the forehead. "Daddy'll be back, okay, sweetheart? I love you so, so much." He clutched her to his chest and stood there for a few minutes, basking in his daughter's presence. When Dad appeared at the doorway of the nursery, he handed the little girl off to one of the nursemaids and followed the albino into the hallway. They headed to the royal family's quarters and entered the dragon's room, where all of the curtains had been drawn, leaving the room dark. Dad picked up a cup off of the coffee table and led Chrom over to sit in the middle of the cleared floor.

"Drink this." He handed the cup to the boy. "You're going to feel some discomfort during the process, but nothing that could harm you."

Chrom nodded. "Okay." He took the cup and drank the concoction within in a single gulp. It tasted herbal and metallic, and he winced, putting his hand to his throat as it burned on the way down. The burning reached his heart and intensified, and he clutched at his chest. "Ohhh…"

"You all right?" Dad asked, concern evident in his eyes.

The bluenette hunched over, gasping at the sensation growing in his breast and spreading to his head. "Ugh… urk… nnnhh…" His vision swam as his heart pounded, the burning swelling in his head. The air around him felt cool, and he choked, shaking, mind blanking. A worried shout echoed through his senses before he slipped into darkness.

He floated in the black void on his side for what seemed like an eternity before he came to himself, pushing himself up on his hands. "Chrom?! Chrom, are you all right?! Can you hear me?"

"H-Huh?"

In front of him, six eyes glowed, the rest of the features of his father's dragon form shrouded in shadow. "Chrom? Can you hear me? Can you answer me?"

"Dad?" Chrom whispered.

"Oh, thank goodness, I was worried there for a bit. Oh, is your memory intact? You took in quite a lot of power into yourself just now."

"And amnesia is a side affect?" The boy frowned. "I wonder if something like this happened with Robin… Oh, but to answer your question, yes, it is."

"Oh, good." The dragon sighed in relief. "This should make it easier for me to find you—I'm not sure if it works the other way, but we could try experimenting with it. Our minds are connected now, so unless we have mental barriers in place we'll be able to hear each other's thoughts and sense each other's feelings."

"I-I see. Could, um, could you show me how to make a barrier?"

"Sure thing." Between the six eyes, a shimmering black veil appeared and lingered for a minute, then vanished. "Think of our bond as a hallway, and visualize a door shutting on your end—"

Chrom concentrated, and a gleaming light blue veil materialized around him. Suddenly, it was just him in the void. He reached over and touched the veil, and it parted and drew back, showing his father's form again. The dragon stared at him, shock and surprise and no small amount of pride flowing off of him.

"… How are you a complete natural at this?!"

The boy smiled. "I had the best teacher. And plenty of practice with our dreaming visits."

"Yeah, that should do it," Dad laughed.

"So how do I wake up? Wait, maybe I can figure this one out." Chrom lay back on the nonexistent floor and fell backwards into what felt like water. He swam up, towards the light—

Chrom gasped and opened his eyes. He lay on his side on the floor, Dad hovering over him with his hand on the bluenette's forehead. The albino breathed a sigh of relief and sat up, stroking his hair.

"How do you feel?"

The young man closed his eyes and opened them again. "It's weird to have you in my head when I'm awake."

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that, hang on a sec." He shuddered as the older man pulled his barriers back up. "Better?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Okay, but I'm still gonna keep an eye on you when I can." Dad gave him his hand and helped him up. The boy swayed a bit, feeling the rush of blood flowing from his head. "Good?"

"Yeah."

The dragon wrapped his arms around him in a hug. "Stay safe, you hear me? I'll get Robin to monitor your condition."

"Okay." He glanced at the door. "I should probably get going, I don't want the others to leave without me." The bluenette snuggled deeper into his father's embrace. "I love you."

"I love you too, little blueberry."

And that's a wrap! Next up: War on the Western Horizon! Chrom and the Shepherds travel to Ferox to help Flavia deal with the Valmese invasion. The Valmese are driven out of Port Ferox. Plegia offers to help in an alliance. Chrom is concerned, and Robin is suspicious.

Feel free to review or feed me concrit! Anything to let me know I'm brightening your guys' day!

"Is this another one of the chapters you've been looking for?"

I don't know, I have to write it first and see if I get that far.

"Can I not be around when the Spawn shows up?"

If the plot makes sense sending you in that direction, sure thing. I don't want her to try to kill you just yet anyway.

"... Well, that's comforting."