Gaius had been waiting in front of the inn for over twenty minutes now, but still Chrom and Pheros hadn't come out. He turned at the sound of footsteps, about to complain about the wait, only to see Henry instead. Gaius had never really spoken to Henry much, but his smile and cheery demeanor were well known to all the Shepherds. Henry's hair now was messy and unkempt, and his robe was saggy and improperly put on. His expression was almost blank, and he only gave a small smile when he noticed Gaius. A far cry from the genuinely cheery expression he almost always carried. Gaius tried not show any signs of sadness himself, instead putting on a smile for his old ally. "Well look who's up! How's it going, Junior?" Henry just shrugged, and Gaius found himself in an awkward silence. More than that, he seemed to be enduring it alone, as Henry just continued to stare. As Gaius looked over him, he noticed a number of details on Henry's robe he hadn't before. Thirty years ago, Henry had six eyes on the collar representing the six eyes of the Fell Dragon. This design was common to Plegian dark mages. Even Robin had a similar design on his robes. Now however, Henry had different symbols on his collar. Six golden Marks of Naga, of all things, could be seen, but each one was surrounded by a wreath of wheat coming out of two gears on the top and bottom. The background of the mark was a small square divided into two horizontal stripes. The top was blood red. The bottom was a light blue. Not sure how else to break the silence, Gaius shrugged and decided to inquire about it. "So those symbols? Those are new right?"

Henry nodded.

"Do they represent the Arch Surg?"

Henry nodded.

"Yeah. I heard about them having a symbol with those colors, but I've never really seen it before. So… erm… did you like being with them?"

Henry shrugged.

"Ugh." Gaius muttered to himself. He tapped his foot and glanced around for a few seconds, but eventually decided that talking to Henry directly was a better way to end the silence. "It's killing me to see you like this, Junior. Look, for what it's worth, I'm sorry about what happened to Blondie… I mean, Ophelia. I know exactly what it's like to lose a child." Gaius' own voice started to choke up, but he powered through it. "Seeing how close you were to Ophelia though… it's like you lost two children." Henry looked down slightly, but his expression was otherwise static. "Hang in there, Junior. I know you'll get through this. Something's got to bring that smile back to your face, right?"

The two men turned at the sound of armored footsteps and startled murmurings behind them. A Grimleal Pacification Squad consisting of eight arquebus armed soldiers and a halberd equipped lieutenant made its way down the street. Pacification Squads, sometimes called "Pacifiers" as a pejorative, were dedicated policing units, and Gaius knew they wouldn't be in a small town unless they were investigating something. The lieutenant, a young woman with piercing green eyes, orange hair much like Gaius', and a rather severe case of freckles, held up a poster and commanded passersby to look at it. As she got closer, Gaius could make out what she kept repeating over and over. "Citizens! The Grimleal commands your attention! A suspicious sword was spotted in Shepherd's Folly the other day, and we believe its owner is a wanted criminal."

"Suspicious sword?!" Gaius said to himself, alarmed. "Chrom, you moron! I knew this would bite us!"

"Have you seen this man?" The lieutenant shouted whenever she held up the poster. She eventually turned towards Gaius, and he was able to make out the drawing. Though the picture was a little out of date, as it depicted Mercer's unkempt hair and beard, it was clear to Gaius that it was a wanted poster of Chrom. The lieutenant noticed Gaius staring at it from a distance, and she and her men approached. She firmly planted her halberd and pointed at him. "Hey! You two! Get over here! We want to talk to you!"

"Uh oh." Gaius turned back to Henry, and a smile crept across his face. "Wait a minute. Henry, you like killing people, right?"

Henry raised his hand, dark magic crackling between his fingers, and finally gave a real smile.

Chrom and Pheros were just about to leave when they heard the sounds of gunshots and spells outside, every shot and attack echoing through the stillness of the town. Though he hesitated for a moment, Chrom willed himself to take the Carrot Axe and brast outside to find an impromptu battle unfolding in the street. Henry had already slain a Pacification Unit, and Chrom turned just in time to see him unleash another blast of dark magic. The blast struck the man squarely in the chest, blowing him backwards. Steam could be seen rising off his skin as the body finally came to a rest. Two other Grimleal units responded by discharging their arquebuses at the dark mage, but the bullets deflected just millimeters off of Henry's skin. The same technique Dartsmoth had used. Another soldier lit the fuse of a grenade and prepared to throw it. "For the Fell Dragon!"

"The Fell Dragon can suck a turnip!" Gaius shouted as he fired at the man. The bullet struck him in the arm, causing him to drop the grenade as he shrieked in pain. The explosive went off a few seconds later, rending the man apart. Henry laughed in response, and a rather dark smile took Gaius. "Ha! I don't think I could do that again in a million years!"

But Chrom didn't share in the thrill of battle as his old allies did. Even though they were Grimleal, the three deaths in front of him chilled Chrom to his bones. Something had changed in him, and the warrior struggled not to shiver. Not to look on his friends with fear. Thirty years ago, Chrom would have already cut down a soldier himself, but human life had more sanctity to him now. "It's a warzone out here!"

"What an astute observation, Chrom." Pheros responded dryly. "And I thought Robin was the brains of the Shepherds."

Chrom raised the Carrot Axe. He wasn't entirely sure how to properly wield it, but he couldn't just stand there. "I have to stop this!"

Pheros raised her healing staff. "I think you could use a support unit."

Chrom always had a trusting nature, and he was especially willing to trust those who fought beside him in battle. As much time as he'd spent with Pheros recently, her willingness to help was what truly erased any uneasiness Chrom had around her. In time the battle would end, and Chrom would remember she was an officer in a dangerous organization with her own agenda, but for now the two were comrades in arms. Nodding towards her, Chrom stepped out into battle. Sprinting towards the nearest Pacification Unit, a young man trying to take aim at Gaius, Chrom put all his strength into a swing of his battle axe. The carrots sticking out of the axe's blade became a focus point for the kinetic energy in Chrom's swing, and so one of the carrots was easily able to penetrate the man's cuirass. The unit was thrown to the ground, blood trickling from his wound as Chrom withdrew the axe, but he still lived. In fact, he wasn't seriously hurt at all, but Chrom had no intention of finishing him. All that mattered was protecting Gaius and Henry. Beyond that, Chrom felt a need to minimize any further killing if he could.

Meanwhile, the Grimleal continued to fire at Henry, but he resisted their attacks until their arquebuses were expended. A dissonantly cheery grin taking his face, Henry prepared to counterattack, but the Grimleal lieutenant had made her way behind him and brought him down by striking the back of his head with the shaft of her halberd. Gaius saw and aimed his freshly reloaded arquebus. "Cheeky harlot!" He fell to one knee, steadied his breath, and prepared to fire, but the lieutenant threw her halberd to the ground and pulled out a sidearm as he did. Deciding he didn't like his chances, Gaius moved for cover and ducked behind a now abandoned carriage as the woman discharged her pistol. The shot embedded itself in the carriage, and Gaius prepared to fire back. A confident smile on his face, Gaius poked his head out, only to immediately duck back behind the carriage as another bullet hurtled by. "Aw what the hell! She fired twice without reloading! Not possible! I call Pegasus dung!"

The lieutenant fired three more rounds from her pistol, seemingly defying a nigh universal limitation that defined firearms. Though he wasn't entirely sure how they worked, Chrom thought every gun had to be reloaded before it could be fired again, but this woman's pistol seemed to be magic. Chrom did notice some kind of cylinder on the back of the gun that rotated with each shot fired, but all the woman did to fire again was pull back the gun's hammer. Still, Chrom didn't care about the danger of facing the woman's seemingly impossible sidearm. He only cared about Gaius' life. Without a second thought, he threw himself at the lieutenant, and he felt reassured as he could hear Pheros following behind him. Chrom tried not to make too much noise as he neared the woman, but the lieutenant heard him approach and spun around. Thankfully, she still had to pull back the hammer before she could fire again, and so Chrom was almost able to reach her before she could fire. Almost. With less than half a meter between them, the lieutenant was able to fire at Chrom, putting a bullet through his heart.

Time stopped. Chrom could still move, but no one else did. The lieutenant was still in front of Chrom, her pistol still aimed at him. Pheros was behind him, unmoving. Gaius and Henry were still where they were too. Chrom looked down to see a bullet wound in his chest, but there was only blood in the actual penetration point, and it didn't hurt. He wondered what could be happening for only an instant before it dawned on him. "Oh no. N-not here." Chrom turned at a flash of blue in the corner of his eye to see a butterfly flying by him, just like in Shepherd's Folly. "Not now."

Within seconds Chrom found himself surrounded by over a dozen of these butterflies, each one as blue as his hair was in his youth. Nothing else moved, and Chrom couldn't do anything but watch as they fluttered around, occasionally landing on the people present. One eventually landed on Chrom. Curious, he gently allowed it to crawl on his finger and held it up as the butterfly stayed there, only occasionally flapping its wings. Remembering how the vision ended in Shepherd's Folly, Chrom crushed it in his hand and was immediately blinded by a flash of white light.

Chrom found himself in an underground structure, illuminated only by torches. He felt the area was familiar, but he didn't recognize it until he saw the figure in front of him. At the sight of "his" blue armor and sword, Chrom immediately realized the memory he was reliving. This was Arena Ferox, and "Marth" was in front of him. Just like thirty two years ago. "W-what?! What is this?!" Marth didn't react. She just drew her Parallel Falchion and held it out towards her father, just as she'd done before. Chrom didn't react in kind this time. "I know who you are! I know your secret! Stop this!" Marth didn't listen. With it clear that Chrom wouldn't move, Marth charged at him. Chrom instinctively reached for his Falchion, but he tried to will himself not to draw it. "STOP IT!" Marth continued to sprint until she got close enough to leap into the air, spin around several times, and bring her sword down on him. Recognizing the move from the actual fight, Chrom knew he had no choice but to draw his sword now, and he barely managed to block as the weight of the blow came upon him. Chrom was almost knocked to his knees, but he managed to parry Marth's next strike. Just as what had happened almost one third of a century ago, and just as with Chrom's battles with E-13, father and daughter became locked in a bitter duel.

Chrom had always wondered why Lucina fought him at Arena Ferox, and he never really asked her directly. He figured that she'd thrown the fight to guarantee his victory. For all Chrom knew, Lon'qu, who would have been Basilio's champion if Marth hadn't defeated him, won in Lucina's timeline, and Lucina might have figured that this somehow contributed to Grima's rise. Chrom could tell Marth wasn't fighting as intensely as she could at Arena Ferox, and even when practicing with Lucina in his spare time Chrom could tell that she was holding back. Chrom had been training to use the Falchion since he was old enough to hold it, but Lucina had been fighting to survive since she was old enough to hold it.

Chrom wasn't sure that was true now, as Marth fought bitterly against him. It was a struggle just to keep up with her blows, and Chrom's continued insistence that the fight was pointless did little to affect her. Chrom didn't even recognize her fighting style as entirely Lucina's. Was his mind making it up, or was this how Lucina fought when she truly intended to kill? She certainly never used it against him. Chrom knew he couldn't be on the defensive forever, and he reluctantly forced himself to counterattack instead of just parry. Chrom didn't want to hurt Marth at all, but she made it impossible for him fight defensively. When Chrom wavered for just an instant, Marth landed a glancing hit across his chest. The wound stung as badly as any real injury would have, and he began to fear what would happen if Marth struck him down. Would he die in real life? Leave Gaius and Henry alone? Soleil and Caeldori?

Thinking about them, and not about having to fight his own daughter, Chrom fought Marth more intensely, and butterflies began to surround the area as they did. The butterflies multiplied with every clash of the twin Falchions, and before long over a hundred filled the arena. Chrom could hear his daughter's voice in his head every time their swords clashed, and sometimes this happened so frequently that multiple sentences played out at once, all spoken by that same familiar voice.

"Let us fight with honor. May the best soldier win."

"Heh, never expected such youthful arrogance… we shall see who shames who."

"I challenge my fate!"

"One of you Deadlords has the Brand. I saw it. Was he of the exalted bloodline, then? I should very much like to face him. If he's at all like my father, then he must be a warrior worth my time."

"Wonderful! I just so happen to have two right here…"

"I understand I don't belong in this time. I'll not have myself become a burden."

"Can I ask a favor? I'd love you to go shopping with me sometime—my fashion sense is a little...absent."

"My father means everything to me. If anyone tries to harm him, then I would have no choice but to…"

"With every foe we have the heart to face... we take back our future!"

"I remember a little of a more peaceful time when I was very small. I pretended I was captain of my very own Junior Shepherds! Be kind to baby Lucina if she does such silly things. They...may be all she has."

"Father… whatever this was… it wasn't… your-"

Chrom grew more unhinged with every new butterfly. With every word of Lucina's that tunneled its way into his head. He just wanted it to be over, and rage drove his actions more and more as he desperately sought to end the fight. Without realizing it, Chrom's moves became too severe for Marth to follow, and what was intended to be a disarming strike ended with his divine blade cleaving through Marth's chest. She stopped moving and coughed up blood, and Chrom froze in terror. He couldn't bring himself to move until after she'd finally crumpled to the floor. Marth was still breathing, though with great difficulty, and Chrom threw himself to her side. Held her in his arms.

"NO! NO, damn it, why-why did you keep fighting?! WHY?! THERE WAS NO POINT! WHY?!"

"Why?" She responded weakly. Chrom tore off the butterfly mask, revealing Lucina's familiar eyes. There was no hatred in them. No anger. Lucina only seemed to feel contentment. "I don't… know anything else. War is… what I am. I've been fighting my whole life. A princess?" Lucina shook her head. "I don't know what that's like, but a warrior? I can do that. I-I'm not really your daughter. You could never watch me grow up. I was never going to inherit the throne. I don't want to get in the way of my younger self. Me? I'm just a warrior."

"No. N-no that's not true!"

Lucina gave a warm smile. "Oh, father. I've been waiting so long for this day. My whole life I've dreamed of seeing the man you were. Of fighting by your side. You're a wonderful man, Chrom. I-I'm so glad I could meet you, father. I… love you."

"Oh gods, Lucina. Nothing you said was true! You are my daughter, and you're not a burden. You don't have to fight anymore! Please, please don't leave me again!"

"It's okay, father. There's only room for one Falchion. I see that now. I knew that it was possible Grima couldn't be stopped, but I am willing to devote my life to fighting it. I've spent my life as a warrior, so a warrior's death is fitting. Is this death? Is this what I've been running from? Heh, it's not so bad."

"Lucina… stop-"

"Will… anyone… remember me? Remember that… I tried?"

Chrom tried to hold her again, but a mass of butterflies poured from her wound, and they became so thick that he couldn't see her anymore. When they finally dissipated, the body was gone. Several butterflies remained, and again Chrom allowed one to land on his finger. Before he could even begin to process what had happened, the delicate creature morphed into a blow fly. Chrom looked up to see this had happened to all the butterflies, and the arena was now filled with the droning of their wings. Chrom tried to step away, but the Parallel Falchion embedded itself in his chest before he could. Instantly realizing what it meant, even as his chest burned with agonizing pain, Chrom turned as he fell to see E-13. The expression of rage on her face, an expression that the other Lucina had never had, made her identity certain.

"Good!" Gangrel laughed as he stepped out from behind his chief enforcer. "Oh I'm so proud of you, my trophy. You will go down as the Lucina people remember."

"No." Chrom tried to cry. "No!"

"Enough." Grima stood by Gangrel's side. The sight of Robin's body as the Hierophant was too much for Chrom to bear, and he hung his head. "Emperor, have him killed. Ensure that humanity is brought to the knee forever!"

"Of course, Lord Grima." Gangrel turned to E-13. "Do it." He gently caressed her cheek, which would have infuriated Chrom if he still had the concentration to pay attention. "Make me proud."

Without hesitation, E-13 stepped forward and raised her sword. Chrom looked up one last time. He swore he saw different visions. He saw Lucina when she was in the Shepherds. He saw her as Marth. He saw her in some kind of bridal gown. He even saw her as an infant. The last thing he saw was E-13 bringing her sword down.

"Gaargh!" Chrom found himself on the ground. He immediately shot to his feet and readied his Carrot Axe, only to realize that the battle had ended. The three Grimleal soldiers that had died were piled up by the side of the road, and five survivors, including the lieutenant, were tied up nearby. Henry stood over them, and the Grimleal seemed very wary of the dark mage. An eighth soldier was lying in the street. She was badly injured from what appeared to be a stab wound, but she still clung to life. Gaius looked over to Chrom and gave him an annoyed glance. "Well look who's back. Tired, Chrom? Decided you needed a little nap?"

"I'm… sorry. I don't know-" Chrom saw another flash of blue in the corner of his eye, and he realized several butterflies were flying around the area. Time didn't stop, but Chrom wasn't sure if even this was real. "Oh no. It's not over!"

Pheros gently placed her hand on Chrom's shoulder as she walked up, snapping him back to reality somewhat. "Chrom?" He turned to see a sympathetic look from her. "It happened again… didn't it?"

"I… I don't know what happened. I was shot in the heart, and then-"

"Shot in the heart?" Pheros pointed to blood on Chrom's shoulder. "You would have died if she shot you in the heart. She only hit you in the shoulder. The bullet passed through you, so I could use my healing staff. We would have had to cut it out if it embedded itself in your bone."

Gaius nodded. "It's not like in the old days when a healing staff could fix anything. Now you need a surgeon if a bullet or shrapnel gets inside of you, or you just have to walk it off." Gaius winced and looked down to his knee. "Oh, old wound got uppity just thinking about it. I, I don't recommend trying to walk it off."

"Well it's over now." Pheros nodded towards the captured Grimleal soldiers. "I figured we should try to interrogate them."

Chrom looked back over to the wounded soldier. She could only manage faint noises, and Gaius, Henry, and Pheros paid her little mind. They clearly didn't think she could be saved. "What about her?"

"She tried to attack you after you fell to the ground, but I stopped her. I don't think she'll make it."

"Would your healing staff work?"

Pheros squinted at him. "Healing staffs have limited uses. I'm not going to use it on a Grimleal soldier. You can finish her off if you're so concerned."

"Finish her off?"

"She's suffering, Chrom. You can choose to end it, but we're not wasting anymore time with her."

Chrom slowly approached the wounded soldier. She looked up at him with fear in her eyes, but she didn't have the strength to do anything else. She'd been stripped of her weapons, and the implications of this bothered Chrom. Someone had interacted with her after she was injured, but they didn't care to help. Chrom slowly drew the Thundergrypp and pulled back the hammer, but he didn't aim it yet. The woman moaned and clutched her wound, now coated with dark red blood, but she also managed a few words. "W-wait… d-don't. Don't!"

Chrom thought about the severity of the wound. He'd never seen anyone survive anything like it without a healing staff or medicine, and the soldier might have already lost too much blood. He thought about how quick and painless a shot to the head or heart would have been. He thought about how the woman was a soldier in a regime. She was hardly innocent. He thought about all the horrible things the Grimleal had done, and how soldiers like her chose to be part of it. He thought of all these reasons, and he became more and more disgusted with himself with every one. As Chrom looked down at the woman, the butterflies returned to his field of view. For an instant, but a moment, Chrom briefly saw his daughter's body instead of the woman's. "No. I'm not doing this."

Pheros turned to him. "What was that?"

Chrom looked down to the Thundergrypp. Flintlock pistols weren't designed to be unloaded without firing, but Chrom removed the gunpowder in the pan to keep it from going off. He then set it on the ground. When he did, the butterflies disappeared, and Chrom was even more sure of his decision. "This is somebody's daughter. Maybe somebody's mother. Maybe somebody's wife. Maybe somebody's sister." He looked back at Pheros. "Heal her."

"Excuse me?"

"Heal her!"

"Chrom, what did I just tell you? I'm not wasting a healing staff on a Grimleal soldier-"

"HEAL HER!" Chrom barked. Gaius and Henry looked at him in alarm. Even Pheros had to take a step back before she regained her composure.

"You do not command me! Chrom, our resources are limited until we get to The Saltworks. I am not wasting my time with that Grimleal trash."

Chrom looked around in frustration. "You won't help her? None of you will help her?! Fine. I'll heal her!"

Gaius and Henry looked at each other to make sure they were hearing the same thing, and Gaius stepped forward. "What are you going to do? Wander around and find a vulnerary?" To his surprise, Chrom turned and seemed to do just that. "You can't be serious!"

"Gaius, that woman deserves a chance!"

"Why are you upset? How many people have you killed in your life? What's the problem now?"

"I'm upset because I've been shown the answer to that question. Thirty years ago I would have killed these soldiers without hesitation, but things have changed. Even then, I would never have killed someone so defenseless."

Gaius was more confused than anything. "So you're some pacifist now?"

"Gaius, do you remember what you told me at Cordelia's homestead? You told me you never killed as a thief, but Robin and I made you do it as if you were any other soldier when you joined the Shepherds. You told me it bothered you. Well here's me saying I'm sorry. I see now how much fighting we did. The Shepherds fought for a good cause, and we did good things, but we left death in our wake. All that killing. How many? Hundreds? Thousands? How many men and women died so that we could find weapons or supplies? Money? Experience? We made killing into some kind of routine."

"It was a war, Chrom! We needed to be stronger!"

"We failed! What we tried didn't work! Something has to change!"

"I-I can't-" Gaius ran his hands through his hair. "This is getting crazy, Chrom! I'm glad you're thinking about these things, I really am, but you're being ridiculous! Why are you looking down on the Shepherds?! Why are you upset we defended ourselves?! These are gods-damned Grimmies! They're not people!"

"DON'T SAY THAT!"

"What the hell is wrong with you? I don't like fighting either, but gods, Chrom, we're warriors! It's what we do! It's what your royal family has done for thousands of years! It's what Lucina and Noire and Owain and all the others did. They all fought to make a better world. We can't just have a cuddle party with the Grimleal. We have to kill them!"

"I'm not proud of any of that killing, and I never would have wanted such a violent life for my daughter! Surely you feel the same! I'm not proud of what we were!"

"Oh my gods! 'Oh woe is me! I saw Lucina step on a bug earlier and now I'm crying because my daughter is clearly such a horrible warmonger!' What is wrong with you?! Why have you turned against fighting at all? We can't negotiate with the Grimleal!"

"Maybe we have to fight, Gaius, but I won't take human life for granted as I did! We don't have to kill like this! We don't have to let young women bleed out in the street because you think she doesn't deserve empathy just because of her uniform!"

"You know what? If you're too squeamish to do it, then Henry can. Do it, Junior. Put an end to this stupid argument." Henry smiled and casually tossed a blast of dark magic at the wounded soldier.

"NOOOO!" Not even thinking of his own safety, Chrom darted forward and took the attack. He was thrown to his back by the blast, and for a few seconds he could do nothing but scream as the spell burned his skin. If it wasn't for his high resistance, and the fact that Henry used a weaker spell to kill an already wounded woman, Chrom might have burned to death right there. Pheros, Henry, and Gaius froze in horror. Even the captured Grimleal soldiers were stunned.

"Are you insane?!" Gaius roared, more fear than anger in his voice. "Henry could have killed you!"

"Enough!" Chrom forced himself to his feet and drove the shaft of the Carrot Axe into the ground. The sight of such a furious, grizzled man with dark magic cracking off of his skin and a spring themed axe yelling was almost surreal. "ENOUGH! SHE LIVES!"

No one could speak for several seconds. Such was his shock that Henry spoke to his allies for the first time since Ophelia's death. "He's… he's lost his marbles!"

"Oh for the Earth Mother's sake." Sighing, Pheros used her healing staff on the Pacification Unit, stabilizing her wound. "Are you happy now?!"

Chrom tried not to look angry at his allies. He didn't mean to blame them for having fought back. He just wanted to make it clear that no one else would die. "What about the prisoners?" He tried to say in a very stern voice. Pheros just responded with a roll of her eyes.

"Spare me your male posturing. I never would have made it in the army if I backed down whenever a man yelled. Only the lieutenant matters. The others are worthless." Pheros stepped forward with a severe glare of her own. "To do anything but dispose of them would be a waste of time."

"We're not killing them."

"We're at war! They're the enemy!"

"You're at war. Not me."

"You would let Cordelia and Ophelia die for nothing?"

Chrom didn't lose his temper at the mention of them. He just returned Pheros' glare. "I'm not Mercer. I won't turn away from the world anymore, but I'm not going to be what I was. I won't take life for granted, and even then I wouldn't have killed defenseless soldiers. I'm going to talk to them. All of them. You don't have to stay if you don't want to, but I won't be going with you if you leave now."

Pheros gritted her teeth, and she finally decided it wasn't worth arguing over. "Then I'll get them ready for interrogation."

"But don't hurt them. Just restrain them."

"Such naivety is a weakness in a warrior."

"Then maybe I'm something else now."

The Grimleal lieutenant was kept separately from the surviving members of the squad. The townspeople who had fled hadn't come back yet, so Pheros had her tied to a chair and kept in a storage room in the inn. When Chrom and the others walked in, the lieutenant didn't say or do anything. She just brought her green eyes to Chrom's and gave him a bitter, defiant look, but Chrom didn't respond with anger. He looked her over to see if Pheros had hurt her, but she stayed true to her word. Other than having her hands tightly bound, the woman was perfectly fine. However, even this bothered Chrom. "Untie her."

"Huh?! Gaius exclaimed. "Blue!"

"Chrom, that's moronic." Pheros responded. Chrom shook his head.

"We took her weapons, and there's four of us. She's no threat. I don't want to interrogate her. I don't want to intimidate her. I just want to talk. One adult to another."

"Chrom-"

"Please."

Pheros sighed and used her short sword to cut the woman's bindings. "You're lucky I'm not the Justicar, Chrom. He would have shot her by now."

The lieutenant rubbed her wrists and looked back to Chrom. "You expect me to thank you, rebel?" She slowly stood up. "You murdered three of my men."

"I'm sorry about that."

Gaius still couldn't get over what he was hearing. "You are?"

"I am." He looked at the lieutenant. "The wounded soldier is doing okay, by the way. She'll make it."

"What the hell are you trying to do here, Arch Surg?"

"I'm not Arch Surg." Chrom motioned to Pheros. "She is, but the rest of us aren't. We just want to talk."

The lieutenant eyed Pheros' sword, looking just long enough to get a tactical understanding of the situation. "Like hell!" Moving too quickly for anyone to react, the lieutenant momentarily fazed Chrom with a strike to the head, turned to Pheros, and forced her to the ground. Stealing her short sword, the lieutenant prepared to face Gaius and Henry, who were ready to defend themselves. Not wanting them to be hurt, or for the lieutenant to be killed, Chrom sprung up and reengaged the woman. Moving faster than he honestly thought he still could, Chrom narrowly dodged the lieutenant's attempt to stab him with the short sword. She held it in an ice pick grip, and her attack was a quick jab intended to be followed by a more serious slash. Chrom evaded the attack by grabbing the woman's arm and forcing it to the side, causing the blade to just barely miss him. As she tried to retract her arm, he held tightly to her forearm and spun her arm to the side, bending it uncomfortably as he did so, before striking her elbow with his free hand. He then grabbed her and threw her to her back, her body hitting the ground just instants after the sword she dropped. "You're a quick thinker." Chrom said to her as she brought her head up. "They trained you well. You're a good soldier."

"Damn you, Arch Surg!"

"I'm not Arch Surg."

"What's one terrorist to another!" With more force than he thought she was capable of, the woman reached up and struck Chrom in the knee. Chrom staggered, and the woman was able to free herself, retrieve the short sword, and impale Chrom in the side. The woman turned and tried to make for the exit, but Gaius readied his arquebus, and Henry prepared a spell. Defiant to the end, the woman simply raised her fists.

Chrom refused to allow any harm to come to her. Throwing himself back to his feet, he grabbed the lieutenant and forced her to the side a second before Henry could unleash an attack. The lieutenant responded to his mercy with a flurry of attacks from her fists, but a few power blows from him were enough to slow her. Still desperate to fight, the lieutenant grabbed the short sword still impaled in Chrom's side and tried to retrieve it, but Chrom took the opportunity to headbutt her before putting all of his strength into a blow to the stomach. The Grimleal soldier fell to the ground, unable to fight anymore.

"Damn Grimmie!" Gaius yelled as he stepped forward and stuck his arquebus to the woman's head, but Chrom grabbed the barrel and forced it to point at his own chest. Gaius almost dropped it in shock. "Chrom! What the-"

"Let me make this clear. If she dies, it'll only be after getting through me. We're talking to her."

"What… what is wrong with you?"

"No. More. Death."

"She stabbed you!"

"I don't care! It's not worth taking a life over!" Chrom shoved the arquebus into Gaius' chest and helped the lieutenant back to the chair. Gaius and Henry looked at Chrom as if he'd grown a second head now, so he tried not to look at them. Pheros stepped forward, a worried expression on her face. Chrom tried to remove the short sword, but Pheros grabbed it instead.

"At least let me treat this."

"Be gentle." Chrom growled. He wasn't pleading with Pheros. Instead he tried to softly command her. Pheros responded with a kind of playful smile.

"Of course."

She withdrew the sword in one quick motion. Chrom gritted his teeth and tried not to scream as blood poured out, but this only happened for a split second before Pheros applied her healing staff. Chrom nodded to her and looked at the Grimleal soldier. "Now, let's try that again. Who are you?"

The woman struggled to speak through her heavy breathing. "Wolcroft. Lieutenant Wolcroft. Service number 32-04-37503739. That's all you're going to get from me."

"My name is Chrom."

The woman's eyes widened as she seemed to finally recognize him from her poster. "By the Fell Dragon. It's true. That sword left at Shepherd's Folly was the Falchion. The Inquisitors tested it, but this proves it. You were there, and you left the sword behind!"

Gaius shook his head. "Chrom, leaving that sword behind might be one of the dumbest things you've ever done!"

"But… how did they find it so quickly? Why didn't they think it was just a replica?"

"The Inquisitors take everything seriously." Wolcroft responded.

"And the Grimleal is everywhere." Pheros added.

"I can't believe it's you." Wolcroft said, a hint of wonder in her voice. "We're all told about how dangerous the Shepherds were, and how you and a few others escaped justice, but seeing you now… you're just an old man."

"He put you on your rear end." Gaius responded.

"I'm not saying you're not a capable warrior. Tell me, why do I still live? The Arch Surg isn't known for taking care of prisoners."

"I'm really not part of the Arch Surg."

Pheros nodded. "He's not."

"I… I don't think it's right to just kill you."

"But I have a mission to capture you, or to at least report your location. You can't let me go. Surely you realize that? Just kill me, rebel. Murder me."

"I wouldn't do that."

"You would destroy the peace and order we've brought to the world, but you can't kill one woman?! Don't lie to me!"

Pheros shook her head. "See what we're dealing with? She's been brainwashed."

"Brainwashed?" Wolcroft started to chuckle before breaking out into a full laugh.

"What's so funny?" Gaius said as she began to stop.

"Brainwashed? A fine joke, but you terrorists have no idea what's going on. We choose to serve the Grimleal. We choose to fight! The Grimleal has given us opportunities that never existed before. In the old world, the people were lead by petty and inbred nobles. Now we're lead by men and women that have earned their positions! Lords used to say 'Fight for us!' Now our leaders say 'Fight with us!' Every civilization in history has been a nation of commoners and soldiers, but the Grimleal has done something that's never been done before. They've created a nation for commoners. For soldiers."

"Ridiculous." Pheros spat.

Wolcroft stared intently at Chrom. "Let me tell something, Exalt. I was Ylissean born. My family has been in the military for generations, and my father fought in your father's crusade. He served with distinction. He gave everything for Ylisse!" Wolcroft shook her head. "But when your sister Emmeryn became Exalt, the Ylissean military was disbanded. Only a few knights remained. Soldiers like my father were left with nothing. No pension. No occupation. As the years went by, Ylissean culture turned against the war, and soldiers like my father were shunned. They were called warmongers. Zealots. Even baby killers. Many couldn't do anything but fight, so they became brigands and pirates, and this only made people hate them more. Those men and women were willing to give everything for Ylisse, and Ylisse abandoned them! Petty lords and nobles used soldiers as tools, and then they were cast aside!"

"You going to let her insult your sister like that, Chrom?" Gaius asked.

"She did not insult my sister."

"Emmeryn was weak willed! She let the nobles lead her around like a dog!"

Chrom took a deep breath. "Okay, now she insulted my sister, but we're not hurting her!"

"The Grimleal won't do that!" Wolcroft continued. "The officers, bureaucrats, and lord lieutenants who lead the Grimleal earned their positions through merit, and many were soldiers. The Grimleal cares about soldiers. They've created a world where soldiers will always have a place."

"They've created a brutal autarchy where humanity is at the mercy of a god of evil!" Pheros countered. Wolcroft was unfazed.

"The Grimleal has unified humanity, bringing an end to the constant warfare between kingdoms. The Grimleal has brought an end to brigands and pirates. They've made education free and widely available. They've created a centralized economy. They build roads. Cities. They give opportunities to commoners that never existed before. They've ushered in an age of unparalleled scientific advancement. Let me ask you something, Chrom. If the Hero King himself somehow appeared when you were a young man, would he have been surprised at how much had changed? No. Everything was the damn same. It's like the world was in stasis. In thirty years the Grimleal has done what you lords couldn't do in two thousand. Feudalism held the world back! Grima has done nothing but help humanity! You lords were the autarchs! Why did you become Exalt, Chrom? Why did you lead the Shepherds? Because of your birth! You inherited your position in life! I became a lieutenant because I earned it, gods damn it! Even Gangrel and Aversa earned their positions! You're nothing more than a sad, old tyrant, and you should have died with the Future Witness and the rest of the men and women you lead to their deaths!"

It was everything Chrom had not to snap at Wolcroft, but he kept his composure. "Wolcroft… I never thought about it like that. I suppose Emmeryn's actions did leave a lot of soldiers without jobs, but they were necessary to create peace."

"Are you honestly going to tell me you want peace?! You who has slain hundreds of Grimleal soldiers?"

"What?" Chrom squinted at her. "I haven't killed that many Grimleal soldiers!"

"Liar!"

"I killed Courtney's lieutenants and agents, but that wasn't more than thirty people. I killed Dr. Kryczek and an Inquisitor at Nowi Falls. That's it."

"Not just Kryczek! You killed hundreds at Nowi Falls! An entire division of the 4th Army! Gone! Slain by your hand, and now you want to tell me that you just want to talk! That you want peace!"

"That's not true! Nowi Falls was attacked by Tunnellers! Only a handful of Grimleal soldiers were there."

Wolcroft seemed genuinely confused. "What?"

"Did the Grimleal tell you that soldiers were involved?"

"Yes!"

Pheros looked at her inquisitively. "The Grimleal 4th Army was deployed near the city, but we know now they were a diversion to lure out the city's garrison while the Tunnellers attacked. I think the Grimleal is lying to you."

"And why wouldn't you be lying?!"

"The Arch Surg always takes credit for attacks doesn't it?"

"... yes."

"Don't you think we would have announced if Chrom was fighting with us? If he took out an entire army while fighting with our forces? Think about it. Chrom is a legend to many people. You saw as much at Shepherd's Folly. As word that he's still alive spreads, the Grimleal will try to demonize him. Many people are afraid of the Arch Surg. The Grimleal are afraid Chrom could inspire resistance, so they want to associate him with a dangerous organization. Of course, the Grimleal lies to people about the Arch Surg. Makes it seem like we're terrorists."

Chrom looked at Wolcroft with an understanding expression. "They've been lying to you. I've only killed a handful of Grimleal soldiers. Even then, I'm not proud of it. Kryczek and the Inquisitor had to die, but I see now that I simply lashed out at Courtney's forces out of rage. They killed Conrad and his little girl, but killing them wasn't going to bring them back. I don't regret fighting the Grimleal, but I'm sorry about the killing."

Wolcroft snarled. "And my men? Are you sorry about them too?"

"I am."

"You're going to stand there and tell me you care about Grimleal soldiers?!"

"I talked to your men. All of them."

"What are their names?"

"Benjamin. He was originally conscripted, but now he's decided he likes military service. Mikaela. Wants to be an engineer. She wants to attend university one day. Sage. He wants to be a mage. He wants to study at an academy. Ellis. His father was a renowned musician in his town, and he wanted to learn to play an instrument one day. The wounded woman is named Ashley. She wants to be a Provost one day, and she's getting experience as a Pacification Unit now. The three soldiers we killed were named Sanchez, Mendoza, and Larry. I asked about them. Sanchez always had a quip or a joke. Mendoza was very serious. By the book. He wanted to become an officer. Larry was conscripted, and he was sending most of his pay back to his family. Three men with futures. Families. Lives. Unique points of views. Gone. Wiped away. Because of us. Because you encountered us. Wolcroft…" Chrom looked down. "I know what it's like to lose your allies. Believe me I do. Now you're face to face with the people responsible for their deaths. How could you feel anything but hatred for us? I just want you to know that I'm sorry. No matter what the Grimleal tells you, know that I don't want this."

Wolcroft was blown away, and Chrom could tell that her anger was finally leaving her. "You did talk to them… and you are sorry. But… why? We're the enemy."

"But you're still human. Grima deserves our wrath, but not soldiers like you. I see that now. Thirty years ago, I quietly became a monster. I created the Shepherds because I wanted to protect Ylisse and its people. Within a few years I was leading them against the capital cities of other countries. I was fighting as far away as Valm. I personally killed hundreds, and I ordered the Shepherds to kill thousands more. I fought for a good cause. I just wanted to stop the Grimleal. I just wanted to save the world." Chrom looked back up. "My father wanted the same thing. He just wanted to stop Grima. He just wanted to save the world. He ended up becoming a brutal conqueror who almost destroyed Ylisse and Plegia. The Shepherds grew so powerful as my war continued. We were bringing down entire nations. In a few more years… I might have become no different from my father. I had an honorable cause, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Gangrel. Aversa. Walhart. My father. Rudolf. Hardin. They all had good intentions, but what is the honor of their causes to the men and women that died because of them? I would ask the same thing of myself. Maybe my cause was righteous, but what is that to the world now?" Chrom gave a strange look to Wolcroft. There was more sadness in his eyes than anything. "The happiness in my life came from being a husband. A father. A brother. Not from killing. Not from fighting. Back then, I just wanted the war to be over. I just wanted the Shepherds to be happy. Now… I don't want to be what I was. I don't want to kill like that again. The Grimleal has done horrible things to me. To the world. How can I not fight them? I have to try and stop the Fell Dragon, but I don't want to kill soldiers like you anymore. Does… does that make sense?"

"I… I don't know. Being a soldier… it means having loyalty to something greater than yourself. If you are ordered to kill, then you kill. A soldier has no place questioning the mission."

"Then maybe I'm not a soldier. You may be a soldier, Wolcroft, but you're also a woman. An adult who makes her own decisions. Maybe… maybe we'll have to kill you… but gods. I don't want that."

"We're at war, Chrom."

"The Grimleal is at war with the Arch Surg, but does that mean we're at war with each other? The two of us personally? Are we two cogs in a machine, or are we a man and a woman with our own lives? The ability to make our own decisions?"

"Are you asking me to abandon my mission?"

"I'm asking you to consider what this war is, and why you're a part of it."

"I joined the military to protect the peace and order that the Grimleal has built from terrorists like you… but you're not a terrorist. You really do want peace." No one in the room knew what to say after that, and almost a minute of silence passed before Wolcroft broke it. "What happens now?"

"I talked to your soldiers about holding a service for Sanchez, Mendoza, and Larry. Would you be interested in that?"

"... I would."

Wolcroft and the five remaining soldiers were allowed to dig graves for the three slain Pacification Units. Pheros and Gaius fully intended to pack up the carriage and leave while they were distracted, but Chrom refused. As much as they pleaded and insisted that it was the most logical thing to do, Chrom wouldn't listen. He insisted on helping the Grimleal, and nothing changed his mind. He helped to dig the graves. He helped place the bodies in them. He stood there in respectful silence as several of the soldiers yelled at him for his role in the killings. He did it all without hesitation. The soldiers made makeshift markers out of the arquebuses, boots, and helmets of their friends, and then held a small service. Only then did Chrom leave, and he quietly watched from a distance as each one of them said something. Gaius approached Chrom, his mood nothing short of frustrated. "What the hell, Blue… just what the hell?"

"They deserve respect."

"The Grimleal soldiers?!"

"Yes."

"You're an idiot!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way." Chrom's voice was perfectly calm. There was no defensiveness or anger. Just sorrow. "If you could see what I've seen, you'd understand."

"Don't tell me you're upset with Henry and I for killing them."

"No. You were just defending yourselves." Chrom looked at Gaius. "But I want to minimize killing like this in the future."

"What are you becoming?"

"I don't know. The way I see it, my entire life I've had two paths to follow. The path of my father, or the path of my elder sister. Up until now, even if I didn't think so, I've been following the path of my father. Now I want to give Emmeryn's a try."

"Chrom, you're being naive. We'll have to kill people. We'll have to fight against the Grimleal. Don't confuse peace with quiet. Peace will only come when we destroy this empire, and you can't become best buddies with every soldier! What about that man who killed Ophelia? What about Courtney and Kryczek? Could you become friends with them?!"

"Maybe not, but that doesn't mean I can't give people a chance. I gave you a chance. I gave Henry a chance. I'm giving Pheros a chance. I met all three of you as enemies. If I hadn't been willing to talk to you, then no one would be by my side right now."

"Well… I'll give you that one."

Chrom and Gaius turned to see Wolcroft approaching by herself. Gaius tensed up, but Chrom gently grabbed his shoulder to reassure him. Wolcroft herself just stared down at her feet. It was clear that fighting was the last thing on her mind. "Chrom."

"Lieutenant. Is there anything else."

"Well…" Wolcroft shyly rubbed the back of her neck. It was a far cry from how she acted in battle. "Uh, may I have my sidearm back?"

"You mean this thing?" Gaius took out the pistol he'd taken from her. "Hell no!"

"Look, that wasn't issued to me. It costs a lot. I know I have no right to ask anything from you, but I was just wondering-"

"I am not giving a dangerous weapon back to an enemy soldier!"

"Gaius." Chrom pleaded. Gaius shot him a side glance.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"So you're just going to steal from a prisoner?"

"Uh, hello! It's me Gaius! THE THIEF!"

"What if you could disassemble it somehow? Then it wouldn't be dangerous."

Gaius thought about it. He took the weapon and struggled with it until he removed the hammer and cylinder before returning it to Wolcroft. She was clearly upset by it, but she managed a smile. "Well, I guess it's cheaper to get it repaired than to buy another one. Thank you."

Chrom smiled. "Thank you, Gaius."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm such a great guy. Now what the hell kind of gun is that anyways?"

"It's a 2638 New Model Ranger."

Chrom frowned. "Strange name."

"Well guns don't have names like Falchion, Tyrfing, or Thoron if that's what you were going for. Everything in a gun's name has meaning. 2638 is the year it was designed. New Model indicates that it's replacing an existing sidearm. Ranger indicates that it's made for the Army Rangers. It'll still be a few years before every division has one though. Regular soldiers might have one in a decade, assuming Xiao doesn't make a more advanced weapon by then. I only have one because I purchased it. Cost me a small fortune."

"Xiao?"

"Director Xiao is the head of weapons development. He's the one who rediscovered gunpowder, and he invented the arquebus, cannon, and rocket. If he didn't invent something, then he improved the design. He didn't invent the bow, but he did invent the crossbow, which is a hell of a lot easier to use. He didn't invent the revolver, but he did invent the mechanically indexing cylinder."

"The what indexing what now?"

"All I have to do to spin the cylinder is pull back the hammer." Wolcroft looked down to her weapon. "This weapon can fire six times before reloading. Imagine that someone had this weapon thirty years ago. They could have killed six of your best Shepherds in six seconds. Guns are the future of warfare. Soon soldiers will only fight with repeating firearms."

"Hopefully that future is far off."

"Anyways, Xiao is the man most responsible for the gunpowder revolution, but he has hundreds of engineers working for him now. Heh, gunpowder seems so simple. Just sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter."

"So what exactly is gunpowder? What makes it explosive?"

"The sulfur and charcoal act as fuels. The saltpeter acts as an oxidizer."

"Oxidizer?"

"A reduction-oxidation reaction is a chemical reaction in which matter is changed. Any such reaction involves both a reduction process and a complementary oxidation process. One example is carbon being oxidized to create carbon dioxide. Another example is the reduction of carbon by hydrogen to produce methane."

"Carbon dioxide? Methane? Hydrogen?"

"Carbon dioxide and methane are gases. Methane is commonly produced by swamps, and is sometimes called swamp gas. It consists of carbon and hydrogen. Carbon dioxide is a gas produced by aerobic organisms like humans as a byproduct of metabolism. Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are elements."

"Uh… elements?"

"Elements make up all matter."

"You mean elements like fire, water, and wind?"

Wolcroft smiled. "Ha! My Grimleal education beats your noble one. You're so primitive!"

"Hilarious." Gaius responded dryly.

"Well… anyways…" Wolcroft pulled out a carefully folded up document. "Thanks again for returning my sidearm, and thank you… for everything. For treating us with respect. It's more than what we would have done to you… and that's eating me inside. I think… I think you should have this."

"What is it?"

"Before I came here, I arrested an Arch Surg officer."

Pheros seemed to materialize out of nowhere beside Chrom, and he wondered how long she'd been listening. "An Arch Surg officer?!"

"Yes. I arrested him for public drunkenness, but then he confessed to being with the Arch Surg. He's being held in The Saltworks now. That's the paperwork I filled out when arresting him. If you show it to the Grimleal there… I don't know. Maybe they'll let you talk to him."

"You would do that?" Pheros asked, suspicious. Wolcroft shrugged.

"I honestly don't think he's that dangerous. He seemed depressed. He was rambling about how the Arch Surg made him sell a god into slavery. I felt bad for him."

"What was his name?"

"Uh… Vasto."

Pheros' eyes widened. "Vasto!"

"You do know him? Anyways, that paperwork should let you see him."

Chrom nodded. "Thank you, Wolcroft."

"It's the least I can do. By the way, I never saw you here."

"You'll abandon your mission?"

Wolcroft gave a sly look. "I would never abandon my mission. I just never found you."

Chrom returned a smile, and the two shook hands. "Good luck, Wolcroft."

"Heh, you don't want me to be too lucky. If we ever see each other again, I'll attack you."

"And I'll defend myself."

"Fair enough."

With that, Wolcroft walked away, and Chrom knew further interactions with her were no longer guaranteed. Gaius and Pheros both glared at him, and Chrom decided to turn to his old friend first. "Your trusting nature is going to get us all killed, Chrom."

Chrom just returned a smile. "It's worked so far."

"Sure it worked for Henry and I, but what about Gangrel and Aversa?"

Chrom just shrugged and shouldered the Carrot Axe as he looked off into the distant badlands. "Things will be different this time, Gaius. For everyone that died… they have to be."

Gaius snickered at the sight of Chrom trying to be serious. "Whatever you say… Spring Exalt."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."