So, moving has it's pros and cons. On the one hand, I get an office that lets me separate work from play. On the other, my days feel very much the same. This past month went by in the blink of an eye! Seriously, give me back my month! (But let me keep the pay!)

There's also so many distractions now! Overwatch, Dark Souls III, Bravely Second, Game of Thrones. Gah! Not enough hours in a day. Surprisingly, I've been writing more. You might not think so because it still took me a lot fo time to get another chapter, but I'm working on chapters for all my stories simultaneously, constantly writing and rewriting stuff.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. If you thought the last one was different, you'll be even more surprised by this one. Remember to leave a review to let me know what you think and to follow and/or favorite if you really like the story! Enjoy~

Chapter 23: An afternoon with tea

The Shepherds along with the Feroxi and the Ostians had been slowly making their way back to Ylisstol. After returning to the Halidom's side of the border, they'd made stops along every town, village, and keep they came across on Emmeryn's insistence to see that her people were doing well. And whenever they stopped by, they would stop for days at a time, as the Ylisseans wanted to celebrate the safe return of their Exalt as well as the victory of the war. Every night, people would buy them all drinks or share meals and sing praises to them for their work. Or well, to most of them, at least…

It was in one of this small towns that they had stop that a group of Shepherds had decided to take a break in a small corner tea shop. The group sat outdoors, with the nice, cool breeze heightening their sense of smell and taste for the tea they each had ordered. What made this group interesting wasn't only who made part of it, but how they chose to spend their leisure time while they were drinking their tea.

"I saw something very interesting this morning," said the oldest of the group, a certain pinkette priestess, as she took a sip of her drink in order to drive more interest in her friends to ask about just what it was she had seen. As she expected, as soon as the words left her mouth, all eyes were on her. She could taste not only the honey of her tea, but also the anticipation of those around her. They knew as well as she did what they would be doing from then on. Satisfied, she set down her cup on the saucer in front of her.

"Well?" Lissa asked, seeing as how Serra had remained quiet. She knew that the older girl was baiting her, but she couldn't help it. Whatever it was that Serra had, it had to be juicy for her to bring up the conversation first. Lissa was usually the one that did it, though in her case she would blurt everything out from the very beginning. "Spill the beans! I wanna know!"

"Patience, Darling," said Maribelle as she set down her own tea cup, her eyes closed, but her head still pointing towards her best friend. "I'm sure that Lady Serra was trying to taste her tea some more before speaking. Such refinement, as it's to be expected of a true Lady."

Serra had noticed that Maribelle would give her credit for things she hadn't done. She wouldn't come out and say she was wrong, seeing as someone had finally realised how good she was, but she still found it curious. She wasn't the only one that the blonde did that to. In the past, Serra had seen Maribelle do the same to Lord Kent and Lady Farina—the former one to be expected because, well, Lord Kent was the definition of a knight, but Lady Farina...even she had a hard time remembering she was married to a Marquess. Then again, there were times that Serra had to ask herself if Lord Hector knew he was the Marquess as well.

Pushing the thought aside, Serra cleared her throat to get ready. "Being somewhere exotic—to me—I find it very pleasant to explore the town we visit whenever the opportunity presents itself. This morning was no different. I wasn't expecting to do much other than some window shopping. So imagine my surprise when I saw a certain someone go into a jewelry shop." They were all hanging onto her every word, just as she was expecting. She continued, "now, why would you think our dear tactician would go into such a place? Hmmm?"

"Robin isn't much for accessories," Sumia pointed out as she thought of the things she had seen the man wear before. She wasn't wrong. Apart from gloves and belt, Robin wasn't known to wear anything that would take him to a jeweler's. "Maybe he was asking for directions?"

Everyone stared at the Pegasus Knight incredulously, hoping she japed. But Sumia wasn't connecting the dots, so it fell onto her close friend, Cordelia, to point out the obvious. "I think what Lady Serra is trying to imply is that Robin was looking for something to give a certain special lady in his life."

"Very good," said Serra as she nodded. Seeing as the story would take too long if she didn't explain things right out, especially with the anticipating eyes of Princess Lissa on her, Serra decided to be out with it. "I was curious too at first, having my own mind set on him finding something for Lady Lyndis since, as you've pointed out, Lord Mark has never one to wear precious stones or metals. But almost as soon as he had gone inside, he was ushered out by a man I can only assume was the owner of the establishment."

"What?!" Lissa looked agape towards the older priestess. She was already hoping to be able to tease Robin about buying a ring to see that rubbery thing he did with his face, but to hear that he didn't even get a chance to look at them before being shown the door troubled her. It was not right… "Why would he be kicked like that?"

"I'm afraid I wasn't able to hear or see what happened inside, milday. As I said, I was far from the door when I saw Lord Mark head inside. Seeing as he looked somewhat dejected, I wanted to approach him to talk about what had happened, but again I was too late. As if appearing out of thin air, Tharja was already next to him. He was as surprised as I was to see her there, it seemed. I'm sure it had to do with him sneaking there thinking he hadn't been noticed in the first place."

"That's… strange, isn't it?" Cordelia asked, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "I don't know much about Tharja, but I think we can all agree that she has a little something for Robin. Not that I blame her, given how he saved her without knowing much about her before they fled Plegia, but still…"

It was true that most had noticed the dark mage stealing glances at the tactician in the past. When Lyn and Robin had finally admitted to be in courtship, the raven was the only one that hadn't smiled, though she didn't particularly seem mad about it either.

"That would explain why Tharja always follows after Lord Mark," muttered Isadora to herself, though the others couldn't help but hear her. All eyes turned to the paladin, who only noticed it after a few seconds of silence had already passed. "I'm sorry. Was it out of line of me to say this? I am still not used to conversations like this one, despite my time with Lady Eleanora."

"It's fine, darling," Maribelle was quick to say. "You are doing splendidly! But what is this about Tharja following Lord Mark? It's the first I hear about it."

"Now that you mention it, I've seen Tharja following Robin a few times too," said Sumia. "But she always kept some distance. Maybe that's why Robin didn't notice before?"

"Or maybe Robin is two-timing!" Lissa said with a malicious grin. Maribelle, though, wasn't having it.

"Lissa! Saying such a thing of Lord Mark after everything he's done…" She shook her head. "I refuse to think Lord Mark would do such a thing. He always looks at Lady Lyndis with loving eyes. To have a mistress… That is something I would expect from Virion if he ever were to seriously court someone or marry."

"Be that as it may, I think we are derailing here from the original point, ladies," said Serra as she tried to bring them back into her story. "As I was saying, I saw Tharja approach our tactician, so I decided to make myself scarce...or at the very least keep myself out of sight." Lissa and Maribelle nodded in approval. "And I happened to hear them talking. Though I did miss most of their exchange, I did hear Tharja tell him that "a man that will be marrying soon shouldn't make a face like that," before she walked away, Lord Mark chasing after her and asking where she had heard such a thing."

"Then Lord Mark is planning to propose to Lady Lyndis," remarked Isadora. "The two of them always looked close during our time in Elibe. Being here and knowing more about milord, I can see why that might be. I'm happy for them to have found each other again, even if the circumstances were less than ideal."

"I'm sure they will be happy together too," said Cordelia. "But it makes you wonder, doesn't it? The two come from very different places and yet they may marry soon. Then there's a possibility that others will follow suit. There are more than a few people that came from Elibe with Lord Hector, after all. For instance, Isadora, you yourself have been with the Shepherds for some time. Has anyone caught your eye?"

"I beg your pardon?" Isadora was stunned. She hadn't expected the conversation to make a turn towards her own love life. Her cheeks heated up, though it was more for the attention and being caught off guard. She really had no idea what to say on the subject. "I-I don't know what would make you think I harbored such feelings for one of our fellow men-at-arms, Lady Cordelia."

"Yeah, Cordi and I saw you having a friendly chat with Frederick the other day," said Sumia, whose tone wasn't teasing, but to Isadora, it certainly felt that way. "I think you two would make a lovely couple. You have so much in common!"

Isadora's cheeks felt like they were set ablaze, she averted her eyes from the others, finding her teacup to be awfully interesting, she fidget with it to calm herself. "Ser Frederick and I have similar interests, which come from our work. And I won't deny that he is a handsome man. ButI see him as a good comrade, and nothing else. I assure you."

Lissa saw this as an opportunity to confirm something. She smiled cheekily to herself and then said, "yeah, I believe you, Isadora. Frederick is nice and everything, but he can be too stern most of the time. It doesn't help that he spends waaay too much time worrying about many things concerning my brother. Besides, I think you and Legault make a way cuter-"

"That can never happen." Isadora's voice turned serious, though there was a small hint of sadness in it. Her eyes stayed on the cup, not wanting to give away anything. Though, long ago, she felt something for the thief and was sure he felt something for her too, she had been engaged to Harken. And even after breaking off her engagement, there was still one thing that would always stop her from pursuing a romantic relationship with The Hurricane. "Master Legault is of Bern… And I am a knight of Pherae. It would bring dishonor to my house for us to… It can't ever be."

I'm so stupid. Lissa berated herself over and over again for bringing that up. She should've known better. She knew how their story would end… Wait a second… Will things still be the same? In the stories she had read, they never made mention of the heroes traveling to Ylisse. If they did, there was never any mention of it. This could mean that things could still change. Not only could Isadora's love flourish, but there were so many other things that could change too! There could still be a chance for Ninian to be healed, Farina wouldn't have to die giving birth to a stillborn child, Canas and his wife wouldn't die during a snowstorm, and! And! There were so many things that could change now! If they had all come and helped the Shepherds, it would only be fair for the Shepherds to help back!

"I thought Legault and Panne were together, though," said Sumia offhandedly, leaving everyone on the table with their jaws dropped. Not only had Sumia failed to notice Isadora's seriousness, but bringing a comment like that after everything? Well, it wasn't the best. "They spend a lot of time together."

Maribelle was quick to try and resolve the situation, not sure what Isadora was feeling because of her blank stare. "I doubt they are in that kind of a relationship. Panne mostly bickers at Legault, though I do admit that I've seen them together more often than not. I believe they are of the mind to keep their friends close and enemies closer."

"Doesn't Panne argue with pretty much everyone?" Lissa asked.

"Panne is a nice girl," Cordelia was quick to defend her friend. "Her particular situation makes her wary of humans, so I understand why she would be offended by some of our customs. But still, once you get to know her you see that she is a very pleasant person to be around."

"Master Legault is a tease," said Isadora, her features softening. "It can rub people the wrong way, but he is a nice man still. I hope they get along, if they do decide to pursue courtship."

I can't take this! Think, Lissa, think! How can we change to topic to someone else? It hit her quick, though it would be at the expense of her best friend. But it was still better than talking about Legault in front of Isadora. The princess swayed in her chair, looking at Maribelle. "What about you, Maribelle?"

Maribelle arched one of her eyebrows. "What about me, darling?" She brought her teacup to her lips.

In her mind, Lissa apologized to Maribelle. She had been wanting to ask her about the subject before, but hadn't had a chance to do so. This opportunity was the perfect excuse to do so. "I've seen you spend a lot of time with Lord Kent lately. Are you pursuing anything with him?"

Even with years of practice and refining her skill to be an ideal Lady, Maribelle was close to spitting out her tea. With much effort, she swallowed the drink that had turned sour and sent a cold stare towards her best friend, forcing a venomous smile. "What could you ever mean by that, dear Lissa?"

"W-well," Lissa avoided eye contact, some cold sweat forming on the back of her neck. "I've seen the way you look at him. That and you are always offering him help to make his way around town and stuff."

It was Maribelle's turn to have burning cheeks. She clenched her jaw, feeling discomfort. She certainly wasn't thinking about that. She would admit to finding Lord Kent interesting, since he was, as the tales had always described him, a true knight and lord. He was similar to Ser Frederick and yet so different. "After coming all the way here and offering their help to us with the war, I thought it best to give back in whatever way I can. It's what Father would have asked for me. You are reading too deep into it, darling."

"She has a point," said Serra, nodding alongside Maribelle. "Lord Kent can be stubborn in the subject of love. Many times have I presented suitable ladies for him, only for him to reject them. I tell you, the only way that man would take a wife is if the Marquess forced him to."

"Then what about Matthew?" asked Cordelia. "He too came from Ostia and seems to be getting along with others just fine. Maybe he will find someone here in Ylisse to-"

"No, no. Matthew is still not ready for a new relationship. He hasn't been interested in anyone since Leila…"

"What about Lady Fiora, then? She is beautiful and strong. I've seen many of the men eyeing her when she is not looking. I expected Virion to be all over her from everyone else, but he since he started talking with Olivia, he hasn't flirted with anyone else."

"Lady Fiora married to Ser Sain years ago," said Isadora. "From the letters I exchanged with her, the two have been very happy with their marriage. I was surprised to not see him come to this side. Do you know why that is, Lady Serra?"

Serra shook her head. She herself had been wanting to ask about it, but Oswin had told her not to poke her nose in someone else's affairs and cause unnecessary trouble. He reminded her how she had once overheard Lady Farina tell Lord Hector that he wanted to keep the Pegasus Sisters for himself (this being long before the two married). Spreading that rumor had been a big mistake. Fiora dismissed it, knowing better than to trust a rumor, but Florina got even more nervous around Lord Hector after that. She would hide behind any of the nearby girls if she could, and, if she was left with no other choice, she would even use Lord Mark as a shield. "As far as I'm aware, Ser Sain remained in Ilia."

"It seems like it will only be Lord Mark and Lady Lyndis who marry between Elibe and Ylisse," said Maribelle.

"Not necessarily," said Cordelia. "Miriel and Canas have been spending most of their time together. I think there might be something-" The Pegasus Knight stopped herself when she looked at the shocked faces of Sumia, Lissa, Serra, and Isadora. It seemed that the only other one that wasn't shocked by this was Maribelle, who looked as confused as Cordelia. "Wh-what's wrong? You all look like you've seen a ghost."

Serra was the first to snap out of it, laughing nervously. "Oh, Cordelia. I'm sure you were mistaken…"

"I've seen them talk fondly to one another…"

Serra felt like someone had jabbed her. No. It was more like a certain Druid's wife had done it. Though Canas' wife was lovely, she was also… Well, the two made an interesting pair. It couldn't be that Canas would engage in an affair… Could it? "It-it can't be! Cordelia, you don't understand! Canas is married! And his wife," she visibly shivered, going as far as shaking her fists and head. "We must make sure nothing is going on between those two. I fear what might happen if she ever finds out."

Once Serra stood up, the rest followed suit. Finding the two scholars in the small town flooded by thousands of soldiers would be easier than one would expect, and that was because the two spent most of their time in Miriel's tent. Because of the size of the army, not many would have the chance to sleep in the local inns, which was why they would always setup camp at the outskirts of wherever they visited. Fortunately, the Shepherd's section of said camp was nearby. It took the group only a few minutes to make their way out town and find their way back to camp. There they saw Nowi and Gregor talking with one another.

"Oh, hey everyone," said the cheerful manakete as she jumped to her feet and then duster her bottom off. Gregor remained seated, sharpening his blade.

"What brings big group to these parts, eh?" the mercenary asked as he looked at those that had suddenly come. He was so used to sharpening his blade that he didn't need to look at it for his hand to follow the ever so familiar motion. "You want to be doing the jibber-jabber with professors? Gregor not be recommending. The professors do much jibber-jabber that give Gregor headaches."

"You two where with them?" Sumia asked, understanding completely what Gregor meant. She knew Miriel for years, but conversations with the mage were difficult to handle. When they first met, Sumia thought that her love for book meant that the two could be good friends. She had approached the redhead to discuss as much since she always saw her reading. Unfortunately, those texts she read weren't novels, but tomes on magic (not surprising) and scientific journals. The two did become friends in the end, though they weren't as close as Sumia thought they would be.

"Yeah, we left them alone a while back," said Nowi as she pouted. "Canas promised he would play with me, but then he and Miriel got into a discussion about something. Once they start, you can't really stop them. I'm waiting for them to come out, but I think it won't happen until dinner. Those two can go at it for hours and hours!"

Go at it? Resounded in the minds of many of the girls, some of which felt their cheeks burning hot when imagining what Nowi was saying.

"I can't believe this," said Maribelle, feeling more furious by the second. She walked past the girl and the older man to keep making her way to the tent, from afar, Nowi yelled at them to not bother, but no one would listen to that after what they had heard.

When they reach the tent, they could hear the voices of the two they were looking for coming from inside. It seemed like they were discussing something, much to (some) of their relief, just like Gregor had said. Maribelle and Serra were more than ready to walking in and put an end to the affair, but Lissa pulled them back, saying that they should listen in first to see if they could get more evidence of any wrong doing before accusing them of something so dishonorable.

"I was never one to appreciate the beauty of precious gems, but I have to say, this one possesses many traits that would put it in the category of beautiful based on the criteria I've learned about from gathering data." Miriel's voice came in her standard monotone. One could practically see her adjusting her glasses as she looked at whatever it was she was looking at. Lissa guessed that it had to be a piece of jewelry of some sort, perhaps a necklace, but Serra was imagining something along the lines of a ring. "Its shape, its color, its cut, and its transparency are all things that are would increase the price of a product such as this. This would fall above standard in all those categories, meaning that it would be considered to be beautiful."

Canas chuckled. "I'm glad you approve." There was some silence before the sound of rustling was heard. Serra couldn't help but think of Canas trapping Miriel between himself and the table, his hands on her waist and hers around his neck. "Because of the time we've spent together, I was able to rid myself of many frustrations. If I may be so bold, Lady Miriel, I am glad to have made your acquaintance."

"The sentiment is mutual. Though, you speak as if our endeavors together have come to an end. I was hoping we could continue gathering more information on the subject."

Don't let him fool you, Lady Miriel! Thought Serra. He is a married man! He will break your heart!

"My apologies, milady. Minds like yours are rare. It would sadden me to not share more with you. It would seem that the Marquess will keep us here for the time being. If you don't mind my company, then I too would like us to continue working together."

"Yes. Then let us not waste any time. I have some other…projects we could work on together."

"Very well, but before that. Why don't you keep this? A memento-"

Lissa felt like she couldn't breathe anymore. No matter which way she put it, she couldn't read the situation in any other way than two lovers talking with each other during a rendezvous. Not bothering calling out to those inside first, she simply burst in through the flap, her hands extended in front of her, as she yelled, "stoooooooooop!" One by one, Maribelle, Serra, Sumia, Isadora, and Cordelia made their way inside, each and every one of them wearing a frown.

"Ah, Lady Lissa! What a surprise to see you here," said Canas as he turned to face her. "Oh, what is this? Is there anything we can do to-"

"Stop the sweet talk, buddy!" Lissa interrupted, stabbing on of her small fingers on Canas' chest, who backed away in surprise. "I know what you are doing here!"

"Sweet talk? I don't follow, milady."

"Lady Lissa," Miriel called out, her brow furrowed at the interruption. "You are all disturbing a very important-"

"Miriel, you should be ashamed of yourself!" Maribelle said to the bespectacled woman. "Did you know that Canas is a married man?"

Miriel looked at Maribelle, the closest thing to confusion anyone had ever seen form her showing. She then turned to look at Canas, who stared back at her, his expression of confusion much more evident. "Someone's marital affairs are not of my interest, but the topic arose time ago. We went into an in depth discussion about it too. I found it fascinating. He also talked of his mother and his son."

Cordelia gasped, looking at Miriel in shock. She only knew Miriel for a short time, but from the times they had sat together for supper, she seemed like a respectable woman. To think that she would do such a thing! "A son?!" she felt herself say. "You would do this with a man that's married and has a son?! I can't believe you, Miriel…" She turned to face the druid. "And you! What kind of man would do this?! How could you do this when you have a family waiting for you to return home?"

"Sh-sh-she won't be happy about this!" Serra told herself. "Not at all!"

"I think there is a misunderstanding here," said Canas, who had been forced to back up against the table.

"Don't play smart!" Sumia said, steaming. Everyone had been beating around the bush for too long. She would have to make it clear so that Miriel and Canas couldn't make any more excuses. If they heard that someone else knew about them, they would have to put a stop to their relationship. "You and Miriel are having an affair!"

There was silence, Canas and Miriel looking directly at Sumia while everyone else examined their reactions to see if they were breaking. The only reaction they got was the eyebrows of the scholars to raise and a hand going to their chins. "Your hypothesis is an intriguing one," said Miriel. "From the eyes of an observer who can't keep watch of our every interaction, I can see why you would come to such a conclusion. While I applaud your belief in said hypothesis, I already know the real result to your experiment: there's been a misunderstanding."

"Eh?" That was not the reaction they were expecting to hear. Lissa backed off, leaving Canas with enough room to breathe again and stand straight. He found himself chuckling at their reaction and the silliness of the whole thing.

"The relationship me and Canas hold is purely platonic, with a base on our mutual desire to further our knowledge; we have similar intellectual ground that we can share with one another that a normal person would dismiss to be "jibber-jabber", as Gregor would say."

"Lady Miriel and I have been working together on some research material that I've been meaning to explore for some time, but didn't have the information needed at my disposal back in Elibe," Canas added. "And I've also been helping her in one of her projects."

Miriel nodded. "Robin—Lord Mark—asked me to translate a scroll brought by Lyn from Elibe. Being from there, Canas has a better knowledge and understanding of ancient languages that I ever could."

"And Lady Miriel has been aiding me in my research of dragonstones." He waved them over as he turned to face the table, which was covered in different parchments filled with notes on the subject. On the center of the table laid a dragonstone. "Nowi was nice enough to help us filling in the blanks too, though I think she finds our conversations to be dull. It's true that my reason for being in Ylisse was to open the gate that connects our worlds, but as I found out more about dragontones and manaketes, I believed that I could create one for Lady Ninian to help her from weakening further. Ylisse has a larger magical essence than Elibe, making it ideal for magical experiments and infusion. I tried recreating a dragonstone here that we could hopefully take back intact. We had just finished the first sample a few moments ago."

"So when you spoke of something beautiful earlier…?" Isadora looked at Miriel.

"We merely talked about the dragonstone."

This time around I wanted to try using a more omnipresent narrator, which is why you see jumps in the perspective during the whole thing. I was planning on jumping eve more, to different events going on around camp and such, but I think this whole thing alone deserves to be on its own chapter, haha! It also leaves me with at least a couple more ideas for the next chapters, which is good.

This was a lot of fun to write. Going from funny, to serious, to a bit crazy. I'm curious to see what you guys catch on here.

On to reviews!

Whatstoknow- Seeing it now, there are more things I want to explore about the that time. I don't think I'll make another full-flashback chapter, but there are things that will be mentioned in the future about it or maybe smaller flashbacks. They are fun to write, since those that haven't played the old games get to see more or less what it was about and those that have get to see another side to the events they know.

Yellowclover- It did go through, but I didn't get a chance to approve it until you posted it again xD Obviously I only left one since they were pretty much identical. There were two mini-stories that I teased here, one being Robin, Lyn, and Tharja, and the other was Panne and Legault. Those are coming for sure. I want to add more characters there too so that you all get an idea of what everyone is up to. So, the emotional breakdown. That has to do with it being over a year of him experiencing what was supposed to be an illusion. Also, it was a way to hint at his mental state before he left Plegia with Tharja. To him, at that moment, everything felt real, even if he was to remind himself that it wasn't (but it really was real!) lmao, old man Hubba! No, Hubba isn't the old man here. Nice try, though! The Valm Arc is defenetly going to be an interesting write, more so if Zephiel shows up as another reviewer said. It's something else to look forward to :P Very poetic way to end the review. For the voice, I know that Elimine is meant to be this religious figure, but I wonder: who did she follow? Maybe that would be the voice's owner.

dragoon109- Lyn is a very trusting person. It's one of the traits she inherited from being part of the Lorca. In Eblie, it was well known that her tribe was trusting and never lied. Then there's also the fact that the old guy had Mark's cloak with him as a sort of evidence to prove that he wasn't making everything up. As for your second question, well, if you read chapter 21 you got your answer, haha

allenVth- It was a very powerful attack. But don't think that because he pulled it once he'll be able to do it whenever he wants. It's something out of his control. It might never happen again. And there might also be repercussions to it too, though I can't reveal anything about that yet! I like throwing curve balls, and letting Emmeryn live is one of the biggest ones here. It wouldn't have felt right to have her die even after reinforcements arrived, if you ask me. Him leaving with Lyn was teased some time ago, but haven't said anything about it since. It was going to come up this chapter, but I decided to leave it for another chapter instead. While Lyn is Lady of Caelin, in the game, she never takes the title. Even here, when she is first introduced, she tells Robin that she left Caelin in Hectors care. It could be, as another reviewr said, that Hector gives it back to Lyn if she returns. Lyn and Robin could also go back to the plains, as Lyn had first asked Robin. Or they could stay in Ylisse. For all that, you'll just have to keep reading ;) Hahaha a third one, you say? I feel like a lot of people either hate Lucina already or hate me for writing her trying to kill Robin twice already xD one more time and something's gonna give.

Rayne Thanatos- Thank you very much! Glad you like it! Lucina has it hard because she is not incredulous to Chrom's and Robin's friendship. She might've gone the wrong way around fixing the future, but I think anyone in her shoes would've done the same. Hector, well, he always be the badass in my eyes. I thought about making Robin be a reincarnation, but then there wouldn't be such an emotional attachment between Rekka no Ken characters and Robin. There are a few things I need to polish out about it in the future, though. The whole cast will show up, eventually. I'm trying to introduce characters gradually so that people that don't know the game are overwhelmed. That and so that they all some time in the spotlight. Ah, Zephiel. I know I want him to show up at some point, but I wonder when? Mostly because I've been thinking that I might continue the story (with a time skip) to the FE6 story.

Defcon Deceiver- Well, Lissa is still pretty young. She might understand the wrong doing, but she still had to speak up because to her, things had already been forgiven. You are right to say that if the show was on the other foot, her experience would be way different. Tharja has to get more credit for what she's done. She not only brought Robin back from doubt, but also brought down a king with her words. Badass. I made Aversa exit the scene in such a way that she is stuck a bit in limbo. She could come back. She might not. That'll be up to future me to decide and work her in. Gangrel, well, like you said, I don't see a point in keeping him around. He is a character I love to hate, which is why he is fun to write, but there is no reason for him to come back. I would've preferred they made DLC for Phila and for Gangrel. For Robin, he would know that the soldiers aren't fighting for him, but he knows that they are dying because of him. Like you said, he always feels like he could've done more to save them, especially because of his ability. No matter what, he'll always feel guilty. Lissa, Maribelle, Brady, and Libra using combat-light magic is something I discussed with Yellowclover. There are certain things that they would need to go through to use it, but I won't restrict myself by making them only be able to use it if they are x or y class. I see the good of both sides when it comes to romance. If you start off knowing who is getting together, you can plan out events for them and such. If you don't you'll end up with interesting couples. In this case, I really have to put thought into everything because I wasn't originally planning for a "harem" here. If it happens, I don't want it to feel forced. All parties should agree to it, or something like that. For killing characters, I know why people like characters having epic deaths, but honestly, that can't happen with everyone. I'm not saying someone'll die by falling down the steps. When they die, it'll happen like it would. One moment they are there, the next they're not. I rather focus on the effects of their death rather than what caused their death. There's probably going to be characters that die before they become parents. That's the reality of messing with time travel. There are consequences to think of. Like I said before, their parents on this time line might not even end up with the same people they did on the future time line. Giving Lyn closure for what happened in her tribe is something I do want to do, but I need to see about getting her and the others back to Elibe first. I already have a couple of ideas on how to go about it, but I need to work my way there first. I can see Hector offering Caelin back to Lyn, yes. The question is, would Lyn take it? She never had aspirations to be a noble. In the game, after her grandfather passed away, she returns to the plains and is never heard from again, probably because that's the place her parents chose to live. It's something to think about, and can change the story drastically depending on what she chooses to do. As for the scouring, I have things planned that'll explain some of the history behind it, though it won't come up until much, much later.