Hero: This would have been up at least a few days ago, but I have this philosophy right now where I want to have the chapter after the one I need to upload done in advance(this will come in handy once college comes) and the next chapter has(at least in first draft form) over 8000 words in it. I knew it was gonna be my first long chapter that was wayyy above my usual 2500+ word quota, but this is ridiculous. I can assure you it's good, which I'll tease a bit about in the bottom note. Anyway, only one person to respond to here:

Mzr90: We have a winner! Yes, they are from the Star Wars, so good eye and nice to find Star Wars fans. For the sake of the newer fans, I ask that you not look up the last three forms for the sake of not being ruined of where this is going. One form is gonna play at least a bit of a plot point.

Okay, now let's roll with the calm before the first storm, Ch. 3 of "Resolve of a Family" is now here. Please, enjoy.

Chapter 3

Orpheus continued diligently to learn the basics of swordplay, learning the Dueling form, Procinctu; as well as the Defensive form, Tutamen. He had slowly been able to make progress, but Frederick had said he needed to read upon the forms when he had a chance to do so. The days past and the time to reach their destination had come.

"We've arrived." Frederick said as the group could see the capitol, Ylisstol. After the group arrived, Frederick had said that he and Chrom were to discuss the results with Emmeryn, so the rest of the Shepherds were to either wait in the Barracks or to roam about the capital until nightfall. "Also Orpheus, please take this time to inspect the library. There should be a Librarian there named Ricken who can inform you about where everything is. I'll have a soldier escort you to the room and you can find everything there yourself."

Orpheus followed his suggestion and was escorted to the library. After thanking the soldier, he went in and found a boy there checking up on the books. He was sitting down by his desk, making sure pages are still in good condition. Seemed like a comfortable, yet boring job. "Oh, are you Orpheus?"

"Yeah, I am. Am I that infamous already?" Orpheus yet again sassed. It was starting to become a trademark.

"Well, I heard about you from Maribelle and you seem to be the newest guy in the castle. So I put two and two together and it just sounded reasonable." The boy said.

"Oh, that does make sense. Well, thanks. So, can you show me where the Four Forms of Swordplay books are at?"

"Oh, here, I'll show you the way." Ricken said as he got off his seat. he looked a lot shorter than Orpheus had anticipated. Regardless, he followed him and there was the section. It may have been his mind playing a placebo effect on him, but he could swear, he heard vocals playing , saying "Hallelujah!", though he did not care too much. "I assume you're starting from the ground up so here's the Multo book. You'll need my approval to let the books go outside this room however. So come to me if you need to check it out." Ricken explained.

"Thanks Ricken, I appreciate this."

"No problem and if I may add…" Ricken's words began to falter. "You're the first guy who hasn't mocked my height! I appreciate that a lot!"

Now that he thought about it. He was shocked that he didn't even do that. But then it hit him, "Oh well, I'm guessing you get enough people doing that. I'd be adding salt to the wound if I did." Orpheus laughed. "But don't worry, you seem like an okay guy, so I see no reason to tease you. Plus, you're letting me check these books out to my room! I kinda need to be nice for that."

"I… see." Ricken had mixed feelings upon hearing that, but he didn't let it get to him. "I'll be at my desk if you need anything." Ricken left to let Orpheus do as he pleased.

Orpheus was absorbed into his reading. He took notes after asking for Ricken for something write on and sometimes he would imitate a move with his pencil as the sword to get a basic understanding. He told himself he would try it later that night or the next day. A couple of hours would pass and he was still taking his time reading on the form. He was that determined to get better. The door opened and a sight was shown.

"Oh, hey Sumia! Returning another book?" Ricken greeted and then asked.

"Yes, I finished most of them on the way to Regna Ferox. I had to ask Miriel for one of hers to keep me occupied!" Sumia answered as she put the books on his desk.

"Well, it seems that's all of them." Ricken noted as he inspected them all. "You're free to look at some more if you'd like!"

"Thanks, I'll do that right now." Sumia nodded as she began browsing for whatever caught her eye. As she searched, she spotted Orpheus by his lonesome, with him hoping she wouldn't turn to him. "Oh, Orpheus, it's good to see you! What brings you here?"

Orpheus sighed upon her spotting him. It's not that he didn't want to see her, he really wanted to continue his reading. "I'm reading up the forms of swordplay. I'm at the basics right now."

"Oh, I see. I'm not bothering you am I?"

Was she purposely guilt tripping him? As much as he wanted to, but he just couldn't rude to Sumia. Especially given how her personality was. Frail and easy to tip over the edge. "...No, not really, I've read a lot already. I think I might just-"

"Oh, how about a story to get your mind off training? I have a few you may like, how about 'Shanty Pete and the Haunting Pirates!'?"

"No thanks, I already am reading a Pirate story. You know, that one with a boy and his crew sailing to find a infamous treasure a legendary pirate hid."

"Oh, that one is great too! But how about Wyvern Wars then?"

"Maybe, but Sumia, I think I might just-."

"Oh, no. I'm USELESS!" Sumia began to put herself down again. "I can never help anyone! Useless, useless, useless!" Her reactions were heard by Ricken, which was no surprise to him as he just went back to his reading, leaving Orpheus to handle his own problems. "Just pick him out a book, Sumia! It's too easy!" She seemed to be talking to herself at this point. It was definitely pitiable. "But noooooo! I'm just too darn… useless!" She began to sob at herself.

Orpheus didn't want to blame himself, but his desire to focus on his studies is what caused it after all. "Greeaat…" He muttered to himself as he tried to think his way out of a situation. "Hey, did you say 'Wyvern Wars'? I've been interested in that one!" He spouted out anything he could just to try to save himself from her crying.

"R-Really? You like that one? Why didn't you just say so? I hope you'll enjoy it!" Sumia said in glee as her tears stopped.

"I'm pretty sure I have to at this point…" Orpheus said under his breath. After that, the two talked about trivial things. Despite the rough start with her, he seemed to ease in and began to figure out what buttons are worth pressing. Though, seeing as it would lead to that again, he wasn't sure if it was worth knowing.

After she left, Orpheus checked out the books about Multo, Procinctu, and Tutamen and retreated to his quarters. He continued reading about the other forms as much as his eyes would let him, then checked up on his new pet, Heracles, a Horned Beetle he found near Ylisstol which he had been taking care of since he first spotted it. The next day after breakfast, he trained with Frederick, living up to his promise of mastering more of Multo. However, by the end of the day…

"In these few weeks, you've greatly captured the grasp of this form. I'm proud to say you are done with the basic training of the Multo form." Frederick congratulated as he gave Orpheus a pat on the shoulder. "However, if you wish to further improve it, you'll have to study it up even more and practice on your own or with other Multo Masters. But you are ready for me to teach you more of Procinctu or Tutamen. I'll let you choose from there, so please give it some thought. Now if you'll excuse, I must help Donnel and the other Lance users with their lessons." He gave a small bow as he left. Orpheus bowed back out of respect and gratitude, something rarely shown by him. He spent some time reading again in the library, this time, seeing up techniques on the Fourth form, Velox. He liked how this form had hand-to-hand combat as well as dual blade training offered as well. Frederick didn't offer it, so he thought he'd have to find someone else. Someone who was… actually a user of this form. After he enjoyed his hour and a half break reading, he got some bread from a bakery near the castle and then went to the training grounds and found his original intended teacher.

"Lon'qu!" The Tactician called out.

"...You again, what is it?" Lon'qu asked, as if remembering exactly how this will play out.

"I come seeking training again."

"I told you to speak to Frederick for training, I am not worthy of being a teacher yet, and I would rather not have that title." He tried to shoo Orpheus away with those words.

"Lon'qu, I have practiced with Frederick enough for this past while, and you are the only one who is proficient in using the Fourth Form that I know of. I heard you are nearing complete mastery of that Form, and approaching the rank of Swordmaster, so you could at least teach me the basics."

"You have heard right, I have nearly mastered Vulox, as well as nearing that title, but regardless, I desire not to teach!" The man was stern in his position on the matter.

"Then don't think of it as teaching. Think of it as… helping a fellow comrade better his odds of survival."

"I see no need to help you, you are fully capable of fighting for yourself." It was clear this was getting nowhere. Orpheus was starting to get tired of his stubbornness.

"You sure are determined on this. Did I kill your family or something on accident? I guess I'll go play with my Horned Beetle while reading." He said as he turned around, readying to leave.

"W-Wait!" The man blurted out, alerting Orpheus.

"What? Did I actually do that?" Orpheus gave him a weirded out look.

"Did you say 'Horned Beetle' just now?"

"Why yeah, it's just a bug."

"You fool!" Lon'qu sharply responded. "Horned Beetles are amazing, yet rare insects around this continent, mostly found in the Chon'sin area! They are amazingly powerful for their size, capable of moving things many times their own weight!"

"Since when were you the King of Bugs?" Orpheus asked before an idea hit him. He cracked a grin as he gave it some thought. "...Hey Lon'qu. Do you like insects?"

"...Why yes, I don't mind them at all." He answered with a serious expression.

"Well, are you a fan of these bugs in particular? You sure sound like a fan of them."

"Yes, they are the warriors of their kind. They're admirable in a way." Lon'qu honestly admitted, but he had a bad vibe as to where this was going.

"And since you said they're rare in these parts… just wait there, I'll be back." Orpheus ordered as he left in a hurry back to the castle. A few minutes later, he returned with a cage that held a darkened Horned Beetle. Lon'qu's face was astonished, as if he was seeing a huge sum of money or something to that effect. Orpheus had him exactly where he wanted him. "Here's the deal… you teach me Vulox, I'll let you have this beetle. Seeing as they're extremely rare here, I doubt you're going to see one for who knows how long." His voice sounded persuading, almost mocking someone who's selling at the market. "It seems fair, doesn't it?"

"You… are evil, you know that?" Lon'qu said with an crushed expression.

"I know. I try my best for the betterment of this group."

"...Very well, you have a deal." Lon'qu gave in. His interest in bugs turned out to be his downfall.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Orpheus grinned as he gave Lon'qu the cage to him. "The bug is named Heracles, so take good care of him."

"I shall." Lon'qu nodded as he looked like a child being given a present on his birthday, but that expression did not last too long. "After I take Heracles to my quarters, we'll begin training right away."

"Sweet, I'm ready whenever you are." Orpheus agreed to that order easily.

Lon'qu left to take the bug to his new home and he returned with a few oddly shaped training swords. He tossed on to Orpheus and then spoke. "This is a Shinai, it's what I use for training. We will train with these, since they are very similar to what you'll be using as you work your way up."

It had a nice grip to it, so he was able to adjust to it quickly. "I like this thing already. I don't suppose you let me use it for when I train alone, don't you?"

"I do not mind." Lon'qu answered. "Now, prepare yourself, I intend to teach you through actual combat, so get ready!"

Hero: One thing you might consider to be a flaw of Orpheus, is that he is manipulative. He'll exploit any flaws to get what he wants. So let's get to the tidbit of info for today. Today, I'll be sharing some lines in battle. I'll be working from the bottom up in battle quotes, so let's start with if a Partner defeats an enemy for him:

"You stole my kill!"
"I owe you."
"My thanks."

And another thing, I forgot to share his birthday I think. His Birthday is October 25th, so he's a Scorpio. That may give you some hint on who his possibilities are if you know the Zodiac compatibility theory. His sign reflects a lot on who he is as the story goes on, but don't worry, I'm not letting something like this shape his personality; I thought of it all way before I went on visual and birthday details.

I wanted Ricken to have something to do while he wasn't in the party at the beginning, and being a Librarian kinda clicked with me. And I didn't want the game to jump straight into the next battle(Which I'm skipping) since that makes the game feel like one big rush. Literally one problem after the other, which works since it is Fire Emblem, but in fanfiction, I'm trying to be logical. Plus, I want Orpheus' sword skills to improve and he's now got basic Multo training complete. Sorry Maribelle, I promise you screen time in the next chapter.

Anyway, this next chapter might take a long time to get out there. Yes, it's done, but I wanna continue my one extra chapter done policy for as long as I can. And like I said, the next chapter is gonna likely be over 8000 words long. And I still need to do revising. I might even mark a half way point for those who can't read it all in one sitting. Idk, feel free to share your thoughts on that. Also, here's where we start to see some big differences between FE:A and this fic. I want to delve deep into a country in wartime, where propaganda is everywhere. I thank Star Wars: The Clone Wars for incorporating that into its series which I thought they never did. It was so cool and very sensible. You'll see more of it in later arcs too, but here, our first bit of propaganda goes as far back as the last war with Plegia and poor little Sumia is a victim of it somehow(No, she obviously wasn't in the war. She'd be too young for that. You'll know soon.) And here's where it gets complicated. I have to factor in Ages for everyone. All we know are Chrom, Lissa, & Emmeryn's ages. So I'll have to headcanon everyone's ages without causing continuity errors.

Next time: Propaganda, the understanding of our poorly treated Pegasus Knight(by game and fandom alike.), the beginning of change for Orpheus and his normally uncaring personality, and an epic battle to the death with everyone's favorite Fauder!

So, look forward to it! Until next time, take care and stay golden!