Ylisse felt different on their return. Tension that had been hanging over the country like the gray clouds in a summer storm had dissipated. It was like the sun was shining again. Gaius had never felt especially welcome in any city, but he had to admit on that first march in it seemed like he'd really accomplished something.

Whatever it was he wasn't so sure of it really being that great. It took all the Shepherds to get to this point. Whatever he dealt under the table only did so much. Those faces that took danger face on more often were the most important ones. He could see it when people looked to Chrom. That guy was worth more gold than he'd ever gotten his sticky fingers on.

For a silk-stocking deep-pocket, Chrom was a pretty alright guy. No, that was an understatement. He glued this army together and carried it to Hell and back. Gaius had some respect for the man and it was clear all the citizens of his country did too. Blue just needed to do something with that respect.

As far as Gaius could tell from the street-level it seemed like he was. Slowly a sense of normalcy returned to the people and towns; as much as they could anyway. The Shepherds were sent to dispatch bandits and other issues every so often, but mostly they were kept at home and in shape. With Plegia on less warring terms they could relax. A little, but not all the way. Robin made himself clear in this matter.

At the heart of things however, it felt hushed at least for a little while. Gaius found himself less the hero returning home and more the man he was when he left. His fingers picked up on "missing" items here and there again. Old habits die hard, as they said.

Even with those habits kicking in Gaius never left the Shepherds outright. He stuck close around if he were ever asked for and wound up still socializing with the lot of them. They were easy enough to find around or maybe he couldn't really escape them.

The war could be over for years and Lon'qu would probably still insist on sparring with him. And with where he stood next to the Princess the grump could probably talk her into sending half the army after him if they felt like it. So Gaius got used to it and simply showed up often enough when the swordsman was around so they could practice. It was probably the major thing keeping him from becoming a mess of sweets and trouble. He found himself minding it less and less as they went though. He would never beat Lon'qu, but the practice was probably good for him.

It was during these matches he'd often find Lissa too. She'd cheer them on; patch them up if they got hurt even. At the end of their practice she'd stand at Lon'qu's side; chastising him and celebrating him at the same time often. The usual gap that was between them tightened just a little more every so often. Gaius knew the look on Lon'qu's face when he wasn't comfortable, but it seemed to have faded in the princess' company.

Apart he'd tease either of the two of them; however as soon as they shared space Gaius clamped it shut. Whatever happened between them was their business—he'd stay out of it while it was happening. There were signs and signals he'd seen before and he had a pretty good feeling about their relationship. It was best to let it play out though. Maybe once it was in the open he could really give Lon'qu a difficult time.

He wasn't sure if he were the only one around the castle he knew. The other person who might have was Maribelle only because the princess and she remained so close. Their paths would cross at times, but almost rarely alone. If she were with Lissa they would pass with little trouble. The one time Gaius and Maribelle crossed on their own Gaius took a shortcut through the courtyard to go pay Chrom a visit. In the gardens was Maribelle, maybe strolling or passing time. Neither of them said anything at first, but Gaius felt like he couldn't move for a brief moment. It offered him a chance to say something for himself and yet he did not. What was there he could say at this time he couldn't say before?

Maribelle's gaze turned from him shortly as she huffed and focused on the flowers like he weren't even there. Invisible was probably better to be than hated so he took it as best he could and carried on his way.

Gaius didn't plan his trips especially well until then. After that he did his best to avoid that area. It all made him feel like such a fool.

The thought would keep him away from the castle for the most part; unless he absolutely had to go. He knew what it meant to not be welcome and a good majority of those that didn't know him personally seemed to be in that boat. It was easier and more difficult at the same time. Luring Robin or Chrom away from the castle grounds proved to be a large task unless there was trouble and little of that came up.

Still, he made a better effort to talk with Chrom when he could. He'd at first taken him for a less annoying than usual noble. As he spoke more with him he found some of those qualities that made the rest of the Shepherds follow him so loyally. The man turned to be more sheltered than he might have appeared at times. It was a trait of the rich and Gaius knew that, but for some reason the thief figured it worked into the man's charms at time. While Chrom wasn't so sure of Gaius at first, eventually Gaius could tell that Chrom approached him with more trust.

The visits with the prince in the castle came to be something not too unusual for Gaius. He'd climb up the stone walls and usually poke his head through the open window to catch the man in his down time. Chrom didn't always appreciate the unannounced intrusion, but seemed to come to terms with the thief's way of doing things before too long. In fact they came to get along quite well, besides the time Gaius came to visit and the prince had to himself plenty of pie and wouldn't share. Even if "someone special" had made it, he could have still afforded a bite.

Over a short time the castle became a busier place; stirring with all sorts of news and rumors that worked their way outside. Speculation was annoying, but soon it was fact. Chrom announced his official marriage with Sumia and a rather royal wedding to go with it. After Gaius heard he understood what that pie probably meant just a little better.

Everyone showered the prince and his wife to be with praise and affection including all of the Shepherds. Gaius knew he had to eventually give the guy his congratulations, but waited to do so. It was one later evening that he made the climb up to Chrom's room to find him straightening things here and there; moving items only to put them right back where they were.

"Hey Blue," Gaius called through the window; only his head and arms through it at this point. "You're not busy right?" Since he wasn't shot down immediately Gaius took that as an invitation and pulled himself the rest of the way through. Chrom looked surprised, but the surprise soon fell back to his previous expressive mix of concern and anxiety.

"Gaius...I was sort of busy."

"You were pacing around and you look more like you're ready to take off running."

Chrom paused in place and set down a few of the books in his hands on the desk. There was a corner of the desk that looked like it'd been knocked clear off with a lot of force. He'd probably broken it recently and it hadn't been attended to yet.

"I wasn't. I was thinking about...well with Sumia here soon that I should probably organize a little. I wanted her to be comfortable coming in," Chrom answered honestly and quietly. He wore his feelings on his sleeve anyway; Gaius probably could have guessed it.

Gaius settled to sit in the windowsill; giving the prince his usual easy-going look. "Blue. You live in a real castle with huge rooms and everything she could ever need. I think she's gonna be fine."

Chrom looked a bit uncomfortable and took a seat in the chair at the desk so that the back of the chair was at his right. This way he faced Gaius properly; even if he did have his eyes on the floor. "There's more to it than that...I would think anyway..."

A soft quiet settled in for a moment while Gaius thought about the right way to approach this. There really wasn't a right answer this time; he was just going to have to roll with things as best he could. "If she gets tired of being cooped up you know she can leave the castle. And you can leave the castle too."

Chrom gave him a strained smile. "I think we talked about this after you took me out last time. I couldn't exactly forget. But doing things for myself and doing it for someone else...I can't say if this is exactly the same."

Gaius shrugged one shoulder lazily and kept on grinning. This one seemed so simple already. "Now that you're bringing that up...how about the both of us take a little trip out again?"

The look that Chrom gave him wasn't mistrusting per-say but he definitely didn't feel confident in answering that. "After last time I don't know..."

"But you had some fun. Right now you're just sitting there worrying about stuff you can't change. So get out, clear your head and come back with a fresh perspective. What do you say?"

The thought doesn't appear well received at first. Gaius could tell the prince was really thinking it over—probably thinking way too hard on it, but he could wait and did. The answer came with a sigh first, but it did arrive before too long.

"Just this once you probably have a point. Worrying about it here isn't doing me much of anything. I'll head out and by the time I'm back I'm sure I'll have thought of something," Chrom decided with a lower voice; spoken as though this were secret. Gaius could keep it between the two of them. The tone was obvious enough.

Grin set across his face, Gaius chuckled a little and moved to start back down out the window. "Sweet. The faster we get you outta here the better then. Don't fall behind now."

Chrom's eyes glanced fast between the quickly lowering Gaius and the windowsill. There looked to be in argument stirring in him; however, whatever there was he put a lid on it. There came another sigh so Gaius assumed that was the end of it. This would be easier than dealing with anyone in the castle harassing him on the way out the door. Chrom probably knew it too.

Gaius reached the grass below with no problems. The same could almost have been said for Chrom. On one of the last stone holds he grabbed a whole chunk of the rock came loose. Otherwise he had been braced just fine, but still hung there with the stone in his hand; confused only momentarily. It was cast aside and Chrom joined Gaius in the yard with one more sigh to top off the stream of them he'd already huffed that evening.

If they were lucky they could get into town without Chrom breaking down every wall and huffing in the face of every joy. Gaius held back a groan. Maybe it was a bad idea. Too late now though.

"Alright Blue. Buck up here. We're gonna turn those sighs into...well I'm not gonna promise you laughter, but it'll definitely be that direction."

"You're not exactly building this up to be much of a trip, Gaius."

All the thief could do was shrug and start on the path out. "I'll build it up when we're actually there. Just don't touch anything between here and there." There was definitely another grumble from Chrom as he followed. There had to be a few points to be had for getting him to follow along at least.

The trip didn't leave them sharing too many words as Gaius was fairly preoccupied with navigation and keeping an eye out for the royal pain. Mostly peaceful times or not, he couldn't have something bad happening on his sort-of watch. Did this make him responsible? It was an uneasy thought. Chrom was an adult here. He'd be fine. However, if something did happen Gaius could already hear Robin's lecturing. Probably Lissa too. He liked Chrom enough, but he didn't like him enough to take that much yammering for any trouble.

A secret it was going to have to stay.

Soon enough Gaius led them into a less than savory part of town. It had been work at times of course, but by night it had a particular presence. Out-of-towners frequented the area as many inns and taverns were set snugly within the city limits here. Pricing and experiences varied vastly from there. When it looked like Gaius might turn for a stately looking tavern—more official and welcoming—he made a hard turn and entered an alley that ended with an oddly shaped building jutting up between much bigger buildings. From the front it was slim and maybe at a bit of an angle. Maybe if it were a luckier sort it might have seen better days. No one would say either way if asked.

Chrom's steps quickened behind Gaius' and followed him a bit more closely. Gaius could just feel the tension in him. Did this alley read like one someone would get jumped in that clearly? He'd probably gotten the drop on someone here himself. He didn't keep crime scenes all lined up in his head. Better not to these days.

To ease some of the tension he let himself laugh a little. "You're gonna fit in the door; relax," he says loudly enough.

Chrom snapped back fairly fast. "I am not concerned with the door. It just...appears to be of ill-repute. Wasn't there a brawl in this area a few days back?"

Gaius shrugged and stepped aside when one patron flings the door open and leaves the tavern. Quick hands snatch the door while it's open and with it held he invited Chrom in with a grin. "Maybe, maybe not. There's a fight anywhere if you're looking to pick it."

The answer didn't do much for the man's nerves and yet he still went within. The tavern itself was lit sparsely, but what lights were their gave the old wooden flooring and furniture a hew of orange between shadows. Calling it inviting would have been a stretch. Well-worn fit well. Well-loved was the word of a more generous person.

Gaius followed in after Chrom and soon took over the lead as the prince gawked in place for a moment. The thief picked a choice spot at the edge of the bar on the short corner; taking the innermost seat for himself and leaving Chrom to take the one at his side. Among the crew assembled every few spots or so they did not stand out too much. There were foreigners and natives of Ylisse mixed together—all of them chattering or drinking together. Tables were filled with parties of every sort—some quietly enjoying their company, but the core of them loud and drunkenly partying, laughing or singing.

He could see the prince ducking his head down a little. He was sure this was be lower key than the last time. Eventually he'd get the man to relax. First however came drinks. He does the royal-playing-invisible a favor and orders up drinks for the both of them. At first nothing else came to mind to share, but eventually the quiet between them didn't sit too well.

"Just kinda dawned on me you're actually getting married."

Chrom gave him a sidelong almost-glare. "You're really late to this conversation."

"No, give me a second here. Marriage is a big deal. It's you and one lady I also happen to know sticking it out doing the whole romance thing seriously. That's a lot to take in."

Drinks arrived from a busy barkeep right then who hurried back off. Gaius took a drink and noted it was awful. Absolutely awful and exactly how he remembered it last. It warranted a second drink as Chrom answered.

"Is it really that hard to believe? I'm not marriage material then, Gaius?"

He almost choked on that slop as he started to laugh. "No way. You're grade A marriage material. Gossiping ladies describe you when they're talking about their dream boats. You were gonna get hitched eventually. Just seems like it happened pretty fast."

Here the prince looked a bit red faced and turned that glance away. "It has been a long time in the running honestly. Not just marriage in general, but Sumia..." The trail stopped there as he appeared too embarrassed with himself to go on.

Gaius watched Chrom take his first drink and actually get it down without anything more than an odd face. No coughing or sputtering or anything. There was definitely something off with his taste buds.

"So I get there was something going on behind the scenes with Stumbles then. Something I missed out on. But it's a big deal for you even with all that behind the scenes action."

The red in Chrom's face worsened and he drank a bit more vigorously before answering. "Don't put it like that. But Sumia and I...things happened. Between the incidents with you and the bees."

Gaius' expression soured. "I really don't want to talk about the bees."

Red swapped spots over Chrom's look with a bit of a grin joined with the laugh he did not hold back. "I heard plenty about it. She meant well."

"And the conversation about the bees is still over. Seriously. My everything stings a little just thinking about it. There were stings in places I didn't know a man could be stung."

This only gets the royal laughing harder. Gaius only had to wonder how that story sounded from Stumbles' side. Probably less graphic.

"She did feel pretty bad about it. She really did mean well though. She always does," Chrom answered eventually after the laughter had faded back enough. There was just a touch of affection in his voice at those last few words though. It held a different weight than any of the rest of the answer. For some reason, Gaius found he understood things a bit better after that.

"Sorry feelings don't take back the trauma, but well...I can't stay mad forever. I can't stay mad at all. It's over and done. I don't have any beef with your future missus if you're worrying about that."

Chrom's expression shifted to one partly amused twisted around an odd smile. "I don't think I've ever seen you stay mad at anyone. So I wasn't worrying, but thank you for your approval. I'd like for everyone to get along."

It took a few more drinks between the two of them, but Gaius found a reply in there somewhere. "Think we kinda do. Nobody's gonna argue you getting hitched if that's what you want to do here. You're your own man. Everyone's pretty approving right?"

"I can't tell if they're excited about a royal wedding or Sumia and I sometimes," he admitted. "But I suppose there's approval in there somewhere."

Gaius thought on this one a bit harder. It took one trip of his finger around the rim of his glass. "On this kinda thing I'm not exactly an expert, but it's about whatever you and the lady make it about. Everyone else is basically background noise to whatever it is that you're calling it. You had your behind the scenes moments, got close and this is where you jump off to keep going that way. All that hidden stuff is news for everybody you know now. Kind of strange."

Chrom slumped a bit into his seat; his gaze on nothing in particular as he spoke. Words were hushed however. "No, you have the right idea though. Once she said yes I wasn't worried about anyone else's input, but now it is laid bare for the entire kingdom. No one is going to know everything that got us here. But it matters for us so for us to go forward would be best. I'm decided."

He sounded a bit more relieved. Not exactly at ease though. It was not the easiest process perhaps. They were all friends, but once those bonds were pulled tighter between certain couples that did change things just a little. Friendship was easy. Camaraderie in the face of death looked like a piece of cake in comparison. But closer than both of those things. No, it was more like those two combined with something harder to put to words snaked in there with it. No other Shepherd would know that feeling Sumia and Chrom were sharing. It was theirs to have after all.

The thought gave Gaius some pause before he knew how to piece together those ideas with his tongue. "Then you gotta know you don't need to worry so much right? Sounded like she decided agreeing to the whole marriage thing. Maybe some jerks are out there to sour the punch, but you got the whole feelings for the lady thing figured out. Nobody needs to play match-maker for you; you both want to be there and agreed. A couple chairs misaligned are not gonna change that."

He had to admit he sounded pretty knowledgeable there for a moment. Even thick-headed Chrom could get a message that easy. Blue and Stumbles had whatever it was together. They could work things out. At least Gaius had full faith in them. He didn't know the first thing about the big L word, but he did see when those two looked at each other and the way Chrom sounded speaking of her. That was probably what it was all about. Guessing on that feeling was lonely in a way. He let it pass though. Tonight was about Chrom—not about anyone else hooking up.

Chrom's shoulders sank a little as he sighed once more—the first time since their little walk here. "You have seen through me then. Maybe I have been stressing out over nothing. Chairs and items like that do not make a marriage."

"What would you say makes a marriage then?" Gaius asked curiously this time.

There was a dead serious look on Chroms' face as he spoke. "Pies."

Gaius' look cracked into a mess of ugly laughter and a confused smile through it. "Those pies were you pretty protective of? You take half as good care of Stumbles as you did the sweets you'll probably have this marriage thing down solid!"

The serious look fell and Chrom was soon laughing and smiling once more as well. The relief in his face was more than enough for Gaius to label the little outing a success.

"Somewhere in the middle of all the pies she was making it became less about the pies and more about her. Although I guess I really developed a taste for them in there as well," Chrom half-joked.

"The pies that bind you together huh?" Gaius teased back. He was going to go on, but the laughing seemed to have attracted some attention. A guest from another table soon approached; a friendly looking fellow—a Ylisse native likely from Gaius' first glance.

"'Excuse me sirs. Me and my friends here couldn't help but notice that you seem to be the exact image of our Prince Chrom as well...if you were..." he asked as politely as he seemed to be able to put it. It was pretty direct. Chrom paled slightly. It was harder to hide a famous royal within his own city it seemed.

Gaius picked it up pretty quick. "If he were such a guy I think we'd still be pretty welcome here right?"

The answer seemed to be clear enough and just smooth enough that it gave the man of Ylisse a smile. "If he is such a guy I'd buy him a drink myself." Some of the citizen's friends hopped in on this; a big bunch of them now surrounding them at the bar. A lady in the group—likely a dancer from her garb—spoke up as well. "I'd buy him one too!" There came a handful of "me too" and calls for the barkeep with that announcement. Within a minute the whole tavern was a mess of shouting and laughter before the barkeep got in on it too. With some organizing they managed to get the half-drunk, half-overjoyed group to get out one "congratulations" before the drinking commenced with twice as much intensity as before. Gaius could not say he'd ever been treated to so many free drinks before. The whole tavern was a buzz with alcohol passed from the bar to quick new friends they were making. Chrom seemed a bit taken aback by it all at first, but drinking seemed to help with the tension. Soon enough it was all laughter and all good spirits.

Gaius would admit later that he had no idea how they actually got home in one piece. They had probably had quite a bit more than they needed to drink. Supporting one another they made it back to the castle and with Chrom's direction they took a less suspicious entrance. The front door would have guards. Who would not react well to their state of course so Gaius gladly followed the royal's advice.

Despite the sneaking Frederick still caught them and Gaius received a lecturing he didn't remember clearly in the morning anyway. He figured Chrom's was likely twice as bad. However the next time they crossed paths a few days later he seemed more at ease. It was probably worth the lectures.

Not too long after the wedding preparations went into full swing. The castle and the whole city with it went into celebration mode. It seemed everyone would be enjoying a festival of sorts in honor of the day, but Chrom did try to keep the ceremony itself a bit lower key. At least as low key as a royal ceremony could go.

It was not much to his liking, but Gaius was invited along. Maybe getting buddy-buddy with the royal pain had some draw backs. There would be a lot of fancy, wealthy folks there. Not really Gaius' sort of company to keep. He'd give the dumb oaf a congratulation one last time and be on his way. That was the plan. A plan that was very quickly shattered by another troubling figure went he entered the hall just about too late to make it to the ceremony.

There Frederick stood; almost as if he knew Gaius was coming. It sparked Gaius' flight response in a second's time. He spun around and got about three running paces before the knight called his name. Gaius froze, swore under his breath and surrendered.

The knight was dressed in his very best ceremonial armor; practically glimmering in the sunshine that spotted through windows down the long hall. It was a menacing shimmer in Gaius' eyes as the bigger man approached. Shoulders slumped Gaius prepared himself for a good lecturing. Instead the knight simply grabbed him by the arm and pulled him along; only speaking once Gaius' boots picked up to follow along with him.

"It is good you have actually decided to join us. I believe milord would have been most displeased if you did not show. I understand you lent him some aid recently and you have been a mostly dependable comrade," the knight carried on casually as though he were not kidnapping another man. It wasn't like Gaius was resisting too much either. His fate was sealed and he knew it.

All he could do was give a dry laugh and answer. "Well you know. What would you do without good old Gaius?"

The knight would probably be dusting for specs of dirt on the castle floor if Gaius hadn't shown really. The thought was both amusing and sad. He probably would have really been doing it too. Frederick was a scary guy, but not in the way Lon'qu might be.

Soon enough Frederick led Gaius into a room that seemed to have been converted into a dressing room of sorts. Here Frederick brought them within and glanced between Gaius and a rack of clothing well out of the thief's budget before plucking them and putting them in his hands. "You would do well to look as though you meant to be here. I will be waiting for you outside."

With that vague order Frederick let him go and stepped out of the room; door shutting behind him. Gaius looked to the window. It was too high up to climb down very safely and he didn't really see a good hand-hold.

"Milord would not have anyone falling to their death from his castle on his wedding day," came a warning heard through the wooden door. The knight knew.

Gaius noted mentally the guy was definitely scary. Trapped and defeated he did as he as instructed. Everything available was stuffy, higher ranking folks' garb and it didn't sit too well with Gaius. Anything he tried on wouldn't fit right even if Frederick did manage to size him up in about one glance. He had a feeling the knight knew just about everything about every soldier in the Shepherds whether they knew it or not. Definitely a scary guy.

There weren't enough pockets for all his loot in this get-up however he managed to sneak a few treats into the trouser pockets once he had them on. The dress shirt was thrown on haphazardly with buttons mostly done up and the collar a crooked mess. He did it though. Frederick got his way; it would have to be the end of the story. Still holding his own belongs he opened the door to find the knight waiting there—just as he promised.

Before Gaius could complain the knight swept up his items from his hands, put them into a drawer within the room.

"...You're not serious are you?"

"I am always serious," the knight answered swiftly. He turned a key into a slot on the drawer and with a few short paces moved to put this key into Gaius' hands.

"Anyone tell you recently you're pretty pushy?"

Frederick merely smiled and took to fixing Gaius' collar for him. Not that he wanted such a thing. "Today is milord's very important and special wedding day. I would like everything to go perfectly for him even if he has not requested such a thing."

The red-head said nothing in response; instead letting the knight fiddle with his clothes for a moment longer. Frederick took it as an opening to go on. "Normally I would be at milord's side providing him support, but it seems he does not much need it. He told me this ceremony and everything else was for himself and his wife to be. It did not matter much what anyone else thought of it. It was good to hear something so confident from him."

Gaius did his best not to smile, but trying to fight it back only turned the look into a smirk. "Yeah, a real romantic, that guy Blue."

"A troubled mess to a true romantic in a few days. I would thank you, but milord is the romantic one, correct?" the knight replied with a knowing smile.

"Yup. He's got the whole marriage thing together."

"It would be good if such a thing could be discovered without a disturbing amount of wine."

"It was regular tavern swill, Duster Buster. And I didn't think he would tell that story to anybody."

"It seems drink loosens his tongue. He begged me that night to go easy on you regarding your lecture that night. I did as requested."

At this Gaius just laughed. "Did you? I can't even remember."

There was a large, almost dramatic sigh from Frederick. "Be that as it may...I understand you did something to assist. So despite your less than savory manners...you are welcome here and should be here."

As far as welcomes went it wasn't Gaius' favorite, but he'd take it. Once the knight let him go he messed up the collar once more and took a few paces down the hall to glance back at him with a grin. "Then I'll be here about as long as I can stand it. And only that much. At least enough to get a slice of cake."

"If this is about cake and not the wedding...I will say I'd be very disappointed in you."

"Not my wedding to be about! It's Blue's, remember?" With that he takes off before the knight could argue. It looked like he might chase, but changed his mind part way. It worked well enough for Gaius. The last thing he needed was that monster barreling down after him.

Once he was a safe distance he untucked and unbuttoned where it was vital and let himself take a breath. He didn't really come here planning to stick around, but maybe a little while really wouldn't hurt. More than a few minutes in this garb drove him crazy already; however, it was not his day. He could deal with it.

The major buzz in the castle centered soon on the main ceremony with friends, family and subjects lined along the great hall to hear words of promise and meaning. All stuffy, royal talk in Gaius' book. As far as he was concerned he got the whole ceremony out of Chrom while he was getting smashed on tavern ale. There was something honest and definitely less rigid about that whole mess. Even if it did hurt in the morning.

Still, it wasn't often one got to peep in on a royal wedding so he did take a look. The extravagance shone through so brightly he couldn't help that sticky fingered itch scratching at him during the quiet lulls. The lives of the rich and famous were definitely something he couldn't measure up to. There in that big room filled to the brim with better-hearted folks he couldn't help feeling a little small.

They probably all needed to feel a bit small in there. The day didn't belong to them. His own wisdom does make him smile though. Even with the lucky advice he had shared he expected the somewhat-easily flustered blue blood to be all stammering and nervousness, but there Chrom was giving his vows seriously. The newly wed pair were both as red as could be after sharing a first kiss and yet held only smiles after. Whatever worries they might have shared were swept away in a close moment as their status came to match the closeness of their bond.

Showered in praise, affection and fanfare the pair strolled down the length of the hall with their arms locked tight and close. Gaius couldn't say he'd ever seen so many smiles in one room, but Chrom and Sumia's were definitely the brightest. There had to be something to trusting someone that closely.

Once the festivities moved Gaius found it easier to hide himself away. He stayed out of any place too populated or full of chattering party-goers. At times comrades would actually realize it was him and say a few words, but let him do as he pleased at the end. Before the cake would be cut Chrom seemed to catch a break and came to Gaius' side to share a few words.

"I barely recognized you," he admitted at first, laughing openly after he did.

"Crivens. Been getting that all day. It's that bad?"

His answer was a very sure nod. "But thank you for coming anyway."

Gaius grinned back at him. "You tell that to all your guests. Don't worry about it. But if you really want to thank me a generous cut of that cake would suit me just fine."

For some reason Chrom didn't appear surprised. "They ordered a cake big enough for it. I don't think it'd hurt," he answered with a small chuckle.

Some kind of understanding knocked into Gaius' mind at that moment. Chrom definitely would always be a soft silk-stocking type, but he was human too. Maybe even a good friend. Gaius had mates and pals in the past but a real honest friendship was a new idea. He had a feeling the royal had his back. The thought was a reassuring one. Somehow a dirty thief made friends of a couple of the most important people in the kingdom. It would have been surreal if that very important person wasn't that big idiot who stood in front of him.

In that second Gaius offered his hand to shake and Chrom took it firmly. "Congrats again, Blue. Go enjoy your party."

It took another "thank you," but Chrom did finally take his advice and did just that.

The cake cutting that followed almost sickeningly sweet; the wedded couple fumbled through the whole mess without tripping into the dessert or somehow destroying it. First bites were fed to the other and the whole crowd seemed to swoon at the sight. It was sweet enough it almost felt like he'd already eaten a huge chunk of cake already. Gaius did of course still swipe a large piece and flee as intended still. The rest of Chrom's friends provided plenty enough swooning and cooing at all the cute stuff.

A forkful of cake in his mouth, Gaius made his way down one of the less populated halls to try and find the room Frederick locked his things up in again. In a palace this big he could get his rooms turned around at times no matter how much he ended up visiting. Eventually he got his bearings and reached the right area only to find someone looking out a nearby window.

He recognized her form in full fairly quickly. As later evening light flooded her features and added a layer of soft orange to where it shone Gaius found himself slowing steps and approaching more carefully. The young woman's attention turned from outside to Gaius only when he was a few short paces away. Olivia certainly dressed up for the occasion with a longer, well fitted dress but still wore her usual gold bangles and other jewelry. Considering her skill, she was likely ready to dance at anytime, even if it did seem to embarrass the poor girl into a puddle.

The pair exchanged smiles before Gaius came to a stop and Olivia properly turned his way.

"Taking a break from the party?" Gaius asked just to break the silence before it got too weird. He moved the fork from his mouth previous to speaking this time at least.

"Sort of. I was looking for someone but she seems to have run off already. I was going to return, but here the sunset was just so perfect I couldn't help but get all caught up in it. A day like today everything seems twice as lovely and romantic as it might normally be." There she paused as red joined the orange over her features. "I'm saying embarrassing things. Please forget I mentioned it!"

He knew right away it was plenty embarrassing and probably pretty true at the same time. "Naw. It's a wedding. You got two people sharing all the mushy words in the world and celebrating over it. That's all over the air here, lady."

The reassurance didn't seem to help her discomfort much. Gaius lets out a sigh and then made a gesture with his hand like he was grabbing something from his head and let this invisible item go into the wind. "I've forgotten it now though. No problem."

Olivia chuckled a little and some of that discomfort faded. "Thank you, Gaius. You look like you were leaving though."

"Sorta. Place is too stuffy for a guy like me."

"But not too stuffy to eat cake from," she pointed out with an eye on the plate in his hand.

He looked to the white cake in his hand and then back at her. "It's great. Can you blame me?"

She eyed the sweet for a moment as if to try and tell for herself, but a thought seemed to strike her in that moment. "You didn't steal it right?"

"I'm not gonna steal from Blue's wedding."

"I mean...I didn't mean it like that! I meant...I missed them cutting the cake?"

"Kinda sounds like you did."

The disappointment and frustration on her face was a little too real for Gaius to know how to handle. "I can't believe I missed it...And I'll miss out on cake too!"

That last he could definitely sympathize with at least. "There was still plenty left when I walked out."

With that the disappointment turned so quickly to determination Gaius nearly got whiplash from watching. "Then I'm going to eat all the cake I want!"

Faster than he honestly expected her to be able to take off Olivia shot down the hall in quite the sprint. He actually had no clue how she ran in those shoes and that dress, but it was a hell of a run. His gaze lingered after the dancer once she turned the corner out of sight. It wasn't something he could put easily into a coherent thought at first. Still he managed to reach a conclusion:

There's gotta be a way to talk with her for longer than a couple awkward seconds.