Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem

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"Now, attack me!" Florina charged at Lyn, a wooden sword raised high above her head. Lyn prepared her stance, but when Florina's reckless arm swung at her, she stepped out of the way. "No, Florina…don't aim for my head!" She said with a small laugh. Florina stopped and sighed. She threw the sword aside.

"Sorry," She murmured. "I- perhaps I- I just can't do it."

"What kind of attitude is that?" Lyn asked. "Don't give up, ever. Just try again. Remember, a sword is not like a lance; it is not meant for long distance attacks. Instead, it is for close-range combat. It's harder to attack soldiers while on horseback, but once you get the hang of it on foot, I'm sure it will come naturally on Huey." Florina hung her head. She did not quite agree with Lyn. Her friend was too confident in her.

"Lady Lyndis!" Sain ran up, panting heavily. "Lord Eliwood and Lord Hector have summoned you. They said it is of the utmost importance." Lyn nodded and dropped her practice sword.

"Sorry Florina," She smiled apologetically. "I guess I won't be able to continue the lessons today."

"That's, um, fine." Florina shook her head to confirm it. Without another word, Lyn jogged off, leaving Sain and Florina alone. Sain, of course, was watching Lyn run off.

"She is quite a beauty," He said wistfully, then snuck a mischievous grin towards Florina. "And, ah! What is this here? Were you sparring with Lady Lyndis?" Florina just stared for a moment before realizing he asked her a question.

"Oh!" She squeaked. "No, she was, uh…she was teaching me to, um, fight, well, use a sword."

"A sword? I didn't know an orchid such as you were interested in sword fighting," He said. In her mind, Florina was thinking that what he just said was an outrageous claim; she was a knight after all. She could wield lances with ease, and they were no feminine tool. Lyn fought with swords. Isadora used both blades and axes. Even Fiora was picking up a little on it. Why did Sain seem so surprised?

Then again, the answer to it did not shock her. Sain was just Sain, his normal flirtatious self. He could never turn down a chance to spew flattering words towards a pretty lady…or any lady, as Florina did not consider herself very pretty.

"Are you ok, Florina?" Sain asked her, bowing his head down a little to gain eye contact. She was shorter, and as a result, it made it quite difficult to gain a straight expression out of her, especially when she kept turning her head away.

"Hm? Oh, um, er, yeah," She fumbled.

"Well, since Lady Lyndis had to depart us so soon, perhaps you would not mind I took control of her lessons for the time being?" His proposal shocked her. She backed away a little nervously. She tried shaking her head no, but before she give any sort of response, handed her the wooden sword before retrieving the other for himself and declaring, "Yes, yes. A good spar is what we need."

"But I can't-"

"Granted you can't fight with a sword yet, but we can improve upon that," He cut her off once more. "Now let me see what you can do." He made a broad sweep with his hands. "Please, hit me with everything you got." Florina clumsily grasped the hilt and ran towards in the same fashion that she had approached Lyn in earlier. Sain tsked. He stopped her before she reached him.

"No, no," He said softly. He reached over and laid his hands over Florina's on the handle. She trembled for a moment, not quite sure what he was doing. His hands shifted slightly, changing Florina's position with her sword. "There you go. It should be much less awkward now."

She raised the sword and attempted to slash at him, but once more, he stopped her. He went behind her and held her arms this time. She was not sure if he could feel the anxiety rushing through her veins, but it scared her. She was getting used to Sain's presence now but having him hold her was a different matter entirely.

"Stand like this," He stepped back and showed her his pose. "I know it won't serve much use on horseback, but it can come in handy. If you happen upon another situation, like the other day, where you are forced to fight on foot, blades dominate over spears." She tried to imitate his stance, and she could imagine herself looking like a loon with a large, pointed stick. He placed his hands on her arms once more and guided them down so the sword descended down.

"When you strike, you'll want to do it like this," He instructed her. He was speaking in her ear. The words echoed in her head along with the throbbing of her heart. The only time anyone had gotten this close to her before was when her sisters hugged her. That was all, and now some man- no, not some man, Sain- had placed his arms around her as if he too were hugging her." Watch for your enemies' weakest angle. You'll want to strike them there."

"O-o-ok," She forced it out. She had been silent for way too long. She did not want him to think that she was scared or something. However, her word only seemed to confirm it for him.

"Don't be afraid," He said.

"I-I'm not afraid," She stammered. "I-I've fought hundreds of, er, well battles and-"

"That's not what I'm talking about," He said with a chuckle. "And you know it. You're going to have to learn to be comfortable with me, Florina, whether you like it or not. I intend to keep my end of the bargain, and if you can get over your fear of me, you can get over your fear of any man."

"Why…why do you say that?"

"Because Florina," He explained in a lighter tone. "Apparently, I'm the scariest of all the men, as Dame Isadora put it. The biggest rouge among scoundrels and whatnot. I can understand that I don't quite live as the gentleman as Lord Eliwood and Kent do, but Bartre! I can't possibly be scarier than that man." Florina giggled a little, and a sly thought slithered into her head. A bold statement, witty even. But could she say it? The moment had passed, but nevertheless, Florina passed a stage in her life when she uttered the next words.

"Bartre is kind of cute," She said. The words came out a high squeak, but they attained the desired result.

"WHAT!" Sain leapt back and Florina collapsed into a fit of laughter. After recovery from the shock, Sain gave a snicker himself. Florina was still hysterical. Her sides were beginning to ache from the lack of oxygen, but the scene kept on replaying in her mind.

"G-got you," She managed to choke out.

"You are quite the kidder, Florina," He said, with a wily smile on his lips. "Quite the kidder indeed." She stopped giggling and stared at him. There was a suspicious look on his face, the way he seemed so smug even though the joke was on him.

"Wh-what are planning?" She asked him.

"But if you indeed think that way about Bartre." He said. "Why don't I just go and tell exactly how you feel." Florina's eyes widened, and she froze in her spot. The merriment was gone, and now, she was already feeling the embarrassment. She watched Sain strut off before rushing and tackling him. A girl of her size would not usually take him down, but her assault had surprised him, and he tripped over his own two feet. He took her down with him, with her pinning him down on the grass.

"No," Was the only word Florina was able to say.

"No? Well, Florina, you could stay here and convince me not to tell Bartre dearest, but you are forgetting we are quite close to camp, and at any time, someone could come out and see us in this compromising position." Sain had her here. She rolled off him, quivering slightly. Sain sat up and rubbed his neck.

"Please don't," She murmured. Sain noticed her snivel and cupped her hand in his palm. She shook it off, and he smiled sympathetically.

"My dearest Florina, I would never," He assured her, standing and offering her his hand. She accepted it and stood, brushing the skirt of her dress free of grass and soil. "You are far too cute to humiliate in this fashion." As they walked back to camp, only one thing was racing through Florina's mind. It was strange because such compliments had never affected her before, but for some reason, she felt like Sain meant it.

He had just called her cute.

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Author's Note: I liked this chapter. Not the best written, but you have to admit, this scene was adorable. Farina is going to come in next chapter, but remember, no reviews means no updates. This is Lemurian-Girl, signing off.