It had been nearly a month since Eliwood had first spoken to Lyn about his feelings, and he was starting to wonder if it had been a good idea to do so. Ever since their conversation, Lyn seemed to be avoiding him whenever she could. When she needed someone to spar with, she asked Hector to be her partner, which she rarely did before, and when the army wasn't in battle, she spent her time with other members of the group. In fact, the only time the two were close to each other was on the battlefield, where Eliwood kept her safe as best he could, while also allowing her to handle some situations on her own. It wasn't easy deciding when to step in, as Lyn could be quite hard-headed, and she got into minor arguments with Eliwood more than a few times concerning her ability to fight. Despite all this, Eliwood kept telling himself that everything was going to be alright, yet he continued to have a nagging thought that he had screwed up. Perhaps he was too forward with his confession, or maybe Lyn was just unsure of what she was going to do. Either way, it was slowly starting to bother Eliwood.
As he sat in his tent, trying to figure out what Lyn was thinking, he was interrupted by the sudden entrance of Marcus.
"My lord, we are preparing to move out. Lord Hector sent me to retrieve you."
"Thank you, Marcus. I'll be ready in a moment," Eliwood responded. Marcus left with a curt nod, although a slight frown flashed across his face for a second. Eliwood caught it, and he knew what Marcus was thinking. The army was camped just outside of a cave where the Archsage Athos said the legendary sword, Durandal, was said to be kept. When they had first reached the cave, Eliwood had decided to bring only a few sturdy warriors with him, upon the Archsage's advice. Marcus wasn't one of the people who Eliwood had chosen, though he put up quite an argument about it being an unwise decision. In the end, Marcus dropped the matter, but wasn't particularly happy about it. The group consisted of Eliwood, Hector, Dart, Pent, Wil, and Lyn. Initially, Eliwood refused to let her come, but the prospect of another shouting match with her over the matter wasn't appealing. The good thing about it, however, was that it gave Eliwood hope that Lyn hadn't decided to reject him. There was a possibility that she simply wanted to be able to protect him as well, if the time came. Though he didn't know it, that had been Lyn's very thought since that night outside Badon.
Lyn fumbled around with her satchel, trying to determine what items to bring with her into the cave. She had already thrown in a few elixirs and two speedwings just in case, but now she was wondering if she should add anything else. In truth, she didn't really care about adding any other items, but it was a quick way to get her mind off of other things, namely Eliwood. The night he had confessed his feelings to her was one of the most confusing nights Lyn had ever lived through. Even now, she wasn't entirely convinced that it actually happened, although she distinctly remembered kissing him. She also remembered staying up all night in her room at the inn, desperately trying to wrap her mind around the whole experience.
It had been like a dream, albeit one she didn't know if she liked or even wanted to have. Lyn sat up for over an hour, simply staring at the fireplace, all the while thinking about what Eliwood said about their meeting being fate. When he first said it, Lyn was sure he was just overreacting, but the more she gave it some thought, the more plausible it sounded. After all, if it hadn't been for him, she have most likely been killed by a neighboring province that her uncle, Lundgren, would have had do his bidding. Eliwood managed to ensure neutrality from these provinces, giving Lyn a clear shot to the castle. Then, a year later, he showed up again to aid her, possibly saving her life yet again. It all seemed to come together a little too well to be coincidence. Of course, her own feelings played a significant part in everything. Did she feel for him like he felt for her? It was hard to say, seeing as she hadn't really ever saw him as anything other than a close friend, but the more she dwelled on it, the more she realized that she spent a lot of time with him, most of it not even concerning anything remotely important. They always talked about everyday things, such as their favorite foods, what they liked to do with their free time, even their favorite colors. She always found it so easy to talk to him about whatever came to mind, and even when they ran out of things to say, she could sit with him in silence without feeling awkward. In fact, she recalled several occasions where they watched the sunset without ever saying a single word to each other, yet she knew exactly what he was thinking. It dawned on her at that moment that Eliwood was someone that she truly cared for and couldn't bear to lose. So she made a promise to herself. She vowed to be his protector as he was hers, but to do so without acting rashly, she also vowed to keep her distance. Letting her feelings run the show could be disastrous, so she would only be with him in battle, close enough to jump in and save his life if need be. Outside of a fight, she had to remain distant, just until they defeated Nergal. After that, she'd be able to embrace him, to tell him how she felt, to see how her life would unfold.
Lyn shook herself out of her reverie as Eliwood walked up to the group. With only a firm nod to them, he led the way into the cave, prepared for the worse. Lyn followed a few steps behind him, praying that their journey would come to a close soon.