Plans and Planning:

A few days had passed since the strange pause in their march. It had been peaceful so far. No skirmishes or engagements, which meant that they were able to prevent any information regarding their movements from leaking. And while Lucina took the time to maintain her training when the army came to a halt for the day, she certainly kept an eye out for opportunities to be alone with her mother.

"I still have some concerns regarding Gerome. He is closed off to most people." Robin lightly said.

The princess put the tome she was reading away. With today's march over and dusk soon approaching, they were in her mother's tent, a study of sorts. Robin had taken to the role of devil's advocate and wanted to know more about what she thought of the masked rider, intermittently peppering her with suggestions or ideas. "He seems less closed off than before. He used to shun any form of closeness before we came to the past, and since I have found him, he has only improved, small as his steps may be."

"Has he? He seems barely capable of having a decent conversation with his mother."

"Gerome is one of the more reserved children, but believe me when I say it is better. He would never have embraced me that day before we came to this time, and I feel that things will improve."

"I suppose I shall have to trust your judgment then. Still, I must suggest something." Her mother leaned across the table, looking up from her many papers for a brief moment to shoot her a mischievous smile. "The next time you find yourself riding with Gerome, you should try to sit in front of him."

"M-Mother!" she could feel the heat in her ears. "I- What kind of suggestion is that?"

"A good one," she returned to her documents as if nothing happened. "Despite fighting on foot, your father is a very accomplished rider. Before this all started, some of our more serene moments came from sharing a saddle and simply riding around in some of the fields. I can only imagine what it would be like to have that moment alone and in the air."

Thoughts of what her mother alluded to previously when she saw her with Chrom surfaced. "Are… Are you advising me to use my feminine guile in this situation?"

Robin scoffed, short but with a wide smile on her lips. "Don't make your decision so hastily, Lucina. Besides, it was your father's idea to seat me in the front."

"I'm not about to decide. Not without the third here, at the very least. Wasn't it you who told me to avoid making a decision until all facts are known?"

"Indeed. It would be unbecoming to select the improper path, and the more knowledge you have, the more easily you will make a decision."

There was a brief silence before Lucina began to ask a question she had on her mind, but was unable to find the chance until now. "I have been meaning to ask, mother, but when you first met Lady Say'ri, you did not present yourself by your full title. In fact, you had hid your identity until the second day. Why?"

At this, Robin gave a quick chuckle, "Ahh, I was wondering when you would try and ask." She leaned back in her chair, "Tell me. Did you feel that I was lying when I said I was the commander and omitted that I was also the queen?"

Such a shrewd question caught Lucina off guard, and she paused to think for a moment. "While you were not explicitly lying, mother, you also did not tell the truth. I feel that it is just as bad as lying."

"You speak well," she took a small breath. "Telling a partial truth can be just as damaging as concealing it. I'll be quite frank – I probably did not need to withhold my identity from Lady Say'ri to be on the course we are on right now. At the same time, however, we were on a battlefield. More than one conflict was lost because of subterfuge. It was a risk I took to protect ourselves, however unnecessary it may have been."

"Another, more personal reason, though, was to remind myself." Robin looked her in the eye and spoke firmly, "The one thing I will always be on a battlefield, first and foremost, is a tactician. It's my job to command and conquer and bring us home in one piece. Nothing should ever come before that. I'm only a queen after a few steps down the road."

"What's in between?" Lucina then asked. This time it was her mother who paused for a moment, though she doubted it was for the same type of reason as she did.

Her mother clicked her tongue. "I'm sure that you will be able to figure that out if you haven't already, my dear child," she said teasingly.

Before the princess could protest, however, there was a voice outside of the tent flap. "Forgive me for interrupting, Robin." it was Frederick, "Lady Cordelia and Cynthia have returned early from the scouting party."

The look on her mother's face was one of surprise, and Lucina found herself feeling worried. Very rarely was her mother ever caught entirely off guard.

"I was expecting them to come back towards the evening," she said out loud before pushing aside the flap and stepping out into the cooling air. "Do they look okay? Lead me to them."

Biting back her displeasure at being interrupted, Lucina followed after the two of them. While her mother seemed to remain calm, she reminded herself to take a breath and steady herself. Cynthia had returned from her first full scouting mission. There was no need to be afraid of anything so far.

"Nothing seems out of place," the man continued, "They did seem to be carrying someone back with them though."

"One from the future?" Lucina's heart skipped a beat when the words left her mother's lips. Seeing the two pegasus riders flying in low and landing, they quickened their pace, but the princess found herself running forward past them.

"Hey, Lucina!" Cynthia cried out when she looked up and saw the trio approaching. She quickly dismounted and nearly tripped before glancing back up, smiling. "We found Brady!"

Turning towards the other person climbing down from her steed, they were greeted with a teary-faced priest.

"Oh, Lucina, it really is you!" Dashing over with arms extended, he enveloped them around her and she returned the embrace.

"I'm glad to see that you've returned," she casually said. "But is everything alright? I know you hate crying like this."

"It's nothing," he said unconvincingly while sniffing. "There's was just some bad things that happened, is all."

"'Bad things' is a very vague term," Lucina heard from behind. Glancing around, she spotted her mother shot giving an inquisitive look, and Lucina realized that she knew exactly what Robin was wondering. With a brief twinge of pain, she shook her head and silently mouthed.

Not the one.

A one in three chance and she lost. Severa and, just a little more importantly, Inigo were still unaccounted for.

With a slight frown and a small nod, her mother went to look back at Brady, but Cordelia interrupted them. "We've found another… another site, Robin," she carefully spoke. When Lucina looked at the rider, she shifted somewhat uncomfortably under her gaze.

"What site?" she turned towards Robin. "What happened, mother?"

She took a deep breath before looking back at Lucina, a frown on her lips. Gone was the look of Robin as a mother, and instead one as a commander emerged took its place. "Forgive me, Lucina. I must ask that you prepare some supplies for Brady. You'll know soon enough."

In that moment, she recalled her mother's words, that withholding information was critical at times. And despite how she had accepted Robin's response earlier, Lucina suddenly felt a wave of hurt and betrayal.

Lucina had never learned too much about how the Valmese War played out in the end. She was too young to recall much while her parents were off fighting. By the time she would have been old enough to have learned about it, she was already dealing with the bigger issues of Grima's rising power. There simply was not a good opportunity to study the war. She only knew that the outcome was in Ylisse's favor and that Walhart and his allies had been subdued in the end.

So when the army halted its march early at the outskirts of a burnt down village, she was shocked to see that such a thing existed, even more so when her mother later passed out a short address to the captains and lieutenants to share within the army that this was actually the second town to be found in this decrepit state. At first deemed impertinent to the war, with the revelation of a second instance a halt was called, making the Mila tree seem further and further out of reach. The army knew that time was not on their side, with Walhart no doubt preparing his own troops to come down upon them from the northwest.

This also meant another opportunity for those from Lucina's time to try and worm out the truth from her. Hiding away in the ship and making busy with tracking rations and supplies was an easy way to eat up time while being hard to find. But now that Cordelia had resumed inventory duties for the Shepherds and army as a whole, avoiding the question was getting harder.

She would tell them, of course, but only when the time was right. This was clearly not the right time. She had pondered over the question before, but the only true conclusion she could make was that it would have to be after they were able to locate Inigo. A matter of not if but when, she convinced herself. Still, it was a topic that was getting harder and harder to push away. Thankfully, chance seemed to offer a small favor – a strategy meeting was about to be held.

"You look bothered, Lucina. Is something wrong?"

Turning to the source of the voice, she could not help but have a small frown on her face. There was that twinge of hurt in her chest, but she shoved it down and stayed calm. She had wrestled with it last night, looking for any scrap of paper that could have alluded to the burnt village and going through the secret compartment of her make-up kit. She was sure that there would be more to think and discuss about later, but now she needed to be in control. "I worry about the pauses we are taking, mother. Walhart's men are no doubt mobilized and capable of attacking, and yet we have stopped our movements."

"Do you fear we are wasting time?"

Once again they were situated in the war tent. While it lacked its full adornments since they did not plan to stay in the area for long, the long table was still set up along with the map of Valm. According to their locations, they should be within a two-day march of the great tree. Flyers reported seeing it in the distance already, along with a sizeable force situated at its base. While it was smaller in comparison with the portion of soldiers they brought with them, they held a naturally defensive location.

She nodded her head in agreement. "Time is not a luxury. I understand that the war with Valm is the most pressing matter on hand, but we should be quick to try and move past it."

"And you may rest easy that all of the decision makers in this war are aware of the threat Grima poses to us." Robin calmly looked at her in the eye before panning back to the usual crowd in the tent, this time including Lady Say'ri. Laurent was also here, but he seemed too engrossed in the document in front of him to be of any reassurance to her for the moment. "But at the same time we must assess our enemy, which is why I have called us together again so soon."

"Several days ago, our scouts spotted the remnants of a burned village with the Valmese flag situated in the center. It was not on our path to the Mila Tree, so while we investigated it, its presence was kept confidential until now. Seeing that it is no longer just an isolated event, it was decided that we would pause and discuss what occurred sites at these sites."

Her mother turned to where Laurent was, calling his name to get his attention. "I understand that Miriel is still examining the second site. However, she stated that you would be able to offer an initial report. Is that correct?"

The mage gave her a quick nod. "My mother had given me an extensive set of notes," he motioned towards the papers in front of him. "However, I was able to briefly go through it and I feel that I have a satisfactory summary. Current evidence shows that the fires were not natural. The people were confined to their houses, and there are no signs of the flames traveling between them."

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and adjusting his glasses before continuing. "Remnants of human remains were also located in the corners of the houses, in a position that seemed to indicate that they were huddling together. I am unsure how my mother came to this conclusion, but she hypothesizes that they were killed by the smoke from the fire and not the flames themselves."

"Lastly, and perhaps most chilling, is that in the remains of some of the houses, we have found nails that point into the house. While this is not an uncommon situation in the construction of homes, these nails seemed to be hammered in over a piece of wood. One of these pieces was nailed over a hinge of a door, preventing it from opening outward or otherwise barring escape."

"While we are not able to link any similarities between the two sites to indicate why they happened here, we have come to the conclusion that these were sites of a systematic genocide."

There was an eerie silence at the table, and Lucina felt a chill go down her spine.

Robin was the first to speak. "This does not sound like something Walhart would do." She turned her gaze to Virion and Cherche and then to Lady Say'ri. "You yourselves mentioned that he ruled by might and that he often conscripted forces from those he conquered. Have you ever had any notices about such burnt villages before your escape?"

"Thought it pains me to admit," the blue-haired archer started to speak, "I do not recall Walhart burning his conquered lands. Again, his forces were more manageable for one man at the time. Such displays were not necessary when his men were seeing and fighting besides him on a regular basis."

"And you, Lady Say'ri, do you recall when you may have started hearing about these instances?"

Sitting straight in her seat, the Chon'sin princess was in her more formal attire as opposed to combat armors, though her sword was tied to the side of her belt. "I have heard rumors of such sightings by my group. A village or town completely razed with no one left. My scouts first returned with such gossip about six months ago. However, we were never able to formally investigate. The atrocities occurred in nations and provinces that were not a part of my resistance, with some cases in groups that I had no lines in at all. Forgive me, but I am in the dark as much as you are."

The queen tilted her head forward in thought. "If only we had more information on who Walhart is as a person."

Chrom spoke next. "Lady Say'ri, Virion has just given a brief description of how Walhart acts, and you were also in our previous meeting where we discussed the man and his activities in more detail. Would you say that based on what was shared, his primary character as a person has not changed?"

"Yes," she agreed, "I daresay that he hasn't changed one bit."

"But even with that in mind, we're making quite a leap in assumption. If we guess wrong and that this is Walhart's doing, then that means we stand against a man who is more ruthless than we initially anticipated…" Robin trailed off, her eyes glued to the map. She was looking specifically at the troops stationed at the base of the Mila Tree as reported by the scouts that returned later last night. "This would mean that his campaign is as much as it is terror as it is demonstrating his prowess, and it will make shaking his allies' allegiance more difficult."

There was a brief silence, and this time the princess took the opportunity to make her stance known. "Mother," Lucina raised her voice. She tried to ignore the heavy beating in her chest, as this was different from her usual type of remark. This one was personal. "I understand that we want to examine the situation, but how will this allow us to combat Walhart on the field? It pains me to say this, but these people are dead, and there is no current connection to how the man is running his stratagem, only a vague link to how he uses his power in addition to his usual charisma. Someone else is doing this. The presence of this town wasn't made known to us outside of a very small circle." A circle that she thought she was a part of. "Why does this matter now?"

She had expected a frown from Robin. Perhaps even a sigh. Lucina was expecting to see some form of discomfort show on her mother's face as vindication for leaving her out and showing that she did not trust her enough.

She did not expect a smile.

"Lucina, you already know the answer. You just need to connect the dots."

"… What?"

"If all this is true – that Walhart has no direct connection to these sites," her mother slowly said, "that means that someone else does. Someone is ordering innocent families to be eliminated in one of the most heinous ways I can think of, someone with power. And since these fires, these genocides are uncharacteristic of Walhart, then that means this person is not only overstepping their boundaries, but they may not be fully aligned with him. While we cannot confirm it yet, this indicates a possible disconnect in both objective and power. A part of this giant army we face may already be experiencing dissention."

"But that is a lot to assume and we need more information to fully know what scale it's at. It could just be clashing ideals of a same goal, or it could an attempt to overthrow Walhart." Staring at the map, Robin began to move her arm. Reaching towards the map, she picked up two white pieces, meant to represent pegasus knights, and placed them in front of the red blocks scattered at the Mila Tree.

"What do you say we break bread with the Valmese?"

It was perhaps the longest strategy meeting Laurent had ever sat in on. Chrom was absolutely adamant in his position and it wasn't until Robin declared that he would not only be maintaining a guard over the southern fields, as it was the only path to the Mila Tree, but that he would also be the one to lead reinforcements in case, as Robin put it, her ass needed saving. Even then, though, there were the details on what would happen, what to serve, contingencies upon contingencies, and who would go, and each segment brought another concern or problem.

Piece by piece the meeting occupants had left. The Khans were the first, stating plainly that such treatise and other finery were beyond their specialties and trusted in the strategy that would unfold. Lady Say'ri said that she was tired and wished to retire early. Cherche followed soon after, stating that if they were to serve Valmese foods, she would need to brush up on her recipes. Robin sneakily advised her to work with Frederick to assist with the food when the time came.

"I shall leave this between the two of them. I have faith that when they get out of bed the next morning some kind of plan will have been conceived," Virion confidently said, his smile curling just a little more than usual, an odd twinkle in his eye.

Morgan was of little help, as he was busy scribbling notes and offering ideas of his own. Still, Laurent's mind was elsewhere, focusing on Lucina's general demeanor during the meeting. She seemed disconnected, much less involved compared to previous meetings. The cause eluded him, but it was enough to shake him from his seat and he rose.

Much to his enjoyment, and with only a slight twinge of reluctance, the princess shot him a look of resignation. While he advised that he had additional duties to handle, Lucina seemed to want to stay in the tent and hoped that he would be there, perhaps to assuage her own concerns, but in the end she let him go without hassle.

Surprisingly, Robin had crafted a short message for him to give to Miriel. When he stepped out of the tent and opened up the folded paper, all it said was "make it". He could make no sense of it and decided to continue with his original course and made his way to Gerome's tent. It was under the guise of one of his 'usual' check-ups, but in reality it went beyond just that. It took some time for Laurent to wrestle with his jealousy. But in the end, he felt that he had come to a suitable conclusion.

While he wanted to spend as much time as possible with Lucina, it also required a line of discipline. There was a level of trust he had to put into her to not make foolish decisions, or that those involved did not step over their drawn boundaries. Were it every man for himself, it would ultimately take away from Lucina's option to choose at the end of it all, in addition to alienating them from their grander goal for returning to the past. Certain things had to be ceded for any sort of progress to be made, whether it was nurturing a relationship with the princess or getting closer to defeating Grima.

Finally at Gerome's tent, he gave a curt two knocks on its frame.

There was a brief silence before Gerome's voice spoke. "Enter."

Pushing aside the thick and heavy cloth, he walked into the space and looked towards Gerome, who was at a small table with his axe out. The rider was not wearing his heavier armors, but still kept his mask on in addition to the hardened leather he usually wore with the metal pieces.

"I hope I am not interrupting anything. I was hoping that we could see how you are doing, and afterwards have a discussion about Lucina."

"Hm." Turning on his chair back to his weapon and taking a sharpening stone, he dragged the blade across its top. "I see that time hasn't changed you one bit."

"Five years will change anyone, Gerome. Even you have taken steps to change since back then." Taking out a small checklist, he began to read off the top of it. "Let's get the easy things out of the way. How many rations do you have right now, and of what kind?"

"Most are smoked meats. That way if Minerva needs something I can share with her. Otherwise, it's dried fruit."

"Any medical supplies?"

"A vulnerary."

Laurent looked up from his list. "You know, Gerome, we're not in the past anymore. You can afford to take a little more, at least some hard tack. I'll see if I can have some additional rations afforded to you."

The other man looked up from his work. "Not going to ask about my weapons?"

"Again," the mage waved away the question, "we have many of them. If you need another you're more than welcome to take your pick. Besides, we're seasoned warriors. We maintain our own weapons and always carry a second."

"Still, that allows me time to move to the real reason why I'm here." He made a few notes before putting the sheet away and looked Gerome in the eye. "I'll be frank. While I'm glad to know you're safe and back with us, I'm conflicted as to how I feel about our bet regarding Lucina, specifically you and Inigo's presence, should we locate him. On the one hand, I am glad to know we have you with us again. But on the other, sharing this space with you has led me to realize that jealousy is a very real concern."

"And you did not realize that when we started?" Gerome carefully said. "I would imagine that you of all people would have considered that possibility."

"I did consider it, and we all agreed that there was the possibility that we would not survive. While our survival is ultimately worth more, this does complicate our situation."

"And do you have a solution?"

"Somewhat. Both of us have our own set of expertise. If Lucina calls upon them, then to each our own. But for the time being, I am willing to cede a few moments to you when we are just within the camp."

Gerome put his axe down and looked over his shoulder at him. "I don't need you to make opportunities for me."

"And I feel that I normally would not want to." A hint of anger seeped through him and Laurent reminded himself to calm down. "I want every opportunity I can have with her, but I also know that doing so would make me the target of your ire, which is the last thing we need as a team. Not to mention that Lady Robin knows of our game, to some extent."

At that Gerome turned around and resumed working on his axe. There was a brief silence before he spoke again. "And what if it works against you? What if through your means you have designed your loss?"

"I won't be giving everything to you," a sharp grin went over Laurent's lips. "I still expect you to find or make your own opportunities, but if I see something that I don't have time to do or is small and simple, I am willing to let you have it."

Finally, as if accepting his proposition, Gerome gave a soft sigh. "Why are you doing this for me?"

"I may be your opponent in this game, but at the same time it is my role to watch out for your wellbeing. That means both in combat and out. You've barely said a word to your parents and I have certainly seen Cherche watching you with a longing in her eyes. And yet I've witnessed how much you've changed since the last time we sat and spoke."

"This is as much a growing opportunity as it is a chance at marriage. Whether you win or lose this game of ours, Gerome, you'll be better off for it." Laurent adjusted his glasses. "I hope that answer suffices?"

"… Just don't cry on my shoulder if you lose."

He gave a quick laugh before heading out the tent, a little lighter than when he first entered. "I need to check on the others. No doubt Cynthia is eating some kind of sweet again. In the meantime, Lucina should be getting of the war tent with soon and I don't think she's had anything to eat besides a few simple rations. I think you know what to do from here."

After much debate and strategizing, Chrom was as satisfied as he could be with the plan. Tomorrow, Lucina would be ferried and guarded by Cynthia, Cordelia, and Sumia towards the Valmese. Upon arrival, and at a safe distance, they would extend an invitation to dine with them. Should they accept, Robin and a handpicked group of Shepherds would meet with the Valmese a day after at a point just a little north of where the roots of the great Mila Tree began. There, a meal would be served, and some sort of conversation would begin. It would be a costly gambit in terms of supplies, but Robin was sure that what could be learned would be invaluable.

Her mother would have chosen not to involve Lucina at all in the initial meeting. But seeing as they could not endanger both of the ruling monarchs, this was unavoidable if they wished to learn more. She would be going in not as their daughter from the future, but rather masquerading as a royal messenger from her father's house, a distant relative of minor blood. Still, she had Robin's confidence in her that she could do it. But with the suddenness of the operation, it looked like the discussion with her would have to wait.

Stepping out of the strategy tent with her eye patch and happy to finally stretch her legs, a part of her wanted to head towards the mess tent. But the sun had long gone down and the camp was lit by torchlight and the small fires that had yet to be extinguished. She doubted that anything significant would be left and instead made her way towards the tent she shared with Morgan. Her brother would return soon, but for now she looked forward to a bit of silence to mull and prepare for tomorrow.

As she turned the corner around a tent though, she saw a familiar masked face making his way towards her.

"Gerome." She was almost surprised. Normally he was not around during such times unless he was on night watch, but now he was holding what looked like a small pot in his hands. "Is that-"

"I heard that the strategy meeting you were in ran late. I saved some stew for you."

She felt herself smile and let him lead her towards one of the small fires, propping the pot over a spit someone had left out before sitting on the log bench. "It smells good."

"Olivia was cooking today, so it was bound to run out if I didn't put some on the side." Stirring it a little with a ladle, he then prepared a bowl and spoon and put it in her hands. "What happened to my mask? You said it was damaged."

"Well," Lucina started with a slight twinge of regret. "On the night of the attempted assassination on Exalt Emmeryn, I was able to save my father from a grievous wound. However, I was accosted by a second assassin and he split my mask in two."

"I know it might… seem petty to say so, but when it happened I felt as if I had committed a terrible wrong against you, as if your existence was tied to the mask. I held onto the pieces for a long time and thankfully Anna and Miriel were able to repurpose it into this eye patch." She tapped the side of it with her finger.

A small, rare smile came across Gerome's features. "I'm glad I chose wisely, then."

"All three of you did," she admitted. "Obtaining these items during our time would have been difficult, and they have served me well."

"Hmph. Taunting me with my opponents?" she realized he was egging her on and she decided to turn it against him.

"I can't let all of my praise get to your head," she chided, a little laugh escaping from her lips. "I have to tie you back down somehow."

When the soup was finally ready, she found herself eating almost too eagerly as she had Gerome recount some of his experiences during his time in this world. She briefly forgot the trouble she was having with Robin and simply let herself be absorbed in what he was saying. It always lifted her heart to hear what the others did during their time, as many of the simple things like hunting and fishing were almost impossible.

The soup was long gone and only embers remained when the sky had turned dark. With reluctance she stood up from the log. "Thank you, Gerome. You've saved me from a night of hard tack and stewing in my thoughts, whatever those may have been."

"We are here for you." He straightened up and looked at her through his mask. "I am here for you."

"You've changed a lot. Back then, I don't think you would have done this."

"Well, time changes things."

The pair settled in silence as Gerome walked her to her tent and bid her goodnight. Morgan had long returned to the tent and was already fast asleep on his bedroll. She had not intended to be gone for so long, and did her best to try and at least prepare for tomorrow. It wouldn't be the first mission her Robin sent her on, but it would be one where diplomacy was its entire premise.

She was hoping to follow up with her mother in regards to withholding information from her, but she would just have to do it another time. Changing out of her outfit and putting on some simpler clothes, she climbed into her own bed, fatigue beginning to claim her.

Thanks to Gerome, it was an enjoyable night, she concluded. In spite of all the troubles of having to eventually deal with the three men, it certainly had its own share of benefits.

Suddenly, her mother's joke from so long ago echoed in her mind and she smiled in spite of her recent feelings. Shaking her head, she fell against her pillow before sighing.

Try not to have too much fun, indeed.

Her last thought of the night was wondering what it was like to have her own wyvern.

A/N: Welcome to the part where the relationships start to get a little complicated. Previously it was only Laurent or Gerome interacting with Lucina, but now they will start to interact with each other a bit more. Now that doesn't mean that the boys are going to start punching each other, but I would say that there are definitely going to be more talks between each other, similar to how Gerome and Laurent talked in here. I think I did a good job with it. Maybe not the direction most would expect or prefer, but I feel that this was a good choice regarding the situation of the game.

Anyway, I thought that this chapter would encompass a little more, but as I wrote it all out it just suddenly became longer than I expected. I decided to cut it here and save it for the next chapter. That means that the upcoming chapter will be one that I have been looking forward to writing for a while. I have a lot of notes and thoughts about it. While I can't guarantee that it will be fast, I believe I can say that it will be quite deep and fleshed out, unless I somehow missed something.

This also unfortunately means that Inigo will have to come just a bit later. Not by much, but still, it is delayed. Alas, Inigo, you will have your time. Patience! Hopefully I will be able to do his introduction to this story justice, especially since I am hyping it up so much.

Reviews!

Guest: It's not meant to be manipulative. All throughout the story, Robin is sort of teaching Lucina the finer aspects of socializing and how to utilize that to her advantage. She's teaching her to be observant, while also passing on what information she can. Granted, a part of that backfires upon Robin in this chapter, but she had good reason for it. I assume that we'll be dealing with a bit of the fall out from that in the next chapter.

HeartJacker13: I'm glad you like it! Hopefully I will be able to maintain or exceed this quality of writing.

Another look at the poll shows that Inigo is still winning with 8 votes, but it's closer than before! Laurent is down just by one vote, chiming in at 7. But Gerome is trailing behind with only a total of 4. What happened to all the GeromexLucina fans? It's like they all disappeared and hopped onto the Inigo hype train. And I know that's not true.

Still, we're at the end for now. I'll see you all soon.

I do not own Fire Emblem, and I appreciate all comments and criticism. Really, I do. I love reviews, so leave one!