A/N: So I seem to have lost my muse/inspiration for WalhartxNowi, and it just wasn't working out for me. So instead here is the Lon'quxSay'ri support you asked for, Vykktor. I hope it's enough, it's kind of short compared to the other support chapter. If you want more, just tell me. God bless you all! Have a great Sunday.

the lost man and the fallen princess

Lon'quxSay'ri

A meeting of two exiles.

Lon'qu hadn't been a part of the Valm Harbor mission, due to an injury from the last crazy tactic their thoughtful tactician had dreamed up. He wasn't aware of who this newcomer was, only that she was a woman and he would do his best to stay away from her. Especially if she was a valmese woman. The thought made him cringe.

"Hey, Lon'qu!" It was Lissa's voice. She was tugging on the arm of a...beautiful woman. His heart pounded in his chest. Her swordmaster outfit revealed much of her long legs that he would rather not see.

"Oh don't be a baby, Lon'qu. You're from the same country as her, right?"

That got his attention. Admittedly, he hadn't looked at her face all too well, but when he did, only one thought came to his mind.

Ke'ri.

"You...no. You can't be."

"Pardon?" The woman's eyes narrowed at him. No, she wasn't Ke'ri at all. Her hair was the same midnight black, but it was much longer, and her eyes weren't Ke'ri's sparkling blue.

"I...I am sorry. I must be going-"

"Oh no, you don't. Say'ri is going to help you get over your problem... like I promised you I would do years ago, but you know."

Lissa dragged the woman by the arm, and gave her a final shove that sent her sprawling. Say'ri's face smacked against Lon'qu's chest. He made a startled noise and immediately distanced himself, causing Lissa to sigh.

"You have your work cut out for you, Say'ri!" The princess commented. "Well, I'll leave you to it."

After Lissa had gone, Say'ri kept her eyes low. Lon'qu turned aside and watched her from the corner of his eye. She seemed familiar, yet her regal posture, weapon, and attire where all staples of Chon'sin's culture.

"Fie," she breathed quietly. "I had no part in this concocted plan, believe me."

"Lissa is well known for such things. Don't take it to heart."

"Tell me, what is your name? You are dressed eerily similar to men of my homeland, or perhaps you are one, yourself?"

Lon'qu blinked, and looked up at her. Her brown eyes met his with confidence, and they were sincere, something that got his attention. If she were royalty, as she seemed, she was oddly compassionate. But the only royalty in Chon'sin was the king, and he had fallen under Walhart's command.

"I was, once. But no more," he replied.

"Ah, an exile?"

"Self-imposed exile, yes."

"You were wronged?"

He breathed out slowly, thinking of an answer. Had he been wronged? Of course. He had been terribly wronged all his life in Chon'sin, but that wasn't why he left.

"No. A...friend of mine."

"Pray tell."

"No," he shook his head. She was silent, waiting for an explanation, but he gave none. Say'ri eventually realized, and gave a melancholy smile.

"Fine. 'Tis only fair that I share something about myself with you, first."

"You may tell all you like, you'll get nothing out of me."

He sat back down on the log where he had been polishing his sword, and kept his eyes off of her. Without looking, he could tell she planned to sit next to him. "Keep your distance, woman."

She stopped, and instead crouched in the grass a few feet in front of him. "...I see what the Ylissean princess meant, about your 'problem'."

Lon'qu didn't dignify her comment with a response, so she moved on.

"You remind me much of my brother. He enjoyed solitude, and kept himself from women as well. Though not to the same extreme, I believe. But he was loving, and cared much for me and our people."

Her words hit him, and began to sink in. He stopped polishing the blade to look at her. Say'ri looked far into the distance, her eyes starry.

"Your people? Your brother was Chon'sin's king?"

She nodded. "He is. It is my aim to bring him to his senses, and together we will unify our people once more. 'Tis a lofty goal, but I choose to hope."

There was nothing else to say. Lon'qu, deep in his heart, wanted to tell her how he admired that. But his shame had always gagged him in these rare instances.

After a long moment of quiet, the sound of a sword being unsheathed made him look up again.

"Come," Say'ri beckoned, watching him over the curved blade. "I wish to see if you fight in the way of the Chon'sin as well."

A smile turned up the corners of his lips. "Now there's something I can handle. Just don't get too close."

"Is that Lon'qu over there, sparring with...a woman?" Robin asked. Lissa, sitting beside the tactician, giggled. Knowing full well the consequences of the girl's nefarious pranks, Robin inched away slowly.

"Yeeeeeeeeah," Lissa gushed. "They're gonna get married."