a/n: dangit, Agarfinkel. Why must you do this to my shippy Chrobin heart. Ah, well. This actually made me like this pairing a little.

Don't get me wrong, I adore Sumia. If I had to pick a character thats most like me, it would be her. This whole chapter is very personal to me, as I've thought all those thoughts and felt everything she expresses. It sucked. My poor Sumi, why do I torture you so~.

Trigger warning! Be careful, my loves.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited (it makes me all blushy to see my humble writings on the same lists as stories such as NotSoGreatGamerGirl's A Man For Flowers and smileplease91's A Day in the Life. Seriously it's great and makes me want to cry.) Also, hi lurkers! I hope you're enjoying.

Vykktor: is that some sort of snow chant? Does it work? Can you come visit me and make the snow go away with it? :))

graceless

ChromxSumia

To heal the pain left by sacrifice is a great task, indeed.

Sumia sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. She collapsed against the trunk of a nearby tree, letting her thoughts consume her.

Her superiors in the Pegasus Knight training school had tried to imbue grace and poise on their students. It was needed to handle the Pegasus and the unwieldy lances at the same time. If you weren't careful, you would fall, or injure yourself or your mount.

She had always been somewhat of a lost cause on the ground. When it came to flying, she'd practiced until she was capable.

You'll never amount to anything without it, Sumia. No one's going to want a Pegasus Knight who falls to her face every minute. You're worthless.

"Stop it!" she smacked her palm against her temple and then dropped her head to her folded arms. "Why can't I stop thinking like this?"

"Sumia? Are you talking to yourself?"

Her head shot up, and she let out a gasp. Chrom stood above her, back-lit by the sun, and smiling just as brightly.

Stop that. He can't help you. He doesn't even love you, you're too ugly.

Sumia panicked. She couldn't let him see her crying! He would think her weak. She waved her hand rapidly over her eyes and blinked, hoping to stop the tears.

"Oh, hello, Chrom. Isn't it a lovely day?"

The prince's eyebrow raised. "Is there something wrong with your face?"

"No-" but her chest had started to heave from the effort. To her utter horror, he settled down beside her and slid his arm between her back and the tree. Instead of looking him in the eye, she kept her head turned, watching his gloved fingers toy with her sleeve.

"What's wrong, Sumia? You can tell me anything."

She wanted to reply, to shake him off and make him believe she was okay, but her body started to shake with unladylike sobs. Stop it, Sumia, he doesn't want to help you. You're just burdening him. He's got enough to think about as it is.

"Hey, Sumia, please."

Chrom slid his fingers under her chin and gently pulled her to face him. One look at his beautiful, smiling face, and she wanted to collapse.

I can't...I can't...

"I know I've not the most observant. I rely too much on Robin for that, heh...Anyway, she's noticed that you've been distant lately. And now you're sitting alone and crying. I may be an idiot, but I can tell that something's not right. Can you please tell me, so I can fix it?"

She could tell his sincerity from the way his eyes shone. Chrom had always been like that. You could read him like an open book.

"I don't k-know how to..."

The need to fill the silence almost physically hurt her, but she didn't know what to say. It felt like the words she needed to let loose were accumulating on her tongue, but the voice in her head held them back. Quiet. He doesn't need your attention-seeking nonsense.

If she could, she would tell him how she hated herself a little more every time she fell and someone else had to clean up her mess.

If she could, she'd tell him of the wounds on her body that were not battle scars.

Sumia felt she would do a lot of things, if she could.

She was lucky to have Chrom. He was a lovable dork, who would undoubtedly still love her even when she spilled her secrets. For now, she was afraid, scared of how he would react when he knew. The contradicting thoughts tore her mind apart.

But if she believed in anything, it was love. Right now, she was falling to pieces, and only Chrom at her side kept her together. But between now and then, she wanted to get better. For him, for all the people who loved her...and for herself.

He was quiet. Robin had likely coached him not to push her too far. He said nothing, and allowed her to cry into his shoulder.

Her thoughts began to range from he loves me to no, he hates me, and eventually the mental struggle wore her out so much that she just fell asleep. Chrom moved his cape to cover the both of them, and sat there for a while, just thinking.

When Robin walked by, she smiled, seeing her closest friends fast asleep together. She knew Sumia would be safe in his hands, and perhaps together they could mend the broken hearts of an entire nation.

Until then, she had her work cut out just keeping Chrom from purposefully breaking things and Sumia from inadvertently breaking them. Oh, what wonderful children they were going to have.