Chapter 7:

Raphael, Son of Priam, Descendant of Ike

"So you know the others from the future? Lucina, Owain, Inigo?"

"Yeah, dad." Raphael replied. He had just introduced himself as Priam's son, so he naturally called him 'father'.

"And I was dead, you never knew me?" Priam questioned.

"Well... My uncle, Yen'fay, told of your heroics and passion for fighting. But I mainly learned of you through this..." Raphael pulled out a dusty journal from his satchel. He held it out in front of him to show Priam that it had his name on it along with a title, The Warrior's Way. Priam laughed, realizing it was his journal. "This was your journal that you turned into a guidebook for young, upcoming warriors. It had the tale of you fighting a bear at age 12 and thanking the mountain air that you survived. It was the only way I... I could hear you speak..."

Trying to change the subject before his son became completely depressed, he asked, "Why were you later than the other children?"

Repositioning himself, he placed his elbow on the table they were now sitting at and pondered it for himself.

"I don't know, really. It could have been that I was the last one through. You see, Naga had told us of the rite, and how to perform it. So after successfully completing it, Grima caught wind of our plan and summoned Risen from all over the place. Grima did not want us to change any of the future, so he sent hordes upon hordes upon us. Laurent was the first through the portal, but he didn't see that two Risen had followed him. Lucina rushed after the two Risen and was soon no longer with us. I, being the strongest of the ones left, decided to coordinate who went through next; weakest to strongest. After everyone had passed though but me, I observed that Grima himself was trying to stop the rite by conducting the Risen himself." He paused momentarily to regain his thoughts. He looked at the lantern hanging in Priam's tent, remembering the final moments in his time, "I thought about meeting my glorious end there, fighting the Fell-Dragon to keep my friends safe in the past to save the future. Nothing could have been a better end to a warrior, but as fate would have it, I was accidentally knocked in by a Risen's Rexcaliber spell. I tumbled around and around until ending up in this time near the Garden of Giants."

"But by the time you got there..."

"Right, you had already gone to face the Fell-Dragon with Chrom and his Shepherds."

"Excellent." Priam said with a sigh, "I have finally caught up!"

Raphael started to look around the tent, a look of curiosity in his eye.

"Is something wrong?" He asked Raphael.

"Something just caught my attention... Why do you have a tent when you could be living with mom?"

Priam's face showed equal signs of embarrassment and shock. "Er, well, son, in this timeline..." he coughed nervously, "your mother and I haven't... y'know... gotten married..."

"So I do not exist in this time yet?" He asked as plain as he could. Priam thought for several minutes before replying.

"...no."

"well..." he said with a bit of concern, leaning back in his chair at the revelation, "...that is just... a little frightening knowing that I don't exist... whatsoever..."

Priam had to think, what if Say'ri discovered his real identity? Would she feel obligated to marry me? I don't even know how she feels about me. I don't want that happening...

Then they heard a tapping on his tent flap. They both looked at each other in shock as they recognized the voice, "Sir Priam, it has come to my attention that you missed dinner, so I have brought you some left-overs."

"Enter" Priam called, shooting a look of 'don't let her know' at Raphael. He was confused at first, but understood. She entered the room with a tray of two meals. She was slightly embarrassed by the other man's presence and was suddenly flustered.

"I... I had no idea you had a person in here. If you wish, I can leave your meal here-"

"N-no!" Priam blurted out, uncharacteristic to him, he was just as flustered as her, she brought two trays of food. Does she want to eat here? "He was just leaving." He turned to Raphael and nodded, but Raphael paid no attention. He saw his mother, and his emotions took him for half a second. Just long enough for him to say,

"mother..."

"...what?" Say'ri shot him a confused look, but then Raphael quickly acted like he was finishing a sentence, "...of Naga! What a workout today, sir Priam." he started to rub his arm, acting sore, "I'll see you early tomorrow for the next set of exercises." with that, he saluted Priam and stumbled quite clumsily out of the tent.

"Farewell, Raphael." Priam called after him, hoping that it would mask Raphael calling her 'mother'.

It worked.

"Raphael," she thought aloud, "I find that name very suitable for that man."

Priam chuckled, "Me too." He then gestured for Say'ri to take the empty seat across from him that Raphael once occupied.

"My gratitude, Priam." she replied with a smile as she sat. She handed him a meal tray, and began eating her meal that she had brought along.

The only noise heard in the tent was the scrapping of silverware against the trays. Neither of them said anything, and Say'ri avoided eye contact with him altogether even though she was blushing already. The silence between them was unnerving to Priam. He wanted to end it, but how?

"So," Priam spoke, finally breaking the silence, "what is the news on your biggest fan?" he said with a grin.

"Her parents wish to have words with you." Say'ri replied in an unchanging manner, "they want to see if she is capable by making tests for her, but they want you to make the tests."

"She is a little ball of energy, I'll give her that." he smiled and pointed his fork at her, "She is

ermined to become your successor." Priam had finished eating and leaned over the table to convey his feelings on the matter more openly, "If she had to chose someone to idolize, you should be glad it's you."

Say'ri blushed more profusely, "Surely you jest. I am a normal and average person and everyone sees me as such."

"Whoever said that, I'll gut them for lying to the Princess of Chon'sin." He may have been a little too open. She looked half appalled and half worried at his statement, I probably shouldn't have said that, but oh well. He continued to speak, "You know me well, Say'ri. And you know that flattery is something I have NEVER practiced."

Say'ri stuttered, "I-I..." she couldn't find the right words and her mouth opened and closed several times.

"You don't believe me?" Priam said in a sigh. He moved over to her side of the table, got down on one leg and took one of her hands and grasped it with both of his. She blushed and tried to avoid his gaze. He continued, "let me list of your top three characteristics: number one is Intelligence. You came up with the idea to free the Voice at the Mila Tree with Chrom's soldiers to rally the Resistance, am I correct?" she nodded in response, "second, you are Courageous. You tried to unite the Resistance, you were hounded by Walhart's men, but you never gave up. And three..." He pondered whether to say this last one, but he had already started to say it, and she needed to hear it. "...You are the most beautiful woman I have ever had the fortune to meet." he stood up and pulled her to her feet, "...and let no one tell you otherwise." His eyes were sincere and she did not argue the point anymore. They stood there for a couple moments.

He then moved to grab his tray to return it to the mess tent, but his hand was held fast by Say'ri. He turned to ask what the matter was, but Say'ri didn't give him the chance. She pulled him close and kissed him. He had never been kissed his entire life, he had no want to, but now, his emotions held his lips to hers. He felt overwhelming power surge through every ounce of his body. He felt like in that moment, he could run straight through a mountain without stopping, like he could take on TWO Grimas single-handedly, like he could jump to the moon and retrieve her a precious stone from its surface. He kissed back and, for the first time in his life, he was joyful.

She broke off the kiss, and stepped back. She was blushing from ear to ear. She tried to speak, but all that came out was nonsense to Priam. He finally heard her say under her breath, "I...I have to... goodnight." She bolted out of his tent, leaving him slightly confused. His heart was untameable at the moment and he was on cloud nine. He sat down, smiling, on the chair and pondered the night he had just experienced... Love is not an easy path, but one I'm willing to travel for her.

HEY!...THAT is my attempt at 'fluff-stuff' as one of my friends called it. I don't think I did it justice, to be honest, and I already have written another 'fluff' chapter for down the road.

So the problem with this chapter was identified and corrected. Windows 8 thought it would be funny to take one whole paragraph and transport it to another location in the story... :( If you still see problems with this chapter then it is from my own lack of experience.

Raphael is Priam's son, as some of you noticed. (*sarcastic tone* I thought I had hidden it so well...) but not the son of this time's Priam, duh. That is why he acts all 'lone-wolf' for this story, because his father believed in those "you have to learn it yourself" philosophies. (I hate time paradoxes...)

To be honest, Chapters 5 and 8 have been my favorites for the entire story. They both reveal interesting things for the story later on down the road, not to mention the new characters they both bring.

Like always, please leave a review of what you think was good and bad. PM me anytime ya feel like it; to give me suggestions for other paralogue parent pairings (aka PPP) or just if you need to talk to someone *cue song: "Lean on Me", Boyz II Men*. I thank you for those who have already followed and favorited my story, and ask others to do the same.

Thanks again, I mean it!

~TheSearcherer