Here's Chapter Two of FE: Aftermath. If that isn't the fic you're here for, please make your way to one of the two exits located at the front of the keyboard. If you plan to stay for the duration of the chapter, please turn off all cellular devices (we wouldn't want Libra to accuse you of witchcraft when your phone goes off).

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I wake up just before dawn, and I sit in my armchair watching the Sun rise. Almost two years… I sigh, resting my chin on my palm and looking at the blank patch of skin on the back of my hand. It quite literally feels like it's been mere days, I think, my eyes slipping closed. I just breathe, the Sun's warmth on my face reminding me that I'm alive.

I get up and get dressed, my robes fitting me as well as ever. I leave the armor off - today should be combat-free - and just wear some breeches and a plain white shirt under my Grandmaster's cloak. I gaze at my reflection for a few minutes, and I come to realize that I can see those two years… I'm twenty-four, for Naga's sake. Time has been as relentless as ever in my absence, it seems, I think, but hey, I'm still young, even with a couple extra years.

A quiet knock comes at the door, and I stretch my arms as I straighten out my cloak, a yawn rising up from my chest as I walk to the entry-way. I open the heavy wooden door and see Lissa standing in the hall, who gives me a quick wave, her curled pony-tails bouncing trembling as she moves. "Good morning, Lucan!"

"Morning, Lissa," I say with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"Chrom's gathering everyone downstairs in the Barracks," she says, "and he wants you to come down now. And no chickening out," she growls, wagging a finger in my face. "He and I agreed that everyone should find out you're alive at the same time."

I sigh. Well, this should be nice and traumatic. "All right, Princess, lead the way," I say, gesturing down the hall. The petite blonde squeals in glee at my cooperation, clapping her hands in front of her chest and turning to skip towards the stairs. She hasn't changed a bit. I laugh as I trail behind her, casually brushing my hair back with the hand that isn't stuck in one of my cloak's many pockets.

Lissa and I walk side-by-side as we approach the Barracks, and honestly, I'm glad she's here. She was always able to calm me, and even now, I feel as though she's my own sister. Thoughts are running through my head like wild horses, trampling my senses and tossing each other against my weary mind. I'm about to walk into a room full of people who've thought me dead for nearly two years, I think, my mouth dry. What do I say? What do I do? Gods, I'm gonna get back at those two for this little adventure…

I'm forcefully snapped out of my haze when Lissa's tiny hand grabs my arm. I look at her quizzically to see her grin and gesture to my left; when I turn, I realize that we've arrived, the tall double doors of the Barracks standing before us. My breath catches in my throat, and my mind goes blank. Fortunately, I hear that Chrom is just now addressing the Shepherds gathered within, so Lissa and I stand together in silence, listening attentively.

Some of the Shepherds are chatting nonchalantly, but Chrom's clear voice suddenly rings out, silencing them all: "It's been almost two years since Grima, the Fell Dragon, was defeated. Two years of peace - but also two years of mourning." Silence. "It was on that day, when all hope seemed lost, that one of our own, a brave, selfless soul, sacrificed himself to save our world, our home, and our lives." I hear gasps from the other side of the door, and Lissa meekly whimpers, grabbing my hand. I give it a comforting squeeze, and she returns it as Chrom continues. "Lucan… was a friend. He was a warrior, a leader, and a great man. Not a day goes by that he leaves my heart," he says, emotion heavy in his voice, "and I know that you all feel the same." I look down at my feet, closing my eyes, willing myself not to be brought to tears by Chrom's words. "To be a Shepherd is to be part of a family, and I speak for us all when I say that Lucan was… the greatest brother one could ask for."

"Here here," a voice responds. Vaike, I realize, and I can't help but smile as other voices join in, praising a lost comrade. Praising me, I think, and I feel a tear run down my cheek.

"I know that losing a friend is… one of the hardest things one can go through," Chrom says, "but the beautiful thing about this world is that making new friends can be one of the most rewarding." He pauses, and I hear whispering, and one look from Lissa affirms my realization: the Shepherds haven't recruited since the day I vanished, so they aren't happy to hear that Chrom went out and picked up a new member. "So now, I'm proud to introduce…"

"The newest Shepherd."

Lissa steps forward, and I follow; we each place a hand on one side of the double doors, and when our eyes meet, she smiles, her eyes wet. I look back to the gap in the doors, which now swing open with soundlessly, and with only a few steps, I find myself standing in the main hall of the Barracks. The room is hushed instantly, and as I glance around, I see shock, disbelief, pain, and hope in every pair of eyes before me. I swallow nervously, then part my lips, saying through the silence:

"Miss me?"

"Miss me?! Seriously?" Vaike bellows through his booming laughter, clouting me over the head with his calloused palm.

"It's the best I could come up with on the spot!" I say, my face barely sticking out through the mass of screaming, crying bodies that I've been trapped beneath since my 'grand' entrance. "Eloquence shouldn't be expected of someone in that situation!"

"Oh shut it, you clod," Maribelle says through her tears, batting my shoulder with her parasol, which hasn't become any softer in my absence. "Can't you just be quiet and let the rest of us celebrate your return in peace?"

"I can barely breathe," I gasp, feeling someone shift their weight off of my chest, "so shutting up won't be a problem."

The entire Barracks is an emotional typhoon, and I'm now sat on the edge of a table with everyone crowded around me: Vaike, Sully, Libra, Cordelia, Lissa, Chrom, Frederick… even Lon'qu is here, and is that… a smile on his face? "Okay, man-spawn," Panne says, trying to wipe her eyes without giving herself away, "where the hell have you been?"

The room is silent now, and I take a deep breath before responding. "Well… I don't remember much from the fight with Grima. One second I'm fighting, then I'm turning transparent…" I pause, coughing into my fist. "It was like falling asleep… and then I was gone. I had no idea how long I was gone… I was just floating, as if I was in a void…" I go silent, a shiver crawling up my spine at the thought of the purgatory in which I'd slept. "Then I just woke up, in the same field where Chrom first found me," I say, pointing at the Exalt.

"Well Gregor happy you did!" the Mercenary shouts, and the rest of them take up the cheer, grinning through tears and relieved expressions, and I feel happier than I ever remember being in my life. This is where I belong… this is home.

"Alright everyone," Frederick says, and the tone in his voice shuts the others up instantly, though many of them groan some choice words under their breath. "Today's training is still scheduled, so you'd all better get your behinds in gear!" Sighs and a 'Shove it up your ass' from Vaike ring out across the Barracks, but one sharp glare from the imposing Great Knight sends the Shepherds scurrying to their rooms. He turns and asks, "Will you be joining us, Lucan?"

"Yes, I think so," I say, "but I'll have to change into something more suitable for training; wouldn't want my cloak to get filthy from sparring," I add, more to please the still-glowering Frederick than anything.

"Oh, how I've loathed being the only sensible gentleman around here," Frederick sighs. Chrom and I laugh, and then I leave the main hall to head to my room and change into something more suited to the hot, late-summer air out in the Training Yard.

I'm alone for a few seconds at most before I feel a hand on my shoulder and I turn to see Cherche standing behind me, her eyes shimmering with awe at the sight of me. Hopefully this overwhelming reverence will fade… I think, but honestly, I'm not really all that bothered by it. Not because I'm a narcissist, but because I love seeing them all so… happy. Judging from Chrom's little speech earlier, I was mourned as a war hero and as a friend, and I'm as glad as they are that, as it turns out, I'm not dead.

I meet Cherche's wide-eyed gaze, and I smile. "How've you been, Cherche?"

"It's been… quiet," she says softly, her words delicate and her accent still quite noticable, despite the amount of time she's been in Ylisse. "I… I'm glad you're back, sir."

I laugh, then shake my head and say, "Please… Lucan is fine."

"Okay… Lucan," she says, and she almost jumps, as if surprised at herself. I chuckle, and she blushes slightly before composing herself. "Was your room to your liking? I know it's been a while, but I did my best…"

"Wait," I say, holding a hand up to stop her. "Did you… are you the one who's been cleaning my room?" She nods. "I… I don't know what to say, Cherche! That's very kind of you, albeit a bit… confusing."

"How? When you were… gone…" She pauses, and I inwardly wince when I see pain flash in her eyes. Cherche and I were always on good terms, but I can't say we were ever particularly close, and even she feels this way? "Well, no one wanted to go into your room, and I… well, I thought it'd be an insult to leave it unattended, gathering dust…"

"I understand," I say, "and I think that it's truly an amazing gesture. Thank you, Cherche." Her face is beaming now, and I grin. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go change so I can hit the sparring ring; maybe I'll see you out there?"

"Definitely," she says.

"Good." I give her a quick nod, then turn and head up the stairs; I can't be sure, but I thought I might have heard Cherche sigh as I walked away. I give my head a quick shake as I open the door to my room. Must be imagining things.

*shipshipshipshippetyship*

Wait, what was that? Who said that?

Must be imagining things.

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