Hello there! I know it's been a little while since my last update, but school and work have both been royal pains in the butt lately. Haha excuses aside, I'm glad I was able to find the time to get this new chapter finished.

As always, I hope you enjoy it! Read it, love it, and be sure to write a review, follow or favorite it if you like what you see!

I wake up the next morning to the uncomfortable sensation of being watched. Running my hand back over my head as I yawn, I sit up and grimace at the taste lingering in my mouth. Must've slept with my mouth open, I think as I roll to my feet and grab a shirt from my desk chair.

As I slide the cloth shirt over my bare torso, the feeling that I'm not alone returns with a vengeance, and I grab a tome from my desk, the open pages casting a pale glow over my features as I ready an ice spell. "Show yourself," I say, my voice level.

"Aww, I come all this way to visit you after your little vacation, and this is the thanks I get?"

Recognizing the voice with ease, I sigh deeply, snapping the tome shut and turning to place it back on its shelf. "Watching me sleep, Henry? That's a new low, and for you, that's saying something."

"I see your tongue hasn't lost its acerbity," Henry says, stepping out from the shadows gathered in the opposite corner of my room. The Dark Sorcerer giggles into his hand, and I see a queer glimmer of red from Henry's closed eyes. "It's been far too long, old friend," he says in his sing-song voice, his unnatural cheer still as evident as ever.

"Though it surprises me to no end… you're quite right," I say with a smile, and when I reach out to shake Henry's hand, I'm only slightly surprised at the chill of his skin. "So where've you been? I heard you were off researching dark magic or something of that sort."

"Yes, you heard right," Henry says, cocking his head and retaining his eerie grin. "Shortly after your disappearance, I decided to leave Ylisstol in search of forbidden tomes and dangerous techniques long-lost to the ages. Time is such a cruel mistress," he says wistfully, gazing dramatically into the distance, "and she always manages to hide all of the good stuff!"

"So did you return just out of the goodness of your heart," I say sarcastically, "or has your search brought you here once more?"

"Actually, neither," Henry says, making me raise a slender eyebrow. "I've returned because, well… my labors bore some astounding fruit, and I wish to share my discoveries with those I believe to be worthy."

"And these 'worthy' men and women… are your comrades here in the Shepherds?" I say, a smile working its way onto my features. "Damn, Henry, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you've gone and developed human emotions on us!"

"What utter nonsense!" Henry shouts, his voice shrill. "You know as well as anyone that even the purpose of such silliness it entirely lost on me." The Sorcerer sighs, then shrugs. "However, I'll admit that by the end of our adventures, my respect for my fellow Shepherds managed to grow to quite an extent, and even our noble Tactician impressed me enough to make him worthy of being privy to my secrets!"

"I'm flattered," I say, "and I can't wait to hear all about your… discoveries…" I laugh, then go on, "However, I cannot spare that time at the moment, because it appears that yet another crisis is on our hands."

"Perhaps you're cursed, Lucan!" Henry says, his face lighting up at the thought. "Oh, I'll have to perform all sorts of fun tests on you to be sure… I can't wait!"

"That'll hardly be necessary," I say nervously. "Anyway, an emissary from Fraustfel arrived here the other day, pursued by Ice Wraiths sent to capture her. From what she's shared with us, some necromancer or lich by the name of Galgoreth is wreaking havoc up north, and Mila has come in search of aid."

I begin to get dressed, and I hear a thoughtful hmm from Henry as he walks to the window, his back turned to me. "How very interesting…" he murmured. "I presume you intend to provide the help this 'Mila' seeks?"

"Well of course I'd like to," I say, "but it's hard to say whether or not it's the smartest move. If I were to take a group of Shepherds up north, Ylisstol could be left with weakened defenses; however, if I don't take action, then I could be dooming an entire nation to death."

"Well, the latter doesn't sound awful, but maybe that's just me!"

"Of course that's just you, you sick bastard," I say, pulling my cloak on and cinching up my belt. "Well, I'm going to go and try to talk to Chrom about this… in the end, whether or not Ylisse intervenes in Fraustfel's affairs is his decision."

"Let's go, then!" Henry prances to the door, his coat billowing behind him, and when the high collar flicks to one side, my eyes pick out a gnarled scar twisting down behind his ear.

"I see that you found trouble on your little trip, Henry?"

The Sorcerer turns, and with a smile and a shrug, he says, "Yes, I suppose you could say that… but believe me when I say that it paid off!"

Re-introducing Henry to the other Shepherds only took a short while, and everyone's already back in the swing of being uncomfortable in his presence. I leave him to chat with some of the others, but when I find Lissa and she tells me that Chrom isn't down in the Barracks yet, I sigh and thank her before taking a seat towards the end of one of the long tables.

"Hey, Lucan, do ya mind if I pop a squat here?" I look up to see Gaius standing next to me, and I smile.

"Of course I don't," I say, gesturing towards the seat across from me. Gaius seems tired, and his orange hair seems even messier than usual. "Something wrong, Gaius?" I ask, concern rising to the surface of my thoughts.

"I'm all right," the Thief replies with a shrug. "I just… I haven't been sleeping well."

"Something on your mind?" Gaius flinches. "C'mon man, I know what that face means… you need help, and I'm not talkin' about assistance in tasting a new candy," I say.

"It's just…" Gaius pauses, struggling with the words. After a moment's hesitation, he leans forward and hisses, "How do you do it? How do you talk to her?"

I sit back slightly, baffled by the Thief's words. "Umm… what're you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Lissa!" Gaius' voice slips down into a whisper, his eyes wide and flashing with desperation. When I don't respond, my thoughts momentarily derailed by surprise, Gaius continues, "It's driving me nuts, mate! I can't sleep, I can't eat… and you just talk to her so easy!" Leaning forward, he grabs my arm and shakes it. "You gotta tell me your secret!"

I detach my arm from his grasp, and he calms down a bit, his breathing ragged. I think for a moment, but this situation still seems entirely alien to me. "I didn't even realize… when did you develop these feelings for her?"

"When you were gone," Gaius says. "Chrom would have me run missions for him, so I saw her around a lot, and nowadays she's here at the Barracks all the time. I swear, she's gonna be the death of me…"

I groan to myself, kneading my closed eyes with my knuckles. "Look, Gaius, Lissa's like a little sister to me, so for me, talking to her is as easy as talking to family. If you're having trouble talking to someone you… have feelings for, maybe your problem is that you're worrying too much or over-thinking it. Just relax, and remember that it's not the end of the world if you make a fool of yourself. Lissa's a sweet girl, Gaius, and she's easy to talk to." I smile, leaning over to clap my hand on his shoulder. "Just give it a try, carrot-top! You'll do fine."

Though he seems caught off guard at first, a beaming grin soon crosses Gaius' face, and he laughs as he gets to his feet. "I swear, boss, you never cease to amaze! You're the best, man!" With that, the bright-haired Thief turns and takes off across the dining hall, and I can't help but chuckle when he almost barrels through a less-than-amused Miriel.

"Sound advice," a voice says behind me, and I glance over my shoulder to see Panne slide into the seat next to me. "You are still wise, man-spawn."

"I missed you too, Panne," I say with a smirk, and the taguel shakes her head in response. "How about you? Looking for some relationship counseling?"

Panne punches me on the arm, and I wince. Damn, I forgot how strong she is. "I'm hardly concerned by such matters," Panne says coolly. "Besides, I am the last of my kind, so I have no one to take as a mate."

"So you can't breed with a human or some other species?"

Panne's face shifts to a slight pink, and she looks away from me. "I do not know, it has never been tried. No self-respecting taguel would allow herself to be tainted by someone who does not share the blood of the beast." She looks back to me, and when my gaze meets hers, I see a deep sadness in her eyes. "Unless I'm wrong, the mighty taguel will die with me."

"That's… that's awful," I say softly, looking down at my hands, which lie tangled in my lap. "Well, even if that's true, that doesn't mean you can't find happiness with someone, right?"

Panne lets out a short, harsh bark of laughter, and she says, "Who could be interested in an animal like me?"

"Someone will be," I say, and Panne looks at me, her wide eyes glimmering. "I know they will, and I promise I'll help you find them."

Panne looks away, raising her nose slightly. "I hardly think I need a matchmaker," she says flatly, "especially not one that happens to be you."

"Ouch," I say, shaking my head as she chuckles. "You've just gotta be more optimistic, Panne, and things will change for the better, you'll see!"

"The Vaike agrees," a voice says from behind us, and I laugh as Panne's face practically turns maroon when the Warrior and Lon'qu sidle up to our table. Her reaction seems a bit… strange, and I file it away in order to sate my curiosity at a later time.

"Good morning, Vaike," I say as I turn slightly in my chair. "How's Sully feeling today?"

"She's still a bit shell-shocked," Vaike says, "but we're both gettin' real excited… I can't wait for there to be another little Vaike runnin' around in here!" I heard the good news last night from Lissa, and apparently even Vaike and Sully only found out recently.

"Naga help us all," Lon'qu mutters, standing just far enough away from Panne for his crippling fear of women to be held at bay. When I realize that even in the time I was gone, he wasn't able to kick that problem of his, I sigh to myself.

"Wanna take this outside, Lonk? The Vaike's axe skills will snap your puny toothpick of a sword in two!"

"All right, you imbecile, I guess I can defeat you again. Just try and make it more challenging for me this time, okay?"

"Why I oughta-"

"Enough." Everyone present, including myself, turns in unison to see Frederick standing in the nearby doorway, his face stern and his eyes narrowed. Vaike and Lon'qu both flee the hall almost immediately, and even Panne slides down a few seats. "I swear, those two…" Frederick sighs, then turns to me and says, "Chrom sent me to come and find you, Lucan; he appears to be close to making his decision."

My heart leaps a bit at the thought of the impending storm, but I put on a serious face and nod. "Take me to him."

"So you're absolutely sure that this is what you wish to do?" Lucan asks.

I close my eyes, sighing heavily in exasperation… I haven't been sleeping well, and Lucina wasn't much help in that regard last night. "I know that there's a definite risk in going through with this," I reply, "but we can't let the people of Fraustfel be wiped off the globe." I turn to our mysterious guest, who has yet to share anything about herself except for her name and her mission. "What say you, Mila?"

"My people will be eternally grateful for this, Exalt," the white-haired messenger says, her hands clasped in front of her chest. "I swear that once we arrive, I will ensure your men's safety within the regions still under the control of the Fel."

"Good." I feel Frederick's gaze on me, and when I turn, I can see uncertainty in his eyes. "I know that you aren't comfortable with this plan, my friend, but it is a risk that we simply must take. Besides," I add with a glance at Lucan, "the Shepherds that go on this mission will be in good hands."

"Right you are," the Grandmaster says, and I smile.

"All right, now on to the logistics… Lucan, I'm giving you full command of this mission, as well as free reign over who you take with you. This team should be small, yet skilled… Naga only knows what you'll be facing once you reach Fraustfel."

"Understood." I shake Lucan's hand, and he turns to leave. "My team will be ready to depart tomorrow morning, Chrom," he says over his shoulder. I nod in response, and the Tactician of the Shepherds opens the door of the meeting room, vanishing into the hallway beyond.

"Frederick, show Miss Mila to her room," I say. I then turn to her and continue, "I presume you'll be accompanying those we send to your homeland?"

"Of course," Mila says, her voice trembling slightly. I can read her nervousness and her fear off of the pale skin of her face… I only hope that Lucan and the others take good care of her.

"Well, get some rest," I say, comfortingly resting my hand on her shoulder. "You have one hell of a journey ahead of you."

I love Henry's mix of friendly, cheerful, creepy and bloodthirsty, so I couldn't help but giving him a scene in the spotlight!

Also, if you don't leave a review, fave or follow this fic, Henry will be in your room the next time you wake up, and he'll be a lot less friendly than he was with Lucan. Just sayin'!

It's for your own good, really.