A/N: Well people, it's good to see all of you! A minor change to be aware of, something that one of my reviewers, Cy Man, brought up, is that I will have to extend the filler segment just a little bit due to Asuna's pregnancy. I should not be throwing pregnant ladies into live combat, even if they are bad-asses like I'll be doing two more chapters that will cover some funnies that happen when Shepherds are on vacation, and the finding of some of the remaining paradox children. Sorry, but it really has to be done :P Still, I haven't included comedy in this story in a while, so hopefully I can still do well on that.

Anyways, enough of my ramblings- read, enjoy, and review!

Coming Home

News of Asuna's pregnancy spread through the ranks of the Shepherds quickly, and within the hour, a party was being put together to celebrate the child of the heroes of Aincrad. Yuuki was positively ecstatic for her friend, asking her if she could be the godmother as soon as she found out from her twin sister. The young couple was embarrassed of course, but they still agreed to go to the party- after all, it wasn't like they could get away, being on the same ship as their comrades.

Only one person seemed unwilling to take part in the revelry. Cordelia was a bit surprised when she found Rika sulking at the stern of the ship, leaning on the railing and scowling at the waters behind them. "Something ails you, Lisbeth?" she asked as she approached the brown-haired girl.

"Huh?" Rika asked, startled to see the pegasus rider standing beside her. "Oh, well… Nah, I'm fine."

"Then why not go join the party?" Cordelia persisted.

"Not the party type," the leprechaun tried to say, but Cordelia knew that she was lying.

"That's not what Lady Asuna and Sir Kirito have told us," the flame-haired woman said. "They often recounted the number of times you would insist on celebrating what they considered to be great accomplishments."

"Oh yeah?" Rika snorted. "What else did they say about me?"

"Nothing but praises of your skill in a forge, and your courage in combat," the rider smiled in response. "They both think very highly of you."

"Hmph," Rika scowled harder. "As if."

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Cordelia said, although she was beginning to have an idea of what was really going on. She had talked to Asuna many times about the past, and so she knew of Rika's attraction to the Black Swordsman. Apparently, it was still a sore point for the blacksmith.

"Neither one of them took my feelings into consideration when they started fawning over each other," Rika said bitterly. "They never noticed how I felt…"

"Did you ever tell either one of them what was going on?" Cordelia asked.

"Of course not," Lisbeth snapped. "How could I come between what they had? Asuna had been falling for him for months, and he liked her back, but he was too thick to know how to tell her that. So I just sat on the sidelines and listened to Asuna as she got closer and closer to the guy that had taken my heart, too." A film of tears glistened in her eyes as she spat, "I was just the third wheel the whole time, like a good friend should be. And this is my reward?!" She pounded her fist on the railing, splitting her knuckles on the rough wood, and causing blood to drip down her knuckles. "Don't I deserve better?"

"Pathetic," Cordelia stated, causing Rika to whirl angrily on her.

"What was that, lady?!" she demanded.

"Not you," the rider shook her head, her voice still calm. "Me. Now I see what everyone else had to put up with on my behalf, me fawning over Chrom as I did for all those years. It's quite sad, really."

This supposed to make me feel better?" Rika seethed. "Cos I'm this close to knocking your teeth in!"

"I wouldn't try that if I were you," Cordelia warned her, her slender eyebrows drawing together. "It wouldn't end well."

"Then go away!" Rika shouted. "I already feel crappy enough as it is, so just go away!"

"I can't," Cordelia shook her head. "Not when I know the pain the pain that you're experiencing is all too real, but avoidable."

"How?!" Rika spat, angry tears falling form her eyes. "How can I avoid this pain?!"

"By accepting that what is past cannot be changed, and that some things are not meant to be," Cordelia replied. "I always dreamed of being with the Prince, but I never pursued the dream. That was no one's fault but mine, just as choosing not to pursue Kirito when you could have was your choice alone." Rika looked like she was about to yell again, so Cordelia continued on to say, "At least Klein was able to show me that the one you fall in love with will not necessarily be the one with whom you intertwine your fate."

"You…" Rika said dumbly, her rage frozen as quickly as it had begun to burn.

"I did," Cordelia nodded, wiping at her own eyes. "But it was not meant to be. And though it still hurts, I can live on knowing that he gave his life to secure our future- a truly noble sacrifice that demonstrates the greatest love of all."

"I'm sorry," Rika said quietly. "I didn't-"

"Just know that there is no such thing as a real Prince Charming," Cordelia interrupted her. "All men have their flaws, but maybe someday you'll find one whose flaws are compatible with your own." And she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Rika to ponder her words.

"There it is," Kazuto grinned as he pointed at the soaring white structure. "The capital of Ylisse, Castle Ylisstol. We should be there tomorrow."

"Whoa…" Suguha gaped. "That thing is huge!" She, Kazuto, Asuna, Chrom, and Robin were ahead of the main group, up on a hill that allowed them to see the capitol city from miles away.

"And it's where you'll all be living from now on," Chrom said as he gazed at his beloved home. "At least, until you manage to go home."

"Are you serious?" Asuna asked him with wide eyes. "But I thought that we would be staying at the Shepherds' barracks again!"

"Not so," Robin shook his head. "The barracks are meant mostly for those of us that are staying in Ylisstol for brief periods of time before going back out on duty. For example, as the nation's Grandmaster Tactician, I live in the castle to be close to our ruler."

"Wait, so why would we be staying in the castle, too?" Kazuto asked.

"I plan to make a formal requisition in front of the people once I address them to announce our return," Chrom answered. "But I'll ask of you now, Sir Kirito and Lady Asuna, leaders of the Aincrad Warriors- will you and your comrades become the elite guard of the Prince Regent?"

"You want us to…?" Kazuto's eyes went wide.

"I also want to ask that you, Kirito, become my Chief Lieutenant," Robin added. "I want you to help me plan our battles, both for the Shepherds and Ylisse's armies. Your skills would be invaluable to the kingdom."

"I know that you hope to one day go home, but until that time comes, I can think of no finer guardians for myself and my family," Chrom said sincerely. "You have demonstrated skill, tenacity, and most importantly, loyalty to the Shepherds' cause, and by extension, the Halidom. Will you become the guardians that symbolize that very idea?"

"Chrom, we…" Asuna said, her eyes wide. She looked over at Kazuto, who looked between her and the two leaders of the Shepherds for several seconds.

Then he blinked and squared his shoulders. "On behalf of my friends, I accept your offer, Chrom," he said. "If the others agree, we'll do whatever it is you ask of us, as long as we live in Ylisse. It's the least we can do for you after all of the kindness you've shown us."

"The pleasure was all mine," Chrom smiled. "Thank you, my friends."

"Man, Big Brother," Suguha giggled. "You've gotten a lot less shy than when we were back home. It's pretty cool."

"Thanks, Sugu," he grinned. "I guess being in this world has done us some good, huh?"

"Yeah, but heaven help us when we get home and have to explain to our parents why we have two kids with us," Asuna said nervously as she rubbed her stomach.

"Aw, why'd you have to ruin the moment?!" Kazuto groaned. The others laughed at the couple, even as they started arguing back and forth in a mild manner.

That night, the camp was abuzz with friendly chatter and the crackling of warm fires that warded off the cool evening atmosphere. At one such campfire sat the Black Spirit, accompanied only by his smaller, older sister.

"Did Asuna make this?" he asked before shoveling a spoonful of rabbit stew in his mouth.

"Uh huh," Yui nodded. "It's good, isn't it?"

"No denying that," Mataras nodded after he swallowed the tasty food. "She knows her way around a good meal."

"We never had anything like this in my future," said a new voice. The two siblings looked up with mild surprise to see Lucina approaching them with a bowl in her hands. "May I join you?" she asked shyly. Yui smiled up at her and patted the space on the log next to her, opposite to the side where Mataras sat. The future Exalt sat down and set her bowl in her lap while giving the smaller girl a slight smile in return.

"Where is your family?" Mataras asked curiously. "I'd have though that you would be eating with them." His tone was not unkind.

"If my presence bothers you, I can-"

"No, it's all right," Mataras said quickly. "Truth be told, it would be nice to spend time in the company of a familiar face, even if it's not the one I knew in my future."

"Of course," Lucina said as she settled a little more comfortably in her seat. "I had almost forgotten that you knew me- or rather, another version of me."

"Aye," Mataras nodded.

"Am I much like her?" Lucina asked. "The parallel version of me, I mean."

"In every way, you remind me of her," Mataras admitted. "So driven, so courageous… I always admired your drive to defeat Grima, despite our slim chance. At the same time, it's driven me mad the whole time I've been here."

"What do you mean?" Lucina asked curiously.

"The Lucina I grew up with had one fundamental difference from you," Mataras replied. "She always believed that I was our best chance at bringing down Grima, not herself, or even her father, were he still alive. She sent me through the portal that led me here, even though it likely ended up costing her life."

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Lucina frowned. "The only way for us to defeat Grima is to use the Awakening ritual devised by the first Exalt that lay low that monster millennia ago. Why would I put all of my faith in you? Er, no offense intended."

"None taken," Mataras shrugged. "But I do have an answer for that. See, in the future- my future anyway- we learned that the Awakening can indeed defeat Grima, but it will only render him comatose for a thousand years before he will rise again. However, there is a way to kill him."

"There is?!" Lucina gasped, eyes wide.

"Aye, though it won't be easy," Mataras said grimly. "See, the only power that can kill Grima forever… is his own."

"What do you mean?" Yui asked with a cocked head.

"If someone was able to harness Grima's power and use I against him, it would destroy him, both body and spirit."

"And how would we do that?" Lucina asked.

"I've spent my life practicing fighting against the dark arts," Mataras said after a moment of quiet. "I've developed a technique that allows me to directly absorb dark magic that is projected at me, and send it back the caster."

"And you believe that you can do that against Grima himself?" Lucina said dubiously.

"I do," Mataras nodded. "I succeeded once in using the technique against an agent that the Fell Dragon himself empowered directly. It wasn't easy, but if I did it once, I'm confident that I can do it again."

"And my parallel self put her faith in this magic of yours?" Lucina inquired. "I suppose I can see it, but my main goal has always been to prevent Grima's resurrection, not slay him after he awakens."

"I agree, but it never hurts to have a plan B," Mataras replied. "At least, I suppose that's what my Lucina would have thought. She wanted to get the children of the Shepherds back in time far enough so that we would at least be able to fight against Grima before he reached his full power. Unfortunately…" He fell silent.

"They all died guarding the portal that took you back in time, didn't they?" Lucina prodded quietly.

"I can only assume," he said grimly.

"I am sorry to hear that, Mataras," Lucina said sadly. "Truly I am."

"I appreciate your words, but I have left my mourning days behind," Mataras said firmly. "I now have but one goal: destroy the Fell Dragon."

"A goal I will help you achieve, should we fail to prevent his resurrection," Lucina vowed. "I'm certain Robin and your father will come up with a plan that sees us all through this."

"I hope so," Mataras said softly. "I hope so…"

"Sorry I'm late, Lucina!" a cheery voice called out, accompanied by a certain blond tactician. "I got caught up talking to- oh. Er… Hello." He waved awkwardly at Mataras and Yui, the latter of which waved back and smiled happily at him. "Sorry, should I-"

"Shut up and sit down," Mataras sighed. Robin sat down next to Lucina, who smiled happily at him.

"I'm glad you could join us," she said.

"Yes, well, Marth and Morgan are eating with Cynthia and Owain tonight, so I thought I'd go somewhere less… adventurous." He added a wry grin at the end.

"Are they by themselves?" Lucina asked with alarm.

"No, Chrom and Lissa are with them, as is Emmeryn," Robin reassured her. "Emmeryn seems to be rather entertained by her niece and nephew, especially with all of the stories that they come up with."

"I can see Owain and Cynthia doing that," Lucina nodded after a moment. "Even Morgan. But how did they get Marth wrapped up in it?"

"Apparently, Morgan has something on Marth that he would rather not be made public, so he agreed to join in their antics," Robin chuckled. "That girl takes after me a little too well sometimes…"

"I wouldn't say that was a bad thing," Mataras said quietly. His words surprised the others, but before anyone could comment, he said, "Now then, Sir Robin. What do you plan to do with me when we get to Ylisstol? Clap me in irons?"

"I thought about it," Robin said dryly. "But after seeing your skill in combat, and your desire to protect Yui if nothing else, I've decided that we'll let you walk unbound in the city- so long as you have a Shepherd escort with you at any given time."

"So, basically what we've been doing for the last few weeks?" Mataras asked.

"Do I hear a complaint?" Robin smiled thinly.

"No," Mataras smirked. "Thank you, Robin."

Expecting a snappy comeback, it was a few seconds before Robin was able to say," Oh, erm… You're welcome, Mataras."

The sound of the roaring crowd was deafening. The sun shone brilliantly on the balcony where Chrom stood amongst his new guardians while his wife, Sumia, stood in between him and Robin, his closest friend and ally. The warm summer breeze that swept through the courtyard carried with it the faint scent of the thousands of flowers that had been thrown in the air to celebrate their return.

It's good to be home, Chrom thought a he smiled down at the sleeping child in his arms, who remained undisturbed by the noise around her. And I promise I'll be here for you when you need me… My little Lillina.

Kirito: Man, I thoguht we were finally gonna get back to the main campaign next chapter!

Asuna: Don't mind him. He's just mad that he doesn't get to do any fighting soon.

Kirito: That's not-! Okay fine, I admit it.

Mataras: Good boy. In exchange for being honest, I will reward you with your rematch with Lon'qu that he promised you at the beginning of this story.

Kirito: Really?!

Mataras: Really.

Kirito: Awesome!

Robin: He's pretty excited. Can't say I blame him, though. I've been wanting to know what would happen if him and Lon'qu fought for real.

Mataras: Heh, then come back on Thanksgiving Day, and you'll have the answer to that question.

Asuna: Oh yeah, that reminds me- wasn't there something about the Red Swordsman happening on Thanksgiving?

Mataras: Indeed there is. As a matter of fact, there is a prologue chapter already out for The Red Swordsman: Shattered Fragment, and I hope that many of you reading this story will take an interest in what is probably my finest work to date. I promise, if you enjoyed either of my previous Red Swordsman stories, you will not be disappointed by this rendition.

Kirito: Now who's fired up?

Mataras: Me. I won't deny it, unlike someone else I know.

Kirito: Hey!

Sachi: Oh boy. We'd better wrap this up before they get started.

Asuna: Next time- Fairies in Ylisstol, Part the First.