A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone! I've prepared a fun chapter indeed, which will include some pregnancy hijinks, Shepherd shenanigans, and wedding day worries! (Oops, did I just let that slip? Better let you get to reading, then!)

Preparations

"Did it have to be so big?" Robin grumbled as he looked around at the grand dining hall where his wedding feast would be held. Already, there were servants bustling about, setting the arrangements in place for the event that was to take place the next day. "I thought inviting all of the Shepherds was going to be a big to-do in it of itself, but this is just madness."

"Hehe," Chrom sniggered at his best friend. "Now you understand why I was so uncomfortable when I was planning the wedding with Sumia?" He, Kazuto, and Robin were taking a walk through the castle, making sure that they hadn't forgotten anything last-minute.

"Correction!" Lissa grinned as she walked up to the group, her left hand on her swollen abdomen, a result of seven month's pregnancy. "Sumia and I did most of the planning. Frederick did just about all of the things you were supposed to do!"

"I was busy!" Chrom protested.

"With what, breaking training dummies?" Kazuto smirked. He had his wings folded behind him in a manner that resembled a long cape, save for the fact that they were translucent in their shading, and that they glowed slightly.

"No, running a country," Chrom replied flatly.

"Wow, I didn't know that running a country involved so many training sessions," Robin grinned a bit, glad to move some of the tension off of his shoulders.

"It's called therapy!" Chrom half-shouted. "You try dealing with the duke of Adimes on a monthly basis!"

"Which just begs the question, why is he coming to my wedding?" Robin asked. "As a matter of fact, why are there any nobles coming to my wedding?! I don't know most of them! The only ones I do know are the ones I avoid!"

"You know Say'ri and Virion," Kazuto pointed out, but the Grandmaster waved that aside.

"They're old friends, and Shepherds to boot," he replied. "Well, I suppose I'd say Virion is a Shepherd if nothing else…"

"Man, that's cold," Kazuto chuckled.

Before anyone else could add to the exchange, Asuna walked into the room, slower than usual, but still just as graceful, even with her own pregnancy. "Kirito…" she said in a tone that gave him a sinking feeling.

"Uh… hey, Asuna," he said in as careful a tone he could manage. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, why?" she cocked her head at him confused.

"Uh, no reason," he said, still trying to be careful in his approach. Over the last few months, her moods had become increasingly erratic, so he knew by now that even though she might seem like she was in a good mood, he couldn't take it at face value.

"You sure?" she asked him, her brow bent with concern. "You seem like you're nervous about something…"

"N-Nah, it's nothing," he half-lied. "Just talking with the guys here about the big day tomorrow."

"Kirito, are you afraid of me?" she asked him bluntly.

"Kinda…" he admitted.

"Why?!" she demanded, looking hurt.

Lissa, already well familiar with how Kazuto was usually blamed for just about any misunderstanding in his social circle, decided to cut him a break. "Well, I think everyone here remembers the incident a few weeks back…" she said.

"Which one?" Robin asked, catching onto her plan. "The time where she broke a window with lightning?"

"I was remembering the knife-to-the eye occurrence at dinner," Chrom added helpfully, drawing a glare from the Lightning Flash.

"Believe it or not, that wasn't the first time she did that," Kazuto chuckled, glad to know that he had support on his side. "I think it's secretly how she shows her affection." He stopped talking as Asuna grabbed a knife off of the nearest table and thrust it close to his nose.

"Do I look like I'm feeling very affectionate?" she snapped, causing him to pale.

"Guys, I don't know how to get out of this, please help me," he said in a very small voice.

"You shoulda just let me handle the pregnant lady," Lissa sighed heavily.

"Excuse you, Princess!" Asuna glowered. "You're pregnant, too!"

While she turned to confront Lissa, Chrom said, "Kirito, please control your wife before one of us loses a body part."

"As soon as I figure out how, I'll let you know," the Black Swordsman muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

Then came his salvation- in the form of his worst nightmare. "Okay, old lady," Mataras sighed as he strode up to the conversation. "Let 'em go, you've scared them enough for one day, don't you think?"

"Did you just call me old?" Asuna demanded as she rounded on him, though he stood his ground without flinching.

"What, do you prefer 'old hag' or something else?" he taunted, a small smile curling the corners of his mouth.

"Mataras…" Robin said warningly. "Be careful…"

"Pfft, or else what?" he snorted. "I don't see what's to be afraid of. It's not like she'll actually use that thing."

"Try me," she glowered.

"Hehe," he grinned, clearly more amused than frightened. "Sure, Asuna. Take your best shot." The knife wavered in her grip, and for a moment, Robin thought that she might actually stab the arrogant Black Spirit. Then the knife was slammed flat on the table, and she stormed off.

"Nice going, ace," Kazuto muttered to his paradox-son. He was about to add something else before he noticed that Mataras' skin, while normally pale, was now sheet-white. "Whoa, are you okay?"

"You have no idea how terrifying that was," he said in a dry throat, shocking the others a good deal. "Rumors said that when she was pregnant with me in my timeline, Tharja tried to hex her after an argument they had, but she just smacked it off before trouncing her within an inch of her life- with her bare hands."

"What?!" Robin exclaimed, doubt clear on his face. "You can't just deflect hexes!"

"Try telling that to my mother," Mataras said as he walked away, still visibly shaken. "I never saw it myself, but I do believe it."

"He's… pulling our leg, right?" Chrom asked Kazuto, who neglected to reply. "Kirito?"

"Knowing my wife… I wouldn't bet on that," Kazuto shuddered.

"Huh," Lissa said blankly. "I guess we know where Mataras gets his angry side from, then." No one had a response to that.

It had been about a month since the last of the paradox children had been brought home to Ylisse, where they were all reunited with their parents. In addition to the time travelers, it turned out that there was a final visitor from Earth- a girl with long, flowing blond hair and a sleepy-looking (though not unattractive) face named Hiyori. But to Lisbeth, Silica, and Leafa, she was better known as Lux.

Upon meeting her, Robin had turned to Kirito and said, "Okay, tell me now- are there anymore people coming over from your world?!"

"I don't know!" Kazuto had protested. "It's not like I asked them to come over here!"

Like Argo, Lux had received a message in her dreams from the Divine Dragon, Naga, asking for her aid in the fight against Grima's return. Unlike most of the others, however, she had no close relationship with Kirito himself, though she had idolized the Black Swordsman for a long time. Still, she was willing to help in the fight against the Fell Dragon, and when she was given one of the marbles from Tiki, she grew emerald Sylph wings and began to show talent with wind magic.

Noire had taken to her new life in the current timeline quite well, while Marth and Morgan were quite pleased to discover that- in a roundabout fashion- they had a new sibling. Lucina had been more than a little shocked at first, but after a couple of awkward weeks, she too had taken a liking to the shy young lady. Noire had known another Lucina in the time that she hailed from, so she bore the young woman no ill will since she knew that it took her friend time to adjust to drastic changes in her life.

Suguha and Ricken were seeing quite a bit of each other, somewhat to Kazuto's worry. When they went home, what would become of them? He had to wonder. Still, Ricken was a gentleman and very respectful of his sister, so he let them be for the time being.

Another pair that had taken to spending a good deal of time in each other's exclusive company were Sachi and Marth, just like Yuuki had predicted. Both Robin and Kazuto approved of the budding relationship, though the latter still held the same concerns about them returning home eventually. Then again, since Sachi had died in their world, he didn't even know if it was possible for her to go back.

Of all the children from the future or elsewhere, only Mataras continued to act as a loner. Even Gerome, Gregor and Cherche's painfully reclusive son, began to warm up to being around others at the encouragement of his comrades, who were thoroughly enjoying the closest thing that they had ever gotten to world peace.

Even though he would be open and friendly with Yui, and seldom engage in voluntary interactions with the leaders of the Shepherds and Asuna, he never made an attempt to get closer to the other paradox children. When Yui asked him about it, he would shrug and say that the people that he knew were dead, and looking at their ghosts would only hurt him more.

The little girl confessed that this troubled her deeply, seeing him isolate himself so harshly, to the only other survivor from his timeline, Noire. Of course, the daughter of Robin was terrified at the thought of confronting him directly about the future- or anything for that manner. She told Yui that even back in their time, Mataras only ever really talked to two people- Lucina and Yui's future counterpart. And once Yui died, he hardly spoke at all.

"But you're the only one that can possibly empathize with him," Yui begged her. "He needs more than just one person to talk to, Miss Noire. Human beings were made to seek out the friendship of others, and he is depriving himself of that need. Without companionship, our souls eventually wither, and die."

"He said that his soul died when his sister perished," Noire replied quietly. "He doesn't want to be saved from his own darkness, Yui."

"I don't care what he wants, I'm worried about what he needs," Yui said stubbornly. "And what he needs is for someone who knows him to talk to him."

"But…" Noire said in a very small voice. "What if he gets mad at me?"

"Have you met my brother?" Yui deadpanned. "He's always angry."

"But not at me!" the blond girl grimaced. "I just… I don't want to cause any trouble. Besides, you seem to be doing a good job at helping him recover on your own. Why don't you just keep doing that?"

"Like I said, there's only so much that one person can do," Yui shook her head. "Please, Noire. Help me help my baby brother." Her gray eyes shone with such compassion and hope, that Noire couldn't help but finally give in.

"O-Okay…" she said through a grimace. "But… Please don't let him hurt me?"

"I promise, he'll behave himself," Yui smiled, hugging the older girl happily. "Thank you, Miss Noire. You're the best!"

The girls found him sitting atop of one of Castle Ylisse's spires, looking out into the distance with blank look. His lips were moving, but no sound emerged from his throat.

"What is he doing?" Noire whispered to Yui as they stood beneath him, not wanting to interrupt him if he was in the middle of something important.

"I dunno," the little girl shook her head. This is the first time I've seen him do that. Usually I just catch him looking at the sunsets, but he's not talking to himself."

"I can hear you." His strong voice reached their ears, startling them both, and causing Noire to let out a small squeak of fright. They looked up to see him staring down at them with unblinking dark eyes. "Don't you know it's rude to talk about people right in front of them?"

"Sorry, we didn't think you could hear us," Yui replied, her voice rising to its natural level.

"Still rude," he muttered as he leaped down to stand beside them, Noire eyeing him with borderline fear. He raised an eyebrow at his older sister before he asked, "Is there something you two need?"

"Actually, Noire just wanted to talk to you, so I'll be going now," Yui said, prompting both or Mataras' eyebrows to go up. "See you at dinner?"

"Of course," he nodded once. And she took off on white wings, leaving the two of them alone atop of the castle.

"Umm…" Noire said hesitantly, unsure of what to say now.

Mataras sighed heavily and said, "She put you up to talking to me, didn't she?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded quickly.

"Figures," he shook his head, disappointed. "Let's get this over with, then…" He paused, but after a moment, he said, "Nobody seems to think that I'm perfectly fine being on my own for the majority of the time."

"Th-They just don't think that it's good for you," Noire stammered. "She worries about you a lot…"

"I know, but I wish she wouldn't," he muttered as he leaned on the terrace overlooking the castle below them. "You of all the people here know what we've survived. I think I can handle a little isolation."

"I can't," Noire said softly. "This… Coming here… Meeting Father… It's all been wonderful for me."

"I'm glad to hear that," Mataras said sincerely, surprising the pale girl greatly. "Truly, I am. Few people deserve to be happy more than you, Noire."

"Wh-Wha…?" she stuttered.

"Just because I come from the apocalypse of this world doesn't mean I don't have a heart," he grinned slightly.

"Th-Then why do you isolate yourself?" she asked.

"Because unlike you, I don't need companionship to thrive," he stated simply. "Being with others makes you happy- but not me. I'm best when I'm alone, or with one person that I trust."

"Is that why you only ever talk to Yui?" Noire inquired.

"Aye," he nodded. "Though I suppose I can count you in that small circle of people I consider friends."

"Y-You do?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Everyone else is dead from our time," he said somberly. "We're all that's left."

"Oh…" she said, disappointed. "Is that the only reason you'd consider me a friend?"

"No," he shook his head. "I won't lie, it is a big one. But you've also got qualities that are admirable on their own."

"Like what?"

"Your determination, for one," he said. When she gave him a blank look, he elaborated, saying, "You've been sickly for as long as I've known you, and yet every day we fought together, you always held your own, never becoming a crutch to the others. No matter how hard the task at hand, no matter how weak your own body was, you pushed through the pain until the job was done."

"I…" she said with wide eyes, surprised at his observations. "How did you…?"

"The same way I knew you and Yui were down here," he said with another faint grin. "I listen. Funny thing- people seem to think that the quiet ones are always off somewhere else in their own little world, oblivious to their surroundings. Truth is, the smart ones are silent specifically so that they can hear what goes on around them."

"S-Speaking of us coming up here…" she said as a thought occurred to her. "What were you doing up there?"

"Hmm…" he smirked. "Interesting."

"Wh-What?" she stammered, afraid that she might have offended him somehow. He usually only smiled before he was about to bring down the axe, so to speak.

"You're the first person to actually ask me that directly," he said. "Lucina would always beat around the bush, Laurent never stopped asking questions, Inigo just wanted tips on how to attract women, and Owain…" He stopped talking for a moment.

"Owain was… Owain, I guess?" she asked.

"Probably the kindest way to put it," he nodded. "Point is, no one ever directly asked me what I do when I'm sitting alone like that."

"So…?" she asked. "What do you do?"

"I fancy myself a poet," he replied. When she looked at him with a blank look, he shrugged and said, "Everyone has a hobby or two. While my primary one is chopping heads off of Risen, the other happens to be composing words."

"D-Do you sing?" she asked, her voice carrying a strange note in it that Mataras did not recognize form her.

"No," he shook his head in a very negative motion. "I just like toying with words."

"C-Can I hear some?" Noire asked, her voice still carrying that strange note.

"Are you unwell?" Mataras asked as her shoulders began to shake. Then a thought struck him, leading him to narrow his gaze and ask, "Hold on, are you-?"

He got not further as Noire suddenly burst into laughter, the sound echoing across the castle. Many heard it, but only Yui smiled at the sound of Noire's merriment. He made someone laugh, she thought. Not a bad start.

The wedding was set to take place in the afternoon, and Robin was more nervous than Chrom had ever seen him. "You planned the invasion of Valm without blinking," he chuckled as he watched his best friend struggle to stay calm. "How are you this nervous, considering what you've been through?"

"Chrom, your daughter is perfect," Robin said frantically, his answer throwing his friend off a bit. "I am not. Which means, I am clearly not good enough for her."

"Oh gods, we're doing this now?" Chrom sighed. "Where is Kirito? He's going to be your best man, why am I helping with this?"

"He said he was fixing something last-minute," the blond tactician muttered. "Strange, for the longest time I thought that you would be my best man."

"Well I would have gladly taken the position, but I'm not letting anyone else walk my daughter down the aisle," Chrom smirked. "Best lie in your bed the way you made it."

Robin suddenly had a wolfish smile on his face, and Chrom had a sinking feeling that he had just stepped into a trap. "You know, there's a joke about Lucina being on that bed somewhere in all of that, but that's beneath me," the grandmaster began to chuckle. The laugh died in his throat as Falchion suddenly appeared, gleaming brightly in Chrom's hands.

"You know, with all the wedding planning going on, I haven't had the chance to test Falchion's edge in a while," the ruler of Ylisse said with an icy glare. "I think now would be a good time to make sure it hasn't dulled recently."

"I hardly think that's necessary," Robin said nervously, calculating which was more risky- making a dash past Chrom for the door and possibly losing a few pounds in the process in the form of a limb, or jumping out of a fourth-story window without a wind tome and having to explain things to Lucina when she eventually joined him in the afterlife.

How much do I really need my leg? He wondered just as Kazuto walked in on the scene.

The Black Swordsman froze at the sight before him, trying to decide which side he'd really rather take. "Umm…" he said blankly.

"Take his side, and you'll be joining him in hell," Chrom said quickly.

Fortunately, this gave Kazuto the out that he so desperately needed. "Kill me and you have to deal with my pregnant wife, in addition to yours and your sister," he replied quickly.

And just like that, Falchion was back in its sheath. This didn't stop Chrom from growling as he stomped out, "I can make it look like an accident."

As soon as he was out of hearing range, Kazuto let go of the breath he'd been holding in as he turned to his comrade and asked, "What'd you do?"

"Something stupid," Robin shook his head wearily. "Don't worry, I'll patch things up with him later. Is everyone ready?"

"Yes, but remind me why you're having Henry as one of your groomsmen?!" Kazuto demanded. "I know that there was a good reason, but for the life of me, I can't-"

"He's my cousin," Robin reminded him.

"Right…" Kazuto frowned. "Who's intel was that, again? Gaius?"

"Argo's," Robin sighed.

"Dammit," Kazuto grumbled.

"What?"

"Well, if it was Gaius, I might have been able to argue that there was the possibility that he was wrong," the Spriggan youth muttered as he sat down. "But Argo's always so thorough…"

"Aye, tell me about it," Robin sighed. "Still, he is dependable. And Olivia said that she managed to convince him to act normal for today."

"How…?" Kazuto was almost afraid of the answer.

"Apparently, it doesn't involve any bleeding from anyone we know, and that's all I really care about," Robin shrugged. "However, she did say that 'normal' might be a… subjective term."

"…How?" Kazuto asked, still dreading the answer.

"It's Henry, I don't know!" Robin groaned. "I still don't know why he wouldn't mention the fact that we're related…"

"He's lost a few marbles, so maybe he just… forgot?" Kazuto suggested.

"Maybe it's a family thing," Robin joked bleakly, referring to his own amnesia.

"Heya!" a cheery voice exclaimed, followed by its owner and a more solemn figure that strode in the open door. "How's my favorite cousin?!" Henry asked with a bright smile.

"I'm your only cousin, Henry," Robin said flatly.

"Which makes you my favorite!" the wizard shot back without missing a beat.

"He makes a convincing argument," Marth said with the trace of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"You're supposed to be on my side!" Robin said, affronted by the sight of his son taking someone else's side in the argument. Marth just shrugged in response, his face back to being that of a neutral expression. Seeing this, Robin hung his head in mock despair and muttered, "Whatever…"

"Well, seeing as we're all here, I take it that the girls are also ready?" Kazuto asked.

"Almost," Marth nodded. "Last I checked, they were helping each other re-do their makeup… Tears of joy and all that."

"Sounds about right," Kazuto shook his head.

Lucina's party consisted of Lissa, Noire, and Morgan. Lissa would be serving as the Maid of Honor while Noire and Morgan would be her bridesmaids. Officially, the twins had been adopted as Robin's children, so their appearance in the wedding shouldn't have proved a surprise to anyone. Noire's adoption was nearly complete, and rumors of the Ylissean Grandmaster taking in another orphan had already circulated through the nobles and the city, so her appearance could also be taken in stride.

"Hey," a new voice said as the door opened. Sachi stepped through the door, dressed in a dark blue dress with silver trim, a color theme that matched Marth's own attire. "I just wanted to let you all know that Libra and everyone else is ready to get things started." She blushed a little bit as Marth's eyes widened slightly at the sight of her in the tailored dress, something that was not missed by Robin.

"We'll be out in just a moment," Robin smiled at the girl. "Thank you, Lady Sachi."

"You're welcome," she said as she backed out through the door. "Y-You all look very nice." Then she was gone.

"Well," Robin said as he stood up and put on his dress robe that Chrom had ordered be made specifically for this occasion. It was a variation of his traditional fashion statement in the sense that the color theme was white with silver trim instead of dark purple and golden thread. "Moment of truth, eh?"

Kirito: Sigh... you just couldn't help yourself, could you? You and your damned cliffhangers!

Mataras: Merry Christmas to you too, pal.

Yui: Merry Christmas, everyone! We hope you go meet our new friends in the Legacy of Korra next week!

Asuna: Next time- The Big Day!