The girl only stared at him, petrified. She couldn't understand why he wanted her, of all people, alone. So frozen in fear she didn't realize the time ticking by, and Lon'qu losing his patience. He clenched his fists and snarled through gritted teeth. "Do you understand common tongue? I say come." She jumped and followed after him like a terrified puppy, her blue eyes wide as the moon.

Lon'qu did not turn to face her once while they walked. His cheeks were a dark shade of red only matched by Florina's. Their hands were shaking but, too caught up in their own discomfort, they did not notice the other's. They walked through the dark forest, right to a small stream. It was here that Lon'qu stopped and turned to face the girl. As they stood they looked anywhere but at each other. It seemed like ages before either of them spoke, and the awkward silence that stretched before them was torture.

Finally, Florina spoke in a very quiet voice. "You wanted to talk to me?"

Lon'qu shifted uncomfortably. He hadn't thought of what to tell her, hadn't gotten this far. Sully had seen him walk out with the girl; maybe that would be enough to keep the woman out of his hair. Maybe they could just head back and make everyone believe the two of them had had some heartfelt conversation. Maybe Lon'qu didn't have to talk to this bimbo at all.

"Look out!"

Lon'qu snapped up as he heard her yell. He turned around quickly, just in time to see the Risen coming at him. He felled it in one skillful swoop of his killing edge, and as it fell to the floor it crumbled away. After looking around for more, he sheathed his sword and turned back to the girl, not looking at her. Her blue eyes were wide with fascination. He had so easily cut down an unexpected enemy, and he'd made it look so… beautiful. She had no idea what the creature was—they certainly didn't have things like that where she was from—but whatever it was, she felt a lot safer knowing this man would be with her. She was absolutely convinced nothing would be able to get past him. It looked like Elimine was right about this.

Lon'qu was starting back to the campgrounds, and for a minute Florina just watched him disappear. Pretty soon, the thought of being alone in an unfamiliar place terrified her, and she shot after him. So concentrated on trying to catch up with him, Florina didn't notice some vines and she tripped over them, landing face-first into the mud.

Lon'qu turned to see her. He sighed angrily and started to continue on, leaving her to get up herself, when he heard it. That Risen was not alone. He shot after Florina, killing edge poised. "Don't move," he commanded, and he decapitated another Risen right before it raked its claws against Florina. When Lon'qu looked to the girl again she was hugging her knees to her chest, terrified. He'd be having a word with Chrom later. There was no way this cowardly girl would make a good Shepherd. What had the prince been thinking?

"Get up," Lon'qu said curtly. "Take sanctuary in the tents, since you cannot fend for yourself."

Florina looked up at him, mud still dripping from her face. As he started off again, she called to him. "Wait!" Lon'qu stopped but did not turn around. Florina picked herself off the ground and hesitated before following after him. "I don't… don't know my way back."

Lon'qu turned to her but did not lock eyes. "We just walked here," he stated.

The girl didn't know how to tell him she hadn't been paying attention. She had been too concentrated on the man leading her away, alone. She had been too concentrated on the darkness around them, at all the things that could go wrong. She couldn't remember the way back, and she seemed to shrink in size under his aggravated demeanor.

Lon'qu rolled his eyes. "You are a child," he muttered, and he continued on. He did not slow down for her, instead wanting to see if she'd be able to keep up with his long strides. She was practically running to keep up with him, but she was far too shy to ask him to slow down. She still did not know what he'd wanted from her, why he had called her out. Her curiosities would not be sated, she realized, so she ran after him in silence.

When the rest of the Shepherds finally came into view Florina could breathe more easily. Lon'qu went straight for Chrom. "Risen," he told him. "From the northeast, a few hundred meters away."

Chrom nodded and called everyone together, their supper abandoned. There was no time to finish; if there were Risen in the area, there was no rest for the Shepherds.

Lon'qu prepared his killing edge for more bloodshed, but something distracted him. Florina, she was wielding a steel lance. This girl was going to fight? She was going to get herself killed. Just as Lon'qu was about to voice his protests to Chrom, the sound of an Elfire burning decaying flesh stopped him. The Risen were upon them.

The sound of metal against metal reverberated through the forest like a nighttime symphony. The Risen were plentiful today and very strong. All along the battlefield soldiers paired with each other, husbands to wives, children to parents, friends to friends. Lon'qu preferred to fight alone, anyway. Besides, it wasn't like he was the only lone fighter on the field. Florina wasn't being helped, either. She seemed to be holding her own, albeit awkwardly. Lon'qu had never been trained with a lance, but he knew from watching others that that was not how one was to be held. She was getting kills, protecting herself from damage, but it was clear she was less experienced than even Olivia, when she first joined. This was not going to end well. Chrom had to kick her off the Shepherds. If she kept bumbling around like that she would get everyone killed—

"Stop staring at Florina and pay attention, Lon'qu!"

Lon'qu alerted just in time to see Sully slice through a Risen that had been coming for him. If not for Sully's blow, Lon'qu would have been caught unawares and injured severely. Sully glared at him. "This is not the time for that! We're in the middle of a damn battlefield, you fool! Get it together before you get us killed!"

Lon'qu did not like taking orders from any woman, but she was right. He was too caught up in watching the newbie. Lon'qu would just have to trust she could really carry her own, and if she couldn't, that Lissa or Maribelle would be able to heal her. So he fought with his all, taking down Risen after Risen, and stealing every glance he could at Florina.

After the long battle ended it was very dark. There were more Risen than usual, and everyone was exhausted. They were too far from the castle of Ylisse to head back for the night, so tonight they would be sleeping under the stars, just like old times. All injuries from the battle were being treated, and Lon'qu was unsurprised to find that Florina had sustained a few. The kills she had secured, they were only due to beginner's luck. A good friend of Lady Lyndis… Yeah right. There was no way Lyn would allow someone as ill-experienced and klutzy as Florina to protect her. The girl had to be a fraud. She was just some commoner looking for a way to get closer to Chrom. It wouldn't have been the first time, actually. There were girls crazy enough to join the army just to get closer to the married prince. Whatever the reason, something was very wrong with Florina, and Lon'qu wanted no part of it.

"Lon'qu?"

Someone was entering his tent, and he looked up to see a large man coming into view. It was Basilio, the West-Khan of Regna Ferox. For once, the oaf looked concerned. "You've been acting weird lately," he told Lon'qu. "Ever since that Florina girl came. You've been more distracted. The stew today was extra spicy, not that I don't love extra spice. But Lon'qu, your fighting was off today. That's enough to have me worried about you, boy."

Lon'qu turned away. "I am well," he told him.

"That's a lie if I ever heard one!" Basilio clapped Lon'qu on the shoulder, surprising and angering the swordmaster. "What's got your knickers in a knot?"

Lon'qu sighed. "I do not understand how Chrom would let such a pathetic child join our ranks. She is not meant to be of the Shepherds. She is not fit to fight at all."

"I'd watch that tongue of yours," Basilio warned. "Florina knows a lot more than you'd think. The girl's from Ilia, you know. I hear that's even colder than Regna Ferox! I hear she's lived through a lot, too. Wars just like we have, Lon'qu. She's stronger than she looks, you know. I'm sure she'd make a fine wife for my champion!"

At this Lon'qu glared at the large man. "Get out," he ordered.

"There's a blush!" Basilio said, laughing jollily. "I'm getting, I'm getting!"

After Basilio had gone Lon'qu turned his back to the opening of his tent. A fine wife. Like hell she would. There was no way in hell Lon'qu was going to get close to that idiot. Basilio had just been drinking too much; he was an idiot too. Why wouldn't everyone just leave him alone? He didn't like Florina, he was disgusted with her. He couldn't stand her.

That was what Lon'qu kept telling himself, even as he thought about her all night long.