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Chapter Three: Anna's Trip for Two (Part 2)

Riding pillion with Sumia and her pegasus, Peppercorn, Chrom was able to make out the palace from the horizon as a white speck at the highest hill in central Ylisse. Flying in a V-shaped formation, Sumia led the flight while Cynthia (with Morgan in tow) flew from their left and Cordelia (with Gaius hitching along) to their right.

Below them, along one of the many roads that led to Ylisstol, was the routing caravan that trudged along the dirt path. Like ants returning to their mound, they were kept in tight formation—led by none other than Frederick the Wary.

Although only a handful of warriors joined the fray and returned with neither a scratch nor dent on their armors, the long march home slowly drained the vigor they had before they left the small town of Melein. After five days of marching with breaks too far between, some members of the Royal Guard had already unbuckled and removed part of their cumbersome breastplates in favor of their cotton undershirts. Luckily, their long march would soon be over: the Shepherds were just a quarter-day's ride to Ylisstol.

Chrom nudged his wife and motioned to the ground. She nodded and clicked her lips, gently snapping Peppercorn's reins while pulling to the left. Following the command, the pegasus stiffed her wings and entered into a right bank, descending towards the front of the caravan. As expected of the knights by her wingside, Cynthia and Cordelia coordinated and followed suit. Holding tightly onto Cynthia's waist and the feeling the wind blast through her golden locks, Morgan yelled from the top of her lungs in exhilaration as adrenaline pumped through her body.

On the other hand, Gaius quickly clutched his wife's waist with his eyes closed shut, holding on for dear life.

I hate flying. I hate flying. I hate flying. He yelled in the confines of his mind as held on to his wife's waist even tighter.

Suddenly, her pegasus exerted several strong flaps to compensate for turbulence, jolting the couple. Though the flaps eventually returned to a gentle and sinusoidal motion, it had enough force to push Gaius's mental screams out from his lips as Cordelia pitched her steed to an even steeper dive.

"I HATE FLYIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!" He shrieked at a pitch of a child's with the timbre of a crow's raspy call. But alas, his screams fell deaf to his wife's ears.

Luckily for him, the gusts the pegasi generated during their maneuver and their altitude hushed the yell that escaped his lips. To the spectators that looked above, all they saw was the art of synchronized flight. No Shepherd heard Gaius' girlish cries thus keeping his reputation as a fearless thief intact. Landing in front of the caravan, Chrom and Sumia dismounted from Peppercorn's back and the former then hollered to the entire caravan to stop. Frederick further enforced this command by rearing his steed—an Ylissean signal for a column to perform a complete stop.

"Alright," The Exalt bellowed while Cynthia and Cordelia landed. The gust from the two pegasi's stirred Chrom's cape, flaring it out like a flag. "We're almost home. For everyone's amazing performance at Melein, we're taking a short stop here. Gather around, talk to your comrades and rest. Once we're all ready, we will carry on towards the palace."

With Chrom walking off to the side to help his daughter and niece dismount, it was Sumia's turn to announce.

"Everyone," Sumia clasped her hands and smiled. "We will have lunch in a short while! We still have some of the rhubarb and fiddle-head pies so those first in line will get first taste!"

After the cries of relief and joy, the dull thud of steel landing on the dusty earth soon followed. While some of the Royal Guard kept watch, the rest of the soldiers unbuckled their cumbersome armors and began to break away from their marching formation. The caravan's slow march quickly ground to a halt as the rest of the routing party dismounted from their steeds and carts. As they took the time to socialize and relax, the supply carts advanced forward and the field cooks began to organize.

As everyone began to settle down, Chrom walked towards the bank of an irrigation canal out of view from the Shepherds. He took the time to unbuckle his armor and shoulder guard n order to stretch his arms and back. Unfortunately, his quickly stopped as his back began to feel stiff and throb.

Yet, that was not all that bothered the young Exalt.

With Mark informally relieving himself of his duty as the Shepherd's tactician, Chrom was about enter the process of not only finding a suitable replacement (which was definitely a challenge) but also figuring out why his best friend simply quit.

Granted, he was doing more work than he did spend time with the family. Knowing the family meetings and dinners that they Royal Family spent, Lissa and Mark didn't really have time for themselves. Most of the time it was spent with Morgan and their newly born son while the older one left for Themis. The more he thought about the days after he returned the more he remembered that he did ask him incredibly tedious tasks that, if it was done by Frederick or his other assistants, would take months because of the former's nitpickiness.

Then again, Chrom knew that Mark had personally volunteered to do the work and the ones that followed, even though he himself said that the man should take a break.

Did he inadvertently cause Mark to work too much? And did he only do it because he was expected to? Those were the questions that rang through Chrom's mind as he slowly bent backwards to stretch his lower back. In the end, he felt bad for putting his friend through such pointless troubles. What a friend he was, he thought.

As he stretched and felt the fibers in his body relax, he muttered aside: "Gods, let me be sat on by pegasi if I truly caused this mishap…"

Coincidentally, Peppercorn followed him through the clearing and huffed in what seemed to be a mocking manner. At first, the Exalt did not even notice the winged beast behind him. That was until Peppercorn flapped her wings and forced Chrom into the ground in a panic.

"By the Gods, Pepper!" He quickly shuffled away, pointing at the animal. Once he regained some semblance of composure, he glared at her and in return, Peppercorn grunted and stomped her right hoof, seemingly wanting to challenge the Exalt.

"Oh, no. You're not getting the better of me this time around, you beast!" With two more large wing flaps, Chrom yielded to his wife's steed. He stood up and dusted himself off. Chrom gave a sharp expression at Peppercorn for one last time before turning his back and returning to the caravan—rubbing his aching back along the way.

Once he was out of the picture, Peppercorn flapped her wings and whinnied in victory and began to drink from the canal.

Soon, everyone settled by the roadside aside as the high Ylissean sun shone below them.

Cordelia hoped to take Gaius for a tidying session before heading to lunch. After he was nowhere in sight, she began to grow worried if he had returned to "less than savory" endeavors. At least until she saw him almost petrified on the pegasus saddle, trembling as he refused to get off the thing.

"Gaius! There you…are." Cordelia looked at her husband's eyes and nudged his shoulders. "My love, are you okay? Your face looks deathly pale."

"Nope. Nope." He shook his head. "Nope. I hate these damn flying horses…Now can I get some help getting out of this thing?…"

"Can't you do it yourself?"

"I don't think I can move anything." He then muttered softly, earning an exasperated sigh from the prodigy knight as she began to pry his fingers—one by one—off the saddle.

"You really need to get your fear of flying looked at." She smiled despite Gaius' surprisingly sharp glare. "This might be worse than your addiction to sweets."

Meanwhile, a blonde strategist sat under a tree and began drawing circles and arrows on the ground. To the untrained eye, Morgan was simply drawing three circles and a large rectangle in a horizontal pattern, but she was reenacting the siege of Fort Rigwald, led by the dashing Prince Ephraim. Figures made of dirt and sand kept her entertained but once the dry twig she used broke, she let off a long sigh. Morgan was utterly—

"Aaaaaaaugh. I'm sooo booooored!"

Bored.

When Cynthia expressed the need to help her mother serve the rations, the two cousins went their separate ways. After all, she didn't want to interfere with Cynthia spending time with Sumia. It was Cynthia's luxury because of her knightly duties. With the rest of the Shepherds doing their own thing and her twig becoming mulch, she sat by the roadside thinking of other things to do.

Flower picking? Eh, I'm terrible with making flowery things anyway…Oh! What about…naah, too dangerous. Hmm, I wonder where father is…OH! That's a thing to do!

With newfound vigor, she began wandering about the supply wagons. Along the way, she was met with Shepherds and members of the Royal Guard greeting her in all forms: From formal greetings from veterans that served Lady Emmeryn to a casual "hello" from a good friend like Kjelle. To her, this respite from battle truly made it seem that everyone she knew there was nothing more than family. And she smiled with that thought.

Eventually she found her father by the roadside next to a supply wagon, carefully dismounting off his horse with his left arm. Although his right shoulder was medically sound, he kept it supported in a sling that allowed his shoulder and torso to recuperate naturally.

"Father!" Morgan waved, catching Mark's attention. But before he could even utter a word, Morgan had a running start and quickly jumped to his arms and squeezed tightly around his torso. The impact and pressure from his daughter's love, on the other hand, started a dull pain.

"M-Morgan?" Mark winced despite trying to hide his pain. "Aah, what's with the commotion?"

"Aunt Sumia is serving her rhubarb-and-fiddlehead pies." She grinned. "We should sit near the pegasi and eat, father!"

"I'll meet you there later, okay? First, I'll have to ask Anna about these runes you gave me." Like a small child, Morgan looked up at him with an eager gaze and asked:

"Can I come along?"

He smiled. "Of course you can."

Beyond the men that tended to the horses and the plain-looking supply carts was a small, but very ornate cart with a colorful cloth roof. Lined with sewn bands of bright red and yellow, it mimicked a court jester's hat—at least in Mark's perspective. To Morgan on the other hand, it reminded her of scrambled eggs and tomatoes that her mother would oftentimes make.

As father and daughter approached the cart, the merchant Anna wheeled in a large crate to the front of her shop. Feeling the heat of the midday sun on her, she set it down with a thud right in front of them, unaware that she had company.

"Whoooh! Man, you're a tough one." She wiped the sweat from her brow and looked down at the box in front of her. "At least this whole trip was a good business deal. Looks like I can finally get that—"

"Anna?" Mark raised a finger. Unaware that she had visitors, Anna jumped.

"Oh!" She smiled, quickly covering the crate with a nearby tarp. "Hey! Mark, Morgan! What brings you here to my humble shop?"

"Anna," Mark sighed, pointing at the crudely hidden crate. "Humble is not a word to describe your nest egg. We've gone over this. And don't even try to deny it. Or hide it."

The merchant simply sighed and sat on top of her crate. Anna kept forgetting one thing about Mark: nothing could ever really get past him, especially money.

"Just don't tell anyone about this, Sweetie. It's our little secret." Anna winked. "Don't forget, I'm here as a supplier not as a Shepherd."

Mark groaned. He never once won a debate with Anna regarding finances or her Shepherd membership.

"Okay. Okay."

"So, what items do you need?" She asked. "I just stocked several Bolting tomes before we left Melein. Interested?"

"Actually, I want you to take a look at this." He took out the two runes from his pocket and handed them over. Anna ran her fingers through the patterns on both sides of the rune and shone them at the sun, suddenly glimmering pink compared to the usual powder blue. "Do you know what these are?"

"The better question is: 'Where did you get it?'" She cocked a brow.

"Actually, Morgan gave them to me—apparently from Gaius as a gift." Anna then turned to the girl.

"Umm, Sir Gaius gave it to me and he said he got it from one the merchants we saved." Morgan added. "He said that she said something about going to your cousin about it."

"Oh yeah! You guys saved one of my sisters from those Risen." Anna got off her crate and handed the runes back. "Well, that explains it. Mark, you better pack your satchel with a lot of supplies because you just got yourself a Traveler's Rift Door—a new Anna Original!"

Unbeknownst to her, Mark was always suspicious of any kind of "Anna Original".

"Define: 'Special Kind'." He asked with a narrow glare.

"You know how typical Rift Doors work, right? Calls one of my sisters? Awesome delivery service and whatnot?"

"Yeah, with an outrageous delivery charge…" He uttered aside.

"Well, this is another version of it that allows you to enter the Outrealm and travel to other realms for a set amount of time."

Suddenly, Anna's new trinket piqued interest between father and daughter. Ideas began to brew between them and the thirst of adventure began boiling in their blood.

"So these are literally gates to other worlds? Except I can go to any world I choose, like Tellius for two weeks?" A nod from the peppy merchant confirmed it.

"Any realm?" Morgan chided.

"Any realm." She smiled.

"Any era?" Mark chided.

"If you keep that up, I'm going to charge you per question." She glared. "But yeah, any era that completely coincides the times right now. You're not just jumping shark on Daein's invasion and attempt to stop Ashnard like a certain—"

"A certain…what?"

"Nevermind. Just think of those runes as a 'thank you' gift from us." She winked.

"Well…wow." Mark scratched his head, speechless. "I owe Gaius big for this."

"That means we can have an awesome trip!" Morgan jumped in joy and her eyes immediately turned to her father, immediately grabbing his shoulders and shaking him vigorously. "That means we can go to Grannvale and learn about Jugdrali formations and—"

"E-Easy Morgan." Mark chuckled, nudging her away. "Let's pass on our trip to Jugdral for some other time. Maybe you and your mother could spend some quality time—"

"Sorry to burst both of your bubbles," Anna interjected. "The problem with those Rift Doors is that it's kind of a 'couples only' thing."

"You should've probably said that beforehand." Mark shook his head. Anna shrugged.

"What? I thought the whole pinkish color gave it away."

Suddenly, an idea sparked in Morgan's head.

"If it's for couples only, then that means I can go with—"

But Mark had one rebuttal ready against his daughter.

"No, Morgan."

"But daaaaaad!" Morgan groaned and threw a mild tantrum. "I wanna, wanna, wanna goooo!"

"Morgan." He said sternly. Morgan quickly resorted to her final weapon: a puppy-dog stare with an accompanying pouit.

Yet Mark firmly stood his ground, telling her that her strategy backfired. After all, he was still her father, despite the significantly small age difference. Whenever his paternal instincts came into play, he was not just going to let her go on a trip alone with any boy.

"Ugh! You and Mother are just going to be all gushy-gushy with each other on your trip." Morgan said and stuck out her tongue. "Blech."

Though Mark did not respond to that display aside from a slight groan and a palm to his face, he felt the heat rising from his chest to his cheeks. And he didn't deny what his daughter said either. The fact that his imagination went pretty wild soon after didn't help with keeping his redness dull.

Meanwhile, Anna smiled and patted the crate loudly, catching their attention. She might as well shoo them away before things get strange.

"Well, if you actually need me to decide whether you or your kiddo should go on the trip, I'll be stowing this bad boy away." She said. Reading the mood, Mark shook Anna's hand as a gesture of thanks and went with Morgan back to the food carts. "Also, tell Stahl to get me a slice of those pies on your way back."

"Alright." Mark waved and turned his back.

"You know dad, this doesn't mean I'm gonna give up convincing you to give me those Rift Doors for my romantic getaway." Morgan nudged her father with her elbow. Mark placed his able an arm around his daughter and nuzzled her head.

"Mmmph, you're just like your mother."

"Well, who else would I take after?" She said. "Oh! If you won't let me go, I'll ask Nah to ask Naga to plague you with frogs!" She smiled mischievously.

"You didn't happen to listen to your mother and I fight, did you?"

Morgan smiled. "I remember every word!"

He returned the gesture. "Then my answer stays the same."

"Huh?"

"No."

As Morgan's tantrums faded into the distance and after finally being left alone with her nest egg, Anna rolled up her sleeves and began to set her beloved crate of gold somewhere safe and hidden. Once it was safely stored inside the shop and with Mark and Morgan out of view, she looked at the clouds and sat on top of her shop counter, swinging her legs.

"I should make it a family rule to never give out free samples…" After a short yawn, she went off the counter and walked to an even larger crate. She clapped her hands and cracked her knuckles. "Oh well, I'll just consider it as a membership benefit."

Without missing a beat, she picked up Owain, set him in his baby sling and off they went to the main castle gate.

When the routing party returned from their first expedition, the main road was once lined with every citizen in Ylisstol, cheering for the Exalt and the knights of the realm. As time passed, the routing parties became as routine as any military exercise and eventually, the citizenry extended up until Ylisstol's main road. With that, it eased the workload on the castle guards and soldiers in the palace keeping the local populace from getting too close to Chrom.

As selfish as it was, Lissa was glad that there was no one ready to greet the caravan by the castle gate—that only meant she had first pick on her husband once he was home. Not only was she energized by the joy of knowing the rest of her family were just minutes away from home, but also by her worry if—Gods forbid—something happened to them.

Especially Morgan. Thankfully, she wasn't alone: Sully also shared her concerns and sympathies as they both met at the castle gates.

"Oh! Sully!" She courtly nodded.

"Lissa! You came by just in time." Sully said. "Just spotted them from the guard towers. They're climbing up the hill right now."

"That's great!" Lissa squeaked. "I'm surprised you're still doing work around here. I thought you were on leave?"

"D-don't remind me…" She muttered, embarrassed. Meanwhile, a teasing grin came across Lissa's face.

"You know, you're coming along pretty well!" Lissa pointed out, noting the slight bulge from her belly. The Red Knight, not expect her pregnancy to be that well-defined, blushed and avoided eye contact.

"I'm not used to guard duty with just wearing a simple tunic." She pinched its ends and sighed. "My upper body feels a bit…naked."

"Well, what matters is that you're not wearing that cumbersome armor." Lissa smiled. "I bet that's your motherly instincts kicking in! You know you want Kjelle to come out as a healthy girl and your usual armor is just going to make her pretty uncomfortable."

"I guess..." She unclipped her sword and scabbard off her waist and sat down on the grass. "What about you and Mark? Thinking of making Morgan yet?"

"W-w-wh-whaat?!" She stammered with a bright red blush. Meanwhile, Owain looked at her mother with curious eyes after seeing a funny face. "I don't think we've considered—hey! My private life is totally none of your beeswax!"

"Har!" She huffed and gave her a very suspicious grin. "Not from what Mark's been telling me."

"Whoa there, sister." Lissa just looked at Sully intently. "You better tell me what that man's been telling you that he's not telling me."

"It's one of those things that you have to ask him directly. But," Sully stood up once again and stretched her arms. "Knowing him, he's not going to spill the load yet."

As Lissa's bright red face finally forced her to look down, Owain simply looked up at her mother with a confused look after seeing a new face she made.

"A-A-Anyway, you shouldn't even be working as a guard! You should stay at home and do…I don't know, womanly things?"

"Hah!" She huffed. "I told your brother about this a while back: I don't do those kinds of things... Kellam does all the house work."

"Speaking of Kellam, do you know where he is?"

Sully stuck out her chest lightly, and proudly said: "He joined the raid so he can show Kjelle the ropes of a true Ylissean soldier."

"Wait, he actually came to the raid?"

"He was the first one to volunteer."

"Really?" Lissa sounded genuinely surprised. "I went to the Shepherd meetings and I don't remember hearing him saying a word. Let alone seeing him!"

"You know, I don't even know how you keep missing the blasted oaf." Sully sighed. "The man wears armor that's twice your height."

Lissa pouted. "Hey! I'm not that short…" With a hearty laugh, Sully gave the princess a firm, but gentle slap to the back.

"Plus, if something happens to my kid under his watch, I'm going to beat the living crap out of his arse." Sully said it with a very malicious tone and Lissa could not help but laugh. "W-what? What's so funny, eh?"

"You're so motherly when you say that." She said. "Well, more like a stern mom kind of thing. Like a bear, really."

"Well, no crap. You gotta show tough love to your kids, ya know?" She sighed. "To be honest, I still feel kind new to the whole 'mom' thing. It's almost been two years since Kjelle just came out of nowhere as a grown girl and I still don't even know stuff, you know?"

"Oh trust me, it comes naturally. All you gotta do is try." Lissa smiled. "For me, even though older Owain was a bit of a handful when he first arrived, I still try to be the mom he deserves. Right now, I think you're doing a swell job, Sully."

"C'mon, you're just pulling my leg here." She blushed.

"I'm not kidding! When Kjelle comes to pick up Morgan to go shopping, she never stops talking about how you taught her how to ride horses and…impale things."

Sully felt slightly embarrassed. Nevertheless she felt proud that she was doing something right.

"Oh, well. Uh, sorry about that." She said.

"It's okay." The princess giggled. "With the things we had to deal with in the war, I've heard of stranger things."

"Are you calling my kid strange?" Sully snapped.

"W-what? No! I didn't mean—"

"Just kidding, princess." She smiled. "Now c'mon, let's meet our oafs and kick their arses to the next century."

The two women left the safety of the castle walls as they walked down the dusty road. With the sounds of clanking armor and the dull roll of cartwheels nearby, they were first met with Frederick, who was rather surprised seeing them by the roadside.

"Milady," he got off his horse and approached his liege. "I must implore you to wait until we have reached the barr—"

"Not a chance, Freddybear. Just go on ahead and walk everyone else back to the barracks. I'm waiting for a certain someone." Lissa said within earshot of the soldiers who, despite the sharp glare from their Knight Captain, could not hold down their laughter from the nickname.

Nevertheless, Frederick's could never turn an order down from Lissa and he continued the march. Eventually they were met with Sully's family.

"There you both are!" She said as two heavily armored fighters slowly broke formation and walked over to the roadside.

"Mother!" Kjelle said with a smile. Sully returned her affection with an embrace.

"So, oaf." She said as she gave Kellam a hard punch on his plate. "How'd your raid go?"

"It wasn't too bad." Kellam sighed. "But it's kind of hard seeing that all those pegasus risen just kept ignoring me and began to attack Kjelle."

"Did you make short work of them, kiddo?" She looked at her daughter. And she grinned.

"Heck yeah." She knocked on her breastplate with butt of her spear. "No dents on my plate but I can't say the same for those monsters."

She patted her husband's shoulder plate and whispered in his ear. "Did you do your 'invisible guarding' thing again?"

"I blocked most of those javelins that were going for her." Kellam replied. To remedy that, Sully kissed the cheek of her husband—a rare sight that surprised Lissa. Joyous laughter then followed from the family. The princess simply smiled in approval of seeing Sully interact with her family and nudged her.

"I told you you're doing a swell job."She said out of Kellam and Kjelle's earshot. With that, Lissa waved goodbye in order to look for her own family. Sully just smiled and walked with her soldiers back to the barracks, feeling immensely proud of them.

With the caravan's small size, it wasn't long until Lissa found Mark and Morgan. Mark saw his wife and son waiting for him and he felt energized despite their long journey. He went off to the side of the road as the rest of the Shepherds and soldiers went into the castle, leaving them behind. But after embracing and kissing his wife and son, she immediately asked questions about how the raid went and how his arm ended up in a sling.

"Oh my Gods! What happened to you?!" Lissa quickly touched his sling and shoulder, checking and feeling it. "What did you do to your arm? Gods, Morgan you're not hurt too, are you?"

She quickly embraced her daughter and she brushed her golden hair away from her cheeks, checking for any wounds. While her daughter shook her head and showed that she was as healthy as ever with a flex of her biceps, Mark turned to nervous chuckling.

"Well, you see, Gaius was about to be struck by the one of the risen knights and I had to shove him out of the way." He scratched his head. Meanwhile, Morgan took the baby sling and Owain off of her mother and tied it to her own body. "So, I got grazed by Phila and her lance."

"Don't worry, Mother." Morgan grinned as Owain began chewing the fabric of the sling. "The impact that Father took wasn't too bad. His armor stopped the worst possible damage—just a deep gash from a single stab wound and some torn muscles. No broken bones but—oh yeah, he dislocated his shoulder and—"

"O-okay, Morgan." Lissa quickly hushed her daughter before she went into detail. If she had revealed more, the princess felt that she'd probably blow a gasket and go into a mild panic. "I think I get the idea."

"Anyhow." Mark grabbed the reins from his horse and the three of them began walking back to the castle grounds. "I got some good news out of it. Thanks to this injury and to your brother eavesdropping on our conversation last time, I managed to get indefinite leave."

With those words "indefinite leave", Lissa was incredibly overjoyed. Ignoring the fact that her brother eavesdropped on their fight, she quickly embraced Mark tightly, despite hearing the soft wince from his lips.

"Oh, that's wonderful—"

"In other words, Father just retired." Morgan deadpanned. Unbeknownst to her father, she was pretty disappointed after learning about his impromptu retirement. "He told Uncle Chrom that he quit after they both got hurt in the battle."

"What?" Lissa was shocked. She completely did not expect Mark to quit his duty as an Ylissean Grandmaster over their fight. "Did you really quit your post?"

"Okay, I kind of said 'I quit', but knowing Frederick's and Cordelia's uncanny neuroses, I'll work with Chrom for a less hectic work schedule. The trade-off is that I can finally spend more time with my beautiful wife and children. I'll say it's a win-win."

"You're such a goofball." His wife sighed and clung to his arm as they returned the horses to the stables. Meanwhile, Morgan became rather impatient and she gently tapped her father with her elbow.

"Hey dad?" Morgan gave him a look that told him to do something. But her father was lost and she decided to cue him in by using her fingers to draw two circles in the air with each hand and eventually joined them together to make a heart. Unfortunately, Morgan wasn't really known for her subtlety and her mother quickly noticed.

"Hey. What does—" And she repeated her daughters hand motions perfectly. "—mean? Is this some secret between you two?" And after a few moments, Mark finally remembered and couldn't help the urge to smack himself.

"Oh! Right." He turned to her daughter and said. "Morgan, I need to talk to your mother alone."

"Just stay gushy-gushy, dad." With a grin from their bubbly daughter and a coo from their son, they left their parents alone. Lissa was amused by the whole act and couldn't help but smile, despite the terrible execution by her husband.

"That was the most…augh." She sighed. "You're so bad at acting out things. Maybe you should ask for Owain's help once he comes back from Themis, huh?"

"What? Can't I at least have some effort points?" He said as he leaned on one of the posts. "Anyway, I've got more good news."

"Oh do tell."

Mark began fiddling in his pockets to look for his gift.

"I don't think Owain can give me acting lessons since we'll be off on a short trip."

"W-whoa there mister. What trip? Are you pulling a prank on me?" Lissa was flabbergasted. A trip? What did he mean by "trip"? A trip to the Feroxi Highlands? The beaches of Plegia? Was this a vacation or a business trip? Or was he merely pulling a prank?

"No, not at all." Mark quickly rummaged pocket after pocket in his cloak looking for something, which earned him a stoic expression from his wife. "See, I feel really—uh wait a sec—bad about the whole me not spending time with you for the past month, and well—oh Naga, where is it—I was hoping we could have some time alone—Ah! Here." He took out the Rift Doors from his sleeve pocket and handed one over to his wife. Lissa couldn't help but hold in her laughter while giving him a disapproving nod.

"Alright—whoa." Lissa ran her fingers through the rune astonished by the beauty. With the Ylissean sun only beginning to set, she quickly raised it high and it changed a powder blue glow to a rosy pink. "Oh Mark! This is so beautiful! Where on earth did you get these gems?"

"They're not actually gemstones. Anna said they're Rift Doors for the Outrealms." He explained while Lissa fiddled with her rune. "We can go to any place we want beyond Ylisse and the continents. Just the two of us. No interruptions and for as long as we want."

"So wait a minute." Lissa clasped the rune in one hand and placed another on her hip. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Well, yeah." He replied matter-of-factly. Suddenly, Mark shouldered his coat like a cape and knelt down on one knee. The very action itself sent Lissa on a massive plea for her husband to stop before people see them. "Wait, let me do this properly."

"Mark what—"

"Milady Lissa, I truly regret my neglect of your love during these past months." He bellowed, earning not only the looks from nearby castle hands, but even the guardsmen on the castle watch points. The spectacle even drew Chrom's attention as he and Sumia began to head to the pegasi fields. "May Naga strike me as punishment for my mistakes! I ask for your absolute forgiveness, my Princess!"

"Maaaaark. Nooooo." Lissa hid her face in her palms as the heat from her face became absolutely unbearable. "Oh my Gods. Of all the times you can act is when people are around us?!"

He looked up and smiled. "So, will you accept my offer to go to this date?"

"Oh…alright! Fine!" With the whistles and murmurs from the people around them, Lissa firmly believed she was pranked in the most subtle of ways by her husband and daughter. All she knew was they got her pretty well. In the end, she loved this side of her husband the most—his unexpected and spontaneous acts of affection. She quickly embraced him and both shared a short kiss.

"I'm picking where we're going." She said as she pulled on Mark's cotton shirt. He simply kissed his wife lips once more and nodded to agree.

Days passed and at sunrise, the pair left for the Outrealm gate.

At first, Chrom insisted they have an escort on their way there. But with some stern words from her youngest sister, he sent them off, despite feeling uneasy.

When the pair arrived at the shores of the island, they were greeted by one of Anna's numerous, look-a-like sisters who also shared the same name. Unlike the merchant Annas that wore baggy travel garbs or like the Anna that they fought with against Grima in her combat wear, she looked like a peasant girl donning a simple red tunic and working pants. And unlike them, she had no weapon nor was there any indication of her wealth or skill in battle.

For some strange reason, Mark had a strange feeling that he met her before. The redhead approached them and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Anna. I heard from my cousin that you saved on of her sisters." She bowed in gratitude. "Thank you so much."

"Don't mention it." Mark smiled. With this different Anna, he was beginning to think that each of the peppy merchant's extended family does have different personalities. And this one was by far the most pleasant one he'd ever encountered.

"Alright, do the both of you have your Rift Doors?" Anna asked as they approached a stone gate that began to glow in a mix of colors. Mesmerized by the view before them, they began to catch glimpses of vast plains and dense forests from their destination.

"Wait, how do you know we—"

"News and info comes in fast for our family." She bluntly replied.

"Ah." The couple only nod in agreement and showed her their Rift doors. Meanwhile, Anna continued in haste. "Alright, just make sure you keep your hands on your horse's reins so you don't end up losing them when you pass the gate. Remember, if you try to mess with the history of the world you're entering, yada, yada, you'll be transported back, etcetera, etcetera. Capisce?"

I guess she's got some crazy Anna in her, too. Mark blinked and nodded, unable to think of even a witty—let alone normal—response.

"We understand." Lissa responded while Mark tied the horses to a nearby tree.

"Alright, get yourselves rested up, check your things and I'll see you both off." Anna replied as she stood by the side of the gate and it reminded the couple of a member from the Ylissean Guard.

"Alright, let's double check our things." Lissa pulled out a roll of paper wedged on her dress' belt and Mark began opening some of the bags on their horses. "Spare clothes?"

"Check."

"Healing staves?"

"On me."

"Dried meat and fruits?"

"It's tied to the horse."

"Five-thousand gold?"

"Nope, not here."

"WHAT?!"

"Just kidding, it's in my bag." With a strike from the roll of paper, Mark relented on the jokes and assured her that everything they had was in order.

"Alright. Good."

Following a brief respite from their long journey to the southernmost point of Ylisse, they finally untied their horses and walked to the front of the gate with Anna letting off a courteous smile.

"Alright, so all you do is just walk in." Anna simply said as she began stepping back. But before they could step into the portal, Anna asked one question. "So, my cousin wanted to ask where you two would be going. Mind if you spill the beans on that one?"

"Lissa said Elibe, so we're going there." He said, without turning his head. Anna tried to take a peek on their faces but was obscured by the increasing intensity of the light.

"do you think the kids will be fine without us?" Lissa asked as she leaned to hold on Mark's hand with a tight grip.

"Yeah. We'll be gone for a week." He assured her. "Plus, Gregor can defintely play nanny for Owain and Lucina. Morgan, not so much."

Lissa giggled. "Well, at least we get some alone time."

"It's been long overdue." With that, they both took their first steps across the gate. From Anna's view, the Outrealm Gate quickly brightened up to a burning white light, forcing the girl to shield her eyes. The moment the brightness dimmed, the couple seemingly vanished into thin air and a contented smile grew on her face.

For Lissa, the vastness of the Sacaean plains held no equal in Ylisse. An endless sea of green surrounded her and she felt free as a songbird as she shared a short embrace with her husband. Looking above, the clouds were few and far between and the grand, blue sky above them was spectacular. Mark understood why the Sacaean tribes looked to the plains and the skies above as "Mother Sky" and "Father Earth" as they felt blessed from the cradle of the massive landscape around them. A strong gust typical of Sacaean grasslands almost pushed the princess into the ground but Mark was there to catch her.

"You alright, dear?"

"Yeah." She dusted herself off. From afar, she spotted a small tent in the middle of the field. After another quick check of their supplies, the couple mounted on their horses. "You think we can go to that hut over there and ask for directions?"

"Probably. Getting lost is Sacae is a pretty bad idea." They both snapped the reins of their horses began to cross the plains.

Despite the fact that he had strong beginnings in this foreign land, Mark would end up knowing more about his wife during this than their time during the war. It was likewise for Princess Lissa as she would learn more about the past that melded Mark to the man she knew and loved. They would meet new and old friends alike and new memories would be made.

From that moment on, they would begin a journey where they would learn more things about each other.

And their love for each other would only grow stronger.

A/N:

I was planning to release this on New Year's Day but stuff got busy, writers block, some paperwork needed to be done, daughter got her first set of vaccinations and took it like a champ, death in the family, a new project proposal and also a strange snowboarding accident.

So a warning to all of you: Promotions are not always good, girls are some tough creatures, and I should probably never, ever snowboard again.

But thankfully, this was already almost done. Except for the issue with Sully and Lissa interacting. That was hard and weeks of thinking of ways to make them believable was pretty hard. Tidbit: I kind of hypothesized that Sully might not show it but I think she's the most capable mama-bear out of the whole Shepherds.

Nevertheless, let's have a little adventure where Mark's story kind of truly began. Although the actual trip-trip won't take too long (Maybe 2-3 more chapters of 5k words?), I still have to plan it and that will be hard, given the time and workload I have. I will apologize in advance for the delay.

Peppercorn is Sumia's pegasus' name because in my playthrough, I found Sumia a better Dark Flier than a Falcon Knight and well, dark pegasi reminds me of black pepper. Sumia's pegasus should still be white though (canon-wise).

To put Mark's heroism and saving Gaius' backside into perspective, I'd like you readers to watch the Rush Hour 2 scene between Chris Tucker and Ziyi Zhang. The moment Zhang stabbed Tucker is technically what happened to Mark, except at the shoulder and with no Benjamin's to save him. Oh, and definitely no womanizing after the final blow.

I did a bit of expansion on Shepherd interactions because it seemed like a fun idea. A challenge of sorts. And I thought about it and went for it,

Story aside, I would like to thank all of my readers for the amazing support! I didn't even think TF was going to be this well received. Guys, your reviews, follows and favorites mean a lot to me. I'm still a hobby writer and I do have other responsibilities with #Papamode and Work always coming first, but your support makes me go and work on this fanfiction more than it makes me want to play Battlefield 4 or drink coffee during my free time.

With Love and Gratitude,
SRA

Edit: More line tweaks, typo fixes. Thanks, Strawberry Eggs.