Chapter XLI: Responsibilities of Love and Crown

Ragna couldn't remember the last time he'd had to suppress this many annoyed groans. That wasn't to say he hadn't had to deal with his share of stuck-up individuals, far from it actually. The difference was at least when he was dealing with Rachel, he knew that she'd never thought much of him in the first place (at least that's what she tried to display), in Ylisse he had people counting on him to maintain a good reputation that would reflect well on the others. Part of him still thought that this was a waste of time and he had his own way of convincing these so-called nobles of his worth (Maribelle's soiree had been a particular example of this) but another part knew that he also was going to have responsibilities he needed to face.

…At least that's what his personal aide was telling him.

"-and then she tells me to keep my nose out of her own affairs!" Lady Gwenfia exclaimed at the injustice. "And for only offering to put her in contact with a new designer for her niece's coming of age party! I understand that her family has a beloved style of tapestries, but I wasn't trying to infer any insult! In fact, I was thinking they could expand on their ideas!"

'Worst. Brunch. Ever.'

For Ragna's sake, at least they'd already eaten and were now simply engaging in some post-meal banter over coffee. Gwenfia's daughter, Eve, from the ball was also in attendance, but the girl had barely spoken a word and only did so when her mother stopped her own talks of gossip long enough to address her. Aside from them the only other person in attendance was Aversa.

The former Dark Rider was standing behind Ragna and hadn't said nary a word since his 'guests' had arrived. She'd changed from her old clothing into a much less revealing black jerkin vest, a red shirt beneath, black pants, dark leather shoes, and a front open battle skirt that was black on the outside and red on the inside much like his Black Knight cape. She'd forgone her classic headwear and now simply let her silvery hair fall around her naturally.

Ragna was about to go for another cup of coffee (he'd need it by the end of this) only to find that the pot was empty.

"Already through our second pot?" Gwenfia noted before turning to Aversa, fully expecting her to excuse herself and prepare another. She gave the silent bow to excuse herself, but Ragna felt that he'd had to endure quite enough of this.

"Actually, I think we should call it here," he spoke up for the first time in a bit. "Afraid I have plans I need to prepare for."

"Oh, and what pray tell would these plans be?" Damn, Ragna was only trying to get her out of here and making something up would only get her talking further or worse yet, give her something to gossip about with the other nobles. What was he to do?

"Lord Ragna actually has an upcoming appointment with the soon-to-be Exalt, Prince Chrom," Aversa informed, breaking the usual servant's silence. Perfect. No one would be able to challenge his claim of something so important and if Chrom was busy with a meeting or paperwork he'd actually appreciate it if Ragna could break him out of his droll duties, and Gwenfia couldn't ask for details since it was likely maters of high importance to the crown.

"I see…" Gwenfia answered before rising from the table and her silent daughter followed suit. "Do give him my best, warmest, and most courteous regards of course. And… put in a good word for my family if you would?"

'Fat chance.'

"Th-thank you very much for the meal," Eve said with a polite bow. At least one of them had manners. "I… really enjoyed those scones you made, Miss Aversa."

In spite of her more reserved position, Aversa couldn't help but smile. "You're most wel-"

"There's no need for that dear; she is expected to do her duties without being acknowledged. To do so is more an insult on both of your positions," Gwenfia scolded, leaving Eve to go meek. "And maids are rarely permitted to spe-"

"Aversa isn't my maid," Ragna informed, finally allowing the briefest of scowls to leak through to accompany his cold, stopping the noblewoman cold. "She's my personal aide and more importantly she's an irreplaceable friend." Even if he had these new duties, he had to make it clear that no one was allowed to bad mouth those he was close to, least of all in his own home.

"I… I shall bear that in mind," Gwenfia noted.

Soon the two had departed and Ragna was finally allowed to let out the groan he'd been holding in for the last few hours. "Please don't make me do that again; we barely managed this first time."

"I managed just fine; it's you that still needs work," Aversa chided him. "Which is why I set up this little gathering in the first place."

"By forging a letter from me."

"It was surprisingly hard to copy your messy style verbatim, but I managed to make it seem a little neater as a handcrafted invitation." Ragna wished she hadn't gone through the trouble. "You can't just keep to yourself; there are going to be some noble tendencies that you're going to need to acquire."

"Maybe so, but that doesn't we should have to hide away…" He paused as he realized that he could drop the façade. "All clear!" Turning his attention back to present company, he finished his thought. "It's their house as much as it is yours or mine; they shouldn't have to lock themselves away in my bedroom."

"On the contrary, this is your home," Aversa reminded him as the two he'd called out to started descending the stairway into the lobby. "I know it was the point, but you two were rather quiet; I figured I'd at least have to cover for you once."

"We were just taking the chance to catch up on some reading," Olivia informed. "Cordelia has barely touched a book since she read Make him fall for you in a Fortnite."

"Not true, I've read manuscripts on Pegasus flight since then." They were all pretty sure that didn't count. "But this latest romance novel I tried; I actually had to keep reading it because it's just that bad."

"Might have to pass that along to Chrom and Robin, they'll enjoy a good laugh," Ragna considered. "Even still, sorry for having you two hide yourselves away like that."

"We were the ones that didn't want to deal with breakfast; it was our choice," Cordelia reminded.

"Besides, sooner or later it's going to be pointless to hide your situation at all," Aversa informed. "Anyone will know what's going on soon when they look at their soon-to-be swollen bellies."

"T-that's-" Olivia tried to begin as she and Cordelia shared a blush.

"Come on, we don't even know if they're pregnant yet," Ragna reminded with a slouch.

"Maybe not for certain, but how many rounds did you three go through that night?" The Reaper didn't answer. "If I were you, I'd move forward as if they both had a bun in the oven and let the possibility that they're not expecting be the surprise."

"…Fair," Ragna admitted… and knowing in the few days that had followed, that hadn't been the only time they'd had fun. "Have either of you been back to the barracks since the ball?"

"No, but Sumia had visited while you were out back practicing yesterday and she acted like she knew to find me here," Cordelia admitted.

"When I saw off Flavia and Basilio the morning after, Flavia had said something about a morning glow… so I think she's in the know as well," Olivia added, a touch embarrassed at that.

Ragna hadn't exactly needed to keep this a secret, but he turned to Aversa who he'd known had been back to the barracks before she'd moved into his own home to fulfill her role as his aide.

"They certainly knew about these two, but now they have some absurd idea that I'm part of it," she rolled her eyes. "I made sure that they knew in no uncertain terms that I wasn't and we preferred to keep things to the master and servant role."

"If that's what you want," the Reaper answered, putting Aversa's needs as a priority. "I better head to the castle if I'm going to keep the cover story. Maybe Chrom will actually be happy to see me for once."

"That'll probably depend on the severity of your commentary," Cordelia said before approaching Ragna and sharing a parting kiss with her lover. "Give him and Robin my best wishes."

"Sure thing," he promised before turning to Olivia and giving her a similar showing of affection. "Got any plans today?"

"Well…" she considered before blushing happily. "Since we might be reaching that point, I'll try to find a good room in your estate to turn to our nursery."

"Yeah… that'd be nice," Ragna agreed, allowing himself a warm smile before he turned to Aversa. "Anything you needed?"

"Not a kiss if that's what you're getting at," she answered a little too readily… Weird, not long ago she'd be the one making all of these flirty advances, what was going on now? Only nodding to his aide, Ragna headed out of the estate to try and get Chrom out of a meeting. When he was gone though, Aversa noticed the odd look she was getting from Olivia and Cordelia. "What now?"

"…Just that in spite of everything, you're apparently a terrible liar."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"And a stubborn one."

"Hmph."

Outside

It was getting colder. Ragna could tell that winter was going to be fast approaching soon enough. He'd already had to endure his fair share of the cold so he was at least ready for it, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to another few months of the frigid conditions.

'Hopefully no one gets sick like Henry did that one time,' Ragna hoped before considering his old traveling companion who he hadn't thought of in some time. 'Wonder if he managed to make it back to Plegia, or if he's doing alright after he did. Might not ever manage to find him ever again; not like I ever revealed my identity to him… or did he somehow know already?' The Dark Mage was a still as much of an enigma as ever.

The area that he was currently walking through was rather open and despite the cooler weather the skies were particularly clear as well. This made it all the more surprising as his body was covered in shadow by something from up above. Glancing skyward, he'd been expecting a Pegasus knight on patrol or even one of Sumia's riders doing a training routine. Instead, his eyes landed on a scaled and winged beast. The creature continued to circle him from above for some time before diving down and landing before with a massive thud.

Ragna didn't flinch either at the shockwave nor at the new arrival's gaze as it stared him down. It was a wyvern, a dark scaled one at that. Ragna had dealt with a fair few of these creatures which were both used by Plegians and the Risen, but something about this one seemed… stronger. It's continued staring him down, its unmoving eyes with an odd intellect behind them.

"…What?" Ragna bluntly demanded. He made no move as the thing approached, but then the wyvern brought its snout right to his chest and began to push. "Quit it." Ragna's push in turn was mild, but still succeeded in moving the creature back. The Wyvern only answered back by trying to push against him with more force, likely trying to shove him over. Again, Ragna forced it off. "Quit. It." Now it wasn't going for any form of shove; now the Wyvern was reeling back for a full-on charge rush. Instead of taking the attack with his chest, Ragna caught the creature's snout with his free hand and stopped its advance cold.

"I SAID QUIT IT!"

While it may not have been wearing any plated armor, a wyvern was still an especially heavy creature. Regardless of that, Ragna managed to raise its entire body with his single hand before letting it crash to the ground behind him. It didn't give any scream of pain, but its dazed grunt made it clear that Ragna had briefly put it out of commission.

"…And stay down," the Reaper demanded as he stared down the creature.

How to Train Your Wyvern

"Minerva?" Ragna heard a familiar voice call out. Realizing that it was Cherche, Ragna had a pretty good idea who she was searching for and just who it was he'd flipped on their back. Quickly turning, his eyes landed on the Wyvern rider glancing at the downed Minerva behind him. Instead of anger or disapproval, she seemed to be smiling.

"Oh, so that's how it is; I was wondering what made Minerva take off like that." Ragna was wondering just as much. "I was just taking a nice walk with my Minvervie-kins so she could stretch her legs and spread her wings. She did her part and stayed close like I'd wanted, but all of a sudden she flew off. I guess she was just finding a new friend."

"A friend?" Ragna was clearly doubting Minerva's earlier aggressive behavior. "Well either way it's not like she'd want to be friends after I drove her into th- AUUUUGH!"

"Oh, seems she really likes you after all." Cherche smile only seemed to grow as Ragna's body shivered, still reeling from the massive tongue lick Minerva had just given to the side of his face after recovering. "She must be smelling something about you she especially likes. Mayhaps some powerful male pheromones?"

"Let's… leave that hypothesis there," Ragna muttered to himself as Minerva continued to nudge him from the side. "…You got permission from Chrom to take i- her out now?"

"Of course, but she was exceptionally excited to go out today of all days," the rider explained. "Seems that you received most of that excitement."

'Better me than anyone else I guess; least I could've handled it if things got out of control,' Ragna considered. He then heard a low roar coming from the wyvern and it took a second, but he realized what other bestial sound he could associate that with. "Is… is she purring?"

"The Wyvern equivalent at least. Most consider such a thing a myth, but it takes a special sort of someone to form such a connection with a Wyvern in the first place, least of all one as selective as Minervie-kins here. She must be especially taken with you."

'And I'm already taken,' Ragna internally refused, though he couldn't exactly tell either of them that… and had to wonder if they'd even listen. Not knowing much to do now, he gently rubbed the top of the creature's snout and Minerva at least didn't seem to hate the action. "…I have no idea what I'm doing."

"All the more reason for you to learn the finer details of Wyverns from yours truly," Cherche told him to remind him of her offer from Maribelle's soiree, her face absolutely beaming. "Oh, this is going so well already. I've been looking to find another friend for Minerva here, but with her being so strict on criteria for friendship and many being too timid to approach in the first place I was starting to grow worried… you are willing to provide her some small form of companionship, correct?"

"…Can't commit to anything much, but if I've got time I'll see if I'm up for learning about Wyverns," Ragna assured, though he figured his own family life was already going to be getting fairly busy.

"Wonderful, I'm certain you've made both our days," Cherche told him.

'Something tells me I'm in for the long haul regardless,' the Reaper knew before shrugging as Minerva wanted more scale rubs. 'Ah hell, might as well enjoy it while I can.'

Rank C Obtained with Cherche

Meanwhile –The Shepherds Barracks-

Lon'qu had timed his backstep perfectly, barely stepping out of the way of Gregor's sword swing. Bringing his own twin practice swords down, he struck against Gregor's newly reinforced arm guard (Hero class) with both blades. The seasoned mercenary tried to bring their blade in for a stab under their own guard, but Lon'qu danced around the attempt and attacked Gregor's unguarded side. However, the fact that Gregor's sword arm was lacking its plated armor didn't mean much to someone of his skill as he managed to parry both of the swordmaster's slashes in quick succession. As Lon'qu turned his body into a powerful parallel slash swing, Gregor counted with his own sword swing and the slash sent Lon'qu sliding back quite far while the merc himself barely skidded against the floor thanks to both the difference in strength and weights.

"Good, very very good!" Gregor complimented proudly. "Lon'qu is learning very quickly. Soon Gregor is worried that he'll have nothing left to show."

"Good, then you can start facing me seriously," Lon'qu answered as he scowled at his opponent. "Never once have we fought and you've dropped that ever calm demeanor. At first I'd wonder if you weren't treating me seriously or were simply holding me back as some form of training. All I can tell is that you've continued to hold a part of yourself back when we've fought, though how deep that part truly goes I know not."

"Oh? Lon'qu has grown indeed if he's seen that much," Gregor said, though his voice lacked its usual boisterous tone as he rested his practice sword's point on the ground, looking like he was reminiscing. "Gregor is not sure he could ever bring out that part of himself again... but that may very well before best. It's not a side Gregor likes to think of. Hotheaded, prideful... ugly."

"From your younger and less experienced days I'm guessing," Lon'qu figured. "And it's that side you're currently surprising that allowed you to fight Basilio blow for blow?"

"Aye, but that power does not come easy and what's worse is that the price one would pay for it would be quite high," Gregor informed. "Take Gregor as he is now, what did Lon'qu notice while we fought? Basic, please."

"Basic? In as far as I could tell you are a very balanced fighter as you are now in terms of offensive prowess and defensive survivability. That armor and shield gives you great protection while your skill with the blade is some of the best I've seen. What does that have to do with the old you?"

"Gregor's old self wouldn't have been able to wear armor or use shield."

"...So it's a pure offensive approach then," Lon'qu guessed. "Perhaps an unparalleled one, but without the ability to defend oneself or their trusted allies... in other words; useless to me."

"Aw, Gregor is tearing at the eye to hear Lon'qu saw such things," Gregor admitted. "Truth to be told, Gregor is happy Lon'qu does not push further. Some things that should not be seen or experienced."

"In truth I'd like to see you use it only so I know how to defend against such thing, but perhaps you could give me a secondhand recounting?"

"Gregor is on job, but he warns that this particular training may be particularly brutal. Lon'qu's bunny friend may be saddened to see the state he is in afterwards."

"Erk! Mind your own business," the Feroxi swordsman vented, his checks growing crimson.

"Hah! Gregor's teasing will only be stopped by blade! Better training that way!"

'And I thought Robin and her fruit throwing was already burden enough.'

Later –Ylisse Castle-

Were this a meeting of the kingdom's security Chrom would be paying it the utmost attention he could give, but as things stood now he could barely keep his eyes open and it was taking all his willpower not to yawn as the nobles expressed their 'esteemed pleasure' at his recently announced engagement with Grandmaster Robin. Pleasure that was clearly faked as they hadn't asked for her to speak to in the slightest... he suspected that the nobles still disliked her and considered her an outsider. What he didn't suspect (not that he'd care enough in the first place) was that the daughter seated with them went past disliking his fiancée and straight into loathing territories, having had her eye on Chrom and the power the seat by his side would give her. She might've been smiling pleasantly, but it was just an act that she'd had plenty of practice performing.

The father of the family was about to go into his third talk of how he'd always wished Chrom would find his other half and how he always knew the young price was destined for greatness (laying it on plenty thick) before there was a knock at his office door, stopping the man cold much to his relief.

"Apologies," the prince said to the family. "Enter."

The door opened to reveal Ragna the Bloodedge, reminding Chrom that this was their first meeting since the ball and Chrom's announcement of his engagement and what had happened with the Reaper after, Chrom had wanted to speak with his friend regarding those if he'd just been able to step away from his blasted desk for even a moment to do so.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we have that important discussion of national security." Ragna knew he was allowed to keep his words vague enough here considering their potential import. Chrom was confused for an instant as he remembered such things were usually handled between himself, Robin, and occasionally Frederick, but eventually he caught onto Ragna's ruse. "Not the sort of thing we should be pushing back."

"Is it that time already?" the prince feigned. "I hadn't realized it had gotten so late." Not much of a lie, he'd hoped that his current engagement would last a half hour at most, but he'd been enduring these false well wishes for the better part of an hour and a half. "Thank you very much for your kind words; we'll very much be keeping them in mind as we consider our best options moving forward to keep yourself and the rest of your lands safe."

A few well-wishers (and a bit of silent ire at the Reaper) later and the two friends were finally alone in the prince's office. Ragna smirked before seating himself where the noble family had been situated and let himself sprawl out comfortably.

"I'm surprised you were so proper for those two minutes; normally I figured you'd break the door down, say you're kidnapping me for something, and sling me over your shoulder as you ran off."

"Most of the time I would've, but there's a certain charm to having them think that I'm playing the noble's game here," he answered. "...Also, Aversa's making sure that I don't make my enemies list with them any worse than it already is."

"Aversa?"

"I was jealous that you were the only one with a Frederick, so I got one of my own," he gave as a half-assed answer.

"...I'm betting that there's something much more serious going on that you can't go into at the moment." Chrom knew his best friend well enough by now.

"Give the man a prize," the Reaper answered again. "So? How have things been?"

"About what you were seeing right there," Chrom sighed. "They don't mean a word of what they're saying and it's clear that they're just trying to earn brownie points. Even still, our nobility can be better than most; at least they show some signs of caring for the common people in their charge."

"And the rest of that needed care is given by the Shepherds, don't have to worry about much there," Ragna informed. "What about Lissa and Emmeryn? Now that you're off the market are they getting trouble?"

"Not as much as I'd feared for Lissa; apparently her pranking has given her a reputation that her future suitor would be in trouble if she didn't approve of them." Ragna and Chrom shared a smile. "And as for Emm, no one's approached her."

"Really?" Ragna was surprised instead of disappointed. "What the hell happened there?"

"You did. My little master plan of having you take her to the ball worked even better than I thought; now no one is approaching her because they're too worried that you're going to have something to say about it as her guardian." In spite of his success, Chrom's smile faded to a neutral expression. "That... or her lover." Ragna didn't react. "Which is it?"

"...Don't really know myself as of right now," he answered honestly. "Guess that's as good of a lead in to talking about Olivia and Cordelia."

"Not Aversa?"

"Like you said; a LOT going on there," the Reaper rejected. "No one seems to be judging me much for my choice with them."

"Even if they likely don't know for certain yet, considering how many concubines or mistresses many nobles tend to take, they'd be fairly hypocritical if they judged you so openly."

"Nobles? Being hypocrites?" Ragna answered with his classic smartass smirk.

"Too hypocritical to even defend themselves," Chrom specified. "Though the way you are around your ladies, I don't think you'd ever use either phrase to define them."

"Never would, never will. ...So you don't disapprove?" Ragna asked for clarity.

"I don't think you'd listen to me even if I did, and you're so out of the ordinary I know that the last thing you'd be getting into is a normal relationship. Aside from that, I trust all the parties' considerations to come to this decision."

"Wasn't much of a decision at first; everything just sorta... happened." Ragna was able to come clean with that much. "Now though, we've all had enough time to think it over and we know this is what we want. Hell, I'm not even scared of the idea of becoming a father."

"You're not? No offense, but I was expecting you to be terrified about that much."

"If this had been that same guy you found back outside SouthTown then hell yeah, I'd be a nervous wreck. But after spending so much time with the Shepherds and finally getting the chance to know that this this is what I really want, I just feel ready." He shrugged. "Or as ready as I can be at this point, probably going to have to figure some techniques for fatherhood out."

"You and me both; I can't even say much about my father when he wasn't completely obsessed with the Blood Crusades," Chrom sighed as he thought back. "Neither did Emm really, in fact I think the only person she could ever connect to was our surrogate Uncle, but he was also a victim of my father's war."

"I mean Emm seemed to do fine practically raising you and Lissa; maybe we both could go to her for some advice," the Reaper offered.

"We may have to," the prince sighed, before realizing how this was sounding on his end. "N-Not that Robin's pregnant; we haven't-"

"You're both adults; you know what you're getting into," the Reaper answered fairly. "Speaking of our potential kids though, I guess this means that it's on us to make sure we have a world that's safe enough for them to inherit. Let's actually have that damn National Security meeting then."

"Good thinking and given your new role you'll probably be joining in on the ones I hold with Frederick and Robin more often. Let Aversa know that she's also welcome to come with you or even take your place if you're unavailable." Ragna nodded... before eyeing the hard liquor bottle on Chrom's desk. It had likely been put there for decoration, but it also brought back memories of their time in the Plegian desert before Emmeryn rescue. "I know we promised each other, but doesn't it seem a little early in the day for this?"

"Your call." ...Ragna only smirked as Chrom uncorked the bottle and began pouring two glasses. Not with very much, but enough to enjoy their selection. "So, where do we start?"

"How much do you know of the Sacred Wings group in Plegia?" Chrom asked, starting with the heavy topic.

"Learned just a few bits and pieces during my time as the Black Knight back when they had first formed. The rest I got from what Aversa knows." Ragna answered as he took the offered drink. "And yeah... I know what she suspects; I'm thinking the same thing."

"Then I have to hope you're both wrong. We recently got word from Tharja's Grandmother, Lady Anuket, that their leader and the former Hierophant of the Grimleal just took Gangrel's throne, effectively making this Minos character the new Ruler of Plegia."

"He took control through force?"

"Worse; through near unanimous support from common folk and nobility alike. Plegia has never been more unified than it now is under him. Normally a lack of infighting in another kingdom wouldn't be much of a problem for Ylisse, but he's made it clear just how much he's dedicated himself to the Fell Dragon. Emmeryn can tell you as much."

"Emm can? How?" Ragna asked as he took another sip of his whisky.

"Because she met him face to face back when Gangrel had her thrown in prison. He didn't once try to harm her and only asked the occasional question that she wasn't forced or even coerced to answer... but she can tell; the man was dangerous."

"With how close he was to killing me; I'd believe it," Ragna said as he thought back to that day. "But he hasn't made any official statements as of right now?"

"Aside from having Anuket as our main means of exchanging information, there's been nothing. I doubt either kingdom is going to want much interaction with the other after the war we just suffered through; even though it ended far better than it should have."

"So we're playing the waiting game then... and it's the same news with that whole Valm thing?" Ragna asked.

"For the time being," Chrom agreed. "As far as things go for the current state of our kingdom-" Another knocked at his door.

"Chrom, are you in?" Robin's voice.

"Come in," he answered his fiancée who opened the door to reveal herself.

"I have these documents that have my signature, but they're going to need your official seal after you look... over them." First, she noticed Ragna... then she noticed the glasses of liquor the two were holding. Closing the door behind her, she raised an eyebrow at her boys. "...What do you call this?"

"A discussion of National Security. Really damn important; enough to where the nobility can't interrupt us," Ragna answered with a smirk. "Care to join us?"

Robin didn't even take a moment to think it over as she slammed the documents to the side of Chrom's desk, now to be addressed later. "Pour me a drink."

Meanwhile –Ragna's Estate-

"It's certainly big enough," Olivia thought as she eyed what was currently one of Ragna's many guest rooms. "Plenty of room for a few cribs, some toys, and a wardrobe for all of their clothes. Now to think of a design… which would be easier if we knew if we'd be having boys or girls."

"Back in Plegia, there was a certain spell that you could use in order to tell the sex of your expected child," Aversa informed as she wrote on a parchment for particular ideas. "Of course I have no idea how to cast the spell, and even if I did neither of you are far along enough to use it and results were far from consistently accurate."

"That's an honest shame," Cordelia sighed. "The earlier I'd have been able to tell my parents whether I was having a boy or girl, the better. Sort of a constant argument for them."

"Parents… I see," Aversa considered. "And do you parents know your current situation?"

"I sent them a letter explaining everything and received one just yesterday; no drama to be had and they're happy for me," the Falcon Knight insisted. "Of course they've yet to meet Ragna, but… I may have already mentioned him a few times in previous letters."

"More like you were sending them chapters from your personal diary," Olivia teased. "But there's plenty of room for the cribs we'd need as well as toys and other necessities for raising a baby… but I suppose it would help if we had any real idea what we were doing."

"I'd thought you might say that, so earlier I took the liberty of going through the library to see if there were any books on maternal teachings. The selections were limited, but I've set out any books that might've been helpful in the study at your leisure."

"You've thought of everything, haven't you?" the dancer complimented.

"I live to serve," Aversa reminded.

"Right… but you know, you could stand to live for yourself a little," Cordelia insisted.

"This again," the former Dark Flyer hissed.

"If it was just making things fair about the way we all feel about Ragna, that would be one thing, but there's something else going on," Cordelia explained. "Ever since you began serving Ragna as his aide you… just haven't been yourself. Where's that normally snarky self that your known for? The innuendos for one thing."

"I've just matured," Aversa denied. "Nothing so unusual about-"

"Aversa, you're not even teasing him."

…She couldn't argue with Olivia on that one, matured and dedicated assistant or not.

"…It's… difficult to discuss," she admitted, appearing less rigid as her walls started to fall.

"Save what you have to say with Ragna when he gets back from meeting Chrom," Cordelia instructed before turning to the dancer. "Let's spend tonight in the Shepherd's barracks tonight to give them the extra room; we've been meaning to gather out belongings from our rooms anyways."

"Extra room?" Aversa questioned with an eyebrow raised.

"Let's just say that we have an idea of tonight might go; just know that we're in support of whatever happens. Just… make things true between you and Ragna, alright?" Olivia requested tenderly.

"…If I made some innuendo about my entire self being laid bare for the man, that would be exactly what you both want." Cordelia and Olivia only smiled. "And people say I'm the naughty one."

Later -The Castle Courtyards-

Ragna would've preferred they do this without the crowd. It was already weird enough that they were sparring in the courtyard in the first place, odder still that Chrom and he were facing each other with actually weaponry (Ragna using the Aramasa while the Prince switched between the Falchion and a specially crafted Short Spear), but soon Phila had come to oversee and judge the match which led to a gathering of the Nobles that had come to observe that new to be crowned Exalt and recently appointed Reaper duke it out.

This made things… challenging. Not only because a true strike with their weapons would lead to injury if not death outright, but it would been seen as a fault or weakness of the receiver. With that in mind, the two practically had to put on a performance instead of a proper spar; keeping the fight close between the two while showing only a fraction of what either were capable of…

…And leaving the nobility at an utter lack of words as they both rushed faster than the eye could see with their near impossible battle prowess.

The Reaper managed to block the point of Chrom's spear with the blunt side of the Aramasa. Pushing the weapon off his guard, Ragna was unable to close the distance as his opponent turned with the push into a wide swing which Ragna was forced to deflect before Chrom brought the weapon around and lunged forward. Ragna side stepped to dodge the attack and performed a horizontal slash with his blade which Chrom ducked as he passed him by. The Reaper then made a follow up slash, forcing Chrom to drop his current weapon and expertly draw the Falchion to block which brought the two into a sword lock… and kept them in place for long enough where they weren't a total blur to the nobility.

It might've taken both of Chrom's hands pushing his Falchion while Ragna only had to worry about one on the Aramasa, but the prince was holding himself in the struggle, nonetheless. Both sides stopped pushing at the sound of a single clap from Phila.

"Both sides have been fighting for over an hour now without either fighter showing a significant edge over the other," she announced, her own perception leagues better than the non-combatants around her. "As it stands, I decide that this match between Prince Chrom and Sir Ragna is a draw."

Ragna didn't hesitate as he set his sword back on his belt while Chrom sheathed his falchion and retrieved his spear. The nobility then retreated from the site of their spar, some of them with shakier legs than others. Phila herself only gave a bow to both of them before departing herself. Someone that hadn't been in attendance was Emmeryn, though Ragna knew she was hardly the type to find enjoyment in watching combat.

"…Was that as boring for you as it was for me?" Chrom asked now that the two were finally alone. Neither side had even started sweating yet.

"Yeah; kind of hard for us to really go all out and enjoy ourselves without practice swords and with politics getting in the way," Ragna agreed. "I guess we at least came out ahead when all was said and done if their reaction was anything to go off of."

"I still think we're in need of some proper practice and the soon the better. Maybe if we did it at the Shepherds barracks, we could go all out there?"

"Going all out at this point would probably make it so that we wreck the place. At this point we'd have to dedicate an entire day to getting out of the castle town and finding somewhere secluded where we could really fight. A pain in the ass, but it's better than destroying our homes."

"I'll try to get far enough ahead in my paperwork so that I can take that day off, but that means that I'm going to need to get back to work. Robin's probably had to work by herself for long enough anyways." Chrom shrugged. "You're welcome to stay for dinner; I'm sure Lissa and Emm would love to see you again."

"Emm maybe, but I'm sure Lissa's got plenty of teasing saved up for me," the Reaper answered, though his smirk showed he was willing to endure what he'd be in for. "Eh, maybe another night. I should get back to the missus…es."

"Right, can't keep them waiting," Chrom answered with a knowing smile. "Give them my best."

"You'll have to settle for your pretty decent, that's all I'll give you," Ragna snarkly answered back before finally walking off. "Later, Prince."

Later -The Shepherd's Barracks-

"So you both found him worthy as a mate?"

Leave it to Panne's iconic Taguel bluntness to open a conversation like this (or maybe it was just her). Immediately both Olivia and Cordelia's faces went red with their blushing, even after being well acquainted with their rabbity friend at this point, there were a few moments of her behavior that left them surprised. This extended to Lon'qu who was the only man in attendance at their small table who was sitting next to Panne. The four were the only ones in the barrack's dining hall so they'd ended up sitting together; Lon'qu took effort, but he was managing to keep himself calm enough around the three girls… something that he himself would've thought impossible not all that long ago.

"It's…likely more complex than that," the swordsmaster answered after a moment to break their silence. "Though knowing how blunt their collective husband is, I'd be surprised if it was much more complex."

"Husband," Olivia repeated, very much liking the sound of that word. "I guess you could say it was both complex and not at the same time; all three of us made our feelings known and that was that."

"And afterwards, you-?"

"Panne, please don't make this awkward," Lon'qu cut in before things could turn any worse. "And where's Ragna right now?"

"Probably still in a meeting with Chrom if everything went well, but if not he's back in our new home with Aversa," Cordelia answered. "I have to wonder if that's going well."

"Are you pushing them together?" That question of Panne's was at least fair.

"Nothing like that, but despite everything I think it's clear that she still has a lot to get off her chest with Ragna, especially recently. This is just giving them a chance to do just that and give them some room while they do so." Olivia answered. "And it's not like we minded the idea of sharing him in the first place; Ragna barely gets along with anyone so it's clear he wouldn't consider an extended relationship anyone else unless he fully considered it."

"You make it sound like you also have a screening process."

"She never said we didn't," Cordelia answered her Taguel friend. "But enough of all these questions towards us; how are things between the two of you?"

"…Considering some of the conversations I've had recently; let's say that I have an appreciated sympathy for Aversa's situation," the swordsman answered vaguely. Gregor hadn't been the first to imply romance blossoming between him and his favored companion.

"Why?" Panne asked her potential other. "All of the Shepherds say that they support us as a couple and think we're cute together."

"All of them?" he balked.

"Beloved, please; if you get an more animated I'm going to need to address your bruising again." Panne sighed. "Just what were you doing with Gregor that put you in such a state in the first place."

"Just… training." It was killing Lon'qu that his sparring partner had proven himself right twice over.

Later

Earlier that morning, Ragna couldn't have possibly imagined a worse situation at the dinner table with his dealings with nobles he wanted nothing to do with. Now though, sitting across from Aversa as the two had her prepared soup in utter silence... he almost missed all his self-stifled groaning from that morning. Aversa's food was simple but effectively prepared (Ragna's favorite kind) so that certainly wasn't the problem, nor was the table setting which had been perfectly prepared... weirdly enough, it was his company. Ragna's new aide had prepared seating for the Reaper alone and he'd had to insist that she join him for their meal together. She'd done so, but... was she holding it against him?

"That meeting with Chrom went well," he decided to say to break their collective silence. "He said that you could start attending any important security meetings in my place if I'm not available."

"Will I start doing so?" It was a few words out of her at least.

"If you want to; not going to have you go in my place every damn time." Following silence. "I think I might've called you my Frederick while I was out."

"Was that meant to be a compliment?" she questioned.

"It was meant to be serval things; take your pick." The corners of her mouth tugged upwards in a smirk, but she forced it down. Despite what Aversa had promised to Olivia and Cordelia... not now, not tonight, likely not ever. This time at her silence, Ragna didn't try again until they had both finished their meal.

"...Thanks for the meal," Ragna said as they both finished their bowl. Truth was he could've gone for more of her cooking, but in the present moment he just wanted to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. Aversa only nodded in acknowledgment as she started to clear the table. "Leave that. I think we need to have a talk."

"I can do this first," she stubbornly insisted... trying to push it off for as long as she could.

"Then nothing's stopping me from helping you, and don't give me any crap about lords not doing this sort of work; you know that title barely means anything to me."

"You should care about it."

"What little I'm able to manage is only because you do." He wasn't met by any further resistance from her, so after the two had carried their collective dishware into the kitchen, Ragna decided it better to get started now. "You... I'm worried that you don't seem happy."

"I'm just trying to be more official," she answered as she set her dishes in a tub and began adding water. "This was our agreement; you gave me the stability that I needed and in turn I would serve you faithfully." Ragna didn't answer... in truth he'd only agreed to their deal due to Aversa's vulnerable state. He'd grown to appreciate her input as an aide (even though that had led to that morning's brunch) but having her only as a servant still felt off, wrong even. "This benefits us both greatly; I don't understand what could possibly be worth breaking that vow."

"Not even love?"

Ragna had made his move.

He took notice as Aversa stiffened while she set her dishes in the tub. What she didn't know about this situation was that Ragna had already confided in both Olivia and Cordelia in his situation with the Dark Flier. The two had shown him all their support in making sure that the former Dark Flier's needs would be met, even if that would mean making their situation a quartet. Knowing this, Ragna could commit to the full part, putting Aversa into stunned silence with his bluntness.

…Bluntness he wasn't expecting her to overcome.

"Not even."

"Aversa?" If this was just rejection it would hurt for certain, but Ragna knew her better than that. She couldn't even manage to look him in the eye. In fact… "...Why does it look like you're fighting to say that then?"

"I'm not... it's just not..." Now she was shaking. "I'm…"

"Hey," he said softly as he moved in and comforted her with an embrace.

This marked the third time he'd done this with her; the second was recently after she'd admitted to her nightmares. The first was back before he'd taken his turn to venturing as the Black Knight, back when she'd lost her beloved Pegasus in Plegia. Even with whatever walls she was still trying to keep up around herself, Aversa didn't hesitate before turning and holding onto Ragna tightly for dear life.

"…What's really going on?" he asked softly.

"I'm… I'm scared…"

"About losing me?" He could barely feel her nod in their embrace.

"You're not all I have left, but… if I lose you; I lose everything."

"Everything." The implications were severe. "…Then I'm never leaving you; I promise."

"But what if-?"

"I said Never."

And at Ragna's promise, the two shared their first kiss with each other. Aversa was left stunned for only a moment before she clung to him even more fiercely now. When they parted, Ragna still didn't let go of the woman in his arms and only continued to comfort her in the long silence that followed.

"...Was I that bad of an aide?" Was her personal brand of snark finally returning? Figuring that it was, Ragna smiled.

"Actually, I wouldn't be breaking that promise if you wanted to keep doing that," he offered. "Far as any outsider could tell, you'll be working at my side as my most trusted adviser. Outside of that though... I know I don't want to live a life without you."

"Then we understand each other," she decided, her head resting against his chest. "I suppose those two minxes will have plenty an I told you so for me when they return tomorrow."

"Nah, they'll just be happy for you... okay, maybe a bit of teasing to get you back, but you know they love you too," the Reaper answered with a confident smirk.

"...I suppose I do," Aversa answered with a content smile where she rested on his chest a moment longer before pushing off as and delivering yet another kiss to her Reaper's lips. "We still need to finish on the cleaning; you said that you'd help."

"Fine with me, but what's the plan for afterwards?" It was an honest question rather than a snarky one; he needed to be sure Aversa was comfortable for whatever would follow.

"I'm planning to save our first union for a while yet; it'll give me some time to prepare something especially memorable." Ragna kept a solid complexion, but he was more than interested. "Good things for those who wait and all that," she said to him slyly. "For tonight though… having a warm bath and falling asleep in each other's arms sounds like just the the thing I need."

"Think I can get behind that," Ragna agreed with a smile as the two started on the dishes. "When you first wanted to dedicate you life as my servant, that oath you took certainly sounded like a marriage vow."

"…I'll grant that it did," she admitted. "Maybe even back then, this was already what I wanted."

"If it was?" her Grim Reaper started. "Then I'd have accepted all the same."

The finished their dishwork standing much closer than when they'd started.

Another Time; Another Place

"After the day I had, is it any wonder this weight's finally getting to me?" Inigo muttered to himself as he walked through the army's small encampment. The Black Knight's armor that he wore still looked as flawless as it had when he'd brought it out into battle, but his hair was wet and matted with sweat after such a lengthy combat. Not the image he wanted to be presenting to the ladies, but he could put his potential skirt chasing prospects on the back burner for now (especially without a recent bath to help his case)... not that he'd even been in a mood to flirt as much as he usually did as of late. "Least I'm not on watch tonight, can just crawl into my cot and-"

"H-Hey, In?"

"Huh?"

"Ack!"

Inigo hadn't turned suddenly (or fast at all), but the person addressing him from behind immediately leapt to the defensive like he'd suddenly drawn his sword. The heavy armor user only sighed at the display, this being very much in the norm for who he was dealing with.

"Yarne, for everyone's sake I sure hope you weren't doing that on the battlefield today," Inigo chided.

"N-NO!" the Taguel shouted, their dark fur-like hair bristling for a moment. "I... I made myself fight through... but I was half terrified that my Beast Stone was going to break in the middle and I'd go extinct! We don't have many of them left!"

"Which is why we keep telling you that you need to learn how to use a weapon; you'd be better protected if you had one," Inigo tried this talk again.

"I'm not a swordmaster like my old man was; I barely know a sword's point from its pommel." That usual excuse.

"Never said it had to be a sword. Hell, we could always use another bow user with those fliers. Why don't you get some pointers from-?"

"ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE MY RACE DISAPPEAR OFF THE FACE OF THE REALM!?"

"...Okay, that's fair," Inigo relented tiredly. "Look; I'm tired after the day I had so I need a rest if we're going to finish this. Can you make this quick so I'm rested enough for the next fight that I'm at least not falling asleep? Whatever this is?"

"Sure, I..." Yarne was less than certain. "He's practicing again."

"Of course he is," the silver-haired knight sighed. "Let me guess, by your tent?"

"Yeah, and I can't sleep with all that dark magic stuff going off around me. Stuff sends my flight-or-fight reactions into overdrive," he sighed. "You sure he knows what he he's doing with that stuff?"

"He keeps telling us that he does." It was all he could say for certain. "I'll go talk to him, but don't worry; I won't tell him it was you that sent me. Go and get some food, I'll have him out of there by the time you're done."

"Thanks... we're not desperate enough where we need to start eating the cutlets, right?" To be honest, none of them knew if it was cannibalism or not for Yarne to eat rabbit meat. One thing Panne probably should've taught him.

"Think we've still got some deer meat left; you should be in the clear before we make the jump," the knight answered. "See you around; I'm going to have a talk with my brother."

"Remember; he doesn't know it was me!"

Suppressing a groan, Inigo headed off to a conversation he'd had before enough times and was not looking forward to having a repeat of. Everyone else was either resting in their tents (like he should've been), at the understocked mess tent, or taking their turn on guard duty. As such, there was no one to pass by or keep him from his decided target by Yarne's tent. Even getting close, he could hear his sibling's grunting and his hair seemed to stand in just the presence of their dark magic.

"Any reaction?" Hey, he might as well see if all this work was worth something.

"...Not even a twitch," his younger brother said as he glared at the still form of the Aramasa sword in his hands, hands that were already coated by dark flames.

"Our old man must've shown the damn thing off to us about a hundred times... well, after we made him. All of us were so taken by the thing," he said, trying to think back to happier times. It was kind of hard to do with the dark circles under his younger sibling's eyes, a feature easily discernible despite their darker skin tone, which was nothing to say of their disheveled silver hair which was putting Inigo own to shame. "You sure you're o-?"

"Yarne sent you stop me; didn't he?" Dark circles or not, his brother at least knew what they were talking about. "I could hear him screaming from here."

"Think most of the camp notices him; thank Naga we don't have to worry about stealth missions with him," Inigo sighed. "He's at dinner now, any chances you'll put a stop to this before he gets back?"

"I'll change locations."

"That's not what I was asking for," Inigo sighed. "Tenebrae, you-"

"You know that's not my name," his brother interrupted, their yellow eyes narrowed into the sharp glare they'd all inherited from their collective father.

"...Ike," Inigo changed to keep them happy. "You're just fighting a losing battle at this point; so what if you can't turn dad's sword into a scythe, you wreck more than enough Risen without it. All of these sleepless nights trying to get it to unlock is just going to get you killed out there."

"...She'd still be alive if I could've," he responded. "They both would be."

"We don't know that for sure," Inigo said, though it was clear that the words stung him just as badly. Sighing, he brought his own sword out. "Fine, the usual way it is. I win and you're off practice for the rest of the day; you win and I'll leave you alone... but still move out of Yarne's way."

"You know our record's even right now," Ike retorted with a glare.

"Yeah, and you know that your old namesake killed the last Black Knight, so try to take it easy on me, will ya?" It wasn't perfect, but this was one of the few ways he could get some of his more combat focused siblings to listen to reason. Ike never turned down a challenge either, so he brought his father's sword into a backhanded grip. "Ready?"

"Don't blink."

One flash later and Ike was off his feet as the Aramasa was spiraling through the air. He crashed to the ground before the oversized sword impaled itself in the dirt behind them. Normally Inigo would give his sibling some well-intentioned taunting... but right now he was too tired to commit to even that.

"Bed. Now." Ike only nodded, owning up to their agreement as he fought his way to his feet. "If you'd slept at all in the past week, there was no way I'd have beaten you that easily."

"Trying to console me now? Save it for the others who need it," Ike dismissed as he took the sword and started to sulk back to his own tent.

"...I miss Aunt Aversa so bad it hurts, just like you." Ike couldn't help but pause at the mention of his mother. "You remember that cake she and dad made together for my birthday?"

"How could I not? It's the one that Severna and I ruined while we tried to steal the frosting. You got a brand-new cake and we got left with slices from the faulty one... which was still good, but nowhere near yours." He allowed a solemn smile. "I... I always loved Aunt Olivia too... even though I couldn't stand those damned dance lessons."

"I think I'm the only one who actually liked my mom's lessons," Inigo smirked. "Get some rest, alright?"

"Fine," Ike bitterly conceeded as he headed off... though he couldn't help but glance at his right arm; his own flesh and blood right arm. '...If only.'

Author's Note

Going to Plug my YouTube again here (Storm VII) because I've been playing the newest BlazBlue spin-off: Entropy Effect! In the last video I did as I was posting this, I finally made my first complete run through the game (it's a rouge-like) so do me a favor and check that out, yeah? Anyways, plugging over.

So now Aversa's a part of Ragna's harem. I figured that she might've made the most sense after I took care of some of her… reservations. If I hadn't said so before, I'm going to stick to six girls and I'm going to be 'confirming' them throughout the next couple of chapters.

…Which leaves me with a bit of a BIG vote. So Panne is off the table because she's now with Lon'Qu (which I've been alluding to for a while now) and I already have a final girl planned because of a certain deal I made with someone (not that I wasn't already considering them) so I've decided… WHO ARE FOUR AND FIVE!?

No poll. Just comments. Give you support to whichever girl you think would go best with the man. This message is also going to be on AO3 so give your support there as well. This isn't a vote; I want to be convinced.

As far as things go, the only girl that won't be considered is Say'ri who… might make for a seventh girl if there's really all that much support for her? But that's for far later. Now get those reviews in! Ciao!

Darkstar2311: Thanks, great to be back.

EpicLinkSam: Hey, long time no talk!

Veemaster: Oh… I've been away for a while, eh?

Twylaken: Yeah, yeah, been a bit.

Astrefernal: MAKE YOUR CASE!

Reclusive Dork: Thank you.

Wlyman2009: Not just yet, but in due time.

The Unplanner: All in due time, we got another one here.

Jormansic: Yeah, plot's a bit much to get into.

Stabr OpSihg: YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED.

BloodedgetheReaper2113: Here's hoping you enjoyed the reveal of Tenebrae here as well (I'll explain where Ike came from, don't worry)

Kitsune No Hi 75: Less that it was rushed I think and more that Ragna was really just waiting to see if they were willing. Besides, I made a point of showing how close Olivia and Cordelia already were.

P3R50N4: Rather subdued really.

Gundam-Knight-Chris: Indeed he did.

Guest: Yaaaaaaaay!

Pally111: Glad to have you back reading them!

Guest (2): Not to a close just yet, still more peace to cover.

Infinite Zangetsu: It's an option, but we'll already have a Morgan male so it would be a bit redundant. Let's hope my first OC works out well.

NiceScourge: Thank for understanding, but I'll try to keep this story in my regular rotation.

Paladin9800: Thanks, always good to hear from you.

HooHaa: Not just yet…

Rick12: Here it is!

Unsung Senpai: Then advocate for her!

Kalakauai: …Do you WANT me to torture him? Man's been through plenty of that already.

Guest (3): Well after CF… he kinda already was.

Guest (4) and Amulet-Starz: Something like that.

Allamtya3: Uh… what?

Son OF FellBlood: Maybe, but since I liked the silver hair more I decided that the BlazBlue really effected Ragna that much. I mean, with magic you can really bullshit your way with anything.

3bodyjaa: Thanks.

Zer0TrueMoo: Enjoy that too!