A/N:

I...I did it...I was really worried that I wouldn't finish on time because...well...read the bottom A/N...not know! When you finish reading the chapter! D:

FYI:
1) This is a bit long...but I felt I needed to give a real battle...
2) Next "chapter" will be out 2/3 or 2/4.
3) Reviews and etc. are appreciated...assuming you liked the work.
4) I do not own or have the rights to Fire Emblem Awakening or any of the characters.

2/1/15-not an update...realizing none of my section breaks were added, so I have to edit each chapter to put them in...cause I'm a perfectionist...sorry...

Robin raced out of the meeting room. If it was by instinct or smarts, the Tactician wasn't sure, but Maribelle quickly followed. Staying true to her word, Robin disappeared to Olivia's room, telling the dancer the plan for the battle and just to stay and chat until the Shepherds tired out for the day. Amusingly enough, the Dancer and the Valkyrie got along quite well. Leaving just for a bit around dinner, Olivia returned with tea and a meal, accompanied by Frederick, who just happened to notice the Dancer's dilemma of getting food and drink back to her room. He left soon after, and the girls chatted until the moon was high overhead. Believing it was safe to return to her room, Maribelle escorted Robin back to her haven.

Sadly, the following days and weeks were not so easy for the Tactician. If she was not being harassed about her child's parentage, she was being stifled by various Shepherds; healthy food for expecting mother's and medicine to cure one ailment or another (all were quite horrible), being helped around the palace or on marches (even though she was still mobile), window-shopping for baby goods like clothes and a crib (she didn't have the money or room to even think of buying such things yet), and etc., etc. Still, even with all that, there was more planning to be done, meetings with Chrom to revise and improve the plan, preparing of the equipment, getting Tharja to promise not to hex her husband, traveling to Plegia for their final encounter, battling bandits and Risen that harassed various villages along the way, continuing with the army's accounting, and much more. How she survived each day, she couldn't say, but they all made it to the battleground alive.

The battle had already commenced, neither side backing down. The clash of distant metal and the faint smell of blood lingered on the field. Maribelle held up a perfumed handkerchief to her nose, trying to at least be rid of the smell. As promised, they were on the backlines, although inching right along the outside of the attack perimeter. Several times, Libra, or herself, had to enter the battle radius; however, there was no major threat, and anything close was quickly demolished by either Frederick or a nicely timed hit by Libra and his Killer Axe. Even she had killed one of those vile miscreants, although, to be fair, Frederick had weakened him, but missed his vitals due to his inattention when he heard an inaudible shout from Chrom a distances away. Even though there was no danger, it had earned the knight a hit in the head with her parasol. "Pay attention!" She chided. He quickly looked at her, mumbled an apology, bowed, then looked back in the direction of the shout. She sighed. If he was going to be distracted, why did he even volunteer for this part of the mission. Still, for her, that wasn't the most interesting event that occurred before the clash with Gangrel.

Although Robin paid attention to the battlefield as a whole, with the use of a telescope, and her commands sent to the troops via special wind magic created by Miriel, her recent attention was focused on a certain Pegasus Knight. The main forces were a distance away, however, Sumia and Gaius were dealing with the stragglers that the others left behind in their wake. Still, that was hard work, even if they battled in a fort. Their opponents had the advantage, slowly chipping away at her, even though she was taking down a majority. Gaius was already injured, thanks to a misstep early on, and they had missed their best chance at healing him, thanks to Chrom and Cordelia needing to be healed before they left the range of the staffs. What made matters worse were the enemy Hero and two Mages making their way to the occupied fort; all three were in prime fighting condition.

"Change of plans," Robin said in a hastened voice, snapping down her telescope and pocketing it. "Frederick and myself will go out and distract the enemy forces. In the meantime, Maribelle will get as close to Sumia as possible, heal her with a Physic or Catharsis, and then Libra will use the Rescue staff to get Maribelle out of attack range." As she said this, Robin climbed on to Frederick's mare, maneuvering herself in a side saddle position in front of the knight, and pulled out a tome.

"You're not going out there." Frederick said, glaring down at the occupant. "I can take Lady Maribelle out, have Sumia healed, and Libra can use the Rescue to teleport both of us out."

Robin shook her head. "That would be fine in normal cases, but there are three enemy forces making their way to Sumia, and one has been promoted. Sumia can't handle that yet." The three others looked into the horizon, seeing three figures moving closer to their friends. "The other fighting units are too far to call back. This is our best option right now." She looked over to Maribelle and Libra.

"Very well," Libra nodded, pulling out a Rescue staff, ready to use it.

Maribelle on the other hand bit her lip. She looked at Frederick; the man was staring at the Pegasus Knight, but he had the same worried expression on his face. Chrom wouldn't like this turn of events, but they couldn't leave Sumia in such a situation.

"Frederick? Maribelle?" Robin's voice called to them, as she looked between the two and then out into the desert. "We have to hurry." Although her voice was calm, she was squirming in Frederick's saddle, looking like she would pull the reigns right out of the man's hands, if neither gave approval.

Finally, Frederick sighed, and without a spoken reply, he readied a Short Spear. He held the reigns securely, ready to charge. Focus turned to Maribelle. The healer turned to look at the fort, then glanced at the figures getting closer. She then turned to look at the battlefield where the majority of their units fought. As Robin said, everyone else was too far away.

"Very well," Maribelle begrudgingly replied, readying her own mare, Lady.

"Go!" Was the only reply, as the two horses raced towards their destinations; Maribelle to the fort, Frederick to the enemy forces.

"Keep Robin safe!" Maribelle shouted to the Great Knight, as their distance grew further.

"Yes, milady," Was the reply.

As instructed, Maribelle got within range, healing Sumia with a Catharsis. Feeling the rejuvenation, Sumia turned to see Maribelle nearby. She waved her thanks, but Maribelle didn't notice, her attention on Frederick and Robin. Distracted by Maribelle's non-reaction, Sumia and Gaius turned to look, following her gaze. They paled, realizing the forces that were heading their…no, Frederick's way. Yes, Frederick could handle them, but the problem was who was with him. Worried, Sumia readied the Pegasus to leave the fort, but Gaius held her back, shaking his head. "They can handle it Stumbles." Although his voice didn't sound certain. "We have our own troubles to worry about." He then pushed her out of the way of a weak fire spell. She nodded, but looked at the distant brown mare. Suddenly a glimmer caught her eye from the side; she saw Maribelle disappear to the safety of the backline.

Frederick's horse, Cardamom, raced towards her enemies. The fighters, noticing the new threat, readied themselves and charged in the new direction; this was the scene Maribelle caught as she teleported to Libra's side.

The noble was worried; how would these two Shepherds fight together when she had never seen them partnered?

The Mages stood at the ready, preparing an Elthunder and an Elfire spell. Simultaneously, the incantations were launched, however, Frederick's steed continued its charge.

"Predictable," the Tactician scoffed, knocking the two spells away with her own magic. Without flinching from the static right in front of him, Frederick chucked the Short Spear, hitting the Elfire Mage straight in the chest. He fell. Cardamom raced towards the fallen corpse.

The second Mage, fear in his eyes, started readying another spell, waiting for his chance. Frederick pulled out the lance, flicking it to rid the blood. He put the spear in his holder and made a sharp U-turn. The Mage started casting, but before he could throw the magic, he received a blast of Arcthunder. As his vision darkened, he saw the cause. The magic user was flat on her back, being held in position by the rider, one arm under and the other from above; as if she was expecting him to attack when the steed was most vulnerable. This sent the Elthunder Mage flying, knocking him out as he hit the earth.

Frederick got the Tactician upright in the saddle, then focused on the Hero standing before them. Silver Axe in hand, he stood, waiting for Frederick's charge, and charge he did. The Great Knight's steed dashed forward, while rider pulled out his Silver Lance. The Hero tossed up his axe, dodging the attack with a back flip. He landed on his feet, catching his weapon, and with the landing's momentum, bounded to the horse, swinging in reply; however, the horse instinctively jumped out of the way.

That's when the Hero saw it, as the horse skidded in the dirt. The gallant image stunned him, forcing him to pause. He, a man who had fought and lived through hundreds of battles under the Mad King, had never seen a duo like this. There, standing in the saddle was the magic user. How she got into position while the steed was in motion, he had no idea. Her feet were on the saddle, she was leaning on the shoulder of the Great Knight, who held both her legs steady. The same hand also tightly gripped the reins of the horse. Still, he seemed to pay no heed to the battle in front of him, instead, he glanced behind, as if expecting another enemy to attack while he was busy.

Before the Hero, crackling electricity could be tasted in the air; the magic user had switched her tome to the most lethal, but not uncommon, Thoron. Their eyes locked. If he moved now, maybe he could dodge, but he was spellbound, his legs not listening to his brain. "Checkmate." She had a calm, collected voice, she then shouted, "THORON!" The blast hit him dead in the chest. The soul was gone as the body arched in the sky; his corpse hit the ground and bounced from the force.

The side skirmish ended, and Maribelle and Libra stood stunned. Yes, both fighters had skill alone, but the combination between the two was as if they had been fighting together for a lifetime, although they only met a few months earlier.

"Did…Did you know they could do that?" Libra asked the senior Shepherd.

"No, no I didn't. I have never seen them fight together before. They're usually on opposite sides of the battlefield."

As Frederick returned, Cardamom in a quick trot, the two said nothing, only nodded when the knight did so. He turned around, giving Robin the full view of the battlefield. Without moving from her seat, she pulled out the telescope, staring at the distant battles.

A few minutes passed, and she looked back and forth between the main battle and Sumia's stand at the fort.

"We can go now," Robin's voice breaking the silence. "Sumia's done. We should go heal her, and then head toward the main battle." Without waiting for a response, Frederick's horse galloped off. Maribelle offered a hand-up to Libra, and the two followed behind Cardamom's dust.

"That was amazing!" Sumia squealed as she and Gaius were being healed outside the fort. Robin and Frederick remained at the ready. "It was just like old times!"

Gaius whistled, even with a lollipop in his cheek. "That was pretty sweet, Bubbles." The Thief complimented.

"It was nothing," Robin replied, eye still looking through the telescope, watching as the main forces were reaching Gangrel. "We're actually pretty rusty, being that at our prime, I wouldn't need Frederick's grip holding me."

"You probably didn't need it. I just didn't want to get scolded by milord if you fell."

"No confidence in me, eh?" She hmphed, hitting Frederick's chest plate with the back of her hand. The knight didn't respond.

"Sumia? Did Robin and Frederick do such things before?" Maribelle asked as the Mend took effect.

"Oh, yes! Quite a bit! Or at least similar feats. Paired together, they were out strongest unit! They were always the center of attention in battle, distracting the enemies with their acrobatics and sting! I still don't understand why you two stopped your performances."

"I realized that being paired with Frederick all the time wasn't allowing me to gauge our whole battle force. So, we decided, before Maribelle's kidnapping by Gangrel, that we would fight with other people, just so I could understand the Shepherd's battle strength. How can I plan if I don't know how to best use our forces?"

"Have you tried your fancy tricks with others?" Gaius asked, pocketing some rubbish and sticking another bear-shaped sweet in his mouth.

"Tried with Stahl, he couldn't do it. With Sully, I'm too scared to get near her beast. It seems to think I'm his sworn enemy or something. As well, can't do it with the Pegasi since it's too dangerous in the air. Frederick is also the only one with the experience and observance to match my pace when I move in the saddle. Finally, for some reason, Cardamom is the only steed who seems unaffected by the shift in atmosphere due to the magic, so that's also a plus."

"She just has more experience in the battlefield compared to Stahl's horse." He patted Cardamom lovingly.

"Are we all set now?" Robin finally looked to the troops near her.

"Yes, we're done." Libra said, healing the last of Gaius's wounds.

"Good to go, yah Stumbles?" Gauis cracked his neck, then stretched out his arms from behind. He bent forward, getting the kinks out of his body.

"Yes!" Stum…Sumia replied, seated on her Pegasus who swooped in agreement.

"Very well, we're going to do a little rearranging…"

In preparation for Olivia's training, Panne and Kellam were keeping the Hand-Axe swinging Fighter away. Nowi and Gregor on the other hand remained out of Gangrel's reach. Nowi was close to fainting, while Gregor didn't have the speed to dodge Gangrel's strikes. This left Cordelia and Chrom to fight the Mad King…

Before seeing the Mad King, he heard him, that distinct laughter, almost like a nail being scraped on a chalkboard. "My, my little princeling, here without your prized Tactician? Fighting instead with a little green-horn I see. Pretty little thing too, better built then that flat-chested wench." Gangrel eyed Olivia, licking his lips. It was obvious what thoughts the man had as his eyes wandered up and down the Dancer, lingering on her breasts and waist. Chrom stepped in front of the embarrassed girl, blocking her from view. "Oh what fun we'll have girly, but first, I have a princeling to crush." Again with the laughter, oh how this man loved listening to his own voice.

Distracted, Chrom took the initiative, pouncing forward. "My sister wished for our people to know peace, Gangrel!" He shouted these words, each syllable distinct. "But as long as you draw breath, it can never come! For Ylisse!"

Realizing what the man was doing, Gangrel laughed, Levin Sword above his head. "Come, princeling! I've sharpened my sword just for you!" Just as he was about to strike, he felt a change of wind from behind, so he jumped out of the way of major injury; however, the Steel Lance did some minor damage. As Chrom acted as a distraction, Cordelia had took to the air with Lon`qu, waiting for the opportunity to strike.

Even with slight injury, Gangrel just cackled. "So you brought along some maggots, eh? Well no worries, you just have to…SQUASH THEM!" With that, the Plegian King retaliated. Lightning struck the Pegasus Knight and passenger, but neither gave him the pleasure of their screams. Cordelia bit the inside of her lips to keep noise from leaving her mouth, while Lon`qu grunted softly. Her mount turned in the air, glaring at the man who hurt her master. The Pegasus wished to charge, but staid the desire, well-trained by the genius.

"Go back, Cordelia!" Chrom ordered, dashing forward in attack.

"But, milord-!"

"Go!" His sword locked with the King's, the Plegian's laughter echoed throughout the lonely plains. "If you're hit again…AGH!" He couldn't finish his thought, as his body was electrocuted by the Levin Sword. Gangrel jumped back, laughing at the sound Chrom made.

"Mi-!" And Cordelia was gone, whisked away with a Rescue Staff.

"…Hold him…Thirty seconds…" Chrom heard a familiar whisper, one he hadn't heard for a while; it was his Tactician passing on an order.

"…Thirty seconds…" He repeated under his breathe. Not impossible, but it would be Grima's Hell. He glanced at Olivia, who nodded when their eyes met. Naga save them both!

He charged, a preemptive strike to the occupied Trickster. Metal clashed between them. Chrom swung, parried, stabbed. Although Gangrel gave ground, he remained laughing, blocking each strike. Still, he didn't swing the jagged blade down, only parried.

"…Twenty seconds…Just beware when he raises the blade…using a Levin sword in normal swordplay is close to impossible…"

Only ten seconds had passed, even though it already felt like minutes. His muscles were screaming due to the stress, but Chrom kept swinging, sweat drenching his brow, every swing meant a second more of living. Every now and again Olivia threw in a hit, but that was easily blocked.

"Is that all you have, princeling?" The Trickster yawned. "You're quite the bore now." The King jumped back. "Let's end this!"

Lightning flashed, but just as it was about to hit, Olivia pushed both of them out of the way.

"…Fifteen seconds Chrom…Hold on…"

Another flash; Chrom threw Olivia away from him, taking the full blast of the hit. His scream echoed in the wasteland.

"Chrom!"

"…Chrom!..." Two voices, one name; the shriek of Olivia, the whispered exclamation from Robin.

He couldn't stand, the only reason he didn't fall was thanks to Falchion being plunged into the earth, helping him to remain kneeling.

"…Ten seconds…" He could hear the bitterness in Robin's voice. "…Stay strong!..."

Gangrel's gaze turned to the Dancer. "See darling," Eyes leering at the long-haired beauty. "Your little boyfriend here is finished, why don't I show you how a real man has fun." Gangrel inched towards the Dancer, but she remained glued to the spot. Her eyes were not on Gangrel though, it was on Chrom.

She didn't speak, but her mouth moved. "Don't! Give! Up!" Even with as little skill as she had, Olivia charged the King, glare in her eyes.

"…Five seconds, Chrom…"

Gangrel slapped Olivia with the back of his hand. "Seems I have to rough you up, before the fun, girlie. Oh what fun we shall have…"

"…Four…"

Chrom forced himself to move; he had to protect her. Not again!

"…Three…"

He lunged, blocking Gangrel's path to Olivia.

"…Two...Make sure you're touching!..."

"You're first, eh Prince-y? How disgustingly chivalrous." Gangrel raised his sword.

"…One…"

Olivia grabbed the Lord's cape.

"MILORD!"

"Captain!"

"Prince Chrom!"

In a second, three familiar shouts echoed around him. Three lances, Silver, Killer, Steel, stabbed at the Mad King. Gangrel jumped back, concentration gone. Two missed, but the Silver gauged the madman.

"…Zero…"

Chrom was shining, and then disappeared before the Plegian King.

Rescued by Libra, Chrom was now being healed by Maribelle's Mend. Gregor stood guard over the Tactician; the girl however was focused on the battle in the distance.

Gangrel was definitely on his toes now, dealing with three paired units. Frederick was leading the charge, while Nowi flew behind, blasting whenever there were openings. Her shouts of, "You stupid bully!" even reached them.

Gaius and Lon`qu stayed near their charges, Sumia and Cordelia respectively. Although they could probably get in a good swing, the two remained focused on their one order: GUARD.

This allowed Cordelia and Sumia to focus on attacking. Although they rarely hit vital points, the scratches were adding up. Fighting on his own, Gangrel was wearing out, still, even in retreat, he was able to send a blast out with his Levin Sword.

"Finished…" Maribelled let out a sigh, a trickle of sweat on her face.

"Thanks…" That's all Chrom could muster. He stretched, then walked forward to Robin's side. "I'm going back," The Exalt said to no one in general.

"You will stay right here, milord!"

"I agree with Maribelle, Prince Chrom. You've just finished healing."

"I'll go with you, Chrom."

"You'll stay right here, Robin."

"No one will let you go back on your own, Chrom. Olivia has to prepare for her training, Maribelle isn't ready for a head-to-head battle, and neither Gregor nor Libra can give you the support you need; I'm the only choice left."

"You two aren't listening! Neither of you are going anywhere near that madman!" Maribelle slightly knocked the two on their heads with her parasol.

"Maribelle, Chrom has to. He's-"

"Chrom doesn't have to do anything! He's done more than enough!" Tears glistened the noble's eyes. "The others can finish it!"

"I agree with Maribelle, milord."

"I-I do to…" The Dancer said; a sad, worried look in her eyes.

Chrom looked at Olivia, then shook his head. "I have to."

"You-!"

"Pretty rose do the shut lip now, yes?" Gregor finally spoke, surprising Maribelle by putting his finger on her lips. The Valkyrie glared at him, an angry blush on her face. She slapped his hand away, but let him finish talking. "Leader must be doing the final hitting. Not just Shepherd morale boost, yah? For national acceptance and proving ascension worth."

"It's as Gregor says. As well, I doubt Chrom will accept anything less, even though it goes against Emmeryn's principles."

Chrom scoffed. "Yes, I'm truly a battle-loving, destructive idiot…" Robin was right; he wasn't Emm…

Robin sighed. "You really can't take a jab right now, can you? Anyway, if you were just a destructive idiot, this rag-tag team wouldn't still be following you. You may not have Lady Emmeryn's pacifism and patience, but you have her principles. You will do what you can for Ylisse, and they will accept you, for you. I…we…no one expects you to be your sister, Chrom. Just hold true to your ideologies, and we'll be there for you!"

"Gregor agree with tactician girl."

"As do I, Prince Chrom."

"We'll be by your side, milord."

"M-my opinion isn't much, milord, but I agree with the others."

Chrom looked at each speaker. "Thank you, thank you all…May your continued support be my guiding light. Thank you…" A small cheer echoed in the group. He turned to Robin, placing a hand on her shoulder. "…Together?" Chrom finally relenting on pairing with Robin.

"Together!" She turned. "Maribelle, I'd like you to travel ahead with Gregor, staying out of range, then teleport us to as close to the Mad King as possible. When done, return to the others."

The Valkyrie sighed knowing there was no use arguing. "Very well…" She begrudgingly offered her hand to Gregor, then galloped off to the edge of the battlefield. Using the Rescue staff, she summoned the pair, then turned. "Stay safe."

"Gregor be doing the cheering real loud! You listen, yah!" The Mercenary waved as Lady retreated.

The two started running to Gangrel, the steel clashing barely audible.

"A hundred percent…"

"Pardon?"

"The chance we'll win. Because you saved us, we trust you. Because we trust you, we follow you. Because we follow you, you'll carry the day."

"…Thank you, Robin."

"Don't thank me just yet, we still got a madman to defeat!"

"You just said!-"

"Can't you take a joke?"

Chrom chuckled a little, but turned serious again. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this."

"Don't apologize, it's what friends do. We might not be around each other as much after this war, but I'll always be in calling range. Don't forget!"

"Very well!"

"I'll block anything that comes your way, just focus on Gangrel."

"Got it…" Chrom narrowed his eyes, focusing solely on the Mad King.

"Where's the Captain?" Sumia launched another attack. Although she hated the Trickster in front of her, she still admired that he had the endurance to only be grazed, even though this three-on-one fight had been going for at least five minutes.

"If he doesn't hurry, Butler," Gaius nodded to Frederick. "Or Red," looking at Cordelia, "Will take the kill hit." Unlike Sumia, Cordelia was starting to make progress, getting closer to a lethal strike.

"He'll be-" Frederick grunted, Cardamom jumping out of the way of a lightning blast. "-Here shortly. They're near."

"Actually…we're…behind you…Freddy-bear…" Gulps of breath were heard from behind the fighters. They turned to see Chrom standing gallantly, although his face looked worriedly at Robin. Hands holding her knees, she was breathing heavy, as if she was on Frederick's training field for the first time.

"Stand down, I'll finish this."

"So the princeling is back." Although Gangrel laughed, he was ragged, looking much worse than when Chrom left him.

"I've come to end you."

"Do you need support, milord?" Cardamom trotted to stand near Chrom, while at the same time, blocking the Tactician.

"I'll be fine, Robin will do."

Frederick looked at the platinum. Breathing heavily, she glared at Frederick to get out of the way. "Understood,milord…" He trotted to the side to give Robin view of the field, but remained right next to her to block anything lethal. The two Pegasus Knights landed next to their lord, their supports next to them; Sumia to the left, Cordelia the right. It was a gallant image. They were all tired and scrapped, but their closeness showed the support they had for one another.

"Ready, Robin?"

"Always, Chrom." Although one hand was still on her knee, her right hand now held an Elwind at the ready.

"Right." He turned to Gangrel, grim look on his face. "Gangrel!" Chrom started his charge. "Your end has come!"

"Come, Prince-y!" He held up his sword. "To your DEATH!"

Chrom plowed forward, low to the ground. He knew what was coming, but paid no heed. Robin had promised protection, and she would follow through.

Three simultaneous streaks of lightning came shooting down from the heavens. "BACK-!" One blast of wind hit a Levin strike high above. "-OFF!" The second, blasted away a foot above cobalt hair. The last blast was ignored, being wide of Chrom by several feet.

The Lord had greatly closed the distance. In distress, the Mad King tried to stab the Ylissean, but it was easily dodged. He knocked away the sword to the left, making the weapon fly out of Gangrel's hand. Chrom then lowered his center of gravity, angling Falchion up. He pushed off the ground, using the momentum to pierce right through the Plegian King.

"F-fool of...a prince..."

Gangrel coughed blood onto the back of the Lord's dirtied cape, then looked at the man who stabbed him.

"Your people care not for you..."

A ragged gasp, the Mad King's hand grasped part of the cape that lay over Chrom's left shoulder.

"You are...alone..."

He slumped onto the Ylissean, blood trickled down his mouth

"As every man lives…"

He took in a breath.

"And dies..."

His eyes glassy.

"…Alone..."

The last words whispered, only being heard by Chrom.

The prince shook his head. "You're wrong, Gangrel." He shoved the corpse off Falchion, flicking red over the landscape. "Unlike you, I am not alone. I have friends who will stand by me at my highs and lows. Even if it takes decades to gain my people's trust, I know my allies will always be by my side." He kneeled to the corpse, and closed its eyes; maybe the kindest thing anyone had ever done for such a twisted man.

"Everyone, let's go. We still have a few more things to do." Chrom stood up, walking towards the smaller party of Shepherds on the horizon. Shouts of acknowledgments were the reply.

"What of the corpse, milord?"

"Inform someone to bury or cremate the body. Do not desecrate it. Other than that, do as you see fit, Frederick."

"Yes, milord." Frederick looked at the body, then moved it out of the direct heat of the sun, being that they would be here for at least two hours longer. He wrote down the note of where the body was and what needed to be done, which he would send Nowi to deliver back to camp once Olivia's training began. The knight then started towards the group, easily catching up to the party.

The group had split, at Robin's command: Nowi had left for camp to inform the others of victory and the need to bury the bodies; Cordelia and Sumia remained at some forts far from the others, keeping the Fighter occupied; Libra stood out of range, healing the Pegasus Knights if injury was made; the remaining group lined up as Robin asked, waiting to help train, and get better acquainted, with the Dancer. Gaius, Lon`qu, Gregor, Panne, and Kellam waited far off in the distance. The opposing side started off with Chrom, Robin, Frederick, and Maribelle. They would later be joined by Libra once the Fighter destroyed his weapon. Chrom offered to be Olivia's first partner.

Maribelle was quiet. She remained seated on her horse, pink parasol blocking the sun. She looked briefly at the two standing side-by-side, a bit further away; the Great Knight held a blue parasol above the platinum's head while she read a book titled, One Thousand Baby Names and Their Meaning. Realizing she was staring, the Valkyrie turned away, and closed her eyes to meditate. Something was strange about those two; being so in synch on the battlefield, yet rarely showing such prowess while in training. She thought it odd earlier, but being in the middle of a battle, random thoughts could not be thoroughly analyzed.

The wind blew, and she heard Frederick's voice. "It seems we need to work on your endurance, Robin."

Maribelle looked up, realizing the wind was carrying over their conversation. She was not fond of eavesdropping, but if they were in speaking distance, and knowingly spoke where she could possibly hear, it was their own fault. She turned her head away, staring at the distant Pegasus Knights; however, she turned every now and again, when natural. The blonde hoped they would think her distracted, and continue the chat.

The Great Knight glanced down at the Tactician, a slight smirk on his face. "You could barely keep up with Chrom when following him into battle."

Was he antagonizing her friend? His tone was slightly different from usual though, something she never heard from him before. Was this…joking?

Robin turned towards her. Their eyes locked. Maribelle wanted to turn away, but couldn't; the Tactician had that ability. Then she winked, and the gaze was broken. Did Robin know that she was listening?

"Pregnant here, Frederick. Doesn't help that I was banned from training for the past few weeks." Pout on her face.

Maribelle got her answer…

"Duly noted. Do you wish to sit?" Robin looked up from the book and shrugged. Frederick seemed to take that as a yes being that he climbed off and easily lifted Robin onto Cardamom. He then returned to the saddle. "You've gotten quite heavy. Too much bear I expect."

The platinum's face was amused, but she still smacked part of the brunette's unarmored leg, making even the battle-hardened knight wince.

How strangely intimate…

"Whose fault is that, then? …Anyway, you know I can't eat bear right now. The smell makes me sick." She put a hand over her stomach, rubbing the slight bump that was visible if closely inspected.

Robin couldn't stand bear right now? Maribelle knew that a woman's sense of taste and smell could be delicate when pregnant; however she didn't know that Robin currently had an aversion to her favorite dish, even though she was put in charge of the Tactician's pregnancy…And yet, by how the conversation was flowing, Frederick did? Yes, the man was attentive, but to this extent? Did Robin tell him? Why?

"Some bear still seems fine for you."

"The bear won't last long with that type of attitude."

What were they talking about? Was this some type of inside joke?

"Why is that? Will he be skewered?"

"Me thinks the bear forgets that the Shepherds will gladly hunt him." Frederick didn't reply; for whatever reason, the last statement silenced him, turning his face grim.

Bear…That seemed to be the key word. Well, Robin liked bear; that much was common knowledge. The only other thought was Frederick, being that Robin had taken to calling him "Freddy-bear." Why would the bear be killed though?...No, that wasn't Robin's phrasing. Hunted…Why would…

…No, it couldn't be! …But, thinking back on everything, it made sense; his over-attentiveness to Robin, his strange behavior now-and-again, the closeness the two shared…But, no! Frederick wasn't like that! She had known the man for over a decade, he would never…Wait, what were Robin's words weeks ago? …

"The night that he proposed, I…I forced myself on him…Not physically, Maribelle…most of the Shepherds could easily stop me if they chose. I mean mentally. I pushed him until he gave into my request."

…Mentally forced. That made a little more sense for the knight. He had proposed to Robin, so he must have deep feelings for her. True, they only knew each other for a month, but she had seen proposals offered in court in half that time. The fastest she had heard of was a week.

Back to the matter at hand though; that would mean, he would do almost anything if asked to, being that he was a trained dog. True, he didn't seem the type to have…intercourse…before marriage, but if she forced him into the corner through her sharp wit and word play, the man, really any man, would probably succumb. Sir Frederick might be a perfectionist and one of the more veteran fighters in the Shepherds, but he was still a man…A man who was about to be hit in the head with a parasol!

The Valkyrie nudged her mare to a trot, reaching the pair. Both turned to look at her; Frederick with his usual stoic visage and Robin a smirk on her face, as if she already knew what the noble was about to do.

"Is somethi-" A parasol smacked the back of his head before he could continue. "What in Naga's name was that for, milady!" His voice louder than he planned, obviously angry for being hit for no apparent reason.

"That," Maribelle held the parasol, as if a rapier, in her right hand. "Was for not saying anything about you and Robin." She flipped the weapon, catching the tip, then smacked the handle in her left hand's open palm. "Now take your punishment like a man, Sir Knight." Her demeanor was filled with blood-lust.

"Wh-what do you mean, milady?" He stuttered.

"Do not play dumb with me, Frederick! You may have been talking softly, but you do realize voices can carry in the wind." His facial emotion shifted, worry now dominant on his face. No, he did not know, or notice. "As well, do you think me daft to not realize all these little hints you knowingly, or unknowingly, left?"

"Well, I for one didn't think you would figure it out, Maribelle." Robin looked up from her book, joining the conversation. "But, I also thought that Frederick the Wary would pay more attention to his surroundings and notice that Maribelle was listening."

"You knew!"

"Of course I knew. If I'm the Shepherd's tactician, I have to be aware of any sudden changes, as should you, proud veteran knight under Lord Chrom. Anyway, I figured it really wouldn't matter, after all, you have several more troubling ordeals ahead."

"Like what?" Frederick snapped, irate at his wife. He had given up on denying the truth.

"The rest of the Shepherds. What is Maribelle's one reaction compared to the reactions of the whole army?" Frederick blanched. Maribelle was still angry at the knight, but she pitied the man…Just a tad. "Anyway, it seems you forgot about your biggest challenge, Freddy-bear." She put her head back down, then flipped the page, returning to her reading.

"…And that is?"

"You promised we would talk to Chrom on the way back."

"GODS!" Not only pale, Frederick was now terror-stricken.

Robin laughed and patted his leg. "Take a little pity on the man, Maribelle. One hit was enough, right?"

"Very well," She raised her weapon, returning it back to its normal function of being a parasol. "But, only because you asked, darling."

"Thank you." Robin looked up at Frederick, kissing his chin. A little life returned to him, but that just led him to tighten his slackened hold around her. "Don't worry, love. Chrom won't hurt you too badly." The women laughed at Frederick's facial reaction; something that was indescribable, but definitely a sight Lissa would have sold her title of "Princess" to see. Frederick then dove his face into Robin's hair, trying to hide his embarrassment and worry.

As the laughter subsided, the platinum rubbed her brunette's leg in an affectionate way. "Don't think about it for now Frederick. We have hours of waiting ahead." No response; she changed the subject. "All kidding aside, Frederick. What do you think of the name Morgan?"

The Shepherds were traveling back to camp. All parts of the campaign were a success: Gangrel was defeated, Emmeryn avenged, and Olivia a Dark Flier; although why the army had more Second Seals than Master Seals, no one knew.

Why the others didn't notice their leader, their tactician, and the second-in-command lagging, Maribelle wasn't certain. Still, there was one thing she wanted, as she also started falling out of the Shepherd mob; she wanted to see how the royal reacted when he learned his two closest friends duped the Shepherds for several months.

A/N:

...so, the main story is over; however, there will be one more chapter. Maybe some of you can guess what ;D ...or maybe not :P

On another note, the reason I was worried that I wouldn't finish is because instead of concentrating on this story, I was writing an one-shot! Please take a look at it. It's kinda long, but I like it~ It will be put up later today or tomorrow (It might already be up if you're reading this after 1/27/2015)

One more chapter!