A/N: I wanted to keep the time frame of this story semi-ambiguous, so I hope I hope I did a good job with that. Also, Lon'qu may be a bit out of character here, but I tried to do him justice. I really did.

No one asked why there had been a fight. In fact, only Gregor really knew that it was Lon'qu who broke that soldier's nose. The myrmidon didn't question it; maybe the soldiers didn't want to look like they were badmouthing one of the army's best swordfighters. It didn't matter if they said anything or not. Lon'qu just didn't feel… right, anymore.

Several days passed, but nothing got better. When they weren't on the march, Lon'qu was in the training area, perfecting his swordplay until he couldn't hold a sword anymore. It was something to do that forced him to forget about his problems. Somewhere in the back of his head, he thought that if he ignored them long enough, they would just go away.

Unfortunately, one of those problems decided to find him at the training area instead.

"This has gone on long enough!"

Lon'qu stumbled forward, too tired to correct his balance, and he fell against one of the straw training dummies. Looking up, he saw Chrom's tactician glaring at him, arms crossed. The myrmidon opened his mouth, trying to say… something, but she cut him off.

"You've been avoiding me for days, Lon'qu! Why?" Wren's glare deepened, if that was even possible. Lon'qu was suddenly very aware that she was less than a yard away from him. How had she gotten that close without him noticing?

"I…" He gulped, trying to order his thoughts. She was right; he had avoided her when he could. Lon'qu wanted to propose more than anything, but now… he didn't think he could. It was too hard to be around her and not be able to tell her anything, so he avoided the problem. Just like his fear of women… "N-nothing."

Wren groaned in annoyance, casting a glance heavenward before returning to her glare. "That's not an answer. Tell me why you've been avoiding me." She paused before adding, "If it's because I'm a woman… I'll understand."

Something in her voice sounded pained, as if she had just said some difficult truth. Lon'qu had no idea what to do. How did one deal with women? "No!" he gasped, surprised that he had been holding his breath. "No, it's… not that."

"Then what is it?" Wren took a step toward him. Why was she doing that? She knew he got jumpy around women. And was it just his imagination or was she clenching her cloak as tightly as he was some stray straw on the dummy? Her anger was clear in her eyes, but there seemed to be something more there, as well.

"I…" He finally couldn't take it anymore. Her gaze cut through him as easily as a sword, and Lon'qu had to look down to even get the words out. "I'm not… good enough."

"Come again?"

The myrmidon hazarded a look back up at the tactician as he heard the surprise in her voice. Wren looked stunned and very confused. No longer was she glaring; she was just… staring. "I'm… not good enough," he repeated. The words were coming more easily now that the tactician's tone had softened. "I wanted to… get better. Before you saw me…"

There was a single moment when he saw a realization pass through her eyes, then she let out a sigh, a slight smile on her face. "That's it? If this is about your fighting ability, then –"

"That's not it!" Lon'qu tensed as Wren flinched at his outburst. No… he didn't want to scare her away, but he didn't want to tell her. She was smart; she could figure it out… couldn't she? The myrmidon let go of the training dummy and reached toward her… but stopped almost immediately. He dearly wanted to hold her, but he was too afraid to even touch her. "I mean… I'm not good enough… for… you…" The last word came out as barely more than a whisper.

Wren's brow furrowed, but he could tell that it wasn't out of anger or annoyance. It was the same look she got when presented with a puzzle… a confused yet determined look. "Good enough… for me?" she tilted her head as she asked. The myrmidon could almost see her thoughts reflected in her eyes, going by with such speed that he was sure anyone else would be dizzy. She sighed heavily, dropping her head and letting her arms hang down at her sides. "You're gonna have to help me on that one. I don't think I understand."

Lon'qu mentally kicked himself for even mentioning his feelings. There was no way he could ignore that; he was sure that, once she knew what happened, she would push him away. Or worse. But he had never seen her so… lost before. Wren always had the answers, always knew what to do. Such an honest admission that, for once, she didn't understand was almost unsettling. The myrmidon couldn't – wouldn't – let that stand. "I have… feelings. For you," he said haltingly. Unconsciously, Lon'qu's hand gripped the fabric of his trousers where the ring was still resting. "But I… I'm not good… with women…" That was an understatement, but she already understood the severity of his phobia.

The tactician looked up at him, and now he was sure that there were tears forming in her eyes. Why would she be crying? Lon'qu was the one confessing. When all Wren did was nod, the myrmidon gulped and continued.

"I got… something… for you, but," he looked off to the side and closed his eyes, "everyone thought I got it for… a man."

With that, it was out in the open. Lon'qu didn't want to see her reaction, didn't want to see her disgust. The silence he heard instead just made him surer that Wren was revolted. After all, what woman wanted to be with someone accused of… that? Before she could say anything, the myrmidon gritted his teeth and growled, "Go ahead; say it. I'm weak… pathetic… disgusting! I don't deserve to be with any–"

Lon'qu gasped as he felt Wren embrace him, her head barely going up to his shoulder. His first instinct was to run, but as he opened his eyes at the sudden contact, the myrmidon found that he just didn't have the strength to push her away. At first, he thought that all he could hear was the pounding of his own heart… then he realized that it was Wren. Crying.

"What are you… hic… talking about, you… hic… stubborn idiot?" the tactician managed to choke out between sobs. "You're the best man I… hic… know."

"What?" Lon'qu whispered. His breath had fled his body as soon as Wren hugged him, so it was really all he could manage. "I… don't…"

The tactician shook her head, then looked up at him. Tears were streaming from the corners of her eyes, but her smile… it was so weak and timid, but it made his heart jump anyway. "I like you, Lon'qu. I like you… hic… a lot."

He didn't really know why, but Lon'qu was finally able to move at those words. And he just… put his arms around her. Gently. Slowly, he lowered his head so they were just barely touching foreheads. "You… why?"

Wren giggled a bit. "I don't know," she said, resting her head against his chest again. "I just do. And… uh, if you don't like me… you know… hugging you… just say so."

It was Lon'qu's turn to shake his head. He was close to tears himself. She didn't care? What if people thought he was just trying to prove them wrong by being with her? How would she know? Then it hit him: he hadn't even thought of struggling against her hold, not even when she caught him off guard. Of course, his gynophobia was gone around her… and she was smart enough to figure it out. "I… huu, why must all these emotions be so… vexing?" The myrmidon felt Wren shrug. She didn't know either. He let go of her cloak, reaching into his pocket. "Um… here," he said, opening his hand between them, the ring sitting in his palm.

Wren let go of him and backed up a step, and Lon'qu was surprised to realize that he missed the feeling of closeness. "R-really? You… want to… marry me?"

"Yes." It was the only thing the myrmidon said without hesitation or haste. When the tactician didn't say anything immediately, he cleared his throat and asked, "W-will you? Even after… all that?"

Wren smiled at him, taking his hand in hers. "Yes," she said, wiping her tears away with her sleeve. "Yes."

A/N: As usual, comments, questions, or critiques would be appreciated.

Thank you for reading my story.

P.S. A special thank you to everyone who reviewed. Your support really does mean a lot to me, and gives me the confidence to write what I once never thought I could. Thank you.