Threats and Lies {A Fire Emblem Roleplay}

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BlossomStars

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[fieldbox=|| Introduction ||, blue, solid, 0, FONT]
It had been quite some time since the looming threat of Grima had been vanquished. The Shepherd's, a small group of assorted heros responsible for defeating the beast, had since dispersed, taking some well deserved time to themselves, settling into their varied life courses. When a new threat emerges, though, one which prince Chrom is expressly petitioned for assistance with, the group reassembles to attempt to help peace once again. Little do they realize just what danger this so called cry for help is going to get them into...[/fieldbox]
 
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The royal castle of the halidom of Ylisse stood tall and proud in the middle of the large capital city of Ylisstol. Within the city itself, citizens bustled around, completing their daily activities with little care in the world. The war was over, they had nothing to fear anymore and lived their lives peacefully. However, this was not the case at the royal castle. Chrom walked down the large hallway decorated lavishly with Robin at his side and his future daughter, whom he now considered just his elder daughter, trailing just behind him. The three walked rather quickly, Robin carrying an armful of scrolls, trying not to let them fall as he moved at a brisk pace. "And you're sure." Chrom asked for what seemed to be the millionth time since he had gotten word from Robin. The white-haired man nodded despite knowing Chrom wasn't looking at him. "I've never heard of this country before." Chrom spoke up once again. "What's it called again...?"

"Kairea." Lucina answers, "It's a large continent-country just off the coast of Valm." Chrom nods, turning to look at her and then at Robin as they turn the corner and enter the battle room. Within the room are very few shepherds who were within arm's reach. Sully stood near Stahl, who was fixing up his sandwich while Panne rested against the wall behind them. Yarne sat on the floor next to her, eating his own sandwich--he couldn't help it, being a glutton just ran in the family. Kellam stood unnoticed to the room near the head of the table while Maribelle sat down on the left side of the table next to Ricken with Vaike and Gaius talking loudly behind them. She looked annoyed, but didn't say much, seeing as the two men hadn't seen each other in a while and she thought it rude not to allow them at least a minute or two to catch up.

Quietly, Miriel and Laurent go over some writings in an old book next to Maribelle who was engaged in a conversation with Ricken. Largely, most of the shepherds had yet to arrive. "I thought most of them would be here by now..." Lucina nearly whispered as she glanced about the room.

"Well, they did all spread out." Robin told her, watching as Morgan ran in the room, spinning around before depositing herself on top of the table. Tiki came in, her long hair flowing behind her as she took a seat near her daughter, watching Robin and Chrom patiently for the moment. It'd only be a few moments before she fell back asleep even though Robin had just woken her up maybe twenty minutes before. "I think Olivia and Donnel are bringing Lon'qu from Ferox."

"Gregor's message said he was with Katherine somewhere close by, so they'll be here shortly." Chrom tapped his chin, rounding the table. Robin sat next to him while Lucina took a seat near Maribelle. "Sumia and Henry were in Plegia, I believe." Just as he finished speaking, Sumia tripped into the room with Lissa on her heels. The princess didn't fall ontop of the Pegasus knight, as she was caught at the last second by Frederick. An unmistakable laugh sounded out and into the room came Henry, pulling Sumia into a standing position while Cynthia ran past them, slapping Owain on the back.

"The heroes are here!" She loudly proclaimed. "Hey, Morgan!" The two heroes join the girl sitting on the table who smiles at them. "The Justice Cabal together again!"

"My sword hand twitches in excitement!" Owain yells, "I cannot be contained!"

"You better contain yourself before I do it for you." Lissa warns him, taking her place near Chrom. Owain ducks his head at the snickers her receives and Frederick bows to Chrom before taking a seat as well. "We're still missing some." Lissa points out as she sits, looking around the table.

"We sent word days ago." Robin says, "They should all be arriving some time today."


"Gregor, if you don't hurry up, I will seriously leave you behind." Katherine warns the older man as he walks at a much slower pace than she was. Gregor only laughs, though breathlessly. "I'm serious this time, I'll do it." She couldn't believe she'd agreed to helping out this old man. Picking a nice place to live out the rest of his days? That was a lot harder, seeing as the man wasn't picky--but he was. Every place they'd gone just didn't do it for him. And each time he gave her a reply in his weird accent, she'd been pushed just a little closer to trying to off him. At least he payed for meals, so that was fine, she guessed.

In their sights was the capital city. Katherine sighed, pausing for a moment. "We're almost there, Gregor." Katherine looks back at the man. He's getting older and it's obviously wearing on him. Bringing him along probably wasn't the best decision, seeing as the man could hardly best Katherine in a fight anymore. It was sad, really, that she was beating him more and more each sparring match (though he claimed they were flukes and a bunch of other things) and he wasn't healing as fast as he used to. With a shake of her head, she pushed the thoughts away and allowed the man to catch up.

"...Fancy meeting you... here..." Tharja's barely audible voice caught the attention of the two. The scantily-clad woman gave them an odd smile that would've scared off anyone else, had it not been a Shepherd. Nowi stood next to her, waving wildly at the two. "Going to the capital?"

"Mhmm," Katherine nodded, ruffling Nowi's hair. "I'm guessing our destination is the same. Well, let's not keep them waiting any longer, I guess. After all, you know how those royals get when they wait too long." Tharja nods and Nowi allows herself to transform into a dragon. "I've seen it countless times and it's still pretty much the coolest thing." She says as she, Tharja and Gregor climb onto Nowi's back.


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Kyre was running a little late. She knew well that the gathering of the shepherds was scheduled to begin in five minutes, but she also knew well that many of the others wouldn't be arriving until later. After the end of the war, the end of Grima and what they had thought to be all of their problems, the shepherds had dispersed to all areas of the map to pursue their lives. Traveling to the castle from within the bounds of the halidom was one thing, but coming from Feroxi and beyond was ever more a task.

Pressing a soft kiss to her young daughter's forehead as she set the child into her bed for a nap, Kyre couldn't help but stop to caress the young princess' cheek, hands hardened from war seeming rough as sandpaper against the soft, new skin of Lucina's face. It was difficult for Kyre to pull herself from her child. When the knight had lost her own parents as a child she'd sworn to be an active force in the lives of her own children, yet she found herself having been away more often than not even with the younger Lucina. Of course, it couldn't be helped - it was Kyre's duty to keep and establish the peace and she wouldn't want her daughter to grow up in a world restless with war. Even so...

"Goodnight my darling." Whispering as not to disturb the young one's slumber Kyre allowed herself one more moment of self-indulgence, glancing down at her lovely child for what may be the last time in a while that she would be able to see her. She would grow up to be an amazing woman, were the elder Lucina they had now any indication, but Kyre still wanted to be there to see as much of it as she could.

Forcing herself to pull away from the child Kyre exited the lavish bedroom, one decorated to the teeth with plush toys and every piece of furniture that a child could want, and began rushing down the hall to the meeting room. She hadn't any more time to waste stalling and broke almost into a run as she made her way down the ornate castle halls, careful to avoid the decorations that neatly accentuated the corridors.

Finally making it to the room she was supposed to be in already Kyre paused, taking a minute to steady herself and straighten her appearance before entering. Fortunately she wasn't the last one to arrive and the meeting hadn't yet started, the gathered shepherds still sitting about and catching up. It had been so long since she had seen everyone that Kyre couldn't help but smile. Her grin would have spread across the room had it not been trapped by her lips.

Taking the opportunity to catch up to some of those she hadn't seen in awhile Kyre began to move around the room, arms finding their way around others and lips moved with kind pleasantries. Though she tried to greet all who were there the swordsmaster couldn't help but linger with some of those who she was closest to; Sully, Vaike and Miriel, all of whom had begun to travel after the war, and even Stahl and a few others that simply hadn't visited in awhile. Kyre had been most looking forward to seeing Katherine, though by the time the woman arrived the two had little time to exchange more than a hug and a hello before the meeting was officially started.

As everyone found their places, the firstcomers and older shepherds taking seats around the large table that centered the room while the remainder stood along the walls before the tall bookcases that lined them, Kyre took her place at the front of the room next to her husband. Standing there with hands clasped before her, face dimming to a more serious expression as Chrom began to explain the situation, Kyre could see the serious but inquisitive faces of the others. It had been long since anything threatened the peace of the realm, so this was no small matter. Though they had all already been told briefly about their task they had yet to receive a full explanation and were rightfully interested.

As Chrom explained the plea that had been sent to them Kye could see the shepard's faces turn a little grim, air thickening with the weight of the subject being discussed. Lack of peace was a heavy topic for all of them. Though all of them were glad to see each other and many of them itching to get back into the action of the world, a single fat remained: none of them wanted another war.
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Lon'qu had been quite surprised to hear word from the halidom in the prior days. Of course, he did have old comrades there, brothers in arms, but he'd not spoken to or seen any of them for quite some time. So, when Flavia and Basilio suddenly sought him out to give him word that they had received a message from the kingdom, from Chrom and Robin themselves no less, the swordsman was quite surprised. What was even more surprising was the lack of reaction he had to the news. Glad as he was to have succeeded in the previous war, he had seen too much to be so optimistic as to think that the peace they achieved would be permanent.

Lon'qu had pledged himself to helping Chrom's cause so he had no qualms about traveling to the capital at the ruler's request. However, walking along the bumpy roadway with the ever-jovial Basilio and Flavia along with Donnel and Olivia was getting to be quite a lot for him. He didn't dislike the company of the other shepherds, but listening to Basilio's boisterous laughter and Donnel's thickly farm-accented talk of how the livestock was going had begun to wear on his nerves after days of traveling with very few breaks in between. Fortunately for him, though, their destination was not much farther.

"Well by golly, there it is. Never ceases to 'maze me, how big and pretty 't all is." Donnel announced once they were within site of Ylisse's most prominent, beautiful city, hands on his hips as a dorky grin graced his face. Basilio laughed once more and patted the young farmer on the back (an action that nearly knocked the poor man flat on his face) while Flavia brought up some of the beauties of Ferox, boasting proudly about her own country.

The rest of the trip was short, though elongated by Donnel's distraction with all the amazing wonders of the city. Were it not for Olivia, tugging gently at the brunette's patched sleeve, he'd likely be lost off in an ally somewhere rather than standing before the castle with the rest of the shepherds he'd traveled so far with. A few more minutes and the small group was within the castle walls, entering the room the rest of their comrades of old had gathered.

Sighing a little as Basilio greeted the room, voice booming through the idle chatter, Lon'qu simply made his way to an empty space near the back of the room where he leaned against a bookshelf and waited for the meeting to start. Though he felt a strange lightness being around these familiar, friendly faces, he was not going to let himself get distracted from the task at hand. If Chrom was calling everyone to the castle after getting a plea for assistance, they had a serious matter on their hands. Though the others seemed quite jovial in light of this, Lon'qu refused to let himself get distracted from the task at hand. There would be time for merriment (or, as close to it as the stoic swordsman ever seemed to get) once this issue was over and dealt with.

Lon'qu barely offered a glance to Katherine as she fell into the only available space beside him, the close proximity to a female making the poor man stiffin.

"Aw, lighten up Lon'qu!" Feeling a painful slap to the back from a hand that could only have been Basilio's Lon'qu felt his face grow even hotter. Had his discomfort been that noticeable? Further embarrassed Lon'qu glared up at the bald Feroxi, accusation in his sharp eyes. Neither one had time to respond however, as it was that moment that the meeting started. Once again Lon'qu straightened, attempting to keep serious and focus; a task that proved harder than necessary with Katherine standing so close to him.
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The room soon flooded in with Shepherds old and new. Finally, things would be starting up soon enough. Chrom looked expectantly at everyone in the room as his wife came in, sweeping around the room and greeting everyone. Robin's own eyes were staring between his daughter and her close proximity to Owain and Cynthia and his wife, who was already nodding off. And he'd just managed to get her up too.

With a subtle shake of his head, he allowed the woman to sleep. Surely she'd awaken when the meeting actually began. It wasn't long before Kyre came to stand at Chrom's side. Only a few more people to wait for now. Lon'qu's party happened into the room just minutes before Katherine's party. The thief knocked one of the kids out of the chair, procuring a seat for the aged mercenary and look around. It was crowded.

"Damn, you show up just five minutes before and there's no seats..." Tharja had taken to standing near Libra on the other side of the table while Nowi was sitting near Ricken. How nobody noticed that empty seat, she'd never know. Katherine scanned the room once more, spotting a space near Lon'qu. Well, at least it was free and kind of out of the way.


Katherine moved towards it, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms beneath her cloak just as Chrom cleared his throat and all of the talking seemingly stopped. Katherine stiffened, trying her best to appear smaller and shy away from Lon'qu. She, like every other Shepherd, knew about Lon'qu's... well, condition and she didn't want to upset him, especially now when they were about to receive orders.

"Thank you all for responding." Chrom begins, glancing around the room at all the familiar faces. Even under these circumstances, Chrom was still happy to see them, and excited. Finally, something to do other than boring paperwork... Even if it was this. "I wish the reason I was calling you all together wasn't what it was." He clears his throat once again. "We've received word from a small country that they are in need of help." Katherine raised an eyebrow. This wasn't exactly the dire situation she and Gregor heard about.

"Before you all jump on me, there's more. Apparently, it's got something to do with a strange group of followers trying to reawaken a certain Fell Dragon one-thousand years too early." Okay, now that was something worth getting the Shepherds back together again. Katherine glanced around the room, seeing some shocked faces among the steely gazes of others, but all in all, she could tell many were a little surprised by more followers of Grima. Especially being so far from Plegia too. One could only wonder how word of Grima was carried so far, even after defeating said Fell Dragon. "And they've asked us for helping, seeing as we're the only ones currently living that have defeated the Fell Dragon."


Katherine stepped out slightly, her cloak brushing against Lon'qu as she stood up taller, though not by much. "Considering you've all shown up, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you're in." Robin speaks up upon Chrom finishing his short speech. "So, in light of that, we've already arranged for a ship to take us to Kairea. It leaves at dawn." Robin pauses for a moment before continuing, "The ship will take around ten to fourteen days to arrive in this place and the seas are not free of pirates, so we may encounter more than a few pirate ships on the way there. As for living arrangements, I'll leave that up to you lot."

"That leaves the rest of today for you to make any preparations you haven't already." With only a few more brief statements from both Chrom and Robin, they were dismissed and allowed to use rooms within the castle for the night. Katherine sighed, stretching as the room began clearing out. She decided she'd wait for Kyre, after all, what better time to cathc up Chrom and Robin stayed for a moment before Robin, too, left the room, leaving only a few stragglers behind.

Chrom turned to Kyre, staring at the woman for a moment before he spoke. "Now I know you don't want to leave baby Lucina." He began, "But we need you on the battlefield as well." The two hadn't much time to talk about this due to heavy preparations being made in the last few days for the trip. But now seemed to be as good a time as any to have this conversation.

Katherine frowned, rolling her eyes at the serious-looking conversation going on between Chrom and Kyre. Clearly this would take more than a minute or two. With a heavy sigh, she left the room in search of food. It'd been almost two days since she and Gregor ran out of food on their way to Ylisstol.

And now she had to make sure her weapons were up to grade as well as having enough clothes and snacks and such for this indefinite trip. What if this Kairay—whatever—place didn't have her favorite snacks? How would she live?! "Great, now I gotta go into town… all that money I earned—gone! In the blink of an eye. Thanks for helping every little person in need, Chrom. That's so like you. Just 'chromtastic'…"
 
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Kyre waited silently as Chrom explained the situation, listening respectfully though none of this information was new to her. As the wife of the exalt she knew much about the realm, as much as he did. Well, as much as he'd tell her, and Kyre was sure Chrom told her just about everything. She shared the same such courtesy with him, so long as a secret wouldn't be to his great benefit. Admittedly though, the ruler's wife did begin to tune out a bit when Robin delved briefly into sleeping arrangements, though. Having had more time to prepare than the others, getting the full extent of the news first, Kyre was already aware of this. Being wed with a family made it even less pertinent. Being married and having two children that would be coming with them, both grown and capable as they had come from such a war-wrought future, her rooming arrangements were clear. She'd go wherever Chrom went and, if there weren't enough rooms, she'd share with her children as well.​
As everyone left Kyre lingered behind, hoping to speak with some of the others. This would be the last day they'd have to speak in relative ease and relaxation, the days after this one sure to be filled with much hustle, bustle and duty. There would be little time or mind for idle conversation and pleasant catching up. KYre didn't get to speak with as many as she'd like, however, as Chrom approached her before she could finish making her rounds.

Her smile had dimmed when she saw the serious look he approached her with but it wasn't until he spoke that she frowned. She had been hoping he wouldn't have noticed her reluctance to leave.

"I know." And she did. Kyre was an asset on the battlefield - she'd trained hard to be. Besides, having both the exalt and his wife respond to Kairea's request showed that Plegia was willing to give the small country full support. Even so, she'd been gone away for as much of Lucina's life as she had been there for. It ws a necessary evil but the woman still didn't feel great about it.

"I hadn't truly dreamed of staying." Of course, Kyre had imagined staying with her young daughter, but never as more than a flight of fancy. It was not a tangible hope, nor one she knew she would be confident in even if it was. Even if she could stay behind, Chrom and the others would be out there. If anything happened to a single one of them (a worry that would constantly plague her mind if she wasn't there with them) the swordsmaster would never be able to forgive herself.

Now that the rest of the room had cleared out, some to eat (such as Nowi and Ricken who had walked of chatting excitedly about all of the food the halidom had to offer) and others to rest, Kyre felt a bit more free to speak of more private matters such as this. Though she still hesitated in her words, wanting to say nothing that would lead either to a lecture nor concern from her husband.

"I just... I don't wish to be a passive force in her life. I wish I could be there more often, to be a better mother." Chrom knew this, of course. This was not the first time his wife had expressed similar sentiments about being around for their daughter. She'd spoken similarly quite some time back during their visit to Valm, when she had left Lucina to a wet nurse as to head out with the shepherds.

After allowing herself a short moment of frowny-faced reflection, a moment to feel guilty, Kyre dismissed the feeling after only a moment and forced a smile, meeting her husband's intent gaze once more.

"Don't worry yourself about me, there's plenty to yet be done. Besides, I'm not about to leave you alone to lead this effort! Who'd be there to keep you in check then?" The brunette spoke in jest, poking a gentle finger into Chrom's chest as she tried to lighten the heavied atmosphere between them.
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Even the slightest brush of Katherine's outer cloak was enough to set Lon'qu's face to a rolling boil, a jolt of electricity running through him at even that slight contact. Of all the people to have stood next to him, it had to be Katherine. This was doubly bad for the poor genophobe. First, the thief happened to be a woman with feminine features and a figure to make that fact abundantly clear. Women were insane, unpredictable - weird. A force to be feared. To add to his discomfort already, however, Katherine was perhaps one of the worst of the bunch. Brash, headstrong and unafraid to speak her mind, the voluptuous woman was perhaps one of the most frightening of the bunch. Lon'qu was always particularly uncomfortable with her. Merely glancing at her was enough to make the Ferox-hailing swordsman turn pink, to feel a tightening of his stomach and a stutter of his heart. The one time he had mentioned such things to Basilio the older man had laughed in a way Lon'qu had almost described as knowing - something that infuriated Lon'qu as, as far as he was concerned, there wasn't anything to know (aside from perhaps the fact that the brunette was afraid of women, but that was hardly a revelation to be celebrated.) Needless to say, even though it was a first time occurrence, Lon'qu had vowed to never speak to the khan of women again.

Once everyone had been briefed on the grave situation at hand Lon'qu didn't bother to stick around and visit for very long. He still had preparations to make regarding their journey. He gave little thought to sleeping arrangements, assuming he would stick with the Khans with whom he'd traveled here with should they need to share. However, he still had other things to be done. He'd kept on top of his training vigilantly, never risking a break long enough to make him weak. Daily fighting was a way of life in Ferox. However, just because he had been working hard to keep his mastery of the blade didn't mean he got to take a break now. He also had to be sure he would have enough weapons to begin the battle, ones he would need to get a feel for before charging into battle. If the situation was truly as dire as it seemed failure could not be an option. Lon'qu would have to be ready to help however possible, to be functioning at the top of his abilities.

These were the thoughts that led the swordsman to town. He wished to pick up a few swords, perhaps get the ones he had been using the past weeks repaired and made battle ready for the trip tomorrow. The more he had ready the better. Who knew if they would be able to find a decent merchant with proper wares before they left? Eve if they did, the less they had to buy the better.

Unfortunately for poor Lon'qu, finding what he was looking for was turning out to be more of a problem than he had anticipated. He had found one armoury not too far from the castle, but it was being manned by a woman so he had quickly fled the store to find service elsewhere. They had a few interesting wares but the moment he had turned to speak to the shopkeep about them his mouth had one dry and his words had formed a painful lump in his throat, so clearly that would not work. Apparently though, finding somewhere else to shop was not about to work so well either. The halidom was larger than Lon'qu remembered and apparently also much easier to get lost in. Swept up in crowds of traffic through unfamiliar but somehow identical streets was enough to confuse the poor man and it wasn't long before he was sure he was walking in circles. There wasn't an armory or weapons shop in sight. Instead the swordsman found himself surrounded by various stores painted in vibrant colours, all manner of baked goods and confectionaries standing in artistic arrangements behind large display windows. Lon'qu may haven't have had any idea where he was (something anyone could tell from his furrowed brow and constant glances in all directions, as if he would suddenly find a sign to tell him where to go if he just looked hard enough) but he did have a pretty good idea that he was not where he wanted to be. At all.
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The room emptied quickly, Chrom was a little surprised to have the entire briefing room to himself and his wife for their small talk. Chrom offered a half-smile at his wife’s words. He shouldn’t have doubted her resolve even for a moment. He knew that she’d help out in any way she could, and it hurt him as well, to have to leave behind their young daughter to go fight.

He held out a strange hope that when they got there, it would be as easy as defeating the Grimleal followers and coming back. A trip that took maybe a matter of months and not a year to two years to complete. “Maybe this won’t take as long as everyone thinks it will, hm?” Chrom voiced his opinion. He knew all about Kyre’s pains because he held the same ones. It was hard not to want to stay with their child, especially while she was growing up.

The atmosphere, as Chrom had suspected, was dank. Heavy and tense, just like it had been a few minutes ago. Chrom hoped that it wouldn’t be like this all the time. He knew they were going to war—possibly—but he didn’t want the atmosphere to be awkward and heavy. Maybe after everyone had been in each others’ presence for a while, things would lighten up as they had years ago.

“Of course.” Chrom smiled wider at her, “Robin and Frederick can only do so much now that they’ve got future children to deal with. But there’s no ‘chrompetition’ that our children are the cutest, huh?” Chrom elbowed the air at his joke, “I’ve been workin’ on that one all day.” And he had, all through Robin’s private briefing with him, Chrom was thinking about jokes. He was a dad now, and if there was anything he’d learned from Gregor—who knew he had many illegitimate children—it was that dads made jokes and Chrom found himself wanting to be the king of these dad jokes.

“Well, let’s get going, then.” Chrom finally sighed, moving to take his wife’s hand. “I’m sure Frederick has something or other for us to look at concerning the trip.”




Katherine’s need for things to satisfy her on the trip brought her into town. She’d tried to find others to go with her—mostly Gaius, considering they liked the same things and both were known to be a good time in their own right, but that was quickly shot down when she saw him walking with Maribelle, whom was yelling at him in that ‘I want to yell but we’re in public’ voice and she vowed never to get on Maribelle’s bad side. And pretty much everyone had something they were doing by themselves or with someone else. Katherine wasn’t stupid enough not to catch the hints they were all giving off.

That was how she found herself wandering around town. Katherine could hardly ever get lost in a city or town she’d been to before. Plus, it hadn’t been but a few weeks since she’d been in Ylisstol. She’d hadn’t visited the castle in the short times she’d come back to the city, but she knew her way around, even if the city seemed to get bigger and bigger each year. The city was divided into different areas and one of the lower districts of the large city held weapon shops, some of the best in South Ylisse, and that was Katherine’s first stop. She restocked all of what she could inside her various compartment belts and bought a new sword. This one looked promising, and it was expensive. She nearly cried as a good chunk of her money was taken.

“This whole trip better be worth it…” Katherine mumbled as she purchased a new whetstone and small bag of sand. She wasn’t too trustworthy of others repairing her sword and often took to doing it herself. With her purchases made, Katherine didn’t stick around long enough to see anything else and made her way around the town. Now, for the best part of this trip: snacks. Katherine smiled widely in glee. Yes, this was definitely the best part of the trip. With a bigger bag being purchased on the way, Katherine made her way towards one of the upper districts. The warm smells of baked goods filled the air and Katherine sighed contently as she walked around, visiting various stores and stocking up more and more on things she’d probably eat within a few days.

“Ah… Ylissean pastries are always the best…” She stood, staring through the glass like the small children around her. These shops really knew how to draw her in, didn't they? Katherine pulled out her wallet, staring at the crinkling bills and coins, mentally counting them and frowning when she realized she'd only had less than half of what she'd started with. “Hah… I can’t get anymore snacks, I’m running out of money!” She whined, a deep frown marring her face. “…but maybe I can get free samples…”



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Kyre let Chrom's words fill her chest will a small swell of hope. If a group was trying to resurrect Grima once again they would need quite a bit of manpower. It was no small idea, so it wasn't likely that the mission would be so simple as arriving, kicking butt and then leaving once more. However, Kyre had never been one to dismiss a thought or a hope because the chances of it working out were slim. Even if holding onto the hope that they wouldn't be gone long did nothing more than make her feel better Kyre would take it, and she would fight to bring her hopes to life.

Kyre had been smiling, about to suggest that they go get something to eat, when Chrom decided to make his joke. She froze in place, countenance settling into an expression of deep unamusement. Chrom had started making these jokes fairly recently, turning everything and everything into a pun or joke that made eyes roll and groans fill rooms. Kyre could do nothing but sigh. She loved her husband and his ability to keep light in many situations was something that endeared him greatly to her. However, that joke had been almost physically painful. What was worse, Kyre hadn't any doubt in her mind that he really had been piecing that one together for the better part of the day.

Letting out a heavy sigh and simply shaking her head, with no words for her husband's adorable dweebishness, Kyre simply took Chrom's offered hand and began to walk out of the room to search for the chief of the royal guard, all but dragging Chrom behind her by their interlaced fingers as she did.

"I wonder what this country's like." Kyre mused aloud as they walked the halls, heading towards the room where Frederick was most likely to be found. After saying such Kyre turned to glance up at Chrom curiously, having by now forgiven him enough to walk at his side, fingers remaining interlaced. Though they'd heard much of the area's predicament they'd heard little of its landscape. Personally, Kyre had never known Kairea's existence until they'd received a letter from them. Was it a warm, sunny realm, or cold and mountainous? She hadn't the slightest clue. She could only hope it was a bit obscure, though, an exotic land to explore. She knew they weren't going for fun but it never hurt to at least find something of interest, to enjoy what could be enjoyed. Exploration and experience was a large part of adventuring, after all!

"Honestly I know nothing of Kairea, other than the trouble it seems to be in." Kyre admitted, laughing a little awkwardly. Surely Frederick would scold her, should he hear her say such a thing. Perhaps, as a ruler's wife, she should have had a little more worldly knowledge, but she knew precious little about the realms beyond their more common interactions. Such ignorance had never really hurt her before, however. Robin could brief her on the area should she need it, as he had been studying the realm fervently since they'd called for help. Kyre could only imagine that Frederick had devoted some of his time to study as well, as to best protect and serve their cause - though Kyre would probably avoid asking the knight much, lest she end up with a lecture.

A few minutes later and the royal couple emerged in a small room, books lining the walls with a small, worn table perched in the middle of the room. It looked similar to the meeting room they'd been in minutes ago, but in miniature. True to predictions Frederick stoof hunched over soemthing in the middle of the room while Lissa sat near him, swinging her legs with a child-like pout on her face.

"But Frederick! I'm hungry." She whined, dragging out the last word. It was about time for lunch, after all. Her husband simply sighed, having heard the complaint since he'd begun working after the end of the meeting.

"Then by all means, milady, don't allow me to stop you from eating. I must finish this with haste but I shall meet you in the dining hall once it's completed." Clearly not happy with that answer Lissa simply huffed, staying right where she was and crossing her arms, contemplating how oblivious men seemed to be when it came to matters of subtlety.

Unable to stop herself, Kyre let out a giggle at the exchange, bringing the attention of the couple to the newcomers in the room.

"Milord! Forgive me, I did not hear you come in." Frederick turned, bowing formally at the waist as he finally took note of Chrom and Kyre, standing in the doorway.

"Perhaps we could help with the arrangements, Sir Frederick? You've been working awfully hard as of late and it would be terribly if our best knight were to fall because he failed to take care of himself." Kyre suggested, giving Lissa a subtle glance as she attempted to help her sister-in-law out. Frederick had been working hard for weeks now, even harder than usual and Kyre didn't mind giving him a little break. She doubted that Chrom would have qualms with the idea either - he knew as well, if not better, than anyone how hard Frederick worked himself.
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Grumbling light curses as he walked along, hoping to reach some sort of familiar area, or even a directional sign post, Lon'qu kept a scowl on his face even in the face of delicious confectionary and the smells of freshly baked cakes and other treats. Though others of the area smiled in delight, he could do nothing but dwell on how irritable this whole situation was making him. It was hard for him to deny that he was fairly lost at this point, but even harder for him to let go of his pride and ask for directions. He had found one shop, surely he could find his way back to that area of town. Eventually.

On his continued search, he eventually found a familiar face. A familiar face that, instead of filling him with a sense of relief, turned his face red and made him stiffen. Katherine? What was she doing here? The way the shepherd had her face near-pressed against one of the windows that had a display of ornate sweets behind it made the answer to that rather obvious, but Lon'qu couldn't help but dwell on the question. Of all people, it had to be the one that made him feel so strangely. Perhaps he was growing ill.

Lon'qu didn't even notice that he had begun to stare until almost a minute later. A mischievous expression had taken hold of Katherine's face as she stared at one of the shops, one that advertised a few of their sweets in carts just outside of the store. Though the swordsman hadn't consciously desired to, his feet slowly took him closer to where the grinning thief stood. He thought not of his actions, nor anything else, hardly having realized that he was moving until he stood beside Katherine before one of the carts of assorted candy. The sign posted atop the cart boasted that each individual piece was only one gold piece each, but something in Lon'qu's gut made him wonder if the dark-haired shepherd was truly interested in such a deal. Most of her friends knew of Katherine's little habit, her fingers stickier than the candy she seemed to love so much.

"What are you doing?" Voice as gruff as ever, low and rumbling from lack of use, Lon'qu spoke up. His actions and words had escaped before his brain could even process them, a firm hand grasping Katherine's wrist before Lon'qu's phobia had time to catch up. Why he was stopping her, why it even mattered was something Lon'qu was confused of himself though he chalked it up to the thought that the last thing the shepherds needed was one of their own getting caught breaking the law. If the one day the shepherds were in town was the day the villagers started getting harassed that would be an unnecessary burden on the man he was told to follow. Yes, it must have been something like that.

It was at that moment that the tinkling of a bell sounded and someone walked out from the store they had been standing in front of.

"Hello there! Are you looking to buy something?" The man who had walked out of the shop was old. Perhaps the oldest man Lon'qu had ever seen. his voice shook and his skin sagged, cane wobbling slightly with the man's stance as he offered the two a strangely youthful looking smile.

"No thanks." Not looking to spend his money on something as frivolous as candy Lon'qu denied quickly. Of course, like any good store owner, the elderly man didn't simply let Lon'qu go at that.

"What about your partner son? You've got to treat your girl once and awhile, you know! Believe me sonny." The man cackled, clearly trying to be friendly (while still trying to make a sale) as his eyes flickered to Lon'qu's hand, still firmly planted on Katherine's wrist. It was then that Lon'qu finally noticed the contact and he all but jumped away from the woman, face turning perhaps redder than it had ever been as he sputtered incoherently, heart gripped by horror as he realized what he had done. Not only did this old man think he was dating, he had touched a woman. That was perhaps the boldest move he'd made in years and he hadn't even done so on purpose.

Silently cursing himself for his stupidity, Lon'qu knew he needed to get out of that situation quickly, lest he explode. He would need perhaps days to get over this, locked away in a blanket ball of regret and humiliation. Dear Naga why had he acted in such stupidity?

"Here." The swordsman tried to keep his voice completely even and though it didn't crack it had raised quite a bit. Extending a small bag of money from one of his many pockets, willing to pay more than necessary to just get himself out of there, Lon'qu allowed the man to take the small burlap sack he carried (it was an extras fund, one containing no more than thirty pieces) before turning on his heels and beginning to stalk away. By Naga, what had that been? Why did Katherine always make him act so rashly? And why had he even had interest in her affairs in the first place?

So wrapped up in his thoughts, Lon'qu didn't even hear the chuckle of the elderly man he had just given his money to, nor the smile in his voice as he spoke up again, to Katherine this time.

"You've got yourself quite a strange one, eh? A good man though. I wish you the best of luck."
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It was clear that Kyre didn’t enjoy his joke like he thought she would. A little sad, Chrom frowned as well. He had worked hard on that one! Not even a chuckle? Clearly he needed to go back to the drawing board, but name puns were great. Little Lucina seemed to like them! So clearly he needed to up his jokes. And that would take more time. But it would be worth it once everybody started laughing at his jokes. Chrom mentally nodded, yes, this was his calling. As the two left the briefing room, Chrom was already formulating his next jokes. “I don’t know,” Chrom shrugged, “I know just about as much as you do.”

Chrom was more focused on the fact that even after sending a reply back, they didn’t get anything in return. That was rather foreboding of worse things to come. And this place wasn’t exactly on the map, aside from the one provided by the people of the land in question, there wasn’t much they knew. Only small legends from old books that probably had nothing to do with this strange land.

“That goes for me as well.” This whole 'researching' thing was a lot harder to do when they barely had any information to work with. It was irritating and Chrom was about at the end of his rope. Luckily, however, preparations were almost done and they were leaving the next day. At least that meant that Chrom wouldn't have to hear about Robin complaining about this 'made up land'. That was partially what made Chrom use the briefing time to make up these jokes. "Maybe it's full of weird animals or maybe there's no people at all. Or... it's all water or something?"

The small library where they found Frederick and Lissa was not but a small walk away from the meeting room. A glance around told him Frederick had been working since before the meeting even started. He could tell by the way Lissa thrashed about. At least Owain wasn’t in the room, that’d probably be even more of a mess. He could tell that Lissa was ready to go and eat something. Chrom offered a smile and small wave towards the head knight as he and Kyre stepped further into the room.

“Have you found anything knew, Frederick?” Chrom picked his way through the towers of books over towards Frederick. He knew the man probably didn't, seeing as this little continent island faraway place was so hard to find. And even when they did, it was little pieces that didn't fit together. All in all, Chrom swore that this was probably making all of them--except Robin--get gray hairs. “If you and Lissa would like to get something to eat, Kyre and I could take over for you.” Chrom offered.



Spending money was something Katherine hated doing. Really, it pretty much came with the territory of being a thief. Besides, Katherine felt like she’d be an upstanding citizen for long enough. If she didn’t take something she wasn’t supposed to soon, maybe she’d die. She didn’t know. Around this time when she felt ‘theft withdrawl’ as she liked to call it, she’d alrerady solen something. To her left stood a cart, unmanned and defenseless against her.

A wicked grin spread across her face. This would be an easy, easy grab. “Ah… look how many kinds…” Her eyes sparkled. Such a shame, this man was about to lose out on some cash because he couldn’t watch his storefront. Absorbed in trying to find the quickest way to take the candy without anyone noticing, Katherine didn’t realize someone was standing next to her. That is, until that person’s hand grabbed her wrist. Eyes wide, Katherine snapped her head to look at the person, already formulating a plan of escape when her nerves calmed.

It was someone she knew. It was Lon’qu, the one who didn’t like women. His voice sent chills down her throat, just as if Frederick had caught her snacking before dinner. She grunted nearly inaudible. “I was going to get some candy before someone stopped me.” She glared at him. She knew from past experience—and what others had told her—that Lon’qu was a man of honor, but she was sure he wasn’t above stealing. Nobody was when it could clearly benefit them. Katherine was just more… open about it.

The sound of the bell above the store nearly made Katherine jump out of her skin. She backed up slightly, wanting to break free from Lon’qu’s grip but that’d be even more suspicious. Now she was stuck. Hopefully the man wouldn’t notice. The elderly man hobbled out of the store and smiled at them. Katherine really wanted to leave. At the implication that the man’s words made, Katherine let a wicked smile cross her face before she settled for a sweeter smile. “I could really go for some candy, honey.” She said just as Lon’qu practically ripped himself from her side. She put a hand to her cheek, waving the other in front of her, giggling lightly. “Oh, he’s so shy about being in public~!”

‘Payback’s a bitch, ain’t it?’
She cast a glance over at him, surprised to see him pull out a small sack of money and all but throw it at the man and leave. She blinked, staring at Lon’qu’s retreating form and then back to the man, who gestured towards the cart. He piled more than enough candies into a sack and tied it nicely as he spoke. Katherine smiled, taking the bag, “You know how those Feroxi warriors are,” She waved her hand again, “But thank you! Have a nice day.” She turned on her heel, running to catch up to Lon’qu and slapping him on the back after coming to stand next to him. “What’re you doing in this part of town anyway?” She dug into the bag, “I mean, I didn’t take you as one to buy sweets.” The man seemed just a little too uptight to enjoy sweet things like this.

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Between the prodding of both of his superiors and the ever-present nagging aura of his ever-impatient wife Frederick finally withered, broad shoulders slumping the slightest bit as a heavy sigh escaped his chest.

"If you insist I suppose I must oblige." Frederick gave in hesitantly. In his mind his work never seemed to be done, so the more he could do at any given time the better. Still, it was clear to all that he worked harder than need be. Besides, his task was thus far quite fruitless and even with every book on every shelf in house Ylisse Kyre doubted it would yield anything further. The country they were bound for was remote, to say the least, and it seemed that nearly no one knew anything about it. No writers, nor historians, nor culturalists, nor informants, nor artists or poets. The distant realm seemed quite an enigma. Kyre found that that also made it all the more fascinating. That meant that every step on that foreign land would warrant surprise, the very name of the island kingdom breeding surprise and suspense. If there was one thing Kyre was always up for (much to Frederick the Wary's chagrin) it was trying new things and adventure - no matter how dangerous. While the situation could have been better and leaving Lucina broke the queen's heart, she still cradled a small flame of excitement within herself. It was one of the only things that kept her determined and in high spirits.

"Why don't you listen when I ask you to take a break?" Huffed Lissa suddenly, fists finding her hips as her lips curled into a pout. Frederick sputtered for an answer, hoping to balance the importance of his duty to the exalt and his wife's anger. Fortunately for him though Lissa's anger cooled as swiftly as it has arrived as she decided that her hunger was more important that her irritation.

"Ugh, whatever. But I want an extra portion of dessert today in exchange for making me wait so long!" Huffing again Lissa wrapped her arms around one of her husband's allowing him to escort her to the dining hall.

"Of course, Milady." Wasting no more time the couple exited the room, Frederick offering a bow while Lissa offered a wave.

Watching them leave, Kyre couldn't help but giggle. The two were just too funny. They made quite the pair. They were sweet, though, and she was happy for them.

"Alright, so let's see where he left off." Kyre set to work, taking a seat on the table and cracking open one of the books Frederick had neatly piled in his 'to be re-read' pile. All pages that had any pertinence to Kairea were marked clearly with neat red book marks, various sections Frederick found important underlined in black ink that formed the straightest line Kyre had ever seen in her life. She hadn't any idea how the knight did such; she could do little more than blob ink on the page and even Robin, who slaved over books all day long, had scrawled, messy underlining that often ran through words or stopped short of a full sentence.

After a few minutes of reading through books that said little about the realm other than what they already knew (that it was an island, remote and very small in terms of population) from parchments that were, in some cases, so old that their reliability was quite questionable Kyre began to grow bored. It had been said before that idle hands were the devil's workshop and this statement proved truer with few others than it did with Kyre.

Once she was sure her husband wasn't looking at her, occupied by the book he had in hand, she moved to take one of the quills from the oil pot in which it sat, ensuring that there was quite a glob of ink on it before placing it close to Chrom's face, just out of his peripheral vision.

"Chrom?" Kyre asked, holding back a snicker as she waited for him to turn his cheek into the ink.
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Lon'qu glanced over slightly as Katherine fell into step beside him. His face was still red, ghosts of tingling warmth where her hands had been and on his palm where he'd touched her skin seeming to burn with greater intensity the closer she got to him. It was a strange feeling, like sparks sizzling under his skin and he just wanted it to go away.

Nervous with even the presence of a woman Lon'qu moved to walk with a bit greater distance between himself and Katherine, too shy to so much as look at her. Even when she asked him a question, one that made him stiffen as he realized how embarrassing the answer was, his gaze was averted.

"I was headed to buy swords." Was his curt answer, heat creeping into his neck and turning him a shade that would more appropriately fit a tomato as embarrassment darked his already present shyness. He knew damn well that he was in the wrong place entirely, but he had no idea how wrong this was. He could only hope that there was an armor selling section of town not too far from here that could make him look like he had simply decided to use this area as a shortcut. After all, having Katherine of all people find out that he was hopelessly lost would make this whole exchange even more humiliating than it already was.

A few minutes later and Katherine was still standing at Lon'qu's side. The poor swordsman hadn't even had time to cool off from their initial meeting moments ago and having a girl walking around with him was putting him even further on edge. Why could she have been sticking around anyways? Many people dismissed him because of his cold nature, and no women ever put up with him for long since he'd developed his phobia of them. Of course, the aloof swordsman didn't mind this too much, but it made him that much more difficult for him to understand why Katherine was still there beside him, steps matching hers as they headed to the southern area of town.

"What are you following me around for?" Lon'qu questioned rather bluntly, tone curt from embarrassment and the underlying feeling of fear that always bubbled in him when he had to deal with a woman. Not only did the opposite sex set him on edge by their mere existence, but interacting with one only made it worse. Women were strange and he could not, for the life of him, understand how to interact with them. What to say or do around them... it was a strange science, one he doubted he would ever understand. Hearing tales of the wrath of women, especially stories Basilio told of times he'd angered Flavia (or she'd simply become angry on her own account) just made him more fearful. From all he'd heard women were a terrifying force.

"I can find my way just fine." Lon'qu grumbled, though all evidence pointed to the contrary. Though having someone to help show him around and guide him so he didn't get left behind in Ylisse in the morrow due to being lost was useful he still attempted to shake off his guide. If he had a moment to himself perhaps his chest would lighten and he would finally begin to be able to breathe once more.
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Chrom offered a smile and a small wave to his sibling and head knight. Those two were always something interesting to watch for him, with Lissa being so… well, Lissa. And with Frederick being the way he was, the two made a strange dynamic. And it was clear the only thing that Owain shared with his father was his hair color, sense of justice and honor and his sword skills. Other than that, it was clear as day that Owain took after Lissa. He was sure that aside from the dessert Frederick was obviously going to give her, Lissa would end up playing a prank on Frederick. And that’d be funny to see.

After Frederick and Lissa left the room, Chrom settled down near Kyre and began looking through the books Frederick had scattered throughout the room. He knew there wouldn’t be much in them, even Robin had given up looking through all the books the castle had to offer. Still, maybe they’d come across something. There was also the matter of how old everything in this place was. Nothing having to do with this land had any type of date on it, so really, Chrom knew that half of this stuff was probably unreliable, but they still searched anyway because Chrom knew nobody liked going into somewhere without knowing at least something about it.

But then again, that’s pretty much how it was when they’d gone to Valm, aside from what Virion knew about the country, they were largely blind to everything within the country until they met Say’ri. Chrom flipped through the books, not really reading anything, but thinking about his jokes. Of course, he should be thinking about battle strategies with Robin, but seeing as they knew nothing about the terrain of this place, there was really nothing they could do but get together supplies. Absorbed solely on his thoughts, Chrom only sat Kyre move, he didn’t look up to see what she was doing, only that she moved and he assumed she was getting comfortable.

He sighed, flipping through a few more pages when Kyre called his name. Chrom snapped his head up then turned, feeling something cold on his skin. He jumped, startled and tried to back up, only to knock over a stack of books. “Wh-what was that?” He asked, eyes focusing on the quill in his wife’s hands. “…a quill?” He touched his cheek, pulling away from it ink. His surprise and shock faded into annoyance and amusement. He was annoyed he didn’t think of that first and amused by his wife’s antics. “You’re getting a lot done, aren’t you?” He questions with a good-natured smile.

Chrom’s eyes immediately went to the ink pot where Kyre’d gotten the quill, then they went back to her as he subtlety tried to sit up and reach for it. Two could play at this game.


“Oh…” Katherine replied, nodding her head and trying to stifle her laughter. “Well… you’re certainly a long way away from the weapons district.” Katherine inwardly shook her head. Did Lon’qu really get lost so badly within Ylisstol? She couldn’t believe this. The city hadn’t changed that much over the years… well, to her at least. Katherine continued to stand with Lon’qu, as she had nothing else to do at the moment, what better thing to do than to bother someone who clearly didn’t want to be bothered. That was always the most fun.

“Hm?” Katherine raised an eyebrow at Lon’qu before she smiled, “I’m not following you, we just happen to be going the same way, don’tcha know?” Noticing the slight distance between them, Katherine steps a little closer to Lon’qu, her smile still wide. “Maybe I’m going to a nearby weapons shop that just happens to be in this direction?” That was a lie, the only thing in this direction was a large garden that the upper class frequented. If anything, they’d have to turn around and go back towards the other side of the large city. Lon’qu had really gotten himself lost and that was sad… but also really funny. And Katherine would milk it for as long as she could. “Maybe you could… go with me?” She tilted her head slightly.

“After all, there’s a lot we gotta get, it’d be better if two people carried it.” Katherine backed away for a moment, surveying Lon’qu and feeling the air. “Mm, are you alright, it’s not that hot out, so why is your face like that?” She tilted her head once more, staring at him for a moment. She’d noticed that Lon’qu often looked like this, maybe it was a skin condition? That was a possibility. “Besides, there’s a garden up there that you’ll get lost in if you don’t know your way around—which you probably don’t.” Katherine reaches for Lon’qu’s hand and pulls him back the way they came. “C’mon, it’s not far.” That was a lie, it was at least twenty minutes from where they were.


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At first Kyre's countenance was innocent, eyes big and blinking rapidly as Chrom looked over at the quill, but slowly it turned to one of mischief as Chrom commented on her progress. She'd made about as much as anyone else, and figured they deserved a break.

Absorbed in her new task, turning the blob she'd stained her husband's cheek with into a haphazard smiley face, Kyre didn't really notice his subtle movements, simply compensating for any adjustments to make her little doodle as even as possible. It wasn't until Chrom actually had the ink in hand that Kyre knew to fear, jumping back as quickly as he legs would allow.

"Don't you dare!" She squealed, eyes dancing with laughter. So he was going to play it that way, hm? Well that was fine by her.

"Please? I'm sorry~" Making the best puppy dog expression Kyre could muster through her smile Kyre lifted her hands in a false surrender, ever so slowly creeping back towards the drawer that held the ink pots. To open a new one would a wasteful she knew, enough to get a lecture from Frederick if he found out, but it would definitely be worth it. This was a battle she would win if it took every ink pot in that drawer. Competitive side kicking in, Kyre was beginning to feel a determination that had laid dormant for years now. Even if Chrom was her husband and she loved him dearly, she'd not spare him (or his clothes) an inky loss. She was going to win.

Moving slowly, ever so carefully, Kyre dropped her hands and moved them behind her back, slowly sliding the old drawer open as silently as she could, doing all in her power to keep her plan a secret.

Success gripped at her as her hands found a pot of ink near the front of the drawer and nimble fingers wrapped around it, attempting to open it as subtly as possible. If she could only get a little on her hands...

Finally Kyre claimed success, but not without a price. As the lid of the pot opened it made a sound of protest, a loud pop that echoed through the room. Realizing that she'd been caught Kyre grabbed the traitorous container and ran to the other side of the room.

"It doesn't have to be like this. You could always just surrender now." Kyre offered with a playful grin, knowing full well that Chrom wouldn't leave her challenge be and give up. This was going to be fun.
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Lon'qu wanted to reject. He didn't know what would happen if he didn't - literally exploding from an excess of embarrassment didn't seem all that impossible at this point and the poor genophobe knew that the longer he stayed with Katherine the closer that possibility loomed. Even so, the mention of a weapons shop got his attention. The girl could have been lying, but there was still a chance that she wasn't. And she may have been his only hope for getting to where he needed to go at this point... Unable to pass up the opportunity Lon'qu let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine. Just... don't stand so close to me." Stepping away once more Lon'qu finally let himself fall into step with Katherine, albeit a little shakily. If he was going he was going on his terms - at least that's what the swordsman told himself. Even despite what he said, though, he really was at the mercy of the thief he followed.

"It's nothing." The mention of his blush, still rosy but having dulled since the encounter with the candy salesman, made Lon'qu's cheeks flare again. He had been hoping she hadn't noticed. Of course, with a blush that tainted the colour of his skin from the tips of his ears to his neck and practically radiated heat, it would have been hard not to notice.

The moment Katherine's hand grasped Lon'qu's a small grunt of surprise passed his lips and his legs turned to lead. He nearly tripped trying to walk after her as she redirected him, heart suddenly on overdrive and stopping in its tracks all at once. Most women had a profound, fear inducing effect on the poor man, but none so much as Katherine. This was ridiculous. The swordsman nearly feared that he was about to drop and have a heart attack, and never had his movements been so stiff and graceless in his life. Had she perhaps cast a curse of some kind? Had he been hexed? Lon'qu could think of no other explanation but even that seemed far fetched.

"U-Unhand me, damn woman!" Lon'qu stuttered out as Katherine continued to lead him in the right direction, still feeling to stiff and clumsy to force his hand from her grasp. Honestly this was beginning to grow frightfully troublesome...
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“You’re not that sorry.” Chrom told her, a smirk taking its place on his face. While in certain situations, those puppy eyes would completely and totally win him over, this was not one of them. Not while he had a crappy smiley face drawn on his cheek and his wife was clean and free of ink.

He knew as well as Kyre did that now that this had been done, there was no way they were going back to reading boring old, uninformative books on a new land. He stared back at his wife, amused by her antics. This is partly why he hadn’t gone mad with boredom from all these years of peace.

Chrom knew she was up to something. She always was. The woman was nothing short of an enigma at times and Chrom loved it—probably more than he loved his new found talent for dad jokes. He watched her, slowly inching across the room towards her as she back p into the table behind her. She had nowhere to run because Chrom, even though he hadn’t been out in the field much recently, was still as quick and agile as he was all those years ago—maybe even more so. And he would catch her, as he always did.

She hadn’t moved much since getting over there and Chrom knew she had to be up to something. But what could be in that drawer? “Ah…” Chrom said aloud. “Thought you could get a new pot without me noticing, eh?” So that was her game. A new pot versus an old, almost completely used up pot. Well, no matter, Chrom had done much worse with less.

“You and I both know that a King does not surrender.” Chrom slowly moved towards her, “Even to someone as beautiful as his own wife.” Chrom straightened for a moment,Especially to someone as beautiful as his own wife. This is war.” As soon as he declared that, he moved, jumping forward.


Katherine made it a point to stand close to people. It limited their movements. If she had stood at a normal distance that would give them enough time to betray her by stabbing her or something. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Lon’qu, it was just that… well, the saying ‘old habits die hard’ was no truer than when it came to Katherine.

She sometimes ate alone and away from others—in the rafters due to her upbringing with the Phantom Night band. But that was a story for another time. And while she knew of Lon’qu’s… ailment, she really didn’t care—plus, Miriel said the best way to curing something like a fear was to be exposed to it… heavily. She’d implied this during the last war when Katherine was partnered up with Lon’qu a few times per Robin’s request.

It didn’t work then, but maybe Lon’qu had gotten better on his own? Or maybe he just didn’t like Katherine all that much? That couldn’t be true, otherwise he wouldn’t have bought her some candy… or entertained her with his presence for so long. If he truly hated her and didn’t want to be around her, he would’ve left. He would’ve been huffed and walked away. But he didn’t and therefore Katherine’s logic was: Lon’qu is probably too embarrassed to admit he wants to be her friend. And that lead to Katherine smiling secretly and not moving an inch away from him.

A few things wrong with Katherine might’ve been her ability to lie so well even she had trouble telling what was true and this. Katherine had a problem with dragging people along to do things they didn’t want to do from the get-go. Even as a child her almost ungodly amount of speed aided her in pulling along people before they even realized it. “I don’t want you to get lost.” Katherine looked down at their joined hands. “It’s just for a little while,” She shot him a look, seemingly a cross between a pout and amusement. It was obvious that she was having fun.

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Kyre had tried to move out of Chrom's way - she really had. But between her short legs and his superior speed she still ended up caught, flesh quickly seized and painted with the inky black stain of defeat. A seasoned warrior, Kyre knew that one lost battle did not equal a lost war. Her skin was stained a deep black, one that stood out in violent contrast to her skin, but she was not yet covered. And, with a full pot of ink in her hands she still had the upper hand. All was not lost yet.

In a series of quick movements Kyre began squirming to escape, quickly but carelessly spilling a glob of ink on the hand not held captive, using that hand to push against the exposed skin of one of Chrom's arms. She'd always found his one armed garb to be rather strange and had never been overly fond of the fashion choice, but she was suddenly extremely fond of it. Never had she been so satisfied with her husband's fashion sense.

In the shock of her husband's realization, arm now smeared with inky black in a dripping hand print below his proud brand, Kyre managed to slip away. Seeing her oppertunity in the moment, knowing she may not get another one, Kyre decided to act quickly. If she didn't she was certain she would lose this battle, taking a walk of shame to one of the palace bathrooms to wash up and try to rid herself of ink stains. A proud queen, she'd not be having any of that. So, she took action, launching across the table to try to unleash her next attack.

That was when everything went wrong. Her haste serving as her downfall Kyre felt a sudden tug at her foot - her heel had gotten snagged by one of the books on the table. She had only a moment to regret her action before she slipped, flopping with the grace of a newborn pegasus into Chrom's chest, effectively knocking him over and sending them both spiraling into the floor.

Groaning, Kyre felt her face turn red with the shame of her failure. Even the pain of her bruised backside couldn't compare to the sting of her wounded ego. It was a struggle for the swordmaster to crack her eyes open, knowing that as soon as she did she'd be met with her husband's smirk. When she managed the will though, Kyre was very glad she put in the effort. She managed to open her eyes just in time to see the pot she had been holding, the pot that had gone flying during her fall, tip upside down and fall back to the floor. As fortune would have it much of the pots inky contents managed to spill on Chrom.

A few seconds of thick silence passed before Kyre's lips slowly began to pull upwards. It started as a smirk, then a smile, and finally evolved into a full out laugh. Head tilting back, eyes squeezing shut, Kyre couldn't help the boisterous laughter that escaped her lips. Something about the situation just struck her as hilarious.

"I believe that victory goes to me, my King." As her laugh subsided into lighter giggles Kyre smirked, hand raising to smear some of the ink that had begun to drip down the side of Chrom's face with an affectionate thumb.


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"I don't need your help woman." Lon'qu's voice was gruff and irritable but with his face so red, tomato-coloured from the tip of his nose to the ends of his ears, it was hard to take the swordsman seriously. And, with his muscled frightened into a stiffness that made it hard for him to walk let alone fight, something Katherine could no doubt feel latched to his arm the way she was, Lon'qu seemed even less threatening. The fact that he couldn't even look at her didn't help him either. But, even if he had wanted to, he simply couldn't bring himself to look down at the girl that held to him. He just couldn't. She was so close to him, so unbearably close. Close enough for him to make out the minute details of her face - the smoothness of her pale face, the infuriatingly amused curl of amusement on her lips, the delicate arch of her eyebrows... All women looked so delicate, something that reminded Lon'qu of his painful past with a jarring lurch of his stomach and a twist of his heart. Somehow though his symptoms always seemed worse around Katherine. She made the lurch of his stomach ache, the twist of his heart intertwine with savage beating and it was a most uncomfortable sensation. The brunette could not for the life of him place it but he thought it best to stay away from Katherine, lest he drop dead on the spot. Now though he was trapped, read-faced and suffering in his ailment with no sympathy from the cause. He'd not be getting away any time soon.

Of course, despite his protests and obvious discomfort, hand nearly shaking in hers, Katherine didn't obey his demand. He twitched when she swore, in a voice so sweet Lon'qu was sure he was being entrapped somehow, that it was only for a little while. That didn't make him feel much better. He was still uncomfortable, afraid and shifty. He didn't want it to last at all, a little while or otherwise. Still, a little while was better than a long while. And, knowing Katherine the bit that he did, Lon'qu feared that his complaints would spur her to hold on even longer. So he settled for a grumble and let his eyes stare at the ground with an intensity that anyone would have sworn made the bricks crack a little, trying desperately to ignore the heat coming from their interlocked hands.

Quite some time and distance later Lon'qu was still rather pink and it was a marvel that he hadn't passed out yet. When they finally stopped Lon'qu was set to jump in joy and recoil but managed to hold himself back as he looked around. The longer his eyes roved the more his brow creased, frown deepening enough to wrinkle. He saw no weapon shops, heard no tell-tale dings of hammers on newly forged weapons or armor. In fact, al her saw were families and couples wandering gleefully in and out of a large, ornately fenced garden park. This didn't make any sense and Lon'qu was suddenly as confused as he was irritated.

"Where are we? And where are the weapons?"
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While it was a little bit rushed and reckless to toss most of his pot at Kyre, Chrom couldn’t help but laugh at the result. She was nearly covered in ink. And laughing distracted him. Chrom felt the wetness of the ink on his arm and frowned in amusement. He should’ve been more careful, honestly. But it was too funny to pass up. Chrom pulled his arm away in shock, staring at the now blackened limb with another amused frown. Damn, she had gotten him good and she’d managed to slip out of his grip. “I won’t be so careless next time.” Chrom promised her as he looked down at his own ink pot. It was just about empty, so Chrom had to make it count.

If there was one thing Chrom knew how to do, it was how to make things count. In situations that demanded all of his effort and attention—like this particular situation, Chrom shined. He worked well under pressure. His mind was clearer when he had a goal. And his goal, as it usually was, was to win. He might’ve been on the losing side, considering how he didn’t have much ink left in his pot, but Chrom had done more damage with even less, so he wasn’t too worried about it. He could win, yes, he could. Psyching himself up, Chrom only noticed at the last minute that Kyre was falling—wait, falling? He hit the ground with a resounding thud, grunting as his back made contact with the floor.

Being momentarily stunned, led to his downfall, seeing as he was now covered in most of Kyre’s pot of ink. Damn, that was going to be a mess to clean off of his skin. He really needed to get to the bath before it started to permanently stain his skin. They were silent for a moment as Chrom looked at Kyre, who was much cleaner than he. She started out with a tiny smirk, the corner of her lip quirking a few times before it spread into a full-on grin full of laughter. Then that laughter got louder. Chrom could only stare at her for a moment before her laughter became contagious and he laughed too. “Ah, I should’ve been more careful with one like you.” Chrom could only concede defeat.

“Milord, I--!” Frederick paused at the door, taking in the scattered books and ink all around. The place was nothing short of a warzone and Frederick could feel a headache coming on, oh Naga… “Wh… What happened to all that ink?”

Chrom only shrugged, “I… it was like that when we got here?” He lied, knowing full-well Frederick wouldn’t believe him. “I… should get cleaned off.” Chrom cleared his throat.


“Says the one wandering around aimlessly looking for a shop in a completely different area.” Katherine teased. She didn’t let her grip on him fall and she didn’t slacken either, so she could feel the slight tenseness in his bicep, but she wouldn’t bring it up, seeing as he was already rather frightened by her just being there. Katherine couldn’t believe how much he’d improved over the years, seeing as he was now able to stand next to her and could even form real sentences instead of clipped answers.

Still, she thought he might’ve been acting a little bit stranger in her presence than normal, but maybe… maybe that was just her imagination. Inwardly shrugging, she continued to lead him. They wouldn’t get there right away, but it would be before the shop closed and the sun went down, after all, it was still rather early in the day, just around midday, judging by the sun’s placement in the sky. Katherine returned all of the small hello’s they received with a smile, today was such a nice day and the people of Ylisstol were always so nice. She liked being here, it was a really nice city, much better than the ones she’d frequented recently.

“Whoops.” Katherine didn’t sound even one bit remorseful as she looked around the park, “Maybe I took us in the wrong direction?” That was a lie. Katherine knew exactly where they were and where they were going. She even told him so, she’d said earlier about the garden up this way and yet Lon’qu probably didn’t notice, too stuck in his stupor to have listened properly. But that was fine, because the look on his face was priceless. Katherine tightened her grip on Lon’qu’s hand, pulling him toward the park, “We can cut through the park, it’ll take us around to the other side where it’ll be easier to get to the lower district.” That was a lie too, it’d take about the same amount of time to get to the weapons district as it did if they were to go the other way, but Lon’qu didn’t need to know that.

Yeah, Katherine glanced at the rigid man, he didn’t need to know that.
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