Lucina turned her head as she finished counting up the amount of poluces, courtesy of Lissa and Maribelle who were too busy healing wounds with their staves to be able to count up regular medicines for minor bruises and scrapes.

The previous battle had been a rough one, full of bowmen and mages that easily countered their two Pegasus fliers and the few amount of tome users that they had, since Tharja and Henry were off in Plegia doing spy work since they were still miraculously thought to be allies, although there was no way that Tharja would betray the tactician, and she was able to keep an eye on Henry.

She wrote down the number on a piece of paper, pausing before going on her next endeavor, thinking about just how many people had been injured.

Cynthia hadn't participated, thankfully, or else she would have been near death, because Sumia and Cordelia had suffered a great wrath of arrows and wind tomes, sending Lon'qu on an outrage of sorts, with Gaius trying to calm him down to the best of his ability.

Severa was worried for her mother of course, along with Cynthia, but both couldn't do much about it, other than try to calm down the myrmidion. Thankfully, Severa could be quite convincing when she needed to be, and she was able to calm him down fast enough.

There was no one to rave about Sumia's state since it was likely Henry hadn't even known about the battle at all, let alone the results, and Cynthia wasn't the kind to explode.

Cherche had also been majorly injured, along with the tactician, no, her mother, Lucina had to correct herself, who had foolishly tried to atone for her slight mistake in battle.

Thank goodness Ricken and Panne had been close behind or else the two would probably have been killed.

She exited the tent to walk around camp, mainly to get her own stewing thoughts under control. Libra quickly hurried into the tent to grab more items.

Apparently one patient had gone critical, by what Lissa would often say.

Lucina could easily guess who that patient was, and she quickly headed into the forest to find a training circle and take her mind off of things.

Kjelle and Yarne were already training, probably for the same reason since Virion had been injured, although it was only a broken leg; although painful, he would live easily. Yarne hadn't been hurt at all, but the battle must have freaked him out because Kjelle was yelling random curse words as she tried to strengthen the male taguel.

They both turned as she walked into the clearing to grab her oaken training sword, quickly heading over to a straw dummy.

"Is he ok, Lucy?" Kjelle walked over, and the taguel collapsed onto the ground, panting.

Lucina was silent, letting her sword strikes echo throughout the clearing. "A patient went into 'critical condition'. I am not sure who it was." She easily evaded the question without distracting from the overall question hanging in the air. She had learned such from her mother, who often had to slip truths and falsities in front of Chrom.

"Hmm…" Instead of questioning the princess, the armor-clad girl went into thought, reviewing the battle and its outcome.

Yarne, however, was surprisingly more observant, and he caught his breath. "That's not what she asked. How is he?"

"If you are talking about Virion, he is doing quite well, except for his injured leg." She took another swipe at the dummy, causing it to fall over, bits of straw falling out of its midriff.

"Gerome. How is Gerome?" Yarne knew that Morgan was doing fairly well, with only blood loss gearing to his wounds, so he focused his inquiry upon the wyvern rider, who had been hit with arrows and throwing axes in vulnerable places.

Lucina paused slightly in retrieving the fallen dummy, giving a light, worried sigh, the only hint that she was upset about the male.

"I do not know…" She admitted, her breath light as she replaced the dummy to its standing position, aiming another swing at it.

Kjelle gulped, fingering her knuckles. "I told him to wear more armor, I knew he needed to."

"Minerva wouldn't have liked that, Kjelle, you know that." Yarne tried to comfort the older girl before freezing, hand hovering in the air as the tension in the air rose further.

Kjelle grit her teeth. "We were too weak…"

Lucina was silent, not bothering to uphold or correct the girl's statement, instead setting down her sword and crossing her legs as she rested on the ground, placing her face in her hands.

Yarne looked down, unsure of what to say. "We're not weak… They were just too strong, that's all, and the intel we received was wrong."

"The intel was weak then. No matter how you slice it, somewhere along the line we were weak and we lost." Kjelle took off her shoulder guard, setting it to the side as she stretched. "Guess we'll just have to work harder than normal, taguel."

"How about we help with cooking? Everyone's busy with healing or dealing with emotions, so no one's on duty." Yarne looked with hopeful eyes.

"You know I can't cook worth a rat's ass, and neither can my mother."

"So crude…"

Lucina stood up, interrupting the forced banter of the two. "Yarne and I shall do the cooking. You can do the hunting, Kjelle, since we ran out of good meat yesterday." She headed out of the clearing, the slight battle doing nothing to improve her mood, and unable to see the cause of her upset emotions, she busied herself with more mundane tasks around the camp, the occasional shepherd giving her words of encouragement; speak of 'How do you feel' and 'I'm sorry' were useless, so they were never spoken.

. . .

Unable to sleep, Lucina threw off her covers again, exiting her tent to bask in the light of the full moon, watching its steady climb into the sky, light still emanating from the medic tent, but no urgent sounds arose. Only Lissa's voice was evident, although the lord supposed that Maribelle was also up.

She entered into the tent, moving the tent flap, and marveled at how they were able to expand the tent, seeing as they never had more than two major casualties at a time.

Virion was being held up by Sully, and he caught they girl's eye, giving a slight smile as he grimaced in pain again.

Lissa turned, giving a weary smile. "We're just moving Virion to his normal tent, since we want moving space for the more urgent cases…"

Sumia was awake at least, and eating slightly, but she didn't acknowledge the princess' presence, and everyone else except for Maribelle was asleep, the troubadour busying herself with healing Cordelia's wounds. The tactician was surprisingly not in the tent, but Lissa stated that they had put all of their healing power into her since she was such a great asset, and she had recovered enough to sleep in her normal tent.

Lucina's eyes flitted over to Gerome's bed, the wyvern rider's face written all over with 'pain', and she couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows at his discomfort, even when sleeping.

Lissa looked over to the male as well, giving a soft sigh of disappointment. "I don't know when he's going to wake up… He was in so much pain earlier that he collapsed. He lost a lot of blood, but at least he'll survive, as long as we don't move anywhere."

Lucina turned to her aunt. "Where was he injured?"

"His collarbone was nearly shattered, and he was suffering from multiple lacerations on his abdomen, along with his back. We're hoping he doesn't suffer internal bleeding."

"Is there a way to tell if that happens other than visible pain?"

Lissa gave a shrug. "We don't often have to deal with something like that, but if we use too much magic, we won't have any for upcoming battles… Thank goodness Anna should be back soon with some stuff."

Lucina dipped her head and exited the tent, letting the cold air wash over her skin and hopefully quell the tears rising in her eyes.

Quickly entering her tent again, she forced herself to get some rest, knowing that he wouldn't be up any time soon, even though she couldn't fall asleep.

. . .

Morgan glanced at Lucina's face as they completed another round of drills. "The bags under your eyes are pretty evident… Maybe have Severa cover them up?"

He didn't ask any questions, which Lucina liked about her brother, and instead tried to help her. She shook her head wearily. "I can fare fine without covering my face up, and mother and father would notice regardless."

Morgan hummed slightly as he tilted his head. "I guess that's true."

Severa gave a huff as she finished repairing the oaken sword that was damaged earlier by Owain. "I can make it look like your real face, don't underestimate my abilities!"

Lucina shook her head, feeling another rush of fatigue as she closed her eyes for a few seconds. "It is not your skills that I doubt, but the feelings of myself and my parents."

Severa gave a huff, ignoring her words as Morgan scrunched his face in thought again. "Well, if you say so." He gave a stretch, rubbing his upper arm. "I'm going to go work on strategy things with mom again, so how about you visit Gerome again? Severa can go along as well!"

"Don't decide what I'm going to do!" Severa gave a growl before standing up. "I was going to do that anyway!"

Morgan gave a smile, clapping his hands together. "That's great!"

"You two have an… interesting relationship, for a lack of words."

"Lucy, what is that supposed to mean?" Severa had a malicious glint in her eye, so Lucina took Morgan's advice and went to the medical tent again.

Opening the flap, she locked eyes with Maribelle, who had been talking with Ricken about tomes, along with the latter asking about staves. After noticing the look on the princess's face, Maribelle gestured for the young sage to follow her outside and leave Lucina some privacy, except for Lissa who was working on Sumia again, Cherche holding her son's hand.

Lucina was slightly shocked at the wyvern rider's action, but didn't express her thoughts. Gerome, although closed off to most everyone, still yearned for the affections of people, so she smiled slightly at the thought of the Rosanne soldier providing him a bit of comfort.

Lucina walked over to her side as the woman gave the princess a soft smile. "He's made it through the worst, I believe, and we have as well."

Lucina nodded her head, not speaking or else she would break the delicate silence between mother and son.

"He mutters when he sleeps. I think it's a pretty cute trait, probably inherited from my husband. Hopefully, anyway. I worry that it's an effect from all of the hardships that he went through." Cherche swept her eyes over the Ylissean, giving a hard look at the brand in her eye.

"We all have suffered greatly from the future, but we all believe that the tragedy can be averted, although some believe it is not wise."

"Gerome and Laurent?"

Lucina nodded. "Laurent doesn't express it as much, but as learned as he is, he had his own doubts about the plan, and Gerome was concerned about altering the past too much altogether."

"Is that really why he wears that mask all the time?"

Lucina blinked at the subtle tone in the woman's voice, realizing that it wasn't a question, but a demand. She averted her eyes, looking over the male's figure.

"I… I am not sure."

"I thought that maybe you of all people would not at least try to make an attempt to figure it out." Cherche let her eyes trail across the roof of the tent, giving a sigh and shaking off the disrespectfulness of her words to the princess.

"He's afraid, Lucina. He thinks that by concealing himself he can avert his feelings and craft a person he wants to be; a person who is strong and unafraid and closed off." She rubbed his hand one last time, letting it go. "I felt the same way when I became a member of the Shepherds, and a member of my country's own army. I didn't want to lose anything important; my life, my innocence, my commanders."

Lucina gave a slow blink. "I do not think he is worried about those things. He expresses distaste to the people of the past, and his innocence is already gone, loath as I am to say it."

"Everyone is always scared of begetting their life, princess, but sometimes it is the lives of others that we are scared the most of losing." Her words were straightforward and plain, and Lucina realized that she had been a fool, and was played exactly how Gerome wanted her to go.

"I… I was daft… How could I not notice…?"

"If a person doesn't want something to be revealed, they will go to great lengths, and it takes a steady heart and mind to notice. I was the same way once, but Gerome's father helped me get over my fear. Gerome's problem is that he thinks he has no one, even though all of you children have made quite the effort to make him see differently, especially Inigo and Morgan."

"I do not believe that I have, Cherche. I felt that if a person wanted something to be kept to themselves their feelings should be respected." Lucina gave a light sigh.

"Those beliefs of yours are pure, princess, and you are correct to think that way. It is only by determining what should be moved and what should be left the same are you able to become a better commander, and friend." Cherche gave a light smile, closing her eyes.

"I shall leave you to your rest then, Cherche. I will also think about your words to the best of my abilities." Lucina bowed to the Rosanne soldier and exited the tent, Lissa giving a slight smile.

. . .

Chrom and Frederick handed the maps to Lucina and told her to quickly deliver them to her mother who had once again locked herself in a room, stewing over maps of the Plegian country and trying to work out a strategy to get close enough to the king, Lucina's very grandfather as shocking as it was, and finish him off once and for all. Henry and Tharja had come back with grave news about the Grimleals, and it took all of her father's willpower to not schedule a march right then and there, but Lucina supposed that Frederick had something to do with the lack of one.

Sumia and Virion were almost completely healed, and Cordelia was doing daily exercises with Lon'qu who almost refused to leave her side for an extended period of time. Lucina didn't question the myrmidon's behavior since Severa had a look of sadness on her face whenever he expressed his anxiety about the issue.

Morgan and Severa had also gotten slightly closer, often spending times looking at the moon, although Lucina remembered days in the past, or the future rather, of the two often sneaking out past curfew to watch the moon, although Laurent and Gerome never reported anything worth fretting over.

Gerome was still, for the most part, bedridden, although he was able to stay awake for longer periods of time, and Cherche was going to be walking within the week, with Stahl's help of course.

The wyvern rider had also gotten terribly sick, and Lucina often spent days at his bedside trying to get him to ease through the worst of it, worrying herself silly all the while, although she would deny the fact whenever someone tried to tease her about it, which she never realized fully.

After more talks with Cherche, Lucina resolved to help Gerome get used to being around people more often and laying more trust in them, especially Owain, Cynthia and Morgan whom he knew closest, or as close as he preferred, which Lucina figured probably wasn't a lot.

Lucina dropped the maps off at her mother's doorway and walked over to the infirmary where Cherche and Gerome had been moved after they had recovered enough, since they couldn't stay in those tents forever with brigands on the loose in the middle of foreign territory.

After the move, even though Gerome had gotten dreadfully sick, the recovery for both riders went into a full, steady climb.

She grabbed a cloth and soaked it in cool water before placing it on the male's forehead, much to his chagrin, complaining that he wasn't 'someone who needed to be babied' even after Lucina told him that this was what clerics did all the time, and had been doing to him for the past month.

He averted his eyes from her face as her eyes became slightly downcast, and he grunted slightly. "A look like that isn't very becoming of you."

"You almost died. I was worried for your life." Lucina was straightforward about the fact, despite the look of discomfort arising on his features.

"I would not be killed by a mediocre wound like what I received. You know that more than anyone here."

Lucina set her jaw, slightly annoyed at his prudence. "But you did almost die. I sat there watching you as you bled out, and when you got a fever and when your mother was suffering next to you."

A flush crept onto his face and he gave a sigh. "I would not die so easily. I swore to protect you, did I not? I will not fail on my promise."

Without his mask he was shy and defenseless, and Lucina found herself wishing that she could see that soft side of him more often, the side of him that was willing to admit that he cared about people. Once the mask slipped onto his face, he was suddenly a stoic, rather cruel person who was willing to spend his days alone.

"You do not need to use a promise to defend me, do you not? Can you not defend me as a friend?"

His cheeks became redder as he still refused to meet her steady, and slightly intimidating, eye. "I do not fight under pretenses like that. Friendships can get people killed on the battlefield, and you wish me to keep my life, yes?"

Lucina gave a small sigh. "I wish to be friends again though. I wish you to be more open to people."

"There is a reason that I cannot do that, and it is that very reason I wear my mask. You know that much."

Lucina let her eyes fall from his face as she clasped her hands together. "I am scared of losing everyone as well, especially my father, but I feel that I should take advantage of this time that I have been granted. Do you not feel the same way?"

"I don't disagree with you, but I wish to not go through pain again."

"Your mother expressed that she wished to talk to you and get to know you better, and I am sure your father feels the same way."

"They are not my parents. And I do not dislike them." Gerome looked her in the eye. "You suggest that I dislike people of this time and wish to have nothing to do with them."

"No, that is not my intention, but they were your parents at some point. You must believe that, right?"

"It is not my parents that I am afraid of losing, although losing them again would be against my wishes." He averted his gaze again, letting his hand rest at his side.

Lucina was silent for a few seconds as she tried to understand the meaning of his words before the meaning suddenly hit her.

"Gerome…"

Despite her lack of understanding of jokes, she wasn't as thick as the likes of Morgan, and she was able to understand his meaning clear enough.

His cheeks gained the flush back as he grimaced, closing his eyes and gripping the light sheets of his bed.

She unclasped her hands, taking one of his in her own, feeling rather upset at his inner turmoil. "None of us are going to die… We'll all be here right next to you."

With that said, Lucina could still completely miss the greater point of something completely, even though she could grasp at a part of the topic, and Gerome also knew that all too well.

"Not that I'm not worried about everyone else, but …There's really only one person that I can't lose…" He huffed while a sad look crossed his face. "I can't go through that paralyzing feeling again, so I distance myself the best I can."

"There are people that I couldn't bare losing, but it is for that reason that I fight next to them and call them comrades. I wish for you to do the same so that you can feel like you belong and not be so lonely."

"I am a lone wolf, Lucina. That is just how I am."

"That is how you are when you don your silly mask! That is not the Gerome that I grew up with, the Gerome who became my best friend, and…" She broke off, feeling a wave of conflicted emotions cross over her heart, eyes becoming downcast again.

"I use the mask so I don't get hurt. You used a mask once for the same reason."

"I used it so that others didn't get hurt." She hated how he wore that thing, how it detracted away from the person who he really was. "I couldn't let my father know who I was, especially then."

"I, like you, have my reasons for distancing myself. The pain of losing family hurts like gashes in your chest, but losing someone you love has… Must hurt much worse…" He closed his eyes, giving a thin sigh as he let his head fall to the side again.

"You are afraid of loving… because of the pain that it might cause?"

Lucina felt the same thing sometimes, knowing that forming such bonds could damage her beyond repair, but she felt that it was a risk that she was completely willing to take, and she didn't regret it for a second.

"Do you not feel the same way?"

"I love because of the feelings that I receive from it, and I fight to protect those I love, with their love pushing me on. The sort of love you are speaking of is… quite different, I agree, but I feel that it will produce the same results."

He was silent at her words, but she could see him shaking slightly.

"I know you are scared of going through what you suffered again, and I would not wish you to go through that pain again, but I feel that you will hurt yourself even more if you distance yourself… I know that you wish to be with us again, and that you wish to forget the pain and worry and fear." Lucina swallowed, gripping her hand into a fist.

"You could always read me well, Lucina…"

Lucina felt her face grow hot, and she looked down, unsure of what to say next, her previous confidence dissipated.

"I know what you speak of is true, but if I lost… you… It would be… difficult to ever recover…" He grit his teeth. "You know why I distance myself."

"But even if I die, you would still be hurt regardless of what you do or not do!" Lucina took a breath to try to calm her nerves slightly, going through words in her mind.

"I wish to be… closer to you, and help you understand that it is not a bad thing to love someone and to wish to protect them, and to be worried about their wellbeing."

Gerome was visibly nervous, gripping his sheets and still unwilling to meet the princess's steady gaze.

"Gerome. Look at me please."

Her tone was kind and soft, so the wyvern rider could do little to stop his natural movement as he met her gaze, sitting up slightly and redness still settling in his cheeks.

Lucina gave a soft smile, reflected in her eyes. "It is ok to be worried, and to be scared, but please do not run from those emotions. I care for you deeply as well, but I wish to be spurred on by those emotions instead of shutting them away."

He held her gaze as he tried to figure out what he should say in response to something as blunt as that. "I… I do care for you deeply as well but I worry that those emotions will create something as equally negative."

Lucina gave a light laugh as she closed her eyes. "It may seem that way if you are used to tragedy like all of us, and I know you worry about us more than you let on." She opened her eyes and leaned forward, embracing him as she settled her head next to his.

"It's ok, Gerome. I will not die easily, especially with you to protect me." She was careful to avoid the bandages on his back, his wound still in danger of reopening, as she rubbed his shoulders in a comforting way as his arms wrapped around her figure rather awkwardly.

"I am still worried regardless…"

"And that worry is backed by a reality that is rapidly changing, but I will not fail in my mission, and I know that you believe the same." She pulled back to look into his eyes and convey her determination.

"We must succeed, whether it be on the battlefield or in our hearts."

His gaze fell slightly as he pondered her words, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly.

"I realize that very well…"

"It is only natural to be worried about someone that you love. Our parents say the same themselves." She said the words lightly and calmly, and she let her hand trail over his still-warm shoulder as she stood up, making leave to do something productive towards the Shepherds, until Gerome beckoned her closer with his hand again, and she turned, walking to the side of his bed once again.

He raised his hand, cupping her cheek in it as he placed a kiss on her lips despite face flushing red, and he pulled away after a few seconds, but Lucina understood, and giving a small smile she exited the infirmary, feeling calm and warm.

Gerome leaned back down as he rested his hands on his chest, feeling the blush still refuse to leave his face as he closed his eyes.

"Hmph."

Golden: So, here is my first fire emblem fanfic concerning Lucina and Gerome, and the two don't have enough fanfiction in my opinion, but hey I didn't kill anyone so I think that is a good first step~

Please comment and tell me if my characterization of the two is close enough since I don't want to butcher their characters, especially Lucina's since she is such a good, complex character.

This also turned out a lot longer than I thought it would be whoops.

Happy reading~