The first time Rayna saw him, she thought he was handsome. She thought of him as an unselfish and chivalrous man, who took her in and gave her a home; a place to return to and people to call friends. There were always those harder to win over, such as Frederick the Wary and Maribelle, who seemed like your stereotypical snobby rich noblewoman, but Rayna never thought to give up. She eventually did win their trust over time and the Shepherds became akin to her family; her support system.

However, Chrom was someone she felt like she connected with instantly. Their bond was strange; a strong bond formed over such short amount of time. It was almost as if they… attracted each other. During their first battles, his eyes would wander over to her in the midst of battle. They'd take in how she fought, every little movement from her swift footwork to her lips as she shouted out an incantation, and he'd even take a brief second to admire the way her straight long, raven hair flowed in the wind.

And when they fought together, they seemed unstoppable.

It was their first "fight". Not like nor unlike a lover's quarrel, but somewhere in between. If she didn't know any better, she'd have grit her teeth. It was unbelievable how he had the gall to run away after confessing that he didn't think of her as a proper lady. Her mind began thinking of him as an impolite craven rather than a noble prince (which she never really saw him as, so perhaps it was only fair.)

The rock she'd planned on lodging between his eyes dropped from her hands. Perhaps she could fix his vision (and hopefully his manners) in a different way. Maybe he needed a little shock. A sigh escaped her lips as she knew she shouldn't be thinking of him in that way. It didn't ease her annoyance though, but there was nothing she could do about it.

All she could do was return to her planning. Tensions were high between Ylisse and Plegia with a war threatening to break, so this was no time to think of frivolous matters like these. With a melancholy heart, Rayna turned back to her table, crowded with maps and a copious amount of papers.

Surprisingly, Chrom's words had an effect on her. She knew she ought not feel this way, but they still stung, damn it. How could he not think of her as a lady? Did he even think of her as a woman? Or maybe he thought of her as if she were any other male companion like Vaike and Stahl? His words may not have been much, but they grew heavy on her heart. Rayna didn't know why they did. Who cared what Chrom thought of her as long as he treated her with respect? ...Clearly she did.

When she thought of the word "lady", her mind instantly thought of Sumia and Maribelle. Lissa, as much as she adored and grew fond of the blonde, was no prim and proper princess. Sully and Cordelia were more akin to battle hardened soldiers than ladies and probably would've preferred to keep things that way and Miriel was more of a scholar than a lady. Emmeryn could be referred to as a lady, but she was more so a leader, and a truly selfless one at that.

Seeing as things were still slightly… rocky between her and Maribelle, Rayna indirectly consulted Sumia about it. Although not a noblewoman, Sumia was more ladylike than Rayna could ever hope to be. She'd seen her bake a pie for Chrom and stared enviously, hoping that one day she could be that kind of woman, as ridiculous as it sounded. She would say she thought they'd make a good couple, but her heart was unable to take it.

One day, she approached her in the kitchens. The place was quite in disarray, with dirty dishes and rags strewn about the countertops. When Sumia met Rayna's gaze, she looked akin to a child doing something they shouldn't.

"O-oh, hello, Rayna." greeted the sheepish pegasus knight. "Sorry about the mess…"

"It's fine, don't worry about it. And a good morning to you too, Sumia." Rayna smiled, wishing that she could feel less envious of her ally. Sumia was a good friend and didn't deserve to be the target of her petty jealousy. "What are you doing up this early?" The brunette's eyes traveled downwards as she fiddled with her fingers.

"I've been practicing baking… I was hoping no one else was up at this hour…"

"I can leave if you want me to-"

"No, it's alright!" she burst out before Rayna could take a step backwards. "I couldn't ask you to leave."

"Might you need a hand then?" A smile graced Sumia's features and her head bobbed up and down gleefully as she clasped her gloved hands together.

"Oh, would you? That's a brilliant idea!" At her friend's giddiness, Rayna had to chuckle.

"Fair warning: I'm not as good of a baker as you think of me as a tactician. I've actually never done this before, or if I have, I don't remember. I was thinking maybe you needed me to fetch some ingredients or do some simple work I couldn't possibly mess up…" Her warning fell on deaf ears and didn't damper Sumia's enthusiasm.

Suffice to say, they both had difficulties and the kitchen began looking less like a kitchen and more akin to the aftermath of a battle. In some ways, they could say it was like a battle.

As the baked goods sat in the fire Rayna was kindling with very weak fire magic, Sumia observed her from some feet away, covered in flour due to her accidentally dropping it on herself at one point. With the fire set and a good wait ahead of them, the dark-haired tactician returned to her friend's side, deciding to indirectly ask her of her opinion of her.

"Sumia… Do you think I'm a lady?" The knight was taken aback by her sudden question and didn't know what to respond. Words more or less spilled out of her mouth as babble.

"Huh?! What's brought this on?"

"Nothing…" Rayna lied. "I was only thinking to myself that, compared to you and Maribelle, I'm not really that much of a lady." Sumia's cheeks turned pink at being called a lady.

"Well… When I think of 'lady', I also tend to think of Maribelle and those other rich noblewomen. D-don't get me wrong! You are a lady… It's just that it's not the first word I'd think of when it comes to you…" The tactician found herself giggling and grateful at her friend's kind honesty.

"Then, what word does come to mind?" Sumia became increasingly flustered.

"U-um…" All she could do was awkwardly stare at Rayna as her mind raced to find a word that was both nice and suitable. "Independent." she said after a long minute had passed. A smile broke out on her face and relief washed over her as she found the perfect word. "When I look at you, 'independent' immediately comes to mind. You're our chief tactician so you're super intelligent and good at making up battle strategies, but you're also amazing in battle. It's like you can do anything you set your mind to! You don't care about what others say, but you also take into consideration their feelings." Sumia's voice lowered to a mumble, but still audible. "Sometimes… I wish I could be like that."

Her words struck a chord in Rayna. How odd yet fitting that the two of them were envious of one another in some sort of way. She felt moved to say the least. It seemed that talking to Sumia was the exact thing she needed.

Apparently, that independence attracted more than Chrom. The blue-haired prince stared unhappily at Stahl as he, in turn, gazed longingly at Rayna from the distance. He recognized that lovestruck gleam in his eyes, as it was the same one he had when he looked at her. Although he was appreciative that Stahl befriended and trusted their tactician right from the get-go, a terrible feeling in his gut always emerged upon seeing them together.

Fortunately, Stahl was blissfully unaware of the death glare being thrown his way or else Chrom would've needed to explain himself. However, Stahl was not the only one unaware of someone else's presence.

Unsettled by the unholy aura their general seemed to be emanating, Frederick stealthily came up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, making the blue-haired man jolt.

"Ah, Gods!" He turned around and his expression quickly became annoyed as soon as he realized it was only him. "Frederick! Don't scare me like that!" His knight bowed his head apologetically.

"Forgive me, milord, but I've noticed you, ahem, staring daggers at Stahl over there. Is there something the matter?" Seeing as he'd been caught, Chrom's heart sank to his stomach.

"N-no, nothing's the matter." Frederick raised a doubtful eyebrow. "I wasn't looking at him, per se, I was looking… behind him. I thought I saw something move in the bushes, but it turned out to be just my imagination."

"Uh-huh…" replied the knight, obviously still doubtful that was the case.

"Well, we can't be too careful, right?" added Chrom, wanting out of this conversation. "Why don't we take a look over there?"

"Yes, milord." He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had squirmed his way out, and went over to the area where he said he'd seen movement with his knight.

Of course, they found nothing (because Chrom completely fabricated the story), but Frederick wasn't going to let his lord off that easily. Once they were sure an assassin wasn't concealed in the woods, he backed Chrom into a corner.

"Now, milord, I normally wouldn't ask this, but could you please tell me why you appear so malicious towards Stahl when he's around Rayna? I'm afraid it may interfere with our battle plans." The prince chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"What…? What are you talking about? Stahl's my friend. I would never-"

"Yes, exactly. He is our friend and ally. So why do you seem uneasy when he and Rayna are together?" Chrom opened his mouth to spout another lie, but a stern glance from Frederick cut him off and he instead sighed in defeat.

"I… I don't know, okay? It's… complicated."

"Do you feel as though he would do something untoward to her? Or perhaps you don't trust him to protect her?"

"What?! Of course not! They are very well capable of defending themselves and this camp." His eyes glossed over. "And I trust him. He's not that sort of man. He doesn't have a single unkind bone in his body."

"Then what-"

"I told you I don't know!" Chrom spat out defensively. "I'm still figuring it out myself…"

Frederick turned his back towards him, facing camp. "Milord, I know I'm not the person who should be giving advice on this type of subject, but…" He faced him once more. "If one is afraid of losing something, they should probably claim it first." He turned his head around again and walked off.

Chrom could feel his face turning as red as Falchion's hilt and spouted words at Frederick, who was already a considerable distance from him.

"What's that supposed to mean?! What are you saying?! H-hey! Don't ignore me! You come back here!"

It was time for a celebration! After a tough battle, Chrom and the Shepherds bested Marth and Basilio's men in Arena Ferox and Flavia could take her place as head khan, allowing her to assist Ylisse in their impending war against Plegia and their mad king, Gangrel.

The crowd cheered as the Shepherds came out victorious. Chrom looked to Rayna, who fought beside him the entire time, and held her hand without thinking. She turned to him, blushing at the unexpected skin contact. He held a grin, blissfully ignorant of the fact he was holding her hand.

"Chrom?!"

"We did it, Rayna! We couldn't have done it without your help!" His other hand grasped the one he already held and his eyes were shimmering with elation. Her face was turning red and she didn't have anything intelligible to say for once, so she ended up stuttering.

"I-it's really nothing… It's my job, after all."

"I think you're amazing!" he blurted out without a second thought.

Silence fell between them as Chrom slowly realized what he was doing. His cheeks became flushed as well and he immediately withdrew his hands from hers.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that!"

"It's nothing…" she replied, shuffling her feet and placing her hands close to her chest. "You… really think so…?"

"Y-yeah. I really do." he answered, avoiding her eyes out of embarrassment.

"Well, um, I feel the same way about you." Their blushes grew heavier.

"Oh, uh, thanks…"

Meanwhile, Lissa and Frederick observed the awkward duo from afar.

"I bet you ten thousand gold that idiot marries her." said a giddy Lissa.

"Only a blind fool would make that bet against you." replied a stoic Frederick.

Her fault. It was all her fault. Emmeryn was dead. Chrom and Lissa lost their beautiful sister. Ylisse lost a wonderful ruler and Exalt. And it was all her fault. Why did she not plan ahead? Why?!

They lost.

Emmeryn fell to her death, sacrificing herself for the greater good.

There they were, at the Midmire. Rain was pouring from the heavens, as if the sky itself were mourning Emmeryn, not that she could blame it. She was a truly astonishing woman.

As much as Rayna wanted to mourn too, there was no way she'd allow herself to fail a second time. Their forces were retreating and she needed to get everyone to safety. That included a certain hardheaded general.

She supported him as best she could, but he was heavy (his armor heavier), and they still had unhealed wounds from the battle before. Without a doubt in her mind, she cast away her well-being to bring him back to where the others awaited them with staves and recovery items.

"I am sorry for this, Rayna." he said between gasps. They were both quite worn out from the recent battle with Mustafa, but Chrom, in his grief, became reckless and sustained many wounds. Rayna wasn't spared this, but thankfully, she had a cloak that hid most of her injuries. She wore a faux smile and scoffed.

"Save your apologies. I don't want to hear them until we get back to the others. If you really feel sorry, you'll stay with us, you got it?" His bloodied lips curled into a smile at her tone.

"Understood."

"Good. Now keep your damn promise."

After a long journey, they successfully made it back to Regna Ferox. Chrom was in stable condition and being seen by a team of healers, so Rayna could finally rest… if she could. The guilt from not being able to save Emmeryn still weighed heavily on her and she found herself unable to sleep. Not wanting to worry the others, she feigned it and wore a smile as if to say she was alright. With Chrom in the infirmary, she convinced herself she needed to stay strong for the rest of the Shepherds. They, too, lost Emmeryn and were in the middle of grieving.

When he fully recovered, the Shepherds held a meeting in the Ferox throne room. Everyone was overjoyed to see their general up and healthy again, but the mood was still grim with Emmeryn's death fresh on their minds. Rayna ignored her deteriorating health and stood with them.

"All of that… for nothing…"

"Emm…" Lissa squeaked out, between sobs and sniffling. "Oh, Emm…"

"I should have died before allowing the Exalt to be captured." stated Frederick, eyes lowered to the ground. "I have failed as a knight…"

Flavia and Basilio began squabbling amongst themselves.

"So what now, oaf?"

"Don't look to me! I'm not in charge!" Flavia groaned.

"Ugh… I picked a fine time to regain the full throne…"

Rayna went to stand in front of Chrom and bowed her head to apologize. "Chrom, I'm… I'm so sorry. 'Twas my incompetence as a tactician that failed Emmeryn. I should have planned for this! I should have-"

"Stop." he said gently, hands caressing her cheek, wet with tears that finally shed after being long suppressed. He tilted her head up and looked at her in the eyes. "Don't put all the blame on yourself. You did your best… and you have my thanks. It's my own failures that haunt me now. Gods, I was just so powerless!"

"It's not your fault either!" Rayna protested.

"...She did it for me, Rayna." he said in a hushed voice. "So that I wouldn't have to live with the guilt of either choice, she chose for me. She sacrificed herself rather than give up what could one day save her people…"

Rayna reinforced Chrom's hand on her cheek with her own and took his free hand with hers.

"Listen to me, Chrom." No one said a word. "I was powerless once too, remember? Yes, alone, I don't think either of us is half the person your sister was, but together…" She removed his hand from her cheek and joined their hands between them. "maybe we can be something more. When you fall, I'll be there to pull you right back up! When you fight for your sister's ideals, I'll be there, right by your side! No one is asking you to be her, Chrom. You can still remain true to yourself and we like you that way. You just have to give people hope in any way you can, which we know you'll do!"

Chrom looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "And what if I can't? What if I'm not worthy of her ideals? What if, Rayna, I drag you down with me…?"

She moved one of her hands to turn his head back towards her and forced him to meet her eyes.

"Then you'll simply keep at it until you are. And if we both fall, it's no problem because isn't that what friends are for?"

The rest of the Shepherds voiced their solidarity, making it clear that they were all going to make it through this war together. A Feroxi dancer named Olivia joined their ranks after confessing that the Exalt had done her a kindness once and she felt honored to be able to repay her. Chrom thanked the Shepherds with all his heart and learned he and Rayna gained Basilio's respect.

Afterwards, in the middle of the night, Rayna, extremely weak from having her lack of sleep and healing wounds, staggered towards where Lissa slept. She felt like a hypocrite, shouting words of encouragement when she herself was in a feeble state. She couldn't allow Chrom to see her like this. It would only dishearten him. She cursed her inability to use staves.

"Damn it… Just a little further…"

It was just her luck to run into the last man she wanted to see her in this state. Gods, fate was cruel sometimes.

"Rayna? What are you doing up this late?" he asked, oblivious to her condition.

"C-Chrom! I was just going to see… you…" she lied through her teeth.

"See me? Why?"

"Oh, uh, there's something I wanted to talk to you about, but I suppose it could wait until the morning." she responded, chuckling nervously and pivoting her body in the opposite direction.

"Wait." he called out and she could hear him stepping closer to her. "Since we're already here, you might as well tell me." A sweatdrop ran down her forehead.

"I-it's nothing, really… I don't know what I was thinking." She tried turning her head around again to give him a reassuring smile, but it was too fast for her. The room started spinning and she became lightheaded. Her knees threatened to buckle under her and she staggered once more. Her forehead started burning up, turning her face slightly red.

Upon seeing her like this, Chrom dashed forwards. "Rayna, what's wrong?!" She begged not to faint here, in front of him, but as fate would have it, she did.

"Chrom… I'm…"

He wrapped his arms around her before her body could hit the floor.

"Rayna!" Chrom screamed, alerting both the nearby on-patrol and slumbering guards and Shepherds. He carefully cradled her in his arms, gently shaking her. "Rayna, oh Gods, no! Not like this! Open your eyes!"

Fresh tears spilled onto her sleeping form.

A whole day passed by… What had happened to her?

The last thing she could remember was looking at Chrom's frantic, horrified face as he sprinted towards her falling body. Oh Gods, Chrom… What was he going to say? She was awake, but she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. She was too ashamed. They'd think her a hypocrite and they wouldn't be wrong.

One set of footsteps… pacing back and forth outside of her room, she could hear. Most likely him.

It wasn't like she could avoid this forever. Might as well get it over with… She let out a soft groan as she tried to get up and almost straightaway, the door swung open.

And there he was. It pained her to see his expression as he stormed inside the room.

"Chrom- wait!" shouted Lissa from the hallway.

In a heartbeat, he was at her side, cupping her face as if to convince himself she was really there; that she was really okay. Once he assured himself she wasn't just a cruel trick being played by his mind, he knelt down on one knee on the floor beside her, clutching her hands.

"Chrom…" she called, barely audible, but he heard her.

"Rayna."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"When you were in the infirmary, I couldn't sleep that night and I…" It almost caused her physical pain to say this. "hid my injuries from Lissa and the others so that you could be taken care of first." The hurt on his face was clear as day.

"You what?!"

"I failed one Exalt, Chrom. I wasn't going to fail another. I had to bring you back…" Her voice began to falter. "whatever the consequences."

"I told you, Rayna. What happened was not your fault." A brief pause. "I could've lost you… and what then? Who would be there to fight by my side? Who would be there to pick me up when I fall?"

"Any of them would-"

"The only one I want there is you!" he shouted, silencing her. Her eyes widened at his outburst. The door had been shut and the hallway emptied. She looked back at him, completely remorseful. His expression softened.

"Chrom…"

He let go of her hands and reached for something, pulling out a golden object. She couldn't believe what it was. He held it out to her.

It was a ring. A golden ring with the Brand of the Exalt on it and her name elegantly carved on the inside. Was he truly…?

"I know this is sudden and I'm coming on like a wyvern in heat, but please let me say my piece."

"Chrom-" He interrupted her by taking in a deep gulp of air and blowing it out loudly.

"Rayna, I'm in love with you. I have been from the very first moment I laid eyes on you in that field. I just didn't realize it until the last little while. There's no one else that I see that could replace you at my side and I won't have it any other way. Forgive me if it feels like I'm trying to force you into a decision, but I'm not, promise. I just- I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I wasn't able to confess my feelings before you-" He shook his head roughly and continued on. "Whatever your answer, I shall abide by it- no matter how painful. Come what may, we will always be friends. That I promise."

A chaotic flurry of emotions overcame Rayna, but she knew her answer.

"This is… I'm sorry, but this is impossible. The general and his chief tactician? It wouldn't be right. Just as we're in the middle of war! Just as…" She trailed off, avoiding a still sensitive topic. "Our first responsibility should be to the soldiers we lead, not to each other. You understand that, don't you?"

Chrom cast his eyes downward at the ring in his hand. "Yes. I do." She clutched the hand holding the ring, which caused him to look up in confusion.

"But someday, this war will end. We will put an end to the Mad King and restore peace to this world. When that happens, we'll be free to follow our hearts."

"...Our hearts?" he repeated.

"Yes! You may be the most stubborn, unbearable, insensitive man I know sometimes, but Gods curse me if I would lie to myself by saying I didn't love you… because I do. I love you as well."

"You- You do?" Chrom perked up, laughing wholeheartedly. "That's wonderful! This is the best day of my life!"

He grasped her hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. She held it above her, admiring it. He took both of her hands in his again before saying,

"You are the wind at my back, and the sword at my side. Together, my love, we shall build a peaceful world, just you and me."