The Avatar is named Rain in this story. (I'm going to quickly get tired of saying that with every FE13 story I write.)

Since this deals with chapter 7, expect spoilers for that chapter, obviously.

An insertion of sorts to a scene in chapter 7. I'm rather bugged at how none of the good guys seemed to react at all to the Hierarch's betrayal. His betrayal isn't brought up in discussion during the chapter, at the end of the chapter, or in any following chapter. It really makes his betrayal just feel like an arbitrarily tossed in red herring. So I ended up writing this, and have the characters at least address it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

The Wyvern laid on the ground, eyes rolled back into its head, only a few twitches giving any indication that there was some degree of life still in the creature. In moments, the proud creature was completely motionless, still wearing the majestic saddle and muzzle of a Plegian war beast. It's rider, a Plegian named Vasto, was already dead. His armor, and the skin underneath, had already been shredded by wind magic. Falling out of the saddle, and then several meters to the ground, ended his life with a merciful, if messy, quickness.

Rain offered an approving nod to Ricken for the spell that felled the Plegian. With the defeat of the commander the Plegian army fell into disarray. Rain found that Vasto employed a competent strategy, though it was easily countered. The few Plegians who tried to take command after his death seemed incapable of thinking ahead of the exact moment, and sent troops marching in droves to their deaths. Ylisse's victory was certain within minutes, and attained with only a few additional moments.

The mountain path was littered with the remains of Plegian soldiers. The aftermath of a battle was difficult to stomach, with bodies and pieces of bodies all around. Plegia had likely assumed that they would have a messy and overwhelming victory, instead they were routed down to the last man. None of the Shepherds had fallen in the battle, despite many close calls. Yet Rain somberly noted that there was the occasional corpse of one of Phila's Pegasus Knights. They had been present mostly to divert attention away from the Exalt, or at times to divert attention away from a cornered Shepherd, and a few of them were chased down and gutted by a relentless Plegian Wyvern Rider.

Another corpse caught Rain's eye. It was the Hierarch that had accompanied them into the mountains. He had had a strange, nameless feeling about the man, but never expected that the Hierarch would sell the Exalt out to the Plegians. It was most likely this man that had given their location away for the sake of protection. Now the man was dead, his chest somewhat disturbingly sliced open. For betraying Ylisse it was perhaps a just end, yet still.

Perhaps that… Vasto, was treacherous by nature. Or maybe he had his own standards and couldn't stomach guarding a backstabber like the Hierarch. Either way, the Hierarch was dead, his glasses fallen from his face, and then crushed underfoot by the feet that stormed across the mountain path when the battle truly started. Rain looked at what happened, probably one of the most respected people in Ylisse had sold the nation out to Plegia. For what? Most likely to be shielded from Plegia's wrath, but Rain would never be able to ask him what he had been thinking. This had to have been a horrible blow to Emmeryn. Though he had not been looking at her when the Hierarch openly shouted that the Plegians were supposed to take him into their protection, she had to have heard it.

The army reconvened with the Exalt. A change of plans would be underway, if a Plegian attack occurred here, it stood to reason that the Plegian tacticians were aware of their movement and more ambushes were inevitably waiting. Compounding the problems was whatever news the Pegasus Knight Cordelia had arrived with. Rain saw the woman conversing with Phila, whatever information Cordelia brought couldn't have been joyous, if Phila's body language was any indication.

Rain found himself standing near Chrom and Emmeryn. Emmeryn was silent, her head bowed. Rain guessed that she was thinking about the brutality of the battle. Eventually, she raised her head. Her eyes were solemn and unreadable, Rain began to speculate about what the Exalt might have been thinking about, and then realized that Emmeryn was looking straight at him.

"Thank you… for your assistance." Emmeryn said, though it sounded like she was somewhat depressed. Understandable, she had tried to explore every avenue of peace, but still this war came. "We were outnumbered, and ambushed in a difficult position. Some of Ylisse's official tacticians might have despaired in such a situation. Everyone here who is alive owes you thanks."

Rain opened his mouth, but nothing rasped out. He wasn't sure how to react to humble and sincere praise. Especially from such a respected authority figure, who just so happened to be the older sister of his closest friend.

"I'm happy that Chrom has someone like you to help him." Emmeryn continued. Rain knew that the comment wasn't idle. Emmeryn loved her younger brother, as well as her younger sister, and she was trusting the lives of her siblings to Rain every time they battled.

Trust. The word struck a chord in Rain, compelling him to speak.

"Are… you sure you trust me?" Rain asked. Emmeryn was visibly confused as to what Rain was trying to get at. Rain turned toward the Hierarch's corpse, distant but still very visible. "You couldn't trust him, after all."

Emmeryn looked in the direction Rain was looking in, and sighed. "The Hierarch, was my most trusted advisor."

"Yet the fear of death was enough to make him betray all of Ylisse." Rain murmured. "With all the advantages Plegia has, he won't be the last person who tries to bail to the side that looks like it'll be the winner when its all over."

Emmeryn looked visibly pained, but nodded at the words. The Hierarch had always been the worrying sort, the kind of man who would do uncharacteristic things to keep stability, or regain stability. Yet even in the worst settings, Emmeryn wouldn't have thought that he would do this. And he wouldn't be the last Ylissean to betray the nation if Plegia continued to hold such clear advantages.

Rain looked at Chrom. The Ylissean prince's eyes narrowed. Most likely he felt that the man who tried to sell out Emmeryn for the sake of his own safety should have suffered worse then just a single axe stroke across the chest. Rain realized that Chrom probably trusted the man as well, though not as deeply as Emmeryn did. At the very least, Chrom would have probably trusted Emmeryn's life to the Hierarch.

"I can't imagine what this is like for you." Rain said quietly to Emmeryn. "The man guided you during the early years, and was a trusted advisor later on. Now this happens… how could you possibly trust people now?"

Emmeryn looked at Rain, then slowly exhaled. "I can't be the ruler of Ylisse I should be if I can't trust others. I can't let my ability to trust others be dampened by this. Even if-" The fingers of Emmeryn's two hands intertwined. What the Hierarch did was a severe emotional blow to Emmeryn, she did as good a job as she possibly could to keep the pain from showing. It would be so easy to suspect everyone around her of ulterior motives, especially after this, but becoming hysterical and paranoid would not help her. "If a regnant distrusts everyone, that regnant ruler could become a tyrant, never listening to the sound words of advisors or requesting aid from allies when aid is needed. Peace and stability is built on trust, and openness. And I could never forgive myself if I didn't try every path to a bloodless peace."

"But if the people you trust are really plotting against you… and as we've seen, even those we believe in wholeheartedly might backstab us."

"It's a risk I have to take, Rain. I know that some people have many faces, but I must believe that I'm with people I can trust my life to. And sometimes people you meet not long ago are worthy of the greatest trust. Such as you."

Rain was moved to stand a little straighter after the last three words came. Despite her faith in him, faith he intended to tell everyone was very well founded, he wished that Emmeryn could have played it at least somewhat safer. She had walked straight to Gangrel's parley, believing that something could be worked out, but it ended in the result that probably everyone aside from her expected. He would have wanted to be able to enjoy a long discussion with her about how far she was willing to trust in strangers, and when she thought that people who were known and loved should have their actions scrutinized. Perhaps he could talk to Chrom about this, once things settled down a bit, he would. Chrom was not exactly diplomatic, but he was a leader of men, he had to know something of when to trust and when to not trust.

Things were moving too fast for them to continue the discussion as to how far trust should go. Rain looked to see Phila calming Cordelia down after some outburst, then they turned in the direction of the Exalt. Rain stole a final glance at Emmeryn, and hoped that, someday in the future, he could have that discussion about trust with her.

I always feel that my one-shots end a little too abruptly. Eh.

Please review.