We've finally reached the end! There isn't much going on in this, just a little wrap-up more or less. Please read the final notes for acknowledgements and upcoming work.

Warning: Shameless family fluff and love.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening, its characters, story, etc. This story is for enjoyment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.

Epilogue

Cordelia bit her lip, concentrating on the task at hand. She needed to be precise in every single minute motion of her hand, so she allowed no outside distractions to sway her, lest the entire project come to ruin. She did not want to consider the consequences of failure.

She wiped the back of her hand across her brow and took a deep breath. Then she leaned in over the table, her tongue stuck out between her teeth, and very carefully squeezed the frosting pipette. With a few circular flicks of her wrist, she drew tiny, intricate flowers in chocolate around the edges of a delectable slice of turtle cheesecake. Each petal was painstakingly crafted to loving perfection. Nothing less would do for her child.

It took several, tense moments, but when the last blossom took shape, she heaved a sigh and straightened with a smile. She set her pipette down. Baking wasn't a luxury that she was often afforded, but she took great pleasure from the work when it was available, especially when she could take her time with special treats for her loved ones. Lon'qu didn't care for sugary confections in general, but Severa certainly did. It was a trait she'd inherited from Cordelia, and she was grateful for any common ground she could find with her stubbornly guarded daughter.

"There you are," came a voice from somewhere behind her. Her whole body jerked; she'd been so absorbed in her work that she hadn't noticed anyone entering the meal prep tent, but she relaxed immediately when she realized that it was Lon'qu. "What have you been up to?" he asked.

Cordelia stepped back and proudly waved a hand over her edible masterpiece. "It's for Severa," she said. "We've been getting to know one another over dessert." She frowned at her husband's critical gaze. "Is it alright? Do you think she'll like it?"

Lon'qu scrutinized the overly-decorated slice of cake. "I think... something's not quite right," he muttered. He glanced at the various ingredients and utensils spread across the table and picked up her frosting pipette.

"What are you doing?" Cordelia wondered. She knew that her husband was a decent enough cook, but he'd never shown any interest in baking, and he certainly never bothered to make his confections look presentable in any fashion.

Lon'qu adjusted the plate so that it was closer to him, and then took the pipette in both hands. With no discrimination whatsoever, he squeezed the tubing and emptied it all over the cake, completely obliterating Cordelia's hard work.

"L-Lon'qu!" She shoved him aside and tried to determine if anything was salvageable. "Oh gods... it's ruined!" she concluded, completely wilting for a moment. She rounded on him. "Why did you do that?!" she shouted.

Lon'qu winced at her high-pitched tone, but then gave her that little half smile of his. "It's not ruined; it's just not perfect anymore. Trust me," he said. He picked up the plate of cheesecake, found a fork to take with it, and took her hand, pulling her along.

Cordelia was rather distraught that the past few hours of painstaking labor had come to naught, so she didn't have the energy to resist or wonder where she was being led. When she did pull herself out of thoughts of self-pity, and the ways in which she might murder her husband without getting caught, she found that they had moved from the prep tent to the mess.

Most of the Shepherds had already eaten their meals and moved on, but a few remained, conversing with one another over dessert or indulging in quiet solitude. In the far corner of the room was one such individual of the latter category, her back turned towards the entrance so that she could ignore everyone as she wished. She was curled over something presumably held in her lap, and her dinner plate had been set off to the side. Strands of her long, dark brown pigtails migrated over her shoulder occasionally, and she flicked them away from her face at regular intervals.

As soon as he saw the young girl, Lon'qu made a beeline for her with Cordelia still in tow. "Severa..."

The young Mercenary perked up at the sound of her name, and a smile lit up her face when she saw who addressed her. "Hey, Daddy!" Her expression hardened into a familiar scowl as soon as she noticed Cordelia. "Mother."

Cordelia quelled the frustration and disappointment from her face and voice. "Hello, dear," she said with a smile.

Lon'qu held out the plate of cheesecake. "Your mother made this for you," he said gruffly without preamble.

Severa leaned forward to peer at the confection. "She did?" She sniffed it and her brows came together. "Why does it look so weird?"

"She had a little trouble with the frosting," Lon'qu answered, shamelessly laying blame on his wife for its messy state.

A wicked grin crossed Severa's lips. "Really? Little Miss Perfect couldn't frost a simple piece of cake?"

Cordelia was about to reveal the truth, but Lon'qu tightened his grip on her hand. She saw him shake his head out of the corner of her eye and sighed. "Yes, well... it might not look pretty, but I'm sure it still tastes fine." Her smile was more genuine when she continued, "I still get my 'Severa Time' though, right?"

Her daughter made a show of rolling her eyes and repeating her mother's overdramatic sigh, but her pale cheeks dusted pink and the steel glare softened. "I suppose." She accepted the offered confection and set it on top of the other object in her lap.

Cordelia recognized the opening and took full advantage, sitting down across from her daughter to face her. Lon'qu hesitated, but he too eased himself to the ground next to her. She waited for Severa to take a few bites of her dessert, then asked, "What are you reading?" She nodded at the open tome in her lap.

Severa swallowed and moved aside her plate, revealing a pink leather bound volume with a name inked in sprawling flowery calligraphy. She waved it around in disgust. "I found this book Make Him Fall For You in a Fortnight. Honestly, who reads this stuff?"

Cordelia's smile froze. Beside her, Lon'qu coughed to hide an embarrassed laugh. She had told him about the book before their wedding, as she'd wanted to establish a continued foundation of trust and honesty in their marriage. But she had not seen it since Miriel had taken it from her, though she had been assured that it would not be used in any further "experiments". How Severa had gotten hold of it was beyond her.

"W-well... actually... that was mine," she admitted, her own skin flushed crimson.

Severa's next bite stopped midair on the way to her mouth, and she gaped. "What? Really?" She set her fork down and laughed. "AH HA HA HA! I can't believe it! You really read this dribble? Better yet, did you do what it said! Gawds! Are you daft?"

Cordelia glanced away, and blinked back the familiar sting of shameful tears. She had come to accept her mistakes, considering the time and energy that was wasted because of that book, but it hurt that her daughter took such glee from her failings. Nonetheless, she concealed it and forced a laugh. "I suppose it was rather silly of me."

Lon'qu reached over and squeezed Cordelia's hand. "Perhaps, but you are hardly the first person to do questionable things for the sake of love. It is not a laughing matter," he said, glaring at Severa.

Severa bowed her head. "Sorry, Daddy," she mumbled.

Cordelia flashed her husband a smile, but shook her head after some thought. "Actually, she's right. It was rather ridiculous of me to follow such inane advice, and for all the wrong reasons besides. And yet... in hindsight, I do not regret it anymore, for in a way, its counsel was successful. After all, it brought us together... did it not?" She adjusted her hand so that she could interlace her fingers with Lon'qu's.

He cleared his throat and looked away, but he could not fully hide the small grin he was fighting.

"Did it really?" Severa asked. She glanced back and forth between her parents and the book. "You mean you both fell for this?" When Lon'qu scowled at her again, she mumbled, "Er... what I mean is... Oh never mind!" She dropped it unceremoniously on the ground and resumed eating her dessert.

Cordelia giggled and let go of Lon'qu to pick up the book. She traced the lettering on the cover with a finger. "You know, I really am glad I read this. I've been able to learn and grow from all of the mistakes I've made in trying to follow its guidelines. It also helped me realize that real love means being yourself, and having someone amazing that you don't have to be perfect around."

Lon'qu blanched and crossed his arms. "Don't say... n-not in so loud a voice," he growled.

Cordelia smirked and scooted a little closer. She knew that he was not comfortable with public displays or declarations of affection, excluding the one instance in which he'd kissed her to show up Gaius, their wedding ceremony, and the occasional hand holding. She didn't mind, and didn't often push his limits, but sometimes it was fun to embarrass him. "No? What if I were to say that you only captivate me more as time goes on?"

His face was burning now, and she had to stifle yet another laugh when he said, "I... what? Nngh... Flattery will get you nowhere!" Despite his claim, his eyes darkened with a look she recognized, and she shivered.

"This is sickening! Must you two act like love-sick newlyweds all the time?" Severa gagged, but the corners of her eyes and lips crinkled as she tried to suppress her happiness in the same way Lon'qu often did.

Cordelia turned back to their daughter. "Sorry, dear. But you must understand... we only just married a little over a month ago, so we ARE newlyweds," she pointed out, a touch defensively.

"Oh. I... I didn't know that," Severa admitted. Her gaze fell lower and darted off to the side. "I guess it must have been a shock to find me then."

"Well, I'll admit that we hadn't gotten around to talking about having children yet, but neither of us regret meeting you," Cordelia assured her. "We're so proud of the brave, beautiful young woman you've become."

"You are our treasure," Lon'qu added quietly. "We're lucky to have you."

"Okay, enough! Gawds!" Severa snapped, her face and neck hot. She shoveled the rest of her cheesecake in her mouth as another means to hide her pleasure.

Cordelia winked at Lon'qu. "She clearly takes after you," she whispered.

"Hmph." He rolled his eyes, but there was pride sparkling in his whole form while he watched their daughter.

Severa swallowed her last bite and chewed slowly, relaxing into a more thoughtful mein. "You know, I don't have a lot of memories of the two of you together, and you never really told me much about how you met or anything." she murmured. "With the war and everything, neither of you were around much. And then..." Her thumb played with the ring on her finger, Cordelia's ring.

Cordelia and Lon'qu shared a look. Severa rarely offered information about her former life, or the parents she had known, so neither knew just what to say in response. Fortunately, she continued by circling back to the topic that started the conversation.

"Did you really fall in love because of this?" She gestured to Make Him Fall For You in a Fortnight.

"In a way," Cordelia replied.

Severa narrowed her brows. "Did it really happen in a fortnight?"

Both of them answered at the same time, though Cordelia said "No" while Lon'qu shrugged with a "Yes". They looked at each other again and chuckled.

When Severa's confusion became more evident by her glare, Cordelia elaborated, "Well... you could say that it was more like two years and a fortnight."

Neither said anything more until their daughter fidgeted and asked in a voice that made her sound surprisingly young and shy, "Will you... will you tell me about it?" Then she scowled at Cordelia's amused expression and collected herself. She schooled her features into her usual haughty snarl. "N-Not that I care or anything... I just don't get how you both could be so lame."

Cordelia was not fooled by the abrupt change in the slightest, but deemed it wiser not to remark on it. She settled herself a little more comfortably and began, "It all started near the beginning of the Plegian War. Lon'qu had just recently joined the Shepherds, at Khan Basilio's request, and later, Captain Phila ordered me to stay with them as well. One day, Robin invited me and a few others to go to a bookstore with them..."

I apologize if the ending was a bit cheesy, but I can't help it, and it did come out exactly how I planned it. I'm such a sucker for hopeless lines and scenarios.

Well, there you have it! It's been a long ride, but I hope you enjoyed it! If you'd like to take a peek at the next projects I have in the works, please visit my profile page. I have updated/reorganized a few things.

In particular, as I mentioned in the last chapter, there was so much I wanted to include in this story, but it didn't fit the general outline I was trying to follow. But because there was such a wonderful response to this, and because I love this couple, I will be adding a new story that will tentatively be called "Two Years: Side Stories" (I'll try to come up with something better before I post it). Included in that will be mini or short stories that cover and expand on things I left out here. I have three chapters planned so far, but I'm open to suggestions if there's something that you would really love to see (I make no promises though).

Just to warn you, I sometimes lack focus, so I work on whatever is on my mind in the moment. You'll probably see me post stuff from other fandoms and genres at random.

You can also follow me on Tumblr if you like, and I will post various updates there on my progress or when new stories are about to come out.

Special thanks to BlueStorm-Studio (a.k.a. Stormy Raindrops) for creating various art pieces for this story as well as my profile avatar! Please take the time to visit her sites and support this wonderful artist! (See my profile page for url)

And thank you everyone who left comments, reviews, excited screams, and other stuff! I write because I love it and I really do it for myself, but I'm so blessed to have such support from readers, and your input often helped shaped the story, as well as examine my style and grammar so that I can improve. Thanks to everyone listed below who took the time to comment thus far! If I'm able to, I will message everyone individually from here on, but know that I have read and appreciate every single one!

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