Hello! This is my first time writing for Fire Emblem. Please be patient as I figure out characters! This one goes out to one of my favorite support pairings: Lissa and Lon'qu. This fic (a 3 or 4-parter) starts off not long after Lon'qu joins the party at Khan Basilio's request in Regna Ferox.

If it hadn't been for the number of people surrounding her and talking at her in frightened voices, Lissa would not have believed that someone had made an attempt on her life while she was sleeping. Still groggy and barely having the decency to clutch her sheets about herself, she just nodded at whatever it was that Chrom was asking and Frederick was ordering, as well as making weak smiles when Robin attempted to comfort her. Lissa wasn't even that alarmed by anything; she hadn't been awake for it, right? Plus, she had plenty of friends in camp that would chase him down; the would-be assassin would be ousted easily.

However, no one else was thinking in the same vein. Robin smoothed the younger girl's messy hair. "It'll be alright. We've got people searching for the bastard," she said, her eyes narrowed in the wan lamp light.

Lissa rubbed at her eyes. "I slept right through it, if that makes you feel any better."

Frederick harrumphed loudly, his lance gripped tightly in one hand. "No, it does not, milady." Chrom and Robin both shot him warning glances, but he continued, "It means that you are obviously prone to more attempts, especially if this assassin manages to get the word out that you will sleep through any such events."

Groaning, Lissa flopped back on her bedroll and sighed heftily. Frederick, the killjoy. "Oh come on, it was just a long day," she groaned, resisting the urge to pout at the stupid knight. "That's all. You're all so fussy."

"Frederick's right. I'd rather a long day not be the death of you," Chrom added heavily. "There's been enough loss."

Our parents, Lissa automatically thought. She rolled over onto her side, facing away from Frederick, Robin, and her brother to hide the dull grief that slipped over her features. Right. I don't know if Chrom could handle it if I...became like my parents, she thought, biting at the inside of her cheek.

The sound of the fabric covering the entrance of the tent getting pushed aside brought Lissa back into a sitting position. Sumia had entered-if nearly face-planting into the tent counted as an entrance-and bowed quickly to Chrom and Frederick with warm, reddish cheeks. "H-hello! All of the scouts are back!"

"Any sign of the assassin?" Robin asked, her shoulders visibly tense.

Sumia shook her head. "No. Not at all. Stahl and Sully are still out looking, though." She heaved a sigh before beaming at Lissa. The expression almost seemed forced; Lissa wished she would drop the act. "It's a good thing that Lon'qu saw that man when he did, though!"

Lon'qu? Lissa perked up; no one had said that Lon'qu had been the one to drive the assassin away. "Where is he?" she asked. "I want to thank him. Otherwise I'd probably be shish kebob or something right now, right?"

Robin sighed. She looked disheveled, having barely donned her tactician's jacket and sword belt after running out of her tent; her hair hung in a pale, messy curtain. "That's just it. He knew you would, and he left for the nearest tavern the minute he realized it." Lissa's face fell at the mention. Gods damn it. She'd wanted an excuse to talk to Lon'qu for a while now; that window was already lost.

"Classic Lon'qu," Sumia said with a nervous laugh. With a rather flighty shake of her head, she gestured toward the exit. "So...Captain Chrom, do you need anything else, or shall I return to searching?"

He shook his head and dismissed her to further searching. On her way out, she gave Lissa a sympathetic smile, which she returned a bit forcedly. Yes, she was normally the sunshine of this regiment, but currently she felt gloomy. He won't even let me thank him. Figures. Stupid Lon'qu, she thought with a pout. Chrom cleared his throat, dragging her attention back to her brother once more. "Lissa, until we can get rid of this threat against your life, I think we'll need to assign you a guard. I doubt that Sumia, Stahl, or anyone else will find that assassin in the woods, so plan on this being 'a thing', so to speak."

"A guard?" Lissa groaned and pointedly rolled her eyes at her brother. "As in someone who has to be with me every hour of every day and report back to you? Ew."

"What you're saying 'ew' to will very well save your life in a pinch. Besides, Emmeryn also has guards, and she doesn't complain about it," Frederick said sternly. "We just need to figure out who is fit for the job."

Chrom's decision proved to the bane of Lissa's otherwise charmed existence. As it so turned out, none of the shepherds were even halfway decent at being guards. Over a few weeks, she had a different person with her every day. Some experiences were awful; she had never been as bored as when she had been stuck in tactics meetings with Robin or as flustered as when Virion had tailed her and consistently gabbed during their day together. Others had been at least somewhat entertaining; Vaike had showed her how to sharpen and throw a hand axe, much to everyone else's chagrin, and Lissa had helped Miriel with a series of experiments that had allowed her to play with fire.

While Lissa had been annoyed with most people tailing her, absolutely no one satisfied Chrom. Every person had some flaw that made them "the wrong fit" to guard his sister. Once again, Lissa sat in his tent, bright and spry with the morning, as he went over a list, rattling off every problem he observed with his shepherds' guarding. "All Stahl did was drag you into town to spend gold on food, and Sully accidentally hit you in the head with a lance. Sumia...I appreciate her very much, but she has no coordination and I fear that would endanger both of your lives. And Donnel, oh, don't get me started on Donnel," Chrom muttered. Lissa fidgeted, peering out the open entrance of the tent. She spotted Lon'qu walking past, talking to Vaike about...well...something. Knowing them, it had to be weapons.

It occurred to her that Lon'qu had not guarded her once. Everyone-even Chrom, Frederick, and Robin-had guarded her. Chrom was rattling something off about Maribelle, even after her recent promotion to Valkyrie class, not being suitable for a protective role. Lissa cleared her throat, bouncing on her heels. "Hey, Chrom, why haven't you had Lon'qu guard me yet?"

He paused mid-litany, frowning. "Pardon?"

"Lon'qu. You know? Tall, kinda sullen guy we picked up from Regna Ferox. Didn't you all say he chased off that assassin in the first place? Doesn't that make him perfect for the job?" Lissa asked. She planted her hands on Chrom's desk and gazed at him with a fire in her hazel eyes. "Why have you been avoiding putting him in place to look after me?"

Chrom laughed, the sound more like an incredulous bark than his usual gentle chuckle. He clapped a hand over his mouth to quiet it and then heaved a sigh. "Lissa," he started, peeling his hand away from his face, "I hate to break it to you, but Lon'qu is likely more terrified of you than you are of assassins."

"I'm not even scared of assassins!" Lissa declared. "I'm the third in line for a throne that I'll never have. I'm not dignified like Emmeryn or brave like you. It is really funny to me that anyone wants to knock me off at all, Chrom, because in this royal family I'm kind of just an afterthought or something, I don't know. I don't even have the mark of the exalt." Chrom gazed at her blankly; Lissa realized that she had strayed far from her point. She sighed, and continued, "What I mean by that is...it probably doesn't even matter if my guard is scared of me. To you no one's going to be perfect anyway, and it's not like I'm you or Emmeryn."

Chrom's blank stare did not waiver. "Lissa, that was really melodramatic, and I didn't follow one bit of it."

"I don't care. Either assign me a good guard or just drop all of this," she responded, tugging at her own pigtails in frustration. "I'm getting really tired of having people stand outside while I'm bathing. Or getting stuck in strategy meetings. At least Lon'qu would respect my space, right?"

Chrom sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll talk to Lon'qu. Quit being so pushy, and don't go running off, either. I'll be back soon."

"I wasn't even being pushy!" Lissa retorted as Chrom maneuvered around her to walk to the sparring fields. "You're just being a nub!" She huffed an annoyed sigh and gazed at the canopy of the tent. Does he not realize that he's leaving me alone and that's the last thing he wants right now? Oh well. That's my brother for you. Typical Chrom.

Vaike's axe clanged heavily on Lon'qu's Killing Edge. Lon'qu had always found Vaike graceless but determined as a sparring partner, which could be enough of a challenge to take on if he wasn't feeling on top of his game. Lon'qu deflected the blow and swiped at Vaike. "Nothing fazes ya, does it, Lon'qu?" Vaike roared with a huge grin. He made a sloppy swing at Lon'qu, which the myrmidon easily sidestepped. Vaike's movements had driven him all over this circle of grass and dirt that had been designated for dueling, interrupting a session between Sully and Frederick and inciting a shout of surprise from Kellam.

Lon'qu was about to make an attempt at disarming Vaike when Chrom's voice interrupted him. "Do I ever find you anywhere but here, Lon'qu?"

Sheathing his sword, Lon'qu turned to Chrom. Vaike huffed a good natured sigh and plopped down to scrub at a stain on the blade of his axe. With the sound of Vaike's efforts in his ear, Lon'qu gave Chrom a nod of acknowledgment. "Chrom."

Chrom glanced at Vaike before focusing his attentions on Lon'qu. "Look, I have a favor to ask of you."

"It isn't a favor when I've been told to do whatever you say," Lon'qu pointed out. His hands and body itched to return to sparring.

Chrom raised an eyebrow, a slight sparkle glimmering in his steady blue eyes. "That is true. I could have you making us omelets every night, and I have to thank Khan Basilio for that." His jovial expression fading to seriousness, he walked out of the circle. Lon'qu followed him, equally bemused by the idea of omelets and curious as to the "favor" that Chrom wanted from him.

At the edge of the circle, Chrom drew close to Lon'qu. "I honestly cannot thank you enough for saving my sister," he said, rubbing at his bare arm with a sigh. "If she had been killed, the shepherds would be in shambles. She's so very important to us. To me," he added.

Lon'qu raised an eyebrow, the tiniest of movements on an otherwise still body. "You're welcome, I suppose," he responded. He had a sinking feeling that Chrom was about to ask him to do something that he was uncomfortable with, but he tried to push that feeling aside. Maybe Chrom was going to go tell him to take a day off or something instead for his good deed. That would be nice.

Chrom shuffled awkwardly, his hand slipping to the pommel of Falchion. "Lon'qu, Lissa needs a guard. We've tried...everybody, really. That assassin is still out there, and I'm not satisfied with anyone in this camp."

"Hire someone. Have Emmeryn send a pegasus knight," Lon'qu suggested, feeling himself sweat over the direction this conversation was headed in. That day off was disappearing quickly; many "on" days were about to ensue, he feared.

Shaking his head, Chrom looked at Lon'qu steadily. "I know you're not much for women, but I really would like someone guarding my sister who knows what he's doing."

Lon'qu resisted the urge to groan. He scratched at his neck awkwardly. "Uh, okay."

"Lissa would prefer it also," Chrom added, inducing more excessive sweating from the myrmidon. His gaze level, he gently asked, "Will you please protect my sister? When this mess is all over, you don't have to anymore. You can even take a few days to yourself if you want."

Lon'qu sighed and nodded. He couldn't negate what Khan Basilio had told him to do, and since it was Chrom that he had to listen to, he had to agree. "Please find the bastard quickly," Lon'qu said, hoping there wasn't a note of desperation weaving through his voice.

With a chuckle, Chrom walked away from the ring. Over his shoulder, he called, "When you're done sparring, come to my tent. We have to discuss the details with my sister."

Vaike sprang to his feet, eyeing Lon'qu oddly. "You gettin' married or something? That sounded like some kinda marriage contract or whatnot."

"I don't like women. There is no marriage for me," Lon'qu responded hastily. Aggravated, he drew Killing Edge and lashed out hard at Vaike, who laughed. Lon'qu hardly felt humorous; he was going to be stuck with a woman—Chrom's sister, nonetheless—for long periods of time in the near future. If Vaike was going to suggest such a thing, he could bear to bow under Lon'qu's wrath for a short period of time.

When Chrom returned, Lissa had tipped back in a chair, arms folded over her chest and her boot-clad feet propped up on Chrom's desk. She tilted her head back to look at him. "Shouldn't Lon'qu be with you?" she asked, squinting at the area behind her brother as if attempting to make the myrmidon appear.

Chrom nodded. "He's sparring. I told him what's going on. He isn't too pleased, but he agreed to guard you."

With a happy shrug of her shoulders, Lissa beamed. "See? Was that so difficult?"

"I still am confused by what you wanted," Chrom responded, sitting at his desk beside Lissa's feet and scrubbing at his brow. "What was that speech, anyway?"

Lissa snorted. "No idea, but it worked, right? I have a guard who…well…is good at what he does! He's the one who spotted my would-be killer!" she declared, raising a fist proudly. "Also, I have the feeling he'll respect personal space, don't you agree, Chrom?"

Before her flabbergasted brother could respond, the entrance to the tent flapped open. Lissa caught the rather masculine reek of sweat and warm skin; obviously Lon'qu had joined the party. She once again titled her head to look at the myrmidon. He didn't even acknowledge her; he stood at the entrance, his shoulder nearly peeking out of the tent. Lissa examined him. He was never close enough for her to get a good look. He was tall, likely taller than most of the men in camp aside from Frederick, and his shoulders spread broadly from years of practicing with the sword. His forearms were lined with scar after scar that gleamed white on suntanned skin. The set of his mouth and brow were grim; in spite of this, his features were handsome and even; she estimated that he was Chrom's age, if not a touch older than the prince. If he didn't hate women so much, Lon'qu would be able to rack up female admirers the way her brother did.

"Lon'qu," Chrom started, sliding off of his desk and assuming a more formal position, "thank you for agreeing to this." Mirroring her brother, Lissa rose to attention and stood at her brother's side. Lon'qu's gaze flicked to her briefly before he looked away again with discomfort written all over his face.

Lissa propped her hands on the desk. "Uh…Lon'qu. I know this isn't easy for you, so thank you so much!" she said, smiling brightly at him. That made him even more uncomfortable, if the nauseated expression on his face was anything to go by. Lissa sighed and looked up to Chrom. "I'm going to let you do the talking here, I think."

Chrom gave her a look that she couldn't quite read before he focused back on Lon'qu. Slowly, he said, "Lon'qu, I'm asking that you are consistently within a certain radius of Lissa. You eat near her, sleep near her, and if you go spar, you're going to take her with you."

"Excuse me, he's going to sleep near me? That seems like a poor thing for an older brother to suggest," Lissa remarked, her cheeks pink.

Chrom, in turn, grew pink. Lissa began to wonder if anyone in the tent wasn't blushing. Scrabbling at sensibility, Chrom retorted, "As in opposite ends of a tent. Not sharing a bed. There is no need to make my request sound so wanton, Lissa! Also, the likelihood of anything happening is low!"

She sat back down in the chair, cupping her face. Was this a bad idea? I trust Lon'qu to do the job right, but I think he probably will just be miserable the whole time. At least he'll respect my space. If it doesn't work out, I guess I'd just hang out with Robin or Chrom all the time until this is all taken care of, she thought, moping.

Lon'qu cleared his throat. "I understand what you mean. It will be done. She will be protected." Lissa looked up at him. He sure wasn't looking at her, but the certainty in his voice alleviated her concerns about the situation.

"Starting immediately, please," Chrom added, rubbing at his temples. "Thank you. It's up to you two to figure out how this will work. I can't tell you how to live."

"I'm sure we'll figure it out just fine," Lissa retorted, plodding over to the entrance with a giant grin plastered to her face. "Come on, Lon'qu. You're stuck with me for a while! We'll figure out a nice little routine and everything!"

She heard him sigh heavily. "A real pleasure," he muttered before following her. She hoped that she could at least get him to trust her before their time together was up.

A/N: Hi! I usually only do Author's Notes at the bottom. So I just wanted to make note of a few things quick down here. Yes, Lissa has weird motives. She guilts her brother into things. She's nothing if not...you know...a teenage girl? Lol. I hope she and Lon'qu are in character, especially, since this fic is focusing really heavily on them!

Fun fact: this is titled "Assassin's Dweeb" in Word. I'm a problematic fave, supporting Ubisoft like this.

Also, I hope to finish this ficlet by the end of my winter break! It's mostly just a fun, goofy thing for me to write whilst home from college. If that changes I do apologize.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year's. I hope the new year treats you well!