The After-War

Three weeks had passed since the end of the war. Peace progressed and was settling in the kingdom, but they were losses and destructions due to some attacks from the plegia army. The worst time was when Gangrel was leading is army towards Ylissol's castle with the goal of capture the Exalt, Emmeryn. Some villages were hit by their march, and now, the Shepherds were send to help the people of these villages in these complicated times of the after-war.

A group of four Shepherds was send to a village named Efston, a good-sized village which was on the way of the plegian army... and Gangrel wasn't merciful. So, the town was almost entirely destroyed, and lost many people in this attack. Considering the situation and after listening the report of this village, Lissa immediately decided to come to their aid. Sully, Stahl and Robin went with her to help too. Chrom considered their assets as good things for the village : Stahl for his empathy and his skill as a cook ; Sully for her energy and optimism. Robin was with them mostly to oversee the problems at Efston.

"...But I felt like Chrom wanted to go along with us..." said Robin, when the discussion with his friends went towards the subject of their captain during their travel. "Well, he have so much to do with his new status..."

Robin sighed, since he wanted to help him with his task, like he was doing these last three weeks.

"So he send us, Shepherds, for this task, right ?" respond Stahl, looking at the tactician who was behind the other cavalier. The white-haired one sighed again, but nodded.

"And I don't think Big Brother is the good person to repair things, you know ?" laughed Lissa, imagining what could happen with her brother doing such tasks.

"Yeah, the captain is strong to break things in frustration, that's for sure !" added Sully in nodding, a little smile on her lips saying she was already thinking about the worst.

"Oh... So that's why Frederick was insisting to send the Shepherds for these duty ?" asked the tactician.

"Probably, yes... I thought he'll go by himself to do these tasks, but... he probably thought it'll be better to stay with Chrom, or something like that." commented the green cavalier.

"Ah ! If he had this power, he'd multiply himself to do all these dutys and task by himself." added the red one, which made Stahl and Lissa laughed, thinking it'll be well too true.

Robin was looking to them. He joined the Shepherds since a few month now, but he still doesn't know everyone so well. But he thought that he will have time for that, now, since the war was over.

"Hey, are you together, you two, now ?"

Stahl abruptly changed the subject of the conversation, and that make all gaze redirecting to him. But the swordman was looking, one after another, at Lissa and Robin. These two turn their eyes towards each other after that, then smiled. Sully gazed towards everyone, but finally understood.

"Oooh ! I didn't even know about that ! You should told us that, we would celebrate that with a good drink !"

Sully hit with the palm of her hand the led of the one who was behind her, on her horse.

"Ouch ! It hurts, Sully ! And I don't see really good reasons to celebrate these kinds of things ! It's... er..." He tried to thought of things, but didn't find anything to say to add up to what he was saying.

"Ah ah ah, come on ! You're frequenting the princess ! That's a good reason !"

Lissa laughed a little, a little embarrassed. She knew that some peoples would see the fact of her being in couple with someone like a big event. Robin wasn't convince, tough.

"...Speaking like that, you'll be like the Khan Flavia...

- I don't see anything bad about taking example from a strong lady !" laughed the red cavalier. "But, seriously, when we'll be back to Ylisstol, we'll have to drink something with the other guys. And I will not take a 'no' like an answer !

- And me ?" asked the princess, offended by the fact she wasn't invited.

"Sorry princess Lissa, but drinking is for adults only." Lissa sulked after earing that, feeling that she took her as a child. Sully ignored her face and continued, justifying : "You're too young to drink alcohol. But you can celebrate it with Maribelle, Sumia and Cordelia ! I'm sure they'll accept to do something with you !"

Lissa's still sulking, but she frowned less now. Stahl was laughing lightly. It was really Sully-llike : a frank talk, but tactless. Anyway, it enlivened the road.

Later in the day, the group of the Shepherds was next to the village. From there, they could saw the damages the town suffered. Efston was surrounded by a wooden rampart, and a big part of this rampart was destroyed. When they entered the village, they saw many houses in reconstruction, signs of the great losses they had during the war. Robin knew that they will be lots of work to do here. Finally, a man arrived and welcomed them.

"Princess Lissa, Shepherds, welcome to Efston. Thank you for coming here. I'm the mayor of the village... You can call me Fintan.

- Thanks to you, Fintan. I'm Robin, the Shepherd's tactician. I represent His Highness Chrom here." the young man said, getting off the horse and approaching the mayor to greet him.

"I see. Like you can see, repairs have started. I hope His Highness would understand the fact we desperatly need some help here. Even more, the fact we knew that these... er, Risens - that's the word ? - exist, our citizens can't sleep correctly. Gards are more overworked than ever, we fear the worst...

- Yes, I understand, and I'm here for reporting all of that to the prince Chrom. I thought you received a missive about the process, right ?

- Oh, yes, of course...

- So maybe we'll start by talking about the time where the plegian army attacked... In another place, obviously.

- Yes, of course. You should come to my place."

Robin nodded and looked at his friends. He saw, by her expression, that she wanted to come with him. But he had another task for her.

"Lissa, can you go around the village with Stahl and Sully ? I think you'll be more able than me to evaluate the damages, materially and psychologically. And then you'll report all of that to me when I'll be back... Is that all right to you ?

- ...Okay."

Lissa doesn't object despite the fact she wanted to hear to story of the mayor. But since Robin ask her help, she cannot refused. The latter smiled then followed the mayor, letting the other three alone.

And so, the princess, escorted by the two cavaliers, went around the village. They saw all the damages the village suffered, and so, they cannot help but gave a hand from time to time. When the tactician came back, more than a hour latter, they done another turn around the village, but with Lissa giving details. Robin recorded all of that in writing. Actually, the village prioritized the reconstruction of the ramparts and of one house. But many others are waiting. They learned too that the inhabitants of these houses were either dead or were living in another house. The number of gards for the village drastically decreased too. The village could not be considered safe anymore, and that was an heavy burden for the villagers.

The night came quickly after that. The mayor said they could spend the night at the inn. Lissa, who passed the worry about the villagers' lodging, was delighted by the fact she can have a real bed to sleep in. At the inn, the owner of the place took them to the upper floor, to the chambers where they can spend the night. Once the stairs climbed, he turned towards the Shepherds.

"How many chambers do you want ?" he asked. Sully was the quickest to respond.

"Two will suffice."

Robin nodded, agreeing with the answer. The innkeeper nodded in turn and pointed two doors, one in face of the others, the closest to the stairs. He left the key of the chambers to the Shepherds and went down the stairs after wished a good night for them. Robin, who took the keys, open one of the chambers. In there, they saw that the bed was large enough for two peoples.

"Good !" said suddenly Sully. "Robin, Lissa, you take this chamber."

She said that seriously, but inside her, she was smiling. The other three turns towards her, and if Stahl wasn't surprised nor disturbed, the princess and the tactician can't help but blush madly.

"W-What ?" reacted Robin. "No, it's not... I mean, it'll be better to have one chamber for Stahl and me, and the other for Lissa and you... !"

Lissa, too tense to think, nodded timidly to her boyfriend's words. Sully, seeing the princess too timorous, accepted and took Lissa with her in the chamber. Stahl and Robin let the girls alone and went to the other chamber. In there, Stahl checked his belongings and the view to the outside – even if the dark of the night doesn't let him see much – until he heard a muffled sound. He turned his face towards the bed, where the tactician, who let himself fall on, was lying on. But he didn't say anything. He had nothing to say. If Robin had something to say, he'll start a discussion, but for now, he continue to check his backpack. Almost one minute later, he heard some words coming from the white-haired young man.

"I'm surprised you are so calm..."

Stahl looked at Robin, who was looking at him. But Robin's body still seemed not animated. Stahl had a sorry smile.

"I had nothing to object. After all, you're a couple with Lissa, so if you wanted to sleep together, why should I have something to say ?"

Robin laughed lightly and turn around his body, facing now the ceiling.

"You're too kind... But were you not bothered to sleep with Sully ?"

He gazed towards the swordman, waiting for an answer, but the green cavalier just shrugged before starting to remove his armor.

"...Is that because Cordelia ? You like her, so sleeping with another girl don't bother you ?"

Robin thought it was the only reason behind Stahl's calmness. But the latter laughed again and turn completely towards him.

"I can't say that's the case. I'll be embarrassed to sleep in the same bed as a girl, whoever she is. But Sully's case is different. We know each other since a long time... And we even had gone out together a while."

This new fact shocked Robin. Then he thought that, since he knew the Shepherds only since a few months, he still have lots to learn about them. But he have saw that Sully and Stahl seemed to get along pretty well, and now, learning about that, Robin thought that it was the reason why Sully seemed to kick Stahl's butt more than anyone else.

"Oh... How long it have been since you and Sully have stopped to be in couple ?

- Ah ah, well... To be honest, it's barely if we have been in couple. I admired Sully a lot at that time, and the fact we had such a good relationship end up with us accepting to go out together... But we quickly acknowledge the fact that we felt better when simply being friends and comrades."

Robin listened silently, then looked at the ceiling, lost again in thought. Before Stahl's got his attention again by speaking :

"And you ? What hold you to sleep in the same bed as Lissa ? Too embarrassed ?

- Of course ! It's not even a month since we are a couple, and I'm afraid that if Chrom learned about the fact I slept in the same bed as Lissa, he'll have my skin... I still not have said to him I was going out with his little sister !"

Stahl laughed again, but don't respond. For him, Chrom must have been aware of that, but he cannot be certain of it. And it was not his concern : Robin have to settle that alone. And it's certain that the latter was thinking about it. He have not to do a thing, and he was sure he'll have nothing to do in the future too.

The next morning, Robin and Lissa had their breakfast together. The two others went already out to help the villagers since they woke up earlier. But the reason about the oversleep of the couple was evident.

"That Sully..." scowled Lissa, her cheeks still red. "Why she had to say that... ?"

Robin can't find anything to answer to that, and finished his cereale porridge silently. He had hard time to fell asleep because the proposal of the red cavalier was still on his head, and apparently, Lissa had the same problem.

"She seemed a little too enthusiastic about our couple..." he finally comment.

"And Stahl who got so calm and composed... Sully's words implied that they had to sleep in the same bed too, and still... What are they, an old couple ?" Her words made Robin laught a little, thing that she took as an affirmation. "Wait, I'm right ?

- Stahl said he and Sully had gone out together a little time, last night.

- What ?! They are close, and they get along well... I mean, with such a trusting bonds between them, SURE it HAD to be something like that... And so ? They aren't in love with each other anymore ?" asked Lissa, trying in the same time to think about things to return the 'favor' if they still have something between them.

"Stahl's in love with Cordelia, so...

- WHAT ?!"

Lissa cut Robin, who was taking without thinking. He looked at Lissa a time before realising his mistake.

"Oh, crap, it was a secret..."

Lissa frowned a time after that, then sighed, to the surprise of her boyfriend.

"Why they had to keep their feelings secrets like that ? I mean, Cordelia was too passive about her own feelings, but everyone knew about them... Well, except my brother, of course...

- And me...

- But you're here since not long, so it's excusable." smiled Lissa, which made him smile the same. "Oh well... If Stahl's in love with her, he have to took his chance !

- I think he's trying. But he build it slowly : actually, he's trying that she'll notice him, something like that. I think he's waiting that her heart is healing before going further.

- ...I see... Maybe I'll help him... I mean, he helped me when I was feeling down, after... after I noticed that... that I was in love with you... I... I told him..." she confessed timidly.

Robin look at her in shock. Stahl... was too Lissa's confident ? He noticed know the strange position he was in, and that was a real shock.

"...He's too nice..." he finally said.

"Yes, he is. That's why I was thinking to help him for his relationship with Cordelia. He's a nice guy, and she merits someone who'll be attentive and caring.

- I understand the reasons, but I'm not sure being a matchmaker is a good thing..."

The discussion stopped here, Lissa lost in thought while finisher her bowl. Robin was worrying about her thought, but stayed silent.

During the day, the four Shepherds helped the repairs in the village. Sully was at the ramparts, and Stahl at the houses. After he finished his report and send it by homing pigeon, Robin helped to the ramparts too, for the measurement and the placement. Lissa helped the best she can too, before finishing the day in playing with the kids of the village. Sometimes, the Shepherds patrolled around the village in order to watch out for Risens, in case they approached. Fortunately for the village, no one of these abominations shown themselves.

The next two days went the same way. Waiting about Chrom's reply and instructions, they worked on the repairs with the villagers. Chrom's missive arrived at the end of the third day. It contains is instructions : waiting at the town until the reinforcements – artisans and soliers from Ylisse – arrived.

During these days, the presence of the Shepherds at the village was really appriciated. "Big Arms" Sully was nicknamed like that by some villagers because she was carrying lots of heavy stuffs alone – one way to train for her at the same time as helping. Stahl was more esteemed for his kindness and his little adds to the meals, as well as when he was helping for the repairs. Lissa said, the night of the fourth day, that a group of young girls admired him secretly – thing that made the swordman embarrassed about. Robin helped in more complex domains with the help if his brain and his magic. And Lissa was still herself. Wherever she go, her cheerfulness was spreading around the village, and was really appreciated by the kids, to the depends of her lover, who was the target of another of her prank : a trap set up by her and the kids.

The sixth day, during the day, the artisans and the soldiers arrived. The four Shepherds had, them, to go back to the capitol. Robin started by speaking with the chief of the craftsmen about the repairs they have done these last days and about other useful informations. The announce of their departure spread around the village quickly, and when the time came, a big party of villagers was with the mayor to say goodbye to them. Robin assured that they'll came back another time, when the village will be entirely rebuild. They mount on the horses, in the same place as when they came, then wave to the villagers goodbye.

"Thanks again, Shepherds !" "Until next time !" "Be careful, everyone !" The villagers were shouting towards them a long time. And little by little, the four Shepherds disappear from their eyes. But they were grateful about the time they were here.

Author's note : Second "arc" (I still don't know the good name... or not sure... whatever) is on ! I'll hope you'll like this part of the story about the time of peace. Until next chapter, people !