After the first hour, the novelty of not using her aching feet had all but completely worn off as Ashe learned that for an experienced rider like Sully, spending long periods of time in the saddle was a simple feat. For an inexperienced rider, like herself apparently, it was torture. Her thighs ached from the unusual position and the horse's constant jostling was irritating her wound.

"Hey, you okay back there?" asked Sully.

"Peachy," Ashe ground out, wishing she'd opted to walk from the start—judging from the soreness, the chance of her legs supporting her weight long enough to carry her to Ylisstol was slim and growing more so by the second.

Sully looked back over her shoulder to see her passenger scowling and kneading her thighs in an attempt to soothe the muscles. "First time on a horse?"

"And the last," Ashe quipped, thankful when Sully let out a bark of laughter. She feared her sour mood would put off the cavalier and was glad to see she was not so easily offended.

"Aw, it's not so bad once you get used to it, though that nasty gash probably isn't making things any easier, huh? Do you want to stop and have Lissa apply more of that ointment?" Sully asked, looking over her shoulder once more and taking in Ashe's ghost-like pallor.

"No," Ashe assured her, "I just need some rest; I'm sure everyone else does as well. The sooner we get to Ylisstol, the better."

"Still, you're, uh, not looking so good. The capital's not much further but are you sure you can make it? I don't want you fainting on me!"

"It's pointless for me to pretend I feel fine but it's equally futile for me to whine and moan. If it's not too much trouble though, will you continue talking to me? It helps keep me awake and keep my mind off my legs, not to mention the added bonus of getting to know the peerless rider in front of me."

"Aren't you a charmer? Don't get too flowery on me; bad leg or not, I'll kick you off this horse just like that chatty archer," Sully teased.

"I'll do my best to keep any swooning strictly pain and fatigue related."

Virion was sulking as he plodded along next to Lissa and stared longingly at the two women astride Sully's horse. Against her better senses, Lissa was actually a little insulted that, according to Sully, had thus far proposed to bother her and Ashe. The beautiful cavalier had already dubbed him a womanizer and yet he'd barely looked at her.

It was stupid, really, but she hated being left out. It made her feel lesser. Was she less attractive? Less mature? Less alluring? Perhaps she was too fat; she had been eating a lot of sweets lately. Or maybe, Virion was only interested in strong fighters—she could count on one hand how many times she'd held a sword.

Lissa groaned in frustration and Virion, of course, did not notice.

She knew she shouldn't care what one man thought of her, but she couldn't help but feel self-conscious. Sully had hordes of admirers, both male and female, and Ashe had a mysterious charm to her like the heroines in mystery novels that Sumia favored. She, on the other hand, was just Chrom's perky little sister.

She would be alone forever. She was undesirable. For Emmeryn, her ever gorgeous sister, remaining unmarried was a choice that proved her capability as a solitary leader. For her, it would just be because no one wanted her.

Sick of wallowing in her insecurities, Lissa finally addressed the downtrodden archer. "Are you going to mope the whole way back to Ylisstol?" she demanded.

Virion started and actually seemed surprised to see her walking so close to him. "Dear girl, you ought not sneak up on people," he admonished.

"I'm not a girl!" she exclaimed. How dare he address her so informally. Perhaps she was not as elegant and regal as her siblings, but she was still royalty. And she was not some little girl, she was a woman! What a rude man!

Virion seemed taken aback. "Are you…are you not?" His brow furrowed and his eyes roved up and down her body. It took Lissa a moment to realize what he was doing.

Blushing hotly and feeling scandalized, Lissa covered her chest. "I meant I'm not a little girl! Would you stop that? It's incredibly indecent!"

"My apologies, milady. I did not mean to offend your delicate sensibilities, I was merely perplexed by your claim. I see now how I erred and I offer you my deepest, most sincere apologies."

Lissa huffed. First he ignored her, then he ogled her chest and thought he would be so easily forgiven? "I will forgive you on one condition," she said, holding up her index finger and jabbing it into his chest for emphasis.

He winced slightly and the large, cheesy smile he'd plastered on his face in hopes of placating her fell. "Anything to right this egregious wrong," he vowed. His tone was remorseful but Lissa could see that slight twitch in his right eyebrow that too clearly conveyed his irritation.

"Buy me a new staff."

"A new staff?" he repeated.

"Yes! I've been wanting one of the staffs that would let me heal people from far away," Lissa elaborated.

"What you're looking for is both rare and incredibly expensive. I've no mean of procuring such an item for you…milady." Lissa could see Virion's polite facade begin to crack and decided to push harder. He deserved having his perfect image shattered at this point.

"So was that bit I overheard in your conversation with Frederick about being a famous nobleman a lie? Surely a famous nobleman would have such connections," Lissa mocked.

"I assure you, I am of noble birth, but your request is still ludicrous," Virion retorted.

"You're ludicrous."

"ENOUGH! I refuse to speak with you for one more second!" he proclaimed.

"Gods, you're full of it."

"Go away."

While Sully talked to Ashe, telling her all about the capital and the Shepherds, Chrom and Frederick discussed the recent horrific events.

"Whatever those things are, they couldn't have appeared at a worse time. The number of attacks by Plegians has been increasing drastically and their king is clearly seeking war. I can't believe they dared to attack a village so close to Ylisstol," Chrom cursed. Such an unthinkable act proved what little regard Plegia's rulers had for Ylisse; it was as if they were taunting the Exalt herself, demonstrating that Ylisse was powerless to stop them.

"Milord, have you considered that the appearance of these creatures and the increasing number of Plegian attacks are related?" asked Frederick, kicking sticks and stones out of Chrom's path as they walked. On a usual day, Chrom might have spoken against the uncalled for action, but he was too preoccupied with the matters at hand to pay much notice to his knight's mother hen-like eccentricities.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Chrom.

"The Plegia has an abundance of dark mages and is known for their practice of dark arts. Perhaps these creatures were produced by some manner of dark spell," Frederick explained.

Chrom's frown deepened. "I would have liked to think that those monsters were just a one-time occurrence, but it would be foolish to believe that, especially given what that man—Marth—said earlier. To think that not only are there more of them, but they are controlled by our enemies…I don't see how Ylisse will…" Chrom trailed off. He was not one for pessimism, but considering Ylisse's comparatively small army and lack of allies, he couldn't imagine they would emerge from war with Plegia as victors.

"Milord…" Frederick was at a loss for words. Chrom knew his knight would never offer him false niceties and so they were left with a silence that made the gravity of their situation sink in further.

"Well, there's not much we can do until we speak with the Exalt," Chrom said at last.

"You're right. On a different note, milord, have you considered Ashe?" asked Frederick.

"Considered Ashe? What do you—I can be friendly with a woman and not—

"Calm down; I was not implying anything along those lines. I was wondering if you'd considered what Ashe's role in all this is. I know you and your sister believe me to be paranoid, but you are too trusting. Ashe has indeed fought bravely and shown that she would make an excellent Shepherd, but her appearance was rather oddly timed."

"Come out and say what's been on your mind," Chrom snapped. He knew Frederick's words did not merit his anger, but overtired and anxious as he was, he wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush.

"From the moment I first laid eyes upon Ashe, I believed she was a Plegian sorceress," Frederick blurted out.

"That's ridiculous! What even made you think that?" Chrom exclaimed.

"Her cloak bears designs similar to those that most Plegian dark mages wear. I became more convinced when we discovered that band of Plegian bandits nearby."

"If Ashe were working with them, they would not have attacked her," Chrom argued.

"Perhaps they had a falling out. They could have fought—that may be the reason she seems to have forgotten everything."

"If that's the case, then she deserves m—our help even more! Wouldn't you be terrified if you woke up and didn't know who you were, much less anything about the world around you and on top of that had enemies after you? Besides that, she's clearly shown her worth as a soldier and a tactician—the Shepherds could always use another brilliant mind," Chrom's voice was slowly getting louder as he argued his point, "I know that she won't betray us!"

"You can't know that!" Frederick argued back, surprising Chrom. Frederick rarely raised his voice, much less against him or Lissa. Still, he felt that Frederick was being unreasonable. Ashe wasn't a threat; if anything, she was the victim of some cruel trick of fate. He was sick of hearing otherwise.

"Everything alright?" asked a voice much calmer than Frederick's or his own at this point. Chrom turned to see that Sully had trotted over and Lissa, who had been in conversation with Virion, was watching him with concern evident in her gaze. Chrom's eyes landed on the cause of the argument, seated behind Sully and looking downright miserable.

Chrom opened his mouth to blurt out another apology, but Frederick spoke first. "I can see Ylisstol in the distance; I will ride ahead and tell the Exalt of our arrival and have beds prepared," Frederick said, swinging himself skillfully onto the back of his horse, who'd been trotting alongside him until now. With those brief words, Frederick galloped ahead and was quickly out of earshot.

Frederick's sudden departure left a tangible uneasiness in the air and Chrom was certain everyone had at least gotten the gist of their argument. He wanted to reassure Ashe that she was welcome in the Shepherds, but he knew that now wasn't the time. He would talk to her later and make sure she knew.

Though Ashe seemed on a whole, worse for wear, her eyes remained clear and sharp as they bore into Chrom's and she gave him a quick, nearly imperceptible nod.

"Let's keep moving. It's not much longer now," Chrom announced, continuing to lead the group ahead. He was a bit puzzled by Ashe's gesture. She couldn't have possibly known what he was thinking so he wasn't sure what exactly she meant, but the small movement had brought him some comfort. At the very least he felt certain that she was not upset with him.

Please excuse my long absence. I am now thoroughly immersed in fire emblem once more and this story shall continue. This chapter is a bit short but expect the next chapter to be on the lengthy side. Please enjoy and know that I'm still interested in hearing which pairings everyone wants to see!