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With a brisk clap of her hands, our peppy commander, Anna, passionately declared to the small fraction of the heroes we had assembled today. "All right, everyone – listen up, listen up! The harvest season is upon us! We must prepare to..." Her ruby gaze went sharp for a moment before she broke into a grin. "...wear costumes! While there aren't usually any bumps in the road for an event like this, I must confess, there is one problem."

A murmur went through the gathered crowd like a ripple on the surface of a pond. It was a mix of excitement and nervousness. Some of those gathered were ecstatic to dress up and participate in the autumn months and the festivities that came along with it, however, some were not so inclined. A usually calm and mature princess of Elusia started rambling about ghosts, while a recluse from the Adrestian Empire nearly wept in fear at the announcement. On the other hand, a couple of the younger ones and their parents were already discussing ideas of how to participate in the event.

One hand shot up from the clustered mixture of armor and cloaks, curious green eyes bright with earnestness instead of reservation. From my stance to the right of her, I glanced up at the girl as she asked, "What is it, Commander?" The blonde princess of Askr, Sharena, piped up, having a record of being ecstatic about these types of things. "If there's an issue, I'm sure we can solve it." Ever the optimist, that one.

Certainly, I didn't believe there could be much of a hitch either unless Anna had decided to request payment to access the festival – an offer she extended rather often. Alfonse, the crown prince whose younger sister is Sharena, didn't seem concerned much about it either.

Anna continued, her voice hushed in order to give off the exact amount of suspense that she desired, and it worked. Her audience, while small in size, overwhelmingly large in fame, was on the edge of their seats, figuratively, of course. "I've been hearing that this year... ghosts will be appearing for real!" The redhead revealed this obviously far-fetched rumor with a proud smile.

As a result, a good number of the heroes were in a frenzy once more. And similarly to before, Sharena spoke up again, her expression torn between being scared of spirits and also being eager to meet them. "G-g-ghosts? REAL ghosts?! You're not serious, are you?"

"Hah! Sharena, everyone knows ghosts aren't real." Her elder brother scoffs, quick to correct the false statement, although he decidedly couldn't look her in the eye. "There's never been a single shred of evide—"

Anna's cackling, resounding across the halls of Askr Castle, rang out, interrupting his dispute. "OOooOOOooo! That's right! REAL ghosts! In the eerie light of the moon, they appear, apparitions that know no rest or respite — only hunger!" Her maniacal laughter did cease, to no one's surprise. She was definitely messing with us and was enjoying every second with zero shame.

Beside me, Alfonse suddenly grew quiet. I turned to him, tilting my head slightly as I tried to solve the mystery that was another's thoughts. For some reason, which he did not explain, Alfonse guarded his gaze a little. That concerned me.

"Hey, Alfonse?" I began, although not entirely sure what I was going to ask without sounding accusatory.

"Oh, come on, that doesn't sound too bad! Maybe one of them will be friends with me! Having a ghost friend would be nice! They must know a lot and have all kinds of amazing tales to tell!" Sharena shook my shoulder without warning, her beaming face only becoming ever brighter at the prospect of new companions, not bothered at the fact that they would be deceased.

And still, Alfonse remained silent, but I noticed a flicker of nausea in his uneasy expression.

Sharena seemed to have picked up on his uncertainty as well. "What's wrong, Alfonse? You seem tense... Er, wait — Now that I think about it, you've always been afraid of ghosts, haven't you? Ever since we were really itty bitty!"

That immediately prompted a bout of nervous laughter. Haha... ha... N-no. I'm fine, Sharena. Come now, I'm not a child anymore, as you know. And I'll reiterate what I said before, there are no such things as ghosts."

Then, an idea popped into my head. "Wait, but like, couldn't we have Hel bring some souls over if we really wanted to speak to ghosts?" I wondered, and Alfonse shuddered, mumbling something about how repulsive the underworld was just going once.

As to be expected, the festival proceeded without any hitches. No ghosts or anything, not that the concept ever evaded anyone. Well, the younger ones were solely focused on securing as much candy as they were able to carry, but the murmurings of gossip surrounding the paranormal were commonplace as the end of October drew ever nearer. By the end of the night when everyone went Trick or Treating, the darkness of late hours fell upon those who were dressed up, and the pale moon crept higher and higher in the sky.

"The festival this year has all been so amazing! And there were so many people in costumes!" Sharena exclaimed, her basket stuffed with sugary sweets swinging at her side as she walked. Her costume of choice, a bunny rabbit attire reused from a spring event, had its white ears bobbing atop her blonde head. Her gaze dimmed a little, however. "But... I still don't have any REAL ghost friends..."

Alfonse didn't waste any time attempting to dispel the thought, not unlike previously. "Ah, well. It is as I said, and I'll say it again: ghosts are not real. There's never been any real sightings, no actual proof, or—"

Without warning, his sister's complexion suddenly drained to a terrifying shade of white. "B-B-Brother, look! It's... It's a ghost!" Her hand shot out, one singular pointer finger trembling as it jabbed into the distance somewhere.

"Sharnea?!" I hastily whipped my gaze around to her gesture but saw not even a flicker in the depths of the forest's pitch black, no matter how closely I peered past the foliage as it swayed with the chilly night breeze.

It appeared like Alfonse hadn't seemed anything either, for he followed me up with a dismissive huff. "...Surely it's just your imagination. Now, come on, let's head back. We've finished Trick or Treating for this year, and you've had one too many chocolate bars tonight, Sharena."

Already intoxicated at the chance to interact with the deceased, Sharena stepped forward with a slightly wavering but eager anticipation. "But... but I want to go meet them! After all, Commander Anna said they'd be here... I'll just go and say hello! It's fine, Brother. You worry far too much for your own good."

"Sharena, wait!" Alfonse and I shouted in unison, both of us reaching out to each of her shoulders, but missing just barely as she dashed into the woods, not paying our panic any mind.

"Hello! Are you a ghost?" I heard her call out to what she thought was a spirit as she was peeking around the shadowy tree trunks. From beside her brother, I watched her receding backside. "I've been looking for a ghost friend, you see, and, well— H-hey! Oh nooooo!" Her shriek split through the air, and suddenly, Sharena was gone from our sight.

"Sharena? Sharena!" Her name from my lips in haste.

"Sh-Sharena?! ... All right. Stay calm, stay calm..." Alfonse whispered to himself, his hands trembling as they clenched tight enough for his knuckles to go white. "Let's think this through, (Y/N)..." He turned to me, his sapphire gaze boring into my own as if pleading for reassurance. Before I could say a thing to soothe his rising horror. He began to ramble, his words quiet but alarmingly rushed. "If such a thing as ghosts were real, we can conclude only that they must be more powerful than all of Askr. But if such a creature has been hiding itself all of this time, the mere rumor of its existence suggests they are not powerful enough to... but perhaps it is just because it is so powerful that it has hidden for so long... also, are their intentions malicious? If what is said about them is stories, it is likely that..."

I had been repeating his name several times over already, but he didn't seem to hear me until I held him by the shoulders and shook him a little bit, effectively snapping him out of the trace-like ramble. "Hey, hey. Look at me."

Finally able to focus on me, he realized that his breathing was heavy and her shoulders were drawn tight and stiff, almost defensive. "(Y/N)... what if they have taken her? I-I've already almost lost you so many times, against enemies of which we knew little about, but... how can I counter a ghost? I cannot fight an- an- an illusion with a solid sword! Right?!"

He was so genuinely, down-to-the-bone frightened that I didn't know what to say for a moment. Eventually, I just took one of his hands into mine and squeezed it, grounding him. "Listen. Whether that was a ghost or not, we'll get your sister back. I swear it."

The way in which he hung onto my words was more scary than anything. Alfonse is always the dependable, strong one. Now, he was at one of his most vulnerable moments, and over something as foolish as spirits. He curled his fingers around mine in return, tight in his fear, but careful not to make his grip hurt.

But before his peace of mind could have returned, a high, cheery voice shouted, "Boo!" from directly behind him. Of course, from my vantage point, I had known it was Sharena the moment she stepped out from the bushes, but Alfonse on the other hand didn't, and he immediately latched onto my arm, both as a reflex to protect those close to him, but also, as a knee-jerk reaction to the spook.

"Alfonse!" Sharena laughs, carefree, her long locks tangled with leaves and tousled from what I could only assume was from her brief disappearance, which she had yet to explain. "I'm right here! Oof, can you believe that dead tree just fell over when I leaned on it? Strange, right? Almost... creepy!"

In response, her brother didn't utter a single word, only slowly regained his bearings and reluctantly released my arm, which he had held in an iron grip, a display of his panic.

"You... you're looking awfully tense, Alfonse..." She glanced between us, now realizing the effect of her prank and growing a little more worried by the second. I just sighed, choosing not to scold her, even though I wasn't fond of seeing Askr's prince in such a state.

He cleared his throat before she had the chance to apologize. "Yes, well, I'm fine. Everything is fine. And I'm glad you are as well. It seems the ghost you thought you saw was just the shadow of that tree in the moonlight, doesn't it..."

Sharena nods along, moving on from the tease she pulled. "Aww, so it wasn't a ghost, after all... But that does make a lot of sense... Wow! You're so smart!" She tried to amend things with a compliment that fell a little flat so soon after his previous hysteria.

"Yes, I suppose if you simply apply a bit of logic, everything becomes clear, huh?" I chimed in with a small smile. "But, did you drop your bag of candy when you fell, Sharena? You should go pick it up before a squirrel does." I prompted with a slight tilt of my head in the direction of where she had once disappeared.

"Right, right! I'll be right back this time!" She waves and jogs off again, and it returns to just being Alfonse and me, at least, for the time being.

My gaze slid back to Alfonse, who wasn't nearly as scrambled as he was a couple of minutes ago, but still visibly rattled, as much as he tried to hide it from behind a stoic expression. "Are you really okay, Alfonse?" I asked, concern lacing my tone.

"Ah, about that... (Y/N)... I may have, uh, lost my composure somewhat earlier... Might I ask you a favor? Please... keep this little incident between the two of us, all right?" Alfonse requests with a sheepish look, clearly embarrassed by his lapse of emotional reservation.

"Of course. I won't say a word." I assured him, albeit a little amused at the situation. It wasn't every day that Alfonse asked much of anyone, preferring to deal with it himself. But I suppose it was the most natural reaction, to cover up a mistake, even if I didn't mind him allowing himself to show his less preferable sides.

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Author's Note:

Before I say anything, I want to give credit to Paralogue #39 "Treat Fiends" from Fire Emblem Heroes for the main concept of this one shot, as well as the title. I based majority of this story from the dialogue featured in the game.

It's not a request, as you likely realize, and I've actually had this idea in my head for many months, and I mean, almost a year. I stumbled across it when searching through my document where I keep my one-shots, and found the script of the game pasted just after the first few updates that are published here.

And while I certainly isn't fall anymore, I wanted to publish this sooner rather than later.

Besides, it turned out a considerably bit lengthier than I expected it to, so I'm a little proud of that fact. (Initially, I thought it would be around only one thousand words long.)

Today's question: What is your favorite FEH paralouge? There are so many to choose from, so it's a difficult choice. However, I am especially fond of #71 "Unlikely Friends" merely because the child version of Soren is there.

Thank you for reading,
Lillian

Word count: 2370 words

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