CHAPTER ONE

It was the year 645. Summer was quickly approaching in Crimea. The spring rains had long given way for clear, bright skies, and the days were growing hotter. Trees had shed their flower blossoms for leaves, turning the forests in the western part of the country into a green paradise teeming with life.

It was in one of these forests where a mercenary commander was training his daughter in the art of the sword.

"Hah!"

Ikana swung her weapon at her father, her wooden sword meeting his with a resounding crack! as he easily deflected her strike.

The girl grit her teeth and nearly growled as Greil blocked her next blow, and the next, and the next. For the past half hour she had relentlessly attempted to land a hit on him, to no avail. Despite her best efforts, Greil wasn't even breaking a sweat while he defended himself. Whenever he would switch to the offensive, his strikes came hard and fast. It took everything she had to parry or dodge them.

She hadn't even so much as grazed him as time went on, and Ikana was growing frustrated.

Greil knocked his daughter back a couple of feet, and when she came at him again he jabbed forward. His training weapon connected with her shoulder, causing her to fall back and land on the forest floor with a yelp.

The teenager sat up, panting, and brushed some wayward hair from her face. Gods, she was tired.

Greil smirked, sword held out in front of him. "Well, Ikana? Had enough?" he teased lightly. He wouldn't be surprised if Ikana wanted to call it quits; he had worked her especially hard today. He had steadily upped the difficulty and duration of her training in the last few weeks, and was pleased to see that she had improved greatly in her skills. Ikana was still leagues away from the skill level where he used to be, but she was becoming a worthwhile opponent. He'd be rather disappointed if she stopped now.

Ikana only narrowed her eyes at her father in return. Determined to wipe that amused look off his face, she sprang back to her feet. With renewed vigor, she resumed her attack on Greil, her blows coming faster than before. This time, Ikana vowed, she'd get him good, and then she'd be the one laughing.

It was rather pointless, though. Her father wasn't the leader of a skilled mercenary band for nothing, and he soon had her in a deadlock.

Before they could continue, they both heard the call of a young girl.

"Dad! Ikana!"

Mist, Ikana's little sister, waved and smiled cheerily as she ran down the hill from the mercenary fort towards them.

Attention diverted, Greil smiled at his youngest. "Hello, Mist," he said, lowering his weapon.

Wasting no time, Ikana raised her sword and launched herself at him with a fierce cry.

Greil knew she would try something like that. Seeing the move from the corner of his eye, he sidestepped out of harm's way.

Ikana put so much strength into her attack that she ended up barreling past her father, missing him entirely. Much too late she realized her mistake, but sooner than she could recover, Greil landed a brutal strike to her exposed back. Pain erupted from the point of impact, and she gasped in shock and agony. The force of the blow sent her falling forward several feet, and she hit the ground hard. The last thing she registered before blacking out was the sound of Mist calling her name in alarm.

A gentle voice sang a beautiful and haunting melody, one that was achingly familiar.

…Wait…I know this song…

Ikana opened her eyes and found herself in her room, nestled cozily under the thick blanket on her bed. The sunlight that filtered in through the window was dim and soft, casting a warm glow over the room. Blinking in confusion, Ikana then saw a pale hand that tapped the rhythm of the song on her bedspread. Ikana's gaze traveled from the hand and up the arm, coming to rest on the beautiful face of a woman. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized just who was sitting by her bed.

Blue eyes that were so like hers lit up when they saw that she was awake, and the woman smiled.

"Mother…" Ikana breathed, enthralled. Oh, how she missed that smile, that vibrant blue hair, and the calming aura that her mother emitted. She reached out, but before she could touch her mother's sleeve, darkness enveloped her vision…

…and Ikana found herself on her back, staring at the blue sky.

Disoriented, she was still for several moments. When she realized that she had only been dreaming, bitter disappointment washed over her. Ikana sat up, groaning at the soreness in her back and trying to shake off the remnants of her dream.

Only, she still heard her mother's song.

Ikana turned her head around, and what she discovered made her smile softly. Several feet away, Mist was picking flowers and singing their mother's song without a care in the world. With the way the lake sparkled in the background and butterflies flitted about her head, Mist could be mistaken for one of the fey of lore. Ikana scoffed at how poetic she sounded and got to her feet, uttering a quiet "ouch" as did so.

"Mist," she called, her alto voice traveling across the clearing. The brunette stopped humming and looked in her direction. "That song…"

Mist's face brightened. "Oh, you're up!" she said, and then she smiled. "'Bout time!"

Ikana's heart wrenched in her chest. Her sister looked so much like their mother when she smiled, she thought wistfully.

Hands full of flowers, Mist came to her side. "Are you alright?" she asked, voice filled with concern.

Dismissing the longing thoughts of her mother, Ikana stretched, grunting as her back protested. "I'll live," she responded.

"So, the sleeping beauty finally awakens!" Greil announced, coming from the tree line with wooden swords in hand.

Mist rounded on him, arms akimbo and black look on her face. "I can't believe you, father!" she scolded. "You shouldn't have been so rough on Ikana! Those practice swords are heavy, you could've really hurt her!"

The sight of her tiny sister berating their large sire was so whimsical that Ikana was having difficulty fighting a smile.

Greil didn't back down. "If this is too much for the girl, she'll never make it as a mercenary," he reasoned.

"But-!"

Ikana put a hand on Mist's head, lightly ruffling her hair. "Silly girl," she fondly chastised her, bending down a bit to look her in the eye. "I can take anything the old man can dish out. I'm fine," she lied. The ache in her back was prominent still, but she did her best to ignore it. She knew that this was nothing compared to what she could potentially get.

"Good," Greil said, ignoring the jab. He tossed Ikana her practice sword and gave her his trademark smirk. "Since you have the energy to sass me, are you ready for round two?"

Ikana's returning grin held a challenge. "Of course."

"What!?" Mist cried in dismay. "Not again!"

"One hit, sis. Just one good hit on father. I'm not giving up until then," Ikana said, a determined gleam in her eye.

Greil's smirk transformed into a grin. "That's the spirit, Ikana!" he praised her, pleased that she was always so eager to improve her skills. "But it'll take more than that to beat me. This time around-"

He was cut off by a rustling noise. All three turned towards the noise just in time to see one of the younger members of the company run through some foliage and into the clearing.

"Finally, I found you, boss!" he exclaimed, panting slightly from running, and slowed to a walk as he joined them.

"Hi, Boyd," Mist greeted him. "What are you doing here?"

He raised an eyebrow at the question, looking half annoyed and half amused. "Mist, you said you'd get the boss, but you never came back, so I was sent to look for you."

She gasped, remembering that she had indeed said that. "Oh, sorry! Ikana and my father were sparring, and I guess I got too caught up in it."

Boyd shrugged. "It's fine, and I figured watching Ikana getting her arse kicked by the boss would hilarious..." He trailed off, realizing that Ikana was on her feet and looking completely unharmed. "You…look fine. What happened?" he asked, a bit confused.

Squashing down her embarrassment at what had occurred minutes ago, Ikana set her face into an impassive mask and crossed her arms. "Nothing at all, sorry to disappoint you."

"You just missed it," Mist cut in. "Just a minute ago she was out cold."

Boyd guffawed, and Ikana whipped her head to the side to glare at her sister. "Mist!" she cried indignantly.

"Sorry," Mist tittered, not sounding so in the slightest.

Traitor, Ikana thought sourly.

"You couldn't have come at a better time, Boyd." Greil said, and the axe-wielder stopped laughing and looked at him questioningly. Greil held out his wooden sword to Boyd. "You can be Ikana's sparring partner. It would be good for her to spar with someone closer to her skill level."

Ikana saw her father's reasoning and nodded in agreement. She'd have a much better chance against her friend than her father. "Alright. Let's do this, shall we Boyd?"

Boyd harrumphed, taking the sword from Greil after staring at it like it would bite him. "I don't know about this 'closer to her skill level', thing, but I'm ready!" He took his position several feet away from her, swinging around the wooden sword to get a feel for it, a rather disgruntled look on his face.

"Not used to a sword, my friend?" Ikana taunted him.

"Please, I'm a professional! I can handle anything." Boyd shot back. "Come on, Ikana! Show me whatcha got!"

The girl snorted at his cocky words. Seeing that he wasn't going to make the first move, she dashed forward and attacked. Boyd leapt out of the way and countered with a downward strike. Ikana leaned to her left, and the wooden sword hit the ground hard, sending bits of earth flying. Immediately Boyd recovered and swung at Ikana's head, but she blocked it and thrust his weapon away. She spun around in the same move and ended with a roundhouse kick to Boyd's chest. He stumbled back a few feet, surprised, but undeterred. Charging back at his opponent, Boyd engaged Ikana again. For several long minutes the two exchanged blows, managing to land a glancing blow on each other every so often.

"Take him out, Ikana!" Mist cheered from the sidelines. "Boyd's got nothing!"

"Oi! Shut yer mouth, brat!" the green-haired youth shouted crossly, fending off a strike that Ikana aimed for his weak side.

"Now, now, Boyd, that's no way to speak to a lady," Ikana smiled deviously. Boyd tsked and swung at her in return, Ikana laughing as she dodged. She swept her sword in an arc at him, which he ducked to avoid. He lunged forward and punched Ikana in the stomach, causing her to double over as her breath escaped her lungs. Thinking he was victorious, he moved in for the finishing strike, but at the last second Ikana raised her sword and blocked. The unexpected contact of wood on wood startled Boyd, and he lost his form. Hoping to take advantage of his fumble, Ikana lashed at him. He managed to deflect the strike, but Ikana succeeded in knocking back his weapon. Now that he was open, she walloped him in the diaphragm. Boyd was pushed back, clutching at his chest and wheezing. Ikana leapt forward and brought her sword down on his shoulder hard, forcing Boyd to his knees.

Shocked, Boyd could only stare as Ikana pointed the tip of her sword at his face.

"Yield," she panted.

Both victor and loser head a loud whoop and ecstatic clapping, and turned to see Mist with a huge grin on her face as she applauded her sister. Greil stood beside her, looking mildly impressed.

Mist bounded over and wrapped her arms around Ikana's waist. "That was amazing!" she gushed. "You got Boyd good!"

Ikana chuckled and put an arm around her in return. "Thanks, sis." She winced slightly when Mist squeezed a little too hard, the adrenaline rush wearing off and her backache returning.

Boyd rose, massaging the skin over his diaphragm, which he was sure would bruise. "Hmph, that wasn't too bad," he muttered, trying to play off his defeat.

Mist turned her head and sent him a wry look. "Face it Boyd, you lost."

"Now listen here, you little-"

"Enough, Boyd. Good work," Greil interrupted good-naturedly. The boy backed down, grumbling under his breath.

Greil turned his attention to Ikana and nodded approvingly. "Your swordsmanship was proficient enough, Ikana. Don't forget how it felt; it won't always be that easy."

"I won't," she replied, happy at the praise, though she didn't show it much.

"Now, that fight should have warmed you up. Are you ready to face me again?" Greil asked, retrieving his practice sword from Boyd.

Ikana grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Mist held out a vulnerary. "You might want to take this first. You don't want dad knocking you silly again," she teased. Ikana rolled her eyes, but accepted the help, and Mist moved away to stand on the outskirts with Boyd.

"Mist is right," Greil added. "Always take care of your injuries in battle, no matter how small. Don't let yourself get into a dangerous position because of them." Ikana nodded in response. "Now come on girl! You gonna give me a challenge this time around?" Greil said, knowing this would egg her on.

Ikana's eyebrow twitched, but she remained silent. Instead of charging him recklessly like she usually did, she chose to pop off the top of the small bottle that Mist had given her and guzzle its contents. Relief spread along her back, dulling the ache to a much more tolerable level. She twirled her weapon around once and got into a ready stance, once more confronting her father.

Boyd and Mist watched the two spar. "You think the boss will wipe the floor with her butt again?" Boyd asked, not turning his eyes away from the fight.

Mist sighed. "Probably."

Both were thunderstruck when Ikana landed a solid hit on Greil minutes later. So was she, for the matter.

Mist ran over to stand beside her father and sister, Boyd following at a slower pace. "Wow, Ikana! That was great!"

Ikana was frowning at her father, confusion etched in her features. Greil raised a brow. "What is it?" he questioned her.

She was quiet for a moment. At first, nothing seemed different than their usual spars, but now that she thought about it, Ikana got past his defense too easily.

"You let me hit you," she finally said, her tone accusatory.

"Huh? Really?" Mist's befuddled look was identical to Ikana's.

A proud smile appeared on Greil's face. "You being able to tell the difference means that you're improving, Ikana. Well done." He ruffled her hair, his grin growing larger when she loudly protested and tried to bat his arm away. She mock-glared at him while she attempted to smooth her hair back, but was soon beaming as well.

"You know," Boyd piped up, "I wasn't trying too hard either."

"Liar," Mist deadpanned. Boyd shot her a dirty look. Mist just stuck her tongue out at him.

Ikana fixed Greil with a pointed stare. "Does this mean I'm ready, father?"

"What?" he pretended to be confused, but knew exactly what she was asking. "To join the company and take on jobs as a mercenary?"

She scowled at him. "Yes!" Ikana insisted. "Boyd's hardly older than me, and he's already out there on the field. I'm ready, I'm tired of being a trainee."

"Hey, the difference between us is that I'm a professional," Boyd said haughtily.

Mist chortled. "One that just got beat."

"Aw, that was just luck!" Boyd fired back. "Luck I tell you!"

While the two bantered, Greil considered his eldest, who was still gazing at him imploringly. Then he nodded. "Alright, starting tomorrow you are an official member of the company."

Surprise and a hint of disbelief crossed her face. "Really?" she asked. She had approached her father before on a few occasions with the same request, and had been turned down each time. To finally be a mercenary, like she had always wanted, seemed surreal.

"But!" Greil added. "If you can't keep up, you'll go right back to being a trainee. You'd best work for it."

"I will, I promise!" Ikana said with an elated smile. "I'll catch up to everyone else in no time!"

Greil chuckled. "We'll see." Even though he said that, he knew Ikana would work hard. She was as stubborn as he was, after all. "Now, let's head on back to the fort. I don't know about you, but I want lunch." He turned and started walking.

"You're a mercenary now, Ikana!" Mist cheered, once again gluing herself to Ikana's side and pulling her towards the fort. "I'll ask Oscar to make something special tonight to celebrate. And I'll put those flowers I picked in your hair, too."

Ikana pulled a face. "You may not." Her little sister loved getting her hands on the curly, wavy mass that was her unruly hair whenever she could. She let Mist have at her locks yesterday, they needed a break.

"Afraid you'll look to girly, eh Ikana?" Boyd came up and walked beside them.

"I am a girl, so I fail to see your reasoning," she snarked back, blue eyes glinting.

"I bet you're jealous that Ikana looks so pretty with flowers in her hair," Mist leaned around her sister to give Boyd a sly look. "You want me to make you look pretty too?"

Boyd spluttered and blushed, and the sisters burst out laughing. All the way back to the fort they continued to poke fun at their friend, him growing redder and more flustered with each shot to his masculinity.

Several paces ahead of them, Greil shook his head in amusement. Children.

A/N:

I've noticed something when going through Tellius fanfiction. No one has written a fic with a genderswapped Ike in it. Like, literally no one. So take a wild guess at what I'm doing *cackles evilly*.

And that's chapter one! Took me a while, too. I had days where I couldn't write a thing, and others where I re-wrote what I had written a dozen times until I finally liked what I had. Even now, I don't like some stuff 100%, but I no longer care. I also wanted to wait a while until I had a few more chapters down-pat before I put this one up, but I decided I might as well get it out there.

I totally blew over Ikana's second fight with Greil because I'm lazy, and the one with Boyd was annoying enough to write.

Eh, the title's not that creative. Whatever.

I hope you enjoyed! Please review!