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I know you're probably thinking this is yet another Elibe tactician story...and in some ways it probably is. But I tried my best to make my tactician a tactician you've never read before. Please give it a try!

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Chapter One: In Which I Make A Bad Decision

Lyn—Prologue: A Girl From The Plains

"Are you awake?" asked a girl in a patterned tunic. Her green hair fell into her eyes as she leaned over me.

I scooted backwards, taking the bed sheets with me, and almost fell off the sleeping mat onto the rough floor. The world came back into focus, and I saw that I was in a large tent filled with boxes and mats and bright colored patterns. Definitely not my home.

"I found you unconscious on the plains," the girl explained.

"Oh." My grip on the sheets tightened. I remembered bits and pieces. I'd been traveling through the Bern Mountains when a group of bandits attacked. I'd had to abandon my belongings in order to escape down the rocky slopes into the grasslands of Sacae. Regret tightened my chest as I thought of what I'd lost to the bandits—clothes, food, and my parents' maps.

The girl was watching me, waiting for an explanation. Apparently strangers were expected to share their stories in Sacae.

I scratched the back of my head and tried to think of a suitable answer. "Bandits took my food and water. I remember wandering through Sacae after that but not much else. I must've passed out from hunger…" It wasn't quite a lie. It just wasn't the truth either.

She nodded understandingly. "Don't worry. You're safe now. I'm Lyn of the Lorca Tribe. Who are you?" She hesitated then asked gently, "Can you remember your name?"

"Nora," I said. "I'm Nora."

"What an odd sounding name." She seemed to realize that questioning someone's name was rude because she quickly added, "But pay me no mind. It's a good name. I see by your attire that you're a traveler. What brings you to the Sacae plains?"

I was saved from having to come up with an answer by the sound of harsh, male voices outside the tent. Lyn's eyes widened, and she grabbed an iron sword from beside the sleeping mat. She snuck closer to the flap at the front of the tent, whispering as she moved, "I'll go see what's happening. Wait here for me, Nora."

She slipped out of the tent, leaving me alone amongst her belongings. As soon as the tent flap closed behind her, I shoved the bed sheets off and got to my feet, planning to slip away before she returned. However, as soon as I stood up, a wave of nausea came over me and my knees almost gave out.

Right, I'd passed out from hunger. I'd completely forgotten.

The tent flap opened again, and Lyn came rushing back inside. "Bandits! They must have come down from the Bern Mountains!"

My eyes widened at the mention of the Bern Mountains. Was it possible that the bandits who had stolen my maps had followed me down into the Sacae plains? Perhaps they had brought my belongings with them. If I was careful enough, maybe I could steal my things back. Not that thieving had ever been in my skill set, but it would be worth the risk if I could get my parents' maps back.

"They must be planning on raiding the local villages," said Lyn, thinking aloud. "I have to stop them. If that's all of them, I think I can handle them on my own." She glanced at me. "You'll be safe in here, Nora."

I stared at the skinny girl in front of me. She was a couple years younger than me, seventeen at the most. I didn't know how many bandits were out there or how skilled she was with a sword, but I didn't trust her to rescue my belongings on her own.

"I'll help," I said.

"You want to help?" asked Lyn doubtfully. "Can you use a weapon?"

I hesitated. How could I describe my combat experience? "I, uh, have some tactical training…"

Lyn looked skeptical, and honestly, I didn't blame her. "Tactical training" sounded suspicious to me too.

"Ah, I see," said Lyn slowly. "So you're a strategist by trade? An odd profession…"

I could see her internal debate as to whether she should bring me along or not. I willed her to agree. I needed to get my maps back.

"Very well," said Lyn finally. "We'll go together."

She started towards the exit, but before she could open the tent flap, I said, "Uh, do you have any food?"

Lyn glanced over her shoulder, lips pursed in confusion, but then she must have realized that I'd fainted not long ago, because she grabbed an apple from a bowl near the door and tossed it to me. Taking a bite of the delicious, much-needed apple, I followed Lyn out of the tent.

The view was breathtaking. I'd hadn't been able to appreciate the beauty of Sacae when I'd been fleeing the bandits, but now I took it in with awe. We were in a large, flat grassland with a clear, blue river to the east and the outline of gray mountain ridges to the south. A breeze shifted through the plain, disturbing broken blades of grass and kicking up an earthy smell.

Of course, my appreciation could only last so long. Lyn pulled me to the side so we were crouching behind two large wooden crates. I peered around the corner and saw that there were two brigands lurking around the camp. One was about twenty paces away, examining what seemed to be an empty food store outside one of the tents. The other bandit stood at the entrance of the biggest ger in the encampment. They hadn't seen Lyn and me yet, much to my relief.

I tried to recall everything my husband had told me about combat—look at the way they moved, how they handled their weapons, how they scanned their surroundings… The closest brigand didn't seem that skilled; his hold on the axe was inefficient. The second brigand was waiting outside the entrance of a ger. From the way he held himself and the way the other bandit responded to him, this one was the leader.

"If you want to help, Nora," said Lyn. "I could use your advice. I'll protect you, so stay close to me."

I frowned; I wasn't sure how I felt about being protected by a girl with arms like twigs. However, I didn't have much choice at the moment.

Judging from her fighting stance, Lyn's sword style resembled a myrmidon—a sword-fighter whose sword skills relied on speed rather than strength. What a relief. I had experience working with a myrmidon, and that knowledge would make it easier to direct her.

"If we take advantage of your speed," I said, "then we should be fine. Move forward into the bandit's view. Let him come to you. You're faster than him, so if you dodge the first strike, you can counter before he can regain himself."

After a moment's hesitation, Lyn nodded. "All right. I'll trust you."

She moved forward as directed. I was surprised at how willing she was to trust a total stranger. For all she knew, I was in league with the bandits, sent ahead of the group in order to lull her into a false sense of security. Of course, maybe, in her experience, bandits weren't all too bright and such strategy was beyond them.

The bandit caught sight of Lyn as planned. He advanced on her and she let him swing his axe first. I breathed a sigh of relief when Lyn dodged the blow. Her counter was swift, and in two strikes, she managed to kill the bandit.

"Are you all right?" I asked, hurrying to her side.

"Yes." She smiled at me. "Thanks. If I'd been on my own, I would've charged forward without thinking, and I wouldn't have gotten through that without a few cuts and bruises."

"Don't thank me yet," I said, staring over at the ger where the leader of the bandits was pacing about the entrance.

"Same strategy?" asked Lyn. "Let him throw the first strike and then counter?"

I nodded though I had the feeling the leader was going to be more difficult. Bandits tended to respect strength rather than intelligence.

We approached the ger cautiously. I found another hiding spot behind one of the tents, and Lyn moved into Batta's view. The blond-haired leader gripped his sword and prepared for a fight.

"Who do you think you are?" he sneered. "You think you can stand up to Batta the Beast?"

Lyn didn't say anything. As planned, she let the enemy strike first. Except this time, she wasn't quick enough to dodge and Batta's axe struck her side. Clutching her hip as blood dripped over her fingers, Lyn countered, but the cuts of her blade weren't deep enough to kill Batta.

Lyn clutched her bleeding side. She staggered backwards, but Batta advanced on her. Lyn's eyes flickered to the side where she knew I was hiding. She mouthed something along the lines of "flee" at me. I ignored her request and tried to think. I recalled the healing solutions that soldiers often carried around in flasks. I didn't have any on me, but maybe Lyn did. Half-hidden by the tent, I shouted, "Do you have a vulnerary?"

Batta looked about, confused. "There's another whelp about, is there?"

In the moment that he was distracted, Lyn grabbed a flask from her rucksack and downed the drink. The blood stopped flowing from her side, and the energy seemed to come rushing back to her. She was no longer standing at an odd angle but held her sword with proper form, keeping her eyes trained on Batta.

He let out a growl of frustration, realizing she'd healed, and lunged forward again. Lyn dodged and thrust her blade forward. She buried her sword into Batta's chest.

Batta staggered backwards, gasping. Then, his knees gave out and he crumpled to the ground. "How…how did you…?"

The bandit fell still, his blood staining the grass at Lyn's feet red. Revulsion and regret flashed across her face. Killing was never a pleasant experience even when it was necessary. As I emerged from my hiding spot, I stared down at Batta's distorted, pale face and felt the bile rise in my throat. The battle itself may be anything from a strategic masterpiece to a chaotic mess, but the aftermath was always grotesque.

"That was close," said Lyn, turning to me with a forced smile. "Sorry if I worried you. I sorely underestimated him. I'll need to be stronger if I'm going to survive. Strong enough that no one can defeat me."

"There's always someone better," I said.

I stepped past Batta's corpse and moved around the side of the ger. There, I found the bags of loot that the bandits had brought down with them from the Bern Mountains. Sure enough, my leather rucksack was amongst the stolen goods. Loosening the drawstring, I peered inside and saw that my maps, clothes, food, and water were all untouched.

"Is that yours?" asked Lyn. "These were the bandits who attacked you?"

"Yes." I picked up the rucksack and slung it over my shoulder. I glanced at Lyn. She was looking at me with such hope in her eyes. I didn't know what she expected from me, but I was certain I couldn't help her. I mean, as things were, I could barely help myself.

"Well," I said. "Thanks for rescuing me—but I've got to be going now."

"You're leaving?" asked Lyn. "Already?"

"I can't stay in one place for long." I paused, realizing that this might sound too suspicious. So I added a little lie: "I'm a traveler to the bone—I get antsy if I wake up to the same scenery two days in a row."

Lyn suddenly looked stricken. Like she couldn't bear the idea of me leaving. Desperately, she cried, "I have food! Lots and lots of food."

Damn it. If she had said anything else, I would've walked away. I would've continued on my journey to put as much distance between me and Bern as possible. But food… Well, I had passed out from hunger not too long ago. Surely it wouldn't delay me too long if I stayed and ate dinner with Lyn.

I turned to face her. "I'll stay one more day. But then I have to be off."

A wide, triumphant smile spread across Lyn's face.


"Good morning, Nora! Are you awake yet?" Lyn's overly cheerful voice startled me awake.

Dragged from my dream of Bernese tea, endless feasts, and ocean sunsets, I glared up at Lyn's grinning face. Suppressing a sigh, I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "Now I am."

Lyn's smile faltered. "That fight yesterday must have taken a lot out of you."

"I didn't actually do any of the fighting," I muttered before sliding out of bed and rummaging through my rucksack for a change of clothes. "But my body's still recovering from starvation, remember?"

"Mm…" Lyn went oddly silent for a few minutes.

I took advantage of the silence to change into my travel clothes—gray hosiery, loose-fitting black tunic, two decorative belts, leather boots, and a dark green riding cloak. I slung my rucksack over my shoulder and, making sure that I had all my belongings, headed for the tent exit. However, I stopped when I realized that something was bothering Lyn. Since I owed her for feeding me, I waited in the entryway for her to tell me whatever was on her mind.

"Say, Nora," she said slowly. "I want to talk to you about something." She glanced over at me nervously. "You have some experience in the ways of war, I can see. Would you allow me to travel with you?"

Damn. I should've just left. Even if I owed her a debt for her hospitality, I was fleeing from my homeland and I couldn't afford to bring a random stranger with me.

Wracking my brains for some sort of excuse, I settled on, "Would your parents allow you to travel across Sacae with an apprentice tactician?"

"You…" Lyn swallowed. "You want me to get permission from my parents?"

I nodded. I really hoped she had strict parents.

"My mother and father died six months ago," said Lyn softly.

Oh shit. Well, that excuse was a big mistake. Not only did I have no reason to refuse her now, I had just stumbled on an emotional landmine.

"My people—the Lorca—they didn't… I'm the last of my tribe. Bandits from the mountains attacked, and…they killed so many people. It was night, and I remember waking up to screams. After the bandits left, the tribe was shattered. Those that were left didn't know what to do. My father had been our chieftain, and I tried to protect our people in his name. But I'm so young, and our people were old-fashioned. They wouldn't follow a woman. They wouldn't follow me." Lyn sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her right hand. "I'm sorry. I've been alone for so long." She took a deep breath. "No. No more. I will shed no more tears."

From the moment Lyn had started crying, I'd been too stunned to do anything. I'd never been good at handling tears, my own or other people's. It made sense though, Lyn's story. She'd been so desperate to keep me around yesterday. She'd been living here on her own for so long that any company—even the company of a grouchy, unsocial "apprentice tactician"—was a miracle.

"Thank you," said Lyn suddenly, swallowing back the rest of her tears.

I had no idea what she was thanking me for—I'd just stood there like a clueless idiot while she told me of her tribe's tragedy. Maybe she was thanking me for not running away at the first sign of tears.

"Nora." Lyn's eyes were blazing with a sudden intensity. "I want—no, I must become stronger so that I can avenge my parents' deaths. Yesterday's battle taught me something. I won't become stronger by sitting here alone. Nora, please, tell me that you'll train me, that you'll let me travel with you."

Pity. That was what I felt as Lyn told me her story and pleaded for permission. She was a proud member of the Lorca Tribe, yet she had been reduced to asking for my help. Me, the runaway from Bern who had abandoned her husband to save her own skin. Next to Lyn, I felt small and ugly, a coward who cared only for herself. Pity combined with some sort of self-loathing was what caused me to say, "All right. You can come with me. I'll train you."

"You will?" cried Lyn, flinging her arms around my shoulders in her excitement. "That's just wonderful! Thank you! Oh, thank you! We'll be better off working together, I know it. You'll be my master strategist, and I'll be your peerless warrior!"

I pried her off me and said, "You're lucky. I have some experience with your style of fighting."

"You see, we were meant to be! Let me get my things. We'll leave as soon as possible."

As I watched Lyn hurry around the tent, shoving her belongings into a rucksack, I resisted the urge to groan. Now that she was no longer crying, my senses had returned. I was pretty inexperienced in applied tactics; everything I'd learned came from chess and theoretical conversations. And I'd never taught anyone anything before—but now, Lyn was expecting me to train her? Not to mention, we were going to be running from assassins while I was attempting (and most likely failing) to teach Lyn swordsmanship.

Yeah. This was definitely a bad idea.