Author's Note: I have been itching to write this story for weeks now! So excited to get the first chapter up! The story begins not long before Lucia's rescue in Radiant Dawn.
Obviously, I don't own rights to Fire Emblem; I just own copies of Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn and my OCs.
A big thank you to Nevuno for helping me come up with Phoenix's name! I'd had Garland and Riven hammered out pretty well but, for the life of me, I couldn't think of a name for the third OC! You are awesome, my friend!
"Is that them?" Ike asked as he and a small faction of the Greil Mercenaries looked down into a clearing in the forest. They had been tasked with stopping a group of bandits that had taken to stealing goods from a small Crimean town on the border with Gallia. The two figures standing in the clearing, riffling through a sack, fit the descriptions the villagers gave of two of the bandits: two young men, both appearing to be in their mid-teens, one with shaggy bright orange hair and honey-colored eyes, and a much larger one with royal purple hair tied back in a braid and forest green eyes.
"Seems to be," Oscar replied. "They match the descriptions perfectly, right down to the weapons; the big one has an axe strapped across his back and the smaller one has a sword attached to his belt."
"Something's wrong," Soren argued. "The villagers specifically said that there were three bandits and the two of them are just standing out in the open like that. If they've managed to evade the villagers all this time, they can't possibly be that stupid. My guess is that the third one is a mage or an archer and is probably hiding in the trees somewhere, waiting to see if the villagers send someone after those two."
"Well, whatever the case," Ike said, keeping his eyes on the figures. "We're going to have to make a move. The big guy's spotted us. Move out, but stay alert. Soren and Rhys, try to avoid getting too close to the forest. If they do have an archer hidden somewhere, you two are going to be his first targets."
"Shit," the purple-haired man ground when he saw the mercenaries at the top of the hill. "Those damn villagers sent a squad out to finish us off!"
"But how did we not catch sight of them before?" the orange-haired one asked.
"We were too focused on getting away," the first replied. "We got careless. Besides, the boss isn't with us. She would have spotted them coming from a mile away." He looked down at the bag, then back at the mercenaries running down the hill towards them. "Listen Phoenix, take the haul and make a run for it back to the cave."
"What are you gonna do?" Phoenix asked.
"I'll do my best to hold them off from here," the larger man answered, readying his axe. "Just get the stuff to the boss. And if anything happens to me...tell her thank you. For everything."
Phoenix nodded and hoisted the bag onto his shoulder but he wasn't able to run more than a few paces before a wall of fire appeared out of nowhere, blocking off his retreat into the forest.
"Damn it," he said, setting the bag down again before turning back to face the mercenaries. "Looks like they aren't going to make this easy for us, Riven. But we're not going down without a fight."
"Who are these guys?" Ike asked as he clashed swords with Phoenix again. "They don't look like much but they fight like demons."
"Not only that but take a look at their eyes," Soren added, casting a Wind spell that knocked Riven off his feet, allowing Oscar to subdue him quickly. "The longer this fight drags out, the more panicked they become. We're not just dealing with bandits; we're dealing with people that think we'll kill them if they lose. Not to mention the fact that this supposed third bandit still hasn't made an appearance."
Ike nodded as he forced Phoenix back. "You're right. Something's felt off about this ever since we found these two. We need to end this quickly and figure out what's really going on." He turned to Rhys. "You know what to do."
Rhys nodded and muttered a Light spell while the remaining Greil Mercenaries covered their eyes. A blinding light shone over the clearing and Phoenix dropped his sword to cover his eyes, letting out a hiss of pain as he did so. Before he had a chance to recover, Ike quickly moved behind him and pinned his arms behind his back. Ike looked over at Oscar to see that he was doing the same to Riven.
"So," Ike began as he looked at the two captives. "Now that we've got that out of our systems, would you mind telling me what's going on?" When neither made a move to respond, Ike looked over at Soren. "What's in the bag?"
"Nothing but food and some vulneraries," Soren replied.
"So it wasn't like you two stole anything terribly expensive," Ike said, looking back to the captives. "Why steal at all?"
"You don't understand," Phoenix finally spoke up. "We stole that stuff because we had to."
"Why did you 'have' to steal anything?" Oscar probed.
"Because those villagers hurt our boss," Phoenix elaborated as he shook with rage. "They chased us out of the village and she took a hit that was meant for me and now she's dying and we were just trying to find a way to heal her!"
"Why did they chase you out of the village?" Rhys asked.
"Ugh, we don't have time for this!" Riven shouted. "Boss could be dead now for all we know! Please just let us take this stuff to her!"
Ike and Oscar shared a glance. "Alright," Ike agreed. "But we're coming with you. I expect you to give us the answers we're looking for. Deal?"
"I guess we don't have much of a choice," Riven replied. "But how do we know you aren't going to try something?"
"That's up to you," Ike said. "So long as you two don't have any tricks planned, you and your boss have nothing to worry about."
The pair lead the mercenaries to a cave hidden behind a curtain of ivy. Near the far wall, tucked out of sight against some rocks, lay a young woman with long navy blue hair tied back into a ponytail. Her eyes were closed and it was obvious that her breathing was labored. There was a deep gash on her arm and the skin around the wound was starting to turn purple.
"Do you understand now?" Riven asked as Rhys knelt down to take a closer look at the wound. "This is why we took all that stuff. Those villagers did this to her so the least they could do was contribute to her recovery."
Rhys shook his head. "Those vulneraries won't do you any good. She's not just cut; she's been poisoned. I have a Restore staff and, if you'd permit me, I will gladly bring her back to health."
Phoenix and Riven shared a quick glance before nodding to the priest. Rhys took out his staff and held it over the girl's body. The orb at the end of the staff began to glow and the wound lost its purple tint and slowly closed.
"There," Rhys said once the wound had completely healed. "She should be waking up any moment now."
As if on cue, the girl began to stir. Slowly, her eyelids fluttered open to reveal a pair of sharp, cobalt blue eyes. She jerked upright immediately once her eyes focused on Rhys kneeling next to her, her gaze becoming more panicked when she noticed the other mercenaries, before calming just slightly when she saw Riven and Phoenix.
"Umm...guys," the girl began. "Who are all these people? And what are they doing here?"
"Yeah, about that," Phoenix said nervously. "You remember those villagers that ran us out of town yesterday? Apparently, they contracted these guys to deal with us." He ducked behind Riven when he saw the girl's eye twitch. "But before you start yelling, you should know that they beat us in a fight."
The girl pinched the bridge of her nose. "Nothing you're saying is making me not want to yell at you."
"What he means is," Riven continued. "They could have finished us off right then and there. We told them that you were hurt and they let us bring the stuff we...appropriated...from the village back here. That priest even healed your wound once we found out the vulneraries we brought wouldn't work."
"I see," the girl said before turning to the mercenaries warily. "And what's the catch?"
"All we're looking for is some answers," Ike replied as he knelt next to Rhys. "My name's Ike. And you three are?"
The girl sighed. "I suppose answering your questions is the least we can do, all things considered. I'm Garland." She then gestured to her two companions. "The big guy behind you is Riven and the smaller one is Phoenix."
"Your friends are pretty talented fighters," Ike commented. "Are you a fighter as well?"
"Are you kidding?!" Phoenix chimed in. "She's one of the best archers out there!"
"I don't know about that," Garland said. "But my eyesight is sharper than your average beorcs. It makes for a pretty good advantage when you're a long-distance fighter."
"Your skills must have made stealing pretty easy for you," Soren commented.
Garland blinked. "You make it sound as though stealing is something we make a habit of. It is true that we've had to do it in the past but it was only because we saw no other way. Survival is our top priority. It has to be."
"Then why don't you try making an honest living? Earn money so you three don't have to steal?" Rhys asked.
"That is what we usually do but it always turns out the same no matter what town we go to," Phoenix replied. "It's the same thing over and over; we do some odd jobs here and there, maybe even a little mercenary work, but we always end up getting chased out of whatever town we're in once they..."
"'Once they' what?" Ike pressed.
"Once they find out what we are," Phoenix finished quietly.
None of the three elaborated beyond that but Ike was beginning to put the pieces together. He turned back to Oscar and Rhys. "Could you two give us a minute? I think I have an idea of what's been going on but I don't think they'll say anything with all of us in here. I want Soren to stay though; if I'm right, it'll be beneficial to everyone here."
Once Oscar and Rhys had left the cave and were safely out of earshot, Ike turned back to the trio. Riven and Phoenix had moved to sit next to Garland.
"You three are Branded, aren't you?" Ike asked bluntly.
"Yes, all three of us," Garland replied immediately, pulling the collar of her shirt down to reveal a brand just above her right breast.
"B-Boss!" Phoenix exclaimed.
"There's no point in hiding it; he already knows," Garland pointed out, never breaking eye contact with Ike.
Soren's eyes widened just slightly at Garland's admission. He'd never expected to come across another person like him, let alone three in the same place. The savagery of the attack made much more sense now and he couldn't stop the anger he felt toward the villagers. Elincia's rule may have one of peace and equality but it appeared that Branded were still treated as badly as ever.
"That would explain why the villagers attacked you so violently," he commented. "It also explains why you've never settled down anywhere and why you're all so loyal to each other."
"Branded look after their own," Riven said. "At this point, our home is with each other."
Ike and Soren shared a look before Soren nodded his head. "In that case, how would you feel if I offered you three a new home with the Greil Mercenaries?" Ike asked.
The trio blinked. "Uh, what?" Riven asked. "We just told you that we were Branded and you're going to open up your home to us?"
"That's right," Ike confirmed.
"So what we are doesn't bother you at all?" Riven asked.
Ike shrugged. "I'm more interested in who somebody is as a person than the circumstances of their birth. None of you seem like bad people and, frankly, we could use people with talents like yours."
"But you haven't even seen what I can do," Garland pointed out.
"If you're anywhere near as good as your friends-"
"She's even better than we are," Phoenix piped up. "And those eyes of hers have gotten us out of more scrapes than I can count."
"Good enough for me," Ike said.
"Okay," Garland began. "Now I get to ask a question. Why is it that you display no prejudice toward the Branded? You're Crimean too, right? And yet you're one of the only people that have treated us like living creatures after finding out about what we are."
"That's because I'm a Branded as well," Soren spoke up, pointing to the mark on his forehead. "Ike saved my life when I was younger; it's how he has always been. When I finally told him I was a Branded, he just shrugged it off and said that it didn't matter. That I was his friend before I was anything else."
"Besides," Ike continued. "Nobody deserves to go through what you three have; being hated for something you can't control. If you come with us, I can promise you that you'll have a safe place to call home and you'll never have to steal to get food or supplies again. Soren and I won't say anything about your secret, either; maybe one day you'll feel comfortable telling everyone yourselves."
"With that said, we will be expecting you to earn your keep," Soren cut in. "You'll become mercenaries as well. This isn't going to be a free ride for any of you."
The trio shared a glance between themselves before turning back to Ike and Soren.
"We're in."
Ending Notes: I feel like I need to mention that Reyson isn't going to be making an appearance for a little while. I don't want to bring him in before he actually shows up in the game so it might take me a few chapters before he and Garland even meet each other.
Please feel free to let me know what you think! Feedback and constructive criticism are always appreciated! Thank you so much for reading! Geekinthepink, out!