Author's Notes: Well, here it comes. After participating in a discussion with another person who had written another Fire Emblem fic some time ago on , we both decided to get writing some actual good fics, as opposed to our old stuff. So, a toast to a revival of our fics, and an addition of (hopefully) well written fanfiction for the site!

This can be considered a (proper) re-write of Radiant Shadow, my original fic based on Path of Radiance that I did. I plan for it to turn out significantly different, however, but we'll see how things go.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or related stuff, I'm sure that goes without saying.

Prologue -

Still hard at work, the Crimean Liberation Army, headed by General Ike, marched ever onward toward the Daein capital of Nevassa. Currently, the force was only a few hours' march, from where they made camp. There was no doubt that they would reach the capital on the 'morrow, and if all went according to plan, they would own the castle and city by nightfall. The few Crimeans who made up the army were of course restless, knowing that those who stood on the front line would be bearing the brunt of the Daein forces, no doubt led by Mad King Ashnard himself. However, all the men felt a deep trust and respect for their own General Ike.

The General himself had just finished speaking with his most trusted allies, Titania, Soren, Nasir, and Princess Elincia; the Princess herself being the whole reason he now stood at the head of an army, bearing the title of Lord, while not so long ago being a greenhorn in his father's mercenary company. As he retreated back to his tent, he was lost in thought. The youth had come a long way in less than a year now, both as a person and a swordsman. Though he had lost his teacher to a mysterious knight clad in ebon plate, and his home to the armies of Daein, he persevered and protected his charge, Elincia, in her quest to reclaim Crimea. Ike would be happy to return to a more peaceful life, but he wouldn't stop now for any reward.

Once inside his tent, he stripped down to the bare essentials of clothing, and laid on his cot. Resting a forearm over his eyes, he stared at the back of his eyelids. After a long time like this, he finally muttered, "When, and where, am I going to fight him again? Am I even strong enough to beat him?"

"That doesn't sound much like you, Boss." Following the soft vocals of a feminine voice, a blue-haired woman stepped into the tent. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," Mia apologized, keeping it a secret if she was actually embarrassed, "But, I'm wondering if you'd be up for a little sparring before sleep? Maybe it'd help you clear your head a little."

The General, by this time, had moved into a sitting position on the cot, and already gone through the motions of surprise at his sudden guest. Of course, it wasn't the first time such a thing happened. Mia was always training, and often looked to her Boss, Ike, as a partner for sparring, seeing as she was part of the Greil Mercenaries, which Ike now lead. The man stood, dressing quickly into his old leather armor, and grabbing a pair of trainer swords for him and the woman to use, "I suppose I'll give it a try. Let's go."

Ike lead the way out of the tent, followed by Mia, to a clearing amongst the tents of the Mercenaries, which only had Lethe remaining in it currently. The orange cat Laguz paid no mind at first, though upon noticing just who accompanied Ike into the vicinity, she looked away quickly. Ike remained oblivious to the cat, even as she started to get up and make her way out, head hung a little, cheeks even red a bit.

It wasn't long before the pair of sword users were in the heat of practice. Upon clashing yet again with Ike, Mia pressed in and against Ike, the wooden training swords locked against each other, "Ike, focus already! I don't know who you were thinking about fighting, but... You're my Boss, and I have faith in your swordsmanship."

Remaining vocally unresponsive, Ike did successfully push Mia back, causing her to stumble. He didn't press the attack, however, as Mia recovered. She saw this as an opportunity, and lunged into the fray, railing down on her partner with a flurry of fierce blows. Even so, she didn't go full force, and as such, the general only stumbled backward. Unsatisfied, Mia sighed, and looked down at the ground. It was then, that Ike caught her by surprise, of course. He stepped in, ramming the pommel of his trainer into her gut, causing a rearward stumble, then a fall to the ground. Standing over the loser, the winner pointed the tip of the "blade" to the loser's throat.

From that vantage point, Mia could see Ike's face clearly. Still, his expression was one of much thought. Sighing yet again, Mia knocked the sword away, and quickly got up into a standing position, handing her trainer back to Ike, "Boss, get some sleep, already. This has been no good, anyway..." The woman stepped away into the shadows of the tents, toward her own. Ike remained for a moment, before doing the same.

Deep inside the city of Nevassa laid the Royal Palace. While the Crimean Liberation Army expected tomorrow would be the end to their war, they were unaware of the status of the enemy. Daein's King, the Mad King Ashnard, had already made his way out of the country, and now sat upon the throne of Crimea. The majority of his forces were as well making Crimea there home, as they poised to march into the Sea of Trees, and Gallia, making that Laguz country their next target. However, that was there, and in Nevassa, merely a token force remained, headed by the young General Ena. However, what she may have lacked in battle experience, she made up for in the fact that she was not Beorc, but a red Goldoan Dragon, one of the strongest breeds of Laguz. Even without their king, the Daein forces felt confident they could take on the Crimeans, because of Ena's strength.

Further down in the city, however, there was a small two floor building. A bar to be precise, that would likely go completely unnoticed in tomorrow's attack, since the well-known plan was that all of Daein's forces would pile into the palace itself. An amiable effort on behalf of the General Ena, in respect to the population of the city. Up on the second floor, in one of the rooms, was a single man sitting on the window sill. He stared up at the moon, spinning a dagger around his finger. His eyes were jet black, as well as his hair which he had cut relatively short, the bangs barely covering his forehead. His articles of clothing all shared a similar theme of pitch black; a simple shirt, collared, sleeveless jacket, pants, and boots. All were adorned with belts for fastening. At the foot of his bed laid his sword, a simple straight steel edge; his armor as well rested there, which were a dull silver color: A breastplate and stomach plates, left pauldron, gauntlets, right hip guard, and shin guards.

He had recently been hired on as a warrior for the Daein army; a wise choice considering he was indeed of Daein heritage(perhaps hinted by his choice of dress to a degree). Still, he had a different plan in mind; he'd approach Ike of the Greil Mercenaries tomorrow, and see if the man could offer him a job fighting Daein. It's not as if he hated Daein or anything, though, he simply distrusted his current King. Something felt off about the man, the one time he had actually seen him.

Something rustled in the bed, and a woman turned over to face the man on the windowsill. "Alastar, come to bed, would you?" The woman was Alastar's girlfriend, Marceline ,who often also acted as the manager for his one-man mercenary business that he ran out of the bar/hotel. He obliged her, removing his boots and jacket as he climbed in next to her, cuddling close. Alastar's only real question was if he'd take her along with him if Ike accepted hiring him...

More Author's Notes: Well, it took a while, but, I think it came out decently. Setting the mood, and everything. Hoping for some quality reviews!