Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem 7

Italics are thoughts.

Chapter 1

Solitude Interrupted

Renault yawned as he sat up from his bed. Something had awoken him.

The bishop got off his bed in the ruins he currently resided in. His pilgrimage had led him to Valor, of The Dread Isle as it was more commonly known as.

What could this racket be?

Grabbing his Divine tome and his Fortify staff, Renault walked toward the doorway that led outside. As he glanced outside, the bright sun making it hard to see, he made out the shape of a person.

It was a Monk of the Church of Saint Elimine, at least the robes led Renault to believe he was a Monk. He had very feminine attributes.

And he was bleeding.

Renault held his staff aloft calmly and began chanting inaudibly. The bishop felt the magic leave the staff as he opened his eyes to see the Monk's wounds heal.

Renault bent down next to him as the man stirred. The blond haired man's eyes opened slowly, "…Where?"

"You were wounded child, and I healed you. How are you feeling?" Renault said.

"I feel much better, thank you…" the Monk said, but immediately after a tremor passed through his body.

"My goodness..." Renault said.

"Y-yes?" the Monk said worriedly.

"Your face...you don't look so well. Are you still hurt? Let me take a look," the bishop said, concerned.

The Monk shook his head, "No...please don't. I have a...condition... This is just a...passing attack. It will soon...disappear..."

"What is this illness? Should you even be fighting?" Renault asked as he gestured to the sounds of battle outside of the ruins.

"My bishop told me that it was a sickness of the soul... But it's gotten much better," the Monk said with certainty.

"Of…the soul?" Renault said curiously.

"Yes... I offer relief to those who hurt inside as a Monk, and yet, I, too, am...afflicted... I strive daily to overcome this curse... ...but still I am weak," he said downcast.

"Sicknesses of the soul are the most difficult to heal... ...But please do not blame yourself for this... Doing so could even aggravate your condition..." Renault said.

Was I like this too back then?

"Th-Thank you. ...Your words...have brought me some peace," the Monk said, and indeed he did look somewhat better.

"So...what is your name?" Renault asked.

"I am Lucius," the Monk said.

"Well met Brother Lucius, I am Bishop Renault," the old man said.

"You're a bishop? Your Excellency, I must apologize for my rudeness-"

Renault held up a hand to stop him, "Lucius, there is no need to apologize. Nor is there any need to stand on ceremony with me."

"But, you're a bishop of Elimine!" Lucius exclaimed.

Not wanting to get into the subject, Renault changed the topic, "Brother Lucius, why are you fighting here?"

"I'm fighting alongside my friends in Lord Eliwood's army. There's a madman on this island that must be stopped," Lucius said.

"Madman?" Renault said, puzzled.

"His name is Nergal, and he killed Lord Eliwood's father," Lucius explained.

Renault froze. He knew that name. In all his long years, he had forgotten many things, his family, his old life, all but one of his friends, but he had always remembered Nergal.

"Your…Excellency?" Lucius said quietly noticing the change in Renault.

"Brother Lucius…would your army have one more spot for an old bishop?" Renault said quietly.

Lucius' eyes widened, "Your Excellency, you mustn't think you need to fight with us!"

Renault shook his head, "This Nergal must be stopped. And it is ever so noisy here, helping you and your friends defeat him may bring me the solitude I desire."

Lucius nodded, "If that is what you wish for, Your Excellency, then I can't argue it."

Renault stood back up and brushed any dirt off his robes, "I am a man of the cloth Lucius, but do not presume to think I cannot handle myself in battle. Now lead the way to wherever you were headed when you were injured."

Lucius nodded in consent, and began to walk out of the ruins, the tall old bishop following behind him. The two men of Elimine walked in silence for a long time.

Suddenly an arrow streaked past Renault's ear, almost burying itself into his skull!

A Sniper and a Hero sprung from the bushes, each had their weapons ready.

Before he knew what he was doing, Renault's instincts took over. He held his staff up and the orb at the end of the staff glowed with light magic as he quietly and quickly chanted the incantation for the spell. He felt the thrill of battle rise within him, the bloodlust that he had sought to destroy, and forget.

Renault pointed the end of his staff at the Sniper and a beam of intense light magic shot from within the staff at the Sniper. It struck the man with such force it ripped a hole in the Sniper as he fell over, dead.

Murderer…

Renault froze as he saw the blood dripping from the corpse. He could feel the monster of a man trying to get free in his mind. The monster that killed thousands for a master that betrayed him.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Lucius finish off the Hero with his own light magic. But Renault paid it no mind as he walked toward the man he'd killed. The bishop needed to remember this for the future, he needed to remember this feeling of horror and revulsion, so as to never forget it.

The old man stared into the cold golden eyes of the man who Renault realized was a morph. The pale skin, the black hair, the golden eyes…this was what Renault could have been.

This was what Renault was.

He turned away sharply, not wanting to resurface memories he'd buried so long ago.

"Your Excellency?" Lucius asked nervously.

Renault blinked, bringing himself out of his trance and back to the present. "You've been fighting Morphs for a while now I suppose?" he said, already knowing the answer.

Lucius nodded, then said, "How have you heard of Morphs before, Your Excellency?"

Renault blinked, realizing his mistake, "I…it is a long story Brother Lucius, one that I would prefer not to dwell into."

Lucius nodded, "I understand Your Excellency."

Renault silently thanked Saint Elimine for the Monk's understanding. And with that, they continued on without interruption.

They arrived at where the rest of the army resided currently, battle worn and tired.

"Lucius!"

Renault turned to see a fancily dressed man with red hair accompanied by a large man with blue hair and heavy armor.

"I hope you fared well in battle today, Lord Eliwood," Lucius said with a smile.

"Who're you?" the blue haired man asked Renault rudely.

"Hector!" Eliwood scolded. He turned back to Renault, "Forgive him for his rudeness Your Excellency, he was likely dropped on the ground as a child."

"Hey!" said Hector as Eliwood laughed.

They remind me of him…

Renault spoke, "Forgive me, my lords, but you wouldn't mind letting this old bishop tag along for the duration of your mission, would you?"

Lord Eliwood shook his head, "It's no trouble at all! We could always use more healers."

"My lord, His Excellency is also an adept light magic user," Lucius said.

Lord Eliwood nodded, "Alright, welcome to the army…what did you say your name was?"

"I am Renault," said the bishop.

The two Lords nodded and went back to whatever they had been doing before Renault and Lucius' arrival.

Soon, Lucius bid farewell to Renault in order to look for someone named Lord Raymond. And Renault was alone.

But he was accustomed to being along. He'd spent centuries without the company of friends.

"Bishop Renault!" yelled a voice.

Renault turned around, wondering who could be calling his name. A huge man in silver armor was walking towards him. A huge bald man.

"Yes, Sir knight?" Renault said, puzzled.

"Oh right, my name is Wallace, knight of Caelin!" the big man said with a booming laugh.

While Renault's expression remained the same, he stared in shock. THIS was Wallace, the small kid he once had known who'd been a young squire years and years ago?

"May Elimine bless you, Sir Wallace," Renault said in an even tone, not betraying anything. The long years gave him plenty of time to develop his unreadable expression.

"Hmm…" Wallace looked at him intently. "It couldn't be…but you look just like him…"

"What is it?" Renault asked.

"It is not possible. No...surely not... Forgive me, Bishop Renault... You just look so much like him... You could be the very image of a man I knew... But he'd be much older than you are now," Wallace said wistfully. "The last time I saw him…was around thirty years ago. I was only around ten years old or so, in the service of the knights of Caelin. I was a squire, and believe it or not, but many of the other squires teased me for looking like a girl."

Renault let loose a small chuckle, "…Sorry, but that is quite hard to imagine."

"The man I knew was a mercenary also in the service of Caelin. Yes, and his name was also Renault. Renault the Impervious, they called him. He had no fear of death, and his bravery was well known. Did you know him?" Wallace asked Renault. The bishop shook his head slowly and Wallace continued on, "I learned much about fighting from him... I owed him a great debt as my teacher... I wanted to meet him once more time in my life."

"Why?" Renault asked simply.

"I made a promise to him when I was young. I told him I would fight always for the sake of the people. I told him I would never use the skills he taught me for evil. I want to tell him that I have kept this promise... But...surely he is long dead," Wallace cast a glance at Renault who had begun looking off into the distance.

Such a cruel curse you have given me Nergal, never aging. I'll always be inhuman.

"Bishop Renault, are you alright?" Wallace asked.

Renault nodded and said, "Yes."

"You know... It is somewhat strange, but... though we've only just met, I feel as though I've known you for quite some time. I feel we could be good friends," Wallace said with certainty.

"It would be an honor," said Renault truthfully.

"I wish we had met sooner Bishop Renault, for our journey is almost at an end and then we will no longer fight together…" Wallace trailed off.

"Keep your guard up, Wallace. Victory is not ours yet," Renault said.

"Aahahaha! He said the exact same thing to me once! How could I forget! His teachings are all engraved on my heart!" Wallace laughed, his voice booming.

Worry not Wallace…you were not the only one who forgot.

"Wallace. Would you still like to see him again?" Renault said curiously.

"Of course! But...it feels less urgent now. Having met you, Bishop Renault... It has given me the feeling that perhaps... He has been watching me from heaven..." Wallace said, his voice growing quieter.

"Perhaps…" Renault said.

"I must thank you, Your Excellency," Wallace said.

"But I have done nothing, really. Let us go now," Renault said. "We have much to do before we can begin to think of the end."

Wallace nodded and departed. Renault stood in the same spot for a long time.

I guess…I did some good in this world…

Author Notes: I apologize for the game script, but in three chapters I couldn't get a proper grip on Renault's character. But due to the lack of Renaultness in this fandom, I think you'll be satisfied. Plus, how many of you know Renault's supports by heart? Probably few.

And by the way, I don't know where I got the idea or if it's even canon, but I've always thought of Kishuna as being the friend Renault lost and Nergal 'brought back.' So just keep that in mind with this story.

Curious, how do you say Renault? Do you say Ren-alt? Or how about Ren-Oh (Like the car company?)

"Just write. Just quit worrying about all that other bullshit and write. Yeah. You're going to make mistakes. Huge mistakes. Your book/story/poem might turn out to be total crap. That's unavoidable. But if you want to get better, you have to write. So write."

-Patrick Rothfuss