Note: Alright my first Fire Emblem story... Where to begin?

This story was probably the most difficult thing I've ever had to write. There have been so many versions of this one particular story, it's utterly ridiculous. As I release more chapters down the line, I'll have to talk about these older iterations of Jade.

Aside from that, I should mention that Jade is the sister story of another work of mine, but that is largely unrelated. Jade and the story Xibalba both take place in the same world (most of the time) and both plots unfold at around the same timeframe, but that is where the similarities end. I will probably speak more on the two stories and how they came to be in later notations, but for now, I will delay this introduction no longer.

I hope you all enjoy the Jade, and I look forward to any feedback you wish to give.


Viper

Robin sat on the cold ground with his back against a massive tree trunk. It towered over him like every other tree in this enormous forest. He often found himself nearly falling over anytime he tried to peer up into the bluish canopy overhead.

A serpent was tightly coiled around Robin's neck. Its body was colored a deep cobalt. The reptile had a white belly and a black forked tongue that could occasionally be seen rapidly flicking in and out of its mouth. The snake looked upon its surroundings with a pair of emotionless icy blue eyes.

"Someone's following us," the snake clearly spoke in a whisper.

"What else is new," Robin quietly questioned. He began scanning his surroundings to see if he could find who or whatever was disturbing his reptilian comrade.

Robin's serpent hissed angrily at his careless response. "Yeah? Well, it's pissing me off. Whoever this person is, they're dedicated. It also bothers me that from what I've seen, they seem to be a woman. I've seen her moving through the shadows a few times. Dark hair and dark clothes are what I've seen so far."

"Sounds familiar," Robin replied.

The snake gasped at what he considered to be an extremely lackluster response. "That's my point, you idiot! We've been attacked repeatedly by that blue-haired woman with the fancy sword and you want to tell me that you knew we were being followed and you didn't say anything?"

"I know who that is," Robin murmured under his breath. He glanced over his left shoulder at the sound of some brush rustling behind him. "Or at least… I'm pretty sure I know who's following us. If it's who I think it is, then she has a tendency of flat out stalking me. The only reason I haven't tried to call her out yet is because I'm not certain about this."

"That doesn't put my mind at ease," the snake grumbled. "We've got important business to be getting on with! Let's just drop this woman and leave her corpse for the Druids."

Robin slowly shook his head. He stood up with the serpent still tightly wrapped around his neck and closely examined his surroundings. The trees were tall enough to be considered wooden citadels. Strange vines spread across the trunks of these trees and gave off a bright neon blue glow. Ominous orbs of light floated down from the canopy like snow.

Aside from a line of bushes toward the west with large turquoise leaves, the forest floor was practically empty of vegetation. No sunlight could penetrate that dome of leaves overhead. Only the light from those alien vines growing on nearby trees had a chance of illuminating the dark world underneath the canopy.

"Tharja," Robin announced. "If you're here, come on out. We're already on edge and you are not helping."

"How did you know it was me," a seductive voice asked from right behind him.

Robin practically jumped out of his own skin and instantly twirled himself around. Standing next to the tree was a woman dressed from head to toe in black and gold. She held a large book in her arms. Her eyes were hidden behind a shadow cast on them by her dark bangs. However, Robin could still see the ominous smile which was just barely hidden behind her book.

The snake quickly moved its head in between Robin and the woman he insisted on calling 'Tharja.' With a cynical glare, the snake stared this woman down but she did not appear too bothered by the reptile's gaze.

"You know this creep," asked the serpent.

Tharja tilted her head and looked past the snake and directly at the young man behind him. "Why is that thing talking to me?"

"Uh," Robin stuttered for the sake of interrupting his little friend before he had time to get more aggressive with this newcomer. "Tharja, this is my new friend, Ghiaccio. I woke up here in this forest a little while ago. I met him and he's been guiding me ever since."

"So, this is where you've been all this time," asked Tharja.

Robin nodded at her inquiry. "Unfortunately, we've all since given up on finding you, Chrom, or the others. I honestly cannot recall how I got here. Perhaps you explaining how you found me could help jog my memory a bit. If you don't mind, that is."

"Of course I don't mind," Tharja eagerly replied while not taking her eyes off of that talking serpent coiled around Robin's neck. "However, I do not exactly remember myself. I woke up last night underneath an outcropping rock and small stream. At first, I did not think much of it until I saw these glowing trees. Then I realized I was in a bit of trouble, but with you around, all my problems are solved!"

"Huh," Ghiaccio curiously grunted at her. "Hold on a minute! When did you wake up here? Judging by your appearance, I'm guessing it was recent."

"Just last night," Tharja confirmed. "By the way, how are you able to talk like that? Robin? Did you pick up one of my books and turn someone into this ugly thing? I don't mind, but I would appreciate if you would tell me before borrowing my tomes."

Her assumptions were suddenly beginning to irritate both Robin and Ghiaccio. The snake craned it's neck until it's cold eyes met Robin's confused visage. "Is she slow or something?"

As usual, Ghiaccio was not making his situation any better. He took a few steps back when he noticed Tharja aggressively gripping the large book in her hands as if she were preparing to smash Ghiaccio's head in with the thing.

"Talking serpents seem to be a common thing in this forest," said Robin. "Well, that's what Ghiaccio told me at any rate."

The sound of suspicious rustling in the background was enough to tear Robin's attention away from the issues at hand. "I think we should start moving again," he murmured under his breath.

Tharja noticed the growing sense of apprehension in Robin and decided to take advantage of this change in atmosphere. "Afraid of something, my love," she questioned. "Don't worry, I'm here."

"Yes, you are," Robin stated with nothing better to say at the moment. He did not even have time to blush before Ghiaccio started hissing at Tharja for being way too close.

In response, Tharja painfully dug her nails into Robin's arm. He curiously leaned away from his admirer when she began growling at Ghiaccio. An intimidation contest quickly spawned from these odd circumstances. Ghiaccio eventually pointed the end of its tail skyward and swiftly swung it back and forth. This produced a loud rattling sound. It was more than enough to drive Robin insane.

"Enough," he exclaimed. "We don't have time for this."

Robin then turned toward Tharja and pushed her off of his arm. "Ghiaccio and I are heading for the river just to the west. I'm guessing you'll be coming with us?"

"I'd follow you anywhere… my love."

Robin and Ghiaccio turned to face each other with a worried look on both of their faces. Ghiaccio's nasty scowl did not reassure Robin about Tharja's presence in any way.

The snake lifted its head high above Robin for the sake of rising above his level as if the reptile were trying to maintain some form of supremacy over the young man. "I did not approve of this, Robin! Yvo is extremely paranoid. If he found out that we brought a plus one then you can forget about cooperation from his end!"

"Tharja," Robin politely inquired. "Are you going to follow us even if we ask you to do otherwise?"

"Do you really need to ask such a question?"

Robin sighed and moved further away from his little stalker. "No," he admitted. "But I do have a lot of inquiries. Come on, follow us."


Despite Ghiaccio's rather aggressive means of disagreeing with Robin's decision, Tharja continued to follow him. They moved quietly through the woods. Robin took notice in how Tharja seemed to intentionally slow her pace.

For the entirety of the trip, she followed several yards behind Robin and Ghiaccio. Her silence combined with the fact that she was now well out of his sight was worrying to Robin. He could not help but address her presence. "How are you doing back there, Tharja," he inquired.

"I am doing just fine," Tharja seductively remarked. "What a sweet thing for you would ask. You've been so inquisitive lately. It's almost like you're obsessed with me."

Robin silently denied her assumption with a shake of his head. He had no desire to humor her by providing a response. Instead, he simply moved on to the next question in mind. "And you really don't remember anything on you wound up in these woods? You have no idea where we are on the map or where Chrom and the others are?"

Ghiaccio moved its head in between the two individuals and hissed at Tharja in a low pitch. She backed away to clear a few more inches from the serpent. Regardless of the distance, she had already secured from the snake, it could obviously never be enough.

"Would you shut up, already," Ghiaccio coldly inquired as he turned back to face his white-haired companion.

"Come again," asked Robin.

The snake tightened itself around Robin's neck. Ghiaccio was not exactly choking the life out of him yet, but he was on the verge of crossing that line. "You've been at this ever since we started moving again," Ghiaccio insisted in an unreasonably wrathful tone. "How many times are you going to ask the same stupid questions!?"

Robin let out a long sigh as the snake continued to complain and rant about Tharja's presence. "Let us address this in private, Ghiaccio," Robin proposed as he stepped away from Tharja. He waved at her as if that silent gesture was enough to excuse both him and his serpent friend for a few moments.

When he was certain they were a safe distance, Robin spoke out again in a soft whisper. "Let me explain something to you, Ghiaccio. I was hoping we could talk about this later but we clearly cannot with the way you have been acting. Tharja is obsessed with me. When I was serving with Chrom, she would follow me wherever I went. I would honestly not be surprised at all if she threw herself into a den of bears at my request. I know you may not like her, but there is a reason why I haven't tried to lose her trail."

It did not take long before Ghiaccio lifted his head and quietly giggled at the unsuspecting woman. Robin lowered his gaze at the sound of Ghiaccio's impish laugh. That snicker was enough to tell Robin that the serpent had thought of something. He was amazed by how well the snake was able to catch on to his intent. It was as if they both shared the same twisted mind.

"How diabolically ingenious of you," Ghiaccio quietly complemented. "A tactician and a manipulative mastermind. When I first found you in these woods, I thought I had come across another hopeless sap. How glad I am to see that my assumptions were wrong."

Ghiaccio then lifted its head high above Robin's messy white hair and focused its narrow eyes on the young woman in black.

It was almost impossible to pick up on any form of emotion with those reptilian features. For the moment, Tharja assumed the serpent was going to make another insulting remark about her. Tharja's patience was growing thinner with each passing moment that she continued following this cruel snake. She knew that one more crack about her uniform was bound to send her on a hexing rampage.

After a period of hesitation, the snake finally spoke. "My deepest apologies," he stated, much to Tharja's surprise.

"I had no idea how close you and Robin were," the snake continued. Tharja immediately blushed upon hearing this while Robin merely hid his expression of resentment behind the serpent's coiled body. "That was my mistake. You see, I have been guiding Robin ever since I found him in this dangerous forest. There is a reason why I am so apprehensive about people, but since you are a friend of Robin's, I suppose you can come with us."


In silence, Tharja followed them. She acted as if she did not exist. Tharja listened closely whenever she heard Robin and Ghiaccio whispering among themselves. Either they had forgotten about her presence, or they were intentionally ensuring that she would not be able to overhear them.

Her smile comically grew at the mere thought of them feeling secure. She always managed to pick up on anything Robin was saying. After spending weeks on in stalking him, she had become quite good at reading his lips to find the words that her ears failed to pick up on.

The conversation suddenly ended after Ghiaccio finally decided to formally welcome her to their journey. Despite this, Tharja still had no idea where they were heading. Ghiaccio was most certainly not telling her anything and Tharja had quickly taken notice into how silent Robin was when the snake was present. He only ever bothered to speak when Ghiaccio was addressing him or when Tharja put enough pressure on him to do so.

Robin's inquiries about how she found herself as lost in the forest as he was quickly died off when she failed to provide any real answers. She eventually focused less on Robin for once and attempted to recall events leading up to her waking up in the middle of this alien world filled with unfamiliar wildlife.

Every time Tharja tried to trace her memories, they eventually led to a gap in time or a dead end altogether. To her, it remained a mystery why she decided to speak out once again. It was obvious that the others relished in her silence, but Tharja simply felt the need to remind Robin of her existence in this lonely jungle of neon lights and unnaturally thin air.

"What do you remember, Robin," asked Tharja, interrupting whatever ominous plot he was discussing with the serpent on his shoulders. "The last thing I remember was participating in some skirmish. I doubt that you were present in this quarrel along the border of Plegia. After all, I am certain that I would remember if you were indeed there. I feel as though I have amnesia. Even beyond the point of said battle, I cannot remember much of anything aside from you and the names of the more noteworthy people we fought with. Everything else is blank to me. I fail to even remember the names of my parents."

"I remember about as much as you do, Tharja," Robin insisted in a detached tone. "At one point, all I wanted to do was find out what happened and where all of you went. However, that time has long past."

He paused for a short while. Robin eventually slowed his pace to a stop. Ghiaccio remained dead quiet during this time. Tharja naturally halted her stride as well and waited for him to speak. Eventually, Robin recollected himself and resumed his speech. "Do you want some advice, Tharja?"

"Yes," she exclaimed as she clasped her hands together in anticipation like a child eagerly awaiting a long desired gift. "More than anything!"

"Forget the past," Robin warned. "You can pursue your memories if you truly want to, but you had best turn the opposite direction now because you won't find them with us. I gave up on trying to find you all long ago. Now, Ghiaccio and I are moving forward to claim the future. Join us if you want or turn back now. Either way, our path is set. Isn't that right, Ghiaccio?"

The snake did nothing but laugh at Robin's resolve in the most menacing of ways. "That's absolutely correct. Chasing memories will only slow you down, my friend."

Tharja was almost offended by their continued persistence when it came to giving her an out before she became too wrapped up in their business. Robin's lack of understanding when it came to her motives was incomprehensible to her. "Do you honestly think I care about any of them," asked Tharja. "Is it not obvious to you yet?"

"No, it's very obvious," Ghiaccio spoke out in place of Robin. "That is the issue. Oh well. I suppose it doesn't matter. You had your chance to turn back. From now on, you'll be coming with us. Follow all of my instructions carefully, Tharja. It just might save Robin's life. Fail to do any of it and he could end up dead. We don't want that, now, do we?"

With a spiteful glare, Tharja eventually looked past the snake and attempted to make eye contact with Robin while trying to ignore the serpent in between them. "Never fear, Robin. Just point out our obstacles and I shall remove them."

"I'm sure you will," Robin flatly remarked. "Unfortunately, you will have to prove yourself to us on another day."

Ghiaccio turned back to Robin in confusion. He titled his head and flickered his tongue at his companion. "What are you going on about, now?"

"We need to cancel our journey to the river," Robin declared in a calm tone. "If this river is as far away as you claim, then there is no possible way we can make it there before sundown. We will have to retreat back home for the night and start again tomorrow."

"Dammit," Ghiaccio screamed in agitation.

"What's the issue," asked Tharja. She smiled at Robin in a sly fashion and spoke again. "Afraid of the dark, are we? Not to worry, Robin. I'm here," she said with a giggle that was as false and misleading as the grin on her face.

Both the snake and the tactician ignored her interruption. With a roll of his sky-colored eyes, Ghiaccio focused on Robin. "No. Keep moving, I doubt we'll run into the Druids."

That was probably the last thing Robin wanted to hear. Tharja watched him shutter at this unexplained issue. Once again, she found herself wondering if they were intentionally being as vague as possible around her.

"That doesn't sound like a good idea," Robin warned. His words were quickly cut off when Ghiaccio tightened his body around Robin's throat.

It took Tharja few seconds to realize what was going on as Ghiaccio's motion, as well as Robin's reaction, were both well concealed. She began to silently advance on Robin with a panicked look in her eyes. Just when she started brainstorming different methods in which to kill the serpent before it had a chance to choke Robin, Ghiaccio loosened his constricting pose.

"Oh, it's a good idea if I say it is," Ghiaccio retorted in a hiss. "Now, keep moving. The odds of us running into those freaks are low and there's no way I'm going all the way back home today. If I were you, I'd worry less about the coming night and more about all of the possible vantage points Lucina could be stalking us from."

Even through Ghiaccio's intimidating voice, Robin still managed to pick up the sound of someone flipping through the pages of a book. He instinctively turned toward Tharja. She kept glancing between him and the contents of the book she constantly carried around in her arms. The wrathful expression she wore was enough evidence for Robin to figure out everything going on in her dark little mind.

He extended a hand toward her in an attempt to calm her before she did anything too rash. "Tharja, I ask that you close the book right now."

Soon enough, Ghiaccio was able to pick up on what was going on. He looked to Tharja with a mischievous grin. He flicked his forked tongue at her as if he were trying to smell her frustrations. "Yeah," Ghiaccio agreed. "Stand down before you get yourself hurt."

Robin shook his head while Ghiaccio spoke with the hopes that he could silently dissuade her from acting out while the serpent only complicated matters.

"You know, Robin," Tharja stated with a dark stare. She eyed the snake with malevolent intent. Within this small frame of time, her disturbed mind was beginning to run through all the ways in which she could kill this cruel serpent. "My mother always said that a snake was always a great way to test out the sharpness of a shovel."

"Quiet," Robin demanded. "We allow you to follow us and you've caused nothing but irritation. I recommend that you take note of your words before speaking them. You might just end up making a couple unwanted enemies."

As Robin spoke, he could feel Ghiaccio coiling with anger. He averted his eyes to the cobalt pit viper and noticed how Ghiaccio was entering an obvious position reach out and strike.

"Where do you find these people, Robin," Ghiaccio coldly asked. "Did all of your comrades respond to the most casual of jokes with such aggression? Have you never bothered to discipline them? Maybe we should start with her?"

Tharja furrowed a brow at Ghiaccio. While she had never once considered the idea of a snake that could talk, it only made sense to her that something of this nature would come from such a venomous being. However, it was still not as peculiar as Robin's reaction. He had the same calculative look on his face that she would always see when following his orders in battle. Now, Robin appeared to be thinking of a way to carry out Ghiaccio's suggestion.

She sighed during this period of silence and moved her left hand to her hip and out of Robin's view. Tharja allowed a sinister sensation to begin cultivating in her concealed palm. Strange and ugly energies started combining with each other and intertwining with her fingers. All the while she, she made sure not to let Robin see this dark process.

"What shall we do with her," asked the viper. "Do you think her behavior can be solved with a simple slap across the face or shall I sink my teeth into her flesh and let the venom flow?"

Tharja responded long before Robin had a chance. She silently moved her left hand in front of them. She revealed the purple spell swirling around it just mere moments before both Ghiaccio and Robin fell helplessly to the ground.

They were unable to move any part of their bodies aside from their eyes which they both used to look up at Tharja with a nasty scowl.

Tharja could not help but smile at Robin's current vulnerability. She knelt down before them to reach their level and promptly patted the former tactician on his head.

"This was one of the first hexes I ever learned," Tharja informed. "It was created by my mother if you would believe that. It is rather simple in the grand scheme of things but extremely complicated to put into action. This hex is designed to leave the victim in an odd state of paralysis. It render's everything aside from the victim's eyes and their sense of pain useless. I learned this hex very early on in my life because my dear mother would often utilize it for disciplinary reasons."

Robin was unable to make any form of facial expression and his eyelids were unable to close, but Tharja knew that he was looking at her with murderous intent; the snake, even more so.

She leaned forward and whispered into his ear while he still had no chance to push her away. "You're acting strangely," she admitted. "You are far more cold and aggressive than you were when we first met. It makes wonder if that serpent is responsible for your obvious change in personality or if being alone in this forest for so long is the cause. Either way, I kind of like you better, now."

It was blatantly clear to the Mage that this information was probably only making Robin angrier with her. "Only a few hours of traveling with you and your new friend and I have already been forced to resort to this. Oh, my sweet Robin. Whatever shall I do with you?"

Tharja suddenly leaned even closer to her victim and ran her fingers through his white locks. She then loudly sniffed his hair for no reason that was clear to Robin. Tharja did not bother explaining her behavior. Instead, she lifted her dominant hand upward, allowing her palm to face the canopy overhead.

A swirling mass of dark energy collected in her palm once again. With a seductive visage, she gently blew this heinous mass towards Robin and Ghiaccio. As soon as her breath reached the energy in her hand, it took on a new form and almost resembled dust being blown in their direction.

Once it entered their lungs, the paralysis left their muscles. However, neither the man nor the snake had time to get up and retaliate. Fatigue immediately gripped them and their eyes promptly fell shut.

The Plegian Mage smiled at the duo who now slept on the ground before her. They were as quiet as her lifeless surroundings.

"A more appropriate question would be, what should I do to you?"