Hero: Welcome to my first Fire Emblem Awakening FanFic! Lately, I've been itching for a FE:A fic and I think this is a good time as any since I'm still on Summer Vacation. Some of you may be here 'cause of my Persona 4 SoujixYukiko fic, Our Year Together, and I say thanks for the loyalty and love for P4 and Fire Emblem. Anyway, look forward to the other note at the bottom where there I put my closing comments as well as some notes for next chapter. Anyway, I won't keep you waiting, here's Chapter 1 of "Resolve of a Family", please enjoy and here's to a great story!

Resolve of a Family

Arc 1: Road to Grand Mastery

Chapter 1

Time was running out with today being the last day to get any training before the Feroxi Tournament. The Shepherds were put into groups for training. Frederick was helping Kellam and Sumia with their Javelin throwing and Lance combative abilities. Chrom was sparring with Sully while Virion was spotted practicing his Arching skills alone, having a soldier toss fast moving and small objects only to have them be destroyed, though Miriel would often offer ways to improve on his targeting skills.

And then there was the rest of the group.

"C'mon Stahl, Vaike, I know you two can do better than that!" The robed, sharp-tongued man criticized the two. His name was Orpheus, he knew not how he got where he was, but due to one event after another it led right into him being the Tactician of the Shepherds. "Stahl, don't hesitate, we can't allow that in the tourney. After all, Ylisse's fate may depend on it." he criticized as he kept track of his partner's movements and patterns.

"I gotcha! No more holding back, but only 'cause you asked!" The green-clad Cavalier nodded as he prepared his sword and charged towards Orpheus. Orpheus parried and let the onslaught of his attacks continue, though Stahl was guarding and retaliating magnificently.

"Atta boy Stahl! You're getting good!" Vaike cheered on. "But not as good as ol' Vaike! Lemme show you how it's done." Vaike was then readying into his stance.

"Bring it on Vaike! I'm not giving you the point so easily!" Orpheus taunted.

"That's enough backtalk!" Vaike declared as he took a lunge towards Orpheus, forcing to block the training axe with his sword. Vaike's strength was a bit more than Orpheus could handle, but Stahl went around and pointed his blade at Orpheus.

"I guess that's game." Stahl said easygoingly.

"I suppose so." Orpheus shrugged. That will make the two versus one score for him 2-3.

"Class dismissed." Vaike said with pride as he was able to get the deciding attack in. "Alright then, I think it's time we take a lunch break! Teach's orders!"

"I second that!" Stahl motioned.

"You always do though, Stahl." Orpheus joked around. "Let's get going already!" The three headed in to warm up from the cold and have lunch with the rest of the group. Afterwards, they relaxed a bit and Orpheus struck up a conversation with Stahl, who he was starting to become friends with. "Hey Stahl, how long have you been a Shepherd?"

"Well that was certainly out of the blue." Stahl noted. "Well, I've been here for about a year or so. Sully and I joined at around the same time, but it's a miracle I got in. I mean, Sully has the powerful and dominant atmosphere, but I don't got much to me."

"Nonsense." Orpheus disregarded the pitying statement. "Sully does have a great presence, I won't deny that; so much so I bet it'll inspire a lot of the female soldiers here later down the line. But I bet you this, you're here because Chrom saw a lot of potential. In fact I do too. You just need to keep up the hard work and I'm certain you can do great things. ...And I don't just say that to anyone, y'know."

"Thanks Orpheus, I really appreciate that." Stahl only gave a big smile while scratching the back of his head. "By the way, can I ask you something as well?"

"That depends, does it involve asking me about my life before I met everyone? Because I have little recollection of that still."

"Nah, it's just, why do you have that big sword if you don't use it?" Stahl pointed to the long golden sword next to Orpheus' leg. It was bright despite how dull it would look at first, but the blade is still sharp. The hilt had a small gold piece sticking out. Indicating somewhat of a protector... Or just some decoration for the grip. And at the end of the hilt, there lay a Ruby, also likely for decoration.

"...That technically counts as asking about my life." Orpheus shrugged. "Eh, I'll answer it anyway." He laughed a bit to himself. "I don't know what this thing is called. I just remember being told to find out what I can about it's original owner and to never lose it. I don't remember who told me that though. I'm guessing it's a relative or something." Orpheus explained after giving it some thought.

"To think it'd be a family heirloom. You must have a really deep history there Orpheus."

"Perhaps. Though I remember that and find out all I can about the legendary Tactician Mark."

"But Orpheus, who is that?"

"WHAT!? You don't know who the Mark is!? Stahl please, this guy helped change history!" Orpheus then gave Stahl a lecture about how Mark helped Lyndis, Eliwood, and Hector save their lands over centuries ago. As well as how his Tactics were recorded and shared throughout the world. Even Orpheus has some copies of his strategies. "...And that's why Mark has such a major importance to this day. Though no one knows what happened to him or Lyndis afterwards, historians suspect they both died on their own somewhere sometime after their war."

"Wow, you sure know a lot about this guy. I'm impressed I didn't fall asleep."

"Because his story is that great is the reason you did not pass out!" Orpheus continued acting like an over obsessive fan, but calmed himself down. "Anyway, the moment I remembered that, I asked Frederick for the nearest library in the capital and went faster than sound itself. It feels like a need, not a want to know about this guy. Why, I do not know. But I still feel compelled to learn what I can about that man. Not just because he was a great Tactician, but also because my gut is telling me to do so. And no matter what, I have to find out his fate."

"Sounds like pretty deep stuff." Stahl smiled again. "I hope you find out the truth. And if you can't, hopefully your kids or grandkids will."

"I think it's too soon for parenting Stahl. What, are you interested in a girl already? I didn't think you can find one you like already." Orpheus smirked.

"Well, not really. I mean, it'd be nice if the girl of my dreams would just show up, but I won't force it to happen."

"I hear ya there. What kind of lady are you interested in anyway?"

"Well, someone who can cook." Stahl said despite knowing how expected of him that was.

"And?"

"And… that's about it really. I'm not sure of what else to expect."

"...I bet you'd marry any woman who can cook good." Orpheus laughed lightly after saying that.

"Ahahaha… maybe. What about you then, Orpheus?" Stahl returned the question back at Orpheus

"I have some idea myself, the only one I can see myself attracted to is maybe Sumia. I kinda pity her a bit, but she does look adorable and perfect to play around with; but other than that, I'm not sure." Orpheus answered. "Considering I have little recollection of myself, I think looking for love would do me more harm than good."

"Well that's true. Especially since we're all the way out here." Stahl nodded in agreement. "Sumia does seem to be a good cook from what Lissa told me, but other than that, she's not my type."

"Wow, that doesn't sound contradictory at all." Orpheus sassed.

"Can't blame ya there. I mean, I did just say I wanted a girl who can cook." Stahl began to laugh at himself. "But I just got this feeling like it won't work out."

"Good, more of a chance for me." Orpheus said as he stopped laughing. "But anyway, I think we should head out already. We need some more practice in. I hear this champion for the other Kahn is a real piece of work. Plus, I owe you and Vaike some sweet revenge."

"Maybe you shouldn't have agreed to take us both on, otherwise we're not gonna let you win that easy!"

"Did you think I was gonna let Vaike be better than me? I wanna show just how much I'm worth to this team. I gotta make it first!" Orpheus said with a determined face.

He may a Shepherd, but considering all the work the other members had to put in to earn their spot, he wanted to put in just as much here on this tournament. He had won that last two versus one training session and it ended in a tie. Orpheus then had sparring lessons with Chrom. However, he was a much more skilled sword user than anyone. Being one of the royal family and being trained since childhood, it was no surprise. Despite how Orpheus could outsmart Chrom, it would only give him time. Chrom's experience would win the day. Slightly disappointed with himself, he spent the rest of the night looking upon the enemy roster delivered that morning from Flavia to get an idea of what to expect. However, the champion was not listed. If he recalled, the champion, or leader for the team, for the opposing side was Lon'qu. But he was not here and not anyone in the Shepherds knew about what happened on the other side. The best Orpheus could do was plan for the other members, the missing champion could only assumed to be likely another Sword-wielding opponent, which was not enough for a sure-fire strategy, but it was all he had.

The next day, the team got up early and spent some time warming up. Orpheus by then decided his ideal members to use for this battle.

"Chrom, Frederick, Sumia, Stahl, Sully, & I will be fighting. The rest of you will have to sit this one out."

"Whaaat!? But don't you need someone to patch you up?" Lissa responded in such shock.

"Well, if this were a fight to the death, yes I would have you here. But you don't remember the rules Lissa?" Orpheus sighed. He had to make a moment to review the rules yet again.

"The rules for this battle are simple. In the past, these key battles for the Khans involved fighting to the death. But when wars began becoming more likely, they changed the rules in order to preserve their best fighters for the possibility. To eliminate someone, you had to disarm them of their weapon or have your weapon faced at them at close range; basically if they tried to resist, they would normally be finished then and there."

"But what if someone did actually hurt them, especially if it was fatal? What happens then?" Lissa asked.

"Good question Lissa. If that were to happen, then the attacker would be eliminated. And if it was one on one at that point, then the injured person's team would take the win. Of course there is a cleric team on standby, which you might be put to Lissa. So let's just hope it doesn't come to that." Orpheus took a deep breath after explaining everything. "Any other questions?" No one responded in words, only shaking their heads. "Good, now the ones I named, let's go. The rest of you, have fun watching."

The group went inside the Colosseum and the participating fighters went into a room leading to the battlefield itself. The crowd was loud, but not enough to block out Orpheus' formation discussion with the Shepherds. Sumia was to be near Chrom. Frederick was to support Sully if need be, and Stahl was to cover Orpheus. Soon the gate opened and they entered the Arena. Their they spotted the opposing forces units. And the one in the center stood out. It was "Marth." The one who saved Lissa from the Risen. But before Orpheus could say anything, the battle had begun. Chrom led the charge, and went after the masked fighter, the two had engaged in a clash of blades, and a mage decided to take it upon himself to use his Thunder tome to stun Chrom, attempting to get the leader to eliminate him from the get-go. Sumia followed with her orders to protect Chrom, distracting the mage with her quick attacks.

Frederick and Sully engaged the knights, while Stahl went after a Fighter.

Orpheus quickly eliminated on himself and spotted the other mage. Trying to also go after Chrom. Though he didn't like using magic, he used his own Thunder tome to stun him, allowing Orpheus to close in with a charge, ramming the mage to the ground and pointing his blade towards his face. "Out." Orpheus ordered as the crowd cheered his name as the Mage left the Arena. "OR-PHE-US!" They continued shouting. It gave him a smile.

Marth, hearing the chants while trying to hold back Chrom's Falchion, spotted Orpheus by his lonesome; he used his own Falchion to shove Chrom back, and then kicking him to the ground. However, instead of going after Chrom for a possible finishing blow, he spotted Sumia readying her lance to guard her captain. Instead, Marth went after Orpheus even though having at least a good chance of eliminating Chrom. Taking a lunge towards Orpheus, he blocked the blade.

"I finally found you." Marth muttered.

"What?" Orpheus questioned, but no answer as Marth pulled back and continued a frenzy of offensive strikes. They felt full of raw emotion, even when Chrom wasn't holding back, they weren't this style. Come to think of it, Marth's fighting style was very similar to Chrom's. Orpheus then began trying out techniques specifically against Chrom's style of attacks. It was having some effect, as he was able to lessen that offensive drive Marth began with. Marth changed up his pattern by going for fatal strikes. Even going for stabes "Are you foolish!? You're attacking me as if trying to kill me!" Orpheus angrily fought back with sword and tone. "Do you not know the rules!?"

"I must complete my mission, no matter what." Marth only said those words before trying to continue on with the fury of attacks. It was the same as with Chrom, it's only buying more time, and the whole team is still occupied. The crowd went silent, to see their favorite to nearly fall. Was this part of Marth's plan? To draw him out and take him down. Marth's blade collided with Orpheus' blade, pushing it up, but Orpheus focused himself to preventing it from leaving his hands, but Marth's reflexes were fast, he was going in for the kill. The way that blade was swinging, it wasn't going to stop until it hit his flesh. It was over for him.

"We're not done yet!" A voice called, as Marth was surprised to see Chrom in the air going in for a strike to stop him, Marth stopped his Falchion, taking a step back to avoid the attack. Orpheus was shocked to see he somehow made it through that. Stahl come around to see how Orpheus was faring.

"Sorry about that. He didn't get you did he?" Stahl asked with some worry.

"No, I made it through somehow. Anyone else on there side still around?"

"Just two Knights and a Fighter. We can handle it from here." Stahl answered.

"Okay, you go help them. I'm taking out Marth with Chrom. Send Fredrick if one of us gets eliminated next." Orpheus did not want to accept he was bested by Marth. "I bet that damn Overseer did not want to eliminate Marth. That was an attempt at my life and they know it."

"Be careful. I'll be as close as I can to back you up."

Upon hearing that, Orpheus went off ready to take on Marth for another round. Chrom was fighting his best, but he was getting tired. If Chrom were to fall, then everything would go wrong for the Shepherds. Morale would drop and if Orpheus were to fall next, then who knows how the rest will fare. It would be a big upset for Flavia and her group. It was all or nothing here.

Chrom was on the defensive, but Orpheus noted how he would mostly parry to disarm Chrom of his weapon, he did not go for those aggressive attacks that he used earlier. He did not like where his thoughts were going. He needed to beat Marth and question his motives. Chrom drew some distance between Marth and himself, with Orpheus coming in to be by his side in this final moment. "You're now outclassed Marth. Surrender now so I can ask you more about that sword and fighting style." Chrom asked sternly. Even with that mask covering his eyes, you could depict something through what was left of his facial expression. It was disdain, fear, and when looking at Orpheus, resentment.

"I have questions for you as well. Why did you try to kill me just now?"

"He what?" Chrom looked at Orpheus with astonishment. "But that's against the rules! There's no way, he would go that far. He saved Lissa's life!

"Well, look's like we'll ask once we take him down together. Ready, Chrom?"

"Yeah, let's go friend." Chrom nodded as he readied his sword.

"You are a fool, Sir Chrom. That was a big mistake." Marth only spoke that much before he charged for Chrom first, forcing him into a defensive state. Orpheus went to attack the open Marth, but he was able to block and continue to separate Chrom and Orpheus' distance. Afterwords, Marth went after Orpheus, again with aggressive strikes, something Chrom never dealt with. Even as he attacked Marth, Marth would only parry him away. He was concentrating on Orpheus first and foremost. Was it because he was the Tactician? He couldn't conceive much from that as he was parrying as much as he can.

Marth had kicked Chrom away like before and took another go at Orpheus, but the attack pattern was becoming more and more easier for him to respond to. Orpheus began his offensive strikes, pushing Marth back. Chrom had went for another aerial assault and caught Marth into the edge of the Arena. Chrom went for a horizontal swing from the bottom-up to disarm Marth of his Falchion. Orpheus pointed his blade towards Marth. Marth's expression went blank, but the blade stopped at at the center of his mask. "Out." The battle was over. The crowd cheered. Shouting Chrom and Orpheus' names aloud for what felt like all of Regna Ferox to hear.

As Chrom and Orpheus looked away to see the crowd and Shepherds, Marth grabbed his blade, leaving the Arena saying, "Impressive... if not surprising…" he headed to the nearest exit, with as much speed as he could muster. As much as Orpheus and Chrom wanted to get their questions answered, the Shepherds approached them to offer their congratulations. Flavia had eventually reached them as well to offer her thanks too. By that point, they could not leave, as it would show disrespect to Flavia and her land.

After the ceremony, the stadium grew empty. The Khans had appeared and Basilio, Flavia's rival, offered Lon'qu, the original champion to the Shepherds. His face was stern, and he said no words upon appearing.

"This is Lon'qu, my former champion." Basilio introduced. "Not much for talking mind you, but he's peerless with a sword. As good as Marth in my mind. To be honest, I can't figure out why Marth bested him so quickly."

"Marth beat him? But he looks so big and strong…" Lissa commented as inched towards him to get a better look.

Lon'qu jumped away from her. "Away, woman!"

"Hey! What did I say?" Lissa then took the hint and moved back, but not before asking what his problem was. Basilio only laughed at her.

"Let's just say that ladies tent to put Lon'qu on edge. Nonetheless, he is capable. He even has the makings of a Khan. Consider him West Ferox' contribution to the Ylissean cause."

"And we're sure he'll follow us because…?" Orpheus asked with a sceptic look.

"Fear not, he's your man now."

"Do you have no issues with this, Lon'qu?" Chrom asked

"You give orders, I kill people. I think our roles are pretty clear." Lon'qu bluntly said.

"Heh, I think I may like this guy already." Orpheus commented.

After the party, Orpheus retired to his quarters. This would be his last night here for he would immediately be returning to Ylisse. He continued replaying that one moment in the battle with Marth. Was that a strategy or something else. To Orpheus, it felt like an intent to kill. But he needed training with the sword. Especially if he was to encounter Marth again. There's no guarantee he would run into him with help this time around.

"...I'll ask Lon'qu for training. If what Khan Basilio said is true, he may be on the verge of being a Swordmaster. I'll see to this tomorrow."

As he made a mental note aloud, he then turned himself in, falling asleep quicker than he expected. But this rest was well earned.

Hero: Well, I hope you liked this first chapter and it's only going to get better from here. I'd like to make a mention of this right now. There's going to be a lot of spoilery stuff mentioned here(Some earlier than need be) so if you haven't actually played all of FE:A, I strongly recommend you do so before reading on.(Next Paragraph is proof of me talking about big spoilers) I want to make note that I purposely did not mention who Orpheus is going to be with until it becomes virtually a thing. So to future readers of this when he does get with someone, you'd have already known since by then, I'll put the lucky lady as the big pair in the summary box thing on the top. For now it's just Orpheus and Lucina as mains since she will play a big role in Orpheus' life. How so you may ask? You'll have to wait and find out(I touch on it in the spoiler part), but just don't let your first guess stick with you. You might be displeased later on.

Speaking of her, "Marth" or Lucina was pretty obvious in terms of how she feels about Orpheus. I feel she always knew who killed her father, but just wanted to be absolutely certain of who it was. But why jump the gun now? You'll find out in the future. As of right now, "Marth" is Orpheus' motivation to get stronger. He does not take defeat so well. Better than others! But not well all the same. Though he still won, he felt that Marth should have beat him since he was clearly the better swordsman in his eyes.

And finally, as for Orpheus himself, here are his following features if you wanna know what he looks like in your game: Build, Face, & Hair are 01 and his Hair Color is 05. Simple, I know. But that's a good thing to me. And his voice is Male 1. So he's King Richard from Tales of Graces f. Haha, I like VA jokes, so get used to that! At the end of each chapter, I'll talk more about Orpheus if he were actually in the game. His lines changed a lot as I spent the last two weeks working on him, so I'll share a piece each chapter since I may not get it all to show in the fic itself; kinda like behind the scenes stuff. Alright, I've said my share and I'll let you all be on your way. Look forward to the next chapter since it's actually done and I just need to revise it, though if any of you are good with fighting scenes and have writing experience, I am looking for a Beta Reader or two, I'll explain the details in the next chapter. Anyway, take care, share your thoughts on this first chapter and until next time, stay golden and remember, you are not alone.