It was a clear, sunny day in Ylisstol. The markets were as busy as ever. An orange-haired young man with a messy bowl cut strolled through the crowd. He was eating a lollipop, the stick popping out of his mouth. He wore light mail under a black cloak. His name was Gaius, a thief. One who had an obsession with sugary treats. Turning to a different corner of the market, he approached a stall.

"G'day, my man," he casually greeted the shopkeeper, placing his arm on the counter. The scrawny man behind the counter grumbled.

"What do you want, Gaius?"

"I'm sure you know what I want, old man."

The man sighed at the remark, and opened a little safe. He took out a small brown string bag and tossed it at the thief. Gaius opened it and took a whiff.

"Hmm. High-grade caramel crunchy bits, from the top sweets manufacturer in the northwest. Am I right?"

"Not something you'd get your paws on everyday, sugar boy."

Gaius slipped the sack into a hidden pocket. He keeps all kinds of sugary treats hidden in his clothing.

"Sweet. How much?"

"I'm not asking you for gold. I want you to do me an errand."

Gaius lifted his left eyebrow.

"See, I made a deal with someone. They requested for a certain herb only found in the Outrealms. Now I don't want to turn them down, but I can't go there myself. That's where you come in, my friend."

"Hmm, fine by me."

The man handed Gaius a piece of paper pertaining information about the herb. Taking it from his hands, Gaius skimmed through it. "Forestrealm...under a tree...mm...long leaves...all right." He stuffed the paper into one of his pockets, realizing something crushing underneath it.

"Aww man, my chocolate chip cookie," he pouted. The shopkeeper rolled his eyes, as the thief took out the remaining crumbs and threw them away.

"So you understand, right?"

"Yep."

"Good. Now off you go." The old man shooed Gaius away with a hand gesture and returned to his wares. The thief walked away, towards the market exit.

"The Outrealm... huh..." Gaius murmured as he looked for a carriage.

Gaius is a freelance thief. He keeps his profile as a thief low, and instead sides as a craft merchant, so his reputation with the market is quite reasonable. His skills being embroidery and craftsmanship, among others. He keeps a sword with him at all times, but his blade proficiency doesn't match those of mercenaries.

Climbing onto the carriage he manage to find, he told the coachman his destination was the Outrealm gate. The mustached man sitting on the horse nodded, and got his horse to start moving. Gaius sat down on one side of the wooden cart. The ground was unstable, so it kept vibrating, making Gaius uncomfortable. Biting the already small lollipop in his mouth, it cracked. He swallowed it and spat the stick out onto the ground outside the cart. Reaching into the left side of his cloak, he took out a piece of mint flavored hard candy and popped it in his mouth.

After about half an hour, the carriage stopped in front of a large gate on the ocean side. It stood out like a sore thumb. Gaius wasn't even sure how it got there in the first place. No one did. There was no such construction project. It just popped up one day, and no one knows why.

Jumping off the carriage, Gaius reached into his pockets again. Taking out a small blue pouch, he handed it to the coachman. "That's worth a lot more than you think it would," Gaius said before walking away. The man shrugged again, and left.

Approaching the Outrealm gate, he could see someone sitting on a rock nearby.

"Oh, are you here to use the gate?" A red-haired woman who looked to be a merchant stood up from the stone and walked over to Gaius. She had the trademark pose of resting her pointer finger on her chin. Her name was Anna, the Secret Seller. She travels around the world buying and selling extravagant merchandise. She also has many identical sisters. This Anna was only one of many. But this Anna works as a gatekeeper.

"Yep. I need to go to the Forestrealm. Think you can help me out, Red?"

"Mmhh. Yeah, sorry, buddy. The Outrealm Gate is kinda busted right now."

"Busted? What do you mean?"

"Well...to put it simply, it's kind of broken. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."

Gaius didn't seem to care. He just continued to walk by.

"Hey! Are you not listening to me? I advise you not to go in there. It's unstable."

"Well fix it or something. I don't have all day."

"Uwah... You're an impatient one. Look, I'm not gonna be responsible for what happens to you, capice?"

Nodding, the young man walked up to the gate. Normally there would be a blue portal once a person gets near the gates, but there was none this time. Gaius even tried moving in and out of the gate. Nothing was happening.

"Hey, Red. What's up with the gate?"

"I told you. It's not working."

Anna walked towards Gaius, and stopped next to him. She gave him a gesture signalling him to go home, but the thief shook his head.

"I'm not going anywhere but the outrealms."

"Ugh. You're so persistent. I told you there's nothing I can—"

Suddenly the ground underneath them shook. Light flashed from the gate, and a pulse of energy formed. Swirling into a spiral, the light turned into the portal to the outrealm. But instead of normal blue light, this was deep red light.

"Sweet. It's working." Gaius took a step closer to the portal.

"Hey!" Anna exclaimed, grabbing his cloak. But Gaius' hand had already reached into the portal. The energy sucked the two into the portal, and disappeared with them.

Author's note: [Nowi voice] So hey.

First off, this idea came from one of my friends. One time, they said, "Hey, why doesn't Gaius and Anna have a support. It could be like a merchant thing" or something to that effect. Personally, I think Gaius and Anna would make a cute couple. Too bad the game doesn't let you pair them.

So this is just an idea, if you people like it I might continue it. Just short chapters of random outrealm adventures, leading to a bit of romance and whatnot.

Interested? Please review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem