Um... okay. Well, feeling a bit nervous here as this is my first time writing something here. And I want to just, put myself out there I guess. So... I've had this idea for a tactician Fire Emblem 7 fic for quite a while and I finally got the guts to start writing. I know there have been countless Tactician stories, but not many have been really finished, so I felt like I should throw myself into the ring. I don't want to waste any more time here so I'll just stop talking... er, typing here. Still new, but I hope you semi-enjoy this.

The sun was setting and many people were still out and about in a small town in Lycia. Amidst the bustle of market-goers and merchant stalls, a young, black-haired girl who looked no older than thirteen was quickly making her way out of the city holding a bag of fresh produce and other items. Wearing a clean, green cloak that looked a bit too big on her, she didn't really fit in among the villagers and merchants, though no one really looked at her twice. As she finally neared the entrance of the town she tripped on her cloak and tumbled to the ground. She lost her grip on the bag as she fell and gasped as she looked up from where she had fell, afraid that she had lost the produce. But her fears were gone once she saw that a guard for the town had safely caught it.

"You've got to be more careful there lass." The middle-aged man said as he reached out his hand. "you could get hurt running like that." The girl chuckled nervously as she accepted the help.

"Thank you, sir." The guard smiled and shook his head. Quickly, the girl dusted off the dirt from her cloak and face.

"Not a problem. But you really should be more careful." He handed her the bag and looked to the outskirts of the town where a small house stood. He sighed before turning his gaze back to the girl. "Well, you'd better be off, Elsee. That boy's probably wondering why you haven't come back yet."

The girl, Elsee, giggled at the old guard's name for her caretaker, which he hated. "Okay, I will. Thanks again Mister Duncan." She waved goodbye to the man before returning on her way home.

On the outskirts of the town was Elsee's home. It was nothing special, but what made it stand out was that it was situated near the entrance of a forest. Inside, a young man wearing a white tunic and black pants was leaning back in a chair. The man had dark-brown hair and green eyes. He looked to the table in front of him and groaned. Scattered on the table were a pile of letters. He threw a letter to the floor and let out another groan. Just then, he heard the opening and closing of the front door along with quick footsteps. He turned his head to the doorway and saw Elsee.

"Master, I'm home." Elsee greeted as she placed the bag of produce on the table. As she placed the bag down, she noticed the letters and her master in a tired state. "Wh-"

"This is what I get for not sorting through these earlier." He interrupted as he threw another letter to the side.

"O...kay." Elsee said slowly. "Um... I finished the errand you sent me on." Her caretaker looked to the bag of produce then to Elsee.

"So you did." He said. He got up from his seat and picked up the bag. "Well, then, I guess I should get dinner started." He said as he headed to the small kitchen portion of the house, patting Elsee on the head as he passed. "You should study up on the battle records while I do that."

"Ok Master." Elsee said.

"And stop calling me Master. Makes me feel old." Elsee giggled at his response. She then glanced at the pile of letters her master had left on the table and sighed.

'Master really needs to clean up after himself.' She thought as she picked up several of the letters on the floor. Being a renown tactician, her master always got letters from some mercenary groups and even some armies offering him work. And seeing as how her master complained about their shortage of money at times, Elsee wondered why he never accepted any of them. Lost in her thoughts, she picked up the last letter on the floor. What she saw broke her from her thoughts. It was a letter from Bulgar, a city in the nomad country of Sacae. It was opened already, but the letter was not addressed to her master. 'I should ask him about this later.'

Later that night, the two had eaten and finished their dinner in silence. Afterword, Elsee's master told her to go to bed while he cleaned up, but she asked if she could read first. From the floor, Elsee looked up from the book she was reading. She looked to her master then to the letter beside her. Her master was still sifting through letters and complaining as he did so. He suddenly stopped and without turning, spoke.

"I'd like to have that letter back Elsee." Elsee glanced back at the letter.

"Um..."

"You want to know why I have such an old letter, don't you?" He guessed, looking to the girl.

Elsee shook her head and responded. "Why is it addressed to someone else?" She then glanced at the letter again before asking another question. "And who is Chief Hassar?"

Her master smiled at the mention of that name. He closed his eyes then sighed. "Ok. I guess you deserve to know that at least." He said, scratching the back of his head. "That letter belongs to my grandfather. The one who taught me about tactics." After answering, he briefly looked to a corner of the rooms where a green cloak, different from Elsee's, hung. "And Chief Hassar is the Chiefton of the Lorca. A friend of my grandfather." He laughed slightly before continuing. "I have a lot of fond memories of my trips to Sacae with him during my childhood."

Elsee, who had been silent, spoke. "You really spent time with the tribes of Sacae? I thought they were-"

"They aren't barbaric as people believe them to be." Elsee's master interrupted. "They're just like everyone else, just more in tune with the world than us." He looked outside then to Elsee before yawning. "I would say more, but I'm tire and you should be getting to sleep. You're still a child."

"Aw...okay." Elsee whined as she slowly headed off to bed. Her master smiled and waited for her to leave before bringing up a letter he held in his hand for a better look. He let out a sigh before putting the letter down.

"I guess I could make a stop there leave her with them before heading off to..." He trailed off. He shook his head then smiled. "Hell, it'll be good seeing her again too." Then his smile quickly disappeared. "Just what could "He" want from me anyway." He said as he angrily threw the letter down on the table and blew out the candle lighting the room.

The very letter sent from the Royal Court of King Desmond of Bern to Mark, the tactician.

Eh... don't really know how I feel about this chapter. If you didn't like it, sorry, my bad. I'll try to get better as I progress.