A/: I'm procrastinating from my other fanfic that is pending in another category. I just can't concentrate on it until I got this Fire Emblem written down.


There is nothing that can infuriate Hector to his limit, but to be treated by their oh-so-lovable tactician, named Saei, like a kid who needs a lot of coddling is driving him nuts. One minute she'd be all over him like a mother, asking him random question if he's feeling alright, the next minute she'd be all snub and ready to annoy him with her sharp tongue.

And as always, Hector complained it to his best friend when they reached the town near the Bern border. She was hired by Eliwood in the first place.

"It's the way she is." Eliwood reasoned.

"Can't you see she's picking on me? ME, Marquess Ostia's younger brother? A Lord?" Hector said, his tone rising. Eliwood gave him a nervous smile.

"Saei does not really care about titles and such for in the battle field, she's in charge..." Eliwood faltered under Hector's annoyed stare.

"We are not even in battle." Hector said through gritted teeth. Eliwood shrugged.

"Then why don't you go and talk to her about it?"

"She won't let me near her within ten meters." Hector said, slamming his mailed fist to a nearby tree. Eliwood looked at him questioningly.

"Did you do something?"

"What the heck does that suppose to mean?" Hector almost yelled. "I didn't even talk to her on the way here."

"Why are you so worked up with it, then?" Eliwood said, baffled.

"Oh Lady Saei!" they heard Serra from the distance. The two of them turned to look as Serra glomped the sandy-haired tactician.

"I want to be your room mate for tonight's bedroom assignment." Serra said cheerfully. "There's something I want to talk about with you."

Hector and Eliwood watched as the young tactician slightly turned her head to look at their direction. Hector got irked with her sly grin. Saei very well knew that he can't tolerate Serra's loud mouth. He rounded up on Eliwood, his face livid.

"See what I told you?" he said angrily, like as if everything is Eliwood's fault.

"Then talk to her," Eliwood said. "Don't tell me you actually obeyed her order of not coming within ten meters?"

Hector stared at him hard then turned to look away, silently admitting to himself that he did. For some unknown reason.


Once they had settled down, Hector ordered a tankard of ale. And just in cue, Saei was standing beside his seat. The others around them started to back away one at a time, afraid of the fight that will ensue.

"Isn't it a bit early to drink, milord Hector?" she said, stressing the word in her most annoyingly sweet tone. Hector ignored her and drank half of the tankard.

Saei watched him patiently, an easy smile on her face. "You know, Lord Hector, I am deeply annoyed by what you are doing right now. Didn't I say before that you're not allowed to drink since you disturb your room mate's sleep."

"So Eliwood told on me, didn't he?" Hector said.

"No. Not really." Saei admitted. "In fact, I don't think he'd ever been disturbed by your loud snoring when you're drunk. He sleeps like a baby, with no care for the world."

Hector stiffened on his seat. "Oh yeah, I forgot. The two of you shared a room before you met up with me near Santaruz."

"And so? What got you worked up all of a sudden?"

Hector slammed the tankard down on the table and grabbed her wrist. She only raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's with you, picking on me all the time?" he hissed.

"I'm not picking on you, milord Hector." she said. "I'm just looking after you."

"She's right, Lord Hector." Matthew said, appearing behind the tactician suddenly. He wrapped his arms around her waist. "It was a direct order from Lord Uther. He knows full well that you tend to forget to take care of yourself."

Hector glared at Matthew, eyeing the thief's arms around his tactician.

...

...

Did he just called the annoying tactician "HIS"?

Then Matthew left. Saei freed her wrist from Hector's grasp and starting patting around her body.

"Oh great. He stole it." She sighed. "Why can't he just say it out loud that he wants to borrow it? If you'll excuse me, milord, I'll just go and get our rogue thief." She turned and left, taking Hector's half-drunk tankard away from him.

"Curses." Hector muttered under his breath. His sudden thought of possessiveness caught him off guard. Why would he even thought of her being his property? She annoys him to death. And comparing to the other women in camp, she's the least imposing and noticeable. He confided it to Eliwood that night.

"So how come you always notice her?" Eliwood said exasperatedly. Sometimes, his friend is hard to understand. He's also starting to think that Hector is developing a crush on her. Feeling peevish, Eliwood said it straight to Hector's face, knowing it will drive him madder and finally exhaust himself to sleep.

However, Hector only stared at him hard, making choking noises. He tried to regain his composure but failed. Eliwood watched his friend struggle, wondering if he hit the right spot.

"There's no way I'd like her!" Hector spluttered. "There's nothing in her traits that's worth liking!"

"Be nice," Eliwood said. "She's a lot better compared to the ladies in the court."

"A proper lady does not pick on a Lord, nor does a proper lady act brusquely as if she owns the very land you stand upon!"

"Saei was raised that way because she has to deal with hard headed men." Eliwood reminded him. "Tacticians aren't all that well loved and respected."

"I can see why." Hector said darkly. "The way she behaves around me."

"She's not really like that towards the others though."

"That's why I said she's picking on me."

"And this is why I'm asking over and over: Why are you so worked up with it?"

"Because I'm getting annoyed by her treating me differently from the rest of you."

"Then talk to her about it, like I've said many times over."


A/N: Chapter two coming right up.