Prologue: Bitter Betrayal

I grit my teeth as I watch Morgan guide our enemies over the Risen, handily slaughtering my Risen.

What in Grima's name are you doing, you imbecile? I think in rage as I see the masked wyvern rider slam his axe through the head of another Risen. We are supposed to keep tabs on them and move them the way we want! Not aid them further! I scowl heavily under my cloaks hood as Lucina slashes straight through two undead in quick succession as the insane archer takes out my final sage. We had them… We had Yarne and Nah too injured to risk fighting, injured Inigo's arms too much to hold his sword… Forced that armor loving buffoon to stay by them, had broken their last stave… You traitorous fool, this is against Grima's will. I angrily wipe of the liquid on my face.

And just when I thought it couldn't possibly be worse, Morgan pointed me out to them. I stilled in shock as Severa sees me, and charges with the intent of felling yet another Grimleal.

I bite back a curse and extend my hand, breaking my emergency summoning stone, spawning five myrmidon Risen in seconds as I turn to flee.

I don't bother with looking back as I hear the sound of my final reinforcements dying, nor when the sound of wing beats resounds. I simply race along the ground, doing my best to avoid tripping over the various tree roots and plant life around me. As I run by yet another half dead tree, I hear the distinct sound of a bowstring release, and immediately dive left, barely dodging an arrow, but find myself struck with a merciless blast of lightning.

I barely repress a scream of agony as fury sears through my veins, and I call upon my magic, casting a Thoron blast at the wyvern rider who was trying to take advantage of my downed state, forcing him back. In a moment, I'm on my feet and casting another blast of lightning slightly off to the left of the approaching blue haired lord.

She dodges right, as I predicted, allowing for my attack to soar and slam directly into the chest of my dear little traitor, Morgan, causing her to shriek in agony and drop like a stone.

I turn and begin to flee yet again, feeling the strain beginning to mount on my body from two consecutive high powered spells, and discreetly swap my Thoron tome for a simpler, if less powerful, Thunder spell. I listen as the sound of footsteps draws closer, charging a small bolt of Thunder in my hand before whirling and firing it in Lucina's face. The blue haired girl cries out as the pegasus knight of the group dives through a nearby gap in the trees to reach us, swinging her lance fiercely at me.

I grunt as I attempt to dodge, though I fail, getting her lance straight through my left bicep. I yell in pain as my arm flops helplessly, gritting my teeth in a panic. I jump back before she can hit me again and look to see Owain, the yellow clad myrmidon, approaching swiftly. I growl as I turn to flee once more, casting a weak Thunder spell at the dazed Lucina to force the pegasus knight to fall back in defending her.

I move as fast as I can, gritting my teeth and breathing heavily as I note the trees thinning out. In several more moments, I find myself in a clearing on a cliff side, a massive archway of stone standing silently like an aged sentinel. I skid to a stop, stowing my tome in attempt to free my hand and bind my wound, tearing off a piece of my shirt.

I'm moments from having twelve little upstarty plebs on me, and nowhere to go, I think in anger. Of course Morgan would be too weak to drive them where Lord Grima demanded. She's too weak, always too weak. Pathetic.

I finish binding it as footsteps behind me draw closer. I turn to face my foes, drawing a silver sword from my waist. Owain and Severa stop ten paces from me, as the wyvern rider, whose name I forget at the drop of a hat, lands near them. Moments later, their mage, Laurent, and their archer Noire come into view, ready to fire their attacks.

Several seconds after them, Lucina appears, charging forward, if a little unstable as Cynthia rides behind her, cradling Morgan right in the saddle in front of her. I let out a glare at my damaged foe, who looks up at me with pained, but pleading eyes. I look away from her with a sneer as I note the rest of the merry band hiding back in the woods. Close enough to be aided if reinforcements for me arrive, but not close enough to risk me targeting the injured and useless of their procession.

"Well here we are," I mutter, gesturing at them threateningly with my blade. Even if I am alone and unable to beat them all, I will fight with all of my strength. Lucina steps forward, Falchion held at the ready.

"Surrender, Grimleal! Your death need not be dragged out," she demands coldly. How very unlike she treats her allies. "If you drop your blade, I will make it swift." I let out a snort, and take a defensive stance, my blade held horizontally in front of my stomach.

Without another word, Noire's arrow rockets towards me. I deflect it as the three swordsmen charge, Lucina in the front as Owain and Severa move to strike my flanks. A team effort that is nearly effortless to them after all the years spent in combat.

But I know them like the back of my hand, and they are tired from fighting against the Risen I'd sent against them.

I sidestep Lucina's swipe and send a stab at Severa, who deflects it with a grunt. I fall to a knee beneath Lucina's follow up strike and surge backwards, slamming my body into her outstretched form and sending both of us to the ground. I attempt to roll to me feet over her with the momentum, but find myself blindsided by pain from my arm long enough for Cynthia to slam the blunt end of her spear into my side, likely out of concern of hitting Lucina.

I gasp as I hit the ground, and stand only to find a Fire spell from Laurent before me, giving me no time to react. It strikes and explodes in my face, sending me to my back once more with a roar of agony I suppress swiftly.

I ignore the burns on my hands, brushing off my cloak, thanking Grima not for the first time and hopefully not the last of the magical wards covering it.

I look up to find the wyvern rider bearing down on me, the wyvern poised to bite as its rider prepares to strike. I dodge the bite and deflect the axe strike, though it imbalances me. I turn my gaze as footsteps enter my ears, noting Lucina driving a stab towards my head.

I grunt and jerk my head away, however she still cuts deep into my cheek and through the hood of my cloak, shoving my face into view as it falls away. I glare at the group of children as they stare at me, all but Morgan stunned.

I snarl and slash at Lucina, who manages to block, only for my blade to move from the feint into a stab, ready to pierce her flesh. Until, a wind spell barrels into me, sending me to the ground into an uncontrolled roll.

I stop at the edge of the cliff, inside the rock archway.

A grunt forces its way past my lips as I stand, noting how Morgan has her hand outstretched, with the other holding an Elwind tome. With her skill, it could have killed me.

As I've said, pathetic. Truly a waste of potential to be so held back by emotions.

I rise shakily, sneering at my false companions as I remove my damaged coat and toss it to the side, Cynthia and Owain staring in abject horror, while Lucina and Severa look shocked and hurt respectively, as much as the latter tries to hide it behind anger. Noire stares at me listlessly, her bow held in loose fingers. Clearly not the deranged version her mother's charm makes her. Laurent and the wyvern rider stare at me grimly, but neither appears surprised, only resigned. Back where they stand injured, Nah stares at me with tears dripping from her cheeks, a heartbroken expression plastered over her face, while Yarne looks furious and betrayed. Kjelle grimaces, but otherwise shows nothing. And finally, the stave-less cleric Brady looks at me as though he is ready to cry.

And Morgan just has that same damn plea written across her face.

"You people," I say coldly, glaring at them. "Always such a thorn in my side. Do you have any idea how infuriated Lord Grima gets whenever you slip past him again and again?" I sneer as the name makes them tense, several of them shaking their heads and looking like they want to wake up from whatever nightmare this is. I let out a mocking laugh, trying to hide the trembling of my body.

As much as I don't wish to admit it, they've managed to get me to the point where I don't know if I can fight anymore. Even standing is a little challenging.

"Crow, why?" Lucina asks, her voice shaking like Falchion in her grip. "We've fought together for years, we rescued you from Grima's grasp, why-?" I cut her off with a loud scoff.

"Rescued me?" I drawl loudly. "That entire 'rescue' was nothing more than months of hints dropped by no name Grimleal to make you think that Morgan and I were Robin's children, and were being held hostage. All of it was an elaborate strategy to get you to let us into your fold." Cynthia, Owain, Nah, and Noire let out gasps of disbelief, while the rest grimace or let out snarls. I chuckle derisively. "Never once did any of you fools think that we were leading you on, not any time over the years. I remember the goods times, especially that one where Minerva, dear wyvern, nearly got her wing clipped off."

The wyvern rider scowls at that as the beast in question growls.

"Of course, that plan failed, as did many others," I remark callously. "And this last one would have succeeded, especially with the reinforcements that came behind you, if it weren't for the dear little traitorous-."

"Crow!" Morgan interrupts, drawing my derisive gaze. I stare at her for several moments, watching the pleading look on her face as tears build in her eyes. "Please, come with us! You know that Grima is not what she was! She's dea-!"

"SILENCE YOU TRAITOR!" I roar in anger. "YOU DO NOT GET TO SPEAK TO ME ABOUT ANYTHING!" I rip my furious gaze from her and move it back to Lucina. "Now, then! Don't you remember any of my lessons?" I say the word as though its poison. "When you have an obstacle in the path of your goal, no matter what-."

"Remove it," Laurent finishes as he launches another fire spell at me. I duck to the side, barely moving out of the way before a furious wyvern rider lands next to me, axe approaching my body at full speed.

"NO!" Morgan begs. I watch in cold acceptance as the axe approaches my stomach, burying itself into my flesh.

I find myself flying back through the air, a wind spell having thrown me before the axe could fully end my life. Though, the axe did manage to strike deeply into me. I meet Morgan's eyes past the roaring lizard, noting her tear streaked face and mouth set into a scream I can no longer hear as light begins to surround me and pain fills my mind.

Last time, I… do you… any….. fav….. I try to think as white becomes my world, and I begin to black out.

"Yes, you'll do nicely, I think," I hear echo around me as my mind finally fades.

AN: Hello. this is rather much a first for me, and I'm trying out a new story type. Let me know what you think so far, and I'll see about getting out the next chapter.

-Lambda38