Hello, Fire Emblem fans! Huuuuuge and longtime fan finally deciding to write something from an idea I had while playing Revelations. I ignored Fates until the week it came out; the day it came out I went to five stores until I found a copy of Conquest and found myself buying the Birthright DLC in the next few days. Can't believe how I even thought of not getting this after spending months on Awakening just a few years back!

The only bad thing is revealing my idea might spoil the story so here's a shot in the dark that I hope might get read!

Inside the stone walls of the arena, it was like any other day. Hundreds of people cheered eagerly as two pairs of fighters clashed their iron weapons in the heat of combat for wagered gold or valuable gemstones.

It was a weird feeling to be inside the walls themselves rather than as a spectator.

I silently sat besides the slender woman, who I had known since I could remember anything. She looked over at me with a tiny smirk.

"You're not chickening out now, are you?" she asked as I shook my head.

"Of course not," I said, as she stood up. I followed her body. "I'm more than ready."

"I know you are. I wouldn't bring you here otherwise," She said, grabbing an iron sword from the weapon racks. She handed the sword to me.

"This is what you meant by non-lethal?" I asked, running a finger through the edges of the blade. It was very dull; I couldn't see it penetrating any armor unless stabbing. I could see other swords with even duller tips for fighters who did have that style.

"Yes. That won't even dent your armor, I bet," she said, grabbing another sword. It was a thinner, longer blade.

"What about you?" I asked, standing stared at me with a confused face.

"I haven't met a swordsman that could land a blow yet," she said, confidently. "Most fighters here are self trained mercenaries who try to overpower their opponents."

"Heh… I'll just keep them off you then," I said, swinging the sword. She nodded.

"That is all you have to do," she began. "Pairs pay more. I can easily handle any pair in this place so worry about yourself."

"Give me some credit," I said, as she smirked. "If I fail, it means you're a bad teacher."

"I never said I wanted to be a teacher, did I?" she said, placing one hand on her steel katana. It was always kept in pristine shape or covered in blood, no inbetween. "I'm just a woman trying to earn a living."

"You could've been a singer or something. Maybe a dancer… Never mind, you're too short for that," I said, with a sly smile. She pointed the iron sword at me with squinted eyes.

"Watch your mouth, kid," she said, in a serious tone. I knew she was joking; once I outgrew her, which didn't take long, the height jokes began. The loud sound of muffled cheering followed by an opening door could be hear. "Looks like it's our turn."

We followed a man holding a steel lance through the stone halls. The dull noise of people cheering could still be heard until I began to hear another voice speak loudly. We stopped a few yards from a big opening, which led to the arena. I followed her lead, staying calm and collected but part of me wanted to excite the crowd. Of course, I knew better.

"Draw your sword when the man says to fight, what do you think of our opponents?" she said, as I looked across the arena.

"A spear user… he has the weapon advantage on us… and a diviner… her scrolls let her attack from a distance," I said, as she nodded.

"Spears might have the advantage but that's for its user to decide," she said. "Focus on keeping the mage busy."

"Will do," I said, as a man brought the entire arena to silence. He swung his arm and a loud gong-like sound rang.

I drew my sword and moved towards the mage. She stepped back and swung her arms in a motion I had seen before. She summoned an illusion of an Ox that charged towards me to which I raised my sword in defense. I heard the spirit collide with my sword as I pushed my body forward. The spirit wasn't letting up.

"Heads up," her voice said, as I turned slightly. I saw a boot on my shoulder and felt a force push me onto my knee slightly. The katana wielder leapt through the air as I moved aside and put my sword forward towards the down spear fighter's head.

I looked at my partner as she did the same. Another gong rang, declaring us the winners of the fairly quick match. I smirked and extended my hand at the man.

"Great fight. The rumors of her sword skills are true," he said, as I nodded. It didn't seem like a great fight… Crona made it all seem like a coordinated dance.

"She's… something," I said, as she moved towards me. I stared at the diviner, who slowly stood up and grabbed her folded up scroll. The spear fighter moved towards her and they moved towards the other entrance they had come from.

"Let's go collect our rewards," she said, as I nodded. I turned to see her halfway towards the exit. I ran to catch up, looking back at the other two one last time.

"Miss Crona," the large man said, laughing heartily. "Here to bleed us dry like always, huh?"

"Of course. This should be motivation for people to improve," she said, grinning evilly, as she usually did when money was involved. I rubbed my shoulder as the man slapped my back, making me almost yelp from the quick pain. The man walked away as Crona stared inside the brown satchel full of gold. "You did good, Raein."

"Thanks. You're not as light as I thought," I said, rubbing my shoulder. She glared at me, sending a chill down my spine.

"If you hadn't helped earn us a month of food, I would probably have ended your life just now," she said. I grinned and then sighed.

"So… What now?" I asked, as she began to walk.

"We return home and look for work," she said. The town of Cyrkensia was bustling like always. We maneuvered through the sea of people selling wares and services. "It'd rather be out of here before that crazy Nohrian king arrives."

"Better off avoiding all that Nohrian-Hoshidan conflict," I said, yawning. "Too much hassle."

"Not enough gold," Crona said, quickly. "If anything, it'd go to some spoon fed royal until we beg for a replacement for our crappy brass swords."

"It looks like the weather is taking a turn for the worse… Maybe we should spend the night here," I suggested. The sky was gray with black clouds scattered. People began to scatter towards their homes as they finished their business. Crona stared up.

"I suppose we could," She said, tilting her head back.

Nights had always been my preferred time. The weather was fantastic around this time of year, despite the sounds of rain and thunder. I stared at my sword as I dragged a clean cloth on the blade. Crona had taught me to treat my sword as an extension of my arm and to treat it as such… Which I didn't really understand but I listened to her like always. She walked through the door of our rented room in a Hoshidan style robe that she carried with her for when she wasn't in armor… the name escaped me.

"You didn't need to dress up for me," I said, putting the sword on the table. She sat on the bed with her arms crossed.

"You never get tired of your dumb jokes, do you?" she said, staring at me. "Seven years and still not funny."

"Not as long as you're by my side," I said, grinning. I looked out the window. "Maybe it's good that we're here. The port must be crazy right now…"

"I'd rather be there," she said, putting her hair in a bun. "The hot springs are empty right now. If you're lucky, maybe a cute girl will stumble in."

"I could just stay here. Didn't that just happen?" I said, as she scuffed. "Besides… I don't feel like running after they blame it on me."

"Aren't you quite the charmer tonight?" she said, as I stood up.

"I'll be back then," I said, waving as I left the room. "Gonna go walk around."

"Don't embarrass me," she said, as I closed the door.

Inns in Cyrkensia always had a certain charm to them; I loved staying in them. Crona would call me a wimp if I said how much I preferred wooden floors to the cobblestone she did. I wasn't much of a fan of bathing at night so I ended up on the balcony of the second floor. The wooden railing was covered in water so I remained by the wall, staring out at the empty town.

"Oh… hello," a quiet voice said, as I snapped back to reality. I saw a girl standing beside me… The diviner from today. "Must be fate, running into you again."

"Maybe," I said, smirking. "Or the poor weather."

"Your partner was very skilled today," she began. I began to feel awkwardness. "Her sword play is almost legendary for the west of Hoshido."

"Yeah, she's something else," I said, sighing. "Once you get past that, she's just a sarcastic mercenary."

"Mercenaries, huh?" she said, quietly. I looked at her; she seemed on guard.

"Says we do anything for gold… but we've never accepted anything Crona didn't agree with. Says guilt is a bad emotion to have eating at you, especially during battle," I began. "Basically, we sometimes fight bandits and protect merchants. I'd follow her wherever she needs."

"I see. Forgive my attitude change, most Nohrian mercenaries are…" she began before I cut her off.

"Oh, I'm not from Nohr… I think," I said, as a gust of wind blew harshly. "I was at an orphanage before I went with Crona."

"I am sorry I brought it up," she said. "We don't even know each other's names."

"Names are important," I said, chuckling. "Raein, second in command of a two person mercenary band."

"I didn't know you held such an important title," she said, giggling. "My name is Heather."

"Nice to meet you," I said, crossing my arms. It was pretty cold now, guess not bathing yet was a good call. "I don't know how long we'll be staying but it's nice to have someone else to talk to."

"What else can you do on a beautiful night like this?" Heather said, smiling.

"Well, I know a few things better than talking," a familiar voice said. I sighed and looked to my other side. Crona waved innocently, holding a bottle of some alcohol in her other hand. "You're old enough, right?"

"You don't remember my age?" I asked, staring at her. She smiled.

"I don't want to remember that I'm getting old. Just stay fifteen years old," she said, leaning forward. "Hey, you're the diviner from the arena. Am I interrupting?"

"Of course not, we only just found out each others names," she said, calmly. "You don't look a day over twenty, Lady Crona."

"See, Raein? That is how you talk to a lady," Crona said, smiling. "Sadly, I'm as close to being twenty as I am a lady."

"You act like you're turning one hundred," I sighed… I could never understand her sometimes.

"Be quiet," Crona said, looking again to the diviner. "Sometimes, I wonder if he'll ever end up married. You'd marry him, right? You seemed so interested before I arrived."

"Uhm… t-this is a little rushed," she said, looking away. I tried to look apologetic as Crona opened the bottle she held. "Although he seems nice… I didn't expect a samurai to drink."

"Who do you think I am? Prince Ryoma?" she asked, laughing. "You're from one of the tribes, aren't you?"

"Y-yes… I was born to the wind tribe," Heather said. Her voice sounded shocked. "How did you know?"

"I've been around. Wind Tribe warriors stay away from drinking to perfect their bodies," she began, pouring strong smelling, clear alcohol into wooden cups. She handed me one. "The only reason I'm so good is because I'm so small. I probably weigh less than you. It's a blessing and a curse."

"I see… my companion had warned me about your skill when we saw you across the arena," Heather began. Crona extended another cup, which the girl took reluctantly. "You fight like a trained swordsman yet act like an untamed storm. You're a mercenary yet you don't kill for gold most of the time. I grew interested… who are you?"

"Heh… For a girl I met by pointing a sword to her face, you sure sound differently than I had expected," she began, pushing herself off the wall. She extended her cup towards me and I tapped her cup with mine before she downed it in a few seconds. "Sadly, my life is not too interesting. Just a wandering mercenary who got good with a katana instead of a sword. I'm going to bed, don't wake me."

As quick as she came, she was gone. I sighed internally and raised the wooden cup to my lips. The liquid warmed my throat and relaxed my face slightly. It made the cold wind hitting my face a bit less harsh.

"She's a mystery," I said, as Heather pushed herself off the wall. The rain began to fall faster; it was beginning to hit my bare feet.

"I won't force anything, just curious," she said, walking past me. She handed me her wooden cup. "Hopefully, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, good night."

My hand grabbed the handle for the sliding door but my arm couldn't move. My body froze and everything seemed to stay still; I could hear the faint rain and myself breathe. I felt like something was wrong… why? What could be wrong at this hour? I shook my head rapidly and slid the door open. The worse I imagined had become a reality.

"You new girlfriend sure is nosy," Crona said, sitting on the edge of the bed with one leg crossed over the other. "Or some assassin sent to kill me."

"Who'd want to kill you?... Well, besides me," I asked, as she glared at me. She plopped down on the bed,

"Got me thinking though," she began, smiling. "How uselessly pathetic you were as a fifteen year old."

"Yeah, sorry I wasn't a royal knight," I said, sitting beside her. She lifted herself up and rested on her elbows.

"You know what I mean," she said,pushing me lightly. "But hey, you worked hard and now look at you. You even ended up kinda cute."

"Thanks for everything," I said, laying down. She laughed.

"Just doing what was right," she said, laying back down.

"You didn't have to though. Most people would've thought I was old enough to be by myself," I said. She yawned and closed her eyes.

"Don't get too nostalgic on me," she said. "Try to sleep, we leave tomorrow, rain or not."

"Who are you, really?"

"Of anyone who asks that, you should be the one closest to an answer. Now, sleep before I get angry."

"Hey, wake up."

"Wh-"

Once I woke up, I stared at the woman on top of me. She pressed her hand over my mouth and motioned to be quiet. I nodded and she moved her hand. I stared at her blankly.

"Hey, getting off would be appreciated too," I said, as she sat up.

"I'm starting to think you are attracted to other guys. Don't get me wrong, that's alright but I thought you would at least tell me," she said, moving off me. I sat up and yawned.

"Why am I awake… It's still raining and dark out," I said, looking towards the window. She began grabbing her lightly armored clothing.

"We're leaving. Something is going to happen soon," she said. I stood up.

"What? You're the diviner now?" I asked, grabbing my own armor.

"I felt something, trust me on this one," she said, grabbing her sword. A beautiful steel katana that put my sword to shame.

"You say that as if I didn't trust you," I said, putting my own sword into its sheath.

"You didn't feel the ground shake, did you?" Crona asked, standing by the door.

"Are you sure you're alright?" I asked, as she looked at me seriously.

"I feel fine. Guess you'll be learning more about me," she said, quietly.

"What do you mean?" I asked, as she grabbed my arm.

"You'll find out later. I can't talk about it now," Crona said, as she dragged me through the halls of the dark inn. When we reached the entrance, two people seemed ready to leave as well. "Why are you here?"

"We were just leaving, Lady Crona," Heather said, smiling. Beside her was the man she fought alongside in the arena; the spear fighter. He looked more stern that I remembered whilst now holding a strange naginata. "You have your own reasons for leaving at this hour as well, right?"

"... Right," Crona said, tugging at my arm. "Let's go."

"Where are we going anyway?" I asked, as Crona looked back at me.

"Towards Hoshido," she quickly said. Heather stepped forward.

"We should go together. We're also heading towards Port Dia," she said, turning to the man. "Safety in numbers, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, milady," he said, nodding. Milady? Who was this diviner?

"Whatever, just don't slow us down," Crona said, pulling me into the rain.

This didn't feel any different. Crona had woken me up at random times because of her crazy hunches. It didn't matter, I would follow this lunatic to the ends of the world… And maybe, I was this time.