Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters, Nintendo, or Intelligence Systems

Author's Note: This is actually a reboot of a fanfiction I've written recently called "The symphony of Earth and Gale".

I specifically want to thank Gunlord500 because of his one priceless advice: "be original". Well this may not be the best fics out there, but hey, we learn from mistakes. And I had a feeling it's gonna be a lot better than my last crappy one. I completely revamped Mark's history and the general outline of the story.

So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, I present you my first chapter - A girl from the plains. Enjoy!

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Prologue

Angel of The Plains

My vision is getting blurry. The pain at my abdomen intensifies every time the horse I was riding moves on a step forward. Blood has soaked my clothes; ranging from the small scratches over my arms and legs, and… the hole on my right stomach. That's right... the skirmish this time might have been too... reckless, to say the least, for I have forgotten rule number 1 in "The Book": never put yourself in danger. But that's the least of my concern now. As I wander without aim, I notice my heartbeat getting slower... my mind becoming dimmer. And beyond all that, my counsciousness forced me to remember the past events of my life. My sins... my atrocities.

*Thump*

So ends the life of a traitor...

*Thump* *Cough cough*

I leaned on my horse's back and whispered to her ear:

"Sorry buddy, I think this is it for me. Thanks… for taking care of me for so long."

Strength is drained out of my body. I could feel my grip on the horse slacken and I smiled one last time before I finally fell to the ground…

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My body feels so heavy. What happened to my body? Oh yeah, I was dead. It's coming back to me, slowly…

My eyelids feel as if they're made of stone. When I managed to open my eyes, the glimmer of morning sunlight shines and blinds me. As my pupil are starting to adjust, I heard a voice... a beautiful voice, not unlike that of an angel.

"Are you awake?"

A beautiful maiden just entered the room. Her long, flowing green hair… her skin that is as white as snow… and her angelic smile. She walks inside and stops by my cradle, carrying something that looks like a tray of food and an earthenware cup.

Am I in heaven?

I was never a firm believer of God but if He truly exists, this must be His paradise. I let out a moan of gratitude as peace is slowly taking over my entire existence.

"I am Lyn of the Lorca Tribe. Who are you? Can you remember your name?"

Funny, I never knew such things as tribes exist in heaven… I chuckled at the irony.

The girl looks puzzled.

"I found you unconscious on the plains."

I see, plains… Wait, what? I unconsciously moved my hand towards my right stomach and… Ugh! The stinging sensation of pain brought me down to earth. So it starts to make sense now. After I lost my consciousness, this girl must have found and brought me here.

"So… I am still alive, huh..", I mumbled.

"Oh yes. I saw you falling through your horse, so I thought something must be wrong. I rushed to you and saw your grievous wound. It's lucky that I managed to have it treated in time. You have been asleep for four days now", the girl called Lyn said as she sat on a chair near my bed.

I get up and straighten my back; most of my muscles were aching. When I managed to do so, Lyn carries on.

"Are you not a native? It's such a rare sight to see a foreigner wander about here, let alone one that is covered in wounds. Now, may I know your name? And how did you end up here?"

"Mark. Mark... Danglar. I hail from Bern and I just arrived here at Sacae a few days ago. I was attacked by brigands not long after stepping on these lands.", I replied with an unexpected amount of honesty. We who study the arts of war were trained to be as secretive as possible, after all.

"Nice to meet you then, Mark", Lyn said while smiling, "Well I don't want this one experience frighten you from stepping into our lands ever again, though.

I have seen many beautiful ladies in my lifetime, in Bern or all other countries I have visited, but never have I witnessed one with such purity, such air of elegance that this girl possesses. So beautiful, yet so down-to-earth. I guess that is what "forced" my sincerity out for her; I couldn't help but smile too.

"Oh, and I have brought your horse inside the stable, you might want to check on him once you've rested more. The medicine I gave you really worked well I see."

I couldn't say anything so I simply nodded. I smiled for one last time before my eyes start to close again and I fall into another deep slumber…

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When I am awake, the sky is already dark. Lyn was nowhere to be seen, and I see the tray of bread she put beside my bed earlier and the cup of milk. I chomp down the meal and in a matter of seconds I had finished it all. Then I forced my still numb body out of the bed and stretched my limbs. God, I couldn't feel more alive. I put on my shirt; it's been sewn back and the blood has been washed away, and get out of the hut.

The first thing I look for was Lyn, but it wasn't hard to spot her sitting by the fire, apparently warming herself. I walked towards her and she looked up at me.

"Feeling better?", she said with a smile.

"A lot. May I sit here?", I asked, indicating a space right beside her.

"Sure."

As I sat down, I realized something about her expression. It was… sad and lonely, the complete opposite of the one she showed to me earlier just now. It seemed as if she is reminiscing about something unpleasant, very, very unpleasant. A minute have passed away, until...

"Care to talk about it?", I said, guessing what's in her mind.

"What?"

"Whatever bothers you."

Another silence.

After two minutes or so, she decides to open her mouth. When she spoke, however, her tone was full of bitterness.

"My people—the Lorca—they don't… I am the last of my tribe. My father was the chieftain. Bandits attacked six months ago, they came in the night, and slaughtered nearly everyone.." Her voice now contains anger, and a tear came rolling down her cheek, "they killed the elderly and the young and even infants. When the dawn came, perhaps a dozen of us were left; both my parents were dead… As the chieftain's daughter, I felt it was my duty to lead my people, but I'm so young, and my people were so old-fashioned. They wouldn't follow a woman. No one would follow me. They scattered across Sacae, I don't know where they are now, leaving only… me."

She finished her story with a hiccup and her eyes are now wet.

"I'm very sorry to hear that..", I said in response.

Lyn opened her eyes, "It's not your fault, you didn't know. But I must be strong, for my parent's memory, for my people. I must be strong…"

I don't know any other words that would do justice to her sufferings... and another minute passes on in painful silence. I cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder and took it as a good sign that she didn't throw it off.

"… You know, I'd hate to see a beautiful girl like you crying. It would be far better off to see you smile."

She looked at me with widened eyes. Then her lips started to form an awkward smile and I encouraged her by making a wide one.

Yet our conversations were cut short as we both heard the wind rustling... and by the feel of it, we weren't alone. We both got up from the ground and put off the fire. Lyn was far quicker than me, however, as she had managed to grab a sword found a hiding spot in the bushes at the back of the tent and signaled me to hide there with her.

A moment later, there came three people, brigands, from the feel of it.

"Huh? I'm pretty damned sure I'd see person here", the heavy voice of a man spoke.

"We too, boss. Wonder why dey'd gone. Reckon maybe dey shit demselves up cos us? Anyway, it's easyer fer us to grab these lil things with us now."

"True that. You two, grab whatever food and valuables we can carry and let's get on with it."

"Aye aye!"

Three distinct steps came closer and closer towards the direction of the

They're brigands, alright.

I turned to Lyn. It was hard to make it out from the moonless night but I see a glimpse her expression hardening. It bordered between anger and hatred, and her grip at the sword tightened.

"Bandits, they must have come down from the Bern Mountains. They're probably going to meet up with others and raid one of the local villages. I can't let what happened to my people happen to others, not while I have in my power to help prevent it. If those three are the only ones here, I think I can handle them. Stay here, Mark", she whispered as she crept slowly out of the bushes.

Yet before she manage to get out, I grabbed her free hand and shook my head.

"Let go of me!", she hissed, "I will not sit back when they're about to have their free rein!"

"That is not my intention. I merely wanted to tell you my plans. While these guys don't seem like a lot of work, it can be troublesome if we just charge head on."

"'We'?", she said, astonished.

"Yes. I'm still strong enough to physically aid you in this fight. I will take care of that guy on the left. You take care of the one on the right and we'll finish up the leader. Try not to make too much noise."

Lyn seemed to be convinced under my stern gaze. She nodded and we both crept out of the bushes in opposite directions. Luckily, the ruffians seemed to have separated quite a bit from each other and are busy taking things out from Lyn's hut. The moon is out for tonight as well, hidden by the clouds. This couldn't be better.

I approached my target from behind and mental images began to swiftly flow through my brain. [1]

Body cocked to the left: a right hander Steps are messy and disorganized, probably consumed a moderate amount of alcohol. Possibility of hearing disruption; first point of attack: ears. Two, stop screaming: a hit to the throat to paralyze vocal chords. Three, fatal blow to the liver, and a little above the abdomen. Finally, drag leftin right leg, fist to patella. Summary prognosis: unconscious in ninety seconds, martial efficacy quarter of an hour at best. Full faculty recovery: unlikely.

Back to the real world, I swiftly carried out the steps above. The bandit is down before I even blinked, but..

*Thump*

"Gah!", a groan slid out of my lips; my knees are limping. Looks like I haven't recovered enough… To engage in another combat would prove very difficult for me, if not downright impossible. Nevertheless, I moved away from the spot as quickly as possible to rendezvous with Lyn. But as soon as I walked to the front of the tent, I saw Lyn is already engaging the leader.

It was the first time I'd ever see her fight. Her style... it's beautiful. Her blade is dancing, seemingly blending with the air, and striking at her opponent's every opening with great precision. An ordinary man would have fallen by her sword about now. Her opponent, however, is several cuts above average. A monster is more likely to describe him; Lyn's cuts seem to have affected him little to none.

He raised his axe high, and swung down a mighty swing. Lyn blocked it with all her might, but she was still thrown out of balance by the force behind it.

"Ah!"

"Lyn!"

The man roared out a maniacal laughter.

"Who do you think you are? Do you think you can stand up against Batta the Beast?"

"Whew! He's tough... It all comes down to this next blow", Lyn pants as she is standing up.

"Mark, if I fall, I want you to flee! You must escape!", she shouted as she readied her sword towards her charging opponent.

There is no time to think, I must act fast. The footing.

I aimed at Batta's left footing; his right is the main force behind his charge, so I have to aim for the weaker spot. With a swift motion, I grabbed out a stone and fling it to his left foot.

It was a success. The loss of his balance makes his swing hit an empty air. Not wasting the opportunity, Lyn brought up her sword through his chest in an alacritous movement. A sound of torn flesh and fresh blood spurted from his chest onto the Sacaean ground, painting it crimson.

"What? How... How did you-",

Batta the Beast has fallen. We are victorious. And with that, I slumped to the ground.

"Mark! Are you alright?", Lyn runs to check on my condition.

"Yeah… I guess I'll live."

Lyn lets out a sigh of relief. I'd hoped the joke would lighten up the night. If anything, it is I who should have been concerned about her.

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The next morning, I feel my body to be lighter than it was last night. Stretching my back and arms, I got up from the bed and put on my shirt and pants. I have barely finished buttoning up my traveling coat when Lyn's voice came from behind me.

"Good morning, Mark! Are you awake yet?"

"Good morning, Lyn. Yeah, I had a good night's sleep, thanks to you."

I turned around to face her.

"Say, what happened to the brigand minion we seized last night?"

I remembered about the knave I knocked out before. We tied him out on a tree while he was still unconscious and I'd left him there to freeze the whole night.

"Oh, I questioned him a little. It seems they were indeed a part of a scout team sent to explore the area. Not to worry though," she added, "I had the men from a nearby village to hold him off, and it seemed that the larger group will not be attacking anytime soon."

"I see."

Lyn may have sounded assured, but I am not convinced. Are they really not going to launch an attack soon? And what if their number is larger than expected? I probably should write a letter to…

Sensing my distress, Lyn approaches me with a firm, assuring gaze.

"The Kutolah tribe has an encampment near here, and if you don't know them, they are like the guardians of Sacae, comprised of mighty warriors of the plains." [2]

Kutolah? The Silver Wolf's tribe? I am relieved.

"Are you leaving?", she said, indicating the traveling attire I'd wore previously.

"Yeah. I'm off to Bulgar. I need to purchase supplies there to continue my journey."

Lyn becomes quiet and looks down at the floor.

"Lyn? Is something the matter?", I asked, seeing that she is apparently deep in thought.

"Say, Mark, I want to talk to you about something.", her expression becomes serious. I nodded.

"You have some experience in the ways of war, I can see. Would you allow me to travel with you?"

Purely from a tactician's standpoint, this is certainly a tempting offer. The journey to Bulgar is still quite far and it's perfect to have a skilled fighter like her by my side. But for now, I will need to know her reasons.

"May I ask why?"

"Mark, I want- I must become stronger, so that I may avenge my father's death! Yesterday's battle taught me something: I won't become stronger by sitting and reminiscing about sweet, past life. Mark, tell me you'll train me, that you'll let me travel with you!"

To be honest, I was quite taken aback by that reasoning. A young girl who is full of life like her, to use the word avenge... her scar must have been too deep for me to understand. But isn't it all the more reason to take her with me? So that she won't be alone and thus consumed by the very thought of vengeance?

"Okay Lyn, it's a pleasure to have you as my travel companion."

"You will? That's wonderful! Thank you! Oh, thank you! We'll make a splendid team, I know it. You as my master strategist, and me as your peerless warrior! We can do it! Right?", she said, overjoyed.

I smiled and nodded. "Of course."

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Footnotes:

[1] Yep, I did a blatant rip-off of Sherlock Holmes' fighting style from the 2009 movie. I just think it would be weird for someone who are about to be directly involved in warfare and combats to be unable to at least defend himself. So after much consideration, I find this kind of fighting style would be most suitable as it would not be too "imba" for someone who is not directly taking part in battles.

[2] This is the first plot hole I'd ever found in FE 7. If Lyn had said a group of mountain bandits might be planning to attack one of the local villages, and that Batta's group is just a small part of them, then why did she embark nonchalantly on a journey with Mark? It would contradict her statement from before, would it not?

End note:

Well that's it. The first chapter. I hope it's not too shabby of a story. Please read and reviews will be greatly appreciated! :)

Writer's pecial request: I am literally begging you about this, please poke me if you notice Mark is going towards the emo direction. Or slap me. Or stab me, whatever you wish. The last thing I want to see is Mark becoming a wussy emo brat. Like Squall Leonhart (sorry Squall fans). Emotional moments are ok in my book, though.