(A/N): None of the flashbacks seen here are based on actual events.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem

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Chapter 1: fall of Crimea

All around Lord Renning lay the corpses of his Crimean knights, the fresh blood mingling with that of their enemies. He gazed at the scene, the Crimean defenders against the Daein invaders. They had pushed him and his battalions back to the castle grounds, at the entrance of the Crimean castle, where they now must make a final stand. "How did it come to this?" he thought, "Why now?" The attack was like a lightning bolt, fast and powerful, and Crimea was ill prepared for such a sudden assault.

His mount neighed and rose on its hind legs as a Daein solider ran at them, his lance poised to strike down the beast. Renning immediately tuned the horse so that its side would face the opponent; he brandished his sword ready to strike the fool down. His mount easily dodged the lance, and Renning was offered a clear shot to the Daein soldier's face, which he gladly took. Another solider came at his left, this one was also on a mount. The sword knight charged at him full speed and attempted to slash his head off. Renning quickly parried the blow and cut the poor soldier's throat.

His mount trotted between the two fresh corpses that now lay on the field, their blood staining the white marble of the courtyard. He shouldn't have dazed like that, after all this was a battle! He would leave thoughts like this to later.

He heard a scream and saw a Crimean solider fall to a man in ebon armor, in his left hand was the most beautiful sword Renning had ever seen in his life. His red cape billowed fiercely in the breeze, strewn before him were the corpses of at least twenty Crimean soliders. "The black knight" he thought and charged after him. The black knight seemed to see him, but didn't do anything until the last minute when Renning struck. He parried the blow with such force that Renning fell of his mount. Renning quickly got to his feet, sword in hand, and turned to face his opponent, who still had his back turned to him. Renning ran at him at tried to run his blade into the armor-clad menace, the Black Knight turned and parried again. Renning stumbled as the Black knight stepped to the side, this time he tried a vertical swing down. The Black knight countered with a vertical slash going up, effectively knocking the sword out of Renning's hands. He then finished the combo by spinning around and defeating him with another vertical slash going down. Cutting through his collarbone and across his chest, destroying his lungs and heart.

Renning fell to his knees; Alondite had cleaved through his armor like a hot knife through butter. His opponent now loomed over him like an eclipse of doom, a shadow of the destruction and chaos that was to come. His final thoughts rested upon Crimea and what would become of it, as the cold hand of death came to take him and drag him away like so many of his fellows.

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Ashnard entered the throne room of the Crimean castle with a triumphant grin on his face. He walked over and took his seat on the throne of the late king, marveling at how comfortable it was compared to his own. It gave a woody creak as he shifted his weight on it; once he had gotten comfortable he looked around the chamber, and out into the hall. "Mine" he thought, "it's finally mine" he let out a horrendous, maniacal laugh.

The Black Knight entered the chamber and began walking toward the throne, "Ah!" Ashnard exclaimed, " Here's the man of the hour!"

The Black Knight came to the front of the throne, and bent down on one knee with his left hand balled into a fist across his chest. "Sire" was all he had to say.

" You have earned my praise, Black Knight. Well done! Marvelous even! I don't think I could have done a better job myself." Ashnard began with a chuckle, and then laughed again.

"Thank you sire" responded The Black Knight, masking the irritation in his voice.

General Petrine came through the open doors and bowed on sight of Ashnard in the same fashion of the Black Knight, saying, "sire" just as the Black Knight did.

"Petrine come in and congratulate your fellow general! He has won a marvelous victory for Daein!"

" Congratulations Black Knight" she said to the bowing figure with a hint of jealousy in her voice.

She turned to Ashnard, "sire, I have accomplished my mission"

Ashnard let out a hardy laugh, today really was a good day for him. "You have recovered my "mount"?

"Yes sire, he's in the dungeon waiting."

Ashnard came off the throne and stood next to the Black Knight, but did not signal him to get up. "Rest now my loyal servant," he said, "tomorrow I have another mission for you and I can't afford any failure."

" Yes sire" the armor clad figure replied, Ashnard signaled Petrine to get up and he left the chamber. Petrine soon followed, but turned and gave one last glance of jealousy to the rising knight.

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It was late at night, a clear sky as the moon rose full revealing it's true self. The Black Knight was a silhouette against the moonlight, the gusting wind made his crimson cape billow like a sail on the ocean. He stood with Ragnell sheathed at his side and Alondite standing on its point in front of him, his hand on top of the hilt.

The Black Knight let his thoughts wander to his earlier meeting with king Ashnard, his lord and liege. He always hated it when Ashnard praised him; it made the Daein king sound so…low. Like parents who would compliment a child for anything at all.

…Like parents…

Footsteps clopped on the white marble of the courtyard, at first the Black Knight was alert, Alondite at the ready. But eased up, as he knew who it was.

" What are you doing up so late Nathan?" he said to the boy behind him.

"Well sire… I…"

"Well?"

"I couldn't sleep sire, so I decided to go for a walk," the boy answered hurriedly.

There was silence between the two for a few moments, before the Black Knight asked the boy: "Do you…have any family Nathan?"

"Well… yes sire," replied the boy, taken aback by the sudden question.

"Where do you hail from Nathan?" The ebon clad figure asked; his back still turned to him.

"Benetia sire, a small village that borders Daein" the boy answered

" Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes sire, a bit too many in fact." He paused a second before he continued, " twelve brothers and sisters in all"

There was a little more silence before the Black Knight asked him: "D-Do you miss your home?"

Once again taken aback, the boy answered " Sure sometimes, but rather I'm glad to get away from it. Can you imagine a house full of kids all younger than you screaming and yelling all the time? It's utter madness, and mum dad aren't of any help, they just get irritated every time I try to tell them something. Like if their doing something wrong or whatever."

The Black Knight stayed silent, listening. Until after the boy spoke did he dismiss him, "you may go"

The boy stood there for a minute, "Go" said his master, "are you deaf or stupid? Go boy!"

This time the Black Knight heard him running across the courtyard, the loud clop, clop, clop of his footsteps fading. "Idiot boy" he thought, "He doesn't even know how good he has it, how lucky he is to still have parents and siblings." He looked to the sky and saw the North Star shining as clearly as the moon, then, one by one; the stars began to fall; as if from the face of the universe itself.

Flashback…

It was a beautiful, clear, crisp night sky out in the ocean. It was as if you could see the entire universe that night. A black haired boy and his beautiful mother stared up, amazed.

"Look there, honey!" said the mother to her child, " that's the north star which means if you see that then that's where north is." The boy nodded, both amazed and confused; how could a star know which way was north?

His mother pointed to the heavens once again, " look over there dear! That's Ashera the goddess." She pointed to a cluster of stars, " I don't see her mommy," said the boy.

The woman continued to point at the stars, " you don't see? But she's right there honey! Look, there's her head right there" she moved her finger in a semi-circle to show the head. " And right here is her hair see?" the finger moved down in strokes, one after another.

The boy was confused; he thought his mother was making it all up. Suddenly the stars began falling from the sky; he gripped his mother's arm in terror, but was reassured. "Don't worry, little one. Nothing will happen, look" He did and it was beautiful, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. " Make a wish honey," said his mother…