It's my second FE fic yay^^

EDIT: 1/16/11: I rearranged and reworded a few passages that were getting on my nerves. Hopefully the story will flow a bit smoother now.

I know I still have FE:RS to work on, but I for one am not a person to refuse inspiration when it comes to me. This is a tale that was born from reading countless others that feature the same main pairing, and I'd like to thank all of the writers out there that have written this pairing in these author's notes right here. If it weren't for you guys (and gals too), this story simply wouldn't exist in the first place. Please, keep up all of the good work.

But enough of my rambling; let's get this story onto the road!

Disclaimer: I don't own FE or anything affiliated/related to it (though I wish I did).

Speech Guide:

Italics indicates thinking/thoughts

"Quotation marks" indicate speech/speaking

~Prologue: A Girl from the Plains~

A lesson lived through is a lesson learned.

~Tactician's handbook, Lesson 1, Part A.

I have never held my own status in high regard, nor do I plan to in the future. I'm no big hero, king's son, famous adventurer, or anything else of that sort of ilk; all I am is a simple tactician, striving to make a modest living in this vast continent of Elibe. Or so I would like to believe, at least. All I wanted was to live a simple, amiable life out in the open, wandering here and there as I saw fit. But as luck—or perhaps fate—would have it, however, life had far greater things in store for me. This is my tale; the tale of how an ordinary, everyday human became someone…more than they thought they ever could be. I trust you'll stick around to listen.

~Iris, reflecting on the Dragon's Gate War

Where...? Slowly I opened my eyes, blinking a few times to drive away the fuzziness that clouded my vision. Attempting to sit up only brought a jolt of pain from the central area of my spine, a fact that, now that my mind was becoming clearer and more awake, didn't surprise me all that much. After all, the last thing I could remember was being slammed into from behind by a rather large object.

"Oh, good. You're finally awake. I was beginning to think you wouldn't ever wake up." Ever so slowly, I turned my head so I could face the speaker. It was a young lady, of roughly my age, dressed in what appeared to be the garb of some form of tribe. The dress she wore—if it could be called a dress at all—was woven of a very fine, granular fabric, of the lightest shade of teal I had ever seen in my life. Needless to say, it complemented her jade hair flawlessly.

"I found you unconscious out on the Plains three days ago. Do you...think you'll be alright?"

I blinked, surprised at the length of time I had been out cold. Aside from that one spot in my back I didn't feel any pain, though I couldn't be certain if that was just because of my current prone position or whether I was actually, truly not harmed anywhere else.

"Well, besides my back...I think I'll make it. And even that will heal in time, most likely." I finally managed to say, when it became apparent that she was waiting for some sort of confirmation. I am glad to say, at least, that the frown on her face dissipated somewhat at my words.

"My name is Lyn, of the Lorca tribe." She raised an eyebrow, leaving the obvious 'And you are?' unsaid.

"Er…you can call me Iris, I suppose. That's been the name I've carried for a while now, at least." I watched her frown slightly, silently praying to whatever gods would listen that she wouldn't press the matter any further. Even now, after all these years, it is still difficult to speak of the troubles I've had with the subject of my real name.

"…Iris." Lyn rolled the name around on her tongue a few more times before continuing. "It is an odd sounding name, but…"

"But?"

"…but a good one."

Really now… I wondered, casting a quick glance towards the heavens. That was the first time someone had actually complimented my girly name in quite a while; you see, I am, in fact, male, though the name I carried at the time would have caused people to believe otherwise.

The two of us were silent for a while, each lost in our own thoughts, when the sound of…laughter reached our ears. Only it wasn't "normal" laughter; it had a slightly deranged tone to it that made my heart fall into my metaphorical boots.

"Iris…could you wait here for a moment? I'd like to go check on who was laughing right then." I nodded, internally hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.

It didn't take long for her to return. And the news she returned with only heightened my fears.

"I would never have expected you to be a tactician, Iris." I rolled my eyes, recalling all too well just how annoyed she had been moments earlier. It had taken quite a bit of fancy verbal footwork for me to convince her that I would be useful even in my beaten up state, but somehow I'd managed it. "Still…perhaps it will work out better this way."

"What do you mean, Lyn?"

"Two sets of eyes are better than one, correct?"

"…That is true, but…what does that have to do with anything?" I cut her off before she could reply. "Never mind that. We've got bandits to deal with. And from the looks of it, that one's spotted us!"

I am ashamed to say that during the following skirmish all I could do was dive out of the way. For all my tactical skill—which, at the time, was not much—I'd never learned the art of wielding a weapon, nor did I care to. In fact, I still don't, though it was forced upon me anyways. Survival breeds necessity, as they say. But that is another tale, to be saved and told at a later date.

"Lyn? Are you alright?" I called out, noting that she was clutching at her side. The bandit she'd been facing was now laying face first on the ground, unmoving, though whether he was dead or merely unconscious I couldn't say.

"I'll be fine, I think. I've got a vulnerary in my pouch. Could you…get it for me? I'm kind of tied up staunching the blood flow." It took only a moment to find the small brown vials she was talking of. I must admit, seeing how fast vulneraries can heal bodily wounds is quite the magnificent sight. That aside, however, I made a face.

"Now all that's left is their leader."

"Yes…Iris, I want you to promise me something." I stared at her blankly, my mind already starting to guess at what she was about to say. "If I fall while…while fighting, I want you to escape, okay?"

I nodded, not really wanting to take the time to contest the fiery look that had come into Lyn's eyes.

"Ha! Look who's here; it's the brat from a few days ago." The bandit leader barked out as we approached. Lyn blinked.

"Iris…do you know this person?" I shook my head. Truth to be told, I'd never seen the ugly bastard in my life. Unless…Ah, of course. He's most likely the one who knocked me unconscious. Or at least in charge of the one who did.

"Be careful when you approach, Lyn." I whispered, liking our odds of winning less and less with each second that ticked past. "The ger behind him offers no choice but to use a frontal attack. Which, of course, is the worst possible option we could take."

"I understand." She gave me a faint smile before dashing off towards her new opponent.

Lady Luck keep her safe… I prayed, knowing that with my current lack of fighting talent I would be more of a hindrance than a help if I tried to intervene. Hot headed though I may be, I am not stupid.

"That was far too close." I stated flatly, spitting off to the side in disgust. We'd won the battle, but Lyn had been wounded yet again. Turned out Batta the Beast hadn't been all talk, after all. Though, now that this whole escapade was over, something tugged at the back of my mind. I knew it had to do with the fiery look she had given me earlier; I'd seen that kind of look before, though I couldn't place a finger on where…

Eventually, however, I had to let the matter drop, to be sorted out in its own time. Even though Lyn had been the only one actually fighting, I myself felt tired enough to sleep for a week. What were you thinking, dumbass, trying to go out and help? You'd be in much better shape right now if you had listened to the girl and stayed put.

I growled at that small, inner voice of mine, though I couldn't find anything to retort with. Truth to be told, when I looked back over how the events had unfolded, I realized just how little I'd actually done in the fight. Not that I could do anything about it now that everything was said and done, but…

"Say, Iris. What're you planning on doing after you finish recovering?" Lyn asked softly, staring into the campfire we'd made shortly after returning to her small ger. I balked at the question, taken completely by surprise. I hadn't really given much thought to the matter, since the bandits had arrived so shortly after I'd woken up.

"…I'm not certain." I said after a few moments' thought. I really didn't know what I was going to do from now on. I could always go back to the wandering lifestyle I'd lived earlier, but if my previous run-in with the bandits was any indicator of what was to come…

"I think I'll stop by the nearest town for supplies; the bandits took what little I'd had, as you'd probably already noticed. Though…" I trailed off, wondering if prodding the matter was a good idea.

"Yes?"

"Nothing, just a little curious as to why you'd ask."

"Well…I…" Lyn paused, taking a deep breath before finishing her sentence. "I was wondering if…if it would be okay for me to travel with you."

At this I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows in surprise. Then everything seemed to fall into place, at least to my wearied eyes. I finally remembered where I'd seen that look she given me earlier. If it was what I thought it was…then everything made so much sense. It would certainly explain why she'd made that remark about wanting me to escape if she fell, why she seemed to be all alone out here…Only thing left to do is make sure.

"…I'd be glad of the company, but…"

"But?" she coaxed as I hesitated, trying to find the right words.

"What would your parents say? I'm sure they wouldn't want you running off with some stranger all of a sudden."

Aw, crap. I thought as I watched her face crumple. I hadn't noticed just how close she had been to tears. Somehow I knew that I wouldn't be of much help here, but, when I got up to give her some time alone, I felt a hand grasp at the green cloak I always wore.

"…Lyn?"

"…Don't go; it's not your fault."

"But…"

"Please, Iris." I sighed, not really liking the direction this was going in.

"Alright, I'll listen. Would that be of any help?" She nodded.

And so, Lyn, the last of the Lorca tribe, began telling me her tale…

Please, review if you want, though no flames. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, however.

Hopefully you're looking forward to ch2 as much as I am, and thanks for reading,

-ZGS