Author's notes: Besides Melody, I don't own any of these characters.

To Lord Destroyer (If you're reading this): I watched the video. Before I read your review, I didn't take into account the Tactician/Mark thing. I wish I could use it to my advantage in my story, but I never played the game the Tactician/Mark was in. And I would like to do my best to make sure the history works out. So unfortunately, I can't use it in my story, due to my lack of knowledge on the subject. I already have Luke's wife planned out. Who she is, we'll find out.


If Melody was going to escape, she knew she had to be careful. If Validar found out, she would most likely be killed, or worse. Plus, she would have to be careful due to the waging war of Ylisse between Plegia. After two days of putting up with life in the Grimleal cult, and making sure she had her escape route clear, she was finally ready.

It was a perfect night. The skies were clear, and the full moon shone brightly. Melody thanked the gods for her luck. She walked over to Luke and picked him up. Not impressed with being woken up, he started to cry.

Melody tried to quiet him, but the child kept on crying. Afraid people would check in on her, she started to sing a lullaby.

"Though the light fades as you close your eyes,

Dream into another world..."

Already, Luke was starting to calm down. Melody smiled and continued.

"Rest into a new beginning,

Here you must not cry,

Here you must not weep.

Lay your head, and let the fading lights take you to sleep..."

She was going to sing the next part, but by then, Luke had already fallen asleep.

Melody then picked up her travel bag, and looked back at her room, "Do I really want to do this? I can still back out. It's not too late." she then looked at the brand on Luke's right hand. "I have to for his sake. To let him have a chance to live a proper life... I would give anything." Melody then quietly opened the door, praying that no one heard the door squeak.

She walked down the hallways, doing her best to keep Luke silent. Fortunately, he seemed to be calm. She was almost outside when she heard a voice behind her.

"Going somewhere?" a woman questioned. Melody turned around. She recognized the woman as one of the newest members of the cult.

"Betsy must be on guard duty tonight." thought Melody. "But I made sure no one would be walking by here! Unless, they changed the schedule..."

The woman named Betsy continued. "So what are you up to?"

"Luke is just being fussy. I thought it would help to walk around for a bit." Replied Melody.

"And the travel bag?" Betsy questioned.

"I just threw a bottle and a spare blanket in it. Easier to carry it around in this." Melody said mentally slapping herself. "That was a rotten answer..." she thought to herself.

Betsy nodded. "Well, he seems to be pretty content now, but I'll leave you to it. Have a good night."

Melody smiled, and pretended to stroll around, rocking Luke. When Betsy turned around the corner, she slipped outside. She looked up at the night sky and smiled. "I'm free! But now comes the hard part. If I'm discovered missing, it would be best to put some distance between this place and I. And Betsy...she might be killed for her failure in her duties."

Melody pushed that thought aside, for she didn't want to think about it. She walked over to the stables, and quietly saddled a sturdy-looking brown horse and rode out into the night.


Validar woke up the next morning with a feeling that something was wrong. He walked over to Melody's room, ignoring everyone who called after him. He opened the door and knew he was right to know something was amiss.

There was no one in the room. The only noise to be heard was a faint squeak as a mouse ran away and hid in a hole in the wall. Validar walked over to the crib. He groaned in frustration when he saw that Luke was gone.

"How did this happen?" he shouted angrily. "Who saw them last?"

"I-I did." A timid voice spoke up. The people gathered around gave the girl who spoke some room.

Validar turned to face the person. "What's your name?"

"B-Betsy..." she stammered.

"Well, Betsy, what were they doing?"

"I was patrolling the area, and I saw them. I spoke to Melody for a moment. She said that Luke wasn't sleeping so she was walking around with him. I just let them resume to that after I had spoken to them."

Validar looked upset. "So in other words, you let them escape?"

The timid girl looked down. "I guess..." she mumbled.

Validar nodded. "Very well. Gather up our scouts! We must find Luke. Don't harm him, we need him alive." A couple of men ran out to do Validar's bidding.

Betsy spoke up again. "You're probably mad at me..."

Validar faced her. "Yes. But I'm a forgiving person. Come with me, we need to do a sacrifice to Grima..."

Sadly, Melody was right about Betsy.


Melody did not stop riding until the sun started to rise high in the sky. It was a beautiful sight to behold. It was nice that Luke was being quiet and a pleasant travelling buddy. He slept and cooed softly as he watched the ever-shifting landscapes from his mother's back. Eventually, all the hours spent preparing for her journey and riding took their toll. She knew she had to stop and rest for a bit. Melody searched for a suitable place to sit down and rest, and eventually found a tight group of trees that would be easy to hide one's self in. She tied the brown mare to one of the trees. She patted the horse and fed it an apple from her knapsack.

Melody removed Luke from her back and sat down. As she relaxed, she quickly realized just how sore she felt. "Guess I was too nervous to realize that..." she thought. She looked at Luke whose eyes were opened and taking in his surroundings.. "Hello Luke" she said happily. "How are you doing?"

The little baby just looked around at his surroundings. Suddenly his face fell blank, then turned beet-red and he cried, his face contorted in pain. "Poor you! You must be hungry!" cried Melody.

As if he understood what she was saying, Luke quieted down a little. Everything would be okay soon...


Validar and his scouts searched for hours. "Melody couldn't have gotten far!" he shouted. "And she most likely won't be traveling during the day. She's smart that one."

The scouts all acknowledged the announcement and continued searching. Then one of them heard something. The sound of a child crying. Not wanting to bother the others in case it was a false alarm, he went to check it out on his own.


That concludes chapter 2. Credit goes to my best friend and little sister for coming up with the lullaby. They write song lyrics for fun, so they jumped at the chance to do this. (At least I think they wanted to...)

I find that I'm having a hard time doing Validar. I'm not generally a mean person, so scenarios are hard for me to make up. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Until next time! Total Nerd Girl out!