Chapter Two


I simply sat and pondered my situation for quite some time. It was clear to me what had happened, but I couldn't possibly believe or accept it all as truth. It was outlandish and fantastical, like something you might find in a children's fairytale. But regardless of that, I had to accept the fact that I had brushed close to death and yet was saved and given the form of a woman to live in.

I stood up from my bed and decided I should at least find out where I was, for even though this room seemed very familiar to me, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember where I knew it from. It made me uneasy.

I rose from my seat on the edge of the bed and glanced around the room; it was pretty bare, with only the bed and the bedside table my mirror sat on. I noticed the table had a small drawer in it an my curiosity was piqued; I opened the drawer and found a set of neatly folded clothes inside, and looking down at myself and the raggedy nightgown I wore, I was grateful for something else to wear. I pulled the clothes out of the drawer and laid them out on the bed before pulling off the nightgown. It was strange seeing my now female body and it was honestly a bit discomforting just how different I was now. I shook off my discomfort and began to dress myself in the outfit that I'd found; it was a rather nice outfit to be sure, consisting of light brown leggings, a white button-down shirt, a deep blue vest, knee-high leather boots, and leather gauntlets. All of it seemed to be well tailored and I could only imagine how much it must have cost to obtain the whole set.

Once I was finished changing, my thoughts turned back to my meeting with the man in white, and more specifically to the others who had been given the same deal as me; were they in a similar state? I hadn't been able to make out who they were or if I'd known them personally, but if they'd been changed as much as I had then there wasn't much chance of me recognizing them now. I'd have to figure out a way to find and contact them at some point, but for now I would be better off leaving my room and seeing what where I was.

I walked to the door, my boots clicking on the stone floor, and just as I was about to grasp the handle…I stopped. It felt unreal. It felt like as soon as I stepped outside this room I would wake up to find myself safely at home in my own bed and I would remember all of this as no more than a fleeting dream to be quickly forgotten. I gulped and slowly turned the handle of the door, pushing it open tentatively and stepping outside the room…nothing happened. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding as I, now more confidently, walked down the hallway beyond the door. Curiously, the hallway ended with another door, and seeing no reason to hesitate this time, I opened the door and found myself…outside? I stepped out, breathing in the fresh air and feeling the warm sunlight.

Confused, I turned around to look at the door I'd just come through only to find it completely gone as if it had disappeared into thin air. I turned in circles, checking my surroundings just to make sure it was actually gone but no matter where I looked I couldn't see anything that remotely resembled the shelter I'd just left. In fact, there was nothing around except for a few trees.

Figuring I didn't have much of an option, I started off in a random direction an hoped I would find something soon. Before I got very far however, I heard a voice.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I whipped around to see the man in white staring up at the sky. "The sun. So warm…so bright. Don't you think so too?"

"I…I suppose so?" I mean, he wasn't wrong about the sun after all. Even so, I couldn't be sure why that was his conversation starter.

He nodded. "It's rather like Corrin and Kamui, isn't it? So radiant and powerful! Majestic even!" He twirled around and faced me, giving me a clear look at his unnerving mask.

I felt my eyes narrowing and my lips curving into a snarl at the mention of the Valla's royal twins. If it hadn't been for their military prowess and strategic genius then my homeland of Sirene would never have fallen to the rest of those bumbling idiots.

"Why bring up those two?" I snapped. "Why are you here? And while I'm at it, why did you save my life in the first place?" He let out a low chuckle and adjusted his hat.

"Weell, seems I've struck a nerve, have I? I'll cut to the chase then, I want those two dead just as much as you do, which is also the reason I saved you. I needed an ally who could be committed to this cause just as fully as I am. And unfortunately, the others who survived the war…well, only one or two are in any condition to be walking around with civilized society right now…" He trailed off, staring quietly. If I could have seen his face then it would have been so much easier to figure out what he was thinking.

"Okay. But that still doesn't answer why you're here." I glanced around. "As an afterthought, where is here?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're in Hoshido! I thought you would have known simply by how much sunlight there is. After all, it's pretty dark and dreary in those western countries." I opened my mouth to remind him that my question still hadn't been answered but he shushed me with his finger. "I'm here to give you some presents! Isn't that exciting?" He started shaking in…excitement, I could only assume.

"Ahem. Right. Well, um, yay?" I wasn't quite sure how to respond to this man in any given situation.

The man sighed heavily. "You're gonna have to work on your acting skills. Regardless, I do have some gifts for you."

He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small black stone that seemed to bend and twist the very air around it.

"This is the first and possibly most important gift. It's been called many names and had many masters over the ages, but its first master was undoubtedly the most important, and I see in you the same potential that he had. Take it."

Hesitantly, I reached out, touching the stone lightly at first but after finding it to be harmless I grabbed it firmly and brought it closer to myself, inspecting it more closely. It was…dark; that was the only word that could describe it. It practically radiated darkness into its surroundings. I continued staring at it, transfixed until the man cleared his throat. Slightly startled, I look back up at him and slipped the stone into my own pocket.

"Second, is a weapon for you. More specifically, a Rapier. At one time, Rapiers were seen as a weapon of nobility and only nobility used them in battle." He held the Rapier out to me as if presenting it in some kind of ceremony. I took it, holding it in one hand to feel the weight.

"Why a Rapier though? Even if it's as you said, I'm no noble. So why give me one?" I eyed him curiously.

"Not a noble? Why, as the last surviving citizen of Sirene, I'd say that puts you next in line for the throne, am I wrong?" He cocked his head coyly to one side.

I just shook my head and fastened the Rapier to my waist. Next in line for the throne? As if. There's not even a throne to be next in line for now. Still, the thought of being king, er…queen, I guess, was pretty appealing.

"And the last gift, a name." He said simply.

"A name?" I asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you need a new name. One that better fits your new appearance and one that will not be known to the enemy."

"Why are you giving me a name? I could name myself, you know." I crossed my arms.

"Hm, you could, but it was I who gave you life, so shouldn't it be I that names you?" He made a small giggle that I did not expect from him. "I'll take your silence as a yes then, Lillian."

Lillian. Wouldn't have been my first choice, but it wasn't a bad name by any means.

"Now, while we're on the subject of names, what is yours?" I asked.

"Varlent." He answered simply.

Definitely not a name I'd ever heard before, and my gut was telling me it was fabricated too. But did it really matter if it was his real name or not? The man was an enigma either way.

"Now that I've given you your presents, I think it's time I headed off. But worry not, someone is headed in this direction as we speak; they'll be here before long. Ta ta."

He disappeared in a flash of…something. I couldn't rightly call it light as it wasn't something I really saw with my eyes. It was more like my eyes saw him there one moment and gone the next, but my mind knew there had been some kind of flash even if my sight didn't register it. I shook it off and walked over to a nearby tree, sitting down with my back against it as I waited for this person Varlent had claimed was on their way.

As I waited, my thoughts began to wander. Everything seemed so surreal, and in all honesty I should have been freaking out about everything that had happened so far, but I just don't think I had been thinking of it as reality; maybe just as some dream that was bound to end sooner or later. I looked down at my gauntlet covered hands; they were much smaller and slimmer then they'd been before. I wondered if I'd still have the same skill in battle I had in my old body or if I'd have to start all over with my training in order to get used to this body fully. I grabbed a strand of my long hair, knowing I'd have to do something about it; loose hair could be a liability in battle.

Leaning my head against the tree trunk, I stared up at the leaves above me, swaying slightly in the breeze. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of nature, a small smile creeping onto my face simply because of how relaxing it was to sit here without a care in the world. It was a feeling I hadn't known since before the war started. All of a sudden, I could hear a new sound: footsteps. My eyes shot open and I shot to my feet. Staring intently in the direction I heard the footsteps from, I drew my Rapier from its place at my waist. Soon I could see the person in question. A man with black hair and a golden headpiece used to cover his right eye. I couldn't tell what his exact age was, but if I were to guess it would've been between late twenties and early thirties. He was wearing the garb of a Sorcerer, and yet I saw no tome in his hands and he certainly had nowhere to hide one. Seeing that he was unarmed, I relaxed and left my weapon at my side.

He seemed to notice me for the first time, despite not being more than a stone's throw away, and halted his advance. He eyed my sword warily.

"It's okay, I have no intention of using it as long as you don't try anything stupid." I put my hands on my hips. "Now, who are you? Where did you come from? And what are you doing here?" Varlent had known this guy was nearby, or at least that he would come this direction, and that meant he intended for us to meet, so I figured I should get things straight between us sooner rather than later.

"I…ah…well, that is to say, um…" He was stumbling over his words as if he was confused by something.

"Calm down, it's fine. We'll just start with one question then. What are you doing here?"

"I'm…searching…for myself, in a manner of speaking." He wouldn't look at me directly, only occasionally glancing at me before staring off to the side.

"Could you elaborate on that?" I pressed.

"I've, well, lost a large portion of my memories, at least I think I have. I-In any case, there's a lot I can't remember about myself, although to answer one of your other questions, I think I come from Nohr given my attire and subsequent skill set."

Amnesia. Perfect. An amnesiac was aaalll I needed today. Whatever, Varlent was expecting us two to meet and that means we could possibly be useful to each other.

"I see. I'm sorry about your amnesia. My name is…Lillian. Do you remember your name by any chance?"

He looked at me this time, and with a smile to boot. "Yes, I do. That was the one thing I did remember after waking up. My name is Iago. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lillian."

I stopped for a moment. A Sorcerer named Iago? That seemed to ring a bell. I felt as though I should know who he was…but nothing was coming to mind. Maybe he was a semi-famous researcher or something.

"I-I see. The pleasure is all mine." The gears in my head turned as an idea popped into my head. "Are you…headed anywhere in particular?"

Iago was surprised by the question and took a moment to think. "I…don't believe so. I'm merely trying to discover my lost past right now." He folded his arms and his eyes suddenly took on a steely quality. "What did you have in mind?"

I smiled. "I was thinking we could travel together for a while. I have a goal I'm working towards, but no way of moving forward with it right now. I feel like if we travel together then maybe it'll be easier for me to move forward and it'll be easier to find out about your past with both of us looking for it."

That steely quality remained as he mulled over my proposition. His eyebrows slowly furrowed until they met in the middle, he was muttering under his breath, and his index finger slowly tapped his other arm.

"The odds of success are certainly in our favor if we work together on either matter, however, there is the chance that you're an enemy taking advantage of my memory loss in order to get close to me for a chance at either stealing something or killing me as I sleep. Theft is unlikely given that I have no possessions on my person, leaving murder as the more likely option in this scenario." He me in the eyes, presumably waiting for my response.

"Right, um, but if I wanted to I could have killed you when I first saw you since you were unarmed and I have a sword."

"True." He stayed quiet for a while longer before speaking again. "I suppose joining up for a while would be acceptable. Can you promise me I can trust you?"

"I promise. Can you do the same though?" I fired back.

"Of course. You can count on me." He smirked and the steely quality in his eyes was gone, leaving a look of genuineness. He put his hand forward towards me for a handshake. I gave him a nod and shook his hand firmly.

It felt nice to have an ally after all the messiness I'd been through, and I'm sure he felt the same.


A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry for the delay! I meant for this chapter to get out much sooner, but then some unexpected things happened meaning I had to pick up extra shifts at work, and in addition I ended up writing and re-writing this chapter several times until I ended up with this version that I feel pretty good about.

I was really excited to add Iago to the mix because he was one of my favorite characters and I was really bummed that he wasn't a playable character no matter which path you took. So there he is! In all his glory! :D

OC submissions are still open right now. See the first chapter for the template, which I'll be making an edit to soon after this chapter is up.

Thanks for reading and I hope you'll continue to read!

Farvel!