I can't believe how popular this idea was. You guys are awesome! Thank you for the support! So, here is the next chapter! See the end for more notes. :)

Many Thanks.

~Inspired Gradidea

The Tactician We Fought

Miriam slid into the ranks of the Shepherds with ease, quickly carving a place for herself and gaining the trust of those around her. She found a companion in Sumia, sharing her love of books, and gained the respect of Miriel with her tactics. She and Virion had tactical matches that allowed the Tactician to gain a begrudging respect for the man, despite his womanizing. Ricken and Lissa looked up to her as an older sister. Sully and Frederick took much longer to warm up to her. Frederick, the ever-present wary guard that he was, had a difficult time warming up to her, even with Chrom's orders to let her be. And Sully didn't respect her; Chrom could do nothing about that.

Slowly, though, they accepted her tactics. They all became used to her voice speaking to them from far distances, advising them what to do. It didn't matter that she wore Plegian robes. The clothes were only part of a person, and the heart was what mattered the most. Miriam's heart was in the right place, seeing them as more than units or allies. She saw them as friends, wanting to protect them on the battleground, and they recognized this. They began to trust her.

And Chrom was satisfied. He had been correct that day in Southtown, when he had observed her seeing the battleground in a way he couldn't, knowing where their enemies stood and how their allies fared. Asking Miriam to be join the Shepherds was the best decision he made so far.

Tacticians were said to bring change with them, and change was certainly happening since she had arrived. Sumia had been able to change her class after finding a pegasus, and they had gained new allies in the forms of Virion, Lon'qu, and Maribelle. Neither Chrom nor Frederick had seen the Shepherds performing so well, and injuries were at an all-time low. Though some changes were unwelcome, such as Plegia declaring war on their halidom and the Risen appearing, unfortunate things were bound to happen when a bounty of good luck came to them. They were lucky to have her.

And she was a friend to him. The past two months had brought them closer together. They could sit underneath the stars, talking about everything and anything, or one of them would suggest training, and they would do that until one of them collapsed or Frederick found them. He and Miriam just wanted to get stronger. Strong enough to protect those around them. Although the Lord would admit it wasn't all smooth sailing. With him seeing her as an equal, not just with her strength, but her tactics and sass, he had forgotten she was a woman. He saw her as a friend, and forgot that wasn't all she was. He hadn't meant to say that he didn't think of her as a lady, okay maybe he thought that and it just slipped out, but he certainly didn't deserve to have rocks thrown at him. Maribelle had refused to heal him when she demanded an explanation, saying that "Perhaps those blows to your head will fix something," and Lissa just shook her head, calling him "an idiot denser than the average idiot." Yes, he knew that he had made a mistake, but why would they care?

And then there was the bathing tent incident. Gods, Chrom still wanted to bury his head in the earth and not come out because of that. He had just gotten over mending their friendship from the "not a lady" comment when that happened, and he swore on every god that, no, he had not known it was the women's bathing tent, and no, he had not heard Miriam's voice yelling at him. It wasn't his fault that all of the traveling tents looked the same. Gods! He couldn't get the incident out of his head! Sometimes, his (treacherous) mind would wander off to other places, and it had become harder to focus around her. She was a friend, for Gods' sake, and friends shouldn't think about other friends like that.

She wasn't the best swordswoman; he was training her. Any magic that wasn't wind rarely did what it was supposed to; she had perfect control of any and all wind magic. She could be stubborn, unyielding; so could he. She had a terrible habit of staying awake into the midnight hours; she wanted to be prepared. Sometimes, she could be as rugged as any of the soldiers; he never saw her hair as a rat's nest.

No, you idiot. He pushed away from his work, digging his hands into his hair. They would march to Regna Ferox, and he had work to finish. Focus. She's just a friend. An amazing friend. I couldn't ask to have anyone better at my side.

...denial...

Right, he stood, clipping Falchion to his side, time to get some air.

He stood just outside the castle, watching as his units got into position. The moment his forces triggered the battleground, the castle would go into disarray, allowing the units to enter and complete their goals. Now that the young prince was out of commission, killing the Exalt and obtaining the Fire Emblem would be simple. Killing the youngest princess would be drizzling on the pastry, and if the opportunity was presented, he would command his units to take it. It was thanks to the child that he had this information. Although he had made himself scarce recently, he had finished his goal and would be rewarded.

"Begin." He ordered, and the castle's interior shifted into a battleground, changed by his force's hostile desire to kill and plunder. But something was blaringly wrong with this scene. "What?!" There were Ylissian units surrounding the Exalt, set in a tight defensive formation. The castle was supposed to be empty of fighting units at this time... Doubt began to creep into his mind, but he shook it away. It did not matter. The information he had would help him, and the Ylisse units would be uncoordinated against him. He would play to their weaknesses; already he could identify two healers, and several units that were easy pickings. Grima's will would still be fulfilled this night. "Remember, I want the Emblem in my hand and Emmeryn dead on the floor. Let nothing distract you from either purpose." He spoke to his units, his voice echoing to their minds. From what he could tell, the fighting units gathered here were all connected to a single location. His vision twisted itself over the castle, following the threads to where a blue-haired prince stood.

"Tch! Two assassins and the little princeling was not even wounded?" His health was full; not even a single scratch was on him. It had been many moons since he had fought against a Lord; hopefully fighting against lesser commanders hadn't dulled his instincts. But it would be no matter. Compared to a born Tactician's omniscient knowledge, a Lord's was severely lacking. "Wait. Some of these actors do not belong on this stage..." But the princeling wasn't the only Lord in the battleground. Although she was not connected to the forces around her through a Lord's power, the one identified as "Marth" still had bond strings connected to those around her. Two of the strongest bonds were connecting her to the princeling and to...something. His eyes narrowed, trying to see past the veil that was dropped over one of the tiles. It was a dark space, and something, or someone, was blocking his vision. He had only encountered this condition when... "Ho ho! Can it be?!" His vision swept around the dark tile, glee filling him. "After years of searching... Tonight, fate truly piles gifts at my feet!" He had been searching for that insolent child for years, investing countless magic and resources into finding her, and here he found the little bird nesting in a Ylissian castle. This would change things, but he had the advantage in experience. If he could cripple and retrieve her and the Emblem, killing the Nagians would be simple. He reached out, to the Assassin he had sent out earlier, and spoke directly into her mind. "There is one I want you to retrieve..."

It was odd, Chrom decided, seeing the castle halls he grew up in blocked into cubes, a battlefield within his home. But he would rather experience it firsthand than have to deal with the pain of losing Emmeryn.

It was thanks to Marth that they were prepared for this. With Marth watching, Miriam had called out the Shepherds, warning them that the castle was under attack, but they needed to act with caution, as the battleground had not been set. He was grateful for her insight now. If it had been him, he would have gathered everyone quickly, possibly setting off the battleground himself.

"Chrom, please!" He turned to where his sister was standing, Marth by her side. "Flee while you still can! You each have but one life, and I do not wish it weighed against mine!" He sighed. His sister always meant well, and always was so self-sacrificing, but did she not realize what her life meant to him, to Lissa, to their people? Her life weighed more than his.

"Do not worry." Marth said, her sword glowing and face grim. "Nothing will harm the Exalt. I swear on my life."

"You've proven yourself this far." Chrom agreed, just as the sound of wings filled the air. He tensed, but it was only a familiar grey pegasus, with an equally familiar rider on her back.

"I'm sorry for being late, Captain!" Sumia cried, her pegasus landing two tiles away from him as her turn ended.

"It's alright, Sumia. Did something go wrong in town?" She bit her lip, shaking her head vigorously.

"N-No! Of course not! It all went smooth as pie, just I got lost, and you know how that goes!" She giggled nervously, fidgeting with her lance. Chrom brushed it off as worry for the castle being attacked. "I'm ready to fight! I'll be waiting for my turn!"

"Understood." The Pegasus Knight took to the air, and Chrom turned to the Tactician at his side. "What does it look like, Miriam?" The woman was staring at a wall, the distant look she usually wore when observing the battleground mixed with fear.

"Chrom." Miriam reached out, and he allowed her to grasp his arm to steady himself. Her eyebrows were knit together, sweat breaking out on her forehead.

"What is it?"

"There's someone here that I can't identify."

"What?"

"I know they are here, and where they are, but I can't tell anything about them." Her focus returned to them, and she met his eyes. "I...I can't see anything."

Since the first battle she had participated in, Miriam had slowly become used to seeing the battleground in its entirety. Although it was strange for her sight to leave her body and survey the battleground, seeing how far an enemy could travel and locating traps that might be hidden, she had adapted, trusting her 'gift' to keep her comrades safe, while Chrom and the others kept her safe. Just because she could see everything didn't mean she noticed everything. An enemy could easily sneak up on her when her vision was elsewhere, but by pairing up, she had someone to watch her back. She had this gift to help save lives, and she would rather be damned than let it go to waste.

But now, suddenly having a dark spot in her vision scared her. There was something there, something that was blocked from her sight, but no matter how hard she concentrated, it stayed empty. Whatever it was sent shivers up and down her spine.

"You know where it is?" She nodded. Even though the enemies was moving, the void stayed in one spot, almost like it was considering her like she was it. "Good. If you can keep an eye on it, we can investigate."

"But what if it vanishes?" That was what frightened her most. Everyone else was used to seeing the battleground like how she would see the land when not engaged in battle, but this one anomaly frightened her. She knew where it was, but what if it completely disappeared? Then what? It could slip around, striking her comrades and friends, and she would be powerless to stop it.

"If that happens, we'll just have to figure something else." Her focus returned from the battleground to the Lord beside her. "We work best when we work together. Remember the arena?"

"You almost killed yourself by charging at Marth alone." The female Lord was watching the exchange with...amusement? "But...yes, I understand." She nodded, noticing how the dark spot had not moved, and slipped into a different tile, breaking their pairing. "Donny and I will stay here with Marth. Vaike is in the room next to us. He'll probably want some assistance." She frowned, but seemed more at ease now, Chrom noticed. "The first wave is almost here."

This was not what Gaius signed up for.

He had signed up for a chance to plunder a royal castle, steal some good stuff, maybe stop by the kitchen, and then get the hell out of there.

He had not signed up to go onto a battleground. He had not signed up to kill a woman who just wanted to reverse what her war-monger father had done. And he certainly didn't sign up to have a voice in his head.

Gaius groaned, watching what he could of the battleground from his position in the shadows. Whatever skill their leader, the Old Skeleton, had freaked him out. He'd never heard of any skill that allowed someone to talk in his head, and it didn't feel right. It felt intrusive, like his thoughts were no longer his own. He'd been warned of it by some of the Fighters, but had almost dropped his sword when the phantom voice first spoke to him. Telling him where to move, like he was some sort of piece of a board. It irked him. Popping some rock candy (it was the best he could afford, unfortunately) into his mouth, he watched as one of the Cavaliers he was allied with rode past, barely noticing him.

"Move along the wall," Gaius nearly spit out the candy, "and you will find a hidden passage that will bring you close to the treasure vault. Enter it, and remain there until it is your turn again."

"Yeah, yeah." He grumbled, following the orders, and when his turn ended, the phantom presence moved away. "How do this guy's regulars handle this?" It was dark in the passage. Dark and as peaceful as a battleground could get, and he didn't have to see the battle going on outside, even though the sound of metal on metal and horse's hooves still reached his ears. He shut his eyes, and was in a different place. In that place, he could walk into a shop, scoop up candy into his sack, and walk back out, and everyone would be fine with that. Where he was able to snack on sweets all day; not just rock candy, but real sweets, made of honey, and sugar, or maybe even chocolate, a treat he had only tasted once.

"Continue forward, and you'll find yourself near your objective."

"Damn. Why'd you have to wake me up?" He grumbled into the open spaces before him. He would have been more than happy to let his ten seconds pass by.

"Do not forget your objective, Thief." Shit. The Old Skeleton could hear him? This was getting weirder and weirder, and honestly, Gauis would rather just sit here in the dark and dream of sweets, but the Skeleton probably wouldn't let him. Just bust the vault and get out. Moving forward, he exited the hidden passage (how did the guy even know about it?), emerging into a relatively untouched corridor. His objective was clear to see, and Gaius sucked on his candy, fingering the picking tools at his side.

Only he didn't expect to see a man, blue hair, cape, huh-brand of the Exalt, enter the corridor, with what looked to be a Fighter behind him. Welp, that was the prince, and Gauis was probably dead.

"Drop your weapon, or die where you stand!" Gauis swallowed the last of his candy, raising his hands. Damn. The voice had dumped him here and was now gone again.

"Easy there, blue blood. I'm not here to hurt anyone."

"...Yet you run with a band of assassins?" Yeah, Gauis couldn't blame him for that assumption.

"Believe it or not, just trying to make a living. I'm a Thief, see?" Recognition came into blue eyes. "You know, bust open doors, crack into chests... that kind of thing."

"Right, I know what a Thief does." You'd have to be dumb and stupid to not know what we do. But Gaius took pride in his class, even though many made them out to be chaotic individuals who only did evil. True, they were usually impulsive and obsessive, but they were also dedicated, eager to learn and adapt, and willing to take risks. And Gaius had his own moral, something one wouldn't associate with Theives.

"So anyway, this lot said they wanted to break into some kind of vault. Nobody said anything about murder." He shrugged. "I'd just as soon sit this one out." Honestly, he wasn't expecting anything to come out of this. He just decided to voice his thoughts so he'd have no regrets when the guy's sword decided to make itself a new home in his gut. That was the worst thing about rounds. Not knowing if the next opponent who approached you had the means to kill you, and if they would go for you or not. Now, Gauis wasn't any tacticianer or the smartie-pants type, but he could tell that the prince could probably take him out in a heartbeat, and the other guy was no pushover either. The man before him tilted his head, considering him.

"Then perhaps you'd be willing to prove your good intentions?" Of all the things he could have heard, that certainly wasn't one of them.

"Beg pardon?"

"We need all the help we can get to save the Exalt's life. This battle isn't our easiest, and you appear capable."

"Oh, right, good intentions. Fine then, I'll prove my sincerity..." he really wanted to get something out of this, besides keeping his life, "if you sweeten the deal."

"You want gold?" The bluenet rolled his eyes at Gaiu's shit-eating grin. "...Fine, you scoundrel. Let me just-oops." He had reached for his belt, but a small bag tumbled out of his coat pocket. The Thief's eyes zeroed in on it.

"Looks like you dropped something. What's in there, mmm?" Something he could snatch later, maybe?"

"Nothing." He tugged it open, looking in. "Candies from my little sister. I'm sure you-"

"He's standing right in front of you! Kill him!" Damn. Old Skelly was back. Gauis ignored him in favor of the opportunity before him.

"Candies? As in, sugar candies? Sweet candies?"

"Well... yes. I assume they'd be sweet? But-"

"What are you doing?!"

"IT'S A DEAL!"

"...You'll risk your life if I give you... a bag of candy?"

"What?! Don't you dare! He's right there! Kill him, while his guard is down, and you'll be rewarded!"

Oh, bugger off. Gaius grumbled. "I said "sweeten the deal", didn't I? Don't get me wrong, I'll take the gold, too. Later. Unless you've got more of these." He eyed the prince. "...Have you got more of these?"

"Um... I can ask." The man was approaching, Gaius ignoring the screams of "KILL THE PRINCELING!" in his head as a gloved hand entered his tile. "Do we have a deal?"

"You betcha!" He snatched the candies with one hand, his other hand grasping the prince's. Gauis tugged open the bag, shaking a few candies into his palm. Damn, these were looking good. Popping them into his mouth, he grinned, stashing the bag away for later. Good times usually accompany good food. Things were looking up. Blinking, he noticed something else. The old guy's voice was no longer in his head. It was silent, and his thoughts were his own. "Sweet!"

"So what's your purpose here? I thought that killing the Exalt was the only goal."

"He brought us in to grab some treasure while everyone was running around like headless chickens.." Gaius shrugged. "Some sort of shield, but we didn't get the specifics. I'm not the only Thief here, by the way. There are also a ton of Assassins and others who just want to kill the Exalt"

"Understood." He looked grim, "we'll be staying here, then. What do you think?"

"Me? Who cares? Do whatever you want?" But the man, who Gauis decided would be "Blue" from now on, was ignoring him, staring at a wall. The other man, a Fighter was an axe in his hand, joined them, snickering.

"Don't freak. It caught us all off-guard the first time."

"Pardon?"

"Got it." Blue said, nodding to himself.

"Hello?" An uncertain voice, certainly not his own-it was too feminine-echoed from the depth of his mind, faint like a whisper. "Can you hear me?"

"Well shit." He had a new voice in his head.

He sucked in his breath, blood roaring though his veins. That...DAMN THIEF! His teeth gnashed together, magic crackling at his fingertips. He wanted to destroy something, but had to settle for watching his units charge through the castle. There were times like these when he missed being on the frontlines, watching his opponent's health fade into nothing under his magic as his own health was revived.

He'd never experienced having a unit defect away. One moment, he was yelling at the fool to cut down the princeling where he stood, then the next moment it felt like he was screaming into a void, where only his voice bounced back.

Once the primary goals were completed, he could have an Assassin take down the traitor. His units were beginning to engage the Ylissian forces again, and he tugged them, directed them, to where they needed to be. He watched triumphantly as a Fighter knocked a Troubadour off her horse, then growled as a Cavalier grabbed the downed unit, swinging her onto her horse and setting his Fighter unit on guard. The little bird was matching him move for move, and they were at a stalemate.

But not for long. The pair he had sent off earlier were making their way along the perimeter, keeping out of the fighting, drawing as little attention as possible. Soon, they would reach the fledgling, throwing the Ylissian forces off-balance. And then the Exalt would be next.

"Chrom?" Miriam's voice echoed in his head, and he stood straighter, aware of the fighter that would engage he and Vaike in a turn or two. Gaius was standing next to the wall, sword drawn and sucking on some of the candies Chrom had given him.

"That our Tac?" Chrom sent his partner a look, imagining Miriam's face. They had discovered that focusing on key features of each would help strengthen the connection. The bonds between the Shepherds and their Tactician were strong.

"I'm here."

"There's another dark spot." Chrom frowned. This was worrying.

"Where is it?"

"Nowhere close." That could mean a variety of things, but Chrom understood what she meant. It wasn't an immediate threat.

"What's it doing?

"Nothing..." Miriam paused, most likely looking elsewhere. "It's hovering on the edge of the battleground, almost like...it's observing us."

"Observing? For what?" His frown grew deeper.

"I'm not certain. Oh, hold on." Their connected became muted, and he could vaguely hear her speaking to someone-Ricken?- then reconnecting, "Also, the first spot hasn't moved one tile since I noticed him, and I'm-" Miriam let out a shriek, before fading from his mind.

"Miriam?" He asked the empty air, reaching through his Lord bonds for the Tactician, but she was nowhere near Marth, Donnel, or Emmeryn. "Miriam?!"

"Chrom?" Miriam said to what appeared to be thin air, but any Shepherd who saw her knew that she was communicating with one of the others. "There is another dark spot."

"Where is it?"

"Nowhere close."

"What's it doing?

"Nothing..." But it wasn't the same as the other one. Instead of being afraid, Miriam was simply curious. Whatever this was, it didn't put out the same dangerous aura as the first void. "It's hovering on the edge of the battleground, almost like...it's observing us."

"Observing? For what?"

"I'm not certain." Something flickered near the edge of her vision. "Oh, hold on." Miriam pulled away from Chrom, connecting with Ricken. It was harder to connect to the young Mage than with Chrom, but their bonds were still strong. "Ricken, could you please move left? Lon'qu will need some support against a Mage that's coming towards him."

"You got it, Miriam!" She nodded, checking around Emmeryn for a moment before checking the two dark areas. The newer one had shifted slightly, but the first still had not moved. She connected to Chrom again with ease. "Also, the first spot hasn't moved one tile since I noticed him, and I'm-"

"Miriam!" The Tactician's attention was ripped away, just something pulled her out of the tile she was standing in, into the arms of a dark robed man.

"No!" She heard Marth yell before the scenery changed, and she found herself tumbling to the ground, sword clattering to the side. Pushing herself up, she met the edge of a sword, eyes following up the blade to a black-haired Assassin (Level 2), who stood on the edge of her tile. Paired with her was Sorcerer (Level 1), who released the ruined shreds of tome paper from his hands. They were so much stronger than the Shepherd's average of (Baseclass, Level7).

"Good work." Her head snapped up, seeing a dark-skinned man standing a few tiles away. The Sorcerer bowed, but the Assassin remained standing, keeping the blade pointed at her. This was not good. From what she could tell, it was a pair-up, something she had been encouraging the Shepherds to use. The change in locations (she had been standing in the heart of the castle, and now stood in the outer walls) was most likely due to the Sorcerer, and whatever magic he had. If Miriam had to guess, it was a movement spell similar to how a rescue staff worked, but Miriel or Maribelle would be better at recognizing that. She could do nothing with the blade pointed at her, and couldn't risk opening a connection to anyone, lest she be distracted. And then there was the dark-skinned man. Even though he was in her line of sight, she could see nothing about him. She could guess that he was some kind of magic user, based on the tome in his hand, but other than that, there was nothing. Him. Her eyes widened. God, it's him. He's the dark spot that I can't see! But there was nothing special about him, aside from the crown on his head. An item that channels magic to block someone from seeing them? But why? And if it truly blocked sight, shouldn't he be invisible?

Her ten seconds came, and she slowly rose, keeping an eye on all three enemy units. And her ten seconds passed. Then it was their turn. But instead of attacking her, they looked at the man.

"Return and finish the job." Both bowed, and the Assassin grasped the arm of the man. They disappeared, leaving Miriam with the dark skinned man.

"An Assassin to pass through an opponent's tile, and a Sorcerer to avoid a counterattack." Miriam said slowly, reaching for tome, but found it's pouch empty. God, this isn't good. Her sword was somewhere behind her.

"Well done." The man laughed. "Such intelligence. I expect nothing less of you."

"What...what do you mean?"

"What? Well, well..." He crackled. "Oh, I know you..."

"You know me?" She could never imagine allying herself with a man like this, who sought to destroy the peace. She had amnesia, not a condition that changed who she was. "I doubt that!"

"Do you? I suppose there are many things you do not understand."

"That is true." Bluff, buy for time. "How about explaining how you can hide yourself on the battleground?" Miriam challenged, looking around as if examining the surroundings, locating her sword four tiles back. Her round was coming up, and she didn't want to be unarmed when it came. "Or why you grabbed me of all people to drag all the way to the edge of the battleground? I'm no one."

"You know nothing, do you?" The man crackled. "However, I cannot fault you. We Tacticians are so rare, most never discover our blind spot."

"Tacticians?"

"Oh, but that's only the tip of the iceberg." She had to keep his focus on her, and not on the battleground. The Shepherds were used to working without a Tactician, but if this man was a Tactician, then his forces might not be used to working on their own. "Come with me, and you'll be able to follow your destiny!" It was her turn.

"Never!" She leapt backwards, snatching up her sword and standing upright. She had been training with Chrom when not studying or practicing magic with Ricken. Now was the time to see if it had paid off, if she was given the chance. Magic-vs-sword duels were less common, and she subconsciously added it to her to-try list. Should she survive tonight. She had to survive.

"My dear, we have all the time in the world." He laughed, obviously waiting for his turn. "The Exalt will be dead, the Fire Emblem will be in my hands, and the princeling will never see another day."

"You won't touch him!" She screamed. She would not let anything happen to the man who had given her a place, a purpose. He was a good man, a man she would follow to the end of the world if he asked her to. A bit impulsive at times, but her leader. Someone who treated her the same as everyone, even though she had no title, no history, no bonds to start with. Someone who stood for what was right, whose life was worth double hers.

"Ah, so you care for the prince. How touching. It's almost like..." he paused, thinking for a moment before smirking, raising a hand, "a fairy's tale." A bolt of lightning crackled, and Miriam dodged, but just barely.

"Your plan failed, did you know that?" Keep him talking. Keep his focus off of the others, off of Emmeryn, Chrom, and Lissa. "It failed when the Assassins couldn't kill Chrom, and Marth arrived." Keep talking about Chrom, keep talking about Marth. As Lords, they can find me. Give them something to latch onto, keep the blade angled at him. "You've lost." It was her turn, and she moved as far as she could. Buy for time. Engage him only if necessary. I don't know what his movement speed is, and how fast I can run before he fires off an attack.

"It is inconvenient that the princeling did not die when he was supposed to, but no one can escape their destinies. You will learn this." He smirked at her, sending another blast of lightning at her, which she dodged. Their turns were coming sooner and sooner. The others were finishing their battles. "I will act as the bringer of a new world, and you will help me."

"And the Shepherds are strong. They will protect Ylisse, and everyone who seeks peace! You," she pointed her sword at him, "you are no worldbringer!"

"There is so much you do not understand." The man considered her. "But I suppose there will be time for enlightenment later." The bolt of lightning came faster than she could dodge, so she raised her sword. The attack exploded on her blade, electricity coursing through her body.

"Wh-what?" Miriam tried moving, but couldn't. Her body was paralyzed, locked into place.

"Such as different applications for magic." The man smirked. "Your mother didn't teach you very much, did she?"

"M-mother? You know..." A gleam came into the man's eyes. A gleam that Miriam didn't like at all.

"Submit to me, and perhaps I might honor you with the truth!"

Her turn came, and Miriam strained her muscles, pushing against the electricity that locked her in place. No, no, no! Her fingers twitched, breaking off the spell bit by bit. Not like this! I won't go down like this! She was not so weak that she couldn't fling off a spell. The paralysis broke, and she stumbled, colliding with the barrier the blocked her from entering a tile when it wasn't her turn. Disoriented, she gathered all the bonds she could at once, reaching out to anyone she could.

"I'm here!" A crowd of voices, calling out to her. "Out in the courtyard!"

"Ah, we can't have that, my dear." Dark energy surrounded her, sapping away her strength. The world swayed.

"Hold on, I'm coming!"

Was her drained state making her hear things? But one thing was certain. She was strong, and wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Back...off!" She broke away, swinging her sword in a wide arch. Breath. Collect yourself for your turn.

"Miriam!" Chrom was across the courtyard, Falchion drawn. "You'll pay for this!" Blue eyes flickered between Miriam and the strange man. The Tactician was shaking her head, eyes wide. She was tired, drained, but otherwise okay. Chrom ran towards her, trying to move as far as his movement speed allowed before his turn ended.

"No." Miriam gasped. "No! Chrom! Stop!" But he didn't, and moved into the man's predicted spellcasting range. "No..."

"How pleasant of you to join us, little prince." The man sneered.

"Get ready!" It was her turn, so she did her best to move around the nameless Tactician, carrying her sword with her. "Don't let the lightning strike you!"

"Insolence!" The man snapped, switching tomes and attacking Chrom with a dark sphere. His body jerked, health halved with one attack. Miriam flinched, unable to do anything.

"Miriam, let's go!" Shaking off the attack, Chrom moved across the courtyard, meeting her halfway.

"I'll cover you!" She crossed over the tiles, entering his space and placing a hand on his shoulder. "We can do this." The dark-skinned man ground his teeth, preparing another attack, but Miriam saw it coming.

"Predictable!" She yelled, shoving Chrom out of the way and deflecting the dark orb with her sword. It exploded against her blade, wisps of dark energy floating off her skin.

"On my mark!" Miriam readied her blade.

"I'll cover you!" As one, they moved forward, their combined movement speed allowing them to reach their opponent. He dodged Chrom's attack, but not Miriam's. Snarling, he flung a bolt of lightning at Chrom, but Miriam took the blow.

"Now I'm angry!" The Lord yelled, Falchion glowing blue, opening the man's chest with a single strike.

"No..." His tome dropped to the ground, hand reaching for her. "This is... all wrong... How could... you have known...the plan..." He slumped forward, collapsing in a heap, and Miriam saw the previously dark tile return to normal.

"Miriam!" Falchion clattered to the ground, and he pulled the Tactician up from where she was kneeling.

"I'm fine, Chrom." She reassured him, quickly scanning him for injuries. Aside from the attack the now-dead man had dealt him, he was relatively unharmed. "I'm..fine, now." She sighed in relief, but before she could check the battleground for any remaining opponents, they both felt the battleground disappearing, returning the castle to normal. All hostile enemies had been defeated.

And...whatever the other dark spot was, it had vanished.

to be continued

Yes, I made Validar a Tactician. It was referenced in the last chapter, if you noticed. The first time I played Awakening and he "saw pieces that didn't belong," the first thing that popped into my mind was 'Oh, he's a Tactician as well?' then I saw that he was a Sorcerer and was disappointed. This seems more fun, in my opinion.

Also, Archers and Spellcasters have a longer range in this universe. 10 feet seemed ridiculous for an archer, because you'd have to be the WORST to miss at 10 feet (or have a really bad bow, but that's besides the point). Some DMs even give you disadvantage in DnD if you shoot at less than your normal range, so I bumped it up (a lot).