Tatsu: Wow, I'm really not in the mood for schoolwork right now, and as I won't be able to write a bunch of chapters until next week, I'll try and get this done now. Well, it seems I've got two readers again, which makes me happy! Although I am quite afraid of being murdered if I don't write more… perhaps that's why I'm really doing this now.

Anyways, I'm not going to keep talking for too long, but I figured I'd decide on my for fun themes for the beginning and ending of the chapters, not that anyone else listens to them, but it makes me happy for some reason.

So for the beginning I choose the third opening theme for Full metal Alchemist, for the heck of it. For the ending… hmm… I'll leave that one for now, and keep you guessing. Not that you care. Anyways, here comes the next chapter! Oh, and it's from Eliwood's perspective this time! (Gasp)

Chapter 2: Taking Leave

My name is Eliwood. I am the son of the Marquess of Pharae. Pharae itself lies within Lycia, a great place formed by the alliance of many nations, all with their own Marquess. This land has known little if no conflict for many generations. Now, I find myself touched with a shadow of unease.

Today I set out on a quest. By my side are Marcus and Lowen, two loyal and brave knights. Pharae's ruler, my father Elbert, has vanished along with several loyal knights that rode by his side as he left. A whole, month has past, and we still have no news of him, from himself or other nations. People believe him to be dead.

I think otherwise, and now I set out on my own journey to find him. My mother is reluctant to let me go, but I have already sent Lowen to scout the path ahead. We will not pause or give in to doubt until I find my father. I know he still lives out there somewhere.

An older, gruffer looking man was next to the young red headed Lord, on a noble looking steed, with a strong shield an impressive looking armor. "Lord Eliwood, we leave on your word."

Eliwood nodded to the night. "Thank you, Marcus." Then he turned to the older woman, who smiled sadly, her own escort safely on either side of her. "Mother, we must go now."

The woman still looked sad, but Eliwood's mother smiled a small smile. "You're just like him, running off to help those in need. Promise me you'll return safely. I am worried for my husband, but if anything were to happen to you my heart would be unable to bear the sorrow."

Eliwood smiled an encouraging one. "Don't worry, Dad is alive. I will find him and return him to your side. This I promise." He turned to another paladin, this one female, and on her horse next to Eliwood's mother. "Isadora, please take care of her."

The paladin nodded. "I will protect her with my life." She said, and the two turned to leave. Eliwood scratched his head. That's not exactly what I meant… oh well. He then turned to Marcus.

"So, it'll just be the three of us, eh?" Marcus looked worried at this comment, but Eliwood seemed happy.

"My lord, Lowen has gone to the village ahead to seek weapons and men. Normally, it is best to travel in large numbers, but… I bow to your will on this."

Eliwood sighed. "I would not deprive my mother of even one extra guard than is necessary, you know that. The best knights have already gone with father, and if anything were to happen to her while we both are away…" He trailed off.

Marcus nodded, understanding the sentiment. "Understood." He looked around, apparently expecting Lowen to have returned, but the knight was not yet in sight. "Where is Lowen?"

Then they heard hoof beats, more than one. It seemed as though Lowen had returned, but he wasn't alone. Riding with him was a familiar looking height challenged man, and the other horse carried a pig tailed bow girl, along with a man who had a familiar mop of brown hair and Sacaen clothing.

"My lord! Commander!" Lowen sounded horrified, and judging by the smoke they now saw rising, it was most likely the source.

"Clam down!" Marcus shouted at the less experienced knight. "Remember that a knight must remain calm at all times."

"But commander! That village is under attack! It's bandits, sir!" So far Lowen had done all the talking, and he continued. "Apparently this man and his companions evacuated the civilians, so no one except them has been hurt. One of them is still in the village. We didn't have time to look for him."

Marcus, though putting on a good try as to not be shocked, nearly fell off his horse. "Bandits?!?! HERE?!?!"

The man nudged the girl. "You tell him the details, alright?" She nodded, and slid off the horse, walking over the Eliwood.

She seemed shy in the face of knights, but under this he was sure she was as spunky as they came. Perhaps it was in the way she spoke? "My Lord? My name is Rebecca, and I'm the daughter of the village's magistrate. The bandits are stealing everything and burning down our homes! You gotta help!"

Yes, the way she spoke at first was careful, but the more she told the more she acted like something akin to a tomboy. He nodded, however, and looked at the knights and the two men. "Alright then, we'll aid the village. You three should stay here and-"

"No way!" Rebecca shouted. "That's my village, and I'm going to help. All I need are some more arrows…" The man held up a quiver. Apparently it had been on the horse. She took it and smiled. "Thanks Will!"

"These two also offered aid, my lord. Said they needed to get their other teammate out of there." He pointed.

"A pipsqueak?" Eliwood asked, pointing at the small man on Lowen's horse. A moment later he had jumped to the right as the man yelled something incoherent (If he had to guess, it was something about him calling the other a dude so tiny a minnow could swallow… whatever that meant) and tried to hit him. "Okay, and who's that one."

The man raised a lazy hand. "Just a tactician, milord." Then he straitened, looking intently at Eliwood, and slid off his horse. "Wait… Eliwood?"

Eliwood also stared at the man in amazement and recognition. "Will!"

Lowen looked utterly bewildered and confused beyond all reason. "You two know each other?"

Eliwood smiled, nodding. "It was during that inheritance a little over a year ago in Caelin, and again we met at the Taliver stronghold. If not for you, Marquess Caelin and Lady Lyndis might not of survived Lundgren's evil plot, not to mention that psychopath Mark."

Will waved it off as though it were nothing, but now both Marcus and Lowen were looking at him with the utmost respect. "What brings you to Pharae, my friend?" Eliwood was having a hard time putting it into words. This was a stroke of luck he hadn't counted on.

Will seemed to think about this for a moment. "Mainly still traveling, and honing my skills. We liked this village, and stuck around for a while. A couple of months to be exact."

Eliwood nodded. "That seems like a worthy pursuit." Then he glanced at the smoke above them. "Let's give thanks for our reunion. Would you mind lending us your knowledge and your aid?"

Will nodded. "I wouldn't have it any other way." There were a few bandits that littered the field, and one stood in front of the village where they needed to go. There was also a village to the north. Only one bandit guarded that route. "Take him out first."

Marcus was hanging back, giving the new fighters a chance to hone their skills. Eliwood was grateful for it. Lowen took the first strike, cutting the archer's bow in half, followed by an arrow to his right shoulder, courtesy of Rebecca, and he finished it with a swift stroke of the sword.

Then to the north Will pointed out two axemen that had just exited the village, but he told them not to worry, they were friends. Eliwood didn't know how he knew this, but let it be as they continued to the village they were aiming for, which was off to the side instead of strait ahead.

"Well! Would you look it that Dorcas? Just as that Will kid told us, there are bandits around! And look it who's fightin' 'em! It's lord Eliwood! That's a right lordly thing to do, taking on bandits and all." The much bigger and muscular one grinned. He didn't seem very bright, but there was no arguing that he must be rather strong.

Dorcas heaved a sigh. "You talk too much. Come, we must aid him." He lugged his steel axe onto his shoulder, and Bartre readied his handaxe and his Iron one as well.

"Leave it to Bartre the Brave!" He shouted, running into the fray. Dorcas sighed again. More like Bartre the fool…

Will met up with the two, but Eliwood was busy. Soon they were hacking through the few enemies that were left, which wasn't very difficult considering most were tag teamed by them. Will merely laughed when Eliwood pointed this out. "If only all battles were like this, we tacticians wouldn't be needed then."

Only the new leader remained. He boasted some great challenge before Eliwood stabbed him cleanly through the heart, and fell to the round cursing him and all his ancestors. He shrugged. This seemed almost like it was going to happen no matter what. If only they didn't swear so much. That part really bugged him.

Hours later, the village was back in shape. A few houses had burned down, but everyone was happy the bandits were gone. Kram was found and patched up, recovering rather quickly from the amount of blood he had lost. Luckily he had acted smartly and covered the wound before it got too bad.

The elder finally addressed Will and Eliwood, who had been talking peacefully by the fire and catching up on each other's movements. The conversation came to a halt as the elder spoke "Our deepest thanks to you both."

Will seemed embarrassed, but Eliwood responded as trained despite his own feelings of embarrassment. "We were only doing our duty." Man, that sounded corny right now.

The older man shook his head. "If that were so, Laus would not be in such chaos. Darin spends all his time preparing for war, and ignores the cries of his people."

Eliwood looked shocked. "War? Are you sure?" He had heard nothing of this, not even from Hector, his friend in Ostia. But if it wasn't secret... how could he have not known?

Will answered the question. "Many people have been fleeing Laus of late. That place has become a wasteland, and many have been forced to flee to other parts of Lycia. Laus could go to war any day now. AT least that's what I've seen... and heard."

Mirage finally spoke. He hadn't had much chance to fight during Eliwood's assault, so he felt as though he needed to do something at the very least. "Yeah, this is bad. No doubt he has some big plans to attack another Lycian territory, presumably Ostia, to gain control of them all. This might also be connected to Lord Elbert's disappearance, though it is a… tenuous connection."

Eliwood shook his head. "It's a good a start as any. I will go to Laus and learn more. Speaking of which…" He looked at Will, Mirage, and Kram, who had decided to accompany the two where they went next. "Where are you headed?"

The three looked at each other for a moment, though all knew the answer. Lyn and the others were expecting him back, as his condition of some huge question had a very small probablility of occuring, although now... it seemed to be happening. Still, Will couldn't help but lie. "No where in particular, why?"

Eliwood gestured. "Well, if you have no destination in mind, would you mind traveling with us? We're only a small group in search of my father, and I don't know where the road will lead us, but I know we'd be stronger with you around." He looked over at Bartre and Dorcas. "And you two are welcome as well."

Will seemed to think it over. "Alright, we'll do it. This is Mirage, who you met before, and…"

"Brian. That is my true name." Kram spoke for the first time, making almost everyone turn, and the music stop. "It can't have been that shocking…"

Eliwood smiled again. His quest was looking up already. Both Dorcas and Bartre also agreed to come. "I pray we don't give you a reason to regret this decision."

Will shook his head. "I doubt I will. If Dorcas is coming too it means we've got a good chance of success. he knows how I work."

In the morning, the group set out, heading for the mountains. Little did they know, a green haired girl with a bow was attempting to sneak out after them. "Rebecca!" The elder shouted, and she flinched. 'Where do you think you're going, young lady?"

She turned, stamping her foot in anger. "Where do you think? I'm going to help Will, of course, and lord Eliwood…"

The elder looked cross. "They aren't going on a picnic, you know. They're riding into real danger!" He wasn't sure she ever understood these things, as growing up only in this village had made her slightly... sheltered.

She looked nervous, but even more determined. "That's why I have to go. We owe them both so much. My bow can be of some use to them, I'm sure, and I may meet up with Wil and my brother if I travel with them! This is all I can offer… please father!"

He sighed, seeing she would leave even if he tried to stop her. "You're just as stubborn as your mother was. If Will says you may go, then you may go. You must bow to his will in this. He is lord Eliwood's tactician now, after all." As he said this, Rebecca squealed in delight and kissed him on the cheek, then hurried out after the group. Of course, once she hit the forest, she had no idea where to go.

"So… where do you think you're going, little miss tomboy?" Asked a familiar voice, and she smiled as she spotted Will sitting on a rock. It was as though he knew she would follow, and waited just for her. She couldn't express how happy she was in that moment, so she settled for looking cute.

Will shook his head, smiling as well. "Come on, the others are waiting for us." And he got up and started walking, and she followed close behind. This was the start of a brand new adventure, and she planned to live to the fullest.

Tatsu: Well, this one is another short one, as well as the last one and the next one, since the two stories haven't gained much momentum yet. It was also weird writing from a different POV. I don't do it often, so a whole chapter mainly in Eliwood's felt really weird. Did it work? I certainly hope it did.

Anyways, I did pick out an ending theme. Wanna know what it is? You don't? Well, that's too bad. I pick… The Tales of Legendia theme. Why? Because I like it, so there. Just like the other themes. Maybe I should write my own song? Nah, that's too much work when I could write another chapter…

Next time, Chapter 3: Another Journey! Stick around and RRR!