Heeey, once again I'm here with an update that's… very, very late. Sorry! I've been bogged down with so many assignments recently! School's being a real pain this year, so my updates will be slow.

Oscar: So, please be patient!

FireEdge: Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.

Defying Fate

Chapter 4

Oscar sighed. He was dead tired. For nearly two weeks now, they had been running 'errands' for the apostle, and they all just happened to involve huge fights. On the bright side, it was for a good cause. Though it was a dirty job, they were helping the apostle root out the illegal laguz slavers.

During the course of those fights, they had managed to recruit some more people to join them. After all, now that the fights were getting tougher, they needed as many people as they could get. Though, some of them were questionable. Makalov, for example.

He had only joined the mercenaries for a week, and Ike and Soren had already found him pulling some stupid stunts; like trying to sneak out to go to the local tavern. Then he had tried to sell off some of their supplies to a pawn shop to make some extra gold. Unfortunately for him, Soren had caught him red-handed. Being Soren, the mage had scorched Makalov's bottom with a Fire spell and that had been the end of those exploits.

The sword knight had some bad traits, but he still fought well enough and that was all that really mattered. Either way, now that he had stopped acting like a fool, he was much easier to work with.

Grabbing the iron bow that Rolf had given him, Oscar slung it over his shoulder and walked out into the hall. Rolf had already drilled him in everything that he knew, and Oscar now understood all of the basics of archery. All he had to work on now, was his proficiency… and the horseback part.

His ability would improve with practice, but shooting from horseback was proving to be a harder challenge. Oscar had already tried it, actually. It hadn't ended up too well. At first his horse was confused about the bow, and was nervous when Oscar mounted with it. Then, the lance knight had difficulty wielding it from his perch. He was constantly slanting to one side when he was drawing back on the bowstring despite how tight his legs gripped the side of his saddle.

Oscar strode down the corridors swiftly, making his way to the training grounds. His horse was still tired from the fight at Duke Tanas' villa, and he didn't want to exhaust the poor beast. So, tonight he would work on his aim.

As the lance knight approached the small shooting gallery, he saw a lone figure in white standing near the opening. Oscar stopped in his tracks and gulped.

The person there was Astrid. She was the last person he wanted to run into; especially when he was on his way to practice with a bow. He didn't want her to laugh at his pathetic skills and he also didn't want Gatrie to find out that he had been anywhere near her.

He had just decided to turn back and return to his room when Astrid had spotted him. Oscar didn't seem to have very good luck these days.

"Oh! Oscar!" Astrid called, walking towards him. She had her bow and quiver with her. "Why are you here? Ah, is that a bow?"

"Astrid! Did you just finish practicing?" he asked instead. Please say 'yes', he prayed inwardly.

"No, I just arrived. I was thinking of shooting for a little bit before I retired," she replied. Once again, the noblewoman eyed the bow that Oscar was carrying. "Are you trying your hand at archery?"

"Er… Well, I thought that I might pick up another weapon, and why not a bow?" Oscar said deliberately. The other reason he had decided to try a bow was for that attack that he had read about in the book he had borrowed from the library. He hadn't told his brothers yet; he thought that he should try and improve his skills first. Rolf hadn't thought it suspicious either, so it was all good.

"Oh, well that's admirable. I wish I could learn another weapon; I can barely just wield a bow. Maybe then I could be of more use on the battlefield," she answered with a smile.

"What? Barely wield a bow? How could you say that? You're very talented," replied Oscar, a little surprised at her insecurity. Or maybe she was just modest?

The young woman blushed slightly at the praise. Oscar, on the other hand, blanched. He had just realized that he had complimented her. Also, she had blushed at it. No, this was not good! If Gatrie found out about this, their already rickety friendship was going to go overboard.

"Thank you, but really, I'm just a beginner," Astrid said with another modest smile. "Ah, would you care to practice with me?"

Oscar stared at her for a moment. Great; she just had to pop the question that would seal his fate. He could change that; he'd just have to decline her generous offer and go back to his room. But no, he didn't do that.

"Sure, that'd be great," he said instead with a smile that—to his horror—was genuine and eager. Yes, he would have to make sure Gatrie never found out about this!

They walked into the small outdoor gallery and set up the targets to their ideal distance. It didn't take long for Astrid to start shooting. Oscar was taking his time with stringing the bow and nocking his arrows. Luckily his first shot was rather well done.

"Your brother taught you the fundamentals well," Astrid remarked, taking a small break to watch him shoot. "Might I make a suggestion, however?"

"No, I'd appreciate it," Oscar replied, dropping his arm from the bowstring.

"Well, you should shift your stance," she started. "Your hips are too squared to the target, and lift up your elbow a bit more. It should be easier to shoot now."

"Thanks," he replied. Letting go of the arrow, it hit the target deftly. Pausing for a moment, he wondered if he should ask her about shooting from horseback. Now would be the perfect time to ask, but would he be intruding too much?

In the end, he decided that he might as well ask her. There was no other way that he would learn it properly if he didn't.

"Ah, say, Astrid… I've been trying horseback archery, but it hasn't been working out too well. Do you think you could give me a few pointers?" Oscar asked tentatively.

The bow knight stared at him for a moment, seeming to process what he said through her brain. A few seconds later, she smiled.

"Of course! It'd be my pleasure." The answer relieved Oscar. That was one problem out of the way; now he didn't have to worry about how he was going to use his new weapon in battle.

For nearly half an hour, the couple shot at their respective targets. Now and then, Astrid would make a remark about his shooting; complimenting him or correcting his stance. Other than that, silence occupied the space between them most of the time.

It was quite awkward. Oscar felt that he should say something to lighten the mood. However, whenever he opened his mouth to say something to break the silence, he found that he had nothing to say. Perhaps it was better that he didn't say anything, anyway. If he did, it was bound to end up being something stupid. Then the situation would really be uncomfortable.

In the end, he never did say anything. He just focused on his target and shot away. Eventually, he found his arm to be tired from the still-new action of pulling back on the bow.

"You look fatigued. Perhaps we should both call it a night?" Astrid said when she saw Oscar trying to shake the feeling back into his arm.

"Ah, y-yeah. I guess I'm just not used to this yet," he replied with a sheepish grin and a slight blush of embarrassment.

"It took me quite a while to train my body. I'm sure you'll be able to shoot well in no time," she added, unstringing her bow.

Oscar smiled and nodded. He went to his target and began to pull his arrows out of the block of straw, sticking them back in his quiver carefully. After a few quiet minutes, the two of them were ready to return to their rooms.

"Thank you for the company, Oscar," Astrid said before they parted ways.

"No, thank you. You were a big help. Well, good night." Oscar was just about to walk away when he remarked something about Astrid that he was surprised he didn't see before. "Oh! Astrid, I just noticed that there's a flower in your hair. Did you put that there?"

Astrid blushed, reaching up to take the small red flower from behind her ear. She had completely forgotten about it.

"Ah, um. Yes, Makalov gave this to me… I hadn't realized that I had left it in my hair… I must've looked ridiculous," she stammered, aghast with herself.

"Oh no, it looked very pretty. Brings out the colour in your eyes," Oscar said reassuringly. This of course, only succeeded in making Astrid's face redder. It was then that Oscar realized what he had actually said.

STUPID Oscar! He mentally kicked himself, and he nearly did smack his head. The lance knight needed to get some sleep; he must be really tired to slip up like that.

"W-Well, good night!" The green-haired man precipitated away before Astrid could say anything.

I can't believe I said that! I hope she didn't take it the wrong way, because I didn't mean it in that way, he thought to himself as he closed the door of his room behind him. I'm such an idiot! Big mouth, big mouth! The poor lance knight proceeded to bang his head on the wooden door three times. Then he realized that it was going to hurt his head considerably if he continued.

Dropping his bow and arrows into a corner of the room, Oscar sat on his bed. Letting out a long breath, he stared at the wall across from him. He slowly began to tell himself, over and over again, that he had said it out of kindness and that he didn't mean anything by saying it. It was a friendly compliment between team mates. Nothing more.

"That's right, Oscar, you didn't do anything wrong. It was only friendly conversation. Nothing wrong with it," he muttered to himself. With another sigh, he began to strip off his gloves and take off his boots. "It wasn't your fault that Makalov gave Astrid a flower… …Makalov… gave… Astrid… a flower…"

The thought slowly sank into his head and he frowned. Why had Makalov done that? He hadn't thought the sword knight to be a gentleman of any type. The pink-haired man wasn't a very romantic—or generous—person either. Maybe… maybe Makalov had given Astrid that flower for other reasons?

That new idea deepened Oscar's frown. For one reason or another, it didn't sit well with him. Wait, why would he be upset about that!

"NO! Bad! Stop thinking, Oscar!" he cried, realizing what route his mind was taking him. "Sleep! Yes, sleep; I need sleep! I'm so tired that my brain's not working right!"

Forcing himself not to think, Oscar swung himself up onto his mattress and pulled the warm covers over his body. Luckily, he was able to coerce himself into slumber without much effort.

Unfortunately, his sleep wasn't as peaceful as he might've hoped it to be.


"You penniless mercenary! How dare you show up here and defile my estates! I will not have your presence foul the air of my home!" a voice snarled, as the hands of a pair of guards tossed him into the jail cell.

Oscar landed upon the stone tiles painfully and felt his back touch the far wall. The steel bars of the door clanged shut and the lock clicked as the guard turned the key.

"Stay there and rot. Maybe if you're lucky, my wife might convince me to release you. Of course, it'd take quite a bit of persuading," the same voice said with a smirk.

"You dirty wretch!" Oscar heard himself yell at the man, pouncing to the bars of his cage. The man laughed and walked away, leaving Oscar to fume and skulk in the darkness of the dungeon.


Oscar's green eyes opened for a second before he shut them again, resuming his usual squint. Was it morning already? It looked like it; there was light outside of his window and his room was less dark than it had been when he fell asleep. He felt as if he'd only slept for less than an hour.

Sliding out of his bed, he strode over to his window unsteadily. Peering through the glass, he could see the pinkish, cloudy sky. Yes, it was dawn.

Great; he was still tired and they were starting the Serenes mission today. What a wonderful way to start a big job.

Yawning, Oscar splashed water onto his face and proceeded to do his morning washing. He then strapped on his armour and packed his bags. The lance knight still had a little bit of time to grab something to eat from Mainal's kitchens before he had to tack up his horse.

He had only taken a few steps from his room when Rolf and Mist came running towards him.

"Mornin' Oscar!" Rolf greeted, skidding to a stop. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mm, not particularly, but I'll live."

"Were you practicing late?" asked Mist, walking beside him as they started towards the kitchen once more.

"Yes, I was… Wait, how did you know I was practicing last night?" Oscar demanded, turning to face the young girl with a confused grimace. He hadn't thought that anyone had seen him. Ike's younger sister smiled sweetly.

"We saw you when we were looking for Ike," she said with a shrug. "I didn't know that you were good friends with Astrid."

Oscar nearly stopped dead in his tracks. Luckily, he didn't actually do that. Unfortunately, Mist and Rolf still caught the slight misstep.

"What's wrong Oscar? You looked like you were about to trip," Rolf inquired curiously, an impish glint in his eyes.

"Ah… I'm still sleepy. I'm sure that once I eat something I'll be fine," Oscar replied with a smile.

He turned to look at Rolf. The archer's grin faded away when he saw Oscar's expression. It was one that his older brother gave him rarely. When he did, he was usually in big trouble.

"Oh, right! Haha, yeah, there's TONS of food in the kitchens! The apostle's letting Ike pack as much provisions as he wants!" Rolf blabbered. To his relief, Oscar's face returned to its normal, placid composure.

"Good, I'm sure we'll need it."


Yeah, that dream was SO not obvious… Hehe, hopefully it won't give away TOO much of the story. I just like foreshadowing a little too much…

Oscar: … Er… Yeah…

FireEdge: Haha, anyway, that scene with Oscar and Astrid was a little awkward, but I was a little stuck when I was writing that part. I'm hoping that it'll be better next time.

Oscar: Anyway, don't expect the next update for another few weeks… Please review in the meantime.

--FireEdge--