DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its elements. If I did, the series wouldn't be nearly as awesome as it is now. =P

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MattyBoy91: That's precisely why I portrayed Barst as Ogma's best subordinate. LOL…

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NOTE: Some chapters are going to be portrayed in the style that they appear in FE3. This is because there are some battles that contribute either nothing or very little to the plot, and it'd be a bit of an inconvenience to include them.

Okay, let's get this chapter up and running!


CHAPTER 3

Aurelian Warriors and a Hero's Proof

After spending all morning hiking down from the mountains, we finally made it to our destination… the kingdom of Aurelis.

Stationed in the north-eastern plains of the continent, this kingdom was the only one to resist Doluna's attempts at conquest with some degree of success. Personally, I credit that to a combination of effective tactics and sheer dumb luck.

Of course, Aurelis could only hold out a resistance for so long. By the time we arrived, much of its territory was under Medonian occupation. Despite all of this, however, somebody that the people called 'Coyote' continued to do battle against the empire, as disadvantaged as his small force was.

For several months now, requests for assistance were sent all around the continent, but these calls for help have always gone with no response…

Well, now it's time we answered that call. Let's hope we aren't too late…

XXXXXXXXXX

"So, we are to meet up with the one called 'Coyote'…" I ran through grandpa's plan again, "…and he's supposed to be the Aurelian king's younger brother, Hardin. Is that about right?"

"That's correct, Christopher." He told me, "He and his men should be engaging the enemy forces already. I've also received word that Akaneia's crown princess is with them as well…"

I raised a brow at this…

"Princess?" I asked confusedly, "Uh… wasn't the kingdom's royal family massacred when Akaneia fell?"

"That is true…" grandpa nodded, "…but it seems that she managed to survive and find her way to Aurelis somehow. Akaneia and Aurelis have always had close ties in the past, so at least we know she should be in safe hands…"

"Yeah…" I nodded, left to my own thoughts once more. This battle was going to be my first real test as a soldier. These guys aren't just going to be a gang of bandits or pirates or anything like that anymore. No… we're going to be battling an actual army.

I just hope I'm ready to face them now.

I was jarred from my thoughts as I looked up to see Bord and a few others waving up ahead.

"Hey, guys!" Bord called out, "I see some people fighting against Medon's soldiers!"

"Looks like we're just in time…" I mused. The fact that there weren't too many corpses littering the fields told me that the fighting had only just begun.

"What do you see?" Jeigan questioned.

Cain spoke up, "It's Lord Hardin and his men, Commander. They're engaging the foe even as we speak. There are a couple of villages in the area also."

"Malledus! Do you have a plan?" I heard Marth call to grandpa.

"First things first, we must secure the villages, then we'll rendezvous with Lord Hardin. Let's move out at once!" Grandpa announced.

Drawing my sword, I nodded and followed Marth into a village just across one of the bridges to the north. I did my usual routine of warning the citizens that it was a battlefield out there, and just when I was about to leave the gates…

"Well well Marth, Chris. It's certainly been a while."

To our surprise, we turned to find a green haired mage in blue robes. He looked to be about mine and Marth's age, and we recognized who he was instantly…

"Merric? Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" I grinned. It was good to see him again after many years with little contact.

"Heh, indeed." The mage grinned back, "So what brings you two to Aurelis?"

"I'm currently fighting under the prince's command, actually. But enough about us… Merric, what are you here for?" I asked.

"I was busy studying in Khadein, but then I heard that war had broken out around here, so I decided to seek out Prince Marth."

"I see… well, having you by our side will be very beneficial. It does us good to see you again, Merric." Marth replied, "Will you fight by our side?"

"Of course! It'd be shameful not to show the results of my studies. This is my latest spell, Excalibur!" With that, he showed us the spell book in his hand. The tome's cover had a picture that looked something like a wind-shear of sorts…

Something told me that this magic would pack quite a punch.

"Good of you to join us! Now let's show these guys we mean business!" I said as we left the village to get back to the fighting, Marth breaking away to where Sheeda and Ogma were at. As I sliced at a cavalier, knocking him from his horse, I witnessed Merric chant a few words. Suddenly, several blades of wind rushed from his hands and into an approaching pegasus knight, shredding the foe.

That was amazing… but then I remembered the cavalier attempting to get back up and I stabbed him fatally, ensuring he didn't move any longer. Flicking the blood off my sword, I looked back up to see another cavalier approaching… but something didn't seem right when I got a good look at his face. Why did he look so depressed…?

I didn't have time to dwell on that thought as he reluctantly raised his lance. I slashed at his horse, forcing it to rear up and make the rider lose his balance. Moving quickly, I then swung my blade at the rider himself, knocking him off of his mount. I only used the flat of my blade to knock him down rather than the edge, so it wasn't a lethal attack. He attempted to stand back up, but I was already on him, with my weapon at his neck, ready to finish him…

"Forgive this useless fool of a brother… Lena."

Those words he uttered stopped me from running him through right then and there… who was this guy?

"Ah… a-are you going to kill me?" I heard him stammer.

I responded to his question with two of my own, my sword still trained at his throat, "I want to know a couple of things. Who are you, and how do you know Sister Lena?"

"M-My name's Matthis, young sir. A-And Lena is my younger sister…" the fallen cavalier, Matthis, told me. He was extremely nervous… much like when I was in his current predicament.

"So you're Lena's brother, huh?" I said as I withdrew my sword. At his confused look, I told him, "Look, I'm not going to kill you now, alright? Your sister is traveling with us right now and it wouldn't be right to rob her of family…"

"What? Lena is here?" He sounded surprised. I nodded and signaled said cleric to come over here.

"Don't go anywhere until Sister Lena gets here, alright?" I told the cavalier, and he nodded… albeit reluctantly. I then decided to meet back up with the prince to see if he was okay. When I got to his location, however, I noticed something…

What was that odd red stone he was holding? I decided to ask him…

"Uh… Lord Marth? What's that you're holding?"

"It looks to be some sort of stone, but… it's strange. It seems to be glowing red, yet it's not hot…" the prince replied

"Pretty creepy…"

"That's what the villager that gave me this stone thought." Marth told me, "It's probably best if we put this in the convoy for now."

"You're right… I'll tell grandpa what we've found after this fight's over." I replied as I caught Jeigan's signal.

Charging back into the fray, I fell back in with Marth's forces as we forced our way west. Now Medon's army was getting assailed from both Hardin's forces from the south and our own forces from the east. With Hardin's two horsemen joining our 3 archers, shooting down the pegasus knight reinforcements was easy as pie. Meanwhile, the white-turbaned rider and his two other cavaliers had formed a phalanx to block the advance of Medon's backup cavalry, so grandpa called for our own cavaliers (which now included Matthis) to support the Aurelians. It was like the opposition had slammed into a brick wall, as they fell upon our lances. Merric also provided a little help with his Excalibur magic, as the wind spell tore right through the reinforcements…

Soon, we were upon the castle gates, and with only three armored knights standing in our way. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon an armorslayer that one of the cavaliers dropped, so I switched out my normal sword for it. It was a tad bit heavier than my regular weapon, but it wasn't enough to cause a disadvantage.

"Merric, stay behind Christopher. Use your magic if he's showing any sign of struggling." Grandpa told the mage. He then told Barst and Darros to take care of the other two knights flanking who I believed was the leader of Medon's forces in this area.

"I'm watching this castle in Princess Minerva's absence…" The knight in the middle spoke, "…and as long as I stand, you will not claim it!"

"In that case…" I replied back, "…we're going through you! Now prepare yourself!"

I drew the armorslayer from its sheath as he readied his lance. I needed to end this fight quickly, as can easily outreach me with his weapon, which was a silver lance…

The armored foe thrusted his weapon in my direction, so I immediately sidestepped and swung sideways at him, cutting into him and his chest-plate. This did hurt, but it wasn't enough to beat him, as he slashed at me with the point of his lance, leaving a pretty good cut on my right arm. Gritting through the pain, I swung even harder at him, slicing right through one of the pauldrons and into his left shoulder. Now he could barely raise his lance, much less attack…

"Argh… don't think you've won yet!" he growled out. I silenced him with an upward swing, slashing right through his chest. Blood pooled from his body as he stumbled to the ground, dead to the world. After cleaning off the blood from my weapon, I looked to see Merric shredding one armored knight with Excalibur, and Barst and Darros finish up by slamming their axes into the other armored knight. Neither stood any chance against them…

"That's the last of them…" Marth muttered as the Coyote himself, Hardin, came up to him…

"That was a well planned battle, young prince." He said, "News of your exploits have certainly traveled quickly."

Marth replied, "I've also heard stories about you, Coyote. Working alongside a man of your valor would a great honor."

"Well, let's get down to business. I've left Akaneia's princess Nyna in a safe location. Will you take charge in the coming battles?"

Marth looked surprised at this. If I had to guess, I figured he was thinking that Hardin would have better experience at commanding an army or something…

"Are you really sure, Sir Hardin? I would think that you-"

I decided to leave at this point, as I felt slightly out of place among those two. Seeing grandpa coming, I told him about the strange red stone that Marth came upon… and this was quick to catch his attention.

"Christopher, that is a dragonstone! This is the source of a manakete's power, and it allows them to transform into dragons!" he told me.

"Seriously? Wow…" I said, "Um… so what does this particular stone do?"

"This appears to be a fire stone. With this, a manakete can transform into a fire dragon."

"I see…"

Well, it won't be of any use to us right now. Maybe if we had a manakete ally of our own, this might be useful. I took the stone to the supply wagon and made my way back to the gates.

Due to castle halls not having any room for mounts, our riders were forced to dismount for the time being. At least they knew how to fight off of a mount as well as on one…

XXXXXXXXXX

With Medon's main force now out of commission, our next objective was to clean out Aurelis Castle, and destroy any stragglers still hanging around inside.

According to grandpa, the treasures in the castle were still intact, but if war has taught me anything, it's that a battle is a perfect distraction for looters to get away with stealing treasures.

We'll need to work fast if we want to get the treasures for ourselves…

XXXXXXXXXX

"Bah…" Cain grumbled, "There's no way we can get those chests open without a thief. Do we even have any among us?"

I then noticed Julian approach, "Er, actually… if you need to recover any goods, I can help you with that."

Great! That'll make things easier for us…

"Is anyone out there?"

Huh? Where'd that voice come from?

"Somebody get us out of here!"

Peering eastward, the source of those voices came from what looked to be a prison cell. Fortunately, one of the armored knights from outside had a key, so Merric opened the door, and two people emerged from the cell…

One of them looked to be a guy that was probably a couple of years older than me. Judging from his rags, I'd say he was a thief that didn't have much luck in looting the place…

The other one looked to be an elderly man. The robes he had on told me that he was a bishop of high rank.

Merric approached the bishop as Julian met up with the thief. I left them to their own affairs as I peered around the corner to see what we were up against…

Hm… archers, thieves, and armored knights. Getting those treasures are going to be a bit challenging.

Turning back to the army, I turned to see who our two newest members were…

"So, who are you two?"

The thief spoke first, "My name's Rickard! I may only be a small-time thief, but I've got big dreams! Chief said I'll be working with you guys from now on, so that's why I'm here."

Well, he's pretty excitable… that much I'll say.

Turning to the bishop, I wordlessly questioned him.

"I am Wendell, bishop of Khadein. That black-hearted fiend Gharnef seized control of the city and I was forced to escape. Because Gharnef has allied himself with Doluna, we share a common foe and as such I will join your forces. I've no love for war, but I'll provide whatever assistance I can."

"Good to have you two on board." I nodded, but then I heard more voices… unfriendly ones this time.

"It's the rebel army! They've breached the gates and are inside now! Somebody go warn General Emereus at once!"

Damn! We've been discovered!

"Malledus! We need to fight back!" Marth told grandpa.

"Everyone, to arms at once! Engage the foe if you see them!" he called to everyone.

Just then, Sister Lena came up…

"Sir Malledus, we may not be able to reach some of the treasures in time before the enemy gets to them. I can use my warp staff to send others to hold off the enemy until Julian and Rickard get to where the chest are."

Wow… pretty good line of thinking!

"I see no problem with that." Grandpa nodded, "Alright then… Draug, Ogma, Navarre, and Cain will guard the chests until we can get Julian or Rickard to open them."

The four nodded and gathered around Lena as she chanted a few words and warped the four away in a bright pillar of light.

Part of me wondered just what that would feel like…

Shaking those thoughts aside, I decided to try sneaking up on some foes. One archer was looking around as he guarded a chamber, so I kept my sword sheathed as I brought my dagger out of my sleeve. The poor guy never suspected me coming behind him, and the knife slit right across his throat, dropping him in seconds.

Unfortunately, he ended up making a few choked sounds as he collapsed and that alerted a couple of armored knights to my position. Reacting quickly, I put away my dagger and drew my armorslayer as Bord and Cord came to back me up. With Bord's hammer and my armorslayer, those knights went down flat.

Ow! Augh!

Looking down, I witnessed a couple of arrows sticking out of me. One nailed my right arm and another on the right side of my chest. Norne and Castor fired back at them quickly, nailing the two archers that shot me and bringing them down. I then removed the arrows sticking out of me… and boy did that hurt something fierce.

"Everything okay, Chris?" Castor asked me.

"I'm still alive, don't worry." I told him, as Lena came over to heal me.

A third archer came around the corner ready to shoot at us, but fortunately a well-timed appearance from Wendell saved us. With his Thunder magic, the experience for the foe was… quite painful.

In any case, we were now approaching the throne room where the enemy general was waiting for us. Malledus caught up with us to report what all was retrieved by our two thieves…

Gold, a Killing Edge (which I couldn't wait to try using), another Armorslayer, an Angelic Robe, and a Physic Staff. All of these items were sure to prove useful…

Hardin decided to volunteer and take these goods to our convoy, though something told me that he'd also be returning with Princess Nyna in tow as well…

Now it was just us and the enemy general, and he sure didn't look too happy with us.

"Blast it! Why didn't those idiots stop them!"

"There's no one here to help you now." I told him, "Now give it up!"

"Never! I refuse to fall to you worthless rebels!" He thundered back as he readied his lance and shield…

I didn't think I was quite ready to face a general yet, so I decided to stay away from this battle, as I handed my armorslayer to Ogma. I witnessed him and Barst (who borrowed Bord's hammer) charge forth and slam their weapons upon him. He was quick enough to sidestep Ogma's strike, but the hammer caught him on his shoulder, so he stabbed at Barst to force him back…

"Barst, fall back quickly!" I called to him. Wrys and Lena quickly brought him away to heal him.

Draug then came up to match lances with the general. Emereus' armor proved to be thicker than Draug's, so the latter had a bit of trouble with stabbing his lance into the former, though some attacks did make it through. Now that Emereus was slowed down from Draug's assault, Ogma charged in again and landed a deep cut across the general's chest with the armorslayer.

"Agh! You blasted rebels!" he raged as he knocked Ogma aside with his shield. Merric then came in with his Excalibur magic, as sharp wind blades went right through Emereus' armor and shredded him from the inside out…

"Why… urgh…" he sputtered as he fell to the floor, dead as a doornail…

With that, Medon's forces were finally eliminated and Aurelis was free once again. I breathed in a sigh of relief, knowing that this struggle was finally laid to rest…

XXXXXXXXXX

We spent a couple of hours getting the castle cleaned up and our inventories sorted out. Marth, myself, and my grandfather were currently in the throne room, trying to think of our next course of action, but the sound of Lord Hardin opening the door got our attention…

Woah… is that the princess of Akaneia herself?

She was a beautiful, regal lady, probably in her early to mid 20's if I had to guess. I could hardly believe a gorgeous maiden like her existed…

At the same time, though, she did have something of a melancholy aura about her. It more than likely had to do with the fact that her family was slain by Doluna's forces…

My sympathy was with her entirely. I pretty much knew how that felt now…

Oh, hold on… she's speaking now. Taking my cue from everyone else, I bowed down…

"We meet at last, Prince Marth…" she began, "I am Nyna of House Akaneia."

"'Tis an honor to meet you, milady." The prince replied.

"For untold years, it has always been Akaneia's sworn duty to keep this world free from crisis, and I strove hard to fulfill this task. But now… Doluna has wrought death and destruction throughout my kingdom, and now the world may be soon to follow."

I listened carefully as she told us this. If Doluna's might was this powerful, then we were surely in for a rough time…

"Prince Marth…" she continued, "I must now turn to you for assistance. Please, in my place, lead your might against Doluna, and liberate this world from the empire's grasp."

Marth nodded, "I will do as you say, Princess Nyna. In the olden times, Altea has sworn loyalty to Akaneia, and I intend to uphold that oath. It's also my destiny as Anri's direct descendant to destroy the Shadow Dragon, Medeus, just as he did one century ago…"

"Thank you, Marth." Nyna replied, and then she took out what looked to be some kind of crest…

"Then I will give this to you." She continued as she presented this crest to Marth, "It is the holy symbol of Akaneia's royal family, the Fire Emblem. It serves as the proof of a true hero that can liberate the world from evil. Now that it is in your possession, you will have access to treasure chests across the lands and the items that they may hold."

"You have my thanks, Nyna. Until our world is brought out of darkness once more, I shall never stop fighting." Marth responded with resolution.

XXXXXXXXXX

Now that Aurelis was freed, we were granted quarters by the king until we thought up our next plan of action. Grandpa and I were once again discussing what to do next over a game of chess…

"So what do we do now, grandpa?" I asked him as I sent my bishop up to attack one of his pawns.

"Hm…" he mused as he sent out his rook, "It would probably be prudent if we liberated Akaneia next."

"So is this what we're going to have to do for the time being?" I questioned, sending out my other bishop, "Liberating kingdoms until we can mount our own offensive?"

"It's the only way, Christopher…" he replied.

What? Blast it, he got my only remaining knight with one of his bishops!

"Well, I guess you've got a point." I acceded, sending my bishop to take out one of his rooks, "At our current strength, we still wouldn't have a chance against Doluna's finest. If we can liberate the kingdoms still occupied by the empire, then maybe we'll gain some allies out of it…"

"That's precisely what I'm getting at." He said, as he thought of his next move, "There is strength in numbers after all…"

Gah… not again! My king has nowhere to run now…

"Checkmate."

*sigh*

I really need to study my tactics more…

"Don't get discouraged, Christopher." Grandpa tried to encourage me, "It normally takes a long time for one to master the art of strategy. You'll eventually have enough knowledge to hold your own in that field."

I could only nod at this. I just had to keep at it…

"Now let's get some sleep. Tomorrow we must depart for Akaneia, so you'll need to rest up for the trip…"

"Alright, grandpa. Goodnight…" I told him as I left his room to return to my own quarters. Since it was on the upper level, it took a short while to reach it. As I was walking, however, I noticed someone looking out on the balcony on the east end of the castle…

"Uh, excuse me. You over there…" I called to the person as I approached…

"Yes?"

To my surprise, when that person turned around, it was revealed to be Princess Nyna! Seeing what I just did, I quickly bowed down hoping that I didn't offend her…

"Ah! Er… I beg your pardon, Lady Nyna. I didn't know you were up here…" I quickly stammered out.

Gah, I feel like a real fool now…

She made a slight giggle as she replied, "No apologies necessary, young sir. Now please rise… there is no one else present."

Confused, I did as she said, "Er, right then…"

"Now, you were going to ask me something?" she questioned.

"Um, I just wanted to know why you were up here…" I meekly replied.

"I… was just thinking about all that has happened since I arrived here…"

"Is that right… well, I understand. I'm sure you've gone through many trials what with this war and all…" I said, being very careful not to mention her family's destruction.

"Yes… I have." She spoke sadly, "I was able to seek refuge here, but my family and my kingdom…"

"I know what you mean, sort of…" I replied, stopping her from going any further, "My parents met their end to one of Doluna's dragons. Only my grandfather and I were spared when we made our getaway as Altea fell to the empire…"

"Yes… Prince Marth told me of Gra's betrayal…" she responded, "But who is your grandfather?"

"He is Malledus, Marth's war advisor and a close friend of the late King Cornelius…" I clarified, "You did see him with us, didn't you?"

"Ah, of course…" Nyna answered, then she questioned me further, "So is that why you're fighting in Marth's ranks? To avenge your mother and father?"

"Yes… and I won't stop fighting until I make their killer pay…" I muttered, a bitter tone filling my voice once again.

When I looked up though, her slightly frightened expression snapped me out of my hate…

"Oh… my apologies. I didn't know…" She said solemnly, but I just shook my head.

"Don't trouble yourself over it, Lady Nyna. All I can do after I bring down their killer is serve my liege with my very life. It's what Mom and Dad would've wanted…"

She wordlessly nodded at my answer. A moment of awkward silence had passed before I spoke again…

"Well, it's getting late, so I think we'd better turn in for the night. Tomorrow we leave for Akaneia, your homeland, and I have no doubt that it's going to be a challenge trying to free it from Doluna's grip. I may not be a true soldier or knight… but I'll do everything I can to lend a hand."

She smiled slightly, "Thank you, young sir. I appreciate your efforts…"

"Of course, milady. It was great talking to you…" I replied, and was about to continue to my room, but then…

"Wait…"

"Er, yes?" I turned again to address the princess…

"I don't believe I ever learned your name…" She said.

Oh, I never introduced myself… whoops.

"Uh… my name is Christopher, but most others call me Chris." I replied, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Christopher…" she noted, then held back a bit of laughter as she witnessed my blushing face, "Very well then. I hope to see you in the morning…"

Regaining my composure, I nodded, "Of course, Lady Nyna. Until then though, goodnight…"

It took a couple of minutes after that little chat for me to find my room. Once I did though, I did my usual routine of writing down records of our current travels and figuring out good formations for everyone to follow.

A thought came to my mind as I wrote all of this down…

Lord Hardin… I only caught a glimpse of him when Lady Nyna was present with us hours ago, but I can't shake the feeling that he was enamored with her for some reason…

Can't say I blame him, though. A beautiful lady like her was sure to turn some heads…

My writings complete, I blew the candle out and went to my bed to sleep…

Once daybreak comes, we'll make for our next destination… The Holy Kingdom of Akaneia.

Because of Doluna's might, it has suffered much hardship. Now it's up to us to liberate the kingdom and the rest of the world…

Whether or not we've got the power to do it all, I'll soon figure that out in the morning…


END OF CHAPTER

And there you have it. Another chapter said and done.

As always, if you've any reviews, suggestions, or any other commentary, I'd love to hear it.

Until next time, farewell.