A/N: Hey guys, I'm back again! Finals are finally over! Hopefully…I have a report due, but I should be able to update pretty soon. I do apologize for the wait, but it might become this slow, now that I've gone through all of my written chapters.

Tom-Ato13: To answer your question about Kent and Saige: yes. Sounds weird, but yes XD

Pharkar: ¡Gracias! Estoy tan feliz de que estés disfrutando de la historia! Voy a tratar de seguir escribiendo sin demoras.

Thanks to everyone who added this to their story alert & favorites!

Also: There's a OC in this chapter…one that's probably going to be pretty big. It will also change to her POV, about…halfway through, so it's especially important to pay attention to the POV's in this specific chapter. I'll try not to do this very often, but I thought it'd be interesting to see Saige from an entirely different POV.

Anyway, on with the chapter.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FIRE EMBLEM.

Chapter 12—An Old Friend

~Saige~

"I think we should post a guard, even when it's day…" I said to Kent. The incident from the other night hung on the edge of my mind. "I thought of taking it up with Eliwood, but I don't want to bother him after what just happened to his father…" Eliwood had been devastated after his father's death, so I hadn't suggested much unless he asked. "Even though we may have temporarily crippled them and their leader, we should watch our backs—the Black Fang could still attack us while we're on the isle."

"Hey! Wait, come back!"

I turned—it was Eliwood's voice—just in time to see said Lord run to the trees.

"Eliwood!" I called at his back, but he didn't stop. I looked at Kent, "Make sure that everyone stays here. I'll go after him." It was the first command that I'd ever given. Usually I'd just give suggestions and ideas, but now that Kent knew that I was a noble, I supposed I had some measure of authority.

I barely even waited for the paladin's reply. I started sprinting after Eliwood, my cape billowing out behind me. I wasn't gaining ground for an instant, but then I pushed myself harder—and just managed to pull up beside him.

"Saige?" Eliwood was still running as fast as he could, and I could barely keep up.

We were dashing through the trees—branches were whipping my face, leaves were most certainly getting stuck in my hair, we had to leap over the roots and fallen logs and the like…It was exhausting.

"Yeah." I panted. "This isn't fun, you know."

Just mere feet ahead of us, weaving through the trees, was a girl—her long blue hair fluttering out behind her. There was a sword—a rapier perhaps?—at her hip, and she wore a cape that was similar to mine, except in black.

Eliwood launched himself forward—just as we came within three feet of her. They both went down—and I overshot by a couple feet. I skid to a halt—almost tripping over a fallen branch—curious about this girl who we'd caught.

She was fighting with all her might against Eliwood, but he had her arms pinned down with his knees.

"Let…me…go!" she forced out every word as she struggled to escape him.

"Eliwood, maybe we should just…leave her be?" I said, not wanting him to get hurt, with the way she was kicking and swinging her fists.

The girl's eyes shifted past Lord Eliwood to me. She stopped moving, and it was silent for a moment—other than the sound of hers and Eliwood's panting—before she finally spoke for the first time.

It was only one word, but it struck a chord in my memory. In a questioning voice she asked, "Saige?"

"Do I…" I trailed off, trying to remember. "Do I know you?"

"Saige! Don't you remember me? I was your best friend!" Her bronze eyes bored into my grey ones.

"…Jayna?"

"Yes! You do remember!"

I shook my head, my brow scrunched. "I barely remember more than your name…Eliwood, could you release her please?"

He reluctantly let her go, and she sprung up instantly, hugging me tight.

"Saige! I'm so glad I found you!"

"Um…so if you were trying to find me, why did you run away from Eliwood?"

She pulled back, her arms dropping to her sides. "Well, I was going to try and talk to you when you were alone…" she looked at Eliwood. "But handsome here didn't give me much of a choice! Besides, I figured it'd be better to be safe and run away from him than be sorry and be killed by the Black Fang."

I nodded and said slowly, "I suppose that makes sense…"

"I'll tell you…your story, I guess, if you'll take me back to your camp. Oh, and you've yet to introduce us." She grinned at Eliwood—it seemed she was smitten with the handsome Lord.

"Of course…" I trailed off.

"I am Eliwood, son of the—" he cut himself off. I supposed that he'd be Marquess Pherae now, wouldn't he? But he continued anyway, "…Marquess Pherae. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Jayna…" he bowed. Oh, he was so charming…did he not even realize it?

Jayna looked at me like 'oh my goddess, is he for real?' and said, "So you're a noble? I'm the daughter of—"

"Marquess Badon!" the words burst forth from my mouth—I'd suddenly remembered.

Both Jayna and Eliwood looked at me in surprise.

"Yes, that's right…" Jayna said. "So you do remember?"

I tried to recall more about my supposed "best friend" but nothing came to mind. "I think…I'm only remembering things as I go…that I can only remember something from before when my memory is jogged."

"So if I said something significant enough, you'd remember?" Jayna said.

"I believe so…" I glanced at the sky; it looked like someone had painted it with watercolors. "…We should continue our talk back at camp…the sun is setting."

"You're right."

Jayna gazed at me, looking nervous, "Must we?"

My laugh was short, "Of course, how else are we going to get off the Isle?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

~Jayna~

As we walked back to Saige's camp, I couldn't help but notice the subtle differences in my best friend. She seemed have more confidence, yet she dragged her feet as though she was weary from a minute's worth of running. Surely something must've happened before we'd met; otherwise she'd never get that haggard look on her face. There were bags underneath her eyes—which were bloodshot—and she seemed to barely want to speak. It was almost as if our little conversation was all forced.

She would reach up to touch the circlet that her mother had given her repeatedly, tracing small circles around the jade. Yet she seemed almost wary of it; as though she thought it might bite her at any moment.

And then there was her companion—Eliwood. Grief clouded his blue eyes; perhaps he had lost someone dear to him recently? I hadn't been following Saige's group long enough to know if something had happened. He also seemed worn out, although it did nothing to diminish his good looks.

No one spoke as we walked—Eliwood and Saige walked side by side, while I was trailing slightly behind them.

Finally I couldn't stand the silence any longer. "So why did you come to Dread Isle?"

Saige glanced back at me with a clear look of reproach—one that I'd come to recognize over our childhood years. Apparently this was a touchy subject, as she didn't reply. She merely looked to Eliwood with concern showing in her stormy grey eyes.

"We came because we were looking for my father." Eliwood didn't look back at me as he spoke.

We walked for a moment in silence, before my curiosity got the best of me.

"And did you find him?"

Another look from Saige—I got the feeling that I should've left it at that—but apparently curiosity was going to kill the cat. "We did." Saige's voice was curt, leaving a frosty silence in its wake.

"He's…he's dead." My head snapped up in shock when Eliwood said this. So I had been right—he'd lost someone recently—his father. Eliwood's face was cast in shadow, sorrow clearly showing through what had been…all a façade.

I was still struggling for words to say when someone came crashing through the trees somewhere to the right of us. "Eliwood! Saige!" an unfamiliar voice carried through the forest, disturbing wildlife.

"It's Hector." Saige said, before beckoning me as she started in the direction of the voice. "We should go." Eliwood followed quickly, leaving me standing there just as the words came to me.

"I—I'm sorry." I whispered.

A/N: If Marquess Badon actually plays a role in the game—I know I could've overlooked something—could someone let me know, so I could change it? I realized this chapter's a bit short, especially compared to the last one, but I haven't had much free time lately…more of Jayna's story should be revealed in the next chap.