Tatsu: Alrighty, I'm heading into the final few chapters before Lundgren dies out of his insanity. I dunno if Mark will get killed or if he'll get away, but we'll find out, eh? Yes, I pretty much write chapters off the top of my head, and only use the lines so I stick to the story a little better.

Well, moving on to the pairings, I got a vote for Legault/Isadora, and one for Nino/Jaffar. I'll have to remember to put those in.

Well, this chapter won't have a vote. That's because I'm going to put in a bonus chapter to show the finalists for the voting. Then we'll get started. How will those votes proceed? Wait until after the chapter to find out!

Well, I just have to remind you that I don't own Fire Emblem, and I've only made moderations to it for my fic. The added characters are based off of other people or things I've seen before. Like I said, I have no imagination.

Anyways, here comes chapter 20!

Chapter 20: Hurry to Kathelet!

"You… you killed them, didn't you." I remember saying that. There was no question it my words. To look at this man's face you would learn all you needed to know. The unpleasantness he had committed far exceeded anything else he had ever done. From the moment I met him I didn't like him, and yet… for some strange, unknown reason… I pitied him.

"Yes… I did. Their quintessence was excellent." He responded, that merciless smile of his still in place. Jaffar nudged me from behind. I chanced a brief look at his face. He wasn't much older than me at all, yet even then he didn't show any emotion. I could feel him trembling.

If even Jaffar was afraid of this man… the one that had killed a whole pack of beasts without showing an ounce of fear… I felt my small amount of courage give way. I was no warrior. I couldn't even pass as a tactician yet. My skills were so horrid that my quintessence must have looked like nothing to him. He didn't need it.

"Boy." He said sharply, causing me to look up. It was as though an invisible hand had pulled my head up, and made my eyes lock onto his. I could tell I was now on the verge of fainting. "I will let you live on one condition. You will serve my every whim."

The force let go, and immediately my gaze dropped back to the floor. I wasn't sure what I wanted. At that moment, I probably would've let myself die, without worry or care. But Jaffar looked at me again. I could tell that despite his mask of calm, he didn't want the person he had just met to be killed so quickly.

"Say it to me." The man in the black cloak said, sweeping down from his standpoint to loom over me like a cloud of depression.

I got down on one knee, every ounce of my body was shaking. I couldn't stop the trembling, and I could tell that this evil man was enjoying every minute of my torture. "I…" I began, at my best attempt of a brave voice, "I, Will… Pledge my service to you. I will go wherever you send me, and do whatever you ask of me." It was words of defeat.

"Good…" The evil one said, smiling. "You will get strong, boy. And I, Nergal, shall hold you to your words. If you ever betray us… it means death."

"Yes… Lord Nergal." I said, and stood up. Jaffar turned, and I followed him from the hall. Only then did I realize what I had just done. The foolishness of it hit me so hard, that I vomited. Jaffar merely smiled sadly, helping me to what was now my home.

"

"Why are you still up?" Came the cool voice of the soon to be Lady.

Will turned, seeing Lyn leaning against a tree nearby. It looked like she had been watching him for some time. He merely smiled lightly, and then continued what he was doing.

"You know, that'll only make the poison spread faster." She spoke up again, and this time she actually sounded a little worried.

"Not really. The poison's spread is gradual now. As all poisons are. Truth is, that bastard's medicine actually made it a little easier." He responded, kicking the tree again.

"What do you mean?" She asked, now next to him. He stopped his mechanical routine, and looked at Lyn.

"He's the Angel of Deceit. You can't trust him, and yet when it's come to me, he's never been quite as… deceitful." Will answered, shrugging slightly. "If that makes any sense."

"Not really." Lyn said, scratching her arm unconsciously. She looked at Will again. "You really should get some rest though…"

"For what?" Will laughed bitterly. "Every time I fall asleep now, I'm plagued by doubts of the coming battle. I fear I won't be there. I'm afraid… that I won't wake up again." He gripped his fists, and Lyn noticed that the grip was weaker than it had been before.

"I don't think you'll die." She said simply, making Will look up.

"What makes you say that?" He asked, grinning slightly.

"Well, we have established that you are half-Sacaen just as I am. I happen to know that we are very stubborn when it comes to dying." She said this as though it were a fact, but Will shook his head. "Well… I know I am."

Will laughed again. It was a nice thing to hear. He hadn't lost everything yet, even if he still seemed strained, it was more because of the poison now, than of his worries about the others.

"And you are too. Mark's beaten you up twice, and you recovered both times. You are stubborn. So you won't die."

"If you say so, Princess." He said, shrugging slightly.

"What's that?" She asked, taken aback.

Will smiled a smile that would look more on place on Matthew. "Oh, well, once we save Caelin, you'll be a princess, won't you? I'm just getting a jump on everyone else."

"No way!" She shouted, turning red. "The most I'll be is 'Lady Lyndis' and I refuse to let you call me that!"

"Why is that? Afraid I'll besmirched the name?" He responded, cocking his head slightly. She found it cute and irritating at the same time. Some people were just so… clueless.

"No, but we're friends, right? And you don't serve under me. So, I'm still Lyn." She defended, and Will shook his head again.

"Sorry Milady, but you got that wrong. Who do you think is paying the bill for me when this is all done?" She thought about that for a minute, then stamped her foot in annoyance, as she could find no response to give to that.

"Well, fine. But…" She looked away, hiding the red that was slowly creeping onto her face. "If you have to call me milady in front of the others, I don't mind, but…" Now she could feel her whole face starting to burn. "When it's just the two of us… could you still call me Lyn?"

Will thought about this, staring at the tree he had been hitting. He almost felt like giving it an apology, but realized that even if it could talk, it wouldn't forgive him. And he was getting way off track from the question… was he afraid to answer?

The silence persisted for some time. Finally, Will broke it, his voice wavering with uncertainty. "Well… we are friends, right?"

Lyn immediately turned. How could he have not thought that after all this time? How long had it been? At least two turnings of the Moon Cycle since they had started out on this journey together. "Of course! You're the best friend I've got after Florina!" She cried, startling some sleeping birds out of the tree. She looked at them, and suddenly felt a pair of arms encircle her. She froze, not knowing what to do.

He was hugging her. Did he… might he feel something to? She shivered as he whispered close to her ear. "Thank you… for believing in me… Lyn."

His hold released, and he walked off in the direction of camp. Lyn stood there for another two or three minutes, still unsure about what had just transpired between the two of them. Finally, a warm smile spread across her lips. He was truly… a good person at heart. She had already known but… sometimes, it never hurt to have reassurance. She headed back to camp.

The two spend the rest of the night, side-by-side as they received a lecture from Kent about the dangers of going off alone and without informing the others of their whereabouts. They simply smiled. It was his way of showing that he cared.

"Serra, for the last time, I will not be bossed around by two of you at once." Erk said, sighing sadly as the two girls tried to make him do different things.

Mark patted the mage on the shoulder, smiling. "You know, I never realized she could be this much of a handful."

Erk looked at him angrily. "Then you be their so called 'Slave'! I've already had to fix a pouch on that grumpy Wyvern, rescue both of them from dangerous snails, and wash their clothes. Do you know how freaking embarrassing that is?" He retorted angrily at the man, who simply continued to smile.

"Oh yes, I know all too well. And don't worry, you'll get used to it."

"That's not something I want to get used to." Erk muttered darkly.

"Well, good luck!" Mark said, and walked off to talk to Wil and Dorcas, who were engaged in tales about their lives before this. Erk let out a depressed sigh, before he was called in to save Serra from a scary looking tree branch. His nerves… would definitely not last.

"So, you don't have any family besides your wife?" Wil was saying, as Mark approached the two.

"Not really, my parents recently died." Dorcas said, nodding to Mark as he matched their pace. They were moving along fast, but not so fast as to not be able to enjoy a conversation or two with each other.

"Really?" Mark asked, bringing himself into the conversation.

"Yes, after that Natalie and I got married. We'd like to start a family, but with her illness…" Dorcas trailed off.

"Illness?" The curious light user probed, trying to figure out more about his new traveling companions.

"Ah yes, you weren't there. She's had problems with her legs since she was little." Dorcas said, smiling sadly. "In fact, I'm on this journey to earn money, in the hopes to buy her the medicine she needs to be cured."

"So, you two were childhood friends? Sounds a lot like me and Rebecca!" Wil chirped happily, making the other two look at him questioningly. It seems that it was his turn. "Well, there were actually three of us. Dan and I are the same age, and Rebecca is two years younger. She's also Dan's younger sister."

"Interesting." Mark said. "So what happened to you if you ended up here?"

"Well, our village is really poor, and neither of our families had much money. Even though Dan was the village Elder's son." Wil said, putting up a finger in explanation. It always seemed to make things more… educational. "So, me and Dan set out to make our fortunes. But after a month with no luck, Dan turned back."

"Seems like he gave up too easily." Dorcas grunted, and Wil shrugged.

"I'm glad he did. Hopefully he can take care of Rebecca. After that, I kind of… got robbed." Wil continued, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly. "Then I met Will and Lyn, and they let me tag along." He made a sweeping gesture, as though to say 'And here I am.' Now both were looking at Mark.

"What, you want my story?" He looked slightly wary about giving it, but after both shrugged, as though to symbolize that they didn't care, he sighed. "Well… there isn't much to it."

Dorcas grunted, as though to say 'that's all our stories, kid,' but he stayed silent. Wil simply… stayed silent as well.

"I was brought to a monastery when I was young. They believed I would be a good priest or Monk, so they trained me. I never really… liked it much." He sighed, breaking off for a brief moment, before continuing. "I thought that everything they taught wasn't all true." They looked at him with interest.

"Despite my prayers to St. Elimine, I never heard a voice, or got what I needed. I left when I turned fourteen." He looked out at the miles they still had to cross, as though remembering something. "I ended up in Bern. How, I can't say for sure. I merely made my way wandering from place to place, using my magic to help people."

"So, sort of like what I did." Lucius said, making the other three jump. They hadn't realized he had joined them. "I did that as I was chasing after Lord Raymond. I know it was a sort of betrayal of our vows to not take lives, but it was for the better good."

Mark nodded. "Yeah, something like that. Anyways, that's where I met Chaos. Truthfully, I don't remember how. All I remember was that I thought her name was weird."

"All our names are weird." Dorcas interjected, to which everyone gave a small nod.

"Anyways, she seemed too… different to be on her own, so I ended up joining her. We've been traveling around ever since. I guess we're mercenaries."

Everyone smiled slightly. They had heard around the camp how they were considered 'an evil mercenary group bent on taking the throne of Caelin,' but everyone, even the knights, had ended up laughing in the end.

Matthew, Rath, Nils, and Ninian were all walking together, three silent as Nils happily expounded on their recent battles and how amazing everyone was.

"And then Lyn beat him! That was just so cool! I knew you guys were strong, but I didn't realize you were that strong! You're always surprising me!" Nils chirped, and the other three just shook their heads. He really was just a kid, after all.

"Nils… maybe we should talk about something else?" Ninian asked her brother politely. Nils changed tact at the speed of sound, suddenly seeming much more secretive.

"So, how far you think Lyn's gotten with him? Do you think she's done 'it'?" Nils whispered, and the three almost fell over, Rath actually grabbing the reins of his horse to steady himself.

"I didn't think a child like you would be interested in romance." Matthew said, somehow remaining composed even in his current state of tottering dangerously to the side.

"Nils always has been… rather observant." Ninian said sadly, as the other two looked at the boy, who had gone back to smiling happily.

"Should I ask Lyn about it?" Nils asked, preparing to walk over to her.

"No!" The other three shouted quickly, Ninian grabbing his arm to keep him there.

"Does he even know what 'it' entails?" Rath asked the Thief, and the man shrugged in response.

Nils looked at the nomad. Apparently, he had really good hearing. "Of course! It means hugging and holding hands, duh."

The three nearly fell over again, this time Rath actually ticked off his horse, and it knocked Matthew onto the ground as it started to gallop, Rath desperately trying to regain balance.

Nils blinked. "What, did I say something funny?"

Lyn was walking alongside Kent and Sain, who had dismounted to save their horses' energy in case of a fight. They weren't going to take many chances.

"Milady, we are only a few hours away from where Eliwood promised to meet us." Kent said, and Lyn nodded. Luckily, Chaos had a carrier pigeon that had arrived with a message for her. She had looked at it once, ripped it up, and then was about the send the bird away before Will stopped her.

The letter had been sent, and the bird had returned at nightfall, carrying the news that Eliwood was very close and would be willing to meet them as soon as possible.

"Will has decided we'll stay at the inn with the extra money Matthew stole from the Black Fang's previous hideout. It'll be a good rest for us before the final stretch." Sain said, adjusting a pouch containing Vulneries to his horse.

"Yes, we'll need everyone in top form." She said, glancing over at Will. He was currently engaged in a more one-sided conversation with Florina. She still had trouble talking to him, even though she could be in his presence without screaming for help.

"Milady?" Kent asked, and Lyn turned back around.

"It's nothing." Lyn said quickly, pushing out the memory of those arms wrapped around her. She hadn't felt a hug like that since… since her parents had…

Sain patted her on the shoulder. "Well, I would say I'm off girl hunting, but I think it's more like mage rescuing." He said, walking off towards Erk, who looked about ready to pull out his spell book and blast the two girls. It was a short time before Sain was looking just as annoyed, having Serra clinging around his neck and proclaiming how much he loved her.

"I can see why you'd need a break." He managed to mutter to Erk, who was attempting to read, though it was difficult as Chaos was playing with his hair again. Soon it'd end up permanently spiky.

"Thanks, I suppose I owe you one, but I want to kill Mark before that." Erk whispered back darkly.

"Yes, I'd like in on that action if you don't mind…" Sain answered, just as darkly as the mage had.

"Be my guest." The mage responded, smiling slightly.

Mark sneezed rather loudly. He also felt a cold shiver run down his spine. "You okay?" Lucius asked, and Mark looked around suspiciously.

"Someone's out for my blood…" He whispered, a slight edge of fear in his voice. He spotted Sain and Erk conversing. "Umm… Dorcas, can you protect me if they try to kill me?"

"No." He said, and continued walking.

"I'm not getting in the way of that." Wil added, and hurried after Dorcas. Lucius put a comforting hand of Mark's shoulder.

"…I'll see you in the afterlife." He said quickly, and hurried off after the other two.

"You jerks!" He shouted, and ran after them.

"We'll be there shortly." Will said, smiling slightly. "It'll be good to see Eliwood. I have a feeling thing will go rather well for us."

"Why?" Florina asked, saying one of the few words she had this whole time.

"Well, for one thing, he seems to have much influence in Lycia. For another, I'm sure no other nation really wants to get involved in this." Will explained.

"Maybe…" Florina responded.

"You know, you could try and say more than one word. Otherwise I just feel like it's me talking." Will said, sighing softly.

"But…" Florina started, trying to find an explanation.

"I was kind of hoping that all our training sessions would help you get over your fear of men, but…" Will trailed off, looking at her.

"Th-That's not true!" Florina responded quickly. "You've helped me so much! It's just hard to… say something." She said, then realized that she had said something.

"There, you see? Now if only you could talk that much when you aren't being defensive." Will smiled.

"I wasn't being defensive!" She actually shouted this back.

"You so were." Will retorted, smiling even border.

"I was not!"

Rath, Now back in control of his horse, Ninian, Nils, and Matthew, now back on his feet, though a little dusty, watched the exchange with interest. "They're arguing?" Rath said, confused.

"Florina is arguing?" Matthew asked, even more amazed.

"Hmm… Lyn might actually have some competition after all…" Ninian mused to herself.

Will and Florina's bickering eventually drew everyone's attention, and it lasted all the way to the city, before they realized that everyone was staring at them. Most of them had been surprised at the words and phrases that ended up shooting out. In the end, the two looked at each other, breathing heavily for a moment, before breaking up into fits of laughter. Everyone ended up laughing as well.

Shortly after that, Lyn and Will entered the pub, and spotted a familiar flash of red hair rather easily.

"Eliwood!" They cried in unison, and he waved. Shortly they both joined him at his table.

"So, you needed to talk to me, right? What was it about?" He asked.

"Will, explain." Lyn said, more as an order than a request.

"Me again?" He asked her in a put out tone, but a glare silenced him. Eliwood merely chuckled. "Fine… it's like this," Will began.

"I see…" Eliwood pondered, thinking hard as he placed his glass of water on the table. He was under age after all, and now wouldn't have been the time to drink anyway. "So, you want me to ask the other territories to stay out of the conflict?"

"Yes, please." Lyn said, speaking up as Will was exhausted from his explanation. "We can bring down my granduncle and save my grandfather, but only if he doesn't get any outside help."

Eliwood considered this. "Very well. I'll send word right away. It will take a few days for the replies to come at the least, so I recommend taking this time to rest and recover."

"That was our plan exactly." Will answered, and Eliwood smiled.

Eliwood departed immediately to send word, wondering how the responses would be. He certainly hoped for the best. The others entered shortly. It was evening now.

"Oh hell…" Will muttered.

"What is it?" Lyn asked.

"I forgot to assign rooms…" He groaned, as the others sat down and prepared for dinner.

Lyn actually laughed. "It'll work out on its own. Don't worry."

"I'll hope for that…" Will muttered. And in the end Lyn turned out to be right. Chaos and Serra shared a room, as did Lyn and Florina. Ninian stayed with Nils, and Rath ended up with Dorcas. Erk and Sain shared a room so they could plot Mark's death, while Mark slept in the same room as Kent for self-preservation. Lucius ended up with Wil, and Will ended up with Matthew.

As Matthew kept asking him questions about the Black Fang, Maria, and his possible relationship to Florina and/or Lyn, Will found it very hard to sleep. Eventually he ended up turning the tables, and pelted Matthew with questions about Ostia, Leila, and his motives for helping them. This argument was another long one.

Will could tell his vocal cords wouldn't work all that well tomorrow…

Tatsu: And that's it! I hope this chapter can meet your standards, I tried to think of a good way to do it and this just sort of… came together. I know it's boring for some, but I sort of liked it…

Oh, and I wanted to say, thanks for the nice reviews! I have no confidence, so it is nice when people like my work. Of course, I feel it's better if they just tell the truth. Sometimes I can just tell when people are lying, and it makes me feel worse. Oh well.

On the bright side, I'll be done with summer school soon! On the downside, that means I'll be back in High School before too long. Well, I'll just keep writing until then, and hopefully after!

Anyways, I guess I should wrap this up. Remember, the next chapter will just be the choices for the final votes, so look them over, and think it out, because once the chance to vote comes up, take it and vote for the one you want to win!

I'm still totally torn between Will/Florina and Will/Lyn… it's horrible. Anyways, I will update again shortly! Stay tuned for that! RRRV Everybody!