(Rewrite posted on 8/23/2019)

One of the worst things in this world is waking up with no idea where you are. That feeling of 'what the hell,' mixed with the panic of 'how the hell?' That sudden realization of when you notice that your surroundings are not what they should be. That's what I felt right now. I felt confused, scared and surprised, all rolled into one big feeling of 'what the shit?'

This was definitely not where I'm supposed to be.

I lay on my back shifting slightly on the dirt path, the sky above me was the bright blue of the afternoon. The light of the sun was covered by the decently sized buildings on either side of me. The buildings were strange. They were made of stone and wood, their roofs made of some other strange material whose name I didn't know. They weren't what one would expect to find in my hometown, and I shouldn't be waking up outside anyway.

How did I get here? Where exactly is here? These two questions ringed in my mind, I don't know where I am. But when I think about how I got here, all I remember is…

"I'm scared!"

A little girl's voice…?

"Don't be scared. I'm here, just keep looking at me. Everything is going to be okay."

My own voice, sounding just as panicked as the girl's. I've never heard my own voice sound so frightened, what could have scared both me and this mystery girl so much? No matter how hard I tried I couldn't remember anything more. Just those two voices, one of fear and another of reassurance. This just led me to more confusion. Who was this girl? Why does her voice come to my head when I try to remember? But a question that needs a more immediate answer is…

Why do I smell smoke?

I sit up, fully taking in my surroundings. I realize that I'm in some kind of alleyway. There's a dead end behind me and what looks like a much larger street ahead. Figuring that a larger street would eventually lead into a main street I stood up and made my way over.

After reaching the edge of the cobble road, I looked down the right side of the street and saw some buildings that looked like houses. That won't do. I turned to the other side and froze. A man and woman running hand in hand, wearing something that looked like it belonged in medieval Europe. But the most telling feature of this couple; was the look of terror on their face, the black soot sticking to the blonde hair of the woman and the face of the man.

Just as I began to question my own sanity and wonder if this is perhaps a dream. Another man appeared behind them from around the corner. This man explained the fear the couple had. This man was garbed in red and wore furs and plates of what looked like steel armor. But more importantly, in his left hand he held an axe. Not for cutting wood, but a legitimate weapon of war. It was already stained red.

The man laughed in glee as he lifted his right hand, readying a previously unnoticed hatchet. He lobbed the small axe towards the couple. My eyes widened.

"Look out!" I yelled.

But my warning came too late. The axe lodged itself into the back of the man's head. Blood splattered out of the wound, the woman screamed and stared as the lifeless man collapsed to the ground.

"J-Jack!" the woman yelped in an emotion I didn't recognize. But I barely registered it.

I too was staring at the corpse of the man. His eyes were still open in terror, but they lacked any sense of life. He was staring at nothing, his gaze continuing through everything. I didn't feel sick, I had seen enough tv, played enough games and spent enough time on the internet to not be sickened by a corpse. But the shock of seeing someone die just made me freeze up completely.

I didn't know where I was and the first thing I see is someone die. That was enough to tell me I'm in trouble, the way he died was enough to tell me that I sure as hell not in Kansas anymore.

A scream broke me out of my staring contest with the corpse. It was the woman. I turned to the source and saw something that truly sickened me. The man had dropped his axe and grabbed a hold of the woman in her moment of weakness, he laughed as he was trying to lift up her skirt. The feeling of anger filled me, I had never felt more rage than at this moment.

I charged.

"You son of a bitch!" I yelled as I grabbed the girl's collar and punched him in the jaw as hard as I could.

He stumbled away and let go of the girl, my grip on her shirt ensuring she didn't fall with him. Once I was sure she could stand on her own, I let go of her and tackled the man to the floor just as he was reorienting himself.

"Run!" I ordered the girl as I began to straddle the man and pummel his face with hard punches.

"You. Filthy. Piece. Of. Shit!" I growled in between punches.

His nose was completely destroyed and bleeding all over his face, my fists already had a deep coating of his blood. He seemed to finally register what was happening as he blocked my next punch, grabbed my shirt and threw me off of him. He was definitely stronger than me.

I landed on my side and rolled away a few feet for good measure and leapt to my feet. I then promptly scolded myself for not getting up right away.

He recovered his axe.

I looked at the axe, then his snarling face as he spit a wad of blood to the ground… I looked back at his axe.

…

"I don't suppose saying sorry would-"

I didn't get to finish as he leapt at me with a growl. I let out a manly yelp and darted out of the way before he could dissect me with an overhead chop.

"You took my prize you bastard!" the man yelled as he sent a horizontal swing my way.

I ducked and in my new advantageous position threw a straight jab at the man's gonads. He let out a large grunt of pain as I jumped back.

"Sorry buddy, this isn't a carnival. You don't hit a target and get a prize here." Why the hell did I say that?

He yelled in rage and swung at me again. This guy telegraphs like no one else, it was at this moment that I was thankful for the very few lessons in martial arts that my cousin gave me for free. I'm not any good, he always said I was his worst student… But at least I'm dodging well now.

He seemed to have over extended his swing and stumbled slightly. I jumped at my chance of escape and placed my hands on his bald head. With a jump I pulled and extended my legs out in both directions vaulting over him completely. I took off as soon as my feet hit the ground.

"Get back here you son of a bitch!" I heard from behind me as I ran down the cobble road.

I could hear the foot steps of the man behind me as he gave chase. I cursed to myself, this guy was a problem. How do I get out of this? Think! Okay, he is big and bulky, so he isn't probably that agile. Which means…

My eyes lit up as I turned a corner and was met with the sight of some crates. There were small ones and large ones, and just behind it was a pipe sticking out of the wall above them, presumably to hang a lamp. Not only that, but a windowsill was just above that.

I threw a quick glance behind me, he was catching up. But not for long. I ran directly towards the crates, using them as impromptu stairs I climbed up quickly and jumped from the highest point. Grabbing the pipe, I swung myself up to the windowsill and grabbed a hold of the ledge. From there I jumped to the slightly lower roof of the next building.

"Parkour, Bitch!" I yelled as I ran across the rooftop.

I grinned when I heard loud crashing from behind me. He tried to follow me and couldn't perform my ninja maneuvers. After jumping a few rooftops I slowed down and tried to catch my breath. From this vantage point I could see the reason I smelled smoke, because something was burning. More specifically, the city that I was in. I still didn't recognize it, but that's not important right now.

I walked to the other side of the roof and looked over what looked like a plaza. There were several stalls that looked like they were used to sell goods not too long ago. The people that had managed them must have fled in a hurry, because their merchandise is still present… and currently being dug through by men similarly dressed to Mister Handsy McHatchet.

Bandits I realized. Whatever sick LARP session this is, I didn't want any part of it. I needed to find a way out of here I needed to go back home. I needed- Wait… Home? W-where… is home? Why… it's… A city, skyscrapers… New York? No I'm not from New York… I was visiting. That's right! I was visiting. Yeah… yeah I'm from Virginia… Where in Virginia? …Damn it, why can't I remember? Everything's all foggy, the last thing I know I was in New York. And-

My thoughts were cut short when I heard a strange chime-like sound. Turning to the source my eyes widened at the sight of a man in red robes with a matching wizard hat, surrounded by rings of glowing amber text. That looks like…

My thoughts were once again cut short when the strangely dressed man thrust his hand at me and launched a fireball from his palm. My eyes widened as I dove out of the way, unfortunately I chose the wrong way to do so as I tumbled off the roof. I dodged the fireball but ended up landing on my left shoulder, grunting in pain as it dislocated with a loud pop.

I let out a whine as I laid on the ground. My eyes scrunched shut in pain as I lightly gripped my shoulder. I've dislocated a bone before, it always sucks, but I really wish I didn't have to relive that right now. My eyes snapped open once I heard the chiming noise again. The same man thrusted his hand towards my prone form. I didn't wait.

Ignoring the pain I rolled away as quickly as I could, the heat of the fireball singed my clothes as I barely avoided it. I dashed to a stall in front of me and with a quick one handed vault I took cover on the other side. I breathed heavily as I tried to keep calm. I wasn't just out of breath. No, I was hyperventilating!

Calm thoughts, calm thoughts!

En dasha bu…

No bie shun twu

Dien-

My internal singing was cut off by the sound of footsteps. My eyes widened as a red-garbed swordsman charged towards me. I was about to make a break for it when I heard the same chiming noise that I've grown to hate. To my left the Wizard thrust his hand at me yet again. I reacted on instinct and grabbed the nearest hard item, in this case a small lock box of some kind, and threw it at the wizard.

The swordsman had just raised his sword to cut me down when the fireball the wizard launched hit the box I threw. Whatever was in that box, it wasn't a good idea to throw it at fire. It ignited into a blue explosion, throwing me and the swordsman off our feet entirely.

The pain that came with it was unreal. It felt like my entire chest collapsed, my heart felt like it had burst and my ears rang as my head pounded. The burnt residue of whatever had ignited now covered my face like a mask. My throat suddenly felt dry, so dry that I felt like I had been walking through a desert. My vision slowly started to fade when I heard a voice. Its yell was muffled, like I was hearing it from underwater, or perhaps a neighboring room.

Just as the darkness was about to cover my eyes entirely, a green light shone through it. The verdant glow pushed back the shadow and slowly my vision came back. I must have gotten some of the soot in my eyes, because while the darkness may have gone, it was now replaced with a stinging sensation as my eyes watered. I could also feel my arm relocate and the pressure in my chest recede. It felt like every injury I sustained was being reversed.

I slowly reached up and wiped my eyes. With my vision restored I could see that the green light was indeed real. It emanated from a jewel that sat atop a thick wooden staff, intricate designs carved into its surface. Its owner, however, caused me alarm. Only for the fact that I knew her. A girl that couldn't have been older than sixteen, blonde hair tied into pigtails, white headdress, yellow dress and pale blue eyes.

"Don't worry, you'll be okay!"

And her voice, I recognized her voice! But there's no way that she could be…

"Who are you?" I rasped out of my still try throat.

Please don't say it, please don't say it.

"I'm Lissa, nice to meet you!"

Crapbaskets.

"Yeah… You too, though it could be under better circumstances."

I sat up, ignoring her attempt to get me to lay back down. My eyes locked onto a man in a black hood that just blasted a swordsman with a bolt of lightning. Robin… I guess.

"Hey, you need to lay down! You just took a Spirit Dust explosion to the face, it took a lot to heal you! You need to rest!" Lissa said in an attempt at scolding me, but it just came off as a imitation of a growling two-week-old puppy. But hey, at least I knew what was in that box now.

Just as I was about to respond to the puppy of a princess, her eyes widened at something behind me.

"Look out!" she yelped as she quickly tackled me to the side.

I heard a small clang as some sort of blade hit the ground where we previously sat. And after recovering from the sudden tackle, I saw our assailant. The same Axman that I encountered after I woke up. His nose still bloody and disfigured from my earlier assault. The fear I felt soon turned into courage as I remembered there's someone here I need to protect. I didn't hesitate when he was assaulting that woman, so sure as hell won't hesitate here when someone else is in danger.

Just as the bandit lifted his axe to deliver another strike I quickly turned and placed both hands on the ground, which awkwardly placed me directly above Lissa. But I ignored that and instead pivoted on my hands and lifted up one of my legs which connected with the bandit's hand, successfully knocking the axe out of his grasp. Paying no mind to the fact that I just performed the best Aikido movement in my life, I quickly tackled the man to the ground in an attempt to recreate the situation I had earlier that day.

But it seems the man learned from his previous encounter with me. While the tackle did succeed, he was able to prevent me from getting into a mounted position by throwing a swift kick at my sternum. That hurt way more than I expected but I didn't pay it any mind.

I quickly got to my feet and reoriented myself just in time to dodge a punch from the muscled man. Now focused on the matter at hand, I dodged his next jab by leaning to the left, letting his fist fly past my shoulder. I grabbed his extended arm and threw a punch into his gut. He bent over from the impact, using that to my advantage I pulled my fist back and sent an uppercut into his broken nose. His head snapped up, fresh blood spewing from his nostrils as he stumbled backwards.

He held his nose in pain and I moved forward to capitalize on his moment of pain. But he recovered faster than I expected, he moved past my jab and grabbed my throat in his sweaty hand. He started squeezing, hard. My first instinct was to claw at the hand gripping my neck, but I knew that wouldn't get me out of this predicament. After forcing myself to remain calm, despite being unable to breath, I sent a hard kick to his groin. He grunted in pain and annoyance as his grip weakened enough for me to break my arm free and send a quick chop to his throat, causing him to let out a choking gasp as he let go of me completely.

I took a few steps back, letting out my own coughing fit, only to suck in air greedily. I can't last much longer than this, I need to end it now. But how? Broken arm? No, he's clearly prideful, he would keep fighting. Broken leg? It could work but hard to accomplish. Both? Yes. Weaken him then exploit his weakness. I settled into a fighting stance. I need to throw him off, instincts don't fail me now.

He charged as soon as he recovered, throwing a right hook aimed to my jaw. Instead of dodging it normally, I followed the direction of his punch and fell into a sideward roll. The unorthodox method threw him off long enough for me to land back on my feet and send a snap kick to his jaw. He stubbled back, his arm still extended. I quickly grabbed it and threw a hard jab towards the back of his elbow.

He yelled in pain as the sound of snapping bone filled the area. Exploiting his pain, I quickly stepped forward, sliding my foot on his boot and pressing all my weight on it. Several popping sounds were heard as I broke several bones in his foot. He started to fall from his lack of support, but before he could finish his descent. I threw the hardest punch I could muster at his chest.

Just before my fist made contact, I noticed it was for some reason giving off a blue glow. I felt wind contort around it as if the air was hugging my fist, the second it made impact that air burst, letting out a hissing sound as it made a small shockwave. I could feel the man's bones break under my fist as he went flying backwards several feet where he crashed into a nearby fish stall. The wood shattered as he crashed into the stall, the splintered material piling on his unmoving body.

Any amazement I felt at the power of my punch was put to the side as an unrealistic amount of exhaustion hit me. I started letting out hoarse pants as my vision started to spin. I stumbled to the side and fell down expecting to hit the hard cobblestone ground. Instead, I was caught by someone. I don't know who, but I'm to exhausted to care right now. It only took a second longer for me to succumb to unconsciousness.

I slowly lower myself to the ground, cradling the unconscious man in my arms. Laying him gently on the stone surface of the ground, I turn to look at my sister. Lissa's eyes were wide and locked onto the man before me, her face showing both shock, and something akin to gratitude.

"Please tell me I didn't imagine all that." I spoke with a genuine pleading tone in my voice.

Lissa simply shook her head, her eyes remaining locked on the man. I let out a sigh as I looked back down at the man, relieved that I hadn't imagined the fight I just witnessed. Granted, I had only seen the tail end of it, but it was still a sight to behold. This man, who I had instructed Lissa to heal not moments ago, had performed one of the most acrobatic and brutal hand-to-hand melee takedowns I'd ever seen.

While he lacked grace; his movement stiff, which tells me he isn't used to combat, he was effective. The summersault to disorientate, the broken arm to distract, the crushed foot to take the bandit out of the fight. Then the final blow. I had never seen an application of Mana like that before, though to be fair, I'm not the one you'd ask about Magic.

"He saved me."

"Hm?" Lissa's words broke me out of my thoughts as I turned to look at her, "How do you mean?"

"He…" Lissa swallowed thickly, still unused to battle. "The bandit snuck up on us. I saw him first and pushed the two of us out of the way, but I hit my head on the way down. I saw the next attack the bandit made. It was heading for me, but I was dizzy and couldn't move out of the way…"

Lissa finally turned to look at me before she continued, "Then he spun around on his hands and kicked the bandit's axe away! He saved my life!"

I turned back to the unconscious man with a furrow in my brow, "…Then it seems I owe him a debt."

Paying no heed to Lissa approaching and looking over the man for any more injuries, I went over ideas in my head on how to thank the strange man. And he was indeed strange. Not only for his unorthodox fighting style, but for his garb.

He wore a fairly tight shirt that clung to his form, its sleeves ending mid bicep, its color was in stripes of black and blue. His leggings were of a thick light blue material, and his shoes a black and white color that went above his ankle but no higher. Around his neck was a black leather cord that held a pendant of three golden triangles. Odd didn't even begin to describe his clothes.

"A casualty?"

I jumped slightly at the voice behind me, only to turn and see the other strange man I met this day. This day is full of enigmas it seems.

"No. He lives." I clarified just as Frederick arrived atop his steed. "And he saved Lissa's life."

Robins eyes widened as he looked over to Lissa, "Is that true?"

Lissa nodded, "Hm mm, He was totally-"

Lissa was cut off when the previously unconscious man jolted awake with a loud gasp. He was on his feet in a second and stumbled forward, only to fall to his hands. He breathed rapidly for a moment, before he dived over to a pile of rubble that used to be a merchants stall and picked up a sizable piece of wood. He turned on his toes and brandished the plank like a sword.

We all threw our hands up to show that we meant no harm. Of course Frederick did not, he placed a hand on the blade at his waist instead. I spoke before my Knight could.

"Peace, Friend! We mean you no harm. The bandits have been vanquished."

His eyes darted to me and I couldn't help but notice their color. They, quite literally, shimmered in the light like gemstones. A multitude of colors reflecting off their surface, shifting with every slight movement of his eyes.

He seemed to tense slightly as he looked at me however. His eyes lingered on my own for a moment, before darting to Falchion strapped to my hip, and the brand on my shoulder. After this action he relaxed instantly. He knows who I am it seems.

"Oh…" he spoke with a sigh, "Oh, good. I don't know how much longer I could have lasted in the largest Bandit Convention of the realm."

I chuckled slightly at his words, "Good to see you're well enough to have some humor. My name is Chrom, this is Frederick, Robin and I believe you met my sister Lissa?"

He furrowed his brow, "Who?" he asked before looking at the direction I was gesturing to, " …Oh, you mean Puppy face. Hey, thanks for healing me."

"My name's Lissa!"

"Whatever you say Puppy."

I couldn't help but laugh, I could tell the way he spoke to her was not out of disrespect, but endearment. It's clear he has siblings. But it seemed Frederick did not understand this as he stepped forward stiffly.

"You dare show Milady such disrespect?"

The stranger just looked up at the taller man with a blank look in his eye. That in itself was impressive, not many weren't intimidated by Frederick.

"I meant no disrespect, It was a little something called a joke. Calm down, Freddy." At this Frederick's eyes narrowed and I tried to hold back my chuckles alongside both Robin and Lissa.

"Do not call me that." Frederick demanded.

"…Why Freddy? Why out of all the flavors in the world, do you choose to be salty?"

Lissa failed in keeping the laughter contained, and ended up hunching over holding her stomach.

"I-it's true! He's Salty!" she said between giggles.

I chuckled alongside her but made to defuse the situation. "Peace Frederick, he's not hurting anyone. And please friend, stop antagonizing him."

The knight glanced back at me for a moment before glaring at the stranger yet again as he shrugged at my words. I cleared my throat as Lissa's laughter calmed into snickers.

"Tell me, what is your name?" I asked him politely.

His eyes widened slightly, as if he was shocked I would ask his name. He was silent for a moment before he cleared his throat.

"It's Ke- uh. My name is Kail."

I nodded, "Well met, Kail. You have my thanks for protecting my sister."

Kail chuckled, "Ah, well. It was nothing."

I raised an eyebrow, "Subduing an enemy by Summersaulting and breaking several of their bones only to punch them into a merchant stall ten feet away isn't nothing."

"He did what?" Robin asked, I chuckled and just nodded at the hooded man.

Kail scratched the back of his neck, "…Well when you put it that way…"

I was about to continue the conversation with the man, before I noticed his eyes looking at something behind me. Curious, I turned around and saw some of the villagers come out of their hiding places. One elder in particular approached us, a look of gratitude and awe in his eye.

"M-Milords! We can't thank you enough for what you have done!" the old man bowed deeply, "Please, we are a simple folk but we would gladly host you a feast!"

I wanted to accept, if only to be respectful, but…

"Thank you for the offer sir, I'm sure your hospitality would be grand. But regretfully, we must make haste to the capital."

Frederick beat me to it.

"What!?" Lissa didn't agree it seemed, "But It's nearly dark!"

Just as Frederick was about to respond Kail stepped forward.

"Excuse me sir, what's your name?"

The old man looked towards Kail and responded, "Markus, Milord."

Kail nodded, "My name's Kail. I'm no lord so please just use my name."

The man nodded, Kail continued.

"I-I'm not from around here. But when the bandits attacked, there was this couple I encountered. I… I was too late to save the man." Kail hung his head in what looked like shame, my heart went out to him. I know that feeling all too well.

"But, I was able to save the woman from being-" he paused and sent a quick glance to Lissa, "Uh, mistreated."

I cringed, knowing what he meant. I think everyone did, it wasn't exactly subtle, but I appreciate his effort to keep the darker side of this away from Lissa.

"A-Anyway, I told her to run and she did. But I was wondering if you knew if she made it or not. She was about my height, dirty blonde hair, green eyes?"

The old mans lit up, "You're the one that saved Carissa."

"So she's alright?"

The elder nodded, "Shaken, but yes. You have my thanks for saving my granddaughter."

Kail's eyes widened, "Oh. Well… Your thanks is appreciated but not necessary. I just wish I could have saved the man… Jack was his name, right? She called out to him…"

Markus nodded sadly, "Yes. I will miss my Grandson deeply. But I'm sure you did all you could."

Kail nodded slowly, "I- …I tried. And I am deeply sorry for it not being enough."

"Do not blame yourself. It was him, and him alone."

Kail nodded again and looked at the pile of rubble that he had sent the bandit through, "Yes… I suppose it was."

Markus smiled, "Please. Come with me and let me introduce you to my granddaughter, I'm sure she'd love to meet you."

"I'd like to meet her as well." Kail said with a smile.

"As would I" I said as I stepped closer to the two and placed my hand on Kail's shoulder, he stiffened… Strange. "I think we can spare a few moments to meet the woman my new friend saved."

"Then please, follow me!" Markus said as he turned without waiting for a response.

I walked forward, pushing Kail along with me, ignoring Frederick's aura of disagreement. I saw Kail looking at the pile of rubble again, he was scowling at it.

"That was him, wasn't it." I asked quietly.

Kail nodded. I could tell he knew what he did was right, but that he also felt guilty for taking his life. I'll have to talk to him later. It's not good to bottle that up… maybe I should invite him to be a Shepherd. He has the heart for it. Robin as well… Two in one day, that's a new record.

We approached the large group of villagers, several men carrying buckets of water and throwing it on the still burning flames. Nearly all of the fires were out, otherwise I would have volunteered to assist. Most of the women it seemed were with each other, huddled together, hugging one another in reassurance. Some were tending to their crying children. I couldn't help but feel anger that I couldn't have stopped this from happening in the first place.

"Carissa! I found the one you were talking about!"

Markus' loud voice rang over to the crowd of women, several heads turned and moved slightly to let one woman walk over. The woman, Carissa presumably, matched Kail's description. She seemed to be about seventeen or eighteen winters old. Too young to have to go through what she did.

She walked directly up to Kail, a look of pure awe and gratitude on her face. I don't think she even realized her father was trying to tell her Kail's name.

"I- …Words will never express how thankful I am Milord. Please… what can I do to repay you?"

This woman clearly saw Kail as her hero, her words practically oozed in awe. I couldn't help but feel pride that the Halidom has such kind and couragous people within it.

"Well… there's two things you could do." The pride vanished. He acted out of selfish desire?

"The first is simple. My name is Kail, so please call me such. The whole lord thing makes me feel more important than I actually am." He said with a chuckle. "The second is… well… Just live."

The pride returned.

"W-what?" Carissa asked in confusion.

Kail chuckled lightly, "Carissa. If I asked something of you I would be, pardon my language, the biggest prick in the world."

He smiled at the girl softly, "I helped you because it was the right thing to do. If there is someone in need, I believe that if you have the ability to help that person, you also have a moral obligation to use those abilities to help. So if you really want to thank me, Don't let the life I saved go to waste. Be happy, grow into the person you want to be and thrive."

That's a Shepherds heart if I've ever seen one. That decides it, I will offer him a place in our group.

"I… I understand… and I will." Carissa said with a smile.

"Good."

Carissa shifted on her feet slightly, before she stepped forward and pecked Kail on the cheek. As she stepped back from him, her face burst into color and she swiftly walked back to the group of woman who were looking at her with smiles.

"Well, how about that." Markus said in amusement as he watched his granddaughter go before he turned back to Kail, "Well, you may not ask for anything now. But, I own an inn here. If you ever pass through here again, you can stay as long as you like. In fact, you're getting free rooms for as long as you live."

Kail opened his mouth, most likely to refuse, but Markus held up a hand, "Don't bother trying to talk me out of it. You get free lodging and that's final."

Kail chuckled in defeat, "Yes, sir."

"Good man. Now, I need to get to helping with the relief work. I wish you all safe travels."

Markus bowed deeply and walked away. I couldn't help but turn to Kail and speak my mind.

"You have a good heart, Kail."

He jumped at my words and turned to look at me. "No, I think my heart is pretty common actually. It's just most people think themselves just as helpless as the people in need."

"That's an interesting way to look at it." Robin spoke from behind me.

I was inclined to agree, to believe that most people had pure intentions yet never acted on them because of a lack of will. I couldn't help but agree with that.

"Well, golden heart or no. Both you and Robin fought to save Ylissean lives, my heart tells me that's enough to offer you both an invitation to join our group."

"Milord, are you sure that is wise?" Frederick spoke up swiftly, "We know nothing of these strangers. Your heart may speak well of them, but what of your mind?"

"I have heeded its counsel as well." I told the wary knight as I turned to look at him. "The Shepherds could use a tactical mind like Robin's, and Kail offers a good sense of humor and morals. And I owe him a debt for saving Lissa's life."

Frederick let out a small sigh, "Very well, Milord. I will trust your judgment, but please take caution. It would not do if we led a hungry wolf to our flock."

"Your concern is noted Frederick." I turned back to Kail and Robin, who now stood beside each other. "How about it, would you like to be Shepherds?" I asked with a grin.

"I would be honored." Robin replied immediately.

"…I'll think about it… it's a big decision after all."

My grin faltered at Kail's words, but I didn't let it bother me. In time he will see the good we do, and with those morals of his, he can't say no.

"Indeed it is, come with us to the capital. You can think over your answer on the way, and if you refuse, I can at least still repay you for rescuing my sister."

Kail nodded, "Sounds good to me."

"Are you sure you should leave, Kail?"

We all turned to look at Lissa who was wearing her trademark mischievous smirk, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the man.

"Why would I stay?" Kail asked.

Lissa leaned forward, "If you left, who would take Carissa to dinner?"

"Markus, probably."

Lissa faltered slightly, "I'm sure she'd prefer to eat with you."

"Why do you say that?"

"…She literally kissed you and you saved her life!"

"It was on the cheek, and I saved you too apparently."

Kail's eyes widened as if he realized the meaning of life, "Ohhhh, I see what's happening here… you're jealous."

"Wha- I'm not jealous!"

"That's exactly what a jealous person would say."

Lissa threw her hands into the air, "It's also what a non-jealous person would say!"

"…Alright I'll give you that one, Puppy."

Lissa fumed at the nickname and I couldn't help but laugh at the interaction, Robin joining me as Frederick scowled at Kail. They were definitely going to fit in with the rest of the Shepherds.

Rewrite for chapter 2 soon

-Gaijin