A/N: Hey folks, sorry for the wait, and thanks for the follows. This one was actually finished a couple weaks ago, but I asked a buddy to look it over and tell me his thoughts. But he never got back to me on it so here it is. I want to blame the delay on this chapter on Final Fantasy, the truth is I was just lazy and felt liking playing that instead of working on this. Speaking of which, this one isn't really my best work, I'll be honest. I borrow pretty heavily from the game's script for a scene, and I start to be introduced a character I never really cared for in the game. And while I have a general idea of where I want to end up with this, along with several future scenes basically already written, I have no idea how to get there and how to connect things together. But I guess that's one of the challenges of writing, and nothing that's ever been worth doing has been easy.

I'm gonna get started on the next one right after this goes up, so maybe it won't take as long...Well it is just a hobby, so, we'll see. Y'all know what you got yourselves into when you followed this thing. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

The following is a fan work based on the video game Fire Emblem Awakening. I do not claim ownership of the game, its characters, world, premise or anything else contained within. Fire Emblem Awakening is owned by Intelligent Systems, and published by Nintendo. Please support the official release.

I woke first, that morning. My eyes opening to our room lit from the morning sun. This was still my life now, it seemed. I went to sit up, but found myself still trapped in Morgan's grasp from the night before. She made a mumbled something incoherent and I relented laying back down. I had slept surprisingly well last night. No dreams, that I could remember at least.

"Morgan?" I whispered.

"Mmm?" came her response.

"Just wanted to say thanks, for yesterday." I said. Another groan was the only response I got. We stayed like that for a while longer, just enjoying the comfort that comes from sharing a bed with someone, and I probably would have fallen asleep again if not for one problem.

"Morgan, let go. I'm hungry."

I slid to the hallway floor, my back against the door to our room. Towels I had procured from the innkeeper sitting in my lap. The only sounds reaching me being the sounds of the staff cleaning downstairs, and the occasional splash of water coming from inside the room.

For the first time in two days, I was truly alone.

I let out a sigh, closed my eyes, and rested my head against the door. I felt a weight I hadn't noticed I had been carrying melt away. But then I just felt tired. I liked Morgan, from what interaction we could have in the small amount of time we had known each other, to say nothing of the amount of time I'd spent reading her supports in Awakening. But that didn't count.

And while I liked Morgan, I could only handle being around someone so much. Even my best friends could wear me out sometimes. And it was moments liked these that let me handle them. Moments to rest, recharge, and be alone with my thoughts.

Like what I'm going to do.

Sure, the plan was to hike across the continent to reunite Morgan with Robin, but what about after that? And what about along the way? And having met Morgan brings to question how late in the game's timeline I am, and if the other children have already arrived from the future? Should I try and pick them up along the way? And what about food? Money? What if we get attacked along the way?

I let out a sigh again. I could feel a new weight making itself known in the pit of my stomach. I didn't want to think about this stuff. I didn't want to worry about it. I wished I could just throw it at someone else and have them worry about it all while I just followed along.

Another splash of water reminded me that the only other person I could do that with was suffering from amnesia and barely knew who she was. So it was without a doubt, my job to worry about all of this.

Why did this have to happen? Sure, I hated my job, but I was pretty content with the rest of my life. I probably wouldn't have been too upset about wasting my life working at a grocery store, if I was being honest.

Another sigh. I just wanted this to all go away.

A series of wet slapping sounds reached my ears just in time for the door I had been leaning against to disappear and for me to fall onto my back. "Hey Rob, you out here?" Morgan asked, peaking out into the hallway.

A drop of water nearly splashed me in the eye, and I averted my gaze. "Here. Towel." I said, grabbing one from my lap and tossing it back at her. "Throw some clothes on so I can have a turn in the barrel."

"Oh! Thanks!" She stepped back into the room and began drying herself off. "Come on in, I'm done."

"I'll let you have your privacy." I Said as I awkwardly reaching back and pulling the door closed.

"Oh, right." Came her muffled reply, "Thanks."

We had just finished our breakfasts of leftover soup, and talked the innkeeper into selling some of his food stocks to us for the road when we heard a commotion outside. The sounds of an argument turning heated, the drawing of a sword, a women's scream. We rushed outside just in time to be blinded by a flash of violet.

Blood stained the snow red as we exited the inn. A man lay dead in the streets, a hole blown straight through his torso where his heart would have been. His sword sticking out of the snow. A women screamed, another cried, held in the grasp of another man, his free hand crackling with black lighting.

A third women, donning heavy plate armour, and wielding a lance challenged the man, she had short, black, cropped hair. "Dishonourable cur!" she roared. "You killed my master, and now you face me!"

"If that pile of pudding was your master, you'd best keep walking girl." The man grinned. His long, dark hair blowing faintly in the cold wind. He was dressed in long, dark robes.

"Craven dog! You claimed a hostage!" the armoured women shouted. The man just grinned more, tightening his grip around the second women's throat. "He'd never have lost a fair fight!"

"Nor would he have wanted you to throw away your life!" the first women cried. "Please, Kjelle! I can't lose you too!"

"I won't die. I swear it." The armoured women, Kjelle, promised. Oh, so that's how you pronounce it. "Your husband will be avenged."

Oh shit. That's Kjelle. This is Kjelle's paralogue.

"If you're dead set on an early grave, girl, I won't stop you." The man sneered. He shoved his hostage into the snow and began to walk away. "We can duel in the ruins nearby." Kjelle stomped off after him, ignoring the protests of the first women. The women that was pushed into the snow climbed to her feet then took off in the opposite direction.

"So we're going after them, right?" Morgan asked, turning to me.

"Guess so." I sighed. It's liable to get us killed, but Kjelle would die otherwise.

"Oh please! You have to help her!" the first women begged once she spotted us.

"Who was that guy?" Morgan asked.

"His name is Cassius, he leads a group of bandits that have set up nearby!" the women explained. "With all the able bodied men sent off for the war effort, my husband was the only one keeping the village safe. Then Cassius came into town and challenged him to a duel. And…" she trailed off, she turned to the body still laying in the street. She broke into tears as she rushed to his side.

"Well we'd best get after them." I said. I eyed the sword still sitting in the snow, but thought better of it. I'd probably just piss somebody off if I took it, and I didn't need a widow screaming at me before I ran off and got stabbed.

It was a nice sword though, shame to just leave it there.

We stomped along the path Kjelle and Cassius had left behind, it lead through a loose gathering of trees that I guess could be considered a forest if you wanted to reach that far. An old, stone keep rose above the tree line ahead of us, probably the ruins Cassius had mentioned. "So what's the plan?" I asked. "We're definitely walking into a trap."

"Yeah…I kind of figured." Morgan nodded. "I think the three of us should be able to handle a few bandits, but that Cassius guy was clearly a mage."

"Right, the crackling purple lighting is a bit of a giveaway." I said. "So how do we deal with it?"

"Serpentine?" Morgan smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "I could probably match spells with him, but there's the problem of the other bandits. I wish we had the time to scout it out."

"For numbers?"

"And the layout, their armaments, stuff like that." She elaborated.

"Right." I nodded. "And you're supposed to have like, what, three times the number of the defenders if you want to attack a fort?"

"Pretty much." Morgan nodded. "But they are bandits. Maybe we could draw them out?"

"At that point, I think the open space would work against us." I argued. "We're outnumbered by who knows how many. And who knows if Kjelle will even let us catch up. For all we know, she's already fighting."

"Maybe we'll get lucky and there'll only be six of them?"

"Well if the trained tactician doesn't have any ideas, we'll just have to hope there aren't any more than that." I sighed.

There was more than six of them.

There was so many more than six of them.

We had arrived just in time to see Kjelle surrounded by Cassius' "seconds" as he had called them and I had barely enough time to register that there were way more than we had hoped before all hell had broken loose.

I sprinted down one of the ruined halls of the old keep, at least a half-dozen bandits on my heel and gaining. I had lost sight of Morgan and Kjelle almost immediately, and I now found myself on my own.

I had almost always been the slowest runner in my class growing up. It only really changed when I hit Secondary School, but that was because the sample size had simply gotten larger. I cursed under my breath at the fact that that hadn't changed even with a more fit body. My lungs started to burn, the sounds of their hurried footsteps grew louder.

A distant rumble precedeed a tremor that nearly through me off my feet, instead I stumbled into the wall. With a grunt, I pushed off of it and kept running. I could hear my persuers cursing loudly behind me as they staggered to their feet.

I came upon a three-way intersection, then ducked left when the twang of a bow announced the loosing of an arrow. Just keep running. Run, and hope Morgan and Kjelle had managed to handle the situation themselves and could help me out. Because there was no way in hell I was winning this on my own. I had technically won that two versus one before I died, but I had kinda, well, died. And these guys had weapons, and armour, and made a career out of robbing and killing people. So I kept running.

And came to a dead end.

The roof and walls had given way at some point, and now blocked my path. I likely could have picked my way through the heavy stone, but I didn't have the time for that. So I cursed under my breath, and turned to face the approaching bandits.

I drew my sword and took a few steps forward so I could retreat if I needed to and took a deep breath to try and calm my breathing but that just made it worse. At least the hall was too narrow for more than one to come at me at once.

Silver linings.

The group slowed as they realized I was cornered. The lead bandit flashed a crooked grin, showing off several missing teeth. "No more running craven!"

"Yeah, yeah." I growled. "Come on, let's get this over with."

"Oh, I'll take my time. I don't like being forced to chase my prey." He warned in a low voice. He was rough, dark, sun weathered skin, unshaven, smelt like he hadn't bathed in weeks.

Hell, I could smell him and his buddies from down the hall.

But worst of all was he clink of his armour as he took his time closing the distance. Chainmail. Starting to rust, but it's still way better than what I had.

"Well this is hardly fair." I muttered.

"Life ain't fair, boy." He laughed.

"Don't have to tell me." I grunted.

He lunged, blade first and I threw myself to the side, impacting the wall with my back. I tried to swing my own sword, but I didn't get much room and the hit glanced off his armoured side. He grabbed my sword arm with his free hand and stepped back, yanking me off my balance. He swung at me as I stumbled, the hit catching my on my upper arm.

I hissed as I took the blow, but by some matter of luck, my gambeson held. It still hurt like a bitch, getting bashed on the arm by a piece of metal tends to. But at least my arm was still attached. I grabbed at the collar of his chainmail with my own free hand and pulled myself up, smashing the top of my head up into his chin.

We both released each other and staggered back. My vision blurring from the impact and him spitting blood and part of his tongue. "Little shit!" He growled, the words coming out mangled.

"Might have got me if you weren't swinging at me with a butter knife." I growled, shaking out my arm to trying to get rid of the throbbing pain where I had been it. It just made it hurt more. The rush of adrenaline started to take over, my vision narrowed, my heart pounded in my ears, the throbbing in my arm began to fade and my breath quickened.

An arrow whizzed past, missing my head by mere centimeters and glancing off the rubble behind me. The bandit across from me turned to shout at the men behind him, and I charged. I threw my full weight into it, and crashed into him. As we fell to the stone floor, he let out a scream as he landed awkwardly on his sword arm. I grabbed him by the back of the head and stabbed at his throat then wrenched it free. Blood stained my sword and spilled out onto the cold stone. He futilely tried to stop the flow with his free hand, eyes wide.

Don't meet his gaze.

I climbed to my feet and met the eyes of the next bandit, already charging me with his axe. An arrow whizzed past his shoulder and caught me in my sword arm. It pierced the gambeson, then my skin and muscle, stopping only went it hit bone. I jerked with the impact and staggered back. My vision flashed red, rage weld up from the pit of my stomach.

Self-preservation went out the window as I lunged at the charging bandit, but he was already mid-swing and the axe head cracked into my ribs. Pain exploded in my side and I crashed into the wall then toppled to the ground, the motion tearing the weapon free with a wet squelch, my blood staining my torn armour.

My eyes met the now lifeless, bloodshot gaze, of the man I had just killed and time seemed to slow. For the second time in recent memory I found myself at deaths door, and I thought as the bandit stood over me with his axe raised, and ready to end me, that at least it would be quick this time.

And then the wall exploded. A stray brick caught the bandit in the temple and he fell limp on top of me, I weakly brought my arms up to protect my head as the roof came down, and the opposing wall came with it. Burying us both under cold, hard, broken brick.

I wasn't sure how long I had been out when I had returned to consciousness and managed to drag myself from the rubble, my wounds screaming at me the whole time. By some amount of luck if you could call it that, I hadn't bled to death yet, and the arrow that had been stuck in my shoulder had broken. The head however, was till lodged in my shoulder, causing spikes of pain every time I used that arm.

But I was still alive, at least, for now.

I couldn't say the same for at least two of the bandits, the one I had killed, and the one that had almost killed me. As I dragged myself to my feet I took in what remained of my surroundings. The roof had collapsed all the way down the hall I had been chased down and the cold outside air seeped in. It would seem that after years of neglect, the wall giving out had been the last straw. Hopefully the other bandits had been berried as well.

The not so distant sound of fighting reached me, Kjelle and Morgan were at the very least still alive. I had to go help them, for whatever could my help would be, one foot in the grave as I was. I put my good arm to the wound in my side in an attempt to slow the bleeding, but to no avail.

Pulling it away, I found it covered in my own blood, and small bits of stone from the rubble. "Fuck!" I growled, a dirty wound in a time period like this was a death sentence. A slow, painful death sentence. "If I'm going to die, I would have preferred the axe over infection."

Another rumble, but no tremor this time. It originated the same direction as the fighting, and spurred me to find a weapon. I dug through the rubble and found my sword, bent, chipped and cracked beyond use. Cursing under my breath, partly about my rotten luck and partly through the pain, I continued my search for anything I could use.

I found the bandit that had almost finished me, his head having been caved in by falling debris. I dug around him, looking for his axe, constantly looking back at the corpse. I couldn't help myself, some part of me felt the need to keep my eyes on it, some macabre feeling demanded it. That was another human being that was now dead. Maybe some long dormant survival instinct was trying to warn me of a danger that I knew had passed.

I found his axe nearby, the shaft had been broken in two by some debris, but what remained was still useable. A sudden dizzy spell took me off my feet and I landed on my injured side. "Son of a bitch!" I screamed in pain as the debris jammed into my open wound.

The world spun, and my vision blurred, but still I forced myself back to my feet and staggered towards the sound of fighting. I had the brief thought to try and make a bandage for my wound, but when another wave of dizziness nearly brought me down again, I figured I was already too far gone and kept going, following the noise through the hole that had been blown into the wall.

The path was littered with the dead. Some burned, others decapitated or impaled. None looked like Kjelle or Morgan. I learned against the wall for support as I went. The din of battle had simultaneously calmed, and grown louder. No longer was there the clash of steel meeting steel, only the sounds of spells being thrown in response to each other.

I found Cassius before I found my companions, he was facing away from me, peaking around a corner. He ducked back as a ball of fire flew past, and impacted the wall with enough force to collapse the area around the impact. I held still, hoping to avoid his sight. He quickly threw a spell in retaliation, violet sparks dancing off his hands as he returned to cover.

The pained scream of Morgan reached my ears and in my head snapped. The man's mouth curled into a malicious grin and he rounded the corner. I pushed off the wall and staggered after him, I ignored my bodies pained protests. Only one thing mattered right now.

Killing Cassius.

"Idiots!" The dark mage laughed. "Did you really think an amateur such as yourself could stand up to me?"

Kjelle yelled something in response, but at that point I had stopped listening. My vision focused on the man. My steps quickening, my grip tightening on the shaft of my looted axe. Cassius opened his mouth, a smug expression on his face, but whatever he was going to say was cut short as the back of his head was split open by cold iron.

And then it hit me, just what I had done.

There was so much blood. I felt myself about to puke, but I didn't even have the strength for that. I crashed to the ground as my legs finally gave out from the blood loss and no amount of willpower could keep them going. I managed to push myself onto my back and off of my injured side. My vision began to blur, making the silhouettes that looked over me unrecognizable.

My head was propped up, and something was pushed to my lips and up-ended. The foul tasting liquid entered my mouth and forced its way down my throat. My wounds exploded with pain, my body convulsed, my arms and legs flailed, before being pinned down, my head being held in place. I tried to scream but something was forced into my mouth. Then the world spun, my ears rang and the colours twisted into each other.