Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: JESUS! I LOVE YOU JESUS! Now, all that's left for me to do in my life are end of year tests and I am FREE for summer. In commemoration of me being happy, I'm going to try and make some more stories pop out as quickly as I can! Now, onto the story!

Last time on Fire Emblem: Blazing Light…

The air stood still, with hardly any breeze coming through the area. The sounds of night insects quietly permeated the makeshift campsite. Looking at the map one last time, Aracho turned north before putting it back away. He then left to finish his mission.

As midnight came, Aracho found himself on the outskirts of Araphen, simply a quick walk. It had proven much faster to arrive to the city alone than with an entire group. "Now….the passageway should take me straight to the throne room….provided his quarters are…." Aracho then got a chill up his spine. Taking out his daggers, he spun around and assumed a battle stance. "Come out now!" he challenged.

"You're pretty good at sneaking around, you know…."

"What are you doing here?" Aracho hissed upon seeing a familiar brown-haired thief.

"Shouldn't that be my question?" he rhetorically asked, making the blue-eyed teen internally roll his eyes. "After all, you're the one sneaking away at all hours of the night. And to Araphen, of all places…."

"It's….none of your business," Aracho deflected, turning back around.

"Technically, everyone's business is mine," he returned, making Aracho give up.

"I'm going back to Marquess Araphen," he revealed to the enigmatic thief.

"Why would you do that?"

"You….you wouldn't understand," the blue-haired boy sighed, shaking his head.

"Try me."

"Can you leave?" he reflected again. "I don't have time to be playing twenty questions with you."

"Then let's go back to camp."

"Not until...my mission is finished."

"Lyn sent you?" Matthew asked with a hint of surprise.

"...No, Lyn knows nothing about this," Aracho admitted. "This is my own mission."

"Well, if it's something that could Lyn in even more trouble than she already is, is it worth it?" the young man asked. Aracho's brain stopped in its tracks at that statement. If he went through with it and killed Marquess Araphen, rumors of Lyn would spread like wildfire, potentially making it nearly impossible for her to save her grandfather and assume her rightful position as heir to the Caelin throne.

"...You're right," he resigned. Araphen would still pay, but helping Lyn directly would have to be first priority. "Let's go back. We still have about two hours of moonlight left."

"Race you back!" Matthew said before he sprinted off in the direction of the campsite, followed by the teen from the Black Fang.

XXXXX

One week later…

'Another early morning…' Aracho thought to himself as he woke up to see the outline of a shining moon outside the tent he shared with Matthew. A week had passed by since the events in Araphen, and the group had just about finished half of the journey left to Caelin. After Kathelet, the city they are due to arrive at, Caelin is the next place in sight. Even after it only being a relatively short time that he traveled with Lyn, he could feel a bond come between all the members of Lyndis' Legion, even the one supposedly sleeping next to him.

"Then again….That means I've been away from everyone for so long…" he said to himself before he got an elfire tome out his pack. The book looked worn, although in usable condition still. Opening the book to the first page, he looked at the message inscribed to it.

To: Archy

From: The Four Fangs

Eventually, his eyes glided down to the bottom half of the page, where a poorly drawn picture of Lloyd, Linus, Ursula, Legault, Jan, Brendan, Uhai, and Aracho stuck itself on it. "I miss you…." he whispered, holding the book up to his chest in a moment of vulnerability.

"Who do you miss?" a certain voice asked.

"I knew you weren't asleep," Aracho said, closing the book and stashing it away in his pack.

"You learn quickly, but who do you miss?" he repeated.

"My family….We got separated a while ago…." he answered.

"How?"

"That….is none of your business….nosiness or not."

"It seems like a lot of your life is none of our business, seeing how vague you are about it," Matthew jabbed. "Are they vigilante assassins or something?" It took everything Aracho had not to give any indication of how close Matthew was to the truth.

"What would make you think that?" he asked in an even tone.

"Call me perceptive, but you aren't a novice with those daggers. Your precision is spot-on and deadly. And if Araphen is anything to go by, you guys work at night, handling your targets effectively and efficiently."

"Tell me anymore, and I'd call you a spy," Aracho laughed.

"Touche," the thief simply said. "So….got a girlfriend?"

"Wha-no!?" Aracho shouted, completely caught off-guard by that question.

"No? Shame….You and Lyn would make a nic-"

"Knock it off!" he cut off. "I don't think of Lyn like that. Besides…." he stopped himself as he felt his face heat up at the thought of Nino.

"Ah, so there's a different love interest?"

"Shut up!" he yowled, before he noticed the sun beginning to come up. "We should be leaving soon. Daybreak is coming."

"Correct you are," Matthew agreed. With that conversation done, Aracho quickly packed his small pack of books and his daggers before heading out of the tent.

XXXXX

Later that day…

As Aracho predicted, everyone had soon awakened after the sun rose and the group were now on the verge of entering Kathelet, the town right before Caelin, the land where' Lyn's mother came from.

"Things have been rather uneventful lately," Dorcas spoke up as they traveled. "Makes me feel off."

"Better to have calm than constant struggles, in my opinion," Lyn replied.

"That could mean that all our fights are gathering in one place, though," Wil added. "That would make it much more challenging."

"It was never easy to start with," Aracho jumped in. "Besides, what's life without a little challenge?"

"Fair enough," Wil agreed.

"Whatever you two want, I can go without the extra fighting," Lyn said. "It's nice to get a break from the constant ambushes and people trying to murder us, don't you think?"

"I-I agree…" Florina piggybacked.

"I guess you're right, too," Wil conceded. Just then, a town came into view, presumably Kathelet, if Aracho's memory served right.

"Where are we, Kent?" Lyn asked.

"We are now in Kathelet," he answered as he went by an inn to take a quick rest stop for the horses. "If we head due south, we should reach Caelin in about ten days."

"Provided there are no interruptions," Sain threw in. Just as the green-dressed paladin mentioned interruptions, a boy ran over to Lyn. He looked rather peculiar, with red eyes and blue hair dressed as a bard, and with a piccolo in his hand.

"Excuse me, Miss," he asked Lyn, who he was closest to. "Are you and your friends mercenaries?"

"And if we are?" she cautiously continued, ready to grab her sword if something were to happen. Overcaution didn't exist, not even with a little child.

"I need your help!" he cried out.

"Lady Lyndis, be careful," Kent said. "You cannot let your guard down, not even for a child."

"I know," she said, before turning back to the kid. "Sorry, but we are in a bit of a rush. Is there anyone else you can ask?"

"There's no time!" he yowled. "Ninian….My sister! Some men have taken her away!" This put everyone on edge.

"You say your sister has been kidnapped?" Sain stepped in, to which the kid nodded.

"We need to do something," Aracho suggested.

"We don't have the time!" Kent shot down. "If Marquess Caelin is ill, then we must hurry as soon as we can."

"Kent….I want to help this child," Lyn said quietly, causing him to turn his shocked gaze on her. "Of course I'm worried about my grandfather, but this….I cannot stand by and let a child be taken from her home!"

"I….see…."

"Sorry, Kent, but I have to do this."

"No need to apologize to me, Milady," he said. "I am your loyal retainer. Do as your heart dictates, and I shall follow you."

"Right with Kent!" Sain said, coming up.

"Can you take us to the men who took your sister?" Lyn questioned the young boy. He nodded, but his eyes were filled with concern.

"They're really tough, so be careful," he warned.

"Well, we're tough, too," she reassured him. "Isn't that right, everyone?" A chorus of grunts and "yeah" answered her question. Not even a moment later, two men, an archer and a shaman, dressed in black with their faces covered by cloth, ran up in front of the group. They immediately put their eyes on the blue-haired kid that had just asked them for help.

"Found him!" the archer said, advancing on Nils. "On you go, back to Nergal. Stay still!" he said as he tried to grab the kid. He quickly found himself having to get back lest his arm get cut off by Lyn's sword.

"Let the boy's sister go," the Lorca girl said, giving the bandit a deadly glare that promised pain.

The shaman simply laughed, however. "So you want to help the kid out, eh? Shame for you. You're going to die for something that never even concerned you.

"You think so, don't you?" Lyn challenged. "Do we look so timid to you? You're in for a rude awakening!"

"Stupid girl…." he glared at her, before conjuring a dark orb high in the sky. "I think you'll regret those words. Take 'em down, boys!" Before Lyn could even begin her assault, a random man came from behind her.

"Peace, I didn't mean to startle you," he calmly said as he presented himself to the group. He had on clothes that signaled he was someone in the Elimine church, and long golden blonde hair with blue eyes.

"Are you an Elimine Bishop?" Aracho asked him, to which he shook his head.

"I'm simply an acolyte, well….a Monk, to be specific," he clarified. "My name's Lucius."

"Do you have business with us?" Lyn asked him.

"I was at the inn when that child came seeking help. The owner acted very….unpleasant, and seemed afraid to get involved. I only wish to help the boy anyway I can."

"You can work with us," Lyn offered. With a soft smile, Lucius nodded before getting out a tome of light magic and turning to the shaman.

"Thank you very much," he said before casting a light spell at the shaman, blowing him back a bit.

"I can help, too!" Nils jumped in.

"You can fight?" Aracho asked in disbelief.

"No...but I'm a bard!" he rebounded, brandishing a piccolo. "Bards are useful to have around."

"A bard? Do you mean you're a minstrel? We have no time for a concert, Nils," Lyn said.

"No, watch me!" he replied before going up behind Lucius. Closing his eyes, he started to play a small tune for the monk. A blue light emanated around the two and a bright aura glowed around Lucius for a moment after Nils stopped playing. Casting another light spell, this one was noticeably larger and more packed as it struck the shaman, killing him on sight.

"That was….invigorating, I'd say," Lyn described. "I'd need you to play for me, sometime," she complimented. "I could use the boost."

"Everyone could!" he said. "My music can refresh you all!"

"Come on, let's get 'em!" Sain said, before rushing the archer. Aracho quickly grabbed his thunder tome and followed the green-armored knight's lance blow with a thunder spell that quickly put the man to a permanent sleep. As the group continued through, however, he had a sinking feeling that these bandits were the….No, it couldn't be them. The Fang would never stoop so low as to try and kidnap a simple bard.

As he got to the bridge, he found a myrmidon and a mage waiting for him. Before he could attack, Florina threw a Javelin at the mage from above, striking him and killing him. Grateful for the backup, he swiftly dispatched the myrmidon with a pair of thunder spells.

"Wait, Nergal…" he said to himself upon more reflection. There was no one in the Black Fang named Nergal. So that means it wasn't them, he concluded. Even then, he had to be sure. Sneaking ahead to the fort, he grabbed his daggers as he saw two more shamans, one obviously the leader of the unit if his off-colored robe was any indication.

Running from behind the side of the fort, he killed the first shaman with a well-placed execution blow before turning his attention to the leader. "Who do you think you are supposed to be? Playing heroes in some foolish knightly romance?" he mocked. "You think you're helping the children, but you're rushing to your doom!"

"Who are you with? What group are you from? Where's Ninian?" Aracho asked.

"You'd have to beat me to find out," he smirked, before beginning a spell chant. Rushing forward, the blue-haired kid narrowly avoided a rushing sphere of darkness before he could reach the shaman. He cut the man's arm, cutting him off from his magic, and then wrapped the second dagger around his throat.

"Now, who are you with and where's the girl?"

"Hm….the girl is already gone….You should've never messed with the Black Fang," he said, before his throat was slit by Aracho. These bandits were from the Black Fang…However, he didn't recognize a single one of them. It made no sense, unless they were new recruits….Or maybe something happened to Brendan Reed and this Nergal was the new leader.

"But...that makes no sense; Lloyd should be in charge if anything happened to Father…."

"What was that, Archy?" a voice called. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Lyn and everyone else coming up to him and gathering around the entrance to the fort.

"Nothing, just some thoughts," he said, shaking his head. "Let's go inside." Nils ran inside first, followed by Lyn, Sain, Wil, then the rest of Lyndis' Legion followed after.

"Where's your sister, Nils?" Lyn asked the boy, who had a frantic expression on his face.

"Ninian! She's….I can't find her!" he wailed. "Where could she be?"

"Lady Lyndis!" Kent yelled as he rushed in with the rest of the group. "A villager said they saw some suspicious characters riding south."

"That means….They must have her!" Sain concluded.

"Come on!" Lyn said. "We have to give chase."

"But….What if we're too late?" Nils said. "What if they've already-"

"Are you looking for this girl right here?" a new voice came. Readying themselves for battle, they were surprised to see a regal looking teen with bright red hair holding a girl in a long blue dress and hair that was a little lighter shade of blue than Nils'.

"Ninian! Ninian!" the kid screamed in worry and relief, rushing up to her sister and hugging her while she remained in the red-head's arms.

"She'll be fine. She has just lost consciousness," he reassured the bard.

"Who are you?" Lyn asked, curious by the garb possessed by the one who rescued Nils' sister.

"I'm Eliwood, of Pherae. The marquess is my father," he revealed, drawing wide eyes from everyone present.

"The marquess' son…." Lyn breathed in disbelief. They had just randomly stumbled upon the child of a marquess.

"She was with a band of ruffians," he explained, trying to change topic. "She seemed distressed and looked as if in need of rescuing….Was I wrong to involve myself?"

"No, you saved her," Lyn corrected for him. "Thank you. I'm Lyn….I'm from Sacae. I'm...Marquess Caelin's granddaughter." Now it was Eliwood's turn to grow wide-eyed at the information he learned.

"Marquess Caelin?"

"Yes. See, his daughter-my mother-left Caelin with my father to Sacae. A little while ago, they died in an invasion of my tribe and Kent and Sain, these two," she motioned, "came to bring me back to my grandfather in Caelin," she quickly summarized. "I know, it's hard to swallow such a tale, but…"

"No, I believe you," he reassured, surprising the Lorca survivor with how easy he went with it.

"Really?"

"Yes. While I saw you at first as a simple plainswoman, I can now see the look in your eyes. They are very similar to your grandfather's."

"Do you know my grandfather?" she asked him. He gave a swift nod as confirmation.

"The marquess, Lord Hausen, is very good friends with my father," he revealed, before a twinkle came into his eyes. "I also know that the proud people of Sacae tell no lies. Correct?" Once again, Lyn was surprised by how kind Eliwood had been, given his position as a Lycian noble.

"Yes...thank you. I wouldn't have expected any Lycian noble to be so courteous to a Sacaean nomad," she admitted vocally.

"You seemed to be in trouble. May I be of assistance?" he offered.

"Thank you for your generous offer. This is my problem though, and I need to deal with it."

"I see," he said in a neutral tone. "Well, I'll be in the area for a few days longer. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come and find me."

"Eliwood….thank you." Just then, a shuffling noise caught everyone's attention. A little ways away, Ninian began to stir, tiredly groaning and grabbing her head.

"Ninian!" Nils yelled. "Are you awake?" he asked, coming to her side.

"Nils?" she said, coming out of her grogginess. "Is it really you? Oh, you're safe!" she yowled in happiness as she threw her arms around him in a tender embrace.

"Uh-huh, these people helped me," Nils said. It seemed at that moment Ninian became aware of everyone standing around in the castle room and instantly tensed.

"Who are they?"

"Uh…."

"I'm Lyn," Lyn introduced, taking some pressure off Nils. "I'm glad you're feeling better," she told the blue-haired girl with a reassuring smile.

"Milady Lyn...thank you so much. My name is Ninian. Nils and I are traveling performers."

"Both of you? I know Nils is a bard….What do you do?"

"I...I dance," she said meekly. Almost instantly, Sain was right in the middle of everyone with stars in his eyes.

"What? Oh my….you're a dancer!"

"Sain, later," Aracho shut down with a roll of his eyes. Just then, the knight looked around to see everyone giving him an exasperated look.

Apparently, he got the message. "Uh...yeah, right," he said sheepishly before retreating away from the epicenter of the conversation.

"Ninian dances to honor life," Nils was explaining as Aracho turned back to the two siblings. "It's special….sacred."

"I….the dance I perform when we travel is just a normal dance. But….the other one….when they took me, I twisted my ankle. I cannot dance to aid you….Sorry," she said, putting her face to the ground in sorrow.

"Please don't worry," Lyn reassured. "We're just happy that you're out of harm's way." The Sacaean then turned her attention back to Ninian's wounded leg. "Still….I am concerned about your leg. You can't travel on it in that condition…."

"I have an idea!" Nils jumped in. "Would it be too much if we could travel with you?" At the proposition, Lyn's eyes widened in horror immediately. Their plight was dangerous enough; Lyn wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she got kids involved and hurt in her own affairs.

"I can't allow that," she refused. "It's much too dangerous! We're being hunted. We never know when we're going to be attacked."

"We wouldn't be a hindrance," Nils countered. "We could even help you…Right, Ninian?"

"Yes. We might be able to pay our debt using our….special talents."

"Special talents?" Aracho echoed, his interest in the conversation increasing tenfold. This may very well explain why the Black Fang were chasing after them.

"When something poses a threat to us, we can sense its approach."

"Truly? That's amazing!" Lyn breathed.

"We can feel it, but we can't do anything to stop it. But you're warriors, so you don't have to worry," Nils mentioned. Closing her eyes, Lyn entered a meditative phase as the scene calmed down. After an ephemeral pause, she turned to Kent.

"What do you think, Kent?"

"I think leaving them would cause Lady Lyndis more worry than having them travel with us."

"Sai...Never mind," she stopped after realizing that Sain would never reject having a lady, much less a dancer, become a traveling partner. "Aracho? What's your opinion of this?"

Not expecting to be asked, he blinked in surprise as his mind scrambled to form a coherent response. "Uh...We can't just leave them out here. It wouldn't sit right with me."

"So, do you really want to travel with us?" Lyn asked the two.

"Of course!" Nils excitedly shouted.

"We'd be grateful, milady," Ninian added, before she suddenly went rigid, her eyes wide.

"Ninian? What's wrong?"

"I've lost my ring," she said, causing an extremely worried look to come onto her brother's face.

"Not Nini's grace?"

"The very same…."

"They stole it? Those curs!" Nils shouted angrily.

"Was it valuable?" Lyn asked.

"It is a keepsake from our departed mother," Ninian answered.

"It was blessed by the spirit of Ninis….There's no other ring like it, and it was taken by those villains."

"Then let's go get it!" Lyn said.

"Milady, are you sure of this?" Kent asked.

"Yes, this is something we need to do. You said the villagers saw them heading south, correct? We have to give chase!" With their minds made up, Lyndis' Legion set out to recover Ninian's lost ring.

XXXXX

A/N: And that's it for now! I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll be seein' y'all later!

Blizzard, out!