Hey everyone, this is Sparky here.

Welcome to probably the second biggest writing project that I have decided to undertake, and one that I spent a good amount more time planning out than Atelier Louise. Let me just assure those who are reading Atelier Louise that it is not going anywhere, and that I will be doing my best to alternate uploads for both these stories. I started that story and I do plan to see it through to the finish.

This, however, is easily the bigger of the two stories. I first played Triangle Strategy on stream and instantly fell in love with the game and its world. I had hoped it would be a worthy successor to Final Fantasy Tactics and I personally think that it surpasses it in many ways. This is a show of my love for that game and it's world, and a means to introduce people to it as I'm sure many of you are coming from the FoZ side. I hope I do a good job introducing you all to the Continent of Norzelia.

That is all for now. I'll explain a bit more about the story itself at the end of the chapter. So please, enjoy the first chapter of Louise of the Roselle everyone!

Chapter 1 – Welcome to Norzelia

The feeling of grass against her skin, of dirt pressed against her face.

The girl known as Louise de la Valliere was roused from her slumber by a blade of grass poking against her eyelids. The fingers on her left hand reached out for something, only to dig up dirt instead. Her other hand also dug at the ground, but that was more just a reaction to the prodding of the grass in her eyes. Her limbs otherwise felt too heavy to move, and her eyes barely able to open.

Louise wondered what had happened, trying to think back on the events of what she would believe to be the last twenty four hours. Her groggy mind wasn't being much help, though, her thoughts jumbled to hell and back. She was certain she shouldn't have been asleep, but that was about it. She couldn't yet put enough pieces together, even as her nerves slowly woke up more and more.

Then, after about five to six minutes lying in the grass, her brain started to fully wake up. Louise was finally able to piece together everything that had happened from waking up in her room, to meeting with the other students in the academy courtyard, to the summoning festival. They had almost forgotten about her, but someone had thankfully reminded Colbert. She said the incantation with some slight personal modifications, cast it, and then…

It suddenly hit her that she couldn't feel the sun on her or the sound of her classmates laughing at her. As if she felt a spider crawling along her back, Louise's brain and muscles found the power in them to wake up completely. She shot up to her feet, ready to see the faces of Colbert, Kirche, or most hopefully her familiar in front of her. All she saw was a tree, one of dozens more that currently surrounded her in a place that was very clearly not the Tristain Academy of Magic.

"Colbert? Zerbst? Anyone?" She called out. A feeling of fear formed in her heart as no one responded. "If this is a joke of some kind this isn't funny! Show yourself right now or I will tell Osmond of this!"

Yet as she received no response she got the distinct feeling her threats were not only useless but misplaced. Louise had hoped that her fear was unfounded, but as the forest stayed quiet she started doubting this was a meanspirited prank. Instead she thought about what brought her to wherever she was. The last thing she remembered was casting the spell, nothing hit her mind after that. Most likely whatever had happened still hadn't resurfaced in her mind for one reason or another.

"Did I get carried away by whatever I summoned and knocked out?" Louise asked herself. Her foot tapped the ground nervously. "It is certainly possible, but I should have been able to seal the pact beforehand if that was the case. Did… something else happen with the spell? Maybe that personal flare I added messed with it," She sighed. "No. Knowing my luck it likely blew up."

She looked up through the trees to the sky above and shielded her eyes from the sun. It was about midday, and there was no way that whatever had happened could have taken her far away from the academy. There she could hopefully ask what exactly happened and put the events of the day in order. That first involved figuring out which direction the academy was in, however.

"It's probably… that way!" She said as she grabbed her wand from off the ground. At least it was still with her in case she needed to defend herself.

Wand firm in her hands, Louise took a deep breath and headed off. She was never the wiser that, while no one had responded, someone was indeed watching. Two someones, in fact, in the form of a father and daughter with orange hair. They watched Louise walk away, the father's arms wrapped around his daughter to keep her from charging forth, mouth covered to be safe. It was only after Louise was gone from view that the hand over his daughter's mouth was removed, allowing her to speak.

"The hell pops! She was right there and right for the picking!" The daughter replied, her disappointment and anger clear in her hushed voice. "Even more so with her just lying around. She was ripe for the picking."

"Use that brain of yours Trish, the answer was right in front of you," He said, practically squeezing her with both his arms to make sure she didn't run after Louise. "You saw her hair right? The pink locks of the Roselle. You think it's a good idea to steal from one of them while we are inside Wolfort demesne."

"I see a mark, and that my pops is too scared of a girl whose figure isn't all that healthy," Trish told her father. "Are you afraid of her striking back? I can tell the girl has no muscle in those bones, like a pampered noble."

Her father, Travis, smacked her across the head for the idiocy his daughter was showing. "I'm not afraid of the girl. I'm afraid of a battalion of trained soldiers coming after us because we attacked someone we shouldn't have," He shook his head. "That and, Wolfort's people or not, the Roselle don't deserve the treatment. They've already got enough to worry about, especially with other bandits trying to steal them away and sell them back to Hyzante."

"I never said I was gonna sell them to Hyzante!" Trish shouted. Her eye twitched at what she felt was an unnecessary accusation.

"Where the hell did you get the idea I was blaming you for that?" Travis asked. "Look, the girl is a roselle. She ain't some noble's daughter and she seemed mighty confused about where she was. That sounds like a whole ordeal I don't want to go through and having Wolfort on our tail just adds to that. Is that a decent enough explanation?"

Trish didn't like the way her father was talking to her, but she had to admit to herself he was right. Even more so since the girl had appeared out of a sudden explosion in the middle of the forest. Easy mark or no, there was clearly far more going on then she should probably get involved in. Didn't stop the questions from flooding her mind, especially as to how the girl survived such a huge explosion.

"Okay fine, I won't go after her," Trish said. Travis knew his daughter well enough to hear the reluctance in those words, and only hoped she didn't go against what she said later. "Still, never seen clothes like hers before, especially among the Roelle. What is with that?"

"Hell if I know," Travis replied with a shrug. "Come on Trish. We got places to be."

Trish gave a nod and the father and daughter duo left the safety of the bush to pursue whatever mark showed itself to them. Despite herself, Trish couldn't stop herself from looking at where Louise had headed off to. The roselle intrigued her, from the clothes to the way she talked and the lack of fear she showed. Perhaps she would have to keep a distant eye on them, if she ever saw them again.

-x-

As far as Jerrom knew, explosions weren't exactly a natural occurrence in forests. The mere existence of such an explosion was enough to cause his people to panic, especially due to it being so close to the village. It was for this reason that he had headed out into the forest, as was his duty as head of the Roselle. Despite the face of confidence he had put on, he couldn't deny that the explosion terrified him. It could be a number of any possible things, but the lingering fear in both his and his people's hearts led to one answer: Hyzante.

It was the fear of Hyzante that caused him to stay low and out of sight as he approached where the explosion had originated from. The quiet of the forest was comforting but caused his heart rate to beat faster than he would have liked. Perhaps it was crazy to think Hyzante would be so deep in Wolfort given the peace between the three nations, but one could never be certain. After all, Hyzante would likely do anything to have him and his people back in the Source, farming salt till their legs gave out or died from hunger.

The sound of footsteps not too far away caused Jerrom to stop in his tracks. He stayed low behind a nearby tree, spear ready in case whoever it was proved an enemy. Two immediate things came to mind as to who it could be, bandits or Wolfort soldiers. No, the footsteps lacked the clanking of metal, it was not a common foot soldier. The grip on his spear tightened more, and he prepared for the possibility of contact with anything and everything.

At least he thought he had all possibilities considered, but what actually showed itself proved him otherwise. Into view came a young girl, her height causing Jerrom to believe she was around fourteen years old and she wore an outfit unlike any he had seen before. Black knee high socks, a skirt of similar color and a white top, a cloak clasp to the front of said shirt. Yet none of that mattered so much to him as the hair that reached down her back, the color of it contrasting against the natural greens and browns of the forest.

Her hair was pink, meaning she was a roselle.

Jerrom stepped out from behind the tree, Louise instantly noticing him and taking a step back as she did. A small stick was held in her hand and pointed at him as if it was a sword. There was no fear in her eyes, confidence and determination instead written on her face. She wasn't afraid of him, but she did see him as an enemy. That was something Jerrom could spell away easily, however.

"Don't worry, I'm not an enemy," Jerrom said, a hand on his hair to show it to her.

Louise didn't take that to mean anything, instead believing his words meant that he was no bandit or elf. She lowered her wand and let out a breath she had held, but she didn't let her guard down completely. It was foolish to blindly trust the words of someone one just met, and while they were definitely no elf or orc it was very much possible he was still a bandit.

"Ah, a commoner, perfect," Louise said with a growing smile. Her words confused Jerrom, having not expected her tone or attitude. "Sir, could you please direct me to the Tristain Academy of Magic? I'm a student there you see and am in dire need of directs."

"Tristain Academy of… Magic you say?" Jerrom asked. Louise took his words as evidence he knew what she was talking about and nodded. "I'm sorry to say but I've never heard of it. Is Tristain the city it is located in?"

To say his words caught Louise off guard would be an understatement. This had to be a joke of some kind, she knew it. Even a commoner would know of the academy, and calling Tristain a city was just… it was absurd! The idea that he could be telling never even crossed Louise's mind as her eye twitched in annoyance. Annoyance that manifests in the words that followed Jerrom's question.

"No you idiot!" Louise shouted at him. Jerrom stepped back at the sudden shift in attitude the girl had shown. "How can you be that dumb? Tristain, the country?! The very country you are standing on right now."

"Um… last I checked we were in Glenbrook," Jerrom replied. He couldn't help but wonder if the girl had perhaps gone off her rocker due to Hyzante's treatment or something else. "I've never heard of the country of Tristain."

"You truly think I'm dense enough to believe such an obvious lie?!" Louise shouted. "Besides, I have no idea what Glenbrook is or what you even think it is. Whatever you are playing at, I'm not falling for it," She slammed the ground with a foot, her attempts to put on a threatening face only ending in what Jerrom thought was a rather adorable pout. "We are in Tristain, we have to be! I was at the Tristain Magic Academy mere hours ago! If not Tristain then Germania, or Gallia, or Brimir forbid I'll even accept the fact I'm in Albion right now because that makes more sense than this Glenbrook you claim we are in."

While the thought she was crazy was still front and center in his mind, something about the sheer belief Louise put in her words made him think there was more to it. He had never heard of Germania, Gallia, Tristain, or Albion before, and he was certain that they didn't exist in Norzelia. A thought came to his mind, one that might at the very least calm the crazy rosellen girl down more than anything else. Maybe then he could get some actual answers as to who she was.

"Let's say we are in Tristain for a minute," Jerrom told her. "What reason do I have to put down everything I was doing and get you back to this academy? At the very least without your name."

Louise made to speak, but she stopped herself as she realized one thing: he genuinely didn't know who she was. Great, she had just gone off on some commoner who had no idea who she was. At the very least, that probably meant that she was not in Tristain. Her next best guess was Germania, but at this point she had no clue. That was a question she could ask after introductions were done, however.

"Yes, I should have given you that much, and I do apologize for my behavior," She said. A curtsey followed suit afterwards. "I am Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere, daughter of Sandorion de la Valliere and Karin Deseree de la Valliere. I'm a noble studying at the Tristain Academy of Magic," She smiled as she brought herself out of her curtsey. "Might I ask who I am speaking to?"

"Jerrom Laesmi, head of the Rosellen Village found here in the Wolfort demesne in the Kingdom of Glenbrook," Jerrom responded. He noticed she had to speak, but his words came out before hers did. "Wait, a noble you say?"

Louise had meant to ask about Glenbrook, and while she was a little ticked that Jerrom had spoken out of line she was glad he was finally getting some idea of who he was before. After all, the Valliere name was a well known one due to her mother and father, not to mention its ties to the royal family. Louise believed that Jerrom had immediately, which was as wrong as one could possibly be, and her smile grew.

"Yes, you've heard of my family then I presume?" She asked, but before Jerrom could answer she continued speaking. "I've never heard of Glenbrook before. Same with these Wolforts or the roselle that you lead."

Her words caught Jerrom by surprise. "You've never heard of the roselle? Surely you jest when you are one yourself."

"I can assure you I am not joking." Louise said, an eye twitching along with her lips. "And what do you mean I am one?"

The more he chatted with Louise, the more his head spun. Jerrom was at the point where the line between Louise's craziness, truth, and denseness all combined together. There was no way she couldn't know about the Roselle with Hyzante's treatment of their people. The only that would make sense was if she had never been to Norzelia.

That line of thought made him stop, and suddenly the spinning of his head stopped. All had been made clear.

"Lady Louise, might I ask what continent your country is on?" He asked her.

"You didn't answer my question," Louise reminded him with a heavy sigh. "If you must have an answer though, obviously I am from Halkeginia. Why do you ask?"

That secured it. Jerrom knew he had found the cause for the grave misunderstandings that had befallen them both, and why she likely knew nothing about her heritage. In hindsight, he felt he should have realized it sooner.

"I fear to tell you that you are not in Halkeginia, Lady Louise," Jerrom said.

Quite filled the air for a good minute before Louise gave her simple response. "What?"

"We are not in Halkeginia. In fact I'm pretty sure no one here has ever heard of it before," He explained. The more he spoke, the grimmer the expression on Louise's face became and the paler her skin got. "Tristain, Germania, Albion, Gallia, none of those exist here. The only ruling countries here are the Kingdom of Glenbrook, the Duchy of Aestfrost, and the Holy State of Hyzante. Do any of those ring a bell at all?"

Louise, just like Jerrom minutes before her, was caught with her head spinning at everything he had just said. That was impossible, it had to be, but yet something in her gut told her he spoke the truth. Despite the fact she could think of no reason to suddenly be on another continent, her conversation with Jerrom did leave the possibility open. While her first thought was to rebuke such an outlandish idea, what left her mouth was quite different.

"If that is the case, then tell me this Jerrom," She said, a hint of anger in her voice. She had no idea that her wish to rebuke his claim had manifested in her voice. "If we are not in Halkeginia, then where are we?"

Jerrom's answer was quick. "Norzelia, Lady Louise. You are currently on the continent of Norzelia."

So the stage is set. Our dear zero Louise has found herself on another continent far from home.

To explain, this story is going to combine the continents that both FoZ and Triangle Strategy take place on into the same planet. This is going to effect a lot of things, one immediate show of this is of course the fact that Louise is a roselle even if she doesn't know it. It also means we will have mingling between characters on both sides outside of just Louise later on, though we will get to that when we get to that point in the story.

This first act of the story is all going to take place a month before the events of Triangle Strategy. That will give us time to set up plot on both the Halkeginian side and introduce Louise slowly to Norzelia. Act 1 will be when Triangle Strategy starts proper and as for acts 2 and 3... well, I'll leave you all to guess what that will be.

Still, I have blabbed on long enough. I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of Louise of the Roselle and I will see you all next time!