If Nino had any major fault, it was her stubborn perseverance. Sure, that may be a little harsh, but it is nothing short of the truth. Nino knew from the start that Sonia despised her in every way possible, and yet she never stopped in her quest for acceptance. After 13 years of constant belittling, demeaning and unrequited love, she was still striving for her own mother's approval…when I heard of such treatment, I truly expected her to be someone like me…

It is still a wonder to me how Nino turned out the way she did after such hardships. When I first saw her, I was given the impression of a happy, but frail and fragile-minded girl…...quite the contrary to say the least…

It was nearly six o'clock when the sun started to peak over the horizon, but Nino had been awake in her bed for some time before that. She awoke that morning from a nightmare, and even though the sun filled her room with an assuring and welcoming comfort, she could not shake away the sweat that was still running steadily down her forehead. On top of it all, she had a royal headache eating away at the back of her head.

She inhaled deeply in another attempt to fight away the post-adrenaline shakes—something she thought she'd never have to do.

She could see nothing…but she knew they were there. All around the child there were voices—cries of pain, shouts of victory, and everywhere else was the smell of death. The child opened her eyes and found herself surrounded by the fallen. Their bodies twisted, mangled…and charred.

The child then found her arm clutching the spine of her open tome, and the magic power that it contained thoroughly exhausted. The child's eyes contracted to the size of needles as they stared down her other arm—outstretched and palm-open, pointing towards one of the ashen figures.

"My hand?" The child questioned, "was this done by my hand?"

"That is for you to decide…" a voice responded.

Off in the distance, she could see a woman standing erect before another. The standing woman was towering threateningly over the other, but with her back to the child, her face remained hidden. The child came closer and her gaze wandered from the standing woman to the other on the ground. Again, the child's eyes lapsed in shock when she saw the unmistakable black hair, the blood-red lips, and the lifeless golden eyes of her mother.

The dream was becoming worse for the child for every second she stood there. The standing woman held an open tome in her hand—the pages flipping rapidly on their own, and a ring of fire began to draw itself around her feet. The child immediately surged forward to stop the woman, but when they collided, the child found her own arm outstretched and poised, with the swirling fire simply waiting for the command.

The child's mind began to race, and her heart began to beat rapidly.

"It is for you to decide…"

The child wanted to close her hand and withdraw her arm, but her mind forbade her to do so…something inside the child told her that this was the best thing—the right thing to do. Behind her, more figures began to appear. First a handsome young man with fiery red hair, followed by a young woman bearing a sword, and a blue giant wielding a massive axe. Then more came, an old paladin, a weary knight, a young archer and a few high-class magic users as well, an entire unit in her eyes…and they all were waiting for her to make the decision.

Tears of the child flowed freely as the fire rocketed skyward into the void, and crashed down on the only family she had.

Nino clutched her throbbing head tightly, and a new wave of adrenaline swept over her body. She remembered the nightmare for every horrible second it was worth, and was relieved to no end to know that it was indeed, just a dream.

"Nino!" Someone shouted through her door. The sudden outburst startled the girl so much she actually fell out of bed, and her attempt to fight the adrenaline-shakes now became a futile and useless effort.

Nino cursed under her breath and walked to the door to answer it.

"Good morning Nino," a cloaked soldier said from the other side. "I bring good news for you."

"Good morning…" Nino replied a little unsurely. "What is this news you bring me?"

The soldier threw back his hood and withdrew a thin leather parcel from a pouch at his side. Nino recognized the soldier when the light shined on his face. The soldier's name was Seth, a sharp-eyed spy working directly under the Reed Brothers.

"These are orders and mandates from your mother," Seth said holding out his arm.

Nino's eyes grew and she greedily snatched the parcel from Seth's hands. She opened the flap and withdrew several envelopes as well as a single parchment containing orders directly from her mother. Nino's eyes scanned the larger portion of the document, but her face contracted in confusion from the mess of words on the parchment.

"D-Don't go anywhere," Nino said embarrassedly, and slammed the door shut.

Five minutes later, she emerged fully dressed with her orders in hand.

"How do I look?" Nino asked nervously, dusting off part of her cape.

"Horrible," Seth said honestly. "You look like you've seen a ghost…" he added noting the pallor of her face.

"I uh…I didn't sleep well last night," Nino sighed. "But you could at least put it in a nicer way!" She added indignantly. Then together, the pair began to walk down to the exit of the fortress.

"So…" Seth tried to pry after two agonizing minutes. "What's this all about?"

Nino hung her head in shame. "I-I don't know…"

"Huh?"

"I can't read! I have no idea what mother's trying to tell me," Nino burst painfully.

"Oh, give me that!" Seth said snatching the mandate. "If you needed help then you should have asked me!"

Nino did not raise her head, but her ears pricked up eagerly. Seth's eyes scanned up and down the document and his eyes grew wider as they read. "Jaffar?!" Seth burst suddenly, "Why in Elimine's name—?"

"Jaffar?" Nino interjected curiously. "What has Jaffar to do with this?"

Seth was hesitant to answer, but he knew the price Nino would pay if he didn't tell her. "You…you have to deliver this letter to Jaffar," he said taking another envelope from the packet. "It says he will meet you at the abandoned farm house east of the village to the Southeast."

Seth shot a glance at Nino with an expression of disapproval that he hoped would be mutual…but not so. On the contrary, Nino had a little sparkle of adventure in her eyes that Seth knew only too well.

"Nino…you can't be serious…" Seth uttered rhetorically.

"My orders are clear," Nino replied sounding as professional as she could. "Of course, I wouldn't have found out if it wasn't for you." Then with a genuine hug that bound his arms to his sides Nino said, "Thanks Seth, I owe you."

Seth held his tongue for what it was worth, and stared sullenly ahead. It would take more than Nino's act to fool him, but he knew he was not one to quibble in Sonia's motives. He would merely report this to Lloyd and Linus when the time came.

"I think it's exciting," Nino continued, releasing him from the embrace. "I've only seen him before, but I haven't ever talked to him…"

"It's not like you would get much of a conversation…" Seth said under his breath.

"Well…wouldn't you want to meet someone with such impressive skill?" Nino prodded.

Seth snorted and grinned sarcastically. "Meet the Angel of Death? No…can't say I want to do that just yet."

Nino smiled and the two walked the remainder of the trip in silence until Nino saw her brothers talking outside the fortress gates. Nino ran up to them eagerly, and Seth stayed back and leaned against the fortress wall to give them some privacy.

"Lloyd! Linus!" Nino shouted.

"Well…if it isn't Nino," Linus said noticing his sister. "Did you sleep well?"

"Um, yeah," Nino lied.

"Good to hear," Lloyd said. "What exactly are you doing this early in the morning?"

Nino flashed them a toothy grin and patted the parcel hanging at her side proudly. "I'm running errands for mother today, mostly message delivery but I have to be at my best…" she paused as a thought came to her, "What are you two doing?" She asked, "Are you working?"

"Well…I suppose you could say that," Lloyd answered somewhat reluctantly.

"I'm jealous, you two get all the fun," she said playfully, then started off on her errand. "Well, good luck! Let's all do something after we're done today!" she called to them over her shoulder. The Reed Brothers stared fondly after Nino until she was out of earshot.

"She's a good lass, I couldn't be any happier to have her even as a half sister…" Lloyd said with a mutual smile to Linus.

"Mm-hmm," Linus agreed vaguely. "I find it hard to believe she's that woman's child, and sometimes I wonder how she managed to take care of herself for so long."

A mildly embarrassing moment of reminiscing caught hold of the brothers before Linus dawned upon a precarious thought.

"Wait, Nino!" Linus called out suddenly. Though it had taken a few seconds to sink in, Linus suddenly remembered today's upcoming danger, and he chased determinedly after her.

"Hm?" Nino looked behind herself to see Linus jogging towards her.

"Nino…I…I want you to be careful today," Linus said haltingly, unsure of the best way to proceed.

Nino gave him a blank look. She knew that Linus was always concerned for her well-being, but at the same time, Linus had never doubted her ability to take care of herself save for when he truly thought she was in danger.

Linus hoped the advice would be enough, but seeing the puzzled look on Nino's face, he knew that he owed her an explanation. An awkward silence passed between the siblings before he continued.

"Uh…There's a chance there will be a battle here soon…and—I uh, I just want you to be careful," Linus blurted hazardously.

As soon as the word 'battle' reached her ears, Nino's eyes sparked devilishly, and she flashed him a wide grin. Linus on the other hand, grimaced and then stared directly at her with such austerity that his gaze could have bored holes into stone.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, " He ordered. Nino obeyed immediately, sensing that this was obviously no playful matter.

"I know you can move unnoticed in this fog," Linus continued, this time with a lighter tone. "—but…just don't do anything stupid okay?"

Nino smiled sincerely, "Alright brother, but the same goes for you!"

The corner of Linus' mouth curled upward. "Don't worry, we have Lloyd to do all the stupid things, remember?"

Nino giggled and hugged her brother for one last farewell. "I have to hurry now, or else Jaffar might wonder where I am!"

Linus fell over.

"See you soon!" Nino called over her shoulder as she disappeared into the fog.

"A good lass no doubt," Linus smirked in spite of himself, "but sometimes I wonder…"

Then, with little dignity Linus stood up again and trekked over to a hill where Lloyd and Seth were conversing.

Atop the hill, Seth looked down at the three portraits on the scroll he was holding, then up and off into the distance.

"Yeah…it's definitely them," Seth said looking down and out into the thick fog.

"Can you be sure?" Lloyd asked.

"Have these eyes ever failed you?" Seth asked, devoid of modesty.

"No…but," Lloyd took the scroll from Seth and peered at the portraits disbelievingly. "It's just that I find it very had to believe that these are the evil ones who have murdered our comrades."

"Well damn me to the hells if it isn't them," Seth said bluntly. "But I'll tell you now that the only 'crimes' they've committed were against Nergal's wishes. However, if they're on your father's hit list…"

"Then we've no other choice," Lloyd completed with a sigh.

"What's going on?" Linus asked, entering the conversation.

"Eliwood and his band of mercenaries are here," Seth answered curtly, then again looked off into the distance.

Without a second's hesitation, Linus' hand went instinctively to the hilt of his sword and he began to surge forward. "Well, what are we waiting for?" He yelled with a devilish smile.

Lloyd held out his arm and stopped him easily with a disapproving glance.

Linus looked at his brother questioningly. "What? They're a sad lot, why not just finish them now?"

"We've been warned that carelessness invites death…" Lloyd uttered, then grimaced like he couldn't believe what he said.

Linus, on the other hand grinned broadly," You don't mean to tell me that you actually believe that wench?"

"There's more to it than that Linus…" Lloyd said ominously.

"Like what?"

"They have a tactician with them," Seth answered for him. "According to our other spies, the tactician has been with them since Eliwood's campaign began…and they've been victorious ever since.

The brothers were silent as Seth looked contemptuously out into the fog.

"I don't know how," he added, "but the tactician must have spotted us here, because they've mobilized in a pattern to take this hill. That brings into clarity that he somehow has better eyes than mine, and he can direct forces effectively in this weather! A deadly combination to say the least…"

"So what are our chances then?" Linus asked, rolling his eyes.

"I'll have to agree with Sonia too," Seth answered. "They should be no problem for either of you, but you should still be careful."

"Fine then…" Linus submitted. "Shall we withdraw to the Fortress?" He asked rhetorically, walking in the opposite direction.

"No," Lloyd answered.

"No?!" Linus shouted incredulously. "But, I thought…"

"Linus," Lloyd turned to face his brother in earnest. It pained him to say these words, but he had made up his mind long before. "I want you to go ahead and tell father of these events, then return with reinforcements."

Linus stood aghast at his brother before he somehow got his mouth to work. "Y-You can't be serious," he said in disbelief, and then lost his restraint. "They're right there! You and I can finish this right now!" he bellowed.

"Moron…listen, we are the great Reed Brothers of the Black Fang are we not?" Lloyd asked raising his eyebrow. "What would we be if we attacked this raggedy crew with all our might?"

A moment of silence passed as Linus thought out the reason behind his brother's motives. Then, vapidly, he answered, "We would be a laughingstock…wouldn't we?"

"That's correct," Lloyd affirmed with a grin. "And besides…we couldn't afford your tactical blundering."

"Oh, come off it!" Linus retorted.

"Don't worry brother," Lloyd said reassuringly, resting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I have underlings aplenty. I will taunt the enemy to draw them to the Northern Fortress and then cut off their escape. There, they will realize whom they're really up against; and in the midst of their panic…I'll slay them all. But…by chance that things go awry, then at least there's you to bring back the battle in our favor. I need you ready incase I fall into trouble."

"This, coming from the greatest tactical commander in the Black Fang," Linus muttered sarcastically.

"I'm not the best and you know that," Lloyd replied to the snide comment. "They've made it this far with the tactician so I'm sure they'll be tough…it's just a necessary precaution. Think, then act."

"…That's what makes you the better commander, isn't it?"

Lloyd smiled but didn't respond.

Linus shrugged off his brother's hand, and smiled ruefully at Lloyd. "Fine then…I'll go, but they wont last long against you—make sure you save some for me, understand?"

"Of course brother…" Lloyd said retreating to the fortress. "Now get moving."

As soon as Lloyd had disappeared, Linus turned to Seth and stared at him for a moment with a definite look of interest on his face.

Seth chuckled, "No…I can't go in your place, I have other orders from your father to carry out."

"Damn it all!" Linus shouted.

"I wouldn't worry," Seth said walking way, "I'm sure there will be more than enough to go around by the time you get back."

"Seth wait!" Linus called after him suddenly. "I still have another favor for you to do."

Seth stopped short. "And what might that be?"

"Keep an eye on Nino for me, will you?"

Seth nodded. "Of course…that fits well into my plans anyway. I'll make sure she doesn't get into any trouble."

"I'm counting on you…" Linus breathed quietly, watching him disappear into the fog.

Nino drummed her fingers impatiently on the table inside the rotting house. She had been waiting for an hour or two inside the motley shack and still Jaffar had not arrived. Bored out of her mind, she lazily rested her head on her hand and began to wonder if Jaffar would even come.

What a bore, She thought. This is the perfect kind of weather to go killing evildoers in…and yet I'm stuck here waiting so I can deliver mother's messages.

It had already crossed her mind that this might not be the right place after all, and that Jaffar was somewhere else waiting for her. However, Nino was positive that she heard Seth's directions correctly. The one thing about it that bothered her the most though, was that she had no way of telling for sure, and ironically, her orders were all neatly written on the parchment she carried in her pouch.

Just when Nino was considering leaving the house and returning to the fortress, she thought heard the slightest patter of a footstep fall just outside the door. Curious, she crept towards the door and edged it open to peek outside. To her disappointment though, Nino saw no one on the other side of the door. Nino began to wonder if she was hearing things and stepped away from the door, but suddenly backed into something solid. Adrenaline poured through her veins and almost comically, she looked up into the two blood-red eyes staring back at her.

"You shouldn't be so careless," Jaffar said narrowing his eyes.

Nino shrieked and jumped back so fast that she nearly knocked the door off its hinges. For a minute she lay on the floor clutching her heart.

"Don't scare me like that Jaffar!" she screamed at him.

"It was you who was deluded enough to believe I would come through the front door…" Jaffar replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Nino thought that over an awkward silence and realized he was right. Then with what dignity she had left, Nino stood up and dusted herself off casually.

"Where have you been Jaffar?" Nino asked chidingly. "It's usually not like you to be late."

"The last job took longer than…expected…"Jaffar uttered, valiantly fighting back a wave of nausea.

"Huh? You mean there are things that can slow you down? I would've never expected that," Nino commented, trying to flatter him as best she could.

"I am ready for my next assignment…" Jaffar said, ignoring her compliment.

"Oh yeah!" Nino responded, digging into her pouch. "Mother wished for you to have this," she said holding out the envelope. It wasn't until Jaffar's fingers began fumbling for the edge of the packet did Nino realize that Jaffar was dripping blood off his very sleeves. Nino shrieked and withdrew the envelope immediately.

"J-Jaffar! You're covered in blood! What happened to—?"

"This is nothing," Jaffar lied, taking a clumsy step forward. His eyes fixated on the envelope still in Nino's hand, and his arm reached out unsteadily to take it, but slowly, it began to blur, and his arm didn't know where to reach. Nino threw the envelope away quickly to get it out of his reach. Unbalanced by his arm, Jaffar began to lean forward, and took another step before his knees gave way.

"Jaffar!" Nino cried, rushing toward him to break his fall. "Here, hold on to me."

"My…target …I must," Jaffar said leaning into Nino, nearly dragging her to the floor. "must…hurry," he whispered as his body gave way, and the world around him disappeared.

Nino's eyes lapsed in terror when she felt the life pass out of Jaffar's limbs, and she let him sink to the floor where he landed with a wet "thud."

"N-no…Jaffar, please don't…not now," she whispered fearfully, kneeling in the red pool.

With a sudden instinct seizing her body, Nino dragged Jaffar to the bedroom and set him up on the bed. Then she ripped up the bed sheets into strips and proceeded to bandage him up to the best of her ability. It was only when the sounds of battle nearby reached her ears that she finally stopped and realized what she was doing.

Nino breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and thanked both St. Elimine and her tireless nights of studying Black Fang protocol. That is of course, forgetting the most crucial rule of the Black Fang, and instead relying on her knowledge of field medics. She smiled proudly to herself and was considering cleaning the blood off Jaffar's cloak when she remembered what had made her stop in the first place. Without a second's hesitation, she bounded out of the bedroom and into the dining room where she crept stealthily to the window. Then, sitting on the floor with her back against the wall, she arched and turned her head over to allow a single eye a view out the window.

Outside, she saw the massive figure of a knight wandering around in the fog. Unable to contain herself, she leaned forward some more and pulled the rotting curtain aside. With a better view, she witnessed the knight surrounded by figures in black cloaks. Immediately Nino knew that the knight was a foe, and she watched her comrades eagerly from the sidelines.

Nino watched a monk cast a light spell, which illuminated the area around them when it connected with the knight's armor. To her horror though, the knight wasn't the slightest bit phased by the attack. And with the light that reflected off the fog around them, Nino was granted a good look at the knight himself. Her first impression of the knight that was…old—too old to be engaging in combat. Nino wondered how he could stand in the face of such a situation. And yet, though was surrounded by a gang of dangerous opponents, he seemed…if anything, bored.

Helpless to do anything, Nino could only watch as her fellows' attacks did nothing to harm the knight. The Fangs had attacked in rapid succession, and the endless attack had looked very impressive to both sides, but yet the knight was still unscathed. Demoralized and confused, each member of the circle took a nervous step backwards. Nino's eyes shot wide open when she saw the fear running amongst them, and silently, she urged them to gather their courage and keep trying. Fearfully, she inhaled and held her breath as the battle played out before her eyes.

Unfortunately, the knight spotted the fear in their eyes as well and his face contracted eagerly in anticipation. Another moment passed before the knight, almost as if signaled, withdrew a hand axe from the ring at his waist and prepared to strike at a nearby shaman. Nino's heart began to pound and her hand went unconsciously to her tome, but her legs had frozen, and her eyes remained glued to the scene.

The knight laughed maniacally as he pitched the hand axe at the Fang with enough force to impress Nino's father. The hand axe flew straight at the shaman and caught him in the shoulder as it passed through. Then as the axe's boomerang effect began to kick in, it curved around and amazingly spun into an archer's neck, where it stayed even as the bowman was knocked to the ground.

It all seemed so fast to Nino, at how quickly and easily her comrades fell, but she didn't even have time to shed a tear as suddenly, a Pegasus knight swooped down and stuck the wounded shaman's body on her spear as she flew by. Then as the Pegasi lifted off again to make a pass at another enemy, the shaman fell off the end of the pike and plummeted to the ground below. All Nino could see after that was the constant flicker of a blade passing in between the rest of the Fangs. Nino heard the sword being sheathed before she saw the figures of the group sink to the ground one after another.

Nino choked back the bile building up in her throat, and finally brought herself away from the window. Before today, Nino had always revered her unit as the best the world could offer—invincible—always victorious…but now, that seemed all too long ago.

Taking another breath and pushing down the sensation to vomit, Nino hoisted herself up and immediately threw her own black cloak into the room where Jaffar was resting and locked the door. After replacing the garment with her own cape, Nino fetched a large rag from another room and proceeded to mop Jaffar's blood off the floor. She knew that if the enemy, whoever they may be, were advancing in this area, then they'd probably visit the many villages and house, to sniff up some information. True to her instincts, someone began knocking on the front door just as Nino tossed away the rag.

Being as casual as she could, she opened the door to none other than the knight from before. Instantly she shrieked and hid behind the door in a heartbeat.

"Wh-What can I do f-for you sir?" She stuttered with all the courage she had left.

The knight chuckled and his demeanor changed dramatically. "Peace my young lass, there be no need to fear me," the giant said resting on one knee.

Nino begged to differ.

"I'm just here to warn you that there's a battle about the countryside, and it would be prudent to keep indoors," the knight advised.

That was something Nino really didn't expect to hear. She knew that if the knight had been targeted by the Black Fang, then he was surely against the name of justice. And yet, here he was, warning her to stay out of the fray in concern for her…no, the 'populace' safety. Convinced, but still cautious, she edged the door open and faced the knight in earnest. Close up, and with the expression on his face, he truly seemed more like a grandfather rather than a murderer.

"Thank you sir knight," Nino replied as politely as she could. "May I be so bold as to wish for your name?"

"I am Sir Wallace of Caelin!" The knight boomed proudly.

Wallace of Caelin, Nino thought, He will pay for this.

"Well, it seems that everything is—" Wallace said standing up, but suddenly noticed the palms of Nino's hands covered in blood. Nino looked at her palms in suit and quickly hid them behind her back.

It was less than a second though when the knight spotted the many streaks of blood from where Nino tried to wipe it up inside the house. Wallace's face turned to stone and he towered over Nino threateningly.

"What happened here?" He demanded.

"Oh! Uh—There's a man here! He's been wounded and is resting!" Nino blurted haphazardly.

Wallace's expression remained unchanged. "Alright, let us call our medic, she'll have him fixed in no time!"

"No!" Nino interjected. "I—I've already treated him, he just needs rest!"

Wallace seemed ready to protest but someone's voice called to him.

"General Wallace!" A woman's voice hailed. "We're advancing on the east flank, Marcus reports there's another village there, but he's busy with the reinforcements from the fortress!"

Nino tried to see the identity of the woman behind the knight, but unfortunately, Wallace occupied the entire doorway, and she had no hope of seeing around him.

"I'm on my way milady!" Wallace bellowed back, then turned back to Nino. His eyes probed deep into Nino's heart and found nothing but fear and lies behind her voice. Disappointed in the child, he turned his back on her and began to walk away, but remembering something he stopped short and called to her over his shoulder.

"By the way young lass, I'd stay away from your Black Fang friends," he said warningly. "I would hate to see a girl like you piled up along with them," he added mentioning to the corpses, then ran off into the fog to catch up with the others.

Nino gulped audibly and slammed the door shut. After locking and barricading the door with whatever she could, Nino took sanctuary in the bedroom room with Jaffar. She was truly alarmed by the relative ease the knight took in slaughtering her comrades, and even more by how easily he saw through her lies—despite every precaution she had taken. And, even though he knew the truth, Wallace had spared her life the way a hero spares his foe. Confused and afraid, she laid herself on the bed next to Jaffar, and slept.

There was nothing else she could do.

Seth released an enormous sigh of relief when he saw the knight withdraw from Nino's position. He had held his breath ever since the knight had approached the house, and now that he knew Nino was safe, there was nothing more to be feared.

Commander Linus will be glad, Seth thought to himself.

With his orders completed, Seth turned toward his next objective but stopped short when he noticed something odd about the enemy ranks. Curious, he threw back his hood and spied on them from a long line of trees. Seth's glance pierced far through the fog and saw three of his foe, each one staring off into the general direction of the fortress. One was the General, the second was none other than Lyndis of Caelin, and the other was a timid-looking Pegasus Knight. One strange element about them was that Seth knew none of them could see very far at all in this weather, and yet they seemed to know the exact location of the fortress from where they stood. Perhaps the most perplexing however, was that none of them were conversing in any way. The general nodded his head slightly at times but other than that, they didn't utter a word.

Seth, now genuinely interested, poked out a little farther from the trees to see if there may have been something he missed…but not so. Each one of them was simply standing there, focused on the fortress in the distance, and silent to a degree that truly concerned Seth on the grounds that these were madmen.

Just as Seth was about to dismiss it though, the heads of the three soldiers suddenly shot in his direction, and he found himself staring directly into their eyes. A wave of sweat and anxiety swept over his body with the sudden quantity of attention. Instinctively, he ducked behind a tree and peered deeper into the fog to find the eyes of his subjects searching in his direction—rather than knowing his location for certain. With this, Seth knew that they were being directed by someone—the tactician most likely, who had yet to be revealed.

But how did he see me? Seth thought to himself in utter disbelief. If I couldn't even see him, then by what grace could he spot me of all people!?

Although lacking modesty, Seth had a right to the question. He was known all over Bern for having eyes keener than a hawk, and being as elusive as a shadow. For the first time in his life, Seth was outdone at his own game.

It wasn't long before the small group set themselves into motion. The general's face twisted up again into a sickeningly devilish smile, and he barreled down the plains. At the same time, the Pegasus knight took to the air and disappeared above the fog layer, and all Seth saw of the lordling was a blur of green—then he lost track of her.

Instinctively, Seth turned and dashed down the line of trees toward the North East village with unprecedented speed. He knew that his footsteps would be able to be tracked in the soft ground near the trees' roots, but that didn't matter if he could outrun them. All he had to do was get out of the tactician's sight, and he was safe. Besides, they had been probably three hundred yards away when the tactician spotted him, and they had no chance of catching him now.

As he neared the bridge, Seth changed course and ran diagonally across the plains to reach it. It wasn't until he was across the bridge that he slowed down, and two myrmidons hailed him from a clump of trees.

"Who goes there?" They demanded.

Seth began coughing and breathing erratically when his fatigue from the run seized him. He tried to hail them back, but his lungs refused to cooperate. Fortunately, the fangs heard the massive spasm and cautiously came towards Seth. When they realized who it was, they instantly lifted him to his feet and dragged him a safe distance away from the bridge. Another pair of myrmidons were quick to take their place at the bridge, and a knight lumbered out of a guard tower to see all the commotion.

"Lieutenant! What's happening over there?"

"There's a…small unit of enemies…one of which is a target…that is coming up the east flank…" Seth panted out. "And inform the commander that Nino is safe."

"Sir…that's impossible now," a Myrmidon said vapidly.

"What!?"

"Our forces have been held at bay to the west by the main enemy force. If we spread out our troops now, we'll lack the strength over there to keep their stronger units from invading the fortress!" The myrmidon explained.

"But that was the plan!" Seth cried, "We were supposed to lure them into a trap there!"

The myrmidon shook is head ruefully. "They've already defeated the force that was originally meant to close around them and keep them on the stomping grounds. Now, all we can do is hope we have enough troops to defeat them. But, the team that they've assembled over there is impenetrable!"

"So…I can't even reach commander Lloyd?"

The soldier shook his head again in the same manner, "With all due respect, it would be wiser if you stayed with us. In addition to the knight over there, half of the Myrmidon platoon in a position to reinforce the line, and our flank quickly."

Seth, now able to support himself, pushed off of the myrmidon and looked to where the village was only a short distance away. He knew that things were lost here. If three magic-users and two archers couldn't take out a single knight…then an entire platoon of iron-equipped myrmidons wouldn't fare any different. Cowardly? Yes, he knew that too, but if Lloyd wouldn't live to see the end of the day, then without Seth's guidance, then there was no telling what Linus might do. For the good of the Black Fang, he needed to be alive.

"I need to complete orders from Brendan Reed himself," Seth said truthfully. "I trust you can—"

Seth was interrupted the sickening sound metal makes when it is forced into bone and sinew. He spun around like a top to see the myrmidon shed two tears of blood, then sink to the ground with a hand axe stuck into the back of his head. In two more whispers of air and a flicker of green, the knight was slaughtered and the other myrmidon was simply replaced with a large splatter of blood. Seth heard a sword sheathed behind him, and suddenly he knew he was surrounded. He turned to see the target staring fiercely back at him. Unable to take it all in, he just blinked, devoid of thought or action.

It wasn't until he heard the undeniable swish of air when it all finally clicked…and he knew it was too late.

"Heh…" Seth laughed in spite of himself, "I didn't see that one coming..."

Then, Seth sank down the shaft of the six-foot arrow that struck him, and everything went dark.

Lloyd couldn't believe his eyes. All around him, his comrades were falling before the target's army and doing nothing to hurt them. There was even an axe-wielder that was slaughtering two myrmidons in one swing! In addition to the encroaching enemies, his entire plan to trap the enemy had been tossed out the window. How the tactician did it, Lloyd did not know.

With his entire unit defeated, there was no way Lloyd could show his face to his father as a Fang again. Still, he would not die a victim of Eliwood's reign of terror. He knew that he would be the one to cut him down…here and now.

Lloyd's feet made barely any sounds as he darted down the drawbridge and off into a patch of trees. There he kept in the shadows, accompanied by two of his most skilled companions. As he expected, a mounted knight rode past to investigate the fortress, with the berserker and two other knights in tow.

Standard formation…. He thought, Big ones in front, followed by the weaker ones…

Another moment went by and, true to his instincts; the targets came running up the hill, accompanied by a Pegasus Knight, archer, mage, and a myrmidon.

"So long as the strong ones are out of reach, we can cut down the lordlings and be done with this," he whispered to his comrades, drawing his sword

"May the blade of the White Wolf be swift!" His comrades chanted, sprinting out of the trees. Lloyd followed suit and came like a blur out of the trees, then with a single push of his foot, the Wolf's speed doubled and he moved his blade parallel to his face. He roared his battle cry in the name of the Fang, and his targets froze in mid-stride.

"In the name of the Fang I sentence you all to Death!" he cried, then lunged towards Eliwood.

Eliwood's calculating eyes watched every one of Lloyd's moves, and he merely stood his ground—waiting for the Fang to get close enough…

A wicked smile drew itself across Lloyd's face as he shifted his legs forward and twisted his sword in an uppercut that would be the end of the lord. Suddenly though, Lloyd spotted a silver flicker in the air and suddenly his entire attack was halted.

"H-How?" Lloyd gasped as he met eyes with Lyndis. She held her sword perpendicular to his own, barely able to hold the lock against Lloyd's strength. Immediately, Lloyd twisted his blade around the lock to be vertical against the lord's and he pushed her away with one simple shove.

"Not bad," he said as Lyndis's guard was thrown open. Then with another burst of speed, he lunged toward her. Instead of slicing her open though, Lloyd moved to her side, and slapped her right elbow with the broad part of his sword. Lyndis screamed in pain as her weakened elbow was shattered into countless pieces, and she tumbled to the ground—incapacitated for the rest of the battle. After he felled the first, a second lord, whom Lloyd knew to be Hector of Ostia came hailing from the sky like a falcon.

"You'll pay for that!" Hector roared as he descended upon Lloyd. The wolf snickered and evaded the lord's axe in an almost mocking manner. What Lloyd didn't expect from the lord, save a profane curse, was to be rammed with his shoulder. While the attack did little damage, it surprised Lloyd to say the least. He stumbled back a few paces away, but was easily able to regain his footing and get back into an offensive stance.

Suddenly however, Lloyd felt something slide across his upper back, followed by a burning sensation there—and he knew he had been hit. Lloyd looked over to where the enemy myrmidon landed after his passing jump attack. The Sacaen immediately turned to face and attacked again, but this time Lloyd was ready. As the myrmidon closed in and swung his blade across, Lloyd easily parried the blow and sent the amateur reeling to the ground behind him.

Lloyd shifted into a defensive stance. Now that the weaker units surrounded him, unless he pulled off something pretty miraculous now, the strong units would be quick to finish him off. Without even thinking, he backed up several steps to put some distance in between himself and his opponents. All of a sudden, Lloyd backed into something he thought was the fortress wall, but when he turned around, he found himself looking at his own reflection.

"Hey there," The General said with a vile smirk.

Instantly, Lloyd moved into a fighter's stance and was about to attack when he felt something cold up against the side of his neck. He couldn't believe it had come to this…

"Yield," Eliwood said coldly.

As if on cue, Lloyd found himself surrounded by the ends of lances and swords. Lloyd looked to see what had become of his two comrades. One he found face up on the ground with two arrows stuck in his chest, and another, charred beyond recognition. Unconsciously, his hand lost its grip, and his sword fell to the ground. To Lloyd's confusion though, instead of being perforated, Eliwood smiled, and the knight clapped him on the back of the head with his lance. As he sank to the ground and as things began to blur, Lloyd promised himself it wouldn't end like this…he could never allow that to happen.

Jaffar opened his eyes and was immediately awake. He stared at the interior of the room he was in perplexedly. He did not remember falling asleep here…nor did he remember falling asleep with a green-haired girl in his arms. The one thing that Jaffar remembered though, was that he should be dead. Dizzy, he sat up on the bed, and he felt a painful, stretching feeling on his side.

"You're awake!" Nino said happily from the bedside. "Thank goodness you're okay…"

Jaffar blinked confusedly at her as she came into focus. "You…I know you…" he said expressionlessly.

"That's right," Nino answered. "We've seen each other many times but I don't think I've introduced myself to you before. I'm Nino, Sonia's daughter!" she stated excitedly.

"I know who you are," Jaffar said reputedly. "What do you think you're doing?"

"W-What?"

"You should've killed me and ran!" he burst. "What were you thinking? Have you completely forgotten the law of the Fang?!"

"I—I uh…" Nino tried to spit out a defense, but Jaffar's lack of gratitude for having his life saved caught her off guard.

"Sacrifice the wounded to salvage the strong," Jaffar quoted. "That has been our one and only rule! You should've let me die, but you didn't…...why?"

"But—But I couldn't just let you die! The reason why the Black Fang is feared so much is partly because of you!" Nino used as an excuse.

"Folly," Jaffar scoffed.

Nino began to cry, and Jaffar backed up like a cautious animal—unfamiliar to witnessing these kinds of emotions from this point of view. As he moved away though, he felt his side stretch more and rip apart, and the warmth there flooded out, and he began to feel death creeping on him once again. He gritted his teeth against the pain and tried to stand up, but his legs refused to cooperate with his commands.

"Don't move!" Nino warned, rushing towards him. "Here you can lean on me!" she said putting her arm around him.

"…Don't…touch…" Jaffar said trying to move away from her, but every move he made just made him dizzier.

"Please, don't move," Nino said gently. Then she noticed that she was once again sitting in a pool of blood. "Not again," she whined. "How do I stop it? You're bleeding so much again!"

Jaffar couldn't hear her, nor could he see properly again. So, he just closed his eyes and waited for death to come to him…what else could he do now?

As he slipped into the cold darkness Jaffar heard one last thing before he was lost. A pleading voice that would echo in his head for the rest of his life:

"Jaffar…please…please don't die…"

Lloyd woke up with one of the worst headaches he'd ever experienced. Had he not have any recollection of the previous fight, Lloyd would've sworn he was in the middle of a hangover. He shook the bleariness away with a curt shake of his head and studied his surroundings. Lloyd was back at the fortress somehow, and he was sitting on his knees in the courtyard. The fog was still thick, even inside the castle grounds so Lloyd knew that he couldn't have been unconscious for very long. The realization that his arms were bound was the factor that finally got him fully alert, and he began to struggle on the ground.

"Take it easy…you might be healed, but you've still been through a lot…" a gruff voice demanded.

Lloyd looked to where the Ostian lord was towering over him. Healed? He wondered. Lloyd flexed his back, and sure enough he felt no surge of pain through his shoulders. He couldn't worry about the charity of his captors however—there were more important tasks at hand. Cautiously and discretely, Lloyd used his thumb and index finger to feel the knot forming the bonds on his hands. Lloyd snickered inwardly when he learned of what kind of knot it was.

Amateurs, he thought, they don't even know how to take prisoners.

"Are you well?" A tall man asked. From the position he was in, Lloyd could only see the man's boots, however, from the voice he knew that it was Eliwood who stood before him.

"Who cares?" Lloyd scoffed indignantly. "I am beaten now. You were much stronger than I anticipated…and for that I've paid the price." Unbeknownst to all of them, Lloyd carefully undid the knot tying his hands together, but kept his hands in their current position so he could see this all the way through.

"The only thing it seems you've lost is pride…" Eliwood said. "Listen, we've no plans to hurt you…I just want to talk. We're not as bad as you think."

"But you are foolish," Lloyd smirked, discretely removing a dagger from his boot. "To waste sentiment on enemies like me?"

"Why's that?" Eliwood said, narrowing his eyes.

"Because!" Lloyd explained lunging forward and throwing his arm around the lord's neck, then held the dagger close to Eliwood's throat. "This is what happens!"

"Eliwood!" Hector cried, wielding his axe threateningly. Lyndis drew her sword, as did the rest of the unit with their weapons. Of course though, none of them would dare strike with Eliwood as a human shield.

"Peace!" Lloyd said as they closed in. "I don't intend to flee with him as a hostage." Then in Eliwood's ear, he uttered, "After I am done with you, I will spare the rest of them…"

Eliwood sighed sadly and closed his eyes. "Those words are unchanged from when Uhai said them," he said vaguely.

Lloyd's eyes narrowed. "What? How do you know Uhai?"

"We fought with your comrade Uhai on Valor. He had threatened Lyndis in the same way, but he told us that he'd never do something so cowardly as taking a hostage. He let her go, on those grounds, and that he and Lyn shared Sacaen heritage. Uhai fought us with honor…as have the rest of the Black Fang that we've encountered. I see now that none of you are evil by nature, so why do we all have to fight. I have no intention of conflicting on those whose intentions are in the right place!"

Lloyd was silent in a mix of emotions. Confused by the contradiction in character that Eliwood was supposed to be; angered, now knowing the true fate of his mentor; and most of all, full in admiration of the person that this "evil" lord turned out to be. Perhaps the lordling was being naïve, as it is a common trait among most young lords; but that didn't matter now. Lloyd could tell that Eliwood was speaking truly, and he had no desire of carrying out his orders now.

"You…You spoke with Uhai?" Lloyd asked haltingly.

"Yes, after we'd defeated him, he told us the way to the dragons gate with his dying breath. He was a good man in our eyes, and our hearts weighed heavily seeing him disappear from the world. That is why I don't want to fight! Before anymore good people get hurt, let us stop this madness!"

"…I see…" Lloyd said at length, releasing Eliwood from his grip, and sheathing his dagger. Seeing the group's perplexed look, he explained, "Go now, Eliwood of Pherae. I too have my honor. Do not expect that we will meet in combat again."

Eliwood smiled and extended a hand. "Will you join our cause then?"

"No…" Lloyd waved off the offer, somewhat to the lord's embarrassment. "However, something isn't right here…I was told you to be someone of a vile nature, but I see the contrary…you have been granted a reprieve from our armies until I have the truth. We will meet then."

Lloyd turned to leave them, but was stopped short by the lordling.

"Wait…before you leave, could I ask for your name?" he asked.

Lloyd grinned knowingly. "I'll tell you the next time we meet. For now, you may call me the White Wolf, the first of the Four Fangs. I'll see you again Eliwood." Then, Lloyd burst out into the fog, but over his shoulder he called a warning to Eliwood. "Be cautious Eliwood! Watch for the woman named Sonia! She is your true enemy!" And he was gone.

Eliwood stared after him for a while until he noticed his steward by his side.

"Shall I give chase milord?" Marcus asked, gripping his reigns.

"No…" Eliwood answered. "He promised he'd come back to us…we've only to trust his word."

"Your trust is in the right place," the former Black Fang thief assured. "Lloyd…the White Wolf, is not someone who will make you think otherwise…"

Lloyd had been running for a good ten minutes straight before he came across the broken ballista to the East of the fortress. He stopped there and looked back at the castle now that the fog was finally starting to burn off. His face was solemn and serious as he thought about his conversation with the lord. In such a short time, Lloyd's beliefs and thoughts had turned upside down…and he was confused now to say the least.

…Seems I was right in the first place, he thought to himself. They aren't the bunch of thugs that Sonia made them out to be…I know father had to know about this, and yet…he told us to kill him.

Correction, he answered himself, Sonia was the one that pushed him into it…that much is obvious. How can I unmask that wench for what she really is?

Suddenly, Lloyd felt the cold touch of a hand over his heart, and the other caress his cheek. Then, he suddenly felt the life drain from his body, and everything seemed cold. He felt the figure of a face glide past his other cheek and out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a curl of jet-black hair fall over his assailant's face.

"Sonia!!!" Lloyd yelled, jumping away and turning to face in midair. Once he looked at the woman though, he knew that it wasn't her. This woman possessed the same hair, eyes, and lips as Sonia, but she dressed in the garb of a Sage…and in addition, this woman seemed to have about the same personality as Jaffar…

"Impossible!!!" Lloyd gasped in disbelief, finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. "Not a sound…nothing at all…"

"Lloyd, the White Wolf," the woman said once looking at her hands, which were glowing red. "Such strong quintessence, Nergal will be pleased." Then she disappeared.

Lloyd fell to his knees and his back slouched over until he finally slumped to the ground. He felt the life in his body had gone, and death was near.

"…Li—Linus…" he whispered into the air, "…please…tell father…"

Then, the White Wolf said, and knew no more.

I never was able to fully see past Nino's façade until after the conflict…Her tears of grief from learning of her brother's fate still haunt me till this day. I thought I knew her to be someone who was always happy, no matter what happened…but I was wrong of course. With each second we spent together, Nino gave me more of the life that I desired to have. But when she was struck with grief, this link of apathy was severed…

I swore to myself that I would never let one of her tears stain her face again…a vow that I've failed to keep even to this day....

::Panting furiously:: HA! About 9000 words!!! Beat it! ………anyway on less arrogant tone, I finally got this chapter done. I would've cut it short but if I did that then it kind of ruins the whole story. If you guys think its too long, then I'll be a little more careful when the story gets a little lengthy. I tried really hard to give you guys a good pair of fight scenes so tell me what you think! Once again sorry about the delay, but its finally here so R&R!!!

Oh yeah…and does anyone think that Nino and Saria (from Legend of Zelda) are practically the same character? I mean, they have the same hair (and hair style) the same color hair band, they have pretty much the same character and personality…The only difference they have is two years age, but Saria looks like a younger Nino anyway…tell me if you agree or if I should find some other way to spend my time lol.

blackemeraldthe1st: And I'm straight…glad we got that in order….

elven-girl10: Thanks, and again I'm sorry it took so long.

Lemurian-Girl: I will, count on it!

forestfey: I can see why you're confused. Ok, in general, this is a retelling by Jaffar (i.e. the narrations in italics at the beginning and end), but the story itself is in regular 3rd person POV. …sorry…

Kirtar, General of the Avens: Thanks! I'll bet you got bored halfway through this one though ::coughs:: too long ::coughs again::

C.L.: I think I might of hit more than a few grammar speed bumps here…but Thanks Lots! I really needed to get her age before jumping into this lol!.

Thanks a bunch guys, but as a little epilogue, I've prepared something…extra to our story. It doesn't necessarily answer any questions…but here it is:

Seth opened his eyes to the sound of footsteps approaching him. They were light steps, telling that a person of short build, or a mere child was approaching…whomever the steps belonged to owned a definite sense of calm for walking through a graveyard. He wondered who would have such hardened nerves, and why he had awakened to them in the first place.

"Oh…so you were the thief Hannah spoke of," a girl's voice said. "I was beginning to wonder who in the world could spot my forces so easily from that distance."

Seth's pupils contracted at the sound of the voice, and he gasped audibly. He couldn't believe this was happening. A girl, no more than sixteen years of age, knelt before him and gently tossed back his hood. Seth saw her face, and he finally knew why he had awakened just for her.

"…it was you this entire time…wasn't it brother?"

"Y-You!" Seth cried, tears forming at the edges of his eyes. "Why did you do this to me?!"

"Because we were told it would happen…don't you remember?" the tactician answered gently.

Seth hung his head low knowing she was right. He couldn't be angry at her—not after the vow they had made. Suddenly though, he felt the shaft of the ballista arrow broken, and in two seconds of agonizing pain, he was free. Seth still sat on his knees, hunched over in the grass; it was too painful to move anyway.

"Why…What are you doing?" he demanded.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she asked rhetorically, using his own cloak for a bandage. "I don't have a vulnerary, and I don't want to see you die…"

"But…you don't understand," Seth choked out. "I've failed my mission…and failure means death."

The tactician stopped bandaging him and stared at him with a blank look on her face…then as if suddenly triggered, she reached for the arrowhead of the ballista and held it threateningly in front of Seth's face.

"I'll give you the choice then…you can die with this," she said angrily, mentioning to the weapon. "Or you can die with me…"

"Years ago we were told by that an old hag of a fortuneteller that we would meet like this…So when I left…we made a vow," Seth said. "We promised each other that even if we met again on opposite sides of a battlefield…we would carry out our duties as soldiers…without remorse, pain, or regret…two souls merely doing their jobs…that was the pledge we made! So carry it out and finish me! There is no one in the world whose hand I would rather die by…please."

Another several moments passed. Seth could not see his sister's eyes as they were covered by her hair…but he could see the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You seem to forget brother," the tactician said dropping the arrowhead. "I am not a soldier…and I have never bowed to the dictates of fate." Then the tactician embraced her brother and stroked his face affectionately. "I cannot kill you…"

She does not know the Black Fang…Seth thought. She does not know the severity of the laws I must abide…

Then, out of the blue, Seth remembered that even though he had failed the greater part of his mission, there was still something he could do to fulfill them. Though it caused him mush pain, he parted from his sister withdrew a magic staff attached to his back, then presented it to her. The tactician stared at it confusedly, wondering if this was in some way a final parting gift.

"There is much you still do not know about the Black Fang, sister," Seth started. "But all you need to know is that in the past year or so, a woman has turned it upside down and now leads it around as if it were her pet…There will come a time when you meet her, and when that happens…use this staff."

The tactician took it from him unsurely.

"My original orders from Brendan Reed were to deliver this staff personally to Eliwood…and help him in anyway I could to bring down that woman" Seth continued "…she is the enemy you seek, and her name is Sonia…do not forget, Sonia."

"Y-you mean you were meant to—" the tactician stuttered, unable to take in the news and comprehend what she had just done.

"Yeah…I was meant to join your side anyway…" Seth said with all the strength he had left, leaning into his sister. The tactician carefully received him and kissed him lightly on the forehead.

"Brother…I—I'm so—" she tried to apologize, but Seth stopped her with a shake of his head.

"Without pain, without remorse, without regret…" he chanted, as the life disappeared from his eyes. "This is the way it was meant to be…"

For a time afterwards, the tactician cradled her brother, whispering prayers of peace and safe journey; when at last, she laid him to rest, and continued on without ever looking back.