Yes! I've been dying to do this chapter! You know, the one with the BALLISTA in it!!!

Guy: Ballista? You mean you're ballistic!

Crickets chirping

Matthew: Guy, don't try to be funny…

Kirby: Poyo…

FireEdge: No kidding… Anyway, review time! Yay!

Reviews:

Rockiel: Haha, yes. I feel sorry for Guy too, he is my favourite character, but where's the fun if we don't torment him? But just to make him happy… Gives Guy a Rune Sword and a Wo Dao

Guy: Yay!

The Story Master 125: Yup, I'm getting used to it… not like I have a choice. You know, I think you'd get along with my brother. You're both Kirby freaks!

Ed, the Master Tactician: Yes, hitting Guy is quite addictive! :) Cool, you know a site with the official art? I want to see the Wil one. Hey, put it in your profile and I'll check it out!

Guy: AHHH!!!

Matthew: Whee!

Lord Cynic: Hehehe. Nice.

Ragnarok: Yes, Kirby's cute. And yes, I will definitely keep on updating!

Zephire the Tactician: Oh, hey! As long as you don't ditch me, you can do whatever you want with your username! :P And thanks for the compliment!  

FireEdge: Note that in this chapter there really isn't a vendor, but only an armory. But for my storyline thing, I needed to add a vendor. Also I don't know how a ballista really looks or functions like, so this is how I imagine it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.

Stray Arrow Chapter 6

            "Look, Elfaiya!" Lyn pointed. "The mountains seem so far away now. We've come such a long way…" Elfaiya nodded. It had been a long journey. But she couldn't it say that it didn't have it's upsides. They had met so many wonderful people along the way. Turning her head a bit, she saw Kent and Sain came up to them.

            "Milady Lyndis! Elfaiya!" Said Sain finally catching up to them. "We can't be very far from the castle now!"

            "By my reckoning, we can reach Castle Caelin in two days if we hurry." Added Kent. Lyn nodded, walking away from the others. Closing her eyes, she murmured to herself,

            "Two more days… Hold on, Grandfather. Please…" Seeing that Lyn was sad, Florina went up to her.

            "Cheer up, Lyn. If they see you looking so sad, the entire company will lose heart." Florina said with a small smile. But nothing seems to get Wil's spirits down. She then blushed slightly, realizing that she was thinking about the auburn haired archer.

            "Florina…" Lyn smiled, not noticing the flush on the pegasus knight's cheeks, "you're right. There's nothing gained by worrying. We just have to press onward."

            "That's the spirit!" Florina forced herself to stop thinking of Wil as she gave a big grin. Lyn returned her beam of happiness.

            "I haven't seen you this happy for a while. What's happened to make you this way?" Florina turned red at the question.

            "No-nothing! I-I'm just h-happy!" She stuttered, as thoughts of being held in Wil's arms returned to her. Lyn just smirked slyly as they rejoined the others. Upon their return, they heard Elfaiya talking to Matthew.

            "Fine, fine. Go!" Said Elfaiya with a grimace. Matthew then turned to Lyn with a bow.

            "If you'll excuse me, milady. I have some… business to attend to. I will return as soon as possible." Lyn just nodded. The thief then sprinted off quickly into the distance.

            "He'd better not be running off." Elfaiya growled.

            "I think he'll come back, don't worry." Lyn reassured her.

            "Good… 'cause I forgot to take back the items I told him to hold on too before he left… and some of our gold…" Florina and Lyn couldn't help but laugh as the tactician continued to sulk about the fact that she had entrusted valuable items to a thief. But their humor was short-lived when Ninian suddenly let out a cry.

            "Milady! Don't move!" The dancer warned.

            "Wha--AH!" Lyn cried as a giant bolt flew towards her.

            "Milady!" Kent quickly grabbed her and pulled her back, both tumbling to the ground. Florina had also let out a scream when the bolt had nearly hit Lyn, and herself, being right beside her. But when she opened her eyes she found herself on the ground. She felt something next to her and saw that it was Wil. He had practically tackled Florina to the ground to get her out of the way of the missile. Breathing heavily, the four named prior stood up shakily.

            "A ballista!" Sain hissed between clenched teeth. "Lundgren must be getting serious if he's employing siege weapons!"

            "A ballista? What is that?" Asked Lucius.

            "It's a large weapon that can only be used by archers." Replied Kent. "They are very dangerous and can take down most enemies in a single hit." Florina shuddered at the prospect of a giant bow. And I thought that normal bows were bad enough! She felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder. But Wil quickly removed it when Lyn faced him.

            "Wil, can you use a ballista?" The archer frowned at the question.

            "I've never tried one before. But I'm sure I can figure it out."

            "Florina, you'll be staying out of this battle." Said Elfaiya.

            "What?" She protested.

            "Elfaiya's right. It's too dangerous to send you out. If you were caught in the air, they would target you in an instance." Wil nodded, then in a murmur that was for only Florina's ears he added, "And I don't want to lose you…" Florina nodded, swallowing back tears.

            "Alright! Get ready everyone! Florina, stay by the shops there! You can stock up on some supplies while you wait for us!" Directed Elfaiya. "Kent, you Sain and Rath go on ahead and knock that sucker out before he does any more damage! Lucius, Nils! Head to that village! Stay in the forests! You two are fast enough to dodge the bolts, hopefully. Everyone else, stay in the woods and move carefully!!!" Sniffing a bit, Florina observed the rest charge into battle. If I could only help out more… She thought as she lowered her head and entered the vendor.

            "Hello. How may I help you?" The woman behind the counter smiled. Florina returned the greeting and proceeded in purchasing items. Picking up a couple of vulneraries and a Lighting and Fire tomb for the magic users, as they seemed to use up their books quickly. Pausing as she neared the counter, she spotted something on one of the shelves. Putting down the items she was holding, she picked up the glittering piece of jewelry. It was made of a beautiful silvery metal. On its chain was a small charm of a shining star. In the center of the star was a strange symbol engraved into it. She wasn't sure of the symbol but it seemed to be familiar. The necklace seemed to call out to her. Seeing that the pegasus knight was entranced by the trinket, the merchant smiled.

            "It's quite pretty isn't it miss?" Florina only nodded, still absorbed by the necklace.

            "Would you like it? You can have it free of charge. It's only a necklace that I found on the streets one day." The merchant offered.

            "C-could I? Th-thank you!" Stammered Florina gratefully.

            "Now, would you like to purchase the other items?"

            "Yes. Please." Florina nodded. Balancing everything in one hand, she stepped out of the shop, admiring the charm. As she placed down her purchases she continued to gaze at the necklace. Perhaps…Wil would like it…? She blushed; trying to imagine what he would say if she gave him a gift. Leaning against her pegasus, she waited for his return, along with the others.

            Brushing branches out of his face, Wil crept carefully through the forest, hoping not to attract attention from the archer in the ballista. Ah, I wish Kent and them would hurry up and knock that ballista out! But I do hope that it still has some bolts left after. I would like to try it out… As he neared the ballista, he was grateful to see that Rath had just killed the archer there. Running up to the nomad, he looked at the giant bow.

            "There are still at least one or two bolts left in there." Rath said in his low deep voice before riding off rejoin the fight. Nodding, Wil nervously climbed into the siege weapon. Slinging his own bow onto his back, he sat down in the seat and raised the end of the giant bow. Positioning one end slightly on his shoulder, he drew out a long, thick bolt from the side of the ballista. Nocking it on to the ballista, he turned the heavy contraption on its pivot, and aimed carefully at the enemy leader. Spreading his feet out to gain more stability, he tilted the ballista as needed, and then locked its position. Pulling back on the firm bowstring with as much force as he could muster, he made sure his aim was true and let go of his grip. The ballista's bowstring sang, reverberating with the energy from the release. Wil could hear the bolt rushing through the air towards its target: a great knight with solid armor. But the armor was a pathetic shield against the might of the ballista bolt. Wil could hear the knight let out a groan as the bolt must have penetrated his impregnable armor. Unfortunately, that was the ballista's remaining bolt. Sighing, Wil climbed down slowly from the big device. Well, at least I did some heavy damage! That's good to know. Ah, but it hurts your arm! After letting Nils play his flute for him, he went to help the others end the battle.

            Even after the battle had ended, things were still grim. When they had made the final blow, Matthew had returned with ill news. It turned out that the thief had been nosing around for information. He had found out that the marquess of Caelin was unwell and had been so for many months now. Rumors had it that he was being poisoned. This news was devastating for them all, especially Lyn. Also Matthew had learned that Lundgren was spreading about a story of rogue knights of Caelin and a Sacae plainswoman that was posing as the heir to Caelin. This was shocking news to all. But luckily, they returned they remembered that Eliwood of Pherae was still in Araphen and had said that he would help them in any way he could. They would set out in the morning. For now, they still had a peaceful night's rest ahead of them.

            Wil lay down on the soft grass with a happy sigh. After that battle, his body ached all over and was glad for a chance to lie down. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the sweet scents of the night and listened to crickets chirping when he heard someone kneel down in the grass beside him.

            "Wil?" A timid voice prodded him. "Are you awake?"

            "Yes. What is it, Florina?" He opened his eyes and rolled onto his side before propping himself up on an elbow. Despite the shadows of the night, he saw that Florina's beautiful face was rosy. He grinned a bit to himself at the sight of her like that.

            "Um… um… I, uh…" She fingered something in her hand. Taking a deep breath, she tried to speak again. "Uh, Wil… while you were all fighting… I was at the shop and I spotted this…" Opening her small, gloved hand, he saw that a silver necklace with a charm of a star lay in her palm.

            "That's very beautiful." He breathed. She turned even redder as she said the next part.

            "Um… I… I…. I want you to have it…" She placed it shyly into his hand.

            "Are you really giving it to me?" He smiled. Florina nodded fervently, her hair bouncing on her shoulders. "Thank you, I'll cherish it always." Wil unclasped it and put it around his neck.

Guy: Hey, what's with the necklace?

FireEdge: My first original touch to this story! Duh! And it will also play an important part in the story, waayy later on! So don't forget it! ;)

Matthew: Hey! Why doesn't the tactician trust me? I'm trustworthy!

Guy: Scoff Yeah, right!

FireEdge: Meh, I just thought it'd be funny.

Matthew: Funny? O.o

Kirby: Poyo?

FireEdge: Eh… just my pathetic sense of humor…

Guy: Thought so…

Matthew: Review!

--FireEdge--