Author's Notes: I was planning on updating A Doll's House, but a certain someone I know at school kinda... inspired me to write this. He's portrayed as Wil in this story and the conversation between him and Florina, then Florina and Rebecca is almost like the actual one at school (as much as I could remember it). Just changed a few words that I remembered. This didn't turn out how I wanted, though. Kinda sucks...
Ahh, a nice breezy day! A time to chatter amongst your fellow comrades during a lunch break. Wil, the sociable archer, was in his usual group of friends. Rebecca, Raven, Sain, Nino, and Florina were a part of his cliché. About Florina, she wasn't exactly in the gang. She's what message board users call a "lurker". To put it bluntly, she just follows Wil around during lunchtime. Wil doesn't stay in one group of pals and he tends to hop from one group to the next. A "social butterfly", as we call it. Rebecca, Raven, Sain, and Nino are the ones he hangs out with most often. The young pegasus knight has taken the habit of hanging out with Wil since the troops have been back to Badon. No one minded this at all… yet.

"…So I went to take off, but ended up slipping and landed hard on my…"

"Sain!" cried Nino.

"My apologies."

"That must have been hilarious!" laughed Rebecca.

"What do you expect from a scoundrel like him?" muttered Raven.

"Um… yeah…" squeaked Florina.

"You're a dolt, Sain!" Wil laughed out loud.

Everyone but the pegasus knight continued to talk, then Wil decided to jump on over to his next group. Florina didn't want to be left behind, so she decided to follow him. Wil turned his head around and noticed her tagging along. He continued ambling over to another group of pals. They chatted a bit while Florina was outside the circle, listening to them. Wil then headed back to his first group with Florina on his tail. The archer turned around swiftly to face her and he wasn't too cheery about her.

"What's the big idea?" he asked her exasperatedly.

"…" Florina didn't know who he was talking to. He might as well have been referring to Sain.

"Why are you following me for?"

"Um… I don't have any other group to go to…" she replied so softly that she was bordering on inaudible.

Wil walked up to her and moved her closer to the group. "Here! Be with them! They're a lot nicer than me!" After this, Wil headed to another group, leaving a dumbfounded Florina behind.

"…"

"Wil! WIL!" hollered Rebecca as she stood up hastily. "Don't worry about it. He changes groups everyday." Rebecca moved a little closer to Raven to make room for Florina. "Here, you can join us! We don't mind it a bit!"

"I-it's ok… I'm g-gonna see what M-Marth's up to…" The little peg knight heaved a sigh of defeat and started to meander away from the group.

"Ok, then! I'll see you later then!" called Rebecca.


Further away from the camp, Florina caught sight of their nutter of a tactician, Marth. She was practicing archery and was pretty good at it. At least her arrows aren't finding their way to hapless victims like when she tries to use Bolting. Marth must have heard Florina sniffling because she placed her bow and quiver down, then headed up to her.

"Hey, there. What's the matter?" asked Marth.

"…Oh, n-nothing… I-It's a-allergies… Th-that time of the year again…" Florina mumbled while avoiding eye contact.

"Come, tell me what's bothering you. I'll help you out even," replied Marth.

"I dunno… You might go too far…"

"'Go too far'? What do you mean by that?"

"Y-you might get so mad at Wil for what he did to me that you might end up murdering…Oops! Oh no! I've said too much!" cried Florina. She tried to flee, but Marth grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"It's ok, Florina! What did Wil do to you that made you cry?" asked Marth, her voice quivering.

"N-nothing!" Florina tried to struggle against the vertically-challenged tactician, but her efforts were futile.

"Tell me, please. I hate to see you cry. Plus you're gonna make me cry as well." Marth wiped a tear from her eyes with her one free hand.

"Um… OK… then… Wil told me that he didn't want me to f-follow h-him ar-round…" She was unable to finish her sentence and broke down into tears.

"Eh… Men in general are like that. That's why I hate them in general. Well, I do like some men, but generally… I hate their guts," said Marth. She helped Florina up, who was still crying.

"H-has a-anyone e-ever d-done th-this t-t-to y-you b-bef-f-fore?" sobbed Florina.

"Yeah, a 'friend'…" mumbled Marth. "Gave 'em the cold shoulder whenever I saw 'em. Wished for great catastrophes to happen. Smirked whenever the teacher caught 'em doing stuff behind his back; we have one class together, though."

"Oh… I see…" Florina dried her eyes a bit and tried to calm herself down. "I-I didn't kn-know that y-you can sh-shoot."

"I'm good with the bow. Did archery during P.E. at school last year," Marth answered.

"Mind if I try it?" Florina asked.

"Sure, go ahead! Know how to do it?"

"Kinda… I've seen Wil do it a few times before…" Florina loaded the arrow onto the bow and took careful aim at the target.

"If it helps, try imagining that the person you hate the most is in the center," smirked Marth.

Florina sighed and pictured Wil from earlier. She could hear his words, scarred into her mind. "What's the big idea? Why are you following me for? Here! Be with them! They're a lot nicer than me!" She no longer saw a wooden target, but the teenaged archer leering down at her. I'll show you how nice I think you are…, she thought angrily. She released the arrow and it pierced the balmy air, thunked onto her antagonist. A feeling of empowerment and revenge began to engulf her heart. She must show Wil that she won't take this laying down. She threw the bow down and glomped Marth tightly.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" cried Florina. She ran off, filed with a new sense of direction. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me; they'll be the end of you!, the pegasus knight thought evilly to herself.


It was dinner time. Everyone gathered around the center of the camp to chow down on the food Lowen made. The only one absent was, of course, Florina. Wil didn't seen to be fazed by Rebecca's constant nagging about apologizing to the girl. He simply shrugged the whole incident off as nothing at all. Florina wasn't noticed much by the others. In fact, more people notice Lowen than Florina and he's the most neglected member of "Eliwood's Elite"! Only a few asked about her whereabouts.

"Marth! Do you know where she is?" asked Rebecca. "She told me that she was going to be with you."

"I have no idea. I saw her take off after a little bit," replied Marth.

"Hey! What are you two lovebirds bickering about?" asked Hector.

"Eh, she wants me to apologize to Florina because I told her to not follow me anymore," replied Wil.

"She'll get over it."

"That's what I've told Rebecca a billion times! But no! 'You have to tell her you're sorry!', blah blah blah…"

"Poor Florina's not having dinner with us! I think you made her feel like she's horrible or something! She probably turned anorexic because she thought that you didn't like the way she looks!" raged Rebecca.

"No, no! It's not that! It's just that she's like stalking me or something. Wherever I go, BAM! There she is!"

"Mind if I join in?" asked Lowen.

"Go ahead and help me prove my innocence!" cried Wil.

"Rebecca, Florina's not starving herself. She took her meal and went to go dine alone. She wouldn't give me a clear reason on why, but she said something along the lines of 'keeping her word' or something," said Lowen.

"Oh, I see. But that still doesn't mean that he goes off Scott free!" Rebecca pulled Wil by the ear, Misty-style, and dragged him all over camp for Florina.

"I bid those two a happy marriage one of these days…" said Lowen.


When the camp finally turned in for the night, Wil discovered a Post-it note on the flap of his tent. Written in the Matisse ITC font with red ink and italics, the note read "Beware The Ides of April!" Wil read it over a few times inside his tent and said to himself, "That crazy Marth! Always coming up with funny ideas! Wasn't it supposed to be the Ides of March? Exactly what's so important about April 15th?"
Days passed and the troops were inching their way through the Nabata desert. Florina dared not join Wil and his main group at all. During lunches, Rebecca would lecture Wil about his deed while he tried to make weak attempts to reason with her. On the Ides of April (April 13th), Wil was about to find out why the note came into existence in the first place. Firstly, Marth didn't speak at all since she got up in the morning. No one was quite sure why, but Farina was also eerily mute. When asked why the vow of silence, Marth jotted something down and handed it to the interrogator. The rest of the troops caught on because Farina spread the word (on paper). It seemed odd to see even the most obnoxious loudmouths (Sain, Serra, and Farina) communicate with paper and gestures. To Wil, this was what he thought was why he had to beware the Ides. Loudmouths being so silent was probably a sign of impending danger.

Secondly, there was a hidden sniper on the loose in the camp. The only one who noticed was Wil. Why only him? When he was walking about alone, an arrow landed so closely to his foot that if the sniper were to aim it at a slightly different angle, it would have driven through his second to last toe (think of your "ring finger". That toe). Wil was becoming frightened of getting shot at that he tried to hide amongst a group to not be seen. Of course, the group dispersed once the arrow landed beside them, leaving Wil out in the open like a sitting duck.

" I'm freaking out here, people…!" moaned Wil as he rocked himself on the ground.

"W-we gots t-to warn the p-peg knights and-d H-Heath about th-this! They're d-dead m-meat if they t-take to the sk-skies!" spatted Guy.

"I'm on it!" announced Merlinus as he took off running.

"I'm dead… I'm dead… It's not even the 15th yet and crazy stuff are happening!" Wil sobbed into his knees.

"The f-fifteenth? Wh-what abouddit?" asked Guy.

Wil reached into his pocket and took out the ominous note, then handed it to the stuttering myrmidon.

"Y-YOU D-DUMMY!" shouted Guy. "The I-Ides isn't-t on the 15th of e-every m-month! I-I think it's l-like every o-other month i-it's the 15th! The o-others are the 13th!"

"Oh, so that explains why the evilness is happening a little early…" mumbled Wil.

"I've warned them, but for the other pegasus knight!" shouted Merlinus as he came running back.

"Wh-what other one?" asked Guy.

"The little one that's afraid of men," answered Merlinus.

"Aw, crap… I'll go find her." Wil got up… then lost his balance. His legs fell asleep from when he was in his panicky state. Guy and Merlinus were laughing their heads off at poor Wil's fate. After regaining the feeling back into his legs, Wil took off running.

He searched franticly for Florina, but could not find her. He did find out that the unknown assassin was still after his hide, though. Barrages of sharp arrows charged after Wil, landing mere centimeters from him. Wil jumped constantly and looked like he was doing some type of ancient dace. As he was focused on not getting hit by the arrows, a sudden jab in the leg caused him to fall over. It was an arrow that he didn't notice. Wil tried to get up, but the unbearable pain caused him to flounder. He heard something flapping nearby and he looked up to the source of the sound. Well, at least I don't need to warn her, Wil thought to himself.

Landing in front of him, Florina was armed with a Killer Bow and a third of a quiver full of arrows. She smirked evilly at the fallen archer. Wil drew in a sharp breath as he watched helplessly at Florina loading another arrow, aiming straight at him. She meticulously placed the arrow on properly, slowly drew the string back, and then slowly allowed the string to contract back. She adjusted her gripe on the string and took careful aim. Wil stared helplessly at her and noticed her taking her hand off the bow. Where's the arrow that would have stolen his life? Wil looked around and suddenly noticed the arrow sticking out of his shoulder. He felt hot, burning pain emitting from his shoulder along with a crimson river slowly flooding out of the hole in the dam…

"Florina! Why?"


"Why what?" asked a loud, shrill, girlish voice.

"…!" Wil quickly sat up, only to feel the pain in his shoulder again, this time worsening. He looked and discovered the source of the pain. Someone had a tight grip on his shoulder and was attempting to push him back down. He quickly surveyed his surroundings and felt like his head was split into two from a hand axe. He wasn't outside in the sun and sand, but inside a cool tent.

"Wow, that must have been some concussion you got from that ugly, smelly mercenary!"

"Don't… talk about… her like… Ugh!" moaned Wil.

"Who?" The person's face came closer to reveal Serra's.

"Ah… What just… How did… My shoulder!"

"Oops, sorry." Serra loosened her grip on Wil's shoulder, then he sat up to rub it.

"I got shot by an arrow…" he mumbled.

"No you didn't!" Serra replied in a sing-song voice. "I saw it happen like 20 minutes ago! Some stinky mercenary hit you over the head with his axe! Lucky, he didn't chop your head open! He used the flat side of it! You were just standing there, daydreaming. Canas wasn't paying much attention too, so don't feel like you're an idiot for this. He was reading a book that he borrowed from Marth. I think it's another magic tome because he would say things like 'Amazing! Learning how to cast spells like this at such a young age!' and stuff like that."

"Tell me! Where'd Florina go?" cried Wil.

"She's outside in the battle. Besides, you're in no condition to go out there!" Serra said sternly.

"Watch me, then," he growled. Wil shot up and leaped off the cot… only to fall over in pain due to his ankle. "AH, MY GOD! MY LEG! I FELT IT SNAP IN TWO! THE PAIN!" he sobbed hysterically.

After about five minutes, Wil was carried out of the tent by horseback, courtesy of Priscilla. She carried him to where Florina was supposed to be at. Instead, they found a small group huddled in a circle.

"What's going on there, guys?" called Priscilla.

"It's Florina," answered Lucius.

Wil leaned over to get a better view and he wished he didn't. The young girl was dead. Everyone was in shock, especially Pent.

"Poor soul, she had rescued me earlier. She tried to head back to that tent over there, but got taken down by a couple of archers and mages," sighed Pent.

"NO! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS! SHE CAN NOT BE DEAD!"


"Boy, the heat and the concussion must have really fried your brains!"

"…!"

Wil found himself back in the tent with Serra looking over him. He sat up gingerly, aching critically.

"You keep talking about Florina! Better be careful or else Rebecca might shoot you for that! I've thought that you and Raven were a couple at first…"

"Why are you still in here?" asked Wil.

"Hmph! How rude! I've been watching you for about an hour, then Priscilla came in here to watch you for an hour, and then I came back for the hour. Now keep your voice down or else you'll wake up my other patient!"

"Your other patient?" Wil asked dubiously.

Right on cue, the other person groaned a bit and sat up, looking tired and haggard. Hair was a complete mess, dirt all over the face, clothes slightly torn. The person looked around and turned out to be Florina!
"Y-you!" gasped Wil.

"Hn… What hap-Ow!" she cried out loud.

"Broken arm," Serra said matter-of-factly. "She must have been targeted at by archers and tried to avoid them, then fell from her pegasus." She went over to place a splint onto the younger girl's arm.

"Listen, I'm so sorry for what I did before," stated Wil. "I… I'm so sorry for hurting you like that. Sorry for making Marth stop speaking to us, sorry for everything!"

"Um… Marth hasn't stop talking at all…," Florina mumbled.

"What do you mean? It's the Ides of April…"

"Hmm… Serra, is Wil's concussion very serious?" she asked meekly.

"Probably because he doesn't remember the date and has said over and over again that you've shot at him repeatedly while on pegasus-back, trying to kill him," answered Serra.

"What? But I'd never do such a thing! I'm afraid of bows! I can't even pick one up and hold it with nothing on it! The only time I did was that day when you made me so mad at you, Wil! I was so focused on what happened that my fear didn't come up!"

"But where were you ever since I've told you to stop following me?" Wil asked curiously.

Serra slammed a bowl of cold water down and glared at Wil. "You told her to what?" she asked angrily.

"Well… I… I've found a new group to join. It's… like the perfect one… because we're all… alike," Florina said meekly.

Just then, Rath, Jaffar, and Karel walked in cautiously. They had fear and concern plastered on their faces. They headed over to Florina, ignoring poor Wil.

"I-I'm kinda… ok… Just a b-broken… arm…" said Florina.

"…" Rath gently held her arm to take a closer look at it.

"…" Jaffar brushed some of her astray hair from her face that was obscuring her eyes.

"…" Karel took the bowl of water Serra had slammed down earlier and began to meticulously wipe the dirt from Florina's face.

"That's your new group?" Wil exclaimed. "Some mystery nomad man, an assassin, and a homicidal maniac?"

"…" Florina nodded happily.

"…We don't talk much," grunted Jaffar.

"She doesn't talk much…," smirked Karel.

"…It works out… pretty well," mumbled Rath.


Wil jerked up and realized that his group was still chattering by him. Florina was laughing along with them too. Wil looked around and began to sit up, yawning. Remind me to never read the last few chapters of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix first, Wil thought to himself. Crazy dreams…
Some More Author's Notes: I'm not gonna make a different version. I'll just leave it be. I thought that it was so crappy that I was gonna delete this the day after the Ides of April (April 14th). I was gonna say to save it on your computer if you enjoyed it because I would be deleting it. I'm not now. You can still save it in case, if you want. If you want more stories like this one, just do stuff to me at school or something. Btw, Karel's not OOC; he's just cleaning the dirt off of Florina's face so that he can see if she had any blood on her (and y'all know what Karel thinks about that!).