Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters.

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Mark staggered and fell against the forts wall, causing his ribs too complain yet again. With a small groan he slid to the floor. He must have slept on his leg during the night, as it refused to work this morning. His knee had seized up. "Ooh! That's sore," he muttered to himself, as he slowly bent his leg.

As he was busy feeling sorry for himself, Mark smelt the enticing aroma of bacon being cooked. He found the rest of the group in the courtyard, huddled around a small fire. He hobbled over in the hope of receiving some breakfast. "What's cooking?" he asked.

Wil looked up from his food. "Bacon and eggs. We were quite lucky with the eggs. There's an old hen house round the back that's still got occupants."

Mark raised an eyebrow. "Any roosters?"

Everyone looked at the tactician, as if he was mad. "Noooo," Lyn ventured. "Err, why did you ask that?"

"Trust me. You don't want to know while you're having your breakfast." Mark left it at that and sat down. He gratefully took the plate of bacon and eggs that Wil offered him. As ate he noticed that Florina was watching him from a distance. He sent a small wave in pegasus knight's direction, causing her to look away quickly. Smiling to himself he continued his breakfast.

As the group ate in silence, Mark reviewed their options for the day. "Kent how far are we from the Lycian border?" he queried.

Kent pondered this for a moment before answering. "If we ride hard we should reach it just after noon."

Lyn perked up at this answer. "Once we're in Lycia, the bandits will leave us alone, right?" She looked to Wil, who had become the groups impromptu bandit expert.

Wil nodded. "They should do. I doubt they'll be willing to pursue us across the border," he answered cheerfully.

Sain smiled wistfully to himself. "Lycia at last! It's been a long time. Tomorrow, we'll dine on a feast of Lycia's finest foods! And the mistress of the inn at the crossing is said to be a beauty. Ah, yes…" He grinned mischievously to himself. "Food and love. No better way to restore a man's soul. This is going to be a fine night, eh Kent?"

Lyn wrinkled her nose at Sain's remarks. Kent just sighed and slapped the back of Sain's head. "Sain if your behaviour is going to be as deplorable as ever, we'll be better off sleeping elsewhere," he added as an after thought.

Nursing his head Sain replied, "Oh, come now! That's not fair!"

Mark's patience finally snapped. "Sain, we'll stay at the inn if you'll just shut up!"

Grinning Sain nodded and wandered off to check on the horses.

"Okay, now that's been sorted, I recommend we set off as soon as possible," Mark said trying to restore some sort of order to the group.

"We can't," Lyn told him.

"Why not?"

"Dorcas said he would join us. We need to wait for him to return, before we can set off." Lyn gave Mark a sheepish look. "That is alright isn't it?"

Mark felt like beating his head against a wall at Lyn's naivety. "Lyn this is your quest. You're the one in charge. You forget that I'm just tagging along." Mark noticed a slightly hurt expression flash across Lyn's face. "Dorcas will be a great help as we have no axe users." He thought for moment. "However we still need to move out as soon as possible. We'll leave a note and walk so he can catch up with us. When he reaches us we'll mount up and ride the rest of the way."

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Florina watched Mark as he talked to Kent about battle tactics and different fighting styles. The tactician intrigued her for lack of a better word. He also scared her more than the other men in the legion. He would seem cheerful around the others and then grim and depressed when he thought no one was watching. But what scared her the most was his utter contempt and hatred for her.

In an uncommon amount of courage she walked over to him. "Um M…Mark can I h…have a word with you?" She nearly fainted in fright when he turned to her.

"Kent, go scout ahead a little way. We don't want any nasty surprises," Mark ordered the cavalier. "Now what do you want Florina?" his tone was as cold as ice.

Florina gulped. "I c…came to say s…sorry." She felt nauseous.

Mark shook his head and his tone softened. "For last night? No I'm the one who should be apologizing. You only came to find me. How's your leg today?"

Florina was caught off guard by the tactician's sudden change in demeanour. "It's alright th…thank you." This is the part that made her want to crawl away into a hole and die. "H…how's your leg?"

Mark looked confused. "Stiff. Why do you ask?"

"I…um…Huey trod on it while you were asleep. I'm really, really sorry." It all came out in one rush. She tensed waiting for a blow that never came. Instead she heard the tactician laughing.

Mark whistled a high warbling note. Huey trotted up from the rear of the group. Mark while smiling, slapped the pegasus between the eyes.

Florina ran over and hugged her dazed pegasus. Huey grunted and watched Mark warily.

"Now we're even you flying pain in the arse." Mark chortled. "Look Florina I'm sorry I've been such a bastard. It's just I've had some bad experiences with pegasus knights lately."

With that he lengthened his strides and met Kent as he returned from his scouting duty. Climbed up behind Kent and called out, "Dorcas is here! Saddle up and move out!"

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"Ooh! We're lost, this makes me so mad!" said a pink haired girl in a long white, shape fitting dress.

"How do you think I feel?" muttered a purple haired mage.

"What's that supposed to mean Erk?"

Erk sighed dejectedly. "You said you were sure this was the right way."

The girl turned toward the mage and fidgeted with one of her pigtails. "What's your point, Erk? What are you trying to say?"

Erk sighed yet again. "I swear, you are NOT the woman I agreed to escort…"

"What! What's that supposed to mean!" the girl screeched.

"I was employed to escort a frail Lycian priestess to Ostia…"

"Yes, and I'm that priestess," the supposed priestess cut in.

Erk snorted. "You Serra? Frail? Don't make me laugh. You'd send a hardened criminal fleeing within five minutes." He reached into his pack and pulled out a pouch of gold and passed it to the girl. "Look here's your gold. Now leave me alone and go on to Ostia alone." He turned and started to walk back the way they had come.

"No! You're MY escort, Erk!" she screeched. She dived at the young mage and tackled him to the ground. "MINE!" she shouted to get her point across. She let her escort stand up. "You're so clean and tidy." She looked at the mud caked Erk. "Well maybe not now, but a noblewoman like myself can't be seen without a proper escort." Your personality's nothing special, but you're kind of cute to look at.

"Oh sweet Elimine!" Erk thought. "She thinks I'm cute!" He toyed with the idea of burning off his face with a fireball. "No that would hurt to much," he muttered darkly.

"What was that!?"

"And I have to take you all the way to Ostia?"

Serra nodded.

"I only hope my nerves can endure the journey."

"What are you mumbling about? You're so gloomy! Hm? Something's happening over there. Let's take a look!" Serra ran off in the direction the sounds of fighting were coming from.

"Ah…Of course. The fist opportunity to get involved in trouble, and she jumps right in. No amount of money is worth this." Erk followed after Serra. His was thinking longingly of a nice cold cell in a lunatic asylum. "Somewhere in Etruria. Far away from this pink haired demon." He mused aloud. Slowly a slightly insane smile crossed his features. "Ah, bliss!"

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Erk finally caught up to Serra. She was standing on top of a hill overlooking a large valley. "Look Erk, those bandits they're fighting…" she squinted. "…a girl, I think," she sounded puzzled.

"Serra, get down before we're spotted." Erk tugged at her arm but it was to late. A weasel-faced archer had spotted them and was running up the hill.

"Are you in league with the she-devil?" he asked panting.

For a long moment Erk struggled with an urge to point at Serra and say, "Yes, she's right there." Luckily for Serra he won his internal struggle. "No we're just passing through." All the same he palmed his fire tome, thumb ready to flick it open in a moments notice.

"Eek! Erk, he's threatening ME!" Serra squealed and hid behind Erk.

"Why so loud, "Erk moaned. He flicked his tome open as Weasel notched an arrow. They released their attacks simultaneously. The arrow flew at Erk's face, straight through a fireball. The wooden shaft was incinerated instantly, the arrowhead turned to molten iron. The liquid metal splashed across Erk's cheek, as he ducked to slowly.

He screamed in pain as the burning iron ate into his skin. Serra quickly brought up her staff and chanted an incantation quickly as her escort writhed on the floor trying to brush the melted iron off his cheek. A white glow surrounded Erk and quickly healed his burns, as the iron was pushed off him by the staves magic.

"Tha…thank you," he muttered. The words tasted sour in his mouth. Having to thank the one who was responsible for injuries in the first place. He stood up and looked at the archer.

The archer's bare teeth grinned back at him with the skeletal look of one who has had the flesh burned from his head. He couldn't scream as his larynx had been burnt out as well. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he collapsed.

Erk stood and quietly put another two fireballs into the man's head to end his suffering. He spotted a large group of bandits heading towards them. "Serra, let's get out of here NOW!" He turned to the cleric and saw her gibbering pointing to the corpse at Erk's feet in a state of shock. Erk smiled savagely. So she does have some humanity in her after all.

Turning back to the group of bandits charging towards them, Erk unleashed his pent up frustration. Fireballs flew from his hands cutting swathes through the enemy ranks as they charged closer. In rapid succession the bandits fell, embraced by flames.

Erk collapsed to the ground panting, his magic spent. One bandit was left standing. Erk watched as the end of his life charged towards him, axe held high. Too soon the large man was standing in front of him. The mage looked up into pitiless eyes. He finally gave in to unconsciousness.

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"So what's wrong with him?" Wil asked, intrigued by Erk's comatose state.

"He's used all his magic," Mark and Serra answered simultaneously. Serra gave Mark a disapproving look.

"But he's an anima mage isn't he?" Wil queried. "I thought they channelled the natural forces."

Serra nodded. "They do, but they have to use some magic of their own in order to channel the power of nature." She smiled self-congratulatory at her explanation. "Stupid!" she added as an afterthought. She turned and left the room in search of Lyn.

Wil stuck his tongue out at her retreating back. "So Mark what do we do about him?"

"I'm not sure. He'll be out cold for a long time, until his magic recharges itself. In all honestly he's lucky to be alive." Mark studied the unconscious mage's features. He was sure he knew him from somewhere.

Wil nodded. "Yeah. The way Lyn took that bandit's head off at the last second…"

"Not that!" Mark interrupted. "Usually when someone uses all their magic, they die. Like I said, he's lucky to be alive." The tactician considered his options. "Wil, go fetch Serra, maybe she can top him up a bit."

"Do I have to?" the archer moaned. Upon seeing Mark nod, he despondently left the room.

Mark sighed in relief as he was left alone in the room with Erk. He looked at the mages features properly for the first time. The boy couldn't have seen more than fourteen winters. He considered him a child, despite the fact that they were probably separated by only five years.

It disturbed him to see a child suffer, so he pulled out one of his daggers. "Well Erk it's time for your suffering to end."

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