Title: Lucky
Characters: Serra, Karla, Rebecca, Florina (Dart and Karel are also mentioned)
Word Count: 863 (yeehaw!)
Timeline: This takes place anytime after Karla joins the group.
Summary: Karla and Serra think about their luck.
Spoilers: Yikes, lots of stuff is spoiled here. :S The Karel x Karla and Dart x Rebecca support conversations, and Serra's past.
Disclaimer: Aiya, gimme a break! I don't own Fire Emblem!
A/N: Hey, I'm gone on vacation and won't be back till Dec 29. So to tide you over here's a few chapters for all of you! Happy holidays, everyone:D

The central campfire crackled loudly, startling Serra awake.

She snorted once as she woke from her nap, realizing that she had accidentally fallen asleep. The cleric had been bone tired from the day's multiple healings, and after stuffing herself with the fabulous dinner Lowen and Rebecca had made, her full stomach had made her drowsy.

Now as she looked around with sleepy eyes she saw that she was alone.

'Humph! How rude! No one carried me to my tent and tucked me in,' she griped to herself. 'It would serve them right if I caught a cold and was sick for weeks! The men of this camp would be beside themselves with worry and-'

Her mental rant was cut off by the sound of someone shifting.

Looking beside her, the healer was surprised to see Karla seated on a nearby crate. Serra was immediately apprehensive; the Sacaen Swordmaster was the sister to Karel, the Sword Demon. The pink-haired woman had never met the man, but she'd caught glimpses of him in the camp.

He was handsome; she'd give him that; but his eyes were so cold and frightening. Even the three Lycian Lords were wary of him.

Shifting uncomfortably on the pallet she sat on, Serra directed her eyes to the fire. She shouldn't stare at Karla any longer since it might provoke the sword user to attack her. Then Eliwood's army would really be in trouble without her gifted healing techniques!

"It's a nice night, isn't it?" Karla spoke without looking at her companion.

"Mm hmm," Serra agreed immediately, uncharacteristically at a loss for words.

Silence dropped back on the pair, but it was more strained (or at least it was to Serra). The two sat beside each other, staring at the fire and thinking very different thoughts. Serra's anxiety only increased as time went by. She wracked her mind for a reason to politely excuse herself; she didn't want to be rude and get Karla mad at her. Who knew what an angry Karla might do to a delicate flower such as herself?

Serra's chance to escape came when she suddenly heard a voice approaching. To her immense relief she recognized it as Rebecca's. The archer soon came into view and Florina was walking beside her. About to jump up and call the pair over, Serra stopped herself when she heard Rebecca's words.

"… can't believe Dart did that! I mean, we're not completely certain that he's my brother Dan, but he's sure acting like it! Today at lunch, he challenged Raven to a fight because Raven was talking to me. That's way too overprotective, right?"

"Yeah," the shy Pegasus knight piped up. "My sisters are also … the same."

She didn't need to clarify further; everyone in the camp knew Fiora and Farina doted on their youngest sister. Some people thought that only gentle, timid, kind-hearted Florina could stand the smothering attention the two older Pegasus knights gave her.

It seemed that every other minute Fiora was asking Florina if she was all right or was shoving a vulnerary into her hands. Farina would often be seen giving 'advice' about varying topics to her "innocent and naïve" sibling.

"Tell me about it!" Rebecca nodded emphatically. "It's not fair how they're treating us! Hey, maybe we should come up with a plan to make them get off our backs! It would sure be nice to have Dart somewhere else for a while …"

Their conversation drifted away from Serra's ears as they disappeared past some tents. The cleric leaned heavily against the crate behind her, and sighed. The chattering pair's topic inadvertently brought back painful memories for her.

Serra recalled the long, lonely days at the orphanage, the lack of food, warm clothes, and medicine. No one, not even the nuns running the dilapidated place, cared enough to ask how you were doing, if you needed anything, or if there was something you'd like to talk about. You survived and learned by yourself as best you could, and Serra knew she had been lucky to live long enough to strike out on her own.

Sitting at Serra's right, Karla was also remembering her past. She recalled how her brother used to treat her like Dart did with Rebecca. He always made sure she was safe and sound, and had looked out for her as best he could.

But then they'd gotten older and Karel had changed. He killed their parents and their two other siblings. Then he'd taken the family sword and left the tribe so that he could indulge his blood lust on other hapless victims. He had thought that she hadn't been worthy to die by his hands back then. Now he was impressed, no, excited, at her skill level. She had been lucky to survive the slaughter of her family, and she was lucky now that Karel hadn't sought out her blood yet.

At an unseen signal both Serra and Karla looked at each other. For a long while their gazes met. They saw heart-wrenching sadness, and aching loneliness reflected in each other's eyes.

"Rebecca and Florina are lucky, aren't they?" Karla asked.

"Yeah," Serra agreed, "they are."

A/N: About Karel and Karla having two other siblings … I have no clue! But in their support conversation Karel said that out of, "the six of us, four are gone. You and I are all that remain." He then admitted to killing their parents. I get the impression that the 'four gone' are his parents and two other family members. They could have been grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, or whatever, but I chose siblings (waves creative license around :P).