Chris: Yay! I got reviews although I thought this chapter wasn't that good! Woo hoo!

Mia: Right...

Chris: Anyway, that was mainly a prologue. Now, the story might branch off from the original a bit. It's not going to be an exact copy. The tactician has a certain secret...Ooooh....And I need to respond to reviewers!

Angel of Fate1 - Thanks for reviewing! And I'll try to update as much as I can. And I hope you post that new story soon. I want to read it!

maskedstranger1990 - Don't worry, it's not going to be a variation of the whole game. It branches off soon. Yeah, and it starts here...Kind of.

Sword of Seals - Yay! Someone who sympathizes with me! Anyway, I hope we both do well with our fics!

Farina: Wow...Three people. I thought this chapter sucked.

Rebecca: Why?

Farina: I wasn't in it!

Mia: You know what, shut your pie hole!

Farina: You want to say that again?!

Chris: Not again....Anyway, I don't own Fire Emblem.

' ' - Thoughts

" "- Speaking

- Location

"Vampires? Of course I don't believe in them! They're just children's tales! But why do you ask?" Lyn said.

"Huh? Of, it's just relevant to my story...Of why I was unconscious on the plains." Chris replied.

Lyn started laughing. "You've got to be kidding me! Vampires aren't real!"

"No, they are. I mean it. I've seen them. And I've seen what normal people do to them..." His eyes held a sad look.

"Wha? You've got to be kidding me. I'd need some proof before I will believe in some fairy tale."

Chris stood up. He paced a little and finally faced Lyn. "Fine...You want proof? You got it. But first, you must promise to not attack me."

Lyn looked up at him, her face full of confusion. "Well, sure. But why?"

"This is why..." He closed his eyes, muttered some strange words, and opened his eyes again. "You got your proof....I'm a vampire. Well, half-human, half- vampire. But it's not like that matters to people." He opened his mouth and Lyn could clearly see his fangs.

"Wait, you're a vampire?! But, don't vampires have wings? And aren't they weak against the sun?"

"Hah hah hah....You've been reading those fairy tales. Real vampires don't have vulnerabilities like that. I'm living proof. Maybe the fact that I'm part human has something to do about it. As for the wings, they only appear when you want them to." He pulled out the pendant that Lyn had retrieved for him. "This pendant helps me with some of my powers. It is a family heirloom, but I've found out that it also amplifies shadow powers."

Lyn jumped up. "Wait, if you're a vampire, why aren't you sucking my blood or something? I mean, isn't that what vampires do? And what about the conversion? I heard that you have to give vampire blood to someone in order for them to become a vampire."

Chris looked surprised. "Who taught you all of this? The normal person isn't this knowledgeable about us. And you're right about the conversion stuff. Someone has to drink a vampire's blood in order to become one. As you know, being a vampire does give you certain benefits...Immortality, strength, speed...And as for the blood thing...I guess being half-human stems the urge for blood."

"My-my father taught me all about them. It was a part of my tribe's history. But...The tribe was killed by the Taliver bandits. They poisoned the drinking water...and at the night, they crept in and attack. My father saved me but he wasn't able to make it. I-I was the only one left..." Tears crept in her eyes. "But I'll have my revenge...Some day."

"Ouch...That must really suck....But I guess that I should be leaving...I don't think people will trust a half-vampire...Considering the horrible history vampires have. Well, it was fun being with you. I'll see you later." Chris opened the tent flap, and started to leave.

"Wait!" Lyn grabbed his arm and stopped him. "I trust you. If you were going to betray me, you would have done it during the battle. You are pretty knowledgeable about the nature of war, and I would like to have a friend while I was traveling."

"Well, okay. Just as long as you don't attack me during the night. I haven't had much faith in people ever since that last incident in the village. And it was fun being with you. What the heck, I'm in. And I promise not to suck your blood. I can control the urges. You don't have to worry about me converting you either. The person has to be willing to become a vampire before it will work." He hefted a pack that was slung over his shoulder. "Well, let's go!"

Lyn nodded. She picked up her sword, vulneraries, and a couple of personal possessions and left with Chris. They traveled through the plains, occasionally fighting bandits who decided that Lyn looked like an easy mark. They were easily convinced otherwise, and they continued on. One night, they discussed their next destination while setting up camp.

"I think we should go to Ryerde first. I heard that they were holding a tournament. We could get some good training there." Chris suggested. He was still wearing his dark-green cloak, but also had a white shirt and blue pants on. His pendant shone a deep red as it hung from his neck.

"Well, we are running out of food and supplies. I think we should head for Bulgar first. We can pick up some extra rations and equipment there, and then we can head for Ryerde." Lyn replied. "But I was wondering, how are you faring? I haven't seen you drink any blood lately. Won't that affect you? I don't want you to get sick. Maybe you can drink a little bit of my blood."

Chris shook his head furiously. "No! I can't drink your blood. Vampire fangs are coated in something that keeps the wound open. So you would eventually die from the lack of blood. I can't do that. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. The loss of blood does affect me a little, but it's not serious. As for the travel plans, it's okay. We'll go to Bulgar first. Maybe we'll come across something."

"Well, if you say so. Tomorrow we'll head for Bulgar, all right?" Lyn said.

"Fine with me. We've had a hard night. Let's go to sleep." He replied as he laid out his sleeping bag. They both decided to sleep in their traveling clothes, because they were in the open, and who knew what kind of people were out here. He lay down in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes.

Lyn nodded, yawned, and lay down in her sleeping bag. She thought, 'Chris...He's a very good friend. I hope we'll be able to travel together some more. But about this vampire stuff. What if it gets out of control? I just hope he'll be able to control it. And maybe he'll reveal more of his past to me.' Lyn sighed, and closed her eyes, falling asleep instantly.

Chris, however, was plagued with visions the moment he tried to fall asleep. He saw himself being attacked by villagers wielding swords and axes.

"Get out of here, you half-human freak!"

"You don't belong here!"

He dreamed of himself getting chased away from village after village, not finding any that would accept him for who he was. But as these dreams disappeared, another came up in its place. This time, he saw himself as he was now, an amateur tactician with his friend, Lyn. However, something was different. His eyes seemed weird. Then, in one quick movement, he saw himself bite into Lyn's neck, and slowly suck out her blood. The dream Lyn gasped, and slowly closed her eyes as her lifeblood was slowly being taken away from her. The dream Chris dropped Lyn and left her to die.

Chris gasped and woke up. He sat up and his face was covered with sweat. He breathed heavily and glanced at Lyn. 'Whew...It was just a dream...I hope that doesn't happen in real life...Maybe it's just because of the lack of blood. Maybe at Bulgar I can pick up some rare meats. Those should have enough blood to sustain me...I hope.' He sighed, and went back to sleep, hoping that there wouldn't be any more dreams to haunt him.

Lyn woke up and saw that Chris was already making a small meal out of the rations they had left. She stood up, brushed herself off, and walked to him "Hey Chris. Did you have a good sleep?"

"Huh?" Chris looked up and saw Lyn looking at him. "Oh, yeah. I had a good sleep. Since we don't have a fire up, it's mainly going to be some cold oatmeal. Hope that's okay with you."

"Sure. Are you sure you had a good sleep? You seem a little pale." Lyn asked.

"No, it's nothing. Nothing's wrong." He said. 'I can't tell her about that dream...'

Lyn looked at him as if she didn't really believe him. "If you say so." She took her bowl and began to eat. Thirty minutes later, they were ready to leave. All the stuff had been packed up in bags, and they were full of energy. They set out for Bulgar, not knowing what they would find there.

Bulgar

A red-haired man was dragging a brown-haired man away. The man with the brown hair was blowing kisses to the local innkeeper.

"Good bye, my love! May we meet again, you fragile cherry blossom!" he said.

His partner smacked the brown-haired man on the head while he was dragging him.

"Honestly Sain! Do you have to woo every single girl in this town?! Remember! We have a mission to do, and I'm not going to have it bungled because of you!" The red-haired man said.

"Of course Kent! All of the girls are just so beautiful! Why, I must greet them all so they can all know how beautiful they are! And I'm not going to bungle this! You can count on me!" Sain replied.

"Yeah, I can count on you when there are no ladies around. Now, come on! Lord Hausen has entrusted us with finding someone! And we're going to complete it!" Kent said.

"Come on, Kent! This is a huge city! What are the odds of bumping into this person?! Why- Hello lady." He said. He had just bumped into a lady with long-green hair and green eyes. She has a light-teal dress that was slit to the waist. She was accompanied by a young boy with dark hair and brown eyes. He had a strange looking pendant, and a dark-green cloak.

Lyn looked at him. "Umm...Hello there. Is it customary to greet strangers this way?"

"No, sorry madam. My partner is just being courteous...and stupid! I'm really sorry." Kent apologized as he grabbed Sain by the collar.

He broke free and held Lyn's hand. "Welcome to the city of Bulgar! I am Sain of the Caelin Knights! The land of men with courtesy and strength!"

Lyn took her hand away and folded her arms across her chest. "Sure...more like the land of callous oafs with loose tongues. Come on Chris, let's go. We have no more words to say to this jerk." She left with her partner and they were quickly swallowed up by the big crowds.

"Dang, another rejection. Maybe next time. Wait, where are our horses?" Sain mused.

"Sain! You forgot where the horses were? Honestly! I shouldn't have brought you. It's almost not worth it! You're just lucky that you're skilled with the lance." Kent admonished.

"Of course! The lance is the weapon of jousting, made to capture the hearts of young maidens!" he said.

"Sigh..." Kent slapped his hand to his head, and dragged Sain along. "We're so lucky that I remember where the horses are. Come on."

They quickly walked along the path, where they saw the woman and boy they had met earlier. Kent and Sain quickly ran over to them.

"Oh, it's you again. Are these your horses? They're blocking the road." Lyn said.

"Yes. We're sorry to have bothered you." Kent said as he led the horses away.

"You're pretty courteous, compared to your friend over there." She pointed at Sain as Kent let out a chuckle.

Kent looked into her eyes and started a bit. "Hey, wait...You remind me of someone."

"KENT! I saw her first! That's not fair!" Sain whined.

"I take that back. All of you are pigs! Come on, Chris. Let's get out of here." Lyn stalked off in a huff, Chris closely following her.

"Sain! You dumbass! I was not trying to hit on her! I think she might be the person we're looking for! Idiot! I'm going to get you back for this!" Kent mounted his horse, and quickly gave chase after Lyn.

"Really? Wow, I didn't know that. Oh well, maybe I can win that fair lady's heart now!" said Sain as he also mounted his horse and followed Kent.

Kent and Sain had just exited the city of Bulgar when they noticed Lyn and Chris in front of them. There also seemed to be a bandit talking to her. They urged their horses a little bit more, and finally reached Lyn when the bandit she was talking to ran off. Another four bandits appeared from the forests, and Lyn noticed Kent nearby.

"Well, look who it is. Those two knights from earlier. What do you want?" she asked.

"I'm sorry for my partner's actions last time. My name is Kent. Can we assist you somehow?" Kent replied.

"Well, thanks. We sure could use your help. I'm Lyn, and my partner here is Chris. He's the tactician. He's really good at it, also." Lyn said.

"Nice to meet you, Chris. Well, you have us to command. My name is Kent, and this is my partner, Sain." Kent said.

"How are you doing?" Sain asked.

"We're ready for your orders." Kent said and took out his sword.

Chris scanned the battlefield, seeing where everyone should go so they could defeat everyone. Sain, however, rode in front of him and jumped off. "Chris, our most honored tactician, can you please grant me the honor of striking first? It will be great to show off my prowess to the lovely Lyn!"

Chris looked at him, and sighed. "Fine, you can go. But make sure you hit him! I don't need you screwing up!"

"Of course!" Sain rode over to the closest bandit, his lance in hand. He flashed Lyn a quick smile and tried to impale the bandit on his lance. However, he missed, and as he gasped in surprise, the bandit struck back and hit him across his arm. Luckily for him, his armor took out more of the force from the blow, but he still got hit and some blood spurted out of the wound. "Damn it!"

Kent screamed at Sain. "Sain! What are you doing?! You know that axes have a major advantage against lances! Where the heck is your sword?!"

Sain smiled sheepishly as he dodged a strike from the bandit. "I'm kind of busy now! But uh...I forgot to get one. I used the money to buy lunch for a wonderful lady that I saw in the city. And the lance is cooler, right?"

Kent sighed and shook his head. He turned to Chris. "Honored tactician, please let me make up for Sain's mistake. I didn't think he would waste all of his money! But, he is lucky because I bought an extra sword. I'm always prepared for this type of situation."

The black-haired youth nodded and looked back at where Sain was trying to strike with his lance. "Sure, he'll need some help. Go on. I'm sure you'll do fine." Kent rode up to where Sain was having trouble and hit the bandit across the chest with his sword. He tossed his spare sword at Sain, who caught it. "Sain. Do another stunt like that, and I have a feeling the tactician won't be so happy with you."

Sain grinned a little. "Thanks Kent! And don't worry, I'll do better next time. You can count on me!" He looked at where the bandit had fallen. "I guess it's harder in real life than in the training field. Let's go help Lady Lyn!" He rushed off to where Lyn was fighting another bandit that had creeped up on her. Kent sighed and rode after him. 'Why can I never stay angry with that rogue? Eh, it's never boring, that's for sure.'

Lyn was in a fight with a ferocious bandit who reeked and had a giant axe. She wrinkled her nose as the bandit tried to strike again. She blocked the blow with her sword, and moved to the offensive. She slashed left and right, hoping to find some opening in the bandit's defense. He managed to block all but one of her shots, and fell dead as her sword pierced his body. Sain rode up but stopped when he saw that the bandit was dead. He whistled and gazed at Lyn. "You're a good fighter."

She looked back at him and answered, "Yeah, people from the plains need to learn how to fight. So they will be able to hunt and take care of everyone..." She sniffed a little. "Nevermind, let's go get the rest of the bandits, okay?"

Sain nodded and rode off to the north, where another bandit lay in waiting. Kent followed his partner, holding his sword. Chris walked up to Lyn. "Are you okay? No trouble, right?"

"Yeah." She winced. "I guess he did get in a good strike, but I'm still okay. Come on, let's get that bandit near the bridge." She started to run off in that direction. Chris shook his head and followed. "I guess I'm not the only person who lies about his condition."

North of where Lyn and Chris were, Sain and Kent were fighting the third bandit. They rode circles around him and the bandit became confused as he tried to hit one of them. Kent saw Sain looking at him and he nodded. Sain nodded back and prodded his horse closer to the bandit. He swung with his sword, but it was blocked by the bandit's axe. From behind the bandit, Kent rode up and sliced into him. The bandit's eyes glazed over and he fell to the ground. "Good work, Sain. I guess I can count on you. That was just like we practiced."

"Yeah, it worked perfectly. Come on, Kent. Let's head for the leader. I bet you Lyn is already there." Sain replied as he booted his horse forward again.

"I'm not going to take that bet. We both know how strong she is. Let's go." Kent answered as he quickly caught up.

While Kent and Sain were fighting the third bandit, Lyn was attacking the fourth. Chris, since he couldn't use a weapon, stayed behind and hoped that the bandit wouldn't notice him. Lyn started the battle out first, lunging with her sword. She struck at the bandit's left side, but it was deflected. She staggered a little, but quickly readied herself in a fighting stance. The bandit tried to return the favor by striking at Lyn, and was rewarded by making a cut across her chest. He grinned and advanced some more. Lyn retaliated by unleashing a flurry of strikes towards the bandit. Almost all of them hit, and the bandit staggered back, and then fell. Lyn placed her hand over her chest, trying to stop the blood flow. Chris stepped out and handed Lyn a Vulnerary. "That was a tough battle. Good thing you won."

Lyn nodded, and gratefully accepted the potion. She drank it almost immediately, and her wound closed. "Thanks. Now let's get the leader! I'm pretty sure it was the guy who was talking to me earlier." She ran off with Chris following her.

Sain and Kent reached the leader at the same moment as Lyn and Chris. The leader cursed and stepped back a little. "Gah, you have defeated my comrades! I, Zugu, will destroy you all!"

"Listen, he's only one person. You can all gang up on him and gain the advantage." said Chris.

Lyn, Kent, and Sain nodded and slowly closed in on Zugu. He started to sweat a little, but growled and brandished his axe. "You might kill me, but I'm going to take one of you with me!" He charged at Lyn. She quickly dodged and watched as Zugu's axe buried itself in the dirt. He quickly pulled it out and rushed her again. Lyn moved to the left and slashed him with her sword. He cursed again, and pulled out his axe again. Kent and Sain were positioned behind him, and struck at the same time. He roared in anger and pain, and tried one last swing at Lyn. The blunt end caught her in the head, and she fell unconscious. He smiled, and finally collapsed.

"Lyn!" Kent and Sain ran to Lyn at the same time. She had a small wound on her forehead, but other than that, she was fine. Chris walked up and prodded Zugu's dead body with his foot. He searched him to see if there was any clue to why he knew her name. Finding nothing, he turned back to Kent and Sain. "You guys aren't too bad at fighting. But why did you come here?"

Chris: How was that? I hope it was better. Not that experienced with these types of stories. And if I'm somehow making the tactician a Gary-Stu, tell me. I don't think he's one, but that's just me. And please R&R!

Mia: Yeah! Chris needs support! Because I made a bet with Farina that he would get 5 reviews for this chapter! Help him out! 'Cause then I win 5 bucks!

Farina: I'm not in it! So therefore, nobody is going to review.

Rebecca: Sigh....