BloodyCrystal: Heya! Sorry about the late update, but I have some really good reasons:

A) I just had my first swim meet-BTW, we won by six points

B) I've been sick all week

C) I found out that part of my sickness is allergies

D) I found out that I've got asthma, and that it'll possibly effect my swimming

E) My couch called extra practices

F) School started up again

Those are my reasons, and-to me, at least-they're big ones. Anyways, enjoy another chappy.

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Fire Emblem: The Blazing Sword or anything associated with it. Oh, and I don't own the idea of changelings-I'm borrowing it from Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series.

Ch. 8: Relax
The panther-man, a predator to the last, glared into his new scrying crystal, idly playing with the shards of the old one. "Damn them!" he roared. The servant-slaves passing by his door cowered and hurried past. All in his castle scurried to be out of his way, fearing that the Master would take his fury out on them.

He paced, upsetting things that had been specifically placed for just this reason. Then, the shards he was tossing around clinked, giving him the perfect idea. He rang for a servant-slave. The man entered, hesitantly, and bowed, asking, "How might this unworthy serve, Master?"

"Bring me the Hawks of Hell," the man smirked. The servant-slave cowered even further at the mention of the terrible group who served the Master, and the Master alone. The servant-slave couldn't help but pity whoever the Master wanted to see that much-after all, the Hawks of Hell were the Master's best abductors.

Ever since the new alliance, Lani had been more and more exhausted by the rigorous duties required of the Tactician in any army, let alone one with such an important mission. She couldn't sleep much, either, as Heath was often out on scouting duty as they got closer and closer to Eirelm-Mea. Not to mention, attacks got more and more frequent.

It almost made her wish for "the good old days," when it had been fun and games with Lloyd and Linus in-between bouts of training.

Lani tore her eyes away from the patch of sky she could see peering in through the tent flap, and forced her attention back to the book on tactics.

Eliwood nodded, and said, "Thank you for your time, Lady Yane." He shook hands with the changeling lady, no longer so much as twitching at the thought of shaking hands with the strange-looking woman. After all, it wasn't everyday that a woman with mottled brown skin and gray-brown hair that looked more like fur than anything showed up to discuss treaties with a human lord.

"You're quite welcome, Lord Eliwood, and the pleasure is mine," the change-mountain cat practically purred as she rolled up her copy of the treaty. She nodded to him one last time, then turned and bounded off.

Eliwood sighed in relief that the meetings were over-for now, at any rate-and turned to watch "his" army.

Rebecca, Dart, Wil, and Geitz were hunched in a group, discussing something as they shot furtive glances in Hector's direction. Eliwood, deciding he didn't like the look of the evil-seeming smirks the four sported, made a mental note to avoid Hector's company while watching from a distance-just because he didn't want to be "attacked" didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the show, after all.

"C'mon, Wil!" Dart hissed. "Just do your part, and th' rest'll work out fine."

"Don't you mean perfectly?" Rebecca shot back.

"Whatever," Wil snapped. "Just make sure the lot of you back me up, or I'm calling it quits and telling Lord Hector!"

"Stop arguing and get to it," Geitz rumbled. Wil nodded, and slipped off to put the first part of their plan in action.

"Dinner's gonna be fun tonight," Dart smirked.

Xiao Fa smirked at her half-brother/husband, and her smirk only grew as Siwan returned the favor. "Something please you, sister mine?" Siwan queried.

"As a matter of fact, yes. The sex last night was wonderful. I especially enjoyed starting in the shower, you know," the High Queen of Syln-Orn replied rather silkily.

"Care to continue our new-found...interest?" Siwan murmured, subtly weaving hints of the seduction talents inherited from their father into his already husky voice.

"Any time, dearest," Xiao Fa purred, using her own talents in her response as she leaned in for the passion-filled kiss Siwan always started with. After all, their sex was passionate and fierce, not at all tender and gentle.

Lani was still laughing when she climbed into bed that night. "What happened?" Heath asked. After all, he had been on patrol and had missed dinner's entertainment, courtesy of Rebecca, Wil, Dart, Geitz, and-unwillingly-Hector.

"Rebecca, Wil, Dart, and Geitz played a trick on milord Hector," Lani informed the Wyvern Lord. "It ended with milord Hector not a little drunk after having been in a rigged drinking contest with Wil. Milord got up onto the table and started singing and dancing!" Here, the normally serene Tactician broke down in hysterical laughter.

Seconds later, the Wyvern Lord joined her as he pictured the scene.

"That's not all!" Lani added. "He asked milady Lyndis to join him! Well, he actually said, 'C'mon, Lyn; live a little and sing!' Well, the words were slurred, but you get the idea, Heath. It was so funny when she hit him with her plate!"

"Did the plate break on Lord Hector's hard head?" Heath asked wickedly. At Lani's disapproving look, he shrugged and added, "You know that we don't always see eye to eye, Lan'."

"I know, but please try," the Tactician said, sitting down on the twain's bed. "And no, the plate didn't break."

Heath looked disappointed for about five seconds, before he brightened and said, "At least he was still embarrassed!"

BloodyCrystal: Sorry it was short, but I've been having a mild case of writer's block since getting sick/allergies/asthma, but I'm getting over it. Until then, sorry, but you might have something of a wait until the next chapter-if anyone besides Fire Fanatic even cares, that is. Until next time, have a good long weekend.