Heelllo! I'm finally free of large amounts of homework (for now)! So I can write! Yay!

Oscar: That's good. You'd better take advantage of your time. You know, before your teachers start to shovel on end of the year stuff on you.

FireEdge: Don't remind me… Anyway, on to the chapter (sorry it took so long)!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.

With A Bit Of Magic

Chapter 4

Nephenee drew in a sharp breath slowly, her upper body doubled over. With one arm propping herself up against the tower wall, her long green hair fell down around her face as she dry-heaved. She hadn't really eaten anything that day, but it didn't matter, the sight she had just witnessed was forcing her stomach to throw up anything it could; food or otherwise.

A mere hour ago, they had infiltrated Gritnea Tower. She had not known what awaited her inside until she had seen the basement herself. Even before they entered the stairwell leading to the basement, the tower had the most putrid and disgusting stench she had ever smelt. It was as if dead carrion, rotten food, animal dung and some kind of sick odour found in alchemic labs were all mixed together. The air was heavy with an aura—that she could only identify as fear, hatred and pain—that pounded down on her as the army walked down the long winding stairs.

Even the smell couldn't match up to the sight that they came upon when they reached the bottom of those steps. The torch that someone had lit shone its light upon dozens of disfigured bodies. They didn't even resemble bodies anymore, laguz or beorc or animal. So twisted and rotten were they that they seemed like long buried corps, dug up again, that had been mutilated.

Just looking at that sight made her run up the stairs without looking back. Her stomach in her throat, she had dashed as fast as she could until she was where she now stood. She had not been the only one to have left the scene. Only the laguz, Ike and a handful of others stayed down there. They didn't stay because they could stand the scene, but because they most probably had to finish their expedition. No one could possibly endure such a horrific display.

Coughing and gagging once more as she felt her stomach heave, she covered her mouth. A few seconds later, she relaxed and she took a long breath through her nose, letting out the air through her mouth slowly. Pushing locks of hair behind her ears, she carefully straightened up, and started to walk away from the side of the tower.

Though she wobbled from side to side slightly from nausea, Nephenee managed to tread gradually towards the meeting place. Ike had told them to meet there and wait for him. However, the clearing seemed to be very far away at the moment. She was so tired and she still felt very sick. Unless she was imagining it, her vision seemed somewhat blurry. Tripping over a root, she let out a grunt and sprawled on the undergrowth.

Moaning, she pushed herself up from the ground, trying to brush off the leaves and dirt clinging to her. Sitting back on her heels she let out a long and tired sigh. Maybe she shouldn't have even gone down there, but she had been too curious. Now she was feeling all woozy and it felt horrible. She tried to stand up once more, but her legs felt like lead and her arms like jelly.

Falling back against a tree trunk, she felt her eyelids droop and before she knew it, she had sunk into a deep obscurity.


Geoffrey's face was pale and grim. He never thought that something so cruel and perverse existed until he had seen the basement of that damned tower. Now he had even more of a reason to want to see Ashnard dead. Though his face seemed impassive, his fists clenched and unclenched angrily as he walked through the forest path. Livid as he was, he was still on the alert, and he was quick to spot the shine of armour and flash of bright green.

Head snapping around, with his lance pointed in the direction where he had spotted something, he let out a gasp. Strapping his lance to his back, he ran over to the figure collapsed by the tree. Kneeling down, he put a hand to Nephenee's neck. She was breathing and her skin felt warm to his touch. She was alive. Judging by her deep and long breathing, she was asleep.

"Well, this is a funny place to fall asleep. Perhaps she overexerted herself?" he murmured to himself with an inward sigh of relief. Looking down at her face, he noticed that it looked very peaceful and innocent. It lacked the closed and suspicious look she wore while conscious. He rather liked it and he thought that if there were a smile she'd look very beautiful.

Gagging on what he had just so indiscreetly thought, he felt his cheeks heat up. Smacking his forehead, he squeezed his eyes shut and told himself to stop thinking. Blowing out a long breath, he looked back at the girl in front of him. He couldn't leave her here, and he really didn't want to wake her up. So, instead, he wrapped one arm around the small of her back and put the other one underneath her knees.

Lifting her up, he grunted as he shifted her weight on his body. Though she was lean, she was much heavier than she looked. Perhaps that was why she could wield her spears with such agility. However, her mass wasn't terribly burdening and he easily made his way back to the clearing with her in his arms.

Entering the grove, he was immediately greeted by Calill. The sage had taken one step into the tower and immediately turned on her heels and left. She had said that she didn't want to know what kind of horrors such a place held, the stench was enough for her. The blonde woman raised an eyebrow at what he held.

"What have we here?"

"I found her asleep in the thickets. I think that she collapsed from exhaustion. I noticed that she seemed a bit unsteady in battle today," Geoffrey replied coolly. Calill took only a second to process that through her mind.

"So you were watching her during the fight, then?" she asked without batting an eyelid. This remark completely knocked the paladin off-guard.

"Uhhh… N-no!" he stammered, flushing. "That's not what I meant! I-I just noticed when I was surveying my surroundings! I saw other things as well! Oscar almost fell from his horse, Soren's tome was dropped in the mud when he evaded an attack, Lethe was injured by another cat laguz and there was so much more!"

"Only someone who knew that the statement was true would make such a big deal to cover it up," Calill chided, much to Geoffrey's dismay. He stood there, flabbergasted, his mouth slightly unhinged. The sage smiled serenely and knowingly. "Now, don't stand there gawking. You should take her to see Rhys; so he can make sure that it wasn't just exhaustion that she fainted from."

"Er, why don't you taker her?" he asked, trying to seem like he was indifferent to Nephenee.

"Are you daft my friend? Someone with a build such as mine carry her? Don't be ridiculous! I'd break my bones!" the woman scoffed. "I have some things to tend to, anyways. Go on and be a good boy and make sure she gets the medical attention that she needs! I'll come to check up on her later."

With that, Calill strutted off confidently, knowing that Geoffrey would do just as she said. It was rather amusing how flustered Geoffrey and Nephenee could get when they were teased.


Entering the tent, Geoffrey settled down on Nephenee's clothes trunk, which sat near her cot. She had been asleep for nearly three hours now; but Rhys had informed him that she would be fine. Indeed, she had fainted from over exhaustion; which wasn't surprising considering the speed that they had been marching and the tough battles. Seeing the basement of Gritnea Tower couldn't have helped either. For now, all she needed was to rest.

The paladin didn't need to be here, nothing was going to harm her in the camp and she was safe in her tent; but he felt that he should be with her. Maybe it was because she had this small tent to herself and that no one would be there to watch her. There was also a nagging feeling deep down inside his chest that wouldn't let him rest if he didn't know if she was alright.

There; she's fine. She's sleeping soundly and she'll wake up tomorrow totally refreshed. Maybe a little confused, but she'd be fine, he told himself, his turquoise eyes observing the young halberdier. So, why am I still here?

Deciding that thinking about the subject was too strenuous on his brain, he contented himself with watching her, letting his mind wander at will. Nephenee's long hair lay in a curtain around her, her bangs falling over her face. Her armour had been removed and now sat in a neat pile in the corner of her tent.

Absentmindedly, Geoffrey began to hum softly. He rocked back and forth slightly on the chest, feeling the weight on his feet fall forwards and backwards. The tune was an old Crimean folksong. The minstrels in the court sang it often and it was a personal favourite of the young man's. Sometimes Bastian would sing the song with his deep and strong voice, the words drawn out and echoing. It really was quite beautiful, despite being made up by some poor country songwriter.

This song always calmed him and put him in a nostalgic mood, enabling him to drift away into the vast meadows of the song. He could feel himself there; smell the crisp grassy scents and the nauseatingly sweet scents of apple blossoms. Such a peaceful place the song described. He wondered if such a place was real. Sure, he'd seen numerous beautiful gardens in the courtyards of the castle, but never had he seen someplace that resembled that of the tune.

One day he'd like to live somewhere like there. He didn't want to be confined in the castle all his life, unless Elincia needed him there. He'd like to live somewhere in the country, close to the capital, but still out of the large city. Maybe after everything was settled and Elincia was firmly settled in the Crimean throne, he'd ask her to grant him a dukedom somewhere; then he'd be able to help her and enjoy the life he wanted.

Maybe, just maybe, he might find someone to spend his time with there, too. He knew that he'd never be with Elincia, but he didn't seem to mind as much anymore. If she ever changed her mind and wanted him by her side, he was sure that he'd agree; though if she didn't he wouldn't care. But he knew that he did not want to spend the rest of his days alone.

Blue orbs lingering upon the young woman on the cot in front of him, he blushed slightly. His mind instantly became muddled and confused. Someone to spend the rest of my life with… Nephenee was very pretty; any man that wasn't blind could see that. She was quiet, but brave; something she proved in battle. However, she kept to herself and he hardly knew anything about her. If only he knew more of the young woman. Why was she so shy around him, anyway? Was he so intimidating?

Letting out a sigh, he tore his gaze away and stared into the fire of the flickering oil lamp. Resuming his humming, he cleared his head and let the song envelope him.


In her deep sleep state, she was surrounded by a profound and dark blackness. She could hear no sounds, see nothing and did not smell or feel anything. The only thing that she was conscious of was that she was asleep.

Suddenly, however, the intangible darkness she resided in was pierced. It started off as a distant buzzing that she could barely hear, but it gradually began to crescendo. Soon, Nephenee was surrounded by the sound. She had trouble putting her finger on what it was, but it was serene and soothing; very beautiful and it reminded her of home. The resonance became louder and she started to identify it. A song, it was a song being hummed softly by someone.

Who was humming? The person had a very nice way of humming the tune, it was just right. How did she know it was right? Oh yes, her Ma liked to sing this song… What was it about again…? That's right; it was about a field full of apple trees. Her Ma sang it because it was just like their backyard. How she loved to sit with her siblings on the back steps of their farmhouse, listening to her sing.

Then she became aware that the humming had ceased. Why? Unaware that the silence had started to bring her out of unconsciousness, Nephenee continued to wonder why the beautiful voice had stopped and then she realized that she was no longer seeing black. Instead, the image of the top of her tent slowly came into perspective.

Blinking slowly, she stared at the roof of the shelter. Why was she back in her tent? Wasn't she just in the forest by Gritnea Tower? Wait… hadn't she lost awareness? Nephenee could remember now; the tiredness and dizziness that had overtaken her brain. How did she end up here, anyway? Someone must've found her…

About to stir and investigate the matter, she suddenly heard the same humming start again. Except it wasn't just in her mind, it came from inside her tent, from someone sitting next to her bed.

Eyes widening in alarm, she almost jolted up, but then she decided that doing that might scare the person there. After all, he or she might just be a visitor, or maybe one of the healers. Instead, she rolled her head onto her cheek and gazed at the stranger. She took in a sharp breath and felt the blood rush to her face.

Geoffrey's head snapped around at the sound and his eyes met hers. His humming stopped and they stared at each other for what seemed like many long minutes. If she wasn't mistaken, Nephenee thought that she saw a bit of colour on his cheeks, too.

"Ah… You're awake," he said, with an awkward cough. "You were out for a few hours now…"

Sitting up on her bed so that her legs rested underneath her, she lowered her eyes to the ground. Then Calill's voice rang in her head and she forced herself to look him in the eye.

"Er… yeah, I remember… I was in the forest. Then I fell into blackness and I woke up here," the girl replied, not really sure what else to say.

"You fainted from exhaustion," Geoffrey replied. "I was headed back from the tower when I stumbled across you. We were lucky that we found you before anything befell you."

"Oh! Uh, th-thank you," she stammered, realizing that Geoffrey had once again saved her. This wasn't good. She was slowly being indebted to a nobleman! What would her Ma say to her helplessness? "Um… Have you been here—er, in my tent—long?"

"… No, I just came in to check on you. I'm happy to see that you've recovered. You should be more careful in the future," he answered, looking away, out into the dark outside her tent. "You need to take care of your health. If you faint on the battlefield, it wouldn't help anyone."

"Uh… Right, I'll remember that," the halberdier said, nodding. She looked down again, and she felt him shift uncomfortably on her clothes trunk. It seemed that he was about to get up and leave. "W-Wait!"

Indeed, he was half standing, but he slowly lowered himself again when she spoke.

"Yes?"

"Er… You… You were humming…" Nephenee started, not really sure exactly what she wanted to say. She couldn't summon up the nerve to tell him that when he hummed his voice was beautiful. The thought brought a fresh coat of colour to her cheeks.

"Oh, haha," he laughed timidly. "I was just passing the time. I apologize if that was what woke you up…"

"N-No! It was… nice. My Ma always sang that song to us." His eyebrows rose by a fraction, surprised.

"Really? I first heard it from one of the court minstrels. It's a magnificent song. I always wondered how the grasslands that the lyrics described would look like in real life. Heh, my sister always told me that I was silly for thinking too much about a little tune such as that," he said. "Oh! I'm rambling. I'm sorry. I should go, you need to rest…" The azure-haired man then stood, ready to leave.

"… Sir Geoffrey?" Nephenee asked tentatively, debating whether or not she should tell him what she was about to say next.

"Yes?" he inquired for the second time that night, turning to look over his shoulder from the entrance.

"You said you'd like to see someplace that looked like the fields of the song, right?" She had already stepped down the path, she couldn't turn back now. Her face slowly began to flush. "W-Well… If you'd like, you should visit my family's farm after all this is over. The back pastures are just like the song…"

"Oh…" His face was filled with astonishment, and he remained silent for a few seconds. Then a smile slowly spread across his handsome features. "Actually, that'd be quite enjoyable… I think I might take you up on that offer. Have a good night, Nephenee." With that, he stepped out of her tent and she could hear his footsteps crunching on the dry ground.

Once they died away, she plopped back down on her back. What had she just done? She had just invited a noble to visit her farm! She was beginning to wonder if she was going insane…

Rubbing a hand over her face, she was struck with a horrifying thought. What would Calill say once she found out? Nephenee's face turned bright red; she could already hear her friend's voice and laughter. Oh yes, the sage was going to find this very amusing. And if Geoffrey did come and visit her, how would her Ma react?

It was much too late to take back her offer. But what would she do? Taking in long, deep breaths and told herself to calm down. She'd just have to take everything in stride and play it by ear later on. It was no use to worry about it now…

"I'm sure it'll all work out… I hope…"


There! I finally finished! It took me a while to think up how I should write that out, but I'm very pleased with it! Since it finally set up the scene that I've been trying to work towards.

Oscar: But I'll bet that it'll take you forever to get your next chapter up, won't it?

FireEdge: … Don't say that… I'm going to try and get out another chapter before exams. Since I won't have time to write during that week… I'd feel bad if I made you all wait a month for an update. Hahaha…

Oscar: Please review!

--FireEdge--