Yup! Here I am with my update! This came out pretty fast, too (for me)!

Oscar: That's good news. Though there probably won't be a new update for at least two weeks now, will there?

FireEdge: Hahaha… no, probably not… But that's not my fault… There's still a slim chance though.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.

With A Bit Of Magic

Chapter 5

"… Is it… Is it over…?" Nephenee breathed, her words barely leaving her mouth. She leaned on her silver lance, tired and weary. From beside her Calill sank to her knees, letting out a long sigh, her tome resting in her lap.

"Yes, I think it is, my dear," she answered, letting a small smile grace her painted lips. From behind her, Largo approached and lifted her up.

"Calill! We've just won the battle! How can you be sitting on the ground like that! After all, we should be celebrating! We just helped tremendously with this grand fight! If it weren't for us, General Ike would be wallowing in the dust! Bwaa haa haa haa!" The big man laughed, holding Calill limply with one arm.

"Of course, Largo! However, a delicate woman such as myself can become mighty exhausted after such a big battle such as this one," Calill chided tartly, slapping the berserker's arm with her book. "Now, put me down you big oaf!"

"Well, you young lady are looking just fine at least!" Largo commented to Nephenee, letting Calill down to the ground. Nephenee smiled shyly.

"I guess it's from the training I put in. It helps a lot," she replied. "Either way, I'm just glad that this is over… When the commander and the king were fighting… It was amazing. I never saw anything like it before, and I thought that it'd go on forever, but then it was over…"

"Enough chit-chat! Let us go give our congratulations to General Ike!" Calill interrupted, standing up straight and tall once more. "After that, I'd like to wash up and perhaps then we can have some festivities! This dull marching army life is beginning to bore me, and what better excuse for a merry gathering than the defeat of the Daein king and the recapture of Crimea?"

Smiling, Nephenee followed in the sage's brisk footsteps—with Largo not far behind—as they climbed up the large staircases to the group gathering at its summit.


Geoffrey carefully wormed his way through the large throng of people, making his way to the long banquet tables lined up along the side of the walls. The gigantic ballroom was filled to the brim with everyone of the army and any nobility in the vicinity. It was nearly eleven o'clock of the evening, and nobody showed signs of retiring. This night would be a long one indeed.

The paladin could not believe that, merely four hours ago, they had defeated Daein in their mad conquest. It was amazing that the final fight had been so swift. They had started the assault before the crack of dawn, and still managed to finish it in the same day. Lady Luck must've been on their side for them to pull such a victory out of the hat.

What was more amazing yet was how quick Bastian had been able to organize this… social. In less than two hours, he had managed to find enough servants and cooks and set up this entire hall. Sure, it had no decorations, and only a partially broken chandelier and many torches lit the room, but there was food a plenty and musicians to boot.

Most of the occupants of the room were dressed in clean and plain clothing, the only ones available to them. Here and there, however, were some dressed in more fancy clothing; such as the princess and her retainers. Geoffrey himself wore a beautiful velvet tunic of the deepest shade of black. It had gold trimming and went with the dark soft trousers he wore. He was not entirely sure how he somehow had this hidden at the bottom of his clothes trunk, though he suspected Bastian of the deed.

Finally reaching one of the long rectangular tables, he glanced at the food sitting upon its white-clothed surface. He picked up a cup and scooped some kind of punch into it and drank deeply, leaning against the smooth stone wall. Letting the music of the small band float into his ears, he began to tune out and relax.

It wasn't until he realized that someone, standing two feet away from him, had been there for quite awhile before he raised his head and blinked perplexedly. Focusing again, he realized that it was Nephenee.

Realizing that Geoffrey had finally taken notice of her, she blushed and froze, not too sure what to do next. She had been meaning to make conversation with him, since she was somewhat bored and had no one else to speak with. Calill was busy flaunting about and enjoying the sophistication of the party, and she had been in Brom's company for the past hour already. However, when she had approached the paladin, he seemed deep in thought and she hadn't had the nerve to disturb him.

"Ah, Nephenee…" he greeted with a smile, pushing himself off the wall. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Er… Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I've never been to a big party with so many rich people like this before," the girl replied, glancing around nervously before she returned her gaze to the man in front of her.

"Oh yeah, that's right, this would be your first time to such an event as this," Geoffrey remarked. "Well, it'll certainly be a grand experience, one I'm sure that your friends back home will enjoy listening to." She nodded with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

A silence fell between them and Geoffrey took this moment to examine the halberdier. Her helmet was once more removed and it seemed that she had put a brush through her long hair, making it seem like a mass of the frothy sea. He suddenly realized that she was not wearing her normal attire. Instead, she wore a short-sleeved country dress. A pale blue of colour, it reached down to her ankles and a brown belt was tied about her waist. It was simplistic, but it suited her perfectly.

"Oh! I just noticed your dress. It looks… very pretty on you," he remarked with a sincere grin, though a slight hint of pink tinged his cheek despite his calm demeanour. The smile only widened when Nephenee flushed with embarrassment.

"Uh… I-I kept it with my clothes, since my Ma made it for me and it reminded me of my family and such… I didn't think I'd ever use it, but then there was this big thing and Calill told me to put something nice on. She said that if I didn't find something that she'd make me wear one of her big fancy dresses, and I didn't want that, so…" Her voice died away slowly as she became conscious of her rambling. "Um… thanks…"

"I wonder how you would look like in one of Calill's dresses, though. It would've been a sight!" he said with a laugh.

"Th-That's not funny!" Nephenee retorted, feeling even more humiliated. Though deep down inside she too wondered how she would look like. After all, it was normal of any country girl to wonder how it would feel to wear fancy clothing like the ones that Calill wore.

Before they could say anything else, however, the two's heads perked up at the change of tune from the band. The light and quick beat of the previous song had died down and a new softer melody had begun. The strokes of the violin were long and had a slight trill to it that added a bit of country to its tune. A flute and clarinet soon joined in with their soft and droning sounds, and then the brassy blasts of a cornet followed. The song was slow enough that quite a few people had started to slowly pair off and dance. Many of the nobles started a waltz variation to it and the song grew in volume.

Nephenee stared into nothing, surprised at the song being played. It was the song that she so often heard her mother sing, and the same tune that Geoffrey had hummed in her tent so many nights ago. Suddenly, she became aware of a calloused hand in front of her face.

"Would you care to dance?" Geoffrey smiled, his eyes a bit clouded over, causing them to take on a dreamy state. Blushing, her hand tentatively accepted his and she was led out into the dance floor.

Feeling her body being drawn closer to his, Nephenee could not help but to stiffen up and she nearly stumbled as Geoffrey led her on with the dance. At that moment, she realized that she did not know the steps to the waltz. She had danced before, but they had all been the simple country line dances that were held at the various parties in the nearby village.

"G-Geoffrey, I don't know how… to do this…" she murmured quietly, looking down nervously at her awkwardly moving feet. Without even looking up, she could see a smile on the paladin's face.

"Not a problem, just follow my lead. It's not difficult and you'll pick up fast," the young man stated, taking her into a quick spin. The country lass barely caught on and she just managed not to trip.

Easier said than done… she thought to herself as she attempted to follow Geoffrey's movements. However, in a few more steps she soon found herself slowly becoming accustomed to the swift and fluid glides. Nephenee could predict the next spin or change in direction and the dance became easier.

Nearly halfway through the song, she found that she was enjoying herself and that the dance was not nearly as hard as it had seemed in the beginning. Now, it felt as if she were flowing along with the melody, and it was very soothing. Time moved languidly around her and she was only aware of the faint humming of the song and of the man she danced with.

Nephenee could feel the warmth of his hands; one on her waist, the other clasped in hers. She was nearly pressed against his broad chest and she could smell the scent of his clothing and an odour that she could only identify as his. Combined with the music, it was almost nauseating, yet she very much enjoyed it.

Lost in the dance, she was barely conscious of the fact that the tune was slowly drawing to a close. The quartet of instruments began to end the song, the ending beats quieting and ending. It was not until the last quavers of the violinist's strokes that Nephenee realized that she had stopped moving.

Emerging from her trance, she blinked slowly and looked up. Geoffrey's shining eyes stared down at her, a big grin on his handsome features. She could not help smiling back; the dance had been a great experience, one that she had never undergone. It had been exhilarating, she felt as if her and Geoffrey had been one, flowing together from step to step. Tonight was one that she would never forget.

Letting herself be drawn away from the centre of the room, Geoffrey led her to one of the refreshment tables. Pouring himself a drink, he offered her one. Taking it carefully, she took a slow sip and let the liquid roll down her parched throat. Who would have thought that dancing took so much out of you? Swallowing another mouthful, Nephenee's eyes flickered awkwardly to Geoffrey, she was unsure of what to say next.

"You danced wonderfully," Geoffrey said in her place with a sincere smile. "You did very well for one who has never waltzed before."

"Thanks…" She blushed, looking away from him. Her eyes fell upon the quartet of musicians, whom were now resting and had stopped playing. Staring at them, she thought that two of them looked familiar.

"They're quite young, aren't they?" the paladin remarked, following her gaze. "Bastian could not find any of the court players, but somehow he found those youths wandering one of the tunnels leading out of the castle. Turns out that they're all students of one of the court composers; they had escaped the Daein soldiers when they took over the castle but they hid in and around the castle. It's amazing how they survived so long… Though, they are quite talented for their age."

Nephenee nodded wordlessly, absorbing what Geoffrey had recited. The performers were very young indeed; no older than fourteen or fifteen. However, that was not what bothered her. Without saying anything, she began making her way towards the group of musicians. Confused, but not questioning her, Geoffrey followed in her footsteps.

Approaching the band, Nephenee's footsteps quickened; she knew half of them. As she drew nearer, the young heads looked up and stared at the coming pair. The flute player's dark roan eyes widened as she saw Nephenee.

"Nephenee!" the young raven-haired girl cried, frozen to the spot. The tall violinist next to her also gaped at the person nearing them, her green-grey eyes just as big as her neighbour's.

"Tonnie! Lenne!" Nephenee cried, taking each girl into an embrace. The other two musicians stared with wide eyes and Geoffrey frowned quizzically.

"What… What are you doing here?" Lenne, the violinist asked, pushing a lock of her long wavy brown hair behind her ear.

"I should be asking you the same thing!" Nephenee retorted, but she smiled. "Anyway, I was part of General Ike's army!"

"You're not serious!" The clarinet player exclaimed, not able to hold his voice. Suddenly realizing his outburst, the boy blushed and looked away.

"Of course she's serious! Neph doesn't lie!" Tonnie, the flute player, replied with a scowl. She lightly smacking the blond-haired, blue-eyed youth across the back of his head. "We've known her since forever!"

"… I'm a little confused here…" Geoffrey spoke up, looking back and forth between the group of musicians and Nephenee.

"Oh! Er… Sorry 'bout this," Nephenee flushed. Waving a hand at the two girls, she began to explain. "These two girls come from the village near my farm. Tonnie and Lenne, they're cousins. I used to watch them when their parents were away; they always played together with my sisters. Only a few years ago, they came to the capital to try and pursue careers in music. I didn't know that they were accepted as students to the court composer!"

"Ah… It makes sense now," the aqua-haired man replied, examining the youths. Though he had not recognized Tonnie and Lenne, he could recall seeing the other two before. The curly-haired cornet player was the son of one of the noblemen that managed a small estate nearby. Caj was his name if he remembered correctly. The blond was named Leslie and he was one of the court performer's son; his hair had grown much longer, reaching his shoulders, so that Geoffrey had not been able to identify him right away.

"I remember you two now." He nodded to the two boys. "I've seen you running errands around the castle or with the Master Composer."

"Y-Yes, Sir Geoffrey," the two boys replied simultaneously with small blushes of appreciativeness for a knight of such high ranking order to recognize them. "Just so the four of you know, I thought that you played beautifully; in a few years I think that you'll surpass the present court musicians." The youths beamed, their backs already standing straighter.

"W-Well, we're not quite there yet," Lenne stammered with embarrassment.

"But we are the top of our class!" chirped Tonnie with no shame. Caj grinned in agreement, his hazel eyes shining with pride, and nodded while Leslie smiled knowingly.

"Anyway, you guys are great! Your parents would be proud of you," Nephenee said, looking fondly at the two girls.

"When everything's settled, we're gonna visit 'em! You should come with us! Everyone must be missing you!" replied Tonnie.

"Yeah, me and Tonnie will play something to celebrate your victory! The whole village will have a get-together and it'll be so much fun!" Lenne added.

"Of course, I'm sure it'll be great."

"And your boyfriend can come to!" The black-haired girl smirked mischievously. Nephenee's face reddened immediately and her mouth opened and closed without a word; unable to utter anything.

"T-Tonnie! That was rude!" Lenne exclaimed, horrified, staring at her cousin. Leslie on the other hand found the statement to be quite amusing.

"Hahaha, who would've thought that Sir Geoffrey, the one who was so smitten with P—" Before he could finish his sentence, Caj's hand quickly covered Leslie's mouth.

"You dunce! You're not supposed to say stuff like that!" This time, it was Geoffrey's turn to blush and he covered his face with one hand. Luckily, it seemed that Nephenee didn't suspect anything. The last thing he wanted was for her to find out his old… crush.

For awhile, the two boys continued to struggle, with Leslie muffling crossly through Caj's hand. He seemed to be saying something about breaking his clarinet. Soon, they were starting to attract curious stares… This was going to be a long night…


"So, you're leaving now, then?" Geoffrey asked.

"Yeah… It's about time that I went back home. I'll miss everyone here though…" Nephenee answered, looking down at the ground sadly.

"Cheer up, missy!" Calill said, slapping her on the back. "Your farm isn't far from here; you'll be able to visit anytime! Largo and I will be setting up a shop here in the capital, so be expecting visits from me!"

At this, Nephenee smiled. She was glad that she had a friend like Calill; the sage always knew what to say in any situation.

"Thanks, Calill."

"Well… I suppose you want to say your farewells to the General and everyone… So I'll let you go," said Geoffrey hesitantly. "… By the way… I'll be taking up on your offer as soon as everything is settled after the coronation."

"Er, alright…" Nephenee replied with a small blush, now remembering the suggestion she had made many weeks ago. Calill looked suspiciously between her two friends, but said nothing. "I guess this is good-bye for now, then."

"Yes, I suppose it is," Geoffrey smiled half-heartedly. The two stared at each other for a few moments in an awkward silence. Turning her back on them, Calill inconspicuously opened her Wind tome and muttered under her breath. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew towards Geoffrey and he was knocked forward, right into Nephenee.

As if out of a minstrel's song, the paladin fell towards the green-haired girl and in his fall, he landed a glancing kiss on her cheek. Immediately, the two recoiled away from each other, their cheeks bright red. Staring at nothing for a few long moments, it took a little while longer for them to recovery… and for something to snap inside their heads.

"CALILL!"


Weeelllll, that's the end of that chapter. I tried to make it longer than usual (and I did, just so you know), so that I wouldn't feel bad if my next update took a long time.

Oscar: If you don't procrastinate on your exam projects, you'll have plenty of time to work on the next chapter.

FireEdge: Fat chance of that! Oh yeah, and also, the next chapter is going to be the last one! Haha, I bet I caught you all off-guard there, huh? But, seriously, next time it's the epilogue. It'll probably be pretty long since I was thinking of doing two more chapters instead of one, so yeah…

Oscar: Well, that's… good I suppose?

FireEdge: I would not know… I never do. Anyway, I hope you'll all forgive me for my spontaneous addition of those four OCs. I just had my year end band concert and I was in a music-y mood. So, "Why don't I make some OC musicians?" thought I, and so they were born (it helped to add some spice to Neph's past anyway). They'll make an appearance in the final chapter, and possibly cameo in future fics if I need musicians… Hahaha…

Oscar: Please review… and until next time!

--FireEdge--