Mischief Mage: Hey look, its the first non-specifically-humour fic that i've written ...how long? I dunno.

Mildly Important: I haven't decided on the classes of everyone yet but i will decide as i go along. The classes i choose may not necessarily suggest what i think the best classes are but are just for the sake of plot devices.

Kinda Important: The main pairing in this story is, FranzxAmelia although i also have TanaxEphraim, InnesxEirika, JoshuaxNatasha and a bunch of other ones all at various stages of their relationships. I also have FordexVanessa as this story runs parallel to my 'a painter and a portrait' fic although i do not refer to this fic at all in the other.

Kinda Important, but more important than the one that i just wrote...i think. Judge for yourselves: Just so everyone knows when it's set, i think that i'm going to set it shortly after the battle at ...Neralas peak or something (you know, that place with all the gorgons eggs) so that you have all the characters, the conversation between Franz and Vanessa in my other fic is finished and they are in...or pretty close to Rausten.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or any of the characters or places or weapons or enemies or concepts ...you get it. But i do own my own imagination and i am thus free to make use of any part of the fire emblem story which they have been woolly about. WOOLLINESS.


It had been more than five days since princess Eirika had left her bed. It had been the same length of time since Prince Ephraim had left her bedside. Prince Innes, too, hadn't yelled at … anyone, more than twice since her sickness; which, for him was like catching lockjaw and not speaking at all. He now sat beside his loved one's bedside, eye's rimmed with a pale red as he repeatedly rubbed them, unable to stem the flow of saline tears down his cheeks. His sister appeared at the opening of the tent nearly every ten minutes, face flushed with the effort of hoping. Seth, the silver knight had sustained numerous injuries during the few skirmishes that had occurred during the duration of his princess's ailment; his mind clearly far away in her tent, bent over her bed beside the two princes.

The dry grassed scrunched pathetically under Franz's feet as he entered the royals' tent, his pale green eyes seemed to spark for a moment at what he believed to be an improvement in his leader's condition. The dribbles of sweat on her forehead were fewer in number and her cheeks were no longer flushed despite the growing cold as the sun sunk lower on its perch in the autumn sky. But as Lute stepped out past him, cloak swishing apologetically behind its sage master, he realised that it had been only a minor cooling charm that had caused Eirika's temperature to subside, a close relative to the Fimbulvetr spell. Almost as soon as the chilly reality settled upon Franz's mind like a light snow, Eirika began to shiver in her draining sleep. She shivered uncontrollably, her sickly pale skin seeming to shudder in disgust and her eyelids, dark as though bruised through numerous beatings squeezed shut. Franz knew that if she had awoken from her sleep which was no more restful than her fitful consciousness, her teal eyes would have been as a muddy pool, polluted by careless usage and retained within hoops of rose-red inflamed flesh.

As Natasha and Moulder pulled the sheets on the camp bed further up Eirika's neck, almost as weary as their patient, Innes noticed Franz standing as though in mourning.

'Anything?' he asked desperately.

Franz looked across to the corner of the tent, unable to meet the princes' eyes, Ephraim having just looked up from his sister's freezing face, brushing her sweat soaked fringe from her eyes.

'Nothing' he began in a deadened voice, 'the apothecary says that if none of the other remedies worked then there is nothing that he can do.'

Ephraim gripped his sister's bed sheet tightly as he said, 'But there must be other remedies, send the Pegasus knights out, there must be a cure somewhere on this blasted continent!'

Innes sighed, ignoring the chance to comment on Ephraim's irrationality as he often seemed to be doing recently.

'Ephraim, this close to Rausten, we are already in the medical capital of Magevel. Here, it takes requires a higher degree of education to become an apothecary than it takes to become a physician. L'arachel herself recommended that man that Franz went to. If he didn't have a cure that suited her symptoms, then there won't be one anywhere else.'

Ephraim tightened his grip on the bed sheet, his eyes screwed up, a tear slipping to the end of his nose as he bowed his head over his sister's body.

Franz thought that he could hear the prince of Renais whisper to himself, with a look almost of self-loathing, 'I'm sorry father, Eirika; I've failed you'

'Don't blame yourself Ephraim'

Franz turned to see Tana who had slid into the tent beside him with Joshua and L'arachel, unnoticed.

The lords joined their comrades by Eirika's bed. As he passed Franz, Joshua turned to him and whispered quickly, not wishing to wake the patient, 'Franz, come outside with me for a second, I have a job for you'

Standing a short way from the entrance of the tent, Joshua spoke in a quiet voice that was only just louder than a whisper.

'I need you to take someone and go into the village again. We need more spears, killer ones if you can, then, basic food stuffs and more blankets, also…' He drew nearer to Franz conspiratorially, 'I want you to visit the village physician. No, I don't care that the apothecary couldn't do anything to help' he added upon Franz opening his mouth to protest. 'He's a friend of mine and I would trust him with my life. Even if he has no cure, I know that he will know something, even if he can help us to quell her symptoms. This quest is bigger than any of us Franz', the prince of Jehanna said, looking tired, 'As tragic the loss of Eirika would be, all will be lost if we don't defeat the darkness, so we need to know whether anything can be done so that, if all help is futile, then we must know it is so that we can direct all the energy lost through hoping to strive for what can be achieved.'

In order to stop Franz from telling him that they must not give up, Joshua thrust a brown satchel and a shred of paper in the young paladin's hands. 'Here's the money for the goods, and here's his address, his name is Hugh Largo. You might want to go soon, the fog's starting to thicken and be careful; I don't think that we've seen the last of those remnants from this morning.'

Then, after giving the silenced young man a clap on the shoulder, Joshua of Jehanna disappeared into Eirika's tent. Franz pocketed the satchel the address of Doctor Largo tucked within its leather folds and he began to trudge back to the circle of tents around a low fire which was the warriors' camp.

Eirika's sickness had thrown what seemed to be a blanket of enchantment over the entire troupe; Innes and Ephraim were silent and complying, Joshua was responsible and hushed, Tana's many bubbles seemed to have popped, L'arachel had toned down her proclamations of the end of darkness approaching to simple reassurances to the particularly upset that light would always triumph, as for all the other fighters, each took the change differently but there was not one who was not affected, even if they didn't show it.

As Franz approached the ring of tents, he realized that he would need to pick someone to go to the village with him. It was a simple enough decision, he would need someone on a horse for speed but not a Pegasus knight as there were numerous remnant archers hiding in the shadows of the trees that formed an long archway into village. Also, he knew who he wanted to take, but subtlety and the keen eye of Forde, his older and more teasing brother, might forbid it. So now it was simply a choice between Seth, his general and Forde himself. But Seth was stuck in a sort of limbo, unable to move any closer to his princess as his duty was in the protection of the camp, but unable to move any further away out of paralysing concern. So Franz approached his brother who was lounging on log by the fire with his rival and best friend, Kyle. His green eyes, so like those of Franz seemed to be focusing on some distant object.

'Brother' Franz said, jerking Forde from what was, judging by his disgruntled expression, happy daydream.

'Meh?' Forde said.

'Brother' Franz repeated, 'Joshua has asked me to go into the village, will you come with me?'

'Ummmmmm.' Forde bit his lip as he looked back in the direction that he had previously been staring.

Franz leapt at the opportunity to ditch his brother and appear blameless.

'But, if you don't want to, I could take someone else,' he said eagerly, 'Amelia is just as good a rider'

'Yeah, that would be great if you c-' Forde stopped abruptly and looked up at his brother shrewdly. 'Why Amelia?'

Franz blushed but luckily, the flush that had appeared in his cheeks were hidden by the firelight.

'Oh…umm…no reason, just, since you aren't coming and Seth won't go anywhere-' '

That's true' said Forde, looking pityingly at Seth who sat across from them, staring into the glowing coals of the fire, holding his face in his hands.

But after the three of them, (Kyle included) had stared sadly at Seth for a while, Franz caught Forde's eyes flick in what seemed to be his favourite direction, his eyes catching in the light and glinting. Franz stole a glance in the same direction.

'Forde…'

'Hmmm?'

'Have you been staring at Vanessa again?'

Forde replied in a cool voice 'No, why?' But Franz had seen his eyes widen for a split second and the way he had sat bolt-upright and looked in the exact opposite direction of the Frelian Knights had been a dead giveaway. However, had Franz failed to notice that, Kyle giving a snort into the mug of steaming liquid that he was drinking would have been a sufficient hint.

Forde gave Kyle a sharp rap on the back of the head with his palm, causing the green-themed paladin to spill the hot brown liquid onto his lap, which was followed by him cursing loudly. 'Well, have fun in the village with Amelia' Forde called to Franz's now retreating back, 'Show her the sights!'

Franz's cheeks flushed a brighter pink and he had to hide behind Artur's tent and compose himself before approaching Amelia herself. Although he and Amelia were already good friends and he could talk with her easily, there conversations usually left his heart galloping and with a sharp twitch in his arm which he couldn't explain.

He found her in the small clearing where they had had the skirmish earlier in the day, wandering around with Neimi, hunched over and picking up any arrows that might still be used and blissfully unaware of everything that had just passed. He strode over in what he hoped was the confident stride which he had often seen Forde use. Unbeknownst to him, coupled with his natural modesty, this walk made him look a bit like a tall green duck.

Amelia looked up as he approached and smiled at him.

'Hi there Franz'

'Hello, Amelia. Hey, Neimi'

'Hi Franz'

He really wished that Neimi wasn't there. Not that asking Amelia to go into the village with him for the purpose of safety was difficult, but he didn't like the feeling that he had a critic.

'Ummm…Amelia, I need to go into the village for uh…Joshua…and ummm…I need you to come with me- but only if you want to mind you…although I need to take someone with me and I uh…'He trailed off; knowing that he had messed that up like Forde used to mess up the playroom with his paints when they were little.

But Amelia seemed unaffected and smiled again at him. His heart poked its head up hopefully in the hope that she didn't think he was a twat.

'Sure' she said, 'I'll come' Franz inwardly sighed in relief.

'Great, well, you better gear up, I'll meet you on the road in ten' And so Franz scurried off towards his tent, trying to ignore Neimi's sudden fit of loud and badly suppressed giggles.