Auraegis was an impressive city. It looked more like a fortress than any city that I'd ever seen, with massive walls encapsulating the entirety of the it, and only a few fields to surround it. The entire settlement was atop a hill, looking down on wide open plains. All in all, it was easy to see how the city was used to prevent the northern barbarians from invading Ylisse's heartlands. I wondered how the massive wall farther north factored into that.

Auraegis was a lot less fancy than Ylisstol. While Ylisstol had walls, and most of the buildings were made of stone with sparse usage of wood, Auraegis took that aesthetic and turned it up to eleven. The city was completely uniform, with every building built in a distinct pattern. Since Auraegis was the northernmost city, it saw the most trade with Regna Ferox, as was supposed to be the case considering all the stalls. Or, it would have, if any of them were actually happening. Many of the apparent trading places and vendors were closed.

We were to stay in Auraegis for a few days to repair our equipment and better heal our wounds, as well as stock up on warm clothes and other supplies. It was not difficult, even considering the state of the city.

It still felt like something was off with my left arm, but Lissa had assured me she had done all she could. Thankfully, it was a small, niggling pain. Nothing that would completely incapacitate me.

We dropped the man we saved off at the nearest chapel, where the priest in charge kindly took him in. 'Naga rewards the generous' and all that stuff. I wasn't sure what to think of whatever they called Naga's religion. Naga did exist for sure, and while not exactly a true god, she was possibly the closest thing to one.

I pushed those thoughts down like so many others and moved on.

"Ah, Alex! There you are," said a smooth voice behind me.

"Christ-!" I all but screamed, dropping the crate I was trying to take out of one of the carts. I tried, unsuccessfully, to grab it in midair, but it smashed to the ground. Luckily, it didn't break, but the sound it made did not fill me with confidence that the contents didn't suffer the same fate. I picked the crate back up gingerly, and looked behind me, seeing a familiar blue-haired prince. "Chrom?"

"Sorry for scaring you," Chrom apologized, "I just realized you and I have never had time to really talk to one another."

I opened my mouth but paused and closed it. He was right. Beyond those first few days and several times throughout that last month and a half, we never really had a one-on-one conversation.

"I mean, fair enough. Although, I have to say, if that was on purpose, you're gonna need a different approach next time," I narrowed my eyes jokingly. "I now know how you work."

"I'm sure I'll be able to come up with something next time that will really get to you, heh." Chrom chuckled.

In the little area that the Shepherds 'rented' out to store our carts, there were a few areas that allowed for a couple of people to sit around and have a chat. Before long, we both grabbed a chair and sat down.

"So, you wanted to talk to me?" I said leaning forward on my chair. "I'm not exactly the most interesting person in the world, ya know."

"I just remembered something recently, actually," Chrom said, adjusting his position. "Back at the fort a month ago, you said something about Helm's Deep?"

"Holy shit, you actually remembered," I said, chuckling, "I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting that."

"I just thought that it would be an interesting story if it was so similar to our situation back then," Chrom remarked, "And since I know so little about you, I think it would be a good place to start."

"Well, fair enough. Where do I begin?" I held a hand to my chin. "I'll probably need to give you some context first, since you'll be lost without it…"

"…and then the Uruk-hai fled into the forest and were torn apart by angry tree-people!" I laughed, "The Battle of Helm's Deep was always my favorite part of the Lord of the Rings, but that just made it fantastic. Here they were, fighting a battle for Saruman, and the next minute things go sideways they flee into the forest and still get destroyed!"

"They weren't the smartest of creatures, were they? They fled into a forest that just appeared out of nowhere?"

"Oh, yeah they weren't the smartest. They were mostly brute force if I remember correctly, although I think a few humans fought alongside them. They were let go after the keep itself was fixed though." I explained to the best of my abilities.

It had been a long time since I'd ever even thought about the Lord of the Rings, let alone any other stories I'd left behind. It was a nice distraction from my thoughts, and Chrom seemed to be enjoying it, despite my subpar storytelling skills.

"That was… incredible!" Chrom said excitedly, "I've always been fond of reading stories like that! It's a shame you don't have a copy with you, though. I would have loved to read it."

"Heh, yeah. You can see why I said it back then though, right? Trapped in a fortress, repelling the forces of evil, and then, just as things look their bleakest, in comes the literal cavalry to save the day," I said, "It's almost storybook."

"I suppose it is, isn't it? It was a small skirmish, but if you think of it like that, it makes it seem all the grander," Chrom agreed.

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to write down our accolades one day. I'll put down you kicking down a massive door like a maniac, too. I'll even give you a nickname! 'Chrom Door-Kicker'."

"Gods, that's just embarrassing..," Chrom groaned, "If the history books actually do give me a name like that, I might just start rolling in my grave."

"Hey, man, by the time that's happening we'll probably be dust. Don't need to worry about it now anyway," I assuaged, leaning back and taking a deep breath. "Thank you for this, by the way. I haven't talked about stuff like that in a really long time. I honestly didn't expect you to remember what I said."

"I consider you a friend, Alex. Of course I would remember it," Chrom replied sincerely.

"You… consider me a friend?" I asked, slightly shocked.

"Why would I not?" Chrom asked back, slight confusion coloring his tone, "I realize we haven't spoken much since you joined, but I consider everyone in the Shepherds to be a friend. Including you. I would be a fool to think otherwise, after all this."

I looked at Chrom for a few seconds, honestly taken aback. I hadn't expected that at all. I could tell he was completely sincere about it, too. I'd never had someone say to me what Chrom said. Honestly, I did not think I deserved it.

Especially because you're going to let Emmeryn die, ain't that right, boy scout?

I suppressed a grimace. I still had time. I didn't have to worry about that for a good long while. It was better to enjoy what time I had.

"I-I-" I stuttered, before regaining my composure, "Thank you, Chrom."

"You're welcome, Alex." Chrom smiled. "Now, I better get back to it before Frederick throws a hissy fit."

The image of Frederick throwing a temper tantrum at not being able to find Chrom made me snort and chuckle. "Christ, yeah. If you don't, his head might explode. And we don't want that, huh?"

I still hadn't completed my training yet, after all.

And then an image of Yoda Frederick entered my mind, and I had to restrain an outright giggle fit.

While Auraegis was impressive, it also didn't have a lot going on in it at the time. Trade with Regna Ferox had been slowing for a while, and the city was starting to feel the effects of that. Luckily, we were going to head out the following day to the border walls, probably have to deal with Raimi, and then head straight for the capital. Well, eastern capital. I still had trouble with that.

This did mean, however, that I was running out of things to do. After my exercises and small training sessions were over with, I'd either just continue to do more exercises so I wouldn't get bored or talk with somebody. Anything was better than being left alone with my thoughts, I had found out.

"Hmm. An interesting move," Virion hummed, moving a pegasus knight in a position I was woefully unprepared for.

"Christ on a bicycle." I muttered pitifully, watching as my plan went down the drain along with my hopes and dreams.

"You have fascinating mannerisms, my friend!" Virion remarked politely.

"Says the guy who speaks in flirts," I grumbled miserably, moving a piece only to have it crushed beneath the Rosannean's forces. "Fuck…"

"Ah, you think I am mocking you. You are very cynical it would seem! Fear not, it was merely an observation! Truthfully, I'm glad I can have someone who is not entirely different from me around camp. We may originate from different countries, but we both are foreigners."

I barked a laugh. "That's more true than you know, man."

The game we were playing was some sort of demonic hybrid of RISK and Chess, with pieces that corresponded to different units, like a foot soldier, a wyvern rider, a pegasus knight, and a cavalier. All in all, it was actually rather complicated, and learning how to play it from someone like Virion was a bit of a struggle. In the end, no matter how good at the game I could possibly get, I doubt I would ever beat the light blue-haired archer. He was absolutely ruthless.

"And with that, I have won," Virion claimed, as my forces were utterly decimated, with minimal casualties on his side.

"Yeah, yeah, you won. Congratulations. I've literally played this game twice. Such an accomplishment! You must be proud," I deadpanned, leaning back and looking at the darkening sky. "I love being utterly destroyed at board games."

Virion completely brushed off my comments as he cleaned up the table. "My, but you do have such a strange way of speaking," He commented once he was done, "And such interesting ticks as well. Truly, this U.S. you arrived here from must be incredibly different from Ylisse!"

I furrowed my brow. "Are you sure you're not mocking me? It really feels like you're mocking me."

"My friend, if I were to mock you, you would know it as such!" Virion replied, seeming genuinely offended, "I'm merely speaking my mind. I am a master at reading other people, you understand. One has to, if you are – were, rather – in my position. You are different from other people here based on that alone."

I liked Virion. I really did. But, whether intentionally or not, he was getting dangerously close to striking a nerve.

"So, you're a master at reading others, huh? Tell me, then. How am I so different from the other Shepherds?"

"Very well," Virion acquiesced, "You carry yourself lowly, with your shoulders slouched. You make yourself seem smaller, and thus, less noticeable. You don't act like someone of noble birth, but you are at ease with those who are of royalty and nobility, as if you were one yourself. When you are frustrated or anxious, you tend to not look people in the eye. These are a mismatch of traits one would not find in Ylisse, or indeed, even my homeland. It automatically has you stand out in my mind."

I couldn't move. It felt like my entire body seized up.

"None of these are negative. I cannot stress this enough," Virion continued, "In a way, they define who you are as a person without any spoken words. I understand what it is like to be in a country different from your own, and I realize I may have touched upon raw nerves. For that, I apologize."

A part of me wanted to get angry, but for some reason, I just couldn't bring myself to be. Maybe I was just irritable from losing to him in a game I had little experience in, even if it was only natural that I did. I decided to let it go. It was not worth getting so upset over.

Besides, could I even say he was wrong?

"Well, damn. I guess you are pretty good at reading people," I said quietly.

"Ah ha! It is nice for someone else to recognize my many talents! These are merely the tip of my abilities, mind you. After all, I am myself! The noble courtier, Virion, archest of archers!"

"Yeah, yeah, Virion, archest of archers, Savior of Ylisse, all-around legend, and the father of Grima's children," I said in the most deadpan voice I could manage.

"Why thank you, my friend! It is nice of you to- w-wait. F-father of Grima's children?" He stammered

I laughed like a madman at his expression. I got a jab in, at least. It would have to do.

Hey, you. Finally awake? You were trying to cross the Feroxi border, right? Walked right into that border patrol ambush. Same as us, and that blue-haired Lord over there.

I wasn't making Skyrim references for no reason. A single day after we left Auraegis and the temperature lowered dramatically. The day after we left – if I had to guess - it was a cool sixty degrees. The next, it was around forty-five. Just three days after leaving Auraegis, it was almost below freezing. It was a good thing we got those winter clothes while we could, or else we would have been freezing our asses off.

"Achoo!" Lissa sneezed before sniffling. "T-this is the worst…!" She complained, "I hate the cold."

I snorted, "It ain't so bad. I actually like it."

"You would enjoy something like this, wouldn't you? You always looked like the cold type to me…"

"What does that even mean?"

The cart we were in jostled slightly, causing me to hit the back of my head on the wall of it. I hissed a curse, while Lissa snickered at my misfortune.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, fuzzball," I retorted, looking out of the back of the cart at the snow that was falling down. I breathed out of my mouth and saw the mist it created. "It is cold, though. Like, I was expecting a little chill, but this just seems so excessive."

"F-Ferox is always like this," Lissa chattered, "Just n-nothing but snow and ice and cold all year."

I stopped for a second, the gears in my head audibly turning. "How do these guys grow food?"

Before Lissa had the chance to answer my question, the cart ground to a halt. The fabric covering the front of the cart swished open, revealing Stahl. His face was flush from the cold.

"Hey, we're here," He said.

"The Longfort, right?" I asked.

Stahl nodded. "Yeah. Come out and see it for yourself. I think it looks pretty impressive."

"A glowing recommendation from the hungry man. Well, I'm not missing this," I said, nearly losing all of my warm clothes in the process of getting up. I picked them all back up as best as I could. At least I didn't look like Lissa; she looked less like a person and more like a cloth mummy with a face.

I crawled out of the cart, my feet landing in a thin layer of snow on the ground. I rounded the side of the cart and looked up.

My jaw promptly met the floor.

A wall unlike any I'd seen in person stretched from the west to the east, obscuring the horizon. It reached far into the sky; taller than most buildings I'd seen in the world so far. In front of us stood a gigantic port cullis, with what looked like buildings on the top of it. I assumed they were used to house the soldiers that manned the absolutely massive fort, and perhaps a gatehouse for raising and lowering the port cullis at will. I was reminded of the Great Wall of China, or maybe Hadrian's Wall. Only in its prime, without the weathering of centuries upon it going unchecked.

I stared at it for a good long while, just marveling at the feat of engineering in front of me.

"Yeah, like I said, pretty impressive, right?" Stahl asked, walking up beside me.

I grunted, "That's one way of putting it."

"I-Is it eben colder out h-here!?" Lissa whined, climbing out of the cart. "I-I can't feel my libs!"

"Are they gonna let us in any time soon?" I asked.

"Eh, they should," Stahl answered, shrugging. "I really hope they do soon. I'm starving."

"I wonder why I'm not surprised."

If I'm right, things should go sideways relatively soon… Please don't let this fucking change…

"Diplomacy is not my strong suit, but I'll be sure to do my best." I heard Chrom say from nearby. I looked to his direction to see him approach the gate. "Remember everyone: your actions reflect all of Ylisse."

Ah shit, here we go again.

Shit did, in fact, go to hell pretty quick after that.

Overly cautious border guards ahoy.

The instant they saw us they must have been preparing archers, because the moment Chrom approached the massive port cullis, he had over a dozen arrows pointed in his direction. After a few heated words with who I assumed was Raimi, those arrows promptly flew at him. Personally, I wouldn't have been surprised, given what I'd seen of the man in action so far, if he just started swinging Falchion around and deflecting arrows midair. Sumia came out of nowhere and saved Chrom from that potential moment of awesomeness. She was riding the Pegasus she had calmed down earlier in the day.

Speaking about said Pegasus…

"Christ! The hell…!?" I shouted, looking at the abomination in front of me.

It was a pegasus. In the flesh. A myth given life. I almost couldn't stop looking at it; it just looked so unnatural.

It looked like a regular white horse, only it had two bird wings protruding out of its sides which would flap a little every now and then. It made me feel uncomfortable.

"Oh, fuck this. It's too early for mindfucks, thank you. Good night."

Thus, my first time seeing a pegasus up close ended as quickly as it began. Of course, I only assumed that it was the same one Sumia eventually nursed back to health, but to be fair, I had the sequential order of the game on my side.

Not that that had helped me so far.

As soon as the battle was about to break out, I was sent to guard the carts from any stragglers who would try to somehow damage them. Several others like Stahl and Virion were told to do so as well at Robin's orders. While Virion could at least pepper the enemy with arrows, Stahl and I were basically just stuck there, waiting for someone stupid enough to attack a handful of carts all the way toward the back of the people that were actually fighting.

Also, we were to avoid casualties. Those were Chrom's orders and exact words. Doing that was a bit difficult with weapons that were designed from the ground up to kill, but not impossible. Unfortunately, for a moron like myself, it was basically impossible. It was probably the reason Robin didn't 'deploy' me in that battle. It stung a bit, but I could understand the reasoning. Besides, it pulled a lot of anxiety off my chest. If I killed someone who was just doing their job, and not someone who was raping and pillaging villages, I might've just cracked.

I could still hear, and see a little bit, of the battle going on.

The clashing and clanging of bladse, the shouts and screams of friend and foe alike, and the sound of fire and lightning cutting through the air raised a hellish cacophony that was difficult to ignore. The lights from the battlefield rose into the darkening cloudy sky, as small snowflakes fell to the ground.

It was a horribly picturesque scene.

With my sword sheathed and my new shield leaning against the side of a cart, my hands were free to try and be warmed. I could see my breath as I blew on them.

My breathing stopped once I heard the sound of armored footsteps through the snow from nearby, as well as the light of torch fire. I turned, peaking around the side of my cart to see a group of Feroxi soldiers marching through the snow towards us. Two men in light armor with swords, around five men in what I could only describe as armored robes – myrmidons – and, lastly, a giant of a man wearing full plate armor, complete with a helmet.

Well, it's a good thing they sent you, the rookiest of rookies, to guard the carts, didn't they?

In the end, there was really only one thing to say in that situation.

"Everyone, guys coming up from our flank!" I shouted, grabbing my shield and unsheathing my sword, feeling a little bit like a badass even though I hadn't done anything yet. "Stahl, Virion, over here!"

The effect of my shouting was immediate. Confirming that there were people around, and that they were found out, two of the men holding torches ran up to our carts, attempting to set them on fire.

They're trying to keep us from running away.

"Aha! I do not think so!" Virion said, as an arrow sailed through the air and found itself in one of the men's legs. He shouted in pain, falling to the ground, his torch extinguishing in the rapidly reddening snow.

The second man, however, kept going, as one of the myrmidons came upon Virion's position. I could see Stahl coming in on his horse, but he wouldn't be there in time to stop the torchbearer.

So, unless Kellam was skulking around somewhere, I'd have to take him on.

May my accomplishments be written into song someday. Jesus.

Luckily, he was gunning towards the cart I just so happened to be closest to, so I was able to intercept him before he got close enough to burn it to ash. Once I did, sword drawn and pointing at him, the Feroxi Soldier growled, stepping back and brandishing a blade of his own.

"Plegian hound!" He spat. "Yer not gettin' away from us even if ya want to!"

My heart pounded in my chest, yet I still spoke, "Okay, first of all, not a Plegian. Secondly – woah, shit!"

I held up my shield just in time to block a blow from him. It was strong, but not as strong as a Risen charging with all its strength into me, so I weathered it well enough. I still gritted my teeth as the blow connected though.

Remember, avoid casualties. Go for the legs…

That definitely made things a bit difficult.

I swung my sword, aiming low. It felt like I nicked him across the leg, and he hissed in pain. But he backed up a bit, watching me with wary eyes. After a brief respite, he charged again, his sword held high for a downward slash. I raised my shield to meet it, like a fool, when he did something unexpected.

He performed a feint.

You're too clunky.

I felt the searing pain travel across my stomach. Blood – my blood – spilled to the ground, staining the white snow red. It was not a deep cut, and I would've likely been fine with just a small amount of healing, but it was enough for an opening. With my guard down, the soldier raised his blade, ready to decapitate me.

I shouted, no longer caring where my sword went. I dropped all pretense of order and just swung wildly, shouting like a madman. I didn't know how many times I may have slashed at him, but eventually my blade connected with his side, cutting deep into him. He screamed, dropping his torch and sword as I wrenched my sword from him painfully. He fell to the ground, looking at me with frightened eyes.

All I could see was my own breath in the cold, dark air, and the man who hurt me. I breathed hard and raised my sword up to stab him. To kill him.

I stopped just as I was about to do it. I looked the man in the eyes and my sword arm locked. I turned my head to my raised sword, covered in the man's blood, and then back down at him, his hands covering the hole I made in his side. The snow turned red as blood flowed freely from the wound.

He was incapacitated.

He was beaten.

There was no reason to murder him.

Why did I almost do so? Had I become a murderer so easily?

We were told to 'avoid casualties'. The untold caveat being shit happens and sometimes people die in combat, even if you don't want them to. I was about to do so to someone who was effectively innocent.

The fact that I almost went too far.

Shakily, with blood still on it, I sheathed my sword and looked around.

The battle was in our favor. The other soldier still laid on the ground with an arrow sticking out of his leg. Three of the five myrmidons were down for the count, courtesy of Stahl and a suddenly there Kellam. The armored man, as well as the remaining myrmidons, stood back to back, watching us. We were not without our injuries; Virion was the only one of us not at least slightly injured. Stahl had multiple cuts around his leg, and Kellam looked to be limping, but clearly the odds were toward us.

"Everyone, stand down!"

I breathed a sigh of relief as those orders were barked. Thank fuck.

A short-haired woman in plate armor who I assumed was Raimi marched towards us, Chrom and Frederick beside her.

"Miss!" The man in the plate armor exclaimed, "Are these not-?"

"These are no brigands," Raimi said, "No Plegian marauder could fight half as well as Prince Chrom," She looked around at the incapacitated Feroxi soldiers that littered the snowy ground. "Indeed, if even your token caravan guard could do this, we would not have stood a chance if we hadn't straightened this out sooner."

"Either way, I'm glad we did." Chrom replied. "Turns out I'm not so bad at diplomacy after all, right Frederick?"

"Feroxi diplomacy, milord." Frederick confirmed.

The wounded were quickly rounded up. The man who I had injured looked really bad when I saw him last, and I prayed I didn't just murder someone who really did do nothing wrong except follow orders.

I didn't go to sleep for a long time after that. We camped just outside the gate to Regna Ferox and were to head towards the capitol in the morning since it was already dark out. I stood outside the tent, looking up at the newly cleared sky. The cold wind blew across my face, and my breath came out in a steady mist. I just stood there and calmly looked out at the sky.

At least it was very pretty.

There were a few casualties, all on the Feroxi's side. Only a handful of soldiers, which I thought impressive. I wasn't surprised that none of the Feroxi that traveled with us seemed to hold a grudge. Or if they did, they didn't outwardly express it. The excuse I heard was that they knew what they were getting into. Conflict was a way of life for the Feroxi. Even in misunderstandings such as the one at the gate, people died. It was simply a fact of life, and they moved on.

I never figured out if the guy I had wounded was one of the few that died. I liked to think he lived, but there was no way to be certain.

The travel time to Bellator was not overtly long. Just another week and we would be there, and the plot would get rolling once more. Unfortunately, reality had other plans.

"Oh, God, not again!" I hissed, looking at the smoke that rose into the sky.

Sully, who was nearby, grunted, "Looks like someone's havin' a party. Wager we'll be dealing with that soon."

She was not wrong. Once we got closer to the source of the smoke, we saw a village burning to the ground. This time, however, there were no Risen. The battle within was still on, and it was man against man. The village was being raided by bandits.

"Brigands, milord. And many of them. The village will not last long at this rate," Frederick reported stiffly.

"Damned bandits!" Raimi growled, the grip on her spear tightening. "Is it not enough that we have to deal with attacks at our borders? Now we are attacked from within!" Raimi turned to Chrom. "Milord, I realize it may be improper of me to ask, but-"

"Say no more, Raimi," Chrom silenced her, "I will not sit idly by as innocent people are preyed upon."

Raimi bowed. No small feat in that armor she was wearing, surely. "Thank you, milord."

I said nothing. There was no need to. In my mind, however, I was coming to terms with the fact that I was definitely about to kill people again. I prepared myself: taking deep breaths, rolling my shoulders, all of the things to keep myself calm. The brigands were willingly attacking a village, not guarding a wall. They were evil. Some people out there deserved to have a sword shoved up their ass.

"Robin?" Chrom called, and the robed tactician nodded.

"It seems, from what I can see, that the bandits are entering houses and only burning them down a short while afterwards. I propose we…"

The Shepherds, plus a group of Feroxi soldiers, launched an attack on the besieged village. We entered from two different directions, catching the invading bandits off guard. We cut through their ranks easily, suffering almost no casualties as we went through. I was in one of those groups. Having other people to talk to made the fighting easier.

I did have to take the life of one person while I was with them. He was nobody special. A random bandit, just like the rest of them. We went on like that for a while.

That is, until I got separated from the main group.

A large group of bandits charged at us, and I went a different way from everyone else. I found myself in a small alley, smoke streaming into the sky from the fires that surrounded me, and the now familiar sound of battle all around. I had no direction. No way to go. I was on the verge of panic.

Then I heard a voice. Around the corner of a house

"Now look here, sonny," A coarse voice said menacingly, "You and yer sow of a mother didn't give us none of the stuff we needed ya to give us. Now she's done and gone and you about to join with her. Don struggle too much, y'here? Just a little business!"

"N-No! No please…! Please…!" Another voice, this one high-pitched, sounding like a child.

"Told ya to stop struggling, ya little shit!" The gruff voice shouted.

I looked around it to see a man, Mr. Buff Gruff Bandit Number Seventy-Five, brandishing an axe. He held it up high, ready to slam down on a cowering boy who couldn't have been more than ten or eleven with flecks of blood all over him.

I acted before I even thought. I ran towards the bandit, and just as he turned around to see me, my sword ran him through. Straight through the stomach. His eyes opened wide, glaring at my own. I didn't give him a chance to do anything before I ripped my sword out of him and stabbed him again, this time higher. Once I released him, the bandit let out one last breath, before he fell to the ground like a sack of shit, completely limp.

My breathing was quick and slightly shallow, but I built up the nerve to look down at the boy. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates, alternating between staring at me and the body that was now on the floor.

"Hey," I said breathlessly, "You okay?"

The boy didn't respond. Instead, he started shaking.

Realizing that may have been a stupid thing to ask, I knelt down to his level, but kept my distance. With the battle going on around us, it may have not been the best thing to do, but I needed a distraction from the killing I had been doing. What better way to do that than helping a disturbed child?

"Hey, it's okay. I'm a friend, see? That bad guy," I pointed to the body, "isn't gonna hurt you anymore. Do you know where your mother and father are?"

The minute I said that, the boy started sniveling, "They… He…"

Realization dawned on me, and I cursed silently.

Yeah, Alex, way to go. Bandit raid, he's alone. What the fuck did you think was gonna happen?

"Hey, hey, I'm sorry. That was stupid of me. Let's… I'll get you out of here, alright? We'll get away from all of this," I said, "You just need to follow me closely, okay?"

"…You…" The boy looked at me with wet eyes. "You'll… help me…?"

"Yeah! Like I said, just stay behind me," I replied, standing up.

After a small sniffle, the boy got up, and promptly did as I instructed.

We made our way through the burning village. My priority had changed from attempting to find the group I was with again to protecting the sprog I had picked up in that alleyway and finding a way out of the village. At the time, it seemed like a noble goal. In actuality, it was a bit stupid, considering we were running through a bandit-infested, ruined town, with me being basically a recruit with decent but still incomplete training, and a terrified and traumatized boy.

We didn't encounter many bandits, but a few stragglers from the main group centered in the town square found their way in our path. I was able to take them out with a combination of attacking them fast and catching them by surprise. I got a few nicks here and there, but otherwise, I made it out of that village without any major injury on my person.

The boy, whose name I did not know, stayed behind me just as I asked. He was completely and utterly silent. It made it easier to get the jump on bandits, but it unnerved me slightly. The constant silence except for my urging to keep moving left way too much time for me to think.

It was a lot easier murdering people than I remembered. I could tell I still didn't like it, but it was definitely easier. I supposed it helped that I was seeing the guys I was killing less like people and more like monsters wearing human skin. On paper, it sounded disturbing, but in practice it helped me quite a bit.

Just before we made it out of the village, I saw several bandits without weapons running and screaming out of the village proper, and into the snowy countryside that surrounded us.

I looked at the fleeing bandits, before breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank fuck. The others must've taken out the leader."

These bastards are just cowards, really. Running away just as soon as their leader goes down.

The boy was silent.

We marched through the snowy field and found the road we were traveling on before we took on the arduous task of clearing the village. A group of people stood on the road, guarded by Feroxi soldiers. I took a deep breath and approached.

"Alex? That you?" A familiar masculine voice said. "Where in the Gods' name have ya been?"

"Vaike," I greeted the blond-haired man as I got closer. "Been better."

"Can say that again!" Vaike exclaimed, "Look at you! Cuts all over yer body! And who's the squirt following you around?"

"A boy an asshole was about to murder in cold blood," I replied grimly, "Once I got separated from you guys, I wandered around for a little while and found him. Took me a bit, but I got us outta that hellhole."

"Damn. That sucks, don't it?" Vaike said wisely, "Captain and that Raimi lady took out those bandits' boss. Or bosses, I mean. Weird guys, too. Even for those bandits. We got all the women and children out and brought 'em here so we could try and put out the fires and crap. We thought we lost ya."

"Yeah, I'd think that too," I said softly, "Think I'll leave this little guy with you and-"

"Jeremi? Jeremi!" A woman from the crowd called. The boy, whose gaze had glazed over as Vaike and I talked, instantly snapped his head to the direction the voice was coming from.

"…Nana?" He whispered.

A young woman with tan skin and black hair broke through the crowd, and wrapped the boy, whose name was apparently Jeremi, into a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh, thank goodness! After I heard they got into your mother's house I thought you were taken or killed or… or… Oh… Oh thank you…!" The woman sobbed, looking at me. "Thank you so much!"

My heart jumped a bit looking at her hugging Jeremi. I looked away, avoiding her gaze. "Ah, no problem, ma'am."

"…Thank you…" The soft voice of Jeremi said.

That one struck me. I wasn't sure how to deal with the emotions that welled up at Jeremi's words, so a settled for mumbling out a 'you're welcome'.

"I'll… I'll go and see if they need help in the village. You okay here, Vaike?"

"It's nice of ya to worry about Teach, but don't sweat it!" Vaike said exuberantly, pounding his bare chest. "The Vaike has got everything under control!"

"You're not even wearing a shirt, Vaike," I replied, deadpan.

The village was 'saved' but a good portion of the buildings were completely unsalvageable. Even with the combined firefighting capacity of the Shepherds, the men of the village and the Feroxi soldiers. In the end, the villagers would have to relocate to a neighboring town. It was only due to our timely arrival that any of the people made it out at all.

With the hectic battle at the border and the ensuing battle at the village over, we marched on. To Bellator.

And with that, Chapter 5 is complete. I'm gonna be honest, not the biggest fan of this chapter. Mostly because it doesn't really advance the plot by much. But the character interactions are nice in my opinion, so it'll stay. It also sets up a little bit for future plot points, so there's that too.

All in all, a pretty chill chapter to contrast the storm that is brewing. HAHAHAHAHA!

Just gonna plug here. Go read 'Heavy is The Head' by DestructionDragon360, which stars an AU where Frederick is the crown prince of Ylisse with Chrom and Lissa as his loyal retainers. Basically, the AU I never knew I needed until I read it. And you should read it too. Seriously, go do that. Now. This fic is criminally underrated.

Second plug is gonna have to go to 'All the World's a Sale' by my good friend Narwhal Lord. It's another SI for Awakening but it's all campy and cheery and everything this fic is not. It's honestly really strange how opposite our fics are, despite the few dark moments in his and the few moments of levity in this.

And with that, I think I'll call this the end. See you next week (hopefully).

Edited on 2/8/21. This Chapter was an absolute mess. How could I have posted it like that? Whatever. Fixed now.