Potential Spoilers ahead. Read at your own discretion.

The mourning bells of Askr rung overhead, echoing its deep eulogy across the quiet capital, breaking the uncontested silence. The bells' cries reached high to soar with the fleeting wind and low to call out to the fallen. While many would have heard the bells' cry as a prayer, to Marth it felt more like the dead's final scream.

The scream of the undying.

It made her uneasy.

They soon escaped the cacophony of the bells as the two entered into the cool antechamber of the royal castle. Its great walls and columns that seemed to stretch far and beyond beat away the outside clamor, as the only sound that filled cold air was the hard clacking of their footsteps.

Marth's steps were in unison with that of the silver-haired butler, Jakob, that lead her past the unfamiliar halls of the quiet castle. Roy had been with the two moments before until he had to leave due to further engagements. He apologized profusely but said that he had to part early.

A sparring match, one he could not lose or miss out on.

Jakob had a rather displeased look on his face at the time but permitted the young lord to leave for his sudden excursion. Marth overheard the butler muttering under his breath about how people would often leave an unending load of tasks for him to deal with. Marth prayed that her body be able to keep up with butler lest she further pestered him.

Jakob had told her that Prince Alfonse and Commander Anna had summoned her to the throne room. Marth asked why of course but the butler remained adamant that she save her questions for the crown prince himself.

The rest of the journey remained quiet and uneventful after that. Jakob allowed Marth to not get a word in edgewise. There was no room for smalltalk. He was all about getting his job done. And Marth respected that. Being a direct servant under the prince was a daunting job to be sure but the butler showed no signs of weakness and fatigue. There was vigilance in his actions and movements, despite his sour attitude.

It was quite admirable, Marth quietly thought to herself.

They passed a large set of doors and entered a much smaller room than the great, foreboding hall from before. Askr's banners, a golden emblem of intricately lain and folded gold, adorned the columns that inhabited the room they stood in, the golden brimmed banners swaying silently, yet magnificently, with the oncoming breeze from the vacant windows. The room itself was softly illuminated by the warm light that flowed in from the stained-glass panes, each one decorated beautifully and depicting moments in the Order's long and proud history. Marth felt as if she were delving into the pages of a history book, something Genny planned on doing with her. Marth wondered what the cleric had been up to ever since the battle. She hoped that the young girl was alright.

But those thoughts were slowly pushed to the back of her mind as Marth approached the center of the throne room. She could make out Prince Alfonse and the red-haired commander, and several other rather important-looking individuals, waiting for her ahead. Marth felt a sudden chill inside, the previously warm light denying her any sanctuary in its reach. Perhaps her body still felt nervous at the prospect of suddenly being called for by the Askrian nobility or maybe it was because the audience that awaited her. But as she made eye-contact with the blue-haired prince, he returned with an approachable air and warm smile. It helped a bit in thawing away the feeling she had in her bones.

"Thank you, Jakob." The prince said graciously. "We'll take it over from here."

The butler put his metal-encased fist over his breast and bowed as he took his leave. In a matter of seconds, his previously constant boot steps all but disappeared from the already quiet air.

Marth felt a dozen eyes on her.

She wasn't exactly suitable for presentation either. She hardly had anytime to be proper dressed, only opting for a cloak that was only worn to conceal her body and her secret. And with that previously well-fitting now torn to pieces, she was wearing a stranger's in its stead.

A stranger whose build was much too large for her.

It looked quite ridiculous, with its sleeves far too long for her arms and its tail nearly dragging on the floor. Her appearance looked akin to that of a child wearing her father's clothes. She thanked the gods that the coat at least did its job of hiding her modest body. Her identity was a secret that she still was determined to protect.

Even if Lord Ephraim knew.

Move or get run over girl.

The lord's words from the battle before suddenly loudly rang in her ears.

How did he know?

"Thank you for coming on such short notice." Prince Alfonse whispered, his voice firm but warm as he walked beside Marth. "We heard that you only recently woke up since receiving your injuries."

"Please," Marth replied, shaking her head. "Heed me no mind."

Alfonse stopped and smiled. "As you will." His face then became serious as he turned to the rest of the members that gathered with him. Alfonse marched unto the podium designated for royalty.

The finely robed men and women dressed in probably their finest silk sat on their raised seats, as if to tower over Marth. Marth recognized none of the gathered individuals, Prince Alfonse and Commander Anna being the only faces she recognized. She was at the center of a circle surrounded by strangers.

"Kneel before the crown prince of Askr!" A corpulent, robed man bellowed, commanding all those who stood in the room before Marth. The robed men and women swiftly bent their knees as Alfonse stood atop the pedestal. Marth, quickly catching on, bent her knee as well. It was a clear gesture of respect, she did not want to leave a bad impression on those whom she had been called before.

"Please be seated my good sirs." The prince proclaimed as he motioned with a powerful wave of his hand over the nobles. There was a rustling of robes as the men and women sat on their seats. Marth remained kneeling before him.

"You may be wondering why we called you here today Marth. We understand that it was a sudden request." Prince Alfonse announced, beginning the meeting. "I am sure you would like to know."

"Yes milord." Marth answered. She felt as if she had been shoved beneath a looking glass the way the gathered audience looked at her. She felt as if they were inspecting every inch of her unpolished appearance. She cursed herself for not being more vigilant in dressing herself at dawn.

"We shall, in due time." Alfonse replied. He then motioned with his hand towards his commander who stood behind him. While being the commander of the Order's forces, she was also the Prince's sworn protector. A retainer of sorts. She carried a scroll at her side.

The red-haired commander unraveled the fresh parchment.

She read in a commanding voice, fitting of her position.

"Marth, warrior hailing from the Halidom of Ylisse, in your short time here you have served the Order well. You were at the forefront at the Field of Fire and assisted General Hector and his men at defending the Order's stronghold by the sacred forest Baard. Without even being officially inducted into the Order, you did not hesitate in offering your sword to our cause. You have even sustained severe injuries during the battle yet you did not run. You held fast and stayed loyal to those who called you their immediate ally. For that, the Order thanks you for your selflessness."

Marth remained silent, as the commander continued reading.

"Under normal circumstances, those who have been summoned are put through trials and tests before they are officially inducted into the Order. This is done to hone their bodies and test their will. But for you, we would like to make an exception."

Intrigued, Marth raised her head and faced Anna. "An exception?"

The commander nodded. "We have seen your skill and your desire to do what is right. As a result, we offer you two choices. The first is a full rite of passage into the Order, without the need for the set trials others have been made to do. You will be titled a Hero of the Order and officially accepted into our ranks."

Marth contemplated quietly for a moment. "What is my other choice?"

"You dare seek an alternative? When the Order is graciously giving you its most generous offer, you ask what the other choice is?"

A sharp voice shouted from besides the commander. The voice belonged to a wire-thin man he bore holes into Marth with his gaze alone. With a talon-like finger, he pointed at her, almost accusingly.

"Marth meant no disrespect, Mauder." Commander Anna said sternly. "Stand down."

But the man refused to relent from his stance. "Other heroes more deserving of this treatment have been forced to go through the rigorous and back-breaking training in order to attain their rightful place in the Order. Yet, this masked… swordsman, who only fought in one battle, is deliberately looking for another way in despite what we are offering."

"Calm yourself, man." The rotund man from earlier said. "We're not here to squabble like children."

"I will not hear it Wald." The thin man retorted. "I was not made explicitly aware of these suggestions and am not going to sit by at let them pass. Just look at the mess presented before us Wald, you'll see."

Other members in the gathered council seemed to agree with man, Mauder, and his sentiments. Their stares began to hurt.

"… And look at the way this Marth has been presented before us! Dressed in rags. What are we, a tavern audience? Where is the sense of dignity other heroes carry themselves with…?"

"I also did not see Marth at the grand funeral. The audacity in that one…"

"Where were you doing the funeral?"

"Where's your sense of respect?"

"You don't deserve to be in the Orde-"

"Enough!" Prince Alfonse roared, anger hidden behind his commanding voice. "That is enough! I will not abide for such bickering and disrespect before a warrior that fought valiantly for us. You will hold your tongues or be removed from this room AND the council. That isn't a suggestion. It's an order."

Before anyone noticed, Commander Anna stood behind the wiry man, her hand resting on his shoulder, at the ready to eject the unruly noble. Even Marth hadn't seen the commander make her way towards him. The other members of council were equally astonished.

But Mauder wasn't fazed in the slightest.

"I did not agree to this plan!" Mauder cried out. "Are we going to be as lenient as to let in a complete stranger into our ranks just because they fought and bled on a battlefield?"

"Then perhaps you should take Marth's place. Fight, sweat, bleed. That would be a nice change of pace, wouldn't it? Maybe then you'd know when to shut your noble mouth."

The room went completely silent. For the first time even Mauder couldn't find his voice Every council member couldn't contain their shock at hearing such words. They looked amongst themselves but found out that the voice did not belong to any of the invited individuals that sat before Marth.

It was a voice that came from behind her.

A man stood alone, bearing splintered armor and a tattered cape. His unkempt sea-green hair rested haphazardly over his forehead.

He bore an unsettling smile.

This wasn't like the same quiet man Marth saw earlier today.

"Lord Ephraim?" Marth mouthed to no one in particular.

"Scourge!" Mauder barked, his face reddening. "How dare you show your face back here after—"

"I don't answer to you Mauder." Ephraim spat, a deep malice in his voice. There seemed to be deep history between the two, Marth thought to herself. "I'm no lapdog to some shriveled coward of a man."

"How dare… What do you—" Mauder began to say before trailing off as beads of sweat lined his wrinkling face. He looked over at Prince Alfonse. "You summoned him here?"

The prince gave a glare that rivaled that of Mauder's own. "Hold your tongues or be removed. You heard my order, did you not?"

"But I—"

"You heard my order. Did you or did you not, Sir Mauder?"

Mauder was quiet for the first time. Marth could see the contempt on his face.

"… I did."

"And yet you keep insisting on opening your mouth."

In a single bound, the infamous lord landed right in between Mauder and the councilman's desk, closing the gap entirely.

"Or perhaps you would like your tongue to be removed? That could also be arranged."

The wiry man scrambled backwards, his robes fluttering wildly behind him.

"You'd resort to such violence in discussion, milord?!" Mauder cried aloud. "You'd be no better than that Emblian girl!"

Prince Alfonse had closed his eyes, his arms folded before him. "I haven't resorted to anything Sir Mauder."

Eyes full of spite, the older man stare at the young prince.

"Yet."

Ephraim gave the noble an unnerving look.

"I welcome discussion and disagreements Sir Mauder." Alfonse began to say. "It helps us eventually correct ourselves from our past mistakes and allows to reflect on our choices and future decisions. Such things strengthen us and help us avoid failure."

The man said nothing.

"What I will not tolerate is a sheer lack of respect to any and all who have been summoned by Kiran to Zenith. I will not allow such unwarranted attacks against someone who has fought and bled for us go unchecked and remain unchecked."

"Such behavior is unbecoming of you, Mauder." The bone-chilling lancer added.

Mauder gritted his teeth. "Do you know who I am Scourge? I am Lord Mauder, part of a noble house that has been a generous benefactor to Askr and the Order in their time of need and a leading member of the High Council in the Order."

"And one of those titles are due for a change, Lord Mauder." Ephraim said, a sadistic glow in his eyes. "I'll leave it up to you to decide which one."

"That is enough Lord Ephraim." Alfonse spoke up. The lancer nodded curtly before stepping back. Alfonse turned his hard stare to the councilman who still trembled with rage. "I have offered you a choice, sir. Two in fact. Perhaps a generosity in your eyes after your misconduct before Marth here."

Marth's eyes darted around the room. All sights were set on Sir Mauder. Even his fellow council members that agreed with his sentiments eyed him nervously. The adamant councilman stayed quiet, his fists clenched so hard the whites of his knuckles were visible beneath his leathery skin.

"What will it be?"

There was a long period of silence and it felt as if time had stopped for the council. It seemed as if everyone had stopped breathing altogether.

"I yield."

The rest of the meeting went without much problems or room for discussion. It helped that Lord Ephraim maintained a steady and vigilant watch over the meeting, like a hawk seeking for prey, for any dissenters that wished to get unruly. Every member of the council, sans the still scowling Mauder, unanimously agreed to allow Marth to join the Order of Heroes without the need of trials of any sorts. Marth still wasn't able to get a clear answer of what her second option was but she felt that she had overstayed her welcome amidst the council and decided it would be for the best to ask such menial questions at a later date.

The council had been adjourned and the members scurried away into the shadows of the castle, almost like mice avoiding their predator. In a matter of seconds, the throne room hall had been emptied with only Marth, Ephraim, Alfonse, and Anna being the remaining few. Marth wanted to speak with Ephraim but something about his demeanor made him unapproachable. He remained leaning against one of the columns in the hall, arms folded, eyes closed, quiet. Prince Alfonse made his way to her instead.

"I'm sorry you had to sit through that, Marth." He apologized. "Mauder has a reputation for being at odds with me and my methods. It happened that you were at the center of his wrath today. I would like to apologize on his behalf for his unruly misconduct."

"Oh, no. Please." Marth said, shaking her head, almost guilt-ridden. "I should have been more considerate with how I presented myself before the council. My appearance is atrocious."

Alfonse laughed softly, "That did certainly feed fuel to the fire but that wasn't your fault. When we received reports that you had regained consciousness, we acted immediately to get the proper regulations in order."

"Proper regulations?"

"Yes." Alfonse nodded, his mannerisms still apologetic. "You were summoned at an ill opportune time, pardon my phrasing. Normally a summoned hero would be met with our tactician, council, and royalty at first arrival. That's what today was supposed to have been for you, but given the unending stream of trouble we have had the these past few days, it had been delayed until today. All that remains is your choice."

"My choice, huh?" Marth said to herself. She knew the first offer she had been given. It was to join the Order straightaway without going through any of the mentioned trials the council members and Anna had mentioned. She would be officially titled as a hero of the Order and serve on the battlefield. But that was only of the options she had been given. She still didn't know what the second one was. Maybe the time was right to ask. "What is the other choice you would have offered me?"

"Under normal circumstances, we would have offered you your freedom in returning back to your world. Some heroes preferred to continue living out their purposes in their homeworlds and decline the prospect of fighting for the Order. We must respect the heroes' decisions."

"Under normal circumstances?" Marth asked. She had been hearing that phrase quite often today. She was concerned at the choice of the prince's words.

"Marth, I know this may be sudden for you but please bear with me." The prince said, his voice grave and his face grim. "We should have told you this earlier but…"

"Told me what?"

"Marth, you can't return to your world."

Marth wasn't sure she was hearing right. She did recall the first day that they had me that Alfonse had assured her that she would be allowed to return back to her own world.

Back to her own fight.

"Wh-what do you mean Prince Alfonse?"

Alfonse gave a remorseful sigh.

"The gate to your world had been destroyed."

Prince Alfonse collapsed onto his couch in his resting quarters. The day had drained him both of his body and spirit. The meeting with the council could have gone better but also could have been steered into a much worse direction.

Lord Ephraim had really done well in the meeting today. Alfonse had some doubts regarding how the lord may have carried himself but all his worries were for naught. Mauder had been reigned in and the meeting resumed without any hiccups afterwards. Of course, Alfonse went to thank the lord for his work but the lancer brushed him off, telling him to save his thanks.

"I'm not doing this for you." He had told him.

From a funeral to lead to a council meeting he had to attend, the court life of prince was still something he needed time in getting used to.

He admired his younger sister's tenacity in dealing with people and wished for her strength at times but knew that weight of court life would crush his beloved sister. He took it upon himself to run Askr in the absence of his parents, letting Sharena fight alongside the heroes of the Order. Her naivety, while posing a danger, was an innocence that Alfonse wished to protect.

A giant stack of paperwork laid before him on his work desk. Documents that needed his seal of approval and the like. Running a kingdom during a war was a grueling job. He would have to meet with taskmasters, nobles, army officers, strategists, and benefactors day by day.

It worked him to the bone.

Yet, he could not afford to rest.

If someone like Marth could steel herself in finding an answer for herself after hearing such dire news, he could rise to the challenge as well. It wasn't for the sake of keeping face. While keeping court appearances were one of the many lessons he was taught, the mission he had been tasked with, in bringing victory to Askr and peace to Zenith, trumped all.

For the sake of his people, for the sake of the Order, he would remain steadfast on the path he had chosen for himself.

It wasn't an easy one.

He lost many on the way, fellow comrades, peers, citizens…

Friends…

Another day awaited him. And in order to protect those who had placed their trust in him, he would not falter in his duties. Rising from his resting place, Alfonse marched over to his desk to start the end of another day. He reached for the stack of papers.

The door opened. A red-haired officer strode on in, unannounced, vigor in every step.

"Evening commander." Alfonse said, not lifting his eyes from the documents. The red-haired commander stopped abruptly before his desk yet he did not break his attention away.

"Alfonse, I know you were trying to do the right thing in there, but openly challenging a council member, especially one of Mauder's caliber, is a dangerous play." The commander had told him, matter-of-factly.

The crown prince set his quill aside, looking directly his advisor. "Then what would you have me do commander? Let the man mouth off as he pleases? I will permit no such behavior in the council. If I allow such insolence, it will only create further dissent. He needs to know that there are consequences to his actions."

"Sir, or should I say Lord, Mauder is a wealthy benefactor to the Order. He will not let this slight go unnoticed. We may lose his support."

Alfonse brought his hands down unto his desk forcefully "Then lose him we shall! Such disrespect to heroes is an unacceptable course of action. If we are to win this war, we shall do it the right way. And if it means that we won't have to rely on someone like Mauder, then so be it."

With those words, silence had returned to the room. But it wasn't the comfortable silence Alfonse normally sat in. It was a gutting silence, that left people on edge, unsure of what to do. Alfonse tried to resume his paperwork.

"You sound quite like your father." Anna said, breaking his concentration.

Alfonse felt that he might have snapped the quill he held in his hands if he gripped it any harder. "I know what you're trying to say. That his stubbornness to do what was right got him killed."

"Don't take what I'm trying to say wrong Alfonse." Anna said, almost pleadingly. "Your father was a good man and he ruled this nation well. But sometimes doing the right thing means thinking for the long run."

"What are you trying to tell me here commander?" He spat. "That I should let someone like Mauder, someone who stands against what I stand for, get away with whatever he wants with reckless abandon?"

"I'm telling you to be careful Alfonse!"

Silence. Alfonse hadn't noticed that the quill he held had shattered, its fragments cutting into his hands.

"I know you care about the well-being and respect of your troops, I really do Alfonse. But think about what would happen to them if we were to lose Mauder's funding. That means less rations, equipment, and supplies for the entire Order. Can we be really fine with that?"

Alfonse sat quietly, closing his eyes. "It still does not sit right with me to openly welcome such men into the Order's council."

"As it does with me Alfonse. But sometimes, for the greater good, we must let the lesser evils like Mauder prevail. It may be tough to keep face and keep up with such a person but if you really are looking out for your troops, then you will stop and think before acting brashly."

"You're telling me to compromise."

"That is a key component in dealing business. You must learn to compromise, even with men as rude and unruly as Mauder. Only then can you truly plan for the things to come."

Leaning back his chair, Alfonse fell quiet once more. He then noticed that Anna had been gripping his hands with her own, even as they bled.

He raised his head to look at his commander.

"Is this another one of the commanding officer's wise sayings?"

"Just some advice from one friend to another." Anna said softly.

Alfonse sighed and smiled gently. His previous anger and doubt thawing away.

"Thank you, commander. I will heed your advice and go speak to make amends with Sir Mauder."

Anna returned with a soft smile of her own, one that was rarely seen by anyone in the Order.

"You can just call me Anna, milord."

(Author's Note): Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed. Feedback and words are always appreciated. Thanks again

Cheers.