Hello again!

I wrote this chapter pretty quick. I wanted to try something a bit different for this one so that you don't get to read everything as it happens in the game. That's also the reason why I changed up the dialogue between characters while trying to keep the same sort of feel to the conversation. I don't know about you, but I've played through the game a few times and when I read the exact same thing on other stories, I just end up skimming through it.

Hope you find this entertaining! Let me know what you think and if you want to see more chapters like this, leave a review for this chapter.

Chapter 3 And so they rose

Dreams can be greatly enjoyable. They allow you to be whoever it is you want to be and do many, many things that are simply impossible outside the dream world. It is because of this that he became a little frustrated when he felt movement by his side. He'd been shaken awake. At first he was a little confused. Who was he with? Why were they waking him up? To answer this, he opened his eyes.

His expression soften as he saw the figure of a woman standing naked besides the bed he was laying on. The girl was frantically trying to dress herself as he just observed, thinking how beautiful the female body could be. Eventually, seeing her putting on her dress back, he felt like he needed to speak up. "Leaving so soon?"

The girl almost froze at the sound of his voice. She slowly turned to face him. Her face red as a rose full in bloom. "O-oh," she says nervously. "I didn't mean to wake you. I-I-I was just-"

"No, please, my fair lady" he quickly interrupted, once more, taking her by surprise. "I understand. I get the feeling you aren't too familiar with this kind of situation, yes?" The girl, embarrassed, nods slowly before he continues. "Of course… It breaks my heart that we must part ways here, but perhaps our love wasn't meant to be. BUT! Do know this, my lady, I will always hold the time we spent together dear to my heart."

Maybe it was because of his words. Maybe it was because of the words he'd spoken the day before when they met at that fancy tavern. Either way, it helped flush out any embarrassment the girl had. Her body relaxed and she even chuckled for a bit. "You have quite the silver tongue," she said between chuckles. "I'm sure you say that to every girl… I appreciate your words none the less."

He brings himself up a bit, nothing covering his body other than the thin fabric used as a bed sheet. He offers her only a smile. He won't deny her words, but that didn't mean that his words were a lie either. His eyes followed her as she headed for the door. She opened it and turned over to take a last look at him.

"Farewell, Sir Virion," she said before closing the door behind her.

…

Ylisstol. Many times had he heard stories from travelers about this city. THey'd all claimed it to be a jewel on that side of the world. Virion, being a somewhat (self acclaimed) connoisseur of beauty just had to see it with his own two eyes. It took merely three days for him to make all preparations necessary to leave his land and travel half the world to see it.

Oh, and how right those travelers had been! Since arriving, he'd seen beautiful architecture, tasted exquisite food, drank curious, yet incredible drinks, and conquered a couple of hearts too. The beauty of the city was reflected on its people. Not only did the women from noble houses! Even more than a few of the common women pulled at the strings of heart. Coming here had been one of the best decisions of his life. But there was one thing that still eluded him… For as long as he'd known about Ylisstol, he'd heard about the captivating beauty that ruled over it; the Exalt herself, lady Emmeryn.

That didn't stop the archerest of archers from seeking her out. If he were to use his title to seek an audience with her, the thrill of finding her wouldn't be as high as if he were to meet her casually. Luckily enough, word around town was that she would walk around the city-amongst her people-a few times a month. It was just a matter of time. And so, to keep his mind occupied, he would enjoy himself with some of the other beauties that Ylisstol had to offer.

This desire had brought him to wander around the streets he admired so much. With him, he carried his trusty bow and quiver. Oddly enough, no one seemed to mind an armed man walking through the city. The city was too trusting… or could it be that they didn't believe him to be able to wield such a weapon?! Of course that's not the case, Viroin thought. They must be used to seeing adventurers on this side of the world. Yes, that must be it.

"Hmm?" he mumbled. "What do my eyes see?" His thoughts were snatched from him as he noticed a woman clad in armor of fierce red, much like the wild hair that sat atop of her head. Her face, he took note, was just as spectacular as her figure (despite her armor hiding most of said figure.) Virion, being the gentleman that he was, felt like he should introduce himself to this woman now. Cease the moment, as they say. He approached the unknown woman as she finished talking to what looked to be a wall. Perhaps she voices her concerns out loud in order to analyze them, he thought as he walked her way. Yes, such a remarkable young woman. I simply must know more about her!

His chance to talking to her slimmed down to non existence. Just as he was within a good enough range, she mounted a horse, grabbed a spear, and made her way out of his sight. This left Virion both perplexed and intrigued. What would cause such beauty to leave in such haste? Could it be that she'd spotted him from afar just like he'd spotted her and then became nervous of his approach? It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened. Now he simply had to meet her!

As luck would have it, Virion possessed a certain set of skills that would allow him to find this woman. Lady Emmeryn could wait. For now, all his focus was on the woman in red. Breaking into sprint, he followed the trail she left, mostly consisting of a small path marked with horse tracks. Once outside the city walls, it was a lot easier to track her, as the open fields gave him a good view of her as she moved with such grace that would put many other riders to shame. He smirked. He had a good advantage here. Even without a horse, he was known to move at quite a quick pace. Perhaps it was just another thing the two had in common. Without any more distractions, he followed after her.

Day quickly turned to night as he lost and found her trail more than a few times, which had brought him to the edge of some forest. "I should've studied a bit more about the local geography and topology," he cursed himself. "But I can't let this obstacle slow me down. My fair maiden awaits! I shall not sleep, eat, or drink until I find her." He vowed to himself, maybe a little too dramatically.

With his new found resolve, Virion entered the woods after what could be the love of his life. The glow from the moon couldn't reach the floor in most places as the canopy of leaves extended well overhead. Just one more thing that would get on his way. Hours passed and he pushed on. Then it happened…

At the time, the archer didn't know if it was due to exhaustion, but all the natural sound from the forest simply vanished. There were no insects flying around, no birds flapping their wings, nor any other sound you would expect from a place inhabited by fauna. A shill went down his spine. He was forced to stop there, curious as to what could cause such an event. The earth too, started acting strangely. It started slowly. He felt his body involuntarily sawy little by little until he was struggling trying to keep himself from falling to the ground. "An earthquake?!"

Trees fell left and right. The force that shook the ground was even breaking it up. Forced to move as to not fall in a crevasse, Virion moved as swiftly as possible, dodging falling trees as he did.

The event would throw him another curve ball. The sky suddenly shone as an undescribable ball of light appeared not far from where he stood. "What in the world…?" he whispered, a little out of breath from running around. The ground stopped shaking too, thankfully. And yet, this light kept him on edge. Rightfully so too. He could see figures falling from that odd light! He looked down just in time to see a small cloud of dust heading in the direction of the figures had fallen. That's when he spotted her, atop her horse, graceful as the first time he laid his eyes on her. A small smirk appeared on his lips. "I've found my maiden."

"Captain Chrom!" He heard the redhead yell. "Damn! I knew I shouldn'ta left 'em go without me. Don't worry Captain! I'll bring ya back safe. This… things will have to try my lance!" She moved her lance from her back to her right hand, getting ready to strike at whatever came her way.

Her actions gave enough time for the lady-killer to make his way to her side. "Hold, milady!" he told her. She turned to face him with a confused look on her face. "Your beauty has captivated me and your words have inspired me!" He could tell that this woman wasn't just a fair maiden. Oh, no. She was out for blood. And to get in her favor, he would do his best combat. "Allow me, Virion, the archerest of archers, to fight alongside you. All I ask is that you give me a little of your time after this battle."

She stood there silently, looking at him. His words had captivated her heart, he was sure. Now if he could just-

"The hell are you?!" She furrowed her brow. "I don't know what ya talking about, Ruffles. I can't waste my time with ya, the fight is calling for me." She quickly moved her horse forward, in the direction a group of those fallen men with red eyes were standing.

"R-Ruffles?" Where could she have thought of such a name for him? Had she not heard his name? He looked down a little to look at the accessory he had on his neck. Ah, she must be talking about my cravat! But for her to refer to me with a nickname… Yes, this is a good sign.

He knew what he had to do. He would have to show her his prowess in combat. He sung the bow he carried on his back and pulled out an arrow. Now all he need to do was to concentrate and take his time.

His maiden, as he'd referred to her, called out to a group of people not far from them. "Don't worry, Captain," she said. "This'll be a piece of cake now I'm here." Her spear cut down one of those animated bodies. When the enemy hit the floor, much to Vironi's astonishment, it transformed into some sort of...purple goo that then evaporated into a mist of the same color. It left nothing behind. The creature's armor and weapon vanished with it.

"Good to have you with us, Sully," the blue haired man with the white cloak responded.

Ah, Sully… Such a fitting name! He felt happy as now he knew the name of the target of his affection.

"Less talk, more killing those Rise!" This time, it was a man of chestnut colored, slightly messy hair that spoke. He wielded a tome and wore an intriguing coat with a hood, clased together only by two golden pieces close to the neck of the man. The coat was black with a violet hue. It had golden accents on the sleeves and on the ends of it. Some dark-magenta lines went across it, leaving an interesting design.

Another girl, a blonde girl wearing a yellow dress, stood behind those two men, holding onto her staff. Next to her was a beautiful, alluring woman with long, black hair. She left most of her body exposed, only covered by a thin material similar to stockings, and some sloth that covered her more womanly parts. Like the man of the coat, she too wielded a tome.

"I agree," said a mounted knight that wore even more armor than Sully. "We have to dispatch all of these creatures. We can't allow them to escape. Gods know what they would do if they reached Southtown or any other settlement nearby."

Everyone, the white cloaked man, the man of the coat, the girl in the yellow dress, and enchantress, and even Sully nodded. They were making quick work of the enemy, who just kept coming from the woods. Their numbers were slowly thinning out.

Virion couldn't allow any of those men to outshine him. If they killed one, then he would put an arrow through another! His quiver slowly started to feel lighter as he drew another arrow from it and shot it, expertedly hitting one of the creatures right between the eyes. "Magnificent!" He told himself.

The battle was drawing to a close. Now there were just a few stragglers. It was then he noticed that his red lancer, Sully, was in a pickle. She was fighting off an axe wielder with her spear, but was too distracted with combat to take note of her surroundings. He had to protect her! This was also his chance to impress her. He was quite a distance away, but he knew what he had to do. His feet moved faster and faster, trying to close in as much as he could. When the creature pulled up its sword to ambush Sully, Virion jumped in the air and pulled back the string of his bow.

Time slowed down for him. He had to shoot just right or he would be dooming his maiden. There! He squinted his eyes just a little and let the arrow soar through the air. The shaft wobbled from the momentum applied to it, but the arrow flew straight and true. It swooshed past Sully, going through a space between her extended arm that held her spear as she stabbed it onto her enemy and her chest. Sure enough, the arrow brought down the would-be killer. Another shot right between the eyes, eliminating the very last one of the enemies. Virion landed and ran a hand through his hair. "You are safe, Lady Sully." He took a small bow.

Unfortunately for him… His action went unnoticed. The other six members came together. Filled with disappointment, Virion sighed. Nothing else to do but to join them. He walked over to them and noticed there was another figure-one wearing a mask.

"Thank you for saving me back there," the blonde told the masked figure. "You were very brave."

"I also would like to thank you for saving her," the white cloaked man cut in. "You've save my sister's life and helped us during this uncertain situation. My name is Chrom. If you don't mind, could we hear yours?"

"You may call me Marth." That was the response given.

Strange, Virion thought. Marth… That is a man's name. He does give off the confidence of a man, and yet, why do I feel like that isn't the case?

"Marth? Like the Hero king?" the male blunette questioned. "That's not what I would call a common name… But you certainly live up to it. Your fighting style is incredible. Where did you learn to wield your sword?"

"That is non important," he answered. "There is a calamity coming to this world… One that will cost the lives of many. You've already seen the start of it tonight. You have been warned." Just like that, with his last word out of his mouth, he walked away.

That left everyone that remained in a state of confusion. "A prophecy?" the coated man asked. "It's strange timing…"

"This Marth gave off a strange magical vibe," the enchantress commented. The coated man nodded.

"Aye…"

"I'm more concerned about the capital," the knight said. "We should make haste. I'm sure the Exalt is awaiting for our return."

"Then lets go," the bluenette said. "Leaving now will mean we can get there just in time for breakfast." He chuckled. "And I don't know about you guys, but a fight always does something for my appetite.

"Ugh, as long as I don't have to see any more of that bear meat, then I'm more than happy to go," the blonde girl said.

"In that case, why don't ya come with me, Lissa?" Sully offered. "I'm sure ya've been giving the Captain an earful about walking all day." The blonde pouted for a bit before accepting Sully's offer and getting on behind her.

The group started moving. Virion was simply ignored. "I didn't get to speak to Lady Sully!" he said to himself, a little tone of failure in his voice. "No matter… I shall follow after her. Ylisstol, prepare yourself for my return." He jogged on towards the rest of the group. This last few days had been eventful for him. Something told him that this group of people would bring exciting times for him. For now, he would go with them.

Yes! A Virion chapter! Virion is one of my favorite characters in the game. He's just funny, you know?

Also, I'm curious to know, how many of you got the reference for the spell Robin and Tharja used during combat on Chapter 2? It used to be one of my favorite animations. I was disappointed that it changed in Awakening. If you can tell me what it is, you get 100 internet points~