Hello…

I was supposed to post this much… much earlier but exams got in the way and then my computer just exploded without warning. Had to save up to get a new one. Sorry about that…

Anyway, Here's chapter two…

T: For some mild language, and soft gore (Is that a thing?)

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem/ Awakening. If I did, they would all have feet. No exceptions.

. . . . .

Of course this would happen, why wouldn't it! Did fate itself just have some grudge against me having an easy life relaxing on some random bench in the middle of town? Lay off already it didn't even let me have a normal life to begin with!

All I had to do was shoot a damn deer and go home. Instead, I just so happen to stumble upon an entire Gods damned army ready to march towards battle.

I sat frozen on the spot as the camp got smaller while the army only got bigger, there was no way my little town could hope to win with those numbers.

I… I had to get out of here, there was no winning in this situation. Tharja… We had to go, I'll just warn the town guard. But, what if they don't believe me… M- maybe that wouldn't matter, surely they would listen if I shout loud enough right?

Perhaps if I say that enough I might believe it, maybe.

Gods dammit. I couldn't just leave them all to die could I? But maybe they would show mercy? They were Ylisse after all. However, half remembered war stories from my father said otherwise.

What could I do? I had to take Tharja away from this, she can't die here, not now, not ever.

Can I do this? Can I just leave all I know to die a most likely painful death at the hands of Ylissen soldiers?

There wasn't much choice in the matter, of course I would, she was my sister. The very last thing I had left.

That doesn't mean the idea leaves a very large pit in my stomach.

They at the very least deserve one damn warning, then I'm getting out of there. If they don't believe me… Well, that's that I guess.

I will not risk Tharja to save a town that couldn't even help a child and his sister.

Now I just had to get out of here, quietly.

. . . . .

You know, this whole stealth thing is way harder than it looks. Especially when one wrong step means a rock bouncing off my boot, kicking up dust and giving away my location, it's made even harder by lugging around an unsurprisingly heavy bow.

Even harder still when they're moving out at the same time. At the rate they're going I'll barely beat them out to our destination.

The flat terrain that surrounded us was bad as well. Luckily, my cloak was more or less the color of the ground I was running across.

I don't care what anyone says, light brown was my new favorite color.

We eventually came close enough as to see the faint outline of the town further ahead. I was still sprinting non-stop so I could get there before the Ylissen invaders could, I could hardly keep my lead with all the soldiers sprinting as well.

They have had to noticed me by now, with all the dust I was kicking up. Doesn't exactly scream subtle. Note to self, learn how to run without kicking up dust, or rocks, or anything really, seems like a useful skill to have.

"Nearly there." Was grumbled underneath my nonexistent breath. How bloody long have I been running so far, my breathing was wheezy and dry, it felt as though my heart was trying to escape my chest with how hard it was beating, It was scorching hot with the midday sun pounding on my back, I could barely see where I was going with how dizzy I was.

An image of Tharja peacefully sleeping on our neighbors cot flew through my mind.

Another image appeared of her crying as she saw her town be engulfed by flames, the corpse of her brother laying still and silent.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed my body even harder.

That wasn't going to happen, It didn't matter that I was about to drop. As long as I was breathing no harm will come to her, no matter what the cost.

. . . . .

The rest was a blur after that, turns out I didn't even need to warn the militia. The amount of dust in the air kicked up by the approaching army was more than enough proof that something was about to happen. I didn't care either way, all I wanted was to get out of here with Tharja as quickly as possible.

I didn't even know how I got to where she was, I just ran by countless corners and dizzying pathways by sheer muscle memory alone. You could practically hear the marching of the troops from the inside of the village walls.

Not much time left.

Got to get out. Need to run.

Don't bother with the door, just break the window. They won't care, everyone was going to die anyway.

No, not everyone. Not us.

I found her laying on the floor, drawing on the ground with a piece of broken charcoal. I picked her up, ignoring her protests. No time to stop, I still had items that I needed in our house.

Survive. Take everything you can.

I briefly stopped to gather any valuables in the general vicinity, gold, jewels, food. Anything really, if I could use it then to the bag it goes. No time to feel guilty, soldiers where tearing down the walls as I looted. I ran out the door ignoring shards of glass that poked through my poor excuse for footwear.

I was running out of time, I still needed to grab some more money from our house and get most of Tharja's things. Only hers though, I was fine for now.

The most important thing I needed from there however, was a simple map my father gifted me when I was five. It lacked many important details but it still pointed out major cities deeper in to Plegia, but most importantly it was accurate. At least that was what my father claimed, said he copied it from a proper map their strategist had. He, of course, did this in secret while everyone else was sleeping off their hangovers. But that doesn't matter at all right now.

Screams could be heard near the gates now, guess everyone else was informed. But unlike them, I was running away. I saw any able body start to pick up anything that could be used as a weapon, swords, knives, spears, hell even pitch forks and sturdy planks. Everyone stood to fight, while I ran as fast as I could to get away.

Is this really what I am? Would I just run away from the very first sign of danger? I was the son of a proud Plegian soldier dammit. I should stand and fight, I even know how to use a weapon. In fact it was currently bouncing on my back being a nuisance, not helping anybody at all.

"Jonah?"

Tharja's voice firmly brought back my insane thoughts from whatever I was thinking. Of course I was running away. No matter what Tharja needed to live, it didn't matter if I was seen as a cowered or traitor. All I did was for my sister, and dammit if everything I worked for fails at the last second.

"Yeah?" I said quite out of breath.

"Why are you running away?"

"To keep you safe."

"Are we being attacked?" She murmured, while putting her head closer to my chest.

Slowing down my pace, I took a brief break and set her down on some stone stairs. "Yes, our home won't survive the battle. We're leaving as soon as we can." Clasping my hands on her face, I continued. "I'm sorry we have to do this, but it's the only way. We can have some adventures along the way, okay?"

Her face became painfully blank as she stared at the floor. "Can I bring my doll?"

Sufficiently rested, I carefully put her in a much better piggy back ride. While I started to run I answered her. "Of course you can. Just make it quick, we're really running out of time."

She didn't respond while I made, in my opinion, expert time on the way back. Opening the door to our abode, she quickly dashed off to her 'room'. I say 'room', while it was actually just one building with nothing in it. She simply ducked underneath the blankets that served as our walls, while I stuffed a bag with as much stuff it would allow.

Tharja was already at the door by the time I was done, she had tied one of her dresses into a makeshift bag and placed what appeared to be everything she owned. It wasn't much but with everything I was already carrying I was near my limit.

Blasts of fire worryingly close by stopped any thought about convincing Tharja to leave some things behind. We had run out of time.

Through father's stories I knew that war was not pretty, and if that fireball meant anything at all it was that they were already inside the town. Thinking quickly I grabbed an arrow and cut a long strip of cloth from one of my spare shirts and proceeded to tie it around Tharja's face.

War meant death, and that meant cooling bodies on the ground. Father's stories never went into much detail, but I at least knew what was to come. She didn't need to see this.

There was surprisingly little resistance from her as I tied it around her head, guess she managed to remember a few of the stories as well.

I picked her up now that the blindfold was snugly secure on her head, I ran outside and scrambled to the nearest exit. There were in fact two major gates that the town had for trade and all that, but I wasn't headed for any of those, I was looking for an exit that nobody knew about. Well, except for me.

There was a tiny crack in between the wood of the walls near the back of the town that somebody made years ago, it was so well hidden behind some tall grass that if my father hadn't shown it to me I would never have thought it would be there. It was some distance away but very much safer than trying to leave though one of the main gates.

Only one problem, the only route to get there was through the market place. A market place that was surely filled with Ylissen soldiers. Of course I had stole enough items from there to know some good places to hide, but I wasn't confident that they would work against a trained army.

Our only hope was that If I could run fast enough nobody would see us in the brief moment we were exposed out in the open. To be fair it wasn't that big of a pass but with my bag and Tharja on my back, not even including the bow and her stuff, it would be tricky.

But for once it appeared that luck was on my side. The market place was empty and silent by the time I got there, completely abandoned. Well, if you didn't count the bodies that is.

There weren't many, but it was enough to make me almost lose my dinner. Men and women alike where half-haphazardly spread across the floor, puddles of blood steadily forming around them. Some had no legs and others no arms, no one was spared. Guess the rumors I heard where true, Ylissen took no prisoners. Fortunately the odor of the bodies wasn't strong enough to bother me just yet, but I still smelt a faint whiff of a sickly sweet scent. The pressure on my neck increased as Tharja clung on tighter, couldn't blame her really, even if you couldn't see them it was still horrible.

After dashing into an alley it eventually led to an opening filled with the familiar tall grass. Unhitching Tharja from my back I sent her through first, no point in taking chances while in enemy lines.

Unfortunately, not everything went according to plan. Tharja could get through the crack just fine, but either the opening got smaller or I got bigger. Either way I couldn't get through, and I didn't have enough strength to make it wider or enough time to dig through the rock like ground.

I was stuck.

. . . . .

It was mid-day by now and the sounds of battle from within the town had quieted down a fair bit. Meanwhile I was silently panicking as I couldn't fit through the stupid crack in the wall, no wonder that the market was empty, luck was simply waiting to screw me over even more when I was near the very end of the journey.

'Don't panic. Don't panic.'

It's alright, everything is going to be okay, just need to find another exit, no biggie.

"Jonah?" My sister whispered to me from the other side, "Why won't you come through?"

"Ah..." Really? That's all I can say!? This is already scary enough for her. Don't make it any worse! "I can't fit, I'll need to go another way." I stood up, dusting myself off at the same time, "Don't worry okay? This is just a little bump in the road, just stay right there while I get over." I took the liberty that her silence was a yes and ran towards a nearby building.

It wasn't very tall, I could probably reach the roof If I jumped from one of the crates scattered around the place. Too bad it wouldn't help me climb over the walls, but the extra height would help with what I was planning to do.

Taking a single arrow from my quiver and placing it on the ground, I started to take out a good amount of shirts from my bag, tying them together to make an extremely makeshift rope. That done, I stabbed my arrow through the thickest part of the shirt rope and made sure it was as sturdy as possible. Don't want to drop to my death after all.

I think all that only took me about five minutes, and what I had now was my ticket to freedom. Sadly it seemed fate decided I had ran out of time, the metallic clunk of marching soldiers in the distance didn't sound like they where in the distance anymore. Hastily grabbing a crate and propelling myself up to the roof, I took aim with my unconventional arrow and fired it at the top of the walls with a dull thud signaling my success.

The sound wasn't very loud, but I guess when you're part of an army you get really good at knowing what an arrow sounds like. At least, that's what I think when almost immediately after one of the guys marching shouted 'Arrow!' at the top of his lungs and bared his sword.

I have climbed things before. I also have done similar climbs under stress, usually in the form of a town guard after I had nicked some money from some poor sap walking with their purse hanging out of their pocket. What was different here however, was that instead of an armed civilian, it was actual soldiers.

And do you know what trained soldiers could do? No? Well, here's a hint.

Fwip

Fwip

Fwip

I have never been so glad that I was a tiny brat. The closest arrow to me was near my chest and had failed to hit me or the rope. Small miracles I suppose.

I scrambled the rest of the way up while praying that Ylisse didn't have many decent archers in there ranks. Would rather be alive than dead thanks. Arrows continued to pepper my general proximity as I climbed as fast as I could. All the while dutifully ignoring their calls demanding me to stop and to give myself up quietly, yeah nice try buddy.

Suddenly I felt the rope stabilize near the bottom as one of the soldiers began to climb in pursuit. Of course they couldn't just wait on the ground like good little soldiers waiting for their buddy to hit me. The added weight wasn't good for my continued survival either, at least that's what those unpleasant sounds coming from further up are starting to tell me. Dammit, my poor excuse of a rope was already struggling to support my own weight never mind a fully grown adult in metal armor.

Thinking quickly I took another arrow and started to hack away, this of course caused the man to climb even faster.

Still though, my little gamble worked and the already strained fabric snapped with a satisfying sound. The panicked yelp of the Ylissen was especially amusing.

The last stretch of the climb was mostly uneventful, save for a lucky arrow that nearly took my head, if I had gone any slower… I'm just happy that the one archer they had was bad at aiming upwards. Gods know I will never hit a bird in my life time.

Reclaiming the arrow I had originally shot here, I jumped down and rolled to spread out the force of the sudden landing.

Hey. You only almost break your leg once while running away from a particularly persistent merchant before learning that there are correct ways to fall from a tall height.

With the hard part out of the way, and the curses of soldiers ringing in my ears. I went to collect Tharja from where I had left her. We had even less time than before, now that they knew we existed.

Err… That I existed at least. Our escape will be much harder than it needed to be.

Tharja was sitting against the wooden wall with her knees drawn up to her chest. She perked up when she heard me. "Jonah! I heard some screaming and I thought tha-", I clamped my hand on her mouth.

"Shhh! They spotted me going over and we really need to leave." I hoisted her on my back, taking a second to accommodate the extra weight, "Like right now. Try to stay quiet for me okay?" I draped an old brown blanket around us. Any little bit counts right now.

"Will we be okay?" She whispered.

"…"

What could I say? Everyone she or I had ever known where most likely dead. We were running away from our own home, and never coming back. With only the clothes on our backs and what our father had left behind.

"Jonah?"

"… I don't know." Because I really didn't. At least we had a map, no matter how basic it was it's still something.

"But what I do know is that we are alive." I reached over to put my hand on her head, "And it's my job to make sure we always will. So don't worry about it, your big brother will handle it."

She stayed silent as I felt her head rest against my neck.

I started running towards the unknown. With nothing but a map and a bow.

Don't worry Tharja, I'll handle it.

Just like always.

. . . . .

Have a nice day!