Okay, as promised, here's chapter two.

To anyone who has looked at my fic in the Code Geass section, you'll know that I tend to take a lot of time to talk here before I get on with the actual story. To my new fans, get used to it because it won't be changing. If that's bothersome to you, you by no means have to read all of this.

Anyway, in response to that wonderfully helpful review from Gaurdianangelzelos, I will be taking the next paragraph or two to go over your review in particular. So if all of this rambling bothers people, blame him. First of all, a thank you is in order. As I said (sorry if I sound like a broken record) it was helpful, and reading it really did get gears in my head moving for this chapter (because keeping motivation running consistently has always been a problem for me).

Now onto the pairings you've so kindly suggested. Sothe and Micaiah is still a really iffy idea to me, I think. I'm not biased against the pairing in any way, but I'm rather liking the idea of all the tension that would come between Sothe and whoever I do want to pair Micaiah with (leaving her unpaired is not an option for me; I like her character far too much). I'm heavily inclined to pair her with Ike, and my current plans for this fic have mostly gone around that possibility (feel free to ask why if you wish, but I won't be answering at the moment). So if anyone is going to jump up and say "That pairing is absolutely awful, and I will stop reading this if you go through with it," well, now is your chance.

As for the other pairings you suggested (except for ElinciaxIke, because I view that pairing as one that's doomed to fail from the start, and so it's really in the same pool as SothexMicaiah, for an entirely different reason. While I won't reveal any plans for any of my pairings (except the IkexMicaiah plan, but really, I couldn't rebuke your SothexMicaiah suggestion without it), much of the more canon pairings from PoR and Radiant Dawn are being looked at. HeatherxNephenee is being ignored for obvious reasons that you've mentioned, but I'm inclined to at least make Heather's sexuality a hinted thing (seeing as I don't want to dodge around the fact that was made regarding it in Radiant Dawn).

And in response to another review pertaining to the necessity of remaining true to the game's story, I'll be taking a liberty in the fact that the only thing Radiant Dawn sets in stone is the storyline itself. The pairings can be made, but that is no more optional than my choice of pairings here will be. Yes MakalovxAstrid is canon, but only if you make it that way. The game doesn't outright tell you that they're together; your own choices make it that way, and you by no means have to do so. And whether I do or not, or even if both will live to see the end of Radiant Dawn (the case is the same with everyone; this is an example), is completely up to me.

It's a poorly made liberty, but I'm all for it.

But that's enough of the pairings talk, because I'm not about to ruin the purpose of actually reading this. More feedback like this is both welcome and to some extent needed; as always any and all reviews are welcomed. I'd rather not look and see I have another review (I read all reviews I get, without question) only to find mindless flaming, but I won't say "flames are not welcome," either. If you feel like flaming me, go for it. Granted, I probably won't listen to you, but feel free.

One last thing to mention is that the two different perspectives can and will be taking place at entirely different times in some instances. While I will be trying to make it as confusion-free as possible, I fear it will be an issue. So if you see one scene ended at Time A and then suddenly the next starts at Time B, well, that doesn't mean a thing really. Each perspective is independent of the other.

Now that all that is out of the way, we can actually get on with things.

The light over Daein is a dim one.

The people are given hope with the existence of the Dawn Brigade, but a group of thieves in solitude can do little to ease the suffering of the people they hope to save. Their efforts are further hindered by the arrival of General Jarod, who's first action is to direct all military forces toward the capture of the Dawn Brigade.

Adding further to their worries is the presence Micaiah makes in Nevassa. The presence she makes to the people and her silver hair marks her as the Silver Haired Maiden, and all efforts to bring an end to the Dawn Brigade are centered around her removal. Even the considerable skill in the members of the Dawn Brigade isn't enough to protect their maiden, and so their only choice is to flee.

It is with broken spirits that the Dawn Brigade bid farewell to their homes in Nevassa.

The bar was alive and people were singing merrily, all as if they hadn't had their lives at risk just the day before. Several of the more drunken fellows were standing on the tables singing, while the worst of the lot looped their arms around the shoulders of two others, forming a line that swayed to and fro in the singing. The patron of the small outlet was smiling and singing along in a hushed voice; everyone was merry as could be in their drunken stupor.

Micaiah found herself watching all the happenings with mild interest, genuinely surprised to see them so merry. Edward and Leonardo sat side by side across from her, brows furrowed in amusement as they watched on. It was both refreshing and disconcerting at the same time, they stated in unison, and soon they too joined in the merry attitude with the laughter that followed. Micaiah was the only normal one of the group, she thought, sitting with her arms folded over her chest, adamantly refusing to take any part in their buffoonery, as Sothe would have called it.

It was only when she had grown thoroughly annoyed with their childish laughter and – by this point, joyous singing – that she cleared her throat in a silencing manner, immediately bringing both of the still chuckling men to abrupt attention, staring at her quizzically. Micaiah narrowed her eyes, mentally conveying her building annoyance, and they got the message quickly. For good measure they kept their lips shut between two fingers, watching the silver haired girl fiddle with a couple coins on the rounded wooden table in front of her, waiting.

Despite the annoyance apparent on her uncharacteristically young features, Micaiah was more than a little nervous as she tried to bring up the subject that had secretly been on the minds of all of them since the day before. Eyes not leaving the coins she rolled back and forth with the undersides of her index fingers, Micaiah tried carefully, "Well... how should we... well..." she paused, mentally smacking her head for the obvious failure of attempt number one. "How should we tell Sothe and Nolan about what happened yesterday?" she asked, almost hesitantly, eyes finally lifting from the coins to look at the two men across from her again, one eye on each of them.

"It's not like we had a choice," Leonardo responded, his voice sullen despite the cheer it had just moments before. "Being spotted by those Begnion soldiers was an unfortunate consequence, but we couldn't simply leave the people alone, right? I'd do it again if necessary," the other two nodded their heads immediately in time with him, agreeing. "Unfortunately, now they know we're near. If they find where we've been staying, like they did with our last hideout..."

Edward's grin, not surprisingly, had managed to fade momentarily as he spoke, "I just don't get it! Why should we have to run and hide, like prisoners in our own country?!"

"Unfortunately, it can't be helped. This isn't 'our' country anymore, since Daein lost the war. That means we're either in hiding, or we die. It's as simple as that," Leonardo closed his eyes, trying to avoid the mocking glare he was receiving from Edward.

Edward dropped his pretense of anger with a scoff, staring idly at the ceiling, "Except Crimea walked away after they conquered us. They didn't even try to repair the damage they did; just waltzed away to their homeland, leaving us in the hand of these Begnion dogs, to suffer for the past three years!" his genuine anger was reaching it's peak, and he stared down at his lap, breathing heavily to try and calm his nerves. "The damn occupying soldiers walk around like they own the place, and Crimea turns a blind eye to our plight when they are responsible for it! Begnion does what they want with us and Crimea does nothing! They're almost as bad as the occupying dogs!"

"To be fair to Crimea, they hardly had a choice. They simply lacked the resources to take time for our plight," all eyes turned toward the doorway where Sothe and another man were standing, the former wearing narrowed eyes and a frown while the latter looked seemingly indifferent about the matter, wearing a small smile. He was dressed from head to toe in worn clothing; his green tunic had small rips and tears, his shoulder guards were slightly rusted, his brown gloves were spotted with blood, his plain pants were torn in a similar fashion as his shirt to the point of being nearly unbearable. The only thing respectable about his appearance was his hair; long, auburn strands that were surprisingly well kept in contrast to his comparably roguish appearance.

"Sothe! And Nolan too!" Micaiah smiled warmly at the sight of her close friends as they made their way over to the group. "I'm glad to see you both are well, and in one piece." Nolan smirked at that, while Sothe – ever the over-matured one – narrowed his eyes in both mock and genuine annoyance.

Leonardo quickly came to her rescue, saying, "The Dawn Brigade is finally present, so can we drop it?" Both Nolan and Sothe regarded him with a look screaming incomprehension, but quickly dismissed the look after seeing the truly apologetic look in the young bowman's eyes. "You two were unusually late. Did something delay you?" he continued, winking discreetly at Micaiah as he further drifted their attention away from her remark.

Sothe caught on immediately, giving a knowing smile to Leonardo as he bid the remark farewell from his mind. "We can only assume our fame is catching up with us. Begnion patrols are everywhere, and working twice as hard. Simply avoiding them was a trouble in and of itself," he explained, that knowing smile fading into a displeased frown. "Is there..."

Nolan didn't allow him to carry through with the question they'd both had on their minds the entire time, cutting him off suddenly, "I've never seen such concentrated efforts in their patrols before. They've always been on the lookout for groups fitting the profile we present, but they were usually pretty lax about it all." Giving a nod to Sothe, they both asked in unison, "Is there something we should know?"

Suddenly feeling put on the spot, Micaiah jumped from her seat, "My throat's feeling a little dry, and the water here is free and..." she paused abruptly, realizing all too quickly that she was rambling. "I'll... be right back," taking great care to avoid the raised eyebrows and glares she received from everyone, Micaiah rushed away from the table, leaving Edward and Leonardo on the spot and Sothe and Nolan completely lost.

And unfortunately for the former two, Micaiah had made any effort to avoid the issue completely pointless. With a sigh and a discreet glare in Micaiah's general direction, Leonardo said, "Well, like Micaiah clearly didn't want to say..." he took a deep breath, and Sothe immediately felt a pit growing in his stomach. "Yesterday, there was a bandit attack. They – not unlike bandits have been known to in the past – targeted the people and their goods rather than the Occupying Army's stores, and Micaiah went to the aid of the people. During the conflict, we were spotted by a squad of Begnion soldiers."

Despite his understanding, a frown was transfixed on Sothe's face. Nolan let out a wolf whistle, but displeasure was evident on his face as well. "That's certainly explains it. But... a run-in with bandits?"

Micaiah, deeming the situation safe, chose that particular moment to return to her seat, a mug of water in hand. "I'm sorry," she put in with a frown, looking into her mug of water. "It may have only been bandits, but we had to help. We caused everyone trouble, and we were careless, but it couldn't be helped."

Sothe's face didn't calm at all with that remark, "We'll worry about the bandit issue. But more importantly, Micaiah, were you seen healing anyone with Sacrifice?"

"No, I managed to avoid using Sacrifice. But they were still able to make the connected between me and the information they have regarded the Silver-Haired Maiden, I'm afraid." This seemed to, despite all odds, make Sothe a little happier, but it didn't make the situation any better. Micaiah finally raised her head, offering a small smile as a meager apology.

"That is good," Sothe admitted, risking a small smile before the frown reappeared in full force, strong as ever. "It's imperative that people not know what you can do. Healing without a stave or a tome is a rare gift – unheard of to many, even – and you'd be given away immediately if you were seen using it. And if that were to happen we'd have the whole of Begnion's forces on you, and I don't know if even I could protect you then."

"I know, Sothe," Micaiah replied, irritation dripping from her mouth like venom. "I know the risks that come with using Sacrifice, Sothe. The physical ones and the ones that come with using it in public."

"And yet you continue to throw yourself in situations where not using it is almost impossible! We can't afford to be so careless. You of all people know that, Micaiah," he shook as head as an exasperated sigh forced it's way from the back of his throat, and as he looked back at Micaiah his eyes softened upon seeing the hurt in her's. "At any rate, if you're their number one suspect, we're no longer safe here. We should leave immediately."

Nolan nodded, adding, "Much as I would have liked a single meal in peace, that is correct. The alleyways appeared to be less guarded than the main roads, so we'll be best off using them. We should gather just what we can carry in supplies, and go now while we still have the light. Trying to do this by night will be suicide."

One hour later they – minus Sothe – were on their way, plotting out routes that made their trip from the bar to the outskirts of the city as painless and life threatening as possible. With only two possible routes – one to the right and one going forward - they didn't have many options, but those two options were quickly narrowed when Edward returned from investigating the former of the two with a scowl on his face, saying, "This way isn't good either. Soldiers occupying nearly every alleyway. I'd be surprised if anything could sneak by them."

Nolan returned from the other path, walking down the stairs at a leisurely pace, his face showing a mix of worry and relief, "It looks like our best bet is this path. But even so, it's completely swarming with them. Avoiding a conflict may very well be impossible this time."

"And there are more coming from behind as well. We'll be finished if we don't move quickly!" Micaiah put in worriedly. Nolan nodded, taking the information in stride as he thought out how best to go about their risky but necessary escape.

"Unfortunately, waiting for Sothe isn't an option," he said as soon as the realization hit him. That hit the group like a brick, but their determination to escape their situation wasn't dwindled. With a quiet groan, Nolan continued, pointing forward where, behind several houses, the top of a church could be seen, "The stairs by the church will lead to the marketplace. If we could make it there..."

"We'd be safe," Micaiah concluded. Nolan nodded.

"Exactly. I'll go first and clear the way, and you two," he nodded to Micaiah and Leonardo, who nodded back. "You two will cover my back. Remember that keeping your distance is a necessity. Teaming up will make the job easier, as well."

"And what about me?" Edward asked, tapping his foot impatiently.

"You'll watch their backs. You're getting better, Edward, but you are still new to all this. You will be better served back there," Nolan responded with a frown.

Edward waved a hand, dismissing Nolan's attempt at providing sympathy, "Yeah, I got it. I'll make sure nobody stabs you guys in the back."

"If you've got it, let's get going," and with that, Nolan pulled the glistening axe from his side and rushed forward, Micaiah and Leonardo hot on his heel.

"Yer a pretty one, aren'cha?"

A bandit's slurring was among the most irritating things a person could possibly recall hearing. This observation was no different in the case of Mia, who childishly stuck her tongue out at the offending bandit before closing the distance between them in a barely visible movement, and by the time his senses had come back into focus she was beside him, sword sheathed into his stomach. "Just die," she whispered bitterly, although the bitter was lost to the higher pitch her voice carried, instead portraying something resembling mild amusement.

Ike was only a short distance away, beheading one bandit and cleaving deep into the side of another with a single swing of his large sword, coupled with the near godly strength of his toned muscles. That same motion was continued as he pivoted to the left, slashing in a diagonal motion through another bandit. He dodged under an incoming axe, stepping to the side to avoid it on it's return course before throwing his sword at the bandit with frightening accuracy, lodging it in the bandit's chest.

The only light came from the half moon shining brightly overhead, lulling many into a deep sleep at such a time. In fact, Ike and Mia were the only members of the Greil Mercenaries – save for Soren, who had yet to sleep – who were awake, as they were the ones on watch when they suddenly fell under attack by bandits.

Ike should have known better than to carelessly set camp in the middle of the Cila region, although the look on Soren's face as he sat against one of their tents told him he wasn't particularly worried. And seeing as Ike and Mia alone had exterminated an entire group of nearly ten bandits, that lack of worry suddenly seemed completely reasonable.

"Soren," the mage looked up as Ike neared, but his face showed not the slightest flicker of emotion. "You should get some rest. It would be problematic if you're tired on the road; if we have a run-in with Crimean patrols, we'll need all available hands." Soren nodded as he stifled a yawn against the back of his hand, closing the book he had been reading and heading toward one of the four tents the group had set up. Moments later Boyd came out in his place, nodding toward the tents for Mia and Ike to get some rest. Oscar stepped out of the same tent Ike was stepping into, rubbing his eyes lazily as he tried to focus. Ike gave him a sympathetic smile in passing.

When the first of the sun's rays peeked in through the opening of his tent Ike awoke again, only mildly refreshed but refusing to dwell on the matter. By the time he'd finished waking up just about everyone else was up and packing as well; they had a lot of ground to cover if they were to reach the border before Crimea was forced to send someone that could be troublesome to the Greil Mercenaries.

Like, say, the Royal Knights. Ike was less than enthused about that possibility.

By noon the mercenaries had reached the large trade outpost of Oren, a welcome change from the threatening situation they were in on the road. It was easy to hide in the large outpost, and the fact that it was more of a meeting grounds for merchants from Crimea, Begnion and Gallia alike made hiding out that much easier. Crimea's presence in the city was minimal at best, and so Soren immediately claimed the place suitable for their resting until night fell, when they would be on the march again.

The group split up in search of whatever they felt they would need; Oscar went off to see what could be found in the way of fresh ingredients, Rhys and Mist worked together in search of medication that they'd been forced to abandon when they left the fort, and the rest were either exploring or settling in for some R&R. Ike found his way to the nearest bar, taking a seat at the table closest to the door. Soren followed him in, sitting across from him silently.

Ike waved a dismissive hand when a bartender tried offering him a drink. As soon as prying ears were away, he looked at Soren curiously, "We shouldn't linger here for long. The R&R is keeping the mercenaries happy, but Crimea will catch up if we delay."

Soren nodded at once, "From here we should follow the Begnion border to the Daein borders. Bandit attacks are more frequent along that path, but the patrols on the border are aligned with Begnion, and we'll be safe from Crimea." Ike nodded in agreement before looking off, his eyes growing suddenly distant. "What's on your mind?" Soren asked with the kind of caring nature he only showed with Ike – and even then he was reserved about how open he was. Reserved enough that not even Ike's opinion of his friend differed far from the 'cold and calculating strategist' image everyone else saw in him.

"We're running away," Ike stated bluntly, frowning. When Soren raised an eyebrow, his eyes begging Ike to elaborate, he did, "Crimea is in a time of civil war, Soren."

Soren's expression didn't change, "Staying here will get us killed. Until we have an opportunity to repair our situation, running is our only option, Ike. You know that."

Ike knew he was an idiot for dwelling on the matter. But even a commander, he figured, was entitled to the growing pit he felt in his stomach at that particular moment. And that pit was half-filled with guilt about abandoning the country he'd restored, and the source of his anxiety suddenly felt completely moronic. "We should get going," Ike said as he stood, not wanting to continue the line of conversation they'd been going down. "If we take another hour gathering supplies, we can make some decent ground before dusk, and then we can be more free about our movements."

Two hours later – Gatrie had fallen asleep against a tree and waking him had been a hopeless endeavor – the group was on their way, taking great care to stay off the main roads as an extra precaution. Begnion patrols were thick, a testament to the paranoia of the nobles, but most were relatively new recruits who likely didn't even know of the Greil Mercenaries. The nobles were far too absorbed in their own selves to worry about their soldiers knowing of a simple gang of mercenaries that happened to be some of the finest warriors in Tellius.

Even if Begnion owed as much to them as they did to Begnion. It's Empress in particular.

The moon had hardly settled in the sky when Ike came to a sudden stop. Soren stopped next, looking at Ike quizzically, and the rest did the same, waiting. Ike looked at them all incredulously, "You hear that?" Sure enough, when he focused his ears Soren could hear footsteps. Big ones, and there were a lot of them. His grip tightened on his tome as they all turned toward a distant hill where, moments later, a massive bandit army was extending along it's length. One pointed in the direction of the group and the rest looked, discussing for a moment before charging down the hill with no sense of formation whatsoever.

Not that they needed it. This must have been one of the most prominent bandit groups along the border, at nearly one hundred in number. Nobody had long to consider it before they were forced into the battle. Mist and Rhys disappeared off to the side where they were protected by Gatrie and Boyd, while Rofl and Shinon stood nearby picking off enemies where they had openings. The rest were thoroughly busy attacking the bandits head on, despite the sheer overwhelming odds they faced. They had faced worse odds against stronger enemies, after all.

But it would be a long night of fighting, that was for sure.

Soren had it the worst of the lot. He hardly got any solid attacks in due to constantly having to move, although when he did the results were nothing short of devastating. Ike had it comparably easy, cutting into one bandit after another with reckless abandon, switching over to using his large sword for defense when necessary. Nobody lived long enough to get behind and flank him, and his swings made sure anyone coming from the front had their lifespans shortened considerably.

When the fighting was finally over, things were a mess. Ike was covered almost entirely from the neck down in blood, and the rest weren't off much better. Rofl was sprawled out on the ground with Rhys hovering over him, a stave shining brightly over a large wound in the young archer's torso. Soren had a couple scratches from unfortunate mishaps when trying to dodge in the middle of casting, but other than that the situation was not surprising to Ike.

The piles of corpses all around him were not welcome in the least, but that thought was pushed to the back of his mind rather quickly. While everyone else took to looking over each other Ike checked their supply wagons, glad to find they hadn't been touched. Their map of the Crimean countryside had spelled out quite clearly that beyond Oren, there was going to be nearly no means of resupplying unless they had means of doing so on demand. And, unlike during the war, they didn't now.

It took only ten minutes for the wounds to be dealt with, with the exception of Rolf who was still quite unconscious, being securely held by his brother Oscar, head resting on the older brother's shoulder. Oscar mounted his horse again, placing Rolf in front of him. Everyone else was more than capable of making due on their own, and the mercenaries were on the move again.

Not even Soren noticed the squadron of Crimean soldiers that had been tailing them since they left Oren.

"This is just ridiculous!" Edward cried, prying his sword from the bicep of an unlucky soldier, and the body fell to the ground with a soft thud as soon as it lost it's support. Nolan was right in front of him, swatting away any lances that tried to strike at him, the brute force of his axe proving more than enough to launch them off their projected course. Behind the bother of them were Micaiah and Leonardo, doing what they could to provide support.

"They had more men than we were expecting, that's for sure," Nolan grunted, cleaving a soldier across the midsection with his axe. As soon as his right arm had returned to his side he grabbed the much shorter axe with an edge on either side of it with his left hand, flinging it toward a distant archer. The archer in question was too far into preparing his next shot to react, and the axe returned to Nolan at the same moment as the man crumpled to the ground, blood forming around his lips and dribbling down his chin.

"This is...!" Micaiah managed to duck under another arrow before springing into action, letting fly the burst of light energy she'd had prepared. The offending archer cried out in agony as the light's tendrils tore through him without abandon, burning his insides as much as his outsides. As he crumpled to the ground, the burns had spread from where the light had tore into him, and by the time Micaiah could tear her eyes away nearly his entire body was charred.

"Keep your head up, Micaiah," Nolan chided, throwing his hand axe at a soldier, snapping it in half. It fell to the ground near the soldier, but Nolan didn't particularly mind as Leonardo immediately picked off the unarmed soldier with a shot to the throat. Edward dashed forward and grabbed the axe, tossing it back at Nolan before thrusting his sword into one of the many openings a nearby soldier's armor had. The man shifted slightly and blocked with his shield before thrusting, and only Nolan's timely arrival saved him. "Get back and watch our rear, Edward."

Sulking, he made his way back, taking a position just behind Leonardo and watching. They hadn't fallen under attack from behind yet, but it was clear that it was only a matter of time. Edward had hoped that his assistance alongside Nolan would egg things along enough to get them to safety before the reinforcements arrived, but Nolan didn't seem willing to take such a risk.

And so when reinforcements did arrive – and faster than he had thought they would, at that – he was both delighted that his mission wasn't pointless and disheartened that Nolan had been right in ordering him back. The thought that he was outnumbered and at a disadvantage casually missed his mind until a lance grazed his side immediately after dodging one, and he cursed loudly. As a thrust from the first one came in he leaped over the lance, and when he landed he pushed his sword into the man's torso with so much force that he pierced the armor. The soldier died immediately.

Pulling his sword out again proved more taxing, and it resulted in a rather embarrassing dance around a still standing corpse as Edward fought to pry his sword from the body. When it finally came free the corpse nearly fell on him, but he narrowly managed to dodge both it and the thrust that came a moment later, thrusting his own sword forward and into the second soldier's throat.

Nolan wasn't having nearly as much luck. They were down to the last group defending the stairs that would lead them to the center of town, but the remaining defenders were swordsmen all. Micaiah and Leonardo did what they could, but Nolan trying to play defense against swordsmen was proving to be quite taxing. He swung his axe toward one of the swordsmen, but he dodged with ease before swinging at Nolan from the side. He managed to bring his axe to the side to block, but then the swordsman pulled back, and the third attempt resulting in a sword digging into his shoulder.

As he slumped down to one knee Leonardo used the opening provided to fire, killing the swordsman instantly. Micaiah – who'd been held down with a couple soldiers elsewhere – rushed over to Nolan and, without another word, pressed her hand to the wound. It began to glow, and then the wound was gone. Micaiah was panting afterwards and cursing the fact that her power was so draining, but willpower kept her on two feet.

"... Come on," Nolan said as he stood, gasping. He hadn't made it two steps before another swordsman came tumbling down the stairs ahead, sword poised to strike. Edward managed to slide ahead at the last minute, and throw his sword up in a haphazard defense. Edward pushed back against the new foe, overpowering him in an instant. Before the man could attack again, Edward had pierced him at the shoulder.

As he cried out, Edward said, "Nolan, I took care of a couple reinforcements, but can you take care of the rest? Swordsmen are, well..." Nolan smiled widely at Edward's attempt at reasoning and nodded, rushing past the other two to keep watch. Edward pulled his sword out and the man – much to Edward's surprise – began attacking as if he had no wound at all. It became a flurry of back and forth attacks, both moving so quickly that Leonardo and Micaiah couldn't find a decent shot on the man.

The swordsman himself was growing rather annoyed with Edward's swift movements, "What a fast little rat you are. Though, I shouldn't be surprised, seeing as you're scurrying around in the back alleys like a bunch of mice." Edward fell for the taunt immediately and went on the offensive, caring only about taking down the man in front of him. "Temper, temper..." the man sighed as he blocked each attack with little effort, barely doing more than a couple steps while waving his arm around to meet each strike. Edward was all over the place, burning himself out in his tempered efforts to bring his enemy to his knees. "No wonder they didn't trust you being up front," he knew that was the last straw for Edward's temper.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Edward began swinging his sword so swiftly the naked eye could only pick up blurs, but his opponent was more than capable of watching the movements. His sword continued to block each hit flawlessly, each one egging Edward closer and closer to exhaustion. Edward finally began panting and his swinging slowed, and that was when he was forced onto the defensive. His attempts to block weren't in vain, but it was clear he was losing ground quickly.

"You should work on your temper, rat," the man spat, laughing gleefully as Edward's movements became slurred, almost as if he were in a drunken daze. The catch being that he was completely sober, and his movements were entirely byproducts of his exhaustion. "See, we – that is, the servants of the senate – are not aloud to be weak. We are not aloud to allow emotions to get the better of us. We are trained harshly to focus on this reality. And I, Captain Isaiya of the Begnion Occupation Army's Sixteenth Division, am a testament to the will of the senate!"

Edward managed to control his breathing as he glared daggers at his enemy, "Is there strength in what you're doing to the people?! Walking all over them for being Daein citizens?! Stealing from them like common thieves?!" Edward's anger brought our a spur of strength in him, and he pushed back, swinging at Isaiya savagely, determined to kill him in the most brutal way possible. "You're weak! The strong should be protecting the citizens, not oppressing them! Begnion's dogs are all the same, and you..." he gasped for breath as he swung with every bit of force he had, tearing the sword from Isaiya's hands. "Will die!" before Isaiya could react his head had been removed from his body, and in the brief moment before his body fell Edward dealt several slashes across it's chest.

Edward fell to the ground panting and his eyes stared ahead in what could only be considered a lifeless daze. Nolan helped him up onto his back; as they walked onward, Edward's head fell onto Nolan's shoulder and he fell asleep almost immediately. As Leonardo looked over he smiled; despite how serious he was when his sword was in hand, a sleeping Edward looked like a small child. It was an adorable sight, everyone had to admit.

"There they are! After them!" Nolan looked back to see a gathering of soldiers where Edward had just finished fighting. Nolan gulped, audibly, and Leonardo and Micaiah looked back. They were frozen for a moment until Sothe appeared from in the crowd of people, grabbing Micaiah's hand and pulling her along behind him. That seemed to snap Nolan and Leonardo out of their daze and they followed, neither particularly eager to have their head cut off and put on display on the end of a lance.

"Hey, hey!" Micaiah vaguely noted hearing someone calling out to her, but dismissed it as she was tugged along by Sothe. "Lady!" the voice tried again, and then she gave Sothe's arm a tug, bringing him to a stop so she could search the crowds. Off to the side stood Nico and his mother, the latter with a delicate frown on her face and the former grinning, waving in their direction.

"Nico!" Micaiah bounded over to the two, dropping to her knees and smiling warmly at the child. "You're looking well."

"You, not so much," the mother said, looking down at Micaiah with that same frown. Micaiah leaped to her feet and shrugged, indifferent. "Are they after you again?"

"Are you and your friends alright, lady?" Nico put in, smiling hesitantly.

"Unfortunately, they are." Micaiah looked down at Nico, smiling again, "And yes, we are perfectly fine," she ruffled the boy's hair.

There were a few loud gasps as soldiers began pouring into the market, eyes scanning the crowd. A man covered from head to toe in crimson armor stepped to the front of the line of soldiers, scowling, "God dammit! Where the hell could they be?!" he snapped. Several soldiers behind him jumped at the harsh tone in his voice, but the majority were more than used to it.

An old man pushed Micaiah away, smiling slightly, "Go on. Leave them to us, and get yourselves to safety."

Micaiah gaped, "But..."

Nico's mother pulled the shocked girl into a warm embrace, smiling, "You're all we've got. Now go on."

Sothe nodded, "We won't forget this," he smiled as he took Micaiah's hand, overpowering her attempts at staying behind. The rest followed behind as they filed into an alleyway, trying as best they could to avoid any further possibilities of detection.

Micaiah swore that she'd be back someday, and that she wouldn't be running.

"This is our camp for the night." Fort Derta certainly wasn't the most luxurious of the many defensive positions Crimea had abandoned after reclaiming Melior, but it went without saying that it had more charm than the cold ground of the countryside. In size it was comparable to the defensive positions at Fort Pinnel and Nados Castle, but the four years it had been unoccupied had left it a mere shadow of it's original lustre.

"Oscar and Boyd will take the first watch," Ike continued. Nodding, the two mercenaries in question took off. Ike then looked toward Mia and Rhys, "One of you take the east wing, and one of you take the west. Find any other entrances and seal them off." They too nodded and went off. "The rest of you can get some rest. We'll stay in the west wing." Everyone else took off, briefly saying words of farewell to their leader before they disappeared around the corner, eager to get some rest.

Ike followed Boyd and Oscar up to the battlements where they were keeping watch. Whoever had been in charge of the defenses at Fort Derta had been a self-indulgent commander, as there were several seats along the side that overlooked that faced away from the road outside. Ike took one of them and leaned back, resting his eyes and allowing the fresh air to stroke his face almost lovingly. The wind was not nonexistent and it wasn't overly forceful; it was a gentle wind that cooled him and kept him warm at the same time.

"Commander, what are you doing here?" as Ike had arrived rather silently, it took the two on watch several minutes to grow fully away of his presence. Oscar had said nothing as he continued to look, but Boyd had ignored his duties and had turned around, quirking an eyebrow at Ike.

Ike opened one eye to look at Boyd, and he shrugged, "I'm not tired."

"That's hardly a reason to be up here with us," Boyd challenged, moving his hands to his hips and tilting his head, smirking.

Ike's expression didn't change, "Do I need a reason?"

Oscar joined in at that moment, eyes not leaving the horizon he'd been gazing at, "Not really, but curiosity is an interesting thing, no?"

Ike sighed as he looked at Oscar and then back at Boyd, "I'd rather be out here than stuck in there with noting to do. Satisfied?"

"It'll do," Boyd turned around, continuing his job of watching the horizon. The newly reigning silence was broken only by the occasional whistle of the wind, and it was music to their ears. Ike's eyes had nearly drifted to a close when that silence was disrupted once again by Boyd, although this time he seemed far more frantic, "Ike?"

"Mmm?"

"Shall I go wake up the others?"

Ike raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"You may want to see for yourself." Ike complied and stood, making his way to the edge and looking out into the horizon. There, waving in the wind, was a Crimean flag atop a long pole. The flag bearer was atop a white horse and he rode to and fro, holding a trumpet in his free hand and blowing into it. And behind him was an entire column of soldiers, all mounted and staring down the fort. There were some knights flying overhead, but they were vastly outnumbered by those on the ground.

The Royal Knights had arrived.

"Boyd, go wake everyone now. Oscar, get your horse and prepare Titania's as well. This is not going to be fun."

The two hastened to obey, leaving Ike alone to stare down the – by his estimation – one thousand Royal Knights on the horizon. Some of his friends would be in that army – particularly Geoffrey, who would be their commander – and Ike was not looking forward to this. The sword he had sheathed along his lower back was immediately removed, and his fingers grew cold around his sword, and he felt his heart racing.

He proceeded to groan, unable to keep his gaze on the soldiers waiting to surround the fort and wipe out the Greil Mercenaries, instead looking up to the moon. It looked rather beautiful he had to admit, and it sparked a small feeling of relief in him despite their plight. It was shining as brightly as ever, without a cloud in the sky to obscure his view of it.

Elsewhere, deep in a forest on the outskirts of Nevassa, a certain silver haired thief was gazing up at that same moon. Her life at that moment was far more peaceful, but her heart was no less troubled than the blue haired mercenary's. And as the two leaders looked at that same moon, their thoughts crossed along the same path, and they found themselves thinking the same thing.

This was only the beginning.

Chapter two, end. I'm disappointed with my second scene with the Dawn Brigade, but I think this lived up to expectations otherwise. Hopefully next chapter will continue to do so.