Path of Time

Summary: What if instead of Daein soldiers surrounding Gebal Castle in Gallia, there were monsters from another world? It looks as if the Daein soldiers will become the least of their problems as the Greil Mercenaries meet a certain hero from another world.

Authors note: Yes, I understand that this will be quite different from my previous fanfic, During a Blizzard, but I love both games, so I decided to create a Path of Radiance and Zelda: Ocarina of Time fanfic. Hope no one minds. I don't really know yet how it will turn out, but I have a pretty good idea of where this will go. It obviously takes place shortly after Greil's death and Shinon and Gatrie leaving. I hope you read and enjoy.

And no, I do not own either Zelda or Fire Emblem.

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It was a rather rainy and cold night. A female mage saw an old castle from within the forest from afar. After being separated from the merchants she traveled with and having to endure the cold all evening, she was relieved to have found shelter. Although she was fatigued, she immediately began running for the old castle.

"Hey, you!"

She stopped in her tracks, frightened. She turned to the soldiers clad in black as they approached her. What were they doing all the way in Gallia, and how had she neglected to see them?

"Are you fleeing Crimea?" one of the soldiers demanded.

"No, you d-don't understand!" she protested. "I was traveling with a group of merchants, and I was separated-!"

"Liar!"

"No, I'm not-!"

The girl was backhanded and she fell to the ground, dazed. She realized she had dropped her Elthunder tome and reached over to pick it up. When the soldiers seen what her book was, they immediately seized her and threw her at the feet of an armed man. She assumed he was the general as she looked up at him.

"We were going to just kill you for lying," he said coldly, looking down at her, "however, now I see you're a mage, you could actually be of some use to us despite your scrawniness."

The girl was too frightened to respond.

"I am General Kamura, and we are here on orders to destroy a wanted band of mercenaries, giving succor to Princess Crimea."

The mage had no idea what he was talking about. Princess Crimea? She didn't know about a Princess Crimea. In fact, as far as she was concerned, there was no Princess Crimea, but she knew better than to speak up. She listened instead.

"These sellswords are seeking shelter in that very castle," he explained, "and you, wench, are going either help us destroy those mercenaries... or I will put you to the sword."

As if to back his warning, the general unsheathed his sword and inched the blade closer and closer to her neck. Tears were running down her face as she realized she didn't have a choice. She didn't want to die.

"I-I'll... I'll... help you," she stammered, from both fear and the cold.

Before the general could respond, a loud, inhuman scream rigged the air. This caused her to instinctively cringe. She remained on the ground, trembling and holding her tome close to her chest.

"What was that?"

"I-I don't know... it didn't sound human!"

The mage heard the soldiers murmuring amongst themselves as she looked around. Apparently, they didn't know what the sound was either, but she had been hoping they somehow did. It was then she noticed that the soldiers were too busy looking around their surroundings to pay much attention to her. She stood up slowly to further take her surroundings in. No one was watching her. Even the general was distracted as he paced around nervously, sword shaking in his hand.

It was now or never.

She ran on ahead before she even thought about it, but escape was calling out to her. Unfortunately, some of the soldiers spotted her escaping, and they pursued her, eager to shed her blood for her defiance. She gasped as she ran. She wasn't used to running much, but she had to go over to that castle.

Just a little further...

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her calf, and as pain shot up her leg, she tripped and fell down. She gritted her teeth as she slowly looked over and saw an arrow embedded in her calf. Blood was gushing out, but there was little she could do about her injury as she was uprooted by her hair.

"Thought you were gonna get away, didn't you, wench?"

She was backhanded once again, but this time, she remained on her feet as she stumbled backwards, and she managed to hold on to her tome. She opened her book, ready to attack them. She knew she was going to die, but she had nothing to lose.

She never got the chance to use her spell, however, when she saw a few large figures dashing from behind the trees, howling. The soldiers were attacked by those creatures before they could turn around. The creatures were wolf-like in appearence, but they were far larger than any wolf she had ever encountered.

The mage ran on ahead once again while the creatures were distracted. She could hear the bloodcurdling cries of some of the soldiers. Her leg hurt, but she had to get away fast.

It was then she heard rapid footsteps behind her. She whipped around and saw a lone wolf circling her. She readied her tome as she followed it with her eyes, never losing sight of it. The wolf then leapt at her, and as it stopped in front of her, it stood on two legs, which shocked her, but she was careful not to lose her concentration. She was determined to live through this. It towered above her started swiping wildly at her, and she jumped away from the brutal swipes. Because it had swung a little too wildly, it spun around and its back was exposed to her.

"Elthunder!"

The bolt struck the creature down, and it gave an agonizing howl as it was engulfed in green flames. How it happened, she didn't know, but she had no time to figure it out.

She ran on ahead. Her vision was blurring as she was closer to the castle.

Almost there... just a little further... hang it there...

She burst through the thicket and caught her on the stone wall. She gasped for air as she scooted herself along the wall.

She was so tired...

"Who's there?"

A knight clad in green armor began making his way toward her. The girl held her arm out as she limped over toward him.

"Please..." she rasped, "h-help..."

She then fell forward, but the man quickly caught her. The girl's eyes began to close. The knight shook her gently, but his demeanor was anything but calm.

"No, NO! Don't fall asleep! Stay awake!" he begged. "You have to stay awake!"

The girl's eyes fluttered open.

"I'm... sorry..."

"No, don't apologize. Just stay awake!"

A fighter, who apparently had just awakened from his sleep despite the fact he was supposed to be on watch along with his brother, came around the corner.

"Oscar, what are you-"

"Boyd! Get Rhys and the commander! Hurry!" he shouted frantically. "This girl's been injured!"

The fighter, startled at the amount of blood gushing out of the girl's leg, quickly ran inside the fort as the knight picked the girl up and rushed inside the fort, unaware of the shadows slowly materializing around the fort.

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Phew. Done. Don't worry... Ilyana's not going to die... oops! Did I spoil that? As if you didn't know who she was! I'll edit this later if need be. Please read and review!