This may sound really random to you, but it's actually VERY good advice: If you ever go on a package holiday to India like I did, (and I would recommend it – India is WAY understated, and it's absolutely stunning) PRAY that you will not have a bad reaction to the malaria tablets you'll have to take, because if you do have a bad reaction, then you too will have to experience the joy of feeling ill all night after taking the tablets. And if you suddenly think 'blow this for a game of soldiers, I'm sick of feeling sick,' and stop taking them, there's a big chance that you'll get malaria and die. Or at least feel even worse than you already did, which is no easy task. So you basically have no choice, and have to keep taking the stupid things and feeling ill. Argh. But even now, I'd say it was worth it. You don't get the atmosphere of the Taj Mahal in photos – you have to be there. And when you are – wow. That's all I can say.

Anyway, this chapter is largely Heath explaining what he was doing on Valor to Lyn, Hector, Eliwood, and, of course, the amazing, all - seeing…TACTICIAN!!! Who hardly appears in this fic. (laugh) Oh, and by the way…this is your last warning…I did say the plot was going to differ…

Immediately after he steps into the tent, the tactician asks Heath to tell them his story from the beginning, with no interruptions. Heath pauses for a little while, if only to get his thoughts in order, and then begins.

"The Commander and I...were originally Wyvern Knights of Bern. As I'm sure you are aware, the Black Fang…have been aiding our King for a while now. I don't know the exact details of the work they did – we were only told that they helped to put down a rebellion on one of Bern's borders. However, in doing so, they lost sixteen of their flying units, and so, in return, the king agreed to send sixteen of Bern's own wyvern riders to them as 'goodwill gifts'…like we were only weapons to be used. My colleagues and I…hated that decision. In joining the army, we had pledged all to King Desmond, and it seemed almost as if he was discarding us. Still, he had complete control over us, and so we had to obey.

"After we were enlisted as members of the Fang, Sonia, the leader's wife, sent us to this island, saying that we were to be placed under the control of a man named Nergal. Our first orders from him were to form a reconnaissance patrol with the purpose of scouting the island for intruders and reporting back to his subordinate, Uhai – pretty much the same sort of work I'd been given in Bern's army. We began to settle into our new jobs.

"However, after a while Commander Vaida and I realised that something strange was happening to our comrades. Every day, two riders from our patrol were sent to speak to him. When they returned, they were…very different from when they had set out. Men who had spoken with me about Bern, shared my hope that one day we might return to live there again, cared no more for their homeland. All that mattered to them was that we all followed Nergal's orders. Before, their voices had been animated when they spoke – now they were flat and expressionless. Commander Vaida and I couldn't understand it. We reasoned that it might not have been Nergal; that the men were just suffering from exhaustion. But it kept happening.

"Eventually, the Commander and I were the only ones who hadn't been sent for. It was the ninth day of our stay on Valor - nobody had been summoned on the first day - and we knew that it was getting to the time when Nergal would send someone to fetch us. But before Nergal could send for us, Marquess Darin himself came rushing into our camp in a panic. We were told that a highly dangerous enemy was loose on the island. The Marquess said that they had no description as of yet, but that it made no difference – we must scout the island immediately and report any strange things we might see, no matter what they were. We equipped ourselves with the strongest weapons we could find, just in case, and headed out.

"When we were over some ruins approximately two hours' flight – three days' walk, since there were so many obstacles on the ground – north, Commander Vaida saw a flash of red on the ground. We descended to take a closer look, and found Lord Aion – another member of the Fang – dead, surrounded by the corpses of his soldiers. A thick trail of blood led us into the nearby woods – it seemed to us that whoever had attacked them had escaped that way, and was severely wounded. The Commander and I were leading the others. Eventually, the trail just petered out, as though the injured person had vanished. When we turned to retrace our steps, we found that it wasn't the only thing that had disappeared – so had our comrades. A search of the surrounding area yielded nothing. It wasn't until we got back to the ruins that…that we found…their bodies…" Heath is silent for a while, remembering: at Eliwood's questioning look, he continues.

"As Commander Vaida bent to inspect them, I saw a figure behind her. I shouted and she spun round, but he'd already stabbed…I threw my lance at him, striking him in the arm. He ran off, and I grabbed the Commander. I'd heard that there was a Fang camp nearby, so I went to search for it and…saw you. You're obviously not Fang, but…if you can heal Commander Vaida, I'll fight with you."

Um…thanks for reading, and please review! I'll update when I can, but I can't promise anything...sorry.