The trek was long, but not harsh. As long as they had their horses and stayed on the dirt paved roads, they had a mostly uneventful ride, even with Lissa pouting all the way, Chrom trying to calm her down, Frederick making a couple of dry remarks, and Ariana remaining silent, listening to their conversation. The rest of them could not help but notice that she wasn't much for conversation outside of the battlefield, it was either that or she was intimidated by the discrepancy in their status. Now the sun had set, and it was too dark to continue further, so they decided to rest in a nearby forest for the four of them set out their bags on the grass and stood in a circle, looking at each other and thinking about what to do next.

"Do we HAVE to stay here, Chrom? Is it really necessary that we sleep here with poison ivy, bears, and- oh great, now the bugs are out," Lissa grumbled as she swatted a couple of mosquitos from her face, "Noisy, disgusting bugs that crawl over you and bite when- augh! Won goph in mah mouph!"

Chrom began to laugh as Lissa stuck out her tongue and gagged, trying to get the mosquito out of her mouth.

"Have you forgotten already? Hardship-"

"...builds character! I know! And I've built QUITE enough character for the time being!"

"Calm yourself, Milady. We have more pressing matters to deal with, like gathering firewood, for instance."

Ariana frowned as she looked at her stomach, which made a slight growling noise.

"We should also think about food, I must confess that I'm quite famished."

"So we have to worry about clearing a campsite, gathering firewood, and hunting and gathering, we can divide the work amongst ourselves. I choose to gather firewood."

"All right then, I'll hunt for food." Chrom decided.

"I will remain here for the time being and set up a campsite. If she wishes, her highness can help."

"There's no such thing as 'if she wishes,' she is helping, no ifs, ands, or buts."

"Chrom- Oh fine! At least it's better than spearing animals or gathering wood!"

Chrom and Frederick parted ways to do their respective tasks, leaving Ariana and Lissa alone to set up camp. Ariana placed a few poles in the ground to set up tarp, while Lissa got out the woolen blankets to lie on, then Ariana gathered a few stones and placed them in a circular arrangement in the center of the camp. Lissa looked up at the tarp in confusion, as it was summer and rain would be unlikely at this time.

"Hey, why'd you set up tarp? You really think it will rain?"

"One can never be too careful, Your Highness."

Ariana paced the ground, scrutinizing her handiwork and checking to see if there was anything left to do.

"Lanterns..." she murmured, frustrated that she forgot about them, and ran to her satchel to take one out, and lit it, placing it near the woolen blanket next to Lissa's that she claimed as her own.

"Hey, Ariana, how'd you get so good at tactics? Do you remember where you studied all this stuff?"

She sighed as she sat down on her blanket and turned to face Lissa.

"...Unfortunately no. However, I can guess that tactics were a part of my formal education in some way."

"Oh! Then that means you must have gone to military school! I heard about those, they make you live there and they beat you when you mess up! We used to have them in Yilsse, but they were only for boys."

Ariana's eyes grew slightly wide; perhaps Lissa had managed to trigger a memory of hers.

"Exalt Emmeryn… banned military schools, did she not?"

"Yup, she said they were too cruel, and I agree with her. I know you don't remember studying in a place like that, but it must have been really tough."

"Perhaps, yes. If I may, how did you learn your respective combative skills?"

"I learned how to use staves from Emmeryn, who learned it from Phila. Frederick trained with the Yilssean Guard since he was very young, Chrom apparently learned from our father, but I'm not too sure, he died when I was four."

"My condolences, Your Highness."

Lissa suddenly seemed very interested in the laces on her boots, perhaps Exalt Alistair was an uncomfortable topic for her, so Ariana decided to change the subject.

"Your Highness, who is Phila?"

Lissa looked up from her shoes, seeming eager to talk again once she knew she wouldn't have to say anything about her father.

"Emmeryn's bodyguard, they knew each other since childhood, like Chrom and Frederick."

They remained silent for a couple of minutes before hearing a rustling sound, and found that Frederick had come back with piles of firewood, and Chrom had come back with a speared bear. Lissa turned up her nose at the very sight of it.

"Bear? Seriously, Chrom? Can't you spear an animal normal people eat for once?"

"If it fills your stomach, you should not complain, Your Highness."

"She's right you know," Chrom began to look around at the newly prepared campsite, "Lissa, don't tell me that you sat idle while Ariana did most of the work." Chrom was half joking and half chiding.

"Quite the contrary, Your Highness, Her Highness helped me quite a bit. Now, I don't mean to sound like a bother, but I would very much like to eat now. I am very hungry."

"You're my second in command now, remember? You don't need to be so formal and reserved with me. Besides, you helped us save our subjects and protected my sister, if anything, I should be thanking you rather than the other way round."

Ariana looked confused for a brief second.

"So, you wish for me to be less formal?"

"Of course, there are some protocols you have to observe, but you don't need to be constantly apologizing to me or be shy to ask for the simplest things. And you don't need to call me 'Your Highness' all the time, just 'Captain' will do."

"Yes, Captain."

Chrom, Lissa, and Ariana turned to a crackling noise and saw that Frederick had already started a fire.

"Milord, you ought to clean the meat so it can be cooked."

"Right."

Chrom sat down and took a pocketknife from his satchel and proceeded to clean the meat, afterwards, he cut it into pieces and placed them on sticks, then he handed the sticks to his three companions, and they held the sticks of meat over the fire.

"Food is to be eaten, Lissa, not looked at. Meat is meat."

Lissa held her stick by her fingertips and kept it at arms length, wincing in disgust.

"Since when does meat smell like old boots? No, I take it back, old boots smell better than this! Isn't that right, Ariana?"

Ariana was too busy eating to hear Lissa. She was indeed as hungry as she said she was, but she was composed enough to remember her manners and not claw at her food like a savage.

"I guess if you lived in a place like Valm you'd eat just about anything!"

Ariana looked up for a minute, but then she sighed, deciding to ignore the comment and continue eating.

"Eat before it gets cold, Milady."

"Wait a minute Frederick, why aren't YOU eating? You haven't touched your portion!"

Frederick tensed, but then shrugged his shoulders and chuckled.

"Oh, I had a large lunch, Milady. I'm not particularly hungry."

"Yeah, right!"

Frederick decided to put the food in his mouth as quickly as possible so he did not have to taste it for long, he chewed swiftly and swallowed, his face contorted in a grimace.

"See, Milady, all of us have finished except for you."

Lissa followed suit, grumbling as she reluctantly ate her meal.

"There, happy?"

"Who knows, Lissa, there might come a time where you decide you like bear meat."

"Like that'll be the day!"

Frederick then put out the fire, leaving Ariana's lantern as the only source of light in the area, then they all took their respective blankets and lay down to sleep.


The boy in the blue cloak tensed as he realized where he was. It was the place of harlots, infidels, and treachery. The place of the Grimleal.

Luckily he didn't come here unprepared, he had weapons in his hand, but this was wrong. He shouldn't have been taken here. He and his sister were supposed to be near the Northroad, just before his father gets attacked by the Risen. He looked to his right, hoping for an explanation, but there was no one there.

Where was his sister?

He cursed under his breath, something had surely gone wrong. Somehow, when Naga opened the portal through time, they were separated. Now his sister was probably where she should be, and he was here, surrounded by cackling sorcerers and dark mages.

They were the cause of the destruction of his world, and they had to die, as his sister said. Not a single one of them could be spared, not a single infidel should be left alive, only if they were all exterminated, Yilsse would be safe.

"Who goes there?" one of them hissed.

He did not respond.

"Lower your cowl, boy." growled another.

If he did that, they would come to know of the brand in his left eye, which he had no intention of revealing. He also had no intention of removing his gloves, as on his hand, to his dismay, was another mark, the mark that sullied his name, as well as his sister's. They endured shame, disgrace, even death threats because of it. It had gone on for so long, until their world was eventually destroyed. Perhaps if they acted in Naga's name, if they managed to purge the world of these lesser beings, thus preventing Yilsse's downfall, then maybe, just maybe they would finally be relieved of their stigma...

"I do not intend to reveal my countenance to you, Grimleal scum."

They flinched, and took a few steps back, glaring and alert.

"A Yilssean accent... you must be one of those blue bloods. What? Have you come here to tell us why we're wrong? Why we should burn our sacred books and welcome Naga with open arms? Ha! And you have the gall to mock our religion in the guise of Merric, who, much like your beloved Hero King, was of Plegian descent!"

There it was again, that damned lie uttered by the infidels. Merric, the greatest mage of all time, was a faithful companion of The Hero King Marth, and aided him in his quest to propel Yilsse to glory, destroy the Fell Dragon for good, and subjugate the heathens. It was no wonder he took up his name to finish what he started. How dare they? How dare these creatures delude themselves into thinking he was a part of them?

"Get out your tomes, infidels, and die like the cowards you are." The boy stood, ready to fight, with an Arcfire tome in his hand.

The creatures screamed, and ran at the boy with a vengeance. He dodged the heathen spells with incredible speed, and attacked with a barrage of flames just as strong, working to hit as many of these things as possible. The creatures became frightened once they realized they were dealing with an opponent far beyond them, and they howled in horror as the boy burned them alive with little to no remorse... in fact, he did it almost with glee.

After doing away with the creatures, he burned their dwelling, and set out to complete the task he was sent for.


"When you grow, you will be faced with many important decisions."

They walked slowly, solemnly. The child knew that this may be her last glimpse of her father. She was no stranger to death, Her mother died giving birth to her, she had seen Jason go up in flames, and remembered the day when a fellow soldier gave them the news of Leroy's passing. She had been told her brothers died as heroes, they told her that her brothers died sweet and noble deaths. Those were obviously people who never experienced the loss of a loved one.

"People will tell you how you should talk, how you should dress, how you should live your life."

She refused to waver her eye contact, doing everything she could to commit her father's face to memory as they walked to his horse.

"But remember this, my daughter, ordinary people will follow the herd, ordinary people will follow the paths predestined for them..."

He lifted her chin with one hand, and tousled her hair with the other.

"...but if you want to be extraordinary, you must blaze a trail. You must create your own path, and show the world you are great enough to be followed."

It was a yearly ritual. She would come to this spot, kneel before the one tombstone among hundreds here, and play their last day together in her head, remember his words, his appearance, the expressions on his face. Then she would reflect on the past year, and wonder if she lived up to what her father said.

She was never ordinary, that was for sure. Though she was raised in a culture that encouraged beauty, passivity, and sacrificial love in women, she embodied none of these qualities. Quite a few lesser nobles were intrigued by her boldness, but most higher nobles openly snubbed her. Just two months ago, Maribelle and some of her friends had a bet, and they all decided she would remain a spinster to the very end. She tried not to take it to heart, but she couldn't help it. She joined the Shepherds hoping to fulfill her dream, but her efforts seemed to be going nowhere, she was still mocked, and she never came back a hero.

How could she become an extraordinary person when most people wouldn't dare follow her?

"Hold, my dear lady!"

She spun around wildly, holding her lance in front, but when she saw who her pursuer was, she had to stifle a laugh. The light blue hair meant he most certainly wasn't from here, he was probably from Valm, like her mother. He had to have been a higher noble, judging from his speech patterns and clothing. He looked so out of place, like he was going to a fancy party instead of trekking in the wilderness.

"The ball's that way, Blue Blood."

The man raised an eyebrow, and then bowed his head.

"Oh I would have loved to go for a ball, but I'm afraid I'm being pursued at the moment! Please, I would appreciate it greatly if you accompanied me!"

She had one follower, a buffoon of a follower, but nonetheless. A part of her wished to shoo him away, but she couldn't find it in her heart to do so.

"Oh really? What, did you get in trouble with some bandits?"

"The details matter not, my dear, but please accompany me! Your strength and valour is a refreshing change from the demure women of this land-"

"Wait, are you flirting with me? Just who the hell do you think you are?!"

"I am myth and legend, he who strides across history's largest stage! My name, dear lady, is Virion of-"

Fed up with the man's ego and melodrama, she frowned and began to walk away.

"If you're gonna act like you were dropped on your head as an infant, then forget about it."

"Pray, at least tell me your name!"

She stopped walking for a moment to turn and face him.

"...I'm Sully. I'm a part of The Shepherds, a peace keeping force."

"Sully... what a beautiful name, as befits its owner, truly. Would you marry me, dearest Sully?"

Sully's eyes grew wide, torn between wanting to collapse on the floor laughing and wanting to teach Virion the lesson of his life.

"Wait, this is a joke, right? And the part where I put my boot through your face, that's the punch line, isn't it?"

"I jest not, but I understand if you are overwhelmed, so please, don't be pressured to answer right away-"

Sully swiftly ran towards him and jumped in the air, attempting to kick the side of his face with her left leg, but Virion got out of the way just in time, and landed on his back in the grass.

"Well how's THIS for an answer?"

Virion stared at Sully in bewilderment, his hands and legs shaking. Eventually he gathered his composure and got up, dusting himself with his hands.

"Well, those shapely legs certainly can kick, can they..." his voice grew tremulous, and he stared at Sully desperately, "Please, at least take me to this peace keeping force of yours..."

Sully stared at the nobleman pensively for a few moments, and then relented.

"There's no way in hell I'm marrying a blue blood like you, but I'll let you come with me if you stay quiet. All right, I guess I'll take you to the capital where Her Highness can deal with you-"

The earth began to shake beneath their feet. Virion held out his bow and trembled, Sully fell over on the ground with an expression of pure terror. Then a realization dawned on her. She and her new-found companion would have to move fast, otherwise...

"By Mila, what a tremor..."

"Crap, the others! Captain Chrom might be in danger! All right, Blue Blood, change of plans! We get to the other side of this damned forest as fast as my horse can carry us!"


Chrom swore he felt the ground shake, and woke out of fear. His startled yelp woke Lissa, but Frederick and Ariana were still sound asleep and blissfully unaware of the sudden earthquake.

"Chrom...? What happened?"

Chrom stood up immediately and looked around for any signs of trouble.

"Lissa, did you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

The ground began to shake again, this time more rigorously, Chrom let out a yell and Lissa screamed as she fell over. The shock was enough to bring Frederick and Ariana out of their slumber. Frederick stood in a defensive position and grabbed the lance that was by his bedside, he was nimble and quick, and looked as if he hadn't been sleeping at all. Ariana however took some time to become alert, she grabbed her thunder tome and looked at Chrom with droopy eyes.

"An earthquake..." Ariana mumbled, still somewhat groggy, "Captain, we need to get out of here."

"Agreed, Milord."

"Come on, everyone, and stay close!"

They grabbed their possessions in milliseconds, sprinted to their horses, which were tied near their campsite, and began to ride as fast as they could to safe harbor. The ground beneath them began to crack, and they managed to jump over a gaping fault just before they could fall in. A wave of fire began to engulf the entire forest, and the group began to swerve around the fireballs coming towards them. Once they found an area that wasn't ablaze, they paused for a moment to look at the destruction of the forest.

"Captain... I am quite sure that forest fires do not normally follow tremors... I sense something otherworldly is at work here-"

"Chrom! What is that?"

The group turned around to see where Lissa was pointing, and saw the sky began to pulsate, alternating between blue and black, and then a vortex began to slowly take shape. As it did, a ringing reverberated, a sound like that of a tuning fork, and with it, a voice. Or rather, several female voices speaking at once.

Demonized for what he wrought, tormented by what was lost

For mankind soared to greatness, albeit at a cost...

The other three simply stared at the vortex agape, but the voice seemed to be having an adverse effect on Ariana, as she was kneeling on the ground and covering her ears, wincing as though she was hearing nails on a chalkboard.

His torment was too much to bear, so he was driven to despair

With hate-filled heart and corrupted soul, he found himself different goal...

It sounded painfully familiar to Chrom, where had he heard it last? He knew it was a song of days past... where had he heard it before, where?

He gave them purpose, he gave them aid, and in lashings he was repaid

He was corruption, hell, and sin, and he would end what she chose to begin

The ringing sound ceased, the voice stopped, and there was pin drop silence for what felt like hours to the group. And finally, the vortex opened, and from it came two figures, which fell to the ground with a thud.

They slowly moved closer, wondering who they were, whether they knew what this strange phenomenon was, whether they were friends or foes, and when they saw their ash grey skin, black fangs, and glowing eyes however, it became clear to them that they knew one thing for sure.

The creatures growled as they approached the group with their axes, and they braced themselves for attack.