This is the first Chapter of my story, Bellum Inter Terra. It's a Fire Emblem fic (duh) that will be packed with adventure, drama, romance and all that good stuff. For now, enjoy the read!

Chapter I

Roy gazed at the open pasture before him. The tall grass blades swayed gently in the breeze, as did his hair. The sky was dotted with silver-lined clouds, the white masses lazily drifting across the summer afternoon sky. An eagle was soaring above the young man, circling and gazing sore something to eat down below. Somewhere in the distance, a songbird sang its cheery song. It was a beautiful summer afternoon, one that was fabled in the many court songs and children's rhymes. But unlike the tales of knights and ladies escaping to the pastures, or the town festival in the country, Roy wasn't there for peaceful things; behind him was a small group of soldiers, each armed and ready for battle. Most of them, save one, were not too much older than Roy himself, but each was a seasoned veteran from the Dragon Wars two years ago.

Roy was different than most nobles his age. Unlike his noble teenage friends, Roy was not taking strolls on purebred horses, or enjoying tea at noon. Roy was leading an army into yet another conflict. The seventeen year old had already experienced the ups and downs of war, the victories and defeats. The people of Lycia believed that he was the best option to head the United Lycian Army since Lord Hector had passed and Eliwood was still sick. To acknowledge his position, he was even given the headdress of Supreme Commander, the gold and silver metal band fit snug atop his head. The emblem of the Army was an eagle carrying the Sword of Seals perpendicular to the ground. It was worn on all the armor of each soldier and mercenary in the army. At first, Roy was reluctant to have the symbol become that of the army (a characteristic the older members of the Lycian league said he inherited from his father, modesty), but eventually agreed to the plea.

Roy turned around to face the small group of soldiers that had been following him to the pasture. One of the armor clad soldiers stepped forward towards Roy.

"Why exactly have we met up here?" asked the light blue haired soldier with the steel blade slung over his shoulder. Dieck had fought with Roy throughout most of the Burn Campaign, even coming to his rescue at a critical point in the early stages of the war. The swordsman was known nationwide when he returned for his strong strikes and parrying ability with his shield. He was one of Roy's most loyal soldiers, carrying out any order, no matter how absurd, with steadfast courage.

"I brought you all out here because…" Roy started. He glanced at the soldiers. He took a moment to count and discovered that he was short two men.

"Has anyone seen Lords Kent and Sain?" Roy asked, forgetting all about the two paladins. As if on cue, two horses appeared at the very far side of the pasture, their white bodies making rapid progress. Atop the horse on the left was a tall man with red hair and a red beard. On the other horse was a muscular man wearing green paladin's armor. He had long green hair that seemed to match the grass in the pasture. His grin was recognizable from miles away. One of the soldiers stepped forward with a puzzled look on his face.

"Dad!? Why are you here?" Lance asked himself as he watched his meddlesome father approach. Lance and Sain were complete opposites: while Sain preferred to flirt with women and recklessly charge into battle, Lance analyzed the situation, but was still "smooth" with the ladies. Sain blamed Kent for his son's seriousness since he spent much time with the longtime friend of his father. Kent's son Alan was also like Kent, but with a fiery passion Sain claimed to have come from him, despite the fact that Alan rarely spent time with him.

As the two approached, Roy waived his hand for them to stop, hoping that they would be listening and not quarreling over something minute like they always had. Rutger sighed as the two finally came to a halt in front of him.

"What's wrong Rutger, having a bad day?" Sain asked, flipping his long green hair behind him.

"Yeah," Rutger replied. "and you just made it worse."

Rutger was a man of few words, but expressed his emotions through his fighting. Like other eastern swordsman, he wielded a single-edged word, made with a strange pale green metal only found in the lands of Sacae. Rutger was not accepted with open arms by Roy's party when he first joined his cause, but was then respected as both a good friend and fighter.

"Oh ho! Sorry to hear that my friend. Hope the day gets better for ya,"

"It will once you stop running your mouth."

Sain sighed and turned towards Roy.

"Master Roy, why exactly have we gathered here today? It's a fine afternoon, and there's a race today. I have five thousand on my servant's horse. Neil does produce great race horses, ya know."

Roy looked at Sain with a serious face, then glanced at the others with the same emotionless face.

" I've gathered you all here today to tell you that we will soon be going to war. According to our spies in Bern, they are preparing for another invasion of Lycia. This cannot stand. Even with the combined power of the United Lycian Army, we will not be able to defeat their new army. According to sources, they have added twelve new regiments of wyvern riders, twenty new cavalry units, and a platoon of mages." Roy said as he glanced into the eyes of each member present.

"Hm," Kent started. "That is quite a formidable force. Those new units alone probably outnumber our current army two to one. Include the rest of their army and we are a sure goner. Requesting help this early is a vain effort. Most of the countries outside of Lycia will not agree to lend aid without a definite sign of invasion."

"I'm afraid you're wrong on that point, Sir Kent," Roy started. "I have requested the assistance of a country with plenty of military might. Enough to maybe counter that of Bern."

Kent looked at Roy with a surprised look on his face.

"Master Roy, where exactly can you get such a large force from? Ostia has signed a treaty to remain neutral unless attack, and besides them, there's not another country on this continent to stop their might." A sly smile appeared across the young Roy's face as Kent finished his sentence.

"You're exactly right Sir Kent, there isn't a military force on this continent to stop Bern from running rampant. That's why the Army of Renais is going to come here and assist us in the fighting."

Dieck scrunched his lip up on one side of his mouth.

"How can you trust an entire army to help us? More importantly, how do you know that the leader of this army isn't allied with Bern? None of us have even heard of this country!" Dieck asked. One thing that Roy had found out about Dieck was that he was a vey cautious person. Roy thought that maybe being a mercenary, he wasn't entirely sure that he had the trust of his clients, and that once his job was over, they may try to force him to join their army or face death. He would have usually fought his way out of the latter. Even after the group had won battles, he would get a group of volunteers to stay behind and check all the houses and buildings to make sure that all resistance was crushed. It was very hard to earn that man's trust.

"Well Dieck, I have been corresponding with King Ephraim for some time now, since the end of the War to be specific, and I believe he is a trustworthy person," Roy started. "He lead a band of four soldiers, including him, into the heart of a military powerhouse like Bern and took one of their key forts, so I have confidence in his leadership skills. He has to be trustworthy if only three other men traveled with him to take the fort, am I right?"

"So? Military accomplishments mean nothing. We have never met this 'King Ephraim' or heard of his miraculous capture. What if he helps defeat Bern, then turns against everyone else and take over the whole continent in Renais' name?" Rutger asked, his face stolid.

"Why can't anyone just trust Master Roy instead of criticizing his decisions?" A voice said. The group turned towards what seemed to be a talking patch of grass. Rising from the tall grass was the beautiful young woman with her shiny black hair tied into a ponytail. Fir rose from the ground, brushing the grass off of her outfit.

"I think he's making sense! If there is a chance to defeat Bern with another army larger that ours, why not take the chance? Besides Bern knows how we fight. This new army may have different tactics not yet seen here in Elibe, tactics that could easily overcome Bern's infamous wyvern riders!"

Fir was the daughter of two famous fighters. Bartre still served as one of Eliwood's most trusted guards, while her mother Karla passes when she was young. Her uncle Karel was a wandering swordsman that fought alongside Roy in the war, but soon left after the final battle. Fir returned to Lycia with Roy and company and rose up in the ranks. Due to her distinct fighting style, similar to Rutger's, she asked to start a separate branch from the main sword-wielding infantry branch. This was a covert ops sector, trained in killing strikes, learning the vital points on humans, wyverns and horses alike. They carried a special single-edged sword made of silver, extremely sharp and given a special coat of paint that did not reflect light. They were also trained in the art of the short bow and arrows, carried as long distance weapons.

Roy sighed as Fir got out her say. Ever since she had joined his group back during the War, she had been what seemed to be more than loyal to him, and he almost felt the same way back. She had been a great friend during the war, and when she decided to travel back with him, he was delighted. They continued to talk through letters since she had joined the army and he was at the palace, still taking care of his father. There was a period of three months when Fir stopped writing Roy; her close friend Noah was killed in a training accident. She went through a low, relying on alcohol to lighten her up, until she woke up sometime the next day feeling like crap. She one day decided to get over his death and the alcohol and returned to the army. Even though her bubbly personality is well known, Roy sometimes saw it as a façade, covering up the uncontrollable emotions of a seemingly young girl.

"I agree with Lady Fir," Alan piped. "We must give King Ephraim a chance. If push comes to shove, we will defeat him and his army, simple as that." Roy nodded his head.

"I think Alan is right. That's our best option if everything goes sour. But I'm ninety nine percent sure that Ephraim is a reliable person. Besides, I'd rather die fighting Bern than to be taken as a prisoner. Am I right?" The group nodded and a small smile appeared across the face of Lance.

"It would be an honor dying under your command, Master Roy!" he said.

"Sure would!" Sain said. "After all, they do say 'like father like son'. I followed your father's commands 'til near death and I will again lend my strength for you!"

Soon, a swell of nationalism occurred amongst the group each raising their fists in the air. After more chatter, Roy finally let out a burst of excitement, an emotion that had been suppressed since the days of the War.

"All for Lycia! All for Lycia!" Their hands were raised forming a close bond, like those soldiers to their country.

Forde dashed into the throne room of the Renais castle. In his hands was a large canvas, a freshly painted portrait finished the night before.

"Lord Ephraim! Lord Ephraim! Look at what I painted!" The excited artist exclaimed. After defeating Grado and Prince Lyon, Forde had taken up his passion for the arts as his new career, abandoning the ways of fighting in favor of a more "civilized" duty. He was appointed court artist after Ephraim found him in his quarters painting a portrait instead of at the daily knightly routines. His artistic abilities surprised even Ephraim, who though of his as a lazy scoundrel throughout his military service.

The smitten Forde stopped short of the throne, seeing that Ephraim was busy reading some papers. He glanced up at his friend and smiled.

"What brings you here, Forde? Another painting?" The king asked with a slightly playful tone. Forde scurried closer to the King, his friend, and revolved the painting towards the king.

"It's my latest and best work yet!"

Ephraim was surprised to see a portrait of him and his sister in the royal hall just outside the throne room. The painting was disgustingly detailed, from the gentle curves and shading of Ephraim's armor, to the ornate headdress worn by his sister Eirika, the Queen, it was truly a work of art.

"Why Forde, that's simply amazing! In fact, I want it to be the royal portrait of my sister and me. I think it would go beautifully with the portraits of the kings and queens before, don't you think?" Forde agreed with Ephraim, a huge smile on his face.

"Wow! That's quite an honor! I must record this in my logs!" As Forde proceeded out the door, Ephraim called him back into the throne room.

"Forde," he said, his tone changing to a serious one, the voice that sounded eerily familiar to the voice of Commander Ephraim of two years past. "I have something to ask of you," Forde turned around, his smile gone but his happy emotion still apparent.

"What is it, M'lord?" Forde asked. Ephraim sighed.

"A country on the continent of Elibe has requested our help in an upcoming conflict. I have made the decision to aid them in their war, provided that we receive goods upon victory, among other things. I would like to ask you a favor. Is it possible that you be the Supreme Commander of the Cavalry? Will you answer this call to service Forde?"

Forde looked dead into the eyes of his friend, his King. He dropped to one knee.

"I, Forde of Renais, accept this call to action. I…"

"Please Forde, must you make everything so dramatic? I was really just looking for a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer, but I do believe that works too. You are dismissed,"

With that, Forde scrambled out the room, leaving the painting in the middle of the long, ornate rug that ran from the throne to the exit fifty meters away. Ephraim put a hand to his face, sighing. He rustled his hair, clinching the light blue locks.

"What are we up against?" he murmured to nobody in particular.

"What have I gotten us into? I have a bad feeling about this,"

That's the end of Chapter I! Read and be sure to leave some comments/suggestions! Thanks and enjoy! ~Ephraimoyo