First chapter, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous :) Again, this is me writing in first person, something I'm not used to doing. Please be kind with your reviews, yeah? The first three chapters originally had my thoughts italicized, but when I copied and pasted to the document manager the formatting was lost and I was too lazy to fix it. So for the first three chapters, 'Whenever I'm thinking it will be signaled by the single quotation.'

"Chrom, we have to do something!"

"Well what do you suppose we do?"

'Those voices... Is Lemeni playing Fire Emblem? She better not have saved over my file... Abby was lucky I didn't violate her, I don't think I'll be able to resist sparing Lemeni.'

"Perhaps she is a traveler? Her robes are quite unlike anything from Ylisse."

'Wait, that line wasn't in the game? Was it?'

I open my eyes, expecting to be staring up at my ceiling decorated with yuri and a risquely drawn Coco Bandicoot, but instead am looking at three figures I've spent over 160 hours sending into battle after battle.

"Ah, you're awake."

I couldn't believe my eyes. I was dreaming, had to be... Right?

"Am I awake? I don't quite feel like it..."

Chrom chuckled at held out his hand. I knew why he did, to help me up of course.

'Geez, I've played Fire Emblem enough I'm dreaming about it. Next thing I know Chrom and Frederick are gonna strip and go at it.'

I accept the hand offered to me and am pulled to my feet.

"There are better places to take a nap than a field you know."

'Hm... The dialogue seems off... Guess I haven't played enough to have it memorized.'

"I don't know, some of my best naps were in a field. This one was pretty good until you lot woke me up."

Frederick narrowed his eyes.

'Oh, is he upset with me?'

"Would milady perhaps tell us her name?"

'That's not right, that much I do know. Chrom's supposed to say something, then I'll thank him by name, then there's supposed to be this whole big deal about how I know Chrom's name but not my own.'

"My name..."

'Hm... First impressions are everything, how should I introduce myself? Eh, I'll think on it and play the amnesia card.'

"I... Don't remember..."

Lissa jumped up.

"Hey, I've heard of this! It's called amnesia!"

Frederick frowned. "It's called a load of horse pucky."

Chrom sighed. "We mustn't be so cynical Frederick, this woman can't remember her name, we needn't be hostile."

'Ha... Time to freak them out.'

"Thank you, Chrom."

The three of them turned to look at me.

"Ah, you know me?"

'What role do I want to play in this dream, hm?'

"I... No, not really... Your name just came to me is all."

Frederick scowled. "Am I to believe you know milords name and not your own?"

Fredericks' words held a harsh edge, much harsher than could ever be conveyed with text.

"I- I'm sorry..?"

'Gosh... He's harsh. I don't like it when people are rude in my dreams.'

"Well, we can't very well leave you here. What sort of Shepherds would we be then?"

I couldn't resist playing along.

"You tend sheep? In full armour?"

I can't believe what's happening. I'm dreaming an almost perfect re-creation of Fire Emblem Awakening, and it's one of the most realistic dreams I've ever had. I can smell the air, hear the wind, feel the grass crunching beneath my feet as we go to Southtown. It's exciting. I'm going to get to fight bandits and such.

'I'm going to fight bandits... Can I fight bandits?'

This dream isn't like any other dream I've had before. I have too much control, yet nothing is how I want it. No matter how hard I think it, Lissa's not singing show tunes, Chrom hasn't turned into a cat-man and Frederick isn't well... I'll keep my thoughts on what I want Frederick to do secret. After some time of walking, the scent of smoke begins to fill my nose and Southtown comes into view. I begin to gather my courage. This dream is about to take an aggressive turn, and I'll be damned if I'm not ready for it!

"Sane..." I whispered.

I didn't' think anyone would be able to hear me, but of course it's funny how wrong I can be.

"Beg pardon?" Chrom asked.

I smiled. "My name is Sane."

"Strange name, is it foreign?"

Lissa stopped dead in her tracks. "Chrom, look!"

I didn't need to follow her terrified gaze to know what was happening. Chrom, Frederick and Lissa took off, with me following behind.

"Wait for me, I can help!"

Running after them took more out of me than I expected. I've never been winded in a dream before, even when I was fleeing from zombies and an inebriated Freddy Krueger.

"Sane?" Chrom seemed confused by my following him.

"I have a sword... And tome! Towns don't suddenly burst into flames by themselves, this is the work of bandits."

He nodded. "You're right, and if you can fight we'll gladly have you."

When we reached the town centre, I was caught off guard by the number of bandits.

'This is not Normal mode, that's for sure.'

"Time to make these brigands pay!"

'Is this bloke really going to rush into danger?'

I grab Chroms' arm to stop him from getting himself killed.

"Wait, we can't just rush into danger. Follow my lead."

I quickly look at our enemies.

'Four Fighters, three Myrmidons and four Mages. No doubt there's more up by the boss.'

"Four of our enemies are wielding axes. Chrom and I should focus on them. Frederick, with your lance you'd be at a disadvantage against the axes so I need you to avoid them and if any Myrmidons get too close, attack them. I'll also need you to watch out for the Mages. Great Knights aren't exactly known for their ability to resist magical attacks. Lissa, stay close to Frederick, I'll bet good money he'll be able to kill anything that gets too close to you. Now, let's try to stay side by side, yeah? If we're close by, we could easily protect each other."

Chrom, Lissa and Frederick looked at me like I was crazy.

"What? I know stuff..."

'My Gods, I feel so uncomfortable...'

"Look, I'll explain when we don't have bandits wanting to fillet us."

The bandits started to rush us, and not in an orderly fashion either. I felt my heart begin to race.

'This isn't right... Something's off...'

"Brace yourselves!" Chrom called out beside me.

The Barbarians came first, hulking walls of muscle and aggression that were determined to end us. I gripped my sword. It felt so strange and heavy in my hands.

'Why... Is this strange? I always use swords... I... Why dammit? This is my dream!'

I was so caught up in my confusion I didn't realize a Barbarian bringing it's axe down on me until the last second. I lifted my sword to defend myself and was nearly knocked on my ass by the force of the blow.

"Gah!"

The strike, though I was able to successfully parry it, reverberated through mt entire body and left me with a feeling of numbness. I twisted the sword, maneuvering it around the axe in my enemy's hand and against all odds struck him in the throat. He made a sickening gurgle as he slumped forward, his twitching body coming ever closer to me as he stained my sword with his blood. I tried to yank the sword out of his body and managed to knock myself over with the barbarian landing on top of me. I could feel warm and sticky blood flowing from him and drenching the clothes I was wearing. I panicked and shrieked. I was too scared to think about how much like a dying animal I must've sounded like. All I could think about was the body on top of me, crushing me with its dead weight.

"Sane!"

Chrom was at my side in an instant, yanking the barbarian off me.

"Are you hurt?"

I shook my head furiously. The stench of the blood was making me nauseous, any second I was bound to lose my lunch. If I had any lunch to lose anyway.

"If you can't fight, you'd be better off on the sidelines. I don't need you getting yourself killed."

Chrom was harsh with his words, but I wasn't hurt by them. I knew his harshness came from concern.

"I... I can fight, I swear... I'm just rusty is all."

The Mages and Myrmidons were closing in on us.

'Dammit, dream or not, I can't be weak!'

I clutched the tome I carried.

'Okay, I'm not strong. I'll never be, but am I magical? I mean... Magic is all about... Hope and spirit right?'

"Milord, the two of us will be unable to stop all these brigands by ourselves."

The tome in my hands was feather light and easy to grasp.

'I always enjoyed a good book...'

Opening the tome, I saw hundreds of letters. Letters that were strangely familiar despite their foreign shape.

'Well Sane... If Everything's Magic, so are you.'

I looked at the closest foe, a Myrmidon running towards us with a manic look in his eyes. A warm buzz spread through me, starting in one hand and ending in the other. I narrowed my eyes at the Myrmidon, as if he personally had done some great evil to me.

I stepped forward.

"Sane, get back!" Chrom yelled.

But I didn't listen to him. "Here's how it's done!"

It was something I've seen countless times, and I copied it perfectly: Step, spin, throw invisible frisbee.

'Imma feel stupid if this fails...'

But it didn't fail.

From my hands shot a bolt of lightning, striking the Myrmidon dead.

'Critical strike!'

"Woah..."

I heard from behind me. The other two Myrmidons stopped. They'd be within range of me long before I'd be close enough to them.

"C'mon, don't chicken out!" I taunted.

Chrom moved up beside me.

"If you can get the Mages, Frederick and I can rush the Myrmidons."

I looked uneasily at him.

"I... Maybe I can't fight. But I'll try."

Lissa tapped me on the shoulder with her staff.

"Hey, I might not be a fighter like Chrom or Frederick, but I can heal any wound easy with my trusty staff."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll try to avoid what I can."

Chrom looked at me with concern.

"You against four Mages? Not to mention there's two barbarians hiding somewhere."

'Don't remind me.'

"I'll strike them down before they get me."

Even though I was putting on a brave face, I was terrified. I've never killed before, not in real life, not in a dream.

'Something tells me this isn't a dream. I think there's some crazy stuff going on here.'

"Let's go." Chrom said confidently.

He and Frederick charged forward, me following slightly behind. As the two of them traded blows with the Myrmidons, I ran past to battle the Mages. The Barbarians popped out of hiding and tried to get me. It was terrifying, but they were slow and I was able to avoid them somehow. I stood before the Mages.

"Big mistake taking us on." One said. "We're gonna give you a one-way ticket to Grima!"

I sneered at them. "You and your deity can shove it!"

'Here we go... Step, spin, frisbee...'

My attack hit one of the mages and sent him flying. The other three all launched their Wind spells at the same time. I lept out of the way, but didn't see the fourth Mage climb to his feet and launch a spell my way. I felt it tear into my back, ripping clothes and skin. Tears came to my eyes and I cried out in pain.

"What's the matter? Little girl not ready for a big fight huh? Why don't you come here and I'll make it all better."

The other Mages laughed.

"We'll all make it better." Another said.

"I'm sure you'd like it." Said the third.

It was foul, and degrading the things they were saying. But it was their undoing. Their words filled me with rage, drowning out the pain I felt from the wound inflicted on me. Something strange happened then. Instead of my rage making me reckless, it brought clarity to me.

'Mages have low defense and hit points. Thunder is inherently stronger than Wind. I'm close enough to them I can hit them with a tome then... Run up, slash 'em with my sword!'

I clenched my fists and set my plan into action.

"Hy-yah!"

I struck one of the Mages and ran over to him while he was recovering. He had no way to defend himself against my attack and screamed as my sword sliced him from chest to nose. I didn't dwell on what I did. I moved on to the next Mage and did the same to him. The next two Mages caught on to my strategy and staggered their spells so I was constantly dodging. It quickly tired me out however, and I resorted to using my sword to block the spells. Each impact staggered me and sent a wave of pain through me. I could tell my arms were cut, and judging from the burning my face must've been as well.

'I can't take any more of this, I have to retreat!'

One Mage paused momentarily, his tome having slipped from his hand. For a brief second there were no spells coming my way.

'Fight or flight...'

I wouldn't have enough time to attack before one or both of the Mages hit me, but if I ran my back would be exposed.

"Frederick! Help me!" I yelled.

I heard the sound of thundering hooves, and not a moment too soon. Frederick swept me onto the back of his horse and charged the Mages. They scattered to avoid being trampled by the huge wall of armoured horse and Knight coming at them. I cast Thunder and struck a Mage, who crumpled to the ground and did not get up.

"A vulnerary would be lovely right about now..."

Frederick brought me over to Lissa and carefully lifted me off the horse.

"Let Lissa take care of you, milord and I shall handle the rest of the brigands."

"Wait Frederick, by the clock tower, there's the brigand leader. Don't face him without me."

Frederick nodded. "I'll tell milord you wish to be there."

I glared at him. "I know what will happen if I'm not there Sir Frederick. Strength in numbers remember?"

As we spoke Lissa was quickly working to heal me, touching the staff she carried to my various wounds and muttering strange words.

"Almost done." She said soothingly. "Staff can't do anything about fatigue, but at least these nasty cuts and your broken pinky are better."

'I'm sorry... Did she just say..?'

"I broke my pinky?"

Lissa nodded. "I'm surprised you didn't notice. Guess you got caught up in the battle, huh?"

I nodded shakily. "Yeah..."

'This is unreal. I'm not freaking dreaming. This is all real!'

"Oh Gods... I'm going to be sick!"

I cradled my head in my hands briefly, then looked up in determination.

'Damn, I can cry later. Now I need to survive this day.'

"The brigand leader is by the clock tower. Let's go."

I led them to the tower, picking up Chrom along the way.

"What do you propose we do Sane?"

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.

"Their leader has a hand axe, so it's not like we can send just me to fight me like we could if it was just some sword-carrying Myrmidon. He'll be able to strike from a distance, and no offense: I don't want to play an impromptu game of dodge axe."

Surprisingly, that got a chuckle from Chrom.

"And playing dodge spell is better?"

I had to think before responding.

"Well... Getting hit by those other spells was like... Getting tangled up in some brambles or clawed by a house cat."

I frowned. "Except there was a lot more blood and pain."

'Henry would get a kick outta that story.'

"Are you going to be able to continue the battle milady?"

I scanned the brigands that were left. Two Barbarians and two Myrmidons.

'Chrom and I could handle the Barbarians, him and Frederick will take the Myrmidons so I can rest, then I'll join both Chrom and Frederick to take down the leader.'

"I have a strategy. Chrom and I will take care of the Barbarians, they're usually pretty slow which is good. I should be able to take out one if Chrom's backing me up."

He nodded. "You have my blade."

"I don't think I'll have the energy to fight the Myrmidons after that so Frederick, I'll need you and Chrom to handle them."

Frederick nodded.

"Lissa, I'll need you to heal up any wounds we might've sustained, alright?"

Lissa nodded. "Leave it to me, I'll keep you in fighting shape!"

Chrom turned to me.

"Sane, you've fought by our side and that makes you an ally. You might have lost your memory, but you've fought to save Ylissean lives today."

I smiled, just like I did on my first play through when Chrom praised my Avatar.

"Thank you, now lets finish off these brigands!"

When Abby saved over my file, I had almost 20 hours put into it. I didn't actually violate her, but I did tell her if she saved over my file again I would tear off her arm and force feed it to her. (But, if she had saved over the file with 90+ hours I would've been fine.) I do in fact dream of inebreiated Freddy Krueger's from time to time. Everything's Magic is a song by Angels and Airwaves. Go listen to it, it is amazing.