So, I just realized I'm fricken retarded and I totally skipped the chapter where we meet Maribelle and Ricken... So... Um... If you guys could do me a favour and maybe... Forgive me? I'm thinking, I can cover my butt if they just join up after the attempt on Emmeryn's life okay? Please, please, PLEASE do not hate me X(

Also, some of the stuff in this chapter, especially the stuff between Sane and the bandit, might seem like it has absolutely nothing to do with anything. But, I promise it will later. Now, without further ado, it's showtime!

The most important decision we can ever make is whether we decide the best course of action is to take life, or to give it. Life is a precious thing, for we have only one and it can vanish quicker than anything else in this world. To make the decision to take a life is the hardest thing anyone can do, and the decision to spare it is the most beautiful.

"I... Can't..."

Standing before me was a man seemingly ready to die. His comrades lay scattered on the ground before him, having been killed by myself and a merchant woman, whom I assumed was Anna. They had been attacking the woman when I intervened, after having gone into the woods to pull myself together after having accidentally walking into a shop specializing in a more 'sensual' line of products. Because of my intervention I was also targeted by the brigands and engaged in combat with them. When the fighting died down, it was me and a lone brigand. He had thrown down his axe, and walked calmly to me, as if I were a friend on the battlefield. There was no fear in this mans eyes, only a sharp coldness.

"Why can you not kill me? My comrades you slew without prejudice, will you not give me the same right?"

He was close enough to me our noses were touching.

"Same right? Are you mad? You would so willingly seek death?"

"Would you so willingly give it?"

He stared me for the longest time before returning to his axe and picking it up. He walked away from me then, towards the woods. He stopped at the tree line and turned back to face me and speak.

"You're surely able to kill, and killing speaks a powerful message. But could you spare one whom you know death to be the only solution and speak one with yet even more power?"

The man finished walking into the thick line of trees and I could see him no more. I was left with a strange feeling, as if I was experiencing things years after they had happened. I was so distracted that I hadn't realized Anna was speaking to me.

"Hm? Oh, I'm sorry milady? Were you saying something?"

'Wait, milady? Am I Frederick?'

"I was saying, I suppose I owe you something for saving my life. I've got some interesting wares, I'd be happy to offer you a discount if you'd like."

"Wares huh? Pray tell me then, would you happen to be Anna, the Secret Seller?"

She smiled.

"Oh? So you've heard of me."

She motioned to a chest that was laying on the ground.

'And I failed to notice that how? Man, people aren't sugar coating it when they compliment me on my observation skills.'

"Take a look through there, tell me if you see anything good."

She kicked the lid, and it sprang open. Inside I saw a multitude of weapons and items. The thing that I noticed the most was a dusty tome wedged against the side of the chest.

'Oh..?'

I pulled it out and looked at the cover. It was dusty and cracked, emblazoned with what appeared to be a Nordic hammer and surrounded by lightning.

'Is this..?'

"Ah, Mjölnir, a fine choice. Many people have offered to buy it, and many have been refused. Mjölnir is a special tome you see, some say that it was written long ago by a God to the Gods. Not many are worthy of such a power."

She took the tome from me.

"I'm afraid Sane, this little gem is still a bit much for you."

I looked at her in shock.

"How do you know me?"

Anna smiled.

"A merchant never reveals her secrets. Now, I have a few things you might like almost as much as Mjölnir."

She gently placed the tome back in the chest and dug around. She seemed to take an awfully long time digging through an awfully small chest.

'What is that? Marry Poppins' bag?'

"Hm... I just saw it... HERE!"

She excitedly pulled another ancient looking tome.

"This is Micah's Pyre. An ancient fire spell used long ago by... Well, Micah obviously. I think you might like this or,"

More rummaging through the chest.

"This one likes to slip into the bottom, just give me a bit and I'll find it."

She pulled various weapons out of the chest. Some were strikingly familiar, such as the Glass Sword, Orsin's Hatchet, Gae Blog, Mercurius, and Leif's Blade.

"Found it!"

She pulled out a sword with a wavy blade that loosely resembled a lightning bolt.

"Levin Sword, perfect for people who show more skill with magic, such as yourself, but still wield swords."

'Hm... That would be nice to have I suppose.'

"How much do you want for it?"

"And this here!"

Anna totally ignored me and pointed to more things.

"Orsin's Hatchet. You don't have to have much axe experience to use this bad boy, and it's more powerful than a throwing axe."

"Okay, but I'll need to know how much you want for them."

"This here is another nice addition! Leif's Blade, said to be used by the ancient lord... Well, Leif obviously, just like Micah's Pyre was used by Micah."

I sighed.

"Anna, how much is all this?"

She paused and looked at me with a deer in the headlights expression.

"Much? Like money? Oh heavens no, I'm giving you this."

'Wha? Give..?'

"You said you'd give me a discount, I didn't know you meant free!"

Anna chuckled.

"Isn't free the best discount? Besides, this isn't REALLY free, I'll find a way for you to pay me back later."

I frowned.

"So, I'm in your debt then?"

"Sure, think of it that way!"

Anna disappeared before I could say anything else, leaving me alone in the woods with the stuff. I carried it back to Ylisstol and put it with the convoy, seeing as there was no point in me having it on my person. I did decide to keep Micah's Pyre with me, and my Thunder tome so I could give that to Lissa or Miriel next time I saw them.

There still seemed to be plenty of time in the day, and I was starting to feel hungry so I decided it was about time to check out the local pub. Opening the heavy wooden door and stepping into the dim building, I was greeted by the scent of strong alcohol and grilled meat.

'Huh... Almost reminds me of that campfire I went to when I was a kid, except there's a little more alcohol.'

I felt intimidated stepping into the pub, there were quite a few people, and most were busy flitting from table to table.

"Welcome to the Drunken Duck! You wanna bar seat or a table?"

I was greeted by a scruffy man in a wrinkled shirt. He looked like your stereotypical pub owner, poor teeth, squinty eyes and a limp.

"Uh... Bar I guess."

'I'm at a pub, might as well sit at the bar.'

He led me through the pub and up to a long counter. I wasn't able to make it to the counter however, because I was grabbed by a strong arm and practically flung into a chair at a table along the way.

"Aaah!"

"Sane, you're not gonna pass up the opportunity to sit with Ol' Teach, are ya?"

It was none other than no one's favourite Shepherd, Vaike.

"Oh... Hi thar."

The pub keeper glared at me and rolled his eyes.

"If you wanted a table, you should've said table."

Sitting at the table with Vaike was Stahl and Sully. I never would've pegged Stahl as the guy to be in a pub, but I should've learned by this point to not to assume things.

"Sane, you're just in time! We've already ordered drinks, you can have the fourth one."

'Fourth one? But there's only three...'

"Why would you guys get four drinks if only three of you are here?"

Sully laughed

"That way when I out drink this woman," She jerked her thumb at Vaike. "I'll have another one ready to go. But don't worry; you're almost enough of a badass to have my drink."

"Ooh, almost enough of a badass. I feel honoured."

Vaike snickered.

"Sane badass? Is that like, 'Lissa polite'?"

I glared at him.

"I am too badass! I'll have you know, I've answered the door when I was home alone before."

The three of them looked at me for the briefest of moments before we simultaneously broke out into laughter.

"Oh nice Sane, I'm glad Stahl isn't the only one with a sense of humour at this table."

An attractive waitress brought out four pints of some drink and set them down at the table. Sully, Stahl, and Vaike picked them up and looked at me expectantly.

"Well, c'mon Sane," Vaike urged. "You gotta take the 'First Drink' with us."

He said first drink as if it was some revered privilege and I looked at the drink. The liquid inside was a rusty yellow, not something I'd drink any other day of the week.

"What exactly is this anyway? Beer?"

Sully shook her head.

"It's the pubs special mead. It's good, drink it up."

I suddenly wasn't too sure coming to a pub was the best idea.

"Guys… I have a slight confession to make."

They looked at me funny.

"I'm… I'm too young to drink."

Sully reached across the table and placed a hand on my arm.

"Sane, go find your balls. They're probably at the bottom of that cup so drink up."

Vaike laughed.

"Oh, Sane… What happened to you being a badass?"

I frowned and crossed my arms across my chest.

"What? I can't drink if I'm not old enough."

"Are you afraid you're mom's gonna crap herself out of thin air and whup you one if you drink or something? And what do you mean 'not old enough'? What are you, twelve?"

'I probably look it, don't I?'

"Yes. I'm twelve years old."

They looked at me. Stahl rolled his eyes, and Sully silently snickered. Vaike however, seemed genuinely surprised.

"Wait, you're twelve years old? And you swing swords and cast magic?"

'Intelligence level: Hercules.'

"No Vaike, I'm seventeen. Gods, I was being sarcastic."

"How was I supposed to know?"

"What the hell twelve year old walks into a pub?"

"One that casts magic obviously!"

"Because twelve year olds usually cast magic?"

"Just shut up and drink!"

I stared at the cup. I've drank before obviously, what seventeen year old hasn't? But I've never drank mead, and the only drinks I've ever had were half-glasses of wine on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

'Well, there was that one time my dad let me have a sip of Bacardi and I nearly tagged the walls, but I don't think that's the kind of stories you talk about with people who can use it against you.'

I sniffed the drink. It smelled of old socks. And bitter. A lot of bitter.

"Next round's on you Vaike." I told him, and then drank.

While the others seemed to chug their drinks and enjoy them, I did not enjoy mine. It tasted God-awful. It was warm, bitter, sour and a whole bunch of other flavours that shouldn't be mixed together. I tried to take it, to make them think I was worthy to sit at the table and drink with them, but I couldn't stop myself from making a face and gagging.

"Ha! Sane's a rookie!" Vaike cheered.

I was sorely tempted to give him the bird, but I couldn't be sure if the gesture was as universal as it was back home. Knowing my luck, it would be interpreted very literally, and I wasn't looking for that kind of relationship with Vaike.

"I've never drank before. Except special holidays with family, and it was only half a glass of wine."

"We're going to have to fix that, Ol' Teach can help you no problem."

"Vaike. I don't need to learn to drink. I need something to drink that doesn't taste like a horses arse."

He chuckled and waived over one of the waitresses.

"Hey, something fruity for my girl here yeah? She's not ready to run with the big dogs yet."

The waitress winked and smiled at Vaike before heading back towards the bar. I kicked Vaike in the shin under the table, earning a very satisfying 'Ow!' from him.

"Geez, you need to lighten up. If you're so young, why don't you have a sense of humor?"

"I do have a sense of humor."

"Yeah, prove it. Say something funny."

"Something funny."

"Smartass."

I could tell Stahl and Sully were enjoying our exchange, possibly taking bets on who was going to hit who.

"Just kiss and get it over with!" Sully suggested.

Vaike and I both blushed and tried to glare at her.

"I most certainly do not want to kiss Sane!"

"I most certainly do not want to kiss Vaike!"

The two cavaliers laughed.

"Don't take it personally Sane," Stahl offered apologetically. "This is how we talk to people who drink with us. If we can't make fun of each other over drinks, what kind of friends could we be?"

"Yeah Sane. Speaking of friends, you got yourself a man?"

Sully folded her hands on the table and looked at me with a sly smile.

"I mean, you seem to have no problem talking to guys… You getting practice somewhere?"

I looked down at the table with a blush.

"No."

From the corner of my eye I could see Stahl raise an eyebrow.

"Really? Girly girl like you and you don't have a boyfriend, husband, stress reliever if you will?"

Sully seemed absolutely baffled by this turn of events.

"Why don't you have one?"

I shrugged.

"I don't know. Guys don't like me. I'm too short and I weigh too much."

"Eh, nuts to them then. Guys' just slow you down."

The waitress brought the drink over to the table.

"Here you go," She said cheerfully. "Apple ale, house favourite, sure to please any palate with no bitter alcohol after taste."

She set it down and walked away. It was served in the same type of glass that held the mead before.

'I wonder if she washed the glass or just rinsed it out with something. I'd hate to have mead in my ale.'

I took a cautious swing of the drink and smiled.

"This isn't half bad."

Another drink, longer than the first.

"Actually, this is really good!"

Vaike smiled.

"There ya go. I had a feeling you'd go for fruity. I mean, you being a fruit basket yourself anyway."

"Oh hardy har har Vaike… Do you have anything original or do you just copy other people's jokes?"

I felt my stomach rumble and looked around the pub.

"They serve food here, right?"

Stahl nodded.

"They cut their pies the right way too. You should try one. I like the squirrel pies the best, they don't have much meat in them, but the dough is nice and flaky and the meat is tender. Wanna split one with me?"

"Sure, I don't see why not. I've never had squirrel pie before."

We all ordered various food, enough that not only was my inner fat kid happy, but my inner food vulture was as well. As we ate we talked and laughed, and I was given more alcohol. It totally slipped my mind that since we were back in Ylisstol we were supposed to have this huge fight later in the castle. But I was having a good time, and the alcohol lived up to its name of getting people pleasantly drunk.

'I feel all buzzy… I hope I don't fall down when I try to stand up.'

"Sane, is there anyone you like?" Stahl asked me as dinner was wrapping up.

"Um… I dunno."

"Oh c'mon, there has to be someone you like?"

I shrugged.

"Yeah Sane, I'm curious too. You're the only girl I've met, besides me of course, who isn't all hot for some guy."

"Maybe she's got a special lady friend."

'Milla Jovovich.'

"Don't be silly Vaike, Sane isn't about that life. I think she like's Frederick."

I glared at Stahl.

"What makes you say that?"

"You don't mind training with him. Dude's harsh, no way you'd willingly train with him unless you like him."

"… I don't loik olllder goize…"

"Dyah, Sane's drunk!" (A/N: I just have to say, if this were a reaction video on YouTube, that would've been written in wiggly font with a xD tacked on the end of it. Oh, and it would've been all caps too.)

"I'm not durnk… Drunk… I'm speaking with an accent. Oi don't loik older guyz."

"Sane's drunk."

"Shut up Vaike!"

Sully spoke.

"Both of you shut up before I introduce my boot to your arse. Sane, why don't you like older guys?"

"Because they're older than me… And I'm seventeen?"

"Do you come from some mystical realm where if you're seventeen you're some ignorant child who can't make life decisions?"

'Wow… Hit the nail on the head.'

"Look, I'm not gonna date some guy old enough to be my dad. That's why I don't 'like' Frederick."

The three of them looked at me like I was crazy.

'Or maybe they think I'm only slightly sane..?'

The three of them began chuckling.

"Sane," Sully began after a while. "How old do you think Frederick is?"

"Old enough to be my dad obviously…"

Stahl facepalmed.

"He's only four years older than Chrom."

I cocked my head to the side.

"Hows old is he?"

'Stop slurring your words dammit!'

"He's only twenty-two."

'Oh Gods… He's a Taylor Swift song!'

"Huh…"

"So you think Frederick gave birth to you when he was ten years old?"

"Wait,"

'I drink and Stahl word fails…'

"Frederick gave birth?"

Sully stood up and stretched.

"Well, we're all slightly drunk. Let's head back to the castle and get some shut eye."

Hope you folks enjoyed the suspense, now to get on with the story yeah? Not much to say, I'd just like to say thank you to all my supporters as well as LeonPianta and Himeno Kazehito for being part of the frequent reviewers club! *Passes out imaginary biscuits* Oh, the first little bit in italics isn't Sane thinking or anything, it's just some random... Blurb I guess. It sounded really good, and it was well past midnight when I was typing this.