This chapter's just exposition. If you're only interested in reading fight scenes, you're out of luck. That said, I do hope to please with this chapter, and by doing supports, I aim to bring you closer to the characters that would otherwise just fall by the wayside as they do in every Fire Emblem game to date.

Also, please please please review. I'm honestly happy if people even just read this thing, but I'll be happier still to get some constructive feedback on it.


Intermission: Safe, but not Sound

"What do you mean "they escaped"?" It was, understandably, quite the task to even deliver news to Emperor Renai, much less news of failure. Even so, General Eleanor, stood as she was beside her equals in rank (the five together were Reon's highest-ranking generals, known as the Five Champions, though only four were present), did not so much as flinch when her words were repeated back to her.

"No one found any trace of the king's children after we took the palace, Your Majesty. Furthermore, we discovered the squadron guarding the passage out of the castle to the Zeitune Forest, all of them dead. I believe it was the prince's work."

"If you believe they are still at large, Eleanor, why have you returned?"

"By now, I suspect they have found refuge – most likely, they went to Ilan."

"So what you're telling me… is that you were outwitted by those mere children? Or do you believe they had assistance?" He paused, realising that another of the generals present was laughing softly to himself. "Do you have something to say, Vallis?"

"Oh, I doubt they had assistance, sir," replied the still-smirking general. "It's quite obvious that the blame for this failure rests entirely on the incompetence of the commanding general!"

Eleanor wasn't one to rise to a comment like that, and this time would be no different. She didn't have to, anyway; the response came from elsewhere.

"And you're suggesting that you would have done a better job, Vallis?"

Vallis scowled. "This doesn't concern you, David."

"What concerns me," replied the older man, the emphasis obvious to everyone present, "is that one of the most influential military commanders of my country and, as such, one of the people I have to rely on as a comrade, couldn't care less about anyone but himself!"

"Because of course, it's much better to cause conflict everywhere you go just because someone insulted your girlfriend!"

"Enough!" It was only a single word, but it did the job. When the Emperor said something, you listened. "Watching you squabbling like children… It's little wonder the Parolteans escaped."

"Your Majesty." Eleanor decided it would be a good idea to get the conversation back on track. "Our spies are out searching for them now. Once they're found, I would like to volunteer to lead the brigade sent to capture them."

"On what grounds do you think that would be a good idea?" The tone was not mocking, as the voice did not belong to Vallis, but rather to Altow, the one who had not yet spoken.

"The soldiers currently occupying Parolt do so under my direction. I think it would be easier on them if I remained in command."

"You make a valid point, Eleanor," came the Emperor's voice. "Very well." It was all the female general could do to avoid making an audible sigh of relief. "However…" She froze. "Due to the less than favourable outcome of your most recent assignment, you will not do this alone."

"You would give her a handler?" laughed Vallis. "What a marvellous idea, sir. But do you really think anyone would be able to make up for her shortcomings to bring success?"

"Seeing as you'll be that 'handler', Vallis, I sincerely hope so."

The smirk vanished instantly from Vallis' face. "Me, Your Majesty?"

"You appear to be the most concerned that this mission with fail. So, yes, you."

Vallis wanted to argue, but trying to do so against his Emperor would be futile. He resigned himself to a simple, "Yes, sir."

"Once the two of you learn the whereabouts of the children, Tybran will assist you in devising a strategy to capture them." Eleanor nearly groaned – Tybran was the Emperor's personal tactician, a man whose company she enjoyed almost as little as Vallis'. "Until then… you are dismissed."

Vallis left almost immediately, no doubt to the training ground to dismember some more of the training dummies. However, the Emperor's voice and gaze were still aimed at Eleanor as she turned to leave. "And Eleanor… Don't fail me again. I need that Fire Emblem."

"Yes, sir. I won't, sir." She curtsied as she once again turned to leave. "By your leave."

"David, Altow," began Emperor Renai, "I have no orders for you at this moment. But do not ease up. Continue to train - both yourselves and the army - as vigorously as always. If this war is going to go beyond the borders of Reon and Parolt, we shall need our men in peak condition."

"As you wish, sir." Both generals had responded simultaneously.

"That will be all then. See that you don't fail me as Eleanor has. Dismissed."

As David left the throne room, he noticed that Eleanor was still there. That was good – he wanted to talk to her before she was forced to set out to Parolt once again.

"Thank you for defending me." Her words were straightforward and to the point.

"You owe me no gratitude, Eleanor. It saddens me that men like Vallis even exist, to say nothing of his abuse of his position. But you didn't stick around just to thank me, did you?"

"I need your advice." David could see that his friend was shaken by her recent failure. "I wouldn't be worried if I were going alone, but I'm not sure how much longer I can put up with Vallis' mockery."

"You needn't worry – he's all bark and no bite. Besides, everyone makes mistakes now and again – don't be too hard on yourself. If you remember that, his words will seem as nothing."

"Thank you. I needed to hear that." Eleanor suddenly realised she was exhausted – she had barely slept in recent days, having been in command of the invasion force. "I should be going," she said, letting out a yawn.

"Very well." Knowing that he probably wouldn't see her again before she set out on her next assignment, he embraced her in a tight hug. "Godspeed, Eleanor," he said as he released her.

"I wish you the same, David."


The remainder of the journey to the border was, thankfully, less eventful than it had been so far. Brandon's village, which everyone had learned was called Laun, was close to the border, Amy wasn't proving to be a handicap to mobility despite her injury and they stuck to less well-known paths to avoid detection. The result was that it had only taken them a few marks to reach Ilan.

Crossing the border helped to calm everyone's nerves. Loren, notably, was initially worried that merely being in a different country made them no less of a target, but was reminded by both Xand and Lily that the Reonian army entering Ilan without permission would be an act of war; something Reon was unlikely to want. Ilan was much larger than Parolt, and had a much stronger military – Reon would want to hold off on an invasion for as long as possible.

Not having to be constantly wary of attack from soldiers meant that the group was able to travel faster than they could when they were in Parolt. Of course, they still kept an eye out for bandits, but fortunately, none attacked. When night fell, they stopped and made camp (they had considered simply continuing throughout the night, but eventually decided that it would benefit everyone, especially Amy, if they stopped to rest), but they continued with the same pace as before when dawn came.

Because Senne, the capital city of Ilan, was so close to the Paroltean border (relatively speaking, that is), it took only a few marks worth of travel before Loren and his army arrived. Once there, they made their way to the palace. Lily had herself been there before, as had Xand and Doran, so they did not have to stop to ask for directions.

As they reached the palace, Amy, Talla and Brandon were marvelling at its huge size. For everyone else, living (or at the very least, working) at a palace was something they were very used to. Castle Senne wasn't too different from Castle Idon at a base level, although it was notably more heavily guarded on account of the country's stronger military.

In fact, as they attempted to enter the palace, they were stopped by the guards. "No one enters without explicit permission from the royal family," said one of them, firmly.

"What!? How dare you treat us like that!" The cries were coming from Marne. "What makes you think that…"

"Be quiet, Marne!" snapped Lily. It is difficult enough attempting to enter as it is. No one will allow us passage if we act like spoiled children.

"Please? I am sure that Prince Treo will understand if we speak to him."

"That's what everybody says, ma'am. It just wouldn't do to let uninvited guests in."

Knowing that no other option was available, and that even this was likely to fail, Lily dropped to her knees.

"I am begging you. We have nowhere else to go. We have fled a war-torn country, and are in dire need of assistance."

Behind her, Lily could hear her travelling companions' reactions to her unexpected action.

"Milady, what are you doing? You should not have to bow down to anyone else!"

"Lily…"

"To think that the princess would do this… It is beyond belief."

Suddenly, they all went quiet. Lily couldn't see why, but Amy had held her hand up in front of everyone to signal them to be quiet.

"Just let her do it," came the tactician's ever-composed voice. To see her doing everything she can to help us… I'm impressed. She allowed a rare smile to form on her usually stoic face.

Judging purely from the expression on the guard's face, it seemed for a moment that Lily's gesture might have gotten through to him. However, any trace of whatever he was feeling vanished just as quickly as it had surfaced. "I am sorry. But I cannot…"

He was cut off before he could finish. "Lily? Is that really you?"

The princess looking up to see a familiar face hovering above her. "Treo!" she gasped.

"What are you doing on the ground?" asked the owner of the new voice. Amy judged that he had several years on Loren, and probably one or two on Lily, as well. He certainly looked more like a noble (or at least, what she imagined one to be) than Loren did. "You weren't about to deny access to my dearest friends now, were you?" Treo's question was directed at the guard who had, until moments ago, been blocking Lily and the others from entering the palace.

Not wanting to contradict his prince, but not wanting to lie either, the guard, instead of answering the question, burst into "I-I apologise, my lord. I had no idea you were acquainted with these people."

"There is no need for an apology," said the prince, a smile on his face. "You were merely doing what you are paid to do." He turned back to Lily. "It's good to see you, Lily." He looked up. "Loren, Marne, likewise. Ray saw you approach the palace. I came to meet you as soon as he told me."

Lily recognised the name. She had met Ray once or twice before. He was a loyal soldier of Ilan, and also Treo's most trusted vassal. Their relationship was similar to Loren and Xand's, although Ray was a powerful general of Ilan in his own right.

"We were attacked," she explained, answering the question that had not yet been asked. "It was Reon." Treo's face held a peculiar expression. Only Amy noticed that it was not surprise, but rather deep thought. "We have been on the run for several days," continued Lily. "We hoped that you would be able to provide us sanctuary, at least until we work out how to take our country back."

"Do you think I'd abandon friends like you?" was the reply. "Of course you may stay here. Come inside – I'll sort you out some rooms."

Amy was no less impressed with the interior of the palace than she was with the one in Idon. Decorations hung everywhere, the entire place gave off an air of grandeur and, unlike in Parolt, where it had been mostly quiet, it was bustling with activity, servants hard at work.

Treo spoke to no fewer than ten people before he returned to the group. "Arrangements are currently being made for rooms," he said. "Once you are shown them, please take the time to relax, clean yourselves up and unwind. Should you need any spare clothes," he noted that some of them had clothes that were torn to rags, covered in blood, and so forth, "we will be happy to provide them."

Apparently, sorting out the rooms so that they were fit for guests was a fast process, because the Parolteans were being shown to them in no time at all. Once everyone except Loren and Lily had a room, Treo said, "Once you have taken the time to relax and make yourselves comfortable, come and find me. There is something I must discuss with you." He was using a markedly more serious tone than before. "If you search for Ray, he will bring you to me. You remember what he looks like, don't you?" The Parolteans responded with a nod. "Good. Bring your advisors if you wish, but try and limit the number of people, okay?"

Loren was the one to respond. "Okay. We'll do that."

"I hope you feel safe here," continued Treo. "As long as you are here, we will protect you."

"You have our undying gratitude," replied Lily.

With that, Treo and one of his servants showed the remaining two members of the Paroltean royal family to their rooms, before leaving to attend to other matters.


A mark or so later, Loren, Lily, Xand and Amy were looking for General Ray. Having stopped to ask one of the servants, they learned that he was out in the central courtyard.

They found the man they were looking for staring towards a large fountain. He was very tall and looked extremely muscular. He was roughly as old and Xand, although his less-rugged looking face did not give that impression. He turned around as he heard people approach. "Princess Lily! Prince Loren! I'm glad to see that you are alright." He turned to the other two. "A pleasure to see you as always as well, Xand. And…" He paused as he looked at the woman before him. "I don't believe we have met, Lady…"

"Amy," she finished. "I'm currently working as Prince Loren's military strategist. He asked me to come along and listen to what you have to say."

"Very well. My name is Ray. I'm a general for the Ilanian army and vassal to Prince Treo." He paused. "Your accent is Phenian, is it not?"

"That's correct. I am not truly a soldier of Parolt, rather, a mercenary hired by the prince."

"A mercenary?" Ray was surprised at that – surely the Paroltean royal family had sufficiently skilled soldiers that the prince would not have to resort to hiring sellswords?

"Believe me, when you see her skill as a tactician, you will understand why I chose to hire her," said Loren.

"I see. Then we are well met, Lady Amy."

"That we are, General."

Ray led the group through the inner recesses of the castle, eventually arriving at a room tucked away where no one would disturb them. After knocking and receiving a "You may enter," from the prince, he opened the door. The room was small compared to others in the castle, containing a round table that Treo was sat at.

"My lord, I brought Prince Loren and Princess Lily as requested," he said. "With them are Xand the prince's aide, as you expected, and Lady Amy, the prince's tactician."

"Thank you Ray," replied the prince. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Amy," he said.

"The pleasure is mine, my lord," she replied.

"I suppose you will be wondering why I have brought you here," began Treo.

"You know something about the attack, don't you?" Treo smirked. This one was sharp. "I noticed that you weren't surprised that we were here," continued the tactician.

He sighed. "Yes. We do know something about the attack. Our spies in Reon have been anticipating it for quite some time."

"You have spies in the Reonian court?" asked Loren, incredulous.

Treo actually laughed out loud at that. "Loren," he said, amused at his friend's naivety, "We have spies in your court. As I'm sure you do in ours. In any case, we recently received some rather disturbing news from them. Supposedly, after the death of his wife, Emperor Renai, well…"

"Went crazy?" offered Loren. One day he'd learn how to avoid being so blunt, but this was not it.

"You could say that. Apparently, ever since, then, he's been raving about reaching the 'Altar of Eternity'."

"What is this altar?" asked Xand.

"I wish we knew. It's not well documented in our libraries. We don't even know exactly where it is. The one thing we do know is that it is somewhere in Parolt. Quite likely, Emperor Renai knows precisely where it is."

"So you're saying," began Loren, "that we were attacked so that Reon might gain control of this altar?"

"That is what we believe," replied Ray. "Renai may have been a pacifist in the past, but it appears his desire clouds his mind. In truth, we knew it was only a matter of time before you were attacked."

"And yet you did nothing?"

"Loren! Calm yourself!" Lily's words calmed her brother, at least a little, but she needed to explain further. "Had you taken action, Reon would have known that you were aware of their plans, correct? If so, your spies would have been in great danger."

"That is correct, princess."

"So what should we do?" asked Loren.

"At present, there's little we can do, sir," replied Amy. "We certainly can't take back the country on our own. We could petition another for aid, but to find one that would support Parolt over Reon would be difficult, if not impossible."

"That is the conclusion that we arrived at, too," added Ray. "For now, there is nothing to do but wait for Reon's next move."

"But you needn't worry," continued Treo. "You will be safe here until that time comes, and you will have our full support when it does."

"You have our gratitude," said Lily. "When you find out anything at all about their plans, please let us know."

"Of course. Now, you look exhausted. Please, be sure to get some rest, all of you."

Loren wanted to protest, to say that there must be something he could do, but part of him was too tired to function properly, and another part of him trusted in the words of Amy and Treo. Eventually, he resigned himself to being patient, and everyone was returned to their rooms.


Over the course of the next several days, everyone was given the chance to relax. Loren, impatient as ever, decided it would be a good idea to spend the time working on his sword skills. Borrowing some wooden training swords, he and Xand headed out of the palace, finding some empty grassland on which to practise. Xand may have been trained primarily as a cavalier, but he was no slouch on his own two feet either, blocking and parrying Loren's repeated attacks. Eventually, however, the prince caught the side of his hand with his sword, knocking the paladin's own sword right out of his hands.

"Very impressive, milord. I've no doubt you will become one of the finest swordsmen I ever have the pleasure of meeting."

"Come on, Xand. We both know that you'd have run circles around me if you had your horse."

"That may be, sire, but your swordsmanship has greatly improved recently nonetheless. I must say, I am very proud of you."

"Thank you, Xand. I honestly don't know what I would do without you."

"I do my best to serve, milord."

"No, I'm being serious. Don't just default to "I do my best, milord", I want you do realise it. Without you, I'd be a poor swordsman, and even worse at politics than I am now."

"Sire… You have my most humble thanks."

"Now, are you ready to go again?" asked Loren, picking the dropped training sword from the ground and throwing it to Xand. "En guarde!"


"Ah, fair maiden! How fare you this fine day?"

Karr watched his companion with no surprise at all. After all, Hammond had flirted with just about every woman he had come across while in the castle. However, Karr decided that he would do this one a service by distracting his friend.

"Hammond!"

"Karr, how good it is to see you! I was just…" The green-haired knight turned around to discover that the maid he had been talking to was already gone. "Oh, well. She must have had something important to attend to. What are you doing here, my friend?"

"I came to tell you to get your head out of the clouds. For the love of the gods, Hammond, you're a knight! You can't be distracted all the time. And you certainly can't go around flirting with every woman you see!"

"Ah, you don't see it, do you, Karr?"

"See what, exactly?"

"As a knight, it is precisely my duty to ensure that these fair ladies are made aware of their overwhelming beauty. It would not do allow them to go through life with such a feature ignored."

"I give up," sighed Karr under his breath. "You're a hopeless case."

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing at all."

"Ah, it must have been the wind. Say, Karr, would you care to join me this evening? I intend to visit the town – we've barely left this castle since we arrived. I'd like it if my best friend would accompany me."

"Of course." A hopeless case he may be, thought the red-haired knight, but a noble and virtuous one nonetheless.

"And perhaps you can help me in finding a lady to spend some time with!"

Karr said nothing, a sigh being all he could muster.


As he sat in the courtyard looking at nothing in particular, Ronal had the time to think. The prince had told everyone to relax and enjoy themselves, but he found it difficult to be at ease in an unfamiliar place. Every day, he felt uncomfortable surrounded by the castle's servants. He took what time he could to train his archery, but he could only do so much. The rest of the time, even when outside as he was now, he tended to stay lost in his own thoughts in order to avoid his uneasiness.

It was no surprise, then, that when Eld began to speak, he was caught completely off-guard.

"You seem troubled," said the mage.

"Eld! Where did you come from?"

"I've actually been here quite some time. You must have simply not noticed me."

"Oh. Sorry about that." Absent-mindedly, the archer began to return his gaze to the middle distance.

"Is everything okay?"

"I just feel a little uncomfortable here," was the reply. "Some places just take some getting used to, I guess."

"I remember you were the same when you first came to work for Prince Loren. You seemed to get used to it after a while, though."

"You remember that? Gods, those were embarrassing times…"

"Everyone is that way when they start out. Why, I remember when I joined! I almost tripped over my own feet while casting a spell during my first training session."

"Really? Now that's something I'd like to have seen."

"The point is, you get used to things. Don't shy away from new experiences. Wouldn't you rather regret something you had done, rather than something you had not?"

"I guess you're right," replied Ronal, standing as he did so. "Thanks, Eld. In fact, I'm gonna take the time to explore this place, so that I can get used to it even more."

"Make sure to tell me all about it." Eld smiled as his companion left, pleased to have given him a confidence boost.


It was late into the evening, but just how late, Amy had no idea, seeing as her room had no windows. She had managed to borrow some books (as she hadn't been able to keep hold of her own while on the run) and was currently studying a map of part of the Ilanian countryside. The more of the continent she could get to know, the better, and she often trained herself by imagining battle scenarios in an unfamiliar area and working out strategies. She was just about to finish and get some sleep when she heard a knock on the door.

"It's not locked. Come in."

The one who entered was Loren. As he did so, Amy put down the book she was holding and turned to face him. "What can I do for you, sir?" She still wasn't really sure what title to use when addressing the prince, but she figured 'Sir' would work, seeing as she did work for him.

"I thought I would see how everyone was," replied Loren. "I believe it helps lift everybody's spirit if I speak with them from time to time."

"And you're concerned about everyone too, aren't you?" She continued when he responded with a nod. "That's very kind of you, sir. It's rare to find an employer who cares so much."

Loren smiled at that statement. "How are you then, Amy?" he asked.

"All healed up. One of the servants noticed it, and directed me to a healer. I feel as good as new."

Loren frowned. "That's not what I meant." Seeing the same solemn look on her face that he had seen several days ago, he continued. "The nightmares haven't stopped, have they?"

"No, sir. Every night, the screams and the pain come back to haunt me."

"You'll be okay. Whatever happened to your comrades wasn't your fault."

"But I…" Amy paused, on the verge of tears. "I should have seen it coming. I was short-sighted, and they paid for my ineptitude!"

"Please don't cry," said Loren, noticing the strain in the tactician's voice. That actually had the opposite effect to the intent – as soon as he was finished, he could see tears streaming down her eyes. Feeling the need to console her, Loren walked over and held her as she cried.

"It'll be alright," he said calmly. "I've seen you in action – you'll do everything in your power to make sure no one is hurt. With that in mind, there's no way you're to blame."

That actually seemed to work, and Amy began to calm down. Eventually, the tears stopped flowing, and she was able to sit up straighter.

"Feeling better?"

"I am. Thank you, sir. You're right – I need to stop blaming myself for every failure."

"I'm glad you see that." Loren stood up. "I should be going now. Good night, Amy."

"Good night, sir."


Next time:

Loren and his army are called on by Treo to investigate one of Ilan's highest-ranking nobles, a job only they can undertake due to their lack of direct connections to any of Ilan's noble houses. At least, that's the reason given to them by Treo. But he seems to know more. Could this mission in any way relate to their current situation?

"From Defender to Mercenary" is coming soon.