Finally this is done! For some reason the beginning of this was hard to write. Hopefully you like this. Again don't own anything.

Chapter 2: Greil Mercenaries

After being chased from their base and home, the Greil Mercenaries are now making their way to Gallia in hopes of getting the princess there safely. When they were about reached the border between Crimea and Gallia they stopped to rest as well as plan their next move. They stopped at the foot of a steep hill and were surrounded by thick brush. Only a fool would charge at them, their tactician had said when they stopped.

But as they were resting they heard a cry. Someone was rolling down the hill and landed at the bottom with a thud. It was a young girl with long blond hair, now with twigs and leaves in her hair, and also looked like she worked for a church by the way she was dressed. There were a lot of flabbergasted looks from this.

The blue hair swordsmen named Ike ran up to the young woman "Are you alright?" He asked her.

"I'm dizzy," She managed to say.

"Goodness, how did you manage to fall down that hill?" Their healer, Rhys, asked

"Oh…I tripped. Clumsy of me, wasn't it?" The girl slowly began to sit up.

"Oh that's original," Shinon mumbled.

Titania shot him a glance. "Ignore him," She said.

"Don't worry; I get called a klutz a lot." The girl smiled

Everyone stared at her, and then Titania tried to explain, "That's not exactly what he was talking about-"

"Who are you and where did you come from?" Their tactician, Soren, interrupted.

"I'm sorry I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Colette Brunel. As to where I came from, I did fall from the top of that hill." She pointed to the top of the hill.

"Is this girl for real?" Rolf asked his older brother Oscar who didn't know how to respond.

"That's not what I meant. Are you a Daein spy or maybe even an assassin?" Soren asked, starting to lose his temper.

"Come on Soren, this can't be act. She seems too innocent," Ike told him.

"Oh I get it, you all think I'm the enemy, right?" She said with much enthusiasm, there was silence again.

Finally Greil spoke "I apologize for this young lady but we're currently being perused so we have to be cautious."

"Oh that's okay, I understand. In fact the first time I met my friend Sheena she was trying to kill me after all. But then we became friends and she told me the reason why she wanted to kill me then ended up joining us on our journey." She said with a smile.

"That's it! She's either the perfect assassin sent to kill the princess or she's just an air head. Either way I give up." Soren walk away frustration.

"So what exactly are you doing in a place like this?" Greil asked her

Colette's smile faded "I'm afraid I haven't a clue. The last thing I remember I was with my friends, then there was a bright light."

Elincia walked over toward Colette and helped her up. Colette thanked her but as she took one step forward she lost her balance and fell on top of Elincia. Everyone was about to draw their weapons when they noticed that an arrow flew right where the princess Elincia was standing before she fell.

Shinon quickly fired his bow at their attacker. The Daein archer fell.

"A scout," Soren said.

As Colette and Elincia got up, Elincia said "You saved my life. Thank you very much."

"Oh n-no, don't thank me. I only tripped," She admitted in embarrassment.

"Commander, we really should be getting a move on," Titania alerted him.

"Alright." Commander Greil looked around at his mercenaries. "Young lady, you'll have to come with us." Colette nodded and followed

"But Commander, can we really trust her?" Asked Boyd.

"We don't really have time to deiced. Besides you know what they say, keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer."

They had traveled for a day and during that time the mercenaries were introducing themselves to Colette. Titania had also explained to Colette about why they were hurrying to Gallia. But even thought they were being chased by this Daein army, she was really enjoying her travel with the mercenaries. They were all so kind to her, although Soren and Shinon were a different story. The one called Gatrie had even said that he would be her shield if they were to come under attack. Colette had smiled and thanked him. But Titania had told her not to provoke him.

"So Colette, do you work for the church?" Elincia had asked.

"Well…I guess you could say I'm sort of like a priestess," She answered.

"Then why are you all the way out here? Don't priest and priestess stay at their churches?" Ike asked out of curiosity. Everyone else was listening too.

"That's probably true but before I meet all of you all, I was on a journey with my friends." Colette's eyes then grew sad. "I hope they're all right."

"I'm sure their just fine," Mist said to cheer her up.

But soon the forest became dense and hot. Not very pleasant to those trying to evade an enemy.

"Blazes, why does it have to be so blamed humid?" Gatrie complained "If we weren't being chased, I'd strip off this armor here and now!"

"Then I'm almost glad that we ARE being pursued. I suppose you'll have to grin and bear it, won't you?" Titania had commented

He sighed. "I suppose I well."

"Right. So enough of your griping. You're merely wasting energy. Still, this heat is appalling." She had to agree.

Shinon had just got hit in the face with a branch when he said "Dense forests such as these are not made for us delicate humans. The sub-humans love 'em, though."

"Sub-human? Um…what's a sub-human?" Colette asked

"What, you mean to tell me you've never seen a beast-man before?"

"I guess not."

"Well, I have. They're a hairy bunch, I'll tell you. And ugly as sin, too. Their faces are all fangs and whisker. Their claws are like daggers, razor sharp and deadly. And even though they can speak our language, they're beasts through and through. Savages, every one." Mist and Rolf whimpered from Shinon's description. Colette was still confused as to what he was talking about.

"Are there more than one type?" Ike asked

It was Soren's turn to talk "The ones Shinon calls 'sub-humans' can be divided into three groups, each one named for its physical characteristics. First, the beast tribe, next, the bird tribe, and finally, the dragon tribe. They are traditionally called 'laguz'. The laguz tribe residing here in Gallia is the beast tribe, who possess those feline qualities of which Shinon spoke."

Finally everything in Colette's brain clicked, "Oh, I get it now! These sub-humans are people who are part human and part animal, right?"

"I guess that's one way you could describe them."

"But I'm not sure that calling them sub-humans is very nice, it sounds degrading. I think Soren's term 'laguz' sounds better."

"Not very nice? Who cares, they're still just a bunch of evil savages no matter how you look at it," Shinon argued.

"Princess Elincia," Colette shifted her gaze toward her, "you said that your late father had established good relationship with Gallia, right?"

"Well yes," She answered.

"Well the king must have trusted the laguz and the laguz had to have accepted us humans as well. So I refuse to believe that the laguz are evil. Everyone has goodness in them no matter who or what they are." Everyone was stunned at her words.

"You know Colette; I was really nerves and scared about meeting them but now not so much," Mist said.

"So Colette; does that mean you're not scared?" Ike had asked her.

"Nope. In fact I'm really excited about meeting the laguz. They must be amazing."

"Where exactly is your church at?" Rhys asked

"Just in a small village called Iselia. Why do you ask?"

"Well a lot of priests don't think of the laguz like that. Normally they think of them as sins against the goddess."

"Well, if only more people thought the way Colette does then there might be less fighting in this world," Titania told them.

"Yeah, or a little scattered brain," Shinon whispered to Gatrie.

"…A little farther, and we'll be out of these trees." Soren finally spoke up.

"Really?" Shinon said in disbelief. "That means Gallia's proper! Compared to this forest, even a kingdom of half-breeds will seem like heaven."

They had reached the end of the forest and were now planning their next course of action. But Colette spoke up. "I hear someone coming."

"I don't hear anything," Ike said.

"Shinon, go check it out." Greil ordered

"Oh for the love of…you're really going to listen to a girl we just met," He argued but quickly gave up. Colette pointed in the direction she heard the sound from and he went off in a flash.

"I don't suppose our Daein pursuers were willing to let us just slip away," Titania commented.

After a few minutes Shinon came running back. "Commander, I don't know how, but the girl was right. There were a couple of scouts not far from here."

"Did they see you?" Greil asked.

"Yeah, but I took them out."

"But when they don't report back, the rest of the company will know we're here and will catch up to us in no time. Without knowing their numbers, it is difficult to advise a course of action," Soren informed.

"Take your best guess, Soren," Greil told him. "With the limited information we have, what is the best way to proceed?"

Soren gave this some through "…Some of our group cannot fight. If we are caught, we'll have a difficult time defending them and attacking the Daeins. I propose we separate into two groups: a small fighting force to engage the enemy and buy the main group some time, and the rest of us-who will escort the princess to Gallia at full speed."

"You want to divide our combat strength? The main force aside, don't you think the risk to the smaller group is too high?" Oscar argued.

"I believe this is the only way to achieve our goal and keep casualties to a minimum." Soren than look at Colette. "It's possible there's an ambush waiting for us at the edge of the forest. If we proceed with no plan, we may be caught between the pursuit and the ambush, which would be the end of us all." A few of the mercenaries (Soren included) still didn't trust Colette, of course she was none the wiser.

"Looks like we've no choice but to give it a go." Greil looked around the group. "All right, let's split up. The diversionary team will be Gatrie, Shinon, and me. The rest of you guard Princess Elincia and proceed to Gallia straightaway. Got it?"

"Are you sure you're taking enough men?" Ike asked his father with concern.

"Idiot pup. Smaller numbers means better mobility. Your time would be better spent worrying about yourself than about us," Shinon said.

Ike was about to argue but Greil cut in. "Listen up! This will probably prove to be the biggest fight this company's faced. Remember-you've got only one life. I don't want any of you dying on me. In times like these, it matters not what our blood ties are. We are family. If you don't want to cause your family grief then live!"

Greil said a few more things and everyone went their separate ways. Colette said a quick prayer for everyone's safety and followed Ike and the rest.

They came to the edge of the forest only to find that there was an ambush waiting for them across the small river. Ike and Soren were coming up with a plan on how to get to the other side. They were going to spilt up again, one team uses a surprise attack across one of the bridge to create a diversion while the other team goes across the other to get to safety.

Elincia spoke up, "My lord Ike, I…I will fight with you!"

"…No, you won't, " Ike told her.

"My lord?" She question.

"I cannot let you expose yourself to danger of any kind. Everyone here is risking their life to ensure your safety. If you understand that, you'll cooperate and do as I ask," He explained.

"I see…I will do my part," She sighed.

"It's settled then," Titania said.

"Right! Let's break through their lines!" He exclaimed, and then looked at Mist and Rolf. "Mist! Rolf! Take care of the princess. Do not let yourselves be seen." They both nodded and walked toward Elincia.

Ike then turned toward Colette. "Colette I want you to go with them as well."

"But I can fight, see." Colette pulled out her chakrams. "You all have helped me, so now I'm going to help you. I will not be a nuisance to you all."

Ike was about to object but Soren spoke up "Ike just let her fight. It might be better for us to keep our eyes on her."

Ike sighed "I don't agree with your reason Soren, but alright. Colette you can fight."

"I won't let you down Ike"

Oscar and Titania charged out first toward the bridge while Ike and Boyd took out the guards by the bridge. Soren, Colette, and Rhys followed close behind. Colette was a little nerves about this battle but she reassured herself that she had been in worse.

She watched as the rest of the group was cutting down enemies. Their amazing! She thought as she saw Oscar stab his lance in one soldier's neck. Sure it is a little gruesome to watch, but their skill was something to envy.

Just when she was about go across the bridge, she noticed that Soren was still on the bridge using a wind spells. Does he have elven blood in him? She thought.

But just than a Daein in heavy army came up to him and attack him. Luckily, Soren was able to deflect the soldier's lance by using his tome as a shield. The force of impact caused him to fall backwards hard and losing his grip on the tome in the process. The soldier was about to attack again but Colette quickly threw one of her chakrams at him. It hit him hard in the head which caused him to fall into the river and he went floating on down.

Colette picked up the tome and offered a hand to Soren. He looked up at her in shock and disbelief. He got up on his own, took his tome away from her, and then walked off. Colette was taken aback, but quickly went on to return to the fight.

The fight was going well and was turning in their favor. Colette wasn't able to cause much damage, but she was able to cause the enemy to stagger leaving the others to make the final blow. Finally, Ike crossed blades with the leader of this small company. His name was Emil and he was determined not to let any of them pass. Sadly, none of Ike's attack landed because the leader blocked every attack with his spear. Colette then took matters into her own hands. She ran up within range of Emil. She had enough mana for one art. "Ray Thrust!" She shouted as she threw her chakrams as hard as she could.

The attack sent him flying into the wall. Ike took his chance and horizontally sliced him through the chest. "All right everyone, time to get out of here." He shouted

Everyone ran through the gate and got to safety.

"Thanks for your help Colette," Ike said when they stopped.

"No problem. I'm just happy I could help," She smiled.

"That was awesome. I never would have thought that you could fight with something like that," Boyd complemented as he pointed at her chakrams.

"Yes that was something else, but where did you learn to fight like that?" Titania asked.

"I told you that before I met you all that I was on a journey with my friends. You learn pretty quickly when you're being attacked by monsters and bad guys," Colette laughed.

Just then the princess, Mist, and Rolf came into view. Everyone was excited about being in Gallia and no one being seriously hurt. But something came to Colette's mind. "Wait what about the others?" Everyone then realize that they weren't all accounted for.

"We are talking about the commander. I don't think there's anything to worry about," Titania reassured them.

"Father…Shinon…Gatrie…" Ike whispered and then looked at everyone. "…Princess Elincia, I'm afraid we're going to have to part ways here."

"What do you mean?" She asked with worried.

"We're going to aid our companions. So I want you to continue with Mist to the royal palace of Gallia." He answered

"What?" Quickly, Mist ran up to her brother. "No Ike! I'm going to stay with you."

Ike grabbed her shoulders and said "Listen to me, Mist! We must do it this way so that everyone gets out of here alive!" Mist looked like she was about to cry so Ike continued. "Father and I will catch up to you right away! Don't worry. Have Father or I ever broken a promise to you?"

"Well…no….All right, then. We'll go ahead," She cheered up bit.

The three brothers were saying their good-byes, Mist was asking Titania to watch out for her brother, and Princess Elincia even gave Rhys a mend staff.

Ike came over to Colette and asked, "So do you want to continue with us or head to the royal palace with the princess? Although I'm sure your hearing would come in handy with the search."

"I would like to help but shouldn't someone go with them to make sure they stay safe?" She asked.

Soren then joined the conversation "They'll be fine. The Daein would never come into Gallia's boarder. I think your abilities would be better used in our search."

"Well, alright than," She said.

Ike then wishes the others luck then turned to Soren, "Where too?" he asked.

"We go east on the road we used before. Let's find the commander before the enemy reinforcements show up."

"Okay everyone let's all be safe, alright," Colette chimed in.

Yeah I kind of rushed through that battle. Sorry no Raine but hey, at least the Greil Mercenaries are in the story now, which in my opinion are the best characters in the game plus Runalf. Also I had an idea to have one chapter full of z-skits. I have two skits already planned out so if any of you have any other ideas just e-mail me or tell me in a review or something. Thank you and review please!