A/N I'm so dizzy, but… I couldn't really stop writing… I hope when I'm a little more awake I can make something happen out of what was written here. Or that I didn't screw over any plot devices by adding in random information again… Also, thanks for reading, you. That's quite nice of you. I don't own Fire Emblem or any of its alternate timeline forms.

When it was over, three bodies lay strewn across the floor and Adriane was breathing heavily amongst them.

They were absolutely no help in finding Grima, or the Ylisseans that had taken the portal.

Master, where are you? I need your help, she thought desperately.

Nothing, nothing, nothing. Not one-the mother, her daughter, her son-knew anything! And what they did tell her… With her knees on the ground and clutching her head in her hands, Adriane tried to steady her breathing and calm down. It was little use.

Southtown was standing, contrary to her recent reports. Judging by the presence of the coins, these people still used currency even though they had become practically worthless over a decade ago. Lastly, these Ylisseans were completely ignorant of the war.

It didn't make any sense, none of it did, unless… Adriane stilled, the realization dawning upon her. It was ridiculous, it should be impossible, but it was the only way any of this was possible.

The war didn't happen, or at least not yet.

She rushed out the door, back into the alley. Dead, accusatory eyes and the scent of blood followed her footsteps as she sprinted away, as far away as she could go. Her feet hammered as fiercely against the cobblestone as her heart on her chest.

Thud, thud, thud. Breathe, you will be fine. He will be fine.

She couldn't shake off the thought that they were still apart and she was still alone.

Slowly the darkness and quiet were replaced with the hustle and bustle of a town at night. Adriane's eyes widened as she took in the bright lights and busywork of civilians.

From within a cage, a four chickens squawked angrily at a peasant farmer who got close. "The lady chickens are real nice, I swear…" he was saying to an unconvinced buyer. He was steadily losing his quarry's attention to...

...a gruff-looking blacksmith announced his wares to the street. "Weapons! Bronze swords, bows, all combat-ready to def-"

"-ended me against the bandits! The one with the blue hair, oh, you really should have seen him. That exposed bicep-glorious," a woman in a simple dress exclaimed to her friend. She was making squeezing motions with her hand in demonstration, to which the other commoner nodded vigorously. "Very nice," she agreed. "Though his friend with the cloak…" The first woman looked thoughtful. "Yes, not bad, not bad at all…"

"...though if yer askin' me, we're better off just marchin' straight to Plegia and givin' them a what for," argued a half-drunken sailor to a scantily-clad woman. "...right," Adriane could read on her lips as the prostitute pressed her body up against her customer. "How about it, sweets? Gonna help me break this peace?" The prostitute looked like all she wanted to do was to break his bank.

It grew to be too much, building and building into a tremendous wave crashing down. The sights, the smells, the sounds, they were an overload for her unaccepting mind. It was all making her feeling very self-conscious and Adriane tugged her hood even lower over her eyes. She then blinked and took a step back in an attempt to disentangle herself…

...and promptly banged into an armored chest. She lost her balance and the cold ground welcomed her. She grunted as she fell awkwardly on her leg. Adriane heard a collective thud as several wrapped objects fell to the ground, but the only thing that registered was that it was a soldier. No one had paid the lone woman any attention just yet. She instinctively leapt back for some distance and put a hand on the sword's hilt.

Ruffled, chestnut curls greeted her glare as an armored man hurriedly pointed his attention to the parcels strewn across the floor. He made no move to attack her, and for that, Adriane slowly relaxed her stance and watched him. She didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to herself, after all.

"I'm sorry about that… milady. I was not watching where I was going. Are you hurt?" said the man, discreetly trying to peer under her hood. His brown hair framed identically colored eyes in a serious expression. He was tall, for a soldier, and powerful, if the bulky armor was any indication. A tough man to kill, but again, not hostile, so Adriane managed to shake her head.

Unfortunately, something in her posture and the way she shifted her stance gave her away. "Are you hurt from the attack earlier? Why do you not visit the infirmary for healing?" he asked. He reached a hand towards her leg and she made the mistake of backing into the light. Her wound had reopened and for a split second, bloodstains were in plain view.

"I'm fine," she mumbled, unused to the concern and suspicious of his motives.

The man's brow creased in concern. "You are not. Where are your relatives, young one? It is dangerous this late at night for a lone female," he said, already walking deeper into the town. "I… I don't have any. And why is it dangerous? I can handle myself." The warrior didn't know why she was telling him this, but she went with the words that flowed freely from her mouth.

"You're coming with me."

"I don't even know you!" she exclaimed angrily. He halted next to her, and the way the light glinted off of his armor and weapon reminded her that this was not a man to be trifled with.

"My apologies. I am Frederick, a Shepherd of Ylisse. I cannot see the extent of your injuries, but please come with me to a healer before you pass out or it becomes infected." He continued forwards, not turning back. The tone in his words offered no give and Adriane bit her lip in consternation.

She groaned.

Upon hearing the loud voices inside the inn, Adriane had opted to stay outside while Frederick fetched his friend.

Out here, her only companions lay in the unassuming moon and occasional breeze. Adriane was seated on stairs that led to the building. Alone, she hugged her knees to her chest in an effort to contain her emotions. The door creaked, signifying Frederick's return, and immediately she released her knees and assumed an uncaring attitude.

"We're back. I'm sorry for the wait, my charge and his friend were causing a ruckus," Frederick apologized. Adriane nodded mutely, her hair shifting slightly with the action. After deliberation, she figured no one would recognize her in the past so her identity was little issue. Her hood had gone down, revealing her face.

Following the brunette knight was a petite figure in a dress. "Again, thank you for this. I know you need your sleep," the man said in a deep timbre.

"It's no problem, Frederick…" she replied, and then turned to Adriane. "But why didn't you come visit me earlier?"

Something about this woman seemed familiar and it was with great hesitation that Adriane responded, "I was… preoccupied. It is how I sustained my injuries."

"But there's so much blood!"

"...most of it is not mine." Frederick's eyes narrowed at the sword on her belt. Whether from appraisal or mistrust, Adriane couldn't discern.

"Oh, did the bandits get to you? I hope you gave our enemies what they deserved!" Frederick's companion seemed unaware of the growing tension. A pause. "It was coming to them. Worthless trash," Adriane said, thinking of the future. The knight relaxed, but not completely.

The blonde teenager stretched her arms and let out a small yawn. In one hand she sleepily held a small staff-for the healing, presumably. Her hair was disheveled and rested just past her shoulders, but there were bumps near the top of her head. She wore a plain yellow dress with long sleeves and it was this that she wiped her eyes on as she asked, "so where-yawn-does it hurt?"

Adriane would have shrunk back, but Frederick moved forward and carefully set aside the edge of her black cloak. In the clear light, the Risen's stab to her thigh wasn't nearly as bad as it had seemed, but it was still healing far too slowly for Adriane's liking.

"This is the only wound worth mentioning," Adriane mumbled.

"Okay, I see it. Hold still for a second." The healer gingerly prodded at the cut and then ran the healing staff over it. "Just a little bit…" A warm light enveloped the cloaked woman's injury. "And… hmm. A little bit more…" More magic. The glow intensified. "I guess I'm just sleepy enough to need more magic," the healer murmured to herself. "It should be okay now though…"

Frederick rested his hand on the blonde's shoulder. Then, causing pink to bloom on the healer's cheeks and the color to drain from Adriane's, he said, "Yes, she should be. Thank you, Lissa."

"L-like I said, it was n-no problem!"

Lissa. That woman from the portal. She should know where the others are! I must!..

But Lissa had already gone inside. And… she hadn't recognized her. At least, she hadn't made it known. She couldn't rule out the very-likely possibility that they were unacquainted at this point in time.

Adriane decided to let the matter be for now. Just to be on the safe side however, she would leave soon. It was better to not take chances and ruin the flow of time too much. I just need to find Master Grima, then those soldiers' heads, and then a way back.

"Are you satisfied? You appear to have questions," Frederick said from her side. As she was lost in her self-beration, Frederick had taken the opportunity to sit next to her. He glanced at her quickly, but quickly looked to the sky when their eyes met. For some reason, she could sense some disappointment from him.

Adriane paused, before deciding, fuck it, and said, "it has been some time since I last encountered civilization like this." Not a lie. Truth rang from her words and Frederick seemed interested. "I have lost track of time. What is the date?"

He told her, sans the year.

"...and the year?" she prompted. He gave her an inquisitive arch of an eyebrow, as if to say, and what is the explanation for this lapse? Nevertheless, he answered her question. It was all Adriane could do to remain calm.

Over seventeen years… I've gone back over seventeen years.

The thought made the blue-haired woman dizzy. She wasn't supposed to exist here, yet here she was. All along she had thought that her past counterpart was already alive. Once she was born, would that have consequences on her existence? Would the world fall in on itself because there were two of her? She imagined her body disappearing-or worse-little Adriane vanishing from her parents. She shuddered, and prayed that Frederick would assume it was from a chill.

"Why are you helping me?" she managed to say after a piercing silence. Her voice was calm, composed. She wanted to scream.

"Well, you are a citizen in need and it is my duty as a knight of Ylisse to lend aid." She gave him a blank look, unconvinced. Frederick cleared his throat uncomfortably and sighed, "you bear a striking resemblance to my charge, not so much in demeanour as looks. For a moment, I thought you could be one of-" Frederick stopped himself before he went any further. "No, you are just another village maiden, albeit a capable one. Still, I suppose I feel a sense of responsibility towards you as well," he finished. A blush dusted his cheeks at the confession, but he briefly held her gaze to show his sincerity.

Adriane relaxed. So it was just an imaginary kinship that he felt for her, not suspicion. Her cover was not blown, despite the many questions she had asked. "Um… Would you like a drink?" Frederick inquired. Woman looked at man strangely.

"Excuse me?" she asked, oblivious to his discomfort.

Frederick blinked and seemed to remember himself. He slightly flinched from his position. "S-sorry, I forget myself. Have a good night, milady. I will leave you now."

With a small grunt, Frederick shook his head and pushed himself up from the wooden steps. "Take care of yourself," he said as he left.

Was that a threat? Have I given myself away?

Adriane watched his retreating armored back through narrowed eyes, simultaneously daring and dreading for him to make an attack. Nothing ensued. He simply ascended the stairs and was gone, and the navy-haired woman let out a small sigh of relief.

Master, what do I do? I'm so lost without you…

She wasn't meant for any of this subtlety and deceit. While not slow to learn, she was not cunning and she had no idea what this world was like. How she had managed to make it this far amongst the Ylissean scum was unfathomable to the Grimleal servant. Who to trust, who to kill…

The warrior unsheathed her sword just a little, just for the thrilling ring of metal as it sang for blood. Her heart spiked in its beating at the warm, familiar sound. This is what I am. A weapon, his weapon. Best not to forget that. Her own reflection resided in the steel, like a parallel world.

Adriane frowned as she saw how her grey eyes swirled with hues of blue. They looked almost bright, vibrant, even, but she saw it for the curse it was. Sighing, she retrieved the bottle of potion she had remembered to keep on her person. A pop of the cork and the same pungent smell greeted her.

With a grimace, and then gag, she downed the dosage.

The vile substance slithered down her throat and throughout her entire body. As always, her system was repulsed by the potion, but she kept it down. As her eye color solidified to a grey, so did her resolve. Solemnly, she closed her eyes.

I've made some mistakes, Master Grima, Morgan. But I will repay by finding the ones who traveled back before me. I will lay them at your feet, and we will continue our goal.

A/N So Frederick's kind of cute. So what.