From this point on, there will be references/spoilers for Shadow Dragon (FE11) and New Mystery of the Emblem (FE12). Spoilers are on the lighter side this chapter, but future chapters will soon go more in depth into these games' plots.

Chapter 10: Sea Winds and Travelers

Zofia Harbor, The One Kingdom of Valentia, Valentia

Val. Year 403

Ashe had never been around so many people before in his life.

The bustling harbor was packed with what could have been a whole country's worth of people, ranging from the richest of nobles, flaunting their precious silks and flashing their lustrous jewelry, to the poorest of beggars, wearing nothing but torn rags and matted hair (Ashe spared them what coin he could, seeing his younger self reflected in their sunken eyes).

Most were somewhere in between: farmers carting crops in large barrows, soldiers hauling heavy steel, mages balancing towers of tomes, children chasing each other in the street or clinging to their mothers' skirts. Bards on every corner strummed lutes and lyres, their melodies refusing to be drowned out by the market's clamor.

Vending stalls lined every inch of the street. Their shelves were stocked with everything anyone could ever need, and then some. Weapons, meat cuts, pottery, board games, furniture, pastries, bouquets, books, tea leaves, horse saddles and bridles…the harbor seemed to have it all.

Except, of course, the one thing they were looking for.

Over an hour of searching had turned up nothing. Most of the people he had talked to had no idea what a dragonstone even was, let alone where to find one. And if Ashe was being honest, he didn't really know what he was looking for either. "A small stone that radiates draconic power" was the only descriptive Mae had provided them. What did that even mean?

Ashe ducked away from the crowd. He slumped against a free wall—a rarity in the busy harbor—and gave himself a brief moment to breathe. Were the others having more luck than him? There were no familiar faces in the sea of strangers around him, so he liked to think that maybe, just maybe, they had found more promising leads elsewhere in the harbor.

"There's no way that's true," he heard a girl's voice say, sounding exasperated. She was sitting on a bench a few feet away from him, chatting with another girl her age. "Are you sure that merchant wasn't lying?"

"It is true!" The second girl grinned and raised a chipped iron sword as though she were wielding a legendary blade. "Anna said the Hero-King himself touched this, the Hero-King! And look, it was even signed by him, too!" She shoved the handle into her companion's face and giggled. "I can't believe my luck!"

"…I'm not sure I can either…" the first girl muttered, nudging the sword away.

A merchant named Anna? Ashe thought. That's an odd coincidence.

"You should buy something from her! Don't you still need a birthday present for your brother?"

"Yes, but…"

"So you should at least check it out! Anna has all the best Archanea has to offer, that's what she said. What better gift than something special from across the sea?"

Archanea, that name had come up quite a few times in the past few hours. The original homeland of many powerful dragons in this world, Alm had told them. If this shop was carrying items from a place known for its dragons…

"Excuse me, miss?" The girls turned to him, one with a cautious frown and the other with a bright smile. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I heard you talking about a merchant selling goods from Archanea?"

"Oh, yes!" The one carrying the damaged sword beamed at him, twisting her hair around her finger. "Anna's Secret Shop! It's at the edge of the wharf, down by the docks. There's a lady with red hair manning the stall, you can't miss it."

That goes against the "secret" part of the name, doesn't it? he wanted to say. Instead, he gave her a grateful smile and was off on his way. He was a bit worried about the authenticity of that sword—and the authenticity of any item he might try to purchase from this "secret shop"—but he had to reserve that judgment until he could see all the wares for himself.

It didn't take long to reach the wharf. The crowd was thinner out by the docks, giving Ashe his very-first view of the ocean. It seemed to span out for thousands of miles, past the far-off horizon to the edge of the world, for all he knew. Gentle waves rolled across the water's surface, the sun's rays reflecting off their peaks with a gorgeous golden shine. A salty tang in the air tickled his nose and the back of his throat as he stood there, staring, utterly entranced by the sight.

It was just as beautiful as Petra had claimed.

"Come one, come all!" a cheery, and familiar, voice called out across the wharf, pulling Ashe's attention from the sparkling water. "Feast your eyes on Archanea's greatest treasures, available for one day and one day only!"

A growing sense of déjà vu gnawed at his chest. There's no way, he thought, it can't be…

Ashe slowly approached the stall. Several people had gathered around the front of it, murmuring excitedly as the shopkeeper showed off her long line of wares. Her crimson ponytail bounced as she made dramatic movements between her merchandise and her customers, as though she was performing in a play before a grand audience.

In a sense, he supposed that was what being a salesperson was all about.

"This little guy is a rarity that's usually reserved only for the greatest of heroes." The merchant winked at the crowd, holding out a red gem that fit snugly in the center of her palm. Ashe recognized it as an Energy Drop, an item that the Anna he knew sometimes sold in her shop at Garreg Mach. Another coincidence?

"Crush it up and sprinkle it over your next meal, and your strength will nearly double! Save yourself months of grueling training and get instant results for only 2,500 coins!"

Customers scrambled over each other in a race to the counter, coin pouches in hand. Ashe stepped to the side, both to avoid being trampled and to get a better look at the smug grin on the shopkeeper's face. A grin he knew all too well. If it weren't for her hair color, the woman would have been a dead ringer for the Anna back home.

All these eerie similarities didn't sit well in his stomach, but he couldn't afford to pay it any mind. He had a job to do.

Ashe strolled over to a selection of weapons out on display, trying to look as casual and as disinterested as possible. Carrying such an attitude often makes the vendor want to win you over with better deals—something he had learned during his many, many encounters with people like Anna.

As Anna finished up with another customer, Ashe half-heartedly inspected a bow among the weapon stashes. His finger traced its sleek upper limb, plucked lazily at its string. It was a nice bow, he had to admit, but it wasn't the item he was after.

Before long, Anna was skipping over to him with that signature grin. "Interested in buying a longbow, hm?" She tapped her chin. "It'd be perfect for an archer like you. Lightweight, yet sends your arrow flying much farther than your standard bow."

Ashe shrugged. "It's fine, I suppose. But I'm just browsing."

"Anything in particular you're looking for?" She leaned against the counter, fingers steepled. "My shop carries the best Archanea has to offer. There's something for everybody!"

"Not really. Just getting gift ideas for my nephew." Ashe began to turn away. "There was a stall a few blocks over that looked promising…"

"Wait!" A thin hand wrapped around his wrist, pulling him back to the counter. "What sort of things does your nephew like? Like I said, there's a lot of great merchandise here you won't find anywhere else. I'll even throw in a 10% discount on whatever you decide to buy."

"Well…" He scratched his temple, closing his eyes and pretending to be deep in thought. "He's been really into dragons lately. He started a collection of things like dragon scales, dragon teeth…" he peeked an eye open, "…those rocks that hold their power…"

"You mean dragonstones?" Anna ran her fingers along the stall's counter. "I do have a few of those in stock."

He couldn't keep his face from lighting up. "Really? That's—"

"Unfortunately, they're not for sale." She dipped behind the counter then sprung back up with a small dragon figurine. "What about this statue of Naga instead? They say that if you keep one on your nightstand, she'll grant your home with her divine blessing!"

"Wait, what?" Anna refusing to sell merchandise? Maybe she wasn't like the merchant in Fódlan after all. "A-are you sure?"

"Of course! Even though we're in Valentia, Naga's power is pretty far-reaching—"

"No, not that!" He leaned against his palms on the counter. "You're not selling the dragonstones?"

"Nope."

"But…" Ashe's brain scrambled to find a way to spin this. "I-I think my nephew would really like one of those. You know, to complete his collection?"

"You'll have to find one somewhere else." Anna waved her hand towards other storefronts sitting around the docks. Most of them were empty. "Usually, I'd direct you to some other Archanean merchants who might carry them, but as you can see, they haven't been making their usual trips to Valentia recently." Her lips twisted into something of a frown. "Not since those weird purple ghost things started showing up here, anyway…"

"I've got a lot of gold to spend," he blurted out, dropping the charade. He couldn't let this opportunity pass. "If I could just—"

"Not. For. Sale." The frown thinned into a tight, annoyed line. "Dragonstones are incredibly valuable, and incredibly rare. Only the most resourceful of merchants—like me and my sisters—are able to get their hands on them. I'm not going to just sell them to the first person who asks."

"But why not?" Ashe gestured to his coin pouch. "If someone has the funds for it—"

"I'm saving them for the royal wedding," she said simply, as though that was explanation enough.

"…Royal wedding?" he asked.

"You haven't heard?" When Ashe shook his head, she gave a scandalized gasp. "Are you serious? Have you been living under a rock?!"

"Uh…"

"It's only the biggest event of the century!" She clamped her hands down on his shoulders, eyes burning with a fierce excitement. "Prince Marth of Altea, the legendary Hero-King, the slayer of the Shadow Dragon, the savior of Archanea, is getting married to his beautiful bride-to-be, Princess Caeda of Talys!"

"That's…nice." Ashe shrugged off her grip. "I don't see what that has to do with the dragonstones."

"My boyfriend received an invitation. He's served as a ballistician in Marth's army for years now, and he's taking me as his plus one." She let out a long sigh, eyes drifting off as though she were in a dream. "Me and my merchandise will have access to the wealthiest nobles in all of Archanea! Do you know how much these fancy types will pay for something as rare as a dragonstone, especially at an event as special as this? I'll be swimming in gold for decades!"

"But that's a big risk, isn't it?" Ashe tried not to sound too desperate. "You don't know if any of the guests will actually be interested in the stones. Why wait to sell when you've got a willing buyer right in front of you?"

Anna looked him up and down, clicking her tongue. "No offense, kid, but you don't look like you could afford it."

His foot tapped against the ground, patience wearing thin. Did she really just call him "kid"? She was a full head shorter than him!

"Maybe not me personally, depending on your price…" he said through a strained smile, "but I have friends in high places who'd be willing to pitch in."

"Like who?"

"Like me!"

A pink whirl shoved its way between Ashe and the shopkeeper. He looked down to see Mae grinning up at him like a cat.

"Don't worry, archer boy." She flipped a pigtail and gestured to herself with her thumb. "I've got this."

"I have other customers I need to help," Anna said flatly.

"Just hear me out." Mae slid a piece of parchment across the counter. An emblem made of red wax had been pressed at the end of the page, next to a signature written in expert penmanship. "This here is official documentation from the Queen of Valentia herself, naming me as one of her royal advisors."

Anna didn't pick up the paper, but she did glance down at the writing briefly, a hint of interest flitting across her face.

"But I'm more than just her advisor. I'm like, best friends with the queen. We basically grew up together studying at the priory in Novis." Mae cupped the side of her mouth, leaning in close to Anna, and whispered, "So, if you could help out my friend here and sell him one of those dragonstones…well, let's just say you'll be in the queen's good graces for a loooong time."

"That does sound nice…" Anna hummed, tapping her cheek.

Mae's grin grew to her ears. "Queen Celica will be most plea—"

"But as I'm sure you heard me say earlier, the dragonstones are not for sale." The shopkeeper slid the parchment back to Mae with more force than necessary, nearly sending it flying off the edge. "Now, if you'll excuse me—"

"Come on, lady!" Mae slammed her fists on the counter. "We've got a manakete who really needs it! We'll pay you good money for it, I promise!"

Ashe sucked in a breath. His eyes darted around the stall, checking to see if anyone had overheard her. They were trying to keep that a secret…

"And I've got a business to run." Annoyance was stitched across Anna's face. "If you really want to buy one, your queen can talk to me herself at the royal wedding, after I've had a chance to gauge the interest of other potential buyers."

"But—"

"Until next time." Anna cut her off with a short bow at the waist, then left to speak with another customer.

Groaning, Ashe ran a hand over his face. Back to square one.

"Cripes!" Mae stomped her foot. "I didn't realize Archaneans could be so…so…stingy! Ugh!"

"I think that's just Anna…" Ashe muttered.

Sparks gathered under Mae's fingertips, her nostrils flaring. "Why, I oughta—"

"I-it's okay!" Ashe raised his hands to placate her. "There's still a lot of shops to check. And it's possible the others have already found something."

Mae pouted. "They haven't. Not the people I've talked to since we split up, anyway."

"Then we need to keep searching." Ashe sighed and started his march back towards the main market area of the harbor.

"Who knows, maybe we'll find something at the next shop."

—

They didn't find anything at the next shop. Or any of them, for that matter.

Ashe leaned against the handrail of the pier, the late midday sun beating down on his neck. He watched the waves lap against the hulls of docked ships, listened to the seagulls squawking as they circled overhead, smelled the schools of fish lurking beneath the water's surface. He wanted so badly to appreciate it all, his first time experiencing life by the ocean.

But right now, he was just too exhausted and frustrated by their lack of progress to really care.

"No luck?" he heard Byleth's voice ask behind him. Ashe didn't bother to turn around. He just tangled his hands in his hair.

"No luck."

"Do you want to switch?" Byleth asked. "I'll search with the others, you can watch the kids."

Ashe sighed. "No, it's probably best if you're the one guarding them. In case they find Kana again."

There was a long pause, filled only by the creaking of the pier's wooden planks as Byleth approached him. "I'm not good at babysitting," Byleth said.

That got Ashe to face his former professor, a ghost of a smile pulling at his lips. "Says the man who left his mercenary company to become a teacher."

"Point taken."

Byleth joined him on the handrail. At the end of the pier, Kana and Sophie were throwing shells into the sea, engaged in some kind of competition to see who had the better arm. It wasn't a fair contest. Although Sophie had the advantage of height and training experience, Kana had an unnatural strength that had awakened with his draconic abilities. When the boy threw his shells, they flew so far out over the water that Ashe couldn't see the splash when they landed.

"Maybe the king and queen can change her mind," Byleth said, in reference to Ashe's encounter with Anna.

"I don't know, Mae already offered her something like that, but she seemed pretty set on her decision." Ashe's shoulders sagged. "Besides, she's not even at her stall right now. I tried talking to her again, but she left to take a break on her ship. Took all her merchandise with her, too."

Byleth rapped his knuckles against the wooden surface, staring up at the sky. His eyes seemed to focus on a single cloud, a telltale sign that a plan was brewing in his head.

"There is…another option, that I've been considering," Byleth said. There was a trace of uncertainty to his voice that made Ashe a bit nervous.

"…What is it?"

His gaze dropped from the sky to Anna's stall, then to her ship, then to a pouch attached to Ashe's belt…the one he stored his lockpicks in.

Ashe didn't like where this was going.

"Professor, I'm not going to steal from her."

"Not steal." Byleth pushed away from the handrail and began to pace. "Borrow."

Ashe frowned at him. "That's just a nicer word for steal."

"No, I mean borrow." He rested his chin on his fist as his boots continued creaking along the pier. "We need to figure out if these dragonstones will actually help Kana before we waste any more time searching for them." He raised a finger. "So, why don't we just take one, temporarily, to test its effect on him? We'll return it to its rightful place when we're done."

"That sounds…dangerous," Ashe said. "Security is pretty tight around here, and Anna doesn't strike me as a person who's easy to steal from. What if we get caught?"

"We won't." Byleth tapped his chest. "Time powers. If anything goes wrong, we can just start over."

Ashe bit his lip. His thieving days were over; he had vowed to never steal from anyone ever again. But they did need one of those stones, for Kana's safety and for the safety of everyone else around him…

"And after Kana has tried one out, I'll just jump back a few minutes before now, before we even talked about this plan. It'll be like the stone was never taken, and no one will remember but me."

"And if the stone works?" Ashe asked, voice small. Would they really be willing to just go back in time and undo all that progress, after they had finally completed one of their goals?

"Once we know the stones can help him, we'll figure out a way to convince Anna." Byleth's eyes swept across the horizon beyond the sea. "Or we can search the next continent and find one on our own. But we can't just sit around waiting for this wedding to come to pass, not with the dead's return looming over us."

A knot formed in Ashe's gut, knocking against his insides and making him queasy. His inner voice was screeching at him: This is a bad idea! Knights don't steal! What would Lonato say?!

Lonato can't say anything, he told it, face hardening. He's dead. Just like the rest of the enemy.

He smothered any further protests from his conscience. Ashe trusted Byleth completely. If he thought this was the best course of action, then Ashe would follow him.

Even if that meant digging up old skills he had hoped to keep hidden in the past.

"Okay." He met Byleth's gaze. "What do you need me to do?"

Character Bios:

Anna: Merchant

—A talented merchant from Archanea who's always looking to make a profit. Despite the shared name, personality, appearance, mannerisms, and occupation, she bears no relation to the Anna known to Fódlan…right?

—Relations: Sister of many. Girlfriend of Jake.

Next chapter: The Blue Lions attempt a heist.