Now I know what you're thinking: "Why are you starting another Fire Emblem story? What's your endgame here?"

Well, I wanted to try something that was disconnected to Decruited and, after looking through a few self insert stories, decided I wanted to honestly try my hand at it. I wanted to explore some themes and ideas other stories don't really address or explore.

This is a very, very different kind of storytelling. skips chunks of the story,, due to the way it's told. It jumps between the narrator telling the story and the immediate, first person telling of the story. However, the narrator knows things that the first person doesn't know, and vise versa. That will become more relevent in later chapters. Also, some of the stuff described in the first person isn't being described by the character of the narrator. It's stuff he's leaving out, but still happened. So I guess he's an unreliable narrator.

Hope you guys like it!

Welcome to the world of Fire Emblem Awakening. I'm here to make sure you don't die in a stupid way. If you listen to me, your death will be heroic and dignified.

The first thing I'm going to tell you, before we talk about anything else, is that you shouldn't panic.

actually, I would honestly be more concerned if you didn't panic. You're in a new world, no warning whatsoever. You can panic if you want to, but don't overdo it.

So you woke up in this new world. Maybe you woke up in the middle of a field, maybe you woke up underwater. The fact that I'm talking to you now means you probably already figured that part out.

Wherever you pop up, odds are it's somewhere close to South Town. It's a pretty bland place, but if you know what you're looking for, it should be your first sign to where you are.

Welcome to Ylisse. If you figured out that much, you should also be aware that shit's going to hit the fan in a bit.

There are a few very important lesson you need to understand if you want to fit in around here.

I'll tell you about my first time, just to illustrate my point and teach you these lessons.

I had actually woken up in a pile of hay, like a sleepy Assassin. I was as confused as anybody would be. I eventually figured out where I was, but there were still a few questions on my mind.

Why was I here?

Who was responsible for bringing me here?

When would I get to return home?

And, more importantly…

How the Hell do I use magic?!

I looked up from the thunder tome at the approaching bandit. He seemed to know exactly how to use his sword, which didn't bode well for me.

I had a bunch of random crap on me. I was wearing a hooded cloak and light, stylish armor. It would defend me, but its main purpose seemed to be to look nice. I had a sword on me along with the thunder tome. Strangely, I also had what appeared to be a lute holster on my back.

The bandit ran in for the attack.

I threw the book at him.

...I panicked.

Well, it gave me enough time to draw my sword. It wasn't anything special, just a silver blade.

I felt like there might be some instincts somewhere inside of me that knew how to use it, despite the fact that I never received any training.

Like Tucker said, "Swish, Swish, Stab." How hard could it be?

The important thing was to make my enemies think I knew what I was doing. I smiled a cocky smile at the bandit, who was rubbing his head in pain after the book attack. I danced the blade in front of him, hoping to coax him into attacking me.

He growled at me, swung his blade and SHIT!

SHIT!

SHIT I CUT HIS HAND OFF!

WHAT DID I JUST DO?! I JUST DID A THING AND NOW HIS ARM IS OVER THERE AND I'M OVER HERE AND GOD.

THAT IS A LOT OF BLOOD. HE'S YELLING A LOT. I SHOULD HELP HIM.

HE- he does not want me helping him.

Obviously. I just cut his arm off. He might still be a bit bitter.

Before he can bleed on me or something in retaliation, a larger, much fancier sword then mine goes right through his chest.

"Are you alright? You seem rather skilled, although I'm surprised you only went for a crippling blow."

Ah, Chrom. Let's sweet-talk my way into the main group.

"Oh, him?" I said, looking down at the corpse, trying not to show how grossed out I was. "I wanted to keep him from thieving again. I wanted him to run away and seek redemption."

"Or he could just go and become a pirate or something." Chrom suggested.

"I suppose." I sighed. "It might just be honorable or some nonsense like that. Honestly, I kinda wanted him to tell people about me. Legends have to start somewhere."

So I guess that's what I'm going with, personality wise.

Chrom raised an eyebrow. "And who might you be?"

This is a very important moment.

The first lesson I will teach you is that first impressions are very important.

It is your first impression to Chrom, and ultimately, if this were a game, the audience. Imagine what it would say of your recruitment text, or what it would say in your bio. I changed a lot from the main synopsis of my character I gave Chrom, but there were aspects of it that always stayed with me.

When you meet Chrom, make sure you're putting your best foot forward. For some reason, I thought it was a good idea to be a character to Chrom.

It wasn't that I didn't like the person I was or anything. No. I liked him. He was one of my favorite people. It's just...he didn't really fit the role.

There's a difference between people from our world and people from this world. People can be heros, sure, but, in the romantic realm of Ylisse, heroism comes easier to people.

I think I did pretty well.

"I've gone by many name and titles." I said, dramatically looking off into the distance. "Granted, most of them were given to me in fits of rage, but I count them all the same. You see, names have power, and the more name I accumulate, the more powerful I become. But, seeing as you seem to be a respectable man, I shall give you my true name. I am Ned, Bard of the Eastern Coast."

To add to the image, I grabbed the lute on my back, posed dramatically with it, and played a few notes.

Huh. Doesn't sound bad.

A pause, for dramatic effect.

"You may have heard of me."

Another pause.

"...I'm afraid I haven't." Chrom admitted. It would be stranger if he had.

Still, I couldn't let him know that. As far as he knew, I thought everyone had heard of "Ned, Bard of the Eastern Coast."

"W-What?!" I spluttered, stumbling out of the dramatic position, before composing myself. "So I guess tales of my deeds haven't traveled this far…" I snapped my fingers. "What you lot need is an epic storyteller, and I happen to be the best I know!"

Well. I guess I'm going full Kvothe. Or a parody of him, at least. Once a theater kid, always a theater kid, I suppose.

Chrom looked at me strangely. "...Well, I suppose we are getting a few new additions to the Shepherds. Would you care to join?"

"I believe you already know the answer, sir!" I exclaimed, putting a hand around Chrom's shoulder. "This is the beginning of a story that the bards of the future will sing about for centuries!"

...Don't look at me so strangely. I was having fun.

As strange as the character I put on was, it's still a good example of what you should do when you define yourself. I gave myself a voice, a bit of a back story, and an identifiable character trait.

Besides, I was kind of right. This was a story people were going to tell. Hell, I'm telling it now.

So yeah, the story is being told like this. Hope you think it's interesting.