Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem

Two young men could be seen on the streets of the Altean capitol. One had a jovial expression, slicked back hair, and was riding a gray horse. The second was more serious faced, his hair fell forward and he walked while leading a chestnut horse with speckles strewn over its pelt.

"Ah! Do you smell that Rody? Someone's cooking something delicious!" the first one exclaimed sniffing the air.

"There's a bakery right there, do you not see it Luke?" the one called Rody answered. Their colorful clothing-respectively green and blue-automatically pointed them to well off families though not with the gold threads and jewels of high nobles. The two traveled slowly, they admired the cleanliness and prosperity of the capitol, there were not many places where seemingly everyone had a smile on their face. Both stopped at the wake of the Altean Palace.

Rody marveled silently at the craftsmanship and small details that made the famous palace a sight to behold. "So this is where we'll be staying huh? Not bad, I suppose." Luke observed carelessly. He paid for his remark with a slap upside the head from his companion. "Show some respect! Even if we pass the entrance exams you should keep in mind that this is the home of the Prince of Light."

Luke shut his mouth, Prince Marth was not to be scorned. Swallowing his nervousness Rody tied his horse to a nearby horse rack. "Stay here Freckles." he ordered softly.

"Why do you call him Freckles? You need a cooler name for your horse if you're going to be a knight." Luke insisted mirroring Rody's actions.

"Well, his real name is Jay, but I think he likes being called Freckles." Rody explained although he loathed to admit that he really was a bit embarrassed by the nickname. "Anyway, who cares what I call my horse? Come on! We can't be late!"

The two walked through the pre-organized path that was marked with the occasional lance or sword stuck in the ground. It took them through corridor after corridor until Rody was sure they were walking in circles. His tense body relaxed for a moment when he spotted a stern faced guard standing outside of a large gate. Seeing them approaching the guard held up a thick tasseled book. "The training arena is closed today for recruitment into the Altean army. You're names, gentlemen?"

"I'm Luke and this one's called Rody." Luke said pointing his thumb at Rody who flashed him an annoyed look. The guard flipped through the thick book, paused on a page then closed it with a loud clap. "Ah yes, the two recommended squires from the village Bicana. Go ahead in, I wish you the best of luck." The guard pushed the large gate open a little. Rody opened the gate fully, he and Luke entered into the massive, well-lit arena.

There was already a couple of other squires standing about in the sand. In the center of the arena stood three knights in perfect posture and in a perfect horizontal line. One was really old, the other was a large man in massive armor, the third was really...red. Despite conversing with their peers the squires cast quick glances at the three.

"Check that out!" Luke elbowed Rody hard in the side, "Sir Jeigan, Sir Draug, and the Great Bull! Where's the Black Panther?" he whispered in a childish tone. "Please, act a little more mature." Rody whispered back rubbing his ribs.

The guard from outside went up to the Great Bull, also known as Sir Cain, and said something. The red knight nodded and sent the guard away, then he nodded to Sir Jeigan. The old paladin stepped out of place and addressed the squires, the very sound of his voice made everyone freeze. "The way you're lounging around is a shame to those aspiring to be knights of Altea. Get into line!" he snapped. As if by magnets everyone quickly formed a neat line, Rody and Luke found themselves in the middle of the line.

Sir Jeigan's stony eyes swept back and forth, "Every one of you are gathered here because you are recommended by your fellow knights. You have all trained for years to reach this point. Only the most exceptional squires will have the opportunity to become knights of Altea. The Altean knights have shown their prowess in the War of the Shadows, you will have to show the same potential to live up to the high standards that will be expected of you." his voice was stern. "Sir Cain, prepare these squires for their first exam." with that the old man left the arena with Sir Draug following.

Sir Cain had a warm smile on his face, a high contrast to Sir Jeigan's cold look. "As Sir Jeigan has already stressed, only the best will be allowed to serve directly under Prince Marth. You will be tested on the essential battle skills, tactics, and your resourcefulness, things that are required for a knight. Do not worry as any battles will be stopped if things get too rough, also you'll be facing knights that are closer to your level of training."

Sir Cain walked across the line of squires as he spoke, when he stopped at Rody his smile immediately faded. Rody stiffened and forced himself to keep fear from showing on his face. But he couldn't help wondering what had upset Sir Cain. Was he holding his weapon incorrectly? Nope, this was how his mentor had shown him to grip a lance. Was his weapon old? No way, he just got it a few days ago. He couldn't imagine what was so wrong with him that it would wipe Sir Cain's smile off his face so quickly.

Maybe the Great Bull just didn't like the color of his clothing, no one else was wearing green in the room.

None the less, the smile reappeared a few moments later. He had a distant look on his face as if lost in a memory. But that look vanished as quickly as his smile had disappeared and reappeared. He continued with his speech:

"You're first exam will be a simple test of your skills, you will have the choice between a trainer sword or trainer lance. It doesn't matter if you win or lose, although if you win it would be a better score. You're abilities will be judged on how well you fare against someone with greater skill then yourself. I wish all of you the best of luck."

They were called up by name. Rody's hands clasped hard on his trainer sword with anticipation.

When his name was finally called he found himself facing a female knight with a distinctive white ribbon around her forehead.

"Begin!"

The female knight ran at him and swung her sword in an arch, Rody raised his own sword to block. Using his whole bodily strength Rody threw her sword aside and thrusted. The tip of his trainer glanced across her armor. Annoyed at his resistance she recovered swiftly and attacked once more. Her trainer hit hard against Rody's torso. Reeling from the blow Rody tried out one of his favorite moves. Dropping to his knees he swung a leg at the knight, he felt her folding. Scrambling up he dealt a hefty blow to her shoulder. Furious, she threw off the attack and slashed at him. Their swords created small sparks as they parried. Finally getting the upper hand she swiped at his face causing Rody to loose his balance. He hit the sand with a thud and found himself with a sword point in his face. He relaxed, the match was over.

The female knight unexpectedly offered her hand which Rody gratefully accepted. "Not bad, although you had no chance against me. My name's Cecil, I look forward to seeing you around, if you pass that is." she said. Rody headed back to the benches hoping that he had done okay.

After a few minutes of rest the group was led outside into a carefully modified forest. "You're second test will be based on how you work with your fellow knights. Often times two or more knights have to rely on each other to watch one another's backs. Other times a small group might be separated from the main force, in that case the said group will have to try and escape on their own." Sir Cain explained. "There will be ambushes set up in this forest, they will be using non-lethal weapons of course. All you have to do is escape the ambush, no need to defeat anyone. You are not to come out until you've been ambushed, when you are, escape through the entrance."

Rody tilted his head in a habitual gesture, this seemed way too easy.

"Luke, does this seem a bit too simple to you?" Rody asked as he trekked through the woods. "Well then we can ace it." Luke replied cockily.

Rody's eyes constantly scanned their surrounding area, Sir Cain hadn't mentioned what kind of ambush. And they just had to escape, so the second someone comes, just run. After almost fifteen minutes of walking Rody was thoroughly confused, Luke was growing impatient. "This is boring! If they're going to ambush us just do it!"

"Shhh, you'll attact too much attention." Rody warned.

"So what? Might as well get it over with!" Luke replied raising his voice further. This earned him his second slap upside the head for the day. Regardless the two squires continued to wander, occasionally Rody and Luke circled back to the entrance of the forest. Even Rody was starting to lose his patience.

Suddenly an arrow, or more specifically a shaft with no point landed next to Rody's boot. Looking upwards Rody saw what looked like the glimpse of an archer. "That's it!" he called to Luke and they both bolted. However the arrows kept following them, it didn't take long to figure out that there was more then one archer. Often the shafts landed meer inches from the duo, "Split up!" Luke yelled. Not waiting to balance the pros and cons Rody dodged to the left.

Soon he discovered that the archers were following him. He barrel rolled into a clump of undergrowth and stayed under the leaves. Almost laying on the ground he slipped away. The process was painfully slow but he took care to make as little noise as possible. Once he deemed he was out of earshot Rody started walking normally again. His foot came down on a twig, it made a small crunching sound. A shaft shot out of the trees and struck him on the shoulder. Hissing with surprise and annoyance Rody sprinted off as fast as he could. He had often heard that putting distance between yourself and your hunter can sometimes be as good as stealth. He pelted through the forest, jumping over the occasional rock or tree root. He saw a flash of blue in front of him and the next thing he knew he had rammed into something. That something stumbled backwards and yelped.

"Rody?" the something asked

"Luke, that's you right?" Rody panted.

Rody straightened himself, took one look back then continued to run dragging Luke behind him. He burst through the forest entrance and jammed to a stop. Sir Cain was still standing to the side idly tapping his wrist against his thigh. He raised his eyebrows as Rody and Luke staggered back out. Catching his breath Rody looked around, there was no one else here, he turned in a full circle, still no one.

"Er...were we too late?" Luke asked sheepishly.

"No, in fact you're the first ones!" Sir Cain informed with a tint of pleasant surprise. After picking his jaw up from the ground Rody turned to congratulate Luke but stopped and stared, a flicker of a smile appeared on both his and Sir Cain's faces.

"What?" Luke asked.

Rody gestured at his hair, Luke clapped a hand to his head and slowly pulled a handful of twigs from his hair. He looked at the stray leaves then ruffled his hair madly with both hands.

Feeling that his confidence levels were rising Rody sat down on a nearby rock until the rest of the squires caught up with them. He was nodding off when Sir Cain once again called order.

"Your final exam will be a test on an essential skill for any knight. A test of horseback riding."

Rody froze, his confidence was falling into a pit. He just barely passed his jousting lessons, he hated running at someone else with a pointed stick. He wasn't even allowed to dodge!

"To be successful as a social knight, you must be able to strike a target on a moving horse. Whether that would be running up and striking or throwing a javelin to a further target." Sir Cain went on. "You have ten minutes to bring your mounts to the riding field."

The second the red knight turned away the squires ran back to the horse racks.

Rody's fingers fumbled with the reins, he felt numb with relief. The riding fields of the Altean palace was as flat as fields come. There were bulls-eye targets made of straw and wooden circle targets strewn about the field. Rody shifted from foot to foot as he waited. It was a clean straight run, the first two targets made of wood were to be struck with the sword or lance, there were two options for each, right or left. It was difficult to lean over enough without falling too far out of balance. The last two targets were painted with a colored bulls-eye and placed to the far left and right, depending on which hand they used the squire had to throw a javelin at one. They were timed, that score was added with the accuracy of their javelin throw.

"Rody, you're up."

Rody pulled himself into the saddle and leaned down to his horse. "Okay Freckles, try to keep on course." he patted the steed's neck.

"What did you call your horse?" Sir Cain asked startled.

"Uh...Jay?"

"...Oh."

Trying to make a mental map of the field Rody kicked the horse into a gallop. He saw the first target, being left handed he chose the left one. Throwing his weight to the left he forced Freckles...er Jay to shift a little. Leaning over his sword smashed the top of the wooden circle. Straightening against the strain on his back Rody watched for the next target.

It came way faster then he expected.

He barely had time to tilt his sword, the blade caught on a crack in the wood. The target came tearing out of the ground. Swiftly shoving his sword into its scabbard he gripped the red tasseled javelin and watched for the straw target.

The wind was blowing his hair into his eyes as he tried to pinpoint the small red of the center. Leaning backwards he put his entire torso into the throw, the javelin arched a little. The point went into the red circle, a little to the right. Trembling with relief Rody allowed Jay to run a little longer before pulling to a halt and riding back to where Sir Cain and the rest of the squires were waiting.

Rody passed on the thought that he was just lucky and maybe just a little bit more skilled. Few of the other squires-sadly discluding Luke-struck the center of the javelin target.

Once the three exams drew to an end Sir Cain once again stood in front of them with arms folded. "The results of the exam will be reviewed today by the senior knights. The ones who have been chosen to become knights of Altea will know by tomorrow. There have been rooms reserved for all of you at the Dark River Inn. I want you to know that all of you have been recommended for a reason. For those who do not achieve their goals, you will all turn out to be splendid knights and should be proud to serve under Altea's banner."

That was a point, for those who do not pass they would still work for other parts of Altea. But they weren't here to become knights of a fortress.

"How do you think you did Luke?" Rody asked at the Dark River Inn.

"Ah, I don't really care." Luke was lounging on his bed with his arms behind his head. "It's not like we can't become knights if we fail. We'll just not be working directly under Prince Marth."

Rody set down his book with a slam, "Don't tell me you didn't even put effort into it!"

"Calm down! I'm just trying to relieve the pressure!" Luke sighed, "Geez, I bet you'll be more stern then Sir Jeigan when you're his age. But that's a point, we saw the Great Bull but where's the Black Panther? Aren't they suppose to be two halves of a whole?"

Rody didn't answer, he concentrated on how bad the tea was. He swore that the jasmine flowers were rotting or something. That night he could barely sleep, he never could sleep on an unfamiliar bed. He tried to convince himself that what Luke said was right but deep down, it was clear he would never forgive himself if he failed. Finally he drifted off into a dreamless abyss.

Despite his rough time falling to sleep, Rody didn't wake up until past noon, and not on his own.

"Rody! Rody! Come on, aren't you the one always waking me up?" Luke yelled into his ear.

Rody sat up with a start, "Don't do that! I swear you yelled five years off my life!"

Dressing quickly the two exited the room. The stairs loomed before Rody like some torture chamber he had to walk through. Luke shoved him from behind causing Rody to half stumble off the stairs. Rody debated whether he should just run out the door and forget about everything that happened.

The innkeeper came up holding the register parchment, "Are you two Rody and Luke?"

"Oh yes, the pay, we have it here." Rody quickly offered.

"Uh...no, the palace covered that. I have something for you." the innkeeper reached into a coat pocket and gave them each a folded white paper with Prince Marth's seal. His hands shaking Rody unfolded the paper. He was already wincing at the thought of failure. He envied Luke who was nonchalantly shaking the paper open.

On behalf of myself and the knights of Altea, we are pleased to congratulate you, Rody, upon passing the entrance exams. We look forward to riding along side you as a comrade. You are expected at the Altean palace at two this noon.

-Prince Marth

That was all that was written on the large piece of paper. Rody was prepared to crumple up the letter and toss it into the trash, out of prepared tension he nearly did. Then he fumbled and read the passage over, then twice more. Oddly calm he looked up at Luke who was staring at him. He tilted his head expectantly.

A massive grin appeared on Luke's face, he waved the paper in Rody's face.

He had passed.

"Well, show me yours! You didn't fail did you? Aw! That's not fair! You worked harder then I did, I bet you worked harder then anyone in that room! I don't want to be all by myself as a new knight!" Luke yelled his voice turning to panic.

"Calm down!" Rody felt a wave of excitement rising in his person despite a stab of sympathy at those who didn't pass.

He held up his own letter, Luke's grin doubled and he silently beamed before racing out of the inn. He looked up at the sun then exclaimed, "Shoot! It's nearly two! Why'd you have to sleep in Rody, come on!" He dashed down the street, pulling Rody behind him by the arm.

There was someone waiting for them at the palace gates, he greeted them and led them through the maze that was the Altean palace. Luke was gawping over the gold wallpapaer and historical paintings. Rody was ruefully rubbing his arm.

"You are expected in the throne room." the guide sketched a service bow and motioned for the guards to pull apart the gilted doors. Luke and Rody walked in the decorative room, the floors were polished marble, all decorations flowed into the throne at the back of the room. However in this occasion it was empty.

Prince Marth, the Prince of Light was standing in front with Sir Cain, Sir Jeigan, Sir Draug, and other veteran knights. Rody felt a shiver of disappointment as there was no other squires.

Prince Marth sported a smile that rivaled Sir Cain's the other day. He held out his arms creating a gentle yet powerful appearance, "Might I congratulate you two once again, it takes exceptional skill to surpass all others. You have finally arrived at the moment you have been working towards all these years. Now if I can get you to kneel before me."

Shaking slightly Rody lowered himself on one knee, keeping his eyes properly downcast. He was next to terrified and the floor hurt against his knee. Yet he had to admire how the marble was matched into little flowers.

There was the sound of metal sliding on metal as Prince Marth unsheathed his sword. Luke was closer so he began with him, he tapped his sword against Luke's shoulder, the traditional way of dubbing a knight.

"I dub thee Sir Luke, knight of Altea." Marth declared.

No doubt Luke was grinning ear to ear.

Rody could only see the blue of Prince Marth's boots as his sovereign moved towards him. He shut his eyes as the cold metal of the rapier met his shoulder.

"I dub thee Sir Rody, knight of Altea."

Prince Marth stepped back among the veteran knights, "You may now rise, knights of Altea."

Rody pushed himself up and looked to Luke was was indeed, grinning ear to ear. He had expected that the feeling would be better but instead Rody felt uncomfortable at being the center of attention. The loud applause seemed to thunder inside of him and he couldn't bring himself to meet anyone's eyes.

With the procession over the majority of the knights and Prince Marth left the room. Sir Cain stayed behind.

"Congratulations once again, I knew you two were something special."

Luke didn't seem interested in compliments, "I'm going to grab something to eat in town. Later Rody, Sir Cain." he ran off. Sir Cain looked amused, Rody was scowling. "Your friend is certaintly energetic." the red knight remarked. He spoke about Luke but was staring at Rody.

"Sir Cain? What did I do wrong?" Rody inquired producing a surprised response out of the older knight. "You were like that yesterday too, is there something I did that disturbs you?"

Sir Cain shook his head distantly, "No, it's not that, you just remind me of someone." he smiled sadly, "You must have noticed that the Black Panther isn't here."

So that was it, Sir Cain didn't like the color of his clothing.

"I-I'm sorry sir, I'll wear a different color if it would please you." Rody stammered.

"It's just that you kind of act like him and...the clothing color too I suppose. No, don't let me change you." Sir Cain insisted.

Knowing very well that he was treading on dangerous ground, Rody's curiosity won him over. "Sir Cain, if it is alright to ask, what happened to Sir Abel?"

"Nothing bad, Abel found that there are other ways to live then as a knight. He found love to be more appealing then the battlefield. It is a fairytale ending but I...we were close comrades, kind of like you and Sir Luke." Sir Cain's voice was distant.

"Thank you Sir Cain." Rody executed a quick bow then hurriedly exited feeling ashamed at prompting unwanted memories. He found Luke's horse tied next to one of the local restaurants, he joined him.

"What took you so long?" Luke asked shoving a loaf of bread into his mouth. Despite having his mood dampened Rody instantly found himself grinning at Luke's eating habits. There was enough food on the table to feed ten people.

"Nothing, nothing really." he lied. He had to admit that the food of the capitol was good(minus the stuff at the inn), although nothing was better then Mom's home cooked meal.

Luke suddenly stopped stuffing his face, "You know, we probably should tell our families that we won't be coming back for a while. Alright!" The last part was so sudden that Rody nearly choked. After some coughing and a violent slap on the back from Luke, Rody managed to draw a deep breath. "Don't. Do. That. Besides, where are we suppose to go for the night?"

"Some knight named Sir Frey said that we should head to the barracks." Luke said through a mouthful of cake. "Show some respect, Sir Frey is veteran of the War of Shadows." Rody snapped.

"Oh right!"

The barracks for the palace knights was larger and more comfortable then Rody had expected. He had always thought that barracks were small, dark, airless cells with rock hard bunks.

Rody chose the top one, Luke called the bottom already.

Luke was out like a rock hit him the second his head hit the pillow. Rody stayed up late into the night, the unfamiliar surroundings made him toss and turn.

He thought about Sir Abel's actions. Was some girl worth it? All those years of training. He tried to imagine himself in that position.

No way, he worked too hard to reach where he was now, he was not giving it up for anyone, not even Luke. The majority of his life had been aimed towards this goal.

Yes.

This was his calling.

Author's Note: I always thought that there has to be something superior about the knights working directly under Marth. And since the 7th battalion joined after the War of the Shadows, they were perfect canidates. I brought up Abel in this fic because I was kind of upset at what happened to him. Seriously, his must have the worst luck. First he retires from the army to be with Est, then he has to fight for the enemy, then he's branded a traitor, then he's not as good a unit as he was in the FE 3B1/FE 11, then his wife leaves him, then he disappears after her. What did the poor guy do to deserve all that, what happened Abel? Oh well, Rody replaced Abel as favorite cavalier unit for me anyway. About the end of this fic, in the end of FE 3 B2 Luke quits the army while Rody stays and becomes a paladin...*sigh* at least that doesn't happen to all of the Cain/Abel units...unless Sain or Kent quits?
Well, I would really like to hear your opinions on this fic. I'm also curious to see how the 'my unit' unit is going to change the story line in FE 12, I hope they come out with a US release date soon.