Hey guys! I'm back with an FE: Awakening fic. My sister introduced me to the game, and I'm absolutely head over heels about it. Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to the fan fiction world... it's been a super interesting summer. I also have an SAO fic kind of floating in my head...

Anyways, this starts off with femAvatar (name: Arkelle). It's a little different than my MewMew one, mostly because the game is so different. Hope you enjoy it anyway!

/Zen

I never thought I'd have to choose between duty and my heart.

Stepping out from my tent, I strode across camp. My dark blue cloak swirled out behind me. A glance at the sky confirmed the weather matched my mood: it was a dismal day. Gray clouds threatened rain, but that would not dampen the Shepherds' fighting spirits. To my right, between a gap in the tents, I saw Stahl and Sully circling one another in the temporary sparring ring. As she landed a strike he stumbled, and the two of them broke out in laughter.

How was it so easy for them? They began as mere training partners and somehow became more. They didn't let it get complicated. I looked away, biting my bottom lip. I shouldn't be wishing for what could not be. My duty was to Ylisse... but did that mean putting the country's well being before my own happiness?

My boots flattened dirt made choppy from the passage of horses the day before. I had another meeting with the prince – with Chrom. We'd only just won ground yesterday with the defeat of Mustafa, but our next one promised to test every last one of us.

Yet it would be this meeting which I'd find most trying. Because I'd be stuck in a small confined space with Chrom for a couple of hours, and I was no fool. I knew how he'd been looking at me. I just didn't know what to do about it yet. The death of his sister, Emm, was only making this harder.

"Arkelle."

I stopped, but my heart leapt ahead. Lon'qu, our champion swordsman from Regna Ferox, stepped out from between the tents on my left. He paused with several feet still between us, his eyes unreadable.

"What is it?"

He glanced ahead. What was he thinking?

"You're heading to the next strategist meeting?" He asked, still pointedly not looking at me.

"I am."

He nodded and began to walk, one hand resting easily on his two handed sword. It was a simple enough weapon, but in his hands it became an extension of Lon'qu himself. Many enemies had fallen to him.

Hesitating, I followed. With a sideways glance at him, I angled a little closer, closing the distance between us from four feet to three. He grunted and clenched his jaw, but didn't tell me to step away. I fought a smile; I enjoyed messing with his phobias. While deadly with a sword, Lon'qu was dead in the water with a woman. His fear stretched back into his childhood, I was sure. We'd fought and practiced together a hundred times since he'd joined the Shepards, with me always pushing the boundaries of his fear.

I couldn't resist looking over again, and caught a faint mark on his chin. The remnant of a bruise, no bigger than a coin. Before I could stop myself, I let out a laugh.

"What?"

I pointed at his chin. "You've still got a bit of a bruise!"

He grunted but the corner of his mouth quirked upwards. "You have a good throwing arm. For a woman."

"What do you mean for a woman?" I raised an eyebrow then laughed again. "From you I suppose that is to pass for a compliment."

"You had the element of surprise, that is all."

"I am a tactician."

"You snuck into my tent," he reminded me.

"I had to get the advantage somehow," I replied with a shrug. "It's what I do."

Lon'qu said nothing, but pulled back the tent flap for me to enter. Right. The meeting. I ducked through and straightened. He stayed by the entrance, and I felt the absence of his presence at my side. On the battlefield we were always stronger together, and I missed that certainty now.

"You're here," Chrom said, "good. Your strategies may be the only thing that pulls us through this next battle." He stood across the table from me, cloak dirty from weeks of travelling, armor dinted, but blue eyes aflame. Pain was bright there, the pain he buried for his sister Emm. At the same time I felt sorry for him, I knew his desire for revenge had to be curbed before it determined all our fates. It was also that fresh wound that was causing him to search me out more and more.

"Good to see you again tactician." Flavia stood next to Basilio, her hands clasped behind her back. She was stern woman – muscular and blond. "And you, Lon'qu. Your sword will be invaluable."

"Still trying to cut the jar without shattering it?" Basilio asked, a grin on his dark-skinned face. He broke out into laughter before Lon'qu could answer.

"Jar?" Chrom asked.

"Why would I waste my time on something so trivial?" Lon'qu asked from his position near the entrance. "There is no use in such a skill."

"Is that so?" Basilio asked in his booming voice. There was a glint in his eyes suggesting he knew otherwise.

I cleared my throat, stepping closer to the table and the map spread out overtop it. "Gangrel's fortress."

"Yes," Chrom replied, his gaze following mine. "He thinks us weak, but we will not lose. We will have peace again. For Emm."

I glanced sharply at him and noticed Flavia do the same. Regna Ferox would not follow a disillusioned leader, and Chrom was dangerously toeing the line of grief and disillusionment. He could not be allowed to become obsessed with revenge. I should –

"Sorry I'm late!" Lissa stumbled into the room, her cheeks flushed from running. She pulled up short of running into Lon'qu, who jumped backwards. "Oh, hi," she said, the colour in her cheeks deepening.

"Lissa." Chrom's gaze softened as he looked upon his younger sister. His only sister, now. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be practicing healing with Libra?"

The blonde princess shook her head. "I may not be a good fighter yet," she said, "but Emm was my sister too. You can't run Ylisse by yourself," she added, "our kingdom will need both of us."

"She has a point," I said before he could protest, "there's no harm in her learning. And you could use all the help you can get."

"Thanks," he grunted.

"Agreed," Flavia said, backing me up. She stood with her hands on her hips and shoulders thrown back. "A leader should understand their role and as much of the roles of others as is possible. Knowledge is as much a strength as muscle."

Basiliobroke in with a hearty laugh. "Seems they've got you backed into a corner boy!"

"So it seems," Chrom replied, his eyes meeting mine across the table. I looked down at the map again. Why did he have to make it so hard? Even with a table between us, I felt drawn to him. It felt so natural, but then why was I fighting so hard?

"Gangrel will expect us to play it safe," I told them after clearing my throat. I had to focus. "It's risky, but I suggest we split into two groups. In order to have the advantage, we have to do something he will not expect."

"That would make us vulnerable," Chrom argued.

"It's bold," Basilio said, "I like it."

"It's bold and daring," I agreed. "From what we've heard from the locals, the set up is pretty basic. Of course, we'll need to set up a scouting mission."

"I was thinking about that," Chrom said. His gloved hand tapped the map and he frowned. "I know Gauis won't want to do it, but-"

"We could tell him there's candy in it for him!" Lissa piped up.

Chrom smirked. "Actually, I was going to suggest that v-"

"Did someone mention candy?" Gauis popped into the tent, his red hair hanging in his eyes and a lollipop dangling from his hand. His wary eyes searched the tent, disappointed at finding us candy-less. "Not even a toffee? How are you still living?"

"Yes," Lissa said. "We were just talking about you!"

He stepped in cautiously. "Why do I have a feeling I'm about to get conned into a tasteless job..."