Summary: The tactician of Fire Emblem (7) is taken hostage. Eliwood and co. try to get their strategist back and take town Nergal. Occurs during the first part of the final chapter of the game. Some actual game dialogue is incorporated into the text.

The young Pheraen Lord easily cleaved through the heart of the last remaining druid with Durandal. Blood sprayed from the skull cavity onto marble floor, and the lesser morph's robes flapped lazily as he sank to the ground. Eliwood could see: his quintessence was absorbed into the Dragon's gate. The usually calm lord scowled.

For such abominations to be created…

"Eliwood!"

He turned; it was Lyn, her dark blue hair tossing behind her as she sprinted towards her peer. Behind her strode the Great Lord, Hector.

Eliwood nodded to his closest comrades.

It was time for Nergal to pay.

He commanded his magnificent horse forward, ready to engage the dark sorcerer in battle. He quickly galloped up the decorated stairs, but at the top he instantly halted.

Nergal had the tactician. A small but sharp blade was plastered to the tense throat.

Eliwood gasped, "Nergal!"

"So you're here, Eliwood," Nergal smirked. "I thought losing Ninian might distract you. Have you forgotten her so quickly? How heartless."

"I haven't forgotten. I'll never forget. It was my mistake that killed Ninian," Eliwood said defiantly. "Because of that… I will fight. I will not run away and hide in sorrow. I'm going to put an end to all of this!"

"Oh, no…," Lyn skidded to a halt came to the peak of the stairs. Her expression held notion but contempt for Nergal.

"Little girl from Sacae…," the sorcerer acknowledged. "You'll do well to vanish. One such as you is no match for me."

"The nomads of the pains do not abandon their fellow tribespeople!" Lyn said. "Eliwood and Hector are my dear friends…Their sorrow is my sorrow; their anger is my anger."

"Pah…," Nergal glowered.

"Nergal!" Lyn shouted. "In my friends' name, I will cut you down!"

Hector thrust Armads into the ground, "You bastard, Nergal!"

"So you've come, Hector of Ostia," Nergal turned his head, grinning wildly. "Your existence itself was one of my miscalculations. If it had only been Eliwood, this could have been over. So, my little miscalculation, I will erase you…and leave no trace remaining."

Hector glared, "Do your worst!"

He cackled, "Many times my subordinates have tried to hinder your quest by attacking the actual players…but now I know the mastermind!"

"Nergal, you monster! Let our friend go!" Eliwood advanced, pointing his legendary blade at the twisted Dark Druid.

Nergal tightened his grip on his hostage; Eliwood stopped.

"Dismount and drop your weapon. That goes for the rest of you."

They did. Eliwood slowly leaned down, placing Durandal in front of him. The others followed suit.

"It seems that everyone has a strong affinity with this person…," Nergal said. Indeed, those that came along for the final fight were now tensely hovering behind their Lords.

Nergal continued, "The single person everyone in your troupe was able to talk to, the person everyone who could find comfort in—now in my clutches!"

The tactician struggled, to no avail.

"Ha! Now what are you going to do?" Nergal said. He pushed the razor to the pulsing artery, drawing a tiny stream of blood for everyone to see.

The youth in his grip cringed.

"Drop your blade, fiend, or I swear I will ensure the most unpleasant of deaths!" Lyn threatened.

"Ha, ha, ha. I wonder if any of you would have gotten this far without help!" Nergal replied to the company.

At this point, the entire group was at the Dragon's Gate's doorstep, silently watching and anticipating the dark lord's moves. His laughs echoed bitterly throughout the room. The only other noise was the tactician's rapid, weak breaths.

"Taking an aid as a hostage—you are no villain!" Hector shouted angrily. "You're just common lowlife!"

Nergal only sneered.

Eliwood thought the purpose of the fight over: to defeat Nergal, and thus prevent the dragons from returning to Elibe. Though his logical thought said to defeat Nergal at all costs, he felt that the tactician's—no, the entire group's dear friend—death was an exception. Because of this exact same thought, no one else in the company moved.

However, their beleaguered friend mouthed words: 'It's okay! Don't worry about me!'

"How wonderful to be a young genius," Nergal mused. "You know, easily you and I can take over the continent."

They really could, realized Eliwood. Their tactician was extraordinarily brilliant, and knew all of their weaknesses.

But then Nergal cocked his head, and an insane look crept upon his face. He said, "I can feel the quintessence from people…and here we have one that's very strong, emanating from your beloved tactician."

"No…," Eliwood protested. He remembered his father when he had only most of his quintessence drained; the pale-yellow taut skin, the sunken in eyes. When he died, the late marquis looked less than a corpse. No one deserved to die like that.

"Yes… perhaps I'll do that…," Nergal schemed aloud.

That's when Eliwood saw an opening. It was there for one second, but then it vanished.

But the opportunity was there. The lord caught the tactician's eyes; Eliwood knew what to do now.

He tapped his steel-towed boot, signaling Hector. A small smile came to the axe wielder's face. Hector in turned crossed his arms, nudging Lyn in the process. She looked up from her fighter's stance, and nodded. They were ready.

The young strategist squirmed in Nergal's tight grip, and then shouted, "Now!"

Nergal panicked, "What?"

In one sweeping motion, Eliwood rolled and grabbed the decorated handle of Durandal, and using the reins of his steed, mounted himself on the horse and charged.

With strength from fury, vengeance, and a wanting for peace, Eliwood ran the sacred legendary blade through the Dark Druid.

Eliwood extended his right hand to the tactician, and with great effort pulled his friend up behind him on the horse.

"Noo!" Nergal shrieked, emitting a great burst of dark energy into the room.

The horse panicked, and bucked the two off. Eliwood and the tactician were tossed into the air, but they rolled the fall off.

"Move away from here," Eliwood commanded the shaken strategist. "Go to Pricilla or someone to help you." He felt odd, giving the tactician orders. The brunette complied, rubbing a very strained neck.

Lyn and Hector struck next.

The Blade Lord drew Sol Katti, and swished it once to reacquaint herself with its weight. It hummed in her hand. She leapt, and then struck down with elaborate arcs on the sorcerer multiple times. Lyn landed gracefully at the end of her barrage.

Hector lifted the shining Armads from the tile. He rushed towards Nergal, spinning the oversized axe above his head for momentum. He hurdled into the air, and then came crashing down onto the adversary.

Finally, the Archsage, Athos, approached his old companion. The holy spell Aureola glimmered at his fingertips as he channeled his power to his ancient staff. In one great display of light and wind, the spell made contact.

Finally, Nergal collapsed. "Why? Why must I loose?" he cried in vain.

Eliwood and the others stood silent as they watched the old man die. It had been a long battle.

"Gaa… not like this…," Nergal lifted his hands towards the Dragon's gate.

He coughed blood. "I will not die…like this," his face twisted into a psychotic sneer. "With my last breath, tremble…and…despair!"

He started laughing manically, and then collapsed. He twitched slightly, and then totally went limp.

All was silent.

There was a soft 'thud' behind them.

Lyn, Hector, and Eliwood looked back, aghast.

It was their tactician.

"What? What's wrong?" Lyn said, rushing to the strategist's side. She lifted up the brunette.

"Blood," Hector noticed. The warm red liquid oozed out from the spot that Nergal had punctured the neck. Already the green robes were drenched.

"How?" Eliwood knelt, and called, "Pricilla!"

"Milord?"

"Did you attend this yet?"

The young troubadour seemed to hesitate. "Y-yes," she said, her voice shaking. "But…y-you see—"

"Out with it," Hector said.

"Hector, please," Lyn said. "Not now…"

Pricilla breathed in, "Nergal's blade was enchanted… I-it cannot be helped."

There was a deathly silence throughout the room.

"But it'll cure on its own, right? Without magic?" Hector almost sounded…worried. "I mean, it's not…"

Pricilla looked at the ground. "The magic…it is dark. The blood will drain continuously until…," she stopped, and then dismissed herself from the Lords.

Florina hiccupped; she was crying. Her sisters comforted her.

Canas stopped reading his book, and wiped his monocle.

Pent and Louise consoled each other.

Matthew kicked a loose stone, looking away.

Lyn laid the young tactician on the cold marble floor, "Are you still alright?"

Two eyes opened. A weak smile.

Lyn smiled back, and brushed the messy brown hair away to clearly see the face.

"You've been so helpful to us…I'll miss you. When I found you unconscious on the plains…I had no idea we would be together for so long," Lyn said, her voice quivering slightly. "You've helped us so much and I'm sure you've learned all you can from us…"

The blood continued to pour, and the skin started to look drawn and blue.

"Do… you have any family?" Hector asked. He rested against his large axe. "Anyone we can track after…?"

A shake of the head: no.

"Ah, wait… that wasn't right to say at a time like this…," Hector said weakly. He said only the best he could come up with, but the meaning was still there, "You, my friend, are very strong. Thanks for watching after Eliwood here."

Eliwood ignored that potentially rude comment. "Yes…If it weren't for you, I wouldn't…This world wouldn't be here," Eliwood said. "You have my heartfelt gratitude."

The tactician's eyes slowly closed.

"Hear me," said Eliwood. "You will be remembered."

A tired nod… and then, nothing.

The tactician finally rested.

End

I'm proud of myself.

Whole chapter with genderless tactician just because I just couldn't decide on male or female or even an androgynous name!

Also, for some reason, I feel like I just killed myself off.

Lol. And now they have to fight a dragon without a tactician! I wonder if they'll be able to win… [Edit: Whoops. Spelled the villain's name wrong-shows how much I love FE7, amirite? Well, it's fixed now. Hopefully.]