NOTE: I do not own Fire Emblem and its characters

He had been thinking all these time of whether what he really feels for her. He looked over where she is, looking over strategical points their pegasus scouts have reported for their next siege. He looked at her short light brown hair and cool moss green eyes that matches her fair skin which seems to be not suited for a travelling person for a very long time. He didn't know he'd been staring at her for a very long time until his lifelong friend tapped him on the shoulder.

"What's wrong, Hector?" a red-head man said. "You've been spacing out for the past ten minutes already. Is something amiss?"

Hector looked up, startled. "Eliwood!" he said with relief. "Don't startle me like that."

"I didn't startle you." Eliwood replied, bewildered. "I've just noticed that you're not yourself for the past ten minutes. Oswin had been calling your attention, even stood in front of you to snap you out of your reverie, and yet you didn't respond. Just what is wrong, Hector?"

"Nothing..."

"Right, nothing. You wouldn't be spacing out like that if there's nothing amiss." Eliwood said sarcastically. Hector averted his gaze from the woman he'd been staring at hastily and stood up.

"Care to spar with me, Eliwood?"

"Not until you tell me what's bothering you, I won't."

"Don't be stubborn like a child, Eliwood. You know that I will tell you if there is something bothering me."

"Is it a woman?" Eliwood asked inoccently. Hector flushed.

"What made you think it's a woman? And at times like this?" the little lord of Ostia stammered.

"Well, it is in wars that love starts at most." the lord of Pherae shrugged. "Who is it?"

"I told you there's none." Hector insisted.

"Is it Lyndis? Even though she's half Lycian and half Sacaen, she's a true beauty." Eliwood said, making a list of candidate women in their camp who might be his friend's interest. "Or is it shy Florina? I admit she's cute but, to be honest, she's not really my type....or don't tell me it's that cleric of yours, Serra?"

"That's the most horrible thing you've ever suggested, Eliwood." Hector shivered. "Why would I be interested in that loud mouthed of a cleric?"

Eliwood pressed his lips together, thinking hard. "I can't think of anyone else that can be a cadidate for your taste." He admitted. Then he saw his tactician, a woman of great skill and strength, who had supported him after the death of his father and had seen Lyndis safely to Caelin after Lundgren's uprising, packing up her things with her shoulders slouched as though tired.

"Is it her?" Eliwood suddenly asked, making Hector turn around and look to the person his friend is talking about.

"Who?"

"My tactician, Saei."

"Why would you think that she's my type?"

"Well, I'm just surmising things. Don't be mad." Eliwood said. "Saei's good looking inspite of her being distant except for those whom she'd been with during Lyndis's quest of saving Caelin. I admit myself that we're not that even close compared to her relationship to Lyndis."

"It will be a disgrace for the Royal House of Ostia for me to marry a....well...you know..."

"A low life vagabond?" the red head prompted.

"Something like that."

Eliwood turned to look at his friend.

"So, you don't know anything about Saei, do you? Even with the extensive arms of spies."

"As far as we know, she's just a vagabond who's travelling around Elibe to hone her skills. But from where she came from or who her family is, we don't know."

"...I heard that she's been with Bern's top military strategist, who suddenly renounced her position and became a vagabond."

"For what reason?"

Eliwood only shrugged. Then his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why are you interested in her story?"

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No."

"...well, whatever your reason is, there are two things I'm sure about her."

"And that would be?"

"I thought you're not interested?"

"...Ok, fine. Nevermind. Now can we go and spar now...? This waiting is taking its toll on me."

Hector moved to the other direction, followed by Eliwood who is still babbling on his ear.

"Well, for one," Eliwood said as if there was no smart comments between them had happened. "She said that she'd grown tired of being sent here and there to conquer a city or lay siege on an enemy. And second, she came to Lycia to serve under your brother, Lord Uther."

"If she's really that tired, then why is she with us? And what's her decision of renouncing her loyalty to the King of Bern to join a Lycian Lord?"

"She had been serving Bern for how many years, and she never had any chance of meeting anyone with her capacity, except for the strategists of Ostia. But for what real reason, I don't know. Maybe you should ask her."

"You didn't answer my other question." Hector pointed, taking his axe in his hands to weigh it. Having it in his hands makes him more calm as they talk about a woman who had once served Bern and now serve them.

"Yeah well...it's because I'm not really sure if it's true. It's just a hearsay after all."

"What is it?"

"...that she had taken fancy of Lord Uther, because of his valor and tight grip on every lose end. And maybe because of his charisma."

It was a blow to Hector. So she fancied his brother? Would that be the reason why she's pleased to meet his brother in person and had even a private chat with him? Now how is he going to compete with his own brother who has everything she wishes for in a man? He might don't want to admit it to himself, but he's somewhat jealous of his own brother. And before he knew it, he's thinking of ways how to attract her attention....