I do not own Fire Emblem. Nintendo owns everything in this fan fiction.

Ch. 1 Depressing matters.

Queen Elincia stood on her balcony, looking over her new city. She was a beautiful, young woman in her early twenties with long green hair and soft brown eyes. Her face was smooth and gorgeous

It had been three years since she had gained her rightful position. However, the role of queen did not come naturally to her. She had not grown up in a large castle with teachers and advisors to train her like most queens. She had grown up with a foster family who had kept her hidden from danger. Now she had a country to rule and she needed to help it regain its power, which was no easy task. She often doubted if she was making the right decisions, and there were many who tried to overthrow her. A group of rebels constantly sabotaged her efforts and attacked defenseless villages. Elincia's bodyguard and close friend, Lucia, was working to expose the rebels, but she kept running into dead ends.

Elincia released an exasperated sigh as she walked back into her throne room. It had been so much easier when Ike was around to keep her company. She had grown fond of the young man; if it hadn't been for him or his mercenaries, Elincia would never have become queen and this country would still be in turmoil. He had promised her that he and Elincia would get through this together, and he stayed with her for several months until she had a proper grasp on ruling the kingdom. Once he felt he was no longer needed, he left. Royalty wasn't for him, and he had his own group to lead and villages to protect. Nonetheless, she missed him.

"Your Highness." A soft male's voice greeted. The man was dressed in royal blue armor and carried a spear. He had cerulean hair and eyes to match. His face was friendly and gentle, the type of face unexpected from such a powerful and imposing figure. His name was Geoffrey, Elincia's general, and he cared for her more than anything in his life.

"What is your report, General?" Elincia asked.

"No report, your Highness. I just wanted to make sure you were all right. You seem unhappy lately. Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing." The queen once again gazed out the window. It was a lie and both she and Geoffrey knew it.

"He's not coming back." The general informed her, gently but firmly. "You should forget about him and look towards your future. Your people need you."

"I know my people need me." Elincia hissed, trying to remain calm.

The conversation had upset her and Geoffrey could tell. He had seen the sad look in his queen's eyes for quite some time, and it filled him with grief to see her this way. He had only come to make her feel better, but his efforts had the opposite effect. He had to think of something that would at least take her mind off Ike and the pressures of being queen for a little while.

"I know. How about we take a walk around town tomorrow? Just you and me. We'll even find a disguise for you so no one will recognize us. I'm sure it will make you feel better to get out of the castle and away from the guards."

"What about the dangers and the rebels? Are you sure it is safe?" Elincia asked him.

"An excellent point, your Highness. You are really wise. What if I ask my sister? If she says it is fine, than will that be suitable?"

"Very well." She agreed. "If Lucia agrees, than so will I."

"Great! I'll ask her right now. Oh, and your highness? Please get some sleep. I'm worried about you not getting your rest."

"Do not worry, General. I am planning to go to my bedchambers relatively soon."

"Good. Have sweet dreams, your Highness." Geoffrey bowed graciously to his queen and left humbly, trying to keep his excitement from embarrassing him. All he needed was to get his sister's permission and he would have a date with the queen.

Geoffrey sat at a table speaking to his sister about taking Elincia out for the day. Anyone looking at Geoffrey and Lucia would have thought they were twins. Both had the same eyes, hair, and features. Plus, they were both great warriors: Lucia a swords master, and Geoffrey a paladin. The only difference was that Lucia was a female, and had a slim, womanly build.

"It sounds more like you want to take her out on a date than get her out of the castle." Lucia stated, leaning back on her chair. Being in charge of Queen Elincia's spy network, she was quick to figure out was really going on, especially when she knew what her little brother was trying to pull.

"Really Lucia, it's not like that at all." Geoffrey insisted innocently.

Lucia merely raised her eyebrow, indicating she wasn't going to believe his tale.

He laughed, knowing he'd been caught. "All right, you win. It would be nice to take her on a date, but that's not my true intention. I want to see her happy again. She's always so glum. It pains me to see her like this."

"I know. Elincia always had a hard time ruling, especially since Ike left."

Geoffrey seemed to grimace at the mention of Ike's name, but Lucia ignored him and continued.

"As far as my resources tell me, there shouldn't be a problem taking her for a walk. However, she must be disguised and I will have one of my spies watching you at all times."

"Very well." Geoffrey agreed.

The Griel mercenaries sat around their camp after hiking through the woods all day. They had just returned from a job well done. It had been a tough job protecting that village from so many bandits, but the group had handled the job with ease.

"Did you see me in the last fight?" Rolf, the youngest of the mercenaries, cheered. He was in his early teens and had lime green hair and eyes. Even though he was young, he was mature and good-hearted, not to mention skilled with a bow. "I must have taken down at least five of those bandits."

"Yes, you did quite well." Gatrie complimented. He was a large and powerful knight with short blond hair and blue eyes. Despite his size and ferocity in battle, he was a puppy dog on the inside and always optimistic.

"You could have done better, though." Shinon commented. "You missed several targets." Shinon had long maroon-colored hair and was quite the opposite of his best friend, Gatrie. Despite his tough guy act, he did have soft spots in his heart. One of them was for Rolf, whom he had secretly taught how to use a bow.

"It would have also been nice if we would have made more money!" Shinon continued, loud enough for their leader, Ike, to hear.

Mia, the newest members of the mercenaries, was sparring against Ike. She was a young woman in her late teens with long, purple hair and blue eyes. Though she was playful by nature, she was one of the best when it came to wielding a sword. She liked to challenge Ike to a fight to keep her skills sharp, even though she was never a real challenge for him.

Ike was a slim and muscular man, and his swordsman skills were nearly unmatched. He had been taught by his father, the original leader of the mercenaries, and was the top warrior in the country. He had navy blue hair and was dressed in a navy blue tunic.

Ike continued to block Mia's blows with his sword. The blade was large, nearly as long as Ike, and about twice as wide as a normal blade. Any normal man would have barely been able to wield the blade with two hands, yet Ike had no problem wielding it one-handed. With a single swing of his blade, he sent his challenger flying backwards. She had been both disarmed and knocked on her back.

Rhys, the missionary's main healer, walked over and used his healing staff to heal Mia's wounds, just as he did every time she tried to spar with Ike. Rhys had orange-red hair and was dressed in white and light blue robes like a bishop.

With his sparring match complete, Ike turned to his next challenger, Shinon. Shinon always tried to argue with Ike's decisions, something really annoyed Ike and the rest of the gang.

"They were a poor village." Ike said. "We can't overcharge them for our services just because you want more money."

"Whatever." Shinon grumbled. "We should have just stayed at the castle. At least we would have been paid enough to afford decent food, not to mention the comfort of the castle and…"

"That's enough, Shinon." A red-headed woman by the name of Titania barked. Titania was the oldest of the mercenaries and Ike's second-in-command. Even though she was no longer in her prime, she was still very powerful, capable of wielding a large war ax or sword without hesitation. She dressed in lightweight white armor and maroon, velvet clothing. Titania often served as a mother hen of the younger members and had even helped raise Ike when he was a boy.

Ike looked around the camp and did a quick head count.

Oscar and Boyd, Rolf's two older half-brothers, were arm wrestling. Boyd, the slightly younger but larger brother, was winning. It was clear the three were brothers, the only difference that Boyd and Oscar's hair was a darker shade of green than Rolf's. Oscar was a knight who wore green armor and was skilled at using a lance and bow, while Boyd was a warrior who preferred an ax, but could also use a bow.

Soren, the main strategist and mage of the team, read a book and ignored the others. Soren was an unfriendly man to all but Ike, who he supported without question, and considered a brother. Though he looked only to be the age of fifteen, but he was actually in his late twenties. His black hair was black and red eyes complemented his black robes and strange red marking on his forehead.

One member was missing; Mist, Ike's younger sister.

"Soren, where's Mist?" Ike asked his friend.

Soren looked up from his book. "She went to retrieve water from the river. Don't worry, she'll be back soon."

Ike frowned. "Boyd, go to the river and make sure she's O.K."

"Yes sir." Boyd jokingly saluted Ike.

Mist was happily fetching water for soup Oscar wanted to make. A pretty young girl in her late teens, she appeared much younger due to her innocence and small stature. Her long brown hair blew in the wind, revealing her shining cerulean eyes. The young girl hummed as she worked. It was a song her mom used to sing before she died, and Mist sang it often.

Unknown to the young girl, she was being watched by four figures. Black robes covered the figures' scrawny bodies, hiding their faces. Each of them had short, jagged swords attached to their belts.

"The young girl with Fire Emblem. Finding her was easier than expected." One whispered in a dark and raspy voice.

"She's carrying a sword, but I doubt it'll be an issue." Another spoke.

Another one of the black hooded figures jumped through the trees and approached his comrades. It had been his job to scout.

"Someone's approaching." He announced, "We must make our move."

The four assassins pounced on the unsuspecting girl. Before Mist had a chance to react she was pinned to the ground on her back. Her sword was taken from her waist and thrown across the ground as one of the assassins pointed a blade to her throat, letting it rest against her soft neck.

"You scream and I kill." The man warned the poor girl.

Mist retaliated by kicking one of the men in the crotch, causing him to fall to his knees and moan in pain.

"You little brat!" One of the men cried,

Mist quickly went for her blade, but was stopped as her leg was grabbed by her assailants. Mist flailed violently against her attacker, kicking him in the face. However, the three remaining men managed to restrain the girl and drag her to the river as they dunked her head into the water as punishment. Mist struggled frantically against her attackers to get her head above water, but one of the men kept a firm grip on her hair, and held her under. As Mist began to weaken, the man pulled her head up, allowing her to take a gulp of hair. The man then laughed wickedly and pushed Mist's head back under water.

Mist felt her lungs aching for air and she wanted to cry out in pain but didn't dare, knowing what would happen. She continued to squirm but to no use. The world around Mist began to turn into a blur as she lost consciousness.