Mary stared at everything around her with wide eyes. She shifted uneasily as people walked around her and she held her cloak close to her, pulling her hood up to help hide herself. Everyone went about their business in the bazaar without even glancing at her. Instead, if anyone was looking in her direction at all it was to look at the beautiful Sacaen woman in front of her, browsing some of the wares a portly man had for sale.

"Mary, do you think this might be useful?" Lyn said, holding a small dagger up for Mary to see. Mary regarded the blade, pushing some of her brown curls out of her green eyes so she could see.

"Bernese steel mounted on a Sacean sheathe. It would be useful, but the price he has on such a blade is way too high." Mary said, pointing at the price tag the man had on the blade. It read that such a small iron blade was to be sold at nearly five hundred gold. A ludicrous amount for something such as this. Mary could easily see that such work was worth only a hundred.

"Is it? I can't really read, so I didn't know." Lyn admitted, returning the blade to its place. The portly man was angry about that, but Mary didn't respond or listen to anything he said to them as they walked away. Mary flinched when someone bumped into her arm, agitating the wounds on her arm.

"Feeling well? We can rest for the day if you need to." Lyn asked in concern. Lyn placed a hand on the smaller girl's shoulder, but Mary simply smiled at her.

"We need healing supplies and some food if we want to travel anywhere else. We can rest after we get some supplies, and then perhaps start our real journey tomorrow." Mary said. Lyn nodded, looking at some of the wares.

"I was good at haggling within the tribes, but that was when we traded for things we needed, such as trading some animal fur for a new bow or knife. Trading in a bazaar is odd, since I'm still a bit unsure of how to use gold, silver, and copper." Lyn said. Mary could see some of the shop keepers grinning greedily, suddenly trying to coax Lyn to their stalls but Mary forced her away from them.

"It is to be expected, due to where you lived. I will do the haggling and shopping then, and I can teach you how to read and the proper usage of money later on." Mary said. Lyn nodded.

"I will study hard! If you don't mind that I watch when you buy."

"How do you think you will learn if you don't see how it is done? I was going to make you watch anyway. Ah, here is someone who has what we need. And at good pricing to, much cheaper than the shop keepers I had met in that Illian city." Mary commented. The shopkeeper, a tall willowy woman with a crooked nose, smiled gleefuly.

"Of course, and of much better quality! A home of mercenaries, that country!" The woman said. Mary nodded, smiling herself as she whispered to Lyn to keep quiet.

"I've been to Illia. A mountain of gold for one thin cloak of ox skin. Not worth it, I tell you. And the medical supplies! Gah, it was like they intended to rob me!" Mary said, somewhat dramatically. The woman nodded with agreement, motioning to her wares.

"Oh course! Illians have no real concept of gold these days. Sellswords will sell themselves for a single gold but their wares! Saint Elmine bless us, they charge nearly ten times what I sell!" The woman said. Mary nodded in agreement, but gave a troubled look.

"I was just at the shop of a portly man down the end there. Told me how rotten your herbs were and how overcharged they were. I am glad to see they aren't rotten in the least, but the herbs he sold were much cheaper than here. Certainly it would be best of me to buy them there, even if they looked older and more for wear." Mary said, regarding each of the herbs. Lyn looked them over, not able to see Mary's point, but like a good student she kept quiet and listened intently. The willowy woman puffed out her chest and frowned.

"Did he now! Well, I'll prove him wrong then! Everything half off! I'll be sure to sell more and make more than him!" the woman said proudly. Mary smiled sweetly.

"Oh truly! I am so glad! I will be sure to tell everyone how better your wares are, thank you so much! So what we need…" Mary started to list the herbs and food they needed, the woman all too happy to comply. Lyn wasn't too happy with how Mary had played the woman, but she had to agree that they got everything at quiet the bargain. Or at least, she hoped they did. She still wasn't too sure with gold yet. When they finished Mary mentioned wanting to eat someplace peacefully and the woman was all to happy to give them some cooked meat as thanks for advertising and to tell them of a water fountain in the center of town that was the best place.

When they left, Lyn was certain Mary wouldn't advertise but Mary proved her wrong. The limping woman told everyone she walked past and made sure to loudly declare the woman's shop to people in front of the portly man's shop of the woman just down who was selling her wares at half price.

Lyn was still surprised when he gave Mary the small dagger from earlier for free just to shut her up.

They found the water fountain and true to the woman's word it was peacefull and quiet there, letting them eat in peace. Lyn handed Mary the water skin at one point and then Mary went into her haggling lesson.

"Any merchant can lower the price of their wares. Most merchants have a nation they don't like, a king or queen that angers them or another merchant they are rivals with. Start the conversation, always, with something that will get them to like you. That woman hated Illia, something obvious by the way she spoke of Illia to a customer before we talked to her. When in a bazaar, it is obvious all merchants are rivals, but those two were far apart and I had seen the way she glared at the portly merchant. The two don't get along, so I played with both her hatred of Illia and on her hatred of that man. Do this, and you can almost garuntee that they will lower their prices for you." Mary said. Lyn nodded.

"As for the pricing on goods. Good herbs like the one we got aren't actually worth all that much since they can be foraged easily just outside of town. Never pay more than five coppers for a single batch. The food we got was of great condition, so they are easily worth three silvers and ten coppers, but never more than five silvers if you can help it. If they look days old and they sell meats never by them. Days old meat can spoil everything and make you sick, so it is not worth paying for. There will always be a merchant with fresh wares. If there isn't, hunt for your own food." Mary said. Lyn nodded, trying to keep track of it all in her head.

Mary breathed somewhat heavy, taking a long drought from the water skin. The heat was starting to get to her, but she felt uncomfortable taking off the cloak to reveal the sacaen clothing underneath. Her original clothing had been ruined and although she was thankful to Lyn for providing her with some hand-me-downs, she was not all too comfortable with the amount of leg it showed. Expecially with the fact that her legs were covered in bandaging that was now dyed somewhat pink and red in areas. Lyn glanced over at her before starting to force the cloak off of Mary.

"Lyn! Please, not here!" Mary said indignantly. Lyn huffed.

"You must be suffocating in this heat Mary, and I don't want you to collapse!"

"I understand but the dress you leant me is a bit…" Mary blushed but finally conceaded and removed the cloak. The dress she wore certainly wasn't as revealing as lyn's, but it was certainly more revealing than Mary would have liked. Slit up both sides up to her thigh, at least the sleeves came to her elbows. The collar was high and the dress was a light shade of green, matching the designs to Lyn's dress. At the very least it was now much cooler without the cloak. However, without the cloak it was now obvious how injured Mary was. Some people stared at the bandings on her legs and arms. Mary was thankful she was wearing gloves so they couldn't see that her hands were damaged as well.

"I am sorry. I would have given you pants but I did not have any." Lyn apologized, wrapping the cloak up and tying it to her sack.

"It's fine. I would have stood out more in men's clothing anyway." Mary said. It wasn't like she wasn't used to traveling in men's clothing, but traveling around in Sacaen men's clothing when she looked like a Bernese woman might draw more questions that she wanted to. Lyn nodded her head and kept eating. When the two were finished and Mary had rested enough they talked about what they wanted to do next and where they wanted to go.

"In all honesty I have been wanting to go to Etruria. A country of magic has interested me since I was a babe so I have always wanted to visit." Mary said. She toyed with an aquamarine stone she wore around her neck as she talked.

"I have never been to Etruria. Then that is where we shall go first. I do know we will have to cross through the Lycian Alliance to get there, so if we set out in this direction..." Lyn and Mary looked at a map, plotting their next course of action. Finally settling on a pathway they rented a room at a small inn on the outskirts of Bulgar and settling down for the night.

The moon was high that night, allowing Mary the perfect amount of light as she lit a small candle that came with the room. Both women sitting on the floor, Mary pulled out some parchment, a quill, and a small bottle of ink. She slowly made a small A on the paper.

"This is 'A', and can be pronounced as A or with an 'ah' sound." Mary explained. Lyn nodded, studying the letter and committing it and its sound to memory. Next, Mary drew a B on the paper.

"This is B. It can be pronounced as B or with a 'Buh' sound. If you write an A after a B, then it makes a Bah sound." Mary explained. The two continued to study letters for another hour before Mary was too tired to continue. She let Lyn study more as she turned in for the night. She fell asleep as she listened to Lyn quietly sound out the six letters Mary had started her out with.

Mary slept rather peacefully, and was well relaxed when she woke up. She glanced over at Lyn and saw the woman was already up and doing some stretching.

"Good morning, Lyn." Mary said, stretching her arms after she got up. Lyn smiled over at her, quickly grabbing some fruit and some new bandaging.

"Are you well? Hopefully yesterday did not take too much out of you." Lyn said, undoing the bandages on Mary's legs. Mary munched on an apple savoring the flavor. She chewed idly on a seed as she looked at her legs and arms. They had spent two weeks in Lyn's hut, tending to Mary's injuries before they had left on their journey. The skin on her arms and legs was starting to grow back, but it still looked horrible by all standards. It was red and scabbing, and in some areas Mary could still see some white of the bone.

"I hope this heals well. We are doing our best but perhaps we should consult a healing mage of some sort?" Lyn asked. Mary shook her head, toying with the jewel she wore.

"I don't wish to see a mage unless absolutely needed. It is doing well, we just need some more herbs and maybe pour some red wine onto it." Mary said. Lyn frowned but didn't push the matter, merely pouring a delicate amount of red wine into the brutal wounds, trying to ignore it when Mary flinched and then working in some of the herbs she had ground into a past onto the injury. After that was done she rebounded Mary's legs into bandages, at least thankful that the injuries were not as bad as she had originally thought the first night she had found the girl. She worked the final bit of herbs and tonics into Mary's arms, glad that they weren't as bad as the weeks before. Maybe Mary was justified in not wanting to see a healing mage. They did seem like they were healing nicely. Mary undid the straps to the dress and stood so it fell off. Lyn always found it kind of amusing that Mary always reddened in the face at this part. Undoing the bandages, Lyn was happy to see that the cuts and scratches were almost healed. She wouldn't need any more bandaged or tonics for these after a few short days, although they would scar.

To Lyn, Mary was strange. Her skin was paler than those of the plains and when Lyn's hand brushed the underside of one of Mary's breasts she noted that they were smaller and somewhat perkier than some of the other plainswomen she had met. Mary's freckles was something Lyn wasn't too familiar with either, expecially when she discovered that those freckles were also on her chest and shoulders. It was like someone had taken paints and splattered them onto the poor girl. Lyn started re-applying the bandages, taking care to not stress Mary too much. Mary was a developed girl, Lyn could easily see that from the swell of her breasts and what was developed between her legs as well.

"Lyn? We are both women. If you wish to stare at what is between the legs of a woman than please stare at yours, not mine." Mary said. Lyn blushed, pulled from her thoughts.

"I-I was just thinking, I didn't m-mean t-to-"

"It is quite alright, but please don't do it again." Mary said, her face completely red from emberressment. Lyn apologized again but Mary waved it off.

After they finished their breakfast and got everything together the two girls departed from the inn and walked through Bulgar one more time. Mary bought a few more healing herbs and tonics before they decided to set out for the next town on their way to Etruria. When they reached one of the exits to the city they were stopped by two large horses blocking the way.

"Oh Beautious one! Perchance you might bless me without your name, or better yet, your company?" A callous knight in green armor said as he walked over. Mary had her hood up and stood just behind Lyn, giving her a good view of what was going on around them. Mary noted the man only seemed to carry a lance. A good weapon choice against Mary's dagger and Lyn's sword, but a poor choice if he went up against axe-weilding bandits. His armor was good as well, and if he was on horseback when he fought then he would make a swift unit. Mary started to think on how she might convince this buffoon to give them his horse when Lyn spoke up.

"Where are you from, Sir Knight, that you speak so to a stranger?" Lyn asked. The green-clad knight smiled broadly.

"From Caelin! Home to men of passion and of fire!" He said proudly. Mary felt herself starting to get irritated.

"Or do you perhaps mean of oafs with callous tongues?" Mary said, drawing the man's attention away from Lyn.

"Oh, another woman of exceptional beauty! Why must you hide behind that ragged cloak?" He asked, trying to get another look.

"My patience is tried, Lyn let us be off before he does something even more stupid." I said. Lyn nodded in agreement and we tried to leave as the green-clad knight was joined by one clad in red, but our path was still blocked by the horses.

"Excuse us, knights, but would you mind moving your horses? We are trying to leave." Lyn spoke up to them, brining whatever argument they had to an end. The knight in red apologized and quickly moved the horses.

"It seems not all knights of Caelin are buffoons, thank you." Mary said. The red-clad knight nodded, giving her a quick smile.

"I apologize for my companion. He lacks restraint, sadly." The red-clad man said, earning an indignant howl from his companion. Mary nodded her head.

"Thank you for moving your horses. We will be on our way." Lyn said. The red-clad knight nodded before a spark of recognition came to his eyes.

"Excuse me, but have we… perhaps met before?" the man asked. Lyn blinked.

"I beg your pardon? I don't believe so." She said.

"No fair Kent! I saw them first!" the green clad man said, irritation evident. The look of anger on Lyn's face made Mary feel a little alarmed and amused.

"Let us be off, Mary. I have lost my patience and we must be off." Lyn said, grabbing Mary's hand and leading her off in a brisk pace, ignoring the red-clad knight's protests. Mary was huffing and wheezing when they finally stopped outside of Bulgar. Lyn looked around, the alarm evident on her face, but Mary was too busy catching her breath.

"Someone is following us. It doesn't seem to be the knights from before… no, these men are out for blood! Mary, behind me!" Lyn said, pulling Mary behind her. Being pulled so suddenly had caught Mary off guard, sending her sprawling on the floor just as some large burly men riddled with scarring and carrying axes swaggered over to Lyn. Lyn was right, as Mary cursed and painfully got to her knees she realized she could feel the bloodlust coming from the men. It was painful, and Mary could swear that the wounds on her arms had reopened when she finally got to her feet and saw Lyn holding the hilt of her sword as she sized up the men, but even to Mary's eyes she realized there were far too many of them for Lyn to take on her own, and Mary still wasn't in fighting shape.

"Such a waste, what an absolute waste. Oh well, gold is gold. You lass! You are called Lyndis yes?" The bandit said. Lyn flinched, but Mary didn't pay it any attention.

"What business do you have? If nothing important, then leave." Mary said, sounding braver than she actually felt. They were far too outnumbered for this. The man looked over at Mary, lewdly looking her over before smirking.

"Well, we only need to kill this lass, but you might sell for a pretty piece of gold. Up an' at'em boys! Kill the tall beauty but the brunette is free grabs!" the man said, cackling as he took off. It seemed as if the enemies multiplied and readied their weapons. Lyn drew her sword, her eyes darting back and forth as she looked at them all.

"Mary… I don't believe I can win this…" Lyn said, the fear evident in her voice. Mary could feel the fear in her own breast. She didn't mind dying, she accepted that she would die eventually a long time ago, but what these men had planned for her if Lyn fell…. She looked around the area, studying, trying to form a winning strategy but nothing came to mind. Not with just one sword fighter.

"Mary… I promise... I won't give up! I won't let them take you!" Lyn said suddenly, drawing Mary's attention. The fire in Lyn's eyes gave Mary a new hope, letting her see the battleground a little more clearly. If Lyn kept to the trees for an added defence then just maybe…

"There she is!" the sudden call came. The sound of horses trampling the ground further heralded the sight of the two knights from before, sword and lance drawn as they saw the bandits.

"So many against two women! I should teach each and every one of you a lesson!" The green clad knight said.

"Sain hold! We need to see the battlefield more clearly before we-"

"Kent, correct? Take to the north with a sword and you'll see two brigands with axes, use the trees and you shouldn't fear injury. Green buffoon, Sain, do you have a sword? Forget that, I see Kent has an extra, use that to battle the brigand to the east but be wary of him in the trees. Lyn, we move north east. I saw the leader heading that way and if we can take him down then the rest should scatter like bugs." Mary said, her voice shrill as she spoke over the sound of the horses and approaching enemies. The two knights stared at her in shock before they decided to heed her words, passing a sword from Kent to Sain before Kent sped off and cut down a bandit just in time before it reached the group. Sain gave them a flirtatious smile as he went to take on his own charge, leaving Lyn and Mary to make their way through the grass.

"Lyn, we must keep to the trees. We will be a harder target to hit if they must contend with branches and vines." Mary said as they walked along. Lyn nodded, keeping silent as she focused her body movements to be steady and well calculated. Mary followed some paces behind so as to not be in the way but still within a certain distance if help was needed. The sudden war cry of a bandit let them know the enemy was approaching and just in time for Lyn to rise to the offensive, cutting the bandit down easily when he tried to strike at Lyn.

Lyn and Mary made their way towards the leader of this group. He stood waiting for them with his axe held ready.

"Heh, still say it is a waste, but gold is gold. Don't take this personally, Lass." The bandit said, lunging at them with his axe swung above his head. Lyn dodged it, drawing her sword and managing to cut his arm. The bandit just shrugged it off, lunging at Lyn again. This time he managed to knick her thigh, causing Lyn to limp slightly as she tried to dodge a second blow. This one sliced her arm, making her gasp in pain.

Unable to watch and do nothing, Mary picked up a rock and threw it at the bandit's head, making a solid hit that distracted him long enough for Lyn to slash open his back. The man howled and swung his axe wildly behind him, almost hitting Lyn. He swung again but before he could make contact the red clad knight, Kent, used his horse and trampled the man onto the ground. Mary was breathing heavy and flinched when she heard the sickening crack of bone when she saw one of the horse's hooves come down on the man's skull, flattening it and causing brain and blood to burst and splatter on the horse's leg and on the ground. It nearly made Mary throw up.

"Be wary, we haven't beaten them all just yet." Kent warned. Mary looked around but didn't see any bandits, although she did see the green-clad knights, Sain, trotting over on his horse. Lyn started to relax as things calmed down, sheathing her sword. The two knights slid off their horses and bowed their heads slightly as Mary walked over to Lyn, inspecting her cuts.

"I need a tonic and some bandaged." Mary said. Lyn pulled them from her own pack and let Mary get to work on her cuts, applying the tonic and bandages as needed.

"Thank you for your advice, Mary. It truly does help. Now, for these knights of Caelin. Would you share your story with us?" Lyn asked as Mary finished. Kent nodded his head, his face serious.

"Yes, we are mesangers sent from Caelin to find a Lady Madelyn, who had eloped with a Sacaen nomad some nineteen years ago." Kent explained. Mary looked up at Lyn. Lyn seemed a bit shaken by his words.

"M… Madelyn?" She asked, her voice quivering. Kent nodded.

"Yes, our lord the Marquess of Caelin's only daughter and child. He was heartbroken that his own daughter would abandon him so, and eventually simply declared that he had no daughter." Kent said, his voice methodical and planned. Mary could tell he must have rehersed these words quite a bit in preparation.

"Then this year we received a letter from Lady Madelyn, telling our Marquess that she, her husband, and their daughter were living happily on the Sacea Plains. The way the Marquess's face lit up when he learned he had a granddaughter! He was absolutely estatic! He announced his granddaughter of eighteen years and claimed her name was Lyndis, the same name as the Marquess's deceased wife!" Said said with joy, a big smile on his face. Lyn seemed taken aback by their words.

"Lyndis?" She asked, her voice small and weak sounding. Mary put a comforting hand on her shoulder, cursing inwardly when she saw the bandages on her wrists were now dyed completely red and had dirt crusted on them.

"To learn that his granddaughter shared the name of his late wife, the Marquess's heart thawed! Now he wishes to meet his daughter's family at least once. This is why we are here. We had come to bring Lady Madelyn and her family to Caelin, but then we learned the tragic news… but then, we heard word that her daughter still yet lived!" Sain said.

"I knew immediately that you were Lady Lyndis." Kent said, looking Lyn straight in the eye. Mary watched Lyn's reaction, gouging the situation and if she should stop this. Lyn looked startled.

"But... how?" she asked. Kent gave a faint smile.

"You resemble your mother. I had never personally met her myself, but there are portraits of her all over the castle. You resemble her greatly." Kent said. Lyn was silent for a moment and then Mary saw a few tears fall down her cheeks that she quickly wiped away.

"To the rest of my tribe, I was always Lyn. But when we were alone, when it was just my family and I… I was Lyndis… I never thought… I never thought I would hear that name again…." Lyn said. Mary squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. Lyn gave her a smile, placing her own hand on top of Mary's until something came to her mind, making her eyes widen.

"Wait! That bandit from before! He called me Lyndis!" Lyn said. Mary flinched, having forgotten that little detail and the fact that Lyn had grabbed onto her wrist, painfully constricting around the wounds on it.

"What? But how is that possible?"

"He was a henchman of Lord Lundgren's, wasn't he?" Sain said. Lyn gave him a blank look.

"Who?"

"He is the Marquess's younger brother. Everyone assumed the Lady Madelyn gone forever, and this left Lord Lundgren as the Marquess's only heir to the title." Kent explained.

"Meaning, thus, that you are an obstical in your uncle's ambitions." Mary said rather bluntly. Lyn looked utterly aghast.

"But I had no desire to take that title!" She said. Mary sighed.

"Such is the way of royalty, I am afraid. So long as you are alive with blood from your mother he will be after you. Royalty with power ambitions don't care for competition and will gladly remove it if they are able. Regardless of the other's feelings of taking the throne." Mary said, her expression and tone of one who has seen such a thing many times before and was tired of it, like a parent watching their children squabble over something petty. Lyn looked horrified and lost.

"Then… then what should I do?" She said quietly.

"Come with us to Caelin! Continuing on in any way is dangerous, but if you reach Caelin and speak with your grandfather you may be able to stop the assassination attempts!" Sain urged. Kent remained silent as Lyn contemplated it. Mary shook her head.

"What they said makes sense, Lyn. I know that no ruler or future ruler will ever give up a search for a potential threat to their throne until that threat is disposed of permimently. You would be much better off doing as they say." Mary said in a contemplative tone. Lyn paused for a moment and finally nodded.

"I can see the wisdom in your words. I will go to Caelin to speak with my Grandfather but… This seems to have changed everything. Mary… Do you still wish to accompany me? I know this is different from our original goal but.." Lyn trailed off, trying to figure out what she wanted to say. Mary gave her a small and warming smile.

"My goal, in general, is to travel Elibe. Search for my lost brother, see the land, and learn what I can. As such, this turn of events has not changed my thoughts on us traveling together, mearly my current set destination. Besides, I have never been to Caelin. I would much like to go myself, and even if I don't stay long Pharae and Ostia are not too far off and I have friends in Pharae I could go to after this." Mary said. Lyn looked overjoyed.

"You… you'll stay with me?" Lyn asked, as if she couldn't believe it. Mary nodded.

"Of course I will. You are my friend Lyn." Mary paused as she searched for the words to say next, "I may not care for our two new travel companions, but there is strength in numbers. Also, with horse riders it will make travel swifter and easier."

Lyn nodded her head and the two women looked over at the knights.

"I call Kent." Mary quickly spoke up. Lyn blinked before frowning at Mary.

"I don't wish to ride with that buffoon!"

"Neither do I!"

"The reason they are even here is for me, Mary."

"So? I'm injured! Besides, I don't trust that green clad buffoon to keep his hands to himself! Also, on a similar note, I seem to be bleeding through my bandages."

"Don't change the subject, Mary! I will not ride a horse with that perverted oaf!"

"You should since you can actually hit him when he does something lewd!"

"I am standing right here." Sain commented as the two girls continued to squabble.

They completely ignored him.

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I could bet money that someone will be pissed about how some things in this chapter turned out.

Anyway, I am actually very proud with how this chapter turned out, and one of the things I intend to do is fully flesh out ALL of the characters. I hate how, unless you get support conversations (and event hen) the characters themselves dont have all that much depth to them. One of my main plans for this fanfic is to remedy that by making sure everyone gets some spotlight that will show more of who they are, what their motivations are, and what not.

On the topic of pairings, however, I havent really thought it over yet. I wanna finish Lyn's story before I get to that (btw, this fanfic will be going with Eliwood's route but will contain some of Hector's side chapters). Once i finish Lyn's route I will actually plan on which pairings will be canon to this.
Feel free to submit your ideas for the pairings, however. I might even use the ones you suggest!

Please review as well. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this fanfic.