It was Nana, she had cut a barbarian's head clean off, Alice snapped her aim to another one coming at Nana but Nana sliced his hand off before she could pull the trigger, finishing him off with a thrust through the heart.

Nana pulled out a dagger and sliced another barbarian's thigh as she ducked under his swing, killing him from behind as he fell to one knee, She was fast.

Nana turned to look at Alice with a proud smile, Nana, her heart melted.

"Thanks for pitching in back there." A voice snapped her out of her awe, she shook her head before she turned to the voice, Jon looked at her with a grin.

"It was not very smart to enter a fight blind." she slings her musket back onto her shoulder, "You guys were lucky you didn't run into your deaths." she kept her expression blank, Jon was right, I don't have it in me.

---

"Alice." Christian? A full moon loomed above as trees surrounded her, a figure slowly emerged from the dark, It was Christian. His hand reached out for her, "Help me."

She reached out but caught only air, it was just another dream, she covered her face with both hands. Why do I keep dreaming of you? 

She held the chains of their lockets in her hand, a thought crossed to snap it with a tug but her eyes shut tight instead, she couldn't just throw it away. Christian...

She turned to a snore, it was Nana and a smile escaped her, she had never knew that about her. It was a good thing she was never woken up by it.

She lied back and returned to her sleep.

---

Her eyes groggy as she woke to find everyone had already left, her sleep never felt enough. She entered the bathroom and washed her face before she looked at the mirror, the big brown eyes that stared back at her could use some more sleep. She took her bath and went outside.

"Hey, sleepyhead." It was Carla, idling as per usual, how does she never have anything to do? "I heard Captain Zoe is looking for you, she needs some help in the medical camp." 

Carla pointed at the end of the corridor, they must have arrived midnight after her shift had ended.

She walked towards the medical camp but turned to a clashing of swords, it was Ethan and Arthur, it was customary for them. She approached Captain Zoe.

"You were looking for me?"

Captain Zoe paused as she turned to look at her. "I wouldn't turn down more help." She pointed at a few of the men sitting, that damned woman, the realization set in. Carla was told to help but sent her instead. "They need fresh bandages too, can you do that for me?" Alice nodded.

"Hey." It was Tristan, "Do you remember me?" He smiled, Alice lowered her gaze and undid his wrappings, "I was the one who Commander Garreth made run laps every night." He laughed, how could anyone forget? It was not something to be proud of.

"Okay." She forced a smile as she replaced his bandages with new ones.

"You're the shy type huh?"

"Tristan, you're making her uncomfortable, she doesn't want you." One of his friends intruded and the others laughed.

"I wasn't hitting on her! I am just being friendly." He shrugged with a blush, when has boys ever been friendly without an agenda?

"Don't be." She blurted.

"See..." his friend's voice low, an awkward tone.

"I am sorry, I just." She rose, "I wouldn't be a good friend anyway, so, don't bother."

"Nonsense! You're a good person." Tristan wears his smile as wide as he could, confident in his words despite not knowing her.

"There you are." She turned to Commander Hawke, "I've been looking all over, Zoe, you haven't changed at all. Ordering newbies around."

"Hey, She came to me, I am not gonna refuse a helping hand." Captain Zoe crossed her arms, "I got a lot of work to do, these newbies get hurt way too easy."

"I was just messing with you." The commander turned his attention to Alice, "Are you done? Or are you going to help repair the wall next?" Alice shook her head, "Walk with me." Tristan and his friends watched as she rose.

The Commander turned his back and walked away, she swiftly caught up to him before she turned to a burst of laughter, it was Nana's. Rowan smiled widely as he talked, he had always been a flirt. 

---

They marched towards the Misty Forest, the final obstacle before they could get into the Northern Kingdoms territory, she turned to Nana. "What do you think Nana? Do you think this is wise?"

Nana looked ahead towards the Commander, "I am sure Chester knows what he's doing."

Peter rode up next to them and Nana turned her face away with a smile, she paced ahead of them.

"What is it, Peter?"

"What did you two talk about?"

"I think the Commander is trying to get us killed."

The forest trail was narrow, mists all around them, thick and suffocating. "This is where three regiments of the Imperial Army were felled." 

Her skin crawled as high boughs covered the sky above her, there was something unnatural about the place. The longer she looked, the more the leaves looked like eyes, eyes that stared back at her. 

She looked ahead, the commander was unperturbed, as was the rest of his team. She turned to look back at Peter.

"I meant you and the Commander yesterday." He did not turn to look at her, "People are talking."

"There's nothing between us." He turned to look at her.

"Did I say there was?"

"We talked about the Royal Family, Ivalice, the Capital. The life of nobility and those beneath them." Peter's eyes returned to the path ahead. "That's all."

"I understand how it feels to lose someone, you cling to a memory of them, he looks like him but he is no Christian." 

Her mouth opened but no words came out of her, she was at a loss for words and she turned her face away from him, do people really think I am interested in an older man?

"Nothing so easy as catching a heart on rebound." His eyes gazed at her, "If you need someone, I am still the same Peter, I don't want you to be taken advantage of."

Her stomach lurched as a foul smell invaded her senses. She covered her mouth and nose, corpses littered along the path ahead of them, sickly decomposed red flesh. Some of them had been eaten, probably by crows, She veered off to the side, the area was strangely familiar.

"Hey." It was Arthur and Ethan, what are they doing here? They had strayed far away from their formation. "Damn was it hard to find you." Arthur smiled wryly, "Do you want to know where he is?"

Her heart skipped a beat, Christian, she clenched the locket that hung from her neck.

"It wouldn't be pretty but."

"Take me to him." She looked into his bright green eyes, he motioned his head and she trailed behind him as he reared his horse away.

An awfully familiar giant tree before her, the same tree from her dreams of death.

Christian, her eyes swelled with tears as she dismounted, he was laid back against the trunk of a giant tree. Her legs weakened, her knees crashed against the ground as she got close, her fingers wrapped tightly around her locket. Tears rolled down her eyes.

She closed her eyes, her dreams of death were his last moments, Christian. A gemstone rolled down his sleeves and stopped before her, a bright and faint blue light flickered from it.

She looked around her, there was barely any light, the giant tree's branch leaves had completely covered them in its shadow. Where did the light come from? She picked up the gem and put it inside her pocket. Christian.

---

It took them some time to bury Christian, surely they're going to get an earful from the Commander, she turned to the three of them as a wry smile escaped her. Christian deserved a proper burial. "Thank you, this means a lot to me." Arthur took Christian's sword and pierced it into the ground to mark his grave, the blade half-buried into the dirt.

"He would have done the same for us." Arthur placed a hand on her shoulder, "I am sorry we couldn't save him."

"You did your best."

A flock of birds scattered as a shot echoed, where was it coming from? She mounted her horse and galloped to catch up to the three.

Arthur cut a barbarian's head clean off as he swung his sword in a charge, more of them coming out of the mist like the ghosts from her dreams, Christian. Her eyes teary. I am going to avenge you.

She reared her horse into a halt and cantered off to the side, an arrow whizzed past her. She snapped her musket up and aimed it, the archer jumped off the tree branch and hid behind the tree, her aim locked but he refused to leave his cover.

Rowan obstructed her view as he tries to fight off a barbarian, he fell on his ass as he tripped, she snapped her aim at the barbarian he was fighting. The barbarian's ax raised.

The barbarian fell on his back as a blast echoed, her ears rung as her heart trembled, her hands shaky. She had killed him.

She looks at Rowan as he let out a sigh of relief, rallying cries thundered all around her, they had fallen into an ambush.

A sharp pain on her shoulder, her back crashed against the ground, she had fallen off her horse. Her vision but a blur. Shit. Not again. A barbarian stood before her, her vision faded.

---

Alice woke to find herself strapped on a chair, she struggled but the ropes held her tight, a silhouette of a man stood before her. They are in a small room. 

She flinched as the man kicked her, a pain on her chest and she fell backward with the chair.