Series: Fire Emblem Heroes

Author's Note:
The Heroes one-shots are going to be pretty much random, so they aren't going to be following the in-game timeline.
The chapter art was drawn by my special friend! (*'ω'*)
Thanks for reading!
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A red-haired assassin silently made his way through the enormous castle that housed countless warriors from the various outrealms. While Jaffar was in no particular hurry, he was vexed by the disappearance of a certain young mage. He hadn't seen Nino all day and now his protective instincts urged him to search for his missing friend.

He checked the mage's room before heading to the training yard to see if the girl was just practicing. After thirty minutes of fruitless searching, the assassin reluctantly decided to ask the one person who always seemed to know what was going on in the castle: the Summoner.

Kiran was the wielder of an ancient...thing...that was responsible for summoning heroes from the different realms and, as such, he was dubbed the Summoner.

As Jaffar walked through the maze of a castle, he recalled the first time he met the quirky Summoner and how confused he'd been by the kindness the young man showed towards everyone despite their pasts. Even though his actions confused him, the assassin found that he could still admire the young man.

He had made his way to the hallway where he thought he remembered Kiran's room being when a young woman caught his attention. She wore a deep blue swordsman outfit that matched the cobalt hair that spilled over her shoulders. The assassin took note of the sheathed sword at her hip.

"You look lost. May I ask what you are looking for?" The woman asked.

He observed the formal way she presented herself and concluded that she was probably nobility or royalty.

"I'm...looking for the Summoner." He replied.

"Ah, his room is in the next hall over. I can walk you there if you want?"

Jaffar hesitated. While he knew that the majority of people who lived in the castle were heroes, he still had trouble openly trusting people. The Black Fang's Angel of Death didn't get his nickname by following complete strangers. Sometimes he wished he could be as open and trusting as Nino was, but years of experience taught him that it never hurt to be a little cautious. And yet, since he had joined Eliwood and Hector's little band, he had been exposed to what genuine sincerity and true friendship looked like, and now he sensed a similar aura from the woman in front of him.

"I will follow you." He replied simply. After all, it would be terribly awkward if he walked into some random person's room unannounced.

The cobalt-haired woman cleared her throat in an attempt to start a conversation. "My name is Lucina, princess of Ylisse. I recognize you from Lord Eliwood and Lord Hector's company, but I'm afraid I'm not very good with names..."

"Jaffar."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Jaffar." The princess smiled before stopping in front of a door that was slightly ajar. "This is Kiran's room. And don't worry, you won't be bothering him if you walk in."

The assassin nodded in thanks and started for the door as the young woman headed back down the hallway.

He slipped inside and quickly scanned the room for the Summoner before locating him by a pile of books and papers that had been knocked off a desk. He frowned at the frantic way the young Summoner ruffled through the pile, muttering to himself.

"I-I can't find it...! ...I know it was here...why isn't it...? Agh!" Although the young man's face was mostly covered by the hood of his ever-present white cloak, the tone he used revealed just how anxious he was.

"Summoner," The assassin announced himself. "What's wrong?"

Kiran's eyes darted to the red-haired assassin and then back to the mess on the floor. "Oh hey, Jaffar. I-I can't...seem to find my journal. I feel like I've looked everywhere!" He huffed at the pile and started rifling through the drawers of a desk nearby. "Anyway, uh, you need something?"

"I can't find Nino. Have you seen her?"

"Nino's missing?!" He screamed, the frustration of his fruitless search starting to leak through.

The assassin shook his head. "Not missing, I just cannot find her."

Kiran blinked. "Isn't that the same thing, though?"

The assassin sighed. "If you don't know then I need to...look elsewhere." He turned to leave when the hooded youth looked up.

"I'm not sure if this would help, but maybe check the library? Even though she can't read, I think she still enjoys being around books."

He stopped, mentally smacking himself for never considering that before. "Ah. I appreciate your help, Summoner."

"Sure thing! But, uh, please let me know if you spot my journal laying around anyplace random like the dining hall or the concert hall or...or Feh's mouth or something, yeah?"

Jaffar nodded, barely cracking a smile as he tried to imagine how in the world their messenger owl would even be able to fit something as large as a book in her beak.

He weaved his way through the maze of halls, navigating to where he knew the library was. Stopping briefly, he changed directions, deciding that cutting through the nearby courtyard would hasten his arrival. Once he felt the fresh outside air, his pace slowed, allowing him to soak up the serenity of the lush courtyard.

A somewhat muted giggle brought the assassin out of the quiet, instead drawing his attention towards the other side of the courtyard where some trees and bushes lay.

He had immediately recognized the giggle and walked quickly up to the trees that were obstructing his view of who was behind them.

When he caught sight of the green-haired girl with a book in her lap sitting on the other side of the tree, he felt the silent apprehension that he had unconsciously built up fade away.

"Nino, so this is where you were."

The young teen had her back to him, but immediately whipped her head around at the sound of her friend's voice. "Ah! Hello, Jaffar!"

The young assassin waved. Even though he and Nino were only a few years different in age, their personalities were complete opposites. He had never minded that, though, as he always found her bright, bubbly personality refreshing.

Blinking, Jaffar suddenly noticed a second person whom he didn't recognize. She had long green hair that was a darker shade than Nino's, and wore a light green outfit with white armor over her chest, arms, and legs.

The mage seemed to read the assassin's thoughts as her eyes widened. "This is Palla. She's teaching me how to read! Here, listen to this: Today...Jaffar...was summoned!" She set the book back down in her lap. "See, I can read your name now!"

"You did very well." He smiled slightly and ruffled the girl's hair a bit. His brows suddenly furrowed when he saw the book that settled in Nino's lap. "Where did you get that book?"

"Oh, um, I actually don't know. Palla's the one who gave me this book." The mage said, her eyes shifting expectantly towards the other woman.

Said woman had a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "What, this book? I decided to borrow it for a bit."

"Did you realize that this was Kiran's journal? He was...upset because he couldn't find it."

"My, I didn't borrow Kiran's journal, I only borrowed his diary! And besides, it was only for a short while."

"Please return the book now." Jaffar sighed. "He will be grateful to have it back."

Palla twiddled her fingers guiltily, a disappointed look on her face. "Fine, I'll return it, but you have to find a different book for Nino to practice with."

The mage perked up and she looked to the assassin with sparkling eyes. "I saw a book in the library that I really want to look at now that I know a little more about reading!"

He was excited that his friend was finally learning something that meant so much to her, but he couldn't help but feel a little guilty because he was never able to teach her. It's not that he didn't want to, he just recognized she needed a teacher more qualified than himself.

Jaffar nodded. He would take her.

Nino's mouth grew into an excited grin as she immediately latched on to the assassin's arm, dragging him along with her to the library.

Palla smirked but faltered a bit when the young man briefly shot her a look as if to say "Well, what are you waiting for?"

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders, turning in the opposite direction as she cracked open the book in her hands, a mischievous smile creeping across her face. "Well, if I'm going to return this, I might as well get as much out of it as I can!"

~Fin