When I finally break my gaze from Vladimir for a second, I cannot keep them off of the boys.

How did they know before Lucina brought the news? They could not have possibly knew! They are just getting more and more suspicious to me. They must be spying or something for Vladimir. Which will explain how they knew already. But why are they on our side then?

Ugh, these boys are giving me a headache. My head is already beginning to throb from Vladimir's voice speaking to my mind. I feel a tug somewhere inside of me and my eyes dart back to Vladimir without my permission. His red eyes meet mine once again and his mouth twists into a smile.

Vladimir raises his hands and small misty black orbs are swirling around them.

What is happening? Why is he doing this? His eyes... they are red.

My eyes widen. The Dark Lord. Does he have him? Is he—

He begins to laugh feverishly as I see battle surround me all at once, swords, lances and axes dancing around.

What is his purpose? Is he seeking out me? Is this why he was searching for women with his previous attacks to our villages? Was he going to tear apart Ylisse in search for me? If he knew where I was then he surely would have come straight after me, right? Is he controlling those boys? I feel as though those boys are connected to all of this somehow. None of it feels right at all.

"Star! Watch out! What are you doing?" I hear from somewhere around me. Ike.

I spin around just in time to see Ike block an axe man from smashing me with his large axe. Ike's eyes meet mine for a second and he catches the emotion spilling from my eyes. His expression twists into concern as he turns away only to fight the axe man away from me, in turn, killing him.

"I—Ah," Ike turns back to me after making sure it is clear for now and looks into my eyes for a moment. The concern on his face fades to anger as he glances behind me, probably at Vladimir.

"What did he say to you. What is happening? Why do you have horror and anger all over your face?"

Before I can answer him he steps forward, closer to me, with his gaze locked on something behind me. He pulls me close for a moment, "Whatever is to come, I will end anyone who tries to lay a hand on you..." Ike's voice drifts off. He quickly kisses the top of my head and begins to pull me with him as he enters the fray of mayhem behind us.

I want to tell him right now but we have no more time. I will tell you soon, Ike.

I feel Vladimir's eyes on me making me feel violated as I fight alongside Ike's side against the Daein forces. The more I think about it, the angrier I feel as I release it through my arms against the enemy. I feel my emotion freely flow through me and I do not have to think as hard to use my attacks. Anger. It is doing this. I better keep it under control.

You just wait, Vladimir. Don't push me. You have no idea what I can do.

I follow Ike further into the battlefield and join Lucina with her knights. I don't even know.

It scares me to think about what could happen if my emotion takes control from me. I have never felt what it would feel like for one of the stronger emotions to take control. I have only experienced them being fully compressed or loss of control due to lack of understanding. But anger. This is something that would do more damage than just an inexperienced magician.

Anger. The counterpart of love. This is a lesson I have learned firsthand.

Anger is one of those strong negative emotions. But love, is a strong positive emotion. This was what my mother tried to teach me but I did not understand then. This must have been the result from my outburst with Ike and Ronnie before. Love was kicking in, and making me be over protective of those who I love.

If anger took me over...

I shudder slightly, thinking about the images I see flash in my mind.

As Ike and I approach Vladimir's perch, I see Donnie and Ronnie swiftly approaching us with anxious looks on their faces. Donnie locks onto me and his stare fades from concerned to determined mixed with a touch of anger. I try to ignore them and continue to follow Ike through the battlefield.

Vladimir has been watching me the entire time. He acts like he wants me to approach him right now. Does he not have any fear? Is he confident about something or does he know something I do not? My eyes widen.

Donnie and Ronnie.

Ike shoves his way through the knights guarding Vladimir and begin swinging Ragnell towards him. But Vladimir lifts his hand and a force field surrounds him while he laughs loudly. Ike's face twists in anger as he tries once again to break his shield. I do not know what to do. What if they all attack him at once?

I feel worry fill me and my magic shields Ike without me even telling it too. Ike turns and glances at me. His eyes turn behind me and anger flashes again in his deep blue eyes. I turn to see Ronnie jump between Ike and Vladimir screaming, "No Ike, don't!"

Ike steps back, avoiding Ronnie, "What are you saying? He's our enemy, Ronnie! You follow orders given to you!" Ike snaps while ignoring his words and turns to swing Ragnell once more at Vladimir, but he is gone. His laughter fills the air but he is nowhere to be seen.

"Show yourself, you coward!" Ike screams.

You will join me soon enough, Star.

My head begins to throb again as his voice fills my mind. I flinch slightly as my face twists from a bit of pain.

What the hell is going on? Do not push me! Why would Ronnie say that? Why? Is he on our side or not?

My eyes darken, I force black magic around Ronnie and shove him away from Ike, "Stay away! What is wrong with you?" I yell and narrow my eyes towards Ronnie.

I feel a hand with a strong grip turn me around and I see Donnie there. I quickly jump away from him with a look of disgust.

"He's corrupted Star. Don't approach him hastily like that again," Donnie says to me sternly, with his voice low and steady. My face twists with anger once more as I clench my hands into fists.

Why does he insist on constantly telling me what to do? Does he honestly think I have not figured that out yet? Why should I not? I have to!

Before I can respond, he looks to Ronnie and they nod to one another. They turn to leave.

"Hey! What do you mean by that? HEY—!"

Before I can finish my sentence to them, they disappear using Donnie's magic spells and I can no longer see them. When I turn to look around me, I notice Daein's forces are steadily escaping the battlefield. They are retreating. Why?

I turn and look into Ike's gaze who is now right next to me. My angry eyes glare into his equally angry eyes. I can tell what he is thinking without him telling me. He is starting to question Donnie and Ronnie's motives, like I have been trying to tell him all along.

"Ike, what happened, my boy? Did he flee from you?" Papa's voice asks as I turn to see him approach us.

Ike turns his angry eyes towards his father, shakes his head no and Papa's gaze turns surprised as he sees them, his eyes widening slightly, "No, Donnie and Ronnie stopped me and he got away," Ike takes several steps closer to his father, "Keep an eye on them, father. They have been worrying Star and angering me," Ike points towards me and jabs his left thumb towards himself angrily as he says that. He raises Ragnell onto his right shoulder and holds it there.

"What?" Papa's gaze changes to something I cannot read as he turns his eyes to mine, "I will monitor them. Do not worry, my dear, Ike and I will not let them bother you,"

I force out a nod as I compress my anger from spilling out. It has been rising up and is now boiling at the brim, waiting to overflow, "I am not worried about that, Papa," I say flatly, no emotion flowing from my lips. At this moment, I finally see both Ike and Papa understand my concerns from way back when I first mentioned them about Donnie and Ronnie.

"What did they say to you?" Papa asks.

"Ronnie told Ike not to attack Vladimir. Donnie told me he is corrupted and not to approach him like we did," I narrow my eyes up into Papa's, "Does he take me for a fool? Does he not think I figured that out already? What makes him think he understands this better than me? I have to be the one to fight him since he is corrupted! Humph," I cross my arms and turn away from him, looking behind me where Vladimir once was.

"Hmm," I hear Papa investigate his thoughts.

"Greil,"

I hear a familiar voice and turn to see Chrom approach us with his daughter close behind him. Lucina looks as though she hides back another grimace, probably from the pain shooting through her side.

"Chrom," Papa responds.

"Thank you again for your help," He turns and looks at his daughter before looking back, "I am glad Lucina helps me send you messages so swiftly. They spilled from the woodworks and surrounded us within minutes. We were in a small panic there,"

Papa smiles, "Yes, I am glad as well. She has been a wonderful Princess,"

"However, it strikes me strange how they dispersed as quickly as they appeared,"

"Hmm, I think there is more to this than what you see, Chrom," Papa begins, "They are up to something. Star and my boy have been noticing some strange actions being taken around here. Keep a watch out, my friend,"

Chrom nods in agreement, "Understood, friend,"

This time when Chrom looks back to his daughter, he notices her wound on her side, "Lucina! Why did you hide that from me!" He quickly approaches her and makes her let him examine it.

"Huh? I, uh, h—had to bring Greil here immediately, father!" Worry flashes in her eyes as she studies her father's reaction.

Chrom looks up and takes a step back, "Lucina! That does not mean you should disregard yourself! Come, we tend to that immediately!" Chrom sends her a stern look.

"Yes, father," Lucina says softly. She looks slightly embarrassed when her father pulls her away with him away from us. I think I see a smile spread itself on Lucina's lips before I cannot see it anymore.

I am glad she is finally letting someone look at that. She would have let me but she was in a rush to get back to her father's side.

A minor smile appears on my face as I watch them leave. She loves her father so much. It is quite amusing that he does not look like he realizes it, but I know he recognizes it.

"I do not like just standing around. We should chase after them or something," I hear Ike's anxious voice from next to me. His apprehension removes me from my contented thoughts and my anger rushes in suddenly, hitting me like a truck. I feel myself begin to shake uncontrollably with anger and I feel my eyes flicker with the dark magic. I close my eyes to steady my magic and gain control back over the anger that has suddenly filled me back up.

"Sire! Daein's forces are flooding the nearby villages! Send reinforcements at once!" I spin back around and see one of Chrom's Cavaliers desperately approaching him.

"What? Greil!" Chrom turns around to look at us without releasing Lucina.

"You heard them! Greil Mercenaries, go!"

I watch as everyone turns at once and speeds off in the direction the Daein's forces retreated in previously. Oscar is out front with his horse next to Titania with Boyd and Papa following close behind them. Another large group of Chrom's Cavaliers join us, flooding through the Castle gates.

Ike takes my hand, pulls me with him and we approach the villages through the forest surrounding the Castle. Screaming and weapon clanking fills my ears more and more as we get closer. Ike's grip tightens around my hand before releasing it to prepare Ragnell for battle.

This time when I scan the area, I do not see Vladimir anywhere. I only see his troops pillaging the villages and brandishing around their weapons while striking innocent Ylisseans. I feel my anger bubble up and begin to spill over as I allow my dark magic to appear at my fingertips.

Falchion, it is time.

To my command, Falchion flies from his sheath and readies himself. I thrust myself in between the Ylissean and one of the Daein soldiers. The Ylissean's soft eyes meet mine for a second and I see the fear swelling up in them, "Go, run!" I say to her.

She stumbles backwards and is feverishly darting her eyes around, "Th—Thank you, but my child!"

My eyes widen as I spin around and see a small girl cuddled in a corner, cowering from the axe man slowly approaching her with his axe raised similarly to the way that brigand was chasing Ralf before. She sees me with her mother and the fear lessens in her eyes for a short moment before she is reminded of the approaching Daein warrior when he speaks, "Eheheh, cower in the corner and wait for daddy!"

The girl pushes back, eyes widening and she lets out a scream, "Mooooother!" as tears begin streaming down her face faster than they were previously.

I shove myself forward between him and the girl, and shield her from his axe as he swings it down. It bashes against my shield and he stumbles backwards, glaring at me, "Out of my way!"

I narrow my eyes at him, "No, you're in mine... have some darkness!"

As I encompass the Daein warrior, the girl rushes past me to her mother and they flee. The mother looks at me one last time before escaping from view. A small smile had appeared on her lips.

I shove him away from me and command Falchion to point towards him, "Oh, you're a feisty one, eh?" He raises his axe and swings it down at me. Before he gets close enough to me, Ike jumps in out of nowhere and slices the warrior down, stopping him from pursuing me. Ike exchanges glances with me as we turn to scan the village for more Ylisseans.

You should not have come.

My head starts to throb again as I quickly look around me. Where is he?

"Star!" I hear Ike's voice call after me.

I spin around just in time to see Vladimir hovering close to me and he firing some kind of spell towards me. It is a deep purple snake-like mass of energy meandering its way directly at me. My eyes widen and my mouth opens as I lift my hands to try to shield myself from the beam.

The next moment, I feel nothing. I expected to get blasted with that beam but I did not feel it.

What happened? Did he stop it?

I lower my arms and peer over them. I see A dark magic shield between me and Vladimir. When I turn my eyes to my left, I see the source of the shield. Donnie?

He looks to me with a look of anger and frustration, "What did I just say to you, Star?" Donnie says to me with irritation soaking his voice, "He almost cursed you!" Donnie looks at me as though he is fighting back something from me.

This boy again... I will be back for you, child.

My head throbs as Vladimir disintegrates from view and he is gone. The Daein forces evacuate once again when their leader leaves the area. The area slowly empties itself of Daein forces and it becomes eerily silent.

I glue my gaze on Donnie as he does the same. After a moment, he averts his gaze down away from mine and steps back.

"What is going on, Donnie? What is it that you know that I don't?" I demand.

He shakes his head, "My work is done here, for now..." Donnie says in a whisper, then he lifts his right hand and one of his spells absorbs him. He is gone.

I dart my eyes around where he just was then look up to Ike's gaze. He focuses on my eyes and they soften slightly, a wash of confusion now filling them replacing the anger that was just there, "He saved you,"

Oooo... When will Star learn Donnie and Ronnie's motives? They are forcing her to feel mixed emotions. Who's side are they on?

What about you? What do you think? Confused? Or do you have another idea?