Storm Warning

My second attempt at pairing my favorite sages: Soren and Ilyana. I hope you enjoy it!

I don't own Fire Emblem Nintendo/Intelligent Systems does

The ocean was vas and with void. Waves assaulted the rocky shoreline and the cold ocean air battered the pines. This was the most desolate of days. Soren pulled his robe tighter around him, shivering as the brutal wind wrapped him in its icy grip. The gray skies were laden with thick storm clouds. The sun, which would have been a welcome visitor, was shrouded away in a thick fog. Soren's eyes were locked on the ocean before him. It was the loneliest sight he had ever seen. Thunder in February? This couldn't be a good sign. The horizon looked bleak. Soren stood there on the bridge motionless, his hair being blown around his face. The only sounds to be heard were the relentless waves, the howling wind and the murmur of the shine barrier Soren had just placed. The seagulls were long at roost, enemy forces had seemingly retreated – utter silence remained.

Soren longed for a hot meal and a warm fire. He thought he should get moving, it was a long walk back to base camp and if he didn't get started he would be caught in the rain for sure.

"Soren." A voice called to him. The voice broke his focus on the sea before him.

"Ilyana, what are you doing here?" there was a certain degree of concern in his voice.

"Looking for you. You've been gone for a long time." Ilyana said approaching Soren. Soren watched closely as the whind whipped at her cape and teased her skirt. She looked so cold and so genuinely concerned for his safety. Soren unfastened his robe.

"There's a storm coming. You can see the edge of the rain. Come here." Soren motioned Ilyana toward him. His voice was soft and serious. Once she had moved close enough, Soren wrapped his robe around her, pressing her cold body into his. He closed his robe, enclosing both of them in the thick fabric. Ilyana gazed into red-brown eyes, Soren's eyes fixed on hers. Soren's hair had nearly been blown from its band that once held it all back. Ilyana closed her eyes. She could feel Soren's hands on her bare thighs above her tights.

It seemed out of character for Soren, wrapping a woman in his robe and touchin her like this. And it was out of character for him! The truth was that Soren felt something for Ilyana…no one knew about it…no one would know about it…except for him and her. He didn't know what it was about Ilyana. How such a beautiful girl could just wander around in a merchant caravan. She made him feel something…but he didn't know what it was. She made him feel…weak…and powerless. He liked feeling that way because never before in his life had anyone made him feel so…wanted. It wasn't that Soren had just decided to sweep her up in his robe out of nowhere. This started five days earlier.

The Greil Mercenaries were sitting around a campfire drinking hot tea and celebrating a mission well done. Ilyana had shown up unexpectedly while traveling back from an open market. While she was at the base camp she was graciously offered anything the Greil Mercenaries had to offer. Soren didn't know what made him do it, but he had managed to get Ilyana by herself and he asked her if she had ever been kissed. To make a long story short, one kiss lead to another, which lead to another, which lead to a very hot night I Soren's tent. Once again, no one knew about this – not Ike, not Titania…no one. Now here they were alone on this desolate and miserable day standing in the middle of an impending storm.

Ilyana felt cold lips meet hers. They were both trembling from the chill. Ilyana put her hands on his chest and pushed Soren backwards until he was resting on the stone wall of the bridge. Their kiss was heated, they could have stayed right here and done more of this…except that the rain was starting to lightly fall. The storm was getting closer.

"We need to leave." Soren said moving his hands up to Ilyana's waist and kissing her again.

"Maybe I want to get wet." Ilyana whispered before letting her tongue do the rest of the talking. The wind had picked up even more. Time was running out…

"Oh you'll get wet…come back to base camp with me. Soren said pushing himself off the stone wall of the bridge. "Come on…we'll build a fire, get something to eat…it'll just be you and me. I have a tent to myself. It's pitched in the middle of the spruce. No one needs to know." Soren begged of her. Ilyana smiled, she had such a beautiful smile.

"What else did you have in mind since you're…all alone in the spruce forest?" Ilyana already knew the answer, she was just being downright bad. The drops of rain were getting larger and starting to soak both Soren and Ilyana's hair.

"Well if it were up to me…" Soren couldn't finish that sentence the obscure February thunder rumbled so closely that they could feel the vibrations in the bridge. Soren quickly freed Ilyana from his robe and grabbed her hand. "We have to move, come on. It's too late already." Soren said taking one last look at the wicked ocean before dashing off the bridge with Ilyana's hand tightly in his. She hurried, trailing behind him as the wind blew her cape in the opposite direction making it difficult to move quickly. Soren's hair had finally broken free and the bluster wasted no time in tangling long black strands. The thunder rumbled around them.

They were now off the bridge and entering the woods. Leaves were blowing toward them as tall trees began to sway. Base camp at this point was no where insight. The sporadic drops of rain were now a steady patter of light drops, but this was just the beginning and it would get heavier. Soren squeezed her hand as they were both now at a full run making their way through the trees.

"There's a shortcut up ahead, come on." No sooner than Soren had gotten those words out the rain began to pour nearly instantly saturating both of them. The shortcut Soren had mentioned wasn't really much of a shortcut. It did indeed save some time in getting back to base camp because it wound around behind the main pathways but it wouldn't help them much now that they were caught in the brunt of the storm. Ilyana kept up the pace with Soren even though she wished she could grab his arm and move a little more efficiently. Suddenly, without warning Soren stopped, Ilyana slamming in to him. Soren looked around frantically.

"This isn't the way…the short cut's not…oh no…we should have gone right, not left. We have to backtrack." Soren said this time grabbing her arm as they started back in the opposite direction. "I'm sorry, Ilyana." Soren apologized even though he didn't need to. It was just a mistake and Ilyana understood that. But she was also one of the few people who knew Soren well enough to understand that nothing made him angrier than making a mistake. In all that time with him on the battlefield she saw things and knew things about him that only Ike would know since Ike was the only other person who knew Soren well. But Ike would NEVER know Soren the way Ilyana knew him.

They had backtracked far enough now and Soren spotted the path leading to the shortcut. They were both soaked now. The weight of Ilyana's cape was pulling at her neck leaving red marks from where the fabric was pulling and rubbing against her bare skin. Soren could feel water penetrating his boots. He knew all of his clothes including his boots would be forever drying. In fact they likely would not be dry by morning when everyone needed to mobilize. They both picked up their pace as the wind became more aggressive. Soren could feel her squeezing his arm trying to keep up with him. Just then, Ilyana tripped on a branch and down she went into pine needles, wet leaves and mud. Soren gasped as he almost fell himself since Ilyana was holding on to him.. He was horrified that this perfect woman was now laying the forest floor in the middle of the muck and the rain.

"Ilyana! Ilyana! Are you okay!? Oh…Ilyana." Soren got on the ground beside her pulling her muddy body up against him.

"I'm okay… I'm okay. My ankle is throbbing but it's okay. Let's keep going." Ilyana reassured him wiping her muddy hands off on her cape. But Soren didn't let her scurry up right away. He didn't care that she was getting mud on him. He kissed her, pressing his hand against her cold, wet cheek.

"You're not okay, you hurt your ankle…you're just saying that so I won't worry about you." Soren said softly. Soren had never been that sincere with anyone before. "Get on my back, I'll carry you." Soren said pulling her tighter against him. The weather didn't matter right now. A rain-soaked Soren had nothing but tenderness in his eyes as he sat on the cold forest floor holding her.

It was true, her ankle was throbbing and it hurt a lot. But she didn't want to appear helpless. She wasn't by any means, and she knew the pain would subside. He wiped mud off her forehead, pushing her pink headband toward her hairline. "Come on, get on my back. I'll carry you the rest of the way "I'll carry you the rest of the way." Soren stood up so Ilyana could get on his back. Soon enough, she was latched on to him and they were on their way. It slowed down their travel, but it wasn't like Ilyana was all that heavy. Soren moved as quickly as he could. It was evident that they wouldn't have their warm fire, or a hot meal as this was no day for a fire. There was however one thing to look forward to, Soren did have food in his tent and he had a warm sleeping bag and some warm blankets. If they could only get back to base camp Soren could get Ilyana out of those muddy clothes.