Chapter One : Humor Me

It was daybreak over the Rikal Mountains when Soren finally opened the flap of his tent. The sage always rose at dawn for the simple luxury of the campsite being quiet. It was difficult to think with all the ruckus that usually preceded dinner and continued until everyone went to bed.

The autumn winds that often ravaged the region between Yeven and Ivel, east of the continent of Tellius, during this time of year were reduced to breezes today. The air stirred his dark hair as he stretched, enjoying the view of green fields. They'd now entered Soai, a country in the Drazi Empire. A peaceful country by anyone's standards.

"Aw, Soren. Why d'you always have to get up so damn early?" came the voice of Boyd as he staggered out of his tent, his green hair messy and suffering from severe bedhead.

Soren didn't particularly like Boyd, as the green-haired young man got on his nerves frequently and often made fun of the sage for not having traditional fighting skills, only magic. The only reason Soren even put up with him in the first place was because Ike wanted Boyd in the group, so the magic user had to tolerate him.

It didn't mean he had to like him.

"I get up early to avoid idiots like you," he said flatly. "Unfortunately, the heavens have not blessed me with that luxury this morning."

"Good morning to you, too. Nice to see your mood has improved," Boyd said sarcastically as the flap of a tent to the left opened, revealing a tall redhead. "Nice to see ya, Titania," he greeted casually. The paladin nodded to acknowledge him, and looked around the campsite. "No one bothered to get Ike and Shinon up?" she asked.

"Nah. The less we see of them this morning, the better."

The woman chuckled. "I can deal with Shinon. Leave Ike to Soren." Shinon, the archer of the group, was around the same age as Titania. The both of them were practically senior members of the mercenary band, which meant that he couldn't pull rank on someone like Titania like he did with Boyd. She opened the flap to Shinon's tent, and Boyd could hear a thump that sounded very much like a kick, followed by a string of curses. Titania came out with a wicked grin on her face. "He's up, alright."

Soren had fetched a bucket of water from the river nearby, and took a ladleful to Ike's tent. The blue haired mercenary and leader of the group was sprawled on his back, sleeping like a log. Soren lifted the ladle up, and splashed the water all over Ike's face.

He shot upright with a yell, cold water dripping off his hair and down his face. He looked around quickly, and spotted Soren standing above him, looking down with his usual deadpan manner. "Good morning. It's time to get up."

"SOREN!" The shout echoed throughout the campsite, making Boyd laugh and Ike's sister, Mist, giggle. The sage was chased out of the tent by a shirtless, fuming Ike who was very wet. "Next time you do that, make sure you have your spell book with you, 'cause you'll be in for it," he growled, and stomped back into the tent to dry off and get dressed.

Ike grumpily shook the water out of his hair, running a cloth over his face. He tossed it aside, pulling on his tunic and leather armor. Adjusting it to make it more comfortable, he put on the rest of his gear and armor, tying everything quickly and accurately. On went the boots and boot covers, and to finish, Ike tied his signature green headband on to keep his blue hair out of his face.

Stepping out of the tent, leaving Mist to take it down while he got some breakfast, he was promptly greeted by Rolf, who was infernally cheerful this morning. Ike grunted in reply, eating silently. The only remotely sane people were Oscar, who never really talked to begin with, Shinon, who was just a jerk most of time anyway, and Soren, who was silent until he decided to come up with some deadpan rude remark. Mist and Rolf were overly cheerful in the mornings, which tended to grate on his and Shinon's nerves, and Titania was generally in a good mood after getting her kick out of hitting Shinon to wake him up. He couldn't really ask Mist to tone it down, since she was his little sister, and it would depress her for the rest of the day, and if he yelled at Rolf, the kid would go crying to Titania, who would yell at him. Ike stood up with a sigh.

"Okay, everyone. We'll be crossing Soai today. It's a pretty small country, so we won't have to make any stops—"

"Aw, Ike, can't we stop at the Lake Lanan Market?" Rolf whined.

Ike's eye twitched in irritation. "No, we—"

"Actually, I think stopping at Lanan is a good idea," Titania interrupted pointedly, with an evil smile. Ike turned to her, completely flabbergasted. "Why is it a good idea?" he demanded. "The point is, Ike, a little fun never killed anyone. We need some relaxation, and Lanan's a good place to get it," the woman argued.

"Please, Ike? We won't stay for too long," wheedled Mist. Whenever she asked for something, Ike was generally hard put to refuse. This morning was no different. The blue-haired man rubbed his temples, then exhaled slowly. "Fine. We'll go to Lanan. But not for too long," he added sharply, walking away from the fire. Soren trotted behind to catch up.

"Lanan giving you a bad feeling?" the sage asked quietly. "You're usually not so dead-set about not going to places."

"It's just that, well, I don't know. Lanan's generally not that bad of a place, but it really depends on where you go." Ike shook his head. "My gut's telling me not to go there, though."

Soren nodded slowly. "Did you know Lanan's the only real place in the Drazi Empire where you can hire assassins?"

Ike's eyes widened as he digested this bit of information. "No, I didn't." He was beginning to have second thoughts about going to Lanan after all. He didn't want himself or his group getting tangled in that kind of business.

Soren brought his hand to the other man's shoulder. "You don't have to worry. Like you said, it depends on where you go. In the Empire, it's all about stealth. They don't hire mercenaries for the most part."

OoOoOoOo

Lake Lanan, and the actual city of Lanan, was just as Titania had predicted: busy and loud. It may have been fun for Mist, Rolf, Boyd and Titania, but Ike himself was on edge. He fidgeted the entire time they were in the Market, and finally, Shinon took notice.

"What's the matter, rookie?" the archer asked. Even after around four to five years, he still referred to Ike as a 'rookie'. The older man didn't have much respect for their leader, and at first, didn't even want to follow him until Titania had given him a piece of her mind. Even so, he was the one who knew that instincts were one of the things that defined a mercenary, and whatever Shinon thought of him, Ike was very good at what he did. If Ike was feeling antsy, then there had to be a good reason for it.

"I don't know," Ike admitted after a moment of scanning the crowd. "It's just…a feeling."

"A feeling? Any particular reason for it?"

"That's the thing," Ike said doubtfully, rubbing the back of his head. "Soren told me about Lanan. It's a hotbed for the assassin trade. You can't get anyone else anywhere else in the Empire. It's just a bad feeling."

Shinon mulled it over. "Have you told Titania?" When he saw the other man shake his head, he smacked his forehead. "Then tell her, you halfwit. But," he stopped Ike, taking him by the shoulder. "From what I know of this place, Soren's right, but only sort of. Soai's not only a place where you can get the best assassins this side of the Pallonian continent; it's where all the malcontents gather to vent their spleen about the Empire. Lanan's small enough in comparison to the Imperial capital or Port Lagayu, which is why they go unnoticed here."

"What are you two talking about? You're normally not so chummy," Titania commented from behind them, keeping an eye on Boyd, Mist, and Rolf.

"Ike's got a bad feeling about this place," Shinon explained. He then told her about their conversation, and Titania's frown grew even darker.

"It's true that all the whiners and complainers come here to gripe about the Imperials, and yes, the best assassins for hire are here. But this time of year, Lanan's a pretty safe place. I don't think we have anything to worry about," she said confidently.

"The last time you said that, we ended up in some deep trouble," Shinon laughed, earning him a punch from the paladin. Ike, however, was silent.

OoOoOoOo

Boyd whistled as the group settled in at their table in the fairly well lit tavern. Titania had opted to take Rolf and Mist elsewhere, so it was just the men. Boyd and Ike usually drank lightly, whereas Soren, Rhys, and Oscar didn't drink at all. Tonight, however, after hearing about Ike's 'bad feeling', there was no alcohol tonight. Every man at the table was on edge, and tried not to show it, with various degrees of success.

Ike finally couldn't take anymore of the strained silence and even tenser bits of conversation, and rose, making his way to the bar. He asked for some water, then observed the people around him. Most were preoccupied with their company and friends, but a few among the crowd had turned to stare at him.

The barkeep passed him his mug, and moved on to the man next to him. "Any news from the capital, Yonwe?" he asked, cleaning a glass.

The man chuckled, and took a long drink from his mug. "Not really, but the pretty lil' princess came of age a few days ago. Remember?" he replied roughly.

Shinon sidled in next to Ike, but motioned discreetly for him to be quiet as they continued to eavesdrop on the conversation. "Yeah, I remember," the other man replied from behind the counter. "Biggest festival Rose Moon's ever seen. How could we forget?"

"Well, the Mage's Square rioters are gettin' restless again, from what I heard. They don't want no half-bloods."

"Can they help it, when she's the only heir to the throne? Draza can't have another king. Her father's weak as it is."

Shinon tugged on Ike's tunic, and they both left, returning to their table. "What were they talking about, Shinon?" Ike asked quietly.

Shinon leaned forward with a sigh. "Draza is the motherland of the Empire, and in the Imperial capital Alantaiya is the royal family, the Telemaris. Right now, the current ruler is King Valcox IV."

"But it's an Empire," Boyd interrupted. "Shouldn't he be Emperor or something?"

"Shut up, twerp. I'm still talking. No, he's not the Emperor. No man can hold the highest title. There can't be an Emperor, only an Empress. So the oldest daughter of the family is the Imperial Heir. I remember the rumors about the Mage's Square riots." His voice went down to a whisper. "You thought the riots back home were bad? These people went insane. They trashed the whole place, and burned it down to the ground. It was eleven years ago, but they haven't rebuilt it since."

"Why did the people riot?" Ike asked out of curiosity.

"Some rumors were going around about the king's second wife, who died giving birth to the Heir," Rhys spoke quietly. "Rumors that she wasn't exactly human."

"It wasn't proven, of course," Shinon said, giving the healer a brief nod. "Drazi people are stubborn and close-minded to the core. They didn't want a halfbreed ruling them, so what'd they do? They went nuts."

"I knew we shouldn't have come here," Ike muttered, hand covering his mouth. "I don't want to get mixed up in another war."