Mark sat in a cold cave with a sigh of annoyance. Five years had passed since the fateful day, ever since, him and his remaining handful of an army have lived in fear. When the dragon appeared at the Dragon's gate, all hell broke loose in Elibe. Thanks to a sacrifice by Athos, Eliwood and Hector made, the group escaped. Lyn was knocked unconscious by the dragon earlier so Mark dragged her out. Ninian, Nils, Guy, Nino, Wil, Erk, Serra, Sain, Kent and the Pegasus sisters were the only ones of the army who had escaped. Mark and Lyn managed to escape too, but sadly, everyone else's lives were claimed. The people of Elibe were living in fear as the Dragon ravaged the entire continent. Mark, Sain and Kent have done everything they could to keep Lyndis in the cave. He pride wanted to make her leave the cave and fight the dragon, but her companions would not let her. For five years, the group lived in fear. Mark walked back into the cave and after about ten minutes of walking, he came to a small fire that Ninian and Nils were huddled nearby. Mark looked at the children and sat across from them.
"Morning Ninian, Nils." Mark stated looking at the two children who remained silent glaring at the fire.
"Is something wrong you guys?" Mark asked the twins as they remained huddled close to the fire. Ninian looked down and whimpered a bit before looking up at Mark.
"I'm so sorry Mark...If I hadn't gone to the gate that day...We wouldn't be living like this..." Ninian stated sadly as the tactician sighed and looked at the two giving a weak grin trying to lighten their spirit. "It's fine, you two never knew that this would happen." Mark insisted as the two children sat close together. Mark sighed and sat down looking at the twins looking at the fire.
"Your shift is over, you two go and have fun with the others." Mark ordered. For a moment, they remained frozen before standing and walking off. Mark sighed as he grabbed the stick to the side and moved the log in the center making the fire stronger. Mark sighed before looking at the opening of the cave.
"This whole world has gone to shit. Since Nergal opened the Dragon's gate. The dragon's have taken over, Elibe's population has gotten significantly smaller. All of us survivors living in fear...This must be what the man back in Santaruz referred to when he said the world would soon be a living hell." Mark sighed before hearing footsteps coming his way. He looked up to see his close friends Kent and Sain approaching him. Mark mustered a bit of a smile as the two knights sat down near Mark.
"Good day Sir Mark." Kent stated with a slight smile sitting beside Mark as Sain sat on Mark's other side. These three often had watch duty on the fire together. Kent looked at Mark and sighed.
"Lady Lyndis isn't doing well controlling herself. The anger she feels about us not letting her fight the dragon is making her angry." Kent stated as Mark looked at the fire and sighed.
"Lady Lyn...Always hotblooded...Resolute to do what she wants...But I cannot allow her to do any of it...I made a promise to Lord Hausen to keep Lyn alive, I will do what I must to fulfill that promise." Mark sighed as he continued moving the wood in the fire. Kent looked at Mark and sighed before looking at the fire again.
"Mark, you have broken promises before, I doubt it is purely for a promise. Please tell me, why do you insist on not confronting the dragon?" Kent asked and Mark hissed a bit before gripping the stick tightly.
"You're right Kent, but my reasons are mine, and mine alone. My judgment has rarely gone wrong with this army. Why would it suddenly go wrong now?" Mark asked. Kent looked down and looked at Mark before sighing.
"Go on Mark, Sain can handle the fire watch. You go on and help keep sanity among the others." Kent stated. Mark nodded before standing to his feet and walking off. Kent and Sain looked at each other for a moment and Sain gave a childish grin.
"What's with the smile Sain?" Kent asked arching an eyebrow at his companion. Sain chuckled a bit and watched as Mark walked off.
"Oh no reason…." Sain chuckled before Mark vanished into the depths of the cave.
Serra was sitting in the cave nursing wounds Erk and Guy had sustained. Erk got into a fight with Guy earlier over who would go off in search of food. Erk and Guy had beaten each other badly as Serra healed her wounds. Mark came across the three and sighed before peering at the three.
"Salutations, I trust you're nursing to their wounds well Serra." Serra sighed and nodded. Mark looked at Guy and Erk who were glaring at each other. The two had begun a rivalry about two years after hiding in the cave. The two were determined to best each other as rivals, but it often complicated things. Serra looked at Mark and sighed.
"You know, we can't stay in this cave forever. Especially with Lyn calling for the others to leave. I even heard Fiora and Farina talking about exiting the cave to fight." Serra stated. Ever since the death of Eliwood, Hector and the arch sage Athos, the individuals of the group changed. Mark was once much more free spirited, but now he was quiet and cautious. Sain still had his childish side, but had become much more mature. Florina had become more vocal and even stopped being intimidated by men. Farina and Fiora took leader like personalities. Erk had become a bit angrier and more rebellious due to the anger of seeing his mentor Pent die. Serra was no longer the girl she was, she had become much less selfish and more serious. Nino had lost her innocence, she was no longer the energetic girl she was. Kent, Lyn, Wil and Guy were the only two who seemed to maintain the personalities they had. Guy looked at Mark and stood to his feet refusing any more of Serra's treatment.
"Mark, I'm telling you this now, but I am getting sick of being pent up in this cave! I hate sitting here like a coward! Hiding from that damn dragon! Look Mark, you need to sort this out! Five years you've been planning to fend off the dragon invasion! I'm getting sick of waiting!" Guy growled gripping his sword a bit. A burn wound he felt in his leg caused him to fall back as Serra continued nursing to his wound. Erk looked at Mark and scoffed in agreement.
"I second that. You need to stop being a coward. Let's fight the dragon already!" Erk screamed glaring at Mark with signs of hostility. Mark sighed and looked at them.
"We'll only get ourselves killed you fools! If we rush out to confront the dragon we'll be signing our death warrants. It's either wait, plan and prevail. Or rush, fight and die." Mark shot back at the two rebellious warriors who glared at Mark. Serra sighed before looking at both of them.
"Guy, Erk, Mark is right. That dragon killed so many of our friends. Our best chance to defeat the dragon is to fight when it is time. Fighting now would be suicide." Serra insisted, just shades of the maturity she had gained. Mark sighed and turned to see the three Pegasus sisters standing behind him.
"Enough of your games Mark. Erk and Guy are right. So many of our friends died because of that dragon. Eliwood, Hector, Marcus, Matthew, Athos, Jaffar, Louise, Pent and so many more died in that battle." Fiora stated. Mark pressed his nose with his index finger and thumb in annoyance. He wanted revenge as well, but he thought strategic planning was the best way to prove successful. He didn't want to lose any more of his friends. Farina looked at Mark crossing her arms.
"Look Mark, for five years we have waited. For five years we have been impatient. We have taken a vote. Florina, Fiora, Guy, Erk, Lyndis and I have opted to leave this cave regardless of your orders. We're giving you one week to set up plans for us. If you do not, then we're just going to charge into battle with the dragon." Farina hissed at Mark. He flinched hearing her words and his heart slowly began to beat faster out of fear for his friends.
"No! If you do this, you'll all die!" Mark exclaimed and Fiora sighed looking at Mark.
"Enough Mark, we're saying this because we know you have plans. Yet refuse however to put them to use! Tell me why Mark! Why do you refuse to charge out with your plans?" Fiora demanded. Mark froze for a moment and looked away as his cloak waved around.
"I can't lose any of you. I refuse to lose anyone else to that wretched beast." Mark growled. It was true, he wanted to protect all of his friends from the dragon. There was one in particular he didn't want to lose. He began to walk out and Farina gripped his cloak tightly with annoyance clear on her face.
"Mark, you underestimate us! We've been training nonstop since then, and now, we probably could best those dragons! Stop protecting us and let us make our own decisions!" Farina scolded and Mark ripped his cloak out of her hands as his emotionless expression quickly turned fierce.
"ENOUGH! No one is fighting the god damn dragon! If you die, then who is left to stop them! I need careful planning baka!" Mark hissed angrily before turning away his cloak waving as he turned. He began to walk away with a cold expression as he proceeded down a different path in the cave. He heard running behind him, so he turned to confront the source. It was Florina who had chased after him. Mark looked at the girl and mustered a smile despite his truly angry emotions at the moment.
"Ah Florina, is there something I can do for you?" Florina looked at Mark and sighed looking at him.
"I-I know…I know why you really are trying to keep us from fighting Mark." Florina stated with a glare at Mark. Mark looked at her arching an eyebrow before crossing his arms.
"I have told you, I don't want you or any of the others getting hurt of possibly killed. That is why I refuse to let you charge into battle." Mark answered and Florina shook her head at Mark.
"That is true, but I can tell that there is a bit of a lie to that. You have more motives than just that. I believe there is one person in particular you are trying to protect more than the rest of us." Florina stated looking at Mark who began gripping his arms as he thought to himself. 'Dammit, she hasn't figured it out has she?'
"You're in love with someone in this army, aren't you?" Florina stated, a blush crossed Mark's face and he quickly looked away from Florina before hissing.
"Congratulations, you figured me out, yes there is someone in this army I am in love with, but I'll be damned before I admit who it is." Mark growled at Florina who giggled a bit before turning from Mark.
"It's obvious Mark, only one woman in this army would make any sense." Florina stated before she walked away from Mark. Mark stood silent for what seemed like hours. He trembled a bit thinking to himself. 'She knows my secret now…How are the others going to react…And worse, what if they find out? I have no choice…I guess I'll have to admit it to Lyn before it's too late…I must tell her how I feel…' Mark thought to himself before he began walking again. As he walked out, Wil and Nino was talking to each other about something. Mark walked over and gave a slight smile to both the mage and the archer.
"Salutations Wil and Nino, I trust you two are having a good day." Nino shook her head and looked at Mark.
"It seems like everyone wants to fight that dragon Mark. We have been pent up too long. I don't want to fight that beast…It's just…How could we stand up to that? It took everything we had last time and was barely wounded." Nino sighed and Mark slammed his hand into his head.
"Everyone is on about fighting the dragon. I need more time to plan." Wil, one of the people who wanted to fight looked at Mark and sighed.
"Mark, you've had five years to think. Some of us just aren't patient enough to wait. You're losing your pull Mark. Everyone is siding with Lyndis. Everyone including myself wants to fight. If you want to delay further, you have to convince Lyndis to stop protesting." Wil stated. He wanted to fight, but wasn't as vocal as the others.
"How could I? Lady Lyndis has always been resolute to do things she wants to. With majority of our group supporting her, I can't really shackle her any more. I just wish she wasn't so rebellious…" Mark sighed and sat down before looking down suddenly, a light tear brushed down his face as he imagined Lyn charging at the dragon alone.
"I…I can't lose her…I've lost all of my friends…I can't lose her too…" Mark whimpered a bit looking down. Nino leaned down and gave one of her childlike smiles that rarely appeared. She brushed the cheek off Mark's face and looked into his eyes.
"It's okay Mark, all of our other friends will fight and do everything to keep her and everyone alive." Nino stated before hugging Mark tightly. Mark looked down and closed his eyes before sighing.
"I…I've never wanted to fight for something so much…I want Lyndis and the rest of you to live so much…You're my family…Lyn…I just…" Nino released Mark and noticed the look in his eyes. She then realized why Mark referred to Lyn the most.
"You love her…Don't you?" Nino asked the tactician who froze in place before weakly nodding. Nino looked at Mark and Wil smiled a bit.
"That's no surprise. Lyndis was the first person who fought so hard for you according to your past. Lyndis was the only person who risked so much to protect you. She was your first true friend. She is kind, selfless, and in most cases forgiving. Compassionate and caring…It is not hard to see why you fell for her Mark." Wil stated before crouching down looking at Mark. "Does she know how you feel?" Wil asked the tactician who remained silent before he looked to the archer.
"No…Florina is the only person who knew…I've loved Lyndis ever since I departed from Caelin six years ago. When I reunited with her, my world lit up, I was determined to tear down the Black Fang!" Mark called out with renewed vigor. Wil smiled and placed his hand on Mark's shoulder.
"Go to Lyndis and tell her, Mark…If anything can delay the group abandoning you here, it is your love for the ring leader behind the act of abandoning. You are the only one who has grown close enough to Lyndis to talk her out of it. Mark, go to her and pour your heart out." Wil stated. Mark looked down nodding before standing and proceeding in the other direction of the cave. He looked for what seemed like hours looking for Lyn. He had eventually reached a point deep in the cave that they never imagined they would use. He used a torch to guide himself until he saw a fire burning in the distance. Mark slowly approached and from that light, Lyndis sat on a small rock trying to draw something into the ground with a stick before an annoyed look appeared on her face. She crossed out the drawing and began to draw again. Mark walked behind Lyndis who was drawing. Mark realized that she was trying to make a plan for confronting the dragon.
"Are you going to stand there without saying anything?" Lyn asked having noticed Mark was there. He sighed and sat down next to her looking at the drawing. He saw her plan and Mark shook his head.
"No, no, no! That won't do, you'll beat the dragon, but that will kill so many of us! Try doing this." Mark took the stick and edited the map out Lyn had drawn before crossing it out again growling angrily.
"DAMMIT! No matter what I do most of us will die!" Mark hissed out punching the ground.
"Calm down Mark, we need the best plan we can get as long as it will best the dragon. If you need someone as bait, I will be that bait just to protect you and our friends." Lyn stated. Mark looked up and aggressively shook his head.
"No way! I refuse to lose anyone! Especially you Lyndis! I would never let you get killed!" Mark exclaimed angrily before trying to draw another plan. Lyn noticed what Mark had said realizing that comment was mostly about her.
"Mark…Why do you want to protect me so much? Do you not have faith in me?" Lyn asked as Mark froze again. He remembered what Wil said earlier and looked down before he gulped.
"Lyndis…I…I don't want to lose anyone. I do have faith in you, but I know what I am talking about. After that incident, I can't lose anyone…Least of all you…" Mark stated before looking away blushing. His blush being hidden by the shadows.
"Why me? Why are you trying to protect me more than the others Mark?" Lyn asked confused by Mark's sudden demeanor. Mark looked at Lyn as his blush became visible to her.
"Lyn, I love you, and I have for a long time…" Mark stated before looking away blushing. Lyn felt a blush hit her face before she turned her head looking at the fire. She was surprised. She too had been harboring feelings for Mark. She never imagined that he would love her, she sat there in shock unable to sat a word.
"Mark…Do you…Do you really mean that?" Lyn asked hesitantly. Mark nodded slowly before closing his eyes and standing up.
"I'm sorry Lyn! I shouldn't have…I should have just…" Mark turned and began to walk away before Lyn grabbed his arm stopping him. Mark felt her hand grip his arm and her turned to her before feeling her pull him down next to her.
"Mark…How long…How long have you loved me?" Lyn asked the young tactician who spoke wearily.
"I fell for you after the Battle of Caelin just before I left…I love you Lyn…I would give anything and everything for you…" Mark stated blushing deeply looking down. Lyn looked at Mark with a blush on her face. Mark looked up to say something, when he did, he noticed Lyn's face was mere inches from his. Mark's face grew redder realizing this. Lyn lightly cupped Mark's face a smile forming on her face.
"I fell for you after the fact that you left had sank in. I had slowly obtained feelings for you through our journey to Caelin, and I had fallen for you. I didn't realize it until I noticed that I had grown empty inside, when it felt like my heart was shattered. I was happy to be with my grandfather, but it felt like something was missing…" Lyn stated before Mark looked into her hypnotizing green eyes a smile forming on his face.
"Lyn…You mean…"
"Yes Mark…I love you too…" Lyn stated as her eyes began to water tears falling down her face.
"Lyn…Why are you crying?" Mark asked the Sacaen who smiled happily at him.
"I'm…I'm so happy…" Lyn stated wiping her face looking into Mark's brown eyes.
"Lyn…I will protect you with all of my heart…I will fight for you, I will do anything for you even if it costs me my life. I love you Lady Lyndis…" Mark stated and Lyn smiled a blush crossing her face.
"Oh Mark…" Lyn moved forward as her lips met Mark's. She kissed him passionately and deeply wrapping her arms around her neck as she slowly shut her eyes. Mark was shocked by this, but smiled into the kiss before kissing back. He wrapped his arms around her waist closing his eyes as they became lost in the kiss.
About one week later, Mark and Lyn stood together glaring outside of the opening of the cave. The entire army behind them testing their weapons one last time preparing to charge out of this cave to fight the dragon. Lyn looked at Mark with a slightly worried look.
"Mark, are you sure you want to do this? We don't have to…" Lyn stated but Mark shook his head and smiled looking at her.
"No Lyn, you were right all along. We will fight for everyone victimized by this dragon. I promise, that we will succeed." Mark stated with a smile. Lyn smiled and nodded as the rest of the army walked out of the cave Mark and Lyn a few yards behind them.
"Are you ready?" Lyn asked Mark who smiled and nodded.
"For you….I am ready for anything…" Mark stated happily looking out ready to fight the dragon. Mark looked back at Lyn and before kissed her one more time before the couple walked out of the cave prepared to fight along each others side.
The End