This is my first (and most likely only) FE8 fanfic. I don't know if anyone's written this yet, but it was just begging to be written...
Regular text tells one story; italicized text tells another.
Disclaimer: This is based heavily on the TanaxEphraim B and A supports; it's most of the dialogue, but I made up the birthday party myself...
Two children, a brother and sister, waited anxiously for their guests. A royal escort from Renais was scheduled to arrive today in honor of the Frelian princess's 10th birthday. Tana, the young princess, hopped nervously around Prince Innes, her brother. The prince stood near the throne, camly gripping his bow in one hand and a spear in the other.
Tana shot down a gargoyle with her javelin just as she spotted Ephraim fighting on the ground below her. She waited until he killed the revenant he faced, and then she glided next to him.
"Ephraim, do you remember when we first met?"
"Ah, of course! It was at Castle Frelia, wasn't it? Eirika and I had been invited to visit for your birthday celebration."
"Oh, I'm so glad you remembered!" Tana exclaimed, the happy memories already swirling around in her head.
Ephraim went on. "King Hayden seemed so delighted that we'd come to visit. I think that was the first time I met Innes, too."
"So, Ephraim, what did you think of the dress I was wearing?"
"I... Hm... I'm sorry, but I don't think I got a good look at it at the time. Perhaps you don't remember, but as soon as I arrived, Innes challenged me. We ended up having an archery match right when the party began. I think Innes won that match."
The princess of Frelia smoothed the wrinkles in the skirt of her new pink frilly dress and tried to sit still. The royal twins of Renais would be here soon! She unconsiously pulled out a curl of blue hair that had been meticulously put into place. A servant quickly came over and carefully replaced it.
"Do you remember my hair? I was so happy with it!"
"Your... hair? Uh... Well, right after our archery match, Innes challenged me to the spear. I think I won that match!" Ephraim recalled the feel of victory over a boy his age.
"I'll bet you don't even remember what I said afterward!" Tana blushed at this memory. It was one of the most embarrassing things she'd ever done.
"Er, Innes can be persistant. After spears, we moved on to jousting. That time, I think it was..." He trailed off as Tana fixed her hard stare on him.
"Oh, you! You only remember what happened with my brother! You don't care about me at all, do you?" She exploded indignantly.
Tana's heart pounded as the prince and princess of Renais entered with their father and guards. The twins, Eirika and Ephraim, held hands as they lingered outside the Great Hall. They looked older than her, about Innes's age. Her father's earlier instructions jolted into her mind. She timidly approached Eirika and Ephraim.
"W-welcome to Castle Frelia. Thank you very much for attending my birthday celebration."
"Oh, no, no! That's not true. It's just..." His excuses dried up as Tana's anger ignited.
"Fine! Why should I care about you when you can't even be bothered to care about me? You just keep having fun with my brother and don't pay me any mind at all!" She pulled at her pegasus's reins and took off, seething.
"Tana, wait a minute! Hey! Don't go off on your own!" He called after her.
"...What is she so upset about?"
-0-0-0-
After the battle, the army sat around a fire at the edge of the battlefield. Ephraim was off by himself at the edge of their camp. His thoughts kept leading back to Tana as they meandered and crossed over themselves.
The twins smiled at the young princess, and immediately, the ice was broken. Tana grinned back, very unprincesslike, as Innes came up behind her. He held his bow out in challenge.
"Prince Ephraim of Renais, I challenge you to an archery match!"
"Let's dispense with the titles," Ephraim responded, "and you've got yourself an opponent."
They raced off to the archery range, leaving their sisters alone, who knowingly nodded.
"Boys."
At Eirika's comment, Tana burst out laughing. This made Eirika's grin wider, and soon they were talking like old friends.
Tana reined in her pegasus near the healer's tent. She needed a bandage for the scratch on her mount's foreleg. Brooding over her conversation with the prince of Renais, she failed to notice Eirika walking in front of her, and they collided.
"Ei-Eirika! I'm so sorry!"
The princess of Renais smiled at her friend.
"Oh, it's alright, Tana. I wasn't watching where I was going, either."
Just then, Tana had an idea. "Eirika, would you help me with something? You see..."
Eirika's eyes turned thoughtful, seeing Innes in the distance. "Of course, but there's something you have to help me with."
-0-0-0-
The two princes finished their archery match and quickly moved on to the spear, while Innes was still confident of victory. Tana and Eirika watched them, commenting frequently on the boys' need to impress the princesses.
"I think he likes you, Eirika. Have you seen the way my brother looks at you? He's been on edge all this week, while we were waiting for you and your brother to attend."
"R-really?" A faint blush spread across Eirika's cheeks.
The girls were interrupted by a loud crash from the young princes' joust, which had ended in a tie.
"I hope they didn't hurt themselves..."
"Hello, Ephraim." Tana approached the prince of Renais as there was a lull in the fighting. "Shall we take a break together?"
"Well, you're in a better mood today!" he responded.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing." he brushed it off. "So, uh, what can I do for you?"
Tana smiled up at him and held up a covered box. "Eirika helped me prepare lunch. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it's delicious. Would you like to eat it with me?"
"...Tana. This is a battlefield. It's all right to take a break, but let's not let our guards down."
"...You're always like that. You're so stiff and formal and detatched all the time." Almost to tears, Tana let the petty princess in her out.
Ephraim was taken aback. "Tana... What's the matter with you? You've been acting so odd lately."
Taking a moment to compose herself, Tana took a deep breath, and let her soul pour out. "Yes, I am acting funny. And it's all your, Ephraim! Whenever I try to talk to you, you always keep your distance! No matter how hard I try, you never open up to me."
"That's not true..."
"Is there someone else?"
"What?"
"It's just... You never pay any attention to me. You never have... It makes me so sad. All I want to do is be near you more and more." She was almost to tears.
"...Tana, you're still just a child at heart, aren't you?"
"Ephraim! Don't talk about me like that..."
He sighed, not wanting to be misunderstood. "No, I meant it as a compliment. Because you're so young, your words have such a simple, honest, purity... I do appreciate your affection."
Tana's heart lifted at these words, and she gathered enough courage to say what come next.
The princess's party lasted for a happy week before the Renais twins had to leave. Tana and Innes stood at the gate with them, waiting until the very last second. Tana felt that she had to say something, for the memory of their first meeting.
"If... Eirika, if you marry my brother and I marry your brother, then we can be sisters!"
Ephraim looked at her strangely while Innes and Eirika both flushed red.
"What?"
"Ephraim... Do you think you could make more time for me, so we can chat?"
"Yes... of course. But we don't have the luxury to stop and chat on the battlefield. We have an obligation to end this war, first. Let's go."
"Yes, alright. I'll see you later. I'm looking forward to it." The princess of Frelia raised her face to her prince of Renais and smiled.
TanaxEphraim has always been one of my favorite couples, as with EirikaxInnes...
Please review, and thanks for reading!
-Merodi-chan, 11.2.05.