A/N Well, while working on other fanfics, I started to think about FE10 and how Pelleas figures out Soren's lineage but never tells him. So, I thought about what would happen if he did, and thus this story was born. Also for those curious, it won't be Soren/Ike, and a few pairings are set, though if anyone has a pairing they would like to see, I'll listen at least.
Standard Disclaimer: If I owned Fire Emblem, a couple of conversations would be added or modified. It may be a good thing I don't own it then.
This had been the second time the duo had been in the coastal town, though this time they weren't on the run. The only real change from the last time Soren had was his white robe, instead of all black, as Ike suggested. If someone looked very carefully, they would notice that he hadn't even physically shown the three years that had past. Ike, his good friend/brother/most important person, was the opposite. Except for the fact his hair color had not changed, Ike looked like his father, Greil.
The two had awoken early and after packing, walked to the harbor, where they were to leave to explore the newly risen lands by Yune. Ike had yet again made himself famous, surpassing saving a country with saving the beorc, laguz, and branded by defeating Ashera. Unfortunately for the blue-haired man, he lost whatever chance he had at living a normal life. Thus, he had made the decision to leave, though there was no way Soren would let him leave alone. Ignoring the fact that he could not handle losing Ike to the unknown, he was the only link back to Tellius for the former general.
Sunlight glanced off of the only ship in harbor, as Elincia, as a final favor to the man she had a crush on before realizing he could never stand being prince consort, made sure that no one had any reason to leave from Toha by port today. The sailors picked were adventurous, but had not told anyone about their 'special crew.' Which still meant the fact that when Mist ran up and hugged her brother, Soren sighed, knowing that it would make it harder for his precious person. He knew Ike wanted to leave, even though he couldn't hide his pain about leaving his sister behind. If Ike waited a week longer, Soren knew that Ike would have to kill himself to leave.
Soren nodded to Titania, while they disagreed quite often, she gave Ike another viewpoint. Thus she would be the only one to receive acknowledgement from him. Turning back to the siblings, he noticed how red Mist's eyes were as Ike was rubbing her back. He moved to grab their supplies, quite glad that his companion had also chosen to pack light.
After a couple minutes had passed, Ike finally let go and turned away quickly from her as she moved towards Soren. She leapt and wrapped her arms around him as he dropped the last bag, "Please take care of him, Soren."
"Of course." The response was slightly weak due to his airflow being constricted a bit.
"Thank you." With that she let go as Soren walked away, he knew that Titania would have chastised him for rudeness, but he still had problems with physical contact, even from Ike. They both made it on the ship, while the sailors were finishing final preparations.
"Are you sure you want leave Soren?" Ike asked as he gave the remaining members of the mercenaries a final look over.
"Ike, when have you know me to not state my opinion-" he paused as he noticed Ike focused on something or someone. Turning to see what had hooked his attention, a frown marred his appearance as he saw the King of Daein, Pelleas, running over, the panic written on his face. "I assume you wish to wait to see what he wants to talk about?" Ike nodded as he walked back down the on-ramp.
"King Pelleas, what brings you here to our boat? Has your duties made you want to run away as well?" Ike joked as Pelleas smiled even as his face was flush red.
"I know you two wish to leave quickly, but could I speak with you both for a moment, please?" He could not keep eye contact, Soren kept his expression neutral.
"Sure, I'll just need to make sure the sailors will wait for us." Soren sighed, it was obvious they would wait, but Ike still hadn't realized that if he asked every single beorc country to overthrow their leaders, he would be in charge of all the beorc nation within a month, since it would take about 2 weeks for the news to spread to Begnion. "Well, they would prefer us to stay on the ship, do you mind talking about it here, King Pelleas?" He nodded as the three walked over to the port side in an area not in use by the sailors.
"Yes?" Soren stared at the king who kept opening and closing his mouth. "I assume that you do not wish to waste your time since Daein will need their king back to help finish settling it down." He grimaced as he rested against the railing.
"Well, the truth is, I'm not Almedha's real son. Izuka picked me since I looked very similar to what he would really look like and thought he could use me as a puppet."
"Are you sure Izuka wasn't lying just to try to get an advantage in battle?" Ike wondered.
"No, she mistook my spirit-charmer mark for a brand, she's a dragon laguz." Pelleas glanced at Soren again, even though as soon as he mentioned brand, Soren realized why he was here. Unfortunately, he shifted his hand, and that had grabbed Ike's attention. Both mercenaries stayed quiet, though Ike kept glancing at Soren who was frozen in place.
"Soren, I never wanted to steal someone's birthright, and we all know that no one else could match you in tactical prowess. If you wish it, I will announce to the people of Daein the truth and have you crowned king." He was wringing his hands by the time he had finished.
"But why would they be willing to accept me as King?" Soren questioned, his tone slightly frosty.
"Ike is the son of Greil, who was known as Gawain, one of the four riders before Ashnard became king." Turning to Ike, he continued, "I know you do not want to be a noble, but announcing that you would become a rider, it would be easy transition for Soren." Ike glanced back to mercenaries before returning his gaze to Soren.
"Soren, I'll leave the decision to you." He responded as he turned to watch Pelleas. Ike doesn't want to leave his sister, but he doesn't want to say it. I don't want to be king, but I owe him…
"Ike, you would become one of the riders, if I became King?" Soren wondered as he watched his friend.
"I would be honored." His eyes darted away from the ship, a small smile sneaking onto his face. Soren looked back at Pelleas, who was starting to shake.
"What are you going to do if I accepted?" Soren questioned.
"I would work at the Daein court, if you would allow me to." Pelleas's breathing rate was slowing down, as his hope was increasing. Soren looked to Ike, who had yet again glanced at his sister.
"Very well, I will become the King of Daein, with all the responsibilities and privileges it entails." He looked Pelleas in the eye who after a few seconds of letting the answer stew in his head, sat on the ground, as his legs gave out. "Though you must first convince the captain and crew to sail to Begnion to deliver a message to the Apostle that she is invited to meet the new King of Daein as soon as she is able to." Pelleas stood up quickly, and nearly tripping over his feet as he rushed to find the captain.
"King Soren, I like the sound of that." Ike smiled as he gave him a quick pat on the arm. "How do you want to tell the others?"
"We should have the meeting where the group will be all sitting, though we should also call upon Oscar, since if I can procure his services, even if he never fights again, I can assure decent meals for the castle. Also, unless needed, I would prefer it if you referred to me as Soren, Ike."
"That's high praise coming from you." Ike teased about Soren's lack of appreciation of food in general, his smile vanished as he saw Pelleas walking back quickly with a smile on his face. "I will keep that in mind."
"They said they would, though they do wish for me to add they'll miss having you as passengers." Ike groaned, as he hoped not to travel as esteemed guests.
"Pelleas, I would prefer until I say otherwise that you tell no one else about this." Soren explained as he watched the young man, who nodded with great vigor. The three walked down the on-ramp as everyone standing there watched with either raised eyebrows or pretending not to care.
"Ike, are you staying? Does it have something to do with Daein?" Mist wondered as her eyes hung on every movement he made.
"Something came up that Pelleas made me aware of, and due to it, I'll be staying in Tellius for a while." With that Mist ran over and hugged her brother.
"Wait, you mean I rushed our wedding for no reason? You know for that we aren't giving you your job back, former commander." Boyd, Mist's newly wed husband, complained, though to everyone there, they could tell he was not serious.
"That means that you will have to talk to Mist about an escort, Pelleas." Soren commented, as the man started to turn red.
"Would it be acceptable to discuss payment later, since I am not sure I'll need extra protection?" Mist pulled her head out of Ike's chest and nodded, Soren would have to remind her to be careful with how she accepted jobs, though Pelleas would not be the type to weasel out of a fair payment.
"Actually, we need to talk to Oscar, and Pelleas has agreed to stop by Melior with us. So we'll explain why we stayed then." Ike commented and with that the group grabbed their supplies and started on their way.
It was strange for Soren to ride in a fancy carriage, as he needed to discuss with Pelleas what he had done recently. Ike had unfortunately chosen to walk with the group, leaving the two black-haired mages alone.
"Have you signed any treaties or made any changes to the nobility since the civil war in Begnion?" Soren started his questioning as he settled himself next to parchment to write on.
"Except for the cease-fires between the laguz nations and Crimea, no we have not. Serenes will be sending a representative in a month. I made no changes to nobility, though Taureneo suggested that I make Jill duchess of Talrega, however, it is still sitting on my desk." Pelleas explained as he was surprised at how well Soren seemed able to write, though quite a bit of what he wrote was illegible to him.
"And does the Maiden of Dawn still keep her position as head of military?"
"Yes, Micaiah does, though I had expected her to leave, but with Daein rebuilding from the chaos, she has kept up her marvelous work. I envy her a bit." Pelleas sighed.
"Let me guess, if I had said no, you would have asked her to succeed you?" Soren questioned as Pelleas's jaw dropped. "It was obvious, while you did not want to steal my inheritance, you do not want to keep your job as you feel that it is not something you can succeed in." The king replaced his jaw but still stayed silent, after glancing outside, Soren continued, "She is very popular in Daein, correct?"
"Yes, during the fight against Begnion to free our people, Izuka would often lament that Micaiah held more respect in the soldier's eyes than I did." He remarked, a small laugh escaped.
"Have you heard of anyone suggesting that she take the throne instead of you?" Soren probed as he watched Pelleas's reaction.
"There was a small rumor during the cease-fire talks that the nobles would attempt to convince me to step down for her, since they were not comfortable with peace with the laguz. However, that went away after the treaty was signed and she made sure to mention at a court meeting that she approved. Are you that worried?" Pelleas looked confused while watching him.
"Pelleas, I was apart of the group that demolished Daein nearly twice, unlike you, my claim of my heritage will not be taken so flippantly, since if Almedha was wrong about you, she could easily be wrong about me. You have to remember that the other two beorc countries have had nobility attempt to overthrow the heads of state. If there is a possibility I wish to avoid it." With that explanation, the two moved onto more mundane but important information.
The ride to the capital took about two days, during which Soren had learned enough from Pelleas that he would be able to keep the country running smoothly, unless the nobility acted similarly to certain former Begnion senators. Melior had not changed, as none of the battles in the past three years touched it, since Elincia had fled to Alpea during the Crimea civil war. Unlike the Daein capital, it was more inviting, which also made it easier attack since the defenses were weaker.
The group had to deal with the citizens that were glad to see the mercenaries in town, which Ike had to grin and wave happily, since he had been warned by his tactician that he would not risk war with a foreign country because he could not handle being the center of attention. Upon reaching the gates, the guards saluted the group and upon noticing Pelleas, turned their attention on him.
"Excuse me, King Pelleas, we were not told of your pending arrival, for that we apologize." The one on the left, easily the leader as he didn't show actual fear in his expression, explained.
"No, you would have not, I had to meet with someone and had not explained that I would be coming back to Queen Elincia. If you could let her know that my guards and I are only staying in Melior for the evening. If that would be acceptable?" Pelleas had improved, since from what he had heard, the soon to be former king would have stuttered a storm and been embarrassed by the attention.
One of the guards left to deliver the message and as he returned, the mercenaries and Daein entourage separated. The group was lead to a large enough meeting area to sit them comfortably as they sat down around a table, some more relaxed in posture than others. Eventually Oscar walked in, still wearing armor as he placed a lance down and joined the others, raising an eyebrow at Ike.
"Well, I called this meeting of the Greil mercenaries because Soren and I have important news to share, and yes, it is also the reason why we are not going on the journey to check out the newly recovered lands. Soren, I'll turn it over to you." Ike smiled as Soren gave everyone a look over.
"Pelleas told Ike and I some interesting information. It seems that Izuka lied to Almedha, he picked a boy who he felt he could puppet, not her true son." A gasp or two escaped from the group as Shinon glared at Soren while Titania looked over her charges. "He approached us since he found out that I was her true son."
With that the room exploded in noise, Gatrie and Boyd could not believe it while Shinon was complaining. Both Rhys and Mist tried to calm the group down, until Ike shouted for attention, which gratefully for everyone's eardrums, worked. "I have accepted Pelleas's offer to be crowned King of Daein, and Ike has agreed to be one of the four riders, thus neither of us will need our positions back. Also, since this has not been officially announced, it would not be good for rumors to spread early," as he stared at Shinon while finishing his explanation. "Lastly, I would like everyone in this room to be there at the coronation. So Oscar, if possible, could you get leave from the Royal Knights?"
"I will try my best. I'm honored." Oscar replied, his calm demeanor starting to break while others showed more much less control as at least three jaws were attempting to hit the floor.
"Let me guess, you wish to hire us as escorts, your highness." Shinon spat out. Soren nodded.
"Soren, you don't have to pay us this time, if you pay for our food and lodging expenses." Mist winked as Ike rolled his eyes.
"That is acceptable. It is good to know the Greil Mercenaries won't starve a month after we leave." Soren replied as the group stood, Oscar looking worried.
"Hey, Oscar, why do I come with you when you ask Geoffrey? I doubt he'll turn you down with me there." Ike suggested.
"You know Ike you could just hint that if Oscar isn't given time off, you'll apply the charm to Elincia." Boyd suggested as his wife smacked him on the head. Oscar gave him a look and he sheepishly looked away. Most of the group left, except for Titania who stayed seated and Soren accepting that she didn't want to confront him in front of the others, stayed as well.
"I'm surprised you accepted after being so adamant about leaving." Titania watched him sigh. "Why did you accept? A few of the others can't see it, but I noticed you seemed even less enthused about it than when Ike was put in charge of the Apostle's army."
"Is my reasoning that important, Titania?" He mused as he tapped the table.
"Well, Greil probably would have been amused to find out he had the Daein prince under his wing." Soren sighed again, knowing that it was not worth the effort in avoiding the issue, besides she would figure it out on her own.
"Ike didn't want to leave, it was obvious when Pelleas asked me. That a good enough reason?"
"Thank you, I'll make sure our not so discreet members stay discreet." With that promise, she walked out, leaving the tactician to his thoughts.
He finally left the room when Oscar found him for dinner, as he mentioned he would have at least two months off. Now hopefully Geoffrey will come with Elincia and then I'll just have to convince them to allow Oscar to stay long enough that he doesn't want to leave. Perhaps offering to take Malakov off their hands might work. Since Ike is able to convince him to act at least semi-adequately, he would not be a negative to Daein's forces and Oscar would definitely improve morale.
"Master Soren, the heavens have brighten our deary sky as they have saw fit to ensnare two of our grandest heroes of Crimea, no of Tellius, hopefully it is not a sign of a darken night to follow." Bastian greeted as he took the seat next to the tactician.
"Perhaps Lady Lucia wanted us to stand guard at her wedding since Geoffrey will be too busy watching her husband to be." He remarked, knowing that Bastian definitely did not propose to her in last few months. Bastian chuckled while glancing around the table as the servants put the food out.
"I see, perhaps your noble friend's tongue is looser." Bastian remarked while paying Ike more attention than the food.
"If it will put your mind at ease, our staying has nothing to do with anything that would endanger Crimea." He informed, as he knew that if he had said no, Micaiah would not want to have started a war with Crimea with how pitiful the Daein army was, unless some idiot signed another blood pact. He would never fall for such a deception.
"This one appreciates the forthcoming information. Though from which viper have you heard black rumors of my fair lady's wedding?" Soren silently returned to the food, though he would think on the count's comment later. As usual, he finished quickly, though not fast enough to avoid Elincia's polite question.
"Excuse me, Ike, if I may ask, what brings you to travel to Daein?" Unfortunately for Soren, Bastian picked up on Shinon's and Gatrie's quick glances at him.
"King Pelleas found something about my father that Mist and I are interested in seeing." Ike replied between bites. At least he learned how to act properly with his table manners when he was a Crimean noble.
"Also, Queen Elincia, I wish to offer an invitation for you and any guests you wish to bring to visit Nevessa in a month and a half, since I want to return the wonderful welcome I've had here." Pelleas interjected after Ike finished.
"Yes, of course, we would be glad to come." She responded with a smile. The two continued on discussing the whens and hows, with Bastian and Lucia occasionally interjecting for Elincia. Pelleas made no mistakes, any apparent worries had vanished since Soren had accepted. If he kept it up, he may have found a position for Pelleas, at least with Crimea.
Soren finished his meal in peace, fortunately for him Pelleas kept Bastian's attention. Afterwards, he excused himself from the table, still noticing Shinon's glare. The walk back to his room had been quiet, as the castle staff gave him a nod and continued on, since they had learned from Ike's tenure as a noble about his particular habits. Soren grimaced upon seeing the bed he had, it would not be firm enough for his liking, he would need to make sure that the royal bed in Nevessa is replaced upon arrival. It was a trivial case, but he understood the necessity of proper sleeping arrangement. If he did not have his own room to his comfort, then how could he run the country correctly?
Please let me know what you think of the chapter, good, bad, and ugly. Thanks for reading.