Why… Why now… why did you have to go…Why… when I still need you…
Please… come back…
Atop a small mound of stones sat a great axe crested in a wreath of flowers. The axe, Urvan, once wielded by a great man, had become legend to its land. But now, Urvan stood in a soundless isolation. Mist too would carry out the rest of her existence in silence. She looked up and stared at the axe. It stood there, cast in twilight as a forlorn sentinel, forever guarding and forever mourning. Beneath Urvan lay its master, Commander Greil, the last true knight of Tellius and a loving father – her father. Mist held her knees tighter. She held them as if she could fill the void inside her if she just drew herself a little closer. She remembered when Greil had first shown her Urvan. She was small then. Despite his strength, her father was always so gentle with her. With love in his eyes, he held her against his chest that day, promising her that he would always protect her. She believed him. Bathed in love, she never doubted his words. Time and time again, he fulfilled his promise. Over the years, he raised Urvan and fought back everything that threatened her.
Mist watched as the petals fell one by one, slowly being carried on the wind towards the great beyond. She never even got the chance to say good-bye. If only she could see him one more time and tell him how much he meant to her, how much she loved him. Gingerly, she took a petal in the palm of her hand and whispered a soft prayer before sending it into the heavens. Maybe it would reach him. Maybe if she believed with all her might, he would hear her. The petal never reached the great beyond nor the sky above. Instead, it fell – fell like her heart – into the cold depths of the water. The water itself lay eerily still with naught but the ripples of petals breaking the calm.
Father… t-this is a dream isn't it? You can't be gone… This can't be real. Y-you're just trying to teach us a lesson right, Father? You'll come back in the morning and, and we can be a happy family again – you, me, and Ike. We can finish this mission and all go home together! And…
and you'll always be there… and you'll never leave…
you'd never leave… just like you promised…
Slowly, tears hit the ground, then a couple more, then more and more and more. Soon, tears were falling like rain. She couldn't hold back the pain any longer. It hurt. It hurt her more than anything in her life. The pain was worse than the little scrapes and bruises, the small cuts, or even the seldom broken bones; but the worse part of it all was that her father wouldn't be there to make everything better. He wouldn't be there to wrap his arms around her; hold her until everything stopped hurting; and wipe her tears, telling her everything was alright when the pain went away. He wouldn't be there.
She was all alone…
Without warning, she felt two strong arms take hold of her. They held her and pulled her close. She gasped. Father was back! She knew he would never leave! Quickly, she looked up, hoping to see her father's fond face, but he wasn't there. Instead, she saw her brother, Ike. He was smiling at her with the same loving eyes her father had just days ago... Then, just like father, he wrapped his arms around her, held her until everything stopped hurting, wiped her tears, and told her everything was alright when the pain finally ebbed away.
For awhile, everything was silent as her brother held her. Mist buried herself against Ike's chest. After a minute more, he spoke. He spoke slowly and warmly to her. He promised her he'd take care of everything; he promised her he'd never leave; and he promised her that he would always protect her.
Mist didn't believe him.
Father had promised her. He had already promised her everything and more, but now he was gone. He had left her, and now she was alone… She didn't believe Ike. If Ike left, Mist wouldn't be able to follow. She would have to stay back and wait, wait and hope that he'd return home every night. Mist couldn't go through that again. She couldn't just wait and be helpless, not knowing if her brother was safe or dying. If he left, Mist wouldn't be able to say good-bye or tell him how much she loved him. Ike would disappear without a trace… just like Father…
Slowly, Ike embraced her small form as azure oceans met. As she watched him, conviction and resolution filled his gaze and he promised her he wasn't going anywhere. Somehow, this time she believed him. She trusted his words just like she had trusted her father's before him. Mist wrapped her arms around Ike's neck and hugged him tightly. He smiled, this time more fully, and kissed her forehead before letting her go. Then, he turned around and strode towards the looming form of Castle Gebal. Mist saw his strong arms, his broad shoulders, and his proud red cape flowing with every breath of the wind. She closed her eyes and imagined someone walking besides him. With his head held high, his armored shoulder, and his golden cape; Mist saw the powerful presence of Commander Greil walking alongside her brother.
Mist turned her head to take one last look at Urvan, the sun casting its amber shine on the wielder and weapon as they stood proudly watching over the lake. Then, Mist stood and followed Ike towards the castle. As she watched her brother, one thought filled her head.
Father's back…
A/N: This story was inspired by the songs Father's Back(after which the story was named) and Vow from Path of Radiance. I just happened to be helping my sibling Legendary Swordsman beat PoR in Maniac Mode and then we got Chapter 7 and 8. That was the most epic/saddest/corny part of the game 'nuff said. After watching Greil get "murdered" and reading Ike's tear-jerking lines(the last 2 lines in chapter 7) and the beginning of Chapter 8, I felt I just had to write a story about this scene. I was kind of shocked to see so few if any stories written about this particular moment. Really, Greil was awesome to the end, and it's a shame that he was killed off, and you can't even unlock him EVER (in Trial Map). Lastly, this is my first solo attempt at writing fanfiction if I might add! (Even if its just a little drabble/ficlet) If anyone finds a grammar mistake please tell me or if there's something you don't like, I'll fix it right away!
(Because I'm being hounded, Legendary Swordsman was my editor and beta. Unleast until I get a professional :D)
I own NOTHING! but the story idea.
edit: I corrected some grammar and generally re-did things