My Strength
I think I knew before he himself did. It was obvious to see. Whilst all those people clamoured around him, his eyes would flicker back and forth, looking for an escape route. He never wanted to be a hero, never wanted all these expectations thrust upon him. All he ever did was the right thing.
His need to be released from the chains that bound him was definite. And I approved, for what did these people deserve of him? Where were they when his father was killed, all the times that he felt like he was being crushed by the weight on his shoulders? Everything they wanted from him was for their own selfish desires.
However, his predicament caused a problem of my own. Brought all of my fears, my nightmares, every waking thought into focus from where they had been hidden. And it was all because of one question: to go, or to not.
On one hand, I had no connections to anything on Tellius. My entire life, my sole purpose was to stay by Ike's side. To help him, to protect him, give him everything he needed and many things he didn't even realize he wanted. His name was the mantra that forced me to cling to life, that made me walk across entire countries. A ghost whispering in my ear; Ike, Ike, Ike... The word resounded in my dreams, was the first on my lips every morning, the last I would whisper every night, and every breath in between.
So despite all this, why was I so terrified? That my hands would shake with such force, and that my lungs could hardly retain any air. My eyes watered with tears I refused to fall. I clenched my teeth to try and force myself back into impassiveness, but when it comes to Ike, I can never hold my composure for long.
It was typical, that it was now of all times that my mind decided to remind me of what I was. Of what Ike wasn't. That Ike could spend his entire life with me, but I not with him. How cruel and merciless the world could be. To give a man such a shining ray of hope, and then remove it; to plunge them back into an eternal darkness.
I could imagine it so clearly that I hated that I had been born with such an imagination. Today, Ike was young and striking, but a blink and he had transformed into a man far into life. With greying hair, wrinkles stretched across his forehead and starting to form around his eyes. Perhaps he would sometimes complain of backaches, his sword arm no longer as terrifying as old age began to seep into his bones.
Another blink, and now Ike was even older. His once deep blue hair had turned white, and was receding at an alarming rate. While still tall, his muscles would have deteriorated, leaving behind a shell of his former self. At that age, his eyesight would have worsened, and he would have to squint to see anything clearly. And maybe... maybe even his memory wouldn't be what it used to.
With the next blink, there was a completely different picture. A figure on a bed, once proud and strong, but no longer. There would be complete silence, a stifling atmosphere. A hand, once large, gentle, and covered in blisters. But now, cold and clammy. Being held in the grip of a man who still looked like a child, with an expression that told of his entire world being ripped away.
Trying my hardest to hold back a sob, I bit on my own hand hard enough to draw blood. The shaking now travelled across my entire body, a tremor that couldn't be stopped no matter how much one tried. Tears now trickled freely down my cheeks, and I curled myself up best I could, as if to try and shield myself from reality.
But no matter what I might try, there is no way to hide from the truth. It eats away at you, like poison, slowly killing you from the inside until you can't bear it any longer. I was not afraid of death. I was afraid of watching Ike die.
Whichever option I choose from those that were presented to me, I knew would cause me pain. There was no way of escaping it, I could only lesson the sting. Was I running away? I couldn't be sure. However I decided to live, I would be running from something; from Laguz, from memories, from the curse of my blood... from Ike. But if I was going to run from Ike, I would at least make sure that I wouldn't from anything else.
My mind told me that it was a mistake. That I was being a fool. That if I was going to spend my life on Tellius, I should just go to the desert with Stefan. Laguz don't like Branded. Even after all that was learned in the Tower of Guidance, I didn't believe that fact would change. All those eyes judging me, filled with scorn proved that. For some reason though, whether because I wanted to face my most dreadful memories or prove to Ike that I would be capable of change, I didn't listen to my common sense.
"Skrimir." I spoke quietly, but still with a hint of demand.
"Little Tactician!" Of course, Skrimir didn't understand quiet.
"I need to speak with you about something," I glanced around at the Laguz whose attention had been caught by their future king.
"You want to speak to me?" The lion appeared far too happy at this. Perhaps it would of been best to listen to common sense after all.
I gave him a pointed stare. "Privately please."
Skrimir gave me a confused look, but otherwise complied. As we walked away, we passed Ranulf, who looked up at us. "Is something the matter?" He asked, concerned.
Before I could answer, Skrimir replied in a pleased tone, "Little Tactician wishes to talk to me. Alone." Ranulf just sighed tiredly, and glanced at me for confirmation.
Pursing my lips, I shot a glare at the larger Laguz. "Nothing important to concern yourself with." I paused. "Actually, your opinion will be more useful than Skrimir's. If you are not busy..." I stared at him expectantly.
"You're going out of your way to talk to a Laguz without Ike? Has Ashera come back to strike us down?" Ranulf grinned. "But I suppose I have enough time to grace myself with your presence. Lead the way, Little Tactician."
This time the cat was on the receiving end of my scorn. Still, we walked to where Skrimir's large war tent was located and ducked inside. The lion himself had been mumbling despondently the entire way, but now stood at the far end of a small table. Ranulf leaned against the table's side near him, while I stood opposite Skrimir, hands clasped behind my back like a soldier standing before his leader. Which I was, technically.
There was silence for a few moments, as I tried to find the correct words to begin the conversation. However, on a topic like this there were none that came to my mind. Once again, I berated myself for my foolishness. It would be better off if I just apologized for taking up their time and left at once. My boots remained in their position, though; as did I.
Eventually, Ranulf got bored of waiting. "There was something you needed us for, Soren?"
"Indeed." I inclined my head.
Several more moments passed. "Could you tell us what for?" Ranulf asked carefully, like he knew that it was something that would be difficult to talk about. I couldn't help but wonder if he could sense my anxiety.
Frowning slightly, I looked away. There were still no words that would come. I decided the best way to start would be by stating the truth.
"Skrimir made an offer," I began hesitantly, "that once the war was over, I could come to Gallia to help advise him."
Ranulf's eyes widened, while Skrimir regained his earlier happiness. "You wish to accept?" he asked excitedly.
I hesitated again. Closing my eyes to compose myself, I replied. "Yes."
Ranulf broke out of his shock. "But what about Ike? Everyone knows that you don't go anywhere, do anything, without him!"
Opening my eyes, I focused on the table. "Ike is planning to leave Tellius. He has grown tired here, of the wars and the pedestals people have placed him upon because of them." I looked up to meet their eyes briefly. "I do not intend to follow him."
Once more I lowered my gaze, and allowed them to process the information. The admission that I had just made to leave Ike sounded like a crime to my ears. As Ranulf had said, everyone regarded me as Ike's shadow. I was by his side, through war and peace, and there was nothing that would take me away from him. Nothing except death, and I was too afraid to experience what that would be like.
To my surprise, it was not Ranulf who spoke next, but Skrimir.
"Are you sure that this is what you want?" He sounded concerned, and for some strange reason, I thought of Stefan. They were both so strong; but just now, Skrimir's tone matched that of the swordsman, when the green haired man confronted me about being a Branded. It was a caring voice, that spoke of worry, but also made me have a sense of trust, and bravery.
It was to that voice that I raised my eyes, meeting Skrimir's gentle gaze with my own, brimming with conviction and certainty. "Yes, I'm sure." And to my own surprise, I felt no doubt.
The three of us would meet every couple of nights to discuss the method of how to integrate a Branded into Gallia. I had asked the Laguz to not tell Ike of my plans, which they agreed to with some hesitation. It would be wrong for Ike to hear about this by anyone but myself. Despite wishing to tell him, I found myself backing out on multiple occasions. Even going so far as to blatantly run away from him when he asked me what was wrong.
It wasn't the only problem I was having either.
"Well, now I see why you wanted me here." Ranulf collapsed in a chair with a sigh. He sent a heated look to where Skrimir had exited the tent. "If you had left this up to Skrimir, it wouldn't have ended well."
"I know." Seating myself opposite him, I ran my hands through my hair in annoyance.
"'Don't worry, everything will be fine!' 'I'll just command everyone to accept it!' Is he related to King Caineghis at all, or is he just one of those relatives you never speak about?"
Ranulf laughed. "Oh, he's related all right. Apparently, it's a lion thing. I heard the King was like this himself when he was younger. Still," he leaned back with a grin, his tail flicking happily, "I'm not going to be stuck with him for much longer, if you're coming to live with us."
My eyebrow raised, I responded, "Of course, should have known that the reason you are so accepting of this is because I will make your life easier."
"Hey, you haven't have to live with him for years." Still grinning, he raised his hands in defence. "So don't Elfire me, yeah? Save that for when Skrimir tries to tackle all his problems. And I don't mean that in a metaphorical way, either."
"I'm sure you don't, from what I've witnessed," I felt an incoming headache.
"Oh, you have no idea the trouble he can get up to. Believe me. Once, the King was so annoyed that he actually threw Skrimir from the castle and into a lake. Mind you, it takes about ten minutes to travel to that lake, in Laguz form." Ranulf chuckled. "Good times."
"An impressive feat." I agreed. "On the topic of the King, shouldn't we include him in these discussions?"
"Not right now," Ranulf shook his head. "It would be better to wait until we have an idea of how we plan to get the country to accept you. Not that he would be against the idea," he hastily corrected, "especially since you would be a great asset, but he has to put his own people first, you know?"
"I understand, there is much skepticism after all."
"That's putting it mildly."
We both looked up when Skrimir re-entered the tent. As he sat down with us, our previous discussion continued, with ideas being presented and quickly rejected. It seemed to me that there was no fool proof strategy that could plausibly work. Hoping for the best might be the only thing we could do.
"Let's look at it this way," Ranulf eventually decided. "If it wasn't for Soren, we would probably all be dead. So in a sense, we owe him one."
"The Little Tactician's plans helped us defeat our enemies!" Skrimir agreed energetically.
"Plus," the cat spoke to me directly, "no one in the army actually knows that you don't like us very much. Apart from Lethe and Mordecai, but I can convince them to keep quiet about that incident in the previous war."
"That would be appreciated." To think that my past actions might damage my future was a continuous worry.
"But why do you not like Laguz?" Skrimir questioned, and Ranulf looked interested also.
The question had been occupying my thoughts a lot recently. I certainly believed that at no point was I in the wrong; I was justified to feel some sort of dislike. A child did not deserve to go through everything I did. Facets of my personality, the things that could make me cruel and uncaring all could have been avoided.
After so many years, I knew that I could not allow these memories to burden me further. If I had those experiences as an adult, I know that they would have done me no harm. That itself is poof that people change. Just as I have. These things must trouble me no more.
"I... was raised in Gallia." There was a stunned silence that almost made me stop. If Ike was here, I know that he would wait patiently and not judge a single word. However, Ike wasn't here, and he wouldn't be for much longer. He could no longer be my strength. I had to learn to be strong on my own. And so, I continued. To release myself from the chains that weighed me down.
"I wasn't, at first. A woman who was not my mother cared for me. But she... didn't like me. When I was about three, a sage came. He thought I was a Spirit Charmer..." At this, I unconsciously brought a hand to the mark on my forehead. The mark of a Branded.
"He paid the woman some gold, and she was very happy to be rid of me. Delirious, even." I frowned. "The sage took me to Gallia, to learn magic from him. He... wasn't pleased when he discovered what I really am. Still, he decided to teach me regardless. He died two years later, and I was forced to leave. Eventually, I came to a village." I broke off, unable to tell them about how I met Ike.
That memory was too precious to share.
"...Anyway, I had to leave there also. I decided that I would go to Crimea." To search for Ike, was spoken only in my thoughts. "Along the way... I met many Laguz. At the time, I couldn't speak. The woman, and the sage, never taught me how, they never gave me anything to respond to, so I didn't know how-" I forced my eyes closed to prevent the hysteria from taking over, and took a deep breath so I could resume calmly. "I was dying from starvation, and no one helped." Another breath. "No one."
The next few minutes I did nothing but breathe. I left my eyes closed, not wanting to see what their expressions would be like now that they knew my weakness. It was a weakness that only Ike had ever heard of, and one time I believed that he would be the only person who would ever discover the hurt that made me who I was. This was a risk, one that I would have never taken were it not for the fact that Ike liked Ranulf and Skrimir. And if there was one thing I knew how to do, it was trust Ike.
"It... could have been worse?" Ranulf's attempt at consoling made me smile. After all, trying to cheer the most dour and negative person in the entire army would leave most people uncertain how to begin.
"Little Tactician! Allow me to comfort you!" Skrimir leapt at me, knocking us both to the ground. With a mad cackle, Ranulf joined the pile.
Almost as if a depressive spell had been lifted, things returned to normal.
Today was the day. The Gallian and Crimean armies had travelled together as their destinations lead them to walk the same route. However, the time had come for them to part. For the Beorc to head further into the country of Crimea, and for the Laguz to head east towards their home of Gallia. Goodbyes were ringing across the camp, as people bustled around, packing their belongings.
More importantly, the Greil Mercenaries led by Ike would be returning to their fort in the countryside. And I would not be going with them. Not taste anymore of Oscar's cooking. Never hear Titania's gentle humming as she did laundry, or have to bring medicine to Rhys because he had become sick again. The advances in Mist and Boyd's relationship would remain unseen. Rolf's growth in archery would be unnoticed. Mia's early morning training would be unheard, as would Shinon and Gatrie's stumble home from the bar late at night.
Worst of all, I would never see Ike again.
Never have a chance to witness him grow more and more like his father. Ike wouldn't be at the dining table anymore, stopping his one track mind to devour meat in order to force me to eat some as well. He wouldn't walk beside me as we came back from town, as we argued about who should carry my books, before he took the matter literally out of my hands. There would be no more inside jokes, no more conversation over paperwork, or late night confessions as we held each other during our nightmares. No more Ike at all.
I bit my lip in an attempt to appear unaffected. It had been weeks since I first decided to go to Gallia, yet I still hadn't told Ike a thing. The thought that I would abandon him, betray him after everything he had done for me was sickening. My traitorous mind informed me that I could pretend the last few weeks had never happened. I could tell Ranulf and Skrimir that I couldn't do it after all. Ike would never know a thing.
But that was a lie. Ike might not know now, but I could never hide anything from him for long. And what would he think then? That I was a traitor, as well as a coward. A despicable person who couldn't keep promises, a thing that Ike was so steadfast about. No, this was the choice I made. I was too weak to watch Ike die, I couldn't also be too weak to leave. If I was going to do this, I would not simply disappear so I never had to give an explanation. Ike deserved to know what kind of a person I was.
Determined to deserve my punishment, I set off to find Ike in the sea of tents. With so many people around, it was a difficult task, especially since many of the Laguz reached Ike's height and muscle tone. Eventually I got lucky, and discovered him helping to dismantle his sister's tent.
"Ike." I walked up to him with a calmness I didn't feel.
"Oh, hey. Do you need help with your tent too?" I did not deserve his kindness.
"No. I need to speak with you about something." For some reason I felt a sense of déjà vu, before remembering that the conversation with Skrimir started in a similar fashion.
A difference occurred almost immediately. Ike gave me a careful look, stared straight into my eyes, before asking with a serious voice, "Are you going to tell me what's been bothering you?"
Startled, I felt my eyes widen, before I looked away guiltily. Ike simply sighed before muttering something to Mist. After she nodded with a curious glance in my direction, Ike grasped my arm gently and led us both away from the activity in camp. We continued this way for a few minutes, him leading me into the beginning of a nearby woods. A few steps in to ensure that we were relatively hidden from prying eyes, and Ike turned to face me.
"Soren, what's wrong?" So much, but I couldn't answer.
Hands reached out to cup my face. Large, scarred hands, that weren't cold and lifeless as I had once imagined they would one day be, but warm and alive. They lifted my down turned face up, so blue eyes could meet my own red. The face that I saw wasn't the one in my nightmares either. It was young, the skin smooth, the hair full and matching the colour of his eyes. The only difference I could see was that Ike's perpetual frown had lessened to a far more tender expression.
"Soren, do you remember when you told me about your Branded heritage?" At my hesitant nod, he continued earnestly. "You had a very similar expression to now, you know." A thumb moved to stroke the corner of my eye, where tears were beginning to form. "You remember what I told you then too, right? You don't have to hold anything back from me. So just take your time, okay?"
I sniffed and broke Ike's gaze. The man himself did nothing else, just stood still and wiped away tears that couldn't be contained. My heart was beating in my ears, nearly matching my gasping breath. Almost against my own will, my hands came up to latch onto Ike's arms, as if to steady myself. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, in order to give him the words he wished to hear.
"Once... once you go back to the fort, you're planning on leaving, aren't you? Planning on leaving Tellius." My voice was far more timid and shaky then I would have liked.
"Did you think I would leave without asking you to come with me?" Ike sounded worried, and perhaps also a little hurt.
"No!" My eyes snapped up to meet his. "I know you wouldn't. But, you are a Beorc and I... I'm not..." And those were the words that ripped the last of my self-control from me. "If I go with you, I'll watch you grow older, but I wont be able to! I'll stay the same, while you age more and more and eventually you'll die and I'll be all alone again!"
Before I had even finished, Ike had let go of my face to pull me closer in a hug. His hands ran along my back as he tried his best to soothe me. It was like we were back in the Tower of Guidance, right before we would fight the Goddess Ashera. Ike had held me the same way then, as he remembered my most treasured memory, the moment in which I found my reasons to live, to hope, to love; my everything.
"It's okay, Soren. Everything will be okay." Ike had said that in the Tower also, and he had been right.
Still sobbing, but feeling more controlled, I pulled myself away from Ike slightly, the signal used to indicate that I had calmed down. He didn't let go of me completely though, keeping one am slung across my shoulders while his free hand brushed through my hair. The action relaxed me further, until I was only sniffling occasionally. Using the sleeves of my robes to dry my eyes, I looked up at Ike.
"I do not think I am capable of watching you die, and nor do I believe that I can live apart from you anymore." I spoke quietly, barely above a whisper. "I don't know what I should do."
"That's the first," Ike tried to lighten the conversation. "Knowing you, you've probably thought of a few solutions by now.. Let's hear them."
"The first would be to travel with you, and kill myself upon your death." Ike grimaced at that. "The second would be to live with the Mercenaries; and instead watch them die. It would be marginally easier, as I'm not quite as attached. Third would be to live with other Branded in the desert with Stefan, but it feels like I would be running away and attempting to pretend that none of this existed, when in fact it did. And lastly-" I paused, unsure how to start.
"Lastly..." Ike prompted.
"...Would be to live in Gallia as Skrimir's adviser. To tell the truth, it was what I had planned on doing, before today."
"I see..." he thought for a few minutes. I couldn't help a discreet smile as I watched him tilt his head back and forth, as if arguing with himself.
"Gallia huh?" He said eventually after his inner struggle. "Would you be able to handle being around all those Laguz?"
"I believe so. I will mostly be inside the castle, after all, dealing with the messes Skrimir is sure to cause in the future." My lip twitched. "Ranulf has informed me that I have far more work than I imagine."
"Sounds about right." We shared a look of amusement, before becoming serious once more.
"I think," Ike began carefully. "That Gallia might be the best choice. At least then I'll know that Ranulf and Skrimir would look after you."
I opened my mouth to speak, but Ike cut me off. "I don't want you to die for me, Soren. You, you're so brilliant, you deserve something better then what I could give you."
"You saved my life, and I swore I would do everything, anything, for you."
"Then do this: live." He pressed our foreheads together, and looked at me with an intense gaze that demanded obedience.
With mixed emotion, I nodded an agreement. Ike smiled, and pulled away slightly, only to give me another hug. This time, I reciprocated, breathing in the smell of him and committing it to my memory. We stood still for a few moments, revelling in what would be our last memory together.
"I'm going to miss you, you know? I don't think I can imagine a time where I've looked behind me and not seen you." Ike spoke into my ear; sounding faintly lost.
"The same for me as well," I mumbled sorrowfully.
Once last squeeze, and we broke apart, equally as drained.
"Goodbye, Soren."
"Goodbye... Ike."
The way to Gallia was quiet. Laguz often mirrored one another's emotions. So when one person was sad, everyone was. Skrimir and Ranulf were hit the worst, seeing as not only were they good friends of Ike, Ranulf especially, but now they had to deal with a depressed person who radiated gloom on a good day. However, despite knowing that I was sending the army into frequent bouts of melancholy, there was little I could do.
For so long, my life had been dedicated to Ike. Now, without him, I felt disoriented and vulnerable. Before, I could count on Ike for anything, for he understood me better then I understood myself. Only recently have others attempted to invade my life and break through the walls I had constructed, but I was unsure if I could trust them as yet.
Thoughts like these swam in my head for days, as we trekked through forests to reach our destination. Kyza and Lyre had already taken many Laguz ahead, wishing to be home and away from the oppressiveness. Skrimir and Ranulf stayed with me, a fact I was thankful for, as I didn't want to walk through the sea of trees unaccompanied.
It certainly proved useful on the day before we were due to arrive. The day itself had been uneventful, and would have ended that way too, were it not for a sudden flash of revelation. I slowed my pace as I frantically thought, and came to a stop altogether when I reached a decision. Skrimir stepped closer to me, and I felt a stab of guilt when I saw how tired he looked.
"Little Tactician?"
"Skrimir," I nodded. "Would it be possible to take a detour?"
Ranulf bounded to our sides. "How long will this detour take?"
"Only a couple of days, at most." I answered. "There's a place nearby that I wish to visit."
They exchanged a look, seemingly talking to one another by their body language. I waited patiently, knowing that I was asking for much. But there was one thing I wanted to do before I moved on with my life. Eventually, Ranulf sighed and looked over with a very irritated expression.
"Alright. We've been away for almost a year, what's a few more days?"
"Thank you." For once, I meant it.
Many of the Laguz grumbled, and Skrimir was gracious enough to allow them to continue their journey home. When it was politely suggested that he should also accompany them, a few trees fell to his outrage. As I began to fear for the forest, I decided that I should speak up.
"Skrimir!" I barked. "Stop throwing a tantrum like a child! That is no way a future king should act."
"But, Little Tactician!"
"No. Now follow me, and behave." I gave him a stern glare to help get the message across.
The lion sniffed disdainfully, but otherwise didn't complain further. Seeing a near seven foot, three-hundred pound lion pout like a child was equally amusing and disturbing. As I tried to remove it from my memory, Ranulf leaned towards Lethe and Mordecai. "See now why King Caineghis was so eager to have him join us?"
A few more days passed this way, before I had arrived at my destination. I stared through gates that were barely clinging to their hinges, and into a town that looked far different than I last remembered. Of course, at that time, everyone would have been far too horrified about what lay on the ground to take notice of the town itself.
"Soren? Is this where you wanted to go?" Ranulf asked confusedly, scratching behind his ear.
"It is." I blinked, and the images vanished.
"But why?" he still looked bemused.
"There is something very important to me here."
He stared at me for a few moments, before following my gaze though the gates and looked at the dilapidated houses. "Here?"
"Yes. Here." I took a few steps forward, before pausing.
"Would you mind if I went in alone?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder.
"I suppose..." Ranulf trailed off as I stalked forwards. "I guess we'll just wait here, then."
Many times I have cursed my memory, but here; in this one place, is perhaps my greatest exception. I had only walked these streets a few times, searching through the sea of blood and corpses. Looking to see if I could find one boy through the dismembered body parts. I remembered the trepidation every time I would come upon a head, and the inappropriate relief when it turned out to be a stranger.
In some twisted way, by killing this town's population, Greil had ensured that I would survive. There was no one to throw me out when I picked food from the market. No one to beat me away when I entered a house to take clothes. Yet another thing I owed to Ike and his family.
Belatedly, I realized that I must have also met Ike's mother on these streets. I thought back, trying to recall if I had met a woman that resembled Ike in any way. Not that there would be any easy way to tell, with the river of blood soaking everything its crimson hue. The thought that I would take so much pleasure from meeting her body in order to understand Ike even a little more was sickening.
Ridding myself of such morbid thoughts, I continued walking through the town. I paid little attention to the broken down houses themselves, for the thing I was searching for was located outside of these ruins. A place that changed my life forever.
Outside of the town once more, I was close to my destination. It was only meters away, though it had seemed a lot further as a dying child. My boots crunched fallen leaves, and I reached out to reverently stroke the trunk, the bark still as rough as I remembered. I had grown too large to ever fit between the twisting roots again, so I instead perched on top of the highest, leaning to place my back against the tree once more.
For a few minutes, I remained in that position, reliving my first kind memory, that made it seem all the more sweeter. I listened to the rustling of the leaves, felt the sunlight peeking out between them to caress my skin. And it felt like peace.
"Do you remember this place, Ike?" I kept my voice low to not break the tranquillity. "I met you here, in this place that I thought would be my grave."
I breathed in the scents of the forest. "I was going to die here, before you decided to save me. I believed no one would care... But you cared, even though we had never met before."
A single tear fell. "But you cared. When no one else did." A shaking breath. "I'm not okay, Ike. Without you, I'm not okay."
Now, I smiled. "But, one day, I will be. And I know that once my time has come, I'll see you again, and I can tell you everything I experienced since we parted."
Another tear, and this time I imagined a hand; large, warm, and covered in blisters and scars, wiping it away. "Ike, I'm not okay. But I'll learn to be okay for you."
AN: Hello everyone! This is my first story in... a long time. I hope you all enjoyed it. This is the first time that I've not written anything in third-person, but as it turns out, it was a lot of fun.
My inspiration for this came after I realized that most of Soren's stories that take place post Radiant Dawn either have him following after Ike, being left behind and killing himself/being depressed, or going to the desert. So, I wanted something a little different. Where he chose to stay while trying to make himself a better person and face his fears. Hope I pulled it off well enough for you all! (Slightly edited: 31.01.2015)