Author's Note: The song I used in this song-fic is Could It Be You by Cascada. The song is like what Seth is thinking/feeling, just so you know. (Aww, he's all confused…) This was originally going to be another drabble, but it turned into a one-shot… Ehehe.

Wow, my muse is cruel… All I'm writing is SethEirika lately…

Close my eyes, I try to hide;

I'm listening to my voice inside;

What's on to tell me right or wrong;

I need to know where I belong;

Seth bit his lip. He was worried for her, but that was usual. Why did he care so much about Eirika? It was surely more than he should… But why was it? What was it about her that so entranced him? She was beautiful, of course, he'd known that for a while. But he always thought that his protectiveness of her was simply brotherly, and not anything more. His heart told him simply, "It's because you love her, Seth! You love Miss Eirika!" He mentally kicked it and told it to be quiet.

For all the days I ran away,

I never dare to ask me who could I be,

Who can bring back the love that's inside me;

Maybe it was how she looked when she was asleep, and he was on night watch. He couldn't stop himself from glancing at her every now and again, to make sure that she was still there, asleep, counting on him to protect her. He knew that he could never tell her how he felt- duty was too important to him. She was too important to him for that. It would only hurt them both.

Could it be you?

Or do I lose my way?

I'm here but colorblind;

Could it be you?

Or do I break away?

Unbeknownst to Seth, Eirika was feeling completely out of options. She wanted him to know that she loved him, her heart was to the point of exploding with love kept silent for too long. It was so long ago that she'd fallen for him, and the princess was always keeping it inside, never telling him about it. When she slept, she dreamed that he would hold her in his arms again, like he had when he took her from the castle on Fado's orders, saving her life… She wanted him to love her, too…

Seth brushed her hair out of her eyes for her. She was asleep, deeply so, and he was just taking in her face, gazing upon the rounded, contoured features that were purely Eirika. He jumped when Ephraim said to him softly, "I never knew you had it this bad for my dear sister, Seth… How sweet."

Seth replied, whispering, "Prince Ephraim… I… It's not that, I thought that she had woken up and I was going to ask why, but she was still asleep…"

So leave the past behind;

I only wanna feel the sunlight, stop the fight and see it in your eyes;

Ephraim raised his eyebrows. "You were gazing at her very lovingly, Seth. It seems as if you're in love with her. Am I right?"

Seth looked down at the still-sleeping princess. He murmured, "It is true. I will not forget my duty to Renais, Prince Ephraim. I have told her this, and will not search to court her. I know as well as you that it is impossible."

Ephraim sighed. "I understand. Go back to sleep, Seth."

Wish I just knew what I should do;

Could it be you?

Somebody tell me if it's true, I don't have a clue;

Could it be you?

Seth did so. In the morning, however, Eirika was quite obviously miserable. A few days ago, she had confessed her love for Seth, and he had rejected her advances… All in the name of duty, he told himself. But when she was asleep, he sat by her side and brushed her hair out of her eyes, thinking of what it would be like if he could love her freely. Seth wanted to comfort her, but she was only speaking the minimum to him, and he understood.

Too many things said and done;

Sure if you could be the one;

To dry the tears I left behind,

To chase these demons off my mind;

Finally, he had to speak to her. "Princess Eirika?"

She looked at him, her eyes full of hopelessness, sorrow, and a tiny twinkle that marked love. She replied, softly, as if she were testing a lake to see its depth, "Yes?"

"Forgive me." He said simply, but nothing else would come out. His throat was closing up on him, and his heart hurt like mad. Seth hoped that those two words conveyed everything he still wanted to say to her, all these mixed-up feelings that were Seth. He turned and walked, slowly, away from her.

She whispered, "I already have. I can't be angry with you, Seth… I love you too much."

He didn't hear her.

I see your face,

Touch your skin;

Is this a fight

We both can't win?

The princess of Renais bit her lip to hold back tears. It wasn't working, and so she sat up in a tree, secluded from the rest of the camp, letting the tears fall. They dropped off her cheeks and hit her skirt or legs. Finally, someone noticed that Princess Eirika was missing and told the camp to search for her. Ephraim heard a noise that sounded much like crying, and climbed up the tree to see his sister, sitting on a high branch, crying as quietly as she could. He asked her, "Eirika, what's wrong?"

She looked at him and sniffed. "B-brother… Why isn't it okay for someone to love? Why does class matter?"

Ephraim had no answer to that, and so he sat by her, silently, waiting for her to calm down.

Seth heard the same noise, and saw Ephraim clambering up into a tree to find out what it was. He heard the question, punctuated by hiccups and tears, and hated himself immensely.

Sometimes the truth is miles apart,

But it's hard to break your heart;

Ephraim, when he climbed down to let his sister think, rounded on Seth. He pulled the knight off out of Eirika's earshot, and thundered, "What did you say to her?!"

Seth was looking at his feet. He replied, "All I said was, 'Forgive me.' I think I must have… opened up old wounds."

Ephraim shook his head. He was speaking softer now, which meant slightly louder than normal, "If you love her, and she loves you, I would give my blessings! As long as she's happy, I'm fine with it- but God, Seth, I hate to see her like this! I know you do, too, so go and fix it!"

Seth nodded, and said to the prince, "Royalty cannot treat one subject above the others, or where would their loyalty be? We cannot be, Prince Ephraim… Much as I wish otherwise…"

Ephraim was ready to smack him. He said, calmly, "No. You go and make her cheer up. That is an order, Sir Seth! If you love her, then that is an order! You know that the Council would not argue if I gave you my blessing."

Seth bit his lip. "Prince Ephraim…"

Could it be you?

Or do I lose my way?

I'm here but colorblind;

Could it be you?

Or do I break away?

Ephraim pointed towards where Eirika probably still was, and Seth gave up. Part of him was rejoicing, the other part was thinking that he was going to hurt her more than help her… But he heard her, still crying a little. He spoke, gently, betraying more emotion than usual, "Princess Eirika…?"

She replied, not moving out of the tree, "What is it, Seth?"

Seth clambered into the tree, and met her eyes. He said simply, "Please, don't cry."

Eirika looked away, and Seth sat next to her. He continued, "I hate to see you cry, Eirika."

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "I just… I can't stop thinking about you. But when I think of you, I always think of you smiling. Don't waste your tears on me."

He lifted a hand and wiped her eyes. She met his eyes after that and spoke. "Seth…"

So leave the past behind;

I only wanna feel the sunlight stop the fight, and see it in your eyes;

He felt like she needed any small comfort, and so he leaned forward to her and held her close to him. He whispered in her ear, "I've decided. I'm going to forget about protecting you because of duty. I'd much rather protect you because of love, Eirika."

She smiled into his shoulder. "That's… good to hear." She whispered back to him.

Wish I just knew what I should do;

Could it be you?

Somebody tell me if it's true, I don't have a clue;

Could it be you?