Something felt strange about the atmosphere. Shinon lifted his head, searching the sky. It was too quiet. Closing his eyes, he allowed the silence to clear his mind. There were no battle cries. No roars or shrieks of laguz. No clanging metal. The air was clear of the scent of blood.

The war was over.

He pushed through the foliage. What was he doing here? Their company was on an indefinite hiatus, now that "Lord" Ike was playing the noble at Castle Crimea. Shinon and Gatrie were picking up odd jobs, earning just enough so they could feed themselves. He hadn't had a drink in months. It would be stupid to waste the money.

Captain Titania had told him the way here, though he never asked straight out. But she knew him well enough to know his destination, even if he had to cross into sub-human territory to get there. That stupid, snot-nosed Ike took everything from him, even his chance to properly mourn.

"Well," he said, crossing into the clearing, "guess I'll get that now, at least."

It was a ridiculous gravesite, but it suited the commander. Isolated, hidden from view, its location known only by those he trusted—much like his life. Urvan stood upright, wedged into the mound of dirt that housed the commander's remains. A circlet of flowers was lying skewed over the handle. Dead.

"Blasted flowers," he mumbled, ripping the wreath off the weapon. "You don't care about that crap, do you, commander?"

Shinon knelt on one knee and pressed a hand firmly into the dirt. He curled his fingers, feeling the grit beneath his nails. Of course he had been there when the commander was buried. Captain Titania and Gatrie did all the work. He cursed himself. Couldn't even push some dirt into a hole in the ground. But he saw the body, he saw the way the blood was spread over his chest, the gaping wound…

"Stop it." He collapsed and sat cross-legged, pressing the heels of his hands into his eye sockets. But the tears wouldn't stop. They ran down his arms, pooling in the crooks of his elbows before tumbling to the ground. "Blasted idiot."

You're the one who wanted this, he thought. The mourning. Shinon opened his eyes, cautiously running a thumb over the edge of the axe. Still sharp. He wasn't surprised.

"Hey commander, what the hell should I do now? Greil Mercenaries. Pah. No offense to your kid or anything, but he ain't you. Should be me in that hole instead."

His voice cracked, which shut him up. He rose with a heavy sigh, brushing dirt off the back of his pants.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Quit whining and get to work. Right?" He pushed on Urvan's handle, wedging the axe deeper into the ground. Shinon stared at the mound for a while.

"You're not there, anyway," he said, breaking the silence. "Just a rotting corpse, like all the others." He stomped a foot on the grave, digging in his heel. "But I guess if you are there…" He squeezed his eyes shut. "Blast." Shinon threw up his hands in disgust before turning away.