This is my first shouen-ai fic, so go easy, yeah? Tis dedicated to a friend, Anima Sage Kurai, who helped me come up with this and has supported me for the past month. Thanks ASK!
This is a Tragedy, Angst and Romance fic. Enjoy.
Chapter I: Along came…Ephraim! ZOMG!Ephraim watched the orange sun sink behind the hills from the Frelian turret window. The Demon King was vanquished for good, but Lyon was gone. Eirika still wept at his last words, which Ephraim knew were certainly untrue. Lyon 'loved' him; he heard it himself, Lyon told him this once. Ephraim took one last glance at the gold tinged scenery before disappearing into the Frelian fort.
Eirika stared at the portrait of the deceased Lyon, who sported a cheerful and gentle smile on the picture, but also as if he was hiding something from the world, which he kind of did. He kept his research on the stone of Grado quite secret, and vaguely mentioned his studies on the Fire Emblem. But he definitely kept the fact that he was being possessed by the Demon King bottled up until the last minute. That was all over, and his mistakes cost him dearly. Eirika hated to see him go, and she was the one who was responsible for his death and the Demon's resuerrection. It was all her fault. She should have died. But she couldn't go against what he had asked her, he said it with the same gentle eyes as he suffered from his painful burden. It was for the best, but if she had thought out the strategy right and Lyon had told all the secrets before, he may have still been alive now. But she pulled it off, and she now regretted it. Suddenly Prince Innes, who had just finished repolishing his targeting skills in the courtyard with Gerik (who was now a Ranger), silently walked in, wearing the usual 'irritated' look on his face and joined Eirika, sitting on the corner of the bed where she sat staring vacantly at Lyon's portrait.
"He was a great man I guess, but I didn't know him all too well. We never had the chance to have any time together, but you…I understand how you feel Eirika. If only I could've shared the same sorrow with you", Innes sighed.
"Innes", irika said. "Is there anything you value in life?"
"Hmmm? Well, I never have the time to value anything, I'm always so busy", Innes replied, testing the elasticity on his bow and twanging it as if he was firing an arrow, toward the picture of Ephraim that hung on one of the walls, which flickered with the dancing flames on the candles that sat just below it. "Um, maybe I do like a certain someone…but I daren't say who", Innes kept a straight face. "I just want to see if they feel the same way first. Can't just rush into conclusions". Eirika's heart skipped a beat. Did he love her? He couldn't possibly love his sister; he hates her guts. 'Unless…no' Eirika thought to herself. 'Can't be'. She pondered at what Innes had just said that he had now baffled her with. She was anxious to know about his love life, whether he loved Tana, her, or…
Ephraim opened the door and Innes turned to meet Ephraim and his stern looking face. "Pardon me", Ephraim directed his voice to Eirika, then shifted his look toward Innes. "But Innes and I need to have a little time together. A moment please?"
"Fine…" Innes sounded annoyed, yet it seemed like it was masking an emotion he did not wish to display to the princess. "I'll come". He exited the room with Ephraim, and Eirika continued to sigh and sob at the picture of Lyon.
" It's about time we have a little 'support' conversation. You always say there's no time to talk on the battlefield, but there won't be any of those coming in a long time. So, anyway, let's still talk about tactics for when another war rears its ugly head".
"HEY! The game cartridge did not have no information about us two having support conversations. I have ones for Eirika, Gerik, Joshua, what have you, but not you Ephraim", Innes grunted.
"…What are you hiding Innes? You seem nervous", Ephraim said in a firm voice.
"What's it to do with you?" Innes said, alarmed but angry. "If I want to hide something, it shall remain concealed. Not like I want to share stuff with some fool such as yourself".
"Why, you…" Ephraim shook and clenched his fists. " I shall give you a taste of the person you call 'fool'! Eat the bunch of fives!" He leapt at Innes, fists outstretched before him, knocking Innes to the floor. Ephraim pinned him in an awkward position.
"Ephraim!" Innes blushed.
"What? Am I hurting you?" Ephraim sat between Innes legs, looking rather satisfied. Innes grimaced under Ephraim as he lay struggling on the floor.
"Stop it Ephraim! Your nob is hard!"
"You're rather amusing when you struggle, especially when you're struggling under some 'inferior' prince like me. Who's the fool now?"
"What will Duessel think of you? -Damn! Someone's coming! Gerroff!" Innes yelled, trying to shove Ephraim clear away from him. The last part of Innes' sentence was slightly slurred as Ephraim ended up tumbling off him with his butt in his face. A figure approached from the corner as the two princes dusted themselves off…