.:And there the fallen lay, deep in the ground:.
Ike watched as his comrades, no, family, were buried deep in the ground. He refused to let the sadness inside him touch his face, so he stood tall and sombre. Only those who knew him could see the how much those lives meant to him. Fighting, Ike could handle. He could see through battle after battle without any true emotional scarring. But death…
He was not scarred of death. Ike knew that it would come for him one day, and that he had to do his best to delay it for the people he loved. The one thing that could truly shake him was the death of those he cared about.
The memory of Mist's death was still sharp in his mind. He watched as the arrow pierced her heart, watched as her small body fell to the ground… It was his fault that she died. He had failed as her brother. In fact, it was his fault that all these people had died. Titania, Boyd, Soren… How could he have let Soren die? Soren, the person who stood faithfully at his side through everything, Soren, the person who always helped him with everything… But he was gone. They all were.
Even after everyone else had left the funeral, he stood there, unmoving, staring blankly into the distance. He knew he had to be strong; he had to continue even though he would always carry these deaths with him wherever he went. He knew he didn't have to do it alone either, there were people who would help him no matter what. Still, he wasn't ready to return to everyone else yet. He remembered his father's death, and how he'd felt when his father had died. The emptiness that had filled him then returned once again to chew at him, to try and destroy him.
"Ike," a voice said quietly from behind him. He knew that voice… He dimly registered them putting a cold, trembling hand on his shoulder. "Ike, please… I know it's hard, but you must return to camp." The voice was shaking, full of the pain that filled his own heart. He didn't say anything, didn't even turn around. "You can't blame yourself for their deaths. Many people died in that battle, you couldn't be everywhere at once."
"I know," Ike said hoarsely. "But… I shouldn't have even put them in that situation anyway! I'm their commander, it's my job to keep them safe!"
The person, whoever it was, wrapped two pale, delicate arms around him. "You can't do everything, no matter how hard you try. Please, come back to the camp."
Tears found their way out of Ike's eyes and fell down his cheeks. Soon, the commander was crying properly.
The person behind him gently brushed a few of his tears away and rested their head on his shoulder, causing white-blonde hair to brush against his face. Soon, both of them were standing there, crying, relying on each other for support.
Eventually, Ike turned around, wiping his tears away as he did so. "Reyson… Don't cry." He wrapped his own arms around the heron, being careful of his wings.
Reyson smiled sadly. The sight tugged at Ike's heart even more. "You are a good man, Ike. Someone as weak as me doesn't deserve the friendship of someone like you."
The bluenette brushed a few stray strands of hair away from Reyson's face. "Don't be stupid, Reyson. You're not weak. Anyway, friendship is something that people earn. You've earned mine."
Reyson moved closer to Ike and leant against him. "I'm glad to hear that."
They stood like that for a long while. Neither of them realised when night fell upon the land until an owl hooted in a nearby tree.
"It's getting late," Ike noted. "We should probably get inside."
The other man agreed, and took Ike's hand, which made both of them smile. "Can… Can I sleep in your tent? I don't want to spend tonight alone."
Ike kissed his forehead, which made Reyson blush. "You can have Soren's bed."
"I don't know what I'm going to do without Soren," Ike admitted quietly as he pulled the blankets over himself.
Reyson, whose bed was only an inch or two away from Ike's, rolled over the gap and lay his head on Ike's chest. "I'm sure you'll manage. Soren's task was a difficult one, but I am sure there are others capable of doing it.
They talked like that for a while, neither of them really wanting to go to sleep. Ike eventually sat up and pulled Reyson onto his lap. "Reyson, are we really just friends?"
The heron hesitated then shook his head.
Ike grinned, the first real smile he had given anyone since his friend's deaths. "Good. Then I can do this." He softly pressed his lips against Reyson's. Slowly, Reyson started to kiss back. After a while, Ike pulled away and ran his hands through Reyson's hair. "You're so beautiful, Reyson… I love you…"
Reyson smiled and whispered in Ike's ear, "I love you too."
FF_2122438_384047746 Mark Stephens Page 2 of 2