Odin rubbed the back of his neck as he walked back into camp. Silas nodded to him as he relieved the mage of his watch; even in the Deep Realms, they had to be safe. He grinned lightly back at the knight. The sun was setting and the sky was filled with shades of red and orange. Odin planned on walking back to his room to lay with his wife, but a call interrupted him as he walked through the courtyard.

"Father, father! What brings you out to view the dusk?"

Odin turned and grinned as his daughter bounded up to him. She smiled and held her hands behind her back. Odin returned the smile.

"Ophelia! My daughter! I was just on watch. I want to sleep before the dark takes over the night, and with it, my sanity," he replied. Ophelia nodded intensely; she understood the great struggle to hold the dark at bay.

"I won't keep you then, father. Good luck with the darkness tonight," she smiled at him. Odin turned slightly, but before he took his attention off the younger mage, he noticed the skin on her neck was rather dark. He almost couldn't tell, since her clothes came up over most of it and she had so much hair.

"Ophelia, what taints your neck? Have you come down with a curse? Has the darkness infiltrated your defenses?" he questioned. Odin reached towards her, intent on moving her hair back to closer examine the marks. Ophelia's cheeks filled with fire and her hand shot up, covering the side of her neck.

"It's nothing, father! The darkness has no power against the one chosen to keep it at bay. Weren't you going back to your bed? I should be going too! It was wonderful speaking to you."

"Wait, Ophelia-"

"Good night, father!" she bolted off, and, Odin realized, not in the direction of her room. He thought about running after the blonde girl for several moments, but decided against it; he would ask her about the color on her neck tomorrow.

Odin was sitting next Leo at breakfast; he was finished with the stew the maids had put together, and was talking intently with his liege. It was always wonderful to speak with one so knowledgeable about magic. He was focused on the prince, listening to him explain some of the powers of Hoshidan scrolls – yet his daughter's hasty retreat last night was stuck in his mind. He thought about talking to her mother to see if she knew anything, but she too was busy with the war effort as it were.

"In comparison to the rat scroll, the tiger scroll is much harder to control, but more powerful. Still, their scrolls our worse than our tomes; but perhaps I'm just used to tomes and prefer them," Leo said.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ophelia eating next to some of the other kids. He wished to go speak to her about the marks before the girl had a chance to run off again.

"All of the scroll names are too similar. The Nohrian tomes have much more prestige, if you ask me," Odin said; but his attention was still on the other end of the mess hall. Ophelia giggled and spooned some soup up; she placed it in Soleil's mouth, who was sitting next to her.

"Perhaps, but you are the only mage I know who places so much care into the names of his weapons," the prince responded. Soleil beamed and leaned on the table, talking to his daughter intently.

"Of course! How does the weapon know you're worthy to wield it if you cannot bestow a name to represent it well?" Odin never realized how close his daughter was with Laslow's child. It was only now he realized how much they'd been talking since… since when? Last week? A month ago? Longer?

"Oh, I disagree; only superior weapons, like my Brynhildr, are deserving of a name. Every sword and spear that comes in the convoy does not." A light clicked in Odin Dark's mind. If Ophelia and Soleil were so close, perhaps Soleil could tell her what was on his daughter's neck!

"My Lord, I must go. The darkness beckons me again," Odin abruptly stood up from the table. Leo nodded, used to the sudden 'darkness' interruptions. The prince bid him farewell and went back to his own meal. Odin returned the goodbyes and walked outside, and waited just outside of the mess hall for Soleil.

Several minutes passed; Odin kept his hand out in the anti-darkness stance as he waited for the young knight to exit. A few of the others had walked out; the sun had moved. Just as he was about to give up on waiting, just as his arm began to grow tired, Soleil walked out.

"Ah! Soleil! A moment of your priceless time, please!" he shouted. The girl stopped for several seconds and located the dark mage. Somewhat hesitantly, she walked over.

"Hey, Mr. Odin. What did you need?" she scratched her hair.

"Soleil! You're close with my daughter, correct?" Odin asked as he relaxed his arm. Soleil laughed lightly.

"Uh, yeah, you could say that. Why?"

"Last dawn, I was talking with her and noticed some strange color on her neck…" Soleil's mouth opened and she stuttered a bit. "…and I'm worried that perhaps the darkness is weakening her. But she won't tell me! When I confronted her about it, she ran off before I could finish. Perhaps, do you know if the darkness has been pestering her too much? Has she mentioned anything?"

Soleil was quiet for a moment, and scratched her head again.

"Hey, Odin, I'm not really sure how to say this. I think you're cool; you're like the coolest guy in the army! I really admire you, and so I want to say this the right way. Uh… yeah, Ophelia and I are close. Really close, actually. Odin, I'm actually dati-"

"Soleil! Father!" a scream interrupted their conversation. Soleil turned just in time to a blur pass her vision. She turned back and watched Ophelia latch her arm around her father and drag him away from the swordswoman.

"Wait! Daughter! I was talking to Soleil! It was a dire conversation, I assure you! Release me!"

Soleil watched her girlfriend pull her father by using her entire body weight. They were arguing, but Odin was allowing himself to be dragged. The girl contemplated following the two, or maybe interrupting their conversation, but decided against it.

"I think I'll wait until Soleil is comfortable telling him. After all, I haven't told my dad." But Soleil didn't want to tell her father just yet. She wanted to wait longer so he knew Ophelia was special and not just another cute girl; the knight wasn't sure why her girlfriend didn't want to tell Odin, but she'd respect her wishes, since she couldn't criticize Ophelia for keeping it from her father if Soleil was doing the same.

Several more hours had passed, and now Odin was very agitated. The royal siblings were riding around, helping everyone prepare to fight in the upcoming march to Hoshido. He wanted to tell them to pull out her daughter – if she was tainted by the void, it would put her in great amounts of unnecessary danger to be fighting. His daughter had never hid something from him before! Surely this is a byproduct of the poison of darkness.

He gripped his tome; it was his daughter, after all – he had a responsibility to keep her safe from the aching blood he'd passed on. But she seemed calm currently, despite the preparation for war around them. She had Missletainn, her favorite tome, with her; and she gently rocked it through her hands, prepared to face the chaos ahead. It confused Odin even more; to be tainted with the jet-black void and still be so calm – she was a chosen one, after all.

A hand gently clasped Odin's shoulder. He turned his head and saw his old friend Laslow next to him. He had his trademark smile on his face; the swordsman's hand slid off Odin.

"Does it surprise you?" He asked. Odin raised his eyebrows, not sure what the other man was hinting at. Normally it was the other person, not him, who was confused.

"Does what surprise me, friend?" he returned. Laslow chuckled and pointed across the army, by his daughter. Most of the kids were gathered there, talking and laughing; they truly were special, being able to enjoy life while deep in the struggles of war. Still, the mage wasn't sure what Laslow was trying to point out.

"Laslow, I don't see the surprise."

"Ah, look at Soleil's arm."

Odin zeroed in on Soleil. Her arm was resting gently on the hilt of her sheathed sword. Over the girl's gray and black clothing was a small piece of yellow cloth, tied around her upper arm. And as everything gently started to fall in place, as you could hear the click in Odin's mind, Ophelia pulled Soleil against her and kissed the other girl's cheek. After Ophelia let go of the other girl and ran off, he turned his attention back the gray-haired fighter next to him.

"They're dating?" Laslow was nodding. Odin wasn't sure what to say. Soleil must have tried to tell him earlier before his own daughter had pulled him away. Wait… his daughter had a girlfriend!

"Well, there's only two people in Nohr that wear that grossly yellow outfit, and I certainly hope you aren't giving my daughter tokens of affection, Odin," he grinned and watched Odin's face as realization sunk in even deeper. "And they both have quite the collection of love marks currently. Still figuring it out though, neither of them hid it very well."

"But, if your daughter is half as great as you are, she's too good for Soleil," he chuckled and walked away. The royals were starting to get faster, and the preparation became more aggressive; normally, Odin would go help his Lord with his tasks. Corrin walked up to the kids and pulled Kana away. Siegbert returned to his father's side and started commanding the troops with Xander. The group dispersed, and Soleil was alone carefully fiddling with her armor. The pre-battle jitters must be getting to her; Odin stuck his chest out and strode over to her.

"Hey, Mr. Odin, nice to see you again," she greeted Odin. Odin started at her and began to read the knight's aura. Soleil's smile became muddled with uneasiness as he pressed his arms against her shoulders, locking them. He spread his legs apart and leaned forward against the knight, his locked arms and straight back keeping him from collapsing.

Odin's sixth sense became flooded with happiness. Soleil's aura was akin to the sun completely flooding his anguish. His doubts washed away – she was truly a walking sun.

"Your aura is so powerful! It's breathtaking! It completely destroys the darkness around it," he gasped. Soleil relaxed a bit; Ophelia did this all the time, just in different poses.

"Uh… are you reading my aura right now?" she inquired. Odin softly grunted in reply. He continued staring at the grass with his hands on the girl's shoulders.

"Soleil… I approve. You can date my dearest Ophelia. Keep her safe." The mage looked up at the girl; where the uneasy grin had been, there was now a serious smile – the same as Laslow's smile.

"With my life," she said, looking him in the eye. Odin nodded. She, too had been blessed by the stars – Ophelia must have seen it. The blonde stayed there with the same bizarre stance, and Soleil didn't move, keeping her eyes locked with his. They continuously appreciated each other's power, neither one willing to break the stare.

"Father!" Ophelia came up to them, now with two tomes in her hand. "Why do you read Soleil's aura now?" she pouted at her father, who was still leaning on her girlfriend – Soleil, ever smiling but apprehensive about her girlfriend's father sizing her up, if that's what you could call it.

"Ophelia! I, Odin Dark, must flee. Good luck! The stars are with you, O fellow chosen one!" he announced, pulled his arms off the girl's shoulders, and then fled the scene.

-
Thanks for reading. Make a fantastic day.