(Inspired by one of my many role models for writing and public relations, SolHiryu.
All characters © Nintendo)
Fatal Mistake
Their blood rolls off his axe, dripping to the ground as he cuts down yet another bandit; around him, arrows fly and javelins whistle through the air as more vagabonds fall.
Seeing that the only people currently near him are allies, Greil takes this moment to survey his surroundings; Oscar has no problems clearing out the alleys, accompanied by his elder younger brother. Gatrie helps pick of the bandits that try to escape Shinon's arrows; Ike and Soren team up to eradicate the rogues hiding in buildings.
"Commander, we've almost eliminated them," Titania calls out, riding up to Greil, her own axe glimmering with its crimson coating. "It won't be long before they're gone..."
"Is that so?" he responds, his mind drifting to other thoughts. "Go and quickly see if there's any places they might be hiding-- it'd be bad for us if they followed us back to the base."
"Yes, sir."
Quickly, the paladin rides off...
Ike stumbles out of a building, wincing as he places his weight on his left leg.
"Ike, I told you not to get too far away from that archer...!" Soren begins, following after the young swordsman, an impressive gash spouting blood from his own arm.
"I know, I know-- ow! Okay, I think it's broken..."
"Let me see, Ike."
He looks up to see his father standing by him; Ike stops clutching at his leg, letting Greil see the broken arrow, its steel tip lodged into the bone.
"How in the goddess' name did that happen?" the commander demands.
"It's a long story involving a vulnerary and an archer," Soren explains, hiding his own wound from Greil's sharp eyes.
"Do I want to know more? ...probably not. Stay put; I'll get Rhys to help you with that, Ike."
"Thank you, Father."
He walks off in search of the healer, not at all worried about Ike's wound; his son's suffered worse damage before-- assuming Greil actually find Rhys, Ike will be walking normally by dinner.
The Crimean sky can't compare to Gallia's when night falls; nevertheless, he still manages to feel the serenity that the stars bring, and appreciate the faint glow of the trees as moonlight falls upon the foliage...
It vaguely reminds him of the first night he and Elena spent in Gallia... their first day in hiding.
Greil strolls through the forest, accompanied only by the chirps of crickets, Urvan, and his thoughts. He wanders down the narrow path, letting the peace of his surroundings distract him from his forgotten demons...
The quiet sound of snapping twigs behind him is just enough to make the commander turn--
"Ike? ...I thought you were sleeping. Go back home."
"I can't sleep," the mercenary replies blankly, holding his sword loosely at his side. "Is it alright if I join you?"
"...fine."
Ike hurries to catch up with his father; the two meander further away from the base, eventually stumbling upon an open area, free of trees...
"How's your leg?" Greil asks, noticing the small tear int the fabric above Ike's knee.
"It's fine now," his son shrugs. "I don't feel any pain..."
"That's good... though I doubt you'd feel much anymore, after that one bandit nearly ran a lance through you..."
"Were you worried then?"
"Of course I was," Greil smiles. "What father wouldn't be concerned? But when you insisted on taking part in the fight after Rhys healed you, I knew you'd be fine."
"Still, it was good that you didn't allow me to do so... I might not have survived that day. What would have happened then?"
The smile melts away, replaced by a confused frown; Greil chalks up Ike's uncharacteristic words to lack of sleep, and chooses not to comment on them.
"How're you enjoying working in the company?"
Ike pauses, searching for the proper words.
"It's... I'm enjoying it," he finally answers. "There's always something to do... something to help make me stronger, make me better-- make me more complete."
"Complete?"
The sounds of the forest suddenly begin to fade away; soon, only the rustle of leaves now breaks the silence, and even so, just barely.
"That's an odd word to choose when describing time spent killing people...why that word?"
"Because for too long, the chaos inside of me has been hidden, suppressed, and ignored. Now, finally, I can let it out..."
"...Let it out...? Ike, what are you--"
"Father... what's your greatest fear?" Ike asks suddenly, silently tightening his grasp on his weapon.
Greil frowns, the unnatural silence bothering him.
"Why should my answer matter? It won't--"
"Is it that something would happen to Mist? Or that you'd lose your only son? ...or perhaps that the medallion would fall into dangerous hands?"
It takes all his willpower just to keep an aloof expression, much less keep breathing normally.
"Dangerous hands?" Greil repeats, forcing a tentative smile that masks his suspicion. "It's just a medallion, Ike. How could it possibly be--"
"Oh yes, that's what I'd thought for years; how could something so small be a threat? And yet, you've never once laid so much as a finger on it... Always, I wondered about that."
His vacant expression suddenly transforms; a sadistic smirk tugs at his lips, his sapphire eyes flashing dangerously as Greil subconsciously readies Urvan.
"What have you done, Ike?" he growls.
"Answer my question, Father, and I'll answer yours."
"Tell me, boy! Do not forget who it was that taught you all you know of fighting!"
Ike pauses, his gaze never faltering...
"...very well. So you won't tell me? I'm going to be left guessing?"
He chuckles mirthlessly, watching in amusement as his father tenses up.
"Well then... I'll remember you as my teacher... and the man who refused to answer my most pressing question. Let's see, then, if you'll answer this instead..."
The dark blue of his irises melts away, revealing only crimson; Greil can do nothing more than stare in horror as azure flames envelop his son...
"I've wondered, Father," Ike purrs darkly, lifting his sword, "what would you do if your son touched the medallion?"
"No-- Ike--!"
"Show me!"
In an instant, the blade of his sword flies through the air; pure instinct saves Greil, who barely lifts his axe up in time to guard his neck from his bloodthirsty son.
"Ike, drop the medallion!" he yells, struggling to keep Ike's weapon away from his head.
"Oh, I can't do that, Father," Ike hisses, his crazed grin growing wider as his father's arms slowly begin to buckle. "Not until I know..."
"Don't make me--"
"Make you what? ...If you won't use words to answer my question, then you'll have to show me exactly what it is that you don't want to do!"
Greil scowls, ducking under the sword and bringing Urvan to his side; Ike stumbles forward, not expecting his father to move so quickly--
He drops his axe in favor of seizing his son's shoulders; Ike cries out as he collapses to the ground, his arms pinned under the weight of his own body as Greil holds him down.
"Drop the medallion, Ike," he orders, the blue flames licking over his arms as he watches Ike struggle to get back up. "I'm not letting you up until you do."
"Hah! And what would you do with it? You can't touch it either, Father," the young swordsman spits, his scarlet eyes glowing with hatred. "No, none of the others can touch it..."
"Have you forgotten about your sister so soon? After all, she--"
The words die on his lips as Ike chuckles, cruelty pouring from the sound.
"Mist? Oh, yes, I remember her. But tell me, Father; I've been wondering for a while..."
He looks up at his father, flashing his teeth in a heartless smile.
"How exactly is a corpse to safely carry anything with them, other than their secrets?"
Greil's eyes widen as Ike cackles--
"You lie!"
"Oh, but had she come in just a minute earlier, she might be telling you herself how I'd wandered into her room, and just wanted to move the medallion to a safer place... her fault for leaving it on the floor, I guess. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Shut up!"
Greil's hand moves up to Ike's throat; the youth pulls away as much as he can, gasping for breath as the expression in his father's eyes screams denial.
"If there's so much a scratch on Mist when we get back--" he begins, doing everything he can to keep the fear out of his voice.
"What? You'll kill me?" Ike smirks, despite his struggle for oxygen. "You'd destroy what remains of your bloodline...? You haven't got it in you."
The young man's grin grows wider...
"The only reason you could kill Mother was because the medallion blinded you. Without it, you can't even bring yourself to hurt me..."
"You... how do you...?"
Ike wriggles out from under his father's arms, seizing his fallen weapon before standing; Greil only barely manages to dodge the potentially lethal blow, ducking just in time before he too rises.
"How do you know about what happened to your mother?!"
"Pick up your weapon and fight," the son snaps, glaring at his father. "There's no challenge in fighting someone that's unarmed."
"Answer me!"
"Fight!"
"Tell me how you know about what happened to Elena!"
"As if I'd tell the man who murdered my mother, then covered it up and denied me the truth!" Ike roars, his hands trembling from uncontrolled rage. "For years, Mist and I wondered why she had seemed to just vanish from our lives! Now, I know... consider this retribution!"
His desire to fight an armed opponent pales in comparison to his urge to deliver what he deems justice; he raises his sword, charging towards his father--
Before he can strike, Greil reaches out, grasping Ike's sword arm; he fights to keep the sharpened steel as far away from his body as possible, looking at his son with a fierce expression in his dark blue eyes.
"You're right," he growls, grabbing Ike's other fist before it nearly collides with his face. "I should have told you the truth about your mother. I should have told you why she was gone, and why you couldn't lay so much as a finger on the medallion. It was your right to know."
Ike hisses, doing everything he can to push his father over; the azure flames nearly swallow up Greil as he finds himself sliding backward the more his son moves forward.
"Then you should pay for what you've done," the swordsman spits, slowly shoving his father towards a tree. "Pay for the suffering you've caused! Pay for the many times you've never told us where Mother was! Pay for never once showing remorse for what you did! Pay for pretending that everything was fine!"
"I have been!" Greil roars in response, struggling to stay stationary, even if only for a moment. "Every damn day, I've had to lie to you and Mist, and let it eat me up inside! For months after her death, I watched as your nightmares haunted you and Mist cried herself to sleep, and nothing I could say or do would make a difference! For years I've tried to find a way to make things right, and found nothing! So don't say I didn't suffer, boy, because everything you felt is nothing compared to my pain!"
"Then let me ease my suffering by taking you out of yours!"
Ike kicks Greil in the stomach, sending him stumbling backwards; the commander falls against the tree as his son charges forward, no self-restraint remaining to slow him down--
He snarls in anger as his father dodges just in time; the youth turns to face the veteran, who picks up Urvan once more.
"Ike, please... drop the medallion," Greil pleads, reluctantly bringing his weapon up to a ready position. "I don't want to have to do this."
"Do what?!" Ike snaps, the blue flames of chaos climbing ever higher. "You can't hurt me anymore. Not now, not when I finally know the truth... that you lied to us! To me-- to Mist! Why?!"
"...even with the power of the medallion... you're still just a child," Greil mutters, his grip on Urvan tightening. "You could never understand, boy."
"What's left to understand?"
He holds his sword in front of him, cold indifference in his eyes...
"Maybe you'll explain to me when you're hanging off the edge of my blade."
"If you're so confident, then strike me already."
He needs no second call; Ike charges forward, steel flashing in the moonlight as he strikes--
Greil blocks his son's attack with the broad side of his axe; with great effort, he swats the sword away, swinging his own weapon with great force.
Ike hisses as the sharpened edge slices at his chest; he holds his ground, though, even as blood begins to seep from the wound. Brandishing his blade, he strikes out once more...
It doesn't take long for the fighters to stalemate; their weapons lock, and neither father nor son budges, both unwilling to give up ground.
"You want to know how I know about Mother?" Ike hisses, easily holding his position. "The medallion helped me..."
Greil doesn't answer, fighting to bring Ike's sword down to the ground as the cuts on his face ooze blood...
"It reminded me that I was there. I saw you strike her down."
He locks up, his breath freezing in his lungs as Ike's glower grows deeper.
"You had knocked down wave after wave of soldiers, already covered in their blood," the son continues, pressing harder against his father's faltering grip. "She ran out, trying to take the medallion from you... and you just held your sword out, letting her run herself through. ...You never even flinched until she'd taken it out of your hands."
He does everything he can to maintain his composure, but Ike continues to push his father back even further...
"And now, you're finally going to pay for it," Ike growls. "You'll pay for all the lies, all the hiding... for killing Mother in the first place!"
He shoves Greil back, watching his father stumble and fall; with a cry, he leaps forward, driving his blade downward--
It's all Greil can do not to howl in pain as the sword pins his shoulder to the ground.
"...damnit...!"
Ike swears, attempting to redraw his weapon--
"You're right, Ike. Tonight... I do pay for my mistakes."
Greil grits his teeth as Ike successfully pulls the sword out of his shoulder; he barely moves in time to dodge the second stab before grabbing the hilt, pulling it down and using it as a support.
"Tonight, I pay for not telling you about Elena's death," he continues, seizing Ike's arm and not letting go. "I pay for not telling you why we had to hide the medallion."
Struggling to break free of his father's grasp-- even with the power of the medallion-- Ike swings a fist, intent on breaking the commander's nose--
He freezes; a choked gasp escapes his lips as the blue flames suddenly lower to a faint simmer--
Greil lets go of his son, watching him fall as he pulls Urvan out from between Ike's ribs.
"This is why I never told you... in hope that it would never come to this."
"...because this was your greatest fear... wasn't it?" Ike coughs, blood spilling from his wound and his lips as he weakly clutches at his neck. "To strike down your son... for making the same mistakes you did. Heh... it's starting to make sense... Too bad you couldn't stop it from coming true..."
Greil collapses to his knees, the shock finally hitting him as his son grabs a chain around his neck; with his fading strength, he breaks it, shakily letting his hand fall to the ground...
The medallion lets out one final flicker before the flames around his body vanish, his crimson eyes fading back to blue.
"Ike... why did you take it at all?" his father asks, his voice surprisingly fearful for a man who always speaks with confidence and conviction.
"Ahh... that's my secret," the youth replies, his bloody lips twisting into a sad smile. "Sorry, Father... I think I'll be taking that... with me..."
"No, Ike... Ike! You're not going to die until you tell me!"
"Try and... stop me..."
"Ike!"
"F-fa... ther..."
"Ike!"
"Fatherrrr!!"
Greil bolts upright, his eyes flying open--
Stone walls surround him instead of trees; no moonlight shines upon him or his dying son...
Ike is nowhere to be seen as Mist suddenly bursts into the room, tears streaming down her face.
"Father, Boyd's making fun of me again!" she bawls, latching onto her father's arm and burying her face in his cerulean shirt. "He's calling me a... a snot-nosed whelp who can't do anything right, and-- and--!"
"Is he, now?" Greil interrupts, slowly realizing that Ike's death was nothing more than an all-too-vivid nightmare. "Where is he?"
"P-probably looking for me to keep being mean..."
He gets out of bed, taking his daughter's hand and bringing her with him; he just barely steps out of the doorway when Boyd nearly runs him down, barely screeching to a halt just in time.
"Ah, Boyd, good timing. I was just about to go looking for you."
"Gyaaah!" Boyd cries, cowering away from Greil. "C-Commander, just listen to me before you break my arms, please! I-I didn't mean to make fun of Mist-- I-I'm going to apologize to her, really!"
"Are you, now?" Greil asks rhetorically, a faint smirk playing at his lips. "Well, here she is; she's waiting."
Mist steps forward, glaring at Boyd with hatred in her eyes.
"M-Mist, I... I'm sorry for calling you a, uh... a snot-nosed whelp," Boyd stammers, nearly fearing the girl more than her father.
"And?"
"A-and for saying that you can't do anything right..."
"...and?"
"...oh! A-And for lying and saying your brother was hiding from you because he thought you were going to poison him..."
"...alright, I guess I forgive you... this time," Mist sighs, the anger leaving her eyes. "But don't do it again!"
"I won't, I promise!"
"Okay, you two; now that everything's patched up, it's time for you to get some sleep," Greil cuts in. "We've got an early mission tomorrow, and I won't have you falling asleep on the job, Boyd."
"Y-yes, Commander. I'll see you in the morning."
As Boyd darts off down the hall, Greil guides his daughter back to her room, only half-listening as she idly hums her mother's lullaby to herself...
"...Mist, keep going. I'm going to check on your brother, alright?"
"Okay. Good night, Father..."
He backtracks as Mist continues onward...
Greil stops outside the doorway to Ike's room.
Ike lies on his side, one arm tucked under his head; his breaths are soft and deep as he slumbers on, blissfully unaware that he is being watched.
The commander sighs, tiredly rubbing at his dark brown eyes; the images from his dream slowly begin to fade as sleep dampers his senses once more...
"Father! Father, there's something wrong with my medallion!"
He turns his head as Mist comes running back down the hall, fear in her light blue eyes.
"Father, look, it's--"
"Mist, keep your voice down. Ike's sleeping..."
"Father, it's glowing, look!"
She thrusts the medallion forward, holding it up for Greil to see--
He stares in horror as sapphire flames simmer around the medallion.
"When did it start doing that...?!" he demands.
"J-Just a minute ago," Mist answers, confusion dripping from her response. "I was going to lay down, and then I saw a light, and I looked over and it was--"
"Okay... okay," Greil interrupts, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "So it didn't start glowing when you touched it...?"
"N-no... it kind of glowed a little less, actually..."
"Okay... Mist, I want you to keep that with you always. Don't let it leave your sight."
"Father? What's happening to it...?"
Greil pauses...
"You can't hurt me anymore. Not now, not when I finally know the truth... that you lied to us! To me-- to Mist! Why?!"
"...I can't tell you now, Mist. You wouldn't understand. But trust me on this... as long as you hold onto it, nothing bad will happen. Alright?"
Mist looks up at her father with tired, uncertain cerulean eyes...
"Okay, Father. If you say so, then I trust you."
He smiles faintly before ruffling his daughter's hair.
"Go get some sleep, Mist."
She turn, hurrying back to her room...
"...because this was your greatest fear... wasn't it? ...Too bad you couldn't stop it from coming true..."
Greil bites his lip, forcing the memory out of his mind.
He won't let it happen...
He'll die before he lets the chaos of the medallion tear his family apart.
--Fin