Lovers

I do not own Fire Emblem

Pairings : Ray x Sofiya

"Hey, hey, Sofiya!" Sofiya turned to see a running girl calling out to her name. The girl ran cheerfully towards her, bumping to other soldiers and other people walking about around the camp. The cheerful girl catched up to her and hugged her waist tightly. Sofiya could not help but to smile and patted her head.

"Fae. What is it?" Sofiya asked the girl as she stroked her reddish hair. The girl, Fae enthusiastically glanced at her face.

"Sofiya. I have a question, Elfin has this, um... potte—peotery—"

"Poetry." Sofiya corrected for her.

"Yes, that! He has the 'po-et-ry ' he called "The Tragedy of Two Lovers", but Fae doesn't know what is he talking about. Hey, Sofiya, what is 'Lovers'? Elfin mentioned many times of them." The dragon girl asked, curiosity flared on her bright looking eyes.

Sofiya could not help but to smile looking at the rather energetic young dragon. "Well...Fae, lovers are women and men who cared for each other..."

"Fae doesn't understand, Sofiya." The dragon girl pouted. "Adults make many hard words. What is 'care'?"

Sofiya patted her head again. She was fond of this girl. Her innocence seemed to make Sofiya remember herself in her 'younger days'. Back then, she remembered that she asked the same thing to her parents. "Care... is same as love, Fae. It's that feeling you get when you...are near your friends...but much more stronger...and a bit different...and only man and woman could feel that..." She explained with the simplest words as she possibly knew.

"Oh. Is it like me and you, then?" Fae questioned as she tilted her head to the side, not fully listening to Sofiya's explanation.

Sofiya shook her head. "No. It's different...and more stronger...just like your mother and father feels for each other...It makes you happy to be around each other..."

Suddenly an idea struck Fae's head. "AH! Fae finally understand what is Sofiya talking about! It's like you and Ray, doesn't it!"

The shaman girl blushed deep red immediately, after hearing the dragon girl's words. Though with that innocent face, she was 100 percent sure that she is not teasing her—and she is indeed serious. Sofiya was not one to lie either—especially to an innocent child. That is the reason she struggled on what to answer her. Did she and Ray...have that kind of thing? She indeed admitted fully that both their affection to each other is similar to ones that her parents had for each other. But, is it really the correct word to describe her...'relationship'?

Instead she smiled bashfully on the dragon girl. "No, we are not."

Fae arched her eyebrows in some form of disappointment. "Ehhh!? Really? But you seem happy to be around Ray, right? I mean, he's a bit mean to Fae, but he's always good to you, and now you're always smiling and happy when he came."

Sofiya shook her head again, patting the dragon girl's head some more. "But we are not lovers. Fae, lovers are people who made...promises with each other. That poetry you heard...is an old tale where the woman died and the man killed himself to join her in the afterlife... The man stayed true to their promise. Me and Ray...we don't have that kind of promise..." Sofiya explained, with a rather melancholic tone.

The dragon girl scratched her heart, not sure if she understands the big words. "Umm, Fae does not understand..."

"You will if you grow up, Fae." Sofiya smiled at Dragon child.

"Then Fae is more eager to grow up! And, Sofiya?"

"Yes?" She tilted her head, wondering what could the dragon girl asked next.

"Do you...love Ray then? You smile more when you are talking with him you know, and you always look so happy when you are with him."

Sofiya couldn't help but to blush again with that question, though rather than become embarrassed, instead a feeling of strong fondness filled her mind. She wasn't sure until recently, but she is confident about what she felt now. "Yes. I love him, Fae." She said with a very wide smile that she had once in her younger years of lifetime.

"And did Ray love you, Sofiya?" She asked again, the innocent face never left her for a second.

Still smiling widely, Sofiya answered her. "Yes...he does."

"And you both are not lovers?" She arched her eyebrows again in confusion.

Sofiya's smile faded at the question, and turned into somewhat a melancholic one. "No. Fae, this kind of lovers thing...is more complicated than you think. You'll understand, if you're big enough." She explained. She knew that despite they have mutual feelings towards each other, it may not bloom to something more. At least not yet...There is still the thing, like after the war, would they still be together? Or maybe went their separate ways?

Fae's loud voice snapped her of her thoughts. "Ah! Ray is coming here, Sofiya!" Fae said as she pointed on the incoming shaman from the distance. "Fae's gonna ask him about what you said earlier!" She said energetically.

Suddenly, dread consumed Sofiya's mind, she immediately tugged the young Divine Dragon's hand and pulled her back. "Sofiya?" The dragon girl looked confusedly at the prophetess. "What are you doing? Fae is trying to ask him about that lovers thing!"

Sofiya put on a face that expressed a cross of embarrassment, surprise, and fear. "N-No...Don't tell him. I will...ask him myself, so I can tell you later, Okay...? And I heard...Master Merlinus is handing off snacks at the moment...why don't you get some?"

"AH!" Fae's eyes suddenly bubbled after the mention of the snack. "Fae loves sweet things! You're right! I'll go get it! See you, Sofiya!" She said as she dashed as Sofiya sighed in relief. It'll become very awkward if he asked him about it.

"Hey..." A familiar voice was heard behind her. Half-shocked, she turned to see Ray already stood beside her.

"Ray...what is it?" Despite the talk with Fae that should have her feeling embarrassed, she immediately neutralized that previous emotion, looking at the boy's green eyes with her usual, normal expression.

"I looked at those spell books from Djute Clansmen...they seemed to master quite of advanced Dark Magic, so, uh..." Suddenly Ray's words failed to escape his throat. "...You want to go see it? Just, if we have trouble on learning it, we could...probably help each other..." He finished lamely as he looked away from her, hiding his slight blush.

Sofiya looked at him before smiling again.

What happens after the war...It does not matter now.

"Yes...that would be good." She said as she stood up and walked with Ray, her smile widened, which made the other Shaman looked away in embarrassment. He was never good when seeing her smiling like that. Not that he did not like it, though. Ray always thought that her smiling face is beautiful, but never will in this world nor in the next he will admit that outright. Never.

"Hey, do you have to over-react whenever i asked you to study with me?" Ray said as he distracted himself, looking at the scenery of the camp.

"Over-react...?"

"Yeah, being that happy-go-lucky and smiling like my idiot brother."

What matters now, is the time I could spend with him.

A small blush formed on her face. "But I'm...just happy doing something...with you...That's not wrong, right?" That is right. Just being with him, that is enough to make her happy.

"Well, it doesn't bother me much..." Ray said, still distracting himself with the camp's scenery as the blush appeared on his face deepened its color. "It's just you smiled a lot nowadays...well, it's not like I like you happy and smiling or anything..."

Sofiya's smile didn't left her face hearing that. She knew, thanks to her powers, the deepest heart of other people near her. She knew that it is just the way for Ray to say that he loved her smile. That is the reason why she had shown that emotion more frequently, especially around him. They are not lovers, at least not yet. But their devotion toward each other is true. It was just the matter of time until they made their promise.

I have to cherish every moment with him

"Ray...?"

"What?"

"Thank You."

Ray raised his eyebrows in confusion, wondering what could have gone in the Nabatan Priestess' head "Seriously...What's wrong with you today?"

Because I love you, Ray.

FIN.