syntagmatarkhis
written by: sylenis
It was the first time since the swordsman and the black mage were alone since the night before, when Soren accidentally poured his soul out to his long-time friend. It was strange, in all the years they knew one another, Soren never spoke about himself. Perhaps it was the pressure of the upcoming battle. Perhaps it was because it had been bothering him for the past few days. Perhaps it was because he knew he could die at any given moment in this war. Perhaps it was because of Ike's pure and good heart.
He was eternally grateful to have a man such as he for a friend. He couldn't ask for more, not that he would need to. However, his pride was also important to him…he could only imagine the expressions and reactions of the others if they saw him sob the way he did…
…The very thought made him flinch.
"Ike…" Soren began, eyes never leaving the ground as they headed towards Gallia forest.
"Yeah? What's up?" Ike responded idly, the humidity killing his senses.
Soren's face began taking on a pinkish hue as he mumbled incoherently. Ike knew his companion was definitely not chanting a spell.
"Pardon?"
"D…don't tell, or even hint to anyone…a-about what happened the other night," he muttered, looking away. Ike tilted his head to the side, wondering what on Tellius he was talking about.
"What are you—oh, you mean—" Soren forcefully jabbed a finger to his lip. Ike flinched in surprise.
"I just said don't!" he hissed, a serious look making his child-like features harden. "I…I'll die if anyone finds out."
Just then, Ike attempted to suppress a deep chuckle but to no avail. This made Soren recoil and blush even further, feeling regretful that he'd even brought up his fears again. They'd been plaguing him all night, and if he didn't get this off of his chest…
"Don't worry about it, Soren. I already knew that. I often think you don't trust me one-hundred percent, despite me being your friend and all."
"I do," Soren began quietly, calming down a little. "It's not that I don't trust you, but it is more like…" he concentrated on the ground, trying to find less abrasive words to describe his thoughts…the silence was unnerving, in turn, making Ike a little nervous.
"Like…what?" he asked hesitantly.
"I don't think you're bright enough to keep your mouth shut about things like that," he concluded matter-of-factly.
"Oh," Ike responded flatly. "Thanks," he sighed as shook his head. "Don't forget I'm your Commander…"
"I know," Soren responded as an incredibly rare, but genuine smile emerged. "I guess I'm just as silly to follow you, huh?"
Ike grinned broadly, an inexplicable feeling of joy warming his insides.
"Damn right you're silly."