I Have but One Heart for You
Darkness covered the land of Pherae. It was nearly midnight, and with the exception of the night watch, everybody was asleep. Everybody except for one person.
Eliwood walked quietly through the passageways of Pherae castle. He wore neither his armor nor the elaborate clothing that was required of him at official functions, but instead he wore simple clothing, as one would expect from a craftsman in the city. His leather shoes made a slight sound on the stone floors of the castle, so soft that it would not be heard unless someone was specifically searching for it.
"Lord Eliwood?"
Eliwood turned to see Lowen and Rebecca, two of his closest and most faithful soldiers.
"Lord Eliwood, you shouldn't be wandering about alone at this hour," Lowen told him. "If an enemy were to attack-"
"I doubt that many enemies exist within this castle," Eliwood interrupted. "At any rate, I have my rapier with me." He pulled back the left side of the cloak he wore to reveal the slender sword in its sheath on his hip. "I plan on staying within the castle walls, and really only wish to clear my head a little."
"If you say so, my lord." Lowen went on his way with Rebecca at his side.
"Have a good night's sleep, Lord Eliwood," she said as she passed him. Within seconds, the two of them had turned the corner and were out of sight. Eliwood continued on his journey. He was glad, both because Lowen and Rebecca had managed to find such happiness in the aftermath of what had happened, and because neither of them had insisted on accompanying him. For what he wanted to do this night, he couldn't have any extra people following him.
Cautiously so as to not wake up anybody else, he made his way through the corridors. He had grown up in this castle, so he knew the way to his destination very well. He slipped out the side entrance of the castle into the night air.
As he passed through the small passage in the castle wall, the sound of hoof beats signaled the arrival of one of the guards.
"Lord Eliwood, I must advise against leaving the castle grounds after dark," the rider scolded. "It is very dangerous for you to get complacent in light of our recent victory."
"I will be fine, General Marcus," Eliwood assured the rider. "I only wish to go out a short distance, and for a few minutes at the most."
"Still, it could be dangerous," Marcus warned. "If you feel that you must go out, at least let me accompany you."
"Unacceptable," Eliwood remarked. "You are the captain of the watch tonight: your duty is to protect the castle from intrusion."
"It is my duty to protect the Marquis."
"As your Marquis, it is my wish that you remain here to protect the inhabitants of this castle."
"If that is your command, than I must obey," Marcus said regretfully. "Do try to return as soon as possible, my lord." With one final salute, the paladin rode off along the wall, quickly vanishing into the darkness.
Free from the castle, Eliwood followed the dirt path for a while. It led him away from the castle, but he didn't mind. At the moment, there was no place on earth that he would feel at home in, but he knew for sure that he needed to get out of the castle.
After a half-hour of walking, Eliwood came to a small stream. A wooden bridge stretched from one bank to the other, allowing the path to continue on the other side, toward the forest. Eliwood went without hesitation to cross the bridge, but stopped halfway when the figure that had been sitting against one of the fence posts on the far side got up.
"I knew you would come here," the figure told him. "Every night since the victory, I've come here to wait for you."
"You seem sure that I would come."
"I knew you would come here eventually, and I was prepared to wait until you finally showed up."
"How did you know I would pass through here?"
"You told me once that there was a beautiful forest near where you grew up, so I knew that this would be the place."
"You've come to stop me from going, I suppose," he speculated. "Everybody else has tried, and none of them even know how far I really plan to take this journey."
"Even if I could stop you, Eliwood, I wouldn't," the figure assured him. "I've seen better than any of the others how hard it's been for you. It isn't my place to tell you that it isn't time for you to take this journey yet."
"Why did you come than, Lyndis?"
She stepped forward to the center of the bridge. Throwing her arms around him, she put her head against his chest, feeling the beats of his heart. Looking up into his eyes, she kissed him.
"I love you, Eliwood," she confessed. "I always have, I guess. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I didn't come here and tell you that." She kissed him again. "Goodbye, Eliwood."
"Lyn…if there was one person who could stop this journey, it would be you. With one command from you, I would stay."
"That is why I will not give that command," Lyn replied, embracing him again. "I've felt the beating of your heart, Eliwood. Even now, it doesn't beat for me." She gave him one final kiss on the cheek, as a friend would. "I'll miss you, Eliwood."
They parted ways, with Lyndis traveling back toward the castle while Eliwood continued into the forest. He walked in silence, enjoying the solitude of the forest under the moon-lit trees. No more companions crossed his path, no traveler encountered him. Eliwood traveled in silent reflection until he reached his destination. Ahead of him sat a small pond, with water as clear as the air and as smooth as glass. He strode up to it and stood on its bank, gazing into the image of the full moon reflecting off of its surface. Drawing his sword, he gave a salute to the luminous body.
"I'm sorry," he said to the night air. "I only wanted to be with you, but I only ended up hurting you. If I had known…if there were any way it could have turned out differently…if it could have been me instead of you…I would gladly take that way. You meant everything to me from that day when we first meant, and you still do. I've pushed back the pain, I've done what needed to be done, but I can't hold it in any longer." Eliwood gripped his sword tighter in his fist.
"I want to see you again, Ninian. I want to be with you forever."