A/N: Okay people! If you are currently reading my story Fire Emblem: Tides of Radiance, then you know I like to pair Soren with Mist. So, it was really only a matter of time before I decided to write a one-shot about these two! Personally, I don't see why this particular pairing is so unpopular. Maybe it's because if Mist shares an A-support with Boyd, she has a paired ending with him. Maybe not. I honestly don't know. But I could never really bring myself to appreciate BoydXMist. I much preferred pairing her with Soren. As to why I picked Soren of all people, well, I'm not sure about that either. Maybe because he and Ike are such good friends, and I just figured he would've spent a lot of time with Mist as well. I suppose it's kind of like the 'best friend's brother' concept, except in this case, it would be 'best friend's sister.' :P In any case, I hope people enjoy this cute, fluffy one-shot about their life together. Please no flames about how Mist should be with Boyd. As I said earlier, I really don't like the BoydXMist pairing. I like Boyd as a character, but I just don't want him to be with Mist. Anywho, this is fanfiction, right? And pretty much the whole point of fanfiction is to write things the way you want to, even if it's not necessarily what actually happens. :P Also, I'm sorry if Soren seems OOC. I kinda softened him up a bit, courtesy of Mist! :) Please enjoy and review telling me what you think! I worked really hard on this and all I want is for people to enjoy it! If you do not like it and you have to tell me so, however, please tell me what you didn't like about it, while keeping the review as positive as possible. Thank you, and enjoy! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem. All characters you recognize belong to Nintendo/Intelligent Systems.
The dark-haired sage lied awake in the bed he shared with his wife. Sleep was eluding him once again, making tonight the third night in a row. He wasn't sure why he was having such trouble sleeping. He had absolutely nothing to be worrisome about at the moment. He had fought two wars in his life, but they were both long over. Times were peaceful now, and he was sure they would be for many years to come. What was bothering him so much?
Sighing, he sat up in bed and looked over at his wife. He and Mist had a rather interesting story. She had always cared for him and loved him as if he were her own brother, and he considered her his sister. Over the years, though, he found that he'd grown to love her in a different way. In all honesty, he wasn't even sure what made him feel that way about her. He had never truly loved anyone before in his life. It took him a while to even recognize those feelings, given his personality. He figured she would've been far better off with Boyd, who seemed to take a lot of interest in her, but he simply couldn't help the way he felt. As if by fate, he had been severely wounded during a freak sparring accident with Mia one day, and it was the young cleric herself who came to his rescue. His wound was serious, and he had almost been lost because of it. If it weren't for Mist, he was sure he wouldn't be alive right now. Amidst the stabbing pains he felt while she healed him, he grabbed her arm and dished his feelings right then and there. However, he had not expected her to bend down and kiss him on his lips. When she had finished up the job, she offered to walk him back to his tent. As he rested, she sat by his bedside and held his hand tightly, letting him know that the feeling was, in fact, mutual. She laughed as she confessed she'd loved him in that way for a long while, but she was afraid of his rejection. Soren gazed upon her the whole time, thinking her the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Not long after that, they became a couple. All the Greil Mercenaries knew, however, despite their efforts to keep it a secret. Ike was the first to find out, of course, being able to see directly through Soren in the rather annoying way that only he could.
The two were married shortly after the last war ended. They still resided in Crimea, but were no longer with the Greil Mercenaries. Instead, they moved to Melior, Crimea's capital city, and settled down there to raise a family. Soren made a living for his family selling magic tomes in a shop that he and Mist had opened up together. It wasn't planning battle strategies like he was used to, but at least his magic knowledge never went dull. Soren had changed, and he knew Mist was the one and only reason for this. He was no longer the cold, irritable person he had once been. He was still negative at times, but tried very hard to see the glass half full. Mist reminded him of this constantly, and he admired the way she truly cared for him. That was something not many others had done. No other person in the world made him feel as light as Mist did. Her bright and carefree personality had taught him to be more than he was, and he loved her dearly.
He smiled at Mist and bent over to give her a light peck on her forehead. Unlike him, she was sleeping peacefully. He ran his hand over her face, noticing a few wrinkles by her eyes. He moved in closer to examine them. Maybe that was it. He had never really given it much thought until now. They'd been so happy together, that he hadn't really had time to give it any thought. Nonchalantly, he moved his hand up to his own face, feeling his smooth, pallor skin. Without even looking into a mirror, he knew he still had the face of perhaps an eighteen-year-old boy. He had finally figured out what was troubling him. He was a Branded, and his mixed blood would ensure that he live a very long life. Mist was a Beorc, and had a much shorter lifespan. She would come to pass long before he would, and this fact scared him.
"Daddy?" His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of a small child. His and Mist's five-year-old daughter, Elena, had wandered into their bedroom, clutching her favorite teddy bear in her arms. She stood at his bedside, looking up at him with ruby red eyes that were flooded with tears.
"Whatever is the matter, Elena?" he asked softly, not wanting to wake Mist. She was currently with their second child, and needed all the sleep she could get.
"I had a bad dream," the little girl answered, hugging her bear tight. Soren uncovered himself and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Elena dropped the stuffed animal on the floor and reached out to her daddy.
"Come here," he said as he gently scooped her up in his arms and set her down in his lap. She buried her face in his chest and threw her small arms around him. "Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked, running his fingers through her reddish brown hair. He felt the girl nod her head against his body. She sniffled a little, and Soren tightened his hold on her.
"It was awful," she began, holding back tears. "You and Mommy died!" Upon saying this, she couldn't stop herself from crying any longer and the waterworks started. She whimpered softly as Soren gently patted her on the back.
"Hush, child," Soren quietly told her. He kissed the top of her head several times, trying to calm her down. "Mommy and I are not going anywhere," he said after a while. "Not for a very long time."
Elena pulled her face away from her father's chest to look directly at him. "Really?" she asked in her tiny voice. Soren looked her in the eyes also. His eyes.
"Would I lie to you?" he asked, smiling. He pulled her small, fragile body close to his once again and squeezed her tightly. "Do you want to go back to your room, or do you want to sleep with us?" he asked, already knowing how she would respond.
She didn't even answer the question, however. Rather, she just scooted herself off of Soren's lap and crawled into the bed, nestling right up to her mother. Soren smirked and pulled the covers over her body.
"Mmm?" He heard Mist moan quietly next to him, and figured she had been woken up. She rolled over onto her side, and was surprised to see her daughter lying next to her. "Elena?" she mumbled, still half asleep. "What are you doing here?"
"I had a bad dream, so Daddy said I could sleep with you," Elena answered.
Mist looked over at Soren and smiled. "He did, did he?" She then proceeded to wrap Elena up in her arms. The young girl rested her head upon Mist's large stomach, giggling as she felt the tiny child's movements inside.
"I hope it's a boy," she said, her eyes slowly closing. "I want a baby brother." She was fast asleep as soon as the words came out of her mouth. Mist chuckled and kissed Elena's cheek, then she lied back down. She heard Soren draw in a deep breath of air from across the bed.
"What's wrong?" she asked, reaching over to put a hand on his shoulder. His head was lowered, and through the shadows, she could see he wore a rather pained expression. "You're brooding again, aren't you?" she said, knowing her husband all too well.
"No, I'm not," he responded, though he knew she could tell he was lying. "Maybe I am." He sighed once more. "Before Elena came in, I was pondering something." Mist gave him a look that urged him to continue. "I was thinking about-" he stopped himself midsentence. He didn't think Mist had come to that grim realization yet, and he didn't want her to be miserable for the rest of her life.
"Soren," she began. Her voice was soothing as she patted his shoulder. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"
Soren nodded his head, his dark locks of hair falling into his face. "Yes, I know that," he said. It took all the strength he had in him, but he finally continued. "I was just thinking about how long I'll live, in comparison to you." Without him even knowing it, a silent tear rolled down his cheek. It wasn't until Mist's thumb wiped the corner of his eye that he realized he was crying. He inhaled sharply as he felt her gentle touch on his face. "I don't know what I'll do without you," he sniffled.
To his surprise, Mist did not break down into tears herself. She was usually quite emotional, crying at anything that was even remotely sad. But she simply stroked his cheek, doing her best to quell his heartache. "You shouldn't dwell on such a thing, my love," she said softly. "How long has this been weighing on your heart?"
"It only occurred to me moments ago," he answered her. "To be very honest, I feel foolish for not realizing it sooner." Mist's hand moved to grip the top of the headboard and she used all her strength to pull herself up into a seated position on the bed. Elena remained unmoved, still peacefully sleeping. Soren reached his arms around his wife to help her up the rest of the way. "Please, don't strain yourself," he told her worriedly. He moved in closer to her then, being careful not to squish the little girl in between them. He placed one of his arms around her while he grabbed her hand in his own, kissing it delicately.
"Do you regret marrying me?" Mist asked, rather out of the blue. Soren gave her a wild look, as he thought the question to be completely absurd.
"No, of course not!" he said, a little louder than he had intended. Elena stirred slightly, but she did not wake. "There is no other that I would rather be with," he added, quieter this time. "I love you, Mist."
"I only asked because I thought your burden might be lighter if you didn't love me," she told him, fighting back tears now. "You wouldn't have to fear being left alone," she continued. "I can't even imagine what it will be like for you. Watching all the people you love grow old and pass on to the next world, while you remain the same." Her voice became softer as more tears threatened to spill from her forlorn blue eyes. "If only I were like you!" she cried, burying her face in his chest.
"No," Soren said, squeezing her hand tightly. "What I have is a curse. I would never wish anyone the same fate as me." As he said this, he aggressively rubbed the distinct mark on his forehead, as if to wipe it clean off. "Elena has no evident proof on her skin, but there's no doubt that she carries some laguz blood in her veins. The baby does, too," he said, glancing down at Mist's stomach.
"How long will they live?" Mist asked, her cries subsiding a little.
Soren seemed to ponder this a bit longer, but eventually came to a conclusion. "They will not be affected by the blood they inherited from me. When I first learned of my heritage through researching in that library in Sienne, I also read that a union between a Branded and a Beorc will result in normal, Beorc children." He stopped for a moment. "They will leave me one day as well, unfortunately."
Mist took Soren's face in her hands and turned his head towards her. "Please forget about that for now," she urged him. "We are your family, and we will all love you unconditionally until we die." She corrected herself then. "No, we'll love you and we'll never stop loving you."
Soren couldn't help but smile despite all the sadness he felt. "I know you will. And I will too. Not a day will go by that I won't think about you. I will mourn at first, but as the years pass, I'll cherish the time I had with you. I'll be reminded of how happy we were together, and that alone will give me the strength to go on."
Mist smiled as well, his words assuring her that he would be able to live on without them. "I'm glad," she said. "Why don't we get some sleep now, hmm?" She allowed herself to slide back down in the bed and enfolded her arms around Elena once more.
Soren agreed, lying down next to his wife, their little daughter in between them. Sleep came faster than he had anticipated, and he was overtaken by it before he had the chance to think further about the future. He dreamed peacefully that night; not once was his mind thrown into a nightmare. Instead, he dreamed of his family. His happy, perfect family. Soren smiled in his sleep. He would make sure they remained this way forever.
Mist cradled their newborn baby in her arms, humming a soft lullaby as the tiny child slowly drifted off to sleep. She sang the same melody that her mother used to sing to her as she rocked back and forth in the chair that Oscar, Boyd, and Rolf had built for them when Elena was born. They were actually expecting a visit from the Greil Mercenaries today, as they all wanted to see the new member of the mercenary family. Even though Soren and Mist no longer lived with the mercenaries, they still considered them part of the group, and came to visit every now and then.
Soren entered the room quietly, closing the door behind him. "Is he asleep?" he asked, kneeling down beside Mist.
"Yes, he fell asleep just moments ago," Mist answered, yawning. She was quite tired herself, forgetting just how exhausting it was to take care of a newborn. She gently stroked the baby's downy head, feeling the softness of his wispy, black hair.
Soren smiled and put his hand on Mist's shoulder. "You did well, Mist," he said softly. "You've given us another beautiful baby." Having said that, he leaned in to give her an affectionate kiss on her cheek.
Mist chuckled. "Well, I certainly couldn't have done it without you." She turned to face him and pressed her lips against his. "I love you," she whispered once they had finally pulled away.
"I love you, Mist," Soren said. Then he looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms. "Look at him, dreaming so peacefully. Little Gabriel..." He gently laid a hand on the child's head. The baby squirmed ever so slightly at the touch, but was soon motionless again. His small chest rose up and down slowly, hinting that he was in a deep slumber.
"This is how it's meant to be, Soren," Mist said. "You and I, Elena and Gabriel. This is what our family is supposed to be like." She stopped a moment before continuing, bowing her head. "This is what our life is supposed to be like."
Soren smiled at the woman he loved. He couldn't have said it better himself. Tears were beginning to form in his eyes. He noticed them this time, yet he didn't bother wiping them away. For they were not tears of sadness, but instead tears of joy. He knew his family and friends would go before him. He knew that one day he would feel more alone than he had before Ike found him. But for the time being, he was truly happy. He would simply add this moment to his collection, and cherish it forever. His memories would be the only thing he'd have left to hold on to. Memories of his beautiful, loving family. The family he always wanted.