A/N: Many thanks to the people who reviewed "Either Side of the Door"; yes, it was based on a picture of both of them leaning on opposite sides of the same door, Kent standing and Lyn sitting.
Anyways, there's simply not enough Eliwood/Fiora fanfics out there, or enough fans of the pairing. So I've taken it upon myself to at least increase the first. Reviews are appreciated, and quite possibly reciprocated!
It was windy. And it was cold. Lord Hector had proclaimed that it was daybreak when we exited the Dragon's Gate, but no one even bothered to think of the wind that was whipping around our legs, making capes and hair alike fan out in front of us.
And, somehow, it was odd that after everything we had been through, I was worried about it being cold. We, a small if not particularly ragtag band of assorted mercenaries, commoners, scholars, and nobles, had defeated a creature that no one had even thought existed any more. Or, more accurately, Lady Lyndis, Lord Hector, and Lord Eliwood had charged the dragon with their mythical weapons, Priscilla repeatedly casting healing spells just out of the dragon's range.
Well, it's not true to say that we all hung back. Kent, Florina, and I had inched forward with every strike, closer and closer to the three battling Lords. And Erk had hovered nervously just behind us, his young face marked with concern for Priscilla, who looked to be tiring herself out.
But I digress. Most importantly, it was cold and windy, even for a native of Ilia. I began to wonder if wearing pants would be an option, in a group like this. True--women were absolutely not allowed to wear trousers. Even Lady Lyndis, raised on the plains, wore a long skirt. But when you rode a Pegasus, you could hardly wear a long skirt, as you would never be able to ride properly. So it was either freeze or disgrace myself.
Were I not representing Ilia's mercenaries everywhere I went, I would have donned a pair of trousers. But, as a commander, I had to set an example for my troops.
It is amazing how one will try and think of anything other than the dragon that they had just killed, the two half-dragons that they had just seen pass through the gate. And the look of pure heartbreak on Lord Eliwood's face when Ninian turned and smiled at him, then hurried onwards.
Perhaps that was what I was trying to forget, thinking about the cold and the wind. Keep your mind on the goosebumps rising on bare flesh, and you can almost, almost forget the fact that the man you've been falling in love with over the last months was in love with a girl with long, pale green hair who could dance like leaves falling through the air.
Almost.
Think about anything, anything else. Think about the new Rex Hasta in your hand, and what to do with it. "It almost seems… wrong. To take it," I whisper to Rebecca, whose steps cease when I mention that. She frowns, running her fingers over the supple curved wood of her Reinfleche.
"I know," the green-haired sniper replies, shaking her head. "They were the morphs'. Ulai's morph. Remember how he told us where we would find this place?" She sighs deeply. "It seems wrong to leave it, though. He- Ulai- I think that he would have wanted me to have it, if only because I would use it in battle. He seemed the sort that wouldn't want a perfectly wonderful bow to go to waste."
It's not fair, how Ulai's morph had the Reinfleche. Darik's morph had the Rex Hasta. Where Ulai was good and honorable, despite who he worked for, Darik was only power-hungry. Eliwood had taken the Rex Hasta from Darik's grasp when he fell, and handed it to me. Only because it was too good of a weapon to leave behind, not because he thought that Darik would have wanted me to have it.
It is a magnificent weapon, though. Long and perfectly straight, just a shade thinner than my wrist- which I'm told is quite slender- with a point like I have never seen. It is a black, perfectly smooth spearhead, as long and as thick as my hand, and sharp enough to prick when I grazed my hand over it. But the spearhead cannot detract from the magnificence of the shaft. It looks to be made of cedar, which I find odd. But it is absolutely beautiful.
Rebecca has already passed out of the gate, out of the building where I first met Eliwood. Where the purple-haired thief Legault joined our forces. She has taken her Rienfleche with her, as I think that she should. Ulai would have wanted her to have it.
I sigh, looking at the building behind me. Legends will keep almost everyone away for generations upon generations, leaving the Dragon's Gate untouched. And then I smile, give the Rex Hasta a last pat, and lean it against the door frame. "May no one else ever use it," I murmur.
Out in the cold, false sunshine, we have all gathered, except Lord Eliwood. Those who did not join us in the final battle are rejoicing and cheering, while we are all simply tired, and relieved that it is finally over.
"Eliwood!" Nino cries suddenly, craning her head and looking around. "Where is Lord Eliwood?"
We are all confused for a moment, when Priscilla and Oswin reassuring everyone that Eliwood certainly made it through the final battle. "He probably needs a few minutes alone," Priscilla says, always the sensitive one.
"No, I'm ready to go now." Lord Eliwood strides through the rapidly dissipating fog. "I'm sorry if I worried you."
All of the members of the band are ready to leave, so we break down camp quickly. We are careful to fully extinguish the embers of our fire, down to the last red hot speck of ash. After all, if something were to catch fire, it would burn down the island. And, even with the bad memories that it holds for us, it is a sacred place. The dragons died here, and they deserve to have it preserved.
Within minutes, we are ready to go. Vaida is scaring Merlinus as she helps him pack, and I do not understand why a woman like that would be interested in Merlinus. To each their own, though.
It is odd, to realize that after we arrive in Lycia, we will all go our separate directions. I have a sneaking suspicion that Hector is going to ask Florina to marry him. He has already invited her to stay in Ostia, not as a mercenary, but as a guest. Nino and Jaffar, too- they do not like to remain more than a few inches apart. There is something between Lady Lyndis and Kent, too. It is not obvious, but as they pack their respective belongings, there are a few long looks, the brushing of hands followed by an immediate blush.
There are couples who do not have those things written for them, though.
Priscilla will return to her parents, but I do not know if the green and white haired Wyvern Lord will go with her. Raven and Lucius must have somewhere in mind, but I doubt they would divulge that information to me. Isadora is in love with Legault, even if she won't admit it to me, one of her closest friends in the last weeks. Yet they are enemies in the purest form, and could not live together. There is no corner of the world remote enough for them to run to.
And then there is me. I may wax poetic, but I have heard that until you have your heart broken, you cannot really fall in love. So, there will be someone who I truly fall in love with, somewhere down the line. I can wait.
With a start, I realize that camp has been completely broken, and everyone is mounting up on their horses, whereas I am standing blankly, lance in hand. I take my lance, the last silver one left to me, strap it to my Pegasus, and prepare to mount. Then, suddenly, someone has grabbed my shoulder, spinning me around, and drawing me to him.
Keep your mind on the warm arms wrapped around you, the body shielding you from everything evil, the red and blue cape whipping around his body and yours at the same time, the face buried in your hair, and you can almost, almost forget about the wind and the cold.
Keep your mind on Lord Eliwood, the man that you love, holding you to him with all the might he can muster and you can forget anything.