One Single Glance

Eventually the Pegasus Knights were deployed to fend off Daein's Dracoknights. They flew with great speed straight into the heart of the enemy, the neighs of the winged horses and battle cries of their riders filled the air with noise. Soon bodies, man and beast alike, fell from the skies in number. They landed with an almighty crash, destroying buildings and causing yet more panic and mayhem. People would look to the skies in desperate hope not to be crushed, only to find themselves instead impaled upon a lance.

As the skies were swarmed in chaotic battle, Daein had next brought forth their cavalry. They were met with Crimea's own, Duke Renning had finally organized a counter force to lead against the enemy invaders. Hooves met the ground loudly, almost drowned out by the clash of weapons and screams of the dying. The mounted knights turned in their saddles, delivering blow after blow to all who were within reach. Their steeds ran down blood soaked streets, trampling any who were beneath them.

Excerpt from The Crimean Liberation by Tellius Tacticians

Chapter Two: As the Waves

"Ike, are you listening to me?"

"Yes," he replied moodily.

"Then can you repeat what I have just said?"

He didn't answer, crossing his arms and staring at the wall. Soren sighed and stopped his work, releasing his quill to turn in his chair and stare at Ike. In the light of the flickering candle his eyes glowed, seemingly with a fire of their own. There was silence for a few moments, as Ike couldn't think what to say and Soren was prone to not speaking at all.

"I don't agree with this." Ike eventually spoke, looking at his friend.

Soren was not impressed. "And as I have said multiple times, it will be more beneficial for the company."

"I know that," Ike looked away. "But..." he bit his lip, trying to find the words, "it will be different."

"No more so than usual." Soren turned away from Ike, picking up his quill and scribbling something on a piece of parchment. "I doubt that you shall even notice I am gone."

"Of course I will!" He burst out, and Soren froze in his work. "Er, I mean I always notice when you're not there. You're my friend, after all."

This time it was Ike who looked to Soren, and Soren who refused to meet his gaze. Ike watched as nimble fingers began to write once more, albeit falteringly. Those hands were always working, whether it be on the mundane day to day chores or flicking through a spellbook in the midst of training. Oftentimes it was to keep occupied, but on occasions like this, Ike knew that the mage was searching for words. To ever be able to have a conversation with Soren, patience was needed. And Ike always had patience for Soren.

Sure enough, a response came. "I... I also think of you as a friend." Soren cleared his throat, and leaned further over his papers. It sounded incredibly awkward, and so Soren-like, that Ike grinned.

Apparently sensing his mirth, Soren glared at him from over his shoulder.

"What?" Ike asked innocently. "I wasn't even doing anything this time."

"Indeed," was the icy reply. "You are doing nothing, so why don't you find something to do?" Something somewhere else was left unsaid.

By this point, most people would have walked out. Perhaps after exchanging insults or bursting into tears. Ike, however, could see the subtle tells of Soren that many people, if not everyone, missed. The way he was still slightly hunched over his desk like he was shielding himself. How his hand was gripping the quill loosely, his fist not even clenched as he was prone to doing when truly angered. Most telling of all were his eyes. For while Soren's voice was harsh, his eyes conveyed nothing but resignation.

Smiling softly, Ike walked over and rested his hand on Soren's shoulder. The body beneath his palm stiffened, but Ike waited, and slowly the tension left. He leaned forwards as the mage leaned back, and looked over what Soren had been documenting. It didn't make much sense, and once again Ike was reminded of how Soren wouldn't be here to help him whenever he needed help understanding something.

"Should you be working so hard before you leave tomorrow?" he asked.

"The more reason why I should." Soren's eyes narrowed as he once again continued writing. "I will not be available to insure that everything is completed correctly, after all. Although I'm certain Commander Greil will have no problems in my absence."

"Like the time when you visited the nearby library, and Gatrie used our funds to try and woo that lady?"

"Yes."

Ike chuckled. "You were so mad when you got back, you actually threw your book at him!" Soren said nothing, but his pursed lips gave everything away.

Patting him on the back, Ike moved away to lean against the desk. "Really though, it's the middle of the night. Don't you have to be up early in the morning?" He couldn't quite keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"I have already packed." Soren stated. "And it is more important to finish these documents before I retire."

"Already packed, huh?" Ike mused. "Doesn't surprise me, honestly."

"Believe me or not, it is quite normal to prepare for a journey the day before you must travel." Soren spoke dryly, his mouth twitching at the corners.

"You know what I meant..." The twitch grew bigger.

They were silent for a moment,, both of them watching Soren's quill move across the parchment, the soft scratching being the only noise that filled the room apart from their breathing. Many thoughts were going through Ike's mind, about what the future would bring in the following months. Soren gave no indication on what his own may be, focusing entirely on what was before him. He pushed a strand of his hair away from his face as he worked, tucking it neatly behind his ear. His hair blended in with the shadows of the room, seeming to vanish into the blackness along with the robes he was wearing, and suddenly Ike got a foreboding feeling. Like if he didn't reach out to Soren right now, that he would be lost in the darkness.

"You'll come back right?"

Soren's head snapped up at the question. "Ike?"

"I know we don't have much to offer here," he began, "and I bet you'll get lots of offers from people in Melior once they realize how smart you are, and..." he hesitated. "You won't leave us?"

Soren just stared at him intensely.

"Of course, not that you shouldn't stay there," Ike rambled on, "if you want to. If you wanted to stay, you should. There's a huge library with lots of books, you said, right? You'd enjoy it, I know, so if you wanted to... no-one would be mad... we all just want what's best for you-"

"I won't!" Ike was shocked silent, since he had never heard Soren use that desperate tone before.

He just stared dumbly, mouth wide open as Soren grimaced as he released his hold on the now broken quill.

"So-Soren?" he managed to stutter out.

"I won't leave you." Soren sounded calmer, but there was still something else hidden in his words. "I never will."

It took awhile for Ike to process. "You won't?"

"No."

"Really?"

Soren's eyes drifted over to meet his own uncertainly. "Nothing could ever make me leave your side." He spoke quietly, as if revealing a long kept secret.

"Ike, are you listening to me?"

He was startled out of his memories by the voice. There was a huff, before a finger poked him on the arm. Turning to meet the person who was talking to him, he saw his sister. She had one hand on her hip, with the other still insistently prodding him.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized. There was a pause. "Did you need me for something?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I was asking if you had seen Volke. It's time to eat but no-one knows where he is."

"Sorry," he apologized again. "I haven't seen him. Haven't really been paying much attention, to be honest."

Mist hummed. Ike turned back to the ocean, watching the waves rise and fall. It made him think of his father, who had been so strong and invincible, but who had fallen as easily as a new recruit. Reminded him of Soren, who was quick and clever, with so much potential, and yet...

"You've been distant lately." Mist's voice surprised him again. Instead of leaving, she had taken to staring at the waves alongside him. He wondered if she also could see the resemblance to their father and friend.

She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. After a few deep breaths, she tried once more.

"Are you thinking... about what happened to Father?" her voice cracked on the last word.

He closed his eyes. "Yeah..."

They said nothing more for awhile. The waves filled the emptiness, rushing at the boat and crashing against themselves. The noise reverberated in his mind, growing stronger and stronger with each second until he imagined that he could taste them on his lips, flowing down his throat, pulling him deeper and deeper into their murky depths. It felt like drowning, not on water, but instead the responsibility of a lost cause, knowing that one failure would doom everyone.

For his entire life, his only goal was to be as strong as his father. He had worked towards that goal everyday, swinging his sword for nothing else than the recognition that he was indeed his father's son. How he led his father's company towards a war with a nation that had destroyed their country. Him, a simple mercenary who had woefully little combat experience, who used to trip over sacks of rice and who couldn't even save his own father from death. How was someone so weak, so clumsy and unprepared, expected to take Crimea away from Daein?

"I miss him..." Mist sniffed.

"Me too..."

"Everything is going wrong!" Her voice wobbled as she spoke. "Father wasn't supposed to die! Shinon and Gatrie weren't supposed to leave us, Daein wasn't supposed to attack... Soren was supposed to come back home..."

He gripped the ship's rails, knuckles going white from the force.

"I'm scared..." her voice was small.

He slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "...Me too," he admitted. "But there's nothing we can do now but press forwards."

She wrapped her arms around him. "I can't bear the thought that we might lose someone else," she cried, muffled from speaking into his clothes. "I don't want any more people to die!"

"I know, I know..." he quickly brushed his hand through her hair. "But I think that as long as we have each other, as long as we all work together and support one another, that we can get through this."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, I do."

Staring at the waves, he convinced himself that was the truth.

AN: Hello everyone, hope you liked this new chapter. Sorry it took longer than I expected... Had trouble thinking of how to start it. I'm on a roll now though, so should (hopefully) be finished by the end of the week... maybe. Also, just to make clear, there will be no pairings in this, apart from those that are already canon. Hope you all enjoy and look forward to the next chapter!