Holy cow, my stories have not gotten this much attention in a long time. People actually care. Thank you all so much! This was meant to be up a week ago but some jerk thinks it is fun to make a computer virus. (Is there nothing more evil) And before anyone yells at me, the flashback scene contains quotes from the game. Not mine. The second half is Micaiah focused again. I don't know why but whenever I write about her I get very lighthearted and a little sarcastic. She's optimistic. Sorta. But this is unimportant. Go. Read.

Chapter 3

What Can Not Be Forgotten

Rain. It litters the earth in a damp sheen and soaks into the mushy ground. It brings only despair and leaves regret in its path. A chill wind accompanies it. Its high pitched whooshing meets the ears of all those who dare to listen. At some points the wind is not a wind at all. It is the soft voice of a child as they cry out to their mother and suddenly it turns to the dying wail of an elderly man. And To think, it is only the wind. These few moments will linger in his memory for a long time. Misery is not being cold miserable and wet. Waiting for vital information is never enjoyable. Knowing no matter how long you wait, the news will not be good, that is misery. And for some reason you still wait, because you have faith. Even the smallest amount can keep our feet planted and keep us waiting. No. This is misery.

Ranulf sits on the edge of the Serenes forest. His bicolor eyes are set and fixed dead ahead; unblinking. The forest, along with his fur, glistens in the moonlight. He is alone. The few that remained behind with him have taken shelter deeper in the forest. Sometimes he believes he can feel the danger growing closer only to find it is only a trick of the mind. He shivers and sends water droplets flying.

He is so soaked now, his fur sages from the weight of the rain. He shuts his eyes tightly and shifts his form. He can see them coming now. Two orange blurs grow in size as they race toward him. From where he now stands he can see the puddles splash as they trample through them. To his great regret, they are alone. Of course he expected this. He tilts back his head and looks at the cloudy skies as they weep. Softly he whispers. "Forgive me, Ike."

The two orange blurs are no longer blurs at all. Lyre and Lethe run up to him changing forms as they go.

"Anything?" He asks. His voice is weak from disuse.

"Nothing." She looks him directly in the eye when she speaks. "We followed their trail as far as we could. But the rain has washed away all signs of them."

"I thought as much." Lethe looks at him with pitying eyes but says nothing else.

Lyre eyes her sister with a look of excitement. Quickly she reaches into her sleeve and pulls out a piece of forest green fabric. "You forgot about this." She whispers so only her sister can hear.

Lethe's eyes flicker with a faint memory. "Lyre, found it near the Daein border." Lyre smiles bashfully and drops the fabric into Ranulf's outstretched hand. He stares at it as it snakes through his fingers. "Ranulf," She adds in a serious tone, "There is little chance that Ike is still alive."

"I know that. It's just…" He glances down at the cloth in his hand with a grimace. "I got him involved in this…"

Lethe quickly reminds him, "It was his choice to come."

He nods but does not seem to care. "If I'm not back in Gallia by the new moon, continue without me."

"Commander," Lyre leaps in front of him to keep him from walking away, "Where are you going?"

"Daein."

"You really intend to go alone?" Lethe seems unimpressed with his choice. She leans into her hip and waits for his answer.

"I have no choice. I can not just abandon… my friend." Ranulf normally seems carfree but that does not mean he is not devoted to his friends.

"Then…I will go, as well." She sighs and looks to her sister, "Lyre wait for us in Gallia."

Lyre's face reddens and she snaps. "No way are you leaving me behind." She looks to Ranulf, "Commander, you have to let me come. I can be useful. I can fight. I can be sneaky. I reeeeeeally can."

He could argue with them but his history with the two sisters has taught him that it would be pointless. "Fine. Be ready to head out in an hour. He walks deeper into the forest, leaving the two of them standing in the rain Gripping his hand into a fist he stares down at Ike's green bandana as it dangles from his numb fingers.

Flashback

Januff flew over to them with the report. "They're gaining on us. We have to hurry!"

Ranulf looked out over the fields to the point where he knew the Begnion army would appear. "Just get everyone into the forest." There was a passage there to Gallia; their only hope

Ike came up alongside him. His face was set and stern. "Any ideas?" He looked tired. Ranulf had not seen him this way since his father's death. Soren fell into place alongside them and gave a rare comment.

"…With the enemy closing in so quickly, it would be unwise to use this secret passage. If Begnion found it, it would give them an open invitation to surge across Gallia. Your king would not be pleased." He was right.

Ranulf could feel his headache coming back. "We can't expose our country to that danger. We have to think of something else." What were they going to do? Ike had pointed out that they could not use the forest as a battlefield. They had too many injured and wounded troops in their ranks anyway. It was all seeming very hopeless. Soren looked to the west and directed their attention over to the stone walls.

"Our options are profoundly limited, Ike. It appears our only other choice is those caves up ahead." Ranulf sighed. The Kauku caves?

"We don't want to go there. They say that there are only two ways out. One goes to Gallia and the other Goldoa. It would be suicide. They're a giant maze of lava and ash. We would never find our way."

Ulki's voice came from overhead. He touched down beside them and in an annoyed voice said, "However the more you hens carry on, the closer the enemy advances on us." Once again Soren's annoyed voice spoke up.

"If the enemy catches up to us in this forest, we will certainly die. The caves are known to be dangerous, so Begnion may not pursue. Even the most formidable natural hazard isn't as deadly as an intelligent, living army. We must go to the caves, now.

Ranulf looked at Ike who had the final say in all of Soren's plans. The commander of the Greil mercenaries nodded. "All right, Soren. I trust you. Let's move out for the caves.

The trek into the caves was miserable. Every step they took down the rocky incline was slow paced. With each passing moment the heat increased. Ranulf remained at the rear with Ike to help the wounded. A female laguz with a badly injured leg came stumbling along. Ike carried her down to Ranulf who handed her off to Mordeccai. When he turned back to Ike, the commander was no longer there. He raced back up the incline to find Ike speaking with Ulki.

"Ike, what is it?" Ranulf knew to expect the worst.

"They're here."

"What? We haven't gotten everyone into the caves. We need more time."

"I know." He reached over his shoulder and removed his sword from its sheath. The sunlight glinted off its edge and made Ranulf wince.

"W-what are you… what are you doing?" Ike held his sword, Eltard, out to Ranulf.

"See that it gets back to my sister." Ranulf reached out and took Eltard into his hands. Ike had made the sword look so light and yet it took both hands for Ranulf just to life it.

"Ike, what are you doing?" But Ike was already walking away. His back was to Ranulf who was staring at his friend dumbstruck. "Ike?!" He turned and looked back at laguz with a soft smile.

"I'm making time." With that he turned away and approached the edge of the forest. Ranulf looked down at the sword in his hands. His throat clenched and his stomach knotted. "Ike…" He whispered. He swallowed his fear and anger along with his grief, and looked to Ulki.

"Tell everyone to get into the caves. We have to hurry." Without another word, he placed Eltard on the ground where the soldiers would not disturb it, and went back to helping the injured.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the forest, the Begnion army stood awaiting orders. Every soldier had their weapons at the ready and an emotionless expression plastered on their face. General Levail had been doing the same until just a moment ago. Something had entered his line of vision. He leaned over to inform his commanding officer. "Sir, someone is coming out."

General Zelgius merely nodded. He had seen the figure long before Levail but had decided not to take any action. Finally from behind a large tree they appeared. Zelgious who often remained emotionless, blinked in surprise. He was not expecting to see a familiar face. On the contrary, he had been expecting to see Gallia's future king again. Of course his surprise faded instantly. It did not even show in his voice. "Commander Ike." The man in front of him said nothing. He simply stared back. He looked lost.

Finally, he spoke, "General, Zelgius, I would like to negotiate a surrender." It was a flat out lie but this was war. Zelgius had thought as much. Why else would a man walk onto the battlefield without a weapon?

"Understood. Agree to our terms and this war can end without further bloodshed."

Suddenly a voice from behind him spoke in a wicked snicker of a voice. "I am afraid I can not allow that my dear General."

Zelgius scowlwd and turned to face a man who had only arrived moments before. From his clothing it was apparent that he was a senator, but that was the least noticeable. His hair was a massive array of curls that hung down past his shoulder's and his nose was a mockery of an appendage. His voice was the most horrid of all. It was this man's arrival that surprised Zelgius more than Ike's appearance. But as always he did not let it show.

"You're…Senator Valtome."

"Uwee hee hee. You're not even a tiny bit surprised, Lord Zelgius of Cador? What a frightful bore you are. I came here in secret just to surprise you."

"Oh, I am surprised indeed. What would bring a senator of your station of your station to a place like this? Do you bring new orders?" It was clear that he did not care for this man at all and yet he tolerated him. It seemed that this Valtome knew it but he also seemed to enjoy it.

"Uwee hee hee. Oh, yes," He eyed Ike with his cold eyes and made the mercenary want to draw back. He honestly thought they had forgotten him. "I am here to deliver a decision handed down by the senate." Ike hardly noticed that Zelgius had taken Ike by the arm and placed himself in front of him. "In its wisdom, the senate has appointed me commander in chief of the Imperial Army. From this moment on, this army is mine." Ike could have sworn he had seen the General's skin pale.

"… I see. Then I am at your command. Your orders, Commander?" The senator only laughed his shrill little guffaw and prattled on about how much fun Zelgius was to play with. The general had to ask him for new orders repeatedly until the fool finally shut up and acted like the commander of an army.

"Hmmm. I don't really care for this battle. It is taking far too much of my precious time. We shall conquer those sub-humans with a different route."

"Actually, Sir, They've asked to negotiate a surrender. I thought you had arrived in time to hear that." He stepped aside so that Ike was visible to Valtome's wicked eyes.

"Uwee hee hee. And here I thought you were always so serious. To think animals wanting to negotiate. I rather enjoy this side of you, General."

"Sir, I am quite serious. Commander Ike is standing right beside me." Valtome looked annoyed. This was no fun. Without warning he shot forward and shoved his face within an inch of Ike's He was inspecting every inch of him. Ike was disgusted to find that this man even smelled like cheap perfume. He could even taste it. Valtome finished with his scrutiny, not nearly fast enough, and sneered in the General's direction.

"You seem to have confused a Beorc for a beast. But it is understandable. I would confuse this thing for an animal as well."

"Senator, you misunderstand, Ike is the commander of the Greil Mercenaries. They were employed by Gallia and now they wish to surrender."

"No." Valtome said simply.

"Sir?"

"No."

"But, Sir, we have lost so many soldiers already." Zelgius looked more bewildered than ever before.

"No, I'm tired of those creatures. They tarnish our beautiful world and make it undesirable. We can not simply stop all that we have accomplished. No. I shall not have it!" Ike's mind drifted from the conversation at hand and he thought back to the others. Hopefully he had bought them enough time to escape. He was purposely ignoring what this man said. If he listened to any of it he might be compelled to snap that monsters neck.

"Commander!" They all turned to see Lekain rushing toward them. "The Laguz alliance was seen heading into the Kauku Caves. They must be desperate."

Valtome chuckled. "Surrender indeed." Ike ignored him. "Well then we should move on. The Northern force will stay here. Tell them to go inside the caves and search for bodies of the dead sub-humans or something."

"Sir, that's suicide!"

Valtome waved his hand dismissively and turned to Ike. "As for this one, I see no further use for one so incompetent." He swiftly reached over to one of the soldiers and plucked their sword from their fingers. He admired the blade for a moment, tested its weight, and gestured to the two men closest to him. "You, hold him down." They stepped forward obediently, each taking a hold of his arms and forcing him to his knees. He hit the pebbles on the ground hard enough to feel the skin on his knees tear away. At least the others had made it safely into the caves. Valtome's shadow shone on the ground in front of him. He could just make out the narrow point of the sword as it hovered over his head. He swallowed and waited.

"Sir, Please, wait!" Zelgius had placed himself awkwardly between the blade and Ike.

"You're spoiling my fun, Zelgius."

"I must advise against this."

"On what grounds?" There was no easy way to speak to this man.

"Ike, is Crimean. If we intend to keep Crimea out of this war or even as an ally, we can not be the ones to… do this."

"Are you suggesting I let this pathetic excuse for a beorc run free?" His patience had run short and it was really starting to show.

"Not at all sir. We should simply pass the burden onto another. Why not Daein?" Zelgius wanted to stab himself for saying such a thing. Daein's most hated enemy just delivered to their doorstep. How did that change anything? Valtome seemed to consider this and a wicked smile came to his face.

"I rather like this idea. Crimea would be a useful pawn in this little war. See to it, General."

"…of course, Senator Valtome." He averted his gaze from Ike's. The feelings of guilt tore at his insides.

"Oh and send the northern force into the caves." He was repeating himself just to wound Zelgius further. "And, Zelgius? Never question my orders again, or I'll have you killed. Is that clear? You should be happy to know that you will be coming with me to wipe out those beasts. Well, I'm wasting my precious time out here.

Ranulf raced through the trees and ran to the edge of the forest. He had gotten every soldier into the caves. Even if Begnion were to try and follow, they would have a hard time. The hardest part had been bringing Eltard to Mist. He would have trouble facing her again. She had run to Titania and cried in the other woman's arms. He could not blame her. Ike was the only family Mist had left. He had to forget that for now. He had done his work and now all he had to do was go back. He just had to go back for Ike. He crouched low to the ground and crawled up behind a berry bush. Peeking our from behind the thorns and branches he saw the army was marching away. Ike had gone with them. He was too late.

Ike did not dare speak. He kept his head low as he rode on horseback along beside Zelgius. He stared down at his bound hands. His wrists were chaffed and red. His feet had been tied to the saddle. Zelgius led the horse along by the reins. "I apologize, Ike. I never intended for this to happen." Ike did not respond. "You will be turned over to Prince Pelleas when you reach Daein. He has a good heart." Ike swallowed and stared straight ahead. The border was close. Zelgius gave him a quick glance before he walked away to meet with the Daein escort.

One of the larger soldiers approached Ike. He followed orders, cut Ike's ties from the saddle, and lifted him down to the ground. Ike just stared as they redid the bindings around his wrists. He was left standing there, surrounded by enemies and nameless faces. He hung his head lower and thought back to the others. They were safe and that was all that mattered. That was all.

Suddenly, there was a faint blur of color and something tightened around his neck. He gasped and tried desperately to wriggle out of this strange hold. A cold voice whispered in his ear. "You'll be joining the sub-humans soon enough." The hold only got tighter. He could feel his face burning and his lungs aching. If only he could move his fingers. There was an abrupt loud thump and the pressure went away. Ike reached for his neck as he staggered forward. His hands came away from his throat and to his disgust he found his own bandana had been wrapped around his neck. It fell free and drifted to the ground as the first raindrop fell. He coughed and the world swam before his eyes. He coughed harder and teetered on his feet. Everything was fading; being eaten away by small patches of black. A low groan came from his lips as he fell forward. He landed heavily in the outstretched arms of Zelgius. Through blurry eyes he could make out the image of his attacker lying on the ground. Ike couldn't understand. Zelgius had helped him. His legs felt useless, but it was over. Why could he not react? Why was everything so…cold. The world changed and he found himself staring up at the sky and in the arms of General Zelgius as they crossed the border to Daein.

Everything was coming back in small pieces. There was only color but later on there were shapes and definition. His stomach lurched as the world beneath him bounced and thumped along. Wooden planks. He was lying on wooden planks. Planks…that must be a carriage like the merchants used. He rolled over and stared at the man behind the reins. He didn't look like he was from Begnion. They hit a bump and his head banged against the wood. Daein. That's right. Zelgius had told him they would be going to Daein…Why Daein? Where was Zelgius?

"What's wrong with me?"

"Plenty." Ike glared at the back of the drivers head but chose to ignore the comment. Instead he tried to think about what could be making him feel so odd. No. He did not remember the last time he ate but everything runs together when you are away from home. What day was it anyway? There was an odd taste on his lips. Powdery and bitter. The final conclusion was: he had been drugged. No point in thinking anymore on that. The cart came to a quick halt and Ike rolled onto his stomach. The driver was speaking with someone outside. He leaned up on his elbows and peered over the edge of the cart. Three Daein soldiers were standing there along the road. It looked a bit comical. They stood in a row from tallest to shortest and each stood perfectly still with their weapons held ever so perfectly.

"We are here in place of Prince Pelleas. We will be escorting the prisoner." Ike groaned when he realized what was coming. Once again he was lifted into the air, flipped over one too many times and planted on his feet. He didn't even have a chance to register their faces before he was clubbed over the back of the head and sent sprawling to the ground.

End Flashback

"Micaiah, have you seen my healing staff?"

"Micaiah, we need a healer."

"Micaiah are you pushing yourself too hard."

"Maiden, be well."

Micaiah this Micaiah that. Really it was the usual routine, but today it seems more stressful. It reminds her of when Sothe was little. She would sneak from her room to get a glass of water in the middle of the night. She never wanted to wake him and that was hard to avoid with him being such a light sleeper. Somehow, the sounds of the house seemed even greater. The door hinge that only squeaked slightly seemed to scream and that one loose floorboard groaned more furiously than ever. Of course none of this was true. It just seemed that way because she was trying to be sneaky. Much like she was trying to be sneaky right now. Being spoken to is frustrating. It is as if any moment now someone would run up to her and ask where she was running off to with that bag hung over her shoulder. In truth it was easier to get to the stone tower than she expected.

She is not really sure how she should go about this. Should she knock or just walk in. She does have permission after all. Izuka is probably too busy speaking with himself to notice her anyway. Boldly she walks inside and begins her descent down that awful stairwell. She counts each step in her head as she goes. Step number seventeen is the most important. This is the step where she now comes face to face with Izuka. She practically yelps when she notices him.

"Eh? What's this." He croaks and leans in to admire her. "You, girl what business do you have in my personal study?"

Thankfully she manages to hold her ground. She has been letting him talk down to her for too long. "I am certain that Prince Pelleas has already spoken with you."

"Eh…some nonsense about coming and going and such "

"As I please." She reminds him with the sternest voice she can muster.

"Mere trivial words. Do as you wish, but disrupt my work in any way, and I will have you exposed for the fraud you are." Fraud? She merely stares back at him and waits for him to step aside. He doesn't. He just ogles back at her. "Are you going to get out of my way or are you going to daydream?"

Her good nature gets the better of her and she presses herself against the cobwebbed wall as he tromps past. Under his breath he can be heard muttering. "Insolent brats, wheehee! Pawns and nothing else." As soon as he is gone she runs down the last few stairs; drawing her bag against her as she goes. She hits the last stair and makes a large cloud of dust rise up. Oh, heavens how she distastes that man!

She makes her way across the room and stops in mid-step. A spider web had drifted across her face. "Ugh…" She wipes franticly at her cheeks and shivers. Abruptly, she remembers the need to be serious. It did not start off well. Ike had seen her when she was frightened and vulnerable. She needed to be tough. She needed to be the way any general would be in front of an enemy commander. "Commander Ike, are you awake?" Yes, very imposing, indeed. He does not move at all. Her eyes are still adjusting. From what she can see he is just sitting there with his head against the wall and his arms wrapped around his legs. He presses his knees to his chest and stares right on through her. She forgot how bad he looked. It's disturbing. A healing wound runs along the side of his forehead and another trails down his bicep. He seems somewhat conscious of her presence and tries to ball himself up further. "Um…" Oh. There it goes; her serious demeanor, gone. So much for Micaiah being imposing. "Do you remember me?" He just keeps staring through her like she is made of glass. "You know why you're here, don't you?" No change. "It's because you're a prisoner of this war. You really shouldn't have involved yourself in this." Again with the serious and heartless act? Goodness what is she doing? Her tone drops to a whisper. "Look…I'm…I really am sorry for all that's happened to you. I can't help you and…and…" It really was easier to just be herself. "And I would help you if I could, but I can't." It felt good to say that. She needs him to know she is not a bad person. Saying it aloud is a bit comforting. "I hope you understand." Why is she twiddling her fingers? And he is still staring at her…right. She closes her eyes and stares at her feet. "Look if you don't want me here, I'll go." He blinks his eyes heavily and gives his head a slow shake.

"Don't" It's a single word but it's one of the most meaningful things anyone has said to her in a long while.

"Okay…I'll stay." She reaches an unsteady hand into her bag and pulls out a key. She lifts it up to the lock of the cell door and looks at him meaningfully. "You have to promise not to run or anything like that."

"Can't." He rasps.

"You can't promise?"

"Can't move." He still has not moved.

"Oh…" She lets the door swing inward and slips in. It slams shut behind her and makes her jump. Quietly she presses her back to the bars. She stands like that for a long while and practically mimics him. It looks ridiculous. There she stands, looking terrified and nervous, and watching someone who is basically doing nothing. Finally he tips his head in her direction.

"I meant it."

"Hmm?" She can not help but stare at the trail of blood running down his chest. "You really can't move, can you?" He gives her a funny look, lifts up his left arm and lets it drop to the ground. He tries to lift it again and only manages to lift it a few inches before it drops again. Looking at her with a raised eyebrow he waits for her to react. "You're mad at me aren't you."

"Hmm?"

"You… you look so sour." He bows his head and mumbles something. "What?" She can't make out a word of it. Carefully she moves closer and crouches down beside him. "What did you say."

"I always look…like this." She looks at him as if he had just told her he was the king of Daein.

"Was that a…a joke?" She sits back against the wall just out of arm's length. He does not seem like the type to suddenly snatch at her, but why risk it?

"…no." From where she sits she can see the goose bumps rising on his arms. The poor guy is freezing. She throws an arm into her bag and pulls out a soft blanket. The bag looses its shape almost instantly as it flattens out. She drapes the blanket carefully around him and quickly returns to her spot on the floor. Mentally, she checks the distance between them.

"I…thought you might be cold."

"Thank you." She wishes he would say something more…conversational. Oh, speak of the devil. Here it comes. "You need to sleep more." Where had that just come from?

"I…what? I mean…" She sighs and gives up. "You can tell?"

"Mmm." He nods and swallows painfully.

"Well, you need to eat." Hah, so there.

"Would you eat… anything these people gave you?" He coughs heavily and boroughs deeper into the blanket.

"Well, no. But would you eat it if I gave it to you?" He seems to be thinking it over. She smirks and pulls a bit of bread from the bag. "Would you?"

Hours pass as the two sit together in this small little world. Micaiah has forgotten the war. She's forgotten so much. She likes him. He's a good person. She thinks to herself. He smiles so softly it almost is not real. Slowly she breaks off another chunk of bread and places it in his hand. He can lift his arm a bit better now. At least she doesn't have to lift the food up to his mouth anymore. She's never seen anyone eat so slowly. He refused to eat at first, but somehow she had managed to earn his trust.

She never realized how close she was to him until right now. Their shoulders are touching for goodness sake! He does not notice but when she does a heavy blush covers her cheeks. To close to the enemy. Get back, Micaiah. Get back. Suddenly she wonders, What time is it? She has been here since…after dinner. She dabs lightly at his forehead with the cuff of her sleeve. "I don't think it will scar." Well, technically, this was closer than she wanted to get but she could not ignore that cut any longer.

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does." She smiles gently and picks up a lock of his hair. There is so much blood caked into it that she could hardly tell what color it once was. She lets go with a frown and gets to her feet. "I should go. Sothe worries." Do I really owe him an excuse?

"Sothe…" He thinks for a moment. "Micaiah…can I ask." He coughs into fistfuls of the blanket. "Can I ask something of you?"

"Go ahead." She smiles kindly as she locks the cell door behind her. Cruel irony.

"If I…need you to…if there is no other way. I want you to end it."

It? End what? She wonders then gradually she realizes what he means. She takes a step back. He sees the look on her face.

He can't ask that of her. "I-" He gets another view of her worried face. "Nevermind. I shouldn't ask that of you.

"No, I will…" She can not believe she's agreeing to this. Killing in battle is hard enough but to take a life as a favor… It is too late. She already said she would do it. "If I really have to I will…" Maybe bringing Sothe into this is going to be a bad idea. She can not ask for his help in this. She could hardly ask him to fight against Ike in their last battle.

"Micaiah?"

"Yes?"

"Will you be back?"

"I was planning on it. Why?" She has completely neglected to explain everything to him. He does not know about the deal with Pelleas or the struggle she went through to smuggle him that blanket and that loaf of bread. It is best if he does not know.

"No reason. But I'm glad."

"Tomorrow then." She smiles secretly to herself and takes the first step up the stairwell.