Command


It was just so much easier not having to be in command. It was a wonder how he was able to go from trainee to mercenary to commander of the Greil Mercenaries to general of the Bengion army when he was 17. What a year. He was 22 now. Five years of being a leader and he was still a leader, just a bit more laid back and willing to let others take over. He preferred (in certain circumstances) being told what he needed to do. It was just so much easier than having to decide what everyone else should be doing before deciding then what he should be doing. It was a complex system; analyzing the situation, and then analyzing the available parties, then deciding who was right for which job, then making the big announcement. He knew he didn't always make the right decision. Which is why he would rather not have to decide at all.

His father had made a good commander. Always knew what to do, he did. Titania as well. She was quick thinking and always made good decisions. There were primary examples everywhere of good leaders; Tibarn, Ranulf, Micaiah, Sanaki, Geoffrey, Tanith, even Elincia stepped into her role as a queen with such grace and poise.

Soren was a good leader. Quick with decision making, head full of logic, plans, back up plans and strategies. Without his little sage, they'd have surely lost both wars. Sure, he could be tactless and ruthless and cut throat and rough and blunt. He certainly didn't come across as 'your next best friend' but Ike understood why when no one else did. He accepted it and came to love the harsh quirks.

He had a good strong voice that commanded attention. He was awfully small, hardly taller than Mist. Where did such a voice come from? Confidence, must be. But, Ike wondered, where did the confidence come from? Soren wasn't comfortable with himself, not fully. Ah, but he was confident in his plans. The sage seemed to know he was always right.

He never stuttered or hesitated when he explained something. He was sharp as a blade's edge and always had an answer for any question asked. He was too smart, Ike deduced. He just seemed to know things that no one else seemed to know.

That's it, he decided. Soren had led the armies during the wars. Ike had only been his figure head and voice.

Soren was in command at the moment, briefing the waking mercenaries on the tasks that lie before them. Mist bustled about, bringing the plates of their breakfast to the occupied tables. Shinon gave a loud yawn (it was the crack of dawn on a summer morning) and allowed his head to bang down on top of his folded arms. Boyd was seated similarly, already snoring. Mist gave a sharp tap to the back of his head and he woke instantly.

"There are a few jobs lined up for the day," Soren was saying, standing before them all. The contracts he had written up yesterday were held in his hand –pale, slender, yet strong, Ike thought- and his eyes never left the papers as he explained where everyone would be heading to for the day. Despite the end of the war and a time of peace spreading over the continent, people were in a state of chaos after the events of the war and there was work to be done, desperate bandits to be stopped, and mercenary groups far and wide were in the height of business.

The good fortune of booming business had left their group in such a positive mood that even Shinon couldn't complain that he, Gatrie and Oscar were to patrol a port city that had been having trouble with roving pirates invading the docks.

No, Ike thought, Soren was a much more efficient leader. He was in control, he was level-headed, he did what needed to be done and that was it. Besides, there was aura about him when he was giving out commands, a power that Ike found, for lack of a better term, sexy. Straight posture, strong voice, sharp eyes, down-to-business attitude. He was the complete opposite of Ike who would shift his weight from leg to leg in a casual stance, eyes roaming just a bit and though his voice was usually strong, he wasn't nearly as graceful with words.

Rhys sat beside Ike, having to look past the commander to see Soren and was grinning lightly at the younger man's slightly dazed expression. He took to spreading some marmalade on a thick slice of toasted bread before stuffing a corner between Ike's parted lips. Ike, in turn, straightened abruptly with a small noise of surprise. Rhys laughed softly, the others stared, Soren glared. The sage had taken notice to Ike's obvious staring but had chosen to ignore it.

With the duties announced, Soren took his spot between Mist and Ike and reached for the kettle of tea. Ike swallowed a mouthful of toast, saying, "I like when you're in command. It's sexy." Ike was never one for subtlety, so Soren couldn't be shocked by such a blunt comment though he was disturbed to feel a fluttering in his stomach.

"And that was a glimpse into your relationship I didn't need to know," Shinon spoke as he put his fork down. "I think my appetite ran away."

Ike didn't seem bothered. Soren, however, with a particularly annoyed look, snatched his tea and left the table with a short, "I have work to do."

No one spoke until the sage had exited. Boyd pointed to Ike with a wink. "Smooth."


I speculated Ike to 22 reasonably. It's stated that he is 17 at the beginning of PoR. Ashnard was killed one year later, so Ike would be 18 at the end of PoR. Add three years, he's 21 at the beginning of RD, give another year for that war to end and voila! Ike is 22 at the end of RD. Soren should be a year younger (he was 6 when he first met Ike, who then fled with his father the very next day. King Gallia (like I feel like trying to spell his name) mentions in PoR that it had been nearly 10 years since that day, making Ike 7 when he met Soren, 17 in PoR and Soren to be 16 in PoR.) I'm estimating Mist to be roughly three years younger than Ike (she seemed to be 4-5 in the flashback cutscene at the end of RD) so I just assumed she's 14 in PoR and at the end of RD to be 19.

Crazy. I'll probably composite an age chart for everyone soon.