Title: "Silver Restoration"
Author: Joanne Blessing
Series: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Disclaimer: It goes without saying, but I will state it nonetheless: I own nothing of this franchise, it belongs to Nintendo/Intelligent Systems. I took some license with the characters' backgrounds, building off details released in the Support conversations and such. I took some artistic license with other details. Refer to Part Three's disclaimer for info regarding my artistic license on Seth's background.

"Silver Restoration"
Part Four

As he'd done the night before, Seth didn't go straight to bed at all. However, this time he wasn't going to stay up for long. Instead, he stopped by the room assigned to the pegasus knights, because that was where Amelia was bunking for now. He wanted to check on her just because it was his duty as commanding officer to make sure all his knights were in good shape and spirits. He wasn't used to commanding a female knight, as they were rare in Renais, so he hoped that he wouldn't be too poorly received for his efforts.

He knocked tentatively on the door, and heard a grumble from the other side; "What, again? It's getting late. Who do you suppose it is this time?"

"Shush, Vanessa. I'll answer it." After a moment, the door unlatched and opened partially to reveal Syrene. "Why, General Seth! This is a surprise! What can I do for you?"

"I won't keep you, Dame Syrene," he said formally. "I'm only here to check on Amelia, to make sure she has settled in well. She's part of my responsibility now, after all."

"Well, General, she's asleep right now. Quite soundly asleep."

"Very good. That's all I needed. Good night. Give my regards to the other ladies."

"General, wait," Syrene said as he started to turn away. "A moment of your time, please?"

"Yes?"

She stepped out and shut the door behind her. "Something weird is going on. I've seen both Princess Tana and Princess Eirika acting as though their heads are in the clouds today, and Amelia was grinning like a fool and wouldn't say why. The war with Fomortiis might be over now, but that doesn't mean we can all be careless."

"I cannot speak for either princess, but I imagine Amelia's good mood is because Prince Ephraim has offered her a commission amongst the Knights of Renais and will swear her in as soon as we get home. She has been hoping for this, so this is probably something of a dream come true for her."

"Ah!" The FalcoKnight's eyes lit up. "That makes sense! Perhaps she was simply too tired to properly explain the situation. I will see if I can't get Princess Tana to confide in me, and perhaps you should inform Prince Ephraim about Princess Eirika? That is, of course, if you and he are not already aware of Princess Eirika's bizarre behavior."

"Well, Princess Eirika is still somewhat traumatized by what happened to Prince Lyon, so I am simply doing my best to protect her without interfering with her coping, Dame Syrene."

"I see. I suppose I'm not surprised. Still, as long as you and Prince Ephraim are aware of it, I don't need to worry about Princess Eirika. I'll focus on Princess Tana, and see what I can do to help her. Thank you, General. And, if I may suggest, you should find a bed soon. You look incredibly close to collapsing." She gave him a respectful salute.

He chuckled tiredly as he returned the salute; "That is my next objective, Dame Syrene. I simply wanted to fulfill my duties as commanding officer and see to it that Amelia was settled. Thank you for your concern. Good night."

She returned to the room and shut the door between them, and he turned on his heel, heading to a room nearby that had been designated for the Knights of Renais. Despite Pontifex Mansel's chancellor's most insistent pleas, Seth had refused any private accommodations. He believed that he was no better a soldier than his men, and preferred to bunk with them when he could because it helped morale. Not to mention, his fellow knights were his friends, and he had lost so many friends in the fall of Castle Renais that he cherished the friends that still survived.

As he stepped into the room with the other knights, he sighed with relief that the day was finally over, unclipping the clasps on his armor and beginning to shed the steel shell.

"So you are joining us, eh, General? I know they wanted to put you up in special accommodations. Some of the Rausten knights seem to idolize you. You are making far too big of a name for yourself, Sir Silver Knight!"

"What are you doing still awake, Forde? You were the one I'd figure to be out first. You certainly complained enough about being tired!"

"Couldn't sleep. Kyle's snoring has kept me awake."

"My snoring? I don't snore, at least not that loudly!" Kyle retorted sleepily from where he was curled up in a bunk. "Bet you it was Franz."

Franz's annoyed voice floated up from where he was laying; "Don't pin that one on me, Kyle! You snore worse than my brother!"

"That snoring I hear isn't from any of you, clearly," Seth said with a chuckle. "You're all awake, and it's coming through the walls anyway. Sounds like it might be Gilliam, or perhaps Garcia."

"If we weren't in Rausten Palace itself, I'd think that was the window-rattler himself, that crazy berserker. Dozla, I think his name is?" Forde yawned. "Either way, I can't sleep tonight, though I dearly would like to. However, General, I do have a question, and you'll have to forgive me for being so nosy, but you've been talking privately with Princess Eirika a lot the past two days. Is something the matter?"

"Forde!" Kyle sat upright in the bed. "You don't have the right to ask a question like that, you know!"

"I'm not asking it as a knight. I'm asking it as a friend," Forde said. "And General Seth is free to tell me to shove it, you know. I won't bother him if he doesn't want to talk about it! So just chill out, Kyle, before you cause yourself a hernia!"

"I've... kind of wondered that myself," Franz said, a bit timidly. "The way you and Princess Eirika have been interacting has been really confusing. Last night she seemed really angry with you, and now... you're almost inseparable."

Seth let out a sigh as he set down his armor into a neat collection by the door; "I need to talk with you three about this anyway, so now is as good a time as any."

"Uh oh," Forde said under his breath. "Sounds serious."

"It is serious."

"Well, that makes sense, I suppose. If there's anyone more serious than Kyle, it's you, General. What's the problem?"

Seth closed his eyes as he sank onto an unoccupied bed. He felt his strength draining from him in exhaustion. But he needed to make sure he had his knights' support. He absolutely had to do this, and now.

"General?" Franz sounded concerned.

"I need your unwavering support, all of you. Things are likely to get very trying."

"Is there any reason why you think we wouldn't support you, General?"

"Well," he rubbed his hands over his face, "my role may very well be changing somewhat."

"You're not retiring, are you?"

"No, no. Of course not. How old do you think I am?"

"You're dodging the issue, General," Kyle said. "What's going on?"

Seth heaved a sigh; "It seems that Princess Eirika and I have... well, fallen in love."

"Oh!" Franz sounded a bit startled.

"Oh, is it mutual then?" Forde inquired all too innocently. "That's a bit of a surprise, I suppose."

Seth turned to the blond knight, eyes wide in shock; "Have I been that transparent?"

"Eh? You? No, not really. But Princess Eirika's infatuation has been pretty obvious to me. She watches you when she thinks no one else is looking. I wasn't aware that you felt the same though."

Seth let out a self-conscious chuckle; "It is... complicated, to say the least."

"General Seth, does this mean you'll be forced to give up command of us?" Franz sounded worried. "Because, frankly, I can't think of a better General for us."

"That is why I need your steadfast support. So long as I have your support - all of you - I don't believe anyone can force me to step down. I worked very hard to earn this title, and I intend to keep it as long as I am physically able to perform the duties associated with it."

"So..." Kyle said with a bit of a drawl, "does Prince Ephraim know about this? I know how protective he is of Princess Eirika, and being that I myself have a sister, I can see where he might be a bit unreasonable..."

"I assure you that he approves. After all, Prince Ephraim all but shoved me into her arms," Seth said, stifling a yawn. "And I wouldn't be surprised if he's not done with his machinations, either."

"Meaning?"

"Enough questions," the paladin said, a trifle crossly, uncomfortable with this talk about something so private. "I'm exhausted and I haven't slept properly in days." He shucked his boots and reclined on the bunk, not even bothering to get undressed. He was far too tired.

The last thing he heard before sleep claimed him was an exchange that might have annoyed him if he'd had the energy to get annoyed. He was too tired to react to it, and gradually tuned it out.

"General Seth isn't much older than you, is he, Brother?"

"Naah, about ten, fifteen years."

"Brother! He's not that old!"

Kyle, as per usual, mediated. "Relax, Franz, you know how this moron is." A thump and a swat, followed by an inarticulate protest from Forde. "I think the General is only thirty or so. He's far too young to retire, barring crippling injury, if that's your concern. And, Forde, if you think age is an issue, I dare you to bring that up to General Duessel! Good night, both of you."

It was the best night's sleep any of them had had in a while. With no pressing reason to get up before being fully rested, most of the company stayed abed until late morning. The sun was already high in the sky, climbing toward noon, when Eirika managed to get out into the courtyard where the rest of the company had begun to gather. She was treated to a rare sight: Kyle and Forde were apparently sparring with Seth. And it was clear that even now the red-haired paladin still outclassed both of them. Even though Kyle had wisely chosen a lance to oppose Seth with, even with the advantage of lance over sword, he still couldn't get the upper hand.

"You're tricky, General!" Kyle said with a grin. "You don't even need a lancereaver, do you?"

"Not true at all and you know it, Kyle. I just know your fighting style and can avoid your moves. Now come on, both of you, put some effort into this! You're letting me get the upper hand too easily!"

"You're making the Knights of Renais look like a bunch of pansies!" Ephraim called over from the sidelines. "Forde, stop lazing around. I know you're better than that!"

"I'm not lazing around, I'm looking for an opening. Why don't you come over and spar with the General, Prince Ephraim? He's a difficult opponent!"

"I just got done sparring with Duessel; I think the two of you can handle General Seth without my help!"

"That's not what I-" Forde protested, before Seth swatted him upside the head with the flat of his blade.

"Pay attention, Forde!" The General snapped. "I'm tempted to get serious on you. I don't want to hurt you, but if you don't put some effort into this, I may have to just to prove a point!"

Out of sheer irritation, Kyle spun his lance around and whacked Forde in the head with the butt of the lance's shaft. "You embarrass me, Forde."

"Fine," the blond knight said, rubbing his head and glaring at his fellow knights. "You really want me to get serious? Fine, I'll show you serious!" He slashed his sword down into position and squared up, facing Seth. "Prepare yourself, General Seth. It's on now."

What followed that challenge was a rare display of what Forde could really do when he dropped the idiot act, and further proved why his eccentricities were tolerated by Ephraim and Seth: he was simply breathtaking with a sword, his skill and speed clearly something to be respected, even feared. His martial skills were top notch. When Forde chose to be serious, he could be devastatingly good with a weapon.

For his part, Seth responded in kind, making for a fantastic display of swordplay. Though it was nothing like when Joshua and Marisa sparred - two swordmasters sparring was truly a sight to behold - it was still breathtaking in its own right.

Finally, Seth raised his arm to call a halt; "Enough. That's enough, Forde. My arm is tired now. That was nicely done."

Forde gave the General a slightly sarcastic salute; "You wanted me to get serious, so I did."

"I did, thank you. It's a pity you're so lazy; you'd go a lot further if you had some ambition."

Ephraim approached and clamped a hand on Seth's shoulder; "Seth, I need to speak with you about something. Come along."

"As you will, my prince." The paladin sheathed his sword and set it against the nearby rack, and followed after his liege.

Eirika just watched the two of them as they approached, and only reacted when Ephraim reached out and grabbed onto her arm. "C'mon, Eirika, this applies to you."

"Ephr-Brother, stop that!" She squawked in surprise. "That hurts!"

"This applies to you, Eirika, so you're coming too. I think you'll want to be in on this anyway."

"I understand, Brother, but don't yank on my arm like that!" She followed the two of them into a corridor where they had some privacy.

"What's the matter, Prince Ephraim?" Seth inquired.

"I think I have a solution to your dilemma, if I'm understanding Eirika properly. You're concerned about the other Renais nobles disapproving of your relationship, right?"

The paladin exchanged a brief glance with the princess, and cleared his throat; "Er, well, yes. Except that I'm not concerned, so much as I know they will more than just disapprove. They will make trouble if they are sufficiently upset. The last thing we need is our collective authority undermined by discontent nobles."

"Well, hear me out," Ephraim said, "because I think I have a suitable answer, but it relies heavily on how devoted you are to each other."

Eirika blinked; "What do you mean?"

"Are you willing to marry?" Ephraim didn't even bother with beating around the bush.

Seth blanched; "I... what?"

Eirika blushed; "Brother!"

"I'm serious. If you're both willing to marry, I can offer you my sister's hand in marriage as reward for your heroics in the war, Seth. There is a precedent for that, I'm certain of it. And since my sister won't ever be the Queen of Renais so long as I'm around, it's not like succession should be an issue. We've already discussed my ideas for an alliance with Frelia, and Prince Joshua of Jehanna already has a bride lined up, so there's no one in another country to form an alliance marriage with. And Eirika and I are both in agreement that without you, we would never have gotten this far. It's likely that neither of us would even be alive if not for you."

"You insist on giving me far too much credit, my prince," the paladin said unhappily. "If I were so valorous and heroic, we would not be in this position of succession in the first place. I failed to save your honored father, after all. It was all I could do to protect Princess Eirika."

"He ordered you to flee," Eirika retorted. "I didn't want to leave, but you took him at his word and did precisely as he ordered you. You were obeying your orders. You shouldn't hold our father's death over your own heart!"

"Father would not have thanked you if you had saved him after he ordered you to save Eirika," Ephraim said. "He would have been furious with you. You know this, too. Why do you hate yourself for doing as you are sworn to do, which is obey your sovereign liege?"

"I don't hate myself for it, but I don't believe I deserve any praise for it either. I was doing my job, Prince Ephraim. Nothing more. I hated doing it, but I did it."

Ephraim shook his head; "Seth, it doesn't matter why you did it. The fact of the matter remains, had you not risked life and limb to protect Eirika, neither of us would be here today. And that is what I wish to reward. Besides, you want to be with my sister, don't you?"

The paladin looked very unhappy; "That is not a very fair way of saying it, Prince Ephraim, as you are basically backing me into a proverbial corner, but yes, I do."

"Do you find the idea of marrying her unpleasant?"

"You ask me this in front of her?" Seth retorted, momentarily forgetting himself. "No, Your Highness, I do not find it unpleasant at all, but I do not anticipate that it will be well received if it should happen. And frankly, you sound as though you are not taking her feelings into consideration here, by taking it upon yourself to offer her hand in marriage for her."

Ephraim turned to Eirika, who was still trying to parse what had just happened. "Eirika, do you oppose my idea?"

"Er, no, I'm just... confused..." She ran her hands over her face. "And you're clearly upsetting Seth, Brother, so maybe you should, er, leave? Maybe Seth and I should talk about this just between the two of us?"

"Fine," Ephraim said, apparently not in the least bit put out by her telling him to scram. "I just wanted to make sure that you know that this option is available to you both. I'll make it be available. You deserve happiness, both of you, and I will do what I can to secure that happiness. Let me know what your answer is." He turned on his heel and departed their company, giving both of them the distinct impression that he'd planned for this all along.

"He frightens me sometimes," Seth murmured. "Just when you think he is oblivious to something, he proves to be more in tune to it than you'd ever imagine. No wonder he and Forde have always gotten along so well. They are much the same in many, many ways."

"He mentioned his plans for an alliance with Frelia. Seth, do you know something about that?" A moment later; "You do, don't you? I can see it in your face. What is it?"

The paladin looked uncomfortable; "I cannot say anything, my princess. Prince Ephraim has forbidden me from speaking of the matter with anyone. You will have to forgive me but I must remain silent on the matter."

She sighed; "All right, I understand. I'm sorry. I just don't like being kept out of the loop."

"I promise you, you will find out soon enough."

She leaned close to him, sidling up against him. "For what it's worth, Seth, I wasn't aware that he was going to do this, but I do rather like his idea." She was a little concerned that he might be so spooked by Ephraim's bombshell of a proposition that he would be in no mood for affection.

Her fears were allayed adroitly when he put his arms around her and pulled her close, pressing a kiss into her hair; "If, and only if, this is what you truly want, my princess, then I will accept his offer. But this has to be your desire, because I do not want you to feel as though you have no other choice. I'm sure there are other ways to make our love acceptable than this, in some manner."

"Does the idea of getting married not appeal to you?"

"I..." He fell silent a moment. "I would be lying if I said that the idea had never crossed my mind, but I have never seriously entertained thoughts of marriage. Frankly, I have long been of the opinion that a Knight of Renais has no business being married. We saw what happened to Orson, after all."

"Seth," she said with a weak smile, "it wasn't the fact that Orson was married that caused him to lose his mind. It was the profound loss he felt when she died that broke his spirit. Even if he hadn't been married to her, I think he was still weak enough at heart that her death would have affected him similarly. Marriage is not an evil thing, after all."

He didn't respond to that, though the troubled expression on his face told her more than enough: he was still haunted by Orson's treachery. She knew that he had taken it quite personal when they found out about Orson's betrayal of Renais, but it was clear that the whole mess still deeply affected him in ways he hadn't really had a chance to come to terms with.

She reached up and touched his face with her hands; "Seth, if you don't want to marry, that's fine. But... I would like to. I have no doubts about it. I do love you so much. I wonder if you are having a hard time understanding that I love you?"

"Perhaps I am," he said finally. "I am still getting used to be able to admit that I love you, after all. I have been in denial for so long, it seems, that no longer denying it has caused me to question things I would not normally doubt. Do understand, milady, that I do not doubt your feelings... but it is not easy to accept something I have been denying for a while like this. The prospect of all of this as a reward for what I feel should not be rewarded at all, also bothers me."

"You do realize, don't you, that Ephraim is only using the whole 'reward' thing as an excuse for anyone who has a fit over the fact that you are common-born, right? He doesn't really mean that he wants to reward you for something you find unpleasant, but if it helps the dissenting nobles to accept this, he's willing to use it."

"I do understand that, at least partly, but..." He shifted awkwardly. "This is all very complicated and I don't know what to think, to be perfectly honest."

"I want to make it clear," she said gently, "that I would like to marry. But if you are uncomfortable with the idea, I won't pressure you."

"I will repeat what I said moments ago," he said with a ghost of a smile. "If this is what you truly want, then I will accept his offer." Then his expression darkened slightly. "However... if it requires me to resign my post as Knight General... I am not sure I can do that just yet. I worked very long and very hard to reach this position and I don't think any of my knights are ready to succeed me."

"I wouldn't want you to resign," she said. "You are needed by all of Renais. I'm sure Ephraim can work something out." Then she grinned. "Should I be offended that your job means more to you than I do?"

"I did not say that, milady!" He protested, earning a genuine laugh from her. "I mean that it is a decision I cannot take so lightly if I must resign! I am responsible for all the knights, you know!"

"I know, I know - I was teasing!" She laughed merrily and hugged him. "Oh, Seth, you do make me so happy. Never, ever doubt that I am happy when I am with you!"

His response was to pull her face upward and kiss her firmly; "I may not seem it, because of how confused this has left me, but I am likewise quite happy with you, my dear princess." She was delighted to see that he was beginning to accept and respond to her affections. "And if marrying will make you happier, I will do it without hesitation."

"I really wish you wouldn't treat something so personal and private like this as just another part of your duty, Seth," she sighed. "I'd rather you wanted this too."

"I don't really know what I want, milady, except for you to be happy. My entire life up until now has been defined by your family's needs. It is quite hard to know and decide what it is that I want. You will have to forgive me, my princess, for some of my long-term habits of deferring to you will be very hard to break."

She rested her head against his shoulder. "So what answer are we going to give Ephraim?"

"Do I need to say it a third time?" He smirked.

"Only if you make me say it yet again that this is indeed what I truly want."

"Then you have our answer to Prince Ephraim. Shall we go tell him?"

"Mm," she looked up at him, her heart overflowing with affection, "in a moment, yes. But first, I would like to take advantage of this time alone."

He chuckled but resisted her attempts; "We may be 'alone' in terms of no one visible near us, milady, but it would be a serious mistake to assume we are truly alone here, in a foreign palace. Perhaps we should save any intimacy for when we can be certain we are alone. It would not do at all for our reputations to be tarnished before our betrothal is finalized. I trust you can control yourself long enough for that, my dear princess?"

She pouted; "You're no fun sometimes, Seth!"

He smiled at that; "Well, one of us has to watch out for our reputations!" He shifted a bit, stepping away and offering his arm to her. "Why don't we go inform Prince Ephraim of our answer? And, perhaps, if it bothers you to not know what his plans with Frelia are, you can ask him yourself."

She looked up at him with a tiny bit of pleading; "At least one more kiss?"

"Oh, very well." He made a good-natured show of heaving a sigh and pulled her close, giving her the kiss she was begging for. For a few moments, the two of them abandoned all reality and absorbed themselves in each other. Then, a sound down the hallway interrupted the moment and both of them reluctantly turned to their obligations.

Ephraim was waiting for them by the palace doors, and his smile grew when he saw them approaching arm-in-arm like they were.

"So... do you have an answer for me?"

"Before I answer you, my prince," Seth said guardedly, "I must ask: will I be expected to resign my post?"

Ephraim blinked, genuinely taken aback; "Why would you be?"

"Because marrying royalty would effectively promote me to nobility, would it not?"

"Er, I suppose you're right. However, if you don't want to resign your post, I certainly won't force you to. In fact, I'd be quite displeased if you did resign. I need you probably more than my father did, you know. And I highly, highly doubt that you being married to my sister would cause Franz, Forde, Kyle or Amelia to question your ability to command them."

"Very well, then. If I am able to retain my post as Knight General, then there is nothing else to consider. Prince Ephraim, I will accept your offer."

"Excellent!" Ephraim slung an arm across Seth's shoulders in a companionable gesture. "Once Renais is completely restored, you'll be stationed largely at Castle Renais anyway. Until then, you'll have to do your share of patrols. I won't be able to afford for you two to take much of a honeymoon."

"Understood, my prince."

"Eirika, you are in agreement with this, I presume? You look like you're walking on air, after all."

She grinned at her brother; "I am quite content with the situation, Brother, but I would like to know what your plans for an alliance with Frelia are."

Ephraim's grin vanished, and he looked sharply at Seth, who held his hands up in yielding fashion.

"Don't look at Seth like that! You said it right in front of me, Brother. You said that the two of you had discussed your plans for an alliance with Frelia. I want to know what your plans are."

Ephraim coughed, and then cleared his throat; "Fine. Looks like I fouled that one up. That, and you, my dear sister, can read me like a child's book. Fine, fine." He glanced around to make sure that no one was nearby, and lowered his voice. "I have not spoken with Innes yet, so I don't want this getting out, because I have a feeling he will completely over react. I want to speak with King Hayden about this, but I think my first priority should be stabilizing Renais, getting the bandit situation under control and reestablishing law and order, before going into negotiations over an alliance. But my idea is to secure our alliance with Frelia by Tana becoming my bride."

Eirika blinked. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Er," she shifted a little, "Brother, you're not... do you love her, or is she just a political pawn?"

Ephraim looked annoyed; "Are you joking, Eirika? Of course she's not just a pawn. I do love her, even if I have always had a poor way of showing it. You of all people ought to know that I'm no good at expressing things like love. Yes, I want to marry her. She makes me smile, and she helped me come to terms with what we had to do about Lyon, you know. She is remarkably supportive; I feel like I can do anything when she's nearby. And it would be a very powerful political alliance as well. A win-win situation, I suppose. My only real concern is... well, I feel hypocritical. I don't want to surrender you in any alliance marriage, and yet I feel like I'm trying to force Innes to do precisely what I am unwilling to do."

Seth's expression darkened slightly, but only momentarily. "My prince, I do have a question: does Princess Tana know about your plans?"

"Yes, of course she does. I wanted to make sure I had her consent before I even considered approaching King Hayden about this. I did ask her to keep silent about it. I hope she has been. Why do you ask? You seem to have some concerns."

"It's nothing particular. I only ask because Dame Syrene mentioned that Princess Tana was acting as though her head was in the clouds."

Ephraim chuckled; "Tana isn't very good at acting. I hope Innes hasn't figured it out or pried it out of her. I've told her that I need to do this myself. I need to be able to negotiate my own marriage, especially with our dear ally Frelia, or else how can I expect my people to trust me to guide them? And I would rather have a chance to discuss this with King Hayden before dealing with Innes, because Innes is not exactly cool-headed and rational where his sister is concerned."

"Or where you're concerned either," Eirika added. "I can see why you'd be concerned. However, if you want, I can talk with Innes. I think he'll listen to me where he won't listen to you."

Ephraim shook his head; "This is my alliance to negotiate, Eirika. I need to be able to do it myself. I just don't want to do it without first consulting King Hayden about this."

to be continued in part five