BOYD

The fort and its surroundings gradually grew dark, a fading blue remained, guiding our path. Gatrie was at guard in front of the entrance, his blue armor blended in the dying twilight, a dull shine outlined his large frame, his face indistinguishable in the approaching dusk. To him we appeared like moving black figures, but he identified us and yelled over his shoulder: "They've returned!"

Somewhere in the fort, movements stirred, the rattling of someone's armor filled the evening air, soft but increasing, coming from behind Gatrie. Titania's figure came into view, still dressed in her armor, hands on her waist, and stood by Gatrie. Her face too was blurred, but her white armor, radiant without much light, and her scarlet hair, still tied into one long braid, its length past her waist, distinguished her.

We reached the entrance. "Took you long enough. Here I was thinking that the four of you were dead," Titania said.

"Good to see you, Titania," said the commander.

"Good to see you too, Greil. How was your training session with Ike?"

He smiled and turned to him. "Excellent. The boy is approving every day. In a matter of time, he might finally lay a scratch on me." Titania laughed. Ike returned his look and nodded with a small jerk, determination in his eyes. His hair disheveled, part of it bristling, he stood straight, his clothes crumpled and smeared with dirt.

Humph. Standing there like he's all that. Don't hunch, Ike! You'll ruin your figure! We all know that your goal in life is to be the incarnation of masculinity: no faults, all perfection. The perfect man? Yeah, right. A man. A man my ass. A silly boy who acs like a man. Standing on his toes to seem like he's tall. Sure you can beat anyone. Anyone that's inexperience. But you can't beat your own dad. But who can? Nobody can. That man knows every technique in fighting there is too know. Rhys told me that the Goddess is the paragon of perfection. If Ashera's perfect and so is the commander, then the commander is God.

"Yeah, and Ike is going to be-" I started suddenly, but Mist cut in, sensing what I was going to say, and said in a louder tone than mine: "Father hit Ike pretty hard on the back of his head today."

"Shush!"

Too harsh for your ego, Ike?

"I stayed with Father at the lake looking over him, just in case nothing serious happened."

"Well, that explains what happened to you and why Ike looks like he slept in a ditch," said Titania, smiling. "Did Boyd find you or was it the other way around?"

"Yes ma'am, just a few minutes after you appointed me the rescue mission, I found them at the spot where Ike usually trains," I said.

"You weren't rescuing them, Boyd. Nor was it a mission," said Titania. "But at least you accomplished your assignment. Lately, you're been slacking off, sleeping in the horses' hay during training hours."

"I know, ma'am," I replied. I paused for a couple seconds, thinking of an excuse. "I've been having dizzy spells recently, and resting helps me recover my strength."

Titania rolled her eyes, still smiling. "Boyd, Boyd," she said under her breath.

"Well, let's talk inside. Oscar should be almost done preparing dinner, and I haven't eaten since this morning," the commander said.

We started moving. Mist grabbed my arm, pulled me down to her height, and whispered: "Don't tell anyone just yet."

"Why?" I whispered back, lowering my axe, its tip almost touching the ground.

"I think Father wants to keep everyone from knowing that Ike has been accepted into the company."

"How do you know?"

"It's a feeling. But just be quiet about it, will you?"

"Understood." With that said, she let go of my arm and walked over to Ike.

A saint. Born from purity, during the zenith of spring with the sun high hovering and looking down on the scene, balanced in an open meadow, Mist was born, not a single sin latched on her; the horrors of child labor, agonizing and harsh, were not there, not a single drop of sweat or a strand of hair loose, vanished: one push and there she was. Childlike angels parted the clouds and descended from the heavens with bands of purple ribbon, stretching it out, east to west, perfectly symmetrical and right above her, her mother, and her father. Her mother cradled her close to her bosom and the commander, kneeling, massaged his lover's shoulders and gazed at this magnificent creature, his creation, a conception from two human souls combining to make flesh and blood of the highest degree, common in blood but royal in beauty. Ike was not in the picture, not in the background, not in the corner. Since his birth, he was probably training, deep in the heart of the woods.

I see what Mist truly is but nobody else can't. I told Oscar, and he said I'm in love. You think so? I asked. If you spent all that time constructing Mist's birth, then yes, he replied. Am I? Every time being around her, fretted and muscles twitching, I lose control of myself. I touch myself. Not like that! It's a thing of mine. I have to touch my hair, my arms, my face. I don't know how to act in front of her. Or in front of other girls. I'm comfortable talking to men, but with women, my speech slurs and impales to the ground. Embarrassment is too overpowering.

Jokes? Humor? Does girls like that? Does she like that? I never asked her. What about muscles? When I go to town with Gatrie and Shinon, I see the town girls, slim, covered in ragged clothes, voluptuous, walking and taking a glance at me, grinning. I don't know how to act. I blush. Brown to red to pink to ivory. I get scared and my words are in the ground. Shinon told me the bigger the muscles a man has, the more likely a girl wants him. It shows him that he has confidence and dominance, he said. You don't have big muscles, Shinon. Well, here's the funny thing, Boyd: I don't have to have big muscles. Basically, I don't have to do anything. I could just simply sit here, and the bitches will still come to me, insane with heat, practically begging at my feet.

But training's hard. I can't train like Ike. That's why I get my ass handed to me when I fight him. With skills not fully matured, I train mostly in the afternoon and during missions where I look for weak enemies to kill. I need sleep, food, and rest. I appear slothful, but I can't take the stress. A man has his faults, but what makes him a man is recognizing them and agreeing with himself. Like Ike. Not Ike. Don't be mad, he only beat you because he trains all day, every day, Mist told me. My brother. Her brother. She cradles him like a man fallen from grace. I've fallen multiple times, too! On my ass. And I? Where's my cradling? Instead, I get laughed at. And she just walks over there and stands next to her boorish brother like he too was born a saint.

I'm not mad. I never get mad. I'm not jealous either. I like Ike. I don't hate him. I don't. But he hasn't recognized his flaws. He doesn't get mad and keeps everything bottled up inside him. I like that. But open up and admit it already! Equivocal emotions. Luring into believing that I...? No. No. Not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter.

"Coming to eat, Gatrie?" asked the commander as we past him.

"No sir, I'll wait until Shinon returns. Until then, I'll stay at guard."

"Suit yourself."

We moved deeper inside the dark compound. I lagged behind, my axe down to my heels, swaying when I walked. Deep inside the main house a weak orange light glowed out from the windows, as if the fort's life was slowly dying. We continued our way to the house, and under the stone archway, curved in an oval shape, the front door swung open and Rolf came out, running towards us. "Mist! There you are! I was so worry! I thought something had happened to you."

She giggled. "Why should anything happen to me? Here," handing the white flowers to Rolf, "I got these for you."

Dammit. I hoped she was going to give them to me in private.

Rolf eyes grew big, like Mist gave him candy, and looked down at them, his mouth gaped. "They're beautiful." He took them and smelled them, his baby face nearly covered by the flowers.

Mist smiled at the sight, I didn't, and Ike went inside.

Rolf moved the flowers away from his face. "Come on, Mist! I'm starved," he said and grabbed Mist's hand, leading her inside. Her brown hair, down to her shoulders, waved gently as she entered into the house. Only Titania, the commander, and I remained. They stood close together with the stone archway right above them, while I stood near the door, staring inside.

"Adorable," said the commander.

"I know. Seeing the two of them together..." she paused abruptly, "...fills my heart-with joy." she said, the final words faded gradually, almost a whisper.

"Boyd, are you going to eat?" asked the commander.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, let me put away my axe." I went down to the armory at the corner of the fort. On my way, I turned around and saw Greil leaned towards Titania, who seemed lost and stared blankly at the house, and whispered in her ear. She stiffened. He moved away. Titania turned and looked at him, petrified.

I stopped in my tracks. Incomplete thoughts filled my mind.

Did he-? Is she-? But I-?

They slowly entered into the house; Greil first followed by Titania.