(Chapter 4)
(Sothe's point of view)
(Disclaimer-I do not own fire emblem or any of its characters, but I do own my OC Rend)
I spun around and He had been so close behind me that I ended up kissing the laguz, Rend, on the lips. I fell back and Rend started to break out into a nervous, almost scared laugh. Okay, well this may take the cake for the most embarrassing and disgusting thing I have ever done, I thought. I hoped and prayed that no one had seen that. Rend, somewhat startled himself, got off the bed. I stood up and I hit him on the head.
"Don't you ever sneak up on me again!" I yelled.
"Well, I wasn't expecting you to do that!"
"Well, I wasn't expecting you to sneak up on me!'
"Oh, calm down, before you reopen your wound."
"Fine…" I sat down on the bed and Rend sat down next to me.
"I came here to tell you something." Rend said. He was almost whispering.
"Yeah, what?"
"It's about Ike."
"Will you just tell me already?"
"Okay, okay Mr. touchy, a year after you left to form the dawn brigade, a group of Begnoin soldiers attacked the Greil mercenaries. They were caught off guard and Soren was killed. It has really been bothering Ike lately, so watch what you say. The last thing we need is a fight to break out." It took me a while to take in what he had said. I never expected to hear anything like this from Rend. He waited for me to reply.
"I'm sorry to hear that, I will." That was all I could mange to say. Rend sighed and got up.
"Well, I'll see you." Rend said as he walked out of the room. Soren's death explained why Ike seemed so sad and why Ike had Soren's book. I wonder what he would say if I told him about what became of the Dawn Brigade. Well, it was good to know that the rest of the Grail mercenaries were alright. I lay back down and stared at the ceiling. Like the rest of his room it was dark blue. It was hard trying to fall asleep after everything that had happened. I heard the door creek open and I turned my head to look at the door. Rend walked in and walked quietly over to me.
"What is it Rend?" I whispered to him. The laguz were easily woken up, so we had to stay quite.
"Did Ike come in here?"
"A couple of hours ago, why?"
"Ranulf and I can't find him anywhere."
"I'll help you look." I gently and slowly sat up, but Rend placed his hand on my chest gently. I looked over at him, curiously.
"No, you're too weak right now Sothey. You can barley move as it is." I put my hand on his and smiled at him. Rend had a dumbfounded look on his face.
"I'm fine Rend." I lifted his hand off of my chest and jumped off of the bed, landing, shakily on my feet. After a couple of minutes standing, I regained some of the strength in my legs. Rend just stared at me.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, now come on." I grabbed Rend's hand and ran out of the room. I barely missed running us both in the stone wall of the hallway, thankfully I stopped before we hit it.
"Okay, Sothey, I'm leading."Rend said.
"Fine..." I sighed and let him lead me around the castle and out of the castle to a small garden outside of the castle. Ranulf was standing in it waiting for Rend. His ears pricked up as he saw me with Rend, but other then that showed no surprise that I was with him.
"Any luck?" Ranulf asked Rend.
"No, but lover boy followed me."
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Ike has vanished, we've looked every for him. But we can't find him." Ranulf said. I sighed, was this, my fault too. Ike please, please be okay. I glanced around the garden. I saw Rend wink at Ranulf and I glared at him. What was he planning? Rend grabbed my hand and dragged me through the garden. Ranulf ran off. Rend stopped in front of the little pound and waited.
"Rend." I growled.
"Oh, clam down, Sothey." Ranulf walked into view with Ike following him. I glared at Rend and he smiled. Ranulf left and Ike looked at us.
"Rend what's going on?" Ike asked.
"Nothing." Rend pushed me into Ike, who caught me. I'm going to kill that demon! He tried this before, what was the difference now. I struggled to get out of Ike's arm, so I could go and beat the crap out of Rend, but Ike didn't let go of me. I think he was afraid that I would kill Rend.
"Bye-bye, Sothey!" Rend called as he ran away.
"Get back here, you little…"
"Sothe, don't let him get to you."
"Fine." With my anger gone, I realized that I was in Ike's arms and I started to blush wildly. I buried my face into Ike's chest, just as I had before. Ike lifted up me chin and looked at me.
"Sothe, what's wrong?"
"Nothing." I turned my head away from him. He smiled at me gently and wrapped his arms around me and laid his head on my shoulder. I looked at him, surprised.
"Sothe, you don't know how happy it makes me that you're alive." I leaned my head against his. I could feel tears dripping down his face. Soren's death must have really bothered him, if he was crying now. I remember how Marcia and I used to try to set them up…kind of like how Rend and Ranulf were trying to set me up with him now. I admit, even when Marcia and I tried to get Soren and Ike together, that I was jealous of Soren and that deep down I hated him. Now I see that my envy had made me blind to how happy Soren had made Ike and Ike's happiness was the only think that mattered. It's too bad that I'll never have the chance to apologize to Soren, not that he would forgive me anyway. I could feel that I was now crying too now. I put my hand into a fist and did what I thought, at the time, was right. I pushed Ike off of me.
"I hate you Ike, I never want to see you again!" I screamed at him and I ran into the forest, it was starting to rain. At that point I didn't even know if Ike was following me, but I kept running and running.