Just a note about this part: I wrote this part thinking Almehda TOLD Soren she was his mother thusly allowing him to find out his father was Mad King Ashnard. It was after I finished Thyremog (and Hitenticul) that I actually got the convo in Radiant Dawn and found out she didn't tell him. Oh well. I think it's better that Soren knows...for my story specifically but you can argue against that if you want.
Chapter 5 - The Next Move
Gets body was left there among his servants corpses as the Greil Mercenaries made their way to the capital of Thyremog to meet with Lytros for the formal declaration of the destruction of Jilgers estate. When they got there King Lytros seemed pleased to see them and even more so when they told them of Gets death at the hands of Shinon and his personal aide Uhnie. He smiled even though he still hid his kidlike interior from them.
"Thank you Greil Mercenaries. As for Jilger I always suspected as much but with this deal form we now know he is serious. Neteau!" said man came with Abbard, Hilt, Edal, and Yatno.
"I want you to head a large border patrol just in case Jilger decides to attack us ahead of time." Neteau bows and calls his 4 aides to him before turning to Ike.
"Can I count on your aid in worst case scenario?" he said holding out his hand. Ike looked at him and shook hands "Yes of course. You be careful because who knows what this Jilgers planning. By the way you guys talk about him it seems that he is very clever." Lytros nodded
"Neteau; patrol. Greil Mercenaries; apprehend Barbyos. Uhnie you are free to do as you please." She smiled "Then I would like to accompany Ike on his mission. I owe my life to one of his mercenaries so..." Uhnie eyed Shinon and winked at him and he smiled at her. Lytros nodded "Very well Uhnie. Good luck!"
Soren was in his tent after the first 4 hours of traveling back to Jilgers estate. He wasnt too sure about this. To him they should have attacked Jilger after dealing with Get but they needed rest and Uhnie was near death. He looked outside and saw Uhnie and Shinon walking, talking, and smiling? Yep it was no lie; next to himself Shinon rarely smiled but he seemed happy with Uhnie. She clearly fell for him at his rescue and then his carrying her back to the capital.
He wondered what Shinon felt like and if there was someone in the world for him...probably not. He turned back to his desk when Mist walked in.
"Soren do you have any extra herbs around here Boyd and Ike are roughing each other up and- Soren?" Soren seemed to have been elsewhere because he flinched and turned around
"How long have you been there?" She shrugged "Never mind I found some. Is it ok if I take some?" He nodded and turned away slightly. He thought to ask her something but she was out of the tent quickly. Was she scared of him or worried for Ike? He couldnt tell but it did nothing to help him reach a decision.
He walked outside and stretched. He had visualized Jilger's estate with his magic by feeling the environment with it but couldnt get much more than walls giving it the shape of a floor plan nowhere near completed. He saw Mia and Zihark training again and Oscar with his new horse trying to cope with the loss of Hirin still. Soren wished he knew what he was feeling because hes never lost anything in his life. Or at least anything that matters.
The only thing he can remember he lost was his throne and even that didn't interest him. Why be the king of Daein when he could be at Ikes side, here with the mercenaries? By the way Elincia was a lost heir once and the senators didn't welcome her. Why would the Daein senators besides Tauroneo and Pelleas even accept him? He didn't think of it much anymore.
Almehda returned to Goldoa but he couldn't tell what she was feeling about his not coming with her. Soren reached up to the mark on his head. Was it a curse? A blessing? Having it led to hateful stares from Beorc and Laguz alike. The fact that he also got it from a father of his such as Ashnard terrified him.
However thanks to it he met Ike and the Greil Mercenaries. One of which he seemed attracted to talk to but whenever he gets the chance he seems to cut the conversation short. He then went to Ike's tent to tell him off his supposed layout of Jilgers estate and plans the next move in around 2 and a half hours. He exits and it is a little past noon. He goes out to the trees and practices with his knives. He wanted to be more useful if it ever came to direct combat. He also knows how to heal if the need should ever arise again.
After a few tosses he notices that presence from a while back. The feeling of someone staring at him but now he knows he isnt paranoid. He turns around "Uhnie shouldn't you be with Shinon?" she comes out of the bushes with a smirk
"You are not like the rest of your company are you? Yatno was right about you...there is something...different about you." Soren ignores her and throws another knife at a tree with force cutting straight through it. She examines him
"I never imagined you used knives." She pulls out hers and throws it into a tree landing directly horizontal. Then pulls out another and attempts to skewer Soren but he counters and blows her away with Elwind
"You are not as fast as you think you are." She gets back up "Sure and that girl with the sword is?" Soren turned away and resumed his training "Shes definitely a lot-" he stops to counter her again "-faster than you." Before she can retaliate she hears Shinon and is gone in an instant giving him a cold glare.
"You can come out now she's gone." Soren says resuming his knife throwing. Mia appears "I dont like her..." Soren tosses another ignoring her statement seeing nothing to add to it. Mia eyes him
"Soren do you want to train with me sometime! Id like to get used to fighting people who use knives just in case!" Soren stopped and went to pick up some knives before putting them back in his cloak "Alright." Mia jumped
"Yay! Ill see you tomorrow OK?" He nods again. "OK then its a date!" she turns around and skips away. Date?
For those who care I have 39 chapters of this and am working on getting it all translated into HTML and putting it up here. It will take a while before I get to work on Chapter 40. (I have all 39 up on AFF and 36 on DA). The 5th arc will be posted seperately from the rest of the story because it will be long enough to be it's own story :D Just getting that out now in case I forget. Review!