Synopsis: Soren goes to Melior to polish his skills as a tactician but a freak accident happens and he ends up in the Elibe universe.
Disclaimer: I do not own this franchise, though I did borrow a lot of its dialogue for this fic,
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Prologue: Bared Legs of the Plains
Soren woke up to the sound of birds frolicking outside. He could smell something very unfamiliar in the air – the scent of lavender and probably mint – but he paid it no heed. Grudgingly, he opened his eyes to the sight of morning blurriness and sunshine – two things which told him that it was going to be a long and arduous day. The mage scratched the itch on his head and only then did he realize that there was another presence in the room with him. Right besides him in fact.
"Gah!" He gasped but quickly regained composure and sat up, startling the tall girl a little.
"Are you awake?" The girl asked, though Soren thought it more to be a rhetorical question seeing as how he was obviously awake. He remained still, however, as he was untrusting of this strange girl. Who in Tellius was she? And what in the world was he doing in this strange room? It was certainly not his own as he would never keep such distasteful and tribal-like things lying around his room. Was she one of the sub-humans?
"Where am I?" It wasn't the only question plaguing Soren's mind right now but it was probably best to start simple.
"This is my room. I found you unconscious in the plains."
Plains? What was he doing there? Last he remembered he was on his way to visit the library in Melior for some much-needed tactical information. If he was to become an asset to the Greil mercenaries – and ultimately to Ike – then it was crucial for him to find out everything there was to know about battle strategies on the field and how to preserve equipment and items in case there was a shortage of funds.
And boy was there always a shortage of funds, what with dumb people breaking their axes all the time and wasting precious food products because they repeatedly fail at cooking something decent for the group. Mist is a prime example of why women should not stay in the kitchen, though it wasn't like she was great at healing magic either.
Soren, ignoring the girl for a bit, peered out the window and saw nothing but green plains and blue skies. No buildings, no high-ranking officials patrolling the streets, no Melior. How did he end up here in this desolate place?
"I thought I was in Melior's library," he mumbled.
"Sorry?"
"Nothing. Who are you?"
The girl smiled when she introduced herself. "I am Lyn of the Lorca tribe." The mage blinked at this and realized he was scowling a bit. This girl – Lyn- was part of a tribe called the Lorca? Were the Lorca a new species of laguz or something? "You're safe now. Who are you? Can you remember your name?"
"I, uh…" he hesitated a bit, unsure of how he should answer her. Sure, Soren wasn't sociopathic – well, maybe just a little – but he did not want to reveal his identity to this Lyn girl, having only just met her minutes before. He quickly went through his list of fake names in his head and when Lyn seemed to grow wary of him, he plucked a name out of nowhere.
"Mark. My name is Mark." Goddess, Mark? He inwardly cringed at such an unsophisticated name. Well, it'll only be a temporary name so I'll let it slide for now…
"Your name is Mark? What an odd-sounding name…" Yeah, tell me about it, Soren grimaced, "but pay me no mind. It is a good name. I see by your attire that you are a traveller. What brings you to the Sacaen plains?"
Soren raised an eye-brow. "Sacaen…plains?" Good Goddess, where the hell was he? He had never heard of this 'Sacae' place before and had never come across its name in his geography books ever. Something at the back of his mind fizzled, leaving him feeling uneasy and very vulnerable. "…Would you be able to tell me which country this is?"
Lyn smiled and took a seat besides the mage, baring one of her legs from under her garments. What was she doing, trying to seduce Soren? "Would you share your story with me first? You look a little lost."
When the little tactician opened his mouth to protest, an obnoxious voice suddenly thundered its way through the plains, scaring all the wild life away. It sounded like one of the merchants back in the Crimean markets where they would try to yell louder than the next merchant in hopes of catching the attention of the next passing customer - or sucker - for them to dupe.
"Hm?" Lyn stood up and glanced out the window. "What was that noise? I'll go see what's happening. Mark, wait here for me." She left the window and rushed outside. Seconds later, she hurried back inside, looking a bit flustered. Her eyes were gleaming with fear and desperation. "Oh no! Bandits! They must have come down from the Bern mountains."
Soren raised his other eye-brow. Bern? Yeah, he was definitely not on Tellius anymore. While he was flipping through his memory bank for any possibilities that may have led him to these 'Sacaen' plains, Lyn had the audacity to announce her martyrdom. "I have to stop them! If that's all of them then I think I can handle them on my own."
No, you can't be serious. The mage sighed heavily, already feeling the itch of a migraine coming onto him. One against a possible hoard of violent bandits? And Lyn looked nowhere near prepared for battle. Her unprotected legs would be sooner cut off than she could run. "Don't be ridiculous. You can't just run into battle looking like that."
She examined herself, lifting a limb there and then, before looking back at Soren, still clueless. "Is there something wrong with my outfit?"
Yeah, the bandits might rape your legs, but Soren quickly dismissed that thought and got out of bed. "Allow me to assist you."
"What? You want to help?" As much as he didn't actually want to, he needed the girl alive because she was the only one that could help him with his current unfortunate situation. "Well, can you use a weapon?"
Oh crap. Soren's eyes widened as he rummaged through his robes for a tome. When he found it, he breathed a sigh of relief. At least he hadn't come here unarmed. "I can't use weapons but I can use this." He whipped out his Elwind tome, looking all smug and like a sir. "I'm a mage – well actually, I'm a tactician-in-training but I am also prolific in elemental magic."
"Oh, you're an anima mage then? And a tactician by trade? An odd profession but…" Lyn was contemplating whether she would take him with her. She examined the mage, head to toe, making him fell very uncomfortable and violated. What was her problem? And then it dawned on him.
"I may look like a child but I assure you that I am older than I look."
"O-Oh! Really?" Soren smiled, remembering a time when Ike, out of concern, looked at him the same way to prove his point that he wasn't eating enough and that it stunted his growth a little. Yeah, he was a bit offended at that and whipped up a good wind spell up Ike's ass that day for good measure. "Very well then. We'll go together."
The two of them left the household after Lyn grabbed a light-looking sword from the shelf. She closed the door and made a run for the bushes nearby. "Over here!" She whispered loudly – defeating the purpose of a whisper. "If you want to help, Mark, I could use your advice. I'll protect you, so stay close to me."
The mage rolled his eyes. As if I need protecting. I'm not the one with exposed legs here. He just could not get over the fact that she was wearing such revealing clothes. If she was a fighter – which she might be seeing as how she possessed a sword – shouldn't she be wearing something a bit more protective? Maybe not to Titania's extent, since this Lyn girl wasn't a knight, but still, some pants would be nice.
"Um, Mark?"
"Hm?" Soren looked up.
"You're staring an awful lot at my legs…you're not some kind of pervert or anything I hope."
"What?" The mage exclaimed a little too loud, covering his mouth as he realized this. "I am certainly not a-a pervert! And I was most certainly not staring at your legs. I just wonder how you manage, looking like, well, that."
"Oh. These clothes are traditional wear for the Sacaen nomads. I have nothing else."
Soren simply nodded. "I see…what's a Sacaen nomad?"
Lyn stared at him as if he was from another world. "You're not from here, are you?"
About time you noticed, but before he could be snide about it the both of them became alerted by the sound of stomping feet. Soren peered through the leaves and spotted the bandits coming their way.
"Yargh, you smell that Batta?"
"Mmm, like lavender on a tree."
"Lavender doesn't grow on trees!"
"Yargh, what're ya saying? That I'm dumb? 'Course they grow on trees!"
"Batta, they grow on rocks! Like mold!"
Soren once again rolled his eyes, rubbing his temples as he felt that migraine wedging deeper into his brain. He couldn't take any more of their stupid so he nudged at Lyn, advising her to act now. "We should strike them now while they are having their…vastly inspiring conversation."
She nodded. "Yes, let us take them by the element of surprise." Soren wasn't sure if that was meant to be a pun but regardless, he brandished his Elwind tome and waited for Lyn to jump out first. She unsheathed her sword and quickly leapt out, taking out the first bandit before the mage could climb out of the bushes.
Wow. He had clearly underestimated the girl's ability. Not only was she fast, she was incredibly skilled with a blade. But even skilled fighters can become overwhelmed by numbers. Lyn turned to face the others and upon realizing that she was up against not two, but three more bandits, she took a defensive step backwards. The closest bandit let out a snarl before throwing his axe at her, just barely nicking her on the leg. Soren, beginning his chants, rushed to her side and unleashed a flurry of wind spells, temporarily stunning the enemy.
Lyn took out a vulnerary and quickly applied it to her wound, though not before voicing her appreciation. "Thank you. You saved me there."
"You know, this wouldn't have happened if you were wearing pants."
"Oh, will you just give it a rest." She corked the vulnerary and dashed towards the bandits again, effectively taking another two out. The last of them, most likely their boss judging by how funny-looking his face was, took a step back and pointed threateningly at them both.
"Who do you think you are? You think you can stand up to Batta the Beast?"
Soren could hear Lyn let out a snicker. He was tempted to as well but would much rather attack 'Batta the Beast' whilst he was still basking. He unleashed another wind spell, catching the bandit off guard, and Lyn saw this as a chance to unleash a final attack against him. She kneed him in the stomach before spinning around his side and slashing his back. The formidable 'Batta the Beast' fell to the ground in a slump, signifying an end to the fight.
Lyn put away her sword and returned to Soren's side. "Good work, Mark!"
The mage cringed at being called Mark again. Goddess, he did not like that name at all and if she was going to keep calling him that then he would surely develop a horrible cringing-reflex every time he heard the name 'Mark'.
"Lyn, was it? Please, I would appreciate it if you would stop calling me by that name."
"Why not? What should I call you then?"
"Soren."
"What's wrong with Mark?"
He cringed again. "Look here. I apologize for lying to you previously but my real name is Soren. So for the love of Goddess, please call me Soren."
The Sacaen woman chuckled. "Is that so? Well, it's a much better name than Mark I assure you, but there really is no need to be cautious around me. I'm not going to hurt you."
"I know," Soren decided that the woman – Lyn – was worth placing his trust upon. After all, she had shown that she wasn't a weak, pathetic damsel-in-distress piece of trash. She had some skill with the blade, however unpolished it may be, and she seemed to possess a fraction of intelligence in that small head of hers. Besides, she looked after him when he had been unconscious. Surely somebody like her could be trusted.
"Say, Soren…?" Lyn's expression changed. "I want to talk to you about something. You have some experience in the ways of war, I can see. Would you allow me to travel with you?"
This time, Soren raised both eyebrows. She wasn't being serious was she? He was a complete stranger to her, having only known her name a mere moment ago, and now she wants to travel with him? He wasn't even from these lands! "Er, I'm not sure that's a great idea."
"O-oh?"
"I'm not really…knowledgeable of these lands, and I have to find my own way back to the mercenary group that I work with." Somehow… he mentally added.
"That's okay! I'll help you along the way and when we find your band of heroes I'll just go my own way."
Band of heroes, heh. Maybe Ike and his father were, but the others were definitely not 'heroes'. More like a ragtag bunch of misfits that Soren himself had to take care of, even if it was not to his best interests. There was Boyd the retarded muscle-for-brains idiot who couldn't tell which of his boots fitted which foot because, well, he was an idiot. However his two brothers, Oscar and Rolf, were slightly more competent to work with, though Soren found it slightly suspicious that Rolf knew how to handle a bow. Shinon on the other hand was someone Soren would rather not mention let alone talk about. If he were given the opportunity to do it, he'd drown Shinon in his alcohol reserves and stab an arrow to his knee.
"So what do you say?"
The mage considered her offer. He didn't doubt her ability to fight her own battles and she could prove to be a great asset during his way back to the Greil mercenaries, wherever they may be. Plus, she was his only guide to these strange lands so there was no way he could refuse her company. There was only one problem.
"Won't your friends or family miss you?" Soren immediately regretted asking that because as soon as he mentioned the word 'family' her face evidently saddened and that could only mean one thing.
Oh please please please don't give me a run-down of your sad and miserable past. I don't care about what you've been doing till now.
"My mother and father…died six months ago," Soren's mind did its own facepalm before he rolled his eyes. Lyn, oblivious to his frown, continued her sad and utterly tragic life story. "My people – the Lorca – they don't…I'm the last of my tribe. Bandits attacked and …they killed so many people. The tribe was shattered. My father was our chieftain and I tried to protect our people but I was so young and our people were old-fashioned. They wouldn't follow a woman. No one would follow me." Lyn's eyes started tearing up and she wiped a single tear from her cheek. "I'm sorry. I've been alone for so long…"
Soren was about to open his mouth, not to give comforting words to her but to ridicule her, being the great sympathetic guy he was. However he decided against it. If he were to offend her in some way then he would never be able to get out of this Goddess-forsaken place alive. He was lost and this girl was his lifeline.
"No…no more. I will shed no more tears."
Oh boo hoo, Soren inwardly sighed. Compared to his wretched past, this girl had it easy. She had a family – a whole tribe to herself in fact – and parents who cared about her, whereas he had nothing. His life practically had no meaning or worth until Ike saved him from despair. But that was beside the point.
Lyn wiped the rest of her tears away and forced out a smile. "Thank you. I'm better now." The mage offered a small smile in return, even though he didn't actually do anything to comfort her. "Soren, I must become stronger so that I may avenge my father's death. Today's battle taught me something. I won't become stronger by sitting here alone. Soren, tell me you'll train me, that you'll let me travel with you."
He did a quick mental calculation of all the pros and cons of travelling with Lyn but ultimately he found it favourable to have her with him. There was nothing to lose in this kind of arrangement anyway. It wasn't like he was going to get caught up in some grand scheme the size of a country or anything, so he accepted. "Alright. But we will have to part ways once I reunite with my companions."
"Yes, of course! That's just wonderful! Thank you, oh thank you! We'll be better off working together, I just know it. You'll be my master strategist, and I'll be your peerless warrior! We can do it right?"
Somehow, Soren could feel the sides of his mouth twitching. He sensed that something in his mind told him that it would be interesting to travel with this girl to further unknown lands but he quickly threw that thought out the window when the wind blew a little too strongly and showed what was under Lyn's garments.
The first thing we'll do is get you some pants…
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A/N: I thought Soren would be a great choice to fill up the tactician spot for FE7. He's cynical, he's snarky and he's a lot of fun to write.
This fic has been planned to be an ongoing project since I have a lot of material for it but only if people are interested.
So excited for the 3DS fire emblem game x3!
