Disclaimer: Nothing new. I still don't own anything.
-A Gift-
We were still a day's travel from Badon, where we hoped to receive Fargus's help yet again. All of us were pretty damned tired, so we decided to camp for the night.
After everyone had retired for the night, I was glad to finally have some time alone with Eliwood.
Man, I'm exhausted! It's nice to finally get off my feet!" I kick my boots off, lazily dropping to the ground beside Eliwood. Removing my armor, I throw it, not really caring about how much noise it makes.
"Tired already, Hector? You must be getting out of shape." Good, he's smiling again. He's obviously not thinking about Ninian anymore.
"What? Are you telling me you're not the least bit tired?"
"Well...yes, I am. I'm just not as obvious about it as you are."
"I'll show you obvious!" Grabbing him in a headlock, I begin o mess up his hair with my free hand, while he struggles to get free. I pull him closer, yanking his face directly in front of mine.
"What does that have to do with ob-"Silencing him, I brush my lips over his slowly, keeping them there as long as possible. I feel him rest against me as I gently stroke his face.
"How is this going to work, Hector?" He looks right into my eyes with his, and I can't help but watch as the light dances of the cerulean coloring. "I want to stay with you, but-"
"Shh..." I put my finger against his lip, which seems to both quiet and comfort him. "It'll all work out, I promise."
Not another word is spoken as we stay with one another. As time passes, Eliwood eventually falls asleep against me. Being careful not to wake him, I move his head into my lap, allowing him to lie down.
Running my hands through his hair, I think back to his question...
/How is this going to work/
I really have no idea, but I'll find a way. I have to, I promised him.
His breathing is eerily comforting, and I soon find myself drifting in and out of consciousness.
(Fancy Thing)
This place, it looks familiar. Could it be...Dragon's Gate? But why am I here? And where is everyone? Wait...there's a battle taking place. I can hear it, but I can't see it. Walking around, I find that I still cannot see the battle.
I continue moving forward, and I eventually come across a figure. I can't tell who it is due to the lighting, or in this case, the lack of.
Wait...that's Eliwood! But what's he doing here?
I call his name, but he ignores me. His mouth begins to move, he starts talking, but no words come out. Who is he talking to anyway?
Nergal? What the hell's going on?
I watch as Eliwood draws his sword, charging towards the older man. I try to move towards him, but suddenly I can't move.
Nergal begins to chant, and Eliwood is knocked back by what I figure to be dark magic. Getting up, he runs at him again, but Nergal begins a different chant.
A blue aura flares up around him, and ice begins to form near his hands. Time seems to slow as Eliwood closes the distance, and Nergal continues to chant, the ice now taking a solid shape.
Just as Eliwood is about to bring his sword down on the mage, his arm shoots out, the ice flowing with it. The ice chunks hurdle themselves at Eliwood, and I watch in horror as one of them pierces itself through his chest, and he falls to the ground.
I try to scream, but nothing comes out. All I can do is watch as he draws his last breaths, a pool of blood forming around his now pale figure. The last thing I see is Nergal smiling, moving towards him.
(Fancy Thing)
"Hector! Wake up!" I feel myself being shaken, and I force my eyes open.
"What? What is it? Focusing my eyes, I realize that Eliwood was the one trying to wake me up.
"You were having a nightmare."
"A dream...Yes...just a dream."
"What were you dreaming about?" He moves closer to me, but I am unable to look at him. When I do, I can see his death replayed.
"Nothing important, really. Let's just go back to sleep." This time I lie down, pulling Eliwood in my arms. He quickly drifts back into sleep, but I am unable to do so.
I continue to tell myself that it was nothing more than a dream, but I only believe it to be a half-truth.
(Fancy Thing)
Gods...I feel like hell. The lack of sleep is beginning to take its toll on me. But I can't worry about that now, I have more important things to deal with.
Like finding that blasted monk...Preferably before we reach our destination.
Maybe Raven's seen him. I spot him walking some distance away from the others, Wil nattering away in his ear.
I head over to them, interrupting the archer.
"Hey, Raven. Have you seen Lucius this morning?"
"...No, I haven't." Weird, those two are almost always together. I am about to pursue him, but decide otherwise. Judging by the scowl, he is not in the best of moods, even for him.
"Alright! Thanks anyway." As I leave, I can hear Wil start talking again. This is followed by a growl from Raven.
I continue my search, growing very impatient. At one point I thought I'd found him, but it turned out to only be Louise.
I work my way to the back of the line, and I see him talking with Serra.
"Hey, Lucius! Can I speak with you?" I glance at Serra. "Alone!"
"Hmph! You are SO rude!" I watch her storm off, complaining to herself along the way.
"What did you wish to speak of, Lord Hector?"
"Well, I'm not sure how to word this, but...do dreams mean anything?" I try to ask without having to explain the dream.
"Hmm...dreams are often just ones nerves acting up," he began. "But it's also believed that when one dreams, St. Elimine is showing them an event, either from the past, or the future."
"You mean...what someone sees in a dream could actually happen?" I can't help but shudder at the thought.
"Yes. If I may, milord, why do you ask?"
"...No reason." I begin to leave, heading back up to the front. "Thank you, Lucius."
"No need, my lord."
I slowly begin to work my way back up to the front, deciding to take my time. I'm already sick of walking, and I see no reason to speed up anymore.
Besides, it's not really going to matter if I walk at the front or not. I know that Lords are generally supposed to lead their troops, or something of the sort, but I don't really give a damn. It's not like I have a good reputation to keep or anything. Besides, Eliwood's probably got that all taken care of.
Looking forward, I notice something off in the distance. Is that...? Yes finally.
Badon. I never thought I'd be so damn glad to see the port town. All I really want is to just pass out at the Inn, maybe have a few drinks.
"Hector! There you are!" Eliwood comes running towards me. He almost tripped at one point, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Mark and I are going to see if we can find Fargus. Do you want to come?"
"Nah, I'll pass. Got some stuff I want to do."
"Alright then. I'll see you later." He hurries off to join Mark, and the two of them head towards the port.
I slowly work my way towards the Inn, stopping to see what is being sold at the Market. Nothing good really. It's all peddler's junk. But seeing as how I have nothing better to do, I might as well keep looking.
I pass from merchant to merchant, ignoring all the useless crap they are selling. Most of this stuff just seems to be their old junk. Others are selling some sort of crafts. While these are creative, they're still worthless.
I'm about to just give up and head over to the Inn, but something catches my attention. I move closer to the table, which is full of jewelry. I can see rings, bracelets, necklaces, just about anything imaginable. But there's one thing that stands out from the rest.
A pendant. I have never seen anything like it before. It's a golden dragon fashioned on a ruby gem. Strange, but it really reminds me of a certain redhead I know. Taking a closer look at it, I realize the design is more complex than I first thought. The dragon has its tail coiling around the gem, almost like it's protecting it.
I dig into my pockets, and hand a fistful of gold coins to the merchant. Probably a hell of a lot more than he was asking, but it doesn't matter. It's definitely worth it.
He's going to love it.
(Fancy Thing)
"Sorry I took so long." Eliwood closed the door behind him. "I didn't think the arrangements would take so long." He flops down onto he bed, and doesn't move.
"That tiring, huh?" I hear some sort of a muffled noise from him, and I can only assume that to be a yes.
"Did you just wait in the room all this time?" He turns his head slightly, now facing me. I still can't believe how exhausted he looked. What the hell did Fargus do?
"Nah. I went to the Market for awhile." I smile to myself as I think of where the conversation is headed.
"Really? Anything interesting?"
"Just one thing?"
"Oh? And what was that?" His curiosity peaks as he sits himself up, allowing his legs to dangle to the floor.
"Close your eyes."
"What? Why?"
"Just do it." As he complies, I lift myself off of my own bed, and walk over to him. As I pull the pendant out of my pocket, I fiddle with the clasp. Finally getting the damn thing open, I move my arms around Eliwood's neck, and close it. "Ok, you can look now."
I move my arms away, and he lifts the pendant up to eye level.
"Hector? This is-"
"For you? Of course. I wouldn't wear something like that." Not that it's distasteful or anything. I just don't like jewelry. But it certainly does suite Eliwood. It's as though it was made for him.
"It's beautiful...Thank you."
"Thought you'd like it."
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