Disclaimer: This isn't my material. Sadly. And sorry if Eirika comes off as stupid, but I'm not a fan at all of hers. Thanks for reading!
--
I… will never look back.
Ephraim was unnerved as he sat in his room, quietly setting a chair down next to the window and let the breeze blow through his teal hair. Since he was finished with his time as a solider, Ephraim allowed his hair to grow out a bit. He noticed the length as the wind slightly fluttered it out into rather messy disarray. This had been a great fear of his for a long time, but today he was finally getting married. Marriage… such a strange phenomenon. Honestly, all this stuff about love and marriage never captured his heart as much as the allure of battle and the taste of combat. There were no games and illusions on the battlefield. Drama was not meaningless and petty. Well, at least he wasn't marrying L'ArachelTruly, Princess L'Arachel, while an absolute beauty and truly a treasure of Rausten, was completely unsuited for him. Dramatic and theatrical was not really Ephraim's thing. Tana was much calmer and more reserved but she was rather dull and boring.
There were many things he wanted in this world. Freedom… which he would never have after this day. To fight for justice and peace… was probably just a fading dream. But most of all, he wished Lyon was here. The man had such an interesting outlook on the world and he was so knowledgeable. Ephraim smiled a bit thinking about Lyon. Although they had only spent a couple of years together, he and Lyon had grown close. Heh. There was always something charming about Lyon, even if he was a bit of a prude. His smile grew as he thought about a few of the odder things that had happened. While Lyon seemed to eternally love Eirika with pretty much every bit of him, there was certainly a connection –even if it was a small one- that the two shared that went somewhere beyond the ties of friendship.
--
The road where we split up… is paved with the things I didn't say.
At first, Lyon didn't say all that much. While at least Ephraim had always had his sister Eirika, as silly as she could be, Lyon had pretty much been alone for most of his life. He was a constantly nervous man who tended to shake when he did just about anything, and he wasn't exactly friendly. For the most part, he sat in his study area, only coming outside to occasionally chat with the twins. He was so introverted, no wonder he never made any friends. Usually when they went on walks and chatted he and Eirika talked about studies and teachers, which was very uninteresting to the less-than-studious Ephraim. But one day Eirika wasn't there to jabber on about the random stuff that she always talks about. That day was really the beginning of the friendship. Lyon seemed excited about how similar their lives were, and he seemed eager to hear everything about Renais and Ephraim's life before he came to Grado. He continued with questions, and eventually they began to talk about other stuff. Before they knew it, it was time for dinner. It was apparent that Lyon was delighted to finally break the silence between the two.
And that's all it took. Pretty soon they spent hours and hours together daily, in all kinds of various places. They typically started in the study hall where Lyon studied his various subjects and tried to help Ephraim make sense of all the things he was supposed to be learning. Ephraim stared out in outer space most of the time, waiting to go outside and spar with people. When Lyon revealed to him that Eirika had beat him in a duel, Ephraim decided it was time to at least attempt to train him. One day during one of their sessions, Lyon just completely lost it…
Ephraim had been pushing him harder than normal on this particular day, and it showed from the sweat drops running down Lyon's face in both frustrations with his abilities and just plain being worn out. Suddenly, Lyon threw down his lance, and just started yelling. "Why… why are you trying to help me? I've never been worth anything, I've never had a damn second in my life where I succeeded in a single thing and yet you keep going on… and… on… and it just NEVER STOPS. I'm always going to be in the shadow of my father, and I'm never going to be good enough to even get close to your standards! I'll never be as perfect… as… you… so why do I even try to be?"
There were tears streaming down his face and he was twitching in a convulsive manner. He was usually both cold and collected for the most part, so seeing him just radically change disturbed Ephraim. So he grabbed the frail prince by the shoulder and helped walk him back to his room, without complaint. Ephraim whispered and tried to comfort him, but it didn't seem to help. All of a sudden, Lyon wrapped his arms around his princely friend. Ephraim held him in his arms and they just sat in silence for a while… They began to talk for a while, but eventually Ephraim had to go back to his quarters, where he thought about his friend for most of the night.
--
Although I search myself… it's always someone else I see.
Eirika bounced with joy as she prepared for the ballroom dance that the Crown had declared a few weeks back. Ephraim was dragged into her room and forced to look at each of the dresses as she tried them on. Although he acted horribly bored with the entire fashion show, he loved seeing Eirika get excited over this ball. Eventually she decided on a slender white dress. Although it showed her skeletal figure, it was a elegant dress and he knew she'd light up the room with her beauty and charm.
Eirika looked at her brother with a big smile. "You know, Ephy, you really should have gotten a date to the dance. It would have been so much fun!" Ephraim shook his head, slightly smiling. "You know you are just going to feel left out because you aren't going to be having as much fun as everyone else, silly." Eirika nudged her brother and grinned. "Seriously… Ephraim, you are such a prude. I even convinced Lyon to go with me, and yet you are going to just go alone and be a wallflower."
"You know I don't care for dancing, Eirika." Ephraim was not a fan of dancing at all. Twirling around in circles with no end in sight… what in the world was the fun in that? "I'll come, and I might even dance with a couple of pretty ladies, but don't expect much out of me." As he turned around he spotted a couple of people coming in the door to tend to his twin's hairstyle, and he slowly slinked out.
"Don't forget to pick out your clothes. If you need help I'll come visit later! And make sure and comb your hair better than normal and pick out the right shoes for your outfit and…" Ephraim closed the door and began to walk to his room, rolling his eyes at his sister's obsession with his attire and looks. He began to thumb through his formal outfits to find the right one. He vaguely wondered what Lyon was doing at the moment, so instead of picking out shoes or some ridiculous and meaningless activity, he decided to visit Lyon instead. He knocked on the door and Lyon told him to come in.
"Ah, so I hear you are going with my sister Eirika tonight." Ephraim was astounded by the fact that Lyon had enough nerve to ask his sister to the ball. He knew full well how his friend felt about his twin sister, but he said nothing. He just patted his friend on the back and grinned. "Well, I didn't bother getting a date, but… eh… you know how I am."
Lyon sighed a bit and looked up at the teal-haired warrior-prince. "I don't think your sister really cares for me the way I care for her…" Ephraim raised his eyebrow a bit, but Lyon continued. "I'm crazy about her… she's so beautiful and witty and smart. She can defend herself but she's not fanatical with the independence. She's just an angel and a shining light of elegance and dignity! She's perfect for me…" Ephraim felt himself squirm a bit. He wasn't sure if that was just nerves or a hint of… jealously? Instead of getting flushed over the potential jealously of his twin, he just nodded and began to walk off.
"Yes, yes. I was just checking on you… wondering how you were doing, really. I-I-I suppose I'd better go get ready myself. I'll see you tonight!" Ephraim began to mull in his own thoughts as he went back to his room. Was he beginning to develop feelings… for a man? Surely not. He was a prince. Princes were suppose to marry beautiful princesses and ride off into the sunset happily ever after with them, not fall from their own best friend. But there was no time to worry about that now, as it was closing in on time for this ball, and he wasn't going to be late for it. He came into his room, put on his outfit, put on a long coat, and made his hair look passable like his sister requested. And Ephraim walked down the halls of the imperial castle, and stepped into the giant ball room…
--
She'd kill her brother…if she only knew.
It was a typical stuffy formal occasion, identical to the ones he had to suffer through back home. All the various giggly lords' daughters and the like passed by him with a smile… he merely faked a smile back at them. He saw all the various people dancing in the crowd, with flowing gowns and formal attire. In the distance he spotted his sister and Lyon dancing. You could tell the apprehension he had for dancing by the look on his face, and I think dancing with Eirika doubled his anxiety and worry. Ephraim just sat, observing all the events that were going on. One girl was in the corner trying to get her date to dance with her, while he refused continually. Ephraim knew that that would be the case if he had brought some girl to the dance. He sighed in relief.
Well, he did until one of the giggly girls sitting in a huddle came over to him. "Prince Ephraim, would you dance with me?" She grinned at him, and all of her little friends started getting giddy.
"Ah… I suppose I can dance just this once." Ephraim grabbed the girl by the arm and they began to slow dance with each other.
He noticed that the band was really exceptional, much better than the one back home. This girl was cute and had a very fancy and expensive looking dress on, but Ephraim hardly noticed. He did notice the headache-inducing smell of her perfume, though, and he could hardly even move from the crippling amount of stench. He barely listened as she danced and babbled on about every minute detail about her life. Suddenly, he saw Prince Lyon slowly sneak out the door and his sister on the other side of the room looking distressed.
"Um, I'm sorry, Miss, but I really need to go." He quickly waved the girl off and headed out the door and ran to Lyon's room and knocked on the door.
"No… don't come in! I don't care… just leave me alone!" Lyon sounded panicked and angry. He also sounded like he was going to do something rash unless Ephraim stopped him.
"Lyon… please let me in."
"Oh, Ephraim? Yes, come in… I suppose." Lyon's eyes were bloodshot and there were various things broken on the ground. "Just when I think things are perfect and Eirika is finally mine, she starts telling about how… 'Oh, I'm not sure if I can be with you. I just want to be friends.' She's probably in love with someone else. I guess I'm just not manly enough for a girl like her…" Ephraim nodded in understanding, and sat down by his friend. As they began to talk for a while about their misfortunes, Ephraim felt himself leaning closer and closer to his lavender-haired friend. Eventually Lyon noticed his not-so-subtle desire for a little affection.
And that's when it happened. Ephraim wrapped his hands around Lyon's face, and slowly began to lean in… The two princes locked lips and began to kiss each other in a seeming state of eternal bliss, a perfect moment which would forever be captured in time. After a bit, Ephraim began to unbutton the formal white shirt that Lyon had on, and it seemed like things would go even farther. He tore off his own shirt and then he…
"Lyon, are you in there!" Eirika screamed from the door, knocking on the door over and over, as loudly as she could. Ephraim immediately hit the floor, somewhat angry about the moment being lost. Lyon looked down at the floor and faked a sad voice.
"No, Eirika, I don't want to speak with you, please don't come in… You hurt me really badly, you know." Ephraim laughed at Lyon trying to fool his twin sister, and he knew she'd fall for it. Lyon was grinning from ear to ear. "I'll speak with you tomorrow, perhaps. But not today."
"Please, Lyon, open up… don't be this way."
"I said leave!" Lyon commanded her in a very harsh and angry voice.
"Fine, I'll just go, then… okay… I'm so sorry though… I really am." Her voice drifted off as she walked away, and they could hear her footsteps. Ephraim breathed; he had been holding his breath all that time in fear of her finding out. He got back on the bed. After that scare, they simply held each other and kissed for the rest of night. Anything more would have made things very uncomfortable in the future… not that the future mattered to either of them, but Lyon was still sad and needed affection more than lust. And the teal-haired prince was more than willing to give him that.
However, after a few hours, Ephraim realized he had to sneak out. But he also knew there were guards all around the castle, and he would be caught sneaking out of Lyon's room at three in the morning. If he could just get past the initial guards, he could stay he'd spent all night out, but he had to figure out how. He put his shirt on and put his eyes near the crack in the bottom of the door, waiting for the guard's feet to go by. As he saw them, he waited for a few seconds, and then quickly slipped out the door into one of the main corridors, and rushed to his room. Luckily for him, he wasn't caught, and he slid into his room. He immediately got in his bed and fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed…
--
It's easier to walk away… than to look it in the eye.
Ephraim stared out the window, daydreaming about being outside in this absolutely beautiful summer day. Eirika had knocked on his door and forcibly made him go to class. He noted that Lyon was gone, and he asked his sister about it. "I think he's still upset from last night" she whispered to him. "I didn't know he was going to react so badly."
Ephraim put his hand over his face in seeming frustration, but he was hiding the huge grin that had come across his face. "That's… really a shame that he reacted the way he did." If she only knew what had happened, she'd probably have killed him. Or been incredibly shocked, at the very least. But he would never tell as long as he lived about what had happened that night.
The day went by and class ended, and Ephraim once again walked to Lyon's room. "Halt!" Ephraim heard one of the guards behind say. "The Prince is sick today and he will see no one."
"Tell him I must speak to him." The guard knocked on Lyon's door and told the prince who was there. Obviously Lyon didn't mind seeing him, because the guard came back and motioned him into the room.
The second Ephraim walked in the room and closed the door, Lyon spoke. "Never speak of what happened last night. That will stay between you and I for the rest of our lives. Is that understood?" Ephraim nodded, very relieved that Lyon felt the same way as he did. They each made a promise to each other to never tell a soul, and Ephraim left the room without any distress.
The days and weeks went by before the end of the summer, but after a year Ephraim and Eirika had to go back home. While the twins were relieved to finally finish their school and go back to their old lives, they would miss some of the charms of the castle. But most of all, they would both miss their most beloved friend, Prince Lyon. Lyon and Eirika both openly cried, but Ephraim hid his feelings and just stood there as solid as a rock. He never dreamed that the next time he'd see his friend would be on the battlefield…
--
Many years have passed… since those summer days.
Life is truly unpredictable. That night he spent with Lyon seemed like it would never end. That was only three years ago now, and yet it seemed like centuries. He never thought in all of his wildest dreams that he'd have to go through so much hardship in his young life. After the Grado army attacked Renais Castle, Ephraim lost his sense of sanity and his rational control of his confusion and anger. He was overwhelmed with emotion as he rushed recklessly into battle with the Grado army. After a time, his servant Orson betrayed him and his sister, and Ephraim was forced to save his twin sister from the flames of battle.
After they convened in Frelia, Ephraim and Eirika both when their separate ways, each on journeys to salvage the well-being of their people and their kingdom. Ephraim ran into his friend Lyon, who was now an angry and almost bone-chillingly evil man. His eyes were filled with darkness and rage, and his jealously that he kept inside was now expressed constantly. Later, Ephraim and found out that Lyon had been tapping into the dark stone's power, trying to revive his father from the dead. His father was instead turned into a zombie controlled by Lyon, and Lyon started the war between the two countries. It was completely unbelievable, and yet… Ephraim had seen the darkness with his own eyes.
Ephraim found out later that the Demon King of legend had taken over the body of his usually kind and loving friend. Al he had wanted was to save his country from ruin, since there had been a disaster foreseen in the future, and he ended up a servant of the vile darkness. Although Ephraim tried to convince himself that the Demon King had caused him to say all those untrue things, he couldn't help but think maybe Lyon's anger had just manifested itself once the Demon King became part of him. Ephraim was forced to fight Prince Lyon twice, and Lyon screamed for him to simply kill him. The pain that Ephraim felt was unreal, but some things just had to be done, and her realized Lyon would never live as Lyon again, and Ephraim stabbed his spear into the frail man.
Then the Demon King rose from the dying body of Lyon, and began to attempt to bring about his own brand of terror upon Ephraim, Eirika, and the rest of the army. However, Ephraim defeated him quickly and cleanly, and then took the remains of his broken and torn friend out of the Darkling Woods. He would never be the same after this, both in mind and spirit. Ephraim was tired of war and fighting, something he thought he could never be. He was exhausted, but carried his friend's body to the caravan in anguish and tears, and he and Eirika both cried as they sat together in the wagon…
--
But I just placed a
rose on his grave… and I talk to the wind.
Lyon's body was buried in Grado's cemetery where all the members of the imperial family were. Ephraim and already had to watch the burial of his father this year, and now his best friend. It was unbelievable… he was almost in shock from all the things that had happened. He just stood there, numb from both the winter cold and the immense pain he felt. Tears freely streamed his sister's face, but he knew he had to be strong both for his sister and as a representative of the kingdom. Next to him was Princess Tana, who he was to marry in the summer to seal the alliance between their two countries. Eirika had her arms around her own fiancé, the valiant knight Seth. Tana just stared into space a bit, trying to comfort Ephraim without success.
After the ceremony was over, the twins and their companions stood by the gravesite. Ephraim had a small bouquet in his hands. He took a smell of the beautiful white roses before he kneeled down and laid them on the headstone. At that moment he began to openly cry, and he spoke to Lyon one last time before leaving Grado. "I will never forget you… you were always so loving and kind. I just… can't believe you're gone." A thousand other things ran through his head, but he couldn't speak anymore. He would never have another friend like him again. His mind drifted by to that fateful romantic night, and he just couldn't believe that he was gone.
"Brother, it's time for us to go." Eirika's eyes were bloodshot and red from all the crying she'd done. She put her arms around her brother, and cried with him. They were both saying their last good-byes to the friend they loved. "I'm sorry, Ephraim… this all has been so horrible. I can't believe our country has been torn apart by war and I can't believe that dad is gone and I can't believe we killed the Demon King… it's just all been overwhelming." Eirika looked down and sighed. She really did seem tired and worn out, but at least after this she'd finally get to rest. After staying for a night at the castle in Grado, the twins and their entourage loaded up and left Grado, having no idea that of the disaster that would befall the country in a matter of weeks.
It had happened just as Lyon had predicted. The country was devastated with floods and thousands of people were dead, and many many more had destroyed houses. Ephraim had sent relief to the area but the people had already lost hope, losing two rulers and thousands of lives in a war they didn't even know why they were fighting. They were tattered and angry, and many of them revolted and were angry. Eventually the masses were calmed and peace came back to Grado, but things would never be the same…
--
Forever… we both will be one.
Marriage… it's such a final thing. After today Ephraim had to make sure and care for a wife. Although he was already the king of Renais, he knew that his sister Eirika could step into that role. But no one could replace a woman's husband. And what kind of effect would it have on the country's relations with Frelia if he left Tana? He wasn't sure if he was ready for such a commitment, but he had had a year to think it over and deal with the fact that he was getting married. He really did love Tana; she was a complete beauty and really spirited and nice, but just the thought of being tied to her for rest of his life scared him.
He supposed he should get ready for the wedding. He knew Princess Tana was probably already getting prepared, and it was unseemly for a king to be late, especially to his own wedding. He had already spent enough of his time reminiscing about the past, but now it was time to do his duty and marry. He looked out the window one last time, shut the blinds, and began putting on his wedding garb. This outfit was an outfit of tradition; each of the kings had worn the same pattern of robes and head dressing as they married, and King Ephraim was no exception. He dressed and waited a few minutes for his time to go out into the church's hall. Finally, a servant knocked on the door.
"Come in." Ephraim said, and as the servant walked in Ephraim asked if it was finally time for vows.
"Yes, Your Majesty." The young boy bowed his head and Ephraim motioned for the kid to leave. He then looked in a mirror, to make sure every bit of his attire was perfect. He was satisfied with the way he looked, so he went out of his room and into the area in which he was to be wed. He walked to his position next to Prince Innes, and smiled at his sister who stood on the other side of the altar, holding the ring which would bond he and his future wife.
Not much time passed by before the princess came out. She was dressed in all white with the longest dress Ephraim had ever seen. Her blue hair was put back in a sea of ringlets and her eyes shined even through the veil. She walked slowly down the aisle as one of the children of the richest nobles threw flower petals all around the area. It was a blissful sight, and yet… Ephraim still had this sinking feeling in his stomach. He just smiled it off, though. Tana had finally gotten up to the altar and the priest began the service. Tana did exactly what she was supposed to, and Ephraim did as well. Innes handed him his ring to give to Tana, while Eirika gave Tana the ring to give to Ephraim. They exchanged their vows and Ephraim lifted her veil and kissed her swiftly but passionately. He and Tana walked back down the aisle, holding hands in unity.
Oh God, forgive me for this sin… But I will never forget you, Lyon. Not now, not ever.