Love Father, Love Son
-
"Commander…"
Titania stared into the full-length mirror. The hall of Castle Crimea was lush without being extravagant; the plush red rug with the flourished styling blanketed the entire floor in comfort, the vanity mirrors and tables lined the walls in neatly cropped rows, the crystalline prisms shot light into the room below. Ike sat in a chair behind her, at a small table, playing the king's game with Boyd. The pieces were arranged in scattered rows. Boyd's pieces were scattered haphazardly, without any rhyme or reason. Ike's pieces were arranged in a spearhead; each piece seemed placed to perfection, both defending his position and striking the enemy on multiple fronts.
"Commander…"
Titania took the tail of fire-red hair she braided down the back of her neck. She held it in her hands, closed her eyes and held it close to her. A tear squeezed its way through her eye, down her cheek, onto her hair.
"Commander…"
How could such bad things happen to such good people, Titania wondered. It was just nature, after all. All people die eventually. Titania wondered how incredibly foolish it is to mourn for the dead, when one who cannot die is all the less pitiable. There were so many people who died on this soil- so many of her old allies, old friends, old acquaintances…
Another tear traversed her cheek, then another, then another. Out of all those people, all those people of status uncertain, all those fallen or wounded in battle, why was there only one? It was far since time to move on, to forget- to keep fighting until all the pain and sorrow of leaving turns into an inspiration hovering at the back of the mind. Even Ike had moved on. From the very day, his eyes were dry, but his heart was saturated with the blood of the sad. Titania wept: slowly, silently.
"Shah."
Ike's voice. Boyd cursed. Titania watched herself in the mirror through slightly-fogged eyes. She fiddled with her hair. She watched herself, and she saw Ike take a piece and place it. Boyd sat back and massaged his head, cursing again. His commander…his king- was under attack. Boyd looked to be mentally beating himself up over the predicament. Ike sat back in his chair comfortably and looked over his own king. His eyes flurried here and there throughout the room. He sat with both a tremendous amount of poise and a tremendous amount of future sight. His eyes looked on into the as-of-yet-unknown future, and welcomed it with a cautious heart.
Sigh…
But, there was to be no more crying for the long-dead, Titania reasoned, just joy for the yet-living. She shook her tail of hair out behind her, and it danced and frolicked like two dancers on a lake. She let a small chuckle slip past the guard of her lips, and shook her face until it settled on a smile. She fondled the small little thing in a pocket of her undershirt. She touched her lips together, realized its vanity, realized the lack of necessity in the thing, and chuckled again wistfully. The commander had always said she looked nice in the stuff; he said lipstick made her look nice, without being too obstructive, or flashy. Simple elegance, is all. Then, he would give a laugh and walk away- just turn, and walk away. It would always be a neutral comment; Titania always understood it was a compliment, and nothing more. He had already lost a wife, and surely had no interest in another.
"Commander…"
The commander was always a no-frills, no-nonsense person. Clean, simple, efficient: such were his trademarks, his preferences. That was a respectable trait, Titania gathered. A sort of seriousness is a nice thing to have in a world where the bushes can swallow you alive at every turn. Did that seriousness follow him to his grave?
Another tear slid down her cheek from her clasped eyes, then another, then another, until a cascade of coldly burning tears ran silently down, and down, and down.
"Shah."
Titania opened her eyes and saw through the mist. Ike's hand lifted off another piece. Boyd swore again. Another masterful attack, and now Ike took full charge, everything in complete control.
Titania mouthed the word 'commander'. The commander had been an excellent fighter. He fought with rage and fury- and poise, and care. He too had a past greater than that of a mercenary. He was a smart man, too- and wise. He was cunning, and clever, and could lead his forces out from under a tremendous advantage and lead them to victory. He was a powerful man, one who could care for the lives of his soldiers while simultaneously threatening those of his enemy. He was perfect.
But…he died. He died in single combat with a foe stronger than even he. Thus is the way of the world. The old gives way to the new.
"Shah."
Titania looked through the mirror. The table rested far behind her- the distance through the glass was nothing: they stood together. Boyd tapped the ground frantically, scanning the game board for something. Ike rose to his feet, and now she stood in tandem with him, and she saw both of them, her and him, together.
"Shah mat."
Boyd chuckled, then laughed, and tipped his king piece. It was over. Another masterful strike, and…Ike was the victor. He extended a strong hand in the spirit of sportsmanship.
Titania peered through the mirror, and it was like a looking glass, a portal to another world, a freeze-frame on a strange future where two people were the same person, where the father was the son, and time stood still. She wiped away the wet from her eyes and steadied herself with a keen smile.
"Commander…"
She hung her head, mouthed the words, and raised her head up. In the mirror, Ike stood just behind her and looked into her face through the mirror.
"Titania? Are you well?"
"Commander. Yes, I'm…fine. Just thinking about things, that's all."
"I see. Keep thinking about things. They say thinking about things helps you sort through them. A lot has happened, after all. Don't worry too much about it."
Titania suppressed a gasp, and stared at the young man in the mirror. It was just as he would have said it. Her heart raced, and gasped, and longed in her chest.
"Hey, Titania?"
"Yes, commander?"
"You look…nice in lipstick."
Titania smiled, and watched Ike turn and walk away. It was a compliment, and nothing more. It was an unrefined nicety from an unrefined young man. She straightened her armor, straightened her stance and prepared for whatever mission came next. It was a compliment, and nothing more.
"Thank you, commander."