Mist let out a loud sigh as she stared gloomily out at the bright sunny day through her open window. The dishes in her hand were still filthy and unkempt. Her husband and children had not cleaned up after themselves. Her youngest daughter had offered to help, and had been excited at the idea, but she was still so young that Mist had sent her outside with the others.
The years had been very quiet since the war. She had settled down, married, and started a family. In a way things had returned to the way things had been before Father had been murdered and their Mercenary company had been dragged into war. She was surrounded by a loyal, loving family in peaceful, tranquil Crimea. Queen Elincia and her husband Geoffrey had helped ease ties with the southern Kingdom of Gallia, and the Northern Kingdom of Daein. The entire continent seemed to have settled into a peace that seemed as if could last forever.
But things had changed. The Greil Mercenaries, a good chunk of them anyway, had retired. Titania had taken the reins, and although there were several members eager to keep serving, this new era for peace had become bad for business. More and more former members of the band began to drift off around the country in search of a new life. Shinon and Gatrie had both left long ago. Mia, although deeply loyal to the company, was beginning to seem restless and spent many long hours training for no real purpose. Titania, it seemed, had kept the company alive out of a sense of duty to Greil than anything else.
Mist herself had decided it would best for her to be a housewife and Mother, although she still was deeply invested in the well being of the company. She made sure to remind Titania constantly that war could bring out again at any time, that Crimea had been at peace for hundreds of years before King Ashnard attacked, and that it wouldn't do to sit on their laurels. But neither of them believed it. They were simply trying to keep Greil's legacy alive. Ike's legacy alive.
She stared at the window forlornly. She suddenly felt a little misty eyed. It felt like a day could not go by without thinking of her brother at least once. She could not help it. After everything they had gone through together. After all the battles were won and all of their enemies were defeated, once there was nothing left to be scared of… he was gone.
She did not understand why he left. She knew him very well, and suspected that he himself did not know. He deeply wanted to stay with them and lead the company. He did. But the mounting pressure from the surrounding nobles, the demands from the people that he become knighted or even marry Queen Elincia and become King, and the worship from strangers when they realized who they were talking to.
Ike didn't save the continent to be famous, or beloved. He did it because it was the right thing to do. The thought of being acknowledged for his accomplishments was, to him, intolerable. Mist understood, but her husband did not.
"Everyone loves him, and he leaves? Why?"
She doubted that she would ever see him again. The thought was agonizing to her. Here she was, living the perfect little life with the perfect family, but all she could think of was her brother. She had no idea where he was or what he was doing. Both of his closest friends, Soren and Ranulf, had claimed to see and hear nothing from him since he had left the continent.
She feared that he might be dead. She feared that he may have not found what he was looking for. She feared that he would die alone in some strange land, killed by some stranger who simply wanted to take his weapons for himself. The thought terrified her.
She stared at the window. A couple was walking down the path towards their home. A woman, one of the tallest she had ever seen, dressed all in white, was conversing with a man dressed in a black cloak. A hood was drawn over his face, but he seemed to be in intimate conversation with her. Mist likely would have thought him a bandit or a criminal if he weren't with such a woman. The way he dressed and walked seemed somehow suspect to her. Like he was skulking about in the shadows.
She ended up flinching as the man looked up towards her house,right through the window at her. He seemed to stare at her for a while, and then turned and spoke to his companion. The blonde stopped and looked their way too.
Mist stopped, her breath cold, as the two turned changed direction and made their way to her door. She had often had visitors at strange hours, of course. Plenty of people stopped by to ask after Ike and to share war stories. But the man in black had struck her as a bit of a rough character at a distance. She felt a little apprehensive at the idea of answering the door. She wished her husband were home.
A loud knock came at the door. She straightened herself and tried to decide what to do. She could defend herself if need be, but she hoped that it wouldn't come to that. It was probably best to not let them in at all.
"Mist."
Her eyes widened at the sound of the voice coming through the door. She turned round and ran to the door, dish soap all over her hands, as she fumbled with the door latch and unlocked it.
There, standing there before here, in the black cloak, was her brother Ike. She stared at him opened mouthed, her eyes wide, as she took a step back. Ike smiled at her.
"Ike-" She whispered. She barely even thought about what she was doing. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
He had been big when she had last seen him, years and years ago. But he had become even bigger now. She had little doubt that Ike had continued his training and improved his swordplay by leaps and bounds. The man who had defeated Zelgius the Black Knight and destroyed Ashera had become even more powerful. The thought was daunting to her.
"Ike…" She murmured. "Where have you been? Everyone's been so worried?"
"We'll talk about it inside." He told her gently. "May we come in?"
We. Mist stepped back, embarrassed, and took in Ike's companion.
The blonde woman had struck her as a beauty from a distance, but up close Mist rather thought she was the mots intimidatingly beautiful woman she had ever seen in her life. Her long blonde hair fell across her shoulders in a rather messy look. The eyes were blue, and sharp, and dangerous looking. She was tall, and lean, and clearly a warrior of some kind. Mist could tell simply by looking at her that she was an exceptional warrior, though what kind and of what nationality Mist could not say.
Her face, however, was very soft and delicate. It looked rather unlike any other girl's face that Mist had ever seen. It reminded her a little of how Laguz tended to look somewhat different than Beorc. She gave her another expert glance over, trying to determine whether she was a Laguz masking her identity, but had not come to a conclusion before they stepped inside.
Mist led them into their little sitting room and gave them seats. To Mist's surprise they sat right next to each other, on their sofa. Undaunted, Mist sat in her favorite chair.
"Ike." She again. "I… can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to see you."
He smiled at her. "I'm happy to see you too." He said. "You've grown up."
"So have you?"
The girl laughed. It wasn't a giggle. But it was a laugh just the same. Mist cast her a smile before turning back to her brother.
"ike, who…?"
"This is Samus Aran." Ike said. "She's… from far away."
Samus smiled lightly. It was a soft, coy smile. "From very, very far away." She said. And she laughed again. This time Ike laughed too. Mist smiled too, but she wasn't quite sure what they found so funny.
"You have a surname…" She noted. "Are you nobility, by any chance?"
Samus suddenly stopped laughing. She turned to Ike, as if looking for guidance.
"No, she is not." Ike answered primly. "She has no family."
"I was orphaned from a young age." Samus explained. Mist eye's widened and she felt an urge to comfort her, but Samus continued. "But I did retain my family name. Those that took me in made sure of that."
"Oh… I see." Mist wondered whether she should ask more questions, but her curiosity at Ike's sudden arrival took over her thinking. "Ike, where have you been? People all over the continent have been worried about you, you know? Elincia is sending me letters every week asking if I've heard from you."
Samus' eyes suddenly became very sharp and alert. Mist rather felt like she was being watched by a large bird of prey.
Ike leaned forward. Mist suddenly became keenly aware that Ragnell, the sword that he had used to fight in the past two wars, was slung across his back. He had not removed it when he had stepped into her home.
"Incredible places." He breathed. "Places you can scarcely imagine or dream of."
She stared at him. She had never heard him speak in that way before, about anything.
"But you couldn't send word?" She asked. "A letter, or a-"
"I could not." Ike said. "It was… forbidden."
"Forbidden?" Mist asked. "By who? By what?"
"Your Brother." Samus said. "Cannot explain it to you. It is not your place to know-"
"Not my place?" Mist asked. She found the statement somewhat incredulous. "I'm his sister! I have a right to know!"
"I am sorry." Samus said quickly. "I did not mean to offend you. I simply meant that you cannot understand…. "
"What can't I understand?"
"I left Tellius." Ike said, interrupting the argument. "And let's leave it at that."
Mist stared at him.
"Left?" She repeated. "The continent?"
"Yes."
"To go where?"
"Elsewhere."
"There's no where else!" Mist said, frustrated. "There's only one continent in all of the world."
"This world." Ike said quietly. Mist stopped speaking. She stared at him.
"I think you have said enough, Ike." Samus said smoothly. Ike nodded. He didn't look happy, exactly, but he didn't look disagreeable either. Mist didn't know what to make of this exchange. She thought she should change the topic.
"Then why have you come back?" She asked. To her surprise Samus smiled and took Ike's hand.
"We're getting married." Ike said. "And I wanted it to be here, with you."
Mist gave a jolt. "What?"
She stared at Samus with a new, appraising eye. This was the kind of girl- the kind of woman- that he elected to marry? Tall, beautiful, exotic… powerful, well spoken, clearly of higher birth despite her claims. And above all someone that had not fought alongside him at the Tower? A woman he had met long after the war had ended, when everyone else she knew had gotten married immediately once the war had ended.
Had he met this woman somewhere before the war? She did not recognize the face, or her features, or her name. This was not a girl she would have forgotten, if they had ever crossed paths.
"I… congratulations!" Mist blurted out, as she got to her feet. She reached out a hand to Samus, and the other woman, surprised, reached out and took them. Mist almost winced. Samus' grip was like a vice. She got to her feet and towered over her. She had to be at least six feet tall. "Is this true?"
Samus nodded, and smiled down at her. "It is." She said. "Your brother is a wonderful man. There is no one I would rather spend my life with."
She was being sincere and genuine. Mist could tell.
"Well, we're going to have to get to know each other, won't we?" Mist asked her. "If you're going to be my new Sister in law."
Samus laughed again.
"We will." She promised. "That's why we're here. To plan our wedding. We hoped that you would help."
Mist smiled up at her. "Of course!" She said. "Of course I'll help! I'll take care of everything! I'll invite everyone! Oooooh, this is so exciting… but so sudden! Most people think you're dead!"
Ike laughed and shook his head. "Well, I'm not." He said. "You can put those worries to rest, Mist. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."
"Not until we get married, at any rate." Samus quipped. Ike laughed.
"Ike, everyone is going to be so happy to see you…" Mist said, as she pulled away from Samus. "And Samus, people will really want to get to know you…"
Samus turned a little pink. Ike cast her a look.
"She's a little shy." Ike confided in her. "She doesn't much care for crowds, but I think everyone will love her."
"I'm sure they will!" Mist laughed joyously. She had not been so happy in a long, long time. Ike had not only returned, but he had brought back a bride.
