Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem.
Author's Note: Wow, I consider this a productive day. It's Friday, I finished all my homework and updated two stories. And I thank everyone who reviewed for the overwhelming support. Without further ado, enjoy!
The wind rushed through her orchid locks as she flew high in the air on Huey. A day had gone by since she made the deal with Sain, and already, she was regretting her decision. How could she have shook hands on that? It was completely out of her nature, and now, she would have no excuse when trying to run and hide from Sain. She could not back out; she did not courage enough to do so.
A little tiny voice in the back of her head was screaming out that this was a good idea. She did need to get over fear sometime. She clutched tighter to Huey's mane as they scouted out for any enemies for the supposed castle they were looking for. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the flapping wings of another pegasus knight. She turned her head slightly to confirm the fact that it was indeed Fiora. She smiled to herself.
"Florina!" Fiora called out, part of her voice lost in the rushing air. Florina whispered a few words to Huey to have him slow his wing beats to a steady glide. "Have you seen anything yet?" Florina shook her head.
"Not much," She said. "I caught a catch of another black speck to the north, but it could've been a bird just as well as a wyvern."
"No, it probably is a wyvern," Fiora said. "Lady Lyndis said that all tracks point north. It's our best bet." She turned her pegasus away and yelled out one last thing to Florina. "You should check in with Mark. He hasn't heard word from you in hours."
"O-ok," She gulped back. "I'll tell him my findings myself then."
"That would be best." Fiora flew away, soaring towards the north. Florina directed Huey downwards, being sure to stay up amongst the clouds but low enough to see the marching army. She took breaths to calm herself. She did not want to admit that was nervous about speaking to Mark directly. He was a friendly man. Why should she worry?
Because he was a man, and all men seemed to be the same, as Farina put it. She closed her eyes, a memory lingering in the back of her head. Shouting and fighting. The sound of breaking glass. Warm arms surrounding her. Someone's voice- Fiora's maybe? - speaking reassuringly into her ear.
Florina blocked it out as she spotted the troops.
---
"Florina, there you are!" Mark exclaimed. He rushed over to her. "Did you see anything?" Florina hesitated for a moment, her tongue too numb to speak. Finally, she was able to form her mouth around the words.
"There…um, was a wyvern," She mumbled very quietly. Mark had to strain his ears to hear her. "…um, it…north. It was in the north." It was painful to say the words. Mark gave a sympathetic smile at her; it seemed to be one reserved for whenever he spoke to the knight.
"Thank you," He said. Florina turned quickly to escape. She was about to remount her pegasus when Sain stopped, his coy voice freezing her in position.
"If you want me to uphold my end of the bargain, you're going to have to try harder than that," He commented slyly. Florina dropped down again and forced herself to face Sain. "There are some men I would understand your fear of them, but Mark wouldn't hurt a fly."
"I'm no fly," Florina mumbled to herself. "I have no immunity."
"Excuse me?" She thanked Elimine that Sain did not catch that. Instead, she brought herself to stare him straight in the eye. It was the first time she had ever really looked him straight in his eyes. Sure, she knew they were brown, but it was a different thing entirely. It was a step for her, even if Sain would never understand that.
The last time she stared a man straight in the eye, she was beaten for it.
"I…" Now she was losing her voice just when she had garnered enough bravery to stand up. "I…have to go back." It was the best she could do. Sain nodded.
"Scouting, eh?" He said. She nodded and began to bite her lip. Sain reached out and cupped her face with his hand. "Don't do that." He told her softly. "It shows your insecurity, your anxiety." Florina released her lower lip. "See, I'm already helping you. Besides, I already talked with Mark. He said that you could stay with the lower units and keep an eye out for immediate threats. Heath and Fiora are already manning the skies. We're supposed to scout the lower area."
"We?" Florina trembled. "As in-"
"Well, if there were any archers, you'd be in quite a pickle, wouldn't you?" He smiled. "We'll work as a team. Besides, this would be a great moment for some quality time."
"Huh?"
"Well, I can't help you very much if you're scared of me too," He remarked. "You're going to have to learn to be comfortable around me, and in order to do that, we'll have to get to know each other." He patted his horses neck. "Shall we?" Florina did not respond; she just followed Sain out. Florina decided to let Huey's wings rest; so, she trotted on the ground next to Sain.
It was obvious that Sain did not intend to scout the lower areas. He was carefree as they rode in silence. At one time, he began humming to himself. Occasionally, he would look over at Florina, but she just ignored him.
"Well, this won't do," He stated. "As I said before, we need to learn more about each other. Like…you have another sister, right? What's her name?"
"Um, Farina." Florina told him. "She's…uh, the middle child."
"And you're the youngest?" Florina let out a long breath.
"Unfortunately, yes," She mumbled to herself. Sain heard her and laughed.
"I had a younger brother," He revealed to her. Florina was surprised by this. She would have thought that if Sain had siblings, she would know about it. She had seen his mother a few times; she often liked to visit Caelin. "He hated the position of the youngest. Always tried to prove himself by being better than me. Wanted to become a scholar, actually."
"You had a brother?"
"Yeah."
"What happened to him?" Florina questioned. Sain's face fell. He attempted to feign a smile, but he was a bad actor.
"How'd-"
"You used it in past tense," Florina told him. Her cheeks burned up. Oh great, it was probably just another stupid mistake. Nothing happened to his brother. He was probably earning great fame as a scholar and-
"He died," Sain mumbled in a small voice. "Three years ago. He was studying with the monks at a seminary when the sweating sickness swept through a local village. Thinking he could heal it with his knowledge of medicines, he soon caught it himself." The only sounds that proceeded this were the chirping of birds and the crush of grass under hooves. It was so sad the way he said. The bereaved tone of his voice almost made Florina cry.
"I'm sorry," She murmured.
"Don't be. Everyone passes on, and it was out of our control." An unnatural grin was pressed heavily on his lips. "The important thing is that he died trying to help others, and he has an eternal place in Elysium with all of Elimine's servants."
"Still, it must be terrible to lose a sibling," Florina stammered. "If I lost Fiora or Farina," Her voice cracked. "I don't know what I'd do. They've always been there for me. Even when-" She stopped suddenly.
"When what?"
"Nothing. It's nothing."
"Florina, if something is bothering you, then-" He sighed and dropped it. "I'm not going to force it out of you. I just want you to trust me. Is that too much to ask?" She paused then dug her heels into Huey and drove him up into the air, leaving a bewildered Sain calling up to her from the ground.
---
"The plan is tomorrow we'll sneak into the castle," Mark announced to the army. "Only a small number will be going in. Unless, you have been designated to come along, you will stay in camp until we call for you. Heath will have a perch in the mountains and will call for you if assistance is needed."
"Why Heath?" Someone called out.
"Because he can blend in with the other Bern soldiers and come here the quickest. Any more questions?" A low murmur passed between the fighters as the crowd dispersed. Florina dodged away, trying to avoid Sain. She couldn't confront him now. Not after what she did. Luckily, she made it to her tent in the night's darkness without facing him.
She slipped inside and gasped. Sain was there waiting for her, and he looked pissed.
His arms were crossed low against his chest, and his eyes were narrowed, giving them a stern look. Florina froze in her spot, quivering as he approached her. His arm took her hand in his own, gentle at first, but he clutched onto it, so she could not run away.
"You know what your problem is Florina?" He hissed in a low voice. "Everyone babies you. Everyone coddles you. I went along with it. Not anymore. I intend to keep my promise, and I will do anything to accomplish that. I will treat as an adult. You are still young, but you are a woman, and I will treat you as such. You understand?" Sain never took such a grave tone with anyone, not even the knights he commanded in Caelin. Florina was seeing so many new faces of Sain that it scared her. "Do. You. Understand?"
"Yes," Florina whispered.
"Good," He let go of her, dropping her hand at her side. It felt strangely cold without Sain's there to warm it; so, she rubbed it to regain it. "Goodnight Florina." Sain pushed past her, but this time, it was Florina to reach out. She stretched out her hand and brushed her fingers against his. This action stopped him as he was about to exit through the tent flap.
"You have to promise me one thing, though," She told him. "What I was about to tell you earlier, you must never force me to speak of it. Never. Nor will you try to bring it up with my sister because I assure you, Sain, you will get the same reaction."
"If it is a personal family matter, then you have my word that I will not pry," He said. Then, with the sweep of the flap, he left.
Author's Note: A litle choppy, but it sets future events up. Now Review! No reviews means no updates! Lemurian-Girl, signing off.