Title: Devoid of Logic
Rating: T, just in case?
Pairing(s): Maybe Soren and Ike if you look really hard. Just maybe.
Summary: At the battle of Castle Nevassa, Soren had expected to stand next to Ike's side and help him bring down the Mad King of Daein, but he hardly would have have believed that a cruel twist of fate would have him facing an infinitely more formidable foe. Slight Ike x Soren if you look very, very carefully, though it's open to interpretation.
Notes: This is Rexcalibur offering her attempt at her very first fanfic! Therefore, I would like to apologize in advance for any eye-gouging or hair-tearing that may be elicited from possible OOC-ness the characters may exhibit...or more accurately, the two characters that I chose to focus on because they are made of pure awesome and have been the objects of my obsessions for the past few months. In other words, Ike and Soren! Yes, I shall freely admit that I am one of the countless fangirls of that particular pairing or whatever you want to call them, if using the word "pairing" to describe them disturbs you. After sifting through all the Soren and Ike fanfic I could get my hands on (some of which hurt my eyes and others which instantly won my approval), I have finally decided to try and contribute something to the fandom myself. YAY! There may be a very very slight undertone of Ike x Soren in this chapter, which may or may not have been intended (I blame my subconsciousness), but other than that...I don't think there's anything to warn for.
I do not own Fire Emblem; if I did Soren and Ike would appear in every single Fire Emblem game and will hog all the screentime. And all the haters would try to assassinate me. Regardless, I still wish I owned Fire Emblem. (Who doesn't wish this?)
OKAY, I've bantered on far long enough so without further ado...Chapter One! (Yes, this is going to be a multi-chapter story.)
His face betrayed no emotion as he thumbed through his Elwind tome, softly whispering the incantations that would send his enemies to an inevitable death. Green shards of magic sliced through the air in a deadly rhythm, strangely in time to the elegant swordplay of the blue-eyed warrior fighting a few mere feet away. The enemy troops relentlessly pressed on, discipline infallible even in the face of a losing battle. They put on a brave front, but the tactician could clearly see them growing haggard underneath the strain, their numbers steadily dwindling under the combined might of the mercenaries. It was only a matter of time before they completely buckled and allowed their army further passage into the heart of the castle, where surely, the Mad King would be waiting. Judging from his calculations, that matter of time was now. Deftly pulling out a Tornado tome, the mage murmured the incantation written within it, allowing its power to imbue his being before raising an alabaster hand to summon it forth. The Daein soldiers' organized advance was brutally disrupted as a powerful vortex smashed through their ranks. The tactician chopped his hand downward, summoning another tornado that cleaved the power of the approaching phalanx by two, leaving dead enemies in its wake.
"Now!" he shouted, reverting back to an approving silence as he watched the front-line fighters rush forward to take advantage of the enemy's divided numbers, while the snipers rained death upon the Daeins from afar. Within a matter of minutes, the hallway was clear of any opposition. Narrowed garnet eyes surveyed the scene around him, a fleeting nod being the only indication that he was pleased with the turn of events.
"Flawless strategy as usual," a light voice addressed him from behind.
The mage merely nodded in return without turning around, for this was the very voice he had trekked across the whole of Gallia and Crimea to find.
"So…what now, Soren?" the same voice persisted, trying to draw the said tactician out of the taciturn shell he always seemed to withdraw into even deeper than normal come times of battle.
Soren finally sighed and turned to face his commander. "Ike, meaningless conversation does nothing but warrant distraction on the battlefield, something which I need not remind you, is best avoided, for it will doubtless lead to mistakes and further complications. As to the answer to your second question, you are the commander; we shall proceed as you see fit. We are enclosed within a castle in the heart of Daein's capital with no knowledge as to what traps the army has planned for us. I know not what measures to take against the unknown, only that we either move as a group and hope that our combined strength will be sufficient enough to withstand whatever lies ahead or send a stealth group of a few able soldiers in an attempt to glean more information and plan accordingly." Having said all he had to say, the tactician fell silent as he awaited Ike's command.
The blue-haired youth blinked his azure eyes slowly, before letting free a sigh of his own. "And what would you suggest, Soren?" was all he replied with, for he knew that if he dared to comment on anything the mage had mentioned besides battle tactics, he would receive nothing but an annoyed glare due to "meaningless conversation warranting distraction."
Soren's red eyes gazed critically at the members of the team that Ike had decided to bring along, before thoughtfully responding, "I would advocate sending ahead a few scouts. It is without a doubt that Daein intelligence knows the vast size and ability of the bolstered Crimea army. Yet even so, they chose to allow us to ride freely into the capital of Daein itself, while a siege would have been far more to their advantage. Whatever this trap may be, they believe our strength will not hold. I see no point in risking the whole company while we may minimalize possible casualties by sending a smaller, undetected group to obtain information. Knowledge is power, is it not?"
A smile graced Ike's weary face as he nodded, understanding clearing the features the mage knew so well. "Well, I think we're 'able' enough to handle that, right, Soren?"
The tactician's eyes widened for the smallest fraction of a second before resuming the impassive front that was customary to everyone save for Ike. "No, Ike, you can't go! You're…you're our guiding light. Should you fall, the hopes of Crimea fall as well. Send someone else in your stead. It is not prudent to throw caution to the winds with stakes as high as these." Soren's lips turned downward into a frown as he saw Ike's face light up with determination, and before his friend spoke, the mage already knew that he would not listen to this particular piece of advice. When they got back to camp, he really would have to drill into him the proper duties of a commander, especially the part that assumed you were not supposed to blindly rush into danger. That's what underlings were for.
"And are you implying that you doubt my abilities, Soren? You're my best mage, tactician, and friend and I wouldn't trust anyone else with the task of keeping you safe. We may have captured this part of the castle and eliminated everyone here, but there's sure to be more soldiers up ahead. Besides, Soren, every minute we spend here arguing is another minute that Daein could use to send reinforcements, isn't it?" Ike replied with a smug smile, certain that the tactician couldn't argue against his own logic. But just for extra precautionary measures, the general added in, "And if you still refuse to listen to reason, then remember that I am the commander of this army and I am free to "proceed as I see fit," as I believe you put it."
Soren winced as his own words trapped him into a situation he would rather avoid. He didn't know what he would do if he failed to protect Ike on the path that lay ahead, didn't know how he would live with himself for the rest of his life. The possibility was too chillingly cold to consider. But the mage knew that once Ike obtained that stubborn set in his mouth, it would be impossible to sway his opinion even in the slightest. They were wasting time; reinforcements could indeed arrive soon to replace the forces they had wiped out a few minutes ago. Giving Ike the dirtiest look he could muster, Soren angrily responded with a scathing, "As you wish, commander. I sincerely hope for your sake that your stubbornness matches the extent of your prowess." For your sake…and for mine, Soren couldn't help thinking, though he knew that Ike was far more than proficient.
His stoically watched as Ike informed the rest of the band about the new turn of events, silencing their protests with the same reasoning he had used on Soren. With no small amount of reluctance, the healers went back to healing the wounds that the group had amassed during the previous conflict and the damaged mercenaries allowed themselves to be healed. The capable soldiers grudgingly set to completing their assigned task of retrieving all the castle's treasure that they could access alongside Volke before Soren and Ike returned.
Ike smiled at his success.
Soren silently seethed.
Some people, the mage concluded, glaring at the self-satisfied expression Ike wore on his face, could be entirely devoid of logic.