Sora's face paled, and his stomach dropped. "V-Ventus...?"
"I'm sorry, but do you know this man?" Vexen demanded.
Ventus turned his head to Vexen. "He's my father; I joined the army just so I could find him."
"You did...?" Sora felt as if his world had begun to fall apart. "Does your mother know about this?"
Ventus shifted uneasily. "Well, she knows I wanted to be a drummer..."
"You mean, you ran away?" Sora realized.
"I left her a note..." Ventus mumbled.
"Ventus! Don't you know what kind of danger you put yourself in? I've seen drummer boys shot before my very eyes, and you wanted to become one just to see me?" Sora's voice was rising now.
"Call me Ven," Ventus insisted, "and...I thought you'd be happy to see me...Mother wanted me to follow my heart, and my heart wanted to see you again..."
Sora stared at him, awestruck. "N-no...that's not it. Of course I'm happy to see you, it's just...I would've rather waited to see you when I came home."
"But every day Mother worried that you never would come home," Ven explained, "I was afraid, too. I wanted to see my father in case I never got to see him again. Memories only last so long, and I've already begun to forget..."
Sora's heart melted on the spot. "Oh Ven...I'm so sorry..."
He leaned down to hug his son, who stood just about at his chest.
Ven, at almost eleven years of age, strikingly resembled Roxas due to Naminé's blonde hair and Sora's blue eyes; his blond hair rested in messy cowlicks on his head, and his eyes shone like the sky. Pride wasn't even the beginning of what Sora felt when he looked upon Ven's face.
"May I borrow him for a moment?" Sora asked Vexen.
Vexen let out a sigh. "I suppose...the rest of you may take a break as well."
Sora led Ven over to the tree where Ven's uncles sat, and before Sora could even introduce him, they jumped to their feet to embrace Ven.
"The last time I saw you, you were this high." Reno leaned down and lowered his hand so it was at the height of his knee.
"You know...you look a lot like Roxas..." Axel mentioned. "Perhaps we should question whether or not Sora is really your father?"
Roxas punched Axel in the arm. "Don't even joke about that."
"Getting defensive, are we? Do you have something to confess, Roxas?" Axel teased.
"You know the only person I've laid with was you," Roxas protested.
"Please, not in front of my son," Sora begged.
Ven looked around at the familiar faces. "Wish I could've seen Uncle Zack, too..."
The men shifted uncomfortably, awkward silence between them.
Axel, rubbing his neck, said, "Yeah...we're sorry you never got to meet him again..."
"We'll tell Noct that his dad was one hell of a fighter," Reno offered.
"That's exactly why I wanted to come here," Ven said, "I wanted to meet my father lest something terrible happened to him, too. I tried to convince Noctis to come with me, but he wouldn't."
"And maybe he was right to do so," Sora said. "Ven...may I have a word with you, alone?"
Ven smiled up at his father. "Of course."
The two parted from their family and strolled through the camp. The words itched as Sora let them out.
"Ven...I'm more than thrilled to see the young man you've become. But this war is no place for boys like you; you should be out playing with friends. You should be enjoying every moment of your childhood." Sora began.
Ven nodded. "The streets weren't too safe when I was littler...Noctis and I played inside a lot."
"But I can tell this war will be over soon, and I want you to be able to play outside with Noctis. I want you to be able to grow. A place like this isn't for you..." Sora continued.
Ven caught on quickly. "You want me to go home, don't you?"
Sora sighed. "For your mother's sake, you should return home."
Ven frowned. "I thought you were going to be like her, telling me I should follow my dreams..."
"And I desperately want you to do just that," Sora agreed, "Just...not here."
"Father, I wanted to do this; I wanted to stand alongside you during battle. There's no way I can give up what I've wanted to do since I was a child." Ven protested.
"Ven, you still are a child!" Sora cried. "You have a life worth living ahead of you! I will not allow you to potentially lose the life you have!"
"Father, please, let me stay by you! For years I've waited at home to see the man my mother spoke so fondly of! I thought you would've been a little happier to see me, too..." Ven faltered.
"I am happy to see you, Ven; I'm just scared that you'll die by my side." Sora sighed.
"And I'm scared you'll never come home." Ven added.
The two locked eyes, father and son, for the first time in a long time.
"Please...let me stay with you..." Ven begged softly.
Sora sighed, closing his eyes and pursing his lips. "I suppose..."
Ven's eyes lit up.
"However, I forbid you to enter combat." Sora finished.
Ven knit his eyebrows. "How is that any different from returning home?"
"You'll know firsthand if something happens to me, and if I'm lucky at all, I'll get to say my goodbyes to you." Sora pointed out. "And I'll know you're safe. Is this a fair trade?"
Ven sighed. "Yes, Father."
Sora held out his hand, and they shook like partners. Then, Sora embraced his son like family.
September of 1781, the world changed forever.
Sora had written a terrified Naminé concerning the whereabouts of their son, and she was relieved to find out he had made it to his father's side. Up to this point, Ven had followed Sora's orders to stay away from battle, despite Vexen's demands.
For Ven's eleventh birthday, they held a small celebration in the campground. The night was clear and the stars glittered in the sky.
"Do you think there are other worlds besides ours?" Ven asked.
Sora tilted his head back. "I don't see why there wouldn't be."
Ven smiled. "If there are other worlds, do you think we'll ever be able to reach them?"
"I don't know," Sora admitted.
Ven leaned against Sora's shoulder. "Father, I'm glad I ran away."
Sora let out a weak laugh. "Your behavior was reckless..."
"I know..." Ven muttered.
"But, I am glad that you are safe here next to me." Sora added.
On the morning of September 28th, colonial and French troops gathered in Yorktown.
The sharp rapping of the drums rattled Sora's bones, the encroaching fear that his son was among them residing in his gut. He had told Ven to stay at the camp, and to his relief, he had.
Before they knew it, British troops engulfed them in endless gunfire. Sora fired his rifle back, adding to the limitless clamor.
Charging forth, feet pounding over dirt and bodies, Sora and the others pushed their way through the masses of troops.
Red and blue coats spattered with blood alike fell to the ground, forgotten in the dust.
Through the day and through the night, the colonial army and their French allies battered the British; for days on end, the bloodshed continued.
October 16th, sunrise approached, the tapping of the drums crisp in the soldiers' ears.
Sora and his men advanced on the British ahead of them, as the British charged at them in return.
Even from this distance, Roxas recognized them as the soldiers he had met in the British encampment: Seifer, Rai, and Fuu, all led by Captain Sephiroth who glanced over from horseback.
Squinting down the barrel of his musket, Roxas sent a bullet flying into Seifer's chest.
Beside him, Axel aimed carefully at Fuu, ripping a fatal wound just below Fuu's breast.
Rai fell shortly after, a bullet in his side courtesy of Reno.
Seeing his men (and woman) fallen, Sephiroth eyed the battlefield until he spotted a single drummer: Ven.
Sora followed Sephiroth's gaze, finding Ven among the crowd. Anger burned in his stomach, and he pushed past the others to reach Ven.
"Ven! Ventus!" Sora shouted, his voice drowned out by the gunshots.
His world seemed to slow. Sephiroth, who had been arguing with the silver-haired soldier beside him, shoved him aside and stole his musket. He pointed the barrel at the blond drummer.
"VEN!"
The barrel of the gun erupted in smoke, the bullet sailing through the air. Blood spurted from Ven's chest, and he fell back from the impact.
Sora dropped to his knees, catching his son as he fell.
"VEN!"
"Father..." Ven groaned, his hand just above his heart.
"Prompto, take Ven away from the combat! I'll take out Sephiroth myself." Sora demanded.
Prompto slung his gun over his shoulder and took to Ven's side. He ripped the drum away to make the boy's body lighter, and scooped him up, carrying him off the battlefield.
Sora gripped his musket, peering down the barrel. He fired, and Sephiroth fell from his horse.
Defying orders, Sora disappeared from the battlefield, rushing to Ven's side.
Prompto had laid him in the safety of an alley. Blood seeped through his coat, and his breathing had turned shallow.
"Ven..." Sora had already begun to sob, but he forced himself to be quiet for his son's sake.
"Father, I'm so sorry...I should've stayed..." Ven said, tears dripping down his dirty face.
"I don't care about that now, what's done is done," Sora assured.
"Father...tell Mother that I'm sorry I disobeyed orders..." Ven said.
"It's going to be alright, Ven," Sora lied, knowing his son wouldn't last long.
"I love you, Father..." Ven offered.
"I love you too, son." Sora replied, pressing his lips to his son's head. He clenched the boy's hand in his, a hand he hadn't held since the boy was merely an infant. "I'm so sorry this war took me from you...I didn't have the chance to be your father..."
"No...you...you're a good father..." Ven said, his last breath rattling his body. He exhaled, and his spirit left him.
Sora remembered the blueness of Ven's eyes as the light left them, closing for eternity. He embraced his son's body, sobbing until he could sob no more.
Two days later, the war ended. The colonists - no, Americans - had finally gained the independence they had battled long and hard for.
And despite this, Sora knew he had won nothing, because he had lost everything.
Look...I'm trying to be "historically accurate", but some things gotta happen for drama (ie the horse)