Okayyy! This chapter – OMG THIRTEEN – is pretty much all about Tibarn, Mihara, and Shoen. As well as Ranulf, Janaff, Ulki, and Ginia. If there are typos, my apologies. I wrote this all in one day due to a heavy overload of inspiration and ideas that crashed into my head. But...that's...good...right?
Chef Colette: Yeah, Ike HAD to have a hero part...at...this part...in the story... ARGH! (will not reveal any more) Haha, my sister and I had a brainstorm on what Alondite should have been...but we kinda drew blanks... (weak laugh) Thanks as always for your reviews! (cookies!)
Just an Opinion: WOW it looks like you totally want Ranulf with Mihara, haha! Yeah, Ranulf's my DUDE! (hugs Ranulf plushie) I suppose you'll just have to wait to see who she gets with... (evil laughter) Thank you for reviewing!
Iline: OMG you have no idea how much I appreciated your review! It completely lifted my spirits! =D =D =D I'm so glad that you like this story that much! Hmm...does that mean if I can do anything I set my mind to...DOES THAT MEAN WE CAN TAKE OVER THE FIRE EMBLEM CREATORS AND MAKE IT OURS?!!?!? (gets evil eye) Thank you again SOOOO MUCCCH for your awesome review!!!
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Fire Emblem except for this plot and all that you can pick out that isn't familiar in the original games. YAY! A NORMAL DISCLAIMER! ...Well...not anymore. Hee.
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Chapter 13
Shoen cowered in the corner of the room, keeping his eyes closed as tight as he could so that he wouldn't see the blood that a red lion was spilling to keep Shoen safe. The young eight-year-old hawk boy whimpered quietly, his small wings tucked in tight to his body. Suddenly, warm hands touched him. Shoen jumped and looked up. He still heard the lion fighting, so it wasn't him. The face was feminine – that much he could tell – but the rest of the face was shadowed. The voice said gently, "You don't like this, do you?"
Shoen sniffed quietly and shook his head.
"Would you like me to take you somewhere safe?"
He nodded after a moment. Somewhere safe with someone he didn't know was better than watching the battle before him. He allowed the woman to pick him up and carry him from the room – all the while, the red lion not having heard or seen anything.
Although, Shoen suddenly felt afraid. The forest surrounding the castle of Gallia was on fire. He saw a smirk come across the woman's face and he blacked out just as he heard her say, "Easy enough, you miserable sub-human Caineghis."
XxXxXxX
Shoen snapped awake with a start. He realized that his breathing was heavy and uneven and he was sweating. What had that dream been about? It felt so real...was it from his past?
"Caineghis..." he whispered, sitting up in his hammock-like bed. "I know him..."
He fell silent before realizing that everyone around him was still asleep. The waves outside gently hit the side of the ship. Shoen silently touched the ground and walked towards the stairs that led above deck. But then, he remembered that Tormod had said something to Muarim that there was an injured girl on the lower level. Apparantly, she was the Hawk King's daughter. She had been abducted and gashed by whoever had taken her. There had been herbs placed on her wounds and they were tightly bandaged, but Tibarn had been too exhausted and angry to carry her back across the ocean to Altiaire. So he and some 'feline friend' of his stayed on the ship for the night and planned to keep a close watch on her.
Curiosity overtook him and Shoen tiptoed downstairs. There were several lit candles for light, all placed on either the wall or a table. In the far right corner, he saw the hawk girl, laying on a bed. Her face was contorted in pain, although she seemed to be sleeping. Shoen looked around and saw no one else below with her. He cautiously approached her. He looked at her face, using what little light there was. She had black hair and it seemed light and feathery – similar to his own. Now that he thought about her...their scents...
"What are you doing down here?"
Even though the voice asked quietly, Shoen jerked at the sound. He turned and saw Ranulf standing in the shadows, leaning against a support beam. He stuttered softly, "Umm, I-I'm sorry. I-I was just-just, umm..."
Ranulf scoffed lightly in amusement. "Calm down, kid. I was just asking."
"I, uhh...do you...want me to go?"
"You're fine. Just be glad it was me and not her father that caught you down here. I think that, at the moment, he's more than capable of harming anyone. He's tired and stressed from this whole event. While I'm thinking on it, who are you? I saw you with Tormod and Muarim and the horse tribe." Ranulf approached him slowly.
"Umm...I'm Shoen. Tormod and Muarim were kind enough to escort me to Altiaire. I, uhh...I sorta don't know where I'm from, exactly." Shoen shifted uncomfortably.
"...I see. Well, I'm Ranulf. A friend of Mihara, here." Ranulf frowned. "But what do you mean that you don't know where you're from?"
"Well...my last memory is from when I was about eight. Then, nothing. I recently just found myself in a room in an old war building near the Daein-Crimea border about seven years ago."
With that piece of information, Ranulf seemed much more alarmed. "Really? You don't know where your family is or anything like that?"
"No, I don't. I thought that since I was a hawk, I'd go to the bird tribe country and see if I could find anyone who recognized me."
"If you don't mind my asking, how old are you?"
"Umm...I know I look young, even for a laguz, but I'm about twenty-four."
"Really..."
Silence fell in the room aside from Mihara's jagged breathing and the soothing sound of the waves outside. Then, footsteps sounded on the stairs. Tibarn entered the room, his eyes heavy. He caught sight of Shoen and demanded towards Ranulf, "What's he doing down here?"
"He couldn't sleep and wandered down here. But now, may I ask you to wait above deck, Shoen?"
Shoen nodded, understanding that he now needed to leave. He walked by Tibarn, whose eyes were widened and watching Shoen as he left. He turned to Ranulf as soon as Shoen was out of hearing range, his expression demanding answers. Ranulf stared back gravely. "Tibarn...that's really Shoen."
"How...?! How could he be my son?!" Tibarn snapped.
"He remembers nothing from after the age of eight. He's twenty-four. He was in a state like Leanne, apparantly. He just suddenly woke up near the bridge between Daein and Crimea, seven years ago. He has no idea who he really is and is heading to Altiaire to find relatives or friends." At Tibarn's solemn face, he added, "Tibarn, he looks like you and his scent is the same as your's and Mihara's."
The Hawk King slowly nodded. "I see..."
"So?"
"So what?"
Ranulf gave Tibarn a look that obviously asked what he was going to do about it. Tibarn, although it was unlike him, glanced away. His eyes drifted to Mihara, sleeping on the bed. Then, wordlessly, he turned and walked up the stairs.
Ranulf stared after him before sighing quietly. He walked over to Mihara's bed. He knelt down and softly touched her left hand. Mihara, he said quietly, you can go back home...for only a few moments right now.
XxXxXxX
Shoen stared out at the ocean's waters, Altiaire's lands growing closer and closer. He felt a sudden thrill. Soon, he would find out who he really was and he would be reunited with his family and they would-
Footsteps broke him from his thoughts. He turned his head and saw Tibarn walking towards him. Shoen awkwardly bowed his head and murmured, "Err, Your Majesty..."
Tibarn held out a hand. "Please. No formalities."
Shoen seemed confused, but slowly nodded his head in understanding. He blinked, oblivious to Tibarn's hesitation and nervousness. "Umm...did you want to speak to me, King Tibarn?"
"Well...Ranulf just spoke to me about you."
"...Oh...?"
"He said that you have no memory of between age eight and now, correct?"
"Y-yes..."
"And that you couldn't remember who you really are and who you are related to?"
"Yes..."
Tibarn walked up beside him, his feathers rustling quietly. He placed his hands on the side of the boat. "What if I told you...I know who you're related to?"
Shoen's eyes lit up. "Do you really know?!"
"I believe I do. Your scent and your face...it's all so familiar."
"Can you tell me where my family is?" Shoen's voice grew excited and restless.
Tibarn sighed heavily. He paused, then said: "On this ship."
Shoen's excitement didn't fade, but he frowned in confusion. "On...the ship...? There's only...the horse tribe and Sir Ranulf and..." Shoen's eyes widened.
"You are related to that girl below deck: Mihara."
"I'm...related to her...? But she's...your...daughter..." Shoen trailed off, piecing it together.
"Hahaha!! Can we go higher, Dad?!"
"Okay. A bit higher."
"I don't think so, Dad. You can do anything."
"There's lots of things I can't do."
"Like what?"
"Good job, Shoen. I think that would take a long time for me to learn."
"Ha! I'm better at you than some things!"
"Indeed, you are. But don't think that you're better than your old man at too much!"
"You're not old, Dad!"
"You wanna bet?"
"You're not!"
The voices rang in Shoen's head as his eyes remained wide. They began shining with unshed tears as Tibarn stared at him knowingly and with lost love for his son. Shoen's lips parted and he squeaked out, "D...Dad...?"
Tibarn's head slowly reached out and ruffled Shoen's hair. "My little Shoen..."
A knot rose in the younger hawk's throat and he swallowed it. There was a pit in his stomach, but he ignored it. The missing piece of his heart had just filled in. He rushed towards Tibarn and wrapped his arms around him as far as they would go and he buried his head into Tibarn's chest. Tibarn's arms, in turn, wrapped around him in a safe, strong hug.
XxXxXxX
Mihara woke with a gasp for air. She quickly looked around the room. She sighed shakily once she saw where she was. I'm...still here...?
Ranulf was at her side once Mihara groaned with pain and held her arm. "Hey. How're you feeling?"
"Like I just got stampeded over," Mihara said softly, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Well, I think with that attitude," Ranulf smirked lightly, "you'll be fine."
"Yeah... I just feel really sore."
"I bet."
Mihara then turned her gaze to the ceiling of the room below deck. "Ike...he left, didn't he?"
"...Yeah."
"I didn't...even get to thank him."
"I'm sure that you'll see him again," Ranulf said in an assuring tone.
There was a stretch of silence between the two before Mihara began looking around. "So...where am I?"
"On a ship. We're heading back to Altiaire. The horse tribe is coming, as well." Ranulf knelt down beside her. "Do you need anything? Water? Some food?"
"A little bit of both, I think. Please."
"No problem. I'll be right back." The cat warrior stood and walked upstairs to make his way to the cook. If Mihara had been paying attention, she would've noticed that Ranulf's ears had twitched upward and that he had glanced up before he left.
Mihara tried to force herself up with her right arm, but she couldn't manage on her own. So, she fell back on the bed as gently as she could. She closed her eyes for a moment to relax, trying to ignore the pain in her limbs. But when she opened her eyes again, she saw Tibarn hovering over her. He startled her, but now that she saw her father, she felt much safer. She smiled. "Dad..."
"Mihara. I'm glad to see that you're awake." Tibarn's relief was obvious on his face and in his voice. However, his daughter could tell that he seemed happy for another reason.
"Is something up?" she whispered, just realizing that her voice was incredibly hoarse.
"It can wait," Tibarn answered quickly. Almost too quickly. "You need to recover first."
"I feel fine," she lied.
Tibarn gave her a slightly scolding look.
"Okay, okay..." she muttered, a small grin on her lips.
The ship continued sailing on towards Altiaire. It didn't take but fifteen more minutes before they managed to dock ("Oh, man! What is this, Tibarn?! A dock?!" Ranulf gaped). Tibarn and Ranulf helped Mihara to stand. Even though she insisted on walking, Tibarn scooped her up and gingerly carried her towards the castle. Keenan and his people, Tormod, Muarim, and Shoen followed in behind them.
XxXxXxX
Reyson and Leanne flew as fast as they could back towards Serenes. Below them, Rafiel rode atop Nailah, Volug running at her side. They were entering the forest's lands, passing by a few groups of swans who looked at them with alarm. Quickly, they reached the altar of Serenes. Lorazieh was sitting on it, seeming weary. At the sight of his children, his spirits lifted. Beside him, Laurel was standing and singing. It was a gentle, yet powerful, song, similar to the herons' galdr of rebirth. Lorazieh turned and spoke to her for a second, her words falling away. Lorazieh then returned to his children. "You have come just in time, my children. The flame burns brighter."
The herons all spoke then in their usual tongue, finding it easier to communicate that way with their father. Rafiel demanded, "What flame, Father?"
"It consumes the medallion. Lehran's Medallion. It burns again."
The siblings' eyes widened with shock. Nailah inquired, "How can that be?"
"That is a question beyond me. Yune contacted me and she is on her way to investigate. We must contain the flame before it grows larger. Lady Laurel has aided me, but her magic is not as strong as ours, regretfully." Lorazieh glanced at the medallion. "The flame is red."
"Red? When Yune was trapped in there, it was a blue flame," Reyson told his father with confusion.
"It has been red all the while you three were gone. It grows larger each day. Every hour, it seems."
"I will help you first, Father," Leanne offered. She flew quickly up to the medallion. She stared at the dancing red flame around the object. The flame emitted evil – that much she could easily tell. She held out her hands and outstretched her arms. With a deep inhale, she began singing.
Nailah turned to Rafiel. "We need to return to Hatari. If you need our help for anything, come and seek us out."
"As you wish. Be safe, Lady Nailah." The eldest heron sibling watched as Nailah and Volug then continued around the altar, heading for Hatari.
Reyson gestured to his brother. "Come. We should help Leanne."
"Of course."
XxXxXxX
Hadrian threw himself from the cliff, shifting halfway down, and broke the surface of the water without hardly a splash. For yet another time, he was diving down into the deep waters to investigate the sunken ship in their waters. Xavier had told Hadrian about his strange encounter with a laguz otter, but she hadn't been with their people. So, he was looking around in the area to see if he could find her again.
"But, Hadrian...she seemed familiar. She almost seemed like...her."
Well...there's no way that it can be her. She disappeared from Nylonti. My cousin was thought of as dead to us when she never returned... Hadrian mused.
He headed down into the ship cautiously. There were many unopened treasure chests as well as a few skeletons from the unfortunate people who never got off the ship. He left the treasure chests alone and moved through the doorways. He looked around everywhere he could, seeing some things floating in the water, fish swimming around to examine them.
Hadrian turned swiftly at a loud thud. He spoke softly, his words not disformed despite the fact that he was underwater, "Who's there?"
There was no answer. He could've sworn he heard quick movement through the water, but he wasn't positive. He swam towards where he'd heard the sound. There was dirt settling from a fallen support beam. Either someone had knocked it over or it had simply fallen over by itself. Hadrian swished his tail, making his way out of the ship. He swam a little bit above it, looking down upon it, trying to see if there was a figure that didn't belong.
"Hadrian..."
He turned, his brown eyes wide with shock. Above him was another otter – a female. She was looking at him with almost sad-looking light brown eyes. "Hadrian..." she repeated. "You need to leave this ship alone."
"You...can't be... Fe...Felicity...?" Hadrian breathed.
"Trust me, Hadrian. If you mess with this ship, you'll only have misfortune brought upon you and the people." Felicity flicked her tail and turned to leave.
"Wait, Felicity!" Hadrian called, but the man's cousin was already swimming away. He stared after her with disbelief.
"Felicity...?"
XxXxXxX
"Do you want to tell her? I can do it, Shoen," Tibarn insisted. "If you don't want to."
"No... I want to tell her. We've never met each other. Yet...since I know about her now, I feel sort of...whole around her. Every time I've gone in her room, though, she's been asleep." Shoen rubbed his neck. "I sound stupid, don't I?"
"You do not. Even though I am an only child, I understand what you're saying," Tibarn said. "Because I have a bond with you two."
Mihara's door suddenly opened and Ranulf stepped out. "She's awake," he reported once he closed the door. He patted Shoen's shoulder. "Go for it."
"Hnn...yeah..."
Tibarn and Ranulf watched after Shoen as he hesitantly opened the door to Mihara's room. Tibarn suddenly glared slightly at Ranulf. "You sure are very concerned about her well-being."
"Well, yeah," Ranulf replied. He paused, Tibarn thinking that he was making up some excuse why, but Ranulf continued, "It was Yune and I who brought her here. Yune told me that I needed to make sure that she stayed healthy and such."
"Is that so?"
Ranulf shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. That's so." He then walked off.
In the room, Shoen was cautiously approaching Mihara. She looked at him with curiosity. "Who are you?"
Shoen almost wanted to avert her strong gaze, but he refused to. He said, "Well...you don't know me...really...but I know you. Not as well as I should at this age."
Mihara frowned with confusion. "...What do you mean?"
"Well, umm...see...my name...is Shoen."
Instantly, at his name, Mihara's eyes widened with disbelief. She forced herself to sit up in her bed against the bedposts at the head and looked at him more. "You...you're...my little brother?"
Shoen's nervousness and shyness faded then. "Yeah, I am. I just found out yesterday."
Mihara's eyes began watering. She remembered how empty she had felt when Tibarn had told her about her mother and her brother. But now...now she knew he was alive... She swallowed the knot in her throat. Shoen seemed slightly panicked. "Umm...please don't cry... I hate it when girls cry..."
Mihara gave a short bark of laughter. "I'm sorry. I'm just so..." She broke off with a quiet sob.
Shoen walked to her bedside and outstretched his arms. Mihara did the same and the two hugged, the siblings and the family having been reunited.
XxXxXxX The next morning... XxXxXxX
With Shoen's help, Mihara was able to get out of bed and walk about. Tibarn walked with them everywhere, Mihara and Tibarn showing Shoen around the kingdom. They had spoke to each other so much, just in the morning hours. They would've skipped breakfast if it weren't for Mihara's desire to eat so that she could recover. The three made their way to the dining room and saw Janaff and Ulki quietly conversing in the corner. As usual, there were plates of food waiting on the king and his daughter – and now his son, too. The two looked up and offered a friendly smile as they made their way into the room. Ginia was also sitting near them, listening to their conversations. Once she saw them coming, she jumped up and took Shoen's place to help Mihara to sit and eat.
"Lady Mihara, it is so wonderful to see you up and around," she immediately commented, smiling with joy.
"Thank you, Ginia." Mihara accepted her plate of food from her. "If you don't mind, later, will you accompany us to the shore? There's something I have to do."
"Of course, milady."
"What do you have to do?" Shoen inquired.
"Oh...just a little something I should've done a while back."
"And that would be...?"
"You'll see."
At Mihara's genius answer, Shoen pouted slightly. However, they all finished their breakfast lightheartedly with lots of conversation. Once they had finished, Ginia helped Mihara up to her room at her request while the guys all waited downstairs. As Ginia opened Mihara's door, she asked, "What do you need from here to go down to the ocean?"
"Something very important," Mihara replied. She went to her dresser and opened a drawer at the top. She moved her clothes that had come from Earth and found her MP3 player. She held it tightly before closing her drawer. She stared at it for a moment, thinking heavily. She sighed and said she was ready to go.
Once they were back downstairs with the other four, they all walked outside and began making their way to the beach. About halfway there, they spotted Ranulf, who was standing by himself, staring out towards the water. At Mihara's request for him to go as well, he smiled softly and agreed. Once they had finally arrived, they stood silently for a little while, listening to the soothing, rhythmic beat of the ocean's crashes against the shore and the cliffs. Shoen looked towards his older sister. "So what do you need to do?"
Mihara looked at him for a moment before looking slowly down into her hand, where her MP3 rested. Ranulf, Tibarn, Janaff, and Ulki looked at her with appall. Tibarn placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure? If you throw that, it can mean that you accept your life here...and you're abandoning your old life."
Tibarn's daughter glanced back upward. "...Yeah. I'm sure. It's okay. I got to...say thanks and goodbye to them, anyway." She turned to Ranulf. "Thanks to you and Yune."
"She just...didn't want you to have vanished from their lives like that. You got to go home." Ranulf nodded encouragingly. "It was a type of closure...for both you and them."
"She got to go back? When?" Janaff demanded.
"Go back where? What?" Shoen looked at them all, baffled.
He was ignored as Ranulf informed, "While she was asleep. Her consciousness went back home. She managed to take a physical form, but it was of her form that belonged in this world. When I brought her here, I promised that she could return home...and she got to."
"He's right. I saw my...other family. My friends...my pets...my old home. But now..." Mihara gripped the device in her hand tightly. "...Now...I'm ready. I can let them go. I loved them all dearly. I would've easily given my life for theirs. And they know that."
Tibarn released her shoulder after a second's indecision. Then, he whispered, "If you're ready."
"I'll still remember their faces." Mihara smiled sadly. "I brought some pictures back. Just because I'm abandoning my life from there doesn't mean I have to forget other people I loved. Amari...Yvette...and all the others."
With that, Mihara clutched her MP3, pulled her arm back, and sent her connection to her old world flying over the cliffs and into the depths of the ocean, where it would remain.
XxXxXxX
I'm sorry if it was a little cheesey and moved a bit quickly. I hope that it was sweet and full of internal struggle for Mihara! And there will be a time where I'll put where she 'went back to Earth'. I want it to take up a whole chapter, but I dunno if I can make it out that long... (starts typing anyways)
It appears that more people want a Minulf (haha that's kinda funny sounding) than a Mireyson (hmmm that's even funnIER sounding...). We'll just have to see, won't we...? Kekekekeke....
Please review!
