A/N: Yay! I like when I update this fast! :) Okay, so chapter 6 has arrived! Before I say anything else about it, I'd just like to get something out in the open. If you can help it, PLEASE do not leave anonymous reviews! I like to reply to every single review I get, and if you review as a guest I can't get back to you! My readers are VERY important to me, and I love answering questions that people have! So please just remember that for next time! Alright, I'm through with my ranting now! :P Enjoy this chapter! As usual, follow, favorite, and review! See you guys in chapter 7! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem. All characters you recognize belong to Nintendo/Intelligent Systems.
Titania and Oscar readied their horses the next morning and everyone else packed their things. Queen Elnicia had also offered that they stay the night in Melior so they wouldn't have to travel back to Fort Pinell in the dark. Ike thought this was a good idea, seeing as most of his mercenary company would probably get drunk anyway. It was this very idea that made him think about Shinon. Ike always enjoyed watching him try to communicate with people when he was drunk, which was quite often. He couldn't help himself but laugh, and smiled broadly as he packed his nicest clothes into his bag. Then his smile faded. He wondered if he would ever see the famed archer again. He finished packing his things and walked down the hall to Soren's room. The door was open, and he was quite surprised to see that his friend was not alone.
"Please, Soren?" Mist begged in her pouty voice as she held up purplish robes with golden trim. "I think you'll look great in them! Besides, you need something nice to wear other than what you've got on. It is a party, after all."
"I don't know, Mist," Soren hesitated. "They're a bit too...lavish for my tastes." He took the robes from her and examined them carefully. The collar was embroidered in a paisley design with golden thread. He heaved a deep sigh. "Alright, you win. I'll wear them."
Mist's eyes lit up. "Yay!" she exclaimed, taking the robes from Soren's hands and shoving them into his bag. "You'll be the best-looking one there! I know it!" She wasted no time in giving him a brief hug. Soren felt his face heat up again as he melted into her warm embrace.
"Good morning, Soren. Mist," Ike said from his position in the doorway. Soren's eye grew wide when he saw the commander standing there. Mist turned her head and let out a small gasp. She quickly dropped her arms from Soren's waist and put them back down at her sides.
"Ike! How long have you been standing there?" she complained. She was full on blushing as she glared at her older brother.
Ike laughed. "Not long," he said. "I do have to agree with Mist, though. Purple is definitely your color, Soren." He gave the sage an amused look.
"Very funny, Ike," Soren said flatly. "Meanwhile, have you checked up on the others? Have they finished packing?"
"You're my first stop," Ike responded. "I've yet to see what the others are up to. But I know Mia is done. She and Erin are waiting down in the mess hall."
"I should probably go finish packing as well," Mist said. She gave Soren a small smile before she left the room, and glared icily at Ike once again.
"Glad to see you're in a good mood this morning!" Ike called down the hall after her. He turned back to Soren, and the look on the sage's face was rather serious. "Hey," he said, putting his hand on Soren's shoulder. "What's the matter?"
Soren pursed his lips. It was a while before he spoke. "Ike," he began, looking his friend in the eyes. "You'll probably think this is a foolish question, especially coming from me, but...what's it like to be in love?"
Ike wasn't quite sure what to say. He found himself grinning stupidly at what Soren had just said. "Why do you ask?" he inquired. Then he figured it out. "Do you have feelings for Mist?" Soren stepped away from him then and sat down on his bed. He put his face in his hands and sighed.
"That's my dilemma, Ike," he said. "I mean, I'm not even sure what love feels like. Not this kind, anyway." He flopped over on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
Ike sighed and sat down next to his friend. "I guess I'm not really sure what to tell you," he said. "The feeling is great. It lets you know that you have someone really special who cares about you. Someone who will never leave your side. That person is the one you hold closest to your heart, and you never stop loving them. No matter what."
Soren seemed to be in deep thought for a moment. "Would you kill me if I pursued this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "She's your sister, after all."
Ike laughed. "Of course not! In fact, I think you deserve this. Mist is a really nice girl, even though I sometimes call her nasty things," he smirked.
"Well, I can't promise that I'll succeed. I'm not Gatrie," Soren chuckled. He pulled himself back up into a seated position.
"From the way she acts around you, I think she feels the same way," Ike said, smiling.
Soren gave him a hopeful look. "Really?"
"Would I lie to you, Soren?" Ike asked. He slapped a hand on Soren's shoulder once again. "Go for it."
The Greil Mercenaries arrived at the palace in Melior late in the afternoon. They were early, though. They party was not scheduled to start until the evening. Elincia was standing outside on the steps, waiting to greet them. She waved happily as they came closer into view, but a particular person caught her eye. She squinted as she tried to discern if it was who she thought it was. Upon realizing she was correct, her hands flew to her mouth and she gasped rather loudly. "Ike?" She picked up her skirts and ran down the steps. She couldn't believe her eyes. Everyone told her that Ike vanished, and was never to be seen again. "Ike!" she called to him.
"Hello, Your Majesty," Ike smiled, bowing to her. "Long time, no see."
Elincia found that she had no words to say. "But...they all said..." She was really struggling to speak to this heroic man whom she hadn't seen in ages. "They said you left!"
"Well, I did," Ike said, now feeling a tad guilty for his actions. "But I'm here now. Actually, I've been here for about a month."
Elincia seemed completely stunned. "It's so good to see you!" she beamed, taking his hand. "Please, do come inside," she addressed all of the mercenaries. "Make yourselves at home." She turned to walk back into the palace and Ike followed her, the rest of his company trailing behind him.
Upon entering the castle, they were greeted by even more familiar faces. Sitting in the foyer were Nolan, Leonardo, and Edward, of the original Dawn Brigade. Laura, the kind-hearted healer, was with them also. They were sitting around a large fireplace, discussing something in low tones. From the looks on their faces, it must've been a rather serious conversation. Rolf paid no attention to this, however, and broke the pensive mood.
"Eddie!" he shouted as he ran toward the trueblade. Edward was around his age, and the two of them had bonded quite a bit during the last war. Edward turned his head to see who it was who shouted at him, and the corners of his mouth pulled up into a wide grin.
"Rolf!" He immediately vacated his spot on one of the many sofas in the room and rushed toward the young archer. "Good to see you, buddy!"
"You too, Eddie," Rolf said. He extended his hand to Edward and the plucky swordsman grabbed it, pulling Rolf in for a hug. "How long's it been? Two years?"
"Far too long," Edward replied, his huge grin still visible on his face. "But you know what they say. Better long than never!" he laughed.
"Oh, Edward. You really are no good at clichés."
Everyone turned their heads to the direction of the voice that had just spoken. It belonged to a woman. A woman they all knew very well.
"Come on, Micaiah! Do you really have to rain on my parade all the time?" Edward whined. Micaiah playfully patted him on the head, earning her a rather annoyed look from the trueblade, but she merely giggled.
"Queen Micaiah," Ike addressed her, stepping out in front of the crowd of people. He knelt down and kissed her small, delicate hand.
"No need to be so formal, Ike," Micaiah told him as she helped him off the ground. "I'm the still the same girl you knew from the Goddess's War. Nothing about me has changed." She smiled warmly at him. "Elincia just informed me that you returned."
"Is Sothe here as well?" Ike asked, mentally slapping himself after he realized the ridiculousness of his question.
"Yes, he's upstairs at the moment," Micaiah answered.
"Does she look...different to you?" Mia whispered to Ilyana, who nodded her head in agreement.
"Yes. She looks much prettier since the last time we saw her," the sage whispered back.
"Well then," Elincia rejoined the group gathered in the entry. "If all you girls would like to come with me, we will be getting ready for the party in my chambers."
All the girls, except for Titania, who merely smiled and shook her head, squealed in excitement and followed Elincia up the grand staircase. Micaiah stayed beside Ike for a moment longer, however.
"When you have the time," she began, speaking softer. "I need to speak with you about something. It's very important." She managed a small smile as she turned to walk away. Ike saw that hidden look on her face, though. She was worried.
When it came time for the party to start, everyone was ushered into the banquet hall. The hall itself was decorated with large orange and pink ribbons and bows. The grand table had many places set. Ike figured there had to be at least a hundred chairs around it. Many other guests had arrived by now, and almost all were people Ike knew or at least recognized. Soren stood beside Ike, scanning the crowds for familiar faces as well, not that he necessarily cared to speak with any of them.
"Oh Goddesses, Soren," Ike said, gripping his best friend's arm. Soren reacted by wincing and using all his strength to pull away. When Ike let his fingernails grow out too long, they could've easily passed as claws of a cat Laguz.
"Ouch!" he yelped. "What's the matter, Ike?" He realized that Ike was staring at a woman not far from them. Soren's red eyes widened and his face took on a look of sheer terror.
"It's...her!" Ike groaned. The woman turned to look at the two men, and both quickly put their heads down, hoping she would overlook them. Unfortunately, this particular woman could not be fooled very easily...
Soren heard the clacking of heels on the stone floor and knew immediately that they'd been compromised. "Fu-"
"IKEY-POO!" she shouted in a sing-song voice as she strolled over to them. "Oh my, it's been so long!" She dramatically raised a hand to her forehead.
"Hello, Aimee," Ike sighed. He realized that this torture could not possibly end soon.
"Oh, and I see you've brought your friend with you," Aimee said, gesturing at Soren. "What was your name again?"
"Soren," the sage answered, bowing to her. "And if I may say so, Miss Aimee, you look truly beautiful this evening. Yes, the color of your dress really brings out your eyes. Every woman in the room must be so very jealous of you-"
"Oh, can it!" Aimee cut him off. "That doesn't work on me anymore, you creep!"
"Damn," Soren said. "It appears I've lost my touch."
"As it so happens, Aimee," Ike began. "I'm in a relationship with someone." He braced himself for the reaction.
"WHAT?!" Aimee bellowed. "How dare you! And to think I was ever interested in you!" She huffed and whirled around for a brief moment, but quickly turned to face them again. "What about you, sage? Are you dating anyone?"
"Excuse me?!" Soren asked incredulously. "I don't care to date the likes of you, Aimee! You're mentally unstable and you desperately need help!" he sneered. Ike could tell that Soren was very flustered now, and if he didn't act fast, some pretty terrible things were going to happen.
"Hey guys!" Ike said nervously. "Soren, let's go take our seats at the table now, shall we?" He took hold of Soren's arm and lead him away. Soren snarled at the obsessive shop girl. "See you later, Aimee." Aimee simply glared at both of them as they walked away from her.
A/N: Hahaha...Aimee's such a whore! :P Hope you enjoyed that little tidbit! :)