Fire Emblem Fan Fiction ❯ Fire Emblem-Path of Radiance: Love Sonata ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

Falchion1984: Whew, that was touch and go for a while. Anyhow, this chapter will be something of a fun filler between the proposal and the wedding. This is NOT the last chapter, but it might be the last I can get up for at least a bit. School is heating up and it could constrain my time. Though, on the bright side, my classes have final papers/projects in the place of final exams so I'll be getting out around December 8th.

 

Mist: Uh, mentioning that might've been a bad idea.

 

Falchion1984: Why? *Inhales* Wait, what's that smell?

 

Ranulf: A torch bearing mob.

 

Falchion1984: Ah…well…er….yes. I guess my co-hosts will have to take care of you for a while. I will be…running for my life! *Dashes off*

 

Ranulf: Well, this chapter will be all from Lucia's perspective and she'll be telling her side of the story during the proposal and we'll some words from Sephiran about his motives.

 

Mist: We should've made her a bigger player in our conspiracy, she DID help us by talking Elincia into going to the Festival with Ike.

 

Ranulf: Whatever. Well, DISCLAIMER: Falchion1984 doesn't own Fire Emblem or the song `Let's Fall in Love.'

 

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(Lucia)

 

A discreet sigh of relief parted Lucia's lips as she sagged bonelessly against the elm that she'd appropriated as her place of concealment, a tired grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. After leading Elincia to the podium for her speech, she'd remained at a polite distance from the Queen. Though Lucia was confident that Elincia would go through with her plan to question Ike, the weariness and melancholy she'd perceived in her liege's face and manner urged her to remain close at hand in case she was needed.

 

This, unfortunately, necessitated that she take to the dance floor, where she was promptly pounced upon by Bastian. During her attempt at the Demonsthene, she stole occasional glances at Ike and Elincia.

 

`That was a bad idea,' Lucia mused, massaging a smarting ankle.

 

Performing the Demonsthene without one's undivided attention was not one of her best ideas, but the view was…interesting. Ike was clearly practiced in the Demonsthene, the wild steps seeming as natural to him as sword fighting, while Elincia made a clumsy but determined effort to keep up. More than a few of Elincia's awkward landings made Lucia wince, she took care to wipe the expression off her face before Bastion noticed.

 

What the loquacious Count would do in that case, Lucia dreaded to contemplate.

 

A madly blushing Silok soon came up and stammered his entreaty for the next dance, to which Lucia instantly agreed to the umbrage of Bastian. Her gaze found the pair again, and she was struck by the change she beheld in them. Gradually, the awkward twists and clumsy landings followed by flailing arms became fewer and fewer, soon ceasing altogether. The two had achieved harmony, with the music and each other, and soon looked as if they'd danced like this for years.

 

Then, her view was blocked by Reginald who requested the next dance.

 

Paying little attention to Reginald, and even less to the impatient glares from what must've been Reginald's latest crop of girlfriends, Lucia kept her gaze on Ike and Elincia. The two now moved with a hypnotic grace that reminded Lucia of two conflagrations, two flames burning separately and yet inching towards each other. Always swaying in the wind inches apart and trading cinders the way lovers might trade small kisses. The resemblance extended beyond appearances as well, for as Lucia watched the two of them genuinely enjoying themselves, she felt comforting warmth flow through her being.

 

By the coloration of his cheeks, Ike was feeling warmth as well; though probably in a more acute fashion.

 

Eventually, Lucia's stamina was spent and Reginald selected a new partner from the mob of women trailing him, so she left the floor and limped on her smarting ankle toward the creatively arranged buffet tables. Famished from the demanding dance, and more than a little impatient for Ike and Elincia to get on with it, she loaded her plate with a veritable feast of candied apples and newly invented Phoenician berry pasties. She'd been about to dump the whole thing down her throat when she noticed Ike and Elincia wandering away from the Festival. Realizing that this might be what she was waiting for, she set her plate down and followed.

 

`You two owe me,' she thought uncharitably as she spied someone making off with her abandoned plate.

 

Still, she was not disappointed.

 

For a long, long moment, the pair simply strolled to a small grove sheltered by elms well away from the Festival, arm-in-arm, with Elincia resting her head on Ike's shoulder. This image summoned in Lucia a memory of the late King Ramon and the Queen, walking through the courtyard and speaking to each other in low, intimate tones, in a fashion quite similar to what she beheld now.

 

Thinking about King Ramon, the visionary who'd been her second father and an inspiration, caused her eyes to swim with unshed tears but Lucia blinked them back and hoped that the resemblance was prophetic.

 

The scene, however, was rather completely disrupted when Ranulf bounded over and began his usual barrage of well meaning jibes and playful insults. Ike and Elincia were laughing at the banter, but that changed when Ranulf admitted to the Demosthene's true significance. The look of undisguised anger that overtook Ike's normally stoic features found a twin on Lucia's face.

 

`If Bastian hears about this…,' Lucia mused angrily, with a palpable undercurrent of distress, `I'll never hear the end of it.'

 

Ranulf eventually left, which gave Lucia some hope that the two would finally have their long overdue talk, but then Mist appeared. Still more banter followed, along with some rough housing between Ike and Mist, growing only more raucous when Ranulf rejoined them. Broad grins, jokes and hearty laughter followed and Lucia could see that Elincia was relaxing, even enjoying the antics. Lucia found it amusing as well, but impatience continued to gnaw at her, as well as hunger, and she suspected Elincia was also eager for their guests to depart.

 

Eventually, they did. Lucia watched as Ranulf offered a barb to Mist, and she mentally saluted the younger girl's retort. Mist stomped off with Ranulf pretending to be hobbling in her wake and then, apparently forgetting the altercation, the two scrambled to hide behind a neighboring elm and watched the pair. Unaware of her tiny audience, a clearly nervous Elincia asked Ike why he was still here.

 

Lucia had to fight the urge to bash her head on the tree trunk when she'd heard Ike's reply.

 

That, however, was where the laughs ended. Lucia could still see upon Elincia's face the wistful longing and pained resignation she'd noticed that morning. Elincia had tried to put on a brave front, working to keep her expression placid and her tone calm and even, but Lucia wasn't fooled.

 

Apparently, Ike wasn't either.

 

The conversation, or debate, that followed was an illustration of her earlier observation, that being that humility had its drawbacks, where Ike wildly protested Elincia's glowing praise for his contributions to Crimea's liberation and brightening future. Lucia was surprised, and fairly impressed, when Ike turned the dialogue back against her and Elincia found herself discovering that she shared Ike's humility without even realizing it.

 

How Ranulf, who was known for slinging mingled backhanded compliments and playful insults when Ike displayed himself to have more wisdom than a tinderbox, watched all this and yet remained silent remained one of Tellius' great mysteries.

 

`Perhaps Mist knocked him out,' Lucia mused, choking down a snicker.

 

Still, the two eventually came to the point and Lucia watched as Elincia, gazing with the barest hint of smothered longing at he who was both the cause and the solution to her melancholy, re-gathered her composure and told him to leave.

 

As Lucia had observed that morning, Ike meant a great deal to Elincia. And, that was why she was letting him go.

 

Lucia could practically hear the Queen's heart shatter as the words left her lips.

 

And, here, Ike did the unexpected yet again by refusing to leave.

 

And, Lucia knew the reason even before Ike had admitted it.

 

Granted, her observations of Ike and Elincia during the War and Elincia's accidental confessions that morning had told Lucia all she needed to know. But what happened surprised her nonetheless. Elincia's brave front, the mask of forced stoicism and buried sadness, crumbled in an instant and was replaced by shock and no small amount of confusion. Lucia could, however, also see the faintest gleam of hope in her forlorn eyes.

 

Ike's eyes drifted out of Lucia's sight, making it hard for Lucia to guess his own thoughts from her vantage point, but his voice quickly enlightened. It was low, hoarse with emotion and his tone seemed ashamed.

 

Ike had apologized.

 

Lucia was quite unaccustomed to seeing a man apologize, at least in a sincere fashion, but she could see that Ike was entirely genuine.

 

Ike's voice was laced with anguish, as though each word ripped away a raw hunk of his own flesh, as he explained. Apologies, recollections, confessions and reflections all came out in a rush. But, she heard no attempt on his part at making excuses or placation and he spoke with a depth and sincerity that surprised Lucia almost as much as it did Elincia. Ike soon came forward and blurted that he loved Elincia, he had practically since they'd met, and yet he'd never told her before now.

 

Instead, he'd been…well, everywhere.

 

He'd been spending time with his sister to make sure she'd recovered from learning the tragic history of their parents, seeing to the Mercenary Company's future, working in the Reconstruction, hunting down remnants of Ashnard's Army and, generally, just being himself.

 

Lucia couldn't help a smolder of anger at Ike leaving Elincia waiting for so long, but she forced herself to calm down. Ike's great altruism and prowess in battle came at the expense of his intellect; everybody who knew him knew that. And, she was forced to admit, there were other, less honorable things that could distract a man than helping his adoptive family and countrymen in their time of need.

 

And, if Elincia could so readily forgive him, then Lucia could as well.

 

Still, she made a mental note that Ike needed a lesson in getting his priorities straight.

 

Despite her frustration over Ike's thick headedness, she was impressed. He had in him the ability to let his sense of right and wrong overpower, seeming with ease, either his pride or his desire for personal gain. And, his words carried an unmistakable sincerity as he acknowledged his mistake and offered himself to her, imperfect and without putting on airs or making grandiose, false promises.

 

Even Geoffrey, one of the most chivalrous men she knew, would be hard pressed to admit his faults so readily.

 

Between Ike's evident sincerity, the conviction with which he declared his love and his belief in peace between the Beorc and Laguz and his indelible humility, Lucia found it shockingly obvious how he'd enchanted Elincia so. And, she could not suppress a flush of pride that she'd correctly interpreted his reasons for staying in Melior.

 

Then, the moment came. Ike offered Elincia his ring and Lucia inhaled expectantly. She nearly choked on her own breath when Elincia had seemingly gone into a stuttering refusal. Ike's face contorted in shock and dawning desolation at the words while Lucia's stomach ceased its rumbling and knotted with helpless terror.

 

For a stretching second, all was silence, stillness and murmurs of `I cannot.' Then, another low voice broke Lucia's alarmed trance.

 

“This doesn't look good,” she heard a familiar voice whisper.

 

Lucia's head snapped in the direction of the sound and she beheld Ranulf and Mist. In the tumult of the moment, she'd forgotten they were there. Mist looked as distressed as Lucia felt while Ranulf, looking unnaturally calm and as smug as ever, placed a hand on the younger woman's shoulder.

 

“Don't worry,” he whispered reassuringly, “I have a plan.”

 

“Now, I'm really worried,” Mist shot back, echoing Lucia's own thoughts on the matter.

 

Ranulf, unperturbed, ruffled an aggravated Mist's hair and then stepped away from the elm. He paused and faced Mist once more.

 

“If I'm not back in five minutes…,” he began, trailing off as if for dramatic effect, “just wait longer.”

 

As Ranulf raced in the direction of the Festival, Mist ground her teeth in obvious aggravation and began bashing her head against the tree trunk. Forcing herself not to follow suit, Lucia turned to face Ike and Elincia once more. The scene of Elincia seemingly refusing Ike remained eerily unchanged, as though the sensation of cold shock and disbelief had pervaded the grove and entombed the scene in an icy, melancholy portrait of despair.

 

The unseen ice thawed, however, when Ranulf's familiar voice drifted over the scene, singing that song that pierced the melancholy stillness and transforming Elincia's `I cannot' into `I cannot refuse' as she eagerly accepted Ike's proposal.

 

The ensuing exchange of fervent kisses was taken by Lucia as her cue to depart and grant the two their privacy.

 

Even so, she couldn't resist staring back at the pair as she walked away. The newly engaged couple's overflowing passion had calmed into a portrait of tender affection, the two embracing gently with Elincia running her fingers through Ike's hair. This image too summoned a memory, this being of Elincia's story about how she and Mist had once conspired to comb out Ike's infamously unruly hair.

 

Beyond giving the three of them a good laugh, as well as Lucia after hearing it, the exercise had no effect.

 

And, though Lucia could never bring herself to question the honesty of her Queen and lifelong friend, she was still dubious about the claim that even empting a pail of seawater over Ike's head hadn't altered his unruly mane.

 

Lucia moved quietly, taking care not to make any noise that might disturb them. Once she was well away, she strode back towards the Festival and let out a second, longer sigh of relief.

 

“It was touch and go for a while,” she thought aloud, “but I think Ike handled that nicely.”

 

“I concur,” a voice rang out from behind her.

 

Lucia's reply to the sudden intrusion was a decidedly unladylike yelp and a small leap. Her bodyguard training took over at that point and she pivoted in the air, her hand finding the hilt of her sword. She landed, on her smarting ankle to her great displeasure, with her sword out; its tip poised a hairsbreadth from the offender's throat.

 

“Rather jumpy, aren't we?” Sephiran asked, looking impossibly cheerful for one with a sword pointed at his throat.

 

Lucia felt her entire body go numb with shock at the realization that she'd just drawn her sword against, and nearly decapitated, the Prime Minister of the Begnion Empire. Numb shaky hands somehow guided her sword away from Sephiran's neck and back into its scabbard without impaling anything as apology, and more than a hint of desperation, painted her features.

 

Sephiran, as if sensing her distress, brought up one placating hand.

 

“Apologies are unnecessary,” he informed her, mischief crossing his features. “Besides, I am perhaps too fond of such prankish behavior.”

 

Sensing that Sephiran was in earnest, Lucia heaved yet another sigh of relief and the two continued toward the Festival. Once Lucia had regained her wits, slightly addled by the diplomatic incident that had nearly occurred moments ago, an echo from the talk between Ike and Elincia reverberated in her mind.

 

“I just remembered,” Lucia spoke up, her curiosity getting the better of her, “Ike said that you encouraged him to propose to Elincia.”

 

The instant the words were out of her mouth, her jaw nearly plummeted at her idiocy. This, surely, must've been a private matter between Sephiran and Ike and Sephiran surely would not appreciate his role in this romance turning into fodder for gossipers.

 

“That is correct,” Sephiran replied, levity again touching his features. “And, you want to know why.”

 

Lucia, again, felt her stomach knot with dread, worried that he'd take her inquiry as impertinent. Sephiran's features became grim, as did Lucia's outlook on the situation, but when he spoke his tone was stern rather than indignant.

 

“Crimea has come far, but it has farther still to go,” Sephiran stated, almost rhetorically. “Rebuilding this country and creating a lasting peace between the Beorc and the Laguz is an endeavor unprecedented in our time. It will require much time, uncanny leadership and great perseverance. Ike will never admit to it, but he is the best person for the job. He has reached across the divide between our peoples many times, he is one of the few who has even tried, and he now commands more respect amongst the Laguz than any Beorc alive. Beyond that, he can genuinely connect with the common people because he knows what it's like to work for a living and to struggle to make ends meet. Perhaps it's his low birth and working background, or maybe it's his empathy for others, but I find this a rare quality which I've yet to see in any other statesman that I've met. Beyond that, he is completely unafraid to voice his views and stand by them. He's a man that can be trusted.”

 

“You don't trust your fellow Senators?” Lucia asked, sensing both the invitation to be candid and the implication within the words.

 

“Not as far as I can throw them,” he replied with a derisive snort. “And, I doubt I could even lift them. No, the Senate has become a perverted mockery of its former self. My father, who was the previous Prime Minister, often told me stories about how the Senate used to operate long ago. In those days, before Begnion unified into the Empire, it was a group of seven feudal states, hence the traditional seven seats in the Senate. Being a Senator back then meant representing one's people, in action and conduct, as well as in decision making. Before being admitted, a Senator would have to prove himself in a rigorous examination. What these examinations entailed varied from state to state, but they were designed to test not only their knowledge but their physical prowess, ethical standards and leadership. Disputes between the various feudal states were settled either in carefully moderated debate or, if debate failed, contests of physical prowess. These might include racing or horsemanship or jousting or sword fighting or wrestling or some such. These contests rarely went to the death, though accidents were known to happen, but the possibility was there and facing it without trepidation was proof of a Senator's devotion to his people.”

 

Lucia had found brief amusement in the idea of a pair of Begnion Senators jousting, but it had been short lived as she discerned the burning contempt in Sephiran's tirade. Granted, Lucia had her grievances about La Roche and others on King Ramon's Council, but Sephiran's sentiments sounded far colder and harsher than hers by far.

 

“What happened?” she asked, delicately.

 

“Things changed,” Sephiran replied, almost spitting the words like venom. “Some began claiming that the contests of prowess were barbaric and vulgar and that the meticulous testing of prospective Senators and the moderation employed in the debates made governance inefficient. The message caught on and, after Apostle Lavidia Altina formally dissolved the feudal states and created the Empire, the Senate of today came into being. Many believed those events to represent a new era of order and harmony, but with the many problems of governing such a vast realm, the work of the Senate is rarely done. In fact, it rarely seems to start. The Senators spend so much time there, in the pomp and splendor of Sienne, that they forget the people they're supposed to represent. The shift away from physical prowess also began a paradigm shift, a degeneration I call it, in what a Senator must be. Now, wealth and sophistry have replaced loyalty and integrity as perquisites.”

 

Here, Sephiran paused to give another derisive snort followed by an agonized sigh.

 

“Now,” he began again, in the wistful tone of a man who'd seen his best days come and go, “any self-centered fool can buy his way in or be placed there to act as the voice of some petty agitator all the while lining their own pockets with gold while neglecting and ridiculing their `citizens.' Those few who have any decency are either intimidated into silence, even when they can clearly see what corruption has done to Begnion, or they're nudged out by their fellows. `Debates' have degenerated into shouting matches and other means of ending impasse have turned into cruel jokes. I don't want the same to happen here, and ruin this historic opportunity.”

 

Again, Sephiran had to pause. And, Lucia was grateful for the reprieve, for her mind was dazed with what she'd heard. It wasn't the story itself that perplexed her; she'd read the ancient histories of Begnion kept in Melior's library, which she realized painted the contests of physical prowess in a far less flattering light than Sephiran did.

 

`Probably because they were written by the same people who ended them,' she realized intuitively, making a mental note to see if there were works presenting a more balanced perspective.

 

Nor was it Sephiran's dire tone that confounded her; Lucia had also had unflattering opinions regarding others in Crimea's political class, though Sephiran's sentiments and grievances almost made hers seem diminutive by comparison. Whereas Lucia would, in her less charitable moments, regard her fellow Courtiers as obstructing her country's growth, Sephiran seemed to be talking about his fellow Senators as if they'd killed his country. Or, at least, perverted it.

 

What puzzled her was why Sephiran was offering such a personal confession to someone he'd just met. Even Janaff asking her out on a date in the middle of their first conversation hadn't surprised her; it hadn't been the first time such had occurred, though Janaff had become her first real friend among the Laguz whereas others she'd thusly refused rarely turned up again. The exception, naturally, was Bastian. Still, Sephiran's words and tone were of the sort she might've expected him to use with a close and trusted friend and confidant, not a stranger.

 

“I will probably sound dreadfully childish for saying this,” Sephiran continued, the barest hint of a smile on his face, “but Ike almost reminds me of one of those ancient Senators. In the way he values loyalty and integrity over monetary or political gain. He demonstrated this when he agreed to aid Crimea even though Daein was the winning, and more lucrative, side. He clearly has the conviction and connection to the people that the ancient Senators did, and that is the sort of mindset Crimea needs above all things. But, he lacks the sharp wits and savvy that the ancient Senators were known to possess. Anyone who'd keep a woman like Elincia waiting for two years, even for honorable reasons, is clearly lacking in that capacity.”

 

Between pondering Ike's reaction should anyone tell him he'd been likened to an ancient Begnion Senator and her sudden reminiscence of Elincia's anecdotes about Ike's thick headedness, Lucia was bending every fiber of her being to the task of not bursting into hysterical laughter.

 

“I have no doubts that Ike has been preparing himself for this by reading up on politics,” Sephiran went on, the ghost of a smile on his face evolving into a smirk, “probably because Soren arranged it. Still, even the finest books can only teach you so much. Ike, and Elincia as well, will need a guide in governing this land. Someone quick witted, intelligent and who shares their principles…someone like you.”

 

Lucia, her submerged laughter suddenly forgotten, nearly tripped over her own feet at this declaration. Sephiran noted this with a twinkle of gentle amusement that suddenly made Lucia deeply uneasy.

 

If Sephiran noticed her discomfiture, he gave no indication.

 

“Oh, yes,” Sephiran chuckled, his usual humor returning. “The late Duke Cassio Escalus, of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition, once tried to induce you to reconsider your support of King Ramon's plans for Beorc/Laguz relations with a staggering sum in bribes. You refused, and tricked him into incriminating himself, which led to his dismissal and the beginnings of the peace we now celebrate. Your loyalty to your principles and your sharp wits will make you invaluable to them and I know you're up to the task. Your father may have neglected to mention the…ungentlemanly tendencies of the Council, but his teaching is peerless.”

 

It took every ounce of Lucia's training as a stateswoman to prevent her face from showing how startled she was. Granted, she knew that Sephiran was a consummate spy and a very resourceful man for whom few secrets were out of reach, but this left her head abuzz with questions. In order to know this much, not only about Ike but about her as well, he'd have needed to have studied them, meticulously, for years. And yet, even when Lucia taxed her memory, she could not recall an encounter with a man even remotely resembling Sephiran. And, for that matter, how did he know about Escalus? While exposing him had been a victory, his dismissal had been disguised as him resigning in order to avoid scandal. The matter had been stricken from the record and those few who recalled it were sworn to secrecy. So, where did Sephiran get his information? And, for that matter, how had he known about her father teaching her and the minor flaw in the lessons?

 

Before that thought could be followed through to conclusion, his more recent words cut through to her awareness. He had said that Ike and Elincia would need her, and he was right. As disconcerting as Sephiran's knowledge was, the underlying truth was unmistakable and demanded that she shove aside any distractions.

 

She did so, discreetly suspecting that that what Sephiran had intended all along.

 

“You will forgive me my ranting, I hope?” Sephiran requested, to which Lucia gave an approving, if still confused, nod. “You may recall from Elincia's stories that I am something of a spy. During that time, I saw much that opened my eyes to the harsh realities of the world. So often, I've met and interacted with people living in abject squalor because of high taxes, or merchants and craftsmen forced to close their shops because our commerce laws make it impossible to turn a profit, or those of well-to-do backgrounds contracting their business interests, and putting people out of work in the process, because they're afraid their Senator's tax collectors are poised to bankrupt them, which happens rather frequently. The Senate perpetuates this over-taxation and corruption, they profit by it, and they will not lift a finger to stop it. Ike, though, he shows incredible promise. I know him, better than he would suspect, and I know that he cannot be bribed or intimidated and that his devotion to his cause is unshakable. And, that is exactly what Crimea will need in these challenging times.”

 

Lucia had to admit, she was quite surprised by this pronouncement. To the best of her knowledge, Ike and Sephiran had only spoken on four occasions, all of them quite brief, and yet Sephiran's assessment of Ike carried a great deal of confidence and a strong undercurrent of certainty.

 

Absolute certainty.

 

“That's…,” she began, trying to disguise her still considerable puzzlement, “that's quite a vote of confidence.”

 

Sephiran gave her a cryptic smile.

 

“Let's just say that I'm…farsighted,” he replied. “But, let us go. I'm curious as to how the Greil Mercenaries will react to this joyous news.”

 

“You mean the in-laws,” Lucia corrected, remembering how Ike had called them his family.

 

“Quite right,” Sephiran agreed. “Let us go.”

 

A gleeful smirk dawned on Lucia's face, putting to rest her puzzlement over Sephiran, at least for the moment, and the two sought out the Greil Mercenaries. As the group was practically guests of honor, they were not difficult to find. Most of them were seated at a large table just on the edge of the dance floor. Oscar, by the look of things, was telling some tale which Rhys made strangled comments on through Mia's fearsome hug.

 

Astrid was sitting next to Gatrie. She had, in stark contrast to her customary modesty, removed her boots and was massaging her feet while Gatrie was speaking to her in an apologetic tone

 

Apparently, Gatrie's dancing hadn't improved any.

 

`You have my sympathies,' Lucia mused, no stranger to inept dance partners herself.

 

Soren, as usual, was engrossed in a book. Ilyana, also as usual, was devouring at least four times her body weight in Festival cuisine, the sight making Lucia's own stomach rumble with hunger once more. Zihark, taking advantage of Ilyana's preoccupation, maneuvered his quick hand to her posterior. Boyd and Titania were moving towards the table, from the dance floor interestingly enough. More interesting still, Boyd had his arm around Titania's waist and seemed in no hurry to remove it. Mist, for obvious reasons, bounded over and leapt into her seat quivering with anticipation and a beaming grin on her face. Rolf regarded her with puzzlement. Shinon was hunched over his drink, silent and brooding.

 

Sure enough, Ike and Elincia appeared and began heading towards the table. Lucia maneuvered to find the best angle from which to watch the spectacle and her eyebrow arched upwards when she saw that the two weren't holding hands. Furthermore, Elincia had assumed her customary pose of hands crossed before her bosom, the ring concealed beneath her slender fingers.

 

The two, apparently, had decided to be sneaky and try and surprise the Mercenaries.

 

`Those two being sneaky?' Lucia mused, awed by the absurdity. `The day they succeed at it is the day I let Bastian see me unclothed.'

 

Shaking herself back to attention, she watched as the Greil Mercenaries spotted the couple and rose in greeting, drinks in hand. They moved to partially enclose Ike, doubtless suspecting his intent. Shinon gave a derisive snort.

 

“Well, well,” he slurred, his tone rife with contempt and sounding somehow drunken. “If it ain't Ike…'n he's brought his…girl….girlfr…girlfri…”

 

“His girlfriend?” Mist supplied, her tone rife with wickedness.

 

“Yeah, that's it,” Shinon slurred.

 

Deciding that the cosmic mystery of how someone can get intoxicated on lemonade would have to wait, Lucia watched as Ike gave a sly grin and replied.

 

“She's not my girlfriend,” he informed the red haired Sniper.

 

Shinon's reply, if it could be called that, was a number of insults which his inexplicable drunkenness had spliced into such nonsense as `ignorapoop,' nincommus' and `mothuck fering mild chan.' Ike, apparently unperturbed, grinned from ear to ear and continued as the Mercenaries collectively took a long draft from their mugs.

 

“She's my fiancé,” he declared.

 

Perhaps Ike had intended to cause a bout of comedic choking by timing it thusly, but either the Mercenaries were genuinely shocked by the words or they'd foreseen his plot and decided to turn it back against him. Lucia suspected the latter and, either way, Ike found himself becoming the point of intersection for twelve flying sprays of lemon scented water and saliva.

 

“Was that really necessary?!” the agitated, soaked, lemon scented Ike demanded.

 

Ike never received an answer; Titania, unbothered by Ike's tone of voice or his moistened state, engulfed him in a tight hug, joyful tears rimming her eyes and looking for all the world like a mother whose son was getting married.

 

Again, Ike's talk about the Greil Mercenaries being his family echoed in Lucia's ear and she found herself suspecting that the maternal aura underlying Titania's reaction was far from coincidental.

 

Elincia was not spared the assault either, for the young Queen soon found herself subjected to a flying tackle hug from Mist that nearly sent both women sprawling.

 

Once the newly engaged couple had extricated themselves, and after the men of the Company had swallowed their laughter, the other Mercenaries offered their own congratulations. Oscar clapped a hand on Ike's shoulder and gave it a comradely squeeze while offering words of praise that Ike waved away in his customary modesty. Boyd, uncouth as ever, gave Elincia a playful punch in the arm which caused Lucia's bodyguard instincts to flare. Elincia, apparently used to this treatment, reciprocated, which prompted Boyd to leap back feigning pain while smirking all the while. The smirk briefly disappeared when Titania yanked him away and began reprimanding him for his behavior. He put up both hands, offering a placating smile.

 

“Relax Titan,” he entreated, the petname producing the opposite effect in the red haired Paladin. “Just welcoming her to the family.”

 

`Titan' was about to say more, probably to the effect of a reduction in his salary, but Boyd silenced her by kissing her on the cheek. Titania's words abruptly died in her throat and her face began taking on the same coloration as her hair. Lucia felt her eyebrows arch upwards once more and, recalling Boyd and Titania's return from the dance floor, a smirk dawned on her features to match the one returning to Boyd's face.

 

After that, the assembly divided. Elincia, after what looked to be some stalling to build suspense on her part, showed the women of the Company her ring. After a few moments of stunned silence at the beautiful ring, they began asking questions about how Ike had proposed. Ike, meanwhile, had been taken aside by the men of the Company and, judging by what little Lucia could hear from her distant vantage point, they were planning Ike's bachelor party.

 

Lucia couldn't hear much, but Gatrie's talk about `exotic women with really big assets' told Lucia all she needed to know.

 

Judging by Ike's puzzled expression, he'd never attended a bachelor party and hadn't the faintest idea what Gatrie was getting at. Lucia, massaging away the beginnings of a headache, began mentally adding to the curriculum she'd been preparing for Ike.

 

The Greil Mercenaries and the newly engaged couple eventually reconvened with a fresh batch of drinks and the mugs clacked against each other in a deafening toast that nearly shattered the crockery. Embraces and friendly but indistinct banter followed until a familiar voice rose from the direction of the orchestra.

 

“Friends, Crimeans, countrymen, lend me your ears,” Ranulf thundered from the piano, his dramatic façade quickly collapsing into uncontrollable laughter. “Sorry, couldn't resist. Still, I'd like you to listen because this next song is a special one that I threw together just for this occasion. It's more fun as a duet and I'd like to call Mist Gawain over here to perform with me.”

 

Given Mist's reputation for shyness, at least according to Elincia's stories, Lucia suspected that Mist's immediate, and enthusiastic, acquiescence meant premeditation on both her and Ranulf's part. She bounded over the waiting Ranulf, couples following in her wake to repopulate the dance floor once again. Ike offered a warm smile and his arm to Elincia and, with a reciprocating smile, she accepted it and the two moved to the center of the dance floor as Ranulf began to sing.

 

We might have been meant for each other
To be or not to be, let our hearts discover

Lucia watched as Ike and Elincia finally reached the center of the dance floor. Too famished to dance, too disinclined to run the risk of being pounced on by Bastian again and too curious as to what else would happen, she found the best vantage point she could and watched as Ike offered an uncharacteristically gentlemanly bow to Elincia. She gave an answering curtsey and Ike's hand found her waist while Elincia's rested on his shoulder. Their other hands laced together off to the side and the two began a waltz, though one faster than usual to match the tempo of Ranulf's song.

 

I have a feeling, it's a feeling I'm concealing - I don't know why

 

Mist, having newly arrived, took up the song.

 

It's just a mental, incidental, sentimental - alibi

 

Here, the two partners in crime paused to exchange brief, sly smiles; doubtless congradulating one another on their success in nudging Ike and Elincia together, a success in which Lucia mentally included herself, before continuing to sing in unsion.

But I adore you, so strong for you
Why go on stalling, I am falling, love is calling - why be shy

 

Ike and Elincia, by this time, were dancing in earnest. Unlike the earlier, rather turbulent experiment with the Demosthene, this dance was learned by both of them in an instant. Granted, Elincia had learned how to waltz during her years at the Royal Villa, but she rather doubted that such would be part of a Mercenary's education. Yet, obviously, Ike was profecient in this dance as well. And, beyond that, there was a sense of…Lucia wasn't sure what to call it, belonging perhaps, or maybe familiarity. Almost as if the two had done this before.

 

`Perhaps they have,' Lucia considered, recalling the party at following the Signing of the Treaty of Serenes in the Forest which was the Treaty's namesake.

 

Let's fall in love
Why shouldn't we fall in love
Our hearts are made of it, let's take a chance
Why be afraid of it?

 

Let's close our eyes
And make our own paradise
Little we know of it, still we can try
To make a go of it

 

The pair continued to move, the hypnotic grace of their earlier dance now evolving into a sensual charm that underlied the quick, percise steps. They orbited about the center of the dance floor, the other couples seeming to move off and give them space, as they continued to whirl about. Ike would, on occasion, lengthen his arm, sending Elincia into a twirl, and then draw her back to embrace her against his broad form. And, at times, Elincia would move within his grip, resting her cheek against his scuplted chest with a content grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

 

They were not the only pair to catch Lucia's attention. Given Rhys' reputation as frail and prone to sickness, she was surprised that Rhys could keep up with the ever-energetic Mia. More astounding still, he seemed to be enjoying himself. Zihark had coaxed a, very, breifly full Ilyana onto the floor and, while he was certainly a skilled Swordmaster, this grace and percision apparently had yet to translate into dancing skills. Boyd and Titania were on the dance floor again, Lucia idly wondered how many times they'd danced this evening, and while Boyd was competent it became obvious that Titania was the more skilled of the two.

 

Lucia's eyes darted back and forth between Ike and Titania, noting the similarities between their movements and feeling a grin tug at the corners of her mouth at the conclusion forming in her mind.

 

Despite her many, impossibly polite refusals, Gatrie had coaxed Astrid back onto the dance floor. This time, he took almost comical pains not to step on her feet, blushing profusely all the while.

 

We might have been meant for each other
To be or not to be, let our hearts discover

Let's fall in love
Why shouldn't we fall in love?
Now is the time for it, while we are young
Let's fall in love

 

As the song concluded, Ike whirled to arm's length of Elincia and pressed his lips against her fingers. Lucia, unseen by the happy pair, offered an approving nod and decided to invest some time in her next priority.

 

That being, food.

 

Sephiran, however, took this oppurtunity to make himself known once more.

 

“I have ten thousand gold pieces that says Titania was Ike's instructor in the waltz,” he declared, challenge underlying his words. “Are you in?”

 

`Not with my salary,' Lucia mused derisively.

 

“I don't take sucker bets,” she replied, having reached the same conclusion as Sephiran. “Much though I enjoy talking to you, my Lord Duke, and as much as I enjoyed this little romance, I was be going. The events of this evening have left me rather peckish.”

 

Sephiran's reply was his customary, engimatic smile.

 

“Then,” he began, “I expect you'll be wanting this back.”

 

He sidestepped to his right and, in the space where he'd once been standing, was another figure holding the pastry laden plate she'd abandoned in her haste to follow Ike and Elincia to the grove.

 

“My personal aide, secretary, messanger and occasional partner is espionage, Angelo Vampa,” Sephiran introduced. “His powers of observation readily compete with my own.”

 

“As does my hearing,” Vampa commented dryly after Lucia's stomach gave a furious rumble at the sight of the reclaimed feast.

 

Flushing slightly in embarrasment, she accepted the platter. As soon as she'd grasped it, the two men turned and walked off.

 

“I too must depart,” Sephiran called over his shoulder. “Mia had a bettting pool going on the exact time Ike would propose and I must see if I won.”

 

Lucia's only answer was a polite nod and, the instant the two men were out of sight, she tore into the pastries.

 

Forty five seconds later, a quite contented and throughlly full Lucia let the platter clatter to the ground, picked clean.

 

***************************************************************** *******

 

Ranulf: Well, Falchion1984 is still on the run from the torch bearing mob who's angry about him not having final exams, so I'll be reading this message he had smuggled here via the Chicago based Polish Mafia. *Reading the note* Well, I hope you guys liked that. At first, I thought to go straight to the wedding but then I had the idea of putting in some laughs via the Greil Mercenaries' reaction to the story and it'd been a while since Lucia saw some action. I also thought that Sephiran ought to have another moment of the acting the mysterious-man-who-knows-all-sorts-of-things-nobody-should-know persona that I favor for him. The story about ancient Senators and their games were inspired by a story I read back in High School called `A Crown of Wild Olive' by Rosemary Stucliff. Sparing details, most of which I can't remember, it takes place in Greece during one of the ancient, perhaps even one of the first, Olympic Games where an Athenian boy and a Spartan boy compete in a series of contests in order to settle a dispute between their respective city states. So, for Sephiran, Ike is something out of an old history book. I hope that Sephiran's tirade, though long winded, was interesting. However, you may sense, as Lucia does, that something's missing from the picture…and you're right! Still, you'll have to wait a bit to find out what…or you can flip to the end of Chapter 1 of `Divergence' and get a hint. Either way, please review and I'll see you when I elude the angry mob. Again, this is NOT the last Chapter. The next part will cover the wedding and an altercation with two of the guests, which will also serve to introduce my O.C Albert Dantes. When I get around to writing more FE9 fics, he will be an important figure. We will also see Geoffrey return and him confronting Lucia about her, essentially, inducing to go to Gallia so she could nudge Ike and Elincia together behind his back. As one can imagine, he is not pleased. Well, I hope to get those Chapters up soon and, again, please review. *Stops reading and stretches out* Well, I could use a vacation while he's gone so come back later. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.