The Mercenary (Beautiful_Disgrace and I)

Her eyes widened slightly when he wrapped his arm around her. For the first time in a long time..she just felt safe. She really liked the feeling and it made her scoot closer to him. She rested her head against him and sighed softly. Whether it was a sigh of contentment or sadness, she didn't know. "Yes, I know. Sona said that a lot. She said once Ashera was strong enough, that everything would work itself out."
 
"That's the hope," Ike murmured. "It's better than doing nothing, at least. If Sona believed it, I will too." He owed her that much, after everything he had done to her...for her, and because of her. The blade wasn't in his hands anymore, he wasn't worthy to have Alondite in his grip again. He had to start from the bottom again, crawl his way out of the hole he had made for himself. For his sake, at the very least.
 
"...It's my fault. I needed to see my sister but I should have known you would follow me. If I hadn't ran off like that, she'd still be here." She had been beating herself up about it even though she knew Ike and Samus also felt responsible. But it was her fault...she had played it over a thousand times in her head...she was the reason why Medusa and Ganondorf had found them...because she didn't run away with the others like she should have.
 
"Lethe," Ike sighed. "Look, no matter what happened...no matter what you think you could have done, it doesn't matter," he murmured. "...If I've learned anything from losing Sona, from losing everyone's trust, it's that blaming yourself does nothing but make you feel like you can't fix the problem, But you can, we can," Ike murmured. "That's what we're doing, right now," he insisted. "The past is in the past, the future will be better because we choose it to be, not because it simply will be."
 
Lethe was quiet for a moment after hearing his words. She wanted to be more optimistic about the future but she wasn't sure if she could. Even though she took a step in the right direction by finally confronting Ike, would things truly get better for her? She supposed it didn't matter...what was important right now was what was best for the world and saving her sister from the hands of the Demon King. "You're right. Nothing will change even if I keep blaming myself." She admitted before she looked up at him. "It's not what she'd want...or any of you. I want more than anything to go off on my own and try to save Lyre but I know I would fail alone. That's why I came with you all...because I needed to do...something."
 
"Me too," he admitted. "I burned all of my bridges with everyone, I don't blame them...but I can't just stay there and accept it. I have to show them that I am here to help, even if they don't want it...and rightly so. But Chrom needs time to accept what happened, and what I've done. I don't expect him to forgive me, but it has to start somewhere. Maybe some time away from everything will help us all be stronger together."
 
She only nodded slightly before she pulled herself out of his grasp. She could hear Samus and Soren coming back, but she wanted to ask him one last thing before they came back. "Ike...are you going to tell Samus about me?" She asked as she looked into his eyes. She still wasn't sure what he planned to do with her...if anything.
 
"Yes," Ike said. "...Samus has always been there for me, no matter what I've done. Her choices are her own, but I will tell her." he murmured. "For better or worse, she deserves to know."
 
Lethe grimaced slightly at his answer but she wasn't entirely sure what she expected or even what she wanted him to do. She did want Samus to know but in the primal sort of way where she marked him as his. That wasn't...her place though. It didn't work like that. Ugh, this was why beorc and laguz were better off never mating in the first place. "And if she gets upset?"
 
"Then she will be upset," Ike said. "But I will respect this bond, whatever that means, exactly." he admitted. "It's the least I can do after everything." He had a minor idea why Samus wouldn't like it, and honestly...Ike wouldn't blame her. But he couldn't just ignore what he had done.
 
"...Thank you." Lethe started as she continued to look into his eyes. "The bond is...instinctual. I can't explain how it works, or what it means. It's just something you feel...and right now I feel like doing this..." She leaned closer to him, her eyelids slightly drooping over her piercing violet eyes. She then pressed her lips against his gently. She needed to know...how he felt about her through physical contact.
 
Ike blinked a little in surprise, and while he had...somewhat wished that she had chosen to do so in a less awkward time, he did not pull away. He returned it, mildly. But it was clear that the intent was there. She was a beautiful woman, Laguz or not. But this did complicate things more than he wanted to admit. Complicated by his own doing, so he...simply had to accept it and try to figure it out.
 
Lethe quickly pulled away after he had returned. There was a willingness there and that was enough. It was...more than she could say she expected. And that made her happy.

It was hard to say if Samus or Soren saw what had happened since both of them were as passive looking as ever when they returned with the firewood. But a quick glance at the unfinished fire pit and it wasn't hard to guess that Ike had been preoccupied while they were gone. Soren, who was carrying half the firewood that Samus was carrying just made a pile outside of the pit since it was not yet ready. "There's a river not too far from here..we can replenish our water sources tomorrow morning. And bathe tonight if we wish." Soren told Ike as Samus laid down her share of the firewood.
 
"Alright," Ike said, kneeling back down to assemble the pit. Gaol and Magnus were hunting, apparently...because they had returned with a fresh deer. "Tomorrow is going to be rough, so everyone should make sure to get plenty of rest."

"Uh huh," Magnus grunted. "Who made you the fearless leader?"

"Well, you're not stepping up, are you?" Gaol said, punching him on the arm. "We said we'd do this, so we're doing it."

"I know, I know...geez," he snorted, rubbing his arm. It was hard to imagine that actually hurting, but Ike also didn't know many people who could...magically summon a giant suit of armor, either.
 
By the time Gaol was finished cooking and they had all come together, Samus noticed two things. One, Lethe seemed to be feeling a little better just by the fact that she was actually coming around them now rather than sitting several feet away from them all. Two...she seemed to be paying even more attention to her and Ike, which could have been good or bad. However, unless one of them said anything to her she would just leave it alone. The food was good anyway and kept her even quieter than she already was.

"Thank you, Gaol..Magnus. You two always hunt and cook the best meat." Lethe told them after a while. It was the first time she even aknowledged them since Sona had passed, and she felt bad about that. But she hadn't talk to anyone since then, really.
 
"Well thank you," Gaol beamed. "Magnus is so picky about what he eats, honestly. You'd think that he was some snobby noble instead of someone who has questionable hygiene."

"Hey!" Magnus grunted. "That was one time, what was I supposed to do, wipe my face off in dirt?" he scoffed. "I'm not picky anyway! Everything you cook is good." Ike had to agree, but he wasn't quite sure what they had done to make it so tasteful. Still, he wasn't going to complain. He had no idea he was starving until he actually smelled it. The better question was how to approach the situation with Lethe to Samus. Ugh, how many times would he throw her loyalty in her face like that?
 
The meal went on...quietly. Soren was reading while eating his share of food. Lethe finished early and excused herself without telling any of them where she was going. Maybe it was to wash up by the river...no one pried. It was an interesting mix of people..they were all pretty quiet. Samus missed the others even if they didn't miss her. Palutena and Pit were always in such high spirits and kept things..interesting with their banter. Same with Robin and Zelda. Not that Gaol and Magnus weren't entertaining with their own argumentative conversations. But it was a different kind of entertainment.

Something was bothering Ike and she knew it was. So she just placed her hand over his after they were finished eating. Whatever it was, he'd tell her eventually.
 
Ike settled his other hand over hers with a faint sigh, resting his forehead against her shoulder. "Samus," he said. "...There's something I need to tell you, about Lethe." He didn't want to tell her, if he could be completely honest. He felt like he had spent enough time twisting her heart around to have this be so important. But he wanted her to know to give her the choice of doing whatever she wanted to do.
 
"What is it, Ike?" Her voice was calm and quiet. She knew it was about Lethe and whatever she had told her when her and Soren were away. But for him to be so bothered by it, she knew it had to be a complicated matter. But their relationship was complicated, or at least it had been from the start. Whatever it was, she was sure they could work through it.
 
"What I did, to Lethe," he murmured. "We're mated, Samus." Together. Regardless if they wanted to be or not, they were now. He didn't know how to explain it in ways that Samus could understand.
 
Samus stared at him for a moment before tilting her head. She was aware that Lethe was as much of an animal as she was human, but Ike was just...human. She couldn't say she understood what he meant, but she had a feeling on where it was going. "I'm not sure what that means. What exactly did she say to you, Ike?"
 
"It means that we're...bonded, together," Ike said. "Like a...form of marriage, I suppose. But something on a more primal side, it's hard to explain." he admitted. "But it's nothing that we can just...ignore."
 
Samus was silent for a moment as she gave him a blank expression. There wasn't even so much as a twitch, she was impossible to read as usual. "Okay. Do what you feel is the right thing to do for her." She finally said after a few moments. She wouldn't pretend to understand it or even like it, all she knew was that Ike loved her and that was enough. Even if he didn't, the amount of affection and loyalty she had for him would keep her by his side until he didn't want her around anymore.
 
"That's it?" Ike said curiously. "Samus...your opinion is important to me," he said firmly. "This isn't just...something that's going to go away."
 
"I know." Samus said as she squeezed his hand. "I know it's not going to go away which is why you need to take care of it. To take care of her. I will be supportive even if I don't understand. Not just about the mating, but in general I don't really understand how...we're supposed to do this. Being together. So far I've just gone with my instincts and that's worked for us, so...as long as she doesn't have a problem with me, I don't have a problem with her."
 
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