The Mercenary (Beautiful_Disgrace and I)

"If you wouldn't mind, Ike." Zelda began and then smiled at Sona. She had been doing her best to keep her entertained but it was hard. She just wanted to be with Ike and found little interest in anything else. She would miss sleeping with her and Link together, but...she was glad to see her happy.
 
"Of course," Ike said, tilting his head respectfully. "If you'll follow me?" he said. He had gotten so used to Sona attached to his arm, it was like she was hardly there...in a discomfort sense, anyway. He didn't mind, he rather liked the affection...even if he didn't outwardly show it as he headed out of the throneroom. Castle Town was starting to fill up again...but there were less citizens than usual, had things gotten that bad? Had the fear taken over?
 
"Of course, we've been following you everywhere so far." Robin said with a smirk before bowing to Queen Zelda. "Thank you, your Majesty. We appreciate your time." She told her, though Zelda just shook her head and gave her a smile.

"Not at all, Queen Robin. Your aid is far more appreciated." Robin had to blush a little at that. Yes, she was married to Chrom but it was very hard getting used to being referred to as a Queen. People did it, but for other royalty to do so as well..it just felt odd to her. It was also a little bit depressing to hear considering the..complicated relationship she had with Chrom. Robin kept her smile on her face however.

"Let's call it even, then. Are you ready to go, Lucina?" She asked, her eyes going towards her daughter who only nodded in response. Ah, she was getting tired. She gave Zelda a polite wave and then followed Ike. That went far better than she had hoped, but knowing this place they had their own little magical quirks. "Gotta say, Ike..You and Sona seem pretty close for friends." Robin pointed out with a smirk as she watched the two walk with their arms linked together.
 
"...Well, yes, we are," Ike said, glancing down at Sona a moment. "She has been a...lifelong traveling companion, of sorts...it is strange to be without her, more often than not." He chose to ignore what she was actually implying, which...yes, was true too, he supposed...but he didn't see it like that. He loved Sona, and...he didn't mind doing that, but he didn't think he was actually in love with her in the way Robin was thinking.
 
Sona was just happy and content with hanging off Ike's arm. She didn't really feel like talking about what they were to each other because she really didn't understand relationships like everyone else. She didn't know the difference between being in love with someone and loving someone was. Though she did experience a sort of emptiness when making love to anyone but Ike. It only made her miss him more. She wondered why it was like that.

"Mmhmm...." Robin just gave him an innocent smile. Though something told her it was a little more than that, even if he wouldn't say. Once they were shown their rooms, Lucina looked at Ike and then Sona. She felt more comfortable asking Sona here question, and hoped she wouldn't mind since she was so content with clinging to Ike...which made Lucina just a tad jealous but it was understandable.

"Hey Sona, do you mind showing us where the bath is?" Sona looked at Lucina and then her arms fell from Ike's side. Before she would have said no, probably would have pouted and clung to Ike. But she knew he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon and she wanted to help.

"Sure, I can do that. It's actually not too far from here."
 
"I'll be catching up with Link, Sona," Ike said, hand on her back. "I'm sure you'll find me, it was nice to meet the both of you...Queen Morgan, Princess Lucina," he said, taking his leave with a respectful bow before he turned to head down the hall. Maybe some...guy time or something would help clear his head, Link always seemed to have a level head on his shoulders.
 
Sona gave Ike another tight squeeze before letting him go. "I'll see you soon. Then we can look for Samus, wherever she went.." Sona then turned to Lucina and Robin. "Come on. I'll lead you to the big bath! That way you can both take one at the same time if you want.." She grinned and then led them away from Ike.

...She already missed him the minute he was out of her sight.
 
Link had the most bashful grin when Ike finally went to see him, his brows rose curiously as they went to the ramparts overlooking the soldiers. Needless to say...he had quite the story.

"...You're not mad?" Link asked curiously as Ike rested his forearms on the wall, brow furrowed in thought.

"Not particularly," he admitted. "...Sona has different...priorities than the rest of us, Link. She considers it friendship in a sense, her involvement was purely innocent, I bet...well, as innocent as...that can get."

"I don't know if I can keep up," Link admitted with a faint mumble.

"No kidding," Ike said dryly. "We're outnumbered, you know that, right?"

"Absolutely," Link said glumly. "I feel like we're in a cage filled with hungry predators."

"...Apt description," Ike chuckled, Link couldn't help but chuckle either. It was...nice to joke about something like that, especially when Hell was looming overhead, almost literally.

"She told me she wanted to have a kid with me, get married..." Link mused. "What do you think?"

"Why do you ask?" Ike said honestly. "I'm just a mercenary,"

"That's your key phrase for anything you don't want to answer honestly," Link teased dryly. "Come on, Ike...you're more than that, here. You're as much of a hero as I am, if not more."

"Nothing like that," Ike said. "...You've got reasons, I don't. I do what I have to, and nothing else...but that doesn't mean I don't like any of the people I've met here," he admitted. "...As for Zelda, well..." he muttered. "If you can handle that on your own, congratulations." Link's laugh was loud enough to have the guard below them glance up curiously as Ike's steely gaze brought them quickly back to their training.
 
Sona helped Lucina and Robin find the bathroom, got them some fresh linen so they could dry off and return to their room in something fresh. Honestly she felt bad for them..they looked dirty and tired from the journey and all she had done for the past few weeks is lounge around in the castle. After she was done escorting the two girls, she wandered out of the place and looked around for Ike. But she saw that man again...Theon? He was walking towards the back of the castle, but there was really nothing back there.

Sona got a bad feeling like nothing else, and she started to follow him. She was pretty stealthy when she wanted to be. When he got to the back of the castle, he looked up at the trees as if he was looking for something. He was like that for a few minutes before he pulled out a book and sat down underneath one. Sona squinted her eyes, seeing him smile somewhat.

"Either come on out or let me read in peace." He said out loud, and Sona pressed her back against the wall before sighing. So he noticed her? How long did he know? Well, she didn't like him so she went with the second option. He was just reading? Why did it still not feel right to her? She scurried off to find Ike, though she really couldn't shake that bad feeling.

When she found him talking with Link, she tried a similar, stealthy approach. They were talking about things and she didn't want to interrupt..and she also wanted to know what they were talking about.
 
Ike glanced to his side after a moment, the door to the nearby tower cracked slightly ajar. He didn't say anything, but he gave his head a subtle nudge of confirmation. Link blinked curiously, following his eyesight. He had no idea what he was looking at.

"Well," Ike murmured, rising up. "That being said, suppose we should get to work," he said, glancing at the sky. The air was getting thicker...but it had been that way for a while now, something was changing, he just didn't know when that would be.
 
Sona pouted a little. Either she had just missed whatever they were talking about, or Ike noticed her. She would believe the later, easily enough. He had good senses...something that skilled fighters developed over time. She opened the door and then came out, pulling her cape around her as she shamefully came out, knowing that he had caught her even if he didn't say anything.
 
"Sure," Link said as Ike smiled at Sona, fingers running through her hair. She was getting much better at that, wasn't she? Few more years, and Ike wondered if anyone would be able to find her, if she didn't want to be found.

"And I owe you some time, don't I?" Ike said to Sona. "Sorry for making you wait so long, Sona."
 
"It's...okay." Sona said with a smile and then turned to Link. "Link kept me company as much as he could, and so did Samus when she was actually around. Zelda was busy though." She moved closer to him and hugged him again. She was so glad he was back...she felt like she was missing her other half when he was gone and it was so lonely.
 
Ike smiled, hand running through her hair. "Then you have the honor of helping me today, come on...some of those soldiers look a little lazy to me."
--

True to his word, Ike and Sona were inseparable for the most part. The next few weeks were important for a lot of reasons, Robin's tactical prowess helped plan for eventualities, Lucina's extra experience against...less than normal opponents would help them fight demons, potentially. Link and Ike were working around the clock to maintain morale, training and rotations. Kakariko was being reinforced against just about anything they could, Hylia was supplying fresh troops and supplies that Ike usually escorted with Sona's help.

Day in, day out...work, work, work...the occasional skirmish broke up the monotony, and the Zoran Ambassadors had worked tirelessly to plan with Robin. So much so that they were utlizing the underground waterways beneath the castle to ferry goods back and forth, as well as make use of the underground hotsprings. It wasn't uncommon to see Ike and Link moving one way or another, almost out of reflex. Both of them were...antsy, the air was thick with something...and everyone could feel it, but the only thing they could ignore it was to work until their bodies stopped...for Ike and Link, they were taking that quite literally.

Pit, meanwhile...decided to do as ordered, since he had no choice. Truth be told, some small part of him did want to see Sona, but he...wasn't quite sure how to do that. He made sure his entrance was covered by the clouds overhead, the occasional shadow on a sunny day helped him descend as he settled on the roof of a tower to watch the city. They had really ramped up their defenses, hadn't they?
 
Everyone was working hard, but Zelda knew that of everyone else..Ike and Link were working the hardest. Sometimes she would stay up just as late as Link did, but she would wake up and he was long gone working. She had also seen Sona doing her best to keep up with Ike, though more often than not she was completely exhausted even if she wanted to help. Lucina and Robin too...they were doing whatever they could to help.

Zelda felt a little bad. They all needed a break. A small one. Especially with that overbearing sense of dread in the air. So she got with the Zoran Ambassadors and asked to use their hot springs for at least one evening. They were happy to oblige with the request. They had seen how hard they were working and understood what Zelda was trying to do.

So Zelda waited until they were all gathered at supper time. She took her seat, as she was the last to join them. "Okay everyone...I have something important to ask all of you. Something very important..."
 
"What is it?" Ike asked, leaning forward before he even started on his dinner. Were the troops still slacking in their volley training? Did they not have enough rations? Were there too many skirmishes between Kakariko and here, and they needed more people on road patrol? "Did something happen, Zelda?" Link, likewise...was thinking of worst possible scenarios.
 
"No, nothing happened." Zelda said with a bit of a laugh as she glanced at Sona who was huffing down her food as usual and not paying any attention whatsoever. That was fine. "But it still is very important. I think all of you need a break, so I spoke with Elan and Elui and planned out a trip for all of us to relax. I know it might seem silly but you all have been working so hard. Especially Like and Ike." Her blue eyes went to the two. "I think we just need a break, and the underground hot springs is a good place away from..work."

"That sounds so nice!" Lucina exclaimed, though Robin tilted her head to the side.

"Yes it does, but do we really have the time to do such a thing?" She asked Zelda.
 
"We have been working pretty hard," Link admitted faintly. Ike was in silent agreement with Robin, just because they were working themselves exhausted, didn't mean they had the luxury to just...relax.

"And leaders who are lacking in spirit will lower morale," Impa confirmed. "I agree, we must make time for rest, for everyone. Today might be as good of a day as any, a sound plan, your majesty."
 
"Well when you put it like that..." Robin couldn't argue with such logic. It was very true, all the tactics in the world couldn't give soldiers the morale that leaders could supply. "Then I suppose it couldn't hurt. I know that I'm still pretty sore and stiff from my journey here with Lucina." She admitted, and then her eyes flashed to Ike. "And I would love to see the more relaxed side of our Mercenary friend and the Hero of Hyrule."

Mercenary...that was all Ike said he was but Robin knew his real identity. Seeing him fight in the skirmishes besides Sona convinced her. He was way more than what he led on to be...even if he didn't want to admit it.
 
"I'm not that uptight," Ike grumbled defensively as Link chuckled, hand on his shoulder. "I think we're outgunned here, regardless...my friend....very well, Zelda...it sounds like a good idea to me." and...Ike kind of was uptight, usually. Though if it was an act because of his job or just his personality, hard to say.
 
"Huh? What are we doing?" Sona asked as she finished her food. Why did people talk during supper? Wasn't this time to eat? She heard a few giggles at the table..mainly from Lucina and Zelda.

"We're going to the underground hot springs Sona." Zelda told her, seeing her slowly start to become confused. "Imagine a big bath, but in a cavern, and the water is heated by the earth. It feels nice and relaxing."

"Huh? A giant bath? What for?" ..She had missed the entire conversation. Maybe she should have listened more.
 
Ike sighed, digging his knuckles into her scalp playfully. "Because we need to relax, Sona....do you want to come with us?" Girl was mindless around food, honestly...
 
"To a giant bath...to relax?" It honestly didn't really sound all that great, but then again Sona didn't really like water. She had almost drowned a few times..in a bath tub. "I think I'll pass...unless you're going to be gone for more than a night again." Then she would just be miserable waiting around for him to return.
 
"No, I won't...and you'll know where I'll be if I am...somehow," he smiled faintly. "...I suppose we better go and...relax," Ike sighed. Did they really have to? There was still so much work to do!
 
"You're not coming Sona? Well make sure whatever you do to entertain yourself is relaxing, alright?" Zelda was...surprised at that. Usually Sona would never willingly part with Ike for more than a few minutes. She must have really hated water.

"Yeah, sure. Have fun..enjoy your bath time together.." She grinned a little as she realized something...they'd all be naked. Yeah..they were gonna do some relaxing alright. She was almost jealous but...well she would make Ike have sex with her later tonight. It had been a while since she kept falling asleep from how early they had to wake up and how late it would be by the time they got to bed. Was a shame, really.
 
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