It's me again

Summary: After Ashera is defeated and chaos is restored to the world, Ike announces his intention of leaving the mercenary camp to travel to distant lands. His friends are upset, some more than others.

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All the original members of the Greil Mercenaries (plus Mia, who had been officially accepted into the ranks) waited anxiously for their young, but talented leader to speak. He had gathered them all together to make an announcement, something that was very rare due to how much he detested speeches.

They all stood facing Ike, except for Soren, who remained steadfastly at his side. This was somewhat of an unusual arrangement, since Soren knew no more about what was going on than the rest of them, but no one questioned the sage's silent determination to hold this position, and Ike did not seem bothered in the least.

Never one to waste time with formality, Ike did not leave anyone wondering for long. “I'm leaving the Greil Mercenaries,” he announced, his tone serious, “and I'm traveling to the east, past the desert."

Boyd was the first to find his voice and ask the obvious question. “Why?!”

Ike shrugged, much to the dismay of his audience. “I've been all around Tellius twice now, and I've seen just about all there is to see. Now that I know there are more lands past the desert, I want to go there, see what they have to offer, see how the people are different.”

Mist was the next to react, dashing up to her brother and grabbing his hands. “You can't go! You're all I have left!”

Ike smiled sadly, taking his hands out of hers so he could place them on her shoulders. He gently turned her around, motioning to the others, who remained silent to allow the siblings their moment. “What are you talking about, Mist? You have lots of family here.”

Mist shook her head defiantly, turning herself back around to face Ike. She looked up at him desperately, eyes shimmering with tears that threatened to spill over at any moment. “It's not the same! And you promised you wouldn't leave me.”

Ike knelt down until he was at eye level with her, wiping away a stray tear that had slipped down her cheek. “I'm not leaving you, Mist. This is just something I feel I have to do.”

“Then I'm coming with you,” she insisted, her resolve strong.

Ike's tone was gentle, but it was obvious he would not be moved. “I know you don't want to spend your life running around unfamiliar places. Besides, I'm counting on you and Titania to keep the Greil Mercenaries running after I leave.”

Had anyone been paying attention to Soren during this exchange, they would have caught him in a rare moment when he forgot to guard his emotions. His expression after hearing Ike's announcement could only be described as mortified.

As Ike's friends came forward and expressed their varied opinions on his plan to leave, Soren remained silent, his panicked mind trying to make sense of the situation. He was not used to being taken by surprise, and even when he was, he usually had a back-up plan. But never had it occurred to him that the person he placed all his trust and loyalty in would suddenly decide to leave the continent on a journey he would likely never return from.

For the next couple days, everyone in the mercenary camp seemed to have fallen into a depression (except for Shinon, who was heard muttering, “Finally,” and otherwise seemed unaffected). Mist was pretending to be angry with Ike, though it was obviously only a front. Rolf kept insisting that he was all right, even as he fought back tears. Titania told Ike that he would be sorely missed, but acknowledged that he was allowed to make his own decisions and said that she would support him. Rhys took a similar approach, wishing him well on his journey. Mia insisted that they get one more good sparring match in before he left, afraid she would never find a better partner. Boyd spent the entire time trying to convince Ike to allow him to come, with Oscar apologizing for his brother's behavior and offering to help him pack. Gatrie was upset, not because he would miss him but because Ike apparently attracted some “mighty fine ladies” to their establishment.

Soren never left his room. He had no desire to fight with the others for Ike's attention. Ike seemed to be making his rounds, spending as much time as he could with all of his “family.” He even tried to initiate a few conversations with Shinon, even though they never got far. So Soren waited patiently, waited for Ike to come to him, waited for the chance to speak with him alone.

But he never came. Not once, in the two days before Ike decided he was leaving, did he come to Soren's room and seek out his company.

Soren could never remember feeling so abandoned. He had been Ike's loyal second-in-command since he became leader, and Ike had not even left any of the company to him. Confusion mingled with resentment as he tried to figure out what he had done wrong.

The time had come when they were supposed to gather and see Ike off, but Soren remained in his room. Why should he make an effort to say goodbye to someone who had not done the same for him? But he was lying to himself, and he knew it. He wanted to see Ike more than anything.

Quite suddenly, Soren came to a decision: he would not allow himself to be abandoned. He would not let Ike leave him there. He had sworn to follow Ike for as long as he drew breath, and like hell if he was going to let Ike make him break that oath.

It took very little time to pack, as Soren had always traveled lightly. He placed a few necessities in a small bag, lifted a few of his best tomes, and headed for the door. As he worked, he ran through his head what he would say to Ike, deciding on the best strategy for convincing him.

When Soren arrived at the meeting spot, everyone else was already there, saying their last tearful goodbyes. Soren approached Ike and stopped beside him, waiting for the other man to notice. Ike released Mist from the hug he had given her and turned to his tactician, glancing at the bag and no doubt realizing that Soren was in travel gear.

Soren braced himself for Ike's reaction, fully prepared to launch into a speech about undying loyalty and his willingness to literally follow Ike to the ends of the earth.

Ike smiled cheerfully. “Ready to go?”

It took Soren several seconds to realize what Ike had said. Had he known Soren would do this? Or... had he been planning on taking him along the entire time?

Soren looked back at the rest of the group, but they all looked the same; no one was surprised. Was he the only one who hadn't figured out he was a part of Ike's plan?

He turned back to Ike, who now looked a bit concerned; he must have sensed Soren's confusion. “Is something wrong?”

The reality of the situation finally sank in for Soren: Ike was letting him go with him. Not only that, he had expected it. And he would allow no one else to accompany him, not even his sister.

Soren smiled, a rare occasion for him. “Nothing at all.”

So the great hero Ike left Tellius on a journey to unexplored lands, and was never heard from again.

But he was not alone.