I can't believe I found a good story of Ike/Soren where they're in character, goes through the whole game and is finished. That is a miracle that it kept me up all night.

I love how the chapters are broken up and love how everyone is just in character and made me remember the Tellius universe all over again. Three perspectives is important and all and the ending with Ike never returning taking Soren with him would explain given how the game just says he up and left but the reason for that is to leave happy memories, then Ike has done his deed.

Bravo for this being recommended on TV Tropes and hope you have other great stories in the future. A

Momo M. Taro or Pepper from Fallen Angel

You know that moment when you're just left staring at the screen incedulously?... Your eyes are wet and you get this sick feeling in your stomach?... Yeah... Just got that right now... Not sure if a fan fic should make me this ridiculously emotional, but it does. So props to you for making me nearly burst with fangirl goodness.

You are an amazing author. I mean it. This story took my breath away! it was so...perfect, so very well done! everyone was so in character, and everything was so... I don't know, I'm at loss of words. This was SUPERB, I want to congratulate you for this master piece. AMAZING

My how Elincia has changed since the beginning of this story! She has grown up, and she has grown into her power. Back in chapter 1, she was just a girl, with a head full of silly romantic notions, even as she struggled with the tragedy that had befallen her and the awful responsibility that had been thrust upon her. And it's been a delight to watch you chronicle her thoughts and feelings as she deals with it all: her grief at the loss of Crimea and all the people she loved; her joy at finding Lucia and Bastian and Geoffrey alive; her determination as they battle Ashnard; her disappointment at the opposition of the Crimean nobles to the reforms she wants to create; her weariness from the sheer hard work of ruling the nation without the support of the nobility; her strength in the face of Ludveck's rebellion, which should have made it perfectly clear to the nobles of Crimea that she was ready to rule with or without their support. And here she is now, ever-so-gently reminding those nobles that while they were turned to statues by the goddess's judgment, she was out fighting to save them and the rest of the world. She's respectful, sympathetic even, but she speaks with great authority. It's clear none of them will stand in her way again. Not satisfied with announcing her plans for the future of Crimea, she also announces her impending marriage to Geoffrey, without consulting him first! I loved the little interjections from Renning, Bastian, Lucia and Geoffrey: they were all delightfully in-character.

The lighthearted banter between Aimee and Jorge has been a constant ever since we first saw them in chapter 2. It's part of the longstanding friendship between them, and it keeps the tone light despite the sombre nature of their mission. The mentions of Micaiah, Sothe, Jill, Haar and Kieran made me smile, and I especially liked "Good to know Sothe is good for something else besides dressing suggestively." Aimee has some happy memories of her mother, and it must have been of some comfort to her to know that at least her mother was in a pleasant environment when she died. Visiting this house would surely make Aimee feel more connected to her mother and give her a better sense of closure than finding a grave. Aimee has grown too: she has let go of the illusion that she can control everything in her life, and she is happy with a partner who reminds her of her beloved mother.

I absolutely love your description of why Soren no longer thinks time in bed is a waste of time. I can feel his sleepiness, and how happy he is sharing a bed with Ike. His wit is as sharp as ever, though, as we see when he gets down to the kitchen. And practicality wins over desire as he persuades Ike not to distract him while he's cooking. Damn, but he has some self-control! But all their conversation is filled with affection, and Ike is careful to let Soren know how much the other mercenaries will miss him (because Soren needs to hear that kind of stuff; he still has self-esteem issues). Having Ike and Soren slip away before dawn means we don't have to deal with all the goodbyes, and we can focus on just the two of them. Your concluding paragraphs are just beautiful, as you talk about the journey of Soren's life so far, the enormous changes that he's been through.

It's been a month since you finished this story and, at last, here's my final review. It's been an absolute delight to read, and I've read every chapter over and over, just for the enjoyment of it. I love your writing style, and this is probably the best thing I have ever read on this site. I look forward to more of your work.

Your writing is fantastic! Every time I begin reading a chapter, I don't want to stop reading; it's just that interesting.

Here we are at the end of RD. There's an awful lot of history and secrets revealed in this part of the game, and I don't think it's possible to learn them all on your first run-through. (I am planning my second run now; I have a transfer team from PoR, and I'm determined to get Ike's memory scene this time!) So I'm not as familiar as I'd like to be with the information revealed at the start of this chapter, but I do know that the persecution of the Branded was founded on a lie. Stefan actually laughed when he learned that, but I'm not surprised that Soren feels nothing but bitterness in response. Your description of Soren's thoughts and feelings is, again, masterful. I especially liked "the wave of calm that comes from knowing he is treasured and adored has far more power than any sense of security Ashera can conjure."

It makes sense that having his memory of his father's madness and his mother's murder erased would affect Ike's other memories too. And we know Ike has little or no memory of Gallia. He didn't know he was born there. He knew nothing of the laguz before the events of PoR. So the idea that recovering the memory of the events around his mother's death enabled Ike to remember the rest, including meeting Soren, makes far more sense to me than "I got to thinking, and I remembered," (as we read in the final info conversation of the game.)

So you retell, rather beautifully, the story of their first meeting, and of Soren's long and difficult search for Ike. Soren reveals how much he suffered from the rejection of the laguz, and how much Ike meant to him ever since that first meeting. Through all those years, it was the thought of Ike, the only person to show him kindness when he needed it most, that kept him going. This conversation's already a confession of love, but you make it explicit: "That's why I love you, Ike. I had nothing to live for, but you gave me things to believe in, and your faith in me gave me a reason to survive." I love the way you spell it out: I love the idea of Ike's promise, too, ("I'll make you feel better one day. I promise.") which he kept despite not remembering it. That moment of flashback, where Soren relives seeing Ike again after so long, was delightful.

Aimee and Jorge are light relief after the seriousness of Soren and Ike's conversation (and the hug, and the tears) despite the threat of Ashera's reanimated warriors. Jorge even brings up the bet again. And at the crowning moment, when victory is clear, we have this little exchange:

Jorge brushes his lips against her forehead as Aimee sobs gleefully into his shoulder. "I won," he whispers, just barely audible over her tears and the sound of the celebrating fighters.

"I think we all did, dearie."

"No, I mean I won. Look over there."

Aimee's incredulity was entirely to be expected, but it still made me laugh. And this line:

"You mean to tell me that all this time he was secretly dreaming of his staff officer?" Aimee shakes her head in incredulity. "I've misjudged people before, but this takes it to a new level."

Pure genius.

I've been reading about a chapter a day starting on Tuesday and this story is absolutely amazing. Let me rephrase that, your writing is superior to any other author on this site. You clearly have a knack for writing, especially about suppressed feelings and romance, so if you ever write a book, send me a message and I will run to the store to pick it up.

Helllooooo, Julie! I forgot that you could submit reviews without an account. Why didn't you tell me that? I could have saved a lot of cell phone minutes if I had known that I could just type all my responses here!

OK, so you already know how much I love this. You truly are one of my favorite writers evveeeerrr. You know how to keep the fandom drooling for more while also using the beautiful language that gets you an A on every freaking single English assignment ever (Jealous? Who me?)That's why Fire Emblem is also more fun if you're around to play it with me. I recognize some of the witty observations in this from our RD marathons, which made me smile.

And there is the matter of JORGE! You know how hot I think he and Daniel are! It made my entire life that you included him a lot in the story, since if I were Aimee I'd be all of that instead of Ike (just like if you were Micky, you'd be all over Nolan instead of Sothe).

But you know all this already. I just needed t stop by and give you some loving since this is, as you know, my fave story that you've ever written. Keep it up, Ju! Not many ppl are born with such wonderful natural talent, so keep on sharing it with us!

Another beautifully-written chapter, focussed on the most interesting and likable Aimee yet seen in a fanfic. Aimee's distaste for Oliver's mansion and his works of art is palpable. Starting with the painting helps us get in touch with Aimee's feelings, as she identifies with the woman's vulnerability. "It feels so horrifyingly familiar that she wonders for a moment if she's woken up from a long and beautiful dream about running away and becoming a merchant on a traveling caravan and has returned to her old life, her reality," makes it clear that she is happy with the life she has right now, and knows it suits her well. Jorge clearly shows himself to be a good man: kindhearted, caring, considerate. He doesn't immediately understand what Aimee's thinking, but it's clear that he wants to: he's listening. And he's supportive to the extent of volunteering to sleep outside with her. He is definitely doing everything right, even down to throwing in some self-deprecating humour. The reference to Kieran and the bear was a nice touch. In their light-hearted banter, Aimee even favours Kieran over Ike as her protector, letting Jorge know she's losing interest in Ike. You're building up to quite the romantic moment...and then you have Ike interrupt them. Nicely done!

So you recruited Oliver. And then illustrated some of the reasons why one wouldn't want to. But storywise, of course, bringing Aimee into contact with Oliver is brilliant. He's so very reminiscent of the vile Prideri (plus he's physically repellent in a way Prideri never was) that his touch on her hand is enough to send Aimee into a painful flashback. The flashback was well done, and you seem to have a lot of insight into the effects of a traumatic past.

By immediately protecting Aimee from Oliver, Jorge proves he is, in fact, all she has been looking for in a man. He even respects that she doesn't want to be on the bed and puts her down on the floor. Finally Aimee tells her story, and in doing so, lets go of the guilt and shame. They're so much more ready now for the loving embrace that you hinted might happen before they were interrupted.

Good to have a little bit of Ike and Soren in this chapter too. Soren's anger at the thought Oliver might have touched Ike was delightful. I loved not-so-clueless Ike, and Soren being surprised at Ike being perceptive and insightful, too. And my, isn't Soren dutiful! Refusing to be distracted by Ike's kisses and sending him off to sleep alone...

Your work is hard to review, did you know that? Because it draws me in and I just want to keep on reading rather than writing anything. And I really, really love this chapter. I have lost count of the number of times I have read it already.

Soren is such an organised person; it makes sense that he would feel very comfortable with the order that Ashera has imposed on the world. You've given us a beautiful description of how that feels. It was interesting that Aimee, too, commented on the effects of Ashera's order. She did come up with a good idea, and I feel sure that when "It's like every troubling or stupid thought that has ever bothered me before has gone away," she found herself reassessing her feelings about Ike, and maybe noticing Jorge a little more. Despite Soren's sarcasm, the banter between Soren and Aimee seems surprisingly lighthearted and friendly: I suppose this is an effect of Ashera's order, too. I'm not surprised Ike wasn't so comfortable with the order, though, and was actually excited at the prospect of a fight.

You give us some lovely examples of Soren's dry wit in this chapter, including: "When you're fighting a goddess, anything can happen," "Wow! It's a wonder you have anything left to think of at all!" and "Yes...Fighting warriors blessed by the goddess herself who materialize in the middle of the night is definitely preferable."

That Soren would cause himself pain by biting his own injury distresses Ike so much that he calls battle a "safer... way to clear the mind and make it right again, in case it tries to mess too much with what we think and believe in." That says a lot about how Ike feels about Soren. And then we see them each worrying about the other getting enough rest. Ike DOES seem oddly anxious and unsure of himself when he invites Soren back to his tent: you were right to "lampshade" it by having Soren point it out. I wasn't sure what Ike was referring to when he said, "Remember what happened to us the last time we tried to hide things?" I thought first of Soren concealing his Branded status from Ike, but that wasn't really both of them hiding things. Perhaps that plus Ike holding back what he learned from Volke about the medallion and his mother's death? They seem the most prominent examples, anyway, but they've both been holding back a lot of stuff.

So they go to Ike's tent. I loved your description of Soren's reluctance to approach Ike's bed, for fear of what he might accidentally reveal. And then, when he is finally persuaded to sit, so close to Ike, he "trains himself to sit as still as a statue...so their contact doesn't deepen and tempt him to do something he'll later regret." No wonder Ike says,"I have no idea what's going on in your mind. I wish I did." The awkwardness that follows ("I promise to stay where I am, all right?" "All right. I'll hold you to that." "Fair enough." "Right.") feels absolutely right.

Slowly, Ike tells Soren what he has been thinking (just his thoughts, not his feelings) and he proves to be perceptive enough to terrify Soren. I've got to agree with you here. A lot of people paint Ike as being completely oblivious to how others feel about him (as Soren will suggest in the following chapter, with respect to Aimee's pursuit of him), but I think Ike has considerable emotional intelligence, and it's one of the things that make him such a good leader. There's one jarring note for me though, and it's where Ike says "We're too close in age for you to have thought of me as a father for very long." I could handle "You looked up to me the way I looked up to my father" because Soren DOES look up to Ike (a bit too much, and that's part of the reason he's held back so much, right?) but for Soren to have ever thought of Ike as a father just feels WRONG. This pairing is prone to accusations of paedophilia as it is, even though they are about the same age (indeed, Soren may well be older than Ike) just because Soren LOOKS so young. I really don't think you want to bring that vibe into it.

Ike won't let Soren get a word in: I suppose he's afraid of not being able to finish what he started to say. And then he drops THAT question on him, without declaring his own feelings (although he has dropped some pretty broad hints, like "And maybe it's just me being selfish or vain or whatever it is, but I think I finally understand what you've been trying to hide from me. Because I know exactly what it feels like to hide it, too." And there's so much desperation apparent in "I can't go without knowing the answer for any longer. Please," that it should be obvious how Ike is feeling.

Sooo much going through Soren's head after that question. I wonder how long it took for him to respond? Long enough for Ike to comment on it, anyway. When he finally nods and Ike reaches out to touch his face, your description of how that feels is, once again, delightful. Even then Ike doesn't just declare his love: he tells Soren a story. It's the story of what it was like for Ike when he knew Soren was keeping a secret from him, all the things he kept back and didn't let Soren see at the time, his anger, his hurt, his fear...how much he loved Soren even then. Then you break the mood completely with this exchange:

"I thought that you would never return the sentiment because I wasn't strong enough to make you come to terms with your past. I thought you deserved better."

"WHAT?" Soren sputters indignantly. "Are you the biggest idiot on the planet?"

Ike laughs. "No. That's probably still Boyd."

...And even after all that, Soren is still surprised when he realises Ike wants to kiss him! I did like how you set that up, though, with Soren's injury, and Ike being reluctant to risk aggravating it. I don't think Soren has made the first move with respect to anything that has happened in this story, and here he is initiating their first kiss! Delightful! Your description of the kiss is wonderful as always, too.

It seems that now Ike has finally started to talk about his feelings, he doesn't want to stop. He even breaks off their kiss to talk about how the medallion made him feel, and how kissing Soren feels the same. Yeah, well, sex IS chaotic.

Ahhhhhhh SQUEEEEEE

I'm so sad you're done with this story, but the ending was perfect: just perfect. Soren bacon perfection. Thanks for such a great story :)

I really like your portrayal of Mist in this story. She's smart and she knows her brother well. In chapter 1 we see her laughing at Aimee fawning over Ike, and in chapter 4 she maintains that he's much too tactless for Elincia. In chapter 5, of course, she rejoices in being right about that, when we see Elincia reunited with Geoffrey. And here she is again, pouring scorn on the latest rumour about Ike and yet another attractive young woman. Her lukewarm response to the idea of a sister-in-law makes me suspect she thinks it's never going to happen. Which would make her the only one besides Jorge who's not completely oblivious.

Jorge has a reason to be observant, of course; his bet with Aimee. But Aimee has also been watching Ike closely and has failed to pick up on any of the little clues that Jorge has noticed. She has her heterosexist blinkers on, like everyone else in the camp, it seems. I do like how you have set things up here, with the suggestion of some jealousy from Aimee as she sees Jorge watching Jill and Mist, spectacularly confirmed later as she responds angrily to his threat to go and talk to Jill instead (which of course was his response to her accusation of jealously, which he neither confirms nor denies).

Ilyana duelling Skrimir over food? Priceless.

Soren can't sleep because of happy thoughts of Ike? I know what he needs. But he's not getting any yet, is he? No, you are going to make us all wait several more chapters. What he does get is interesting, though, as Ike shares his dream of leaving Tellius and finding the world. He wants to go where beorc, laguz and Branded live in harmony, a place where Soren would experience no prejudice and feel no need to hide. It's a dream that's all about Soren, really, but Soren is still shocked when Ike asks him to come too. He clearly understands what Ike is asking, though: a long-term commitment, something akin to a proposal of marriage. And what does he do? He comes up with every counter-argument he can think of, including "But one day you're going to want a family. It's only natural." (Or, less delicately put, "What about sex? You know, with a woman? And the inevitable results?") Ike remains firm in his conviction that Soren is the only one he wants. He's making himself vulnerable here: he's not entirely certain Soren wants him. And Soren's not going to make it obvious. "I would go with you anywhere, but..." is as close as he gets. So STILL no declaration of love, no kiss, no embrace. Jorge is right about these two, surely!

Looks like it is going to take divine intervention to get these two together. Conveniently, we get some, with the medallion magnifying their chaotic urges to the point where Ike and Soren can't hold back from reaching out to each other. Then suddenly, order is in control, and they are left with the sight of their hands reaching out. Makes things pretty obvious really. But we'll have to wait until next chapter before they let go of their denial.

You use some beautiful descriptive language regarding the medallion's effect on Soren. I particularly liked:

"Soren doesn't remember feeling this alive ever before. Compared to this, every other moment he's ever experienced has been secondary, inconsequential. The world had been gray before the flames entered into him, saturating everything in vibrant colors and blurring the lines between the possible and impossible. He had once been powerless, alone, and limited, but this new fever that grips him makes anything believable, anything possible. His better judgment sinks somewhere far away, and wild thoughts reign freely in his mind. He wants to do something reckless. Why hold back any longer? This is how life is supposed to be lived, untamed and free rather than restricted and repressed. Why should he hide himself and keep his secrets quiet when the flames so adamantly call him to unlock his heart and expose the chains that have held him back all these miserable years, keeping him from doing what he wants and becoming who he was meant to be?"

Also:

"The beautiful wantonness refills him, and he gladly drowns in it, allowing it to travel into every pore of his body. He imagines himself sinking to floor and pulling Ike down with him, diving into each other's bodies with no reason or explanation other than the endless want that crashes inside, the persistent thirst for satisfaction."

I'm gonna keep this review short & sweet(possibly).

Fabulous, absolutely amazing job with this story. This has got to be DE BEST story I have read in quite some time, and that's definitely saying something, as I have read a lot of stories on here, and this is the first that I have found to be so in character, and beautifully poetic at the same time, with my favorite characters in it. I loved how you ended the story, showing a peek at how the characters were fairing after the war... it was great. Aimee said her goodbyes to the loss of her mother, Elincia practically owned her people with Geoffery, and Ike and Soren get to start on their new lives together. ...Needless to say, the ending was perfect! I look forward to any and all of your future fics. :)

I've just finished my first playthrough of Radiant Dawn (pushing myself all the way to stay ahead of this story, I might add - I wanted to be sure I knew the story well enough to understand all your details). I wasn't very happy with how I managed Part 3 chapter 7, and when I saw this I immediately wanted to go back and do the chapter over again. Excellent strategy: I want to do exactly that next time, like Skrimir recycling Soren's old strategies. At least he's learned to respect Soren's abilities.

Soren understands how important Micaiah is to Daein, and he's done his research on her. It makes sense he would want to challenge her (at least verbally) face to face. (Me, I just want to take her down with Soren, because it feels so right.) I do like the way you have embellished their conversation. You've given Soren a lot to say to her, all of it true and profoundly significant. She flounders in the face of his logic. Of course, when she can't argue any more she will attack, but I think Soren can take her. (Well, Soren in my last playthrough could have taken Micaiah in that same playthrough if I'd got him to her, anyway: she was pathetic.) But Ike coming to the rescue means he gets to rage at Soren for putting himself at risk, and even Soren understands that means he cares.

Delightfully, you elaborate on this later at the campfire, when Ike reveals his fear of losing Soren. Your description of Ike delicately touching Soren's face, and Soren's reaction to it, is beautifully poetic.

Beautiful! *sniff* The Elinica part was so awsome! She became a very mature Queen! Yays the nobles finally accepter her! Aimee part was so sweet, I feel bad that she couldn't find her mother's grave TT Ike's and Soren's part was so adorable as well! They were ready! Also your fic was very interesting! I hope that you can keep writing more interesting fics