I don't own Suikoden V or any of its characters.

Spoilers. No, really. And some ideas formulated in the back of my head.

Affection

Lyon remembers affection. It is few and fleeting in her childhood (the very short one when she still lived with her parents) and non-existent in her life as a Nether Gate assasin.

Through Nether Gate, the memory of her mother and father's smiling faces, though vague and blurry, keep her going but eventually they tuck themselves into the inner recesses of her mind and she becomes Mismar. Along with it goes the feeling of a soft peck on her forehead---it is the memory of the last time she sees her parents at an age normally too green to recall. They were crying for her, she thinks. Or maybe not.

At eight, Lyon relearns the meaning of affection and sheds Mismar like an old skin that was too small. Everywhere, people are smiling and laughing and warm. This is the life outside of killing. She isn't sure which she is more thankful for, being rescued by Ferid (no, saved is more appropriate) or being given her first hug in years by him. She supposes both suffice and swears her fealty and her life to him.

The years that follow are filled with happiness and Lyon revels in it all; she has known cold and refuses to return to it. Getting assigned to be Faroush's bodyguard is more fulfilling than it seems---he cares and she has learned how. They make a good team.

They are sent on all sorts of diplomatic missions all over Falena. The places they visit are magnificent but in the end she is most happy when she is with him. Faroush is not in line for the throne and she is glad. The life of confinement does not suit him but she is aware that he possesses something special. He may not be heir, but he means more to her than gold.

Because it is he, not Ferid, who taught her how to live again.

When Faroush goes to form his own army, lead his own cause, she follows patiently. She has always known he is destined for something greater. In the castle he builds, she meets people whom she can call friends. They know affection and they unwittingly teach it to her, she who is still adjusting to the concept (eight years of happiness cannot completely outweigh a lifetime of loneliness)

She hugs them too, or rather they hug her and she slips her slim white arms around their waist and smiles uncertainly. Of course, touch is quite another thing completely. She is more comfortable with squeezing people's hands in reassurance than any other gesture.

It is, after all, the first thing Faroush does when they met and she is not one to forget.

Lyon remembers affection and how it is coupled with grief. Somehow, it slithers back into her otherwise sunny disposition. People who genuinely care about her always seem to be crying for her too. The look on the Prince's face is tearful, and she is sure to see moisture if she keeps her eyes open any longer. He is hugging her close, like he's scared and she tries her best to tell him it will be okay. But she is weak.

They have won. The price of helping him accomplish his goal may have been far too high but she is grateful that she is able to meet it even if it means death.

She dies happily in his arms.

Surprisingly, death is not cold. It is warm and enveloping and she wonders if it is only the after effects of battling the Sun Rune. But she hears his voice calling her and then she feels his touch---cool from the significant drop in temperature that the area permeates but nonetheless alive.

The Sun Rune saves her, and unbeknownst to her, him.

Lyon remembers affection, or rather affectionate actions. It is abundant now, but she still treasures it. She is a Queen's Knight now, respected and skilled. She has learned how to live, be happy and most of all, to love. But she is still learning and new things continue to surprise her.

Like when the Prince kisses her and she kisses back.

Owari

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