His Only Maiden
A/N: This was written for Dark Blaziken's Challenge, I hope you enjoy this story. It's an odd pairing, but writing this actually made me love it. XD
-x-
It was a bright and sunny day in Elibe. The Tactician Mark suggested that Eliwood's elite take this beautiful day as an opportunity to take a break from the war, just for the day.
Sain was probably the most enthusiastic about this day more than anyone else, as he would use it to flirt with the maidens of the army. Approaching Rebecca, he ran a hand through his ruffled brown hair and grinned.
"Why, Hello there O beauteous goddess of archery." Rebecca cringed.
"Oh, Sain… I was just um heading off to find Nino…" she trailed, off trying to get away.
Sain pulled a rose out of nowhere and handed it to the green-haired woman; she took it slowly and dreadfully like it held a deadly disease.
"I am much like this rose, you know, Beautiful on the surface, yet-"
"Sain? I'm sorry but, I don't really want to hear your dumb poem now…" But, he continued talking.
"-So sharp and painful up close. My skill with a lance is just like these thorns and my gorgeous looks-"
Rebecca sighed. "Goodbye, Sain," She walked off.
"-My petals, which is why I have much in common with roses, though, I am also like a Pegasus who are also gorgeous on the outside –" He finally realized he was talking to dead air, Sighing he decided to go find someone else to impress.
-x-
Spotting Florina from afar, he dashed forward to meet her.
"Ah, beauteous Florina," The lavender haired girl quickly turned around to find who it was that spoke.
"Eek!" She yelped, quickly walking away from the river she was currently washing her hands in.
"Oh, come on," Sain sighed. "Am I THAT appalling?!"
-x-
Nearing sunset now, Sain sulked. He had been ignored by every girl in camp, well except Vaida, He was afraid to approach her, for she did not possess the… 'Beauty' Sain wanted. Actually, Vaida just scared the crap out of him.
He sat down under a large oaken tree atop a small hill, over looking the sunset on Bern's mountains.
"Will I ever find a lovely Woman who will spend just a little time with me?" he sighed to himself, breathing the cool, mountain air. He closed his eyes, now all he wanted to do was relax before the day was up and he would have to be ready for combat again.
Suddenly, he heard the most beautiful sound.
"La, la, la, ah ooh la la, la, la, ahh…"
His eyes shot open at once and he glanced around to find the source of the singing.
"Ooh, ahh…" He stood up and walked around the tree, he was startled when he found Ninian on the other side, sitting peacefully on the lush green grass. She gasped when she noticed him and stopped singing, his jaw dropped and he stared at her.
"N-Ninian, you can sing?!" She nodded slowly, and her eyes stayed locked on him.
"I knew that you could dance, but SING!?" Ninian looked down shyly.
"I… am not sure…" She mumbled slowly, "What… is your name?" Sain gasped.
"You don't know my name? It's Sain, my lady Ninian." She smiled.
"Lord Eliwood… explained all of the people here… but I remembered you from when I had met… Lady Lyndis, even after my memory was… taken away from me…"
Sain grinned. "Then it's a pleasure to see you, my lady. " She smiled in return as Sain sat down beside her.
"O my beautiful Ninian, why are you up here all alone?"
"I came here to… collect my thoughts…" Sain's heart thumped,
"But a girl like you should not have so much stress wracking your beauty…"
She giggled, "I am here to get rid of the stress, Sir Sain…" Her gorgeous ruby eyes reflected the sunset behind them.
"Sir Sain? You would call me that?" Sain wondered, "All of the other ladies would never use such a title with me."
Ninian's face showed confusion,
"I… do not understand why… Are you not deserving of such a title?" Sain gasped.
"Of course I am, no one ever uses it though…"
"I cannot see why not, you are a kind man, though you do… Er, 'Hit' on all of the women…" Sain gasped again.
"Who told you that, my lady?"
"I heard Sister Serra call it that." She giggled. "Despite that, you are a fine man, sir Sain."
Sain looked at her; she was so beautiful, so wonderful. He wanted to see her dance, Lyn had told him many times how beautiful Ninan's dancing was, but he never saw it himself yet. He couldn't help it, he wanted to for joy and sing hymns of his new friend.
And so he did. He stood up, pulling Ninian up by the hand, pulling her to his waist.
"My lady, may I have this dance?" She nodded and they began to waltz around the giant oak tree, even though there was no music. They spun and twirled, forgetting the world around them, all of the stress from the war just flew away in the breeze while the dreamily danced the day away. Ninian enjoyed dancing more than anything in the world, but when she danced with Sain, it felt ever so magical. They danced until the sun disappeared behind the rolling mountaintops of Bern and the stars glistened in the night sky. They both fell to the ground playfully, after bowing when they stopped dancing.
Ninian even giggled more than she ever had before.
"Ha ha, I feel so… happy, sir Sain." She sighed.
"I'm happy too, lady Ninian. For once, I was able to spend more time with a lady than before, without them running away."
She giggled as she felt her cheeks grow warm and rosy.
"Sir Sain, I have not felt this happy in a… very long time…" Sain laughed.
"Ah Ninian, please call Sain, just Sain." She blinked at him.
"But…"
"Ninian, I have not been this happy since…um, since I met lady Lyndis!"
She looked at him oddly now.
"I mean, thank you for spending this time with me. It was wonderful." He grinned at her and she blushed.
"I truly enjoyed this time we had…" Sain was surprised to see her frowning after the words escaped her lips.
"Something wrong, my dear?" Sain's face lit up with worries, as Ninian noticed him, her eyes filled with tears.
Sain panicked.
"Oh! I'm sorry did I say something wrong?" She wiped her tears with the back of her hands
"I apologize…" She mumbled through a sob, "It's just… that… we will never have time… like this ever again… I'm sorry." She sniffled.
"Oh my lady, whatever do you mean?" Sain hated seeing her this way, he felt as though it were his fault; he didn't even understand why she started crying.
"You wouldn't understand… I am not what I seem…" She sobbed more now. Sain became very confused; this girl sure was different from the others.
"I don't understand…" He mumbled.
"You cannot understand… and I can't tell you…" She wiped more tears away. "You wouldn't… think of me the same if I did…"
Sain had it, he held onto her hand and squeezed it comfortingly, and she looked up and sobbed more, leaning her head onto him and crying into his chest. He rubbed the back of her hair in effort to calm her down; soon her sobs were slowing down.
"Ninian, no matter what, I'll still like you," Whispered Sain, "Even if you are not what you seem, you are my maiden…" She sobbed again into his chest, and let out a frustrated moan. They sat that way for awhile, until the night grew darker. Suddenly, Ninian stood up.
"I'm sorry…" She mumbled before walking down the hill, probably back to the tent. Sain gasped and ran after her.
"Ninian, Wait! Where are you going?"
"Thank you for this time we had, but it is now time… to focus on this war…" She whispered. Sain reached for her shoulder, but she walked away too quickly. He wanted that time to last, to grow.
But now, it's over? Sain thought, He stared at the place they had just spent the entire day together, cherishing the love that will never be. He sighed, walking back to his own tent; the skies above seemed to grow as sad as Sain's heart as it began to suddenly snow.
"Ninian, you will be my only one…" he whispered to the air around him, "I'll never find a lovely maiden such as yourself again…" His heart grew very heavy; he had felt love many times before, but never heartbreak. Reaching his tent, he stopped. He swore that he heard Ninian's soothing song, he looked around. He knew she was in her tent, it was impossible to hear her now. It was only her echo in his mind that would haunt him for days now.
Fin.
A/N: Wow, sorry it took a turn for Angsty sadness… I can't help it when writing about Ninian. Anyway, Thanks to Dark Blaziken for creating the challenge, this was a blast to write AND I have a new favorite pairing, hee hee…
Reviews are greatly welcomed!