Hello, everyone in the Fire Emblem fandom! You might possibly remember me as the author who wrote the short humorous story, "Eliwood, Hector, Nino, and Marriage." If not, then that is okay; this story is in no way connected to my previous Fire Emblem fic. Though you may want to check it out though; quite a few people said the enjoyed it and found it amusing (shameless appeal).

In any case, I was inspired for this fic late at night a few days ago and, because it is so far out there, I didn't know what the hell I was thinking at the time. I decided to sit down and write the story out though and, two or so hours later, I had this thing. I actually don't know what to call it, but I am actually pretty proud of it.

The thought of a large story being written for an unconventional topic always piqued my interest and, as my Harry Potter fans can tell you, I love the more rare pairs in a fandom. Actually, that slipped through in this story; with the exception of Rhys, every character that Ike interacts with are whom I like to pair him up with.

That's beside the point though. The thing I'm trying to get at is, is that I'm going out on a limb here by posting this. To tell the truth, I wrote this between midnight and two o' clock in the morning and, although I did beta it for errors, I steadfastly refused to change what I had written at that time. This was created solely based on my original inspiration and it was written in a single consecutive sitting, with only a single five minute break about two-thirds of the way through.

In other words, this fic is almost purely made of my most intrinsic writing capabilities. I have taken a unique situation and molded it to suit my own needs. I have tried not to deviate to far from the FE10 timeline and canon, and I believe I actually stayed fairly faithful excepts for a few necessary changes to allow this story to come into being. I have written this to the best of my ability; how you judge this is how you judge my current ability as a writer.

I do not mean to scare any of you away by saying this; I say this only in the hopes that it will make your reading experience that much better.

Thank you for reading this (extremely) long foreword and I hope that you enjoy my story, "Unvoiced Affection."

Ariaeris~

Key:

"Common tongue"

"Ancient Language"

Unvoiced Affection

Though the two didn't know it at the time, there were many ways to say that you were in love.

Queen Nailah had asked them to breach the linguistic barrier that separated each other, and Ike had been quick to agree to the chance to learn a bit of the ancient language. He had heard Soren and Mist recite small phrases as they cast their spells, but he had never asked them what those quotes had meant; the one time that he had attempted to look at Soren's spell book, the elegant symbols had disturbed him to the point where he had to physically drop the tome. The curving symbols, and graceful lines; if a song could ever be contained into a letter, then that is what the ancient language would be written in. The words seemed almost sacrosanct, and Ike felt as if he was committing heresy by looking at those words so uneducated as he was about them.

Still, the desire to be able to vocalize that beautiful language, to be able to speak as Reyson and Leanne had when they had restored Serenes Forest; that yearning surpassed any hesitation he may have had at attempting to say such striking words with his blunt tongue.

So he had agreed to Queen Nailah's offhand remark; in exchange for learning the ancient language, he would help the Wolf Queen's retainer, Volug, learn the common language of Tellius

Although the male wolf had appeared initially reluctant to accept his offer, despite a hint of curiosity that shone in his eyes, a quick conversation with his Queen had convinced him otherwise; although Ike's understanding of human interaction was rudimentary at best, the duo's tone and posture indicated that their conversation was… less than friendly.

Queen Elincia had been quick to support their lessons as well, praising him for his willingness to grow closer to the laguz community after he had told her of his suggestion through the stones the dragon laguz had lent them. With Queen Elincia's backing, and fueled by his desire to master such an arcane language, Ike set his first meeting with Volug the day after his original proposal.

Queen Nailah and Prince Rafiel sat in on their first lesson, the Royal Heron smiling serenely at the confused look Ike had sent him when he first entered the glade where their class was to meet.

"Greetings, Lord Ike. Queen Nailah foresaw that their might be some initial difficulties at the onset of your lessons, and she asked me to sere as an interpreter for the two of you until you are able to understand each other sufficiently." The heron said, green eyes sparkling with delight. "I'm pleased that you are so willing to learn something new, especially that you are interested in the old language."

"Oh, yes." Ike replied as he sat himself by Volug, who was sitting cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation. "I have been fascinated by the ancient language for a while now, but I have never been able to find a teacher."

"I see," Rafiel replied, still smiling.

"This won't be easy, Ike." Nailah said shortly. "Learning a new language can be very difficult; when Rafiel attempted to teach us Hatarians Common, we struggled with such a complex language. Although our language may seem complex to you, it is no more complicated then yours."

"Yes," Rafiel added. "The ancient language seems to be difficult to understand by a person who had only spoken Common all their life, but Common is derived from the original Heron tongue and connections can be made between the two. These connections will assist you as you try to learn our language and Volug attempts to master yours."

As soon as he was addressed, Volug's eyes opened, sharp violet eyes boring into the heron who had said his name. Quickly though, the wolf laguz's gaze shifted from the heron's in respect, instead glancing at the beorc general sitting beside him. Lavender eyes bore into sapphire, the two men observing their companion. Eventually though, the tan man let out an odd huffing sound and turned his head away.

Ike, unsettled by the other's examination, turned back to the Wolf Queen, who looked a strange mix between exasperated and fond. "Forgive Volug, Ike; he is not the most sociable of people. Hopefully that will change after these lessons." Nailah glared at the unrepentant wolf.

"I am sociable enough." The wolf said, causing Ike to inhale quickly as he heard the cadential tone he had come to identify with the ancient language. His heart beat faster as a strong desire grew within him; how long until he himself would be able to speak so beautifully as this man could?

The two royal laguz glanced at the blue-haired general briefly, before the Queen addressed her retainer. "That may be so, Volug, but it would make Rafiel and I happy to see you act more comfortably with the other laguz and beorc; it troubles us to see how antisocial you are."

Volug let out another of his odd huffs, before letting his arms drop from where they had been crossed against his chest. A fleeting look from the two royals set Ike into action, beginning the first of multiple lessons between the two.

"I suppose the first thing I must ask is if you can understand me?" Ike asked, stopping himself from rubbing the back of his head; Soren had informed him that that was a nervous habit of his, and he did not want to set his partner on edge. Volug sighed irritably, before nodding. "Okay then; can you tell me all of the words you know in Common?"

"Can you tell me all of the words you know in our tongue?" The wolf laguz muttered under his breath, which caused his Queen to glare at him. "Laguz, beorc. Give, take. Here, there. Yes, no. Attack, defend, flee, protect. I, you, me, he, she, they. Queen, king. Go, stop."

Ike blinked, surprised and a little disappointed with himself; he had expected to find that the laguz knew as little of Common as he did the ancient language, but it seems he had been mistaken. Not only did he understand Common when he heard it, but he was even able to say a few words!

"Can you read Common as well?" Ike enquired. Volug hesitated, before nodding uncertainly. He even knew had to read or, as his hesitance suggested, could read a bit of Common! He himself didn't even know how to spell a single letter of the ancient tongue!

His frustration must have been visible, or intense enough to be felt by the empath, because Rafiel spoke next, voice dulcet and calming. "Volug may be more experienced then you with your language then you thought, Ike, but this will only be a boon in the end. This experience will help the two of you bridge the gap that separates you; work off of Volug's knowledge and learn from there."

"Perhaps I can make this easier for you, Ike." Nailah said. "Why don't we start with the letters that the two languages consist of and how they are pronounced, and we can work from there." Ike nodded at the Queen's wise suggestion, and Volug's affirmation followed shortly after.

"Good." She said, pulling from behind her a small stack of papers, a quill, and a small bottle of ink. "Your frigid mage allowed me to take these when he learned of our lessons; said they would come in useful."

"That's Soren for you." Ike replied, a hint of a fond smile creeping across his face. "He can be nearly prophetic at times." Volug snorted at the general's blunt statement, while the faces of the two royal laguz darkened in worry. Ike nearly hit himself over the head; to allude to Micaiah at a time such as this had not been his most intelligent moment ever.

"Yes," Rafiel said, in an effort to break the somber mood. "Your strategist is a most adept young man."

Ike chuckled uncomfortably before Nailah continued with her explanation. "Unless I am mistake, I believe that the first letter of the Common language is the letter 'a,' no?" The sole beorc nodded in confirmation, and the female wolf quickly scribbled a short note on the first sheet of paper.

"This," Nailah said, as she revealed what she had written. "Is the letter 'a,' Volug." Indeed it was, the majuscular form written superscript to the lower case. The Queen turned the page back to face her after the wolf had memorized the letter, speaking as she wrote another note.

"You must understand Ike that, as Rafiel said, the ancient language is a precursor to the modern tongue; in fact, the modern tongue was created by a Begnion noble some time ago in an effort to grant the beorc population a language of their own shortly after the beorc had escaped the laguz's enslavement. Actually, the reverse is true as well; when the tables had turned and the beorc had grown stronger than the laguz, there was an increase in the use of the ancient tongue as the laguz tried to delineate themselves from the beorc."

"So, language is just another boundary that separates the laguz from the beorc?" Ike asked.

"Yes." Nailah grinned, before showing Ike the sheet. "As the Common tongue was derived from its precursor for the sole point of creating a difference between the laguz and the beorc, its original 'creator' did not need to alter the ancient language that much to create something that was suitably different. In fact, that man only used a substitution method to create his language, replacing the twenty six characters of the ancient language with his own twenty six letters that are currently used today and altering the pronunciation of them. The punctuation was also altered, but I believe we all are more interested with the speaking instead of the writing of these languages, right?"

"Yes," Ike and Volug relied in unison, glancing at each other.

"Okay, then. Ike, this character here, 'a' is the equivalent to the lower case 'a' in the Common tongue, and it is pronounced as…"

Their first lesson spanned into the early hours of the morning, the two of them learning more and more about the other's language. The two grew close as they met every night for their lessons, eventually mastering the other's alphabet, and they soon began to pronounce words and phrases. Although they stumbled over some words, they helped each other as best as they could, their two arbiters aiding them whenever they reached a linguistic impasse.

From words, they moved onto simple phrases and from there onto small sentences. Ike was delighted to find that his newfound friend had a wonderfully sharp sense of humor and his own latent humor, which Mist had theorized had always been there, began to develop as well. His skill with the ancient language grew as he shared jokes with Volug and spoke of inconsequential things.

By the time when they were forced to take shelter in the manse of the late Duke Tanas due to a sudden rain, the two had grown close enough to consider the other his friend.

Ike ran, Volug beside him in his completely transformed state, searching for a shelter for their company; a sudden deluge had caught the group by surprise and they would not be able to spend the night out in the freezing rain without becoming seriously ill, especially Rhys, who was prone to all sorts of illnesses. The last thing Ike wanted to do was anger Ulki over Rhys, so he and Soren had come to the decision to try and find a temporary shelter for the night, and Ike and Volug had volunteered to search for one.

Unfortunately though, the only feasible shelter was Duke Tanas' manse and although Ike had no wish to stay in that…he hesitated to even call that creature a man, nevertheless he had to put the needs of his companions above his own wants and provide them shelter, even if it was in that creature's dwelling.

Suddenly, Volug transformed into his beorc form, glancing at him worriedly as they ran side by side. "Ike? You feel…worry?"

"Yes, Volug. This place we are staying at; I once knew the man who lived there. Duke Tanas was not the most likeable of men." Ike replied.

"Lived; past tense. As in, not living anymore." Volug reverted briefly back to his mother language as he met a word he did not know the translation of. "How did this man stop living?"

"A few years ago, my group and I were forced to kill; to kill this man. He wanted to harm Prince Rafiel's brother, Reyson." Ike said, teaching Volug the word 'to kill.'

"I see," Volug said. "This man…Tanas? You are not settled because of this man? He is not alive, though; why are you feeling worry?"

"Yes," Ike answered. "Though this man is dead, it is as if his presence lingers in my mind. It unsettles me; he is like a…goast, I believe?"

"Ghost." Volug corrected.

"Thank you. I am worried because I do not want our friends to stay here; Duke Tanas was a inhumane man and, though he is dead, his horrible aura, his disgusting spirit, remains in his manse; I fear that nothing good will come of staying in this dwelling."

"No harm will come to us," Volug replied assuredly. "Not with you with us."

The dark shape of Duke Tanas' manse loomed in front of them, parting the rain with its hulking exterior. Though Volug's words warmed him, Ike could not stop the chill that ran down his side. Closing his eyes briefly, he walked into the manse's courtyard with his friend beside him, climbing one of the towers so as to light a torch and reveal their position to the rest of their company. He hoped Volug was right, but a lingering unknown fear whispered to him otherwise.

He was right, unfortunately, and soon after his company had regrouped inside the good Duke's manse, they found themselves assaulted by the resurrected man and the followers allotted to him by the fallen Goddess. It had been a long confrontation but, due to Soren's clever tactics and a healthy dose of good luck, they had managed to survive Oliver's attack without any casualties; in fact, Duke Tanas had even joined their troupe, lending them his expertise with light magic, though Ike did not consider that good luck in any way.

After ordering the Duke to aid Rhys master light magic, and secretly assigning Shinon and Titania to watch over the two in case Oliver found Rhys to be of his liking, Ike retired to his assigned room, which he had made sure to be as far from Duke Tanas' as humanly possible while still being in a position to defend his companions. Outside his room though, Ike was surprised to see Volug leaning against the wall beside his door, his right hand holding onto the vulnerary that Mist had given him for a wound he had sustained during battle.

Ike gulped, the sound alerting Volug to his presence, the wolf's startling violet eyes opening to meet his own. The laguz was silent, and Ike took the initiative, opening the door for the other man and motioning for him to enter. The tanned man pushed himself off the wall and entered the room, brushing beside Ike briefly as he went. The beorc general followed, settling himself on his bed while the wolf laguz sat on a table that rested against the wall.

There was a moment of silence before Ike turned to glace at his friend, eyes focused on his healing wound. "You didn't have to do that."

He hadn't; Ike had been foolish and reckless, as usual. Moving without Soren's instruction, Ike had eliminated one of the divinely blessed fire sages, only to place himself unwittingly in the line of fire of a sniper that was hidden on the floor above him. The sniper had had a clear shot at Ike, but he had remained relatively unscathed through the fight before then and he would have survived the attack, though it would have most likely hurt quite a bit. Knowing this, Volug had still…

Ike's fist clenched, remembering Volug's intervention, which had damaged his more fragile beorc state. What had the fool been thinking? Ike would have been fine; Rhys had been right behind him and he would have been able to heal him quickly. So why had Volug taken the arrow meant for him, which had damaged him to the point where even Rhys could not fully heal him at that point in time? Volug did not have the armor Ike had; there was no logical reason why the foolish laguz had defended him.

"I know." Volug replied.

"Then why did you!" Ike shouted, leaping to his feet in indignation. "I would have been fine; you only hurt yourself by protecting me! Why would you do so much for me!"

Volug's eyes moved from Ike's irate sapphire stare, trailing down to his cheek, where they darkened at the sight of a newly-made thin scar left by a particularly skilled swordmaster. "I did not do enough."

Ike stumbled back in momentary shock, before gaining a second wind. "'I did not do enough?' What in hell's name are you talking about!? You did too much; you got yourself hurt protecting me. How did you not do enough?"

Volug's eyes trailed back to his cheek, causing Ike to explode in frustration. "I got hurt; it happens everyday and in every fight. I was hurt long before I knew you, and I will continue being hurt long after we part; you can't protect me forever!"

Volug's violet eyes were suddenly overwhelmed by an unfathomable sadness, and sapphire eyes widened in shock as the laguz visibly drooped, his ears flattening against his head and his tail slowing to a stop. "Volug?"

The wolf laguz did not respond, instead silently walking out of the room, not looking back at the bewildered beorc.

Their lessons stopped after that day, and the two were awkward around each other when they were forced to be in the same area; other then those times, the two tried to stay as far away from the other as humanly possible. Sometimes, Ike thought that he saw Volug sending him forlorn glances but, every time he checked, the other was never looking in his direction. The others, excluding Duke Tanas and Tormod's troupe, also sensed that something was wrong, as they noticed that the two fast friends had suddenly grown apart.

Nevertheless, the Greil Army was quick to reach the Tower of Light where they met the other two armies. Micaiah's prophetic power surfaced as she predicted an attack on the horizon, and Ike made the decision to wait for the attack before entering the tower; if they were overwhelmed by the Goddess' minions, then the combined groups would separate into two factions, a small one to enter the Tower and a larger one to defend the entrance.

Until then, the army was forced to remain outside the Tower, jittery because of the upcoming fight and unable to do anything about it. Ike, having just finished a short conversation with Tibarn and Reyson about the two joining the group who would possibly enter the Tower, espied his once – still? – friend standing with his younger sister. Curious to what they were talking about, Ike casually strolled closer to them, calling out to Ranulf as he went.

Moving so that his back was to his sister and friend, Ike began talking to the cat laguz while listening with one ear to the conversation unfolding behind him. With the lessons and Volug's increased mastery over the Common tongue, he had become more social as his Queen had predicted, but he was still wary to talk to other people without Ike being near him. Usually, whenever the wolf laguz stumbled over a word, Ike would be there to gently correct him, and for the Greil Army it had become a common occurrence to see one of them whispering a quick word or correction into the other's ear.

"…do not know how to tell him. I know what I wish to say, but I can not…" What was Volug talking about? Ike's eyes widened though when Volug began to finish his sentence; spending so much time together, Ike had memorized the other's vocabulary and could accurately predict what Volug would say when speaking Common, as could Volug when Ike spoke in the ancient language. He knew that one of Volug's most common stumbling blocks was coming up, and Ike shifted, leaning against the slightly taller man inconspicuously. Taking the index finger of his right hand, Ike quickly traced out the word Volug wanted to say on the other's unclothed back, causing the other man to start slightly.

"…vocalize what I wish to tell him." Volug finished.

"Don't worry, Volug." Mist replied, tears in her eyes but smiling at the same time. What had Volug said to her? "Just speak from the heart, and he will understand." Mist skipped off after that, and Ike finished his conversation with Ranulf soon after, the cat laguz leaving as well.

"Thank you," Volug said, leaning down slightly to whisper in Ike's ear.

"Don't mention it." Ike grinned. Suddenly, a sharp sound rent through the calm air. Volug, eyes wide in surprise, spun Ike in his arms, protecting him from an arrow that would have struck the beorc in the head. Instead, the arrow buried itself in the laguz's throat, causing him to gurgle wetly in pain. Ike swore suddenly, using Ragnell to send a shockwave of energy straight through the sniper who dared hurt someone who was precious to him.

Cupping his hands to his mouth, Ike called out to Rhys, who used his physic staff to heal the wounded laguz from afar. Dropping to his knees, Ike propped up his damaged partner. "Volug!? Are you alright?"

"Yes." The wolf replied, his voice raspy from his tender wound.

"Can you stand?" Ike asked, and the laguz nodded. "Follow me." Ike quickly tore a path through the opposing soldiers, leading Volug to Naesala, who had just obliterated a small contingent of sages. "Naesala, you are in charge of the forces defending the gate to the Tower."

"Should you really be trusting one such as I with such a task?" The Raven King asked.

"I know little about you, King of Kilvas, but I do know this at least; though you pretend otherwise, you have a certain sense of honor. I ask of you; please do as I request."

"Hm. So the rumors were true; though blunt, you can be polite. Amazing." Naesala shook his head. "Fine. I will do as you say. You owe me for this though, beorc."

"You would think saving the world from Ashera's judgment would be enough payment." Ike mused.

"I'm afraid not; I require pecuniary compensation for a task such as this." The raven smirked.

"I'm sure Queen Elincia will be able to help you there. I have one more request though." Ike motioned for Naesala to come closer, which the King did after a moment of confusion. "Please protect Volug for me."

Naesala reared back, visibly shocked for once in his life. His calm façade quickly set itself in place, though, and Naesala nodded sharply. "You have my word, friend to all laguz."

"Thank you." Ike replied, before turning to Volug. "I need to go now."

"What?" Volug hissed sibilantly. "Where?"

"I will be leading the group that enters the Tower in order to depose Ashera. I need you to remain out here."

"Why?" Volug asked, breaking out into a coughing fit due to his wound.

Ike glanced concernedly at his friend. "I can not allow you to put yourself in more harm's way. The enemies inside the Tower will no doubt be of a higher echelon then the ones that linger out here. If I allowed you to enter that Tower in your current state, then I would never forgive myself. You will be safer out here; I will be able to fight without worry, knowing that you will be safe out here."

"Who will be able to protect you?" Volug asked, clutching his irritated throat.

"Volug. I told you; I can protect myself." Ike replied.

"But…I should be able….to protect….what is precious to me…" Volug gasped out between coughing fits, a tiny bit of blood dripping out of his mouth.

"Volug." Ike whispered softly, before shouting for Rhys. The saint quickly rushed forward, looking at his commander questioningly. "Volug got shot in the throat and his wound keeps aggravating itself. Can you shadow him for me and make sure that he doesn't overtax himself?"

"Of course, Ike." The redheaded saint replied, using his mend staff on Volug as he spoke.

"Thank you." Ike said, before turning to join the small team that was to enter the Tower, which was already assembled at its entrance. A sharp cry halted him though, and he turned back to his paling companion.

"When you come back…" Volug panted. "I need to tell you something important." Ike's eyes widened at Volug's words, the wolf's violet eyes alight with a previously unknown emotion. Ike, blinking back his shock, nodded and Volug smiled at him, motioning with his head to get going.

Ike turned and joined his team, his hands shaking slightly. He didn't know exactly what he felt at the moment; Elation? Fear? Satisfaction? His emotions escaped his grasp though, and so he merely stepped through the opened gates of the Tower, his progress followed by a pair of burning violet eyes.

"Queen Nailah?" Ike asked as they traveled to the third 'floor' of the convoluted tower, his mind flashing back to his previous fight with the Black Kni…Zelgius.

"Hm?" The Wolf Queen hummed.

"How do you say 'I love you' in the ancient tongue?" Ike asked quietly.

Nailah stopped in shock for a moment before her eyes filled with an unfathomable happiness. "'I am devoted to you.' I wish you both happiness, Ike."

"Thank you." Ike replied, smiling slightly.

Ike stepped out of the Tower of Light, mind unburdened by worries for the first time in a long while. Ashera had been stopped and Yune had restored life back to Tellius. He had managed to avenge his father's death for the final time. His companions were all alive somehow, and had stood with him against their fallen Goddess, bringing in a new world order not dependant on the presence of a higher being, but instead co-existing with one, allowing them to grow in ways they could not before.

He had learned the ancient language, as he had wanted to.

And…

Cheers met their exit from the Tower, but Ike paid no attention to their congratulations; instead, he looked for violet eyes in the sea of the masses who wished to heap platitudes upon their saviors.

It took awhile to find Volug though, who had been resting recumbently on a nearby rooftop. Though he gave no indication that he noticed him, Ike watched as Volug's ears perked up at the sound of his footsteps. Stopping beside him, Ike lay down and waited for Volug to begin.

"I need to tell you something, Ike." The wolf laguz said quietly, his voice restored to its perfect state.

"I have to tell you something as well." Ike smiled, catching Volug off guard at the sight; he had never seen Ike smile before.

"What?" Volug questioned, feigning boredom, but his eyes burned with the same curiosity that had shone when Ike had offered to teach him Common.

"I am devoted to you." Ike said, eyes closed. His smiled widened as he heard Volug's sharp gasp, and he grinned only further as his partner shifted closer.

"I love you as well."

There it is. The first Volug/Ike fanfiction on this website if I'm not mistaken.

I hope that everyone who reads this enjoys it just as much as I did writing it. This was an exciting experience for me; never before have I been so inspired as I was with this fic. Usually I get small, brilliant bursts and epiphanies, but this was the first time I actually had the entire piece envisioned before I sat down to type it.

On a separate note, the only thing I'm disappointed with this fic is that this site would not allow me to keep the things written in the ancient language as that language; a download off of 'serenesforest' allowed me to put an 'ancient language' font on my computer, and I would have loved to keep those parts as they were. It just seems much more realistic when the reader actually needs to have the characters explain what they are saying, as if they don't know the language themselves. Other then that though, I am very proud of this piece of work, as I said above.

I'm not going to beg for reviews off of people, but I would love to hear some feedback for this. Did you like the pairing or the plot? Was it too long, or not long enough? Do you have any questions or constructive criticisms? If so, please take the time to write a review. Although I said I wouldn't beg, I would still love to hear people's reactions to this story.

Anyway, this is the end of this fic, but it certainly not the end of my writing in the Fire Emblem fandom, nor is it the end of my writing rare pairings that I love. Who knows what is next? Perhaps I'll write a Tibarn/Ike or a Lloyd/Eliwood slash fic? Or possibly a Lyn/Ninian story? Maybe I'll even try out some Geoffrey/Nephenee or Nailah/Lehran.

Guess we will just have to see!

Faithfully yours,

Ariaeris~