Fire Emblem PoR: The aftermath

Heads up, another installment. Anyway, I was thinking about pulling Astrid from the story line, and this chapter is to set up the lemons for the next and has something else important with Shinon.

Also, I will be re-doing the first chapter because everything was a little rushed, I can do better.

Everyone stood in an open field, surrounded by woods and forests, practicing for what they knew was going to be a tough fight. Through scouting, they now knew that there was an enemy base up ahead. It appeared to be of Daien decent, with everyone wearing the usual ebony black armor. Outside of the base, they saw the living dead held in cages. They looked relatively human, but it was just their eyes that were different. They held no color; they were just white.

The day continued as usual. Nothing was out of the ordinary for Geril’s mercenaries. Ike suspected that Marcia told others about their little meeting in the marsh since they kept eyeballing him, shooting not only him but also the other men in the camp strange glances. Ike and Soren had some vague idea what was going on, but didn’t fully comprehend everything; only Mordecai and Lethe had a full understanding.

“Ike, we must talk,” Mordecai said to the young lord. Not wanting to anger the tiger, he complied and walked off toward the edge woods. “You must know this: humans and Laguz are closer then they think.... They both go through a period called ‘heat.’”

“So? Didn’t you leave to return to Gallia?” Ike asked.

“Yes, I did leave, but was ordered to return by the king himself. Ranulf is on his way as well. I believe that he and your sister will be here by tomorrow,” informed Mordecai. “Now listen. The reason I left is because all of the women are going through heat. They release pheromones that make them almost irresistible to men, although Beroic women do not release them as strong as Laguz, apparently.

“It is a period of frustration for both sexes of the Laguz as well as Beroic, but the main issue is the way that they release that frustration. They sleep with one another, like you and that pink, skinny Beroic did.” Ike blushed and wondered just how many people Marcia told. “Well, heat also means that they are at peak fertility, so be careful. I left before I lost control.... I didn’t want to let off on someone.”

It took a minute to process everything in his mind. ‘The women give off pheromones to the men to attract them into having sex, which is a very good way to release their frustrations. But being in heat makes them more vulnerable to getting pregnant.... Great.... This will be a fun talk with the boys.’

“Oh, shit!” Ike shouted, and everyone turned to face him. “Uh… nothing.... Boyd, Soren! Come here! Mordecai, stay with us. I may need help with the explanation.”

“What is it, Ike?” Soren asked as they closed the distance. Ike could hear Boyd’s feet drag as he approached.

“What I am about to say is not to leave the four of us… understand? Under no conditions are you to tell Gatrie,” Ike ordered in a deadly low tone. The pair nodded.

“Alright, I will start from the beginning. Well, it turns out that the women are in heat. They release pheromones to persuade the opposite gender into having sex. Well, that is the good; the bad is that they are frustrated. This is one of their few releases… and the fact that they are now far more fertile than usual.”

Soren sighed and hung his head. “Could this get any worse?” he asked, not really expecting to be answered.

“Yeah, my sister is coming, and I don’t want anyone to take advantage of her,” Ike shot back. Soren sunk even lower. Apparently, it could and just did get worse.

“I don’t see what the whole issue is,” Boyd blurted out. “I mean… it isn’t like anyone could die from this.”

“Boyd, think about it,” Soren began. “Half of our forces are women. If they get pregnant, they will no longer be able to fight.... This is quite the predicament, but why tell us, Ike?”

“I need you guys to keep an eye on my sister. She is a woman now and is probably going through this heat. You are the only ones that I trust enough to let guard her when I am not around.”

“Why us?” Boyd asked.

“You two see her as a sister,” Ike replied, just now noticing that Mordecai galloped off into the forest. “If she is indeed going through heat, I don’t want her getting pregnant yet. She is still insisting on fighting, and I don’t want her to get distracted. Plus, she is my sister. It is my duty to kill whoever has so much as one dirty thought about her.”

[Boyd’s Point of View....]

Boyd felt his body temperature rise whenever he thought about Mist as a woman, instead of the young girl that he used to protect during the war. She had grown tall, about five five-foot, seven-inches. She had long, shapely legs; soft brown hair that now cascaded down to her mid-back; a full chest; and a soft face.

Often, the two would play together, things like tag or football -- before western influences, that is. And more than often that they came into contact, her skin was pale and softer than velvet.

It wasn’t until the first time that she managed to tackle him did he notice the change in the young woman. Now, whenever Boyd drifted off, he would fantasize about either Mist or Nephenee, and sometimes even Titania.

[Ike’s POV....]

Ike left for the woods; he remembered watching Lethe train there once before. In fact, when they became close, she would often lead him out there for training. One of the things that she had taught him was that the Laguz use the terrain to their advantage, something else that Beroic didn’t know how to do.

He heard some rustling, accompanied by a small hiss. Moving to the commotion, he found Lethe and Mordecai fighting, and it appeared as if Mordecai was going to win. The two de-transformed. Mordecai didn’t appear to be hurt in the least, but Lethe had a cut on the side of her head, her shirt was torn off, and a gash was on her left leg.

“Stop, Mordecai,” Lethe hissed, taking a step back and wincing as she inadvertently transferred her weight to her bad leg.

“No, you are in heat,” Mordecai stated. His eyes held nothing, just the primitive emotion of lust.

Once again, he transformed and charged at Lethe, and Ike had long since seen enough. Lethe fell back, her legs collapsing under her. Mordecai leapt as Ike unsheathed his regal sword and blocked Mordecai’s giant paws. His jaws closed around the blade, threatening to make it snap.

“That is enough!” Ike roared, shoving the tiger off. “Calm down, Mordecai, or leave now.” Color returned to his eyes as he turned back into his human form. “This is why Janaff and Ulki left. You could lose control.” With that, Mordecai went back to the main part of camp and into his tent. Ike didn’t turn his back on him until Mordecai disappeared over the horizon.

Ike looked down on Lethe; she backed away from him. Without a word, Ike pulled off his cape and wrapped it around the topless Lethe. She merely stared at his display, confused. In the beast kingdoms, the kings would remove the women, except for the few that would mate and have children. For a man not to take advantage of the current situation was unexpected, to say the least.

“Hop on,” Ike said, turning his back on her and placing his arms near his sides, like you would if you were to give someone a piggyback ride. He waited for a minute and turned around. “Come on, we can treat the wound at the camp.” Ike moved her leg and looked at the gash. It wasn’t bleeding, and Laguz were known for naturally being tough. ‘Why won’t she stand?’

As if she read his thoughts, she answered him. “Fool,” Lethe stated, in a much softer tone than usual. “He will be there. This was a rare lapse.... Nothing can stop him if he wants to take advantage of me… not even I.”

Ike just stared at her. “I just did stop him.... I’ll share your tent tonight and keep an eye out. If I stopped him once without violence, then I think that I can do it again. Now, get on my back.”

[Soren’s Point of View....]

Soren let out a sigh as Ike left the forest, and Boyd stared far out into space. Shaking his head, he ran twenty feet from a tree and cast multiple spells, cutting the tree into even sections.

No, Soren was not ignorant. With Mist coming, he would need a little practice healing wounds or using a staff. At times, magic isn’t enough to stave off an enemy, so daggers were an easy choice for him.

“Need a training buddy?” a familiar voice asked. Soren turned to find light blue hair and a pair of bewitching eyes.

“Lucia… you surprised me,” Soren stated, taking a step back and pulling out a dagger. “Sure. Ready?”

With her nod, Soren charged with his dagger and swung down. She easily blocked him and gave him a shove, knocking him backward. With a swing of his hand, wind magic came out, which she blocked off with her sword. “I have you now,” Soren stated. Casting another spell, she swung her sword again, blocking the strands that could cut her.

Soren threw out three daggers. She then did something that he didn’t anticipate: she fell to the ground and slid straight for him, taking out his left leg. Soren fell to the ground with a dull thud and felt the tip of her blade fall to the middle of his back. She wasn’t afraid, but didn’t move.

She fell to a knee and moved her mouth to the edge of his ear. “It appears that I have you…” Lucia whispered into Soren’s ear.

It tickled when her breath fell onto his pale skin. She moved forward, seizing his earlobe between her teeth and nibbling lightly. As quickly as it happened, it was over. Lucia lifted her blade and stood over Soren.

He rolled onto his back and stared up at the blue-haired goddess, who wore an angelic smile on her lips. “See you later, Soren,” she stated before sheathing her blade and walking off of the field, shaking her hips a bit more than she really needed to.

[Normal POV....]

Oscar was rarely confused, but with the display that was just put on he was more than puzzled. Only a moment ago Lucia used her practice sword, knocked him off the horse, and did the same thing that she did to Soren. He wasn’t used to being hit on -- if that is what you want to call that display -- then seeing the same girl move onto another man.

Mia didn’t care for the show. The way that the two worked would be very different. While Lucia focused on the art of seduction, Mia would be a little more straightforward with her displays. To her, it is useless to beat around the bush. If you are in love like she and Rhys, then you are wasting time with seduction. Spend what little time you can with the people who mean the most to you. Nephenee’s thoughts were along the same line as Mia’s.

Marcia was in awe; they didn’t teach that in the Pegasus knights. Lucia clearly had some form of practice. Even when she walked away from, Soren she still managed to hold his eye and his attention. ‘There is a lot that I can learn from her,’ Marcia thought as she reflected upon her episode with Ike. In her mind, it was over before it even began.

Tonight, it wouldn’t matter, though; tonight was the night of the party. It wasn’t normal on the road to be seen without armor or weapons, but an in-depth search of the entire area showed that there were no bandits nearby. The wards that they placed up, complements of Soren, ensured that the monsters could not break through. Since they were safe, they got dressed up; the boys in dress shirts and pants, the girls in gowns and kimonos.

They had a small grassy area set aside. Everyone helped move torches down to the creek. The torches gave off a pleasant scent to Beroics and Laguzes, but repelled bugs. They made a semicircle and went all the way down to a small creek.

With some ingenuity, Oscar managed to hook up the boom box to some subwoofers, amplifying the sound of the songs that everyone helped pick out.

Everyone had something that they wanted to do. Ike wanted to keep an eye on both Mordecai and Lethe. Perhaps he could interest Mordecai in returning to Gallia, to make sure that none of his troops have to go through something like Lethe did. ‘Speaking of Lethe,’ Ike thought to himself, ‘I wonder if she would turn me down for a dance.’

Gathering up all of the courage that he managed to have built in the last few years, Ike walked over to where Lethe sat, her legs crossed and hands holding a book.

Ike really looked at her for the second time. ‘The last time she jumped at me and asked me if I had some sort of problem with her.’

He noticed the glasses that she wore when she read, giving her an intelligent look. She wore a purple kimono that had a side slit, revealing a very well-toned leg. Her pale skin seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, revealing a thoughtful look in her eyes. Her short hair was pulled into a ponytail and the kimono tied around her waist clung to her figure tightly.

“Lethe, if your leg is feeling better, would you like to dance with me?” Ike asked, lowering his hand next to hers.

Lethe was in shock. She came to the dance expecting to read her book and have Mordecai try something. It wasn’t common for a Beroic to ask for the hand of a Laguz, but yet again Ike managed to break the mold.

“Are you sure?” dhe asked reproachfully, scared that this was some type of sick joke that the men tried to get him to pull. Although he was a Beroic, he was handsome and well built. Ever since he saved her, she found it much more difficult to tear her eyes away.

Taking her hand in his, he led her to the creek. “I wouldn’t if I didn’t want to dance with a beautiful woman,” Ike replied. Though he was new to the dating game, he knew how to flirt and make a girl blush.

Lethe looked down at the creek as the water rippled with the reflection of the moon. ‘Maybe all Beroic aren’t ignorant in the ways of courting,’ she thought as she moved close to Ike’s body for the slow song.

Boyd wanted to be near Nephenee. Being bold, he bravely strolled. In his eyes, almost no woman could own up to her toughness, and her quiet persona. She held so much character and pride. It was easy to see in her stance, not to mention beauty. Her long blue hair fell down to her ass; it shined in the moonlight. Her chest was propped up and cleavage stuck out of the kimono, showing no undershirt or bra.

“Nephenee?” Boyd asked as he closed the distance between the two. “May I have this dance?” Nephenee let out a giggle as she laid her hand into his and walked out onto the dance floor.

People continued to pair off; Mia was dancing with Oscar. He had no trouble approaching the bubbly sword master. She blushed when he complemented her evening dress. It was a black color and left her breasts propped up. In the center, it was connected with a metal ring, ensuring that it would not open. Like Lethe’s dress, it was sliced, revealing quite a bit of leg.

Oscar led her to the boom box. The noise boomed into their ears, but neither seemed to notice, far too lost in the other’s eyes.

Gatrie always envisioned himself as a bit of a womanizer. He knew what to say, how to say it, and let off an aura of confidence. With a firm build, he was widely known as handsome and it only fuelled his ego. “Marcia, you look lovely tonight,” he complimented. Without his armor, he was quite fast and seized her hand before she could resist, giving it a small peck on the back. “Will you honor me with a dance?”

Marcia was nervous. Her previous actions with the commander left her a bit confused. Was she only meant to dance with him? She shook the thoughts when she spotted Lethe and Ike dancing down by the creek, away from the crowd. ‘It must be alright,’ she thought to herself. “Why, thank you, Gatrie. I would love to dance with you.” And like that, another couple left for the dance floor.

“Ahem,” Soren cleared his throat. “I believe that you had not only me, but Oscar. Why don’t you start with me?” Soren asked Lucia, who stepped out of her tent in a stunning pink kimono that clung to every curve and even let a little cleavage show. In Soren’s eyes, she was utterly breathtaking. Never before with a woman did he have trouble catching his breath, although he would never admit it to anyone.

“Well, I suppose that I could make time for a handsome and intelligent person, such as youself,” Lucia stated with a deviant smile playing on her lips. Everyone was out on the dance floor, holding each other close as they danced to a very slow song.

Each gazed upon the other. Soren noticed how clear Lucia’s blue eyes were and Lucia noticed Soren’s red eyes and the jewel in the center of his forehead. “If it is not too much, may I ask what the jewel is in the center of your forehead?”

Soren was nervous. He only told Ike that the jewel was in his head because he was half Laguz. Telling Lucia could be risky; no woman has ever really taken an interest in him before. “When the time is right, I will tell you everything.”

Dipping her down, he stared at her. She ran her hand across his cheek and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was passionate but short when the song stopped and everyone applauded the young kissing couple.

Breaking away, they turned red from embarrassment. Sad to say, that not everyone was having a good day.

[The Mercenary Base....]

It was in dedication to Geril’s memory that they decided to rebuild the area near his grave. Now, it didn’t seem to be all that bright of an idea. They were under attack. The things that were attacking were not alive, or at least they didn’t appear to be. Shinon fired another arrow between the eyes of one of the creatures, causing it to fall to the ground motionlessly.

“Everyone into the base!” Shinon shouted. Jill and Har flew in through the door, while Titania galloped in with the reinforcements from the Crimea capital, Geroffy and Bastian. “What in the blazes are they?! No matter how many we cut down, there are more willing to take its place!”

Two more bodies of what appeared to be gargoyles fell from the sky and onto the lawn that was now covered in blood. “Rolf!” Shinon roared. “Get down here, now!” And in a flash, the eighteen-year-old Rolf leapt down from the roof.

“I don’t know how we will stop them, but we need to formulate a plan. Rolf, take some killer bows and load up the ballista. Titania, take the killer axe and tomahawk. Geroffy, take anything that you want. Bastian, help yourself to the boltings and meteors. Jill, Har, take some killer weapons and spears and tomahawks. Rolf will give you support from the roof, as will I. Bastian, get on the roof and kill from a distance. Titania and Geroffy, I want you to take the enemy head on. I will support you any way that I can. Now, move out!”

In a flash, everyone was back out. The monsters posed little threat when you were at a distance, but close up they could cause real damage.

Within the hour, Shinon spotted it. It was the image of a big man, rising out of the dirt right next to.... ’Oh, no.’ In a flash, the enemies withdrew. Shinon charged forward just in time to see Geril’s old axe lift out of the dirt. ‘Only one man can lift that,’ he thought ominously. “Commander!”

The giant man turned and swung his axe, slicing the arrows apart. “It has been some time,” Geril stated. He looked different from the other monsters, since his skin wasn’t missing, he was whole, and had actual thoughts. “Time to die.” With that, he charged Shinon. It took everything he had to dodge his giant axe.

Tripping over a rock, he fell to the ground. “Perish,” Geril hissed, swinging the axe down. Two arrows struck it, knocking it off course. Geroffy and Rolf reloaded as Shinon kicked the back of Geril’s knee. Picking up his bow he sought refuge near his allies. In a flash, Geril was before the three. “You are not strong enough.”

“Am I?” a female voice asked. A tomahawk followed, knocking his axe back before Rolf was cleaved in two. Titania hoped off of her horse and caught the tomahawk, then pulled out her killer axe. Titania was still young at the age of thirty-one, and still had much energy. Her hair flowed down to her hind legs, since it was no longer braided.

“Titania, shall we see?” Geril asked. She charged and swung at her former loved one. Her tomahawk clanged as it hit his great axe. He heaved her off and swung. Gracefully, Titania dodged and sunk her killer axe into his arm.

‘He isn’t even fazed,’ Titania thought in shock as Geril smiled up at her. “Good to see that you haven’t lost your edge. Maybe I should try harder.”

Taking one hand, he pulled the axe out and discarded it. In a swift motion, he slit her chest with his axe. She cried out and fell down. Now Geril loomed over her, pulling his axe up and preparing for the kill, when he suddenly just stopped.

Geril stared off into space and sighed. “I guess we will have to play a little later, girly.” Without emotion, he ran off into the woods, lost to everyone on the now-empty battlefield.