Dawn Rising

Chapter One: Endings and Beginnings

Elincia wanted desperately to cry, but she knew she would be dishonouring her friends, her troops, and her country if she did so. They had, all of them, fought so hard to affirm her as the true, and incontestable, Queen of Crimea. The small band of troops she had personally led had, through the strength of their conviction, held against the superior forces of Lord Ludveck as he laid siege to Fort Alpea, and Geoffrey, her brave Geoffrey, had led a daring raid that had resulted in the capture of the traitor.

And now it had come to this. Her first action as the de facto ruler of Crimea would be to watch her dearest friend, her sister in all but name, Lucia, hung like a common criminal in the sight of the very walls of the castle. Her fists shook as she clenched them, her nails almost drawing blood. Ludveck would pay for this travesty, she silently vowed. Never again would he be allowed to see the light of day.

Lucia’s words, perhaps to be her last, had been, “Behold, people of Crimea, Elincia, your true Queen! Long live Crimea! Long live Queen Elincia!” Elincia knew she must honour her friend’s sentiment; she would watch Lucia hang with no signs of weakness or vulnerability, but she knew within herself that the mourning would take years. Bracing herself, she assumed an impenetrable air of imperial command, met the eyes of the distant Lucia below, and prepared to see it through.

There was a sudden, miraculous flash, which Elincia, with the trained eye of a Pegasus Knight, knew came from the head of an arrow as it caught the sunlight. It separated the rope holding the noose, before hitting the gallows with a solid thunk. Elinicia caught a momentary glimpse of Lucia’s face as it turned from impassiveness to confusion, and she fell backwards. Watching it, as if in slow motion, the Queen realised with horror that the eight-foot drop from the platform would be more than enough to break her friend’s neck, and even if it didn’t it would leave her at the mercy of the rebellious crowds below. Then she saw him, a rapidly moving figure with a red cloak and blue hair.

Ike.

Elincia felt her heart flutter, then soar. The sight of him always inspired a confounding maelstrom of emotions in her, but right now they were entirely drowned out by a vast sense of relief. He reached the scaffold just in time to snatch Lucia out of the air with his left arm, while simultaneously unleashing a wave of death with the massive sword in his right hand. Within moments, the rest of the Greil mercenaries were there, blazing a trail through the rebellious troops, Ike leading the way. Elincia, seeing her dear friends Mist and Rhys attending to the fallen Lucia, knew she was going to be fine, and turning away from the battlements, ran for the doorway back into the castle.

Minutes later, the Queen of Crimea, her iron dignity forgotten, raced across the now lowered drawbridge. In that short space of time, the mercenaries had secured the area, and Ludveck’s troops were either dead, captured, or fled; Elincia had buckled Amiti to her belt, but it remained sheathed. She got to Rhys and Mist just as Lucia, dirty and with her hair cut, got unsteadily to her feet. Elincia’s ferocious hug almost sent her sprawling to the ground once more, but she managed to keep to her feet, and throw her arms around her foster-sister in kind, neither of them quite managing to contain a sob.

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Several hours later, and everyone had been fully debriefed. Lucia had regained her composure, though was laughably chagrined at learning her rescue was largely the result of Bastian’s meddling. The kitchen staff at the castle had somehow managed to produce a vast, celebratory banquet, and the Great Hall was now filled with all of Elincia’s retainers, as well as all the Greil mercenaries; the atmosphere was light-hearted and joyous, with people unwinding in the spirit of coming peace, and the averted tragedy.

Unfortunately, Elincia’s heart was anything but light-hearted and joyous. She sat at the head of the table, with Lucia on her left, but with Ike, as a customary token of appreciation on her right; it was a proximity she could have done without. The relief she had felt at his appearance had long since dwindled, and now she was once more being subjected to the torrent of feelings that she hadn’t felt for months now. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at him, focussing entirely upon Lucia during the feast. The handsome, taciturn soldier had always had this effect upon her; when he was around her she felt like she couldn’t understand anything. Ever since she met him, she had admired his sense of justice and courage, and over time had felt herself coming to feel something for him that went beyond affection. She had given him her virginity, and they had spent many passionate nights together, wrapped in each others arms. He loved her without question, she knew that.

But it hadn’t been perfect, like it should have been. She thought she loved him, desperately wanted to love him, but something just wouldn’t click in her mind, a subtle sense of wrongness that just wouldn’t go away. He had sensed it, and it was one of the main reasons for his departure all those months ago. She had spent many a night crying herself to sleep after that, but somewhere in her mind was also a strong, mysterious sense of relief in his absence.

She felt terrible; she owed him her life, her crown, her country, and now the life of her best friend, and yet she could barely look at him. She realised she was being ungrateful, and that no matter what her personal feelings may be, it was her duty as a Queen to reward him for his efforts. Turning to him, she said formally and stiffly, “Sir Ike, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the service you have done to Crimea today. After the feast, you attend to me in my private audience chamber.” She could see in his face that the formality stung him, but he murmured his acquiescence. Feeling the heat rising to her face, she turned back to Lucia, and succeeded in not looking at Ike once during the rest of the dinner.

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Ike swore to himself as he climbed the stairs towards Elincia’s chambers. Bloody woman! He had hoped that his return, coupled with saving Lucia’s life, would have seen Elincia where he so desperately wanted her: in his arms and in his bed. Instead, she’d been, when she had bothered even to look at him, all icy regalness and detachment. Well, if she could get over him, then he would get over her.

He reached the door to her private chambers, knocked once, then entered at Elincia’s command. Her private audience chamber, just off from her bedroom, was a small room, opulently though tastefully decorated in the traditional Crimean style, its walls covered in rich tapestries, heavy with spun gold, and richly carpeted. The intimate candlelight revealed the minimal furnishings: a sideboard with many drinks on it, and a couple of small sofas. Elincia got up from one of them, and glided to the sideboard to pour two glasses of finest Begnion wine from the Ribon region for them.

She had removed her royal armour and headdress, and now wore a simple gown of white linen, her hair tied back in a braid ready for bed. As she came towards him, Ike wondered whether she had already had a drink; there was a touch of colour to her cheeks, but her soft brown eyes were steady and unwavering. As she approached, he also couldn’t help noticing the way her gown clung to shape of her breasts, and he involuntarily felt his penis stir slightly in his pants. Keen to hide any hint of his arousal, he quickly accepted the glass and sat down.

Elincia sat down opposite him, and her smile, though perhaps slightly forced, was a warm one. She seemed at a loss for something to say though, so he started the conversation, “I’m glad we got here in time. Bastian feared we might be too late. What are you going to do about the rest of Ludveck’s forces? Want us to round them up for you?”

“No, thank you. This is an internal Crimean matter, so my royal knights should be the ones to deal with it. That said, we… couldn’t have managed without you.” she said, picking up a small case from the sofa’s arm that Ike hadn’t noticed, and opening it. “Here are gems worth 100,000 gold, and a signed declaration declaring, once more, your right to a peerage.”

Ike sipped the wine to hide the disgust on his face. “Aside from the fact that Bastian already paid us, you know we would have come for your sake anyway. I neither need nor want your money, and as things stand now, I certainly don’t want a place in your court. Now if there’s nothing else you have to say to me, my company and I will be going.”

He got up and turned around to go, ignoring the Queen’s surprisingly breathless, “Ike… please…” But as he was about to leave, he felt a weight unexpectedly hit him from behind, sending the glass of wine spilling on to the carpet, and sending him falling on to the sofa. Twisting upright as he landed, he was stunned to find Elincia pouncing on him, pinning him to the sofa, her mouth locked with his as she thrust her tongue into his mouth. His surprise was momentary, and with a feeling of joy he forced his own tongue into her mouth, beating hers back. One of his hands snaked behind her head, pushing her mouth closer into his, while his other hand moved to the familiar region of her breasts; he could feel her hardening nipple through the soft material as his strong fingers gently squeezed her. He felt her moan ecstatically through their passionate kiss. Suddenly, it was his turn to moan as one of her hands found his bulge, and began to rub it furiously. All those months without sex had built up a strong desire in Ike, and already he was nearly fully erect, his pants painfully tight around his throbbing cock.

In a single motion, he gripped the hem of her gown, and pulled with all his strength, tearing the garment off her. Beautifully naked, she ground her body into his as she undid his cloak, then began fumbling with the buckles on his leather armour. After a few moments, she succeeded and pulled it off him, revealing his heavily muscled chest and arms, the sight of which, after so long, sent a thrill straight to her groin.

Placing a hand under her buttocks, in a smooth movement he stood up, lifting her with him. He could feel her nipples pressing into his bare chest, and his hand could feel the wetness trickling from between her thighs as he kissed her again. Walking steadily to her chamber door, he kicked it open, carried her through, and laid her on the large four-poster bed. As she lay there for moment, he drank in the sight of her, her eyes half-closed in pleasure, her breasts rising and falling, and her legs spread to reveal her beautiful slit, glistening wetly and enticingly in the candlelight.

His dick was now fully erect, and Elincia started hungrily eyeing his massive bulge. Ike, however, was enjoying this and wanted hold off on climax for a while, so he merely kicked off his boots before joining her on the bed. Poised over her, he kissed her forcefully, his fingers twisting her hard nipples, enjoying the feeling of her body under his as she moaned. Breaking the kiss, he moved down to her breasts, and seizing one, brought his mouth to her beautiful pink nipple. His tongue flicked out, drawing a circle around it, then he crushed it between his lips, sucking hard and worrying it slightly with his teeth. Elincia’s moan was almost a scream of pleasure, and her body arched, rubbing her thigh against Ike’s still-trapped manhood, causing him to grunt and further tease her nipple.

His other hand descended from her breast, down her flat stomach to her nether regions. He teased the edge of her lower lips with his forefinger, just as he knew she liked, then with two fingers, probed deep into her. Her whole body trembled orgasmically, and her hot juices flowed around his hand as he slowly moved in and out of her, relishing her tightness around his fingers. Then it was Ike’s turn to writhe in ecstasy as Elincia’s questing hands found his crotch again, the tightness of the material under her hands causing him an exquisite pleasure that was almost painful.

“Please Ike… enough. Take… take me now… I can’t stand it.” Ike pulled his fingers out, and let go of her breast, and sat up. She was nearing the edge, and judging by the pressure in his manhood, so was he. Her face flushed, and breathing hard, Elincia immediately went for his bulge, rubbing it as her fingers struggled to undo the buckle. After a few seconds she succeeded, and Ike’s vast, thick 12-inch member sprung free, throbbing eagerly as she pulled his pants down. Ike pulled them off and carelessly cast them aside before positioning himself over her once more.

As she lay on her back with her legs spread, Ike took his dick in hand, and guided it to her entrance. First he gently rubbed his head against her slit, feeling the excitement coursing through her body, then slowly but firmly forced himself into her tight hole, inch by ecstatic inch, until eventually she had taken in his entire massive length and girth. She was hot and wonderfully tight, and he paused a moment to enjoy the feeling of her around himself. Leaning forward, he locked his lips to hers, and she responded by throwing her arms around him, pulling him closer to her. He began, slowly and carefully at first, to thrust into her, all the while maintaining the kiss. The feeling was exquisite, and he began to pick up speed, sliding in and out of her wet pussy. Elincia broke the kiss to moan, but her embrace became harder, pressing Ike into her, and he could feel her pert nipples pressing into his chest.

In moments he was thrusting into her with all his strength, his lovemaking frenzied. The pressure in his balls told him he was going to cum soon, and Elincia’s tightness said the same about her. Suddenly her panting moans became an orgasmic scream, and she came powerfully, her walls squeezing Ike’s cock and bathing him in her juices. The added pressure brought him to climax, and with one final thrust he came, spraying his hot load deep into her pussy.

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Elincia lay in bed as the dawn light filtered through high windows. Ike, sleeping gently, had his arms around her, and her head lay against his chest. Their reunion last night had been as passionate as anything she could wish for, yet she could still feel that subtle sense of wrongness. Ike was everything a woman could want: he was loving, courageous, loyal, handsome, and the sex was fantastic. And yet for some reason things just weren’t perfect; Elincia allowed herself a sigh.

The faint noise was enough slowly wake Ike, who sleepily bade her good morning, then leaned in close to kiss her slowly. His shifting brought his morning hardness against her thigh under the covers, and his hand slowly quested to a breast, and despite herself she felt her arousal instantly building, her nipples hardening even as quickly as Ike’s dick.

Then there came a sudden knock at the door. “Quick!” Elincia hissed, “Under the bed! It’ll be the maid.” Without a word, though his face looked disgruntled, Ike leapt out from under the sheets. For a moment he stood illuminated by the dawn light, and the sight of his stark naked, muscled body, with his cock standing proudly to attention sent a thrill of arousal straight to her core.

“Come in!” she said. As the door opened, her racing mind noticed several details almost simultaneously. Firstly, the room had been tidied and the discarded clothes put away, which meant that the maid had already been in (and seen her with Ike – damn the rumour mill!). Secondly, this meant that the person at the door was unlikely to be the maid, and after a second was revealed to be Geoffrey. Thirdly, as she met Geoffrey’s eyes for a long moment, she realised that as she was sitting up, the sheets only covered her nether regions, while her breasts hung free and uncovered.

The paladin’s face immediately turned a bright crimson, and he fidgeted, undecided as to whether he should salute and stand to attention, as was required by custom, or try to cover up his very obvious arousal, and as a result succeeded in doing neither.

“Your Majesty… I… er… um…” he gabbled, and Elincia couldn’t help but laugh. Her darling Geoffrey, always so serious and custom-bound, reduced to a spluttering mess by the simple sight of her breasts. And then, in a sudden moment, it hit her – that “something” which had been so affecting her relationship with Ike was Geoffrey. She knew that the idea of a man who wasn’t her lover seeing her naked should horrify her, and yet she realised that she wanted Geoffrey to see her naked, and perhaps even more than that. In a single moment she realised she loved Geoffrey with all her heart, and that while her feelings for Ike were always so confused, she knew she could always rely on the blue-haired paladin.

It was the perfect opportunity, the ideal moment, and Elincia knew she would have to act there and then, even though she knew that it would be so painful for Ike; a terrible ordeal, but a necessary one, both for him and her. “It’s alright Geoffrey.” she breathed, “You don’t need to hide it. I feel the same way, my love. Come over here… come over here and hold me.”

Geoffrey moved as if in a trance, yet his face was filled with a rare grin. He approached her, his eyes still intent upon her chest, and now making no attempt to hide his bulging lust.

“Elincia… Elincia… I love you… I love you so much.” he said as he sat by her on the bed. Their first kiss was beautiful, a simple meeting of the lips, a moment that seemed to last for eternity. But their mutual passions demanded more, and their next kiss was much more active, Geoffrey pressing his tongue into hers, and she pressing her body into his. He was wearing a pale beige, loose tunic and trousers, the sort he customarily wore under armour, and Elincia eagerly, but not hurriedly, began unbuttoning the former. Once unbuttoned, she stopped to admire his chiselled chest, and he himself shrugged out of the garment. He kicked off his boots in a way which was almost identical to Ike, a memory that caused her a momentary twinge of pain, and a feeling of guilt for the poor warrior under the bed who was having to listen to this.

And just like Ike, he joined her naked form on the bed while still clothed in the lower regions. But while the warrior had busied himself with her whole body, the paladin wanted to be able to see her face constantly, so he kept kissing her, breaking off only to stare lovingly into her eyes. All the while their bodies were closely entwined as they rolled on the sheets, pressing themselves into each other. She could feel the heat of his constrained erection against her sex, and began to moan as he rubbed himself against her. He picked up the tempo, his strong hands holding her body to him, powerfully, instinctively dry-humping her, her honey rapidly moistening his pants.

“Enough… Oh Geoffrey… Geoffrey… Oh that’s good…” she moaned, clutching him, “Oh… Oh my love…I need you inside me… I need you… now.” He stopped rutting against her, but for a moment appeared slightly lost.

“Um.” he said hesitantly, blushing, “The thing is… Elincia… I’ve… er… not…”

“Could it be… that you’re a virgin, Geoffrey?” asked a surprised Elincia, and was even more shocked when he nodded.

“When I was thirteen,” he explained, “I swore a vow that you, and you alone, would be the only woman I would ever sleep with. I have loved you, faithfully, even from then.” Elincia found herself wiping away a tear of joy.

“Oh Geoffrey, I had no idea. Here, let me help you.”

“Lead on my Queen.” he smiled at her. At this point he was underneath her on the bed, and she got up off his chest to straddle his waist. She slowly undid the ties on his pants, his erect cock twitching free as she pulled them down. She surveyed him for a moment from her vantage point above him; though well built, he was not as muscled as Ike, and his manhood, though a proud and respectable 8 inches, didn’t match Ike’s incredible size. Yet she didn’t care – she loved Geoffrey for who he was, and would not, could not, allow herself to make comparisons. Taking his penis firmly in hand, she lowered herself down, guiding him into her, slowly taking him in until he filled her. She felt his cock twitch longingly deep inside herself, and she moaned as pure pleasure flowed through her, and the look on Geoffrey’s face told her he was experiencing the same thing. She leaned forward and kissed him, before whispering, “Are you ready, my love?”

Meanwhile, under the bed, Ike was silently beating the carpeted floor with a clenched fist. What the hell? What the hell was she doing? Why? Elincia – something had been wrong with their relationship, but this?

And then, miraculously, the sense of wrongness seemed to change in his mind; the pain staying but changing as he came to understand something. He would never work with Elincia because they wanted different things. She wanted a relationship, a spiritual companion to be with her always, while Ike, something of a lone wolf, wanted the relaxation and release of a shared bed. Their relationship, if you could call it that, which had started during the Mad King’s War, and lasted nearly two-and-a-half years, had followed a basic daily pattern: Ike would return, they’d kiss, fuck, sleep, wake up, fuck again, then Ike would go off to battle to return again that evening to start over.

His feelings for Elincia were affection, an intense and deep affection, but affection nonetheless. He realised that now, and realised that Geoffrey could give her something he could not.

The sounds of their lovemaking above grew more and more profound, and Ike’s cock was rock-hard at it, Elincia’s moans deepening the desire for release within him. Gritting his teeth, he gripped his manhood, feeling the firm, hot, silky skin, and began to pump himself, his mind racing with images of his many nights with Elincia, her moans from above spurring his imagination.

Elincia was riding Geoffrey hard, pumping herself up and down his length, her beautiful breasts bouncing before his sight. His hands gripped her waist, aiding her movements as he simultaneously thrust up into her. His moans of pleasure matched hers, his teeth gritted in ecstasy as he felt the tightness of her. The throbbing urgency of his member told him that climax was approaching. Tightening his grip, he rammed her down hard around his shaft, and she screamed as she came, squeezing him hard. For a moment his mind was blown away by pure pleasure as he climaxed powerfully, shooting rope after rope of hot cum deep into her womb.

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“You can come out now, Ike.” said Elincia softly. Geoffrey had quietly gotten dressed and left, all seriousness and decorum once more, but with a promise to return that night. Ike climbed out, and stood up, still naked, but his dick hanging flaccid between his legs. It occurred to Elincia that it said a lot for their relationship that this was the first time she had seen him without an erection, and then she noticed that his chest and torso were spattered with cum. Instantly reasoning what had happened, she felt a twinge of guilt as she offered him a silk handkerchief from her dresser.

“Here Ike, clean yourself up. I’m sorry about that, I really am. You must be so hurt…”

“No, Elincia.” he replied, “It’s alright. I… I needed to experience that. Our relationship was toxic, and I see that now. This way is much better.”

“It’s the way of the world. When something ends, something new begins. I’ve got Geoffrey, and now you can find someone who provides what you want. It was fun, being with you, but I need something more serious. But anyway… still friends?”

“Absolutely.” he said, then with a rare smile, “Fuckbuddies?”

“Absolutely not.” she laughed, “but put some clothes on before I change my mind!”

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Authorial Commentary:

Well, that’s the first chapter – somewhat longer than anticipated, I might add! And a lot more angsty than I had envisioned, but that’s just the way it appeared in my mind. Ike, Elincia and Geoffrey are all very serious characters – its fitting that pent-up emotions are getting screwed around with.

This opening chapter just suggested itself nicely to my mind while playing the game. Ike shows up after months of absence, while at the same time you can start using supports to further Geoffrey and Elincia’s feelings – a lot of the pairings in this story are based upon those that suggested themselves through the game’s (awesome) story.

A friend of mine who proof-read this for me commented on Ike’s “heroic” proportions: this came out of joke my flat-mate and I had when first playing his copy – upon first seeing the new Ike, we both exclaimed “Steroid abuse!” Given that the developers have really made Ike a beefcake, I thought I’d go with that. As for his size, well, he is the hero! Also, he’s going to feature in many of the following chapters.

Anyway, the sex in the next chapter will be a lot less serious, and a lot more playful – that should be up in around a fortnight, but I’m quite busy at the moment so don’t be to surprised if I fail that.

As always, constructive criticism is very welcome!