Path of Radiance Reborn

Takes place in Path of Radiance, just before Chapter 24. Inside Delbray Castle, Ike and Elincia during a storm.
Rating: NC - 17
Pairings: Ike/Elincia

DISCLAIMER: Do not read this story if you are under the age of 17, as it contains graphic and sexual material. If you are offended by such things do not read this story. I do not own Fire Emblem or any of these characters, and I do not have any creative rights to the story. It is purely for entertainment purposes, and I am making nno profit from it.

This story may contain slight spoilers for the game, so read at your own risk. Contains oral sex, head, male-female sex, and language.

Feedback would be appreciated.

Enjoy.


Dark storm clouds hung menacingly over the old castle. Every so often, the shape of the windows was thrown into sharp relief, courtesy of the flashes of lightning that appeared in the midst of the storm. Sheets of rain poured down in rivulets, soaking the entire foundation of the castle and sliding down the slick windowpanes to accumulate on the ledges.

All in all, it was not one of the best nights.

However, Ike was quite glad to have a sanctuary in which to relax while they waited out the storm. The company of soldiers and mercenaries had just come from Riven Bridge, the great overpass separating the countries of Daein and Crimea. Tomorrow, they would be heading out again, although Ike was not sure of their next move. They had just received word from Ranulf, a laguz fighter and a trusted advisor of King Caineghis, that Gallia would be supporting their cause.

Ike was quite delighted to hear this, as their meager band was very hard pressed to continue their battle with Daein forces alone. Extra reinforcements would be a very helpful addition to their growing army. Recently, the mercenary group was given an extra group of soldiers from Begnion, and Ike greatly appreciated the extra help. It was stressful, managing this army, and Ike had been feeling worn-out and weighed down with the tremendous responsibility of running his father’s mercenary company. He felt this responsibility increase tenfold when Princess Elincia made him a lord and gave him the position of General, entrusting the army to him.

Ike sighed. Lately, he had been feeling even more confused and upset after Volke had revealed the truth about Ike’s father, and how his mother died. It was all the fault of the blasted Lehran’s Medallion, the Fire Emblem. If it hadn’t been for that, Ike would still have his mother and father by his side…

“Ike? I’ve been trying to talk to you for the past minute! Aren’t you listening to me?”

“Huh?” Ike wrenched his thoughts back to the present moment. His sister Mist stood in front of him, an annoyed expression on her face. “Yes, I’m sorry Mist, I must have drifted off there for a second. What do you need?”

Mist’s expression softened as she looked at her brother. She knew firsthand what he was experiencing. She pointed down the hall, towards the rest of the mercenary troop. Although the soldiers under Ike’s command were taking a much needed break in the barracks surrounding Delbray Castle, the mercenaries were required to attend an audience with Lady Lucia. The majority of the group was walking ahead. Ike had dawdled behind, and the hall was emptying. Only he and Mist were left.

“Hurry up, brother! Everyone’s in the banquet hall now! Lady Lucia wants to speak to us before we rest. We’d better go!”

“Right,” the weary mercenary replied as Mist bounded ahead. Summoning his last reserves of strength, Ike hurried down the hall and entered the banquet hall.

Upon his entry, Ike immediately felt more relaxed. The ceiling was covered with hanging lamps, casting a soft glow around the room. Long tables were spread across the room, bearing food. The tables were covered with a fine white cloth. Soldiers were sprinkled all over the room, eating. The environment was quite peaceful.

“Peace, ho! Princess Elincia walks among us! Fondest greetings to you we extend!” a jovial voice rang out. The sage, Bastian, was standing at the end of the room. Beside him, Lady Lucia smiled and walked towards the group. Ike walked up to the head of the group, where Gatrie was in the middle of his usual routine of trying (unsuccessfully) to sweet talk Ilyana. Smirking slightly, Ike inserted himself next to Princess Elincia. The beautiful princess beamed at him and touched his arm. Ike felt his heart rate increase.

“Princess, it is a great pleasure to see you again,” Lucia said, walking up to them and smiling warmly. She grasped Princess Elincia in a tight hug. “Thank the Goddess, you have returned to us safely.” As Bastian moved to hug Elincia, Lucia turned and shook Ike’s hand. “General, I cannot thank you enough for staying at Princess Elincia’s side throughout this difficult struggle. Thanks to you and your company, Crimea has a fighting chance at rebuilding.”

Ike smiled back at Lucia, shoving his fatigue and thoughts deep within himself. “I’m glad I could help. It’s a pleasure to meet you, My Lady.” He bent and kissed her hand. Lucia beamed approvingly and turned to Elincia again. “He’s a fine young man,” she said. She lowered her voice and leaned closer to Elincia, although Ike still caught her words. “You’ve chosen well, eh?” Elincia blushed a flaming scarlet and turned to glance at Ike. Immediately, he busied himself with straightening his cape.

Lucia grinned deviously and turned to the group again. “Mercenaries!” she called. “May I have your attention, please!” The whole company expectantly faced her. Ike glanced over his back, surveying his company with pride. They had come so far. Titania and Soren stood side by side, looking attentive. Soren looked deep in thought as always, whereas Titania looked slightly tired. If it hadn’t been for the two of them, Ike would have cracked under the strain of commanding a long time ago. Luckily, the two acted as his most trusted advisors, handling many of the details of war so that Ike would have less of a burden to carry. He appreciated it immensely.

Beside them, he saw Ilyana, Tormod, and Calill, his Sages. Gatrie and Shinon stood next to each other, Gatrie looking longingly at a lamb shank on the closest table. Shinon looked coolly unimpressed, standing with a hand on his hip, the other touching his bow. Rolf and Mist stood together, their arms touching. Ike suspected that they were growing ever closer, especially throughout the war. Boyd, Oscar, Mia, Nephenee, Jill, Marcia, and many others stood alongside them.

“I thank all of you for your continued service to Crimea,” Lucia said, looking at all of them. “I know you must be weary, especially after your defense of Talrega, your seize of Nevassa, and your battle at the Riven Bridge. I offer you all the hospitality of Delbray Castle, and I beg that you all eat, drink, and make yourselves at home. I shall prepare our finest rooms for you, and I do hope you will rest a bit. Tomorrow, the battle begins anew, but for tonight, rest and relaxation are yours!”

A ragged cheer rose from the group. As a single body, the mercenaries moved towards the banquet tables, loading their plates with anything they could get their hands on. Gatrie shoveled a lamb shank into his mouth, while Ilyana stacked her plate with enough food for five people.

“Ike,” Lucia said, turning to him. “I have prepared our finest chamber for you. It’s just down the hall, up the stairs, and in the door on your left. It is a quiet room, so I doubt you will be disturbed. Whenever you see fit, I shall arrange to have your attire brought up.”

“Thank you, Lucia,” Ike replied gratefully. “You are most kind.” The blue haired woman nodded and smiled before moving off to get food with the others. Oscar was having one of his usual arguments with Keiran about who was the better soldier, and Boyd was laughing in the background, insisting that he was better than both of them. All around him, talk echoed and people ate. Ike, however, wasn’t hungry. He was too busy dwelling on his thoughts – and Princess Elincia’s touch on his arm.

Ike and the Princess had grown closer, ever closer. They spent a lot of time together, but unfortunately it was always short lived, as Ike was called away for battle, and had meetings to go to, strategizing to do, and outfitting to accomplish. He hoped that he would be able to spend some more alone time with Elincia before they left to go south and meet their Gallian reinforcements.

Ike strayed to the edge of the room. No one seemed to notice him missing. They were all too busy eating, laughing, and talking, forgetting the troubles of war by drowning in tankards and food. Ike sighed softly. Without a word to anyone, he slipped out of the hall and into the dark, cool corridor outside. He leaned against the wall. At the moment, he didn’t want to be in the hall with all those other people. He wanted to be alone.

"Down the hall, up the stairs, door on the left," Ike muttered to himself. He headed down the hall. Perhaps he could sit for a while and rest before Soren and Titania went to him with plans for battle, strategy, and their next move. Ike hoped to avoid that until tomorrow. He reached the spiral staircase and began climbing. As he passed the windows, he saw the storm raging outside. He shivered slightly and increased his pace. Judging by the constant spiral of the carpeted stairway, he was climbing one of the castle’s towers. Once he had reached the top, he turned and sighted the doorway. He went inside.

The room was spacious and comforting. A large bed covered with plush red sheets sat in a corner of the room, next to a bookstand and a table with a lamp. It emitted a soft golden glow, lighting the room with a contented radiance. A comfortably large table with several chairs sat in the middle of the room. Bookcases lined the walls, and through the one window of the room, Ike could see flashes of lighting, hear roars of thunder, and see the patterns on the window as the rain came down in torrents.

Ike moved and collapsed onto the bed. He sighed deeply as he hit the soft sheets. Maybe he could rest now. And hopefully, sleep. He knew he needed it. Ike rolled over and turned off the lamp. Immediately, he was cast into darkness, only illuminated by brief stitches of lightning that crossed the clouds. Ike turned over and closed his eyes. Darkness took him…

“My Lord Ike?”

Ike shuddered awake as a soft voice entered the room. How long had he been sleeping? It seemed as though he had just shut his eyes. He looked around blearily, trying to see through the darkness. He could discern a small shape in the darkness, as she shut the door and entered the room.

“Princess Elincia,” Ike murmured. “I’m sorry for running off, I… I just wanted some time to think.” He sat up straighter. “That’s perfectly all right,” the Princess’ soft voice whispered. “I understand that you’ve been under a lot of stress lately. Do you want to talk about it?”

Ike sat quietly. Truthfully, he would like to vent some of his problems; it would very likely lessen his emotional load. And to be quite honest, Ike was very happy to be alone with Elincia. “Where’s everyone else?” he asked. “Have I been asleep long?”

“Oh, no,” Elincia replied, moving closer. “Just for about half an hour, I believe. I noticed that you weren’t in the banquet hall, so I asked Lucia where your room was and came to check on you.”

“I really appreciate it, Princess Elincia,” Ike said warmly. “Sometimes… I don’t know, I just feel like I’m losing it. I have so much on my mind, and all…” There was a soft creak, and the mattress descended several inches as Elincia sat down on the bed beside him. She leaned over and turned on the lamp. “Tell me.”

Ike was temporarily speechless. Elincia had abandoned her bright orange and red dress, and was now dressed only in the soaked pale yellow gown that she wore beneath it. Her green hair was damp and hung around her shoulders, framing her beautiful face and perfect lips. Her pert breasts were quite visible through the damp cloth she was wearing, and he could see the points of her nipples through it.

“Er… I, well… that is, I mean to say…” Ike was terribly flustered. He blushed hotly. “Well… I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the medallion, and what Volke told me about my parents. You see, back when my father met my mother, she had a medallion known as Lehran’s Medallion, or the Fire Emblem…”

Ike continued for about twenty minutes, unloading into the princess sitting at the edge of his bed. He told her about the medallion, its terrible power, and how it had caused his father to kill his own mother. He outlined his dread that it would be used to harm Mist or the others, and his feelings: his insecurity about managing the army, his sense of being overwhelmed, the loss of his father…

Elincia sat quietly, looking at him with concern. When he was finally finished speaking, Ike did actually feel better. Talking to someone really did make a difference. Elincia sighed and moved closer to him. “Oh, Ike…” she murmured, reaching out and pulling him into her. “You’ve been given a great responsibility, yet you still carry it better than I ever expected. I know for a fact that Master Greil would have been very proud of you.”

Ike felt something wrench in his heart. He missed his father… but he was also quite aware of Elincia’s breasts pressing into his chest. His face burned so hotly he bet she could feel it through her nightgown. “Don’t worry, my Lord Ike,” Princess Elincia whispered, as one of her hands slowly caressed his face. “You’re not alone. You have me.”

“Princess Elincia…” Ike murmured hoarsely, as she shifted closer to him. “Shh,” she said tenderly, moving ever closer. “Just relax. Tonight, comfort is ours.” Her hand kept rubbing his face, and moving downwards to caress his muscled chest. Ike closed his eyes, savouring the soft feel of Elincia’s skin. It felt so comfortable, to be here with her while the storm roared and raged outside. Suddenly, he leaned in and kissed her.

Ike couldn’t stop himself. Having her here, so close… it was like something out of a dream. He didn’t want to let it go. Ike locked his mouth with Elincia’s, kissing her tenderly, slowly. A soft, fluttery moan escaped her lips, and Ike was suddenly pulled back to his senses. The mercenary and the princess stared at each other. Elincia’s eyes were wide; she looked shocked.

“I’m sorry,” Ike whispered. “I shouldn’t have –” but his words were cut off as Elincia leaned in and kissed him back. Her kiss was tender yet also aggressive, and her tongue touched his lips. He parted them as he kissed her back, and soon Ike’s tongue was wrestling with hers, darting in and out of her mouth as she softly moaned into his throat. Elincia raised her legs and wrapped them around Ike, straddling him. She rubbed her hands all over his chest and shoulder, all the while passionately making out with him. Ike felt a stirring in his groin as Elincia’s hips grinded into his lap, causing him to grow hard as he felt the dampness of her. Her movements also caused her breasts to rub into his chest. He felt her hardening nipples poke into his pectorals.

Elincia slowly and reluctantly broke the kiss, separating her moist lips and dancing tongue from Ike’s mouth. She gasped slightly, her head rolled back on her neck. Her breasts were thrust out at him as she sat on his lap, rubbing her pelvis into him. Ike’s penis began to grow harder. He hurriedly reached up and seized Elincia’s breasts, squeezing and massaging them through her soaked gown. This elicited a squeal of delight from the princess as Ike rubbed and fondled her tits. Elincia’s moans became louder as he leaned upwards and captured her mouth with his again, zealously making out with her in the softly lit room.

Elincia pulled back once again, and Ike was slightly annoyed. “The door,” she managed to whisper, her chest heaving, and Ike was only too happy to comply. He leaped up and ran to lock the door, all the while tugging his shirt off as he went. He clocked the lock and undid his pants, letting them fall to the floor. His aching erection was free, and swung out into the air, a proud eight inches long.

Elincia smiled with appreciation as she saw Ike’s cock. She leaned back onto the bed, her gown stretched tightly across her body. Ike could clearly see her perfectly sculpted breasts, and the area between Elincia’s legs was damp with another fluid. She smirked and crooked a finger at Ike, giving him the sexiest, most seductive look she could. Ike all but ran to the bed and leaped onto her, causing her to moan as he immediately kissed her. He ran his hands down her sides, seizing a handful of the gown and prying it upwards. Recognizing his intentions, Elincia wiggled beneath him, trying to dislodge the nightgown. Ike, turned on from her squirming, tore the gown off with one hand, and looked down at the Crimean princess in all her beauty.

Elincia’s stomach was well toned and sexy, thanks to the countless months they had spent traversing the entire continent of Tellius. Her abdominal muscles were visible beneath her supple skin, which shone with a virtuous glow in the golden light. Her legs and ass were slim and lithe, most of the extraneous fat stripped from them by their constant marching. Her nether region was moist and dripping. And her breasts – they were the epitome of perfect. Not too big, but certainly not too small, they were exquisitely sculpted, voluptuous, and supple. They rested on her chest in an elegantly natural way that seemed to make Ike even more achingly hard then he was already.

Ike hardly knew where to start; everything looked so perfect and inviting. He decided to take it from the top. He kissed Elincia’s neck, licking and caressing her skin with his lips, as she giggled and moaned softly in his ear. Her arms immediately caressed his back as he lay on top of her. His throbbing member was standing at attention about three inches away from Elincia’s burning slit, and he longed to push himself in and begin pumping. However, he would take her gently.

Ike slowly moved his way downwards, from Elincia’s neck to her collar. He kissed and sucked at her skin, slowly crawling downwards, as she gasped above him. She wanted this as much as he did. She began to push him downwards, and Ike was only too happy to comply. He moved down and reached Elincia’s breasts. Struck by an urge to taste them and hold them simultaneously, he reached out with his mouth and captured her right breasts in his lips, and reached out and cupped her left with his hand.

Elincia gave a tiny squeal of pleasure and squirmed beneath him, her head rolling from side to side. Ike sucked and stroked her breast with his tongue, every so often reaching out and tweaking her nipple, which was hard and pointy. Every time his tongue traveled over her soft breast to her nipple, the princess would give an audible squeal. Ike continued to suck on her breast, all the while squeezing and massaging the other mound of flesh beneath his hand. He rubbed and kneaded the breast with his hand, every so often tugging and squeezing on her nipple, causing her to moan with pleasure as she arched her back beneath him, thrusting her body into him.

After several minutes of work on Elincia’s shapely bosom, Ike decided to give her the first course. He moved downwards, kissing Elincia’s stomach as he went, until he was directly above her pelvic area. Her shaved area apart from a small tuft of hair was was radiating heat, and soaked. Ike leaned over and kissed her around her nether lips, purposefully avoiding them. Elincia thought she was going to explode in that instant. She gave a throaty moan as Ike continued to kiss and rub the area around her slit. Finally, unable to take anymore, Elincia managed to choke out a word in the midst of her laboured breathing and gasping. “Please?”

Ike felt she had waited long enough, and reached out with his thumb and circled her clit. Elincia gave a shriek. “Mmm! Oh, god, that feels g – oh, fuck!” She gasped and moaned as Ike fingered her, ever so slowly bringing his face closer to her pussy. His mouth covered her clitoris, and suddenly Elincia gave a sharp gasp as this new and excruciating pleasure rocked her body. She fought hard not to orgasm. Elincia groaned and moved both hands to her breast, squeezing them and pushing them together as Ike continued to probe his tongue deeper inside of her. Ike grew energized as he tasted Elincia’s sweet juices, as she slowly grew wetter and wetter. Elincia moaned above him rolling her head on her shoulders, and kneading and tugging on her soft breasts as Ike licked and thrust his tongue around.

“Oh, Ike… oh, my Lord, I – Mmm! Oh, god yes! Please –”

Elincia’s words grew in volume and intensity as she began to feel a wave of heat well up inside her, and she knew her climax was soon. Orgasm after orgasm crashed through her body. “My Lord Ike,” she gasped, “I’m going to – to, I’m g- OH!” Her words were lost in a new scream as Ike worked his magic, and suddenly Elincia couldn’t contain herself any longer. She exploded with a loud shriek, the pleasure she was feeling released in a wave of pure ecstasy. She came long and hard, shooting her juices into Ike’s face as he licked and sucked up her cum.

Elincia crumpled back, gasping for breath. Ike got up, his first job done, and lay down beside her. He reached out to touch her nipples. He grinned, and as Elincia’s pleasure slowly died away, she had only one thought on her mind. Turning to face Ike, she gave him a sexy look. “Your turn.”

She swung herself on top of Ike, her breasts bouncing on his muscled chest. She kissed him passionately, while following his lead and slowly working her way downwards. At this point, Ike’s penis was throbbing and aching in the air, dying for attention. Elincia gave him a devious look as she moved downwards, keeping her eyes locked on Ike’s. He could see the lust burning in them. After the pleasure he had given her, she wanted to repay him however she could.

Elincia reached Ike’s throbbing cock, and seized it with her hand. Ike gave a short gasp, as he felt a sharp wave of pleasure rock his body. Elincia stroked his strong shaft with her hand, slowly getting into the rhythm. As Ike closed his eyes in bliss above her, Elincia, while still caressing his dick, leaned over and took it into her mouth. “Ahh!” Ike choked out, as Elincia began to work on the head of his dick, licking and sucking it while she lubricated it with her saliva. “Oh, Princess,” Ike gasped. He couldn’t even move for the ecstasy he was feeling. “Don’t stop, please…”

Elincia moaned in reply, working her way up and down, up and down, sliding her lips over Ike’s shaft while pumping the base of his penis with one of her petite hands. She took more of his member into her mouth, sucking and kissing as she alternated between tonguing his penis, to sucking, to deep-throating, to just kissing it with her wet lips. All the while, Ike was in paradise. He started to thrust himself into Elincia’s mouth, rocking abck and forth. How th – oh, God! How the hell did she – she learn all this… do – mmm, doesn’t – fit…

Elincia began to massage Ike’s balls with her fist, stopping the stroking of his base. She sifted his sac through her fingers, caressing and rubbing his balls, allowing them to swing around and settle back to their original position. Ike gave another moan. He couldn’t suppress himself much longer. “Elincia, I’m about to – oh! I’m gonna cum!”

She continued to work, sucking and massaging as if possessed. She encircled Ike’s head with her lips, tonguing it, and then took more of his saliva-drenched cock into her mouth as she sucked harder. At this, Ike lost it. He let out a ravaged scream, and he let loose, shooting jet after jet of semen into Elincia’s throat. Elincia swallowed the streams coming from his gushing penis, and, as Ike gasped for air, moved up again until her face was level with his.

“Like it?” She asked coyly, batting her eyelashes at him. Oh, by the Goddess, she was so damn sexy. “Oh, yeah,” Ike whispered, gaining some of his strength back as he lay there, Elincia’s tits resting on his chest. “Now, for the main course. Here we go.”

Elincia sat up, her bare legs on either side of Ike’s body, straddling him. Elincia smiled as she rubbed against Ike’s penis, making him hard again. Her breasts swayed in the air, and Ike immediately reached up for them again. He rubbed the side of Elincia’s body as he reached her breasts, twiddling her nipples and kneading her breasts, pushing them together. Elincia moaned again, her head lolling on her neck as she made circles with it. “I want you, Ike,” she whispered. “Now, here… I want you inside me… do me now…”

Ike was delighted to obey. He eased his penis upwards, slowly, until he was just outside her pussy lips, drenched again. Ike slowly rose upwards, and Elincia slowly came down, both of them exhaling loudly as they went into the other. Ike was surprised at how tight Elincia was. She was like a sheath, and his dick was a sword, keeping it so tightly wrapped up. “You’re incredible,” Ike whispered to her, as a wave of pleasure came over him. “Mmm… let’s see what you can do,” Elincia replied sexily, starting to slowly ride up and down on his cock. “Oh, god…” Ike groaned as Elincia kept the rhythm up. Ike reached around and squeezed her ass, cupping her beautiful cheeks in his hands. Elincia squealed again, slowly increasing the speed of which she was riding Ike. She moved faster and faster, increasing her thrusts ever so slightly, until Ike was battling against the pleasure rising in his dick. He began to piston upwards, eliciting a gasp of surprise from Elincia. He started slow, then went faster and faster, until each time their thighs met it was with a sharp slapping sound.

“Mmm! Oh, yes, Ike! Keep that up! I – oh, GOD! YES!”

Elincia’s screams grew louder as the storm raged outside. Orgasms rocked her slim figure as her pussy fastened down tightly on Ike’s penis, holding it with a passion. Ike continued to piston upwards, moving his hands from Elincia’s ass to knead her tits again. She bounced above him, screaming and moaning as they rode. Elincia was covered in sweat, as was Ike, and it flew in all directions as they jerked up and down. Elincia giggled and moaned above Ike as she rode him, gasping at the ecstasy overwhelming her body. Her hands covered Ike’s on her chest, forcing him to maintain his constant and rigorous squeezing of her luscious tits.

“Yeah! Oh, yeah, Ike! Oh, ah! Ahhhhh!” Elincia screamed louder as she approached her climax. Ike poured his effort into Elincia’s drenched pussy, pounding upwards in a blur. The green-haired princess fell forwards, propping herself up with her arms. She jiggled her body in response to Ike’s thrusts, and her swaying breasts flew above Ike’s face. He reached up and captured one with his mouth, licking her nipple like a demon. Elincia screamed, using one of her other hands to squeeze her other breast. “Oh, Elincia!” Ike groaned. “Yes! Ahh, yes!” The movement of the two grew faster and more erratic as they neared their climax.

As Elincia’s orgasms rocked her body, she jerked and arched her back above him. Ike continued to knead her tits as Elincia squeezed her hands above his. Ike’s grunts sounded as he shoved himself deeper into Elincia’s tight pussy, and Elincia’s screams grew in volume and intensity as she thrust. Ike began to kiss her, aggressively and passionately, and she immediately responded. Moaning into each others’ mouth, both the mercenary and the princess thrust wildly. “Oh, god, Elincia! I’m gonna cum!” Ike warned with a gasp. Elincia couldn’t form words with her tongue, but judging by her continued screams, she was about to as well.

As their bodies trembled with pleasure, Elincia lost it. She released her pent up explosion, drenching Ike with her juices. A split second later, Ike followed suit, releasing jet after jet of hot cum into Elincia’s drenched pussy. Ike thrust several more times, releasing every possible piece of semen in his body, before he pulled his softening penis out of Elincia and collapsed on the bed, exhausted. Elincia fell down next to him, gasping for air.

“Wow,” Ike rasped hoarsely. “That was…”

“Yeah,” Elincia whispered, her breasts rising and falling rapidly as she breathed. “Amazing.” Ike curled an arm around her and drew her closer, pressing her sexy tits into the side of his chest. “Are you all right?” he asked concernedly. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Elincia beamed. “Oh, baby, no,” she giggled, pressing her soft body into his. The two snuggled together on the bed, listening to the raging storm pound outside. “Oh, Ike,” Elincia said softly. “I don’t want you to go to battle tomorrow. Please, stay with me.”

“I can’t do that, honey,” Ike replied, just as soft. “I wish I could, but Crimea needs me. It needs both of us to do our jobs.” Elincia nodded, but she still felt terrible. Suddenly, Ike gave a devious grin. “Well, when I come back, you could have a little present for me,” he whispered in her ear, enticingly. Elincia blushed. “Oh, I think we both know that I will.” They laughed, and Elincia snuggled closer to him, sighing. They lay there for some time, while lightning flashed and thunder roared outside, and rain pattered the windows. “Elincia?” Ike whispered. No reply. “Are you there?”

But she was fast asleep, her hand on his chest. Ike smiled, and leaned against her head, closing his eyes. He tightened his arm around her waist, and knew that for once, his dreams would not be plagued with worry or doubt. Instead, he would fill his mind with dreams that would bring Elincia closer to him than she could ever imagine.