What She Prayed For
By: Manna

…xOx…

The Fire Emblem 100 Challenge!
Theme #49: Prayer
Starring: Sain and Serra
Genre: Romance, Humor
Warnings: Rated T

…xOx…

Prayer was a miraculous thing.

Sain whistled to himself a little as he walked, relatively happy now that the Dragon’s Gate ordeal was over and done with. Really, he’d had just about enough of the fighting and the dying. It was starting to wear on him, just as it was wearing on his friend, Kent, who was normally serious but never so lethargic, and even the ever-eager Wil, who was had become less and less apt to smile.

But now…it was over. He let a grin spread across his face, and he realized that he didn’t really care who saw it. He passed Priscilla and waved at her, throwing her a friendly wink before he saw Rebecca—though he only waved at her…she was with Wil and would most likely try to strangle him for interfering.

It was a beautiful day. Well, technically evening, as the group had stopped to rest for the night, pitching tents and laying out in the waning light, just enjoying that little bit of extra freedom they had now that the Black Fang was gone.

Threats of bandits still hung around every corner, but Sain himself doubted that they would try to attack them—surely they wouldn’t attempt a suicide mission by taking on a group of skilled fighters… Lady Lyndis, on the other hand, would not put it past them at all, and Kent, being so loyal and yet…so stupid, Sain thought, had volunteered to take the night watch…again.

His sporadic whistling stopped as he came to a tent, most likely the first one to be erected that evening, seeing as how it had been the most important of them all many times. Gently, he pulled back the tent flap and peered inside, allowing his smile to spread even further at the sight of the woman sitting inside, organizing bandages and salves.

“Oh, my prayers have surely been answered on this splendid day!” he said, coming inside to crouch down next to her. “Well met, Serra… You look twice as radiant as you did this morning!”

Unconsciously, she smiled and reached a hand behind her head to feel her messy pigtails. She knew that she really did not look radiant at all… most likely closely resembling a wild banshee instead. But she giggled a little, despite herself, and turned to swat at his arm.

“You’re only saying that to get me to agree with you on some matter or another,” she told him, her voice rather frank though she poked her tongue out of her mouth at him to let him know she was teasing. “After all, you’ve probably told Rebecca and Lyn the same things several times today alone, when it’s clear that I work twice as hard on my appearance!”

“Ah, but I know you do, sweetest Serra! You most likely wake up looking lovely!”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, while I do take great pride in looking beautiful every single day, I certainly won’t go quite that far! I do look better than some, though! Have you ever chanced to see Priscilla after she wakes? Her hair does not look nearly so pretty when it’s sticking out in every direction!”

He laughed a little at what she said and sat down next to her. “What are you doing, my dear?”

“Sorting this junk, darling,” she answered, liking his endearing names for her, but unable to keep from teasing him about them just a little bit. “Why, are you offering your assistance?”

He looked away for a moment and put a finger to his chin, as if he was thinking. “Oh, but of course!” he told her after a moment, his hazel eyes lighting up. “It would be a terrible shame for a man such as myself to sit in the presence of a lady and not at least offer to help her in some way!”

“Good.” She plunked a few bandages into his lap and nodded, clearly satisfied. “Those actually need re-rolled… they seem to have been loosened somehow.”

He smiled and started to wrap them up again, tighter this time, and turned to look at her out of the corner of his eyes. My, she sure was adorable when she was concentrating on something, he thought to himself. He hated to change the mood on her, but…she was even prettier when she was proven wrong!

“Serra, my dear, do you remember when you asked me about the Lady Lyndis, and whom she might end up with?” The skin at the corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement when she pouted and turned to face him directly.

“Yes,” she said, her smile fading. “What of it?”

“Well… what do you think of the real outcome?” He was grinning so much that his teeth were all showing, and he laughed, pointing a finger at her teasingly. “I’ll bet that you certainly did not see that coming… Why, you had the contest restricted to only two, and with Lord Eliwood so smitten with our dear Lady Ninian, besides!”

“You don’t have to rub it in!” she sniffed, pushing her nose into the air a little bit and closing her eyes as she turned her head away from him. He found that she looked nothing short of precious like that. “I think that your Lady Lyndis is making a big mistake! Why, he doesn’t have anything to his name at all, save for a horse and a sword!”

Sain fell silent and merely stared at her for a moment, feeling rather conflicted and perhaps, though he did not want to admit it even to himself, hurt. “Do you truly feel that way, my dear?”

She opened her eyes and looked back at him, sensing his discomfort. “I’m not saying he’s not a good man, Sir Sain… I’m merely saying that he has no way to take care of her, that’s all!”

“Ah, but you see,” he said, pushing his hurt feelings to the side, “Lady Lyndis does not need anybody to care for her at all! Once Lord Hausen dies, she will be headed back to the plains of Sacae, where Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood cannot follow. Don’t you think, then, that my boon companion is best suited for her?”

“Well…” Serra’s eyebrows scrunched together a little in thought.

Softly, he added, “It’s not every man who would give up everything he has ever known, his career, his friends, even what little family he has left! He’ll leave all of that behind just to be with her. Surely you do not think she made the wrong decision?”

“…I don’t know,” she finally admitted to him, shrugging her thin shoulders as she shoved one last jar of healing salve into a small woven basket. “I think Lyn made the choice that she wanted, but… Does she know that there may be times out there that she’ll have to do without?”

“Without?” His question hung in the air between them for a moment, unanswered. “Oh, but you see, my sweet Serra, she will never be without love, and that is the most important thing of all!”

“Is it?” she asked, the corners of her mouth turning upward in the beginnings of a quirky smile. “And what would you know of love, sir knight?”

“I know that it is hard to obtain, and even harder to hold onto!” He gave her a charming smile and leaned closer to her, resting the back of his fingers against the side of her face. “Do you truly believe that you could never be happy without money, without position?”

She sighed and took his hand in both of hers, rubbing it gently. “I know what it is like without money, Sain. Without anything. I have always wondered what it would be like to have those kinds of things. I’ve spent much of my life praying for it so that I could experience it myself.”

“Why?” His eyes were not accusing, only curious.

“So that I could finally be happy.” She smiled at him and kissed the tip of his forefinger. “But doesn’t everyone want that? Happiness?”

“Yes.” He leaned closer, resting his forehead against hers as he lightly stroked the side of her face with his other hand. “Why did you not pray for happiness instead?”

She tilted her head, “I have been, lately. Brother Lucius suggested the same thing.” She kissed the tip of his middle finger and let her lips linger on his skin for a long moment before pulling away. “For all the good it’s done me… Really, that man…”

“Serra?”

She looked at him, then, and almost jumped, suddenly realizing how close he actually was to her. His hazel eyes seemed brighter, his hand on her face softer. She gave his hand a squeeze in between her own and released him, asking softly, “Yes?”

He swallowed, whether to gather the courage to speak or to buy himself a bit more time to properly organize his thoughts, he could not say. “I am only a knight, Serra, and I have only a lance and a horse to my name. Is there, somehow, any chance that I could make you happy? We would make a fine pair, you and I. If money is the only thing keeping us apart, it would surely be a tragedy!” His free hand was behind her head, playing with her hair, twirling it around absently.

“I…”

“I think I might have found the right woman, my dear, and you know that I have never two-timed anyone. If you say yes, I will do my best to make you happy!”

She looked at him under half-lidded eyes. “Oh, Sain, I never…” She licked her lips nervously. “I never thought you might be serious!”

“One chance is all I ask,” he insisted, kissing her cheek. “Just one. When Kent and Lady Lyndis leave for the plains, we can go off together, with them, perhaps, if you’d like to see a new place! Or we can go somewhere else, just the two of us, and make a life for ourselves. What do you say?”

A moment of silence passed, and he felt his heart thudding in his chest painfully.

“O… Of course, Sain, of course. Where else will you find a woman as gorgeous as I am willing to stand by your side?”

“Certainly nowhere!” he agreed, pressing his lips against hers eagerly, though he was still gentle about it. “Will you come with me to Caelin to pass the time, or will you go back to Ostia until then? I do hope that you won’t find a man more charming than myself!”

“Never!” She gasped delightedly, giggling a little before she kissed him back and pulled away. “Mm, now don’t tell anyone about this, Sir Sain. Vows of chastity, you know?”

“We haven’t done anything wrong,” he said, pinching her nose softly. “We can wait, can’t we? Neither of us is so immature that we cannot wait for such a short period of time!”

“Well, you are right about that. I took those vows of chastity to help people,” she whispered, smiling lightly. “And now that I’ve helped to save the world, I suppose I don’t need them anymore.”

“And I’ve waited my whole life,” he said. “I can wait a little longer, though certainly we’ll both be happy, even before we are married. Do you think so, too?”

“Mm, now I think that Lady Lyn knew what she was doing when she made her decision,” she told him, rubbing her nose against his. “If that partner of yours is as eager to please as you are, I suppose I can’t blame her one bit for taking him over the others!”

“Oh, now you are falling for my friend?” he teased, biting at her nose playfully. “I am certainly the more eloquent of the two of us, and I am exceedingly more fun to boot!”

“And more handsome.” She swatted at him a little before she pulled away and stood up. “Now, really Sain, you need to leave! It won’t do at all for my husband-to-be to see me looking like this! I’m such a mess right now. And do not let me forget to inform Lord Hector of this new change in plans!”

“Oh?” He stood up next to her and wrapped his arms around her in a loose hug, careful not to squeeze too hard lest his armor bruise her by pressing into her skin too much.

“I’ll go to Caelin with you,” she informed him, hugging him back. “After all, as personal vassal to Lady Lyndis, I’ll be just as important, if not more so, than I am in Ostia! There aren’t many healers in Caelin, are there, Sain? I didn’t think so… But when the time comes, I’ll go with you.”

“Anywhere?”

“Anywhere. Well, not the Dread Isle… do not even think about taking me back to that despicable place!”

He chuckled. “Certainly not, sweetheart. I want you to be happy.”

She stopped and held him tighter, squeezing as hard as her arms would allow her to. “And that makes me happy,” she admitted. “Very happy.”

…xOx…

Author Notes:

Sain/Serra? Oh my! I’ve never really written them before, so this was something a little bit different for me. This was supposed to have taken place, obviously, after their A Support and post-game. Uhm…not much else to say. I hope you enjoyed it, though, so feel free to review and let me know what you thought.

Up Next: "Not a Conspiracy"
Theme #12: Finding Treasure