#dignumrex

⚔️❤️ 🐉 

Things were quite different from what they’d been a year prior; both of them were less involved in the tournament that had brought them together and spent more time with theirs and the other’s family. Their relationship had evolved, too; they were effectively past the stage of infatuation and had somewhat learned to simply love one another, for better or worse. Things were never absolutely easy - in the past few weeks only, many sets of doubts and issues had surfaced, but they dealt with it. And what came of it all in the end was a simple idea of what Marth might offer his fiance for his birthday this time around.

Well… maybe simple was a bit of a stretch.

It had started with a subtle conversation with Mist, who had revealed Ike was in possession of a stuffed animal for most of his childhood, one that was very dear to him. The cleric then joked about being certain Ike was still deeply attached to it long after he stopped carrying it around everywhere.

Pulling a few more strings whenever he was at the fort gave him a very interesting lead; while looking to know more about this childhood plush, Marth learned one of the mercs had actually found it upon returning to their home-base years later; it was apparently one of the few objects that had somewhat survived the blaze Greil had ordered right before their departure. Then, supposedly, someone had chosen to bury it somewhere, rather than risk Ike finding it in its horrifying state and be further unsettled by their return to a home that no longer felt like one.

Therefore Marth had asked, and dug. It was a delicate operation, something he could only do when Ike was away and he wasn’t, which was a rare occurrence given that went against the point of his visit. And he had to set aside twice as much time just to put the ground back in place before the commander came back.

But he found it eventually; something that must have been a stuffed toy in a past life, although now ravaged by flames, soil, insects and time. Cleaning it up was not a task Marth enjoyed whatsoever, for he was disgusted from merely holding it in that state, but it turned out to be worth it. By the time he was done with it, Marth could almost guess what kind of animal it was supposed to represent.

The final bit had been the hardest: to find a way to spend a few days in the big towns of Daein - for Marth came to the conclusion that it was likely where the toy had been made in the first place - while still going under Ike’s radar. Soren’s help with it had been crucial, for he knew the land much better than Marth did and figured out how to proceed without waking suspicions.

And so within many hours within many days of searching, asking, and showing, the prince finally found the daughter of the artisan who had made the stuffed animal. She had taken over his business since, and agreed to restore it nearly to perfection - or at least, as well as she could remember the original. 

And there it laid, today, in a carefully wrapped box Marth had gone out of his way to fetch for his beloved as this special day was drawing to an end. Nothing nearly as stressful as the gift he’d offered a year prior, but he was admittedly still nervous Ike might not want to see it or even remember it. “It’s not… quite as significant as my last present,” he warned, for a lack of better word, handing Ike the box with hands as steady as he could get them. And settle for a soft kiss to his cheek, before pulling away to give him a bit of space. ”But I do hope it holds some meaning still. Happy birthday, love.”

The day had gone by like most others, with chores and errands to be had between everybody, but the others in the company still took the time to tell Ike happy birthday or to pass on a small gift. It was a nice, calm birthday, spent with his family – including Marth, who was able to join them in Crimea for a while to relax and celebrate with them.

There was one last gift to be had, apparently, as Marth offered him a box and a few words that made Ike really question what it could be. He took the gift carefully, feeling some of the tension in Marth’s body in the brief exchange.

“You did set the bar pretty high for yourself last year,” Ike remarked, the mercenary just able to return the soft kiss Marth gave him, his lips catching the corner of the other swordsman’s mouth before he could completely pull away. “But I’m sure this one will be just fine, Marth. You know me well, I doubt you could give me a bad gift if you tried,” he tried reassure his person, fingers working at the knotted twine that helped to keep the box’s lid secured.

The box itself felt pretty light, and Ike’s first guess was that it was clothing of some kind – perhaps a new cape? Whatever it was, he would appreciate the thought and effort Marth put into it; he didn’t have to give Ike anything just because it was birthday, but he always put so much into it.

Pulling the string free, Ike lifted the lid and set it down, reaching into the box and blinking a bit when his fingers brushed against something soft and fur-like in texture. Withdrawing the gift, Ike’s mouth parted in a slight O shape.

“Oh, wow...Marth, did someone..tell you I used to have a bear like this, or...?” his words trailed off when he brought the stout little stuffed closer for inspection, and the familiar scent of home hit him all of a sudden.

All words deserted him at that, his grip tightening on the bear as he stared into shiny button eyes.

The material was new, here and there. Some features, like the eyes, had obviously been replaced, but they looked no different than what he remembered of the treasured toy from his childhood.

Ike had had this little bear for as long as he could remember -- he remembered this toy, even when he couldn’t recall things about his own mother. It had always been by his side, even when he grew too old to tote it around anymore; the worn out stuffed toy had a place of honor at the small table just beside his bed. When Daein troops had surrounded the fort looking for Elincia all those years ago now, Ike had meant to grab it and stuff it into his pack, but ended up not having the time to go back to his room before Greil ordered them to leave, and set the fort aflame.

“I...I thought it had...burned with most everything else back then,” he eventually managed to stammer out, still in a bit of shock that this was that same bear, his bear.

Ike brought the toy close and buried his face into its soft, fluffed stomach, taking a slow, deep breath through his nose.

Smells like home...Like father, and...and home...

The corners of his mouth pulled down, but not in a frown or a scowl. The emotion of the gift hitting him almost like a punch to the gut.

Marth was right, this didn’t have the same feel or maybe even significance that Marth proposing -- offering himself -- had, but it was still a deeply meaningful gift, and one Ike knew must not have been easy to procure.

“How did...How did you...,” Ike faltered several times, his voice failing him; a chuckle mixed with embarrassment and sheer emotion escaping him instead of his questions of how Marth found out about the stuffed bear or how he even repaired it like this. “S-Sorry, this is...It’s...Getting like this over a toy, but...,” he cleared his throat, peeking up from the bear’s soft brown fur.

❛          ehhhh    —————    ?     what  do  you  mean  you  have  to  leave   ?     but  we  haven’t  even  had  our  tea  yet   .   .   .      can’t  you  ask  Ike  to  give  you   another   hour   ?          ❜

@a-healing-breeze @dignumrex @nowissparklies

This was a strange gathering if Soren had ever seen one. He still wasn’t sure how he’d been roped into this game, but in the spirit of social interaction he could avoid excusing himself until something went terribly bad.

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