Chapter 22: Solo (Script)

This content was originally provided by Generic Officer.

Main Story

Before battle

Narration
Overcoming many hardhsips,  Ike and company finally arrive in theDaein capital of Nevassa. However, much to their dismay, King Ashnard is nowhere to be found. According to intellegence reports,  the king is in Crimea's capital of Melior, preparing to wage war against Gallia. In addition, at least half of the Daein army, including its most elite forces, remain unharmed and at his side. The Crimean army is again forced to march. This time, however, the battlefield will be their own homeland. Eagerly awaiting their arrival is a Daein army more powerful than anything they have faced so far. This fact, coupled with Nasir's act of betrayal, has filled Ike with apprehension and disappointment. Yet, it is then, when all hope seems faint, that unexpected good news arrives.

Bengion Soldier
General Ike! Sir, reinforcements have arrived from Begnion!

Ike
Reinforcements? I haven't heard anything about this.


Ike
Have you, Princess Elincia?

Elincia
No, not a word.

Ike
Are you sure they're Begnion troops?

Bengion Soldier
Yes, sir! They fly Begnion's insignia. There can be no doubt of their authenticity. And the man in command is one of Begnion's most beloved heroes, General Zelgius! There's no mistaking him, sir!

Ike
Allow me to meet with him first.

Zelgius
I beg your pardon. Are you General Ike?

Ike
I am. And you are?

Zelgius
I am Zelgius, earl of Kadohl. I've been dispatched from Begnion with a battalion to support your army.

Ike
Your assistance is much appreciated, but...This is very unexpected.

Zelgius
I understand your surprise. For Begnion's imperial senate, this decision was made with unusual haste.

Ike
I imagine so. It took forever just to get the soldiers I have now.

Zelgius
Well, there's a reason behind this expedited decision. Duke Persis has returned home.

Ike
Do you mean Sephiran?

Zelgius
Correct. Duke Persis is also senior statesman of the imperial senate. The duke returned from his travels and began working immediately to settle pressing affairs of state. First, he met with the apostle, and they exchanged reports on both foreign and domestic matters. Then they discussed Begnion's position in relation to the current conflict, and possible courses of action. In less than half a day, they brought the entire imperial senate into line and sent us here to you.

Ike
...So you're saying that Begnion has allied itself with Crimea. Is that it?

Zelgius
That's it exactly. I am at your service, General Ike.

Ike
Oh... Um...wow. Thank you.

Zelgius
Now then, please tell me what you would have my men do. I'm ordered to help in any way possible.

Ike
Um... You've caught me off guard. I can't think of anything right now.

Zelgius
In that case, do I have permission to make camp around the palace and rest my troops?

Ike
Yes, please do. That's no problem.

Zelgius
Thank you. Please do not hesitate to call if you have need of us. We are at your disposal.

Titania
Begnion reinforcements... That was unexpected, wasn't it?

Ike
It certainly was! It seems the apostle and Sephiran did the impossible by getting them to us.

Elincia
All for our little army... It's hard to believe they would go to all this trouble.

Titania
First we take Daein's capital, and now this. Things are looking up.

Ike
You're right. Even if we don't receive help from Gallia, we still may be able to defeat Ashnard.

Elincia
That's true. It's...like a dream.

Soren
I have to disagree.

Titania
Oh, look. Soren is upset again. Who knew?! What is it this time?

Soren
If the Crimean army is not the crux of Daein's defeat, this war means nothing.

Titania
What does that have to do with the arrival of these reinforcements?

Soren
The battalion that just arrived is greater in numbers than the one we originally received. Not only that, but all of these soldiers are marching under Begnion's name.

Ike
So?

Soren
So... If these reinforcements are responsible for defeating King Daein, what do you think will happen? That achievement, the very victory itself, will belong to the Begnion Empire. Not to Crimea. If that happens, Crimea will be rebuilt however Begnion sees fit, and Princess Elincia will be a mere figurehead. And then, the deeds of an unknown mercenary company will be expertly covered up. We'll receive some paltry sum of money and be swept under a rug somewhere. Mark my words.

Elincia
Soren, you're being so rude! Surely the apostle, of all people, would never do such a thing!

Ike
And this General Zelgius seems sincere enough to me.

Titania
Come, Soren. I have heard of situations like that which you describe, but whether this is such a case... We've been fortunate to receive this good will. Must we always search for such ulterior motives?

Soren
Yes! We must! Have you forgotten Nasir?! It's that sort of naive attitude that allowed him to remain undetected for so long! You people don't seem to get it. We are at WAR! All doubts, no matter how small, must be extinguished. If they aren't, we could well be ignoring something that will lead to our defeat. Or to our death.

Titania
...

Elincia
...

Ike
Let's take Soren's comments under consideration and discuss this at length. We meet in one hour.

Exit base

Zelgius
So you're going to lead a small unit out on a survey mission?

Ike
Yes, that's the plan. However...Though we've taken the castle, there are still pockets of Daein resistance. It's possible they may try to mount an attack and retake the palace. I want
you to be in charge of the watch.

Zelgius
That is, of course, not a problem. However, you're taking the princess along. Don't you think it would be safer to take more troops? Even if we split our battalion, we have enough men to handle both tasks.

Ike
I'm just not used to moving around with such a large group. And for this mission... I'd like to keep the number of people involved as low as possible.

Zelgius
It's not that I don't understand how you feel, but...we will compromise.

Ike
You know, for someone from Begnion, you're pretty flexible. It speeds things up considerably.

Zelgius
To be a soldier, one must be able to quickly adapt to circumstances around him.

Ike
All right. We'll be back later.

Zelgius
Take care.

Reyson was recruited and is alive

Reyson was recruited and is alive

Ike
This is the place Nasir mentioned.  Palmeni Temple. I hope whatever he was trying to tell me will become clear once we get inside and look around.

Elincia
I still can't believe Nasir was on Daein's side... I just can't. And he let that dragon girl get away... Although I'm sure he had reasons for that, as well.

Mist
I wonder... Was it really Nasir? Although, besides my family, the only people I showed the medallion to were Titania, Princess Elincia, and Nasir... I thought I could trust him... I really did. Why? Why did he do it?

Elincia
Mist...

Ike
Thinking about the past isn't going to help. Let's take a look at this temple.

Ike
Here we are. This is Palmeni Temple.

Reyson was killed

Reyson was killed

Mist
Ike! Look! There's a big white bird on top of the roof! Wait, is that...?

Ike
Yep. It looks like he's spotted us. Here he comes.

Reyson
......Ugh!

Mist
Reyson!

Ike
What happened? I thought you'd gone to Phoenicis to have your wounds taken care of.

Reyson
I'm not truly sure I understand what's happening. I felt like something was calling me here. No... That's not right. I wasn't called... I picked up a very strong thought that said
"Palmeni Temple." Even though I've never been here, I knew exactly what it looked like...And where to find it, as well. I was beginning to suspect that someone had led me here. And now, your arrival would seem to confirm it.

Ike
It appears this place harbors many secrets...Let's go inside.

Reyson was not recruited

Reyson was not recruited

Ike
Here we are. This is Palmeni Temple.

Mist
Ike! Look! There's a big white bird on top of the roof! Wait, is that...?

Ike
Yep. It looks like he's spotted us. Here he comes.

Reyson
Ike! Mist! It's been quite a while, hasn't it?

Mist
Reyson!

Ike
What are you doing here? I thought you'd gone back to Phoenicis with the hawk king and Leanne.

Reyson

I had... But then I suddenly felt as if someone was calling me. No... That's not right. I wasn't called...I picked up a very strong thought that said "Palmeni Temple." Even though I've never been here, I knew exactly what it looked like...And where to find it, as well. I was beginning to suspect that someone had led me here. And now, your arrival would seem to confirm it.

Ike
You came by yourself?

Reyson
Tibarn and the others were on patrol, and Leanne was sleeping. I think I can fly off on my own for a while.

Ike
Well, you can't fight, so I'd question your decision to come to Daein on your own.

Reyson
Why? We heard from Gallia that you'd captured the capital. This territory's under your control, isn't it? I should be safe here.

Ike
We haven't conquered the whole country. There are still many Daein soldiers traveling about.

Reyson
Well, I didn't transform until I found you. So as you can imagine, I was safe all along.

Ike
All I can imagine are your guardians flying here in a blind panic.

Mist
Me, too.

Reyson
Mmm... What's done is done. I will apologize later.

Ike
We're going to investigate this place. Why don't you go ahead and return to Phoenicis.

Reyson
No, I've come this far, I want to see who or what guided me here. You'll let me come, won't you?

Mist
That would be all right, wouldn't it, Ike?

Ike
I suppose so. There's something I wish to discuss with Reyson anyway. It's settled. Let's go in.

Conversation continues

Schaeferr
What did you say? The Crimean army is here?

Tomenami
They want to investigate the temple. What should I tell them?

Schaeferr
Crud! This ain't good. I don't know what they're after, but if they find us mercenaries who sided with Daein, they'll wipe us out!

Tomenami
It is all the will of the goddess. Resign yourself to your fate... Accept it.

Schaeferr
Bat dung! No one's gonna roll over and die! Dying's for sissies! So tell me, how many are there?

Tomenami
There appears to be ten or so, including the women.
Schaeferr
Gahar har har! That's good news!

Tomenami
It is?

Schaeferr
If that's the lot of them, we can take care of this on our own. It'll be like stealin' a baby from the cradle! Right, then, here's the plan. Pretend like you wanna help 'em, then lead 'em inside. And listen good! You'd best not whisper a word about us being here! Or else...Kkkkccchhhhh!

Tomenami
B-but I couldn't... What you ask is beyond me--

Schaeferr
KKKKCCCCHHHHH!!! Don't forget, we've got all the other priests under our control. Unless you want 'em to meet the goddess early, do as you're told!

Ike
All right, we'd like to take a look around. Please show us each room.

Tomenami
Um...very well... Th-th-this...is...Er... A v-very large room... Um...

Ike
Are you all right? Why are you shaking like that?

Tomenami
Oh, Goddess... Please...forgive me...

Ike
It's a trap!

Schaeferr
Gahar har har har! You did it!

Tomenami
Please...forgive me...

Ike
I thought something like this might happen.

Schaeferr
I don't know how you got wind of us, but showing up in such a small group means you're outta luck! None of ya are gettin' outta here alive!

Ike
We've just fought our way to the Daein capital. You're not even going to slow us down!

Schaeferr
Cocky, ain't ya? But who said this was gonna be a fair fight?

Tomenami
Eh?

Tomenami
What, what are you doing?

Schaeferr
Hey! Bring out the others!

Schaeferr
You fools are gonna be our shields.

Tomenami
What?

Schaeferr
Gahar har har! Gahar har har har! See? You ain't so useless after all!

Ike
You filthy dogs! Those are innocent people! You can't...

Tomenami
Oh...mercy... Please help me...

Schaeferr
Hey! If ya don't want them perty robes of yours to turn red, you'll attack these scum! If ya even think about betraying us, I'll kill every one of ya!

Tomenami
B-but...you can't......Crimeans, please... Forgive us...We cannot allow our brothers to die.

Ike
This cowardice will not stand! These priests are being made to fight against their will. We've got to try and save as many of them as possible! Let's go!


Schaeferr is attacked

Schaeferr
Hey, robes! If I get so much as scratched, you better get to healing!

Schaeferr is killed

Schaeferr
...Gwaar... Haaaarr... Haaaaaa...Shoulda brought...more priests...Or some...babies... Dang...

Tomenami is killed

Tomenami

If this is punishment for betraying the gods... Let us accept it.

After battle

After battle

Tomenami was killed

Daein Bishop
Thank you very much. I never imagined that we would be rescued by soldiers of an enemy nation.

Ike
There was no way we'd cut down innocent priests being forced to fight against their wills. And yet, we were not able to save everyone...

Daein Bishop
Peace, my lord. We were expecting to be killed at once. Yet somehow you rescued so many of us...I'm sure that even our departed Bishop Tomenami is grateful for your aid.

Elincia
Father, we bear no ill will toward the kingdom of Daein itself. We wish only to reclaim the homeland which was unjustly taken from us. That is the reason we fight. We had no desire to invade this land. If nothing else, please believe that.

Daein Bishop
I beg your pardon. May I have the favor of your name?

Elincia
Elincia Ridell Crimea. I'm the sole survivor of the Crimean royal family.

Daein Bishop
Oh! You... Let us give thanks that you are alive and well! And please, I beg your understanding as well. There are many Daeins who do not support the king's actions.

Elincia
I understand.

Ike
...

Tomenami is alive but killed one of his units

Tomenami
Thank you very much. I never imagined that we would be rescued by soldiers of an enemy nation.

Ike
There was no way we'd cut down innocent priests being forced to fight against their wills. And yet, we were not able to save everyone...

Tomenami
Peace, my lord. We were expecting to be killed at once. And yet you rescued so many of us...

Elincia
Father, we bear no ill will toward the kingdom of Daein itself. We wish only to reclaim the homeland which was unjustly taken from us. That is the reason we fight. We had no desire to invade this land. If nothing else, please believe that.

Tomenami
I beg your pardon. May I have the favor of your name?

Elincia
Elincia Ridell Crimea. I'm the sole survivor of the Crimean royal family.

Tomenami
Oh! You... Let us give thanks that you are alive and well! And please, I beg your understanding as well. There are many Daeins who do not support the king's actions.

Elincia
I understand.

Ike
...

All of Tomenai's units survived


Tomenami
Thank you very much. I never imagined that we would be rescued by soldiers of an enemy nation.

Ike
There was no way we'd cut down innocent priests being forced to fight against their wills.

Elincia
Father, we bear no ill will toward the kingdom of Daein itself. We wish only to reclaim the homeland which was unjustly taken from us. That is the reason we fight. We had no desire to invade this land. If nothing else, please believe that.

Tomenami
I beg your pardon. May I have the favor of your name?

Elincia
Elincia Ridell Crimea. I'm the sole survivor of the Crimean royal family.

Tomenami
Oh! You... Let us give thanks that you are alive and well! And please, I beg your understanding as well. There are many Daeins who do not support the king's actions.

Elincia
I understand.

Ike
...

Tomenami
My young general, this is for you.

Ike
Huh?

Tomenami
As thanks for saving our lives.


All of Tomenami's units were killed

Ike
In the end, we were unable to save even one of them...

Elincia
My lord Ike... I know that we bear no ill will toward the kingdom of Daein itself. We wish only to reclaim the homeland which was unjustly taken from us. That is the reason we fight. Yet...to this end... The sacrifices we have witnessed...

Ike
This is a battle of life and death. If we are attacked, we must act in kind or be killed--no matter the circumstances. That is the essence of war.

Elincia
I will harden my heart and grow stronger. I am the defender of the realm. I am the daughter of House Crimea!

Ike
Yes. To gain something desired, there is always a price to be paid.

Conversation continues

Reyson is alive or wasn't recruited

Reyson is alive or wasn't recruited

Ike
Now it's time to search this place.

Elincia
My lord Ike. May I join you?

Ike
Sure, why not? Everyone's lending a--

Mist
Ike! Ike! Where are you?

Ike
Mist? I'm over here.

Mist
Ike! This way! Quickly! Reyson's in trouble!

Ike
What?

Reyson was killed

Reyson was killed

Ike
Now to search each room, one by one.

Elincia
My lord Ike. May I join you?

Ike
Sure, why not. Everyone's lending a--

Ike
Reyson? Your wound looks pretty bad. If you keep moving around, it's just going to get worse.

Reyson
Something...is calling me. Is it that way?

Ike
Mist! I'm over here.

Mist
Ike! Quickly! This way! Reyson's in trouble!!

Ike
What?

Conversation continues

Reyson is alive or wasn't recruited

Ike
Reyson? What is it?

Reyson
...

Mist
He's been like this from the moment he set foot in this room. He's just staring at the walls.

Reyson was killed

Ike
Reyson! You've taken a terrible wound...What do you think you're doing?

Reyson
...

Ike
Reyson?

Mist
He's been like this from the moment he set foot in this room. He's just staring at the walls.

Ike
What is all this?

Elincia
Every wall has the same pattern on it.

Soren
It's not a pattern. It's an ancient language. All chants and spells in magic scrolls are written thusly.

Ike
Can you read it, Soren?

Soren
Some, but not all. Spells are simple, whereas this is a complex narrative. I think Prince Reyson could read it.

Ike
I bet this is the same language that Leanne was speaking.

Soren
It is. It's the Serenes' language...Their chants are all in this language, too.

Mist
So Reyson is reading what's written on the walls?

Titania
It appears that way...

Ike
Shall we leave him be? There's a lot of writing here. This could take hours.

Elincia
I think that's a good idea.

Soren
Ike!

Ike
What is it?

Soren
From what I could gather, I think a person was locked in this room sometime in the past.

Ike
...You don't know who it was, do you?

Soren
I wasn't able to read enough of the writing, but... I found this under the bed.

Ike
Is this...?

Soren
I think it may have belonged to whoever was imprisoned in this room.

Ike
...

Reyson
I apologize. I took up much of your time.

Ike
Reyson, you don't look so good. Why don't you rest for a bit?

Reyson
No, I'm fine. It's more important that we talk.

Ike
About the owner of this feather?

Reyson
...Was it in that room?

Ike
Soren found it. Whose was it?

Reyson
Lillia... My older sister. The writing on the walls is hers.

Elincia
...You have an older sister, too?

Ike
Will you tell us about it?

Reyson
She was kidnapped twenty years ago, on the night of the Serenes Massacre. I...I thought that Lillia had been murdered along with my other brothers and sisters. I believed that until today...

Ike
Who took her?

Reyson
The walls say only that he was a large human. She probably never knew who it was. He thrust a clan treasure at her and demanded that she use her magic to revive the thing sealed inside it. He exhorted her again and again, but to no avail. Lillia refused his request every time...because she did not possess that power.

Elincia
Someone wanted to revive the dark god...

Reyson
Shortly after she was brought here, Lillia fell ill and collapsed. I'm not surprised...it was a terrible time... She was imprisoned in that tiny room with no view of earth or sky...

Mist
Oh, that's awf...sniff.........sniff...

Titania
Mist...

Mist
I'm sorry...I just feel...so sad for Lillia...and for...for Reyson, too...

Reyson
I beg your pardon. Let me continue. A young beorc began coming to the room to care for Lillia. She had bluish hair and blue eyes...And her heart was unusually pure for a beorc. In time, Lillia and she came to be friends, and shared a mutual trust.

Mist
Ah!

Ike
...

Reyson
Lillia decided to entrust her hopes to the woman. They shared no common language, so it took some time. But eventually, the beorc woman understood what it was Lillia wanted... Which was to take the treasure and the song...and flee this temple.

Mist
B-Brother!

Ike
Was there anything else written about this beorc woman? A name, perhaps...

Reyson
(Elena....) Translated into our language, it was probably Elena.

Mist
I knew it! Mother! It was our mother!

Reyson
What?

Elincia
Are, are you sure?

Ike
Our mother's name was Elena. Like me, her hair was blue...as were her eyes. Reyson, the object you refer to as your clan treasure was an aged, bronze medallion, wasn't it?

Reyson
How... How did you know that?

Ike
The medallion became my mother's keepsake. The song, too... My parents both gave their lives to protect it.

Reyson
Ike! You and Mist are Elena's children? Then Lehran's Medallion is here?

Mist
Um...

Ike
The medallion was stolen. Probably by Daein.

Reyson
It can't... This is...unbelievable. Can a thing like this be chance?

Ike
To be honest, I don't fully understand all that's happened. But...it all makes sense. It all comes together...

Reyson
Ah!

Elincia
Mist...That's the song that... But...the melody's a little different, isn't it?

Ike
It's similar to the song Reyson and Leanne sang in the forest. My mother used to sing it as a lullaby.

Reyson
It is the song of release. The one Lillia entrusted to Elena.

Mist
B-but...I wore the medallion and sang that song almost every single night! And nothing ever happened.

Reyson
The magical effect of the song is awakened by the power of the singer. ...It can't be unleashed by just anyone. The true song of release can only be sung by a girl named Altina...Lillia wanted your mother to take the melody to Altina and return the medallion to its rightful place in Serenes Forest.

Ike
The story's becoming clearer and clearer. My father fled Daein to protect my mother, who was carrying the amulet.

Titania
Ike? How did you know--

Ike
Volke told me. He told me about my father's past, and the amulet, and the dark god, too.

Titania
So you know everything...

Reyson
King Ashnard took Lillia, didn't he?

Ike
That would be the final piece of the puzzle. After all, the man who found my father was the king's henchman.

Titania
Ike! Are you saying you know who killed Commander Greil? You never said anything about that! We all thought his murderer was unknown... Why didn't you say anything?

Ike
...I don't know. I never felt like talking about it.

Titania
He was a Daein soldier, wasn't he? Who was it? Who was the man who killed Commander Greil?

Ike
...

Titania
IKE!! TELL ME!!

Soren
Can we discuss this later?

Ike
...

Titania
...Oh... Yes... Yes. Of course.

Soren
Up to this point, we've all been fighting for the liberation of Crimea. Even if we now add to that stopping the dark god from being released and punishing Commander Greil's killer... Our enemy remains unchanged. King Daein and his henchman are the ones we must defeat.

Elincia
It's mysterious, isn't it? I mean, Reyson said the same thing earlier, but... Could all of this really be mere coincidence? The fall of Crimea... Ike's parents... The death of Reyson's sister... The fact that everything leads back to Daein...

Reyson

If true, it changes the meaning behind this war... The treatment of Lillia is one thing but...The assassination of the former apostle? The framing and destruction of my nation? If it was all part of Daein's plan to steal the medallion and the song, then I...I... The reason I fight...

Ike
...

Reyson was killed
Ike
The story's becoming clearer and clearer. My father fled Daein to protect my mother, who was carrying the amulet.

Titania
Ike? How did you know--

Ike
Volke told me. He told me about my father's past, and the amulet, and the dark god, too.

Titania
So you know everything...

Reyson
King Ashnard took Lillia, didn't he?

Ike
That would be the final piece of the puzzle. After all, the man who found my father was the king's henchman.

Titania
Ike! Are you saying you know who killed Commander Greil? You never said anything about that! We all thought his murderer was unknown... Why didn't you say anything?

Ike
...I don't know. I never felt like talking about it.

Titania
He was a Daein soldier, wasn't he? Who was it? Who was the man who killed Commander Greil?

Ike
...

Titania
IKE!! TELL ME!!

Soren
Can we discuss this later?

Ike
...

Titania
...Oh... Yes... Yes. Of course.

Soren
Up to this point, we've all been fighting for the liberation of Crimea. Even if we now add to that stopping the dark god from being released and punishing Commander Greil's killer... Our enemy remains unchanged. King Daein and his henchman are the ones we must defeat.

Elincia
It's mysterious, isn't it? I mean, Reyson said the same thing earlier, but... Could all of this really be mere coincidence? The fall of Crimea... Ike's parents... The death of Reyson's sister... The fact that everything leads back to Daein...

Reyson
If true, it changes the meaning behind this war...The treatment of Lillia is one thing but...The assassination of the former apostle? The framing and destruction of my nation? If it was all part of Daein's plan to steal the medallion and the song, then I...I...

Ike
Reyson.

Reyson
Please, Ike. Allow me to go with you. I... I must confirm the truth of this!

Ike
No matter what happens, you must promise to stay off the battlefield. If you do that, then I say yes.

Reyson
Understood. I will stand by my word.

Ike
...

Base Conversations

Youth

Jorge
Hey, Ike! Er... General Ike! Wait up! Say, if there's an enemy in my way, but I don't want to kill him, what do you think I should do?

Ike
...Is this about that stupid game again?

Jorge
Well, it's all your fault! You had to go and tutor Daniel, and now I've been on this losing streak!

Ike
Tutor? You mean back when we were onboard the ship? It was just one hint!

Jorge
Daniel isn't like me! He's smart. I'm the one who thought up this game, but he's the one who's getting better and better. I hardly ever win anymore!

Ike
Instead of playing that game, why don't you try some real combat?

Jorge
Stop joking around. We're happy-go-lucky traveling merchants. We don't know anything about fighting.

Ike
Give me a break! It's nice you're having fun and all, but please... Can you save your stupid game for someone who's not fighting for their life day in and day out?

Jorge
Well, what do you expect? Everything's war, war, war, and there's no place for us. All we can do is play this game. Sorry... I'll just go lose again...

Ike
Oh, for heaven's sake...Look, if there's an opponent you don't want to kill, just shove him out of the way. Then you don't have to fight him.

Jorge
Huh? Oh, t-thanks. ...Um...You know, we are what we are, but we'll be with you till the end. I hope we can continue to be of service. All right?

Ike
Yeah, thanks. Sorry for being so irritable.

Jorge
That's all right. I know how much stress you've been under.

Ike
...

Sothe

Sothe ...

Ike Something on your mind?

Sothe

Oh, Commander Ike! Oops! I guess I'm supposed to call you General now, huh?

Ike Commander's fine. So what's going on? Are you thinking about that person you were looking for?

Sothe That's...all settled. Actually, no... it's not really settled. It's just...I figured that worrying about it all the time wasn't doing me any good. I turned over every rock in Begnion during my search, but... It's just easier to assume that everything's going well...somewhere...

Ike
 Well, as long as you're happy, I won't say a word. So...what were you thinking about then?

Sothe
I...I didn't say anything before, but Daein is my homeland.

Ike
Is that so? Sothe Yeah. Until a few years back, I lived in the slums of Nevassa and stole for a living.

Ike ...

Sothe
So anyway, I went back to my old stomping grounds and saw some friends. The rest of the city's empty, but they're still here. They've got no other place to go, you know?

Ike
And what did they have to say?

Sothe
Every one was mad that Crimea had won. They said if the king had been here, there's no way they would've been defeated. It's so weird. Until now, all they had ever done was complain about this place.

Ike
I see.
Sothe
You know, Ashnard wasn't such a bad king. At least, as far as we could see. If you were strong enough, you could rise up and become a knight one day. You could escape the filthy slums. He was the only king who ever gave us that chance. That hope.

Ike
...
Sothe
Don't get me wrong. I don't mind fighting with all of you. But still, seeing your homeland scarred and trampled like this is tough. I'm sorry. I know Crimea is suffering in the same way, but... I can't change how I feel.

Ike
...