Okay, my first one-shot story, and chances are that it will be a long one since I'm used to writing long stories. This is probably also my first Fire Emblem fic, and I only have FE Radiant Dawn and not Path of Radiance, so if something is messed up please forgive me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem.

Nevassa woke when dawn's first light peeked in through it's windows and stirred the people into wakefullness, and soon it became swiftly crowed again, as it had before. Merchants stood at their stalls, bellowing out for buyers; customers bypassed and stopped at stalls to their liking; children ran through the alleys while their mothers called for them; orphans and homeless people sat at the streets, their hands cupped out to beg; horses pulled at carts loaded with goods from trading and men walked to their places to work. To put it bluntly, everyone was doing what they did all the time.

A young man dressed in a grey coat stopped at a bakery stall by the inn. Everyone was bustling through the streets and shoving past him as they rushed to catch up with their schedule. The baker, a tubby man with a bushy mustache, smiled up at him.

" Well young sir! What can ol' Tom 'ere do fer ye? I've got the best baked goods ye could ever find in Nevassa, ye see."

" Yes, my nose certainly tells me," the young man replied, receiving a hearty laugh from Tom the baker. He let his nose guide him and he ended up asking for the price of a breakfast bun. Just as he handed over the money and reached over to grab it, a skinny hand shot out from behind the stall and snatched it up.

Sothe sped away as he heard the outraged shout of the baker and angry cry of the customer. He ducked and weaved through the crowd deftly, his size and speed an advantage. A large hand shot out to grab him, but he expertly dodged it and ran on. He could hear footsteps running behind to catch up, and he just caught the baker's voice, " Get that boy, I tell ye! Get 'im!"

His breath came faster and faster as he pushed himself forward. Sothe quickly turned into an alley and stopped, trying to quiet his breathing and hoping they couldn't hear his heart pounding painfully against his ribs. For a few minutes there was no sign of them, and Sothe sighed in relief.

That was close, he thought, and continued down the alley. He stepped out, and froze when he saw who was standing right in front of him.

" Look, here's the kid! Grab him!"

Sothe spun around and ran as fast as he could, and unfortunately there wasn't as much of a crowd in this street. The men were gaining on him, and he was getting exhausted. Just as he thought he was done for, he came to an alley with a sewage drain in the ground. Desperate, he threw off the lid, dove in and carefully placed the lid back on.

The men walked right over top of the sewage drain, causing sand and grit and to fall on Sothe as he sat, curled up, in the sewage drain.

" We've lost him," he heard a man grumble. Someone chewed frustratedly on his cigar, and some sparks fell and landed on Sothe's cheek. Sothe bit his lip as the cinder burned his skin. Tom's voice growled, " Let's turn back. The boy is bound to show up for more when he's desperate. Then we'll nab him and hand him over to the Daein Royal Guards. They'll know what to do."

" Huh, I hope so," another man grunted, then they all walked away, their footsteps dwindling slowly away. Even after that, Sothe stayed in the sewer for another fifteen minutes before he lifted the lid off. He jumped up and struggled to pull himself up, but he was tired, and suddenly the bread slipped from his grasp.

" Oh no!" Sothe moaned as the bread fell back into the sewer and dropped with a splash in the shallow grimy water. Despodent, Sothe went back down and picked up the soggy bread before climbing out. He sat on the dusty ground, staring at his only would-be meal he would've had in four days. His stomach grumbled, but it was no use now. Angry, he threw the bread to the ground and stood up, stomping on it till it was a smushy pale pile. Sothe felt a small tear fall down his cheek, and winced as it touched his burned skin. That was when he heard the chirp.

Sothe looked up and saw an orange bird standing beside him, about the size of a chickadee. It chirped again at him happily.

" What do you want?" Sothe spat in disgust. He turned away, but the bird hopped closer to him, staring. Sothe told it, " Get lost, bird!"

When the orange bird didn't do anything, Sothe shouted, " Get LOST!" He kicked at it and just barely missed it as it flew away, twittering sadly. Sothe suddenly felt terrible for sending it away, as he felt a terrible loneliness claw at his chest.

Sothe ran after it. " Wait!" he cried. The orange bird turned a corner and Sothe ran around. Then he stopped.

The bird had led him to a deserted area of Nevassa. It looked like an old courtyard, with a dry and old fountain in the middle. And on the fountain a girl sat.

Sothe found her mesmerizing. She wore a plain gray cloak and had silver hair, part of it tied back with a blue ribbon. She held out her hand to the orange bird, and it tweeted happily and landed on it. The girl was humming some sort of song, and she stopped abruptly and turned, looking back at him.

Their eyes locked for a moment, and it took a while for Sothe to realize that she was looking straight at him. She held out her hand and said quietly, " Hello there."

Like a startled animal, Sothe staggered backward. The girl stood and stepped closer, smiling, her hand held out still. " Don't worry," she said kindly. " I won't hurt you."

Sothe flinched backward again as she stepped closer, and finally he turned and ran. The girl cried out, " Wait!"

But he didn't wait. He ran.

Staring, Micaiah couldn't believe what had happened. He had run away, no matter how much kindness she tried to show him. And he acted more like a scared animal than the rough boys she usually met on the streets. Sighing, she sat back down on the fountain.

" Well, it seems I won't being seeing him again soon," she murmured. " Do you know him Yune?"

Yune chirped, which she took as a yes. Micaiah fiddled with her ribbon for a little and stood. " I think we should be on our way," she announced. " It'll be lunch time soon."

But as she walked back to the more populated area of Nevassa, her thoughts continued to skitter back to the boy. As soon as she saw him, she knew he would need help. He was so skinny, so skinny that even one like her, being so thin herself, maybe more often described as delicate, might be able to snap his arm like a twig. And he looked starved.

I need to find him, she thought, worried. He could be starving half to death now, and he may get ill. Someone needs to look after him.

Another part of her told her not to trouble over a simple street boy. She had seen enough of them around Nevassa, and even a few females, and they all took care of themselves easily enough. Micaiah walked around the rest of the city, trying to push thought of the boy out of her head, but he kept coming back to her mind, haunting her with that gaunt, frightened face.

Later that day, when night fell...

The people of Nevassa retreated to their homes, and as quickly as they had awakened to the day. Micaiah strode to the small shop where she made her home. It was small, with only two rooms, but it served her well enough. He job was a fortune-teller, and some people come to her for her stange gift to heal on contact with her hand. Some have even known her as the "Silver-Haired Maiden". Micaiah didn't mind, and the life of a fortune-teller and healer supported her enough to live.

Micaiah threw off her cloak entered the small door to the other room, which served as her quarters. It had only a bed and a small table with two drawers, just barely fitting the room. Micaiah lay down on the bed, while Yune landed on the small perch beside her.

After a long silence Micaiah said, " Do you suppose the boy has a place to sleep tonight?" Yune twittered unhappily. Micaiah sighed and shook her head. " I shouldn't think about it. He'll be fine." Then she closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

She was in a dark, cold alley. The clouds obscured the moon, and the only light that came was from the dimming torches and windows of homes, and even they began to fade.

" It's dark," Micaiah said aloud. " Please, can someone turn on the lights?" But the lights dimmed and dimmed till she was engulfed in black.

Micaiah walked around aimlessly, bumping into nothing. A voice came to her from ahead, " Help me, lady!"

She began to walk faster. " Who's there?" she shouted. The boy she had met appeared, clear as daylight, but as gloomy as the thick night clouds itself.

" Lady, help!" he shouted to her. His legs trembled, and his lips quivered in fear and hunger. Micaiah held out her arms, and the boy ran towards her. Then he stopped dead, and turned around.

" Wait!" Micaiah cried, but the boys was running from her again, yelling words she didn't hear, and then he was gone.

Micaiah woke up with a jolt, gasping and sweating. She rubbed her face and was shocked to find it wet with tears. She stood up and dressed quickly, then turned to wake Yune.

But Yune was gone.

Sothe cursed under his breath as the basket on the table was lifted and carried, his hand just about to reach out to grab the sausage roll he found on it. Sighing, he retreated to a spot behind a shop and nibbled the chunk of bread an old lady had given to him, but he was so hungry he couldn't eat. He slipped the bread in his pocket and stood up, sulking through the alleys and taking a tiny bite of his meal now and then. He noticed a flash of orange speck the sky, and followed it, realizing it was the girl's bird.

That was when he saw the girl again. She was walking among the streets, being greeted with smiles and nods, and she smiled back, then she turned into an alley, where the orange bird came to her and she held out her hand for it to land. Sothe followed and stared at her, wondering why everyone seemed to be treating her like a savior.

Just then, a women carrying a child ran over to her. " Oh, ma'am, please, you must help me!"

The girl replied promptly, " What can I do for you, miss?"

The women knelt down and looked up at the silver-haired girl with desperate eyes. " My daughter is very ill, and I don't have enough money to pay for a doctor, so please help!"

The girl looked doubtful. " I am not sure..."

" But you are the Silver-Haired Maiden! I have heard about your fortune-telling and your miracles. Surely you can help. Please, save my daughter!"

Sothe thought that the little girl the women was holding really did look ill. She was pale, and her breathing was unsteady. Knowing the woman's daughter's life counted on what the girl would do, Sothe stepped out from his hiding place.

Micaiah looked up and saw Sothe standing there, staring at her, determined to let his expression do the talking. Nodding, Micaiah bent down and touched the girl's clammy cheek tenderly with her hand. A greenish-blue glow came, and the woman gasped. And all that time Sothe was giving Micaiah strength just by standing there.

As soon as Micaiah removed her hand, the girl opened her eyes, and colour returned to her cheeks. " Mama?" she asked. The woman cried out in relief and hugged her daughter close to her, standing up.

" Oh, thank you so much, thank you!" she sobbed, and Micaiah, looking tired and weak, just smiled and said, " You may go. You do not need to pay me."

Nodding and sobbing, the woman said her farewells and went away, smothering her daughter in kisses. Micaiah leaned against the wall and turned to where Sothe was standing.

" Hello," she said quietly, but she was sure he would run again. This time, he didn't. He approached her carefully, looking suspicious. Micaiah, almost thinking he was a wild animal, was careful not to make any sudden movements that may alarm him. He held out his thin hand carefully, and Micaiah took a hold of it, as tenderly as though she were handling a baby. He's so small... so thin... oh, now look, he's shaking...

And at that moment, Micaiah knew she couldn't let go after that.

" My name is Micaiah," she told him softly, "and I'm here to take care of you."

Sothe stared into those caring yellow eyes, and he saw his own destiny lying before him. For the first time in ages, he smiled.

" Sothe," he said. " My name is Sothe."

In the years gone by, Sothe and Micaiah travelled all of Tellius together, never parting each other's company. Then came a time when Micaiah thought their paths must part, and she was seperated from him for three years during the Mad King's war. They met again, later, in the very alley of Nevassa they met in, and promised each other to never seperate again. When Ashera was defeated and the pertrified people saved, Sothe and Micaiah returned to their homeland, marrying and becoming King and Queen of Daein.

And that, my friends, is their story.

FIN

Well, I hope you like my very first Fire Emblem story! I've been dying to do a story on the relationship between Micaiah and Sothe, and the idea of how they met struck me. I love the artwork in Radiant Dawn of Sothe holding Micaiah's hand, and it inspired me to write this. Please review, and I hope the story was okay!