So here's my shot at the "Ike's Quest' story. Have fun.

Disclaimer: No ownage of Fire Emblem. Don't sue me.

No one asked why he was leaving. No one had the nerve to. Ike, son of Greil, Vanguard of the Goddess, and savior of the known world. He had earned his right to do as he wished. If only everyone understood…

Vanguard of the Goddess

Prologue: Return to Life

The three brothers occupied the kitchen of the mercenary compound. Oscar stood cooking the mid-day meal for the company as Boyd steadily brought in more kindling for the stove. Tensions had been high since Ike left. Upon leaving, Ike appointed Mist to head the Greil Mercenaries until he returned. Soren still acted as tactician, and Tatiana stood by her side as war councilor and guardian.

Titania once asked Ike why he allowed one as inexperienced at leadership as Mist to lead the company, he simply replied, "I was just as inexperienced once...Besides, it's what my father would have wanted."

Soren accepted Ike's wish to travel away from the war-torn continent, but was hesitant to accept Mist as leader of the compound. Still, he supported Ike's decision out of respect for his long-time companion. He gave Mist what advice he felt she could fathom, which was limited at best.

Titania was torn with the thought of Ike leaving the continent, let alone the company. She knew his inhuman skills as a warrior and his father's blade garnished him with more than enough protection, but even the slightest thought of losing Greil's son brought her near to breaking again. She stood strong, despite this, and taught Mist the ways of war.

After learning of this new appointment, Shinnon went on another drinking binge, spoke his ill-trodden mind, and was dismissed from the company. No one stopped him. Ironically, his closest friend, Gatrie, packed his bags and forced him out when Shinnon unloaded his tasteless thoughts on Mist.

Gatrie stayed with the company until everyone was steady on their feet, and until the company's budget was comfortably set. The mercenaries stayed busy, as raids were frequent in the recovering continent. When he felt they were economically sound, he parted ways and made his way to Begnion, claiming the war with the goddess gave him more than enough excitement in his life, and he now chose to finally settle down and start a family. No one really believed him though.

Rhys gave Ike his blessing and his best wishes, believing in his heart his commander would find whatever he might be searching for. As for himself, Rhys stayed as priest to the company and as a much-needed cleric after the group's mercenary jobs, teaching Mist all he could of the arts of the staff and of what he knew of holy magic.

Mia kept her happy-go-lucky attitude until the end. She had one last sparring match with her boss, and made sure it was enough to quench her thirst for competition until she crossed paths with her commander again. Soon after Ike took his leave, Mia set upon her own path to find her white-clad rival. Even she didn't know where she was going, although she had always wanted to see the ocean…

We are left, then, with the three brothers. Oscar left his post with the Crimean army when he heard of Ike's voyage. He was most understanding of the matter, and asked no questions. He only gave a promise to his commander that he would protect Mist with his life.

Boyd made the same vow, but felt a bit deserted by his friend's sudden decision. He was angrier than the others about it, feeling he left his sister with too much on her shoulders, and the entire group with too much to worry about. No one knew what lay beyond the sea, if anything, and Ike's safe return was less then guaranteed.

Rolf kept to himself about the matter, feeling he was too young to give his voice. Soon after Ike left, his curiosity bested him…

"Did he give any reason why?" asked Rolf, his question breaking the now ever-present silence of the fort.

Oscar flinched at the question, as did Boyd. Oscar stopped his preparations and stood at the stove, staring out the kitchen window into nothingness. Eventually, he turned towards his brother with a smile on his face, set down his utensils and sat next to his sibling.

"Well, Rolf, he-"Oscars explanation was cut short by Boyd's anger;

"Nope, no explanation whatsoever. The bastard just said he needed a break. So the coward just left all of us here, alone, to rot! Not to mention, leaving his god-damned sister to-"

"Boyd, that's enough!" Oscar stood from his seat."If you can't control your anger in front of Rolf, then take it outside" Oscar pointed towards the door, anger now filling his own eyes.

Boyd stared his brother down for a while, then trudged off, letting a half-hearted "Whatever…" slip, along with a few curses under his breath, slamming the door shut on his way out.

The anger soon left Oscar's face. He sat back down, and pondered how he was going to ease his little brother's mind after that undesirable outburst.

"Ike has been through a lot lately. From finally avenging his father's death, to holding the fate of all humanity in his own hands. Ike very well may be the strongest man we will ever meet, but he's still human. If this is what he feels is best for his spirit, then I have no objections."

This placated Rolf, but not for long."Well, then why is Boyd so mad, when everyone else seems fine?" Rolf spoke low and slowly.

'Seems is the main word' Oscar thought to himself.

After some thinking, he felt content with a response; "Well, Rolf, different people have their way of dealing with certain things. Unfortunately, Boyd uses his anger to deal with emotional circumstances. He'll drop the attitude soon enough, so don't you worry too much about him."

Rolf let this sink in, but the uneasiness remained in his face. "…He's coming back, right?"

Oscar controlled the flinch this time, but couldn't think of anything to put his brother's mind at ease. He couldn't give him false hope forever. "Rolf... I don-"

"Of course he's coming back." Titania stood in the doorway with a look of content. "It's going to take more than the great sea to stop Greil's son."

"Really?" Rolf's eyes were once again hopeful.

"Yep, now why don't you go out and sharpen your skills. You'll want to be in top shape when the commander gets back, won't you now?"

"Uh-huh, I'll be the best sniper commander Ike has ever seen." With that, he rushed out the door.

'Well, that was easy enough' Titania still had a smile and a look of content about her.

Oscar sat on his stool, a bit perplexed. "Titania, than-"

"Your noodles are boiling over"

"Oh, my" Oscar was knocked out of his trance, and proceeded to finishing the companies lunch.

Titania remained in the doorway, hoping both the smile on her face, and the fortitude of the company would remain intact.

And here marks the end of chapter one. I've got big plans for the story, so we're gonna ride this bus till the wheels fall off. The ride may be bumpy, as school is starting soon.

Criticism is welcome. Flame if you want, doesn't mean it'll get read.