Ike nodded, giddy. He couldn't wait to get the sword and learn to fight with it with his father's techniques. Greil crouched down to Ike's level. "If you would like, you can wander around the market on your own while you wait for me," He suggested. "Just make sure you don't get lost, and you return to me as soon as you're done. Got it?"
"Yup!" Ike agreed. Greil proceeded to stand up and get in line to purchase the sword. Ike looked around, noticing the crowds have gotten even bigger.
But something caught his eye; it was a small, cloaked, figure peeking out of an alleyway on his far right. Ike became immediately curious. The figure was short, so it seemed like it was a kid around Ike's size, maybe a bit shorter. But what was it doing?
Suddenly, Ike heard loud, sudden footsteps come from the alley on his left. Royal guards. He could tell by the silver armor and royal emblem painted on their shoulder plates. They were marching around the market, seemingly looking for something. Or someone. Ike shot his gaze back to the figure in the alleyway, only to find it was gone. Now there was something definitely up.
Once the soldiers passed, Ike immediately bolted to the alleyway the figure was previously at. He looked through the alley, only finding that the alley was a shortcut to the other side of the market. Making sure his father wouldn't notice, he entered the alleyway and came out to the other side of the market. This side of the town was bustling with people just as its opposite. Ike's eyes darted around, searching for that cloaked figure. He spotted another small alleyway on the far right, but it looked like it was located near the back of a house.
Feeling something in his gut, Ike dodged running into any people and slowed down when he got near the small opening between the house and the wall right next to it. He peeked around the corner, and bingo; the cloaked figure was right there, curled up in a ball.
"Hey," Ike greeted. The figure jumped from surprise, and Ike swore he heard a little yelp. The figure immediately turned to him, and now Ike could see the face under the hood. It was... a girl? Ike wasn't too sure. The hood was covering it, but Ike could spot that this girl had long, deep blue-ish turquoise bangs. Their eyes were wide and scared, and Ike observed they had rather long eyelashes.
"I- Who are you?!" The kid managed to let out, their voice high and shaky. Not wanting to scare the poor thing, Ike slowly made his way into the alley and crouched down to the figure's level. He held out his hand, trying to make sure he didn't seem threatening. "I'm Ike."
The figure seemed hesitant to respond, but eventually held out their hand to shake Ike's hand. "Who are you? Are those royal guards looking for you?" Ike questioned. The figure nodded, still slightly intimidated by Ike's sudden presence. "Did you do something bad? Why are they looking for you?" Ike asked, curious.
"I-I'm not a thief! I swear!" The kid squeaked. "I'm.. just.." Their words trailed off, and they looked away from Ike's gaze, embarrassed. To Ike's surprise, the kid took a deep breath and yanked their hood down. They had long, blueish, turquoise hair draping down past their shoulders. Their bangs covered his/her eyes, with longer strands of hair hanging on the sides of their face.
"I.." Ike was appalled. "Are.. you a girl?" He asked. This seemed to offend the kid, as they turned their head to shoot a glare at Ike. "I am not a girl! A boy! I'm a boy!" The long-haired boy turned around and huffed. Clearly this was a question that bugged him often. "I-I'm sorry, it's just that your hair.." Ike apologized hastily, his voice trailing off.
Prologue
Start from the beginning
