After a restless night, Lon'qu grabbed a quick bowl of tasteless congee and hurried off to find a quiet corner where he could eat breakfast alone. He firmly subscribed to the conviction that no news was better than bad news, and as long as nobody came to give him updates on Ricken, he could go on believing that everything was alright.

The approach of a messy-haired cavalier dashed Lon'qu's hopes of remaining alone for the morning.

"You again. What do you want?"

"Just wanted to let you know that Ricken is all right. It was a close call, though."

Lon'qu's spirits lifted, though he quickly masked the smile that threatened to break through. "And what of Kellam?"

"Who? Oh, right. He's okay too." Stahl rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You know, if you wanted to, you could always go drop by the med tent and check up on them."

Lon'qu nodded in acknowledgement. "Maybe I will."

"You know, I'm actually heading over there right now. You could come with me?" Stahl trailed off.

"Maybe not now," Lon'qu demurred.

Stahl raised an eyebrow. "You know, usually when people say 'not now' to me, I know that they'll never end up actually doing the things that they say they're going to do."

"Don't push it," Lon'qu growled.

"Okay, okay," Stahl raised his hands in surrender. As he left, he remarked offhandedly, "Just in case you wanted to know, the med tent's located two tents north of the mess hall."

Lon'qu did not dignify him with a reply.

Thirty minutes later, Lon'qu was cornered yet again.

"You know, it's rather rude that you keep running away anytime someone tries to talk to you," Cherche said. "It's a good way to destroy any potential friendships."

Lon'qu's heartbeat quickened as the familiar anxiety of his gynophobia set in. It had been a mistake to continue sitting in this corner, he realized. There was nowhere to run. "Go away."

"Listen, Lon'qu, you don't know the whole story..." Cherche began. "I know that it's difficult for you to talk to me, but I assumed that you wouldn't want other people to know of your past."

"This is true," Lon'qu replied, "but I also don't want to hear what you have to say. If you know of Ke'ri, then you must also know exactly why I left Chon'sin, and the weight of my sins."

The wyvern rider's eyes narrowed. "I cannot pretend to understand your pain, Lon'qu. And I'm not telling you to forget about her. But you do her a disservice by living such an unhappy life in her memory." She pressed a piece of paper into his palm, then walked briskly away.

Unraveling the folded sheet of paper, Lon'qu smoothed away the creases and began to read.

Lon'qu,

A week after I left, I learned of my folly. A shepherd told me everything - of how you fought like a man possessed, of how she gave her life to save you, of how you ran to his cabin to seek help. And while my own daughter lay bleeding on the ground, I stood there condemning a half-grown child who had given his all to save her. I have nothing but shame for how I acted towards you, and I can only hope that you will forgive an old man for his mistakes.

Shuo'li

Resolutely, Lon'qu folded the piece of paper and slipped it into his pocket. He would make his way to see Ricken tonight, he resolved.

Ricken blinked. His body hurt. In the corner of the med tent, a figure sat, head resting against a bed.

"Lon'qu?"

"Ricken," the myrmidon replied stiffly.

"I didn't think you'd come," Ricken said. He left his other thought unspoken. I didn't think you cared.

In the boy's eyes, Lon'qu saw wariness and caution. He sighed. He'd played a part in putting those there, he realized. "...do you still want to know how I became a myrmidon?" Lon'qu asked.

The boy nodded.

Lon'qu settled down on the bed beside Ricken, making himself comfortable. His voice was halting, unsteady and unsure. But as he began a story of a boy and a girl from Chon'sin, he felt as though an unspeakable weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait (if anyone /is/ still reading this). I decided I'd better wrap up this story before another two-year long hiatus began! I actually had hoped to work in a solar eclipse (the way that Until the Stars Fall from the Sky ended with a meteor shower), especially since Panne and Gregor's supports have a solar eclipse in them, but I guess it didn't turn out that way. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!