The sobbing reached her ears slowly. It took her a moment to throw off her own cloud of despair before she realized what the sobbing meant. She blinked her blue eyes and shook her head before standing. Tilting her head to the side and brushing her blonde hair from hanging over her ear, she listened again. Turning her head, she determined the sobbing was coming from the river. That, she thought as she walked to the river, explained why she hadn't heard anything right away, angelic hearing or not.

Exiting the old house, she looked to the river in front of the porch and to her left. A trail of wet grass led from the river to the side of the house. Turning the corner, she stifled a gasp.

Laying on the ground in the fetal position was a young child, soaked through. His white hair had mud, twigs, and suspiciously bright red blood matted in it. He was scraped and bruised everywhere and his clothes were shredded. He wasn't wearing any shoes and his fingers were clasped tightly around a pendant he had around his neck on a chain that was too big for him.

In only the few breaths that she observed him, his sobs became louder and shriller. Tears were streaming down his face as he wailed.

She fell to her knees beside him and lightly laid her fingertips on his shoulder. He flinched and rolled to press himself as close to the house as possible, his green eyes widened with sheer terror.

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." She made sure to use her most soothing voice and gave him a gentle smile. "My name's Colette. What's your name?"

The child stared at her for several long moments before he whispered with a rasp, "Gale. Gale Saveri."

"It's very nice to meet you, Gale." Colette maintained her smile. With such a hurt young child in front of her, her despair that always overcame her on this day had dissipated in with the river rushing by. He needed her help, after all. "How did you get here, Gale?"

"Th-th-the ri-river carried-duh me." Gale's breath rattled as he attempted to talk around his sobs. "I-I f-fell in at-at Ca-Cam-Cambret Cave."

Colette stifled her surprise. It normally took two days to reach Aiseliya from Cambret Cave by boat. "Gale, how did you stay above the water?"

"I-I used s-some ma-magic and bi-ig br-branches." He sat up and wiped his nose.

"You are a very smart boy. Does your family know you fell in?"

Gale's eyes widened again and he resumed wailing, curling his knees up to his chest. "Bad-bad men h-hurt them a-and they w-wouldn't ge-ge-get back u-up!"

Colette gathered Gale in her arms and settled him in her lap. He didn't resist-rather, he clung to the front of her shirt with one fist while the other fist still tightly wound around the pendant. Colette smoothed his hair and whispered soothing words into his pointed ears.

It took a long time for Gale to quiet himself and fall asleep. Colette, knowing he was asleep, still murmured, "Why don't you come home with me? We'll get you patched up and you can stay with us for as long as you like."

To her surprise, Gale nodded. "There's a good boy."

Colette showed no strain as she stood up with the sleeping child in her arms. She went back around the corner and stood in the doorway. As she closed the door, she whispered, "I'll see you later, Lloyd, everyone."

As always, the pictures in their shining frames never answered. They all kept grinning their big grins and never moved.

Her smile tinged with sadness, Colette walked across the bridge that led back to her house.

TWO YEARS LATER

"Caleb! Hurry up!" Gale glanced over his shoulder to the small blond boy chasing after him.

"Why?" demanded Caleb, his brown eyes narrowed with displeasure. "Grandma had cookies!"

"The festival has ice cream! Grandma always has cookies!" Gale let Caleb catch up to him and grabbed the younger boy's hand. "Don't forget-you have to hold my hand in big crowds!"

"I know," replied Caleb. His eyes were wide with wonder as he looked at all of the vendors and their wares and the people walking around the two of them.

Even though the days of the ancient Church of Martel were gone, Martel Day continued to be a day of joy and celebration to remember the merging of the worlds and to celebrate the spring returning after a long winter.

Gale spotted an ice cream stand and dragged Caleb to it. They ordered their ice cream (Gale handed over the money Colette had given him) and trotted to an open bench nearby with their treats.

Caleb took his first bite. He had previously had ice cream before, but he was a little too young to remember it at five years old. With ice cream all over his lips, he grinned at Gale. "You're right, Gale, ice cream is better than cookies!"

"Didn't I tell you?" The equally messy Gale grinned back. He hopped off the bench, but landed on a rock and slipped forward and fell. He felt the breath whoosh out of him as someone tripped and landed on him. They promptly began crying.

"Yuna! Oh, Yuna-lee, are you okay?" A worried woman hovered over the two and helped the person off Gale's back. Gale turned over so he could breathe better. The woman helped him sit up.

"Oh, are you okay, young man?" The worried woman's dark blue eyes were set under dark blue eyebrows that were furrowed and dark blue hair that dangled as she investigated him.

"Gale!" Caleb patted his head. "Are you okay?"

Gale nodded to both of them. The woman returned her attention to her daughter, whose head was bleeding a little. The woman muttered a spell and said, "First Aid!"

Yuna's head healed immediately. She continued to sniffle, her sea green eyes watery and cerulean hair out of place from its two ponytails.

Caleb solemnly said to the woman, "I'm sorry my brother hurt your daughter." He ducked his head.

Gale wheezed, "Hey!"

The woman laughed and helped Gale stand up, deeming him to be alright. "You seem to have gotten your breath back, dear."

Gale took a few more deep breaths and replied, "I think so. Thank you."

"Mommy, my ice cream is ruined." Yuna mournfully pointed to her ice cream, splattered on the ground.

"I'll buy you another one. In fact," she turned to Gale and Caleb, "let me buy you two some ice cream as well. Then we'll go find your house and let your parents know what happened. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah!" All three children cheered up right away.

TWO YEARS LATER

"Hey! Wait up!" Gale paused at the bottom of the stairs as Yuna giggled, scrambling up the stairs. They were exploring the old house by the Swordsman's River on Caleb and Gale's family's property. Gale was a heartbeat behind Yuna on the stairs, laughing.

Gale had some apprehensive feelings about the house, but was also comforted by it at the same time. He wasn't sure why, but continued up the stairs behind the two after he deposited the kendama he had been examining back where he found it.

The three found themselves in a large bedroom with many gleaming picture frames all over the walls and on the tables. A single chair that looked as if it had been recently used or cleaned was in the middle of the room. A bedframe with no mattress in it was pushed against one wall.

Yuna looked intently at all the pictures, her giggling at a full stop. She saw that all the pictures had the same 10 people over and over. One familiar blonde head caught her attention.

"Caleb, Gale, look at this." Yuna pointed to one particular picture the blonde woman was in with three other women. "Don't you think it looks like Grandma?"

Caleb scrutinized the picture. "It does." He stepped a little closer, pulling Gale along with him.

Gale nodded. "It looks like Grandma."

"She looks exactly the same!" Yuna moved to the picture. "Let's take it to her and ask."

"No need, dears." Colette looked over the floor from the stairs. She continued to the landing and said, "I'm here."

"Grandma, is this you?" asked Caleb, his brows furrowed.

"Yes, it is." Colette took the picture and smiled at it wistfully. She placed it back in its spot. "Do you remember the legend of the Hero and his companions?"

"Of course," replied Caleb. "The Hero saved the world from the wrath of Cruxis and rejoined the two worlds with the help of the last Chosens and their friends."

"Very good, Caleb. Yuna, what were the names of those people?"

Yuna pursed her lips for a moment before she responded. "Lloyd, Colette, Zelos, Genis, Raine, Regal, Presea, Sheena, Kratos, and Yuan."

"Wonderful, Yuna!" Colette smiled at her. "Now, you said the name 'Colette'."

Yuna nodded. The three children glanced at each other, baffled. They weren't entirely sure where this was going.

"I am Colette, the last Chosen of Sylvarant before the worlds were joined by Lloyd the Hero." Colette gestured to the pictures. "This house is where Lloyd grew up. All of these pictures are our friends. Sheena, Raine, Presea, Regal, Genis, Yuan, Kratos, Zelos. All of them."

"But, Grandma, how are you still alive? That was a long time ago." Caleb grabbed onto Colette's pinky.

"I'm not sure, Caleb. But here I am." Colette smoothed his hair.

"What about the others?" asked Yuna. "What happened to them?"

Gale interjected, "Yeah, why doesn't Lloyd still live here if this is his house?"

Colette went very still for a few moments. The children could see her sadness clear as day, though she tried to disguise it with a smile. A tear slipped from her eye as she replied, "We all had to go our separate ways. I imagine they're all dead now."