A/N: Well, here I am at long last! ::smiles:: I know it's been a while, but hopefully this update will make it worthwhile . . . hopefully. ::sweatdrop::

Something to note: For those of you who haven't checked my bio recently, I've removed the previous fic to this, Blaze, and am probably going to rewrite it. It's been a long time since I wrote it and my writing style's evolved considerably, so I want to make sure my signature fic in this section reflects that. Thing is, I probably won't get around to it for a few months, since I have many, many projects on the go, so don't hold your breath waiting for it to come back (you'll only pass out).

Another thing I wanna mention is that there aren't going to be any more muse skits, just because I don't want to see this removed. I'm funny like that. ::wink:: However, I'm in the middle of making myself a sort of author page (more of a dumping ground/advertisement for my published fics/OFURNK website/whatever I feel like putting, actually), so I may publish the muse skits I created in advance if I feel like it. Eventually. Maybe.

Anyway, to the reviews!

whitetiger777: You're that dedicated about checking for updates? Wow. Maybe I should update more often, then . . . ! Anyway, the kid's been quiet, just like his father (::grins::), and the Dimetapp worked, so he's ready to go back home. And Menardi says thank you for . . . something-or-other. Something tells me I don't wanna know. . . .

The Faction's Lord: Howdy, stranger! Thanks for the very good review! ::grins::

Semaj Fallen: Don't worry. Karst's definitely going to get some screen time . . . soon. Her being my favourite character in both Golden Sun games, how could she not? ::smiles::

moonjump05: That's a good idea for writing; actually, I use it myself on occasion. Still doesn't help me much in the description department, though. . . . Anyway, thanks for the advice, and I'll do my best to follow it! (Show, not tell!)

DarkSora: That was . . . random. Anyway, I dunno how "misunderstood" Alex is, but if it's any consolation, he's not my least favourite videogame character by a long shot. ::coughsoniacough::

Lunaris Celestius: Hey, long time no see! Glad to see you're still around! ::smiles::

Rallalon: . . . That's an excellent idea! You don't mind if I use it, do you? Oh, and things will get fluffy soon—it's just the first quarter of the fic has to be sad, since Felix was pretty close to Saturos and Menardi. I can't write angst for long—that's Empress Dotdotdot's department!

Yoshimi Takahashi: I don't dislike Madrans in general . . . just a few in particular. ::sweatdrops:: And I kinda forgot about mentioning you since you read everything I write—even the really crappy stuff I never posted on and never will. ::sweatdrops again::

Flaming Tigress Mage: My favourite Fire Emblem characters? Hoo boy. Here's the short list: Eliwood, Kent, Uther, Sain, Leila, Matthew, Vaida, Hector, Isadora, Lucius, Nils, Nino, and Roland. ::grins:: Basically, the only characters I don't like are Sonia and Nergal.

As for the fangirls, I'm not quite sure what would happen. Probably they'd go where Alex went (voluntarily or not, in his case) . . . !

Cloud-123: Thank you! ::smiles::

AuroraIce: Thanks for the review! Glad to see you're not an Alex fangirl. . . . In fact, wanna join the I Hate Alex Club? Super Sheba and Yugi the Other White Meat run it, and obviously I'm a proud member! Join today! ::puts on IHAC button:: Glad you liked Blaze!

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

WOW! Eleven reviews! Amazing! ::is obviously very, very happy:: Thanks so much, everyone!

All right, and now for today's fic plug. I would like to recommend to you . . . "Stone Tablet," by Yoshimi Takahashi. Another unfairly ignored fic, it explores Weyard through the eyes of some of the best and most realistic OCs I've ever seen . . . hundreds of years previous to Golden Sun, during the Golden Age of Alchemy. A masterpiece in every sense of the world (and no, I'm not saying all this because he's my cousin ::sweatdrop::).

Now enjoy my chapter—I command ye! ::grins::

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"Please, you have to listen to me!" Felix half-pleaded, half-ordered the stone-faced man left in charge of Madra's military, standing before his desk. "Piers is innocent!"

How many times have I said this in the last ten minutes? Felix wondered

"You've locked him up because of purely circumstantial events," Kraden said, pushing up his round spectacles. They had a tendency to slip off his nose whenever he grew excited.

"It is obvious that the imprisoned Champan was part of the raid several weeks ago. " The soldier was stubborn. "You outsiders should keep your noses out of our business. Like I have said before, the incarceration and punishment of the prisoner is our matter to deal with as we choose."

"Look, you!" Jenna thrust her index finger in the man's face in accusation. "We've tried to be reasonable with you, but now I'm going to get serious. If you don't release Piers—Felix, stop stepping on my foot—we're going to—mmph!"

Felix had covered her mouth with her hand. "Don't threaten him; he'll only dig in his heels even more," he murmured to her. Jenna bit his hand. "Ouch!"

He refused to let go, however, and continued his debate, trying not to wince at the pain. "You have no way of knowing that Piers wasn't simply an innocent sailor who happened to run aground at a bad time. For all we know, he could have been caught in that huge tidal wave."

"Maybe," the man said. "Or just maybe he was in league with the Champans. They're sailors, he's a sailor. What are the chances of two different sailing groups being in the same area simultaneously, anyway?"

"Pretty good, I'd say," Sheba snapped. "Don't you Madrans have any idea of justice at all?"

"Mmph!" Jenna agreed, still muzzled by her brother.

"I have had enough." The man slammed both of his palms down onto his wooden desk with a tremendous thump, causing a few papers to fly madly through the air. "Piers is guilty. The only way I would be convinced that he could possibly be innocent were if the pirate Briggs were to vouch personally that he is not, in fact, a Champan. And that is simply not going to happen. I bid you good day."

It was obvious that they were wasting their time. Once again without words, the group filed out of the guard headquarters and returned to the inn for their evening meal.

During supper, Felix and his friends spoke of normal things, such as the new light sword that Jenna had seen in the shop and whether or not they could afford it. However, as they finished, their conversation turned towards the mysterious Piers and his difficult situation.

"What are we going to do about him?" Sheba asked; she didn't need to say who "he" was. "We can't just leave him there."

"Yes, but what can we do, short of blowing the jail to bits with our Psynergy?" Felix argued. "I want to help him, too, but damaging public property? Besides, I can't see that going down too well with the Madrans. We're already regarded suspiciously enough for siding with Piers."

"I don't see what's wrong with that plan," Jenna said. "I think it would solve things quite nicely."

"You would." Felix sighed.

"Well . . . " Kraden began, "that soldier did say that he would consider Piers' name cleared if Briggs admitted that Piers wasn't one of his pirates. Why don't we find Briggs and get him to confess?"

"Are you kidding?" Jenna snorted. "Do you have any idea how many places Briggs could be by now? It'd be impossible to find him!"

"It might not be as hard as you think," Felix disagreed, thinking. "Even though Briggs could be anywhere, my guess is he's most likely at a port. If the Champans are pirates, they probably live close to the sea. And since news has gone around about the attack, then possibly all the port towns are being watched. Excuse me," ––Felix broke off his monologue and addressed the innkeeper, who was passing by their table–– "but do you know where the nearest port is?"

"That would be Alhafra, sir," the man said. "It's a good two weeks' journey from here, but there are none closer. Are you thinking about heading that way?"

"Possibly," Felix answered. "Is the road good?"

"Not good, sir. Not good at all. Ever since the attack, things have been nasty." His voice dropped to a low murmur. Automatically, Felix leaned closer. "There have been tales of monsters roaming around. I've even heard that Briggs himself has been spotted near Alhafra."

Felix gave Jenna a look; his sister returned it with an eyeroll-and-shrug combination.

Unaware, the innkeeper continued. "So I wouldn't recommend visiting there, young sir. Try staying in Madra instead—it's all anyone would want."

"Thank you very much," Felix told the man. He dropped several coins into the manager's hand as a reward.

"Any time, sir, any time." The man touched his forehead—he had no cap to raise and thus had to settle for a similar respectful gesture—and scurried off to attend to other customers' demands.

"Ha." Sheba smirked at Jenna once the man was out of earshot.

"Oh, shut up." Jenna scowled at the Jupiter Adept. She hated when she was wrong. Sometimes, she'd try to shift the blame to someone else, though currently, she couldn't see a way to do so.

"So, I suppose we might as well make our way to Alhafra, then," Felix interrupted, foreseeing an argument. It was a talent he wished he didn't need to use quite so often. "First thing tomorrow morning?"

"Aw, Felix, but I was looking forward to sleeping in a real bed for the next few days," Jenna complained.

"If that's the case, then you had better start singing," Sheba told her friend, grinning away.

Jenna sighed. "Never mind. . . ."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

The group set off fairly early the next morning. The sun warmed them, occasionally too much. There wasn't the usual tang to the air that Felix associated with early fall. Here, it still felt like high summer. The leaves in the forest were still as brilliant green as ever, which was a bit of a disappointment. Autumn was one of Felix's favourite seasons. The world seemed to be just a little bit fresher, as if it woke up just a little bit before settling into its winter sleep.

However, unlike her brother, Jenna was not interested in the natural beauty that surrounded her. After her taste of civilization in Madra, she was not pleased to be moving on to even more untamed wilderness. She still clung to her idea of a midnight breakout for Piers, citing that it would take much less time. And she held onto it for quite some time.

And, after they had tracked down Briggs, freed Piers, and then followed him to Kibombo, she still was not happy. Especially since she didn't consider the small town of Kibombo to be properly developed. It still reminded her uncomfortably of the not-so-great outdoors.

Looking around their campsite just outside of Naribwe on their return journey, she sighed heavily and stared into the campfire, watching their meal cook slowly.

Felix restrained the urge to roll his eyes. "Look, Jenna, I'm really sorry we've had to rush about so much in the last few weeks, but I promise we'll stay extra long in Madra to make up, okay?"

Jenna tried to smile. "Thanks, Felix. I know I've been such a child lately, but I've really had enough of trooping all over Weyard for months on end. I just want to go home."

Felix's eyes dropped to the scuffed, dusty tops of his boots. Even were he to return to Vale, there was no guarantee that its citizens wouldn't run him out of town. And in Prox, his second home, as the bearer of bad news, his welcome wouldn't be that much better if he returned with the news of the deaths of Saturos and Menardi. He knew they'd accept him once more, but sadly, remembering his travelling companions and the optimism with which they had set out.

The feeling of a small hand being placed on his shoulder caused him to look up. Standing next to him was Sheba; she was wearing a gentle smile. Some nights, when neither of them could sleep, Sheba had asked him to talk about his childhood, as well as some of the more recent events. She had only a small idea of how he felt, but it was enough.

Felix gave her a slight smile in return and turned to look at Piers to attempt to explain. However, at the inward-looking, sorrowful look on the man's face, any words Felix was about to use melted off his tongue. It seemed that he was not the only one to have a troubling homecoming in store.

He wondered if he should ask Piers about what was upsetting him but decided against it. Piers had already shown a desire to be independent, as well as more than a little secretive. With time, and when he grew used to the workings of the group, perhaps he would open up a little more.

Of course, it could just be the usual glum feelings teenagers tended to get from time to time. Jenna and Felix had debated it one morning when Piers and Sheba were off finding firewood—they couldn't quite decide whether their new friend was a few years younger than Felix or perhaps a little bit older. Regardless, if it did turn out that Piers' problems were no more than something along the lines of overprotective parents, then perhaps the trip would be a growing experience for him.

Shaking off the sadness that had once again drawn near at the thought of parents, Felix decided, "We probably should be heading to bed. We need an early start if we're going to get back to Madra quickly."

"As you know, my ship ran aground just outside of that town," Piers said, dropping his pensiveness quickly. "We can use that for travel later on; it's much, much faster than going by foot and we can go anywhere we like in the Eastern Sea." A touch of pride accompanied the sentence.

"Well, then, let's get to bed!" Jenna jerked her blanket from her pack and whipped it out. The magic word of Madra seemed to have cheered her up quite a bit.

Chuckling at her enthusiasm, Sheba and Felix also retrieved their bedding. Piers rose to his feet and stretched, preparing for his first stint on night watch.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Later that night, Felix was just finishing his turn on watch—soon it would be Jenna's turn. He tilted his head upward and breathed in the still night air. The stars were glittering in the sky, and there were a few wisps of cloud on the horizon. Everything was peaceful and still . . . except for the sound of soft sobbing.

"What the . . . ?" Felix murmured, frowning.

He quickly followed the sound to its source: Sheba. She was sitting up amidst her blankets, hands pressed to her face and shoulders shaking.

Felix instantly dropped to a crouch. "Sheba, what's wrong?"

"Oh, Felix, I had such a . . . terrible nightmare." She sobbed. "I dreamt you all were killed, and there was so much blood, and. . . ." She couldn't continue.

Very carefully, Felix put an arm around her shoulders as he sat down next to her. "But that's all it was—a nightmare. It's all right, now. We're all here."

To his surprise, Sheba clung to him and pressed her face into his tunic, seemingly uncomforted. Awkwardly, Felix let his second arm encircle her slim body and held her close.

It must have been a truly horrible dream to upset her this much, he thought, one hand unconsciously stroking down her back in a soothing manner. Poor Sheba. It's not like her to need comforting like this.

To be honest, he was rather surprised at the way she seemed to need him to hold her. Up until this point, there hadn't been very much physical contact in their relationship beyond taps on the shoulder to get the attention of the other, maybe a hand to steady her when crossing a particularly narrow ledge, that sort of thing. It was unusual, but . . . not unpleasant. Almost the opposite, in fact.

Deciding to examine the last thought later, when he had more time to think, Felix turned his attention back to comforting Sheba.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Sheba continued to sob as she leaned into Felix's strong, warm body. Of course, there had been no nightmare. Not at all. . . .

I can't believe I'm taking advantage of him like this, Sheba thought for what seemed the twentieth time as she turned her head so one cheek was laid against his chest. I shouldn't, but . . . I need to be close to him. I can't stand trying to stay apart from him. I can't stand not being able to touch him, to embrace him, to kiss—

She firmly shut her mind on that thought. It wouldn't work, and that's that, she told herself firmly. I'm too young for him—for anyone. I'm only fourteen, after all. Besides, he probably has half the women in both of his homes after him as it is.

Sheba allowed her shoulder-shaking to slow, though this time the tears that leaked from her eyes had a different reason for existence. When she had first met Felix, being forced through the desert by Babi's soldiers, Felix had seemed like her knight in shining armour. Though she had been introduced to the others in the group, she still had kept her eyes on Felix. When her tired legs had given out and he had uncomplainingly carried her the rest of the way . . . that, she had decided, was when her infatuation began. He had almost been the big brother she had never had, but now. . . .

However, when infatuation changed to love . . . she could not tell. It was such a slow process that she had been caught unawares. But now it was undeniable.

Sheba let her breathing even out. If she kept crying too long, Felix might become suspicious. She drooped slightly in his arms.

"Sheba?" Felix's soft voice murmured in her ear.

She didn't respond, pretending—ever pretending, she thought in a brief, sharp moment of despair—that she had fallen asleep.

Gently, almost tenderly, Felix laid her back on the ground and pulled the covers over her head. She felt a callus-roughened hand brush her hair lightly aside before she heard him move from her side.

Keeping her eyes closed, Sheba savoured the feeling of being held in his arms, though it was tainted somewhat with a feeling of guilt for making Felix worry over her. Eventually, her breathing slowed, and this time not artificially. She slept lightly until Jenna awakened her for the last watch of the night.