This is going to be a long chapter, and I apologize for this. There was no good spot to split it between two, and there is a lot that needs to get done. So to continue from where we left off...

-Don't Cry: Chapter 13-

"Tyrell! Pay attention! You're leaving yourself open on your left!" The older Mars Adept chastised. Tyrell leveled his training sword at the taller opponent and gritted his teeth with a defiant smirk.

"It doesn't matter how open I am if my attack hits!" He announced, blitzing his opponent. A quick spin and a smack on the back of his neck from his opponents practice sword sent him into the dirt.

"Idiot! You can't do anything if you're dead! Now get up, we're starting over from the beginning until you get it!" The red haired man fumed. A chuckle to his side turned his head though. "Something funny Isaac?"

The blond man just shook his head. "Not at all Garet. But perhaps we should take a short break. After all, training isn't effective if you get exhausted. Right Matthew?" Isaac asked down to Matthew, who was sitting on the dirt with his fair share of bruises, breathing heavily. He nodded wordlessly.

Garet grumbled, and then agreed. "Fine fine. But I was serious Tyrell! When you're rested we're starting over from the beginning!"

The two boys sat down and broke out a pair of water skins, refreshing themselves greedily. Isaac and Garet sat to the side, sipping theirs slowly.

"They are getting better." Isaac said, looking over to Garet. "You have to admit, they have made definite improvement."

Garet just scoffed. "Matthew has, I'll give you that. But more skill has only made that knucklehead more reckless." He said, gesturing to his son. Isaac laughed.

"You know, he takes after you a lot." Isaac remarked. And Garet shot the death glare that said he disagreed. "Now now, hear me out. You acted a lot like that before the bolder fell. You got knocked into maturity after that, but Tyrell hasn't had a moment like that yet. Plus he's got Karis to keep him in check, which means he doesn't have to keep himself controlled. You never had that." Isaac spoke.

Garet chuckled. "Oh no? How many times did Jenna brain me for doing something dumb?"

Isaac laughed himself. "Was that before or after she usually helped you do it?"

Garet grinned sheepishly. "Ok, fair enough. Your wife wasn't exactly the most level headed one either. But I don't remember being that bad...it's like he's ten feet tall and bullet proof. Someday he's gonna get himself hurt like that."

Isaac nodded. "Your right. He's got your strength, your loyalty and your courage, but without the tiniest bit of restraint. He loves a good fight and he doesn't back down from one ever. But, luckily for him he's got one other of your traits..."

Garet looked over his water skin at his friend. "Oh? And what's that."

Isaac thought for a moment. "I always noticed that whenever we were in trouble, you always seemed to react faster then everyone else. Like you knew the danger before it was there. I guess you could call it a Warrior's Intuition. I've seen him do that. It doesn't happen in training, but you remember when Matthew nearly fell off the plateau?"

Garet nodded, curious as to what Isaac was going for.

"Tyrell reacted to the ground breaking away before I did. I could sense the earth breaking apart, but he sensed something else. I'm telling you, he has that sixth sense of yours."

Garet shrugged. "I think you're just overestimating the both of us. In all those situations you're thinking of I just got lucky. It was just a feeling, nothing more."

Isaac just looked over the boys with a smile. "Perhaps."

Clang! The sound reverberated through the small chamber, bouncing off of the stone walls and recoiling around the room. Tyrell's axe had blocked the blade, as he'd spun on his front foot to face the young King. Sure enough, he stood there with his Masamune held firmly, the weapon still against Tyrell's axe.

"Amiti! What the hell are you-" he started, but couldn't finish as the young king broke the attack and took a sideways slash at him. Tyrell jumped back, but felt the sword touch flesh anyway. It was razor sharp, and getting hit by it was certainly not a good idea. He continued backing up, putting distance between himself and the king. "Amiti! Cut this out!" He called, and Amiti met his gaze for once.

"No Tyrell, I cannot." He spoke simply, focusing his power into the blade. "Rise, Dragons of Water!" He called, and the swords tip erupted with power as twin dragons made of water flew forth, heading for Tyrell with their fangs bared. Tyrell held up his axe, and felt himself give ground as the creatures struck the axe and broke apart. The force was monstrous, and would have knocked a lesser man to his back.

"Amiti why? Why are you doing this?" He shouted, refusing to go on the offensive. He could take Amiti's hits, but one hit from him might kill the young king, and that was not something he was quite ready to do. The pause was not ignored, as Amiti charged Tyrell while freezing the air around him.

Super Cool!

Tyrell tried to move, only to find his legs frozen in a block of ice. Dammit, he had to...get out of this somehow.

Flare! Tyrell called, forcing the wall of fire into form in front of him. To his surprise, Amiti charged right through the fire, bringing his sword down in a mighty slash. It struck true, cutting viciously across Tyrell's chest. However, the attacks had weakened the ice holding his feat enough that he could pull himself free. And he did, jumping back yet again until he felt his back hit a wall. He cursed feeling the wound on his front, this was not good. At least Amiti wasn't unfazed by that flare, it should slow him down.

And then Amiti backed up, and placed a hand on his own chest. In an instant, the burns vanished, and he appeared as untouched as when they had started. Damn it to hell, of course he would heal. And Tyrell had no manner of healing himself, so in a battle of attrition he would lose. He paused for a moment, but then began approaching the young king. "Amiti...I don't want to do this. She's not worth fighting over."

Amiti's face betrayed a look of rage for a brief moment. "You think I am trying to win her from you? You uncouth barbarian! She is not yours to give!" He nearly shouted, forming up the power around him again. Tyrell growled, this didn't make any sense at all. Amiti valued loyalty, so why would he do all this?

Deluge!

The huge blast of water flew towards Tyrell, and he knew dodging it with his injury was not going to be possible. Therefore, he gathered his own powers and held out one hand, while his other reached into his pocket and grabbed something.

Arid Blast! The power of the gem came forth, and the torrent of water crashing towards him faded away, as the room filled with steam. Great, just great, now he couldn't see in front of his face. At least Amiti couldn't either, so maybe he could talk him down. Tyrell then felt someone around him using Psynergy...one he'd felt before, but not a combat Psynergy.

"So now you are blind...typical Tyrell, never thinking ahead." Came the voice from the steam. It was bouncing off of the stone walls, which made it very difficult to pinpoint. Tyrell turned slowly, trying to guess where the voice was coming from.

"At least I know you can't see either. So I might be able to talk some sense into your thick skull!" He shouted back, but Amiti only chuckled.

"Ah, but Tyrell. I can see you just fine." Tyrell fought the urge to act surprised while he thought...Amiti could see in this? How? Then it struck him...Insight. He gritted his teeth.

"This isn't right Amiti, we're friends! It's not worth it!"

"Tyrell..." Came the voice. "If you cannot understand my heart, then you won't ever defeat me! You are still as reckless and crude as ever! And that senseless violence is not suited to being a protector!" The voice bounced around them. Tyrell looked about the room, he couldn't see anything. Amiti could be right in front of him and he'd never know.

Clack.

What was that? The sound of...wood? Yes, wood striking stone. The water pounding down around them made it difficult to hear, but that sound stuck out. Then it came again...and again...and again! It was circling him. Wait! It was Amiti's sandals! Tyrell was going to turn towards the sound, but he thought better of it. To do so would give away the only advantage he had. So he waited, and listened. The sound moved around him, quietly...deliberately...Then it stopped, and Tyrell dropped his axe from his hands. It landed on the ground with a loud crash. Silence still, and then.

"Giving up? Brute force doesn't work, so you surrender? I'd expected more."

Tyrell didn't speak, he just waited, and listened. Then, all of a sudden, the sounds increased in intensity. He was moving fast, coming at his left side. He couldn't see him, but the sound was obvious.

Inferno! Tyrell focused the enhanced fireball into his hands, and with a massive punch turned and launched it towards the noise. He felt his fist connect with armor and the steam began dissipating around the ball of flame. He saw him. Amiti's shocked face as Tyrell's fist had found his gut, the massive ball of flame stuck there, his sword raised high, and the scene seemed frozen...

And then it resumed, with the fireball flying away from Tyrell, carrying Amiti with it. He slammed into the far wall hard enough to crack it, and then fell flat on his face in the water, his Masamune clattering to the ground beside him.

Amiti felt himself returning to the waking world slowly. His eyes struggled to open as he felt a searing pain from his chest and back. That was right, he'd been beaten by Tyrell...but then...?

His eyes snapped open and he took in his surrounding rapidly. Ok, he was sitting up against the wall...curious. He remembered hitting the ground. Tyrell was standing across the room, staring down at him, and they were still in the final chamber.

"Didn't think it was a good death for a king to drown in three inches of water." Tyrell said, not laughing. Amiti chuckled for him.

"I suppose not...though I must admit, I kind of expected you to leave me for dead down here."

"I kind of thought about it." Tyrell said. "But I don't abandon my friends, and I want to hear your explanation for what the hell just happened back there." He seemed angry, small wonder.

Amiti rose to his feet, and found his sword laying right next to him, where he had dropped it. He picked it up, shook the water off of it with one clean shake, and then sheathed it. Tyrell had watched him cautiously, but didn't move from his spot. "I suppose I owe you that much at least." He stayed where he was, the two of them separated by the distance of the room. "First a question if I may. How did you know where I was?" He asked.

"Your sandals." Tyrell remarked flatly. "They were making a very distinct noise on the floor when you moved."

Amiti stared at Tyrell oddly. "With all the water crashing down around us, you were able to pick out that sound?"

"Yeah...it's not too hard." He said, looking annoyed. Clearly he wanted his question answered now.

Amiti took a deep breath. "Tyrell. You are the most loyal companion I could have ever asked for. You don't hide things, you don't lie, you don't try to trick or use wordplay. Everything you do is at complete face value. However, I do not trust you, because you often act without thinking."

Tyrell frowned. He'd known all of these things, but it seemed like Amiti was making a judgment on his worth.

The King continued. "There were times that you demonstrated superior skill and foresight, but they were so few and far between I just called them luck. So, before I could let you leave here, I had to know if you were really skilled enough to protect her."

Tyrell finally understood. So it was about her after all. "You could have asked for a match instead of ambushing me." He remarked, still annoyed. Amiti shook his head though.

"No, I couldn't. As long as you thought it was a spar, you would be reckless and without caution, it would just be a game. I wanted to see how you would fight if you thought life and death hinged on what you did. You were magnificent Tyrell. Also I..." He paused for a moment. "I was worried about her. I wanted to convince myself that you were the more capable one to keep her safe. I don't doubt that anymore."

Tyrell held up a hand. "Now hold on there, I just got lucky. If we were outside, or on sand or something, you'd have beat me flat. I think you are kind of selling yourself short."

Amiti chuckled again, calling out Gust. "And that, in and of itself, is your strength Tyrell."

With a quick wisp of wind, the two were returned to the surface. Tyrell was left with far more questions then answers.

"Tyrell!" Came the annoyed shout when the left the Alchemy Well. Tyrell's blood froze, he recognized that voice. He looked to the side, and Karis came walking up to the pair of them, obviously annoyed. Tyrell couldn't remove the smile from his face at just seeing her up and about.

"There you two are! What's the big idea of just up and going on an adventure without me?" She fumed. Tyrell struggled to wipe the smile off of his face, but was failing at that. Karis glared to Amiti this time. "What was so important it couldn't wait until I woke up? Honestly..."

Amiti laughed with a smile. "I am sorry. The antidote I prepared used the last of a very rare herb. I wasn't sure if what we had was sufficient, so I went to go recover some more. Tyrell demanded to come with me, just to make sure I had no trouble getting it." He explained. At once, Karis' expression softened.

"Oh...well I guess that's ok then. You were just worried after all, thank you Amiti." She said, though she did not look at Tyrell. "I'd heard from the healers...it was called Ridge Rot? They made it sound like a very dangerous infection."

Amiti nodded. "Indeed. You are lucky Tyrell has such stamina. If he didn't get you here that quickly, you might have died."

Karis looked to Tyrell for a moment, before turning back to Amiti. "Well, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have gotten it anyway, so we'll call it square." She said, though a smile could be seen spreading on her lips.

Amiti laughed quietly, but then changed the topic. "Oh, by the way, I did have a question. Not that I mind but, why are you here? And where is Matthew?" Karis and Tyrell looked at each other and laughed.

"Oooh boy do we have a story for you Amiti." Tyrell said with a grin.

Amiti smiled back. "Well that is good, we can share stories over dinner. Come with me, I insist."

Sveta and Matthew moved through the corridors or the mighty castle. It hadn't been that long since either of them had been here, but it felt like forever. Every hall they turned down there were guards, servants and lesser nobles greeting Sveta and Matthew. Some were a bit more enthusiastic then others, but they all seemed very pleased about their Queen's return. As the pair worked their way up the stairs to what was once Sveta's working room, she couldn't help but be nervous.

The people seemed to love Bentley. Was it really right for her to come in and take everything back now that he had done all the hard work? To just take credit for a complete restoration that was already well on it's way? She was so bothered by this, that if Matthew hadn't spoken up, she would have walked straight into the door. Instead she looked up at his warning, and stared for a moment at the massive wooden door. Ok, it wasn't massive, but it felt that way. When she was little, her father...and then her brother, had been behind this door non stop. She always remembered the door as being huge, dwarfing her, but she had grown since those times. And now, it just didn't seem like it was the same room.

Sveta swallowed hard as she reached out and put a hand on the doors handle, opening it up. The sound of a quill flying across a piece of parchment met her ears, along with a familiar, frantic mumbling. She peered into the room, and saw a very familiar squirrel sitting behind the cluttered desk. Papers were strewn across it, as his hand flew from one sheet to another. As he finished one, he'd place it onto a side table and grab another, it was a flurry of activity, and even Matthew found it quite dizzying. He'd seen something like this when Karis really got into something, but she couldn't hold a candle to this guy. Bentley seemed to become away of the fact that his door was open and looked up, stammering.

"P-Please! I have no time for these trivialities! There is mu-" He took in who was standing in front of him, the quill falling from his hand as his mouth flew open. "Your Majesty!" He cried out. "Oh thank the gods you've returned! Please, please take the monarchy back! I beg of you, please!" He was around the desk and on his knees before her in a moment, pleading.

Sveta didn't know if she should feel worried or laugh, so she tried to remain serious. "But what is wrong Viceroy Bentley? I thought that the people loved you? Look what you have accomplished in my absence, it is a miracle!"

He looked up at her, still pleading. "Oh it started well your majesty. But then they all started wanting to talk to me, and build statues, and name places and ohhhh it was endless!" He wailed. "I've been locked in here for days because it is the only place people won't chase me!"

Sveta know knew what her reaction should be, she laughed. She laughed happily before placing a hand on the jittery squirrels shoulder. "Rise, I relieve you of your duties as ruler. I am ready." She said happily. "However...I do still need your help."

He stood, dusting himself off with a relieved sigh. "Anything Your Majesty, anything at all."

She moved back behind the desk, looking over the work he had been doing. "You are going to help me learn how to do what it is you do. I must admit, all of this paper work and management issue is quite difficult to me. But I cannot leave you to do it forever, you do have a family do you not?"

He nodded. "Yes your majesty. My wife, two sons and three daughters." He finished. Sveta shook her head.

"And how long has it been since you have stayed home for an evening?" She asked.

He thought to himself, and Sveta was quite unhappy when it seemed to take him more then a few moments to think of his answer.

"That will not do. Mr. Bentley, you are temporarily fired from my service. I do not want to see you in this castle for one week."

"B-But...Your Majesty!" He said, his jaw falling once again as he seemed about to faint.

"Is that understood?" She said, her gaze saying she would take no objections.

He swallowed hard and nodded. "Y-Yes...your majesty." He said, looking rather like an abandoned puppy. Sveta smiled.

"Good! I will see you bright and early next week then. You are dismissed."

As he shuffled out of the office, Matthew just looked at Sveta after observing the entire scene. "That was quite possibly one of the weirdest things I have ever seen."

Sveta chuckled to herself. "Trust me, there are many more. I plan to have the citizens take a bit of a break this week too. They have clearly been working themselves to the bone, and that will not do at all. But Matthew, there is something you can help me with during that time period. While you wait for the message to get to Champa and for Eoleo to show up, that is." She said, looking over at him from the other side of the desk and went to sit down, before blinking twice and stifling a giggle.

"What?" Matthew asked. "What's so funny?" He wore a confused expression, what was she going on about now?

Sveta then lifted several books off of the chair...and Matthew realized, his face splitting with a grin as he joined in with her laughter. With a smile, she removed the books and sat down. She sighed, relaxing into the fine material.

"It's nice to be back where I belong...but what I wanted your help with is actually more in line with tradition then what Belinsk really needs right now."

Matthew was now even more confused then he had been. His look must have betrayed that, because Sveta nodded and opened one of the lower drawers of the desk. She reached down and pulled from the desk a long and regal looking blue sheath. A sword? Matthew eyed it suspiciously.

"It was my father's." She explained. "Volechek wore it as well, when he was King. So I think this is now officially tradition. I have no idea how to use it though, I've never had one of these things before, and I will not tarnish the memory of it by being the first ruler to own it that could not use it." She said, looking to Matthew. He just grinned.

"So...you want me to teach you? Ok, don't worry, I was trained by two of the best swordsmen in the world!"

This was going to be a very interesting week.

The dinner with Amiti had been remarkably pleasant, and very filling for the Mars Adept. The exact details of their trip below had not been discussed, but Tyrell still had a lot of questions. Amiti hadn't really answered him...and his logic seemed shaky at best. But then again, the King always did have this aura of enigma about him. He liked being cryptic. Tyrell was sitting outside of the castle, alongside the giant reflecting pond. Occasionally, he would pick up a stone and lob it across the water, watching it skip before it sank beneath the surface. The reflection of the stars on the crystal clean water's surface was like a work of art, and it seemed to calm him just being out here. It wasn't until he actually saw someone in his peripheral vision that he realized he was not alone. He turned and looked to his side as Karis sat down next to him. For a moment, she was quiet, and Tyrell returned his gaze to the pond. Finally, she spoke as he was about to throw another stone.

"What really happened down there?" And the stone missed the pond completely, shooting over to the other side like an arrow before shattering on the outer wall. Tyrell tried to regain his composure as he looked straight ahead.

"What are you talking about? We told you." He said, keeping his eyes from her.

"You are a bad liar Tyrell." Karis accused. "And Amiti is even worse. Your armor was cut, by a really sharp sword. His clothes were slightly scorched, as if by a fire. Also the ends of his hair were rough, that's a sign of them being burned or exposed to excessive heat. So what happened, and why were you two fighting?" She didn't sound angry, and when he stole a glance at her he saw her calculating expression. She was trying to figure it out, and she already had some kind of an idea. Tyrell sighed.

"If I told you to just leave it be, would you?"

She didn't even pause for a second. "Nope."

Tyrell sighed even louder. Sometimes she could be so...difficult. "Fine, you win. We fought down there, or rather he attacked me." Karis's expression changed, and Tyrell saw the question her eyes were asking.

Why?

"I guess..." He groaned. "Amiti's had a crush on you for a long time. He thought I was your boyfriend or something, and didn't think I could protect you because I'm always getting myself in trouble. He said he wanted to 'test' me. He didn't really explain it well, you know how he is. Anyway, that's what happened." He kept the story as simple as possible. He hoped she'd just drop it and move on, that would make things so much easier.

"Well..." She started. Tyrell looked to her, she seemed to be waiting for something.

"Well what?" Tyrell asked, looking back to her.

"Well, are you?" She finished, her eyes not wavering for a moment. Initially Tyrell was confused, and thought about asking for clarification, then he realized what she'd meant.

Gods...Damn...It.

"I don't think I'm exactly good material for that job. You did almost die two times in five days because of me." He said, reminding her.

Karis smacked him upside the head, punctuating every word. "You. Are. An. Idiot."

Tyrell smiled slightly. Good, back to as things used to be. She'd smack him around, probably shout at him, and they'd all continue on as things had been. Not a problem. But then she continued.

"You are a courageous, loyal, compassionate idiot." She said, resting her head on his shoulder with a small smile. "But I don't mind that." She finished.

Now Tyrell was bothered. What had she even said there? Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Argh! Why did everyone love being so cryptic? The pair of them stayed there for a few minutes more before Tyrell spoke.

"Hey Karis?"

"Mmm?"

"Was it...my fault?"

Karis pulled her head up and looked to him oddly. It wasn't like Tyrell to be like this. "You mean the cave in? Well...you didn't know..." But Tyrell shook his head no.

"That's not what I meant. I meant everything. The Eclipse, the monsters, all the people who died. None of it would have been possible if I didn't break that stupid Soarwing."

Karis wanted to laugh at him and call him stupid, but his face betrayed just how real this fear was to him. She looked to him with a smile. "No, it's not. You did something, you worked to fix it. We made mistakes, we all did, but in the end, we put everything right. I know it doesn't feel like that now, but it's not your fault."

Tyrell just sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right. After all, I'm just an idiot, what do I know?"

"You're my idiot, so it's ok." She whispered. And his cheek felt the slight pressure of her lips. So brief, not even a second, but the contact was there. And then before he could say or do a thing, she was on her feet walking into the castle. Tyrell was just left in front of the pond, wondering what on Weyard had just happened.

He'd summoned fire hot enough to melt stone and steel alike, it was within him and at his beck and call at all times. Then why was it now that his cheek felt hotter then anything he'd ever felt?

Eoleo's ship came far too soon for Matthew. The last few days had been wonderful. Just as friends, as companions, he and Sveta had shared so much. They'd had some training and sparring sessions, they'd gone about the town to view the progress, they'd even visited Bentley's family. Matthew noted humorously, that even the children were more down to earth then their father. And now, he stood on the pier. On one side of it, the mighty pirate ship with captain and crew, and on the other side were Sveta and almost all of Belinsk, here to see him off.

They'd said nothing yet. They merely caught each others gaze. How easy would it be? To grab her, to pull her into a kiss. He wanted to so badly, and he could see in her eyes that he was not alone with that desire. To throw all of the concerns and worries off to the side, and just live in a completely honest moment here. It would be so easy...

And as they locked their gazes, they knew it simply was part of having true strength. It was so easy, and that meant that they both knew it wasn't right. Matthew smiled and waved to her, and all the people of Belinsk behind her before boarding the ship. As he did, Eoleo looked rather sour.

"Hah!" One of his crew came up to him. "Told you they wouldn't! That's 100 coins, sir!"

Eoleo scoffed. "Hah, you think a pirate goes through on his debts? Not a chance! Now back below decks!" He ordered, leaving the dejected crew member to shuffled down the hatch. Eoleo sighed, looking to Matthew.

"I was so sure you were gonna hook up. Man, now I owe that guy money."

Matthew wanted to be insulted, but honestly it wasn't that surprising. "I'd be shocked that you bet on my love life, but honestly I'm more shocked that it was only a hundred coins."

Eoleo shrugged. "Not everybody makes as much as we do. Plus all of my share went into rebuilding Champa, so it's not like I have that much either."

Matthew laughed, turning to look at Sveta as they began to cast off. Suddenly, he remembered something and ran to the bow of the boat, looking at her as they backed out of the pier.

"Hey! Sveta! Remember that question you asked me the last time we were in Border Town that I didn't answer?"

Sveta thought for a moment, and then nodded, recalling the conversation.

"The answer is 'Yes'. I'll see you again!" He called, waving to her with a bright smile. No tears would find their way to either of their eyes today, nor tomorrow. After all, they knew they would meet again, it's not as if they entire world would up and vanish as soon as the Belinsk was out of sight. Once the ship had begun to sail away, Eoleo turned to Matthew before speaking.

"You know, something just felt off today...like you're missing something." He mused, looking over the boy. "Something just doesn't...ah!" He said finally. "Where the heck is your scarf?" He seemed both surprised and shocked at the absence of the piece of cloth.

Sveta returned to her office, and sat back down behind her desk. She unlocked and opened a lower drawer, and a familiar and comforting scent filled the room. As long as she remembered him, she would have the strength to be apart. She knew they'd meet again, this was just her reminder that it was all real.

And she remembered what he'd said to her when he gave her it.

Hang on to this for me, will you? I'll be back for it someday.

Never. She'd never forget that promise. Never forget all they'd done, all they'd been through. No matter how long it took until they could meet again.

-Epilogue-

Matthew, Karis and Tyrell had finally reached the Goma Plateau. They approached the all too familiar bridge that lead to their quests beginning, and end. Karis was the first to break the silence.

"Ah, it's good to be back." She spoke with a wide smile. She'd been really happy for the trip back, and Matthew was hard pressed to figure out why. Everything seemed to be the same as always...well scratch that. Tyrell had been acting a bit more responsible lately. He'd suggested finding a path down a steep cliff instead of just jumping down it, had been remarkably restrained in using his Psynergy, and had even been slightly less argumentative with Karis...slightly. Tyrell was the first to cross the bridge, running across it excitedly.

"Nice to see the old cabin again, eh Matthew?" He asked, but Matthew merely stared off into space, his face showing a look of...what was that expression? Tyrell couldn't pick it out, and Karis seemed lost too.

"What's wrong, Matthew?" She asked. Tyrell stepped forward as well.

"Yeah, aren't you happy to be home?"

And Matthew silently pointed. They both followed his finger until their eyes saw it as well. The Mourning Moon...right over Mount Aleph.

"Oh gods..." Karis said, her hands flying in front of her face.

Tyrell clenched his fists. "No! Dammit!"

Matthew just kept his thoughts to himself.

Sveta, I'm sorry...

"Hey! Did you hear the news?" The shop keeper said in a hushed tone to the man across the table from him, sitting inside a Bilibin pub. The man he was speaking to shook his head.

"I heard that Lord McCoy was assassinated last night! And the young master went missing!" The shopkeeper spoke, a mixture of terrified and excited. "When one of the soldier's found Lord McCoy, he had claw marks up and down his body, they say it was a Morgal Assassin! Looks like whoever did it abducted his son too! The palace is in an uproar!"

As the two excitedly conversed in a hushed tone, another patron placed his drink down on the bar and reached into his pocket. With a flick of his wrist and a quick motion, he flipped and caught a coin. He stared at it for a second before smiling.

"Heads...looks like good luck for me." He remarked, getting up and walking out of the pub into the cool night air.

-The End-

Well, that's all folks. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it. I had a lot of fun with it, and who knows, there might be a sequel in there somewhere.

I have one request for you, my loyal readers. In your last review, I would ask you to tell me what some of your favorite parts of the story were. This gives me an idea as to what I should continue to do, and what I should make to avoid.

Scenes? Conversations? One-Liners? Let me know what you liked about it. Thanks for the feedback, and see you all in the next story!