The blessing of every soul in the town of Sharance was plentiful and great. Under the Sharance Tree, newly blossoming with the pinkest of petals, stood Micah and his beautiful bride, ready to embrace a new life free of anguish and horror and fear. Shara was very knowledgeable of the love that Micah gave to her, more so than she ever had been. And Micah was more than happy to marry a woman who had given him so very much in his new life.

The wedding proceeded as it should. Vows were exchanged, promises, and voiced loyalty, and a kiss that the couple shared sealed their future into something solid and tangible just to the two of them. And then Micah brought Shara back home to the sacred tree. And life would begin again, and go on.

The Elder Dragon who had caused this life's occurrence made frequent visits in the dead of night, to peer upon the family as it grew year by year. A young boy was born, then a girl, and then the two children were given yet another sister the following annum. The youngest daughter of Micah and Shara's first birthday was when Aquaticus decided that it was finally time. Watching over this new family, it brought to mind the importance of one that had been left behind so long ago. While Micah may have accepted that it was in a past he would never again remember, Aquaticus knew of the family, and its heritage. And how forlorn the young guard's parents were when they saw him go, and in comparison, how inconsolable the regret and panic in their hearts would now be. It was time to make an appearance before them and gracefully place a kiss of peace upon the longing claws of anger that must have been swelling year by year in Micah's original homeland.

The Elder Dragon was met with much shock and despair. His appearance meant to the people of the homeland only one thing; that something must have occurred, and that it was worthy of the gods' attention, and that consequence would soon befall them. It was as though judgement day had come to them. And not a soul was ready. But the Elder Dragon made clear that he had business only with two people, as his attention was not shared amongst those who attempted to approach him ever so shakily, and instead, those weak bodies were swept away by a fin that reminded them only of the Dragon's true power.

A frightened woman and her husband hobbled from the depths of a modest home when they felt darkness swallow their living space under the shadow of the great creature. They looked up at the fierce being with eyes that reflected the emptiness in their hearts. An arm around the woman, the husband was first to speak. He knew of this Elder Dragon. His business was not a matter he cared for, if he was here to intimidate his wife.

"Wherefore do you come here?" the man bellowed up towards the mighty Dragon, "This town so suffers as you see. Our guard is so crippled as is clear. Elder Dragon, we have managed thus far; why should it be that you appear before us now? Or may it be that you bring to us our prolonged fate at long last?"

Aquaticus was indifferent. Nothing about his manner, about the way his fins swayed to keep him afloat, suspended in the air, was to change upon hearing the man's words. Instead he answered only with those of his own, which drowned out the sound that any human or monster could make, even in the softest of tones, lined with sympathy. "I appear before you now," he began, "For I have matters to discuss of relevance to the guard."

The wife turned her attention to her husband, blinking her large eyes, and a gasp of anxiety spread between her air and the other's. "What does he mean, dear?" she asked desperately, "What has been going on with the guard lately? What could it be that is so important an Elder Dragon must discuss matters so personally?"

"I... do not know," the man answered honestly, his eyes still pinned on the blue beast, "Make yourself clear, I implore you, Dragon; you must not toy with our hearts so, I dare say. Heed me, do! Any matter of the guard is a personal matter of my own."

Aquaticus let a low groan, akin to that of a door's creak, as hesitancy perched itself within his voice. But it should not last long enough to let the man speak again. Aquaticus had come here with the personal goal of explaining to the couple with the dying heart what had become of the son they had let go all those years ago, where he was now, and what he intended to do with the rest of his life from this moment to eternity.

And as such, the great Dragon took the couple somewhere remote and quiet, upon the hills that overlooked the town, to let their hearts weep as they had quietly longed to for so many years. He explained to the man and his wife that their son Micah had been brought somewhere very far away in order to save a land that was dying. And in doing so, he had been successful in the endeavours that were his personal duty; to defeat the monsters who had fled and become a danger to man, elf, dwarf and fellow monster alike.

But he could not avoid the matter that was most important.

"Micah, to this day, has no recollection of this land's whereabouts, the people who live in this town, or his own past beyond his involvement in the guard and his monster blood. The memories that make up his infancy, childhood and adolescence reside with me to this day. But it was Micah's choice not to receive them," he explained, "He has found a home in a town that is not his origin. He has found responsibility guarding territory that is not his own. He has found love with a woman who harbours not a single drop of monster blood. And I have never seen the boy so happy."

The couple stared up on the Dragon soullessly. Clarity had finally blessed their dire situation. But a half of them both did not believe what the Dragon had said. Half of them had every reason to despise the beast with every cell of their matter, for taking their son from them when he could have returned after having completed the task on which he had been set by his own guard. The Dragon was very vile to them, having caused them to live for so many years in the false knowledge that their son was never going to return from a fate which had left him dead. But the other half knew better. It knew, hearing the possibility that Micah was very much alive, and happy, even, that it was the truth, and one that the two of them merely had not come to terms with as they had spent their years alone. Neither of them had wished to acknowledge the mere thought that Micah could survive without his homeland. They had seen the devotion on their little boy's face from the second it became clear to him that he had been born into a family of guards.

"There is something very important I must tell to you, son."

"Really? What is it, dad?"

"Do you see the sword I hold in my hand?"

"Uh huh..."

"One day, the way it is brandished and slashed upon the flesh of the enemy shall be relayed into your own hands. The manner in which the sword cuts through sound as it sways across the air shall be made clear to you. But it will be stronger. There is only so much a man can do for his homeland as he ages. You will take what energy I have now and multiply it by the thousands, Micah. Your eyes tell me that you have inherited the will of this family just as every son has done thus far. You have not failed me, my boy..."

But despite that family will, Micah had been trained as a guard with much difficulty. He had the inner strength and passion but no skill to hone it, and even the best swordsmen of the homeland struggled to bring it out within him.

"You've got it all wrong, boy! Stand up and try again. This time, hit the target like you mean it!"

"I mean it! I do!"

"Words mean nothing if they are not backed up with proof. A performance like that will get you defeated even by the flat of a blade, and the potential of magic has not even been considered yet. You cannot expect me to believe you to be the son of a great swordsman like your father. If you do not get up now..."

"No... No, I won't prove my father wrong! I won't hear it from you again!"

He had gotten better over time. And one day he became a fine swordsman worthy of the family name. But the fact that it had not come naturally drew two very different pictures of Micah's future. One that told that he had finally reached the goal of his dreams and could go far in protecting his town. And another that told that it was never meant to happen.

Finally, his parents were seeing in reality that the latter had come true. At least, in part. Aquaticus explained to them that Micah had become what of a guard he should have been here, over there, and that therefore he was still living on in the family spirit, still living on in a life that had been planned out for him and that he had once loved so much. But merely now that he did not know it, and he could have his current dream on top of all of that. His parents should have been proud.

But they wept in reality as well as allowing their hearts to sob. Living so long never expecting their son to return home did not mean that they never had hopes or dreams that it would happen. They never wanted it to be confirmed. Now they could no longer hope. No longer dream. Not without the crushing realisation that their hopes and dreams were a waste of time and sanity, constantly coming down from the heavens and smothering them with the sinking feeling of regret and emptiness that they were trying to escape from with those wishes.

Knowing that it was his fault that it would come to this for Micah's parents, Aquaticus felt guilt well within him. But he had done the right thing. He had every right now to leave after returning the couple to their house. It was only out of his inner goodness that he offered them a final request. One similar to that which he had given to Micah. And as such, he was very sure that it would not be accepted.

"If it should please you, I can bring you to him," he offered lowly, "But know that if you relay to him all of the memories which I keep hidden, a boy so passionate as he will be unable to stop himself from returning home with you and resuming his responsibilities as guard. I am not sure that I will be able to keep a hold on his own recollections if you give to him your own that are so similar. If you go to him, know that he and his new family will be forever saddened at the force of their separation. It is a choice between your happiness and his."

The man and woman could barely believe what the Dragon was offering to them at that point. After giving them news so grave it was like whiplash. It was the mother who was quick to burst. "Yes! Yes, I would like to go to him very much! I want to see my little boy again..."

But her husband silenced her. He brought an arm around her again, and delved her face within his chest. "No, dear," he whispered, "Think about what we are doing in a case like that. You heard the Dragon... We would take away the happiness that Micah has become acquainted with... It has been so long..."

"All the more reason to go to him!" the woman sobbed into his shirt, "Do you not comprehend how hard it has been...?"

"I have been through all the same as you," came comforting but firm words, "I can barely now swing my sword without him by my side. When I sent him to find the five monsters who fled, I thought within my heart that he would return promptly. The feeling that I had ordered my own son's life away when he did not, was damning. I will not steal away from him the new life that he has found."

Aquaticus slowly slipped away. He would leave the man and his wife to confer.

The man took his wife's hands in his own, and brought them to dry lips, which kissed them with silent passion. "I love you. The knowledge that our son is safe and well should be enough to let us focus on ourselves and what is left of our own marriage. Do you not wish for things to be as they were? As they were, before the first days of our son?"

"But..." was all the woman could mutter. She was comforted by gentle pats to her soft hair, but distress was all her eyes could show. Her son was within reach, but he was being held back from her by all possible binds, fingertips outstretched yet not quite touching. She could feel him there with her. She could see his eyes staring upon her with the desperation to touch her. She could feel, vibrating in the air, the warmth of his heart and soul and devotion and passion and all else that had made her love him.

"I shan't allow it," the man confirmed. In his own body was a feeling of sickness. Cruelty. But he was a man who thought to the future. It would mean sadness for them all, if Micah were to return to them. He did not know what would become of that land he was now protecting. And he saw no reason why his own homeland should take priority over other areas of Norad in regards to its safety. The patriot in him was strong. "I will sign him off his duty presently."

"But..." the woman tried again, "What of the family name?"

"It shall be continued. Out of sight, indeed, but the name will still exist. We can rest knowing that even if his skill as guard will not be passed down, it is for the greater good of his own judgement. Do you trust Micah?"

"Well..."

"Do you trust him?"

"I do."

"Then there will be no further question."

The man released her, and turned his back. Hands curling into fists, and a chest expanding to add to a stature so tall, he made off from the hills and back to the village that awaited. Aquaticus reappeared to the lone female. Liquefied emotion streamed from her eyes, gathering at her chin, but as it was to be expected, Aquaticus made no point of mentioning it. The same could be said of the male who walked so gallantly. His display of will and certainty regarding the matter had masked ten times the mourning until his back was turned. Yet he still strode.

"I am sorry," the Dragon stated, causing the woman to jump, "But I could not afford for the land of Sharance to die. Norad is a very peaceful country. It is not used to troubles. The people are carefree. It is best to prolong its protected state for as long as possible. Even if that means sacrificing something here and there."

The woman did not reply. Instead, she found herself following her husband, without regard for the Elder Dragon in the slightest. Aquaticus did not care whether or not he was forgiven. It was time to return to the Cave. And that was where he went.

"Micah?" Shara said gently as she approached the half human, who oversaw the land of Sharance from the Tree's porch.

He turned to her and gave a muted smile. "Yes?"

"Are you glad to have married me?" she asked, coming to join him, "You've seemed very... hushed, today. You're not scared you're getting old, are you?" she giggled.

"No..." Micah sighed, half a smile in his eyes, "I'm happy for all of our children's births. But today has been different somehow. We're not having any more children, are we?"

"Not unless you want them, Honey," Shara replied.

"Maybe we shouldn't..." Micah mumbled, "I almost feel as though it would be selfish to go on with our family like this... I feel as though today is the beginning of the end."

Shara tugged her eyebrows together. "That isn't a very encouraging thing to say."

Micah shook his head, and turned back over the land. "No. I suppose it's not, is it? Forgive me..."

"Oh... something's definitely wrong with you today."

A lack of reply created a pause long enough for a petal of the Sharance Tree to silently fall upon Micah's palm. He closed his hand around it, allowing his thumb and forefinger to caress it, absorbing the smooth splendour of the beautiful flower. This was what this marriage had created, and it was so beautiful.

And yet there was still a question in the back of Micah's mind.

A question he felt would be sinful to fully voice.

Is this all?