"For 'tis better to have loved and lost than to not have loved at all."

Ah, yes. I'd heard the old Lemurian quote ten thousand times if I'd heard it once. Somehow, I didn't believe it. Love...pah. It was just another way to get hurt, and that wasn't something I needed. Girls were all right as companions, but as anything else? I'd leave that to the guys back in Lemuria.

Or, at least I thought I would. I did up until I met Felix and his companions. Then, I met...her. There was something in her eyes, something in her, that made you look at her. She was more animated than any other girl I'd seen before, and so kind to me albeit her brother didn't like me at first.

I...was in love for the first time. Not a parent's love, that's easy to achieve. More like a, a...well, there's really no way to describe it. Sheba tells me that it's like being wrapped in a blanket. It makes you feel all fuzzy and warm. I'll let her think that.

Watching Jenna, I realized there was more to her than just good looks and a few kind actions. What hurt most was when she asked where "Isaac and Garet" were. This Isaac person, she seemed to be smitten with him. And, if that's the way she felt...I doubted she'd ever return my feelings for her. But, when she waltzed with Felix around the room, laughing uproariously, I couldn't help but wish that...maybe, someday...she'd forget about Isaac.

I was being foolish. It was destiny to meet up with Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia. They were seeking to stop us from lighting the lighthouses - of course they'd be there. Garet advised me not to even try to flirt with Jenna, saying that Isaac was pretty handy with his sword when he wanted to be.

Ivan, the Wind adept of their group, told me that Isaac was indeed in love with Jenna. That wasn't exactly what I needed to know.

I had to make my choice. Would I try to win her, to impress her somehow and convince her to leave Isaac? Or would I...leave them...leave her...alone?

Oddly enough, it was Isaac himself who helped me choose. While I was sitting in my normal perch - the tallest tree I could find when we made camp - the Earth adept came looking for me. He apparently didn't know that the very girl he was trying to win was the one who'd taken my heart.

"Piers?" he asked, sadly. "I need you to water these. I brought them all the way from the nearest town, but Mia's not around and they wilted." He handed me two roses, beautiful white ones that had drooped.

"Who are these for?" I asked, knowing full well the answer.

"Jenna." he declared. He continued to tell me what he thought of her as I pulled moisture from the air and watered his roses.

"Thank you, Piers. You don't know how much this means to me." the blond said, accepting the flowers as they perked up from the water. His eyes thanked me more than his words ever would.

It was then that I made my choice. I'd leave Jenna to love Isaac. If I was lucky, Sheba wouldn't tell her that I had loved her, and she'd never have to worry about hurting me.

And me? Well...I'd loved, and lost. Maybe, just maybe...the ancient Lemurians had been right.