This story...would not leave my brain alone for weeks now.

But I must apologize, since it is soooooo far out of context of my other stories because it takes way ahead in the time line, AND that it is so far from canon it doesn't really belong on this site...basically it's self-indulgent.

BUT, I finished it, so might as well post.

I tried to put enough exposition in here to make it somewhat understandable, but I'm sorry if it's still confusing.

Today had not been Rosa's day.

A well experienced white mage who would have made a wonderful head of medical practices had announced that she was quitting due to her being pregnant. She had no plans to return even once the baby was born.

Rosa understood completely, but it did mess up her plans for the future of the white mages conclave in Baron.

Then she had received the inventory report for the month, which was missing an alarming number of potions, reagents and assorted herbal remedies with no explanation was to where they had gone.

She suspected theft.

To top it all off, she had spied an unfortunately familiar airship out one of the windows of the castle. The ship was smaller than a standard military craft, and bore colors of the Trading Alliance instead of a country's regalia. Its' design was one of a kind, and Rosa sighed.

She had taken off in the opposite direction once she saw it, heading for the hangers.

"As if I needed this day to get more unpleasant," she muttered in annoyance. Perhaps it would be Kieran and Cuore visiting, which would make things less irritating. Though Cuore admittedly favored the slightly larger vessels they used to transport goods, and not the nimble Phoenix II.

But a sudden and unexpected visit from Kieran made no sense, even if Cuore was with him. They usually sent word ahead they would be visiting, when they left the Tower at all these days.

Rosa only hoped their visit wasn't bringing more bad news with them.

As she neared the spilt in hallways she would take to reach the hangers, she spotted her son already deep in conversation with Kieran. Cuore was nowhere in sight.

Rosa stifled another sigh. It was no secret to anyone that Kieran wasn't her favorite person in the world, though she had tolerated him better the last few years than ever before.

It helped when she didn't have to see him every day anymore.

Ceodore spotted her first and offered a smile as way of greeting, never breaking his conversation with his friend. Kieran, on the other hand, only darted a glance in her direction before completely ignoring her.

He looked apprehensive. Never a good sign.

Rosa slowed as she neared and their conversation dwindled, making her suspicious.

"Kieran," she greeted. "This is an unexpected surprise."

The young man sighed, "Yes, I'm sorry to drop by unannounced. There just wasn't time to send word on ahead."

Rosa blinked, "You make it sound like you need something quickly,"

Kieran hesitated.

Ceodore glanced between the two of them, looking uncomfortable.

Rosa was content to wait for hours right here in the hallway to know why the young man looked as frazzled as he did.

Finally Kieran frowned and relented on the silence, speaking up carefully and quietly. "Truthfully, I do. I think Bryn might be here."

Rosa made a face, "Bryn, here? What makes you think that? And…how would he have gotten here if not with you?"

Kieran flinched, and her eyes widened as she realized the implications. He was quick to continue, a hint of desperation in his voice.

"It's not what you think. He…has been acting odd ever since Mysidia announced that they were releasing Zethan Knox until the trial. We had…an incident at the Tower and shortly after, Bryn was missing. I'm pretty sure he stowed away on an Alliance vessel and took off. The only two that left around the right time were one to here, and one to Fabul. Cuore's checking the other one but I'm pretty sure he's here."

By the time Kieran finished talking, Rosa was left with more questions than answers. She quickly decided this was the worst day she'd had since the last world war ended.

Rosa wasn't sure if she should lose the reins she had on her anger, or try to be more understanding.

"You lost Bryn," she muttered.

Ceodore bit his lip, "Mom,"

She ignored him.

"You lost a former terrorist, a magical time bomb waiting to go off, a witness to an international, criminal case against Zethan Knox, and you think you lost him here?" she seethed. "Did I just about cover it?"

Kieran's eyes narrowed. "I think I might have to find a frightened child, whose abusive and dangerous father just got released from prison, who might be hiding out here, hoping most likely, to hop on another ship and go somewhere far away."

Rosa let out a dark chuckle. "You promised the World Council you could keep him in line!"

"We promised to keep him safe!" Kieran retorted. "This is on Mysidia for letting Zethan Knox roam free until trail. How was Bryn supposed to feel about that?"

"He's not roaming free, he's under house arrest." she complained. "You, on the other hand, are violating so much right now by letting Bryn out of your sight."

"House arrest," Kieran mocked. "The man is a known terrorist who I still think Cuore should have decapitated when she had the chance. It would have saved a lot of trouble. Bryn may be an accomplice to some of his deeds but he's still just a child! A child that has promised to testify to put his own father away for the rest of his life."

"A child who tried to destroy the entire Trading Alliance, if you remember correctly."

Ceodore frowned at both of them, "Both of you, this isn't going to help find Bryn."

Rosa shot her son a glare, and he winced, looking apologetic. She spun back to pin Kieran with an enraged look.

"You and Cuore assured the Council you could keep Bryn safe, or in line, or whatever you want to call it until the trial! Now he's gone, and you really have no idea where."

Kieran shook his head at her. "We already know what you think about us taking him in, you made it perfectly clear at the Council meeting. I'm not having this fight again with you. Mysidia even agreed it made the most sense for us to take him, with the Tower's defenses and our technology." He sounded more exhausted then angry, but she was still fuming that someone as unpredictable as Bryn Knox was wondering around her kingdom.

"And how do you intend to find him?" Rosa snapped. "If he is here, he could be anywhere!"

"He's probably in the hanger of the Trading Alliance ships, waiting for one to depart." Kieran paused, adding. "He's smart, but without his magic I think I can figure out where he is."

"Assuming he's still wearing the anti-magic manacles," Ceodore pointed out.

Kieran shook his head, "He'd need some heavy duty acids to burn them off. Even we don't keep those around our labs."

Rosa felt a twinge of worry and flipped open the stolen items report she still had clutched in her hand. She'd been gripping it so tightly during her argument that some of the pages were crinkled.

Luckily, she saw no mention of harsh acids on the list. She supposed she should be thankful for small favors.

"What's that?" Ceodore asked, gesturing to the files.

Rosa glanced up, "We had our inventory today and a lot of items were missing. Luckily, no acids,"

"Let me see that," Kieran said, holding out a hand, expression worried.

Rosa glared at him and shoved the papers into his chest. "If Bryn is responsible for these thefts, I'm holding you accountable."

"Put another demerit on my file," he retorted with an irritated look.

She returned the look but he was too busy scanning the pages to notice. He exhaled sharply and snapped the file closed. "Damn it all,"

"What?" Ceodore asked anxiously.

Kieran shook his head, "If Bryn did take these, and I'm betting he did, he has everything he needs to make a Blink potion."

"A what?" the prince asked, confused.

"Bryn's…good at alchemy, or chemistry. Whatever you want to call it. He was in charge of mixing all the components that the Magicite used in their…attacks."

He sounded less than thrilled to be discussing something so horrific.

"He wrote all of the mixtures down when he came to stay with us. He said it made him feel better turning in that knowledge." Kieran held up the file. "What he took out of the infirmary is what he needs to make himself invisible. A Blink potion."

"So, even without magic, he's going to be hard to find." Ceodore summarized. "Great…"

Rosa glared at Kieran, "And yet you still don't understand why I am so upset about the situation?"

"I do understand!" Kieran snapped, "I do, trust me. You think I like it anymore then you do? It doesn't change the fact that I need to find him, and that I will. Best chance is still to look in the hangers. I don't think he's crazy enough to try anything with the military ships, but it's worth looking into along with the Alliance hangers."

Rosa felt a spike of annoyance. "You think you can just waltz in here and start poking around in our hangers?"

Kieran gave her a scathing, sideways look. "Yes, actually I do think I can. Cuore and I own the Trading Alliance, therefore I can waltz into those sections anytime I want. As for the military side of it, I own shares in your ships, since you use some of our patented components!"

He stopped himself, took a deep breath and held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Emotions are running hot right now. I don't want to have this fight again with you, Rosa. I'm going to find Bryn, and then we'll be out of your hair."

He turned and headed back towards the hanger sections without another word. Ceodore sighed, shaking his head sadly.

Rosa clenched and unclenched her jaw a few times, watching the young man walk away.

"Mom," Ceodore finally said, drawing her attention. "I know you don't like this, but it's really not Kieran's fault."

"No, but it is his responsibility," she replied, trying to calm herself down so she didn't snap at her son. "He needs to fix this."

"He's trying." Ceodore said, gesturing at where he'd disappeared too. "He knows it's his responsibility. And…"

The prince sighed, hand falling limply to his side. "And, he's really worried about Bryn. He and Cuore love that kid."

Rosa said nothing, not sure how to reply to such a statement. She had heard that Cuore and Kieran treated Bryn exceptionally well considering everything that had happened. Especially Cuore, who had to be removed from some of Mysidia's meetings regarding the boy and the trial of Zethan Knox.

Apparently calling the leaders and judges of an entire country hypocrites and tyrants didn't go over so well.

She wasn't sure how they managed to trust him so much after everything that had happened, knowing what he had done and tried to do. But, that was their business, not hers.

Expect today, when it became her business.

Ceodore sighed softly and moved towards the hallway, leading Rosa to frown. "Where are you going?"

"I told Kieran I'd help look." he said. His expression looked pensive. "Just…try to give Kieran a chance to fix this, okay?"

Rosa couldn't argue her son had a point, and finally nodded. She hated the situation, but there was nothing to be done about it now.

As she turned to leave and find Cecil to explain what was going on, she paused.

"If I saw the Phoenix II land, wouldn't Bryn have, too?"

Rosa shivered and pulled her cloak around her extra tightly as a particularly strong gust of wind buffeted her. The docks were always colder than the rest of the city, since the wind blew against the cooler waters.

She glanced around another set of containers waiting to be loaded on board a nearby ship, but saw nothing.

She sighed.

The thought occurred to her that Bryn might have seen the airship, and if he did, he'd know Kieran would search the hangers first. But the docks were always less guarded, and easier to hide nearby.

But so far, she'd found no signs of the boy.

It was possible she never would, if he was invisible.

Rosa looked around, crossing her arms. "If I were a runaway, where would I hide down here?"

She turned and made off for the furthest dock from the others. It was disused and in need of repairs, but Bryn could easily hid there and make a break for a ship when it got time to leave.

Rosa approached the dock and looked around, keeping her ears open for any unusual sounds. If he was invisible, it was possible sounds would be her best option. There were towers of crates, both broken and intact, laying around the disused dock and she peered carefully around each and every one.

After a few minutes of searching and finding nothing, she began to wonder if she was wasting her time.

As she circled around another pyramid of barrels, her keen eyes caught something shift to her left and she glanced quickly in the direction of the disturbance.

There was nothing there now, but she trusted her eyes that something had moved. She wasn't as good an archer as she was without acute eyesight.

The longer she stared at the space, the more something seemed off. The way the light was hitting that area looked too dark and matte to be natural. There was a shimmer before a similar fading effect to a normal Blink spell flickered.

Bryn had been moving away quickly and carefully, but as his form became clear once more, he paused. He blinked at her, then held his hand up just as it went from translucent to opaque.

"Damn," he swore, casting one last look at the queen and darting towards some barrels.

Rosa frowned and drew the hand crossbow she'd been carrying, calmly loaded a bolt into it and took aim. He was almost to the crates, where he would have cover, but she was faster.

And so was the small crossbow.

She clicked the trigged and the bolt flew, hitting Bryn's knee and sending him to the damp ground with a yelp.

Satisfied, Rosa smirked and hooked the crossbow back to her belt before taking her time to catch up to him. Bryn pushed himself up, wincing and exclaiming something obscene no child his age should know.

Once she was within a few feet of him, she frowned, suddenly wary that he wasn't completely helpless.

After all, this was Zethan Knox's son.

The boy pulled himself up using one of the crates and quickly spun, off balance, tossing a vial in her general direction. "Stay away from me!"

The moment the glass shattered on the ground, a cloud of smoke flew up and she coughed, waving it away and reaching blindly forward. She snagged his cloak and yanked him back to her.

Bryn growled and struggled to pull away, but he merely went down on the ground again, his leg useless.

Rosa finished waving away the smoke and scowled at him. "Stop trying to run! I took out your knee, you're not going anywhere."

"That's what you think!" he snapped, twisted around and attempting to toss another phial at her. This time, she caught his wrist and easily wrenched the potion from his fingers.

"No more of your tricks," Rosa scolded, crossing her arms. "Like I said, you aren't going anywhere."

Bryn glared at her, but made no moves to try anything else. Instead, he sat up and clutched at his wounded leg. "Y-you shot me!"

"Yes," she replied.

He chuckled, out of breath. "Well, okay, so I wasn't expecting that. I figured you'd be too stupid to even find me, let alone have the nerve to actually make a move. My mistake, your majesty."

Rosa was instantly reminded why she disliked him as much as she did.

He winced and grabbed the bolt, still in his knee. "Nice shot, though…"

"Everyone seems to forget I did help save the world," she pointed out, frowning.

Bryn shrugged, "Well before my time, your old majesty." She rolled her eyes.

Rosa watched him hesitate to pull it out and sighed, pulling her long skirt up so she could kneel down and get a good look at the wound. "Hold still."

"I could heal myself if I wasn't wearing these stupid things," the boy complained sullenly, holding up one arm and flicking the metal bracelet with his other fingers. "Damn Mysidia."

"You have a filthy mouth," she observed, still peering at his leg.

Bryn snorted. "What're you going to do, wash it out with soap?"

Rosa yanked the bolt out and pinned him with an annoyed look. He sucked in a breath, but didn't make a sound.

"If I heal you, are you going to run?" she asked.

Bryn's defiant expression finally faltered, and he held her gaze for a moment before dropping his eyes. "No. There's no point."

Rosa studied him, not sure she believed him, before gently turning his leg slightly and pressing her fingers above and below the wound. She chanted softly, watching as the damage from her arrow slowly closed until the only evidence it was ever there was a tear in his leg and residue blood.

"Good as new, but you'll be sore the next day or so. Be careful." she warned.

Bryn said nothing, surprisingly. She took the opportunity to study the boy and realized how young he really was. His attitude and mock confidence hid his youth well, but not when he was suddenly quiet and withdrawn.

He looked tired, gray eyes listless, with dark circles beginning to form underneath. His brown hair was a mess, partly from his fall to the damp ground a moment before. His clothing was likewise rumpled and dirty.

His age had never been revealed to the majority of the public, but this close, seeing him look so weakened, Rosa had to guess he couldn't have been more than eight or nine.

"How'd you find me?" he finally asked quietly, picking at his cloak.

Rosa shrugged, "I guessed you'd seen the Phoenix II land, and-"

"Knew that I'd know Kieran would check the hangers first." Bryn finished, the shadow of an unamused smile pulling at his lips. "You're a lot smarter then you look, lady."

Rosa ignored the insult this time, hearing the catch in his voice. He sounded like he wanted to cry, but she couldn't be sure. He was crafty, and she wasn't entirely sure if he was pretending.

He swallowed and closed his eyes. "I'm not going back. He can't make me. I'd rather die."

Startled, Rosa stared for a moment before speaking.

What didn't she know about?

"…Kieran isn't going to give up easily, you know. But, if there's something…" she trailed off, unsure how to ask what she needed too.

Bryn looked up, confusion across his face. "What? No, not him. I meant my father."

Rosa bit her lip, understanding dawning on her. Kieran had been right about that much, at least.

The boy shifted uncomfortably, looking away again. "I-I can't go back, he can't find me. You have to let me go, you have to let me run and disappear."

"I can't do that, Bryn." she explained.

Bryn shook his head, "No, no, you don't understand. They never should have let him out! He still has friends there, obviously. If he's out, he can use his old contacts and he can get me anywhere!"

"Zethan is under constant supervision," she argued.

He glared at her, tears filling his eyes. "Then you are as stupid as you look! He has influence, power, he…he has to go away. Someone has to stop him!"

"We will! A trial is already scheduled-"

Bryn cut her off, "No! I promised to testify because they promised to keep him away from me. They lied, they lied and they let him out and now whatever monsters he makes is on them, but I'm not going to be one of them. Not anymore."

The amount of vehement passion in his voice was frightening to hear from a child's lips, yet he continued, flinging an arm out in the general direction of the boats nearby.

"You have to let me go, please!" he pleaded. "He'll find me and no one can stop him."

"You were safe in the Tower of Bab-Il!" Rosa snapped, shaking her head at him. "You're the one who ran off,"

"Because I'm not safe there!" Bryn retorted. The tears that had been gathering in his steely gaze finally spilled down his cheeks.

"He knows that's where I went, if he's out, then he knows. And if he knows, then they aren't safe. They aren't safe because of me. That's why I have to run, I have to make it obvious, make him know that I went somewhere else. If he's following me he can't hurt anyone else!"

The last few words were broken by sobs as he finally lost all composure and buried his face in his hands. Rosa hesitated only half a second before reaching out and gently settling her hands on his shoulders.

The boy flinched from the contact, but as soon as he realized it wasn't harmful, he relaxed.

After a few moments, she spoke. Softly, but loud enough where he could hear her over his cries.

"Who is 'they', Bryn?"

The boy dropped his hands to his lap and closed his eyes. "Cuore and Kieran."

Rosa took a deep breath, about to tell him that they were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, when he let out a bitter sounding chuckle.

"I can't believe Kieran came looking for me," Bryn admitted. "I thought I'd made sure that wouldn't happen."

She gave him a quizzical look and he grinned, looking apologetic. "I…set fire to their lab. Destroyed a bunch of stuff in there, burned six month's worth of research. I figured they'd be so angry they'd be glad to see me go. I guess I should have known better. I'm their responsibility, after all…"

Rosa smiled slightly, "Responsibility, yes, but…I saw Kieran; he was worried about finding you. Not because of that, but because he knew you were afraid of your father."

Bryn winced, "Zethan already promised to get them back for putting him away," he whispered. "Zethan keeps his promises. Once he learns they took me in, he'll make good on that promise."

"Running away isn't going to solve the problem," Rosa pointed out carefully. "Bryn, you have to give people a chance to do the right thing. Mysidia will put Zethan away."

Bryn looked back at her, and the haunted look she saw in his eyes was heartbreaking. "People don't even know what the right thing is, lady. How can you do good when you don't even know what that means?"

"You learn," she replied, squeezing his shoulders.

He stared at her for moment before speaking again. "Please, just let me run away. I promise you'll never see me again. No one will miss me, and everything will go back to normal and everyone will be safe."

"I can't do that," Rosa repeated. "If I did, I wouldn't be doing the right thing."

He dropped his eyes and she sighed, "Besides, Cuore and Kieran would miss you. You know that."

"…They shouldn't care so much." he mumbled.

Rosa didn't think she had anything to say on the subject that wouldn't come across as a backhanded compliment, so she remained quiet. They sat for a moment longer, the only sound the lapping of the waves nearby against the dock and an occasional wind gust.

Bryn sighed at last and glanced up at her. "So, you're going to drag me back to Kieran? He's going to be angry at me, I can tell you that much. But I bet you'd like to see me get in trouble, considering."

He was back to his façade of the tough, no-nonsense child and the queen frowned. "You deserve it." She pointed out in reply.

He grinned at her, "I'm going to tell on you, that you shot me."

"Be my guest," Rosa said, standing. "I'm the queen, remember?"

"Yeah, her old majesty." Bryn muttered, standing as well and testing out his leg. "Alright, I'm ready."

She half expected him to attempt an escape again, but he just flipped the hood of his cloak up and trudged along, back towards the castle, silently.

Rosa wasn't sure how she felt about the boy; he was such a puzzle. One moment he was an emotional, desperate child terrified of a world he barely understood. The next, he was suddenly twenty years older, hardened by bitterness into a sardonic apathy.

He was scarred, there was no doubt about that, but she was more concerned with where he was going, then where he'd been.

As they approached the stairs to one of the side doors into the main castle area, Rosa decided that Mysidia was right; Cuore and Kieran were the best options to keep an eye on Bryn. Even beyond the safety the Tower provided in keeping him cloistered, those two might be able to break through his disguises and find the real Bryn, buried somewhere deep inside.

She only hoped he wasn't right about his father's promises.

As soon as they entered the castle proper, hushed yet frantic voices could be heard down one of the hallways.

Bryn paused and took a deep breath before raising his head and stalking off in confidence towards them. Rosa followed a few paces behind him, wanting to remain somewhat out of the situation.

As they neared, they could make out more of the conversation.

"…Don't know that? Mysidia already doesn't like us, this is just going to make things worse…."

That was Kieran, sounding as anxious and irritated as before.

"We still haven't searched everywhere," Ceodore's voice said, trying to sound reasonable. "He could be anywhere. We just have to keep looking."

Bryn peeked around the corner before stepping out completely, calling out; "Hi."

Both of the young men turned in surprise towards his voice.

"Bryn!" Kieran said, eyes widening.

The moment Kieran exclaimed his name the boy flinched and averted his gaze, clearly fearful of his reaction. Rosa silently begged the man to go easy on the boy, knowing how fragile he apparently was.

But rather than say anything, Kieran merely hurried over and dropped to his knees in front of him, lightly grasping his shoulders. "Are you alright?"

The boy nodded, but still wouldn't meet his eyes. Kieran frowned and carefully tugged his hood off before leaning forward to catch his gaze. "Bryn,"

The boy peeked up at him, guarded.

"Why did you run?" he asked simply.

Bryn swallowed, but didn't answer the question. Instead, he asked his own. "Why did you come after me?"

Kieran sighed, "I think you ran away because you were scared. Zethan Knox still has a hold on you and you don't think we can keep you safe."

Bryn winced and he continued; "Tell me I'm wrong and I'll let you go. Tell me you're leaving because you don't want to stay with Cuore and I, because you hate it and you want to leave. If you tell me that, I'll let you go. But if you're only running because you are scared, because you think you have too, then I'll chase you to the where the sky meets the ocean and back again to bring you home."

"What if…what if he-" Bryn began, only to stop himself. He looked away again, fidgeting.

"We're not going to let your father get to you," he said. "I promise."

"…You can't keep that promise," Bryn muttered. "And you shouldn't want too. I'm not worth it."

"Because I love you."

That got the boy's attention and he stared at Kieran with wide eyes. "W-what?"

"I came after you because I love you, Bryn." he explained. "Because I selfishly wish that Zethan Knox wasn't your father because you deserve better. I came after you because I want you to come home with me. I want you to be a part of our family."

"I….I-I burned your research,"

"I'm not mad," Kieran whispered.

Bryn gaped for a moment before fresh tears pooled in his eyes. He threw his arms around Kieran and buried his face in his shoulder. He was clearly trying to muffle his sobs, but his trembling body gave it away.

"It's okay," Kieran muttered, tightening the embrace. "You're okay."

"I-I'm sorry," Bryn murmured. "I shouldn't h-have run away. I shouldn't have burned your lab,"

Kieran sighed, "Your right, you shouldn't have, but right now the important thing is you're okay, and we're going to go home."

Bryn pulled back enough to study his face. "Home." he repeated.

Kieran nodded, smiling slightly. "Yes, home, where you are going to help me sift through all the burned rubble for salvage and then clear it up from top to bottom."

Bryn made a face but broke it when he chuckled. "Alright, fair enough."

Kieran gave him a once over. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"No," he said, his expression turning sly. "Her majesty trigger finger over here shot me."

Rosa rolled her eyes as Ceodore turned to look at her in shock.

"Mom!"

Kieran just shrugged. "So? You probably deserved it."

Bryn frowned, "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

Rosa cleared her throat, "I healed you afterwards, so you should be grateful."

"Grateful, huh? Yeah right…" the boy muttered, wiping the remaining tears from his face using his sleeve.

Kieran stood and frowned, "Come on, we should get back. Cuore's probably worried sick."

Bryn nodded, biting his lip before glancing up at Rosa, "Um…sorry about stealing all that stuff from the medical quarters…"

She honestly wasn't expecting an apology, but it was welcome all the same. "Thank you for apologizing," she replied. "Don't do it again."

Bryn just shot her that little smirk again before pulling his hood back in place. Kieran offered the queen a smile. "Yes, sorry about that. I can reimburse you, just send me a list."

Rosa waved it away with a flick of her hand. It wasn't worth the headache, and she wasn't all that concerned with replenishing their supplies.

Kieran hesitated, then turned to Bryn and gestured to the door. "Hey, can you wait for me outside a second?"

The boy, smart as ever, glanced between the adults in the room and nodded slowly, slipping from room with one last, questioning look over his shoulder.

Rosa raised an eyebrow at Kieran as soon as the door closed, wondering what he could want to talk to her about.

"Look," the dark haired man started. "I'm…sorry about earlier today. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

She gave him a wary look. "I don't think you've ever apologized to me before,"

"I've never felt the need too," he replied, smirking. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. His expression turned serious again as he continued. "And, thank you for finding Bryn."

Rosa sighed, "Your welcome. I owe you an apology, too."

"Also a first," he quipped.

She shot him a warning look and he just continued to grin at her.

"Once upon a time," she said, taking a deep breath. "I told Cuore that I thought you were too bitter and hostile to ever understand what love actually meant. I told her that nothing could thaw your icy interior."

Kieran flinched. "Ouch,"

"Clearly I was mistaken. I hadn't realized how much you cared about Bryn, and I'm sorry I doubted." she finished. He looked unsure how to take her comment, so she spoke again.

"I am, however, concerned that Bryn is right; you might not be able to keep that promise you made to him. If Zethan Knox is as powerful as everyone thinks he is, I'm….worried."

Kieran gave her an uneasy, careful smile. One that made her think she was not the only one to bring this up.

"I…know. But trust Cuore and I. We…have considered the options." he replied.

Rosa frowned, "That doesn't put me at ease,"

"The less you know, the better." Kieran remarked cryptically. "Besides, we're hoping it won't come to that."

"Be careful all the same?" she asked.

He nodded, only to pause and gave a short, humorless laugh. "Although, I guess it doesn't matter. Once Mysidia finds out about this, they'll undoubtedly take Bryn away…"

The queen shrugged. "The only people who know Bryn ran away are in this room and Cuore, and as far as I'm concerned, he was with you on your visit here. And when he wasn't, he was in my care. I don't see much of an issue, do you?"

Rosa could see Ceodore's surprised look out of the corner of her eye and she felt a thrill of smugness at catching them off guard.

Kieran gave her a funny look, as if just now seeing her for the first time. Finally he just smirked again and nodded, "Thank you."

He sighed and made a face, "Alright, time to go back and calm Cuore down. She's going to be glad we're back, but she's going to be worried until then."

He gave them both a quick wave as he left, muttering about something to do with stress. Rosa had a bad feeling they had not seen or heard the last of the situation with Zethan.

She wasn't sure Kieran and Cuore could be trusted to not do something drastic or stupid, but she supposed it wasn't really her place to get involved.

At least not yet. They would have to wait and see what happened.

"You shot him?" Ceodore exclaimed, bringing her back to the present. "Mom!"

She held up her hands and shrugged, "Why do you seem so surprised?"

"Because!" he retorted. "I'm going to tell on you,"

"Go ahead, you're the only one shocked by it." she said, wandering off in the general direction of her quarters.

"I have a hard time believing that," her son muttered, falling into step beside her. "Still, thanks for helping out."

"I'm a white mage and a queen, Ceodore, it's what I do." Rosa said, flashing him a smile.

Bryn fidgeted as the airship coasted through some heavier cloud cover. He had a lot to think about on the flight back, and as they neared the Tower of Bab-Il, he felt unsettled still.

Part of him wanted to run away again, to complete his plan and go where no one could ever find him again.

Not his father, not Kieran and Cuore. No one.

But the other part of him ached to think about never seeing them again. He hadn't expected Kieran to really care he was gone, especially after the destruction he had caused on the way out.

But…it was nice to hear, and he felt the same, even if he wasn't ready to say it.

"Kieran?" Bryn said, looking up.

"Yeah?" Kieran replied, not taking his eyes off the landing pre-landing sequence he was typing in.

"…Did you mean what you said? That you would chase me to bring me home, no matter what?"

Now he did look over, smiling and nodding. "Yes, I meant it."

"…What if I went somewhere you couldn't find me," Bryn asked, testing the reaction.

Kieran paused, giving him an odd look. He knew he was asking more then it appeared. "Well, then…I'd just have to hope that something would call you home, back to us."

Bryn smiled back, resting the back of his head on chair behind him. "I hope so too."

Kieran returned his attention to the controls. "Alright, hang on. The weather isn't so great here, so this may get a little bumpy."

Bryn held onto the arm supports and watched as they slowly descended, getting closer and closer to somewhere he finally felt like calling home.

"I wish Zethan wasn't my father, too." he whispered.

At first, he assumed Kieran hadn't heard him. But then he felt a hand give his shoulder a quick squeeze.

Bryn decided right then and there he wouldn't run away again. And if something happened that forced him away, he would join in the hope that something would call him home.

Author's Note: This is twice as long as I thought it would be, but it was kind of fun to write. It's so different from anything else...

I have had people ask me why I don't write Rosa. Because I don't like her. I always TRY too, but she ends up annoying me somehow and then I just...meh. Plus, she's hard to write, because I feel like there's so much to be done but what? And how to start? So here was an attempt.

Hard to write mostly just her though, I will say. Good practice, if nothing else!

IF you have questions, please let me know and I'll answer.

Again, thanks for reading and hope you still enjoyed, even if it's a confusing, pointless mess.