Hello all my loyal and faithful readers, especially as34. Thank you all for the you've taken to read my story. It means the world to me. Have I said that before? Well, it's still true. Anyway, I don't think this is as strong as it could or should be, but it's the best I can do. On a lighter note, I still have been unable to purchase the rights to threads of fate, so square-enix still owns it.

Sylvan Chat

The quite noises of the forest were joined in their never-ending melody by the light snap and crackle of the fire. I watched as tiny wisps of flame rose into the air, escaping this coil in a burst of glory, before fading into nothingness. It reminded me of Claire. She had died to save me. Her life flickered in a blaze of glory, before fading from existence, much like the light of the flying embers.

A growl escaped my stomach as I sat on one of the logs I had lugged from in the forest. Collecting the wood for the fire had been easy enough, or rather easy as it could be-- a quick blow to a dead tree would send it toppling. All I had to do after that was gather the fallen branches. After I had gotten the fire started in the campsite Mint chose, I collapsed onto the ground, where I laid until it was time for me to gather a real place to sit.

"I'm hungry," Mint whined, causing me to lift my eyes from the depths of the flames, and look at her. She was still pretty even with the bit of soot that had built up on her checks. Mint hadn't liked how small the fire was, so she insisted on adding some wood. A good coughing fit latter, Mint began sulking on the other side of the fire. I was always grateful for a good laugh.

"Well," I said fishing into my bag. "I have two rolls that Mira gave me when I left."

"Only two?" Mint asked, her pitch rising to the epitome of a whine. I winced at the annoyance. I pulled the small rolls out of my pack; both would easily fit in one hand. It wasn't much, but it was all we had. And unlike Mint, I was glad we had this.

"Yeah," I said as I tossed Mint one. "They're small so don't eat it to quickly."

Of course, I was already too late as Mint had already inhaled the roll. I turned from Mint; I knew what was next. Despite popular opinion, I can read, and I like to read. Sad as it is, I enjoy a good romance novel from time to time. I read what I can never have. In some of these stories there are girls like Mint, so if those stories hold true Mint should try to get my food. And succeed.

"Rue," I heard Mint call out. Her voice was soft and dripping with honey.  It was actually emotionally damaging in the sense that I could feel the control over my mind slipping away. "Are you sure there's not any more?"

"I'm," I began then faltered. I had to swallow. Didn't work. The lump in my throat was still there. I heard the crunch of the dry dirt and gravel as she made her way over. I felt the air shift next to me as she sat down; my senses normally only reached this lever of hypersensitivity during battle. Why are they acting up now?

"I'm sure," I finally managed to finish. A light moan of disappointment escaped her lips, followed by a light rumble. I looked up at her. She was blushing. I chuckled. She was embarrassed by her stomach rumbling? It looked like there was more to this girl then just arrogance and blinks of roundabout kindness. I sighed.

"Here, " said as I grabbed one of her hands and pressed my roll into it. "You can have mine."

"Are you sure?" Mint asked. She looked confused, but it only lasted until I nodded, then she was hard at work devouring the hardening bread. When she was done, she didn't move away as I had thought she would, but continued to sit there, next to me. We didn't talk for a long time. She stared into the fire and I, into the vastness of the heavens. Every now and then, I'd fell eyes upon me. At first I thought it was simply a passing wild animal, but as it got more and more frequent, I began to notice slight shifts in Mint's posture. It was a little unnerving.

"Why are you looking at me?" I asked as I brought myself back into a normal sitting position, I had been leaning back. She started for a second, obviously surprised that I had noticed her. If she had kept it to fewer glances I might not have.

"I was just…" She began to say, before pausing to stare back into the fire. I could feel my pulse quicken for some reason, and for the life of me, I didn't understand why. "I was wondering why you're after the Relic."

"The, the Relic?" I asked. She nodded. I felt a little annoyed with this conversation, but my pulse was returning to normal. It didn't make it though, when I realized that Mint wanted to know why I was here, it shot back up. Mint wanted to know about Claire. I'd never told anyone about Claire.

"The adventure," I said. Immediately I blinked at my own lie. It was almost implausible coming from my mouth.

"The adventure?" Mint asked, she had an incredulous look on her face that told me she knew I was lying. "I never would have pegged you as the type."

"Well, what about you," I asked trying to change the subject and get my mind off the guilt that was invading.

"I want," She began quietly, for some reason I felt it wouldn't last that way. Her eyes had been closed for a little while, before she opened them to look into mine. The flame danced in her claret colored eyes, making them even more entrancing then the ever where. A light smirk played on her lips, as she rose. "I want world domination!"

Her shout echoed through out the expanse of the woods. I could hear as other animals began to flee the area in fear of the unknown nocturnal creature that had let out its mighty war cry. But I wasn't the animals, no, I was just stunned. I had no idea how to react to that.

"But," I finally managed to choke out. "But why?"

It didn't make sense to me, why did she need that goal. It was almost as dumb as mine was. I knew my goal was selfish and improper, but I felt I owed it to Claire to save her.

Well, it looks like I have something in common with Mint after all, an improbable goal. Her goal seemed to weigh as heavily on her as mine did on me, for as soon as I asked her the question; both she and her smile came crashing back down. I felt bad for ruining her mood. She placed her head in her hands and her elbows on her knees. A sigh escaped her lips.

"I wanna go home," She finally told me.

"Huh?" I asked in one of my usual brilliant flashes of insight. I was probably openly gawking at her, but it wasn't my fault. I couldn't follow her logic. What did taking over the world have to do with going home?

"I told you I was a princess, right?" She asked. She still sat ridged and dejected in almost a fetal curl. It was unsettling to say the least.

"Yeah," I said, not taking my eyes off of her. "But, I figured you were joking."

She gave off a forced laugh before saying, "I wish it was that simple." She jerked her head up and turned towards me, her eyes burned with anger. I fell backwards off the log, before she began to shout. "I wish I wasn't royalty. It would make everything so much more simple."

Her anger flared in an instant before dissipating, leaving me stunned and very nervous. I really didn't want to set her off again. But, curiosity was beginning to nibble away at me. I wanted to know what could have this kind of an affect on Mint. I slowly crawled my way back to my seat, accidentally running my hand across the blade of the Arc Edge, which rested behind the log. "Why?" My voice caught as I spoke. I had tried to flex my hand and received a blast of pain for my query. I hoped I could still fight.

"Because, I'd still have a family." Her words cut deep. I could understand her pain. In a sense, I'd been through the same thing. I wanted to try and comfort her, but the stinging pain in my hand prompted me to wait. If I did and that wasn't what she wanted then my hand bleeding on her would only make it worse.  I chose, instead, to wrap my hand in the hem of my shirt.

I still tried to say something comforting, but she beat me to it. "I used to be a princess," She said again. She had returned to her previous curl. "I was just having fun, trying to enjoy my youth, and they, they banished me."

"What?" I asked, shocked. That didn't seem right. Had she given me all the facts? It didn't seem logical that a family would just abandon their daughter because she didn't follow every rule.

"Oh, sure," She said, her head raised and began to look around the forest. "I made some mistakes. I wasn't a good princess, but I still had time to learn. I'll admit, I can be a bit of a brat, but does that mean I should have been banished."

"No," I answered honestly.

"Exactly," She said. She rose from her position on the log next to me and began pacing, waving her arms about. "But, no. Of course they give the throne to Maya."

"Maya?" I asked tentatively. I wondered who the heck Maya was. She was difficult to follow in her current state. Of course the fact that I had to listen through the pain in my hand didn't really help.

"My sister," she said the words were beginning to increase in velocity. She stopped her frantic marching and said, "I hate her. She took everything from me." I couldn't think of anything to say to that. She let out a sigh and plopped back down on the log.

"Now that I've spilled my guts, are you going to tell me the real reason you're searching for the relic?" Mint asked suddenly a few moments later.

"What?" I asked startled. How did she know I was lying?

"Oh, come on," She said as she turned to face me. Her voice was annoyed. "Do you really think I'm that dumb? There is no way someone like you would seek the Relic simply for fun."

"What do you mean?" I asked. I didn't know why I was trying to play it off. I was nervous. I don't like explaining Claire to people. I jerked my arm slightly. A sharp pain shot up my arm. The blood had dried and welded my hand to my shirt.

"Like that," She said pointing to my hand. "You're too damn nice to simply be out here for no reason."

"I'm not nice," I said. I'm not sure why I was taking this route. I was good at self-depreciation, but I tried to avoid it. Claire would get so angry if she knew how her death affected me.

"Yes you are!" Mint practically shouted into my ear. She had slid along the log until she was a mere inches from me. I probably would have thought something silly if it hadn't been for sharp pin in my palm. I was now tugging, trying to get my hand unstuck. "You sat here bleeding onto your shirt while I ranted about my own problems."

I looked up at Mint. She was smiling at me. She shook her head lightly, like a person inwardly chuckling at the antics of a friend that said something dumb. I felt her fingers lace around my wrist.

"Here, let me," She said. This was a delicate situation. Mint's prior success with a delicate situation was not one I wanted repeated here, but one look into Mint's pleading eyes told me she wanted to help. Lord, help me. I nodded, and I felt flesh tear from my hand. I screamed. Blood flowed freely onto my pants and Mint's white shirt.

"Sorry," She said. She laid one hand onto the wound. The physical contact sent another jolt of pain through me, and I tried to jerk away.

"Be still," she commanded. I'm glad I obeyed, but I still don't know why I did. She touched her bloody fingertips to my wound again. The pain returned, but this time I didn't move. Then her fingers began to glow. A pale blue light flowed from her hand and over mine. Alternating cooling and warming sensations bathed my hand. It felt clean. When she removed her hand, the wound was closed.

"That's," I began. "That's incredible."

 "That's the magic of an East Haven Scion," She said with a smirk. I'd heard of East Haven. A country known for its wealth of knowledge about magic, but it was said that only those with some royal blood could use it. That was all the proof I needed to believe Mint's story.

I felt her release my hand. I turned it this way and that, flexing it repeatedly, trying to locate any place where there might be a flaw in her magic. There was none. I still couldn't believe it. Mint really was a princess.

"Geez, you gonna gawk at your hand all night or tell me your story?" She asked. I saw her hand move out of the corner of my eye. She had reached to my hat.

"You're so weird," She said as she flicked my hat, causing it to shift back just enough. I felt the brim of my hat come to rest on the top of my head. I could feel the cool night breeze flow across my gem. But worst of all, I could feel Mint's shocked gaze.

"What the heck is that?" She asked her voice filled with awe and curiosity, but it seemed to me like it was trepidation. Her eyes never left the gem on my forehead. I reached up to try and yank my hat back over it, but Mint caught my wrist. She shook her head, and then returned her gaze to the gem. I felt embarrassed and annoyed and wrenched my hand out of her grasp, as soft as it was. "You didn't answer my question."

"It's," I began only to fail. I needed the exact right words. Problem was to get those words I had to know what I was talking about, and to tell the truth, I didn't know what the gem was. "It's the proof of my lack of humanity."

"Don't say that," Mint said. I felt her fingers graze against the blue jewel. I shiver ran down my spine. My lungs stopped functioning properly. It was tough for me to breath, which caused my heart to speed up. "You felt that?"

I nodded. I ran my hand over my head, pushing my cap backwards and allowing it to tumble to the ground. I looked around the forest as I tried to steady my breath. I looked at a rock, the dirt, a small patch of grass, and the fire… The fire. It was dangerously low and casting a faint glow all around. I quickly got up and moved to the woodpile and tossed a few twigs and small logs onto the fire. I used a sturdier branch to poke and stir the fire, hoping to kick it back up. I could feel Mint staring at my head. I heard her utter my name.

"I lied earlier. You were right," I told her suddenly, quickly turning to face her. She jumped back slightly. "I'm not human. That's all I know about myself. I don't know what the hell I am, but I'm not human. I can feel through this gem, feel anything that touches it."

"But that's not what you wanted to know," I said with a sigh and walked back over to my seat. I flopped down rather unceremoniously onto the log. I sighed. I hated to tell this story. I'm out to save someone, save them from death."

"You mean, they're dying?" Mint asked. I turned to look at her. Thoughts of death obviously don't sit well with her. The slight frown she'd been wearing since we begin our little session had become more pronounced.

"They're already dead, " I told her I returned my gaze to its rightful place, alternating between the ground and the fire. I heard her gasp.

"What?"

"Three years ago, I watched her die. My best friend, my sister, my Claire," I could feel the anger welling up inside me. Damn it, if I'd just been stronger, she'd still be alive. There were countless number of things I could have done to save her. I relive them all each time I sleep. Sights and plans that would have saved Claire, I notice or perceive while asleep. But I couldn't save her. It's all my fault she died. I'll never forgive myself.

"It's my fault!" I shouted and slammed my fist into the ground. I could feel the sting of where the tiny rock fragments had scrapped away the skin. I shook my hand back and forth. An intense feeling of regret washed over me. It mingled with the physical pain to create a beautiful collage of suffering. "Sorry."

"Give me your hand," She told me. There was a forceful tone to her voice. I knew if I didn't obey, she'd make me. So, I relinquished my hand. "This is the last time I ever heal you, got that."

I felt annoyed at myself for making Mint exert more of her energy due to my stupidity. However, after actually looking at my hand, I realized it was for the best that she did. I was bleeding a little worse then I thought. The refreshing feeling once again washed over my hand. I was becoming quite proficient at doing myself bodily harm.

"Done," She said, and flashed me a confident smile. "No one's more powerful then I am."

I smirked at her. "You could be right," I said.

"Of course I'm right," She said and pumped her fist, before bringing it to rest on her chest. "However," She said, and turned to face me. "I could sometimes use a sidekick. So whadda you say? You help me achieve world domination, and I'll help you save your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," I told her.

"Fine, your lover," She said, with a carefree smirk.

"No way!" I shouted. I felt a sudden wave of nausea rush through me. "She's like a sister to me."

"Right, right. Whatever," She said with a wave of her hand, before extending it out to me. "Partners?"

"Partners," I said and grasped her hand in a firm handshake. They were still soft.


Morning broke sooner then I thought it would. I opened my eyes against the glaring presence of the post dawn sun. My head hurt from the lack of sleep. Mint and I had stayed up late talking. After the rather depressing beginning, our topics and entire conversation become more lighthearted and much less forced.

I sat up, despite the pounding head, and stretched my aching muscles, joints popping as I moved. A day of battle followed by a nights sleep on a bed of rocks is not the way I prefer to start my day.

I glanced around the campsite. There was a bit of light smoke rising from the ashes of what had once been a roaring fire. My Arc Edge sat next to Mint's twin weapons, the Dual Halos. Both of which were rested up against one of the logs.

I scratched my head for a moment, as I continued my search of the clearing. It had been to dark to take in any of the surroundings by the time I'd made it back to camp, but now I could see how peaceful it was. We had camped on the edge of a meadow. The meadow itself was full of freshly bloomed dandelions and sunflowers mixed in with an abundance of tall grass. The winds swept across the area, bring the scents of nature to me. I watched as grass and flower danced in the wind. I could faintly hear the sounds of the stream. It was a peaceful site.

"I feel awful," I heard Mint groan out as she brought herself into a sitting position. Her bleary eyes blinked at me for a few moments. She looked like a doll. One of those dolls that parents buy their children. It just sits in the corner legs and arms straight, and stairs at you. And for some reason, that precious doll unnerves you. Well, maybe not, but Mint's stair was unnerving me. It was then that I noticed the blood. She had small patches of it flaked on her coat and shirt. Quickly looking down, I realized my clothes were far worse off.

"Ugh, these stains will never wash off," Mint said as she looked down at her clothing. "I should have just let you bleed."

I sighed. I really don't understand Mint; kind one second, harsh the next. I never knew what to expect from her. "Well," I said. "I'm going to go wash off."

A/N: Well that wasn't so bad, right? Drop me a line.