As he turned the corner out onto the upper deck, he saw nothing. Slightly exhausted, Riem thought for a moment resting his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. Nessa wasn't in the kitchen or any of the eastern foyers. She hadn't been seen by any of the maids, nor was she along the stairs or the deck. He stood up and walked to another zip line opening in between the deck fence. With care, he latched himself to the line and jump, sliding down three levels before hitting the ground. As soon as his foot touched the surface he unlatched and ran towards the northwestern entrance to meet up with Casht and Esca.

Just like before, Cahs, Esca and the women were standing in the patio, panting and using hand gestures to show where they had been. Riem came up to them,

"I didn't find her. Was she in the city?" he asked while catching his breath.

"No, she wasn't." responded Esca harshly.

"She couldn't have gone far; there are still many places she could be." Stated Cahst.

"Many, Cahst, many as in too many. We can't search the whole palace, there has to be some place she likes to go." Said the woman. Esca turned to her.

"I believe we searched all of those already. That was the whole point of us splitting up, Tohr. Not many places left she could actually be."

"Hey, Esca! Why don't you calm down? She's not wrong; we may have missed a spot."Esca turned on him.

"Oh, and you would know. I'm sure you're the only person who'd have no idea." Riem glared.

"Yes, Esca. I'm so busy that I don't have the time to play with our little sister. As a matter of fact, I'm supposed to be at a meeting with the council of Taven ,as of right now! To finish up the affairs of our country as in our estates, our people, our trade and religious matters. Yet here I am, ditching it all to find our little sister. Hell, with the power of my position, I should just tell every maid in the palace to find her."

Tohr put herself between Esca and Riem as they started to butt heads. "That's actually not a bad idea." She said. Riem watched as she grabbed multiple maids to question them. "Have you seen lady Nessa., No?, We'll do you know where she likes to run off too? Is that it, Thank you." She quickly returned with a smile on her face. "Our next stop is the high north garden."

Cahst looked surprised. "My garden?"

"Doesn't your garden make noise when she's in it?" asked Esca.

"Yeah, that's why she's not allowed during certain hours of the day. It disrupts the people below the cliff in the city."

"Then we should hear it right?" said Riem

"Shhhh." Esca screamed. "Shut up, I think I hear something." In the distance, the wind carried a sound that mimicked a drum and maracas with a soft whistle. "Found her."

Esca took off up the ramp along the side of the palace that leads into the high northern region. Riem and Casht took off after them, Tohr stayed put. Quickly they stode up the steep path, Esca soon began to die out and fell behind Riem and Cahst. Just as they reached the peek a sudden rumble made them grab for the inner wall. The castle shook and vibrated and screams could be heard in all directions. They ran along the wall into the direction of the garden, turning the corner to see a two small girls; one sprawled out in a star on the ground, the other lunged forward and rushing to her aid. Riem let out a sigh of relief as he descended the steps, watching his feet carefully in order not to fall. Esca rushed from in between them, embracing his sister. Riem approached Nessa, angered and tired.

She stared at him smiling.

"So...Nessa?" Riem asked with curiosity.

"Um.. yes?"

"Care to explain yourself?"

"About what?" Riem was shocked, was she trying to play coy?

"What?" he let slip. "Why are you in the garden?" She began almost in a cocky manner before taking a few steps back as Evellett flailed about in her face.

"Because I felt like being out here.. Evelllett, what are you doing?" she moved from Evellett shielding her own face with her hands. "Stop, stop it." before contininuing. "I...I'm..."

Riem blew; he had exhausted himself and his time to find her. And she couldn't even defend herself. He pushed Evellett out of the way, attempting it gently but then realized it may have been too hard. "I knew it!" And now he was shouting. "You "were" skipping your lessons again." Slowly he found himself losing control of his temper, holding Esca off to the side with his hand. "Explain to me why? Why can't you just stay with your caretaker for one day without sneaking off?"

Evellet quickly grabbed his arm when he no longer had control of the direction. "And you! You're her life partner; at least make sure she is doing what she is supposed to." Both the girls stared at the ground, Evellet crying pitifully and Nessa glaring at her. No doubt because she blaming her for their predicament. "Hey! Don't glare at her. You should have been in class." Nessa broke out in a sudden cry,

"I don't want to take lessons. I want to explore like the rest of you." However, she stopped crying suddenly and responded with a sudden apology." I'm sorry. I'll go to my lesson's."

Riem felt a chill in him from her direct gaze, and something was telling him not to believe it. Nessa put a flower in Evellett's hair and she stopped crying; running off to Cahst suddenly. Riem took this chance to speak to her alone.

"Nessa, Your teacher, Mrs. Tin was telling me you wanted to go adventuring in the Semit Forest fields. Do you know how dangerous that is?" She turned with a deep glare in her eyes.

"You don't get to speak, brother. You're out and about doing dangerous things all the time." Riem swore he felt a crack in his anger; snapping, snapping.

"Nessa!, It's not the same for you. You're a child that's very important to this country. What would you do if you had been lost?"

"I wouldn't have been lost" she screamed. "I've been in that forest before and I came out just fine." Riem looked frighteningly at her.

"You've already been in there?" he aked calmly. With a snicker she responded.

"Yes." Snap.

"Promise me you won't do it again." She stared at him, slightly catching the fearful look in her eyes as well.

"Brother.."

"Promise me." He could feel the frustration burn from his face.

"I promise" she said. He calmed down slightly.

"Now, go back to Mrs. Tin and stay in class!"

"Oh, I will. And Evellett will take me not you!" He looked over to Evellett.

"Looks like she'd rather hang with Cahst than you, you did make her cry earlier." Nessa beamed at him.

"No, she's going with me. She's coming back right now." Evellet stood and soon, while carrying two small flowers, came tottering back to Nessa. "There, you see?"

"No, you're still here, and what's to say you'll make it there without wandering off on the way?"

"I will. You can even check up on us later, let's go, Evellett." She marched up the steps and then mockingly turned and shouted "bleh,buh, bleh-bluh,bleh, bleh, bleh." Before shutting the large door behind her. He sighed. It was going to be a long day, he still had to make it to the senate meeting with the Taveranians.

Riem sighed, throwing his arms out in a stretch. When was the last time he had had a break like this? Maybe, he thought, the time when he had danced with Skyia on the second wedding night in the Utera Festival in the City of Sharon.

They were both younger, much younger; a 10 year old newly-wed couple. A festival had been held in the honor of their marriage and the binding of her country with Alihilied. The streets were full of people disguised in costumes and makeup, celebrating with their children up and down and throughout the cities. Laterns filled the skies, while working to cover every inch of the ground. When the people had gathered before the bridge entrance to the palace, filling the courtyard, Riem and Skyia had stepped out onto the balcony dressed and nervous. The people sat waiting, the world silent. Riem breathed and looked at Skyia, she was nervous and scared. He took one soft breath, smiled at her; taking her hand before turning to the people. He threw their arms into the air and the city roared to life; the festival had begun.

He began doing low arm stretches as he walked about the garden, staying clear of Esca who seemed to be on his own way out, probably to meet with Tohr. Riem thought about Skyia some more, disappointed he had to leave her so soon. That was his only chance this month to spend time with her. He sighed, she must be lonely. Riem imagined her walking in the garden with him, side by side, her long blonde hair swimming in the wind, her overbursting laughter warming the world with the joy on her face, the soft touch of her eyes when she would stop to tease him. Riem stopped near the edge at the start of the waterfall in the garden. He stared out over the city, over the woods and into the sky, falling on the parthridge. He examined it carefully, slowly from the bottom up it began to turn a fire red, he closed his eyes abruptly and opened them again to find himself seeing the same thing.

"Hey, Cahst?" he asked into the open air, not moving his gaze from the parthridge. "Do you see this; the parthridge is changing a different color." Cahst looked toward Riem, striding over from his corrective work on his garden, Esca was nowhere to be found.

"Maybe it's because you're staring at it." Riem turned to him with a puzzling look like does-that-answer-even-make-sense to a be-more-clear style. Cahst sighed, "The parthridge is The Makers dimension, and The Maker is all of us and our reflection, however our soul is still our own, so we must reflect something of our own." Riem was still begging for him to be more clear. Cahst twirled a clover between his fingers as he continued, "So basically your deepest thoughts and desires are reflected; Orange for lust, green for sadness, Pink for despair, blue for longing, indigo for guilt, red for passion, white for anger, and black for jelousy." Cahst got a little closer to Riem.

"What color is it for you?" he asked, it seemed that he understood. Cahst put his head down watching his fingers as he twirled the clover.

"Indigo." Riem wasn't surprised but felt a little saddened with himself; the parthridge he saw turned green and indigo.

"It's a beautiful color." Riem stared at the parthridge. "Cahst, I don't want you to think..."

"I'm sorry." Cahst stared deeply at the clover, twirling it faster and faster. "I pushed something on you, that is.. the one burden I was supposed to take on myself." They were both silent for a moment. Riem stared at his brother; he could feel the guilt in his eyes,and the sincerity of his apology.

"I've never once looked at it that way." He frowned, then chuckled sadly. "Yes, you did run away from being king. It's a hard job and requires a lot of sacrifice. But I've never once blamed you for it." Riem put his hands in his pockets, and took a breath of air. "Never mind, that was a lie. At one point I did resent you for not living up to your responsabilities." Cahst continued to stare at the clover. "When you declared to the king, I'm not doing this anymore; he didn't pursue you. He chose another of his sons to take his place."

"I'm sorry." Cahst squeezed the clover a little tighter.

"That day he dragged me into the coronation room filled with all his advisors and ambassodors. He put me in the center of that giant throne room, and began crowning me himself. I begged.." the frustration caught him mid way, and he took a moment. "I begged on my knees for it to not be me, but he pulled me up and told me; "A king never begs."

Cahst frowned, his hand shaking, he tried to say something.

"After that day, I turned to you for help. But you wanted nothing to do with me, I can assume it is because you had felt guilty."

"I took your life from you. I have had no right to feel guilty, but I am forever ashamed." Riem turned and made Cahst look at him. Cahst continued to make a face like that to someone who witnessed a crime and kept quiet.

"You are my brother, and today I appreciate what you have done for me. If I had not become king then I would never have met Skyia. Who knows what kind of person I would have grown into." Riem grabbed the clover from Cahst's hand. "Life is precious and fragile at the same time. But it's how we move forward and make of our choices and others choices to our advantage." Riem plucked the fifth leaf from the clover making it four. "And like this, I forgive you."

"You're going to forget about the past?" Cahst looked relieved, somewhat.

"No." Riem looked Cahst in the eyes, the hope in his diminished. "I'm going to remember that fifth leaf, because without out it, I would never have made four." Cahst stared at the clover then to his brother.

"I will serve you for eternity, brother. If that is what I mean to you." Riem smiled throwing his arm about, stretching them back and forth, then turning in a different direction.

"You have always meant a lot to me, Cahst."