(A/N) I'm back! And for the first time, it's time to leave Arcadia!

Things have been weird again lately. As usual, lol. My ear got stopped up and somehow this led to my sleep schedule falling apart for the millionth time this year. Took a while to get everything back in order, but I'm pretty much on a normal schedule again! (maybe it'll last this time)

Also, my apologies for not uploading this earlier today. I've been thoroughly distracted. XD

The first stretch of the journey, Roy knew, would be the most difficult. Upon leaving Arcadia, they would have to travel through mostly empty desert until reaching the Lycian border.

After spending so much time in Owen's inn, shielded from the sun, the harsh desert heat was even worse than Roy remembered. Only a few hours out from Arcadia, he was already dreading the rest of the trek through the desert.

Fa, on the other hand, hadn't yet lost her enthusiasm. She spent most of her time trying to entertain the rest of the group with her 'traveling songs.' For a good part of the day, the rest of them were silent. Predictably, though, Fa soon grew tired of singing—and more importantly, of walking.

"Are we gonna be there soon?" she asked. "Fa's legs are getting tired."

"We still have a while to go, I'm afraid," Wolt answered.

Fa frowned.

"Can we go get some cake, then?" she asked. "Fa's hungry."

"I don't think we brought any cake," Roy said.

"We probably could stop to eat, though," Lilina replied. "At least for a few minutes. We've been walking for a while now."

"Yay!" Fa exclaimed, jumping excitedly.

She promptly flopped herself down in the sand. Roy shrugged, and sat down as well, the others following suit. They unpacked some of the food Owen had insisted on sending with them, spreading it amongst the group.

Already, Roy knew the bread wasn't as good as the freshly baked kind he had become accustomed to. During the war, he'd had to adjust to less than perfect food—among other things—and even after it he'd maintained that to some extent now that he had to travel more. His time in Arcadia had evidently spoiled him again.

"Did I really just want to stay there because it's easy?" he wondered.

Then again, he thought, would that really have been so selfish? He'd led the Lycian army against Bern, defeated King Zephiel, fought with the Sealed Sword...didn't he deserve a break now?

"Just like old times, isn't it, Master Roy?" Wolt laughed.

"Just like them," Roy agreed. "Even down to you always addressing me that way…"

"Well, I know it drives you crazy!" he chuckled.

"The two of you drive me crazy…" Lilina remarked.

"Who drives Fa crazy?" Fa asked curiously.

The rest of the group laughed. Roy even thought he heard a faint chuckle from Idoun, though her expression didn't visibly change.

"Maybe the elder, when he tells you to stay inside?" Wolt suggested.

Fa folded her arms and made a frowny face.

"Mm-hmm!" she agreed, nodding. "Fa doesn't want to stay inside. Fa wants to see the world!"

Sofiya put a hand on the little girl's shoulder.

"You should have...plenty of...opportunities now," she said.

Fa smiled, nodding more vigorously.

"Uh-huh! Fa wants to see your home, Roy!" she said. "Is there cake there?"

"I'm sure there will be," Roy replied. "And I think my parents will love to meet you. If Mother is well enough, that is…"

"I don't think I've even met your mother, Roy," Lilina noted. "How...how long has she been ill, exactly? Is it the same illness your father had?"

"No, the physicians say my mother's is something completely different," Roy said. "Father says it's because of something that happened to her when he and Lord Hector were younger, when they were...traveling or something. I don't know. I never got all the details."

"Honestly, it's kind of bizarre," Wolt said. "I've heard millions of times about your parents' story, Lady Lilina. But yours, Master Roy…"

"Don't you ever get exhausted calling us by our titles all the time?" Roy asked.

"Nah, it's just habit at this point," Wolt said. "But really...I've heard all about how Lady Farina was a pegasus knight from Ilia, and she and Lord Hector couldn't stand each other at first…"

"Oh, they always drove each other crazy," Lilina said.

"But as for Lady Ninian…" Wolt continued. "All I know is she used to be a dancer, and Lord Eliwood rescued her from...I don't know, some group of bandits, I think."

"I used to get the feeling there was something else about their meeting that they didn't tell me," Roy admitted. "But maybe there just wasn't much else to tell, anyway."

"It sounds like a mystery!" Fa exclaimed. "Can Fa help solve the mystery? Fa loves guessing games!"

Roy smiled. He had worried that traveling with Fa would be difficult, but so far he'd enjoyed having the young Divine Dragon with them. Her continued enthusiasm for the trip made Roy feel a little less overwhelmed by it all. He had traveled much longer distances before; this would be no trouble at all.

Before too long, it was time to start walking again, and they wouldn't stop again for several hours. Luckily, as the day turned into evening and evening turned into night, the unbearable heat dissipated. The group finally settled down under the clear, starry sky, and tried to get some sleep.

Fa fell asleep immediately, since she was already tired from all the walking. She had curled up against Idoun, who was still wide awake but seemed relaxed. It didn't take too long for Roy to fall asleep, either, thanks to the long day of travel. After so much time in Arcadia, he wasn't used to this anymore either.

Roy awoke early in the morning when it was still a little dark; his body must have gotten used to it after getting up early to visit Idoun so many times. Realizing he wasn't going to fall asleep again, he went ahead and got up, walking around their campsite a little bit.

It wasn't long before he noticed Idoun was also awake, and staring off into the distance. Roy walked up beside her, not saying anything for a moment.

"The desert is so vast," she remarked, speaking softly.

"It is," Roy agreed, keeping his own voice down too. "The first time I came to Nabata, I could hardly believe how big it was. You can't see anything but sand for miles."

"This is how I felt," Idoun said after being silent for a few moments.

Roy waited a few seconds for clarification, but she said nothing else.

"You mean...empty?" he guessed. "Before your soul was restored?"

"Yes," she said. "And now it is less empty than it was, but it continues to fill up faster with every day."

"Well...that's good, right?" Roy said. "You're starting to feel more again!"

"It is good, I suppose," Idoun agreed hesitantly. "But sometimes it feels...overwhelming. There is so much, and more comes into focus every day. I...sometimes do not know what to do with it all."

"That's ok," Roy assured her. "I'm sure it'll get easier. You're just not used to it yet, and everything's going to be new and uncertain for a while. But if you ever need help working through anything, you can always tell me. I'm not an expert on emotions, but...I've had a lot of them through the years, so I'll do the best I can."

Idoun paused for a minute, as she often did. Roy guessed this was one of the ways she dealt with the onslaught of new emotions: just letting them bounce around in her head for a bit until she could find the words to describe what she was feeling.

"I still cannot remember who I was," she said. "Before the other Dragons changed me."

"You don't have any memories from then?" Roy asked.

"No," Idoun answered. "There are only some fleeting impressions, but even those have not grown much since my mind started to wake up. I do not even remember why I hesitated to leave with the other Divine Dragons."

Roy was silent for a moment. He tried to imagine what that would be like, to know he had a whole life that he couldn't remember any of. And for Idoun, that life was several human lifetimes in the past. Roy wasn't sure he would be able to remember back that far even without magical meddling.

"Does it bother you that you can't remember?" Roy asked.

A stupid question, he thought as soon as he'd said it. She was talking about forgetting an entire life, of course it bothered her.

"It...does," Idoun said. "Though not because I am not content with my new life. But I wish I could at least remember what my former one was like. I know I felt much of what is coming back to me a long time ago, before the emptiness. And yet I cannot remember any events, any faces...only vague feelings with their context long gone."

Roy felt chills as she described the experience. It was easy for him to forget that standing in front of him was someone impossibly ancient, older than any human could truly understand. The former life she spoke of was not just several decades away; it was before nearly all written history, back into the time of legends. It was amazing to think that if she could only access those memories again, she would be a direct link to a past so distant it had almost faded from existence.

"Who even am I, compared to her?" Roy thought. "She's lived for hundreds of lifetimes, and she'll probably live for thousands more after I'm long gone…"

"I'm sorry you can't remember," he finally said. "Maybe those memories will come back eventually?"

"I can only hope," Idoun replied. "I have not recalled even glimpses of them since I began to wake up. It makes me question if those parts of my mind are gone forever."

Roy shuddered at the suggestion.

"We don't know that for sure yet," he said. "When I first got to Arcadia, you wouldn't have even understood what 'hope' or 'wish' mean, but now you're just using them with no hesitation. You said it yourself, your mind grows less empty every day."

Idoun sighed.

"Even if they do not, I am grateful for the life I have now," she said. "After what happened to me...I am astonished that I ever started to wake up. I was gone inside. There was nothing left."

Again, Roy didn't respond right away. He felt he still didn't fully grasp just how extreme Idoun's situation was, or how lucky she was to be standing here in front of him right now. He wasn't sure if he ever really could understand, given how much simpler his own life was in comparison.

"If she says there was nothing left…" he thought, "does that mean her old memories really are gone forever? Maybe that's the one thing that couldn't be restored…"

He didn't say this to her, as he knew it wouldn't help, but the idea seemed plausible. He hoped he was wrong, but it was hard not to speculate.

In a little over an hour, the rest of the group began to wake up. Sofiya was the first, soon followed by Fa who had ended up cuddled with the half Dragon after Idoun woke up. Once she was awake, it was only a matter of time before Wolt and Lilina were as well.

The whole group now awake, they continued on their way northeast through the desert, while the sun was barely up over the horizon. The morning went by more or less like the last had, and they stopped for lunch in the middle of the day before walking again.

Over the next several days, they fell into a regular pattern. Roy continued to wake up early along with Idoun, the group would start walking not long after, and they would spend most of the day traveling through the seemingly endless desert with no end in sight.

Finally, their journey brought them to the southern border of Lycia. The familiar sight of green grass, trees, rivers, and lakes was a welcome relief to everyone, but particularly of interest to Idoun. Roy had forgotten that this would be her first time outside of the desert since her soul was restored, and the way she stopped and stared at the surroundings for minutes at a time said everything.

"Idoun?" Roy asked. "Are you ok?"

Idoun didn't respond right away, as if she was in some kind of a trance. Slowly, she turned around to face Roy, her eyes wide.

"I remember," she said. "So much green. So much life. I saw these lands when I was under Zephiel's control. But they were not...I do not remember...that they were so beautiful."

Roy almost shivered again as he realized that was a very strong word for Idoun to use. Whether it was just the impact of seeing a lush landscape for the first time since she'd really been aware, or just a result of her recovery, he wasn't sure. Maybe it was both at once.

"It's so pretty!" Fa exclaimed, throwing herself on the ground and rolling down a short grassy hill. "Fa loves it!"

"I didn't think I'd ever feel that strongly about seeing this place," Wolt admitted. "But after walking through Nabata for days...I understand. Kind of."

Fa had reached the bottom of the little hill and was now running around in circles, while Idoun watched her wistfully.

"So…" Roy said. "You remember seeing it before, but I guess it didn't make you feel anything then?"

"Yes," Idoun said. "But my eyes perceived the same images. Places like this one. And I remembered them, vaguely, but until now those memories did not seem important. This...this is what your homeland looks like?"

"This is what most of the world looks like," Roy laughed. "Nabata is unusual for being so dry and empty. Up north in Ilia it's kind of the opposite, cold all the time and almost always snow on the ground...but the rest of Elibe is a lot like this."

Idoun stared for another moment, before starting down the hill slowly. Roy followed behind her, not speaking so as not to interrupt whatever she was thinking. He understood why she was going through this, but he couldn't imagine what it would feel like. Being outside of his home in Pherae and seeing how the commoners lived had already been enough of a shock, but something like this?

"I apologize," Idoun said. "I realize this must look strange to you. But it is...hard to understand how I could have seen all of this and yet...it's as if I did not see it at all."

"Is that what all of your memories from...before are like?" Roy asked.

"Yes, I suppose so," Idoun said. "They were...merely events. There was no meaning to them. There was...no meaning to anything…"

At this statement, she paused for another moment, as if something else had occurred to her.

"Idoun, is everything alright?" Roy asked.

"How could that seem normal to me…?" she said, almost in a whisper. "Nothing having any reason, any purpose…"

"That's...all you," Roy said. "And that's what they tried to take away. Without you giving meaning to it, everything is just kind of...empty."

"Then...nothing is real?" Idoun replied. "But I see it in front of me. I did not make any of this up."

"Well, I don't think it isn't real…" Roy said thoughtfully. "You're real, and they're your feelings, so that makes it real, doesn't it?"

"What conversation have I walked in on?" Wolt chuckled, just now walking up to them. "Is this what you two talk about when I'm not around?"

"No need to interrupt them!" Lilina scolded.

"You are not interrupting," Idoun said. "I am merely...trying to understand."

"It's understandable, being overwhelmed," Roy replied. "But you don't need to worry about...anything like that. Even if it's only your experience, it's still real to you, right? So it can't be fake."

"Yes…" Idoun said slowly. "Though it does make me wonder—"

"Idoun!" Fa shouted, running up to them. "Fa found some pretty flowers by the stream! They're even better than the ones back home! Come see, come see!"

She grabbed Idoun's hand and pulled her away, off towards the stream where Sofiya was also waiting. Roy sighed, smiling. He was glad he had decided to make the trip, and that Idoun was able to come along. This might prove to be very beneficial for her recovery.

"So...we haven't talked much about what we're going to do," Lilina said. "Are you still thinking of going back to Arcadia? And if you do…"

"Well, I can't...not go back, can I?" Roy asked. "I have to take Fa and Idoun back—"

"Sofiya can handle that on her own," Lilina pointed out. "When it's time for them to return, you wouldn't have to escort them at all."

"Oh," Roy said. He hadn't thought of that until now.

"And besides that, I need to return to Ostia," Lilina continued. "Now that we're back in Lycia, I can't avoid it. And I don't imagine it will be easy to run off to Arcadia again once I get back."

"I wasn't going to ask you to drop everything and come with me…" Roy said, looking down in embarrassment. "I know you have responsibilities. I never expected you to stay as long as you did, anyway."

Lilina sighed heavily, sharing a glance with Wolt. It seemed like the two of them had done quite a bit of talking that Roy wasn't aware of…

"Master Roy, once we get back to Pherae, Lord Eliwood won't want you to leave, either," Wolt said. "Even though he's ruling right now, you're his heir, and it's...it's important that you be there with him. To prepare yourself for when...when you take his place someday. And to ease his workload, too."

Roy didn't respond right away. The last thing he wanted to be reminded of was the inheritance he never asked for. Why did it have to be him to rule Pherae? He had already fought a war and helped save Elibe from Bern's conquest; was that not enough?

"I can't tell them that," he thought. "Not yet. Lilina will probably argue me to death over it, anyway, and I still don't really have much of an excuse not to stay in Pherae."

"Let's just wait and see what happens," he said. "If my father has things handled, maybe it would be best for me to go back to Arcadia and continue helping Idoun recover. She's made so much progress already."

Wolt and Lilina shared another glance, but neither said anything. Roy wasn't necessarily surprised that they brought the subject up again, but he had hoped to avoid it for a bit longer. He knew they were probably just worried about him, but he wished they would understand why he didn't want to stay in Pherae. In Arcadia, no one was planning out his life for him, and he was free to choose his own path.

"I...couldn't help but overhear…" Sofiya said, walking up to them. "Roy...you do not...want to return home?"

"It's not that I don't want to go home," Roy corrected. "I just don't want to have to stay there. In Arcadia...I don't know. I liked my time there. I don't want it to be over so soon. It doesn't feel right."

"I believe...it is your choice," Sofiya replied. "If you want...to return to Arcadia… You seem at home there."

"But I can't just run away, either," Roy said. "I can't just abandon my father. Even if he's gotten over his illness, if he gets sick again, or something else happens…"

The group was silent for a while. It didn't seem like anyone had a perfect solution to his problem, and he was running out of ideas himself. Even now he wasn't sure whether or not he was going to stay in Pherae once they got back. While in Arcadia, he had been sure he was going to return, but now...he wasn't sure how he would feel when he saw his home again. Despite his frustration with having his life decided for him already, he did not have many bad memories of home.

Of course, it wasn't long before Fa rejoined the group, Idoun following behind her. They got back to walking north, everyone relieved that they were out of the arid desert at last.

Fa continued excitedly pointing out flowers, trees, birds, and bugs as they walked, even more lively than usual now that there was much more to see. Roy vaguely recalled her reacting this way during the war, but back then he had been so focused on his mission that he didn't pay much attention to it.

Idoun similarly appeared impressed by the new landscapes, but she barely spoke a word as they walked. Her eyes were wide in amazement, though, and for someone who rarely showed emotion it felt strange to see her that way.

Soon, signs of civilization started to pop up around them, as they stepped onto a dirt road and began passing by several scattered farms. Roy knew they should reach another village soon, and could finally sleep inside again.

And in about an hour, they reached what they were looking for: a small village a little ways from Ostia, one that was busy with activity as it was now midday. As they passed by some villagers going in and out of town—some riding horses and pulling carts, some just casually talking to each other—Roy and his companions waved. Many of them waved back or greeted them as the group headed into town.

"Fa loves this place!" Fa said happily. "Everyone smiles a lot. Hi!"

She waved at some people on horseback, pulling a cart with vegetables from outside town, and they greeted her back.

Idoun was, perhaps predictably, the quietest of them. She did not wave or speak to anyone, but kept glancing around at everyone they passed by. A few times, she started to reach for her hood, instinctively wanting to cover her face, but she always stopped.

"So, which way to the nearest inn?" Wolt asked. "Lady Lilina?"

"I don't know," Lilina admitted. "I haven't been outside Ostia very often… Maybe we should ask someone who lives here."

"Hey!" Wolt exclaimed, waving to a man standing in front of some kind of shop. "Excuse me, sir. We were wondering where we might find an inn in this town?"

"Oh, just right down that way," the man replied, pointing. "One of the biggest buildings in town; you can't miss it. Wait…"

He stopped for a moment, slowly stepping closer to their group. Roy realized why just a second before the man voiced his question.

"Lady Lilina?" he said. "And...Lord Eliwood's son, Roy?"

"And Fa!" Fa added.

"Y-yes," Roy answered nervously. "I'm on my way back to Pherae, and my companions and I need a place to stay."

"I...I see," the man replied. "Well, I doubt you'll have a hard time getting a room. Why, if you're the Marquess of Ostia, you probably won't even have to—"

"I intend to pay the same price as anyone else," Roy said firmly. "But...thank you, sir."

The man shook his head, chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny?" Roy asked.

"Stories have spread since the war about you," the man explained. "Word is you're unusually...humble for a noble. I honestly didn't believe much of that, but...well, you learn something new every day."

With that, he went on his way, leaving Roy unsure of how to feel.

"Was that supposed to be a compliment or an underhanded insult?" Roy asked, turning to his friends.

"Well, you exceeded his expectations, so that's a good thing, right?" Wolt laughed. "Even if he did have something against nobles, it sounds like you made him at least, well...question his worldview."

"Oh, don't tell him things like that," Lilina said. "You don't need to build up his ego."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Roy replied.

Lilina shrugged.

"I'm just looking out for you," she said. "If you only listen to what Wolt says about you, your head's going to grow so big you won't be able to stand up."

Fa giggled at this. Roy imagined much of the conversation may have confused her, but the image of Roy's head inflating clearly amused her.

As they followed the road the man had indicated to the inn, Roy thought about his friend's words. It wasn't impossible for him to change someone's mind about nobles; after all, he'd managed to do that with that thief Cath during the war. But however some Lycian commoners viewed nobles, he imagined their views of Dragons were far worse. What would it take to convince these people that Dragons were not all to be feared?

They soon reached the inn and stepped inside, and Roy's train of thought was replaced by the smell of food cooking and the sound of travelers talking amongst themselves. It was so nice to be back in a real inn, though it was a little off-putting how similar it felt to Arcadia. For a moment, the feeling was so familiar he almost forgot these people weren't fond of Dragons.

And that realization gave him an even stranger feeling, one like he was an enemy in his own home. In Arcadia, he could talk freely about some of his companions being Dragons, but here he wasn't sure how people would react if he did.

It was just a reminder of how much the war had changed him. He might be Lycian by heritage, but he might as well be part Dragon himself now. Arcadia was the only place where he knew he was among like-minded people.

Lilina was already at the front counter, talking to a young woman about something.

"—please, accept this payment," Lilina was saying. "I see no reason to pay you less than any other guest when my father left me more than enough money."

"Very well," the woman said. "Your rooms will be upstairs…"

Her voice trailed off as Roy looked around the room and noticed several of the guests were eyeing them curiously. Some looked surprised, likely at seeing him and Lilina, but a few seemed to be looking at Fa and Idoun. Even in human form, their pointed ears and vibrant eyes were sure to draw a little bit of unwanted attention. Of course, Fa was happily waving at and greeting everyone, so the attention wasn't unwanted on her part.

Lilina and Wolt led the way up the stairs in the back, and down a hall until they came to their rooms. It was weird to be in an inn again but to know it was far from Arcadia. The interior decoration was slightly more elaborate here in Lycia, but otherwise the buildings weren't too different from each other.

"I hope you don't mind me staying in your room," Lilina said, opening a door on the right. "Since it's just one night and I've basically known Roy since we were born."

Wolt chuckled as he followed Lilina into the room, Roy behind him. There were two sets of bunks in this room, so having enough space to sleep wouldn't be a problem. Still, he realized it struck him as odd that Lilina had to make an excuse for being in the same room as them. Was it just because he'd known her for so long?

"Well, you know what the townsfolk will say!" Wolt laughed. "Ostia and Pherae, soon to be united by love—"

"Oh, shut up!" Lilina interrupted with a small chuckle.

It was just then that Roy looked up and noticed the door across the hall was already closed, and Idoun, Fa, and Sofiya out of sight. He was a little disappointed; he thought he'd have an opportunity to talk to Idoun more.

"She's probably just overwhelmed by everything," he thought. "Those people looking at her probably made her nervous. Besides, it's only one night. We're not to Pherae yet."

He closed their own room's door, and then turned back to see Wolt and Lilina throwing pillows at each other and laughing. He couldn't recall the last time he'd seen Lilina smile like that…

"Ok, ok!" Wolt said, laughing as he flopped down on a bunk, all the pillows now piled on top of him. "I call a truce!"

"It's too late now," Lilina replied, walking over to retrieve some of the pillows. "You already lost the war."

"Ah...oh well," Wolt said.

"They're...really close," Roy noted. "When did that happen? All that time we spent in Arcadia…?"

Suddenly, he realized something.

"So…" he started. "You two won't mind if I run over to check on Idoun, will you?"

"Go ahead," Lilina said.

"No!" Wolt exclaimed dramatically. "Don't leave me here to die!"

"You're already dead; have you forgotten?" Lilina replied.

As Roy opened the door and stepped out to cross the hallway, he heard the pillow fight start up again behind him. He walked over to the other door...and hesitated. Would Idoun want to see him right now? Maybe there was a good reason she and the others had gone inside and closed the door so quickly. She might need some time with just Fa and Sofiya for a while.

Roy deliberated for several minutes, trying to decide if he should knock. If she didn't want to talk right now, she could just say so, couldn't she? There was no reason he couldn't ask. Of course, that possible outcome already made him feel embarrassed for wanting to talk to her in the first place.

He looked back towards the door to his room. He didn't want to interrupt Wolt and Lilina after he'd already made them think they'd have the room to themselves.

Finally, Roy decided on a third option and walked back down the hallway, heading downstairs to go for a walk around the village. Maybe it would help him clear his mind.

(A/N) It's said that Ninian has a short life with Eliwood, but it's never said exactly how short. I had always taken it to mean she dies shortly after Roy is born, but then I heard someone mention that 'short' could be different considering just how long Ninian's lifespan already was.

On that note...it's probably about time Eliwood told his son the whole story about how they met. XD