Amarant woke up just as the sun began to filter into his room and the birds outside began to sing. He wearily sat up as he rubbed his face and tried to wake up his groggy mind. As he got ready to go downstairs, he suddenly remembered what had happened last night. He didn't know what had come over him. He thought of a time when he wouldn't even have thought twice about someone else's personal angst. Now, here he was, staying up half the night and trying to comfort someone. "You're going soft, Amarant…" he told himself. Shaking his head, he finished buckling his arm bands and headed down.

            Freya squinted as she saw the first sunlight of the day stream through the window. That was one nice thing about Burmecia; no harsh sunlight hitting you in the face first thing in the morning. She rolled over and pulled the blanket up over her head, but it was no use. She was awake and thoughts were beginning to swirl in her mind. She was a little confused by some of the things Amarant had said to her the night before, but she was glad he had said them to her. She pulled herself out of bed and started to get dressed.

            When Freya got downstairs, she found Vivi, Eiko, and Amarant already there. Eiko was the first to see Freya. "Hi, Freya! Look what I got!" Eiko pointed to the large pink bow in her hair. "When I got back to Madain Sari, Morrison and Momatose and all the others gave it to me! It makes me look even more grown up, don't you think?" Amarant coughed, trying to hold back the response he would have given her, if Freya had not been standing there. Eiko turned around and put her hands on her hips. "You are SO mean, Amarant! It figures you wouldn't know good craftsmanship. I'll have you know that I could sell this bow for almost 20,000 gil, that's how good it is, but I won't 'cause…" Freya stepped in. "I think it's lovely, Eiko. It's just the right accessory for a young woman." That seemed to calm Eiko down, and she went back to the conversation she was having with Vivi. Freya walked over to Amarant and sat down by him.

            "It's about time you got here. They're the only ones up, and they insisted on having a conversation about moogles." He shuddered slightly. "I hate furry, pink things."

            Freya laughed, and then they both sat there for a few minutes, not saying anything. They were thinking about what had happened the night before, but neither one wanted to address the topic. Finally, the silence was shattered as Quina walked in through the kitchen door. "I make good breakfast! We all ready to eat now!" As the smell of breakfast diffused upstairs, the others began to slowly drift down. Soon, they were once again sitting at the table eating, and Freya was in a much better mood this time around.

            They all finished eating and laid back in their chairs slightly, letting their food digest. Zidane had just started telling a joke as a moogle rushed into the room. Out of breath, it sputtered, "Freya! I must speak with Freya!" Freya rose form her chair, her heart starting to beat a little faster. "Y-yes? I am Freya Crescent." The moogle rushed over to her. "You must get back to Burmecia! There has been an accident involving Sir Fratley!"

            Freya felt her stomach jump as she stood there frozen. The thought finally registered, and she nodded. "I…I will be there before sunset tomorrow night." She knew such a long journey would be tough, but she had no choice. Blankley, she looked at the speechless group and excused herself. "I must gather my things…I…" Not knowing what else to say, she hurried up to her room, glad she could get away from everyone before tears began to roll down her cheeks.

            Back at the table, the group was still stunned. No one said anything. Amarant suddenly stood up. "I'm going with her." He didn't have anything to pack, so he went upstairs and waited outside Freya's room. He could hear her quietly sobbing. A few seconds later, she emerged from the room, looking and sounding a bit more composed. "Goodbye, Amarant...." He cut her off. "I'm going with you. So you don't have to worry about battles or anything…" He pulled on the rune claws and headed out. Freya, who was still somewhat shocked, followed him outside the castle, not knowing what would happen next.

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Well, there's chapter 3…I'm not sure what's going to happen yet, so if you have any suggestions, I appreciate it! Thanks!