AN: Well, took me a while to get this one out, didn't it? -_- Sorry! Got me a new job...taking up my time. Blargh. Ah well. I get money *dances*. ^_^ Thanks to Jessikalyn (Send it to meeeee!! ^_^), Amanda Swiftgold (still gotta catch up on Healer, Killer! ^.^), and SteelSoul (note to you! ^.^ I am basing the events of Shirley's life around what Jessikalyn has already written for Damia. Some events will be the same, but different as they're seen through different eyes. As you've already noticed, we haven't even met Damia yet in this one. When it's Miranda and Shana, and not Shirley, yes, I must consult Jessikalyn sometimes because THAT story-line is solely hers. Shirley's is mine though. ^_^) And thanks to marissa for your review! ^_^ Long enough author's notes, lol. Read on!
Chapter 6
Silver Trio

Miranda wandered the streets of Bale. The sun was high, reflecting her golden hair light for light. As she passed, the citizens of Albert's city would smile and greet her, or bow their head slightly. She had worked hard after the earthquake, healing injuries within the city. None were overly serious, there were no deaths. Thanks to Meru there was no damage to the city. But some who had sought sanctuary outside the city had been injured by falling trees and the shifting earth. The worst of the injuries was a fractured leg so far. She had gotten word after waking up that some of the local farmers were coming in with dislocated shoulders and sprained ankles. There were quite a number of them, the report said, and the clinic could only do so much. Knowing she was in town, they had sent for her help.

"Miranda!" A voice resonated in her mind, and she paused in the middle of the street, frowning. "Wait for me!" She turned and sighed when she spotted Shana running after her. The brunette had a determined smile on her face, and Miranda had a sneaking suspicion as to the Moon Child's motives. When she finally caught up, Miranda instantly started berating her.

"What are you doing here? You should be resting!" She demanded. Shana stomped a foot.

"Oh come on, Miranda. It's one in the afternoon! You're not my mother." A hand rested defiantly on the smaller girl's hip. "And I heard the report. I'm a healer, too, you know that. I can help!"

"But after Shirley-" Miranda's eyes turned tired, she let her shoulders slump for the first time in public. There was no mistaking the burden she was forcing herself to carry. Shana shook her head and sighed.

"I know ... I'm weaker, Miranda." She hated admitting that, but deep inside she knew it was true. No matter how strong she deemed herself. "But I can handle this. You shouldn't have to do this alone." There was an appalled look on Miranda's face, as if what Shana had said had shocked her.

"I didn't mean ..." She turned apologetic. "You're not weak, Shana. I'm just stubborn, and used to taking on too much." She turned her head back, glancing at the clinic and what looked like a line-up running into the doorway. She sighed. "I think I could use some help anyways." She laughed. "Come on."

*~*~*

Later that day...

"What did you two find out?" Albert's voice resonated eerily in the candlelit library. Shana bit her lip in reply, reaching out to grab Dart's hand from across the table. He smiled at her. Well, it was more of a lopsided smirk, really; he was really tired and having to get up so he could hear this adventure wasn't really appealing to him at the moment. But under Shana's calm demands, he caved. Alright, so maybe there was a kiss or two involved, but that still did not mean he wanted to be awake at the moment. He yawned.

"Lots that would surprise you," Miranda answered. "Shirley was trained by Savan before joining Charle."

Albert blinked at this. "Truly? That is surprising. I had thought that perhaps Shirley was different than the others due to her magical nature and motherly attitude. In a way, she reminded me of Charle herself, but now that you mention it-"

"Albert...you're babbling again." Miranda scolded, and Serdio's king immediately shut up.

"Uhm..." Shana fidgeted, and all eyes turned on her, "is there anything in the census records that goes back as far as the Dragon Campaign?" She asked. When Albert asked why, she shrugged. "Shirley's hometown was scorched. She said it was called Niere." Albert blinked.

"Shana, the river that runs through Shirley's Shrine is called Niere. It runs into the valley close to the pass to Sandora. We have no records of it ever being a civilized establishment though."

"It was buried," Miranda stated, "the Winglies..." her fist shook as she fought the anger that memory caused. It was strange really. It wasn't even her memory and yet she behaved as if it were. Knowing she would rather not have two bloodied fists, she unclenched her hand and sat back, trying to relax. Dart looked to Shana to finish Miranda's sentence.

"Winglies...they massacred the men and elderly, took the women and children hostage as slaves...." Shana sunk deeper into her chair, "they made her watch Niere burn, and then they used Earth magic and buried it. Then they took her to-"

"Aglis." Miranda sat up. "Savan." Her voice was piercing and yet, deathly quiet. All eyes shot towards her and she took a deep breath. "Savan didn't only help us..." she answered in reply to their stares, "he helped the originals, too." She sat back a moment, thinking. Then, after a moment, she turned determined eyes back on the group. "I'm going there."

"What?! Where?" Taralyn's eyes went wide, voicing the question aloud for the group. Albert's eyes were concerned. She was acting quite out of character that night. But then, he thought to himself, she had been under quite a bit of stress lately. He knew where she wanted to go, and his eyes betrayed that fact. She stared at him, not only with her eyes but with her entire being. Nothing was going to stop her. He nodded in acceptance. Nothing would be able to anyways.

"Head out in the morning. You may use the castle's provisions. Shana?" He turned towards her and she swallowed. She knew where Miranda was heading. She had never been to the Magical City Aglis. Dart had often talked of it, but he always said after Savan's death the city collapsed on itself. Without Savan, the magical barriers could not survive. Albert raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"Will you be going as well?"

"I..." she paused, considering. Idiot, what's there to consider? She berated herself. "Yes," she nodded. "I'm going. But without us, who will-"

"My city is not without healers, Shana. Meru is recovering quite quickly, she is almost fully cured. Taralyn and Emille can exchange duties. I keep watch as often as possible. Not to mention that Dart is here as well as Jasson. Plus my entire army AND we're all Dragoons and-"

"Alright! Alright!" Shana laughed, rolling her eyes. "I get it. You guys will be fine without us."

"We'll be gone a few days." Miranda spoke up. "We'll probably have to fly most of the way, but we won't be gone any more than three or four days."

"Now hang ON!" Dart stood up and swung a hand out defiantly. He folded his arms and started tapping his foot. "I want to know what's going on and NOW. Shana's not going anywhere without me. I can't do this little mind-speech thing that you can do, and Albert's just wierd anyways like that."

"It's called intellect," Albert grinned, folding his hands neatly infront of him. Dart rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you wanna call it. What's going on?"

"I want to know, too." Jasson spoke up. Taralyn nodded in agreement. Meru wasn't present. She was off somewhere, most likely listening to Damia, but Albert would relay any information to her as soon as it was known. Miranda sighed.

"We're going to Aglis, if we can that is. It's where Shirley lived during her first few months in slavery, and we should see it. Again."

"Or for the first time," Shana added. The group nodded, but Dart was still not pleased. Definately not pleased now that he knew where his wife was going. She looked up at him. "Dart. We'll be fine. Miranda and I are both Dragoons with long distance weapons. And we're healers. You don't need a sword every time you go somewhere so you can just sit down, and you stay here to help Meru and Albert. I'll be fine." And with that said, she waited patiently while he sputtered indignantly before finally sitting down. He was not pleased.

"It's settled then. This rather awkward meeting is adjourned!" Albert made a soft thumping noise against the table with his hand before falling victim to a dainty yawn. Everyone followed suit, yawns being one of the most contagious afflictions known to mankind, and headed off to bed.

*~*~*~*

"Are you ready?" The voice resonated in Shana's mind as she took the last step out of Indel's Castle. Miranda? She looked around, finally spotting her near the moat's edge. She was standing there, facing the sun as it rose. Shana sighed. How could both of them own the same spirit? They were so different. Miranda was the Sun, she gave light and hope and strength to the world. Like Shirley did. But Shana...she was the Moon. The Moon Child. Demi-god. Almost destructor of all Endiness. And yet... and yet they were the same. Healers, fighters, dragoons.

"Yeah. Yeah I am." Shana replied. Both were getting used to the mind-speech. They found that it was actually easier to convey thoughts this way. Rather than try to turn those thoughts into words and voice them aloud... this was by far easier. And, Miranda thought, an advantage in battle. They didn't have to shout their plans to eachother; the enemy would be faced with two silent, distant opponents. It was quite the advantage, and Miranda could easily tell how the original Dragoons made such an impact with this skill.

"Then let's go." Miranda spoke aloud, and turned towards Shana. Both nodded, and, hoisting their packs over their shoulders, they made their way out of the city.

They were perhaps within holloring distance of Bale when they decided to transform. For Shana, transforming after all this time... it was exhilerating, and she sent a prayer of thanks to Damia for this gift. She could feel the light again, she could feel the coolness of the armor, the air around her as her wings held her up above the ground. Flying again... it was all the same as she remembered. Miranda had simply smiled and laughed at her apparant joy.

"You'd think this was your first time," she commented as they flew towards Shirley's Shrine. They would be staying there that night. Shana laughed and demonstrated a small twirl in the air. She lifted a hand to touch the teal crown that adorned her forhead and smiled wistfully.

"It's just as I remembered. I missed this," her eyes were suddenly sad as she remembered the moment she lost the Spirit to Miranda. How lost and betrayed and left-out she had felt! But now...now she was whole again. "Do you think Shirley misses it?" She asked, giving her wings a broader berth as she flapped them. Miranda pursed her lips thoughtfully as she considered the question.

"I would think she doesn't miss the war, the bloodied life she must have led. But certain joys of life, yeah. She'd miss Savan, and being able to breathe the morning air, and her family..." she trailed off as she glanced downwards. They were approaching the Marshlands now. Soon they would be over Volcano Villude .. then Shirley's Shrine.

"What do you think we'll find there?" Shana asked. "At the Shrine. I don't think it's like Shirley to build one in honour of herself..."

"You're quite right," Shirley's voice appeared out of nowhere and both Dragoons faltered in the air. Shana tumbled somewhat awkwardly, yelping as she almost collided with Miranda. As they re-oriented themselves, they looked around for the source of the voice before realizing they couldn't see her yet. She hadn't 'appeared' to them, as Damia had for Meru. A soft chuckle could be heard as their heads swivelled this way and that.

"Oh, I am quite sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I forget you're not used to this as Meru is."

"Next time, not in mid-flight, okay?" Miranda sighed as she checked her bow for any damage. Shana frowned.

"You heard our conversation?"

"Yes. Sorry for eavesdropping. But once you opened that book we are quite linked, us three. It doesn't quite work the other way around, however."

"No, of course not." Miranda rolled her eyes. Ghosts, she mentally muttered, had an odd sense of humour.

"Oh, not so odd, " Shirley replied, "Zieg and I used to play a few pranks on the Winglies when we were younger. It has nothing to do with my being a ghost." She paused, and Miranda had the feeling she was observing them intently, so she turned her eyes towards Shana. Still darting her eyes this way and that, Shana looked to still be searching for the source of Shirley's voice. "I can materialize if that would put you at ease, Moon Child."

Shana blinked, a bit startled at having been addressed directly, and even more embarrassed at having been caught. She blushed. "I... ah..."

"It's alright, look up..." Shirley soothed, and both Dragoons turned their gaze skywards. A flash of light illuminated their view, and then Shirley's ethereal form could be seen descending towards them. She was not in the sacrosanct robes that Miranda had seen in Vellweb, nor the Dragoon armour that both Sacred Sister and Moon Child were adorned in. She was instead dressed in a white, flowy blouse that would have easily billowed around her were it not for the belt that she wore at the waist. The shirt then acted as a sort of short skirt from there on down. Beneath that, she wore crimson trousers and black boots with the odd silver buckle here and there.

"Better?" Shirley asked, and Shana nodded, her voice lost. The original Dragoon smiled fondly, her crimson hair falling gently over delicate cheekbones. "You venture to places of my past. I take it you are willing to listen to the rest of my tale?" When both nodded solemnly, Shirley's smile grew. Miranda noted, though, that her smile was tinged with sadness and melancholy. "Not all events of my life were happy, or sad as a child would see it. As I grew, everything I experienced I experienced tenfold because of the others. But now is not the time or place for that," she held up a hand before either of them could ask what she meant. Miranda sighed.

"You're right. We should keep moving." The blonde stretched her wings and Shana nodded.

"Yeah. We should get to the Shrine as fast as possible. Are...you coming with us, Shirley?"

A celestial nod was her answer. "Of course. It is a protected place, and I would like to tell you more while you're there."

Miranda nodded. "Then let's go."

*~*~*~*

The sun was just past high noon when Miranda and Shana landed in the Shrine. Letting their armour fade away, they went about making camp. They had chosen the treasure hold as their shelter as Shirley could not guarantee exactly how protected her shrine remained now that she was not there. Lunch was brought out, cooked, served. While Shana nibbled on some bread, Miranda munched on some chicken. Shirley watched with a bemused curiousity. Finally, Miranda wiped her mouth with a cloth and turned to her.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Shirley laughed.

"No. Sorry. It's simply been too long for me to process the concept of eating." She made a gesture for them to continue, but Shana was already wrapping her food up. "Shana?"

"Sorry. I want to hear more. Is it time?" she glanced at Miranda who was finishing the remains of her meat. The blonde nodded, tossing the bone aside and stretching her legs.

"Whenever you're ready, Shirley."

"I left off after Mother and I left Aglis...."