u Memories/u

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Golden Sun or any of it's towns, objects, characters, etc. I do, however, own the plot of this fanfic.

WARNING: This fic contains spoilers from the end of Golden Sun: The Lost Age. If you wish to find the spoilers out for yourself, then reading this fic is NOT recommended.

~*~*~Ivan's Point of View~*~*~

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I could hear the birds in the trees outside my window. It was another day. I rolled around, fighting to stay asleep, but It did me no good. The sun shone brightly on the wall I faced. The light reflected off of the white palace walls. I was blinded as I lifted my open eyelids in utter defeat. I had work to do. Being a servant, sleeping late is a rare luxury...a luxury that I had yet to face.

I pushed off the heavy quilt that covered my body. I felt a cool breeze come through my window (they didn't have glass on their window's back in those days, did they?). It was enough to make me shiver. To bed, all that I wore was my long, purple shirt. It was in every way comfortable and made getting dressed simple.

I dragged myself out of my bed and lugged over to my desk. A pair of maroon pants and a green pull-over cape had been draped over the chair for me. Must have been the work of one of Master Hammet's many other palace servants.

Master. I had been told to call him by that title ever since I can remember. It was a terrible thought. To know that I was a mere piece of his property...to know that I, an average human, was owned by another human that wasn't any better than I. Well, I used to think that I was average...then again, so did he.

I remember it all too well. I had just turned 10...well, it wasn't really my birthday. It was just the 9th year anniversary of when I was given to him as a baby. There was only a small celebration, but I had noticed the seriousness of Lord Hammet's features. He never seemed so...unhappy. I remember that shortly after the celebration, he called me to his room for a private discussion.

As I recall, he was seated in a chair across from his bed, with another chair directly in front of him. He motioned for me to come and sit with a wave of his hand. As a loyal servant should, I quickly obeyed his commands and sat in the chair placed before him.

I watched him draw in a deep breath. What ever he had called me here for, it obviously wasn't going to be good. His mud-brown eyes met with my violet ones, and his seriousness turned to anger.

"Ivan! What did I tell you about looking me in the eyes?!?!"

I hurriedly searched my mind for the answer, but realized that I always looked him in the eyes. Why was this time so different?

"You never said anything about looking into your eyes master...and if I recall correctly, I have looked in to your eyes every time you and I had a discussion."

Master Hammet's anger was wiped clear from his face. He looked to the floor.

"Yes Ivan, you are right. I never told you that you couldn't look me in the eyes. In fact, there are very few rules that you have to follow. You were young. I didn't want you unhappy during your childhood. But it bugs me that I have little control over you. Have you seen the other servants? Have you seen how they obey their masters? Have you seen how tamed they are?"

I was getting upset. The tears welled up behind my eyes, and my throat began to hurt and burn. I knew where he was going with this.

"Yes master, but have you seen how unhappy they are? They want some fun and freedom!"

Master Hammet slapped me, "Ivan!! Don't you ever use that tone with me!!! They are servants!!! You are a servant!! You can't have fun!!! You can't have freedom!!!!!"

I was sure that he could see my fear. My eyes were wide and warm tears slid down my round cheeks. Master Hammet had never slapped me or yelled at me like that in my entire life! Hammet kept a straight face as he waited for me to say something. When he saw that I was in a state of pure shock, he decided to dish out my new orders.

"From now on Ivan, you will act like a real servant. If you fail your new duties, you will be punished...and trust me, if a little bit of yelling made you cry, then punishment will probably kill you."

I started to shake. I made sure that I kept my eyes to the floor. He reached his massive hand out to me, as if I were supposed to shake it. Was he nuts?!?! I nearly flew out of that seat and bolted out the door!

Ah yes, that day was quite tragic for me...but what goes around comes around *wink*. I remember another day just as well. It wasn't even a year after my confrontation with Hammet. I was sitting under a tree outside of the palace. It doesn't hurt to take a break every now and then.

I could here the gentle sound of the water in the fountains. I watched as little ripples formed from the force of the soft breeze. The wind. It was so powerful. Hadn't anyone else taken the time to notice? Wind moves trees, water, leaves, and occasionally, the wind is strong enough to destroy a town made of would. The wind spreads the tiny seedlings. Yes, the wind is an impressive piece of nature. I had heard many stories about sorcerers controlling the forces of the elements...of course, no one but young children really believed them.

Deja Vu! Two little boys were standing not too far away from me talking about the stories. Just for laughs, I held my hands up in front of me, closed my eyes, and said i'whirlwind.'/i

I waited to hear laughter. A sound came to my ears, yet it wasn't that of giggling boys, it was that of strong winds. My eyes snapped open to reveal a stunning whirlwind right before me. The townsfolk watched in both fear and awe. The two boys had run to their parents. Hammet had rushed outside to investigate the ruckus.

I must have looked like a fool, standing there with my eyes and mouth open wide. I still had my hands in the air. As I dropped them, the whirlwind disappeared into the sky. All eyes were on me...my eyes were on my hands. Had I just created that? It wasn't possible...or was it?

I held my hands up in the same way and closed my eyes. I had to know the truth.

i"Whirlwind."/i

Again, raging winds picked up and created the spinning mass right before our eyes. I looked over my right shoulder toward Master Hammet. As a small grin crept over my features, the fear became more and more evident on Hammet's face.

I dropped my hands to end the storm. After that day, I was allowed more freedom and happiness. In fact, Hammet even helped me to better learn of my other powers, like mind read.

Yes, the day I learned whirlwind, everything changed. The other children didn't want anything to do with me, the other servants shot me death glares and Master Hammet...Master Hammet and I were acting almost like a father and son.

Yeah, those were the good ole days...when I was 15, I set out on the adventure of a lifetime. That was when I was left in Vault and ended up on a great adventure with some guys from Vale. We were out to stop villains from lighting some lighthouses...of course, we ended up lighting them instead. But there were some good points, I got to leave Kalay, and I even met my sister! I found the town that I was born in and I was able to rescue Hammet! Plus, I got a nice tan from all of those deserts.

Wow, looking back sure does make me miss those days of adventure and travel...fighting off demons, dragons, zombies, and any other mutant creatures that decided to take us on...it was the life!

Things have settled down again, but I'm no longer the i'strange servant boy with the weird psychic powers.'/I I am now known in Kalay as /i'Ivan, the powerful Wind Adept that helped save the world.'/i

I'm 16 now. It's strange how I think about those times every day. Master Hammet says that today we have to deliver some things to villagers of Vault...maybe Isaac will be there. After all, Vale was destroyed when the Golden Sun appeared.

I guess that I should go to the caravan. Hammet and Layana have called my name a hundred times already!

I finish putting on my shoes and run quickly down the stone stairs. Hammet is at the bottom tapping his foot impatiently. Hamma, my sister is also there. She lives with us at the palace now. I hug her tightly and the two of us race out to the wagons.

iWe're off to Vault!/i