Firelight Thoughts

The team traveled north, through the hills. By nightfall, they'd arrived in the general area where the cave was located. But it was too late to do anything about it, they would have to rest in order to be in top condition for the morning. Then, the Princesses and their Partners would go in and find the Varica stone.

Lena agreed to take the first watch, she wasn't that tired. Then, she would wake Leon, who would wake Tiara, who would wake Graham. Japolo wasn't of much use on the watch by himself, since he wasn't big enough to fight against a large number of opponents. Nor would it be easy for him to wake the others in time. But if something really strange began happening, they could always wake him to scan the area.

As the young woman watched the fire as it rose up into the night, her mind began to wander. 'Why Kagetsu, why have you kept us out of your problem? I must be right, and you are feeling like you and Tiara have been through too much. You want to find out if it is best to continue your relationship, after you killed her Partner. I know you didn't regret what you did, stealing the Throne of Yord, you just regret that you were unable to do it any other way.' She threw another log onto the fire, and let out a sigh. This was troubling.

'If it had something to do with Graham and Tiara, why didn't he just talk to me or Sara?' she mused, 'We would keep the secret, if he so wanted it. There's no reason he should always face it alone. If only I was more honest with my own feelings, then maybe I could be of more help to Kagetsu in his hour of need.'

Just then, Lena heard a small mumbling. Turning around, she saw it was only Leon, talking in his sleep. But from the sounds of it, he was dreaming about battling the Mihan Demons, and protecting Lena in any way possible. She'd always commended her Partner for his loyalty. Leon never would desert Lena when she was in need, and was always ready to fight for her. A good thing, since the young woman often had no desire to dirty her hands. Unlike Tiara, Lena wasn't that fond of getting in the thick of battle so often.

"Miss Lena, watch out. Lend me your powers, I'll kill them for you *yawn*," Leon muttered. It made the young woman giggle a little bit, he was such a sweetheart, the true definition of a Partner. Even Graham could not equal his loyalty, and he'd devoted his entire life to serving Tiara and making sure she was safe.

Lena whispered, "Leon, something feels different about you lately. I didn't think your loyalty could get any stronger, feared the Throne of Yord incident would weaken it. But you stuck by my decision to help Kagetsu out, no matter the consequences. The Elder was surprisingly not mad at us when we got back. I thought all three of us would be in solitary for weeks when he found out we'd tampered with it. Now, with a great evil army at our backs, you still don't waver. I wonder, why do I feel these strange sensations now?"

But her questions were unanswered. Lena knew her feelings for Kagetsu, but she was unable to act on them. One consequence was that she was shy around him. The other side effect of those feelings was that she was unable to realize what exactly the strange sensation she'd felt around Leon exactly was.

* * *

Tiara was on third watch that night, sitting around bored. She'd also gotten Japolo up so he could scout from the trees. The little ferret's eyes were the best in the team, and he also had his sensory powers to help. This freed Tiara up a little, she really needed to think a bit. Specifically, think about Graham. By bringing him back to life, she had begun feeling a little differently towards him. Something strange had gone through her, something she wasn't quite expecting on happening. 'What is it? It almost feels like how I was around Kagetsu when we started going out. Could I be falling in love? Did the absence of Graham make me want him in a new way? I feel as if my whole world is completely changed now, maybe I should ask Sienna. She would know how she felt when she brought Miro back to life, if it was anything similar to this feeling.'

"Tiara," Japolo called, "It is all clear up here. I cannot sense the Mihan Demons in this area. It is a safe bet that they are all sleeping, biding their time until they can catch us off our guard. You did well in suggesting we take turns standing guard. The Elder was right in choosing you and Lena for this mission."

"Well Japolo, I'd have to say that's one of the nicest things you've ever told me. But I know that the Elder trusted me, and that's why he sent us," Tiara replied. She'd known all along that the Elder didn't just do this as a favor. Out of the three possible candidates he could find, only she could ignite any confidence in him. Perhaps it had to do with her conquering the Throne of Yord in order to save her friends and Partner.

She thought, 'In any case, I am committed now. I promised him that I'd follow Lady Sienna's plan, and save the Guardian World. Ok, so she'll do the actual fighting. But I will be the one who has to carry her burden so she can do so. Although our roles are different, they are both equally important. Sometimes I think that about Magic Users and their Partners. They have different skills, but are needed just the same.'

Eying Graham as he slept, Tiara sighed. She knew that something was different about her feelings towards him. Even if it was simply a renewed sense of friendship, she didn't care now. Eventually, the young Princess would figure it out for herself, and then she would be able to help the two of them to find the path they would have to take. At least now he was back, and she could no longer regret what happened.

* * *

Finally, morning settled over the hills. They would have to keep on going to look for the exact cave that Sienna had mentioned. Tiara and Lena packed their bags, while Graham and Leon kept watch over the area. When the girls had finished, they divided the luggage amongst the four so no one had to carry too much. Then, the team set out once more, continuing north. If Japolo's senses were correct, they only had to go this way for about a half hour, and then they'd be turning eastwards for another until they found it.

'We will discover this stone,' silently vowed Tiara, 'Then, who knows what will happen. We could find victory, or be defeated by the Mihan Demons. But until the end, I'm never going to give up fighting.'

- - - -

Teefa's Last Word…

Yes, I'm insane. I wanted to have Tiara and Lena begin to wonder about their own feelings, continued more later. Only then, we'll at Grahm and Leon into the mix.