Heir to the Throne

by Datenma

(shounen-ai: IsaacIvan, FelixPicard) For years, Prince Ivan has been forced to hide in the guise of a servant to Lord Hammet, but one night, after a strange storm strikes Vale, Ivan finds himself thrown into a world he thought was only a legend. What will

2. Forgotten Dreams

Heir to the Throne

By: Datenma

Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own Golden Sun :sighs:

Warning: Shounen-ai hints

Sorry for the wait. I actually had this finished a long time ago but my computer crashed (thankfully I had printed this out before hand and was able to save it). I'm a little out of touch with Golden Sun so I have to play the games (should only take a couple of days if I don't level up). Spring break is next week so I might try to work on the third chapter.

Also, shameless plug XD On FictionPress I put up a new story called "Judgment Day" I'm not sure how good it is…My name there is Okami Cloud if you didn't know...

Thanks for the reviews, everyone. I'm glad that you enjoyed the first chapter. I hope that you like the second one even more!

Chapter 2: Forgotten Dreams

"There has to be more…" I do not know why I said that, so suddenly without even being provoked but it has also been bothering me since Lord Hammet asked me to go on the caravan with him. For fourteen years, I have stayed in Hammet Palace and Lord Hammet and Lady Layana never allowed me to leave for fear of the murderers after me. Then suddenly, Lord Hammet comes to me in the middle of the night to ask me on a caravan…this is more than a simple request from my parents or whoever had instructed Lord Hammet to take me to Robin. "The reason I was brought here…who am I?"

Robin shifts uncomfortably next to me before he speaks softly, "You are…Prince Ivan, that is all that you need to know. Have faith that everything will soon be revealed to you, Your Highness, but do not go seeking things prematurely. You may not like the answers that await you."

Wise advice and yet cryptic at the same time. I turn and look up at him, quickly taking note that he is looking up at the sky again, his eyes losing their previous dazed look. "I suppose that I should be happy with that knowledge for now. I mean…things happen when they were meant to happen and if I was meant to learn who I really am, then that information will come to me in time…when I am most ready to hear it."

An amused smile appears on his lips at this and he turns to look at me, "You certainly are wise beyond your years. If I had told that to anyone else, they probably would have jumped me, shook me roughly and continue to yell at me and call me rude names until I told them what they wanted to know." He laughs to himself, politely holding his hand up in front of his mouth as his laughter breaks off into a yawn. I smile and giggle before shaking my head and rising to my feet slowly, rocking back on the balls of my feet. Robin looks up at me with a puzzled look on his face, "Are you going to go to bed now?"

"I think that you were right. We are both tired and we need to get our rest." I hold my hand out for him and he takes it after hesitating for a long moment. I brace myself and help him to his feet, "Besides, you said that you wanted to return to Haidia Village as soon as possible, correct?" Robin nods slowly, taking a step back away from me to keep a respectful distance, but he still does not release my hand, "And it should take a while before we reach your village so we should leave tomorrow morning."

"If the timing is all right for you, Your Highness." I nod, pulling my hand from his grip gently and then head back to the door, leaning down to pull it open. I can feel him hesitate behind me but the sound of his footsteps on the roof echo behind me and I feel his presence nearby. "It should not take too long to reach Haidia Village from here. Lord Hammet will leave for Karei Town once he has traded goods with the merchants of Vault, as well as keeping up with our cover, he still has to make sure that trade runs smoothly." He turns away and for a long moment, just stares in front of him, his lips part slightly as if he wants to say something but thinking better of it, he draws them together again.

Finally, as I lean my head back against the railing, he shifts and looks down at me, "I hope I am not being too forward by asking you something like this, Your Highness, but I am a little curious…what do you think about all of this? It is not…fair of us to put you through all of this so quickly, with such rushed explanations. That is probably one of the reasons you are having trouble sleeping." He shakes his head as he sighs and moves along on the roof until he is lying on his back. "I am so used to all of this. Even Lord Hammet knows a little more than you would because he has been keeping some form of contact with Prince Garcia's father."

I smile to myself, regardless of my confusion, and bring my knees up to my chest, resting my chin on them and tilting my head to the side to keep him in my line of vision. "It is all right. I have to think about it this way, at least I am being included in all of this, even with how little I know about what is taking place around me. I always wanted to be included in something special, so that I could live up to my parents' expectations of me, whatever those expectations may have been." I feel my smile fade as tears begin to well up in my eyes and I try to blink them away.

"It must be difficult…" He whispers, concern apparent in his voice. "I know this, though, Your Highness, all parents are the same. They love their children unconditionally and that when your parents had to give you to Lord Hammet so that you would be safe, it was one of the most difficult decisions they had to ever make, parting with you. But it was for your safety, so that you could live on and make their memories proud, proud of what you have become and what you are going to do."

"I know, but still…it would have been nice to get to know them. I do not even know what they looked like, let alone how they acted, I mean…what if they were mean?" I bite down on my bottom lip as soon as those words leave my mouth. He sits up, shaking his head again.

"Your parents were anything but mean, Your Highness. I may not have met them but my father did and he said that they were very kind to him while he visited their kingdom." I lift my head off my knees, turning to look at him.

"Which was where?" He gives me a quick, small smile before pushing himself off the ground and dusting off the back of his clothes.

"Wow, look at the time! It is getting late; we should really go to be now. Separate beds, of course." I feel my cheeks grow hot with the comment and I jump to my feet, punching his arm. He laughs and presses a finger to his lips before I can even open my mouth to speak. "Everyone in the house is sleeping, so we have to be quiet if we do not want them to yell at us for waking them up. The mayor can be very grouchy when someone wakes him up." I nod and follow him back into the mayor's house and down the hallway to our rooms.

"I am a little curious about something, Robin…" He pauses just before his door, turning to look at me over his shoulder. I lean back against my door, looking down at my feet, tapping my foot on the floor lightly. "You must have something more important to do than coming to Vault and…babysitting me. I thought that Lord Hammet was going to take me to Haidia Village after we traded with Vault."

"I do not want to go into it too much, but…I wanted to be there for you. I know what it is like, being trust into something you know next to nothing about and everyone automatically assumes you will know what to do, that you will be able to make the right decision. I wanted to help you out, make it easier for you when you did find out. The truth is, I am confused about much of this myself. I guess I was not much help to you." He nods to me and pushes his door open. Instinctively, I take a step forward, holding my hand out to grab the back of his shirt.

"Robin, wait a second." He turns back around just as I complete my steps and we bump into each other, my forehead slamming into his chest and his chin bruising the top of my head. We pull apart quickly, groaning in unison. "Sorry about that…"

"No, I'm sorry." He rubs his chin, letting out the breath he had been holding. "You were going to say something." I nod gently, gingerly massaging the top of my head and my forehead.

"Don't say it like that. It isn't that I'm not glad that you were the one who came to Vault to escort me to Haidia Village, I am glad that it was you. If it had been anyone else, I do not think that I would be able to take in this information so well. You actually understand what I am going through and I really appreciate that, but…you are a very important person, not just for Haidia Village, but also for all of Weyard. I am not important enough for you to come all the way here just for me." He leans back against his door, one hand on the handle, his right shoulder raised slightly as he watches me.

"Everyone is special to someone, Your Highness, keep that in mind. No one is measured by how many people think that they are important. It matters that someone out there, at least one person that you love and you know loves you back, thinks that you are important, that you are special and loved to them. That is what really counts, nothing else matters in this world." He smiles at me, nodding his head, "Out of all of the people who respect me and hold me above all others, only my friends and family count in my heart, because they know and understand me. Now you should really get some sleep. Good night." With that said, he turns away from me and walks into his room, closing his door shut behind him.

I find myself staring at his closed door once more but quickly turn around and walk into my room to save myself from any further embarrassment that might befall me. As I walk to the middle of the room, I silently debate whether to sit on the windowsill for a couple of minutes. I feel my eyelids droop as I begin to take a step towards the windowsill so I turn to the left and fall face first onto the soft blankets, sleep quickly taking me before I even have time to pull the covers up or change out of my clothes.

I feel as if I am floating. Where am I? I was lying in my bed a second ago and now…this…

It is dark and cold here. Wherever here is.

I shiver and turn my head to look around, darkness the only thing greeting me whenever I turn. I certainly do not like this place in the least. The sound of wind rushing past my ear makes me turn around quickly, holding my hand out to defend myself from whatever had just zipped past.

Nothing.

I look down and gulp. Nothing below me. Nothing in front of me. Nothing behind me. Just…nothing. I collapse to my knees as fear grips my entire being. This must be a dream though; there is no other explanation for this. I was in my room just moment ago. I fell asleep and now I am dreaming. Having a nightmare is more like it, though.

"Ivan." Just as I was about to cover my ears and bring my knees up to my chest to curl into a ball, I recoil and looking around frantically. "Ivan, can you hear me? Do not be afraid. This is a sort of test." I lower my hands back to the groundan invisible floor made of shadows perhapsand lift my head to the voice.

"Who's there? Who are you and how do you know my name?" A small laugh from the bodiless voice, almost humbling in its softness. I feel myself relaxing without even wanting to.

"I cannot tell you that yet, Ivan. Just for now, know that I am a friend. There are things that I must tell you before you leave for Haidia Village with the White Knight." A bright, golden light forms a circle before me and I hold my arm up to block my eyes from the brilliant light. Moment later, a woman appears out of the bright light and as the light disappears, as does the darkness and I find myself sitting on the ground in a beautiful forest clearing. "Ivan, I want you to listen to my very carefully."

"Yes, ma'am." I whisper under my breath, nodding to make sure that she understands even if she had not heard my soft words. She smiles and kneels down in front of me, smoothing out her gown as she sits on the dew-kissed grass.

"Please trust the White Knight, he is one of the few people you will be able to trust in your journey."

"To Haidia Village?" I ask, a little bewildered since her words made it sound as if this 'journey' would take me farther than Haidia Village, to other towns. Maybe even…other continents.

She smiles honestly, a solemn look appearing in her pale violet eyes. "I cannot explain everything to you. There are things that you will need to find out for yourself and not even Sir Robin or the others will be able to tell you for they do not know themselves."

"Who are you? Why are you telling me this?"

"I haven't much time, Ivan." She says, shaking her head and reaching out to place her hands on my shoulders. "There will be others that you can trust, but not many and there will be one person that you may think is against you, but he is not. He is on your side and he has joined your enemies to make sure that they do not kill you or the others.

"And there is another. He is leading everything from the shadows, an ancient evil resurrected to either control or destroy all of Weyard and not even the Gods can destroy him. He is dangerous, you must stay away from him at all costs until you are ready to fight him." I blink, pulling out of her grip.

"What are you talking about? You aren't making any sense." The forest shattered like a mirror, smashing to the ground and the abyss returned, seeming to close in all around me this time, threatening to smother me.

"Don't you understand? It is not supposed to make sense." A male voice this time, filled with something much darker and more foreboding than the woman's voice. It sends a shiver down my spine and I wrap my arms around my body, trying not to shiver again. "You are better off left confused, not knowing anything because once you learn the truth, they will have no more use for you. Join me, Ivan. I will not abandon you as they will. They do not care for you. They will leave you eventually and they will not even care.

"What do you say, Ivan? Will you join us?" I may be confused but I know one thing, even if this probably was some strange, wild dream that I was going to wake up from soon, I had to say no to this soon, I have to say no to this voice, whoeveror whatever for that matterit belonged to.

"I do not know who you are, but I know that I cannot trust you. The answer is no." Laughter filled the air, much worse than just the man's speaking voice. It seemed to echo all around the abyss, never ending, always bouncing off something, coming back at me, almost hitting me like a physical blow.

"You will regret saying no to me, Ivan. However, the offer is still open, if you ever feel like coming to me with your tail tucked between your legs. Remember this when they turn against you."

Sunlight. Pure, pristine sunlight piercing through the wariness of sleep and bringing me out of my dreams, which, for some reason, I could not remember for the life of me. I roll over onto my back and sit up slowly, blinking the foggy remnants of sleep out of my eyes and slipping to my feet, only to stumble and fall onto the wooden floor.

As I sit there, I try to remember something about the dream I had been having. I knew it was something strange but important at the same time. However, the harder I tried, the more it seemed to elude me. I groan in frustration and ruffle my already messy hair. "So frustrating…there should be a way to record dreams while you sleep so you could know what you were dreaming about later on."

Rolling over onto my side, I look out the window and watch the sunlight slowly rising above the rooftops of the buildings outside the window. It continued to rise until a golden beam of light played on the floor, illuminating my hand and part of my arm. I close my eyelids hallways and breathe in deeply before letting it out slowly, relaxing on the cool wooden floor.

"It is very strange, isn't it?" My muscles tense up at the sudden, unfamiliar voice and I sit up quickly, jerking my head around the room until I lock eyes with a young boy wearing a black hood. He smiles at me from across the room, his pale blue eyes lighting up under white-blonde hair. "The dreams of Jupiter Energists are said to hold precognitive attributes, only mixed with their own dreams, it is sometimes hard to discern what our minds are trying to tell us and what is being sent to us by the Gods."

The grogginess of sleep leaves me only to be replaced by fear and confusion. Who is this boy and how did he get in here? Not only that, but what on earth is he talking about. His smile widens, almost childlike, except for his eyes. Those cold, emotionless eyes. The eyes of a murderer. "Who are you?"

"That is an answer for another time, Ivan." He tilts his head to the side, taking a step forward. I blink and then his face is suddenly inches from mine as he leans forward, grinning. I jump and practically throw myself back, my back slamming against the side of my bed and sending shooting pains throughout my entire body. "Now, now, now. Do be careful. We would not want anything to happen to you, Ivan." You are far too important. You will be the one…that breaks the seal. You will be the one who brings him to me." He pulls back from me and lifts his arm up, almost as if he was going to pull me to my feet, but then a small, bright red light begins to glow from his fingertip. "Take care." The light expands until it envelops the boy and as it finally begins to fade, the boy disappears with it, leaving nothing but a fading afterimage in its wake.

I release the breath that I had been holding and let my shoulders relax. I lift a quivering hand to my face, pushing my bangs out of my eyes and tangling my fingers up in my hair. Things certainly seemed to be growing increasingly confusing by the minute, by the end of the week, I suspect my brain will explode from all the new information.

In the hallway, just outside of my room, I hear the heavy click of someone's boots as the owner runs up the stairs, down half of the hallway before slowly to a walk, hesitating in front of the door and then knocking. "Your Highness, are you all right?" Robin. I relax even more and let out a soft sigh of relief, "I heard something crash from downstairs and I was worried that something had happened to you. May I come in?"

"Y-yes." The doorknob twists from the outside and he slowly pushes the door open, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "I hope I did not worry you. I sort of…fell out of bed, I am such a klutz." I laugh, rubbing the back of my head. It was a cover since I was not sure what was going on. Between all that I had been told by Lord Hammet and Robin, to that dream and then the little boy suddenly appearing and disappearing, I do not know what to believe and I was becoming very confused.

"I do not believe that is true." He says, walking over to me and holding his hand out to help me off the floor. He is wearing a pure white tunic with only a silver trim around the sleeves and at the bottom; with this, he wears a long white-sleeved shirt, white pants and white gloves to cover his hands. I take his hand and he pulls me to his feet, "You do not seem like a klutz to me."

I blush and laugh nervously. I laugh a lot when I am nervous, probably to break the tension. Funny how it never seems to work, "You're just saying that because I am a prince." He shakes his head.

"I may have respect for all royals, as everyone should, but I do not say things that are untrue, especially not to someone with royal blood. I may have a great deal of respect for them but my first duty is to myself and I will not destroy my morals just so that one person can be happy for a few moments out of their life." I blink, surprised to say the least. He had come off so differently before and then suddenly this… "If someone needs that to be happy, then they have lived a meaningless life." He releases my hand gently and takes a step back as a smile slips onto his face, "Lord Hammet requests your presence in the stables, I shall escort you there."

"Now?" The sudden change in subject left me dazed and confused about Robin's personality. I can tell now that it is going to be hard to figure him out. He nods and I grab my cloak from the chair I had thrown it on last night and tie it around my shoulders. "Okay."

The stables were on the other side of the town, near a small well where two children were running around the stone basin, playing tag. As we near them, they stop in their games and waves to Robin, calling him over to join them. I turn back to see him smile kindly as them, shaking his head, "I have something to take care of right now but I promise you that as soon as I finish with it, I will come over and play with you." They smile and laugh, nodding before starting to run off again.

"That was kind of you." I comment, continuing to watch him. It may have just been my imagination, of maybe even the glare of the sun in my eyes but his cheeks reddened at my comment and he scratched the side of his cheek.

Not turning to look at me, he laughs shortly, "Do you think so? I come to Vault a lot, on errands for the Mayor and the King, and I make some acquaintances while I am here. Those two are nice and they help the Mayor out whenever there are chores to be done or when the town is having a festival."

"And their reward is playing tag with the White Knight?" I tease, giggling. He groans and I pat his shoulder, still laughing, "Ah, don't worry, Robin. Your secret is safe with me! No one is going to know that you are really just a big softie at heart." He shakes his head and makes a move to take my wrist but stops, looking into my eyes for a long moment, the sound of the children's laughter seeming to be the only sound loud enough to reach us.

Finally, he turns away and starts walking towards the stables again, leaving me to follow him. My heart is pounding. I can hear it in my ears and I feel lightheaded, almost as if I had been running for a long distance without stopping. I probably overexerted myself or something or maybe I am just not used to this town yet.

It may sound stupid but I might be feeling homesick for Hammet Palace, even my life as a servant, even if it was just a cover. I do not like being held up above people but I also do not like being treated as if I am lower than someone. I wonder how it is for Robin. He respects royals but he is held above commoners and everyone knows his name and the legend behind him.

I am not given any more time to mull over these thoughts as Robin pauses in front of the doors to the stables and waits for me to catch up with him. He slides the door open and leads me inside, the smell of hay attacking my nose as soon as we enter. I sneeze, nearly falling to the ground, but I bump into Robin's arm instead and he grabs me reflexively, holding me steady as I sneeze again. "Are you allergic to…?" I nod before he can finish his sentence.

Lord Hammet and Ekarl turn to look at us from the other side of the barn where they are standing in front of one of the horses we had taken on the caravan with us from Karei Town. Lord Hammet rushes to my side just as I sneeze again. "I am sorry, Ivan, I forgot that you were allergic to hay. Robin, please take him out of here and I will meet you outside."

Robin nods as he turns me around and helps me towards the exit; "We'll be by the well when you are done here, Lord Hammet." He nods, waving to us as he returns to Ekarl.

Once we are outside, I start breathing normally, only sniffling now and then as Robin takes me to the well where those two kids were playing earlier. They are gone now but I can still hear their laughter nearby.

Robin pushes me down onto the well gently before pulling off the glove covering his left hand and pressing the back of his hand to my forehead. "You should have said something before we went into the stables." I shrug my shoulders, looking down at my feet to try to avoid his worried gaze.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about that…" I whisper as he sits down next to me, resting the heel of his boot on the well and letting the other slide into the grass. "I suppose everyone had a lot on their minds." I shake my head, "It was my responsibility to remember but I guess it just slipped."

"There wasn't any damage done, I hope. You seem perfectly fine now."

"Y-yeah, it passes quickly." He nods and looks around the small clearing. After nothing but silence for two or so minutes, I clear my throat and he turns back to me abruptly, looking a little surprised. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can, but I cannot guarantee you that I will be able to answer your question." I nod.

"It is all right, it's kind of stupid anyway…" I trail off, looking down at my feet just to have something to look at other than his eyes. I see him shake his head out of the corner of my eye.

"There is no such thing as a stupid question, Ivan. It obviously means something if you asked it. Just ask, it is better to get things off your chest." I nod again, fiddle with the end of my tunic and take a deep breath.

"Well, I was wondering who the Heirs were." Robin smiles.

"That, I can answer. We only know of three, which means that the Jupiter Heir is the final Heir that we must find. As I mentioned before, it is not an easy task to find the Heirs. During most of their life, there true powers are sealed away to protect themselves and give them a chance to have a normal life as well as give them time to mature. The Gods did not want to give the power of the heavens to children." Just as he says this, the two children from before run past us, laughing and smiling, without a care in the world. He sighs next to me, almost nostalgically, "Prince Garcia, Heir Apparent to the throne of Haidia Village was the first to show his powers. We were always best friends because he was one of the few children I was allowed to spend time with because of my high status. I looked up to Garcia, really, because to me, he always seemed much more mature than the others and I respected that in him. I never even thought that he would turn around and think the same for me.

"It was five years ago, on a stormy night. Prince Jasmine, Garcia's younger sister, had gotten into a fight with her parents and snuck out of the castle with another friend of mine. They made it as far as the outer limits of the town before bandits attacked them. They knocked my friend out and were about to attack the princess when Prince Garcia and I ran towards them to help. That is when it happened, a power that he had never shown before suddenly appeared and he fought off the bandits by himself. The power was part of Venus and I knew immediately that Prince Garcia was the Heir to the throne of Venus."

"So you told the king?" I hear myself interrupting his story and I blush, turning away from him as he looks down at me.

"Yes, there was nothing else I could do. My job is to find the Heirs and make sure that they remain safe. It was also then that my duties as the Guardian of the Heirs came into full effect." He rests his hands on the edge of the well and leans back, looking up at the sky, "The next Heir that awakened before me was the Heir to the throne of Mercury, a Mercury Energist living in the ancient city of Lemuria."

"Lemuria?" I had heard tales of an ancient, advanced city in the middle of the ocean but it was impossible to reach the city because it was surrounded by a cloud of strange mist. I had always thought it was nothing more than a silly legend. I suppose that I was wrong about that as well. After all of this, I should know that anything is possible.

"Yes, Lemuria. It is amazing to anyone that does not live in the city, but to the people of Lemuria…it is a fading image of what it once was." His eyes soften and he returns his gaze to the ground, his eyes darkening with intense emotion. It washes over me like a tidal wave and I have trouble fighting back the tears that are now welling up in my eyes. I quickly press the palm of my hands into my eyes, wiping away the tears before they can leave my eyes. "I went there with Prince Garcia a year after his powers awakened. The King of Lemuria asked us there to meet with his son, Prince Picard, one of the youngest Lemurians there at the time. To them, he was still a child, even his body looked quite young but in reality he was already over fifty years old.

"We had stayed there for a little over a month before Prince Garcia began to act suspicious, snaking out at odd hours of the night and then not returning until morning. Finally, my curiosity had gotten the better of me and I followed him until he led me to the Library in the palace. The collection of tomes and scrolls in the Lemurians' library is nothing to scoff at, even someone who had never picked up a scroll in their life would have been impressed, to say the least." He trails off for but a moment before picking up where he left off, "I catch Prince Garcia standing near the fireplace at the back of the library and at first I thought he was alone, until I saw Prince Picard sitting in a chair next to the fireplace.

"Out of the current Heirs, Prince Picard is the one that is the most knowledgeable about the Gods and the origin of the first Heirs." He pauses again and looks over at the stables. I turn to see Lord Hammet sliding the door open and stepping out into the sunlight. Robin pushes himself off the well and brushes the dust off his tunic and pants, "It looks as if we will have to continue this later. I think Prince Garcia would be better suited for explaining the rest to you anyway."

I try not to look too disappointed as I nod and stand up after him. Once Lord Hammet reaches us, he smiles and leans forward, ruffling my hair while looking at Robin. "I trust that you have been taking good care of little Ivan so far, eh, Sir Robin."

"I try my best, Sir." He says with a curt nod. Lord Hammet continues to laugh at this. "…Lord Hammet, you had something you wanted to discuss with Prince Ivan. It must be important, so I should leave."

"Nonsense, it has to deal with you as well, Sir Robin."

"With me, Lord Hammet?" Lord Hammet returns his hand to his side and leans forward, dropping his normally loud voice to a soft whisper, forcing both Robin and me to lean forward in order to hear him.

"Yes, your orders from the King were to meet with me here in Vault and take Ivan and myself to Haidia Village. Well, what you did not know was that I would not be accompanying you to Haidia Village." I barely manage to suppress the gasp that pushes past my lips at this news.

"Lord Hammet! I thought that" He waves his hand, cutting me off.

"Both the King and I thought that it would be safest for us to go our separate ways. I still have business to take care of in Vault and it is imperative that you and Sir Robin leave for Haidia Village as soon as possible. The sooner the better, there is no time to waste sitting around and waiting."

"So His Majesty wants me to take Prince Ivan to Haidia Village…by myself?"

Lord Hammet nods, "Yes, this way the group that you travel in will be much smaller and assassins will have more difficulty spotting you. I understand that the path to Haidia Village is mostly out in an open field but you should not have too much trouble traveling with only Ivan."

"I suppose not. This way it would be easier for me to protect him if someone were to attack us." I look away from Robin to Lord Hammet, very aware of the frightful look in my eyes. This would be the first time I was ever away from the castle, without Lord Hammet. He may not be related to me, but in a strange way, he has become a sort of father figure to me. He and Lady Layana were the ones who took me in and made sure that I was safe and protected and now…I have to leave both of them. I did not even get to say goodbye to Lady Layana.

"Do not look so frightened, Ivan. Sir Robin will be able to take care of you just fine, after all, his swordsmanship is legendary." I feel Robin's eyes on me and I look down at the ground, slightly embarrassed at this childish fear. This was what I wanted, wasn't it? An adventure all my own…so what am I so afraid of now?

"It is not that I doubt Robin's capabilities, Lord Hammet. It is just that…I am still a little unsure of what I can do to help Haidia Village with their problem. I mean, I am just one person and even my abilities as an Energist are not very impressive. They could have gotten anyone else, I am sure that there is someone out there with better skills than myself."

Lord Hammet looks up at Robin and he turns his head to the side, a closed look appearing in his eyes. "You will have to discuss that with His Majesty. I am not at liberty to speak about that with you, Prince Ivan. I am sorry…" I shake my head, even though I know he could not see the action, a bitter smile slipping onto my lips.

"I understand, there are some things that you cannot tell me. It isn't your fault so there is nothing to apologize for." I lift my head and look at Lord Hammet, with what I hoped was a determined look in my eyes, "Then what is our next move, Lord Hammet?"

He smiles at us, grinning from ear to ear before clapping his hands together, "That's the spirit, Ivan! I knew you had the heart of a traveler in you! Now, the horses that led the caravan still need to rest after the long journey, so we will stay here for four more days before heading back to Karei Town. In that time, we will trade with the villagers of Vault." He nods to Robin, "That is when the two of you make your move. You should leave at nighttime so that no one sees you."

"But that would make people suspicious when both Prince Ivan and I disappear suddenly, without any explanation." Interrupts Robin, "It would make more sense to leave in the morning, even if there were assassins in Vault, I could take care of them once we were out of town. I know it would be risky but that would be our best bet, besides, I doubt that there are any assassins in town."

"You never know, it is always best to be safe." He waits for a moment to make sure that Robin does not interrupt him a second time, "Once you leave, the mayor will answer any questions that people have about the either of your whereabouts. However, I doubt that too many villagers will be worried about their of you.

"It should only take you around two days to reach Haidia Village once you leave, as long as you do not run into any trouble or take any unnecessary stops along the way."

"Should we leave tonight?" I ask after Lord Hammet pauses again.

"The sooner the better." Robin turns to me, nodding.

"Are you ready to leave tonight?"

"I do not have a lot of things, so yeah, I can leave tonight."

"Splendid, it's settled then. The two of you will leave tonight as soon as all the lamps in the houses have been doused. There is a full moon tonight so that will guide you on your trip. Until then, I suggest that both of you get rest and plenty of it. You need to cover a lot of ground tonight."

Without another word, he nods to us and turns back around, walking towards the stables. "It seems that our plans have been decided for us." I turn to look at Robin but his face is a mask of indifference. "What do you want to do for the rest of the day?"

At first I am taken aback by the abruptness of his question but then my logical side begins to take over, "But Lord Hammet said that we should rest until we have to leave."

He smiles, shaking his head, "Yeah, but can you rest when you're about to take a two-day trip to a new town?" I shake my head in honesty and his smile brightens up his eyes. "I didn't think so. Come with me, I have something to show you."

Probably without thinking, he gently takes me by my wrist and leads me to the other side of town and up a flight of stone steps built into the large hill they lead up to. We walk around the hill until we reach the graveyard, a small circular platform with the tombstones following a similar pattern. He releases my hand, walks to the center of the circle, and holds out his right hand. A second later, the ground begins to quake and I nearly lose my balance as a thick pillar of rock rises out of the ground. "Ah! This is!" The pillar disappears and Robin lips his hand up to his forehead, wiping off the sweat that had collected there. "You did that, didn't you?"

"Yes, that is part of my power."

"That was incredible." I whisper breathlessly. His cheeks flush at the compliment but he takes my hand again and pulls me forward as he drops into a hole that had appeared in the ground. "Whoa!" We drop through the hole and land on the ground with a thud, Robin catching me in his arms and then setting me carefully on the ground.

The area we landed in both surprises and startles me. It is dark in the small cavern and there is the sound of droplets of water from somewhere further in the cave. Instinctively I cling to the nearest thing to me and that happens to be Robin's arm. Hiding my embarrassment, I hold onto his arm and bury my face in his tunic, hoping he would not mind.

"Your Highness?" He whispers, almost sounding as if he were afraid to speak up in the silence around us. I open my mouth to say something but in my sudden panic as I hear something scurry past us, I lose my voice and my only response is giving his arm a squeeze. "We could leave…if you wish…" I quickly shake my head.

"N-no…I wanna see what you wanted to show me…" He whispers, moving closer to the left until I hear the sound of his glove brushing against the wall, feeling around for something in the darkness. We spend a few minutes walking around in the semidarkness until he pauses and turns slightly, looking back in the direction we had come in. "Maybe I missed it…but I could have sworn it was around here somewhere and I am the only one who knows about this place…"

"What are you looking for?"

"A torch. I normally do not use it but I do not want you to get hurt, this place can be dangerous when it is lit up but in this darkness…" He shakes his head, "I thought that I had seen a torch here the last time I was in Vault but it seems to have disappeared. Maybe we should turn back." I squeeze his arm again.

"No! Please, we can still go on. I'll be careful, I promise."

"That is not the problem, Iv" He covers his mouth, "Your Highness! I beg your forgiveness." I frown.

"It's all right…" Silence passes over us again and he leans back away from me, resting his back against the wall, but I keep my tight grip on his arm, making him pull me along with him.

Finally, he lets out a sigh and shifts, pushing against the cavern wall and standing straight again, "You are going to have to stick close to me." I smile and laugh softly.

"I do not think I can get any closer to you than this, Robin." I can see his cheeks color in the darkness but he tries to hide it by pulling me along behind him.

After taking a couple of sharp turns here and heading through a gate and up a small flight of stairs, we finally reach a circular room, it has a long ladder in the middle of the room and a narrow beam of sunlight shooting into the cavern from a hole at the top of the ladder.

He gestures to the ladder, "After you." I nod to him and take a step forward, getting a grip on the ladder and pulling myself up before I can find a place to put my foot. He climbs onto the ladder behind him once I am halfway up and can just make out a cloud formation in the sky above me.

I finally reach the hole and pull myself out of it, kneeling on the ground and turning to wait for Robin to pull himself out as well. I do not have to wait long, his head appears out of the hole a minute later and he looks around, smiling to himself. "It does not look as if anyone else knows about this place yet." That is when I lift my head away from the hole and look around the area we had climbed into. I let out a soft gasp when I realize the familiarity of the area. It is a small forest clearing, the trees circling around the grounds just right so that the sunlight from above forms a perfect circle. However, I cannot grasp why this place looks so familiar. Have I somehow been here before? Or did I see a drawing of it from Lord Hammet?

"What do you think?" He asks, sitting near a tree and leaning back against it, folding his hands behind his head to protect the back of his head from the back of the tree. I turn back to him and smile, taking a seat next to him and leaning against the same tree.

"This place is beautiful, how on earth did you find it?" He smirks and winks at me.

"That is my little secret." Something about the way he said that made me think that he wanted me to persist. I shift slightly so that I can see him properly and I sit on my feet, the added height bringing me level with his eyes now that he is slouching against the tree.

"Aw, come on, Robin! You can tell me, it's not like I'm going to tell anyone."

"I don't know…" He said with a laugh, "This place is pretty important to me." I look around the area and smile, letting out a gentle sigh. This place does look like it has some special importance. Even though you cannot see it, this place makes you feel as if a powerful force is protecting you. "And it's sort of embarrassing how I found it."

"Oh, something embarrassing? Then you have to tell me." He sits up with a jerk, his hands flying out from behind his head and to the ground. He straightens up again so that I have to look up at him.

"No way! You'd laugh at me." My smile widens as he says this. Something about someone like him worrying about me laughing at him makes my heart feel lighter.

"I would never laugh at you, Robin. Besides, this is the White Knight we're talking about, how bad could it be?" His eyes darken and he turns his head to the side, and when I lean around his shoulder to look at him, he turns his head again. "Robin?"

"I wish that you would not judge me because of the status, to expect so much of me because of the stories that you have heard about me…the legends. Most of what you heard were just accidents and I had help, lots of it. I was needed when I did not have the strength to help people on my own, so I had to rely on others with power." He shakes his head, turning back to look at me, "I bet you are surprised to hear that."

I feel my shoulders relax and I sigh as I lean forward, bringing our faces closer together. I think I expected him to move back because I am surprised when he stays still and I can feel the warmth of his breath on my face. "Honestly, I would be surprised if you told me that you had done all of that yourself. There is only so much a person can do alone; we like to draw our strength from others, and we become stronger when we have a reason to fight…someone that we want to protect more than anything else does in the world. That is what helps us accomplish the impossible, regardless of our own strength." I smile, shaking my bangs out of my eyes, "Besides, hearing this makes you more real."

It is his turn to be surprised. He blinks at him as I lean back, giving him space. "More real? What do you mean by that?" I lay down on the grass, resting my head on my arm and draping my other arm over my stomach as I look up at the sky.

"When I was growing up in Hammet Palace, Lady Layana would always tell me stories to help me go to bed. Most of them were about you and all of the feats that you had accomplished, even as a young boy still training. Everything she told me about you…it all seemed so wonderful and you became my hero." I smile at the blush of embarrassment that has colored his cheeks at the compliment. "Even when I was older and merely thought that all the legends Lady Layana had told me about you were just that, legends and nothing more, I still held the ideal of you in the highest respect. I would never have dreamed that I would be talking to you…sitting this close to you…"

"Your Highness…"

"Do you have to call me that?" He sighs and I close my eyes, "I know, I know. We have been through this before." He leans back against the tree, slipping down the side of the trunk until half of his back in on the grass and the other is resting on the tree. "Hey, Robin?"

"Yes?" I cannot help but smirk up at the could formations rolling by.

"So, tell me, how did you happen upon this place?"

"I told you, it's embarrassing." I smile, sitting up to look at him. He has his eyes shut, mouth slightly parted almost as if he was sleeping. A gentle gust of wind blows his hair to the side, his bangs ticking his lips.

"Let me guess then. You can tell me if I am close to the truth or not."

"Okay, but I reserve the right not to answer."

"Of course, but that'll just mean that I guessed right." He lets out an unenthusiastic groan and I laugh. I quickly debate whether or not using my Psynergy to pry into his mind for the information would be fair. What if it scares him though…? I do not want him to not trust me. Okay, old fashioned way it is then.

"Hmm…let's see. You're obviously embarrassed by whatever it is and you think I will laugh so it has to be something big to bother you." I tilt my head to the side, observing him very carefully. "Fall through a hole?" His hands twitch and I smile, giggling. "So that's it."

He opens his eyes and slowly lifts himself off the ground and to his knees. He crawls towards me and I instinctively lower to the ground as he leans in, looking down at me and blocking my view of the sky. "I told you that you would laugh."

"I wasn't laughing at you." I say, waving my hands at him, "I was just laughing because it could happen to anyone. It most likely would have happened to me as well. How did it happen anyway?" He pulls away and sits down again, folding his arms across his chest.

"I was thirteen and I came here with Prince Garcia when we were asked by King Hydrosking of Lemuriato go to Lemuria from the boat docked in the Raripero Town docks. I went out at night because I could not sleep due to someone's loud snoring in the other room. I walked all the way to the cemetery and leaned forward to read some of the inscriptions on the grave markers when I felt the ground begin to shake." He pauses for a moment and then continues, "My first instinct was to run, so I did but I only made it to the middle of the cemetery before the earth opened up and I fell through into that cavern."

"I would have been so frightened…" I whisper honestly, "It must have been very dark in there back then."

"It should have but there was this…golden light surrounding me, I thought I was dead for a long time, until I stubbed my toe on a rock and tripped." He laughs to himself; "I can be a klutz when I panic…which is why I try not to panic so much."

"I'd suppose not…"

"Anyway, I could not get back to the surface from the way I had come because there was no ladder there at the time, so I decided to walk through the cavern until I found a different exit." He looks around the clearing, "And that is how I found this place." I lift myself up onto my elbows and look at him. He points over to the right side of the clearing and I follow his finger. "Through there, you can get to a small ledge that will bring you back to the town, if you jump."

"Jump?" I ask, hating the fact that my voice cracked when I said that. He nods.

"It isn't too hard to do and it's a quicker way back into town." He shrugs his shoulders and lies back on the ground, closing his eyes. "But we can just stay here for now, we are in no hurry. We have plenty of time before we have to leave. The sun should not go down for a couple of hours and the lamps only go out once the moon comes up."

I roll over onto my stomach, folding my arms across the ground and resting my chin on my wrists. "I wonder what Lady Layana is doing right now…I wonder if she knew about Lord Hammet's plans for taking me to Vault when he did."

"Most likely. The King sent a messenger to Karei Town to deliver the message that he wanted you to come to Haidia Village. When he came back, he said that he had spoken with both Lord Hammet and Lady Layana." I nod slowly.

"I see…so they were both in on it." I close my eyes and let the side of my head rest on my arm. With the calming sound of the wind rustling through the trees, combined with the sound of Robin's shallow breathing, I soon fall asleep without even wanting to do so.

I find myself in a dark, circular stone room with only one beam of narrow light leading from a broken patch in the roof above me. It is cold in here and I shiver involuntarily as my body tries to warm up with the action.

I take a step forward, walking into the light. The sound of heels clicking on the stone floor reaches my ears and I spin around to see a shadowy figure walking towards me, keeping a slow pace and humming a strange tune deep in his throat.

He stops just outside of the light but his features are still bathed in the shadows and I cannot make out what he looks like, only a faint outline of his body. "Hello, Prince Ivan, so nice to finally meet you."

"Who are you?"

"A friend."

"I don't know you…how can you be a friend of mine?" He smiles, the white of his teeth showing up despite the shadows.

"You may not know me but I know you quite well, little Ivan." He raises his hand, I can hear water rushing from all around us, and in a brief moment, I tear my eyes away from his form and break away from the sunlight, diving into the shadows. A second later, the place I had been standing in breaks away as a powerful jet of water shoots out from the ground. "Well, well, well. I must say that I am very impressed with your skills, young Ivan. He would be proud to hear that you could at least protect yourself in a dream, but how well will you do when I meet you outside of your dreams?"

He lifts his left hand into the air and points a slender finger at my cheek, "Consider this a parting gift for the both of you. Give my regards to the White Knight." Before I have the chance to do anything, a bright blue light appears from the tip of his finger, illuminating his hand. Then, without warning, a thin stream of water zips from the light and slices across my left cheeks, sending me flying backward into the wall, my head cracking on solid stone. "You are a strong boy, I hope that you are strong enough to see this though. Sir Robin would not be happy if you were to die on him."

The room…it is beginning to blur and everything around me looks fuzzy. There is a throbbing pain on the back of my head and a stinging on my cheek. I try to reach up to massage the back of my head but I cannot move my arms, or even my legs for that matter. The man begins to walk towards me but everything is growing darker, darker than before, almost as if something were covering up the hole where the sunlight was getting in to brighten up the room even slightly. "I do not expect she would like it either. I suppose from now on, I will have to be responsible for your wellbeing, if your guardian cannot even protect you in a dream."

"Do not be so sure of that!" A familiar voice. Robin's voice! I try to lift my head to look for him but I cannot move even an inch. My eyelids are beginning to feel heavy as well and it takes too much energy to keep my eyes open.

"Well, Robin, so good of you to join us. Did you sense that the child was in trouble?" I hear the man's feet shuffle on the ground as he turns around to face Robin. The sound of a sword leaving its sheath alerts me that someone has drawn a sword. "You do not want to fight me now, Robin? Not here…in front of the boy."

"Leave his mind now!"

"You know, if you had shown this much dedication to the Princess' care, maybe she would not have been kidnapped." Robin growls, taking a step towards the man.

"I made the mistake of not protecting her, but I will not fail in protecting Prince Ivan! I will kill anyone who dares to harm him." The man laughs, a chilling sound even in my dazed state. I shiver again. The room seems to be growing colder by the second.

"Such passion in your words, Robin. You have never spoken like that about anyone before. Either you really hate me or you care strongly for Prince Ivan. However, you know, that would never be allowed. He is a prince and even with your title of 'White Knight', it would not be high enough for you to express your feelings for him."

"My feelings for the Prince are merely that of a guardian."

"Keep telling yourself that, Robin, maybe you might even begin to believe it but you will never fool those around you, especially not me. I suggest that you wake him up and tend to that wound of his or you will have to bury a prince."

I can see a bright light, swirling colors and my stomach lunges when the ground shakes and the colors disappear, scattering across the room. A sword is tossed to the floor and someone rushes up to me, kneeling before me. I feel two warm hands on my cheeks, the left hand mindful of my wounded cheek. The owner of those warm hand lifts my face and I smile stupidly up into worried, pale blue eyes. Robin's pale blue eyes.

"Prince Ivan, are you all right? Nod if you're all right." I nod weakly and he smiles, but it is weak, and the worry in his eyes is still apparent. I wonder what is going on…to make him worry so much…"You have to wake up, Your Highness. I cannot wake you up outside of this world because of your injuries here. You would not wake up before because his powers are too strong, stronger than even mine…so I had to come into your dream to make him go away. I was too late, it seems." He shakes his head and a desperate look appears in his eyes, or at least that is what it looks like to me. Now three Robins are dancing before my eyes, melding and then splitting apart again. "Please, you have to be strong and wake up so that I can help you."

"How do I do that…?" I slurred, leaning forward into his hands and closing my eyes so that everything would stop spinning.

"Just try, you can do it, I have faith in you." I hate letting people down, this time is no different and the pain in his voice makes it worse, makes me want to try even harder than I normally would have. By now, I would have given into this sensation of sleepiness, but I have not yet…

I relax my shoulders and concentrate on my breathing and my heartbeat. The sound pounding in my ears is joined by a second heartbeat, much more steadier than my own, slower and stronger. Robin's heartbeat…I latch onto that sound and commit it to memory.

It feels like I am floating now but the warmth on my cheeks, surrounding my entire body does not leave me and I can still hear that second heartbeat while my own is pounding faster, maybe in panic. I cannot understand why. I feel perfectly calm.

Then a warm, fading light cuts into the darkness and I blink my eyes open carefully, putting my arm on my forehead to shield the crimson light. "Prince Ivan!" I sit up slowly and see Robin sitting next to me in a chair…we are back at the Mayor's house, in my room. I turn and see that the door is open and that the crimson light was from a window in his own room.

"What happened?" I ask, resting my forehead in my hand. "We were out in that clearing, talking…and then we're suddenly here?" He leans forward expectantly.

"You don't remember anything that happened after we were talking?" I think about it carefully but each time I try to, the back of my head begins to throb and I have to stop. I shake my head slowly.

"No…the last thing I remember is talking about Lord Hammet and Lady Layana and then…nothing. Did something bad happen?" He shook his head.

"You just…slipped and bumped your head. We were heading back to town and you miscalculated when you tried to jump over the ledge and you fell down." He reaches over and touches the side of my cheek and I flinch as it begins to sting painfully. "That is how you got that little scratch there. I carried you back to town so that I could heal you. You should be fine with some rest."

I groan and lay back down on the bed, "Robin, I am tired of resting. I am ready to go to Haidia Village with you." He smiles, laying his hand down gingerly on my forehead.

"I know, but even Lord Hammet agrees that you should rest."

"It was just a little bump on the head." I protest, enjoying the feel of his cool skin on my heated face. "You said so yourself, so I can leave by nightfall. Anyway, you already healed me so I should be just fine."

"My healing skills are not the best in the world." He sighs, and I knew he could tell that he was now fighting a losing battle. "Your wound could reopen."

"It's just a little cut."

"It could get worse."

"And we could be wasting our time here, arguing, while your king is wondering where we are. Assassins could be on their way here as we speak and the more time we spend here, the more dangerous it could become. I am sure that word has gotten out that I have left Karei Town. It is only a matter of time before they figure out where I have gone and come to kill me. Do you want that, Robin?" He bites his lower lip at this and I smile, knowing that I had won him over.

"Very well, you would be safest in Haidia Village." He stands up, pulling his hand away from my face and I almost whimper at the loss of his touch. "However, if you get tired along the way, I am going to carry you."

"Wha-what?" I gasp, blushing. He folds his arms across his chest, giving me a severe look.

"We have a lot of ground to cover and out of the two of us, I have the most energy so I can walk the farthest and I want to try to get at least halfway to Haidia Village." I look around the room hurriedly, not knowing if I was going to find some answer to my plight there but hoping, praying that there would be something. How strange would it be to have Robin carry me…I mean with me conscious and all.

"B-but do you have to carry me?"

"It is the only way." I reluctantly nod to him and he turns away. "I will pack my things while you rest. Lord Hammet already prepared all of your things so you are ready to leave."

"Lord Hammet did…?" He shrugs his shoulders, bows to me and walks out of the room, pausing and leaning back in to look at me.

"If you need anything, just call for me." He moves to leave again.

"Wait, Robin…" He stumbles slightly and turns around, resting his hand against the door.

"Yes?"

"I didn't…get the chance to thank you for carrying me back here and healing me." He smiles warmly at me and I feel my heart melt at that look. "Thank you so much, for everything that you have done for me. This is all because of you…that I was able to learn the truth."

"It is not over yet, I suspect that there is still a lot more for you to learn, things that even I do not know." I shake my head.

"But still, it is very kind of you to be here for me."

"I will continue to be there for you as long as you will allow. I would like to help you find out what you want to know, about everything. You are going to do great things, Prince Ivan, I can tell that just by looking at you." He rises slowly after this, "I will be back as soon as I finish." I nod and he walks out of my room again, leaving the door open.

I lie back against my pillows and stare up at the ceiling. Something tells me he is keeping something from me but what could it be?

Hour after uneventful hour later, Robin and I are standing at the town gates with the Mayor and his wife standing in front of us, unlocking the town gates which are closed at night. Lord Hammet and Ekarl are standing behind us, whispering to each other quietly. Then the gate creaks open, forcing Lord Hammet and Ekarl to break out of their conversation and turn their attention to us.

"Take good care of Ivan for us, Sir Robin." Says the Mayor's wife, patting my shoulder, "He's such a cute, polite little kid, and I would be devastated if anything bad happened to him." The Mayor shakes his head, laughing at his wife.

"I think that we do not have anything to worry about with Sir Robin on the job, he will take good care of Ivan." Robin nodded and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, pulling me closer to him. I am glad for the pale white light above, it discolored our skin so no one could tell that I was blushing.

"I will take care of him." Lord Hammet stepped forward, hanging a strange package wrapped in cloth to Robin. He took it carefully in his free hand. "What is this?"

"A little surprise for you to be opened up at a certain time."

"A certain time…?" I ask, leaning over and trying to touch the package with my hand but Robin lifts it into the air, keeping it out of my reach.

"No, Ivan, that is for Robin." I blink at Lord Hammet, still confused about what might be in the package. If only my powers could help me. Maybe I could read Lord Hammet's mind. I mentally slap myself for even thinking that. That would be abusing my powers, not to mention putting my mind through even more pain. The memory loss that I seem to be suffering was putting my mind through its paces.

Robin slips the package into his pouch on his belt, "Thank you, Lord Hammet, for…whatever it is." Lord Hammet smiles up at Robin and I begin to grow wary. I know that smile…he always wears that smile whenever he is planning something devious.

"I am sure that you will find that it comes in handy, Sir Robin." Ekarl steps forward now, ruffling my hair.

"I am going to miss you, kid. You were like the little brother I never had."

"What are you talking about, Ekarl? You have six younger brothers and three younger sisters." Ekarl laughs at this.

"You're right! You're the seventh younger brother that I never had."

"Well, the two of you should be going. If we get the chance, we will come visit you in Haidia Village." Lord Hammet says as he shakes Robin's hand. He turns to me, "You have grown up to be a fine younger man, Ivan. I hope that this experience does not change that."

"I am only going to Haidia Village," I say with a smile, "I doubt that a two-day walk to a village in the north is going to change me." He smiles solemnly, nodding.

"No…I suppose not."

He knows something…something that he is not willing to tell me. I should be used to it by now, but even so, I would like to be trusted by the people around me, especially by one of the people who raised me. He turns to Robin again.

"I am holding you to your word that you will protect Ivan. He is like a son to me and if anything ever happened to him, I would never forgive you." Robin narrows his eyes but says nothing, merely nodding curtly and turning on his heel, walking towards the gate, still keeping his grip firmly on my shoulder, dragging me along with him.

"Goodbye!" I call back to them. The gate creaks shut but they remain there, watching us until we disappear as we round a bend in the room, a think forest cutting our view from the town. I look up at Robin and his eyebrows are furrowed and he has a burning look in his eyes. "Is something the matter?"

He pauses for a moment, losing that look in his eyes and turning to look at me, "I just do not like being threatened…or having my abilities questioned."

"I am sorry. I do not doubt you, Robin, I believe in you." A smile passes over his lips at this.

"Thank you, Prince Ivan. That does mean a lot to me." I shake my head.

"I am merely speaking the truth to you, Robin. I trust you with my life completely. I know that you would never purposely hurt me." He gives me a questioning look and I pick up on his thoughts almost automatically, "Because you are my hero."

"You don't have to say that…" I look up and see him blushing, his cheeks turning a different color from the rest of his face in the silver light. He looks…almost magical in the silver moonlight, his white clothes reflecting the light and making it bounce off onto his face. His hair is even glowing.

"But I do, because it's true."

The rest of the journey that night was spent mostly in silence but sometimes I would start up a random conversation or he would and that would carry us on for a couple of hours. I found myself telling him about some of my most embarrassing moment, like the time I snuck into the kitchens to make a birthday breakfast for Lady Layana and ended up nearly burning the kitchens, or the time I slipped and fell into the fountain when I was trying to walk across the little bench. He was kind enough about it, laughing softly and telling me that it was all right. He even had some embarrassing moments of his own, some which did not involve falling down a hole.

The moon begins to slip behind the mountains in the distance but the pale light from the sun is already turning the sky a pale blue color. My eyelids begin to droop and I find myself stumbling into Robin ever so often, apologizing only to do it again a minute later.

"Maybe we should rest." He says, holding me by my shoulders and turning to cover a yawn with his arm, "I am getting tired as well."

"But the sun is almost up, would it be safe to sleep out in the open like this?" I ask as he turns and walks off the path. I hurry after him as he begins to disappear into the woods.

"It is better than going to sleep during the night, that is when the bandits come. Anyway, we are not going to sleep out in the open, just in case assassins take the road. I would rather take our chances with the monsters out here rather than the assassins. I do not feel like killing another human being." He sits down near a tree, laying his pack on the ground.

"And animals are different?" I ask, kneeling next to him and setting my pack down as well. He looks at me, a surprised look in his eyes before he smiles sweetly.

"I had a feeling that you would say something like that. I will take the first watch, you should rest. Don't unroll your sleeping bag just in case we have to run." I go to protest but a yawn stops me in mid-sentence and I am forced to give up, lying back on the ground, using my arm as a pillow.

"…Robin, can I ask you something?"

"You just did." I can hear the smile in his voice and I shake my head, "Go right ahead, but remember, I cannot guarantee that I will answer your question." I nod, shutting my eyes against the moonlight that shines even through the thick branches of the trees overhead.

"I was just wondering if…" I do not know how to put this. It seems too personal to ask something like this of him and yet, I cannot help but ask. He has been so kind to me and we just met the other day, I feel as if I can trust him with anything. Still, wouldn't it be rude of me to ask him this?

"…'Wondering if…' what?" I turn the question around, twisting it different ways to see if it sounded less…intruding. No matter what I did to it, it always came out the same way.

I fiddle with a blade of grass, twirling it in-between my thumb and index finger, just to give my hand something to do, or maybe take my mind off how embarrassing this must seem. It may not even be that embarrassing, but I have never really been around other people, aside from the people at Hammet Palace. I just do not want to lose a possible friendship with Robin. "I was wondering if…you ever regretted becoming the Guardian of the Heirs, it is a lot of responsibility for just one person to handle, not that I am doubting your abilities, of course." I add hurriedly, worried that he may take it the wrong way.

There is a long pause from him and I am about to turn to apologize some more, thinking that I had offended him but he places a hand on my arm and I remain lying on the ground with the side of my face resting on my arm. "Ivan, tell me, what do you feel from me now?" I open my mouth to say something but he continues, stopping me before I can even take a breath. "Not physically, not me touching your arm right now. I want you to tell me what my emotions are at this moment."

"…Your emotions?" I am suddenly very glad that my back is turned to him because my face grows very hot at that moment. He gives my arm a reassuring squeeze, "But…"

"I am letting my mental shields down for you, you can read my emotionseven my thoughtsvery easily now." Both his emotions and his thoughts…something that you should never do for someone that you have just met. The information in your mind could be used against you, to find your strengths and weaknesses. Your emotions as well…they can be a dangerous thing in the hands of the wrong person. To trust me with this…just to help me understand…

I move to sit up but his other hand is on my back now, keeping me down. "I want you to stay there. Just close your eyes and concentrate. Have you ever done this before?"

"Not purposely…not on another Energist, either. Most of the time it was on Lord Hammet or Lady Layana and only when I was either very scared or angry."

"Defensive reaction then, but you need to learn how to use your empathic and telepathic powers as well, it will help you find out who you can and cannot trust. Energists stronger than you will have shields that overpower your powers of telepathy but if their emotions are strong enough, you will be able to notice those fairly easily, so you should not have to worry about that." He explains, still keeping his right hand on my arm and his other on my back, his grip gentle but not too loose so that I can still feel him but it is not painful. "Energists weaker than you will not be able to shield their thoughts or emotions from you, and sometimes you will be able to pick their thoughts up as you near them, the stronger you are, the easier it will become. This is why you also much learn how to shield yourself from others' thoughts and emotions, so that you are not overwhelmed."

"How do you know all this?" I ask, not able to keep the sound of awe out of my voice. He laughs gently.

"An Air Energist told me that this information would come in handy one day, I did not understand what she meant by that then, but I suppose she was implying that I would meet you and you would have to learn a little of this from me."

"Another Air Energist, just like me?" I turn in his slack grip and open my eyes to look up at him. The moonlight has created a silver halo around his head and I blush almost instantly, immediately regretting moving. He just smiles and nods.

"I met her on one of my travels, during the years that I had to train on my own. I went all over Weyard to learn from different Energists and even non-Energists, you would be surprised how much they can help us with our powers as well. However, as Energists, we have been chosen to guard Weyard, to make sure that the power known as Alchemy does not fall into the wrong hands. This also means that we cannot allow the wrong people to learn about Energists and our powers."

"So we have to keep Psynergy a secret…"

"Yes, it is our duty." He shakes his head, "One day, I'll take you to see this Air Energist and you can ask her all the questions about Air Energists that I cannot answer for you, but for now, I am the only teacher you have."

"There aren't any Air Energists in Haidia Village?"

"Sadly, no. Aside from yourself, Master Hama is the only other Air Energist that I have yet to meet." He then adds, "It has been a while since I traveled and I am sure that many of the Air Energists themselves travel around Weyard themselves to gain more knowledge." He was trying to reassure me, trying to give me just a little bit of hope. I understand that much and I am very grateful.

"Thank you for saying all that to me, Robin, but if it is too much trouble, you really do not have to…"

"What are you talking about, trouble? It is no trouble at all. Besides, I am sure that it is true. There was even one place that confused me…" I look up at him again and he frowns, eyes growing darker as he looks away, "It was near Airs Rock, a place with great Air Psynergy, I could not even walk through Airs Rock without being turned away by a giant cyclone."

"Sounds dangerous…" That is what I say, but in truth, I think it sounds exciting. Airs Rock…I wonder if I will ever be able to visit such a place. I am sure that I could learn a lot about Air Energists if I were ever able to go there but I do not know if I could do it on my own.

"It wasn't that bad, actually. I was knocked out for a couple of days but when I came to, I was lying in front of a town that was near Airs Rock…the only problem was that there was no one around."

"A deserted town…?"

"I am not so sure about that…it was nighttime when I woke up and there were torches lit in front of the buildings, even though the candles and lamps were not being burned in the houses, so it was pitch dark inside. I could sense something too, but I did not know what it was then, but something was telling me that I should leave as soon as possible, almost as if an outside force was pushing me away from the village." He fingers my hair gingerly and I suddenly realize that he has removed his gloves. I feel myself relaxing as soon as his fingers slide through my hair. No one has ever touched me like this…it feels wonderful.

"Now tell me," He whispers, breaking the silence but not ruining the calm, his strong, gentle voice merely adds to it, "What am I feeling now?"

I shut my eyes and try to concentrate on his emotions, the feel of his hand brushing my hair, his hand on my arm…the sound of his breathing, and even his heartbeat, which seems so near to my ear now, when it fact it is far above my range of hearing. "Calm…" I whisper, almost without meaning to do so, "Determination…" I continue, trailing off when I try to grasp the last emotion. I do…latching onto it like it is the most important thing in the world. "And…" I do not understand.

"And…?" He asks, not ceasing in his caresses.

I shake my head after trying to figure out what the last emotions is. It is strong, whatever it is, and very new to me. I have never felt something like that before, but it was more…distant than the others, almost as if Robin himself did not even know it was there. Or could it be that he does know and that he is merely trying to keep it to himself. "I do not know." His movements pause, his fingertips resting lightly on my forehead.

"…I was hoping that you would." So it was the first one…he does not even know what it is. Relief washing over me but at the same time, I feel regret for not being able to help him with his problem.

"I am sorry…"

"Don't be, it doesn't bother me all that much. Besides, I probably should not have asked you to do something like that." I shake my head.

"No, it helped me. I have never done something like that on my own free will, it is usually just forced. And I normally do not like to read peoples minds because…it seems as if I am intruding on their personal thoughts and I have no right to do something like that…" That gentle caress is back as he moves his fingers through my hair again.

"That is a wise way to think of it, Prince Ivan." My title again…for a moment I had totally forgotten about me being a prince and him being the White Knight. For a moment, we were just…Ivan and Robin, two people sitting on the grass with a full moon about them as their only light. I could forget he ever reminded me…but that would not be fair to either of us. I am who I am and he is who he is, nothing in this world can ever change that.

"Most people would abuse that power if they had it, it can make you the strongest person in the world, to know what people are thinking, to know their emotions and their strengths and weaknesses. As long as you never let it go to your head, you will be the strongest person for not abusing your powers. Anyone can give into temptation, but it takes a very strong person to resist under the pressure of that."

"It helps that I feel as if my head is about to split open each time I try to read someone's mind."

"And just now…when you searched my emotions, how did you feel?" I blush at the question but smile softly.

"It was almost as if…I was sharing your emotions. It did not hurt at all…I felt…protected, I suppose that would be the best way to put it." He shares my smile, nodding.

"I am glad. I hope that that answers your question."

"My question…?" What had it been? We were talking for so long…

"Whether or not I regretted being the White Knight…" He shakes his head, "I never once regretted being the Guardian of the Heirs, and it means I can protect my friends, as well as gives me an excuse to travel, which I have learned has become on of my many passions. Meeting new people, seeing new places…some things never change and yet, others change all the time, which is what makes it all so exciting. I enjoy that most."

"It does sound like a lot of fun…I hope that I will get the chance to travel, even if it is only for a short time. I may be being a little ambitious…or a little crazy thinking that I can travel for very long. Physically, I am not very strong and if the assassins continue to come after me…" I sigh, letting the fingers of my left hand curl just in front of my heart. "I do not want to make Lady Layana and Lord Hammet worry about me…which is why…as soon as I am done in Haidia Village, I have to go back to Karei Town."

I look up at Robin to see his expression but his bangs are covering his eyes, masking his expression. Then he lifts his head slightly, but his eyes still do not show what he is thinking. "Is that what you really want, Prince Ivan? I was hoping…that you and I could go to Lama Temple to the east and visit with Master Hama."

"The Air Energist you spoke of…I would not want to endanger her…nor you. I have already inconvenienced you enough. Even Lord Hammet and Lady Layana…" I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly, "I am not sure what I should do. The assassins will not be put off forever and when that time comes, I do not want them to find me in Hammet Palace. The Lord and Lady may be hurt."

"No one can choose for you, Prince Ivan. It will be a decision you must make on your own, but until that time does come, I suggest that you do not think about it too much. Thinking about something of such great importance for so long will tire you out. Speaking of which…" He lifts his head away from me, looking up at the sky. I had not noticed that the moon was now disappearing in the distance and that the sky was beginning to change colors. "You should rest, I have kept you up far too long."

I know I should listen to him, so I shift and close my eyes, easily forgetting everything but his gentle touch as he starts to run his fingers along my hair again.

Instead of waking up to the bright, blinding sun or Robin's strong hand on my shoulder, shaking me out of my sleeping state, I wake to angry shouts, one familiar, and others…frightening.

"What do you want with the boy?" Robin's normally calm and collected voice was deeper, and it sounded as if he was struggling to keep his voice down. It was also difficult to hear so I suppose he had had teeth clenched. "He had done nothing to you, so I suggest that you leave him be, or you will heave to deal with me."

"We have no quarrel with you, White Knight Robin, our orders are to retrieve the boy and take him back to our Master." Said an unfamiliar, deep voice that was practically dripping with malice. I would have moved have moved but my body was frozen with a mixture of fear and something else…as if someone's hand was keeping me still.

"Is that so? Who is your Master? I would just love to meet him so I can give him a piece of my mind and maybe even run him through with my sword." Robin's voice comes out as a growl now, his restraints loosening, "I normally hate killing people, but for your master I will most definitely make an exception on behalf of Prince Ivan. He is a sweet kid, he deserves as much as a normal life as he can get and your bleeding master is taking that away from him. Things like that just really piss me off, and I assure you, I am not a pleasant person to be around when I am pissed off, and I assure you, I am not a pleasant person to be around when I am pissed off. So, if you do not want to die, tell me who your master is and I just may let you live with a couple of treatable scratches if I like your answer."

"So, the rumors we heard were true." A new voice, coming from somewhere nearby, but this time it sounded like a young woman's voice.

"Rumors…and what rumors would people be spreading about me now? Don't tell me people consider me the 'Angel of Death' now."

"That's just it, White Knight. The people who you have let live after killing…they have told stories of your ruthlessness in battle. You may be able to fool everyone, even that young boy with your kind-hearted act, but you will not fool me. I know all the bad things you have done and you cannot be forgiven by them."

"Is that so…? If you truly did know about all the bad things that I have done…you would not be standing before me now! You would not even be standing thirty feet from me! You would be cowering in fear before your master, begging not to go anywhere near me! You obviously do not comprehend what stands before you. The power I have was given to me by the Gods themselves and I intend to use that power on you if you dare to even utter Prince Ivan's name before me." His voice dips down again, a threatening whisper, "I suggest you leave your mission now and never return. Tell your master that I will come after him personally if he continues to send assassins after Prince Ivan."

"We cannot do that."

"Then I am afraid that I cannot allow you to lie." As I hear the sound of a sword being drawn, I feel the pressure leave me and I sit up, spinning around to see Robin standing before me with ten soldiers dressed in black garb surrounding us.

"So, the prince is awake." One of them says, smirking, "Good, we can kill the White Knight in front of him." Robin tenses up visibly, turns slightly to glance back at me over his shoulder.

"Prince Ivan…"

"What's going on…?" I whisper, even though I do know what is going on…there is nothing more I can say.

"These are…some of the assassins sent to kill you." I tear my eyes away from Robin and look around at the group again. Most of them have their swords already drawn but some of them are hanging back, waiting…calculating.

"What should we do…?" Robin lets out a bitter laugh.

"I was planning on killing them but I am not about to allow you to see blood before you are ready. Now…I suggest that we…" He throws his sword back into his scabbard at his side, and in one fluid movement, turns around and picks me up, throwing me over his shoulder, grabs our bags, "…Run like hell!" Before the assassins can say or do anything, he dashes into the thicket just behind us.

"A-after them!" I hear the first man talking to Robin yell and the group runs after us, but they disappear from sight as Robin turns and jumps out onto the path again, tearing down the dirt road.

"R-Robin! I am not so sure that this is a very good idea!" I gasp, clinging to the back of his shirt even though his right arm is holding onto my legs tightly.

"Would you rather me kill them in front of you?" He asks, stumbling slightly from the effort of talking and running at the same time. He regains his balance as he skids down a hill and the land levels out again, opening on a wide plane.

"I-I'm not saying that." I flinch when I bite down on my tongue. "Ouch…I bit my tongue." I hear Robin begin to laugh softly but he stops when he stubs his toe on a rock and nearly falls to the ground but he catches himself just in time to make sure that we do not tumble to the ground.

"Then stop talking, I need to concentrate."

"Let me help!" I gasp when I spot some of the assassins just reaching the hill. I rest my elbows on his shoulders and point my palms towards the three men standing on the hill, already running towards us. "Ray!" A blinding, pale blue light shoots out from my hands and flies straight for the men, knocking them down as soon as it hits them.

Robin pauses in his running, glancing back at him, "You didn't…"

"No, I just stunned them. When they come to in a couple of hours, they shouldn't be able to move for a day…and they'll feel like they were run over by a herd of horses for a week." I whisper, managing to keep the surprise out of my voice. He was worried about me killing them…the people who were ordered by some stranger to kill me. Was he trying to protect them or me? Something told me it was the latter, considering that Robin had fled to save me from watching him kill those assassins.

"As long as you did not kill them…" He stars to run again, not even making a move to set me down on the ground again. Probably the best, I am still a little dazed and the effort of summon a powerful Ray was enough to wipe me out but I still keep a tight grip on Robin's tunic to make sure that I do not slip from his shoulder. "I hope that they do not follow us to Haidia Village, or we'll have to fight them before the gatekeeper will open the gates."

"The gates are closed…? Even during the day?" Robin nods.

"Yes, the people of Haidia Village are very wary of strangers and they keep the gates locked to all those without Psynergy. Even those with Psynergy must prove that they are friendly and that can prove a chore when it comes down to our temperamental gatekeeper."

We travel along the vast plane without running into anymore of the assassins, so I turn to tell Robin we should stop when we are suddenly pitched forward as Robin trips, this time not managing to save us from the fall. He shifts in midair, pushing me so that I am on top of him so that he breaks our fall.

A second later, a loud splash echoes through the air as we fall into a large river.

Instinctively, I gasp and gather air into my lungs just before we went under the water, but the impact of falling through the water, knocked most of the air out of my lungs and only a little bit remained in my mouth so I struggle to return to the surface.

Before I could float back to the surface for air, I felt Robin grab me by my wrist and pull me back towards the bottom. Even at the friendly touch, I struggled against him, knowing that I would not be able to last much longer without air. He obviously knew this as well, even still…his actions startled me. He pulled me back down and in the foggy haze of the water, I see he has his eyes open as well. He pulls me towards him, grabs my chin with one hand and with his other, holds me still, slipping it around my waist, his arm resting on the small of my back.

I give his a panicked, confused expression but he merely shakes his head and leans closer, kicking his feet now and then to keep us under the surface of the water. Then his lips and on mine and I gasp, trying to pull away but I feel air entering my lungs. Robin is giving me air! My brain registers that quickly enough but still…

Just relax. Robin's voice whispers inside of my head. They are right above us, looking around the river. If we come up for air now, we will have to fight them and you cannot manage another Psynergy attack. You have to conserve your energy and hiding is the only way we will be able to avoid a fight. I am sorry that I have to do this, Your Highness. Please think nothing more of it.

I blink my eyes oncemy only reply to his apologetic wordsbut my mind is reeling. I have never kissed anyone before and no one has ever kissed me before. I was always separated from other kids my age, both by my status and by my Psynergy. Now, Robin, the personthe young manI looked up to, is kissing me…that is how I see it. I cannot look at it any other way no matter how hard I try.

Finally, after what seems like forever, he pulls away and releases his hold on me, wrapping his hand around my wrist again and he swims up towards the surface, tugging me along behind him. He is the first to reach the surface, grasping for air. I begin to choke as soon as the air enters my lungs. "I do not think I enjoyed that much…" I groan, suddenly feeling very sick to my stomach. He turns to me, bowing his head since he could do no more while in the water.

"I am sorry for that…but it was the only way that I could make sure that you had enough air without making our presence known to the assassins. I wish that there had been another way to help you but there was not." I blink at him, taking careful breaths to make sure enough air entered my lungs. He thought I was talking about that…kiss.

"Oh…no, I didn't mean…" How should I say this? What was that kiss to me…? I know it was not a kiss to him so it should not mean anything to me…but…why am I so confused? This should be easy. "I…I understand why you did that and it does not bother me at all. In fact, I should be thanking you for saving my life, Robin. So, thank you." I flash him a warm smile and even though he hesitates at first, he returns it slowly.

"But still…if anyone hears of this, the King will have my head on a silver platter."

"Why?" I ask frightfully, my hands going to my neck automatically. I begin to sink into the water but Robin grabs my shoulder, keeping both of us afloat. For some reason, that statement made me think of the King of Haidia Village as someone who must be feared.

"Because, even if I am the White Knight and Guardian to the Heirs, that still is nothing compared to a prince. I overstepped my boundaries by…giving you air." His cheeks color at that and I cannot help but smile at him.

"I promise not to tell anyone about that, Robin. You have my word."

"Thank you, I believe that you have just saved my life in turn, Prince Ivan."

"That means that we are even then." I nod to him but he shakes his head.

"No, I will be eternally indebted to you for as long as you have knowledge of what I have done today. I cannot go back on that. I will find some way to repay you, though, I can promise you that much." Again, I nod. I may not understand what he means by that now, but in the future, I believe I will be the one to figure out the meaning of his words.

"We should get out of the river before we catch a cold." I say after a few minutes and start to swim to the other shore. I pull myself out of the water, collapse onto the back and roll over onto my back. "I think I put a little too much energy into that last Psynergy attack."

"It certainly was impressive." Compliments Robin as he climbs onto the bank next to me, ringing out his tunic and shaking the water out of his hair. "I am sure that any Air Energist would be proud to perform such a technique." I nod, not sure what to say to that. I barely know anything about my powers…I wonder what their full extent could be…to control storms, air and lightning. I wonder if it will get any easier to control.

"Are you ready to go?" He asks after waiting patiently. The sun had moved across the sky and was now above us, rather than to our right. I move to sit up but flop back down with a groan.

"I don't think I can move."

"Well, we cannot stay here much longer. The assassins could be back any minute. I do not think that they are the kind of people who give up that easily, especially not with such a persistent master." I try to move again but the result is the same. "Here, I'll carry you again."

"Wait, no!" He does not let me continue with my protest, merely scooping me up in his arms with both of our packs slung over his shoulder. "Are you sure that you are up to it, Robin? I do not want you to overexert yourself on my behalf." He smirks at me as he begins to walk along the path again.

"Nonsense, you practically weigh nothing and I have a lot more energy than you since I did not use any of my Psynergy. We should reach Haidia Village just before nightfall if we do not run into any trouble. For the time being, I suggest you sleep to recover your Psynergy." I open my mouth to protest, but there is a glint in his eyes, warning me against it and his following words reinforce the look in his eyes. "And I will not take no for an answer, I have ways of making you keep quiet, Prince Ivan."

I swallow at the threat and nod, letting my head rest on his shoulder as he falls into a steady, rhythmic walk that slowly begins to lull me to sleep.

I am floating just behind a strange throne in a circular room. The room looks like it should be freezing to stand in, but I am perfectly warm. This must be a dream…I bite down on my bottom lip, hoping that the dream would not take a turn for the worse or rather…as it was going now, a turn for the weird. Nice choice of words, Ivan. I berate myself mentally and wait patiently, floating in the air like a silent ghost, unseen by the people in the room.

Three people enter the room through the giant doorway at the other side of the room, each of them shivering from both fright and cold. So my first instincts were justified, the room must be cold. However, the three brush it off and kneel on the ground once they reach the throne. It is the three people that I had knocked out just minutes before Robin and I plunged into the river.

"Your Highness, we have discovered the whereabouts of the boy that you seek."

"Have you now…tell me." I turn to look at the person sitting in the throne but their face alludes me, the man's face shrouded in shadow. I frown and turn my gaze back to the three men.

"He is with the White Knight, Robin Kyle-Dora of Haidia Village." Kyle…Dora…those must be the names of Robin's parents. "The White Knight is protecting him."

"I already know that, you fool. Why else would I have delved into Ivan's dreams to make sure that I could try to push him away from the White Knight? If Robin is able to get Ivan then my plans will be ruined, we need him to keep away from Robin at all cost."

"What should we do?"

"Nothing, you obviously lack the talent or knowledge for a task of such great importance. I need another. Someone with the skill that this takes…I have the perfect person in mind for the job and I want you to retrieve him." The three men stand at attention. "Go to the village far north of Haidia Village, the village covered in snow around this time. Imil, where the throne of the Mercury Heir was built. I want you to find the man by the name of Alex. Merely explain to him our plight and he will readily help us."

"And if he does not…?"

"Tell him we will give him what he wants."

"What he wants, Sire?"

"The power to defeat the White Knight, the power of Golden Sun. If he does not wish to help us before that, he will jump at the chance to obtain Golden Sun. He did cast off his love just because he heard rumors about where the power may lay dormant." A small laugh, "Which is one of the reasons the White Knight is so powerful and why Alex hates him so much. Alex lost half of the power of Golden Sun to Robin when they were children. It was a test the Gods inflicted on the two, the one to pass received half of the power of Golden Sun as well as the power to protect the Heirs. Alex was never meant to pass. It was written in the stars that Robin would become the Guardian of the Heirs, just as it was written in the stars that Ivan would one day become…"

What? What shall I become? I was hanging onto every word that left the man's lips, every syllable meant something to me. He knew about me. He had to, he could read the stars so was it possible that somehow he was an Air Energist just like me?

However, I never got a chance to find out what he knew or though I would become because the next words that leave his mouth shook me to my very core. "It seems that we have an unexpected visitor from the past…peeking in on our conversation."

"Sire?"

"Ivan, it is not very polite to peek into a future you should not be learning about yet. You will just have to forget about everything that you learned here."

A blinding white light fills the room and I throw my arms up in front of my eyes to guard against the flash of light. "Un…"

"Take good care of yourself, Ivan. I shall be the one to kill you and take Robin for my own. I will be the one to end all of this. I will be the one to end your suffering. It will end with you, my little Heir Apparent."

"Un…" I wake up in someone's arms and it takes me a minute before I realize whose arms they belonged to. Robin. Robin was still carrying me in his arms and he was still walking along the dirt path. I tighten my grip around his neck, pulling myself closer to him. For some reason, I feel cold and I shiver even though I try hard to fight against the urge to do so.

"Prince Ivan, are you all right?" Robin stops walking and I can feel his eyes on me. "Prince Ivan, please open your eyes. I know that you are no longer sleeping." I blink my eyes open and I see him looking down at me, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Where are we?" I ask, avoiding his first question because frankly, I do not know if I am all right.

"Almost to Haidia Village, it should just be over that hill." He looks in the direction towards the north but I merely nod, not tearing my eyes from his. "I answered your question, now you answer mine. Are you all right?" Obviously I was fighting a loosing battle, trying to avoid his question.

"I am fine, maybe a little tired still but nothing a good-night's rest should not cure. I will be fine. Please stop worrying about me so much, Robin. It is a little unnerving to have my hero worrying about me so much." He smiles.

"And why is that? Shouldn't a hero worry about his prince?" My cheeks warm at his joke and I have to remind myself that he is just kidding with me, just a friendly joke between two people.

"Not all the time, then you're not a hero, you're a worrywart."

"Is that so? Well, it does not look as if I am a very good hero, eh?"

"No, it's just that I am not a very good prince."

"That I can agree with."

"Hey!" This is different from the Robin that I met. I just realized that. He must act differently around certain people. I am positive that he would never tease me in such a way if we were around…anyone else. This must mean he can trust me with being himself, if this is the real him. He still confuses me. Even after being with him for a couple of days, I have seen so many different sides of him that I am not sure what to expect from him.

He laughs, "I am sorry, I should not have said that. I was just teasing you, Prince Ivan." Now if only I can get him to drop the 'Prince' part. At least he has stopped called me 'Your Highness', I suppose that that is an improvement in and of itself.

"It is all right." His eyes suddenly light up.

"There is it, Haidia Village." I finally turn my head to follow his eyes and gasp. Haidia Village, even from the outside looks beautiful. Tall wooden gates block outside access to the village but I can still see house built atop hills in the distance. Even farther, near the large mountains near the horizonmountains that I knew were named Goma Rangewas a large, violet colored mountain, not as tall as the others but still quite impressive. Robin must have caught my gaze because he said, "That is Mt. Aleph, and it is the reason Haidia Village was built in this particular spot. All of the villagers of Haidia Villageexpect oneare Energists."

"Really?"

"Yes, but none of them have the power of Luna, in other words, there are no Water or Air Energists. Haidia Village was built around Mt. Aleph which is where Sol Sanctum in. Sol Sanctum protects the secrets of Alchemy and we protect Sol Sanctum."

"Wow…" I whisperand I mean itstill looking at Mt. Aleph.

"Well, it's almost nightfall, we should get to the gates or else the gatekeeper will get mad at us for keeping him from his sleep." Robin laughs and hurries along the path. It takes a while but we finally reach the gates and even though I try to push myself out of his arms, Robin keeps his grip tight around me, hindering my success at trying to climb out of his arms. In fact, I make no progress at all. I finally give up and just sit in his arms as he pulls on a chain that rings a bell near the wooden tower at the top of the gate.

There was a loud thud followed by a string of loud curses and Robin glares up at the tower. "Watch your mouth, Gerald. I certainly hope that you do not speak to the King in such a manner. Such disrespect." He snaps as a young man, a little younger than Robin, pokes his head out of the tower, scratching his spiky auburn hair.

"Well, I'll be damned, if it isn't Mister Stick-up-his-ass himself! I thought you were going to take a month off to travel around, but here you are back at our doorsteps only after a week. Color me surprised."

"Color you demoted if you do not open the gates right now, Gerald." Robin hisses, most likely still mad at Gerald for his language.

"It is great to see that your sense of humor has not suffered in this week away from Haidia Village." He is about to pull his head out of the window but he spots me, I can tell because his eyes lock onto mine and he glances at Robin, smirking. "I did not expect you to be bringing back company, Robin. I didn't know that you were into little kids, who is he?"

Robin blushed but tried to ignored it, "His name is Prince Ivan, he is the Air Energist that His Majesty has requested to help us."

"Somehow I thought Prince Ivan would be a little different."

"Just open the gates already!"

"All right, all right. You don't have to bite my head off." He finally pulls out of sight to open the gates. Robin lets out a sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly.

"Why not? It certainly would save me from a lot of migraines." I look back at Robin and he suddenly looks very tired. I wish he would let me down…it would relieve at least a little bit of his pain. Since he won't…

I reach forward with my hands and place both my middle and index finger of my hands on either side of his face at his temples. He looks at me, a little confused at first. "Here, this will help reduce the tension…and help the blood flow to your brain so it does not hurt as much." I begin to move my fingers in a circular motion on his temples and he closes his eyes.

"That actually does make me feel better…" He whispers, his shoulders relaxing, "How did you learn about this?" I smile, laughing.

"Lord Hammet always gave Lady Layana headaches and migraines so I saw her doing this a lot. She mainly did it when I was around because I could easily pick up on her pain and I passed out most of the time because it was so intense."

"Well, that is good to know. Gerald is always giving me a migraine because he just will not listen to anyone." He opens his eyes and smiles at me, "Thank you, Prince Ivan. You are a very kind person."

"I have been told it is because I was partly raised by Lady Layana…"

"I have met Lady Layana and I can agree with that, she was very nice to me when I was there."

"You went to…Karei Town? When was this?" Robin smiles weakly.

"I actually have a confessed to make to you, Prince Ivan. Back in Vault…that was not the first time we met each other." I do not have a chance to ask him to explain before the gates open and Gerald appears out of the window again.

"Gate's open, Robin. I'll close it behind you and ask one of the others to take my watch. I'll meet you up at the castle in a couple of minutes."

"Thank you, Gerald. Try not to give the other guard a hard time." He nods to him and walks through the gate. "That was Gerald, one of my childhood friends. He can be a bit…pigheaded but his heart is in the right place, which is probably why he is still the gatekeeper."

"…Childhood friend, huh? But just a second ago…"

"He can get on my nerves sometimes but I just yell at him to make sure that he does not go overboard. Gerald needs to be talked to carefully or he will either blow up in your or go off and make everyone else mad at him by being an idiot." I tilt my head to one side and then the other.

"I think…I understand." Robin laughs.

"Do not put too much thought into it, Gerald may seem simple but trying to understand him can be a very complex thing. I do not think that his parents even understand him most of the time." Robin walks through the quiet village still carrying me in his arms. After three or more flights of stairs and passing over on bridge, he finally sets me down on the ground and I wobble, falling back into his arms. "Are you all right to walk? Carrying you before the guards would not look proper to them."

"I think I can manage."

"Very well then, follow me." He bows past me and leads me up three steps and then into a large clearing with an impressive castle just before us. Two guards in silver armor are placed in front of the giant wooden doors that lead into the castle, both of them carrying lances. I fight the urge to grab onto Robin's arm and walk behind him, gulping. "I, Robin Kyle-Dora, have returned with Prince Ivan."

"Good to see you again, Sir Robin. I thought that you would have taken more time away from Haidia Village since you love to travel so much." Said one of the guards. I see Robin clench a fist at this and I wish I could have leaned around him to see his expression but I dare not move before those lances. I merely drop my gaze down to my boots, suddenly finding the bindings very interesting.

"…Yes." He answers, "Please, I must bring Prince Ivan to the King."

"Right this way then, you know the way, Sir Robin. His Majesty said that no one aside from yourself was to be trusted with Prince Ivan." Robin nods and steps forward, walking past the guards and pushing the doors open. I hurry after him before the guards have a chance to study me.

I move so fast that I do not have time to stop myself when Robin suddenly pauses in the middle of the hallway and I run headlong into him, stumbling backwards in a daze. "Are you all right, Prince Ivan?"

"I'm fine." I slur, waving to the two Robins dancing in front of my eyes. "Robin, you didn't tell me you had a twin. Nice to meet you, Robin's brother. Name's Ivan." I stagger to the side and bump into the wall. I stay there, trying to make the corridor stop spinning when I feel the wall begin to sink under my weight. "Wha-what?" Robin grabs my wrist before I can fall through and a second later, the wall that I had leaned against disappears and a narrow passageway takes its place.

We stand there staring at the passageway for a few minutes before a young man steps out of the passage, blinking at us, probably looking just as confused as we are. Then the man speaks, "This is something that I never would have thought I would see," He starts, his voice deep and rich, but with the same amount of calm that Robin has in his own voice, "my best friend coming back from a journey earlier than expected."

"This journey had a deadline." Robin says, finally smiling at the newcomer. The new man looks down at me with warm russet eyes and a kind smile on his face.

"Well, it certainly does seem that you were successful. Are you going to properly introduce us, Robin, or are you just going to let the poor kid stand there with a confused expression on his face." He tilts his head and I can feel his eyes traveling from my face to where Robin has his hand on my wrist. Instead of saying anything, his smile merely widens.

"Of course, Garcia, this is Prince Ivan." He nods to the man named Garcia and I suddenly realize who this man is. "Prince Ivan, this is Garcia, prince and Heir Apparent toe the Throne of Haidia Village as well as Heir to the Venus Throne."

"Oh my…"

"Please do not make a big deal about it. I am sick of people treating me differently when they find out that I am one of the four Heirs to the throne of Heaven. Deep down I am no more different from anyone else. With that said, it is wonderful to finally meet you, Ivan."

"Same here." I say, for lack of anything else to say. The three of us fall into an uncomfortable silence, Robin looking around the corridor, sometimes whistling while Garcia tapped his foot on the ground or fiddled with his ponytail, throwing it on his shoulder or letting it rest on his back. I just look down at the ground, trying to avoid both of their gazes because Robin still had not released my hand from his grip and I was growing increasingly embarrassed with each passing moment.

"We certainly are a talkative bunch." Joked Garcia finally.

"Just wait until Gerald gets here, then you'll be praying for this silence, Garcia." I look back at Robin. He has a genuine smile on his face now. Maybe there is still hope that Robin will drop the title of 'prince' for me if he is speaking to Garcia without using the term as well. I smile to myself at that hope.

"True but he should take some time finding the second guard to take up his watch."

"Un, you're right. Gerald has been slacking in his duties lately and the other guard needs his rest. I just hope that he does not ask his brother to take up the post."

"Again." Added Garcia, shaking his head. He turns to me, smiling again, "Come with me, Ivan, my father will be pleased to speak with you. I will be able to handle it from here, Robin. You look worn out, I hope that you did not run all the way here like you did that one time." Robin laughs.

"That was only one time and that was because my mother threatened to ground me for three months if I did not get home by a specific day. Besides, this time I only ran halfway and that was because we were being chased by assassins most of the way."

"You always have all the fun, Robin. I need to start getting out more. Oh, speaking of your mother, she and your father said that they wanted to see you as soon as you returned from Vault. They are waiting in the guest hall near the throne room, so you can visit with them and still be close to Ivan. Is that okay with you?" Robin tilts his head to the side.

"Hn…Prince Ivan, you can trust Garcia. Besides, His Majesty needs to explain everything to you. I will be in the room just down the hall so if you need me, just tell Garcia and he can get me." Robin finally releases my hand and I allow my arm to swing down to my side.

"I will be fine." He nods and bows to us, turning on his heel and walking down the corridor. I watch after him until he disappears around a corner, his footsteps fading long before his image does.

"Shall we go then?" asks Garcia, gesturing down the corridor Robin had been walking down. I nod and he leads me down the hall. Instead of turning where Robin had, we continue straight and pause at a step of giant double doors, larger than even those that lead us into the palace. He pushes them open and we step inside.

The sight of the throne room astounds me. There are large, marble pillars on either side of the middle pathway that leads up to two thrones set up at the back of the throne room. A red velvet rug with gold trimming lays out the pathway. Behind the two thrones is a large, stain glass window with the image of four mythical creatures and I can only assume that they represent the four Gods and Goddesses.

Sitting on the thrones are a man and a woman, both in their mid-forties and both wearing regal outfits and large crowns studded with impressive gems. Garcia leads me down the path and stops me before the man and woman, bowing his head to them. I follow his example but bow much lover, wanting to show my respect for them.

"Rise, Prince Ivan, I would not expect someone of you status to bow to us." I hear the woman say and I break out of my power in surprise. She is smiling at me kindly, almost motherly.

"I do not understand…" I whisper, fighting the urge to bow my head and look down at my feet, another sign of respect I had been taught. Old habits are hard to break, especially if you had been raised as a servant for most of your life.

"Your parents would not want you bowing to anyone." She explains to me, "And you have no need to. You far outrank us, even though you think you are just a prince." The man next to her, the king, places his hand on hers to stop her from saying more. I feel a surge of resentment towards the man but I quickly force it to go away. It is a bitter, pointless emotion and I do not like feeling it. It always makes me feel worse.

"Please, dear, we need to explain other things to him first before he learns of that. Besides, it is not our place. He needs to hear it from her." Just when I thought all my questions would be answered, thousands more fill my head, almost overwhelming me. "I am glad that you came to meet with us, Ivan. We are in great need of your help."

"My help, Your Majesty?"

"Yes. I am not sure if you are aware of this but there has been strange things happening ever since the last Heirs passed away and their control of the Thrones disappeared and hatred slipped into the hearts of many."

"I have heard some of this from Lord Hammet…" I say after he pauses, "But he did not explain much of it to me and I am still a little confused about what he meant by that."

"You would be, you grew up in a time without Heirs on the throne, even now, only three of the Heirs have been found. Which means the Thrones cannot be taken because all four Heirs must sit upon the Thrones at the same time or else…there will be a shift in power and this shift could cause even more trouble for the power of Weyard." He pauses for a minute to let this information sink in, but strangely enough, I was ready to hear something like this. "I am sure that Robin has explained most of this to you so I will spare you my egotistical babble and tell you why I need your help."

"Why we need your help." Corrected the Queen, smiling at her husband and son. "You see, Ivan, Garcia is our son, Heir to the Venus Throne, making him an Earth Energist like Robin. We also have a daughter, a Fire Energist. She is the Heir to the Mars Throne. It is the first time that siblings have ever been Heirs to the Throne of Heaven, but I suppose that it is understandable."

"That is not the point, a few weeks ago, our daughter, Jasmine, was kidnapped during a storm." Says the King and I cannot suppress the gasp that comes out of my mouth at this. I do not know why I was so surprised by this. Why else would they be talking about their daughter? "Robin is here in Haidia Village because two of the Heirs are here. If they had not been, he would either be in Lemuria, looking after Robin, or traveling around Weyard. It is his duty to protect them, whether he likes it or not." I narrow my eyes at the king. His tone…I do not like it one bit.

"We need your help to find out where Jasmine is. You are an Air Energist and we have confidence in your abilities, you will be able to find our daughter." I take a step back, suddenly overwhelmed by the request.

"I…I do not know if I can do that, Your Highness." I say, bowing my head to her reflexively. "I have trouble using my powers and…and I am not sure what you are asking of me. I do not know what you want me to do. I can barely perform even the most minimal of Psynergy attack summons and aside from that, all I can do is read people's thoughts and sense their emotions."

"Of course, you will need more training." Smiles the King, "Which is why we sent Robin to Master Hama a couple of years back, to ask her to teach him how to…well, teach you."

"Please, do not expect too much of me, Your Majesty."

"Do not belittle yourself, Ivan. We both knew your parents and their powers were magnificent. They could tell the future with ease, just as Master Hama can. I am sure that with a little bit of training, you will be able to do the same." I want to scream out. I want to tell them I cannot do this but that would be childish. I have to resist doing something like that. I have to handle this with as much maturity as I can muster. How would Lady Layana and Lord Hammet wish me to act in this situation?

"I cannot promise anything but I will try my best to help you find your daughter." I bow to them again.

"Splendid." Said the Queen, clapping her hands together, "Garcia, show Ivan to one of the guest bedrooms and then ask Robin to come to the throne room, I want to speak with him about Ivan's training."

"Yes, Your Highness." Garcia says, bowing and turning. "Come on, Ivan." He whispers to me gently, taking me by my elbow and leading me out of the throne room. Once we are outside, the doors close behind us and he sighs. "I apologize for my parents' behavior. They have both been worried sick about my sister's safety and they have tried everything to get her back, but to no avail. Robin has even given up, which is quite surprising, but not so much for me…he can hold grudges for a long time but he cannot go against a direct order, which is why he was waiting for you in Vault."

"…What do you mean?" Robin does not seem like the kind of person who would hold a grudge.

"I think you should ask Robin, it is not my place."

"That is what everyone says. If you know, you should just tell me, I'll find out eventually."

"Right, which is why you are going to find out from Robin and not me." He leads me down a strange hallway with row after row of portraits of kings and queens past. He finally stops in front of a door at the end of the corridor. "Here is your room for the time being. I will send Robin to see you as soon as he is done with my parents. I trust that the two of you will have much to discuss later on."

"Now that I have even more questions." I say to him, "Thank you, Garcia."

"Do not mention it. I have not seen Robin this happy in years."

"Huh?" He is gone before I can ask him what he meant by that and I sigh; preparing to slip into my room but something stops me. I stand there with my hand hovering above the doorknob. If I want answers…I am going to have to get them myself and there is only one way to do that. Sneak around and get them. I turn away from my room and tear down the hallway, glad that I had remembered every twist and turn Garcia had taken to bring me to the guest room. I quickly flipped the mental map around in my mind and plotted a course that would take me back to the throne room.

When I get there, the doors are slightly ajar and I slip in near them, leaning against them just so that I can hear and slightly see into the throne room without being seen myself. I can see Robin's back, slightly tense as he stands before the King and Queen with Garcia at his side. "You are going to make me put Ivan though that? He is not apart of this." Robin says, waving his hand to the King and Queen, "It is my fault that Jasmine was kidnapped, I was not thinking. Do not punish Ivan for my mistakes."

"You are overstepping your boundaries, Robin. He outranks you." Said the King. Robin shuffles his feet uncomfortably.

"Prince Ivan does not need to go through this just for us. If I have to, I will search for Jasmine myself but do not make Prince Ivan do this just because I refused to search for Jasmine before now."

"At least you can care for another royal other than our son and Prince Picard." Smirked the Queen, shaking her head, "Tell us, Robin, what is it about this boy that you want to protect? Is it your duty or something else? Just because he has shown you kindness?"

"It is nothing."

"If that is true, then you will train Ivan. His parents would have wanted that. He will become stronger. His sister will want him to become stronger." I clap my hand to my mouth at this, stifling a gasp of surprise. Did I hear her correctly? Did she just say…sister? And not in past tense either. I…I have a sister?

"Master Hama did not teach me all those things so that I could teach her brother. She did that so that I could gain more knowledge about Air Energists, so that I could help make it easier for Prince Ivan, not force him to learn things before his time. He is not ready for this yet, he told me how much it hurt him to use his Psynergy and I was being pushed and he would have left me there to die if I gave up." He shakes his head and looks down at his hand, "I am not about to let Prince Ivan go through something like that. He is too kind for that, I will not be the one to break him!"

"Oh, but Robin, don't you want to be free to travel again? If Jasmine is returned to us, you can move as you please. There have been no attacks on Haidia Village so Jasmine and Garcia will be safe to remain here without your protection."

"Are you…bribing me? You think I will give in that easily? You think I am so shallow to just do something like this to Prince Ivan just so that I can travel?" He begins to laugh, holding his hand to his face, leaning back and laughing harder. "For the love of Venus! You obviously do not know anything about me! I have morals. I can refuse a direct order if I want to. In the end, I serve only the Heirs and myself. Above all, the only order that counts is the one from my heart."

"You have no choice, Robin. The Gods want this as well." Said the King gently.

"…Dammit." Whispered Robin, turning his back to the King and Queen, "Fine, I'll do it, but I'm going to do it my way. It will take time but I am not about to harm Prince Ivan in anyway. And I do not want any interference."

"Of course not."

I swallow and quickly tiptoe away from the door. Okay a little more than I wanted to hear, but I did want to figure things out…I guess I got more than bargained for. I take a turn at the next hallway, dragging my feet along the carpet. Robin…he seemed so angry…was it because of me?

He…he said my name, without the title…I wonder why he would do that before the King and Queen, even Garcia was there…He is a confusing person.

I lose myself in my thoughts, allowing my legs to carrying me through the unfamiliar passages of the castle until I finally pause and look around. I know where I am, just in the corridor before the one where my guest room is contained. However, I am not alone. I tense up and spin around, jumping when I see a little boy standing behind me, a wide smile on his face.

"Hello, Ivan. So we meet again."

"Again…? Do I know you?"

"Yes, you just do not remember me. I had to…erase your memory because you learned something that you should not know. You have done it again. You are a very clever boy; I must say that I am quite impressed. No wonder you make Robin so happy." I would have been flustered at the remark if I had not been so confused by the boy's presence.

"You are right, Ivan. I do have all the answers to all your questions, but I am not about to give them up so quickly. You have something that I want right now and that is the memory of what you have heard in this corridor and the memory of what you heard in the throne room just now. You should not go sneaking around. It inconveniences me so." He lets out a mock sigh and raises his hand up until it is pointing at my forehead. "See you soon, Ivan."

A blinding flash of light and then all is dark. I feel myself falling backwards and the floor is slipping out from beneath me. No! Don't let me fall! What was I doing a second ago…? Where am I…?

…So very cold…

I don't like it here. Why can't I open my eyes? It's too dark in here. Too cold…

"…Robin…"

Something that we always wonder is…what would it be like if we lost our memory? How would we react to the people we have known all of our lives? Would they treat us differently? Would we act differently around us? Would we like living without our past memories or would we slowly be driven to insanity while we try to regain what we lost? Who could say? It may be different for some. For me, I think it would be frightening, to suddenly lose something so important to you and not even knowing where to begin looking for it. Even more so, I am afraid to lose something before I even obtain it, because…then I do not know how to react to that. Do I miss it? Or should I forget about it completely and move on with my life, pretending that I had never lost something in the first place.

"Is he going to be all right?" Robin's voice cuts into the clouds that surround my mind and I pull myself from the abyss just between consciousness and sleep. I do not open my eyes, though, just in case he says something that I should not know about.

"He should be fine, he was probably just exhausted from being moved around so much and then using that much Psynergy. We are only as strong as we allow ourselves to be. Being drained of Psynergy completely can be very unhealthy for us. Please tell the young prince to take it easy from now on. His body is very fragile."

"Thank you, Priest." A door clicks shut and then someoneRobin, since he is the only one I can sense in the room with mesits down in a chair near the bed.

"Maybe I should have fought after all…" He whispers as I feel the bed sinking slightly under his weight. I open my eyes slightly and see that he is resting his elbows on the edge of the bed, propping his chin on his hand and staring off across the room. "At least if I had done that…you probably would not have passed out…some guardian I turned out to be. I just do not understand other people."

I shift and roll over so that I am facing him. He looks at me with a start, "How long have you been…I meanare you feeling all right?" I nod slowly, sitting up now. "You probably should not move just yet."

"I am fine, you do not have to worry about me so much, Robin. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." I say to him, hoping my words do not sound too harsh. I play them over in my mind again and decide to add, "Thank you for helping me out again."

"I did not do much, I just got the Priest to look after you and make sure that there was nothing wrong with you."

"What happened?" I ask, opting to look around the room instead of into his worried eyes. He is always worrying about me. In part, I am happy to have someone worry about me but then again, it makes me feel as if I cannot take care of myself.

"I am not sure. I was walking down the hall to visit you when I turned the corner and saw you standing in the middle of the corridor with a dazed look in your eyes. You…um…" He seems hesitant to add something and out of the corner of my eyes, I see him glance from me and back to the bed sheets. "You began to fall backwards. I ran forward and caught you before you could hit the ground. I carried you back here and went to get the Priest after that. You've only been unconscious for about…an hour, maybe more."

"The Priest said that it was due to exhaustion."

"He thinks so." I look back at him.

"You do not sound all that sure that he is correct in his assumptions."

"Those are the assumptions of an old man that does not know anything about the anatomy of an Energist, let alone our physical and mental capabilities. I would not trust what he says as much as someone would trust me to raise sheep." I hold my hand to my mouth as I attempt to suppress the giggles that come up at the mental image that pops into my head at his last words. "I am glad that I could have made you laugh, even if it was at the expense of my own dignity."

"So-sorry." I apologize to him, wiping away a tear that had escaped from my eye. "I should not have laughed but I could not help it…I just thought of something very funny." He nods to me, a small smile slipping onto his face.

After a while, I decide to bring something up. "Robin, something has been bothering me."

"Really? What is that?"

"Well, you told me that we have met before, right? You said that just before we entered the village through the gates." He nods carefully, his eyes never leaving my own. "Please explain. I do not remember this happening at all. I am sure that I would have remembered meeting you, you certainly do leave quite an impression on people, even when you do not say much at all."

"I hope that I can take that as a compliment." He laughs.

"You should." I smile at him, "Since that is true, and you obviously agree with me, then why do I not remember you?"

"You were probably too young to even care about some passing traveler. Besides, I told you to never tell anyone about us meeting and that probably helped drive it from your mind." I blink at him.

"You told me to…"

"Yes, because I was just in Karei Town to check up on you to make sure that you were doing well. I was not to speak with or see you because I was really not even supposed to be there because the King ordered it thus. It was probably because he did not want anyone seeing us together or they would begin to think that you were more than just a servant." I nod, somewhat speechless. "Do you want me to tell you what happened, since you can know now…just so long as you do not tell the king or queen."

I nod again and he leans back in his chair. "Let's see, if must have been…five or six years since you first went to Hammet Palace, so you were still very young at the time. I had just started training on my own and Karei Town was my last stop on this continent before I left for the next, I had to stop here anyway to get more supplies.

"I told Lady Layana about my mission because at that time, Lord Hammet was away on a caravanI had met him in the town just before Karei Town and he asked me to visit with Lady Layana if I ever stopped by here. While I was here, I decided to start asking questions about you. How you were progressing with your powers, how well you were adapting to that false life and whatnot. Lady Layana could not stop raving about you." He smiles, "She said it was like having her own little boy to take care of and love."

"Lady Layana said that about me…?" When I was a child, I had always thought that I was a burden to Lady Layana and Lord Hammet. I even considered running away many times but there was nowhere for me to go so I always chose to stay there and wait it out until the assassin finally grew tired of me and decided to leave me alone.

"Yes, she is quite fond of you. Then again, who wouldn't be?" I blush and quickly bow my head to hide my cheeks from him.

"Pl-please continue."

"Very well. I spoke with Lady Layana for a long time and she seemed very interested about my journey. I told her as much as I was allowed and then started to ask her more about you since I was not allowed to see you myself." He tilts his head to the side, looking me up and down. "Anyway, she asked me to stay there the night and it had grown dark regardless and the last ship to Tolbi had already left for the day, meaning I would either have to stay in the palace or sleep outside. I guess you can decide for yourself what I choose."

"Never turn down the offer to sleep indoors when the chance arises." I smile, repeating something Lord Hammet had told me a long time ago.

"Yes." He nods, smiling at me before continuing with his story, "I have trouble sleeping in different buildings but very little difficulty sleeping outdoors, so needless to say, I was a little restless. I snuck out of my room during the middle of the night and wondered around the corridors until I began to tire. That was when I tried to go back to my room…but found myself lost."

"You should have been paying attention to where you were going." I chided him.

"Yes, but if I had been paying attention, I would not have grown tired and then there would be no point to me wondering around in the corridors like that." He waits for me to add anything to this but I remain silent, allowing him to continue. "It took me around an hour until I found a room that did not have its door closed. I peeks inside and saw a young boy reading by the window in his sleeping gown. That was you, Prince Ivan." Ah! I always left the door open when I was younger, just in case I got scared at night, that way I could run off to Lady Layana.

"I knocked on the door and you nearly jumped out of your skin, throwing your book under a table and making a mad scramble to your bed." He laughs again, "I did not think that I would startle you that much."

"Yes, well…Lady Layana would always yell at me for reading during the night."

"Anyway, you finally turned to look at me after you had one foot on the bed. You just sort of stared at me for a minute before dropping to your knees with a relieved look on your face." The memory of this hits me like a ton of bricks, leaving me lightheaded.

"I remember now…"

I drop to my knees when I see that it is not Lady Layana standing in the doorway, but a boy with pale blue eyes and a surprised look on his face. I must have made for quite a sight, sitting and reading by the window and then jumping for the bed. "What a relief. I thought that you were Lady Layana."

"What is wrong with Lady Layana?" He asks, stepping into my room.

"Nothing." I say, blushing with embarrassment at my earlier words. "She just does not like it when I read with such poor lightning. She says it will ruin my eyes."

"Will it?" I look up at him and shrug my shoulders, "Then why do you do it?"

"Because I don't know if it will or not." He nods and takes another step towards me. I now take the time to look at him more closely. He is dressed in all blue and he has dirty blonde hair that is just a bit lighter than mine is. He has a calm expression on his face, if not just a little bit confused, but I suppose that I did surprise him with my earlier scramble for the bed. "Um…who are you?"

"My name is Robin." I push myself off the ground and reach a hand out to him.

"Hello, Robin, my name is Ivan." Something passes over his pale blue eyes but it is gone so quickly that I am not quite sure that it was even there in the first place. He takes my hand, twisting my wrist gently to the side so that the back of my hand is facing up and he leans down, planting a quick kiss on the back of my hand. I blink at him before giggling. "What was that?"

"A kiss." He said with an ecstatic smile, "My mentor said that I should greet you like that if I ever met you." I return his smile. I think I am beginning to like Robin.

"I've never seen you around here before, Robin. Are you new here?" He nods.

"But I'm not going to be staying for long. I just have to rest a little before I leave again."

"Oh…" I try not to sound too disappointed but I think he catches the drop in my voice.

"Don't worry, I am sure that we will meet each other again. Weyard is not all that big, I hope, and I can probably visit you any time as soon as my training is over." He says this but I can tell that as much as he wants it to be true as well, he cannot keep that spoken promise.

I nod anyway, trying not to think about it that way. I smile up at him, "While you're here, why don't we get to know each other a little better?" I walk to the windowsill where I have pillows piled up to make it more comfortable because I read there so much.

"I'd like that."

We talk for hours, mainly about whatever comes to mind, basic things, nothing too personal but not withholding too much information at the same time so we do not come off as paranoid.

Then, he turns to look at the window when he notices that my eyes are beginning to droop and that I am letting my words run together so badly that they begin to make no sense at all. "It is getting late, you should rest now."

I hop to my feet, stumbling to the side as soon as I do this. He holds out his hand and catches me, holding me steady, "Will you be able to find your room?" I ask as he backs me up to the bed and helps me sit down.

"I will manage. Good night." He turns and walks towards the door, pausing in the doorway, "There is something that I have to ask of you before I leave, Ivan. A favor…"

"What is it?" I ask, glancing over at him. He drums his fingers on the wall to cut into the silence that follows my words.

"Please, do not tell anyone about meeting me, Ivan. Let it just be our little secret, so that even if I cannot see you again, you are the only on who will know that I have ever met you." His words do not make any sense to me but there is an intensity in them that I cannot deny and I find myself nodding.

"I promise not to tell a soul."

"Thank you, Ivan." He bows his head and then disappears down the corridor, his footsteps echoing in the corridor until even they fade away to the quiet of the sleeping palace.

"Robin…"

I look at him now. He has changed so much since then, from his height to his voice and right down to his looks. It is amazing how years of training can change a person so much. His smile seems softer and harder to bring out and even when he does smile, it takes a lot to make the emotion reach his eyes. What could he have seen to change him so much?

"So, you do remember." I nod, smiling softly.

"Even if it was hard for me to remember it now, you did leave a lasting impression on me." I laugh, "You were so mature for your age that it surprised me."

"Well, I was not exactly given the chance to live a normal childhood. My mentor forced me to grow up as quickly as I could, or else…to him, I was better off dead." He lets his head fall back, his hair barely grazing his shoulders as he stares up at the ceiling. "He was…severe to say the least. Apart from myself, there was another boy that he was told to give the same training. You would have thought that the two of us would have formed some sort of bond over time but we did not. For some reason, he came to hate me even more than he hated our mentor."

"That is not fair, you did not do anything to anger him so he hated you for no reason."

"People can be like that, Prince Ivan." I look at him, watching him as he continues to look at the ceiling, his chest rising and falling in a slow pattern, the only movement from him other than his occasional blinks.

"Why do you insist on…still using my title?" At this, he tears his eyes away from the ceiling, jerking out of his pervious pose to look at me.

"I…because I am no longer the boy you knew." I frown as he shifts his eyes away from mine uncomfortably, and he takes a deep breath, releasing it with a heavy sigh.

"What will it take for you to drop the title?" I ask him.

"I…do not know." He rises out of his chair and reaches out to me with his hand. My first thought is to pull away but I remain still, reminding myself that this is Robin and that I know him…or at least I knew the boy that he used to be.

He rests his hand on my cheek. "You have a fever. You should rest before it becomes worse." He begins to pull away from me but I have to ask.

"What will you do, Robin?" He pauses with his hand still on my cheek. I can see my reflection in his eyes and it frightens me how calm I look even though inside, I am shaking. What am I so afraid of? There is nothing that he has said to me that should have made me this fearful. Is it something else?

"What do you mean?"

"Now that I am here, in Haidia Village. The King and Queen told me that you would…teach me how to use my powers further." He nods solemnly, finally letting his hand fall away from my cheek. "You don't have to, if you do not want to. I am sure that you would much rather travel than stay around here looking after me."

"I cannot do that. My duty is to guard the Heirs to the Throne. Since Prince Picard is in Lemuria, safe and hidden in the castle, and Princess Jasmine has been kidnapped, Garcia is the only Heir for me to protect. Besides, I cannot just leave you alone in a strange place. I promised Lord Hammet that I would protect you and I intend to do just that. I never go against an order if I can help it."

"You can always continue searching for the remaining Heir." He shakes his head.

"The Heirs awaken in their own time. Regardless of the distance, once the remaining Heir awakens, I will be able to find him or her and explain to them what is happening. Then…" He lets his voice trail off but I know better than to ask him what he was going to say. If he wants me to know, he will tell me. It is better if I do not know anyway; it would just add more questions that I would want to be answered later.

"I hope that I do not cause you too much trouble, Robin."

"I doubt that you will be the cause of any of my troubles, Prince Ivan." He pulls away from the bed and takes a step towards the door. "Get some rest. As soon as the Priest says that you are ready, we can begin your training."

TBC

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