Chapter 5

Locke glared at his father. "Dad! What was that for? You shouldn't freak out my friends you know!" he tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for his father to down his drink, and then answer. Lok looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "I just thought I should make myself clear. It wouldn't be at all healthy for Figaro's reputation to lose three kings in the span of twenty-five years." He put his glass down on the table gently. "Figaro this, Figaro that! Haven't you thought of what I want for once, instead of what precious Figaro wants?" Locke yelled at him. Lok's brows furrowed. "When haven't I thought of what you wanted, Locke?" Locke stared at him, red-faced. "Since the day King Enri, Sabin and Edgar's father, died!" Locke turned on his heel and stomped away, leaving Lok to gather his thoughts.

Lockett watched her husband and son go toe-to-toe, or rather, Locke's toes to Lok's back, and she didn't like it. She got up, gently pulling little Lok's fingers from her dress, herded him off to his mother, Celes, and went after Locke. Locke was leaning on the stone wall of the castle, a disgruntled and hurt look on his face, a pile of glass next to him. She sighed. It was not the first glass her son had broken out of frustration. He saw her and slid down the wall, inviting her to sit with him. She stood in front of him instead, fists on her hips. He blew his hair out from his eyes. "Mom, I don't want another lecture, I'm not in the mood. I've had enough of parents for now." he looked away.

"Locke, why don't you just tell your father how you feel? You've been putting it off for years now." Locke laughed bitterly.

"Would it matter at all, Mom? Haven't I been telling him how I feel, and does he even take the slightest notice? I'm married now, I'm happy, I've got my own children to take care of," his face darkened. "I won't ignore my children, like he does to me. I don't need Dad anymore."

Lockett kneeled in front of him, brushing her brown hair out of her green eyes. "Locke...your father...he's had a rough life."

Locke's eyes blazed. "So have I! I've had to deal with his problems all my life, I let Rachel die, the world ends, I can't bring Rachel back to life, I have my own share of problems! You can't tell me I don't have problems as bad as he does!"
Lockett looked away this time, and Locke immediately regretted his words.
"Look, Mom, I know Dad has problems, and I love both of you... but Dad has to move on, y'know? Whatever happened to him, he's got to get over it and move on!"

Lockett leaped up, tears in her eyes. "He can't! He just can't!" Locke reached out to touch her, but she was already gone. "Mom..." he frowned and watched the wind blow the desert's white sand. "What... happened?" he was afraid it was a question he would never hear his father answer. It would have to wait for another day, he had to take care of his own family too. But isn't Dad part of my family...?

Junior wandered around the Figaro library, until he came to a dusty shelf full of books. If he had wanted to hide something, he would have hidden it here. He dragged a wooden chair across the floor, wincing as it scraped along the ground loudly. He clambered onto it, supporting himself on the back first, before reaching tentative fingers to the book that he wanted. The dusty book slipped out of the bookshelf and into his hands as he pulled at it. He sat down on the chair, and opened the red age worn cover. "Figaroan Kings... maybe Gala-had is in here." he flipped through the book, making sure not to rip any of the older, yellowed pages, and careful not to crease the newer white ones. It seemed to be a notebook, or a database on all the kings of Figaro, which was why it was in Edgar's private library. "Um... Setso Figaro, 3012, Chrono Figaro, 3044, Tetro Figaro, 3060, Sera Figaro, 3066, Rasonar Figaro, 3072, Enri Figaro, 3080, Edgar Figaro, 4000, Galahad Figaro!" Junior scanned the page intently. "Birth date unknown... what? And it looks like that page... and Daddy's page was ripped out," he muttered, looking at the tear marks.

Selena walked in, rubbing her eyes tiredly, Sabin behind her. "What are you doing here, Junior? You should be in bed." Junior had dropped the book on the floor. "I was looking for when the first Figaroan war started, Daddy. For my homework that Mommy gave me. I didn't know it was bedtime already," he lied. Sabin studied him suspiciously. "You weren't looking for anything else?" Junior shook his head.
Selena gestured to Sabin. 'He said he was also looking for someone named Galahad.' Sabin jerked. "G-galahad? Why would you want to know about that?"

Junior looked up at him. "Do you know who that is Daddy? Huh?" Sabin shook his head vigorously. "No, no of course not. I think he was before my time, before my father's time maybe, and I was no great shakes at Figaroan History, never was, never will be. You should ask... your uncle Edgar when he recovers."
Junior let his mother lead him to bed. "Okay!" They left Sabin alone in the library.
Sabin sat down heavily on a chair. "Why in Figaro does he want to know... about Galahad?" he put his head on his hands, resignedly.