Author's Note: I know, I know. It's been way too long since I updated. And I know, you people aren't. . . exactly chipper about the whole thing. Well, since mid-May stuff's been busy. I had projects for school, then finals to take care of, then getting ready for graduation, then graduation, then the celebrating with family, then a three day college visit and to top it off when I came back, I caught pneumonia! It's been a fun couple of months, but I finally think everything's clear. Thank goodness for small favors. Okay, enough about my stupid life. It's time for what you all came here for.

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The travelers traversed over the plains on the return home to Vale. They had been on the move for almost a week now, but were now on the outskirts of the large Mogall Forest. Although they could've followed their original path from Vault to Imil, Felix determined that the route through the forest would be shorter than the alternative. Mogall hadn't been inhabited by monsters in years, but more by traditional animals that showed minimal aggression. This made this route all the more attractive to the adventurers. Right now, they spent their time heading toward it.

"Quickly now." Felix motioned, looking back at his following group. Dargon was the one closest to him, followed by Garet and Ivan and then by Mia and Sheba, with Jenna and Isaac in the back. "Step it up, Isaac. Don't hang back; we're on the open plains. We don't need you watching our backs. Besides, I think miss Jenna can handle that."

"Yes sir!" Isaac said, increasing his pace to move forward in the group.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Lord Felix." Jenna said.

"For having faith in your abilities?" Felix asked.

"No, for trusting me. One in your position would not readily trust someone that was in the profession I once took pride in."

"What's done is done and the past cannot be changed." The Paladin stated. "Besides, I sense that your intentions are true and you have no desire to cause further harm to innocents. Even without Ivan's Mind Read I sensed that you were not an enemy."

Jenna paused before she whispered to Mia, ahead of her. "This guy is kinda creepy, but. . . he does see the truth. Can he read minds too?"

"No." Sheba replied, overhearing. "He just understands you a great deal because of Garet. Garet, although he's apparently never spoken publicly about you, knows your nature, and Felix picked up on it. Garet's a very easy person to read."

"That he is." She smirked.

"And you wouldn't want him any other way, right?" Mia replied with a similar facial expression.

"No way in Weyard."

"We should reach the forest by sunset. We'll set up camp inside and continue first thing in the morning." Felix said, unaware of the conversation behind him. He glanced behind him, catching a glimpse of the three girls in back whispering about something. He couldn't hear what it was about thanks to Ivan picking on Garet about not being the sharpest tack in the box. Garet then started grumbling to himself and then countered that Ivan was shorter than a gnome and was about as handsome as one. This naturally started a chain reaction of Storm Rays and Fireballs. Felix shook his head and kept moving.

"Oh, come on now! You two can never seem to get along for ten minutes!" Dargon said trying to break them up. "Garet, you ARE slow, Ivan, you ARE short. There. It's settled. Can we please move on now?" Ivan and Garet exchanged a quick glance to one another and then turned their Psynergies on Dargon. The Luna Knight dodged away from both strikes and put his hands forward. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I was just kidding, guys."

"We weren't." Ivan replied.

"Children!" Jenna called out. "Control yourselves!" Garet froze and suddenly looked remarkably embarrassed. Well, if Ivan hadn't been right in saying he was stupid before, he certainly was now. Jenna walked up to the two instigators and promptly smacked both upside their heads. "Come on now. There will be plenty of zapping to do when we deal with Saturos. Don't act like little kids."

"Ah, I don't know about Garet, but I was only fooling around with him." Ivan smiled and replied earnestly.

"You sure didn't sound it."

"Well, I'll make sure not to do that again, my friend."

"If you two are done patching things up. . ." Dargon stated, tapping his foot. "Felix is already pretty far ahead of us, along with Isaac, Mia, and Sheba. They kept going without us."

"Jeez." Garet muttered. "Some people just have no patience!"

**************************************

The group sat around the roaring campfire; they had just eaten and were in good spirits, even after Garet and Ivan's little exchange of more than words.

"And then Dargon leapt from the ledge above and knocked out the bandit!" Garet said, climaxing his story with an extra edge from his voice.

"Wow, did that really happen during your training, Garet?" Mia asked.

"You bet. Dargon and I helped stop a major theft ring in Altin. Apparently the thieves were after some of the iron ore that was being extracted in the upper levels of the mine."

"Odd that they were not after the diamonds in the lower levels." Isaac stated.

"Not really." Dargon replied. "The iron ore, although less valuable pound for pound, was easier to get rid of. Quicker profits and considerably less risk."

"I suppose you and Garet should know better than anyone else." Isaac replied.

"Hey, do you have any stories to tell, Isaac?" Mia asked.

"Not really." He replied.

"You have one, Isaac. And if you don't want to tell it, I will." Felix said, with the undertone being 'whether you like it or not.' Isaac shrugged, meaning he obviously had no idea what Felix was referring to. Felix shook his head and shrugged. "Looks like I will be the one to tell it. It goes something like this:"

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It had been a long day; the sun beat down on the travelers mercilessly. The five members of the envoy to Xian to try to improve public relations. Felix had no idea why he was even a part of these negotiations; he was a Paladin, not a diplomat. He also felt rather awkward with the fact that Picard would not allow him to carry a sword on this trip. Felix thought he was supposed to be the escort originally, but apparently he was supposed to be there for some other reason unbeknownst to him. He turned to his four companions, not the least of which was Iodem.

"Iodem, can you tell me why Picard wanted me with you?"

"I think it's because he wanted to show that someone of your high standing in the military can prove to be a fair and honest person. It's a lot easier to accept that if the said person does not have a sword strapped to their waist."

"I hope his Majesty knows what he's doing. Not one of us is armed." Another popped up.

"Should anything come up, I can handle it." Felix stated. "I wouldn't be much of a Paladin if I couldn't fight without a sword."

"That's good to know." Iodem stated. We're not far from home now, so. . . everything should be safe." Of course, as soon as Iodem said these words did an arrow land at his feet. He instantly halted in his place, as three more arrows landed around him. He looked up to the hill above to see a man with a bow aiming down at him.

"Lord Felix, we are surrounded." Another said, pointing out three more enemies.

"There are more over here." The third man in the group said, pointing out three additional foes. Felix looked around and studied the situation quickly. There were seven bandits and one man in his five man party who could fight. Not good odds. Worse yet, all the bandits had swords and were approaching in a full circle. There was definitely no chance of getting away unscathed. The bandits approached and circled tightly, and one turned to address Iodem.

"Give us all your money!" The bandit demanded.

"Good sir, we mean no harm." Iodem started. "And we know you are reasonable. . ."

"We're reasonable when we have money, grandpa. Fork it all over now."

"Hey, don't talk to him like that!" Felix snapped.

"What are you gonna do about it?!" The leader inquired, putting his sword point closer to Iodem; he was mere inches from his face. Felix made no reply. A Gaia attack would probably hurt Iodem, an Earthquake would be enough to give the man a reason to go after Iodem, and a Ragnarok would be too slow. This was not looking good at all.

"Sir, I suggest giving the men your money." Felix sighed. Iodem gave Felix a look of shock, and Felix shrugged. There was nothing he could do without hurting anyone else in the party.

"Good, good. Listen to the man, gramps."

"Fine." Iodem sighed and handed over his bag of coins.

"Excellent. Boys, you know what to do from here." The bandit said, signaling a slash across his throat. Felix's heart raced and he prepared to use his Quake Sphere attack; however, before he could, another voice made itself clear into the fray.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to pick on innocent travelers?!" A boy yelled, smashing the leader over the head with a wooden training sword. The leader stumbled back and dropped the bag of gold he had borrowed from Iodem.

"Get that punk!" He sputtered, sending all six of his men after him. The newcomer with golden hair charged in and out between his foes bashing each with his sword. He had essentially ran slalom between each of his enemies while planting his weapon in the faces of each. He spun around on the balls of his feet and charged back through, striking each foe in the wrist, making them drop their swords while trying to recover from getting plastered in the face. His third trip landed blows onto the backs of each, knocking them one by one to the ground. He then turned back to the leader, whom he promptly charged. The bandit leader could scarcely block the young fighter's attacks with his own sword, let alone get in a strike of his own. Suddenly, the bandit found his feet flying out from underneath him as the fighter tripped him with a quick swing of his leg. The bandit lost hold of his sword and found a wooden point a single inch from the bridge of his nose. The fighter stood above him and glared.

"Don't tell me that's all you've got." He snorted. "And to think these people were afraid of you."

"What are you going to do with that chopstick, junior? You think you can finish me with that thing?"

"I don't intend to finish you. But in case you were blind, look what this 'chopstick' did to your men." The blue eyed fighter said, pointing to the slowly rising and moaning henchmen who obviously had no further intention of fighting.

"Boss, let's get out of here!" One of the henchmen said, as he took off. The others quickly followed his lead. The golden haired fighter smiled and pulled back his sword.

"Get moving. Be a coward just like your men." And the bandit leader did just that. After he left, Felix walked up to the mysterious fighter and addressed him.

"Excuse me. May I inquire as to who you are?"

"My name is Isaac." The warrior replied. "And may I ask who you are?"

"I am Lord Felix, commander of the Paladins of Sol. . . and I have a proposition for you."

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Mia gasped. "Is that really how you two met?"

"Every word." Felix replied. "Isaac was a fine warrior, and I was honestly surprised that the Knights of Luna had rejected his application."

"Obviously they didn't look into their candidates too well." Dargon muttered. "Recruitment back then was not very good."

"It still isn't." Garet joked.

"If they let you in, that's a case in point." Jenna returned.

"Ouch, that's not nice, Jenna." Garet replied. Isaac and Felix laughed heartily at the comment; they were both obviously biting back the same remark of what Jenna had in mind.

"You really offered Isaac recruitment into the Paladins of Sol right then and there?"

"Yes. I sensed a strange feeling of righteousness in him; the kind of honor and sense of justice that makes Paladins."

"You flatter me, sir." Isaac said. "I was just your average swordsman."

"Well, that's your point of view." Felix shrugged. "Now, considering we're all finished with dinner and it doesn't seem like anyone has anymore stories, I suggest we all turn in for the night. Get some sleep; we'll probably have a tough day ahead of us getting through Mogall forest." The others nodded in agreement, and Ivan smothered the campfire with some earth as everyone took their respective sleeping places.

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The night was mild; it wasn't hot and it certainly wasn't cold; but rather in that oddly comfortable range of temperature. Despite this pleasantry, Isaac still couldn't sleep. He rolled onto his side and then onto his back some moments later. His mind was in a blur of thought and he couldn't clear it, let alone figure out what any of it was. He tossed restlessly in place for awhile longer; his mind raced from one thing to another in rapid succession, not allowing him to make heads or tails of himself; he could scarcely even remember he was in the forest. Eventually, he sat up straight and looked at what remained of the smoldering campfire. Heat still lightly emitted from it; it was comforting, but not enough to purge the raging thoughts in his head. He glanced around the campsite absent- mindedly, seeing everyone sleeping soundly. It made him feel a little better that the others were sleeping better than he was. He sighed to himself softly and laid back down. He shut his eyes once more and resumed trying to get to sleep. However, despite his best efforts to relax, he simply failed. Eventually, when he finally thought he had fallen asleep, a hand lightly touched him on his shoulder, and then he realized that his 'sleep' was just another thing induced by his raging mind. He sat up, and squinted at the person who touched him.

"Isaac, are you okay?" Mia whispered. "You've been tossing for almost an hour." Isaac could scarcely make out the voice, but when he was finally sure it was Mia talking to him and not his head, he replied.

"I'm fine. I just can't sleep."

"Well, I won't be able to either with you tossing like that." She said, helping him to his feet. "While we're both awake, I'd like to show you something. I found it when I went to find water for the campsite." Isaac nodded dumbly and allowed Mia to lead him by the hand. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Mia asked. "Do you feel sick?"

"No." Isaac returned. "I. . . just can't stop thinking. About everything. About nothing."

"Sounds like a fever to me." Mia said, putting a hand to his head. His forehead was a tad warm. "Hold still, Isaac." She said, allowing her hand to glow blue and break some of the inky blackness of the forest. Isaac's mind slowly cleared and he began to regain his senses.

"Thank you, Mia." He replied.

"Anytime, Isaac. It's what I do." She smiled. "Come on." With that, Isaac found himself being tugged gently up a hill; when they reached the peak of the hill, the trees broke and it revealed the view of the starry night sky with a waning gibbous moon. The light from the moon and stars illuminated the forest and the small clearing in front of them.

"Wow. It's beautiful, Mia."

"I know. I saw it when the sun was setting over the horizon. It was just as beautiful then." She said, sitting down in the soft grass on the hillside. She motioned for Isaac to do the same, and he did with a moment's hesitation. Mia glanced at him as to why, and he shrugged.

"I guess I'm just a little tired. I'm not thinking straight."

"I understand." She said. They both paused for a few moments, and eventually Mia slid Isaac's hand into her own. "I can't imagine any place I'd rather be right now."

"Neither can I." He replied, softly. The Paladin had never felt like this before he had met her; and he couldn't believe he was feeling this way now. He guessed it was a matter of his heart being stronger than his mind. . . but he didn't want it any other way. "Mia, I've been thinking on the trip. . . I think it's best that I resign from the corps when we get to Vale. I mean, I just can't continue being a Paladin if I love you. . ."

"Isaac. . ." She said, quieting him. "You know how we both feel. If that's what you think is best, then by all means do it." Mia smiled. "But that is the strangest thing to me. . ." She trailed off.

"What is?"

"The fact that the code is like that even though it seems like love is an instrumental part of a Paladin's strength."

"I guess it's more of a love for life and neighbor rather than love for love."

"But aren't they the same thing?"

"It seems like it now." Isaac sighed. "But. . . the code has stood for countless generations and I don't think it would be amended unless Sol himself stepped in." Isaac said, thinking back to his dream in Imil. "And he cannot do that."

"I see." Mia replied. She was both surprised and relieved that Isaac was willing to give up his position for her; even though it was obvious he could go far if he just turned away. Even Felix seemed to be impressed by his abilities; and Isaac himself, though confident in them, was often found underestimating himself. She didn't want to lose him, but she was certainly ready to if he wanted to pursue his career.

"I figure it would just be easier to ask for a discharge than having Felix find out the hard way."

"It would be." She said, resting her head on Isaac's shoulder. "But, I want to say this, Isaac. . . I already know you won't agree, but I want you to be quiet and listen to me. I don't want you to make this sacrifice for me. You can go so much farther than you believe if you stayed in the corps. Why throw it away for me?" She asked.

Isaac smiled to himself. That's the typical Mia for you; concerned about others before herself. "I don't know why you asked me that, Mia. You most likely already know the answer to that question and I don't believe I need to go into it. Anyway, let's just enjoy the night for awhile and then go back to camp."

So there they sat, staring at the stars, unaware of several sets of feral eyes that chose not to show themselves. Eventually, the scrutinizing eyes dispersed and they returned to camp shortly thereafter, unaware of the presence that had been observing them. When they returned to camp, all was the same as they had left it, so they both settled down in their places once more and drifted to sleep.

*************************************

Come the morning, after everyone had arisen from slumber, Felix was ready to continue moving right away. The others agreed, but Garet was a little more reluctant, demanding his usual five more minutes. He was rewarded with a kick from Jenna, something painful enough that would wake up even a sleeping rhino. Needless to say, Garet was up on his feet, moving, and arguing with Jenna rather quickly. However, their bickering soon ceased as they heard noises in the woods.

"What was that?!" Garet demanded.

"Sounded like a growl or a snarl." Jenna replied.

"Monsters." Isaac stated, just before the growl sounded again.

"Whatever it is, it isn't happy to see us." Dargon remarked, reaching for his sword. As he did, a pack of about a dozen wolves surrounded the group and each were baring their teeth, showing they weren't in the least happy to have intruders in their territory. Everyone drew their respective arms, and as the last of the swords were drawn, a voice shot from one of the trees above.

"What's this? Travellers heading through Mogall Forest?"