Slipping Away
by Corycian Muse

Disclaimer: I do not own Camelot, or Golden Sun, or anything else, for that matter

I've been working on 'I Came, I Saw, I Conquered' for a while now, and I will continue with it, right to the end (which, quite stupidly, I've been planning lately - to my own doom). Anyway, I needed a break with it, and I really felt like writing in first-person, so here it is; the first part of this story. I honestly don't know where this is going to be heading. I'm even thinking about flipping back to Vale to develop the three years over that side of Weyard, as well as in Prox. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

Please Read, Review, and Enjoy... ... ...


Three Years Before…

The darkness swirled around me as if it were alive, brushing against my skin, sending sensations up my spine. The hairs on the nape of my neck stood on end as an unknown cold bit at me. There was nothing beneath my feet, and nothing above me, pushing down – I merely floated in black clouds, unable to control anything. I wasn't even sure if my eyes were open or not. Who can tell when the insides of your lids are as dark as the space around you?

Then, I found myself, and I found gravity, and I started to fall. Screaming, I flailed about, trying to grab something that wasn't even there. Air rushed up from below, or was it that I was dropping so fast? The wind wailed around me, filling my ears and screeching through my brain. I thought my head was going to split – I had never felt so much pain. The searing sensation travelled downwards through my body as I fell, and it was tearing me apart from the inside. I squirmed, and moaned, clutching my stomach, trying to bring my knees up instinctively as the pain grew stronger and stronger, but I couldn't. The gravity was pressing down so hard, I felt as if I were being crushed by it. I felt as if I were going to die. And then I realised that had to be wrong, because knew, I was already dead.

Then, amazingly, through the roaring winds a voice echoed out my name. I stopped struggling with myself, and for a moment the pain seemed to fade away. Listening intently, I looked out into that same nothingness, waiting.

There it was again. Just a whisper, and yet, I could hear it over all the tumultuous sound. Sudden panic flooded through me and I desperately swerved my black vision around. "Wait!" I yelled as loud as I could, but as soon as I spoke that same clutching pain tore at my chest. I gasped. "Help me!" I tried to speak. "Help!"

"Felix…"

The voice was so close. I threw my hand out, wanting to grab them, to have something to hold, but I touched nothing. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. I wanted to be saved, but there was no one there at all. I was completely alone, and being suffocated by my own fear and despair.

Then, out of the swirling darkness, a hand shot out and clutched me by the shoulder. I gasped, surprised, staring at it with wide eyes. The scathing winds slowed, but I was still falling, and the gravity was still pressing down. Flailing my own hand out, I grabbed for the help, and wrapped my fingers around the forearm, digging my nails into the skin, if only to stay holding on. "Please…" I managed to say, my voice cracking.

The hand abruptly pulled me towards it, and I flew forwards while trying desperately to keep my grip on it. It pulled me through the swirling clouds, and I found myself holding my breath, until I realised I was actually underwater. Sucking in a breath in astonishment, I instead swallowed the murky water, causing me to choke uncontrollably and go dizzy from the lack of oxygen. I felt an oily substance in the surrounding liquid cling to my skin and hair, sliding grimily down my throat so that I wanted to retch with disgust. But I couldn't – I was still being pulled, and my hand was still clutched to the pale arm before me, disappearing into shadows.

Then, all around me, the tiniest bubbles fizzed, zooming past, and I began to make out a rippling surface above me as it was pierced by an ethereal light. Shutting my eyes tight, I waited for it, knowing any second I would be breaking the surface of this horrible nightmare.

Sweating, afraid, and gasping for air, I bolted upwards and found myself constricted by tightly tucked sheets on top of me. A cool hand quickly pushed my wayward hair out of the way and pressed itself against my clammy forehead. My pupils contracted and dilated as I tried to adjust on my surroundings.

"Calm down," spoke a voice to my right, and I blinked, still breathing heavily, trying to focus on the person sitting there. "It's okay, Felix. It's all alright."

What do they mean? I wondered, confused, shaking my head slightly to clear this shrouded mist still before my eyes.

Then I managed to see someone else come close to the bed, leaning over me. "He's got a fever, maybe. Well, he's definitely extremely ill." The voice was deep, and gruff. I noticed his crimson eyes as he looked me over, and I realised who it was. "And for him to keep throwing up…" Before I could even work out what was happening, Saturos reached out and held my chin, before forcing my jaw down. "Come on, open up," he ordered at me, and I complied, not really thinking. "Huh, bad lighting," he grumbled, more to himself than anyone else. I watched him, dazed, my jaw stiff and aching in his firm grip. Thankfully, in my state, I was deluded by the fact that he was treating me like an unwell six year-old.

"Well?" The other person asked. "Do you have a better idea of what's wrong?"

"His throat looks sore," Saturos answered, letting go of his hold and turning to look at the girl beside me. "But that could just be because he keeps retching. It's probably stomach flu, or something similar."

"Oh, I see," the girl answered, moving her gaze back onto me. She started to speak again to Saturos, who had sat himself on the edge of my bed, but I wasn't listening to what they were saying. My stomach felt knotted, and my eyelids were heavy. Whatever was wrong with me, it was seeping my energy away. Drowsily, I let my head fall back into the pillow as I sighed, and it was not long before my eyes closed, the conversation next to me a distant, thick echo.

"Oh, no you don't!" said a voice, shattering through my darkness. I glanced up blearily to see Saturos again, looking down at me with a hard glare. "We're half way to Prox, and I'm planning that you make it. Sit up."

I didn't respond, almost indignant. Leave me alone! I was moaning in my mind, but I was too tired to speak it out loud. My lips merely moved slightly, hardly noticeable. Then Saturos said it again, in that same commanding tone, and I sensed the girl moving away and coming back again to lean closer to me.

"Come on! You want to get better? Then sit up, or I'll make you, whether you'll hurt or not!" Saturos was booming about. That's not very nice, I thought. Ever so slowly, I eased myself up, leaning back against the wall of the cabin.

"Here, take this," the girl spoke, gently pushing Saturos aside to hand me a tiny cup filled with a thick blue-grey liquid. I looked at it, then up at her.

"What is it?" I said for the first time since I had first woken up. My gaze returned to eye the subject suspiciously.

"It's a well-known concoction we use," she explained. "It helps to ease the pain, kill any germs, as well as allowing an easy sleep. Trust me on this," she added kindly, resting her hand on my arm – I can only suppose – to comfort me. I really didn't need comforting. I just wished they'd leave me alone.

Not wishing for an argument, or any more trouble, I put the cup to my lips and drank it in one gulp, before handing it, empty, back to her. She took it, smiling, and clasped it between her hands, still watching me. "Thank you," I mumbled croakily, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. The medicine's taste was faint, and one that I couldn't describe other than a faint bitterness.

Yawning, while trying desperately to hold it in, I lay back once more into the soft warmth of the bed. I didn't care anymore if two people were watching me – it just didn't seem to matter like it normally would if I had felt well. Slowly, I rolled onto my side, and tucked my hand underneath my head, finding it comfortable. My back turned away from the two people, I fell blissfully into a deep, and dreamless sleep.


It seemed the girl was right about the medicine. In fact, she was very right.

I awoke at around midday the next day, and sat up in bed, rather baffled about what day it was, let alone the time. The cabin was empty, and the ship we were on was rocking gently upon the waves beneath us. Though I still felt mildly drowsy from the obvious drug she had given me, the pain in my stomach was a lot less intense than yesterday. At least I had that to thank her for, whenever I'd next be seeing her.

Slowly, I unhooked my legs from the mass of sheets and got to my feet unsteadily. I looked down with vague surprise to see I was dressed only in my tunic and trousers. It's not that I was planning on going to bed in my full garb, but I had not expected it to be like this – not with these strangers. I saw my cloak lying on a chest in a corner of the room, and my boots on the floor next to it, and I pointedly made my way over to them.

Moving back to sit on my bed, I tugged the boots on and pulled the straps loosely, before hastily strapping the belt low on my narrow hips, my tunic already slightly un-tucked. I knew I looked scruffy, but I could not help it for now – or at least, I could not be bothered to do something about it. I was well aware of how I probably appeared: my unkempt, brunet hair falling over my dark, umber eyes as they stared out from my pale – no doubt, ill-looking face. Well, I thought mildly, making my way to the cabin door, Appearances have never been of high importance to me; I'm not impressing anyone.

And anyway, I was still ill. No one could expect me to look bright and perky when I had been violently sick multiple times – and that was after I had got swept down in the vicious flash floods, catching myself influenza, or pneumonia, or whatever it was.

Now I thought about, my stomach was achingly empty.

I yawned widely, making my jaw crack. My memories of last night were faded and dream-like, and as far as I was concerned, unimportant. Saying that I felt ill back then was just a slight understatement, and I didn't care to ponder on it too much for fear of remembering the agony I was in. Stomach flu, Saturos' words drifted through my head, and I rolled my eyes slightly, making my way to the cabin door, before opening it wide.

The air hit my face like a brick wall. I was forced back by the unexpected impact, and embarrassingly, nearly lost my balance. Grabbing hold of the door and forcing it back, closed, I pressed myself against the back of it until it hit the frame. As quickly as I could, I pushed the massive bolt back across it, and sighed in relief. Turning back into the room, I quickly made my way to my cloak that remained on the chest. Surprised, I found it warm and dry. It must have been a while since I was in that river.

Efficiently, I began to tug it over my lean shoulders and wrap it warmly around my neck.

Suddenly, the same door was forced open, and I leapt back in surprise, turning on it, and half expecting I would have to try and force it closed again. However, I found this time, the wind was not the cause of it. The same girl I remembered from last night, stood in the doorway, the gusts pummelling into her back. She stared at me with a rather astonished expression spread across her face and I frowned, relaxing the tense muscles in my arms and back. "Are you okay?" I asked, not entirely sure what to say seeing as I wasn't entirely sure what had just happened.

She nodded meekly. "Uh huh," she managed, her voice slightly high as she turned to push the door back. "I'm… sorry," she muttered. "I came to see how you were."

"Uh, I'm okay," I answered, feeling unnervingly… nervous. I had hardly cared for her presence last night, but I had to remember I had been ill. In fact, I still was; I merely felt a lot better.

She turned from the door, and waited, as if I were meant to do something. Walking over to her while adjusting the cloak on my shoulders, I came to a stop just before her, and found she was at least a few inches taller than me. I huffed, ever so quietly, and mentally cursed the unknown powers that had to make me so short. But then, both my parents were tall – perhaps all I had to do was wait for that growth spurt to come…

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, bringing me abruptly from my thoughts. I gulped, looking at her.

"Yes, I'm fine. Though," I added with a wry smile. "I am hungry." As if to give evidence to my words right then, my stomach grumbled loudly. I pulled a face, mildly embarrassed. "Huh, that's a coincidence," I mumbled, looking away.

The girl smiled in turn. "You are Felix, aren't you?" she asked, slightly apologetic.

I frowned, wondering why she was questioning it. "Yes," I answered. "I remember you saying last night…"

"Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed, appearing more at ease with herself, and me. "You remember that? You seemed really out of it when you woke up – you were in a really bad state – you look a lot better now, of course."

I tried to think nothing more of it, as I was feeling somewhat confused. "And you are?" I asked, preferring to change the subject away from myself.

"Karst," she answered, her crimson eyes twinkling. Now that I had noticed those glittering orbs, I suddenly saw how they roved up and down, regarding me with a thoughtful awareness. I blinked, abruptly feeling my self-consciousness kicking in. "I'm fourteen," she continued, still eyeing me with a polite curiosity. "How old are you?"

"A year older," my voice came out croaky, feeling the harsh cruelty even further, of having to be looking ever so slightly up to her. I bit my lower lip, again feeling the need to change the subject, in order to save some of my pride. "Umm, where can I get something to eat?" Finally, her eyes snapped back to my own, and I heaved a sigh of relief, the tension in me fading considerably.

"Sorry," she said for the umpteenth time. "There's nothing in here… Follow me." Turning, she pulled open the door, and again we were blasted with the strong sea winds. I shielded my eyes, following her unsteadily. My knees were weak and I wondered how they managed not to buckle. My mind was still working in a fairly sluggish way, making it hard for my thoughts to come to mind, and for my body to react to things around me. Which was why I managed to trip up in the wooden steps that led upwards onto the deck.

Clumsily, I fell forwards and managed to throw my hands out to break my fall, before my nose would have smashed into the hard, oaken step. Groaning, I screwed my eyes shut, feeling my bones ache.

"Oh!" Karst's hand grabbed my lower arm, gently pulling me up. "Are you sure you should be walking around? You're still ill -"

"I'm fine," I cut in, not looking at her. For a reason I could not rightly explain, I felt frustrated and annoyed; perhaps by the fact that it seemed like she was jumping around after me. I know it was thoughtful of her, but she was overdoing it, wasn't she? I wasn't completely useless. "I just – don't have much energy, that's all," I tried to reason.

Karst pierced me with her own bright red gaze. "Of course," she agreed, letting go of my arm. She turned to continue up the steps. "The cold and winds will be stronger up here, so be prepared."

Now I was beginning to think maybe this was a bad idea.

Wobbling and weak, I finally stepped on deck. It was blustery, and the freezing air nipped at my pale skin so it went rosy and pink. My head was lowered as the tumbling winds pummelled into me, and the waves crashed along the sides of the ship as it cut through the currents, so that white foam flew onto the deck. The sky was a blank, depressed grey, going on forever, and the Proxians working about the ship were just as subdued and cold. The crimson of their eyes was the only warmth I felt.

It didn't take me long to understand why I suddenly felt so full of sorrow. Memories of the devastating incident flooded back, the sound of the waves washing over me like the gushing river had. Jenna's screams of my name reverberated in and out of my mind, making me feel slightly nauseous, and my last vision of her falling back as the dock broke away from the banks was clear in my mind, haunting me. I wondered about my parents too, remembering when I had last seen their terrified faces, and I felt very much alone. I didn't know these Proxians, or how they were even relevant to all this. I could only vaguely remember opening my eyes to see Saturos and the other woman, Menardi, looking down at me. They spoke some words, but it didn't mean much to me – I could not stop thinking about my sister, hoping fearfully that she was okay, before my vision was enfolded with darkness.

"Felix?" My head jerked up to see Karst watching me quizzically. "You were off somewhere else just then," she said good-naturedly, and I managed to find her a smile. Apologising, I continued to follow her along the main deck towards the opposite cabins of the large vessel.

"Hey!" I froze, and looked over my shoulder. "What the hell d'you think you are doing!" Saturos uttered, as Karst came to a stop next to me, expectant. Tall, imposing, Saturos gave me a fiery glare so that I instinctively cowered back. He towered over me, a mass of brute power. "Did I say you could come up on deck?" he asked, dangerously quiet. Still, I was able to hear his deep voice between the folds of wind flowing over us.

"Uh…" I mumbled, no words able to come to mind.

"And you're sick, you stupid, idiotic -" I couldn't help thinking he was angry. Saturos let out a noise of frustration. "Get back down in your room before I throw you overboard!" he said, grabbing me by the scruff and pulling me forward. And why did he have a penchant for shoving me around?

"Saturos!" Karst said indignantly. "He's hungry! He hasn't eaten in days!"

"Because every time he eats something it comes back up again," Saturos answered flatly. "What a waste of our supplies!" She immediately countered him with her own glare.

"That's just cruel," she answered, while I watched their little dispute quietly. Saturos still had a hold on me, as if I might run off at any available moment. "But then you are the definition of brutality, aren't you?" Karst continued scornfully. I however, cringed. You didn't have to know Saturos that long, to understand the kind of reaction he would have to words like that.

However, it seemed I was greatly mistaken. In fact, to my surprise (and sudden anxiety), Saturos began to laugh. True, it was cold and mirthless, but a laugh, none the less. "You're just like your sister," he said, breaching my curiosity. Karst had a sister? Well, I suppose it wasn't that amazing, but it was new knowledge to me. "Now get back down where it's warm!" he growled, changing the subject back. "Karst – go with him."

"I was already planning to," she muttered darkly in return. Thankfully, Saturos chose to ignore this. He shoved me forward, back to the stairs, and, I noticed, helped prevent me from losing my balance again when the ship occasionally rocked roughly. "Where is Menardi anyway?" Karst asked, just behind me. "I haven't seen her since early this morning."

"She's up front at the helm," Saturos answered as we made our way down the stairs. "Where I was, until I was rudely interrupted by the sight of you two wandering around on my ship without permission."

"Ooh, getting things on with her, were you?" Karst continued teasingly. Again, Saturos chose to ignore her.

"Right," He finally spoke, as we entered the same cabin I had recently been imprisoned in. He let go of his hold on me, and walked purposefully over to the chest to take out some thick blankets. "We're moving further north every minute, and we'll be going into climates you never dreamed possible," he said, giving me a hard stare.

"If Felix is so ill, why don't you just heal him using psynergy?" Karst asked curiously, standing by the door while exchanging a glance with me. Psynergy? So these people knew about alchemy. Again, it was something else I should have really known, but I had my excuses. I had lived my entire life so far in the reclusive village of Vale; I was hardly taught anything about the outside world. To be honest, I could hardly even use Psynergy myself – it was something that had always been left to the village elders, something that you only learnt if you wanted to.

"Because Karst," Saturos started. "Felix here has to learn to either heal himself using psynergy, or strengthen his body without the help of alchemical powers. See?" Before Karst could answer that, Saturos turned onto me. I gulped. "You're looking better anyway," he said edgily. "Which is good, not the least surprising that you improved this quickly – considering you are a bit of a runt."

"Saturos!"

All three of us turned, surprised, to see Menardi – the woman who had saved me alongside Saturos – storming into the room. She stormed right up to the tall, bemused Proxian, and clapped him round the head. "You have got absolutely no idea, have you?" she growled, her hands on her hips.

"About what?" Saturos asked, now highly disgruntled. "And who exactly is at the helm?"

"Oh I've got that under control," she answered. "We'll be reaching Prox by the time night falls." She was busy while she talked, moving around the now, slightly crowded room. I was content to hang back and observe all three of them – these, strange looking northerners. It was my way of getting to know people. Suddenly, Menardi moved over to me. "Look at you," she said. "You're all skin and bone – and you're so pale, even for people like you. Has Saturos got you something to eat yet?"

"He -" I began.

"- No, I haven't," Saturos interrupted. "And I gave a clear explanation of why."

Menardi gazed at him with the most unimpressed, flat look I had ever seen. "Why do I feel no surprise at all?" she asked rhetorically. Then, her eyes turned back to me, and they were filled with something between sympathy and scorn. She came over to me, and immediately reached up to touch my forehead. Of course, this exercise was all getting pretty tiring by now. Did I really appear that weak? I felt ok – I must have looked it. "Well, you're not too hot, and your skin isn't clammy," Menardi was saying.

"I'm fine," I said clearly. "Really."

Menardi raised her eyebrows. "Well," she said slowly. "If you say so. But," she added. "You're staying in here until we reach Prox."

I pulled a face. "Why?" I asked.

Saturos immediately growled, "Don't ask questions, boy. You're still sick, whatever you feel, and you're probably pretty weak as well. Regain your energy, and make yourself get better."

So it was going back to playing the part of prisoner then. "Fine," I found myself saying rather edgily. "It's not like I can do anything about it."

"Too right you can't," Saturos snarled. "You're with us now, so things our done our way."

It was no use. I could retaliate seeing as my own thoughts on the matter were clear. Coming with these Proxians wasn't a choice for me, and I had no idea of how to return to my homeland anyway – I had no idea where I was going, apart from its name: Prox. However, the more I thought about it, I did owe my life to Saturos and Menardi. After all, they had saved my life…

With a sour expression I flumped down on the bed, and slouched.

"Right, I'll take that as your submission to defeat then," Saturos said, as though he enjoyed taunting me. He turned to Karst. "Go and get something to eat," he told her. There was a pause, before I heard her retreating up the stairs and Saturos continued. "If we're to get to Prox promptly, I suggest we return to the helm. I doubt any one of the so-called-sailors upon this ship would be able to handle swabbing the deck let alone steering." Suddenly he frowned. "Hey… where did Menardi go?"

"I'm half-way up the stairs and waiting for you to finish your incessant talking of nothing particularly important," came a mocking voice from the open door. "Now for goodness' sake, hurry up so we can get home quicker!"

Home; It was their home, but it was not mine. The closer we were to Prox, the further away I was taken from the one place I had ever known, without even being certain of whether my family were alive or not.

Saturos was busy grumbling about something as he walked out of the room without a glance back. I was left, alone, in the darkness.

But I was not alone for ever. Before long, I heard the soft footsteps of Karst as she came back, and out of the corner of my eye I saw her enter with food, gently shutting the door behind her. "The winds are dying down," she remarked, walking over to me.

I said nothing. There remained, only silence.

Karst huffed lightly, placing the food on the bed next to me. "Get that look off your face," she said, vaguely annoyed. "It doesn't suit you." Her tone surprised me – it was one I wouldn't have expected from her… but then, I had not known her long. "Look," she continued, as I gazed up at her. "I've brought you something to eat, and I'm sure we're all going to be having something much more decent when we arrive at Prox. I'm starving for a good meal, unlike the crap they keep on ships."

I stared down at the food beside me.

"It's the best I could find in the stores," Karst explained, sitting down heavily next to me, and reaching over my lap to pick up an apple. "We got these things from where you live," she said, taking a bite into its green-brown skin. "They're not that bad, really."

"Right," I agreed, taking one of the hard fruits for myself. "And thanks for the food." Karst smiled through her mouthful, and I found the corners of my own mouth turn up slightly in response. As an afterthought, I added, "And by the way, the thing you're eating is called an apple."

Karst grinned and snatched up a dry, crumbling loaf. "And this bread here, is all to myself," she said.


The lonely ship sailed through the calm, freezing waters. Its prow cut through the waves, and broke obstructive floats of ice into wayward pieces with its strong, enforced prow. I would never see what the world looked like outside the cabin I was kept in, not until we reached our destination. Perhaps we were sailing past mighty glaciers, like great rocks of glass, or past snow-swept lands, barren and endless. Perhaps maybe, there was something out there that could not even come to my imagination, because I simply did not understand it; something magnificent, and wonderful, and overflowing with the essence of this pure white, muffled land.

"Felix?" I started, and looked up from my thoughts. It was Karst. "As you know, I've been up with my sister -"

"Menardi's your sister?" I cut in, surprised. Karst merely raised an arching eyebrow.

"Yes, Menardi is my sister," she stated in a flat tone. "As I was saying; I've been up on deck, and we'll be arriving at Prox any minute now. So, you might want to get all the belongings you have together."

At this I laughed mirthlessly. "So it won't take long then. All the belongings I have are right here, on me," I said, indicating to myself. I know I was behaving a little coldly, but I could only put it down to my anxiousness. It wasn't even clear to me yet, why these people had taken me with them. One thing was for sure though – I wouldn't be seeing my home for a long time.

Another thing getting ever clearer to me, was that all the while the cabin door was wide open, I was getting colder and colder. In fact, I was downright freezing. Shivering, I got to my feet. "Can I go on deck yet?" I asked her, my curiosity taking over. Karst gave me an unsure look.

"I should go and ask first…" she said slowly, glancing back at the door as if someone might be listening. "But, I suppose it's okay. We are just about in the docks."

"Well let's go then," I answered quickly, moving over to the open door. This small room was slowly, but surely destroying my sanity. Its close, dark wooden walls pressed in, and its one small, grimy window hardly allowed in any light. And being kept in there with no freedom was hardly a good thing.

For what must have been the third time (I don't remember the first, as I was probably unconscious), I was on the deck of this once magnificent, proud ship. My eyes weren't drawn to the vessel we stood upon though, but what lay ahead – wide docks. They were cut into the land, to give some shelter, and before them stone jetties stuck out into the unsettled waters. Above us, the sails had been rigged, and we gently floated forward, slowing all the time. Shouts echoed all around us, and someone was throwing ropes ashore, up near the front and sides of the ship. I noticed a few Proxians ashore, hooking and tying the vessel onto the docks, reeling them in with great, axle-wheels, which I had never seen before in my life. I was amazed at their efficiency.

My teeth chattering, I glanced at Karst and found she looked slightly bored. She noticed me watching her. "It's going take at least an hour to actually reach the village," she stated, disgruntled. "And it will be even longer if the weather starts to play up."

"Oh," I answered, not sure what to say. "I see."

Soon all thoughts were destroyed in my mind. The cold was slowly eating me away – it was hard to merely reach up and pull the cloak tighter around my neck. I teased it out of its folds and pulled it up, over my nose and mouth, desperate for the warmth. My eyes were half closed, so I stared out, half-blinded, through my short bangs of hair. I didn't even notice we had already docked, and my mind didn't seem to tick to the fact that Proxians were getting off the ship.

The blustery winds sawed into my skin, and I could only protect myself with the clothes I was wearing and my arms wrapped about myself. I felt my mind begin to close – I wanted to crawl into a corner of the ship and curl into a feral position. No, I'd rather go back down into the cabin… anywhere where I was warm, where I was safe.

I wanted to go home.

"Felix." A firm, unwanted hand pressed down on my shoulder from behind, so that my knees nearly buckled. The same hand quickly grabbed me under my arm, as if they knew I was close to collapsing. "We're getting of the ship now, to travel to your new home." Saturos' voice broke over me, making my head pound horribly. "There is something you are going to see now, okay?" I didn't understand what he meant, but I couldn't get words to form – my jaw was shivering, out of control. Slowly, he led me down the planks, onto the large docks. I had no idea where Karst had gone.

Suddenly there was a new voice just to my left. Half-dazed, I could hardly work out Menardi's words, but I found I didn't care anyway. "Why are we doing this now?" I thought she was saying. "We planned for them to meet in Prox, not here…"

"If this boy doesn't get some morale before we leave for the village, there's a chance he may not make it," Saturos answered distantly. "Now where are they?"

Menardi answered, her voice muffled, so I could not hear her words. I felt my head falling forward – I was so tired…

Saturos abruptly shoved me forward, and I managed to take a couple of steps. "Look," he said, pushing me again.

I didn't at first, I couldn't. I wanted to ask why I had to look, what I was looking for, but I didn't have enough energy. I opened my eyes slightly, looking out through a lined vision, but all I saw was the white snow before my feet. Then, through my disorientation, I heard my name being spoken, distantly, far away, a brief echo floating over me.

It got louder. It was desperate, full of emotion. It confused me.

Suddenly Saturos let go of me, and I found myself falling forwards, towards the soft, frozen ground.

I never reached it.

Arms grabbed me, and I felt faintly surprised. Hands held my face, lifting my chin so my nearly obscured vision was forced upwards. Where I met soft, mahogany-brown eyes. And skin like my own. It was my mother, and her warm eyes were overflowing. Why was she crying? I tried to ask, but couldn't, my mouth opening and closing wordlessly. Then, my eyes drifted over her shoulder, and there, like I knew he would be, was my father.

I realised my arms were slowly trailing around my mother's form as she embraced me back. She pulled me close, and my fingers curled tight onto her thick clothing.

And for the briefest moment, I wondered if, just maybe, Jenna was here as well.


Please Review! ... ...