And now, in an incredible, anti-climatic response to the last chapter, I give you-!

…The side story! –Insert vicious hisses here-

-.- No, I'm not trying to make you suffer. No, this was not just my cheap-assed way of getting something posted sooner. This is a part of the original game plan.

…Besides, it gives me a chance to play around with one of my favorite, less-touched-on characters. I love Shane. He be huggable. Anyway...

Magical Mage: Borrow the quote? Sure. I sort of pulled it from a similar-type quote to begin with, just 'cause it suited Ark so well. :P

EternityWaits:Will there ever be a"Arky going crazy and changin into the Divine dragoon in front of the party thing?" Maybe. Sort of.Not saying nuttin'!runs off into the woods to resist saying too much

Silver Kitsune: I imagine he'll get around to it eventually. :P

Gundam WingFanatic90: How long were Dart and Shana married? o.o gah, the memory straining. Only a few years, I think. I'm tempted to say eight, but I honestly can't remember. I'll look into that later.

Shadow Rave: Ressurection of Rose? Hate to say it, but I've always had a thing against resurrecting characters that have had a definate death in the original plot (Arkie doesn't really count becuase, well, technically he's still dead).What's been done to them is done, and I prefer to leave it that way. Saves me coming up with all these complicated reasons as to how exactly they were brought back, and why. I'm just not good at that sort of thing. To people who can actually manage that feat: I am in awe of your skills. o.o;

darkdragon24: The truth of the matter is, Ayrel doesn't really understand exactly what being the Moon Child involves, mainly because, up until now, nothing has really been required of her in that respect. That's the main reason why she views herself as being in the right and Dart as being in the wrong- she doesn't understand the entire reason he's doing things. She doesn't know she's destened to destroy the world, and to hell if Mommy's going to tell her. :P Now how's she going to get worked around to the point that she actually would? You'll just have to wait and see.

Side Story 6

It was a clear night tonight, and chill, touched with the first winds of true winter, though the season wasn't due for several weeks yet. Shane shuffled his feet against the smooth timbers of the deck, pulling his thick cloak closer around him. Winter might not be due for some time yet on the mainland, but over the ocean, it seemed, the waves had lost the calendar. It had snowed earlier that night, large flakes that had drifted out of the sky to settle on the deck and rigging or melt in the surging waves. Then the cloud had moved on, driven southeast toward Serdio where the snow would probably turn to rain before it made landfall.

In his hood Oleo stretched and yawned, the pleasant rumble of her purr loud against his ear. Shane reached back over his shoulder and scratched the tabby's ears, smiling when the little cat licked his fingers. Shane had a thing for cats; unlike most other ships, his vessel, The Blue Wind, was filled with the animals. That caused some problems with the sailors, sometimes, but the luxury of waking up and knowing that there wasn't a rat aboard the ship usually outweighed the inconvenience of discovering some feline had pissed on their shoe.

'Besides,' Shane thought to himself as Oleo settled down again, still purring contentedly, 'They make good companions on nights like these.'

Night watch was never an enjoyable task aboard the Blue Wind. Though the cargo-laden deck made it easy to get out of the biting wind, it was by no means a small vessel, and out of necessity the watchmen had to work something of a patrol. Between checking the cargo and watching the black, hopefully featureless ocean, the task soon became monotonous and deadly boring. And though Shane could just as easily have pressed the task onto the lesser crewmen like most other captains did, he usually took the night watch along with the rest. He had never felt entirely comfortable ordering others around, even the maids in his father's household, and at least sharing some of the normal chore load made him feel more at ease.

Leaning against the rail, Shane watched the moon's reflection dancing on the crests of the night-dark waves. They had sailed out of Fueno just over a day ago, their destination logged into the ship's books as being the port of Furni on the southern coast of Mille Seseau. They were expected, but…Shane glanced up at the stars, checking their relative position. Southeast, not northwest. A look at the books might show a leisurely voyage back home, but in reality the ship was all but flying south, the masts bearing as many sails as could be considered safe. Even now, with most of the smaller sails furled for the night, the heavy ship kept up a fair clip, the stout bow plowing though waves rather than riding up and over them.

Shane winced. The Blue Wind was carrying a full load of cargo, and traveling at such a speed did pose some risk, but this wouldn't be the first time that he had placed personal matters above business. And while the sailors might mutter about the extended voyage, none of them would let slip a word concerning this little side trip. Not as long, at least, as Shane continued to pay them. And besides, he had his reasons.

The room was colorful, but unusually the choice of décor showed some reservation and taste. Deep yellow paint coated the walls, accented by a carved wooden frieze that marched around the baseboard. The floors were ash wood, hard and polished from years of wear. Here and there rugs and mats had been strewn, ranging in color from deep crimson to pale blue. Small paintings and inks of animals and houses hung in their frames off of the walls, and the room's single window, partially open and surrounded by these small pieces of art, was covered by a gauzy white curtain that seemed to breathe in and out with the air flowing through. Next to the window was a plain bed, though the blankets covering it were paneled in blue satin. It was on this bed that Lyke sat, bundled in his flowing robes. He was paler than Shane remembered, and though that self-assured smile still remained, it had changed somewhat. The slightest of flaws in the mask; a hairline crack that had been hastily plastered and repaired. So slight was the change that had not Shane long since learned to read past his brother's veiled expressions, he would have likely never noticed the difference.

"So how long do the doctors give it?" Shane had seated himself at the end of the bed, well clear of his brother's injured leg, which was bound in a cocoon of splints, bandages, and plaster.

Lyke's smile faded somewhat. "A month, maybe two. It was a messy break, so it's causing all sorts of complications."

"Ah." Shane tilted his head slightly. "How did you break it anyway? I don't think you got that from just falling down the stairs.

Lyke snorted and looked away. Shane sat patiently, waiting. Lyke always made a show of not wanting to share information, but sooner or later, if you waited long enough, he'd spill the beans.

At length Lyke sighed. "It was Kaelin's fault."

"Kaelin?" Shane sat up straighter. "I haven't seen her in a while. What was she doing in Bale?"

"Hiding out from a merchant, apparently." Lyke shook his head. "Somehow I doubt that, but I agreed to help her out a bit."

"That was unusually good of you, but I still don't see why you're blaming that leg on her."

Lyke waved a hand irritably. "If you'd let me finish, I could tell you. She didn't come alone, you see. There were two men with her." He paused a moment, reaching for a glass of water sitting on the windowsill. "As it turns out, both of them were wanted by the temples on various charges, so I went behind her back and made a deal with one of the priests. I'd deliver him the two men, in exchange for preferred trading status with the Serdian Temples."

In spite of himself, Shane gave a low whistle. "Which would have given you enough money to buy your way out of Father's business. He knows what you're about, by the way."

"Really?" Lyke yawned. "That doesn't really surprise me. I've been trying to start over on my own for almost ten years now." He looked at the room around him, his face a mask behind that small smile. "I hate being dependent. Where was I?"

"You were going to give the Temples the men." Shane never batted an eyelid. Lyke was doing this on purpose, he knew. He was hoping that his brother would become sidetracked by small talk and forget about the matter at hand. Business dealings were so ingrained into Lyke that even in casual conversation he would try to play with the other person.

"Ah, yes. You see I planned on putting all three of them to sleep at breakfast one morning, and delivering the two men immediately. Unfortunately, one of them chose that morning to look around the city. I sent one of my men out after him, but no luck."

"So what did you do?"

"What could I do?" Lyke shrugged. "The priest was expecting two prisoners. I had the other man, and I had Kaelin."

"Your own sister?" Disgusted, Shane jumped up off the bed. "No wonder she busted up your shin."

"Kaelin? Oh no. That other man came back later on that day, after I had delivered Kaelin and her friend. You see, the temples argued that since I had promised them two men, but delivered only a man and a woman, the deal was void. Yet they wouldn't let Kaelin go, either. So when the other man came back to the house, I saw my chance to keep the rest of the deal."

"So he broke your shin, then. Good for him." Shane turned to go.

"No!" Lyke barked, and grabbed his wrist. "You don't understand. That man…" He shuddered, and suddenly the mask broke. "…I sent three of my best men in there to subdue him. Shane, he had one arm bound up in a sling and he still took down all three of them! One handed! It was like..."Lyke shook his head and looked up at his brother, trying to make him understand. "I've dealt with killers before, but I've never seen anyone with eyes like he had."

Carefully, Shane peeled his brother's slim fingers off of his wrist. "What did he do then?"

"Came after me. Forced me into my room and blocked the door. And then he told me in no uncertain terms exactly what he'd do to me if he ever caught me dealing with the temples or nosing into Kaelin's life again." He winced. "I'll admit that I made a bid at escape at about that moment. Temple dealings are very profitable."

"So he broke your shin." Shane surmised, and Lyke nodded.

"When he'd made sure I wasn't able to try that again, he told me that he was leaving. He then told me that if I so much as tried to follow, or sent someone after him, or even tried to find any of them again, he'd make a special return trip for the express purpose of wringing my neck slowly with both hands." Lyke finished, and lay back on his bed.

"What happened then?"

"A few hours later there was an escape from the temple." He shrugged. "Some things were taken from the room of the High Priest, so I can only assume that that was Kaelin. After that, who knows? That man sounded very serious with his threats, and I wasn't about to try and test his word. They haven't been back to Bale since, that I do know."

Shane looked away. So the men were more than just temporary associates of Kaelin's , it seemed. Otherwise, that man wouldn't have gone through all of that trouble to find out what happened to her. But why were the temples so interested in them?

"Shane?"

Shane glanced back at his brother. "Sorry. You said you had some cargo that you needed shipped?"

Lyke leaned back onto his elbows. "Talk to Kef. There's a load of food and spices that I need transferred from Doneau to Fueno. Put Lence in charge of the distribution. He'll know what to do with them."

"Is that all? I'm heading back to Furni after this, so if you need anything taken to the home offices, I may as well take it back with me."

"I suppose." Lyke thought about it for a moment. "How is the market for heavy cloth in Mille Seseau at the moment?"

Shane shrugged. "I couldn't tell you, but seeing as winter's coming on, I think it would be a safe bet that it's pretty good."

"Most likely. I have a load of thick velvets and wool that have been sitting idle for a while. You could take those back with you, if you would."

"Is that all?"

"Well, there is the small matter of…"

Shane winced at the memory. He had ended up taking on much more than just a few bales of cloth, but with Lyke, that was only to be expected. When you dealt with that man, you often found yourself taking on much more than you had anticipated.

What had bothered him about this exchange, though, was the news concerning Kaelin. More often than not the girl managed to find some way to get herself into trouble, but if the temples had kept her imprisoned even after discovering the mistake, there had to be something more to it. And if Kaelin had managed to find some way to get herself in a bind with the temples… Shane reached back over his shoulder to scratch Oleo's head. Even if she had managed to escape their dungeons, the temples didn't just forget the offence. They would follow, as best they could.

And then had been the matter of the objects missing from the room of the High Priest. Undoubtedly Kaelin had been involved somehow, but what could have been so important that she would have risked a trip through the temple in order to find it? It hadn't been a random coincidence, of that much Shane was sure. He knew his sister too well. So then what was it? That question had plagued him for some time, he had to admit.

Walking across the deck to the opposite side of the bow to continue his watch, Shane squinted across the dark waves. Nothing. Satisfied, he returned to his musings.

It wasn't until he had arrived in Fueno that he had finally seen the whole picture. There had been other hints, scraps of news that had been heard only in passing, but at the time had meant little to him. And then he had arrived in Fueno, loaded down with Lyke's cargo, only to be besieged with tales of dragoons and a virage; a battle straight out of legend taking place in that very harbor but one day past. At first it had been difficult to believe, but when a fishing boat had dragged a piece of the beast from the harbor shortly after his arrival, he found himself forced to believe his eyes. In truth, the existence of dragoons hadn't much fazed him; news of the legendary warriors had been flowing like water out of Tiberoa for quite some time now. But a virage… that was worrying.

And then there had been the incident at the tavern. It hadn't been difficult to get a basic description of Kaelin's associates out of Lyke, and Shane had carefully filed them away in his memory for reference. He hadn't really expected to find the man who had assaulted Lyke in Fueno, let alone sitting at the table next to himself and his friends, but fate had a way of twisting itself around, sometimes.

The man was leaning out of the chair, looking intently at Romo. Long, sandy hair fell over a twisted bandanna to hang around his eyes. His face had the grey, slightly haggard look of a man who hadn't slept well in nights, and dark shadows had settled below his eyelids. It was his eyes, however, that caught Shane's attention. As weary as he appeared, they were clear and alert; a piercing, glacial blue as he stared at the other man. Uncomfortable, Shane forced himself to try to look away.

It was the sword that grabbed his attention. People didn't usually carry steel into the city, but a sword hung from his belt, the long hilt bound in wire and topped with a polished lump of blue crystal. Shane did a double take, and slowly took in what he saw. He wasn't an especially large man, and much of his body was hidden beneath a battered and faded oilskin coat. But there was something about the way he held himself, even tired as he must have been, that reminded Shane of a coiled spring. Not out of nervousness, or any visible anxiety, but rather out of a sort of ingrained anticipation born of long years in tight situations. This man was a fighter, and no average one at that.

Gradually, the description Lyke had given him back into Kazas slipped back into his mind, and Shane had to force him self to look at the ceiling to stop himself from staring. It was him. He matched the description perfectly, right down to the narrow scar high on his left cheekbone. The sling had disappeared, but that did little to alter the image. It was him. The man that had broken Lyke's leg.

The wind was picking up again. In his hood, Oleo yowled and climbed onto Shane's shoulders, stretching his legs in front of him one by one before jumping down onto the deck to waltz away. Shane watched the cat disappear through a hatch into the warmth of the hold, then turned back to the ocean. After Romo had left with the man, it hadn't taken him very long to piece the rest together. Seeing connections was something of a gift of his, though admittably his talents paled against those of his sister. If that man had been in Fueno, then he would have been willing to bet that Kaelin, and most likely the other man, were there too.

He leaned over, resting his elbows on the rail. The temples claimed that the dragoons were appearing in their service, but now Shane was starting to have his doubts. There had been rumors that the Tiberoian dragoon was not in fact as loyal as he appeared, and that the only reason he remained in service to the Queen and Child was because his own family was held hostage by the temple's dread knights.

The temples hadn't let Kaelin go, even when they discovered that she wasn't the one that they had wanted. And then there had been the items taken from the High Priests rooms during the escape. Kaelin wouldn't have taken something without reason; at least, not under those circumstances, he was sure. And if they had been in Fueno as he suspected, their stay would have had to have coincided with the appearance of the dragoons…

Shane shook his head, trying to clear his mind. If he were to have had to tell it to someone else, he knew, it would sound far-fetched and probably fairly stupid, but at the same time he just had this…feeling. It all connected; he could feel it as surely as he could feel the deck rocking beneath his feet. How exactly, he could only speculate, but still… he smiled. The man had wanted passage for himself and his friends to Doneau, and so Romo had taken them. He had seemed most eager- but only after Shane had mentioned the rumor of the temple's second dragoon.

Romo would take them to Doneau. From there, Shane was sure that they would go to Fletz. And from Fletz they would probably return to Doneau, eager to leave in a hurry, if half of what he expected was true. And they would need a ship- any ship, so long as it was immediately available. And if there was only one ship to be had, well, then Kaelin's prejudices wouldn't be allowed to get in the way.

He smiled to himself. 'Listen to me', he thought ruefully, I'm starting to sound like…well, like Lyke. Then he sobered again. If his suspicions proved groundless, of course, this would all be nothing but a waste of time. And yet, at the same time, it was worth the risk. Whether she was aware of it or not, he'd spent most of his life trying to help her along, though if she did, all she would have seen was him trying to bind her even tighter to the family through dept to him. She was like that, sometimes.

'Blood ties.' The one thing she hated more than anything else, but in this case it was a part of what drove him to come to her aid. Even if it turned out to be nothing.

Overhead, a wisp of cloud drifted across the pitted surface of the moon, driven by the same wind that filled the Blue Wind's sails. Waves capped with white ran with the motion of the ship, breaking on her hull and racing before her. In the distance Tiberoa was a black smudge on the horizon, hardly distinguishable between the black of the ocean and the deeper black velvet of the distant skyline, crouched like a slumbering beast awaiting the first touch of dawn.

Merry Christmas, one and all! Back into the mainstream plot next chapter, I promise!