Well, I seem to be on a roll lately on updating this story.

So here is the next part here. I'm hoping to get past this part of the plot soon. As usual, thanks to all readers and reviewers.

Notes: An athame is a knife that witches use while they cast spells or make herbal remedies. All ingredients that are listed are used while making potions. I have looked this up or seen these ingredients used.

Replies to the following commentors:

AxisLyonheart516: I'm trying; I'm trying to finish the story! laughs I am certainly glad you think I am holding true to the characters. That part is very hard for a writer to do for fanfiction. I'm mostly an orginal novel writer. However, I think my many years in Lufia fanfiction have also helped me with retaining the characters' personalities. Thank you also for your help in AIM the other night.

As for you commenting on Aguro and Jerin, the next part will have Aguro being solo with two new characters. It's not all about the redhead. ;p

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Part IV

How to Relieve Pain and Sorrow

The three had finally made it inside Majainae's house after having to pull Jerin into the doorway and hearing her scared whining. Of course, as always, she felt better after she got into the house, but held onto Aguro's arm as she walked in slowly.

Majainae was smirking as she watched the half-elf's reaction and slowly proceeded to a table with tools she worked with. Her eyes lay upon a white handled athame and a bowl where a few leaves of sage were and she moved toward them. "It's alright. Just take a seat somewhere, if you can find room," she told the three.

"Well, where are we supposed to find room?" Jerin asked as she saw the black cowebbed couch. "The couch full of cowebs? That's kind of—"

Majainae looked rather upset about that, her green eyes teary. "I did that myself with paint, thank you. Don't insult my couch."

And boy, she has some weird taste, Devur thought as he glanced around the rest of the house. I didn't know witches had so many tools. His eyes saw a cauldron hanging by a hook near a bookshelf, which was against the wall where she was standing. The windows were undraped and one was open just a crack, so fresh air would come though and circulate the room. Where Majainae was standing, her table was full of other tools he did not know the names of, or what they did. But she stood there as she unfastened her cloak, hanging it over a chair.

"Well? Do you want to sit, or not?" she asked again, taking off her soft leather boots as well.

Aguro took a seat on the couch and found it comfortable, so he stayed there. Jerin tentatively looked around and finally moved to where Aguro was, sitting on his lap. Devur smirked as he saw her relax and opted to take a seat next to Aguro, glancing toward Majainae. "So, why do you need us here, exactly? Can't you tell the future or something?"

Majainae scowled. "There are many things that a witch is limited to doing. I hate when people think I can tell them everything." Then, glancing at her ingredients, she sighed. "I'm generally concerned for Lufia's well-being. She doesn't seem happy lately. Or herself, for that matter."

"That's pretty bad, if the neighbors notice," Aguro muttered.

"Anyone could notice," Majainae replied. "She's always daydreaming."

Well, that was her all the time, but . . . it's more recent that it's noticeable. Devur sighed as he fidgeted in his seat. "Well, it's not just that, is it?"

"Well, no. I kind of want her to be happy. And you're not happy either, if you know what I mean." She winked at the last remark. Devur blushed and pounded his fist into the couch. "Anyway, I was going to give you a potion that would ease her tension and allow you to hear her story."

"Isn't that drugging her?" Jerin pointed out, getting up from her husband's lap. "That would be wrong to do."

Majainae lifted her head, curly hair around her face. "No . . . it's not drugging her, dearie. Drugging is such a nasty word. I perfer the term . . . relaxant." She reached behind her to grab some bay leaves in a jar and opening it as she moved to the cauldron. "Drugging is doing something for ill intentions."

"So what is it you're doing, exactly?" Jerin countered. "It's not as if she'll tell willingly, witch."

"No," Majainae agreed, grabbing a big stirring utensil and stirring the water and the bay leaves together. "She won't. Too much hurts her. But, if you relax her a bit, I'm sure she'll tell you rather then hold all her past inside. The girl must be hundreds of years old."

Actually, more then hundreds, Devur thought.

"Well, she seems to choke up when we try—" Aguro told her, but was cut off by the witch again.

"Understandable, knight. If you ask, she will. I wouldn't tell you. You don't seem the type that would listen." Aguro growled as she moved slowly to get a dragon vial with dragons' blood in it. "But if she told . . . say . . . Sir Devur, there, perhaps that would guarantee more results."

Jerin held his arm as he muttered, "Well, we're all her friends, lady."

"I get what she means, Ag," Devur spoke, looking at the other two. "You heard her voice, back at the inn. How shocked she was when you said you trusted her. You never did, after you learned who she was for quite a while." A deep breath before he tried to fix his unruly hair again. "She wants to make sure we won't tell anyone before hand."

Jerin stood up, stretching her lithe form. "But Devur, she's known you as long as she can remember. Why would she not tell you?" Her golden eyes glanced at him, confusion on her face. "Unless something happened in the past that would make her—"

Majainae took this time to add some more ingredients to her witchy brew while they talked. She mixed some mustard seed into it as well as some more water and stirred.

"Perhaps that would be the case," Devur muttered. "She does look rather sad, when she starts to tell me and then glances at me. The tears start then. But I know it would relieve her if she just told me." His fingers played with his armor as he thought of what to do.

"Well, how much of her memory has she regained, Sir Devur?"

His thoughts once again were interrupted by the witch. I'm starting to hate that. There should be a warning before someone speaks while I'm thinking. "Well, she has regained a lot of her memory back. But there are some parts she will not tell us."

"I thought as much," she replied, getting a small vial from the shelf. "That means that making this was good, after all." Getting a small ladle to put the stuff in, she sighed again. "Well, you just need to slip this into a drink and let her drink it. It's odorless and tasteless."

"I feel uncomfortable doing this," Jerin murmured to Aguro.

Majainae looked to Jerin and smirked. "I wasn't going to ask you. I was going to ask the green guy to." She walked over to him and handed him the small vial that seemed to envelop in his big hand. "Take this and get her back here will you?"

Aguro's green eyes were skeptical as he asked, "You're sure this will work?"

"Of course!" she huffed. "I am good with my potions, after all." Insulted that he would say such a thing, she went over to her seat by her altar and sat. "Though I am wondering what the effects of her telling that story would be."

"What do you mean?" That last part worried Devur. "What effects will it have?"

Aguro stood up now, hearing his knees pop as he stretched. "Personally, I think she'll become unglued, telling all those memories. And why should I have to do this? Why can't Jerin? She's good at all that girl stuff."

"Aguro, it'd be a way for you and her to establish some trust!" Jerin bonked him in the head with her hand.

"And you think the entire time we were travelling wasn't, Jerin?" His voice had rose a bit as he stood in front of his wife. "I would think so, since I was with them before we saved you from being eaten!"

Jerin growled a moment before glancing to Devur. "Dev—"

"I'm not getting in it," he told them, holding out his hands. "You can fight all you want, later. Just deliever that to her, Aguro. Please?" When he saw that they were bickering anyway, he gave up and glanced to Majainae. "Maybe you should make a potion on them not bickering."

Majainae laughed softly. "Couples do that, you know. Don't you like to kiss and make up?"

"In the privacy of my own home, Majainae. Not when I'm in someone else's home," he hissed at his friends, indicating that they should stop fighting.

Both of them just looked at him, as if it was the first time he mentioned for them to stop fighting.

Just as well. It was like that in the old days too. Devur put a hand on his face and sighed. "Look, Ag. Go give her the stuff. Actually, have Roman make some tea, slip it in, and then give it to her."

"How am I supposed—"

Jerin hit his shoulder lightly. "There's the bathroom for a reason, dummy. Just don't let her see you with the cup of tea, that's all. Although, that is kind of a funny thing to imagine," she giggled. "Aguro in the bathroom, sipping tea, like some nobleman."

"Actually, I could see that," Majainae laughed as well.

The Lorbenian commander shrugged. "Well, I guess since we've decided that I'm going to go get her, that I should." He kissed his wife before looking toward Devur and Majainae. "We are going to record her story, right?"

"Record? Whatever for?" Majainae smiled. "For history's sake?"

"I don't think that would be wise," Jerin told him. "It's between friends, not for the world to know. Besides, Lufia would be mortified if the world knew she was . . . well." She cleared her throat at that. "So it's best if we keep it to ourselves."

Aguro glanced to Majainae as he walked to the door. "The witch shouldn't be here, you know."

Devur shrugged. "Lufia knows her and it's her place. Now hurry up and get her." He decided to lie down on the couch, deciding that it would be a good time to get some sleep before this heavy ordeal took place.

"Yeah, Ag," Jerin spoke up, agreeing with Devur. "Please go get her. And don't do anything stupid."

"I won't," he answered before opening the door. His hands put his hood over his head as he was met with the chilly air of Christmas, the falling of snow heavier now as he walked out into the night.