Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun or any of its components, Camelot does. The only thing that I'll own is this story itself.

Author's Note: As I've mentioned in my profile, this will be the first fanfic I've written. This is an AU story and pairings are located in my profile. Beware; I'll be changing clothing descriptions and possibly adding some OC's. Other than these things, I've nothing else to say, so onto the fanfic.

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Chapter 1 – Life in the forest

A crisp wind blew through the forest surrounding the small Kingdom of Vale. The forest was a natural boundary against any attempts at invasion. The forest itself was a peaceful have for both animals and people alike.

In the depths of the forest, clearings, streams, and all sorts of natural wonders were abundant. In a clearing near the base of Mt. Aleph, all was rather quiet. This clearing was not visible to the naked eye; only those who resided in Vale knew its location. This flat field of grass was quite large, sporting a babbling brook running into a small pool of water and sever large rock formations within it.

Crack! This sound echoed thorough out the clearing and into the forest. Two wooden swords were the cause of the sound. The force of the swords originated from two men, who were relentlessly striking at each other. Movement and motions were a blur and very difficult to track, let alone see. Finally after a few moments of pounding, the older man struck the other in the chest, sending him falling.

"Heh! That was much better, Isaac," stated the older man, "however, your guarding still needs work!"

Isaac stood up and brushed off some dirt. He then glared at the older man who had sent him tumbling.

"I'd say that you were holding back at that strike. If I didn't know better, I'd say you're not giving your all."

Kyle chuckled, eyes dancing with glee.

"If you could tell that, then I'd say that you're ready for real battles from now. Besides, you're going to take over this company sooner or later."

Kyle Sol, the commander of the Sol Company, was a kind hearted man who preferred a peaceful life over his warrior status. The Sol Company was a group of soldiers, or rather mercenaries that traveled throughout Angara helping those in need. Their fort was situated just at the edge of Vale in the forest, where they took on jobs of ridding bandits and trouble makers.

His son, Isaac, would be in charge of the company should anything happen to him. Ever since he Isaac was young, Kyle had rigorously trained him into an outstanding swordsman. Isaac, like his father, preferred a peaceful life; but enjoyed swordsmanship nonetheless. He took pride in his skills and was often given easier jobs from employers to increase his skills and experience.

"Alright, let's call it a day," said Kyle as he hefted the wooden sword over his shoulder, "you're free until tomorrow so see you back at camp." With that said Kyle turned around and heading back towards Vale, muttering about other things he had to do.

Isaac sighed with relief that training was over and headed towards the pool of water. He dipped his hands in the water and washed his face, then proceeded to stare at himself in the water; reminiscing about his life and how it came to be.

His mother had died when he was young, and his father had raised him since then. Now he was 17 years of age and a young man now. He was rather tall, being about 5 feet 10 inches. His hair was a golden, brown color that sat wildly on his head. His eyes were a deep blue color that held compassion and understanding, yet retained the feral look of a seasoned warrior. He was dressed in a dark blue, sleeveless tunic, black pants, and brown boots that reached to the bottom of his knees. Aside from his attire was a yellow cape-like scarf that he wore almost the entire time. His father had given it to him when he was younger, saying that it was a gift that his mother had made for him before she passed away.

Laughter shook him from his thoughts as he looked around. Approaching him were his two closest friends Garet and Ivan. Garet was about his age, but much taller and had spiked red hair that made him even taller. Ivan was the shortest of the three and the youngest, being at only 15 years of age. He however, was an excellent tactician and wise beyond his years. They were laughing at some joke Garet made, or more likely did, while chatting vigorously about various topics.

"Okay, what did Garet do this time, Ivan?" Isaac asked.

Garet grinned sheepishly while Ivan rolled his eyes.

"The big oaf here," Ivan stated, "caused mayhem down at the main square."

"Hey! It wasn't exactly my fault!" Garet exclaimed. "It was an accident! I swear!"

Isaac shook his head, grinning, "Okay, out with it. What did you do?"

"Idiot here tripped over some dog that was standing behind him and crashed into a cart hauling some food, which started a whole chain reaction of messes. The horse got scared and broke free from the harness, dragging the cart through several stands – spilling food everywhere. It took about half an hour to calm the beast down, but the damage was done." Ivan stated, grinning.

Garet gawked at Ivan, unable to respond to his own defense. Isaac, however, was rolling around the ground, shaking with laughter.

"I assumed you helped with the clean up?" he managed to choke out after he finished laughing.

"Uh, no, I got scared and ran," Garet state matter-of-factly.

Isaac stared at Garet, and then shook his head. "I guess we better head down there to help with the mess."

With that, the three friends headed off towards the city, chatting amongst themselves. When they arrived, they saw that most of the mess had been cleaned up already, just a few damaged vendors needed to be fixed. They got about fixing the broken stalls, while Garet was receiving glares from the owners. The children however were laughing and grinning at the earlier event that Garet caused. Garet grinned sheepishly and did a mock bow towards the children. Causing them to applaud and grin even wider.

The sun was setting when they finished. They then headed back to the fort at the edge of the forest. When they got inside, Kyle was waiting for them with another person.

"Isaac, I'm glad you've returned. Now we have business to take care of. This man is a messenger from Vault. He'll brief you shortly about the problems they're facing over there."

The man sitting at the table rose to his feet and shook Isaac's hand.

"Greetings," he stated, "my name is Edward, and I came with a proposal for your company here. Lately, we've had bandits roaming the area and even in the city. They've been pick-pocketing and plundering the areas at the edge of the city where there. We've posted guards to spot and handle these bandits, but they blend too well with the crowd thus the guards have been unable to single out any of the thieves. Plus they've taken hold of a small village just right outside the city. They've plundered the crops there and the villagers are requesting help. I think you can figure out what the mayor wants from you."

Isaac nodded and looked towards his father.

"Isaac, I want you to take a couple of men and head over to Vault tomorrow. I expect you apprehend the bandits and return here. You can use psynergy if you want, but please refrain from doing too much damage. You can take up to three men to help you. I expect you'll be back a week or two."

Isaac grinned and nodded. "Then I'll be taking Garet, Ivan, and Roland with me. We'll pack tonight and head for vault in the morning. Oh, and I'm requesting to take horses so the journey would be faster."

Kyle nodded and dismissed them for the evening. He then notified Roland and told him to get ready to depart for Vault the next morning.

Isaac headed inside along with Garet and Ivan. They needed to pack and head out early next morning. He had specifically requested for horses with will speed up the journey. It'll take two or three days to reach Vault on foot but with horses, it'll take a day. Isaac then plopped down on his bunk fell asleep; knowing that the next few days will prove to be an interesting challenge.

So how was it? I hope this wasn't too bad for the first chapter, though I think it might've been a little long. Anyways, read and review please, I really appreciate it! Until the next chapter then.

-EA17