As always, I don't own anything, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

Dwarven Vow 84:
Is fhearr fheuchainn na bhith san duil.
It's better to try than to hope.

45-

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we need to get closer to the Tree," Lloyd replied, pointing toward the fence. "I know we're not supposed to, but I just want to go into the restricted area for a few minutes. Just long enough to tell the Tree that we're sorry, and ask what we can do to help."

"Lloyd!" Genis hissed. "You know we can't do that! I care about the Tree too, but we can't ignore the safety procedures that have been put into place. They're there for a reason."

Lloyd didn't back down. "You weren't there, Genis! You didn't hear what the spirit Martel said about taking care of the Tree; you didn't make the promise that Colette and I did. Tell him, Colette."

"Well…" She looked down, her cheeks still red. "That's…"

"C'mon, Colette. We promised Lloyd's dads that we'd protect him. You're not going to let him endanger himself, are you?"

"I… I don't want to put anyone in danger. But…" She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I want to go with Lloyd. I want to see the Tree up close too."

Lloyd gasped, his eyes sparkling with delight, while Genis slumped in defeat.

"Colette!"

"Colette…"

"O-of course, I don't even know how we can get in since the restricted area is so heavily guarded!" She stepped backward and waved her hands. "So it may not even be possible-"

"I have a plan!" Lloyd interrupted. Genis groaned and placed his head in one hand.

"He has a plan. Of course he has a plan."

Colette ran over and latched onto Lloyd's arm. "I'll follow you, then!" she chimed. "C'mon, let's hurry! I have to leave for Mizuho soon."

"Y-you know how much trouble we'll be in for this, don't you?" Genis stammered, grabbing Lloyd's wrist before he could make it out the doorway. Lloyd just smiled back at him.

"You're only in trouble if you get caught."

"With this many guards around, we'll definitely get caught!"

"Well… yeah, I can't argue with that, but…" Lloyd sighed. "If we find a way to help the Tree, it'll be worth it, right?"

There was a pause. Genis approached Lloyd, holding out one hand. Lloyd extended his free hand to shake, but Genis raised his outstretched hand and slapped Lloyd across the face. Colette jumped back with a yelp, and Lloyd raised his own hand to gingerly poke at his cheek where Genis had struck him.

"Wh...wha…?"

"What the hell do you think Raine and I have been doing all this time?! What do you think Zelos and Professor Low have been doing?!" Genis grabbed Lloyd by the shoulders. It wasn't a real threat- he had grown tall in his own right, but he was still no match for Lloyd's towering stature and muscular figure. But it was enough to cut through Lloyd's enthusiasm and get him to pause long enough to listen. "While you've been off your feet, we have been doing everything we can to figure out how and why this is happening to the Great Tree. We've tried to use magitechnology to get soil and grass samples from inside the NV Zone, but the unstable mana field short-circuits all our unmanned collection devices. If it does that to machines, what do you think it would do to people? There are reasons that the restricted zone remains restricted- and you've got to respect that."

Lloyd was quiet, not trying to move away or pull from Genis' grip. He lowered his head, looking away as he spoke.

"I… I trust you, Genis, I really do. I trust the work that you and Zelos and Raine are doing. But you don't have the connection that Colette and I have with the Tree. Colette is smart, so maybe she could do this science-y stuff with you. But I can't. This is all I can do, so I have to. I just have to. You're trying to stop me because you promised my dads. I get it. But can't you do this for me?"

Genis squeezed Lloyd's shoulders, his fingers digging into the fabric of Lloyd's coat. "I didn't promise just because Kratos asked. I promised because you're my friend and I couldn't bear the thought of you jumping into trouble and getting hurt. Not again. I couldn't bear it last time, and I couldn't bear it again… so…"

The sound of Genis' voice cracking drew Lloyd's attention. There was a look in Genis' eyes that Lloyd was unfamiliar with. It was sad, almost desperate. It hurt to look at, and yet somehow Lloyd couldn't look away. His expression softened and he reached out to pull Genis into a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you felt that way. Being cooped up for so long with only Dad around, I've lost touch with the rest of the world. My need to understand what's going on with the Tree blinded me to the fact that I don't even understand what's going on with the people I care about the most. I shouldn't have pressured you to break your promise, especially when you made it because you care about me. I'm sorry, Genis."

Genis relaxed his grip on Lloyd's shoulders and lowered his arms so that he could return the hug. "So that means you'll be satisfied going back to Luin now?"

"Mm, not satisfied, but-" Lloyd let go and took a step back. "-I know that you're working hard to help the Tree and I trust you. So I'll be okay."

The two were quiet, stepping back so that they could look each other in the eyes. Lloyd smiled, and Genis mirrored him. For a moment, they were completely lost in the relief of having come to an agreement- but that moment didn't last long.

"Um…" Colette spoke up and cleared her throat, drawing the two boys' attention back to her. "...I hate seeing you fight, so I'm really glad that you two made up, but... Lloyd, can you tell me what your plan was for sneaking in? Because I, uh…" She blushed and glanced away. "...still want to go."

Lloyd and Genis exchanged a surprised look, turned back to examine Colette, and then looked back at one another before bursting into a fit of laughter. Colette froze up, looking back and forth at them with a frown.

"I-I… I… I'm sorry, is that wrong of me to say after what Lloyd decided-?"

"No, no." Genis shook his head and reached out to pull her into their embrace. "We've made this into a stupid battle of wills, and that's not what it is. It's about weighing our safety against our desire to help the Great Tree. Raine and I have entered the restricted area before on research trips, so it's honestly pretty hypocritical of me to get angry at you or Lloyd for wanting to go… talk to the Tree or whatever."

Lloyd looped one arm around Colette's shoulders. "Y'know, I just had a thought. You guys promised Kratos that you'd keep me out of the restricted area. You never said anything about yourselves. So if I stay out here, you wouldn't technically be breaking your promise-"

"And leave you out of the fun?" Genis interrupted. "Not likely!"

"But Genis, you were about to cry earlier when you were begging me not to go…"

"I-I wasn't going to cry!" Genis snapped to attention, pulling his arms back. "I just wanted to make you think I was going to cry so that you'd feel bad for me and take my side."

"Wow, really?" Lloyd gave an exaggerated gasp. "You must be a really good actor, then, because it looked like you were gonna cry for real-"

"It was an act! An act!"

Colette giggled as their banter started up again, but she glanced toward the doorway and noticed how bright the sunshine was getting. "You guys, this is fun and all," she began, "but if we're going to visit the Tree before I leave for Mizuho, we need to do it now."

Lloyd snapped to attention and nodded his head. "Right!"

"So what was your genius plan, exactly?" Genis asked with a sigh.

"Oh, I was just gonna tell the guards that Kratos gave me permission to go in."

"What?!"

"But Lloyd," Colette began, "what about Dwarven Vow eleven? Lying is the first step down th-"

Lloyd reached out and clapped a hand on her shoulder, cutting her off.

"Look. By this point, I've already been to thievery and brought back souvenirs. Let's not waste our time worrying about it, okay?"

"That's strange; I don't remember receiving a dispatch from the Captain about it."

The guards stationed around the perimeter of the restricted area were finishing up an evening shift and looked pretty tired. Lloyd had called out to them before setting foot through the gate, putting on an air of total confidence as he explained that Kratos had authorized the three of them to enter the restricted zone for a "preliminary test of auditory stimuli on the Tree"- or whatever Genis had said. Lloyd wasn't sure what it meant, but it sounded smart, like something Kratos would say, so it made their story that much more believable.

"There must've been a malfunction with your radio," Lloyd insisted. "The unstable mana field can affect magitechnology like that. I guess the dispatch must not have come through."

"Even so, I don't like the idea of just letting you in like this. I should radio the captain-"

"And interrupt his meeting to tell him you don't trust his own son?"

The guard's partner elbowed him. "He has a point. Besides, he has plenty of reason not to lie. If he's lying, the captain will find out when we turn in our report, and then he'll really get it."

"Aw, but the captain would go easy on his son, wouldn't he?"

There was a pause, and the second guard narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I forgot. You're new around here."

Genis nodded in agreement. "If you think Lloyd gets any special treatment, you obviously don't know Kratos."

"He's just hard on Lloyd because he wants him to grow and improve, right?" Colette asked.

"The lion trains his young by throwing them off a cliff," the second guard offered, and Genis and Colette both nodded in reply.

Lloyd briefly wondered if they were actually trying to scare him out of it, but he placed that thought aside. He'd already made his decision anyway. "Trust me, I know better than to lie about this sort of thing," he assured the first guard. "Do you have any idea the kind of trouble I'd be in if Kratos found out I lied to his own soldiers about something he said?"

The second part was the truth, at least.

"Alright," the first guard answered with a sigh, "but you know the regulations for visitors, don't you?"

Genis was the one to answer this time. "No weapons, no magic use, and getting within one meter of the NV Zone boundary is strictly forbidden."

"Good. Go on in, then. If you have any trouble, come get us- we'll be here at the gate reporting on the radio malfunctions to tech control."

"Alright, thanks. We will."

"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own until Lloyd gets here?"

Dirk had stayed with Kratos while he performed the inspection on the militia's equipment and spoke with the technology team about their sensors and current readings. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any problems, so it took less time than Kratos had expected. He wanted to go on to Mizuho so that he could be there for Colette when she arrived, but he hated to leave Dirk alone in an unfamiliar city.

"I'll be okay. But whit abit Anna? She's nae here?"

"She's seeing a doctor in Palmacosta. I told Lloyd that she should be back by this afternoon, so he knows to keep an eye out for her and tell her that I'm in Mizuho."

"A doctor in Palmacosta? Are there nae doctors here?"

"Well, yes, but we don't have the specialists that Palmacosta has. With the reliable ferry service, we don't see a problem in her traveling if it means she can see a more experienced obstetrician."

Dirk stopped. "Is she alrecht? I ken ye donnae want tae worry Lloyd, but if thaur's complications, I'd lik' tae know. I'm family tay, after aw."

"No, no, of course not. She's fine, far healthier than she was with Lloyd, even. It's not surprising, given our better living conditions now, but even so…"

"Oh, I see. It's preventative."

"Yes, preventative. That's a good word." Kratos gave a satisfied nod. "I'll have to tell Anna that. Her word of choice was paranoia."

Dirk laughed loudly and patted Kratos on the back. "Sae ye're a worrier after aw! Good tae know!"

Kratos' face flushed and he turned his head away to hide it. "I don't have time to worry. I've got my family and the militia to deal with, and now I'm involved in whatever's going on in Mizuho too."

"Well, donnae add onie worry abit me. I'll be fine. Ye gang on ahead tae yer meetin'. Th' people ay Mizuho are countin' on ye. 'at's our future daughter-in-law's family, dorn't forget."

The change in subject was enough to make Kratos forget his embarrassment and turn back to Dirk. "Have they made thing official with the village council? I don't want to say anything I shouldn't while I'm there-"

"Er, no, they havenae yet. Lloyd accepted Sheena's proposal, bit he has tae be present fer th' ceremony or whate'er it is 'at they gang through tae mak' th' engagement official wi' her village. A lot ay unnecessary work, if ye ask me, bit I'm sure th' same could be said abit some Dwarven traditions."

"Well, Dwarves tend to be more practical," Kratos answered, crossing his arms as he thought it over. "Their traditions revolve around the quality of the finished product rather than the steps to get there, expecting every individual to develop their own methods. Mizuho, meanwhile, is very concerned with appearances and order, making sure that the perception of their actions fits with the expectations of the society as a whole."

Dirk nodded. "I cannae speak fer Mizuho, bit ye hae a good understandin' ay Dwarven culture. It's very individualistic- perhaps tae much sae, in some cases. It'll be interestin' tae see how an individualist lik' Lloyd works wi' such a community-based culture-"

Their conversation was cut off as a voice from behind them called out, repeating Kratos' name. He recognized it as one of the technology consultants they'd been speaking to earlier and spun around to see what was going on.

"Oh, good, you haven't left yet!" The woman caught up to Kratos and Dirk and stopped to catch her breath. "We just got a message from the active patrol that I wanted to pass on to you."

"The active patrol?" Kratos gasped, his mind suddenly racing with fear for the sake of Lloyd and his friends. "Did something happen? Was there another expansion-?"

"No sir, nothing like that!" The woman shook her head. "I'm sorry to worry you. The patrol just reported some malfunctions with their radio system. They believe that proximity to the unstable mana field is causing problems with the receiver, but they're not sure. I told them I'd let you know, and they said to apologize for missing your earlier dispatch."

Kratos sighed in relief. He knew that machines placed in the NV Zone were prone to short circuit, so it wasn't a stretch to think that constant low-level exposure might damage some of their equipment. The worry was not about the radio, which was replaceable, but about what the exposure might be doing to the people involved in the patrol.

"Thank you for telling me. Let the patrol know that I'll be stopping by shortly to check the equipment. We may need to send it in for analysis by the Imperial Research Academy to determine what kind of low-level mana imbalances it's been exposed to. But…" He stopped as he processed part of the statement that hadn't occurred to him until just then. "...I haven't sent out any dispatches this morning. Did they say what the content was or how they knew they'd missed it? If someone from outside the militia sent them a message, it means that someone has found the frequency we're using for our communications."

"No, sir, they did not give any information about the missed dispatch. I'm assuming it came through to the watchtower and not the ground patrol. But you can ask yourself when you're there."

"Thank you. I will."

The woman saluted and then turned to head back to headquarters. Dirk approached Kratos with a sigh.

"As if ye didnae have enaw tae worry abit awreddy…"

"I told you, I don't have time to worry." Kratos sighed and started down the street again. "If Lloyd is still there when I arrive, I'll tell him you're waiting for him at his place."

"Sounds good. I'll wait fer him there."

Lloyd approached the tree, stopping about a meter from the boundary separating the green grass underfoot from the dead, brown grass. He glanced back to see if the guards were still watching, and once he was satisfied that they were distracted, he continued in and stopped right at the edge.

"Lloyd! The rules say to stay back one meter!" Genis hissed, running up behind him. "Besides, the ground is wet and muddy, and if you slip and fall in, you're dead."

"I know, I know." Lloyd raised one hand and waved it at Genis. "I just want to get a better look at it. What would happen if I…" He took his other hand and reached out, gently extending it out in front of him. It reached the invisible boundary and immediately, a flash of pain caused Lloyd to jerk his hand back. "Ow!"

"What did I tell you?" Genis asked with a groan. "Let me see your hand."

"It feels okay now," Lloyd answered, stepping back to offer his hand to Genis, "but when I hit that boundary, it felt like I was being burned, even though it wasn't hot."

Genis examined Lloyd's fingers and then released his hand. "The exposure killed the first layer of skin cells, but the damage isn't deep. If the skin starts to crack or bleed, you can put a bandage on it, but other than that it should heal fine."

"So that unstable mana is really dangerous," Colette commented, standing on the tips of her toes so that she could see Lloyd's hand better. "Scary."

"It is," Genis agreed. "That's why we're not supposed to be this close-"

"YGGDRASIL! MARTEL! HEY!"

Genis and Colette both jumped in surprise at Lloyd's sudden outburst. He'd cupped his hands around his mouth and leaned forward as much as he could before calling out.

"IT'S ME, LLOYD! I JUST WANT TO TALK TO YOU! ARE YOU OKAY? GREAT TREE YGGDRASIL? SPIRIT MARTEL? HELLOOOOO?"

The group went silent again, waiting tensely for something to happen. But nothing did. There didn't seem to be any response from the Tree, and eventually the din of buzzing insects started up again after being spooked by the noise.

"...I guess it really can't hear us from this far away," Colette murmured. "I'm not surprised, but still, what are we supposed to do?"

"For starters, we should step back." Genis took Lloyd and Colette's hands and pulled them back a short distance with him. "If there's an expansion event, we don't want to be caught up in it."

"You know," Lloyd began once they stopped again, "the wind is pretty strong, and we're downwind. Why don't we go around to the other side and see if our voices will carry better from upwind of it?"

"That's…" Genis began, prepared to scientifically dispute whatever idea Lloyd had come up with but finding no flaws in the plan, "...actually not a bad idea in theory. Strong wind can affect the propagation of sound waves, so it's worth a shot."

Lloyd had already begun to run off as soon as Genis reached the words "not a bad idea." Genis groaned and followed after him, motioning for Colette too.

"Come on, let's go. I don't want to let him out of our sight."

"Yes, of course!"

Colette ran after him, but she had a hard time keeping her eyes on her friends. The image of the Tree, so far away and still so clear in view, was mesmerizing. The knots and bulges on the trunk almost seemed to be moving when she was running like this, though she knew it was just an illusion. Wind blew through the boughs, shaking the branches and sending leaves falling to the bare, rocky soil below. There was a sadness to it that she couldn't shake, like something within the Tree was crying for help-

Not paying attention to where her feet were landing, she hit her toes against a large rock and lost her balance. Her arms flailed out in front of her in an attempt to catch herself, but the ground was uneven and damp from the morning dew, and she hit her knees and went tumbling to the side.

Once she regained her bearings and was able to sit up, she could hear voices yelling her name. Her head was pounding and she wanted to examine her knee where it was scraped up, but she first looked up to see Lloyd and Genis watching from a short distance away. They were both wide-eyed, and Lloyd was holding Genis back with both arms as though trying to keep him from running in Colette's direction. She was confused at first, but when she glanced down to look at her knee, the gravity of the situation became clear.

Her right leg was still partially on the green grass, but her left leg and most of her torso were sitting atop the strip of dry, brown grass within the NV Zone. The sight of the brown was more terrifying even than the red on her right knee, and she ignored the pain to scramble to her feet and make a mad, limping dash to where Lloyd and Genis were watching. Colette could feel a slight trickle of blood running down from her knee as she ran, but she managed to stumble into Lloyd and Genis' outstretched arms. "I'm okay," she murmured, pressing her face against Genis' chest. It was said more to reassure herself at first, but after a moment of relief, the reality of what had just happened sunk in and she repeated herself with an air of disbelief.

"I… I'm okay…"