Kaetar woke up with an odd start. It was almost like he was knocked out of a strange dream, one that was completely unknown to him. It wasn't a common occurrence. He often remembered his more vivid dreams, as silly as they were sometimes, because he felt it might be important to know such things. It was frustrating that he couldn't remember why he woke up the way he did but it was easy enough to pass it off as something unimportant, so he decided to do just that.

However, he didn't quite want to leave the safety of his cot and his quilt, so he doubled checked to make sure that his bodyguard was asleep in the bed on the other side of the room and then he pulled his necklace off his chest to take a good look at it. It brought him a strange comfort. Part of the comfort came from the fact that someone trusted him with it. It was a whole decade since he saw the stranger but he never told anyone about it. It was impossible to keep someone from noticing it at all but no one asked about it. He was the prince after all, so naturally the servants seemed to be afraid to talk to him.

Was the stranger ever going to come back for it? What was the point of giving someone something like that anyway?

Of all things, that's what woke his friend. Loiya was suddenly out of bed and making his way towards Kaetar. He was only a year older but it showed. He had quite a round face for a seventeen-year-old and though his jawline was starting to narrow, he still looked a little childish. He had a somewhat darker skin tone than most beorc, which made him look perpetually tanned, and really dark, wavy hair to match. His eyes were brown, not a terribly vibrant shade of brown but it seemed to suit him. His body was fairly well built and it was much more obvious in his night clothes because he had no armour to hide his muscles.

Loiya was a good friend and he was also the only bodyguard that had the main job of making sure that no harm met Kaetar.

"Something wrong?" Loiya asked in a groggy voice.

"No," Kaetar answered quickly.

"Well, it's time to get up anyway," Loiya said with a shrug. Kaetar nodded and went into his closet. He had few formal outfits and he only wore those on special occasions as they were uncomfortable to wear for hours on end. He changed quickly, pulling on loose fitting clothing that his father often disapproved of. His father had the opinion that such clothing was fitting for someone of a lower status but it wasn't like anyone really paid attention to him. Kaetar wasn't in charge of anything and didn't do anything of importance inside the castle.

Loiya was up to something. As soon as both of them changed, Loiya kidnapped two broom sticks and took him to a storage room of some sort. Well, any room that wasn't actively lived in or being used was basically a storage room until someone needed it. Loiya pushed aside anything that was in the way into the wall – extra chairs and tables for the most part. When that was done, Loiya tossed Kaetar one of the broomsticks, but he fumbled and it fell down at his feet. Loiya laughed.

"What is all this for anyway?" Kaetar asked.

"You said you wanted to learn how to use a weapon, right? You start today!" Loiya seemed awfully happy about that. He had his broomstick held up in both of his arms with his knees bent, obviously ready to attack. Kaetar gulped. When the idea popped into his head, he thought he would be getting a more formal lesson first like a lesson on how to hold and swing the darn thing. He didn't think Loiya would try to battle him when he had no experience.

"I wasn't expecting this!"

"I'll go easy!" Loiya said as Kaetar picked up the broomstick. He tried to copy Loiya's stance but before he could even bend his knees, Loiya closed the space between them and hit his side with his broomstick. The hit sent Kaetar reeling and he nearly hit the floor. He didn't even get over the shock of being hit before Loiya hit him again. He stepped back and for a brief moment, Kaetar could breathe.

"That wasn't going easy! That hurt!" Kaetar mumbled, lifting his shirt to look at the damage. His skin was red and it stung a lot but he wasn't bleeding. It was almost a shame. For the amount of pain he felt, he might as well have been bleeding. At least blood was an obvious sign that he was hurt but all he had to show for it was a red imprint across his ribs. "You just like hitting me," he said softly in realization.

Loiya laughed. "You can't pass the chance up!"

"It's not funny! How is you hitting me helping me?"

"The more often you get hit, the more motivation you have to actually try to defend yourself and maybe even strike back. Besides, what good is a soldier if they can't take a hit?" Loiya asked, leaning on his broomstick. His face was fraying the bristled part of the broom. Kaetar frowned.

"I guess. You're the expert here anyway."

"We can stop if you want," Loiya mumbled. "It's not like you're going to learn to fight overnight. It takes time. 'Sides, you are the boss here."

Yes, yes he was. Kaetar forgot that sometimes. He was so wrapped up in his mind sometimes that he forgot that he was the crown prince of Daein. His father already declared him his successor sometime ago so the Daein people were already expecting him.

"That sounds good. I'm looking forward to breakfast. Father will wonder why I'm late," Kaetar mumbled. He helped Loiya put everything back, returning the room back to the way they found it. Just when Kaetar left the room, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness hit him. He couldn't recall the feeling but perhaps it had something to do with his so called training with Loiya. He put a hand to the wall to support himself, hoping that the sudden wave of dizziness would pass but it actually became worse. He felt himself hit the floor as everything in sight melted away.

He was no longer in his Daein home. It was very humid and he was standing when he knew for a fact that he had fallen. Before, beneath him was a cold floor but now, he was surrounded with sand. It was dream-like. However, unlike in any dream he remembered, he had no control of his body. It moved forward in its own exhaustion until someone stopped him by grabbing his shoulder. He turned around and Kaetar found himself looking at a man with blue hair and eyes to match. He looked young yet oddly powerful. Something about him commanded respect even though he didn't really appear to be much older than Loiya.

"Okay! I know something is wrong!" the man shouted.

"I'm... I'm sorry... I was...thinking. What is it you wanted?" The words just came out of his mouth. Kaetar felt trapped. That voice wasn't his own... he was trapped in a body that just didn't belong to him! How does something like that even happen? It was one thing to dream but he was always himself. He could move in his dreams and even if he was stuck in some repetitive motion, Kaetar was still himself. He was never someone else. Perhaps he was watching something that already happened before but why was he in someone else's body? It was so disorientating to move without him commanding his body and being unable to move when he wanted.

The man turned away and looked at the horizon for a moment before turning back to him.

"Well, I was going to ask you for directions, but it's no longer necessary. It looks like we're being met."

And suddenly, he felt someone shake him. The desert faded away and when the shaking became more vigorous, Kaetar forced his eyes open. For a moment, he was disorientated and it took a moment for Kaetar to realize that he could move his body now. He was sitting up and he could feel the cold floor underneath him. He heard words and when he didn't respond to them, he was shaken again.

"Kaetar! Kaetar, are you back?" Loiya asked, gently shaking him again.

"Stop shaking me!" Kaetar responded. "I'm awake!"

"What happened?"

"I don't know," Kaetar said with a frown. If he had an idea of what caused it, he would prevent it because he didn't find the experience pleasant at all. It was interesting but going into the weird experience and coming out of it just made him feel kind of ill. He didn't like it. If he got the experience and none of the side effects, perhaps he wouldn't mind it that much.

"Then we should get you looked at by a healer."

"What? That's not necessary. I feel fine now, even with you shaking me like that..." Kaetar mumbled. He stood up and dusted himself off, as if to prove to Loiya that he was, in fact, alright. There was no need to bother a healer when the healer probably wouldn't find anything wrong anyway. What good can anyone do after the fact? Besides, it wasn't like anyone would believe him if he told them anyway. How does anyone even begin to explain something like that? It was more trouble than it was worth.

Loiya frowned. He looked conflicted. Kaetar knew that part of Loiya's job was to make sure he got the help he needed. He wasn't a servant per say, but if he wasn't feeling good then Loiya had to make sure a healer was on it. A lot of odd jobs fell upon Loiya since he had the most contact with Kaetar. He had more contact with Kaetar than the king did. Kaetar could understand the conflict of what Loiya knew he should do and Kaetar's wishes. "If you really think that..."

"I do. I'll be fine," Kaetar answered.

The rest of the day passed without much excitement. His father, after his meeting with the other leaders in Tellius, informed him that he was to have his first sit in with them the next day. Kaetar was both excited and nervous at the same time. He knew little of the other leaders. He wanted to call them all kings but in truth, Begnion was always led by a woman, and from what Kaetar knew of their history, it was very traditional. He was pretty sure that their first leader was female, back when Tellius was basically Begnion. She also kept the title Empress, he was also sure that it wasn't quite the same as a monarchy but it wasn't like Begnion was much of an empire anyway.

If the beorc had nothing else, they had their history and that was Kaetar's favourite part. He was oddly interested in it. He was known for taking books out of the royal library and stashing them in his room when he was done reading them. He rarely put the books back, so his side of the room looked like a small library that sometimes resulted in a book or two on Loiya's side.

He felt that to know history was to know oneself. The reason why things were the way they were could be found in history. He found old stories and old traditions interesting because they were sometimes in stark contrast with what was currently practiced and he liked trying to come up with a reason why. Besides, he felt that if he didn't know history, then he was doomed to repeat it. It wasn't important for everyone but he was the heir to the throne.

His father had no problem with it because it made him look practiced and it showed that he was at least receptive to the lessons his father tried to push on him. Honestly, he didn't want to think about being a king when the throne still felt so far away from him. He didn't see his dad giving up the throne anytime soon.

Kaetar finished his day in the bath tub and found himself again thinking of the other leaders. It would be his first time to be officially introduced to them as the prince of Daein. He decided that if they were staying for a few more days after his meeting with them the next day, then he would make a point of trying to work up the courage to meet with the laguz rulers. With their age, they were probably more interesting than the beorc leaders. After all, they had more stories to tell. Maybe they had stories of the previous war as well; he was sure they were old enough.

With his bath concluded, Kaetar wandered back to his bedroom on his own where Loiya was waiting on his bed. He fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit his pillow and he was curled under his quilt. Sleeping in the same room as someone who was born as a commoner wasn't a very princely arrangement, but it put his father at ease. Loiya had a knife somewhere on his person when he slept, which was easier to sleep with than a lance, so if someone strange did appear in his bedroom then Loiya was armed and ready to go.

However, after what felt like a few minutes, Kaetar suddenly bolted from his sleep. He found himself feeling hot so he did away with a nightshirt and tried to settle himself under the quilt again. He needed to sleep, he had a long day tomorrow. Loiya dragged himself out of bed to see what was long, which Kaetar found odd because Loiya often jumped out of bed with such noises. It was just part of the training to be aware of such noises and to act on it. Maybe he was coming down with something but Kaetar doubted it. He seemed fine all day until they both went to bed.

"Was it a dream?" Loiya asked.

Kaetar nodded but he didn't elaborate. He didn't want to tell Loiya that he had another episode of what happened earlier in the day, with the exception that the person in those visions was busy with a blue cat laguz of all things. At least he was more interesting and more friendly than the desert was. "I'm alright but what about you?"

"Me? It's just a migraine. It should pass on it's own," Loiya mumbled. "I've had several lately but maybe it's just the same one coming and going. I think it gets worse at night after a long day because I can usually get through the day with them."

Kaetar felt that perhaps he was the one who needed to see a healer but Katear decided against it. After all, it was a similar situation, he thought. The healers probably couldn't do much for Loiya, perhaps other than giving him something that might help with the pain but that didn't do much when the reason for the pain wasn't dealt with. They would continue to come and go. He decided to trust Loiya's word as he had more experience with them than he did.

"Just take it easy tomorrow then. I'll be in a meeting with the other rulers and I'm sure they all have their own bodyguards anyway. I don't think you'll be missed all that much, so take the day off and get some rest," Kaetar said as he opened the window in order to let a cool breeze in. In the moonlight that spilled into the room, he could see that sad and apologetic look on Loiya's face.

"I'm sorry to cause so much trouble," Loiya mumbled as he pulled his quilt over himself.

"It's alright. Just sleep," Kaetar answered. It wasn't a big deal, honestly. If his father was worried, he could get one his riders to look after him. With that thought in mind, the prince crawled under his own quilt and fell asleep.

Rewritten as of May 20th, 2015. Thanks for reading!