Sorry for the lack of updates!
And for the record, I have no idea where this chapter came from in terms of length. It was a lot longer than I expected it to be!

It was strange to wake up in the morning. From the time that he and Loiya left Daein until the time they first met the two laguz, his sleeping schedule was flipped upside down since Loiya wanted to travel by night and sleep in the day. Now he was awake two mornings in a row and he sleep schedule was flipped yet again. Loiya was still asleep in the corner of the room, cradling his lance as he slept. Kaetar yawned and shuffled out of bed, heading towards the window. When he opened it, he was hit immediately with the smell of smoke and a cold breeze that he didn't expect to feel in Melior.

He suddenly heard a knock on the window, and though he left the window, there were still traces of the smell that just sent him back to the night before. "Kaetar! It's me, Ema," the voice on the other side muttered with another knock. Kaetar finally opened the door.

"Any news yet?"

"About Syrin and Darius? No. But one of the advisers actually did go out and investigate the chapel. It burned all night long, and three other buildings went down with it by the time the fire burned out, but word around Melior is that no one knows what caused it. Whatever those two did, it worked," Ema answered as he walked into his room. "A little cold in here, Kaetar."

"It doesn't bother me. Winter is a lot worse than this." Kaetar closed the door behind him and sat on the bed with her. Loiya was still sleeping in the corner of the room, and instantly, Kaetar felt bad that Loiya was on the floor while he and Ema were on the bed.

"He doesn't look too good. Did you leave the window open all night?" Now that Ema mentioned in, Loiya did look pale. Was it from sleeping in the corner? It couldn't be; he was fine the last time they stayed at the inn. Though he felt bad that he slept on the bed while he slept sitting up, it was Loiya that always insisted on it; perhaps his bodyguard felt like it was simply part of the job. He was defending Kaetar against bandits and back pain, apparently.

"No. Help me get him on the bed, will you?" Kaetar asked as he pulled the lance out of his grip.

Ema nodded, grabbing Loiya's left arm and throwing it around her shoulder. Loiya was still in his own world when Kaetar put the lance down and did the same thing as Ema, only with his other arm. Together, they heaved Loiya off the floor and dropped him on the bed. The bodyguard didn't seem to notice that he was ever moved. He had to feel horrible, and Kaetar was instantly felt guilty. Did he somehow overwork him?

"Let him sleep. He probably needs it. Let's split it up and look for the two idiots, then meet back here at sunset. Sound good?"

Kaetar didn't know. Loiya wouldn't know the plans, and he didn't want him waking up and going out to look for him. No matter how bad Loiya felt, he would find a way to get back to work, and if Kaetar wasn't there, he would look for him. He always did. He couldn't a note; he was sure that Loiya couldn't read, but he would have to test that one day in order to avoid this again.

"Nah, I'll stay here. You go out and look for them. I'm going back to sleep," he answered, tugging the blankets off of Loiya's bed and dumping them into the pile on the floor. Loiya didn't even know he was moved; he didn't need the blankets. Ema laughed as Kaetar curled up tightly in his makeshift bed. Somehow, he managed to make one side thicker for his head, and manged to wrap the other side around himself to make some sort of cocoon.

"You try that. I'll go out," the cat smirked, closing the curtains before she left the room. Kaetar yawned.

And was woken up again. This time though, it was Loiya. He still looked awful; he was sweaty, dark under the eyes, and still pale. Kaetar yawned again then worked to wrestle himself out of his cocoon, while Loiya only offered a small smile. He either thought it was funny that he managed to get himself stuck in the floor or it was a sympathetic smile because he couldn't help. The prince couldn't tell. "What's the problem?" Kaetar asked.

"I was going to ask you. I know I didn't fall asleep on the bed. Did you move me?"

"Not by myself, Ema helped. But you're... looking horrible. Is it another headache?" Kaetar mumbled as he stood up, offering Loiya a hand to get off the floor. Loiya took it, and Kaetar shouted in surprise as Loiya yanked on his arm, nearly pulling him down.

"Ah, sorry!"

"You did that on purpose! You're avoiding the subject!" the prince suddenly shouted as he used his his free hand to grab Loiya's hand in order to keep himself steady. Loiya managed to laugh, then pushed Kaetar down to the floor. Though Loiya seemed to think it was funny, Kaetar thought it be quite the opposite. He knew that Loiya was avoiding the subject, because he wasn't acting like a regular teen until Kaetar brought the subject of his headache up.

"Loiya!"

The bodyguard immediately stopped laughing, and the little droops of blood that Kaetar could see on his lips told them he was biting down on his lips in order to prevent himself from doing so. "Look, I'll tell you the news if you tell me why you slept in this morning. You never sleep in, so don't think you can beat around the bush anymore," the prince muttered, trying to keep his voice under control. He was no idea that he was frustrated with his bodyguard, but he could definitely feel it in his chest now.

"It was another headache. I didn't feel good at all when we got the inn, and you didn't look at that good either, so I stayed up all night and watched you. It doesn't explain why I had the headache I guess, but it's not like you were feeling much better. I know you had another vision or whatever, but you're usually perky after it. Not last night. What happened, hm?"

"It was just what I saw. I don't want to talk about it." Kaetar looked away and felt like he was suffocating from the tension.

"That's fine. I was just worried, but I guess you were too."

"Do you feel better now?"

"I'm not going to sit around and wait until it goes away. I don't need another day off," Loiya growled, but Kaetar wasn't fazed about it. He knew it was just the pride talking more than anything at this point.

Suddenly, the door burst opened again. It was Ema, but she had a new partner with her, one that Kaetar failed to recognize. He was kind of short, with bright green eyes and straw-coloured hair that was tied back into a rather small ponytail. He had a green tunic with tan leggings, and brown leather boots. At his hip was a yellow book. Loiya didn't seem to know him either, but the stranger ran up and scooped him up into a tight hug. "LOIYA! How have you been? It's been forever since I last saw you! How's your father? Is he still kicking?"

"Who the heck are you?" Loiya asked, pushing the cheerful man away. Ema's new friend seemed disappointed.

"I should have realized that you were to young to remember me! You were barely up to my hip when we last met. My name is Nicholas, I'm a friend of your father's!" he answered with a bow, making Loiya visibly cringe. He was clearly uncomfortable with the new arrival dotting over his childhood.

"I wasn't aware that my dad knew anyone from Crimea; he never mentioned it," Loiya answered with a frown.

"Aren't we straying from the matter at hand?" Ema asked, her voice impatient.

"Oh! Yes, we are! Sorry, I just got excited when I saw Loiya. We must be going now, so if you would pack whatever you have and meet us downstairs, that would be great!" Nicholas bowed to Loiya and Kaetar, which made Kaetar feel uncomfortable as well. Most people did not bow to him unless he was with his father, but that was because Kaetar usually didn't allow them to, though that didn't stop most people from being overly polite. It wasn't like he would have them executed because they didn't address him with his title all the time, but it was what everyone in the castle feared.

It didn't take Loiya and Kaetar long to pack, as most of their things were already packed; all Loiya did was rearrange some of the things in their bags in order to make them fit better. He wasn't a professional packer, but he got the job done better than Kaetar could. They each grabbed one of their own bags headed downstairs, and found themselves outside, where Kaetar again cringed from the smell of smoke. Nicholas was outside with Ema, and both of them were discussing something quietly to themselves, and immediately stopped when Kaetar and Loiya arrived outside. "Ready to go?" Nicholas asked with a smile.

"Where are we going?" Kaetar asked, adjusting his bag slightly.

"Later, once we hit the road," Nicholas answered turning away quickly. Kaetar turned to Ema, who simply shrugged. She didn't know anything, or if she did, she wasn't willing to share, much to Kaetar's disappointment. The new arrival led the three past the chapel, fighting against another crowd – or what remained of the chapel, which was nothing but a blackened wall and a couple of pews – and out of Melior. He could practically smell the freshness in the air when they distanced themselves from Melior, and while Melior was nice, he was happy to be outside again, and being outside meant something.

Nicholas suddenly stopped and turned around, throwing his hands on his hips. Loiya was visibly disturbed, though Kaetar could guess it had something to do with the fact that Nicholas was rather flamboyant, even more so than Darius, and Kaetar thought that the raven was flashy. It might also have something to do with the fact that his father knew him. "Now that we're on the road, I can start explaining everything, which is good, because we need some conversation to break the silence."

Just like he promised. Kaetar was surprised that he didn't have to say anything to him in order to get it out of him, Nicholas did it himself. Kaetar continue to walk, motioning that everyone else should do the same. Nicholas ran up to walk beside him. "You see, I was sent by Darius and Syrin to fetch you three out of Melior. Syrin said he realized that he forgot to arrange a meeting spot, and sent me to catch you three, before you left Melior," he answered, smiling at Loiya. "But I never expected to see Loiya! What are you doing in Crimea? I thought you lived in Nevassa." Nicholas frowned.

"I... I do, but I have a job to do right now that requires me to be away from home right now," Loiya replied without enthusiasm. It looked like just being around Nicholas drained him of his energy, which Loiya didn't seem to have a lot of. Nicholas did require a lot of attention, simply because he was more energetic than anyone among them, and he doubted that Loiya recovered completely from his new headache. Just thinking about it made Kaetar's head spin, if only in sympathy for Loiya.

"Oh? And what's that? Don't tell me that you got involved in the rebellion!"

"What does it look like? If you had to come pick us up, then I assume that you're also with us, so you can't say anything!" Loiya growled.

Nicholas' frown didn't leave his face. If anything, he looked quite sad, most likely for Loiya. "Is something the matter, Loiya? I remember you being a cheerful child."

"Well, that child is gone now! He grew up and learned about the real world! And say anything about my 'childhood' again and I'll kill you! You don't know me and YOU NEVER KNEW ME! You just know my father, and guess what? I'm not my father, so... Leave. Me. Alone!" Loiya screamed, then stumbled backwards, leaning on his lance for support. Kaetar was immediately at his side, only in time for Loiya to fall into Kaetar, making them both tumble to the ground. Kaetar groaned as he climbed out from under Loyia, then moved to sit him up.

"Loiya! Are you okay?" Kaetar asked before realizing it was a stupid question. Of course he wasn't alright. He never freaked out like that before, as far as he knew, and never collapsed before; again, as far as he knew. He was like Nicholas; he didn't know Loiya. He knew him far better, but he never knew about his life before Loiya became his bodyguard, aside form the couple of times where they played together as very young boys. Yes, he was cheerful back then, but what child wasn't happy with their innocence?

Loiya groaned a response and stood before falling to one knee. "Sorry... I'm fine... we can keep moving."

"No, this is ridiculous. We have to stop for a break or else we'll be slowed down even more," the cat answered with a sigh, bending down next to Loiya and putting the back of her hand to his forehead. "He's burning up. It's not just a regular headache, I think he's down right ill."

"He's sick now? I thought it was just that it suddenly got worse," the prince mumbled, trying to think back to his lazy days. Did he ever read a book on headaches? Loiya seemed to be plagued by them, but there was no obvious reason for them to occur. There was no reason that he could find for his temperature to go up either, but that did explain the sudden outburst; the fever must have agitated him beyond reason. Anything could have set him off in a state like that, but it was just that Nicholas was the one talking to him, and it was clear that Loiya was uncomfortable with his presence.

"We'll have to ask Syrin. He might have ideas, but for now, we have to find a way to carry on." Ema stood up and paced around in a small circle.

"How big are you in your transformed state? Perhaps you can carry Loiya," Nicholas suggested, seemingly unfazed by Loiya's outburst. It was more than likely to Kaetar that the adult understood Loiya's condition, and could put it past him. He was certainly quieter though, which Kaetar was thankful for.

"I don't know how long I'll be able to carry him for. It's not easy for me to stay transformed for long, but I suppose there's no reason why I can't try," the cat answered, spreading her legs out slightly and taking a deep breath. Suddenly, there was a bit of light and a brown coloured cat replaced Ema's human form. She was up to Kaetar's waist on all fours, and her fur was lighter on the bottom then it was on the top.

"So... that's what a transformed laguz looks like," Kaetar mumbled to himself as he wrapped one of Loiya's arms around his neck as Nicholas grabbed the other arm, though Loiya didn't say anything. He was either too weak too, or simply decided that now wasn't the time to fight. The bodyguard was laid down on Ema's back. He was on his stomach, and he was able to gently wrap his hands around her neck and pulled his feet up; he was weak, but by no means useless. Ema started in a slow trot, while Kaetar picked up Loiya's fallen lance and Nicholas took the lead. There were no words, only the occasional moan from Loiya, who was just downright miserable.

It took longer to get to town then any of them thought. As soon as Ema could touch a building, she transformed and panted as she stretched out her arms. "Phew!" she huffed. "You're heavy than you look, Loiya," the cat mumbled as she and Kaetar sat him against a wall.

"Nicholas, can you go get Darius and Syrin? I don't want to leave either of them here by themselves," the prince muttered quietly. It wasn't a lie; he didn't want to leave either of them, only because he was just as exhausted as they were. Usually, long walks didn't exhaust him this much, especially when he considered all of the walking he did but somehow, watching Loiya struggle to keep his head up made him feel almost just as bad as Loiya looked. His legs ached, and his mind was muddled. He slid to sitting position and leaned his head against Loiya's shoulder. He was sure that whatever Loiya had wasn't going to affect him.

He was almost asleep when Nicholas returned with Syrin and Darius, both who reeked of smoke. Both of them made an effort to bathe themselves, as both of their hair was dripping, and Darius was still flapping his wings, like he was still trying to get the water off. Kaetar couldn't recall ever seeing Darius with his hair down, which was almost at his waist when it was wet and straight. Syrin's eyes seemed to focus on Loiya, and he sighed as if the new development annoyed him. Yes, it was a bit of a burden while Loiya recovered, but no one else made a point of it. They were not doomed if they stayed in the same place for a couple of days. "What do you think of it, Syrin?" Darius asked as he pulled his wet hair into a ponytail, and growled when it didn't work out.

"He will need to rest at the inn until he recovers; moving him around too much at this point will only hinder us," Syrin growled, baring his teeth. "Just great. Kaetar, I take it that you will pay for the accommodations?"

"Wait, wait, wait! Why are you making the kid pay?" Nicholas asked, looking quite alarmed. He was awfully quiet for someone who seemed so chatty before. Perhaps he was alarmed by Loiya's words from earlier, even though Kaetar could tell that Loiya didn't truly mean it. It was the fever that was talking rather than Loiya himself.

"That 'kid' is the Prince of Daein. He can afford to pay for the rooms while his bodyguard recovers. I suspected that they would have told on you on the road," the leader mumbled.

"It's fine, really. If Loiya needs rest, then he'll get the rest he needs," the prince answered. He didn't really mind paying anymore, as it was the reason why he bought it along in the first place. He had no intentions of sleeping in a tent if he could avoid it, as the few mornings he spent in a tent were uncomfortable; he was sure he slept on rocks the entire time. "Besides, I could use a nap."

"Darius, Ema, carry Loiya," Syrin ordered and began walking away. Kaetar forced himself to stand up, but not without a yawn, and caught up to Syrin. Nicholas insisted on helping the two laguz, so he was in the back with the other two, which just left Syrin and Kaetar to themselves. "Is he prone to illness?"

"I suppose. He had headaches back before he left Daein, but this is the first time he had a headache, or a fever for that matter, since we arrived in Crimea. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Hmm, you do know that if it does become a problem, then he's unfit to be a bodyguard, right?"

Kaetar didn't want to hear it. He didn't want a bodyguard that was too old to understand him – most adults forget what it's like to be his age – and that's why he had to keep Loiya. He would never let his father replace his friend; if he was fired, then Loiya wouldn't be allowed to come back unless he somehow become one of the Four Riders. The Four Riders were essentially his father's generals, and while Kaetar looked up to one of them as a father, they were more or less there because of tradition, much like how Begnion kept their Empress. To Kaetar, they didn't seem to be like the Four Riders of Ashnard or his father.

"We just need to figure out why he get headaches."

Syrin seemed mildly amused. "If Loiya himself doesn't know, then it will be impossible. It's up to him to tell us what occurs before he comes down with a headache, but the event may occur several hours before the headache. It's difficult to pinpoint a cause."

"He said it was before the fire! And he was worried about me because your stupid necklace showed me something disturbing!"

"And what would that be?"

"Blood," Kaetar muttered quietly.

"Blood? Is that all?" Syrin was just as unfazed as Soren! Was he really used to death as well? Did he really not care about anyone else's life?

"What do you mean 'is that all'? Someone was murdered in front of my eyes and there was blood everywhere! I've never seen anyone die. Heck, I can only eat meat if I completely push the fact that some animal had to die out of my head!" Kaetar shouted in a whisper, feeling the flare of anger. How dare Syrin be so inconsiderate!

"If you can't handle death, then you're in the wrong place. Soren, along with Ike and the rest of the Greil Mercenaries were involved in two major wars, as you probably know; the Mad King's War and the war between the Laguz Alliance and Begnion, and even then, there was a war between the Ashera and Yune. People died. Get over it. If I knew that you were a pampered prince, then I wouldn't have given it to you in the first place. 'Should've given it to a boy in rags," the leader answered with a shrug.

Despite the meaning of his words, Kaetar was slightly impressed that Syrin could rddle that off the top of his head so easily. Kaetar considered himself to be a amateur historian, especially since Micaiah and Sothe had a hand in it. In fact, Sothe had a hand in both wars is his sources were correct. But Syrin on the other hand, must be a full fledged historian – would he try so hard to protect it if he wasn't?

"How long did you study to know all of that?"

Syrin didn't answer. "There's the inn. Pay for the rooms and take a nap."

"But-"

"Loiya needs his rest, as do you." Syrin looked away. He was obvious changing the subject to avoid answering the question, but it was true nonetheless. He needed to pay for the rooms in order to use them, and quite honestly, he still needed the nap, especially after talking to Syrin. There was something about him that made him emotionally draining to talk to – and it had a lot to do with Syrin's perception on everything. He was cynical and as far as Kaetar could see, rarely expressed any emotion. He paid for the rooms quickly, a single for all of them, and proceed to claim one of the rooms for himself. He was surprised a small town even had an inn, though if people were on their way to Melior, he supposed they would stop here. "But it's not even a day's walk," he told himself as he threw himself on top of the bed.

He could hear shuffling in the room next to himself through the thin walls, and knew that Nicholas and the laguz had managed to carry an ill Loiya to his own room. Maybe he should have bought a double to have someone check up on him, but between himself and Nicholas, and even perhaps the inn staff, there would be someone to check on him constantly. He had a feeling that Nicholas wouldn't give up on him.

"Hey," a voice muttered at his door. Kaetar realized now that he forgot to close it, and found Nicholas in the door way. Kaetar nearly laughed at the coincidence, and motioned for Nicholas to come in. The mage closed the door behind him.

"Something wrong?"

"It's about Loiya. You know him better than I do... did he honestly mean to kill me?" Nichola asked with a frown that made Kaetar feel sorry for him. He could understand his excitement of meeting up with Loiya again. If Kaetar ever met any of his uncles, he had a feeling he would be the same, but Loiya refused to have any of it.

"No. I think he wants to you stop talking like you know him, but he wouldn't try killing you. It was the fever talking, if you get what I mean," the prince answered.

"And is it true about what Syrin said?"

"About me being the Prince of Daein? That's true, though I wished he didn't even mention it. Loiya's been my bodyguard for about two years now, I think. Everyone thinks he's too young, but I think he's doing alright," Kaetar answered with a yawn.

Nicholas also yawned, then smiled again. That was much better – Kaetar preferred the smile over the withdrawn and upset look on his face. He needed someone to balance out Syrin's personality, which seemed to be the exact opposite. "I think he'll do fine, but I think he also needs to relax more. Maybe all of the stress is what made him ill. Darius and Ema filled me on everything while you and Syrin and talking together up there."

Stress? Kaetar never considered that Loiya stressed himself sick. He seemed laid back yesterday, until he was escorting him to the inn that was, and he claimed to have stayed up all night making sure he was okay. He even tried to look back on the headaches that occurred before he left. The royal leaders of Tellius together in one place, with Kaetar's reputation – or lack of – on the line. Did that stress him out also?

"I'll talk to him about that," Kaetar answered. "I don't want my father to think he can't handle it and replace him."

"No, that wouldn't be good. Thank you for talking to me though, your highness," Nicholas said with a smirk, and promptly left the room, closing the door behind him. Kaetar merely shook his head and threw the blankets over his body.

Kaetar woke up around sundown, back to his old yet new schedule. He was tired, but more hungry than he was tired, and realized that he didn't eat anything that day. He either walked or slept the entire day, and left no room for food, and that bothered him. He stumbled out of bed, knowing that eating something was a necessity when Loiya was down with a fever; it would a lot worse if both Kaetar and his bodyguard were miserable and not feeling well because they neglected their bodies to some degree.

In the inn lobby, he found Darius fixing his hair again and Syrin reading some sort of paper. Kaetar could only guess that Ema and Nicholas were upstairs with Loiya.

"Up already? We thought you would sleep through the night," the raven mumbled through the ribbon that he kept in his mouth. He suddenly pulled out it with a free hand, wrapped it around his hair and tied it off, and smiled, most likely content with his hair. "Yes! It's was finally dry enough to tie it up! Do you know how early in the morning I have to bathe to have enough time to dry it?"

Syrin merely glanced up from his sheet. "Then cut it," he mumbled quietly.

"I'm hungry, that's why. I haven't had a bite to eat all day," Kaetar answered, steering the conversation back to the original path. He simply wasn't in the mood for more drama tonight, even if Darius was just going to get defensive about his hair – and Kaetar knew Darius was the type who would.

"Well, there's a small cafe down the street. It would be fun! Just the two of us!" Darius exclaimed with a smile.

"Wait, what about Syrin?" the prince asked, looking towards Syrin, who was still hiding behind his sheet. There was no way he wasn't done reading; the print that Kaetar could seen, but couldn't read, wasn't small, and there wasn't much of it.

"Syrin never eats with us. In fact, I don't think he even sleeps at night!"

"I eat and sleep when necessary."

"When you're on the verge of death?" Darius asked. Kaetar couldn't tell if he was serious or not, but either way, Syrin didn't comment. It did explain why the leader was thin; he barely ate, so there was no meat to put on his bones.

"Let's go now, Darius," Kaetar mumbled, not wanting to think about Syrin's health anymore. He didn't even want to think about Loiya until he was taken care of himself, which wouldn't normally happen – Loiya's health would usually be on his mind, especially now that he was so ill.

The cafe was at the end of street, squished between two stands, both which were closing up for the day. The cafe, however, was just beginning to see a lot of active – a lot for a small village anywhere. Kaetar supposed that anyone who wasn't at the bar would be at the cafe for all of their social night outs. "Where did you find this?" Kaetar asked as they stepped into the cafe. He felt as if he was entering another world; the cafe was bright, and was a lot bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. It had the cozy atmosphere of the libraries that he loved with the oak tables and chairs, and even a fire place but there was an air of sophistication. The place was professionally ran, and Kaetar could actually even consider hiring the waitresses for the palace.

"Impressive, huh? Let's get the spot by the fireplace!" Darius called out as he grabbed Kaetar's wrist, making the prince stumble after the raven.

"Hey, Darius, what did happen at back the chapel?" Kaetar suddenly asked as they sat down in their seats. There was a piece of paper with their menu and prices, written out by hand.

"Can't talk about it as long as we're in a busy place. But I'm dying to know more about- oh sorry. I'll have your finest cup of water," the raven smirked as the waitress covered at their table. She looked unamused, but turned towards Kaetar anyway.

"And I'll have the bread and fruit," Kaetar muttered, setting the piece of water down. The waitress took off and Kaetar shot Darius a confused looked. "Just water? Really?"

"Everyone aside from you has already eaten, so I don't need anymore. I'm only here because I thought you would lonely and I wanted to learn more about you; no one else knows that you were even up anyways," the raven shrugged.

"You... want to learn about me?" Kaetar asked slowly. No one ever took an interest in him; they were either to afraid to ask about him or they thought they knew everything that there was to know about him. Darius wasn't part of that group obviously, and the only thing the bird did know was that he was in Crimea, and that was something that Kaetar still couldn't figure out. News shouldn't have spread at all, unless the border cities heard something of it.

"Yeah! It's not everyday that you're travelling with royalty. I know how the bird laguz royals are, but I never had much contact with a beroc royal before you. They're too good for a mercenary, I suppose," Darius shrugged as the waitress came back with a bowl of assorted fruits,bread, and Darius' water. She left promptly, leaving them to their conversation.

"Well... what do you want to know about then? I'm a pretty broad subject," the prince mumbled, stabbing a fork into his fruit - he wasn't so accustomed to staying away from home yet to eat with his hands. Besides, fruits were juicy, and the juice was sticky, and he didn't want to have to deal with that all night.

"How about your family?"

"I have a father and a mother, and I'm an only child, but I don't have the best relationship with my father. I have two uncles and an aunt from my mother's side, but I've never met them. I just know of them," Kaetar answered, surprised at how much he was willing to talk. Was he that flattered that someone actually took an interest in him that he was just going to speak whatever came to his mind? He would have to be more careful than that out in public; he was comfortable around Darius and trusted him - even if Loiya didn't – but he couldn't trust everyone else in the bar. Besides, he first met the two laguz by not being careful, and while he didn't regret meeting the laguz, it still met that he should be careful.

"Why not? What's going?" Darius asked, coughing on his water. Kaetar didn't think it was because he was surprised, but rather because the water didn't go down the right way. "Wait, never mind, don't kill the mood. What about leaving Daein?"

"I left Daein to learn more about history. I can get Daein's history anywhere, but if it concerns any other country then... well, it's not too easy to find after that," the prince admitted. He wasn't ready to talk about the necklace yet – he found it awkward to talk about the fact that the necklace showed him things. He wasn't that comfortable yet.

"Daein never strikes me as the country that would embrace others that easily. I know several laguz who still cringe whenever Daein's brought up. They try to forgive and forget, I believe, but everyone still thinks that Daein likes to do nothing but cause wars and kill laguz," the raven mumbled, his head down towards the table. Kaetar was briefly reminded of Loiya; there was a serious Darius, which Kaetar met just now, and the Darius that would compete with Nicholas for being the perky, fun one of the group. It made him wonder if there was something in the past that Darius feels that he had to make up for now.

"Laguz live for a long time. I don't think there's anyone in Daein that ever participated in the wars or in the laguz hunts now – anyone that did would be dead. We have a new population I suppose, with a couple of laguz in the mix as well. We're peaceful now, but I guess the laguz will always see it differently," Kaetar answered. He was aware of the fact that Daein launched a surprise attack on Crimea about 153 years ago, and he was also aware of the fact that Daein got itself involved in a war that they didn't seem to belong in, but none of that made him think any less of Daein – he knew that it was different now. Daein wants nothing but to live in peace.

"What of Micaiah?" Darius asked suddenly, making Kaetar blink in surprise. Why was she brought up all of a sudden?

"What about her?"

"Wouldn't she still be alive?"

What was he even talking about? Unless she was a branded? He heard of the possibility, but he never considered it because it was a lot easier to assume that she, along with most of the people that fought for Daein after the war, was dead. "I... don't know. I heard that rumours and uncertainty from books, but I never really thought about it. Maybe she's still alive? Why would you ask though?"

"Well, she would be one who lived through the war, assuming she's still alive, and even in Daein though. It was just a thought though."

"How did you even know though? Most people only know her as the 'Silver-Haired Maiden'. It's just odd, is all," Kaetar mumbled, finishing the last of his fruit.

"Laguz can be old, and I for one, am older than I look, and because of that, I look my best. All jokes aside though, I was involved in the last war as soon as old enough to defend myself. I don't remember all of it... but that's a story for later," Darius mumbled quietly.

"I would have never thought of you to be in that war. What about Ema?" Now that Kaetar knew that Darius wasn't exactly who he thought he was – but then again, he didn't know who he thought Darius was – was Ema in the same boat as well? Darius merely shook his head.

"Nah, she's relatively young. She was born a little after the war. She's a little under a century, I believe. And if you're wandering how I know that, it's because she told me. Or rather, I bugged her to tell me. When I'm curious, I'm curious, darn it," Darius laughed. "You know though, I think we should go back. Somehow, you ended learning more about me than I learned about you. Funny how that worked."

It was kind of funny. Darius learned very little about him, and ended up talking about himself more, but Kaetar couldn't help but to feel comfortable about him. If he was willing to tell him stuff like that, then it wasn't hard to trust him. He didn't understand why Loiya didn't want to talk to him much, but he thought that Darius was alright. When he and Darius found themselves back upstairs in the inn, they found Syrin leaving Loiya's room with some sort of staff. "What is that?" Kaetar asked. It was the first question that popped into his head.

"It's a staff, Kaetar. A sleeping staff, actually. The inn had one handy."

"Why would the inn have a sleep staff?" Darius asked, folding his wings in tighter.

"In case there is a situation where someone has to be put to sleep. If someone's screaming in their sleep, it would be wise as a business to make sure they don't disturb the rest of the customers for long," Syrin answered, walking past them the staff in hand. Kaetar noted the stillness in his left arm, and the agitated look on Syrin's face as he walked by. He looked like he was in pain, and was trying hard not to show it, but then again, what did Kaetar know? After his meeting with Darius, he felt like it wasn't much. But then another thought came to him, and he immediately ran to Loiya's room. The fevered bodyguard was sleeping silently in his bed, but Nicholas looked like he was about to fall asleep where he stood, and Ema looked like she was just calming down.

"What happened?"

"His fever spiked. I don't know why, but he just started screaming and neither of us could wake him up or calm him down, so Syrin came in with a staff and just made him calm," the cat explained.

"Sleep staff, Ema, sleep staff. I think I'm going to bed now," the mage sighed as he walked out of the room.

"Good night!" Darius called after him. "Ema, how about you sleep as well? I don't think Loiya will need much attention now. Syrin can handle it if nothing else."

"I guess that's good enough," the cat replied as she stood up out of her seat and stretched her arms.

"I didn't think you would nurse him – or any beorc for that matter – back to health though. You don't seem to be the motherly type," the raven smirked.

"A male would never understand!" Ema shouted, kicking Darius in the shin before promptly leaving the room. Kaetar looked back at Loiya's face, a face that was oddly peaceful despite the pain that he must being suffering from. Kaetar staggered out of the room after Ema. He was tired also, but he knew he also had to write the latest vision in his notebook. He didn't know what it meant, but only that it had something to do with what happened around him. At least, it seemed to work that way, but visions also came to him randomly, and he had no reason to believe that it wouldn't happen again.

Every time though, he saw Ike; an Ike that once looked no bigger than Loiya, then grew to the bulk that killed the man in the fire, but nothing that he saw made Kaetar think of a god. Ike may have given someone a second chance, even if they didn't take it, but he was also able to turn around and strike his sword at the one he gave a chance to. He was a killing machine, and if that lack of hesitation didn't tell him, it was Ike's unfazed appearance that did. Was that what a God did? Does a God kill people in a battle and sleep quietly at night?

Maybe it was the Daein in Kaetar, but the prince failed to see what made Ike stand out to the Crimeans as a God.

I'm so sorry for tossing in new characters. I feel like it's a new character every chapter, but that will stop soon, I promise!
And review as well, please! I read them and I will always consider what you say, even if it's just a typo. Don't be shy!