Why hullo thar! It's been a while, but I'm back. This chapter will take place after the "On That Night, 3 Years Ago" chapter. I've also switched that chapter to its proper placement...so yeah. Read and enjoy. Update: I fixed the long paragraphs so it's less of a hassle to read. Of course, something else you readers could do is copy and paste the chapter onto a word document and then read it on there. Especially if you configure the word processor page to resemble a book (i.e. the 'read' button on the top menu of 'microsoft word'), it is quite comfy and even more enjoyable. It's what I do anyway when I'm reading your stuff. Just a suggestion though. Perhaps you guys already do that...

Book 1 of Golden Sun

The Broken Seal

Post-Prelude Chapter 1

Mourning

Three years went by. The deaths of those lost in the Mt. Aleph Disaster were mourned by all in Vale, especially those who had lost loved ones to the boulder. Isaac had lost his father to the storm. He and his mother had wept for his passing, but took light in knowing that they still had each other. However, Isaac's mother still mourned her husband long after his death.

She was sometimes so unstable at the very memory of him that she would have to leave the room or a crowded street to go weep alone and uncontrollably for the loss of her love. Although he rarely saw it, Isaac sometimes came across his mother in one of her grief spells and would go to her and put his arms around her. He wouldn't say anything, he would just hold her and she'd hug him back tightly and eventually force herself to stop crying.

But no matter how many times Isaac tried to comfort his mother, he still awoke to the sound of her weeping and moaning into the late hours of the night. After so many times, he stopped going to her thinking that she'd probably want to be alone and that he wasn't comforting her in the long-term. It pained him to know that he could do nothing to ease his mother's turmoil, but he knew that the death of his father was something she would just have to get through with time.

Isaac himself was more worried for his mother's well being than being sad for the passing of his father. He often talked to his friend Garet about it not knowing who else to really talk to. Garet tried to console his friend, but wasn't much help with it and eventually just stuck to listening to Isaac vent. Unbeknownst to Isaac, his mother overheard him talking with Garet in his room on several occasions and decided that she needed to act stronger for her son, no matter how hard it would be.

The trouble was that Isaac reminded her of his father constantly; not by appearance, but by every little action he made and the way he looked at her. The eye colour was different, but every time Dora looked into her son's eyes, she saw Kyle staring right back at her with that stoic and trustingly innocent expression. She had to bite her lip so it would not begin to quiver and blink away the tears building up in her eyes.

After nearly a year however, she had gotten really good at covering up her sorrow, not just from her son, but from everyone in town. She wanted to appear strong for her son so that he wouldn't worry about her anymore. She wanted him to grow up as normal as possible without any angst or inner turmoil so that he could have a his own house and raise his own family and be a wonderful and chivalrous man.

So she bit her lip and blinked away her tears; she would suffer for her son as well as for herself and maybe one day, she wouldn't mourn for her husband. She would miss Kyle always, but perhaps one day she would be able to look at her son straight in the eyes and be able to smile genuinely and be proud of the man their son had grown up to be despite the absence of his father.

What helped her through her grief sometimes was when she thought of Jenna, Isaac and Garet's friend. She had lost her mother, father, and her brother, Felix. She didn't like to compare Jenna's tragedy to her own, but in reality, Jenna's was much worse. She didn't like it, but she reluctantly took heart in knowing that fact. Jenna had lost her whole family and been made an orphan.

Dora remembered grabbing her that night, when the Mt. Aleph Boulder fell, so that she wouldn't rush to her family who were too late to move out of the way of the oncoming wave that swept them and her husband down river. She remembered how Jenna screamed in utter despair after watching her family drown. Dora knew that Jenna would never be completely healed of that moment. She would have to live with that nightmare for the rest of her life.

The funeral for those who'd died that night was a long day of sorrow and misery. Somehow, though, Isaac, Dora, and the rest of Vale got through it. Jenna however, did not even attend the funeral; she was…everyone assumed…unwilling to let go and accept her family's fate.

As well as hearing Isaac and Garet talk about her, she also heard them talk about Jenna. Apparently, she never left her aunt and uncle's house who had compassionately taken her in as their adopted child. Isaac and Garet often visited her to see how she was doing. She wasn't doing well, she barely ate and she stayed in bed all day. The only times she ever got out of bed was when Isaac and Garet would go over, it seemed. She didn't want to leave her room, ever, despite the boys pleading to go outside. She barely talked to them, just quietly appreciated their company. They wouldn't stay long though, for they didn't know what else to do. But they visited her frequently and always tried to bring her a gift of some sort.

6 months after the disaster, they eventually succeeded in bringing her outside, if only for a few a moment. It was winter, and she complained that it was too cold, which indeed it was, but Jenna was just using that as an excuse. Everyday they went and brought her outside and each day she stayed out a little longer. After another 3 months, she actually began eating properly and staying outside with them for the whole day.

They continued to support her by bringing her newly grown flowers, which up until then, she would push away. But now they were the very thing that coaxed her into the daylight. Jenna would smell the flowers and feel an urge to go and smell more and see them growing on the trees and in the ground. For Spring had come and with it came healing and happiness. Isaac found out her favorite tree was the cherry blossom, so he searched the surrounding countryside with Garet until they found a whole glade of them, nothing but pink no matter where they looked. They brought Jenna there the next day and, well, since that day, she has returned to her former happy self again, for the most part...

Over the next few months, Isaac, Garet, and Jenna became the best of friends, the ultimate trio. They always designated Isaac as their leader and constantly went for hikes around Mt. Aleph and the Angaran Plains. They got to know the surrounding countryside like the back of their hands, and often led expeditions that lasted several days, which worried their parents (and guardians) sick. They always came back though, safe and sound, and with big smiles on their faces and treasures only they found special. They'd tell their adventures to the children of Vale and make up exciting dangers to aw and surprise them.

They all had summer birthdays too, so instead of throwing them individual birthdays, the town caught on to their superb trio-ism and threw them an all day blow out of a party in celebration of their 15th birthdays on Midsummer's Day. They could not have been happier, not just Isaac, Garet and Jenna, but the whole town as well.

Ever since the Mt. Aleph Disaster, the town seemed to feel as depressed and sorrowful as Jenna and Dora were. Other people had been lost in that storm, like the brave man who tried to help save Felix from the raging river. His body had been found down river a few days later. He left behind his elderly mother and father who grieved tremendously for him, but took pride in knowing he died courageously.

The whole town was devastated mentally by those who died and physically by the destructive force of the storm. But now in the Summer time, everything that had been damaged or destroyed had been rebuilt and the hearts that had been broken were healed, somewhat. It was a happy time for the people of Vale.

At the trio-birthday party, the Great Healer and mayor of Vale decided to say some words in memory of those who were lost on that fateful night 1 year ago. The speech was rather unavoidable for the anniversary of the disaster was a week away. It dampened everyone's spirits to remember that night, but they ended their speech with enthusiastic optimism and everyone felt light-hearted again and quite ready to celebrate.

Dora put on her happy face, even though she could have easily exploded into tears during the speech and continued throughout the party without any incident. Jenna however, felt all too familiar the depression she felt after that night. Isaac and Garet instantly cheered her up though, not letting her fall back into those dark days, and she commenced with the partying.

A week later the town held a memorial service on a very rainy day for those who died that night 1 year ago. Afterwords, Isaac and Dora visited the tombstone of Kyle. They had a few tears, said a few words, but all in all kept their visit tidy as there was a crowd and they didn't want to make scene.

Jenna, however, did make a scene. She couldn't help it.

Of all the people in Vale, she had lost the most people to that storm and it was the most important people in her life on top of it. She kept her gaze down at the ground in front of her feet as her aunt and uncle slowly led her to her family's gravestones. When they reached them, her knees buckled and she instantly broke out into irrepressible tears. A small crowd had gathered behind them to try and comfort the three mourners, but it only made things more awkward for the relatives and thereby, worse. She made such and emotional racket of moans and sobs that some of the people in the crowd actually began to cry, and then things weren't so awkward.

Regardless, however, Jenna was unaware of the crowd. To her, she was back on that night a year ago when her family died. The image of the wave washing them away kept replaying in her head and all she could think was that she was forever alone.

ALONE!

She stopped her crying at that point, or at least she stopped her moaning and sobs. Tears continued to stream down her face, but her gaze was vacant and her mouth was parted slightly. She looked dead to the world, off in her own world of pain and suffering. Her aunt put a hand on her shoulder and told her that it would be all right, but the half-assed attempt at comfort did nothing. Her aunt then beckoned her name a few times worryingly trying to bring her back.

No response.

Everyone began to worry that she was returning to her days of depression right before their very eyes and could do nothing to snap her out of it.

Isaac and Garet had been watching from behind the crowd through the spaces in between people's arms. Isaac knew that he had to act quickly to save her sanity and not let those months of happiness go to waste. He shoved his way through the crowd, Garet behind him. They said her name a few times trying to get her attention. Isaac got on his knees, and handling the sides of her face gently, brought her eyes to his. Her eyelids were half shut and her gaze was leagues away.

"Jenna!" he said with slight desperation. "Jenna, snap out of it. Please, you're scaring us." Her eyes shifted upwards to his at the sound of his voice. "Jenna… I'm here now…and Garet too. And your uncle and your aunt and my mom and everyone is here. You aren't alone, Jenna…you never were." It seemed Isaac knew just the right words to say. Jenna's eyes slowly came back to the present and focused on Isaac's. Her lips began to quiver and her eyebrows furrowed together. New tears erupted from her nearly-clenched-shut eyes.

"Isaac…" she murmured quietly and hiccuped a sob. She leaned her head into his soaked shoulder, leaving her arms to dangle at her sides. Isaac, at the same time, put his arms around her and held her tightly against him.

"It's going to be OK now," he whispered in her ear. "It's going to be OK…" Jenna shook like a cold, wet puppy against Isaac's body as she whimpered uncontainable sobs. Her aunt and uncle bent down to them and joined in a group hug. She shifted to her aunt and uncle and put her arms around them now; Isaac had done his part. Jenna continued to cry and embrace her foster parents, but thought, in the back of her mind, that she wanted to thank Isaac more personally, but the time wasn't right. A moment later they stood up together and slowly walked away from the scene holding each other.

The crowd and Isaac watched them go and then, after another shorter moment, people began to drift away from the scene feeling relieved that Jenna came back to the light again, and quite happy to get on with their Sol-day. It was a day of leisure in the town of Vale, and with it raining, it would be a day of staying inside and enjoying an indoor hobby. Isaac stood up and parted from Garet as the red-head went to his family. Isaac spotted his mother and slopped through the muddy grass to her. She had been watching the whole scene from the side.

"You know, Isaac, that was very kind what you did for Jenna." She put her hand on his shoulder and looked softly at his eyes. Isaac smiled bashfully and looked away.

"Thanks mom…" he said sheepishly, his cheeks turning red.

"You are becoming more and more like your father with each passing day." Dora said thoughtfully with a mixture of sorrow and happy pride. Isaac looked back to his mother with a slightly saddened look on his face and then smiled and looked away again.

"Yeah…"

"All right, Isaac," she said trying to forget the past for the moment. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Let's go warm up by the fire, shall we? And make some hot chocolate." Isaac nodded at her and then they walked through the gray drizzle back to their house.

So tell me what you think. And I'll have more some day soon...but not too soon. Update: I hope that's a little better with the paragraphs.

Read on! and Review!

- The Lion of the West