CHAPTER ONE: LEADER OF THE BAND

Goddess Althena, Kyle prayed silently, I know you're not up there anymore, but just in case, I'm in a tough spot right now, and I need your help getting out of it. I figure it's the least you could do, considering I helped save your ass from Ghaleon a while back, so if you don't mind…

"Kyle!"

"Huh? What?"

"You'll have plenty of time to take a nap later! This is important!"

"Sorry," Kyle mumbled. Gee, thanks for nothing, lady.

Jessica glared at Kyle. "Look, Kyle, I know you couldn't possible care less about what color the flowers are, or who sits where. But I really need your help keeping everything organized."

Kyle groaned, and squirmed around in his chair, trying to get comfortable. He gazed at the huge piles of papers strewn all over the desk in Mel de Alkirk's study, and he shook his head in dismay. He was a man of many talents, and he hated to admit there was anything he wasn't capable of, but helping to plan a wedding was way out of his league.

The fact that it was his own wedding didn't make it any easier.

If it had been up to him, he and Jessica would have been married in a simple ceremony eight months ago, immediately following their victory over Ghaleon. But Jessica had insisted on waiting a year so that they could have the wedding on a certain date for some sentimental reason Kyle kept forgetting. Plus, she'd always dreamed of having one of those huge storybook weddings that took forever to plan. That would have been okay if she'd been willing to plan the whole thing herself, but she insisted on the two of them making a team effort.

"Do we really need to do this now, Jess? The wedding's four months away. We've got plenty of time."

"Yeah, I know, but I don't want to keep putting it off and then end up leaving it for the last minute. It'll take a while for some of these to arrive, so we need to give people enough time to reply and make their travel plans. Otherwise, I'll be stuck doing this at the last minute, and I'll get all stressed out – and you know what I'm like when I'm stressed out."

Kyle nodded. "I think I still have the scars from last time."

Jessica swatted him with a stack of papers. "No you don't! I cast a healing litany on you right away, didn't I?"

"Right away? You let me bleed all over the place for five minutes!"

"How can you forget where we're supposed to meet for dinner immediately after I tell you, and yet you can remember all these minor little incidents from Althena knows when?"

"Minor little…you call cutting me open 'a minor little incident?'"

"Ha! Listen to the big-shot hero whine about getting scratched by a girl! Maybe you're in the wrong line of work if you're gonna cry about it every time you get a dinky widdle booboo!"

Ouch. She really knows how to get somebody. Kyle forced himself to back down. Years of experience had taught him that there was no way he could out-argue Jessica. "All right, all right, you win."

"That's more like it! Now let's get back to work." She shot him a playful smile before picking up a quill pen and began writing.

The door to the study opened, and Master Mel's steward walked in with a tray of pastries and drinks. "I thought you two would like some breakfast. You've a long day ahead of you, it looks like."

Jessica smiled. "Thanks, Derek."

"My pleasure, miss. Anything I can do to help?"

Jessica shook her head. "We're okay here. We're just discussing who we're going to invite. And for the last time, please stop calling me 'miss!' Call me Jessica!"

Derek nodded. "Very well. Who's on the list so far?"

Jessica looked over her notes. "Let's see here…the chiefs of all the neighboring villages…Nash, Mia, and some other bigshots from the Magic Guild of Vane…Alex, Luna, and Nall, of course…and somehow, the great big lug here talked me into inviting a few of his old pals from Nanza. Oh, and Dad spoke to Uncle Jemas recently, and he might be able to make it. My cousins from Senmario and Karia...speaking of which, did you find out where my Aunt Beka and Aunt Lara live?"

"They moved to the city of Aryeh about ten years ago."

"Aryeh? That's pretty far away, isn't it?"

Derek shook his head. "Not that far. It's in the Arcadius Zone."

"That's not too bad. Only a week's travel by ship. I think that'll be all for now. Thanks for the help."

"Very good, my lady. And what about Master Kyle's family?"

Kyle's bored expression suddenly turned angry. "What about them?" he said in a curt tone.

Derek smiled nervously. "Won't you be inviting any of them to the wedding as well?"

"There's nobody to invite," Kyle snarled, a dangerous edge to his voice. "Happy now?"

Jessica placed her hand placatingly on Kyle's arm. "Can you give us a few minutes alone, Derek?" she said anxiously.

Derek turned slightly red, realizing he must have said something very wrong, and bowed. "Certainly. My apologies, sir. I meant no offense."

Kyle was still scowling, but he gave a stiff nod. "Don't worry about it."

Derek smiled nervously as he backed out of the room. Despite his usual laid-back demeanor, Kyle had a terribly short temper when provoked - one of the few things he had in common with Jessica. "In that case, I think I'd better leave the two of you alone. You look like you've got everything under control. Let me know if you need anything else."

As Derek hurried from the room, Jessica gave Kyle a concerned look. "Kyle? What's wrong?"

Kyle wanted to brush it off and say "nothing." It had been a long time since he thought about his family, let alone spoken of them, and he preferred it that way. It brought up too many painful memories. But Jessica knew that it wasn't "nothing," and she wouldn't leave him alone until she dragged it out of him, so he might as well get it over with.

"I dunno," he began uneasily. "This is gonna sound real petty…"

Jessica smirked. "Gee, like you've never acted like that before."

Kyle allowed himself a small chuckle, and the scowl left his face, although his expression was still bitter. "It's just that…all these people from your family are going to be there at our wedding, cheering you on. All your aunts and uncles and cousins, not to mention your dad. But who's going to be there for me? Nobody. Except for a few buddies and the other Heroes, I'm not going to have any family cheering me on, wishing me congratulations, stuff like that."

Jessica looked at him sadly. "This is about your dad, isn't it?" she said in a quiet voice.

Kyle nodded. "He liked you a lot, Jess. He really did. He was always telling me that if I ever settled down, he hoped it would be with you. I just wish he could be there at the wedding."

"And you wish you could have been there with him at the end."

"If I'd been by his side like I was supposed to be, it wouldn't have been the end."

Jessica gave Kyle a gentle hug. She knew how close Kyle had been with his father, the infamous Gryffin Jor-dan, mercenary, adventurer, and veteran of the Heresy War. Kyle had accompanied Gryffin on countless adventures ever since he was a young boy, risking life and limb alongside his father. She'd heard Gryffin boast many times about how proud it made him that his son fought by his side.

"Do you ever wonder if he ever made it to the Dragon's Graveyard?" Jessica asked gently.

Kyle shook his head. "Doesn't really matter, does it? Whether he found it or not, he's still gone. If he hasn't come back after four years, he's not coming back at all."

"But he still could have found it, and something might have happened on the way back."

Kyle was silent for a moment, as if he was considering the possibility, and he gave a small, wistful smile. "I'd like to think so. There was never any adventure he couldn't finish. I'd like to think that he made it to the Graveyard and died with a perfect record.

"But that's impossible," he said as the scowl returned to his face. "Nobody's ever made to the Graveyard, and probably nobody ever will."

Jessica stared silently at Kyle, uncertain about what to tell him. She remembered the grief she had felt when her own father, Governor Mel de Alkirk had been turned to stone by enchantment of Xenobia. But she had been able to channel that grief into determination to destroy the evil sorceress. And throughout that ordeal, Kyle had been there for her, and fought by her side. He had been the one to strike the final blow that finished off Xenobia once and for all, releasing her father from the sorceress's evil curse.

But there was no enemy responsible for Gryffin's death, no target for Kyle to take his anger out on. What could she do to ease Kyle's guilt, and help him the way he had helped her?

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head, and she smiled triumphantly. "I'll be back in a little while. I just remembered I've got an…errand to run."

Kyle looked at her curiously. "What kind of errand? I thought we were talking about wedding stuff."

"Yeah, but you were right – that can wait! Why don't you go ahead and take that nap you started, and I'll be back in a couple of hours. I didn't let you get much sleep last night anyway," she said with a coy smile.

Now Kyle was outright suspicious. "What are you up to, Jess?"

Jessica winked mischievously. "It's a surprise."

"What kind of surprise?"

"If I told you…"

"Yeah, yeah, it wouldn't be a surprise. C'mon, not even a hint?"

"Of course not."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "You know I hate it when you pull this, Jess! It drives me crazy!"

"But you're more fun when you're crazy! You'd be boring if you were normal." She gave him a small kiss on the cheek, and glided out of the room. Kyle watched her leave, looking very confused. As long as I live, I'll never understand that girl.

He stumbled out of his chair, stretching as he did so. He'd never liked sitting still for too long, unless it was in a bar. Sitting around in his work clothes didn't help much either. He examined them idly as he stretched. When he had started up his adventurer-for-hire business a few months ago, Jessica had designed a uniform for him to make him look more dignified and less like a "thug," as she had put it – a dark blue shirt, loose-fitting tan pants, silver-trimmed black boots and gloves, and a red sash for a belt. His black hair, while still long, was now neatly tied back in a ponytail. While he had to admit that it made him look even more dashing and heroic, it felt very confining on him at times. Still, he'd gotten used to wearing it on a regular basis.

He drew his trademark bastard sword from the weapons harness slung over his chair, a sixteenth birthday present from Jessica, and examined it idly, remembering with a grin what he had given her in return. Despite its massive weight, he could easily use it with one hand, leaving his left hand free to use his dagger. He always kept his weapons by his side, even here in Mel's mansion, mostly out of habit, although tradition did play some small role.

The grin faded a bit as he noticed the long straight blade had gotten a bit dull. Can't have that, can we? Not for the greatest swordsman on Lunar. He sat back down, took a piece of flint from his pouch, and carefully began to sharpen the blade, just as his father had taught him long ago.

His mind began to wander as he did so, other memories now rising to the surface…

-x-x-x-

Eleven years ago…

"Ready?"

Kyle nodded eagerly, his eyes gleaming with anticipation as his father stood before him, sword in hand.

Although Kyle was tall for an eight-year-old, his father towered over him. His wild black mane, scruffy beard, muscular bulk, and jet-black eyes were intimidating to most men, and certainly every child. It made Kyle proud that he was the only one who could look his father in the eye and not be afraid.

With a savage cry and astonishing speed, Gryffin slashed at him with his broadsword. Instead of parrying with his own sword, Kyle ducked and lunged. Gryffin quickly leaped back and blocked the lunge, and pressed the attack. Kyle was kept on the defensive, but he was able to block everything that his father threw at him, without batting an eye.

"All right, kid," Gryffin said, nodding approvingly. "You've shown me you know how to defend. Now show me you can attack!"

With an eager grin, Kyle slashed at Gryffin's legs. Gryffin's blade swept down, effortlessly parrying the attack. Kyle made four more strikes, each aimed at a different spot, but Gryffin blocked them all. Determined not to be outdone, Kyle kept advancing, using every attack he knew. While Gryffin defended himself rather easily, Kyle was now forcing him to stay on the defense.

Suddenly, Kyle noticed that his father was fighting one-handed now. Gryffin never did that. He always fought two-handed to make the most use of his considerable strength. And he would never deliberately put himself at a disadvantage, especially against his own son. So why would he do it? Unless…

Kyle figured it out just in time to block Gryffin's dagger, which had suddenly appeared in his father's other hand. Thinking Kyle was caught off-guard, Gryffin slashed at him with his sword, but with a desperate flick of the wrist, Kyle was able to deflect it. The two of them disengaged, and resumed the defensive stance.

"That's it," Gryffin said with an approving nod, tossing the dagger aside. "When you face an enemy, you need to pay attention to everything he's doing. Don't let your focus remain on one single area. That's the mistake most rookies make, and that's what gets them killed."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Dad, why are you telling me how to do something I just did?"

Gryffin shrugged. "I dunno. It just seems like a fatherly thing to do."

"But you cheated, pulling a dagger! That's not a 'fatherly' thing to do!"

"Hey, in the real world, you think everybody fights fair? If I'm gonna teach you to fight to win, I've gotta use every underhanded trick in the book on you, so that you can see them coming and know how to defend yourself against them. And use 'em yourself, if you have to. When it comes to a fight to the death, the only way to win is to be the only one to walk away alive. Got it?"

Kyle nodded. "Yeah. Can you teach me some more trick moves?"

Gryffin gave a crafty smile. "Of course. Take this one, for instance. You have to get really close to the other guy to make it work, though. Close enough that you can grab him."

"What is it?"

"I call it – the TICKLE ATTACK!"

And with that, he dropped his sword, grabbed Kyle and tackled him to the ground, tickling him mercilessly. Kyle howled with laughter, squirming in his fathers' arms and trying frantically to get away.

Finally, after both of them were worn out, the tickling stopped. Once Gryffin caught his breath, he said, "You're getting better, Kyle. You're finally moving away from the mechanics and the drills and listening to your instincts. And that's the most important thing about learning how to fight. When it comes to a real battle to the death, stuff like form and discipline pretty much goes out the window, and your instincts make all the difference. You have to respond with whatever your enemy throws at you in the heat of the moment."

He got up and wiped the sweat from his brow, clapping Kyle on the shoulder. "I'm getting hungry. Let's hit the tavern and get something to eat."

Kyle frowned. "But I wanna practice some more!"

"Never fight on an empty stomach, Kyle. We'll have plenty of time to train after lunch. Besides, you'll need to build your strength up if you wanna become as strong as me someday!"

Kyle flexed his arm muscles. "I'm strong! I can catch up to you in no time at all!"

Gryffin gave his son an affectionate smile. "I know you can. Some day, you'll probably become an even better fighter than I ever was."

Kyle sighed dispiritedly as he looked up at his father, suddenly feeling so small next to him. "Oh, come on. I can never be better than you."

Gryffin gave his son an encouraging smile. "Yes, you can. You've got a lot of potential and a lot of strength. You just need to stop holding yourself back."

"But Dad, I don't want to…" the words froze in Kyle's throat and he slumped onto the ground.

"Don't want to what?" Gryffin asked, looking puzzled.

Kyle shook his head. "Forget it. It's stupid."

"Come on, Kyle, I'm not just your father. I'm your pal. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Kyle looked uncomfortable, but he sat down. "Well…it's just that…you're so famous…and a hero an' all that. Everybody always talks about you because you're a better fighter than everyone else. If I become better than you, an' everyone starts talking about me, they'll forget about you."

"That's what you're worried about?" Gryffin said, moved by his son's words.

Kyle nodded. "You're the greatest, Dad. I don't want people to forget about you. An' I don't want you getting mad at me if I become more famous than you."

Gryffin looked at his son tenderly. "Kyle, nothing would make me prouder than you becoming even more famous than me! After everything I've done, I'm just a merc, a sword for hire. You can become so much more than that. You shouldn't hold yourself back from your true potential just because you're worried about overshadowing me. I've had my moment in the spotlight, and one day it'll be time for yours. Some day it'll be your turn to be the guy everyone talks about, to make yourself part of history. It's the way the world works, kid. Every generation's gotta have its own heroes."

Gryffin put his arm around Kyle's shoulder. "I want you to promise me something, Kyle. I want you to promise that you won't let anything get in the way of what you want, whatever that is. Not even me. Okay?"

Kyle cheered up a bit at these words. "Okay, Dad. I promise."

Gryffin clapped him on the shoulder. "That's my boy! Now, where do you wanna go eat?"

"Can we go to The Rusty Dagger? They got that all you can eat special on Wednesdays."

Gryffin frowned slightly. "That'll be expensive."

Kyle smirked at him. "I gotta build my strength up, remember?"

"All right, you little rascal," Gryffin said with a laugh as he tussled Kyle's hair. "But one of these days, that appetite of yours is gonna bankrupt me."

-x-x-x-

Kyle shook himself out of his daydreaming suddenly. He always felt uncomfortable with dredging up these old memories of his dad or feeling sentimental over the past. Doing so made him feel vulnerable, and he didn't like to be vulnerable. The only person he could ever trust with his feelings about his father was Jessica, and even that was hard sometimes.

How could she understand, anyway? After all, she never turned her back on her own father. She fought to the end to set him free. What had he done when Gryffin left? He stayed behind and abandoned his father to an unknown fate, all on account of an oath he'd never wanted to make.

I never should have kept that promise I made to you, Dad. I should've been there with you, where I belonged. Would you have found the Dragon's Graveyard and made it back alive if I'd been by your side? Would you be there when Jessica and I finally get married, like you always wanted?

He shrugged and put his newly sharpened sword back in its sheath. Why am I getting myself depressed over this? There's no point in moping around over a past I can't change.

He headed out of the room and made his way towards his quarters in Mel's mansion. He was in a weird mood, and he needed to sleep it off. Besides, it would keep him from wondering about where the hell Jessica was up to.