A/N: We're almost at the end…I just hope it's something everyone can be happy with.

"Dilandau? I'm sorry, but I don't know much about his past." He turned to face us; Dryden had taken us to him, and had brought Millerna with him. He had an audience. "But it seems certain that the Sorcerers are behind him."

"Sorcerers?" If possible, Allen looked even more incensed. I had actually been able to calm him down – or rather, Dryden had, once we reached his office. Now, however, that emotion was flooding him again.

"Zaibach scientists, who answer only to Dornkirk himself. Rumor has it that, in order to change a man's fate, they performed experiments on live subjects. They used kidnapped children."

I inhaled sharply, and Millerna whimpered a bit, her mouth hanging open. I stared at Folken, who looked only at Allen.

"They experimented on people?" Allen screamed at him, and he looked away, ashamed.

"Celena…Celena, she's…" And his step faltered, and Millerna made to step to him, but I took her hand, holding her back.

Dryden stepped over to him and held him around the waist, keeping him from falling to his knees.

"Come on, old man, let's get some air," he said to him, and gave Millerna a sad smile as he led the Caeli out of the room.

There was a moment of quiet, and Millerna's hand slipped from mine.

"I should…I should go make sure they're okay," she whispered, and left the room after her husband and her former love.

That left just Folken and I, and he had turned to stare back out the window into the darkness.

"Folken," I said, and stepped towards him. "Were you…did you?" I almost didn't want to hear the answer – what if he said yes? What if he said that he had experimented on people, on children, stolen from their families?

"No." He was quiet, and I stood there, relief flushing my blood.

"I was one of them, one of the Sorcerers. But some of their ideas," he trailed off.

I stepped to him, and stood on his left, looking out into the darkness. I reached my hand to his, and he took it, lacing my fingers with his own. He squeezed my hand once, and then just held it, and still he did not look at me.

So I watched the moons rise with him.

# # # # #

"Hitomi has returned."

"And King Van?" I already saw the answer in Allen's eyes.

"He sent her alone. She…she refused me, Eries."

I tilted my head in question. "Allen…I'm sorry."

He actually laughed, and I couldn't help but smile. It had been so long since I'd heard him laugh.

"It's…it's alright. I suppose…I suppose I saw Celena in her. I wanted to protect her," his voice softened.

"Allen, I saw it in your face. I know you loved her. It's alright to admit that."

He looked at me, and his mouth twitched with a smile. "You never let me deceive anyone, did you Eries? Not even myself."

"We were friends, Allen, it wouldn't've been fair."

My reply sobered him. "Were?"

I snorted softly. "Do you really think that survived?"

He looked away. "No. I suppose not. But…" He looked back up at me. "But I'm hoping you'll forgive me one day, Eries. I…I've missed you."

I met his eyes. "I forgave you a long time ago, Allen."

He gave me a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Eries. I'm sorry for…for everything."

I just nodded, and we stood there, staring at each other.

"I…should go," I said.

He bowed to me. "Thank you, Princess Eries."

I nodded. "Sir Allen."

And I left the room.

I went to look for Folken.

# # # # #

I found him in his laboratory, staring up at some great piece of machinery that they had dredged from the depths of the Vione.

"What is that?"

"Part of Dornkirk's machine. Fate alteration."

"Why does he do it? Why does he try to change what hasn't even happened yet?"

He turned to me and smiled. I was floated into the heavens by that smile. Years fell from his face, and I could almost see the boy I once knew. "You don't believe in fate, Princess?"

I looked up at the machine, and then at him. "I believe we create our own destiny. I don't at all like the idea that someone else is pulling the strings of my life."

He sighed. "Fate has many threads, Eries. Any one of many possible futures could fall into place. Dornkirk," he turned back to the machine. "Dornkirk means to direct which thread will fall into place."

"That's cheating."

"Maybe so."

"That girl, Hitomi Kanzaki, she told Millerna that she tried to make a certain future happen. And it brought Palas down around us, nearly killing her husband."

"I wish there had been another way. A way…without killing." I walked to him, and he turned to me, and enveloped me in his arms. I did not even flinch when the metal claws of his fingers laid on my dress, so thin I could feel them on my skin. "I wanted there to be a way, Eries. And Dornkirk, he said that one day, there would be no more. There would be peace." He paused. "Somehow, I became lost in his grand idea, that what we would bring to the world would be worth those that were…sacrificed…along the way."

I looked up at him, my chin on his chest. "But you're here now. Now you have a chance to stop what you helped start. There's still hope, Folken. We can win against Zaibach, against Dornkirk. We have the armies of Cesario, Basram, Ezgardia…all at our side."

He looked down at me, and then pulled from the embrace. I shivered once in the cooler air.

"More war. There is no war that will end all war, Eries. All it will do is…delay it for awhile while everyone licks their wounds. I am no longer so taken in that I can't see that all we're doing is stopping one man – there are still so many who would take his place – who would kill like he has, in the name of uniting Gaea and bringing an end to conflict."

"We can help now, Folken. We can stop it now. There is no telling what tomorrow will bring."

"You have such faith, Eries. I wish I had that."

"Then do! There is no reason you shouldn't!"

"Eries, I…I don't know what tomorrow will bring. But I know…I know that my part in all this will not go unpunished."

"Folken, you've been given asylum, amnesty for your assistance in all that we're doing to take down Zaibach!"

"That's not what I meant."

I furrowed my brow, confused. "Then what do you mean?"

His look was sad. He pulled his wrap from his shoulders, and then with a deft flick of the hands, unbuttoned the top of his uniform.

I inhaled sharply, unsure what he was doing.

"Folken, what?"

He closed his eyes, and then there was a great sound, and from his back sprouted two great, black, wings. Feathers fell around me, drifting lazily to the floor.

"Folken…what…how?"

"My mother, her Draconian blood runs in my veins." I stared, wide-eyed. I had known the rumors of his mother, but only in passing. I never gave them much thought.

"These…these should be white." He reached up, and one wing bent forward, and his good hand caressed the feathers.

"What…what does it mean that…that they're…black?"

"It means I'm dying, Eries."

A/N: Okay, so there were two things about Folken I wasn't sure how to address, or if I even could. First was the wings, and second was the catgirls. Obviously the catgirls never got any limelight here – I couldn't see how Eries ever would have seen them, or seen Folken with them, to know who they were to him. The wings…this one I debated for a really really long time. At least, considering how fast I'm writing this, it was a long time. Even knowing that his mother was Draconian, even in passing, everyone else seemed so shocked that Van inherited the trait – so I didn't see any reason why everyone and their mother would know that Folken did too. There was no reason to just go showing them off. But Eries being so hopeful for the future, and Folken finally beginning to trust someone, I felt he wouldn't deceive her. And this was the best way to get it across – the way she couldn't argue with him, if it were a "gut feeling".

I hope it makes sense to someone besides me.

Just two more chapters…(I think)