Chapter 3
Yuja: OK. Here's chapter 3. And for the record, it didn't wait 2 years like Star of Venus has.
Isaac: Which isn't saying much for future chapters.
Yuja: You really have a death wish, don't you?
Dracobolt – I'm thinking this is the chapter where the real Garet/Jenna begins. One warning for Garet: beware the older brother.
Sorceress Sakura – Thanks for e-mailing that title idea. I agree that "Choices" isn't the best title, but it does give me more to work with.
Fjord Cannon – n.n; You guys really aren't going to give me a break until I start working on SoV again, are you? Don't worry, I will finish TNK. My cousins have been visiting for the past two weeks, so I just haven't been able to write much.
fuzzy blob of doom – Are the others Adepts too? That's a good question. I know the answer to that, but now that it's been asked, I'm not telling. The story will just have to do the talking.
Isaac: In other words, she's got an idea of what she wants, but she's still debating on how this story should end.
Yuja: You know, sometimes I wonder why I hired you as a muse.
Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun. Happy? Good. And, yes, I am stalling at making up first names for the adult Jerras and other characters in this story.
(OMG! This quick edit thing on the site is actually letting me keep my dash breaks again! But it won't let me do double "!")
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Despite the laws of the village, Garet kept his word, and Isaac's presence remained unknown to the public. Garet and Jenna eventually worked out their differences after more than a week of Felix's nagging and Isaac's less than innocent actions that just happened to force the two to be near each other. To further prove his sincerity, Garet began helping to buy food and other items for Isaac and his home, sometimes slipping off to the cave with the finer treats that were the advantage of being the Mayor's grandson. Foreign candies, cheese, bread, and silk were only a few of the rewards.
However, no matter how well the young future leader befriended the Adept, the fact remained that Garet was the grandson of the Mayor of Vale, and he would one day inherit the position of power from his own father. Garet was already beginning to realize the responsibilities he would bear as mayor, and one such burden was upholding the laws.
Shortly after Garet's discovery of Isaac, Mayor Jerra had begun to summon Garet to be more and more involved in several business and political affairs. Whenever a foreign leader or representative visited, Garet was expected to be present at any and all meetings, instructed to take mental notes of how to handle different situations. Mr. Jerra, Garet's father, was also attending the meetings as he had since his coming of age, and would often give his son extra advice if Garet seemed somewhat confused after a conference.
When merchant caravans would pass through, the owner would always offer a full array of samples to the Mayor and his family, a polite gesture in any village or town. It was from the sample cases that Garet could easily take bits and pieces of fine quality goods to his friends, though he could not fully get over the sense of guilt in betraying his own family and people. Though Isaac could not talk and relied almost completely on pen and paper for communication, Garet felt as though the Adept realized Garet's unease and sacrifice with every visit.
Almost three weeks later, Garet's nerves had begun to ease, and he began to thoroughly enjoy himself during visits to Isaac's cave. The vines no longer hindered him, and he wondered if Isaac's Psynergy, which he had since learned to be of Venus origins, somehow made the overgrowth repel potential enemies. Only once had Garet entered the cavern to find Jenna lecturing Isaac about venturing too far from his cave. Apparently, he had snuck into marketplace again, though no one could really be certain of why he continued to take such risks. Felix assumed it was due to restlessness caused by living in a cave away from civilization. Garet still felt the pains of keeping such a secret from his family, but the anxiety had dulled to a mere annoyance. That is, until a new foreign representative arrived.
It was a dreary day, and Garet had once again survived his sister's ranting, though he now owed her a new fence segment. How was he supposed to know the board he had been leaning on was not only coming loose, but was rotting where some termites had found a way inside? That fall backwards into a pile of splintered wood hadn't felt exactly pleasant on his behalf, yet he was the one being fined as usual. Around noon, word arrived of an approaching carriage that bore the Mayor of Madra and his father.
Madra's Mayor was a young man in his middle to late twenties, being the grandson of the previous mayor, a withering man who also accompanied him and now carried the title of Madra's Elder. The position of power had skipped a generation when the elder mayor failed to have a son of his own, and so the title fell straight to his oldest daughter's son. Kay, fulfilling her duty as the granddaughter of the Mayor of Vale, greeted the guests with her mother, leading them into the room that was reserved for such meetings before rushing off for refreshments.
"Gentlemen!" exclaimed Mayor Jerra as he entered the room. It was amazing how quickly his demeanor changed from casual around his family to formal around others. "Welcome to Vale. I hope your travels were not too uncomfortable in this foul weather. Please, be seated. My house is yours for however long you should stay, so please, make yourselves comfortable."
"This is paradise compared to the storms we have endured since leaving Madra," replied the Mayor of Madra as the men were seated. Apparently this mayor had the same talent for formal discussion. The two mayors sat opposite to each other in the larger center chairs. Mr. Jerra sat to Mayor Jerra's left, across from Madra's Elder, and Garet sat to his father's left.
Kay returned carrying a tray of five glasses and a pitcher of water. Once she had gone to each seat, filling a glass and placing it beside the chair's occupant, she left the pitcher near her grandfather and took her seat near the door at the end of the room. Though he had seen this happen before, Garet watched his sister, noticing how uncharacteristically silent she was and knowing that his mother was sitting similarly just outside of the closed door.
No matter how many times he watched this, Garet felt an odd sensation each time, though he never knew how to explain it. Part of him seemed to be in awe that Kay could carry out the task so dutifully, and part seemed to be shocked that Kay would carry out the task so dutifully, without complaint of being reduced almost to a mere servant in her own house. Garet shook off the feeling, dismissing it as the result of spending too much time around rowdy girls such as Kay and Jenna, yet he couldn't imagine Jenna waiting on a bunch of men and sitting silently in a corner, almost forgotten, until called on again. If Jenna were ever to marry a man who expected such behavior from her, Garet could already see Felix tearing after his brother-in-law in a heated rage. Not a pretty image.
"Well, gentlemen, I know you are surely fatigued after such a journey," began Mayor Jerra, "so if you insist on holding assembly so soon, I am sure you wish to get this whole affair over with so you may retire for the evening."
"You always had a knack for getting straight to the point, Jerra," said the Elder with a grin. "It has been too long since we last met. Unfortunately, we meet now on the same issues that plagued us back then."
"It has been recently brought to our attention of the possible threat of Adepts to the citizens of Madra," stated the young mayor. "Several disasters have befallen our town this year. Fishing yields have rapidly decreased, farming has proven worthless, and the bridge connecting Indra with Osenia has been destroyed, halting the trade caravans from Alhafra. Needless to say, our economy has greatly suffered. Three people have already been charged of Adept heritage and possible signs of Psynergy. However, as you know, non-Adepts are unable to see raw Psynergy, so without proper evidence I am afraid we are simply performing a superstitious witch hunt."
Mayor Jerra listened intently to the news. It had been many years indeed since the last conviction of an Adept, and superstition always seemed to play a powerful hand in such matters. Garet resisted the urge to squirm in his chair, though his mind continued to drift to a small cavern hidden behind thick vines and down a long tunnel.
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More than two hours later, the five men emerged from the conference room, Mayor Jerra having decided that his guests should have a filling meal before continuing the meeting that evening. Garet hesitated when following the adults out of the room, watching as Kay waited for the four older men to exit before moving forward and gathering the five glasses again. Typical Kay; she never waited around for her little brother before getting to work. While the visitors were directed towards the dining room and Mrs. Jerra hurried for the kitchens, Garet used the chance to slip away and out of the house.
"It's about time you got out of there," came a voice to his left. Looking around he saw Jenna leaning against the house a short distance away. "What's Madra want? It must be important for both mayor and elder to travel all this way."
Garet looked away, unable to make eye contact with his friend after all he had heard in the meeting. Adepts are nothing but an abomination on Weyard that must be dealt with promptly and swiftly. We cannot afford another uprising. Madra's Elder had said that, and Garet could not forget the determined way in which his own father and grandfather had agreed. The would-be leader could not understand why the people hated Adepts so much.
"Garet?" The boy looked briefly back at her before he turned away again and silently began walking down the trail away from his house. "Garet, what's the matter? What happened?" Jenna was starting to get concerned. "That meeting was about Adepts, wasn't it?"
"How did you know?"
"Your mother told me. I've been waiting almost an hour for you. She said those two from Madra had just arrived and wanted an immediate meeting. She didn't know much about what they are here for, but one of the servants that came with them said that Madra was having possible Adept problems again. Is that true?"
"Jenna-."
"Is it?"
Garet sighed, hesitating before nodding. "There have been problems, and of course everything is being blamed on the Adepts. Do we really have to talk about this-?"
"What do they plan on doing? What have they already done?"
"There have been three arrests," answered Garet reluctantly. "Really, Jenna, can we just change the subject?" He said the last sentence with more force than he had intended, pulling forward and momentarily leaving Jenna behind. They crossed the bridge over the river and headed towards Kraden's house on the edge of Vale. Jenna followed in silence, not sure what exactly to say. She had never seen Garet act like this before.
"You wouldn't happen to have Kraden's key on you right now, would you?" Jenna jumped at the question, but produced the key from a pocket nonetheless. "Good. Since he's still away, you don't mind if we stop there do you?" Jenna shook her head and muttered a small "no." It only took a few minutes to reach the vacant house, but to the two silent teenagers it was an eternity before Jenna was unlocking the door and following Garet into the dining area.
"D-Do you want something to drink? I heard that cold water can help you unwind," she said quickly, not sure what else to do as she stood across from him at the dining table.
Garet sighed as he slumped into one of the chairs. "No thanks. I'm…I'm not thirsty."
"Something to eat?"
"No thank you." Kay didn't have a choice when it came to waiting on guests, but he wasn't about to ask someone else to do the same.
Jenna stared down at her friend. "Garet, what happened in that meeting? This isn't like you-."
"Just keep Isaac away from the marketplace for a while," he said, cutting her off. He didn't mean to be rude, but he was starting to feel more and more like just going home to bed rather than sit here and talk to Jenna about Adepts in nearby continents. A thought nagged him at the back of his mind, a decision he had made during the meeting, but one that he was hesitant to carry out. He tried to erase the idea, but something told him that it had to be done.
"Garet, quit changing the subject and tell me what happened."
Garet ran a hand through his orange spiky hair. "Remember when Isaac was first sent into exile?"
"Like it was yesterday," was the quiet reply before Jenna took a seat as well.
"I finally remembered it myself. Grandpa was ill that year. Each time there was a complaint or protest, he would be in bed the entire next day. Some of the villagers said that Isaac was just a kid and couldn't be responsible for all the bad things that had happened."
"But everyone else believed he was evil in disguise; just another demon that needed to be destroyed," Jenna added sadly. "They blamed him for everything from the poor crop yields to the drought."
"He had been staying with the Elder at the sanctum back then, hadn't he? But…even our Elder couldn't convince the village about Isaac."
Jenna nodded solemnly. "I don't think the Elder has ever really smiled since the day they sent Isaac away. Felix and I found him a few months later in the woods. We've been taking care of him since then." They sat in silence for a few moments. "Garet? Isaac wasn't mentioned at the meeting, was he?" Garet shook his head, still refusing to make eye contact with her. "Then why are you acting like this?"
The decision once again poked its way into Garet's mind, and he liked the idea just as little as ever, but it had to be done, for everyone's sake. "I'm sorry Jenna, but I think I need to stop coming to visit you three at the cave."
"Garet, what are you-?"
"I think it would be better for all of us if…if we stopped…being friends." Jenna leaned back in her chair, unable to believe what she was hearing. Garet didn't listen to the waves of angry protesting that came from the girl shortly after. "I'm sorry. I'm going to be mayor of this village after my dad, and then it will be my job to uphold the laws. I can't do my job if I'm friends with one of the people I'm supposed to be banishing!"
"And just what does that have to do with me?" Jenna yelled, now back to standing. "What about me? What about Felix? How can you just throw both relationships out the window like this?"
"Jenna, please-."
"No! If you don't want to be friends anymore just because of this, then I'm going to give you a better reason than that to hate me!" Tears were starting to well up in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away.
"I don't hate you-." Geez, he hated it when she cried.
"But you can just throw us all away?" She gave a short, forced laugh. "Oh that makes perfect sense. So, what then? Are we holding you back? Are we keeping you from being the fine, just leader that your granddaddy is-?"
Garet suddenly stood as well, knocking his chair back with a loud scrape. "It's not like that! I just…I just…" He hesitated again before finishing, deciding to stare at his hands on the table rather than her. "I just don't want to see the three of you get hurt…especially not by me." With that, he left the house and went home without looking back. He didn't even slow as he passed the kitchen on his way to his room when Mrs. Jerra offered him a late lunch.
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"Garet, Felix is working in the garden today."
"That's great."
"Is Jenna not coming today?
"Probably not."
"Garet, would you unlock this door already and quit with this attitude?" There was a moment's silence before the clicking of a lock was heard and Garet opened his bedroom door to reveal his sister. "Spill it. What's the matter with you lately?"
"Is that all you came for, Kay?"
"Did you two argue or something?"
"That's none of your business."
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Jenna stared up at the second floor window she knew was Garet's. Three days had passed since their argument at Kraden's, and Garet had not yet failed in avoiding her. Madra's mayor had left the day before with a caravan that would take supplies to the community in need. His father would follow at a later time, deciding that he and Mayor Jerra had years of friendly catching up to do, as well as to further discuss the options for dealing with Madra's Adepts. Yet, even when she had seen Garet outside with his family to see off the young official, he had simply ignored her presence at the edge of the property.
"If you're so worried, why don't you just go up and talk to him?" asked Felix in an almost bored fashion as he passed with a wheelbarrow of soil.
Jenna gave her brother a quick glare. "Why should I worry about that jerk? He's the one who ditched us."
Felix just shrugged nonchalantly. "If you say so."
Jenna waited for him to turn the corner of the house before looking up again. "Garet…What was said that made you like this?" Almost as though in response her question, she saw the curtains twitch a few moments later and Garet's face peered out at the horizon. Look away, Jenna. Look away. Everything in her screamed to not let him see her staring in his direction, but all communications between her mind and body seemed at a temporary standstill.
For a while, Garet just looked out at the view of the plaza his room's position offered. His gaze then lowered to the garden below, scanning it for any signs of the gardener Felix or even…
Jenna jumped when he looked straight at her. For a moment, all they did was stare at each other before Garet broke the connection, glancing at the windowsill halfheartedly before disappearing again, the curtain falling back in place. No. No sooner had Garet left the window had Kay then appeared, a curious look on her face. Spotting Jenna, Kay paused before grinning, waving quickly, and turning back to talk to her brother in the room and disappearing as well shortly after.
That did it. If his big sister was already moving in on him, then Jenna wasn't going to let Kay beat her by too much time. If anything, she wanted to be sure that there would still be enough Garet after Kay was through with him to let Jenna have at him.
At the end of the house, Felix watched his sister stomp off for the front door, a small smile pulling at his mouth. "About time." He glanced up at Garet's window. "You had just better not make her cry again, Garet. I don't care who you are or what your family is when it comes to my sister." With that quiet warning, Felix returned to his work.
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"Jenna, dear, are you here to see Garet?" asked Mrs. Jerra, emerging from the kitchen when Jenna entered the house. "I'm afraid he isn't quite himself lately. Maybe you should try again later."
"It's okay, Mom," said Kay, coming down the stairs. She grinned at Jenna. "So you want a shot at him too, huh?" She waved a hand back at the stairs as she stepped aside. "I don't know exactly what happened between you two, but knowing Garet, I'm sure it's his fault, so feel free to make him sorry for it."
Jenna nodded, returning the smile and suddenly feeling better than she had for the past few days. "Thanks Kay." She hurried past Kay and up the stairs to the second floor, but she could still hear the mother and daughter's last remarks below.
"Kay, do you really think Garet is in the mood for visitors?"
"Don't worry, Mom. They just have some issues to resolve. I think Garet will be just fine after today."
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Garet was sitting on the edge of his bed. Kay had left so suddenly after seeing Jenna that it made him feel uneasy. He couldn't deny that Kay had a natural talent when it came to working with people, but sometimes he doubted the method to her madness. There was a knock at the door, which Kay had forcefully instructed him not to lock again until she came back.
"Would you give it a rest already, Kay?" He fell back on his bed, preparing for more nagging.
"I'm not Kay." Garet sat bolt upright at the voice. A little too fast, he realized, when his vision seemed to keep going without him. Jenna stepped further into the room, closing the door behind her. "Hope you don't mind if I didn't wait for your permission to enter." Garet practically jumped to his feet. He could tell from her voice in an instant; Jenna was ticked. Not that he could blame her, but still, a ticked Jenna was a dangerous thing. He shook his head, not daring to speak yet for fear of provoking her.
There was a period of tense silence before Jenna finally spoke first. "We've missed you at the…hangout." Garet took the hint: she didn't want to talk openly in any part of this house about Isaac. Garet continued to stand in silence. "So," said Jenna with a deep breath, "why did you do it?"
Garet looked at the floor she was standing on. "I already told you-."
"I know what you said then. I want to know what you say now. Are you still determined to ignore us?" Garet didn't respond. "I know I keep asking you this, but you still haven't answered me. What happened in that meeting?"
Garet shook his head. "Can't you just be glad you aren't part of this family?"
"I guess not. I guess I'm just stubborn that way."
"Jenna-."
"Would you just answer my question already?" she said shortly. "What did you mean, when you said you didn't want to hurt us?"
Garet sighed and sat back down on the edge of his bed. "Isn't it obvious?"
"Then explain it to me like you would to a child, if you have too, just as long as you explain what was meant by it-!"
Garet suddenly stood again, glaring at her angrily. "You just don't give up, do you?"
Jenna glared back. "At least I don't turn my back on those who trust me."
"Fine. So I guess I'm a backstabber now. Why don't you just go home and deal with it already? I'm sure your brother, Mr. Serious, already has!" He crossed his arms and turned his back to her.
Jenna made a fist, barely resisting the urge to hit him in the back of the head. After a few moments of tense silence, she let her hand fall back to her side. "You know what? I was wrong about you." Her voice cracked slightly. "I thought you were a nice guy, someone we could look forward to becoming the leader of this village. Now I see…" she lowered her voice, "you're nothing but an oafish fake." Garet didn't even look back as she left, though he winced when she slammed the door behind her. He stood facing the wall, inwardly kicking himself yet glad that it was over and that it had worked.
"Garet?" Kay poked her head in. "Garet, Jenna looked upset. Is everything okay?"
Garet still didn't turn around, but he lowered his head. "Yeah, Kay. Everything's just how it has to be."
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Felix turned at the sound of the front door opening and a clearly unhappy Jenna emerging. Uh oh. As she approached her older brother, he could see how hard she was fighting back more tears. Garet, you are dead.
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"Garet, sweetie! Dinner!"
Garet slowly made his way down the stairs to the dining room that evening, the first time he had left his room since his argument with Jenna. Mrs. Jerra was hurriedly carrying dishes of various meats and vegetables from the kitchen to the table. Garet sat gloomily in his seat for a few seconds before looking around. "Where's Dad and Grandpa?"
"Meeting, darling," answered his mother, reemerging from the kitchen with a large bowl of mashed potatoes. "The marketplace guards caught a lowly thief trying to steal from Mr. Carlson's stock today. Oh, Kay, I'll get that. You just take a seat."
"Why anyone would try to steal armor is beyond me," added Kay as she obeyed, sitting next to Garet. "Especially from that shop."
"Then why would the guards bring this thief to Grandpa instead of just taking him straight to jail?"
"That's the good part," said Kay as she reached for a biscuit. "Apparently, while this guy was admitting to other thefts, he accidentally let slip that he was the guy that tried to rob you."
Garet froze in his seat. If what Kay said was true, then that bandit knew about Isaac. Garet didn't hear his mother and sister as he rose and moved out of the room and to the conference room. He didn't even knock before entering.
"-and considering your past record, I doubt that there would be much for you to bargain for- Oh, yes, Garet?" Garet stood stiffly in the doorway, everyone now staring at him. Almost everyone.
"So, dis is da kid who doesn' watch his possessions well enough." The thief's head turned up at the boy slowly. It only took a single glance and Garet was sure: this was the guy who had robbed him and who Isaac had used his Psynergy on to stop. His clothes were dirty and his hair was brown and matted. One of the forest dwelling thieves that liked to rob towns and ambush carriages, no doubt. "It was an easy job. He ain't that tough to pick out-."
"Hold your tongue," demanded one of the guards on either side of him, shoving the thief's shoulder and fingering the hilt of his sword. The thief gave the guard a sly glance and sneered, but said nothing more.
Mayor Jerra gave the criminal an irritated look before he turned to his grandson. "Garet, is this the man who tried to rob you at the market?" Garet nodded quickly. "Then is there something else I can help you with, or have you seen what you needed?"
"No, sir. That was all." Garet bowed his head politely and left. Mayor Jerra waited for Garet to leave before turning back to the bandit.
"As I was saying, I doubt there is anything you could use in an attempt to bargain your way to a lesser sentence."
The crook sat calmly, running a finger along the grain of the wood table. "Nothing, eh? I heard the Mayor of Madra paid a li'l visit 'ere a few days ago. There's been talk of a slight problem with certain…misfits...as of late."
Mayor Jerra straightened as the man paused, most likely to add a little dramatic effect. "Continue."
The criminal took a deep breath as though hesitant to share what he was thinking. "Well, bein' da mayor as you are, you wouldn' be wantin' any o' that dirt soiling the reputation of this pretty li'l town, now would you?"
Mayor Jerra couldn't resist showing some interest. "What are you proposing?"
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Yuja: Finally. After a 2 week delay (complete with my two cousins' sibling rivalries, the typical annoying little brother attitude of the younger one, and late-night anime), I have managed to finish another chapter. And once again, all title suggestions would be highly welcomed. Special thanks to Sorceress Sakura for her help.
And before anyone starts asking and I wind up answering the same question every chapter like I seem to be doing with my other story, THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE! The only pairing is Garet/Jenna, that is not changing, and it is nothing more than basically the kind of relationship that you see in this chapter…but with a little less arguing later. Actually, this was a little more than the hinting I originally intended. There will be no fluff since enough otherwise good stories have been ruined with the mess.
Jenna: She's not kidding. She only watched the movies "Titanic" and "Pearl Harbor" when her family first bought them.