Wow it's been forever since I updated this one! Hope you are enjoying, review if you are!

This Is Who I Am

Chapter 6

The Feywood was hard to navigate at the best of times, but it wasn't helping matters that Fran seemed to have no idea where she was going. The three of them had been walking for hours, and Vaan couldn't tell if they were going in circles or if everything just looked the same in the mist.

"Are you sure this thing even exists?" asked Penelo, who had been lagging behind for the past hour.

Fran shook her head, "No, but I have no reason to believe he does not."

"Didn't the story or rumor or whatever it was you heard about this guy from say anything about where to find him?" asked Vaan.

Fran did not speak for several minutes, "By a pond which shows no reflection there is a tree. The tree is his home."

Vaan sighed, "So we're looking for a tree house by a pond?"

Fran said nothing. She was starting to worry Vaan. He'd only agreed to go on this stupid search because Balthier had begged him to, and if there was a chance he could save him then he was all for it, but he had a suspicion that he was just off wondering the Feywood missing the last few months he and Balthier had together.

"You've made a mess out of everything!," yelled Cid, "We would have already had the princess had you not gotten that fool of a pirate involved!"

Seraph put his hands behind his head and reclined back in against the stone wall of the Pharos, "They travel together, how could I not get him involved?"

"You were supposed to kidnap the princess from the Strahl! She'd be dead by now you idiot if you'd done your job! And you'd have the throne!"

"Kidnapping the boy did what it was supposed to," argued Seraph, "It brought him…the princess I mean…right to us."

"There was no reason to kidnap a dirty little orphan! Your orders were to kidnap and kill your sister! Now we have to start from the beginning again!"

"If I know Ffamran," said Seraph, "he'll come to us. He won't let this go."

Cid cursed under his breath, "This is not about the two of you and some love spat! I found you to help me gain control of Dalmasca once I found out who you were, not to organize a heartfelt reunion between you two!"

"Just think of how much control you'd have though," Seraph laughed, "If I was king and your son sat beside me on the throne."

Cid turned around to face him, the wheels in his head turning, "And how do you propose we accomplish this? He will not come along willingly."

Seraph's smile faded, "Leave that to me."

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" asked Basch as Balthier landed the Strahl.

Balthier didn't bother turning around to face him, "You know the answer to that."

"Just making sure," he said, tightening his glove with his teeth, "There's no turning back after this. One of you has to die in there."

Balthier smiled, "I agree, but it won't be me."

The three of them grabbed their weapons, and Balthier traded his gun for his favorite pole, the whale whisker. He wanted to be able to look into Seraph's eyes when he killed him. Shaking off the creeping headache that never seemed to leave him now, he led his two companions out of the Strahl and into the Pharos. If this went anything like he thought it would…Seraph and his father would not be hiding.

The mist was thicker here, and even Vaan and Penelo knew they had crossed into a part of the Feywood that was surrounded by more magic than the rest. Vaan had been expecting a house, a tree house to be honest, the massive willow that now stood in front of him was no such thing. He approached it slowly, the others several steps behind him. There was no door, only a great dark opening in the center of the tree, and Vaan found himself not wanting to know exactly what was inside it. Unsure of what he was supposed to do, he called out, "Uh…hello? We're…we're looking for the…uh…wishmonger."

His words were met with a growl. Had the sound not been enough to make him take a few steps back, the creature that emerged from the darkness of the hole did. It, (Vaan couldn't rightly call it a he) was enormous, and Vaan wasn't sure how it had fit in the tree to begin with. Its head was that of a coeurl, but its body was more that of reptile of some sort Vaan had never seen. It…he…whatever…fluttered down from the tree with great bat like wings, and approached them slowly.

"Vaan Ratsbane," he growled, "You have come to wish for the life of your lover."

Vaan's breath caught in his throat, "Ye…yes..."

"Foolish boy," growled the creature, "Do you think wishes are free?"

To Be Continued…

Yeah yeah, I know, nothing really happened in that chapter, but be patient… I make these things up as I go, and it's harder than you'd think. Hope you enjoyed, reviewing lets me know updates are needed!