This one starts as a flash back. The last one's flack back explained the betrothal, this one explains her disappearance. The flash backs will end soon but you need to know some of these past things so you can understand more about their relationship. Just so you all know I will update every Monday. I have the entire story finished and waiting to be uploaded but I'm only updating Mondays. Except today. I'm posting this today instead of Monday. And if you are just that desperate to read this, it's posted on DA. My deviant art page is http:/ verbophobic. Deviantart. Com/ Just without the random spaces in the middle.

Chapter Three: Disappearing and Returning

.~:*:~.

As the days passed and the months closed in on the date for Avery and Wyper to be joined they saw less and less of each other. It was hard for both of them but necessary. While Wyper was helping the village to set up for the ceremony he had to simulatniously help the search party try and find where the old city was. And Avery was forced to sit through several fittings for the ceremonial dress that had to be changed several times because now that she was seventeen her chest had started to grow a bit more. It went an entire size bigger so the top had to be let out. And then she had to go through several passages of rights that the Shandian woman insisted on.

And now the day had come. In less than an hour Wyper and Avery would be joined together and they would have to join in the bed and because she is a virgin show the bloodied sheets. It was weird to Avery to know that her first time would not only be know to all but proof of doing the act would be shown like a trophy. But Wyper was proud. He would be with the woman he believed he loved, soon he would be chief, the war would be over and when they find the city they would finally be able to light the fire of Shandia for the first time in nearly 400 years.

Wyper along with the entire village waited. The paint on his body was long dried and he stood tall in only his grass skirt. The paint represented many of the things he'd done in the past. Battles won and lost. And he wore them proudly. Normally the woman would be painted too for her family past but because Avery was not of Shandian heritage she wasn't going to be. And there was also the fact that when they'd done her arm it had swelled up in a flaming red color and burned. So Wyper said that she was not to be painted.

The time was upon them now and none of God's warriors had even came yet. Avery wasn't here either nor was God. They must have been late. But soon it was an hour after the ceremony was supposed to be held. "She's probably gotten cold feet and is making them drag her here." Laki joked. But her voice was too tense and not one person said anything or laughed. Not even a forced, choked, laugh.

Lightening cracked from the sky startling everyone. They'd never had lightening up here. Something was wrong. And even worse it seemed to have been where God's shrine was. The fire for the ceremony was put out then and wiper cleaned the paint off only to replace it with more. Him and several warriors were heading to the shrine.

Before they made it to Upper Yard four men blocked their way. The fight did not go well for Wyper and his men. Retreat was their only option. Something terrible had indeed happened. When they returned they found a Shandian woman breathing heavily talking to everyone. "Both of them were tossed into the white sea! God has fallen!" It weighed heavily on Wyper's chest. If Gan Fall had been beaten then what had happened to Avery.

Wyper pushed his way to the scared woman and grabbed her. She looked up into his eyes before looking away. He rushed away from her towards Angel Island. She had to be there. But no. Gan Fall had been saved yet no one had went after Avery. And by now she was dead. Wyper refused to believe it until they found a body. And that would never happen.

He would never hear her joyous laughter. Her beautiful mismatched eyes would never sparkle about something he'd said. She would never bare his children like he'd dreamed about many times.

.~:*:~.

Wyper was in the white sea. Three ships were discernible. Two were near each other while the third was quite far away. He did what he had to and took out the first two then headed towards the third. The men on board were quite weak. The difference of air pressure from below to here making it so. He defeated three of the four, the fourth wasn't even worth his trouble being so weak as to hid behind a woman. Mid air and aiming his bazooka Wyper hesitated.

The man shaking from so much fear was hidden behind an orange haired woman. But that was the only similarity between her and Avery. Her chest was way too large and her height was something Avery would never be able to reach. The orange hair had been enough to make Wyper hesitate but her brown eyes made him aim again. Then another two woman came into view. One was raven haired while the other, like the first, had orange hair. Again he hesitated, but for longer this time. Her height was less than anyone else. He couldn't see her face so he couldn't be sure but something in his was positive.

The terrified man shot something up. Wyper professionally dodged, not taking his eyes off of the short woman. She might have been looking up at him but her hair covered her face. She was just starting to push the hair out of the way and he caught a glimpse of her right eye, a dark sapphire blue, when Gan Fall showed up. Wyper had to retreat for now, but he was going to find that girl and see her left eye. If it was as green as the forest that his people longed to return he would take her. And he would find out if she really was Avery.

He made it back to his village and saw Laki and Aisa exiting from the chiefs tent. Wyper entered to find the chief sitting up and having his eyes closed and breathing deeply. "Chief." Wyper said catching the chief's attention. "Blue sea dwellers have made it up. Gan Fall stopped my from destroying their ship." There was something about the way Wyper spoke that really caught the chief's attention. He opened his eyes and looked at Wyper. "There was a short girl on board, orange hair and I only saw her right eye. Blue."

"Wyper." The chief said aloud. "You mustn't get your hope up. Many people on the blue sea have blue eyes. And many probably have orange hair. Did you see her left arm?" Wyper shook his head. The girl had been covered up nearly completely. Long pants, shoes that covered her feet, a long sleeve shirt gloves on both hands. The right fingerless the left fully covered. And he'd caught a glimpse of a necklace. It wasn't on a chain he'd given Avery but chains break, don't they?

But he saw that Chief was right. It was highly unlikely that it was Avery. And if Avery had survived to make it down to the blue sea why had she waited six years to come back. "I've been dreaming of her recently." Wyper said. This made the chief furrow his eyebrows. It could be a sign, these dreams, making it more likely that it was Avery. "And thoughts about her have been invading my mind more recently. Only this morning did I feel like something big concerning her would happen."

The chief gave a nod. "Even so, it might be her child if she fell to the blue sea. You said it was a small girl."

"Even if that was possible, this girl seemed to be much older than any child Avery could have had." Wyper spat out at the chief. He did not like thinking about Avery like that. Her and another man. "They are headed to Angel beach, I'm going to try and find her."

Neither man said anything After that. There was nothing to say. Wyper was determined and the chief could do nothing about it.