Chapter 44: The Hidden City

By the next morning, Estel was recovered and back to his old self. After the Lufenians had taken him to their infirmary the previous evening, they had immediately administered some kind of medicine that had put him to sleep, and he had thus missed all the subsequent excitement: the Lufenian doctors cleaning and beginning surgery on his leg; Sapphire, Tristan, and Vils arriving, and Sapphire's shock and exclamations over the Lufenians' advanced medical equipment; Tristan and Vils hurriedly trying to explain everything to everybody; and the doctors' open-mouthed astonishment over who exactly they were operating on. Estel remained unconscious through the surgery, and through Sapphire casting Cura to fully heal the mended leg—which had startled the Lufenians as much as their medical equipment had startled Sapphire. Unconsciousness faded to normal sleep, and Estel woke the next day in a small recovery room, none the worse for wear aside from some remaining bits of dried mud on his clothes.

Once he had gotten his bearings, Estel climbed out of the low cot and stretched out his healed leg a bit, making sure everything was working properly. He walked around the edge of the room a couple of times, just to make sure, then he headed toward the only door, assuming from the lack of a guard that he did not need to stay.

The door opened onto a narrow corridor, with a couple of other doors in the wall opposite Estel's, and another down at one end. By this far door stood one of the Lufenians. Estel opened his mouth to say something to her, but she just exclaimed something as soon as she saw him and darted through the door beside her. Estel frowned after her.

"Okay…"

He headed down the corridor and through the door himself. Beyond it was the main common room, and Estel stopped short the instant he stepped in, staring.

Lined up in the center of the room, facing the door in two neat ranks, were the dozen Lufenians of the outpost, Vils on one end of the front row and the woman from the hall on the other. As soon as Estel came into the room, Vils snapped an order, and the Lufenians saluted in perfect unison, each raising one fist to their chests and then bowing.

Estel gaped. "Uh."

Before he could say anything else, Sapphire appeared almost out of nowhere and flung her arms around him, hugging him tight.

"Oh, you're all right!"

Estel grunted at the impact, but still hugged Sapphire in return. "Well, yeah, 'course I am. Er." He glanced around over the top of her head. "What's goin' on?"

Sapphire released him, looked around at the gathered Lufenians, then back to Estel, beaming.

"Well, you're their champion, aren't you? For coming to defeat the Fiend of Wind. They're thrilled that you're here."

Estel blinked a couple of times as he absorbed this, then a self-conscious grin crept onto his face.

"I sure can't argue with that one. Looks like things've started looking up since last night, huh?"

Sapphire nodded, as behind her, Vils began issuing a few orders to the Lufenians and they dispersed to obey. As they moved, Tristan and Cen came into view, standing off by the far wall, as did Raolin, seated at a nearby table with one of his books.

"Everyone's so excited," Sapphire said, taking Estel's hand and leading him toward the others. "Tristan and Vils were up almost all night talking and making plans. Once everyone's ready to go, we'll be heading to the Lufenians' city, where we'll meet with their leaders and get all the information and supplies we'll need. And Vils said the entire city will probably be out to welcome us, since he sent a message ahead to let the Elders know we were here."

Estel gave an impressed whistle. "Damn. Gotta say, this isn't what I'd figured we'd find out here when we started this trip."

"None of us did," Tristan said, smiling as Estel and Sapphire joined them. "Good to see you're back in fighting shape, Estel."

"Thanks." Estel gave his leg an experimental stretch. "Not the worst thing that's happened to me on this trip, but still, damn."

"A very inventive way to lead us where we needed to go, however," Raolin chimed in, not looking up from his book. "Your compass apparently has a rather morbid sense of humor."

"Har har," Estel said dryly.

Tristan chuckled. "Well, at least it worked out for the best."

"Saph said something about us goin' to a city now?"

"Yeah." Cen nodded. "Everyone else is all set; we've just been waiting for you. We can get going as soon as you're ready."

Estel started to say something, then stopped and grimaced. "Back out into the rain, huh?"

"Actually, no," Tristan said. "But I'll explain that later." He gave a nod toward a side room. "For now, you just worry about getting something to eat before we leave."

"That sounds better." Estel headed to the indicated door, Sapphire tagging along with him, still hand in hand.

Once Estel had eaten and gotten ready, the group set off. Many of the Lufenians remained at the outpost, finishing the work they were doing there, but a few accompanied Vils and the companions as a sort of honor guard. As Tristan had said, they did not return to the surface to travel to the Lufenian city; instead, Vils led them to a door at the rear of the outpost, which opened onto a long, broad tunnel. According to Vils's notes, translated by Tristan, this was just part of a whole network of underground paths that the Lufenians used to traverse the jungle much more quickly than they could move up on the surface, particularly during the rainy season.

The only other caverns the companions could even compare to the tunnel system were the mines of Duergar, and even that was a rough comparison at best: both were constructed rather than natural, and that was where the similarities ended. While the Duergar mines had been made for utility and work only, the Lufenian tunnels were both functional and beautiful. The wide passageways ran smooth and straight through the stone, lit by the same kind of lights as the stairway above and provided with fresh air from a series of vents. Different colored bands of rock and the occasional vein of glittering quartz cut through the walls, and these had been polished until they shone. A few times, the tunnel opened up, passing through a large natural cavern, and even these bore some artistic touches: carven arches over the path, sweeping bridges over depressions and chasms, and little way-stations with wells, enclosed courtyards, and supply bins. Other times, one wall would give way to a sheet of glass, revealing a view of an outside valley or canyon filled with trees and mist.

Vils led the group through this stunning network of paths, accompanied by Tristan; the two continued to trade notes as they walked, when Tristan was not busy studying their surroundings. Cen and the other Warriors followed, and the other Lufenians brought up the rear, talking amongst themselves. The companions could not help but stare around as Tristan was, though without his degree of professional interest. Estel, as usual when underground, kept a tight hold on Sapphire's hand as they walked, but even he could not help exclaiming over some of the sights, particularly the views from the long windows. The Lufenians seemed pleased by his approval in particular.

The trek through the tunnels took the better part of the day even with a break for lunch, which was a drastic improvement: on the surface, covering the same distance could have taken at least a week. At last, the tunnel opened up, depositing the companions and Lufenians onto a smooth, curbed road leading into a tremendous cavern, so large the far sides could not even be guessed at. The one near wall soared up, not rough and unhewn but polished and decorated with beautiful carvings, to a ceiling that could not be seen because it was obscured by foggy clouds. On either side of the road stood rows of fields growing all manner of strange plants. These farms went on for some distance, interspersed with small, cobbled houses and the ocassional road. Beyond them glowed a wall of points of light, like stars in the grey distance. This, Vils declared, was the city.

"All this, hidden under that jungle?" Sapphire said, looking around with wide eyes as they walked. Lights on tall posts lit their way along the road. "It barely feels like we're still in a cave!"

"No kidding." Estel stared around in equal awe. "Man, we never would've found this place in a million years. It's lucky Vils and them found us."

"You're going to ascribe that to mere luck, hm?" Raolin said, shooting Estel a slightly amused look.

Tristan did not acknowledge any of this conversation. He had stared around silently for a moment as the group had entered the cavern, then immediately started scribbling a long new message to Vils. Cen could not stop himself from chuckling a bit at his brother's enthusiasm.

"We might be stuck here for a while. Tristan's going to want to study everything in this place."

"Can't blame him," Estel said, looking up at a passing light post. "Damn."

The group continued on, passing the farms, roads, and scattered houses. As they walked, the houses and other buildings became more frequent, and before long they found themselves at the city itself, climbing the slopes of a rolling peak near the edge of the cavern.

Light came in here, spilling through fissures in the distant cavern roof along with creeping vines and a single, slender waterfall that cascaded down into an oval bowl that marked the center of the city. Around this, sweeping terraces lined with buildings climbed up to the cavern wall, then continued up it, with lights beaming from doors and windows carved into the rock face. A tinkling sound like wind chimes drifted through the air. Beyond the waterfall basin stood a large, domed building, which Vils pointed to with a comment.

"We're going there, I guess," Cen said at length, as Tristan was too lost in amazement and gave no sign of replying. "The…castle?"

"Works for me," Estel said. He looked up at the city, scanning the arched bridges and balconies, and gave an impressed whistle. "Never figured a cave could actually be this pretty. Or…live-in-able."

"'Hospitable,'" Raolin corrected.

"Yeah, that."

Vils grinned as he took in the companions' awe, and he said something to them in a pleased tone before setting off up the street again.

The road now led upward into the city in long, lazy switchbacks often intersected with narrow sidestreets and alleys. And here, after a long, quiet walk thus far, some commotion finally occurred: a few at first, then more and more of the city's people came out onto the street, cheering and bowing to the companions as they passed. Some waved bright handkerchiefs, some saluted as the Lufenians at the outpost had done, and a few even fell to their knees and wept. It was a fanfare such as the companions had not seen since their departure from Elfheim over a year previously.

Estel and Cen enjoyed every moment of this, just as before, while Sapphire just smiled self-consciously and Raolin shrank into his collar as usual, looking more uncomfortable than irritable this time. Vils and the rest of the companions' guard took on a posture of regal dignity, marching at perfect attention as they escorted Tristan and the others up the streets and finally to the great dome he had indicated on their arrival.

The building soared up as tall as the castle of Cornelia, the dome polished marble and carved pillars bordering the doors below. These stood open onto the square before the building, and Vils led the companions inside without a pause. The entry hall was large and open, lit with warm, golden lamps. Two sweeping staircases curved along the walls, leading up to a landing above with another door flanked by a pair of Lufenians in long, pale robes; other doors dotted the walls down below. Vils said something to the companions, with an accompanying 'wait here' gesture, then hurried up the stairs. He said something to the two guards, and they immediately opened the door for him. He left, and a few minutes later, he returned and hurried down to the companions, gesturing for them to follow him.

The doors above led to another looping staircase to the upper floor, up inside the dome itself. Tristan and the other could not help staring up at the inside of the rotunda: stunning murals covered it, showing the Lufenians' history in bold lines and colors. One segment showed the empire as it had been in the past: towering spires and domes, beautiful gardens, airships dotting the sky. Another showed the founding of this underground refuge, the digging of the tunnels, the placing of the first cornerstone of the city itself. And between these…

A dragon. Enormous, even larger than Bahamut, it stood in the ruins of the spires and domes, gouts of smoke curling up around it. Six necks sprouted from its twisted body, and all its mouths gaped wide in a terrible roar. The ground below its claws ran a lurid red.

Before Estel could so much as swear over this, Vils spoke up, calling the companions' attention. He gestured to the far side of the room, then turned that way himself and said something in much more formal tones.

On an oval dais, beneath the portion of the ceiling depicting Lufenia in its past glory, stood three high-backed marble chairs, draped with cloth and cushions. Three elderly Lufenians sat in them, a woman in the center with a man on either side of her. Their blue-green robes were very ornate, embellished with silver embroidery and small, green gems. They watched with interest as the companions approached, led by Vils.

"Hey, Tris," Cen said under his breath, glancing at his brother. "I know this is amazing and everything, but you need to pull yourself together for a minute."

"Right…" Tristan said, still gazing up at the rotunda. "Yes, of course."

They reached the foot of the dais, and Vils said something to the three elders. He then flipped to a clean page on his sheaf of papers, wrote something, and handed the board to Tristan. This, at least, shook Tristan out of his reverie, and he took the message and read it.

In the pause, Estel gave a quick wave to the people on the dais. The woman smiled and waved back.

"Ah." Tristan turned to the companions. "These are the leaders of the Lufenians. Vils says they want to speak to us."

He jotted a quick answer back, which Vils relayed to the elders. The woman nodded, then addressed the companions. Vils and Tristan teamed up to translate for the other companions.

"Welcome to Lufenia, Light Bearers. Words cannot express how grateful and honored we are to be in your presence, and how saddened we are by the occurrence that rushed your arrival."

She inclined her head to Estel, who was trying his hardest not to look too pleased at having yet more of a fuss made over him.

"The honor is ours…" Sapphire started, taking up the role of diplomat, before hesitating and glancing at Tristan. "How should I address them?" she whispered.

Tristan passed the question to Vils, who commented something with a bit of a smile. The woman smiled as well.

"You may call us by our names," she said. She gestured to herself. "Anu." She turned to her right, nodding to the man seated there. "Calom." She nodded to the man to her left. "Niv."

Sapphire nodded. "Thank you."

The second man, Niv, spoke up. "Not that we doubt," he said, "but may we see the crystals you bear?"

"Of course."

Sapphire immediately took out her crystal, and its warm light flooded the room. Cen brought out his red crystal at the same time, turning the golden light orange. And after an uncomfortable hesitation, Raolin drew out his blue crystal, and the new color changed the rippling light to a pale seafoam green. Estel even took out his little, dark crystal shard. Vils and the elders all uttered quiet gasps, looking from the light on the walls to the crystals in the companions' hands.

"Beautiful," Anu said, holding her hands up as though in supplication. "The light is so close to being whole once more."

"We are doing our best to restore it," Sapphire said, tucking her crystal away. The others followed suit a moment later.

"What can we do to help you, Champions?" Calom asked, looking around at the companions. "It has been foretold that you will save our people. It would be the height of ingratitude if we did not aide you to the utmost of our ability."

"Ah…" Sapphire glanced at Raolin, then at Estel and Tristan. "In truth, we don't know the location of the Wind Crystal. We came here hoping for clues, though we didn't think we'd find…we didn't know what we would find."

Calom nodded. "We understand. Do not worry; we will help you all we can." He reached to a small table beside him, and struck a brass bell standing on it. He then turned back to the companions. "The Shrine of Wind resides in the Flying Fortress, the castle our ancestors long ago set beyond the sky."

"Just like you thought, Tris!" Estel said, elbowing Tristan. "Then that's gotta be where that metal person we found came from, right?"

"Presumably," Raolin said.

There came a rustle from the stairway, and one of the guards from the entrance hurried into the room. He approached Calom, and the two of them spoke for a moment before the guard strode off back down the stairs. Calom returned his attention to the companions.

"The Flying Fortress can only be reached through the Mirage Tower, the center of our former realm."

"The desert I showed you on the map," Tristan clarified. "The Yahnikurm."

Estel nodded. "Gotcha."

"Does this tower still stand?" Raolin asked. "After all this time?"

"We are certain it does," Anu said. "Its power is tied to the Fortress; if the one remains, so does the other."

"I see."

"Moreover," Anu went on, "the Mirage Tower has been sealed to prevent intruders from ravaging it. You will need a special item to break this seal and gain entrance so you may ascend to the Fortress."

"What sort of item?" Sapphire asked.

Just then, the guard returned. He went to Calom's side and handed him a small object, which Calom then held up for the companions to see: it was a small, silver tube, like a bell from a windchime, attached to a braided green cord with a silky tassel on the other end.

"This," Calom said. "The Adamant Chime."

He handed it back to the guard, who then carried over to the companions. He offered it to Estel, who took and inspected it with interest. Up close, intricate etching could be seen on the chime's surface, some which looked like swirled geometric patterns, and some which looked like writing in an unfamiliar alphabet.

"Neat," Estel proclaimed after a moment. "So how's this gonna unseal the tower?"

"It's keyed to a musical enchantment, I would assume," Raolin said, before Tristan could relay the question. "Such things were highly effective in providing protection, but as they are connected to Wind magic, their use has obviously vanished in current times. This one must be linked to the mechanics of this tower, as the Nul shields on the airship are, with this chime as the key."

"So we just ring this outside the tower when we find it, and we'll be able to get inside?" Estel asked.

"I would imagine so."

"Correct, Champion," Anu said, smiling, after Tristan and Vils passed along the gist of the discussion. "You are very knowledgeable. Yes, that Chime will unlock the seal on the Mirage Tower, and allow you to enter. Once inside, you will find a device at the highest level; this will carry you to the Fortress."

"And the Fiend," Estel said, sobering a bit.

He and the other companions glanced at the dragon snarling down from the ceiling above. The elders followed their gaze, and cast the image a dark look. Niv touched his forehead, then each shoulder in a sort of warding gesture.

"Tiamat," he said with a frown, a name the companions recognized without translation. "Yes, her lair is in the Fortress, as it has been these four hundred years, since she destroyed our great empire. We're fortunate that she can trouble us little here: the occasional pestilence, but we're too hidden for her storms to reach us."

"Fortunate indeed," Raolin said, with great effort keeping the edge of bitterness out of his voice.

"You know we'll need to fight her," Cen said to the elders, ignoring Raolin's comment. "Could you tell us what you know about what she did before, so we can be prepared? Frankly, I'm tired of being blind-sided by these things."

The elders conferred for a few moments, before Anu turned back to the companions.

"It was a long time ago. We've passed the memories down, but they have begun to fade after so many years. We'll tell you what we can."

She looked down at her hands, clasped in her lap, then back to Tristan and the others.

"She approached as a storm. Though she bore no wings, she harnessed the wind around her, and it carried her down into the heart of the city. Each mouth spewed a different death. One shattered buildings with bolts of lightning. One froze people to death, another burned them to ashes. One exhaled clouds of pestilence and poison. One merely devoured all in her path. She and her monsters ravaged our people and left only ruin behind them. Not even Fenrir himself could stop their advance and destruction."

Cen exhaled heavily. "So she can do everything the other three did, and then some. Great. Just great."

"At least you know this time," Tristan said, leaving Cen's comment untranslated.

"Yeah…"

"And Saph can protect us from a lot of that," Estel put in. He turned to Sapphire. "Right, with those spells?"

Sapphire nodded. "I'll do my best."

"Is there any other information that you require?" Niv asked.

"Yes," Raolin said at once. He removed his pack, and from it took the cube he and Estel had found. He offered it to the elders. "We received this a short time ago, from a…being that fell from the sky. Its markings indicated it was made by your ancestors. Is there anything you can tell us about it or its purpose?"

Niv accepted the cube and turned it over in his hands a few times, studying it.

"A simple power source," he said at length, handing the cube back to Raolin. "Such things provided the energy to many of our devices before the fall. If this one still contains power, it may be able to activate any that you find in Mirage Tower."

"I see." Raolin stowed the cube back in his pack. "Thank you."

Estel nodded. "Good to know."

"Thank you so much for your help," Sapphire said, sketching a curtsy to the elders. "We couldn't finish this quest without it."

"It is we who should be thanking you," Anu said. "You are the champions of the entire world, and the ones who will bring our power back to us after all these centuries. I can't imagine the hardships you have faced in completing this work."

"It's…been difficult," Sapphire managed after a moment.

Anu gave a solemn nod. "We understand. Please, know that you're free to stay here for as much time as you need to prepare for this task. Our people will help you in any way they can."

"Thank you, Anu."

"And you're welcome to have audience with us whenever necessary," Calom added. "We know you must have more questions, and we certainly have many of our own to ask in return. We…don't know as much of the world as we used to."

Sapphire smiled a bit. "Of course."

"The feeling is mutual," Raolin said. "No offense intended, but we came here expecting to find ruins, not a thriving city. I'm certain we're both equally surprised to meet one another."

Anu chuckled. "Indeed. For now, however, we're sure you would like to rest. Accomodations have been made for you nearby; Vils will lead you to them. Send word if you wish to speak with us, and we'll do likewise."

The companions thanked the elders and gave their farewells, then Vils escorted them back outside and off toward their lodgings.

The companions remained in Lufenia for nearly two weeks. They stayed at a sort of open-air inn, the rooms arranged in a square facing an open central courtyard with a garden and fountain. They were simple accomodations, but comfortable ones, and a welcome change from the trek through the jungle.

Tristan spent nearly all of his time out researching. He roamed through the city, taking notes on everything, and often went back to speak to the elders. More often than not, one or two of the companions accompanied him with the latter. Mostly, however, the companions just took the opportunity to rest. They looked around the city some, but more calmly than Tristan, and spent much time at the inn sleeping, preparing their equipment, and working on Cen and Estel's magic lessons. Wherever they went, though, they tended to attract a crowd: as the elders had said, the Lufenian people were delighted at the Light Warriors' arrival, and were only too happy to come see them or help them in any way. The only one of the companions who had any kind of problem with this was Raolin, as usual, and even then he was only uncomfortable rather than surly.

One afternoon a few days into the companions' stay, Estel ended up wandering around the waterfall basin in the center of the city. He munched on a piece of yellow fruit that he did not know the name of as he walked, and he had a fancy-looking pastry in the other hand for when the fruit was done: this was not the first time he had received random free food here, and it would not be the last, either. He had lost any entourage for the moment, though people did stop to salute or bow as he passed; he made certain to wave back when they did this, despite being absorbed in his snack.

At length, he came to a courtyard near the top of the basin, just clear of the mist billowing out from the falls. The paving there changed from simple stones to a tile mosaic: greens, blues, and gold making a striking geometric pattern. One side faced the waterfall, with a sturdy stone railing along the edge marking a sort of balcony. On the other, a hedge of flowering bushes stood, behind a row of benches.

On one of these benches sat Sapphire, one foot tucked up beneath her. She was fully absorbed with something she held in her lap, and so she did not notice Estel's arrival until he walked over and sat down next to her.

"Hey."

"Oh!" Sapphire looked up in surprise, then smiled. "Hello, Estel."

He smiled back and offered her the pastry. "Hungry?"

Sapphire giggled, then reached beside her and picked up an identical pastry to show him.

"I walked past that store too."

Estel gave a snort of laughter. "Well, never mind, then." He set his own pastry down beside him and took a final bite of fruit. "Wish more places were like this. 'Oh, you've gotta save the world? Here, we'll give you all this free stuff to help you.' None of that havin' to pay for all our new gear crap like the other places."

"It's very generous of them," Sapphire agreed. "I wish I could speak to them a little; I'd like to be able to thank them properly."

"Tristan can help out with that later, I guess. Where is he today, anyway? Back with the elders again?"

"Yes, with Cen this time."

The pair fell silent for a moment, listening to the waterfall. Estel tossed the rind from the fruit into a little bin between their bench and the neighboring one, and Sapphire turned her attention back to her little project. After a moment, Estel leaned over to watch her work.

"What're you doing?"

"Oh. Um."

Sapphire blushed a bit, then moved her hands away so he could see. In her lap lay a thick sheaf of paper, and on the top sheet was a half-finished sketch of the waterfall and the city below. As Estel looked at it, Sapphire hurriedly scrubbed out a line and redrew it more tidily. Estel just gave an impressed whistle.

"That's great, Saph!"

"You think so?" Sapphire blushed darker, a self-conscious smile on her face. "It's not really finished yet, but…"

"It still looks great, though. I didn't know you…" Estel trailed off, then shook his head. "Oh, wait, yeah I did! You had that art stuff in your room in Elfheim. I remember looking at it."

Sapphire gave a slightly nervous laugh and went back to her drawing.

"I'm a bit out of practice. I haven't had time for this since we've been traveling."

"Hey, it's still loads better than I could do. I really like it."

"Thanks…"

Estel watched her sketch for a moment. "Have you drawn anything else?" he said at length. "I mean, like, while we've been here?"

"Um…a little."

Sapphire moved the top paper aside and spread out a couple underneath so Estel could see them. One had a large drawing of the tile mosaic, and the second had a handful of sketches of the courtyard of the inn: the fountain, the arched entryway, and a couple of different kinds of flowers. Estel examined these with interest, and Sapphire watched him.

"I dunno what you mean by 'out of practice'," he said after a minute. "These look amazing to me. Hey, what's that one?"

The corner of a third piece of paper peeked out from beneath the other two, with just the edge of a sketch visible on it. Estel pulled it out before Sapphire could say anything, then he stopped and stared at it.

It was a drawing of him, reclining in one of the padded armchairs from the airship. Sapphire blushed from her neck to her hairline as Estel looked the picture over with surprise, and almost at once she tried to tug it out of his hand.

"That's not…um…"

Estel just smiled and handed it back to her. "Looks just like me."

Sapphire mumbled something and shuffled the drawing out of sight.

"I like it," Estel assured her. "Never had anyone do my picture before; Idren never even let me be in the family portraits after they adopted me. Glad I got such a good one for my first."

Sapphire did not reply, still looking self-conscious, so Estel desisted. The pair sat in silence and watched the waterfall for a while, as Sapphire's blushing subsided. A few Lufenians walked by after a while, and they paused to salute the two Warriors. Estel waved in acknowledgement.

"Y'know," he said, as the group continued on. "We're almost done with this whole thing. This is the last Crystal."

He glanced at Sapphire, and she nodded.

"I know. It will be such a relief not to have it weighing on us anymore."

"No kidding." Estel cleared his throat, then went on, trying to sound off-hand. "So…when we're done. What do you want to do?"

"Well, you wanted to go back to Gaia, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but I asked what you wanna do."

Sapphire opened her mouth to reply, then she stopped and turned to Estel with wide eyes.

"Are…are you asking—"

"Just wonderin'," Estel said hurriedly. "I mean, I'm not tryin' to…I'm just, you know, asking. I mean, we've been doing this Light Warriors thing for a long time now, so it'll be weird getting back to normal, right?"

"I…suppose so." Sapphire continued to watch him curiously. "Well, then… Well, I'm sure I'd need to return to Elfheim to report on our journey. Prince Avarion wanted to hear about it, after all, and I'm sure the historians would want to record it all for the archives."

"Makes sense," Estel said with a shrug. "Savin' the world is a pretty big deal. I bet Crescent and Cornelia would wanna hear about it all too, and get it written down and everything."

"Right. But…" Sapphire hesitated, looked down at her lap, then back at Estel. "If it's a matter of 'wanting'…I think I'd rather go to Gaia first."

Estel perked up. "Really?"

Sapphire nodded. "And…we'd see how things went from there."

She smiled, and Estel smiled back.

"Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good."

They settled back on the bench into amiable silence, watching the waterfall and finally getting around to eating their pastries. After she was done, Sapphire went back to working on her sketch, while Estel watched her.

"You should draw all the other stuff we've seen," he said as she added a few final lines. "Y'know, when this is all done. That'd be even better than just telling everyone what happened."

Sapphire blushed again, but she did smile. "Maybe."

"And a portrait of all of us lookin' all heroic and stuff."

This time she started giggling. "I think us looking exhausted would be more accurate, really."

"Yeah, but that's not as impressive."

"I suppose not." Sapphire looked over her picture, seeming satisfied with the results. "Well, maybe I will. That would be a really good way to remember our journey, wouldn't it?"

"Definitely." Estel got to his feet and stretched. "Well, I dunno what time it is, but d'you wanna head back to the inn? We can start a plan for this next trip, and maybe Raolin will be doin' one of his magic shows for the kids again. That's always fun to watch."

Sapphire smiled and stood up as well, her papers tucked securely in one arm. "All right. And I hope he is; that seems to cheer him up so much."

And they headed off down the path, hand in hand and continuing to talk.

Update: Just a quick update on the situation, and an apology for my absence. Some of the previous delays have been resolved, but new ones have popped up as well, including me needing to adjust to a new job. Hopefully, things will calm down soon so posting can resume. Again, let me assure you: the story is completely written, and will be posted in its entirety. Thank you again for your patience and understanding.