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Entry tags:
fic: Every Happy End [2/?]
Title: Every Happy End
Fandom: Golden Sun
day/theme: 10. 11. | no place like home
rating: PG-13 for later parts
summary: Ivan returns to a rebuilt Vale five years later with much on his mind. Eventual Isaac/Ivan, sideline Garet/Jenna, Felix/Piers, Sheba/???
Wordcount: 5,100+ in this installment, OVER 9,000 total
a/n: It bears mentioning that I’m not purposefully ignoring Mia, it’s just that I had to snip her Imilian section of the plot because it seemed far too extraneous. I was already pushing it with the Felix/Piers and Garet/Jenna sub-plots as it was, random snapshots of Imil mid-story would’ve made it jarring. Maybe I’ll do sidestory for her, probably Alex/Mia in nature, as that was the angle I had planned. Until then, just imagine her as a happy healer in Imil.
III.
Garet was old enough, his family decided.
In Vare, the rites of manhood were stranger than most. There were no grand ceremonies anymore, though in ages ago tomes had recorded vision-quests and fasting. Today all that lingered of those hard trials was the task of building the house that would shelter them for the rest of their days, a task that was laid to their own hands. At times, the youth would decide to do it solely by themselves, from cutting the wood to refining and turning it into the boards they would use for crafting their home. Felix had taken this route, which was no surprise to the town. With only Piers and a few friends and family members, he had gone the hardest, yet purest route in building his home. It was small, yet cozy and held the necessities. It was enough for him.
Garet hadn’t gone quite as far as Felix, as the rest of the town had helped him, and he had been glad for every bit of help he could get.
Jenna knew this well, and she thought on the shaping of the house as she walked, balancing the glasses on a tray. She stepped in to inspect the frame of a window where the kitchen would be. It looked over the pool with the psyenergy crystal. Light would flow in from this angle, maybe garnished with some pretty reddish curtains as a finishing touch.
Not that she planned to be in the kitchen anytime soon. Garet would do dishes, even if that meant broken plates and glasses. That hardly solved the problem of who would cook. Jenna was a bit too fond of fire, and somehow her dishes always turned blackened and crispy. Garet could hardly be expected to cook without exploding something, even if it was conceivable that he could actually wash a plate without breaking it.
Jenna giggled at the thought. Clumsy as he was, Garet just might be turned into a good househusband yet.
As she drew nearer, Jenna overhead voices, slightly echoed in the half-built walls.
“Ugh, this is tough work!”
“Felix built his years ago, not that he even uses it with him out traveling with Piers all the time,” Garet muttered.
“He’ll certainly be using it now considering they’re back for the fall and probably the winter,” Isaac said.
She smiled, she could just imagine the look on Garet’s face.
“Hey you two... working hard?” Jenna beamed at him and Garet dropped his hammer immediately, glad for any excuse for a break.
“Thanks Jenna, I was parched!”
He guzzled his drink, nearly finishing it in one gulp before grabbing another. Jenna was glad she had anticipated this and brought extras.
“What about you, Isaac?”
Isaac didn’t even look up from his task. He was so like Felix in that same single-mindedness and dedication.
“A minute, I’m almost done with this board,” he replied.
However, if anything, Isaac worked more slowly, focusing all his intensity on that one nail.
“So,” Jenna said. She’d set the tray down on the grass beside the house, and inspected their work, her hands behind her back. So far it was satisfactory. A little bare, still, but she could deal with that. At least until a little later.
“You could fit probably two people in a house this size. Possibly three,” she said.
Garet wiped the sweat from his brow. “Yeah, Isaac will probably room there until he finishes his too. It’s only fair since he’s helping so much.”
Jenna scrunched up her nose and tried again. Patience, patience, sometimes Garet was a little...dense in such matters.
“But there’d be enough for other people. Friends, say. Female ones.”
“Oh yeah! I should invite Mia back, I haven’t seen her in ages!. Thanks for reminding me, Jenna.”
At the mention of Mia’s name, the last bit of Jenna’s shaky attempt at patience cracked and splintered.
“You’re such an idiot Garet!”
And with that she stormed off.
“Geez, what’s her problem?” Garet said.
Isaac gave a longsuffering sigh and returned to his task of nailing in the plank again.
The general consensus of the town thought that Garet and Jenna would either be found in a very
compromising position followed by a quick wedding or kill each other in a rain of fire that would be mistaken for doomsday by towns for miles around.
For everyone’s sake, Isaac hoped it would be the former.
–
Piers drank his second cup of the day. The tea in Vare was bitter, a distinct taste, much more than the hazy, bland Lemurian tea he had been used to for all of his long life.
Though he was only a guest, by all means this house was his own as well. When Felix had asked him to stay a little longer and help him build this house, the first solid return to home of four and a half years, Piers could find no reason to refuse him.
His mother was long gone now, and would not await his arrival. His uncle and king could be notified that something had come up, they were not waiting anxiously for his return. Years passed as moments to Lemuria.
So Piers had settled in. He liked Vare and had always gotten on well with Felix. They understood each other, the limits and boundaries that their partnership had warranted. Piers knew many little things now, how Felix took his coffee (black, without any embellishment) or how he looked when fast asleep, his face finally growing peaceful in the world of Morpheus, Piers could only hope those dreams were as happy as Vare had become, and not the nightmares that Felix had woken from in their journeys.
And yet, there was still so much that Piers didn’t know. Like for the sheer reason of asking him, and only him to help build this house. Perhaps it was a Vare custom he was unaware of, but Piers couldn’t help but wonder if laying the foundation blocks together had some deeper significance than Felix let on. Piers still at times couldn’t read Felix’s silences; for every secret thought he learned, five more were hidden.
When Felix stole in from outside, his skin still reddened from the exposure, Piers thought he saw Felix’s expression soften a bit upon catching his gaze.
Five years he had been kept, for each time and each travel Felix would journey with him, unwilling to leave Piers alone to his wanderings. Each time, Piers felt just as unwilling to send Felix alone for the return voyage. Several times he had returned home, only to leave within a short time, citing unfinished errands.
Five years was a mere fortnight to Lemuria, five more would be hardly noticed.
Lemuria would have to miss him for a little longer.
–
It took another two days to reach Vare. It was mostly due to Ivan’s feigned weariness in Vault to give him at least some chance to calm himself before returning. Sheba seemed to welcome the short respite as well, perhaps her slave-driving had even affected her in the end. She certainly had caught up in on sleep in two days they were there.
Ivan kept his politeness, and didn’t read her mind during that time. Of course, he was afraid of what he would find if he ever tried.
Within the next day they bought a small lunch and crossed the final plains to Vare. Five years had made it seem almost indiscernible from the town it once was. The landscape had changed, yes, but newly built houses had popped up, like wildflowers or weeds over the valley. The remains of Mount Aleph lay behind them and the landscape had changed but other than that, Vare had sprung up from its ashes, newly grown and ancient all in one, Vale had been reborn, and it was a beautiful sight.
Ivan and Sheba stood at the gates for a moment, taking in the difference from the ruins they had seen before. Just as before there was a large Psyenergy crystal, violent in hue put in the middle of the pool. He wasn’t sure if it had been salvaged or made again.
“Hey, there’s some travelers!” Several children gathered at the wooden entranceway of Vare.
“Who’re you?” Squeaked a small towheaded child.
“Me? I saved the world,” Sheba said.
“Helped,” Ivan corrected.
“Who scored the last blow on the doom dragon? Who?”
Ivan sighed. Admittedly, she had – after several Grand Gaia’s and massive summons, she’d struck the killing blow with her Rising Mace. And she’d never let them forget it. Ever
The rest of the children ensured that their return was well known as they ran from house to house, yelling that heroes had come to stay.
Jenna was the first down the stairs, having been close enough to receive the word of their arrival first. Her face lit up as she caught sight of them.
“Sheba, is that you?!”
“Jenna!”
Sheba flung herself into Jenna’s arms and Jenna laughed and spun around, Sheba clinging tight with her arms thrown around her neck.
They hugged and laughed for what seemed like hours but was only minutes. Ivan thought this might be his means of escape. He started to move aside when Sheba grabbed his arm. He’d underestimated how close she was.
“And Ivan--! Wow, you’ve become so...pretty.” Jenna said.
“Hasn’t he?” Sheba said. “I’m a bit jealous at how lustrous and soft his hair is.”
“Me too,” Jenna admitted.
“Just share your beauty secrets and nobody has to get hurt.” Jenna grinned at him. Sheba grinned as well.. Ivan had no doubt at all as to whether they’d tie him up and get beauty secrets out of him – at any cost.
Ivan felt a hand clap him on the back, way too hard, and before he even turned around he already knew who it was.
“Garet!”
“Ivan! Man, it’s been ages since I last saw you!” Garet
“I see you’re still holding up,” Ivan laughed. “You haven’t gotten yourself killed yet.”
“Hey, that’s unfair! I can be careful too – Can’t I, Isaac?”
And then, Isaac was beside him, so quiet that Ivan hadn’t even noticed. Isaac had grown much taller since then, and Ivan hadn’t grown much to make up the difference. The transitions from a boy to a man had taken its toll on Isaac, even with the healing, there was that same hidden sadness in his sky colored eyes. The sun was catching in his hair, golden and full of light. It was still as disheveled as ever, rough and mussed as if he had just rolled out of a deep sleep.
“It’s been a long time, Ivan.”
Ivan know that his lips were parted because he could feel the dryness. He licked his lips and searched for something to say, some welcoming thing, some thanks but only found a lack, an emptiness when he reached for the words.
Everywhere around them there was noise and bustle, but here, between them was merely a web of silence.
“Isaac....” he said finally.
After the greetings were exchanged, Sheba’s attention fell Isaac and his accidental proximity. She smiled, a smirk really, and Ivan could just see the gears working in her mind.
“Don’t you think Ivan’s grown up nicely, Isaac?”
Ivan flushed. He knew where this was going, he didn’t want to be there when she started mindreading.
Isaac looked nonplused as ever, if slightly confused at her choice of topics. He didn’t answer immediately, seeming to consider her question, weighing the options.
Ivan pulled himself from Sheba’s grip and muttered an excuse about going to find Garet.
“But Garet’s right here!” Jenna said.
—
Fleeing the scene was not the best idea Ivan had ever had. For one, the houses had all been rebuilt, and he had no clue where the location of everything was. Everyone he knew he’d just fled from, and that was everyone who he’d traveled thousands of miles to see once again.
Ivan sighed. He scanned through the sea of houses, all similar shapes and sizes, he still couldn’t find one particular one to visit. He couldn’t tell a sanctum from a restaurant at this distance.
Ivan finally came to rest under a new sapling. It had already branched out and provided some shade. Wind rustled in its small leaves, the bark was rough against his back, even through his robes.
The house nearest to him was full of sound and life. He overheard women working, talking, laughing. He wondered if it was in preparation of a feast or festival, or perhaps simply a social gathering.
The door opened and a woman exited, throwing emptying her pan of water to the bushes beside the house.
“Ohh, isn’t that Ivan? I remember you! You traveled with Garet... ah, you’re such a clever boy. Now if only Garet was that clever,” Garet’s mother said.
In response, Ivan smiled shyly.
Red-haired and jovial, Garet’s mother was an imposing presence. Beside her in the house was Jenna’s mother along with a few other townswomen scuttling in and out.
“I just wish he’d marry that girl already and give me some grandchildren,” she sighed. “It’s about high time he did.”
Jenna’s mother smiled as well. “You know how stubborn those two are, these sorts of things take time! Though, perhaps it could be sped up with some meddling.”
They all laughed then, filling the kitchen with their noisy bustling.
“Why don’t you go run off and play?” Garet’s mother said, ignoring the fact that Ivan had long outgrown children’s games.
“I can help,” Ivan said.
“Really now? Aaron says the same but he seems to fall into the same sort of ‘help’ that Garet gives. Comes from his father’s side, I swear.”
“My sister taught me,” Ivan said.
“Well, if you say so then. You always seemed a clever lad, I’ll let you try.”
She handed him a clean apron.
“Take this, you wouldn’t want to get those clothes of yours all stained now.”
The apron was rather plain, no ruffles or stitched in patterns, like the one Jenna’s mother wore. It was a little large, but with his hair pulled bag and the ties knotted tight, he could almost be mistaken for a housewife himself. (A notion he hoped Sheba wouldn’t draw inspiration from.)
He first began by helping sift out the flour. It stuck to him, making his cheeks ever paler and collecting in his hair like fairy dust.
The process of mixing was easy, he could remember the steps to add, sugar, eggs, water, milk
a pinch of salt, cinnamon... it all looked glutinous and mud-like when stirred by a wooden spoon, but soon it would be baked into something golden and far more savory than the slop is resembled now.
“Mom, I— There you are!” Jenna said, with Sheba close behind her.
“I was wondering where you got off to,” Sheba said. She grinned as she saw his apron. She was most definitely getting the notions that he had hoped she wouldn’t.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Jenna?”
“I sure am.”
They both grinned then, and Ivan felt a chill of something very like terror.
They disappeared for a moment, and Ivan thought of making and excuse and running far, far away, possibly to Contigo or Prox, but they returned before he could
They were holding flowers. Small purple flowers that he hoped hadn’t come out of Kay’s garden for the sake of everyone.
They closed in and Ivan clung to his mixing bowl, that had long passed the need to be stirred and was quite ready for being laid out and baked.
One girl undid his braid while another fastened his hair into two pigtails. Then both girls proceeded to braid the flowers into his hair. They hummed as they worked, both quite happy to be enforcing hair beautification on their very unwilling friend.
When they finished, they both stood back and admired their work.
“We should work together more often,” Sheba said, in a tone that Ivan clearly thought implied plots of world domination.
Garet’s mother laughed when she saw him.
“Well aren’t you just darling, Ivan. I bet you’ll make someone a wonderful housewife.”
Ivan blushed and carefully inspected the farthest wall near the door to hide his rosy cheeks.
And of course, fate decreed that this would be the moment for Isaac to return.
Isaac’s eyes met his and Ivan knew he was blushing even harder for Isaac of all people to see him like this. Ivan couldn’t read the expression on his face, but the only redeeming factor of this moment was that Isaac didn’t look disgusted. Then again, Isaac had always been hard to read. It’d only taken time and a lot of careful watching for Ivan to realize the subtleties. Even then it could be misinterpreted, the only sure way was to touch his mind, and Ivan was far too polite to do that.
Ivan looked away to his boots and willed his face to turn a more normal color. Unfortunately, he found that simply willing his body to do something would not always make it comply.
Garet came in soon after, and instead of Isaac’s quiet entry, Garet came in with the clatter of the door being crashed open.
“Hi Garet,” Jenna chirped, the morning’s anger long forgotten by now. Even as Jenna was prone to fits of exploding anger, it always lasted mere hours, if that. It was Felix who had the smoldering, longstanding anger that could take decades to abate.
“Hey Jenna,” Garet replied, grinning at her.
Garet’s mother and Jenna’s mother gave each other a conspiratorial smile. At their age, they could tell the signs of blossoming when it came.
But that moment was broken when Garet caught sight of his first love: food.
“It smells wonderful in here! I’m starved, when will it be ready?”.
“A long time from now, so you might as well get back to work,” Garet’s mother said as she shooed her son from the stewing pot.
“Aw, mom, I’ve been working all morning. I’m famished.”
“And you’ll have to continue working if you want your house finished before you’re an old man,” She said. She slapped his hand away from the drying cookies on the counter.
“Can’t we even have a taste?”
Garet’s mother put her hands on her hips and glowered. “Not a one until I see more work on that house of yours.”
Ivan dared to look up from his careful inspection of the floorboards. Isaac had been distracted for a moment, but his sky blue eyes met Ivan’s again. Ivan quickly looked away again. His cheeks were searing again. This was not going quite as well as he would have liked.
—
After their impromptu makeover, the girls escaped leaving Ivan with the rest of the chores. Far away from the heat of the kitchen, they laughed with each other over the work they’d nearly been forced into.
“So, Jenna,” Sheba said.
Jenna was slightly distracted, enough that she didn’t feel Sheba sneaking up on her, or see the light of a mind-read psyenergy glowing around her until it was already too late.
“She-ba!”
“Hmm... Garet? I thought you liked Isaac.”
Jenna colored at the mention. “Yeah, well. These things change.”
She busied herself in weaving a bit of grass, with just as much ease as she had woven those flowers into Ivan’s hair.
“Jenna?”
Jenna said nothing for a moment, and Sheba moved closer.
“Jenna?”
Jenna sighed. Sheba flashed, the mind read already half begun when Jenna halted her.
“Ok, Ok! I’ll tell you... I waited a long time. And he just didn’t seem interested. I thought, maybe, he had a thing for someone else, like Mia. But when we visited her in Imil a while back, it was the same, he wasn’t interested in her either.”
Jenna set aside the twined grass now and looked far into the distance, left, to memories long past.
“There were other girls who were after Isaac too, especially after he came back.”
Something in Jenna’s tone implied a desire to roast these girls alive.
“But, he wasn’t interested in them either. It’s like someone else has a hold of his heart, or maybe he just isn’t interested in the whole thing at all.”
“Garet was always there and... ” Jenna shrugged. Her face brightened at the mention of Garet. “He’s such a klutz,” she said fondly.
“Anyways, Isaac... it was just a silly crush,” Jenna said. Her tone belied her words, as if saying it had merely been a seed that hadn’t grown. A silly little seed that could’ve bloomed into something beautiful but was cast aside, never to see the light of day again.
--
The day waxed and waned. The ladies went into their own homes, where their own families and responsibilities awaited them After a large, hearty dinner made by Garet’s Mother, Sheba and Ivan began retelling every detail of their trip together. It took hours with the constant interruption of younger children, skipping to details of the first heroic trip, when Ivan had joined Isaac and Garet, and what had happened to Sheba when she’d finally gone off with Felix. The full weight of the journey had finally hit them, both of them were on the verge of nodding off into their empty bowls.
Jenna insisted that Sheba stay with her, as Felix had moved out, there was plenty of room for her, not that she’d be staying in another room anytime soon. Jenna was already planning sleepovers and stories and gossipy tale tellings all night long. Ivan hoped that their fun didn’t lead to Sheba convincing Jenna to help her anymore, though Ivan had a sinking feeling that it would.
With Ivan, it was trickier. With Jenna already rooming Sheba and Garet’s brimming to the point of overflowing, it made him wish he’d not lost the tent after crossing that river shortly after reaching Tolbi.
“I can just stay at the inn,” Ivan said.
“Nah, we’d never make you do that Ivan! Maybe Felix can room you for a while,” Garet said.
“Th-that’s ok–” Ivan said.
Despite that Isaac and Felix shared many characteristics, Ivan had always felt unnerved by Felix. His silence seemed to loom, oppressive, like a fog. It was hardly the comfort that Isaac’s had brought. Ivan knew that this was simply Felix’s way, forged from loss and being forced to grow up too soon, and yet he still felt nervous in his presence.
“Well, we could make room, but it’ll take some time, it’s kind of cramped at my house already,” Garet said.
“It’s fine, really, I’m sure I’ll–”
“I’ll take him in,”Isaac said.
“Oh yeah, your house has tons of room now that you rebuilt it,” Garet said.
And with that, it was settled.
The walk there was tense, perhaps it was fatigue, or the fact that Sheba kept smirking at his back. Isaac didn’t attempt to start conversation, nor did Ivan ask all the questions that had been weighing on his mind for the past five years.
Soon, soon, everything would be explained. There was no need to hurry. What had taken years to build might take longer to unravel. And then, it might only take a single well-chosen moment.
Regardless, he could only wait until that time.
--
Dora was kind enough to welcome Ivan in, whatever burden or inconvenience it left her, Ivan couldn’t sense any trace of annoyance on her part.
She treated him not as simply a guest, but a part of the family, even as a second son.
Isaac was warmer, more open around his parents than Ivan had seen before. It was not the first time he had met Kyle, though Ivan saw many similar traits, from the set of his mouth
Isaac’s house reminded him of home, Ivan saw hues of his sister in the shadows. The quiet understanding, the gentle, loving glances Kyle and Dora exchanged, the comforting warmth of the heath, Ivan felt as if Contigo was that much closer here.
Ivan did not remember nodding off, only that he had closed his eyes for a moment and fell into the warm shores of slumber. He did not feel arms lifting him, and the voices beyond were a humming nothing, a birdsong.
--
Moonlight fell through the windows, even through the sheer curtains.
Ivan turned over again. It wasn’t that the bed was uncomfortable, for it was, yet a restlessness fell over him, stealing his sleep away. Ivan had dozed off earlier, but woken soon after, groggy with a thrumming in his head. After a several more minutes of chasing sleep only to have it elude him, Ivan tossed the covers off. The wood floor was bare and clean, and oh so cold. Ivan mentally cursed himself for forgetting to wear socks to bed. He went on tip-toe, cringing when his foot hit a creaky board.
Though usually unnerved by the dark, he knew there was nothing to fear in Vare. Still, the dark houses seemed less peaceful than jarring. The lit ones looked ghostlike. Ivan shook this senseless fear from his mind.
The only thing in Vare to be disconcerted by was Isaac.. Also, Sheba, his mind reminded him, but that was another thing entirely.
At one time during their travels Ivan had felt as if he could tell Isaac anything, as if every secret could be stripped bare and pressed to the light. No worry or misgiving would be kept quiet long,
And yet, something lay between them now. A veil, a fog that clung deeper than Ivan had expected. Of course the years had passed,
Ivan shook his head. The night air felt good against his skin, and he closed his eyes for a moment, ignoring the sleeping town around him. When he opened them, he caught a glimpse of the crystal below. Ivan walked towards it without thought, without reason, in a sleepless haze.
The psyenergy crystal before the gates glowed in the night air. Refracted violet in the water below, it looked glasslike in its transparency. Ivan stared out at the angles and facets of the stone, shining with a gentle aura under the gaze of the moon. He felt an odd notion to lay his hands upon it, as if doing so would solve every problem that had arisen. The distance wasn’t far, and the islet that held the faceted stone was just a simple leap away. Without thought to the consequences, Ivan jumped the distance and laid his hands on the stone. Energy rushed through him as his skin touched the crystal. It was surprisingly warm, he had expected it to feel cold, but it was heated, as if a flame lay deep inside, emanating outward.
“It’s late,” a voice said.
Ivan started from his thoughts and spun around to face to see Isaac standing near. In the moonlight he looked so much softer, shadows blurring the sharp angles of his face and hair.
“Isa–”
Unmeaning to, Ivan’s foot slipped in the muddy side of the islet.
And then Isaac was moving closer, jumping to the islet and reaching out-- but not soon enough, for his hand missed Ivan’s by mere inches as he fell to the pool of water.
Thankfully, the water wasn’t as deep in this end. Bruised, and shocked from the cold water, Ivan clung to the side, his fingers dug into the damp grass and soil. It was much too slippery to hold on to, let alone to pull himself up from.
“Here, take my hand,” Isaac said. Isaac bent down, his hands outstretched.
Ivan attempted to lift himself and his wet clothes from the water, but it was heavier than expected, like watery hands pulling him back in. He tried again, and gripped Isaac’s hand, shaking, slipping, so close to being pulled free from the water’s clutches...
And then they were both tumbling down into the dark water.
Soaked and with water dripping from his hair, Isaac looked like a wet dog. Ivan suppressed a giggle as Isaac pushed his hair our of his face. He couldn’t hold the laughter back any longer as the same wet stands fell back into his face and a steam of water came out his mouth.
Ivan felt Isaac’s gloved hand brush his cheek, pushing away damp strands of hair that clung to his cheek
“...Isaac?”
Even in the blackness, Ivan could just make out Isaac pulling off his gloves, and reaching to press aside another wet strand from his face. This time, it was cold and damp, a bit clammy and yet his skin. His hand stayed there, warming against Ivan’s flushed cheeks.
“Hey mister! Whatcha doin’ swimming at this time?”
A towheaded boy looked down in the water, the same one that had greeted them at the gates of Vare.
“And what are you doing awake at this time, Jimmie?” Isaac said.
“Spot needed to be walked,” Jimmie said. “Mom says if I wanna keep him, I gotta walk him myself.”
Ivan used this moment to disentangle himself. While the boy chatted away, Ivan pulled himself out of the dark water and into the night.
—
a/n: just a short note here. I hope to update around the ‘anniversary’ of the first posting every month until it’s done (aka 7-10th) though to balance it each chapter will be 1) around 4,000-5,000 words, possibly in parts 2) done for 31 days at lj (in which case that the day in question doesn’t fit, I’ll use another latter one and consider it ‘early’)
I love 31 days, without it I have a hard time not wandering off from deadlines.
So, see you in November, promise I’ll be working hard until then!
Fandom: Golden Sun
day/theme: 10. 11. | no place like home
rating: PG-13 for later parts
summary: Ivan returns to a rebuilt Vale five years later with much on his mind. Eventual Isaac/Ivan, sideline Garet/Jenna, Felix/Piers, Sheba/???
Wordcount: 5,100+ in this installment, OVER 9,000 total
a/n: It bears mentioning that I’m not purposefully ignoring Mia, it’s just that I had to snip her Imilian section of the plot because it seemed far too extraneous. I was already pushing it with the Felix/Piers and Garet/Jenna sub-plots as it was, random snapshots of Imil mid-story would’ve made it jarring. Maybe I’ll do sidestory for her, probably Alex/Mia in nature, as that was the angle I had planned. Until then, just imagine her as a happy healer in Imil.
Garet was old enough, his family decided.
In Vare, the rites of manhood were stranger than most. There were no grand ceremonies anymore, though in ages ago tomes had recorded vision-quests and fasting. Today all that lingered of those hard trials was the task of building the house that would shelter them for the rest of their days, a task that was laid to their own hands. At times, the youth would decide to do it solely by themselves, from cutting the wood to refining and turning it into the boards they would use for crafting their home. Felix had taken this route, which was no surprise to the town. With only Piers and a few friends and family members, he had gone the hardest, yet purest route in building his home. It was small, yet cozy and held the necessities. It was enough for him.
Garet hadn’t gone quite as far as Felix, as the rest of the town had helped him, and he had been glad for every bit of help he could get.
Jenna knew this well, and she thought on the shaping of the house as she walked, balancing the glasses on a tray. She stepped in to inspect the frame of a window where the kitchen would be. It looked over the pool with the psyenergy crystal. Light would flow in from this angle, maybe garnished with some pretty reddish curtains as a finishing touch.
Not that she planned to be in the kitchen anytime soon. Garet would do dishes, even if that meant broken plates and glasses. That hardly solved the problem of who would cook. Jenna was a bit too fond of fire, and somehow her dishes always turned blackened and crispy. Garet could hardly be expected to cook without exploding something, even if it was conceivable that he could actually wash a plate without breaking it.
Jenna giggled at the thought. Clumsy as he was, Garet just might be turned into a good househusband yet.
As she drew nearer, Jenna overhead voices, slightly echoed in the half-built walls.
“Ugh, this is tough work!”
“Felix built his years ago, not that he even uses it with him out traveling with Piers all the time,” Garet muttered.
“He’ll certainly be using it now considering they’re back for the fall and probably the winter,” Isaac said.
She smiled, she could just imagine the look on Garet’s face.
“Hey you two... working hard?” Jenna beamed at him and Garet dropped his hammer immediately, glad for any excuse for a break.
“Thanks Jenna, I was parched!”
He guzzled his drink, nearly finishing it in one gulp before grabbing another. Jenna was glad she had anticipated this and brought extras.
“What about you, Isaac?”
Isaac didn’t even look up from his task. He was so like Felix in that same single-mindedness and dedication.
“A minute, I’m almost done with this board,” he replied.
However, if anything, Isaac worked more slowly, focusing all his intensity on that one nail.
“So,” Jenna said. She’d set the tray down on the grass beside the house, and inspected their work, her hands behind her back. So far it was satisfactory. A little bare, still, but she could deal with that. At least until a little later.
“You could fit probably two people in a house this size. Possibly three,” she said.
Garet wiped the sweat from his brow. “Yeah, Isaac will probably room there until he finishes his too. It’s only fair since he’s helping so much.”
Jenna scrunched up her nose and tried again. Patience, patience, sometimes Garet was a little...dense in such matters.
“But there’d be enough for other people. Friends, say. Female ones.”
“Oh yeah! I should invite Mia back, I haven’t seen her in ages!. Thanks for reminding me, Jenna.”
At the mention of Mia’s name, the last bit of Jenna’s shaky attempt at patience cracked and splintered.
“You’re such an idiot Garet!”
And with that she stormed off.
“Geez, what’s her problem?” Garet said.
Isaac gave a longsuffering sigh and returned to his task of nailing in the plank again.
The general consensus of the town thought that Garet and Jenna would either be found in a very
compromising position followed by a quick wedding or kill each other in a rain of fire that would be mistaken for doomsday by towns for miles around.
For everyone’s sake, Isaac hoped it would be the former.
–
Piers drank his second cup of the day. The tea in Vare was bitter, a distinct taste, much more than the hazy, bland Lemurian tea he had been used to for all of his long life.
Though he was only a guest, by all means this house was his own as well. When Felix had asked him to stay a little longer and help him build this house, the first solid return to home of four and a half years, Piers could find no reason to refuse him.
His mother was long gone now, and would not await his arrival. His uncle and king could be notified that something had come up, they were not waiting anxiously for his return. Years passed as moments to Lemuria.
So Piers had settled in. He liked Vare and had always gotten on well with Felix. They understood each other, the limits and boundaries that their partnership had warranted. Piers knew many little things now, how Felix took his coffee (black, without any embellishment) or how he looked when fast asleep, his face finally growing peaceful in the world of Morpheus, Piers could only hope those dreams were as happy as Vare had become, and not the nightmares that Felix had woken from in their journeys.
And yet, there was still so much that Piers didn’t know. Like for the sheer reason of asking him, and only him to help build this house. Perhaps it was a Vare custom he was unaware of, but Piers couldn’t help but wonder if laying the foundation blocks together had some deeper significance than Felix let on. Piers still at times couldn’t read Felix’s silences; for every secret thought he learned, five more were hidden.
When Felix stole in from outside, his skin still reddened from the exposure, Piers thought he saw Felix’s expression soften a bit upon catching his gaze.
Five years he had been kept, for each time and each travel Felix would journey with him, unwilling to leave Piers alone to his wanderings. Each time, Piers felt just as unwilling to send Felix alone for the return voyage. Several times he had returned home, only to leave within a short time, citing unfinished errands.
Five years was a mere fortnight to Lemuria, five more would be hardly noticed.
Lemuria would have to miss him for a little longer.
–
It took another two days to reach Vare. It was mostly due to Ivan’s feigned weariness in Vault to give him at least some chance to calm himself before returning. Sheba seemed to welcome the short respite as well, perhaps her slave-driving had even affected her in the end. She certainly had caught up in on sleep in two days they were there.
Ivan kept his politeness, and didn’t read her mind during that time. Of course, he was afraid of what he would find if he ever tried.
Within the next day they bought a small lunch and crossed the final plains to Vare. Five years had made it seem almost indiscernible from the town it once was. The landscape had changed, yes, but newly built houses had popped up, like wildflowers or weeds over the valley. The remains of Mount Aleph lay behind them and the landscape had changed but other than that, Vare had sprung up from its ashes, newly grown and ancient all in one, Vale had been reborn, and it was a beautiful sight.
Ivan and Sheba stood at the gates for a moment, taking in the difference from the ruins they had seen before. Just as before there was a large Psyenergy crystal, violent in hue put in the middle of the pool. He wasn’t sure if it had been salvaged or made again.
“Hey, there’s some travelers!” Several children gathered at the wooden entranceway of Vare.
“Who’re you?” Squeaked a small towheaded child.
“Me? I saved the world,” Sheba said.
“Helped,” Ivan corrected.
“Who scored the last blow on the doom dragon? Who?”
Ivan sighed. Admittedly, she had – after several Grand Gaia’s and massive summons, she’d struck the killing blow with her Rising Mace. And she’d never let them forget it. Ever
The rest of the children ensured that their return was well known as they ran from house to house, yelling that heroes had come to stay.
Jenna was the first down the stairs, having been close enough to receive the word of their arrival first. Her face lit up as she caught sight of them.
“Sheba, is that you?!”
“Jenna!”
Sheba flung herself into Jenna’s arms and Jenna laughed and spun around, Sheba clinging tight with her arms thrown around her neck.
They hugged and laughed for what seemed like hours but was only minutes. Ivan thought this might be his means of escape. He started to move aside when Sheba grabbed his arm. He’d underestimated how close she was.
“And Ivan--! Wow, you’ve become so...pretty.” Jenna said.
“Hasn’t he?” Sheba said. “I’m a bit jealous at how lustrous and soft his hair is.”
“Me too,” Jenna admitted.
“Just share your beauty secrets and nobody has to get hurt.” Jenna grinned at him. Sheba grinned as well.. Ivan had no doubt at all as to whether they’d tie him up and get beauty secrets out of him – at any cost.
Ivan felt a hand clap him on the back, way too hard, and before he even turned around he already knew who it was.
“Garet!”
“Ivan! Man, it’s been ages since I last saw you!” Garet
“I see you’re still holding up,” Ivan laughed. “You haven’t gotten yourself killed yet.”
“Hey, that’s unfair! I can be careful too – Can’t I, Isaac?”
And then, Isaac was beside him, so quiet that Ivan hadn’t even noticed. Isaac had grown much taller since then, and Ivan hadn’t grown much to make up the difference. The transitions from a boy to a man had taken its toll on Isaac, even with the healing, there was that same hidden sadness in his sky colored eyes. The sun was catching in his hair, golden and full of light. It was still as disheveled as ever, rough and mussed as if he had just rolled out of a deep sleep.
“It’s been a long time, Ivan.”
Ivan know that his lips were parted because he could feel the dryness. He licked his lips and searched for something to say, some welcoming thing, some thanks but only found a lack, an emptiness when he reached for the words.
Everywhere around them there was noise and bustle, but here, between them was merely a web of silence.
“Isaac....” he said finally.
After the greetings were exchanged, Sheba’s attention fell Isaac and his accidental proximity. She smiled, a smirk really, and Ivan could just see the gears working in her mind.
“Don’t you think Ivan’s grown up nicely, Isaac?”
Ivan flushed. He knew where this was going, he didn’t want to be there when she started mindreading.
Isaac looked nonplused as ever, if slightly confused at her choice of topics. He didn’t answer immediately, seeming to consider her question, weighing the options.
Ivan pulled himself from Sheba’s grip and muttered an excuse about going to find Garet.
“But Garet’s right here!” Jenna said.
—
Fleeing the scene was not the best idea Ivan had ever had. For one, the houses had all been rebuilt, and he had no clue where the location of everything was. Everyone he knew he’d just fled from, and that was everyone who he’d traveled thousands of miles to see once again.
Ivan sighed. He scanned through the sea of houses, all similar shapes and sizes, he still couldn’t find one particular one to visit. He couldn’t tell a sanctum from a restaurant at this distance.
Ivan finally came to rest under a new sapling. It had already branched out and provided some shade. Wind rustled in its small leaves, the bark was rough against his back, even through his robes.
The house nearest to him was full of sound and life. He overheard women working, talking, laughing. He wondered if it was in preparation of a feast or festival, or perhaps simply a social gathering.
The door opened and a woman exited, throwing emptying her pan of water to the bushes beside the house.
“Ohh, isn’t that Ivan? I remember you! You traveled with Garet... ah, you’re such a clever boy. Now if only Garet was that clever,” Garet’s mother said.
In response, Ivan smiled shyly.
Red-haired and jovial, Garet’s mother was an imposing presence. Beside her in the house was Jenna’s mother along with a few other townswomen scuttling in and out.
“I just wish he’d marry that girl already and give me some grandchildren,” she sighed. “It’s about high time he did.”
Jenna’s mother smiled as well. “You know how stubborn those two are, these sorts of things take time! Though, perhaps it could be sped up with some meddling.”
They all laughed then, filling the kitchen with their noisy bustling.
“Why don’t you go run off and play?” Garet’s mother said, ignoring the fact that Ivan had long outgrown children’s games.
“I can help,” Ivan said.
“Really now? Aaron says the same but he seems to fall into the same sort of ‘help’ that Garet gives. Comes from his father’s side, I swear.”
“My sister taught me,” Ivan said.
“Well, if you say so then. You always seemed a clever lad, I’ll let you try.”
She handed him a clean apron.
“Take this, you wouldn’t want to get those clothes of yours all stained now.”
The apron was rather plain, no ruffles or stitched in patterns, like the one Jenna’s mother wore. It was a little large, but with his hair pulled bag and the ties knotted tight, he could almost be mistaken for a housewife himself. (A notion he hoped Sheba wouldn’t draw inspiration from.)
He first began by helping sift out the flour. It stuck to him, making his cheeks ever paler and collecting in his hair like fairy dust.
The process of mixing was easy, he could remember the steps to add, sugar, eggs, water, milk
a pinch of salt, cinnamon... it all looked glutinous and mud-like when stirred by a wooden spoon, but soon it would be baked into something golden and far more savory than the slop is resembled now.
“Mom, I— There you are!” Jenna said, with Sheba close behind her.
“I was wondering where you got off to,” Sheba said. She grinned as she saw his apron. She was most definitely getting the notions that he had hoped she wouldn’t.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Jenna?”
“I sure am.”
They both grinned then, and Ivan felt a chill of something very like terror.
They disappeared for a moment, and Ivan thought of making and excuse and running far, far away, possibly to Contigo or Prox, but they returned before he could
They were holding flowers. Small purple flowers that he hoped hadn’t come out of Kay’s garden for the sake of everyone.
They closed in and Ivan clung to his mixing bowl, that had long passed the need to be stirred and was quite ready for being laid out and baked.
One girl undid his braid while another fastened his hair into two pigtails. Then both girls proceeded to braid the flowers into his hair. They hummed as they worked, both quite happy to be enforcing hair beautification on their very unwilling friend.
When they finished, they both stood back and admired their work.
“We should work together more often,” Sheba said, in a tone that Ivan clearly thought implied plots of world domination.
Garet’s mother laughed when she saw him.
“Well aren’t you just darling, Ivan. I bet you’ll make someone a wonderful housewife.”
Ivan blushed and carefully inspected the farthest wall near the door to hide his rosy cheeks.
And of course, fate decreed that this would be the moment for Isaac to return.
Isaac’s eyes met his and Ivan knew he was blushing even harder for Isaac of all people to see him like this. Ivan couldn’t read the expression on his face, but the only redeeming factor of this moment was that Isaac didn’t look disgusted. Then again, Isaac had always been hard to read. It’d only taken time and a lot of careful watching for Ivan to realize the subtleties. Even then it could be misinterpreted, the only sure way was to touch his mind, and Ivan was far too polite to do that.
Ivan looked away to his boots and willed his face to turn a more normal color. Unfortunately, he found that simply willing his body to do something would not always make it comply.
Garet came in soon after, and instead of Isaac’s quiet entry, Garet came in with the clatter of the door being crashed open.
“Hi Garet,” Jenna chirped, the morning’s anger long forgotten by now. Even as Jenna was prone to fits of exploding anger, it always lasted mere hours, if that. It was Felix who had the smoldering, longstanding anger that could take decades to abate.
“Hey Jenna,” Garet replied, grinning at her.
Garet’s mother and Jenna’s mother gave each other a conspiratorial smile. At their age, they could tell the signs of blossoming when it came.
But that moment was broken when Garet caught sight of his first love: food.
“It smells wonderful in here! I’m starved, when will it be ready?”.
“A long time from now, so you might as well get back to work,” Garet’s mother said as she shooed her son from the stewing pot.
“Aw, mom, I’ve been working all morning. I’m famished.”
“And you’ll have to continue working if you want your house finished before you’re an old man,” She said. She slapped his hand away from the drying cookies on the counter.
“Can’t we even have a taste?”
Garet’s mother put her hands on her hips and glowered. “Not a one until I see more work on that house of yours.”
Ivan dared to look up from his careful inspection of the floorboards. Isaac had been distracted for a moment, but his sky blue eyes met Ivan’s again. Ivan quickly looked away again. His cheeks were searing again. This was not going quite as well as he would have liked.
—
After their impromptu makeover, the girls escaped leaving Ivan with the rest of the chores. Far away from the heat of the kitchen, they laughed with each other over the work they’d nearly been forced into.
“So, Jenna,” Sheba said.
Jenna was slightly distracted, enough that she didn’t feel Sheba sneaking up on her, or see the light of a mind-read psyenergy glowing around her until it was already too late.
“She-ba!”
“Hmm... Garet? I thought you liked Isaac.”
Jenna colored at the mention. “Yeah, well. These things change.”
She busied herself in weaving a bit of grass, with just as much ease as she had woven those flowers into Ivan’s hair.
“Jenna?”
Jenna said nothing for a moment, and Sheba moved closer.
“Jenna?”
Jenna sighed. Sheba flashed, the mind read already half begun when Jenna halted her.
“Ok, Ok! I’ll tell you... I waited a long time. And he just didn’t seem interested. I thought, maybe, he had a thing for someone else, like Mia. But when we visited her in Imil a while back, it was the same, he wasn’t interested in her either.”
Jenna set aside the twined grass now and looked far into the distance, left, to memories long past.
“There were other girls who were after Isaac too, especially after he came back.”
Something in Jenna’s tone implied a desire to roast these girls alive.
“But, he wasn’t interested in them either. It’s like someone else has a hold of his heart, or maybe he just isn’t interested in the whole thing at all.”
“Garet was always there and... ” Jenna shrugged. Her face brightened at the mention of Garet. “He’s such a klutz,” she said fondly.
“Anyways, Isaac... it was just a silly crush,” Jenna said. Her tone belied her words, as if saying it had merely been a seed that hadn’t grown. A silly little seed that could’ve bloomed into something beautiful but was cast aside, never to see the light of day again.
--
The day waxed and waned. The ladies went into their own homes, where their own families and responsibilities awaited them After a large, hearty dinner made by Garet’s Mother, Sheba and Ivan began retelling every detail of their trip together. It took hours with the constant interruption of younger children, skipping to details of the first heroic trip, when Ivan had joined Isaac and Garet, and what had happened to Sheba when she’d finally gone off with Felix. The full weight of the journey had finally hit them, both of them were on the verge of nodding off into their empty bowls.
Jenna insisted that Sheba stay with her, as Felix had moved out, there was plenty of room for her, not that she’d be staying in another room anytime soon. Jenna was already planning sleepovers and stories and gossipy tale tellings all night long. Ivan hoped that their fun didn’t lead to Sheba convincing Jenna to help her anymore, though Ivan had a sinking feeling that it would.
With Ivan, it was trickier. With Jenna already rooming Sheba and Garet’s brimming to the point of overflowing, it made him wish he’d not lost the tent after crossing that river shortly after reaching Tolbi.
“I can just stay at the inn,” Ivan said.
“Nah, we’d never make you do that Ivan! Maybe Felix can room you for a while,” Garet said.
“Th-that’s ok–” Ivan said.
Despite that Isaac and Felix shared many characteristics, Ivan had always felt unnerved by Felix. His silence seemed to loom, oppressive, like a fog. It was hardly the comfort that Isaac’s had brought. Ivan knew that this was simply Felix’s way, forged from loss and being forced to grow up too soon, and yet he still felt nervous in his presence.
“Well, we could make room, but it’ll take some time, it’s kind of cramped at my house already,” Garet said.
“It’s fine, really, I’m sure I’ll–”
“I’ll take him in,”Isaac said.
“Oh yeah, your house has tons of room now that you rebuilt it,” Garet said.
And with that, it was settled.
The walk there was tense, perhaps it was fatigue, or the fact that Sheba kept smirking at his back. Isaac didn’t attempt to start conversation, nor did Ivan ask all the questions that had been weighing on his mind for the past five years.
Soon, soon, everything would be explained. There was no need to hurry. What had taken years to build might take longer to unravel. And then, it might only take a single well-chosen moment.
Regardless, he could only wait until that time.
--
Dora was kind enough to welcome Ivan in, whatever burden or inconvenience it left her, Ivan couldn’t sense any trace of annoyance on her part.
She treated him not as simply a guest, but a part of the family, even as a second son.
Isaac was warmer, more open around his parents than Ivan had seen before. It was not the first time he had met Kyle, though Ivan saw many similar traits, from the set of his mouth
Isaac’s house reminded him of home, Ivan saw hues of his sister in the shadows. The quiet understanding, the gentle, loving glances Kyle and Dora exchanged, the comforting warmth of the heath, Ivan felt as if Contigo was that much closer here.
Ivan did not remember nodding off, only that he had closed his eyes for a moment and fell into the warm shores of slumber. He did not feel arms lifting him, and the voices beyond were a humming nothing, a birdsong.
--
Moonlight fell through the windows, even through the sheer curtains.
Ivan turned over again. It wasn’t that the bed was uncomfortable, for it was, yet a restlessness fell over him, stealing his sleep away. Ivan had dozed off earlier, but woken soon after, groggy with a thrumming in his head. After a several more minutes of chasing sleep only to have it elude him, Ivan tossed the covers off. The wood floor was bare and clean, and oh so cold. Ivan mentally cursed himself for forgetting to wear socks to bed. He went on tip-toe, cringing when his foot hit a creaky board.
Though usually unnerved by the dark, he knew there was nothing to fear in Vare. Still, the dark houses seemed less peaceful than jarring. The lit ones looked ghostlike. Ivan shook this senseless fear from his mind.
The only thing in Vare to be disconcerted by was Isaac.. Also, Sheba, his mind reminded him, but that was another thing entirely.
At one time during their travels Ivan had felt as if he could tell Isaac anything, as if every secret could be stripped bare and pressed to the light. No worry or misgiving would be kept quiet long,
And yet, something lay between them now. A veil, a fog that clung deeper than Ivan had expected. Of course the years had passed,
Ivan shook his head. The night air felt good against his skin, and he closed his eyes for a moment, ignoring the sleeping town around him. When he opened them, he caught a glimpse of the crystal below. Ivan walked towards it without thought, without reason, in a sleepless haze.
The psyenergy crystal before the gates glowed in the night air. Refracted violet in the water below, it looked glasslike in its transparency. Ivan stared out at the angles and facets of the stone, shining with a gentle aura under the gaze of the moon. He felt an odd notion to lay his hands upon it, as if doing so would solve every problem that had arisen. The distance wasn’t far, and the islet that held the faceted stone was just a simple leap away. Without thought to the consequences, Ivan jumped the distance and laid his hands on the stone. Energy rushed through him as his skin touched the crystal. It was surprisingly warm, he had expected it to feel cold, but it was heated, as if a flame lay deep inside, emanating outward.
“It’s late,” a voice said.
Ivan started from his thoughts and spun around to face to see Isaac standing near. In the moonlight he looked so much softer, shadows blurring the sharp angles of his face and hair.
“Isa–”
Unmeaning to, Ivan’s foot slipped in the muddy side of the islet.
And then Isaac was moving closer, jumping to the islet and reaching out-- but not soon enough, for his hand missed Ivan’s by mere inches as he fell to the pool of water.
Thankfully, the water wasn’t as deep in this end. Bruised, and shocked from the cold water, Ivan clung to the side, his fingers dug into the damp grass and soil. It was much too slippery to hold on to, let alone to pull himself up from.
“Here, take my hand,” Isaac said. Isaac bent down, his hands outstretched.
Ivan attempted to lift himself and his wet clothes from the water, but it was heavier than expected, like watery hands pulling him back in. He tried again, and gripped Isaac’s hand, shaking, slipping, so close to being pulled free from the water’s clutches...
And then they were both tumbling down into the dark water.
Soaked and with water dripping from his hair, Isaac looked like a wet dog. Ivan suppressed a giggle as Isaac pushed his hair our of his face. He couldn’t hold the laughter back any longer as the same wet stands fell back into his face and a steam of water came out his mouth.
Ivan felt Isaac’s gloved hand brush his cheek, pushing away damp strands of hair that clung to his cheek
“...Isaac?”
Even in the blackness, Ivan could just make out Isaac pulling off his gloves, and reaching to press aside another wet strand from his face. This time, it was cold and damp, a bit clammy and yet his skin. His hand stayed there, warming against Ivan’s flushed cheeks.
“Hey mister! Whatcha doin’ swimming at this time?”
A towheaded boy looked down in the water, the same one that had greeted them at the gates of Vare.
“And what are you doing awake at this time, Jimmie?” Isaac said.
“Spot needed to be walked,” Jimmie said. “Mom says if I wanna keep him, I gotta walk him myself.”
Ivan used this moment to disentangle himself. While the boy chatted away, Ivan pulled himself out of the dark water and into the night.
—
a/n: just a short note here. I hope to update around the ‘anniversary’ of the first posting every month until it’s done (aka 7-10th) though to balance it each chapter will be 1) around 4,000-5,000 words, possibly in parts 2) done for 31 days at lj (in which case that the day in question doesn’t fit, I’ll use another latter one and consider it ‘early’)
I love 31 days, without it I have a hard time not wandering off from deadlines.
So, see you in November, promise I’ll be working hard until then!