Quinn spent some time thinking as he ran across the plains.
He could afford to pay a little less attention to the surroundings now. That, and the route they had chosen... he knew it well. Well enough to make some plans on what to do and where to go for when he was leaving his grandparents' house to continue south. Kaira was right; he should drop by at home, even though his illness had not been cured. At least his grandparents would know of the plans he made and the destinations of his travels. They could even spend the night there without losing much daytime.
He thought a little more about the journey as a whole. From Nota to his grandparents' house would take them about five days on normal travelling speed. In his current speed, they would make it on a total of four. Trying for less would probably not be very wise. He still had a long way to go, and overexerting himself wouldn't help matters in any way.
And if he made it to Illusion Forest in five days, his travel time would amount to a total of about two weeks. That meant that, most likely, he would have to endure another seizure before reaching the Star Spire, something that didn't sit particularly well with him.
Oh well. He would just have to deal with it when the situation arose.
Looking back for a few seconds, he saw that Nina was close in pursuit, keeping up with no problems to speak of, just as he expected. She did not look particularly pleased at the moment, however, if her facial expression was any indication.
"Are you all right? You look a little pale... well, sort of." He gave as close to a sheepish grin as he could. She lightened up a little at that.
"It's nothing. Just some bad memories, the little of it I can remember. Don't worry about it."
And then he remembered. It had been the place he had met her for the first time. The hill he was heading towards had been the vantage point from where he had seen the chase farther down in the valley to their right. He saw the forest far away into the distance, thus getting a better understanding of what she had been trying to do. Nina was a rather fast flyer, but the wyverns had been faster and, had it not been for Quinn's presence, she would not have made it at all. Of course the place would bring up some painful memories. He smacked his forehead mentally.
"Sorry," he said, feeling incredibly stupid, "I should have chosen a little detour before reaching this place. I just forgot."
"It's okay." she added, smiling a bit more, "It was just another episode of my life, and I'm just going to have to deal with it. It's not your fault."
"Well, at least we can leave this area quickly. We are soon at where the carnival should be, if they have not left already. I guess it doesn't matter much, as we don't have the time to visit it now, anyway."
"That's alright. The carnival will always come back. Right now we have more important things to think of."
Quinn allowed himself a moment of contented silence, smiling broadly. And as they reached the point where the river arched eastwards, he adjusted his course, the destination he selected clearly in his mind
"We should reach my home in a couple of hours. It would be best just to spend the night there, and then resume the journey the next morning."
"That sounds just fine." Nina added, sounding all the more like her happy self, "I have kinda wanted to see where you live, anyway."
"Well then."
Gowan sat on one of the larger rocks at the edge of the forest, stretching his old limbs and preparing his pipe for an after work smoke. With winter coming along, his workload lightened by quite an amount. And since most of the herbs and medicines he was working on were finished or almost finished, he could afford to rest more often. Even though Gowan was quite energetic and active for a man of his age, he had been starting to feel slightly aching and stiff the occasional mornings. But that was only to be expected, and it wasn't his biggest concern anyway.
He wondered how his grandson fared.
He didn't worry about the boy. He and his wife had both taught him responsibility and independence, so he knew that his grandson was fully able to take care of himself. Even though he wasn't quite well.
.......
Well, okay, so he worried a little.
But even so, he should be fine. He had no doubt that, among the best magicians in Vane, whatever was ailing his grandson would easily be located and treated. Gowan could hardly wait to see his grandson again, completely cured.
But he was about to have some visitors right now, it would seem like. And even though the person slowly appearing over the crest of the hill was still very far away, he could swear that the person had... white... hair.
"Quinn?"
He rose up slowly. His voice had barely been heard, even to himself as he spoke the name of his grandson.
"Quinn?"
His voice carried itself slightly louder now, as he easily recognized his grandson coming over the hill straight towards the forest. But even so, the sheer surprise of it was evident. He was back so soon? But he looked quite happy now, pointing towards the forest, then turning around. Was he travelling with someone? Gowan got up, intending to go meet his grandson and whoever he traveled with.
And he nearly dropped his pipe when he noticed the winged, red creature that flew up to his grandson, landing on his shoulder. That couldn't be a....
Quinn stopped, pointing ahead to the forest's edge and turning to his traveling companion.
"There's our forest. We'll be there any minute now." He lowered his arm, getting a funny look on his face. "Heh! Won't grandpa be surprised when he sees me returning so quickly. Come on, let's hurry up."
"Right, right," Nina added, flying up and landing on his shoulder. "Hope you don't mind. My wings are getting a bit tired. We must have been traveling more these last days than I have ever done earlier in my life."
Noticing the half shocked, half curious look she received from Quinn, she added, "Well... okay, that was stretching it a lot. But, even so, the sheer length of our journey so far is staggering, even to me."
Quinn looked a bit apologetic at that. "Well, it can't be helped. And we still have a long way to go, so I'm not going to force you to come with me. You can wait here at my grandparents' cabin, you know."
"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world. I'll fly 'till my wings fall off, if necessary. Then, I'll nail myself to your shoulders. I'm seeing this one through to the end."
Quinn didn't say anything, but his smile told her all she needed to know. She looked towards the front. Then, she noticed something... or someone.
"Who's that?"
"Hmm?" He sounded rather puzzled. Looking towards the front himself, noticing the person in question, he added, eagerly, "Hey, it's him. That's my grandfather."
Breaking into a run, it was all Nina could do to hold herself attached, digging her claws as deep into his shoulders as she could.
A short, frantic run later, they both reached Gowan. Quinn immediately received a bear hug from his grandfather, with back-slapping aplenty. Nina looked at the spectacle with a bemused expression on her face, having jumped off his shoulder, and was now hovering at a safe distance away.
Gowan was the first to speak up after the usual family reunion traditions were done.
"Good lord, Quinn, but it's good to see you again. And you look so well. I'm afraid to ask, but..." Gowan went silent, his expression turning more somber and anxious. Quinn knew all to well what he wanted to know, and he wasn't sure how to break it to him. It was only the respect he bore for his grandfather that made him decide that, if nothing else, he deserved the truth.
"No... I'm not cured... yet," he said, watching as his grandfather's face fell. "It's just... perhaps we should go to the cabin. It's a long story, and I think you both should hear it at the same time. Besides, it's not like a cure doesn't exist. It just wasn't to be found in Vane. Come on! Let's go home, and I'll update you both on the situation."
Gowan noticed that his voice carried with it some semblance of hope, and it made his mood lighter. Thus, he guessed that this was just a short reunion. Their grandson still had a long way to go.
Maria reacted pretty much the same when approached by her grandson as Gowan had. However, she didn't miss the slightly tired look on his face, nor the brooding expression Gowan wore. Besides, Quinn looked like he had something on his mind. Although he looked a little down, he had gained a determination she had never seen in him before. She guessed that this was just a quick visit... he would be leaving again very shortly.
Maria was a little puzzled about Quinn's flying companion. If she wasn't mistaken, it was a dragon. A young one, true, but a dragon nonetheless. It made her wonder where her grandson had been travelling the last weeks, or if he had met more of them. All the dragon caves were, after all, located over the great Minea sea.
She wasn't quite sure if she liked the idea of Quinn befriending a dragon-tthey were quite good friends already, of that Maria had no doubt--but mostly her worries stemmed from the fact that history told her that whenever dragons were involved, something big was about to take place.
She frowned at that. Perhaps she was being a bit unfair. Her grandson was obviously not cured yet, and, if anything, the dragon could be of great help to him. She might already have been, for all she knew. She just had to put aside her worries and hope that whatever would happen to him, he would not be involved in anything too great for him.
She barely registered the whistling coming from the kettle. Absentmindedly, she removed the kettle from the fire and filled the cups with the boiling water and some of her homemade tea bags.
Then, she headed for the living room.
When the tea had been consumed and Quinn's story told, Gowan and Maria sat in contemplative silence for a while.
Neither of them were quite sure what to make of it. Meeting dragons, both young and old, and not just any dragon, but the tetriarch. And the little, red one no other than his daughter. And, on top of that, seeing the ghost of none other than Ghaleon. And even though he had said that Quinn would find his cure, it did not ease their worries when his destination was mentioned.
The Blue Star.
It took a while for it to sink completely in. Quinn had to go to the Blue Star. To meet Lucia, the guardian. It made sense, they supposed, that if Quinn's situation was so serious that only the guardian had the power needed to cure him.
Even so, the journey to the spires would not be easy, not to mention that the spires' own guardian would probably not allow anyone passage to the Blue Star just like that. Gowan knew of stories about adventurers who had tried to reach the Blue Star. And of the few that had made it through Illusion Forest--the route that they chose to 'test' their mettle--few made it to the top of the tower. Those who did were usually politely asked to leave by a large, armored being that wore a face-concealing helmet. And the ones who tried to fight their way through, would find themselves well and thoroughly defeated by the being that was the guardian of the spire.
But if Lucia herself had requested his presence on the Star, perhaps they didn't need to worry about the spire guardian anyway, even though neither Gowan nor Maria wasn't sure whether to be relieved or worried about that.
The moods were lifted a lot when, after Quinn's story was told, they got to know the baby red dragon a little better. Although she started her tale about how the two had met, most of the gory details included and the scar illustrating things quite well, she told them more of the conversations they had, the people they had met and how she had experienced the journey as a whole. The tale about the waiter at Frey's earned her a smile from Maria and a chuckle from Gowan, who added that he had, indeed, met the man and thus asked himself the same question that the female waiter they had met on Nina's second visit there.
Maria's worst worries had settled a little after hearing more about her and how they had been getting along. Actually, she was kind of happy that the dragon was around, now that she knew her, as well as how they had met, a little better. She was mostly the exact opposite of her grandson, she noticed. Impulsive, free spoken and open where Quinn would be more reserved, always thinking ahead before doing or saying anything. And yet they were so much alike. The same friendly nature of their souls, the acceptance of differences and the lightness of spirit. It made Maria see the dragon tribe in a whole, new light. Quinn could probably not have gotten a better travelling partner.
The tale about Shin, however, did not sit well with either of them. Gowan and Maria both did not have any particular high opinion of the boy, as they had known him rather well. He had, after all, been Quinn's nemesis through his entire childhood from the second he accepted Yu-Shan's training. It was perhaps the only thing they could not for the life of them understand; why Quinn had forgiven him. Countless times, they would have had to console a crying, five year old Quinn when Shin and his 'cronies' had been making a trip to town difficult to him, or when they would find him training alone on the plains outside of Horam.
And, as the training progressed through the years, not only Shin himself, but almost every school in Horam would find opportunities to make his life or his training in the arts a much harder task than really necessary.
The tournament was probably the least favorable impression they got of him. He had all but almost killed every opponent he faced, often making sure Quinn was watching it. And when he was finally facing him, he was going all out, using every dirty trick in the book, and even inventing some new ones during the fight. It was only because of Yu-Shan's insistence that Quinn would be fine that held Gowan from having the match stopped right that instant.
And Quinn did defeat him in the end. Not that Shin hadn't tried everything he could to destroy him completely. Even so, it almost broke Gowan's heart to see how unhappy Quinn was about it. It made Gowan wonder, even more so when Quinn, in the end, forfeited the match by leaving the arena and the Zen zone altogether.
And that would be the last they saw of Shin, oddly enough.
The strangest part was perhaps that Quinn had been quite miserable after the tournament for reasons Gowan couldn't understand, or was unable to get out of the boy, who then threw himself into the arts with far more fervor than ever.
But then, one day as he had returned from his training, he had been grinning like an applicant who had been accepted for study at Vane. And Gowan had been just as unsuccessfully at finding out why that time. It couldn't be because he met... no. Still he went out, alone, to train almost regularly, until the day they moved here. And now they had met him in Tomari. As what sounded like a friendly basis... sort of.
He would have to ask his grandson about it. Although it would be better, he supposed, to wait until he was cured again.
Nina found Quinn later, as she had been told by Quinn's grandfather, in a clearing outside the forest.
It had been getting darker, making Nina have to rely on her improved night vision to traverse the forest by wings, but out here the ground was illuminated quite well by the soft light from the Blue Star. And she had no problems finding Quinn, not just for the fact that she could easily see him on the plains, but also the whooshing sounds of his limbs and the whirring sound coming from the blade he held in his hand as he was doing practice exercises in the arts.
Nina found herself yet again enthralled by the sight of it, thus making the unconscious decision of not to disturb him.
It was, she noticed, a little different from what she witnessed in Nota so very long ago, and not just because he was, for some reason, including a sword this time. Still, it was quite an impressive sight. If she listened closely, she could hear the blade create a humming tone as Quinn halted his movements on occasion, standing perfectly still. And sometimes she could catch the reflected light from the Blue Star in the blade when he swung it in wide arcs, creating themselves arcs of light.
"Quite an impressive sight, hmmm?"
The sudden appearance almost made Nina crash to the ground for the sheer surprise of it. The voice had come from Quinn's grandfather, who was standing right behind her at that moment. That he had been able to sneak up on her like that was probably no wonder, she thought dryly, as she had all but forgotten she was even flying.
"Yes, it is. Do you always sneak up on people like that?" she replied, giving the old man a wry grin.
"Heh. I guess one shouldn't let go of the opportunity, whenever it may arise." He chuckled. "Besides, you were making it easy for an old man."
Nina felt embarrassed at that. "Guess I did," she said, feeling her face flush. Then, as an afterthought, she added, "You know, I've never seen him use a sword before. Not even in his little battle with that guy in Tomari. Not that he was using a sword either, but..."
Lost in thought for a while, she didn't notice the frowning expression on Gowan's face.
"Quinn's martial arts sometimes incorporates the use of weapons," he said, his expression back to its jovial self with a hint of a cheesy grin, "...or so I've been told. I don't know much of these things. Even though I've seen him practice on occasion, with or without weaponry, I've never really understood much of it. But I've never needed to. Quinn has grown up to become a fine man, and whatever he chooses to pursuit, he'll have my full support."
"I agree... I guess," she said, feeling even more embarrassed. Changing the subject, she added, "Hey, how about we snap him out of it and bring him back. It's what I've been sent out here to do anyway."
"Very well."
And with that, they both noticed that Quinn had actually disappeared. Nina had a rather perplexed expression on her face. Gowan looked a bit uncertain, looking around from time to time.
Then she felt it.
It felt much like a tingle in the back of her neck, but it came with the strangest feeling of assurance that she was being watched from somewhere. She looked around nervously. It was not something she had felt before, and although she didn't feel threatened in any way, it was still a weird, scary feeling. But as she turned around, looking at the forest floor to the east and the plains to the west, she still couldn't see anyone. And then...
"Tag."
A light touch on the top of her head, quickly followed by a silent thud right beside her. Seconds later, they were all showered lightly by leaves from the tree they were all standing under. And the voice had belonged to....
"Quinn!" she had been taken completely by surprise, and her voice spoke of it in volumes. "What are you doing?"
"Getting your attention." He was grinning now. "So it's time for supper, then?"
"Yes," she replied, eyeing him suspiciously, "So..."
"Well..." Quinn looked thoughtful for a second, and then he turned to Nina again, "I guess we'll have to go back then. Oh, and Nina..." He leaned towards her, grinning smugly.
"Yes?" She still sounded a bit suspicious, looking at him questioningly.
"You're it!" he said, to which he turned around and ran into the woods, with nary a sound coming from his feet.
The completely surprised look in Nina's face almost sent Gowan into gales of laughter, and Nina turned to see him biting his lower lip to keep himself from doing just that.
Then, turning back, she raced into the forest in hot pursuit.
With the food ready, Maria sat down waiting for the rest to show up.
She had sent Nina to find Quinn, but even so, for some reason, Gowan had chosen to follow shortly afterwards. So Maria sat alone in the cabin for the time being experiencing the total silence of an empty house.
Then, she heard silent tussling outside, probably from someone running over the fallen, dried up leaves on the ground. Her guesses were proven correct as Quinn dove in through one of the windows, immediately going into a roll and, then, springing back to his feet, he ran straight for his room. Seconds later, the dragon came flying in, braking to a complete halt as she, too, entered through the window. Noticing Maria, she apologized for the sudden entrance. Then, seeing the open door to Quinn's room, she flew in at full speed. The sounds she heard from inside was interrupted as she heard someone knocking on the door. But before she had the time to answer, it opened, and Gowan's head appeared.
"Is it safe to enter?" he asked, chuckling.
It took a while before she regained the ability to speak. And another while before the confused look left her face completely.
They had eaten and they had conversed for a while. But, as Quinn's plans was as they were, he and Nina bid their goodnights before retiring.
As they headed for Quinn's room, both Gowan and Maria could hear them talk for a while. And while Gowan grinned widely behind his beard, Maria looked worried and concerned. But she hid it quickly as Gowan looked at her, even though it was still easily readable in her eyes. As the talking reduced itself to mumbling and then to complete silence, Maria looked down into her cup, the tea in it already cold.
"Are you worried about him?" he asked, watching her closely.
"I... I guess I am," she answered silently, "He has been involved in so much already. Meeting dragons, and... and Ghaleon, no less. Why would Ghaleon, of all people, be interested in my grandson? He is even going to meet with the Blue Star's guardian."
"Things don't always happen the way we want it to happen. He'll deal with it in time. And he will return, of that I am certain. Besides, he has gotten some powerful and influential friends that will be of great help as well."
They both went silent for a while. Then Maria looked up.
"Husband?"
"Yes?"
"Do you... do you think we should tell him?"
He mulled it over for a while.
"No!" he said, decisively. "Let's not burden his mind with more than necessary. When he gets back, then we'll see."
The early morning brought the first snow to the forest.
It laid rather sparsely around the forest floor, mostly because even though the trees had no leaves to speak of, the branches still blocked its way quite well. Even so, the ground had taken on a rather white tone to it, broken only by the occasional tracks crossing the area in a certain radius outside the cabin.
Quinn and Nina had both awakened to find all their travel gear prepared and ready. Gowan had replenished the medicine pouch with medicine vials and herbs of many different kinds, and Maria had prepared some food rations for them both. And now they were all standing outside the cabin saying their goodbye much in the same manner that Quinn remembered from when he left the first time, heading for Vane.
And while Maria pretty much repeated her fussing over Quinn, Gowan gave his well-wishes to the little dragon. Then, as Maria finished her good-byes to her grandson, Nina flew over to him, landing on his shoulder.
"Nina, dear, could I speak to you alone for a little while?" Maria asked the dragon, looking over at both Quinn and Gowan, smiling. "If you'll excuse us for a little while."
Both Quinn and Gowan looked quite perplexed, but they stayed put as Nina and Maria went into the house. As they got there, Maria took on an apologetic expression.
"I guess I owe you an apology, young Nina of the dragon tribe."
She looked a bit surprised at that. "You do? For what?"
"To be frank, and it's not something I'm too proud of, I wasn't sure that I wanted you so close to my grandson." At her shocked look, she held up her hand and continued, "Perhaps I'm being a bit overly cautious, but after we lost both our only son and his wife at sea, Quinn is the only one we have left. It was just that I was afraid that you would get him involved in something over his head, and we would lose him as well. And if that happened...."
Nina wasn't sure what to say to that, but before she was able to say anything at all, Maria continued.
"But having seen you two together... after moving here, I often forget that Quinn didn't have many friends when he was just a boy. I guess that's why he would value the few he has as much as he does. He can be so self-sacrificing at times... but that's just the way he is." She looked the dragon straight in the eyes. "Look after my grandson, will you? This is perhaps the first major task he has to do for himself, and while I might have questioned your friendship with him before, I can see now that you can help him carry himself through this. And I will feel much safer in the knowledge that you are with him on his way to the Blue Star."
"I will," Nina answered, feeling a tingling sensation up her spine as the revelation moved her.
"Thank you," Maria replied, "And lastly, before you go, I want you to know that you'll always be welcome in our home, dear."
Quinn and Gowan were sitting in more or less exact the same spots as they had when Maria and Nina had gone into the house. But, as Nina and Maria came out, they both got up to their feet. Nina flew over to Quinn and landed on his shoulder.
"Alright then," Gowan coughed, "...I guess this is it. The best of luck to the both of you on your journey."
"Thanks," Quinn replied. He looked over at Nina. "Ready?" Noticing her expression, he added, "...Are you alright?"
She took a deep breath and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine." Then she turned to Gowan and Maria. "Thank you for your hospitality," she said, bowing her head to them both.
"You're welcome," they both said, almost simultaneously. Then, Gowan added, "Feel free to visit us again, anytime, when this is all over."
"Sure!" she replied, looking over at Maria, who was grinning humorously at the situation.
Then they waved.
And left.