Lost (Trequel to "Sight")

A Small Town

The town looked deserted, as if no one had been there in years. But Nova was still excited to be there. He would run around, telling the others about the village and his old life. It put a smile on Rose's face to see him so happy.

Rose noticed Varian glaring after Nova with his arms crossed. She took a deep breath before speaking her mind.

"So... what was that all about when you stopped Nova and I from hugging?" Rose asked, folding her own arms.

"I saw that look in his eyes. I don't want him taking you away from me." His eyes never left Nova.

"Okay. So... you're jealous?"

"Wha-I- No!" Varian said, putting his hands back to his sides. "I'm just being cautious."

"By being jealous." Rose smirked. Varian pouted at her. "Aww, you know you're the only one for me." She wrapped her arms around his left one. That caused a smile to tug on the corner of his mouth.

"Oh, guess what Varian and I found out!" Musica interrupted them.

"What?" Rose inquired.

"We're cousins!" Musica exclaimed. "Turns out that Ulla is my mom's sister."

"Oh, that's super cool!" Rose said. "Maybe that's why you both have similar hair streaks."

"I have had mine for as long as I can remember," Varian admitted.

"Same." Musica touched the black streak in her hair.

"Hey, guys, maybe we should actually start looking for Ulla?" Rae suggested.

"Oh, right."

They all started going off in different directions, looking in buildings or knocking on doors. Some people answered. Some didn't. But nonetheless, none of them were Ulla.

It didn't take long to search the whole village-- it was very small. But there was no luck in finding Varian's mother. If that had been her in Rose's dream, why wasn't she here?

Rose saw Kenny across the street from her. "Hey, do you know where Varian went?"

"I think I saw him go to that garden over there," Kenny told her, pointing his thumb to the right of him.

"Thanks." Rose padded over to the surprisingly large garden. It had tall hedges that served as a doorway, and inside was a fountain surrounded by a few benches and lots of beautiful flowers. It was quite incredible.

But then it wasn't incredible. Varian was sitting on one of the benches, all by himself, his head buried in his hands. Rose sat next to him and put an arm around him.

"Varian? What's wrong?"

He looked up, tears streaming his face. "I-what if my dad's right? What if my mom really is dead?"

Rose wrapped him in a hug, laying his head on her chest. "Oh, Varian. You can't think like that."

"But look how far we've traveled, and she isn't anywhere. I was so excited because of your dream. I thought we'd finally found her."

"Me too," Rose admitted. "But there are still other kingdoms to travel. I will spend as much time as it takes to find her, just to see you happy."

Varian lifted his head. "Really?"

Rose wiped tears off of his face. "Really."

They both kissed, all of their troubles forgotten-- at least for the moment.

At least in this village, there was a pub they could stay in for the night. They rented a few bedrooms, and were out as soon as their heads touched their pillows. It had been a long day.

When Rose woke up, Varian was already gone. She got up to see him in the restaurant, sitting by himself with a mug beside him. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she walked up to him.

"What're you doing awake at..." She looked at the clock. "7:30! Jeez, I can't believe I'm awake."

"I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. So I came out here to sort out my thoughts," he explained.

"What exactly are these thoughts?" Rose inquired.

"Just trying to figure out exactly where to go next to find my mom. We know she can't possibly be here."

"So, where do you want to go next?"

"Well, I was considering going back to Bayangor, but I don't want to put the group through that awful forest again," he told her. "So maybe we'll just go straight to Ingvarr."

"Sounds like a plan!" Rose exclaimed with a smile. "We'll just have to wait till everyone else is awake."
"Let them take as long as they want." He took her hand. "I like having alone time with you."

Rose rested her head on his shoulder. "Me too."

They sat there for a few minutes before a waitress walked up to them, notebook in one hand, and quill in the other. "Can I get you something, young lady?"

Rose looked up at her. She was quite beautiful, with thick, reddish-brown hair that was pulled into a loose bun and dazzling, light blue eyes. She wore a pale gray dress with a faded red apron over top.

Varian, though, was staring at her as if she was a ghost.

"Varian, it's not nice to stare," Rose muttered to him.

"Excuse me a minute, did you say 'Varian'?" she asked. She chuckled-- a sweet, melodic sound. "That's funny. I had a son named Varian."

"Wait a minute, are you saying that you're-"

Varian continued to stare at her with large, round eyes. "Mom?"