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"Aethos-sola's father?" Aranxia mused. "Yes ... someone had mentioned ... I can't remember who, and I don't think it would have been Aethos-sola himself. After all, that was why he was sent here, wasn't it? To try to change him, because he was like his father, though he didn't realize it?"

"Hopefully the people give him a chance when he returns," Aranxia said softly, and though she was still smiling her eyes were filled with anxiety.

She was silent a moment more, thoughtful, and then, very suddenly, she turned back to the market and put her attention to the goods that were on display.

Within two days, the party was ready to leave - the caravels were packed, and at the first crack of dawn Leyenda and her family had arrived at the inn to bring the rest of the group to the ships.

Amalirahc was the one who knocked on the doors of the younger travelers, Andarien, Jess, River, Aranxia and Miyuki. By the time he got to Miyuki's door, the other four were already with him. River was talking non-stop, bubbling with excitement, while Aranxia and Jess were half-listening, used to her chatter by now. Andarien looked only half awake, his cap tilted sideways on his head.

"Come on, Miyuki, time to get up," Amalirahc called, knocking on her door. "The ships are already packed and ready to go!"

"Good morning," the others echoed, though Andarien was a bit behind the others. His Ponyta was nowhere in sight, but Eon was sitting by Andarien's feet, pawing at his master's leg to try to wake him up.

"Andarien, if you don't wake up, you're not going to remember your first sailing," Aranxia pointed out to her cousin with a smile.

Andarien yawned. "I know ... I'll wake up, I promise."

Amalirahc laughed. "Come on, let's go find our parents. Miyuki, do you need help carrying anything?"

The others all had their own bags, but Amalirahc's things were already on the ship. He had been staying with his grandparents, after all.

"We'll eat on the ship," Amalirahc replied. "Grandmother is already making a big breakfast for us on one of the caravals. It's a full day's sailing to get to the Zephyr, so we want to get going right away."

As they passed Lin and Earendil's room, the door opened and the two of them stepped out, joining the others.

Earendil chuckled when he saw how sleepy Andarien looked.

"You going to carry Eon?" he teased his son, seeing how Eon was pawing at Andarien every chance he got.

Andarien stared at Earendil for a moment, and behind his lenses, his eyes were half-closed. "Uh ... huh," he slurred sleepily. He knelt down and held out one hand to Eon. Rather than climbing up into Andarien's hand, however, he butted his head - hard - against Andarien's knees.

"Whaaaa!!" Andarien squealed and fell over backwards.

Eon squeaked and yipped his explanation, and Andarien winced and stood up again.

"I'm awake now" he said grumpily, picking up Eon and holding him in his arms.

Eon kept chattering away, giving Andarien a sound scolding for still being so sleepy despite the fact that he was awake and dressed and packed and walking around.

"He says that with all that I've already done today, what with packing and getting dressed and cleaning up my gears and walking around and stuff ... I should be more awake," Andarien replied, pushing his goggles out of the way with one fist and rubbing his eyes.

"How late were you awake?" Earendil asked, guiding the group towards the door of the inn.

"Uhh ... I don't know," Andarien admitted.

"Late," Jess deadpanned.

"I was too excited to sleep," Andarien protested. "I wasn't working on my gears, honest I wasn't!"

He was a bit put out that his mother would chastise him before even finding out what he had been doing.

"I'll be right back," Earendil murmured, slipping away to pay the innkeeper for their stay.