"As long as it's a double," I replied, eager to escape that too wide smile. Once again, Jodie checked and nodded. Her enthusiasm returned as she handed over the keys. "Here you go. It's room 2b, last room to the right. Good night, sleep tight," she recommended happily. Just in time, I stopped myself from going into convulsions over her 'good cheer'. Darting glances at my companions, I could see that they were in similar conditions. The conversation officially ended, we stumbled down the hallway to our room.

Thoroughly exhausted, it took me a few tries to get the key into the lock and open the door. The three of us poured inside the medium-sized room, looking for something half-way soft to collapse on. As promised, there were only two comfortable-looking beds. I shambled over to a corner and dropped my pack, unceremoniously thudding onto the floor myself. "You two take the beds. I'm kinda used to the floor anyway," I groaned from my inert position. I was answered by a grunt and a rustle of covers. In the darkness, I started to work the kinks out of my sore muscles.

"You sure you should be sleeping on the floor? It looks really uncomfortable," a female voice pointed out. I'd been dreading this. "Uncomfortable? No, not at all," I lied, shifting nervously under her gaze. True, it was completely dark and I couldn't see her, but my paranoia was getting the best of me. There was a brief silence before she continued softly, "Why don't you come sleep up here? Don't worry, I won't bite." That was the least of my concerns though and I ran through the possibilities of what she MIGHT do. But a bed would be nice, one part of my mind suggested reasonably, and you can always say no. After a minute of mental debate, I gave in to temptation. "Um, ok...," I murmured, getting up and walking over to the bed.

Cautiously, I laid down on the bed, my back to Rafa. Miraculously, I found no surprises awaiting me, so I relaxed. My first mistake. A hand appeared on my shoulder, prompting me to turn towards her. Instead, I yelled, tumbling out of the bed and slamming face first into the very solid floor. Moldun shot out of his bed, quickly lighting a lamp to see what was going on. Hopping to my feet, I looked at Rafa. "What did you do that for?! I'm sorry, but I'm taken," I shouted, adrenaline pumping through my veins. The people in the room next to us were pounding on the wall, telling us to keep it down.

Rafa's face scrunched up in a mixture of amusement and confusion. "What are you talking about," she inquired, "I just wanted to ask you something." Now it was my turn to look perplexed. Doubt flared. Was all of this my imagination? "Amada, can I talk to you alone," Moldun suggested, walking outside. Keeping an eye on Rafa, I edged out of the room. Moldun fixed a serious glare on me.

"Amada...what is your problem?"

"My problem?! My problem is that our little friend is hot for my bod! Not that I can blame her, but..."

"Shut up for a second will you? Whether or not she's interested, you have to remain strong. If your mind wanders while you're being tested, they will kill you. The Sindar place a lot of value in their secrecy and they will NOT trust that secret to those they deem unworthy! THAT is why you must know your strongest desire, those who don't can be manipulated and they would sooner kill than take that risk."

"Then...what am I supposed to do?"

"You love Rei, right? Think of her, constantly if need be."

"Listen...it's not quite that easy..."

"I do not care how hard it is. I think you're a good man, Amada, and Rei did too. She DIED for you, goddamnit, but I won't let you waste her sacrifice. If you have any doubts about doing this, we will turn back."

"And give up my one chance to be with Rei?! There is no way that I'll abandon her! I refuse!"

Suddenly, a smile split my friend's face. "Good! Use that anger if you have to, but you have to be of one mind by the time you take the tests. Otherwise, they won't even hesitate to take you out," he finished, done with his lecture. The glare I had been wearing a moment ago was replaced with by a look of bewilderment. "What," I questioned, caught off guard from the abrupt change in the conversation. "I had to make sure that you understood the risks. Look, I'm sorry if I went too far, but I did mean what I said," he stated with gravity, "Well, goodnight." Moldun walked past me and went back into our room. He'd made several points, in fact, he'd nailed each and every one of them right in between my eyes. Now that I'd calmed down, my body reminded me that I needed to get some sleep. Ten minutes later, I was dreaming of Rei.

*The next morning*

It was nearly noon by the time we were packed and ready to leave. We picked up a quick breakfast and hit the road, riding three horses we'd been lucky enough to find and purchase. Unfortunately, the steeds we did procure were all of the old, bony, and very stubborn variety. At the moment, I was engaged in a battle of wills with the old bag I was riding atop of. "Forward," I suggested hopefully, nudging it with both stirrups. Old Bag snorted, chewing on her bridle and refusing to move. I tried everything: I experimented with the reins, I coaxed it gently, and finally, I kicked and swore at the unresponsive beast. Embarrassing enough, both Moldun and Rafa had managed to get their horses moving and were waiting for me about twenty yards up the path.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something big drop from a tree. I twisted in my saddle to see a huge spider advancing on my mount, chittering all the way. Suddenly, Old Bag decided that maybe moving wouldn't be too bad and she broke into a full run. Gripping the reins as hard as was humanly possible, the landscape passed in a blur as my trusty horse zoomed down the trail and right by my friends. I jerked my head sideways to make sure I wasn't leaving them behind. The gigantic arachnid had given up the chase, but not before spooking the other horses as well. Fortunately, everyone was riding in the same direction, north, which was where we were headed anyway.

Two miles on down the road, the three of us were able to slow our mounts down to a clumsy trot. Even for someone who hadn't ever ridden a horse before, I was already hurting in the worst places. Regardless, I kept it to myself and we barely got to the Muse/Matilda checkpoint by sundown. There were two knights dressed in white guarding the gate. As soon as we were within earshot, the bigger one shouted to us, "Hey, you! Stop right there!" The other knight reached over and whacked him in the back of the head. "Not like that! Like this," the short guy hissed before clearing his throat, "Halt! Who goeth there?"

Neither of my friends spoke up, so I took the liberty. "Hey, we're just some travelers. May we pass through," I yelled back. The knights conversed for a couple of minutes. "Um, ok," the big knight said agreeably. Yet again, his short comrade applied a metal palm. "Indeed, you may. Now hurriest along while we guard this gate in a very Knightly way," the short one piped imperiously. I traded curious glances with Moldun. Either Matilda's standards for knighthood had hit rock bottom, or we had two impersonators on our hands.

I was about to ask exactly who they were, but Rafa broke the silence she'd held so far on our trip. "Is that you, Shorty? What are you doing here," she asked, excited. The short man visibly shook in indignation. "Don't call me that, Red! I'm not SHORT," he exploded, waving his arms around angrily. Almost immediately, Shorty calmed down. "What are you doing here? Last I heard, you moved on to South Window," he questioned, his hands in constant motion while he talked.

Rafa nodded emphatically. "I did, but things were starting to get a little hot there. Anyways, I'm just helping out a friend," she replied, a smirk on her face. I may have been misreading this conversation, but it sure sounded like Rafa was into some slightly less than legal activities. And what was this Red business? "...and this is Amada," she said, concluding the introductions on our side.

Shorty swept his helmet off and bowed towards Moldun and I. "A friend of a Red is a friend of mine," he said. He jabbed a finger at his chubby partner who was busy grinning and scratching. "This is Perry Coatel, a most expert crossbowman. Pardon him for his stupidity, but that is simply his nature. And of course, I am none other than Kalveen Kouldman, berserker hero, defender of the less fortunate, and enemy of all who profane the common man," Kalv said, striking a heroic pose. Rafa/Red waved dismissively at him. "Don't bother, they won't have heard of you," she said, chuckling as she turned to me, "These two are bandits hereabouts and the short guy is the guide I told you about."

In Kalv's defense, he didn't totally explode over the short remark, although he did turn crimson. "Very well, I'll help you...but, only if you do NOT call me short," our new guide stated, gesturing wildly the whole time. Rafa smirked back. "Good, I thought you'd help. We need to get to Mt. Rakutei as soon as possible," she said. Kalveen shrugged indifferently, "We could make it tomorrow, but I suggest that we rest in the village up ahead. If we hurry, we can make it before our light is gone." Without saying another word, he disappeared through the gate. A moment later, he reappeared with two war horses. Both bandits mounted and took off down the path leading into Matilda. My companions and I followed as swiftly as our own steeds could, all of us taking notice of two men tied and gagged to a nearby oak. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were the real knights who were supposed to be guarding the checkpoint. Our group traveled hard and we actually did make the village by nightfall.

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"Amada" and "Suikoden 2" are (C) Konami. This chapter was posted before April 4, 2000