It didn’t hit Scott until he and the others were already quite a way along the trail that none of them had given Varian a wedding gift. Not that any of them really had anything much that they could give their friend. All they were carrying were the things they needed: spare clothing, bed rolls, food and water, but surely there had to be something, a small token to remember them by in the years to come.

It was a big enough wrench to be leaving one of their number behind anyway, especially the man they’d all thought of as their leader, their guide, as well as their friend. But to not give him anything made it seem like they didn’t care at all.

Scott knew that as happy as Varian was with Gwenith, he was sad too at the thought of his friends going on without him. They’d started this journey together and had always expected to finish it together, and if not for Varian feeling it would be unfair to uproot Gwenith from the only home she’d ever known, perhaps they would still be travelling together. Parting was difficult for all of them, but…

Maybe it was selfish of Scott, not wanting to be forgotten by the man who’d been like a surrogate father to him over the past few weeks, but he couldn’t help the way he felt, and there was one thing he had that might make a suitable gift: the crystal from Miterra that Nikki had given him. Varian and Gwenith could display it in their home, and then they’d always remember.

Decision made, Scott hurried back along the trail with only Sil-El for company. Delivering the gift wouldn’t take long; he just wanted Varian to know how much he meant to all of them.


The End