"She is the first one in a long time that i've ever felt loved by someone." he replies.

"I see.Love is something that usually takes years to build and only minutes to destroy. Every creature can feel it, but not all of them will experience it," he saidclosing his eyes to think, "Can you explain Mayumi's reasoning for risking punishment to check on you and Goldenscale? She isn't known to show such feelings. The only feelings anyone has seen from her arepure indiference, and deep depresion."

"Its because she cares about goldenscale and me"

"I'm going to take the punishment.  I will protect my family at all costs, even if it risks my life.  I may be a council member, but I'm not going to let Frost and Mayumi get hurt for something that isn't reasonable." she said with a forwn.  She wasn't going to let her family get hurt.  She knew that Forst wouldn't allow her to, but she's been near death and didn't die and has dealt with pain better, so she was going to do it.

"You know what? I think Kasra was right about you. You are getting too old to be in your position. It's about time someone took your place," one of the council members said stepping down to Goldenscale's and Frost's side, "You're holding to firmly to the old ways. By all the evidence we've found, Mayumi has done nothing to deserve the punishments you've forced throug our system. You may be head of the council, but I think it's time you listened to the public and finaly step down like they've ask for years. I found where you hid all their requests for you to step down. It's time to face them now."

"And stepping down doesn't have to be all that bad.  Just think about everything you could do since your time won't be consumed.  You could spend time with family and friends.  Don't make it harder for yourself." she said calmly.

"Why should I step down? I am the last of the ten founding members. Why should I give up a position I've been holding since the begining," he asked as the other council members stepped to Goldenscale's side one by one.

"Because, it's one vote against twelve. You've been voted out, you have a week to move your stuff out of the office as dictated by regulation," the one that stepped down first said as the group watching the old leader, "We must now ask you to leave the room, or be forced out. There are issues to be discused."

Goldenscale walked up to the council leader, putting a hand on his shoulder.  "Sometimes we must let some things go.  Does this make you happy?  Hurting others, not seeing family members, arguing about the future and the past?  You may live in the past, but it will hurt your judgement of the future, you can think about the future, but it won't do anything but cloud you vision, but use the mistakes you made in the past and make simple plans for the future to make everything and everyone, including yourself, happier." she said.  She gave him a warm smile.

"I guess it's final then. I will hold to the decision of the council, even at my expense," he said looking over each council member and stopping on Goldenscale, watching her with cold eyes, "I'll have my stuff moved out by this afternoon." Standing up, he left the room not say another word.

"I think I may have just made an enemy..." she said quietly.

"Don't let it get to you. You can't can't make friends with everyone. He isn't much of a threat to anyone now that he isn't head of council. He doesn't have the magical aptitude or physical strength to do anyone harm, and he's too old to work up the strength," the first council member said laying a hand on Goldenscale's shoulder, "While I do feel sorry for him, it was for the better of the cave that he be relieved of his position. His family left him long before the comunity could get a good foothold here. He was probably holding onto the last shred of the past that remained."

"The past isn't gone, we just modified it.  Without the past to start it all, none of this would have happened.  And anyways, the past will live on in memories." she said.  "He needs to open his eyes and and see how the past influenced the modifications made now." 

Frost looks to Goldenscale, " anything i can do?"

"We know this, but he refused to see beyond what he had layed down in the begining. Once he was the last of the original council, he tried to hang onto whatever he could, even if better ideas came along. The council was the last hing he had short of memories," he said taking his place once more as the other council members did the same, "We have a lot of work to do to fix the damage done, but  for now we'll review the cases of the people he declared threats to the council, decide who will be the new head of council."

"You can tell Mayumi that any charges against here are dropped," he said turning to Frost.

"Thank you," he goes to see where mayumi was.