So ... What Happened to Yaron?

Excellent question! Unfortunately, I can’t answer it.

“Then what’s the point of this post?” you ask.

“I’m going to attempt to give you some subtle hints,” I reply.

But anyway, I know Yaron was well-liked by many of my readers, and they have repeatedly expressed concern over his fate. Apparently the most popular theory is that he’s dead. Which, given the information in YF, is a very likely probability. But if he isn’t dead, then what could have happened to him? Let’s recall the scene:

I stared into the leaping sparks without seeing them, tired and unwilling to devote much thought to our futures right now. My eyes suddenly closed on their own accord, and I opened them again immediately, startled.

            Yaron chuckled. “You’re still tired; go to sleep, Elysia. We’ll worry about all this tomorrow.” He put an arm around my shoulders and hugged me for a long moment before standing and saying, “We’re going to need food; I’m going to hunt.” And with his hand on his dagger, he melted into the shadowy darkness of the forest.

When I awoke the next morning, the ashes in the fire were cold, and Yaron was not there. I knew something was wrong, and it frightened me.

            I scrambled to my feet and felt my heart start to pound. I kicked dirt over the ashes, buckled my sword to my waist, and then began walking away from the glade, determined to find Yaron. What could’ve happened to him? I thought with a touch of fear. He’s such a good fighter, and I doubt he would have gotten lost.
            I walked for a long time, looking everywhere, pausing at every sound. But there was no sign of him anywhere.

“Hmm,” you say. “That doesn’t tell me much.”

“Well, yes,” I reply, “it’s not supposed to!” In reality, this scene is supposed to make you go Wait, what? What happened to him? He just disappeared! and from what I’ve heard, I succeeded! Unfortunately, the question of Yaron’s disappearance is not revisited in Fallen Rose, but we do hear Lliam’s side of the story, involving the training he was giving Yaron before Elysia, Yaron, and Veryan escaped the Tower: he was commissioned by Zoser to train Yaron as another possible assassin because he displayed extraordinary martial skill and strength similar to that of Lliam’s and Roman’s—perhaps even better.

“Better than Lliam and Roman?” you ask in disbelief.

“Yes!” I answer. “As I say in FR, Yaron has physical prowess and a lust for battle like Roman, but the organizational skill and self-control of Lliam, and that is a powerful combination.”

The best subtle hint I can give you regarding Yaron’s disappearance is to remember why Zoser wanted him. Ponder this, my dear readers, and see what you can come up with!