Lucius paced outside the infirmary door. Part of him felt anxious, yet for the most part he was simply... disappointed. If only he knew how to use a staff himself, this could have been avoided. He had chosen the path of a monk over that of a priest—light magic over healing magic—so he couldn't treat Raymond's injury himself. If the time spent bringing him here had led to complications, he wasn't sure if they could heal Raymond properly.

Of course, if Raymond knew what he was thinking, he would growl, "If you used your light magic well enough, we wouldn't need any healing."

Lucius sighed, and put his worries aside for the time being. He had more important things to worry about.

At last, the cleric emerged from the infirmary, her staff held loosely in her hand. She bowed respectfully to Lucius before speaking. "He'll be fine," she said. "His leg may have been too injured to walk on, but it's healing up nicely." She smiled. "If I may, brother, it was most brave of you to carry him like that. I don't think his life was in any danger, but it still shows great compassion."

Lucius returned her smile. "You are too kind, sister. Besides, it was Sain who brought him here; I merely carried Ray... Raven from the village until he and Kent found us."

The cleric let out a harsh laugh, catching Lucius off-guard. "Oh, wonderful! I wonder how long I'll have to put up with him bragging to me about that."

He had to smile at that, as memories of the skirt-chasing knight came flooding back to him. "Ah, yes. Sain is... quite the charmer, isn't he?"

"In his dreams, perhaps," she sighed. "And my nightmares."

Lucius joined her in laughter. Once they finished, she favored him with a warm smile. "Even so, Sain had a horse while you were afoot, yet you carried Raven for miles before you were able to hand him off. I'm most impressed."

"Thank you, Sister," Lucius said, bowing to her. "I'm just glad he's healing well."

She cleared her throat. "Lady Lyndis has been waiting to meet you for some time, brother. Perhaps, now that your friend is healing, you should go see her?"

Lucius hesitated. Raymond was his friend, and while the cleric said he was never in any danger, Lucius still hated the idea of leaving him. But Lyn was also his friend, one he hadn't seen in nearly a year now, and Raymond wasn't going anywhere. "Very well," he conceded. "Where is she?"

The cleric led him through the halls of Castle Caelin, from the infirmary where Raymond was now resting to the parlor. Lyn was already sitting there; she sprang up as soon as she saw him. "Lucius!" she said, smiling as he approached. "So Kent and Sain were right! It was you!"

Lucius bowed to her. "Lady Lyndis, it does me good to see you again."

"You as well," Lyn said, coming forward and shaking his hand. "And you don't have to call me that; Lyn will do fine."

Lucius found himself oddly relieved to hear her say that. Despite the short time he had spent with her and the others, he really had grown used to their company, and only now realized how much he had missed.

She nodded to the cleric, who bowed and exited the room.

She and Lucius sat down. "What brings you to Caelin?"

"That mercenary, Raven, and I were traveling through the area," he said. "We ran afoul of some bandits attempting to raid a nearby village. We managed to fight them off, but Raven took a bad blow to his leg. I brought him here for fear of it getting infected. I knew your doors would be open to those in need."

Lyn smiled. "And to old friends."

"Yes," Lucius said, returning her grin. "It really is wonderful to see you again, Lyn. I don't suppose any of the others are around? I've already met Kent and Sain, and I imagine at least a few others stayed after defeating Lundgren."

"Well, now that you mention it..."

"Lucius!" Lucius turned to see the young archer walking towards him with a bright smile. "Welcome back."

He took the hand Wil was offering and shook it vigorously. "It's nice to see you as well, Wil."

The two knights followed the archer into the room. "How is your friend?" Kent asked, taking a seat at the table.

"The cleric tells me he'll be fine," Lucius replied.

"Of course he will," Sain said, leaning back in his chair as a dreamy look came over his eyes. "Sister Tabitha is a wonderful healer. Why, only a true angel from heaven could be as skilled and as beautiful as she!"

Lucius let himself smirk before turning to Lyndis. "I must thank you all for allowing me to bring him here. You two, especially," he added, motioning to the cavaliers. "If you hadn't taken Raven on horseback, I don't think I could have made it."

Kent shook his head. "It was nothing, Lucius."

"Indeed!" Sain said, waving his hand. "Besides, Lucius, the truly amazing feat was yours! You carried that man across what must be miles of land. It's a good thing I took him for the last few hundred yards, or all the women would be tripping over each other to get at you right now!"

Lucius smiled, albeit not very widely. Sain's words were kind, but the way he lifted Raven onto his horse and held him up with little effort made the frail monk who had all but dragged him all the way from the village to within sight of the castle feel a bit inadequate. It was yet another reminder of how sickly, how frail, how... feminine he was. In fact, he was sure that calling him "feminine" would make a good deal of females feel insulted. Not to mention Sain's line about women trying to get at him awoke something he had hoped was buried deep in his heart. He knew he would always feel sickly, inadequate, weak.

But his friends didn't seem to believe that. They all took their seats around the table, and within minutes, it was as if they had never been apart. Wil told excitedly of his rise through the ranks of the Caelin army, and Sain offered to show Lucius around the local villages, receiving a quick (yet somehow insincere) reprimand from Kent about being on duty. Lyn didn't want to speak of her experiences since the last time they saw each other, but instead reminisced about the adventures they had shared while trying to overthrow Lundgren, a fond smile crossing her face as she remembered how Lucius had appeared to assist Nils and the group in rescuing his sister.

Lucius himself said very little, as he was accustomed to. He congratulated the others on their achievements, and listened intently to their stories. When prompted to tell of his own adventures, he spoke carefully, revealing as much of the truth as possible without exposing Raymond's secrets. But though he didn't engage in the conversation too much, he realized that he felt very much at home here. Seeing all of these people again made him feel like he was a part of a group—like he had true friends, for the first time in a long time.

They continued speaking, joking, and catching up for several hours before anyone even came to tell them that night had begun to fall, and it was probably time for them to get to sleep. Lyn had guest quarters prepared for Lucius, assuring him that "Raven" would be fine in the infirmary for the night. He thanked her, and left, led by a page to his room.

Once he arrived and the page left, Lucius found himself merely staring at the door to the room. It had been a long day, yet he did not feel like going to sleep yet. He decided to explore a bit, take a look around the castle he had helped Lyn win back.

It took him about five minutes to get completely lost. He looked around, hoping to find either some identifying feature to tell him where he was, or someone who lived there and could guide him back to his room. Finding neither, he decided to forge onward, hoping he would find his way eventually. He went to a nearby set of stairs and began to climb it.

He emerged on the battlements atop the castle. He was surprised; he didn't think he had gone so far up. A slight sense of vertigo overtook him as he looked over the edge at the distant ground; he quickly pulled away.

He tried to get his bearings. At the very least, he now had a relative idea of where he was, since he could see the entire castle around him. All he had to do was find someone still awake who could guide him or at least point him to the guest quarters, and...

"Lucius?" The call made him jump in the air. He spun around, trying to identify the source of the voice—until it descended on him from above. A pegasus, milky white against the night sky, landed next to him on the battlements as the young girl riding it dismounted. She smiled upon seeing him, and bowed to him."It is you! Welcome to Caelin!"

He returned the grin and the bow. "It is good to be here, Dame Florina. And equally good to see you again. How are you?"

"I'm fine!" the girl replied cheerily. She brushed a lock of her lavender hair behind her ear. "Wonderful, in fact. Lyn is letting me stay here with her. Everything is so... nice."

"Even the men?" Lucius asked. "As I recall, you have trouble with..."

"I do," Florina sighed, cutting him off. "I still do. But Wil, Kent, and Sain are all so good to me. They respect me and leave me enough distance to feel safe. But they're so kind, I feel... comfortable around them. Well... more comfortable than most men, anyway. I really feel... at home here." Her eyes turned distant. "I sometimes miss the days when we all traveled together... but I am glad that the land is at peace now. I hope it stays like this."

Lucius nodded his agreement. He, too, sometimes yearned for the days when he journeyed with Lyn's group. To be among so many people, who were so friendly with each other, stood in stark contrast to his time spent with Lord Raymond. Even though he had only been with that troop for a short time, and hadn't really gotten to know any of them, he understood the sense of kinship of which Florina spoke. Seeing all of his old friends again, even ones he had only known for a short while, felt like coming home to him.

"What about you?" Florina asked, interrupting his train of thought. "How have you been?"

"Well." It was true—mostly. "I came here because my friend was injured."

"Kent and Sain told me," she said. "But he'll be OK, right?"

Lucius nodded. "I believe Raven and I will be able to set out on our travels again tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Florina hesitated. "B-But... you just got back..."

The sudden stutter reminded Lucius that he needed to be careful around Florina. She was shy, especially around men. "I know," he said, lowering his eyes. "But Raven is... not a patient man. I don't believe he would be willing to stay for long."

"But you would?" She looked up at him.

He gave her a soft smile. "If I could, yes."

She paused. "Well, maybe... you c-could convince him to stay for a little while?"

Lucius turned away for a moment. "I don't... I don't think so..." he thought. "But maybe..." He looked back at Florina. "The cleric told me that Raven wasn't in any danger, yet I feared that his wound might become infected, or worse. If we hadn't made it here, he could have been in real trouble."

"So... he owes you a debt of gratitude?" Florina asked.

Lucius grinned bitterly. "I did what I did because he was my friend, and because I am a monk of St. Elimine. He owes me nothing." He looked up at the night sky. "Marquess Caelin, however... he opened his doors to us and let Raven be healed, simply by word from Kent and Sain that they knew me. Lord Raven is stubborn, but I may be able to convince him that he owes the Marquess for helping us." He smiled at Florina. "Besides, we've been wandering aimlessly as mercenaries these past few months. Staying and working here for a while might do us both some good."

Florina smiled gratefully. "That would be wonderful, Lucius!" She paused. "I'm sorry if I'm acting strangely, but..."

"You're not," he assured her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Everyone has been happy to see me, and I'm equally glad to be back with you. The time we spent together was short, but I feel it made a lasting impression on all of us. And so we rejoice to be united once again."

Florina nodded. "Y-Yes... that must be it. What is it they say... 'absence makes the heart grow fonder...'?"

Lucius remembered her shyness, and quickly removed his hand. "Yes," he sighed, "It would seem so."

They stood in silence, looking over the battlements at the darkened skies of Caelin.

After a time, Florina looked up at her companion. "...Lucius?"

"Yes, Florina?"

"...what were you doing up here?"

"Ah. Hrm." He blushed a little. "Well, to be perfectly honest, Dame Florina, I'm... lost."

"Lost?"

"Yes, I felt like taking a walk before trying to sleep, and... well, there are so many hallways... and..."

Florina let out a soft laugh, but only briefly. "I'll help you, Lucius," she said. "I was just taking Huey out for an evening flight before putting him to stable, but I can help you find your way. Are... are you staying in the guest quarters?"

"I am," Lucius said.

"That's right down this way!" Florina started towards the staircase. "Come on, follow me."

He did so. She led him through the winding corridors and he was soon right back where he started.

"Ah," he sighed. "Thank you, Dame Florina."

"You're welcome," she said with a smile. "You... you'll talk to your friend about staying here?"

'I'll try," he replied. "I can't promise anything, but..."

"It's OK," Florina said. "I understand if you can't change his mind. ...but it'd be nice to have you around again." She started to go.

"Good night, Florina," he called.

"Good night," she responded with her characteristic soft smile.

It had been a long, trying day for Lucius; no sooner did he enter the room and lie on the bed than sleep overtook him.