~ Chapter 4 ~

Morgan blinked, wondering if perhaps she had misheard Soren. Soren only returned her stunned look with his ever calm and unwavering gaze, and when she was finally convinced that she had not misheard him, after all, she began racking her mind furiously in hopes of making some sense out of Soren's bizarre words.

"Isn't that what we just agreed can't happen?" Priam asked, sounding just as confused as Morgan was. He glanced at Morgan, who was still thinking intently, then at Micaiah and Lionel, both of who looked equally lost.

"We agreed that we cannot allow Extinction to be resurrected, yes," Soren confirmed, sounding a bit impatient.

"But stopping Tantalus isn't enough," Morgan slowly realized. "Because the dire eidolon's essence that Tantalus is looking for will still be out there. Someone else, maybe the Redeemers that he claims to be working against, could find it. We have to find the eidolon's essence first and keep it from falling into the wrong hands, but we don't even know what it looks like, let alone how to find it. Our only choice is to pretend to help Tantalus and let him lead us to it."

"Precisely," Soren confirmed, with a brief nod.

"You expected this," Morgan accused. "You already suspected that Tantalus was more dangerous than he seemed. You knew that if your guess was right, I would want to help stop him. That's why you made us keep quiet about it all the way here, and even hinted that we might accept his help, after all."

"To be fair, I wasn't absolutely certain about any of it until we spoke to Micaiah," Soren admitted. "But even so, until a decision is made, it's always…"

"Best to keep one's options open," Morgan recited, remembering one of Soren's frequent sayings during their games of Conquest. Still, she couldn't keep the look of admiration from her face.

"Was your surliness this morning part of your disguise, then?" Micaiah asked, smiling faintly.

"No, that was just Soren being Soren," Morgan answered, with a slight smirk. At her words, Priam chuckled softly.

Soren rolled his eyes, but otherwise ignored the younger tactician. "It seemed prudent, at the time," he said. "If Tantalus is indeed spying on us, it's better if we give him the impression that Daein and I aren't on perfectly friendly terms." He turned to the shield thoughtfully. "Then again, for all we know, Tantalus was bluffing about his magical prowess, and all of our caution was pointless. Or perhaps his magic is unaffected by this shield and he's watching us this very minute," Soren mused.

Morgan shrugged. "You did the best you could," she reassured, as much for Priam's sake as for Soren's, for Priam had once again begun surveying the room nervously.

"We'll see how it plays out," Soren agreed. "Give yourself some credit, Morgan. You figured everything out pretty quickly."

"Umm… are you okay, Soren?" Morgan asked, sounding worried. As strange as Soren had been acting of late, it was even weirder hearing him offering compliments for the unremarkable feat of barely managing to keep up with him.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Soren asked.

"Never mind," Morgan said quickly. "So, our plan is to go to the Snowflake Forest and let Tantalus find us, then?"

"That is my suggestion, yes. Stay with him and work with him long enough to learn more about how he plans to summon Extinction. After that, we can find try to find a way to seize Extinction's essence for ourselves, or maybe destroy it outright," Soren said. "Now that I think about it, we might just come across your friend this way, too, Morgan. If he is here in Tellius, then he has almost certainly discovered the eidolons, and heard the same rumors regarding the Redeemers."

"Which means we might cross paths with him while we're pretending to help Tantalus, if we're lucky," Morgan said thoughtfully.

Soren nodded and turned to Micaiah. "Micaiah, we may need some additional equipment. We came prepared for the common hazards of the open road, not for battle against spirit charmers. If we agree to work alongside Tantalus, I am almost certain we will encounter the Redeemers and their eidolons again before this is through."

"Of course," Micaiah readily agreed. "You're welcome to take whatever you need."

"Can we bring the shield with us?" Priam asked, glancing at the shield that was supposed to shield them from Tantalus's prying eyes.

"We can't," Morgan interrupted. "We don't even really know if the shield works or not. That's why we're having this meeting at night, too. Even if the shield isn't helping, there's a chance Tantalus might miss us having this conversation altogether. But if we bring the shield with us, and Tantalus recognizes its purpose, he'll immediately know that we're trying to hide something from him."

"You're right," Micaiah said. "But I'm sure there's other equipment here that could be useful to you. This isn't our regular armory. We have a true armory down in the barracks, where the equipment for our soldiers are kept. This is where we keep Daein's more valuable treasures."

"I noticed. The security measures do seem a bit extreme for a regular armory. And Urvan wouldn't be lying in the armory along with common steel armor and weapons, would it?" Soren asked, jabbing a finger at a beautiful but dusty axe hanging from a weapons rack on the wall.

Micaiah smiled. "Jill kept it by her side in Talrega for many years, but when she decided she had no further need for it, she had it sent back to me for safekeeping. It's been here in Nevassa ever since."

"Urvan…" Morgan muttered, looking at the weapon. "That's the axe that once belonged to Ike's father?"

"To Commander Greil, yes," Soren said. "The weapon was blessed by Yune, and like Ragnell, has become indestructible. But it's of little use to us."

"Unless you've decided to branch out and try using an axe that's more than half your weight," Priam said teasingly.

"I'm not that small!" Morgan protested weakly, though she glanced at the large axe again and realized that Priam's joke was uncomfortably close to the truth. "But you're right, I think. This probably isn't a good time for me to try to learn how to use an axe."

"You wear the robes of a mage," Micaiah noted. "We have several tomes that you might find useful."

"Over on that shelf," Lionel said, pointing toward a shelf on the far side of the room.

"I also might have some new robes for you," Micaiah added, as she selected and began searching through a particular shelf laden with several carefully wrapped parcels.

The first thing Morgan noticed when she approached the shelf was that the tomes here in Tellius seemed slightly larger, and the cloth was a little bit different. She recognized the runes, though, and soon realized that the spells themselves were the same. "These are the same as the fire tome I'm already carrying," Morgan said. "And I have more back on the Rainfell."

Soren shrugged. "You came prepared then."

"Maybe you should bring a spare wind tome," Morgan suggested. "You only ever seem to use wind magic, but you only brought one tome with you."

Soren smiled faintly, as he held up his own tome beside one of the ones on the shelf. "Notice anything?"

"They're the same," Morgan said with a shrug. Her eyes widened a moment later. "How could they be the same? You left Tellius hundreds of years ago! Did you scribe your own tomes and design them the same way?"

Soren shook his head. "Yune blessed each of our weapons before allowing us to face Ashera. This tome carries the same blessing. Its magic will never run out," he explained.

"Wow… that's pretty handy," Morgan said, looking at the tome excitedly. "Do you think we could replicate that with other weapons, too?"

"Probably not without divine intervention," Soren said casually. "I suppose we don't need any of these tomes, then?"

"I guess not," Morgan said, crestfallen. But as she turned away, another shelf of tomes that she hadn't noticed earlier caught her attention. "Wait, what kind of tomes are these?" she asked.

"Light magic," Leonel answered, as he approached them. "These are Mother's personal tomes."

"You're welcome to use them if you'd like," Micaiah added, as she rejoined them, carrying one of the parcels from the shelf. "Light magic is allegedly more effective against otherworldly creatures than conventional anima magic."

"Wow, light magic really does exist," Morgan murmured. "I've only ever read about it in books. It's too bad we didn't learn about it earlier; it might have come in handy against the risen." Her curiosity piqued, she gently lifted one of the tomes from the shelf. For the most part, it looked like a regular spell tome. Even the runes seemed to be similar. "How do they work?"

"The same way as anima magic," Soren replied. "Only, not only does it draw upon your innate magical prowess, light magic is said to draw on your conviction as well."

"Conviction?" Morgan echoed, unsure of what Soren meant.

"The strength of your beliefs, whatever they might be," Micaiah said. "Just as doubt may unsteady a warrior's sword hand, a weakened will also undermines one's ability to wield light magic. That's why light magic is often favored by priests and priestesses characterized by unwavering faith and loyalty."

"Have you ever used light magic?" Morgan asked Soren curiously. Soren's only reply was a bark of derisive laughter. "I guess not," Morgan said, answering her own question with a broad grin, as she took another look at the tome in her hands.

"Take them with you," Micaiah offered. "If you can wield them, they will undoubtedly prove valuable in your journey." As Morgan nodded gratefully, and collected two of the tomes, Micaiah turned to Priam and offered him a small talisman. "This is for you, Priam. It will help shield you from magical attacks."

"Really?" Priam said, sounding intrigued. "Thank you, Queen Micaiah."

"And this, Morgan, is for you. It should fit you nicely," Micaiah said, as she passed the parcel to Morgan.

Morgan carefully unwrapped the parcel and found a set of gorgeous, white, gold-trimmed robes within.

Lionel gasped when he saw the robe. "Mother! Are you sure?" he asked.

"I am," Micaiah said firmly, with a nod. "I think it should be about your size, Morgan," she added. "Why don't you try it on?"

Morgan was about to do as she asked when she hesitated, noticing the odd way Lionel was eyeing the robe. "Is there something you're not telling me about this robe?" she asked.

Micaiah laughed lightly. "It was made for me, actually, but I've never worn it myself. It bears a number of enchantments, including one that makes it more resistant to physical weapons than a normal robe would be. It also protects its wearer from magic, similar to the talisman which I gave Priam."

"It's more potent than the talisman," Lionel added. "The robe is one of Daein's national treasures, carrying the blessing of Ashunera herself."

"Ashunera?" Soren echoed, sounding surprised.

"We believe so," Micaiah said, although she didn't sound completely certain. "Yune disappeared after breaking the curse Ashera had placed upon Tellius. For decades, I tried to speak to her, or to Ashera, but it seemed I could hear the goddess's voice no longer. We even built a temple dedicated to Ashunera, wondering if, perhaps, Yune and Ashera had been truly reunited. Even there, the goddesses remained silent."

"Then where did you get this robe?" Soren asked curiously, glancing at Morgan, who was still staring at the marvelous garment.

"Not everyone in Daein was immediately ready to accept our new peace with the Laguz," Micaiah replied. "About three centuries ago, a band of Laguz outlaws began raiding the small villages of Daein's countryside. Bandits have been a ubiquitous problem for centuries, but as they were Laguz…"

"Those who still secretly despise the Laguz were quick to use it as an excuse," Soren understood, frowning slightly at the thought.

"Thankfully, most of Daein's citizens were wiser, and accepted that the Laguz bandits were hardly representative of Laguz as a whole, much as Beorc bandits are outlaws in our own society. But there were many who were willingly blinded by their hatred. Daein was nearly split into two, and engulfed in a civil war," Micaiah said somberly. "Our allies, both Beorc and Laguz kingdoms alike, offered to intercede, but I felt it was more important for my people to prove our own devotion to peace. We willingly stood alone against our own people, but as the war grew bloodier, I visited the temple of Ashunera once again, hoping the goddess would speak to me and affirm our course. Instead, I found three gemstones, brimming with divine energy."

"How did you know it was divine?" Morgan asked curiously.

"I imagine she'd know, having hosted half of the goddess's spirit in her own body for some time," Soren pointed out.

Micaiah nodded. "I suppose it was the only message Ashunera was capable of leaving for us. Perhaps she has yet to fully recover. Ashunera's Gifts, as we have named them, can convey their blessing upon another object. Following the Daein Civil War, the priests and priestesses of Ashunera's temple commissioned a new robe for me, and blessed it with one of the gifts."

Morgan looked down upon the robe in awe. "Are you sure I can have this?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"I'm sure," Micaiah answered with a kind smile.

Morgan only hesitated for a moment longer, before she unfolded the robe and carefully pulled it over her own robe. It was slightly larger, allowing her to slide it on without much trouble, and it fit her remarkably well.

"Very nice," Micaiah complimented kindly.

"It looks lovely," Priam agreed.

"Although it doesn't seem to sit quite right over another robe," Soren said critically.

Typical, Morgan thought. She carefully pulled off the robe and gently folded it once more. "I'll change before we leave tomorrow. Thank you, Queen Micaiah," she said gratefully.

"Is there anything else you need?" Micaiah asked, glancing at each of the three in turn.

"Do you have any staves?" Morgan asked. "I only brought an old healing staff, which was more or less depleted after the eidolon attack. And I think Soren should be able to use staves, too."

"I can," Soren confirmed with a nod.

"This way," Micaiah said, gesturing down one of the aisles.

Morgan's eyes lit up immediately upon seeing the weapon racks laden with staves. She glanced at Micaiah questioningly, as if asking for permission, and the queen nodded, trying hard not to laugh at her poorly disguised eagerness.

"Are these rescue staves?" Morgan asked, as she took a familiar looking staff from the shelf. It shared the wing-patterned and gemmed design of the recue staves from Ylisse, but was topped with a blue stone rather than a greenish one.

"Yes," Micaiah said.

Upon hearing her confirmation, Morgan retrieved two of the rescue staves, and two potent, long-ranged healing staves, passing one of each to Soren. Soren accepted the two staves without question or comment.

"You should take one of these, too," Micaiah suggested, as she lifted a staff crested with a ruby. "It's a torch staff, which can fill the surrounding area with magical light.

"Thanks," Morgan said, accepting the offered staff with a curious look, before passing it along to Soren. As she looked through the contents of the shelf one more time, her gaze lingered upon a golden staff topped with a small diamond-encrusted idol. "What kind of staff is that one?" she asked, pointing it out.

Lionel glanced at the staff uneasily, and for the first time since Micaiah offered the armory's goods to them, she looked a little bit hesitant. "The Unity Staff. It's an incredibly powerful healing staff. As far as I know, it's one-of-a-kind," she explained.

"Ah. Well, we're all set on healing staves already," Morgan said quickly, sensing her uneasiness.

Micaiah shook her head. "You're welcome to take it with you, but I don't know for certain how useful it will be." Unable to resist, Morgan reached for the staff, bringing it closer for a better look at the idol.

Meanwhile, Soren seemed to have lost interest already. "Let me guess, not everyone can use it," Soren said, sounding bored.

"Correct. Some wounds are too grievous to be repaired by any normal healing staff. Normal healing staves will still function, but although the wound may appear to be mended, it will still ultimately prove fatal. Such wounds are not beyond the Unity Staff," Micaiah explained. "But the power comes with a condition as unique as its powers. The wielder must be willing to die for the sake of the person being healed."

"The staff kills its wielder!?" Morgan gasped.

Micaiah shook her head quickly. "No. Not right away, at least. But similar to light magic, the staff draws upon the sincerity of its wielder, and will not function if the wielder is not truly devoted to saving the life of the intended target. And upon using the staff, the person wielding it and the person being healed are inexorably bound."

"If one dies, so does the other," Lionel clarified.

"At least, that's the belief that the staff instills in its wielder," Micaiah admitted. "The staff has only ever been used once before."

"By a branded queen," Soren reasoned. He then glanced at Lionel, who shifted uncomfortably. "To save her son?"

"You are as perceptive as always," Micaiah said, with a sad smile.

"Another legacy of our battle with Extinction," Lionel said with a grimace.

"He was dying, and beyond the reach of normal healing magic. I had no choice but to imbue another of Ashunera's gifts upon a normal healing staff," Micaiah said.

"So if one of you pass away, the other will, too?" Priam asked, sounding horrified.

"I can't be certain of it, but I believe so," Micaiah said. "Just as an experienced mage can gain a general understanding of the magical properties of an unfamiliar spell tome simply by holding it, when I tried to use the staff, it seemed to be warning me of the consequences."

Morgan and Priam both stared at the staff. After several seconds, Morgan spoke up. "I don't think we'll get into any trouble as deep as to need something this extreme," she said. She moved as if to return the staff to the weapons rack, but Micaiah stopped her.

"Take it with you anyways," Micaiah offered. "There's no harm in carrying it. And truly, it's not as terrible as it sounds. The consequences were no worse than what would have been had I not been able to use the staff."

"Unless something happens to me," Lionel reminded.

Micaiah only smiled at him. "Which is a good reason for you to take care of yourself, isn't it?"

Upon seeing Micaiah's serene acceptance, Morgan understood. She knew that in the same situation, either her mother or her father would both be willing to do the same for her. To a loving parent, the risk was hardly even a factor. In a way, it was strangely congruent with the conditions the staff leveled upon its wielder.

"We can take care of ourselves," Priam assured confidently. "I doubt we'll need the staff."

Morgan nodded in agreement. "I don't know how useful it will be. And we might not be able to use it, even if it's necessary.

"It's of no use here in the armory," Micaiah countered. "And it won't cost you anything if you don't find a need for it, or can't use it."

Reluctantly, Morgan held onto the staff and placed it in her pack with the healing and rescue staves she had taken earlier. "I think we're all set then," she said, taking one last look around the armory.

"There's one more issue we must address," Soren said. "Once we leave this room, we must assume that we are always being watched. It is critical that we keep our true intentions masked."

"Soren, wouldn't Tantalus be suspicious if we seem too willing to help?" Morgan reminded.

"He might. That is why we won't present a perfectly unified front," Soren replied. "A deception is most believable when it holds a seed of truth. Just as each of us came here for different reasons, and sees this world from our own unique perspective, while we are working for Tantalus in exchange for his help with our own mission, our behavior must reflect what he expects to see."

Morgan nodded slowly. "I came here to find Owain. If Tantalus has been watching us carefully, he should already know neither Priam nor I are from Tellius."

"Correct," Soren said. "Your role is easiest. You might be curious, and you might have a casual interest in Tellius's wellbeing, but to you, finding and protecting your friend comes first." Soren then turned to Priam. "As for you, Priam. Tellius and its people may be foreign to you, but Tantalus almost assuredly knows who you are already."

"He recognized my sword," Priam agreed.

"Yes. And though you harbored doubts about Tantalus, between the three of us, you are the one most dedicated to Tellius's welfare," Soren said.

"Why?" Priam asked, confused.

"Because you're the Radiant Hero's descendant, trying to prove yourself worthy of your bloodline," Morgan answered in Soren's stead.

"What better way to do so than returning to his homeland in its time of need?" Soren asked rhetorically.

"But what about you?" Priam asked. "This is your homeland, isn't it, Uncle?"

"That's hardly relevant, given the passage of time," Soren said dryly. "And it would be easier for Tantalus to believe that any love I once held for this land faded with the centuries. My role here is to bridge the gap between your doubts and our willingness to aid Tantalus. I traveled here to protect the two of you and assist with your quest, and have no interest in Tellius's affairs aside from where they are pertinent to our objective."

Morgan frowned. While Soren was certainly good at making it look like he didn't care about anything or anyone in particular, she wasn't sure it would be what Tantalus was expecting. "Are you sure he'd believe that?" she asked.

"I was about to ask the same thing," Micaiah said, concerned.

"You really don't remember me very well, do you?" Soren asked Micaiah wryly. "My cover is practically true. I never cared to come back, even after Ike passed on. And if it weren't for Morgan and Priam wanting to travel here, I wouldn't be here now."

"You have found yourself a new home," Micaiah agreed.

Soren's expression darkened briefly, but again, his reply was vague. "A lot has changed over the past few centuries. And to be quite honest, Tellius has invoked many old memories, more bitter than sweet."

"Okay, so Soren's playing the role of a bitter old man," Morgan summarized cheerfully, having grown bored of the subject. She smiled at Soren as if goading him to respond, but of course, Soren didn't react aside from a brief nod.

"Then what is my part in this?" Lionel asked.

Soren turned and shot him a quizzical look. "That's a good question. What is your part in this?"

"Lionel should accompany you. It's the least we can do," Micaiah explained. "I would go myself, but it's not so easy for me to simply disappear, especially after such a long reign."

"A prince disappearing would be just as jarring," Soren pointed out.

Lionel shook his head. "A normal prince, perhaps. But I rarely stay in Nevassa for long."

"Wouldn't it be suspicious if the prince of Daein was working alongside us?" Priam asked.

"That depends," Morgan said thoughtfully. "We've heard rumors that Daein might be sponsoring the Redeemers. It would be in Daein's own interest to take a firm stand against them, wouldn't it?"

"That's true," Soren agreed. "If you're certain that you'd like to join us, then you are welcome to, Prince Lionel."

"The four of us, then," Lionel agreed. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. The sooner we act, the better," Soren said. "We should get some rest before we leave."

The subterfuge began as soon as they stepped forth from the doorway. Castle Daein's available guest rooms weren't all closely grouped, so the queen led Soren and Priam off in one direction, as Lionel escorted Morgan back to her room down the opposite hall.

Reminding herself to act perfectly natural, Morgan kept up a steady line of cheerful small talk as Lionel led the way. It wasn't difficult; even if she wanted to avoid talking about some of the specific items they had chosen, she had noticed several other interesting pieces of equipment, and bombarded Lionel with questions about Daein's collection. Lionel, surprised by the energetic behavior, only shook his head in disbelief and tried to answer her questions briefly. Still, she saw a faint smile cross the prince's lips, and was relieved that though Lionel didn't seem too interested in a true conversation in the middle of the night, at least he wasn't as reserved as Soren.

"Say, if you don't mind me asking… how old are you, Prince?" Morgan asked curiously. The question had been gnawing at her for some time, and though it seemed rude to ask, she finally caved in.

Lionel grinned. "Just call me Lionel. I prefer saving the formalities for the political blather. And I don't mind; most branded and Laguz come to terms with their age pretty quickly. To answer your question, I turned 513 earlier this summer."

"Wow..." was all Morgan could say, awed as she was. Of course, Soren hadn't been specific about his own age, other than the fact that he had arrived in Ylisse over five centuries ago.

"I was born less than two years following the War of the Goddess," Lionel explained. "My father, Sothe, was one of the Beorc who fought alongside my mother, and the Radiant Hero, against the goddess. He married my mother almost immediately following the war."

"Did you ever get to meet Ike?" Morgan asked.

Lionel shook his head. "Ike and Soren disappeared from Tellius less than three months after their victory. It seems Ike had also invited along one of his Laguz friends, a Gallian named Ranulf. Ranulf had other obligations to attend to, though. The rest of Ike's comrades only learned of Ike and Soren's departure when Ranulf spread the word later. By the time I was born, both Ike and Soren had faded into mere legend."

"What about your mother's other companions, then? Surely you met with several of them," Morgan said.

"I did, when I was younger," Lionel confirmed. "For the first few decades after the war, my mother and her old companions held reunions at least once a year. Our gatherings were all over the continent, and by the time I turned twenty, I had visited Crimea, Begnion, Gallia, and Phoenicis."

Morgan smiled at the thought, for it reminded her of the Shepherds' reunions. But before she could comment on the similarity, they arrived at her room. "Get some sleep, Morgan," Lionel said. "We'll talk tomorrow."

"Alright. Good night," she said cheerily, as Lionel left. Privately, she wondered how much sleep she would actually find this night. The soft bed and warm sheets were inviting, but inwardly, she was still bursting with excitement, with just a touch of doubt.

Postponing the search for Owain didn't trouble her much, to her surprise. After thinking it over, she reasoned that it was probably on account of the similarities between Ylisse and Tellius. The people they had met so far were friendly enough, and though there were hints of trouble, the danger was nothing on the scale of the fell dragon's dark rise to power. Even the eidolons, though dangerous, were nowhere near as fearsome as the risen.

In contrast, Morgan was a lot less confident about their own path. The choice had seemed obvious to her, and she wasn't going to second guess her decision now, but there was a bit of nervous tension accompanying the knowledge that they were about to involve themselves in these grand happenings.

A castle guard woke Morgan late the next morning. Morgan yawned, and noted with some surprise that she had managed to fall asleep after all, and had slept soundly through the remainder of the night, and the bulk of the morning to boot. "Good morning!" she called through the door, as she started rummaging around for her clothing. She hesitated for a moment, though, upon seeing the robe Micaiah had given her the night before, and finally decided to try the new robe on properly.

Upon hearing her awaken, the guard informed her that the queen was waiting for her in the throne room. As Morgan dressed, she wondered what they were planning now. She nearly slapped herself when she realized how obvious the answer was; as part of their plan, they would have to act as if the previous night's gathering was about equipment, and only equipment. They had to decide, officially and somewhat publicly, on their following course of action.

She kept her thoughts from showing on her face, though of course, that only sent a shudder down her spine, as she realized if Tantalus was capable of spying on them, he could even be watching her this very moment. Of course, they had no idea how far Tantalus's reach or sight really was, but the thought only renewed Morgan's determination to cling to their little game as tightly as possible.

That resolve was sorely tested not long after she arrived in the throne room, however.

It seemed her two companions had also been late in waking, for she found herself alone with the queen and the prince when she arrived. The conversation began only after Priam and Soren arrived together, about ten minutes later.

The discussion that ensued was essentially a rehash of the stiff and rather cold exchange that Soren and Micaiah had shared when they had first arrived. It was fitting, but rather boring. Micaiah asked her to describe Owain again, and then apologized in a seemingly sincere manner that she had not heard of anyone meeting Owain's description. After the queen promised to pass word of their search to Owain if word of him reached her, Soren again brought up the possibility of searching for help 'elsewhere'.

He asked Micaiah about the Redeemers again, and though her answer was, in essence, the same information she had given them the night before, their conversation didn't extend to Extinction, or any of their fears surrounding the Redeemers. Nothing to imply any hostility or doubts, beyond the rumors.

Likewise, when Soren explained that they were going to search out and help someone who claimed to be working against the Redeemers, Soren didn't mention anything else they knew about Tantalus. Lionel volunteered to accompany them formally, supposedly in the interest of shedding light upon the rumors, and that was the end of it.

Morgan did her best to hide her relief as they emerged from the throne room, with instructions to meet with Lionel at the city outskirts after restocking their supplies. The prince set off at a faster pace, to secure a ride for them back toward the port, from which the Snowflake Forest was a mere two days by foot.

"Hopefully this will be quick," Priam said, perfectly reflecting Morgan's unspoken plea. "Are you looking forward to seeing your friend?"

"Yeah," Morgan said. "Though I'm a little worried we won't be able to find Tantalus again." She glanced at Soren. "What do we do if we can't find him?"

"Then our search won't be as quick as we hope," Soren said distractedly, as he led them toward the marketplace.

They caught up to Lionel half an hour later, waiting beside the promised cart. He had evidently changed, for he was no longer wearing his regal nobleman's outfit, but a finely tailored leather brigandine and matching trousers. He also wore a forest-green hood and cloak, apparently opting for a more subtle appearance, and was leaning on what looked to be a finely polished wooden hiking staff. "Ready to leave?" he asked, as he saw the three of them approach.

"Yes," Soren replied, as he set down his traveling bag in the cart. Morgan and Priam followed suit. They were traveling relatively light, since they'd be on their own pretty soon, but there was no reason to tire themselves out unnecessarily. "Will this gentleman will be escorting us back to the coast?" Soren asked, with a slight nod towards the grizzled looking middle-aged man holding the reins of the two horses tethered to the cart.

"All the way to the edge of the forest," Lionel corrected with a smile. "Though we'll have to find our own way back."

"That should be fine," Morgan said. "We might not be returning directly to Nevassa, anyways."

"And even if we do, we don't know when," Soren added. "I do like your weapon, Lionel. I'm curious, though. How much did you pay for that particular treasure? I seem to recall Shinon caring more about it than he did anything else. Than anyone else too, for that matter."

"Weapon?" Morgan asked, peering at Lionel inquisitively, for he didn't seem to be carrying any weapons. None openly, at least.

"My bow," Lionel explained, with a light shake of his hiking staff. With a start, Morgan realized that the staff was actually an unstrung bow. Lionel set the bow down in the cart beside a quiver. "And old Shinon did treasure his weapon, even after he retired and settled down here in Daein. It seemed he treasured his liquor more, though, and when he finished spending what gold he had saved…"

"You took the chance to add another blessed weapon to Daein's collection," Soren finished.

"Something like that," Lionel said, with a shrug. "It wasn't hard to convince him to sell it to us, which makes it all the more likely that if we hadn't bought it from him, he would've ripped himself off selling it at a nondescript pawnshop."

"Does it have a name?" Priam asked curiously.

Lionel shrugged. "It's a double bow, designed for long-ranged accuracy. This weapon, too, was blessed by Yune. I don't know if it had another name, but Shinon just called it 'Shinon's Bow'."

"Figures. That ignorant egotist," Soren muttered.

At his words, Morgan glanced down at her own sword and frowned. Eternity was a fine weapon, even if it seemed to pale in comparison to the ancient and divinely empowered weapons her companions carried. It wasn't the weapon's power or quality that bothered her, though.

The weapon was an exact copy of her father's sword, and judging from what Severa told her, it was all she had left of her parents from the original timeline. It had once been a standard ceremonial silver sword, but Morgan's mother had reforged it herself for Robin. Her father was impeccably careful with Eternity, and she, too, had learned to protect her favorite weapon. Still, after years of use, a few signs of its age where beginning to show. A handful of small nicks on the blade and a few scratches on the sword's guard had proved unavoidable.

Eternity probably wouldn't last forever, despite its name, Morgan realized. And if by some miracle it did, would anyone even remember its name, or anything of what the sword meant to her? Perhaps there was a strong reason behind the old Chon'sin tradition of burying a treasured weapon with its wielder. It could be to protect the weapon, too, and to preserve what meaning remained.

She glanced at Priam's weapon belt, where Ragnell still hung, and for the first time, she felt that she could truly empathize with Priam's desire to prove himself worthy of his ancestor's legacy.