Ravus hesitated, unsure of whether speaking to Callisto was worth the distress. As the door shut behind him, his shoulders slumped somewhat and Callisto looked up with a curious twinkle in her eyes.

"The years have been kind to you," Ravus offered, "Lady Callisto." His stomach twisted as he looked at her; Amara's beauty was found in the well of her mother's and her absence only made him miss her more.

She smiled and a flash of her daughter was seen on her face, "And certainly to you! The last time we were together, you were two heads shorter and your hair was too." She gestured towards the seat and he sat down. "You've come into your own, yet."

"I'm inclined to agree," Ravus replied, a small smile all he could muster.

"What brings you here?" Callisto asked, her eyes wide.

Ravus folded his hands in his lap, "Amara's made a disappearance and I don't know where she is." He bit his lip, surprised he was able to speak.

"Really?" Callisto shrugged. "She used to do that as a child when she'd get upset. I'd thought she'd grown out of it by now. Clearly not."

"You think she's just… gone off again?" Ravus eyed the matriarch inquisitively.

Callisto leaned back, "That depends on what caused it. Was there an argument between you two? A lover's quarrel?"

'Al-Rient women have a knack for petty comments,' Ravus thought.

The commander kept his composure, "Sure, there was a spat, but running away is out of her character."

Callisto scoffed, "I'll entertain you. What have you found that's got you worried?"

"She's in Lucis." Ravus managed.

"So?" Callisto opened up a drawer, "Lucis is quite enjoyable… in small doses. Amie might just have some fun there." She began putting away various papers that crowded the table and Ravus caught sight of a heart-shaped symbol stamped at the bottom on one of them.

"She hasn't contacted you, has she?" Ravus' eyes widened, astonished at Callisto's casual aloofness.

Callisto's eyes grew colder, "Not since you two ran off to be with the Empire."

Ravus ignored her slight, "Right, well… I'll take my leave."

"Surely that wasn't all you had to ask?" Callisto went on. "I know Gralea isn't that far, but traveling to let me know of a disappearance is a bit much."

"What are you getting at?"

Callisto smirked, "There's something you're not telling me. Syl used to act the same when she hid things."

Ravus' muscles tensed at the mention of his mother, "I think she's been disappeared… that she was taken."

The matriarch's eyes hardened, "By?"

"That I'm not sure of."

At once, Callisto's aura changed and it seemed to strangle Ravus where he sat.

"What suggests she was taken? Besides your shrewd intuition."

Ravus grimaced, "Every personal item was left behind. The most noticeable her ID, as it gives her privileges around our territories and blockades."

Callisto rolled her eyes as he spoke, "I always thought it stupid of her to go into the military… and the Empire at that. Why would anyone take up fighting for the country that annexed them?" She shot a look at Ravus. "It's silly."

Ravus refrained from speaking, as Callisto had a way of getting under his skin and he didn't want to act out.

Callisto shook her head at the young man, "How long as she been missing?"

"Days."

"A number."

Ravus' jaw clenched, "It wouldn't d—"

"Actually," she held a hand up, "just get out." Her eyes fixated on Ravus, "If she hadn't followed you into that idiocy of a plan, this wouldn't have happened. She's probably dead and better off."

Ravus' stomach fell and he stood up, "It'll do no good to think that she is."

"Only harm came from you convincing her to go off into the military, so how can you speak of good?" Callisto hissed. "Leave, High Commander and don't return unless you have her corpse."

"So this means to never come if she's alive?" Ravus smiled wickedly and turned on his heel. "We'll be well without you, Lady Callisto. Have a good day."

x

"...they're big! Like, like… as big as Gladio!" The young boy jumped around, imitating the creature. "They're hard to find though and that's okay! I got some figurines to play with."

Amara laughed, "It's hard to imagine a cactus with arms and legs."

"You also said it was hard to imagine a giant yellow chicken." Prompto added.

"Chocobos were a hard sell," Amara said, adjusting her sling strap.

Talcott laughed, "You've never seen a chocobo? Where are you from?"

"Uh, Tenebrae." Amara replied.

Talcott's eyes widened, "Like the Oracle? That's so cool! Prince Noctis is getting married to her soon! Have you ever met her? What's she like?"

'This kid is full of questions,' Amara thought.

"Nope!" Amara replied, "But I've heard she's a really nice person."

Talcott smiled, "Of course! She heals people and makes them feel better. That sounds like a nice person."

"Indeed," Ignis walked into the bubble of the three, signaling their conversation was over. "Talcott, your grandfather needs you."

Talcott's smile seem to shine even brighter, "Alright! Bye, Miss Amara!"

"I'll be right here," she laughed, "and call me Amara."

"Oh," he nodded, "sure!"

Ignis sat down next to Amara and crossed his legs, "You're needed over there too, Prompto."

"Oh, uh, sure." The blonde said. "Aren't you coming? Seems like everyone's over there."

"I'll get caught up later," Ignis adjusted his gloves. "For now, Amara and I will talk."

"Don't let him bully you, Mari." Prompto laughed, walking over to the rest of the group.

Amara sat rigidly still, unnerved by the wariness Ignis exuded. "So… what did you want to talk about?"

"Who are you trying to fool?" Ignis' burning gaze fell on her.

"What?"

'He knows,' Amara thought, 'but I should let this play out.'

Ignis didn't blink, "It's a good cover, the mercenary facade, but I knew exactly what you were when you didn't make your move on the prince."

"Um… move?" Amara eyed him strangely. "What kind of moves are we talking about here?"

"I do believe you were separated from your transport, that I do think true and I do believe you're from Tenebrae; which makes this all the more interesting. However, your eagerness to get to Altissia revealed to me your occupation."

Amara cocked an eyebrow, "And what am I?"

"An assassin."

'...he's not that smart,' Amara thought.

"If I'm an assassin, who am I to kill?"

The corner of his mouth turned up, "The commander of Niflheim's army."

'Huh?,' she thought. 'This is weird, but I'll play along.'

"Is there a need to pretend anymore?"

Ignis shook his head, "Not with me, but I'll keep your secret."

"What's the catch?" She tilted her head slightly.

"There isn't one; that's a piece that's worthy of being knocked off the board, I think. Seems you're more of an ally than you let on to be, Amara."

She raised her eyebrows, "Being truthful wouldn't have helped me, in this case. Can I ask how you knew?"

"When you spoke about the Empire annexing your country; that was the connecting piece."

Amara kept silent and watched as the larger group of Lucians dispersed with Gladiolus at the head.

"You done talkin', Iggy?" He asked. "Talcott's told us about a Royal Tomb and we're gonna go get it."

"Seems like it would be pretty hard to bring back a tomb," Prompto teased.

Gladiolus sighed, "That's not what I meant."

"Then say that!" The blonde laughed.

"I said it was only a legend, so I'm sorry if it turns out to be a waste," Talcott added. "If it's true, that'd be really cool! I hope it's real."

Noctis ruffled the child's hair, "Don't apologize! You helped me with something I couldn't figure out on my own. It's not a waste."

"I helped the prince?" Talcott laughed. "Anything for you, Prince Noctis!"

"You all had better get on your way," Jared warned, looking at his watch. "The sun will be setting soon."

Gladiolus stretched his shoulders, "Thanks, but we should be fine. There's plenty of camping sites around."

"Joy." Ignis said, walking over to join the rest.

Noctis stood in front of Amara, "I think it's best if you stay here."

"I'm not arguing," she replied.

He laughed, "Well, we'll be back soon. You can finally get some more rest."

"Uh, yeah!" Amara offered, confused at his concern. "See you when you get back."

The prince waved and took off with his guard, leaving a strange impression on the commander.

'He's too nice,' Amara thought, 'that'll get him hurt.'

"We finally have time to talk!" Iris exclaimed, running towards her. "I'm curious about you, you seem so… weird. But in a good way!"

Talcott walked over with Jared in hand, "Can we play King's Knight? It's time for Grandpa to lose."

"Sure! Get out the cards," Iris turned on the TV.

Jared sat down on the bed next to Amara. "How are your wounds healing up?"

"Uh, I guess pretty good," she saw his gaze rested on her side. "Oh, that's still a mess."

"Does it hurt as much?" He went on.

She shook her head, "It's dulled, but it is unnerving."

"I know a recipe for a salve that'll soothe your wound," Jared held his chin. "The ingredients are somewhere down in the market… Iris knows where to get it. Are you fine with going after the game? Talcott's been wanting to play with four people for some time and I don't want to disappoint him by delaying it further."

Amara smiled, "I just need the directions, I don't want to trouble her."

"Well, that's fine too! I'll write them down after."

Amara's eyes were bright at their unprovoked kindness, "Right… um, thank you for even telling me about it."

"Of course!" Jared laughed. "Any friend of the prince is a friend of mine."

xx

Head towards the sidewalk and walk along until you see the food stands

Go through until you see an alley towards the left

Head down and follow the smell of spices

"Cute directions..." Amara mumbled to herself.

In truth, she knew it would be easier for Iris to fetch the medicine for her, but the commander wanted time to herself. Consciously deceiving the prince and his friends didn't sit well with her, especially after the kindness they showed her. The past few days had been a collage of problems, none of which she could solve; her memory was the trickiest of all. She was still ignorant to the fact that Ardyn tried to kill her and that she wasn't on good terms with Ravus.

The scent of cayenne, chillies and coriander swirled throughout the air and she continued on until she an array of stalls and lights. She navigated slowly through the throngs of people, making sure to keep steady and train an eye on the paper.

Prissock General Store to the far west end

Walking through the crowd, she spotted a weathered sign that housed the name of the store and a man in an apron working the booth. She'd arrived in front of him just as a customer was leaving and smiled as he waved.

"Um… hello, just a minute," she looked down at the paper and read off the list. "I need three garlic cloves and chamomile bags and… a marshmallow root."