I loved Lamont. I had never been so sure of anything in my entire life. Now that I'd come to that realization, though, what in the world was I supposed to do with it?! I couldn't tell him. Of course I couldn't tell him something like that! He was my friend and I wasn't about to ruin our friendship by telling him about these feelings of mine. I especially wasn't going to tell him considering he didn't feel the same way. I felt incredibly frustrated now and somewhat irritated at myself for even having these feelings. All they did was complicate things so much more when things were complicated enough as it was. So what was I going to do with this pent up frustration?

A bright light came forward and blasted the vampyr in front of me. I felt some of the tense feelings drain out of my body as I used Holy. I was grateful to Lamont for teaching it to me. Speaking of Lamont. . .

"Well done, Lydian. You are, I believe, in top form today," he said as I fought my way through more than my fair share of monsters in the Lhusu Mines.

"I agree," Esabel said as she shot at something in the distance. "I wonder what has her so fired up."

I refrained from comment since I was definitely not going to discuss what had me so fired up. For now, I was avoiding looking at Lamont. I felt that when I finally did drain all these upsetting feelings from my body maybe then I would be able to look at him again. Until then, though, I kept destroying every monster I could in the Lhusu Mines.

At the end of the day, I did feel better. Looking at Lamont wasn't easy, but I could do it. I returned to the inn feeling drained, but it was worth it since everything going on inside of me was much more manageable now. When we got back there wasn't any time to rest, though, because we went straight into a strategy meeting in Lamont's room.

The whole reason we'd come to Bhujerba in the first place was because it was neutral. Bhujerba had once had Archadian soldiers in it and it had once been home to the resistance that played a large part in the battle that took my mother's life. But all that had done was reinforce their neutrality. Now, they were even more determined to be neutral.

"Marquis Ondore played a sizeable part in the war that almost took place years ago despite the disdain he has for such events. I would prefer not to sully his hands considering the determination I possess to avoid war at all costs," Lamont told us as he looked through a bag for something.

"What about the emperor?" I asked him. "Wouldn't Marquis Ondore be able to help him? If we went to him and you told him you know the emperor, maybe he'd be able to do something. Maybe the emperor would want some more help, especially from somebody so powerful."

Lamont shook his head and looked at Esabel. She stared at him intently and not for the first time I felt as if something were flying right on over my head.

"The emperor and myself are of the same mind on this," he informed me. "War is to be avoided at all costs. As such, I hope to take care of this as discreetly as I am able. That is why I've sought the aid of Dalmasca as little as possible and that is why all others have been kept in the dark about the details of this shift in power in Archadia."

I disagreed with him on that one. "Don't they deserve to know, though? This guy that's taken over Archadia. . .He had quite a large collection of manufacted nethicite before we did away with it. He wasn't planning on being peaceful, Lamont. He was probably going to start a war, you know."

He stopped what he was doing and looked me straight in the eyes. "That is precisely why it was absolutely imperative for us to destroy it. Were they to have learned about said nethicite, he would have been forced to implement his plan sooner than he'd intended and everybody would be living in fear. Were they to learn about it now, they would feel the need to take an offensive stance. That would be detrimental to the empire. The peace we have been so carefully cultivating would be no more. I wish not to return to a time when the mention of Archadia invited suspicion and intimidation. We have moved beyond that. I wish for peace and to continue moving forward."

I remembered him talking about peace before back at. . .I think we were at the Mosphoran Highwaste. He'd made such an impact me then and Esabel, too, now that I thought about it. Peace was what he was striving for. Peace was what his emperor was striving for. And he obviously had a plan to maintain that peace without my meddling with it.

I sighed. "I'm sorry, Lamont. I. . .I don't want to get in the way and meddle."

He went back to looking through his bag and shook his head. "Make no apologies for providing a viewpoint, Lydian. I value your opinion even when it differs from my own."

That made me feel a little better, but I still felt as if I had stuck my nose where it didn't belong. I was supposed to be helping him, not hindering him.

"You have a plan, correct?" Esabel interrupted, getting us back on track. "What would that be?"

He finally found what he'd been looking for in his bag. It was piece of paper. He left it rolled up and turned his attention to us.

"As I said before, there has been a shift in power back in Archadia. What I have not spoken of before is who the power has shifted to," he said soberly.

I leaned forward a little. I would've been on the edge of my seat had I been sitting down. I'd never asked him about it before. When he'd first agreed to take me along, I'd agreed to accept that there were things he wasn't going to tell me. Up until now, this had been one of those things. Now, though, he was going to spill the beans.

"The pair of you deserve to be aware of who and what you are dealing with. It is a man, along with his followers. This man. . .he is no random person attempting to claim the throne. In actuality, he's a member of House Solidor," he said to us.

"House Solidor?" I asked, confused.

"He's a relative of the emperor," Esabel explained to me.

"He is the uncle of the emperor, thought long to be dead," Lamont clarified. "Metris Moro Solidor. As a member of House Solidor, he thinks it to be his blood right to assume power. As the other members of House Solidor have perished, the emperor alone stands in his way."

"The emperor. . .he's alone?" I asked, shaking my head sadly. "That must be hard for him, to not have anybody."

I understood what that felt like, of course. I'd been alone for many years now. I'd wished that there could be at least one person out there, one piece of family, one blood connection. . .The sad thing was that the emperor had that, one remaining blood connection, and said connection wanted him dead.

"Indeed. . ." Lamont trailed off. He was quiet for a minute before clearing his throat and moving on. "Lydian, do you remember our conversation when I informed you of the manufacted nethicite?"

"Hmm? Of course I do. That was when we had escaped those guys trying to catch us and ended up outside the South Gate," I said, thinking back to that night.

He was quiet for about ten seconds and I figured he was thinking back to that night, too. Then he said "Do you recall what I spoke of after the manufacted nethicite? I explained to you that he needs to make it appear that the emperor is not qualified and to create doubt within the hearts of the citizens."

I snapped my fingers as it came back to me. "Mmm-hmm. I remember that. I also remember you telling me that the emperor needs proof of his qualification to be emperor or something like that. But you never told me what that qualification was. You said you'd tell me more at. . ."

"A later time," he finished for me.

"Oh!" I said as I nodded my head. "Now is that time, isn't it?"

Lamont finally unrolled the paper he'd pulled out of his bag. Wait, it wasn't just paper. It was a drawing. He spread it out on the small table next to his bed and stepped back to let us get a good look at it.

"What is this?" Esabel asked as we looked down at the drawing. It looked like it was some kind of stone.

"His initial plan was to assassinate the emperor, place the blame elsewhere, and come into power. He planned to resurface as the grieving uncle and play upon the sympathies of the citizens. When that plan failed, the emperor left Archades and his uncle shifted directly into another plan. That plan is to capture the emperor, place him on trial for untrue charges, and disparage his character to the people. Then, through serving justice where it was supposedly due, he planned to present himself to the people as the most worthy option afforded to them. It has not been an easy task his current plan, as many people remain loyal to the emperor."

As he said that, I thought back to the people Esabel and I had heard talking at the tavern back in Balfonheim. While one person had dished on the gossip of the emperor's wrongdoings, the other was a loyal subject who refused to believe what was being said.

"Still, the emperor is in need of absolute proof of his qualification if he is to ease the doubts of his people and close the book on his uncle's treachery. That stone is the necessary qualification," he finished as we studied the drawing.

"What exactly does this stone do? How will it prove his qualification?" Esabel asked as she directed her attention away from the drawing and back to him.

That was a good question. It was a stone. What exactly was it going to do to be helpful? It reminded me of the manufacted nethicite a little, though. . .

"The story is long and the details are no simple feat to understand," Lamont said almost apologetically.

He told us about King Raithwall, who was the Dynast King. He told us about the Occuria, a sword, and shards of nethicite. He told us about Queen Ashelia and her part in this legacy. He also filled in some gaps about his relationship with her. Apparently, he'd met her and the rest of his friends in Bhujerba and that was when he first laid eyes on manufacted nethicite. I still felt as if there were details he was leaving out, but. . .And then he told us about the power that was sought by Vayne Carudas Solidor, who had been the brother of the emperor.

When he was done, we all just sat there in silence for a while since Esabel and I needed to digest all of that information. I'd always known there was a lot he wasn't telling me, but goodness. And I still knew that I didn't know the whole story. I was grateful to finally know this much, though. He kept so much inside and I was happy that he had finally let this much information out.

"But. . ." Esabel started, finally breaking the silence that had fallen. "What does this tale have to do with the stone in the drawing?"

She had a good point, I had to admit. She'd asked him what the stone did and then he'd launched into the story he'd just told us, but that still didn't explain what the stone did.

"In truth, the stone is nethicite and not of the manufacted variety. It is a legend. This legend came to my attention not long before the start of our journey. I'm afraid nothing will come of our troubles at all for a legend it may only be. Still, though, I am willing to take the chance. Legend says that this stone, this nethicite, was long ago hidden. It has no purpose for attack or containment of powerful energy. Its sole purpose is to gaze inside one's heart and pass judgment upon what is within. Were the nethicite to find one worthy of rule, it is to emit a bright light," he said, rolling the drawing back up and sticking it into his bag.

"So when the emperor holds it, the nethicite will glow and prove that he is the one who is worthy of ruling Archadia?" Esabel asked him. He nodded in return. "If it is believed to be nothing more than a legend, and not a well-known one at that, how will the people believe anything?"

Lamont thought it over before he answered that question. "It is to commandeer the very hearts of one's people and make them take heed of its knowledge. They will know what the nethicite knows. They will know who is worthy. Unfortunately, I don't know how this will happen. The emperor knows not how to bring this about either. It is our greatest hope, though."

It was confusing. Not only was it confusing, but it was a confusing legend that had never before been confirmed. This stone was supposed to glow when the emperor held it if he was worthy of being the ruler of his land. And somehow, though we had no idea how, it was going to make people sure that their emperor was the right guy for the job. We were going on a hope and a prayer here with no guarantee anything would work out. As he'd said , though, it was our greatest hope.