"What do you mean, they're gone?" Henry stared at Kismet, immediately forgetting about the backpack he was currently packing. The rat sighed. "As soon as he woke up this morning, Ripred insisted on scouting ahead. To ensure the road to your city is clear. And your child-queen insisted on coming along. She seemed in a dire mood, too."

Henry sighed and averted his gaze. Of course she was. So at last, stop HAUNTING ME! Luxa's words, she had shouted at him last night, still rang in his ears. Henry had wanted to say so many things, yet she had not given him the opportunity.

He had no idea how long he had spent, sitting at that river, staring into the black oblivion, after she had stormed off, all he knew was that Kismet had eventually come to fetch him, claiming they should get going soon.

"That's all on supplies we have left." Henry's head jolted up when Howard dropped a limp-looking backpack before him. When he peeked inside he saw it was almost empty.

"Well, I'm sure they'll prepare a feast for you in Regalia anyway", Henry shrugged, "And for a small breakfast it will suffice."

He stood up, emptying the pack. It was indeed not much. Henry sighed and picked up the last bit of bread they had, before drawing Mys. "Gather the others", he called to Howard, "I'll make us what I can."

Only five minutes later the whole group, minus the scouters, had gathered around the torch. They each chewed on a thinner-than-usual sandwich, and none looked particularly happy, but it was all the food they had left.

Only on second glance, Henry noticed it wasn't the sparse food that dimmed the mood. "Hey, we'll be fine, you all", he called, as he hoped, cheerfully. "You'll all be home soon, what's with the long faces?"

The bats in one corner remained silent, like Iro who had even insisted he needed no food. Kismet didn't answer either. Only Howard and Gregor exchanged glances. Finally, it was the Overlander who spoke – "We, yes. But what about you? Will you be alright out here?"

Henry gave a dry chuckle. "Have you forgotten I've lived out here for two years. It takes much to kill me, you know?" Gregor only bit his lip. "That was before we had war", Howard continued. "The gnawers know you are our friend, they might target you directly."

"So what?", Henry shrugged. "Longclaw tried that before, and he lies dead in his own arena. Believe me", he grinned, "I'm the last person you should worry about."

That silenced them, but it didn't help brighten the mood. Henry quickly deemed that task impossible and proceeded to pack up their things, after they had eaten up. "Let's get going then", he called, "or the Bane will have reached Regalia before us."

He approached Thanatos and watched the others getting ready, as he thought, almost reluctantly. "Hey, do you know what their deal is?", he asked Thanatos while strapping himself into the saddle, "they –" But before he could finish the sentence, he sensed steps beside him and as he turned his head, he saw Gregor.

The Overlander was looking at the floor, but Henry also sensed almost angry determination in him. "Hey, Henry", he spoke, raising his gaze at last, "you... take care, okay?" And before the exiled prince knew what hit him, Gregor had caught him in a tight hug. "We don't take you for granted anymore, you know? Just... don't get killed. Please", he mumbled, and Henry smiled, at last, patting his back. "I'll do my best. And my best is pretty damn good, as you know." Gregor just nodded.

"You just promise to practice your echolocation, okay?", Henry spoke on, "And don't let anyone boss you around or kick your ass. Especially not Ripred, you hear?"

"Oh, he won't", a different voice sounded from behind. Howard. Henry was about to release Gregor when, to his surprise, Luxa's cousin almost awkwardly reached to pat his shoulder. "But he's right. Don't you dare get yourself killed. Not after all that." He averted his gaze, "Luxa might someday forgive you for what you did, two years ago, but she would never forgive that."

Henry opened his mouth to respond but then sensed Nike at Howard's side, pressing her face against that of Thanatos, though grinning up at him. "Yes, take care! Both of you. Not only Luxa would hate you if you died now, we all would." Even Ares, on Thanatos' other side, hummed approvingly. "We need you alive. And that for more than just your fighting skills."

Despite the desperate situation, and his less than successful talk to Luxa last night, a wide grin spread on Henry's face. "Oh come on, you all, you can't tell me you're genuinely worried about me!"

It was almost like a warm, tingly feeling, creeping up in his chest, inducing hope and calming his strained nerves. Did they actually... care? For him? He vividly saw their hostile expressions when they had found out his identity, and could almost not believe his eye now. As Henry stared into their sympathetic faces, he finally allowed hope to flood him. Before the realization hit him that, now that they finally seemed to have accepted him, he might never see them again. This was... their goodbye.

"Of course they care", Thanatos sounded from beneath him. "Congratulations on finally admitting to it, though." All of them awkwardly laughed for a moment, before releasing each other. "Let's just all not get killed, okay?", Henry proposed, and Howard nodded. Gregor tensed up though, suddenly averting his gaze. Before Henry could ask what the matter was, a voice interrupted from behind – "If you're all but done group-hugging over there, we have a war to fight, you know?"

Henry chuckled at Kismet's almost cranky-seeming voice and heard Hera chuckle with Iro, on her side. But Howard and Gregor took her seriously. "Of course", Luxa's cousin mumbled, mounting Nike.

"One last thing", Henry suddenly remembered, "You know, it would really help if you guys could just... you know, forget... my name, once you're back home? Just for the sake of convenience." Gregor instantly nodded, while Howard narrowed his eyes at him for a second. "You mean like you "forgot" MY name, back on the waterway?"

Henry froze for a second, before bursting out with laughter. "Oh, come on, I couldn't just let an opportunity like that pass me by!" Howard sulked for a few more moments, before finally chuckling. "Well, fair. But... still. Horatius... really?"

"Yep. Really", Henry grinned back, before Thanatos finally lifted off, like the other fliers, following Kismet who led their way after Ripred's and Luxa's scents.

They didn't catch up to them in several hours, so long that Henry was about to start worrying they might have been spotted and caught, when at last Aurora's golden form shot out of a side tunnel to join the fliers. Ripred had sat on a rock before them, and he too instantly pressed on when he spotted the others.

"The path we scouted was clear, though it requires some swimming on our part, Kismet", he shouted in their direction, but nobody landed. Henry's unease only grew as he watched Luxa's back, flying in front of him.

"She needs time", Thanatos mumbled, and Henry frustratedly pressed his face into the fur of his flier. "I hope you're right." He had not had much time to inform Thanatos on how their conversation had gone last night, only that she had sent him away in the end.

Their flight went rather uneventful, even though they had to cross a large portion of a river at some point, as Ripred had warned. But as Howard had predicted, about a day's trip later they arrived at the outskirts of the cave bordering the one Regalia had been built in.

The fliers were tired but the sight now stretching before them instantly had everyone forget their exhaustion. "Impossible...", Howard mumbled, as they glanced out of a tunnel exit, maybe fifty feet above ground, onto an assembly of hundreds of rats, who seemed to have gathered up at the wall that bordered Regalia's territories, on the far end.

For some reason the sight of the wall made Henry's throat tighten. Regalia... there it was. So close, yet so seemingly out of reach for him.

"They... they are so many...", he heard Gregor mumble and nodded. "We need to be careful or we'll get spotted", he announced, looking for somewhere to hide. But the humans had, as it was custom, lit the cave with torches for the battle, so there were little opportunities to camouflage themselves.

"We can't go further", Ripred finally claimed, watching the distant wall keenly. "Thanks to the torches."

"We'll have to wait until they start fighting", Henry added, biting his lip. Fantastic. More waiting. From the corner of his eye, he watched Luxa and saw she was clenching her jaw, like she was just as eager as he to finally engage.

"Why are they all not attacking? Like, what are they waiting for?", asked Gregor suddenly, and Henry shot him a glance. "It's most likely a challenge. You know, we discussed different types of battles last night. They are waiting for a signal."

Gregor nodded, but the tension remained. For the next, give or take, ten minutes, Henry felt the silence almost suffocate him, and he realized he was digging his nails into the saddle straps. Come on, he thought. Attack.

When the first wave of fliers, at last, took off from the wall and the rats rose up to meet them, Henry almost sighed in relief. He saw the bats now flew in a tight formation and dove as one into the fray.

The group around him didn't need another signal. Aurora with Luxa was up in the air first, Thanatos, Ares, Nike, and Hera instantly followed. He felt Thanatos had grabbed onto Ripred to lift him down, and from the corner of his eye, saw Ares do the same with Kismet.

Henry could see his companions head straight for the rats below, while Thanatos flew a circle in the air until the exiled prince had drawn and lit his sword. The Igniter, and maybe Mys later, if I feel like a second weapon, he thought. That or the boomerang, I'll decide on the go.

As soon as his sword was burning, he raised it above his head, voicing a tremendous battle cry. Thanatos joined in and finally dove down, towards the rats. Then they fought.

As always when he fought, Henry stopped thinking. He only focused on his sensory input. The next target to hit. The next blow to dodge. He and Thanatos tore through the rows of rats with astonishing efficiency, mowing down rat after rat. They always seemed to draw back from the burning sword, occasionally even recognizing him, shouting "Death Rider!"

But Henry paid them no attention. Not those who retreated, not those who he struck down, not even the occasional flying by soldiers, gawking at him. Using the saddle to dodge and wielding his weapon with the precision of a master swordsman, Henry felt entirely in his element.

When the rats clustered around him, in an attempt to throw him off, the exiled prince drew Mys with his left hand, signaling Thanatos to perform their signature-coiler. Rotating down and stretching both his weapons away from his body, they tore through the screeching rats like a spinning saw blade.

Henry had no feel for the passage of time during battle, so he only seized fighting when he realized there were fewer enemies to hit around him. "They're retreating!", someone shouted from somewhere, and indeed, the rats seemed to have moved away from the wall now, gathering themselves at the back end of the cave.

Thanatos was hovering higher up now, and for the first time, Henry turned to check on his fellow travelers. There, on the ground, he spotted Ripred and Kismet, back to back, surrounded by dozens of rat corpses. Circling above their heads he spotted the black coat of Ares, with Gregor on his back, who now seemed to follow the call of a passing soldier for the humans to retreat as well.

"Should we?" Thanatos nodded in the direction of the platform atop the wall, interrupting Henry as he creaked his neck in search of Aurora's golden and Nike's striped fur. But neither Luxa nor Howard were anywhere in sight.

"Sure", he nodded, only then realizing he was surrounded anyway. Five soldiers on their fliers were now circling around him, their weapons were sheathed but their faces stern. "Identify yourself!", called one, "Follow us to the platform!", another. Henry thought he recognized one or two faces, but he hadn't the mind to think of their names now.

Even though they followed on his tail, Henry saw they retreated a little as soon as they saw Thanatos was headed for the platform anyway. Seeing the now tightly crowded space evoked a little smile, how many hours had he spent here, as a child, chatting away with the guards, or playing watchman with his toy sword?

As soon as the people on the platform spotted Thanatos, they instantly made room for him. When the flier touched down, Henry couldn't help a slight nervousness rising in his chest – what did they want? Would they attempt to arrest him?

"Thanatos, it has been far too long. It is good to see you." Henry's eyes widened when he heard a clear, firm voice cut through the murmur around them. "... Solovet?!"

Henry met her gaze at last as she stepped forward to greet him. What was going on...? Why was Solovet here, and in her commander-uniform? Hadn't Ripred mentioned she'd been arrested for causing the plague?

"Ah, the man with the burning sword knows my name. How curious." She threw him a smile. "Am I right to assume I stand before the fabled Death Rider, who saved our travelers more times than it is worth counting? In all honesty, the mural in our nursery does not do you justice."

Henry nodded almost mechanically, as he kept staring at her. Though, at first glance, she had seemed steadfast and stern as ever, now that he looked closer, the changes she had undergone since he had last seen her, became almost painfully obvious.

She wore the same uniform she had always worn, but now it seemed almost too big for her haggard form. She must have lost more weight than me, he thought. Her cheeks and eyes were sunken and even though she had visibly tried to conceal it by wearing her hair in the same tight braid she always had, it was noticeably thinner and paler. And then, when he, at last, returned her smile, he couldn't help but notice her expression seemed friendly, but her eyes weren't smiling along.

"We are the Death Rider", he finally spoke, extinguishing his sword in the same breath, before sheathing it. "And I believe it shouldn't come as a surprise I know you, most who have lived in Regalia at some point do."

Solovet only nodded, seemingly inspecting him closer, "Very well. It is good to finally meet you." To Henry's surprise, she extended her hand in his direction. Her handshake was firm, yet her hand felt bonier than he remembered.

Then, a different bat attracted her attention, who had now touched down next to Thanatos. "Gregor, Ares, as good as it is to see your faces, I hope you are aware your irresponsible actions will have consequences."

Gregor, who now slid off Ares' back, instantly took a step back. "Oh, give the kids a break, Solovet – as... unexpected as it is to see you here", someone snarled behind them, and to Henry's surprise, Ripred emerged between the bats. "They did what they could, and they did a great job, too. Thanks to the diplomatic skills of your dear granddaughter, Regalia has itself two new allies. Come, come, Iro, introduce yourself, will you?"

Henry watched almost passively as Solovet and some of her substitutes talked to Hera and the pincher, who had joined them now. Instead of paying attention, he turned to Gregor. Lowering his voice considerably, he whispered – "What is Solovet doing in charge? I thought she was arrested for the plague-incident?"

The Overlander turned to him and whispered back – "Yeah, but apparently they put her back in charge when the war broke out. I didn't really understand why or how either, to be honest."

Henry eyed Solovet closer. Probably because they didn't have anyone else experienced enough to lead in this war, he thought. And right they were. As strict and cold as Solovet sometimes was, he had always respected and looked up to her for her strength and keen mind. Then again, the Solovet before him now emitted a different kind of aura than he was used to, and something about it unsettled him.

Frustratedly, Henry shook his head. Now was not the time for that. "Hey, Ripred, what happened to Kismet?", he turned to the rat who cowered beside Thanatos now, eyeing Solovet as well, with a certain curiosity. What Ripred responded shook Henry to his core – "She went out to look for Luxa and Howard."

Luxa and Howard...? "Hey, Gregor, ask her where Luxa is", he whispered at the Overlander, stopping himself from shouting out the question to her. As an outcast, she would surely think this kind of interest in the queen was inappropriate.

Gregor's eyes instantly widened at the question, like he had almost forgotten himself. "Solovet, where is Luxa actually? And Howard?"

Solovet, who was still in discussion with Iro, turned their way again. "I sent them ahead to the city before any of you arrived here. They will also face consequences", came the instant reply.

Henry exchanged a glance with Ripred. Howard, yes, but... had Luxa willingly obliged? A thorn pierced his heart at the thought she hadn't even bothered looking at him, let alone said goodbye.

"When was that? I did not see them pass through at all", Henry suddenly heard a familiar voice and turned to see Mareth on Andromeda, making his way towards Solovet. She gave him a dry smile. "Before the official call to retreat. I had them escorted." Mareth raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Well, that explains why she followed willingly", Henry mumbled.

"In any case", Solovet turned back to the exiled prince now, "I must thank you for fighting at our side today. And I have to congratulate you on your fighting abilities. I have not seen any human-flier duo fight with the effectiveness you showed today. That construction you use to rotate is fascinating, indeed."

Henry grinned. He knew from harsh experience how rare it was to hear praise from Solovet. And finally, someone who appreciated his saddle. "It's pretty useful", he tried to sound casual, "And – no problem. I escorted your queen and warrior here, so I might as well fight for you."

She nodded in his direction, "And we are grateful for that, of course." Then she turned to Ares and Gregor. "Though to you, Gregor, I must say, observing you in battle for the first time today, I am vastly disappointed." She turned to Mareth, who stood beside her now, "He is woefully unprepared. This is not meant as criticism, I know your time with him has been very limited. But his equipment is flawed, he has not even a proper sword or armor and his left side is noticeably weak. Can we not double-arm him?"

Henry had to suppress a chuckle. This was standard Solovet-manner, alright. Judging by Gregor's mortified face, he hadn't had the honor yet.

But the more time passed, the more concerned for the others Henry got. If Luxa and Howard were indeed back in the city, why had Kismet taken off then? He took her for more attentive than to miss that. "Ripred, are you sure the others came through here?", he finally whispered.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Solovet handing Gregor her own dagger, the one he had always wanted to hold when he had been little and the one she had always denied him until Hamnet had finally given him an equally beautiful one for his fifth birthday. The same one he was now safely carrying in his backpack.

"I'm not sure", Ripred responded. "It's hard to tell if they were flying. But if I were you, I'd go check." Henry leaned forward to exchange a glance with Thanatos and nodded.

"So what do we do now? Are we going to attack again?", he heard Gregor ask Solovet and she almost chuckled. "Us – shortly, yes. But you two? I am sending you both back to Regalia. To training."

"Hey", Henry interrupted Gregor's offended and Ripred's amused expressions, "As fun as this meeting was, I'll be off now. Got places to be." Solovet finally turned to face him, and for a moment she looked like she disapproved of letting him leave. Then she regained her self-control and eased up. "Of course. Do as you please."

Henry audibly released a breath he hadn't even been aware he had been holding, as soon as Thanatos was in the air. They waved both Ripred and Gregor with Ares goodbye as they left them behind on the platform and headed straight for the other side of the cave.

"I don't get this", Thanatos finally asked, as they scanned the surrounding area for any trace of their unaccounted for friends. "Why are we here looking for them? If Solovet says they are in Regalia, why should she be lying?"

Henry had no response. In truth, that was what he himself failed to understand either. But Kismet was out here for a reason. When he voiced this thought to Thanatos, his flier only nodded.

They avoided the rats as well as they could and continued flying close to the wall, ears peeled. Then, as they passed a big tunnel close to the ground, Thanatos' ears twitched and he dove in.

Henry instantly reached for his weapon. "Where?" – "Further in. Rats. I can't say how many though." The exiled prince focused his hearing and finally distinguished the sounds himself. He instantly drew his sword.

Thanatos darted out of a cave entrance and Henry saw the rats by the sounds they made. He sliced the throat of the first rat in only seconds when he suddenly registered he wasn't alone with them.

A piteous cry sounded from further in and Henry recognized the voice in a heartbeat. In a single motion, he drew his boomerang and it whizzed forth only to hit its mark, the throat of the gnawer closest to her.

Only now he recognized Luxa and Howard were both here, as Luxa's cousin now audibly swung his sword around, how Henry assumed blindly. What were they doing here? How had Luxa and Howard gotten here and where were the rats coming from? Hadn't they all retreated? He had no time to dwell on his questions though as more attacked now.

Though before Henry had the chance to raise his weapon to fight on, a screech tore the silence and he saw the leaping figure of a rat, clawing at the throat of the member of her own species. And within seconds, the battle was over.

Thanatos landed in the middle of the cave now, closely followed by another bat of whom Henry couldn't tell if it was Nike or Aurora, using only echolocation. "Everyone alright?", he called into the dark cave, before fetching his own torch.

When the light flickered, he saw their faces for the first time. "Yeah", Howard groaned, but Henry instantly saw he was bleeding quite badly from his stomach. Next to him on the floor sat Luxa, and when Henry saw her, he froze in shock. Luxa, she seemed unharmed, but she was cowering over the awfully still body of a... golden bat.

"No...", he whispered, his head started spinning. Aurora, was she...? Only when Howard managed to stagger over to her and confirm she lived, Henry felt the wave of relief hit.

He hastily untied the saddle straps and joined Howard, Nike, and Luxa around Aurora, who, as he saw now, was breathing shallowly. "What in the world happened here?", he finally asked, looking around. "What are you guys doing in here?"

"I was about to ask the same", another voice sounded from the shadow and Kismet emerged, her teeth still bloodied from the battle. She had a long cut on her leg, but Henry knew better than to think it would cause her any problems.

"We...", Howard was leaning on Nike, visibly trying to prioritize Aurora over his own injury, but struggling. "We... it was like they chased us in here, and I mean deliberately. Us... no, her!" He pointed at Luxa, who was still sitting motionlessly, over Aurora, her face cloaked in shadow.

Henry furrowed his brows. What... what was going on? "... Chased?", he asked, his voice husky. "But... Solovet said you were in Regalia!"

Both Howard and Luxa's heads jolted up. "She... what?", Howard stammered, "But that... why would she...?" He was visibly panting from pain now, holding his injury, pressing a cloth on it to stop the bleeding.

"Because she lied", Kismet snarled from behind. All heads jolted in her direction. Henry stared at her like all the others, his exhausted mind tried to comprehend what the meaning of all this was.

"Why would she lie?", Howard asked, audibly confused, and Henry shook his head. "There was something... in the way she said it. I don't know, I had a weird feeling about it myself. Like I couldn't trust it."

"Trust...?" Henry instantly twirled around as he heard the weak but stern voice of Luxa. "You... you talk of... trust?" Henry blinked at her, almost confused. Almost like he didn't know what she was referring to.

"Luxa, I...", but before he could talk, she interrupted him – "You do not talk of TRUST TO ME!" In a single motion, she had risen to her feet, her stance had entirely changed, from defeated and desperate to aggressive, in only seconds.

Even Howard was perplexed at her outbreak, enough for Henry to get a better look, a look at what had happened. At what he had done last night. Luxa was not Luxa anymore, not the lively girl he knew and loved, with the expressive, light purple eyes and the big grin, not even the girl who had passively stared through him, calling him the Death Rider when she had perfectly known he was Henry.

No. This time, she was looking at him. The true him. And slowly she raised a finger to point, like in accusation. "You should have never shown your face to us, after what you did."

Her words hit like a sword to the heart. Henry slowly opened his mouth to respond, yet no words came. But before he could do anything, Kismet had tugged at his arm, she stood in alert. "They're coming. Mount up."