I saw what would happen if I took the Burgundy Man's offer and ended the war for you.

Her words rattled around his brain several times over, and yet he refused to comprehend what he had heard. She had been looking for a way to negotiate with Ramuh, surely. That was what she had been searching for the whole time. She had no reason to know about Ardyn's offer to end the war, let alone to Dream about the outcome.

Save that Hamon had suggested there was an offer and Regis had left her unguarded in the In Between. What was to stop Ardyn from approaching her directly? What was to stop her from growing curious and asking Hamon herself?

"Reina…" He said slowly. "What have you done?"

She swallowed hard again. This time he could see the building fear in her eyes and he knew the answer before she gave it to him.

"I went to the Burgundy Man. And I asked him about what Master Hamon had said."

Regis shut his eyes and bowed his head.

No.

Not this.

Anything but this.

"We only spoke, Father. I was very careful. Crowe warned me not to agree to anything and not to take any actions without first spending the time to think critically and gain another perspective and—"

"Crowe?" Regis looked up. "Crowe knew of this?"

"Yes, Father. She gave me advice and listened to everything he told me. And in the end I decided I should try to Dream what would happen."

Crowe—a full grown adult, in the employ of the crown, hired to keep the princess safe at all costs—had known that Reina meant to walk into the In Between and speak with the most dangerous man on Eos and had done nothing to stop it? Had told him nothing?

"This is inexcusable," Regis said.

"Don't you want to know what would happen?" Reina asked.

Regis rose from his chair. "No. And you are forbidden from speaking to that man again. As if I should have to forbid you when I have already made it clear I want him kept away from you. No more Dreams. I thought we had agreed you were searching for a way to negotiate with Ramuh."

"And I thought we agreed my magic is my own," Reina said, voice rising. "Have you changed your mind about that? I thought you didn't want anyone to control me. Doesn't that include you? But now you would forbid me from Dreaming anything but what you want me to see. You're as bad as the council!"

He stood, stunned, in her doorway. Her words held a haunting hint of the truth. Was he not doing what he had sworn to protect her from others doing? If what she wanted to learn was the possible future that resulted from accepting Ardyn's offer then…

Then that was a dangerous path to walk. Where did he draw the line between freedom and protection? Where did he draw the line on trust? And what was he to do when both she and her Kingsglaive bodyguard sidestepped his authority to make their own?

He could not think. It was poor form to make decisions while angry and at the moment the only thing that leapt to mind was to bind her to the physical realm and prevent her from Dreaming by force, if necessary.

"We will discuss this later. When I've had time to think." Regis turned to leave.

"I Dreamed the war was over!" She shouted after him. Regis halted once more. "The Wall came down and I've never seen you so full of health and youth, Father. You—" Her voice choked but she pushed herself onward. "You knocked Cor on his butt and handed him his own sword. His face was as red as wine."

He stood, half-committed, in the doorway with one hand on the jamb and his head bowed. That she would taunt him and herself with these things…

"And then, at the same time on a different path, I Dreamed the war continued. The Wall stayed up and year by year it sucked your life from you like a fat vampire bat crouching over the city. In four years time I'll walk you to your rooms because you can hardly walk on your own."

"Stop it." Regis' voice came out more choked and less commanding than he would have liked. He squeezed his eyes shut as if this would block out reality.

"But you don't have to, Father!"

"I do."

It was already decided. He had already made the choice and if his retinue could not sway him, he could not allow Reina to either.

"This is for your own good, Reina. Now go back to sleep. We'll talk in the morning."

He turned to leave for a third time. Still she shouted after him.

"Father!" And he could not walk away while emotion shook her voice. Less, still, when he looked back and found tears streaming down her cheeks. "You said you love me more than Lucis. More than Eos. More than anything. More than your own life." She shook her head. "You had the choice to save them all but you chose to protect me."

"I did. And if you understand that this choice was made to protect you, then you must understand why it cannot be undone."

She shook her head again. "And what about how much I love you?"

Regis sighed. They had discussed this before.

"Reina… it is my place to protect you. Not the other way around."

"If you don't do something now, it's going to be my job to take care of you very soon," she said.

Four years, she had said. Four years before he leaned on her shoulder like a decrepit old man simply to reach his own quarters. Moreover, he knew it to be true deep down. For all he told Clarus that the Wall had only made him stronger, strain did little good when he was never allowed to set aside his burden.

"That is a truth we must all come to terms with," Regis said. "However much we may hate it, it is inevitable."

"But it isn't! Don't you see, Father? All I have to do is tell Ardyn I accept his offer—"

"You would not dare."

"And everything will turn out fine. Because I've Dreamed it."

"Reina, you cannot—"

"I understand. You can't make that choice because you love me too much. So I hope you understand that, because I love you just as much, I can't not make this choice."

"Reina—!"

He lunged for her bed, as if grabbing her physically would stop her from unhooking her ties to her body and dropping into the In Between. He caught her body as it fell among her pillows. She still held an anchor in her center and he scrambled to grasp her magic as her core slipped away.

"Don't do this to me, Reina." He wrapped his magic around her five times over and dragged her back toward the physical realm.

Let me go, Father. There was a calmness in her mindvoice that unnerved him.

No. Come back to the physical realm, my dear. We will work something out.

I have already worked everything out.

She slithered out of his grasp like a wet fish and shot toward the In Between. He was left holding the barest tendrils of her magic. He grasped them as tightly as he dared, pulling as if to reel her back to her body.

"Reina! Come back!"

But she was gone.

He followed the strand, loosening his own hold on his physical body to reach the In Between. It took longer this way, trailing after the breadcrumbs she had left behind. But at length the shores of the Black River were visible to him. Just as they had been in his dream of her: a bright sunny day and grassy shores dotted with overgrown trees, which surrounded ominous black water. It was like stepping into a picture frame from blackness.

Reina stood on the shore, dressed not in her nighttime pajamas as she was in the physical world, but in a lavender dress. Ardyn stood over her, extending a hand.

"Ardyn! Your deals are with me. Leave my daughter alone!"

Ardyn straightened, though his hand remained outstretched toward Reina. "On the contrary, Nephew. I think this deal concerns your little Dreamer most of all."

"Reina." Regis locked his eyes on her, putting one foot in front of the other with the caution one used to approach a frightened animal. "Don't do this. Please. We shall find another way."

"I'm sorry, Father. I love you too much." She lifted her hand and took Ardyn's.

"No!" Regis lunged forward—if he could just reach her, if he could prevent her from diving into the river—and slammed face first into a barrier. A smooth, prismatic shield of Caelum magic.

Reina shifted this realm as easily as Ardyn did.

On the other side of the shield, she locked her eyes on him even as she turned toward the river. Regis slammed his magic against the barrier, heedless of the harm that might cause her, but he could feel not even a dent. Not even a fracture. And Reina did not respond, save to shut her eyes and turn her head away from him.

Ardyn and Reina stood on the banks of the river, hands clasped. Reina looked down at the water. Ardyn looked over his shoulder and gave Regis a wave.

"Toodles!" He grinned. Then leapt.

"Reina!" Regis shoved against the barrier for all he was worth. But it was far too late. The black water closed in over her head as she followed Ardyn into the River.

In the physical world, her body lay still in his arms, asleep to all appearances. He laid her down amongst her pillows and pressed his forehead to hers.

"Please, my dear… do not do this to your father…" His tears fell on her cheeks, mingling with her own half-dried ones. But she was motionless.

Distantly, he registered he was not alone in her rooms, but he could not tear his eyes from Reina's face.

"What's happening?" Noctis asked. "Dad?"

A thin thread of magic wound around her center and trailed into the In Between, where her core was lost somewhere in time. Regis wrapped his magic gingerly around it. The thrumming of life and magic within gave him comfort as thin as the thread itself. He sent a silent prayer to whatever divine spirit had not yet forsaken him and tugged at the strand.

"Reina… look at me, Reina."

He poured into their connection every ounce of the despair that was filling his soul.

"Just me…"

He poured into their connection the love he felt for her. A love so great that he would have willingly forsaken Eos to protect her. Would have willingly grown old and given his own life for her.

"Nothing else…"

He poured into their connection the fear and loss and emptiness he felt at her absence.

"See me."

But her eyes did not open.

Her lips did not move to mouth his name.

She made no effort to sit up and instead remained precisely as she had been all along.

"Is she lost?" Noctis asked.

"Lost…" Regis gathered her up in his arms and held her against his chest. Lost in the dark with a madman.

...everything will turn out fine. Because I've Dreamed it.

The Dream she had spoken of contained only him in good health. She had made no mention of her own fate.