"I am starting to get tired of eating stale bread," Falenas, who was seated across from Alexander on the floor, complained.

"We should be thankful that the Pantheon of Many was able to spare us food to begin with," Alexander said with a shrug. "Silana, you must be starving."

Silana gave a quick nod and swallowed her food. "I am."

"Then you should eat more," Alexander offered the piece of bread given to him to his daughter. "Have this."

"Thank you!" Silana said cheerfully and clutched the offered food in both of her hands.

"I see what you're doing," Falenas pointed accusingly at Alexander. "Instead of eating stale bread, you hand it off to your daughter. Very clever."

Alexander chuckled. "I think Silana will be fine with two pieces in case you were thinking about pawning off more food with her."

"Fortunately for me, your daughter isn't the only starving human around," Falenas said and held out his piece of bread to Takota, who sat next to him. "Have the rest of this, my good friend."

Takota took the bread without hesitation and took a bite out of it from his hand. Alexander couldn't help but smirk in amusement seeing Falenas going out of his way to avoid eating bread that he would miss out on the only breakfast the Pantheon of Many offered. Resources were scarce given the riots still happening during the morning outside but the clergy saw it fit to ensure that the orphans brought in were fed, and by extension, their saviors. Viera was one of three followers of Iomedae who ensured that the food was passed out. More was given to the other orphans saved by Gaedren, something which Alexander was content with.

Alexander sat with Silana, Falenas, and Takota in their own little group. Viera gave them each a brief greeting but had to leave for a moment as one of the other priests called for her. It came as no surprise that they all were in no rush to leave the Pantheon of Many. Alexander wasn't sure if the way back home was safe, or if his house was still standing. He briefly glanced towards Takota with a curious yet concerned look. Falenas had mentioned having a shop so there was no question about him having a home. Yet, the archer had kept quiet, and given the revelation of his parent's fate, may be by himself. Alexander wanted to find out more.

"So, I imagine we'll go our separate ways once we leave the temple," Alexander said. "What plans do you both have?"

"I am hoping to salvage whatever's left of my lab in my shop," Falenas answered. "It's very likely that everything I've owned is burnt to the ground thanks to the king's death. I suppose I will have to start over."

"I'm sorry to hear about that," Alexander said with a frown.

Falenas waved his hand dismissively. "I've built my way up from the ground before and I'll do so again."

"It's good to see that you're optimistic," Alexander nodded, then looked at Takota. "How about you?"

Takota swallowed a bite of his bread before answering. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have a home or a job?"

Takota shook his head. "I don't."

"Why not find your way back to the Shoanti?" Falenas offered. "Your quest for vengeance is complete. You can go back knowing you avenged your parents."

"I don't have enough food or money to make the trip."

"A trip to where?" Silana asked, paying enough attention to the conversation to wonder about Takota's home.

"The Cinderlands," Takota answered.

"What was it like?" Silana continued questioning Takota.

Takota remained silent for several seconds before answering. "I don't remember. I was young back then."

"It's not like Korvosa though," Alexander said, hoping to refresh Takota's memory.

"That's right," Takota nodded. "The Cinderlands is untamed."

"And that makes it more dangerous than Korvosa," Falenas commented.

Takota shrugged. "The city is dangerous too, but it's different from the dangers of the wilderness. It doesn't matter if one is more dangerous than the other. Any place can be dangerous, it just shows in different ways."

"I hope that you are able to go back home one day," Alexander told Takota. "You deserve the chance to make the trip."

Takota nodded again and took another bite from his meal. Alexander left Takota alone for the time being. This was the most that the archer said since meeting the group and yet there were still signs that he wasn't entirely comfortable being around other people. Zellara did advise that the group watch over him after his revenge was complete and that was what Alexander intended to do. He hoped that Takota would open up one day and settle in a new home, whether it will be in Korvosa or the Cinderlands didn't matter as much as his comfort did.

Alexander tilted his head to the side when he heard footsteps coming toward the shrine. While Viera had been occupied with her duties with the Pantheon of Many, she was now returning to meet with her companions. He quickly noted that she clutched a parchment in her hands. Alexander motioned for Falenas and Takota to stand up with him and left Silana to finish her breakfast to meet with Viera. She took one last look at the parchment she held and tapped her chin in thought.

"Do you have news to tell us?" Falenas asked.

"Something like that," Viera admitted. "A messenger came to the Pantheon of Many this morning, bearing a message for me."

"Were you expecting something like that," Alexander questioned.

"No, and that isn't even the final surprise," Viera laughed. "It's from House Vossler. I've been invited to their estate this morning to meet with one of Lord Vossler's sons, Griffin, even though I have no connection with him or the nobility of Korvosa."

"House Vossler," Falenas noted out loud. "I've heard of them before. That's quite a story."

"Do you know any idea what this could mean?" Alexander asked.

"I'm not sure but there's more," Viera continued. "He asked me to bring my companions, and specifically described them as a warrior and father, an elven alchemist, a Shoanti archer, and a man with a blue mask."

Alexander blinked in surprise as he processed the news. "You mean to tell me that someone knows about us already?"

Viera nodded. "It appears so."

"Someone just had to tell the nobility about our vigilante acts," Falenas shook his head in disappointment. "Was it you, Takota? You came in awfully late."

"It wasn't me," Takota said with a grunt.

"I brought Takota inside to rest after he stayed outside for hours," Viera said in agreement. "It couldn't be him, just like it couldn't be either of you two."

"Could Indigo be behind this?" Alexander suggested. "He's the only one of us unaccounted for."

"The letter did say that we would need to bring him," Viera shook her head. "I don't think he told anyone else."

"Perhaps we should simply ask Griffin," Falenas shrugged. "Speculation is getting us nowhere."

"How will we find Indigo?" Viera asked.

"We don't," Alexander sighed. "Hopefully we won't need him but the task is impossible."

"Let's go," Takota said and walked away toward the exit.

"Do you even know where the Vossler estate is?" Falenas called out.

"No," Takota said but didn't stop walking.

"The address was included in the letter," Viera explained. "It's actually not too far away. Alexander, if you want to leave Silana here, I can make sure that someone will look out for her."

"Thank you," Alexander said, then walked back to Silana, who was finished with her meal. "Silana, I have to go. I need you to be a good girl here while I'm gone."

"Where are you going?" Silana asked as she looked up at her father.

Alexander tried to think of a suitable answer but couldn't find the words. "I… I don't know. I'll tell you more when we're home. Don't leave the Pantheon of Many until I get back and listen to what the clergy tell you to do, alright?"

"Okay!"

Alexander smiled and ruffled Silana's hair, earning a giggle from the little girl. He felt that she would be safe enough here until he returned from the Vossler estate. Shortly after, he rejoined Viera and Falenas, and the three headed to leave the Pantheon of Many. Thankfully, Takota hadn't wandered off too far, and when he saw the others, slowed down his pace so that they could catch up and lead the way. Viera took the lead of the group, following the instructions on her letter to the Vossler estate.

Being out of the Pantheon of Many showed the group the true damage of last night's riots. Korvosa was not in a good state as parts of the stone streets were torn, wooden debris was spread about, and there were scorched marks upon some of the buildings. Alexander gulped to see blood on the street but saw it as a relief that there were no corpses. There was no denying that there was violence but at least someone was looking out to remove the corpses from the streets. He could only hope that they would receive proper burial.

Despite living in Korvosa, Alexander never kept track of all the nobles. He was aware of who the king was and kept track of some of the more important houses but couldn't say he knew all of them by name. If the Vossler estate was in Southern Korvosa, it meant that they were a relatively new noble family. Falenas had mentioned a story revolving around House Vossler and curiosity got the better of Alexander, who turned to his companion while they walked.

"Do you know anything about who we're going to see?" Alexander asked Falenas.

"Just gossip from some of my customers," Falenas answered. "I'll need to provide some context if you don't mind."

"Please do," Alexander nodded.

"Lord Vossler had a wife from an arranged marriage," Falenas started. "They had a son, Tiran, and they were a loving family, but then, Lord Vossler discovered that his wife was having an affair with another noble."

"That had to have been quite the scandal," Alexander commented.

"Indeed it was," Falenas agreed. "The divorce wasn't messy but Lord Vossler was against marrying another noble, believing that it would just lead to more drama. When all was said and done, he created more drama among the nobility of Korvosa by marrying a commoner of Varisian descent who was already pregnant from a previous relationship when they first met."

Alexander blinked in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Indeed," Falenas shrugged. "Why he would is beyond me."

"Isn't it obvious?" Viera looked over her shoulder at the two. "They were in love."

"I could see that," Alexander agreed.

"Regardless, Lady Vossler soon gave birth to her son, whose real father just so happened to be an elf such as myself," Falenas continued with his story. "That is who we're meeting, Griffin. I can't say I know much about him."

"But there's gossip going around," Alexander reminded him.

"That there is," Falenas tapped his chin, recalling the details. "Lord Vossler formally adopted Griffin as his son and raised him well enough but it was no secret that Tiran was the heir. So, when Tiran was arrested for charges of murder three weeks, whispers say that Griffin was responsible for framing him."

Viera gasped. "Why didn't you tell us this before we left?"

"It's just gossip," Falenas said with indifference. "What's the matter?"

"We may be getting involved in some noble's scheme," Alexander muttered. "Who was the victim?"

"I think it was an old flame of Tiran," Falenas answered. "They kept correspondence after they broke things off which was the crucial evidence that has him locked away while he awaits trial."

"What we need to decide is if we stay on course to meet Griffin," Alexander said. "I have my doubts about meeting a man if he doesn't have a reputation to protect him against such gossip."

"He's not guilty though," Viera pointed out. "Iomedae may be the goddess of justice but we cannot take action without evidence. I must meet him and see for myself what kind of man Griffin truly is."

"Trouble ahead," Takota mentioned, having listened to the conversation without input to this point.

As Takota said, up ahead on the street was a mob of people wielding shovels and other similar objects as if they were clubs. They were screaming different sorts of insults at the man they surrounded. Viera pushed her way through part of the crowd and was quickly joined by Alexander while Falenas and Takota stood to the sidelines. The man surrounded by the mob had a young and clean-shaven face with blond hair. His fine purple clothing marked him as wealthy, and given the part of the neighborhood, was very likely nobility. He held a rapier in his hand but given his trembling stance feared what was about to happen. Alexander regretted leaving behind his shield, seeing a need to protect someone from injustice.

"I bet ya never worked a single day in your life, King's Man," one woman in the crowd called out, waving a table leg. My brother had his arm crushed by a barrel on the docks when he was younger than you. He never raised a mug of ale with that wrist again. How about we show you how that feels."

"I'd rather not, please," the noble practically begged. "I'm terribly sorry for your brother but I just want to get home. Please, show mercy!"

"I don't like this," Alexander whispered to Viera. "This could turn violent fast."

Viera pushed her way forward, standing next to the noble. "People of Korvosa, do not act in such haste!"

"Get out of the way, pretty girl!" a man in the crowd called out. "Wouldn't want to hurt you!"

"You wouldn't want to hurt this man either," Viera argued back. "Korvosa is in pain right now. King Eodred II is gone but that does not mean we need to turn to violence. Let this storm pass in peace, and together, the city will stand stronger than ever. Please, end these violent acts and go home to be with your family. One of you has a brother. Be with him and let this man be."

Alexander held his breath as he eyed the mob. Slowly, one by one, the members of the crowd dispersed, dropping their makeshift weapons as they left. Alexander sighed in relief and saw that Viera did as well, both thankful that they didn't need to fight. Falenas and Takota walked forward to rejoin their companions after the members of the mob left. Of course, the most relieved by the peaceful solution was the noble, who looked in shock at Viera while slowly holstering his rapier.

"That was amazing, Viera," Alexander said with a smile. "I'm not sure if I could have done that."

"Thank you," Viera bowed her head. "I think you could have. I have to admit I never had a strong sense of pride in the city but I figured that the people did. I just didn't want them to do something they may regret."

"You have my sincere thanks!" the noble said, quickly clasping Viera's hand to shake. "I'm Amin Jalento. I didn't mean any trouble, really. I just wanted to see the city for myself."

"It's no problem at all," Viera told Amin. "I was glad to help but I think you should head home for now. I'm not sure if I'll be able to save you again."

"Of course, but I must thank you for saving my life," Amin said and took off a signet ring on his right hand. "Have this, please. I'm sure that you can sell it to make a profit."

"I couldn't," Viera shook her head with a friendly smile. "I was just doing the right thing."

"I insist," Amin told her. "I must show that I am thankful for you stepping in when no one else did."
"How about I take the ring on her behalf?" Falenas offered. "We're all friends, you know."

"I can agree to that," Amin nodded. "Thank you, kind sir. I hope to see you all again one day when Korvosa has recovered from the loss of her king."

Amin handed his ring to Falenas, and with a grateful nod, rushed away to head back home. The elf pocketed the ring with a content smile. When Alexander looked at the running noble to make sure he didn't get in more danger, he saw a middle-aged man in robes approaching, accompanied by two guards brandishing spears and shields. Although they weren't with the Korvosan Guard, they all looked relieved at how the mob was dispersed without violence.

"Good work protecting young Amin," the robed man said. "House Jalento has always been a good friend of House Vossler."

"Are you with House Vossler?" Alexander asked.

"Indeed we are," the man nodded. "Their estate is just over there, and although we were given other orders, we saw fit to rush to Amin's aid. You were able to handle the situation before we could arrive, but now, we can finish our first command as we were expecting you."

"Griffin told you about him summoning us then," Falenas said.

"Indeed he has. He told us to be on the lookout for an aasimar woman accompanied by an elf and three humans, although it would appear as though you are one short."

"I'm afraid that is to be the case," Alexander said with a sigh.

"Still, the rest of us are ready to go through with the meeting," Viera quickly added. "That is, if we still are allowed to meet with Griffin."

"I'm sure that he will still want to see you," the man motioned for the four to follow him. "I'll take you to his study. You'll find him there."

The trio working for House Vossler led the way to the Vossler estate for the group. The Vosslers lived in a two-story manor surrounded by a metal fence. A handful of guards patrolled the grounds, more on edge than before given the state of the city. The two guards left to join the patrol while the servant led the way indoors. They climbed up the stairs in the back of the entrance hall to the second floor and navigated their way through the hallways. Eventually, the servant stopped by the door, opened it for the guests, and stood aside with a shake of his head indicating that he wasn't to come in.

Alexander, Viera, Falenas, and Takota entered the study one by one. It was a small room with most of the wooden walls covered by bookshelves with tomes and ledgers covering an assortment of different topics. Windows on the walls provided natural light into the room. A wooden desk was placed over a dark and ornate rug that covered most of the sat at the desk, writing in a journal as he read from a ledger. A cane rested against the side of the chair he sat in.. After a moment of thought, Alexander quickly recognized the man.

His dark hair was tied back into a ponytail to reveal elven-like ears and he wore fine clothing but it was his face that Alexander recognized, even though he only caught a glimpse of it once before.

"Indigo?" Alexander gasped.

"Please, call me Griffin," the noble said as he rested his writing quill in a small ink bottle. "I'm glad you could all make it given the circumstances."

"I don't understand," Viera said quietly. "You asked for yourself to come with us."

"It would be a scandal if it turned out I was fighting criminals during the night, and not knowing if the letter would reach you, I thought it best to cover my tracks," Griffin explained. "I apologize for leaving you with little explanation last night, but given the king's sudden death, I thought it best to return home in case something else happened."

"This is such an elaborate scheme," Falenas commented with a frown. "It almost makes me wonder if there's some truth to the rumors."

"No, they aren't," Alexander shook his head. "You told me that Gaedren framed someone innocent. That was your brother, wasn't it?"

Griffin nodded. "It took me almost a month to figure out it was Gaedren behind the crime, but even then, I didn't have enough evidence. But once I break the code on his ledger, I'll be able to clear Tiran's name. That's part of the reason why I called you here, actually."

"Really?" Viera asked. "Do you think that we can break the code?"

"I'm not sure but what I do know is that it'd be suspicious for me to turn in the ledger myself without a story," Griffin explained. "Fortunately, we stumbled upon a rare opportunity that would be able to help us all."

Griffin opened a drawer on his side of the desk and reached inside of it. He pulled out an object wrapped carefully in a familiar blue scarf. The noble walked around his desk and grabbed hold of his cane in a single motion. With the others looking, he unwrapped the cloth, revealing a golden brooch with a broken clasp. The brooch depicted a house drake and an imp wrapped around each other. The piece of jewelry was adorned in different jewels with an amethyst serving as the dragon's eye and an emerald for the imp's eye.

"It's beautiful," Viera said in awe.

"Indeed it is," Griffin agreed. "It was the first object I found in Gaedren's strongbox."

"And you took it for yourself," Falenas shook his head. "Here I thought we were a team."

"I doubt that you would be able to find a merchant willing to buy such a brooch," Griffin laughed. "It's well-crafted and expensive but I happen to know who it belongs to. It escapes me how Gaedren managed to get his hands on it but I hold in my hand Queen Ileosa's brooch."

"You can't be serious," Alexander's eyes went wide in surprise.

"It's hard to believe, I know, but you can check with the Korvosan Guard," Griffin told the group. "It's reported as stolen with a description that matches this brooch."

"I don't see why you would lie about something like this," Viera said with a nod. "I believe you."

"What now?" Takota asked and crossed his arms.

"We pay a visit to Castle Korvosa, return the brooch and take the reward the queen put out, and be on our way," Griffin explained. "I'm hoping that this will give us the chance to form our own idea of what our new ruler may be like."

"You could have turned it in yourself and kept all the gold for yourself," Falenas pointed out. "Why do you need us?"

"It would be hard to explain how a noble scion who walks with a limp obtained the brooch from Gaedren," Griffin explained. "A more likely story would be that I sponsored a group of adventurers who worked to recover the brooch while putting an end to the criminal that stole it."

"Which would clear us of any charges of vigilante actions when it was done for Queen Ileosa," Alexander added. "That could work."

"It would also provide us a cover to work together," Griffin said with a nod. "It was nice working with all of you so I thought that I could continue to do so disguised as Indigo."

"As long as we work to ensure the good of the city, I see no problem with that," Viera said. "Korvosa needs people like us now more than ever."

"I could use more gold," Takota shrugged.

"Why do we need to bother with you pretending your our sponsor?" Falenas asked. "You did just fine as a disguised rogue. It sounds to me you're adding more to make this complicated for your own sake."

"There are benefits to me serving as your public noble sponsor," Griffin countered. "I can provide connections with other nobles for work that would pay well. I also can work on selling any treasure we find through merchants that my father employs, such as what we found in the strongbox or the ring that Amin gave you."

"What ring?" Falenas asked, trying his best to convey an expression of confusion.

"I saw what happened from the window," Griffin revealed with a smirk. "I was almost about to intervene myself when you arrived."

Alexander chuckled. "Count me in on this plan."

Falenas sighed. "If the majority is for it, I won't stand in opposition."

"Then there's no time like the present," Griffin grinned. "I'll lead the way."

Griffin raised his cane in the air, pocketed the brooch, and headed to the door. When he opened it, he tapped his cane on the ground and walked with a limp. Alexander wondered the reason why Griffin faked the way he walked but figured that now wasn't the time to ask about that. He glanced at his remaining companions: Viera smiled at how the events turned out, Falenas had his hands in his pocket with a curious look in his eye, and Takota was already walking after Griffin to get along with the rest of the day. The remaining three adventurers followed the noble out of his estate and onto the streets, heading in the direction of Castle Korvosa.

Alexander still couldn't believe that they were going to meet Queen Ileosa today. He wasn't sure what the meeting would mean for his future but he trusted that Griffin had an idea on what he was doing.


A/N: This chapter, meant to reveal Indigo's identity and move the plot along, is a lot longer than I expected, but that means I'm a lot closer to reaching the NaNoWriMo goal.

The story is now at 21.5k words. I am still behind my expected word count but am not terribly behind. Work is going to keep me busy as I work the last few days I have left at my current job (I put in my two week's notice some time ago to pursue another career) but I remain confident that I can finish my goal with the time granted during Thanksgiving.

Until next time.