They spent the morning exploring Ladylake; the capital's appearance changed rapidly, depending on the district one traversed. Velvet found that peasantry and nobility remained more or less separated with some wealthy merchants bridging the gap, but there were no physical barriers. People simply preferred to stay in their own areas unless they had business with the higher or lower classes. The royal palace obviously remained off-limits without invitation or employment.

Velvet focussed on finding shops and merchants she could trade with, scouring their wares for whatever might be interesting and selling the furs she gathered over time. They might have fetched a little more in Autumn, when there was time to prepare for the bitter cold, but she still got a good price for everything. All the same, the previous day's encounter with that old woman stayed fresh in her mind; doubly so when she ran into Velvet around noon, greeted her with a smile, and moved on as if nothing odd ever happened. She just could not make sense of these events, no matter how much she tried. Laphi once again confirmed that this woman definitely had a bonded seraph, but they saw neither hide nor hair of them and ultimately decided to leave this matter be.

Snow began to fall about an hour after that encounter in the streets, which turned Velvet away from further exploration and toward the cathedral; it stood tall amidst the many buildings, if not as large as Pendrago's shrinechurch.

She headed inside with a few other people, some of which probably sought shelter from the snow just like her. Laphi followed, though his attention was elsewhere immediately. Taking in the spacious room herself, Velvet took notice of steps carved into the stone up ahead, leading to a pedestal which drew the eye. Several priests spoke quietly among each other and people stood in prayer around the room. Not many, but enough. A young woman in light armour knelt right before the central pedestal which held a block of stone and a sword stuck in it.

Then Velvet gaze fell on what caught Laphi's eye already; a woman slept next to the sword in the stone, garbed in robes of bright red and white.

She threw a look at her brother, then made a sharp nod to the sleeping figure; he took the hint and walked over while Velvet kept looking around. The architecture here was distinctly different from what she saw in Pendrago, which made sense because Ladylake had been built in the last millennium. This cathedral paled against the shrinechurch's size, but somehow she felt more at home here; it was a large, open space instead of half a maze, which they could only afford to build because they had all the room they wanted when setting the foundation.

For some reason, Velvet felt an odd tingling in her gut soon after she, too, began to step up to the pedestal. "It is always a pleasure to see another find her way to us," a black-clad priest spoke to her as she neared, distracting her from the odd sensation. He was middle-aged and smiled benevolently. "Pardon, but I believe you have not been around these parts before?"

"That's true," Velvet answered him quietly while trying to ignore that growing tingle. "I'm a traveler, just arrived yesterday."

She noticed the armoured woman near them perk up, but kept listening to the priest as he almost clapped his hands before remembering to keep quiet. "Oh my, I see. The kind seraphim will certainly be watching over you, young lady!"

Somehow, she felt that this man truly believed it, too. Not that he was wrong, considering Laphi's presence. So she nodded and gave him a smile. "I know they will."

"A traveler?" A soft voice chimed in. "How curious." They both turned to that same woman she noticed earlier, who had risen from her kneeling position and was examining Velvet curiously. The stranger displayed an open smile and shining, green eyes. "Where would you hail from?" Now that she entered their conversation, Velvet really took her in for the first time; those green eyes she already noticed, framed by sandy blonde hair which barely reached her shoulders except for a longer sidetail. Her armour consisted of greaves, thigh-high steel boots, and a breastplate covered by a white top that turned into pinkish red at the sides and back.

More importantly however, the tingling in Velvet's gut turned into a squeezing kind of sensation when their eyes met. She hesitated for a moment, then averted her gaze first. "A small village some ways from here. It, uh, doesn't matter much, now."

"I, um, I see?" She obviously did not, but seemed to decide not to force the matter. The friendly smile remained nonetheless. "Either way, I have to admit that I rarely meet travelers, yet the many wonders of the world have always drawn my interest. Would you be willing to share some of the things you saw on your journey, miss?"

Velvet blinked, now having had time to get herself under control again. The priest had taken a step back and seemed happy to let them talk, so she decided to just go with it. "Sure, and it's Velvet."

"Ah, of course. Pardon my poor manners." The other woman bowed her head and Velvet waved her off. "My name is Alisha."

"Very well, Alisha." Knowing that she saw precious little of Hyland so far, she had to ponder the matter for a long moment. What came to mind was... "Perhaps you're interested in my ascent of Rayfalke Spiritcrest?"

Alisha's eyes immediately widened and she leaned forward. "My, the Spiritcrest? Word is that a horrible dragon lives at the peak; yet you braved the mountain regardless?"

Horrible dragon indeed. Velvet could not help but smile. "I did, it was around this time last year, just during the first snowfalls. It took weeks to climb up the mountain because I didn't know there was an easier path if I followed the road further. The icy winds tore at me all the way and it was bitterly cold." She had to edit her tale carefully, but going by Alisha's enraptured expression, there was no trouble. "Some days I was thinking if it's actually worth it, but then I reached a plateau of sorts. Cliffs going off from the edges and distant mountaintops in sight; I could see all the way to Glayvend Basin and Ladylake from up there. I don't think I will ever forget those snow-dusted mountains in the evening sun's light."

"I, I can hardly imagine a sight so breathtaking," Alisha mumbled and Velvet could not help but smile.

"I spent days just walking around and taking it all in. The snow was cold, but it gave those jagged mountains a peaceful look." A pause. "Then I found a small shrine up there, intricate and marvelous in its design."

"A shrine? Up in the mountains?"

It was almost cute how Alisha followed her prompts so easily. Velvet nodded. "Yes, a shrine. I don't know who built it, but they were a true master. Even this here," where she motioned for the sword in the stone and its surrounding, intricately carved pedestal, "hardly compares." Then she leaned closer and whispered to the other woman in a conspiratorial tone: "I'm not even sure that shrine was made by human hands."

A gasp. "You mean... a seraph built it? Truly?"

"That's what I think, at least. It looked like it grew right out of the mountain, so either that or a true master carved it from the very stone on his first try." She also shamelessly stole the explanations Laphi gave her, knowing he could not call her out.

Alisha, meanwhile, had her hands clasped in front of herself and eyed Velvet curiously. Almost... desperately? "Then, perhaps, did you see the creator up there? Did you meet a seraph?"

The actual answer was yes, potentially, assuming Edna had made that shrine, but Velvet did not want the attention right now. So she shook her head and more or less ignored the question. "I did see that dragon, of that I'm sure."

She had kept her voice down as before, but some others caught it anyway. There was muttering while Alisha's eyes widened and her hand rose to cover her mouth; Velvet knew she just made herself the center of attention, as even the priests were regarding her with curiousity. She wondered if any of them actually believed what she just said, but she went on anyway to the now larger audience: "The only reason I'm still alive was that it didn't see me. Probably. I saw it high in the sky one day, just... flying. It was far too big for any bird and full of an eerie darkness, and when it roared, the entire mountain shook under me." She sighed, more at the memory of Edna's face when Eizen made his appearance. "After seeing that and surviving it, I made myself scarce."

Alisha's narrow-eyed gaze was directed at the ground, hand having wandered to her chin as she mulled it over. The attention of those around them faded in the long pause Velvet left to emphasize the end of her little tale, though some kept whispering with each other about dragons and the Spiritcrest. In these moments, she felt another lurch that she just knew had to do with Alisha but could not put to anything she ever felt. It was simply weird. For an idle moment, Velvet even entertained the thought that she might have an interest in women after all; then she remembered the fact she had been attracted to men before and never felt like this. This was not her heart fluttering, it was something else.

"This is truly remarkable," Alisha finally muttered, more to herself. She looked up and the smile returned then. "Thank you for sharing this with me, Velvet."

"Think nothing of it." She ended up smiling back, even though the image of Eizen still remained before her mind's eye. Perhaps it was his wings that made her think of it, but Velvet decided to ask on a whim. "Mind answering a question?"

"Oh, of course. What do you wish to know?"

They stood relaxed now, both of them. Velvet still sized up Alisha, who seemed almost eager to be of assistance. "Why do you think that birds fly?"

The other woman blinked in clear confusion for a moment as the question registered, then she lowered her gaze to mull it over. Velvet took the pause to glance around, finding Laphi talk with the seraph lady after having woken her somehow; neither of them paid her any mind.

"I think," Alisha finally answered with a faint smile, drawing Velvet's gaze back, "that you do not wish to hear what the books say. Personally, I believe that birds fly to behold all the beauty in this world. From their perch up high they can see so much more than we who remain on the ground, and so they spread their wings."

Velvet could not help but smile once more; it was certainly the most unusual answer she had heard so far, but nonetheless a beautiful one. "I see." She started to understand why Arthur was so fond of asking that question.

Alisha made to speak, but then a clattering at the door drew her eyes and she paused. "Oh." Turning, Velvet found another knight, this one in regular blue full-plate, standing there and looking their way. "Goodness me, I forgot the time again." Alisha bowed her head with an apologetic smile. "I am afraid I have to head out on parol now. Please enjoy your stay in Ladylake, and take care on your journey."

Velvet nodded in understanding and offered Alisha a smile. "I will. You stay safe, too."

"Certainly!" One graceful turn later, she hurried to the door, exchanged a few words with the other knight, and left with them. Velvet was once more on her own, joined again by a softly chuckling priest.

"Her highness is quite the character, is she not?"

"Her... highness?"

He seemed to delight in her confusion, almost laughing out loud. "Yes, indeed. Princess Alisha always offers prayer before she heads out for a mission. It shows you are not from anywhere near Ladylake more than anything else; everyone here knows her on sight."

Velvet stared at where the apparent princess vanished, uncertain what to make of this. "Huh. It sounds like the people like her."

"There is nary a being in this country more compassionate," he answered sagely, though his fond smile fell a moment later. "Unfortunately, I hear that she is far less popular with the higher nobility and the other royals."

"Who, let me guess, are not so well-liked by the people." Velvet almost huffed when he threw her a look that told her she should not say it out loud, even if she was right. "Alright, I get it. I guess I'll be on my way then, a pleasure to talk to you."

"Quite the same. Do stay safe, dear traveler."

She nodded at the older man and made to leave. While she turned, Velvet could see clearly that Laphi was listening to the seraph woman's animated chatter, so she left him behind for now.

. .

. .

When he separated from Velvet, Laphicet wondered just who this seraph might be; he had never seen her before, but her clothes appeared immaculate and important. Then again, she was also curled up into a ball right next to the pedestal which... now that he stood next to it, he saw held a sword full of artfully shaped inscriptions and signs. Paying no more mind to it, he crouched next to the sleeping seraph and watched her for a moment, curious yet also uncertain whether he should interrupt her slumber. She looked so peaceful.

In the end, curiousity won; he reached out to shake her shoulders gently. At first this only yielded a sleepy moan and a badly aimed hand batting at him to let go, but then her eyes slid open. "Hwuh? I, is..." She trailed off to cover a yawn with her hands, then peered up at Laphicet blearily. "Is it time to get up already?"

Her sleepy mutter drew a faint smile from the boy, who pulled back to leave her some space. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I can leave if you'd rather sleep some more?"

She blinked at him a few more times, but her posture slowly changed. "Oh." Her legs were released and she pulled herself into a sitting position, dark blue eyes drinking in his appearance. "Oh my!" She then seamlessly transitioned from sitting to standing, a silvery white ponytail longer than Velvet's hair at peak length fluttering from the sudden movement. "By all means, please stay!" She clapped her hands with a happy smile, beaming down at him even though Laphi was visibly thrown for a loop by the change. A pure white robe draped to her feet at the back like a ballgown, but left her front completely bare from the thighs down. A layer of bright red covered most of her arms and the area around her shoulders, with some golden accessories in the mix. All over, she was pretty.

"Okay." He blinked one more time before shaking off his confusion, then returned the smile. "I'm Laphicet. Who are you and why were you sleeping on the floor?"

The woman leaned forward a little to study him more closely. "I am Lailah, a pleasure. As for the floor, well." She chuckled a little sheepishly and motioned for the sword next to them. "I prefer to stay close to this blade. It is imperative that I keep it safe."

Laphicet just tilted his head at her. "Why is that?"

His question renewed Lailah's smile. "Why, it is because the one to draw this sword from the stone is worthy to become the next shepherd! So I need to make absolutely certain it remains where it is and stays in good condition. You could say I need to keep sharp eyes on it," she finished with joyful emphasis on the term. Laphicet needed a moment to realise what she just did, and sighed. Lailah giggled. "Hehe, it seems I haven't lost my edge yet!"

He had never liked puns much. Edna's, he did not mind because they were really clever and a lot more snarky. Instead of dwelling on what he just got himself into, or wondering how Edna was doing yet again, he rather kept the conversation going. "So there hasn't been a shepherd yet?"

Her cheer faded almost instantly and she shook her head. "No, not yet. But I am certain one will arrive soon." A glance went to the sword, then an encouraging smile to Laphicet. "It is just a matter of time. The line of shepherds has been unbroken since Saint Eleanor herself."

He had to blink at the moniker and its implications, but decided not to pursue that particular question. His eyes did stray to Velvet, though; she was busy talking to another woman around her age. The same woman Laphi had noticed earlier; he could feel it quite clearly, now that he looked at her. "Oh my, the princess is here again." Lailah apparently noticed them as well and stepped next to Laphicet, her lips curling up further. "She is a frequent visitor. A true shame she lacks the resonance to interact with us."

"I agree." He could feel the strength of this woman's feelings; they radiated outward, filling any seraph who may be out there with strength. It was still not much of course, being just a single person, but he still took note of it. "She looks like a good person."

"Oh, she is. Now, Laphicet, what brought you to Ladylake?"

They turned back to their own conversation at that point and he shrugged lightly. "Well, I'm just traveling to see a bit more of the world. Can you tell me about the city?"

He opened his eyes wide and stared up at her pleadingly, but need not have bothered. Lailah agreed at once, beaming. "Of course I can!" She almost cooed the words and quickly made to sit on a flight of stairs leading further up from the pedestal, patting the seat next to her. He sat without hesitation and began to listen.

Laphi learned a great many things about the construction and people of Ladylake in the following hours, but nothing immediately important. He only saw his sister again at the inn, but knew one matter that needed to be discussed immediately: "That woman you talked to back at the cathedral, do you remember her? Did you feel it?"

"Who, Alisha? And feel what... wait." Velvet's eyes narrowed at her brother, who appeared more serious than usual. "You felt it, too?" He nodded. "And you know what it was?"

She still remembered that weird sensation, as if something was pulling at her gut, squeezing it. Not strong enough to actually make it lurch, but enough to be uncomfortable. Laphi nodded again, offering but two words: "She's receptive."

Those were all it took for Velvet to understand. She leaned back on her bed with a frown and pondered that encounter. "But, how?" she found herself asking. "Why her? She didn't strike me as someone who'd have Malevolence that strong. There wasn't even any around her."

"Neither did I," her brother added. "Either it wasn't something that immediately draws Malevolence, or her will is strong enough to prevent it from forming at all. I think it's the latter, but I was distracted, so I couldn't get a good feeling for it."

They held each other's gazes and Velvet tilted her head slightly. "How can I tell which of the eight it is?"

"Describe it to me. How did it feel when she was close?" So she did, as best as she could describe that gut-clenching, cold sensation. Laphi's expression fell further and he let out a deep sigh once Velvet was finished. "Her will is strong. I'm certain that this is despair. She could turn any day if something pushes her over the edge."

Despair.

Velvet's thoughts drew back into the past. A despair so strong that it would ping their senses as pure enough would have to be cultivated over years. Despair like that of Artorius himself, who lost the people he loved the most one by one, a man beaten down by life. A saviour who, in the end, lost his faith in those he was meant to save. In retrospect, Velvet felt sorry for Alisha. She could not tell how her life was so harsh as to produce such feelings in her, but that really did not matter. If Velvet had a chance to do so, she would spend some more time with her; that was the least she could do.

"But that brings us to another question," Laphi continued when the silence became uncomfortable. "What do we do about therions? Alisha is receptive, so you could turn her into one tonight. But will you? Do we want therions at all?"

Velvet gave him a sharp look and shook her head. "I won't just turn random people and critters into therions, just because they have the qualities for it. If at all, there will be therions when there is a need for them." She was not challenged on her decision; either because Laphi agreed, or because he knew she would not budge.

They spent a few more days in Ladylake afterward; Laphi talked to the local seraphim and did some more recruitment for the Bloodwings, Velvet mainly fished for information as she explored the city. During that time, she came by some rumours that the mountain range two days out from the capital held a hidden village of seraphim somewhere far up, with ancient ruins running through most of the mountainside closest to Ladylake.

Laphi also went back to talk to Lailah some more, which brought him some teasing from Velvet that he shrugged off this time; the lady seraph appeared happy to have an attentive boy listening to her. She explained many curious things to him, so Velvet left the matter alone.

During one of her strolls however, she found a familiar shade of blonde in front of her; right below was a familiar shade of red, with the crest of Hyland on her back no less. And, of course, the strong ping of gut-clenching despair. She could not help but smile at her good fortune and sped up a little. "Alisha!"

Her call was heeded and the other woman turned around curiously, then brightened at seeing her. "Ah, Velvet! A pleasure to see you this fine day, how have you been?"

Velvet stopped in front of Alisha and returned her smile. "Just fine, good to see you, too. Do you have time?"

"Well, not at the moment, I was about to patrol the cliffside path. Perhaps later today?" Alisha fidgeted a little, though she mainly appeared sad about having to turn her down immediately.

Velvet just shrugged and patted the sword at her hip. "I can walk with you if you're on foot."

"Oh, I could not possibly ask this of you-" "It's fine."

Alisha stopped at being interrupted and Velvet threw her a grin. "It's fine. I can handle myself well enough, and I am curious enough to spend a few hours on this. Lead the way."

She received a long, confused look before Alisha nodded and turned to walk; Velvet fell into step by her side. With Laphi once again off to talk to Lailah, she had time. Alisha sighed softly. "I normally prefer not to draw civilians into the matters of knights, traveler or not." She hesitated and cast a sideway glance her way. "Although I believe I can make an exception today, as it is but a routine patrol."

Velvet made an agreeing sound, then peered at the shorter woman. "A little odd that they have a princess run around like that."

"Yes, well, my teacher taught me not to turn my nose up at menial tasks, or at those who fulfill them. I am a knight and so I will do my fair share of the less, let us say, interesting work." Alisha gave her a serious look then and Velvet began to understand where the peoples' respect came from. She left it at that and changed the subject.

"Your teacher?"

"Oh, yes! Ah, one moment." A minute or two passed as Alisha spoke to one of the guards at the main bridge, then they were outside and walking through the crisp winter air. The princess wore a softer smile now, eyes on Velvet. "I was tutored by Lady Maltran for many years. She hammered discipline and chivalry into me."

That made sense, considering the spear her companion carried. Velvet nodded, then motioned for the cliffside. "I met her the day I arrived, we talked for a bit." She got a curious look from Alisha at that. "From what I saw, she would get along well with my own teacher."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes. He was an incredible swordsman. Easily the best I have ever seen." She left it at that and Alisha, after seeing the wistful look on her face, left it alone. Velvet wondered when she started missing Arthur.

Silence descended on them like a blanket, both women marching along the snow-covered road. Alisha's thoughts remained hidden while Velvet took deep breaths of the crisp air, wondering how to keep the conversation going; it was difficult to do this without hinting at knowing more than she should.

"It is quite odd," Alisha finally piped up after a while. Her eyes had wandered from the road to the ice below. "Lake Perniya looks completely different this time of year." She kept walking a few steps before realising that her companion had stopped. "Velvet?"

The taller woman's gaze alternated between Alisha and the lake, eyes wide. "This is Lake Perniya?" She could not help but ask, knowing she had to make sure. It had not even occurred to her to check the maps.

"Well, yes. Is something the matter?" Alisha was obviously confused by Velvet's astonishment.

She considered to tell her for one insane moment. To just blurt it all out. But she did not. "No, it's just..." She did not finish the sentence. Alisha did not ask. At this point, Velvet wondered if this was actual consideration or the despair stopping her from pushing at least a little bit. At the same time however, her mind became occupied with the implications of this find and the thought fell away.

Even though she had a nice chat with Alisha after that, Velvet remained distracted. She immediately returned back to the inn after saying goodbye to the young knight, bringing out their maps and trying to angle them in a way which fit. When Laphi returned a little while later, she told him as well: "This here is Lake Perniya. Which means this area used to be Eastgand."

He caught her meaning immediately and leaned over her shoulder to study the maps. Together, they figured out how the various pieces of the archipelago had been fused together to form Glenwood. Despite Pendrago and Lohgrin, despite having been confronted with the remnants of the past before, they both felt oddly somber when everything was arrayed.

"Looking at this," Laphi mused, "Aball would be up to the north. And with this having been Eastgand and this over there Midgand, the Empyrean's Throne shouldn't be too far from here. Maybe just past the mountains."

Neither of them paid much thought to that, though; Aball was on Velvet's mind and on Laphi's as well. She held his gaze, finger running up north on the map. "We're leaving tomorrow." Where to, she did not need to say. Laphi nodded. The two Crowes prepared over night and split up once more in the morning. Laphi went to say goodbye to Lailah, Velvet headed out to do one last shopping run.

On the way back however, she ran into Alisha, who had been strolling in the opposite direction near the inn Velvet stayed at. The princess greeted her with a smile. "Oh, hello, Velvet. How are you this morning?"

They exchanged a few pleasantries and Velvet felt a little bad at what she had to do. Once they were standing a bit to the side to talk, she broke the news: "I'll be heading out in an hour or two. It's time for me to move on."

Had she not known what hid beneath Alisha's heart-shaped face, the way her smile dimmed would have just appeared as disappointment. At the same time however, Velvet's gut lurched as the despair within the other woman roiled. Nothing could be seen on the outside. "Oh. I, I see. I should have expected it, you do not seem like a woman who stays anywhere for long." Now she felt outright awful, but Velvet just could not go out of her way for others at the moment; at least not much.

What she could do was to put a hand on Alisha's shoulder and give it a squeeze. "No need to be sad," she told the princess with a gentle smile. "I'm not going to die anytime soon, so we will meet again sooner or later."

Astonished green met kind amber, then the feelings in her gut settled a little as Alisha brightened once more. "Yes, that is true." It would not chase away her despair, but at least calm it somewhat. Then however, Alisha's brow furrowed and she clasped Velvet's hand with her own. "If it is alright, may I escort you some way out? I have no active duty today, so I can do at least that much for you." If she noticed Velvet's surprise, she did not say anything as she waited for a response.

In the end, she could only smile. "Sure. I'd love to have you."