Tiki, along with those who remained of the army that fought Gangrel, Walhart, and Grima, had been at the large reunion in Ylisstol a month prior to her current visit. While everyone else traveled home, she went east to Mount Prism. Having spoken with Naga as she wished, Tiki now began her own way back to Valm—but not before returning to Ylisstol. The town was peaceful, with a pleasant sense of normalcy and some of the kindest souls the manakete had ever met. Children played in the streets, occasionally running around Tiki and laughing, while their parents worked in stores and offered her sample goods. Much of Ylisse's larger towns were similar, but thieves prevailed in the areas closest to the edge of the halidom where the exalt seemed to have less influence.

Most people recognized her in some way or another and greeted her with a bow; those who did not bow simply said 'Good morning, Lady Tiki.' She walked up to the palace, immediately welcomed by the guards at the gate, and even passed Lucina on her way inside. Lucina then replaced Tiki's guards, walking with her through the palace to the manakete's desired location. That destination was apparently the garden at the back of the castle, and Lucina left Tiki once the latter confirmed this was where she wanted to be. Playful banter between two young people could be heard, which is what assured Tiki that the princess had guided her well.

"It's way too cold out here."

"I just came back from Ferox, so trust me: this isn't cold."

"You also don't live in a desert most of the time! The only reason why I'm here is because my mother literally woke up one morning and said 'I need to see Robin now' and she doesn't trust me at home."

"So that's why you came. I thought your father needed something from Ylisstol so you and Tharja came here."

"Oh, no; Father stayed home. I could have stayed home! My mother's wanted snake eggs for months and she doesn't trust my father to collect them! I could be collecting them! I could be doing something productive instead of freezing half to death!"

"It's really not that cold."

Tiki came a bit closer, identifying the voices as Morgan and the girl Tiki only knew as the child of the dark mage Tharja. The girl continued to ramble on for a little while before Tiki came into full view of the children; Morgan had a book and it appeared as if Tharja's daughter had been simply pacing back and forth. The younger was watching the older until he noticed Tiki, after which he put down his book and stood so he could bow. Tharja's daughter hurriedly did the same after her confused expression faded.

"No one said you'd be coming back," Morgan said. "I would've come to the gate if I had known! Sorry about that, Lady Tiki."

"Your sister guided me," Tiki replied kindly. "May I speak with you? With or without your friend, wherever you please—it needn't be at this very moment."

"Let me clean up my stuff here," Morgan offered, already beginning to mark his page and close his book. He looked at his friend and nodded, seemingly to himself, "And let me get some blankets for Noire. Meet me in the, let's see…how about the tactics room? It's up the stairs, turn right, go down the hallway, and it's across from the library! If you have any trouble, I'll be there to help pretty soon—assuming no one else finds you before then, that is."

Tiki nodded, and left with his directions in mind. Morgan did not immediately follow, but she didn't mind; he need not follow her right this minute. She followed his directions, going up the stairs, turning right, walking down the hallway, and stopping at the door parallel to that of the library. She opened the door and found herself in a room with a large war table and a window with drawn curtains. Curious, Tiki came closer and pulled the curtains open, revealing a view of the front courtyard and the city beyond. This land truly was beautiful…

A few moments of retrospective musings ended when she heard Morgan enter the room. He was quiet, perhaps noticing that she was thinking fondly of old friends, but it still brought her out of her reverie. Tiki turned towards the table and sat down, deciding not to forestall the conversation for too long. "May I begin by saying that your desire to establish extraordinary connections is inspiring. Your mother ensured that each adult had left with knowledge of what you hoped to achieve. As I had originally planned to visit Mount Prism, I had decided to also seek Naga's opinion in the matter."

"…What did she say?" Morgan asked, not quite brave but not quite scared. "I'm going to continue on either way, but I'm still curious as to what dragons think about it."

"She and I came to a conclusion," Tiki replied simply, pausing slightly before continuing, "that conclusion being that we will aid you where we can. I have made my home across the sea, but I will send a messenger should I find something that will aid you. In addition, Naga had given me knowledge that I will pass on to you: an anchor may aid the safe travels of people or items, an object or a specific point in time that can guide you towards who you wish to see. Think on any such items or times now—your search has not yet fully begun, and now is the time for preparation and consideration."

Morgan nodded and thought for a few moments. "It's reassuring that you have my back," Morgan admitted. "And I can think of a few things that might count as anchors—at the very least, I know where to start."

"That's very good," Tiki said. "Naga had one thing left to share—she wants you to understand that it will not come quickly. It may take months or years, and it may prove to be impossible; even so, I do not think that you will falter. Your family is very tenacious, to an almost stubborn point, and I have no doubt of your success in some form."

"Yeah; wouldn't be fitting of us to fall down at the first obstacle!" Morgan agreed cheerfully. "And don't worry—I don't plan on giving up. I'll be satisfied with a letter, but I'm determined to let Malin see Mother again as just…Morgan."

Tiki smiled, because he sounded so much like those who came before him. Determined, kind, and honest…he would be a perfect example of a prince and future tactician. He was already so close, but this new goal will taunt him. She'll have to make sure that his determination didn't sway in the way that Robin's had only a few years prior. It was a noble goal, yet it was easy to get distracted or urged away from what you were truly searching for. If Tiki had any regrets about the people she knew now, it would be that she didn't offer this same support to the tactician when she noticed her motivation changing from one goal to a hopeless endeavor.