Kaetar could already feel the dread of the meeting he had to attend the next day. It was going to be hard to face the people that he fainted in front of, even if he wasn't going to talk to them. Besides, he had a feeling it was going to be a rather dry meeting, considering that the one thing he was intrigued by was not considered to be much of a problem to anyone else. It was a Crimean issue, not an issue that affect their borders so why would they care anyway? It did concern Kaetar that no one seemed to want help. He didn't expect the rulers to send their best troops to deal with the situation, but surely they could have offered more advice to the young king instead of letting him trust the words of his advisers alone. Kaetar felt like he should have done something or said something but his experience in such a matter was nonexistent.

But someone who could not attend a meeting on their own clearly needed more guidance. Wasn't that the reason why they decided to gather in a location every so often? To catch up on the affairs of other countries and offer advice? Why was Ramon sent home without much advice, unless they offered advice the previous time?

Kaetar entered his bedroom with a cup of warm tea in his hands. He wasn't one for tea usually but he thought tea and reading went hand-in-hand sometimes, so he prepared a cup made when he wanted to review his notes about the visions he had. Kaetar noted that nothing was in his perspective but rather that of someone by the name of Soren and that name did not ring a bell to him. Ike's name did ring a bell, and where he heard it from was on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't immediately recall where he saw the name. There was a blue cat laguz that Soren didn't seem fond of but the fact that there was a laguz did give him some hope. A laguz could still be alive and if he couldn't meet Soren, than this cat was his next best option. He had to meet him.

When Kaetar was done with his notes and his tea, Loiya dragged to him another training room with two lances in hand. Last time, his weapon training failed but Kaetar was more hopeful about the next session. Perhaps with a real lance, Loiya would be better able to show him the proper techniques since Loiya was more familiar with a lance. He wasn't going to learn anything without a real weapon, now would he? Loiya shoved a lance into his hands.

"These are bronze lances but the tips are dull so they won't puncture anything. They make perfect practice lances," he explained. Kaetar gingery touched the tip to make sure that his bodyguard was telling the truth and found himself relieved that it was dull. The worst it could do was give somebody a bad bruise. He supposed it could puncture flesh if someone tried hard enough but Loiya would not go unpunished if royal blood was spilled, so he trusted Loiya to be careful. However, he found it a little difficult to keep the lance up, though he was not exactly known for his strength. Or for anything, really, except for maybe his eye colour. Loiya raised an eyebrow.

"Can you hold it up?"

"Not really," Kaetar mumbled in response. He could, but he wouldn't be able to hold for a long period of time, like a training session.

"You know that the lightest one, right? If you can't handle that one, then I'm kinda worried for you. Maybe you should be a mage. It suits you better."

"No! I'll get stronger in time, so just show me how to use this one!" Kaetar said eagerly. He jabbed it forward, which Loiya was quick to sidestep. Even if it couldn't cut one's skin, it would still hurt to be hit by it and it would still cause some discomfort, so of course Loiya would dodge it. Besides, it was not like Kaetar really expected to hit him. If he couldn't dodge Kaetar, then Kaetar wouldn't have much hope for his safety when he was around Loiya.

"Nah, let's just put this one away and then we'll work on your strength. If a weapon is too heavy, it slows you down and ruins your aim. Let's start with pushups instead," Loiya said, taking the lance out of Kaetar's grip.

"Is that necessary?"

"You want to use a weapon, right? It starts with being able lift it up and keep it up. If it makes you feel better I'll do them with you," he offered, placing the lances on the ground. Kaetar frowned as he got on the ground, Loiya beside him. As a prince, he never thought he would do something like that.

After dinner, Kaetar managed to drag more books from the library. He was surprised he was able to lift anything at all because his arms were sore and quivering. He never physically worked that hard in his life for anything. However, he was keen on trying to find the history of Ike, the name that Kaetar heard Kurthnaga use, so he worked through the quivering and the soreness to bring the books to his room. He had no idea where to start, but he figured that the Mad King's War was as good as a place to begin as any – wars tended to bring about many names. War made heroes and villains, but who the heroes were and who the villains were only depended on one's perspective. Kaetar took a deep breath as the let the books fall onto his desk, trying to prepare himself to separate fact from the absurd.

He knew the name rung a bell, but at the same time, Kaetar really only knew of Daeins. People from other countries didn't seem to really stick in Daein history so he really just knew Daein people in detail because it was mostly all that there was. The first names he came across were that of the four riders that served under Ashnard's father – they were the most famous of the riders, though he also knew of Ashnard's riders. He had to know Ashnard because it was important to the Daein people that they didn't have a monarch that would be another Ashnard. Daein was trying to move on and Kaetar didn't want to be the one that represented Daein poorly and be remembered for it.

However, after hours of shifting through books – he knew it be hours because Loiya came in and began going through his night rituals – he didn't really find anything on Ike and what he did find said nothing good about him. For someone who was accused of causing Daein's occupation by Begnion, he was surprised that he didn't hear more about him sooner. If he saved Crimea from Daein's occupation of their country, then it made a little bit of sense for Crimea to love him. However, he didn't find anything substantial, nothing about his character and only simple summaries about his actions. He spent hours and he had nothing to show for it. He was starving for knowledge and he had a small snack that did nothing to satisfy his hunger.

He slammed the book he had out shut, startling Loiya as he polished his armour.

"What's the matter?" he asked, turning around to look at Kaetar.

"I just... can't find anything!" he answered, looking at the title of the books he had on his desk, then scanned the titles of the books he had on his shelf and sighed to himself. He read those too so he doubted searching through those would bring more information to the surface.

Loiya frowned. "Are you sure you got everything out of the library?"

Kaetar wasn't so sure if it was everything. The library was big and he was sure his father was hiding books that meant something to him since Kaetar had a bad habit of keeping books in his room. He grabbed everything he could find. He pouted.

"That library is huge!" Loiya exclaimed, his frown still present. However, it disappeared when Loiya's eyes flickered to Kaetar's neck. He seemed to notice something. Kaetar then realized, with brief horror, that Loiya spotted the necklace. He tried so hard to keep the chain hidden from sight but he supposed he would slip up at some point. Loiya stood up, gently grabbed the chain and pulled the teardrop ornament from under his shirt. He turned it around in his hands briefly.

"That's a gift," he said. There was no point in lying about it. He already saw it.

"From who?"

Kaetar merely shrugged. He knew nothing about the person who gave it them, just a little bit of their physical appearance. The limp arm and red eyes would narrow people down but he didn't know the person. There was a very good chance they weren't even in Daein anymore. He did have a cloak so he was probably just passing through.

"You don't know? Why would you accept something like this from a stranger?" Loiya switched from anger to confusion and back again, seemingly unable to choose an emotion to stick to.

"I was only six! Kids like getting things, at least I did. Besides, I fail to see how it could be so dangerous. It's just a necklace and I wore it everyday for the last ten years!"

"Well, I guess..." Loiya mumbled. "But anyway... why all the research?"

Oh right. That. Kaetar was at first unsure how to answer but he didn't really want to continue to think about it on his own for much longer. Besides, maybe Loiya could help, but he had to say what was on his mind at first. "You know when I had to leave the meeting earlier and father told me to get some rest?" he started.

Loiya nodded.

"I actually fainted... well, sort of. I remember falling and waking up, but in the middle, I saw things I never experienced before. It's not even me. I can't move or anything but things still happen. I'm looking at visions from someone else's perspective and I don't know where it comes from! It's happened once while I was asleep and twice I was awake. Father wanted to know why and I can't tell him that! I don't even know why I'm telling you because I just... don't know what's going on! I thought that looking through these books would help me understand something about who I might being seeing in these visions but there's nothing!" he panted.

Loiya looked bewildered, then he sighed. "What about the laguz kings?"

"Have you seen them? They could break in me in half if I said something wrong! I'm a twig compared to them! I would... rather not," Kaetar admitted. They were intimidating. They seemed nice but Kaetar had a hard time seeing himself sitting down with them over tea and discussing history with him. The only person was not outright intimidating was Kurthnaga, but he such an air of wisdom that he was still difficult to approach. Kaetar knew he had to get along with them and have meaningful discussions with them at some point but that could wait.

However, he could visit other libraries. Begnion and Crimea had to have some public libraries he could visit. Those would surely see Ike in a more positive light, something more akin to what he really was. Though going to other countries had its own dangers, dangers that didn't necessarily seem safer than visiting the laguz kings, he still felt safer going to them. It might have been childish but he really didn't want to be with the kings at the moment. Perhaps that was also part of the dread that failed to dissipate.

At the same time though, he did remember how much fun he had exploring when he was younger. His father put an end to those days because not only did he have to start studying and learning how to be a prince, but his father also felt that if Kaetar was going to just escape every time he went outside, then it wasn't safe for him to be past the castle gates. Kaetar did compensate by exploring the castle, finding the quietest places to read and hide from the servants. He found some secret passages that he was sure his father didn't know about. He was allowed to go into the gardens and explored there too. The only reason why he didn't continue was because he had no more places to explore. If he could leave the castle though, then it was a completely different story.

It was so much easier to just talk the kings, that he knew, but Kaetar felt a little rebellious. He didn't have the best relationship with his father, so he could take a break from him and do his own research. He could explore again. The danger was enticing and somehow inviting.

"We could leave. We could go to Crimea or Begnion," Loiya suggested. "If the Daein books won't help, and you won't visit the kings, then maybe you need to look outside of Daein. You would be interested in the last two wars right?"

"You're really suggesting that I leave Daein? I thought you would the voice of reason here," he asked as he began to clear his desk of the books. He didn't feel bad for relocating the books because anyone who would be looking for it would know to come to the prince's room if they couldn't find it in the library, assuming that whoever asked for it could read. He doubted that most of the people who worked in the castle really could. Most of them were servants who came from desperately poor families and they didn't have the time or the gold to read. He had a feeling that Loiya was part of that group, both coming from a poor family and have little time to learn how to read. With the extensive training Loiya had, he probably had no time.

"You're probably already thinking of it. I don't think this is something you would drop. If you're desperate enough of the answers, you'll probably leave on your own anyway," Loiya said with a shrug. "Apparently, according to my father, we're related to one of the riders that served under Ashnard's father. I think we're probably related to a soldier who served under him but a rider? Seems ridiculous. Sorry, I was just reminded of it for some reason."

The next meeting was tomorrow. He could ask someone if they knew Ike or the blue cat laguz, and Kurthnaga probably knew, but where was the fun in that? He could go anywhere. Kaetar was suddenly excited and he could feel it in the pit of his stomach.

"Can I leave you to make arrangements for it then?"

Loiya smirked. "Yeah, I can go and talk to people. We should probably leave tonight though," Loiya said, leaving Kaetar's side. Kaetar pulled some paper out and an ink bottle and began to write a note for his parents. He couldn't just leave without saying anything. He had no idea where Loiya went so he decided to take his time to write his letter, making several different versions on different pieces of paper and discarding any that he didn't like. With a letter done, Kaetar decided to take a short nap. He wasn't sure when he could sleep again so he took the time to sleep a bit.

He had no idea what time it was when Loiya suddenly barged into the room. Kaetar woke up immediately, startled by his bodyguard's sudden appearance. Loiya had what appeared to be two heavy bags with him. He tossed one to Kaetar, who was able to put his journal and extra ink bottles inside, placing them gently on the top. The ink bottles were pretty tough but it would be tragic if they broke. "I got all of the necessities in these bags," Loiya noticed.

"This is good but how are we going to get out without the guards noticing?" Surely, the guards would see and question the two of them carrying giant bags around, especially since it was dark out. In fact, Kaetar was surprised that Loiya managed to get the two bags to their room from who knows where.

Loiya smirked and gestured towards the windows. Kaetar strapped on his backpack and then approached the window, pulling back his curtain. Outside his window where two wyverns and their riders. "They agreed to take us to Delbray and we have to go from there on our own," Loiya stated.

"Your highness, if you're going to leave, now would be a great time. It won't be long until we're noticed," one of them stated. The voice sounded masculine. One of the wyverns was right beside the window and also on the same level as the window, so Kaetar nodded and gingerly stood on the windowsill. Thankfully, the window was large so he could stand his full height while on the windowsill. It provided a sense of balance, though that quickly disappeared when he had to step onto the wyvern's back. The rider grabbed one of his hands to help him until he managed to swing one leg to the other side of the wyvern's body and he could sit. Loiya got on next, though he was much quicker and more graceful with the motion.

The wyvern moved forward, then suddenly shot up in the air. The castle was quickly disappearing behind him and Kaetar felt a little grim about the whole thing. While it was not too late to turn back, something about watching the castle disappear behind him in the cold of the night made it all feel rather final for him. He was nervous, as he never really spent a night outside the castle on his own. He never slept in a tent, his food was always served to him, and he basically had everything he ever wanted.

It was going to be so different but perhaps it would a humbling experience.

"It shouldn't take more than a few hours to get to Delbray. That's the great thing about air travel," Loiya's rider said with a smirk, which was all Kaetar could really see. His rider sounded like a woman but Kaetar couldn't see much of a figure in the dark and with the armour on. Women weren't out of place in the Daein army.

"What brought this up though? Why do you suddenly want to leave? We're risking a lot by smuggling you out of Daein," the other rider said. Kaetar bit his lips.

"I just wanted to get out and learn things I can't learn in Daein," he said finally.

"I knew you two wouldn't say anything, so that's why I asked you," Loiya said.

"You can trust us! We'll back in no time, with no one none the wiser!" the female rider said, her smirk once again present on her face.

Delbray was nicer than Kaetar imagined. The grass was soft and Kaetar took a moment to lie down and enjoy it as the wyverns headed back to Daein. Kaetar didn't want to get up. He was already beginning to feel tired but Loiya bent down and lifted him up to his feet. "C'mon, we can't relax yet. As soon as your father realizes you're gone, he'll definitely send people to find you. We need to put as much distance between us and Daein as possible right now. We'll rest in the morning."

Kaetar frowned. "What if you get another headache? Wouldn't the light bother you?" Kaetar asked.

"The headaches don't happen that often, so don't worry about it. Besides, if I do get one, there's nothing anyone can really do it. I just need to deal with it until it's gone," Loiya mumbled, picking up the bag that Kaetar left on the ground.

"Maybe we can find a healer and they can give you suggestions. If you don't get it resolved..." Kaetar left it hanging. Both of them knew what could happen if his father decided that Loiya was no longer a useful bodyguard. Loiya nodded but he quickly began to make his way down a path. It was obvious that Loiya wanted to make quick progress, more so than Kaetar who was the entire reason why they were in Crimea. Besides, Kaetar's father didn't really seem to do anything with the army at night.

Kaetar followed him nonetheless. He had to trust him.

Chapter revised May 1t, 2016 without my unofficial beta. It may be edited again in the future.