After Sagani can't see Cera's parents anymore, making the Elf woman incredibly happy for the fact, she sighs and says "And I suppose now everyone wants to know what exactly that was all about and why they came all the way from Aedyr looking for me."

Eder says "To be completely honest, yes. That's exactly what I'm wondering about. Right along with how many arrows you'd have put in that elf noble if he took one step closer to you." The farmhand grins, and Cera sighs and rubs her forehead.

"Let's…let's get some food and I'll tell you all over dinner."

Pallegina says "Fair enough. They remind me of my own parents - what little I remember of them. The attitudes, you see. My father, anyway."

"Mm. I feel your pain, Pallegina."

Twenty minutes later, they're all sitting at the table in Brighthollow and waiting expectantly.

Cera, on the other hand, is staring at the wall like it holds the secrets to fixing all her problems.

Finally, Kana clears his throat and says "Cera, you did say you'd, well…"

"Explain? Yes, I did say that." She takes a deep breath and says "I may not have told you guys everything there is to know about me. For starters, you all know I'm from Aedyr - what you don't know is that I'm from the Iden family, an incredibly old and politically connected family that must be almost as powerful as royalty. And, to make matters worse, I'm an only child - their heir." The way she says it makes it sound like the worst insult in the world. "I was provided with a very expensive education, the best food and clothes, all of it. I was the perfect little princess, if a little too curious for their tastes, right up until my Cipher abilities started showing - gave everyone quite the shock when I asked if father really thought I was useless and a disgrace to the family name, as he hadn't said it but I heard it clear as day."

Edér chuckled and asks "When did this happen?"

"In human years, I was about five or so. I'd been around for about fifteen years though. After that, well, things only kept happening from there. I'd hear people's thoughts in my head when I was focusing on them - such as when paying attention while they were talking - and projecting my emotions unintentionally when they got the best of me happened more often than not. Soon enough, I was seeing visions of an object's past when I was holding it and influencing people by accident when I wanted something badly enough. Accidental at first, though I quickly figured out how to do it on purpose for when I needed to use the skill. I practiced my powers so I'd stop using them by accident, but it just seemed to make them all the stronger as the years went by. Soon enough, the servants were thinking I was a freak or was going to make them do something if they got me angry - and my parents were never satisfied with me. No matter what I did or tried, it was never enough for them to simply care about me or show any affection. I was my father's pawn, his underage advisor giving him advice in the form of his opponents thoughts, feelings, and memories. Mother wouldn't even do my hair in the morning, always having the servants twist and pull it into some ridiculous style that hurt my head. It all came to a head when I came of age to marry and bear children. They called in every suitor they considered 'appropriate' - one after another, when each was either scared off or I rejected them. Once I could call bad luck, much like Kana and being ambushed by the Leaden Key, but fifteen times in a row?"

Even Sagani's look is one of pure shock and horror - fifteen guys like that last one?! Aloth asks "What we're they like?"

"Much like this latest one. Vain, self-centered, and didn't care to get to know me in the slightest. Some put on better acts than others, and I really did give them a chance, but it never failed that I'd have been miserable with them sooner or later. So, I left. Packed a bag one night, took some food and my inheritance, which wasn't much compared to the family fortune, and I left. Didn't even take one of the horses either, as that would've been noticed, and left. They'd likely have never come for me if most if not all of Aedyr hadn't known they had a daughter. And word of my disappearance must have spread fast enough, a day or two likely - at most, when the next of the suitors showed and I was simply gone." She lets out a snort of laughter and says "Good thing I chopped most of my hair off with a knife and bought some practical traveling clothes, then I sold my fancy ones and more than made up the money."

Now Aloth has to laugh a little - Iselmyr is nearly dying of laughter at this point - and says "That explains a few things - like the choppy ends in the back."

"Well, I was using a dull knife and a warped mirror. So I didn't do too badly, all things considering. Honestly, leaving was the best decision I'd made up to that point - aside from practicing my Cipher abilities."

Eder starts laughing so hard he nearly has some of his drink come out of his nose, Sagani is nodding in approval at her self-reliance, and Pallegina says "I know how you feel. My best memory of the little fishing village I was born in was leaving. I don't remember much, but I remember that clearly."

"So what else is there to tell? I took the most well-kept crossbow from the armory to defend myself with, having used it plenty before in sport - little did they know I wasn't practicing to join hunts and such, but to be able to use it well - so it's not like I was taking something I couldn't use. Besides, it was one of the older crossbows anyway, not worth as much as some of the fancier, decorative ones, but tried and true in a battle. None of the carvings in the wooden body or fancy attachments - a lot harder to recognize that way anyway."

Kana asks "Even with all of Aedyr knowing of you…why come after you if they didn't really seem to care for you all that much?"

Cera shrugs, and says "I'm not entirely sure myself, to be honest. They'd deny I ever existed if they could, and I'd deny sharing a drop of blood with them. Couldn't have been for the freaking crossbow. Maybe they found a suitor of a particularly high station, maybe my father has something over one of the few houses higher in the complicated hierarchy and is looking to make two houses one. At any rate, he can just head back to Aedyr and take his plans with him. Because I'm not going to be his pawn anymore."

Sagani asks "Where did you go after leaving?"

"I wandered for a while, trying to make my trail so difficult to follow that nobody would find me - looks like I didn't do a good enough job though. When I finally got out of Aedyr, I wandered in the Vailian Republics for a bit, visited Rauatai for a time, then went all the way up to Ixamitl, then looped my way around through there and back towards Gilded Vale. I was sort of hoping that all the traveling would throw even the most determined follower off my track - and that being somewhere small like Gilded Vale would deter anybody from the sheer irony. An Aedyran woman of high birth working on a farm among villagers who are about as hostile as it gets towards foreigners - Aedyrans particularly - instead of going somewhere more like the upbringing she's used to? Logical enough, but it seems the gods had other plans for me. The Caravan I joined got attacked, Calisca, Heoden, and I had to make our way through a creepy ruin, and I got Awakened and made a Watcher the next morning."

She shrugs and pushes the food on her plate around, and Kana says "Quite the story to tell, my friend! A young noblewoman goes off to find her own path - and finds adventure and danger in spades! This adventure of yours shall be an epic in later years!"

Cera's smile doesn't quite reach her eyes, but she says "Yes, I'll make sure to write down all the details afterward."

Eder asks "How exactly did you get Awakened and made a Watcher anyway? I don't think I've heard that part of the story yet."

"To be honest, I'm not sure what was even happening. When Calisca, Heoden, and I got out of the ruins, there was a group of people performing some kind of ritual. Four living people, and one body that looked like it was made of stone or ash. One of them was different from the rest, ceremonial robes and a mask with wings - Thaos. He spoke of a book of burden, a Queen-That-Was - Woedica - and a key. Must've meant the Leaden Key. He activated a machine, one that looks similar to how the one in Heritage Hill did before I blew it up, and then it activated and he left. Whatever happened, it made a second Biawac. I blacked out, and Calisca and Heodan died. Caldera said I have a strong soul, that the storm couldn't pick it up from my body - and when I woke from the most realistic dream I'd ever had, I was hearing whispers and seeing visions of people on torture racks and tied to posts. I buried Calisca and Heoden, and made for Gilded Vale to get some help. And then everyone knows the rest. Finding and saving Tenfrith, meeting Nonton, and then getting into Gilded Vale and discovering the town that I'd been led to believe Gilded Vale was is nothing more than a lie or a memory."

Eder says "And now your folks come visiting all the way from Aedyr to find you. Wonderful, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Wonderful. I'm going to have a look around, see if they took anything or left any surprises."

Sagani asks "They'd do that?"

"I've never known my parents to do something so petty - but my not-betrothed is another thing entirely. Never met that one, so I have no way of knowing how slippery his fingers are or aren't."

She gets up and leaves before anyone can say another word, and Aloth says "I'll go help."

In truth, he's fairly certain her reason was a total excuse, and that she made it up to get some time alone. And he recognizes the family name, one of the most powerful in Aedyr - and she's the heir?!

When he finds her, she's standing on top of one of the walls - staring out in the distance at the road her parents took. This time when he clears his throat, she doesn't even twitch - he can, however, practically feel the waves of sadness and despair rolling off her in waves. She isn't crying though, she's standing stock-still and having no response to him. "Cera, what's wrong?"

She quietly says "Nothing's wrong. Everything's exactly as its been for my entire life - other than having a timer for my sanity to run out that is."

He can tell that means everything's wrong just from the way her voice is so quiet - quiet almost to the point of cracking with tears. He puts a hand on her shoulder, and she finally turns to look at him - she hasn't been crying, but even in the moonlight he can see the pain in her eyes and expression. This time he's the one offering the hug, wrapping his arms around her without thinking about whether or not he should - it's pretty much the only thing he can think of that he can do as her friend.

And, after a moment, her shoulders start shaking and his leather armor starts going damp. She cries until she runs out of tears, which takes a good twenty minutes, but Aloth patiently waits until she runs dry before ceasing his murmuring - nonsense, but she wasn't going to hear him no matter what he said - and loosens his arms so she can take a step back. She remains at his chest though, until he puts his arms back around her. After another minute or so, she sniffles and wipes at her face with the back of her hand while saying "You must think I'm a crybaby or something, crying over my reasons." Aloth wordlessly shakes his head in a 'no' - she relaxes after a moment, and says "Well…thank you, Aloth. For…for caring. For a lot of things."

"Did they ever…hurt you?"

He's seriously considering tracking them down and casting some of the hexes and curses he learned at the Arcane Knights academy he trained in if they ever laid a hand on Cera, but she says "No, not physically. But it almost would've been easier to deal with, in some ways."

"They didn't take anything, did they?"

"No, they didn't. I didn't think they would anyway. My father's very good at figuring out if he's working with dishonest people, don't ask me how anymore. Used to be me."

She shrugs, and Aloth says "Let's go back inside. The Dyrwood isn't nearly as warm as Aedyr, and the sun has long since set." She nods, and they head back down to Brighthollow.

Everyone else has turned in by now, and Cera whispers "Thank you again, Aloth. For…for everything."

"My pleasure, Cera."

Iselmyr rattles against his skull, saying Yer pleasure indeed, lad. Will ye ever stop ninnying an' jus' tell the lass already?

Shut up, Iselmyr. She likely doesn't feel the same.

Keep tellin' yerself that, lad. Doubtful tha' its true tho'.

AN: Alright, we finally have Cera's full backstory! Completely made up her family and all that - but hey, I thought it was pretty good. And seeing as the backstory seems to have absolutely no consequences in the game, I made something up for that little detail. Love the game, don't get me wrong, but some of the things don't make complete sense - like why the caravan would let a criminal on board. *Raider option* Anyway, enjoy! More updates coming soon! Passed all my classes with a B or better! Yay! Which means I've got more time to write new chapters for my stories! Only the best for them though, so please don't freak out on me for taking a few days between summer chores and stuff - like mowing the lawn. PS. just got a new puppy, he's so freaking CUTE!