Disclaimer: I do not own 'Shadows of Amn', the 'Forgotten Realms' or any characters therein. Wizards of the Coast do, at my last check. Lucky them.
I do, however, own Fritha and certain other characters and plot points. Basically, if you don't recognise it from the game, it's probably mine.

– Blackcross & Taylor

Noblesse oblige

Nalia drew in great lungfuls of clean air, more than glad to be out of the sewers as she glanced about her, the light mist that still lingered over the sleeping houses not quite hiding the neatly shuttered windows and solid front doors of the rich merchants and lesser nobles that lived within.

She was more familiar with the poorer districts of the city and it took her a moment to place them in the south-eastern quarter of Athkatla, the temple spires still just visible over the nearby rooftops. It was an area she had been in only a few times before, though not at that hour of the morning, practising her arts on the couples returning from parties and theatres about the city; the night's earnings always gratefully received by the slum's temple of Illmater.

'Well, friends,' began Keldorn, and she pulled her attention back to the group about her, all tired and filthy, the paladin stood slightly apart from the others. 'It seems our paths together are at an end, though I look forward to the time that they might cross again. I will inform the Order of our work here, though I will leave you the honour of reporting back to the temple.' He bowed slightly, 'Torm be with thee.'

Fritha smiled tiredly, still looking remarkably respectable for someone half-covered in sewage, the girl stepping forward to firmly shake his hand.
'Farewell Keldorn. Gods keep you.'

The old man smiled.
'Aye, they always have for some reason. Fare thee well.'

He nodded respectfully to the group before turning to march off, Nalia listening as the faint clatter of his plate mail faded in the empty street.

It had been nice speaking to Keldorn, to hear about a side of her father she had never had the chance to meet; all young and brash and more than a little green, with such a passion for life and justice. Nalia smiled faintly and wondered if she would not have known more of that man if her mother had been with them, someone who had known her father from his past keeping that spark of youth within him.

But it was very much a waste of time wondering about such now, for not only was her mother not alive, but now her father wasn't either, and her memories of the caring but distant man would have to sustain her.

But it had been kind of Keldorn all the same, and a kindness that had clearly not gone unnoticed, she considered, as her gaze fell on the two girls next to her. Fritha was still smiling, a warmth to her dark eyes as she watched Keldorn disappear into the mists.
'He must have the luckiest wife in all the Realms.'

Aerie merely sighed wistfully and nodded her agreement and Nalia allowed herself a smile at Anomen's unseen frown.

'Right,' continued Fritha, all duty once more, 'back to the-?'

'Nalia?' came a voice behind her and Nalia turned with the others to take in two young noblewomen, both cloaked against the morning's chill; the dress of their hair and the slightly unfocused look to their eyes suggesting they were returning late rather than setting out early, their guard stood silent and watchful a pace behind them.

'Nalia, that's never you!' said the blonde one again, moving forward slightly to emerge from the mists with her brown-haired companion and Nalia felt her breath catch as she recognised the pair; the two di Marcial sisters, former pupils of St Hilaria's, the Tyran convent school she herself had attended until the age of seventeen.

'Corallie? Hester?'

Corallie's rather equine features pulled into a bright smile, blonde ringlets bobbing as she stepped forward to greet her.
'Nalia! What are you doing here? You-'

She stopped suddenly, stepping back and bringing a hand up to her delicately crinkled nose, though she said nothing. Nalia felt a blush surge and steeled herself.

'What am I doing here, what are you doing here? I thought you both still lived at your family's estate just south of Crimmor.'

'We're in town for the Steel's wedding this coming tenth-day,' supplied Hester, the pretty face never breaking from its austere mask, 'we've just left Florence du Vortigan's coming out party. You know Celia du Vortigan, Ewart Bergin's fiancée? Well now she's taken, her younger sister Florence can be presented.'

'Presented?' came Aerie, looking painfully confused.

'Yes, dear, to society,' Corallie laughed, though not unkindly, 'don't you elves have that? Oh Nalia, what company you are keeping now! No wonder your aunt-'

'Corallie!' snapped Hester suddenly, and the girl looked instantly horrified, bringing a hand up to her rather overshot mouth as though she could not believe what she had said. Nalia felt a cold weight settle in her navel.

'No wonder Auntie what?' she asked slowly, eyes moving from one to the other. Hester glanced to her sister with a frown, thin lips pressed together as she turned back to her.

'Nalia, dear, you simply cannot blame your aunt. You do not know the scandal your leaving has caused, I mean, there really was no alternative for her…'

'Yes?' prompted Nalia, her impatience growing. Hester drew a deep breath, clearly steeling herself.

'Well, even though your were never one for society, a lot of people were asking after you when they heard about Lord de'Arnise and- and she let it be known that the shock of losing your father sent you delirious with grief. That is why you left home.'

'She has been telling people I'm mad?' Nalia cried, the truth of it so much worse than she could have ever imagined.

'Yes, though I never really believed it,' continued Corallie, blithely innocent to her outrage, 'I mean you always were a bit rebellious, even at school. Such a card, with all your slumming and charity work, we never knew what you would do next!'

Hester nodded to add airily.
'Yes, and besides, I heard from our cook, Margaret, who is mother to your maid, Charlotte, that you spoke to her the day you left and she said you didn't seem particularly addled to her.'

Nalia felt her shoulders slump, all her anger suddenly gone. Well, at least the servants still spoke well of her.

'Oh, can we get on now?' whined Corallie to her sister, pulling her cloak about her more tightly, 'I shall catch a chill if I stand here any longer.'

'Yes, yes,' the older girl dismissed, turning back to Nalia politely. 'We're staying with the Hewith's while in town, on Cloth Street. Do drop in if you're passing.'

Nalia bobbed a curtsey as the girls did the same, the guard nodding respectfully to her as the three continued past them, the girls' less than sober whispers hissing all too audibly in their wake.

'I knew she liked slumming, but really, that's taking it too far.'

'I know, in fact, I heard that she even refused her betrothal to Isea Roenall!'

'No! Perhaps she is mad; he's such a catch!'

Nalia turned to the group still stood behind her, silence hanging oppressive in the air between them as though none knew quite how to break it when,

'Stupid little girls,' said Anomen with real venom, and though she and the squire did not usually see eye-to-eye, she appreciated his characteristic bluntness at that moment.

Jaheira nodded.
'If those are the good opinions your aunt is worried of losing, perhaps you are better off being thought of as addled.'

'Yes, try not to worry,' agreed Fritha, giving her a reassuring smile, 'lots of people think I'm mad.'

'Indeed,' commented Jaheira dryly, 'but then they would be correct.'

Fritha pulled a face as Aerie and Minsc laughed. Nalia smiled, trying to be cheered by their friendship as the group started back to the slums, but the sorrow the meeting had awoken in her would not be lifted.

The reality of what she had given up when she quit the keep was beginning to sink in and if she was honest with herself, she missed the place as much as she missed her father. Such small things; watching the light play on the water in the solar, enjoying the evening breeze on the battlements, the bustle of the kitchens, the still of the library. But things that had meant more to her than she first realised, it seemed, and the girl felt a weight settle in her heart as she thought of the place just going on without her, Delcia's claims merely making the severance all the more difficult to bear.

Nalia knew her aunt was probably still angry with her over their argument, and the family honour had never been far from the woman's concerns, but to be telling people she was mad! If it was meant as a punishment, it was a cruel one. Nalia knew she had always had a bit of a reputation as eccentric by the standards of other Athkatlan ladies, and though she had always maintained she did not care, it could be difficult at times; at some gathering or another, the feel of their eyes, the whispers and the quiet laughter. But she had girded herself with the strength of her convictions and born it all without complaint…

Nalia felt a righteous anger building in her heart.
Her aunt may only be working to protect their family's reputation but what of Nalia's own honour? Labelling her as mad now made it seem as though all her previous deeds had stemmed from that, rather than her belief in the simple ideal of charity for those in need of it!

Nalia shook herself, resigned to feeling out of sorts for a while yet and determined not to let it affect the others as the group finally arrived at the inn, Fritha nodding politely to the guard at the door.

'Mornin- whoa there!' he rumbled gruffly, putting a hand up to halt them, the other moving the cover his nose, 'I'm sorry, miss, but I can't let you in like that, Lehtinan'll have my head. You'll have to take your boots off, at least.'

'What?' snapped Anomen from somewhere behind her, but Fritha just shrugged.

'Do as he says, it's a reasonable enough request,' the girl sighed, stepping on the heel of one boot and removing a stockinged foot, the guard offering her his arm for balance as she struggled with the other, those around her following suit.

Nalia glanced down, finding her boots ruined just as she had suspected, the pale soft leather now stained a murky brown, clumps of filth and gore still clinging to the soles, and a unexpected sadness welled within her. Before such things would have been beneath her consideration, especially, as she reminded herself later, when many weren't not fortunate enough to have boots, but at that moment it just seemed to be another sign of her old life slipping away from her.

Aerie was tiredly knocking the worst off her own on a nearby wall and Nalia moved to join her, kicking her boots listlessly against the crumbling bricks before stooping down to slip them off and hurrying to follow the others inside before any more old friends had a chance to turn up and catch her wandering the slums barefoot, lending yet more weight to the rumours.

Thankfully, the tavern itself was still quiet at that time of the morning, the few people awake that early having more important concerns than they, and the only table with any life to it was a group of mercenaries who looked as though they'd been there all night, the men looking up as they passed.

'Bane's Arse, what have you lot been crawling through?' one shouted, clamping a large hand over his fleshy nose.

'Care to see for yourself, mate?' Fritha called back with a grin, making to toss him a filth-steeped boot and Nalia felt herself smile in spite of her mood as the man returned hurriedly to his ale, laughter erupting about him.

'Go on upstairs,' Fritha continued, starting towards the bar, 'I'll meet you up there.'

Sure enough, Nalia had just unlocked her door when the girl appeared on the stairs, a stack of square wooden tiles grasped in her free hand.

'Right, I've got everyone a token for the bathhouse- there you are,' she smiled, handing them to Jaheira to distribute. 'And if everyone can bring me their clothes before they go, the barmaid says there's a washer woman across the street.'

Sighs of assent all round and Fritha caught her eye to send her a smile before unlocking her own door and disappearing through it.

xxx

Anomen sat at their customary table beneath the window with the others, the common room about them packed with people for the midday meal, every table occupied and serving as a stark contrast for the peace the group had arrived to that morning. The squire finished his ale and set the cup down with a sigh, a weight settling in his stomach as he went over his plans for what felt like the hundredth time. He would draw Fritha away that evening, explain to her his reservations about the group and the incompatibility of their goals, take his leave and return to the Order.

He swallowed, stomach lurching slightly as he imagined the girl stood before him looking dejected; what if she asked him to stay? But he quelled that fear as soon as it arose. The girl had barely shared two words with him since their argument, she would probably be hard pressed to contain her glee.

Anomen sighed again and rolled his shoulders as Aerie refilled his cup with a smile. It had been a relief to get out of his armour, the heat of the bathhouse a welcome respite for his tired muscles, and he and the ranger had sat in companionable silence as they washed, the steam billowing about them. It had been quiet down there at that time of the morning, the only interruption to the peace being when one of the few prostitutes had asked Minsc if he wanted a massage and it had taken quite a lot for Anomen convince the man that he most likely did not.

Anomen smiled in spite of himself, the memory of it a lot more amusing than the actual incident. He and the ranger had parted soon after, each returning to their rooms, but the time they had been allowed for rest had merely given him a chance to brood over his plans to leave, and he had been glad when noon had arrived and he could move down to the common room to distract himself with a meal.
And one by one, the others had joined him; firstly the girl's, their hair still damp at the ends, then Jaheira had appeared looking better for her wash, though no more approachable for it, explaining she had just finished tightening Minsc bandages, something the man himself had confirmed when he'd arrived moments later.

Anomen's eyes travelled over the others sat about the table with him and he was suddenly struck by the idea that this could be the last meal he shared with them all; well, everyone barring Fritha, that was, for the girl had yet to join them. The last time he had seen her, he'd been stood in her doorway, the girl taking the clothes he held without a word and adding them to the others, before bundling all of them into her cloak, gathering the corners to make a sack and Anomen had left her to it.

'Oh, we're all down here,' came a voice at his shoulder and he started, glancing up to see the girl herself looking well-scrubbed, a long rope of damp tangled hair hanging clear to her waist. 'I though at least a couple of you would still be sleeping- thanks Minsc,' she added as the ranger kindly rose and let her take his seat nearest the fire, the girl leaning across the hearth as she began to comb her hair out.

'You lot found the baths, then,' she continued, her voice coming muffled from where she was leant forward and Jaheira nodded.

'Yes, didn't you?'

'No. I looked in on them, but they were quite busy by the time I returned from the laundry, so I had one in my room after a sleep.'

'It was very quiet when we were down there,' continued Nalia conversationally, 'just us three in the ladies' baths.'

'Indeed,' said Anomen, 'the main room was empty also… well, barring some young women of ah, a professional nature.'

'Such nice little girls,' agreed the ranger, 'one offered Minsc a massage.'

Anomen could not see Fritha's face for hair but her snort of amusement was unmistakeable.

'But then Anomen explained perhaps she was not for Minsc and Boo,' he continued, nodding wisely and everyone smiled.

'I wonder why the main bathhouse is communal with a private room for women,' sighed Aerie absently.

'Probably for that very reason,' came Fritha with a bark of laughter, 'they says it's the oldest vocation in the world.' She glanced up from her brushing, 'is my parting straight?'

Aerie nodded.

'Well, it hardly seems fair to me,' continued Nalia with a frown, the druid rolling her eyes impatiently.

'Indeed, how will the males do their soliciting if the women can all hide away in their private room?' she agreed, intentionally misinterpreting the girl's disapproval, 'perhaps you can mention the inequitable working arrangements of his prostitutes to Lehtinan.'

'That isn't what I meant!' snapped Nalia, but Fritha interrupted before things could escalate.

'Oh, peace, you two! I've had enough arguments recently to last me a lifetime,' the girl sighed and Anomen felt himself colour as the druid shot him a look.

A silence seemed to fall over the table and Anomen watched as Fritha leant back in her chair, moving to braid her hair into one long thick plait, the heavy sodden mass pulled over her shoulder as she worked. Her features seemed sharper with her hair slicked down, her elven heritage more apparent; though the most eye-catching thing about her at the moment was the clot of scarlet that still lingered at her temple. He wondered absently if it was giving her any pain, though it was clearly outside her consideration as she broke the silence with a sigh.

'My poor hair… three times I had to wash it to get the smell out,' she sighed, examining a frizzy curl ruefully, 'I don't care how much they offer next time, no more sewers.'

'How was the laundress?' asked Jaheira and Fritha glanced up with a smile.

'None too pleased,' she confessed with a slight laugh, 'I had to pay double in the end and it was still only grudgingly accepted, though she seemed more annoyed by the blood than the dirt. It stains something rotten. You should have seen her face when I gave her my
blue tunic.'

Anomen frowned slightly, recalling their battle against the trolls at Nalia's keep and the state it had left Fritha in as the girl herself continued, her voice gruffer as she imitated the woman.

"Illmater's mercy, girl, this all yours? I'm surprised you're still standing!" Bless her, she seemed quite concerned, though she couldn't see much point in washing it considering the tears on one side, until I convinced her I could mend it.'

'And can you?' asked Aerie, sounding doubtful, and Fritha grinned.

'Course, though it will look a little untidy to put on a patch of that size… I think I'll close the tears like pleats and embroider over them. Vines perhaps, or waves of the Kara-Turan style might look nice.'

'You embroider?' Anomen interrupted before he could stop himself, unable to keep the incredulity from his voice.

'Yes,' she answered archly and he wondered if she would have looked any less affronted if he'd asked whether she knew which end of a sword was which, but the girl had already turned back to her conversation as mildly as before.

'Though if I put in that much effort, I won't be wearing it into battle again, that's for certain. What do you think?'

'I think the waves would look nicest, with it being blue,' said Nalia after a moment's deliberation on what was clearly an issue of great importance. 'You could use a dark indigo silk and fan the waves between the pleats; they would be narrow enough.'

'Kara-Turan knots?' asked Fritha. Nalia frowned slightly.

'Well, you could, though I would be tempted to use a long bullion knot.'

'Oh, I'm useless at those,' she confessed, adding with a laugh, 'they reach 'tangled knot' before they ever get near the bullion stage.'

Nalia smiled warmly.

'Well, I'd be happy to help you; they are one of my favourites.'

'As soon as I've it back, I shall take you up on that,' Fritha said with a nod of thanks, finally tying a cord at the end of her braid and rising as she did so.

'Right, I'm going to the temple to give them our findings and collect payment. I will take one other. Anomen, are you coming?'

He glanced up with genuine surprise; they had not spoken since their last argument. Anomen had expected he would be last person she would have invited, affiliated to the temple or not, and by the look of the others, they were thinking the same.

'Well?' she prompted, and he nodded once, wordlessly shouldering his pack to follow her out.

xxx

Anomen walked next to her through the busy streets, a hot midday sun shining overhead, the silence between them holding none of the hostility he would have expected for two people who at been shouting at each other mere hours before.

But then it was not the easy silence of friends either, and Anomen was glad when he at last saw the first of the shimmering canals that signalled the beginning of the temple district, the girl leading them easily through the crowds just leaving the noon services and together they entered the tranquil cool of the temple of Helm.

High Watcher Oisig was at their side before Anomen's eyes even had a chance to adjust to the gloom, the older man greeting them with a calm cordiality that belied the eager air of his arrival.

'Brother Anomen, and the young lady Fritha. You have returned. What news have you?'

Fritha glanced up to him with an eyebrow raised, and Anomen blinked, momentarily caught by surprised. She was leaving him to tell the priest?
'It was a beholder cult, High Watcher,' he began, eyes lingering on the girl before he turned back to the man. 'A beholder came here for an artefact of great destructive power, though I am happy to say we destroyed it and the beholder both.'

And so Anomen told him of their investigation, a pride welling in him as he described the trials they had faced, the people they had met and the success they had found, Fritha silent and serene at his side all the while.

'I see,' Oisig finally rumbled, nodding gravely, 'you have done a great service for both our temple and the citizens of Athkatla as a whole.'

Fritha remained impassive in the face of this praise, speaking for the first time since their arrival.
'We were told the temple was destroyed when the beholder fell, but maybe some men from your church could be sent down there to check, perhaps remove any altar pieces or the like; it would not do for it to become a focus for the cultists still left.'

Oisig dipped his head slightly in serene agreement.

'Indeed, child, your words hold wisdom.'

'And since your men will be down there,' Fritha continued innocently and Anomen had the distinct impression that Oisig had just been led into something of a trap, 'I should like it if they found the group of outcasts and helped them return to the surface.'

The priest's air of calm was gone in an instant.

'But you said it yourself, they are outcasts, heretics. They sinned against the gods themselves!'

'For which they have repented,' Fritha reminded stubbornly. 'The credit for this victory is theirs as well; we could not have succeed without their guidance. And without them guarding the way all this time, who knows what would have happened?'

Oisig eyed them both sternly, Anomen squaring up to his gaze without a thought as to where his allegiance should lie, and at last the priest sighed.

'We… will do as you request. Well,' he continued quickly, drawing a purse from his robes as though to forestall any other demands she may have, 'please accept this as payment for your efforts. You have more than earned it.'

Fritha nodded her thanks.

'And,' he began, as she half turned to go, 'we have something else for you as well. Information on your lost companion.'

Fritha whirled back so quickly Anomen was surprised she did not injure her neck.
'What do you know of Imoen?'

'Nothing specific, but sometimes more general knowledge may serve just as well. The Cowled Wizards are well known for killing those that openly defy the laws here. Those few they do not, are sent to an asylum for magically unstable. I cannot tell you its official name; the mages about here just call it Spellhold. As for where it is, even the ever-watchful eye of Helm cannot see.' He shook his head. 'I am sorry I could not help you more, child.'

Fritha was silent a moment, her face blank as she took this all in, before she dipped her head, gathering her hands across her chest to bow, a slight hoarseness to her voice the only thing to betray her emotion.
'My thanks, sir.'

Oisig bowed as well, before moving back into the temple proper and the girl turned to leave, Anomen catching her arm.
'I am going to give thanks in the chapel.'

She nodded without looking up at him, her eyes fixed resolutely ahead of her.
'I'll wait for you outside.'

He nodded as well, but she was already gone, disappearing through the doors to be lost in the glare.

xxx

Anomen dropped to his knees before the altar, drawing a deep calming breath and waiting for the stillness of the place to enter him. The chapel was empty after the noon service and he felt a customary peace wash over him as he bowed his head in prayer. There had always been something about the ambience of temple that calmed him, dissolving the anger and self-doubt that seemed to dominate his waking hours. Perhaps it was the acceptance he felt there, a place where he was already deemed worthy; somewhere he was known as 'brother', and not 'squire', that title synonymous with inadequacy.

But whatever the reason, it was in the quiet of the chapel where the clamour of voices within is mind stilled to just one and the world seemed to fall into focus.

Anomen glanced up, his eyes travelling over the intricate embroidery on the rich blue altar-cloth before him. Two of the altarboys had arrived to trim the candles and fill the heavy bronze censer in preparation for the next service, the pair whispering quietly as they saw him, their eyes shining with awe and Anomen felt a warm pride rising in his heart. News of their quest had clearly travelled the temple by now, and it was rewarding to be there, enjoying the glory of their success first hand. Though, he considered, it was likely something he should not indulge in over long, and he rose stiffly, walking back into the temple proper, his mind working as he went.

It had been kind of Fritha to allow him to tell his priest of their triumph, especially when it was clear she was still cross with him about their fight, and perhaps with good reason. Though he would not have admitted it to anyone, it had been an anger at himself that had sparked his temper before. The girl had saved a city and averted a war and there she had been, blithely assuring him the Order had no place for her. Well, if they had no place for her, they certainly would not have one for him and his anger at the world had surfaced before he'd a chance to quell it.

But whatever the reason for his outburst, it had not been Fritha's fault and the fairness of her dealings with him since merely shamed him further. And that, above all things, was giving him pause when he considered what he had been planning since the night at the keep. Anomen sighed. He had been so sure before that his departure would be for the best, but now…

Granted, other groups would undoubtedly be more organised, more suited to his skills, but he would still be the same man; still prone to outbursts of temper, and it was a rare group that did not take offence, a rare leader who would honour him regardless.
He had reached the doors by now and stood watching her, the girl sat upon the wall opposite, her braid over one shoulder and half unwound while she combed her fingers absently through the amber waves in an effort to help it dry.

Keldorn was right, she did have a good soul, and though he may have eventually found another group who would have taken him, he doubted there was a group in the whole of Amn who would need his help as much as this one.
Anomen sighed, the voice of Moira clear in his head.
'Never let the sun set on a quarrel, brother.'

xxx

Fritha felt herself walk outside, almost blind as her eyes adjusted to the sun's glare, her body seeming to move of its own accord as she crossed the path to sit on the wall opposite, hands reaching up to unwind her braid, the canal sparkling beneath her.

So at last some news of Imoen; surely she should be ecstatic? The girl was in an asylum, yes, but that was a lot better than another dungeon.
An asylum, where they sent mad people for treatment-
Or study… whispered a voice somewhere in the back of her mind and Fritha felt her stomach clench.

'For treatment,' she repeated firmly and further argument was cut off as the door banged closed, Fritha glancing up to see the squire marching purposefully towards her, the title she had practically begged him not to use his first utterance.

'My lady?'

'Anomen,' she acknowledged, standing at his approach, fingers moving absently to plait her hair again as she forced her worries from her mind.

'My lady…' he repeated, sounding rather tense, 'I should like to speak with you about our alliance.'

Fritha nodded once. She had been expecting this for some time now; the little speech whereby their six would become a five. She finished tying the cord at the end of her plait, slipping a hand into her pocket to close about the purse containing the temple's payment, just waiting to count out his share as he continued.

'I understood when I joined with you, that this group would be unlike anything I had experienced before, but even then I was surprised by the informality of your ways. But, although I do not always agree with how it is done, I- I realise the importance of what we do here and I should still like to be a part of it.'

Fritha blinked; his request surprised her, though whether she was glad or displeased by his decision to stay, she was not sure. But either way, she did not let it show, merely nodding impassively, her fingers relaxing about the purse.
'There will always be a place here for you, should you desire one.'

Anomen looked rather touched a moment, straightening to continue in the manner of one about to get some unpleasant but necessary ordeal over with.
'And- and I feel as though I owe you an apology as well, I should not have shouted at you as I did, however angry I was.'

Fritha smiled slightly.
'It's fine, Anomen.'

He smiled as well, clearly relieved and Fritha wondered just what he had expected her to say.
'No, it is not, but I am grateful for your forgiveness regardless; my temper getting the better of me is an all too frequent occurrence.'

The squire sighed deeply, staring out over the canals.
'There is an anger in my heart I cannot seem to control, though as a member of the Order, it is of utmost importance that I try.'

He sounded so lost, so unsure and it seemed almost ridiculous she had been teasing him about looking old but a day ago, when he was clearly so young.

'I see injustices everywhere, my lady, and I wish to do nothing but strike out against them. But even as I do, the hate and anger only grows,' he shook his head, looking suddenly crestfallen. 'I- I am unworthy of my vows.'

'Anomen,' she sighed, giving him a tired half-smile, 'no one can vow not to get angry, only not to act upon it. And as for your temper only worsening when you strike out at the world, well I'm not surprised. Anger will only beget more anger. Just try to think before you act.'

'I suppose you are correct, my lady, I must continue to struggle against evil, and I must continued to struggle against this anger within me.'

Fritha frowned slightly; when had she once mentioned the word struggle? But Anomen seemed not to notice.

'Perhaps a time will come when such a thing will come naturally to me. I do not know.'
He sighed deeply, his eyes distant, before he glanced to her and the look was gone.

'But, I have troubled you enough with this and I am sure you've more pressing concerns now we've a location on which to focus our search for your friend. You are glad of this news, are you not?' he pressed, frowning slightly, his tone concerned, 'you seemed distressed when Oisig spoke before…'

Fritha smiled brightly and forced away her unease, unwilling to show any weakness; she didn't want to have Anomen regretting his decision to stay with them quite so soon after making it.

'Did I?' she replied with genial astonishment, 'I must admit to being surprised when he first told me, but it is good news, isn't it. Imoen is more than likely in this asylum, and though we do not know where that is, knowing its name is surely to the first step towards finding it.'

'So you are not troubled then?' he pressed, his eyes watching carefully. She shook her head mildly and Anomen smiled.

'Good. Well, I should go and inform the Order of our work here. Farewell, my lady.'

'Yes, farewell, Fritha,' she sighed to herself, watching him cross the canals before turning to make her way back to the slums, worries for her friend returning to fill her thoughts.