Louise was dreaming. She was starting to get kind of tired of it.

Not tired of normal dreams, mind you, those she could stand to have a few more of. No, she was getting tired of a particular type of dream that she was starting to recognize. The type that was mostly a sporadic collection of images and sounds, all relating to a certain boy. She didn't want to entertain just why her mind was so focused on that certain boy, but she did wish the dreams could be less chaotic and confusing.

Though it seemed that today was a good day, as this time the images were forming into an actual scene. Once again it featured the child that had been prominent, though it seemed now he was older by several years. Still younger than Louise if she had to guess, but well into adolescence. The place was the forest from last time, but now he was not alone. As he crouched behind a felled log on the edge of a glade, there was a presence behind him, one that he was wholly at ease with. "And you are sure that the thing disturbing the forest is coming this way?" The boy asked without turning around.

Behind him, the horse snorted before pawing his front hoof on the ground twice. The ethereal white coat made it clear that it was the same horse Louise saw in her previous dream, but now instead of a foal it was nearly full grown. It was standing a short ways back behind a tree, but given its size and coloring it wasn't doing a very good job of hiding.

The boy nodded. "Good. Then we shall stop it here." There was a paused before the horse snorted again, and a frown crept over the boy's face. "Yes, of course it am sure. If not us, then who? We will be victorious, just like the last few times."

The horse neighed.

"We managed to outrun those trolls until dawn."

The horse neighed again.

"Those spirits seemed perfectly calm before we removed the cursed heirloom."

The horse neighed and stomped its foot.

"To be fair, you can't expect me to know goblin marriage laws."

The horse somehow managed to give the boy a flat look. One might wonder how this was possible considering its face was naturally flat, but it was making the effort.

Before the equine could complain any further, there was rustlings from the underbrush on the other side of the glade, and the boy readied himself. Rather than some monster though, a group of men walked out of the foliage, commoners by their attire but armed nonetheless. They were muttering among themselves, but the word 'witch' floated through the air.

The boy looked on in confusion as the half dozen or so men moved to the other side of the clearing and out of sight. He had not been expecting that. But men never came to this forest, so why would they-

The boy suddenly caught up to what they were saying, ad his eyes widened in shock. "Della!" he exclaimed and bolted after them, the horse following close after him.

As the boy moved, the image of the scene blurred to Louise, bit and pieces of the following action all flowing into one another. She saw the boy catch up to the men as they reached the cave, the witch emerging, and fighting and fire ensued. She could only make out flashes of action and violence, and the whole thing seemed like a fever dream.

When things finally settled into something coherent, most of the men were sprawled out on the ground, groaning but alive. One man though, a large bearded man with a woodman's axe, was braced on the ground with one knee. The cave had smoke and flames coming out of it, and the red headed witch was on the ground bleeding, gripping a wound on her abdomen as she stared at the man fearfully. The boy, though injured himself, stood between the man and the witch. "Leave now and never return!" He shouted.

The woodsman was not impressed. "Ah, so you're the latest one, eh?" The bearded man said as he got to his feet, gripping his axe firm as he looked at the boy. "I expect she's got her hooks in you deep. You ain't gonna appreciate this, but this is for best, boy."

"What are you talking about?" the boy said, standing firm against the much larger man.

The man gave a mirthless laugh. "Let me guess, your parents tragically died and she just happened to be there to take you in? It's what the witch does, boy. Seven children she had made orphans and taken under her wing, seven children dead by foul magic when she's done using them. Surprised you've made it so long."

The boy hesitated for a long moment before he looked back at the witch, at the pained and twisted look she gave back to him. She opened her mouth to deny it, but she stopped when her eyes met his. There was a long moment where the only sound was the crackling of the flames. Finally, she broke the gaze and looked to the side, and the boy lowered his head as his shoulders sagged.

The woodsman saw this and grunted. "Ah, didn't even try to deny it. Little point now, I guess." The man hefted his axe. "Don't worry boy, I'll take care of-"

"Would killing her bring them back?"

The man stopped. "What?"

The boy looked back at the man. "Would killing her bring the children back?"

"I… no, but what does that matter?"

The boy one again took stance. "Then leave. I will take responsibility for her."

The two adults stared at the boy stunned. The woodsman found his voice first. "Are you mad?! She has to pay for what she has done!"

The boy did not move. "Her suffering and death would serve no purpose at this point. I swear to you that she will never harm another soul again."

A sad smile crossed the boy's face. "Because I-"

"Louise!"

Louise snorted and flailed a little, blinking as she looked across the carriage interior at her familiar. The remnants of the fading dream floated in the front of her mind before she shook her head to dismiss them. Silence stretched on for a moment before she said "…are we there yet?"

The man gave her a small smile. "Just about. Agnès says we'll be coming up to the lake in a few minutes." His expression fell a little. "I do hope that after this you will get some proper rest. I should think that you deserve it after all you have accomplished."

"Oh, quiet you." The girl grumbled as she pulled herself up and smoothed out her clothes, though her voice had no heat in it. "You are my familiar, not my nanny. I will not have you mothering me."

"I could play the part." Louise turned her head to look at Siesta, who was sitting primmly next to Georgius. "After all, I have been picking up after you since you came to the academy." Louise muttered something under her breath about upstart maids, and wished should could have simply flown to their destination.

Originally Louise had thought that they would be taking Tabitha's dragon to Lagdorian Lake (and to be honest still prefered that idea), but one problem reared its head: Georgius. Namely how for some reason Tabitha's dragon did not want him anywhere near her. It seemed there was some sort of 'thing' between her familiar and dragons. She had considered leaving him behind and just going herself, but then Agnès had expressed concerns about her arriving using the familiar of a foreign citizen on official state business. The two had argued this until Louise gave up and just got a coach.

Georgius, with his smile unchanging, said "Well, it has been a while since any member of your family proper has been able to, so I don't think they will begrudge Siesta too much for taking their responsibility every now and then." The maid nodded and sat up a little straighter.

"Family…" Louise said softly, the feelings from the dream still lingering in her chest. "Fam-" she started to say before she stopped and started again. "Georgius, tell me about your family."

Georgius started a little at the sudden shift in topics, but after a moment he settled. "There is not much to tell-" He started to say.

"But we'd still like to hear it!" Siesta insisted.

The man let out a small breath. "Very well. My father Gerontius was an Official in the Roman military until he retired to become a farmer with my mother Polychronia. As nobility we had an estate with many workers, though I did not spend much time there, unfortunately. As I have said, I spent much of my early life with a witch."

"But, surely after you returned…"

He sighed. "It was only a few months after I returned that my father perished from sickness. My mother followed suit a few short years after that. Though I had my servants, they were not my family. I am sad to say that while I loved my mother and father, I did not spend as much time with them as I would have liked."

"I am sorry to hear that." Louise said softly after a moment.

"Worry not. I shall see them again when I-" Georgius suddenly stopped, and for the first time in a long while Louise saw her familiar look uncertain.

"What's wrong?" The maid asked.

Georgius shook his head and looked back at her. "Apologies, I was… being a bit morbid. As I was saying, I have to believe that I will see them again someday."

Louise was silent for a long moment before she said "And what can tell me about the witch?"

Georgius returned his gaze back to his master, his brow furrowing a little. "She was… complicated. Not a pleasant person, in hindsight, but she had been unwanted most of her life. She had been used and cast aside that she had come to think that was simply how people were towards each other, and as a result had done many evil things before she met me. I like to think I showed her otherwise, but…" He trailed of.

Louise's brow furrowed, parallels being drawn in her mind. No, it can't be, she thought. That, that would be absurd. But... the way the boy in her dream acted, what happened to him, the things her familiar were telling her now… "What was her name?"

"Della."

Before Louise could do anything with that, the carriage rumbled to a stop and she heard Agnès yell from the top of the perch "We're here." Georgius then stepped out of the cab and Louise quickly followed after him. Once outside she found herself standing in front of a moderately sized estate resting atop a hill, the surrounding landscape full of yet more rolling hills. The manor was certainly not as large as the one at the Vallière estate, but there was no denying that it was a well-built building with a number of terraces to take advantage of the view that the elevation provided. The sun was just starting to set, but there was still enough light that it was easy to find the lake, nestled surprisingly close to the manor further down the hill.

Agnès jumped down from the top of the carriage to walk next to the rest of them. "I don't see your student friends anywhere, not sure if that's a good or bad thing."

As they moved, the front doors to the manor opened and a butler stepped through, greeting them with a bow. "Good evening. We were informed that you were coming from the capital, so we have prepared accommodations for you. I am afraid that the Count is not in at the moment, however."

Before Louise could respond, a voice from behind the servant drew her attention. "Louise? You too? Just how many of my classmates are involved in this?" The girl turned her head to see a familiar girl her age with a large mass of blonde ringlet hair, clothed in a fine blue dress. The small frog on her shoulder croaked at the strangers.

"Montmorency? What are you doing here?" The pink hair girl countered.

"I live here!" The girl said indignantly. "What are you doing here wrapped up in Crown business?"

Agnès stepped in before Louise could respond. "She's with me, that's all you need to know for now. Where are the two students that came here earlier?"

"They are already at the lake. Along with the Albionesse Envoy." Montmorency said with a slight huff. "Father took them down there about half an hour ago to talk with the water spirit about 'something', as if I don't listen to news spreading through the kingdom."

"Damn," Agnès cursed. "I was hoping that we'd be able to head them off before they could consult the spirit."

"What does it matter so long as we get there in time?" Louise asked.

"Only one of the family is supposed to talk to the spirit, or at least can do so safely without risking its ire." Montmorency said. "If it is be questioned, it is best to do it with everyone present and agreed upon what is being asked. That said, even with the Writ I don't think the envoy can prevent my father from asking whatever he wants… I think. I don't know, this is a very odd situation."

"Such as it is, what exactly are we to do about this?" Georgius asked. "Harrison is in the legal right at the moment, so we can't actually stop him."

"Unfortunately, you're right." Agnès said with frustrated grunt. "I knew it was foolish to hope that those girls could stop Harrison from questioning the spirit altogether, but I had hoped. Still, by being there we can can confirm what exactly was said and call him out on it if he tries anything. If we're not too late we might be able to ask some questions of our own as well." She turned back to Montmorency. "We need to get to the lake as soon as possible."

The girl hummed, but she moved down the front steps and towards the woods nonetheless. "My father insisted that he should handle this on his own, but if you really are on Crown business it won't do to have a servant guide you. Follow me, I shall take you to the meeting place. Just don't do anything stupid."

Georgius followed behind the blonde girl as she lead them to a path hidden in the treeline, narrow but well worn with age. The fading light of sunset filtered through the trees, casting long shadows as the group moved quickly through the underbrush. This combined with the silence gave the trip an otherworldly feel, as if they were traveling to someplace enchanted.

They cleared the trees and walked into a small glade, one side of which was a beach for the lake. About half a dozen people were clustered near the shore, most in the dress of nobility but one looked to be a servant, and one a priest of all things. Most Georgius did not recognize, but he guessed that the curly blond-haired man in the fine tunic and cravat was Mountmency's father, and the knight did remember that the green haired man standing next to him was barrister Harrison. Most prominent however was the towering being made of water standing several meters from shore on the surface of the lake. It was five meters tall in the shape of a man, resembling a figure very close to that of Montmorency's father.

The Count looked very surprised as he turned away from the spirit. "Mountmency? What are- I told you to stay in the manor."

"We had more guests from the capital," The girl said with a shrug and small smirk. "What would everyone think of us if one of the family didn't show them the proper courtesy?"

"Oh Darling, I was starting to worry you wouldn't show." Georgius turned his head to see Kirche and Tabitha standing near the treeline off to the side. The blue haired girl barely bothered to look up from her book, but the redhead pushed off the tree she had been leaning against to approach. "But then, I suppose it is appropriate for you to arrive in just in time."

Standing near the spirit, Harrison gave an exasperated sigh towards the newcomers. "And what now? Do I have to show you lot the Royal Writ as well?"

"No need for that, we know what you're here for." Agnès said, folding her arms across her chest. "We're just here to make sure that you don't try mangle the truth."

The man regained his composure and looked at her evenly. "I assure you that finding the truth is my only objective."

A grunt drew everyone's, and they found the priest drawing himself up to his full height. While the reedy man was not very imposing, he was still the tallest one there and made sure everyone knew it. "I do not think it is necessary for this many people to be here. And seeing as how Harrison's party was here first, you lot should just leave." He was focused on Georgius himself when he said that, though the knight could not say why.

"Look here, you!" Louise said as she stood straight in turn, pointedly ignoring the difference in height. "Unlike you we are actually citizens of Tristain, so I won't have some foreigner telling me I can't go somewhere within my own nation!"

Before the priest could respond, Count Mountmency stepped forward and raised his hands. "People, please! You cannot bicker in front of the water spirit." He said forcefully. "It's patience is not limitless once it has been summoned, and it's tolerance for pettiness even less. We will all stay. For better or worse." He shot his daughter a look with that last comment before he turned back to the barrister. "Seeing as the barrister is the one with the Royal Writ, I suggest we let him pose the questions, and we can deal with anything else later."

Everyone present was silent as they looked at each other, and an uneasy agreement was muttered by several people. Harrison in particular gave Agnès a long look before he relaxed slightly. "Now then," Harrison said as he turned back to the Count. "Ask the spirit about the events of last year, on the night of June the 14th."

Count Mountmency hesitated for a moment in thought before he addressed the towering water spirit. "Oh Great Spirit, I ask that you recall a night a half moon before midsummer. There was a meeting between two people, do you recall this?"

"I recall the night you speak." The spirit's voice was soft and rippling, yet loud enough that it could clearly be heard by everyone at the shoreline. A light flicked softly in it's chest as it spoke. "There were two of your kind at my shore that night. They named themselves before me. The first water wrapped in earth was called Wales Tudor. The second water wrapped in earth was called Henrietta De Tristain."

"Henrietta is not a 'water wrapped in earth'." Louise grumbled.

The Count actually looked back at the girl. "It is how the water spirit sees all humans. Now be silent." He then glanced at Harrison.

The barrister said "Ask if the the two promised themselves to each other."

The Count did so, and spirit responded. "Yes. They did so before me, in the name of their Founder, and asked that I remember."

The priest grunted again. "So, they were unlawfully wed after all. The princess shall not go unpunished for this sin."

"That isn't proof of marriage!" Agnès exclaimed. "Perhaps… unbecoming conduct, but this does not prove the claim of bigamy!"

Harrison looked back at her. "Promising themselves to each other before the Founder… well, that sounds like a marriage to me. Besides which, we found the priest who did the ceremony."

"Bullshit!" Agnès shot back before she looked at the Count. "Ask the spirit if the two were actually-"

"You will do no such thing!" Harrison yelled before glaring at the knight captain. "I am the only one who has the authority to speak here, empowered by your own government no less. There will be no unnecessary questions which will irritate the spirit further."

The words between Agnès and Harrison because heated, and the rest of the group shifted awkwardly. Count Mountmency looked nervously between the pair and the waiting water spirit, trying to get a word in edgewise and failing. This is not good, Georgius thought. This was exactly the sort of thing the Count had warned against, and from what he had heard the being was not entirely beholden to the summoner. If the spirit became displeased...

Suddenly the water spirit started to move, and Georgius made his decision. "Great Water Spirit!" He called out, pitching his voice to be heard above the two arguing. "In the name of God, I ask that you listen to me!" Everyone assembled looked at him in a mix of surprise and horror, but Georgius did not take his eyes of the spirit. He knew there was a decent chance that he just incurred the spirit's ire, but it was better directed at him rather than the one seeking to question it.

The spirit's head turned to the knight, and for a long moment was silent, and Georgius wondered if he would have to fight. Finally, it's form rippled and transformed into a watery image of himself, and it spoke. "I see and recognize you, Chosen of the White God."

The quality of silence that permeated the glade became different at that statement. The shock of Georgius speaking was nothing compared to how the being had responded, and he felt everyone's eyes lock on to him. This… is probably going to have consequences later, he thought to himself before he addressed the spirit. "I apologize for presuming, but I fear that the questions that have been asked may have mislead from the truth. On that night, were Wales and Henrietta actually married?"

"The two of your kind promised themselves to each other."

Georgius frowned. It was likely the spirit didn't understand was marriage was. He tried a different question. "Was there anyone else present with those two? Was there a man like him?" He gestured to the priest.

"No. It was only the two of them before me."

Agnès let out something between a bark and a laugh. "No unnecessary questions? And yet it seems the spirit has a different headcount of that night than you. And you can't get married without a priest." The barrister's face heated up, but he remained silent.

I hope that is enough, Georgius thought to himself. Not wanting to push his luck by pressuring the spirit more than he had to, he said "Thank you, spirit. That is all I needed to know."

But rather than dismiss the knight, the spirit said "Are you the bringer of the coming war?"

Georgius paused, looking at the mass of water in confusion. "War? I'm afraid I do not understand."

"The power of the White God amasses." It continued. "It gathers in the sky, waiting to strike down and cover the land. When it happened before, war followed in its wake. Is this your doing?"

"I…" the man started to say, at a loss for words before he recomposed himself. "No. I am not aware of a war, let alone one I have started. What are you-" A sudden thought came to him, and he felt a cold pit of dread in his stomach. No, it can't be, he thought. "There was a… relic stolen a short while ago, something which held significant relevance to God. Could that be the power you sense? "

The being rippled for a few moments before it answered. "Perhaps. If you are not the cause, then something else must be, though this one knows not what."

Georgius stepped forward. "Please if you know anything else, you must tell me. The fate of the world could be at stake if the relic fell into the wrong hands."

"I know only what I hear from my brethren of the air, how they flee from that earth in the sky. One of your kind is bringing the power of the White God to it, preparing for something. Before it was war, and so it shall be war again. It is the will of-"

"That is not God's will!" Georgius yelled, interrupting the spirit. "There shall be no war in His name, I refuse to allow it! If there is someone out there who is using His name to justify these heinous acts, I swear to you I will stop them!"

Silence once again settled over the glade, the spirit remaining impassive at Georgius outburst. After a few seconds, it tilted it's head. "You are Chosen of the White God. If what you say is true, your purpose is clear. You must find this false apostle and stop them. Prevent the war of emptiness that will consume this world once again."

Georgius drew in a deep breath and nodded. "I shall."

The water started to recede back into the lake, but as it did words still echoed out. "A final word of warning, Knight of Holiness." It said. "The Firstborn will not be still while the power that once threatened them rises again, and will seek all who bear its mark. The old Contract shall be invoked. The paths to Arcadia will be reopened. The Fairy Queen will come for you."

The water spirit disappeared, not even a ripple on the surface leaving any trace of its presence. Georgius stared at the lake for a long, troubled moment before he turned back to everyone present. They all stared at him in various degrees of shock and awe.

"We need to go to Albion."

A/N: This took longer than I wanted, due to work and vacation, but here you go. As a note for the first part, younger George is... a tad more idealistic than the one in the present. Were he the man that he is now he probably would have handled that situation differently. That said, considering how things turned out, it had a big influence on the person he would become. As for the rest, well, let's say Redcross has got his work cut out for him.

Till next time.