Alear was taking a casual stroll around the Somiel, checking up on everyone. He wants to make sure everyone has mentally recovered from the loss of the Emblems before they travel to Solm. However, he couldn't help but feel that someone is following him from behind. He knows who it is, but he didn't say a word for a little while. When he started to feel more uncmfortable, he finally decided to face this person.

"Ivy? Did you need something from me?" Alear said as he turned around.

"No, Divine One," Ivy replied. "Must I require something to be near you?"

"No, it's not that," said Alear.

"I see. Then, please, feel free to ignore," Ivy said, sounding really hopeful that he would ignore her.

"I would, but it's difficult to ignore the... anger on your face," Alear noticed.

Ivy made a sound, as if she was bothered that the Divine One read her face in spite of the fascinator partially obscuring her face.

"The Kingdom of Elusia worships the Fell Dragon, doesn't it?" Alear recalled. "I can see why you would feel uncomfortable around me."

"You can't imagine how I feel," Ivy said, trying to sound vague and unreadable.

"If you can explain, I'd like to understand it," said Alear. "It might reduce this... distance... between us."

"I suppose you might be right," Ivy agreed. "But we should... get used to each other first..."

"Excuse me, what's going on here?" Someone questioned.

Alear and Ivy stop talking and turn their heads to see Raela walking towards them. She crosses her arms as she looks at Ivy with this disapproving look on her face. Ivy could feel her composure waining from the glare.

"Brother, is Princess Ivy bothering you?" Raela asked. "I couldn't help but notice that she was following you all morning."

"Oh, that. Well, I can't say that she's not... not bothering me," said Alear.

"I would assume she was in the middle of apologizing when I called," Raela said, sounding like a stern parent.

"Um, not exactly," said Alear.

"Is there a problem, Your Divineness?" Ivy asked.

"Why, yes, there is a problem, Princess Ivy," said Raela. "My brother doesn't appreciate being stalked and watched. He needs to be focused and at his best, which he cannot do if people are relentlessly invading her personal space."

"Raela, please, it's not too much trouble," Alear pleaded.

"I apologize then," said Ivy. "It's just... well... let's just being in the presence of the Divine Dragons is a rather... unusual for me."

"If you respect us as your deities, Princess Ivy, then I would insist that you leave my brother alone," Raela insisted. "And I would advise keeping your distance if your intentions are something of a concern to me and to the people of this army. Do you understand?"

"I... um... yes, Your Divineness," Ivy said. Her composure was breaking.

"Ivy, please, it's not that much of a problem," said Alear.

"You do not have to lie for my sake, Divine One," said Ivy. "We'll talk when we're more... comfortable. For now I will leave you be... and worship from afar."

Ivy walks away from the Divine Dragon siblings. Alear just stands there, confused and curious. He does remember Ivy calling him and his sister her "deities." It was unexpected of someone from Elusia. It was hard to get a good read on her, as she seemed to be trying to stay calm and composed around him. The shift in her tone when his sister was scolding her was noticeable and sounded like she would lose her composure.

"Did you just... take advantage of your status as a deity to force Ivy to leave?" Alear questioned.

"Don't worry, brother. I only do it when necessary," said Raela. "And it seemed necessary. I've seen Chloé and the twins make things harder for you to relax here on the Somniel, so I wanted to make sure you were not disturbed."

"I wouldn't say I disturbed, but... I guess I would have preferred if she just spoke to me instead of following me," said Alear. "Althought, you didn't have to make her feel like she was breaking some law by wishing to be near me."

"Just consider it a good deed from a sister to her brother," Raela said with a smile.

"I guess I do appreciate the intervention," said Alear. "But I would like to get to know Ivy more. I wouldn't wish for her to be afraid to approach me just because I have an overprotective sister."

"If it makes you feel any better, I won't abuse my authority," Raela promised. "But if I see anyone make you uncomfortable, I will intervene, even if you don't want me to. Being a deity comes with a special sort of attention, not all of them as pleasant as simple devotion."

"That reminds me. I still have to apologize to Framme for upsetting her," said Alear.

"But all you did was say she was distracting you. She overreacted," said Raela.

"Even if, I hate to make someone cry," said Alear.

Raela sighs and says, "What are we to do with her and her brother? I appreciate their loyalty and I do find their enthusiasm adorable, but..."

"But what?" Alear asked.

"Never mind that," said Raela. "I want to think of those two as family. It's just not easy when they insist of being my loyal servants and founders of our fan club."

"I'll be sure to talk to them about it," said Alear. "You don't always have to protect me from their... um... exuberance."

Raela chuckles and says, "Look at us. Finally speaking like we're brother and sister. It feels... nice, doesn't it?"

"It does," said Alear. "But, really, you don't have to try too hard. Fighting alongside you and having you care for me is more than enough."

"Okay, but I swear to you, brother, if I see a legion of Divine Dragon fans crowd you, I might just have to take a not-so-gentle approach and enforce some new laws," Raela said half-jokingly. "Anyone who isn't family to the Divine Dragon Prince are to keep a specific distance from you at all times and only speak when spoken to. That way, the only one who gets to bother you is your dear sister."

Knowing his sister is exaggerating, Alear just laughs.

It's almost time to depart for Solm. First, Alear wants to speak to a certain somebody. That certain somebody is making a weighted pack in the garden. She also looks like she's sweating, probably from training earlier. Alear stands for a moment and watches her work. How fast her hands work, how precise she can be in crafting, it's a sight to see.

"Lapis," Alear called.

"Oh, hello, Divine One," Lapis greeted. "I see you're feeling better after last night."

"Well, I did sleep just fine, all things considered," said Alear. "Thanks for waking me up."

"Well, we gotta make sure you don't oversleep," said Lapis. "I admit, I was tempted to let you sleep a little longer... if we didn't need to get to Solm as soon as possible."

"We're just about to leave," said Alear. "We're gonna have to save training with weighted packs for another time."

"Okay, but I gotta say, you're a fast learner," said Lapis. "The weighted pack you made looks pretty fine. It could use more weight if you really want to challenge yourself."

"Well, it's a good thing I have you to guide me," said Alear. "Your training regime, it's pretty intense, but I'm enjoying it. It's a delight just to spend time with you, Lapis."

Lapis gasps. "Divine One, I..."

"Was I not supposed to say that?" Alear asked with a bit of shame.

"No, it's just... to hear that you enjoy training with me... I... I don't know what to say," Lapis said, embarrassed. "I know you said you wanted to train with me, but... I..."

"I'm sorry for embarrassing you," Alear apologized. "But I meant what I said. I have really enjoyed our time together. Honestly, I'm tempted to shrug off other matters if it means I get to talk to you more."

"Wow, just... I... whoa." Lapis was speechless.

"Don't you also enjoy our time together?" Alear asked.

"Of course, I do," said Lapis. "It's just... you're the Divine One. I'm just a prince's retainer. I never imagined a simple talk between us would delight you this much."

"Honestly, if anything, talking to you really lifts my spirits," said Alear. "I can't tell you how low I felt when we lost the Emblems."

"Are you sure about that? Even after all that, you're still determined to win this war," said Lapis.

"Well, you can thank my sister for the motivation," said Alear. "But it's also thanks to all of you. You're all still willing to stand by my side even after my error in judgment. I really appreciate it. And I will strive to become a better leader."

"You sell yourself short, Divine One," said Lapis. "If you forget about what happened at the cathedral, you've lead us well. We may have lost the Emblems, but you have kept us alive."

"Well, my sister deserves half, if not most, of the credit," said Alear.

"Look at us. We're so hard on ourselves, we want each other to lighten up," said Lapis. "I underestimate myself, and you respond with praise. You bring yourself down, and here I am trying to lift you back up."

"Well, I guess that just means we appreciate each other's abilities," said Alear. "I guess we just can't afford to get ahead of ourselves. I did say being hard on ourselves can be a good motivator. But we also need to have trust in ourselves."

"Be kind to yourself," Lapis remembered. "And maybe a little kindness from others helps boost your confidence."

"I'll always be here to give you that boost, if you need it," Alear promised.

"Well, if that's how it's gonna be, then I'll be here to do the same," Lapis promised in return.