The morning kept the luck of nice weather going, the air pleasant and the sun not obnoxiously bright. It wasn't until around 8 o'clock that one of the sorcerers woke up. Greylock awoke to no sun in his eyes, as though there were a shadow on him. He rubbed his eyes, conscious that he was outside, and sat up. He looked around himself, noticing Cedric beside him, and the sun shining down on the area around them. He looked up to see a partially blurry woman standing in front of them. He also realized she wasn't facing them, also seeing a young girl standing beside her. Greylock recognized her to be Princess Sofia.

The sorcerer felt a hint of worry at the stranger's presence, despite her being in the company of Sofia. Not only that, but he hadn't expected to have woken up outside. Had he fallen asleep out there? Who all had seen them?

Greylock leaned back and rubbed Cedric's shoulder with a bit more force than intended. The Enchancian groaned and thrust his shoulder away, opening his eyes. "What?" He groaned before noticing anything else. His scowl disappeared as he realized where he was, and looked in the direction in front of them where Greylock was pointing to. Cedric sat up and gasped at seeing two people standing there. Outside.

He'd fallen asleep outside.

Cedric wasn't concerned about Sofia so much as he was about their setting. Or the woman.

"Matilda?" He started in a near whisper.

Greylock was confused. He made this blatantly obvious to Cedric, gesturing between her and them. Cedric opened his mouth to continue but stopped as the duchess turned around.

"Oh! I sure hope we didn't wake you boys," Tilly said, twirling the open umbrella resting at her shoulder. Sofia looked over at them and smiled.

The sorcerers glanced at each other before looking at Tilly. They paid no mind to Sofia.

I don't know him, Cedric considered saying. By instinct, he nearly did.

"Not at all," Greylock hesitantly replied. He briefly glanced at Cedric to see the lanky man smiling sheepishly up at her. Greylock mirrored him. "And... who are-?"

"That's the duchess, you imbecile," Cedric aggressively whispered through gritted teeth.

Greylock shot him a look at the rude name. "Hey! How was I supposed to know she's-" He started, pausing. "A duchess?" He finished, dropping his defensive tone. Greylock quickly stood up, brushing himself off. "My lady," He said with a formal bow. Cedric rolled his eyes and stood.

Tilly laughed, giving a wave of her hand. "Why, thank you, but there's really no need for that," She assured. "I'm not all about those formal introductions," Tilly stated, closing her umbrella and holding it in front of her.

Greylock stood up straight and placed his hands behind his back. "Oh. Certainly," He said, intrigued by the royals' rejection of her own hierarchy. "My apologies, Miss..."

"Tilly," The woman replied, putting out a hand.

Greylock looked down at his own shaking hand to be sure he hadn't forgotten about a surprise palm buzzer around any of his fingers. After confirming there was nothing, he put his own hand out to meet hers. Greylock was surprised by the strong grip Tilly had on him as they shook, although he was intrigued by the manner of the duchess. She seemed rather kind- nothing like the stuck-up royalty he was used to in Rudistan. And nothing but friendly, as well; surely she wasn't aware of the Rudistan drama. He was sure her reaction to him would be very different if that were so.

Cedric lifted his own hand and roughly placed it on Greylock's shoulder. The other sorcerer turned to look at the Enchancian, confused by the gesture.

"Greylock," Cedric introduced to Tilly.

At realizing he'd forgotten to give his name, Greylock's eyes widened "Right!" He said, laughing awkwardly as he retracted his hand. While his multiple mistakes replayed in his mind, his face looked like he'd choose to disappear if given the chance. Sofia thought nothing of the mistakes, although she did giggle.

"And Cedric!" Tilly chirped, folding her hands back onto the closed umbrella's handle. She wore a slight smile as she addressed the sorcerer. "Well, I haven't heard from you in a long time!" She pointed out, "I don't remember seeing you at my wedding, either," She added.

Cedric's expression dropped, the color draining from his face. "Oh," He started, fidgeting with his hands a bit. "W-Was I invited to that?" He asked, laughing nervously. He couldn't mention how he despised weddings, that seemed far too rude, and he figured it would be especially so to let the duchess know how he had intentionally missed out on her wedding.

"Yes, you were. I'm married to Sir Bartleby, now," Tilly informed.

Cedric nodded. "S-So I've heard," He replied.

"We've settled down pretty quickly, if you dismiss all the adventures we go on," Tilly told Cedric with a smile, taking a brief glance at Greylock before her smile widened. "And it looks like you're finally settling down, too," She added.

Both sorcerers noticed the glance. Greylock looked away with a blush while Cedric was frantic to explain. "No! I'm- We're not-" He started, pausing to readjust his stance. He cleared his throat. "I'm afraid you've got it all wrong, Matilda," He started.

"Tilly does just fine, Cedric, thank you," The duchess stated. She perked up once more. "And what? Is that not what this is? I don't remember it being all that common in Enchancia to fall asleep outside with any ol' buddy," She said with a laugh. Cedric sighed as Tilly leaned in closer to mutter something. "Not that I think you're worried about what's common. I know you always swung both ways," She commented, giving a gentle swing of her umbrella.

Cedric's face flushed at the comment as he stepped back while Greylock looked at Tilly, appearing slightly more satisfied. The Enchancian put a hand on his hip. "I can assure you... Tilly, that you have the wrong idea," He stated, gesturing between himself and Greylock with his free hand, "And we are certainly not together," He added.

Tilly hummed. She believed the sorcerer's insisting, although she did see Greylock's loving eyes on Cedric. Once Greylock looked back at the duchess, he noticed her knowing glance. Greylock blushed and rolled his eyes while Tilly's smile grew. "I see," She said. Cedric gave an affirmative nod to his own case.

From across the garden, Baileywick noticed the interaction taking place. He couldn't hear the conversation, but that wasn't his main concern. What had his attention was Greylock standing there. Now, he was especially thankful that Rudistan had sent that letter to Enchancia. And what was Cedric doing, standing right next to the criminal sorcerer? Although he had advised Cedric to catch up with Greylock during the visit, he hadn't expected Greylock to have ended up trying to take over Rudistan. Even if he had, he'd have hoped Cedric would at least have the sense not to interact all friendly with him.

Baileywick had received the news that Greylock had taken the path of evil when the royals returned from their trip. He still found it unfortunate how King Magnus' second-in-command steward and his right-hand-sorcerer betrayed him. Baileywick had his own inside opinions on how King Magnus handles things, but it has never been his place to comment. Still, the nerve someone must have to defy their king for wicked reasons. Where was Cedric's loyalty? He supposed there were reasonable times if only for a good cause and reason. Still, he could never imagine betraying King Roland.

Cedric had tried defying him- and with the evil intent of taking over Enchancia. The aftermath of his attempt for power made him more suspicious of Cedric for a time. That feeling settled and faded eventually. Now seeing the sorcerer with Greylock had him questioning if he ever should have doubted and let go of his suspicions.

"I must inform King Roland immediately," Baileywick said to himself. He took a step back, taking one more glance at the sorcerers before turning around to go inside.

Enchancia was not all that familiar to Garo, having only the memories of visiting a time or two. The waterfall far across from himself was familiar- Greylock had done magic there. He remembered that day like it was yesterday, even if he hadn't been there, exactly- only the part of Greylock that fueled his creation. There was a garden ahead, and large, open doors not far from him.

Garo squinted his eyes, noticing the other sorcerers in the garden. He glared at the face identical to his own. Greylock looked so free, a privilege recieved after creating him to leave alone in the dungeon. They wanted him to act as Greylock's decoy, but he couldn't have that- not when there were perfectly good kingdoms to take for himself. Cedric was not innocent, either, he thought. Although he could thank him for making him as he is, he could not excuse how he went along so willingly with Greylock's plan.

Garo noticed the castle steward, Baileywick, not far from him. He gasped and ducked down for a moment so as not to be seen. After a moment passed, he peered back up. The steward looked as though he'd lost his focus, now, staring over at the other sorcerers. Garo looked back at the open doors and considered proceeding. The steward looked focused enough- maybe he had time.

Coming away from the bush, Garo decided to take the chance, rushing into the castle. It didn't look as though there were other people nearby on the inside. He calmed himself after getting through the doors without being addressed.

"I must inform King Roland immediately," The sorcerer heard the steward say from outside. He cringed, panic coming back to him. Was it him? Maybe he had been spotted. Garo looked around frantically, rushing away from the hallway and hiding behind a pillar.

That wretched steward, Garo thought to himself. He was good, from what he knew from the jubilee. Not so much during the jubilee, thanks to Slickwell's selfish act, but he knew that Baileywick was good nevertheless. Far too good, at that- he was a threat.

Garo was lucky to have been passed without the steward coming in his direction or noticing him. Once Baileywick was a far enough distance away, the sorcerer let out a relieved sigh. He noticed a stone walkway descending downward across from him and assumed this to be the dungeon.

Perfect, he thought. Garo looked around himself once more before rushing over to the staircase.

The sorcerers had spoken with Tilly for a short while longer (Sofia occasionally adding her own input or comments) before leaving the garden. They had each grabbed their own basket of collected Ragweed from the night before, heading back into the castle. Thankfully, no one was around them that would have caused them to stop along the way and hide to avoid being found. The workshop was not too far from the garden, either, which worked in their favor.

As they approached the door to Cedric's tower, they noticed a foldable service table in front of the entrance. They approached the table in confusion- it had two separate breakfast plates and a folded note card. Cedric grabbed the folded note on the tray and opened it, reading it aloud:

Get well soon!

-Sofia

Cedric raised an eyebrow. "Get well soon?" He repeated, looking up. Greylock shrugged, taking a look at the note for himself. Cedric let him take it and hummed. "This must be her trying to fetch us breakfast," He said.

"Well, that's very considerate," Greylock commented. "But why would feeling ill be proper reasoning for two plates?" He asked.

"Oh, you haven't seen me when I'm ill," Cedric replied, unlocking the door and turning around to grab the plates. "Believe it or not, this makes perfect sense," He stated, kicking the door open with his foot and turning forward again.

Greylock was humored by the information. "Huh," He said with a smile before folding the delivery table back up and placing it against the wall. He looked behind himself before entering the tower, shutting the door behind him.

As Cedric went to place the plates down on his table, he saw the wand case for his family wand still there.

"G'oh, my wand," Cedric said with a sigh. "We should be looking for it soon," He stated.

"Certainly," Greylock agreed, taking one of the two plates from Cedric's hand. "That sounds like the perfect task to accomplish after breakfast?" He commented with a cheeky smile.

Cedric rolled his eyes at the comment. "Fine," He agreed, stifling his own smile at the sorcerer's antics.

The two chose to go up to the second story of the tower in front of its large window. Cedric always liked the view from this window, it gave him a nice sight of the apple trees and other outside sections of the castle. He did not think on it long, drawing his purple wand to conjure a circular table and two chairs. Greylock, who had brought the plates up the stairs with his own magic, lowered them onto the table. The two settled and spent a moment in silence. Cedric looked out the window and sighed.

"I suppose what you said in Rudistan, that... night we spent together, was true," He said. Cedric had one elbow on the brick windowsill and slightly rested his face in his hand.

Greylock looked up at him. His heart fluttered at the mere mention of that night. Cedric did not meet his gaze. "What about?" He questioned.

"Enchancia can be rather pretty," Cedric said, taking in the sights through the window. "I really don't go out and appreciate it as much as I should," He said.

"Beautiful,"

Cedric looked back at him, then, confused. "What?" He questioned.

Greylock hadn't exactly intended to say that out loud, although it didn't phase him much that he had. "What I said was 'Your kingdom is beautiful'," He recalled, looking into the other man's eyes. "And... that the sights were pretty," He added in a gentle voice.

There was a short pause of eye contact before Cedric scoffed, rolling his eyes with a faint smile. "Alright, wonderboy. Whatever," He dismissively replied. "How on earth did you remember all that?" He asked, looking back at him.

How had he remembered? Greylock hadn't forgotten much, as it had been his first night out of the dungeon for what had been months. But he couldn't mention much else; He couldn't mention the way he had been so thrilled to be spending time like that with Cedric, or how comfortable he felt with him by his side. He couldn't tell Cedric how even now his heart fluttered at seeing him smile. None of this would be proper for casual morning conversation. How complicated simple questions could be to answer.

"I... remember a lot from that night," Greylock responded, gently tapping his fingers on the table.

"I suppose you would have remembered, after the dun..," Cedric started, stopping himself as he approached another touchy subject. "W-Well, anyway," He mumbled, his smile fading slightly. "I know I was rather cross with you, too."

Greylock shook his head and placed his hand atop Cedric's. The Enchancian was taken aback and looked down at their hands on the table. "You had every right to be," Greylock retorted, "It was a big ask on my part."

"Yes, it was," Cedric agreed, debating if he should pull his hand away. If he wanted to. Regardless, he sighed. "But... I suppose you're not so bad to have around." Cedric added, looking away.

"A partner can be useful, I'm sure," Greylock commented with an endearing smile.

Cedric looked back toward him at the comment, his eyebrows curling up slightly. He did nothing more than look at the other man for a moment until finally giving a small smile. "Well, I... suppose..."

Greylock's smile brightened at the response. Cedric broke the eye contact then, sighing as he pulled his hand away. His smile was there to stay.

"I suppose you will be while you help me find my wand," Cedric finished, standing up.

Greylock mirrored his stance and nodded. "Of course," He agreed, pushing his chair in.

The conversation stopped after this. Together, they put the setup back to its original state, casting a few simple 'disappearo' spells on the table setup and plates. The sound of setup drowned out any outside noise they may have otherwise heard.

They hadn't heard the sound of multiple footsteps coming up the stairs or the murmuring. They hadn't heard the orders given to the quietly instructed group. All they had heard was the sound of Baileywick's voice calling for Cedric before the door was opened wide.

Cedric and Greylock froze in place on the stairs for a moment, complete and utter shock pasted on their faces.

There were four guards standing alert behind the steward. Baileywick scanned the tower with his eyes. "Cedric?" He called again before seeing the two on the stairs. He scowled. "There." He said coldly, pointing up at the two.

Greylock stared wide-eyed at the men. His body shook while standing in place, and even moreso as he took a step back. The sorcerer's head shook slightly. "No," He said under his breath, taking another step behind himself.

Cedric noticed the motion beside him and looked at Greylock as he moved away. Greylock's breath hitched before he turned around to bolt further up the tower.

"Seize them both!" Baileywick then commanded. The guards started toward the sorcerers at the order.

"Greylock, stop!" Cedric cried out, grabbing the other man's arm. He stumbled on the stairs in his effort to stop him.

Greylock tried to pry himself away. "Let go! I can't go back!" He exclaimed, briefly glancing at Cedric with glossy eyes before successfully pulling himself free.

The Enchancian had his own look of horror as Greylock tried rushing off on his own. Cedric did not fight as a guard pulled him up from the stairs by the arm. The other three rushed past them to seize the runaway sorcerer.

The guards caught up quickly to Greylock. One managed to grab his robe, nearly tripping him, before another tackled him the ground. They fell with a thud, Greylock groaning at the stone floor colliding with the back of his head.

The guard above him stabilized himself so that Greylock could not easily escape, holding the sorcerer's wrists firmly above his head.

Greylock stopped fighting after the tackle. He opened his eyes and looked up at the other man who held him. "...Take me to dinner first?" He said with a sheepish grin.

The guard scoffed and shifted his hands to hold both of Greylock's wrists, using his free hand to smack him across the face.

Greylock cringed at the attack and let his cheek rest on the stone with a groan. "Okay, I deserved that," Greylock mumbled. He took in a breath before looking at the hold the guard had on him, gazing back up at the guard. "So... you've got a little muscle, huh?"

Cedric rolled his eyes, facepalming. The guard holding him did nothing to stop it. He'd think to do the same under different circumstances.

The guard holding Greylock stared at him, dumbfounded by his audacity. "Are you looking for more trouble?" He asked, sneering. The man moved to stand up, taking the sorcerer with him. Greylock sighed before pursing his lips and looking out the window. It was worth a shot. A second guard came to grab Greylock's right arm before he was hoisted forward in walking.

Although the guard holding Cedric hadn't had any trouble with him, another guard came to secure his other arm like they had with Greylock. At feeling another man grab his arm, Cedric jerked his away, looking at the man with a glare.

"You don't see me putting up a fight, do you?" Cedric hissed, holding his arm by his chest as if the guard were diseased. "I hadn't thought of it until you started prodding!" He stated, narrowing his eyes.

"You don't get to make the decisions here," The guard replied, hooking their arms together with more force. Cedric huffed in annoyance, looking down.

Baileywick crossed his arms as they came down the stairs to the tower's main level. This wasn't the first time he'd seen Cedric detained for wrongful acts against the kingdom, but he hadn't expected his thought of Cedric helping Greylock to actually be correct.

"He hasn't done anything bad here, Baileywick," Cedric claimed.

"That doesn't change the fact that he shouldn't be here, and neither does the two of you being friends," Baileywick responded, "Greylock is still a criminal, and you helped him get away from that punishment. You can't interfere with justice, Cedric." The steward said.

Cedric scoffed. "Oh, you know all about that, don't you?" He spat. "This isn't-!"

"Don't tell it to me," Baileywick said, putting a hand up. "I'm sure I'll hear all about whatever you have to say when you speak with the king."

Cedric's expression turned to one of concern. "The king?" He repeated with a gulp. Well, this was it- he'd be booted out of the kingdom within the hour. His case would be far too difficult to defend should the king care more about rules than morals- and with Baileywick there to chirp in his ear, the former would almost undoubtedly be the outcome.

Greylock looked over at Cedric, seeing his deep frown and the anxious look in his eyes. Guilt struck him more severely than anything else. This was his fault. Cedric wouldn't have to worry about getting into all of these troubles if it weren't for him. He couldn't bear Cedric facing these consequences when it had always been Greylock asking him for help.

Perhaps Cedric had been right, and he should have stayed in Rudistan after being saved. Maybe he should have stayed in that dungeon, after all. It would have been far less trouble for everyone else. Cedric needed help now, and what could he do to help him back? Even if he did try something, nothing could equate to what Cedric had put on the line for him. He couldn't let him lose that.

"This isn't Cedric's fault," Greylock claimed, looking at Baileywick now. The steward had already been looking his way, it seemed, although his scowl was piercing. "He never planned for any of this, I encouraged everything. It was always my idea." He stated.

Baileywick noticed the look of hurt in the other's eyes. He now seemed very eager to protect Cedric from the consequences, even if that resulted in him receiving more trouble. Even so, that would not come close to enough in order to let all that occurred fly.

"I think we both know that isn't entirely true," Baileywick responded. Greylock chose not to say anything back. By now, it seemed that their words to the steward would be pointless. Baileywick gave a nod to the guards, signaling that they were meant to leave the tower with the sorcerers. The guards guided them away, Baileywick following behind everyone.

"Where exactly are we going?" Greylock then asked.

Cedric scoffed at the question. The other sorcerer glanced at him, his heart dropping at the response and Cedric's gloomy demeanor.

Baileywick briefly checked his pocket watch. "The king is at his throne. He's awaiting our arrival for your questioning." He informed.

Garo was unfamiliar with Enchancia's dungeon, although he quickly noticed it was far smaller than Rudistan's. There were even a few cells available. It appeared to him that the king of this kingdom was far less strict about who got sent to the dungeon and who was pardoned. Garo planned on overthrowing King Magnus and taking Rudistan for himself, and it seemed as though this smooth-sailing kingdom would be a cinch to take over. He figured that could be a job for later. Revenge upon King Magnus was something he craved over anything else.

For now, he intended to find Grimtrix. That man surely knew the keys to power and would likely be more than willing to share them if it meant being freed.

Luckily, the sorcerer was not too difficult to find. The smaller dungeon was convenient in this sense- a tedious walk would be an insufferable use of his time. It appeared Grimtrix was awake as he approached the brick cell. The sorcerer smiled heartily as he noticed Garo.

"Greylock, what a pleasant surprise!" He said, standing up and approaching the bars. "I'm sure my situation seems rather surprising to you," Grimtrix added.

"Perhaps, but I'm afraid you've got me all wrong, Grimtrix," Garo stated. "Although I am far superior to Greylock, I was created from magic to act as a replica of him. He intended to put me in a position just as you are now," He said, scowling at the last bit.

Grimtrix looked puzzled. "Are you telling me you're not Greylock?" He questioned, his unsureness clear. If it were true, how had it been done?

The other sorcerer leaned one shoulder against the bars, adjusting his cyan robe. "Garo is what I like to call myself," He stated with a smirk, "It's not so reminding of a goodie-two-shoes, wouldn't you agree?"

The remark did not seem to be much help to Grimtrix as he pondered what in the EverRealm could have elicited this outcome. "The closest spell I can think of that could have produced such a result would have to be the 'Doppler Duplicato' spell."

Garo crossed his arms and gave a singular shrug. "Sure- if an uninterestingly precise replica of someone is your aim," He agreed. "But a bit of bungling thrown in with that objective can change things entirely, as you can see." He said, gesturing to himself. "I should think that my motives and goals are far more powerful than the ones that goodie Grand wields."

Grimtrix eyebrows were scrunched as he considered the information. "But even so, I've never seen that spell used on a person before!" Grimtrix said. "It must have taken a lot of composure to go through with such an idea," The sorcerer stated.

"Oh, I quite agree," Garo said, looking away from Grimtrix now, "Even through the bungling, there lies a vine of endearing intellect I can't ignore," He added, a sort of softness enlaced in his words. Garo extinguished the thought and looked back at Grimtrix with a smirk. "And wouldn't you believe, it was Cedric who went through with trying," He said.

"Really?" Grimtrix asked, astonished by this. "Well, that's not what I was expecting to hear." He stated, surprised by the fact that Cedric was the cause of this discovery that was news to him. Not that he had been expecting any of this.

Garo hummed. "Yes, although I wouldn't doubt it. That boldness is something I think he's gotten far more used to. It seems he's shied away from some cowardice he showed when we attended to Hexley Hall," He said while being reminded of the memories he possessed from Greylock's experiences with him during that time.

Grimtrix had a blankness on his face, now, unsure of if he was picking up on longing or if it were mere appreciation Garo seemed to be expressing. The older man quirked an eyebrow up at him. Garo noticed his look and gave a wave of his hand.

"Nevermind him," He said, leaning off the bars, instead opting to stand up straight. "Grimtrix, I've come seeking an explanation of your knowledge on the Medusa stones," Garo stated, placing his hands behind his back.

"Whatever for?" Grimtrix asked. His expression turned to a mischievous one. "You wouldn't be looking to take back what was almost yours, would you?"

Garo chose not to address the specifics of who was who. "Just so, my good man," He confirmed. "Rudistan is still ripe for the taking, and I intend to use that opportunity as soon as I can," Garo added.

"Well, if you're looking to take over your kingdom by using a Medusa stone, you'll need a Medusa stone," Grimtrix commented.

Garo nodded. "Yes, exactly. Would you give one to me, then? I know they weren't all used." He eagerly questioned.

Grimtrix folded his arms. "I can certainly help you get one, but because of your timing, I'm afraid I can't do exactly what you're asking," He admitted.

The other sorcerer paused for a moment. Grimtrix thought he saw his eye twitch. "Why not?" Garo asked sternly.

Grimtrix took note of the tone but paid it little mind. "It's not me who has what you need."

Meanwhile, Tilly and Sofia were wrapping up their time outside. They were currently caught up in an engaging conversation.

"Needless to say, that was the last time I ever went to a duchess ball," Tilly said, walking with a swing in her step. Sofia giggled at the story, keeping up with her aunt.

"I'm glad you're not allergic to fun, Aunt Tilly!" She said, carrying Clover in her arms after finding him in the garden. The rabbit held a half-eaten carrot in his paws, paying little mind to their conversation.

Tilly laughed at the girl's remark. They carried on toward the open castle doors but stopped abruptly when a group of guards passed by them, followed by Baileywick. The two quickly noticed the guards holding Greylock and Cedric with a close hold. Sofia gasped sharply, startling Clover. The bunny looked over at the commotion.

"Oh, dear," Tilly said, putting a hand up to her heart. "What in the world is going on?" She asked, wondering what sort of troubles the boys could have possibly gotten themselves into within mere hours.

"Mr. Cedric!" Sofia exclaimed.

Clover winced at the girl's yelling and hopped out of her arms. "Can't a rabbit eat his lunch without some crazy fiasco goin' on? Sheesh!" He asked himself.

Sofia's exclamation caught the attention of Cedric and Baileywick. The steward frowned- the princess was far too trusting for her own good. If only she weren't so trusting of Cedric, he thought. It would save her from additional hurt, and Baileywick from more headaches.

Cedric looked over his shoulder at hearing the voice. His own frown only deepened as he saw her concerned expression despite only seeing it for a moment. The last thing he wanted was to lose the trust with her that he had reestablished, although he would already be losing that with the king. All he could hope was that the girl would know in her heart that this time, his reasoning for being in trouble with the royals was for an arguably good cause. Rather than sheer selfishness and wanting to take over the kingdom, he had been selfless in assisting Greylock with the freedom from Rudistan that he desired. Cedric sighed and looked down at the floor.

Greylock noticed the change and glanced at him, noticing his sullen demeanor. Guilt further swelled in his heart at seeing the downcast sorcerer. "I'm sorry, Cedric, I never-"

"Don't," Cedric replied coldly, not shifting his stare.

Greylock blinked back at the response, frowning at the short response. He had never intended to bring so much trouble to Cedric, and seeing the look on his face now had him reconsidering his past choices. The last thing he wanted was for Cedric to pay the price of his selfish wishes. He sighed.

"This is all my fault," Greylock mumbled, just loud enough to hear.

"It is your fault!" Cedric snapped in agreement, looking at him with a glare now. There was a fire behind his eyes fueled primarily by what he had to lose and what he was certainly going to lose. All he worried about losing from the start of all this was now on the line, and that infuriated him just as much as it disheartened him.

As unforgiving as he looked toward Greylock, he knew, truly, that it wasn't entirely his fault. Cedric had his own contributions to their scandalous hiding. Greylock was someone he would much rather be able to show beside himself to other people, despite his foolish nature.

But that didn't matter now. At this moment, Cedric was entirely overcome with negative feelings. He only hoped that this wish and defense of Greylock would be enough to persuade King Roland.