Chapter 10: Within Sight

Well, that all went about as well as Alphinaud could have guessed.

After they had managed to make it back to their room, he and Claire spent the entire morning and well into the afternoon locked up in the tower before the lockdown ended. A servant came to fetch them while Claire was teaching him Triple Triad as a way to pass the time and informed them that they were now allowed to leave. Yet as they were leaving their room, the servant also made sure to warn them to avoid Ran'jit for the time being—who was now in a towering rage that the Warrior of Darkness had managed to escape once again.

After they parted ways with the servant, who went off to get to work on cooking dinner, Alphinaud looked to Claire and asked if all lockdowns were just like that. She shrugged and admitted that lockdowns rarely lasted longer than one day and that she hadn't expected it to take too long before Ran'jit realized that there were no bodies to fish out. She could only assume that Ran'jit search of the shore proved to be fruitless and thus saw no further need to keep everyone confined.

"Though I do agree that it is best to avoid him if we see him," she muttered darkly, which he nodded in full agreement.

It was a relief not having to be locked up anymore, but the moment that they were entered the main part of the castle, he noticed right away some anxious looks at a handful of the servants and guards—and he suspected that Kai-Shirr must have told them about how he was now aware of what was going on. The looks had become rather nervous, as if terrified that he was going to rat them out to Vauthry at any moment—something that he pointed out to Claire as they walked the halls, who nodded in agreement.

"Do not be upset with them," she responded calmly, going about the day as if everything was normal. "They had to keep it secret for so long that they've become a bit paranoid over letting everyone know. Even with some of our members, we had to introduce them carefully as to not cause any panic. I'll be sure that they understand but for now, I think it best that we speak with, ah… certain members first to explain what happened."

He realized what that meant very quickly when he followed her all the way to the servant corridors, where a very grumpy-looking Y'shtola was waiting for them as if she had been expecting them. Tataru and Ryne were both with her, looking stunned when the two of them entered, with Claire keeping her head down in a submissive way and he followed in like a puppy at her heels.

At the sight of Y'shtola's blank eyes all but boring holes into his head, as if she wished to set him alight right where he stood, caused Alphinaud to gulp down in fear. But rather than speak to him, she turned to Claire and said in a rather stiff voice, "I had thought that I recognized the aether that was following you this morning… but I never would have thought that you would take him out with you on your latest escapade…?"

"It was a secret," Claire responded calmly. "One so secret even I wasn't aware of it. I did try to keep my face hidden but…?"

"Please, I didn't mean to cause any trouble," Alphinaud said to her quickly as the dead eyes of a bird of prey glared back at him for daring to speak.

"You snuck out of bed to hunt down the number one most wanted criminal of these lands," Y'shtola pointed out. "There is no way that you weren't expecting trouble to follow. If so, then you are even more naïve than I first thought."

Alphinaud could not argue with that logic and felt himself turning red as she sighed and shook her head before he tried to justify, "I was hoping to speak with the Warrior of Darkness about these collars, you see… I had no idea about any of this and…?"

He quickly explained what he had done and how he did it, as well as what happened afterwards during their flight from the army to make it back to the castle.

She and the others listened without saying a word, and though Y'shtola showed no other signs of emotion, he could have sworn he saw worry in her face. But Tataru spoke with a business-like voice to Claire, "That was reckless. You know as well as I do that Ran'jit is all but foaming at the mouth to capture the Warrior of Darkness and your little escape from him—both last night and what happened in Lakeland—are bound to make him even more determined to capture you."

"But he doesn't have any proof of who she is," Ryne reminded her.

"That doesn't mean that he is completely unaware of what is going on here," Y'shtola snapped. "He's a lot of things, but unaware isn't one of them. He knows… I can tell just by how he interacts with her that he at least suspects the truth. The only reason he hasn't called us out on our deception is because he can't prove anything. Why do you think that he drags her off to Vauthry whenever he gets the chance?"

Alphinaud felt himself run cold at the thought and pressed, "He knows she's the Warrior of Darkness?"

"He knows that she's hiding something big from him if nothing else," she shrugged. "As for Vauthry? He's convinced that she's in league with the Warrior somehow, just not that she is the Warrior."

She looked back to Claire, and when he followed her gaze, he was able to really get a good look at her face from the glow of the lantern and realized how tired she looked. How the bones seemed to stick out slightly from her face and the lack of overall energy she had.

Y'shtola bit her lip in worry before she commanded, "Let me see your wounds."

Claire went to the table in the corner without complaint and prepared herself to remove her clothes for the examination. That was when Tataru noticed that he was staring and shooed him out of the room so that they had some privacy to take care of her. Alphinaud almost retorted that he had seen her naked before so what was the problem now? But he felt himself freeze up at the memory and he turned bright red before leaving the room without a word. He didn't think pressing his luck would do him any favors. He waited outside in the hall for a time, feeling anxious as he remembered the beating she took last night and how she struggled to get out of the water until he had to help her. She was in pain, he could clearly remember seeing the look in her eyes as she struggled until she removed the cloak from her face so that he could see her wincing properly. He had been so anxious to get back to the castle and avoid getting caught that he didn't stop to think about how she was pushing herself to the extreme.

If only he knew better ways of healing then he could have done more than numb the pain for a little while. But instead the best he could do was to help carry her back to the castle as she gave him orders. No, this was not going to do at all! He knew only the very basics of healing but it was clear that wasn't going to cut it! He would have to work and try harder if he was going to make himself useful around here.

The door suddenly opened a few minutes later as he thought of going back to the library to see what he could learn to improve himself, and Ryne let him back inside. When he entered, he found Claire finishing smoothing out her dress and Y'shtola was fixing her hair.

"It's nothing serious," he heard the Miqo'te inform her firmly. "But you must allow yourself a few days of rest. Thancred will return by tomorrow morning so I am certain that he can take over for the time being, but only if something important happens. Until you are completely healed, you are not to go anywhere. Is this understood?"

Claire could only nod. He understood why she didn't put up a fuss or complain. He knew Y'shtola well enough by now to know that you don't sigh, you don't roll your eyes, you don't stamp your feet, you don't even leave the room without respect for that woman. You do what she tells you or she will want to know why.

Y'shtola dusted off her hands before she turned back to Alphinaud and said, "Well? What are you going to do?"

"M-Me?" he asked in surprise, taken aback by the sudden question. "Well, I ah…?"

"You know the full truth of who we are, what we are doing, as well as several members already," Y'shtola reminded him as Tataru and Ryne looked up nervously at them. "So I must ask… what your intentions now are? You can do whatever you want, but I need to hear from your own mouth what you wish for?"

"Oh… ah… well, I want to help you all," he said looking around at them as they glanced back and he felt his ears turning red again. He knew how it must look. The son of a lord, one of the highest, if not the highest, nobles back in Sharlayan, who never had to face a day of real suffering was offering to lend them his assistance. But he didn't want to just sit back and do nothing while they were all trying their hardest to help the people of these lands—especially now that he knew the full truth. He had seen just a tiny fraction of the good that they have done and he wanted to be part of that.

Perhaps coming to these lands wasn't what he originally planned, but something was just telling him that this was where he needed to be. He remembered that fire blazing inside him, that warmth that spread to his very soul at the good he had done simply by helping someone else. He wanted to feel that again.

"Look, I know that I have a long way to go to prove myself," he said firmly, "And I know that you doubt me. I don't blame you. I am no warrior. I'm a diplomat. My talents lie at the discussion table or coming up with plans. But that is how I wish to help you all out. I wish to lend you my aid wherever I can. Though I know that my skills on the battlefield are practically nonexistent… I want to learn. I want to help out. I will start by learning the arts of healing so that I can better assist with you and your endeavors. And I know that I can be helpful in coming up with plans and all manner of strategies. I will do whatever you ask of me… just… give me a chance to prove it."

He looked imploringly at the four women as they glanced at each other.

"If it makes you feel better, I swear that I will never tell another soul what I learned," he vowed.

"Can you really keep that promise should Vauthry try to force it out of you?" Y'shtola asked him seriously. "Should he come to suspect you and torture you with the collar… can you tell me that you won't ever break?"

He felt himself choking at the thought as he remembered the pain that he went through when the metal tightened around his neck and he shivered at the thought.

"I… I can't say that I will," he confessed slowly. "Not because I want to, but because I don't know if I can break or not. I mean, I… I could lie to you and say that I won't… but I can't promise that. I really can't. But know that I will never betray you willingly. I guess that is the best that I can offer."

"Well, at least you're honest," Y'shtola sighed as she ran her hand through her hair as she thought it over. She then turned back to Claire and asked, "This is your decision. He's your husband whether we like it or not. You have the final say."

She turned from her before their eyes met and he felt his heart beating a little faster when she stood up and walked over to stand in front of him. The way that those eyes looked at him, as if she was looking right past his eyes and into his soul seemed to send a strange tremble through his body. For a brief second, he wanted to take her into his arms and hold her before he blinked and the feeling left as quickly as it had come.

"I believe you," she smiled and he sighed in relief as Y'sthola shook her head again.

"Very well," she said. "If he had your approval then I will not bring it up again. But know that I will be leaving the explanation to Thancred to the two of you. Good luck with that."

"Oh come now," Tataru said with a smile back on her face. "Alphinaud may seem a bit hopeless at times but I can tell that he's a good boy."

"Hey!" he retorted, not sure if he should be offended or complimented at the same time and they all began to laugh as he glowered, fighting the urge to smile at the same time.

The next day soon came and it was a relief to be able to see Claire actually sleep in bed the night before for a change. She wasted no time in collapsing onto the mattress in exhaustion while he stayed up late into the night with a book. He kept the light dim so as not to disturb her rest, but he was eager to live up to his words on being more of an asset than liability to this group of Scions.

As of right now, they had to play things carefully with Ran'jit back in the castle, but thankfully there didn't seem to be any major problems that the people of Norvrandt couldn't handle themselves for the time being. As such, Alphinaud was informed that there wouldn't be much to do for the time being save for keeping their eyes and ears open for the slightest bit of information that could be important. As such, he dedicated the rest of his time that day to studying up in the library. The difference from what he usually studied up on though was that he was now focusing on books that specifically explained more about spellcraft, the arts of healing, and how such arts could be used in battle.

He knew that he would never be someone who could use a sword or spear—such weapons he could never hope to master—but magic was where his talents were more effective, this he knew. But despite that, he knew precious little when it came to offensive spells and he would have to learn how to handle that. So he would work on improving his healing and defensive spells to help Claire whenever she was hurt or in pain. Once he mastered such spells then he would focus more on what he could do to lend aid in other ways on the battlefield.

The thought that he had just been welcomed into the Scions and they were giving him this chance to prove himself was enough to make him smile in excitement and caused him to want to be able to show that they weren't wrong in trusting him.

He had already read through an entire book on the arts of healing that very day in fact, stopping only to have dinner, but he made sure to smuggle a few books up to their room for later. In fact, he was so eager that he read through most of the night and only stopped when his eyes simply couldn't stay open any longer. He woke up tired the next day, but the truth was that he didn't mind it. He hadn't feel this eager since he first entered the Studium. It was like someone lit a fire in his head and nothing could destroy it as he worked towards a new goal.

The most difficult part of all of this though… was Thancred.

Thancred finally returned after being away for weeks, having slipped back into the castle mostly undetected and went off to check up on Ryne, who had been with them in servant quarters again, as soon as he could. It was heartwarming to see the two back together as Ryne gave Thancred a big hug and was grinning from ear to ear. Ryne hadn't been the same Thancred left, often been moping around and constantly worrying if Thancred was alright or not so you could almost see all the anxiety melt away the moment she saw him enter the room.

At least until Thancred's eyes found Alphinaud and the happiness was drained out of his face as quickly as if someone had pulled a plug.

Sensing danger, Claire stepped forward and quickly explained everything that happened to Thancred as Alphinaud stood there, twisting his hands about anxiously, wondering what was going to happen. By the time that she was finished, Thancred appeared to remain calm…?

"I see," he said in a surprisingly calm voice before he gently pushed Ryne and Tataru closer to the door. "Now, before I completely lose it, I would very much like it if you both left the room for just a few minutes."

His voice was still calm but Alphinaud could see the muscle going in Thancred's forehead and a smile that was oddly terrifying as he seemed to be doing his best to keep his fury under control. The other two sensed this and Tataru gulped down noticeably before adding, "Thancred, I know that you can't be happy about this, but really, I don't think that it's that bad…?"

"Yeah, Thancred, I think that Alphinaud wouldn't tell uncle about any of this…?" Ryne said but though the fake smile was still on his face, there was a clear warning in his eyes that said that she best not argue.

"I'll call you both back in after we have a stern talking to," he said and the two seemed to realize that arguing was not going to get them anywhere. They both nodded and took off, closing the door behind them before Thancred straightened up and he then unleashed his fury upon Alphinaud. Y'shtola just shook her head in irritation before she cast a spell to block out the noise from the inside so that they could talk without worrying about anyone else overhearing them, and Claire just kept her head down as if she was waiting for the storm to pass.

As for Alphinaud, he held up his hands in a pleading way, trying to explain his point of view, but it was too late, with Thancred on a role, he seemed like he could yell forever.

"SO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT WE HAVE THE LORDLING IN ON OUR SECRET?!" he yelled out loud. "OF ALL THE PEOPLE OUT THERE, YOU HAD TO LET HIM FIND OUT?!"

"It's not like that, Thancred," Claire tried to reason steadily and Alphinaud was struck by how composed she was acting here. "It couldn't be helped. We knew that it would only be a matter of time before he found out anyway."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"We share the same bedroom," she pointed out with an obvious shake of the head. "We all knew that he would have noticed me sneaking in and out sooner or later."

"I'm more amazed that a man doesn't realize that his wife isn't in bed with him," he grumbled and Alphinaud felt himself turning red with anger at that.

"And where have you been all this time?" he asked, trying to get the attention off him.

"What do you think?" Thancred retorted, "I was out trying to find more information that we could use. That is my specialty. And thank goodness I was able to come back with something valuable this time."

"So, did you find out more information on these chokers?" Y'shtola asked him as he seemed to calm down enough to have caught his breath.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled as he leaned back in his chair. "I found out a little bit more information. But let me start at the beginning." He gave Alphinaud one last nasty look before he leaned forward to rest his arms on his knees and explained, "It started a few weeks ago when I spotted Ran'jit heading down into the lower levels of Eulmore. Down in the old Gaol cells. So, being the curious sort that I am, I decided to pay a visit down there when I had the chance. after the old man left to hunt down our own Warrior of Darkens—I heard about Lakeland by the way…?" he added that last part and she looked away with some reddened cheeks and Alphinaud really wanted to hear that story more than ever by that point. "Well, anyway, I decided to venture into those old gaol cells to see what the old man had hidden down there. I brought Urianger with me and…?"

"Urianger?" Alphinaud interrupted in confusion. After seeing the annoyed look on Thancred's face, he cleared his throat and added in a more respectful tone, "I just wondered who he was…?"

"Another member of the Scions," Thancred said darkly. "And I think you two would get along well. You both are certainly good at giving me a headache at the least."

"Thancred," Claire interrupted softly.

"Right, sorry!" he said in defeat before he went on as if he hadn't been interrupted, "Anyway, as I was saying, I went with Urianger to investigate those old cells, only to find some very interesting pieces of information."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense," Y'shtola chided with a roll of her eyes. "What did you find?"

"Fine, fine," he said. "Just thought I could add in a little touch of flair. Anyway, I found some documents that stated exactly from whom Vauthry purchased those collars from."

"I thought it was from that shady merchant… Ungust, I think his name was…?" Claire muttered as she thought back.

"Nah, he was just the go-between," Thancred countered. "Rather it was stolen from another merchant. A fellow by the name of Hancock, who currently has set up shop in Kugane."

"Kugane? That is no small distance way," Y'shtola said in surprise. "And I wasn't aware that Allag was able to reach as far as the Far East?"

"Not to be officially part of their Empire, but they did reach as far as the Burn in Othard," he answered as he pulled out a flask and downing it as he talked. "They found some very slight traces of ruins out in those dead hills of sand as well as some toys that the Allagans were so nice to leave around. Anyway, Hancock was able to purchase those from some adventurers, or treasure hunters, whatever—either way he purchased them from those reckless enough to explore those ruins and they were being held in safe-keeping."

"So where does Ungust come in?" Claire asked before noticing Alphinaud's lost expression and explained, "The Burn is a kind of desert that is devoid of any aether. There's nothing out there that can survive in such an environment for long—it's part of the continent of Othard. As for Ungust, he was a merchant we dealt with a few years ago who was part of some black market operations."

"Yeah, selling off poor, unfortunate souls to their new masters before we managed to put a stop to him and the slave trade business in Kholusia," Thancred grumbled before adding with a slight nod over in Claire's direction. "Or rather, before she put a stop to them. Anyway, long story short, Ungust worked with Hancock before jumping ship into the black market but he didn't leave Kugane empty-handed. He had some of those chokers with him… thinking that he could use them to sell off to the highest bidder. Too bad that he had to give them away for next to nothing."

"What do you mean?" Y'shtola asked in surprise as Thancred laughed bitterly.

"Not long after coming to these shores, the idiot ran into some trouble down at the docks," he said. "And it was bad luck for him that Ran'jit happened to be there inspecting things. He realized that he was a smuggler and was getting ready to imprison him before he found the chokers. That was when Ungust made him a deal… the chokers for his freedom."

"And that was how uncle got the collars?" Claire asked in surprise. "This had to have happened before we got here, though?"

"Correct!" Thancred confirmed for them, holding up his flask as if to toast her for figuring it all out. "Because it was right after that did Ran'jit take the chokers to Vauthry, who made plans to come and get you and Ryne only a few days after that! Or so those documents stated."

Claire shook her head and asked, "But why? I still don't understand the point of all of this? Uncle doesn't care about us! We didn't even realize that we were part of any royal family before he sent his guards to bring us here! So it's not like we were a threat to his throne at the time."

"I don't know, apparently Vauthry got it into his head that those from Venat's line are a threat to him," he grumbled again, "Mayhaps he thinks it's better to keep them close by so that he can keep an eye on them? I don't know."

"Wait, what does that mean?" Alphinaud interrupted. "Those from Venat's line? Isn't he part of that line?"

"Not at all," Thancred answered back with a smirk. "He may like to pretend that these lands are his by birthright, but he is only connected with the royal family through marriage—so to speak. That's all. He is actually the illegitimate child of his father, who married into the family. So he's not connected through the house at all."

Alphinaud's jaw dropped open and he gasped, "You're kidding?!"

"Nope," Thancred said making a little popping sound. "See, the queen was descended into the royal family before she married the son of a noble… who… shall we say… had a side woman. And that is where Vauthry comes from! Rather than risk a scandal, the king managed to convince the queen to pass of Vauthry as her own. And well, I guess that has always been a sore spot for Vauthry."

"So you think that he was worried that maybe the true children of Venat's line would come and try to kick him off the throne or something?" Alphinaud questioned in confusion.

"It may be part of it," Y'shtola agreed softly. "But we believe that there has to be more to it than that. Otherwise, he could have very easily just sent assassins after Claire and Ryne when they were younger. No, for some reason, he wanted them both brought here. Why that is, I can't say. As for why they were so insistent that they get someone from Sharlayan to marry Claire off to…?"

She looked to Thancred and added, "You said you found something relating to that?"

"I guess if you want to call it that," he shrugged. "Apparently, it was Ran'jit's idea that they reach out to Sharlayan. Apparently, they wanted to paint the picture that they would select only someone from a good family who had received a proper education as a front for the people. But as to the reason why they picked Sharlayan of all places…? No idea just yet. But it seems that Ran'jit knows a lot more than he's letting on… he's keeping secrets. Even from Vauthry."

"So it was Ran'jit's plan all along?" Alphinaud asked.

"Why are you surprised? Vauthry has no real brain in his head! In fact, I would go as far as to say that his brain cells are an endangered species at this point; so such deception had to come from someone," Thancred pointed out. "Again, why they're doing this or what they're up to, I don't know. At first I thought that they were hoping for Claire to get married and birth an heir as quickly as possible and then just finish you both off when he got a kid whom he could shape and mold to his ideals. But that doesn't seem to be the case at all."

Alphinaud felt an odd heat going through him at the thought of what he was implying but Claire let out a soft snort of laughter.

"Like that's going to happen," she said darkly as she turned and walked away from them with a rather grumpy expression.

"Yes, yes… you made it clear that you aren't interested in having children anytime soon or at all," Y'shtola said as she waved her hand at her. "It's just that, at the time, it seemed the most likely reason behind all of this. Yet you're saying that isn't so, Thancred?"

"Nope," he confirmed. "In fact, they both seem pretty happy that there isn't a little one on the way yet. Rather there is some deeper mystery here that I've been struggling to understand. Ran'jit sure has covered his tracks well, but I think that we may have found another place to find answers and I'm planning on heading there as soon as I can."

"Really? Where?" Claire asked in surprise as he leaned back so that the front legs of his chair was off the ground and his feet up on the table.

"Amh Araeng," he said. "Apparently, the old man has been seen going there on more than one occasion even though he knew that the Warrior of Darkness weren't there. Not only that, he has insisted on going alone. Seems like a possible lead if there is one to be found. I'm planning on heading out after some rest to see what I can find there."

"Good, maybe once we have some answers then we can finally move forward with a way to counter against Vauthry, or at the least prevent him from planning something else," Y'shtola said. "Now, as to the collars…?"

"Thought about that ever since we discovered that they were Allagan," Thancred added, "I had given it a lot of thought before realizing that it's about time we bright in the big guns."

"The… big guns?" Alphinaud repeated slowly.

"Right! We need an expert in Allag, don't we?" Thancred asked them, "And I know just the person to ask. He'll be arriving at the end of the month. Had the pleasure of dropping in to visit him the other day and informed him what I found out. He said that he has a plan set up and the perfect excuse to visit Kholusia. I'm sure that we'll be able to get a better chance of finding a way to free you lot from those collars. But on the off chance that we come up empty, I think I can contact a few of our friends out in the field to track down this Hancock and see what he knows."

"Sounds like a plan," Y'shtola nodded. "I'll reach out to Riol and see if he can't speak to some of our Far Eastern allies on what they can find. In the meantime, my lady, you best rest and recover properly. We'll take care of all of this for the time being. Hopefully, once our guest arrives we should be able to find some real answers."

She nodded in rather grim acceptance before Y'shtola turned back to Alphinaud and added, "You still have a lot of studying up to do. But I expect you to be ready to help out with whatever tasks that we have for you."

"Of course," he said, hoping that he didn't sound too eager.

Thancred glowered at him before Y'shtola went to the door to fetch Tataru and Ryne, ready to bring them in and to enlighten them what they found out.

"Alright, you come here," Thancred snarled at Alphinaud and he tensed up as the hyur stood up. Though Alphinaud towered over him, the way that he looked at him made Alphinaud feel like he was shrinking away in fear before he pointed at Alphinaud's chest.

"You say you want to help us, you really mean that?" he asked and Alphinaud nodded before he barked, "I'm not interested in seeing you nod. I want to hear it from your mouth here and now. You really want to help us?"

"Y-Yes," Alphinaud gulped down. "I have seen the good you all have done and I really, truly, wish to lend my assistance. I mean, I know that I'm not much of a fighter, but I can help out in other ways when I can."

Thancred glared at him as Claire looked between the two worriedly, as if wondering if she should step in before a fight breaks out. But it seems that Thancred wasn't interested in starting a fight for he backed off.

"Fine," he growled. "But know that this isn't a game we're playing around here. If you aren't able to keep up, then you should at least not get underfoot. Seems that everyone else here is alright about this so I'll let it go, but don't think for a second that means that I'm happy about this."

Alphinaud could only nod, still fearful but standing his ground, determined to change all those who disagree with this opportunity. If there was one thing that he knew that he was capable of, it was working under pressure.

"You have my word! I will do all that I can to pull my weight," he said firmly, and he was secretly relieved to hear how calm his voice was.

He saw Thancred's eyebrows rise slightly, as if impressed, but he just nodded firmly before he returned to his seat to finish whatever was left in his flask before Ryne rejoined them. Alphinaud turned instinctively towards his wife, who was smiling a little encouragingly at him and he felt that strange sensation as if butterflies were in his stomach again.

After that, the day seemed to come and go in no time at all as they began making more plans. Thancred and Y'shtola wasted no time in contacting their allies from all over Norvrandt and in the Far East to keep an eye on things. As of right now, things seemed to be relatively calm so it seemed that the Warrior of Darkness wouldn't be needed for at least a few days. The people seemed to have a good grasp over the sin eater problem for now, and it looked like Claire would be given the chance to rest.

Y'shtola even started to introduce the best books to him on certain spells, suggesting that he start off learning the ways of the Arcanist—which was a good way for him to grasp the basics of not only healing but also offensive spells.

She even gifted to him a weather Arcanist grimoire to practice, saying that she expected him to be able to summon a carbuncle by the time they next met. He wasn't going to lie and say that he wasn't a little bit intimidated by her, but he was planning already to go through the entire book tonight.

The day passed by quickly, with Alphinaud so absorbed in his studies that he almost forgot about something and he asked Claire, who was back to work on weaving something as she sat in her favorite chair by the fireplace to warm herself up, "Who was Thancred talking about when he referred to this Allagan specialist?"

"Hmm? Oh, that," she said politely with a smile. "He's an old friend of ours who knows a few things about the Allagan Empire. His name is G'raha Tia and he's actually the Exarch of the Crystarium in Lakeland."

"The Exarch!?" he gasped in shock. "You know him?"

"Yes," she confirmed causally before glancing around the room to make sure that no one was here and added in a whisper, "We've met before. Both as the Warrior of Darkness and as Claire Faye. I think that you'll like him."

"Do you think that he can help us?" he asked eagerly and she nodded.

"I can't think of anyone else who knows more about the Allagan Empire than him," she confessed, "So if he can't tell us anything, I can't think of anyone else who would be able to. I'm sure that you both will get along very well. Why he would be coming at the end of the month, I'm not sure yet, but knowing him, there must be a good reason. At least it will give you plenty of time to practice."

He grinned at that as he then began to go over all that he learned already, telling her about the wonderful theories and pointing out the elaborated geometrical designs needed to summon certain carbuncles. In fact, judging from what he had read here on lonely these few pages, he strongly believed the may be able to come up with some specialized carbuncles himself!

But he was getting ahead of himself. He promised to practice when he got back to his room tonight and so it was an agonizing wait before they finished dinner and were escorted to bed once more. After they heard the door shut behind them, he immediately got to work, having just smuggled the grimoire under his shirt to get it up here, and immediately went to work tracing the incantations needed while Claire went and got ready for bed.

It took him only a few tries, but soon enough an emerald carbuncle was there to greet her when she came out of the bathroom. Though he was not prepared for how the little creature immediately ran up to her, jumping up onto its hind legs, as if desperate for her to hold it. He made to apologize, but to his surprise, she cooed at the creature and bent down to open her arms for it and it leapt up into her embrace without a second though. She laughed and he found himself envious of the little creature though he wasn't sure why that was as it curled up in her arms like an overgrown cat.

"I'm impressed," she told him as she got into bed, still holding the carbuncle tightly as it rolled about on the bed, enjoying the attention she was giving it, "It took me at least a week before I understood enough to be able to summon one."

"Well, I guess I just have a bigger advantage since I studied a fair bit about these diagrams," he said as he quickly grabbed a nightshirt from the closet and changed very quickly in the bathroom. Though he still made sure to call out, "I did recognize a few of those incantations so I guess I had some practice."

"I see, well, I'm looking forward to seeing what else you will come up with," he heard her call back and he felt his insides squirm with delight before he reemerged, finding the two already curled up in bed. He made to turn the lantern on before she held up a hand and telling him, "No, not tonight. Let us just get some sleep."

"But…?" he began before she reminded him, "You barely slept the last couple nights. If you don't rest now then I'll head on outside for a patrol or something."

"You wouldn't," he dared as she grinned mischievously, clearly showing him that she would.

He sighed in defeat before he set the grimoire on the table, knowing that the carbuncle will soon fade away with it off his person, and got into bed with her.

"He's adorable, though I must ask… why do they refer to them as emerald? He looks more like a sapphire blue to me," she pointed out and he looked down at the little creature and realized that she was right.

"I have no idea," he said slowly.

"What are you going to call him?" she asked curiously.

He blinked at her in confusion before asking, "Why would I need to give him a name? He's just an arcane being? He'll fade away soon enough."

"But you must name him," she said with her eyes wide, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why do you say that? And why are you calling it a him?" he gave a short laugh. "Is it that important?"

"To me, it is," she said firmly as the carbuncle happily curled up right between the two of them, rolling onto its back as Claire gently rubbed his belly, watching how he stretched out comfortably. "What do you think is a good enough name?"

"I don't know," he said, shrugging, but deciding to just humor his wife as he thought it all over. "What did you have in mind? It's a bit sudden, after all."

"I suppose," she agreed. "Names are important, after all. We should think of something good…? Oh! I know! Look at that ruby in the middle of his head? How about we just call him Ruby?"

"What? Ruby?" he asked while chuckling at the innocent suggestion. "I don't know if that would work."

"Why not?" she challenged as he pulled the grimoire back to him and showed her some of the designs, explaining about how he could improve upon the design and find a way to boost its power and vitality.

"So, you see… if I happen to use the right incantations, I could end up changing its color more to a bright red," he explained. "But that's only because of the idea of using certain gems in this incantation. But if you think of the possibilities…? I mean, this way, if I have to go into battle with you, I would be ready to lend support this time. By using a Ruby gemstone as a basis for the summoning, I think that I could make it much stronger. Of course, that's just only the beginning! I've already starting making notes and I already see a lot of potential here!"

And so, for the next half hour, he talked with her, showing her all the scribbles and theories that he penned into the grimoire. He couldn't bring himself to stop as he gave detailed explanations of the geometries going forward, as well as the fundamentals that would best be used to put such ideas into practice. Eventually, he came to realize that he was keeping them both up and it was probably the least exciting thing that she ever had to listen to and he felt instant embarrassment from all this before he cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry! It's so rare an opportunity for me to talk about such matters with anyone, and you're such a good listener that I got carried away and…?"

"No, it's alright," she reassured him, having laid down and she was gazing at him politely as moonlight filtered into the room. "I find it strangely relaxing to hear you talk about such things."

"Oh, well… I'm glad," he said rather awkwardly before he set the grimoire down and laid his head on the pillow as well. They could just make out the usual music from the city and he rolled his eyes at the thought, wondering if the people ever stopped partying long enough to have a good night's sleep? But as the two of them laid there with the final embers of the fireplace dying off, he came to realize how strangely enjoyable it was to be laying here next to her. He had since gotten used to sharing the bed with her, but he realized that the two of them were laying side by side without the usual wall of pillows between them, and were so close now that he would barely have to reach out to touch her if he wanted.

Such a thought felt like a hot liquid had dripped into his stomach as well as a strange desire to reach out and grasp at something—though he wasn't sure what it was that he wanted so badly all of a sudden.

"You know I think…?" they both said at the same time and they blinked, looking at each other through the darkened room lit only by moonlight. And that was when they both burst out laughing and for a long time they couldn't stop though he knew that they really didn't have anything to actually laugh about right now.

Still, he was smiling at her as she grinned back. It was a little more chilly than usual so she moved a bit closer to him until she was resting her head against his arm like a pillow as he took her hand with his other one and they gazed up at the ceiling together.

After a moment of silence, she spoke in a soft voice, "Alphinaud?"

"Hmm?"

"I was wondering, do you still dream of returning home?" she asked.

"I think of it often," he confessed softly, squeezing her hand back, "But having you here has made staying in these lands strangely enjoyable."

She smiled as he gently shushed her and she closed her eyes, looking exhausted as he went back to staring at the ceiling for a time, trying to grasp all that happened in recent moons. It had been over four moons since he first came here, almost five moons all together since he had wed to a princess, but only now did he really feel that there was something there. He didn't know what this feeling was, especially since he had never experienced it before, so he couldn't say if what he felt was truly love. But he felt… happy. Truly happy for the first time in a long time. She was so much more than he first thought and to know that she shared similar dreams to his own reignited the hope that he had since he was young.

He wasn't sure if he could ever fully be happy here but he knew that he could learn to be content. She was easily the best thing about these lands to him and he knew that if she was here, then he could stand to be here longer. She helped him get through the long days.

He looked back at her slumbering face as she muttered something incoherent in her sleep, which caused him to smile. She was so adorable when she was like this, though he made no plans to ever tell her that. Instead, he rolled over onto his side as to avoid waking her as he wrapped his other arm around her and stroked her hair as he held her close.

Her floral scent reminded him of wildflowers once again—and his eyes went to the small water jug on her bedside table that still held the flowers he had given her. Seeing them and her both here put his mind at ease as he finally closed his eyes and drifted off into a peaceful slumber as the little carbuncle remained happy and content sandwiched between the two of them.

*Meanwhile in Sharlayan*

"Now, Master Fourchenault, I understand that you have questions, but as I said to you before, I have no more say in the matter than you do," Krile tried to answer as the head of House Leveilleur gave her a sharp look. He wasn't the only one, however. For behind him stood his wife—who was looking on worriedly—and his daughter Alisaie—who was pacing the room angrily and seemed to grow more and more irritated with her lack of answers. Still, it was clear that they had more concern rather than righteous anger that Fourchenault was giving off.

"Questions is an understatement," he said briskly. "This was supposed to be a meeting that would take part over a couple weeks at most. Yet it has already been several moons and my son not only is showing no signs of returning, but we have yet to receive any letters from him on how he is doing or anything else for that matter. That isn't like him. Now we have known you for a long time, and you have taken care of my children since they first entered the Studium. And it is only because I have such respect for you and the Students of Baldesion that I have done what you bided and been patient in waiting for answers. But I have grown tired of these vague responses you have been giving me and I have just about reached my limit."

"Not only that, but our graduation is happening soon," Alisaie added, also sounding upset. "And I know that he never would miss that. I know that him going to Norvrandt was a once in a lifetime chance for him, and I get how important it is, but even he should have returned a long time ago."

"Yes, and I have been doing all that I can to try and arrange for him to return home when he can…?" Krile began, still doing her best to appease them, but saw that they weren't believing a single thing she was putting forth this time. She suspected that unless she could give them real proof that their son is safe and doing well, they weren't going to let the matter go this time.

No sooner did she think that did Ameliance step forward this time to speak.

"Krile, please, is there something that you are not telling us?" she asked in concern. "You said that he was offered a job back in the king's court and he decided to take it, yes? So why is it that I feel that you are leaving something out?"

"Yes. Every time we ask you how he is fairing you change the subject," Fourchenault stated, now sounding annoyed. "We just want some honest answers on when he is coming home or when we can, at least, go and visit him."

Krile wrung her hands together, knowing that she was caught in a web of lies and that she couldn't keep quiet for much longer. After returning to Sharlayan, everyone was surprised to see her having come back so quickly… and alone. When they asked how she fared, she did as Alphinaud bid and told them a story that he had so impressed King Vauthry that he had been offered a spot on his consul for the time being. They were working out the details and when she told the Forum that their requests for some of the books they were asking about were to be delivered in a few days' time, most let the matter go. Save for Alphinaud's parents and sister, whom understandably wanted more details. Lying to them was harder than anything she ever thought possible, but she had done her best to try and keep them in the dark about things. Yet now, with so much time having passed, and still no word from Alphinaud save for quick messages letting her know that he was still alive, her excuses had long since run out and now the Leveilleurs had come looking for answers.

She didn't want to break her promise to Alphinaud but with how anxious all of them looked she knew that it wasn't fair to them to keep this quiet any longer.

"Alright," she sighed as she held up her hands. "I know. I know that you're all worried, and I'm sorry for keeping this secret. It was just that I promised Alphinaud that I wouldn't mention this to you and…?"

"Mention what to us?" Alisaie demanded. "What did that idiot do now?"

"Alisaie," Fourchenault scolded before looking back to Krile and asking more urgently, "Why would he ask you to keep quiet about this? What has happened?"

"I'll tell you the truth, but first you need to promise me a few things before I say anything?" Krile said slowly, preparing herself for the worst.

"Promise you a few things?" Alisaie repeated in a sarcastic tone, but this time it was Ameliance who gently shushed her.

"Very well, what is it?" she asked.

"First off, is that I ask that you keep calm and not to do anything reckless until you hear the entire story," Krile pleaded and she could see how their faces paled at such a request.

"And the second?" Fourchenault asked slowly, though it was clear that he was dreading hearing anything else.

"That you won't faint when I tell you the truth?" she asked, wincing slightly as she finally went to the nearby desk and pulled open a drawer where she had kept the letter. The same one that Alphinaud had penned and entrusted to her moons ago when she last saw him. She couldn't stand looking at them when she held out the letter and Fourchenault practically ripped it out of her hands as he opened it and read out:

Dearest Mother, Dearest Father, and my dear sister Alisaie…

Words cannot express how much I wish to see you all right now, but it is now out of my hands…

(Wow, so the family back home finally find out the truth! Krile did her best to keep it quiet, but there was only so long that they could go before demanding answers. I mean, Alphy is a grown adult and he was hard at work, or so they thought, on a job in another country so they probably wouldn't want to disturb him. But yeah, things are going to start getting heat up very quickly now… in more ways than one as Alphinaud grows more and more attracted to his wife and is experiencing feelings he never had before. Question is now… when will he act on them?)