Miravet watches her sister and the warrior leave with a frown on her face. Of course, Solovet would meddle. Of course, Solovet would insist on putting the boy in black. And for what? Making him seem like the one-sided warrior she would like him to be? Oh, Miravet knows her sister. When she has made herself certain of something, there is no changing her mind.

No, the two of them do not see eye to eye. Miravet would have had the warrior boy clad like any warrior and any boy. He need not appear dark nor with hardness that he does not possess. Perhaps she is a fool to hold such values. Only she knows that this war will surely tear holes in all of them, and the Overlander is no better suited for the onslaught than the rest of them. He will die, but not alone.

Miravet is not a wager of war the way her sister is. The sword does not rest so easily in her hand, and age grips her tighter. Her profession is to clothe and equip the soldiers, where Solovet positions and controls them. The maker and the breaker — an incorrect statement, but it rhymes and is witty. Still, they both hold so many lives in their hands. Let armor and plans be a shield in a world where, when worst comes to worst, every man, woman, and child will have to fight.

In the end, Solovet will have what she wants. It has always been that way. For the fate of Regalia rests in her hands. She will do with the warrior as she desires. If she wants him in black, she will have him in black. Miravet had only hoped that perhaps the boy could go to his death on his own terms without bearing that tangible reminder of Solovet's power.