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[Haspen]

"Good."

"Aland, I want you to find all you can about this prophecy. If it takes you to Nelestia even, do it. Send reports whenever you can."

"It will be done, father." One of the guards entered through the door.

"Lady Rodvaric is here, Your Majesty." The door was opened wider and Ivy ag Rodvaric was allowed inside the King's office.

"Greetings, Ivy."

"Lady Rodvaric! You will accompany my son on his quest to find the texts related to Umbral Prophecy. His first step is to visit a temple currently governed by one of your old masters, Father Erif. Do you have objections?"

//Ivy ag Rodvaric is now in-game!

[Gaterhyme]

There was something like impatience in Ivy's demeanor, reluctantly smoothed out to nothing as she entered the presence of the princes and the king.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

She turned her attention from Aland to the king and bowed.

"That old priest? Well, I have no objections to that, Your Majesty." If she put a little too much emphasis on the word 'that,' it wasn't to mean anything in particular.

[Caellath]

While the prince's entourage was growing, at least he didn't have to worry about their ability to take care of their own skin in a fight. It'd have been positively frustrating had they ended up with nothing but dead weight that had to be protected in an emergency.

"Lady Rodvaric."

After Ivy was done greeting the king, Casslan bowed slightly to her.

[Haspen]

"Then all it settled. Go, Aland! I will await the news about your findings with anticipation." Prince Seleth and Prince Aland looked at each other, and that seemed a cue for the elder of brothers to speak about something wholly different.

"Before he goes, Father... I've spoken with Aland and I have found out that he is expressing the same sentiment about... well..."

"Well what?"

"There are many fair ladies of the court, Father, if you would consider remarrying--" The armored fist of King Asfalthe VII smashed against his desk, sending an inkpot and few scrolls flying about.

"NO! Why bring this up, again? I have said that I will never remarry! Your mother was an exquisite woman! One of a kind! Nobody can replace Alishia! I've said that numerous times, so why is that still a topic of conversation! You!" The King pointed his finger at Seleth. "Stop dragging Aland into your schemes! And you!" The finger was pointed at Aland now. "Why are you still standing there? I've sent you away, haven't I?"

"I depart at once, Father." Prince Aland bowed and then pushed at his companions old and new towards the the door, leaving his brother Seleth, in half-bow, with the King.


Once in the corridor and few steps away from King's Office, Prince Aland let out a sigh.

"Apologies you had to witness that, my friends. Seleth and I thought he wouldn't lose his patience in front of you. Guess we were slightly wrong."

[Gaterhyme]

"Slightly, yes," Ivy deadpanned. "At least it didn't require us to remain for a lecturing."

"After all, I was very close to telling him my objections towards everything else other than our current task."

[Haspen]

"Objections? You had objections to what exactly?" Cue Prince Seleth, leaving the office just like the last time.

"Aland, brother." Aland, for his part, grimaced at the sight of his brother.

"Last time you caught up with me, it was foreboding and unpleasant."

"I will try to not make it a habit." Prince Seleth smiled weakly. "Father forgot to mention... you are to take two thousand gold pieces from the Treasury to cover your expenses."

"My expenses? Isn't the Temple whats-it-name just about half-way to the Redforest?"

"As Father has put it, 'just in case Lady Rodvaric's face isn't enough to convince old man Erif to be talkative'. No offense, Lady Rodvaric. Father also believes that your quest might not be so simple... after all, twenty years is a lot of time for scholars and their books to move around the world. The Temple of Our Lady of the Solemn Oath might not be the end, but barely the beginning of your journey. I am of the same thinking, to be honest."

"If only Father would be as reasonable as he is prudent." Prince Seleth smirked, shrugging in the same time.

"Well, I've said what was there to say. So please visit the Treasurer on your way out and request two thousand five hundred gold pieces from him." Aland nodded, then blinked in confusion.

"Wait, two thousand or two thousand five hundred?"

"I have convinced the Treasurer to toss in an extra five hundred."

"How?" A second of pause. "Ah, did you ship him his favorite vintage again?"

"A casket per hundred gold each. Elona's father was more than happy to provide." Aland and Seleth shared a little chuckle, and hugged each other.

But while Aland turned to walk down the corridor, Seleth kept a hold on his hand.

"Something wrong?"

"Aland, Cymon was a fool in his treatment of his Hestian Ring."

"Right..."

"Look, he thought of it as a sacred heirloom. But it is not a sacred item. Not a relic, an artifact, a trinket. It is a tool! And tools are meant to be used! Use it in every fight. Every day. Every hour, even, if its magics allow for it. Don't be like Cymon and barge into fighting without having such a supreme tool to aid you." Aland let out a sigh, and then nodded.

"I wouldn't call Cymon a fool. Quite the opposite, he was a brilliant man. But yes, I do agree he was a bit... romantic and sentimental about many things. Including the ring. Fear not, Seleth. I will put the Hestian Ring to a good use."

"Thank you. Now, if you excuse me, Father wishes to speak with me some more."

"Be brave, brother!" Seleth smirked, opened the door, and disappeared inside the Office once more.

"Right, Casslan, would you lend me a hand with the money? The rest of you, wait for us at the courtyard. It shouldn't take long."

[Caellath]

"Of course, your highness."

[Aurorix]

Argos wasn't about to touch the whole remarrying subject. Its supposed to be with someone special right? Its hard enough to find one, let alone two. Now that they're out of the room,


"WEEEEELCOME TO THE GROUP YOU TWO!" He followed it up with an exuberant thumbs up. Since it was official and all now best to make the mood a bit more lively. Better that than all this doom and gloom recently. "Come on! Ya gotta show me how strong you two are in the courtyard while we wait!"

[Gaterhyme]

"Argos, considering what's happened I might just be a little more interested in what you think your father has to say about all this than what your sword has to say. Besides, has it really been that long?"

"That said, I don't believe we've all been introduced," Ivy continued, addressing the other woman.

[Haspen]

"This is Lady Adrienne Artaud. She was a messenger from Ironclaw, my father decided to have her accompany me. Casslan." The prince nodded to his bodyguard and walked off to the Treasury.


The bag of money was hanging over Aland's shoulder as he entered the courtyard of the castle.

"We are all set? Shall we depart?"

//Party gets 2500 Gold!

[Caellath]

"I have preparations done already."

[Aurorix]

"Ah booooo Ivy! Lighten up a bit!" Placing his hands behind his head, Argos maintained his upbeat attitude.



The lad was mid leg stretch, a lateral lunge if you want specifics, as the two came into the courtyard, "Ready to head out whenever, Aland!"

[Gaterhyme]

"I'm told I'm not allowed to spar for a while anyway. Something about 'not using appropriate force,' if you can believe it, because clearly I have to learn how not to injure our enemies too badly."

"They had me pack before that meeting, so I'm ready too."

[cronos5010]

:"It would be best if we did not waste any time on petty contests Sir Argos, considering the circumstances."
: "Especially since we've already fought alongside each other not too long ago."

[Haspen]

"Let's go, then."

Few minutes away from the Temple of Our Lady of the Solemn Oath...

"...and that is why my father can't declare war on Khernell just yet, Argos. It's as simple as that." As the Prince finished his explanations, the two-storey temple-slash-keep-slash-library came into the view from behind the hill.

"Do you think it's the beginning, or the end? Of our quest, I mean?" The Prince asked no one in particular while looking at the temple that his group was approaching.