When Argrave went to find Sophia, preparing himself for what he thought could be a serious and heart-wrenching conversation, he saw something that made him pause and watch. Orion was giving her a piggyback ride, and running around the courtyard very quickly as she screamed and laughed with pure joy. It was the closest thing to a rollercoaster that could be found in this world, he supposed. His brother seemed to be having just as much fun as she was, too.
When Argrave was finally spotted, their fun came to an early closeâOrion hauled her from his back and set Sophia down, where she staggered uneasily. He moved her to a rock, said some words, then walked over to Argrave.
âYour Majesty,â Orion greeted, giving him a salute by putting his fist to his heart. He wore plainclothes, and evidence from the battle still persisted on his body at points. It mustâve been a tremendously close fight for even Orion to still bear scars long after its conclusion. âYouâve returned. I heard from Elenore what happened. Congratulations on your victory,â he said sincerely. âI apologize I was not better able to defend this place.â
Argrave narrowed his eyes. âYouâre joking, right? Youâre the only reason this place wasnât entirely levelled.â
âOthers like Durran contributed, but I wonât deny it as my proudest moment. I only wish I could have ended the battle earlier, before so many lives were lost.â He looked back to Sophia. âBut enough of me. You came here to speak to Sophia, yes? Iâve been trying to keep her spirits up, in light of what sheâs learned. Her spirits, and my own.â
Argrave watched Sophia as she regained her balance. She sat where Orion had left her, patiently waiting. âI came here to find you in equal measure. We have a lot to talk about. First, though⊠let me go talk to her. Elenore said it would best.â
âAs she should. Sophia missed you dearly,â Orion agreed. âI will be nearby, should you need me.â
Orion walked away, and Argrave thought there was something that had changed about his brotherâs demeanor. He seemed less⊠constricted, in a way. He couldnât quite put his finger on it. Nevertheless, he turned and walked to Sophia, who still seemed dazed after travelling aback Orion.
Argrave came up just before Sophia and knelt down. âHello, young lady.â
âHello, Your Majesty,â she greeted, with an undeniable twinge of caution on her tone. Moreover, she used the formal address with himâwas she taking cues from Orion, or was it something else?
âAre you alright, Sophia?â Argrave asked.
âIâm well. Annelâthe queen. Is sheâŠ?â
âSheâll be coming in a momentâshe just needs to resolve some matters before she does.â He scooted a little closer. âIt seems like somethingâs bothering you, Sophia. Is anything wrong? Elenore said you wanted to speak to me about something.â
âIâŠâ She looked down, closing her eyes. âI figured out some things. About who I am. About my brother.â
âI see.â Argrave nodded. He could tell that the revelations were weighing heavily on the girlâs mind. To finally connect the dots between this world-ending calamity that theyâd been speaking of, and her own brother⊠he couldnât imagine how a nine-year-old girl could cope with that especially easily. He said words he felt needed to be said. âI hope you know that it doesnât change things between us, Sophia. And it certainly doesnât change how much I missed you while I was gone. Did you not miss me?â
Sophia opened her eyes again and looked up at him, cautiously assessing his features. Then, Argrave got what heâd been hoping forâSophia lunged out and hugged him, and he stood up with her hanging from his neck.
âIâm scared,â she confessed at once, her torrent of emotions pouring out now that she knew it would be safe to do so. âGriffin⊠heâs changed. He looks like⊠he looks like my father.â She tightened her arms around him, trembling. âHe told me he was coming to get me. I told him I didnât want to leave, and thenâŠâ
Argrave gently patted her back. âEverythingâs going to be alright, Sophia.â
âI want my brother back,â she said. âI miss him. I donât want him to die. I tried to tell him not to fight, but heâŠâ she sniffled. âHe said it wasnât his choice. That he had to do this, that it was the only way for us to be happyâŠâ She sniffled again, holding back tears as best she could. âI just⊠I just want my brother back. Why canât he just come back? Why does this have to happen to us?â
Argrave couldnât give her answers now. Perhaps he couldnât ever. All he could do was hold her, and give words of comfort.
Anneliese came to join Argrave after sheâd resolved the matter that required her attentionâspecifically, Elenore had need of her empathic and spellcasting abilities both. After a long while where both assuaged her guilts and fears, Sophia fell asleep in Argraveâs arms. They took her to her bed, set her there, then went outside. Orion waited for them both.
âI wouldnât wish her life upon anyone. To grapple with the terrible notion that her brother is the very calamity that has ripped and torn through so manyâŠâ Orion shook his head. âEveryone has been telling tales of the monstrosities that Gerechtigkeit has wrought. Now, she can put a face to them all: her precious brother, the only one who protected her in that miscreantâs castle, the only other besides us who loved her. Her very definition of love and support was found through her brother⊠and now, she knows heâs killed billions, and promises to kill again.â
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Argrave said nothing, but found his brotherâs profound description tragically true.
âShe wishes for us to show mercy upon him, even if she cannot bring herself to ask it of you as a favor,â Orion continued. âBut even supposing we can⊠the question remains if we should. Can such destruction and cruelty be forgiven, under any circumstances? I am uncertain. Yet⊠itâs hardly my choice.â His brother studied him. âIn the end, the fate of her brother may well rest in your hands.â
Argrave felt some enormous burden set upon him when Orion said that, but only shook his head and said, âWeâre far from that goal.â
âWeâre the closest weâve been. Months remain, no more.â Anneliese crossed her arms in solemn contemplation. âYou look as though youâve something serious to say, Orion.â
âThat knight I fought was Lindon.â Orion jumped right to the heart of it, stirring Argraveâs mind in the process. âIt was his enslaved will made manifest. I suspect Gerechtigkeit has the same intentions for the other Gilderwatchers, though itâll manifest in a different mannerâinfluence over the masses. Lindon, in his ingenuity, hid a message to us in the knight. He suggested that we endeavor to embrace the latent potential within our bloodline to influence the mind.â Orion touched his head. âHe claimed Iâd the most affinity, but Iâm skeptical. No matter how hard I try, nothing comes of my efforts.â
âLindon said this?â Argrave raised a brow. âYouâre sure of that?â
âNot entirely. The point does remain; Gerechtigkeit has the Gilderwatchers under thrall. The White Planes march toward collapse, unless we can do something. With these two variables, he may possess the means to bring the entire world under thrall. The rings, while giving us an edge, are insufficient for the world. We must find a way to combat his influence through our own means. The Vasquer bloodline may be one such mean. The other, however, would be a total extermination of their species.â
âThatâŠâ Argrave sighed deeply. âThat does put it into perspective. Frankly, Iâve no idea where to start. Thereâs not a large body of literature regarding the Gilderwatchers, even in what Erlebnis had. Presumably he was blocked by the treaty that Lindon kept mentioning. I would call upon Llewellen, butâŠâ
âOn the matter of Llewellen, that was one of the things that kept me away for so longâinvestigating what happened to him,â Anneliese cut in. âI have a lead on where to search for Onychinusa. We have a lot to take care of here, but could IâŠ?â
Argrave nodded. âIf you can find the time.â He looked to Orion. âBut youâre right. Iâm back. All of our other enemiesâsave perhaps the Heralds, who can do nothing directlyâare smoke and ashes. Gerechtigkeit is the only one that remains. We have to dedicate our full attention toward him, and all his machinations. Heâs the last remaining opponent.â
âAnd a worthy opponent he is.â Orion nodded.
âThank you for telling us this, Orion,â Anneliese said kindly.
âThank you for everything,â Argrave cut in. âI wonât forget what you did. Everyone I speak to tells me about how damned brave you are. I wonât let you forget it. I wonât let anyone in the whole nation.â
Orion laughed. Argrave expected a rigorous protest, but his brother only said, âDo as you wish. I only did what I felt I wanted to.â
Argrave looked at him, marveling at his transformation of mentality. He brushed past his surprise for now, saying only, âWe have much more to discuss, but Iâd prefer Elenore and a few others to be with us before we do. Iâm going to go speak to anotherâwe can continue this tomorrow, I hope.â
With Orion and Sophia addressed, Argrave next headed to another that he wished to thank. When heâd heard that Garm would be picking out the souls that he resurrected, Argrave did have some doubts⊠but ultimately, the people that he brought proved to be the greatest of the great. It was in large part due to who heâd brought back that theyâd won at all. He intended to thank Garm, to give him some commendation in person.
As it turns out, Argrave never had the chance.
Garm had died during the attack by the silver knight. It was frustratingly difficult to find the details of how, and after a while⊠Argrave simply gave up, defeated. He couldnât tax his cityâs already-thin resources to satisfy personal curiosity. In the end, he found himself visiting Durran, the man who was host to Garmâs mind.
âDonât you knock?â Durran said in greeting when Argrave abruptly entered. He sat at a table by a window, resting his leg idly on a stool. âElenore said youâd come back. Glad to see youâve not forgotten about me.â
âEveryone said you did well in the battle.â Argrave walked within carrying a bitter smile.
âNot well enough.â Durran took a drink of something from a tankard, then set it down firmly. âBut youâre not here for me, right? You want to know about Garm.â
Argrave was taken a little off-balance by the pointed remark, but he recovered quickly and said, âCanât it be both?â
Durran sighed. âIt could be, but I doubt it is.â
âYou certainly sound like Garm right now, being so damned cynical.â Argrave sat in the chair across from him.
Durran chuckled. âIâm sorry. Iâm⊠a little bitter, defeated. Itâs why Iâm staying here.â
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âWhatâs that youâre drinking?â Argrave asked.
âA disgusting alcohol brewed by some pig farmer in this little city of yours,â Durran said, looking inside his tankard. âI remember, ages ago⊠I used to pity you for being unable to drink. Now, Iâm the same, ever since that Fruit of Being. Not weeks ago, this could put me on the ground. Now? Nothing.â He set it down, looking Argrave square in the eye. âGarm is gone.â
âHe⊠we probably wouldnât have won without him,â Argrave said distantly. âOnly wish⊠that I had the chance to say more. More than last time. Instead, itâs just the same.â
âYou said your goodbyes before you left, and you gave him as much peace of mind as he could accept,â Durran insisted. âYou helped him at every turn. Whereas IâŠâ He trailed off.
Argrave looked into his golden eyes. Durran seldom acted this moody. Perhaps something needed to be done.
âPour me a drink,â Argrave suggested. âWeâll drink to him. I think thatâs something Garm might appreciate.â
Durran smiled bitterly. âIf youâd like to drink pisswater without getting drunk⊠Iâll gladly join you.â