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Chapter Text

After the first few most difficult weeks, between healing and regaining strength after his injury the labor of rebuilding houses had become something of a comfort. Lloyd had acclimated to the cold and dark quickly enough, and while the disapproving scowls and curious stares were taking longer to adjust to, they could be ignored. He could work quietly and mind his own business, plus he got to be outside which he much preferred to a windowless prison cell. This gave him purpose, a goal to work toward, and moving helped keep him out of his own mind so that the guilt of his past actions wouldn’t completely consume him.

For the first time working toward a better future that did not involve wanton destruction. How blind he’d been before, how easily manipulated…

No, he wouldn’t ruminate. There would be plenty of time for that in Bale. Plenty of overheard conversations and scathing remarks to dwell on once it was time to embark on the next portion of his quest for atonement. Somehow, it came too quickly. Winglies worked fast, and Lloyd was not one to complain about long hours or poor working conditions. It helped that he also could move materials faster without the assistance of cranes or pulleys, despite the injuries. Once he understood what was expected of him Lloyd would work diligently until he was ordered to stop, and repeat the process as many times until his task was finished. It felt good to actually build that better future, rather than waiting on a Divine Being to do it for him.
The foreman was pleased, even the surliest of workers had come to grant Lloyd a certain amount of grudging respect. For someone who looked like he’d never worked a hard day in his life, he certainly proved them wrong with his diligence. The Wingly hadn’t exactly gained a reputation for being personable, but he had for being reliable. Especially when it came to slippery, unfinished roofs in the dead of winter. He’d prevented at least one near-fatal slip, and a few others that could have gone poorly were he not as quick on his feet and wings as he was. That had earned a letter of endorsement from the foreman overseeing his work contract to be sent along when the time finally came to ship off to Serdio.

It was spring when the work was considered complete enough to honor the agreement with Basil to extradite Lloyd for his crimes against the kingdom. Wink, and a small squad of specially picked guards were to escort him to Indels Castle in Bale for trial. The shackles were an unnecessary insult that Lloyd tolerated, if only because he knew it reassured the guards. Wink was understandably displeased with the sudden change in protocol, but knew better than to argue over much. Once they were across the sea they would be playing by Serdio’s rules. She attempted to reassure Lloyd during the trip, but his mood proved more difficult to bolster with everything going on. Wink’s duty was to deliver a message from Queen Theresa, along with the letter from the foreman and word of Lloyd’s rehabilitation progress. Lloyd did not voice his concerns on the trip across the sea, but he held doubts that these words would be enough to sway the King’s opinion. Lloyd had, afterall, killed his best friend. It may have been a reaction in the heat of the moment, but that hardly mattered once all was said and done.

What was most peculiar was the sudden speed with which this was happening. His sentence in Mille Seseau was far from complete, and Albert had initially agreed to allow him to finish serving his time there before demanding extradition. Something had changed, though Lloyd could only speculate as to what. Given his current mood, all speculations circled execution. Flight was still an option, though if he did that he would not be able to return to the frozen kingdom any more than he could to Serdio. He… could not bear to do that to Wink. No, he would face whatever this change was until he had no choice left. Lloyd had not yet fully decided on how he would proceed, but given how he’d grown attached to Wink’s desire for him to live he did not think that he would be willing to submit easily to execution.

“It will be okay,” Came Wink’s reassurance, and while she managed to keep her tone light and convincing it did not match her eyes, nor the worry radiating off of her like a heavy storm. Lloyd managed to offer his best attempt at an agreeable smile, but he was no more convinced than she was as he was ushered off the ship. The holy knights that had come with Wink were no longer particularly harsh with him, but as soon as he was handed to Serdian soldiers that attitude changed. Roughly they shoved him into the back of a transport cart, impassive to the pained grunt Lloyd couldn’t bite back at the way his still damaged shoulder wrenched. Wink took particular umbrage with this, finally speaking up against the needlessly rough treatment. The guards were not particularly moved, but did reign in their cruelty when reminded she was acting as an ambassador to Mille Seseau, and would be reporting this back to the Queen.

This was a far cry from the treatment he’d come to expect from the typically kind ruler of Bale. Something had changed, in either the King or the greater kingdom at large, but what? Lloyd had kept these thoughts to himself for much of the duration of their trip, though upon realizing that he was not alone in his growing anxiety he’d frowned over at Wink. Throughout the ordeal she had maintained her composure. Nearby her Knights sat, themselves growing more wary with the strange unfriendly behavior displayed by Serdio’s forces. “Something is amiss,” Murmured Lloyd under his breath, just loud enough for Wink and her guard to hear. She nodded solemnly, offering no further insight. Rattling his chains experimentally he straightened, staring ahead at the driver. “You will speak with His Majesty?” Again she nodded, this time leaning closer as Lloyd did the same, her voice lowered.

“I will beseech him on your behalf Lloyd, I promise, but this does not give me hope.” She confided, worry lacing her tone. She searched him for understanding, despite the growing maelstrom within her she maintained her composure like a true diplomat. It was one of the things Lloyd respected the most about her, no matter how distressed she felt within she always maintained a diplomatic air. The trick wouldn’t work in a wingly court, but it will in a human’s.

“Nor I,” He agreed.

“What will you do?” She asked, the first hint of genuine fear cracking through her carefully constructed demeanor. Wink remembered how defeated he was when he’d first awoken from his injuries. How willing to die for his atonement. Things had changed over the last many dark months, new purpose had given rise to new resolve. Silently Lloyd mulled over her question.

“There is much I will endure in the name of atonement,” He began, searching her eyes. Though valiantly she continued to try to hide her fear he felt it stir fiercely within her. That growing doubt thrashing into a deadly despair. Firmly he continued. “But, I have sworn an oath of service of no less than seven years to the Sisterhood of Mille Seseau. I do not intend to shirk that duty.” Lloyd concluded. Still he searched her face, silently hoping she understood his meaning. He would not stay for an execution. It took Wink a few moments to grasp what he was suggesting to which she responded with the faintest of hopeful smiles and a small nod. “I will ensure you always have sanctuary there.” She whispered. With that settled they both sat back, Lloyd deciding to take the time to try to meditate away a growing headache. The weight of the chains and the wrenching of his injury had left a growing, dull pain in his left side that was steadily crawling up into his skull. The rickety, rattling carriage offered no respite.

The remainder of the trip was uneventful. Wink made small talk about the beauty of the countryside, and Lloyd made affirmative noises with little to offer in return. He did, however, mention that spring was one of his favorite times of year in this area. Spring and fall, though fall was his absolute favorite, when everything turned gold. He was doing his best to keep the illusion of high spirits for Wink’s sake, though it was clear he was preoccupied. She couldn’t blame him, this treatment was a far cry from how he’d been dealt with in Mille Seseau. Upon arrival Wink was shown to rest chambers and assured she would speak with King Albert soon, Lloyd on the other hand was promptly shuffled off to a cell and left to wait. At the very least they removed his chains before shoving him inside and locking the door behind him.

“Sleep well.” One of the guards jeered, turning to leave Lloyd alone in the stone room without further comment. The heavy door at the end of a long stone hallway banged shut with a level of finality that told Lloyd everything he needed to know: this was going to be his new “home” for quite some time.

Lloyd did not, in fact, sleep well. The rough hewn wooden plank attached to the wall made for an uncomfortable bed, and the blank stonework walls were far from mentally stimulating. The cell had no windows, and while the iron bars that made up the front of his cage allowed him to see down the hallway lined with more cells all he could see was more stonework, and the occasional guard that passed through. It kept him dreadfully bored, and worse it made gauging how much time had passed impossible. Lloyd expected this was by design, to break prisoners down faster. He hated to admit to himself that it was working. Not being able to see the sky dug at him on a deep, visceral level. As a Wingly the sky was his domain, so to have that stripped away and replaced with stone and metal and dirt… And these accommodations were better than those offered in Helena. Yes, he was beginning to understand what the point of all this may be.

Lloyd spent his time straining to hear the slightest hint of goings on outside his stone walls. The occasional clanging of metal armor when soldiers marched past, sometimes he thought he could hear them training, or horses. No visitors came, not even Wink, though he suspected that was not by her own choosing. Instead it was only guards, who did not speak to him nor he to them. It would have been a fruitless endeavor, they would be no more eager to divulge information than they had when he’d first been shackled. One constant companion was the throbbing ache in his chest and head, made worse by the persistent malaise that surrounded him. Much like the coliseum in Kadessa the stones had absorbed the grief, despair, and anger of those who had been kept here in a bygone era. Lloyd was given to understand these cells were rarely occupied these days, he will have to be certain to thank the King for his generosity in opening them up for him. The lingering impressions would hammer at his mind as soon as he began to tire, which happened with frequency as time bore on. It didn’t help that he wasn’t eating or drinking, as he did not trust the guards to deliver his food untampered. When even rats wouldn’t steal from him he felt vindicated in his protest, though further worried exactly how long he could hold out.

What felt like it might have been years, but was likely no more than a couple days new sounds startled Lloyd from a half-sleep half-fugue stupor. Shaking himself awake he stood, moving to glare out the bars, straining to see what all the commotion was. A flurry of emerald green and warm mahogany browns with a shock of golden hair- it could be none other than King Albert himself. Lloyd moved back from the bars taking what few moments he had to compose himself, and to turn the injured side away from the King’s arrival. “Sire, this is hardly nece-” Lloyd overheard the guard saying.

“You’re dismissed.” Albert snapped, his tone harsher than Lloyd had ever recalled hearing from the monarch.

“Sire?”

“I will not repeat myself. The prisoner is no threat to me.” Lloyd overheard a sharp clink of steel, presumably the guard saluting, before his heavy footsteps retreated, disappearing behind the slam of the heavy wooden door. Softer footsteps approached, the light calfskin boots Albert wore muffling his steps in the enclosed stonework halls. He came to stand before Lloyd’s cell, frowning at the man shrouded in darkness.

“Your Highness,” Lloyd greeted, sounding more tired than he’d like. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” Albert only frowned further at Lloyd’s casual demeanor, one might almost believe he wasn't currently incarcerated for numerous war crimes. The shadows were certainly helping him to hide just how much this short stint in a cell was wearing on him.

“Lloyd,” It was the closest to a greeting he was going to get. “It has come to my attention that you haven’t been eating.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“I do not trust your guards,” A beat, while Albert waited for him to elaborate further. “Nor do the rats.” The insinuation of either there being rats in a dungeon, or that Albert’s men would attempt to poison a prisoner seemed to faintly annoy the king. He chose not to voice this annoyance, however, as it would do little to assuage Lloyd’s suspicions. Especially if he spoke true… and even the rats weren’t trusting the offered food. He had a feeling something like this was going on.

Digging into his robes Albert extracted a water skin and a loaf of bread wrapped in cloth, which he offered out to Lloyd. “From my own provisions, I will not have you dying from hunger or thirst on my watch.”

Lloyd hesitated, Albert had not moved closer to the bars which would necessitate he step more into the light. An act that he suspected was intentional. For the moment he remained rooted to his spot, utilizing the cell’s darkness for cover. “You and I both know these bars only serve as a comfort for your people.”

“And as a protection for you,” Albert quipped pointedly in return.

That comment took Lloyd aback some, he hadn’t considered that this was in some small way keeping him from harm’s path. From humans? Certainly not from other winglies… there was no way Albert knew about them, did he? His brow furrowed deeply, that comment taking some of the wind out of his sails. “I see,” Then, he ventured. cautiously. “Am I to understand that I am in danger here, beyond the threat of your guards?”
“First I will see you drink, then we will speak on other matters.” Albert wasn’t in the mood to take any of Lloyd’s talking in circles bullshit today. He’d hoped that a couple days left in isolation might have softened that tendency, but he knew he should never underestimate the wingly’s tenacity for being a thorn in his side. It didn’t take long. Lloyd gave up the fight first, stepping into the flickering torch light to press an arm, his right arm Albert made note, through the bars to take the offered water and food. It told Albert what he needed to know, if Lloyd were sneaking out while the guards were lax he would be in better shape. No, this man was most certainly suffering dehydration despite the ability to simply abscond any moment he so desired. Wink was right, Lloyd was adamant in his desire to atone, even at his own detriment.

While Lloyd drained the water skin, Albert went to fetch the old wooden chair that guards would occasionally rest in when they were on a long night’s watch. This was going to take some time, he might as well be comfortable. He waited for Lloyd to finish most of his meal in silence, watching him for any hints that this might be an act. After how easily Lloyd had manipulated both himself and his uncle Albert was unwilling to leave anything up to chance with this one.
“You’re favoring your left side,” Albert observed, still watching Lloyd closely. The man could be difficult to read after all, but he was almost certain he saw him tense at that.

“I sincerely doubt you are here only to ask after my health, get to the point.” Lloyd snapped, covering up that momentary display of weakness with irritation. If he couldn’t weasel out from under the King’s gaze he could almost certainly annoy him into not paying close attention. Not today though, Albert wasn’t biting. He was, in fact, prepared for this very situation. The Lloyd Wink had described seemed more a pathetic, wounded animal. Cornered as he was, it was reassuring to know that the wingly still had his bite, even if it was somewhat lacking in the tooth department. If he truly were going to cause trouble he already would have started. This was an opening, all Albert had to do was figure out how to navigate it.
“If that is the injury I think it is, you should have healed by now. Or do winglies truly heal so slowly?” He pressed, certain this was on course to get something out of Lloyd. Lloyd, however, immediately realized the game Albert was playing. Fine, if he wanted to trade speciest barbs two could play at that game.

“Humans lack the skill or know-how to treat magically inflicted wounds,” He stated with all the derision in the world. Truth be told Lloyd had never been in the ‘Winglies are superior’ club, but he’d lived that life long enough to throw an insult or two around. “I expected you of all would recognize the obvious inadequacies of your kind.” It was a good thing Wink wasn’t around; she really would not appreciate Lloyd mouthing off like this. Evidently hunger and isolation left him irritable, though one could hardly blame him. Lloyd had wanted this to be a more amicable conversation, but that idea was quickly abandoned.Ignoring the jabs as the empty words they were, Albert had filed that information away. A magical injury failing to heal to completion was potentially useful, either in a fight should it come to that, or as leverage for something else.

“You’re slipping, Lloyd.” Albert replied, managing to keep his cool despite the insults. He knew there wasn’t anything to them. If there was, Lloyd wouldn’t keep returning to humans to live among them. Lloyd simply huffed, crossing his arms. The food and water had helped to clear his mind somewhat, though the throbbing from his scars and head were growing quite potent. Worse the more annoyed he became. Taking a deep breath he calmed himself, forcing the impassive demeanor to the forefront. He couldn’t allow their shared history to cloud his judgment. This was not Albert the Jade Dragoon, this was Albert the King of Serdio and right now, Lloyd’s fate rests in his hands.

“This is beneath you, why have you really come? What is it that you want from me?” Lloyd knew there had to be a purpose behind all of this. Albert wasn’t known for being needlessly cruel, so why would he start now?

Albert leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees while he considered the man. Now that he had him riled up it was possible Lloyd would be more pliable. “I need to know, from where do you hail, Lloyd?”

That earned a suspicious stare, fire-orange eyes narrowed like coals in the gloom of the cell. “I am not answering that question.”

“You will, if you want to see the sun again.”

Now that was the first direct threat, and that one sounded real. He bristled slightly, not at all amused by the implication. “Do you believe you can enforce that?”

As expected, resistance. “If you want any chance at not being labeled a traitor to the kingdom, you will answer the question.”

Lloyd hesitated, he did want a chance… but at what cost? If he revealed where he was from that could be used against him, or worse used against his home. While there was no love lost between himself and his place of birth, he still didn’t want to see harm come to them. “And what will be done with this information?”

“It is relevant to how you will be tried, for one. Anything else is outside your control, you will have to trust me.”

Oh, Lloyd did not like that. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Albert, he still respected the man greatly, but this situation had been strange from the start and now he was very certain Albert knew something he shouldn’t. He paced, prowling back and forth like an agitated cat. He couldn’t feel any malice from the King, but what he did feel disquieted him even more. Albert knew he had Lloyd cornered, if he refused to answer or fled he’d be labeled a traitor and the manhunt would begin. If Lloyd tried to lie, he’d be caught immediately, for with the faintest smirk from the king he knew with absolute certainty that Albert wouldn’t be fooled easily. Honesty it was.
Finally his pacing slowed and he sighed, shaking his head. Seeing Lloyd continuing to waffle Albert made to stand, gambling on that spurring the man to speak. It worked. “Wait,” Albert paused, moving to retake his seat. “I am native to these lands. I suspect you already had that impression, did you not?”

“I did,” Albert confirmed with a faint nod. “Where?”

Lloyd hardened. “That I will not tell you, threats be damned.” He was firm on that, unwilling to give any more detail than absolutely necessary. This time Albert relented, the where didn’t truly matter. He had more important objectives to pursue.

“Very well, when?”

Ah, there it was. Again Lloyd let out a long breath through his nose, moving to take the seat on his dreadfully uncomfortable bench. “I am aware the law regarding citizenship changed twenty years ago after the start of the civil war, and I can assure you I quite predate that time.” That did make Albert wonder just how old Lloyd was, but he was too busy continuing. “Of course, by my own laws I hail from a sovereign nation hostile to yours that does not recognize any human authority. I also recognize that Serdian law would only recognize that if an official petition had been proffered. Which, of course, it hasn’t.” Albert actually looked faintly impressed, relieved that Lloyd was finally willing to cooperate. And that his previous competence as an advisor had not fully been a ruse cultivated by Diaz.

“You’ve been researching Serdian law.”

“I have. I expected this situation would arise and felt it prudent to prepare.” Not that Lloyd was thrilled to admit it. It would make dealing with Albert more complicated.

“Then you are aware, as a Serdian citizen, there is no doubt you have committed treason, correct?”

There it was, exactly what Lloyd had been expecting. Well, perhaps not such an informal trial, but given everything it had only been a matter of time. “I am aware.”
“Were you aware when you committed your crimes?”

Now that was an interesting question. Lloyd considered it for a while, he’d been reading all that he could while he was working as an advisor but at the time his pursuit had been the divine moon objects, not obscure citizenship and treason laws. “Not explicitly.” He confessed.
Albert appeared satisfied with that answer. He stood then, taking a moment to regard Lloyd one last time. “I will allow Wink to bring you your meals henceforth. She will ensure there is nothing suspicious about them. Continue to cooperate, Lloyd, I will call on you when I have need.” With that Albert simply walked away, leaving no room for Lloyd to ask questions or even begin to wonder just what exactly all of that was. All that he did know was that somehow, once again, he felt like he was in way over his head.

Chapter Text

True to the King’s word, the next meal was delivered by Wink herself, and her small contingent of guards who took over for Bale’s guards. Initially there was some disagreement, the elder guard insisting against this change in policy until Wink herself insisted that this was on the King’s orders, and she was free to see Lloyd whenever she so pleased. The younger guard didn’t particularly care either way, he was simply glad for some time off. That one Lloyd was growing, if not fond, at least pleasantly tolerant toward. By now they’d spared a few words to one another, the guard asking what he was in for which Lloyd simply informed him he’d not yet been charged. The young man found it strange, but wasn’t one to question the King.
After being separated for days and even worse, hearing that Lloyd hadn’t been eating, Wink was completely out of patience for pushy guards and knights telling her what to do. She was quick to remind the guard that not only will she take this matter directly to His Majesty, she has already sent a missive to Mille Seseau detailing the improper and inhumane treatment of their prisoner and member of her guard. That alone had begun to shake the guard’s resolve, but once she threatened to open an investigation on him specifically in that moment he decided to stand down and allow Wink to pass, and her own entourage to take point.

Lloyd had heard the commotion, of course, and could not mistake the sound of Wink’s voice.. She was not often one to offer idle threats, but there were times she could be surprisingly authoritative given the right reasons. It was a skill that came in handy when dealing with the more stubborn diplomats from other countries. Standing to press himself against the bars to listen, he only regretted he couldn’t watch the man cower and retreat. Now that would have been a treat after these last unpleasant days. Before long he heard Wink’s heels clipping down the stone corridor, followed by the heavier clunking boots belonging to one of her guards. “It’s good to see you, Wi- oof!” He’d called out once she was in view, but Wink had different ideas. She’d grabbed Lloyd and pulled him against the bars to give him the best hug she could manage given the circumstances. Evidently Wink was not in the mood for professional stoicism right now. Lloyd did his best to return the hug, though more gently. “Wink, please, bars.” Came the strained protest, trying to remind her that as much as he’d love a proper hug, the bars were very uncomfortable.

“Oh! I’m so sorry Mr. Lloyd, I just…” Wink had hopped back, clasping her hands together in concern while she looked him over. Lloyd, for his part, tried to correct any disheveling he was currently presenting. It gave him an excuse to hide the heat from his face until he’d regained his composure.

“I’m glad to see you, too,” Lloyd waved off the apology as unnecessary. “And please, you know you don’t have to call me ‘Mr.’” He preferred she didn’t, it was just far too formal anymore. The guard was patiently pretending to not be in the vicinity, waiting for Wink to relieve him of his delivery so he could rejoin his fellows in guarding the door. Likewise trying to hide her embarrassment from her uncharacteristic outburst, Wink did busy herself with collecting the food and drink from the guard to pass on to Lloyd. Freed from his task he saluted Wink, nodded at Lloyd, and promptly made himself scarce. This was far too awkward for three people to be involved.
Both silently agreed to not address any shared awkwardness, and instead moved right along to more important matters. “I’m sorry I couldn’t visit sooner, Lloyd. King Albert insisted against it,” Wink did not sound at all pleased about that. Lloyd couldn’t help the faint smile that touched his features, he had a feeling that was a messier conversation than was being presented.

“You didn’t happen to go looking for legal loopholes about that, did you?” He asked, certain he already knew the answer.

“Well… I did have ample time to spend in the library,” She confessed, trying to keep any hint of bashfulness beneath a more professional demeanor. She was glad to see Lloyd appeared to be fine, despite how rough his first few days were. Still, she grew solemn. “What happened? We’d heard you weren’t eating from one of the guards, then His Majesty came to check himself-”

Lloyd interrupted: “Which guard?”

“Oh, the young man outside earlier. Why?” Lloyd nodded, frowning at the wall.

“As I thought.”

“What do you mean, Lloyd?” By now Wink was growing increasingly confused and concerned by Lloyd’s mysterious behavior. She hadn’t known him to be this paranoid in Mille Seseau, what had changed in Serdio to have him rejecting food until she was the one bringing it?

“I cannot yet say for certain, but you have surely noticed an unusual hostility in Indels’ guards?” When Wink nodded, he continued. “Rats have a stronger sense of smell and taste than we do, so I left my first meal out for them. When none of them touched it, I also refused.” It wasn’t fool-proof, there were poisons that rats couldn’t detect as well, but it was better than taking the chance.

Wink was impressed. “That’s… not something I would have thought to do.”

Lloyd smirked faintly. “I certainly hope you never have to. A dungeon is not a place for you.”

“Nor is it for you,” Wink offered softly, watching Lloyd with no small amount of sorrow. She was glad her own kingdom had chosen to be more merciful.

Lloyd tried to offer a reassuring smile. “I will endure my penance, even on the back of Bale’s miserable display of hospitality.”

Wink wasn’t thrilled with that answer, but knew it would be fruitless to try to argue. Lloyd was bent on earning his absolution. She moved on. “Do you have any idea what’s going on with the guards? Why they’re acting so strange?”

He shook his head. “I don’t, not for certain. It’s unlikely they know anything, I don’t see His Majesty gossiping about my actions before the trial. It shouldn’t have anything to do with that. The only other possibility is it’s personal.”

“How could that be?”

“I have a suspicion, but I cannot know without a closer look.”

Wink thought about that, brows furrowed in serious thought. An expression Lloyd found strangely captivating. Catching himself staring he looked away, choosing to busy himself with the dinner she’d brought him. “I’ll see what I can do.” Wink offered confidently. If anyone could parse Serdian law to find a loophole to at least get him out of the cell for a while, Wink could. She had no idea what he hoped to discover or how he planned to do it, but that was something to figure out later. First, she had to convince King Albert to help. Or to decide on what he even planned to do about Lloyd’s many crimes. Watching him eat, she noticed he was most certainly favoring his left side again, and once more that concerned brow furrow returned.

“Lloyd, are you in pain?”

He grunted, turning away as though hiding it might make her not ask. “The scar has been acting up since we arrived. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing, I will talk to His Majesty.” Lloyd looked about ready to argue, but upon seeing the determination on Wink’s face he decided against it. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer on this one. Then again, this might be the perfect excuse to get him out of his cell. One of her guards knocked on the door, signaling that it was about time they wrapped things up. Wink sighed sadly, watching Lloyd. “Try to keep up your strength, I’ll be back in the morning.” She promised. Lloyd wished her a pleasant evening, settling in for his own to be very long and very boring.

Despite everything, he did sleep. Not well, but he did get some sleep. It was impossible to tell time down there, with no windows and the heavy wooden door kept at the far end of the hallway so no sunlight could reach. Still, he was able to gain some faint semblance of time’s passage and rhythms by the rotation of guards. More than that, it was by studying their demeanor. The elder guards were more practiced in being stoically alert at all times, but the younger guards who lacked experience and hard edges would slip. They’d be tired in the morning, still waking up, or beginning to waver in the evening as their stamina waned. That was how Lloyd knew it was morning, and not afternoon or late evening when the door opened again. Grumbling, he moved to sit up, stretching in an attempt to loosen the growing knot in his left side.
“Come on, up and at ‘em.” The guard said, tone betraying that he wasn’t entirely awake enough for this yet. Lloyd moved to stand, wincing slightly before he managed to loosen up enough to move.

“What’s going on?”

“Dunno, Captain said to collect you.” The young guard studied him for a few moments, frowning slightly. “You alright?”

“Wooden slabs make for a poor mattress, I will be fine.” Lloyd assured, stepping back from the door while the guard unlocked it.

“Listen, I forgot to grab the shackles and Sister Wink said you’d cooperate. Promise you won’t cause me any trouble?”

Definitely a young guard, had Lloyd intended to fight back or flee he’d simply lie. Fortunately that wasn’t the case here. “I would not make a habit of this, if I were you. However, you have my word. I will be on my best behavior.” Lloyd had no ill will toward this guard, he wasn’t responsible for the questionable food, and honestly he was rather pleasant. Young and naive, but pleasant.

“Yeah, I’m gonna get an earful. C’mon, let’s go.” The guard stepped back, letting Lloyd take the lead. It wasn’t like he could do much unarmed in a narrow hallway anyway.
“Where are we going?” Lloyd asked as they headed out.

“To the castle, the Holy Knights are supposed to meet us there. Somethin’ was holding them up this morning.” The young guard was genuinely unconcerned with this transfer, little did he know if Lloyd wanted to he could simply leave. Then again, that was the point wasn’t it? Cooperating and playing nice, demonstrating that he was willing to play by the rules as they were set before him. After all, he could have left at any point and had instead chosen to torment himself for several days in a dark, oppressive jail cell. Out into the open courtyard in the sunlight Lloyd did pause to take a deep breath to enjoy a little bit of sun before he could be hurried along too quickly. His escort was about to speak up when he heard a voice bark at them from across the courtyard. The elder, ill-tempered guard Lloyd had taken note of before.

“Halt! You there! Where are the prisoner’s chains?” The man stormed toward them, sword drawn ready to strike. Lloyd simply crossed his arms to stare him down. Now that he was out in the open where Lloyd could get a good look at him he could already pick up that something was amiss. For one, the unreasonable hostility, bordering on outright rage leveled at him hit him like a tidal wave.

Thinking fast, the younger guard paused and saluted. “I was told it wasn’t necessary,” Not entirely true, but Lloyd smirked anyway. “The prisoner is compliant, no reason for unnecessary force.” Lloyd did have to admit to himself he was impressed with the reasoning. Much better than the ‘I forgot’ he’d heard this morning. The other guard stomped right up to them, though kept a safe and wary distance from Lloyd who had only turned enough to face him squarely, arms still folded across his chest.

“Compliant!? That one’s a flight risk!” He’d barked, near frothing.

“Literally,” Lloyd agreed, and both guards snapped their heads to stare at him. He reached up to casually scratch his chin, casting the younger guard a faintly amused look. “Oh? They didn’t tell you? I can fly. Granted, shackles would do little to stop me from doing that if I decided to be difficult. Unless of course you plan on chaining me to the ground?” He’d asked, now leveling a pointed stare at the furious guard before him.

The younger guard was too baffled by that statement to speak more than a few confused sounds while the other barked over him. “I just might do that,” He’d growled, lurching as if to approach. Calmly, Lloyd simply unfolded his arms and offered them out to him, fists clenched and wrists up.

“By all means, go ahead. If you think it’s necessary.” His voice was calm and even, but there was an edge there, a subtle threat that the elder guard picked up on immediately. The man hesitated, halting his advance before he could come within arm’s length of the Wingly. For his part Lloyd hadn’t taken his eyes off of him, staring him down with such intensity that even the younger guard was growing uneasy with the whole exchange. While Lloyd appeared to be wholly cooperative, something about this felt off. Like it was a game of cat and mouse and he couldn’t pick out which one was the cat.

Finally the elder guard relented, pointing his sword viciously toward the castle. “Get him out of here.” He ordered. He’d made an error, moved too quickly, and Lloyd spotted it: A ripple just on the edge of his person. The faintest magical shimmer, nigh invisible yet there was no mistaking it. That was a glamour. Now he was certain he understood what was happening here. Letting his arms drop back to his sides Lloyd turned, spinning abruptly on his heel in such a manner as to appear not only aloof, but actively snubbing the still frothing guard. Adding a little insult to injury never hurts, right?
Suddenly the pieces were falling into place. Indels Castle was compromised, and Lloyd knew exactly who was behind it. At least this time it wasn't his fault.

Now the question was, how did he convey this information to His Majesty without alerting informants that he knew? Not to mention, would Albert even believe him? “So, uh, what was that back there? Did you mean it when you said you could fly?” The young guard’s words broke through Lloyd’s thoughts, distracting him from his ruminations.

“I did. What do you know about that man, is he always like that?” Lloyd ventured, hoping to gather a little more information on the glamoured soldier.

“Who, Jeremy? Yeah he’s usually pretty gruff, never seen him that angry, though. He’s actually pretty new around here, been an influx of new recruits after the civil war died down. Lotta soldiers out of a job I guess. Really like to throw their weight around, I've noticed, figure it has to do with where they came from.” The young guard didn’t seem particularly bothered by it, but Lloyd filed all of that information away. Now was certainly the perfect time to begin filling the ranks with compromised troops. The knighthood had been decimated after Emperor Doel’s aggressions, and they’d be desperate to fill those holes as quickly as possible. It might be peace time now, but the kingdom had also more than doubled in size. The Knights were spread thin, to say the least.

“These new recruits… none have been welcomed into the King’s personal guard, have they?”
The guard cast Lloyd a wary look, that question sounded a little too pointed for his tastes. “‘Course not, we’re not crazy. Only new person on close staff’s the apprentice historian. She’s not a soldier though.”

Oh, that’s not good, he thought. Lloyd nodded, satisfied with those answers as they approached the castle doors. Two guards let them in, giving a disapproving look at Lloyd’s lack of proper restraint, but didn’t comment. No sense in making an issue now, he was clearly cooperating. As they moved through the winding hallways of Indels Castle Lloyd made a note that they appeared to be heading toward the throne room and other interior chambers connected to the library, and war room. Having no idea what exactly he was being summoned for, Lloyd could only speculate as to what this was about.
Here was where the Holy Knights had been stationed, guarding the main entrance in and out of the inner chamber rooms. Lloyd’s escort took his position among them, gesturing for Lloyd to continue on himself. “His Majesty and Sister Wink will meet you inside, they’ve been waiting.” This situation was very peculiar and unprofessional, but Lloyd knew no answers would come standing outside the doors. Through the doors Wink was the first to greet him. She stood from the seat she’d been waiting in, moving over to check Lloyd in the bright light from the room’s large open windows.

“Lloyd! We were starting to worry, what kept you?” She was asking while he offered a formal, if dramatic bow of greeting. Now that he’d gotten all riled up in the courtyard he was feeling a little theatrical.

“Forgive me, there was a minor altercation on the way. Nothing significant.” He promised. Wink was relieved to hear it wasn’t anything serious, though she couldn’t entirely hide the concern on her face. Lloyd might be acting like nothing was wrong, but he did still look worse for wear. Those few days in isolation had not been kind to him. None could argue that Lloyd wasn’t resilient, but isolation was hard on anyone regardless of how resilient they might be. “May I ask what all this is about? Not that I’m not thrilled to be out of that cell, but–” He paused, as another had walked into the chamber. A young woman, appearing no older than her early twenties with a sheaf of papers stacked in her arms and pinned up pastel-pink hair. The pink hair was peculiar enough, but it was the vibrantly garnet-purple eyes that truly made her stand out.

“-I have found some promising leads in the old archives, but I can’t say anything for sure without seeing-” Came the thick, almost musical accent. A woman was explaining to Albert, who was following close on her heels. Upon entering the room and looking up, however, she froze. Likewise so did Lloyd. Recognition crossed her features, though Lloyd was far more practiced at maintaining a neutral expression. He knew who she was, but was stuck between whether or not to reveal as much, or continue to feign ignorance.

“Llwyd?” The woman almost dropped her stack of papers in shock upon seeing him. Lloyd grimaced faintly, he’d not heard that name in so long it sounded nearly foreign, and reminded him of a lifetime long since passed.

“Pink hair, Siân?” Out of every greeting Lloyd could have picked, he decided instead to start problems. He’d been on such good behavior all this time that his troublemaking tendencies were bound to win out eventually. The woman pushed her glasses up her nose to scowl at him in disapproval, the surprise immediately replaced by irritation. Albert, for his part, chose to say nothing. Instead leaning back on one heel to observe the interaction. He’d expected something might kick off when they met, but he couldn’t have anticipated it would be this entertaining. Wink, for her part, was far less entertained and simply confused and worried.

“Six years, Llwyd, and this is how you say hello?” She demanded as she strode forward, bundling the records in her hands. Lloyd, sensing things were about to get tense, straightened up.

“Could you not use that name..?” He almost finished asking before she’d gone to haul off and smack him with the rolled up sheaf of papers. However, Lloyd was faster, and in a blink was just out of arm’s reach, so she just shook it at him menacingly instead.

“Fine Ll-oy-ed,” Over emphasizing the syllables on purpose to make it sound terrible. He made a face.

“That’s worse-”

“No! You know what’s worse? Six years I don’t know if you’re alive or if you’re dead and you stroll in here like nothing, and you want to talk about hair color?” Albert, to his credit, masterfully hid the faintest of snickers. He’d never seen Lloyd on his back foot as much as he was right now, for the man looked absolutely stricken by the ferocity the woman was coming at him. So much so that he actually looked appropriately ashamed of himself.

“It wasn’t… I did not mean it that way…” He waffled, unsure how exactly to proceed.

“Then what way did you mean it? And you better explain yourself fast.” Lloyd put his hands up in surrender, still keeping himself just out of arm’s reach for that very deadly looking stack of documents.
“I… it’s good to see you again?” The threatening shake of documents resumed, informing him that wasn’t what she was looking for. “Alright! I was going to say it’s a terrible disguise.” She paused, lowering the paper club.

“And your stupid black hood wasn’t?”

Lloyd winced. “Point taken.”

Albert frowned, he’d been fooled by it.

“Besides, it isn’t a disguise. I just like it.” She huffed indignantly at him. Now that things had seemed to be calming down Albert cleared his throat, reminding the room that there were still witnesses to this little spat.

“I take it you two already know each other?”

“We’re cousins,” They both said in unison, then stared each other down for a few moments… before Siân broke the tension by laughing. Wink gasped, Lloyd let out a relieved sigh, relaxing. At least it appeared his cousin wasn’t too angry with him.

Chapter Text

Albert folded his arms. “A surprise family reunion. Were that there was more time for you two to catch up, but we are on a schedule.” He reminded gently, watching the two winglies in interest. Honestly he’d never expected to encounter any members from Lloyd’s family. How funny fate could be. That statement earned a perplexed look from Lloyd, who still had no idea why he was there. Siân, resuming a more professional air, shook out her documents, fortunately none were originals, and made her way to a moderately sized desk near the large open windows. Wink had moved over to check on Lloyd, finding him looking even more worse for wear than he had the night before. Perhaps it had been the dim light of the dungeon, but out in the open the man looked like he’d just walked in from the worst battle of his life. The dungeon had not been kind to Lloyd. Of course he reassured her he was fine and just tired, but she could tell he was trying to make her feel better. She just couldn’t understand what had happened. Isolation was hell on a person, wingly or human, but this seemed unnatural. 

“I’ve only treated some magical burns and poisonings myself, so I can’t say I’m an expert,” Siân was explaining to Albert, who had followed to overlook the documents as she spread them out across the desk. “But I did find some information on more potent afflictions. Persistent scarring and pain, some lingering parasitic effects, debilitating pain.” She tapped her nails across a few documents outlining said afflictions. Albert had glanced over at Lloyd almost questioningly, instinctively the wingly turned his wounded side away, as though he could somehow hide that from the King’s gaze. 

“Do you think you would be able to treat a more serious affliction?” Albert asked her.

“I don’t know, I did manage to bring most of my equipment with me when I left. I won’t make any promises, but I’m willing to try.” 

Again Albert turned his attention to Lloyd. “What do you say?”

Lloyd pursed his lips, looking faintly annoyed at being cornered like that. Siân had turned to again peer at him through her glasses, perplexed. “Is that why he’s here?” 

“Apparently. No one told you?” Lloyd was surprised, first over the fact that this was happening at all, secondarily that she’d not been apprised of the situation. Then it dawned on him… Albert was going to make him spill his guts to his cousin, wasn’t he? Whether this was some kind of punishment, or an act of atonement, he couldn’t guess. What he could guess was that this was about to be significantly more awkward. 

“What did you do?” She demanded, the first trace of genuine worry cracking into her voice. It had been bad before, knowing he'd committed some crime everyone was being elusive about, but now there was a serious injury he'd not volunteered to deal with. In her experience Lloyd had always been cagey about injury, the worse it was the less he'd speak on it. Foolish man.

“Where do I start?” He was dodging, buying time to talk his way out of this. Siân however, knew his games, and wasn't in the mood to play. Lloyd might have been like a brother to her, all the more reason not to let him squirm out of explaining himself. 

“You start with what attacked you,” She replied curtly.

“Who.” Lloyd offered very unhelpfully.

“Who, then? Keep this up Llwyd , I'll start spilling all your childhood secrets.” 

He balked. “You wouldn't,” Surely she wouldn't be that cruel?

“I would and I will. Talk.” Siân had no more patience for him. Lloyd sighed, resigned.

“Melbu Frahma.”

Siân paused, staring at him over the rim of her glasses. “When I told you to speak I meant the truth.” She snapped, furious he'd even think she'd fall for something that stupid.

“He's telling the truth,” Albert interjected from his spot leaning against her desk. Siân's eyes snapped to him, ready to lecture the King for entertaining this delusion. Seeing how serious he looked, she looked to Wink for help, who only nodded solemnly. Placing her fingers on her temples, Siân attempted to massage away a growing headache. 

Deep breath. “Okay, since you're all clearly insane, how did- you know what? No, I don't need to know right now.” She straightened back up, resuming her pointed glare at Lloyd, as if focusing on being annoyed with him will save her from being horrified. Determined to keep the situation from getting completely out of hand she moved around to the other side of the desk, pulling her paperwork with her to inspect while she asked questions. “How old is this injury?”

“Seven… maybe eight months?” Lloyd had glanced at Wink for confirmation, time had been rather difficult to track at the beginning. She nodded.

“Yes, nearly eight months since we found him.” Siân focused on her.

“And what wounds did he present with?” That question left Wink feeling rather uncomfortable, she didn’t like thinking back to that time. She’d not been allowed to see him immediately while the doctor and Sister Miranda worked their miracles. Mostly she only saw his bandages. 

Lloyd spoke up. “A hole through my chest,” Then, frowning at Wink’s subtle wince he leaned near her ear. “If it would be easier on you, I can take it from here?” He offered gently. Hesitating, as Wink did want to support him but found herself struggling to contribute, she nodded.

“I think that would be for the best, I do have some work I must accomplish.”

“Please, don’t let me keep you.” Wink bowed to Albert after his nod for dismissal, then smiled reassuringly at Lloyd before extracting herself from the room. She really did have work to do, and reliving those first few weeks wasn’t something she was thrilled to do. Watching this, Albert offered: “I will make certain she’s apprised of our findings.” Lloyd nodded in satisfaction, it would have to do. That at least allowed him to relax some, he didn’t like to make Wink fret overmuch about him.

Siân watched this with interest. Lloyd was treating these humans with a level of familiarity and… gentleness she wouldn’t have expected him capable of. Even toward the King, with whom she could sense quite a bit of tension between. There was also… respect? Gratitude? It was hard to identify, Lloyd had always been difficult to read, but his care over the human woman Wink was something she absolutely noted and filed away for later. At the moment, she had a patient to diagnose. Back to it.

“And, how exactly did you survive that?” She asked, letting the skepticism ooze into her voice. Lloyd seemed unperturbed.

“An excellent question,” Lloyd offered, completely unhelpfully. “Would it be easier if I showed you?” Since Wink was no longer in the room to be appropriately horrified, he felt more comfortable offering. Granted he still wasn’t sure just how bad things had become, the pain was certainly worse than it had been in months. 

“Yes, that would probably be for the best,” Siân cast a sidelong glance over at the king. “Your Majesty?” 

Albert nodded. “You are the doctor. I won’t interfere.” He was still going to keep an eye on Lloyd, he wasn’t quite comfortable enough with the two of them to leave them completely unattended. On her own Siân was fine, and Albert had few questions about her loyalties, with Lloyd in the mix however, it complicated matters. Besides, he wanted to see for himself exactly how the wingly had survived Melbu Frahma’s attack.

Their expectation sealed, Lloyd found himself with little option. “I do hope you know what you’re doing,” He murmured quietly toward both of them, reaching up to loosen the light coat he wore over his traditional wingly vest. Tossing that over the back of a nearby chair, he made to loosen the vest over his left shoulder and side, finding the task more painful than he'd expected. The reason behind that became abundantly clear immediately. What had been a nasty scar just below the shoulder was now a vicious red and violet mass, with wicked tendrils spreading in all directions. Even Lloyd was surprised, it hadn't been in that condition since it had freshly healed. “...It wasn’t like this before.” While he kept his demeanor calm, he was feeling far from it, this looked far more serious than he’d anticipated. 

“What… do you mean?” It was Albert who spoke first, effectively masking his horror behind a well-practiced royal air. He might be a young king, but growing into his power in the midst of a long civil war had taught him well how to maintain his presentation regardless of what was put before him. Battle maps or gruesome injuries, none were particularly surprising. This one, however, was something he’d not encountered before. Siân was grateful, as she was struggling with appropriate words or a reaction to what she was looking at, furiously digging through her papers for notes and pictures.

“It was only a scar…” Lloyd responded, trailing off while he stared in quiet dread at his own condition. No wonder he’d lost most use of that arm recently. Gently he tried prodding at one of the twisted veins, withdrawing his hand swiftly with a hiss, the pain was worse. What was going on? Despite the growing dread and gnawing, gnashing feeling of helplessness Lloyd still maintained a calm exterior. Internally he couldn’t fight it down entirely, his stomach twisted and lurched, he had to look away from the injury, pulling his vest back up and focusing his attention on Albert and Siân.

“When did that start to change, do you know?” Albert continued, not letting any of his own worry creep into his voice. Internally Siân was grateful the two could manage to hold this conversation so calmly. Internally she was aware of the turmoil both were fighting down, she was never as good at blocking it out as some of the others, it still helped to have a calm exterior. It gave her time to try to center herself while Albert collected what information he could. It helped that Lloyd was an experienced warrior, well versed in pushing pain and alarm aside to be dealt with later, and Albert was a wartime king with experience in dealing with tense situations. Siân did not have this experience herself, and was desperately trying to reign in her alarm to think clearly. 

“Alright. Okay. We can fix this.” She muttered softly to herself, a mantra she repeated over and over while she rotated between pressing her fingers to her temples, spreading them out into the air before her, then gently touching the documents as if they would somehow spring to life and offer an answer. For the moment, she wasn’t nearly as invested in the active conversation as she needed to be. For all her skill as a historian and healer, Siân was not equipped to handle this particular brand of stress.

“I recall…” Lloyd mused softly, pausing while he considered. “When we first met our escort to board the ship for Serdio. An ache had come over me then, at the time I attributed it to the shackles.” And stress, but he wasn’t going to say that part out loud. Siân’s eyes snapped up. 

“ Shackles? What did you do? ” She demanded, slipping into the native tongue of the winglies.

Lloyd frowned. “It is impolite to speak in a language the King does not understand.” He noted flatly, hoping that would distract her from the subject. It didn’t work, she rounded on Albert.

“Why was he in shackles?”

“He is a war criminal wanted on numerous crimes against the Kingdoms of Basil, and Serdio,” Siân’s eyes went wide. Albert continued. “These include treason, espionage, murder-”

“Self defense.” Lloyd interjected, to a withering glare from Albert. He shut up.

“Theft of a sacred relic, wrongful imprisonment, and kidnapping.” The king leveled his gaze at Lloyd, who had put his impassive mask back into place. “Anything I missed?” One could almost call that light tone sweet, if they didn’t understand the threat beneath it. It was a firm reminder that the generous treatment he was receiving was just that; generous, and in no way to be taken for granted. 

“No, Your Majesty, I believe that covers the majority.”

“Well, I guess it wasn’t attempted regicide,” Siân muttered darkly under her breath. 

“ Siân ,” Lloyd warned. Albert’s attention had locked on her, Lloyd could detect his tension and knew for certain his Dragoon spirit wasn’t far away. Siân wasn’t listening anymore, she was lost in her own thoughts trying to piece all of this madness together. She didn’t realize just how dangerous this situation was growing.

“I mean, sure, what else was he going to do? Go out and carve out a better life for himself?” She was still talking to herself, beginning to border on something of a breakdown, this was all so much for her to take in. Lloyd had made to move closer but that stare from Albert warned him back. “Of course not! Because that’s not what he was bred and raised to do…” It was only about then that she remembered not only did she have an audience, but it was probably the worst audience possible. Lloyd’s right hand moved up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he let out a long-suffering sigh, Albert’s eyes were searching between the two. He was still ready to fight, Lloyd could feel as much, but it had leveled into something a little more calm.

“Explain.” Albert’s tone left no room for argument.

“I will,” To everyone’s surprise it was Lloyd who volunteered. “Siân, see what you can do about this,” He gestured to his left arm. “Before it kills me?” She nodded quickly, glad to be given a task that wasn’t standing behind a desk being scrutinized for her blabbing. She ushered Lloyd to sit in the sun where she would have the best light.

“May I go collect some equipment, Sire? I’ll be right back.” Albert nodded, not taking his eyes off Lloyd for a moment. The woman very nearly vanished with how quickly she was gone. It wouldn’t take her much longer to return.

“My patience is wearing thin, Lloyd.” Albert warned.

“I will tell you everything you want to know,” Lloyd promised, and this time he did sound sincere. “Siân should be here, some may be relevant to whatever this affliction is. But first, tell me… what are your thoughts on the young guard sent to collect me?”

“Ernest is one of my most trusted guards, and one of the few left in my inner circle.” That was an interesting confession, Lloyd thought. 

“You say few, have you detected unrest in your ranks?” The only reason Albert was tolerating Lloyd questioning him back was because he expected this would be going somewhere relevant.

“You’ve noticed something.”

“I’ve detected a glamour.”

“A glamour !?” Siân’s voice came from the doorway, unable to hide her shock. “Are you sure?”

“Extremely.” Lloyd sounded grim. Albert was still watching them both warily, though he’d relaxed some. It seemed evident Lloyd was in no shape to start a fight, and Siân didn’t seem the type. “It was faint, but it was there.”

“I didn’t know you could see through glamours…” Siân sounded hurt as she stacked her various tools on the edge of the desk.

“I can’t. Not through them, when you work around them enough you begin to be able to spot where they break down. The points where light isn’t bending quite how it’s supposed to.” For as brilliant as she thought Lloyd was, Siân had also deeply underestimated him. She knew he was an idealist prone to big dreams, she didn’t tend to attribute high perception to him. Evidently either something had changed, or she too had fallen into the habit of being too complacent in how she viewed the people in her world. That was something she’d never thought to look for. 

“Back to the topic at hand,” Lloyd continued, aware that prolonging this would only agitate Albert further. “In your travels across Endiness, you have come to learn a few things about how the ancient winglies ruled not just over the so-called “lesser races,” but of themselves, correct?” 

“I have,” Albert was growing restless, and did not much appreciate the use of the words lesser races, but he understood that Lloyd was not one of those winglies that saw himself above them. That hadn’t been the goal in everything that had transpired. It was a pertinent part of their long history, however. 

“Some have not abandoned the… shall we call it selective breeding practices.” Lloyd continued, Albert's expression darkening more as he began to understand where this was going. It didn’t bode well. Siân had grown quiet while she began to inspect Lloyd's affliction, strangely so in fact. “As you undoubtedly have surmised, I am the product of similar practices. We lack the technology of the ancients to evaluate who among us will have the required capabilities before birth, unfortunately that has made us no less barbaric.” 

Lloyd was not shy in calling it what it was, but Siân seemed increasingly more troubled the more he spoke. In fact, it was quite clear Lloyd was ignoring her on purpose. She opened this door, he was going to make her face what was inside.

“And for what purpose were you… bred?” Even saying it left a foul taste in the King’s mouth, to imagine they still practiced such horrors.

“Combat prowess and magical skill, of course. I was intended as a front-line warrior. One specifically intended to kill you, in fact.” One would think Lloyd was insane to admit so calmly. Siân certainly did as she'd gasped, fumbling some kind of stethoscope-like instrument onto the floor.

Albert, for his part, took the news in stride. “And did you intend to complete your task?”

“Have I made an attempt on your life?”

Albert considered that. Despite what happened with Lavitz, and how many times they faced Lloyd, not once did he attempt to kill them with real intent. In fact, he'd had numerous opportunities to eliminate the King well before Lloyd had begun his schemes in earnest. “No, you haven't. Why?”

“He saw you as a fair ruler.” Siân spoke finally, soft and remorseful. She'd never imagined it would get this far. Lloyd only nodded his agreement. 

“It was necessary to observe if we were to infiltrate and replace. While my superiors preached the weakness and savagery of humans, that is not what I witnessed during my training.” Quite the contrary, he found Albert to be a surprisingly level-headed and kind king. Given that he maintained that disposition despite the civil war spoke highly of his character. Lloyd had long suspected his superiors had been lying to him, it simply took observation to prove that true. “Suffice to say I ultimately chose to abandon that cause.”

“And us.” Siân said quietly, barely hiding the sorrow in her tone. Lloyd glanced over at her.

“What would you have me do? Take you into a world filled with unknown dangers? Send a letter without a courier?” He didn’t have a choice, it was either stay and be forced to act on what he’d been raised to do, or flee before anyone could force him to do so. Returning his attention back to Albert. “Which brings me back to what we were discussing before: The glamours. I expect they are going forward with the plan without me. With your ranks diminished, it offered an opportunity to fill it with subversives. I was never intended as a replacement, so all they required was a new champion.” Who exactly that might be Lloyd still wasn’t certain, but he felt he’d made his intended part in all of this clear. Born and raised to start a war, evidently he still did that, just in a very different way.

For a time Albert was silent while he digested all of this. It was a lot to take in, and he had every reason to distrust anything Lloyd said after everything they’ve been through. And yet… he believed him. Completely, in fact. At the end of the day it would do Lloyd no good to lie about this now. Unless somehow he expected to earn his way back into the good graces of his own people, but Albert dismissed that immediately. Seeing the way he and Wink interacted, seeing the way even her Holy Knights appeared to respect him, the tests he’d passed so far… It was clear Lloyd was genuine in his efforts to redeem himself. Even Queen Theresa and her foreman spoke highly of him, much to their own surprise. No, even if he didn’t want to believe Lloyd it was impossible to disregard all the evidence before him. That now, however, cast a shadow of doubt over another. Albert turned his attention to Siân.

“You say your specialty was combat and magic, what was hers?”  Lloyd cast her a sidelong glance, eyes narrowing faintly at the way she avoided looking at him. 

“When she failed to display a proficiency for glamours, her specialty was switched to medicine… and poisons. In particular those that are absorbed through the skin.” Siân didn’t have enough time for his words to fully sink in before Lloyd moved. A blur of motion too fast for the eye to see and a blade was pressed to her throat, her own blade she realized with a rueful, choked laugh. Just like that, Lloyd had figured it all out. Even with ever increasing agony Lloyd was not only combat ready, but sharper than that knife. In a flash Albert was on his feet, his spear in hand and at the ready though he was not yet certain who he should be pointing it at, so he settled on a spot between the two winglies, ready to separate them.

“You still keep a knife in your boot,” Lloyd observed, voice calm though his hand was not as steady as he would like. The poison racing through him was chewing up the very arm he held the knife with, the pain and evident betrayal both shaking him to his core. He expected this from any of the others, the cousin he loved like a sister was another level. FIghting back tears, Siân nodded, though she did not pull her throat away.

Still uncertain who to trust, Albert was leaning more toward Lloyd’s well-being given what had just been revealed, though Siân’s refusal to fight back gave him pause. He’d opened his mouth to demand that one of them start talking when Siân volunteered. 

“I didn’t know it was for you,” She whispered, voice cracking. “It wasn’t supposed to be for you.” She fell back, landing hard on her backside. Bringing her knees up she wrapped her arms around them, muffling a sob into them. “They said you were dead. It was… it was supposed to be for a prisoner.” She shook her head furiously, trying to fight back the tears now that she realized exactly what was happening. Lloyd took the blade from his bad hand, letting the arm drop limply toward the floor. Heaving an exhausted sigh, he offered the blade hilt first toward Albert, who took it carefully. 

Planting the butt of his spear on the floor, Albert simply frowned at the both of them. Now what was he going to do with all of this? It was more clear now what was transpiring. Siân’s loyalty was still questionable, though he expected things had not gone exactly as planned. She’d been enthusiastic once he’d revealed he’d recognized her as a wingly and was still willing to hire her as a historian, and again had completely failed to take any attempts on his life. There was absolutely no way he expected Lloyd was in on this, he might have been willing to do much for his vision, but this was anathema to it. He wouldn’t take poison and risk his own death for nothing.

Observing Lloyd’s declining condition, however, he made a decision. “Siân, is there a remedy?” Sadly she shook her head, sobbing softly. “Can you make one?” He pressed.

The firmness in his tone seemed to spark something in her, a tiny bit of motivation returning to her as she rubbed her face on her arm. “I can slow it. He’s only had a small dose. It,” She sniffed hard, trying to center herself. “It feeds on magic. Just… don’t use magic, alright? I’m going to do everything I can to fix this.” Lloyd simply nodded, now that the excitement was over he was running out of energy and fast. She moved to stand, pausing a moment to look to Albert for permission. This situation was far from resolved, she knew, but she couldn’t help Lloyd in a cell.

“Go, hurry.” He commanded. Now wasn’t the time to deliberate, they could settle the matter later. Once Lloyd was stabilized. Casting one more sorrowful glance to her struggling cousin, Siân disappeared once more. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, this was never supposed to happen. Down another guest Lloyd slumped in his chair, not even bothering to pull up his agonized arm. As much as he never enjoyed being seen in such a state, with it being only Albert he supposed he could allow himself a few moments to wilt. Albert didn’t have the heart to try to make him move. 

“You should be safe here, for now. I will have quarters arranged…” 

“Not sending me back to the dungeon?” Lloyd asked, mildly surprised.

“No, I think I’ve seen enough.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have passed every test I set before you, and this… this was unanticipated.” Albert was doing his best to stay professional. While they had stood on opposing sides of the battlefield, while Lloyd had committed horrible atrocities in the name of his dream, they had also stood on the same side. Were it not for Lloyd they never would have learned the truth about the Moon That Never Sets, about Soa’s plan, or about Melbu Frahma’s continued existence. In the end he, too, had sought to rectify his mistakes. While they were far from friends, Lloyd had been a good advisor. It was hard to look at him now and not remember that. Lloyd had closed his eyes, the pounding headache was back and the tension had left behind a bone-deep exhaustion. 

“...Your guard didn’t ‘forget’ the shackles at all, did he?”

Amused that Lloyd was at least still with him, still putting the pieces together, Albert smiled faintly. “No. I wanted to know what you would do. As it turns out it worked in both of our favor.” It had allowed Lloyd an altercation that resulted in uncovering at least one glamoured wingly, there were probably more. Lloyd nodded, feeling foolish he’d not realized it sooner. Albert had always been cunning in his own way. “Do you think she will return, or flee?” Albert continued, still watching Lloyd with growing concern. He’d have to send him to rest soon, best to gain what information he could while the man was coherent.

“If she flees and I die, you will know with certainty there is a coup underway and that she remains a participant,” Lloyd had always been a realist. He knew he wouldn’t survive the poison without an antidote. There wasn’t enough time to seek out alternative methods. 

“That wasn’t what I was asking,” Albert said gently. He wasn’t worried about himself, not right now. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d dealt with such things. Dart might be off doing Dart things, but Albert was still a Dragoon in his own right. Kongol also wasn’t too far to call in, and if he were lucky Meru might be in the area. They would persevere. “Still, when you recover,” Yes, when , Albert wasn’t ready to give up on Lloyd yet. “I would enlist your services in routing out those that do not belong here.”

Lloyd huffed a quiet sound of amusement. “Consider me enlisted, Your Highness.” ‘When,’ was it? Well, if Albert wasn’t going to give up that easily, and he knew Wink wouldn’t tolerate him getting all self-defeatist again, then Lloyd had no choice but to also continue to fight. He just needed a few moments to rest, the dungeon had been hell on recovery. Albert could tell Lloyd needed a break, so he moved to help the man stand, much to Lloyd’s surprise. 

“I have somewhere private you may rest. In the meantime, what would you have me tell Sister Wink?” With the situation still developing, Albert didn’t think it prudent to recount word for word what had just transpired there. 

“Let us keep the specifics of Siân’s involvement between us for now. Otherwise, tell her what you please.” 

Albert nodded his agreement, until they knew more it would be best not to cast unnecessary aspersions. Still, he did find it interesting Lloyd would care to protect Siân’s reputation with the knowledge she was responsible for his ailment. The wingly was a peculiar man, to be sure. Keeping an eye on the way Lloyd moved, Albert led him to a small reading room that would serve well to offer privacy within the inner chambers of the castle. It was clear Lloyd was making an effort to not display just how much pain he was in, and the fact that he was failing indicated it was growing worse rapidly. As much as he hoped Siân would come through and not abandon Lloyd to his fate, Albert was not a man to rely on singular options. He had already decided he would send a missive to Miranda to ask for her assistance, as well as the doctor in Lohan who had attempted to treat Shana’s dragon poisoning. It was unlikely they’d be able to arrive in time, should they agree at all, but they were the only other options he knew to consider.

Gingerly, Lloyd settled himself into a plush armchair, tucking his left arm against himself tightly where it would be kept stable and out of his way. Again now that adrenaline wasn’t driving him the exhaustion returned, washing over him in an all-consuming wave. If he managed to stay awake at all it would be a miracle. Of course he noticed that Albert hadn’t stopped scrutinizing him during the short walk to the room, but he’d been trying to ignore it. Now it was beginning to irritate his already frayed nerves. “Anything else, Your Majesty?” As much as he tried, Lloyd utterly failed to keep the curtness out of his tone, though it only seemed to amuse the King.

“Would you like a sling?”

It took Lloyd several long moments to realize Albert was asking him this, and not some invisible other in the room.

“I- excuse me?”

“For your arm. You appear to be having trouble with it.” 

Lloyd considered this for a few moments longer, a mixture of wary confusion on his face. As a prisoner and war criminal he expected very little in hospitality, but he certainly didn’t expect genuine concern for his well-being. Truth be told he didn’t entirely know how to react. “That would be helpful, actually. If it is not an inconvenience, I’m afraid it’s beginning to numb.” 

Albert’s frown deepened. That wasn’t a good sign, but he felt it would be best not to point that out. Lloyd likely knew better than he that the poison’s advance was concerning, and it wouldn’t help to harp on the issue. “None at all, I will have it arranged. And Lloyd?” Lloyd lifted his head to meet Albert’s gaze, thrown further into confusion when the King stepped forward to offer the dagger he’d previously taken from Siân. “Take this, I’ll not have you unarmed, given the circumstances.” 

Lloyd hesitated. “You are certain?” He reached out to accept the blade all the same, tucking it into his boot. He was no more thrilled to be disarmed and surrounded by enemies than Albert would have been, especially enemies he couldn’t readily identify.

“I am. For now, consider yourself released. You are free to move about the castle, though I would advise you to remain with your contingent of Holy Knights and Sister Wink until we know more. I require your assistance in this, Lloyd, no one else knows these forces the way you do. Do I have your loyalty?” Lloyd had already agreed to be enlisted, but loyalty was a different question altogether. Lloyd seemed to understand the weight of it, as he took some time to mull the implications over. Albert wasn’t just asking for his help, he was asking if he could trust him, which also meant he was willing to do so. That was a heavy request to make, and not one Lloyd knew he could answer lightly. Swearing fealty wasn’t on his to-do list for the day, but he supposed it was more interesting than sitting in a jail cell. 

At first Lloyd had made to kneel but a gesture from Albert had him settling back into his chair. This situation was one that would normally call for a greater level of formality, but even the King could recognize when such gestures were unnecessary and unhelpful for someone in such pain. They were alone here, he would accept the attempt as good enough. “I swear it, Your Highness. You will have my service, insofar as it does not interfere with that which I have already sworn.” 

As much as Albert wasn’t entirely pleased for a caveat, he knew of whom Lloyd spoke and why. Wink had informed him of Mill Sesseau’s ruling for him, and that he remained under contract for the next six years at least. Even so, he didn’t anticipate that loyalty would become a problem for Serdio, in fact the more reason Lloyd had to serve both countries the better. He may prove a valuable asset for the future…

So long as they had a future.

He reached out to lay a hand on Lloyd’s uninjured shoulder for a moment, nodding once to confirm his acceptance of the oath. “I will hold you to this, Lloyd.” Another betrayal and next time he wouldn’t be so kind, yet this time Albert felt more confident that Lloyd wouldn’t. Not after everything. “There is more I would ask you, later, after you have had some rest. I will check on Siân’s progress.”

Lloyd let his eyes close, settling into the chair to try to sleep. “Beware, Highness, if she has already revealed that their presence is known they may depart with subtleties.”

“Then I trust you will offer what you can to the ensuing fight.”

Lloyd huffed a laugh. “I will.” What he did not say was how little he expected to be able to do soon, what with the rate this poison was beginning to devour him. Even with his limitations, however, Lloyd was not going to back down from a fight. He only hoped it wouldn’t come to that, if not only for the people of the castle but Wink as well. Her safety was his greatest concern.

“Good, now rest.” With that, Albert took his leave, closing the door behind him to allow Lloyd some privacy.

Chapter Text

It was dark when Lloyd awoke again. He’d not even realized he’d fallen asleep until a soft knock on the door startled him from his slumber. Groggily he'd made a sound that must have been close enough to a ‘come in’ because the door opened to Siân’s pink-haired head peeking in. “Oh! You are awake, how are you feeling?” She asked, putting on a display of false cheeriness that Lloyd could see through immediately. 

“I’ve been better,” He grumbled, moving to sit forward to scowl his disapproval at her. “But you knew that.” He said pointedly, causing Siân to wince slightly. She slipped fully into the room, wrestling a clinking bag under her arm. “Have you been approached?” He asked, eyeing the bag. Siân sighed, nodding.

“What did they ask?”

“Where you were taken.”

“And?”

“I told them the truth, I didn’t know, somewhere deeper into the castle.” She was watching Lloyd now, worry and fear clear in her eyes, though she valiantly hid the worst of her dread deep inside. Not that she could hide it from him, his perceptive sense was far too strong. With narrowed orange eyes he scrutinized her, digging into the truth of her words and moreover, the truth of her intention. Inside he found… no lies, no deception. Only concern, confusion, and fear. Unless Siân had gained a preternatural ability to disguise her emotions or that poison was doing an even stronger number on Lloyd than he realized, she spoke the truth. Nodding to himself in satisfaction of her honesty he let himself slump back into the chair, far too exhausted and in far too much pain to continue his interrogation.

“I believe you,” He finally said, tone one of defeated exhaustion.

Siân relaxed, relieved he was finally starting to trust her. She had to wonder if he’d always been this wary and she’d simply missed it, or if his life outside the safety of their forest had truly been so hard on him. Judging by the scars, she believed it to be the latter. “Good, now let me treat you,” Digging into her satchel she pulled out a small potion bottle filled with a viscous, pearlescent liquid. “Drink this. I’m sorry, it’s going to dampen your magic, might even seal it up completely for a while. It’s not permanent!” She was quick to explain at the sharp look he’d shot her. Grudgingly he reached out to take the vial, uncorking it with his thumb and giving the liquid a sniff before looking over at her again.

“You’re certain this is necessary?”

“Yes. I told you the poison feeds on your magic, this will slow it down so I can try to counter it, understand?” She was growing frustrated with Lloyd’s stubbornness, but was pleased when he downed the drink with a grimace. While the flavor was nothing, the texture was truly awful, he almost gagged. “I also brought you a sling,” She continued, plopping her bag on a small side table to dig into the contents. The sling she extracted and moved over to assist him in putting it on. “What’s going on with your arm?”

Experimentally Lloyd attempted to lift the arm and make a fist, but found his motion sluggish and his grip nearly nonexistent. “It’s gone numb, I can barely feel it, much less move it.” Which was perhaps more alarming than the pain he’d been in to begin with. Lloyd wasn’t an expert in medical care, but he expected the loss of pain to be a sign things were worsening significantly. The spike in anxiety from Siân warned him his intuition was likely correct. 

“I don’t know what that means,” She said quietly as she gently tied his lame arm up in the sling. “But I think it’s safe to say it’s bad.” She knew Lloyd could take the affirmation better than she would have, he’d always been someone who preferred to hear the bad news honestly, rather than a sugar-coated version.

“You mean to say you don’t know?” He asked, a little bit of his own concern slipping into his voice. Siân shook her head. 

“No, this poison was experimental. I know what it’s supposed to do, but not what it looks like while it gets there.”

“...And what is it supposed to do?” Of course he had to ask, because again, Lloyd wanted to know the bad news. Siân looked away.

“First it will consume your magic, then it’ll drive you into a rampage.” She admitted, not meeting his eyes. Lloyd, for his part, remained remarkably calm despite that information. A tense quiet stretched between them, Lloyd mulling over that information, and Siân dreading what he would say when he finally digested it.

“I see.”

She was silent. Still waiting for something, anything, explosive from him. Lloyd only took a long, steadying breath.

“You realize it isn’t Indels I’m going to go after if this concoction of yours runs its course, correct?” Siân balked, attention snapping to him while he watched her expectantly. Truth was she hadn’t considered what Lloyd, specifically, would do, but she definitely didn’t expect what he was implying.

“Surely you wouldn’t?”

“I would.” His tone was harsh, colder than she’d ever heard from him before. 

“Do you hate home that much?”

“That was never my home, Siân. It’s just somewhere I lived.” It was harsh, he realized, they both had a very different view of their childhood. Enough that it had driven him away entirely, she still had attachments there. Sorrow filled her eyes as she moved to take a seat across from him.

“What do you mean, Llwyd? How… how can you say such a thing?”

This earned a quiet, frustrated sigh as Lloyd sat back, pinching the bridge of his nose. Despite his requests it would seem Siân was determined to keep using his original name. While he put on an irritated front, the truth was that hearing it in the old tongue instead brought him great pain and grief. Grief for the home he’d never truly had, and lost anyway. Grief for his lost people that he had no more faith in. They wouldn’t listen to him, now more than ever he knew this to be true. Grief for Siân, who still held on to a hope he himself had long since abandoned.

Despite all of that, despite his show of irritation, he didn’t insist. There was a tiny, unacknowledged piece of him that missed hearing his name spoken that way. If only their past could have been more kite festivals and adventures in the woods, and less military training and propaganda against humankind. 

“Tell me, Siân, why did you come here? What do you hope to accomplish?”

She clasped her hands, squeezing them between her knees. An awkward gesture as she tried to disguise her hurt and anxiety. “I wanted to look for you,” She confessed. At Lloyd’s raised eyebrow she continued. “Things became… tense, when the Moon That Never Sets fell from the sky. Everyone was saying it was a foul portent, that the world was going to end. I know they said you were dead, but I never completely believed them. You were always too strong to just up and die. No one could ever explain how.” She paused for a moment to compose herself before continuing.

“So, I figured if the world was going to end I might as well go see it the way you did. Starting with Bale’s king. I didn’t expect he’d know I was a wingly immediately. Was that your doing?”

Lloyd huffed an amused sound through his nose, flexing his numb hand experimentally. Feeling was starting to return, unpleasantly warm and prickling, but feeling nonetheless. “I’m sure I had a hand in it. So you thought you’d come find me?”

“I don’t really know what I expected. I suppose I didn’t realize just how big the world really is. You could have been anywhere, you definitely weren’t here. Not anymore. So… I took a job.”

That earned a chuckle, which had Siân surprised, glancing up at Lloyd to make certain she wasn’t mistaken in what she was hearing. 

“Somehow, that’s very you.” He remarked, scratching at his chin. 

“Well,” She fidgeted, finally unclasping her hands. “Minister Noish is getting old, and I have always loved history. This gives me a chance to learn about the truth, not just what we’re told by our elders. And you were right, King Albert is a noble man who genuinely cares for his people. He didn’t even care that I was a wingly, he saw it as an opportunity for outreach. But, I don’t know…”

“If anyone will listen?” Lloyd asked, more gently this time. Siân nodded sadly.

“I think I understand why you didn’t come back, but did you ever regret leaving?”

Lloyd knew what she was asking. “Did I regret leaving you behind? Yes. And before you ask I did consider coming back for you, but this world is not a safe or gentle one. I couldn’t bear to bring you into danger like this, so I didn’t. However, I do not regret leaving in general, even if I regret many of the actions I have taken since then.”

It hurt her to hear that, more than it reassured. It meant that Lloyd didn’t consider her strong enough for whatever it was he was up to after he left. However, that begged the bigger question: “What did happen, what actions did you take? You say you were attacked by Melbu Frahma, which shouldn’t be possible, you’re here on charges of treason , and you haven’t explained anything!”

Lloyd frowned, his lips pursed into a thin line. She wasn’t wrong, he hadn’t explained anything, but he also felt it a little unfair to expect him to, what with everything that had happened thus far. Still, she deserved to know. He glanced up at the window, out into the dark sky. It was impossible to tell exactly what time it was, but it was definitely late. “We have time now. Where do you want me to begin?”

“When you left. You never even said goodbye.”

Again, she was right, he hadn’t. So Lloyd sighed heavily, shifting to make himself more comfortable before finally giving up and standing. He always spoke better when he could pace. Siân also sat back in her chair, watching Lloyd expectantly. The pacing was a good sign, he usually liked to walk around when he was feeling particularly verbose.

“The night I left I'd had a disagreement with the Commander,”

“Again?”

“Yes, again, ” He shot her a disapproving look for the interruption. “I can scarcely remember the specifics, that hardly matters anyway.” A dismissive gesture at that. “Regardless, words were traded, ultimatums were laid out, and I called his bluff.”

“Which was?” Siân prompted, curious now to know what might have transpired.

“He was under the misunderstanding that if he could defeat me, I would then be forced into compliance.” Lloyd said flatly. Siân balked.

“Wait, wait, that’s not a disagreement Llwyd, that sounds like a fight. Did he attack you?” She knew the Commander, Lloyd’s father, could have a temper but wouldn’t have expected that kind of violence from him.

“You say that like it was unusual?” He seemed genuinely perplexed by this, had they not known that was typical of the man? Well, that might explain a few things.

Again she was stunned. “This happened often ?”

Lloyd was further perplexed. “Of course it did, I am surprised you never noticed,” He shook his head in disbelief, then gestured dismissively again with his free hand. “Nevertheless, it didn’t work. He couldn’t keep up with me anymore.” Lloyd did pride himself on his speed. One could be strong, but without enough speed to make it useful he found such strength a waste. Battles were made trivial when the enemy couldn’t even touch you. Siân was still struggling to process what she’d just learned. Not only was Lloyd apparently fighting his father on the regular, real fights presumably with swords, he could outpace him??

“Let me get this right, you fought your father, which is apparently normal for you…”

“Do not call him that, he is no father to me.” He snapped. There was a level of venom in Lloyd’s tone that startled her, even angered she’d never heard him quite so vicious before. She’d hit a nerve, and she was quick to raise her palms in surrender.

“I’m sorry, I won’t,” She would strive to remember not to do that again. “Just… it’s a lot to take in.”

“Do you want me to stop?” Siân was quick to shake her head, she’d asked for the story and she genuinely wanted to have it, she just couldn’t help herself asking questions. This time she’d try to keep them to herself until the end, as she’d clearly interrupted his flow. Lloyd scrutinized her for several long moments, as if to verify whether or not she was finished interrupting him. Nodding to himself, he continued:

“We fought, I humiliated him. He did not anticipate that I would simply let him exhaust himself until not even his rage could sustain him. At the time I’d treated it as a game, a challenge to see how long I could go without him touching me once. It was easy, every time he missed he became more furious, more reckless, until he might as well have been fighting the forest. By the time he collapsed I understood him for what he truly was; A coward, and a fraud. A man ruled by fear and ignorance is not a worthy leader, and in time he will be consumed by it.” He saw it in Doel, whose fall was inevitable, and he saw it in his sire who would likely suffer the same fate. Especially if he continued with this ill-advised plan to attempt to usurp the human king of Serdio to take his place. The people will notice, and the king will not be so easily ousted this time.

Siân was still chewing on the story, it was hard to believe but she felt no falsehood from Lloyd, he spoke with absolute conviction and nothing in him indicated that he might be lying. And… as much as she didn’t want to believe it, she did have to acknowledge that things had been strange with Lloyd’s father since he’d left. “So… what happened after that?” She prompted quietly.

“He exiled me. Declared me dead, no son of his and a traitor to the village. At the time, disgusted as I was, I was glad for the excuse and was quick to accept his terms. Indeed, I am no son of his, and if that means I must be regarded as dead then so be it. Of course that meant I had no way to send word… and I must admit that at the time I felt the claim of my demise to be a kinder lie.”

“It wasn’t.” Siân said softly, sorrow creeping into her voice again. She'd grieved his loss for so long only to learn it was all a lie. Now that he was back it was worse, because now he may die anyway, this time by her hand.

“I… see that now.” Lloyd confessed softly, pausing in his pacing to regard Siân solemnly. He’d not considered the impact his disappearance would cause, especially for his cousin who until recently was the closest person in his life. That was perhaps one of his deepest flaws, a blind spot to precisely how his actions affect others. Before he could write it off easily, as everything was to be wiped clean by the god’s rebirth that would bring forth utopia. In the end every sacrifice, all the blood spilled, would have been worth it for that goal. Now that that had proven to be no more than deception, he was left to pick up the pieces of shattered lives he’d left in his wake. 

The fact that any were willing to give him that chance was astonishing.

“So what happened after that? There’s a lot of time between then and now,” Siân asked, breaking the silence and shaking Lloyd from his internal rumination. She asked for the story and she wanted it while they had some time alone together. Things would likely be hectic come the morning.

“I traveled. Explored the world, learned its ways and learned how best to blend in among humans. They’ve forgotten we exist, many believing us either extinct or simply a myth, which certainly made things easier. I learned it was unnecessary to disguise my features, they were unrecognizable as anything out of the ordinary among most.”

“Is that why you no longer speak with our accent, and why you changed your name? To blend in?”

“Yes. Humans struggle to pronounce it correctly, so I adopted the closest I could. As for the accent, it proved to be something of a barrier to communication. Not to mention I grew tired of dodging the question of my origins. Eventually it became a habit.”

Siân nodded, that at least was the most logical reasoning he’d expressed so far. That did beg a question of her. “So, the pink hair?”

“Was never going to convince anyone.” Lloyd offered with a faint smirk.

She sighed, defeated, but it was good-natured this time. “I’m fortunate His Majesty is generous. I’ve not been here long, and he’s been very willing to walk me through human cultural norms I knew nothing about. I can’t imagine what it was like trying to learn on your own.”

“It had its downsides. I am ashamed to admit this is not my first time enjoying the hospitality of Serdian jail cells.”

Siân pinched the bridge of her nose, rubbing between her eyes. This was going to be a long night. “What did you do?”

“Nothing serious. I did not realize that it is expected to exchange currency for food, so I stole from a fruit cart in passing.”

“That is one of the more peculiar customs in human society. I can see how that happened. How long did you stay?” 

“It was only an apple, so overnight. I attempted to explain the misunderstanding but I am afraid the language barrier at that time was too severe. I was released with a warning by morning and simply decided it best to depart.” Lloyd had resumed languidly pacing during this conversation, overall unbothered, even amused reminiscing on the less severe past. Even so, even calm, Siân’s poison was not done ravaging him. He grunted as pain shot through him, grasping at the scar on his chest as if that would somehow allow him to staunch the pain. Siân shot up from her seat as Lloyd doubled over, leaning heavily on the arm of the chair he’d been sitting in earlier.

Hurriedly she pulled another vial of potion from her satchel, uncorking and pressing it to Lloyd’s lips. “Quick, drink. That wore off far too fast, Llwyd, are you certain you haven’t been using magic?” 

Lloyd allowed Siân to help him back into his chair, taking the vial from her shaking hands to tip its contents down his throat. Still flavorless, still just as unpleasantly viscous as before. He shook his head as he swallowed hard, grimacing at the texture more than anything. Hopefully it wouldn’t take too many of these to keep his condition in check, he wasn’t certain he’d get used to the sensation. 

“Are you sure ?” She pressed, hovering just over him, expression clearly worried, though there was the faintest hint of doubt. “No flying, no apparating out of your cell?”

Immediately Lloyd suspected Siân was digging for information for the King, he snorted in annoyance. “I vowed to stay put and I did. What are you accusing me of?”

Realizing her error, Siân backed away, holding up her hands in surrender. “No, no I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… I made this concoction specifically with you in mind, at least how strong I remember you to be. So either you’re stronger than you were six years ago, or something else has happened.” She trailed off, eyes settling on the purple veins of that magical scar, brows furrowing in thought.

Lloyd didn’t notice the look as he’d let his eyes close again as he slumped into the chair. The potion working to dull his magic left him feeling unpleasantly fuzzy and disconnected from himself, almost feverish. He did not like the way it felt, but was willing to still try to trust Siân to know what she was doing. “Is it so strange to believe I have grown stronger?”

She only frowned at him. “We don’t normally… do that. Not like this. You were always the strongest among us, yes, but again… not like this. This is strange, Llwyd.”

A soft sound of amusement escaped him. “Hardly. I have told you my thoughts on why we grow so weak, have I not?”

Siân considered, thinking back to the many conversations they’d had in the past. Lloyd had a gift for theatrics, and an even greater one for waxing poetic on his thoughts about the world. One idea he returned to frequently was that of his hypothesis about the slow degradation of their species. It was something that concerned him deeply, she knew, but not something that would be so easily solved through persuasion and debate. “The thing about staying isolated? Do you really still believe that is at fault?”

With his still functioning arm he gestured grandly, finally looking up at her with that infuriatingly smug expression of his. One she remembered well, even if he looked far more tired now than he did back then. “I am living proof. I have consumed no ancient artifacts for their power, not for a lack of trying, nor have I discovered some esoteric method to draw magic outside of my own natural growth. I can only conclude that isolation, while perhaps not the sole reason for our decline, plays a significant role.” 

Siân crossed her arms, regarding him skeptically. She didn’t entirely believe him, but she also had no reason to doubt his explanation. It just sounded too simple, too unlikely. That said, she also wasn’t exactly in the headspace to be deliberating the pros and cons of leaving the forest. She herself had attempted to follow his footsteps, had she not? Either way, there was something else more interesting he’d mentioned there, and perhaps this was the perfect time to get a few answers out of him. “What do you mean ‘not for a lack of trying?’”

Ah, so she did catch it. Of course he had said it knowing full well she likely would latch on to that tidbit. Perhaps jumping forward in the story was in order. “I attempted to claim a Dragoon Spirit for myself. It… never did respond to me, regrettably. Still in the end it did prove useful. Just not in my hands.” 

Siân stared at him flatly, then shook her head rapidly as if trying to shake loose some madness trying to take hold. “Wait, what? A Dragoon Spirit? Wasn’t that all just legend?”

“Ah, of course. You don’t know, do you?”

“Don’t know what, Llwyd? You really need to speak in fewer riddles, you know that?” She moved to reclaim her own chair, digging out more potions from her satchel to hand over to him. As soon as he started feeling unwell he could take them himself. She’d need to brew a few more to keep him stable while she worked on her antidote.

Gingerly Lloyd set to work sorting the bottles on the table at his side, using the act to simultaneously help him sort his thoughts. His tale had been derailed, but truth be told there wasn’t much interesting  to divulge about the intervening years before he began his crusade to bring about utopia. “The Dragon Campaign was real, Siân, it is no mere morality tale to scare children into behaving. However, the version we have been told was not the whole story.”

Siân sat back, crossing her legs and wrapping her hands around her knee. She still found that unlikely, but was willing to listen. She wasn’t accustomed to Llwyd acting this serious before. This time he wasn’t waxing about his own thoughts, the mood had grown heavy, it was clear he had something important to discuss. “Does this have to do with Melbu Frahma? And that Dragoon Spirit you tried to claim?” 

He nodded. “It does. I don’t think we have time for the full story, but you must believe me when I tell you the Dragoon Campaign happened. Dragons still exist, and remnants of our ancient past litter the world, still wreaking havoc to this day.” 

Siân wanted to argue it was impossible, but decided to simply let him speak. Lloyd’s strength was waning again, and she didn’t expect she’d get much more out of him after the sun rose. She’d be much too busy working on his cure to have time to interrogate him. “So… how do you claim a Dragoon Spirit anyway?” She asked instead, hoping that question might shed some light on what she was dealing with as far as Lloyd’s condition went.

“A Dragoon Spirit stone is formed at the moment a dragon of sufficient power dies.”

“So… you slew a dragon?” Siân urged, still not entirely believing him but things had been strange for some time. Maybe there was merit to his claims.

“Yes…” He trailed, not entirely wanting to volunteer more information, as he could sense his cousin was digging. There was still a part of Lloyd that did not entirely know which side she was on. Was she loyal to the Kingdom, acting as a double agent, or unaware that she might be used as such? It was hard to say.

“Come on Llwyd, don’t make me pull teeth! Which dragon, what kind of dragon? There must be a story there!” Siân was more excited at the news that dragons were real. Sure they were ancient and terrifying creatures from the stories, but she couldn’t help but be fascinated. Few things were cooler than a dragon.

“You’re going to give me that look when I tell you,” He hesitated again.

“I’m already giving you that look.” She was, in fact, already giving him that look. The one that clearly said she thought he was either exaggerating or entirely making the story up. Even so, now she wanted to hear it. Her cousin, fighting a dragon!

Lloyd sighed. “The Divine Dragon.” 

Siân froze. Of all the dragons he could have said, that was the least believable and now she was really giving him that look. “You didn’t.”

“I did.”

“It was still alive ?”

“Ten-thousand years, and still holding a grudge.”

Siân took several long moments to sort out what she’d just learned. There was absolutely no way Lloyd was telling the truth, and yet he looked just as severe as he had to start. She was beginning to wonder if she wasn’t the one who was going mad here. “Alright… say I believe you. How did you even find it, much less fight it? Did you win, did you fight alone??” She really wanted more details, but Lloyd didn’t look like he still had the energy to give the tale his all anymore.

“How I found it is too long a tale to get into, I will tell you more another time. As for the fight itself, the Dragon Buster was instrumental,” Siân resisted the urge to further ask how he got his hands on that and instead settled on Lloyd not giving her the whole story right now. She’s going to need to come back and write all this down. Lloyd continued: “And yes, I fought alone- for the most part. I was interrupted by the Dragoons who were quicker than I had expected them to be.”

“The Dragoons are still alive too!?” Now she really didn’t believe him.

“It’s complicated, but no. The Spirits are alive, and they are able to claim new masters.” 

That sounded more reasonable if still dubious. “What do you mean interrupted?”

“I nearly had the beast slain when they arrived, I invited them to wait their turn but they were insistent. They finished the task, barely, and I delivered the final blow to claim the newly formed Spirit for myself. As expected, it did not accept me as its master.”

Siân was stunned again into silence. Lloyd seemed almost… disappointed by that. What a peculiar thing to see in him. “So… why did you fight it anyway? Wasn’t it trapped forever?”

Lloyd shook his head. “No, the bindings were breaking down. It was only a matter of time before the creature broke free of its own accord, I took it upon myself to finish the job our forebears failed to do. It would be a hindrance to my plans to leave it to rampage unchecked.”

“Your plans?”

“Later. I’m exhausted, let me rest. You have work to do, do you not?”

Siân sighed, finally unclasping her knee and moving to stand. “I’m going to have to revise my formula. If you’re telling the truth and you’re strong enough to fight the Divine Dragon of all things I vastly underestimated you.” She cast one final long look at Lloyd, expectantly awaiting him to confess that he was simply spinning an extremely dramatic yarn but he remained firm. Only watching her expectantly in return. He meant every word of it. Siân didn’t know what to make of that, she certainly had no one else to ask about it… Or maybe… “Would Sister Wink know about this?”

“She is able to corroborate much of my story, yes.” Lloyd informed cautiously. He was intentionally keeping quiet on who the Dragoons were , just in case, but he trusted Wink to likewise be cautious with certain information. It was for the best that as few as possible knew Albert still possessed the Jade Dragoon Spirit.

“Great! I’ll go talk to her. You try to get some rest. Drink those if you start hurting again, alright? I’ll have more for you in a few hours.” With that Siân skipped out of the room. At least she had a better idea of what she was working with. Now she just had to guess at exactly how strong her antidote would need to be to counteract Lloyd’s magic. And whatever was going on with that weird scar of his. It was part of the puzzle, in fact now with what she knew she had a feeling it might actually be helping in some way. But she needed more data first.

Lloyd, for his part, just wanted to sleep. Eyeing the potions at his tableside he settled on taking one more, just to ensure the pain wouldn’t wake him. The effects were worse, leaving him even more dizzy and disconnected feeling, but it didn’t last long before sleep took him.

This time he awoke not to a knock, but a gentle hand on his shoulder shaking him from his slumber.

“Lloyd?”

It was Albert. The persistent grogginess resulted in little more than a grunted acknowledgement as Lloyd fought to pull himself from the heavy fog of sleep. Blearily he glanced up at the small window before returning a questioning look to the King.

“Still early,” He confirmed, guessing at Lloyd’s unasked question. “You didn't respond when I knocked so I came to check, I was worried.” Concern still creased his features as Albert stepped back to give Lloyd a once over. The wingly had certainly seen better days. Albert had hoped some rest would do him good, but judging by the presence of potion bottles perhaps he hadn’t had nearly as much as he needed.

“Has Siân been keeping you awake?”

“Mhmm,” Lloyd was finding it a monumental task to wake up enough to speak, having his magic cut off really was doing a number on him. “She had questions.” He finally managed to grumble, leaning forward to rub at his eyes. This constant interruption probably wasn't helping him with his recovery either. 

Albert studied him. He didn’t want to interrogate Lloyd further in his current state, it would be best to let him get some proper rest. Still, he had his concerns. “About what?” He ventured.

“Where I’ve been, what I’ve been up to since my departure.” Eyes finally cleared enough to see, Lloyd peered up at the window again. Now that he could see better he could see the faintest brightening of the sky, sunrise would be soon though it was still far off.

“And how much did you tell her?” Albert was trying not to make his concerns apparent, but he was failing miserably at that task at the moment. It was early, he was tired, and only a moment ago he’d been almost certain Lloyd had died on his watch. His composure was not where he’d like it to be.

Lloyd offered a faint reassuring smile. “Nothing that would incriminate you, Highness. Some about the battle with the Divine Dragon, though nothing that would suggest I know who the Dragoons are personally.” Lloyd may not be at his best, but he wasn’t out of it enough to be careless with his information. Siân was still something of an unknown variable. The intimidation factor was calculated, as was keeping certain information to himself. 

At that Albert relaxed visibly. It was currently the best ace up his sleeve, he wasn’t keen to potentially have that information out in the open, or worse yet given directly to potential enemies. “You do not entirely trust her, I take it?”

At that Lloyd shook his head. “I am… uncertain about her allegiance. Perhaps I am merely being paranoid. I feel no deception from her, and yet…” 

“With everything being what it is, it is difficult to trust?” Albert offered wryly. The irony wasn't lost on Lloyd, who huffed a quiet chuckle in response.

“I suppose you would understand that better than anyone,” He sighed softly, shaking his head. “Do you have any suggestions?”

Albert thought about it, as it was clearly an honest question. “From what I've seen so far she appears genuine in her desire to undo this harm. She's been working on it all night, in fact. I would say… Give her a chance. She may be your only hope.” That last part was spoken with no small amount of remorse. If Siân was a double agent it was already too late, but Albert was not so cynical. He'd been at war the entire time he’d been king, which had taught him a few things. One was not to allow himself to surrender wholly to cynicism and paranoia. It would ruin his ability to form lasting alliances for one thing, and he would not repeat the mistakes of his uncle. It was important not to completely let his guard down with everyone, but it was also important to allow people to prove themselves. Perhaps this was a valuable test for both of his resident winglies. 

However, something Lloyd said had sparked his curiosity. “Lloyd?” The wingly offered an inquiring glance in reply. “I do not mean to pry, but both you and Meru have said some curious things at times and I’ve not yet had the opportunity to ask: Are winglies able to sense emotions, or thoughts?”

 Lloyd looked surprised for a moment. “You didn’t know? No I suppose… forgive me, with Sister Luana around I sometimes forget it is not the same for all humans. We cannot hear thoughts or read minds, not exactly, but we are sensitive to emotions and intent. From people, and at times those memories which have saturated certain places.”

“What do you mean by that? What kind of places?”

“The site of major battles is a common place for strong emotions to linger. Hospitals, forums, jail cells…” He raised an eyebrow faintly at Albert at that last one, who made a face but chose not to comment, he could guess that Lloyd was making a statement with that last one. Noted, though that didn’t mean he was going to apologize. Current situation aside Lloyd was still guilty of numerous crimes that Albert was willing to delay making a decision on until everything they were currently dealing with was sorted out.

“Fascinating. I suspect that is at least some of what made you particularly skilled as an advisor.”

“It helped, but feeling them and understanding them are two different skills. The ability to pick out subtle changes and put them into context takes practice. To leverage that even more so.”

“To manipulate, you mean.” 

Lloyd didn’t look away, though at that moment he wanted to. He wasn’t proud of what he’d done. “...Yes. That is one way to put it.”

Albert watched him for a time, expression unreadable. There was, of course, the very real risk that Lloyd was doing it again. It gave him an advantage in social situations, Albert suspected, though he also understood that Lloyd didn’t have to confess. He had laid his cards out on the table and was willing to face what accusations and consequences came his way for it. Lloyd couldn’t be held guilty for being a wingly, that wasn’t a crime, but Albert couldn’t help that quiet nagging doubt. Was he being played? Even so, he’d asked Lloyd to set aside his paranoia, and what kind of king would he be if he weren’t willing to do the same? 

“You cannot influence anyone’s emotions, can you?”

Lloyd shook his head. “No, nothing like that. It’s a sense, like seeing or hearing. Some perceive more strongly than others, some are better at disguising themselves. I have no more capability to influence than anyone else.”

That helped to reassure Albert some. Certainly it was still something to keep in mind, he knew Lloyd to be a skilled orator who could most certainly inspire people to his cause. However, to punish him for that would mean punishing anyone for the crime of being particularly charismatic. Besides, had Lloyd not also been misled and manipulated? Even winglies were not immune to misdirection evidently, so that too was proof it wasn’t some insurmountable superpower. Finally Albert nodded. “Thank you, for your honesty. Come, Lloyd, I did not seek you out to interrogate you again. I’ve had proper quarters arranged for you.”

Already? Lloyd had to admit he was surprised it had happened so quickly. He’d expected to stay the night in the small reading room, sleeping in a chair was hardly the worst place he’d been kept, but he wouldn’t say no to somewhere a little more private, and perhaps an actual bed. It would be heavenly after sleeping on that slab in the cell for the last few nights.  “Your generosity is appreciated.” Lloyd replied, moving to stand but finding himself pausing when a wave of dizziness struck as he attempted to move. 

Moving over to assist, Albert grasped Lloyd’s good arm to help steady him as he stood, frown deepening into concern. “Are you alright?” It was clear the wingly wasn’t, but what ailed him now eluded him. Though he did glance briefly at the collection of bottles on the table beside Lloyd’s chair, wondering if that was the culprit.

Lloyd only let out a frustrated grunt. “It’ll pass,” He insisted, taking a few deep breaths before allowing himself to stand fully. The room wobbled, but didn’t spin, that was good enough for him. “Forgive me, I am not feeling my best tonight. Rest, hopefully, will rectify this.” Albert did not look convinced, staying nearby to offer assistance should the need arise. He was starting to believe he’d misinterpreted Wink’s explanation of Lloyd’s condition when they first found him, uncharitably so. The man seemed more inclined to downplay when he was feeling unwell rather than to revel in it. If he couldn’t avoid it at all, he must have been in devastating shape. Which did make sense, given the severity of the injury he’d suffered at the hands of Melbu Frahma. Unfortunately that meant the poison was still coursing through him unabated.

“Those potions, what are they for?” Albert asked as he moved to guide Lloyd out of the small room and out into the castle halls toward his intended quarters.

“Magical suppression. It isn’t a cure, only a temporary measure to attempt to slow the poison’s progress. Unfortunately they leave me feeling… disconnected and unsteady.” At least, Lloyd assumed it was the suppressants and not the poison itself. Before leaving completely Albert paused to collect the remaining potions, as they appeared necessary for Lloyd’s recovery. 

“I see,” Albert stated as he returned, pocketing the potions. “I have not had a chance to see how far Siân’s remedy is coming, has she reported any progress with you?”

At that Lloyd shook his head, very gently given the dizziness he was currently suffering. Again Albert frowned, for all his poise he was failing utterly at keeping the worry from his features.

“If she fails… What are your wishes?”

Lloyd had to think about that. Outside of trying to avoid causing catastrophe within the castle, he’d not thought about anything further than that. Burial rights weren’t exactly a high priority for him. Realizing this he let out a soft, rueful laugh.

“Truth be told I expected I’d be little more than fodder for scavengers. I suppose if I am to choose… return me to Mille Seseau. I think I would prefer my final resting place to be there.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Serdio, but that place had been much more of a home for him than anywhere else. Miranda would hate it, but he expected Wink would be glad to have him closer even under such tragic circumstances. Albert nodded solemnly, he would make sure it happened. The rest of their walk was in silence. Albert mulling over a conflicting mix of emotion and responsibility, Lloyd just trying to survive the trip without collapsing. Before long they were at a new door, down a hallway guarded by Wink’s Holy Knights and strangely not the castle guard. 

“Here you are,” Albert offered, opening the door and gesturing for Lloyd to enter. “There’s a fresh change of clothing and everything you need to clean up. I’ll instruct Siân and Wink to let you sleep in, you’ve been disrupted enough tonight.”

Again Lloyd cast Albert a warily surprised glance. “My gratitude, Your Highness.”

“Think nothing of it. Rest well, Lloyd.”

With a parting nod the king turned to return to his own quarters and duties. It was going to be as hectic a morning as it had been an evening, and he’d like to be as rested as possible to face it. He’d have to try to catch what sleep he could before the sun rose. Maybe, Soa willing, the news hadn’t yet spread that they knew they were infiltrated. It might give him just enough time to plan, and to get Lloyd in fighting shape before the hammer dropped. As much as Lloyd would have preferred to distract himself with planning a counter offensive he was far too exhausted to do much more than clean himself up and collapse into bed. Unconsciousness came for him immediately, and a heavy dreamless sleep followed.

Chapter Text

It was birdsong that woke him. Shy of being pleasant, instead it sounded like the creatures were perched directly on his ears screaming their songs as loudly as they possibly could. Likewise the light felt like the sun had moved into the room itself. Groggily Lloyd swatted at nothing, as the birds were most certainly not inside the castle, and pulled a pillow over his head to block out the light while he tried to sort the fragments of his scrambled thoughts into something resembling reason. 

With the light thus dulled the fog of sleep and pain subsided gradually. Faintly he remembered conversations with his cousin and the King, scattered fragments now lost to exhaustion. After some time when the piercing agony in his skull subsided enough he was able to drag himself from his bed to close the curtains, blocking out some of the sun’s harsh light. 

Lloyd stumbled his way over to the vanity, leaning heavily on the smooth wooden surface to steady himself while his head swam and his muscles screamed. Typically sleep made one feel better, he mused, not worse. This could only mean Siân’s poison was proceeding apace, and very soon he might be forced to extract himself from Indels Castle for the protection of those within. For the moment, however, his mind felt his own and the only desire he had was to go back to sleep in the hopes that unconsciousness could grant him reprieve from the pain. That, he felt, was a sign that it wasn’t yet time to resign himself to his fate. There was still time, and still a chance that his cousin might yet come through. He’d have to be patient. Moreover he’d have to trust her, which was arguably the hardest part in all of this. 

Pushing aside his ruminations Lloyd turned his attention to the mirror set before him. He was still shirtless from cleaning up the night before, having chosen not to sleep in his vest that could desperately use a wash, which made it a simple task to inspect the impact of the poison upon his scar. It was worse now than it had been, a furious blue to deep-purple at its core, which was now beginning to border on black. The visible veins now stretched down the length of his left arm and were even beginning to crawl up his neck. However, perplexingly, he found that he could move his arm again somewhat freely. It was stiff and largely numb, but the agony that prevented him from moving it earlier seemed to have passed. Somehow he suspected that that was not a good sign, given his other symptoms. 

Once he was presentable he’d have to seek out Siân first. Courtesies to His Majesty and Sister Wink would have to wait, this emergency was growing more dire by the hour. Or minute, though Lloyd was still refusing to acknowledge as much. If he allowed himself to succumb to fear or despair he would struggle to move forward with what needed to be done to prevent the worst. If he could not be saved, he could at least grant the kingdom what knowledge he had to try to prevent their own catastrophe. The idea that he might need to be eliminated before he could become a threat had crossed his mind, but that too was an option he preferred to set aside until there were no other courses available to them.

After all, there was no guarantee the mental effects of Siân’s poison would take hold. As far as Lloyd could tell he felt himself, though he did consider asking Siân if there should be warning signs, even if the poison was experimental surely she would know what she intended for it to do.

With that focus in mind he set about the arduous task of making himself presentable for public appearance. The stiffened muscles and periodic jolts of pain proved more exhausting than Lloyd had first anticipated, but eventually he fought through well enough to clean and dress himself. A servant had left fresh clothing to change into, though not his preferred style it was mercifully his preferred color of black, and not Basil's traditional emerald green. Was that small mercy at Albert's behest, or Wink's he wondered? The final feat was getting his arm back in a sling, which proved to be an absolute nightmare. However, stubborn as Lloyd was, he persevered.

It wasn’t until he was nearly out the door that he noticed the vial. Perched unassuming on a small table near the door was another potion bottle, not unlike those Siân had presented him with the night before. In fact, upon closer examination he realized it was one of Siân’s potions. Another thick, viscous pale liquid, though he thought this one might have appeared just slightly pink as opposed to the white of the previous mixture. She’d tucked a note under it, written in the traditional wingly of his village. 

New suppressant, drink up.

Stronger was perhaps concerning, what with the way the previous concoction had made him feel. However, if it was likely to slow the progress of the poison he’d rather risk being miserable from the potion than the poison. So, after a few moments of deliberation he uncorked the bottle and downed the mixture in one go.

It was terrible. Equally as unpleasant in texture as the first, and now it had a hideous sickly-sweet after taste to round out the terrible experience. He gagged, pinching the bridge of his nose and holding his breath until the sensation passed, before settling on deep breathing in an effort to keep the dreadful concoction down. “If I survive this, she is going to have to improve these potions.” He grumbled to himself, shaking off a shiver that ran through his body at just how incredibly unpleasant that drink was. The pain faded almost immediately, replaced with that uncomfortable disconnected numbness that left him feeling very slightly dizzy. He had to lean on the door frame to steady himself while the sensation washed over him.

He didn’t know what it meant, but was beginning to think that something in wingly physiology required a connection to their magic to function. An interesting thought he might share with Siân soon, as it was certainly worth exploring. Not right now, right now he just desperately wanted to see if she had more progress on a possible solution to this predicament.

Once he was certain he could walk without fear of falling over or emptying his stomach, Lloyd ventured out into the hall. Only to immediately regret the decision and strongly consider fleeing back into the relative darkness of his quarters. Were it not for the guard posted at his door he would have, but pride won this battle and he couldn’t let himself be seen fleeing from the sunlight. So, after a curt nod acknowledging the guard he powered through the pain caused by the bright late morning sun streaming through open windows. Indels castle in Bale was well lit with natural light on the upper floors, streaming in through its many windows. Strategically this wasn’t a design flaw when one did not expect opponents that could fly, however, now that Lloyd knew his own people were planning to infiltrate every window was a wide invitation to them.

Honestly he didn’t understand why Albert was keeping them open. Hadn’t he warned him about the glamoured guard? Then it hit him, King Albert hadn’t ordered the windows closed because that would have been a suspicious maneuver. The guard had no reason to believe that Lloyd had seen through his glamour, therefore no reason to expect the King was aware of their presence. His Majesty was buying time at the risk of his own life.

As he walked Lloyd slowly realized the lights became less blinding, and the headache less pounding. His arm still felt largely useless, numb and listless in the sling, but that was far better than the pain he’d been in that morning. Easing the pain had done little to improve his mood and troubled thoughts, however, which he must have been wearing on his face if the servants ducking swiftly away upon encountering him was any indication. This thought was solidified when he stumbled upon Wink in the kitchen having a late breakfast, and was met with an alarmed gasp followed by a deep frown.

“Oh! Lloyd, you’re awake!” Wink exclaimed as she stood, hesitating to approach. It wasn’t fear that stopped her, she knew he’d never harm her in any way, but she did know that sometimes he could be prickly when he was in a mood and wanted his space. When his expression softened she was reassured enough to step forward to inspect him more closely.

“Did you sleep well? His Majesty told me you were still feeling unwell, but was sparse on the details.” Her eyes roved to his sling before her brows furrowed again, that concerned frown deepening.

Shuffling his stance in discomfort, Lloyd echoed her frown, mildly irritated that Albert had left it up to him to fill Wink in on what was going on. He huffed softly, rubbing at his disabled arm. “Unfortunately I must admit that I haven’t improved,” He didn’t enjoy giving Wink bad news. “Siân is working on a cure, she’s an accomplished alchemist and knows wingly physiology well. If anyone can help, it’s her.” Lloyd was trying to be reassuring, but he could see his response had only stoked more questions in Wink. Best to change the subject before he talked himself into a corner. “I’m not too late for breakfast am I?”

Wink could tell that Lloyd was being elusive, which she was most certainly not fond of. He did need to eat, however, and thought that perhaps entertaining his terrible attempt at distracting her might encourage him to open up sooner rather than later. She trusted Lloyd, even when others didn’t, perhaps especially when others didn’t, and was willing to trust that he had his reasons. Things were strange in Bale this time, it wasn’t just the trial that had now been put on hold, there was a tension in the air that hadn’t been present on previous visits. She could feel it in the guard, the staff, and His Majesty most of all. Deciding that she wanted answers, and that she would get those answers out of Lloyd, Wink decided to parlay. “No, you’re not too late. But I want you to tell me what’s going on, Lloyd. I’ve been kept in the dark since we arrived, and I expected better out of you as my guard.”

That did earn something of a grimace from Lloyd, he’d been so wrapped up in his own head that he’d allowed his duties to slip. Wink was right, she deserved answers as she’d missed out on his earlier explanation. Thank Soa she’d missed out on Siân’s part in all this. Wink trusted him , but he wasn’t completely certain she would extend the same grace to his cousin. Not while he was still fighting her poison racing through his veins. Wink had gone to collect a meal for him and returned to usher him back to the small private table she’d hidden herself away at. Come to think of it, why wasn’t she in the dining hall? “Why have you hidden yourself back here?” Lloyd finally asked, taking the offered seat across from her as Wink moved to reclaim her own unfinished breakfast. 

“I’m not feeling comfortable out in the open here, I can’t explain it but something feels off. It’s not like other visits, there's hostility in the air.” 

Even without a wingly’s intuition Wink’s instincts were spot on. Lloyd settled into his porridge, using it as an excuse to mull over his response before speaking. He’d noticed she wasn’t eating the same thing, her breakfast was fruit and bread, so this meal must have been selected for digestibility. Thoughtful on her part, she was always looking out for him like that these days. Before answering Lloyd sat up, making an effort to open his senses as far as he could to discern how many people might be around to overhear them. It was quiet, even the servants had moved on to other areas of the castle, busy with their day’s work. For now they had some privacy. 

“You’re right, it isn’t safe here.”

She lowered her head, nodding to herself. When next Wink spoke it was in a much quieter voice. “Lloyd, what’s going on here? I know His Majesty called upon you, but I can insist that you return with me. You still have years on your sentence in Mille Seseau, Queen Theresa-”

She broke off at Lloyd shaking his head, disappointment mixed with confusion on her features. “I cannot, not yet. I want to, believe me.” Wink relaxed faintly at that.

“Why not? We have doctors there, and Miranda’s White Dragoon Spirit.”

Lloyd smiled faintly, she truly did always look out for him. “For one, I’m not sure I’d make the trip,” Wink’s well disguised horror at that statement hadn’t gone unnoticed, but Lloyd pressed on. “I am not ill, I’ve been poisoned. Siân is necessary because she is an expert in such things. I am on a treatment that is slowing its progress, but we don’t know for how long.” Wink only looked more mortified as he continued, Lloyd reached out to clasp her hand in reassurance. 

“Who, how!?” She asked quietly, urgency cracking in her voice. 

“It was likely administered when I was first shackled,” He replied. At first Wink was more horrified that it had taken so long until they had noticed, then the even worse conclusion dawned on her. 

“The guard is compromised?”  Her voice dropped to an alarmed whisper. There was absolutely no way this had been done on King Albert’s orders, she couldn’t believe that.

“Worse, it has been infiltrated.” 

Wink’s concerned frown deepened. “I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, Lloyd.” Over the past year she had traded some diplomatic missives with the various leaders of the world, but had not had the time nor opportunity to speak in depth with any of the Dragoons on exactly what had happened during their campaign. She only had old legends, and what little she’d learned from Meru and Lloyd about winglies and their abilities. While Meru was willing to share she often grew bored of such conversations quickly and changed the subject, meanwhile it was often pulling teeth to get Lloyd to volunteer more than what he’s asked.

Suffice it to say, she had no idea what he might be implying. Lloyd looked pensive, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell Wink what was going on, but he feared them being overheard and escalating an already tenuous situation. Ultimately he decided it was better for her to know than to not, or at least he’d nearly reached that conclusion when the presence of others approaching the kitchen distracted him. He felt them long before their footsteps could be heard. Anxiety, urgency, trepidation, annoyance… those feelings moved swiftly toward them and Lloyd found himself on his feet before the door swung open, placing himself between the entry and Wink before he knew the identities of their guests.

“At ease,” Without even thinking Albert issued the order as he strode into the room, Lloyd’s movements reminiscent of one of his own guards. Lloyd, however, did not immediately comply. It was Wink’s orders he obeyed first and foremost, after all. Fortunately the king didn’t take offense, stepping aside to allow Siân entry into the increasingly cramped kitchen space. “Finally we found you, how is your condition?” Albert continued, deciding to feign the awkwardness of the situation wasn’t present. Only when Lloyd verified that no one else was with them did he relax.

“I’ve been better,” Lloyd offered, somehow equal parts informative and utterly unhelpful. 

Wink had also moved to stand and was now shooting Lloyd her most subtle disappointed look, but chose not to challenge him on it. She understood it was difficult for him to admit when he was unwell, but this was getting ridiculous. She cleared her throat. “Lloyd was just about to explain what’s going on, actually.” She pressed, her tone as expertly light as any diplomat, with only the faintest hint that her patience for omission was wearing thin. “Weren’t you?” 

Lloyd recognized that tone. That was the warning right before Wink’s diplomacy would turn inconvenient for anyone she found particularly unruly. Somehow she always managed to maintain professionalism while calmly demolishing a man’s ego, and his chances at a lucrative deal with the kingdom. It was entertaining to witness, not so entertaining to be on the receiving end. Lloyd was not inclined to press his luck past this point.

“Well, I suppose-” Lloyd began.

“It’s my fault.” Siân interrupted. All eyes snapped to her. She balled her hands at her sides and took a deep, steadying breath. 

“Siân you don’t-” He tried to interject. 

“No, Llwyd, I have to.” Again she cut him off with a sharp tone and a sharper look. Lloyd put his good hand up in surrender before reclaiming his seat in exhaustion. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off from his initial fight or flight kicking in, he felt deflated. Wink’s and Albert’s attention, meanwhile, hadn’t wavered from Siân. Well, not entirely, Wink did cast him a worried glance before returning her attention to Siân.

“I designed the poison. Lloyd’s condition is my fault,” Wink’s alarm spiked at that, Lloyd could feel it radiate off of her like a blast wave. Her composure didn't shift, not even a twitch, but he knew. “I… I don't know how to fix it, not yet. But I'm near a breakthrough, I just need more time.” Siân concluded in a rush, finally lifting her gaze to meet Wink's. She knew that Wink was likely to be the most upset with her, Lloyd was suspicious but resigned, and Albert determined to solve the problem. 

“I see.” Was all Wink said at first. She took a few moments to sort her emotions from what she felt was more pressing. The need for information. She took a breath, pushing aside her upset to instead focus on the facts. “May I ask why you developed this poison?”

It was a fair question. Siân nodded to herself, understanding this was necessary even if she didn’t want to answer. “I was ordered to.” 

“By whom, for what purpose?” Wink pressed.

“My, uhm…” She hesitated, glancing to Lloyd for help. He cleared his throat.

“If I may,” Now it was his turn to interrupt. “I was just getting to that.” Wink cast him a curious glance, finally moving to reclaim her seat as well. Albert, for his part, remained silent, only watching to see how willing the winglies would be to disclose more information.

“As His Majesty already knows enough of the details I’ll keep it brief; our village is one of militant winglies focused on the downfall of Serdio, then humanity as a whole. Every single one of us has been trained to play a part in that plan in one capacity or another, knowing, willing, or otherwise.” He paused there, letting his words sink in, at least partially for dramatic effect.

“While I was trained as a front-line champion, Siân was an alchemical specialist. Her tactical and support magic is limited,” She winced, and glared at him. Lloyd ignored her, continuing. “But she is unsurpassed in her understanding of chemistry, and ability to put that to devastating use.” Lloyd fixated her with a cold stare, challenging her to refute his claims.

Siân deflated. “...He’s right. I never questioned, I didn’t think to question. I thought his questioning was absurd… and then I left.”

“Why?” Wink asked.

“I don’t know, really. I guess one day it just stopped making sense. We’d been told all our lives how wicked and savage humans were, that we had to hide ourselves away. But I never saw it, not from the travelers who made their way through the woods, and not from what stories I heard from others. You didn’t sound that different from us, so… I guess I wanted to see for myself, like Llwyd did. And then I ended up here.” 

“And the infiltrated guards?” Wink ventured, fearing the answer. 

Lloyd only nodded solemnly, confirming her worries. “I expected my departure would halt their plans, it would appear I was arrogant in assuming they wouldn’t go forward without me.” He admitted.

“It would seem you are frequently thus afflicted,” Albert mused, frowning at Lloyd's direction. The wingly couldn’t refute it, so he instead chose to scowl at the table about it. Just because it was true didn’t mean he appreciated having his pride rubbed in it.

“ Regardless ,” Lloyd continued. “We cannot expect they will presume themselves undiscovered for long. Removing access to eliminate me will be suspicious enough, it’s only a matter of time before they act.” Albert’s frown deepened, but he nodded his agreement.

“I have arranged a space for Siân’s laboratory deeper within the castle, to ensure greater security and accessibility for Lloyd. This will potentially also arouse greater suspicion, meaning time is of the essence,” Albert was avoiding mentioning the part where the poison further complicated and exacerbated that very same problem. They all knew, it wouldn’t benefit anyone to harp on it. Now that everyone was informed it was time to move. “Siân, you mentioned you were near a breakthrough?”

Finally the young wingly woman perked up, grateful to have a task to distract herself with. “Yes! I have a few ideas I’m working on, Llwyd did you take the new suppressant this morning?”

He nodded.

“And? How are you feeling?”

“Disconnected and dizzy.” He grumbled, Siân extracted a notepad and writing instrument from a small satchel at her side, making notes. 

“Yes that’s expected, anything else? Your pain?”

He thought about it. “Dulled, actually. The headache I woke up with does seem to have ebbed.”

“Good, that’s good. I’ll need to see you as soon as I can, okay?” 

Lloyd glanced at Albert, who nodded his consent, before replying. “Of course.”

Siân made to take her leave, pausing long enough to offer Wink a final apologetic smile, which Wink returned with a tight smile of her own. The situation wasn’t exactly resolved, but she understood that now was not the time to allow her emotions to get the best of her. She wasn’t thrilled that Lloyd was relying on the very person who poisoned him to cure him, but she was willing to trust his judgement. At least, to a point. His putting himself in danger was becoming a concerning habit she had hoped his duty as her guard would quell.

“You need to eat,” She reminded him gently. After his brief hunger strike and fighting off Siân’s poison he’d need the energy. 

“You’re right,” He replied, trying to turn his attention back to his forgotten porridge. He picked at it, but his already reduced appetite had left him. Still, for Wink’s sake, Lloyd made a show of at least attempting to continue his breakfast. 

Albert watched this exchange silently, intrigued but feeling it best not to comment. Clearly there was still something between the two, though they’d never expressed as much aloud. His musings were interrupted by Wink speaking again.

“Do you trust her, your Highness?” 

Albert folded his arms, turning his gaze toward the door Siân had left through. “I would like to say that I do completely, but the situation is complicated. First and foremost we cannot ignore her involvement in the creation of the poison, and her awareness of the situation at hand prior to her arrival here. Lloyd, you have said that you detect no deception from her, is that still true?” 

Mid bite, Lloyd paused and nodded. “It is, but that is not to say I’m immune to being deceived. It has happened before.” 

It was clear to Albert what Lloyd meant by that. “Did you truly not suspect anything in your interactions with him?” That question had bothered him, might as well ask it now.

Lloyd shook his head. “I didn’t. I believed wholly that he was the human emperor Diaz as he claimed, returned or reincarnated. I am ashamed to admit that I was utterly fooled.” They already knew that, of course, Lloyd had been very adamant that Diaz would bring utopia to the world through the birth of the final species. One might even say zealous with the way he once spoke of their plans. He had certainly calmed down from his preaching, though Albert did have to admit he was disappointed to see that passionate fire dimmed. Perhaps once this situation was resolved some of that spark would return.

“Are you referring to Melbu Frahma?” Wink asked. She’d been corresponding with Albert and Meru about what they’d learned to improve the accuracy of their own library in regards to the Dragon Campaign of the past, as well as the most current one. While Meru hadn’t been the most helpful in regards to details or accurate information, Albert knew his way around a research topic and was more than happy to add his knowledge to the great library.

At Lloyd’s reluctant nod of confirmation she offered him a gentle smile. “I don’t think you can expect to have seen through someone like that, Lloyd. Still, I am glad to see you being cautious. No one from your village should be anywhere near that powerful, right?” 

Lloyd shook his head. “No, I am probably the strongest from there in a long time. However, that doesn’t mean we can let our guard down. I do not think they will wait much longer to move. Someone has already contacted Siân, though she did not tell me who. Has she informed you of this?” That question was directed at Albert, whose furrowed brows creased all the more.

“She did, thankfully she has been forthright with information since our discoveries yesterday,” That did earn something of a frown from Lloyd, who perceived the faintest jab under those words. He chose to ignore it, after everything Albert had every right to remind him why he was not necessarily a guest in Indels castle. “Lloyd has a point, hostilities are only a matter of when.”