Lily was speechless.

All her life, she had heard tales of the fabled Lord Of Sunlight. The King of Anor Londo who slew the dragons and ended their dominion over the world. The one who paved the way for humanity to take the world. The First of the Great Lords who built their lands upon the backs of the very drakes they slew.

The quantity of his deeds was immense. With such tales of heroism and overcoming adversity, is it any wonder they made their way to Astora? Would it be that far fetched for the stories to reach the ears of an impressionable, young Astoran noblewoman? After hearing so much about the Lord Of Sunlight, she couldn't wait to finally meet the man when she grew up.

And after wading through swamps, broken cities, drowned settlements, and the crumbling buildings of once great kingdoms, she found him. As a walking corpse.

Though it pained her to see the legendary hero brought to such lows, she knew what had brought him to such a state. And, in respect to his legacy, she put him to the sword. So that he may finally know some peace.

Now that same man was before her, speaking to her without issue or even a hint of madness in his voice. His body was far different from when she last saw him. He was younger, his body far more spry and muscular than before. He had lost some of the height that let him tower over others, but he was still a full head taller than Lily. Yet, his face and eyes...they held the experience, wisdom, and sadness of a much older man.

Lily felt her knees shake as her mind whirled with questions. How did this happen? Was this really Gwyn? What should she say? Was he upset with her? Did he think she was a real Silver Knight?

The fact that he simply sat on the edge of his bed, staring at her with a calm expression, made her even more on edge. Multiple sentences began and ended as she tried to form a reply. Eventually, she settled for a single action.

She dashed until she was ten feet in front of the Lord of Sunlight. In swift succession, she fell to one knee, took her helmet off to let her shining golden locks of hair fall around her face, bowed her head as she placed the helm on the floor, then pulled the Lord's blade and cloak out of her Bottomless Box to hold up to him.

"Please forgive my insolent, Lord Of Sunlight!" her voice cracked as she tried to stop herself from shouting, "I am not one of your Silver Knights! I wear the armor because it offers astounding protection and believe it is perfect for someone who wishes to be a knight and I once again asks for forgiveness for I had to take this from the body of one of your Silver Knight because he went mad and made an attempt on my life and-"

Her tangent was stopped in its tracks as she felt the blade and cloak gently pulled from her grasp. She looked up from her bow to behold the Lord Of Sunlight observing the two items. He held both the blade and cloak up with the same calm expression on his face. His eyes roamed the wide blade in his right hand, hands testing its weight and seeming to focus on any and all cracks in the metal. Then they switched to the cloak, roaming its construction as if seeking any and all possible weak spots.

Then he lifted both up...and gently placed them to either side of him. He folded his hands in front of him while looking down at Lily with a subtle understanding shining in his eyes, "What is your name, young Knight?"

A combination of surprise at the question and elation at hearing a King call her a "young Knight" briefly made Lily forget her full name. She instead stared at the Lord with her mouth hanging open in shock. Yet the King proved more patient then she expected. He did not seem annoyed nor frustrated at her lack of an answer. He simply waited until she regained her faculties.

Eventually, she finally realized he was waiting for an answer. Fumbling over her words for a moment, Lily finally replied, "L-Lilanthia De Astora. But...but I tell everyone to call me Lily as it is easier. You may do the same, my Lord."

"Thank you, Lily," she felt a shiver go down her spine as he spoke her nickname, "And there is no need to bow to me. I am...not someone worthy of such a show of fealty."

Lily's excitement was washed away. Not completely, but enough to hammer a seed of dread into her heart. She stuttered, "M-My Lord. W-What do you mean?"

Gwyn was silent for a few minutes. Then he straightened his back, placed his elbows on his knees, then rested his chin on steepled fingers. With a tired sigh that shook his head, "It shall become clear later. For now, could you please tell me what happened after I...I gave myself to the First Flame."

Lily tensed up at the Lord's words, "My Lord, I must warn you; I am not aware of everything that occurred after you left your throne. Only what I managed to gather from my own journey."

"I still wish to know, all the same. And will you not stand?"

"Forgive me once more, my Lord, but I feel that this is the only proper way to speak to you where it concerns this information," Lily inwardly cursed herself. That was a completely rambling, incoherent reason that wouldn't hold up to a moment's scrutiny.

"If you merely wish to remain bowed, then simply say so, Lily. There is no need to ask permission for anything from me. Not anymore."

Lily flinched but nodded, "As you say, my Lord."

Then she began. She told him of her journey through Anor Londo and beyond.

What she found after leaving the Undead Asylum. The trials she faced, the people and creatures she met, Frampt, Krampt, all to when she made it to the Kiln...and what happened after.

"When I touched the First Flame I felt it consume my body. There was no pain nor anguish as it happened. Merely this strange sense of...loss. Loss of my body, my possession, and even my consciousness. I felt it all be taken to fuel the Fire for just a bit longer. And as my body turned to ash, I felt no regrets. I was certain that the world had no more need of me. I had achieved the Martyrdom worthy of Heroes of Old."

Both Lily and Gwyn were silent for a minute.

"But then I awoke in the Untended Graves," her hands clenched together as she remembered rising from that grave and seeing the state of the world. She felt confused and lost. Then, after she learned what had happened, she had felt angry, "And I learned the state of the world."

She told Gwyn of her Journey through a Crumbling World. Her travels taking her to places well above and below Lordran. Her fights with the Lords of Cinder and her task to bring them to their Thrones. As she spoke of the events she kept an eye on her Lord's reactions. For the majority of the tale he remained impassive with a calm yet steely gaze in his eyes. But, every now and then, she would glimpse the barest hints of emotion on his face.

When she spoke of her battles beside her companions? A wistful smile.

When she spoke of what became of his family and allies? A sad shake of his head followed by a sigh.

When she spoke of the Dark? A short period where his hands seemed to tremble in rage.

As Lily approached the end of her tale, she felt a sense of unease settle over her. She took multiple deep breaths before she continued, "After I defeated the Soul Of Cinder, I was presented with a choice. I couldn't let the Dark gain its Dominion forevermore. Not after The Ring City and the Painted World. I refused to subject the world to such rot and destruction. Any peace it may bring was worthless when compared to the monsters that it would take control."

The heat in the room seemed to climb as she continued, "But..but I couldn't let the Fire keep going. It had been burning for too long. It was too weak and hungered for too much to keep it sated. It would eventually either burn the entire world as fuel, or wink out and leave nothing behind. I was at an impasse...but then I saw her Summon Sign. And I knew what I had to do."

She took in a breath and looked up at the Lord Of Sunlight, "I gave the Firekeeper the First Flame. She would safeguard it while the Dark took dominion. When the time was right, when the First Flame had become strong enough, she would release it into the world so that a new Age Of Fire may begin. I stood with her as the Dark took over. I heard her voice one last time...then I woke up in a forest with you at my side."

Silence.

Lily was tenser than a spring. She held her breath as she awaited the judgment of the Lord Of Sunlight. He owed everything he had gained to the First Flame. His kingdom, his people, his children, his comrades in arms. None of it would've been possible without the First Flame. He even gave himself to it when it was clear it was going to fade away.

And she had just told him she allowed it to be taken into hiding.

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She was prepared for his retaliation. An angry shout, a stomp of the foot, a sudden rising from his seat. Any aggressive action.

What she was no prepared for was his words.

"I see. Then...I failed."

She looked up with shock evident on her face, "What...what do you-"

"I failed, Lily," he says once more his head hung low, "I failed them all. My Kingdom, my knights, my children, my people, humanity. Everyone. My sacrifice was for them. I...I knew the Fire was dying. I could tell even from my Throne in Anor Londo. All other avenues for keeping it going had either failed or turned up nothing. I thought that, maybe, if I gave myself to it...it would keep my people alive for just a bit longer."

Lily saw the man's shoulder slump forward. As if an invisible weight on his back just got that much heavier. She swallowed heavily while trying to find the right words to say, "Um, my...my Lord. You did what you could. More that that in my opinion. Who could possibly ask for more from you?"

"That is just it," he raises his head, eyes filled with a severe disappointment aimed solely at himself, "I could've done more. I could've fought harder for the Undead, tried to find some cure for them. I could've forced Seethe from his tower and made him help me solve my kingdom's woes. I could've stopped either both my lost Son and Artorias when they left. Tried to convince the Wolf Knight to remain at my side or gone with him to save Oolacile, found some way to compromise with my Son. I could've done so, so, much more."

"But...I did not," a hand went to his forehead. A long suffering sigh escaped his lips as he squeezed on his no longer wrinkled skin, "And so many, many, many others suffered for it. Suffered because of my failures."

Lily felt her blood run cold. She asked her next question with a purposeful slowness that bellied a dreadful worry within her, "My Lord. Are you suggesting that fighting against the Dark...was a mistake?"

Gwyn did not lash out at her in anger. But the steely gaze that he sent her way cowed her all the same. Her head turned to the floor as Gwyn sat up straight, "No. I have many regrets, Lily. But battling against the Dark and the Dragons will never be one of them. Do you wish to know why?"

She nodded her head.

"It was for humanity and my people," Gwyn turned his gaze from the kneeling woman to the window of their room. The orange hue of the setting sun reflected off his black hair as he began to speak, "Try to imagine it, Lily. You and those around you have lived your lives in a world of Gray. A featureless, colorless, uncaring world where monsters reign over all that exists. These winged monstrosities hunt and prey on anyone they see. It didn't matter who or what they were. If they were discovered, they were eaten."

"This is the world you live in. This is all you know. Fear, hopelessness, despair...and then you gain the power to change it. You find something, a source of the brightest light you have seen in your life. A blazing inferno that gives you power over nature itself. And you know...you know you can change things for the better. For everyone."

His hand twitches before he turns his gaze back to Lily, "With this power you now possess, you find others like you. Others with these same powers as you. Who wish the same as you do. To change the world with the power you know possessed. You gathered those who would follow you into battle and struck out at the monsters that had ruled your world for so long. You fight for years, decades, centuries maybe. You lose many, many, many people. For everyone monster you felled, it killed thousands of your own. But upon those broken bodies and fields soaked with blood, you manage to build something. Something new. Something worthwhile that you know will stand the test of time."

"A kingdom," Lily says for Gwyn.

The Lord Of Sunlight nods his head. He looks up at the wall behind...no. Not at the wall. Somewhere else. A time long passed. He continues, "When the battles are won, you begin your Golden Age. You build a Capital City. Fill it with people and guards to keep them safe. More cities, towns, villages, and hamlet build up in your shadow. More people come to live under you. To have your protection from that which would harm them. Your companions create their own lands with their own people. You have children. You have friends. Life is good."

His expression falls while his hands begin to clench, "Then a serpent comes along. It tells you that everything you have built, all the progress you have made, all the lives sacrificed to get you this far, meant nothing. That it will all fall to pieces and be replaced by this new Age Of Dark. And, as a demonstration, it turns the four leaders of one of your burgeon new lands to its side and fills it with monsters, ghost, and worse. And the next time you hear of this Dark, it eliminates an entire Kingdom over night and fills its lands with horrors that not even one of your best Knights could overcome."

"If you were the Ruler of a Kingdom, and this happened to you, what would you do, Lilanthia?"

Lily didn't hesitate to answer, "I would fight against it with all my might, my Lord. Not for myself, but for those who count on me to keep them safe. I would fight for those who can't fight for themselves. As a true Knight would."

"Then we are of the same mind," Gwyn nodded to the woman, "Everything I did, I did for my people. I gave everything I had for them. What King wouldn't?

His expression became dark, as his lips curled into a frown, "But I am no fool. Nor am I prideful enough to say that everything I did was just. As time passed, I allowed my mind to deteriorate. They say that looking into the abyss is like looking into the sun, stare too long and you become blinded. That is what happened to me. My opposition to the Dark and the end of my Age became an obsession. I no longer cared who or what got burned as long as no shadow remained! ...I did...horrible things. Had people tortured, stolen from their homes, assassinated, and far worse. I became a tyrant. I regret every single one of those horrors. But the things I will never regret are such; Fighting the war with the Dragons, meeting every single one of my Royal Knights, and fighting against the Dark with every fiber of my being."

After allowing the King Of Anor Londo's words to sink in, Lily finally spoke up, "And, what of humanity, my Lord? Those that could wield the Dark Soul? If you fought for them, why did you trap them in The Ringed City?"

Gwyn raised an eyebrow, "Trapped? Is that what you believe? No, that was never my intention. I gave them everything I did, because I wanted them to have their own land. And I did not wish to fight them. Why would I wish to fight those that I fought for but a few decades ago? Everything I gave them was a gift for them to use as they saw fit."

He narrowed his eyes, "The brands and otherwise...were foolish and short-sighted. They were meant to seal in the darkness of humanity, to prevent them from falling to it. All it did was make them ticking time bombs, bombs that would lash out and kill anyone around them once they went fully hollow. Ticking time bombs that resented me and all I stood for."

The Lord Of Sunlight went silent. His gaze remained pointed towards the floor.

Lily was extremely glad her experiences had given her a healthy well of stamina to draw from. Otherwise, her knee likely would've given out by now. She shifted herself around while trying to think of something else to say. All the questions she had thought about while waiting for this moment had suddenly left her mind. And the long silence had begun to get awkward.

Suddenly, Gwyn stood up from his position and walked to the window. Lily stood up as well, her armor shaking as she followed Gwyn's movement. The Lord Of Sunlight looked out the window and down at the rapidly emptying streets of Baskerville. He beheld the people's strange attire, their smiling faces, the orange glow about the town from a setting sun, and felt a...mixture of emotions.

"I assume we are no longer in Anor Londo? Or any world that we know of?" he turned back to Lily.

She nodded, "Yes. We are in a land known as Eostia. It is ruled by a woman known as Celestine, who governs alongside her Seven Shields Alliance. It is a force made up of Seven Women who all have a large amount of political power within their respective lands. Our current location is the town of Baskerville within the lands of Rad that are governed by Lulu, a halfing apart of the Seven Shields."

Gwyn nods along with Lily's explanation. Before he can ask his next question, someone knocks on the door to the room.

"Lily!" a feminine voice called from the other side, voice laced with worry, "Is everything alright? You've been in there for an hour and a half. Do you need help with your armor or something?"

Lily flushed with embarrassment. As she fumbled to get her helmet back on, she shouted back, "Ju-Just a second, Anne! I'll be there in a moment!"

Gwyn watched her with a raised eyebrow as she clipped her Silver Knight Helm back on. Once she was certain it was on straight she gave him an apologetic bow, "Forgive me, my Lord. I have gotten us into a troublesome situation."

"Oh?" he moved away from the window, curiosity piqued.

Biting her lip underneath her helm Lily explained, "I am currently in debt to the owner of this establishment. It's part of the deal we made to allow the two of us to remain in this room without paying. I...am afraid I do not have any of this world's currency and am unsure how much worth they would give to some of my items."

She neglected to mention that many of the items taking up space in her Bottomless Box were kept there "just in case".

Gwyn hummed at the woman's explanation, "And what are the details of this arrangement?"

"I am to work as a guard to this establishment until I have earned enough to pay off my debt."

"And the amount you owe?"

"100 gold pieces. The currency here."

Gwyn's fingers drummed out a soft rhythm on the window sill as he mulled the situation over in his mind. Then his gaze fell upon the dresser and hi-the crown sitting on its surface. He picked it up and brought it to his eyes. With pursed lips he scratched away at the soot and ash staining the circlet. As it flaked off he saw the barest hint of gold beneath the filth.

"My Lord?" Lily asked when she saw the small smile come over his features, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, Lily. I am fine. And I may know of a way to pay off our debt. Have you discovered a metalworker within this town?"

"Yes, sir. His name is Clamor. He helped me examine your blade."

"Good, please lead the way out of this room," he waved a hand towards the door.

Lily let out another, "Yes, sir," while moving to the door. She swung it open to reveal Anne standing outside, her brow furrowed in worry.

The high elf leaned forward while Lily stepped out and to the side of the door. Anne asked the armored woman, "Lily? What was taking you so-"

Anne's words caught in her throat. She took multiple steps back as the towering form of Gwyn came towards the door. He ducked under the door frame to avoid hitting his head, his eyes locking on the high elf as he stepped out. Anne felt her knees get weak as the man loomed over her. A powerful sense of gravitas weighed down upon her as she stared at him. She sputtered like a fish out of water, all the politeness and grace she had built up over the years disappearing at the sight of him.

Gwyn tilted his head and knelt to be eye level with the woman, "Greetings. I am named Gwyn. Might I have your name?"

"A..a...a...," Anne stammered out, hands trembling as she clutched the edges of her dress. After a few minutes she shook her head and yelled out, "Anne! My..my name is Anne, sir."

Gwyn bowed his head to the high elf, "It is a pleasure to meet you. I would speak more, but I must be away. There is a task I must see to. Lily, will you be performing your duty this afternoon?"

"Yes, my Lord. I guard this establishment from afternoon till morning. Then I switch with a man named Morgan and his Black Dog Mercenaries," Anne's eyes flew to Lily, questioning eyes wondering how she knew the towering man.

"Ah, I see," Gwyn got to his feet, bade the high elf goodbye, then began walking towards the stairs. Lily followed close behind. Anne stood in the hall for a bit longer. Then she fell to her knees as her breathing began to normalized.

The entire time she could only think; Who was that man?