There was something different about the girls the next morning when they woke up. Seres could see it and Rowan could feel it in her bones. They were sisters. The Goddess had made it so. It was a good feeling and it had banished the nightmares for one night at least.

They had a breakfast of chopped mataberries, honey roasted ham, and smoked cheese on slices of bread toasted over the embers of their fire. The horses were given oats and an apple each, which they greatly appreciated, even if Nami demanded extra. It was a simple and delicious affair.

Then it was time to break camp. They were getting rather proficient at it, which was fortunate considering their bandaged hands. Rowan found herself wincing a couple of times from being a bit too enthusiastic. In hindsight, they hadn’t needed to cut their hands quite so much, but what's done is done. For now, they'd just need to be careful while they healed.

Part of being careful came into play as soon as they were on the road again as they became very aware that a canter would be untenable as things were. As such, they settled on a walk until they figured something out. Fortunately, even with the delay they arrived at the gates of Feldran only a few hours past noon. At least that's what the girls had estimated based on the last time they had seen the sun. Now all they had to go by were some exceptionally angry looking clouds. The girls put up their hoods in anticipation of a storm.

Feldran dwarfed both Baromiir and Telmaris combined. That still left it smaller than the capital, but size wasn't what made the city impressive. If anything, the size was a footnote when compared to what made the city truly unique. It had been carved out of a mountain that had been shattered by Resonance.

At its core, the city was the mountain with the buildings made from grey stone and tiny glittering crystals, both mundane and Resonant. It was a sign of where the city's wealth had come from as one of the prime sources of Resonance Crystal in the world, let alone Llen Fær. Feldran was also home to some exceptionally rare and even unique crystals, including the elusive Gravity Crystals as evident by the casual floating rocks above the city. Seeing them made Rowan feel exceptionally nervous of the possibility of something interfering with the Resonance. The impending storm didn't help either.

The rain started as the girls approached the queue to the city. It quickly became apparent that the queue had formed because the guards were extremely thorough in their investigations and checks. No doubt because of the comparative size and importance of Feldran, along with the large amount of traffic that the city was used to.

Seres lead them past the queue and onto the gate which resulted in some very loud complaints from various merchants and travellers getting rained on. Something along the lines of, "Hey, Fuckers! No skipping the line!". A guard stopped them as soon as they were close enough.

"Afternoon, ladies," the guard said with a distinctly feminine voice, greeting them with a pained smile. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait in the queue like everyone else."

Rowan unfastened her badge and showed it to the guard. "Are you sure?" she asked.

The badge seemed to give her some pause. She looked at it for a second and then called over another guard. "Hey, Keio, do you recognise this?"

The other guard walked over and looked at the badge and Rowan saw instant recognition. "Let them through, Brii," he said.

"But…"

"The captain told us to expect this. It's the Ardent Flame and Her Highness, Princess Seres."

Rowan saw the guardswoman back. "My apologies, Your Highness, milady. Go right ahead."

The way into the city was opened to them and for their trouble, they were treated to a confusing array of cheers and curses from the line. They were greeted to a large plaza on the other side of the gate which webbed off in various directions towards the city's myriad districts.

"Where to first?" Rowan asked over the loud pitter-pattering of heavy rain.

"To the keep," Seres almost shouted back, "we'll be granted sanctuary there."

"Are you sure?"

"There isn't a single lord or lady that would deny a princess hospitality in good faith. Plus, Duke Kamran is a relative of mine."

Even with the wide open streets, it was a difficult ride. The rain was getting heavier by the minute and the wind was coming in fast around the Kærinsiir mountains. The paving was quickly becoming slick with icy cold water, making it hazardous to go any further on horseback. They would need to lead the horses the rest of the way.

The long winding path up to the keep felt far steeper than it had any right to be. Thankfully, when they introduced themselves at the gatehouse to the first bailey, Duke Kamran's men took over leading the horses, while a runner went on ahead. Before handing Nami over, Rowan removed Elan Fiir from where it had been strapped to the saddle. When that was done, she attached it to her belt and joined Seres in trying to not get swept away by the violent gale. They held onto each other tightly and Rowan instinctively drew upon the essence of her mother's weight from Elan Fiir, effectively granting them the additional mass of a third person.

Thanks to the runner, they were greeted at the main entrance by the Duke's chief steward, and a fourteen year old girl. The steward ushered them in, not caring that they were carrying in the storm or treading mud. Meanwhile the girl just stared at them, wide-eyed.

"My apologies, Your Highness, for the rude welcome granted by the inopportune weather." The steward spoke with a voice as dignified, yet dusty, as his appearance suggested. He was a middle aged man in pristine brown robes, tiny glasses, and hair that was a weird cross between a tonsure and a ponytail.

"Unless Uncle Kamran has gained the ability to control the weather in my absence, there is no need, Rodin. Might I introduce you to Rowan, the Ardent Flame. Rowan, this is Rodin, the chief steward of my great great-uncle, Duke Kamran, and this is…" Seres trailed off as she tried to introduce the girl.

Rowan curtsied to Rodin and he bowed. "Greetings, most esteemed Lady of Fire. The Duke will be most thrilled to meet you." After greeting Rowan, Rodin introduced the young girl beside him. "This is Kelsi, the Duke's granddaughter."

"Granddaughter?" Seres asked with some confusion, "I was unaware that Uncle Kamran had any children, let alone grandchildren."

"She was adopted during your absence, Your Highness," Rodin explained.

"Ah. Well welcome to the family, Kelsi. It is a pleasure to meet you." Seres gave her a bright smile.

Rowan added to it with a smile of her own. "I second that."

"Hello," Kelsi replied shyly with a bright eyed curtsy.

"Would you like to show our guests to their rooms, Kelsi?"

At the request of the steward, the young girl without any hallmarks of nobility excitedly walked them through the keep. Despite her energy, however, Kelsi didn't actually say much of anything. If anything, she seemed happy enough being in the company of Rowan and Seres. Rowan couldn’t exactly blame her, this was probably her first time seeing a princess, after all.

Seres was taking everything in her stride. Rowan, on the other hand, was sharing a little in Kelsi's awe. She was in a castle. An actual castle. The legendary abodes of heroic knights and Rowan was in one. It wasn’t exactly like the ones from the stories she had read as a child, and it was more colourful than the rough, grey exterior, but it was still a castle. Seres being there only added to the effect.

Alas, Rowan had to remind herself that she wasn't in one of the stories from her childhood. They had been filled with whimsy and adventure as opposed to needless death or suffering. Rowan knew that her life wouldn't be anything like that. There wouldn't be a heroic duel at the end of her journey that would bring an end to all the evil in the world. As for living happily ever after? That wouldn't be life. Not really. Life had ups and downs. Life was contrast. You needed both light and shadow to see the whole picture.

"Lady Rowan," Kelsi chirped, "this will be your room."

Having been snapped right back into the present, Rowan gave the young girl an appreciative smile. "Thank you, Lady Kelsi. Could you tell me which room Seres will be sleeping in, please?"

"Her Highness will be in the room just across from you, Lady Rowan. These are the guest apartments so feel free to use everything here at your leasure. Also, I'm not actually a lady. Not really. Duke Kamran adopted me after my parents died in a mining accident just over three years ago."

"That's awful!" Seres exclaimed.

"Would you mind telling us what happened?" enquired Rowan.

"Just before the accident, one of the mining companies discovered a new Resonance Crystal deposit. Apparently it was absolutely massive and filled with lots of different kinds as well. The mining made it unstable though, and one day it went boom. Half of the entire mine was destroyed in the explosion.

"Pretty much everyone had given up on the miners. Everyone except for my parents. They ran a toy store and knew most of the miners by name, they were always coming by to get presents for their children. Mum and Dad couldn't bear to see those children cry so they rallied together a rescue operation. They managed to save everyone that survived the initial explosion and collapse. But another explosion happened and it killed them. The Duke adopted me as a way of acknowledging their heroics."

The girl wasn't much of a storyteller. Even so, both Rowan and Seres were crying from her tale. To call her parents heroes was an understatement. They deserved every honour. Unconsciously, Rowan hugged the young girl.

"Your parents were nobler of heart than most," Rowan told her. "I don't know the Duke, but I'm sure he saw that same fire as well."

"Do you really think so, Lady Rowan?"

"I do. Also, you don't need to call me Lady Rowan. Just Rowan is fine."

"Rowan's just like you," Seres explained.

"What do you mean?"

"Her father is a merchant and her mother was a bard. She was given her titles by my mother for keeping me safe from terrible people and helping me and many more people escape from captivity."

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"We'd been told that she was the new Ardent Flame, which is totally amazing, but I thought she was already a noble." Kelsi had squeed the aside with abundant enthusiasm; a sign that Seres wasn’t the only one she was excited about seeing.

Rowan blushed slightly. "That's definitely new. I'd like to say that I'm common as bricks, but I think being an Ardent kind of disqualifies me from that and my family were more in the middle ground anyway."

"What's it like being an Ardent?"

"I don't really know how to explain it," Rowan admitted. "I can barely remember what it was like before I Awakened. A lot has happened the past five years and this feeling has kind of bled into all of my memories. What I can say is that it's intense and not always in a good way. If anything it's a mix of good and bad."

At that point, servants arrived with their packs.

"I should return to my studies," Kelsi said sadly, retreating past the servants.

"You can stay here a little longer, if you'd like," Seres called out to her.

"There's still plenty we can talk about and we've got games as well," Rowan added with brilliant cheer.

*****

Seres slipped away a short time later. She had Rowan know that she'd be perfectly safe and that she just needed to contact her mother. Her uncle had a direct line to the palace which made things significantly less awkward than going through the city officials and the local administration bureau. Such were the perks of family.

A servant took her to her uncle's study where he kept the Communication Resonance Array. It was a large room filled with books, scrolls, maps and various Resonance Crystals. The last time Seres had seen this room had been as a young girl. She remembered sitting on her uncle's lap as he told her stories. The memory made his absence all the more noticeable.

He was still nowhere to be seen. Which was to say that he was in his bed. They had arrived during one of his rare unscheduled naps. His sleeping schedule, or indeed lack of it was an enigma to everyone that knew him. Seres recalled a time from back when she was just a child where he had only slept once over the course of an entire week. Even then it had only been for a few hours. That made it seem likely that he would be there for dinner at least.

Even so, Seres knew that he wouldn't object to her calling home. Rodin had given his permission as well. All she had to do was wait while the servants set everything up; she'd never had the chance to learn how herself. They finally triggered the signal to the palace and moments later the message was being taken to the Queen. Then she heard it, her mother's voice.

"Dearest Seres, I'm so glad that you're safe. After we received word from Baromiir, I was so worried."

"I'm perfectly fine, Mother. Rowan was the one that suffered."

"So you said. The investigation team had already arrived and they have a portable Communication Array so I can deliver my verdict quickly when the time comes."

"What's likely to happen?"

"The rapist will be executed as per Rowan's request. Maybe not exactly as she requested, but he will die." The mere thought of execution was enough to make Seres turn a little pale. It was still the least that he deserved. "The two guards will be punished in accordance with your orders. No doubt the investigation will find them guilty of more crimes that they'll need to be held accountable for. As for the guard captain, he will be punished in accordance with how involved he was with the corruption. At the very least, he will lose his rank. At worst, his life."

"That's no small range."

"Neither is the range of his potential crimes. By the end of the investigation, the entirety of the Baromiir guard will need to be restructured and reinforced."

"I guessed that would end up being the case," Seres sighed, not really wanting to think about it. "I'm glad that the investigation is underway, but it's only part of the reason I wanted to call."

Queen Elarin responded in a more sincere and heartfelt tone compared to the more serious one she had been using before. "I would hope so. There's something that I need to say as well, but you can go first."

"Well I've started training with Rowan and I told her about my abilities."

"That's good. I hope you've been training with them. Have you been practicing how to use them in combat?"

"I've been doing a little bit, but only once trying anything combat related," Seres admitted.

"That's better than nothing. How did it go?"

"Better than I expected. I tried taking some inspiration from Rowan, but it was mostly improvising. It also drained me way too quickly. The crystals I have are too small and the cut makes them really inefficient."

"They were designed to be used in jewellery so that they didn't draw any extra attention."

"Which is great for emergency self defence, but in an actual fight I need something better."

"Well you're in the perfect place to stock up."

"Not with this storm."

"A storm in Feldran? It must be really bad if it wasn’t broken up by the mountains."

"I nearly had impromptu flying lessons," said Seres with a light giggle. It had been terrifying at the time, but hindsight painted it in silver.

"I'm glad that you're okay. Thank you for telling me, Seres. Now I can organise some survey and rescue teams to assess the damage. It would have taken closer to a week for the report to reach me normally."

"Why so long?"

"Because the meteorological society is full of wizened old men and women that seem to operate in geological timescales. And unfortunately, they are the ones that make the report."

"That's…"

"Truly. Was there anything else you wanted to tell me?"

"Rowan and I did the ritual last night." Seres held her breath as she waited for her mother's response.

"It would have been an incredible waste if you hadn't," Queen Elarin laughed.

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be?"

"Because…"

"It's not like you got pregnant and eloped with some stranger. You just asked the Goddess to acknowledge the bond between you and Rowan. I had already accepted it was going to happen as soon as you both told me what had happened in the caves. Why else do you think I gave you that white silk handkerchief?"

"I didn't really think about it."

"Plus, I'd never have trusted Rowan with your protection if I didn't trust your bond. However, that does bring me to what I needed to say. I trust that Rowan is fully up to the task of protecting you in a fight. With that said, the incident in Baromiir highlighted that there are some issues that she isn't equipped to handle and neither are you.

"I was naïve to think that the two of you could handle everything alone. You need more people to help cover all of your bases. To that end, I've sent two junior officers from the Dusk and Twilight branches of the Army. If they aren't already in Feldran, they will be soon enough. Hopefully the storm won't hold them back."

"Are you sure this is necessary? It was just one incident."

"And I'm not risking a second. Not until you have some more protection. It will make things easier for Rowan as well. She may be an Ardent, but she's still vulnerable. If the man that attacked her had a knife, he could have killed her."

It was painful to hear her mother say it, but it was true. In combat, Rowan would be a force to be reckoned with, but if you get close enough to her and she's not expecting an attack for whatever reason, she's as good as dead. Seres didn't know why Rowan didn't see the man as a threat until it was too late, but the fact that it had happened was evidence that it could happen again.

Realistically it was both good and bad that she hadn't. On the one hand, it meant there was this risk. On the other, Seres didn't need to worry about her lashing out at every single perceived threat, regardless of whether or not one even existed.

"Rowan won't want to wait around," Seres said finally.

"That shouldn't be an issue," Queen Elarin responded, "You need to wait out the storm, after all."

"True. But what if they aren't here by then?"

"Then I'll be very concerned as to why. They were travelling by rowboat with a full team of rowers. Even with the storm it should take them less than a week."

"Well I'll let Rowan know."

"Good. Stay safe, my beloved Seres."

"I will. You too, Mother, and carry my love."

The call came to a close and it left Seres with a lot to think about. What were her shortcomings? Was she holding Rowan back? She didn't exactly add much to a group dynamic other than pulling rank and offering support and that last one was being generous. Apart from that, she had half a royal education and charitable and somewhat idealistic nature.

She was brought back by her memories. It had been forever since she had done anything worthy of the name the common folk had given her. The Star Flower, Princess of the Dawn. It was a sign of their love, for all she had given them before she was taken. Now she was a shade of the girl she had been back then. Even so, Rowan had told her that she still shined. Seres was determined to prove her right.

*****

Seres arrived back in the guest rooms a while later, arms loaded with books. She quickly placed them on the table before collapsing into a chair. Rowan wasn’t expecting that. As far as she was aware, Seres had only been gone to talk to her mother. The reality before her made it seem like she had instead raided a library. That isn't to say that it mattered. Seres could have been doing practically anything while she was gone and it wouldn't have mattered as long as it wasn't dangerous and she stayed in the keep. Furthermore, Rowan wasn’t going to be rude by not even saying hello.

"Welcome back, Seres. What's with all the books?" It might not have mattered, but Rowan was still curious.

Seres gave her a warm smile with a glint of determination in her eyes. "Hi, Rowan. I thought I'd catch up on some things I was supposed to learn while we wait for the storm to pass."

"Anything interesting?"

"Not really. It's mostly etiquette, law, , commerce, foreign relations and customs."

Rowan grimaced. "You're right, that sounds incredibly dry."

"There's some military theory as well, but I don't exactly have much academic experience in that area besides what they taught us in the caves."

"My brother taught me a little when I was younger, but I'm in a similar boat for the most part. Maybe we can work on it together."

"Sounds like a plan? Where's Kelsi?"

"She had her own lessons to attend to."

"Sorry, I should have come back sooner."

"It's fine. I was just singing to myself while I waited and she only just left." Rowan may have been exaggerating a bit there, but she didn’t want Seres to feel bad about it.

"That's good. Shall we do some studying now or later?"

"May as well start now. If it gets too dry we can always play some games later."

"True."

Rowan shrugged.

*****

A few hours later they got word that Duke Kamran was awake and that breakfast was being prepared. It was a little weird to hear their dinner be called that, but the servant's tone suggested that it was a little in joke on the Duke's sleeping schedule. She was not, however, expecting that the joke would extend to the meal itself.

All in all, Rowan's first impressions of the Duke were interesting to say the least. To put it simply, he was ancient. His skin was weathered like parchment and his few remaining wisps of thin white hair were wiry at best. Even his ears were balding. At the same time, he looked like he could probably destroy someone at least half his age in a fight. His muscles were beyond firm as evident from how his bare, sleeveless arms rippled with every movement. He also held the strength of ancients in his eyes, the wisdom of his age old vigil.

What threw Rowan off, however, was the way he wolfed down his giant breakfast of smoked applewood bacon, wine-poached sausages made from aged venison, a spiced drakiir egg soufflé, fried buffalo tomatoes, wild mushrooms, and freshly baked bread dripping with melted butter. Everyone else was eating from similar, albeit significantly smaller, dishes and even then it was a challenge to keep up. Rowan could feel her stomach straining before she even reached the halfway point.

Once he finished eating, he turned to face Rowan and started speaking in a slow, aged voice. "I must apologise, Lady Rowan, for the events that transpired five years ago."

That got Rowan's immediate attention. "Why is that, Duke Kamran?" she inquired.

"Because the reports show that the raiders travelled through my duchy and right past my city on their way to attack Næmyris. And then they dared to use the same route to escape. Yet, in spite of this truth, I failed to notice. In all of my long years, that is, along with the death of Kelsi's parents, my biggest failing."

Rowan saw pain in his glacial blue eyes and felt it too. "You don't need to blame yourself," she said with every inch of sincerity that she could muster, "they managed to keep themselves hidden for years up until that point. Everyone missed the signs. Those that didn't were probably either corrupt or dead."

"True as that may be, my life is my vigil, and my vigil is this fair nation and all those who dwell within it. To deny my vigil would be to deny the Gift that was granted to me by the Goddess."

That was a lot to take in and Rowan wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say in the face of such conviction. Seres, on the other hand, just laughed. "Uncle Kamran is always like this. Some say he is the reincarnation of Aegis Admiral Taan. That's impossible of course and rather rude at that, don't you think?"

"I guess," Rowan replied hesitantly.

"I'm with Princess Seres," Kelsi added quietly. "To say that he's a reincarnation based on his merits kinda invalidates them as his merits."

"That makes sense."

"Well said, Kelsi," smiled Duke Kamran. "It would indeed be boorish to think that we were just the product of our ancestors, blessed they may be. They give us strength, but we must be the ones to act so that those that come tomorrow might make the next day even better. I for one will not rest until I see my successor rise from the ashes."

"Don't look at me," Kelsi replied, shying away slightly.

"Fear not, Kelsi, that is not why I adopted you. I was actually thinking young Lady Rowan here, should she survive the trials that await her."

"Me?" Rowan's face was a perfect picture of surprise at the declaration.

"Of course. Who better than the Ardent Flame of Midiris? Should you survive, you will live a long life, far beyond my own. Furthermore, I do not believe that you will abandon your home."

"Well no…"

"Thus, I think it is quite fair to assume that you have potential."

"Just go along with it, Rowan."

This was going to be an interesting few days.