They were seen off shortly after breakfast by Kelsi and Tamrik’s steward, Rodin. It was reminiscent of how they had arrived. Quiet, with little fanfare and a notably absent Duke Tamrik, only this time he wasn’t sleeping. He had already said his goodbyes during breakfast. Now he stood atop the castle’s greatest tower, the donjon.

Rodin gave them the standard farewell on behalf of himself and the staff. It was formal for the most part, though he did give his demure facade a moment to rest as he extended a familial embrace to Seres.

“Safe travels, Princess. May the Goddess watch over you.”

Seres smiled warmly as she held Rodin’s hands and returned his farewell in kind. “May we both walk under Her light.”

Then it was time for Kelsi. Rowan and Seres didn’t hesitate in giving her a giant, two-pronged hug, ceremony and proper decorum be damned.

“I shouldn’t be crying,” Kelsi sniffled.

“You can cry as much as you need to,” Seres replied.

“Seres and I will be crying the moment we turn around,” Rowan added, her voice wavering slightly.

“Speak for yourself, Rowan. I’m not going to last that long.”

“Neither am I.”

True to their words, Rowan’s and Seres’ eyes were glistening with tears when they pulled away from Kelsi. It wasn’t all tears, however, for they were both smiling brightly. She was a precious addition to their family; another light in the sky to be cherished and protected.

“We’ll see each other again soon. This isn’t goodbye forever.”

“Rowan’s right. We’ll visit again once we’re done with Særis.”

“And if we take too long, you can always come visit us.”

Kelsi sniffed again and wiped away her tears. “I will!” she said adamantly.

“Not until you’re at least seventeen,” Rodin interjected.

“But…”

Seres held up a hand and offered a compromise. “If it takes us that long, I’m sure I’ll be able to encourage Mother to grant you permission to join her on a state visit.”

Rodin nodded. “If it was an invitation from Her Majesty, I have no doubt His Grace would allow it.”

“Then…”

“Don’t get too excited,” Seres laughed. “It probably won’t happen until you’re sixteen, so you’ve still got some time to kill. You can still send messages our way until then. We could even talk over Communication Crystal from time to time.”

“I’d like that.”

“As would I. Promise me that you won’t waste your adolescence, though. Uncle Tamrik has given you a home, and Rodin is doing a great job making sure you have an extensive and well-rounded education, but neither of them have been parents, and I think they might have forgotten what it is like to be someone in their teens.”

Rodin nodded ever so slightly. “A fair assessment.”

“If you want to do better, hire more female staff. Someone closer to Kelsi’s age. Someone who could be a friend to her.”

“You could also help her become involved with various group activities or hobby clubs out in the city,” Rowan added.

“That’s not really necessary,” Kelsi said shyly.

“You’re allowed to have fun,” Rowan assured her. “It’s part of growing up. And better yet, you can show us how far you’ve come when we see you again.”

Kelsi replied with a shy little nod. “Right.”

Rowan and Seres hugged Kelsi again and said one last goodbye before leaving.

Lochlan and Liadra were waiting for them with the horses. They nodded to each other and mounted.

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It was time.

*****

They arrived at a small trading outpost on the north-western side of Lake Emyr just after lunchtime the next day. Similarly to how Baromiir and Telmaris served as waypoints between Midiris and Feldran, the outpost functioned as such for Næmyris and Feldran. Alas, unlike the two towns, it was more of an extension of Næmyris, and it had never grown past the paltry size of a village.

It did at least have a tavern, so Rowan and Seres were able to stop for a bite to eat while Lochlan and Liadra went looking for a ferryman with a large enough boat for the horses. Rowan hoped they wouldn't need to wait too long. She remembered there being some boats that might have been large enough, but there was little guarantee there'd be any at the outpost. In the worst-case scenario, they'd be waiting days, at which point they'd be better off circumnavigating the lake on foot.

Fortunately, they received word from Liadra after only an hour. They had found someone. Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be cheap.

They were led to a jetty where Lochlan was negotiating with a liver-spotted old man for a place on his leaky barge.

“I won't go any lower,” the man was saying, “one gold for the lot of yah and another if yah get horseshite all over my boat.”

“Respectfully, sir, most of the people I've spoken to so far have been quoting me prices in bronze until I mentioned the horses, and while I understand the need for a markup, you are asking for a hundred times the average rate.”

“Well if yah have someone else who could take yah for less, be my guest. Yah won't find anyone though. Not until they think it's safe enough.”

“Surely they're already back on the water? It's been days since the storm passed.”

“You can wait if yah like, or yah can pay my price.”

Rowan and Seres were now close enough to be noticed by the old man. Rowan gave him a smile. “Would you not consider lowering your prices just a wee bit for a Næmyran who hasn't seen her home since the eclipse?”

His eyes narrowed at her. “What are you talking about?”

“My name is Rowan'efrii Naliir. I'm from Næmyris, and I was one of the people taken during the eclipse.”

“I know that name.”

His expression had changed; it was softer. They were no longer just nameless rich people with need for a service only he could provide.

“Did you lose people during the eclipse as well?”

"My grandson and daughter-in-law," the old man replied, his voice melancholy. "He was just a wee blighter. My son couldnae handle the grief.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Don't be, lass. If yah really are a Næmyran, I'll lower the price down to five silver links for the lot of yah. Ten if yah horses make a mess.”

It was still a fair bit more than what most people would charge, but it was doable, and he was the only person around with a big enough boat.

“We can do that.”

*****

They were a few hours out when it became eminently clear why Liadra hadn't joined the navy. Her face was green, and she was throwing up over the side of the barge. The first time had the old man amending his “shite fee” to include vomit.

Rowan, meanwhile, was simply amazed. “How can she be seasick? We're not even at sea, and the boat is hardly rocking.”

Lochlan sighed in response. "Contrary to what some would have you believe, Liadra is not always the stern professional she likes to present herself as. Nay, she is actually quite fast and loose when the need arises. Especially where her stomach is concerned.”

“Can't you be serious for once?” Seres asked, lambasting him. “Like you were when we were riding?”

“I could, but where would the fun in that be?”

Seres looked at him flatly. “What?”

“Being serious all the time is boring. People also think I’m a Cryptic whenever I’m serious, and we can’t have that.”

“But you are a Cryptic,” Rowan interjected with an exasperated sigh.

“Exactly. I’m also a spy. If people think I’m a Cryptic, how am I going to get people to trust me?”

“You say that like it matters, when it’s just the four of us and the ferryman.”

“Well, you never know, he might be hiding some valuable information. Alas, my job is not the only reason for me to play the fool. It also makes people smile.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re bullshitting us," Rowan laughed, "because that last part makes you sound like you’re actually a good person."

Seres actually snorted as Lochlan grabbed his chest and gave Rowan the most exaggerated and pained expression imaginable. With an overly dramatic sigh he cried, "You wound me!"

“You’ll live. You also haven’t told us why Liadra’s sick or if we should be concerned.”

“She’ll be fine. She’s just suffering from a bout of mild thalassophobia.”

Rowan and Seres both furrowed their brows questioningly. “You call this mild?”

“She can still see the shoreline, and she knows I can swim. If we were out at sea, she’d be catatonic. We’ve got medicine if it gets that bad.”

"You really do care about her, don't you?" Seres asked.

"She's family," he shrugged. "Now, if you’ll please excuse me. I need to make sure she doesn't faint and fall overboard."

*****

The barge carried on sailing throughout the night, and Rowan caught her first glimpses of Næmyris as the sun rose. It was still a few miles away, but Rowan felt like she could almost touch it.

As they got closer, Rowan could see how the town had changed. There was a large memorial by the lakeside. Rowan couldn’t make out the details, but she understood its purpose. The ferryman took his hat off and held it to his chest as they approached, no doubt offering a prayer to his family.

Rowan chose to give him some space as she looked ahead.

She was almost home.