Leonidas felt his pulse quicken when he rose from his bow and took in Aylar’s appearance again. Were it not for the phonetic specificity between ‘I’ and ‘Y’ in Haelfennyr, he might have never noticed the anagram. The ‘aye’ sound of the ‘Y’ as opposed to the ‘ee’ sound of the ‘I’ created a clear similarity between ‘Lyara’ and ‘Aylar’ that was impossible to miss.

Once again, he wondered what in the hell was going on.

He’d already mentioned once that there were simply too many coincidences to be normal, but that had been more of a mild concern over what seemed like engineered happenstance—now he was wondering if he was being subjected to some sort of elaborate mind-game.

Five years of blood, stress, trauma, and loss might have all boiled down to an extended tutorial that wasn’t even real, and that was more than he was really prepared to think about. The idea that the friends he’d made, the pain he’d endured, the sacrifices he’d given, and the agony he’d gone through all amounted to nothing was too much for him to conceive of at that moment.

The only thing that stopped him falling down the rabbit hole of Simulation theory over the whole thing was the fact that he didn’t want to fall down that rabbit hole.

It was a thin shield against the existential crisis that threatened, but it was one he’d cling to.

“It is my honor to meet you as well, your royal highness,” he said in as calm a voice as he could manage while trying to shove down the shock and memories that tried to bubble up. “Forgive me for staring when I first saw you, Princess. You are not what I imagined.”

“Oh?” Aylar asked with a raised eyebrow. “And what did you imagine?”

“Not a warrior,” Leonidas answered honestly. “Ceruviel was telling me about the expectations of a Queen in Haelfenn society, and her description of noble daughters prior to our meeting formed a much more delicate image in my mind. You, however, are anything but delicate.”

“Is that so?” Aylar asked while bracing her hands on her hips. “Am I not feminine enough to warrant the title of Princess, then?” she asked with an unreadable expression, and a steady gaze that never wavered.

“On the contrary, Princess, I think only an idiot would look at you and not think you’re beautiful.” Leonidas stated truthfully. “I only meant that you look like you’d be as at home in a ballroom as you would on a battlefield, and it’s definitely a nice departure from what I first envisioned.”

Aylar smirked at him slyly when he finished speaking.

“I did not ask if you thought I was beautiful, Achilles,” she pointed out. “But thank you for the compliment, and more importantly; for noticing my efforts to advance my martial capabilities. Most people do not bother to see more than a pretty woman with a crown.”

“Most people are gawking idiots,” Achilles said off the cuff, and with a remembered familiarity that he couldn’t help but feel. For all that had happened, it had been less than twenty-four hours since he’d spoken to Lyara—and Aylar was so similar to the woman he’d known that he found his guard slipping reflexively.

Aylar’s eyebrows shot up at his words, and then she laughed. It sounded different to Lyara’s, he realized. Aylar’s was more musical, and held a more bell-like chime than the princess he’d actually known.

The difference, minor as it was, felt like a splash of cold water against the budding warmth of imagined familiarity.

“You really are just like your Mentor!” Aylar stated with an amused tone. “You speak to me so easily, as if I’m just another person in the street.”

“I am simply uncouth and presumptuous at times, I fear,” Achilles said with a forced smile, and a return to what he remembered was appropriate decorum. “Please forgive my impertinence in your presence. I forgot myself.”

The Princess’ smile waned when he spoke, and he saw the mirth on her features fade after his words sunk in. She seemed taken aback for a moment, and then seemed to recover quickly.

“I see.” Aylar said more formally after a few moments’ awkward silence. “You are forgiven, of course. Please think nothing of it.”

The Princess turned away after she said it, and looked instead to Ceruviel, to whom she spoke in Haelfennyr.

“{My apologies for ignoring you, Dusk-Lord. Please, be seated,}” Aylar said while gesturing to the sitting area. A mix of remembered knowledge and social graces held him in polite abeyance until the Princess herself took her seat, and then he let Ceruviel sit in kind opposite her before moving to stand behind the Dusk-Lord at a parade rest.

“{Is my seating not to your liking, Achilles?}” Aylar asked with a hint of terseness upon seeing him standing.

“{I dare not presume to your hospitality, Princess,}” he said with the same forced smile, and an attempt to once again dismiss the soured feeling of remembering he’d never see his companions again. “{I am a Squire and Retainer. I would not take for granted such familiarity as to claim a seat in your presence.}”

“{I see,}” Aylar said with a terse nod. “{Your diligence does you credit, of course.}”

“{Your Highness is too kind,}” Leonidas said with rote politeness, and a bow of the head.

When he finished, Ceruviel’s voice pierced his mind.

+{I do not know why your mind is in such turmoil, Achilles, but you must focus. You were charming her right up until the moment you shut down. We will speak of it later, but for the sake of your own prospects, try to stay charming! You took a rather outstanding start and managed to thoroughly ruin it.}+

The Duchess showed no outward sign of her mental reprimand, and Leonidas focused on showing none himself while trying to suppress his annoyance at what she’d said. It was all well and good for Ceruviel to tell him to ‘be charming’, but she wasn’t dealing with a living reminder of a friend—and someone he’d wanted more with, if he was honest with himself—he’d very likely lost forever.

The differences between Altera and Elatra were subtle, but blatant, and in such a way that Leonidas was almost positive that even if Lyara, Bjorn, and Caricus had been real; they were more than likely long, long dead—though again, that was only if they’d actually even been real.

The thought was not comforting.

“{I take it your visit here was for more than showing off your Squire, Duchess Latherian.}” Aylar said with a very specific lack of another glance at Leonidas, and instead a steady focus on the Dusk-Lord. “{I would like to know what brought you to me with such haste.}”

“{He is a key part of my visit, but is not the purpose of it,}” Ceruviel agreed with a nod. “{Originally I came to inform you that we had a new weapon to use to buy time with your brother, but a detour to the Adventurers’ Guild waylaid that intention.}”

Leonidas, still struggling with his inner turmoil, looked between Ceruviel and Aylar as the former spoke, and watched the Princess’ expression light up at the Dusk-Lord’s mention of the Guild.

“{Does that mean they found it?}” the Princess asked immediately.

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“{Yes, Princess.}” Ceruviel replied with a smiling affirmation. “{Only a few miles into the forest, and heavily obscured. I took great pains to ensure the information was sealed within reason, but it will not remain so forever.}”

That explained why she was speaking with the Guild’s Scouting Officers, at least, and likely why she’d wanted a closed-door meeting with Sinalthria as well. Something to do with the Rite of Ascension, no doubt, and the Guild’s part in scouting for the required Dungeon.

“{Then we must make haste and depart immediately!}” Aylar said excitedly. “{We cannot waste time waiting for—}”

“{That won’t be possible,}” Ceruviel cut in with an apologetic look. “{Not without adequate preparation, at any rate. The Rite of Ascension is not a trifle, your highness, and for all that you are a talented Swordmaiden—one your mother would be proud of, I am sure—in your own right, you are woefully lacking in power when compared to your brother.}”

“{Braedon is only level thirty-three!}” Aylar objected with a frustration that told Leonidas all he needed to know about that line of discussion. Clearly, the Princess had been struggling with the comparisons between her and her more heavily trained brother for some time.

“{Which is still makes him eighteen levels and two tiers your superior, Princess.}” Ceruviel said firmly, “{and fully outside your ability to even attempt to match. You will need a full Party to brave the Rite of Ascension, and each of them will need to be both trustworthy and fiercely capable. As you know, the System will not permit more than five levels of discrepancy between Party members when Delving.}”

“{Which means my Royal Guards are out of the question,}” Aylar said with a quiet sigh, “{and I would be a fool to attempt the Delve alone and ignore your advice. Very well, I take it you have something in mind?}”

“{I do,}” Ceruviel confirmed with a smile. “{There are four ideal candidates to help you form your party: Synthra, the daughter of Guild Mistress Sinalthria, is the first.}”

“{I’ve heard plenty about her talent,}” Aylar confirmed. “{She’ll be an excellent addition. Who else?}”

“{Bardulf, a Shadowblade from the Guild that finished in the top four of the Elite Slayer License Trial, and lost out only to Synthra in the semi-finals.}”

“{I’ve not heard of him, but I trust your judgment in this case.}” Aylar said with an agreeing nod. “{The Elite Slayer intake is always stiff competition, and if it took Sinalthria’s daughter to defeat him, he is surely competent.}”

“{His father is a friend, so I can vouch for his character, too.}” Ceruviel said with an approving nod, and leaned back on the lounge. “{For your Mender, I believe that a young man named Parnym will be acceptable. He is at the cusp of second tier, and is among the most promising of my Duskguard recruits.}”

“{A member of the Duskguard would certainly give me some measure of confidence,}” Aylar agreed with a decisive nod. “{And what of the last member?}”

“{A warrior named Luciaro,}” Ceruviel informed her with a tone that held an edge of hesitation to it, which Leonidas immediately thought was suspicious, “{who also finished in the Elite Slayer Final Four, and is a Copper License like Bardulf.}”

“{Oh?}” Aylar asked with a look of pleased surprise. “{That makes three of four from the Elite intake. Was Luciaro the runner-up in the final, then?}”

“{No, he was defeated in the semi-finals,}” Ceruviel said casually.

Too casually for Leonidas’ liking, in fact, but he decided not to interrupt whatever his mentor was scheming. He could almost tell she was about to drag him into something, but wisely held his tongue.

“{Is the other finalist not available, then?}” Aylar asked with a frown of consternation, and an unconscious lean forward that strained her chiton in a slightly distracting way. “{I would think they would be a better option, would they not?}”

“{Unfortunately,}” Ceruviel began with a hesitancy that Leonidas found so convincing, he’d have believed it if he didn’t know that Ceruviel was a master schemer, “{a Delve requires all participating members to be at least level eleven. The one who defeated Luciaro does not qualify. Not yet, at least.}”

“{What?}” Aylar asked with a look of baffled disbelief. “{You’re telling me that Luciaro meets the requirements, but the one that defeated him doesn’t? A first tier strong enough to make it to the Final Four was defeated by an Untempered?}”

“{Indeed so, Princess. It is rather unfortunate, given the circumstances, but—}”

“{Unfortunate?}” Aylar asked with clear frustration. “{Duchess, you’re telling me that there’s a Slayer available to me that defeated someone before even reaching first tier, and did so at the highest levels of competition for their bracket! If I am going in for my Rite of Ascension, I will need every modicum of advantage! I need that finalist!}”

“{That would mean delaying the Delve until the individual in question could properly meet the requirements, however.}” Ceruviel stated with an arched eyebrow. “{I did not think your royal highness wished to delay more than was absolutely necessary?}”

“{I did not, but I will be damned if I will let such an opportunity….}” the Princess trailed off, and then abruptly swore under her breath. “{Oh you cunning old grouch, you’ve neatly manipulated me right where you wanted me, haven’t you?}”

There was no ire in Aylar’s voice when she spoke, and if anything, Leonidas detected a mix of respect and fondness in the accusation she leveled against Ceruviel.

“{Here I was ready to rush off at the earliest moment and face the Rite of Ascension, and you maneuvered me so easily into changing my mind that I would have called someone who’d fallen for the same blatant manipulation an utter fool.}”

“{The passions of the young are like healthy embers among dry tinder, Princess Aylar,}” Ceruviel said with an audible smile. “{Let this be another lesson to ensure that others cannot do the same in future. I did manipulate you, yes, but I did so for your own good. Your harebrained scheme to run off as soon as possible would have only gotten you killed.}”

“{Heavens, I am glad you’re on my side,}” the Princess said wryly, “{but you do make it hard to not want to throttle you, your grace.}”

“{Your father often said the same thing,}” Ceruviel responded blithely. “{Your mother, however, said it was one of my best traits.}”

“{I’m sure she did,}” Aylar responded in what Leonidas identified as resigned acceptance of her fate. He could relate to the feeling well when it came to Ceruviel, even after only a day in Dawnhaven. “{Very well, Dusk-Lord, I shall heed your sage counsel. When do you think I should depart?}”

“{Two weeks,}” the Duchess said without missing a beat, and with shameless indication of her pre-planned trap. “{In the interim, I will ensure that Prince Braedon follows a false trail to another Dungeon further afield, which will not net him what he needs, but which he will not realize until you are well and truly Delving.}”

Ceruviel waved a hand airily, and continued with a more terse and no-nonsense tone that Leonidas felt was more accurately her.

“{You will only have one attempt, however, so you must ensure you succeed. Once you enter the Delve, I cannot maintain its secrecy. It must be registered with the Guild the day you enter, as a matter of protocol, and the System-enforced entry cooldown will ruin you if you fail your first attempt.}”

“{And what of our fifth member?}” Aylar asked after nodding in acceptance.

“{I will ensure they are ready to join you at the time. To that end, I intend on sending them out to hunt the local beasts with you a week prior to the Delve. It will give your entire Party time to build synergy, as well.}”

“{And what of this immediate week beforehand?}”

“{I have other training in mind for that.}”

Aylar’s eyes rose after Ceruviel spoke, and settled on Leonidas steadily.

“{And what are your thoughts on all this, Achilles?}” the princess asked him directly, and with a glint of new curiosity overcoming the earlier disgruntlement in her brilliant blue eyes. “{I would wager, as I am not a moron, that you are this mysterious finalist, given the Duchess’ flair for the dramatic and terrifying standards.}”

Leonidas’ lips twitched into a genuine smile at her question, despite the complicated feelings the Haelfenn blonde inspired, and he bowed his head. “{Your insight is astute, your royal highness. I am, in fact, the finalist in question.}”

“{And you truly did defeat Luciaro without even reaching your first tier?}”

“{I did,}” Leonidas confirmed. “{Though that is no insult to Luciaro, Princess. He fought well.}”

“{You just fought better?}” Aylar surmised with an arched eyebrow, and a glimmer of returning amusement.

“{Of course he did,}” Ceruviel cut in with a snort. “{He’s my Apprentice.}”

“{And you can truly raise his level fast enough to join me in a mere two weeks?}” Aylar asked with a glance back to Ceruviel.

“{Oh, you need not worry there, Princess,}” Ceruviel said in a tone that sent a chill down Leonidas’ spine. “{By the time I’m done with Achilles, he’ll be more than just able to join you.}”

“{Oh my,}” the Princess said with a smile that Leonidas thought might have even been a little vindictive, “{that sounds like it will be quite interesting to observe.}”

“{Oh, I think it will.}” Ceruviel said glibly. “{After all, his time in the Arena was cut short.}”

Leonidas felt his stomach drop at Ceruviel’s words when she continued.

“{And nothing is a greater boon to one’s early levels than life or death adversity.}”