"She's here, but her face is badly damaged," The guard told the others as he walked back down the stairs. He pointed a finger toward Fin and Brando. "Arrest these men on charges of abduction, treason, and conspiracy."

Fin set down his fork and raised his hands. His mouth was too full to say anything. He had shoveled the remainder of his breakfast into his mouth.

"We didn't do anything," Brando protested as three guards approached him. "She just started following us. What were we supposed to do?"

"Arrest the innkeeper, too," the guard said with an intense look in his eye. "Harboring, aiding, and abetting criminal activity."

"Stop this at once!" Dezi's voice filled the room from on top of the stairs. She slowly climbed down, speaking order into the chaotic space. "You will arrest no one."

"Your Highness, we need these men for questioning. We have to get to the bottom of this," the guard who gave the orders explained.

"You need no such thing," Dezi stated, walking towards the men as if she was a head taller and not the other way around. The cuts and bruises on her face became more apparent as she approached.

"These men saved my life." Dezi pointed at Fin, whose mouth was still stuffed. "He rescued me from a cave troll and countless elementals and single-handedly cleared the mine. He carried me out of the mine and got me to safety while I was unconscious." She pointed at Brando. "This man helped." She pointed at the innkeeper. "The only thing the innkeeper is guilty of is running his inn. His wife saw to my wounds while I was still incapacitated. You will not be arresting anyone, but I believe some congratulations are in order."

The room fell into an uncertain silence. The innkeeper looked relieved; Brando looked upset. Fin took a drink from his mug.

The door burst open, and a young guard rushed in. He looked like he had something important to say, but after one look at his tense surroundings, his words choked up in his throat.

"Very well, Your Highness," the guard replied, moving his hand away from his sword grip. "It will be as you say."

"The carriage is ready, sir," the newcomer said. He correctly assumed that he wanted nothing to do with whatever was going on and retreated outside

"The carriage awaits," the guard repeated, waving his men to attend to the princess.

Fin and Brando stood up and followed after the princess. They each paid the innkeeper and turned toward the door.

The guard stood in front of the door, blocking their exit. "You two are coming with me."

Fin and Brando walked and limped to the castle, surrounded by a complement of guards. The sound of metal on metal accompanied a chorus of tight leather seams stretching out and compressing together to the rhythm of marching. The gates of the castle opened in tandem, swallowing them into their barred shadows.

The paving stones lead them through a different path this time. Instead of passing through the front entrance, they walked around the castle to the left, where they were led down a stone staircase into its unknown depths. There, they were escorted by a different set of guards through a wood and cast iron door.

The damp walls and stale air were not the warm welcome they expected; it was the welcome they feared. Fin and Brando repressed their base instincts to run and fight to see what waited for them. When they heard the heavy sound of a door closing, followed by a thick sound of a lock, they knew they had no other choice but to be led further into the fortified labyrinth.

The new guards escorted them through the damp corridor and finally stopped before a row of small prison cells. Each cell had just enough room for one man to sit uncomfortably when he grew tired of standing.

"In you go." The man in charge gestured toward two adjacent cells.

"We're supposed to wait in there?" Fin asked, wondering why they weren't led to the tea room. "Is this some kind of joke?"

The guards said nothing, but when Fin heard the sound of a sword sliding out of its scabbard, he stepped into the cell. Brando shook his head and stepped into his. After the two gates were shut and locked, the guards turned and walked away without a word.

"Hey!" Brando called after them. "How long are you going to leave us in here? Hey!"

The guards ignored Brando's questions and left without a word.

"Don't worry. Did you hear what Dezi was saying?" Fin asked, trying to calm the storm in his own gut. "She told them we saved her life."

"She said that you saved your life," Brando corrected. "She only said that I helped. What a royal piece of work she is, huh? I helped? I saved her useless, unconscious life, and this is the thanks I get."

"I don't think she meant for this to happen," Fin said honestly. "We need to think of all the possible outcomes and make a plan."

"Possible outcome one." Brando held up a finger. "We rot in the dungeon forever."

"If that's the case, I can probably get us out." Fin put his back against the wall and used his Stone Vizard ability. His body blended into the wall behind him and disappeared in a protrusion of rock and stone. "All you have to do is tell them I escaped through a loose rock somewhere. When they come in to investigate," Fin's ability melted off him as he struck forward with clawed fingers, "Bam, we're out. I also still have swords and a dagger."

Brando lightly applauded. "And if the princess makes you marry her?"

Fin pondered the question with mock solemness. "I'll take her cat."

The two sat in contemplative silence for an indistinguishable amount of time. They were sealed off from the light outside, unable to tell time. Each dozed off and slept uncomfortably for an uncertain span of time.

"What are we doing in here?" Brando asked in frustration, causing Fin to wake up. "They should be putting up statues of us, not locking us away in a dungeon. When I get out, I'm leaving and never coming back."

"I could probably melt these locks off," Fin considered, giving the locks a few experimental taps with his finger.

"You mean with your sog breath?" Brando tapped on his lock too. "Wait. Are you sure you want to do that? What if the king wants to reward us for clearing the cave and saving the princess?"

"Do you think he would throw us in the dungeon if he was going to reward us?" Fin asked, waving a hand towards their surroundings.

"He might just be talking to Dezi to make sure we weren't holding her under duress," Brando noted Fin's blank look. "You know, like telling her we would kill her if she doesn't do what we say. She'll clear things up as soon as he talks to her."

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Fin thought about it for a while. "And if she tells him everything?"

"Yeah," Brando agreed. "You should hurry and melt the bars."

Fin activated Caustic Breath and inhaled. He blew a golden stream of air onto the lock in front of him, causing the metal to smoke and simmer. Black metal dripped away, opening a small hole in the back of the square lock. Fin breathed in again and blew into the hole, opening it further and melting the inner mechanisms that locked the cell door shut. He pushed on the bars, and his cell opened, dropping several pieces of metal on the ground.

"Now do mine!" Brando shouted in excitement.

"Hang on, I'm feeling lightheaded." Fin held the bars of his cage and took slow, steadying breaths. Finally, he stepped out into the passageway and stretched out. "You might want to move to the side."

Brando moved as far as possible, and Fin lowered his mouth to the keyhole. Before he breathed in, the sound of a distant door slammed open and then slammed shut. Fin and Brando looked at each other wide-eyed.

Brando pointed to Fin's cell. "Go back, go back. Just act normal."

Fin dashed into his cell and closed the gate. It immediately swung open and came to a rest with a cockeyed gap. He shut it, and the gate opened again. Finally, he put his foot between the bars, pulled the gate shut, and held it fast with his boot.

Two guards rounded a corner into sight. "It looks like it's your lucky day," One of them said, selecting a key from his keyring and bringing it toward Fin's broken lock. "What's this?"

Fin shrugged. "It was like this when they put me in here. I assumed you did it on purpose."

"Aye, Yarve, aren't you the one that put these two in here?" The guard accused. "The lock is broken."

"The lock worked just fine when I used it. He must have tampered with it." Yarve looked from the lock to Fin.

"With what?" Fin asked, turning his empty hands upward. "The smithy I have in here with me?"

"I saw what happened," Brando said, drawing the attention to himself. "His breath was so bad it melted the bars."

"That's a funny joke, Brando," Fin attempted a fake laugh and faced the guards. "Some people just can't be trusted with a secret."

"We can sort this out later," The guard brought his key to Brando's lock and twisted. "We have to get these two up there."

The guards escorted Fin and Brando out of the damp dungeon into the sunlight. They squinted at their surroundings as they turned toward the back of the castle. They were led up a small set of stairs into the castle, through undecorated halls. Finally, their trip ended at the familiar tearoom where all their princess problems began.

The guards stationed themselves just inside the door and stared blankly ahead, holding their weapons. Fin sat in the chair he was used to, and Brando followed suit.

"Does any of you know what's going on?" Brando asked the guards. They responded with silence, holding their eyes firmly forward.

A familiar-looking man walked into the room. He turned towards the guards and excused them with a single wave of his hand.

Fin couldn't remember his name, but he remembered he didn't need to. He activated True Name, and a box appeared over the man's head. It read "Sir Adrian Jeffcoat."

"It is quite the tangle you two are in," Sir Jeffcoat said, halting any responses with a lifted hand. "I have been instructed to take you to the king for a private hearing. As you can imagine, this is an extremely rare event, and I'm not sure how well it will go for you. If it goes bad, it will likely spell your death. However, if you somehow manage to find the king's favor, I want to help you so that you will return the favor one day."

"Thank you, Sir Jeffcoat," Fin sat forward on his chair. "I will not forget your help for as long as I live."

"We don't have long, so pay attention," Sir Jeffcoat looked around the room conspiratorially and lowered his voice. "We all know the princess has a proclivity towards stretching the truth. I know it, the king knows it, but if anyone says it…" Sir Jeffcoat brought his thumb across his throat. "I had the good fortune of overhearing Dezi's story. She said a lot of things that you're just going to have to agree with. She said she helped you kill five stone creatures and two cave trolls, where in reality, you probably did it all yourself. Whatever you do, do not challenge her version of the story. What she says is truth even though no one believes it."

"We can do that," Brando said, bouncing his leg nervously. "Anything else?"

"My best recommendation is to be as silent and as still as possible." Sir Jeffcoat explained, "When the king couldn't find his daughter, he was in a very bad way. It was the worst I've ever seen him. The fact that he has an opportunity to butcher a scapegoat and give an outlet to his rage should not be taken likely. When you go in there, walk to the center of the room, and keep as quiet as possible."

"Thank you," Brando said with a sigh. He was ready to be done with politics, prisons, and princesses.

"Collect yourselves." Sir Jeffcoat stood to his feet and adjusted his jacket. "It is time."

He led them down a familiar path to a set of familiar doors. He knocked three times and grasped both door handles at once. The doors swung open to reveal a semicircle of armed knights, guards, and the king standing at the focal point in the middle. He gently nudged Fin and Brando forward and then took his place next to another knight on the left.

Fin and Brando walked to the center of the room and faced the king. He looked tired and on edge, like a man called out of bed in the dead of night by the sound of glass breaking in the kitchen. He wore simple garments that would make the situation feel less official under different circumstances.

"These last few days have been troubling." The king said with an unmoving stance. "You can't imagine the horror I felt to discover my daughter had gone missing. There is nothing in this world that has frightened me more. When she returned, my relief was short-lived. After I saw her in her battered and bruised state, I ordered the ones responsible to be drawn and quartered." The king paused, letting the idea sink in. "The only reason you are standing before me right now is because she stayed my hand. I made her tell me everything. It should come as no surprise that your offenses had doubled by the end of her little tale. Do you know what she said?"

The urgent expectation for Fin or Brando to say something weighed heavy in the air. Every second of silence compounded into the next until Fin finally spoke, "I'm sure she told you the truth, Your Majesty."

The king's bow furled. "Of course, she told me the truth!" He yelled into every empty space of the room. He drew the sword at his belt and stalked toward them. "My family's honor is supreme!"

Fin prepared to use Fear Howl, but the king's sword was not primed for an attack. Instead, it hung forward at an arbitrarily threatening angle.

"After listening to her story, there was just one thing I couldn't quite understand." The king began pacing back and forth. "Why come into my house under the pretense of a diplomatic envoy and lie to my face about some fictitious slave camp run by goblins?"

This time there was no reply. If they told him the truth, there would be no proving their story. The king would call them liars and probably strike them down as they stood. Also, neither of them could think of a single reason why they would risk their lives to lie about something so serious if it was false.

"I know why you did it." The king stopped pacing and looked squarely at both of them. "I kept asking myself why anyone would do such a brash, bold, and reckless thing? Then, the answer came to me like a vision. It was love, wasn't it? Love makes us do crazy things. You pretended to be diplomats in order to win Dezi's heart before you won the right to marry her. Tell me I'm wrong."

"It is as you say, Your Majesty," Fin said, looking at Brando to make sure he didn't try to argue. "I only wanted to impress her Royal Highness."

"Of course, this was your idea." The king looked at Fin. "In this case, fortune favors the bold, and I believe your plan succeeded, and I can tell that you won her over. And you," the king said, turning to Brando. "Your loyalty and selfless determination have paid off. Dezi told me how you helped in the mine. Your contributions might have been small, but they had a big impact. You have done this kingdom a great service."

Brando had never wanted to choke someone out more in his life. However, he gritted his teeth and bore it. At least he didn't have to pretend to love Dezi. That, at least, made him feel better.

"Finlay, is it?" The king asked. "Where is it you hail from?"

"Dragon's Throne F-." Fin cut himself off. He did not want the king's men to find him after he left. If he never made it back home, he didn't want them harassing his parents. "Finlay of Dragonthrone, Your Majesty."

"Take a knee, both of you," The king ordered. After Fin and Brando hesitantly took a knee, he placed his sword on Fin's shoulder. "By my power as King of Clive Rae, I absolve you of all your crimes and bestow upon you the title of Lord Dragonthrone. Arise, Lord Finlay of Dragonthrone."

Fin stood as the king placed his sword on Brando's shoulder. He saw a notification and read it to himself.

* Path Quest Complete: Gain a royal title. +1 Charisma. +2 quests revealed.

* Royal Advantage: Defend a kingdom. +1 Passive Ability, +2 Charisma. Forfeit all Royal Conquest quests.

* Royal Conquest: Attack a kingdom. +1 Passive Ability, +1 Active ability. Forfeit all Royal Advantage quests.

Fin stopped reading through his quest completion when he heard the king say, "Arise, Sir Brando of Dragonthrone."

The room burst into applause.