{-Rennyn-}

He hadn’t actually paid any mind to the fact hardly anyone was at the inn. He didn’t acknowledge the fact that the entire place was silent, instead of just their table, as they ate.

In fact, he never even thought to question it until they’d all finished and started to make a trip to the castle. The closer they got, the denser the crowd became, and the whispers of memories mixed with the mumbles of Astiri’s people. He started to find it harder and harder to breathe as his mind shot to all of the possibilities—the glimpses of past lives.

Rennyn couldn’t quite tell what was real or fake until he felt Kaylin put a hand on his shoulder, and someone from the castle called for silence.

Though they were far away, it was clear who walked onto the castle’s balcony at that point. The extravagance of the king of Astiri wasn’t one that could be mistaken, after all, even if one had never seen King Merith before.

“Attention, everyone!” His voice was loud—as it needed to be to reach the crowds—but it held no true interest in them. “I’ve been made well aware of your fears regarding the council member, Lady Mira. And I come before you today to tell you… each and every one of them is true. My darling little cousin has gone missing.”

A panic rose amidst the crowd almost immediately. There were dozens of questions, cries, and even a couple of accusations. King Merith didn’t do anything except glare down at the crowd until they eventually quieted on their own.

“Are you done? Yes? Good. You hadn’t let me finish, since there’s still a couple of concerns I wanted to address. First of all, I wasn’t the one to do it. I have no idea where she is.” Merith’s words were given replies of skepticism from the crowd, but he continued anyway. “And since I can’t exactly have a rebellion on my hands, Lady Mira will be found. I already have a few soldiers delegated to the task and I’m expecting some more help soon. Until there is more word of her whereabouts and wellbeing, I implore you all not to worry. The early snow brings a promise of a harsh winter. I expect you all to be prepared.”

Then he turned around and left, going back into the castle with his guards following after. Slowly, the crowd dispersed as well, and Rennyn was able to make a more confident walk towards the castle gates.

It was both a surprise and an annoyance that he only had to tell the guards his name, explain that he’d been sent by Vaeri to talk to Merith, and show them his sword to enter. He started to realize that Merith knew full well that they were there—he might’ve even already had the letter from Vaeri weeks ago. He just didn’t contact them after that.

And that was practically confirmed when they were guided to the throne room, Merith on the extravagant throne and certainly not happy to see them.

“Ah, just in time,” he remarked. He didn’t move from his spot or even change his expression. “I was afraid I was going to have to go through the trouble of finding you. You’re the ones Queen Vaeri talked about, aren’t you? What were your names..?” A servant walked closer to whisper something in his ear, and he confidently repeated for all to hear, “Reynold, Kayla, Sam, Lyra, and whatever-title-you-have-now Noagi.”

“I really prefer to be called Noa…” was the first mumbled response.

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Lyrei was quick to add, “Also, that’s none of our names. Also also, how did you get ‘Sam’ out of ‘Seldir?’”

The most Merith did to acknowledge either of them was a simple wave of a hand and a mumbled “Yes, yes, let’s move on.”

“You knew about us already?” Rennyn had to ask the question, even if he already knew the answer. He hoped that, at the very least, it would give him some reasoning. “And you didn’t think to let us know?”

“The old queen made it sound like you were heroes of legend or something,” Merith remarked dismissively. “I assumed that, if you really wanted whatever you’re here for, you’d take the initiative to get it. I certainly wasn’t going to be bothered making sure you stayed on track with whatever the hell you’re doing.”

Kaylin sighed. “We’re here for the Goddess’s Shield—I’m sure Queen Vaeri mentioned that to you. I assume we should be able to work out a way that we can get it?”

“Hmm, probably not, unless I’m feeling particularly generous,” was Merith’s completely honest yet unhelpful answer. “I suppose I’ll have to, but you’re already starting to get annoying, and I don’t believe annoying people should be rewarded.”

“The fate of the world depends on this,” Rennyn pointed out. “What can we do to earn it?”

“Weren’t you listening to the announcements? You’re those special individuals who are going to find Mira. I wasn’t going to reward you—heroes such as yourselves should be doing that kind of thing out of the kindness of your hearts or whatever—but if you desperately desire the shield, I can consider giving it to you. Maybe. But only after Mira has been found.”

Well, if that was the best they were going to get, then they probably just had to accept it…

Seldir, with a mix of caution and reluctance, asked, “Do you know anything we could go off of? We can’t exactly find someone we know nothing about.”

Lyrei was much more excited. “Oh, and we need to think about motives, too! That’ll help us think of some suspects, which’ll usually limit the options of places we should look for.”

“This isn’t a detective novel,” Rennyn remarked, glaring at her. “This is something that’s actually important. We’ve got to actually take it seriously, or else nothing’s going to get done.”

“But I was taking it seriously!”

Merith let out a long sigh. “I don’t know whether I should appreciate your enthusiasm or wonder what the hell the old queen saw in you.” He paused. “Perhaps both. I don’t know what I should’ve expected from a bunch of kids…”

“Is there anything you can tell us?” Kaylin repeated. “Even a little will help, if you actually want her found.”

“Well, if you’re looking for motives, the people adore her,” Merith grumbled. “And trust me, those fools really do believe everything she tells them—that damn self-sacrificial nature of hers. That ought to be the cause of something.”

“Anything else you’d like to tell us? Like where anyone had last seen her..?”

“Some spots outside of the capital, some areas around and in the castle.”

“Can we search the castle now, since we’re already here?”

“Oh, of course not! I can’t have a bunch of kids like you running around the place while I’ve got important things to do! I’ve got to impress the nobility, you know, not make them think I run a daycare. I should be able to allow you to wander in a day or two. Maybe. It depends on how generous I’m feeling, and how annoying I think you’ll be.”

Rennyn sighed. “Then we should head to the other places. The sooner we figure this out, the better.”