This morning was the first fresh one in a long time.

There was no heat from distant fires. No smoke and ash staining the wind and air.

Just a cool morning sunrise, unbothered and typical. One I’d seen so many times and would continue to see forevermore.

Cat sniffed as she finished waking up. She let out a deep sigh which turned into a heavy yawn as she stretched nearby. I then heard her whole body shiver thanks to the morning chill.

I had kept the campfire going through the night, out of kindness, but had yet to really feed it this morning. I had expected her to sleep for another hour or two. She must be either hungry, or need to…

Yes. Cat slowly stood, on her unsteady feet, as she stepped away from the small camp. To go and relieve herself behind some bushes.

As she did I went to add the last few branches I’d gathered to the fire. We’d be leaving shortly, but I wanted to make sure she warmed her body fully before we did so. It’d likely stay cold and chilly through the morning, even until long after the sun fully rose into the sky.

Winter was here once more.

“Good morning Vim,” Cat said as she returned. I noted the way her limp wasn’t as bad as before. She must have been half-asleep and stiff just now.

She was still in no condition to walk far, or run, but I was glad all the same to see her healing. I had worried I’d permanently limped her, but it looked like she’d be fine. A few weeks and she’d likely return to walking normally.

Likely a result of her youth. Had she been a decade or two older, my accidental harm could have done far worse damage to her.

“Morning. We’re out of tea leaves, I apologize,” I said.

“It’s okay. You said we’d reach the city soon, right?” Cat asked as she glanced away, to the edge of the forest we were in.

The open expanse of hills and plains just beyond the forest were dazzling in the morning light. There was no more smoke or ash in the air, but there was a faint haze of morning mist everywhere. Particularly near the large grass plains and the rivers that ran through them all.

Telmik was not in sight, but a few smaller human settlements were. The nearest looked like only a few dozen buildings large, but one off in the horizon looked rather large. Even from here I could see the glistening of roof-tiles and windows. I didn’t know the name of it, since I rarely passed through it on my travels. It was situated a little south-west of Telmik. Usually I approached Telmik from the cardinal directions, not at an angle like this. It’s been a long time since I’d needed to bypass the main roads out of necessity or urgency. Many years.

I'd been avoiding them since I had been carrying her. It made us appear strange, even though there was likely many strange sights at the moment. There were likely hundreds if not thousands of people heading to Telmik, fleeing the devastation of the fires. My carrying Cat on my back while we hurried would be odd, but likely overlooked because of it, but I still didn't want to risk it until I needed to.

“Soon; as in tonight, soon, likely. Telmik is still a good day’s distance away. I plan on stopping at that larger town there in the distance for a moment, to let you eat and rest,” I said.

“Oh…” Cat nodded as I stepped away from the now stronger fire. It should help keep the morning chill from seeping into her bones now.

I sighed a little as I wondered how much trouble waited for me in Telmik.

This supposed birth of a new monarch, and the saint who had foreseen it, were troubles indeed but honestly only the lesser of them.

Another location destroyed. While I was but a few miles away. It’d not look good, and would only further feed the doubts and complaints of those spurning this vote against me.

A vote to depose me. From a position that once they had begged and pleaded me to take.

Maybe Miss Beak was right all along. That all my efforts would be in vain. That even those like Renn, the long-lived non-humans, would all inevitably do as the humans had done. Simply taking more time to forget what the humans quickly did in a few generations.

To forget all I’ve done and blame me for their own faults and failures.

It’d be hilarious if it wasn’t exactly what had happened last time. This same thing had made me flee to a far corner of the world.

This time though my mistake was not a singular big one… but instead many small ones.

I had failures. I had no right to claim I was faultless, or that I was doing good enough. It was the truth that I’ve been a subpar protector… but…

What more could I do? Short of breaking the very rules I agreed to abide by, my own ethos and morals, what more could I do?

I couldn’t force them all to obey. I couldn’t impose strictness upon them. If they wanted to live as they did, endangering themselves and all the Society at large, what was I to do about it?

As I stood here and fretted over it all Brandy and the rest were involving themselves in the creation of a new nation. A new form of commerce, even. They were creating a nation not of monarchies and bloodlines but coins and debts. A capitalist city-state that hasn’t existed in hundreds of years. They were making themselves into the giant nail that would stick out for all with the power to do so to strike them down. And by doing so they endangered the Society as a whole.

And they weren’t the only ones currently making themselves into a lightning rod.

The Chronicler and her ilk had made a massive church. A genuine religion that now supposedly had close to a million followers and devotees. A religion that swept through not just a single nation but most of them around this corner of the world. She and her people, first started by Celine, had created something so powerful and overbearing that they no longer could control it. It had grown so large it took all they had just to remain a part of it. They no longer ruled it. No longer controlled it.

The Church of Songs was no longer just another puppet of the Society but instead its own being. Its own creature. And instead of being its master, holding the reins, we instead guided it by a carrot with a long stick. Something that could be snatched away or outright ignored, at any moment.

They had created something to protect themselves and the Society, and in doing so had made the very thing that many in the Society must now fear.

Then there was no end to the many smaller locations, and groups, who all had their own designs and foolish fantasies. Lughes and his paintings. Landi and her quest of children. The Weaver, letting her family grow as big as a whole village without care or worry. Tor in his canyon, spreading his mist. Even Merit with her recent attempt at creating her oasis. Though that had luckily only ended with the destruction of her kingdom and her associates and not the Society as a whole.

There was a never-ending string of failures and dangers. And although I could be blamed for not properly protecting them, could I really be blamed for them as a whole? It’s not like I wanted any of them to come about.

I helped when asked, but I’d not once placed down the banner or flag of conquest anywhere.

Yet…

This had been a long time coming. Even before the wars. Even before the kingdoms that fell.

Celine had seen it herself. She too had known the Society would eventually break and crumble. From their own hands.

Yet to watch it happen… To allow it all to fall apart while I was here to stop it...? It was almost enough to make me want to break my own shackles, my own rules, even though I knew even if I did the end result would be the same. Even if I forced my will onto others, or became the ruthless tyrant some of the Society members dubbed me, it wasn't like it would change the outcome. The failures would still happen, even if at a later date and for different reasons.

But there was still a sinking resentment, for it all to have happened this way. Over tiny failures and not large ones.

And for it be spurred even quicker by this vote…

I blinked as I tried to remember if Celine had ever mentioned such a vote. Over the years I’ve had plenty of votes like this happen. Though they were usually not about removing me as the protector, but instead the direction the Society was going itself.

The last big one had been the split of the Society. Not long after Celine’s death. The one that resulted in so many leaving this land and sailing west.

Was I the target this time because I really had screwed up, or was it simply because there weren’t enough members left anymore to point fingers at? We were down to a few thousand at best anymore when including the humans. Not enough.

“Can I ask why you’re letting me rest so much?” Cat then asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Hm?” I frowned at the woman who was once again reminding me of Renn. Was it the way she was smirking shyly at me?

“You say Telmik is only a day or so away at your pace. Which means you should be in a hurry to go, since that means to you it’s within reach. Yet…” she gestured around her, likely with the intent to gesture at me letting her rest further.

I sighed at her. “Yes. I’d hoped to use this moment to speak with you,” I said.

Her shy smile wavered a little. “About…?” she asked carefully.

“My people. The ones you’re about to meet. The Church of Songs,” I said. In reality I spoke of the Society, but I’d not tell her that.

She nodded, interested.

“What do you know of them?” I asked.

“Only that they’re powerful? I’ve never met any of its members myself, other than the devotees as we traveled here,” Cat said.

I nodded. Powerful. Yes. To humans they might seem so. “Has your saint ever dealt with them?” I asked.

Cat frowned and shrugged. “I don’t know? I don’t think so. We keep to ourselves mostly, Vim. Our village is about a hundred strong, with a few families that live nearby. I bet two hundred at most if we really gathered everyone. Other than the few times Elaine sends people out to stop something horrible from happening, we don’t even really mingle much. We don’t even get traders or visitors, for crying out loud,” Cat said.

Interesting. That meant their village was likely deep in the wilderness. “Saints usually like to be amongst their kindred. Does she not desire finding others like her?” I asked.

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Cat smiled gently at me. “Of course she does. But she knows if she does it could lead to her death, or ours.”

Right… I nodded. “Saints are always hunted,” I admitted.

“You promise you’re not hunting her too, right?” Cat asked worriedly.

I nodded. “For so long as I can confirm you and your friends had nothing to do with the birth of a monster, or the creation of those fires, then yes your saint is safe from me. In fact if she really does wish to hunt and stop such calamities from being born, then we’d be allies,” I told her honestly.

Cat smiled at me and seemed relieved. “So… we’d be friends. For real? Once you meet her and find out she is truly a saint,” she said.

“We weren’t friends already?” I asked innocently.

Cat paused a moment, and then giggled. “I guess! What would your wife think though?”

“She’d likely love you. She has a soft spot for women like you,” I said.

The young human tilted her head and frowned, not understanding what I meant.

But there was no reason to explain to her.

“Renny right? Sounds familiar for some reason…” she hummed as she pondered, and then smirked. “Ah. Like Rennalee. Yes. She has the same name as the sister of our first saintess,” she said as she remembered.

A loud snap startled Cat, who yelped and quickly stood up.

Looking down, I found I had been standing on a half exposed root. I had crushed and snapped it with my weight. The broken piece was exposed, dripping sap and other gunk onto my foot beneath it. I lifted the foot, and noticed the several inch deep footprint I had left behind. The other side of the root was buried into the dirt, flattened with the rest of it.

“What the…” Cat whispered in awe at the sight as I took a very deep breath.

“Rennalee?” I asked the woman who flinched again. This time thanks to the tone of my voice.

Cat shifted and looked around, as if suddenly in danger. “Um… well… it’s the name from a legend. From my village…” she whispered quickly.

Closing my eyes, I groaned as my muddled mind quickly made sense of it.

Reaching up, I cupped my face and wished to scream.

“Vim…?” Cat asked worriedly as I stood there before her, hating everything and everyone for a moment.

“Tell me the legend, Cat,” I asked gently as I got control over my fury. Before I terrified this poor girl into a heart attack or something worse.

Cat stood up straight, and flinched. This time not because of my tone, or because I had caused a loud noise. Instead it was because she had leaned too heavily on her hurt hip. She grabbed at her side, though her hand had nothing to grab at. She was scrawny so she just grabbed a handful of her clothes. “Um…! Well… our village. It was started by a saint. The first one. The ancestor of Saint Elaine. One who had made friends with a servant of a god. Rennalee. She uh… they were sisters… and…” Cat slowly stopped speaking, and I knew it was because she saw the turmoil and despair plainly upon my face.

Of course.

Damnation.

Utter damnation.

“Is that why your friend had been named Nory?” I asked softly.

“Oh…? You know the legend too? I thought it had been just our village!” Cat smiled, happy to hear I knew of her village’s old tales and customs.

Closing my eyes again, I felt weak all of a sudden.

Renn. My lovely Rennalee.

Why was the world so focused upon you? Why would fate not leave you be…?

How was I to protect you if the whole world was out to get you, my love?

“Vim… what happened? What’d I do?” Cat asked worriedly as I shook my head at her.

“Nothing. It’s my wife I need to stress about, not you,” I said.

What was I going to do now?

I had killed Renn’s people. The children of her friend. That witch. I had slaughtered them over a misunderstanding.

Feeling absolutely horrible, I turned to find a place to sit. Luckily there was a nice sized stump a few paces away. There were others nearby too, but it was the closest. A result of us camping at the edge of the forest. These areas were always harvested for lumber by nearby villages. I sat upon it with a huff.

“Um… I don’t understand…” Cat wobbled a little as she stepped closer to me, away from her fire. I should tell her not to. She needed to stay warm, since I planned on running shortly with her on my back. My quick pace made the chilly morning air even colder, so I needed to be careful.

Especially now that I knew she was a descendant of Renn’s precious family. If I let her get sick and die too…

I shivered at the idea.

Though…

I frowned as I realized I now likely didn’t need to really question Cat on where her village, and thus her saint, were.

Renn would know. She had mentioned she knew where their village and home was. What had she said about them…? That she hadn’t visited them in a long time, right…?

But… her friend… that witch… she had died before she had met Nory, right…?

That meant Renn had visited them throughout the years. And likely told them about them. Maybe even visited there with Nory in tow.

They couldn’t have been that far apart, likely, then. Renn always claimed she hadn’t traveled far, and I highly doubted she had done so with Nory. Supposedly that nun had been a frail woman, one who suffered from torment and torture during her youth. Likely not one to travel far, at least willingly.

“Vim…?” Cat stepped up closer as she worriedly studied me. She looked genuinely concerned for me. It made me feel like shit.

“Sorry. I uh… just realized something rather important,” I told her.

“I can tell… is it what I said…? Is it because we both know the same legend…?” she asked, putting one and two together.

“Kind of…” I told her honestly.

What was I to do…? Was there a point in keeping it a secret…? It wasn’t like Renn was anyone else but herself. Would this human notice? Even if Renn kept her ears and tail hidden… odds are she’d not realize, but… The real question was if Renn herself could keep it secret. She was so damned overprotective of kids and women as it was, what would she be like with someone who was a descendant of her friend? One she considered family, basically? Renn would see this young woman not as a friend, or someone needing help, but a literal family member. As if a long lost niece or something.

“You really are strong, huh Vim. Look at this.”

I looked down to her feet, where she was pointing. Her foot was in the footprint I had left behind. It being in the sunken spot told me both how deep I had actually pushed down in my panic, but also how tiny she was. Her foot had plenty of room within my print.

Cat grinned at me, enjoying every moment of it.

Humans. I swear. “Should see what happens when I really get shocked,” I said.

“I bet! Wonder how your bed survives when you couple with your wife!” Cat said happily.

Frowning at her, I couldn’t help but chuckle. What a statement. And, couple? Really? The people of this era didn’t use that term much anymore. It made her statement of her village being kind of isolated all the more believable. It was something Renn would have said.

Cat then frowned and hummed as she stepped out of my print and crossed her arms. “Actually I feel sorry for her. I hope you’re gentler with her than you are with me,” she noted.

“She’s a bit stronger than you. But yes, I do my best,” I said.

“Oh? Is she like you then? Blessed?” she asked.

I nodded. That was a good way to explain it, I guess.

“Hm… wonder what it’s like. And I wonder what the difference is between two blessings? I had thought Brave had been really strong too, but you had dealt with him as if he was but a child. Are different saints really that distanced in their powers?” Cat asked as she pondered it.

“No. Not at all. I’m special, that is all,” I said.

Poor man. Being seen as having a lesser status or blessing all because he had encountered me.

That wasn’t fair to him at all.

“Hm…” Cat hummed as she stepped away, to sit back down next to her fire. She had likely grown cold, and my footprint was no longer interesting.

As she sat down, I found myself calm down again. The realization that Cat was from the village, and thus family, of Renn’s witch friend was startling but honestly not that surprising.

After all how many saint families could even exist up in the north? If anywhere at all? Such bloodlines were so few and far in-between it was more a miracle that they even still existed than it was that they were related to Renn in the first place.

Though…

“Your legend. You said it calls Rennalee a sister?” I asked, wondering why she had spoken of her so lovingly. Hadn’t Renn said she had killed the witch?

She nodded. “She saved the Saint and was considered her sister. She had joined her side, betraying her creators to do so. It’s a lovely story. Supposedly she had even visited the village a few times, even after the Saint's death. She evidently still wanders the world now,” Cat said as she picked up a stick, to poke and prod the fire in front of her.

Hm. So no mention of Renn killing her friend. Was that on purpose, I wonder?

Quite interesting. Maybe Renn's deed, a thing she seemed to blame herself for and deeply regretted, had a more serious story than I had assumed. It was also interesting that she was something of a legend amongst Cat and her people. I wonder if other legends existed of her up north. Hadn't she mentioned Lujic and Ginny, those kids, still had descendants somewhere? I suppose it was fitting that the woman I chose was similar to me in that aspect. Leaving footprints upon history without even realizing it.

Still…

This changed things.

Coughing, I shifted a little to better face Cat. I had not sat down on the stump with much thought, and as such had done so facing the other way. I turned around a bit, to properly face her.

“Cat,” I said her name, and she looked up and smiled at me in a way that told me she really was as young as she was.

She was too innocent to have really realized how deeply I had been bothered by her words, and the information they had brought. She was too young to notice much more than the deep footprint I had left.

Too young to realize how serious the situation was.

“Yeah?” she asked as she pulled her stick out of the fire. It had a tiny lisp of flame at the end.

“I’d like you to help me, if you would,” I asked of her.

“With…?” she asked as she tilted her head.

“A scheme. One that I think would suit both of us,” I proposed.

Cat frowned. “I had not thought you the scheming type,” she said slowly.

“I’m usually not. Except when need be.”

She hummed, but nodded. “Okay… what is it then?”

“I want you to keep secret what we’re doing,” I said.

“Ah Vim, I warned you I was going to tell your wife all about what has happened. I’ll not keep it secret, not even if you beg!” Cat said happily, laughing.

I smirked at her childish teasing, and nodded. “Of that I’m perfectly fine with. What I meant instead was everything to do with your quest, what happened, and your saint. I ask you to keep that all a secret from here on out,” I said.

Cat’s happy smile died as she realized what I meant, and then she furrowed her brow at me. “I… don’t understand.”

I nodded. “I’d like you to keep it a secret. From the Church of Songs and everyone there. Instead… we’ll tell them that you’re someone I know. Say, a friend of a friend. That I’m only helping you get home to the north. I’d like for us to pass through the Cathedral, without alerting them what we’re doing and where we are going or who we are going to see,” I said, explaining.

For a long moment Cat studied me, and then she shifted ever so slightly. To put her stick back into the fire. “Can I ask why?”

“You may. And I’ll explain it once we get there, properly. But for now just know that it’d be better for both of our sakes if we kept it a secret. I don’t want the Church of Songs to know of your saint, not even the hint of her. And I’m sure you too don’t want your saint being known either. It’s something I think you don’t want anyone to know, really,” I said.

She nodded slowly. “Right… it is supposed to be a secret we take to our graves,” she said gently, as if afraid to admit it.

“She’ll forgive you once I explain to her how convincing I am of making people give up secrets,” I told her.

“Ah yes. All the horrible torture I endured, I bet,” Cat said with a sad smirk.

I nodded gently at her. Yes. I’d not done much at all. Cat had kind of just said it without hesitation…

“Okay… that’s fine. I basically shouldn’t be telling anyone anyway, so in a sense I’m not really doing anything bad. So you just want us to meet your friends and then head northward right? Without them realizing what we’re doing? That’s easy enough,” Cat said, finally agreeing.

“Thank you. In return I’ll introduce you to someone very neat. Look forward to it,” I proposed.

“Neat…?” Cat tilted her head at me as she pondered my meaning, but I didn’t clarify.

After all there was no point. She’d be meeting Renn tonight, likely. Odds are I’ll not be able to contain myself and will run quickly once we get going.

“Wait…” Cat dropped her stick, as it finally dawned on her.

Oh. Seems I underestimated the young girl’s mind.

“Your wife…!” Cat’s eyes went wide as she put it all together, and realized the truth. That my Renn was her Rennalee from the legends.

Smiling gently, I nodded.

“My wife is Rennalee. Your ancestor’s friend,” I introduced both myself and Renn once more… and strangely…

I felt rather proud to do so.