"Enjoy the food, everyone. You've earned a celebration!" bellows Connor over a long dinner table adorned with a white silk cloth to the cheerful soldiers, and the crew begins to load the delicious array of meats and starchy goodness onto the ship's best china, mostly taken from Percival's wine box (Which I never found, by the way!). Our escape from Peludesia rattled in our minds for the past week, but we are now over halfway home thanks to strong winds, so Connor had decided to hold a celebratory dinner for the crew. Percival sat at his left, but the seat reserved for Gene at his right remained empty, most likely out of protest. Hell, I wouldn't have attended either if it weren't for Natalia insisting I sit with her and Lina. All throughout the dinner, Lina tugs on my arm and described the wondrous creatures she saw on her and Natalia's tour of Peludesia before the duel began.

"And there was one animal with large, sharp wings, like an eagle, but it was the size of a cow!"

"Astonishing," I exclaim. "And did you see its nest, too?"

"No, but it skittered into this large web, then it started flapping wildly and howling and Xea said it was time for us to go."

My eyes widen and I turn to Natalia, who flashes a knowing look.

"...Wow, that is shocking," I reply, not wanting to ruin the girl's innocence. "I'm glad you had such a nice time with Xea, but did she ever explain why she allowed you and Natalia to look around while we were captured?"

"Mhm. She said that she sensed we had good intentions, and that Peludesians don't bound their women unless asked, which I didn't really get."

"Don't worry about it, probably just a joke," I tell her, in the back of my mind wishing I hadn't been dismissed from the island so quickly; it seems the As-Yi have some creative ways to party.

Lina shrugs and turns back to her food. I take the momentary lapse in the nature documentary to catch a few words with Natalia, who is grinning at my interaction with the young girl.

"Don't tell the King I said this, but I think she likes you more than her father," she whispers with a chuckle.

"Ah, what can I say? Listening is a bigger part of my job than you'd expect, and is among one of my best skills, only beaten by my-"

"Be good, Ozzy," Natalia says through gritted teeth, pointing her head to Lina.

"Ms. Ziri, I was going to say my humor and swordsmanship," I cackle. "What were you thinking of?"

Natalia stammers a bit, only saved by Percival tapping his glass to draw everyone's attention. His guttural clearing of the throat followed by a few mutterings from his holy text made it evident a long, painful toast was coming.

"Brothers and sisters of our dear Kingdom, it is wonderful to see us gathered safely after our perilous journey," he begins, despite not doing a damn thing this entire trip. Then he starts the bootlicking.

"Thanks to the god-ordained leadership of King Connor Quist, we have survived encounters with beings that can only be described as nightmarish and godless. The knowledge we have gained on this trip will be remembered in the highest regard in history books, along with all of our legacies as trailblazers into a new era."

My grip tightens on my glass and my foot starts tapping rapidly; I know if there's any justice, the history books will paint us as monsters for what Connor plans. Natalia holds my hand to calm my anxious movements.

"I'm sure he won't talk much longer," she assures. She is wrong. Percival then launches into a 3-minute prayer, followed by him reciting 2 parables and a story about how he counseled a friend through 'crisis' that has absolutely nothing to do with our adventures. He finally ends with a sentence that sends chills down my spine.

"And now, let us look to greater days, where Vanedale's glory is spread to all."

My foot stops tapping and my arse unclenches, and I turn to Percival with a sharp stare.

"And how will that glory spread, Percival?" I ask. "Will that be included in the trade agreements?"

Percival stammers for an answer, but Connor stops him.

"We are working on the best course of action for the agreements, Orenson, and they will render positive outcomes for all parties involved."

"What definition of positive are we using? Will we be helping the Vetinites with their plant life? Figuring out a way for the Ralacharians to traverse the rest of their land without burning to a crisp? Or will we just be siphoning their wares while we give them trinkets and pennies?"

Connor stares at me with a devilish smirk, the entire table in a tense pause until he answers.

"What happens next will be, as Percival said, glorious. And, now that our mission is nearly complete, it is no longer your problem. You are free of my services as soon as we dock."

"As long as our agreement is fulfilled, you'll have nothing to worry about," I reply. "But just know, that this 'glory' you speak of probably won't be remembered as fondly as you think."

I push back from the table, grab my plate, and, despite Natalia urging me to sit again, depart to my room. As I return to my quarters, I see Gene peering out from his door with a grim gaze. Without a word exchanged, a simple nod shares all we are thinking, and our doors close.

The rest of the day remains quiet, but as I prepare for bed, a distinct creak ripples through my ears. Not the random creaks of a crew at work, but the kind that rings out from an accidental misstep. My hand immediately glides to my dagger, and I gingerly step toward the door. As I hear the heavy breath passing my room, I open the door and launch out at what I assume is retaliation from Connor. Instead of one of his goons peering back at me, it's Gene with wild confusion.

"It's just me, you dolt!" he exclaims quietly. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"I should ask you that question, Christoph!" I hiss. "Why are you tipping around like a mouse looking for cheese?"

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"I... I wanted to see what Percival and Connor were talking about," he explains. "I know they have nightly chats, and I was wondering if they'd discuss their plans."

I back up and lift my dagger from Gene's chest, helping lift him to his feet with a groan.

"Gene, we already have plenty of evidence that they're going to do something reprehensible. What more do you need?"

"I need to hear it from him, Saint. He'll never fully admit it to us until it's too late, but I can't fully process the possibility of an invasion without the words hitting my ears. Now, if you're not tagging along, go back into your room and pretend you didn't hear me."

I stand blankly in the hall for a moment, looking around to ensure no one is listening, then sheath my blade.

"Nice to see you getting ballsy, Christoph, but you're not getting rid of me that easily. Let's go."

I grab Gene's arm and pull him down the hall, dismissing any creaks or taps we cause along the way. After all, it's a distinct memory from training that soldiers are conditioned to set and rise with the sun, tune out the bellows of hard work, and focus more on the quieter tones that could signal ambush; anyone who'd spot us is already fast asleep, and tipping through tulips would only harm our secrecy.

Once we see Connor's door, we slow our pace and settle ourselves underneath his window. Sure enough, Percival is sitting in a chair next to Connor's bed with a concerned look. For a minute, I was expecting the meeting to take a different turn, but the map and pen in Connor's hands thoroughly disproves that (Although I don't know if it would've been more entertaining or traumatizing to see Connor sketch Percival in the buff). Gene and I lean over to better hear their conversation.

"My King, are you certain the soldiers are ready? I can do what I can to rally young men from the church, but it's enough of a struggle convincing them of the morality of this plan. I can only shift so many details before they get suspicious."

"Oh, come off it, Percival. You've convinced your priests of far creepier crap than my plots. Don't think I forgot when I had to cover for your funtimes," Connor retorts. I immediately slap Gene on the shoulder and mouth 'I told you so,' followed by Gene's mouth dropping agape before he shakes me to be quiet. We turn back to the conversation with even more focus.

"...I told you not to speak of that," groans Percival. Connor merely shrugs.

"Nevertheless, you'll have as many vicars as you please once our plan is in motion. We have plenty of ships ready for surrounding the enemy, and we won't need many cannons for our plan to work so our current stores are plenty for now. My only worry is that damned Gene; I don't like how Ozzy's been getting into his head. Try to throw a few anointings his way, and I'll work on giving him some accolades, and that should keep him on side."

Gene pulls back from the window in shock. He knew he and Connor were never friends, but the fact he thought so little of him? That he was truly seen as nothing more than a means to an end? It's clear that cut deeper than words could express. I tap him gently on the shoulder with a kind look.

"Do you want to go back to our quarters?" I whisper. Gene shakes his head and continues watching, the next part of the conversation giving him exactly what he wanted.

Connor and Percival grab a bottle of wine and raise their glasses with horrifying smiles.

"Once Gene is ready to lead the charge, the archipelago will be yours," Percival chuckles. "Long live the Quist Empire!"

"Here, here!" Connor chuckles, and the glasses clink. Gene raises like a tiger, a short scream escaping him before I grab him and pull him around the corner. The sound of footsteps approaches the door right before we crouch behind the wall.

"Hello? Who's out there?" bellows Connor. Gene and I hold our breath for dear life until we hear the footsteps recede. I pull my hand from Gene's mouth and see his face frozen in a devastated position.

"I... I'm nothing but a drone to them. An automaton that functions for nothing but battle," he screeches. "I never joined for this, I swear. I joined for the honor of my homeland, not bloodshed, not conquering. I... What have I done..."

Tears begin rolling quietly down his face as he leans on my shoulder. His eyes widen wildly and he starts stammering about a plan.

"Ther-there's only two of them, Ozzy. If we take them out now, ma-maybe we could..."

I shake my head 'no' and rub my temples.

"That's not an option, Gene. Not while they have my mother; the minute the soldiers find them bloodied and bludgeoned, they'll do ten times worse to her. I won't risk her life for revenge."

"I-I could try and convince some of the soldiers to join us! If we take the ship, concoct a good story, we can keep her safe!"

Gene's shamelessly pleads with me to reconsider, but I hold strong. Sensing defeat, Gene whimpers a simple question: "How many will suffer because of their invasions?"

"I... I don't know, Gene," I mutter, and stand up and bring him back to his room.

The night is filled with restless woes, as is the rest of the week, during which Gene and I hole ourselves in our quarters and discuss our next steps once we dock, most of which are simply dissolve into ways to wring the King's neck. After said week of misery and revenge fantasies, a cheer fills the deck early on the eighth morning as the sun paints the sky a deep amber hue. The crew of the ship gathers on deck and dances happily as Quist's castle and dock comes into view. We are almost home. My mother is almost free. Gene stands next to me and practically vibrates with anger.

"If only the ship could sink into the sea," he groans.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you say that. Just go help the crew prepare to land and pretend everything is normal."

Gene shrugs and walks away to guide the landing process, sliding across the deck like a zombie. In the corner of my eye, I spot Natalia in a stunning sapphire dress, excitement wrapped around her. As soon as she spots me, she practically flies over with a joyous smile.

"Isn't it wonderful? Soon, we'll be able to get back to our own beds, take a decent shower, and tell everyone what we've seen! I'm sure everyone will be excited to hear, don't you?"

"Yes, it will be nice to see everyone," I agree, not quite ready to tell her about my real reasons for taking this job. Natalia looks at me strangely for a moment, shifting from one foot to another.

"Is there something wrong?" I ask her.

"No, I just... I'm just sorry I didn't check in after your spat with Connor. I could tell you were upset, but wasn't sure you wanted company."

"Ah, don't mention it, I wouldn't have been much fun to be around anyway. However, if you want to check in with me once we're back on land, I will certainly enjoy that."

Natalia nods and flicks her majestic, gleaming hair to the side. She grabs my hand and just... holds it for a while, as tight as could be. It's a warm moment of silence, much welcome after the endless cacophony in my head. We smile at each other and she eventually releases, slowly stepping away.

"It has been fantastic getting to know you, Sir Orenson," she says before gliding across the deck, leaving me speechless. I'm completely unaware of my surroundings as I watch her gleefully gaze across the waters toward the castle until I feel a hard tap on my back. I turn around with a growl until I see Gene's face. It's fixed in a strange manner; still dead-eyed, but now mixed with an air of care and sympathy.

"Can you just let me have this moment? Not only does she like me, but I've also proven you wrong. What more could I need?"

"What you need is to see through this," Gene says. He thrusts a spyglass into my hands without another word. I look at him a moment, confused, but he offers no explanation. I lift the spyglass to my eyes and nearly fall to the floor from the wave of emotions that hit me after my eyes observe the gardens surrounding the castle. Standing beside the dock were two soldiers with a struggling shape in between them. That struggling shape was the tenacious, kind, gentle woman that helped form the man you see today. My mother is safe. My mother is alive. My mother is coming home.