~2~ Losing Hope is for the Weak-Hearted

How Sophie loved this memory, a sweet memory full of endless clouds and rocking seas. Young Amalia was draped along the ship's rail, watching the endless horizon with a sleepy smile on her face. A gentle hand brushed aside her hair, her father's calloused and rough hands gently rubbing her back. It was a massive ship, the Endeavor they called it. It used to be a merchant ship but was then pirated but some Carianan vigilantes. Allesandro turned out to be good friends with the captain, and easily got passage for Sophie and Alexios.

"You aren't feeling sick, are you Candessa?" Allesandro asked. Young Amalia shook her head, her eyes still fixated on the gentle blue of the horizon.

"No, papa, just enjoying the view." She said, her gentle, sweet voice having no traces of hoarseness from screams and crying. A voice from a time when things were simple, happy.

"You should see where we are heading!" Alexios's boyish voice called out from behind them, his arms full of maps. He laid them out on the deck, his sleepy sister lazily looking over and his uncle just smiling at his antics.

"They say that the Carianan sunrises are unlike any other, just like our night skies! They have even more palm trees than us, along with creatures we have never seen before! And coconuts!"

"Why are you so excited about coconuts?" Amalia blandly replied.

"Mom was talking about making coconut *torrone! We've never tried coconut before, or Ackee, or Jackfruit, or-"

"Jeez! What are we going to be doing the whole time, eating?!" Amalia snapped at her brother.

Alexios blinked at her, "You say that like its a bad thing."

Amalia groaned, thumping her head back against the railing. Allesandro chuckled, patting his daughter on her head.

"My contract is going to take very little time, so we will have plenty of time to eat and explore. I promised Maria we would all be back in two weeks' time." Allesandro explained.

Amalia leaned against her father's arm, "Where are we going to be staying? Are we going to be staying at Nyoka's house again? She tells the funniest stories!"

Allesandro shrugged, "I brought all of the camping stuff, actually, I thought I could teach you how to set up and break camp properly while we are here."

"What? Boooooo, let's stay with Nyoka! Her house is so cool!" Alexios complained, tugging on Allesandro's sleeve.

"Learning survival skills is just as important as the regular training, you two. What if you were stalking an enemy who was on the move? Or what if-"

"But Nyoka-"

"Nope. We are gonna camp, and we are gonna enjoy it." Allesandro objected, the children deflating.

Sophie smiled at the memory... but as she looked over her father, she felt so... hurt. She was angry that she couldn't ask her father to see Nyoka anymore, she was sad that she wasn't going to be able to feel his gentle hands brushing aside her hair. Sophie looked away as if she were an outsider looking through their eyes, knowing this was all of the memory she could truly remember. She tried to remember other parts of it before, each time turning up empty.

"Father? What is that?!" Young Amalia's voice called out. Sophie froze, her mind reeling. What? She doesn't remember this...

"What are you talking about, Lia..." Her father sputtered a gasp.

"MAN OVERBOARD!" Allesandro called out.

No, this isn't how her memory goes. Sophie tried to look over the railing to see what they were looking at, to look in her own memories at what she doesn't remember. But just as she leaned over the edge, her mind cut out.

The voices flicker in and out, even though Sophie was in a blackened abyss.

"He has a pulse!"

"What the hell happened to him?"

"Does he look familiar to you, Allesandro?"

"Somewhat, yes, but I can't place it."

"Quick, Lia, go grab blankets! Alexios, go get the doctor!"

"Father, he is my age!"

"Go, Amalia!"

The voices cut off, leaving Sophie in panicked confusion. But she started to feel again, feel her body, and she opened her eyes.

She was Sophie again, she was 19, she was hurt... and the only thing she understood was that everything hurt like a bitch.

But she stared at the stone ceiling, noting that she was no longer in the medical bay, but in an entirely different room. She could feel the tips of her ears, she could wiggle her fingers. She was no longer violently shaking, though her body still ached. She slowly sat up, observing her room.

Stone archways outlining paned windows, the blizzarding outside filling Sophie's room with white rays of light. The floors were dark hardwood, complimenting the stone walls. It was simple, a bay window, a dresser lined with medical supplies, a dirty rug at the foot of her bed, a creaky bedside table matching the dresser, and a few folded sheets and blankets resting on the cushioned seat near the corner of her room. The bag window was the most comforting thing out of the entire room, and it was just a small alcove with a sheet acting as a cushion to look out the window to the frozen tundra outside.

She had no idea where she was.

She must have gotten captured at the Conference. Sophie peeled back her sheets, noting that her golden dress was gone, and she only wore bandages covering her abdomen, legs, arms, chest, and really all parts of Sophie's body. Sophie scowled, checking the drawers for any form of clothing. Sophie bit her cheek as she snatched a dark blue sheet from the chair, wrapping it tightly around her. She was still cold, though, still shivering slightly.

She was in enemy territory, she needed to find Maha and Ricin, and get out.

She has escaped enemy cells, forts, and camps plenty of times. She creaked open her door, scanning for enemies and escape routes. Ricin was pretty small when it came to dragon size, at least as far she knew, so he might be in a large holding cell or maybe even a stable. Maha is going to be harder, she could have been moved to another room like Sophie was.

Sophie carefully held the sheet so it wouldn't drag on the dusty wooden floor, prowling through the halls. She heard the mutterings of guards walking up a staircase, murmuring to each other. Sophie ducked behind a column, hiking the sheet closer to her body so they wouldn't spot it.

"Have you seen the other one? Apparently, the gods picked the New Vatarians, not Old Vatarians." They quietly muttered to each other.

The other one... the other Heiress. Maha.

"They say she bent the earth to her will, but Byzanthar doesn't represent the earth, at all!" The other one whispered. Come on, give her some sort of her information, some little slip of the tongue on where Maha or Ricin could be-

"The dragon was pretty stubborn; apparently, he doesn't like being underground." One of them laughed. Basement, down, that is where Sophie needed to go. They didn't even hear her as she sprinted out from the pillar and down the steps they ascended, her bare feet near silent. She flew through the halls, looking for more stairs, down and down she went. These guards were peculiar, not wearing armor or battle wear, but robes or casual tunics. Sophie didn't take any risks, however, maneuvering out of their sight as she continued downward.

Sophie reached the floor level it seemed, which was much more popular. It seemed priests were the most popular on this level, tending to their little tasks around the various rooms. So Sophie was being held in a temple, so maybe she was being held by Vatarians? Possibly a Vatarian splinter group, perhaps a Neverseen base that was using a temple?

Sophie spotted a staircase in a small room across the hall, waiting for the opportune moment.

"The Heiress is gone!" One of the guards called out from one of the stairwells.

Well, shit.

Sophie sprinted into the small room, locking it behind her and ducking under the door as people rushed upwards to start searching for her.

"Well," A grumpy female voice started. Sophie whipped around, gaping at Sanaa, sitting at a small table, sipping on tea.

"Took you long enough." The old woman grumbled, swishing her tea around in the cup. Sophie gaped, her eyes wide. Then she looked to Sanaa's tea partner.

Maha gaped at Sophie, crouching against the door, a blue sheet covering her, and just smiled.

"You're alright!" Maha exclaimed, rushing up and throwing herself onto Sophie, wrapping her arms tight. Sophie hugged Maha back with on hand, the other used to keep her sheet in place, looking around in confusion.

"Uh, we aren't in an enemy camp?" Sophie shyly asked.

"I thought the same thing when I woke up, but no!" Maha cheerfully answered.

"You are in Kynareth's temple located at the Throat of the World\," Sanaa called from the table.

What?! No, she was falling through the sky in the lands of Egypitnat, how on earth...

Kynareth.

"She teleported us here, didn't she?!" Sophie snapped at Sanaa.

Sanaa shrugged, knowing who she was talking about, "Probably. Don't know anyone else capable of teleporting two heiresses and their dragon in the blink of an eye." Sanaa used her cane to point out the window to the front of the temple, where the outline of a skid mark could be seen in the snow.

"That lizard of yours crash-landed right in front of the temple, sheltering two frostbitten and bleeding woman in his wings. We were barely able to get you inside in time before the frost fully took you. We had some of our healers address both of you, but Maha was the first to wake." Sanaa explained. Sophie didn't know if she should thank Kynareth or hate her more.

But Sophie finally turned to Maha, to her bare hands. Where the beautiful design of a brownish-black and red anvils was inked into her each of her palms. Maha noticed Sophie staring, and she sighed.

Sanaa noticed the atmosphere change, and she grabbed her cane, groaning as she stood up.

"I'm going to get you some proper clothes and a physician to look at your wounds. It seems you two need to catch up on a few things." She breathed, hobbling out the door, and quietly shutting it behind her. Sophie stared at Maha a little while longer before taking Sanaa's seat.

Maha was an heiress.

"I should've told you... I should've told the Inner Circle." Maha sighed. Sophie was still silent, not really knowing what to say.

"Why did you think we wouldn't understand?" Sophie quietly murmured.

"The same reason you didn't tell them either," Maha whispered.

They were both keeping the secret, after all.

Maha looked at Sophie's distraught face, and she sighed, clutching her teacup tighter in her hands.

"But I owe you an explanation." She admitted. Sophie didn't make any movements, she just waited in silence as Maha gathered herself.

Maha's lip quivered, but she got up and paced around the room, her golden tipped braids swishing behind her. The swirling designs in her palms moved as she nervously flexed her fingers.

"I was dumped on the steps of the temple of Byzanthar when I was merely a few weeks old, left behind by my parents." She started. Sophie clutched her blanket tighter, her heart saddening.

"I was found and brought inside, a letter tucked in blankets I was wrapped in. All that was written was seven words." Maha held up fingers as she counted them off.

"Not my daughter. Not this immortal beast."

Maha choked a little laugh at that but continued to pace.

"But the temple took me in. I was raised by the priests and priestesses of Byzanthar. There were two priests there; the ones who I say are my fathers. They were so kind and understanding, they tried their hardest to give me the best life they could."

Sophie sucked in a breath. Her fathers were... priests?

"Aren't priests and priestesses-"

"Not allowed to have romantic relationships? Yeah. They had to keep their relationship secret. I think it is what inspired me to find the love of my life myself! The concept of being in a secret steamy romance with the love of your life always called to me, even as a child." Maha chuckled.

Sophie was mostly focused on beating her brother at wrestling, snatching the best pastry before anybody else did, and trying to build the biggest sandcastle before the tide washed it back into the water during her childhood.

"When I was a child, the last thing I focused on was love. But I guess... I didn't really believe it when I was young. My father claimed that he fell in love with my mother, and look where it brought him. I kinda thought it was some hoax made up in the stories." Sophie snorted, taking a sip from her cup, "Gods, was I wrong."

Maha smiled at that.

"Love. I think that was what powered me when I was little. But, as much as I loved the Temple and my fathers, I wanted more. I don't know why, but the world called to me. I told my father about what I wanted, to move past Avrima and see the world, following my dream of fashion and discovering who I truly was." Maha shuddered, "At first, they seemed hesitant with it. I was merely 13 at the time." Maha looked at the symbols on her palms, "But then, when I was merely sleeping in the chambers with all of the other adopted children, I was contacted." Sophie's face dropped as Maha whispered that.

"It wasn't a normal dream, and the voice whispering to me wasn't anything of this world. It was-"

"Godly," Sophie answered for her, Sophie's golden tan paling out of her face. Maha nodded.

"It was only a few words, whispers of me fulfilling my destiny, and I was meant for more than this. It repeated over and over again that I need to find out what truly happened. The voice was a man, a strong, burly voice, but not scary, like gentle embers crackling in the fireplace. But when I woke, I ran to one of my father's rooms, pounding on the door. I told him everything, incoherent through my sobs. He only nodded before caving and telling me everything. My fathers went looking for my biological parents, and once they found them, they got the real story." Maha hugged herself.

"The reason my parents dropped me off and never looked back? It's because I died. I should be dead." Maha sighed.

Sophie didn't make a sound, her entire body stiff and her hands shaking as she gripped the arm of her chair.

When one is either born or makes a deal with a god or goddess, they can be marked as an heir. Sophie was marked as Kynareth's Heiress when she died during the fall of Inalia, Kynareth saving her life and therefore calling in the life debt Sophie owed her to claim her as her Heiress.

"I was a little baby, my biological parents were traveling merchants. There was a flash flood when we were all on the road once, and though they managed to barely get out alive, I was washed away, drowned in the currents. They were heartbroken, but a few days later, I was found outside their camp, looking as healthy as ever," Maha held up the palms of her hands, showing the marks, "The only change? These were now imprinted in my skin. My father was a little bewildered, but happy to see me. But my mother was terrified. She believed I was a little devil, a monster reincarnating as her dead daughter to make her mad. So she brought me to the temple, and left me behind, refusing to even acknowledge me as her real daughter." Maha explained. Maha traced one of the symbols with her other hand.

"My fathers did some research into what these symbols were, and they learned that whenever a god claims an heir, they mark their skin, claiming them. This is the mark of Byzanthar." It took every inch of strength not to reach back and trace the lines of Kynareth's imprint on her back.

"You're the heiress of Byzanthar," Sophie stated quietly, her shock quieting her voice.

Maha nodded.

Another... another chosen child... Sophie wasn't alone.

"Once I started to get dreams of Byzanthar begging to 'Figure out what happened' for multiple nights in a row, my fathers realized that I needed to leave, to answer Byzanthar's calls. But the temple had other plans."

"Did they not approve of you being Byzanthar's heiress?" Sophie asked.

"Quite the opposite, actually. They revered me. I was paraded through the streets as one of the chosen Heiresses of the gods. People prayed to me and worshipped me as if I was Byzathar himself. But the dreams didn't stop, and he didn't want me to sit on my ass being heralded. I needed to carry out his wishes, to reveal this great conspiracy he insisted on. The dreams started to drive me mad, I would break down and scream at him to leave me be."

Maha took a deep breath, "But the King insisted I remained. He kept me secret within Avrima. The fact that a new heiress being selected never traveled past Avriman borders or into outsider's ears. He would invite me to the castle. He would suck up to me, hoping that he would please the gods enough to bless him with fortune through me."

Oh, that slimy son of a- Sophie should've killed him at the Conference.

"My fathers knew that I needed to leave Avrima, I needed to leave and never come back. So one night, they woke me up, dressed me in clothes as if I were a peasant, and snuck me out of the city. On a little cart, heading towards... gods I can't even remember, packed with other stowaways. Anywhere but Avrima, and that was all that mattered. I still remember my fathers' worried faces as I whispered them my final goodbye through the cart's doors." Maha shuddered again, "But then I was gone, I was out of the city and out to fulfill Byzanthar's wishes as his Heiress. But I had no idea what he wanted."

A cart, leaving Avrima...

"Was this the cart that the Neverseen intercepted?" Sophie asked, leaning forward.

Maha nodded. "They pulled everyone out, telling them to empty their pockets. I didn't have anything on me, and as they were about to shoot me through my head, I told them I could clean. I was spouting nonsense, but my fathers sacrificed too much for me to die there. I told them I could clean, sew, cook, all of the skills I learned in the temple. By some mercy, they decided to not kill me, but I was taken to that base." Maha smiled, "The one where I met you."

Maha glanced at her symbols, "After I was taken to that Neverseen base, Byzanthar just went quiet. That is when I started wearing hand wraps and gloves. The times I couldn't do either? I would cover Byzanthar's marks with as much makeup as possible. He didn't appear to me in my dreams, my sudden need to uncover and explore the world just vanished. My sole priority was just to survive. So I waited, I did what I was told, stayed quiet." Maha crossed her arms, chuckling, "Until this really handsome guy, his name is Ruy Ignis, I don't know if you know him, told me that I needed to dress one of the prisoners for one of Vespera's balls that night. I was hoping I could have snuck into the ball myself, hoping to maybe cheer myself up, but I did what I was told."

Maha smiled, a brilliant smile that warmed Sophie's heart, "She told me she was an elf, but I knew she was something more. Because the minute I set eyes on her, Byzanthar finally spoke to me again, after three long years."

Maha dramatically held up her hands, "All he said was, 'A companion, one who shares your strife.'"

Sophie chuckled, "Yes, well, I hear the gods are quite dramatic."

Maha giggled, tugging on one of her braids.

"I knew that no matter what, you were an ally, and you were going to help me. So when you told me how you were going to break out, I was thrilled. I followed you, I joined you, I found a family with you. One unlike I have ever experienced before. One built on other broken children like me, one where we endure our struggled together! It made me hopeful, for once in my life, of what the future could hold. But Byzanthar kept whispering to me, taunting me and urging me to figure out this great conspiracy."

Sophie was quiet, but Maha's glare intensified.

"At the Battle of Foxfire, when you broke through the top of the pyramid, it was... unbelievable. It's like it was you, but also not. There was so much more inside of you during that fight when you won us the winning tide after taking out half of their forces in a single blow. A single blow, Lia!" Maha crossed her arms, "I know that type of power doesn't go to anybody."

Sophie was silent as Maha gulped, "You are an Heiress too,"

Sophie remained still, her face cold and unanswering.

But she nodded.

"Kynareth claimed me as an Heiress when I died during the Fall of Inalia. She didn't think to reveal it to me until the battle of Foxfire, however." Sophie sighed.

Maha's eyes glittered, "Kynareth's Heiress. When I saw her mark on your back, in the dressing room? The ink almost seemed to move, to live beneath your skin."

Sophie leaned back in her chair, "I've never had the will to even look at it."

Maha nodded in understanding, but she quietly added, "It's gorgeous, Amalia. What she gave you-"

"Yeah, well, I never asked for it." Sophie snapped. Maha went wide-eyed, and Sophie muttered an apology.

They were both quiet for a moment before Sophie asked, "How are you okay with this?"

"With being an heir?"

Sophie shrugged, "The fact that someone out there is controlling your life, like your a little puppet for their amusement?"

Maha thought about it, staring at her hands, "I don't see it that way."

Sophie took a sip of the tea Sanaa left, though it was rather cold now, "Really? Because I never asked to throw away my freedom to serve Kynareth."

"But did you ask to die?" Maha asked.

Sophie bit her cheek, going stiff.

Maha hopelessly chuckled, taking a sip from her tea, "Face it, Lia, you and I are reanimated corpses. We would be buried or rotted away right now if not for the gods."

Maha sat back in her seat, "And the gods let us walk free for years after we were claimed as heiresses. Kynareth allowed you to recover in the Lost Cities, and then return to Inalia to rebuild your family legacy. Byzanthar allowed me to live a childhood with minor intervention from him for years, he allowed me to join the Guild. Though they are no saints, they saved us from the grasps of death, and they infused part of them into us. We can't ignore that."

Sophie was silent, staring at the tea as she blankly stirred it with a spoon. She knew Maha was right, she knew that, but the feeling of lost freedom with godly strings attached to her like some marionette puppet sicked Sophie.

Maha leaned forward, "Lia, can't you see? All of this is connected."

"All of this?"

"The elves becoming aware of Vatarian's existence one more, The Neverseen gaining power, the Ancient Vatarians rising again, Inalians starting to rebel against the Senate, the Dunmer resurfacing after thousands of years- a Lost Dunmer Prince in our very own Inner Circle! Even you and your father rebuilding the Cyevan Assassin legacy, with two godly heiresses instituted in the Guild. Two heirs in one lifetime? It is unheard of, Lia!"

"You think the gods are planning something, that all of these variables are connected?" Sophie asked, leaning back in her chair.

"Maybe not the gods, but fate is. And, even if we wish to or not, we are meant to be a part of it."

"What shall we do?"

"We need to figure out what exactly the gods want from us, what they need. If we can take some time to look through our thoughts and dissect the bits and pieces they give us, we might be able-"

"Maha, that's time we don't have. A Vatarian city was just seized, and our Inner Circle is completely scattered. We live for the Guild, and I don't know what your opinion on your godly counterpart, but mine is a bit of a" Sophie sucked in a breath, trying to think of a nicer word, "Unkind woman. You said it yourself, the rising of the Cyevan Assassin guild has something to do with all of this, and I can't just abandon it." Sophie argued.

"I would never want to abandon the Guild Lia, it has become my life. But I tried to run away from Byzanthar; it is not something they just let go." Maha sighed, glaring at their imprinted palms, "In their eyes, we belong to them."

"Then why should we do anything they want?! We could resist-"

"This goes beyond just our pride, Amalia! The gods are doing this for a reason, something is coming! They need Heirs because they need someone to carry their words, to heed their warnings. Don't think of it as just doing the gods bidding, know we are doing this for the future that we want to create!"

Sophie was still grumpy about it.

"Look. We have a duty, as much as you may dislike it. Byzanthar said that you are an ally, and Kynareth has given you a task." Maha lead on. Sophie crossed her arms and sighed.

"All she told me is to go to the Throat of the World. That's all I got."

"Well, we are here now, maybe we can do some digging around, ask some of the priests. The temple is built right next to a Forge of Byzanthar-"

"Aw man, that sounds way cooler than the Temple of Kynareth. You're lucky, you got the cool god." Sophie complained.

Maha smiled, "There has to be another step, something we need to uncover."

Sophie thought for a moment, then started, "Maha, do you know anything about these, sorta, golden artifacts?"

Maha blinked, "You are going to need to be more specific."

Sophie grabbed a scrap piece of paper, grabbing a pen, and uncapping it. She scribbled the golden key, golden cord, and Azure dragon carved crystal, noting all of the things that lead up to them.

"I have been having encounters with these certain golden artifacts. First, the golden Cord at Foxfire seemed to be a link between mortals and gods given to the elves when they split off from the Vatarians. Next, when Cynna took her dying breath, she handed Mansi a golden key wrapped in a cloth, Mansi still has it now. Not only that, but Ruy only managed to come to the Battle of Foxfire because he touched a mysterious carved crystal, and it somehow linked him to me. I have had no answers to any of these, but maybe they are related to the gods trying to guide us?" Sophie proposed. Maha leaned over the drawing of the crystal, her mind whirring.

"I'll see what I can figure out about the artifacts, but that?" Maha tapped on the crystal dragon drawing, "I have seen that."

"What do you mean? Where?!"

"I recognize the dragon that is carved into it." Maha breathed.

"What? Have you met a dragon besides Ricin?"

"No, but that dragon is all around the Temple. Carved into pillars, sketched into books, woven into tapestries. I have no idea who they are, though."

Sophie looked her eyes over the crystal dragon she drew. It had more spikes then Ricin did, bigger scales and gleaming curling designs running across its whole body, from their massive claws to the tip of his enormous tail. Sophie made another sketch of everything for Maha.

"So we have a lead on this crystal, I believe it is still in the Dunmer cavern though. Maybe we can-" Sophie froze.

"Maha, what happened to the Inner Circle? To the Vatarian leaders?" Sophie whispered. Maha's sapphire eyes widened as if it clicked for her too.

"I-I don't know. I only woke up a few hours ago, and Sanaa had to explain her side of the story. But she didn't even know the Conference was happening." Maha rubbed her palms, a nervous habit of hers Sophie just noticed, "Could you try to transmit to them?"

Sophie shook her head, her hands tightening, "Kynareth took away my abilities at the Battle of Foxfire, to hold them over me, so I did what she told."

"Where even are we? The Throat of the World? Where is that even-"

Sanaa's voice cut Maha off, "It is a mountain peak in the Neutral territories between Cariana and Inalia. On one of the islands in Carianan territory." Sanaa held up clothes for Sophie.

"These are for you. Get dressed, we are having a briefing in the center threshold in about 10 minutes." Sanaa explained, handing Sophie the clothes. They were nothing like what Sophie was used to; they were thick cotton and furs, leather straps meant to help hold everything in place. Sophie just now realized that Maha was wearing a similar outfit.

"We all have some explaining to do," Sanaa said, shuffling back out of the room.

Sophie sighed, but she and Maha pocketed the sketchings they made and looked for a place for Sophie to change.

Alexios held his sleeping little sister in his arms as the gondola quietly swam through the river that cut through the small village on the outskirts of the Chiranu capital, Tripitaka. Chiranu was set up similar to Inalia, where there extensive massive land was full of different villages but had one center capital, no real cities. But before the Vatarian cities went into hiding, Chiranu was rumored to be one of the most elite Vatarian kingdoms, the biggest landmass out of all of the Vatarian territories.

"Here you are," The ferryman spoke quietly to Fang Guanyu. They all shuffled out of the boat and into the abandoned refugee building.

"When Inalians came running for safety, we gave them the old warehouses that were used during the Han dynasty, since they were abandoned." They all shuffled in, "You all need to stay here, do not allow anyone to see your faces. I'm going to set up some of my men around this area to protect you. I'm going to attempt to get in contact with any of the other leaders." Fang Guanyu explained. The Governor went into an argument with him, saying the likes of them should be in the Chiranu palace. But Arsinoe was quiet, deadly quiet, just leaning down the side of one of the buildings and putting her head in her hands.

Alexios quietly put Lilac into one of the cots before silently sitting next to her.

They both didn't say anything, but Arsinoe spoke in a cracky voice, "How could I?" She asked.

"You didn't cause this, Arsinoe."

"My people, my land, my culture..." She sighed, finally taking down her hood.

"Those dogs have it. They are going to burn it to the ground with all of my innocent people burning with it. Yet here I stand, hiding away like a coward."

"We had to run, you know that. You are Egypitnat's hope, what would have happened if you died? They would've lost their queen, the last line of the monarchy."

Arsinoe stared ahead, her eyes deflated. She picked up a child's doll left behind by an Inalian refugee from years ago. It was a Spartan doll, painted wooden armor instead of metal, limp limbs, and dusty. She ran her thumbs over the chipped helmet, her face ruined.

"So much change and no one was ready for it." She muttered, shaking her head, "Change is happening, and I should've known that making the Conference a public event was a bad idea-"

"The Medjays would've recognized if any of the guests were intruders, they knew everyone that entered the palace. The Neverseen were just sly, managed to get past them, get past the small crack-"

"How can you deal with it?" She asked suddenly, her hand tightening around the Spartan doll. Alexios stared at her, waiting for her to go on.

"The loss... I have only been to Inalia once or twice, and that was only to visit the Senate. I never got to see the people, the culture..." A tear rolled down her cheek, "I never saw the burn marks searing the sides of the buildings, the orphanages, the memorials..."

She blew out a breath, "How do you deal with the fact that you lost? That they won?"

Alexios looked away, trying to steel down his thoughts. It still darkened his dreams, still followed him like a dense cloud over his thoughts. The Fall of Inalia, he watched his mother weep over her brother's bloodied body, the distant screams of his sister before she disappeared for almost seven years. The Neverseen occupied Inalia for seven years after the Fall of Inalia before Amalia finally came home and, together, they managed to overthrow them.

But the seven years of trying to make sure his mothers remained sane, of running and hiding, still scared him sometimes—the feeling of hopeless dreams and the ruined city of dreams, his homelands. The sense of loss, that it will never get better.

"I thought the same thing," Alexios started. "I thought that all hope was lost after the Fall of Inalia."

Arsinoe's eyes flared with surprise, expecting some speech about never giving up hope.

"My uncle was murdered, my sister missing, my family in hiding, and our homelands being razed down and being wiped of our culture. My only drive was making sure Mansi and Nour were alive, safe with their adoptive parents, and making sure my mothers remained sane."

Alexios shrugged, "There were multiple times where we were hiding out in the Undergrounds or sleeping in alleyways. Near the end of it all, we were taking sanctuary in the Guildhall that once held so much life. I was thinking about leaving Inalia, I proposed it to my mothers. They both objected, saying they belong here, they love it here." Alexios shuddered, "I was so angry at them. I loved Inalia, I loved it with all my heart, but I realized that if we stayed any longer, we would be discovered and stomped out. And that would be the end of our bloodline, the end of the Morrettis."

Alexios chuckled, remembering the day, "But then Lia came home. She was in some human wear, wearing a cloak that was a bit too big for her, and tears were dripping down her cheeks as she hugged my mothers. Mom couldn't hold her tight enough, couldn't kiss her cheeks enough. And then she saw me." Alexios smiled, "And I knew that there was still hope, the minute she smiled at me. That running away and giving up was the opposite of what our ancestors praised, of what the Guild stood for. And as I hugged her, as I cried? I knew that I would never lose hope in anything ever again. I knew that some things would be lost, that not everything would work, but losing hope was for the weak-hearted."

Alexios looked at Arsinoe, making it clear, "Victory is only attainable if you lose part of yourself along the way. Only then can victory be achieved, and you can truly learn and grow."

Arsinoe clenched her jaw, looking away while blinking. Alexios squeezed the shoulder, an act that would've gotten his hand chopped off in Egypitnat.

"I'm gonna get some sleep. You cant reconquer a kingdom if you are half asleep." Alexios smiled. He got up, brushing himself off and headed towards the cot next to Lilac. Arsinoe reached up and grabbed his wrist.

"I'm going to get my kingdom back. Even if I have to kill each and every one of them." She promised, her voice steady, and her eyes dark.

She seemed only slightly startled when Alexios, instead of reprimanding her for the violence, merely muttered, "Good."

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