Two weeks have passed since Orewell left in his journey to assist his good friend Lurter in unravelling the current crimes of House Sord.

  One evening, Chan has been exchanging letters with Orewell since he left. Currently, she's in her chambers, sitting on a chair in front of her table with a candle by the side. Her messages were delivered by an asianti which meant an agent in Uniosi tongue. The name of the said asianti is Daiwen. Daiwen claimed that she was sent by her real father, the Uniosi emperor, En He. Her purpose is to negotiate for Chan to be released by the Ays', and by extension, Divios, as if she doesn't return to Unios, the country will surely plunge into chaos for the now dying En He is without legitimate heirs aside from Chan. Without her at the Uniosi throne, false claimants from the Uniosi emperor's bastards will all rise and wage war amongst each other and leave the country in ruins.

  As Chan wrote her letter, she thought about Daiwel's presence. She wants to bring her back to her home...but at this very moment, Chan doesn't know where home is. She was still a crying child when she was taken captive in Divios. But for all she knows, her home is in Divios, with the only family she knew being Lord Felkin and Orewell. From the moment she was able to speak about what she sees, all she was surrounded by an endless blanket of cold and white that stretched for what she thinks is the entirety of the North, she has never set foot too far from Bredost. The farthest she went to was a farm to the southwest of Bredost where Felkin took her, along with his eldest son Glen to resolve some feud between farmers.

  "That's right...I was about to be wed to Lord Felkin's eldest son...", she muttered to herself, remembering a conversation she overheard between Felkin and the king who still stayed at Bredost after the happenings from two weeks ago. Why they're still here at this very moment? She doesn't know, especially since the other lords that came already left as well. Though she does not understand why she needs to be wed to Glen. By all means, he's her younger brother. Perhaps this is something that she can talk with Daiwen later on...and by her luck.

  "My princess", a woman's voice spoke. It has a thick accent with a higher than normal pitch. Daiwen's voice. "Here is a letter that my messengers received from the Orewell fellow."

  Chan then took the letter in her hand, examining the second letter that came from Orewell, the boy that she has a close bond with. Perhaps because they're one in the same. They're both outcasts in within the group they call a family, except Orewell's was more obviously so, Lady Catherine made sure of it. She berated and denounced an innocent child that had no woman to call his mother. Lord Felkin was busy with his lordly duties and other affairs to even give a glance to anybody outside of his immediate sight. 'Maybe that's why he grew up to be the way he is now', Chan thought, mindlessly caressing the paper's fiber. 'Cold and quiet...but quick to anger, yet...he seems to desperately try be kind to others when nobody but a select few was to him. He was a lord's bastard. A creation born from Lord Felkin's sin. And now, he has to live like it. Like he deserves nothing in the world except the worst just because his father could not hold himself...' But before her thoughts could go deeper than they already are, she felt Daiwel's touch on her shoulder.

  "My princess, would you...not read the letter?", she asks, curious.

  "Perhaps later.", Chen replied, placing the letter back down on the table.

  Daiwen nodded. "If that's the case, then might I report to you a different matter?", she asks as respectfully as she always did when speaking to her. Then Chan nodded, allowing Daiwen to continue on. She reached from her satchel and handed a scroll, encased in leather and protected by jade seals from both ends. "A report from my fellow asianti on the east coast. This arrived just yesterday and it's an urgent message.", she said, removing one of the jade seals and taking the scroll inside the case.

  She cleared her throat before reading in a soft voice, "Our fellow asianti stationed in the North have received word that some of the noble lords sworn to House Ays is plotting a rebellion after the death of Ser Lorel's death. I believe that this is revenge for the knight's demise and the growing discontent among the minor lords. I still do not know the validity of this report, but it's important to note that a mercenary group known as the Free Fangs are also talking about being hired by northern lords who were mustering their troops in preparation. Though there's a possibility of falsehood, we advise that you take Princess Chan to a safe place away from Bredost. Blood may spill in both sides...", then Daiwen stopped to look through her satchel once more. It's another letter and she read it as well. "Our different asiantis that are scattered throughout the north are reporting various information about who may be on this conspiracy. The prime suspect is Lord Rookrinn Dert, the lord of Steadstrong, seat of House Dert. Apparently, he's been gathering strength through mercenary armies along with his own. This may be connected to the slowed shipment of sturdsteelwood to the capital, he may be using this to trade and pay for the mercenaries, one of which are the Free Fangs. Second, Lord Gedric Hollowtrace. The asiantis posed at their seat, Yearntrue, have not discerned any information regarding to House Hollowtrace's motives for joining in the rebellion although they theorize that Lord Rookrinn promised them treasures and lands from the remains of House Ays after their rebellion. There are many more minor houses that are also involved but at the moment, most of the information gathered are still unverifiable and would take some time to be confirmed if bad things have not started happening already."

  "I see...", Chan muttered. "And the trigger for it is Orewell killing Ser Dert during the trial by combat nights ago...", she paused and let out a sigh. "Seems to me that he's just making an excuse to rebel against his liege lord."

  "So it seems...", Daiwen agreed.

  "Thank you for informing me", Chan said with a smile, rolling the scroll over and putting it back on its case. "You're dismissed, Daiwen. I'll inform Lord Felkin of this."

  And so Chan exited her chambers with the scroll in her hand.

  Descending downstairs from her chambers, her steps echoed in the silence of her own thoughts. As she arrived downstairs, she was snapped out of it when she saw Lord Felkin's eldest son, Glen. He was standing there with a sullen look on his face.

  "Is something troubling you, my lord?", she finally asked, approaching him as he stood by wall at the end of the staircase, leaning back.

  Her question caught his attention, causing him to look at her.

  "Tell me...Chan...", he mutters softly, keeping his words slow as he articulated his thoughts. "I saw Daiwen talking to someone dressed strangely. They look like they're meant to not be seen. Why is that?"

  "I...", she stutters, struggling to articulate her thoughts. But before she can continue, she was cut off once more.

  "Agents from different houses throughout the North that those people are scattered and are keeping watch", he paused before speaking again after letting out another sigh. "Know that I take no pleasure in this...", he says, glaring at her. "But for the love you bear for my brother, please, tell me why you have agents spying on our territory. If you cannot provide me an acceptable reason...then as the son of Lord Felkin Ays, Overseer of the North, and as the heir to Bredost, I will have to do my duty and put you under arrest."

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  She gulped, nervous. It would be a severe understatement to say that she's nervous. How could she even explain herself at this point? Agents who work for Daiwen are all over the North and there are probably more down south too...

  As she continued thinking about what she could possibly say to save herself, footsteps echoed from behind her and caused her to turn around. It was Daiwen.

  "My Lord", Daiwen greets as she arrived downstairs. "If you allow it, I'll answer in her stead."

  As Daiwen approached Glen, she can feel something slipped into the pocket of her clothes. "Leave this to me, My Princess.", she simply whispered and gestured for Chan to leave. And so she did, leaving the staircase and eventually the castle itself, passing by the handmaidens and workers as she passed them. Outside, she sighed softly as she continued walking, her thoughts wandering to how Daiwen would deal with the situation. As she walked, everything else feels nerve wracking...she feels so sensitive that she can feel every pebble, every grain of dirt and gravel, the cold breeze of the northern wind...

  "I wish you were here...", she muttered to herself, letting out a heavy sigh and looked upwards towards the sky. "Are you doing well, Orewell...?", she continued. "I hope you are..."

  She continued walking through the streets of Bredost, still deep in her own thoughts and feelings when she was interrupted by a hooded figure.

  "My Princess, please come with me. I'll reveal myself...but not here. Come", the figure says, holding her by her wrist and taking her through the alleys in the city, making turns until they arrived a secret passage through the walls that led outside the city. Now outside Bredost, she felt herself helped onto a horse by said hooded figure as they began to ride away. During the ride, they made stops here and there, but eventually, about four or five hours later, they eventually arrived at a strange looking castle ruins. No banners hung from the battlements and she can only count less than twenty people manning the castle.

  Arriving at the stables, she dismounted her horse and guided it towards its stall then turned towards the hooded figure. "Where are we?", she asks. "I...I'm not familiar with this place."

  "Forgive me for the delay, My Princess. We are at the ruins of Castle Marrowtin, former seat of the extinct house of House Vangrove...or so the folk told us, we're not sure", the figure said, unhooding itself and revealed a man with an unkempt face and square jaw, a short but bushy beard. "I'm one of the many asianti tasked to retrieve you.", he answered with a smile.

  "Retrieve me?", Chan asked back, confused.

  "Yes. I believe Daiwen told you about what may conspire.", he replied.

  "So...it's true, then? That the minor lords of the North will rebel against their liege?"

  The man nodded.

  "At this very moment, some of them are almost complete with their preparations. Some of those in the farther north have already mustered their forces and will arrive in a few fortnights."

  "We must warn Lord Felkin then!", she exclaimed.

  "No. Our task is to retrieve you and take you home. You have been here for long enough, My Princess. You cannot bother yourself with foreign affairs when you have a greater problem at home. Your father, the emperor, is on his deathbed. Your bastard siblings are all consolidating their power bases and beginning to muster their armies to clash with each other when your father finally dies. If we retrieved you earlier, we could have gone for a more peaceful solution...but now...you have no choice but only war."

  She gulped. Her home...this man just told her that her home would be a battleground for her siblings that she never knew about until just this day who all want to vie for the Uniosi throne. But she does not know how to feel. To her, Bredost is home. Divios. She only heard about Unios from the stories her foster father Lord Felkin and from the books in the library of Bredost. Is she really prepared to go to war for a country she's never stepped into all her life?

  Before she could drown further in her thoughts, the man continued. "This is not a matter if you want to or not, but a matter of you have to. It is your duty to your home and your family. I do not know what these western devils taught you but Unios is your home and it will be until you take your last breath. If you do not get back home and assert yourself, the country will surely fall into ruin, ruled by divided lords that want different things and will continue to impose themselves until their competitors die...or them or the subjects do."

  Looking at the blended orange-purple sky then back at her, the man spoke once more. "We'll stay the night here and continue south tomorrow morning. After then, we'll head east to Gruelport. It will be days and days of riding so steel yourself, My Princess."

  "...alright.", she simply muttered as one of the other asianti guided her to her chambers within the castle. The castle itself was old, with some decaying structures and one of the towers at the other end of the castle is already leaning on the other tower and could almost fall with a single gust of wind or so. The interior itself isn't any better. It's old and decrepit, gathering dust over the years that the inhabitants, if there were, never bothered to clean. Taken into her chambers, the asianti bid her good night and left her be. She turned around and absorbed her surroundings. This room is strangely clean and well maintained, the furniture is not polished but it's well maintained nonetheless. The bed's sheets also look recently done as well.

  Sitting down on the mattress, she took the letter that Daiwen placed in her pocket. It was the same envelope in which Orewell's letter is stored in. However, the seal was broken. Chan opened the envelope and saw that there are two letters inside. She then took the first letter and it is Orewell's letter to her. It's the same usual greetings and him asking if she's doing well at home, checking on Amelie and some small stuff about himself and what he's currently doing and where he's at. Currently, they're in Heavenhill, a hill range that serves as the natural border between the North and Westlands and leads to Heavenbright, the seat of House Rivermay. So far, their journey is without delay, but Orewell, being his pessimistic and cynical self claims that it won't be long until something bad indeed happens in their journey. Still, she prays to the Many Gods that it would not be so and all will go well.

  The second letter is from Daiwen. It reads:

  "My Princess. Serving you has been a great pleasure and by the time you read this, I may be a captive or dead, probably both, but I wish you luck. Though you have never met them, trust the asianti. They will certainly get you home, I swear on my name and my family that served the Royal House of En. When you get home, many officers are waiting for you. Follow their advice that are wise and true and surely you can subjugate the pretenders and traitors to the throne.

  Regards from your loyal servant,

  Daiwen"

  She sighed again, placing the letters on the bedside table and laid on the bed, resting on its softness to alleviate the weariness from the hours of riding. All of this was sudden and she doesn't even know what to think at this moment. One day, she was living and doing her duties as Lord Felkin's ward and an apothecary, but now, she's thrust into a conflict for a throne that she never saw or sat on her entire life and for a kingdom she didn't even breathe the same air or step on the same ground. There is a conspiracy that threatens to ruin the North... She feels helpless and suffocated at the happenings that not even prayer doesn't seem to help her like it usually does. She can only mutter out, "When will you come back, Orewell? Help me, please..."