Morning came with the peaceful sound of gently flowing water and chirping birds. This time Tianna had a comfortable, slow awakening. For a few minutes she just stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. For one thing, Jerath had never been clear about what happened after Belleas. The longer they travelled the less she believed she was going to move in with her mother as planned. She wasn’t even sure it was the plan anymore.

However, Jerath had told her that she could ask any questions she had now. Belleas was a safe haven, and they didn’t seem to be in a rush now that they were there. Maybe now she would finally get some answers.

Once she left her personal room she found Jerath in their common room eating some breakfast. “Finally awake?” he asked casually. He certainly seemed a lot more relaxed.

“Yes,” Tianna replied, sitting across the table from him and taking a biscuit, “You said I would have the opportunity to ask some questions today.”

Jerath sighed. “Somehow I knew you would focus on that. Not that I blame you. You and I are still basically strangers, your life has been turned upside down, and I am sure you are beginning to doubt everything you know,” he replied, “but keep in mind that I don’t have answers for everything. I will answer your questions to the best of my knowledge, but if you want something more than I can give you, you will have to seek a different information source.”

Tianna frowned. “A different information source?” she repeated, “If you don’t know, you don’t know. I am not going to turn myself over to the Anonymous Watcher because of a little curiosity.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Jerath said, “We are in Belleas. There is a saying that merchants always have news, and Belleas is a hotspot of information from all over Althaedor. If you know who to ask.”

“Oh,” Tianna replied, slightly embarrassed, “but they can’t answer my questions. Not the ones I have for you.”

Jerath nodded and motioned for her to continue.

“Firstly, what are our plans from now on?” Tianna demanded, “We made it to Belleas, but other than speaking of how hard it would be, you never said anything about our journey afterwards.”

“That is because i don’t know,” Jerath admitted, “I am supposed to meet up with an informant here who will help me select the safest path for you to reach the capital, but I don’t know when they will be here.”

“Do you have any guesses?” Tianna asked.

“A few. From what i have been able to hear so far, none of the roads are safe. Our best bet is to cut straight through the forest, but if we take a wrong turn we could end up in the Alodan forest and fall victim to the carnivorous trees.”

“Carnivorous trees?” Tianna repeated, a bit shocked, “Those exist?”

“Yes, but some believe that the trees themselves are not carnivorous since they are always so clean and beautiful.”

“I see,” Tianna replied, “Wait, the Alodan forest?”

“The territory was awarded to Duke Alodan before he died. Now it is used as a base for the Alodan Warriors, a mercenary group that his daughter formed in the image of the elite knights he used to command.”

“Ruena?” Tianna guessed.

Jerath nodded. “Technically we could cut through her forest too, but if she is on the lookout for you as well we would instantly fall prey to her warriors. They are immaculately trained.”

“What about this informant?” Tianna asked, a little suspicious.

“He is a double agent for the Soarsa, and one of the few people who both knows who the Black Wolf is and openly despises him,” Jerath explained, “He has the ability to hear the thoughts of those around him so it is easy for him to pick up on the Black Wolf’s plans.”

“Couldn’t he just tell you who the Black Wolf is?” Tianna questioned, growing more suspicious.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if things were that simple,” Jerath muttered, seeming frustrated, “He claims that the Black Wolf cursed him to be unable to reveal his identity.”

“That seems awfully convenient,” Tianna muttered.

“I am certain his hatred for the Black Wolf is real,” Jerath defended, “However, I also know many who hate the Black Wolf are forced to follow his orders.”

“So why are we relying on this informant’s plans to move forward?” Tianna asked.

“I think it is partially a test,” Jerath replied, “I was against bargaining your safety, but both your father and the director of the Saorsa trust him completely.”

Tianna frowned. “What exactly is the Saorsa? I know you guys don’t like Densooth and want to support me as Queen, but how do I know that I should really trust you?”

“That is a difficult question to answer,” Jerath chuckled and leaned back, “It is one of the ones I can only answer partially. I cannot tell you whether or not you can trust the Saorsa, but I can promise that you can trust me. I joined the Saorsa because our values match, but if they go too far I will do what I must to stop them. At first I only supported you as Queen because I trust your father, but after getting to know you better, I believe that Althaedor needs you. It is subtle now, but there are moments when I am certain.”

It was difficult for Tianna to reply to that. The sincerity in Jerath’s eyes made it even harder. She certainly didn’t believe herself to be a bad person, but how could he be so confident Althaedor needed her? Especially as a Queen. Thinking back, on the journey so far she had been selfish and naive. Meeting the Anonymous Watcher was enough to make that sink in.

Not to mention, the way Jerath worded it almost made it sound like he would be willing to betray the Saorsa for her. His confident gaze was filled with a pressure that terrified her, as well as relieved her.

“I… I think I need to go out for a bit,” she decided.

Jerath backed off. “I can ask someone from the resort to give you a tour of the town,” he offered, “I need to do some things here, but even though this is Belleas, I don’t think you should be alone.”

“Thanks,” Tianna replied. She was still overwhelmed but she was a lot calmer now.

The woman Jerath called was professional and polite, but also friendly. The tour was a blur to Tianna. Other than a few places that stood out, she couldn’t remember too much of what they had seen. She did notice that everyone was relaxed and happy there. It didn’t seem like a facade.

That is when Tianna heard a piercing voice of frustration from an alleyway.

“Don’t mind it. This is the venting alleyway,” the guide informed Tianna, “It is a place where you are promised complete safety while you vent and rant. However, there does tend to be an audience. Reporters especially frequent the venting alley.”

“Then isn’t it a bad idea to vent there?” Tianna asked.

“Not always,” the guide replied with a smile, “Feel free to listen if you wish. Ah, I see it is Ruena again.”

“Again?” Tianna asked and moved to catch sight of a tall woman with jet black hair facing the back wall of the alley with her fist planted against the wall.

“Don’t worry, the walls are cushioned and meant for breaking,” the guide assured Tianna as the wall began to crumble.

“Oh…”

Ruena stepped through the debris of the first wall and targeted the second. “That arrogant old man! He expects me to just waste my time tracking down his precious True Queen in Belleas! What does he expect to do then?! I won’t make a move in Belleas and he knows that! Not to mention that this is my busiest time of year!!”

Her last word was muffled slightly by the sounds of the second wall crumbling. Tianna thought that logically she should have been frightened or left, but some part of her could not turn away from the fierce woman in the alleyway.

After kicking away some debris, she tossed some coins to a man who stood at the entrance to the alleyway and ran her fingers through her hair. “That was nice,” she sighed.

Most of the crowd lest as soon as she came out, but in that instant Ruena and Tianna locked eyes. It was only for an instant, but Tianna was certain that Ruena recognized her.

Ruena closed her eyes and stretched. “I must be so tired I am seeing illusions,” she called loudly, “I am going to rest against this wall for a few seconds. The illusion should be gone by then.”

Tianna’s feet started moving on their own, and before she knew it she was standing in the entrance to the resort. Only then did the fear of what had just happened set in, and then the respect.

She had definitely been seen, but Ruena let her go. Why? Wouldn’t her troubles be over as soon as she reported Tianna’s existence and whereabouts to the Black Wolf?

The guide placed a hand on Tianna’s shoulder. “You should not worry too much. We of Belleas believe that the universe would be a better place if the new Queen were to join hands with a virtuous woman like Ruena.”

Tianna looked back as the woman removed her hand and walked away. Had she done that on purpose? She suddenly recalled Jerath’s words from the night before.

“A worthwhile investment,” she repeated to herself aloud. She was starting to understand why Belleas might see her as a worthwhile investment and felt a strange chill down her spine.