As Serafin watched the "Herald" approach, her heart sunk to a new low. From afar she could see Ellyrie´s golden hair blowing in the wind and her heart felt just about to burst into a thousand pieces.

Beside her on the deck stood the Adjutant and two hunters, it was all she could spare from the action going on beneath them. Sometimes the last cries or reverberation of a rifle shot reached her ears.

The "Herald" Halted beside the "Purity", a short jump apart. All of the Hope´s guard were on deck, and Serafin felt herself become smaller and smaller under their withering gazes.

Her old comrades, her friends, just what did they see in her now?

She could not look any of them in the eye. Could not see Cairons simmering anger, Mellador and Thaeus´s paternal disappointment, Fiona´s glaring dismissal or Fiona´s pain.

So she focused on Ellyrie. Dear, precious El. She took a step further, closer to the railing, her hands trembling like on the day El had proposed to her.

"I'm so happy to see you are alright. I visited you but, you were still asleep." Her voice was trembling, she just could not make her tone convincing. Make it mask her fear, her guilt.

"I'm, happy too." Ellyrie was not attempting the same. Her hurt was drenching every word she spoke. "I, I guess it is pointless, isn't it? To ask you to stop all of this?"

Serafin pulled her cap down, her hands clenched to fists. "I cannot, El. The danger of knowledge spreading is too great. I do not have enough hands to contain and question every last one of them, and while trying some may get away, you have to understand that!"

"I do."

The veil of sorrow lifted. Serafin lifted her head, she leaned over the railing, laying her eyes on Ellyrie once more.

And the disappointment written across her fiancees face shattered the last hopes she had.

"I understand that you want to protect people. I went to the same lectures, Sera, I know what they told you. But what kind of guardians are we if we kill the people we're meant to protect? How many, how many could possibly be guilty, Sera? Ten, fifty, a hundred?"

Ellyrie´s hands clenched to fists and Serafin trembled under her loud voice.

"There's at least ten thousand dead down there, and you are not even halfway done! What kind of peace is worth that many innocent lives?"

"It does not matter if they are innocent, El!" Serafin rose her hand, holding onto her cap for dear life. "This is not about the people here, or who may or may not be guilty, don't you see that? It is about the empire, our unity, our image throughout the provinces! If we cannot quell a single outbreak like this we are all but inviting another scouring!"

Anger was now washing away her guilt, a righteousness that let the paladin keep her head held high. "Fifty thousand. That is how many soldiers make up a legion. Not even counting the trackers, the engineers, the priests, the mages, the auxiliaries. And we lost that number twice over in the span of a month the last time demons breached our borders, El! And I would gladly have another ten cities liquidated if that is what it takes to prevent this from ever happening again."

Silence spread across the two ships as Serafin was regaining her breath. Her righteous fire died out, and her strength with it.

"We, we need to search your ship, El, before I can let you leave."

Ellyrie shook her head, her hand moving down to the hilt of her sword. "No. You wont be doing that."

Serafin pressed her lips together. "El, I am not asking as a friend. I am ordering you as the current Lord-Commander of this province to submit to a search."

The captain ran her other hand through her hair, and shook her head. "My Sky Knights have done nothing wrong or given any reason for you to doubt us, Lord Commander. Our Crystal stores are getting low and the next harbour is a good few days away. Surely you wont endanger the life of the Imperial Steward´s heiress on simple suspicion?"

"El, I am not saying this again." Serafin reached down for her weapon in turn, her voice lowering. "Lay down your weapons and submit to a search."

"Make me."

The paladin looked across the deck of the "Herald", across her old, former friends. Even with all her forces on station and prepared she could hardly fight the entirety of the Hope´s guard. And even if they won, and arrested-

Arrested El? What in the name of the pantheon was she thinking?

Only the few sounds of executions, carried to them by the wind were breaking the silence. No matter how hard Serafin tried to pull, she could not force her sabre out of it´s sheath. Even her weapon was siding against her?

"Fair winds and peaceful skies, heiress." Serafin finally muttered, unable to look up to Ellyrie.

"The same to you, Lord Commander." Ellyrie had turned her back and waved to Aeneya, who turned the "Herald" around. with full sails it departed south-west, toward the greater province of Atal.

"Lord Commander, I fear I must question your decision." The Arbiter´s words sounded so unbelievably far away.

"I was able to sense at least thirty more lives within the "Herald of Justice" than the standard manning of a Sky Ship of this size normally holds."

Was this how it ended between them?

"It is likely to assume that they are carrying suspects deemed guilty by your decree, Lord Commander."

Serafin could still see Ellyrie, standing beside Aeneya. The archer had been the one that lead them together, all those years ago.

"The "Herald of Justice" is still within range of our weapons, Lord Commander. On your order we can bring the ship down and prevent it´s escape, while avoiding direct combat with the Hope´s Guard."

Had it really been fifteen years since those summer days at the academy? The long walks through town after classes had ended, the sleepless nights they spent together when El had snuck into her dorm room?"

"They are approaching the maximum range of our weapons, Lord Commander. It is unlikely we will be able to match the speed of their vessel should we need to pursue."

Just how many times had El broken the rules for her, dragged her out of her room to meet their friends, 'borrowed' books from the imperial library that Serafin could never have hoped to get her hands on, allowed her, an orphaned commoner to sit at the imperial table?

"Lord Commander, if you do not give the order to fire now, we will have lost our chance.

What divine grace had the gods blessed her with when this incredible, perfect woman had gone down on her knees and asked for her hand. How had she ever, how could she have ever been worthy of that.

'I understand, that it is what really want. I wont stop you', she had said, on the day their paths parted. When she took to the skies in her own ship, and Serafin was accepted as Aspirant of the Guardians.

'Just please, promise me Sera. Promise me that you will stay a kind person.'

"The "Herald of Justice" has left our range, Lord Commander."

Serafin turned around and marched down the deck. The Arbiter looked after her, it did not follow.

Her quarters. If she could only reach her quarters, slam the doors shut, keep the world from reaching her.

"How fares the action, Serafin?"

Helder walked into her path, just a few short steps away from her door. The paladin froze, a sickness welled up in her throat.

"I, my lord, I."

"I think I heard the young heiress talking, though I am not sure, my ears do like to play tricks on me nowadays." His smile only made everything worse.

Serafin took off her cap and her cloak, and folded her hands in front of her. She could not meet his gaze.

"The heiress attempted to leave the airspace without permission, so I had them change course and meet us. I ordered for a search of their ship as per protocol, and was refused."

Helder reached a hand up to his chin. "And what happened then, Serafin?"

She wrung her hands, her gaze shifting in every direction but forward. "I, I let them go, my lord."

"Despite knowing that they had likely, or well, possibly, traitors on board?"

Serafin dropped down to one knee and took off her sabre, placing it down front of her. "Yes. I know there is no excuse for my actions. Knowing fully well the grave danger I have let loose, I formally offer my resignation as a paladin."

She waited. For her blade to be taken. Perhaps she would be executed, like the two paladins incapable of stopping the scouring. The option almost sounded enticing now.

"And why exactly would you have to resign then?"

What? Serafin looked up, blinking several times. "My lord, letting possible traitors leave is tantamount to treason itself!"

"And did you have evidence or reason to believe beyond a doubt that traitors were indeed on board, Serafin?"

She slowly got back on her feet, her voice cracking with disbelieving laughter. "What need is there for evidence, my lord? A possible threat is just as dangerous as a real one."

Helder laid a hand on her shoulder. Despite his age, the grip was strong, pulling her back to her senses.

"You faced down the second highest ranking person in the empire, Serafin. Who could have taken you, and us all out with little difficulty. You had a choice to make, and chose to eliminate the greater threat than risking it all to achieve a perfect result."

Serafin shook her head, her hands crossing over her chest. "But even so, I let them go, I didn't order to fire, I didn't stop them."

"Stop them, and rob the empire of it´s heiress? I admire your sense of duty, but come back to your senses girl." He gently shook her, and finally their gazes met.

"It is not the task of a Paladin to solve every issue flawlessly. That is the domain of the gods and the Imperator Aeterna, not mortals like us. We have to choose, and sometimes there is no right answer. You did what you could with the means you had at your disposal."

He let go of her and got out of the way to her quarters. "You look exhausted, Serafin. Get some rest, and prepare the report for the high council. They will be the ones who decide what shall be done."

She stared at the doors with longing as she picked up her sabre, cloak and cap. "But, what about the rest of the action, my lord?"

He dismissed it with a wave and turned to leave. "I may not be able to swing a sword but I can oversee executions just like I did forty years ago, girl. Leave that to me."

And so he left her. Alone. Serafin opened her door, slammed it shut behind her and sunk down on her bed. The walls were thick, the ship near empty. There was no threat of someone hearing her.

Before her eyes she still could see Ellyrie, her back turned to her, her perfect golden hair blowing in the breeze.

She cried.