"Take care out there, Phemie."

Duchess Agnes reached out for Euphemia's hand. There was a slight force that gave it a heavy grip. It was that feeling, the fear of what was beyond the safety of the manse, and also the uncertainty of what Euphemia was about to do.

"Please stay here. I don't want you to go."

She felt her daughter's burning resolve – one that would not let time do everything for them. Euphemia proved that in many ways, and in her is that power awakened by this series of untoward events. Agnes had no other means to convince her to stay in the manse, but she still had the thought that one day the daughter of House Schild would turn back from this utter madness. Young, bold, and yet foolish.

"Remember that you can run back to me when things go wrong."

"Believe in me, Mother." Euphemia's other went on top of the duchess. "I shall bring Father back. We will be together again. I will not allow this to be our last."

With these words Agnes' grip loosened; she watched the daughter turn away and walk towards the manse's main gate. She could not plead with Euphemia anymore, and all that she can do is to trust the daughter's determination to carry out a seemingly impossible task.

--0—

The streets were half-empty by the time Euphemia reached the streets nearing Alberta's borders. Very few people were attending to matters outside their homes; scents of broth and meat being cooked for tonight's dinner crawled out of the windows and mingled with the lazy air. An almost-orange sun peeked from the horizon, checking on what else it missed before it started to descend from its watch.

"If I take the northwestern exit, it should get me to one of the towns along the Kön. I wonder how long a walk this is going to be? Should I take the Brescha Line to Wulfstadt?"

Euphemia stopped by the city exit, unaware of the sentries looking at a cleric standing in the middle of the road. This was it. Taking her first footstep out of the city meant she would have to rely on herself for the journey ahead. She thought of how far could she really go with this, or perhaps if this will that burned bright in her was meant to last for only a short time. Time was not something she could waste, and standing on the road for too long would not give her the next clue on where to start her search.

"Farewell Alberta. I shall see you again, even if I do not know when."

She was out of the city, out of the Schild family influence, and her only guide to her task was the little knowledge she gained from Lord Cecil's office along with the best wishes of an expectant yet worried mother. Nobody else was on the roads at that time; the rustling of branches and the occasional squawking of a faraway forest bird accompanied her. The ferry was not far at all, and it would only take the cleric minutes before she could see an old bell tower with an equally aged yet sturdy-looking house that also served as the terminal. Nobody else but the attendant was around that day. Euphemia was given a short greeting even before she could even ask where the boat was.

"Better find another way if I were you. Some bastard punched a hole on the ship two days ago." The man pulled a line out of the riverbanks; today's catch wriggled in vain attempts to break free of the hooks that pierced their mouths. "She'll stay in Wulfstadt until we could fix 'er."

And that ended Euphemia's choice to take the ferry. There were no shortcuts other than the snaking road along the riverbank. It would be a long walk from where she stood, and travelers were hard to come by lately. The length seemed to be a blessing though – a long walk would allow her to think of what to do the moment she would arrive at the nearest town.

Euphemia looked at the road ahead. The stone yellowed with age; much of the forest's nutrients began taking over the path, giving it a yellowish sheen against the sun. Up ahead was a fork: the left route led to the town of Leifinfaltz and opposite of it was one that led to the corridor between the Kön and the Antikwald's southern domain. The air carried a leafy scent that went through jagged outcrops of rock, which made the wind whistle in its passing.

She fixed her bag strap – a thin cord of leather that secured a boxy container on her shoulder. Euphemia thought of taking out one of the fruitcakes she brought along for the trip, but she wasn't that hungry to stop for a quick bite. The folds of her habit danced to the soft breeze that rushed out of the forest; she found the coolness and the silence soothing amidst her restless thoughts.

The canoness turned back and could only see faint outlines of Alberta's northwestern watchtowers; indeed, it was too late to reconsider her actions. Her eyes returned to focus on the road ahead, but she was stopped by a familiar feeling moments later. Euphemia hid behind one of the massive trees that broke off from the forest cover and kept her watch on what awaited her.

There was a small grove that formed a gap spacious enough for a man to sleep in. Something, or somebody, was emerging based on how the bushes around it shook. The figure that came out of it went to a nearby cluster of butterflies that gathered around a clutch of wildflowers. It sat in front of them, staring at their delicate wings move in unguided yet graceful flows.

That black coat – there was no mistaking him for anyone else.

It was an odd sight. Perhaps this stranger did not see himself welcome inside Alberta and wandered off to this side of the country. If Euphemia was right about anything, it would be the fact that this youth had no idea where he was. She thought of approaching him as unsafe, or even crazy; this was no ordinary boy, but an armed one that showed no hesitation in drawing out his weapon. If he were to do that here, there was nobody in sight that could save her. He had the chance to use that gun on her that night, and there would be no witnesses to see him. Would this boy stop her from going beyond this point?

Turn back and run away, or face the boy again: neither option was easy to do, looking at how near she was to being discovered by this stranger. Euphemia held the bag strap tighter to the extent that its hold on her shoulder started to slack. Her mind could not offer any focus to allow her to use one of her tricks of light; she could have gotten away from this situation with such ease that this butterfly-watcher could only scratch his head in bewilderment. Either way, she had to leave her hiding place on foot, and Euphemia had to do it now.

Her first step crushed a twig underneath, which brought the boy's attention to the source of the sound. Eyes rounded, they found themselves trapped in each other's gaze.

"You..." the boy did not move from his place; there was no sign that he would be pulling out the gun from his coat.

"We meet again." Euphemia kept her composure, even after being caught with half her skirts on the road and another half emerging from the foliage. "This is the most awkward place to see each other, but I seem to be right with what I said when we were aboard the ship."

"Have you been sneaking up on me?"

"O-of course not!" Euphemia stood still; her face still fixed at the boy. "I couldn't see you well there, so I had to hide. You are not a robber or a bandit, are you?"

The stranger peeled his eyes from the cleric and went back to staring at the now-fluttering insects. At first, Euphemia thought she was hearing voices, until she found out that the boy was talking to the butterflies in half-whispers.

"Do you think so...?"

"I think you might be right."

He looked back at Euphemia; something made his face lighten when he talked to her. "They said that you're a nice person."

"I'll take your... friends' word then." She let out a faint smile, which somewhat made the boy look down on the road again. "I must be going now. The nearest town is a few hours from where we are."

"There's a town?"

"You really are not of this country. Go straight down this road. You'll come across a fork which leads to two towns." Euphemia's hand emerged from a heavy sleeve and pointed to the horizon. "The left route brings you to the town of Altrecht. I would advise you to take the right path, which brings you to a town nearer to the Capital."

"I get it."

"Will you be all right on your own?"

"Yeah." He did not bother standing up, or even facing Euphemia. The boy extended a finger and allowed a butterfly to perch on the tip.

"I see. May the Creator lead you to what you're looking for."

Euphemia walked past the young man and gave one last look before turning away. She resumed her journey and thought of which town to start the search for clues. The canoness thought she was quite far from the boy when she heard a voice calling out her attention.

"Hey! Wait up." The boy got the cleric's attention; Euphemia stopped and looked at this person who was slowing down from his sprint. "I'd like to come with you, even only up to the next town."

The boy stopped when he was near enough to see Euphemia's face beyond her veil. He held on to his knees, probably tired of the abrupt running he had to do not too long ago. Nobody was still around traveling at this time of day. A simple question, yet saddled with complicated situations. He was no mere vagabond for sure. Would she be able to trust this stranger, especially with the knowledge that he was particularly hiding a weapon underneath his coat? Running was an option, but then her habit may make her escape harder than it's supposed to be.

She had to trust the Creator's graces in the end; perhaps this foreign boy really meant no harm to her. He had two chances before they met each other on this road. Euphemia scanned the boy and drew a bit more distance between him. Kindness won in the end when she answered:

"All right, you may come with me. I may be able to help you with what you're looking for. A little company makes this walk much easier than how it's supposed to be." Euphemia replied; she kept a bright look even in her dealings with this unfamiliar fellow in front of her. She felt no reason to distrust this boy, even with the rather unpleasant way they first saw each other. "We should be moving now. It is much harder to move down this road if the night catches us."

"Thank you!" A smile was seen on the boy's face for the first time. "I'm Rook. Who are you?"

"I am Euphemia," she answered. "I suppose we can talk about a few things here and there while we travel to the nearest town."

This introduction eased off some of Euphemia's doubts over this lost boy. Questions surrounding this fellow popped into her mind. Where did he come from? What made him decide to come to a land completely foreign to him? There was no reason to turn her guard down, knowing that he possessed something very few stray people may have.

Both walked off without saying a word. Euphemia made sure that she was able to watch this boy's movement; doubt proved to be very difficult to undo given her circumstances. All that she could do was to be aware of this odd companion's presence. Perhaps the Creator had something in store for both of them, and Euphemia hoped that it did not involve harming each other.