"Afternoon everyone," Kaede heard Reynaud's energetic voice as the short, young man with fiery-red hair swaggered into the map room of the Moltewitz home.

She hadn't seen him since their trip from the Alisia Academy to the Oriflamme Palace in Alis Avern. She had heard that Reynaud helped bring news of Emperor Geoffroi's death to Nordkreuz, and took part in the decisive air battle as part of the Princess' entourage. However he had been severely injured during the fighting and was hospitalized for several days. Even now, his left arm remained in a loose sling and he walked with a limp. Yet none of this could put a dampener on Reynaud as he proudly displayed his newfound status.

He's certainly moved up in the world since we last met, Kaede thought with a smile.

Gone was the plain, blue gambeson of an academy cadet. Reynaud had not only 'graduated', but by a combination of opportunity and luck he had made it straight to the top. He now wore a bright-cerulean gambeson, tabard, and cape, with white borders and aqua highlights which marked it as the uniform of an Oriflamme Armiger. He was in service to Sylviane, which made him a royal armiger as well. Short of summoning a phoenix and becoming a Paladin, the combination of these two positions gave Reynaud the highest prestige a knight of Rhin-Lotharingie could achieve.

Then, as though this wasn't enough, Reynaud also wore another decoration that was impossible to miss. The Knight's Cross that hung beneath his collar was one that she had never seen before. Thin, translucent crystals extended out from its curved edges to give the impression of a giant snowflake, shattered by the black cross that crushed into its center.

"And hello Buttercup. I'm certainly happy to see you again," Reynaud strode closer to Kaede before he leaned over the sitting familiar's side and took a whiff of her hair.

"Herbal?" He smelled the tea that Kaede had been drinking earlier. "Come on Pascal. No fruit-scented shampoo?"

"I see your manners haven't changed, Sir Reynaud," Kaede glared at him. Her earlier joy at seeing an old acquaintance had all but vanished.

"Ah, right, I guess you're Dame Kaede now," Reynaud said, noting the Knight's Cross that Kaede now wore beneath her folded collar. He took a step back and bowed courteously: "may I kiss your hand then, Milady?"

"In your dreams," Pascal rebuffed before Kaede could even reply. "And the correct style for a dame is 'Sir', Reynaud. I should not have to educate you on the equivalency of martial titles," he sneered. "Also I did give her cherry shampoo. She simply has not had a chance since the battle," he added defensively as though this was a matter of personal honor.

"Could you two not discuss my bathing habits like I'm not here?" The familiar added in an annoyed voice before she changed the topic towards a better subject. "And congratulations on your award, Sir Reynaud. I apologize that I couldn't attend the ceremony yesterday."

"No worries. Perceval told us what happened," Reynaud replied as he stepped back to lean against the map table. His posture was so casual that it was almost as if this was his house, despite the fact he stood before a Crown Princess and a Landgrave.

"What stupidity possessed you to perform such a foolhardy stunt anyway?" Pascal remarked. "You charged straight into a death trap. Had it not been for Sylv--"

Reynaud gave a faint wince as though he regretted the decision himself. Nevertheless he glared back at his old adversary and countered in a voice just short of yelling:

"Oh I'm sure you had it easy, Runelord. Just shout orders from your command center and tell others to fight in your stead? Tell me, what would you do if you saw knights fall by the dozens from a gliding fortress that shot lightning in all directions? The Phantoms may not be my countrymen, but we had fought shoulder-to-shoulder in the same battle. And I for one do not ignore the plight of my comrades!"

"I would call to regroup and formulate a better plan of attack that does not include suicide!" Pascal retorted. "There are moments for desperation. That was not one of them. The battle had been won and..."

"Stop it, both of you. You're acting like children," Sylviane interjected from her seat besides Pascal. "Sir Reynaud was indeed reckless and I have already scolded him for it. You," she turned to her fiancé with an insistent stare, "are not his superior and have no right to belittle my armigers."

"Fine," Pascal added with a roll of his eyes before he exhaled a deep sigh. "Nevertheless, congratulation on your award, Winterslayer." He then surprised all of them with genuine words of approval. "You helped protect Nordkreuz by ridding us of Admiral Winter once and for all, and for that I am grateful."

Even for Kaede, it took a second to overcome her astonishment. It was one thing for the situation to force Pascal into such admissions, like that night on top of Alisia Academy's dormitory keep after the Mantis Blades' attack. But to see him take such initiative by himself?

Reynaud's new nickname had been bestowed by a letter from King Leopold himself. Acknowledging it was akin to putting the short boy on a pedestal, something that Pascal almost never did for anyone else his age.

"Just remember that dying does not help anyone," Pascal added. "You were lucky it worked this time, and that Sylv came for you in time."

"Her Highness did save my life, that I recognize," Reynaud admitted with a thoughtful smile.

"Don't worry, Sir Reynaud, you're in good company," Sir Robert spoke up from where he leaned against the corner of the room by the doorway.

He then looked towards Lady Mari, the Princess' bodyguard who never seemed to leave Sylviane's side, and who stood behind her chair even now.

"When Mari and I had only been in service to Her Highness for a few months, she still put herself in danger to save our lives during that incident."

It was difficult for Kaede to tell if Sir Robert's voice was more appreciative or guilty. It was clear, however, that the armiger felt like he owed the Princess a personal debt. And judging by the silent, reminiscent look in the armored maid's cloudy-gray eyes, it seemed that Lady Mari felt the same way.

"There's hardly any need for you to remember that every time, Sir Robert," Sylviane remarked. "You and Mari were thirteen back then. Father made you two my armigers so I'd have companions closer to my own age, though in reality you were little more than squires in training. It was unrealistic to expect that either of you could face off against Weichsel's best."

'That incident' must refer to the raid on Silverglen Castle, Kaede realized. It was when Weichsel's Knights Phantom had launched a deep raid inside Rhin-Lotharingian territory and captured the young Sylviane. They took her to Nordkreuz to be held as a hostage, where she met Pascal for the first time.

"It would be the greatest disgrace upon me if I ever forgot such a deed, Your Highness," the normally silent Mari declared. "I should have died there with your other guards..."

"--And how would that have helped me?" Sylviane interjected against her stubborn maid as she stood up and spun around to face Mari. "I was going to be captured one way or another. The famous Hammerstein led the attack that day, and he had both a superior force and caught us by complete surprise. What I should have done was surrender as soon as they broke through the defenses to barter for your lives. But I was just a kid back then! I didn't even realize what was happening until you and Sir Robert were the only guards left!"

But she did surrender in the end to save Mari and Robert's lives.

Kaede couldn't help but smile as she remembered her conversation with Sir Robert the other day. It was no wonder that the young knight cared so much for the Princess' well being.

"Your Highness..."

"Remember Mari," Sylviane cut her maid off with a pointed finger. "You're no good to anyone dead, me least of all. If you have to feel like you owe me something, then repay it by continuing to stay by my side!"

The Princess' cheeks took on a deep blush as she sat back down and declared with crossed arms:

"I won't forgive either of you if anything should happen because you two were being reckless!"

Meanwhile, Kaede caught the glance that Sir Robert and Lady Mari exchanged, which seemed to express something between amusement and resignation. Robert then added a fond smile and a slight shrug, before standing bolt straight as the Princess looked over at him.

"Understood, Your Highness," both of them answered in sync. Though both also looked determined to never let Sylviane face such a decision again.

For a moment after, Reynaud looked upon the two senior armigers with a conflicted expression. It was one that Kaede immediately recognized, back when he found himself unable to join a clique of history fans because he was a 'Hafu' and therefore 'not a real Japanese'.

Though in Reynaud's case, she thought: How do you compete against childhood friends who shared life-and-death memories?

However, Reynaud was clearly not the type to brood as he turned his attention to the map table. Then, before he could have had more than a glance, he spun back around to face Kaede with an excited look:

"I almost forgot." He said before pulling out a long scroll from an extradimensional storage pocket. "Here."

Kaede reached out with both hands and received what seemed to be a thin metal tube wrapped in polar bear fur. It was almost as long as her arm and held an unfamiliar platinum crest.

"What is it?" Kaede examined it with curiosity. Her attuned familiar senses could almost feel the power of its magical enchantments, as the scroll seemed to hum faintly in her hands.

"Admiral Winter's personal maps of the world -- especially the Frontier lands," Reynaud explained. "It seems Weichsel has a tradition of dividing the loot based on merit. Since I'm the one who sent the admiral off, I received the biggest share as well as first dibs!" His ecstatic voice added with a deep nod of approval. "It seems the Admiral was quite the explorer. I took some of his other charts since I like travelling myself, but I thought this would be more handy for you to have."

"I can't take something this valuable for free!" Kaede's gaze shot back up. "Besides, wouldn't the Black Eagles want this for intel?"

"I was told they recovered more useful maps from the bridge," Reynaud shrugged before giving her a generous smile. "Besides, consider it as thanks for all your help back at the academy."

"I helped?" Kaede was bewildered. I thought I was the one who received help?

"If you hadn't built the bridge between me, Perceval, and Pascal, Cecylia would never have come to me for help on bringing Elspeth and her message to Nordkreuz," Reynaud beamed. "In which case I'd never have the opportunity to join Her Highness as one of her armigers. I had expected to spend decades working my way up. I'd never have thought to achieve my dreams with such luck!"

It really reminded Kaede why connections were so important in any society. Even a single 'right person' can open so many doors that could save years of effort.

He really is a nice person. Kaede reflected. If only he could stop being such a lecher.

"Still..." She remained reluctant. This is a map created by an archmage!

"Kaede is correct. That is far too valuable of an artifact to simply receive for free," Pascal spoke out before pausing in thought. "How about this Reynaud -- the army offered me a share of all plunder seized from the battlefield and the enemy camp. I have yet had an opportunity to look through, but I am likely to sell the majority for funds. You are welcomed to take a look through it all and take anything you like. I am sure there are far more choices in arms and armor there than from Admiral Winter's belongings."

"You get a share of all battlefield plunder?" Reynaud's eyes were bulging.

"I did bring vital contributions to the stratagem of the whole battle, as well as played an important role in the command and execution of the ground combat." Pascal added with a smirking grin. "It is a small share, but it adds up."

No kidding! Kaede thought, feeling amazed herself. Considering this 'battlefield plunder' came from the belongings of nearly forty thousand Northmen, including many nobles, even a single percentile was a fortune.

"Why can't we have a system like this?" Reynaud looked at Princess Sylviane. "In Rhin-Lotharingie it's just first come, first serve, and pass most of it up to your lord."

Kaede immediately remembered that the discipline of Medieval armies often broke down as soon as they breached the enemy camp for this exact reason, as the soldiers would go into a looting frenzy. Some commanders actually took advantage of this tendency to purposefully discard valuables in a 'feigned retreat', only to counterattack when the enemy was more focused on plunder than combat.

"Because that's the feudal tradition," Sylviane replied with a faint sigh. "To reform such traditions we must first centralize the army's command. And to centralize the army we need to unify political power under the crown's authority."

Pascal nodded. "Weichsel could not have become what it is without its Absolute Monarchy."

"Though centralized authority does not necessarily require Absolutism," Sylviane added before her words turned to caution. "Autocratic power has its strengths, the most important being that it can bring the elites to heel for the benefit of the nation. However it also has several glaring blind spots..."

The Princess looked at Pascal like there was something she wanted to add, yet she also looked hesitant to do so. It was clear that her mind was on a sensitive topic, and she decided to let it go instead.

"Either way, Rhin-Lotharingie still has a long road ahead in reforms." She opted for a neutral statement instead. "We need centralization -- that much is for certain. Whether that is around an individual or an institution, that is a harder question."

Rome certainly wasn't built in a day, Kaede thought in agreement.

The 'individual versus institution' debate was certainly one that has raged on for several millennia on Earth. The core problem was that institutions, such as the United Nations, were great at balancing various needs. However they were also prone to stagnation as institutions by their very nature resisted change. Meanwhile, autocrats who seized power could bring great change within just a decade -- but that was both a blessing and a curse as 'change' could be used for both beneficial and harmful deeds.

"At any rate," Reynaud remarked as though the political discussion was clearly going over his head. "I think I'll take you up on that, Pascal. I'd love to find some equipment that I can actually use in combat." He then grinned before turning back to Kaede. "So there, now you can take the map without guilt. From what I hear you helped a ton too. It's only right your master shares his glory with you."