---[ POV: Flynn ]---

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Ever curious about everything, Athena had been discussing with Herman for the better part of an hour now. The old man was happy to indulge what he thought to be a 'powerful and honorable spirit' and did his best to sate the young AI curiosity. Herman seemed to believe Athena had just been summoned after centuries of slumber and was eager to ingratiate himself with her by helping to 'freshen up' her knowledge of the world.

Athena's questions were as mundane as they get, such as asking about the staple food on this planet, the fastest transportation method widely available, what was the currency systems and how they worked, etc. At some point, she even started to quiz Herman about mathematics and physique. The AI seemed absolutely fascinated by everything she learned, and maybe she truly was, but Flynn also knew she was trying to determine the development level of the civilizations they were facing and bank as much information as possible about this world and its people.

The lieutenant let her do as she pleased; it was only working to his advantage in the long run. In fact, it was pretty insightful on the AI part.

Nice job Athena.

For his part, however, Flynn was still worried about the princess.

He sat close to Herman and Athena but did not engage in the conversation, preferring to simply listen while throwing a preoccupied look toward the second deck from time to time.

The whispered voices of Gwenvar and Amaryllis had not been heard for some time now and there had been no new commotion so Flynn guessed the young girl had probably finally found some restful sleep.

The morning sun started to fill the ravine with a diffuse light full of hope after the events of the night.

If Herman was tired from his night up, he did not show it at all.

Gwenvar, however, came down from the second deck after some time and, despite her more relaxed and calm expression, seemed completely exhausted. She was still covered in grime from her days in the mountain and the goblins' ordeal.

She observed the scene taking place in the cargo bay for a moment and then tried to subtly motion for Flynn to join her but was not very subtle about it at all. The young man sighed, amused, but got up and went to see her nonetheless.

She seemed a bit hesitant about what she had to say, dragging him in a corner of the engineering bay, beneath the access ramp to the second deck.

Seeing her apprehension, Flynn decided to speak first. "How is the princess doing?"

Gwenvar had a fleeting smile. "Better. Not good, but better... She's sleeping right now, but I think she's having nightmares. She's living through hell. Not just because of her physical condition; her entire family is probably dead, and her kingdom and home have been taken from her by her own uncle."

"One thing at a time," said Flynn. "I'm happy she's at least going to recover physically. That's one less thing to worry about."

"Right. Thanks to you," said Gwenvar, with another of her rare and uncomfortable smile. She leaned closer to him and lowered her voice so that the other two could not hear them but her definition of whisper was not exactly the same as everyone else. "But talking about things to worry about, we cannot keep White around. He's dangerous. He's after the princess."

Flynn looked in Herman's direction. The old man was laughing greasily at something Athena had just said, his long mustache undulating like a white furry snake under his angular nose.

"I'll need more explanation than that. It's clear you two don't like each other but he's been helping, up until now."

Gwenvar bit her lips with a pensive and frustrated expression. "Yeah. I don't know why he's doing that. That's creeping the fuck out of me. I believe it might be to deceive you, Lord Flynn. He probably saw just how strong you are and decided it would be best to approach you as a friend rather than force his way through. That turd's a sly fox, for sure..."

"And for what would he have taken the risk to approach us? To then kill the princess? If he wanted her dead, he could have just waited."

"Fuck. Right... But even if I don't know why he is acting like that, we still can't trust him. He's Orvellas bloodhound and has been hunting me and the princess since we fled from the capital. Amy may not recognize him without his mask and hunting attire, but he's the one who led the attack on her family and probably killed her mother and brother."

Flynn frowned. "I don't know enough about the situation to fully appreciate what you are saying, but those are serious accusations. Who's Orvellas?"

"You really are from far away, ain't you?"

"You have no idea," chuckled Flynn

"Orvellas - may his soul be thrice-damned - is the brother of the King of Osgarath." Her air got somber. "Well, I guess that now I should say 'the late King of Osgarath'... King Omen is dead. He was Amy's father. There have been all kinds of nasty rumors about his brother Orvellas for as long as I can remember but nobody took them really seriously because of the king's dismissal of them. But the king was wrong, apparently; Orvellas murdered him and tried to get rid of the rest of his family after that. White and Orvellas' soldiers got the princess' mother and brother but I've been able to cut my way through and flee with her. We've been on the run since then..."

"I see. That's kind of hard to imagine Herman would be acting like he is if he was trying to kill the princess but I have no reason not to believe you either. It's clear he's not been telling me everything."

"We need to drive him out of here, or even better, get rid of him."

"I won't kill a man that helped us unprovoked. I also have a lot of questions about magic and I think he's the only one of you able to answer them, ain't he?"

A brief defeated look flashed on the woman's face. "Lord Flynn, please. I won't be able to relax as long as he's here, within reach of the princess. I need to rest a bit..."

Flynn observed Gwenvar. Her hairs were messy. All of her wounds had healed because of the lymphites he had injected her earlier but she was still covered in dirt and dried blood. She had dark circles under her tired eyes.

"You do look like you could use a shower and some sleep."

Gwenvar seemed a bit perturbed by his comment but kept silent.

"Fine," said Flynn, after a moment thinking. "Here's what we"ll do. I will go talk with Herman and ask him if he would mind leaving for now so that we can all rest. He's been pretty understanding despite his personality so I don't think he will mind. I will ask him to come back tonight so that we can discuss. You'll have the entire day to sleep and relax here. I'll guarantee both your's and the princess' safety. How does that sound?"

"Not exactly what I had in mind," said Gwenvar, "but you are our host. As the master of this house, Lord Flynn's word is final and I have no say in this decision. I already owe you my life once and the princess' twice, but please, make sure all this work of yours was not for nothing."

"Don't worry," smiled Flynn. "We will untangle all this tonight."

The young man then returned toward the cargo bay. Athena was now proudly displaying her ability to change her form by switching between her owl, human and snake form as Herman applauded politely. The AI explained it was nothing, and that her holoprojector could pretty much display anything she wanted, but the old wizard, despite his interest, did not seem to understand what she meant by that. Flynn gave her a subtle warning look.

Don't go around explaining our technology just like that, you clutz! He may not understand now, but maybe one day he will!

"Sorry to interrupt," said Flynn. "but I think you'll have to continue this vanity fair at another time, Athena. I need to speak with Herman for a moment and I think everyone here needs to rest after the night we just had."

"Vanity fair?!" cried Athena with a falsely outraged voice. "Look who's talking. You're literally wearing the skin of that monster you killed, and you went through hoops and loops to get some red fabric just to make sure the white of the scales would pop out. You're the ostentatious one here, not me!"

"Er..." Flynn cringed imperceptibly, cleared his throat, and turned to Herman, ignoring the latest words of the AI. "Herman, the night has been long. I suppose you wouldn't be against some rest?"

"I'd sleep for days if I could," said the old man despite his eyes still full of vigor and energy.

"Right," said Flynn, unconvinced. "Same for all of us. But see, after what has been said, and given what I've seen of your's and Gwenvar's relation, I don't exactly feel safe having you both here while I go to sleep."

"Mmmh... Yeah, I understand."

"I would feel better if one of you left for some time..."

"And since the princess is not going anywhere for now, neither is Gwenvar, so that leaves only me."

"Yes."

"You don't have to feel bad about it, boy... Lord Flynn. I was expecting something like that. You're just proving your sound judgment once again. But I would advise against chasing me away for good. The princess' magic is still wild and dangerous."

"Yes, I saw that earlier. And I still have a lot of questions to ask you. I still don't consider your debt repaid for what I gave to Valsevor in exchange for his help."

"Fair. I will be on my way then. Gonna find some nice rock to protect me from the sun and go chase dreams of my latest trip in the Isle of Dawns; the elven maidens there dress in ways that would make your face blend with your hair. I won't be that far. If you need me, just go outside and scream my name. The echoes of the mountain should do the rest."

"Understood. Otherwise, you may come back tonight, once the sun starts to go down."

"Perfect, I'll see you soon then, Lord Flynn. I'm looking forward to our discussion. You might have a lot of questions for me, but so do I."

"I'll do my best to answer them, but I guarantee nothing. You're the one that owes me, not the other way around."

Herman got up while laughing full-heartedly. "You really don't let anything slide, don't you? Well, good for you. Keep it up and you'll live old enough to get some white hairs."

The old man exited the corvette after a polite bow to Athena and a half-serious, half-mocking nod to Gwenvar. The woman was fuming but when she saw the warning look of Flynn, that wanted to avoid another senseless argument, she just angrily blew a wisp of her hair from her face and squinted at the old man. Herman sent an amused side look to Flynn, then he went on his way along the canyon toward the east. Flynn used his stack to close the cargo bay ramp behind him.

He then turned to Gwenvar. "Now that this is done, let me show you the shower and we'll find you something else to wear. I'll prepare you a bed near the princess while you wash up."

"A shower?" asked Gwenvar, "What's that supposed to be?"

Flynn smiled. "Don't worry, I think you'll like it."

 

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