The sound of hooves interrupted Robert's nap on the balcony as he snored with his head held back, notebook in his lap. Startled, he shook the sleep from his eyes and looked around the street below but couldn't see anyone. He hurried downstairs, where he found the others finishing up their packing.

• "Morning Grandpa!" -Erick waved at him with a cheeky grin.
• "Wha-what's going on?" -Robert asked.

Harek turned away from a conversation with Agnes and greeted him as well.

• "Hey, Robert! Adrian met a scout earlier nearby and told him to bring us horses. We're going back to camp."
• "I-uh...I see." -Robert answered with a hint of embarrassment before collecting his composure.- "I see you're all better." -He pointed at Harek's unbandaged head.
• "Ah yeah, much better. I'm still recovering, but I'm mostly fine." -He turned to Adrian who just came in from the hallway.- "Adrian do you have that spirit you gave me yesterday? It was quite good, bring that with us."
• "No-can-do, we split the little you left." -He shrugged apologetically before leaving through the front door and joining Erick in front of the window.

Harek sighed, then grabbed his and Agnes's bag and headed outside. It was a bright, sunny morning with only a few sheep clouds dotting the sky. Now that he had the time to take in the details of the town he couldn't help but be impressed. They were on a narrow cobble-stone street hugged tightly on two sides by tall buildings with impressive floral motives etched, plastered, and painted on their facets. It was one of the nicer towns he had seen and he wished they could visit it one day when it's prospering again.

• "Nice place huh?"

Erick interrupted his thoughts, while Adrian stood further down the middle of the road with a hand above his eyes, waiting for the rider.

• "Yeah, quite nice. No wonder Frederick wanted it back."
• "And we delivered it to him!" -He patted Harek on his back.- "More than worth the reward I'd say."

Harek nodded and turned his head as Adrian began waving his hands. The rider with the five horses in tow turned around the corner, cantering in a relaxed hurry toward them. The soldier wore the blacks and greens of house Szabadhy and an expression of tired merriness.

• "Morning!" -He said curtly.- "The lord is expecting you. Mount up and we'll head out."
• "Morning!" -Harek returned the greeting.- "We are well aware, we're just waiting for two more-"

As if on cue, Agens and Robert stepped out of the house, to join them. They all mounted their horses and followed the scout across town. Crossing the river turned out to be a much less involved affair when done on an already-built bridge in the castle's shadow. Luckily it seemed neither the defenders nor the attackers saw a point in destroying it as the fighting never quite reached it.

As they circled around the castle hill and got a better view of it, they could see a large chunk of the wall collapsed with plenty of rubble lying around the entrance and ample smoke still rising from various points. Adrian whistled in an impressed tone before saying:

• "My, oh my." -He turned his head as they rode.- "Impressive job boys. Good on you for not being killed too."

Erick shook his head but made no effort to answer as they entered the bustle of men that filled up the town's streets. People carrying metal tools and bags, great lines of men passing over rocks to each other across the streets. The work of clearing the rubble had already begun. Harek recognized some of the men as Zatov soldiers from their uniforms. Prisoners of war that were put to work he assumed. Passing the fortifications of the camp, the mood became even busier. Field medics and their impromptu assistant-turned-soldiers ran between beds, bandaging wounds amputating limbs, and doing god knows what else. No one in the group enjoyed looking at the doctors and their work for very long, nor listening to the screams of their patients. Agnes forced herself to look down and count the strands of the horse's mane to distract herself. She tried not to think about how many lives she could save with her bandages. How many will die, because she won't.

Some ways away they saw a few dozen well-dressed Zatov men, officers most likely, standing in line at a desk, signing documents with a bored-looking clerk on the other side. Harek chuckled to himself at the thought of how you can never escape bureaucracy, especially in war.

Soon enough they were before the entrance of the lord's well-guarded area. After dismounting a servant beckoned them and they were led to the now-familiar tent of Frederick, who himself was sitting at a desk finishing up his breakfast and downing his last bit of coffee in a red doublet adorned with silver embroidery.

• "Your grace." -They all bowed slightly, including Agnes which Frederick acknowledged with a smile as he chewed, then held up a finger as he stood up and took a moment to swallow.
• "Fantastic job out there friends!" -He said in an uncharacteristically cheery tone, which everyone picked upon.- "And thank the Cypher you came through unharmed dear!" -He smiled at Agnes.- "Really, well done!"
• "Glad to be of service." -Harek said.- "If you don't mind we'd like to take our agreed payment, your grace."
• "Ah yes of course, of course."

He gave a servant a quick command who then carried forward a small chest. Frederick snapped his fingers and two more young girls ran up to clear the table of the plates and trays, so there would be space for the chest on the table. The Count caught Agnes's eyes following it intently, so he beckoned her to come take a peek. Harek nodded to her unnecessarily, as she went ahead without looking at him for approval regardless, to which he let out a slightly embarrassed sigh.

Agnes opened the hatch and inside she found a full satchel, and beside it something puzzling. It was not the book as she expected, but a white-silver box covered in circular and runic embellishments and motives with a small latch on its corner.

• "What is that?"

She reached out curiously and as she lifted the box she felt the weight of something shift inside it. The book, she assumed. It had no obvious opening with its completely flat and smooth sides and richly decorated front. Both its front and back plates extended beyond its sides for a bit as well. It was as perplexing as it was beautiful. She touched the small round latch and as it gave way slowly rotated it. It revealed a reddish button of sorts, then as the latch completely rotated out from over it, it jumped up, then stopped just as quickly accompanied by a hissing sound, startling Agnes. She jerked back in surprise but didn't let go of the container. From the corner of her eye, she saw Fredericks's annoyingly amused face but decided to ignore it. The container kept hissing for a few moments, then after it stopped she tried opening the box again by pulling it apart. Now it slid open effortlessly. She pulled off its front half and found the book inside it, just as beautifully rich in its black cover as she remembered. Under the opening mechanism, she found a tube-like machine that she couldn't make heads or tails of.

• "Fascinating..."
• "It is isn't it?" -Frederick stood beside her, and as she looked up she noticed that all the servants had left the tent or had been dismissed.
• "Why give this to me?" -Agnes asked, confused.
• "It was its original container. I have no use for it on its own and although it's surely invaluable, I have no way of parting with it that keeps my head on. Forming it, as you know is impossible for us and I imagine there is a reason it was kept in there in the first place. Maybe it's for safety or preservation. I do not know, but it's better to be safe."

He explained patiently. Agnes recognized by now that he enjoyed hearing his own voice, but as he often imparted intriguing knowledge, she didn't mind.

• "Do you know how this works?" -She asked curiously pointing at the box.
• "I believe it makes the air inside lighter somehow, so the heavy air outside keeps it closed, but I'm just hypothesizing. Maybe you can find out more."

He smiled at her, then looked to the others with a raised arm of invitation.

• "Come gentlemen please, sit down."

He snapped his fingers twice and servants hurriedly brought in more chairs around the table, along with cups and bottles of wine. Harek wondered whether they were mind readers or if he prepared all of this in advance. He seemed to be the type of man who loves theatrics and impressing others, so he imagined it to be the latter.

• "It's a bit early for me to drink sir. With all due respect."

He added half-mindedly as he frowned at Adrian who was already halfway through his cup.

• "Bah, it's just some light rose, besides, it's a day worth celebrating." -Frederick waved his hand as he held it his cup to be filled.- "Now, how did it go? Well, successfully, obviously." -He laughed and Harek decided he liked him better when he was more serious and therefore more predictable.

Adrian began to tell the story, and then Erick took over briefly before Harek continued. 

• "That's when we met a problem. A knight of one of the orders I assume. He was wearing an armor that I only heard of in rumors.
• "And you killed him?" -Frederick asked, with surprise. But more about the act, not the man.

Harek shook his head.

• "He would have killed me, if not for Agnes." -He pointed his head towards her. 

Her eyes hadn't betrayed the slightest sense of pride, only brooding, which surprised Frederick, but he made no mention of it.

• "Most impressive. That explains the...curious leg trauma."
• "You found him?" -Harek asked with slight surprise.- "I half-expected his body to burn away into nothing or whatever else those monks came up with."

Frederick leaned back and held his cup for a refill.

• "Yes, well, let's praise them for their lack of creativity. Thanks to that, and to you all of course, I have his armor now."
• "What will you do with it?" -Agnes chimed in.
• "Me? Well, there's not much I can do, but," -He paused.- "Sebastian can, which is why you will deliver it for him to Bodorka. You're heading there anyway. I trust your payment is sufficient to include this additional, minor item." 
• "Fine." -Harek answered without argument, which surprised Agnes.
• "Good then." -Frederick continued.- "I hope you do stay for the feast tonight. You deserve it." -He smiled.

Harek stood up, followed by the others before Agnes pointed a question at the lord.

• "I thought we were running low on food, what will they even serve?" -She paused and then quickly added:- "Sir."
• "A fair question." -He laughed.- "You see another reason I'm so delighted we could wrap this up yesterday, is that my family should arrive for the victory feast sometime today along with all the food and cooks we could ever want."
• "Ah..." -A realization dawned on Harek as to why they needed to hurry so much to end things yesterday.- "Your grace was very confident in his timely victory I see."
• "Yes, uh" -He gave an embarrassed chuckle.- "All's well that ends well and all that. My lady would not have been happy to come to a combat zone with her whole retinue that's for certain." -He looked pensively at the ground before continuing.- "So go rest up, I've set up a tent for you closer to mine if you'd like. See you all in the evening."

Frederick dismissed the band and ordered a familiar-looking young woman to show them the way. Her face was obscured by white powder and makeup while wearing a modest but elegant dress with fringes at its sides and bottom. They were led to a grand tent, almost larger than Fredericks, although much more subdued in its decoration. While walking Adrien kept eyes on the woman to an almost uncomfortable degree for Erick who kept looking back at him as they walked with a confused expression which Adrian ignored completely. As she stopped before their tent and turned around his eyes grew in recognition as she spoke.

• "Here are your acc-" -She began before being cut off immediately.
• "Léda, I knew it was you!"

Adrian ran up to her, grabbed her by the waist, and spun her around before burying her face in her bosom, covering his face with white in the process.

• "Oh my god Ady behave yourself!" -She said in a quick and embarrassed voice while holding back laughter before Adrian put her down.- "You animal, I can't believe you.." -She continued as she tried, and failed, to modestly even the powder on her chest to get Adrian's face print off of it."
• "What are you doing here love?" -He exclaimed with a smile.
• "I-" -She quickly looked around.- "I got a new job here for the day. The lord needed more hands and asked Madame Ilona to help out." -She said in a hushed tone.- "But it's all very hush-hush, it wouldn't be proper you now." 

Harek was not surprised in the least to see Adrian excited, but the way her eyes looked at him, brimming with laughter. they made him feel pity for the heartbreak she'll no doubt suffer. Shrugging off the thought, he asked:

• "And who is your friend here Ady?" -He asked, teasing.
• "Oh, right." -He stepped aside as if to present the unveiling of a masterwork statue.- "Friends, this is Léda, my future wife."