As they made their way down, Vxal stated "Emily, could you come with me please." he looked at Amelia and said "My apologies Princess Amelia"

"Oh, um, okay," Amelia said, watching them leave before knocking on the door to her father's office.

Ryker glanced between the three quietly, surprisingly unsurprised to find Galahad felt that way. Nor did he blame Lancelot's point of view, he understood it. The war with Inora had been just as rough. He felt strange though, knowing how little they believed in Amelia. He didn't think her capable of leading a rebellion, surely not, but the idea that she was living a lie, taken by Richard and raised in a false reality, was enough that he wanted to get her out.

Suzanne bent over the dying form of the deer, counting the ribs quietly to herself before slicing into it, digging elbow deep into the chest cavity and ripping the still warm, still twitching heart from the beast's chest. With a final, strangled gasp, it died, as Suzanne held the heart up to the moon, blood stream down her arm and across her body. She stood, cradling the heart in both hands as she began to speak over it, the ancient words of the ritual, her eyes slipping closed as she concentrated. She spoke of sacrifice, of honoring the bloodline, the pact, an offering of life and death for continued peace and prosperity. She held the heart up once more to the moonlight, before bringing it to her mouth and biting down, the remaining blood gushing out over her chin and streaming over her bare chest.

"I...I understand that Lance, I do," Percival replied, now speaking in what seemed to be more amiable terms with his friend at this vulnerable point, "But that girl is living a life of lies, under a tyrant who will send her down a path we all fear a continuation of. Kira betrayed us, Eric Elodus still yet lives, and Pendragon's child...Should she be corrupted the same way Kira was, then we've allowed evil to win. Pendragon's entire line will have been destroyed by Richard's darkness, just like so many before that dared to stand against him. We have to save her, whether she fronts this rebellion or not."

"And hiding here won't save you forever, don't forget that." Galahad followed up, no less firm than always. "This land is weak. Vulnerable. It will only be a matter of time before he seeks to expand, to conquer the whole of the continent, now that he has fully gained control of his homeland. Fellthyr is a home of survivors, unprepared to face the full might of a generations-established military force. Hollow is the same, with no true military to speak of. Once he begins, it will be over quickly. Too quickly for you to hop on a boat and run to your homeland."

"Then recruit the others. Keep fighting if you want. I just can't keep fighting, guys." Lance shook his head, refusing to look at them directly as Serifna placed her hand on his back. "I know where a few of the others might be. I can send you their way. Just, leave us out of it."

Camus made his way up toward the clearing, putting a hand against a tree as he examined the bloody shape across the ground in front of him. That definitely looked man-made. Not good. Especially not good when he spotted a woman in the center of it, covered in blood, lacking in clothes, and oddly familiar looking to him. Had he seen a naked woman covered in blood before? Maybe it was just being blocked out by trauma. Either way, he couldn't help but stare at this woman, until it eventually clicked into place.

Richard stated "Amelia, the reason why I went back on my promise to you, was because after the duel I spoke with William's father." He said "William SR and I both looked at young William Jr and his life and we both agreed that...he's been nothing but a gentlemen to you." He carried on "He's been loyal, loving, and a good friend." He admitted "He's also someone I can trust. With how unsafe it is for you outside, I want you to be at least happy in here." He asked "Does this make any sense?"

Amelia listened quietly, not moving. "I accepted the betrothal, Father," she said quietly. "William is a dear friend, he was the only choice, I know that." Even if she hated it with every fiber of her being, and the betrayal that ran deep within it sat like a stone in her stomach, she knew logically it was the sound choice. She just wish she could get her heart to listen to her brain.

Ryker felt a kindred sort of spirit in Lancelot. He may not suffer cowardice, but the feeling of being undeserving, of not being meant for his position, that he knew. He only pressed his lips together, silent once again.

Before Camus could really finish his sentence, Suzanne leaned forward and kissed him.

"Lance," Percival started, unsure of what to say in this moment. "If, if you truly can't bring yourself to rejoin us, you said you knew where some of the others were? Can you at least point us in the right direction, and we'll be out of your hair soon after?"

"Yeah," Lance sighed, lifting his head up and wiping the beginnings of a tear from both eyes before looking to his friend. "I've got some guesses and hearsay, but they're well supported. Gaheris, he has a brother over in Arcana. No doubt he took that girlfriend of his and went there, since they're a separate place from Elodus and safe form risk of any sort of raid. Thing is, the place is only really for mages though, so if you don't have any magic you might not be able to get in without someone vouching for you. As for the others..." He looked to Galahad, then back to Percival. "Surprised you guys haven't heard yet, or even ran into the guy, but apparently Gareth is just a straight up bandit now. Calls him the Hand of Death, supposedly touting a nasty limb replacement to support that name. Tristan, probably back in the underground, no way you guys'll find him. He'll find you if he's interested in rejoining. Lamorak, he...Mm," Lancelot seemed to struggle to find his next words, clearly unhappy with the options he found himself in possession of.

Camus was, needless to say, shocked by the turn of events. Her pressure against his shoulders was still strong, telling him not to try anything, but at least his blood was flowing in more normal directions at the moment and not out of his body. He wasn't sure what to do however, absolutely not into the taste of blood shared in this kiss. Even as he felt her bare chest press against his, it still felt very, very weird.

Richard leaned back in clear frustration "We're fixing that after this conversation. I don't care if I have to drag him out of his room kicking and screaming. He needs to explain himself, to the both of us." He rubbed his head "That's for later, this is for now." slowly he stood up and asked seemingly out of no where "How much do you know about our proud bloodline?"

“No, Father,” Amelia said, not letting him move on from the previous point. “Making him talk to me defeats the purpose. It’s not genuine, it’s not his decision. He has to come to me by his choice or not at all.”

“I think both are respectable reasons,” Ryker said. “Dying fighting for what you believe in and a just cause is noble.”

From the bloody grass several feet away, a dark form began to rise, dirt falling off of it as it rose into the moonlight. It was massive, with dark, rippling skin, taught over thick muscles. A clawed hand drove into the dead, raising it up as it straightened its head. Horns, or antlers, curved wickedly into the night sky, the head like a deer’s skull. Bright red eyes opened in a squint, before it bit down on the deer’s lifeless form.

“No, he’ll think you’re an offering too if he meets your eyes, stop looking,” Suzanne’s voice echoed in Camus’s mind, even as she didn’t move at all, only watching Camus with wide, panicked eyes.

Galahad didn't respond, but Percival nodded. "I can concede to that logic."

"Yeah, I get it." Lance agreed.

"All that matters is that he didn't die for nothing, if you guys are still out there fighting." Serifna concluded, though it stung her Azorahn pride to not include herself in that fight.

"So, anyone else you're aware of at the moment?" Percival soon after asked.

"No, that's all I've got, but I figure it's a good start for you guys. The others probably know where others are, or at least might have some insight. And uh, if you see Gawain, let him know where we're hanging out so he can come visit, alright?" Lance gave a poorly-reassuring smile.

"I can do that, yeah." Percival nodded.

"Fuuuuck." Is all that echoed in Camus's mind as he closed his eyes, desperately hoping his curiosity wasn't about to get him sacrificed to some jacked demon thing.

Richard said "Well if it's only from the library, I'm afraid you haven't read...everything. That's fine though," He opened a hidden panel which there were strange books that were never in the library. Slowly Richard pulled out a few of them one by one and closed the panel up. "These books are kind of special." his voice softened as he said "I've been waiting for this day for a long time, Amelia. I am now passing down to you...a long tradition of the Elodus family. Each one of these books, are actually journals written by all of the previous rulers of this land, from my great grandfather King Richard Elodus the First and his wife Queen Lydia Elodus to my father and mother, King Richard Elodus the Third and Queen Maria Elodus."

He explained "My great grandfather was an adventurer, he had many journals of his journeys. The journal I present to you is his journal he started writing when he was in the land would one day become Elodus. He never stopped writing in it and the writing bug became infectious. My great grandmother started to write one, then my grandfather...and it sort just passed from generation to generation."

"Eric is already starting his own, and hopefully Kira will start hers when they are wed but that is up to her. She doesn't even know Eric has a journal. I have already started my own, and will pass it to you when my time on this earth ends." Richard stated "It's kept in the family, and Kira is not in the family yet."

Richard pointed to the last book. "You are though, so I pass this tradition to you. Read their stories from their views," he chuckled "When you have the time of course, that's a lot of reading even for you." a gently loving tease from a father to a daughter "And write your own story, your own legacy. One that will teach the future. This journal is the story of Amelia Elodus from her own mind and her own words, and it will only be for the eyes of the next generation of our family, the Elodus family and it's legacy."

Amelia looked over the journals quietly, intrigued. These were primary documents, hand written, from her heritage. And it had been sitting her under her nose this whole time. "I've been wanting new things to read," she said quietly, standing up as she walked to them. "But...there's only 5," she said, reading over the authors. "Queen Emily's isn't here," she said, looking up at her father.

"Well, with your mind reading and Mr. Firebrand over here, you two should get in fine, I think I'm the problem," Ryker said, only a little biter as he spoke on Percy's power.

Suzanne let out a breath as she sat up some, looking down at Camus. "I'm so sorry, I... nobody was supposed to be out here. Thomas was supposed to be watching the edge of the forest." She reached out as though to touch his face, but withdrew, her hand still shaking. He probably didn't want her touching him. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

Percival narrowed his eyes toward Ryker at that tone toward his own powers. "You know, this is why I didn't want you to know about my mind reading. You're acting just like everyone else." He spoke, though he knew as soon as he said it that this was him letting his frustration toward Lance not joining them slip out. "Hm, sorry, that was unjust of me to say."

"Yeah, but I don't quite get why you're acting scared of me teach." Camus smiled, trying to diffuse the situation by being himself, so he didn't potentially get murdered to keep her secret. "You're the one wearing nothing but blood right now. Speaking of, do you uh, need any help cleaning this up?" He asked, clearly a bit nervous but hiding decently well just how nervous he was.