The Flower touched by the Heavens

Arriving at the throne room, Lyrus saw The Exiled standing at the left while Silvia, Thenan, and Freid were talking to someone infront, a familiar old lady. "Edrana!" Lyrus exclaimed as he ran towards the old woman.

"Lyrus dear! How are you?" Edrana greeted the knight with a smile but Lyrus wasn't able to do the same as he started crying on the arms of the apothecary. It didn't matter if other people saw him. All he wanted to do was cry right at that very moment.

"There, there. It's fine. Everything will be fine." Edrana herself wiped the tears welling at the corners of her eyes as the young man continued to sob while hugging her.

After crying for what seemed like minutes, Lyrus hugged Edrana once more before fixing himself. Looking around, he saw Thenan, Silvia, and Freid smiling. The three for their part was just glad to see Lyrus finally release all the bottled up sorrow inside him.

"So…you're Edrana. The famous apothecary of Noir that I've never heard of." Deanor spoke as he neared towards the old lady.

"Yes. I'm Edrana and no need to introduce yourself, I know very well who you are." Edrana spoked as she turned to face Auria's father. Was it irritation that Lyrus felt in the apothecary's tone?

"You…You're—"

"You're not allowed to speak about that Deanor. I'm simply here for Auria." Edrana replied to a shocked Deanor. Does Edrana and Deanor know each other? Lyrus can't help but wonder.

"Lyrus, Edrana came back as soon as she heard about what happened to Auria. We were lucky that our letter reached her before she left the continent." Lyrus looked incredulously at Thenan. Why is the commander knight speaking like he knew Edrana for a long time when their memories were erased when the apothecary left Noir? Edrana gave a quick wink at Lyrus before returning her gaze to Deanor. It's Edrana alright. It's the kind old woman whose smile and helpful advice helped Lyrus through tough times.

"I gathered some mushrooms from the Woodland Beast and made it into a potion. But it can only do so much. Our hope lies with the Sky Marigold and the sorcerer who has it." Edrana proclaimed as she maintained eye contact with Deanor.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Deanor.

"How? It's the Sky Marigold, the flower touched by the heavens, the blossom made from the sky itself. It contains more power than any weapon in this continent. Besides, if it weren't that precious then why would you bother enticing that sorcerer to live in Threanas?" Edrana's calm and kind demeanor turned into one of frustration.

The Sky Marigold was another one of the widely spread legends in Elderone. It was said that the Light God in his desire to undo the damage cause by the Dark God on the world of man, imbued the first flower he saw when he descended to Elderone with light itself. The flower bloomed as blue and bright as the sky during the day and became filled with the stars themselves at night.

"Was that the very same sorcerer who put that accursed killing spell all over Threanas? The spell that would kill The Exiled the moment they set foot inside?" Marcus asked in a mocking tone. If there was a chance for The Exiled to reclaim their place then this is it and Marcus would not let it go.

With an expression like having eaten something bad, Deanor told everyone how Threanas came into possession of the Sky Marigold and the spell that protected it. He narrated how during his days as a knight he met a powerful wandering sorcerer. It was during a war with the North that he stumbled upon the practitioner of magic and saved the latter's life. The sorcerer pledged loyalty to him and even revealed that the former has the last Sky Marigold.

Knowing that the mage might come handy, Deanor offered the former to stay in Threanas. Later on, upon his coronation as the king, he asked the sorcerer to put up a spell that would instantly kill any members of The Exiled who sets foot in the kingdom after getting reports of increasing sightings of the group.

"Do you know how many people died that day the spell was casted? Do you know how many more died the following years as we try to come up with a way to overcome that accursed spell?" Marcus restrained himself from punching Deanor once again upon seeing Edrana. While he never knew her, he would never hurt anyone infront of a kind old lady.

"You didn't need to break the spell. You just need to stay away from the kingdom. Had you done that then no one would have died." Deanor retorted. Marcus simply turned his back and together with his followers walked out of the room.

"Lyrus! Go to this sorcerer, get the Sky Marigold and ask him to undo the spell he casted. Do that and we'll take care of Deanor for you." Marcus sardonically laughed as he and his subordinates left the throne room. He had heard enough. If it was The Exiled who secures the Sky Marigold then the house of Flaur and its people can assume once more their place in Threanas.

"Wait. Where does this sorcerer even live?" It was Silvia who spoke this time. The Sky Marigold brought hope to her that her bestfriend, Auria can be cured. To Silvia the news felt like learning that her arm can still grow back.

"I…I don't know."

"You don't know?" Silvia stood up. It was now her turn to get mad. The chambermaid stood from her seat and was about to approach Deanor but the former king cut her off with a raised hand.

"The sorcerer, Heronicus lives inside a tower. The tower itself changes location every now and then but the last time I visited him, it was located at the small forest near the city of Wendlin." Deanor then tossed something to Lyrus which the knight fortunately caught. It was a gold ring with greenish runes engraved on its surface.

"That ring will glow whenever the tower is near. Just chant 'Ont mepi' when it glows, and it will show you the way to Heronicus. Furthermore, if I remember correctly, the sorcerer frequently visits the library at Ybrali." Deanor finished as he turned his back towards Lyrus and the others.

"We're not done talking yet." Thenan called out to the banished king.

"I've told you everything I know about the sorcerer. I need to rest. Threanas' spell is taking its toll on me." With that, Thenan adjourned the meeting.

Lyrus lead Edrana towards Auria's room. On their way, he relayed everything that happened to him after Edrana left, how Auria became queen, and even the fact he earned the title of prince slayer. The old woman listened a great deal and smiled at times, putting Lyrus' heart at ease. It was good to have the apothecary back.

Edrana immediately made Auria drank the potion she made from the mushrooms of the Woodland Beast. Lyrus breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing the black veins on his beloved's face fading almost instantaneously. However, the apothecary's worried expression didn't change as she examined the sleeping queen.

"Lyrus dear…I'm sorry to say but right now, only the Sky Marigold can cure Auria. My potions and magic can only do so much. Right now, Auria's will…and her mother's love are the only things keeping the curse at bay. Auria can last one year at most but after that—" Lyrus put his hand on the old woman's shoulder and squeezed it.

"I will get the Sky Marigold, don't worry." Lyrus smiled meekly and Edrana returned the gesture.

"My..my…you really have grown a lot for the past two years." Edrana then hugged Lyrus who once more had started crying.

"There, there. You go and rest now. I'll be the one to tend to Auria. Oh, and don't worry, this old lady won't be going anywhere for a long awhile." The apothecary joked, making Lyrus chuckle a bit.

"Fine…by the way, how do you know Deanor?" Lyrus asked. The old lady's actions from earlier roused his curiosity.

"Well…me, Auria's mother, and Deanor go a long way back. And before you ask any further, I suggest that you sleep first. Those lines below your eyes are making you look older than me. My stories shall be told another time but not now." Edrana said as she made a shooing gesture at the knight who only sheepishly grinned before leaving.

The next few days had been busy ones for Lyrus. He needed to assemble a party to accompany him in his search for Heronicus. The group needed to be small as to avoid drawing attention but must be composed of people who can greatly help them get out of troublesome situations. Freid had volunteered to go and Lyrus was all too glad to have his bestfriend with him. He considered bringing Meiro but the young man was still inexperienced as a knight. In fact, Meiro sustained some serious wounds during Crusdea's raid. In the end, after three days of searching far and wide, Lyrus wasn't able to assemble a decent group.

"So it's just you and Freid?" Thenan massaged his temple as Lyrus relayed his dilemma. Looking for talented people is difficult when the whole kingdom is strengthening its defenses in preparation for Crusdea's next attack. Freid can only laugh in embarrassment while scratching his head.

Sighing, Thenan motioned to the castle guards to open the door to the throne room. In came two people, a woman appearing to be around the same age as Lyrus and Freid, and a middle-aged man. The woman wore a hooded robe over a quilted jacket with pauldrons while sporting a pair of leather gauntlets. She carried with her wooden staff. Her red hair and freckles glowed brightly against the sun. On the other hand, the man was also wearing a padded armor and leather gloves. What caught Lyrus' attention, however, was the various jars and vials hanging from the man's belt and the big scar on the latter's cheek.

"Lyrus, Freid, this is Leane Klaus, a former citizen of Adrana and this one is Roswell from…"

"Quirun. The poisons gave it away." Lyrus interrupted Thenan. He eyed the middle-aged man before him. Looking closely, it seemed that the scar indeed was from a stab wound while the latter's flat and crooked nose suggested that the same was broken in the past.

"Anyway, these two here will be joining you on your journey…and unlike the two of you, I've already made arrangements for provisions, armor, weapon, and whatnot. Karos will provide you an inventory." Thenan finished, clearly waiting for the two's reaction.

"Well…a pleasure to meet the two of you. I'm Freid Leif" Freid grinned widely as he offered a handshake to Roswell who only nodded in return. On the other hand, the knight bent his knee and kissed Leane's hand, to the shock of both Lyrus and Thenan.

"What? She's a lady. It's the proper greeting." Freid look flustered.

"I-it's…a pleasure to meet you. I'm Lyrus Arghant" Lyrus shook Leane's hand while he hesitated for a second before offering a handshake to Roswell. The man merely grunted then left.

"I'll be seeing the two of you in a matter of days then…especially you, Freid." Leane winked back at the knight, making the latter grinned widely like an idiot.

"I think I'm already starting to regret my choices." Thenan said as he put a hand to cover an embarrassed face. He then explained how he stumbled upon the two. Leane recently settled down in Noir and had asked to be taken in as one of the palace mages. The woman showed extraordinary talent in casting spells so Thenan asked her if she wants to join Lyrus' group. Roswell, on the other hand, was…a mercenary from Quirun hired by Threanas.

"You hired a mercenary? How much did you pay him?" Lyrus inquired. He honestly didn't know what to feel. After his run-in with Lophen he had become wary of anyone from the so-called Thieve's Paradise, Quirun.

"Five thousand gold coins." Lyrus' eyes widened at Thenan's statement.

The knight commander explained that Roswell was one of the famous mercenaries in Quirun. Considering that they don't what dangers await the party; the Midnight Council had decided to hire the man as the group's bodyguard. Lyrus, however, wasn't convinced. The last thing they needed in their journey to get the powerful Sky Marigold was a citizen of Quirun. However, there was no other way. The other kingdoms became reluctant to send aid upon learning that it was Crusdea that attacked Threanas. It only made Lyrus feel that a death sentence had been handed out not just to Auria but to the whole kingdom as well.

"So does this Roswell know what we'll be searching for?" Lyrus asked.

"Yes. Don't worry. He's a professional. He would never take more than what he asked for. He asked for five thousand gold coins and we gave him that." Thenan assured Lyrus.

Knowing that it's pointless to argue and deciding to trust the knight commander's decision, Lyrus and Freid took their leave. The two spent the remainder of the day preparing for their journey. Karos had generously provided their group with a wagon and a couple of armor and weapons. Freid's parents, on the other hand, arranged a couple of horses, and provisions for them. Castel meanwhile gave them a good supply of bread and cheese as additional supply. Lastly, Erne gave them some of his wares for them to sell. It was agreed upon by the Council that they would be masquerading themselves as traveling merchants so as not to draw attention.

It was already night when Lyrus got back at the castle. Entering Auria's room, he was surprised to see Edrana and Deanor talking. However, upon seeing him the banished king immediately excused himself and left. It looks like the old woman and Auria's father really did go way back.

"How's Auria?" Lyrus did not bother asking the apothecary what she and Deanor was talking about. It was none of his business and Auria's condition was more important.

"Still the same. I've been giving her potions and performing healing magic every now and then. But all it does is slow down the spread of the curse." Edrana sighed. The weariness in the apothecary's voice and the dark lines under her eyes indicate that the old woman had been working day and night. Lyrus may not know a lot about sylphs but he's sure that they too get exhausted.

"Don't worry dear. We sylphs don't die simply because of lack of sleep or exhaustion. We're as robust as elves and dwarves are." Edrana spoke, as if having read the knight's mind. Closing her eyes, the apothecary held Auria's hand and started chanting. As she did so, the old woman's hands glowed. This continued for a few minutes with Lyrus simply watching from a corner of the room.

Opening her eyes, Edrana motioned for the tray of food at the bedside table which Lyrus hurriedly gave to her. The knight saw how exhausted the old woman was and decided that the least he can do was to assist Edrana in any way possible. He watched as the apothecary ate, thinking how to begin what he wanted to say.

"You're leaving tomorrow, am I right?" Edrana asked, already finished with her food. Lyrus only nodded in reply.

"And you're scared?" Another nod.

The kind old woman stood up then hugged Lyrus. The knight felt crying once more, but he restrained himself. He had cried so much for the past few weeks, now was not the time to shed tears. He needed to be strong, not just for Auria but for everyone else.

"Everything will be fine. Just believe in yourself. You have us here in Noir cheering for you."

"Thanks. I-I'll be taking my leave now." Lyrus smiled. Edrana really knows what to say to calm his mind.

"Good. Now have a good night's rest. You have a big day tomorrow. Oh, and here's some potions, balms, and whatnot to help your party. Don't worry. I have lots of those." The apothecary thrusted the basket at Lyrus' chest. The knight graciously accepted the gift and thanked the old woman.

"Oh, and Lyrus? I suggest you tone down the use of Etrunr. That spell is no ordinary spell but an ancient one. Only a few can use it and for so many times only. It takes…a toll on the user's body so use it only in dire circumstances, ok?" Lyrus promised to heed the apothecary's advice.

However, while the words of the old woman were ominous, the knight, in his mind, had already decided to start practicing the use of the spell. It was the only thing that worked against the masked man and he swore to make his opponent pay the next time they met. The idea of taking revenge for Auria seemed to strengthen Lyrus' resolve and with his mind now at ease, the knight returned to his quarters, and slept. He dreamt about his battle with the four princes and then his fight with the masked man. However, unlike what happened in reality, Lyrus dreamt of winning against his foe, vanquishing the latter as he shouted 'Etrunr'.