All Hell Breaks Loose

"You expect me to believe a man I found here who has spent his life as the emperor's dog?" said Lyle with a frown. "You are telling me no one else remembers the previous princess?"

"I know how it sounds and that there is no way to prove it. However, I told you about her before I knew you were her son!"

"My face is well-known throughout Ilios, so I would imagine you've seen it somewhere," said Lyle as the wind gathered in his hand. "Tell me the truth, old man, or you will die."

"Kill me, but I would never deny her life," said the old man with a resolve that made Lyle hesitate. "I promised to remember her, even if the world forgets."

"If so, you would have kept the secret instead of revealing it to her child. What use would this bring me other than confusion about my purpose?"