Lyra tied off the thread and clipped the string to free it from the needle. She put the needle down and checked over the sewing job she had just finished. A little girl had been crying because her plush chocobo's wing had been torn and she offered to fix it for her. She smiled in satisfaction at her stitch job and handed the plush back to the little girl. "Sir Choco is feeling much better now."

The little girl gasped and happily took her stuffed animal back. It had been a gift from her late mother and was afraid she would have to get rid of it because of the torn wing. Now that it was fixed, she didn't have to get rid of it. "Thank you so much, Lady Edelweiss! I-I was really sad when I thought I would have to throw it away..."

"I am always happy to help," Lyra replied. "If you or another child needs anything, please come see me. I may be a healer, but I must say I am quite a seamstress. Toys, clothes...I can help with anything that requires thread and a needle."

The little girl nodded with a bright smile. "I will. Good day, my lady!"

Lyra waved farewell as the child ran out of the church. She gathered the sewing supplies so she could give it back to Quinten.

"Taking care of the kids, eh?" Cid asked as he entered the church.

"I'm only doing what I can," she replied. "It might not be much, but..."

"This village loves you because of everything you've done for them regardless of how big or how small," he said.

"But if I had been branded, I doubt they would feel the same. I hope one day, people will see past the mark that was forced upon Bearers and see who they truly are."

Before Cid could reply, Torgal ran into the church with a happy bark. Behind him was Clive. The canine dashed over to the golden-haired woman and she scratched the top of his head.

Cid saw the look on Clive's face. "Tell me that scowl means you've got good news."

Clive told them what he was able to learn from the villagers about the possible Dominant who was taken by Benedikta and the other royalists.

Cid mentally sorted through the information. "So...a shady lad with a hood, and his equally shady lass. Not much to go on, but..."

"But?" Clive parroted.

"I've been thinking. If our friend is a Dominant, why not just burn the royalists to a crisp? There's a reason he's holding back...and I reckon it has something to do with his partner."

"What makes you say that?" Clive asked, crossing his arms.

"One of the villagers I talked to said the two were separated. If the Waloeders have her, our Dominant's like to think twice before starting any fires. Whoever he is, he's shown himself to have a level head. He's careful, cunning, and he doesn't want to be found. This could spell trouble...for us and the royalists both. Still, it'll be a whole lot worse if we set off after them with bleary eyes and empty bellies. There should be some pallets waiting for us back at the inn. Shall we?"

"I'll skip the meal," Lyra said. "You two should eat, though."

"You should eat as well," Clive said, not knowing the truth.

"It seems you haven't told him everything," Cid said, looking at the woman.

"There may have been some small details I have yet to mention," she confessed.

Cid put a hand on the woman's back while looking at Clive. "Our lady of life here doesn't require sustenance. No food, no water...but she does require sleep."

Something seemed to click inside Clive's head. "That's why the Lord Commander mentioned how stubborn you were when it came to meals."

Lyra laughed as she recalled her father becoming frustrated when she wouldn't eat. "I drove him and my mother crazy more than once when it came to eating. I never truly appreciated a meal for many years until I understood what it meant to be a family. A meal isn't just where you sit down and eat. It's a moment to sit down with friends and family and enjoy their company."

"Are we not good enough company for you?" Cid asked with a minuscule smirk.

"Quite the opposite," she answered.

He slung an arm around her shoulder. "Then join us! Don't worry about having to eat. Just sit, talk, and look pretty."

Sighing, she gave in. "All right."

Returning to the Hanged Man, the trio sat down at one of the empty tables. Clive and Cid enjoyed a meal while Lyra examined her talismans. She spread them across the table to see if any of them needed to be replaced.

"I will never understand those talismans of yours," Cid commented. "They are an enigma, indeed. Just like you are, my lady."

Clive gazed at the talismans. They were simply plain pieces of paper with black symbols written on them. He first saw her use them twenty years ago, but he never understood how they worked. He had wanted to ask her for a long time and now was the perfect chance. "I have always wanted to know how they work."

"Symbols of the gods, heavenly scripture..." Cid said. "Call it whatever you want, but only she can read those bloody symbols."

"You're just grouchy that you couldn't understand them even after I attempted to teach you." She grabbed one of the talismans and slid it toward Clive. "The paper nor the ink is important. It's the symbols. On each paper, I have written symbols that spell out certain elements. For each element, I have two talismans."

Clive counted the talismans on the table. "Sixteen... You know how to wield all elements."

"I do, but..." She gathered her talismans and put them away. "It does not compare to the power of the Eikons. My power has diminished with each reincarnation, and I do not know if I can regain it. Nonetheless, I will do all in my power to be of use. If I become a burden to you or anyone else, I will bow out."

"Your magick may be diminished, but you do not realize just how powerful you are. I witnessed you take down a squadron of royalists, one of which was an assassin," Clive told her.

Cid could feel the chemistry between them and cleared his throat. "Try not to have a smooch fest in front of a lonely bachelor."

Lyra groaned and rolled her eyes. "If you're complaining, you must be done eating." She stood up and slid her talismans into her pocket. "Let's find Quinten and turn in for the night."

"Right away, my lady."

They left the Hanged Man and found Quinten at the counter of the inn. Cid strolled up to the innkeeper and said, "Now about those beds."

"Beds?" Quinten inquired. "I seem to recall your request being to "spend the night." And for that, the floor will more than suffice."

"Oh, Quinten..." Cid sighed. "At least give a bed to the lady. She deserves one, doesn't she?"

Lyra interrupted before the innkeeper could reply. "No need. I'll be fine."

"Suit yourself." Cid didn't argue and accepted her response. "My thanks, Quinten. Next time you're at the hideaway, our floor's all yours."

"No need for thanks, Cid. This isn't an act of charity," the innkeeper replied.

"You don't say," Cid sarcastically remarked.

"In exchange for my floor, I shall be requiring your services, gentlemen. The lady has already done enough. The royalists saw fit to erect a barricade across the road south when they occupied the village...and failed to remove it when they left. I expect it to be gone before you leave."

"As you wish."

They headed to where they would be spending the night, which was a small storage room. Fortunately, there were blankets inside, but there were only two of them. Cid grabbed one and tossed the other to Clive with a smirk. "Try not to make too much noise, you two."

Lyra sighed. "I'm tempted to feed you to the next monster we come across... Or perhaps even Torgal."

Not wanting to entertain Cid any longer, she sat down with her back leaning against the wall. Torgal curled up against her right side while Clive sat to her left. She glanced over at Cid to see he was already fast asleep on the floor. Looking away, she pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them. She buried her face into her knees with a heavy sigh.

"Are you all right?" Clive asked, concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine. Even after spending this past day with you, I still cannot believe you are here. I didn't expect Cid to bring you back from the Nysa Defile," she confessed. "It is...strange, but good. I'm unsure how to describe it precisely."

"A good strange," Clive said. "As long as my presence isn't unwanted."

"Far from it," she smiled. "I never got to say this earlier, but...I missed you, Clive. I don't know how many times in the last thirteen years was I tempted to infiltrate the Holy Capital to find you."

"I'm glad you didn't," he spoke honestly. "If you had been apprehended trying to save me, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Lyra lifted her head. She let go of her knees and tucked them to the side, making sure not to disturb Torgal. "I can't even imagine what you went through, but I'm glad you're here, Clive." She leaned her head against his shoulder. The cold, smooth metal of his armor pressed against her cheek. "I would pour more of my heart to you. Alas, that would take hours and we should get some rest. You and Cid have a romantic rendezvous with a barricade tomorrow."

Clive huffed out a faint chuckle. "It is good to hear you haven't changed."

"You mean my humorous remarks?"

"Yes. Besides your appearance, you are still the same girl from thirteen years ago. Even after learning who you truly are, it didn't change you. Thank you for remaining as you are, Lyra."

"You make it sound like you've changed dramatically when you haven't." She closed her eyes. "You're still the Clive Rosfield I grew up and fell in love with."

Her words brought him joy. He hadn't felt this happy since the night at Phoenix Gate thirteen years ago when he professed his love for her. He glanced over at her, unable to see her face as her head rested against his shoulder. Seeing how her breathing had slowed, he knew she was asleep. Gingerly, he took the large blanket and pulled it over both of them.

Slowly, Clive began to be drawn into the depths of sleep. By the time he was fast asleep, his head was resting against Lyra's. They were both peacefully sleeping the night away.

. · : · . ✧ • ✦ • ✧ . · : · .

Out of the four, Lyra and Torgal were the first to wake the next morning. They quietly left to keep from waking Cid and Clive. After seeing to the canine's needs, she took a small walk around Lostwing with him. During her stroll, an idea she wanted to share with the two men crossed her mind.

After an hour, Lyra sat on a crate and crossed her legs. Torgal laid next to the crate. It was only a few minutes after she sat down did Cid and Clive appear. "Good morning, you two."

Cid saw the scheming look in her eyes. "All right. Tell us. What's going through that head of yours now?"

"You make it sound like I hatch horrible schemes on a daily basis. Mind you, remember that time when—"

"All right, all right!" Cid interrupted her. "What's your plan?"

Lyra uncrossed her legs and hopped off the box. "Some minor reconnaissance. Though Gav already did a splendid job of locating the royalists at the caer, I think we could go a little further. I shall head to Caer Norvent while you and Clive deal with the barricade. With my shapeshifting ability, I could easily watch the royalists' movements. That way, we have a better understanding of their patrol paths and the layout of the caer."

"It's not a terrible idea, but..." Cid glanced over at Clive to see what he had to say.

"Knowing their movements and the layout of the caer would be valuable," Clive said. "But be careful, Lyra."

"And here I thought you were going to be against the idea..." Cid then patted the woman on the shoulder. "All right, then. We'll meet up with you later. For now, Clive and I have a barricade to dismantle."

"Until then," Lyra said. She petted the top of Torgal's head before departing from Lostwing. The moment she stepped out of the village, she morphed into a hawk and flew across the Norvent Valley.

Above the treeline, she could see royalists scattered about and patrolling the path leading to Caer Norvent. Knowing how strong Cid and Clive are, they would be easy obstacles to overcome.

The hawk soared to the caer located along the river. She landed on the ramparts above to watch the movements of the royalists outside for a few hours until she swapped forms and took the shape of a cat.

She slipped inside the caer and watched the men inside. To her surprise, she had yet to find Benedikta. Though it was easy for Dominants to recognize her, they couldn't when she was shapeshifted. A form like this allowed her to deceive her enemies, which is how she was able to survive on the run with Torgal for eleven years.

Lyra casually sauntered through the corridors of the caer, drawing little to no attention. A few of the royalists had noticed her, but none of them were suspicious of a cat wandering around. A few of them even petted her. She thought about locating the Dominant and his escort, but there was nothing she could do if she located them.

Until evening came, she busied herself with memorizing the movements and paths of the royalists and what parts of the caer she had access to. While doing so, she noticed just how few holes there were in their patrols. It would be difficult to move throughout the caer without altering a handful of royalists.

When it was time to leave, she slinked out the entrance and hopped onto the railing of the bridge. She meowed a few times, which drew the attention of the few royalists who were patrolling the bridge. Her form was lit up by their torches. Like earlier, all of them thought nothing of her and ignored her.

Wandering away from Caer Norvent, she found Cid and Clive hiding behind boulders. She trotted over, her emerald eyes reflecting the moonlight and making it seem like they were glowing. She hopped on the boulder and stared down at the men. "You both are just in time."

Clive and Cid looked up to see the feline.

"Ah," Cid grinned. "There you are. How went the excursion of the caer?"

"All went well. There are a few holes in their patrols, but I'm afraid it will be impossible to not cause a commotion."

"Excellent work, Lyra. Now all we have to do is wait."

She hopped off the boulder and landed in the grass in front of them. She followed them when they moved closer to the caer. Both men sat down, their backs pressed against the rock. Torgal remained close by while the cat watched the royalists patrolling the bridge.

Clive broke the silence. "So... Tell me about this Benedikta."

Cid rubbed his face as he replied, "The best and worst decision I ever made." He looked over at his companion. "Don't underestimate her, Clive. A fight with her Eikon is not one you're likely to walk away from."

"Garuda. Warden of the Wind," Clive said. His eyes drifted to the cat, whose plush tail was brushing through the grass. Thinking of the Eikons made his curious about what other powerful beings existed. "Lyra."

The feline turned, her mouth unmoving as she spoke. "Yes?"

"Are there other gods you can speak of?"

She sighed dejectedly. "I'm afraid not. Forgive me, Clive."

"No need," he replied kindly.

"The affairs of the gods are truly not for the ears of us mere mortals," Cid commented while watching the royalists.

"What I can share is this: I am only one of many who helped create this world, and I plan to ensure its survival," Lyra said.

Clive reached out and stroked the top of her head. "You are not alone. I will help in any way possible."

"We," Cid corrected him.

Lyra laughed at hearing Cid's sudden interjection. "Thank you. Perhaps the reason for my previous failures is because I tried to distance myself from people to avoid burdening them. If that is so, then I shall learn from that mistake."

"Good, because we're going to need your help." Cid then glanced at Clive after seeing the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the caer. "Grab the cat. We're going in."

The feline's ears twitched. "Excuse me?"

"We're infiltrating the caer via the sluice," Clive responded. "I must apologize in advance for any rough treatment, my lady."

Without warning, he scooped up the cat with a single arm and led Cid and Torgal to the old sluice underneath the caer.

|| Caer Norvent ||
|| Central Sanbreque ||

Inside the dungeon of Caer Norvent, the party crawled through a hole in the wall. Clive, being the man in front, checked the area for any royalists. There wasn't a soldier in sight. "All clear."

He, Torgal, and Cid jumped down. Lyra, who was still a cat, sat in the hole in the wall. Her fluffy tail twitched as she scanned the darkness. It wasn't until Cid reached out to her did her glowing eyes dart over to him. She swatted his hand with her paw and he withdrew it.

"All right. Message received. No touching," Cid said.

She jumped down into the shallow water below at the same time Clive used the blessing of the Phoenix to create a fireball that lit up their surroundings.

Cid stared in awe as the fireball floated in the air. "That's a nice trick. You'll have to teach me sometime."

"I'll go first." Lyra took the lead and led the party through the dungeons. She acted as their scout to see if there were enemies ahead. Fortunately, there was nobody in sight, not even in the cells they thought the royalists would be keeping the Bearers. Clive extinguished the fireball.

When they arrived at a gate, Lyra squeezed through one of the square gaps. She sat at the top of the stairs, staring at the men who were trapped on the other side. "Better get to work, gentlemen."

Cid smirked in amusement. "Cheeky." He then walked up to the gate as Clive started to lift it. "Need some help?"

"What do you think?" Clive remarked as he and Cid lifted the heavy gate.

Cid lifted with all his might. "That I'm doing most of the lifting..."

When the gate was open enough, Torgal ran through.

Working together, Clive and Cid were able to lift the gate high enough for both of them to pass under. They lowered the gate to ensure it didn't make too much noise to avoid announcing their presence. With everyone safely on the other side of the gate, they continued to the upper levels of the dungeon. They could hear the voices of the royalists in the distance. From the shouting, they knew the men were searching the caer for them.

"So much for this being a covert mission," Lyra commented as they reached a wooden door. She could hear the royalists on the other side. "It seems we've no choice but to fight."

"Then let's take them down," Clive said. He opened the door and alerted the royalists. They drew their weapons and charged at the group.

"Good news, lads," Cid sarcastically said as he drew his sword, slicing one of the soldiers who came at him.

Clive cut down an enemy. "Your search is over."

Lyra reverted back to being human and helped the others fight against the royalists. Her ice-infused talismans cut through a couple of the soldiers that tried to swing their weapons at her.

In no time, the room was cleared.

Clive peeked out the only other door in the room to find the courtyard outside swarming with royalists. He closed the door to prevent them from being seen. "This door only leads to more royalists. We'd better find another one."

"Take your pick," Cid commented.

Clive looked around and saw a window next to where Lyra was standing. "How about a window?"

The woman blinked owlishly as she watched him jump onto the stone windowsill. Although surprised, she didn't question him and followed behind him. Once he jumped from the window, she stepped up onto the windowsill and peered down. She saw him waiting for her to jump. Having full trust in him, she jumped down and he caught her with ease.

She smiled gratefully at him as he put her down. "What a gentleman."

"Bloody show-off," Cid scoffed as he jumped down with Torgal behind him.

They looked around the new area and found it littered with the corpses of imperial soldiers. They continued to come across the carcasses of imperial soldiers while walking along the ramparts. Along with the corpses, they found massive blood stains.

They soon encountered more royalists, but the four of them easily wiped them all out and added their bodies to the imperial soldiers' corpses. They soon came to a courtyard that seemed to be vacant, but a royal tognvaldr appeared before they could proceed through the gate. He recognized Cid, but he didn't stand a chance against them.

When they finished off the man, Lyra glanced at Cid. "Friend of yours?"

"Asking that after we killed him, eh?" Cid remarked. "Don't you think it's a little too late for that question?"

"Not at all."

The man huffed out a chuckle. "And this is why I enjoy your company so much. The gods have a sense of humor. Who knew?"

Proceeding through the metal gate, the party headed further up the ramparts of Caer Norvent. They found even more bodies of imperial soldiers and discovered royalists patrolling. Instead of attacking, they ran off to warn their other comrades.

The four chased after them, only to wind up being attacked by a large number of royalists just outside the chapel. There were many enemies, but they were able to wipe them out in a timely manner. All became silent with the royalists dead.

The paper talismans returned to Lyra's pocket as she gazed at the large door leading to the chapel. She heard Torgal growl next to her and she petted the top of his head. "I know," she whispered to him. "I sense her too."

The golden-haired woman turned to Cid and Clive. "Benedikta is here. We should prepare ourselves."

"That sixth sense of yours is a gift and a curse," Cid said. "If she's waiting, that must mean she lured us here."

"Should we search for an alternate route?" Clive asked.

"There isn't one," Cid answered. "Even if there was one, it would be impossible to avoid Benedikta entirely."

"Then through the chapel we go," Lyra said.