Fanilly's preparations had wound down, by this point. The last matter on her list had been simply to take a long, relaxing bath, and attempt to clear her mind as best she could. However, it wasn't a particularly easy task and there was no way around that matter, even as her maids helped to scrub her clean. For that matter, each of them could tell there was something wrong. Alaree attempted to speak up about it, saying that "Whatever happened, I'm sure it'll be fine!"

Viora hushed her quickly after that, noting it clearly wasn't helping, and the maids quietly proceeded with helping her bath before finally dressing her in her nightclothes, a loose-fitting and lightly frilled gown. With concerned looks that they simply couldn't hide, the maids eventually proceeded out of the room. After a few moments, Fanilly simply sat at her desk and sighed, leaning heavily on her hands. That entire fort of loyal Thaln soldiers, massacred by a subversive group tied to the rebellion of five years ago, and an ancient evil artifact lost. They hadn't been able to recover it, and their only lead was a skeleton with some evidence of Necromancy performed upon it.

Fanilly felt like she had failed. It was a possibility that weighed on her mind nearly constantly, and now she felt it absolutely had occurred. Would she fail the innocent people being slaughtered by an evil cult, now, as well? She couldn't. She couldn't let herself. But what if that didn't matter? What if she let more people die anyway?

It was around then that the door opened. Fanilly got to her feet quickly. It was Lilianna, who had wanted to talk with her... and... her daughter? Fanilly hadn't expected that, and then when the little girl hugged her and said good night, well... it was hard to stay totally upset with that in mind. Smiling slightly, Fanilly petted the tiny girl's white hair, before looking back up. "It' nice to see you, Vivien. Have you been a good girl?"

The young blonde girl paused for a moment.

"... It's... just..." Fanilly hesitated for a moment. "... So many things went wrong. We may have helped ensure Lady Cal's safety, but..."

She took a deep breath, and shook her head. Fanilly... she'd have to try. She'd have to make up for it. For the sake of Thaln's people. "... I... can't let those things happen again."

[hr]

They had set out early in the morning, the goal being to make it to the border as quickly as possible.

The prisoner, the bandit girl they had taken after she was injured, was no-where to be seen. How had she managed to escape? She'd been there when they arrived in Aimlenn, and suddenly she was gone. How? Fanilly couldn't understand, and had one of the knights inform the local guard to be on the lookout. Frankly, the girl seemed relatively harmless as bandits went, she'd completely balked and bloodshed and been more concerned about being safe then achieving anything of particular malevolence. But she was still fleeing from the law.

It had taken some time to begin to approach the border, a little over a week. It simply wasn't possible to move with more speed. This particular area of this region was relatively sparsely forested, the landscape dotted with outcroppings of trees.

They were nearly there, of that much Fanilly was certain, astride her horse ahead of the rest of her knights. It liked wouldn't be more then a matter of moments before the allied encampment came into view.

There, Fanilly planned to discuss the plan in detail. Regardless of what the outcome was, this cult had to be destroyed.