=== Vander & Mauvier === --- C --- [Mauvier] Hm-hm... [Vander] Mm-hmm... [Mauvier] Sir Vander, you are following me. Explain yourself. [Vander] You are a valiant guardsman, alert at all hours. The people could ask for no better protector. [Mauvier] Keeping an eye on me? [Vander] Oh, just the one. It's nothing personal. [Mauvier] Are you afraid I might switch allegiances again? [Vander] I wasn't saying that, no. [Vander] Alas, not everyone is convinced you are trustworthy as of yet. [Mauvier] Understandable... There is much for which I must atone. [Mauvier] I hope I might earn your trust, yet I understand your continued need for surveillance. [Vander] It's not really surveillance, per se. I'm just watching from afar. [Mauvier] I am working diligently...so I may be worthy of everyone's trust. [Vander] Working hard is all well and good, but trust is a precious commodity. Harder to earn than lose. [Mauvier] Trust is a precious commodity. So I am aware. [Mauvier] Vander hates me as well. Quite understandable, given my actions towards Queen Lumera. --- B --- [Vander] Back on guard duty today, I see. [Mauvier] I feel more at ease when I work. [Mauvier] Of course, I apologize that my patrol may make your continued surveillance more challenging. [Vander] Indeed. You are making my life quite difficult. [Mauvier] My apologies... [Vander] Hahaha, I was joking! Goodness, now. I'm just doing my job, watching you do yours. [Vander] You do as you like. I'm not about to be prescriptive with how you handle your duties. [Mauvier] ... [Mauvier] Sir Vander, what are your thoughts considering my past actions? [Vander] Well, which particular action concerns you? [Mauvier] I am sorry about Queen Lumera. I am especially sorry it took me so long to speak these words. [Vander] What matters is that we are allies. I have no intention of dwelling on the past. [Vander] Were Queen Lumera here, she'd accept you, Sir Mauvier. Therefore, I'll do so in her stead. [Mauvier] You do not hate me for what I have done? [Vander] Why would I do that? To what end? [Mauvier] ... [Vander] No point in going on with that attitude. [Vander] I've watched you long enough now to know that you're a good person at heart. [Vander] Keep in mind, your life will bring you plenty of opportunities to set things right. [Mauvier] Sir Vander... I appreciate your concern for me. And also your advice. --- A --- [Mauvier] I have a request of you, Sir Vander. [Vander] A request? How intriguing. Let's hear it. [Mauvier] ... [Mauvier] Would you tell me more of Queen Lumera? [Vander] Of Queen Lumera? [Mauvier] I wish to know as much as possible about the woman who died...because of me. [Vander] So be it, then. [Vander] However, I have so many memories of Queen Lumera that it's difficult to pick one to share. [Vander] Ahh... Yes, that's the one. [Vander] A piece of silverware─a fork, passed down the generations at Lythos Castle─was stolen. [Vander] A search for the thief revealed the fork was taken by a lady-in-waiting. [Vander] Before acting, I asked Queen Lumera, how to deal with the thief. She said to do nothing at all. [Mauvier] ... [Vander] I said if the thief were not made an example of, then the guards' reputation would be tarnished. [Vander] I was deeply troubled at the time. [Mauvier] And what happened? [Vander] The next morning, the fork had been returned to its proper place. [Vander] I never learned why she stole the fork, or what she hoped to do with it. [Vander] But Queen Lumera understood the situation and solved it without effort or intervention. [Mauvier] ... [Vander] That is the sort of person Queen Lumera was. Always kind. Always striving for peace. [Vander] She was a truly magnificent person, loved and respected by one and all. [Mauvier] If only I could have known then the powerful regret that I would know today... [Vander] You protect people from harm. You're carrying out her will, whether you intend to or not. [Mauvier] I am happy that you feel that way, but I cannot yet agree. [Mauvier] How different life might have been had I met someone like you much earlier... [Vander] It may be late, but we have met, and that means you're on the right path. [Mauvier] I fear that not everyone will accept who I am. [Mauvier] Yet I swear to earn their trust as I have earned yours. [Mauvier] It is my duty to do so. For the queen. --- S ---