"Boat approaching off port side!" called out a sailor.

Stryg leaned over the edge of the Dragon's Hoard to get a better look. It was dark, but his eyes easily caught Belle standing atop the bow of a small rowboat. She was channeling Blue and making the water propel the rowboat forward.

"Am I late?" Belle grinned up at them.

"Just on time," Stryg reached his hand down.

Belle tossed a leather sack over her shoulder, and kicked off, sending the front of the rowboat dipping dangerously close into the water. Belle soared several meters and caught Stryg's forearm. He clasped her forearm tightly and pulled her up in one smooth motion.

Belle landed with an even wider grin, "You're stronger than I last remember."

Stryg looked up at the giant of a vampire, or rather a titan, he supposed, and matched her grin with his own. "Getting worried about our rematch?"

"Never, cousin."

"Um, what is she doing here?" Kithina asked.

"Kitty…" Cal whispered.

Belle's smile fell. "Oh, I, uh, heard from Gale that Stryg was heading to Murkton. I wanted to help."

"Cal told me your mother ordered you to stay in Hollow Shade. By leaving the city, won't that cause agents of the Ebon Order to chase after us?" Kithina asked.

"I mean, maybe?" Belle winced.

"What happens if the Order does come after us? Will they attack us?" Nora asked, already moving to the railing of the ship to keep an eye out for anyone else on the massive river.

"No one is coming after us. The ships in the harbor are all still frozen. Even if they managed to break one out of the ice, they'd still need to thaw out a path out of the harbor," Gale said.

"There are other ships besides this one that weren't in port when the moon goddess froze the harbor," Freya pointed out.

"In that case, we should get moving," Stryg said.

"Aye, aye, m'lord," Freya gave a mock salute with a foolish grin and headed over to the ship captain.

"Good to see you, Sylvie," Kegrog nodded and followed after his partner.

"So, we're all okay with this?" Kithina gestured vaguely to Belle.

"The goddess of war will be at Murkton. I can somewhat shield us from Lunae giving us any trouble, but I can't do anything about Bellum. Her daughter can. Belle stays," Stryg said in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Fine." Kithina sighed and strode off towards the bow of the ship.

"I'm gonna go get settled in," Stryg muttered.

"As will I." Gale followed after him. Tauri wasn't far behind.

"Sorry about that," Callum said quietly.

"It's fine, Kitty makes a good point," Belle said, though the pain in her eyes betrayed her.

"For what it's worth, I am glad to have you with us," Callum said.

"Thanks, Cal," Belle said with genuine warmth in her voice.

"Okay, come along," Nora grabbed Callum by the arm and dragged him away.

"Huh, what are you—?"

"Shh, those two need to talk," Nora admonished Callum.

Belle could only watch them go, before resigning herself to her own awkward discussion. She walked over to where Kithina sat, her legs dangling between the boat's railing.

"Hi." Belle leaned over the railing, or at least tried to. The wood rails barely reached up to her thighs. If she wasn't careful, she could tip over and fall into the icy water.

Kithina's green eyes shifted for a brief moment before going back to staring at the water. "Most ships aren't designed for dwarves. This one is, the railings are just the right height. But I find myself still preferring to sit like this. It's odd, isn't it? Things change, but people usually don't."

"Sometimes they do." Belle thought of her mother and how she had changed after Caligo had murdered Belle's brothers and sisters. The mother she knew had disappeared that night and she never really came back.

"So, are you like, super old?" Kithina asked.

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"Huh?"

"You're some kind of goddess, right? That means you're immortal. So how old are you, really?"

Belle chuckled. "I'm more of a demi-goddess and I'm really just 22. A year older than most of you, but I'm not some ancient granny either."

"Huh," Kithina muttered, not even bothering to look up at her.

Sylvie's shoulders drooped. "Look, I'm not very good with talking to people or 'reading the room.' I didn't really get out a lot growing up. So uh, if you have a problem with me, please just tell me. I don't want us to fight."

Kithina sighed deeply. "...I don't have a problem with you, Sylvie. I think I did, for a long time. I was jealous, I guess."

"Of me? Why?"

Kithina gave her a dry look. "Really? You were one of, if not the most powerful mage in our academy. And if that wasn't enough, you weren't some bookworm who all she did was study, you hardly ever touched a book. No, you're a 2-meter-tall goddess who catches every eye in the room without even trying. You were perfect, you are perfect, I guess."

"Me?" Belle gaped, incredulous. "Are you kidding me? I ran away from home because I was never enough for my mother. She wanted me to be like my siblings, but I could never meet her expectations. My father never took my side either, he always deferred to 'o' great Bellum'. I was alone, Kitty. I couldn't take it anymore, so I ran. And then I met all of you guys and I thought, for once in my life, I had friends, people who didn't care that I wasn't perfect, that I just wasn't enough."

"I… I didn't know that." Kithina's lips curled wryly, "I guess having a goddess for a mom must be hard."

"Oh man, you have no idea. What are your parents like—?" Belle's face paled in horror, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Kithina's eyes grew distant. "My mom was one of the sweetest people you'd ever meet. She supported me through all my ups and downs. Dad was ecstatic when they discovered I was a mageborn. I ruined his whole office with an accidental wind spell, but he didn't care. He was so proud. I didn't want to disappoint either of them. So I tried to be the best student I could. Then I met Callum, Freya, and other nobles."

Kithina clasped her hands together in a shaky grip. "It was overwhelming. I thought to myself, 'What am I doing here?' I'm just a commoner rubbing shoulders with scions of ancient Houses, who, if they wanted to, could have my family killed with a snap of my fingers. Then there was Stryg. Here was a guy who was at the bottom of the barrel. A nobody, outcast, a goblin from Vulture Woods for crying out loud. I thought that if he could somehow make it here, then so could I."

"You thought he was a nobody?" Belle made a skeptical face.

"You didn't know him back then. First time I met him, he stumbled into class hungover, smelling worse than a drunk covered in vomit. Even worse, I had to sit next to him. But I was going to be a mage, I was going to make my parents proud, I was going to travel the world… So I ignored Stryg and swore to do my best."

Belle sat down next to Kitty, but her legs were too thick to fit through the rails, so she opted to cross them instead. "What happened next?" she asked eagerly.

"Professor Rime assigned us group projects for the year. I was put with the 'Callum Veres.' I was going to be in a group with an actual Veres. My family wouldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it."

"But weren't you already sitting next to one?"

Kithina blinked. "Huh?"

"Stryg is a Veres, too. Heir of House Veres, actually."

"Yeah, I guess he was, is," she corrected herself. "I never thought of it like that... Gods, it's still weird that Stryg is Lord Veres now. Anyway, through a lot of hardships and late nights studying together, we all became friends. Things were looking good. I thought we'd graduate and become heroes of the realm, like the stories they tell in taverns. Then Clypeus died… And nothing was ever the same. Stryg grew withdrawn, Callum wasn't much better. Then you showed up. And you…"

"I made things worse?" Belle grimaced.

"No, you… were just trying to make friends. I can't blame you for that, even if some part of me really wants to." Kithina ran her hands through her orange hair and sighed. "But you had secrets, you still have secrets. The kind that hurt Callum."

"I didn't mean to hurt him."

"Bullshit. Don't answer that. Just— look, I'm only here to help my friends and save lives."

"So am I."

"Are you? Because there is still so much we don't know about you. How do we know when things get hard, you won't just split and join up with your mother?"

Belle frowned. "I wouldn't do that."

"Like what happened in Undergrowth?"

Belle pulled back as if she had been struck.

"Yeah, I heard about that. You left, while everyone was fighting for their lives. You were part of the Ebon Order. Which means you had people in the city who could have helped, but none of you did anything. "

"I'm not with the Ebon Order, not right now at least. I'm here as your friend."

"We were never friends."

Belle swallowed the lump in her throat. "I thought we were."

"Well, we're not."

"Oh…"

Kithina sighed, "Sorry, I know that's rude to say. I just don't have it in me anymore to try and be polite about this. But I'm not here to antagonize you either. I'm willing to put aside my personal resentment for the sake of this quest. Nevertheless, the truth is that we really don't know anything about you. You're the outsider on this team, one who already failed us once back at Undergrowth. So forgive me if I trust you as far as I could throw you."

Kithina got up and walked away.

"You're right," Belle called out.

Kithina stopped and looked back, eyebrow cocked. "About what?"

"You don't know anything about me," Belle's voice trembled as she spoke. "But believe me when I say I know how you feel. I'm here for the same reasons you are."

"You know how I—?" Kithina scoffed. "Your parents are still alive. For fuck's sake, your mother is an immortal goddess. So don't tell me you know how I feel."

"Caligo murdered my sisters and brothers. I was only a kid. I hid behind the door and watched… I couldn't do anything. I was so scared. I just watched. Not a day goes by that I don't wish I had done something, anything." Belle took a shaky breath and tried her best not to tear up, "Sometimes I wonder if my mom wishes they were here instead of me. I was ashamed and I hated myself for not being enough… So I ran, and I kept running, but not anymore. I'm here to save the lives that I can, even if it's just a handful. You may not be my friend, Kithina, but I am yours. So I will fight for you and everyone else on this ship."

"Sylvie, I…" Kithina faltered.

Belle wiped at her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "You don't have to say anything. I know this doesn't change anything between us. I just wanted you to know that you're not alone. Excuse me." Belle bowed her head and quickly left.

Kithina watched Belle go, guilt swelling up in her chest. "Goddammit!" she groaned quietly.

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