"One of the Argent Curia's other duties include the securing and subsequent dismantling of unsanctioned magical ritual sites. Their activities often bring them to act in conjunction with local troops and sometimes even other branches of the faith's 'Investigative' knight orders. This has greatly increased their visibility and is a key reason why Templars are considered the church's protectors instead of the Temple Guard."

- Professor Aila Lutton, Arterian Academy Department of History, "Factions Of The Astralian Church"

The party came to a halt just before the checkpoint. Opposite them, on the Kingdom side of the border, a small contingent of disgruntled chevaliers and men-at-arms waited for them. Between them, a few nervous civilians transiting between the nations and a handful of confused but alarmed border guards.

Without Runebound, the group had ran into another problem. That of how to cross the Death Wall. Forced into taking the conventional border checkpoint, they had to prepare themselves for the inevitable encounter of Duke Belfort's troops. It didn't help that during their initial travel, they had more or less detailed parts of their journey to the Gratians, meaning that the chevaliers knew almost exactly when they would be travelling to and from the principality of Monte Del Trisse.

The only consolation they had was that after their meeting, either as a show of good faith or simply maintaining order. Princess Pyra and Annalise had assigned two of the undead knights to 'guide' them to the checkpoint. The undead warriors being the main source of worry for the border guards and for the maintaining of the current stalemate between the two sides.

Unfortunately for Sophie's party, they would have to end up on Gratian soil eventually, and she had no clue if Pyra's knights would operate even slightly beyond the border. Because of that calculus, it was now up to the Inquisitorial contingent of the party to negotiate safe passage for them all.

Sophie could already tell by how quickly they had devolved to gesturing towards her that the stain upon their honor from earlier in the week had not been forgiven. Though she was certain the current pretext for their trouble remained the unauthorized breaking through the Deathwall under the Gratian's nose. She only hoped that the templars that originally rode with them and separated to serve as diversions were alright. This damned trip is not worth dying for. At least the Gratians don't look like they're planning to hold the church responsible.

"Well isn't this delightful. It seems you have some fans of your own." Elaria teased, the bard fluttering her eyelids before miming the reactions of an adoring crowd.

"Hilarious." Lucinia dryly muttered beside them, the former princess nervously tapping her foot on the wagon floor, "Let's just pretend the armed knights aren't here to arrest us."

"No need to worry. They're here for me." Sophie stated.

"Oh yeah, I'm certain they would just let the rest of us go. As if we all didn't willingly participate in a deception against them." The Traxian drawled.

"Tah, no need to sound so pessimistic. Have some faith in the others." Elaria motioned towards the inquisitors.

"It's not them I'm worrying about." Lucinia rolled her eyes.

"Ah, the hothead captain. Could it be? You're learning to care about my sister's well-being?" Elaria feigned a gasp.

"Ugh, I'm worried about how her well-being will somehow affect my own in this case. If the chevaliers are out to nab her, why would they bother letting her associates go free?" Lucinia let out an exasperated sigh.

"Pah. They're a little rattled, but they have enough honor in that their issues are with Sophie, not us. I hope." Elaria chuckled.

"You hope." Lucinia scoffed.

"Guys, hey. Something's happening." Sophie interrupted them.

Ahead of them, the border guards hurriedly began ushering the few civilians left onto the left side of the checkpoint. A fully armored chevalier with the sigil of a stag turned his head menacingly at Sophie. Beside him, Philippe gestured for Sophie to approach.

"Good luck." Elaria beamed.

Both Sophie and Lucinia exchanged a glance. The Traxian remained unlikely to offer too much outward encouragement, but the glance was enough. A tiny hint of concern mixed with support. Another step of change in their ever evolving partnership.

Sophie hopped out of the wagon and began walking over, Raylani keeping the horses in check as she walked past, spooking the beasts. The dark elf shot her a knowing look. She would be ready, should more direct intervention become needed.

Mila moved to intercept her. The inquisitor climbed off her own mount and sprinted over to Sophie's side.

"What's happening?" Sophie asked.

Mila snickered, "About as expected. Gratians waiting for us to hand you over. Seems you made the good captain especially mad."

"Mmm." Sophie grunted.

"On our end, we're trying to emphasize that you are in fact, not just a visitor of the princess, but also now an agent of hers. This is important because if you're considered related to her court, under the terms of the current truce, you're supposed to be allowed to carry out your affairs outside the country unimpeded."

"Ah."

"Exactly. If they were to detain you or otherwise detain us, it would violate those terms, so to speak."

Mila gave her a reassuring pat on the back, though Sophie felt no less worried than before.

"So what should I do? I can hardly pretend that I'm a member of her court. I lack her seals and hells, I barely even know Gratian." Sophie whispered.

"That's not a problem. You just need to convince them that you are. Nothing more. After all, you wouldn't be lying. Pyra did tell us to go to the north for answers, and to grab something for us. That's a quest in my books."

"But we've no writ or proof. Just our word. And between you and me, I doubt they'll take me at my word anyways."

"True." Mila scowled before softening her expression, "But you're you. And the Sophie I know managed to wriggle herself out of tough spots before. You'll figure something out."

"Ugh."

"Hells, you even made it out of a tribunal in front of the Arterian Chamber of Justice."

"With a lot of help." Sophie reminded her.

"Right. From the church and some fellows that included a bard. Huh, would you look at that?" Mila titled her head towards Elaria, "A bard. And I suppose Philippe and myself could play the role of your church appointed advocate. All the factors of success." The inquisitor offered a friendly smile.

"That's it?" She let out a huff of dismay, "I doubt Ela could help me much here." Sophie exclaimed.

"It is if you aren't planning for us to fight our way out." Mila stated more seriously, the smile quickly morphing back to her usual scowl, "Cause we sure aren't outrunning them with the wagon in tow. And we won't have enough transport without it. So…"

"I get it. I get it." She sighed.

With the parameters of her new mission established, Sophie pondered how to best deal with the Gratians. Going with Mila's plan was the most reasonable solution. The Gratians appeared to be a more or less honorable folk. Therefore, if her information was correct, then they would most likely honor their agreement with the princess. However, the lack of documents and other evidence to support their claim might work heavily against them. In that the Gratians won't take the perceived deception lightly.

On the other hand, she could also try to negotiate their way out. They weren't unreasonable people, save for the captain. Though with what leverage was a different question entirely.

Finally, a straightforward fight wasn't out of the question either. The Gratians had dueled her before, even if the situation had been less than ideal. Given how aggressive the captain had been, she wondered if she could goad him into another duel, a proper one, this time around. A part of her also wanted another chance to cross swords, now that she was more cognisant of the world around her.

Drawing closer to them, she found the border guards staring warily towards her and Mila. None of them looked particularly aggressive. Most even seemed reluctant to get involved, likely this confrontation coming as a surprise even to them. It was then that she came to a realization. The guards were surprised. Which likely meant that they probably didn't get orders to arrest her party or even detain them.

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Could this be a local level order then? She mused, we could try and bluff them. Ah! That's right, the diplomatic parties were there. Mila said they didn't discuss much of value but we could use their presence to reinforce ours.

"... il faut encore poser des questions." One of the chevaliers barked.

"Et c'est possible! Ce n'est pas un problème. Mais vous le ferez ici." Philippe calmly replied.

"Hoh, l'église protège un criminel?"

"Un criminel? Non. Elle est une aventurière." Philippe answered, "Ah, look. If you have questions, here she comes." He nodded towards her.

"Inquisitor Roche." Sophie acknowledged him.

"Capitaine! La fille." The chevalier called out.

The imposing figure of the senior chevalier slowly made his way over, the heavy thump of his horse's hooves marked each step of his approach. He came to a halt near his compatriot, his mounted form casting a long shadow that reached Sophie's boots as he towered over them.

"Merci." He let out a soft murmur towards his subordinate.

Sophie just sighed and steeled her nerves, raising her head upwards and meeting the captain's gaze. Great, he seems pissed as hells already. Philippe shot her an apologetic look, the inquisitor likely understanding the problem that he'd now transferred over to her. At least he's trying.

"Miss Kastiane." Captain Fontaine addressed her.

"Captain." Sophie tried to match his tone.

The two of them descended into silence. Neither of them were willing to be the first to make their positions known. Both looking to see what advantage they could gain over the other. Though in Sophie's case, it was mostly down to not being certain what road she should take in arguing for her freedom.

"Well?" Mila interrupted the silent standoff, "If there isn't anything pressing, honored captain. Then my compatriots and myself will be on our way."

"Mila…" Philippe hissed.

"What? We have a schedule to follow. And I have a boat to catch." Mila emphasized the last factoid, "As do they. So the sooner this is resolved, the better."

Philippe quickly moved to hush his colleague, earning him a deepening scowl from Mila. Though the girl didn't move to rebuke or combat him. Sophie meanwhile, finally relented, seeing that the captain was unfazed by the inquisitor's words.

"Captain Fontaine, how can we help you?" Sophie asked.

"Miss Kastiane." The man clicked his tongue as if her name itself disgusted him, "You are wanted for questioning on the issues of disrupting the peace, the defiance of official orders, and the illegal breaching of the royal Gratian cordon without obtaining official permits."

"Hmm." Sophie grunted.

"You have been reported stirring up trouble near a military encampment. Avoiding the official commands of chivalric knights tasked with guarding the Gratian border. Then the subsequent breaching of the forbidden zone using unknown and potentially hostile magic." He stated, "What do you say to these accusations?"

Sophie sucked in a breath and pondered her response.

"Well? Pourquoi êtes-vous silencieux? Why do you remain silent?" He snarled.

"Easy. I'm just thinking on how to address you, honored ser." She mockingly performed a courtly bow.

He bristled but did not rise to the provocation.

"Look, we've already solved our problems back near your camp, haven't we? And look around, no lasting impacts from the magicks that we used and, we plan on coming through an official checkpoint too as recompense." Sophie began.

"Et vos autres camarades? Your other comrades? The other party?"

"Runebound?"

"Oui. Them."

"They were under Princess Anna's direct employ and have been released from service. They are now free agents of the adventurers guild and have gone their own way." She answered honestly.

"Huh." He huffed, his shoulder plates clanking with every movement, "Et vous? You? What did you do in Monte Del Trisse?"

He pushed his horse forward, the chevalier now completely taking up her entire field of view.

"Like we told you before. We were meeting with the princess to discuss our own matters. All of it is resolved and now we proceed forward back to Arteria."

"And what business did you conduct?"

"That is a personal affair. Hardly relevant considering that it is now done and that it had no impact whatsoever on your duties, has it?"

"En cet moment? Non. But it is relevant. What if you are agents of our enemy? What if you now plot for the downfall of the rightful king?"

Well, being the princess's agents might just make him angrier, so I suppose that's out of the question.

"That is just baseless speculation. Unless you're saying we've actively acted in opposition to the Kingdom. To which I'd say that we don't plan to, nor have we done so before."

The chevalier almost chortled, "Oh? Vrai? What about you rousing a rabble? Starting an argument and duel?"

Sophie shuddered from the unpleasant memory of her overly intoxicated night. Her stomach coiled itself into a knot for a moment or two, the reminder of the taste of her bile bringing back the pained aftermath in the days afterward.

"A duel, captain. That I believe you won. Against a drunken and humiliated girl." Sophie growled.

A few quiet whispers echoed on the sidelines.

"And yet it does not negate the trouble you caused beforehand." He glowered, ignoring the rabble now watching them.

"Look. We can go back and forth on that matter for a while. But you can also say that nothing ultimately came from it, can you? I might have yelled or 'roused' the rabble so to speak. But all is peaceful, the world remains normal, does it not?"

The warrior narrowed his eyes but did not respond, clearly expecting something more from her. Mildly infuriated yet also buoyed with a newfound confidence from the presence of her allies, Sophie decided to press forth her other argument.

"Besides, from the reaction of the soldiers here, you didn't come here with anything beyond orders to stop us, did you?" She prodded.

"What? What do you mean?" Captain Fontaine queried, a mild hint of annoyed confusion in his voice.

An unexpected success, however temporary it might be. Going with the newly acquired momentum, Sophie continued.

"Is there a warrant or order actually issued for myself or my compatriots? Or is this just vendetta?"

Evidently, she struck a nerve. Within seconds, the chevalier hopped off his mount and landed with a heavy thud, almost immediately squaring up to her. The warrior stopped just shy of combat range. Though that didn't stop Sophie from instinctively reaching downwards, her hand hovering on the hilt of the blade, just in case.

"Pardon? You are asserting that we are out only because of a personal grievance?" He sneered before overtly pointing at her hand, "Afraid?"

Sophie paused then gazed at the crowd around them.

The guards, the other knights, even the civilians were too curious or alarmed to look away, most who had even unknowingly stopped what they were doing to observe what could be a moment in Gratian history, should it escalate. They had an audience. And this time, it wasn't just those affiliated with the captain's troop or the kingdom. But merchants, travellers and those with enough connections or capital to be allowed to transit between the two states from both sides.

Whether knowingly or not, she had just stumbled upon the perfect net to cast. One that would abuse the honor of the Gratians and force him to act or retreat. She almost chuckled at how everything seemed to come together.

"Yeah. I am questioning your motives. Do you have just cause authorized by a higher power to detain us?" Sophie shot back.

Captain Fontaine's face twisted in disgust, offended by the very implication of her words.

"Of course! By the authority of Duke Belfort, we were sent to apprehend those who caused trouble pour la militaire." He snickered before savoring the moment and raising a gauntleted fist, "En particulierment, you."

The chevalier paced back and forth, like a hunter admiring his trophy. There was a level of hesitation that Sophie felt within her at how almost confident he was. To her, the chevalier seemed completely certain of his convictions and Sophie wondered if she was truly in the wrong. But the doubt was fleeting at most. For her own needs were far greater than the uncertainty. She wanted to go home. To be wrapped in Ary's arms.

"Fair. But does the Duke hold authority over Princess Montroi's agents?" Sophie tried one last diplomatic approach, "For we have our own agreements and assignments to carry out by Princess Anna's command."

"Hoh? And I asked you before, and I will ask again," He bellowed loudly, making sure that the crowd could latch onto his every word, "Do you have proof? Papers? Permits? Parchments? Où une lettre?"

A few mumbled words of agreement bubbled up. The crowd now aware of the theatrics being thrown around. Sophie waited for the grumbling to die down before responding with her own condemnation.

"And you? You who so revere the order of your royal family, would so openly oppose Princess Montroi on behalf of a duke? You would say that his word is more important than that of a ruler? Of a member of the royal family? What would the king and queen think of this? What would the ambassadors who are trying so hard to negotiate an extension for the truce?" Sophie proclaimed, now fully aware of the crowd's eager eyes and forcing herself to play into their curiosity.

Seeing that he didn't immediately respond, Sophie grinned. She knew he was suddenly calculating the extent of her influence, trying to analyze if she were lying or honest. For she knew that they placed great importance to their hierarchy, one that she saw first hand by how casually Annalise wielded power over the ambassadors. For the Gratians were like members of the Rosengart Estate. She was a powerless maid, subject to the whimsy of the head maid and her cruelties, power enabled by the apathy of Duke Rosengart. In turn, she needed to appeal to a higher power, Eva or Frederick, those whose names carried the weight of influence or simply higher status. Ones to give the head maid pause, at the very least.

"You would claim that my drunken escapade, however embarrassing it was for me, is worth jeopardizing this hard earned truce? You would see your people descend into chaos once more?" She deliberately goaded him, quickly earning his ire as the chevalier glared at her.

But as the nervous mumbling of the crowd grew at her words, Sophie smirked. She now held the advantage and it felt good. One last part to present, a carrot to the threat of the stick. Something that she suspected they both wanted. Before Captain Fontaine could retort, she continued and presented him with an offer she knew he would take.

"So why don't we solve this the most honorable way that we can? With a duel. Not one done by midnight against a girl who had enough drink to fill a washbasin, no. But by two warriors, right and proper." She declared, raising her voice.

By the way a dangerous glint flashed across his eyes, she suspected he might've taken the bait a little too eagerly. Goddess guide my hand.

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