Warren spent the next several hours at the practice range, slashing the straw dummies to ribbons. It was incredibly therapeutic in a way, watching them fall to pieces around him. It wasn’t until close to sundown that he realized he had company. When Warren went to grab his canteen from his pack, a woman dressed in a long black gown approached him. He nearly dropped the canteen in surprise, quickly standing up and bowing. The woman gave him a small smile.

“I did not mean to alarm you, Sir Warren,” she said gently. He met her gaze and assured her that there was no harm done.

“What can I do for you, Your Majesty?”

The queen smiled sadly. “I-I wished to speak with you about Prince Rei.” She twirled a lock of her flowing black hair around a finger, unable to look Warren in the eye.

Warren took a few deep breaths before he trusted himself to speak. “I-I heard what happened to him. I’m so sorry, Your Majesty. I wish I could’ve been there for him. I-”

He wiped his eyes, furious with himself for getting so emotional.

The queen dabbed at her eyes. “I thank you for being such a good friend to him all this time. And you should not worry; you can still help him. That is, if you’re willing…”

Warren’s anger was quickly replaced by curiosity. “What? What can I do? Would you like me to travel to Edrys and…” he looked away. “F-find him?”

The queen seemed close to tears but continued speaking calmly. “In a sense. There is something I would like you to do for Prince Rei, and it would involve going to Edrys.”

Warren raised an eyebrow. “No offense, Your Majesty, but you’re being pretty damn cryptic right now.”

The queen smiled slightly. “My apologies. This quest is a bit…strange and complicated. There are many things I can tell you, but I only wish to tell you more if you are willing to take this upon yourself.”

Warren was still hopelessly confused. “I have no idea what you mean by that, but if it’ll help Rei then I’ll do it. Whatever you need, Your Majesty. Especially after your husband decided I wasn’t good enough to join the funeral service’s defenses.”

The queen smiled sympathetically. “He wasn’t calling you inadequate, Sir Warren. It was simply a matter of your current state. It’s pretty obvious what Rei’s-” her voice cracked. “…passing has done to you.”

Warren crossed him arms. “And what about you? Your Majesty, he’s your son. And…” he gritted his teeth. “A-and your husband doesn’t even seem to care!”

The queen looked away. “I-I am sorry for my husband’s behavior. Understand that he is attempting to cope as best he can. That aside, however, I would like to tell you the details of this quest. Unless you would rather yell and scream some more.”

She didn’t seem bitter about Warren’s attitude, just sad. And that made him feel even worse.

“Sure. I mean- yes, Your Majesty. Tell me what I need to know.”

The queen took a deep breath and placed a hand on Warren’s shoulder.

“Okay. Sir Warren, I am asking you to journey to Edrys and return my son to Faylinn. Alive.”