On the boat to Biathia, Seren was seasick. Ironac let anyone out on deck, so Nurse Lida did what little she could to help; pulling back the edges of his highness's gloves, she sent delicate pulses of energy into his wrists, hoping to ease his discomfort. Packed in with the guards Irel and Steen, the conditions were rough for them in the cramped storage room. Meanwhile, the Count was enjoying the space and comfort of the cabin, as he ate and drank in peaceful solitude. He was dreading that he would have to forfeit this luxury on the return trip. But, in a few days' time all this tedious dead Prince business would be behind him, and he could reap the benefits of having a puppet in the palace. After a long, restful sleep, he found the boat had safely crossed the Prasiolite Sea and was ready to dock by the following evening.

The stowaways were successfully transported into the waiting carriage which raced on to Ironac's house in the Highlands. The Prince and his attendants were swiftly installed in their bedrooms, as if they had been there all along. The next morning all would be in their rightful places, and his highness could step out openly into the sunlight. Since the day Seren was abducted from the Drybrush Plains, he'd been locked away by the Count. It wasn't much different from life at the inn, when his father would confine him to the house. As short as his time had been, Seren longed for those happy days working out on Ruel Moss's farm, and wandering off to the Big Village when he felt like it. Wouldn't he just be kept in the palace after this? Whatever the consequences, he vowed to enjoy a taste of freedom in Biathia before he found himself trapped again. Waking in the early hours, Seren dressed himself, slipped on his gloves, and tip-toed out of the house to watch the sunrise.

The house was large, with six bedroom suites on the second floor and faded murals throughout the rooms. It reminded Seren of the castles his mother used to tell stories about when he was small. He managed to light his way around with the spark from his fingers, with Jerel having made significant adjustments to it, the mechanism Seren wore beneath his gloves was easier to control. For the first time in his life he was learning how to live as a noble. Down the wide, curved staircase, he found the kitchen and a back door that was only bolted shut and easy to open. The air was cool and the sky still dark, but it was warmer than the Cinder Vale, and Seren could just make out vast silhouettes that obscured the clouds above him. The house was the only building in view, but still he could not find the moon. From the faint glow of his fingers, he cast a glimmering reflection on a large still lake in the distance. He followed the shoreline through the trees, and eventually came to an old rundown cottage, the garden of which ran down to the edge of the lake. Further along he found a large rock on which to sit and wait for the coming dawn. He only wished he'd brought something to eat, as he basked in the tranquil air and listened to the gentle sound of insects rustling in the grass.

As the sun began to rise, Seren felt somewhat disappointed. He'd walked all the way to the opposite side of the lake and the sun was coming up behind him, the best view would certainly have been from the Count's house. Turning around on his rock, he craned his neck and watched as the surrounding mountains began to reveal their beauty, and everything was bathed in a soft, yellow light. He stayed there until the sun had completed its glorious entrance, then set off back towards the house, ready to try and calm the furore his absence must have caused. Walking again past the rundown cottage, he spotted an older noble man picking apples from his tree and placing them into a basket at his feet. "Can I buy an apple, sir?" Seren called. When the man caught sight of the boy, the apple he was holding fell from his hand and his face turned pale. "Are you alright?" asked Seren, "I was just taking a walk, I didn't mean to scare you."

The man seemed to regain his sense the more that the boy spoke. "I thought you were someone else for a second" he said, "where have you come from?" Seren considered how much he would be allowed to reveal and kept the truth simple. "I've come from Count Ironac's house" he told him. The man seemed shocked, shook it off, and spoke to him with disdain, "Ironac's house..." he spat, "It used to be the Vandacs' house." The man looked Seren over, "Before your time of course. And before your master took everything for himself..." Seren wasn't surprised, the Count was this kind of person after all. Looking back across the lake he saw the grand wheat-colored mansion on the shore. "I should be getting back" he told the man. The older man grunted and went back to picking his apples, cursing Ironac under his breath as the youth walked away.

As he returned to the grounds of Ironac's house, Seren found Lida kneeling beneath a tree. She got to her feet and solemnly hung her head before noticing his arrival. "Your highness!" she remarked in surprise, "What are you doing here? I thought you were still in bed." It seemed the journey had taken a lot out of the weary travelers, everyone had slept until late and hadn't realized Seren had left the house at all. "Nurse Lida, what were you doing?" he asked. Lida wiped her eyes and ushered Seren towards the house, "Let's get you breakfast, your highness. Today we return to the capital so you shouldn't eat too late. I'm worried you'll be unwell again." Since the Count had yet to make an appearance long after breakfast, Seren made the executive decision to go for another walk. This time he couldn't escape the company of Lida and the two guards, but at least he could see some more of Biathia. At first they'd tried to dissuade him entirely for fear of upsetting Count Ironac, but since they'd been told to treat this boy as his highness, they couldn't very well disobey the order of the Prince.

Jerel reminded them not to go too far, and that they should try to return by midday. This time, Seren marched off in the opposite direction to his morning jaunt to get a better look at the mountain. So this is where I was supposedly living these ten years. He thought to himself. How many years was the Prince here before something happened to him? As they walked around the shore, Seren found there were many questions he wanted to ask about the Prince but no-one willing to answer. He wished that Jerel had come with them so he could whisper in his ear, and break the royal pretense that the others were forced to follow. "Nurse Lida" said Seren, "where can I find the biathia lilies? I'd like to take some back to the city with me." Lida was walking behind his highness and looking out across the lake, she hurried a little closer to respond in the Prince's ear; "You have forgotten, your highness" she reminded, "it is not the season for biathia lilies. They bloom only in the spring." Seren wondered what Biathia would be like in the springtime, with the lake valley in blossom amidst the towering mountains of the highlands. "What a shame we shall miss them next year" he said, before continuing on with their walk.

Lida gave Seren more information about Biathia's geography and climate as he strolled along, enjoying the splendor of the scenery and only half-listening. Lida herself had really spent ten years here, isolated from her friends and family back in the Electrum City. The Count had even forbidden her from writing to them in case she let something slip about the situation, and the two guards had always scared and intimidated her. She had spent a decade of her youth trapped in this place, and as beautiful as it was, it was still just a prison to her. Even if she were forced to keep the secret of what happened, the guilt she felt towards the little Prince that died at sea was not enough to stop her longing for home. Lida felt she had atoned as much as she could. From now on, she would do her best to help raise this mysterious boy with the one noble eye, and give him all the care and protection that she failed to give the Prince.

After a brief exploration of the mountain paths that wound around the shimmering lake, Seren and the others headed back to the house to prepare for the voyage home. This time, the Tsar himself would be awaiting their arrival. As the carriage travelled to the dock, Seren was able to take in the view of the sea clearly for the first time. It was similar to the lake but it seemed to stretch on for miles with no land visible on the horizon. He thought those who first found this place must have been very brave, to cross the sea with no idea of what they would find at the other end. Seren's life had become a journey into the unknown. What awaited him across the sea was a mystery, he only hoped it would become a beautiful a discovery. Standing on the deck as the boat made its way through the waves, Seren realized he had a question that he was allowed ask as the Prince. "Nurse Lida" he began, "have you heard of the Vandacs?"

Nurse Lida thought it over for a moment but the name didn't sound familiar. "No, your highness. I can't say I have. Why does your highness ask?" Seren told her about his conversation with the old man at the lake. "I've seen him before... when I wandered too far from the house. But the guards would always bring me back before we had a chance to speak. As to the house's previous owners, when I first arrived at court his highness... your  highness was two years old. At that time everyone knew of Count Ironac of Biathia and the house he owned in the Highlands. I always thought it must have been passed down from his father. Your highness, perhaps it's better not to bring it up with the Count" Lida leaned in close and whispered, "If he knows people are talking about him... that old man you met might not be very safe." Seren nodded and returned to watching the waves. That night as he slept on the boat, Seren realized that Lida was kneeling by his side and wouldn't lie down to sleep. Every now and then he could sense her fingers checking for his breath as she fought to keep her eyes open. Even when Seren tried to reassure her that he didn't feel ill this time, Lida urged him to go back to sleep and remained at her post.

Ironac had commandeered the cabin of the ship's captain, and reluctantly made do with the inadequate conditions since the Prince was occupying the state room. The Count commended his own generosity, and went to sleep promising himself that this was the last time he'd find himself inconvenienced. As the boat neared the inlet to the capital, Count Ironac adjusted his graying hair in the looking glass and prepared himself for the incoming adulation of the Tsar. He considered what he should ask for in gratitude of his service, but chose to bide his time for now; once the other nobles were back in the city inspiration may strike him. Seren, likewise, was being made fit for his royal homecoming. Although swaying from tiredness, Lida was busy arranging the Prince's clothes and combing Seren's soft, golden hair.

"We're finally going home, your highness" she told him. Lida closed her eyes as she smoothed his hair, picturing the little boy she'd carried from the palace in her arms. Seren too, was reminded of his mother. He leaned into her affectionate hand and thought of Adalina. Just a little while longer, mother, he told himself, I'll find my way back to you.