[center][h2]Anne Mayer[/h2][h3]On the Road[/h3][/center]
Long journeys like this one weren't wholly unfamiliar to Anne, though she'd rarely ever taken so long to cover such a short distance. It left the Knight with all too much time to ponder, her mind swirling with old regrets and fresh pangs of anxiety. She still worried about what might happen to the village, and especially the young siblings, whom she'd promised to come and see again once her business in the capital was done. She kept glancing back down the road every few minutes, as though half-expecting to see a fresh column of smoke rising in the distance.

[i]...There are children in the capital, too, aren't there?[/i] Families, parents, people with loved ones they cherished more than their own lives. Back in Aventon Anne had arrived too late to make much of a difference, but this time, if she could only get there soon enough, she would protect everyone. That desire burned in her like a hidden flame, and for much of the time her eyes remained fixed on the path ahead, as though she could will the whole caravan to travel faster.

"I can go with you, since I have diplomatic training." When Remilia piped up, the Knight was the first to answer, having already considered the problem over the past few days. "I'm not sure the authorities will let us see the monarch directly, but if we lead with information about the attack on Aventon, they'll have to at least hear us out. A kingdom can't ignore raids from beyond its borders, especially not from a threat as big as the Heralds." 

More importantly, the destruction of the village was easy to verify: both the merchants and the mercenaries had seen the aftermath and could vouch for Anne's group if necessary. "First we show that our word is reliable, then we leverage interest in our exoticism. Build connections, and use it to gain access and support." With luck, they'd be able to secure aid for Aventon, as well as the cooperation of the local military in dealing with whatever threat Lavielle had warned them about.

[@Izurich]