She almost ate Thalia's pig.
If anyone in the party were asked about Thalia, they would succinctly classify her as a calm and collected person.
But she had tried to eat her pig.
"She didn't know Sir Oinks-a-Lot was your pet," Selene said, playing devil's advocate. "Or even what a pet was conceptually until an hour ago."
Thalia stared at her.
"She still tried to eat my pig."
She pouted as she squeezed Sir Oinks-a-Lot closer.
The pig nestled into her arm, perfectly content after devouring the fancy apple tray that had been meant for guests with significantly better manners.
Selene, Liora, and Thalia had all sat down in the garden area.
The duke and duchess, despite their hospitality, were aware of the tournament and the quests the party still needed to complete.
The Kaelen situation had interrupted them, and they still needed to finish six quests.
The time they had spent here left them with only a month and a week to do them.
So today was their last day before they traveled back to Lushfort.
What made things stranger was the fact that they had lost one companion and gained two.
One was a level thirty werewolf, of all things.
The other was a level six warlock who did not even have a name yet.
"How are we going to fit everyone?" Liora asked as she sipped her tea and grabbed another sugar cube. "Don't get me wrong, the fact that we can drive instead of walk is one of the biggest benefits we get as a party, especially considering our rank."
She dropped the sugar into her tea.
"But it was already cramped with Kaelen. How are we supposed to fit the fox and Victor? Plus, his crystal legs weigh a ridiculous amount, so that's even more strain."
"W-Well," Selene said, nibbling on a small cookie, "then we may need to get an upgrade for the trailer. B-But the duke said they would send some money with us, and I think it may be a good investment."
"It makes sense," Thalia said slowly. "But it feels…"
She paused, trying to find the right words for the strange mess of emotions swirling in her head.
"It feels?"
"Fast?" Liora offered, sipping her tea again, seemingly satisfied with the amount of sugar inside it.
Thalia nodded.
Selene leaned forward.
"I think that's why everyone is staying busy," Selene said. "On a rational level, we all know Kaelen died, and we all know he had no qualms about trying to screw us over, even at the very end."
Her voice softened.
"That doesn't mean the irrational parts of us can just let it go. We traveled together for almost a month. We shared meals, danger, and more."
Selene looked down at her cup.
"It's why some people don't do this line of work. Not because of the danger, but because people you form bonds with die. Often right in front of your eyes."
Liora and Thalia stared at Selene for a moment.
Then Thalia silently nodded.
She was right.
Kaelen had died.
No matter what he had done toward the end, that was not something they could simply gloss over.
Because just as much as they could glare at the things he had done in his last few days, and the things he had said, and see him as someone who had never cared about them, doing that would also mean ignoring the man who had sat with them around the campfire.
The man who had healed their wounds.
The man who had made sure everyone was doing okay at the end of the day.
They all sat in silence for a moment.
Then the soft tapping of shoes on cobblestone reached their ears.
They turned to see the duchess.
She gave them a polite smile, though her expression was somber.
"Your friends are gathered by the gate," she said. "I believe it is time for you all to get back on the road."
They took a moment before getting to their feet.
All three bowed.
The duchess walked over to Selene first and, to Thalia's surprise, gave her a soft hug.
Selene seemed hesitant to hug back until the duchess whispered something to her.
Then the duchess turned to Liora and gave her a hug as well.
That one seemed more aggressive than Selene's.
Lastly, she turned to Thalia.
The duchess kneeled down and wrapped her arms around her.
"Thank you for taking care of my son," she whispered into Thalia's ear.
Then she stood and silently walked away, heading back into the house.
They stared after her.
After a moment, Liora said, "Soooooo, we are totally coming back here to visit at some point, right?"
"Oh, unquestionably," Thalia said. "It is a required stop if we are ever in Misagen."
Sir Oinks-a-Lot gave a small snort of agreement.
They began making their way toward the gate, where Aiden, Jax, the duke, Victor, and the new fox girl all stood.
The fox girl was hiding behind Jax, giving Victor wary glances as she noticed them approaching.
The duke waved and gave them a grin.
"Looks like your stay at our humble estate has come to an end," he said. "Thank you for your assistance concerning my son."
The duke opened the gate.
Thalia turned back and saw Kaelen's siblings waving.
She and the others waved back before departing.
The walk down the cobblestones was oddly cold.
The warmth that had welcomed them on their arrival at the duke's house was no longer there.
They all walked in silence.
Thalia held Sir Oinks-a-Lot close to her chest while Jax and the fox girl spoke in their strange language.
Aiden had said it was called Natural, and that only certain fullbloods spoke it.
However, Aiden had been oddly cagey about the details, saying Jax wanted to explain it himself when he was ready.
So, for now, that was all they needed to understand.
It was all so fast.
What had happened to them just going on quests with the goal of competing to show off for the guilds?
All of this because Kaelen had kept a secret so large that it caused enough chaos to almost get all of them killed.
As Thalia thought about it, she could practically feel the pressure on her chest and neck.
The weight of her own sins.
The silent number etched into her mind as they made their way to the teleport gate.
The sound of rocks shifting.
The moment they all walked onto the pad to begin the teleport.
The sound of sobs.
The final kneeling prayer of her grandfather.
He and six hundred thirteen other dwarves had been killed because Thalia had not told them to wait.
Kaelen did not even have blood on his hands, and he had almost gotten them all killed.
Thalia did not want to keep this secret forever.
Especially if it would only become more dangerous the longer it waited.
However, as they arrived and stepped out, walking away from the sprawling trees of Misagen and back into the hills of Alucan, Thalia stayed silent.
Because as much as she knew the sooner they knew, the better, she was not ready yet.
When will you be ready?
The question rose from somewhere in her mind as they walked.
Thalia had only one answer.
Only time will tell.