Earlier that afternoon, Seren had been chopping firewood when Ruel Moss returned from his visit to Mr Tuft's trout farm. As he unloaded the donkey cart, Mr Moss told him about his strange encounter with the noble soldier. "He asked about an injured noble?" Seren questioned, "What did he look like? The man who asked, I mean..." That haunting gold spark appeared in his mind's eye. Ruel Moss thought back, "It was a young soldier, short hair, maybe your age? He smiled a lot... but they can't hide the evil in their eyes, you know? Dangerous." It didn't quite match with the man he'd met on the road, had word about him spread? If so, it could pose a problem for Ruel Moss. He decided to walk to the village to clear his head and think things through, "Mr Moss, we need a sharpening stone for the wood axe, I'll pick one up and be back before it gets dark." Ruel Moss waved him off as he admired the precious fish he'd bought, "Alright, but hurry back, Seren!" he'd called, "I'm starting to get hungry!"

As Seren walked west to the village, kicking stones on the path and running the wild grass through his fingers, a carriage arrived there from the east. The occupant was displeased, impatiently tapping the carriage roof with his cane, until his servant came to open the door for him. "We've finally arrived in the Plains, have we? We should have headed north in the first place, not east. We were on the road for home before we realized your mistake, Jerel!" Jerel bowed apologetically and stepped aside to allow his master to alight. Upon leaving the Skin & Chalice, Count Ironac had ridden to the nearest settlement and wasted time unsuccessfully intimidating a few commonfolk. Asking for the whereabouts of 'the innkeeper's son with the strange eyes' had not yielded much useful information, however, the Count had confirmed that the boy called himself 'Seren' and should be found wearing an eyepatch.

Jerel caught up with the Count by the time he'd reached the Base Stone, informing his master that he'd been unable to locate the boy at the so-called 'Big Village'. Ironac struggled to decide which route to follow so laid the burden on his servant. "Jerel, did he go to the capital or the north?" Jerel had learned not to take the bait, whatever opinion he gave plainly would often be thrown back in his face, it was better to make inferences over statements; "To the north lies the 'Road to Famine', he would have to be especially brave to take that path without a plan..." Count Ironac seemed satisfied with this assumption, "We will head east, then. If we cannot find him at least we can change to the larger carriage and continue our search in comfort."

The larger carriage failed to set out again for a few days, as the Count had some social engagements to attend to. He was still insistent that the Prince should not return to the capital until the royal guard returned in full from the frontline, and made use of their absence to enjoy what was left of being the city's most eligible bachelor. When the Tsar made mention again of how excited he was to see the Prince, Ironac was panicked into action, and this time headed north in the larger carriage. 

It was pure luck that the death of Count Mercurac had resulted in a temporary truce between the royals and the Northern Faction. Count Ironac could move with relative freedom, making an appearance in this commonfolk town without fear of reprisal from the watchful enemy. Stretching his legs, he looked around at the pitiful surroundings and glared viciously at the curious locals, all trying to sneak a peek at the mysterious newcomers and their luxurious vehicle. A small crowd had begun to form across the street from them, and as Seren approached it, he asked one of the villagers what was going on. "Nobles have come" he was told, "and they don't look like soldiers..." An ornately dressed noble of middle-age stood on the carriage's step to make an announcement to the gathered villagers, "I am looking for a commonfolk boy in an eyepatch, name of Seren."

Seren's first thought was how did those nobles learn my name? And then he realized, they had called him commonfolk. His curiosity grew as to who these men could be. Did mother send nobles to find me? As he weighed up whether to step forward and reveal himself or slip away back to the farm, the decision was made for him. "Here, sir! Is this the boy, sir?" For the commonfolk of the Plains, most had seen nobles up close in their lifetime, the business of war often bleeding out into the fringes of their society. The sentiment of the Plains people tended toward fear or worship of these fantastical beings, and unfortunately, the villager that noticed Seren was the latter. He was proudly pushed towards the two noble men and their stately carriage, and displayed to them with great enthusiasm.

The Count jumped down from the step and grabbed Seren's face with both hands. "What fortune I am having today!" he cried with a laugh. "Jerel! Look how great is your master!" Jerel acknowledged the Count's assertion with a nod, and noted how similar in appearance the boy was to his mother. "In the carriage with you, boy" Ironac told Seren. Standing with the strange noble, unaware of who he was or why he was looking for him, "I need to get home" was all that Seren could manage in response, "Mr Moss is cooking..." The Count ignored him and ushered him in to the carriage, a suppressive spark of noble energy coursed through his hand into the boy's back. "Yes, yes" he told Seren, "I'll drive you."

As the carriage drove away, an old merchant roughly shoved the 'helpful' villager for outing Seren to the Count. "Idiot child" he told him, "you wanted to help the nobles that badly? What thanks did you get? Pray to Lunis the boy survives!" The crowd dispersed with varying thoughts on what they'd seen; some were still marveling at the fancy carriage, some ran to tell their friends and neighbors, and some were grateful the nobles hadn't taken them instead. One villager in particular had a sobering realization as he walked away, 'That was the boy from Moss's farm!' and rushed off to tell the farmer the news.

At the farmhouse, Ruel Moss was removing the charred skin from his yellow trout, while the awkward noble visitor sat waiting for him at the kitchen table. Ruel Moss lit the lamp, served the food, and took a seat across from Captain Lutel, "I already told you, you're the only noble here. I don't know why you're waiting for Seren to come back, he's commonfolk like me. You don't believe me, is that it?" Lutel hungrily eyed the plates of fish and grains in front of him and hoped to prolong his visit just a little more, "I believe you, of course believe. But... my friend wants to know, to be sure. I..." the Captain took a deep breath and tried to choose words that didn't make him sound like he had just learned to talk, "I need to check the boy's identity, for my friend's sake." Lutel breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that he was starting to make some sense.

Captain Lutel was an attractive man, muscular and tanned from training outside throughout the year, his dark hair was kept short at the sides and the lengths on top were tied in a knot when riding or fighting. He was often praised for his intellect and ability, advancing through the ranks to become chief advisor to no less a person than Lord Rhenac. Such an esteemed and respected member of the Northern Faction was seeing out this bogus mission to the last, just so he could spend more time with the commonfolk farmer. At the very least, he wanted to make a good impression. "Mr Moss, I heard you had faced some trouble at your farm. The Tsarist nobles..." Ruel Moss interrupted him, "Nobles are nobles, all the same. It doesn't matter which side they're on." The Captain could clearly sense his resistance; "I suppose so" he said, "there are nobles on both sides that think themselves gods over the commonfolk... but, there are also those that believe in the divinity of all  beings. I certainly-" Ruel Moss stopped him. "My brother and his wife were killed, delivering food to the frontline. My niece was toyed with and abandoned. My farm was looted to the last crop. All the work of noble men.. tell me, which of them believed in the divinity of all beings?"

 The Captain hung his head in shame. Ruel Moss truly hated the nobles, but this one at least had some humility. He pushed the food towards him in recognition of his penitence. "Eat something. When Seren comes I trust you will leave quickly." Captain Lutel gladly helped himself to the food, eating beyond Ruel Moss's expectation and shocking him with how quickly the plate was cleared. "Thank you, Mr Moss" he said, "I was hungrier than I realized... you really, cook wonderfully... Ah! Let me give you some money for the meal." Lutel searched his pockets and found he'd brought no coins with him. "I... I will owe it to you!" he declared.

Ruel Moss filled another plate and gave it to the Captain, "You can owe it to Seren, it's his food you're eating." Lutel's eyes glittered strangely, "Is he a good friend, this Seren...?" Ruel Moss missed the subtext, "My niece's friend more than mine" he replied, "She sent him to help out while his mother recovers from an illness." The Captain smiled and leaned his elbows on the table, but before he could question Mr Moss about his own friends they were interrupted by a timely knock on the door.

"Mr Meadowsweet!" cried Ruel Moss, opening the door and stepping out to greet him, "Whatever brings you here?" The Captain was quick to stand, trying to catch a glimpse of the man that was visiting after dark. Mr Meadowsweet clapped his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Dear Mr Moss, was it 'Seren', his name? The boy with the eyepatch who's been helping out here?" Ruel Moss was surprised at just how popular the boy had become, "That's him. Why do you ask? Has something happened?!" Ruel Moss prepared himself to run out the house if he had to, but his friend simply patted his shoulder and explained the situation; "I was out this afternoon by chance on an errand for my sister..." sadly, Mr Meadowsweet's explanations were notoriously long. "Mr Wood's store was already closed so... Mr Moss, should we take a seat inside?" Ruel Moss had not forgotten the noble waiting in his house, and urged Mr Meadowsweet to hurry up and reach his point instead.

"Ah! Where was I..? Yes! So Mr Wood's store was closed and I was on my way to visit Mrs Aster, when a huge carriage of all things stopped across from her shop!" Mr Moss placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, "Mr Meadowsweet, please just tell me the part pertaining to Seren!", he implored. "Well, they took him!" he said. "Wait, who took him?" asked Mr Moss, trying to understand him. "The men in the carriage! Two nobles. They were looking for him by name!" The door to the house suddenly opened wide behind them; the large noble Captain giving Mr Meadowsweet a fright, "Who did you say was looking for this boy?" asked Captain Lutel. Ruel Moss turned his scowling face to the noble visitor, "Who else?!" he shouted, "Who else but nobles would kidnap someone off the street?!" The Captain racked his brain, and asked himself aloud, "Why would the soldiers take him..?"

Mr Meadowsweet could not refrain from speaking, even in the presence of such a fierce looking noble, "Oh but I don't think they were soldiers!" he said, "That's the thing, you see. The carriage was unlike any I'd seen before so of course I had to get a better look. And that was when I overheard them. They'd come from the east!" Captain Lutel was starting to suspect there might be something more to the boy at Ruel Moss's farm, and that it was worth informing Lord Rhenac of the unusual situation. But first he had to make sure that the friendly Mr Meadowsweet was a comfortable distance away from Ruel Moss, and sent him home accordingly. Before taking his leave, the Captain assured Mr Moss he would look into Seren's disappearance, and would be sure to call on him again. Left alone in the farmhouse, Ruel Moss bolted the door, and for the first time since Seren had come to stay, he found himself unable to sleep again.