Since news had reached Lord Rhenac that the pretty noble boy he met on the road might have been snatched away by Tsarist nobles, he had been pushing General Alac to bring forward the peace talks with the Empire. The cities of Electrum, Stelion and Abunrom had been under the control of the Electrum Tsar for centuries, but Silverwood, seat of the Northern Faction, was still the largest city on the continent and fiercely independent. Smaller communities in the north saw Silverwood as the true capital, and willingly joined the faction under the protection of Count Mercurac. Twenty years had passed since the royal army attempted to take the north by force, but after a brief campaign were beaten back to Electrum. The Northern Faction were prepared to overlook the Tsar's lapse in judgement but a period of peace was cut short when the royalists recouped and doubled their efforts. From that time on, Mercurac was no longer satisfied with just maintaining the defense of his people, and for two decades the Count and the Tsar had been fighting for absolute power.

While the Northern Faction was rich in mineral resources, the continuous war had put a strain on the city of Silverwood, and so Lord Rhenac had been sent to meet with Count Alkal in the Romdel Islands and proposed a trade deal with the southern independents. Why Rhenac was chosen for the mission was not commonly known amongst the Northern Faction, but at least its outcome gave him the reputation of being an excellent diplomat. Upon his grandfather's death, Rhenac had been forced to assume the leadership of the faction, but he made it clear he had no intentions to pursue Mercurac's grab for power, he wanted to see an end to the war. General Alac was with him; Count Mercurac's fight had taken his youth, and he feared the next generation would suffer the same fate. If it was really possible to forge a peace agreement with the Tsar, he was willing to let Lord Rhenac try. The General had not been home to Silverwood in fifteen years as he tirelessly protected the frontline. He was ready to return and live out his final years in his homeland.

Eventually, it had been decided that Lord Rhenac himself would travel to the Electrum City and hold peace talks with the Tsar. The number of accompanying soldiers was a point of contention between both sides. General Alac feared an assassination attempt on the young leader, while the Empire were fearful of a coup. After much negotiating, only five members of the Northern Faction would join Rhenac on his mission inside the city; aside from his valet Palel, Captain Lutel was bringing two of his men, and General Alac was sending his brother-in-law, Lord Brac to keep an eye on them. Lord Brac was not as intimidating as the General, he had been a trusted advisor to the Mayor of Silverwood and often liased with Alac at the faction's base on the frontline. The six representatives would be escorted to the capital's border by the General and a modest brigade, and would remain stationed on neutral territory to the west of the city until Rhenac was safely returned to them.

Captain Lutel had reluctantly packed his belongings for the trip. He'd felt that Ruel Moss was starting to warm to him, and would have happily delayed Rhenac's plans for another month. Lord Rhenac, on the other hand, was keen to leave as quickly as possible and try to combine a little work with pleasure. With access to the Tsar's city, he might finally have some luck in locating the missing noble boy. Lord Rhenac had many theories about him. Perhaps he'd run away from his abusive parents in the capital, and been fetched home again before he had time to defect to the Northern Faction? If that was the case then Rhenac would gladly help him switch sides. In his dreams he saw himself reaching out his hand to the pitiful boy, and rescuing him from a forced marriage or cruel parents, "I told you I'd see you again" he'd say, as he valiantly pulled him onto his horse and rode them into the sunset. Lord Rhenac had a habit of getting carried away with his thoughts.

As the faction left for the south, Rhenac was indulging in his fantasies again, but this time Lutel was unwilling to tolerate his friend's stupid smile and swiftly brought him back to earth. "Are you taking this mission seriously?!" he asked, "You do understand the importance of this task, do you not? The Tsar is not a compliant ally like Count Alkal turned out to be. One wrong move and this war will continue indefinitely!" Rhenac had been riding alongside the Captain quite peacefully, but now he was worried the entire journey would be fraught with the man's nagging. "My dear Lutel, I have been in countless meetings with the General discussing just how important this mission is. Countless meetings. Don't fret, I'll have you back soon to make eyes at your farmer. How are things going there? Did you at least kiss him goodbye?" The Captain's eyes widened, "Was I supposed to?" he asked.

"We're setting off on this potentially dangerous mission, under threat of fatal plots against the Northern Faction, deep in the enemy territory, and you didn't even kiss the man goodbye?" The color drained from Captain Lutel's face and his horse slowed to a stop. "It's too late now, old friend" said Rhenac, "We'll just have to do our best to survive and make it back in one piece then. Keep your wits about you in the Electrum City, and don't forget to take this mission seriously." Rhenac continued ahead and the disgruntled Captain rode furiously after him.

Traversing the Drybrush Plains, the Northern Faction's diplomatic party eventually reached the Road to Famine. The coast road was still in the possession of the royalists and the stark territory of the commonfolk was deemed the safest option while attempting to cross into the south. The only dangers on these roads were of little threat to the nobles, rough conditions and the occasional annoying highwayman blocking their path. By chance, they happened to run into such an annoyance not too long into their journey. The bandits on the road were startled by the large convoy of noble soldiers and froze in the midst of their crimes, but as General Alac and Lord Brac led their men forward without incident, the bandit leader continued his business with the commonfolk he was trying to rob.

Club in hand, the bandit leader was threatening the driver of a sleek, black carriage; the gentleman next to him clutching a riding crop in hand, and ready to defend himself. When Rhenac, riding behind the troops, came across the scene, he was reminded of saving the noble boy and stepped in once again to play the hero. "You there!" he called out as he rode over. The bandits had learned their lesson, they dropped their clubs and ran as fast as they could across the arid landscape before the noble could reach them. The carriage driver threw a terrified glance at the approaching noble before staring down at the reins shaking in his hands. "Th... thank you... sir" he said to Rhenac.

Lutel appeared beside his friend, "Be careful of the road ahead" he warned the men on the carriage, "are you heading to the Plain?" The driver nervously nodded his head and fearfully answered, "W...we're going to a farm there, sir." The Captain's ears pricked up and he carefully looked the man over for the first time, "Who's farm?" he asked. The gentleman beside him spoke in a soft voice, "Mr Ruel Moss... sir." Rhenac's mind started whirring, what if the boy escaped on his own and was hiding under the cover of these commonfolk men? What if this was the very carriage that took him away and was bringing him back?! Lord Rhenac dismounted and threw open the carriage door, "I told you I'd...!" he stopped himself as he realized his mistake. Three frightened women had been startled by his sudden appearance. "Ah, forgive me" he said, looking once more at the blonde, half-conscious female spread out on one of the benches. No, he thought, definitely not the boy. 

Captain Lutel joined him in a timely fashion and pulled his friend away. "Excuse me, ladies" said Lutel, "are you really on your way to Ruel Moss's farm..?" The youngest of the three turned her head towards the door, "Yes sir" she answered. The Captain hastily removed the blue and gold ring from his little finger and handed it to the girl who reluctantly accepted it. "Please miss, give this ring to Ruel Moss. Tell him it is my promise that I'll return." The girl stared at the glittering ring lying in her palm, confused by the strange encounter. Beside her, a woman had been sitting open-mouthed throughout. She reached over and closed her friend's fingers over the ring and nodded her assurance. With that, the nobles mounted their horses and rode off to catch up with the disappearing troops as the carriage pulled away.

"Not a bad move," said Rhenac to Lutel, "didn't want to mention your name though?" The Captain turned pale and considered chasing after the carriage, but Rhenac promptly stopped him. "Ah I'm sure he'll figure it out" reassured Lord Rhenac, as he patted his friend on the back. "What other noble idiot would send him a betrothal ring? Who were those ladies though? You don't suppose he sent away for a wife?! And she'll even arrive with a ring!" The Captain's horse started to turn and Rhenac burst into gleeful laughter. "Alright, alright, I'll stop provoking you" he said, "it just seems Ruel Moss is a very popular man. Everyone we meet on this road is heading to his farm." Captain Lutel grumpily rode ahead and tried not to let his mind wander. As soon as this mission was over he was going to stake a claim on Mr Moss, and put an end to all these unnecessary visitors.

Doctor Flax stopped the carriage when the soldiers were out of sight. He and Dal jumped down and rushed to the door to check on the shaken occupants. "Miss Dao are you alright?" he cried, "Mrs Straw, Miss Kaio?" he corrected, "Is everyone alright?" Kaio was still holding her hand awkwardly in front of her, clutching the ring in her hand intended for her uncle. "What's wrong Kaio?" asked Dal. Kaio slowly opened her fingers and revealed the gold ring on her palm. As Dal reached out to touch it, Dao quickly closed Kaio's fingers over it and leaned across her. "Don't!" she said, "The noble said it's for Mr Ruel Moss!" Dal, Dao, and Kaio all stared in awe at Kaio's closed hand. It was Adalina that broke the silence, "Doctor Flax, what did the nobles say to you?" she asked with difficulty, her voice drowsy from the medication.

"They just frightened off those awful bandits and asked where we were headed" he replied. "That's good then..." she said, before drifting off to sleep. The Doctor checked her pulse and adjusted Adalina's sleeping position. "After all that commotion I think we'd better get a move on and find an inn for the night" he said, nodding at Dao and receiving a coquettish smile in return. "Well, well Kaio" said Dal, "I thought your uncle didn't like nobles? How is it he knows that strapping young soldier?" Kaio looked over at the sleeping Mrs Straw and lowered her voice. "I don't know. Do you think the nobles in the Plain might know about Seren? I really don't know why else they'd have business with my uncle..." "We'll find out soon enough" said Dal, "just keep that ring safe until we get there. Flax and I will keep an eye out for trouble."

Dao stuck her head out, "What did you call him?" she questioned, "You seem to be getting on very friendly terms sitting out there with Doctor Flax." Dao's pout only made Dal smile at her silly friend. "Relax" she told her, "now that we're out of that inn I can tell you I've already been with my last man in this lifetime. I'll leave the opposite sex for you and Kaio to fight over."