Plans!

"How dare they! How dare they point their lowly fingers at me?! How dare they breathe the same air as me?! How dare they insult me!" Lord Emberfall raged, smashing the wardrobe again.

"Calm down, my lord," advised Rowen, High Lord Ravencore's advisor. "We can deal with them once we reach the mainland. There's no need for us to waste our energy on this ship."

The young lord paced in agitation, his steps echoing back and forth. Nervously biting his nail, he finally burst out, "What about the Island? Can't we stir things up while we make a pit stop for repairs and restocking?" His eyes fixated on the portly man, a glint of hope mixed with a touch of madness.

"No," Rowan countered, shaking his head decisively. "We need to hold our horses until we hit Stormwatch."

"Why?!"

"Why? Why? Because we're already drawing enough attention to spark an investigation. If the royals start wondering why two heirs from the most powerful families are meddling in a poor province like Ravencore, imagine the trouble we'll be in if they catch wind of it." Rowan sighed, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "No, my lord. We need to keep a low profile until we reach Stormwatch. Then, we can unleash whatever chaos we want."

'A little more,' Morvain's heart raced. He was convinced he was on the brink of discovering why they all descended upon Ravencore in the first place.

Lord Emberfall fell into a heavy silence. The truth was undeniable – if the royals caught wind of this meeting, a civil war would undoubtedly erupt.

"Fuck! Fuck!" He cursed, collapsing onto the bed. Leaning forward, he grabbed a handful of his golden locks in frustration.

The door swung open again, revealing the entrance of the young ice lady. She stepped inside, her gaze momentarily flickering toward the wardrobe before diverting to the distressed young lord.

"Lord Emberfall..."

"Ah, yes," the young lord chuckled, "I was only missing your pity, and now I think I'm complete."

Lumiere took a deep breath. "This all could have been avoided if you weren't a fool in the first place."

"What the heck did you just say?!" Lord Emberfall stood up, glaring at her. Towering over her, he forced her to look up to meet his eyes. "Did your little slum dog lover tell you to insult me again?"

Lady Lumiere maintained her composure and stood her ground.

"No one needs to say you're a fool. Even a little babe could see what you are just by looking at you," she retorted arrogantly. "You're older than me. You should be wiser, but..." She waved her hands in a dismissive 'whatever' gesture. "It seems age doesn't always come with wisdom for people like you. But just take a moment and think... Think this through."

Lord Emberfall was ready to unleash a torrent of words, but he held his tongue. It wasn't pity that Lumiere was displaying, but rather anger. It was as if she didn't want him to mess things up further.

"Is it worth it? Keeping the heroes as prisoners – does it bring anything other than this chaos and trouble? What do you gain, apart from disgracing yourself and your family? Increasing the chances of these... these 'plans' of yours."

'Yes, plans. What plan is it?' Morvain got a faint idea of what the plan might be, but he wanted to confirm if it was what he suspected. Highborns had a knack for engaging in the most inexplicable and foolish endeavors from time to time.

"Did your lover boy send you here to plead for his little friends?" He advanced towards her, gripping her chin to force her to look at him. "Do not degrade yourself by associating with him. They were born in the slums, not in a palace like us."

"Birth does not define anyone, Lord Emberfall," she slapped his hands away and walked confidently away from him. "It's what you learn that defines you. And him... he learned more than you ever will."

Lord Emberfall ground his teeth, ready to unleash another barrage of curses, but Rowan intervened, placing a hand on his shoulder to halt him.

"Think about it, my lord," she urged, "Consider whether your ego is worth all the trouble we're in." Halting abruptly, she pivoted to face him. "If the plan fails, you'll be the first one to fall, not at the hands of the royals..." She cast a meaningful glance at Rowan. "But at the hands of the families."

With that, she spun around and exited the room, leaving Lord Emberfall seething with anger and Rowan wiping sweat from his forehead.

...

In the evening, the door to the room creaked open, then promptly shut again.

'Great! The motherfucker had to sleep in there.'

Suddenly, his stomach growled. Wincing, he reached out and grabbed it, circling his hand around the hungry protest.

'I have to eat something.'

Despite the hunger, a surge of happiness washed over him. His fingers closed around the once-familiar stone in his pocket, feeling the jagged edges, sensing the imaginary power coursing through his hand.

As evening fell, the door to the room creaked open, swiftly followed by a hasty closure.

'Fantastic! The motherfucker had to crash in there.'

A growl echoed from his stomach. Wincing, he reached out, encircling his midriff.

'I need to eat something.'

Despite the hunger, a wave of elation washed over him. His fingers found the once-familiar stone in his pocket, tracing its jagged edges, as he sensed the imaginary power coursing through his hand.

A deep sigh of relief escaped him; he was genuinely saved.

"You look like you just won a war, my lord," a sudden voice emerged from the corner of the room. He almost jumped, his reaction sending him nearly touching the ceiling as he spun around to face the source.

There she stood, Lady Lumiere, leaning against the wall, hands crossed, and a smile playing on her lips.

"Holy shit, Lady Lumiere, you scared me," he exclaimed, clutching his chest.

She giggled, "So even the mighty World Bringer feels some fear."

"Everyone feels fear, even World Bringers," he admitted with a smile, the tension dissipating in the wake of their banter.

"Tell me something, my lord," she began, her gaze steady, "What are your plans once we land in the Stormwatch province?"

'Ah, if this is tied to their plans, then she must be contemplating whether to kill me or not depending on my answer.'