"Normally, I'm the pensive one." Henrietta remarked, looking back over her shoulder as she knelt on the ground. "It is odd to see such an expression on you."

"Huh?" Agnès said as she looked to her charge, before realizing that she had just lost focus while on duty. Damn, the last few days have worn me out more than I thought, she thought to herself. The Knight Captain was lucky that none of her subordinates were here to see it. "I'm sorry, your highness. It won't happen again."

"It is fine. I should think that there is much to think about these days" The princess said as she got back to the flowers in front of her, studying their arrangements and colors. While not something she could dedicate much time to, the princess had an amateur interest in botany, and the palace gardeners did good work in ensuring that the rows of flowers were stocked with the most beautiful breeds they could grow in that climate. And a few beyond that, with the assistance in of magic in some cases.

It was also a place for the princess's familiar to romp about. A high pitched keening brought the princess's attention to the small stream that ran through most of the garden, and she found a small draconic head poking out of the water and looking at her plaintively. "Josephine…." Henrietta sighed in exasperation as she walked over to the juvenile water dragon. "I know for a fact that you have been feed this evening." Regardless, the girl stroked the dragon's head, and it let out a pleased hiss from the contact.

Water dragons were smaller than their airborne brethren, and generally not as useful for combat. Still, aside from seeing some use along the coastlines, they were considered highly prized, and any mage that bonded one as a familiar showed great potential. It had been some time since a member of the royal family had one, but this little garden stream would suffice for the creature until it grew bigger and needed different accommodations.

Agnès watched for a few moments longer before she coughed into her hand. "I don't mean to rush you princess, but there is still much for you to do. The government has gone though much in the past few days." She felt worse prodding the princess on like that considering how late in the day it was. The sun was just starting to reach the horizon, and the shadows in the palace garden were starting to lengthen, casting everything in deep purples and reds.

The princess hummed, though the tone was sad. "You are not wrong… but a number of people have made it clear they would rather I had left the regency council intact instead."

Agnès waved her off. "No matter what happened, some of the nobility would be saying that anyway. And for what it is worth… it was brave of you to step up and take control of the situation on your own."

Though the events at Lagdorian Lake had sufficiently cowed the Albionesse envoy into cooperating, Agnès had still worried all the way back to the capital about how to present the information during the trial. Which is why it had surprised her when she returned that she came bearing old news. Because while she was gone, Henrietta had officially revealed the whole thing.

It seemed the princess was tired of everything happening around her, and decided that the one thing she could do to prevent Harrison from exposing her secret was to take Georgius's advice and just expose it herself. She had it published as a Royal Statement and everything, letting the whole city know at the same time (something which Agnès was sure to have annoyed the nobility who had wanted to get the gossip first). It caused quite a ruckus to say the least.

But, when they had returned and the envoy had (reluctantly) confirmed the princess's story, the following trial had been mercifully brief. After all, both parties had now agreed upon the facts before it began, so all that was left was for Martel to render his verdict. And the High Judge had ruled that with no actual crime committed, no punishment needed to been meted out.

Still, it was not like there were no negative consequences from all of this. Much of the nobility in the city had either secretly or openly expressed distain for the princess's action. She wasn't terribly popular with much of the common folk either at the moment.

Henrietta nodded absently, one hand still stroking the head of her familiar. "I suppose you are right, though having my word confirmed by you I think lent me some good faith. From what you said, it seems that I owe yet more to that familiar of Louise François." The girl said. She was silent for a few moments before she turned to look at Agnès "What do you think of him? Of Sir Georgius."

Agnès arched an eyebrow but replied "He's… old fashioned. He's the kind of man a lot of nobles pretend to be, willing to put himself in danger to defend others. And while most idiots with that attitude usually get themselves killed, he… somehow succeeds." She said grudgingly. "Bloody annoying it is."

"Amusing, but I was referring to more recent events."

"You mean that whole 'Chosen' thing?" The knight asked before she shrugged. "God and I have never really seen eye-to-eye. And besides, so what if a spirit called him something weird? All spirits are weird like that."

The girl sighed and shook her head. "It is far more important that you think. Spirits are not of God, not directly. They don't acknowledge him, barely even in passing. And yet, to refer to Georgius as his chosen? When the Church at large hears of this, there will be an uproar, demanding to know more about the one said to be God's chosen."

Agnès frowned. "They might not like what they find…" she commented.

Agnès then saw one of her lieutenant enter the garden from a side path and approach them. She gave her captain a crisp salute before handing her a letter, and promptly turning to leave. Agnès looked at the seal on the letter and frowned. She had been expecting this, though it came much sooner than she anticipated. "Your highness, a letter from the Kaiser."

Henrietta stood up before taking the letter from Agnès, tearing it open and reading the paper carefully. After a minute she let out a sigh and lowered the paper to her side. "The Kaiser says that he wishes to help repair the rift that may have formed between our nations due to recent events… and that our wedding is to be postponed until it is."

Agnès grunted. "Expected. Germanian politics are even more volatile than Tristanian. If enough of the High Princes raise a fuss over the incident, the Kaiser wouldn't go ahead with the marriage unless it gave him a massive advantage regardless. It is likely that you'll have to wait a few months for the political climate to change."

"But we might not have months." Henrietta said as she wandered away a few steps, staring into the distance. "The entire point of this marriage was to secure a strong alliance and keep those jackals in Albion at bay. But now that's ruined, and I somehow know they are to blame for this. Damnation, it is obvious they are to blame for it. And yet still they're getting away with it!" The princess yelled before she winced and regained control of herself.

Agnès scowled, but couldn't bring herself to say otherwise. They had managed to avert complete disaster, but the real villains behind the assassination attempt were still at large. And while there wasn't enough evidence, it was clear that Henrietta had already made up her mind as to who was responsible.

The Knight Captain hesitated for a long moment before she said, "Your highness, there is nothing that we can officially do. With no evidence of Albion's involvement and how the rest of the nobility currently view the Crown, an investigation team would never be approved of."

The girl turned to look at her bodyguard. "And what of the water spirit?! Of the 'power gathering in the sky, waiting to strike down'?! Surely the rest of the nobility will have to believe that Albion is preforming foul deeds then!"

Agnès shook her head "They would say the spirt was being fanciful, that its words are up to interpretation. And even if we could get the Tristanian nobility on our side, the Albionesse would fight us tooth and nail regardless. At this point they would never allow foreign investigators into their nation."

"Then we don't send investigators. Not officially. We send someone else."

Agnès stared at her in confusion for a moment before she realized what the princess was getting at. "…you can't be serious. Your highness, I turned to those girls out of desperation, not for their spycraft skills! And even then, I only set them loose in the capital! We can't send them to Albion to do information gathering for us!"

"From what you told me, it seems likely that they will be headed in that direction in any case."

Agnès rolled her eyes. "Even if Georgius somehow does drag his master with him to the island, that still doesn't mean it's a good idea. The Albionesse envoy was there when he got the water spirit to admit the truth. They will not take kindly to him poking around in their affairs." And he would, there was no doubt. Given the man's current track record for stumbling into trouble, he'd probably end up facing down the entire Albionesse army in a week.

"Yes." Henrietta agreed. "They might even assume I sent him. He would draw a lot of attention. Enough that they wouldn't look for anyone else."

The knight captain hesitated. "You're highness, what are you…"

"I am not saying that we send Louise and Georgius, because I am certain that they are going to Albion regardless." The princess turned to look at Agnès, her expression somewhere between resolute and pained. "I'm saying that while those scoundrels in the sky are focused on those two, you will conduct a more… private investigation of your own."

Agnès… was actually a little impressed with the suggestion, mostly in how it was the princess suggesting it. The girl always strove to be open and honest with everyone, and while it was a nice virtue, it did make her… unsuited to certain aspects of statesmanship. This showed a side of the princess that was a bit more devious… and ruthless. "You are aware that the 'attention' they will be getting is potentially quite dangerous, do you not?"

"You don't have to remind me." The girl said as she stared at the small stream, her hand clenching into a fist at her side. "But, if they are going to Albion anyway, shouldn't we use the opportunity? We need evidence of their wrong doing, something to break the bloody Reconquista's momentum, or at least something to rally everyone else against them. If we don't, I fear something terrible will happen…"

Agnès took a moment to consider. Even with the young noble and her familiar drawing attention, she'd have to be careful who she sent with the more covert team. There are very few female soldiers in Halkeginia, and anyone seeing a group of them would immediately point to the Musketeers. Still… an idea came to mind, a contingency she had yet to use. And if the situation really was as dire as it seemed, now was the time to use it. Agnès bowed. "It will be done, your highness."

"And may the Founder forgive me for it." Henrietta said morosely.

It had been a long time since Cardinal Mazarin had been to the older part of Tristania. That wasn't to say he wasn't well traveled in the city of his home, but the small church which he discretely entered was one he only visited during very special occasions. Ones in which he found the need to converse with his brothers of the Church in a… private setting. Of course he preferred to do things more openly, but the world was a messy place. Best to discuss some delicate matters away from misunderstanding ears.

Matters such as a certain knight.

The cardinal walked through the dimly lit stone halls and down a flight of steps until he reached a door, guarded by a heavily build friar. The man nodded to him and opened the door, letting Mazarin step inside. The room was simple and unadorned, with a large circular table in the center. Already seated were about half a dozen priests, each some of the higher ranking ones in the city. The group liked to get together on occasions to discuss matters of the Church. "Sorry I am late." Mazarin said as he settled into his own seat. "Getting away from the palace proved more difficult than I had hoped."

"I should think so," the man to his right, Father Trevelyan, said. His aged, narrow face was set into a frown as he said, "The princess's behavior has been most unbecoming as of late. One wonders how she could even consider such an indecency while a cardinal was there to guide her."

Mazarin sighed. Good to know that somethings remain constant in the face of tumultuous times, he thought to himself. "Rest assured, I have made my disappointment in the princess's actions known to her, and am endeavoring to steer her to a more virtuous path. For now though, we have another matter to address."

"Yes, such as how we are going to get rid of that impudent knight." The priest across from the cardinal growled. Though the tall, lanky man was the priest who had come with the Albionesse envoy, he still had been invited to a spot at the table among his fellows. And he was the most… aggressive of all of them "The man is clearly in league with spirits that seek to undermine us. We should have him removed as soon as possible."

Father Reginald, the youngest among their number there, scowled at the man. "Watch what you say. Not all of us are as bloodthirsty you Albionesse, or even believe your claims."

"I speak only the truth as God wills it." The other man said coldly as he glared. "And do not insult my countrymen for having the courage to do what your own were too cowardly to."

"Peace! Peace!" Mazarin said as he held up a hand, before the two men could get into an argument. "We are all on the same side here, and bickering will only waste our time." The men around the table looked properly admonished, so he continued by focusing his attention on the Albionesse priest. "Now, I have heard quite a lot of hearsay about what happened at the lake, but perhaps you should enlighten me yourself, Father…"

"Penrose, your grace." The man replied as he sat up straighter. "As you know, my envoy visited Lagdorian Lake in pursuit of the truth. Things were proceeding normally until he arrived. In a moment of distraction he took control of the dialog with the spirit, directing it to his own ends. The thing had the gall to refer to him as a… 'Chosen of the White God'." Penrose scoffed, showing what he thought of that claim. "As if a spirit would know anything about our Lord."

Mazarin felt his blood run cold, and the words the young man had said rose up from the back of his mind. It is a gift bestowed upon me by God for my faith in him. But… that can't be right. This can't… there has to be more to this, something he was missing.

The table was silent for a long moment, before Reginald said "Well, this is a good thing, isn't it? If the water spirit can recognized God's touch on this man, then clearly he is meant for something greater! We should bring this man in to the Church immediately, so that he can properly fulfill his purpose!"

Penrose had a more pessimistic view. "I will not trust the word of some heathen spirit." He spat. "For all we know this is some ploy from it to influence and corrupt our faith."

"Unlikely, the spirit is bound to the Montmorency, it would have no reason to work with another." Father Williams was a large, bearded man who usually had a smile on his face, but today it was missing. "Still, what do we know about this… Sir Georgius? I've heard the rumors, but just who is he?"

"He… is the Vallière girl's familiar." Mazarin said. "Unusual, I know, but he bears the mark. He hails from a distant land, and was a knight. And… he bears a strange resistance to magic." And he is a likely a Protestant, the cardinal thought morosely. A part of him knew he should tell these men, but another part held his tongue. He respected most of these men, but revealing that this man the spirit had referred to as one of God's chosen had unfortunate views would cause the meeting to devolve into chaos.

"Well, what more proof do we need?" Penrose exclaimed. "If his very essence rejects God's power, then he must be in league with foul spirits!"

Trevelyan however should his head. "Strange as that is, resistance to magic is not something spirits are capable of. It must be something else." he said with a wave of his hand. "Besides which, the Vallière are as pious as the come, they would never tolerate a heretic being associated with them."

Mazarin made a face, but continued to hold his tongue. Williams made an impatient gesture. "That's all well and good, but what does a 'Chosen of the White God' actually mean? Is it something special, or…"

A cough came from the man's right, and all eyes turned to Father Clarence. The oldest among them, the small wrinkled man sat up in his chair for the first time during the meeting. "It…" he said slowly. "is not a term I have heard. I am sure that it is something unique, but I doubt that spirits are familiar with the proper terminology of Founderism. It could mean anything from someone who has been blessed to perhaps even a saint. Though which it is I cannot say."

Mazarin rubbed his chin as he mulled over the man's words. Father Clarence had a long history of study and analyzing the history of their theology. If anyone at the table knew anything about this Chosen business, it was him. But perhaps… he could provide another explanation? "Are… we sure that this 'White God' is in fact the Almighty?" He asked.

The others gave him an odd look, and after a moment Clarence said "About a sure as we can be. It is not well known, but there have been three recorded instances in the past six thousand years where spirits have made reference to 'the White God'. And the context has always been in regards to the being that humans worship. I… suppose it is not impossible that it is a misunderstanding on the spirits' part, though I don't think it likely."

Ah, I suppose that had been too much to hope for, Mazarin thought to himself. He leaned back as he let the others debate among themselves, but it was clear that everyone had different opinions on the subject. Penrose wanted Georgius incarcerated (or worse), while Reginald wanted to bring him in to the Church. Clarence wanted to study the scriptures more, but Williams wanted more immediate action (even if he wasn't sure what that was). Trevelyan remained neutral, waiting to see which side would gain ground. Mazarin wondered if he should pray to the Lord for guidance… and realized what he had to do.

Appeal to a higher authority.

Finally, Mazarin sat up straighter. "Gentlemen, enough. It is clear to me that this matter cannot be resolved by us, nor should it remain between us, if only because word will spread. We must send word to the Pope himself, and let him ultimately decide how to handle Sir Georgius." Penrose made to say something, but the cardinal shot him a glare. Once the man was suitably cowed, he continued. "However, that does not mean that we let Sir Georgius do as he wills until the final judgement is made. He must be watched, and if necessary, guided to the correct course of action. The man may not understand the position he is in, and may be… careless in how he influences the common folk."

The response was muted, but all the men around the table nodded in agreement. "I do have some people I can call on." Clarence offered. "I still have a few contacts within the Order Apocrypha, and I believe they have some of their agents in the area. This would be the sort of task they're suited for."

Mazarin nodded in turn. "Good, make it so. I shall pen the letter to his holiness myself. If we move quickly, we can stay on top of this." And surely the Pope and his archive could explain this whole matter.

Because if he couldn't, then the alternative was too terrible to consider.

While Georgius was eager to be on his way as soon as possible, after the events of the past few days, he acknowledged that his master needed some time to rest. She had been quite… distraught after the events at Lagdorian Lake. Even if he was the reason for it… and she had been avoiding him since he first evaded her questions. In any case, with the matter of the trial concluded the princess had offered guestrooms in the palace for himself and his master for them stay to rest and recuperate.

Still, that didn't mean that he couldn't make use of his time here. The princess had also given him access to the Royal Library, and there was a wealth of things he could learn about the nation of Albion before he made the journey there. There was just one problem he had to surmount first.

I really wish Siesta had offered to teach me to read Runic sooner, Georgius thought glumly as he stared at the map of Albion in front of him. To be sure he had seen enough maps in his lifetime to get a basic understanding of the layout and geography of the flying landmass, but the names of every landmark and city were lost to him. Well, so long as he had someone accompanying him to translate, it would have to do. And baring that, he would just have to ask for directions.

Not that the knight had a good idea of just where to go when he got there. The water spirit's words were easy enough to decipher, but lacking in details. He would have to search the old fashioned way once he reached Albion. If the spirit was speaking truly and other spirits were fleeing from the flying island, there were likely other supernatural events occurring there as well. Following them would surely lead him to the Spear.

The sound of his door opening caused him to turn in his seat, and his eyebrows rose when he saw who it was. Louise stood in his doorway, looking uncertain as to if she wanted to enter the room or flee. Right as it seemed she was going to lose her nerve, Georgius spoke up with first thing that came to mind. "Ah… could you help me translate some of the names on this map? I'm afraid I can't read them, and it would make planning the trip that much easier."

The girl blinked in surprise at the request, but after a moment she nodded. "Ah, yes. Sure." She approached tentatively, stopping by his side and staring down at the parchment on the desk before him. "So… I guess you'd want to know about the major ports and cities. Uh, Londinium is here, and the major ports in to Albion would be…"

For some time Louise explained the contents of the map to him, and Georgius did his best to memorize the relevant names and common traveling roads. After about half an hour (and some annotations in Latin), Georgius leaned back in his chair and nodded. "Yes, this will do nicely. I think we can make a solid plan for our journey into Albion."

Louise, having gained some of her poise back, looked at him flatly. "You are assuming that I have already agreed to the 'quest' of yours. And I am still not certain just why you are so intent on going."

"You heard the water spirit, something foul is happening there." Georgius said as he got to his feet. "And I am willing to bet that the missing… Staff of Destruction is to blame. We can both help the people of Albion while completing our original-"

"And just how do you know that?" The girl snapped at him. "What do you know that you haven't been telling me? What have you told me that are just lies? Just… who are you?!"

Ah, I suppose it was too much to hope for, Georgius thought. He was silent for a long moment before he said, "I have never lied to you, Louise. I am what I have always said I was. Though I may... have left some things out. "

"No. No more dodging the question." Louise said as she stomped up to him. "You know what the spirit was talking about, and I order you to tell me why it called you a… a chosen of the white god!"

He grimaced and turned away. It wasn't that he didn't think she shouldn't know… but how was he to explain? This wasn't just a fact about his old life, this was something that had happened to him after his life had ended. And he had tried to explain it once before, but she took it poorly.

But, now she knew him better. And with recent events she already suspected something about him. If he didn't tell her, it would hurt their relationship, both as her familiar and as her friend. So, he would just have to try his best. "I can't know for certain what the spirit meant. But it likely referred to how I was… venerated for my service to God, in standing up to my emperor."

Louise snorted. "Oh please, that can't have been enough. Just because you argued with your sovereign ruler and he exiled you doesn't mean-"

"I was not exiled."

The girl's face scrunched up in confusion. "What? What are you talking about?"

"I told you of how my emperor had persecuted Christians, how I protested by revealing that I was one of them myself. The punishment for a high ranking military officer such as myself openly defying the emperor is much more severe than exile… and I never said what exactly happened to me after that." Georgius let out a mirthless chuckled. "Well, I did once, but you took it as a tasteless joke."

Louise sighed in exasperation. "Georgius, stop being obtuse and get to point!"

"I was executed, Louise." He said as he turned to look at her, and she flinched back. "I was tortured for several days before I was decapitated. I wasn't exiled, I didn't manage to escape. I was dead… until the day you summoned me. And for my martyrdom, I was venerated until I became… a saint."

Silence reigned in the room, master and familiar staring at each other. Louise's face cycled through several emotions as she tried to understand what Georgius was telling her. Confusion, and outrage were the most prominent, as if she was waiting for him to admit to a farce at any moment. However, he just stood there and waited, his own expression open and sincere. Louise's face slowly went slack and flat as she realized that he had nothing more to say. And then finally, she responded.

"No."

Georgius sighed. "Louise, I'm not lying-"

"Of course you are." She snapped. "And it's an insulting lie. You really think I would believe such an outrageous, impossible, blasphemous claim?!"

"I swear that it is the truth-"

"No it's not!" she yelled in anger. "I don't care what stupid, crazy life you've had! I don't care if you defied an emperor, or killed a dragon, or lived in a cave with a witch and a magic horse!

Georgius blinked in confusion. "What? I never told you about-"

"You're lying because you have to be!" She yelled, her body trembling. Georgius then saw something else in her eyes besides the fury: fear. "You can't have been dead, because that would mean I brought you back with black magic, and your some kind of Revenant!"

She believed him. And that terrified her.

She wrapped her arms around herself as she looked at the floor. "Th-that would mean I'm not a real mage, just a witch creating a monster! And they would destroy you, and that- you can't-!" she shuttered out. "And that can't be true because somehow, somehow, that's not the worst of it!"

She looked up at him helplessly. "Even if you're not a monster, if you really are a saint, with what you believe in…then that would mean everything I believe in is a lie."

Georgius stepped forward and gently grabbed hold of Louise's shoulders. "Of course not. Since I have met you, you have always strove to do the right thing, to be the most noble person you can be. There is nothing wrong with that… it's just that certain aspects might not be as important as you thought."

She looked at him for a long moment, and she started to reach out to him. But at the last second she pulled back. "No…" she whispered.

"Louise…" he started to say as he pulled her into a hug.

"No!" she screamed and shoved. Georgius released her and she tumbled to the floor. The girl scrambled back on all fours before she stopped, a look of terror and shame crossing her face. Before he could call out to her again, she pulled herself up and bolted from the room, her cloak and hair streaming after her as she ran through the doorway and out of sight.

Georgius started to move after her before he stopped himself. He didn't know what else to say to her. Trying to talk to her now would only distress her more. A pit formed in his stomach as he realized that he needed to let the girl go and decide for herself. And for himself, he needed to gain some peace, which his room could no longer provide.

He took a deep breath before he strode out of his room and into the palace, to find a suitable place to pray.

Georgius's walk took him to one of the palace's courtyards, the roof open to the sky. The sun had set not too long ago, so the man was treated to a view of the stars above. And since he seemed to be the only one occupying it, he decided that it was as good a place as any. He walked to the center and knelt, clasping his hands together and closing his eyes. Prayers he had learned a lifetime ago came to his lips easily, and he felt the knot in his stomach loosen as the old practice calmed him like nothing else.

Eventually though, a voice drew him out of his prayer. "What do you pray for?" Georgius opened his eyes and turned his head. Standing near one of the decorative pillars was Siesta, who gave him a curious look. "Not to pry, but… I have only ever heard the prayers of Founderism."

He hummed and got to his feet. "They are much the same, I would imagine. Tonight I pray for guidance for both myself and the people near me who need it… and as always, to be forgiven for my sins."

"Forgiven? What could you of all people possibly need to ask for forgiveness for?" The maid asked ask she walked closer, her tone soft.

He sighed. "Siesta, while I have killed many monsters, I am also responsible for the deaths of my fellow man. Several of the men who attempted to assassinate the princess were slain by my hand."

"But, they were horrible!" Siesta insisted. "That can't possibly be considered wrong, you acted to protect her! Those men deserved what you did to them!"

"True, but they were still men created in God's image." He replied. "Even if it is in defense of others, you should always strive to save lives rather than take them. I would not change my actions, but you must never forget that your fellow man is capable of redemption. I took that chance away from them, and for that I must ask the Lord for forgiveness."

The woman looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment before she cast her eyes downward. "Does… it give you peace? Does it help you get past it?"

Georgius had heard what had happened while he had been unconscious, how Siesta had been forced to kill one of her attackers to defend herself. His heart went out to the woman and he rested a hand on her shoulder. "For me, yes, though that does not mean that is all one needs. While God light is a beacon to all, people are there to support each other as well."

She gave him a smile, warm and caring as she took hold of his hand. Then, she stood a little straighter and looked him in the eyes. "Georgius… there's something I need to talk to you about. It is something I have been thinking about for a while, but after what happened at the lake… I now know I have to ask."

Georgius had to suppress a grimace. Of course Siesta wished to know what he was as well. After what happened with Louise though, he was not looking forward to it. But, he had already committed himself to the truth, so he steeled himself for-

"Will you teach me Christianity?" She asked. "I want to learn what my grandfather believed in. I want to learn what you believe in."

Georgius paused in surprise. He was silent for a moment before he said "You do? Are you sure?"

Siesta nodded resolutely. "Grandfather never taught me about it, saying that he didn't want to burden me with his faith. He likely knew how much trouble it would bring me. But now, to hear the spirit call you 'chosen'… I don't know what to believe about that, but I do believe in you. You and my grandfather are the greatest men I have ever known, and the things you say about God… feel right. So, please, teach me."

Georgius looked at the young woman, stunned. He… couldn't remember the last time someone had asked him to teach them the way of Christ, rather than him preaching it to them. What's more, his conversation with the cardinal had let him know that it would be an uphill battle if he tried correcting the teachings of Founderism, and he had wondered how to approach the issue. And Siesta had just answered that question for him, by all but offering to become his first disciple.

And yet, for as much joy as the idea filled his heart, he needed to make her aware of just what she was asking for. "This is not a decision you should make lightly." He said. "In my homeland Christians were hunted and killed for going against the state. In this land… I cannot promise that it will be different. While there are some similarities between my faith and Founderism, the differences I fear are insurmountable. And those who are exalted by its doctrine will not take kindly to you claiming otherwise."

She nodded again. "I know. But… I can't run and hide from this. I want to stand by your side and see this world change for the better."

Georgius drew in a deep breath and looked up at the night sky, feeling both a sense of trepidation and joy. Though there would be risks, if Siesta wanted to join Christianity, then he would happily teach her what she needed to know. Even if it had been a literal lifetime since he had done his duty as a missionary. The fact that he did not have his scripture anymore was a bit of an issue, but he would just have to do it by memory. For a few seconds he was actually at a loss of just where to start. Well, I suppose I should start at the beginning.

"The story of Christianity began in the small town of Bethlehem…"

A/N: It begins.