Llywellyn just shook his head and patted Lewis on the shoulder, “Don’t worry. I know how you feel…” He had bad memories too but his consisted of him screaming Simone’s name until she answered but… she never did. “This place holds a lot of bad memories. I can still taste the blood from screaming Simone’s name so much. I smell the fire in my sleep still. You never forget the smell of burnt bodies.”

The elf king was hesitant in stepping forward but he did so anyway. “During the great fires, there were people who managed to get down into the vault but… Something or someone killed them. Take your guess who it was. If I had to guess it was where Felix and the others hid until the fire was gone enough to escape Auclair. The vault only had one or two people who could get into it. I can take a guess at what the combination is if Jurian set it.”

As he looked around it looked like he was laying a mental map of the ruins of the castle. “A lot of it has collapsed but I can remember it like yesterday.” Once he got to a doorway that was caved in he looked at Lewis. “Ready to put those muscles to work? I would use magic to blast it open but I don’t think that would bode well for us with the castle in this type of despair.”

It hadn’t dawned on Lewis that Llywellyn would have terrible memories of this place. Of course, it made sense for him to have searched long and hard for Simone during the fires, and do his very best to save the castle and its inhabitants. That failure must have weighed down on Llywellyn, and shaped his entire life and soul. It must have crushed him.

“I’m…sorry,” Lewis said as he and Lly started to move the rubble from a collapsed doorway. “I shouldn’t have brought you here. I’ve brought up bad memories, haven’t I? For a selfish request.” He had come so far from his selfish ideals of ‘the ends justify the means.’ Now, he wasn’t so sure it was always justified. Dredging all of this up for a tiara? Even if it was for Simone, it was barely worth it if it means making them relive the past like this.

“We should turn back,” he said after a rather large boulder. “What if…getting this will only bring up haunting memories? What if this isn’t worth it?” He looked to Llywellyn. “Is this for her, or is it for me?” The smile she had on her face when she spoke of the tiara…was it hard for her to talk about? Did she long for it, or just cherish the memory? Would bringing it back hurt her?

“LLy…is this worth it?”

Llywellyn paused for a moment from his work and focused a bit, “I think it is.” He said before throwing a larger piece of rubble. “For all of the bad things that happened in this castle… That tiara will make her happy. That will never give her bad memories. It’s the only thing her mother ever gave her and every child wants something from their mother.”

Watching him once more the elf king gave a smile. “After all if you two are one… This has to be her will too. She might not realize it and you might not either. She often overthinks things and thinks it's not worth it but… This is what she wants Lewis. She just won’t ask for it because she thinks it’s too much work. For her… To be able to give this tiara to your daughters on their own wedding day… I don’t think either of us understand how much that means to her.”

There was a hard slap to Lewis’s back before Llywellyn continued, “I hate it here but we are here for a good reason. Now if we wanted to bring back her dresses from her bedroom… I probably would have punched you in the face.” There was a sly smirk a bit and laughed.

It took them a good hour to clear the doorway and Llywellyn used his sleeve to get rid of sweat. “I haven’t worked this hard on something since that Somerset house that got set on fire. I sifted through everything looking for Simone.”

The ex-assassin had severely underestimated Llywellyn, but in the end, it was a good choice to bring him along. Lewis paused, and looked around. “I feel like I’m forgetting something…” He wiped the seat away from his brow, and sighed. “Must not be important.” He let out another sigh. “You’re right, though, Llywellyn. Thanks…I guess being out of resonance with Simone really does hit my mood.”

The two once more started to traverse the castle remains once more, navigating the treacherous terrain. At some point, they hit a stairwell, and started to descend into the depths. As it grew dark, Lewis and Llywellyn each lit a torch from the wall, using it to illuminate the path ahead of them. Soon, they started to see the skeletons of those who had perished, trying to hide from the flames that brought about the destruction of the castle.

“That’s…” Lewis grimaced. There were smaller bones among the piles, and it could only be one thing. Having children of his own now, this hit a new level of pain that he wasn’t expecting. I would tear the world apart if anyone hurt them… If the fae lord hadn’t already been dead, Lewis would have hunted him down to exact his vengeance again. He would have done it any number of times, and still he felt that he would not be satiated.

“Here it is,” Lewis said as they neared the vault. It wasn’t as massive as the one at the Granados estate, but…then again, those idiot brothers of his had made things as gaudy and grandiose as they could. This wasn’t meant to show of…no, it was meant to protect.

“Well…any idea how to get in? Worst comes to worst, I might be able to find a way around it, but…it might take more time than I can muster this trip.”

Llywellyn grimaced as well when he saw the bodies. “I should have moved them out of here. They are still right where I left them… But that means that treasure seekers never made it in.” There was a sigh from his lips as he marched forward. “I remember all of their faces. Faces that Simone knew well. The housekeepers, her nanny, their children. All of it. I wasn’t here for their screaming, thank the gods for that but everything else…” He bit at his lip as they reached the vault. “But all I could think about was the one I knew was alive somewhere. Simone. Having to be scared over and over. She never knew where she was or who had her. I knew that. That’s why I tore apart the world looking for her.”

He punched the vault’s door hard enough to crack the skin on his knuckles as he thought about it. “You saw how she was when she reincarnated. I loved her enough that I was never going to try anything until she got her memory back because I thought that I could end the curse. The least I can do for her now is ensure her happiness. She is happiest with you and that is fine with me.”

Looking at the dial he took a heavy sigh, “The combination if set by Jurian is easy enough. It is one of two possible combinations. Two important dates. It’s probably the first one.” He messed around with the dial and at first, it didn’t want to move but after a little magic, he was spinning it just fine. “You might want to get back I don’t think this door is just going to swing open…” He could hear the cracks.

He got out of the way as the vault down cracked down. “The day he married Camille. First try. The second combination is the date Simone was born.” They went into the treasury and were surrounded by a small wealth. Time hadn’t touched it but it had made it dull… On a pedestal in the center on a worn-out cushion was their prize though.

Lewis was a mix of impressed by Llywellyn, and ashamed that King Jurian had used such an easy date as a safe code. If Lywellyn hadn’t been here, even Lewis would have been able t o crack the code given enough information. He was positive that the dates were in Simone’s memories, and even without the resonance he could probably have pulled them.

“It’s not as much as I expected,” Lewis said looking at the small amount of wealth. “Most of the treasure must have been in the lands and its people. But, at the center was the price. The tiara that they had been searching for.

As with the treasure, time had taken its toll on the metal, but it was still in one piece, and more than likely serviceable. Between Kali and Tempest, one of the two could easily restore it, and if they couldn't, one of them surely would know someone who could. The ex-assassin grabbed the tiara gently, and put it into his pouch.

“I’d say that was a success,” he said with a smirk. “Let’s go ahead and get out of he-” Lewis paused, looking at the door. “Someone is here…” He drew a dagger.

A figure appeared at the doorway, making loud panting noises. Whatever concern Lewis had melted away as the demon hunter, Rhenakos, held up his hand, signaling he needed a moment.

“Why….why did you…leave me behind,” Rhenakos finally said. “I wasn’t…even with her for more than…five minutes. All I was doing was talking! You could have grabbed me!” He was annoyed.

“Sorry. We were just caught up in the moment,” Lewis replied, shrugging. He looked to Lywellyn. “Is it okay if he takes the rest of the treasure? I certainly don’t need it, and it would be a suitable payment, even though he didn’t end up helping.”

“Which WASN’T my fault, by the way…” Rhenakos reminded.

“Aye, most of it was in farms and such. Jurian valued his citizens the most and expected Simone to follow in his steps. Auclair was a small nation but prosperous and a nice place. The taxes weren’t much at all and he took care of even the poorest. It was idyllic. It inspired me much when I took over Sulwal.”

Rhenakos almost got hit by the elvish king but he took a sigh. “And we paid for you not being here trust me.” This would have been easier had the brute been here. “Go for it. Simone would want you to have it. To help your family. That’s the way Jurian would have wanted it too.”

The elf king cleaned up his knuckle easily enough and looked at Lewis, “Will you head off to have it fixed now?”

Lewis nodded, “I have a few people in mind who might be able to help.” The trio made their way out of Auclair, and went their separate ways. When Lewis made his portal, his first stop was to Jayou to meet with Kalina. It didn’t take him long to find her, as she rarely ever left the smithy that was attached to the Talon Shop.

Kalina was helpful in at least pointing Lewis in the right direction. In less words than she used, it wasn’t her speciality. And so, Lewis traveled to Sularia’s White District to a place that was called the Crescent Hammer. Supposedly it was here that he would find Tempest, the one who had made Simone’s ring all those years ago. Lewis was prepared for the worst, remembering a choice few warnings from those who had given him the directions. And so, as he walked in, he wasn’t entirely sure what to expect…

There was an explosion that rang through the shop. The swords, daggers, and just about everything else rattled but didn’t move. “MAN THAT WAS A GOOD ONE,” there was a familiar voice as the now woman walked out. The last time he saw Tempest she was barely in her teenage years but now she was a woman though not a lot had changed.

The wedding ring on her finger was new though. “TEMPEST I TOLD YOU NOT TO EXPLODE THINGS,” the woman’s voice yelled from next door.

“Your house is fine you old bag!” Tempest yelled in anger. “Probably didn’t even shake your house… Just scared your fucking chickens,” she said just loud enough for Lewis to hear her. Her brown curls were still wild and her blue eyes lit up when she saw Lewis. “HEY! I REMEMBER YOU! You were that dying chick’s husband to be! How’s it hanging! I heard she’s back from my brother good. GOOD FOR YOU!”

She came up and shook his hand wildly. “Tempest Rose-Wintercrest Kyrie at your service. Most famous blacksmith, enchanter, inventor, alchemist on this side.” She let go of his hand. “So… How can I help you today?!”

Ka, the cat-sized dragon, was pulling himself out of the workshop covered in soot. “Oh stop your belly-aching you are fine. A little soot never hurt anyone… Don’t mind him he’s just dramatic.”

Lewis wasn’t sure what to expect, but this was not it. He was having weird flashbacks to the time Toya had come over to console Simone and him, and sure enough, Tempest was almost the exact same way. He wasn’t sure exactly how to interact with her, so he went with his usual tactics of just being blunt and up front about everything.

“I have something I want restored,” Lewis said, pulling the tiara from his bag. “It’s really old, and I would like it to use…” He paused. Was it worth spilling the secret to someone who might spill it? “For a special occasion. I don’t have a date set for it, just yet, but it’ll be within the next few months. Also, I’m willing to pay whatever it takes to get it fixed, and even if I need to get materials…it’s just really important.”

He had no idea if the actual importance was being conveyed. Normally he didn’t care, but in this instance, he knew it was important. “It’s…for the one who was dying. She’s better, but…well…it’s important.” He smiled. “Please?”