Gorgon did not get up, nor make any movement beyond his greeting. She had come at last? Did that mean he knew she was coming? Now that his eyes were open, the resemblance was even more uncanny. It was as if the crypt she had entered did not belong to the ancient Valen Title, but to her father.

  “Were you waiting for me?” Ruena managed to ask finally, trying not to show the flood of emotions that suddenly overwhelmed her.

  “I knew your visit would be inevitable as soon as Xandus brought it up,” Gorgon told her, “I was able to see what you were like through his eyes, so I could tell there was no way you would back down.”

  "Then you must already know what I am here to ask you," Ruena said, relieved that she wouldn't have to explain from the beginning.

  The Valen turned his gaze away from her. "You don't need my help if becoming the weaponsmaster is your main goal. Xandus could just as easily tell you the secret to passing the test," he replied, "If the real reason you sought me out was for Alodan, I cannot help you. I will rest here until my king awakens and calls for me."

  The sight of Gorgon laying there peacefully with his eyes closed sent chills through Ruena, the image overlapping with how she imagined her own father's corpse. She needed to keep it together. Gorgon was not her father. Maybe he was right. Maybe it would be better not to get involved and ask Xandus for the secret instead.

  "I don't think the Valen King will spill the secret of the test just because I ask him," Ruena decided, "If it is something that can just be told, why not tell me yourself and I will let you rest?"

  "Why do you struggle to continue something that is so painful for you?" Gorgon asked, suddenly meeting her eyes again, "You can't stand talking to me. From the moment you entered this room you were horrified. It must be difficult for you to admit that you are the descendant and heir of a monster."

  There was a bitter edge to his tone. Ruena had never intended to explain her strange behavior, but it was better to reveal the truth than to let him misunderstand in that way.

  "I won't lie. I was shocked at first," Ruena admitted, "but that isn't why talking to you is so difficult for me. There is a more personal reason."

  Would that be enough to move on? To her surprise, Gorgon slowly sat up, surveying her openly. "A more personal reason?" he repeated, "Since you have come this far, why not explain the rest to me?"

  There was a tense silence as Ruena struggled with both her overwhelming feelings and her ability to put everything into words. However, she found that once she started, everything began tumbling out.

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  "You look exactly like my father," she admitted, "or at least how I remember him. He was murdered when I was a young girl, and even though I know who did it there is nothing I can do about it. I never expected you to look so... Familiar."

  "Your father? Who would be bold enough to murder someone who inherited my blood so strongly that he bears my resemblance?" Gorgon asked.

  Ruena hesitated again. Should she really tell him? Would he believe her, or mock her for her grudge as most others had?

  "My mother."

  He closed his eyes for a moment as he considered her words. "I cannot promise to take any responsibility for the politics of the Alodan House," he began, "but if you welcome me as your grandfather I can be your family."

  That was an offer Ruena had not expected. "My family? Did you have something specific in mind?"

  "Your father is dead, and I look enough like him for his own daughter to mistake me for a dead man," he explained, "Your mother could not have taken down a weaponsmaster on her own. The innocent will easily believe I am your grandfather. The guilty will see me as a ghost. Something that shouldn’t exist."

  It was easy to imagine the looks of horror on the traitor’s faces, and it would certainly help her sort them out. “If you do that, everyone will know about you, and they will try to drag you into politics,” Ruena warned, “It’s been that way for me ever since I ran away from home. No matter how far I went, someone would try to drag me into something. There has almost been less attempts since I officially returned.”

  “Exactly,” Gorgon approved, “I will neither run nor hide, but stand right in plain sight. I don’t expect you to protect me from the other nobles, I only wished to warn you in case you had any expectations.”

  “Even if you offered, I have no intention of relying on anyone else more than I already am,” Ruena told him, “I will become the new weaponsmaster and revive Alodan with my own hands. If I am going to follow in my father’s footsteps, I should do it properly.”

  Gorgon stood up and faced her properly, extending his hand. “I can’t promise I will stay for long, but I will accompany you to the Alodan mansion. It has been a long time since I lost my name, so you may address me as Duke or Grandfather.”

  “Wouldn’t Duke cause misunderstandings?” Ruena asked.

  “Then just call me grandfather,” he decided, “Never utter my title, or any other unfortunate associated nicknames while in Alodan. It would only affect you badly if Alodan becomes associated with Valen and monsters.”

  Ruena hesitated. “Will you be offended if the man who came with me comes up with a new nickname for you?” she asked, “Soral has a bad habit of doing that.”

  “I can’t answer that until I know what he calls me,” Gorgon pointed out, “Why don’t you introduce me to him?”

  There was an odd sort of pressure coming off of the man, a pressure similar to how she felt when she was being admonished by Densooth, or when she first met Xandus. Ancient beings had a habit of getting along terribly with Soral, or at least Densooth did. Even if their meeting was unavoidable, was it going to be alright letting them meet like this?