"It is wonderful! Thank you for asking. Your researchers are all brilliant people, I enjoyed speaking with them very much." 

"Thank you! I know they've been delighted by the chance to study magic from another world. I'm told they're all very jealous and trying to find a way to give people Gifts who aren't born with them."

"Unfortunately I know of no such way. But perhaps mages will wish to move to your world, and then if they marry and have children it will be in the bloodline." 

"Maybe so."

Urtho nods, smiles. He swallows. "Anyway, I wished to speak to you because–" He bows his head. "Knowing what I do now of his actions here, I think that perhaps I misjudged Ma'ar even from the beginning, and - wronged him badly. I...knew it was a gamble, I feared I could not afford any other path, but...in the end it seems the world could not afford the path I did choose. And I am told you are close with him, now, and he is sworn to the service of your god, so - if I am to live and work here, I - should try to make that right by him, or else it will be very awkward." 

"He would be very glad to speak to you, if you wish to speak with him. 

And I think you're right. I think it was a - hard mistake to avoid. He is a dangerous man, you weren't wrong about that. But there are other things that are more important to what he is, I think."

"...Such as what? Who - do you think he is, now, at the core? I saw a young man who - cared too much, too fiercely, and I feared it blinded him to the true consequences of his actions. But - he is older now." 

"I think he cares just as much, and is not blind anymore to the consequences of his actions, and still - accepts them, more often than someone else might. I think in Velgarth he didn't consider himself to have much opportunity to choose Good tactics over Evil ones. It's been a change for him, being here, where the forces of Good are powerful allies. But I think - he always wanted to have Good allies. He is willing to compromise for it. He just has to believe that the course he's on will fix the world, or at least stands the best chance of the available courses. We have a Good god who sees the world that way, and I know he asks her for moral advice, sometimes."

"Really! Does She let anyone speak to her in that way? I would never, ever have pictured Ma'ar as the sort of man who would pray for moral guidance, and I understand that he serves your Abadar anyway, not Her." 

"He is a cleric of Abadar, yes. Many people pray to several gods. Gods do not usually answer - it's not easy for them to make it safe for us to speak to them, and they have other things that demand their attention - but this situation is unusual, and Iomedae - the Good god I spoke of - is very invested in Cheliax's future. She is an ascended human, and was Chelish once herself."

"Interesting." 

Urtho is quietly thoughtful, for almost a minute. 

"I do wish to speak to him," he says finally. "It will weigh on my mind until I do. I had wanted to ask him some questions using my truth magic, but - if he is chosen by your god, surely that ought say enough about who he is." 

"Abadar cannot misjudge someone's character, and I trust in where He'll guide him," he agrees. "I can let Leareth know that you'd like to speak with him. - I'm glad. I think it will mean a lot to him."

Urtho nods. "I think that I owe him that much, at the very least. Thank you for your time." 

He waits to be dismissed. He's suddenly kind of embarrassed about waking up on a sofa in front of a pharaoh and having no idea who he was at the time. 

The pharaoh dismisses him.

The pharaoh goes to find Leareth.

It's now the second day after the fight for the Heartstone. Leareth's headache lasted all of the day before and finally, sometime in the middle of the night, eased enough for him to sleep. At which point he promptly slept six hours straight, which is completely ridiculous for someone with a Ring of Sustenance but apparently he needed it. 

His head feels a lot clearer and he made it out of bed to eat breakfast but, as promised by Melody, he's still pretty exhausted and not feeling up for any complicated work. He's back in bed, reading. 

He smiles tiredly at the pharaoh. Doesn't get out of bed to prostrate himself on the floor because one, that seems ridiculous, and two, the floor is all the way over there. 

"Hey.

Urtho wants to - meet you. And apologize to you."

Leareth just stares at him for a while, unable to find words. 

"Really?" he says finally. "That is - I did not..." He brings both hands to his forehead. 

"It's sooner than I expected. I'm pleased with him. I can put him off, if you'd rather it wait until you're more recovered."

"It seems important to him, not only to me. I - am absolutely going to cry or something if I do it now, my emotions are being very odd, Nayoki thought it was a normal aftereffect and will go away. That may not be a good first impression, but - if you think it would do him good to speak with me sooner, I feel able to do it as long as you are there." 

"I think you are the one who has been - waiting two thousand years, in a sense - and if you'd like to give it another week I can explain the reason and he won't take it too badly. I do think he's going to want to do this before he figures out his next goals. I can stay, if you'd like, though isn't your world fanatically opposed to men sleeping together for stupid reasons?"

“Not everywhere, I think Tantara was not especially opposed. Also we do not need to tell him we are sleeping together, it is not as though we are going to do it in front of him. He can assume what he wishes.”

"I guess we can try to be subtle. Do you want to do it today or tomorrow, then, with me also attending?"

He takes a deep breath. "- Tomorrow would be better, I think." 

Nod. "I'll let him know."

And he arranges for someone to tell Urtho that Leareth (Ma'ar) is recuperating from injuries sustained setting up something for Abadar which another god was opposed to, but can see him tomorrow.

Leareth is feeling almost back to normal the next morning, and confirms he is as ready as he's ever going to be to see Urtho.