"Even if it's not a story?  Even if you'll lose, one day?  Even if you'll have to get back up when you do and try again, if you're lucky enough your failures and your mischances haven't killed you?

"...There is something the soul who trained me used to say.

"To seek glory is to seek death.

"And perhaps your father refuted much of the things that person taught me about life...

"But this one...

"I would be remiss in my duties, if I let you seek glory."

He takes one step closer.  Two.  His eyes, the blue of sharp-edged, crackling river-ice, bore their gaze into Lila's own.

"I believe I know the answer, but I have to ask.

"Is what you seek from this training duty, or death?"

She quivers, but just a bit.  She remembers standing before far more terrifying men.

"Neither."

She-of-Maranon had a duty, there.  But here, her only duty is to make sure this one barony's ruled well.  She never took on a duty to the story.

"I'm not going for glory.  Well, I'd like to hear about it when people get it, but.  I'm not going for duty either; I'm not saying I have to.  But if I go out there myself one day..." (or if a demon is summoned here in the heart of Villarosa) "... I'll be there because I want to be there.  For Villarosa.  For the people here."

Oh, he's not trying to be terrifying.  He's just trying to make sure she understands.

And it seems like she does.  Even if her answer is - in his opinion - needlessly complex.

"...I should have known that you would find some strange third option.  It was one of your father's favorite things to do.  Though, if I had my druthers, to prepare one's self to suffer in the place of others is, if no strict duty, still an equal burden borne.  Still.  You understand the lesson that no-one can teach.  I will train you, as you've asked.  You are ready for it."

"Thank you.  When?  I'm sure you're busy managing the Barony..."

"I am not as busy as you might think, and there are many things I can teach you as I do the Barony's work.  It is, after all, to be yours when you are ready - and the skills are transferable."

"Oh - yes, of course -"

Managing a kingdom wasn't all her-of-Maranon's favorite work, but a lot of it was.  And as for the rest, well, even if she could find good trustworthy people to do it, she should at least know something of how they did it.  And however much is different between that kingdom and this barony, she's sure that hasn't changed.

... but every bit of that is new to her-of-Villarosa, who was happy to be leaving it to someone else.  She can't be acting too different too quickly there, at least.

...That was odd - and if his focus had not solely been upon her, perhaps it would have passed unnoticed, but it was, so it did not.

One does not normally observe the same spirit having two different immediate reactions to the same statement.  That's not produced by mere conflict; one must be rather literally of two minds.

If they had not been so well-synchronized in every other matter, he'd think Lila had somehow been possessed.

As it is...

He's not sure what produced this.  But he's pretty sure that both of these reactions are Lila's.

...He'll have to ask Selma about what seemed weird to her about Lila this morning, when next he has the chance.  He saw the lady of the house giving her daughter a contemplative and somewhat concerned look, and he expects this to be related to what has Lila in such a tearing hurry to learn about everything her father did.  If she did not receive some sort of prophecy, possibly directly related to Kosvin, then he's the Immortal Jade Emperor.

...Perhaps some lessons in the importance of communicating with your allies will do the trick.  And if not - sometimes, speaking a prophecy can break it.  He's not sure he'll ever know which possibilities he's in, but he'll fly true, regardless.  This is a fact about Ser Mattan Hyas: He is loyal to his allies, his guiding stars as he hunts in the night - and Lila is one.  No matter what comes.  No matter what she's scared of.  Kosvin earned nothing less.

... That looks like he's suddenly concerned about something.  She might've missed that, except she-of-Maranon has a lot of experience in looking for just that.  Is her sudden change in behavior so surprising?

"So... where to now?"

"The armory, to fit you for weapons and armor.  The smithy, if something calls to your spirit enough young miss Pallas-Smith should forge it; she's worth the work.  The training yard; I will be training a squad of the militia, you will be practicing alongside them.  You will recuperate; afterwards, via the ley link, you will be ordering some texts on spirit magic and invoking the elements, to come on the next train.  You will be joining the weekly Baronial audience."

"All right!"  There's a lot there for each part of her.  "What should I ask the weapons-master for?"

"You shouldn't; you will be trying every style of weapon we keep."  And the armory is well-stocked, because you never know.  "Meet me at the training yard by next bell.  I shouldn't need to tell you to avoid dressing fancy for that."

He has someone he needs to talk to.

It isn't anywhere unusual that Ser Mattan comes to Selma and Lila's rooms in the tower, but it's not every day either. Selma smiles and nods to see him.

"Ser Mattan - pleased to see you, as always.  Tea?  Bread?"  She gestures at a teapot hanging over the fire.

"I was actually just thinking of seeing you about Lila."

"...I believe tea may be useful.  It's an amusing coincidence, though, because I wanted to see you about Lila."

He's not laughing.

"...I think - something strange happened.  Between the time I last saw Lila, and now.  And I'm trying to figure out what - and what I can do about it.

"...As far as I can tell, she's still herself.  But - this drastic change...  She sought me out like a drowning soul clings to a boat's debris, suddenly desperate to understand her knack for spiritual evocation.  To know everything her father did, over his career.  Not just because it's her father.  If I'm reading her right...

"She wants to use that knowledge.

"...actually, no.  Not...wants.  I think she thinks she needs.  But she didn't really tell me why."

She pours them each a cup of tea, and nods until the last line, when she purses her lips in thought.

"She had a dream," she says pensively.  "She was very excited and eager this morning, and told me that she'd dreamed she was fighting demon cultists and a demon lord herself, while still at the Royal Academy.  But it clearly wasn't a nightmare; it'd left her eager to take up Kosvin's mantle - to use it, like you said.

"... But I don't think just a dream would've left her desperate."

He sips his tea; he gives Selma a nod.  It's good.  "...Tell me more about what she said, about the dream?  Because what's odd here is that...this is the first I've heard of that.  ...Well, no.  I tell a lie, she mentioned she had dreamt, but - only barely.  And when I told her that - if she'd felt a prophecy, I'd prioritize appropriately - she deflected.  Sometimes that's necessary, but - I worry, that after -" Kosvin's funeral, he still can't say the words because the Kosvin in his head is still alive and a man is not dead while his name is still spoken but so many have taken it in vain - "- after what happened and what didn't...

"I'm worried she's taking things upon herself that she's not ready to.  Or that she feels she can't admit she wants to take up, deeply enough to cleave her soul in twain from the stress of it - because this I saw in her spirit, and I still don't know why.

"So please.  Please, tell me anything you can think of, Selma, because she's going to try and fight a demon lord by herself at this rate and I might be able to help her but I can't stop her.  I know she's not my daughter by blood, but you and I both know the power of chosen bonds and were she to ask it of me I would gladly let her claim my line, such as it is -"

He despairingly presses his face into a soft blue handkerchief, calloused hands pressing tight against the bridge of his nose, worry lines visible above his furrowed brow.

"- and...  I can't do my duty to prepare her for what she faces, if I don't know more about what she'll face."

He exhales, forcefully, regretfully.  "Please help me do my duty.  For Lila's sake, let alone mine."

Selma is looking more and more worried.  "She did mention another part to the dream - something about talking about how the world works with someone else who was somehow also her.  She didn't want to talk too much about that.  I thought it was just a dream - I was wondering if she'd let that inspire her to become an archmage or queen - but if you're thinking her soul is really split in two somehow..."

She doesn't know how it could happen.  To anyone - but especially to Lila here without her even noticing any hints.  It didn't feel this morning like it'd happened.  But...

"... And if it is prophecy, or if she knows somehow about a cult summoning a demon... then her sudden drive would make sense.  But if so - why wouldn't she tell us?"

"That's what I don't know, unfortunately.  Especially if the decisions, or at least the talking, were a true happening, and now we have - someone who seems to also quintessentially be your daughter - riding sidesaddle, in the back of her head.  ...Not even with any real control; the spontaneous additional Lila-soul looked - positively eager to get to ruling, but your daughter's reactions - they weren't just a mask; she showed all the signs of actually being as nervous about ruling as she was yesterday.  And...some prophecies are unstable when they're shared, but she told you of this, in enough detail that we could probably confirm it.  So... I just don't know, Selma."

"She said the cultists were summoning K'xabriguthak.  And she said they did summon him.  Didn't Kosvin kill him?

"... and you're sure there isn't any soul there that isn't her?"

"...We thought we had.  But...something remained of him, still, and -

"It is not impossible that he merely lies sleeping.

"I'm sure that there is only Lila, not some hostile entity.  I think...I almost wonder if your daughter caused this, subconsciously; manifestations of new souls when the present occupant of a body faces some intense stress are not unheard of - especially in practitioners of the Light and of Void-magic, both of which get...fuzzy, about realness."

"How intense are we talking about?  And how long - is there something I should've seen yesterday, or could it have just been the dream?"

"I don't know, Selma; I know this much only by fickle chance.  I...can't imagine that the dream was not the greatest portion of it.  I think - you didn't fail her.

"I've even heard that some intentionally invoke the same structures, though in that case I cannot help but wonder how she would have known to."

She breathes a shallow sigh of partial relief.

"Kosvin mentioned that to me once, but I don't think he knew how; he said he couldn't understand why people would do it...  Even if he did know, I can't believe he would've told Lila."

She picks up her teacup again and stares into it for a minute.

"I'm going to talk to her again, of course.  But did you give her the training she was demanding?  Whatever's happening here, I think we should.  And that's all the more vital if it is a prophecy."

"Milady Roisen...  Your daughter will be trained to the best standards I can possibly achieve.  I will not stand for less.

"...Don't press her too much upon the subject.  Sometimes even the conscious mind does not know all of what happens within it, though...in this case I suspect she must.

"I still cannot believe that...

"..."

Something comes to his attention.

"Did she, at any point, compare what she experienced or dreamed of, to one of her storybooks, Selma?  Because now that I think of it, I'm noticing a suspicious absence of that, and - that seems odd, especially for her.  I don't know what it could possibly mean, but...it's something."

She nods at not pressing Lila too much.  "I'll ask.  And I think we'll know sometime - I've never found Lila able to keep secrets for too long.  At least not from everyone."

And then, at the last question, she pauses with her teacup midway to her lips.  "- No.  She didn't.  I didn't notice that myself - we didn't talk about the dream for that long - but if she didn't mention it to you either...  I do think she's trying to hide something.  Gods only know what."

"...I can only hope that she chooses someone worthy of her trust, to tell, then."