Riku, thankfully, didn’t make a fuss at the village, just asked to borrow some munny, and slipped away into the marketplace. While Kai went to follow him, Sora went to the bar.

He grinned cheekily at the man standing just outside the tavern, both guarding and defending it, getting a frown in return, and went past him and toward the bar counter.

"Dominique," he called a low, singsong voice once he was sure the bartender would hear him. Dominique turned around and her face brightened in that sunny way that Sora knew his brother at the door could never resist.

"Sora!" she exclaimed, relief in her voice. "You're all right."

"Of course I am!" Sora replied with a cheeky grin. "Listen," his voice got several octaves lower, "what do you know about the princess who was locked in the tower north of here?"

Dominique frowned. "Weren't you asking about that before? Didn't you finish your quest?"

"Yea, it is. But last time I was asking," he smiled his serious smile, that to casual observers was friendly enough, but which didn't reach his eyes, "I wanted to know how to get there."

Someone at the other end of the bar yelled for the bartender, and Dominique glanced in that direction before saying quickly, "Not much. I hafta run. I'll send Sion by later."

-

When Riku entered Sora's line of sight, he was wearing knight's armor. He'd also cut his hair, and it now hung at about his shoulders, instead of flowing down his back. Sora glanced at Kai and raised his eyebrows, remembering the conversation they'd had about Riku. Kai raised an eyebrow back, indicating he hadn't gotten anything out of Riku out of that—and Riku was looking at them both, an irritated expression on his face.

"Well," Sora coughed, embarrassed at having been caught having what was obviously a secret conversation, "I got rooms. We leave early in the morning."

Sora gave them each a key, and didn't comment at Riku's raised eyebrows. Really, he'd only gotten these rooms because Dominique insisted. They didn't have the munny otherwise.

Sora was quite sure he should be feeling embarrassed because he was supposed to be sure that the princess was used to better. But for some reason or other, he didn't.

-

The quiet knock at the door meant only one thing. Sora slipped a knife back into his boot as he stood to open the door.

To Sora's relief, it was only Sion, who didn't even glance around before sweeping in. Still, he was wary. The quiet knock in that subtle, specific pattern was a code developed between the brothers when something was up. And from the look on Sion's face, something was definitely up.

"Good evening, Nii-san." Sora grinned cheekily. "How'sit going?"

Sion sent him a disgruntled look. Sion always hated it when Sora made light of serious predicaments.

"Nothing good," Sion answered, not engaging in their usual banter, which Sora took to be a sign that things were worse than normal. Sion handed over a piece of parchment. "This was all Dominique could remember. From ten years ago."

Sora looked up sharply. "Yea," Sion said, sitting on the bed.

"This isn't much," Sora mumbled, appraising the parchment.

Sion gave Sora that Look that meant Sion was irritated at the underreaction. Again. "Why did you want to know?" he settled for asking.

"My quest took me there," Sora answered, all too simply.

"And you've returned." Sion's unwavering gaze wasn't exactly unsettling, but serious all the same, "why do you want this information now?"

"Well you know," Sora evaded. "Always good to check around."

Which you couldn't have done before leaving for the tower? The question was in Sion's face. But what Sion actually said was, "Nothing to do with a certain pale-haired addition to your traveling companions, hmm?"

Sora twiddled his thumbs. "Might have something to do with that."

"Let me guess. He was the princess."

"Eh, you know how it is—"

"Which explains why he was locked up in a tower for ten years masquerading as a princess. Also has nothing to do with the fact that roughly three days ago, all of the dark energy surrounding that area, and that tower in particular, just stopped?"

"Geez, Sion, take talking pills this morning or what?" Sora turned and stormed into the bathroom.

When Sora had himself reasonably clean and stepped back out into the room, Sion was still there. Sora sighed and went over to his weapons and the jar of polish.

"Look," Sora began, "I need to know because I was told to find the princess in that tower. And then put her in chains and haul her back to the Kingdom. They first ordered me to kill her, but I wasn't going to do that."

Sora only sensed more than heard Sion twitch and move, because he was looking at his sword and not at his brother.

After a moment, Sion seemed to pull himself together, "Why?"

Sora paused as he ran his polish over the surface of the sword. "You said it yourself. The dark energy centered on that tower. When I brought the princess away, it all just stopped."

Sora knew very well that that was not what Sion was asking. But Sora didn’t really want to face that right now. Nor that Sora was pretty damn sure Kai had been sent as a spy. There was no other reason for the other knight to accompany him, especially because this quest was supposed to have been carried out with the utmost secrecy.

Not chaining or otherwise incapacitating Riku had been a risk. Sora assumed no one would assume the pale man to be the princess of the tower. Kai hadn't objected, which Sora took to be a good sign. But beyond that, Sora couldn't guess. He'd originally been ordered to kill Riku, after all.

Sora did not want to answer what Sion had intended to ask: why would the Kingdom order this princess dead? Why order you to do it?