[attr="class","hovinf"]words #2,080 | total words #2,080

[attr="class","maintex"]It had been an uphill battle right from the start.

But that, Seron understood was true of most things when their- his daughter put her mind to something. Too much like him Lia had once said, stubbornness ingrained into her very bones. He would not blame her for it, nor take away her want to explore. So despite the travel distance, the talk they had and the days that would be spent away from home, she was still very insistent about it. And that was how he had been reluctantly talked into agreeing to take her with him to the Royal Capital, instead of having Ras keep an eye on her. Normally, or perhaps previously was a better term for it, he would have insisted otherwise. But it was not as if he had plans to go off and do anything dangerous. Unlike the Magic Knights, he was not used to throwing himself into danger quite so much anymore. No matter how often it seemed to find him regardless. But that was hardly the point.

"Papa, why are we going there? Ooh, can we go explore the shops-, no wait, do they have a library? Can we go!? Pretty please?" From one train of thought to the next, she hardly seemed to want to stop to take a breath. A fact he quietly reminded her of, all before she inhaled and kept going. Questions galore as usual, enough to draw out a soft laugh from the depths of his chest, it did not pull as hard as it used to. Days would get easier bit by bit and she helped with that, more than he would ever tell her. His daughter's enthusiasm alone did wonders, she had been so withdrawn and quiet the past few months, to witness her slow adjustment to their new reality was promising. Even if it still sent a wave of grief through him.

"Do you remember Felanor?" There was enough of a nod to her head to know that she understood and remembered, she had visited a fair few times after all so it was not that surprising. "She asked for my help with something, but I'm sure she'll be overjoyed to see you as well sweet pea." It could be hoped, they had not spoken much since the funeral, but he trusted Felanor. Regardless of what she might ask of him, it could not be worse than what had already happened, be it peril-filled or something more academic as he was used to these days. With them both being former Magic Knights, she already knew the risks of asking him to do too much. A friend without a doubt, but there was a limit to even his own generosity if it meant risking his own neck. He couldn't be so reckless, not anymore, he would not leave his own child without parent.

"They do have libraries sweet pea yes, if you're good on the way there I'm sure we can stop to have a look around before we go say hello to Felanor, sound good?" As soon as he had barely begun to speak his agreement aloud, as long as she behaved, the sound of quiet giggling got his attention and a smile that reminded him far too much of her mother. Nevertheless, the soft thank you that came shortly after was enough to keep his mind away from such dreary topics and in a better mood as they began their travels. No matter that he had to be the one carrying all the supplies on his back. It was more then worth it when she had been so determined to want to join in, he simply couldn't say anything but yes at the time. His back might pay for it later if he wasn't careful.

Still staying at the odd inn here and there during their travels helped immeasurably. Despite that little luxury, he kept a cloak about his person whenever they were out, though left the hood of the slightly rough yet well used dark grey fabric down most of the time. It kept the worst of the cold at bay, and hid his own grimiore from sight as well. A bad habit Lia had told him, taking it everywhere whenever he left their home even for a few minutes, but she had never blamed him for his caution. Certain areas were safer then others, and he would be damned if he'd let himself be caught without a means of defending himself. Too many memories of having been caught unawares even when he'd been with the Magic Knights. He was not like those there anymore, but he still made a point of observing whenever they entered somewhere new. Far more for his daughter's safety then his own really.

Reaching the Royal Captial was a challenge in and of itself, not least of all because he had been tugged here and there whenever his daughter found a small bookshop or store filled with treats, but his will was strong enough to not indulge her every whim. He hadn't the money to do so anyway, except for once on the way there. The pastries had simply been too good to pass up, at least that was what he'd told himself on the afternoon he'd given in. Nevertheless, there had been a slight change of plans, mostly due to exhaustion on his part in that they headed straight for his old friend. Who welcomed them that evening and even insisted they could talk tomorrow after getting some rest and exploring a little. He could only be forever grateful that whatever issue he could sense was being deliberately unspoken, did not appear to be so urgent that it could not wait another day or two, a small relief.

In truth, Seron was unsure that he could have contributed that night even if it had been a timely matter, all but collapsing into the bed she had graciously offered. He'd been asleep within minutes, dreams for once peaceful and even if it only stayed that way while in the company of another and their home, that still suited him just fine. Far fewer questions if he did not wake up in the night screaming or sobbing. None of which occurred, and though tiredness still clung to him that next morning, such limitations did not apply to his dearest daughter. How he envied her sheer levels of energy so early in the day. Even more so when he could only offer rushed thanks before being half-dragged out the front door, clearly she was eager to explore and for a time he let her do just that. Carefully of course.

When they at last did reach the Grand Magic Archive, it was hard to keep himself from staring, let alone try to halt his daughter from rushing off to find a book for herself. It had been over a decade since he'd stepped into these halls, yet that same sense of wonder still overcame him. Such a treasure trove of knowledge was a marvel and a delight to witness, let alone wander the shelves. Though by the time he found his daughter again, she had already found a book and had settled herself upon a table to seemingly devour what was contained within. "Stay here for me alright?" An uninterested nod was his only answer, it was good enough, she knew how to reach him if something occurred and he could always keep an eye on her mana signature even as he wandered the shelves alone.

While the grandeur of such a space was not lost on him, the only other time he had seen such a vast wealth of knowledge was as a boy in one of the great libraries in Spade, Seron made sure he wasn't getting in the way of others. Carefully stepping aside anyone who approached or wish to pass, he had no desire or real need to make himself known to those here. Given the extravagance of the space, he suspected nobility would be here quite often, and while the letter from his beloved lingered in the back of his mind, he still did not quite count himself among those who would call themselves 'nobles' of Clover. A strange fact of life really, to seemingly be granted noble status again only to reject it, but he had seen the worst of what such people could become.

So he stayed away from such matters. Far away, at least for the time being. He had no want to become like them, like his Uncle or spirits forbid his Grandfather either. If one of Liana's family truly wished to speak to him, he suspected they'd most certainly have the means to find and contact him. It was not as if he were living in isolation or in hiding from the rest of the world, not anymore. With that rather sobering thought in mind, swift soft footsteps lead him to seek out the reason why he had agreed to visit here to begin with, it was not just for his daughter's benefit but his own as well. Tomes he hadn't been able to find since his childhood, even with his own archivist work, he'd been unable to procure very many bits of information on the topic.

History was of course, a broad subject, but specific periods and times of strife were always left out. It did not take a genius to figure out the reason why, but perhaps something here would lead to what he was seeking. What better place then the largest collection of widespread information within the Royal Capital? Flicking through sections was not overly difficult, but what he found rather then the knowledge he readily sought out, was an older looking man whom clearly worked within the Grand Magic Archive utterly surrounded by entire stacks of books. And by the looks of it, looking rather at his wits end as he moved a small stack back into their proper places upon the shelves. Were people here truly so careless with such items?

"Pardon my intrusion to your work, but that seems an awful lot for one man. May I?" Far be it for him to belittle someone doing their job, but with seemingly no one else around, it seemed horrid to just leave them be. He could always return here briefly before they left the Royal Capital to seek out what he needed, rather that then watch an old man be nearly crushed to death under stacks of paper. The elderly male, almost seemed to jump at being spoken to, clearly lost within his task until that moment. "Oh that would be most helpful if you're sure? Nice to see one so young caring about the state of such a place." While he rather had the urge to laugh at being called young anymore, he refrained from such action and instead simply nodded, moving to grab a stack to begin putting them away.

"It is no trouble, I work with tomes a lot of the time, such knowledge should be treasured. Not discarded carelessly." At that, he got only a pleased laugh and a rather hearty pat on the back before being sent on his way. The higher sections he could not reach, he simply pulled on his mana, gently moving the books into place with a little magic never hurt. And it meant he could carry far more around and put them back faster. Though as he moved about, he caught even his daughter grinning at him as he passed before she returned to reading, no doubt he'd be fielding questions from her later. Yet after a few hours of consistent work, it was done.

"Thank you so much, I would have been doing this all day otherwise." A weary chuckle sounded from the man as he finished up. A gesture drew his daughter to his side and while she huffed about even having to move at all, after some coaxing she handed the book over. A quiet thank you leaving her as he slowly lead her reluctant form towards the exit. With a quiet promise to return once more before they left, it did not take much more before she was tugging on his arm to pull him out. Back to see Felanor he supposed, time to find out what she wanted, hopefully nothing book related this time.