The ride was uneventful for quite a while as they made their way through the woods. Even after entering Flameheart territory there were no hostile encounters, not even soldier patrols. Almost an hour past the border, they arrived at a small fortified base, finding a group of soldiers with a white flag raised. The Carraig troops clearly weren't sure how to deal with the Verglas delegation, which outnumbered and outweaponed them, but responded to inquiries with little hostility, mostly wariness.

According to the troops, Vicomte Carraig had ordered them to raise the flag the day before, and to simply keep the area safe against bandits. Why, they didn't know, though rumour had it the Duke was ending the war. The soldiers were rough but polite, offering water for the horses and wishing the delegation a safe trip.

Eirwen was curious, resisting the urge to ask her travel companion if he knew what that was all about. She had her suspicions, of course. Ailbe Carraig was on the Flameheart council, which had acknowledged Aodhán's succession, so chances were he had been there when the decision was made. Aodhán probably had informed the entire council, including Comte Carraig, of his plans to surrender. Acting upon that intent in advance would allow the council to end the bloodshed as soon as they could.

It was frustrating, seeing how well Aodhán had prepared, and the support he had received for it. Cloaks and daggers, not for a battle but for ending the war on his terms. Her scouts had not even found out yet that Carraig was waving a white flag, yet apparently all the Carraig troops already knew. And the Vicomte had only sent out his commands after things would already have come to a head at the Verglas estate, to help make sure she didn't find out too soon. The perfect trap, coming from someone who even now had a hard time feigning innocence. She really had taught him too well.

About half an hour later, she detected something strange. At the sight of her furrowing eyebrows, the nameless quickly sent his senses after hers, to figure out what she had noticed. It took her a few counts more to properly realise what she was sensing. "Huh. Is that Comte Carraig, using the Carraig defense?"

Her travel companion frowned from concentration as well. "Let me... You're right, it's Ailbe. Given the direction and distance... I think he's at the crossroads to his castle and the Flameheart main territories." He slanted his head in confusion. "I don't detect any knights, maybe a few people. Am I sensing this wrong?"

Eirwen shook her head. "No, you're right. He has a very small entourage with him. I'm not detecting anyone else, not even in ambush. So how long do you think he has been waiting?" She caught herself, realising she was interacting as they used to. Then she let go of her hesitation. There was no harm in normal conversation, right?

"Hm..." As he spoke, she wondered for a count if he harboured similar thoughts. Then she noticed the subtle joy that he was trying to keep out of his face. That answered her unspoken question. "Ambient mana seems to be quite used up, gently being refilled through a slow flow. Based on what I can sense, a few hours?"

"That long?" That was surprising. Given the amount of mana used, she would have expected far shorter. A few hours would mean his ability hardly cost any mana. Maybe he just recently activated it, but no, her travel companion was right, the flow of ambient mana was gentle.

"Oh yes. You're used to my cheap copy, not the original. Ailbe refined his family's skill significantly and has taught his version to all his children. But he would never teach it to an outsider like me, so I just copied what I could. The only way to learn the efficient way is to not only marry into the family, but also eternally tie yourself to it. No divorce, no right to remarry even after being widowed. Aoife isn't my type, so that wasn't an option."

Liar. She'd seen the way the two had looked at each other in the past, mutual respect and admiration. She was very sure Aoife had always had a mild crush on the Marquis. If it wasn't for Eirwen, those two would likely have become a power couple that could have gone down in history. Eirwen and Aoife also resembled each other in several ways. The only definition by which Aoife wouldn't be considered his type, was one where Eirwen was the only one for him.

She suppressed her urge to blush as he continued. "I don't seem to sense any remnant impact on the area's mana from yesterday, so he wasn't there then. Given the timing and our location, I suspect he had a scout observe us crossing the border and came here the very moment the messenger bird arrived."

"I guess you're not the only one with a flair for the dramatic." The words came out before she even realised, as did his laugh in turn. A smile slipped onto her face before she turned stern once more. "I'm going to need my horse. Could you?" The precise request unspoken, just an old habit of lazing about and letting him do one of the things he excelled at compared to her.

He nodded and turned away from her, his face focused. She could sense him reach out to Vicomtesse Pertrellan. Part of her considered eavesdropping, but no. Outside, orders rang out and half a moment later her horse was already brought up to the carriage. Meanwhile, more and more knights were finally able to notice Carraig's presence up ahead.

"Urgh, they're focusing on him too much. Could you?" He nodded and sent out another order on her behalf. Another set of barked orders later, and she could feel the knights spread their senses again, focusing on the woods around them rather than the road ahead. It was good to see how well-polished the chain of command went. Perhaps she should be worried how naturally he had fit in, as convenient as it was proving. 

She opened the door and moved onto her horse in a single swift flow, all while they continued moving forward. From horseback, she looked inside. "So wait, you know the speed of his scouts and birds? Here I was thinking it was just us that you had an eerie understanding of, but you applied your scrutinising to your allies as well."

He nodded with a smile. "You need a good overview of everyone's strengths and weaknesses to manage them, after all. So I made sure to have a proper understanding of everyone I dealt with. They do say to keep your allies close, your Grace." And your enemies closer. Which she was doing right now. As was he. She wondered...

She shook off the trail of thought and focused her senses on Carraig. He knew they were near, that was easy to tell, his power hardening but not in preparation for offense. "Stay in the carriage, doors closed. You're allowed to communicate with me, nothing else." He nodded and closed the door as she urged her horse forward.

A few counts later, she felt his mind connect to hers, subtly, gently, making sure nobody would realise he was here. She turned her face to ice, making sure nobody would be able to tell anything from her face. Time to greet the Vicomte. The first actual event in formally ending the war.