The Missing Stone

Vague Veil

"You do realize that this could be a fake?" Aelura says, referring to the scroll Glenn- Glenn!- had given to her. It's a call for help, signed by the Alliance Duke himself, and sent before the Kingdom army even reclaimed the capital.

How did he know?

"Excellent question," Mao says haughtily. "I'm going to call it; he called us to reclaim the capital at the round table!"

You're saying he just GUESSED it?

"Is no one going to talk about how Glenn, the name that you can't say around here carelessly without getting run through by a certain sword or spear, is alive after being presumed dead for nearly a decade?" Chester scoffs at the end, disappointed.

"Oh my goddess you're right!" Aelura's voice rises at the end, and she squeals. "This is great! We should tell the others-"

"Woah woah woah," Mao says, waving her hands in front of her. Wait, waving her hands in front of her-

Oh. Mildred can see them. Nice. I can see you and you look like you're having a breakdown. Aelura guffaws at Mao's shocked and horrified look, making even Chester snicker.

"YOU CAN SEE ME!?" She screeches, hair a mess and feathers ruffled. Aelura gasps suddenly, pointing at Mildred.

"You got your sight back, yay!" Cheering, she returns to Mao's side to calm her down. "Wait, why can't we tell the others again?"

"Too many things are happening," Chester groans, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses and Mildred agrees.

"How would you feel if someone you cared about deeply suddenly turned up alive after what turned out to be a tragedy and a war all in ten years? It's too good to be true. Something is up." Chester fidgets with his glasses in response to Mao's words muffled slightly behind her hands.

"We don't have many clues," he remarks. "It's most likely that Glenn faked his death, and is plotting something, most likely with help. He wouldn't have been able to deliver that message, or even get a message signed personally by Duke Riegan unless he was allied with him..."

Well, if it's a call for help delivered by a supposedly dead noble, then it could be serious.

"You're right!" Aelura chirps. "What are we even standing around here for? Milly, bring it to His Highness, as Glenn said!" Mildred blinks before breaking into a run, then immediately screeching to a halt.

Wait, where do I find him?

"Hopefully not busy in the royal bed chambers," Mao snickers, drawing confused noises out of Mildred and Aelura and a very exasperated sigh from Chester.

"The best we can do is to ask around," he suggests, lifting his glasses to rub his eyes. Mildred nods, returning to the celebration and asking a nearby guard. He shakes his head apologetically. A scout near the gates, a maid in the castle, a stableboy to assure that they haven't gone anywhere, all with about the same answer: "Sorry, no."

Who else... Dedue! Of course! He is always aware of the prince's whereabouts, so he should know where he is.

"Dedue." Mildred catches him by a food stall with Ashe and Ingrid off to the side thoroughly enjoying meat skewers. At the sight of the latter, Mildred's ears droop, but she perks up as Dedue turns to attention.

"Do you know where His Highness is?" She asks politely, only a little intimidated by his larger mass. Dedue nods, arranging the items in his arms to point to a street westward.

"I believe both the professor and His Highness went that way." With that, he turns and returns to his earlier task. Mildred starts in the suggested direction, hearing Mao wolf-whistle.