To Kill a Kingdom

Lira and Elian are tied up on the Xaprár, across the room from each other. Elian is unconscious and bleeding, and Lira admires his courage, having never seen courage from a human before. She also marvels at his mercy, and how he only kills for necessity.

When Elian wakes, he asks her if she’s hurt, but she’s merely covered in his blood and is fine. Elian dislocates his thumb and tries to pull his hand free from the rope that is binding him. Lira scolds him for walking right into Rycroft’s trap, but Elian says that he had to come because Rycroft has the necklace. He reveals that he promised to marry Princess Yukiko in exchange for the map, and that he can’t give up because he sacrificed his kingdom to her in order to get the Crystal. Lira is shocked, but she suggests that they should have killed Rycroft for the necklace. Elian disagrees.

Cannon fire starts to hit the ship, and Elian realizes that he can’t pull his hands free in order to escape. He recognizes the cannons as the Saad coming to rescue him. A cannonball tears through the walls of the room and breaks the beam that Elian is tied to.