Chapter Text
Lauriam hesitated at the doors before him. How on earth had he gotten here? He tried to backtrack in his mind.
He had been prepared for many things. One couldn’t survive all he’d been through and not be prepared for a lot. Okay, well maybe he didn’t technically survive all of it, but he was alive now, so that was beside the point. The fact was that Lauriam had seen some insanity in his days, and knew he’d have to be ready for more. The return of his memories—most of them, at least—had only further proved that to him.
He’d been a Keybearer, a Union Leader, a big brother…and somehow lost it all, even the memory of it. And, courtesy of the worst one-eyed man in all the worlds, Lauriam had then turned from it all, becoming a Seeker of Darkness. But he couldn’t blame Xigbar for everything, Lauriam knew. That period of re-education had definitely twisted his mind, his empty heart completely unable to object to it, but so many actions had still been his own.
All the destruction wrought on Xemnas’ orders, the attempted coup at Castle Oblivion, meddling with Sora’s memories, destroying and leaving other Organization members to die, becoming Xehanort’s vessel, Rapunzel and Corona, Namine…
But it was over.
Lauriam had sworn that as he faded, and that resolve had hardened with every reclaimed memory, every ache his heart felt for his past actions, every tiny rush of hope that he had a second chance! Marluxia was dead for good, not even enough left to bury. Lauriam was back now, and he wasn’t going to lose what he'd regained.
But so much was still missing. He wasn’t sure what had become of the other Union Leaders, or even how they’d all ended up separated and without memory to begin with. He recalled their world was dying. They needed to flee, but something was wrong. It wasn’t as simple as making a cut with their Keyblades and walking through a portal. Lauriam couldn’t remember why, and neither could Elrena.
Still, he recalled Brain—what a clever, wonderful, loyal friend that boy had been—had come up with a plan. Somehow, he’d found a way out, and sent him, Elrena, and Ven away. Ven had been asleep; Lauriam wasn’t sure why he remembered this, or why it was significant, or why they hadn’t woken Ven up.
“May your heart be your guiding key.”
Those had been his parting words. Unfortunately, Brain hadn’t told him what to do if his heart was suddenly an empty husk and he didn’t even remember his own name.
But all that was beside the point.
Lauriam had to be ready for his next move. There was so much he still needed to do, so much to make up for and complete. In truth, between Namine, Strelitzia, and Ven, Lauriam felt his heart being tugged in so many directions he was afraid it would be ripped apart.
But the bleak reality was he and Elrena had no more new clues to his sister; in some ways, she was more lost than she had been in Daybreak Town. Lauriam wasn’t sure how that was even possible, but as usual, the universe was determined to amplify his suffering. And, well, Lauriam wasn’t sure what he could do for Namine. How did you even begin to make up for what he’d done? The girl deserved an apology, at least. But he didn’t know where to find her, either, or what had happened to her after being freed from Castle Oblivion.
So, that left Ven.
Of course, Lauriam knew he’d be received with incredibly cool suspicion in the very best-case scenario. There was no guarantee that Ven would have any memory of them, or that he’d want to see them if he did. Even if Ven remembered and wanted him, Lauriam was pretty certain literally every other Guardian of Light would be far more inclined to ending him as violently and quickly as possible, and not unreasonably so. Though he’d seen evidence of Sora’s quickness to forgive, he doubted that even that boy would be persuaded to tolerate his presence, especially when Lauriam confessed what exactly had occurred in Castle Oblivion.
But he had to go. He had to see Ven, to know he was alright and…maybe… stay with him. Maybe earn back some of that friendship that had filled the clocktower and reminded Lauriam why he had to find his sister.
It was ridiculous. Lauriam knew it, but he couldn’t stop his heart with its reclaimed memories and raging emotions from hoping. Even so, he still possessed enough of his senses to know that this was a delicate situation that would require all the decorum, tact, and patience in his reserve. He had to be prepared.
So, he’d enlisted Elrena’s help with a bit of roleplaying to prepare for their reintroduction. He pantomimed knocking on a door in front of the bed Elrena rested on. (Oh, yes, they’d had a bit of an adventure after their recompletion, one that had left her in need of some recovery.) She pantomimed opening it, and immediately screwed her face into a scowl.
“Get off of my lawn!” she said, and Lauriam drew back. A snarky smile played on her lips while her hands clutched the blankets, “What? You really think they’re gonna welcome us any other way?”
“No,” Lauriam sighed, rubbing his forehead and recomposing himself, “Okay, let’s go. I’m here for Ventus—no, no! I will be stabbed. Instantly. I heard that as soon as I said it, ugh, just, nevermind. Let’s try it again.”
Pacing a little in agitation and coming back around, he tried the introduction again, skipping the pretend door.
“I realize with everything pertaining to Xehanort, you want to stab me, but I assure you I have not come to harm anybody. How is Ventus doing?”
“Uh, small tip,” Elrena leaned back against her pillow, an eyebrow raised, “Maybe don’t mention that geezer first thing. And then don’t immediately transition from him to Ven.”
“Right, right, I know,” Lauriam clapped his hands together, “So, uh, I’m…in the past…” he turned on his heel and paced the small room before ending up in front of Elrena again, “I lost my memories, but I have them back and I need to see Ven.”
Elrena sighed, her fingers toying with the braided edge of her blanket, “Lauriam, you realize that if it’s just Terra, Aqua, and Ven living together, none of them know who we are, right? You might want to start with, I don’t know, your name.”
“Right,” Lauriam winced, “Sorry, sorry. Okay, let’s try again…”
+========+
So that was how he’d gotten here. Taking a final deep breath, Lauriam raised his fist to knock on the large, ornate doors before him. There was silence. What if they weren’t home? The duties of a Keybearer offered a million reasons for their absence from home, and who knew which world they went to and when they would be back? What if someone else came and saw them? How was he going to explain why he was camping out on their doorstep? Did they know he was here and merely pretending to be absent? Did Ven recognize him but truly want nothing to do with them?
“Anyone home?” Elrena leaned around him and knocked harder, louder, and more brisky on the door. Of course she would. There were some habits from her darker days that hadn’t quite faded, and Lauriam doubted they ever would, not with how Elrena hid behind them. But that was enough of that, not just because she’d punch him if she realized he was thinking that. A voice called through the thick door.
“Coming!”
Lauriam’s heart pounded against his ribcage. That wasn’t Ven’s voice, was it? Had it changed—well it obviously would have, wouldn’t it? The passage of time tended to do that. Look what it had done to them. What else might it have done to Ven? After what Xehanort had put him through—
The door moved.
Lauriam nearly bolted in fright, but thankfully Elrena had hold of his arm and gave him a look, which she quickly hid as soon as a face came into view. Right, she hadn’t come all this way for Lauriam to chicken out now. He could practically hear Brain’s cutting remark about needing to grow a backbone. But Lauriam made himself focus, because now he was face-to-face with a Guardian of Light.
She was a bit younger than them, with short blue hair and blue eyes, which were widening in surprise as she took them in. Figuring their past would be discovered soon enough, Elrena and Lauriam were wearing their coats. Now he wondered if that was the right choice; not that they had any others, though. Her eyes narrowed as she held her hand to the side, clearly ready to summon her Keyblade in a moment. Lauriam gulped, facing Master Aqua—the one who’d survived over a decade in the Realm of Darkness. Not one to the crossed.
“What are you doing here?” her voice was hard.
“I-I’m not here to hurt anyone,” Lauriam, despite Elrena’s advice, abruptly felt like this was the most important thing to communicate, “Please, I just came to talk.”
Aqua’s eyes didn’t lose their hardness as they flicked between the two of them. Behind her, Lauriam could see another familiar face. Terra. Terra, not the Superior. At the moment, though, both seemed equally inclined to attack him. Seeing as he wasn’t dead, though, Lauriam dared to continue, his empty hands in front of him.
“I’m Lauriam, and this is Elrena.”
She nodded her head, her hair bobbing slightly with the motion.
“And what are you doing here?” Terra asked, taking a step closer. Lauriam had to force himself to remain where he was.
“I wanted to see—that is, I just want to know that he’s alright.”
“He?” Aqua raised an eyebrow, “What are you talking about? If this is some kind of trick—”
“It’s not,” Lauriam rushed to say, probably too quickly, “Sorry, sorry, I just…I came to see someone important to me.”
Lauriam checked their reactions; they were still looking only one minor provocation away from destroying them. At that moment, though, there was a scream.
“PUT ME DOWN!”
“Ven?!” Aqua and Terra turned, and before Lauriam could say anything, they slammed the door in his face.
Lauriam was taken aback, and cast a glance at Elrena, who was equally anxious, but trying not to show it. Had Ven been screaming? Was he okay? Did Lauriam dare to enter?
He waited patiently for what felt like an eternity, but must have been closer to five or ten minutes. Finally, he reached out his hand and pushed against the door. To his surprise, it was unlocked. As he gently edged it open and tried to get a peek inside, he heard an inhuman bellowing and saw flashes of light coming from above them. More concerned, Lauriam opened the door a little more, pressing his face close to the crack. There was shouting from inside.
Elrena pushed past him, kicking the door the rest of the way open, which was frankly impressive, given how tall and thick the door was.
“Oh look,” she said dryly, “It opens.”
“Hello?” Lauriam called into the interior. The sounds of violence continued. “Everything alright?”
“Clearly they’re not,” Elrena huffed, striding into the place like she owned it. Lauriam’s lips twitched as he followed, finally finding his courage again.
He and Elrena picked up the pace as the shouts and sounds of violence grew louder. They flew up the stairs, turned sharply at the landing, and raced up another set, coming into what looked like a throne room. However, the grand, ornate nature of the room heavily contrasted with the tragedy unfolding right before their eyes.
Pete stood, clutching Ven awkwardly in front of him, and almost on top of him was Terra, his Keyblade slammed into the ground, as if he’d just missed…or pulled up short. Lauriam’s mind slammed the pieces together and quickly realized what had occurred. Unfortunately, before he could act, Pete’s eyes landed on him, and he started, immediately saying.
“Whelp, I’ll be going now.”
Lauriam’s blood ran cold, understanding just a second too late as he reached out his hand. The black and purple mist rose up before Pete even finished speaking, and he literally hurled Ven through it. Lauriam screamed, but it felt like he was hearing someone else speak. Maybe he was. All of them seemed to scream it at once.
“VEN!!!”
A rush of air shot by him as yellow-white light sparked to life. Pete turned and hurried through the corridor, but before it closed, Lauriam distinctly saw a streak of black and golden-yellow follow right at his heels, getting in just as the portal closed.
It took Lauriam’s shocked brain a moment to process what had just happened. He dropped his hand to his side again, closing his gaping mouth. Hope and dread filled his trembling heart at the same time. On the one hand, Ven had just been kidnapped. On the other, Elrena had managed to follow them…but she was alone.
Oh, and two very angry Keybearers were also snapping out of their daze and turning to him. Lauriam could feel himself break out sweating, which was unfortunate, as sweating was disgusting, especially if not worked up through honest training or fighting.
“Wha-how did…Ven…” Master Aqua shook her head, and when she lifted her face, her eyes lost all trace of confusion, and were instead blazing with purpose and focus—on him.
“My anger needed a simple, tangible target…selfish of me, I know.”
Huh? Lauriam blinked, surprised by the voice that seemed to be his own, but he couldn’t remember saying that…and to whom? More missing memories—can’t bother with that now! There were far more immediate concerns.
“Who are you?” Terra asked, and though it was certainly not the Superior’s voice, it had a similar deep edge.
“Lauriam,” he instantly replied, “I-uh, think I told you that already. But…what just happened?”
Of course, his brain had to pick now to go out to lunch.
Terra’s jaw was set in a snarl, “You weren’t in on this?”
“No!” Lauriam held up his hands, wishing he had any actual evidence to support that claim.
“Then what were you doing here?” Terra demanded.
“I-I wanted to see Ven,” Lauriam gulped, realizing too late this did not help his claim to innocence.
“How do we know you aren’t working with Maleficent?” Aqua growled, her Keyblade pointing directly at him.
“Of course I’m not,” Lauriam shook his head vehemently, “If I were, I certainly would have done a much better job of detaining you at the door, if not at least get you out of the house altogether—anything else would have been stupid.”
Lauriam realized what he’d said as Aqua and Terra took a step closer to him. Sweet Lux, Elrena, you’re supposed to be here to keep me from saying stuff like this!
“Also, I never wanted anything to happen to Ven,” Lauriam bit his lip, and Aqua and Terra looked understandably unconvinced, “I mean it,” Lauriam tried to explain, “I came to see…to see if he remembered me.”
“Remembered you? Why on earth would our friend remember you?” Aqua’s eyes narrowed on him, and Lauriam desperately tried to compose himself. Her gaze was almost as unnerving as Larxene’s had been. He briefly wondered if the two would have gotten along. Either incredibly, terrifyingly well, or they would have hated each other into eternity. Either way, everyone would have had reason to fear.
“Yes, I know it’s pretty unbelievable,” Lauriam tried to keep his voice steady, “Ven and I used to know each other, but I forgot; Elrena and I both did. I’m still not sure how, but our recompletion brought those memories back. I had to see him, to know Ven was alright.”
“And I assume you have some proof of this?” Terra’s fingers thumped on the hilt of his Keyblade.
“I’m afraid Lauriam wouldn’t,” a tiny voice spoke up, causing all of them to whirl as Ven’s Chirithy hopped over to them, “Any proof there might have been would have been destroyed…and I’m partially responsible.”
“What?!” Aqua stared in complete amazement at the tiny creature before her, “You mean he actually knew Ven?”
“More than that,” Chirithy nodded, “They were friends. It was because of Lauriam that Ven survived.”
Lauriam felt a sting in his head and pressed his hand against it as he gritted his teeth, “Chirithy, I am indebted to you, but I must confess, they’re not all back yet. Those memories of the end…when—when Daybreak Town…well, they’re the fuzziest. I can’t even remember how we left, but I know we had to. I know the world was dying and I couldn’t leave Ven nor Elrena behind and Brain somehow made it possible for us to leave, but everything else…”
“Your world fell to darkness?” Terra’s voice was different now, slower and with less of an edge, but Lauriam couldn’t name the exact emotion, “Was it…because of Xehanort?”
Lauriam sighed, shaking his head to clear it, “I don’t know, but I suspect not. Like I said, those memories are the fuzziest.”
“It sounds to me,” Aqua cut in, her Keyblade lowered but not dismissed, her eyes darting between Lauriam and Chirithy, “That you two have a lot of explaining to do. But we’ve got a more immediate problem.”
“Yes,” Lauriam nodded his head, his attention snapping to something he could actually do something about for once, “I’m sure Elrena will do everything she can to keep Ven safe, but they’d probably both appreciate some backup.”
“I’ll see if I can call him,” Terra pulled out his Gummiphone, but not before shooting Lauriam one last look, “Since Chirithy confirmed your story, you can stay and help us find Ven, for now, but try anything that hurts him or Aqua and I will deal with you appropriately.”
“Understood,” Lauriam nodded, holding his open hands up in surrender, “And…I’m sorry for the trouble I caused. For all of it.”
All in all, this was going about as well as he had expected it to, with the exception of Ven getting kidnapped. Elrena had followed, and he still wasn't sure how he felt about that. Lauriam silently prayed the coat was enough protection, and that she wasn’t getting herself into too much trouble on the other side of the Dark Corridor.
Then he remembered this was Elrena.
The Gummiphone rang for a long time, and Terra and Aqua shared a nervous glance as she drew nearer to him. The ringing stopped. The voice that came through shook Lauriam to the core. It reminded him of lying on cold, hard stone, his body aching.
“Greetings, Keybearers.”
“Maleficent!” Aqua and Terra didn’t need to scream that name for Lauriam to know. He grit his teeth, his hand going to his head again as the pain flooded it. Had he met Maleficent personally before? Maybe in those fake worlds the Book of Prophecies created? He knew of her, but that her voice should cause this reaction was…troubling.
“But of course,” Maleficent laughed from the other end of the Gummiphone, “Who else but the Mistress of all Evil were you expecting? Oh…could it be you were looking for a certain young boy?”
“What did you do to Ven?!” Terra demanded, his anger taking on a life of its own. Lauriam was abruptly relieved the man’s attention was not on him, and resolved not to change that anytime soon. But where was—
“Aqua! Terra!” Ven shouted to them, making Lauriam’s heart skip a beat, “Don’t listen to her! Don’t worry about me; I’m—”
“Quiet, pipsqueak!” Pete growled, and there was tussling somewhere far away.
“You appear so worried about him, but as I’m sure you’ve heard, Ven is staying with me as a guest for the moment,” Maleficent said, her voice airy and unconcerned, but with a dark undertone.
“That’s not what I’d call it.” Terra shouted through the Gummiphone. “And if you’ve hurt a hair on his head, I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Maleficent challenged. Lauriam pressed his lips together in a line. His stomach clenched as the full weight of what was going on settled on him. No, please don’t let this be…
“Because let me promise you this, Keybearers,” Maleficent hissed, her voice no longer even pretending kindness, “if you ever want to see your precious Ventus alive again, you’ll listen well…”
Lauriam would gladly have charged her at that moment, but there was the glaring issue of his not knowing where she was. He witnessed Terra and Aqua share a look before turning grimly back towards Maleficent. Right, he forced his hands to unclench, he’d have to let them deal with it.
“What do you want?” Aqua’s voice quavered, but only slightly.
“Very well,” Maleficent was smiling; Lauriam knew it just from her tone, and it made him sick, “What I require from you is a pathway. The instructions you will need have been sent to this little device. Go now to Scala Ad Caelum and open a gate for me. I shall meet you there.”
“Scala Ad Caelum? What do you want there?” Terra’s brows drew together, and Lauriam was confused as well. He’d never heard of that world before.
“That does not concern you,” Maleficent stated, “These are my orders.”
“You really think you’re going to get away with whatever you’re planning?” Aqua said, stamping one foot on the ground, “We will find Ven, and—”
“Obey me, and seek not Ventus!” Maleficent said, and Larium felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, “Stray in that direction and there will hardly be enough of him left for you to find!”
“Don’t hurt him!” Aqua said, but her expression sobered as she realized what she had to do. She briefly closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them, “We—we’ll build your gate.”
“Do so at once. You may inform me via this little trinket when you are done.”
“And after that?” the veins on Terra's hand stood out, only just not crushing the phone to pieces.
“I have told you it does not matter,” Maleficent’s voice was dangerously annoyed.
“About Ven,” Terra elaborated, his jaw clenched, “What about him, after we build this thing for you?”
“Very well,” Maleficent said, “I see your point. Complete this and I shall consider returning him. If you fail, well, I have already told you his fate.”
Terra and Aqua started, but Maleficent cut them off before they could say anything.
“Oh, and I suggest you keep this business between us for the time being. No need to get others involved. Adieu, Keybearers.”
The silence that ensued led Larium to believe Maleficent had hung up. How rude of her. Larium would remember it when he was tearing her to pieces for even daring to touch Ven in the first place.
Aqua and Terra slowly shared a glance. Terra lowered the phone into his pocket. Aqua took a shaky breath, one hand gripping her arm, the other curled around her chin.
“Oh, Ven,” she half-whispered, “what are we going to do?”
“Well,” Lauriam set his jaw, not fully aware of the red that tinted his vision, “I didn’t hear anything in those instructions about myself.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Terra raised an eyebrow.
“It means that Maleficent likely doesn’t know I’m here, since she didn’t mention me, which means she won’t be expecting me,” Lauriam said, “So the moment I know where Ven and Elrena ended up, I’m going after them.”
“Are you crazy?!” Aqua whirled on him, and Lauriam flinched, “What makes you think I’d allow you to get anywhere near Ven?”
Lauriam opened his mouth, but Aqua completely ignored it.
“He’s in enough danger as it is, and if you go looking for him, Maleficent will—” She cut herself off, looking away with clenched fists. Her voice darkened as she said, “Unless…that’s what you wanted the whole time.”
“No, not at all,” Lauriam shook his head, but it was like she didn’t hear him.
“I’ve half a mind to lock you in the dungeon until this is over,” her fingers curled tighter around her arm, “I’m still not convinced you weren’t a part of this.”
“I understand, I really do,” Lauriam held out his hands again, desperation creeping into his voice, “I just want to get Ventus and Elrena back safely. I just…assumed this was the best way.”
“Really?” Terra crossed his arms, “Running off on your own to an unknown world—let’s ignore how you’re even getting there—and fighting whatever Maleficent’s placed to guard Ven, maybe even Maleficent herself, when you don’t have any powers? Even if you did stand a chance in that fight, Maleficent would see you coming. She’s never surprised. What do you think she’d do to Ven if that happened?”
Lauriam looked down, gritting his teeth with each and every one of Terra and Aqua’s words. But at the same time, they made something stirring in his heart towards them. These two really cared about Ven.
“I—you’re right. I didn’t think of any of that. I don’t want him to get hurt,” Lauriam, having remembered this, wanted to beat himself for forgetting it so quickly, “I’m so sorry.”
He should have known better. Of course that plan was stupid. He would have seen it himself if he stopped to think for five consecutive seconds. And facing Maleficent alone would be above idiotic. Lauriam shuddered, remembering what she could do to Keybearers, as he had learned through another’s account during their previously mentioned adventure. But at least it had all ended as well as it could, so far as he could tell.
Lauriam caught noises of surprise from Terra and Aqua, and looked up to see them staring at him. Lauriam winced. Was him apologizing really that much of a shock?
“I won’t go. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to,” he promised, though he knew by this point his integrity was in shambles, “Just…what can I do to help?” He forced himself to look them in the eyes, reminding them and himself of his purpose, “Please, I just want to help, to make sure Ven’s okay.”
“That’s like you, Lauriam!” Chirithy spoke up from his ankle, and Aqua and Terra glanced down at the Dream Eater, whom all of them had momentarily forgotten, “But they’re right. Going off on your own would have been pretty stupid. Even I can’t sense where Ven is, just that he’s not on this world.”
“We’ll find him,” Lauriam knelt down to pat the creature on the head, giving him a reassuring smile, “don’t worry about it.”
Ah, that soft grey fur felt so familiar! Lauriam had to exert all his willpower to keep from gathering the chubby cat into his arms. This wasn’t his anyways, even if Ven was his friend.
“Well,” Terra cleared his throat, and Lauriam glanced up at him. His blue eyes searched over Lauriam, clearly looking for something, but Larium wasn’t sure what. Terra shared a look with Aqua, and the two had a silent conversation, but in the end Aqua nodded solemnly, and Terra turned back to him.
“That coat,” he pointed to Lauriam’s Organization robe, “It protects from darkness like our armor, right?”
“Yes, as I understand it,” Lauriam nodded, straightening, though he still wasn’t clear on all the specifics of the coat, or Keyblades for that matter. Despite having been a Keybearer himself, he never remembered any armor like he’d heard about; couldn’t remember anyone else having any, either. He’d definitely regained enough memory to know if it had been there.
“Alright then,” Terra turned, waving them on, “You’ll ride with me. We’re going to Scala Ad Caelum.”
“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this,” Aqua frowned deeply, giving Lauriam one last hard look, “And don’t think this means we’re not keeping an eye on you. We just clearly can’t leave you alone.”
“I hate it too, but the best thing we can do for now is play along with Maleficent,” Terra sighed heavily, looking with tired eyes at both of them, “We can’t let her hurt Ven.”
“No, no we can’t,” Lauriam agreed, Chirithy following after him.
“That’s not all!” Chirithy drew their attention again as he rushed in front of Lauriam and began excitedly waving his arms, “There’s something in Scala Ad Caelum that you need to see, Lauriam.”
“Huh?!” all three humans said at once, but Chirithy refused to elaborate, merely replying.
“I know you three will find a way to save Ven,” the Dream Eater hopped up onto Lauriam’s shoulder, “And I’m sure Elrena’s doing all she can, too.”
“Speaking of your…friend,” Aqua’s eyes hardened again, but Lauriam detected the worry beneath them, “Do you really think she’ll protect Ven? Maleficent didn’t mention her at all.”
Lauriam hesitated, unsure of exactly how to phrase this, “Well, I’m certain that she’ll do all she can to keep Maleficent from hurting Ven,” Aqua raised an eyebrow at this, which made Lauriam really, really want to stop there, but he felt it better that they were prepared, “but, well, Elrena has a habit of getting into trouble wherever she goes, whether she looks for it or not.”
Aqua’s hand clenched at that, her manner becoming icy again. Lauriam wondered if it had been wise to tell her that. Terra, however, snorted under his breath as he pushed open the front doors.
“I understand that feeling,” he sighed, “only too well…”
Lauriam didn’t catch what Terra said next. A bit odd, that comment. Did Terra often find trouble that he wasn’t looking for? Then again, that seemed to be both a prerequisite and an unfortunate side-effect of being a Keybearer, as Lauriam well knew. And no matter how prepared you were, there was always something that caught you by surprise.