After a bit of time with the Shermans, Roland and Finn made their way to the library. As much as he wanted to linger in the laughter and happy glow of his home, it was all in danger until he could find out a better way to break the curse on Rhone.
They held hands as they walked, Finn a little shyly and Roland beaming despite the seriousness of the errand. He was determined to enjoy every moment he had with the woman he loved, as much as he could while his focus was on saving the city from destruction.
The Treasurer allowed them in, and Finn showed Roland around, directing him to the areas she thought most likely to contain relevant material. Once he got his bearings, the two selected the most promising volumes and laid them out across the table that Finn had often commandeered for her purposes.
The two decided to focus first on references to the Sorcerer, or any sorcerer, since they weren't exactly sure which one they were trying to learn about, or even if there was more than one. Finn showed Roland the myth in the book she'd found before, about how the Sorcerer separated people into the difference races of human and non-humans.
This seemed like a good lead to Roland, as it directly referenced the will of the sorcerer, though it gave absolutely no detail on what that might be. Still, it was a hopeful clue.
"Serafina," He began, causing her to look up from the history book she was leafing through, "The Fae, Gwen specifically, did they mention whether the Sorcerer still lives?"
Finn's face pulled together in concentration, "I never thought to ask! They act as if The Sorcerer lives, since they seek his will continually. Can someone who is dead still have will?" She had honestly not thought to consider that at all.
"If he is still living, maybe there is a way to ask him his will?" Roland pressed his fingers to his temples, trying to puzzle out a potential solution to their problem.
"I would assume so, but I didn't get the impression that the Fae directly talk to him. It all seemed so far above my importance that I didn't question into it much. Every time I asked Gwen a question, I would come away with even more, like when Mayra and I asked about the end of the world." She sighed.
"The end of the world? They know about that?" Roland's eyebrows shot to his hairline. Gwen had seemed extremely knowledgeable about the present from what he could tell, but knowing the future was quite a different thing.
"Yes, but they don't know when exactly it will happen." Finn shrugged. "Asking Gwen anything is like asking for a piece to a puzzle, and being handed several more pieces to new puzzles alongside it."
"I can see how that would be frustrating," Roland did not have time for all the world's puzzles before the war began. The Rhone were likely only a day or two away, depending on how quickly their marching was going. He also didn't know what the battle plans were or how long it would take to get the troops in place; that might buy more time.
Hopefully nothing would be set in motion that couldn't be stopped. He turned his attention back to the book, re-reading the paragraph he had just completed.
"The sorcerer, feeling sorrow for the victims but having not the will to intensively rule as before, divided the peoples. Those who were thieving and murderous were turned into hideous goblins, who lived underground so that the light of day would not expose their crimes. Those who were noble and selfless were blessed with long lives and beauty, the Fae, who retreated from the rest of the world to live alone on mountaintops where they practiced magic and sought the sorcerer's will."
"So he had no will to rule, but the Fae sought his will anyway?" Roland was confused.
"Maybe his will is that we rule ourselves?" Finn suggested. "It also says he taught the people kindness and generosity before they were corrupted. I can't imagine his will would include Rhone slaughtering all of Klain. That wouldn't be kind or generous."
"You're right... I suppose that's something, perhaps," Roland copied down those parts of the tome into a notebook he was keeping.
"I also pulled out this history book the Treasurer had before. This was many years later, I think, than the dividing of the people. It says the people of Klain sought the help of a great Sorcerer to save them from Rhone, and that he had the people gather all the herbs they could for days, and then used them to make the city disappear when the Rhone attacked. The city reappeared on top of the rubble, none the worse for wear."
"You think they are the same person?" Roland asked.
"The motivation seems the same, as far as I can tell," Finn chewed on her lip for a moment, "peace, in a sense, and lack of conflict. Saving the people from attack."
"So even if there have been many sorcerers, do you think it's likely they have a common goal and personality?"
"It's impossible to know from just the two examples," Finn hedged. "Let's keep looking to see if we can find any more of the sorcerer's actions."
They searched and read for hours, finding nothing but isolated references with no additional context, until Roland saw Finn's eyes drooping and a yawn escape her lips.
"I'm sorry, Dearest, I should get you home to rest. Those nights in prison can't have been restful." Roland took her hand to help her rise from where she sat. Though sleepy in the extreme, she suddenly felt awake again.
"Did you just call me Dearest?" She asked with mild surprise.
He looked down in chagrin. "You don't like it? I can call you anything you like." He lifted his eyes to observe her reaction as he continued, "My Love, Darling, Sweetheart, Blossom, Precious, Sunshine, Beloved..."
"Wait just a moment," Finn ran her hand down her face, "How many of these do you have just ready to go?"
"I'm not sure you want the answer to that," He winked at her, and she blushed. "Did any of them stand out to you as particularly appealing, or should I provide more options?"
Over the years of caring for the sick, unusual terms of endearment people used for one another in times of hopelessness or confession had been a topic of some interest to him. He was pleased that paying attention allowed him the opportunity to make Finn blush so prettily today.
"Oh, do continue," She raised her eyebrows, "I'd like to know all of my options. It would be terrible to just settle for the first thing that came along, don't you think?"
"I would agree, Honey, except that you settled for me, my Angel. It would be incumbent upon me to encourage you to continue to do so, Princess."
"Am I? Or rather, will I be?" Finn had started giggling during his last string of endearments, but suddenly stopped.
"Will you be what?" Roland asked.
"A Princess. You are, after all, Prince Derek, are you not? Is there any royal protocol I should prepare for to be able to be your wife?" It was not the first time the thought had occurred to her, but to voice her worry was something else.
"You will be my wife, and will always be a princess to me, whether or not we have any official royal titles." He smiled at her warmly and pulled her hand so that they began the journey outside and toward home. "But back to the subject at hand. What shall I call you, Serafina? My Treasure? Peaches? Muffin? My Flower? Buttercup?"
He smiled proudly as Finn burst into another round of giggles. "Call me anything you'd like, but don't expect me to respond necessarily."
"I'll call you mine." He kissed her hand.
"I like that," Her face softened.
"Or maybe Pumpkin." His expression changed to contemplative.
"Pumpkin?? What kind of endearment is that? Am I a fat orange gourd?" She playfully smacked his shoulder as they continued toward the Shermans' home.
"I would still love you if you turned into a fat, orange gourd," He assured her in a serious tone. "But you're right, it doesn't fit. Perhaps Sweet Pea?"
"My father calls me that," Finn turned a little more serious.
"When we stop the war, I'll get him freed," Roland assured her. "After all, we need him for the wedding, and I need to thank him for raising such an excellent daughter. We'll have to bring Gabriel back as well. I'm fond of the little rascal, you know. I've never had a brother and I'm looking forward to enjoying the full experience."
Finn smiled at him gratefully and squeezed his hand. Though the future still remained uncertain, Roland's confidence instilled a steadfast hope in her heart that would not be easily broken.