", please sit down." Mirana said, gesturing delicately to a chair. The poor man was so nervous Helen was surprised he didn't vibrate off of the offered chair. Helen toned down the curious stare she could feel forming in her eyes and gave him a small smile.

"Mr. Toby, could you please tell Helen your story? Just as you told me if you please." It was then that Mr. Toby told the story Helen had been waiting to hear. How the greatest evil she had ever known had come to take the life of Ilosovic Stayne.

"I was neighbor to the Stayne's since Ilosovic was just a little lad. He always was runnin' around getting into all kinds of mischief. His parents, friends of mine, said many a day that he would start running at dawn and wouldn't stop until after dusk! I remember when he was young, he didn't love anything so much as he loved to run. Not to any particular place mind you, he'd just run.

Well, the years passed and little Ilosovic was growing into a fine, tall, young man. He was apprenticed to the blacksmith and took to it as easily as anyone has ever done. He was so very clever, before long he knew just as much, if not more than his master! Still, he loved to run, and to ride! He'd be out and about just as long as he had been as a lad. Don't get it in your head, he wasn't all fun and games, he was a hard worker, and he was soon the best at his trade.

When he wasn't outdoors he was visiting his brother. We in the neighborhood used to joke that he spent more time with his brother, and his nieces and nephews, than he did at his own house! I'm telling you this because I think it's important for you to know, he wasn't always… like that.

All that changed one day. We heard there were bandits, robbers, in the area and Ilosovic was only too eager to try out his sword skills on someone outside of our village. He had learned sword lore from his master and was as quick a learner in that as he was in everything else. I don't know what exactly happened that day, but all I know is this: He went out to make sure they weren't coming our way, and he came back different. It didn't stop at a change in hair color. He went to his brother's house, same as every day, and he murdered them all. His brother, his sister-in-law, all of his nieces and nephews, and he laughed while he did it.

Everyone who heard their screams came running, but we couldn't stop him. I only escaped when he knocked me out and left me for dead. When I awoke I found the whole village burned to the ground, everyone dead."

"My god." Helen breathed. "I'm sorry." She said more loudly. She looked at Mirana. "What does this mean?" she asked the queen.

"Your guess is as good as mine." She responded.