Boyce's vision urged Boyce to leave Gothal and take Pomperaque and the rest of Phoride, away from Manguino. To that vision urged by Brook, Dearborne urged Boyce to hold Lilith close to his heart and to take her as his wife; his Lady of the Blue. Boyce conveyed his dreams to his beloved Lilith and he asked her to be his wife. With all he heart and spirit, she promised herself to Boyce, as his wife. In the days following the proposal, Boyce and Lloyd made plans to enter Pomperaque and how they would begin their recruitment of the common people to Boyce's side. The plans were finalised and two days before they left Gothal, the Mother Abbess married Boyce and Lilith, in a private ceremony performed at the tomb of Brook and Dearborne. With all their love shared between each other in their consummation of marriage, Boyce promised to return for her when his duty was accomplished and his invasion of Phoride was successful. He did not want to leave her and her heart couldn't let him go but Lloyd promised Lilith that he would watch out for Boyce and she somehow knew that Boyce would be safe. Lloyd found it difficult to leave Sister Rhonta. Their utter differences of opinion towards Djenaud Smarte brought them close together to a point that resembled love for one another. Although such things weren't permitted of the full ranking nuns, Rhonta gave Lloyd a kiss before the two left for the gates of Pomperaque, not very far away. They were given their old clothes and some dirty travel packs full of clean clothing, food and two sacks full of copper and gold coins. They looked like they travelled for years from some unknown place on the world, to Pomperaque. On the morning of their fortnight's stay at the Abbey of Our Holy Saint Mariot, the men left the abbey for their short walk to Pomperaque. The five women who brought them into Gothal also watched them leave and the Abbess Mother, Mariot, blessed them in their promised mission and its hoped-for success. PART II: THE BIRTHRIGHT AND THE SCEPTRE CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE Patches of wispy-like clouds passed over the moon, in the humid night sky. Pomperaque was unusually quiet this night and the star-gazing Cardinal Orren had noticed it. He also felt ill-at-ease, this night. With pale blue eyes he looked at the moon for most of the evening and after midnight he saw an odd sight in the northern skies. It was a vision that he did not want to accept. At first he thought that his tired eyes were causing the vision but the corresponding feelings that he had when he saw the strange sight, made him take notice, and he reported it to the ArchBishop. Orren was one of the most trusted Cardinals in Manguino's legion of coenobites. He had all the qualities of his late father, Cardinal Allen, and this was fitting, as he was the great sainted cardinal's eldest of thirteen sons.