Kill Madeleine and her father.

Maurice helps you up. You exaggerate your discomfort, hoping he'll take you for what you appear to be. A boy king, unused to travelling far from his palace, unused to sail and rudder.

"Come, Your Majesty." the groundskeeper says, nodding in the direction of the cabin. "you should take a moment, no?"

"Per... perhaps." You agree. The pair of you move in the direction of the door. You lean on Maurice for support you don't actually need as you go.

The cabin's interior is as lavish as you'd expected, albeit cramped by necessity. Still, you've slept in ore than your share of caves, stables and tents, so you imagine you could be quite comfortable in here.

The servant moves one of Madeleine's toys, a red octopus, from the bed to the furniture, then helps you onto the edge of the bed.

"Can I get Your Majesty anything?" the servant asks, taking a step back and regarding you with respect. "Wine, or water p'raps?"

"I'll be alright... just need a moment." you tell him. You wish there were another way, but this had to be done.

The moment Maurice turns his back, you reach into your boot and close your hand around your knife. You pounce, throwing him onto the bed and pinning him down. The groundskeeper bucks and writhes, nearly throwing you off him. You were no stranger to the spear-din, your early years had been shaped by it. The same could not be said for Bryce.

As Erika showed you, you bring the knife down, stabbing it into the groundskeeper's neck. The resistance it meets, then overcomes, feels as wrong as ever.

Withdrawing the knife, you hold Maurice down as he thrashes and gurgles his last. His strength deserts him as swiftly as his life's blood, spilled copiously on his master's sheets.

Only when you're certain he's expired do you climb off him. You take a breath, steeling yourself for what is to come.

Garnier and Madeleine have their backs to you, still over by the prow of the yacht as you exit the cabin.

"How fares King Bryce?" Garnier asks, not turning until it is too late for him.

"I'm sorry." you plunge the knife into the Dauphin's back. As the air is driven from the Sinnabarrovian's lungs, you hook your left arm around his neck, wrestling him into place. The knife comes out and back into his body again and again, obliterating his organs like a pick through a block of ice.

Given the choice, you would have done this quicker, caused Garnier less pain. You knew spells that allow men to slip away thoughtlessly into ****. As Bryce, you were simply incapable of casting them, however.

With Garnier neutralised, you turn to Madeleine, to your primary target.

"Garnier!" the child shrieks. She staggers back, dumbfounded, horrified.

Madeleine's father is barely able to lift his head to regard her. As he loses his grip on the taffrail and crumples to the deck, blood flows freely from his mouth and nose.

"Get away from me, monster!" Madeleine shouts, moving down the yacht.

It's harder to move your foot than you thought it would be. Ever since you'd heard of the Tome of Precia, you'd thought of using it to kill her, after all. Why should something you'd planned for so long be so difficult in the execution?

You knew the answer. She was an innocent child. For now, at least. Not yet the monster who would disgrace your family, conquer your land and kill Spirits know how many people.

But one day, the armies of the Coalition would march on her word, harrowing Itheria, Morland, Gaelica and Dean.

You could stop it right here and now. Save mothers beyond counting the grief Emmanuelle was soon to know. It had to be done. In the name of Motania, and all its peoples, you reasoned.

You take a step, gripping your blood-stained knife.