"We don't have time to run and hope no one finds out about the treasure. We have to slow the spread of all this, or we're all dead before the wave even hits."
Sebaziun's breath hitched. His mind whirled, caught between the revelation of the treasure's danger and this new, terrifying truth. "You're gonna have to show me on a map  where you were when you saw it and what direction you think its moving
".
"I'm sure its not natural," Gamleon guessed. "Sure, the rain and all, the rivers swelling, that  seems normal enough. But this thing is something else. Something bigger. And I still can't believe it's really coming. Its so... just, coming faster than any of us are prepared for."
Sebaziun sat there wiping at his nose and eyes, silent for a moment, processing the flood of information. His earlier paternal tunnel vision was now tempered with disquieting deeper understandings. "So, we still go, go to the queen," he said finally, his voice quiet, resigned.
"Yeah. We have to," Gamleon confirmed. "She's our only chance to buy time. We tell her everything, and maybe—just maybe—she can keep her people quiet long enough for us to get out, to run. But that meeting, when everyone's gathered... that's when I'll have to tell them all about it. He could barely even spit out the words he was so tired and disgusted by it all ..." the flood, because in the end, Sebaziun, none of this even matters if we can't outrun that wave."
Sebaziun closed his eyes for a long moment, the weight of it all pressing down on him. "Alright. We go. We plan with the queen. But you'd better be ready to explain, Gamleon. Because once we start this, there's no going back."
Gamleon nodded. He knew the truth was going to shatter whatever fragile plans they had, but there was no avoiding it. The flood was coming ,whether anyone believed him or not.
"Consider this: what if she doesn't believe me? What if she doesn't believe us? What if they think it's some clever ruse to get away with the treasure? I wish I had some kind of proof."
Sebaziun nodded, the weight of Gamleon's words settling heavily. "Not only that, but everyone's getting ready for the games. She has some kind of special meeting set up—something about the plans and about discussing the arrow with the widower king. They were planning to make agreements about using the arrow, joining the conflict against the Cockatrice. It all seems so meaningless now."
"I would like to use some of my enormous new wealth to commission a new medal. The medal is an award for having the most insane to-do list ever conceived and we are the winners... and the losers." He tried laughing but failed, nerves frayed and raw, exhaustion overwhelming down deep to his core. He sat motionless as snot and drool ran down; he barely had the will left to move his lips or form coherent words. "I just want to keep saying that I'm sorry. But what would you have done if you were in my place? Of course I would come here. Of course I would come to the smartest person I've ever met or known in my life and in all my travels. If I didn't save you guys, if I could've done something and didn't try to do anything?"
"If I need some water as badly as I do, and I do. You and these poor kids... I imagine all you want to do is soak in a tub and just drink, drink water. He started to get up when he noticed the portrait in the dim light. " When my uncle was dying, I came to his bedside and asked him how he was, how he was trying to deal with it yuh know. How did he manage his thoughts? And you know what he said?"
"What's that? Your Uncle Ted, right? Wud did he say?"
He said, "You gotta take every single little thing one step at a time." Seems kinda obvious, but also, I mean, what else can you really do?
" I loved your uncle Ted. He was great. He woulda said "we better get up and stop feeling sorry for ourselves. Dreema is gonna come in here and find us like this. Kick both our *****" Gamleon said doing his best impression of the beloved old timer.
"****, that’s a really good uncle Ted, you really were paying attention all that time weren't you. I'm sorry, buddy. I'll get up. Go get you some cold water. You stay right there".
He handed the portrait over, and Gamleon cradled it gently.
"Bread and wine too, please. If it's not too much to ask".
By the time Sebaziun returned from the kitchen, Gamleon was sprawled out across the hall, totally blocking it, face down, snoring loudly.  The picture back where it had always hung. Sebaziun felt awful about nudging him awake, but after several attempts and failures, he could hear Gamleon's stomach roaring and grumbling as it ate itself. So, he shook him hard until he came around. Then, he put the warm buttered bread in Gamleon's hand and drank from the cooled wine before passing it .

"Ugh... oh, God, how long was I out? Did you tell Dreema?"
"Not long, and no, not yet. The kids are making her smile. The fae are dancing and singing, drinking up my best, but who cares. You good?"ut oh, those carrots in there are calling my name."
"Oh, that's a great idea. I'm gonna get some of the kids and head out to the garden right next to the kitchen window. Pull up some carrots and stuff real quick. That way they'll at least have something."
"Get the big goofy one his name's Kai. He loves diggin. Tell him, I told him to help you."
"Can do, boss man. Anything else I can do to help you?" he asked, jokingly, despite everything.

Sebaziun gave a nod and headed out, leaving Gamleon to snack and rest. Despite the weight of their multifaceted and dire situation, they managed to hold onto a thread of normalcy. It was a small drop in the middle of a swirling sea of uncertainty. It was almost too much it seemed in every direction there was something waiting, something constantly threatening to drown them all, yet there it was—an unbreakable bond, an attempt at levity and understanding. Something that didn't need to be picked apart or over examined. Something. Something kind and good that reminded them of their shared responsibilities and maturity.

"Yes, I hear you, Uncle Ted," Gamleon said aloud, catching Dreema's ear. As he began to doze back off, he could smell the sandalwood and sage that Ted liked to use. He drifted in an in-between state, trying to swallow the fresh buttered bread, overpowered by sheer and inevitable exhaustion. He slipped away and dreamed of flying immediately. He looked out to his side and there was a young, healthy Ted saying, "Yes, yes, you were paying attention the whole time, weren't you."