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"I remember reading an especially remarkable tale about a man named Benjamin Garza," said the King. "Perhaps all of you here can speak to the veracity of it."

"It's true," said Luciana.

The King laughed. "You have not even heard the story yet."

"Oh, but I have," she said. "You're referring to the Tale of Nine Revivals, no?"

"How did you know?" said the King.

"Every child of House Garza knows this story by heart," said Elise. "We all know the heroism of our great, great grandfather."

"I see," said the King. "That is heartening to hear."

"Please, do go on and tell it," said Luciana. "We would be happy to check your version for errors."

The King laughed again. "Very well. I believe it begins rather harrowingly, yes? At the fortress known as Waterbreak, near the end of the Uprising?"

Both women nodded.

"All hope seemed to be lost," the King continued. "The gates were broken down. The defenders were being overrun as the forces of the Mohssian Empire flooded into the castle. The famous Redwater Twins had perished months before, and by all accounts, this here was the last bastion of the Rainlords. The Empire sought their extinction."

"Right so far," said Elise.

Given the heaviness of the subject matter, Hector would've expected the looks on everyone's faces to be a bit more somber, but it didn't seem to be fazing them at all.

"Benjamin Garza managed to escape from that madness through a secret underground passage," said the King. "And with him, he brought thirteen children. Between them all, nine different Houses were represented. They were, each of them, the very last of their kin, and Benjamin went on to raise them all as his own. He became, in essence, the lone conduit through which the entirety of the Rainlords' legacy was preserved and passed on to the new generation."