Palm had long since left the watchtower and was making his way to the livery where the riding birds were stabled and bred. He left a palace guard to temporarily keep watch in the lookout until he could get a crew and a shift rotation setup. With a pair of eyes keeping watch of the sea, Palm was free to depart.

The journey was long and arduous as he stumbled across debris and soulless bodies. To proceed forward while leaving the dead behind was unseemly and disrespectful and something he could never do. Every body he came across, he paused to say a prayer over them, then gently lifted one of the lifeless into his arms and carried them to his brother, Alder.

Alder and some of the village men had been collecting the deceased villagers and were laying them in neat, organized rows according to age and gender. It was the most practical way to sort them for identification. It had been a long and painful task, but the eldest prince diligently performed it.

Not only were the dead collected, but he also needed to comfort and encourage the searchers, some of whom periodically broke down from the agony of seeing and handling so many of their deceased neighbors, friends and at times, relatives. The wails and sobs of the men were quiet, yet at once deafening. It was up to Alder to offer solace and compassion to the grieving searchers. Some found peace in the prince's consolation, but others were too aggrieved to find the strength to continue. To those tortured souls, Alder instructed them to go to the palace to eat and rest. This was not the type of job that one could perform ceaselessly and yet, the young prince had no choice but to do exactly that.

He could not allow himself to retreat from the misery that was all around him and instead forced himself to carry on. If he could not be strong going through the titanic tragedy, how could the people go on with no sustainable support? He had to keep going and he had to keep going without showing a sign if grief. Sadness was not a luxury he could afford himself. He had to be the light in the darkness. He had to be the strength for the weary. He had to be the hope for their future and the promise that they would endure the nightmare that was the Great Flood.

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