...So it did end up hittin'
somethin', after all.

Thankfully it missed hitting
any of the towns.

You guys sure you're all right?

No, I hurt all over, but...

Estelle's in trouble.
I can't just lie around.

Yeah. What he said.

What's our next move, though?

If the road to Ehmead
Hill is out, couldn't we
take a boat around?

I'm afraid not.

A little while back the Knights
came and took any boat that
could make a long trip.

Thanks to them, the
harbor's dead empty.

How 'bout we repair the Fiertia
and go 'round by sea?

The keel's all messed up,
so it'll take a while to fix.

Damn, at a time like this...

...Well, there is one way, but
I'm just not sure how I feel
about recommending it to you.

If it'll get us through,
let's hear it. We've got to
get to the capital fast.

I'm afraid it'll end up
taking you a fair bit
out of your way, but...

If you go north, just before
Ehmead Hill, there's a thin
strip of coastline.

It'll eventually come to a dead
end, but in this season it freezes
over and becomes an ice floe.

The Blade Drifts of Zopheir.

Right. If you're lucky, you
should be able to make your
way across the floe on the ice.

So basically, if we take that
route, we'll be able to detour
to the center of the continent.

The Blade Drifts
of Zopheir, huh?

I heard nobody goes there --
not even fishermen -- because
of the stories.

You're also gambling on nature
here, so there's no guarantee
you'll be able to get through.

Nature is quite often
the enemy of man.

Ya hit the nail on
the head, Patty.

If that's our only way, then
we'll have to go for it.

Okay, let's do it.

Thanks for your help.

Least I can do. There wouldn't
be much left of this family if
it weren't for you all.

Only thing I'll ask is that
you don't disappoint my boy.

You got it!