They could hear shouting from another room. Sayori was pacing up and down, wringing her hands as she walked to and fro. There was a long table in the center of the room. The hall they escorted them to must have been used for feasts. The chairs were lined with heavy amounts of padding and purple velvet upholstery.

A crash echoed against the wall they were sharing with the king and lord Cronley. Reese was lounging in one of the fluffy chairs. He had his head propped up as he leaned on the armrest. He looked entirely bored by the behavior. Evonne was also sitting. She was trying her best to look as small as she could while staring at her hands in her lap.

“Reese, why are you acting as if this is normal behavior?”

He shrugged. “You’re around enough rich folks and you see this from time to time. Not quite on this level with this much power, but they really don’t like people disrupting their perceived peace.”

“All we did was arrive,” Kaden said quietly.

“And that was enough to be different from the normal. These people like to be in utter and complete control. Your arrival with one of his Lords is the opposite of that.”

“What are we supposed to do?” Evonne said quietly next to him.

He waved her hand at him. “Don’t look him in the eye and just agree to whatever he says. Even if it’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard. You just need to get through the interaction. Then you can do whatever you want later. You just need to get as far as you can away from the person first.”

“So just nod and smile while not looking at him?” Sayori said in an irritated tone.

“Pretty much.”

She let out a frustrated groan. “This is why people are having uprisings. Look at this place! It’s covered in opulence! There’s gold even in the damn pillows on the benches! People are starving and these kings live like this.”

“I don’t know if very many are starving here.” Kaden tried to add.

She let out a deep sigh. “Sorry. They are at home. I don’t know it’s like this there too. It’s just… it’s a lot.”

“It is a lot,” Reese said as he flicked at the velvet. “I don’t think I’ve seen any lord this over the top with their wealth.”

“What if he doesn’t like what we have to say?” Evonne’s worried voice cut in.

“We nod, say yes sir, and apologize for bringing the news. Then we get the fuck out of here,” Reese tried to explain.

“There are so many guards, though!”

He laughed. “Evonne, you were burning people alive yesterday. A few water guards aren’t going to slow you down.”

Her head dropped and she went back to looking at her hands. Kaden didn’t think she was too proud of her ability to burn people alive. When phrased in that fashion, he didn’t think anyone would be proud of that skill.

An awkward silence fell back between them. The shouting from the other room had gone quiet. Kaden hoped that Lord Cronley was able to rationally explain the situation to him and the king was listening. He didn’t want to have to start a war with his own king just to get out of there alive. They had much more pressing matter to attend to than to be held up at the king’s castle.

The door behind them burst open and the flapping of purple robes fluttered behind the king as he strode forward. His entourage was scrambling to catch up to him. Cronley was walking briskly behind him instead. They all had jumped to their feet at his entrance and were bowing deeply as he neared the edge of the large table.

Snapping his fingers, he ordered the scrambling entourage right back out, ordering them to close the doors behind them. The people looked surprised, but did as they were told. A great smile crawled across his face, unnerving Kaden.

“Cronley tells me you are heroes!”

They shared an awkward look. That was where they were starting, apparently. Kaden gave a brief nod.

“You have a letter for me, then?” He held his hand out expectantly.

Kaden fumbled through his pockets before springing the letter free. He tried to hand it over with both hands, as if he was presenting something special. The king snatched it out of his hand and ripped through the seal. A puff of magical smoke drifted to the sky. They had enchanted it so only the king could open in. Kaden found that extremely interesting.

His eyes scanned the letter, back and forth, back and forth. He let out a dramatic gasp before covering his mouth. His eyes widened, and he gasped again. Shaking his head, he thrust the letter toward Cronley to take out of his sight.

“I am shocked, truly! Ambassador Laramee! Of all people! Cronley, did you ever get icky vibes from him?”

“Icky, Sir?”

“Creeped out? Weird feelings? Strange moods?”

“No, sir. I didn’t really know the man nor had much interaction with him, frankly.”

He waved his hand dismissively at Lord Cronley. “And you four stopped an invasion of the capitol! Is that correct?”

Reese spoke up first. “Yes, your majesty. We couldn’t have done anything if it wasn’t for your water mage here, Kaden Bertoff.”

“Explain.” He said as he crossed his arms.

Sayori was picking up where Reese was going with it. “He said he had felt a strange disturbance in the magic that night and chose to stand watch over us as we slept. He had told us that he couldn’t live with himself if something happened on his watch if he was able to stop it.”

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Evonne nodded. “And stop it he did, sir! He caught a would be assassin in the dead of night. In his chase of the assailant, he was able to discover a full-blown assault was in progress!”

“He woke us up and the four of us went on the offensive!” Reese continued. “This quick thinking allowed us to save hundreds of human and dragon lives alike. In the aftermath, we were even awarded and dubbed saviors of the Night of Fallen Wings.”

He blushed at how they were phrasing it. They had discussed that they would embellish the story to make him look better, but they were really selling it that he was the reason everyone was saved.

Swallowing hard, he said, “But the night wasn’t over when we stopped the assailants. Something still felt wrong.”

The king was fully engaged and enamored by what they were saying. He was looking at them with wide eyes and an opened mouth.

“The question of how they got in and how they were able to do such an attack was still pressing. I had a feeling, an urge, that our ambassador wasn’t being truthful.”

The king waved his hand and gave a knowing nod. “You got an icky feeling, huh?”

“Yes, sir. Very icky.” Kaden was having a hard time holding back a laugh at the king. “I convinced the Lord Commander to join me and—”

“Lord Commander Arnould Daralty?!”

“The same,” added Reese with a dramatic inflection.

Kaden let out a huff of a laugh, but quickly covered it with a cough as if he was clearing his throat. “We hunted the ambassador down and found him about to execute the only House of the Serpents that we had managed to catch.”

Lord Cronley leaned forward and explained that they hadn’t been able to catch any of them alive. That they take their own lives before they succumb to imprisonment. The king responded only with more wide eyes and a dropped jaw.

“He tried to attack us with blood magic,” said Evonne with a shaky voice, as if the concept terrified her.

“No! He doesn’t have that ability, does he, Cronley?” He had turned toward the Lord for an answer.

“We didn’t know of it, sir. This is the first I’ve heard of this.” When the king turned back to face them, Kaden saw him give a wink at them.

Sayori leaned forward. “Majesty, Kaden here broke through that magic by himself. He was able to break a blood mage’s spell!”

They weren’t lying about this part, but Lord Cronley might think they were embellishing the tale. He really had broken the blood magic’s hold on him. That was a lie at all.

“We stopped him,” Kaden said quietly. “He had gotten one of them, but the other still lives. He unfortunately also lost an arm, thanks to the Lord Commander.”

Shaking his head, every emotion was legible on the king’s face. “And where is he now?”

“Under guard by the white mages. They gave us this letter and dispatched us at once to tell you.”

He leaned back on his back leg and his eyes went up and down the four of them, examining them. “While it sounds like you all did a lot, why not send white mages instead? Why you new riders?”

This wasn’t a bad question. Lord Cronley hadn’t even questioned it himself. Kaden looked back to his companions and Reese shrugged, answering for them. “With the Ambassador being a Serpent spy, they were unsure of who else may be. It shook them to the core there in the citadel. It was a better cover for everyone to send us here on our first pilgrimage stop. If the serpents heard of it, they may be suspicious, but it could be explainable.”

He pursed his lips in thought at that response. If he didn’t believe them, he was doing a really good job at acting as if he had. His lips went from one side of his mouth to the other, as he was deep in thought.

“I accept this logic.”

Kaden couldn’t help but drop his shoulders in relief.

“How did you manage to wrap up the Lord here in your mission?”

Kaden’s eyes cut to the Lord. He nodded to him, giving him approval to tell him that portion of the tale. “Just as information hadn’t been coming here thanks to the Ambassador, information wasn’t going there either. We were unaware of the threat in the northern country. On our way here, we were shot out of the sky and assaulted by more House of the Serpent attackers.”

“Shot out of the sky? One of your dragons?” He looked between the four of them. “But I counted five of them today.”

“Yes, sir,” answered Sayori with a timid voice. “They shot me and my dragon down. It was likely that we would have died if it wasn’t for Kaden saving us once again.”

“Again? My goodness, boy! You really are quite the champion, aren’t you?”

Kaden rubbed his head in embarrassment. He really was sticking his neck out and helping everyone. While they were embellishing things, it wasn’t that far from the truth.

Sayori continued. “Without fully knowing dragon anatomy, he used what magic he could and sealed up my dragon’s wounds. It was done well enough that we were able to move forward on foot.”

Reese slid closer to Kaden and wrapped his arm around him. “We would be lost without this mage, your majesty. When the serpents attacked us again, he created a misting shield between us and the onslaught of arrows.”

Evonne nodded. “He was even able to signal some dragon riders who were patrolling in the area. They were able to come assist and save us. Taking us back to the temple, we were able to debrief Lord Cronley on some of the details.”

The king’s eyes cut back in jealousy. “Not all of them, though, right? This is the first you’re hearing of the ambassador.”

“Yes, your Majesty. This is the first I’m hearing of the ambassador. They informed me of the assault on the city, assuming we had already been debriefed. I knew it was extremely important and brought them here to you at once.”

He tilted his head up and looked down his nose at lord Cronley. “Yes, wise decision. I needed to know of these things directly. I am pleased once again at how you handle your position.”

“Thank you, majesty.”

The King turned around and took Kaden by the shoulders. “Young mage. It sounds like you personally saved countless lives. I am thrilled to know that our newest dragon rider is blessed in so many ways.”

Kaden was shook as the king held him in a firm grip. Swallowing, he said, “Thank you, sir.”

“We must celebrate you!”

Kaden’s eyes went wide. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Celebrate!” He threw Kaden back and put his arms out. Taking several steps around the room, he spun with his arms open. “You are the savior of the Night of Fallen wings! You are the reason the insurgence didn’t take the central government! You! A young water mage! The people must know!”

“Must they?” he mumbled.

Whirling around to Lord Cronley, he pointed to him. “I want you to get your daughters here. I want to present you as well for how your people handled saving this mage. We will make it a show of how well I govern.”

“My daughters? Sir, why my daughters?”

“One is a rider and the other a top mage, yes? We want to show how great our mages are. Go, go, invite your daughters.”

Whirling back toward Kaden, he said, “Young mage. Where do you hail from?”

“The Rolanti mountains in Lord Enderton’s lands. I lived on a sheep farm.”

“You have a family? Yes? Invite them.”

Kaden couldn’t control the shock on his face. “My family? You want to bring my family here? Sir, that will take ages for them to arrive.”

“No, it won’t. We’ll send for some dragons to escort them.” He waved toward Lord Cronley. “Send some riders to get his parents and… siblings?”

“Yes, sir. I have two sis—”

“His siblings. We will want to show the world that even a poor shepherd can do great things in this country. We’ll show his poor family to the court. They’ll be inspired.”

Kaden blinked slowly at how he was talking about his family. His poor family. He not only wanted to parade Kaden around, but wanted to do it to his family as well. Part of him was upset about this, but another part was thrilled to be able to see them. He knew his mother would die of excitement at being invited to dine with the king himself. He hoped that his brothers would be on their best behavior.

Looking up and down Kaden he said, “I will send my best tailors in here to make you look more like the champion you are.”

Looking down at his borrowed armors, he couldn’t imagine being in an outfit like the kings. Hopefully, those tailors would respect his wishes.

Clapping again, he twirled around toward the doors. Skipping away, he said, “We’re going to have a party!”

Cronley turned around and said, “when, sir?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Three days seems like enough time, right?”

The king threw open the door and a rush of people were quick to join him. It slammed shut just as quickly, and the air was sucked out of the room again.

Cronley was shaking his head. “I guess we’re having a party.”