The bar was elegant and refined.

Derek shifted in his seat. All of the patrons talked quietly with one another. It seemed less like a bar and more like a private club. There were people dabbing their lips with napkins! It was the complete opposite of the Tavern in Oceanport.

The Port Dog looked around, feeling oddly out of place. Where were the drunken arm wrestles? The out-of-tune singing of a bard? Or just… noise in general? Everything was so dull and quiet. It was as if these people weren’t here to drink, but merely to appear as if they were.

Derek scratched his head, shrinking into himself.

Two large tankards of golden-brown liquid sloshed as they were placed in front of Derek.

Nikolai took in the other man’s bewildered expression. “Not what you are used to?”

“No kidding,” Derek was quick to claim one of the tankards as his own. Downing a large gulp, he nodded his approval. “At least the ale is still the same.”

The former general huffed a laugh. Without the armor and sword, he looked ordinary. Not quite approachable, but definitely a lot less scary. Despite the gray in his brow and white peppering his hair, the man had quite the charm.

Now, Derek was no lightweight… but it had been years since any alcohol had entered his system.

The former miner nodded at the plain decorations. “Why is it so boring in here? Is all the Citadel like this? Niamh, the barkeeper needs to step it up. At least play some music.”

Derek was a man of few words, but the alcohol running through his veins and his near-death experience loosened something within him. Who was here to tell him off?

“Put in a word for me?” he raised an eyebrow at the other man.

“You just did,” Nikolai tipped back his own tankard.

Derek lowered his ale. “This bar is yours?”

The other man nodded. “Uncle left it to me before he passed. Backup job if I happened to fail guard training… Although, I guess this is my home now too.”

“Home?” Scratching his head, Derek asked, “But shouldn’t you live in like, a fancy mansion or something? You know, full of pretty ladies, sitting on a pile of Dust?”

“My family were only noble in name.” Sucking on the side of his cheek, Nikolai grumbled, “Plus, the mansion and wealth were all gifted to me by Her Majesty… since I’m no longer part of the guard, she was right to take it away.”

A pang of guilt washed over Derek. The other man had given it all up to save him. “But what of your children?”

There was a long pause.

“Are you usually one to get so personal with strangers?” Sniffing, Nikolai finally admitted, “Had a daughter. And a wife. Great noble heiress that married low.”

“Turns out married life wasn’t for me.” He sloshed the liquid around in his cup. “I was always too busy protecting the kingdom. Long story short, the lady took the kid and left for her family’s estate.” He took another gulp of the ale. “I have heard she remarried and they are doing well, but I am not allowed to see… I have not seen the girl since she was a babe.”

Derek looked down, uncertain what to say. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Do not be,” the other man dismissed. “I was a shitty father. I deserved it.” He sighed, “And you? Anyone waiting at home?”

There was a pause.

“No.” Derek’s thoughts flashed to the memories of a warm house, the loud arguments and empty money jar, the tiny bright smiles and jarring sobs. The good and the bad. All... gone. He shook his head. “They’re all gone… my youngest died in the mines.”

Before Nikolai could say anything, Derek was quick to lift his tankard towards the other. “To shitty fathers.”

Nikolai could see the dull pain reflected in the smaller man’s eyes. With a huff, he lifted his tankard and clinked it against the Derek’s. “To shitty fathers,” he repeated.

The men set down their drinks, lost in their own thoughts.

“The Citadel was not always like this,” Nikolai murmured. “There was a time when I was proud to be a part of this kingdom. I still am, but… it is all so different now.”

“It feels like it’s been like this forever,” Derek furrowed his brows. “But the Recruiters really only started coming around about ten years ago, right?”

Nikolai sighed, “Eres is a formidable and powerful queen, but her ruthless spirit is…” The man quickly changed topics. “Long ago, the Citadel relied on trading our natural resources and local businesses to survive. Mountain life is hard but our people were harder.”

The former general nodded at the group of young lords joking and drinking in the corner, fur coats and jewelry fully out on display. “Our population was small, it still is, but back then, even the lords knew of hardship and labor. It was the only way to survive.”

He set down his tankard, a frown growing on his face. It seemed the alcohol was slowly reaching him as well. Derek figured the man’s previous lifestyle probably did not include much drinking.

Nikolai banged his fist against the table. “Now our people are rendered fat and useless! Everyone is rich, sure, but only off of others’ labors! Instead of working they buy shares of the mines and sit idly by as the money flows in. The young call the miners Port-Dogs and spit at their name as if they are vermin. They are too young to remember what people used to call us! The-”

“Hill-folk! The savages of the mountain. Yes, I remember! That was popular for a time,” added Derek.

“Exactly! And how hard our people worked to become number one and overcome that stereotype. If only Eres hadn’t-mphm!”

Derek wrapped his hand around Nikolai’s mouth. “Okay, big guy. Time to calm down. I’ve had one too many arrests for today.” His eyes darted around. One thing he learned from the mines... He whispered lowly. “There are ears everywhere.”

The other man stopped his struggle and begrudgingly nodded. Derek let out a sigh of relief and let go.

When Nikolai had calmed down, Derek finally asked the question that had been plaguing his mind since his almost death. “Hey, Nikolai…Why did you save me?”

“So that someone would be left to drag me through the snow when Eres eventually stabbed me for defecting.” Nikolai chuckled, the boyish sound made for an interesting pairing with his roughish and mature face.

“I’m asking in earnest.” Derek flushed, “Even if you don’t care about the wealth, surely the position meant something to you.”

The other man sighed. To many, he was an admired war hero, but the truth was…

“The thought of leaving the guard has long been on my mind,” admitted the former general. “The Elite Guards used to protect all, not just those we deemed worthy of saving.” He shook his head. “But our duty is first and foremost to serve our queen. Ever since the Extermination was announced, I knew that Eres’ view and mine had long since begun to differ… I could no longer serve her faithfully.”

It was late at night. The moonlight shined through the skylight. The other patrons started slowly exiting the establishment. The barmaids quietly cleaned up and left as well.

The two men watched.

“So, saving me wasn’t some noble pursuit?” asked Derek.

Nikolai smiled, “I saw an opportunity to save your life and resign from a position that no longer called to me. It was a good gamble.”

Derek huffed, “You only say that because your life wasn’t on the line.”

Nikolai clapped Derek on the back. “Oh, Derek, we are already old men. Our glory days are over. For better or worse, the young must take our places and continue our stories.” His sharp eyes dug into Derek. “That is why you were left behind, was it not?”

“Don’t presume to know everything,” snapped the Port-Dog. “I chose to stay.”

Nikolai shrugged at the admission. Whether it was willing or not, the result was the same. After finishing his tankard, he asked, “Was it worth it?”

Derek’s lips pursed. He thought of Ria. Their young Four of Oceanport. He clutched the satchel necklace tight. “When can I leave?”

Nikolai studied the other man. He shrugged, “Not for a while. Eres will insist on keeping an eye on you for the time being.”

Derek sighed. He figured as much. “So, I’m your prisoner now?”

“Think of it more like a temporary housemate,” Nikolai smirked roguishly. “You are free to go anywhere as long as I am by your side.”

“Wow, so romantic,” snarked Derek. He paused, shocked with himself. Was Finn rubbing off on him? He sighed and rubbed his forehead. Might as well make the most of the situation.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

The man stared out the window. He had been in the Citadel for years, and yet he barely knew the land at all. Do not worry about me, Your Highness, he thought. As to whether he had made the right decision to stay behind, Derek didn’t think, he knew he had.

“Fine.” Derek turned back to Nikolai. “But first things first, we’re re-doing this bar. If this is how you decorate living spaces, it’s no wonder your wife left you.”

Nikolai almost spit out his drink in shock.

“Hey!”

---

Ria stared at the port in the distance. Squinting her eyes, she raised a hand to her forehead, blocking out the morning sun.

“Quite poetic, isn’t it?” asked a voice beside her.

Ria glanced over at Old Luce. “What do you mean?”

The crazy man smiled off into the distance. “We have arrived at the dawn of a new era.” His arms flung out like he was in some tv-drama.

The girl looked around at the fading fog. The boat bobbed up and down in the rapids of the river water. She shrugged, “I mean I guess it probably is sometime early in the morning.” She paused, blinking in confusion. “But wouldn’t this be more like dusk? You know, the end of the story since we made it out and everything?”

“Foolish child,” taunted Old Luce. “This is just the beginning.” Then he burst out into delirious laughter, repeating the words over and over again. “This is only the beginning.”

Yeah, that was probably not a great sign of mental stability. Ria slowly backed away. “Sure, man. Totally looks like a dawn to me too! So, I’m just going to-”

A large shadow fell over them.

The girl gasped.

Before them lay a huge ravine. The cliff-sides were sharp and steep. A misstep by an ignorant traveler would have them falling to their deaths in the rushing rapids below. But what caught Ria’s eyes wasn’t the breathtaking natural sight but the bridge that connected the two ends of it. An extremely familiar bridge.

“It’s the one I saw in my dreams,” she whispered.

The one with the cloaked man and the chasing archer. A chill ran up the back of her spine. The man had called her Four! The number had seemed meaningless to her at the time, but now… Ria scratched her head. How could such a coincidence possibly exist?

“Quite a piece of work, isn’t it?” asked Tom.

Finn crossed his arms, beside him. He snorted, “Looks like it’ll snap.”

Ria shivered at the memory, no, dream of the snapping happening before her eyes. The girl could still recall the way the wooden pieces looked as they fell into the rapids below.

“I wouldn’t cross it willingly either,” admitted Tom. “That bridge wasn’t meant for the likes of us to cross.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Finn tilted his head. “Like, are we talking about nobility or the paranormal here?”

“Both.” Tom sighed, “It’s an old Oceanport legend. It’s said that the true Queens of Admin are placed on a trial, forced to be chased by ancient warriors through the forest. If the Chosen One is worthy, they will make it to the bridge and cross into Milror, destined to lead the land to greatness.”

Finn gulped, “And if they’re not?”

“Those are the ones destined to wreak havoc and bring a great Unbalance to the world. A fate not unlike that of Niamh. So, to prevent their entering, they will be hunted down by the Archer-”

“Rabbit?” interjected Ria thoughtlessly. “The archer’s name… it’s Rabbit, isn’t it?”

Tom paused, “Yeah.”

The boy beside him frowned. He tilted his head at Ria. “How’d you know?”

The girl looked away.

Tom laughed, “Well, she would know better than any of us. Right, Your Highness?”

Seeing Ria’s pale face, Finn bumped her shoulder lightly. “Hey, what was Rabbit like?” He mocked in a falsetto voice. “I’m Rabbit, leader of the ancient warriors! I bet he was a beast! Eat your vegetables or Rabbit will get you! Ah! So scary, hah.”

Tom sniffed, getting a bit teary-eyed “That’s exactly what my pa used to say!”

But Ria was staring into the water. Her sweaty hands clasped together. She could still remember the look she had shot her as he aimed the arrow towards her heart. If not for the cloaked man…

“What if the person doesn’t get shot down or cross the bridge?” Ria’s voice was hesitant.

Tom tilted his head, thinking hard on the question. He shrugged, “Guess we’ll never find out since you crossed successfully.”

Ria frowned.

Cheers came from around them. Turns out, everyone had been listening in on their conversation.

“That’s Four alright!”

“Defeater of the Rabbit, queen of Oceanport!”

“Long live Four! Long live Four!” the chant was repeated by all the Port-Dogs on their boat and the next. Even the captain tipped her hat towards the girl.

Ria smiled awkwardly. “Yup, that’s me.” She chewed on her lip. I mean, she was here now, so, did it really matter how she got here?

She turned and gasped at the sight of Old Luce. “Holy- Where did you come from?”

Old Luce just smiled. “What was it like crossing the bridge?”

“Best experience of my life,” she said with a deadpan expression. Ria crossed her arms. “What do you want?”

Old Luce shrugged. The man scratched his clumpy hair, looking off into the distance. “Are we there yet?”

“Shouldn’t you ask the captain that?” The girl rubbed her temples. “Plus, I’m sure we probably still have a ways to go-”

“PREPARE TO DISEMBARK!” hollered the captain.

Ria froze. A sudden rush of anticipation filled her. She raised her gaze to stare at the kingdom in the distance.

The former miners rushed to the edge of the boat. As they rounded the riverbed, some of them gaped. Others had silent tears running down their face. No matter how long it had been, this was their home. Most of them had been born in this land just as their ancestors had been. They were here.

Ria took a step forward at the bow and took in the view of the familiar kingdom.

“Oceanport,” she breathed.

—

“Twenty-two hundred and eighty-five, twenty-two hundred and eighty-six,” the head minister scrunched his nose and sighed. He turned to his underlings who were lazily counting the confiscated sand dollars.

“What are you lazy bums doing? We’re supposed to confiscate all the illegal money by the end of the week,” he let out an exasperated sigh and began to pace the room. “But it has been months, and still, all our counts added together have not even reached three thousand!”

One of the ministers groaned, “This is so exhausting, though! We haven’t had to do work like this in ages!”

“I think you mean ever, like we literally just sit around all the time,” said another.

The head minister prayed to the great Admin, thumping his chest twice, for strength. Pinching his nose, he explained patiently. “That’s because the higher ups haven’t needed us to do anything. But now, they do. So, we must finish their tasks!”

Another underling scratched her head. “But aren’t you the higher-up? So, can’t you just command us to not have to do this? I would really like a vacation, boss.”

“Me too,” complained another. “I haven’t been back to the Capital in two months!”

The original underling jumped up, almost knocking over all the money he had just stacked and counted. “Two months? I haven’t gone back in half a year! Boss! How is this fair?”

“Shut up, Jerome. That’s what you get for being an intern,” shouted someone from the back.

“So? Are interns not considered humans? Do you think I’m like one of the Port-Dogs outside?” he retorted.

The head minister rubbed his forehead. “Great Admin give me strength. Great Admin give me strength. Jerome, please shut-”

“I don’t understand the rush,” Jerome, the intern, rolled their eyes. “It’s not like the Port-Dogs or the Capital cares. We’re just here to collect the yearly taxes and tribute. I mean, it’s not like if we don’t finish counting, they’ll come knocking at our doors demanding we get out!”

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

Nobody ever came to the castle. The ministers stared at one another. So, who in Niamh’s name was that?

—

The head minister stared down at his tied hands. He sighed, “I hope you know I hate you, Jerome.”

From the other side of the room, Jerome spit out his makeshift gag. “Message received, sir.”

Suppressing his murderous rage, the head minister reluctantly met the eyes of his… kidnappers? Honestly, he didn’t really know what this counted as.

The girl in charge stared at him coolly. He shivered. This was Four!

The grown man flinched away. He wasn’t equipped to deal with this! His job was a puppet minister! He just obeyed and did whatever the higher ups told him. Confrontational was not part of the job description!

Ria sighed, “Are you done freaking out?”

“Who’s freaking out? Not me! I’m not freaking out. You’re freaking out!” stammered the head minister.

Finn furrowed his brow, saber fully out in display. “You’re sure we can’t just silence them and dump their bodies in the ocean?”

The ministers paled. Dump their bodies in the ocean? They wiggled uselessly against their bonds.

“No! I don’t want to die!” howled Jerome.

Ria raised an eyebrow at Finn. “I’m starting to realize that you are surprisingly violent.”

The boy shrugged. “Comes with the whole ex-pirate persona,” he offered.

An ex-pirate? Shaking, the head minister squeaked, “How did you manage to get in here so easily?”

He glanced around at the invading… army. Sure, there were a good amount of people, armed with axes and picks, but it wasn’t really a traditional sort of army, was it? None of them even held swords or wore armor!

Ria pursed her lips. “Well, apparently Jerrel has a cousin whose part of your guards.” She spread her hands out dramatically. “And for the price of a gold coin each, they let us just walk right in… not that there were many of them.”

The girl folded her arms in front of her chest, looking almost embarrassed. “To be honest, I really did think it was going to be harder.”

The ministers silently cried. The head minister cursed the higher-ups. If only the whole situation with the Capital guards disappearing hadn’t occurred! Then all of this might have been prevented. Who told them to use Port-Dogs as temporary stand-ins? Trouble was bound to happen, and happen it did.

Licking his very dry lips, the head minister asked, “So, what… what are you planning to do with us?”

Jerome the intern screamed, “Please don’t throw our bodies in the water. You’ll only regret it because…”

One of the Port-Dogs standing next to him held up their axe. “Because of what? You don’t think overthrowing our oppressors and throwing their bodies in the ocean would be very satisfying?”

“No!” sobbed Jerome. “It won’t be satisfying at all. I guarantee you I’m not satisfying to kill.”

Ria rubbed her forehead trying to come up with their next step of action.

For the first time, the head minister shared a sense of kindred spirit with the girl. Underlings could be such a headache.

“We’re not throwing any bodies in the ocean,” Ria ignored the sounds of disappointment. She turned to the head minister. “You are all to leave for the Capital or wherever you’re from before sunset. After that,” she shrugged, “you’ll be at the mercy of Oceanport’s citizens.”

The ministers looked at one another, unsure what to make of the blatant threat.

Ria stared at all of them, eyes hardening. “I have seen my friends die… and right now, you happen to work for the people that cause their deaths. I would advise you not to take this mercy lightly.”

The ministers nodded shakily.

Ria sighed. She turned to her people. “Kick them out.”

“No, wait! Please!” screamed the ministers.

The girl turned to glance at the head minister. “Leave this one.”

Choking, the head minister changed his tune. “No, please kick me out. Please! Hey! Don’t leave me behind!”

His desperate pleas went unheard.

And it was with great delight that the Port-Dogs reclaimed Oceanport’s castle and tossed out the trash that had been infesting it for years. If the ministers had bruised butts, it was only because their wriggling made it hard to aim for the mud outside.

Compensating each man with a gold coin, Ria sent them to trail after the ministers and ensure they returned to their respective kingdoms without hiccup.

She watched out the window as the men eagerly headed out on foot. They didn’t really have the budget for horses yet. The girl sighed as she glanced at the vault of gold. Correction, empty vault formerly filled with gold. The last few pieces had already been given away.

Finn kicked at the pile of sand dollars. “Why can’t we use this?”

Ria shook her head. Her voice was firm. “No, those were confiscated by the people. It’ll return to them too.”

The boy slumped, “So we’re out of the mines and still broke?”

“Of course not, I’m sure a super old castle has more hidden treasures somewhere,” she jerked her head at the tied-up head minister. “That’s why we kept him.”

The head minister shivered in fear, face paling drastically when numerous greedy eyes turned on him. What did they want with him?

He gulped, “Uhm, your highness? Why do they… why are they looking at me like that?”

But the girl had already moved on. She chewed on her thumb. Taking back the castle really had been too easy. Ria wondered what had happened before their arrival. Did Rex really willingly pull out her men?

The girl clapped excitedly. Had her threats worked?

She turned to the head minister. The freaky smile on her face almost gave the man a heart attack.

“Although you’ve done a horrible job,” commented Ria. “You’re the only one of us that knows how to run a kingdom. So, where do we start?”

The head minister paused to think about the question. An idea popped into his head. He gulped, “Uhm… Traditionally after a new ruling power comes in, they would cement their claim. So, maybe it would be a good idea to start with a coronation or something?” He coughed, “Your Majesty?”