"And... There we go." I breathe in relief as I finish filling out the final hole my armour has accrued. Yet, as I lean back, I can't help but frown miserably at the brick outline it has, it's so blatant something new was put in!

"Hey, Duds." Toast greets with a knock as he walks in.

"What're you doing down here?" I question as I put the fixed piece of metal back in the pile with the others. I'll sort it out later and it's not a stack of plates either slipping or vacuuming themselves together, they'll be fine.

"You've been quiet for a while so I came to the now-proven understanding that you're done." he points as he picks up one of the first pieces I worked on, a rather pointless brush of his had afflicting it.

Taking the piece back, I look at the reworked metal and apply a little more magic, "I'll have to make a point of thanking the forge staff here and eventually Eratheen by proxy, I guess."

"The word alone will suit everyone." he clarifies as he moves over to the armour hanger before he pulls the levers needed to array it out. I can already visualise what my armour will look like on the simplistic mannequin device.

"Careful there now, I'm not too sure what's been going on with the foot." I explain to him as he starts to fiddle with the part of my armour that was coated in molten thunder-gold. The entire leg has been taken over, it's less of a muddy splash and a completely solid piece now. There is a lot of magic in that metal and everyone in this keep can feel it, however, I am not sure why it's behaving like this. It stayed much the same as it did for a while, this is all recent.

The only one who could do anything to it was Thunder...? Or was it Einervaene that resolved the issue? Well, hopefully, it will not be a problem. Got enough of them right now.

"So, is there a reason you've come by?" I decide to ask as it becomes apparent he doesn't seem to be here for anything other than idling. A little unfitting for a castellan of a noble's keep, but, hey, I'm a founding-lord and I'm on an adventure whilst my homeland is stuck in a terrible war.

"About the Lady-Heir." he gets to and I quietly look towards some of the tools I have been using, putting what I have used recently back in with the rest of them.

"Yeah, just needs a little longer and she'll be fine."

"Brewbrt, if that is how you know it to be, why is it bothering you?" Joastelan asks as I find my wrist in his grip. I force him to move to my dictations and the cleaning process becomes increasingly awkward as he exerts himself more.

"Would you be able to forgive yourself if Eratheen got hurt whilst you were on duty right next to her?" I ask bluntly, staring right into his eyes. My wrist becomes free because his weakened grip cannot maintain itself.

"It was the dead of night in a nasty storm, Brewbrt, don't think hard on it."

"Bit hard to do that when all of my time in this place has been to fix what damage was accrued that night!" I snap miserably, slamming a fist on the bed of a nearby lathe. However, despite how tough it looks, my strength overwhelms the truthfully brittle metal. Shards continue to rain to the ground as Joastelan tuts quietly.

His armoured hand grips my shoulder, "You got her out alive, that's a job well done."

"She's blind." I point out as I grit my teeth, his grip all the more offending for whatever reason.

"And she will heal, I've seen you smile whenever she gets new bandages. They're getting cleaner all the time and that final band were near-perfect white!"

"There should have never been any bandages..." I grumble, walking over to my armour so I can put more magic into the refined ore. A lot of my magic is wasted and a trembling hand falls to my side.

"She made it, focus on that. You were there for her when it mattered and you have the proof of that courage." Joastelan reminds me.

"More than you can say a lot of the time..." I slur with the withheld urge to spit.

"Don't speak to me like that, Duds." he states with a strained voice, a lot of emphasis on that nickname I have. A few bad bombs not going off and it's all they remember you for. The selfishness of people blinds them to the wonders others get, they can only see their loss.

"I'm sorry, Joastelan. I've just been busy." I sigh as I start to hook some of the finer pieces back into their greater whole. Often, I find myself straining the hooks and slots to make sure all is coming together. Little spells leave my fingers and the ancient arcane science comes to life to protect the unworn armour.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"We all have been, all for one common goal." he tells me, smiling up in a random direction. But, I get the point of it, I offer a smile up that way as well.

"So long as she gets back to Eratheen." I mutter quietly before the sound of feet rushing down the workshop steps grabs out attention.

"Castellan! Castellan! Castellan!" the guard repeats urgently.

"Yes?" Joastelan asks firmly as he puts his hand on his sheathed weapon.

"It's a royal courier!" the guard answers and Toast goes pale.

"On the approach? Here!?"

"Approach!"

"Alert everyone!" Joastelan orders before speeding back up the stairs. Frowning as I am otherwise a little loss, I take into account what I do know and put my work down. Heading to the first step, I close the heavy door and head on my way towards Einervaene. The distance is luckily short and I am able to find her sat in one of the keep's courtyard gardens.

"Hey there, Clutz." I greet, spooking the bird that seems to be coming close to her.

"Brewbrt!" she goes, smiling.

"Other way." I tell her and she turns my way, however, even as she smiles at me, I can't help but be miserable. Her eyes are completely pale and the signs of lost flesh still mark her body clearly with grotesque swelling. A curve unbefitting of a young woman of her calibre, a disgrace to all that is good in this world.

"Everyone's panicking over mail." Einervaene mutters quietly as she shuffles closer.

"Yeah, I noticed." I comment as she worms her hand into mine.

"It's going to be about Mother... Isn't it?"

I sigh, "Probably, yes. I'm sorry about this, Einervaene."

"Don't be stupid, you are not to blame. No one is."

"Are you fine here or would you like to go somewhere else?" I ask as she is otherwise set up and ready for me to chaperone her around this grand home. Mine's better, but, this place that Eratheen has is quite something... It's a fitting home that Einervaene should've never have to have left. I should've done something all those years ago, something other than go 'ok, I'll prepare a room' or whatever refuse I wrote in that letter back!

"I want to stay here with you." she answers quietly, cuddling up to me and enveloping my relatively bare arm in her fancy sheets of fabric. She wore something similar in style to this when I first met her again at the start of this journey. It's better than what she first came to me in, much better.

"So... You want me to describe what's here? The animals and flowers?"

"Yes please, Oorika was taking me somewhere else but when news of a courier started to spread she left me here."

"Alright... Let me see... Lots of green leaves, some wide at the bottom and narrow at the tip. Others are long and willowly, a few are even flowering and falling down on a gentle wind."

She giggles and strengthens her grip, "You don't know any of their names, do you?"

"No." I whisper back in response.

"It's alright, I don't know their names either!" she whisper giggles and I let out a louder laugh.

"Well, let's make up our own names, maybe?"

"Ok!"

"Think we should call these flowering ones Flower Trees." I say, getting more giggles.

"What a stupid name!"

"You come up with something better!"

"Sure, the uh... Long ones, the ones you called 'willowly,' I think we should call those kinds of trees Breezies."

"They do look nice on a gentle breeze." I say, letting a little bit of my magic out into this lightning-forged land to give the trees a proper bit of wind to blow on.

"Brewbrt..." she quietly mutters and I direct my magic towards her, bringing her smile back.

"What about the-" I start to say before I cut myself short, the noise of feet becoming noticeably louder.

"The others are back?"

"Yes, now, come on, this is probably important." I coax gently, easing her up onto her feet and taking her out of the garden and to the nearest room that can be secured. A well-dressed and marked stranger within our company now. I watch with narrowing eyes as this man steps off into the limited distance with a gilded scroll in hand.

"Lady-Heir, please, stay seated." Oorika cautions as she suddenly moves in to put Einervaene down on a chair.

"What's going on?"

"We don't know-"

"Lord or Lady in Residence of the Bosphama Keep. The former Lady Bosphama has been sentenced to death for her crimes against the Empire and its beloved people. By Imperial decree, this shall be relayed unto you so that you are informed. By law, the court site this shall all be taken on will now be passed unto you. As is law, you have until I return to Imperial safety before justice shall be carried out."

Springing to my feet with a fistful of magic, I grab the man.

"THEN I'LL JUST MAKE SURE YOU OCCUPY A GUEST ROOM!" I snap and nearly everyone immediately comes for me, weapons drawn. Even Joastelan.

"Step away from the courier, Brewbrt. Easy now."

"Here, Sir." the courier explains calmly, brushing off his clothes before I then get a map.

"WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU ALL!?" I roar at Eratheen's staff collectively, Einervaene's trembling body in the corner of my vision. Oorika is whispering something to her but it's not working, Einervaene is terrified... We all are.

"Royal Couriers are protected by strict laws. Mass death bordering on genocide follows those who hurt the Word of the Emperor." Joastelan explains with a strained voice as he looks over the copy of the message we had been given.

"Well, how long do we have!?" I demand to know given how important this bringer of bad news made it out to be.

"A couple of weeks at most..." the Castellan answers timidly.

"How can Eratheen be executed for something Einervaene has been out of the country for!? The entire point is so that this whole blood rubbish can't be proven, right!?"

"Brewbrt, calm yourself!" Oorika snaps before going back to hugging Einervaene.

"No, I am going out to save my friend."

"BREWBRT!" Einervaene screams, her magic sparking out viciously enough to force everyone away.

"..." she starts to shuffle towards me, her magic fighting off any helpful hands trying to stabilise her shaking body.

"Whenever you are ready to go... We go together." she states with the full authority of a woman of her lineage. I put a hand on her shoulder and nod firmly, even though she cannot see it.

"I will gather my essentials, the rest of you, heed the word of your Lady-Heir!" I bark to the rest of the staff before I go off and leave Einervaene on her own to get ready. Without anyone to fill out the halls, my feet striking wood is all the louder even with the endless thunder in the skies.

A couple of weeks to save my friend from the headsman...

"Don't worry, Eratheen, we're coming." I say to the heavens, hoping the power Einervaene let go can hear me through all of that orchestra.