Jimmer had too much to do.

Being the best friend of the prince consort certainly had many advantages. He had climbed with him through the ranks of the army and the dragonslayer order in a few years, all despite his health deteriorating more and more over time. That day he wasn't dizzy or agitated, he hoped he could handle everything without fainting. It happened sometimes...

The high general of the army was, in addition to being a prince and therefore a dignitary of the kingdom, a family man. Most of the time, he delegated army matters to Jimmer. Normally he didn't mind, he was earning his own place as a general, his authority was starting to carry weight even with Freydelhart present. What really hurt him was that he was seeing less and less of his friend. That day Frey would be coordinating the recruitments while he was in charge of providing guards for those rebuilding the city. There had been an avalanche of volunteers after the attack.

Jimmer and Frey had met around the age of eight, when Jim had run away from home to become a soldier. Frey was then just a stable boy who took care of the arsenal, while he himself took care of the horses. Ironic, since he had run away to avoid a future as a stable boy like his own father. The enthusiasm that the princess's friend, a certain Koro, put into his work seemed incomprehensible to him. Frey himself had been enthusiastic about horses since then, although now he had a pegasus, a pegasus! That man was never satisfied with anything. Husband of the princess, father of a dragon, rider of a pegasus, if only he could add "constant friend" to the mix.

Anyway, what was he going to do? He was almost reaching the inner ring, which had taken the brunt of the dragon's attack. There, the head of the builders' guild was waiting for him. A tall elf for her species, with long curly black hair and thick glasses whose frames changed color at her whim, she wore her long elven ears full of a multitude of earrings with different shapes and sizes, in addition to several bracelets that jingled against each other when she moved her hands giving orders. What was her name?

The woman saw him coming and called him with a wave. She was carrying a writing board with many sheets, dressed like the other workers despite the opulent jewelry on her ears and arms.

"It's about time you arrived," she told him when he reached her. "We've been working since dawn with only one guard watching. Hey! Those beams won't hold, add two more. No! On the other side." She was talking to several people at once, without giving time for any reply. "These materials are very expensive, last time we lost up to a third to looting, I don't want that to happen again."

The "last time" was probably over a hundred years ago. The city had not received such damage during Jimmer's lifetime, but elves had a strange way of perceiving time.

"Don't worry, there is a perimeter around the entire sector. Anyway, I have assigned a squad to patrol the areas under reconstruction. They should be here at any time."

"Oh, excellent, good. Continue with your work, the king wants us to replace the tower roof with a glass dome, and with so many setbacks it might not be ready this week."

What she was saying was a feat even for an elven builder. But he decided not to question it and continue on his way. He had to inform the squad to guard the material, as they had only considered protecting the workers. Details like that shouldn't be his duty, but he wasn't satisfied until he had taken everything into account. Frey had made him that way.

He remembered that day when, at the age of ten, Frey was given his own forge. He had told them that he knew his father's secret to forging the best steel. When Jimmer asked him what it was, the answer was...

"The secret is to always do things right, no matter how unimportant they seem."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Two years later, the two of them were soldiers, five more, Frey was a captain and Jim a sergeant. Later, after killing that white dragon, they had climbed at full speed. They had always worked together, but since that day they were further and further apart, immersed in their obligations, becoming more and more different.

The next thing was to make sure the house they had offered to the Pellegrin dignitaries was safe. Some citizens were suspicious of them, given that the attack on Eri and everything that happened afterwards had been perpetrated by dignitaries from Atyr who had arrived the same day. He was confident about that, he had put elf guards at the entrances. He didn't bother to go around the district to the house, instead he asked for the report from his messengers when he was on his way back to the castle. It was hard to find one who wasn't in a hurry, everything seemed urgent these days.

The day went from one task to another until the sun went down, indicating that he should do the same. He decided to stop by that tavern they used to frequent in their youth; it was in a lower district, surely it hadn't suffered any damage. He needed a bit of that Druhunn beer. The dwarves might not know much about other things, but they put effort into their beer.

The city lights guided him to the lower district without too much trouble. The tavern was just a small place called "The One-Eyed Basilisk." The owner told a different story every time someone asked him why the name. Several of his men were already there, nothing surprising except for the figure at the end of the bar. He wasn't wearing the uniform and had a hood on, but the posture gave him away. Only one person drank with his back completely straight, on the few occasions he did.

He sat next to him, looking at the bar.

"What a surprise, Frey, you haven't been here in years."

The figure didn't turn to look at him, but replied, "Maybe I come when you don't, friend."

"Well, that would be a challenge, lately I'm here quite often."

"I don't doubt it, I was counting on that, I suppose." He lowered his head. What was it costing him to relax his back for once? "It's been a while since we've chatted like this."

"At least tell me there's beer in that tankard." He took the drink his friend had in front of him and took a long sip. "Cormin lager, you haven't changed a bit, this couldn't even get your daughter drunk. Now that I think about it, I'm sure she could already handle alcohol better than you."

"I don't doubt it." He didn't seem to get the joke. "That girl has skin of steel and the strength of ten men, maybe more, and yet I can't help but worry about her safety."

"She's your daughter, silly." He finished his friend's drink. "Let's be honest, of your whole family, you're the most defenseless. Princess Runaesthera wouldn't be easy to hurt either."

Frey put his hand to his side, he had broken several ribs in the battle with the dragon prince. Apparently it still hurt despite his wife's healing magic.

"I'm aware." He sighed. "I can't even imbue my own sword with magic, come on, I have to ask Runa to help me summon my broadsword. I'm also no good at this prince thing, I stay quiet in all the meetings, you were there days ago when I almost made an indiscretion and I only managed to embarrass us all."

Jimmer listened to his friend without saying anything, signaling for his usual drink.

"Now maybe I can't fight dragons either," he continued. "That prince was too powerful." He touched his side again. "If it weren't for-" He fell silent for a while.

"Frey." Jim turned to look at his friend.

The sound of the blow Jimmer dealt his friend across the face made everyone present stand up, nervous. Frey fell to the floor, didn't react. Jimmer grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"Listen to me carefully, another day I wouldn't mind listening to your prince consort problems, but I've had a very hard day because of you. You're going to tell me everything you're hiding from me right now. Starting with two important questions. Where is Countess Mera? And why was the black dragon we captured in Unermia here helping us?"

He already knew the answers, it had been hard for him to connect the black dragon with the one he had seen in Unermia. A scout had rescued the countess in a wasteland far from the city. Jimmer hadn't informed anyone yet and had the dragon woman in custody. Frey didn't get up or answer anything.

"I saw that dragon turn into a woman in Unermia, I was next to you for the love of the goddess. Did you have to lie to me and everyone about who the woman we brought back was? You said you had drowned the dragonin the lake, many believed you, they trusted you. How do you think they feel now?"

Jimmer kicked Frey in the side. He still didn't get up.

"Come on, sit down," he said, dragging a chair from a nearby table. "You and I are going to talk."

This is why they were friends, neither would let the other make such a big mistake.