Morning came, and Ajax found himself still on the floor of Harol and Tyna’s home. He got up as quietly as his large frame would allow, trying not to wake his hosts. Harol and Tyna were already awake, it seemed, and came out when they heard Ajax stirring. Tyna got to work preparing some food. Through the pidgin they had established, Harol had Ajax come out with him to bring in some water from the well.

Returning from the well, Ajax saw something coming up the road to the house, still a ways distant. He strained his glossary of available words in order to convey the information to Harol, who seemed to understand and made calming gestures to Ajax. Upon returning to the house, Harol had Ajax wait outside as he took the water in and returned with a chair. He set it down just outside the front door and plopped down in it. Ajax thought the way Harol was acting seemed like he was expecting whoever was coming and decided to borrow some of Harol’s calm.

As the minutes passed, Ajax could make out a carriage being pulled along by two of those strange draft animals Harol had called ‘gnorses’, although these two had their canted horns cut back from the points the ones in the barn had sported. In the driver’s seat was a man, a human as far as Ajax could tell, wearing what was definitely a uniform. The dark grey field of his vest was emblazoned with a prominent orange starburst slightly off center to the top right. The man slowed the gnorses to a stop as the carriage came level with the house, and the man called out to Harol by name. Harol responded, and Ajax caught nearly nothing of the exchange. His vocabulary lesson showed itself to be woefully abridged for everyday use.

The doors to the carriage opened, and out stepped a man and women of more races Ajax was unfamiliar with. The man was short and stocky, yet still taller than Harol’s people were. A thick, reddish brown beard grew to a few inches length, but a peaceful smile was only partially hidden behind it. The woman was obviously in charge, her apparel of a higher quality, with the starburst smaller and further pushed into the top right of her tunic. Her demeanor spoke to the confidence of being in control of the situation. Ajax almost didn’t even notice her skin color, a deep yellow, due to his eyes being drawn to the small horns that poked from between her dark hair.

The woman spoke to Harol for a moment as the driver climbed down and checked on the animals. Harol responded to her questions, and Ajax heard his name during the exchange. The woman nodded, then stepped towards Ajax. She looked at him, took a bracelet off of her wrist and offered it to him, then mimed putting it on again once Ajax had taken it. Ajax looked to Harol, and Harol nodded, giving Ajax permission to trust the woman.

Ajax inspected the bracelet a bit more closely. At first he thought it couldn’t possibly fit given how much larger his wrist was as compared to the woman’s. Yet as he held it, it seemed to grow and expand almost imperceptibly. Making the decision, he put the bracelet on and snapped the clasp.

“Can you understand us now, Ajax?” the woman said.

“Yes. Yes! Yes I can! Where am I? Who are you? What happened to me?”

“Calm. Calm.” she said, making soothing gestures with her hands, “I’ll explain everything as best as I can.”

“My name is Ozna. I am a Tiefling. You’ve already met Harol and his family. Their kind are called Halflings. This stocky gentleman here is Willbert, a Dwarf. And the young man over yonder is Tavos, a Human.”

“I’ve met Humans before.” Ajax interrupted.

“That answers one of my questions then.” She smiled, “Most people who Fall here come from multi racial worlds, but we always like to check.”

Ajax could hear the capital letter in Fall, just from the way it was spoken. “I Fell here?” he said, “How did that happen? What does that mean?”

“Nobody knows for sure how it happens, Ajax. It happens with some regularity across Gomarche. That’s the name of this world by the way. You Fell into the Narisian Empire. We’re about five miles south of Hantiburg, a small farming community. The nearest major town is Rrichtonholt, about fifty miles further west. That is where we are based from, Willbert, Tavos, and myself. All the major towns and cities in the Empire have wizards specializing in detecting the type of portal that people Fall from.”

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Ajax took this all in, trying to catalog all the names and terms that he was being presented with. “Why do you try to detect the portals?” he asked.

“Why, to help you all my dear.” Ozna said, with no hint of insincerity. “You’ve Fell here, through no fault of your own. With no friends, no idea what lies around every bend, and with only the possessions being carried on your back. The Empress is kind, She takes care of Her people. And since you Fell into Her domain, She decreed that the Empire would do all it could for you and people like you.”

“Is there any way to get back to my home, Scrant?” Ajax asked, not sure if he wanted to go home but feeling the need to ask all the same.

“Gomarche is odd, Ajax. Many people who Fall ask the same question. Some people have come from worlds where travel to other worlds, while not common, does happen. Gomarche doesn’t seem to have those sorts of connections. People Fall here, but the records of the Empire show very few instances of people ever being able to find their way back. Less than a dozen since the Empress’s ascension to the Golden Throne.”

“And how long ago was that?” Ajax asked.

“This is the Year of Her Reign 839.” Ozna intoned with solemnity.

“And what sort of people live that long?” Ajax asked. He was curious to know what other peoples this world had.

“The Empress is of my own people, but she has been blessed by Wenn. I am 31 years old, and if it pleases Wenn I have another 60 or 70 years to look forward to. And on that note, I have some questions for you, Ajax.” Ozna held out a hand and Willbert deftly handed a notebook to her while she conjured a pen quill seemingly out of thin air with her other hand. “These questions are for bookkeeping purposes mostly, but some of the answers might help us help you more effectively. Please state your full name, your race, your age, if that age marks you as an adult among your people, and what sort of education you may have had.”

Ajax was quiet for a moment, organizing his thoughts. “My name is Ajax Goodfellow Barnes III. My people are called Loxodon. I am 60 years old, my birthday was yesterday actually. I became an adult that day. I have had many tutors growing up, and I would consider myself highly educated for my age were I still on Scrant, but I don’t know what I don’t know about this world.”

“That’s a healthy perspective to have, Ajax.” Ozna smiled. “You seem to be an intelligent young man. That will take you far.”

Among all the goings on, Ajax had nearly forgotten about the bracelet he now wore on his left wrist. “Speaking of what I don’t know, what is this bracelet and how does it work?” Ajax asked.

“That is a Common bracelet. As long as you are wearing it, you can speak and understand the Common language. You can keep it as long as you wish, a gift from the Empire. It will help you adjust quicker, and in time you will find you no longer need it. There are many things the Empire will provide you. You will be given room and board in Nars, as well as a stipend to do with what you will. Education opportunities are likewise provided at the Imperial College. History and cultural classes are recommended, but all options are open to you. We want you to succeed, and the Empire will provide you every opportunity to do so.” Ozna finished. The speech had a bit of a ritual feel to it, like she had said it many times before. “And with that, if you would like to say your goodbyes to Harol and his family, we should probably get going. We can make it back to Rrichtonholt by nightfall if we set out soon.”

Ajax was startled by the suddenness of the suggestion. He turned back to Harol who was still patiently sitting on his chair, listening to all that had been said. “Go on, big guy. We’ve had enough excitement to last us a long time.” Harol said as he grinned.

“Harol, you and your family have been so kind to me. How can I ever repay you?” Ajax began taking off one of his gold rings to offer to him.

Harol waved him off. “No. Keep that. In time it will be one of the few things you have to remind you of your old home. Besides, Ozna over there will take care of me if I’m not mistaken.” Ajax turned around and saw Ozna holding out her hand to Willbert again, who produced a small coin pouch. She tossed it to Harol and he caught it, then bounced it a bit in his hand. “The gratuity has increased since our last Faller it seems,” he said, “our last guest was before the kids were born.”

“Thank you for your service to the Empire, Harol son of Cade.” Ozna said. “Come Ajax. Your life on Gomarche awaits.” she said, turning back towards the carriage.

“I will never forget you Harol.” Ajax said, fighting back tears. “Nor you Tyna, Kithri, and Corrin.” he added as he saw the rest of the family had stepped into the open doorway.

Tyna stepped forward and handed Ajax a small, warm, cloth wrapped bundle. “Some breakfast, for the road.” she said.

Ajax took it with a nod of thanks, then turned toward the waiting carriage. Tavos had already climbed back up to the driver's seat and Willbert had disappeared into the dark of the open door. Ozna stood, waiting for Ajax. He crossed the distance, turned around and waved one last time at the family who had taken him in, then climbed into the carriage.

“It’s bigger on the inside?!”