It took us five days to reach Lux. Back at the temple they gave us some supplies and off we were. The three of us, Antonia, Otho and myself, traveled together. During the day we didn't do much talking, preferring to dwell within our minds. But at night, when we had a fire set up and our bellies full, we couldn’t stop babbling. Antonia and I weren’t intimate anymore and although I desired her I wasn’t bothered by it too much.

On the fourth day we stepped out of the woods and saw the tall gray walls of Lux in the distance. At first we were ecstatic. Then a strange melancholy fell upon us and we were quiet for the rest of our voyage. To us, the Lux we left wasn’t the same as the one we were entering.

We passed the northern city gates which were always wide open and unguarded. We then headed straight to the Temple. My eyes searched for a familiar face. For my mother or father or brother, or for an acquaintance from the Academy. Anyone! Only to grasp a small drop of my previous life. I realized I was being theatrical, but I couldn’t help myself. The streets were busy, as always. Merchants were shouting. Kids ran around, their parents behind screaming to slow down. Legionaries marched by us with silence and serious looks.

Finally we arrived at the Cohort Temple and I felt better. We entered the long, simplistic building and went to one of the guards. We showed him our scrolls, he read them, smiled and said:

“Antonia, you see that door? Go there, knock, and show them your scroll. You two, with me.”

With that he returned the scroll to her and started walking away. Otho and I followed. I looked towards Antonia and again my stomach was in knots. There were no hugs, no goodbyes. Just like that we were torn apart. She, being braver than I, smiled at me and went her way.

The legionary led us to a room with beautiful painted glass windows. It reminded me of a classroom from Academy. Chairs and desks confronted a large map of Helena, hanging on the wall. Legionary closed the door behind him and the two of us were left alone. Only then did I realize I smelled like a pig. I looked at Otho and he at me. We smiled at each other. I sniffed the air and then we both blushed and laughed at the same time. Then the door opened, which startled us, and in entered the Lord and Vicelord of Vetulonia. I recognized them from seeing them before, a few times, in the streets of Lux. The Lord was a middle-aged man, he looked like he was in his mid-forties. He had a clean shave and gray hair. He was slightly balding, but not too much. His eyes were blue as the summer sky itself. The Vicelord was a woman of similar age. She had dyed silver hair, deep brown eyes and full lips. She looked quite attractive. His name was Tiberius Decimus and hers Julia Janus. The Lord broke the silence with his strong, deep voice:

“Take a seat. Wherever you please.”

Otho and I sat down on the nearest chairs. We couldn’t take our eyes from both of them, which I guessed they found annoying.

“So, congratulations are in order. So… Congratulations. Do you have any questions?” asked the Lord. They both appeared serene and amused at the same time.

We kept quiet.

“None?” he asked, a faint of a smile appearing on his face. Julia, standing next to him, was more blunt and grinned. Then I mustered the courage to raise my hand and Tiberius said:

“It appears they have ability to speak! Go ahead.”

“What exactly will our duties be?"

“Not much. To learn and endure. The trip will be quite a challenge. And although you are not knighted, you’ll be allowed to take part in meetings. Not as equals of course, but as observers. The Republic needs experienced individuals, not scholars entrapped by scrolls and four walls.” he said nonchalantly.

“Will it come to war?” I asked.

“Nobody knows the future. But it is possible,” he answered with a smirk.

“Can we win that war?”

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“By ourselves? No. With a wide coalition? Perhaps…” He got lost in thoughts for a moment, but then continued:

“We sail in approximately two months from now. First stop will be the Kasos Islands. Then Porosia and the League. Free Cities. Megalopolis. Sodomir, and finally Dwarvenlands. Elves will meet us in the Free Cities.

You’re on leave for the next seven days. Rest, and spend time with friends and family. Report back here at dawn seven days from now. Clear?”

“Clear,” we responded as one.

“Dismissed.”

We stood up and left the room, then the building. Outside the building Otho and I lingered for a moment or two.

“Do you want to stop by a tavern before we go home?” I asked, hoping Otho would say yes. For some reason I didn’t want to go to my house, not yet. For me, the world was changing every day and I knew the regularity of my family’s everyday life would drain me. Or even worse, depress me. Nothing lasts, everything flows. Otho looked like he wanted to empty his bowls.

“Hey, do you have somewhere to go?!” I’d never thought of it untill then. That’s what happens when you have your head up your behind. You forget about the misfortunes of others.

“No,” he awkwardly laughed, “I’ll sleep at the Temple, no worries.”

“No, you’re coming with me.”

“Where?”

“To my house! We have a spare bedroom, it used to belong to my grandma. It has that odd odor of old people, you know the one! But it’s still better than the Cohort Temple.”

“I can’t do that!”

“Of course you can. And you will. Come on! We’ll have fun, and home cooked meals are far better than what this lot has to offer!” I pointed to the building behind us.

“Also, almost right by the house there’s a beautiful forest with some nice trails and a creek. We can take long walks and relax a bit. It will do us good, especially after a hard year of working all the time.”

“What about your parents?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it! My mother loves being a mother. And now she’ll have a brand new doll to take care of!”

He reluctantly agreed and off we were. It took us about an hour and a half to reach my house. We would have arrived sooner, but I insisted we stop at the market so I could buy myself some tobacco sticks.

My mother was home alone. When she saw me she immediately started to cry. She knew of Otho from before, so there was no need for formal introduction. Still, he greeted her with reserved courtesy. Then he explained his situation better than I ever could. When he stopped talking my mother hugged him and cried even more and that was it. Now he was a part of our family. For my mother, being a parent was the most sacred duty of them all! And the failure of Otho’s father – his mother too, for that matter – disgusted her. I could read her thoughts the moment Otho stopped talking. They abandoned their child? Fine, then I will love you! Now you’re my child! I had disagreements with my mother, quite a lot of them, but I always loved this noble part of hers. She led us inside and we sat down at the table, while she prepared food. She told me my father was away on a business trip, like usual. My brother was in Stelarium, spending time with his new sweetheart. Mother of course had a lot to say about the young lady. I sensed her criticism was more about her letting my brother go than the poor girl. Then she started asking us questions, this and that. She was angry when I told her we only had a seven day leave, but was happy that we’ll spend the whole summer in Lux. She was very proud about the mission. After we had eaten, she scolded us for how dirty we walked around the city and ordered us to clean ourselves up.

The next day Otho and I stopped by Marius’s house. His mother, who was a bit drunk, told us Marius is somewhere in the Northern Forests. He was training hard and was happy. She couldn’t tell when or if he’d be on leave. His father, cheerful, although with a constant confused glare, didn’t say much. He kept smiling at us, offering us wine. We kindly declined and left.

“What do they do?” Otho asked as we were walking back to our home.

“His father makes wooden toys, figurines of legionaries. They’re quite popular, I think even your father’s shops sell them. And mother, like mine, stays at home. But she does make scented candles and sells them every once in a while at the market.”

The next seven days breezed by us. Otho and I walked around the woods or the nearby fields, and talked. We didn’t go to Lux at all. I entertained an idea to visit Nicola, but passed on it. I wrote to Marius, more as a way to clear my thoughts than anything else. I thought of Antonia a lot. I dreamed of her most nights and it was always pleasant, although waking up without her being near me felt odd.

For the next two months we spent learning about the customs and history of peoples of Helena. Geography as well. It was like Academy, but more intense. Bit by bit, frustration from all the hard work started creeping on me. But I managed to deflect it with evening runs and meditation. After a while I became sort of detached from the everyday routine – working hard without much thought. Before the trip we also drank the King of Poison tea, which made us immune to most known poisons out there. The only side effects were throwing up and two days of high fever.

The late summer came and with it the start of the expedition.