The woods near the city of Napule started to appear on the horizon. This meant we would reach the city today. The sun had been up for an hour or so and we had continued the journey with her appearance.

Sleeping in a tent and on hard ground had robbed me a few hours of sleep. I already yearned for proper beds again. I should prepare a proper bed for the next time I campaign.

"Cycnus we will take a short rest near the woods", I informed. "And by we, I mean your men."

"Resting? They had the entire night to rest. They will lose their edge without a bit of suffering", Cycnus complained. I didn't miss the twitching of the new recruits.

"Then prepare something for them to do. I don't care what as long as they stay in the area."

"You heard that calves? You will get a chance to train a bit. Mock battles for today!", he shouted with clear enthusiasm. The new recruits glanced with worry at their trained veteran comrades. Gauging their chances at taking down one of the minotaurs.

"How good are you with a crossbow?", I inquired and pulled Cycnus attention away from his men.

"Destroyed my last one during a reload."

"Did you pull the string too hard?", I asked. How do you destroy a crossbow while reloading?

"Na! Bashed it against an enemy skull and the damn thing broke", he explained. Sounding annoyed by the fact it had happened.

"How about a bow?", I continued. Ignoring what I just had heard.

"Nope", he supplied. I sighed.

"Sneaking and hunting?", I could already imagine the answer.

"Ha, no-no. No sneaking", he said with a big smile. Like it was something to be proud of. "Hunting, yes, if the prey comes to us."

Oh by the gods what had I expected!

"Then let me rephrase my last order. You and your men will wait for me near the woods."

"So you plan to hunt? A deer, rabbits?", he asked. "Won't you need protection?"

"I appreciate the concern but no. These woods don't hold anything that can kill me. Not if I don't mess up. Quintus will be near as well and I plan to hunt a boar. The cooks should have it ready by the evening."

Cycnus shrugged. "Good luck."

We soon stopped near the woods. Cycnus began 'training' the men.

"You only stop when the prince returns or you pass out. Begin!", Cycnus bellowed and the men began to fight 1 vs 1. Cycnus himself had one of the new recruits as his partner. May the gods help him.

I checked the hunting crossbow, 'borrowed' from the count's mansion, and made my way into the forest. Ignoring the noises my guards were making. I also packed a rope. It would help with getting the boar out of the woods.

The sounds of the forest soon eclipsed the ones of my men. I still heard the occasional shout from Cycnus though.

"Quintus, I could use directions", I couldn't see any prey within my sight and mana eyes did not give a clue either. This forest had few magical plants or creatures.

The wyvern appeared from my shadow. Restricted by the tress around him. He made his complaint known by growling quietly. After a bit of moving there and there, he found a semi-comfortable position. Quintus began to sniff, trying to find a trail of the boars. I knew several herds were living in these parts of the forest.

A rumble and a row of head movements from Quintus pointed me in the right direction. He used the chance as I passed him to hide in my shadow again.

I followed the trail. First I heard them. Two boars squealed loudly. I crouched and trusted my ears to bring me to them. Then I saw them. One smaller, with a brighter brown fur and a bigger older looking one with a dark brown fur.

The crossbow rose, I steadied my breathing and waited. The pigs continued to fight until the younger one gave up leaving whatever they were fighting over to the old pig. It was easier to aim the shot now that he was no longer moving around and eating his meal in peace.

I pulled the trigger. The boar was startled by the noise of the crossbow, but his reaction was too slow. The bolt hit near one of his eyes. The thing ran, hit the next tree on its way and collapsed. I had probably hit something vital, otherwise, the pig would have run for a while. This at least saved a bit of time.

Quintus inquired politely to eat the boar.

"No, this one is for me. For my family to be precise. You can get your own", I answered.

He left my shadow, navigated through the treetops by climbing them. Nearly falling down a few times, wyverns weren't made to climb. At least not black wyverns. He escaped the treetops and took flight. Quintus roared loudly. The forest went silent and then I heard the stomping of the wildlife. Quintus' hunt had begun.

I tied the rope around the boar and began to pull the thing back to my guards. It was heavy but manageable. I had to stop a few times when it got stuck between trees or roots. Still, I reached Cycnus quite quickly. One or two hours had passed.

The new recruits looked battered and exhausted. The one who fought Cycnus laid on the ground groaning. The minotaur sat on him while encouraging the rest to fight.

"Cycnus let the men rest for a few minutes. We will ride to Napule", the man stands up, his training partner looked relieved and gave me a thankful look.

"Ah, you got a boar. Isn't it a bit tiny?", he asked, looking a bit puzzled.

"They usually don't get bigger than that around here", I answered and shrugged. "Plenty of meat for a meal."

Cycnus shrugged as well. "Must be the distance towards the border", he guessed. I nodded.

The nearer you got to the borders of civilisation, the bigger the animals or beasts that live there become. There were exceptions, but the rule kept true most of the time.

We readied the horses again and after a short pause continued the ride towards Napule. The boar was fastened on the back of my horse.

The city didn't look like it used to. The walls were in good condition. The battle of Napule had ended without a real fight. They had sacked the city and laid fires, but the walls had been spared.

The city was quieter as well. Mother had written in one letter that it was hard to encourage the people to go back. The process of rebuilding Napule would need time and a lot of ducats. It seemed many preferred to just stay where they were now.

The guard noticed us and opened the gates without further procedures. My parents knew that I was coming and it was hard to mistake my retinue. Quintus made sure of that.

The wyvern flew over the city walls and growled loudly for all of the city to hear. The guards gave him an evaluating glance before resuming their work. We passed the gate.

"This is the capital of Neapoli?", Cycnus asked as he looked around. "You guys sure love ash and debris."

Deep breaths.

"The city has been burned down in the war. It will take time to rebuild it", I answered. "See, the city core is already restored."

Temples were there, a few craftsmen finishing the last details. The government district was standing again as well. Though this time stone was replaced by marble.

We passed building after building until a new wall captured my attention. Around the land reserved for my family's personal use, our home and gardens was a small three-metre-high wall. Guards were leisurely patrolling on it.

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This was new. I wonder if it was mother's or father's idea?

I chose to approach one of the gates, again the guards had been informed and opened the small gate without delay.

"Cycnus, your second in command will organize the accommodation of my bodyguards. The city's barracks should be fine", I said and Cycnus quickly relayed the information.

Then we passed the gate. Home looked … I couldn't call this home. The gardens consisted of a few patches of grass and burned trees. No mana there, or too little for me to see. I closed my eyes and cancelled mana sight.

Those beautiful gardens from my childhood were all gone. I would never see them again.

"Jackpot?", Cycnus inquired and I broke out of my thoughts. Right concentrate on what is important. There were more important things to think about. First my family.

"Yes let us head in", I said and opened the door. The minotaur had to duck to avoid the door frame.

I heard Quintus land in the garden or what was left of it.

Our mansion looked different as well. More marble and wood. Less stone. No pictures from the family hung on the walls, no old armours from my grandpas stood at the entrance and none of the many other keepsakes were presented in glass cabinets.

I could hear a few craftsmen talking in a near room. Discussing how they should be laying the marble tiles. A familiar voice answered. My heartbeat accelerated.

"No, no. The black tiles must be laid in a circle. The duchess wants to put our coat of arms inside", father explained. He was about to go into the details.

"Father!", I exclaimed as I stormed through the opened door. My father's eyes widened before a smile formed. I stormed into him and hugged him. He returned the favour.

"Look how big you have become. Seventeen years, I am proud of you Lucius", father said as he gave me a look over. "How have you been? Encountered any difficulties?"

"That is what I should be asking you. What happened in Sicillia?", I asked. Father was about to answer before catching himself.

"Not here, not now. Your mother is waiting for you", he said and went out of the room. I followed. Father abruptly stopped in the door frame. Looking up to the minotaur to his left.

"Cycnus I presume?", he asked polity.

"Correct. The gold was nice", Cycnus answered.

"That was the least I could have done for my son's saviours", father said and hit Cycnus on the shoulder. "Good work."

Father passed Cycnus and went upstairs, I followed after giving Cycnus thumps up. He in turn followed us while keeping a polite distance.

It seemed my parents chose to use the old layout for the mansion. Their office was in the same place as it used to be.

"I brought you a surprise Ren", father said and shoved me

into the room.

"I hope it is several thousand ducats, because we ...", mother's response died as she looked up. I smiled and she rushed to me. "Oh, my little sweet baby."

"Mother I am seventeen years old", I protested as I returned the hug. Relaxing in the warm and familiar feeling.

"Hush now. You will always be my little boy", mother said and planted a kiss on my forehead. "Now I think we have a lot to discuss. Take a seat."

"Where are my siblings?", I asked as I took a chair, father took one himself sitting to my right, mother behind the desk.

"They are staying at my parent's estate. A few kilometres north from here", father answered. "We plan to bring them back when all of this is finished." He pointed at his surrounding. "Should not take another two weeks."

"They will be happy to see you again", mother added. "Now do tell us of your exploits."

I began to tell them everything from my arrival to my departure. I had been vague in some letters on purpose and chose to be now again. They didn't need to know all details. I also asked things back.

"Why did you send me the massive amounts of ducats?", I asked them. Father and mother exchanged looks.

"Your grandparents brought up the idea", mother started. "We had planned to build up influence in the east. To prevent another war or at least make it harder and more painful for the east to attack."

"Buying up nobles or wealthy commoners so that they can influence eastern politics to our liking", father continued. "The problem was we lacked contacts. Reliable persons to perform such an operation."

"Your grandparents then pointed to you. We were sceptical at first, but in the end, we agreed", mother said. "You were in a province that was friendly or at least neutral to us."

"The people on your side would give you good advice and you had already established contacts with local nobility", father finished. "In the end, we gave the chance to you and you didn't disappoint Lucius. You have made us proud."

We moved to the attempted kidnapping of myself.

"That was partly our fault. We had underestimated their reach. We should have been more careful and assigned more guards for you", father said.

I told them that my own decisions had also played a part, but my parents refused to let me shoulder part of the blame. In the end, I gave up trying to convince them. The important thing was that I had learned my lesson.

I started to talk about my return trip from the temple to Alexandria.

"You have told us a lot about the wyvern in your letters", father started.

"Quintus", I corrected.

"Yes, Quintus. Niloticus also mentioned him in several letters", father continued.

"And you trust his words more than mine?", I asked, not bothering to hide the edge in my voice.

"No we don't", Mother intervened. "We just need to hear the full story. The full story from your side."

I gave them the full story. How the egg came to be in my possession. Quintus growing up under my watch. How he first protected me in Alexandria and later again on my way back to the city. How he risked his life to protect mine. And also about his dragon heritage and the warning from Niloticus.

My parents were silent for a while. They had asked what Quintus was to me. I had answered he was like a younger brother to me. They exchanged a few glances between each other. Not speaking at all. Minutes passed and I failed to hide my nervousness.

Father broke the silence first.

"All things considered I would say it is wrong to just look at historic precedents", father began carefully. Mother nodded for him to continue. "However we should never ignore experiences gained from our ancestors."

"What do you mean?", I couldn't make head or tails if my parents were for or against me keeping Quintus.

"He will be your responsibility. You will have to monitor his behaviour", mother explained. "And if history repeats itself it will be your task to put him down."

There was a knot in my stomach. My body rebelled at the thought of harming Quintus. I was angry with my parents. And must have shown it.

"Don't be angry with us. We just want you to be careful and vigilant. Nothing else", father placated.

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. Clearing my thoughts.

"I can promise you that much", I offered. Hoping to reach an agreement.

"Than we don't see a problem with Quintus", mother said. I smiled at the compromise. I could live with watching over Quintus movements. He had been observed for a while and we have yet to find a case where he harmed humans. Except for that one time where he protected me.

A growl from the garden interrupted my content mood. My parents turned to look at the window. Both stood up, startled, but soon realisation sunk in and they again sat down on their chairs. They calmed down, father even had a small smile.

Quintus continued to hover in front of the window.

"I presume you are Quintus", father said as he gave the wyvern a calculating look.

"Yes that is him", I confirmed. I got a curious feeling from Quintus. He was wondering who these people were. "My parents" I answered. "Jagu and Serenity Vespasianus."

That seems to have satisfied his curiosity as he landed again somewhere in the garden.

Another conversation about Quintus followed. I explained the bond between me and him. How it allowed us to communicate easily, even if we don't understand the words of the other party directly. The shared feelings were enough to get information across the language barrier.

I also explained his ability to hide in my shadow or how he could teleport me to a temple in Alexandria. My parents began to relax again. Soon the questions over Quintus got fewer until I chose to address the next point.

"Before the count of Bari died, he spoke about an agreement between the eastern lords and our house", I started. The expression of my parents turned serious again.

"Yes there was an agreement, but not in written form and its interpretation depends on who you ask", father answered.

"So did we break our word or did we not?", I asked. Meeting my parent's gazes.

"No and yes", mother answered. "We have kept our part of the bargain and defeated the invasion. Everything after that was not protected by the agreement."

"It doesn't matter in the end", father added. "All involved parties knew that after the east was beaten our cooperation would end. The conflict over who should rule southern Italia was no surprise."

"Elaborate", I demanded. Father gave me a curious look and continued after looking at my mother.

"We reached an agreement with the powerful houses in Sicillia. They would join our side to avoid war in return for certain rights", father said. "The east tried to get the same rights."

"And you didn't give them", I concluded.

"No, we didn't. From the beginning, it was clear to us that we would reach an agreement with one side. And conflict with the other side", mother explained.

"Why?", I asked. Why this conflict if there had been another way?

"Because we couldn't", father answered.

"What?", I asked again.

"We would not have been strong enough to grant each region the rights. After a decade or so they would have been too strong to be controlled. With the east under our direct control we can keep Sicillia in check", father finished meeting my gaze. "Do you understand?"

My parents awaited my answer.

"I do", they looked relieved. "But that doesn't mean I like how you went about it."

My parents looked conflicted. Mother looked concerned between me and my father.

"Perhaps we should expect our children to make different decisions as we do", mother said giving father a glance.

"You are right", father said turning to look at me again. "Does that conclude your question?"

"Yes", I answered. Banning my thoughts about my parent's decision from my head. I had my answers. That is what I had wanted. Now was not the time to argue. This was a family reunion.

All parties gave their best to change back to simpler topics. We spoke about my siblings. My sisters were both eleven now and started to have their own studies. Ivy had even begun to practice magic. Iris on the other hand trained with a bow. My parents were proud of them and I shared that feeling.

Silas had his seventh birthday recently. I was eager to see my brother. Would he remember me? He was so little back then. Would my siblings be scared of Quintus? Those questions would have to wait until I meet them at the estate of my grandparents.

We continued to speak about more casual things. I introduced Cycnus to my mother. Mother thanked him as well for saving my life. Asking about his life so far and his motivations.

The answer 'slaughtering for gold and living for the thrill' awarded him with concerned stares from both of my parents. It could have gone worse. I still think their overall opinion of Cycnus was positive.

"Ah yes, there was another thing we wanted to ask you", mother said. "What do you plan to do now? Now that you are back home and the wars have come to an end."

I already knew my answer.

"I want to help you run the dukedom", I answered without delay.

My parents nodded with smiles and proud expression. Father especially.

"Then what do you think about being the governor of Roma?", they asked.