Chapter Forty Four - Lord JasonThe adventures found themselves in a room. The room had a large assortment of soft furs to sleep on. They sat down around a chimney carved into the mountain. They had been ushered inside by the four Ice Wizards. They waited for a short while, and then one of the mages appeared carrying several plates of steak and potatoes. The steaks had been nicely seared and the potatoes were delicate and delicious, seasoned with rosemary twigs. The travellers eagerly grabbed a plate each. A second wizard appeared carrying warm tea.

“We have decided, young Jason, that we will help you.” The mage spoke. “Fate has plunged our temple into darkness. We can no longer thrive here. Our supplies have been cut off by the cursed villagers. It seems in order for us to move forward, we are required to fight. We will earn a new temple by slaying the dragon for the King in the Castle of Flowers, and the frost mages will be remembered for many generations.”

“Thank you,” Jason said. He put his hand on the mage’s shoulders and looked him in the eye.

“We are saying our final goodbyes to the temple, and then we shall travel through a portal to the Castle of Flowers. One hour Jason, then you will be home.” The mage said, “We have already teleported your horses back, and sent a few mages through to speak with the king. Eat now, and relax.” He spoke and then he left to pack.

Jason sat down by the fire and relaxed. He ate his steak slowly.

“I am glad I have met you, friends.” Sharky said. His tail was lightly wagging behind him. Sharky had already finished eating his steak and potatoes.

“I’d like to say the same,” Freya said.

“Soon, we’ll all be lords.” Jason said. “We’ve lost a lot.” They thought about Redran’s death, and the spider attack that killed their small army. They’d travelled many weeks on the road. “Freya, now you’re a princess, and a lord.”

“Lord Freya, I like that,” She said with a smile.

“Lord Sharky,” the shark man said with a grin.

“Lord Dominic” the cat said, “The human man! I can’t wait.”

“Lord Nathaniel.” Jason said to Nathaniel, he clinked his tea cup against Nate’s. Nate nodded happily.

An hour later, the adventurers were gathered by the mages. Everyone assembled into a large ceremony room and one of the mages opened a portal. The fields of flowers could be seen through the portal. Jason could smell the sweet air. Everyone in the room entered the portal and started to assemble on the other side.

Jason finally stepped through and saw the Castle around him. There were guards noticing the commotion and they started to respond. Jason asked to speak to the king.

A short while later Jason was standing outside the King’s manor. He was let in by some guards. He saw the king sitting by the fireplace.

“My King, unfortunately we lost a lot of men. We numbered fifty five at our best, but an unexpected horror took us out. We barely survived. We were ambushed by monster spiders, we lost almost everyone.” Jason said, remembering the horror. The king winced.

“And Redran?” The king asked.

“He fell off a cliff. He died trying to save us from a polar bear.” Jason said sadly. “We did return with the Ice Mages. They all came.”

“Well that’s some good news.” The king responded. “Thank you, Jason. Kneel now, so I might grant you a title.”

Jason knelt before the king. He took his sword and tapped Jason on each shoulder.

“Brave Jason, for your service to our Kingdom, I name you Lord Jason, and I give you lands to make a home upon. I am in your debt.” The king said. He helped Jason to his feet.

“Thank you, your highness.” Jason said and he nodded as he looked him in the eyes.

“I will give you a public ceremony later, I just wanted to thank you now.” The king said. “Thank you Jason.” The king gave Jason a handshake and then sat in his chair, staring at the fire.

Jason left and the guards locked the door behind him. Jason wandered through the streets of the city, heading for his father’s house. He made it home and lifted his fist to knock on the door. Before he could knock the door swung open and Jason’s father pulled him into a tight hug.

“Jason, you’ve returned!” Rodrick said. “I’m so proud of you, son.”

They both walked inside. Jason asked where Stella was. His father rubbed the back of his neck.

“She’s with Aaron’s family.” His father said. “They’re a few streets over.”

Jason was heartbroken. “Aaron survived the dragon attack?” He asked his father.

“Yes, son.” His father responded gently. “I think you should go see her.”

Jason went to Aaron’s family home. It was Aaron’s father’s house. A grand manor, close to the king’s. The rich chicken farmer’s generational home. They had a chicken empire, and the wealth to back it up.

Jason knocked on the door and Stella answered. She was shocked, and looked guilty. She grabbed Jason’s arm and he could tell something was off. Aaron appeared at the door behind her and said Hello. Jason felt cold.

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He turned and started to walk away. Stella watched him go, and then turned to Aaron.

“I’ll be back in five minutes.” She said. She trotted after Jason.

Jason turned a corner and started walking home. Stella kept trying to catch up to Jason.

“Jason, wait, I…” Stella said. “I’m glad you’re back.” She said.

Jason turned around and tears were brimming in his eyes.

“Why?” He accused. “Why are you staying with Aaron.”

“He’s my friend. I… We…”

“Have you kissed him?” He asked. She lowered her eyes to the floor.

“Yes,” she said quietly. “Or, he kissed me. I don’t know.”

“I was out there risking my life for you Stella. To protect us all. To find a way to kill this dragon.” Jason shouted. “The same dragon that killed your family, and burned your HOME, Stella! And I come home and find you kissing the fucking chicken boy.” He threw his hands in the air. He was frustrated.

Stella sat down on the floor and started to cry. She let out a long wailing ‘no’. She sobbed into her hands as she realised she’d been caught in such a betrayal of trust.

Jason knelt down beside her. His heart was beating fast.

“I didn’t know what I was doing. He came up to me one night and I thought he died and we were drinking on the walls and he kissed me. I’m sorry Jason, you weren’t here. You weren’t here.” Stella said, trying to justify her emotions.

“I almost died for you Stella! I was attacked by bandits and catapults. Nearly every one we left here with was devoured by a giant spider!” He shouted. “I watched my friend die, falling off a cliff as he tried to save us. I’ve met a fucking talking cat and I almost got eaten alive by some cannibals and a polar bear. You couldn’t even wait for me.”

“I’m sorry, Jason,” she said, sobbing into her dress.

“We’re over.” He said. And he left her crying in the street. Jason walked into the tavern and saw Nathaniel drinking in a booth with the rest of his party members. He took a seat next to Freya, and Nathaniel passed him a spare beer that was on the table. Jason took a sip, and then chugged the beer and smacked the cup on the table.

“One more,” he said loudly, and then buried his angry face in his arms. Sharky handed him another fresh mug and Jason started to chug.

The next morning, Jason woke up in his father’s living room on the couch. A few of the other party members had fallen asleep beside him, and on the floor. They had gotten drunk as Dionysis and spent the night singing until they fell asleep.

Jason had a ringing headache. There was a knock on the door. A guard had come to collect the travellers. They were being requested for another mission.

Jason, Nathaniel, Freya, The Samurai, Shark-man, Ogden and Dominic the Cat all stood outside the castle gates with another ten knights. The king stood on a roughly made stage and addressed them.

“We have our ice wizards, thank you for completing that quest, brave knights. I wanted to show you the idea I had while you were gone.” The king pointed to his tower. A massive ballista stood on the hill. The flowers around it were trampled. The trees nearby had been cut down a lot in order to build the tower.

A tree-sized spear was placed inside and the king had the knights manning the tower make preparations. They turned a huge crank to make the rope taught, They turned the tower with some pulley systems and then the king pulled a lever on the stage. The ballista shot the tree a few kilometres away. Jason was blown away by the massive engineering. The massive crossbow would certainly be able to pierce the dragon’s hide.

Jason smiled. He felt hope.

The king turned to the adventurers.

“You must travel south. We are planning to lift the Ice wizards into the sky. They will fly using magic alongside the dragon, and freeze the beast’s brain from a flying sailing ship. You must travel to Port Anna, and collect my royal barge. It is the most decorative and beautiful ship ever made. You will escort a few of the Ice Mages, they can teleport the boat home to the Castle.” The king said. “Be ready to leave by midday. This is a much shorter journey, Port Anna is two days by horseback. You will not need any carriages. Before you leave I will publicly congratulate all of you in a ceremony. We are forever thankful for your valiant efforts.”

The crowd dispersed and Jason decided to go find Bronson. The ice wizards had brought him home, he was probably in the stable.

Jason found Bronson in the same stall he’d purchased him from. That was almost a month ago now. They’d travelled the entire continent together. He patted Bronson and fed him a handful of carrots.

“Good boy, Bronson.” Jason said.

Bronson huffed and nodded happily.

Jason hugged Bronson and sobbed very quietly. He was mad at Stella. He was so upset by the betrayal. Jason had worked so hard his whole life, and finally it seemed like they would be together. Jason hated Aaron for ruining that. His heart was shattered. He hugged Bronson instead.

Freya appeared behind him at the stalls. She was caring for her new horse when she overheard him crying.

“What’s the matter, magic boy?” She asked gently. He thought about hiding the truth from her but he needed to be honest.”

“Stella kissed someone.” He said without looking. “I just need some time.” He asked.

“Okay, I can give you some space.” Freya left. Now she was upset at Stella too.

Freya walked out of the stables and then she was grabbed from behind. She panicked and pulled out her dagger but the assailant started to laugh. It was her father.

The Elf man picked up Freya in a big hug.

“You thought you could escape me, huh?” Her father said.

“You brought the army?” She asked.

“Yes, we came to support the king.” The Elf King said. “We are all in this together, little ladybug.” He said as he messed up her hair.

“I was on a scary adventure, dad.” She said as she walked away holding her father and started describing her journey north, fighting Giants, huge spiders and the terrifying villagers.

Her father would interrupt to ask questions every now and then. Freya was sad that her father was here to fight with his army, but she was glad to be spending time with him.

The forty ice mages, and the ballista the king built finally made her feel safe.