Leton’s king smiled shamelessly as if he had not pretended to surround the carriage with fake robbers. He chuckled. His green eyes were vibrant in the night, as he peered at Edwin.

Edwin crossed his arms, his eyebrow raised at the poor joke, “You went too far. I can’t believe you’d use your forces for this, Leon.”

“You should know that I’ve done worse,” Leon assured, shrugging before turning more serious, “Anyway. I’m grateful that you’ve arrived at such short notice.”

“Of course. I left as soon as I received word,” Edwin responded, walking next to the ruler.

Leon nodded, waving a hand to the black-attired individuals, who were still surrounding the carriage. Simultaneously, they all bowed before rushing to the edge of the bridge, jumping off swiftly.

Any splash to be heard from the water below ceased to occur, as they left without a mere sound. I narrowed my eyes toward the edge of the bridge. It perturbed me at the lack of mana in the air. Seemingly, they had disappeared without a trace.

This skill could not be credited to a simple teleportation spell. Wherever they were, they had been trained to unthinkable degrees to pull it off. I peered back up at Leton’s King.

Appearing in the distance were armored guards that wore Leton’s imperial crest. They rushed up to the King, who continued to chat with Edwin.

Had he shown his troop’s skill off intentionally? I couldn’t help but mentally applaud his method of doing so if that were the case. In terms of political visitations, it allowed for a non-hostile way of displaying your military capability.

“I still don’t know how they do that,” Leon admitted, “I’ve watched them train hundreds of times, but I can’t figure it out.”

“I can understand that,” Edwin said, looking over at us, “My guards are capable of things that you couldn’t fathom. I’m relieved to know that we’re both surrounded by some of the best.”

Yeah, that’s right. I was the fucking best.

Leon smiled, “We both share similar thoughts about our troops then. It’s been five years since I’ve seen you in person last, hasn’t it?”

“Indeed, it has. Except for this time, I greet you as King… not as the troublemaking Prince that I used to know.” Edwin chuckled.

“I still cause trouble. I just need to be more discreet about it now,” Leon pointed back to the armored guards behind him, “My head knight isn’t present now, but she’ll give me an earful if I laze around like the olden days.”

“You make it sound like decades have passed,” Edwin sighed, “We’re not that old, you know.”

The king shrugged, “With everything going on right now, that’s what it feels like. I’m dying for a singular day of rest. As it stands, I don’t have the luxury to afford that.”

“I hope with our visit that you’ll feel more assured then,” Edwin chimed in, “Leton is very precious to Trane.”

Leon nodded, before sighing, “I’m glad to hear that. We have much to catch up on then. We’ll escort your group the rest of the way. The castle is just up ahead after the bridge.”

Serlon looked back to Trent, who picked up the reins to send the carriage forward. I glanced ahead. My eyes focused on the pillars tops of the castle. With my vision, I could spot the mages and archers that stood at the top, watching down for enemies.

Leton flags hung from the walls, the lion crest illuminated by fire in the dark of the night. The most noticeable thing was the sheer number of guards that greeted us at the gates.

A dozen knights had been stationed in full armor in the front. All of which, bowed at once for the King, who waved to the gate controllers.

They opened quickly, rows of knights saluting their King as we passed.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

We rushed through the gates before they slammed shut behind us. The same guards had been stationed out front, using their bodies to cover the gaps in the steel gates. You couldn’t see in or out.

By Trane’s standards, it was overboard. However, Leton had already proved to be unsafe for nobility. It was a kingdom on the brink of a war that they could not hope to win. Tension was at its peak.

“I’ll have my guards here, take the carriage for you. We’ll store it in the stables along with my own.” Leon motioned to two of the guards behind him.

Trent raised his hand, “I’ll go with them, Your Highness. The mules still need to be fed after all.”

“That’s fine. Ask one of the servants if you can’t find your lodgings,” Edwin approved.

“Very well. I’ll make sure your guard is shown after the mules are fed. That is no problem.” Leon affirmed, sending his knights to the carriage to greet Trent.

Our night bags were tossed into us by Trent, who finished locking up everything. I threw the backpack over my shoulder, watching the knights help hand out the others.

With a quick exchange of commands, the three rode the carriage down a side path of the castle. Eran walked to my side, patting my shoulder.

The twins joined us, supporting Gunnar on their shoulders.

Serlon stepped to Edwin’s side, giving a slight bow to Leton’s King, “King Leon, if I may… One of my soldiers was injured during travel. We ask that he is treated in the medical bay at once.”

“Of course,” The King smiled, “Feel free to use the amenities provided by the castle’s service. I’ll point you down the right hallway myself when we pass it.”

Serlon nodded, stepping back from the two royals. He fell back next to Eran and me.

“Well then. Let’s get inside, shall we?” Leon turned, leading the group up the stairs to the castle entrance.

“Indeed.” Edwin matched his pace.

I walked alongside the others, watching the King’s guards split to flank beside us. It was like cattle. I’m not sure if I liked it. I clicked my tongue, rolling my eyes.

Serlon’s elbow hit me from the side. The head guard sent death threats to me through his glare. I ignored this. Instead, I fell slightly behind to walk on the other side of Eran, who only sighed.

The grand doors of the castle crept open, revealing a golden throne as the first thing visible in the court. This one was put right in front of the main doors. I looked over at Leton’s ruler with a sense of respect.

Like Trane, most monarchs kept their thrones in the center of the castle. It was a basic security measure against attempted rebellions or assassination attempts. Even my father had positioned Hellion’s castle this way.

Despite this, it was common knowledge to a monarchy that thrones as the welcoming view of the castle displayed bravery. It was a bold way of telling visiting nobility that as a ruler, you were ready to face enemies head-on.

In the past, I had not been aware of Leton. If they were anything like suggested, as a general I would have respected this symbol. It was a powerful statement.

We walked further into the throne room, Leton’s King stopping to point down a side hallway.

“Your wounded can head down this hallway. The medical center is the second door to your left,” he said, looking over to Gunnar and the twins, who nodded.

The three wasted no time. Gunnar supported himself against the twins, as he hobbled down the same hallway.

“How about you?” Leon asked, his eyes studying my bandaged hand. He glanced over to Edwin, “Does he need to go too?”

Edwin didn’t miss a beat, “No need for concern. Guard Asta is in good health. He merely scrapped the skin on the carriage along the way.”

“…Understood. Well, Guard Asta. The medical center is open at all hours if you feel the need to wander over.” King Leon offered, his attention focused back to Edwin, “Anyway, I’m afraid that I’ll have to take you away from your sleep for a little, Prince Edwin.”

“Don’t apologize. I got plenty of rest on the journey here,” Edwin assured, turning towards Serlon, “You take the others and sleep. I’ll be fine for the rest of the night.”

Serlon looked hesitant, his attention drifting between Leton’s ruler and his charge, “Are you sure, Your Highness? I am more than capable of accompanying you for the rest of the night.”

“No offense, Sir Serlon. But you look like you’re on the verge of death. I’d rather you sleep so that you’ll be alert enough for tomorrow.” Edwin’s request came out as more of a demand.

Serlon sighed in defeat, not willing to protest any further, “Understood, Your Highness.” He turned to Leton’s King, “It was an honor to be in your company, King Leon.”

“The honor is all mine,” Leon smiled, waving Edwin ahead towards another hallway in the distance. The remaining guards followed them.

One of his guards stayed back, extending his hand, “If you follow me, I’ll show you to your barracks for the duration of your visit. The others will be shown to their quarters when they are ready.”

Serlon nodded, being the first to follow the armored guard. Eran and I followed behind, backpacks slung over our shoulders. The barracks were down another side hallway, nearest to the back.

The guard pointed to three rooms at the end of the hallway, “Each sleep two to three people. Feel free to divide yourself among them. You’ll find that they’re quite spacious. We hope that you’ll join us for morning sparring in the courtyards tomorrow morning.”

“We’ll be there,” Serlon assured before the guard exited the hallway.

Eran yawned, stretching his arms above his head, “Asta. I assume you’re with me. Let’s take the middle room. Gunnar and Trent can join later. Let’s give the chief his own bed.”

“That works for me.” I shrugged, heading over to follow Eran before a hand was placed on my shoulder.

Eran paused, raising his eyebrow, “Uh… Sir Serlon?”

I peered over my shoulder with a scowl. What could he want now?

“Asta will be sleeping in the same room as me.” Serlon interjected, now pulling me towards the first room, “Get some sleep before Trent comes back. You know he snores.”

“…Yes Sir,” Eran wasted no time to question him, instead hurrying into the door.

Serlon opened the door, closing it behind us. He walked forward, sitting his bag on the nearest bed to the door, before plopping down on the cot with a sigh.

“Well? Are you going to stand there all night and glare at me?” He yawned, kicking his boots off.

“I didn’t know you cared enough to want to share a room?” I scoffed, lumbering forward to skip the middle bed. I threw my bag on the cot on the other side of the room.

Serlon shook his head at this, “Real mature, kid.” He sighed, resting his hands behind his hand, “Let’s be clear about three things.”

He held up a finger, “One. I don’t trust you enough to keep you out of my sights,”

He raised another finger, “Two. Despite your identity, you’re one of my more capable men. Dragon? Demon? Whatever the hell you are.”

“Three. You should be lucky that I saved you from Trent’s snoring for a night. Now before you lay down, blow out the candles.”

“You better put down those fingers before I rip them off your hand,” I warned.

“Yeah, yeah. Just get the candles, will you?” He waved my threats off, rolling to his side.

“I don’t have time for this,” I grumbled, waving my hand. A small gust of wind bounced throughout the room, knocking each ember out nearly instantly.

From the darkness, I heard a clap, “Way to show off, you magic dragon, you. Now sleep.”

“I don’t even need sleep.” I digressed.

“Then close your eyes and shut up.”