Gilaric of Kalrugh carefully made his way down the sloped road toward the harbor. An unseasonably cold morning had made the cobblestones frosty. He was a young man, just over two decades old. His worn clothing and shaggy hair spoke of a poor upbringing. He carried a backpack with a sleeping roll and his most precious possession: a sword. The docks of the city of Mitbury were less busy than usual as the sun began to peek over the horizon. Sailors swarmed over a large ship, the Elder Dancer, preparing it for departure. Meanwhile, a troop of red-clad Royal Guards stood in a line, holding back the gathering crowd as plumes of steam issued from each mouth. Behind them, two young men, both tall and blonde, took counsel together. Close to the gangplank, several families exchanged tearful goodbyes. They gave a wide berth to the group of centaurs, and the centaurs seemed happy to ignore them, too. There were five of them, and the largest had a massive sword and longbow strapped to his back. Into this press of people Gilaric pushed his way. As he reached the Royal Guards, he was ordered to stop.

“Unless you have an invitation letter to Talagai and a boarding pass, stay in front of the line,” warned the guard, gripping his pike tightly, eyes flickering to the sword on Galaric’s back.

Gilaric reached for the parchment tucked into his belt and handed it over to the guard. “Here.”

The guard snatched it from his hand and examined the seal, frowning. “Captain Finnegan, could you take a look at this?”

A tall, brown-haired man with a distinctive white plume on his helmet came up. “What is it, Telvar?”

The guard handed the captain Galaric’s letter. “Is this in order, sir?”

Finnegan scanned it briefly. A moment later, he grunted and thrust the paper back at Gilaric. “Everything seems to be in order. Grab your things and come back here.”

“This is all I have,” Gilaric said, shrugging the pack on his shoulder. The guard stepped aside, and Gilaric entered the less-claustrophobic side of the Royal Guard line. Slipping past the goodbying families, Gilaric started up the gangplank. As he passed the family of centaurs, he heard the largest one say, “...finish the barn before the autumn harvest, Folvar. Ask my brother for the help you need.”

A little ways away, the two blonde brothers embraced. “Aitus,” said the younger, slightly shorter one, “keep me informed of Father’s condition. The Isle should have wizards, and Talagai certainly will.”

“I will,” Aitus promised. “In fact, I’m sending one of the twins with you. I’ll keep the other nearby. If anything should happen, Ernst, I’ll let you know instantly.”

Ernst nodded, swallowing hard. “He’s not going to recover, is he?”

Aitus clenched his jaw silently and shook his head.

Ernst sighed. “Then I’ll miss your coronation.”

Aitus put his hand on Ernst’s shoulder. “If so, we’ll just have to celebrate again once you get back. Use this year well.”

Ernst grinned tightly. “You’re telling me to be conscientious? Have we switched places?”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Aitus rolled his eyes and stuck his hands in his sword-belt. “Is it so hard to believe that I know how to be careful?”

Ernst nodded. “If I return and this place is still standing, I’ll be in awe.”

Nearby, the twins Raleph and Caliria stood facing their master, Eamon Lockett, who placed a hand on each of their shoulders. He wore a deep blue robe that seemed to shift colors subtly, like deep waters.

“Raleph,” the old man rumbled, “as the more advanced of the two, you will accompany the younger Torinson. The temple at Talagai has some of the best magic teachers in the world, excluding myself.” Eamon’s eyes flickered up and he frowned, thinking. “And the Elder Villumians, I suppose..” He shook his head. “But no matter. Connect with Iphaen Ledali once you’re there, and she will pick up where I left off.”

The twins nodded, knowing better than to question him. Eamon tended not to make a decision until the last moment, so both of the twins had been prepared to go. But when he made a decision, it was final. At the very least, they had known that they would have to separate.

The twins embraced wordlessly. Caliria tousled Raleph’s shock of hair and he pushed her away, shaking his head, smiling crookedly. “See you, sister.”

“Goodbye, brother,” Caliria smiled back.

“Everyone, get aboard in the next ten minutes!” The captain of the boat called. “The tide is going out, and we’re with it.”

Raleph hurriedly bowed to Eamon, hugged Caliria one more time, snatched his bags, and moved toward the gangplank. He reached it at the same time as the massive centaur, and drew up short. “After you, young master,” the centaur said, bowing. While most centaurs were bare-chested, this one wore an off-white uniform, decorated with medals.

“Valin Kyor?” Raleph’s eyes widened. “No, please go first.”

Valin winked. “I might break the gangplank, and then where would we all be? Off you go.”

With a swat of Valin’s hand on his back, Raleph scrambled up the gangplank, pausing a moment at the top to take a last look at those he knew.

“Come on, then,” a sailor said, gripping the young wizard’s arm and helping him aboard. “Your quarters are below and to the left. Follow the other paladins.”

Soon, the ship shoved off with the travelers clutching the rails and waving to their families, who came to the edge of the docks. As the ship shoved off, two men cloaked against the cold shoved their way onto the docks. The Royal Guards stopped them from coming closer, however. In vain, they watched the Elder Dancer round the corner of the bay and turn west, away from the rising sun, and toward Talagai.

The taller of the two cloaked men fixed the other with his pale blue eyes. “When’s the next departure for Talagai?”

The shorter man stroked his beard. “A month, maybe more. And it won’t be taking the fast route, either. It’ll head to Postone, maybe, and then Valonde, and then Talagai.” He shook his head. “We’d be better off chartering a boat from Brapton for somewhere in Bek.”

The tall man’s brow lowered. “We’ve already chased this rat for six months. And now you’re saying we’ll need to travel for another six months—”

“At least,” the short man interrupted, nodding. “Yes. But remember the reward.”

The tall man thought it over for a moment. “Fine. But we’ll add the traveling fees on to the bounty.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” The beared man replied, already turning to go. “Come, the road calls. Even escaping to a place of war like Talagai will not allow Galaric to escape whatever he did.”

The two men joined the general exodus of the docks. The centaur’s wife gathered her young and departed, with the crowd making way for them. The young wizardess Caliria stood near Eamon, having maintaining eye contact with her brother until she could not see his eyes anymore. The young prince Aitus stood at the end of the dock, surrounded by his Royal Guards, wondering if he had made the worst mistake of his life by sending his brother to his doom.