1

Some time just before noon, Livilla came to get Elwin from his room. She took him down to the dining hall for lunch, just as the Headmistress had promised she would. They walked into the main dining hall where lunch was being served.

It was a great affair served in a buffet style setting. The sofas were pushed to the side. Several Large tables, twenty seats to a table, filled the empty floor space. People were already lined up, plates in hand. They helped themselves to all the fresh fruits and vegetables.

Livilla pointed Elwin in the right direction. They got their plates and took their place in line. First was the grain table, containing a wide selection of breads in the form of rolls. “As you can see lunch is casual around here. The Emperor will even grab a plate and get in line with everyone else. He insists on it!” Livilla laughed. “Isn’t that mazy? I can’t imagine why he would want to be treated like everyone else when he’s clearly superior. I mean, why be Emperor if you’re not going to enjoy all the benefits?”

Elwin looked around at the hall. “All things considered, I think it’s very humble. If you ask me, that is great trait to have in a Verantian leader. Every time the Empire becomes too cocky, it falters,” Elwin waxed philosophically about Verantian history as if he was an expert.

“Weird! Now you’re sounding like the Emperor!” Livilla commented with a smirk. She leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Not a bad thing by the way!”

They moved on to the fresh fruits table. It was covered in grapes, strawberries, blue berry and many more. There were exotic imported fruits, Pineapples, coconuts and others from the South Seas. The oranges, nectarines and cherries all came from southern Verant near the coast.

“Lunches are always vegetarian here in the palace. The Emperor insists that the average Verantian eats meat only once a day if they’re lucky and so shall we!” She quoted her master even trying hard to imitate the pitch of his deep voice.

Again, this sounded humbling to Elwin. It gave him more respect for Emperor Xander. The Emperor was someone more in touch with the common people than most people might realize. Maybe it came from the fact that he was a soldier earlier in life. Soldiers often lived rough and worked hard. Elwin was gaining a different kind of respect. Before this he respected the Emperor out of duty, as a loyal citizen of the Empire.

Then he respected the man out of fear. He had never met someone so clearly in control, who’s ever desire was immediately fulfilled. It scared Elwin deeply to be that close to that kind of power. Getta had been known to kill those who did not agree with him. Power in the wrong hands could be dangerous. The bizarre and sudden knighting ceremony only heightened Elwin’s fear. He felt like he respected the Emperor only because he had too.

But the more he learned about the Emperor, the more he truly liked him. Xander had known hardship. It was apparent that he cared about the issues of the people. It seemed like he had everything carefully planned out. Elwin felt like he could really respect a man who aligned himself with the common citizen.

The Emperor had given the people the Coliseum again. It had been shut down during the later years of the war. It was reopened by the Emperor with a grand celebration to mark his coronation. The people for the most part, seemed to love him. And why not?

The third table was cooked vegetables, mostly beans, carrots and grilled baby potatoes. The final table was deserts, but their plates were pretty much full by that point. They took a seat at the end of one of the tables away from the crowd of people.

Elwin decided to make conversation while they ate. “So, if you belong to the Emperor than you must have traveller all over the Empire,” Elwin commented.

Livilla sort of shrugged. “I’ve been to most of the important places, I guess.”

“Really? Like where?” Elwin had not been to many places yet. He still had seen very little of the vast Empire.

“Oh, I don’t know,” She said thinking about it. “Palantine, Devonport, SeaSide, White Cliff…”

“You’ve mostly been to cities than?” Elwin said cutting in.

“I’ve seen some countryside. The family has several large estates.”

“Have you ever been to my territory?” Elwin enquired.

She thought about it for a minute while she ate. “I’ve been to Militar Acedemia,” She said finally.

Elwin rolled his eyes. “That’s just another city.”

“Well, what do you want me to say? Country is country and rather boring if you ask me. I prefer the cities. They’re far more interesting!” Livilla just shrugged as she ate her strawberries.

Elwin decided to just leave the line of questioning alone. Livilla was about as interested in the outside world as a fattened housecat. She liked her gilded cage too much.

There was something that had been nagging at Elwin since he arrived at the palace. It seemed that without ever meeting the Emperor before it had already been decided that he would be knighted. How was that possible? Jax could not have told the Emperor that much about Elwin. He did not know that much, so just where did the Emperor get his information from? Kindeller had mentioned the report, but there could not have been much in there that would have warranted making him a knight. He wondered if Livilla could shed some light on the subject. Elwin was sure that she knew all kind of things that went on around the palace, even if she thought they were not important. Gossip was very important to her.

“Livilla,” Elwin said slyly. “How did the Emperor know that I should be knighted, if he had never met me before?”

Livilla seemed to contemplate it for a few moments. Between dainty bits of her lemon tart dessert that she had managed to squeeze onto the plate. She said, “Well, if I had to guess I would say that he probably had a fortune card reading done before you arrived. The Lord High Wizard is an expert on the subject.”

Somehow, he knew this was true. It made sense in a strange way. Fortune cards! Damn! Why didn’t he think of that sooner! He wondered what cards had come up during the reading. How did they do a reading without him present? He wondered. Then again, the Lord High Wizard was probably powerful.

“I had a card reading done for me the day the volcano erupted,” Elwin commented.

“Really! What was you fortune?” Livilla was very interested now.

“I can’t really remember,” Elwin replied, and it was true. He could not really remember it because it was the least important thing that happened that day. “I think one of the cards was the Emperor.”

Livilla laughed. “How interesting! I find it funny that people don’t believe it fortune-telling when it’s so accurate so often. The Emperor always did a card reading before each battle.”

The Emperor was a believer in fortune and fate? Elwin was surprised by this revelation. Was the Emperor a very superstitious person? He wondered. Did he not believe in free will? Elwin thought this was strange because the Emperor did not appear to rely on occult forces, but maybe he did? Elwin had to admit that he did not know the Emperor that well.

“Is he a religious man?” Elwin asked her.

Livilla shrugged. “He goes to the Temple of the Fire Lord at least once a week and he’s always talking to the Lord High Priest. I mean three of them sit on the council… So yeah, I suppose he is.”

The dining hall had filled up now. It was getting too noisy to talk to each other.

“Come with me!” Livilla said taking Elwin by the hand. All thought of cards and fortune-telling was forgotten. “There’s something you must see. I saw them the other day!”

2

Elwin was dragged along by Livilla while still trying to finish off his last dessert tart.

They walked hand in hand down a long hall that came to an outside door.

“We’re going outside?” Elwin questioned. He did not realize they were allowed to do that.

“Of course, we have to. It’s a merchant I want you to see!” Livilla said with a wide mysterious smile.

She burst out of the door and into the hot summer air. Two weeks of sunshine and no rain had taken all the humidity out of it. Elwin followed. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the bright light.

Livilla was nearly running down the stairs. Her white dress, a different style from the day before, flapped in the breeze. Elwin was still feeling full from lunch, but tried his best to keep up. They reached the bottom where there was a gate to the streets outside.

Elwin finally caught up, feeling a stitch in his side.

Livilla approached the posted guard. “I’m Livilla and this here is Sir Elwin Birch knight of the Order of the Red Dragon. We just want to step out to the market and come back. Is that alright?” She asked the armoured man who was clearly suffering from the heat. To Elwin she said. “Show him the medallion!”

Elwin quickly pulled out the chain that he now wore around his neck. The gold glimmered in the sun and the guard immediately snapped to attention.

“My Lord!” He said formally.

“So, it’s aright if we leave and then come back in a little while?” Elwin enquired timidly.

“As you wish my Lord,” the guard replied stiffly.

“Come along Elwin!” Livilla said in a very aristocratic tone with her nose held high in the air. “You out rank this fool now!”

Livilla laughed and skipped through the gates and out onto the streets. It was busy, there were many people bustling about.

Elwin was quick on her heels. “Where are we going?”

“I told you, to see a merchant. He’s right over here by the square, it’s not that far!” Livilla laughed again. She skipped along like a young girl.

Elwin followed her across the Imperial Square. An orator was reading the news from a parchment to a crowd of commoners. He stood above them on a platform and spoke loudly in a booming voice. He was talking about a local wizard court case that had just been settled.

“The Wizard Council has rendered its verdict in the case against the student wizard Servia De Gallio…” The man bellowed loud enough for anyone in the area to hear him.

Elwin stopped and forced Livilla to stop with him. She looked at him annoyed, but he was busy listening to the orator and ignored her.

The orator continued. “Servia De Gallio case has been ruled an accident. However, because of the circumstances surrounding the incident, she has been expelled from the Wizard Tower forever and is awaiting further punishment at the Pacifica!”

“What is he talking about?” Elwin asked Livilla.

“I heard something about an accident at the Wizard Tower. Apparently two students were killed. It’s none of our business thought. The wizard’s judge their own kind,” Livilla said. “Now let’s go before they’re all sold!”

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Elwin followed her to the other side of the square where the Grand Bazaar ended. There they found a large colourful tent that flapped widely in the strong breeze. A few people stopped to look and point it out, but most people were passing right by.

“Wait until you see what he has! It’s the maziest creature!” Livilla said in the most delightful way that made Elwin smile.

They went into the tent and found the merchant displaying a creature for another customer. He was a very strange man to Elwin’s eyes. He wore a strange robe not made anywhere in Verant. His skin was very tan and leathery. He was older with greying hair, long and wiry. His large puffy cheeks protruded making his dark eyes appear sunk in. On his outstretched arm sat the most peculiar creature. It bathed itself passively despite being gawked at by a few people.

“What in Gaia is that?” Elwin asked his mouth agape.

“They’re called Marissets!” Livilla said breathlessly. She stared at it like a love-struck fool.

“They’re from far in the South. Far past the South Seas to the lands that lay beyond!” The Merchant proclaimed in an accent so thick that Elwin had trouble understanding him.

“Aren’t they the cuties creatures!” Livilla squealed.

They were certainly strange looking Elwin thought. They look like they were part cat and part monkey. It had a small cat-like body and rounded head. The fur was short and ginger with black rings on the tail and arms. But the arms and hands were very much like a monkey. The tail was also very monkey like.

The marissets grasped the merchant’s arm with the tail wrapping it around. The face was podgy and round, with large cat like ear that twitched toward every sound that was made. It had large saucer-like eyes also with additional eyelids just like a cat. The eye narrowed to a slit as it studied them closely. Elwin noticed a table that was filled with various cages, all containing one or two Marissets each.

“They certainly are fascinating!” Elwin proclaimed as he moved in to study it closely. The marisset suddenly scurried in close to the merchant’s shoulder and tried to hide.

“They are a bit skittish right now with the long trip, the cages and such, but I assure you they are very smart and loyal creatures. They are related to monkeys,” the merchant said. The marisset poked its head out from the top of the shoulder.

“See, aren’t they interesting! They are very intelligent!” Livilla said overjoyed. She poked at one of the cages and a marisset came forward and let her scratch its back. It purred just like a cat. “Ah, it’s purring!” She said it a girlish voice.

The marisset climbed up onto the merchant’s shoulder. “They’re tree climbers in the wild. They like to cling to you up as high as they can get. They are great companions. They will sit on your shoulder like a loyal pet. They have great balance and are easy to train,” he explained.

“Really!” Elwin said. He was starting to wonder if this was just showmanship. Were they really that smart? He wondered. “Can I hold it?”

“Of course!” The merchant grabbed Elwin’s armed and spoke to the marisset. “Go on, climb!”

As if it completely understood what was being said, the creature rushed on to Elwin’s arm and began climbing up slowly. It had dainty little hands that grabbed his clothing tightly as it climbed. Elwin noted that it was light, maybe few pounds at most.

“They can be taught to understand the common language and can even nod yes and shake their heads no! It’s too bad they can’t talk!” Livilla said laughing. The merchant brought out another one for Livilla to play with. Livilla talked like an expert and Elwin wondered briefly if she got a commission for every one she helped to sell.

Elwin had to admit, they were cute. His first thought was of Anna. She would absolutely love one of these as a pet! He was impressed when he saw one up close. It made little movement that seemed so human-like sometimes. He was amazed by these little creatures.

“How are they for traveling?” Elwin questioned.

“Yes, very good travelling companions, sir. They’ll sit right on your shoulder if you are walking, they will travel in a cage without much complaint if on a ship or a carriage. I swear my Lord. I’ve had wizards buy them to use as familiars because of their loyalty and cool disposition. They can be a bit skittish as I have said, but they aren’t quick to anger I assure you.”

“What about flying? You know, griffin-back?” Elwin questioned.

“Oh, yes. They will cling tight under your arm. If they feel they are safe, they will travel with you. Like I said they are very good companions,” the merchant smiled broadly. The marisset was perched up on Elwin’s shoulder looking very cuddly and cute. It began purring as if on cue.

They almost sold themselves! Elwin thought. He asked. “How much?”

“Really?” Livilla said excitedly. He eyes just lit up.

“I know a girl back home who would love to have one of these,” Elwin said.

“Twenty-five gold for an untrained one. But you can have a trained one, like the one on your shoulder for fifty gold,” The merchant said.

“Oh, that sounds very expensive,” Elwin winced.

“I’m sorry, but they come from far away. I brought them here at great expense and personal risk. I can’t sell them for any less. That’s my lowest price.”

From the look of it, Elwin figured the merchant could make almost a thousand gold coins with all the marissets he had in his tents.

“Alright, I’ll take this trained one on my shoulder,” Elwin finally agreed. He could not resist, he had to have one he could bring back to give to Anna. He dug into his pouch and pulled out his reward money and handed it over.

“Very good my Lord!” the merchant said overjoyed to get the sale. “His name is Duirn. It’s and old Dwarven word meaning strong headed.”

“Come along Duirn, I know a young Lady who is going to love you!” Elwin said to the marisset.

The merchant gave him a small harness and leash that he did up around the creature’s waist. Elwin and Livilla left the tent and began to walk back to the palace. The marisset was still perched upon Elwin’s shoulder. It looked around curiously, even shaded its eyes from the sun with its hand. It was a truly remarkable creature! Elwin thought. He knew that Anna was going to love it.

Livilla made noises at the marisset as if it were a cat. “And what young Lady are you going to give this precious little creature to?”

“My cousin, Anna. I think she has been feeling melancholy lately. She’ll love it!” He said beaming.

They walked back to the palace to gather Elwin’s things for the trip back to his friends. Jax was leaving soon. He had to be packed and ready to go.

3

“You must be anxious to get back to your friends,” Livilla commented as they got back to the room he had been staying in.

“Yes,” Elwin said. The marisset jumped off his shoulder and immediately climbed the bed post to the top and hung by its tail watching them in silence. “Very much so.”

“What’s it like being an adventurer?” She asked. There was a melancholy to her words. Elwin could hear it.

“Monotonous, mostly,” he replied. “It’s a lot of travelling, a lot of walking. Cooking meals and living out of tents.”

“Yuck, I don’t think I would like it,” she commented. “I’ve had to live out of a tent for a while. It is not for me.”

Elwin was busy packing everything in his pack while they talked. Livilla sat on the end of the bed and watched. She played with her silvery blonde hair, twirling the curls at the end around her fingers.

“I suppose not,” Elwin told her. “It’s nothing like life in the palace. When you’re not completely bored by the road, then you are fighting for your life in battle. There’s always some creature out there trying you kill you.”

“Sounds dangerous,” she pointed out.

“It is, but that’s why we travel together as a group,” Elwin explained. “We killed an Ogre-mage once.”

“Wow! Really?” Livilla exclaimed.

Elwin nodded. “It was a tough battle,” he told her. “Our sorcerer was killed that night.”

“Well, stay safe out there,” Livilla said to him. “As I hear it, there are a lot of people relying on you.”

“Well, we don’t plan on dying,” Elwin said. He gave her a sly little wink.

Livilla looked down at the floor. Like a small child who had done something bad. Her voice was quiet. “So… Is there, you know… a woman…”

“Please, Livilla,” Elwin said with a smirk. “If I was married, I would have told you.”

“Oh, well sometimes there’s a beloved… You know, someone you’re seeing,” she said. “I just want to know if I’m stepping on someone else’s toes.”

Elwin laughed. “No there’s no beloved. There’s no need to feel guilty.”

Livilla breathed a sigh of relief. She relaxed and lay back on the bed. She rolled onto her side and smirked at him. She seemed to be back to herself. She asked. “Anyone you have an eye on? Someone you have been think about?”

Elwin stopped. He was packed and ready to go. He gave her a clever smile and spoke. “Maybe there is someone who has caught my interest.”

“But she doesn’t know?” Livilla questioned.

Elwin shook his head.

“What? Why not?” She demanded.

“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “It’s just not that simple.”

“Don’t bullshit me,” Livilla laughed. She sat up. “Look at you. Your young, strong, handsome and a capable leader by all accounts. They call you the Hero of Domara. You could have any woman you want.”

“Shut up!” Elwin said with a chuckle. He knew what she might be hinting at. He was not the kind of person who went for one woman to the next like some bard. “I’m not like that.”

“You were like that last night,” she teased. Her cheeks flushed and her grin dimpled her face in the cutest way.

“That was you,” Elwin insisted teasing her back. “I was very drunk.”

“I guess that’s true,” she said thinking about it. Then she giggled. “But I was not going to pass up and opportunity to fuck the Hero of Domara!”

“Livilla!” Elwin exclaimed. “That’s not how a Lady should talk!”

“I’m not a Lady,” she proclaimed. “I’m a priestess!”

“Somehow that seems worse,” Elwin pointed out.

“You know, we still have some time…” Livilla said as much to herself as to Elwin.

She rolled over on her stomach and bent over the side of the bed so that her knees were on the floor and her backside was to Elwin. Slowly she lifted her dress up her back so that her legs, and bottom were exposed to him. She spread her legs slightly and started to wiggle her naked butt.

Elwin stared at the spectacle in silence.

Livilla looked back at him. She arched her back and spread her arms out across the bed grabbing fist full of the bedding.

“Well,” she said seductively. “Are you going to fuck me, or what?”

4

There were no ceremonies or final good-byes.

Livilla kissed him sweetly on the lips as a loving wife might.

Kindeller was there to give him a large leather pouch filled with newly minted gold coins that had been promised to his friends. It had a long strap that allowed him to sling it over his shoulder.

Elwin and Jax walked out to the Griffin that waited in the field between the stables.

He wore his dark traveling cloak. The marisset clung under his arm hidden among the folds. Only its head peeked out.

“What in the name of the Fire Lord is that thing?” Jax exclaimed when he saw the creature Elwin bought.

“It’s called a marisset,” Elwin told him.

“Looks like vermin to me! I don’t understand why anyone would want the filth beast. Are you sure it doesn’t have fleas or ticks?” Jax questioned. He sighed and shook his head. “Bah! The younger generation, so mazy!”

They both climbed into the saddle of the Griffin. Its incredibly strong muscles shifted beneath their weight.

Elwin looked back on the last two days. He would never forget the experiences of the Imperial Palace. The Emperor was an incredible man and just being in his presence was awe-inspiring. Elwin just hoped the Emperor was right in giving him all the responsibilities that had been entrusted to him. Was all of this really in his cards? It seemed just too impossible and yet…

5

“So, what does a Griffin cost?” Elwin asked. It was around noon on the second day of their journey north. He was getting anxious to see his friends again. He could not wait to tell them all about his adventure. He would have to be careful what he said about Livilla though. Anna and Myra-Lynn might ask too many awkward questions.

“A lot!” Jax shouted. He laughed heartily. The air was rushing past them as the Griffin beat its huge wings. The cross winds were whistling in their ears making it very hard to talk over it. “This one here was already trained and about three years old when I got her. She cost about a thousand in gold at the time, but that would probably be a bit more now-a-days!”

Wow, Elwin thought that was incredibly expensive! A good riding horse would cost between one and two hundred in gold. A strong well trained war horse might run as much as three hundred. For a thousand in gold Elwin could buy half a dozen horses! “How long do they live?” He asked.

“Oh, about forty years or more. They can fly for most of their life, but when they get older, they can’t carry as much of a load. This girl here is about ten years old now. She’s got lots of years in her yet!”

“What about care and feeding?” Elwin did not care about the cost. He really wanted one. He could not afford one, but he would make it a goal in his life to one day have a stable full of them. He was quickly falling in love with these majestic creatures. They could cover so much ground in such a short period! He marvelled. They were very regal creatures with a great temperament. Easy to handle and as Jax had told him once, they were very loyal to their riders.

“Not bad. They can sleep in a normal stable at night, just like a horse. They usually do much of their own feeding when we are on a long journey. A stag or other wild game around that size, but they are known to come back with a cow or a goat!” Jax laughed at the last statement. “They can’t help themselves. When there isn’t always wild food available, they’ll just grab something easy to catch!”

Elwin could feel the Marisset shifting uneasily under his arm beneath his tan travellers’ cloak. It clung to him tightly. He hoped that a Griffin would not want to eat his new pet. It would only be a snack to a creature so large. Then again, if it was hungry enough… Who knows what it would eat!

“I wish to be a Griffin rider one day!” Elwin exclaimed as he gripped the reigns tighter. Once Elwin got a feel for it, Jax let him guide the Griffin.

Again, Jax laughed heartily. “Ah my dear boy, I think with the right training you could be an excellent Griffin rider!”

“How much further?” Elwin asked. They had been flying for hours without much of a break. They just stopped in a clearing for a few minutes so they could eat.

“See that row of carts below?” Jax pointed down to them.

Elwin looked down and saw about a dozen carts that were heading north on the road. “Yeah!”

“That’s the Emperor’s caravan. We’re not far at all!” Jax said. A smile crept onto his face. “Anxious?”

“A little!” Elwin admitted.

“Don’t worry! Always remember, we work for the Emperor. We have our orders. They will listen, like it or not!” Jax proclaimed.

Elwin was not totally convinced. How was he going to explain it all to them? He was a knight working for the Emperor now. Would they even believe it to be possible? He had documents, a necklace and a tattoo even. The time spent in the palace seemed like it was weeks ago already. Domara? Just a fading memory! Salome Hallow? He tried not to think of that place at all. He felt like he had lived a lifetime since then.

Elwin had accepted the fate handed down to him from the Emperor, but it may as well have been the Gods themselves. That was how he would treat this, like it was sacred. He was already more willing to embrace the Emperor’s vision than he had the day before. He wanted to pass that eagerness along to his friends, but he was not about to force anyone to come on this next adventure. It would be their choice. Elwin would not be a despot he decided. He would always give his friends the right to choose.

As he looked down the road into the distance, he could see the refugees ahead. Elwin wonder, would they follow him?