1

“I get it, you’re anxious, but she needs to rest,” Sir Jax Frey, an imperial knight, was referring to his griffin. They had been flying upon for the last two days. They were so close now. Less than a hundred miles from Elwin’s friends. A griffin could fly that distance in less than two hours.

Elwin cursed under his breath so Jax would not hear him. They both stood alone in an empty field of tall grass while the griffin was off feeding or whatever it was griffins did to recuperate.

The creatures were huge and fearsome, if you were unfamiliar with them. They were big, bigger than a horse. They could consume an entire deer, bones and all, in a single sitting. It had a muscled body that was similar to a lion in the back half and a massive eagle for the front half. Even the front legs were talon, and the wing were enormous when fully extended. It had a yellow beak so powerful it could take a man’s limb right off if it was so inclined.

The griffin they were flying on was domesticated and probably would not bite somebody’s arm off, even if it was provoked. It would go against a lifetime of training.

“Look, Elwin, it’s still early in the afternoon, we have time to rest up before you finally reach your destination,” Jax told him.

Jax was right, of course. Elwin checked his timepiece, and it was almost two in the afternoon. The pocket watch was a beautifully crafted brass piece which Elwin kept wound every day. It was given to him by his father when he was on his death bed. He thought about him every time he checked it. It was how he remembered papa. Also, his sister and mother would also come to mind. All of them were dead now, taken by a strange plague that had spared himself and his younger brother Rith.

The pair had lots of aunts, uncles and cousins, but without immediate family, Elwin and his brother relied on their friends. Emerson had always been there for them, even when they were just children. Elwin hoped he always would be. Anna, who had become a replacement for his real sister. He had a special gift for her, a strange creature he had bought at the Grand Bazaar in Verant City. And then there was Selby. Elwin smiled to himself when thinking about him. Selby was a rogue to his core from an outlaw town out in the eastern fringe of the Empire. Selby was older and better traveler then Elwin and his friends. They relied on him for his experience and wisdom.

But there were two new friends now. A Gnome named Rowdy Pinkerton and an Elf named Myra-Lynn Deepwell. Both had become vital parts of the group they had formed together. A group of adventurers, companions bonded through battle, fire and hard times living rough on the road. Friendships that Elwin was certain would last for a lifetime.

The sky was clear, which was great because the day before it rained. And flying in the rain was a terrible ordeal. Griffins just could not fly high enough to get above the rain clouds. Being soak and wet while flying was not fun to say the least.

“I have a lot to explain when I finally see them,” Elwin related to Jax. He was growing anxious about it. He stared off listlessly at the tree line across the field.

“No doubt,” Jax replied. When Elwin first met the man, he had no idea who he was exactly beyond being an Imperial Guard or knight, at least that was how he presented himself. Now he could see it. The tawny hair and cold steel eyes that shimmered in the daylight. Yeah, he was related to the Emperor alright. There was no mistaking it now. He even had a smile that he flashed that reminded Elwin of the Emperor. That sly sideways glance was a Frey family specialty.

“I would start, by handing out all the coin,” Jax told him. “Gold always put people in a good mood.”

Elwin nodded. It was a solid idea. But Elwin wanted to lead with his gifts for his friends, then the money. After that he would have to explain Imperial Directive Thirty-Eight to them. Or maybe, he could show the documents to Selby, have him draw out the details? He thought that was a good idea.

“There is another reason I wanted to stop,” Jax explained.

Elwin looked at him.

“You don’t have the armor yet. It’s going to take some time to get it fashioned, but they will send it to you when its ready,” Jax explained. “But I have something I want to give you. Something to go with the armor.”

“Jax, you didn’t have to…” Elwin started to say, but Jax hushed him.

“I know, but I’m the Emperor’s cousin and I will do as I please,” Jax statement left no room for discussion. Jax was a man that got his way. Another thing that reminded Elwin of the Emperor.

The griffin had returned a few minutes earlier with a feral hog that it had caught and killed. While it consumed the hog, Jax found a large saddle bag that contained his personal belongings. From it, Jax produced a pair of finely crafted steel gauntlets, inlay with a brass symbol of the griffin on each one.

“By the Gods Jax! They must have cost a fortune…” Elwin protested.

“Shut up and take them,” Jax told him. “I can easily afford them. You and I serve the same master now. We should dress like it.”

“I don’t know how to thank you,” Elwin said as he took them and tried them on. Inside the were lined with soft leather and felt comfortable to wear, all be it a bit heavy.

“Thank me by putting them to good use,” Jax commanded. “A good swordsman always needs to protect his hands; they are the most important part of you in battle. You have a fine sword, now you have even finer gauntlets.”

“Thank you, my Lord,” Elwin said.

“Oh, forget that my lord shit,” Jax laughed. “Listen, I know that Kindeller said he is in charge and all of that, but he’s a busy man. You have a problem, you need help or advice, you find me, understand? I will help you.”

Elwin nodded. “Sure thing, Jax.”

“See that’s the spirit!” Jax clapped him on the back. “Now, let’s finish this journey!”

Elwin could not have agreed more.

2

It was a sight to see from above. Almost a thousand people traveling south along the Imperial road. Over the past few days, the group had spread out. The refugees now formed a line that stretched out for over a mile.

Elwin’s heart began to pound when he finally spotted them on the ground. They were near the front of the column, but others were riding out ahead of them.

Of course, they had spotted him long before he saw them. But he was in the air, and they were probably looking for him, he surmised. He should have been back a few days ago, but the trip took longer then expected. They were probably very worried about him. He could only imagine what they had all been through. They were living rough on the road while he had been sleeping in a comfortable bed in the Imperial Palace. And then there was Livilla, better not mention her to anyone, at least not yet.

When he first saw them waving to him, he was too far to make them out their faces, but as the griffin approached closer, he could see how excited they were. Anna was actually jumping up and down, unable to contain herself. Myra held her tight to try and calm her. Myra-Lynn Deepwell made him smile when he saw her face even from a distance. That beautiful and perfect Elvin face.

“I’m going to bring her down in that field, just off from the road!” Jax explained and the wind rushed in their ears from the beating of the griffin’s wings. “That way you can meet up with your friends before everyone else wants a piece of you!”

“Good idea,” Elwin said nodding.

Anna could not wait. She rushed him. She grabbed hold of him so tightly that the strange creature, the marisset squealed for a moment.

“By the Gods, what was that?” Anna exclaimed when she heard the squeaky noise from under his light brown traveling cloak.

“It’s a gift I brought, for you,” Elwin explained. The damned creature kept scurrying around under his cloak as he tried to grab it.

“You brought back gifts?” Anna was genuinely surprised. She was actually starting to cry, unable to control her feeling in the moment.

From under his cloak, Elwin produced the creature. “His name is Durin,” he told her.

“What the fuck is that?” Emerson said as he strolled up to them. “Looks like a strange monkey.”

“Something like that,” Elwin replied.

The creature was very timid, at first. It took a few steps out on to Elwin’s arm. Its little monkey-like hands gripped his sleeve tightly, it’s long furry monkey-like tail wrapped around his arm.

Suddenly, it sat up on its hind legs and stared intently into Anna’s eyes. Its slanted cat-like eyes looked her all over. Its ears twitched at every sound in the area. Slowly it stepped out until it was at the end of Elwin’s arm. It reached out and touched Anna’s arm. Anna almost always wore men’s clothing when they were on the road. The sleeves of her homespun hemp shirt were rolled up almost to her shoulder because of the oppressive heat that day. She winced slightly when the Marisset first grabbed her flesh with its tight grip and tiny sharp claws.

“It been a long trip,” Elwin commented to her. “It may have made him nervous, but they’re supposed to be very intelligent creatures. He can even understand the human language. Go on Durin, you’re safe with Anna. She’s your new master now.”

Elwin handed it over to Anna. Instantly it curled up around her neck. Durin relaxed his grip and settled in. The orange-brown fur was very soft to the touch almost like a mink.

Tentatively Anna reached out and began to pet it.

“I love the dark rings on his tail. It’s so cute!” Anna squealed with excitement. “Where does such a creature come from? I’ve never heard of them before!”

Elwin just shrugged. He was not sure himself. “I bought it from a merchant in the Grand Bazaar. The man said he brought them up from the far south beyond the sea. It’s some previously unknown land apparently.”

“I love it already!” Anna declared. “I think it’s purring, like a cat.”

“It does some very cat-like things,” Elwin told her. To Emerson he said. “I have something for you.”

“Really?” Emerson seemed surprised.

Elwin reached deep into his traveling cloak and pulled out a throwing dagger in a leather sheath and handed it over. “I thought you might have a use for something like that.”

“Wow,” Emerson pulled it from the sheath. “Well balanced and very finely crafted. Even has the imperial symbol on it. Thank you, Elwin,” Emerson was a born warrior and the strongest of the group. He was well skilled with a sword, but Elwin knew he had other skills and figured a good throwing dagger would come in handy.

“I was gone a while, I felt I owed you something for making you take charge,” Elwin explained.

“What do I get?” Rith asked him as he approached with the rest of the group.

“A big hug from your big brother!” Elwin said and they embraced.

“Seriously though,” Rith said after the moment had past. “Did you get something for everyone?”

“You get this,” Elwin said to him and handed him an envelope from the saddlebag that Jax had brought to him.

“This letter has the imperial symbol on it,” Rith said in disbelief.

“Well? Open it!” Anna demanded. She was anxious to see it as much as Rith. The marisset was already perched on her shoulder observing everything.

Rith took his time not wanting to destroy the envelope with a royal seal upon it. Inside was a document. He began to read it. “What the fuck!?” He exclaimed. There was a fallen tree near them. He had to sit down on it. He handed the document to Anna.

“Well?” Emerson questioned.

“It’s a birth certificate… issued by the Empire of Verant and… signed by the Emperor himself!” Rith was still in shock.

“It says Rith… House of Birch!” Anna shouted. “They’ve given you a last name! Birch!”

“They given us a house,” Elwin clarified.

“That would make you Elwin Birch,” Emerson said to him.

“Actual… It’s Sir Elwin Birch,” He told the group. He gave it a moment to sink it.

“What!?” Everyone almost shouted simultaneously. They all looked at each other in amazement.

Jax, who had been standing behind Elwin, laughed. “That’s right,” he said addressing the companions. “Elwin is now a knight in The Order of the Red Dragon. As am I.”

“I thought you were an Imperial Guard,” Emerson questioned him.

“What? I can’t be both?” Jax replied and laughed again. “I also have a seat on the Imperial Council.”

“Okay you guys are joking, right? This is prank, isn’t it?” Selby finally said. The rest were in too much shock to say anything.

Elwin walked up to Selby, a huge smile on his face. “I was knighted by the Emperor himself, using my own sword. And Sir Jax Frey, cousin to the Emperor, is very serious about being on the Imperial Council,” Elwin told him. He handed Selby the dossier. “Here, some light reading for you. Sorry I didn’t have a better gift.”

Selby opened the file folder and began flipping through the pages. There were a couple dozen pages. Everything in it seemed to shock him. “This is type set, this is not handwritten… Imperial Directive Thirty-Eight… What the fuck is going on here!? Elwin, this is signed and sealed by the Emperor! There are instructions here, orders for you to carry out… Elwin what the fuck is going on? How are you a knight? What’s with the list of names here?”

“There will be plenty of time to explain everything,” Jax told them. “Let’s not overwhelm him with too many questions right now.”

“These are the orders given to me by the Emperor,” Elwin told them.

“This is insane!” Emerson declared. “I can’t believe you met the Emperor. My father fought for him and never met him.”

“The Emperor is an impressive man,” Elwin explained. “He scared the abyss out of me when I met him. I had several meetings with him after being knighted and with Kindeller, who runs the Order of the Red Dragon.” To make his point even clearer, Elwin dropped his cloak and rolled up the sleeve of his homespun shirt to reveal the tattoos on his upper right arm that he got at the Imperial Palace.

The tattoos were letters, two sets. The top one was VFLF which Emerson recognized right away. “Verant First Last Forever,” he pointed out. It was a common slogan in the Empire and was often carved into the base of imperial statues or above doorways. The other set was ORD.

“Order of the Red Dragon,” Selby concluded. He was always the swiftest of the companions.

Elwin nodded to both of them.

“You have tattoos, Elwin!” Rith was so shocked by the sight of the black lettering. “We never even met anyone with tattoos before. What in the name of Gaia happened at that palace!?”

“A lot,” Elwin stated. He pulled the golden medallion out from under his shirt. “This is what I’m supposed to show people if they question my authority.”

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“Damn the Gods, is that solid gold!?” Emerson exclaimed. He looked at the finer detailing. “Are those rubies for the eyes of the dragon?”

“Yes,” Elwin replied. Emerson flipped it over and read Order of the Red Dragon on the back of it.

He noticed Myra-Lynn the whole time. Elwin was always watching her out of the corner of his eye while he dealt with everyone else. She had hung back, watching silently and taking it all in. She seemed surprised by some of things they were learning and unfazed by other things. Elwin had not forgotten about her. In fact, she was now all he could think about. “Excuse me for a moment.” Elwin told his friend. “There is something I have to do.”

He walked over to her.

“Everyone is so happy your back,” she commented as he came in close. She had that smile. A quirky little upturn in the corners of her mouth that almost seemed to curl. Her cheeks dimpled slightly. She looked away for a moment, his gaze making her a bit anxious.

“And what about you?” He inquired. “Did you miss me?”

“Why, of course…” Was as far as she got before he reached up behind her head and brought her in for a deep kiss. The kind of kiss that made her forget whatever it was she was going to say.

He broke off the kiss and hugged her tight. He spoke quietly into her ear so only she could hear. “I should have done that before I left… When you kissed me on the cheek, I should have kissed you back, but I didn’t have the confidence that I have now.”

He felt her arms tighten around him and she nodded in response unable to put how she felt into words. It was an odd pairing. Elwin was taller by half a foot with long straight black hair and dark eyes. The summer sun had tanned his fair skin. While Myra was blonde with long braids and deep blue eyes and a pale complexion that freckled in the sun, but did not tan.

Eventually they let go of each other, but Myra-Lynn was not done, she returned the favor by kissing Elwin back with a deep and passionate kiss of her own.

When it was over, they turned to look at everyone else.

“What the fuck is going on?” Emerson asked Selby. Selby shrugged. Neither of them had any idea that something had been quietly developing between Elwin and Myra.

“The idiot is in love with an Elf,” Jax told them. He just sighed and shook his head at the whole situation.

“Ah, hmm,” Elwin heard from next to him. He looked down to see Rowdy Pinkerton standing next to him and Myra.

“I understand that you have gifts for everyone,” Rowdy said to him. “I really hope mine isn’t a kiss as well.”

Everyone had a good laugh at that.

“Did you think I could forget you!?” Elwin exclaimed. He got down to one knee and shook Rowdy’s rough, but small hand.

“Well, I thought amid all the hugs, weapons and strange creatures, that I may have gotten lost!” Rowdy said. He shifted around, ill at ease with his own emotions.

Elwin shook his head and told the short man. “Your part of this group Rowdy, I would never forget you!”

Elwin pulled him into a brief hug.

“Thanks Elwin! We all missed you boy!” The Gnome said to him.

“For you I have the best gift of all,” Elwin told him. “I have your payment… in gold. A lot of gold. And even more on top of that.”

Rowdy’s eyes lit up. “Gold!?” Rowdy loved gold. It was why he came on this mission in the first place. It was a chance to earn enough coin to relax for months.

“In fact, I have coin for everyone,” Elwin elaborated. He went over to the saddlebag that he left sitting next to Rith by the fallen tree. From it he pulled out a large bag that jingled with the sound of coins. Everyone suddenly gathered around him. He also produced five envelopes all sealed and signed by the Emperor.

“First and most importantly, Rowdy, I have fifty gold for you. The second half of the payment for the job you were hired to do,” Elwin handed him the coins from the sack.

“But the town was destroyed…” Rowdy protested. It was true, the city was destroyed by a volcano which rendered his engineering investigation job a mute point.

“The Emperor said it didn’t matter. You would have completed the job if you could have and you were promised the coin. So, there it is,” Elwin explained to him. To everyone else in the group he said. “For the five of us who took the mission, we all get twenty-five gold for the second half of the payment.”

Elwin handed the money to Rith, Emerson, Selby and Anna. “But wait! There’s more! Well, it turns out that we are all heroes and are to be rewards for our actions. I have here an envelope for each of you and fifty gold coins as a reward for your heroism!”

“Seriously!?” Emerson and Selby said at nearly the same time.

“That seventy-five gold!” Anna exclaimed. “I’ve never had that much coin in my purse… Ever!”

He handed each of them the envelope and the coins. “Sorry Myra,” Elwin said to her. “I know you’re a hero too, but the Emperor would not budge. He is willing offer you the coinage, but not the metal of honor and the letter.”

She merely nodded. She tried to refuse the coin, but Elwin insisted that she take it. “The money is already here, it’s for you, now take it. That’s an order!”

“Yes sir,” Myra-Lynn said with a cheeky smile.

“Wow,” Emerson said in amazement. “These are real military issue metals. My father got one at the Battle of the Old War Line!”

“These are thank you letters, signed by the Emperor,” Rowdy commented.

“I have even more for you,” Elwin told the Gnome.

“Wait… What?” Rowdy was surprised.

“As part of Imperial Directive Thirty-Eight, I am authorized to hire an engineer. I have an offer here on a continuing basis to hire you for the amount of fifty gold salary per month for as long as is needed,” Elwin explained. “The first two months wages are to be advanced to you should you accept.”

“Seriously!?” Rowdy was dumbfounded.

“Here’s the letter of offer,” Elwin said handing him the sealed envelope.

Rowdy sat down next to the Rith on the tree and read the offer over. “I’m willing to take the offer,” he told Elwin. “But I need to talk to someone first before I can officially accept.”

“Are you talking about Ellie!?” Anna said teasing him.

“Hey, mind your own, girl!” Rowdy shouted.

“So, Ellie? Right?” Elwin questioned him.

Rowdy sighed. “Yes, Ellie.”

As the group had understood it. Ellie was Rowdy’s girlfriend or maybe more than that. He allowed her to stay at his house while he was gone. Anna had told them all that he had made Ellie some promise for when he returned. She thought it might be marriage or whatever it was Gnomes did.

“I only saw her briefly, but she was cute,” Elwin told Rowdy.

“She’s the prettiest girl in all of Nina,” Rowdy corrected him.

“Then you can’t just let her go,” Elwin said. “You have to see her and explain things. This is a golden opportunity.”

“Exactly,” Rowdy replied. Then he smiled at Elwin and said. “Looks like you got a bit smarter while you were gone.”

Elwin laughed. “You have no idea what I have learned in such a short time!”

Eventually a woman and her child came over the visit Anna. They both had the brightest orange hair that Elwin had ever seen. He noted that the child seemed quiet. He caught her stared intently at him a few times. There was knowledge behind her eyes that Elwin found very unnerving.

The women marveled at the marisset and Anna showed him off to the girl. Durin was very intelligent and learned fast. Anna had already taught him to beg on hind legs for nuts and dried berries she had in her pocket. It made the young girl smile in amusement.

“Oh Elwin, these are my new friends!” Anna said making the introductions. “We met while you were away. This is Julia and that’s her daughter Tiberia.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said bowing to Julia. “I’m Anna’s cousin, Sir Elwin Birch.”

Julia looked embarrassed and instantly dropped into a low curtsy. “My Lord, I’m sorry! Forgive me, I meant no offense!”

Elwin was surprised by her actions. He suddenly realized that no one had really bowed to him before. No one had ever called him my lord for that matter. It felt strange to have a real position of authority over others. “Ah… it’s quite alright Julia. I take no offense!”

“My Lord, you are knighted?” She inquired timidly.

“Indeed,” Elwin replied.

“We have to get this over with,” Jax told them. He was growing impatient. “Pull the cart over to block the road, I want as many of the people gathered around as possible. I only want to have to go over this once.”

3

The companions went to work blocking the road and forcing the line of refugees to group up for a big announcement. Emerson and Selby rode ahead to get the people that already passed to come back for the speech.

Once everyone was ready, Elwin and Jax got up on the cart. They needed to be above the crowd so they could be heard by as many people as possible.

“Can I get everyone’s attention!” Jax bellowed.

The people came in closer and got quieter.

“Allow me to introduce myself!” Jax began shout loud enough for everyone to hear him. “My name is Sir Jax Frey. I am a knight of the Order of the Red Dragon, cousin to the Emperor and a member of the Imperial Council.”

There was a ripple of surprise that went through the crowd. Some who saw him ride in on griffin back were not quite as surprised.

“This man next to me is Sir Elwin Birch,” he continued. “The two of us have just come back from the Imperial Palace where we had meetings with the Emperor himself. He is well aware of the situation here. We have returned with a plan.”

Jax turned to Elwin. “Time for you to take over.”

Elwin nodded and step forward to the edge of the cart. He propped one leg up on the side striking a pose. “First I must tell you that we are not going to Verant City,” Elwin started. Right away there were murmurs through the crowd. “Listen up, because right now there are several barges coming down the river from Domara with almost a thousand people on board. They are survivors just like you and you may have friends and family on those ships. We need to get to a place where we can meet up with them.”

There was a bit of surprise from the crowd and many people seemed very happy that more people had made it out alive.

“I understand your excitement. I was just as excited when I learned that there were others who made it out,” Elwin said with a wide smile. He explained more. “Just south of here is a caravan with supplies meant for us. We should meet up with it tomorrow. A few days after that we will come across an imperial road heading east. We are to follow it to the river where we will wait for the others coming by ship. In a few days we will be well feed and reunited!”

This made people cheer. There was an excitement that was starting to build in the crowd. Still Elwin began to notice that some people were not really impressed.

“I hold here in my hand imperial orders entrusted to me,” he held up the file folder. “The Emperor has put me in charge of this group and given me instructions on what to do and where we are going.”

“Fuck you, child!” Someone shouted from the crowd. There was a group of men sitting by another cart not far off. They all laughed. One bigger looking one shout at Elwin. “We are free men. We will make our own decisions.”

Elwin laughed. “I don’t think you understand. These are orders, from the Emperor himself!”

“Fuck the Emperor!” The man shouted. “I’m not following any child!”

Elwin was getting irritated, but he had expected some resistance. He held himself up and struck a serious tone. “The correct address is Sir! I am a knight!”

“Then fuck you… Sir!” The man laughed.

“I can deal with them,” Emerson said from the side. Selby next to him nodded that he would help.

Jax shook his head at them. To Elwin he said. “You need to deal with this yourself. They need to see your strength. Remember what I told you before. You don’t take shit from anyone, understand? Now go deal with it but put the gauntlets on first.”

Elwin jumped down into the crowd. The men could not see him slip the gauntlets on. He weaved through the crowd, but as he approached the group of men, the people scattered knowing what was coming.

“Oh, there’s the little shit now!” The man said to his friends. They all laughed at him. The man was so arrogant that he was not even paying attention. “Run along child,” he joked. “You’re no knight!”

Elwin had not spoken a word the whole time. As the man turned to look at Elwin who was in close now, a look of shock registered on his face just moments before Elwin punched him in the jaw so hard, he actually spun the man around. He knocked him out cold. The body hit the ground face down with a thud. The entire crowd took a collective step back stunned.

Elwin looked around at everyone. There was only silence. He held up his metal fist covered in blood. He was pretty sure he had just broken the man’s jaw, split his lip and maybe even broke his nose. He looked at the man’s friends. They looked away and backed off.

“Anyone else wish to question my authority?” He said has he pulled out the medallion for all to see. “No one!?”

One of the man’s friends knelt down to check on him. “I think he’s seriously hurt,” the friend said looking up at Elwin.

“Leave him!” Elwin bellowed. “He gets up on his own or he doesn’t get up at all,” Elwin said grabbing the friend with a bloody metal fist and shoving him away. Elwin put his hand on the hilt of his sword. He looked over at Jax who smiled and nodded approvingly.

“This is how it is going to be! My name is Sir Elwin Birch! I am the only authority here as granted by the Emperor and as a knight of the Order of the Red Dragon!” Elwin wanted to recap the facts, so they were all on the same page. The crowd was absolutely silent. He shouted out his orders. “Tomorrow we will be supplied. We will then proceed to Deer Fields Bridge where we will meet with the other survivors. After that we will continue on our journey to the Palantine Road where we will be heading east. That is all you need to know right now. There are other caravans coming. We will get more supplies as needed. Does everyone understand the plan?”

The crowd stood around awkwardly. Few people would not even look at him.

“Good,” Elwin said the crowd. “I’m glad we have come to an understanding.” He pointed down at the man still lying face down in the dirt. “What happen here was most unfortunate. I hope it does not happen again. We are camping here tonight, at the field next to the road.”

Elwin pointed to the field where the griffin was lounging. There was murmuring and grumbling from the crowd, but no one openly questioned him. He marched back over to where his friends were.

Emerson approached him first. “Who are you and what have you done with Elwin?” He questioned. It was half a joke and oddly half serious. He shook his head. “The Elwin I know would not have done that. Even a week ago.”

Elwin sighed heavily. He stated. “That Elwin does not exist anymore.”

“I told him to do it,” Jax came to Elwin’s side. “He needed to establish authority and he needed to do it right now, before the crowd got out of hand. Good job, Elwin. I’m confident that you have this situation under control.”

“That man was an asshole,” Selby explained. “He had been giving us a hard time for days now.”

“I don’t think he will be a problem anymore,” Emerson commented.

“If he ever gets up again,” Anna was looking over at the man still laying there. She looked concerned.

“Look the day is getting old here,” Jax said. “I have to start heading back to the city. There’s nothing left here for me to do.”

“Are you sure?” Elwin asked him, but he understood that it was still a long journey back.

Jax said his goodbyes to Elwin and his friends. Then he got in the saddle and in moments he was in the sky and flying away.

4

A thousand people with horses, wagons and tents, set up camp in a large field. By the evening campfires were dotting the area and the surrounding forest was stripping of all its dead wood.

As the companions all sat around their own campfire, Myra-Lynn would not leave Elwin’s side. She sat on the fallen tree holding his hand the whole time.

To Elwin it felt natural, like they had always been in a relationship, and this was not just something that happened only hours before.

Elwin had a lot to go over. His friends wanted all of the details he could remember. He told them about his arrival. How he was told to wait in the Imperial Gardens. That the Emperor just appeared out of nowhere and they had a whole conversation about what had happened in Domara. Of course, Emerson wanted all the details, what was the Emperor like as a person? What did he look like? How did he act?

“The Emperor is tall, taller that I am and imposing. He’s the kind of man that gets what he wants, but he is nice. Polite, well cultured,” Elwin explained. “His voice carries weight. When he says how something is going to be, that it. You don’t argue with him. He’s smart too and well informed. He knew everything that was going on and already a plan for it.”

“Wow,” was all Emerson could say. He hung off of Elwin’s words.

“How did he knight you?” Selby wondered.

“That was a complete shock. I did not see it coming at all,” Elwin explained. “First, he let me keep my sword in his presents. He had no fear at all. Then he insisted that I have a last name, which I couldn’t recall.”

Elwin looked at his brother. Rith just shrugged. “I mean we came from White Birch Farms. Birch is a good family name I suppose.”

“I had no idea I was being set up,” Elwin told them. “I had a sword and now a family name. So, he asked me about Domara and what had happened there. After that. He knighted me. I didn’t understand, I told him it must be a mistake, but he told me he was the Emperor and he could do whatever he wanted and if he wanted to knight me, he would. I tried to explain that I was too young, too inexperienced… that I wasn’t supposed to be a knight. You know what he said?”

The group all listened silently waiting for him to answer his own question.

“He told me that he wasn’t supposed to be Emperor, but he we were two people thrust into roles that we were not destine for. I tried to explain that I wasn’t a hero and he told me; Heroes are not born. It doesn’t come from your blood or family tree. Forget the story books. They won’t help you here. Heroes are forged under pressure, from hard work with tough decisions that have no easy answers. Heroes seize the moment and act while others hesitate.”

Elwin had remembered the words exactly. In fact, he would probably never forget them. Elwin was shaking, re-experiencing the whole thing in his mind all over again. Myra squeezed his hand to bring him back to reality.

“But there was one more thing he told me before he left me with kindeller,” Elwin continued. “The Emperor said, I’m not looking for warriors. I have plenty already. What I need… What the Empire needs… is leaders. Despite your youth, it’s obvious that you, Sir Elwin Birch, are a leader!”

“What an incredible man!” Emerson said. He was already loyal to the Emperor and the Empire this just validated everything he already thought about him.

“After that, Kindeller explained all about the Order of the Red Dragon, the rules and who I have authority over. By the time it was all over it was dinner time,” Elwin explained.

“I bet the dinner was lavish,” Anna commented. “Was there more afterwards?”

“There was a great feast. A lot of drinking. In fact, I don’t think I have ever drunk that much before, it just kept coming. I met the Emperor again briefly and he was with Cinnamon Snap!” Elwin knew that would get Emerson excited.

“No fucking way!” Emerson exclaimed. “You met the Cinnamon Snap? What was she like? My father said he saw her at the Battle of the Old War Line when she gave the speech. He said she is gorgeous.”

“She was very beautiful with long flowing red hair, but she’s bold. Very forward, sly and cleaver,” Elwin told him. “After that I was drunk and got the tattoos. The rest of the night was a blur, too much wine.”

Myra squeezed his hand and leaned over to whisper in his ear. “Bullshit,” she said with a sly look. She chuckled. “I bet you do remember.”

Elwin blushed. “Anyway, the next day I met the Emperor again and he gave me Imperial Directive Thirty-Eight and explained the plan.”

“That’s it?” Anna questioned.

“Well, after that meeting I went and got the gifts at the Grand Bazaar. Then I had to met Jax so we could leave. I only spent one night in the palace,” Elwin replied.

“Well, sounds like you had an incredible time,” Selby told him. “But for me I need rest.”

“I can’t believe you spent that much time talking to the Emperor and you even met Cinnamon Snap,” Emerson said standing up. He too was retiring for the night. The moons were high, both waning and the evening was warm. They had a long day ahead of them tomorrow. He told everyone good night and disappeared into the tent that he had been sharing with Rith.

Rith was also ready for bed. He bid the remaining people at the fire a good night and joined Emerson in the tent they had been sharing. The rest of them could hear the two excitedly talking about how they had enough money now that everyone could have their own tents. That made the four remaining people at the fire chuckle to themselves.

Some things never change, Elwin thought. The comical bickering and joking around by his companions was one of them. He missed it while he was gone. He secretly hoped it would stay like that forever.

The next thing Elwin knew, Myra was kissing him good night. He was lost in thought. She surprised him with a soft kiss on the cheek and a quick ‘see you in the morning’ spoken in his ear. “Wait, you’re going to sleep?” Elwin said.

She nodded. “Selby is right. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” Anna was already waiting by Myra’s tent. The two of them disappeared into the tent together.

“Well, that just leaves you and me, my friend,” Rowdy said to him.

“Don’t tell me we are still sharing a tent,” Elwin commented to him.

“Until we get more tents, we are,” Rowdy said. “By the way, we should get a few horses when we get the chance. We should have enough money of a couple of decent riding horses now.

“Good point,” Elwin agreed. “We need to lead from the front and scout ahead whenever possible.”

“Exactly and we can’t do that with a pony and a cart,” Rowdy pointed out.

“Let’s worry about that in the morning,” Elwin said. Rowdy readily agreed. Elwin and Rowdy went into the tent together still talking about the logistics of the task at hand.

In the morning Elwin would talk to his friend about the real quest and their eventual destination. This was not what any of them had originally signed up for and he was not about to force any one to follow him. But first they needed to get some rest.

Sir Elwin Birch was pretty sure he would not be sleeping much that night.