Staring at the severed head in the air, many were unable to keep their expression in check. No one was able to take their eyes off of the scene, much less for blinking. Just as the head dropped, everyone watched the rest of the body fall limp on the floor, the green cloak blowing in the wind as Commander Fascal lifeless body moved no more.

It was by a miracle that Tommel's last card arrived on time. Cladded in deep blue, the man's arrival shocked the spectators. His yellow and white ear-length hair blew in the wind as he stared at the deceased Burgan. He held a long spear triumphantly as he looked around him, staring at Khal just a second longer. "Sorry for my late arrival, Lord Tommel," the man added as his powerful voice resonated in the hearts of everyone. "It seems my help was most needed at the granary."

Tommel finally stood up with the help of Nick as he approached the bearded man. "This lowly one greets the great general." Tommel gave the man a firm military salute before he pointed to Khal. "Come Khal, come greet your grandfather, Marcus Cassius Dor of House Dor." Khal blinked twice before he stared at the man again. He first looked at the man, then Tommel then finally at his father who sat nearby unconscious from exhaustion.

Khal wasn't sure how he should react to the news. It had come too suddenly. Firstly, he was watching his father's final moments when, like a flash of light, a great figure easily removed the head of Fascal. Before Khal even got the chance to register that, he was already learning that the man was his grandfather. "I..." Lost for words, Khal continued to watch in amazement.

In the distance, horses could be heard as at least 500 men came riding in the distance. Khal snapped out of his shock as he stared at them. He could faintly see Sergeant Michael among the men. Great, we must have won, Khal thought to himself. Khal then turned around to see his grandfather directly in front of him. The man's intense stare caused Khal's heart to freeze. "Hmmm, good seedling!" The man exclaimed in approval. "A good body for training to boot! You're of House Dor without a doubt! Hahahahaha! Come, son, let's greet your relatives."

The only thing Khal felt was the man grabbing his shoulder before he found himself mounted on a horse behind him. Khal was confused by what he witnessed. He went from looking at the horses over the horizon to riding a horse staring at Lord Tommel over the horizon. He could see Sergeant Michael strapped to a horse, clearly injured and unable to greet him. "General, it looks poorly on the rest of us if our esteemed general always takes the lead like that. Save some face for us will you." A neatly dressed man wearing glasses complained as he stared at Ser Dor.

Ser Dor looked over his shoulder and offered Khal a warm smile before he spoke to the man beside him, "It was unavoidable Alec, my grandson needed me." The man named Alec nodded slowly before he shouted to the rest of his unit. "We will be spending at least a week here, gentlemen. Head over to the Baron's Mansion. General, send word if you need us. Khal, is it?" Alec looked at Khal as he asked his question. Khal could only nod his head as he watched the man. "It is good to welcome another of House Dor, my name is Alec Dor, second in command. Well met." The man quickly rode off with his troops as he left Khal much to think about.

---

It had taken Avery at least an hour before he became conscious. He found himself in his room, covered in a blanket. He tried his best to recall the last thing he noticed before he awoke. He remembered seeing a flash of light of a spear that was all too familiar to him. Marcus Dor, the champion of the north and his father in law. Avery stood up as he began to meditate to regain his lost energy.

It had been many years since he fully exhausted himself. The last time being in Ser Dor's training camp. He was a young hot head during that time. He had tried his best to defeat Alec and secure his spot as the number one under the General's banner. Unfortunately, no matter his prowess, it meant very little to Alec who was just too strong to deal with.

Sighing, Avery shook his head as he realized he could not clear his mind enough to continue meditating. He got out of bed and quickly found his bloody clothes were already changed and his wounds bandaged. He grabbed the crutch that was left for him before he made his way towards Lord Tommel. It didn't take long before Avery was in the drawing room. The first thing he heard was Ser Dor's narration of the life Nicole lived. Her life before she met him to be exact.

"Ahem!" Avery cleared his throat as he walked into the room. "Oh, Avery, are you sure you should be getting out of bed now? With all the injuries you sustained you will need to see the cleric. The general had loaned us his clerics but I'm afraid Bryce and Sergeant Michael's injuries were too severe. They will need to be treated first...."

Avery didn't respond to Lord Tommel. He had directly stopped in front of the general and stared at the man intensely. Lord Tommel, noticing the tension in the room, quietened down as he watched. "It seems everything I've taught you has gone to waste Mal-El. Your training is the only thing that ties you to House Dor, yet that too you've killed." Marcus was no longer his goofy, playful self like he was a minute ago in front of Khal. He stared at Avery like a beast ready to pounce at any given moment. His pointed nose flared up and the wind began to pick up in the room.

"Papa," Khal finally said, "Grandpa was just telling stories about mom.." Avery turned towards his son before showing a faint smile. Marcus, noticing this, finally released the killing intent he had. He instantly changed from a vicious creature to a playful old man. "Well, that's all in the past right, Mal-El? It'll do us no good to dwell on such things. After all, today is the first day I've seen my grandson in a long time!" Avery didn't even bother to answer the man. It took very little for Marcus to revert to his 'other self' and Avery knew that if that man were to erupt, there would be little that could stop him.

Hearing his Durmond name brought back many painful memories. Avery was the name given to him when he became a foster son to the great General. It had been the happiest time of his life. When Nicole died, Marcus had stripped him of his name, forbidding anyone from ever calling him by it ever again. That had only applied to House Dor and Avery would never go back to being called Mal-El by anyone besides that great house.

Although Avery felt wronged by Marcus on many occasions, he would never openly disrespect or retaliate against the man. The psychological trauma he had to deal with in his youth coupled with the timely rescue from the General had left Avery with unconditional love and reverence for the old man. All of who Avery was today he attributed it to Marcus' teaching and love.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Lord Tommel watched on as he shook his head. It was clear that Avery and the General loved each other dearly. Marcus was a proud warrior incapable of showing his feelings without using his fist. It was clear to Tommel how much the man adored Avery; circumstances had clouded that for him, but it was without a doubt there. Aver,y on the other hand, was like a lost soul needing the light of Marcus to continue living. It was a strange relationship that the men shared, one that needed a nudge to continue in the right direction.

Lord Tommel chose this moment to interject, "General Dor, firstly, thank you for coming to our aid. Without you we would all be at the mercy of Burgan insurgents. Now, there are a few things we need to discuss. I never anticipated Baron Black causing such a public commotion. The man's hatred for me was beyond my estimation. Now that the townsfolks are aware of Avery's origin what do you suggest our next step should be?"

Marcus took a sip of his tea before he turned towards Khal. He moved the boy's long hair away from his face, remembering the way he would do it with Nicole. "Khal, the decisions we make here today are because of the nature of the world. While I agree that Durmondaes are peaceful people, many do not agree. It is beyond my control to protect Mal-El now that word has gotten out. You're a smart boy, you understand this don't you?"

Khal had been quietly observing the entire time. Not once had he spoken to the strange man who was his grandfather. That didn't seem to phase the old General as he continued to chat all the way to the manor. Khal listened attentively to tales of his mother then watched the dynamics between his father and grandfather. He had gotten the gist of their issues. Like Tommel, Khal was smart enough to see that they cared for each other in their own silly way.

Nodding his head in understanding, Khal watched the General give out recommendations and suggestions to Tommel without consulting Avery. Avery just sat opposite the General as he waited for his fate. Khal found it depressing that his grandfather had such a hold on Avery. He could only imagine how guilty his father felt by his entire situation. He was now an identified fugitive in Katar. He had even taken a prominent General's daughter away from home only to watch her die. Khal felt his heart tighten as he wished he had the power to save his father.

Now is not the time to feel helpless, Khal thought to himself as he tried his best to appease his grandfather. "Like I said Lord Tommel, the law clearly states that Avery must be executed without question. There is no way to allow him to live publicly. Failure to do so will cause my entire family to be executed, that includes Khal. The court's laws are everything." Marcus rubbed his temple as he turned to Avery, "Boy, you cause me trouble to no end. Now, tell me, who is Sagdel?"

Khal's eyes opened wide. Ser Dor was based in Igbal, the adjacent district. How did the man manage to spread his intelligence network so far out? These were questions Khal didn't know the answer to but he was thoroughly impressed. "He's a Durmondae based in Gontu, Ser. His base of operations changes all the time so there is no way he can be located in any short amount of time." Avery didn't bother to hide any information from the General. It was pointless afterall. If the man wanted to know he would have, it would just take a little longer.

"Hmm, and is there any way that he could make it to Sydenham Town within the week?" Marcus asked, staring intensely at Avery. "You don't mean...." Marcus got up before Avery could even finish his sentence. "Good, I expect you to make the necessary preparations. Khal will be spending the next few days with you. Make it count, it'll be the last time you see him."

Marcus stepped outside the manor as soon as he finished, leaving nothing up for debate. Khal was unsure of how he should respond given that the adults in the room were also flabbergasted. "Lord Tommel, the General is right, there is no other way," Avery said solemnly. He then turned towards Khal, noticing for the first time the boy's shoulders almost reaching his. "Khal, from everything you've learned these past few days, I'm sure you know that your grandfather speaks the truth. In order to protect you, my son, I would risk my life a thousand times over."

Khal listened attentively to his father. He could feel the love his father had for him. He could tell how difficult it was for him to even consider leaving. Had there been a different way, he was sure to take it. It was at this point that Khal developed a new goal. He would climb the ladder of power in Valeria. Climb to the top and show the world the power of Durmondae. Show them that it was human greed and jealousy that should be feared and driven out. Good men like his father deserved to live in peace.

"Yes father, I understand." Khal decided that from today, he would stop crying every time he was faced with difficult decisions. The battle with the Burgans had proven to him that life outside the manor was hard and dangerous. Given the opportunity, every single person deserves to live the carefree life he has had for 8 years. Khal closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

---

Later that afternoon, Khal had made his way into Erik's room. Lord Tommel had told him how depressed Erik was after the entire ordeal. Khal didn't bothering knocking before he entered the room. Instead, he opened the door slowly and stared at Erik as he laid in bed. Erik quietly laid there staring at the ceiling, Khal made his way towards the bed before laying next to Erik. Almost automatically, Erik moved over without saying a word.

There was silent in the room for a long time before Erik finally said, "I really admire you Khal, unlike you, I've spent the entire few days scared and helpless. All the training I did was for nothing. God I'm so weak." Erik couldn't help the tears that ran down his cheeks unto his pillow. His sniffling didn't seem to bother Khal in the slightest. "I heard you're grandfather will be taking you to Igbal by the end of the week. That's good news. We should dissolve the pledge we made when we were younger. There is no reason to swear loyalty to a weak coward like me."

Erik continued to sob and pity himself but Khal never responded. Erik couldn't fight out what he was thinking but Khal continued to stare at the ceiling with him. Another few minutes of silence went by before Khal got off the bed and stared directly at Erik, "have you had enough of feeling sorry for yourself? You're stronger than this Erik. We both know that your pen hand is stronger than your sword hand. There is no reason for you to feel ashamed. General Dor is going to officially announce that I'm of House Dor. In the same breath, he's going to destroy my connect with my father. There will be a public execution. I understand it's the only way to protect me but... this world needs changing Erik and I need you there to change it with me. How will you figure out what happened with your parents if you're like this after one setback?"

Erik blinked a few times as he thought about everything Khal had just said. It was true that it was his first setback. He had never lost control of his emotions. Not since his grandfather first scold him to control it. Sighing to himself and smiling at how silly he must look in front of his best friend, he got off the bed and placed his fist out towards Khal. "Thank you."

Khal was relieved to see his friend snap out of it. Erik was his only friend. His thought shifted to everything that had happened since his awakening 2 years ago. All the reckless chances that he'd taken these past few weeks were well worth it. He knew life with Grand Knight Dor was bound to be filled with challenges. Equipped with his newfound strength and determination, Khal prepared himself to take the world by storm.