Shades of pink, reds, and oranges graced the sky as the sun rose over the horizon. The dark shadows of the trees, turned into dark browns with light and dark green tops. The lusious canopy that laced over our heads, did little to hide the beautiful morning sun rise. With the rise of the sun, came the stirring of critters big and large. The forest was now coming to life. Small creatures scampered across the forest floor looking for food. Large herbivores moved slow and casual as they stamped their hooves looking for food. The three of us, slumped forward in our saddles, restless and tired.          Despite the glorious morning, and the energy that it gave off, we where utterly and hopelessly drained. The night had been long. The lingering possible threat of an ambush had kept us alert and on edge. The mere thought that our comrades where in danger was another issue looming over our heads like a nasty storm. I co

          He brought us into a small office in the top of his home. It was quaint and well kept. Not even a spot of dust speckled the air as we walked in. The room mostly just consisted of a small desk with a lamp, bookshelves aligned against the wall, and worn out chair. The room seemed fairly simple with its one tall window and door leading out to the balcony. But despite having mulitple openings, old yellow smoke stains appeared all along the wall. The stench was thick and heavy as well, deaming he had just smoked not to long ago.             With a wave of his hand, the few guards that escorted us left the room. Marquise, Michael, and I where standing before the Chief, watching him saunter slowly to his seat. It was like watching a really old turtle find his way through slick sand. One careful step at a time. Not once did he utter a word, and my patience was thinning with every step. I had to keep my coo

             The air was now tense as we arrived in the middle of town. A large group of soliders sat huddled in the center. Right where the woman were gathered yesterday. There had to at least been three dozen men standing about, shoulder to shoulder. Their heads where close together as they idly chat, a loud murmur filling the air. I could feel the silent wave of anger welling to the surface as I passed my gaze over each absent-minded face. There was absolutely no need for this many men here.                "Why are there so many men here General?" I asked bitterly. I stood before my men, and one by one they fell silent. Their attention turned towards Nicklos, the General, and myself. I was surprised to see that Seria was amongst the throng of men as well. There was a shiney glow in her eye, the sign of an eager solider ready to get her hands dirty.       

            "What? When?" I had never been told about any attack on Nicklos's kingdom. My father never said anything to me. If he had, I would have sent over every man I could to aide him. Why was I never told about the issue with Nicklos? I suddenly started to feel very guilty about how I treated him. I was only ever cold and suspicious about his actions. I always wanted him to justify why he didn't keep in touch with me, but never really though about how this could possibly impact him.             "I asked your father not to say anything. I knew that if your father had said anything to you, you wouldn't have hesitated to come to my aide. The whole situation was a surprise from the start, and almost caused a war between my Kingdom and the West. With you having enough on your plate, I didn't want to add any further stress, and your father agreed. With my brother still being young and not even havin

            "Well I be, I guess even as your beauty grows, so doesn't your brains. Such a shame you had to pick being a Knight over a proper Princess. I sure would have enjoyed you." I shivered in disgust. It's good to know his arrogant and cocky attitude hasn't changed. I could possibly use that against him if I can find the right things to say. The goal right now, was to get their attention on me. If I can get them to let their guards down, Marquise and Nicklos could easily disarm them. If I remember correctly. Uriah wasn't exactly skilled as a Knight and barely made it through the exit exam.           "You haven't changed a bit. How fortunate." I mumbled unstaking my sword from the ground and letting it dangle limply in my hand. Nicklos wrapped a protective hand around my waist, trying to gently tug me behind him, but I stopped him with a side glance. What ever it was they where after, we would face