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In Midnight Clad

Chapter 3: The King's Burden

******

Vilkhund_was the most heavily populous and defended city in the Caderranyth empire. The stronghold of stone and mortar had been strategically placed in front of a cascading waterfall that was a scenic as it was massive. _Knight's End was the largest cataract in human or clan territories. Millennia's of nature's power sought to make it so. The falls provided a natural barrier to the dangerous northern realm, one of two ways to reach it, one way was to cross into the human capital from the lateral with a giant cobblestone bridge a hundred spans in width, manned by unflinching watchmen. The only individuals allowed to cross that conduit were soldiers, knights of the order, and heavily guarded expeditions. Letholdus had crossed that expanse many times, each with fewer friends upon his return.

The second path was the one he had taken on his return trip. He was far from the bridge and so had taken the western approach, a long winding and dangerous trail that ultimately led back into the heartlands, after many days of grueling travel that is. It was in actuality, the quickest route from where he had been when he received the news for him to head back post haste. And there were guard posts peppered along the route and a mammoth fort at the end, so it was not left unguarded. But he did not want to dwell on that tiring trip, it was much better to think about the capital itself.

As the human power center had expanded, so had the system of defenses and walls needed to protect it. There were three dividing stratums. The first protected the inner city, where the king and other nobles resided, and so it was paramount that it has the best defenses. The wall was three-hundred spans tall and seventy spans thick of ancient enchanted granite. On the battlements were trebuchets, arrow towers, catapults, spellweavers, archers, and the royal house sentinels.

The second and middle stratum was the level for the middle class, blacksmiths, artisans, lesser mages, fletchers, and all the other jobs that paid decently. It had the same walls, but they lacked the royal protection that the nobles received.

The final wall was at the outskirt of the city. It had only recently been constructed, in the last fifty years. The king's father, Antony, had ordered it to be raised. When people of the clans began to appear seeking to live inside its protective ramparts, the population began to rise exponentially, expanding outside of the current walls. Thus the third wall was built. It was this, that Cas saw for the very first time

The feline looked over Letholdus' shoulder at the human capital as they neared on horseback. It was quite a sight to behold, layers of radiant white walls bristling with humanity's might. "It's so beautiful." She muttered, staring at the resplendent walls, felines naturally were attracted to light, and the light shining off the walls was no different.

"It does have its beauty." Letholdus agreed. Although, from his personal experience, he knew there was darkness in that city. Not every human was a shining beacon of morality.

The smile she had been holding onto since this morning began to fade as the realization that her journey with Letholdus was coming to an end. They were now at the capital and he could dump her off on someone else, she didn't know of his plan to have her stay with him.

She brooded silently as they neared the gates leading into the massive city. There were crowds of people marching in and out of the capital, laborers heading into the city for work, farmers and there carts to sell their wares, traveling merchants with stock from the other cities, and travelers returning from long tenures away from their homes.

Cas spotted a few clans people in the blend of humanity, they were mostly dogs, a subspecies of the wolves. The dogs were the easiest to adapt to humans, much like their feral counterparts. She even spotted a few in mail and wielding spears as they stood watch over the gates they approached. Canines held the most respect in human eyes. Most humans were indifferent, but they liked the dogs. They were much friendlier than the wolves or any other clan race.

Letholdus stopped his mount at the gates and an older human male in half plate walked over to him, looking up into the hood of the armored warrior. "State your intentions." He demanded in a rough tone as he gave Cas a suspicious once over, much to her displeasure.

Letholdus reached into his cloak and revealed the pendent. "This should be enough." He said with a smirk in his voice.

The watchman saw the medallion and stood up straighter, clearing his voice and speaking with much more respect. "I see-it is a privilege to welcome you back Sir Knight!" The entire gate detail did their best to be more presentable not wanting to attract the ire of one of The Order.

Once it had been known who he was, they let him and Cas through without delay. As they entered the first section of the city, he looked over his shoulder to her, almost touching her muzzle with his nose. "Sometimes it can be fun to flash it around."

She giggled as she looked into his face, able to see it from such an intimate distance. He was smiling, flashing his set of white teeth and his deep golden eyes were full of playful mirth. Even as she smiled, she was once more reminded that her time was coming to an end. Her grinning muzzle slowly shifted into a sad frown, making him frown as well.

"What is the matter milady?"

"I suppose you will be dropping me off now." She responded, looking away so he could not see the tears welling up inside her jade green eyes.

"Actually, I was going to ask if you would like to stay at my villa, at least until you can support yourself. I've taken you this far, so I thought I might as well go all the way." He replied, looking to her with a weak smile, hoping that she would accept.

As she heard him say that, she stiffened, Cas could hardly believe that he had said that. The feline's tail began to vibrate excitedly and she squeezed onto his armor with surprising force. "That sounds terrific!" She mewled happily, glad that her time had been extended.

"Excellent!" His voice echoed in agreement, focusing on the journey ahead once more and with a smile hidden under his cowl. He was surprised at how happy he was that she was staying that much longer. He had not thought that it would make him so glad.

He pondered that curious notion as he picked up the pace, galloping through the city. He risked a quick look back and saw Cas, feline eyes wide, as she soaked in the sights of his home city. He couldn't blame her, it was quite the place. The streets were paved with cobblestone and there were very few wooden houses, most were made of stone to prevent any terrible fires from spreading if such a calamity were to befall them.

The streets were heavily policed by the watch, decked in shining armor and wielding immaculate weapons. They were as lethal as they were shiny. It took a lot to become a member of the city watch. You had to have experience in real combat and extra extensive training.

And last but not least, there were thousands of people going about their lives, families spending the day together merchants either arguing with each other or proclaiming their own wares to the entire assemblage. Sometimes it was a great place to live. But as with every city, there were the poor, the unlucky, and the downtrodden. There were plenty of beggars sitting on the sides of the streets...not all of them were human.

Many of the clans people that tried to make it in the human city...didn't. It was hard, intolerance was still rife besides his efforts and those of the other members of his party. They were often denied positions because of their different appearance. And yet, for every bad person mistreating them there were two others who did their best. Many families opened their homes to them and let them stay, usually rent free. But that was life. They were lucky that the watched patrolled heavily, watching for anyone that would seek to mistreat them. It was their duty to see that all who lived inside the walls were safe, regardless of how much hair covered their bodies or if they had tails.

That was what gave Letholdus hope for the future, the acts of kindness in such dismal times. As he passed through the second gate he could not help but wonder how the other knights were doing. If he could, he planned to head to the Order's stronghold here inside the city. It would be great to catch up with the others...and to see who else was lost.

Letholdus felt a tap on his shoulder and heard the offending claw clang off the armor. "Hey Letholdus, how many of the clans live in the city?" He heard her ask close to his ear, her breath stirring the fabric of his hood.

He knew it was perfectly reasonable for her to be interested. "Well, I cannot know for sure, but there was a census conducted by the king a few years ago, it placed the population as little over a couple thousand, it could only have increased since then."

"How does your king treat them?"

"King Sigmund is a noble man and an activist for their rights. It is in little part for the guilt all of the kings feel towards the clans for the wars. Although, support for his measures often wanes with the rise and fall of the nobles in the court so current policy is a little more favorable then neutral." He explained as they were halfway through the second inner city. "Last I heard before I left, he had planes to change that and the current tensions between the clans, something about a treaty and a possible alliance. I hope this is true, the north is becoming a dire threat and we do not have the resources to patrol it and keep the clans from attacking. If they did I fear our legions would not be able to contain either threat."

She frowned at the news. It seemed that the world's state of affairs was more ominous then she could ever have thought. "Wow that sounds bad."

"It is, but I am certain that the King knows what to do. After all, his people are counting on him." Letholdus assured as he passed the final set of gates and into the place of royalty.

Here the streets were cleaner than the other places. And there was an absence of large crowds, just small groups draped in almost excessive amounts of finery. He received quite a few looks due to who he was and the odd presence of his feline riding passenger, most of them friendly. He was a knight after all, a defender of the people. Although, there were certainly a few disdainful looks at the feline on his back. A small percentage of the nobles considered the clans inferior...well they considered everyone inferior in case and point.

Letholdus nodded stiffly at them and hurried deeper into the district, eventually stopping outside of a very large and magnificent manor with a massive and beauteous garden out front. "Well, here we are at last, home sweet home." He said with a tired sigh, climbing down from the horse just outside the gates. He helped her down, but she was much too busy staring at the garden and all the other amazing sights of this man's home. She knew that as a knight he was wealthy, but this astonished her. But as amazing as it was, it was clearly a knight's household.

The walls were thick and anything but decorative, if she had a siegemasters eye she would have spied the layers of the garden forming into perfect barriers to funnel any would be attackers into kill zones. The villa itself while large, had very few structural weaknesses like windows or balconies. Instead its beauty lay in its spartan aspects, thick marble and reinforced stained glass windows.

Letholdus shook her out of her reverie and motioned for her to follow him. He knocked on the gate but once and it opened slowly. Two canines and a tiger in armor answered, coming out to see who had knocked. This surprised her; she had not thought that he would employ those of her kind.

The tiger was wearing silver plate while the two dogs, one that looked a lot like a wolf, and the other who was all brown, were garbed in sparkling mail, and all three were wielding sturdy ash wood spears with broad, sharp, steel tips. The trio smiled as they saw who it was and the tiger chuckled as he walked over. "Master Letholdus, it is good to see you return!"

"Serious, what have I told you about calling me master?" The knight demanded, shaking his head ruefully in an argument that they obviously had frequently.

The tiger brushed that off as he looked past the knight and spotted Cas in her very revealing barmaid's outfit. "What's this? Have you brought a friend, most unusual Master?" The tiger named Serious said with a flash of his sharp fangs and a knowing smirk. The two dogs were smiling and looked about ready to laugh.

"Enough Serious." Letholdus warned sharply, shaking his hood in dismissal and made a cutting motion with his gauntlet. He did not take kindly to their insinuations. She was simply here because he wanted to help her; at least that's what he kept telling himself.

"Alright, alright Master, I'll stop, besides, I can't wait to see what Lilith takes from this." The huge tiger said with a chuckle, backing up into the gate as the two dogs widened it.

Grumpily, Letholdus grabbed his horse and headed inside. Cas followed after him nervously, still blushing from the tiger's suggestion.

The inner courtyard was beautiful; it was paved all the way to the large oaken doors of the large home. There were potted plants all along the way and a small stone stable built to the side. Letholdus was already halfway there and he turned to shout at the tiger one last time. "And stop calling me Master!" He said with an annoyed tone.

"Sure thing...Master!" She heard the Tiger shout from his place by the gates as the two canines closed it.

Letholdus threw up his gauntlets and growled in anger, leading his horse in the stable. She giggled as she watched him enter in a huffy whirlwind.

"He always hates it when I call him that." She heard an amused voice mutter from behind her, so close that the air from their lungs brushed against her ears, making them flick.

She squeaked and flipped around clutching her tail in surprise. The tiger was standing behind her, looking down with a curious expression and inquisitive brown eyes. He towered over her, and even Letholdus by a small margin. He was a fuzzy giant.

"D-don't do that!' She mewled indignantly, the fur around her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

He bowed in apology. "Sorry, I often forget that I can be a little...intimidating."

She rolled her jade green eyes and muttered under her breath. "Yeah...a little."

He must have heard because he chuckled sincerely, she could feel the vibrations even from a few feet away.

She was curious about something so she pulled her courage together. "Why do you call him master?"

"We all do." The tiger replied with a fond look into the stable, where their sensitive feline ears could still hear Letholdus grumbling to himself agitatedly. "He saved all of us, gave us jobs and pulled us away from various unsavory lines of work. I for one was a slave. A victim of a human attack, they enslaved my entire village while he took part in a raid at a small town far from here, where they had taken us. He and the soldiers accompanying him saved us, but it was he who broke the chains to my collar. So I pledged myself to him, and he didn't take to that well." The tiger chuckled at the memory. "Still, I persisted; my honor would demand no less. I followed him all the way back to the capital before he conceded to my persistence and let me stay. He gave me this job not long after. The others actually do consider him a Master, much to his annoyance. I just do it to aggravate him." Serious flashed a sheepish grin.

"Huh." She muttered thoughtfully, looking back to the stable, having found out a little more about the human.

"So, where did he find you?" The tiger inquired, making her look back at him.

"He saved me from being an indentured servant; I have never seen such rage before." She remarked softly.

"That's Letholdus, he is pretty mild mannered most of the time, almost to an unbelievable extent, but when he's angry, it is tremendous." Serious muttered. "You should have seen what he did to those slavers, my ears were ringing for weeks, and he wasn't even close by, but I best be going, he doesn't like when others talk about him. Catch you later kitty!" The tiger bid farewell and began to walk away with his tail swinging merrily, just as Letholdus reemerged from the stable, minus one horse.

"Okay, now let's head inside, I think I have had enough of that cat for one day." He muttered to Cas, shaking her out of her thoughts.

"Oh...yeah...of course." She mumbled distractedly, following after the knight and staring at his armored back with a small smile.

******

As she entered the manor from the front door she looked around in amazement once more. It had a vaunted ceiling with a large crystal chandelier in place overhead glowing with a breathtaking magnificence and illumination. The walls were surprisingly, only sparsely decorated, having only a few tapestries and paintings. She could see no other living beings besides herself and Letholdus, human or otherwise.

He was currently standing in the center of the foyer, and swept the hood off his face, revealing it once more to her in all of its charm. He smiled a happy, content smile, and turned to her. "It has been a few months since I returned home; it's nice to be back." He explained to her as he took off his weather and travel worn cloak, placing it on the rack close to him. His armor was now fully on display, a resplendent suit of black and red plate. His sword was belted to his waist and the shield on his back was large enough to show behind him. She had not noticed before, but there was a shortsword on his waist, opposite the long sword.

He unbuckled the weapons and shield placing them on a table by the rack leaving him in only the armor. Just as he was finishing, they both heard a piercing shout from the staircase ahead of them.

"MASTER LETHOLDUS!" A young feminine voice exclaimed in delight.

Cas looked up to the top of the marble staircase and saw a young female skunk running down it. The small skunk had the customary long bushy tail, white strip, and wide green eyes, she was dressed in a conservative brown gown. If Cas were to guess she would place the Skunk's age at seventeen or perhaps younger, maybe even older. It was hard to put any skunk's age down. Most of them were very youthful, almost childlike.

The skunk ran full tilt and crashed into the startled knight, almost sending them both to the floor in a most undignified heap.

"Lilith!" Letholdus cried in alarm. "What in heaven's name are you doing?" He demanded, face flushed scarlet, as he righted himself and the energetic fur, trying to hold her excited body still. It was harder than it looked, even for a stout man.

She snuggled into his armor. "It has been a long time Letholdus, I missed you!"

"Yes...well try not to kill me alright. It has been a very long trip and I am very tired." He scolded in a light and warm tone as he pulled her to arm's length. "And what have I told you about calling me Master?" He peered down at her with a raised brow.

She looked down, and flagged her bushy tail. "To not do that."

"Exactly, now settle down, we have a guest that will be staying with us for a while." He ordered, turning her to see Cas who had been watching their exchange with a smile...and a pang of jealously.

"Oh, hi there, my name's Lilith." The skunk said shyly, holding onto her tail like a blanket, not having realized there was someone else there in her rush to embrace him.

"Hi Lilith, my name is Cas, but you can call me Cassandra." She said with a friendly smile.

"Cassandra?" Letholdus mumbled softly to himself. She had not told him that. But he supposed that she didn't have to tell him anything if she did not want to.

"Hi Cassandra." The skunk said, curtsying.

"Lilith, can you show...Cassandra here, to a guest room. No doubt she would like to bathe and find some more...suitable clothing. I'm sure you have some old things she could borrow." The skunk nodded rapidly. "Excellent, I need to get ready. The king called me back from the north and I doubt I should keep him waiting any longer. Lord Sigmund is not known for his patience."

"Right away Master!" Lilith squeaked with youthful energy, grabbing Cassandra's paw in her own and dragging the bemused feline away before Letholdus could say anything.

"Perhaps afterwards I could finally catch some sleep." The knight assumed, almost inaudibly before rubbing the bridge of his nose with mailed fingers. "Little chance of that."

With a lengthy exhausted sigh, the knight turned from the foyer, grabbing only his sword, and headed out for the door. He had many more things to do before he could get the sleep that he had been denied for many days.

******

Cassandra had barely any time to think as she was dragged along by the hyper female skunk. She had been swept up in the energized ball of fluff's whirlwind of excitement. The feline did not even have the chance to say goodbye to Letholdus. But she knew she would see him later so she was not all that worried.

As her arm was tugged again she decided to focus on the present. "Uh...Lilith, can you slow down please?" The feline pleaded, not liking the fact that although small, the little skunk was almost tearing the fur off of her arm.

The skunk's left ear twitched and she slowed down, turning to look back at the cat with what looked like a blush. It was hard to decipher from underneath all that glossy black fur. "S-sorry Cassandra, Master Letholdus is always telling me to watch my strength." She giggled with a smile. "He also asks me where I get it from."

Lilith had led them up the stairs and two the left, through corridors filled with tapestries and many doors. They had passed a few of his servants, and they all were furs from a wide range of clans. She had seen two other cats, an orange one and a tabby, one bear, and she thought she even saw a lion from far across the desert plains. The rest she saw were dogs of many species. This made her exceedingly curious. "Hey Lilith." She began, grabbing the mustelids attention once more.

"Yeah?" The lively fur replied as she guided Cassandra to where she supposed her room was.

"Does Letholdus employ any humans?" She had not seen any so far.

Lilith shook her head negatively. "No, he told me that there were plenty of places hiring humans, and not enough taking people like us. I guess this is his way of trying to help our kind."

Cassandra nodded in consideration. It would seem that Letholdus was a well of sympathy for her kind. She wondered why that was; he could not be doing all of this simply because he was nice. The feline berated herself harshly for such a thought. It was perfectly reasonable for him to be kind if he wanted to be. "How long have you known him?" She inquired, wanting to change the subject.

"Master Letholdus took me in five years ago. I was one of the first he brought here, besides Serious anyways. That tiger has been here since before me." Lilith smiled.

"What were you doing before that?" Cassandra asked.

The skunk's glowing mood dampened and her ears plastered to her head. "I was a street urchin. My parents tried to make it here in the city...it didn't pan out. So I was left alone, a fourteen year old skunk living on the streets. Some people were nice enough to help me, but I lived day by day, always hungry, always scared. But one day, he showed up, he was dressed in a normal set of clothes, hardly distinguishable from the other people, besides his noble airs. He looked sixteen or so. Letholdus saw me sitting on the side of the road, dressed in dirty rags; fur matted with filth, and walked over. He asked, 'What are you doing here little one?' So I told him everything. He nodded sadly and replied, 'Well then, why don't you come with me?' At first I was suspicious and afraid. Some random guy just came up and asked me to follow him, it sounded kind sketchy. But, I was hungry, and tired of living like garbage. So I accepted and came with him. I was surprised when he didn't rape or kill me. Instead he took me here, cleaned me up, and employed me. Now here I am, five years later." She sighed with a warm smile on her muzzle. It was quite obvious that she felt something for the man.

Then the skunk shook her head. "But you probably didn't want to hear my life's story, besides, here we are, your room." Lilith pointed to a wooden door at the end of the hallway they had turned into during the female skunk's long winded speech. She opened the door and stepped inside, ushering Cassandra in with a paw. When she saw the room she almost let out a gasp.

It was enormous.

There was a four cornered bed at the end of the room besides a great window peering into the inner courtyard of the manor. The bed was large and looked to be as soft as a cloud. The walls had a few paintings of a beautiful forest clearing and other natural settings. The floor was completely carpeted and there was a door leading into what looked to be a bathroom. It was, paws down, the most luxurious room that she had ever seen.

"Wow...this is amazing!" She yowled in delight, wandering around the room and enjoying the feeling of the soft carpeting in-between the pads of her toes.

Lilith agreed. "Yep, every bedroom in the house is like this. Knights are not poor, and most of what Master Letholdus had, he turned to the manor. The rest he uses to pay us and maintenance crews. I've never seen him by something for himself." The skunk frowned softly. "Never..."

Cassandra turned to her. It was strange to hear that. If she had money, she would buy all the things she wanted. "Odd." She remarked.

"Yeah, I just supposed that he never wanted anything." Lilith shrugged her furry shoulders. She moved towards the bathroom next. "Hey I wanna show you something."

The curious feline followed after the female skunk, whose long luxuriant tail was weaving around in excitement. Cassandra entered the bathroom and she did gasp when she saw what was inside.

There was a bathtub.

She had only ever been able to use a bathtub once in her life. When she was little she made a friend of one of the townspeople. The little girl's family had a bathtub and she had been able to use. It had been a tremendously relaxing experience and she had longed to use one ever since. "Oh my gods yes!" She squealed happily, tail trembling eagerly.

"I thought you might like it. I pretty much had the same reaction five years ago. And the best part is, it's magically run!" Lilith said with a toothy grin.

"What?" Cassandra gasped in wonder.

"Yeah, there are two switches connected to the tub. When one is pulled, hot water pools in from the syphon right here." Lilith pointed a claw at an opening in the tub. "The underground spring is where the water is drawn from, and it is heated up by an enchantment in the pipes. The other switch puts cold water in and there is a plug in the bottom which dumps the water in a reservoir that is then cleaned...magically of course." Lilith smirked. "We also have plumbing."

"This is just...amazing." Cassandra said happily. She had not been able to bathe in a long time and she was sure that she must have been quite pungent. She had expected Letholdus to say something about it, especially considering that she had been so close to him for so long. But she supposed that he was too nice to mention it.

"Got that right, now I'm sure you would like to take a well-deserved bath. In the meantime, I'll see about getting you some clothes." Lilith said with a friendly smile as she headed out for the door.

Cassandra watched as the female skunk left, she had been king considerate and helpful, even if she was a little...rambunctious. "Hey Lilith...thanks for helping me."

The mustelid smiled softly. "Of course, I know what it's like to be in your position. The only thing I missed was a friend. And here I have the chance to be that to you. Now go bathe, you're a little smelly." Lilith giggled and fled, closing the door after her. Cassandra smiled as she looked at the door.

The smile quickly turned into a frown as she looked back to the tub. "Which button does what?" She mumbled to herself as she leaned over the copper tub.

******

Letholdus walked up to the mighty gates of Castle Vilkhund, a monumental edifice of fortifications and battlements. Castle _Vilkhund_was a sterling symbol of humanity's power and influence. Even the far off kingdoms beyond the seas knew of its might. None rivaled it and Letholdus hoped it would stay that way long after he was gone. But for now it was his duty to keep it, its people, and any other person safe from the horrors of the north and its vile demon pestilence, just as it was his father's and his father's before him. The Letholdian lineage had a long proud history of keeping the vile creatures of the north at bay, although they also had a unfortunate legacy of leaving their bodies in that frozen tundra.

Letholdus shook off that morbid thought and pressed on to the small entryway built to allow smaller parties access to the castle's hallowed halls. He knocked on the door with a mailed fist, creating a deep reverberating boom. A minute later the door slowly slid open and four experienced men in heavy plate answered, swords at the ready. They would never take chances, not even with small entrances such as this.

"State your name and business." The oldest of the guards demanded, giving the knight's hooded countenance a suspicious glance.

"It is I, Sir Letholdus of the order. The king had requested my presence." To back up his claim he pulled out his medallion and revealed it to the four wary men.

The elder warrior, a sergeant by the ranks on his armor and heraldry, nodded to his companions and they sheathed their blades. "My apologies Sir Knight, things are tense in the castle at the moment. Ever since they arrived, we have been forced to go on high alert." The soldier grumbled as he moved away from the doorframe.

Curious about they, Letholdus marched in once the guards unblocked the doorway. He entered the small room ahead of the door and spied three other men with crossbows and even the presence of a robed weaver. Indeed, they were indeed on high alert. "Tell me sergeant, who are they?"

The grizzled soldier shook his head. "If you truly do be summoned by the king, he would do a much better telling then I sir." The man replied.

Letholdus shrugged, filled to the brim with curiosity. It would seem he would have to get his info straight from the source itself. The knight bid the guards farewell and thudded up the long spiral staircase into a long glittering corridor. There were guards every hundred and fifty feet, grim figures concealed completely in steel and wielding fearsome greatswords and mighty tower shields.

The only time in memory that he had ever seen the castle so seriously defended was shortly after his father's death and the king feared that the northern hordes would finally break across the bridge. It had been a black period and the future had still been uncertain. As he walked down the safeguarded and dazzling halls, he could not help but wonder, what was all this for? Had the northern realms situation deteriorated after he came back? Was war once more upon them? They were grim notions and he prayed to all the gods that it was a fallacy.

He was so unbearably exhausted; he could feel it in his bones. It was not fair; he was too young to be so worn down. But months on the frontlines and days without sleep tended to do that to a man. It was all worth it though, both the months of duty, because he protected the denizens of this great kingdom, and the days without sleep to watch over Cas...no Cassandra. That feline was a soft spot in his hard life. Her innocence reminded him of why he did what he did. It was ironic considering she was not even human.

"Ah, my dear fellow, that could only be Sir Letholdus in that hood. How do you faire my friend?" A kind and ancient voice enquired from his left.

The knight turned with a smile as he saw Scribe Jakeobs, he had taught him in all things not involving warfare. The old man was a sight for sore, tired eyes. "Ah, Jakeobs, it is good to see you old man." He joked.

The aged old man chuckled humorously in his blue robes. "It would seem you are in a light mood my friend. You are not the same as last we met; I wonder what the catalyst may have been." He hummed, stroking his long white beard.

"I met a nice innocent soul on my voyage back; they have done much to lighten the grim disposition that had plagued me for years. It is hard to find such people in days such as now." Letholdus enlightened the aged historian.

"Aye, one such as that is rare and they do have the ability to lighten most anyone's day. Perhaps I could meet this person." Jakeobs mused.

"Maybe, but you must know, they are...different.

"One of the clans eh, not much of a surprise." Jakeobs knew immediately.

"How?" Letholdus asked in surprise.

"I can't reveal all my tricks." The old man fired back with a whimsical chortle.

Letholdus shook his hooded head in bemusement and bid the scribe fare well. As pleasant as the reunion was, he still had to meet with the king and find out what this was all about. Then he thought of something. The scribe must certainly know what was going on. He turned to inquire about it, but the old man had already disappeared around a corner, astonishingly swift for a gentleman of his time. The knight shook his hood again and resumed his walk to the throne room.

Many minutes of wandering down protected corridors ended outside two massive steel doors. Twenty knights, the regular kind, were spaced down the center, ten on each side. Each man was in the heaviest golden plate, and was wielding a collection of weapons and shields. They were the king's personal bodyguard; and Letholdus had never seen them out in such numbers. It made him worry even more. It must be a bad situation at the castle.

He was allowed past them, his armor and medallion were his keys to the throne room. With a mighty heave, he pushed the two steel doors aside and entered the king's sanctum.

It was a massive garden of marble. The throne room had two sets of pillars stretching from the doorway down to the huge golden throne. There was a blue and gold carpet along the path and there were an additional ten knights manning the expanse. All the way at the end, a middle aged man in armored robes sat on the gold cathedra. He had a salt-and-pepper beard with long black hair. His blue eyes held a soft warmth and his body was still well kept. He was not a slothful king, but a man of action. King Sigmund has served on the front lines with the legions in times of duress. Letholdus and many of the other knights had a profound respect for him. He had done much to make up for the olden king's mistakes.

Letholdus marched across the long rug and kneeled at the foot of the king's throne in reverence. "King Sigmund, I have answered your summons. What is it you require of me, my liege?"

Letholdus' hood was bowed so he did not see the smile forming on the king's face, but he did hear him chuckle softly. "Sir Letholdus, always so serious, stand up my friends do not kneel."

Slowly, Letholdus rose up to his standing position, and placed his hands behind his back as he stood ram rod straight. "As you wish my liege."

The king sighed and shook his head. "Always the same with you." He gestured for the knight to relax and he complied. After that, the king went down to business. "I have a task for you. It will be the most taxing on your patience and your resolve. But I trust you above all others to see it to the end."

"Whatever it is sire, I will see it done." Letholdus said without hesitation.

"I'm sure you will. I am correct in assuming that you have heard little of the reason why the castle is in its current state?"

"You are right my liege."

"Good, allow me to enlighten you." The king leaned forward in his golden throne. "As you know, I have been in the works to solidify the peace we have created with the clans. But you do not know why?"

"No sire." Letholdus shook his hood in denial.

Sigmund nodded, his assumption correct. "As you may know, the situation in the north is eroding quickly. The seventh legion is depleted and many of your brethren have been slain." Sigmund's tone was somnolent and gloomy. "If it keeps going as it does, I will have to divert the entire second and third legion to the north to reinforce the besieged elements of the seventh, As you know that will leave us open to any attack from the clans or even from the far kingdoms beyond the sea."

Letholdus nodded his head grimly. He perfectly understood what was at stake. "I know this well sire."

"As I knew you would. So because of this fact, I have sent a delegation to the clans and their leader. I feared that they would refute my attempt, but it was a success. In fact, delegates of their own came back with my returning men." The king should have sounded happy, but his tone suggested that there was a hitch.

"What is the matter sire? Shouldn't this be excellent news?" Letholdus inquired.

"Well, the delegates are...not as experienced as I had hoped. But you will soon see that for yourself." It sounded ominous to the young knight. "That is why I have brought you back here. You have quite the reputation for being sympathetic towards the clans. It makes you the most qualified to do the task I have."

"What is it my king?" Letholdus asked hesitantly.

"The delegates wish to see our fine city and its people for themselves. That means they will need a safe place to sleep that is well protected and they will also need a guide that is...tolerant of their appearances." The king explained. "The castle is not safe, if any of the nobles wished, they could use this as an opportunity to usurp the throne. Many of the lords desire a...shift in government."

"I....understand sire." Letholdus mumbled, it was indeed a dilemma. He was frowning under his hood. It would seem that the king had pulled him away from the north....to babysit politicians. The knight clenched his teeth in frustration and let out a silent snarl. He did not do babysitting, he was a warrior!

"How long would I have to do this?" Letholdus asked, unable to keep all of his dissatisfaction concealed under his respect for the king.

Sigmund either did not notice or decided to let it go. "At most...a few months, after that you will see them safely home and you can return to your regularly duties. You will be paid handsomely for your efforts in this matter and your king and people will be most thankful.

Letholdus nodded. "Very well, I will do this for you sire. When do I start?"

"Effective immediately, my counselor is outside and he will take you to their chambers. There are three of them." The king said with a relieved exhale and smile. It had all hinged on his acceptance. As he was not technically under the king's command he could have refused his proposition.

"You can count on me my king." The knight genuflected once more before turning away and marching out of the throne room. Once he exited the massive chamber, he spotted a small fellow wearing an outfit with ruffled around the collar. Assuming that he was the counselor, Letholdus walked over to him. The king had many counselors and Letholdus had not memorized them all.

"Are you the king's counselor?" He inquired, looking down at the smaller man.

"Are you Sir Letholdus?" The man retorted quickly.

"Indeed I am."

"Very well than, follow me and I will take you to their quarters." The mad said stiffly, flipping on his heels and walking away in a huff.

Letholdus scoffed and followed after the tiny man. "This is turning out to be a great day." He growled.