Rodham City was an overwhelming site for Desmond. He had never ventured into a mega city before. The closes he ever got to experiencing one was in Evertria, the main port city of the kingdom of King Albert I. There in Evertria, Desmond was trained to be a soldier primarily on the remote outskirts just beyond the port city. He fondly remembered sitting on the shores of the island he and the rest of the future footmen trained on. He and everyone else after a long day of training, would find the time to sit on the shore and watch the city of Evertria light up at sunset. He would dream how vibrant city-life would be and all the splendor that came from it. He wanted to experience that world for once. Now, he found himself a city he longed dreamed about being in. He was overwhelmed.

  Desmond looked out the carriage window in awe of the buildings and large amounts of civilians. The flags and banners from the Prince’s funeral the week prior were still hanging along the street lights and sides of the buildings. Sobering reminder of what recently happened. Desmond shyly scooted himself back inside the carriage upon seeing the banners of the Prince.

  Rodham City was the capital of the kingdom of Volta in the land of Evandria, named after the legendary warrior of the humans during the times before the kingdoms. Volta supposedly united the humans to form their own kingdom after being blessed by the gods with Light Wielder. However, Volta was a half- human, half-elf who sought fit to create a kingdom for all the races. The elves claimed Light Wielder belongs to them rightfully while the humans said otherwise. This argument continued through the ages.

  Light Wielder was passed down through the ages by chosen heroes (human and elves) to fight off the evils of the world. It was originally used to destroy the Dark One, or any type of demonic evil, according to legend. The Dark One was a demonic being of evil power that once served the gods, but grew wary and selfish of them. So, he was banished into the depths of hell where he made an alliance with the Lord of Hell for ultimate power on the surface world. His power grew too great and heroes from all the kingdoms came together and sealed him off into the frozen mountains.

  Two of the heroes were a human paladin who wielded Light Wielder and an orc shaman who wielded Earth Breaker. It was one of only three instances in history where the Orcs and Humans banded together to defeat evil. Though, the Dark One was not defeated outright. He was sealed away instead. The Elvan Oracles foretold of his return. His return would only happen if Light Wielder and Earth Breaker were used against each other with their full power unleashed. This made the Elvan Council in the Land of the Kings just east of Volta very wary and present to what this war was doing. The elves hold onto a mutual alliance of need with the human kingdom, though both sides know that each is wanting something of great importance from one another: full control over Light Wielder.

  The royal family presided in Rodham City mainly. Their castle overlooked the rest of the city on a large hill. There were two sets of massive, 8 story high walls surrounding the city with 4 main gates of entrance and leave. It was a city within a mega-city to say the least. A mixture of wood and stone houses jumbled together and separated by districts based on socioeconomic class.

  Desmond was clean shaven, hair washed and slicked back into a tight, but messy bun in the back. He was wearing a slim fitting, black, double-breasted, military dress jacket paired with black, slim-fit pants with a gold line running down the sides and silver buttons on the chest. He wore an outer pea coat that draped down to the knees, gold trim along the wrists and shoulders of the pea coat. He also wore black polished boots, a white linen shirt underneath the dress jacket with a stiff collar and black tie, and a red sash around the waist indicating his knighthood. Desmond also had a ceremonial short sword harnessed to his black belt. His white hat with a front black brim and the red cross on the front sat next to him along with his white gloves.

  Desmond had three medals pinned to his left chest. One for being injured, one for valor, and one for courage. On his right chest were five ribbons; three for combat and two for his promotion to lieutenant and for his status as a knight. The medals looked small and worn on him, but they had a nice shine to them. Despite how clean and well-groomed he looked, his scar that ran across his eye was still very noticeable. He felt uncomfortable in his new officer’s dress uniform. He was struggling with trying to relax his back. He felt like a frozen fence post in his dress uniform from the waist up. He gripped the arm rest with nervous anxiety as he peered curiously out the window.

  Across from him were Tom and General Renault. Tom was wearing refined, blue robes with a pointed, gold trimmed, wide-brimmed hat, and a caramel leather belt holding a brown, leather pouch of holding. Tom was smoking from his long pipe with the carriage window open as his white staff rested gently on his left shoulder. His flowing beard was nicely groomed and his old, leathery hands seemed smooth like polished wood. He had multiple silver rings on each hand. One was a skull of a dragon, one was an engraving of a shooting star, and another was an intricate design of a magnolia tree. Tom always looked clean and dignified.

  General Renault sat next to Tom. He was in similar attire to Desmond, but had gold buttons, more medals and more ribbons pinned to each side of his chest. His dress jacket also had a custom, golden flower design along the wrists along with gold epaulettes with fringe. Renault had a ceremonial rapier strapped to his side. He was adorned with a red cross with a gold center around his neck hanging on a thick piece of red striped ribbon; this was the Medal of Honor. Renault’s beard was trimmed and brushed making him look dignified like the noble he truly was. His grey hair was also slicked back into a tight, but short, pony tail. His white gloves were hanging loosely from his coat pocket. Renault was drinking coffee from a metal mug that said, “Number One Dad.”

  “Beautiful day all things considered,” said Renault as he took a sip and adjusted his hat. “Very clear and beautiful day.”

  “Yes, indeed,” replied Tom warmly. “We should be… How far along til the castle?”

  “About five more minutes give or take. Fairly early to meet the king, don’t you think?”

  “He wants to know how his son died is all. Outside of the official reports. If you were him, wouldn’t you like to know sooner rather than later?”

  “I would too… Fuck, we should’ve been here for the funeral… I miss him a lot.”

  “I know Jean… I know. It was a somber yet beautiful funeral. I’ll explain it later to you… Feels like it was just yesterday when I first tutored him… Ha! He was a brash, young lad wasn’t he?”

  “Yep,” Renault replied unemotionally. “Yep, yep.”

  “Always making hell, but somehow retaining everything you told him, you know? What a wise-ass he was. Never afraid to get into trouble. He always did the right thing through unconventional means, though… But he always wanted to get the last word in to prove his point.”

  “Yeah,” Renault sighed finally showing a glint of nostalgic happiness. “Remember that time when he stole my horse, but somehow found a way to pull a chicken coop with the horse’s harness? Still remember the pathetic look he gave me after the horse threw him off into a pile of cow shit. He stood tall that day, but he knew he was in trouble. Miss the times he would constantly raid the officer’s kitchen for snacks and wine… He was never good at stealth.”

  “That’s how I want to remember him.”

  “Yeah… We’ll have time to remember him after the ceremony. For now… Let’s just focus on what to say to the king,” said Renault trying his best to keep his stoic composure despite his watery eyes.

  Tom looked over at Renault with a knowing look as Renault quickly wiped his eyes. He then looked over at Desmond who was enamored by the buildings and sights of the city. Tom chuckled, “Never been to a city like this before, have you?”

  “No sir! It’s a lot to take in.”

  “Yeah, I remember the first time I entered into the capital city. Overwhelming at first, but overtime you grow use to it.”

  “Seems cramped in all honesty.”

  “Yeah,” said Tom with a slight grin. “I always thought that too.”

  “Yes sir, it is.”

  “We should be entering the gates now. Oh, come here, sir,” Tom said to Desmond.

  Tom leaned forward and readjusted the belt across Desmond’s lap and sneakily undid the lowest button on Desmond’s dress jacket that was hidden behind Desmond’s belt. This instantly gave some relief to Desmond’s midsection.

  Tom Smirked, “Need to resize that dress jacket. They made it for a stick-like fellow I suppose. You’re clearly a slightly wider shouldered, yet slim fellow. Not a stick.”

  “Thank you, sir. Was a little snug,” Desmond said now feeling his lower back and shoulders relax as he slouched comfortably into his seat.

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  “No worries. Relax now. I’ll take you to the royal tailor after the ceremony. I’ll make sure shoulder gussets are added.”

  Tom dumped the rest of his pipe ash out the window and made his pipe disappear into a blue ball in his hand. Desmond thought it was interesting, but Renault just ignored it as he finished his coffee. He roughly tossed his metal cup into his bag. The carriage entered through the entrance gates as ten royal guards waved them through.

  The castle was a behemoth structure within a defensive squared wall with archers, repeating-crossbow men, gunners, and repeating-ballistas along it. The ballistas were placed at the corners and atop the front gate entrance. The castle had three main towers built into it. The one that faced northwards was the tallest. The other two faced east and west and were similar height to each other, but slightly shorter than the north tower. Tom pointed out to Desmond that the tallest one is his study.

  The main building was giant dome-like structure with other relative large buildings built next to it. They were a mixture of guest housing, the staff quarters, the kitchen, and staff bar and lounge. Just off to the west of the castle in a massive forest leading into the mountains was a smaller, more simple looking stronghold. This was the royal barracks office and training grounds for special forces, royal guards, and knights.

  The carriage gradually moved along a wide and long brick pathway through a 100 yard long courtyard with intricate statues of the gods and other mythic figures strewn about. There were opulent flower tree gardens placed about the courtyard purposely. Kind of a labyrinth of flowers and statues to navigate along the main path to highlight the extravagance of the royal family. Desmond noted to himself that it all felt excessive, though it was beautiful to look at.

  There was a large, circle fountain with a sword mosaic in the water. The carriage swung around the fountain from the right side of it. A line of royal guardsmen lined both sides of the entrance into the castle. Each royal guardsmen wielded halberds with swords sheathed to their sides along with studded, buckler shields strapped to their sides as well. A handful of them had repeating-crossbows and war axes. There were also a handful of royal gunners with open faced helmets, but overall similar armor to the rest of the guardsmen nonetheless. None of them said a word. They stood along the sides motionless at attention.

  "Professional ain't they," Tom smirked to Desmond.

  Renault sighed turning his face into a stoic statue of constant annoyance mixed with seriousness. He said to Desmond, “Shall we go? Get your hat on.”

  He opened the carriage door and was greeted by the captain of the guards. The captain was a towering figure with a granite chin. His eyes appeared to shine like a bright, caramel sunset in contrast with his dark skin. He had a blue sash draped over his ornate, silver breastplate. An aura of intimidating strength was palpable to all. Desmond was initially scared of Arn upon seeing him.

  Tom came out second and said happily, “Greetings Arn! It’s been a long time since I’ve been back here. I see the gardens look nice this time. You cut your hair? You look fierce.”

  “Likewise, sir. Just a high fade is all, sir,” said Captain Arn in a warm baritone with a slight smirk quickly hidden by his stoic, emotionless demeanor. “The King would like to talk with you three personally before the ceremony. Follow me.”

  The three followed Captain Arn into the castle. The inside was a magnificent and ornate chateau-style with a prim ambiance in both design and decor. Paintings and gold plated armor of the old times lined the expansive marbled walls and hallways. Everything was precisely placed and evenly spaced out. Desmond was curiously looking at all the paintings and armor as they walked through the hallways. The paintings depicted past battles, stories of myth, and the past royal families. Instead of walking into the main hallway, they took a left turn and kept walking.

  They entered through a massive, hidden doorway in the wall straight into an expansive and lavish dining hall. The hall had a giant set of white and gold marbled stairs at the end of it that shot out like a whale’s tail fin that seemed to burst out from the wall. The hall had towering, red marbled walls with massive crystalline windows overlooking the city with one long, continuous balcony overlook parallel to the windows. The floors were a blend polished mahogany and white marble with squares of intricately engraved gold and silver reliefs of the gods and mythic figures. More royal guards stood along the edge of the staircase and walls while cleaning staff and other workers were moving tables and chairs about frantically at a high pace.

  It was an overwhelming spectacle of grandeur in Desmond's eyes.

  There was a painting propped on a stand showing Prince William Augustus Albert II appearing dashing and regal in his polished, war armor with his helmet to his side. Renault huffed at the painting quickly looking away as he wiped his eyes and adjusted his hat. Tom took a long look at it with deflated eyes. Desmond also looked at it and was mostly puzzled by how the painting showed the Prince looking clean. For Desmond, he only saw the Prince as a fighter who was never fully proper. He then remembered what Albert told him and why he was invited into the palace to begin with. Desmond looked at the ground and he adjusted his white hat over his eyes as he walked slowly up the echoing steps.

  They went upstairs and turned into large chamber just at the end of the hall before a corner turn into an even more expansive hallway with even more rooms. This particular open chamber had one massive, crystalline window facing the mountains with an infinity pool and lounge area. Tom noticed the change in the walk then asked Captain Arn curiously, “Are we not to meet in the throne room?”

  “No sir. I’ve been ordered to present you three to the royal study in the west wing. He wants to meet privately. The rest will take place in the throne room once the ceremony begins officially. The after party will be here in the dining hall. Sir.”

  “Understood,” said Tom as he looked back at Desmond who slowed down to look out the massive window.

  Desmond was mesmerized by the view. The natural beauty of the landscape highlighted by the early afternoon sun with just the right amount of clouds was something to admire. Tom called out to Desmond and he quickly caught back up. Tom thought about how Desmond reminded him of a young Albert. Albert would always stop to look at the mountains whenever he ran through this section of the palace. Then again, all the children of King Albert did the same thing.

  Tom sighed quietly to himself as Desmond finally got back up to the group. He looked at Desmond and asked curiously, “Come now. There will be plenty of time to look at that later. You nervous?”

  “No… I just never seen anything like it before.”

  “Like what exactly?”

  “The mountains and city… I never seen such beauty between civilization and nature before,” said Desmond as he took one last wondrous look out the windows.

  Tom smirked and motioned for Desmond to come along. He patted Desmond on the shoulder like any proud grandparent would. The group entered into a large study room with multiple bright crystals lighting the room. To Desmond, it looked more like an ornate library with a handful of very nice leather couches and a large fire place in the surprisingly spacious and expansive room.

  Captain Arn stopped as Renault went to sit down and Desmond entered the room slowly. Captain Arn turned to the three and said flatly, “Wait here. They will see you shortly.”

  He gave a strong salute to Renault who returned a lazy salute. He gave a nod to Tom and turned around. He took a quick look at Desmond with curiosity; kind of a look to see if Desmond really is what is said of him. It also gave off the feeling of Arn being unimpressed by Desmond overall.

  "What did that look mean," Desmond wondered. "He looked... Unimpressed or disappointed. I guess I would be too. I'm no hero."

  Renault coughed out, "Son! Don't be so harsh on yourself. Arn just has a habit of making others feel like shit."

  Tom nudged Desmond’s shoulder and said happily, “Arn is a hard one to figure out, but he cares. He just won’t show it. Sees something in you I reckon?”

  “You think so?”

  “I feel so. Arn is a good judge of character. I have yet to be wrong,” Tom said as his eyes flashed yellow for a second. “You pick up this skill once you travel the world a few times.”

  “Yeah right, Tommy! You read his mind again. Stop acting coy! Now sit down,” Renault replied as he sagged into the leather couch.

  Tom sat down elegantly on the couch facing the fireplace. He stared longingly at the fire as it crackled on the wood logs and coal. He was briefly reminded of the destruction a dragon left behind on a village when he was around Desmond’s age and in his adventuring party.

  Tom thought to himself, “Everything keeps going back to that… Everything.”

  Renault pulled out a silver flask and took a sip and handed it to Tom who in turn took a quick sip. “Bourbon? Aged thirty years about right, Jean?”

  “Close. Twenty four years,” said Renault with a smile. “I figured a good drink would help with today. I know I need it.”

  “Yeah it would,” said Tom in return as he leaned back and looked over at Desmond. “Sir Rollo? I think it best if you sat for a bit and thought about what to say.”

  Desmond sat down and took a few deep breaths in nervous anticipation. His obvious anxiousness was boiling rapidly within him.

  Tom looked over at him asked, “Have an idea on how to speak to his highness? How to explain exactly what happened delicately?”

  “No… I’m too naively honest. I don’t know how else to explain it.”

  “Okay… I can only suggest you try to be as clear and forward as possible when he asks you. However… Try to be delicate as best you can. Don’t be… Well, blunt with him. Essentially, think carefully and maintain a level of professionalism,” said Tom as he leaned forward.

  Renault took a second sip with annoyance and grunted out plainly, “Don’t tell him the details. Just tell him the final words and briefly what happened in earnest. Nothing more. Only answer truthfully if asked anything else. Everything he will ask will be a test of character in some way. Good luck.”

  Tom immediately turned to Renault with an angered glare and Renault shrugged sipping his flask unbothered. Desmond froze with nervous anxiety overthinking everything as if his brain fully shut down.

  Four royal guards and Captain Arn came in. The guards stood to the sides of the doors as Captain Arn announced, “King Albert I, Queen Victoria III, and the Princess of Rodham, Elizabeth, are here.”

  Tom, Renault and Desmond quickly stood to attention.