Galorian

Isaac was on his horse speaking to a guard at a large closed wooden gate. The sun had sunk behind the mountains to the northwest shortly before the group arrived to the outskirts of the city, Kylia. There was a large wall stone wall that stood more than 25 meters tall. In comparison to the Fort's one tall spire, Lionel thought the wall was perhaps only a little shorter.

Lionel looked around at all of the small, cramped houses outside of the wall's protection. Upon the group's initial approach, Lionel had been too preoccupied, looking at the large castle over the walls, to even notice the many small hovels. Only now that the castle was hidden by the wall, did he take in the scene around him. There were more than a dozen homes nearby with dirty children running home. Their parents trudged down the road towards their small residence. There were a few small fields and gardens near each home. Lionel stood and leaned over the side of the wagon grasping one of the wagon's spines for support. He saw behind them large swaths of land that were golden with grain almost ready for harvest. He thought of his mother during the last harvest. A pit formed in his stomach as he sat back down quietly.

Drindle didn't say a word as the boy sat down. He pulled out a blue hooded cloak, black trousers and a grey mottled tunic and handed them to the boy. "Put these on and be quick" the old man spoke while pulling the hood of his robe up.

Lionel Looked at the beautiful soft fabrics that the old man handed him. He hadn't ever worn such fine clothes. His cloths were almost thread bare from the last few weeks of travel. Immediately Lionel rose and climbed into the covered back to change.

The three soldiers from Fort Le'alla were some distance closer to the gate than the duo in the wagon. Isaac had prepared a missive the night prior and sent it with the highest ranking guard on duty. Now they were just waiting on a response. The missive was aimed at the royal family, who would most likely be eating dinner at this hour. The trio were still on horseback near the two city guards.

One of the two guards on foot spoke hushedly to Isaac while eyeing the wagon suspiciously. "Is that really him?" The guard was barely past his pubescence and looked out of place.

"Aye, it's him alright." As Isaac confirmed, the young man's face changed into one of excitement. Isaac continued to speak in hopes of dissuading any unwanted behavior "The man is a devil to get along with. So don't go poking your nose in his business." Isaac had learned from the last week how grumpy the old man could be. It seemed the regal figure of Drindle never wanted any attention or to even converse. It had been like pulling teeth to get the old man to explain what happened at the stable. The thought of what the geezer said still brought a smile to Isaac's face.

*

a week prior

When Isaac and Gil'ead arrived at the dust cloud of a stable, a lone Drindle stood in the center of the remenmants. The commander couldn't believe what he saw, the ancient man just stood there stark naked in the middle of the night. "Wh... what happened here?!" Isaac stammered out he didn't even know how to take the situation at all. He had been asleep one minute and awoke the next to a huge explosion and a bright light shining through his window.

Drindle didn't say anything as he turned around. The white, overgrown, wooly worm eyebrows of the geezer were almost touching in an angry scowl. The geezer walked toward the wagon before Isaac could speak again.

"I demand to know what happened here." Isaac to a step forward toward the naked man. "I am the commanding officer here, I will have to report this to the Queen. And depending on your answer this could be a breach of your contract." Isaac knew he was being too forward but he had to know what happened. A building was missing for god's sake. This wasn't something to just sweep under the rug.

The naked old man stopped with his back to Isaac and spoke. "You presume too much." there was coldness to his voice. "I'd tell you what happened but you wouldn't believe me." Drindle started to move again towards the covered wagon.

"Isaac, I sense magic here" Gil'ead was examining the remains of the stable and spoke. "This is a full breach of his contract" He walked beside Isaac and whispered. "Galorian told me to be cautious of this man if I were to meet him. We must report this to the Queen, immediately."

Isaac glanced towards Gil'ead, and saw a stern look. 'I wonder if his master's sentiments have bled to him' It was no secret that Galorian disliked Drindle. They had a long history together. Galorian was the leader of the Mages in the nation and reported directly to the Queen. Drindle had snuffed him many, many, years prior. Isaac hadn't even been alive at the time. The rumors and actions of the mages always remained the same throughout the years. Anytime Drindle was mentioned they would clam up or become hostile. Isaac chose to try one last time. He took a step toward the naked man and spoke "Drindle, What happened here? I must know."

The geezer stopped and turned to look at Isaac. The two words were still burned into the commanders mind. The old man spoke "I farted."

*

Isaac sat smiling stupidly at the young city guard. "Uh.. Sir, I.. don't swing that way" the young guard appeared uncomfortable. Isaac realized the boy had mistaken his smile for one of infatuation. He shook his head while turning away from the young guard. It had been more than 10 years since he was last in the capitol. Isaac began to think of his prior visits to Kylia when the gate slowly began to open.

Lionel had just finished dressing and sat beside Drindle. "Don't try to use magic in the city. Galorian will not take kindly to a mage outside his control." the old man spoke quietly while ushering Harthling toward the now opening gate.

The massive 8 meter tall gate doors opened inwards and revealed a small party of nine mounted soldiers in gold-trimmed armor. None of the soldiers wore headgear except for a medium build teenage boy. On his head sat a thin, vined golden chaplet. The head wear had two golden leaves on either temple of the sixteen-ish year old boy. Above the group hung a small round object that exuded light.

"That'll be the spoiled brat.." Drindle spoke again under his breath. There was clear disdain on his face. Lionel was more interested in the light than the teenager on a horse. Lionel could tell the device was imbued with some form of magical enchantments.

The spoiled brat, as the old man put it, straightened himself in the saddle. "Ah, the guests of honor" if was clear the boy was being sarcastic with his remarks. The other 8 gold-trimmed soldiers snickered.

Isaac leaned forward in his saddle as a bow of respect to the teenager. "Prince, We are escorting Drindle to see the Queen immediately."

None of the party of nine moved. The prince spoke again. "Old man, where were you when Astia was attacked?" The boy asked in a demeaning tone.

Drindle hadn't pulled on the reins to stop Harthling. The horse continued to move the wagon forward. The road was wide enough to fit more than thirty people side by side. The carriage clattered along as the old man appeared not to hear the spoiled prince.

A reddish tinge touched the prince's cheeks. He clicked his heels on his steed and rode directly in front of Drinde. "I am speaking to you, Do you not know who I am?" It was clear the old man had offended his pride. The teenager acted like no one ever dared to disrespect him.

"Who cares" were the only words that escaped Drindle's lips. The cowled old man pulled the reins and steered the wagon around the now dumbfounded prince.

Isaac didn't know what to do. He stared at the situation in utter disbelief. If the records were correct, Drindle hadn't been to the capitol for over a hundred years. As soon as the geezer stepped foot in Kylia he disrespected the future king of the Nation. Isaac bowed again to the still dumbfounded prince and rode after the wagon.

The wagon clattered along a large cobblestoned path. The city of Kylia was situated on a large mound that extended toward the Great Canal. It was easy for the duo to keep their course. The large spire of the castle jutted imposingly into the sky.

'I wonder how far up the tower extends' Lionel was staring at the tip of the tower.

"Sire, I know you have no love for people, but must you make me look bad to the royals?" Isaac was riding his horse beside the seated Drindle. He was concerned his position as commander of Fort Le'alla would be in jeopardy if the old man disgraced him. Isaac had been the one to bring Drindle to the Queen and thus he thought to receive a reward for his duties. Now that the old man had been rude to the Crowned Prince though his concern grew.

Drindle grunted his reply " Hrumph, What difference does it make?"

Silence descended on the group as they continued towards the castle

*

*

*

The trio from Fort Le'alla led the way into the courtyard of the massive castle. Guards in excellent armors lined either side of the path as the carriage pulled forwards. There was a large fountain in the center of the courtyard. The drive was made of Large segments of dark stone and circled the misting fountain. Lionel could scarcely believe his eyes the fountain was a magical item as well. It appeared everywhere the boy looked he could see imbued objects.

As the wagon moved around the fountain a set of stairs leading up to massive marble doors could be seen. There were at least twenty stairs that flowed up to a covered porch. Lionel didn't know if it was truly a porch or not due to it's sheer size. There was a huge thirty meter wide covered area. The doors to the castle were situated right in the middle. Standing directly in front of those doors stood a tall thin elderly man. He was dressed in an ornate doublet and stood with his hands behind his back. His chin was slightly raised as he appeared to study the carriage coming to a stop.

Drindle sighed softly and spoke sarcastically "Hhhm, Galorian.. like always."