Chapter 6: The Rising Tides

Kaius Northguard

The cold shiver that keeps running up and down my spine hasn't ceased since I left Kamrion with the Vanguard. I notice the knights shoot me a concerned glance every so often, understandable considering I've barely spoken a word since we departed. I can't help the feeling that there is something dark approaching from the horizon, something that we aren't currently equipped to handle.

"If I may, Kaius." A voice breaks me out of my thoughts, only a select few knights would address me by my first name. I blink a few times before turning to the source of the voice. It's one of the older knights, Knight Bale, he's been a part of the Vanguard since I was barely as tall as Langris.

I nod, giving him the go ahead to speak freely.

"The men are anxious enough as it is, marching into a city where we know we are hated." His voice is low enough that I'm sure none of the others can hear. "Forgive me but your silence and visible distress isn't helping to keep up their morale."

As he speaks I take a look behind us to really take a good look at the men. One general glance wouldn't reveal much; they appear as unfazed as usual. But upon closer inspection I can see it. The nervous hunching of some of the younger knights, the cautious glances they throw out every so often.

I don't respond immediately. I fight down the tension in my shoulders and let out a long breath. Knight Bale is right; the situation we find ourselves is grim enough as it is without me adding to the already high anxiety. I stop my horse before turning to fully face the men, causing all of them to halt as well.

I don't start speaking straight away, taking another few moments to look over the 50 strong group of men. Knight Bale waits beside me, visibly curious.

"What is our purpose?" I ask, making my voice strong enough to reach the entire group. There is visible confusion on their faces after I ask the question.

"Our purpose, my prince?" One of the younger knights inquires. He looks barely older than 18 but he was the first one gathering up the courage to speak.

I nod, raising my voice again. "The Vanguard, The Knights of Kamrion, what is our purpose?"

Their confusion only seems to grow with every passing second until another one of the knights decided to answer.

"To protect the crown."

I feel a slight frown grow on my face as I open my mouth to correct him but the young knight who spoke first beats me to it.

"To protect the people." He declares, his eyes still nervous but now mixed with determination.

I don't even bother to fight back the small smile of approval as I address him. "Remind me of your name again." 

"My name is Gregory, my prince." He shifts nervously as he introduces himself.

"You are correct, Gregory." I assure him. "What family do you have back in Kamrion?"

He is visibly startled but recovers quickly enough, a distant look clouds over his eyes for a moment before he snaps back to reality. "My sister, her name is Meredith."

"Our purpose is to protect people like her." I nod to him. "The crown rules the kingdom but there is no kingdom without the people. The crown can protect itself, it's people can't. That is why we exist, that is our purpose. Sometimes we forget, but I'm reminding you now, keep that in the front of your mind always, think about your families and the friends that remain back in Kamrion, everything we do is to keep them safe, remember that and your resolve will never waver."

Another silence passes through the group, but this one is significantly less tense than the first. I briefly turn to Knight Bale who gives me an approving nod before turning back to the other knights. My words seem to have had the desired effect, the men are sitting up taller and prouder, a surety in their posture that was absent before, especially Gregory.

"Now let's move out, Thaegon isn't far out now." I declare before turning to take the lead once more.

We've been travelling almost nonstop since yesterday morning and we should be in Thaegon before midday. Bale clears his throat beside me, grabbing my attention.

"Thank you, Kaius." He bows his head slightly as he speaks. "They needed to hear that… many of them lost people they cared about when the beast attacked us yesterday… Gregory's father included, Ostwin"

I feel my eyes widen before I turn to silently and briefly observe the younger knight, his expression is focused, revealing nothing, the words almost get caught in my throat. I remember Ostwin Greenwich. "I didn't…"

"The lad hides it well." Knight Bale cuts in softly. "I know he wishes to mourn, but duty demands he sets that aside."

I have no response for that, my mind stuck on that one accursed word.

Duty…

Narrowing my eyes on the path ahead, I set my horse at a slightly faster pace. "Let us be done with this as soon as possible, I think we all want nothing more than to return home."

"Aye, my prince."

From there, our pace is brisk, determination on everyone's mind to make it to Thaegon, do what needs to be done and return to Kamrion.

It doesn't take long before it comes into sight. Those almost impossibly tall silver walls surrounding the castle towers which stretch so high up they almost touch the clouds. The towering gate leading into Thaegon is open, a small platoon of Thaegon knights stationed in front. Their green and silver armour almost blends in seamlessly with the gates behind them. Their emblem, a sky serpent is the only part of their armour that stands out, the large wings covering the majority of the breastplate.

One of them, I'm assuming their captain walks up to us before offering a small bow, a crow curiously perched on his shoulder.

"Prince Kaius Northguard of Kamrion, it my honour to be the one to welcome you to Thaegon. My name is Torren, Commander of Queen Clementina's 7th battalion."

I return his greeting with a polite nod, not letting any of the tension building in my shoulders or the feeling of unease in the pit of my stomach show.

"The honour is mine." I reply, making sure my tone is easy and polite. "I trust our emissary arrived earlier today to convey to the queen the purpose of our visit."

He lets an uncomfortable silence between us stretch as he pretends to think over what I just said. I don't dare look away or fidget, while Thaegon isn't our official enemy they are certainly not our allies, any sign of weakness will be leapt on like vultures around a rotting griffon carcass.

After what feels like far too long, Torren finally responds. "Of course, he is settled in the inner palace. Please come, Prince Kaius, the queen assumed you would arrive around this time, she has prepared quite a lovely spread for you in her private banquet hall."

It's a miracle my only outward reaction is a quirk of my eyebrow, but it's enough for him to pick up.

"My apologies, I should have clarified." He bows again. "The queen wishes to speak with you privately, you understand I hope. Your knights will be taken to the main banquet hall; you may join them after your meeting with the queen if you wish."

I turn to Bale, he is clearly against the idea and quite frankly I'm not entirely certain about it either. Once again, Torren picks up on it, the raven on his shoulder squawks, he reaches over to run a soothing hand over its feathers.

"I assure you no harm will come to him." He addresses Bale now. "As long as he is a guest here, our queen will not allow a single soul to raise a hand or blade against the prince."

His voice is oddly sincere, sincere enough that Bale appears to back off but there is still a hint of caution behind his eyes. What choice do I have, anyway? We have to stay on Queen Clementina's good side as long as we are in her kingdom.

"I accept the queen's gracious invitation." I reply with another polite nod.

He smiles, giving a silent gesture to the Raven who flies off, into the gates and towards the palace. "Excellent, follow me if you please, Prince Kaius."

I share one last weary look with Bale before we follow Torren and his knights inside. Nervousness in the pit of my stomach hasn't gone away but it's settled enough for me to set it aside for now.

We follow the 7th battalion through the gates. Thaegon's structure is quite interesting, built more like a fortress than a city. Once you enter the gates you reach the outer living sector and market places, from there you go to the inner city for the more privileged citizens and nobles. At the very centre is the palace, a large, silver fortress with their iconic four towers stretching up so high you can see them almost anywhere in the Northern Kingdoms.

The city is bustling, people going about their business with the occasional knight present to keep order. I notice the number of guards increases dramatically the further away you get from the palace. A small boy runs right in front of my horse so quickly I almost don't have enough time to pull to a stop. My horse rears up, startled by the sudden motion and almost knocks me off.

"Daniel!" A young female voice shrieks as my horse calms down.

I take a moment to appraise the boy briefly, dark brown hair and rather scrawny, couldn't be any older than 10.

"Are you alright, Prince Kaius?" Torren asks, riding up beside me, eyeing the little boy dangerously.

"I'm alri…"

I trail off as an older girl, probably around 15 or so runs up to the little boy, apparently named Daniel and pulls him close, angling her eyes up to look at me. Her hair is a lighter shade of brown but the resemblance is uncanny, definitely her brother. Curious, the boy's dressing is acceptable at best while the girl is dressed in an elegant green and silver gown, the sky serpent of Thaegon elegantly stitched onto her right sleeve.

"You do realise, boy, that your actions could have led to the harm of Kamrion's heir, Prince Kais." Torren almost bites out, his eyes dark and narrow, piercing through Daniel before snapping to the sister. "And you must realise the queen would not take kindly to such a scandal, Mallory."

I raise a curious eyebrow at the name, so Torren knows this girl.

"You know this young girl?" I ask, unable to help my curiosity.

"She's Princess Sherrill's handmaid, which is why she is permitted to be this close to the palace." Torren explain, voice still hard as he continues to glower at Daniel and the newly named Mallory. "Her brother on the other hand, has no business here."

"My apologies, Sir Torren." Mallory bows her head, clutching her brother closer. "My brother came to pick up these supplies to bring back home. "They couldn't be found in the outer town and I could not leave the princess's side for too long so Daniel came to retrieve them."

Only now am I noticing the leather satchel attached hanging from Mallory's shoulder.

Torren looks like he is about to say something else but this time I cut him off. "It's alright."

"You could have been injured, Prince Kaius." Torren points out, giving me a quizzical look which I wave off nonchalantly.

"But I wasn't." I point out. "He's only a child, he didn't mean any harm and no harm was done. I think it best we keep moving, we wouldn't want to keep the queen waiting, now would we?"

Torren's look is appraising, curious with perhaps a morsel of approval. He easily relents, looking deep in thought before turning back towards the palace.

"Off with you, boy." He calls out over his shoulder to Daniel who flinches violently. "Back to the palace, Mallory. No doubt the princess is wondering where you are."

She nods vigorously before whispering a rushed goodbye to her brother before kissing him on the forehead and handing him the satchel and running off towards the palace. We continue our journey until we all dismount and make our way to the palace entrance.

I was expecting an interior just as intimidating as the exterior but it ended up being rather… elegant. The stone walls carry as certain sparkle that almost illuminates the whole place. The floors are a beautiful emerald marble leading down every corridor.

"I will escort you to the queen." Torren declares gesturing to the east hall. I briefly glance back to give the weary Bale a reassuring nod before I follow Torren down the hall.

"You were quite gracious with the boy who almost had your horse throw you to the ground." He points out, voice unreadable. "Most nobility wouldn't have stood for such."

"Would you rather I had the boy publicly flogged?" I ask challengingly. To my surprise he actually laughs, sounding genuinely amused.

"I expected that, actually." He admits. "People can be cruel, and those with power have the liberty to be even crueller."

His voice turns distant towards the end, I feel tempted to turn and see the expression on his face but I restrain myself, thinking about my answer instead.

"Sadly, you are right." I relent. "How unfortunate it is that cruelty has become so commonplace that we naturally expect it of each other."

The rest of the walk up to the queens private dining room is silent. He stops at the door and places his hand on the handle before turning to me.

"This is where I leave you." He says. "The queen clearly instructed that this discussion be between the two of you alone. I will be close by though, along with the rest of the 7th battalion in case of any… complications."

The threat in the last part of his statement is clear and I am quick to reply. "I don't foresee any complications; I think we will be fine."

He eyes me critically for a few beats before nodding and pushing the door open for me. "Glad to hear it."

I walk through the open door and take in the room.

Oh…

The room is a beautiful mixture of Obsidian and Emerald. Both the walls and the floor are made of flawless marble, shimmering like a sea of crystals. Some tapestries have images of the sky serpent, but most of them are creatures I am not familiar with. The table is lined with a fine cloth and slender candles. The table is small, probably just large enough for 5 people.

"Prince Kaius Northguard III." An elegant and poised voice catches my attention. "Wielder of Langris, firstborn and heir to the throne of Kamrion, no one told me you were such a pleasant sight."

She seemingly steps out of the shadows. A lump forms in my throat as she comes into view. She's breath-taking. Her hair is fierce and fiery red somehow beautifully clashing with her skin which is as fair as a winter's first snowfall. Her eyes are equally as striking as her hair, they are a vibrantly lush leaf-like shade of green, she barely looks a few summers older than I am yet from what I was told, she is older than my father. I only have a moment to take all of it in before it becomes obvious that I'm staring.

I take a step towards her and she offers her hand.

"Queen Clementina Verridian, ruler and protector of Thaegon." I greet, laying a gentle kiss against her knuckles. "What is my appearance in the presence of what could only be the very definition of beauty."

She responds with a whimsical chuckle before motioning over to the dining table. "Let's sit, I had the cooks prepare something especially delectable for your arrival."

She waltzes over to the table in one fluid motion leaving me astonished, she moved so elegantly and gracefully I almost didn't notice her move. Shaking my head clear, I take the offered seat opposite to her. She unwarps each dish and a cascade of aromas hit me all at once. Some dishes smell of mint, others remind me of the salty sea air, others have a very earthly spice scent.

"From all 5 corners of the Northern kingdoms." She declares with a proud smile. "For such an esteemed guest I had to pull out all the stops."

I clear my throat, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the praise. I fight down the heat rising up my neck, it's unsettling how easily she has been able to knock me off balance.

"You flatter me too much." I reply after what was probably too long. "I have only come here as a messenger."

She leans forward and rests her chin on her interlocked fingers, a sly smile forming on her lips.

"Oh, I would say you've come as a little bit more than just a messenger, wouldn't you?" The sly smile doesn't leave her lips.

This time I can't hide how taken back I am. It's a serious accusation being levelled at her and she is acting as if this is merely a friendly visit. She patiently waits for me to gather my bearings. I fight back the frown that desperately wants to form on my face.

"I suppose I would." I relent. "I trust the emissary explained why we are here."

"He may have mentioned a detail or two." She waves off casually. "But I'd rather hear it from you."

I close my eyes, this is the dance and I am already a few steps behind.

"Kamrion was attacked two days ago." I begin to elaborate. "It was attacked by some kind of creature, an… odd sort of creature."

"Odd in what way, pray tell." She hums.

"It was large, about the size of an adult giant. It had dozens of sharp spines on its back that it could fire off at will, at great speed." I continue, keeping my voice even. "It's underbelly was lined a with yellow scales and it had a forked tongue. It also had gills on the side of its neck."

"My, my, that's quite an odd combination of features." She muses. "The only force in nature capable of creating such a creature is magic. And our magic is unrivalled as it pertains to transformation and alchemy."

She waves her hand over the gold candlestick holder. Before my eyes, the gold shimmers black, then brown then yellow before crumbling into sand. She snaps her fingers and all of the sand gathers together and transforms back into the gold candlestick holder.

"Amazing." I marvel quietly, such magical precision and finesse is something I don't think I would ever be able to replicate.

She chuckles again.

"That was just a party trick, love." She waves off. "I am sure your magic is just as impressive if not more so."

"I'm afraid I'm not quite as gifted as my siblings in that regard." I find myself explaining. "I learnt enough to be able to use it when the need arises but it has always come more naturally to them."

She hums, looking deep in thought about that for a few moments. "I see. But enough about that, let's move on to the reason you are here. You believe, or more likely, your father believes that because of our talents, Thaegon is responsible for creating this creature and sending it to attack Kamrion."

Her forest green eyes appraise me for my reaction. I keep everything about myself neutral, I can't really afford to show any more of my cards.

"That is essentially why I am here, yes." I feel the need to clarify though, if only to pacify any potential misunderstanding. "We are merely here as an inquisition force. Our intention is to search for answers, not to start conflict."

She raises a challenging eyebrow. "And your father thought it was wise to send Kamrion's strongest military force to merely 'search for answers' in my kingdom… and not even have the courtesy to ask for permission to enter my domain. It would have been within my right to have my own forces clasp you in irons or have you pierced threw with cold steal."

It takes every ounce of will I have to not wince or flinch away at her words, she is right after all. The most amazing thing is how matter-of-fact her voice was throughout her entire explanation. Her voice didn't rise. Not a hint of anger or malice. Her gaze finally relents and she leans back, gesturing for me to answer. It takes me longer than it should have to find my voice again.

"But you didn't." I decide to risk it. "Instead you decided to show me and my knights hospitality, you invite us into your palace as guests and grant me a private audience with you. May I ask why?"

The sly smile returns to her lips.

"Because you are not to blame." She points out easily. "It's not your fault your father brashly sent you here with the presence of what could only be interpreted as a threat, a rather disrespectful one at that. It would be unfair of me to punish you for his transgression."

I didn't even know I was holding so much tension in my shoulders until I felt them relax, a deathly tight knot in my stomach falling lose.

"So, what happens now?" I dare to ask.

"Now you may proceed with your task." Her smile somehow growing even wider. "You won't find anything but you are welcome to search. You'll be staying on the palace grounds while you are here. I will not have my guests camping out in the wilderness."

I am about to argue against staying in the palace but from the look in her eyes I can see it's an argument I won't win. I lean back in my chair, already exhausted. She claps once, leaning forward and digging into the food.

"Now that we have all of that settled, let's eat. You must be famished after your travels." Her relaxed demeanour returns. "This is a great opportunity for us to become acquainted, we know so little of each other."

With a silent resigned sigh, I lean forward to join her in dining. I'm not really sure what to try so I just take a little bit of everything.

Unsurprisingly, Queen Clementina is an excellent conversationalist. A constant stream of probing questions and an uncanny ability to transition between different topics.

For a moment I almost forget of the dark clouds I sensed gathering.

Finnian Northguard

The scepticism on father's face couldn't be more evident if he tried. Mother's expression is curious laced with the tiniest hint of suspicion. I keep my expression and posture relaxed, easy to do in front of father, I've been doing it for years. It's harder to fool mother, she knows me far better.

"How long would the two of you be gone?" Mother asks, quirking an eyebrow at me.

"We'd be back before late evening." I explain easily. "Hence why I requested this audience with you so early in the morning. Luthera expressed how much she desired to get out and see Kamrion beyond the walls. Given the nature of her magic I'm sure you understand her need to… connect with the outside."

"You show a surprising amount of empathy for your new wife." If father's look was sceptical, it's nothing in comparison to his tone.

"I've been known to show empathy from time to time." I almost bite. I turn to mother, deciding to appeal to the more reasonable of the two. "We'd only be gone for the day and we'd stay within the inner regions of Kamrion. We'll just go out, Luthera can reminisce with her animal friends and I can get some time away from the castle."

"You've only been back at the castle for less than 3 days." Mother points out softly.

"Yes, an eternity for me, I can assure you." My eyes briefly flicker to father, mother notices, a sad expression overcoming her fair features.

"You may go." Mother relents but still seems concerned. "But are you sure you don't want to take a few knights with you?"

"With the Vanguard and Kai away we can't pull any more forces away from the city." I reason, gesturing lightly to Arno. "Besides, I like to consider myself not completely defenceless."

"Of course." She nods.

"Mother, father." I bow my head slightly in respect before turning on my heel and exiting the throne room.

I turn in the direction of the stables but immediately find myself face to face with my sister.

"Gertrude." I nod in greeting.

"Brother." She nods back. "You wanted to see me before your little trip. And at this unholy hour no less."

I cast a brief look out the window, the sun barely peaking over the horizon. I offer an apologetic smile before gesturing for her to follow me. I wait until we are a good distance away from the throne room before I speak again.

"Luthera and I are going to the northern border where Kai and I fought the mutant bandits." I explain in Eldian, knowing how few people actually know the language.

Gertrude doesn't outwardly react to what I just said, her training too rooted into her being to allow her to let anything slip.

"I see, I assume you are going to search for a connection between them and the creature that attacked us." She reasons, to which I nod in confirmation. "It makes sense, it explains why you are taking off so early, when will you be back."

"Later today." I answer. "Any longer than that and mother and father would grow more suspicious than they already are. But with the way things are now even leaving for just one day carries much risk. If there is another attack you are the only person left here I fully trust to keep Kamrion safe."

"Your confidence in my abilities is truly heart-warming, brother." She's poking fun but I get the sense she appreciates the sentiment. "Don't worry yourself, I'll keep our home safe while you are gone, even if is only for a day. In exchange I would ask you keep yourself and Luthera safe as well."

"Of course." I smile, returning to the common tongue.

"Then we have ourselves an agreement." She says, coming to a complete stop just before we get to the stables. "I have a meeting with father and a few of the other veiled that should last most of the day. After that, I'll meet with Commander Arthur, I need to assess how many knights we have at our disposal and where they are stationed. I was thinking of adding more guards on the walls for scouting, it still concerning how easily the creature crept to the heart of the castle without anyone noticing."

I nod in approval, seems like a sound idea.

"I suppose I should give you a hug goodbye now." I smirk as I spread my hands wide.

Gertrude scoffs, before turning to leave. "If you tried it you would end up with a dagger at your throat."

The smirk doesn't leave my face as I enter the stables. Luthera is with Astrid and Juno, making sure we have everything we need for our trip.

The smirk on my face grows wider. "Ah, dearest wife, how my heart shattered with every passing moment in your absence."

I notice the way her shoulders sag and shake as she supresses a chortle. She turns and gives me a look that clearly indicates she is questioning my seriousness. She's wearing what appears to be a very practical riding outfit, a form fitting tunic and a comfortable pair of trousers. This is actually the first time I've seen her in anything but an elegant dress or night gown.

"Most amusing." She drawls as slips on her riding gloves. "But time is not on our side, we should ride out as soon as possible."

I pause despite the fact I know she is right, but I can't help but let curious thoughts swirl around my mind.

"You find it hard to relax, don't you?" I ask, clearly catching her off guard if the way her posture stiffens is any indication.

"What?" She blurts out.

"My apologies, it's just something I notice." I explain as I walk up to Juno. "Even last night, it took you quite a while to fully let yourself be at ease."

She silently stares at me for a second before clearing her throat and directing her attention back to Astrid.

"Recent times have not allowed me many opportunities to relax." She finally says as she mounts her horse. "Please forgive me if I don't quite so readily let myself be at ease."

I want to say something else but I don't think it would be wise to challenge the finality in her tone at the present time. Without another word, I take the lead, setting a brisk but steady pace for the horses, past the courtyard, through the upper and lower town and finally out of the gates.

For the first half of the ride, Luthera is completely silent, seemingly lost in her own mind. We pass by several smaller villages, rivers, streams. She doesn't say a word. We eventually reach a village named Feln, from what I recall it's a reliable indicator that we are around the halfway point to the northern border. I glance up to look at the sun, it hasn't reached the middle of the sky yet, good, that means we're moving quickly.

We stand just outside the village, watering the horses and taking a brief respite. Surprisingly, she is the one who decides to break the silence long before I reach my breaking point.

"I must apologise; I've been a rather dull travel companion." She mostly mumbles but she's close enough for me to pick it up.

"Still better company than half the knights." I point out, taking the risk and lightly bumping her shoulder, getting her to fully look at me. "Especially the younger ones, they act like I'd have them burnt at the stake for having the audacity to look in my general direction. Apparently my princely aura is rather overwhelming, if you can believe it."

And there it is, the slight quirking up of the corners of her mouth. And actual smile, even if she's trying to smother it.

"They obviously must have been put off by something else." She says pretending, making a show of looking around and searching for something. "If there was a princely aura around I would have picked up on it."

We share a laugh, the moment of levity giving us something we both didn't know we needed.

 She fully turns to face me, her expression more vulnerable than she has ever dared show me "You know I've never done anything like before."

"Never in my wildest imagination could I have guessed." I jest, earning a light and playful shove to my shoulder.

"I'm being serious." She insists, her smile fading somewhat her hand fidgeting with one of her rings, a light hum emanates from our shared mark on my wrist. "Father and mother always had me learn and attend issues of court, of diplomacy and negotiation. They called it the Grand Dance. There was never time for anything else."

"Nothing else?" I ask, interest piqued.

"In my private moments I practiced my magic." She shrugs, a distant look clouding over her eyes. "But I was and still am their only child, their only heir. I was not allowed to leave Illis unless under a full guard and even then I couldn't travel far. Doing this with you, venturing into the unknown, charging headlong into potential danger… It's all new to me."

I nod in understanding deciding to take the risk and step closer to her. She notices the movement and looks back at me, eyes curious.

"Why did you agree to this then?" I ask, searching for something of an answer in those ocean blue eyes. "Why did you come with me?"

She hesitates, looking away for a moment, her jaw setting and shoulders rising. She lets out a deep breath before looking back at me, the resignation in her eyes catching me off-guard.

"Because I realized the tempest will reach us regardless of what we do." She says. For a moment I could have sworn I saw magic swimming around in those blue orbs. "At least like this I can do something, anything that might somewhat temper the storm when it hits, even if it leads to just a single life being spared, at least it's a difference. At least I can say I didn't stand idly while my… while our people fell ."

"You paint such a bleak picture of the future." I try to summon up a little levity in my tone but it fails. "But I understand and I… I respect your answer."

It's the truth, I don't know what answer I was expecting but it wasn't the one she gave me. Somewhere, in the back of my mind where I wasn't quite sure how to feel about Luthera, lies a seed of respect that has just grown a little larger.

A moment passes where we are just silently appraising each other, the hum from the mark drumming rhythmically. I offer her one final smile before I break the moment of quiet.

"We should continue on our way." I declare, turning to Juno. "We're making good progress and the northern border isn't too far now."

Luthera nods, deftly mounting Astrid.

"Lead the way."