When Caedmon first introduced himself, Alistar had thought that his name had sounded somewhat familiar. Now he knew why. As chance would have it, Caedmon was the uncle that he and Raidon had planned to seek out after a short stay in Malford, since his landholdings were so close to the mines. This explained the dramatic reaction that he’d shown after hearing about everything that had happened to his sister in Crystellum.

He had immediately sent out a trusted messenger on his fastest horse, providing him with a large sum of money along with a letter branded with a wax seal. He intended to buy her freedom immediately, for five times the amount that a healthy slave at Crystellum would cost, which was no small amount. He’d assured Alistar the next morning that, no matter how attached an owner might be to their slave, to turn down such an offer would be insanity. Especially since slaves from those mines were pricier than most.

The day after Alistar told his story, Caedmon explained a few things to him. Up until the day before, his estranged uncle and the rest of their family had believed that Laisha had died nine years ago, shortly after he was born. The last time they had seen each other had been at her wedding, where she had been married off by their father against her will, and left to her fate in a neighbouring province of the Baldor Empire. They had kept in touch through letter exchanges, though eventually she stopped responding. News of her and her family’s demise came shortly after.

As it were, it would take the messenger a week to arrive at Crystellum, and another to return with Alistar’s mother. The thought of seeing her again did wonders to remedy his depression, but he was anxious about telling her of his uncle Raidon’s fate. How could he face her, when he’d just stood there and watched him die?

Alistar found himself in a whole new world, one so fresh and fascinating that, as the days passed by, his anxieties were pushed to the peripherals of his thoughts. Still, he missed his mother more than anything, and his mood wouldn’t lift until she was standing before him.

The two helper ladies that had fed and dressed him on his first day—house servants, as they were called—were tasked with seeing to Alistar’s every need, something that he found unnecessary. Having people waiting on him was rather unpleasant, but they were considerate enough to give him space, and they were soft spoken. With the exception of Servan, nobody outside of his family had ever spoken to him in such tones. In truth, he enjoyed it when they came by his room to check up on him. After hearing portions of his tragic past, it seemed that their sympathy was sincere.

Caedmon visited him quite often, usually asking if he’d like to wander around the manor house, or even head into town. While Alistar usually accepted the offers to walk around the home, he sternly refused all invitations into town. He had decided to wait until he reunited with his mother before heading into such a grand and wondrous place, which he’d gazed upon several times from windows on the manor’s upper storeys.

Contrary to his earlier behavior, Caedmon was a calm and approachable sort of person, and was always working on some task or other. From the way the house servants interacted with him, it was evident that he was well respected within the estate. Alistar had overheard his two helpers discussing how strange Caedmon had behaved on the night of his arrival, that the man had been restless and in great distress.

Alistar could see that his uncle cared deeply about his mother.

One day, as he and his uncle walked aimlessly throughout the manor’s long, quiet halls, Alistar decided to ask about something that had been bothering him since he’d heard it. “You said that my mama was forced to marry someone. Did you mean my father?”

Caedmon, who was walking with his hands joined behind his back, stopped to give Alistar a complicated look. “Yes, it was your father.”

“Is that how people are usually married?”

“If they’re a part of the nobility, then yes, sometimes.”

“Nobility? Like knights and princesses?”

“Not exactly. They’re the people that run society, and together they serve under a single person, the king.”

Alistar was reminded of how the guards had lorded over the lives of every slave within Crystellum.

“Are they mean to people? I mean…do they make them do things? Like carry heavy stones, or mine rocks?” He didn’t want to believe that his uncle was such a person.

“Some do, but not all.” Caedmon resumed walking. “They collect taxes, uphold the law, and ensure the peace, but unfortunately there are many that grow too greedy for their own good. These sorts of lords take advantage of others for their own benefit, as you’ve experienced. Ah, I’m sorry Alistar, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s okay.”

His uncle placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m not like that vile man who owns Crystellum. You won’t find any slaves in Distan, I can promise you that.”

“Is it alright if I ask another question?”

“Why, one should always be asking questions. Feel free to ask me anything, at any time. I’d be happy to answer.”

“Are there such things as dragons?”

“Dragons,” he laughed. “Of all the things to ask. No, they’re not real, but some say there was a time when they were. Do they fascinate you? Would you like to know anything about them in particular?”

For the first time in days, an excited smile touched upon Alistar’s face. “Well, there were quite a few things, actually.”

Feel free to ask me anything, at any time. Any other man might have regretted making such a statement to Alistar, whose curiosity knew no limits. His uncle, however, stayed true to his word and explained all sorts of things in the days that followed. Like this, Alistar learned a lot of new things, and began to look forward to their walks throughout the property.

Alistar was astonished to discover that Caedmon was more than just a wealthy landowner. He was the lord of an entire region—Lord Caedmon Silverkin, the Count of Distan—with more than twenty thousand people residing on his lands.

With a population of almost six thousand, Mayhaven was the largest city in the county, and where Alistar would be living from now on. Deep within the Tall Mountains, Distan was far removed from the rest of the kingdom of Civus, with great peaks and vast forests making up the serene backdrop. Alistar had never learned about any other kingdoms aside from the province where Crystellum was located, which was also far into the mountains, so he asked Caedmon all sorts of questions about the kingdom of Civus and the rest of the world. Every time, without fail, he received a delighted and detailed response.

He learned that many people in the continent of Mais chose to settle in the frontier lands for all sorts of reasons, but Distan was an exception. The entire county resided within a massive clearing in the heart of the towering forests, a wide valley that had been logged for over a century. How funny it was, he’d thought, that people paid money for trees when many thousands surrounded the valley. There was enough space to raise livestock and to cultivate the land, though much of the food that found its way onto Alistar’s plates came from elsewhere in Civus. He almost couldn’t believe that growing food was so easy. Why had he been forced to eat tasteless gruel when the guards could have just planted some seeds outside of Crystellum? Thinking about this, his hatred for the guards had grown to another level.

An avid enthusiast and collector of the fine arts, Caedmon spent much of his fortune on things like lavish paintings, marble busts, rare books, fine rugs, high quality pottery—basically anything that caught his fancy. Despite the man’s busy schedule, he shared each meal of the day with Alistar—three meals, not two like he was accustomed to—and instructed Anice to keep him company whenever he wasn’t around. This annoyed them both.

Although she openly claimed to dislike him, Anice dropped by his room every now and then, and more often than not would drag him off to explore the property against his wishes. Every time, she acted as if she’d just happened to be walking by and, on a whim, decided to keep his simple self company. At least, that’s how she worded it. He much preferred walking around with his uncle, since Anice tended to play pranks on the housekeepers, and he was always abandoned to apologize.

His cousin regularly invited him to go into the town, but just as when Caedmon asked him, he politely refused. He would explore Mayhaven with his mother when she arrived at the estate, and together they would enjoy the refreshing experience.

Even if he didn’t want to leave the property, that didn’t mean that he was reluctant to look around his new home. Caedmon’s estate was massive. The manor house, made of strong stone at its base level and of dark durable wood on the upper floors, had four wings that connected at the corners. Three storeys tall, it boxed in a vibrant courtyard that was perhaps eighty paces across, where large water fountains were ringed by thick cobblestone pathways, each lined with stone benches. Magnificent floral gardens fringed these walkways, which housed more beautiful flowers than Alistar could name. He grew quite enamored with this courtyard, and often followed Anice around just to have a chance to stop by.

During one such instance, Alistar found himself missing Kaila more than ever. It all started when Anice invited him to play tag, one of the only games that he knew, and his favourite. Time and again, she refused to admit that he had won, even when he’d grabbed hold of her wrist. She’d just punched him and ran off, which left him at a loss.