"I once warned all of you that you can never plan for a task to go well. No matter how much you hope, pray, or desire for something to go safely and without incident, something can always go wrong." I told them this, knowing that it applied more to myself than to them. "Luseer built her trial to challenge the youth of her homeland. She took a living realm, one sat in a valley with only one entrance, and made a grand gate. That gate would control who entered, and the realm itself would put forth the required challenge for each individual. It was a simple but effective mechanism." The smoke danced to my words, my ability to mold images for my tale growing as I spoke. "In an ideal scenario, the trial would be without exceptional danger. It was far from an ideal scenario when Hal undertook the trial beside Eric."

"Hal, this is Chey and Lars." Eric introduced the two friends he was undergoing the trial with.

"Please call me Cheyenne." The girl said with blatant disdain for Hal in her voice. At first glance, she had the type of personality Hal had first expected from Eric. Hal hoped this was an act or just a front. Not that he would rely on that hope.

"This Lawrence greets you in good faith." The boy said with a slight bow. His demeanor was one Hal had to assume was that of a knight. Or perhaps it was an imitation of one. Hal didn't know the specifics on the orders or how one rose in rank.

Neither one was as memorable as Eric. That was not because they were boring; Eric was just too unique.

Lawrence was taller and broader than Hal and Eric both. He wasn't quite a hulking mass of muscle with a head stacked atop, but Hal imagined he'd reach that stage as he grew. His clothes fit taut against him, likely from before he'd started his recent growth spurt. He hadn't worn anything overly fancy today. Hal imagined that if his more conformed dress clothes were last updated with his current ones, they likely wouldn't fit. In place of dress clothes, Lawrence wore a sleeveless white shirt with a belt around the waist, a pair of dark grey pants that stopped right beneath his knee, and a pair of black leather boots. Out of all his clothes, the shoes were the only thing that fit Lawrence properly.

He had unblemished ochre skin, and his face matched his body well. He had a square chin with high cheekbones, giving him a broader look. His brown eyes were recessed slightly, giving the impression he was always glaring at something. His hair was a similar shade of brown to his eyes, clipped short, barely past his hairline on all sides. All in all, Hal imagined he'd grow to be the perfect image of a warrior.

Cheyenne was a stark contrast to Lawrence in both appearance and attire.

She wore a puffy dress with a tight waist. To Hal, it looked more lace than ordinary cloth. It bore a deep blue color accompanied with white trim. Where Lawrence had no sleeves, Cheyenne's dress covered her arms all the way to her wrists. A pair of pristine white gloves obscured her hands. Hal noted her dress was on the conservative side, covering not only her chest and shoulders, but also her neck. Hal couldn't see her shoes beneath the hem of her ankle-length attire, but he’d heard her walking over and could gather she was wearing heels of some sort. All in all, her attire displayed status and wealth well outside of Hal's norm.

In contrast to Lawrence's darker skin tone, Cheyenne's skin was as pale as pale could be. Hal had to imagine a portion of that was the powdered makeup she'd placed across most of her face. Her lips were small and looked to be the shade of rose petals. Her chin was pointed, narrow, and her cheekbones tapered into that look. She had a small forehead, obscured by a set of clean wispy bangs. Her hair was a deep black, with a near-perfect luster. Hal imagined she'd grow to look perfect among the women at court. Now, she looked more like a doll.

"I, Hal, greet the companions of my charge in good faith." Hal did his best to recall what The Old Man had taught him about proper greetings. "May fair winds blow you in favorable times." He added, even though he felt it seemed off for the region. All his words were accompanied by a low bow, eyes trained on the ground, one hand on the chest, the other on the back of the waist.

"Tsk," Cheyenne clicked her tongue in apparent disdain.

"Mm." Lawrence nodded at Hal's greeting in recognition.

"Well, that's about as good as I could expect," Eric muttered just loud enough for Hal to hear. "Moving on." He used a tone that offered no chance for resistance. "What brings you two here today? I was under the impression we wouldn't see each other again till the trial." He questioned the two who'd arrived all but unannounced.

"My father did not inform me as to why I was brought along, only that my attendance was mandatory," Cheyenne replied coldly.

"I'm in similar circumstances. I wasn't told the specifics of this expedition." Lawrence replied with a much warmer demeanor.

"Concerning." Once more, Eric muttered, barely loud enough for Hal to hear. "I won't complain about seeing you two so soon. Do you perhaps know if you're staying until the trial?" Eric continued questioning the two.

"I highly doubt that is the case. I was not instructed to pack for that occurrence." Cheyenne replied, her tone slightly warmer this time around.

"I believe I will be staying, though I could be misinformed. I brought all my equipment, but that was not at any particular instruction." Lawrence replied with a much less committed answer.

"Interesting. If we don't know how much time we have, how does a drink sound to you two?" Eric kept the conversation flowing while leading the two inside.

"I would quite enjoy a drink if one is offered," Cheyenne responded.

"That sounds alright," Lawrence said while following after Eric as he did so.

"We've got a problem." It was late the night after Lawrence and Cheyenne went home, and Eric greeted Hal with the gravest expression Hal had seen since he left The Old Man.

"What kind of problem?" Hal asked as seriously as he could.

"The kind of problem where you'll have to watch to see if the two you met today will try and kill you during the trial," Eric replied.

"What happened after I left you three alone?!" Hal asked in shock.

"With me, nothing. We had something to drink, had a few laughs at the expense of some other nobles they don't like, and that was it." Eric turned away from Hal to the forest. They always spoke in the garden; at least here, the air wasn't as oppressive as inside. "The problem is what happened before they left," Eric said, exasperated.

"I'm guessing your dad got ahold of them." Hal seconded Eric's feelings.

"It appears it was his goal from the beginning," Eric affirmed. "I haven't the slightest idea what he told them, but I doubt heavily it was something as benign as a greeting to the next generation." Eric sighed at the end, like this was just another occurrence no matter how much he hated it. "Well, what do you want to do? I won't blame you if you've changed your mind about the risk." Eric turned a question on Hal.

"You're still going, right?" Hal asked for confirmation.

Eric nodded ever so slightly.

"Then I've still got a job to do. I'm here to guarantee your safety and success after all." Hal replied warmly despite the implication of failure.

"Even knowing it might get you killed over some petty revenge?" Eric asked with a smile crossing his face.

"No more risk than I've encountered anywhere else," Hal replied in good humor.

"And if they try to kill you because of his command?" Eric asked with a knowing grin.

"I was not employed to keep them safe. But they can survive a broken limb or two." Hal displayed a dark grin of his own in kind.

"Quite right," Eric said, chuckling. "Well, Hal, I think this is going to be far more exciting than I'd initially believed. I look forward to your assistance."