After waking that morning, Will cleaned up as much he could. Even though he wasn't coming back, he thought he shouldn't leave a mess. When he was satisfied with the room, he shouldered his pack and moved for the door. Something stopped him and he looked back feeling slightly uneasy. Spotting the sword, Will smiled. Walking up to the table, he grabbed it off the wall. He replaced it with the one that was at his hip. His father was a good smith, but this looked like a sword made for royalty. There was an intricate pattern that flowed down the bright gray blade. When you swung the blade, the pattern made it seem as if the blade could have been made of gray flame. The guard and hilt were dark gold, with a black leather grip around the handle. The handle had the same dark gold spinning in lines around it from the guard to the hilt. Will felt bad putting such a kingly blade in his old scabbard. Mavin Traunt is truly a skilled smith. Will wondered how his dad could have afforded such a blade. With the blade in hand, a weight seemed to have lifted from Will's shoulders. Leaving the home with an excited step, he locked it and proceeded to Jax's bakery.

The smell was wonderful as he approached, leaving his mouth watering. Will thought of how nice it would be to have the smell of a bakery fill your home after a day's work instead of the coal dust and molten metal of the smithy. As he entered, he saw Jax hard at work pulling a loaf from the giant stone oven. Cari saw him and beamed, "William! I'm happy you stopped by before leaving. I didn't think I'd get a chance to say goodbye." She pulled him into a hug, which Will gladly accepted.

Jax turned and called for Benji, their son, to take over. He came over carrying a loaf of freshly baked bread that was carefully wrapped. "Good timing, I just pulled this one out thirty minutes ago," he said.

Will took the bread and put it in his pack. Remembering the key to the smithy and his home, he pulled it out and presented it to Jax. "Please take it, I don't need it anymore. You can sell it or take it over, doesn't matter to me."

"You mentioned that last night," Jax replied. He held up the key before continuing, "How about this, I'll hold on to this and rent out the smithy. That way, it will still be yours if you return, and Abila will still have a smithy."

"That's up to you. However, I don't see myself returning," Will apologized. Holding out his hand, he said, "Thanks for everything Jax, especially the advice last night."

"Actually if it's alright with you, I'd like to join for a little. At least until the Basset's farm."

Will smiled, nodding. "That sounds lovely."

The two walked together, making idle chat. Neither knew what exactly to say. As the farm grew near, Jax sighed. He swallowed, feeling uncomfortable before beginning, "I want you to remember what I said about not crafting air. It is very dangerous if the wrong person discovers what you can do." Noticing the concerned look on Will's face, Jax stopped. With a lighter tone, he continued, "At least wait until you become stronger in the other crafts, and make a few of those friends I mentioned yesterday." He gave Will a weak smile.

The tension hung around Jax for a moment before Will cheerily replied, "I thought about it a lot after you left, and I agree that it makes a lot of sense not to use air around others for now. There is a lot about the world I don't know, and I trust your opinion. If I'm able to get an apprenticeship under Traunt it might be good to try to learn some metal or fire from him." Jax let out a deep breath, relaxing noticeably.

They continued down the trail. "Good. I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly. You're only fifteen and devil with a blade. I think you could give Traunt a run for his money."

"I'm not as good as you think. I could never beat my father."

"Well, Talin was the best swordsman I've ever seen, better than Traunt. I guarantee he would have been a Dominus if he ever joined the knights. I saw him fight three men at once, two of them Ferro Knights. Placing cuts precisely where he wanted, ensuring they would be wounded, but not fatally. It takes a man with extraordinary skill to fight three men at once, let alone win without having to kill."

Will didn't know what to say, stunned for a moment. He pictured his father in that fight and knew it to be true. Arriving at the Basset's farm, Will turned to Jax and embraced him briefly, "Thank you for all the advice, and help throughout the years. I'll miss you, Jax."

"I'll miss you too, William. Try not to forget about us when you're a fancy knight with shiny medals," he joked. "Do come back if you find yourself around these parts."

"It might be a while, but I will." With one last hug, the two parted. Will walked around along the trail to the end of Basset's farm. Looking back, Jax was around the bend and out of sight. Will was now on his own, about to start his adventure. With a deep breath, he took the first step down the trail to the King's Road.

***

After a few hours, Will's stomach was rumbling. He stopped walking, pulling his pack off and opening it. Sat on top was the wrapped bread. He started unwrapping it, the smell still fresh. He noticed a small note and purse with the bread. Opening the purse he saw silver and copper, counting it he realized it was just shy of two gold. He stood there, stunned. Opening the note he read.

Cari and I thought you could use it more than us. Sorry I snuck it in, but we knew you wouldn't take it if I offered. Your first meal and night at the inn are on us.

Will put the note and the purse back in the pack, realizing that keeping a separate purse might be useful. He ripped off a small chunk of the bread and shouldered the pack again. He continued walking, tearing off smaller pieces of the bread to eat as he did. A few moments later he saw a nicely cobbled road ahead. There was nobody on it that he could see, but knew that it was the King's Road. Sare Vindus was to the right along with the Waystone Inn. With the sun hanging low to the West, Will guessed he'd be upon the inn shortly.

The sun was almost completely below the horizon when Will came upon the Waystone Inn. There was a small stable with horses inside. A few wagons sat off the road, next to the stable. There was a large, stocky man standing next to one of the wagons with his back to Will.

As Will got closer he asked the man, "Is this your inn?"

The man whipped his head around, looking over his left shoulder, startled. Upon seeing Will, he relaxed then explained, "You'll kill a man, sneaking up like that, boy"

Noticing the man was relieving himself, Will looked away awkwardly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"Ah, think nothing of it," the man replied. The man lifted his right heel and shook his right arm briefly before spinning around extending the same hand. "The name is Albert Swindle. I'm not the innkeeper, but I am in charge of this group of wagons," he introduced himself patting the wagon.

He didn't want to offend Albert. So feeling a little disgusted, he took his hand, greeting him, "I'm William Divus, Will for short. Pleased to meet you. By chance are you headed to Sare Vindus?"

Nodding, he replied, "I am. I have this shipment from Trenchon, along with a few passengers. We stopped at the Waystone to get a solid night's sleep and a good meal before continuing in the morning."

"Do you have room for one more?" Will asked. Quickly adding, "I have money."

The caravan owner looked Will up and down. Will stood up straight. He was tall for his age and still would grow. Muscular from constant training and assisting his father at the forge. His messy blonde hair was a sharp contrast to his dark green eyes which looked like a swaying forest, the color seeming to be moving. Albert noticed the ornate hilt of Will's sword, which didn't match the scruffy look of the rest of him. Curious, he asked, "Are you some lord's son that's run off?"

Shaking his head, Will replied, puffing out his chest a little, "No, I'm planning to join the Order of the Dragon."

Realization dawned on the large man, bringing a knowing smile that tugged on his lips. "A knight then. Well, in that case, we would love the company. For the ride and two meals a day it will come to two silver for the trip. We can agree to a silver and two copper if you help cook and clean after the meal. You'll have to pay for your night and meal at the inn though." His smile grew, and he joked, "Plus I heard there are bandits on the way, so you can help protect us as well."

Fumbling through his coin purse, Will gathered the silver and two copper, placing it in Albert's hand then said, "You have yourself a deal."

"Well let's get inside and celebrate with a mug of ale. I'll introduce you to the rest of our companions," he said turning towards the inn. Will followed closely behind Albert, who opened the door to the inn.

Upon entering, Will was struck by the jovial atmosphere. The Waystone was a popular inn since it was located near the split between the three Dremshen cities of Sare Vindus, Trenchon, and RaShen. Tonight the inn boasted a sizable group, mainly because the caravan was staying the night. A man was seated on a table at the far side of the inn, playing The Summer of Three Kings on an intricately carved lute, entrancing the crowd with swift fingers and a gentle voice. Upon finishing, the small crowd erupted into cheers with raised mugs of ale. "That talented young man is Adrian Valendi. We luckily picked him up in Trenchon. He was there playing at a celebration for the Marquess. He travels all over the world and has played for each of the kings. Stories say he made King Kantillion weep to a beautiful display of Yezzu's Folley."

Leading Will to the bar where the innkeeper waited, Albert asked, "Herm, could you get this young man a drink and bed for the night." Glancing at Will, he continued, "I'd wager a nice meal as well."

"Sure thing. That'll be eight copper." he directed to Will.

Pulling out the coins, he handed them to the innkeeper. The man filled a frothy mug of ale to the brim before shouting through a doorway behind the bar, "Maggie, we need another bowl of stew!" Turning back toward the two, he motioned for them to find a seat. "I'll bring it out to you," he said with a toothy smiling.

Albert led them to a group of tables next to the musician. Two men and a woman sat at one table. The other seated a man and woman. Albert gestured toward the table of three, explaining, "These are our faithful protectors. They'll protect us from those bandits I mentioned earlier. That big oaf is Wesley. The leader of our defenses here is John." Albert took a quick glance at the woman at the other table, before continuing, "This fine lady is Leanna."

"I'm not a lady, and don't scare the boy into thinking we'll actually see bandits," Leanna said, swatting a hand at Albert. Looking at Will she resumed, "It's a pleasure to meet you..."

"Will. William Divus," was all he could blurt out causing his face to flush. Leanna wasn't necessarily beautiful, but there weren't many women that were under the age of thirty in Abila. The only ones around his age were the Basset daughters who didn't come into the town often. Will and Benji would often make excuses to go toward the farm trying to casually run into them.

"Will," she finished, raising her mug. The other two men at the table hid small laughs which conveniently turned into coughs causing Will to flush more.

Albert, gesturing toward the other two continued, "This is our cook, Harold, and this beautiful, magnificent, gracious woman is my wife, Debbie." Debbie glared at Albert disapprovingly. Losing the ferocity as she turned to Will, she raised her mug, smiling in greeting.

Adrian approached and with a slight bow, he announced himself, "My name is Adrian Valendi, the greatest musician there is, has been, or ever will be." He locked his lute in its case and sat down next to Leanna, the two exchanging devilish smiles.

"As he already said, this is Will Divus. He will be joining us to Sare Vindus, helping Harold cook and clean." Albert sat down next to his wife Debbie, putting an arm around her, who in response lost her apparent frustration with him.

Will sat and the two groups broke into idle conversation. Herm brought Will his food, and he ate his meal smiling while listening to Albert and Debbie recount stories from their travels. Leanna and Adrian soon both excused themselves, heading upstairs. Will asked Harold what he would be doing to help with cooking. Harold explained that Will would just be grabbing firewood and cleaning the pot and bowls after the meal, which Will gladly agreed to. He didn't have much experience cooking. Only having made deer or rabbit stew, often lacking any flavor.

Next Harold and the Swindles left, leaving John, Wesley, and Will together. Will joined their table as he still had a quarter of his mug of ale left. The ale wasn't as strong as the whiskey, but Will still felt his head spinning slightly. Will found the ale to his liking, pairing nicely with the salty meal.

Once seated, gesturing towards Will's sword John asked, "That's a nice looking blade. Do you know how to use it?"

"Well enough. My father taught me how to fight from the moment I could stand. He fought in the army in the wars against Ex'ol," Will replied.

"Those were some nasty wars I heard. Was he a knight?"

"No, but he could have been. I was told he fought three men at once, beating them."

The two men laughed at some joke Will must not have heard. "Sure he did kid. Your father was not a knight, but was able to fight like a Dominus," joked Wesley. The two downed their drinks leaving Will alone at the table. Everything about his first night away from Abila was wonderful up until that moment. He sat there looking into his drink, wondering what was true about his father.

Herm walked over, clapping Will on the back. "Don't listen to them, boy. They've had a few too many drinks." He pulled Will's unfinished mug away, putting a key and two copper in its place. "Why don't you head to bed and get a good night's sleep? Your room is the last down the hall on the left. The drink is on me."

Picking up the key but leaving the coins, Will walked up the stairs, swaying as he did, and headed to his room. He stopped at the top of the stairs seeing a girl his age down the hall knocking lightly on one of the doors. She looked beautiful, with wavy brown hair tumbling down past her shoulders. She wore a sleeping gown, which was a little more than was appropriate for Will to be seeing. Her eyes met his, she flushed which changed her fair skin to a deep red. The door opened and she rushed inside leaving Will alone once again. He walked to the last door on the left and entered. He placed the key in the door, locking it. Removing his traveling clothes, he went into bed and fell asleep to pleasant thoughts of this mysterious girl.