Three days after the events at the Firebrand Knights tournament, Glaed Balaston sat in the front row of an aélium powered shuttle bus. He was given orders to report to the Aélian capital for the yearly knighting ceremony in two days. And that gave him time to travel home and surprise his family with the good news. The days following the competition were monotonous, to say the least. He never expected there would be so much paperwork just to become a knight. If I had known that, I would have just stayed home. He laughed out loud and got a few concerned looks from the other passengers aboard the bus.

The only good thing about those long, tedious three days was the fact he got to spend them with Antha. He didn't know why, but he felt a strong attachment to her. While he felt like the briefings would never end, he yearned for the lunch breaks in the capital building courtyard with her. They would sit there telling stories of their childhoods and the ridiculous tales they had heard from Indago during the, what felt like, countless meetings. All that time with her definitely seemed to make the days go by faster.

Now he sat there on the uncomfortable nano-fiber shuttle seats, nervous for his mother to see him in his Firebrand uniform. He didn't know how she was going to react. She never really agreed with his choice to join the Firebrand Knights. They were the reason her boisterous and loving husband had perished. But she knew that nothing would stop Glaed from stepping into Glanduil's shoes, so she smiled and prayed that he would be alright.

Into the glare of the mid-morning light, Glaed stared at the green fields that spanned the expanse between the cities. Darensville was only a two-hour shuttle flight from Saesha, but the sheer amount of lush vegetation in transit was overwhelming. Aélia was pocketed with copse after copse and every one was surrounded by foliage of a vast variety. However, every now and then, Glaed spotted a formation of the old world, a relic of Aélia's long and scarred history. One such relic, a tall, hollowed out building built from man-made stone, stood ominously empty as the shuttle bus passed. Near the building, Glaed observed herds of elelut, a type of hoofed ruminant mammal, gnawing on cones from a sachianna tree. The sachianna was a large coniferous evergreen that grew upwards of sixty feet and the giant cones that fell to the ground during the change in the seasons were the elelut's favorite. Suddenly, a rodent called a koobil scurried by and frightened the collection of doe and the group began a steady gallop south.

Before the elelut were out of sight, however, he spied the alpha. His large, mangled antlers were the biggest Glaed had ever seen and it was obvious that the male had worked hard to become the pack's leader. Shortly thereafter, the bus passed over the northwestern point of the Saeshan river. He looked down at the rippling surface of the water and saw the distorted reflection of the airborne bus. Staring at the water reminded him of fishing with his father three years before his death. He found himself lost in thought about the tiny footu fish he had caught all by himself. He was nine years old then and he decided he would save the fish for later and stuffed it in his pocket.

The next day his mother went to pick up the clothes in his bedroom for laundry. When she felt something hard in his pants pocket, she pulled it out and let out a blood-curdling scream. She rushed into the living area where Glaed was playing a game on their holo-viewer. She was livid and she reprimanded him on leaving dead things in his pockets.

He chuckled softly and as he wiped a stray tear from his eye, he turned to face forward and looked around the bus.

The shuttle had five rows of nano-fiber bucket seats that were awkwardly close to one another and the floors were covered with an unseen layer of muck that caused his feet to stick to the floor. World -class accommodations, was his passing thought. The faded silver metal of the bus shell betrayed the age of the vehicle which was worn from the many trips back and forth through Hulluven. These buses had long treks before finally ending back in Saesha. He turned his head to the right, and he saw a small boy gawking at the uniform he wore. Glaed smiled and softly saluted the little one. Embarrassed, the boy hid his face in his mother's tunic.

After a half-hour, Glaed noticed the skyline of Darensville. It was nothing compared to the capital, but it was his home, nonetheless. He watched as the short buildings, nearly as old as the relics that had passed a few hours before, came into view and he could finally make out the traits of the city he had seen most of his life. He saw the large hotel building where tons of visitors and out-of-towners stayed many nights at a time. He looked out and saw the golden arrow statute of their tiny, in comparison to the ones in Saesha, government building. Finally, the shuttle came into the city and started it's landing maneuvers. As the bus slowed in the air, secondary engines kicked on for the hover jets to leisurely lower the bus into its momentary resting place.

Following the successful landing, Glaed strolled out into the Darensville shuttle bus station. People stood and waited for the next shuttle to take them out into the world. He pushed passed the multitude and came out into the light of the day.

"It's so good to be home!" He shouted, which startled many passersby. He smiled at a few and walked toward north town, the sector where the rest of the Balaston family lived.

Darensville had quite a bit more of a rustic feel than Saesha. If the capital of Hulluven was an elaborate mansion, Darensville was the quaint guest house in the back. The buildings throughout the city weren't maintained to the highest of standards, but they had stood for many generations and they would stand for more, even still. Glaed passed by his mother's family café where she and his father first met. He had been there several times as a kid to snatch a free cookie from his grandpapa, one of his favorite people in the world.

As Glaed walked by, he looked into the café and noticed his grandpapa shuffling around. He tapped on the glass, which caught the old man's attention, and the look on his face was priceless. He motioned for his customers to wait and dashed outside. As he came out, he stopped and eyed Glaed's knight uniform and chuckled.

"Look's like we have a Firebrand Knight walking through our fair city!" He bellowed loud enough that the whole block could hear. The people in the café all stood in the windows and gawked at him.

"Heya, Grandpapa Harimond," he spun around just in time to see two large arms coming in for a hug, "How have you been?"

"Sir Glaed Balaston, that uniform makes you look just like your da!" Harimond pulled him away and looked at him. "That buffoon, Glanduil, must be so awfully proud of you!"

Harimond Rappaport was a short and very stout Aélian. It was obvious he had put on a few extra pounds since Glaed had last seen him, either as a result of eating grandmama Branda's cooking or partaking in his own baked goods. He had a bushy mustache and a very rotund, yet gentle face.

"I really do hope so," Glaed spoke with pride. "I'm actually off to see mama right now." He pointed in the direction of his house. "She hasn't heard the news yet."

"You are going to throw her for a loop." An idea popped into Harimond's mind and he pointed at the sky. "Before you go, wait right here!"

The burly baker ran inside the café and reappeared holding a bag. "Any time you're in the area, you come by and you get a piping fresh cookie on the house!"

Glaed smiled from ear to ear and took the baggy. "Now get a move on to that wonderful daughter of of mine!"

Harimond gave him one last hug and ushered him on. As Glaed walked away he heard Harimond's hearty laugh and then heard him walk back inside the café where he had customers waiting in line. "Welcome!"

Glaed pulled the cookie out of the bag as he walked and took a bite. It tastes the same as always! Along the way, he met several familiar faces with whom he spent a moment or two chatting with before continuing on toward his original destination. He only had two days to spend with his family and he did not want to waste them. He finished his cookie and crumbled the bag to put into a garbage incinerator later, just as he walked up to the duplex apartment his mother and three siblings lived in.

Glaed remembered this place well. After his father died, his mother, Kelphine, brought him and his two sisters and brother to live in Glanduil's childhood home. She had met his father, Glanduil, in the Rappaport family café with his family while they were visiting his father's old pal, Harimond. They had an extensive courting period, as Glanduil was training to be a Firebrand squire. But their first date had been a night to remember, as his mother used to say.

As Glaed stood there reminiscing, his little brother, Brayder, who was two years his junior, came barreling out the door, kicking a small rubber ball. He was so lost in his pretend ball game that he didn't even notice his older brother grinning at him.

"Hey, Bray. What game are you playing?" Glaed chortled.

"Uh... Not really playing anything. Just..." It took a few seconds for his mind to register the voice that just spoke to him. Brayder looked up, his jaw on the floor, and just stared. "Glaed?!"

Before Glaed could respond, he was embraced by his brother, whom he had not seen in over a year, since his last vacation. "Mama's gonna be so happy to see you!" Brayder eyed Glaed's fancy clothing and gasp. "Are you... a Firebrand Knight?!"

"Yup! In the flesh." Glaed laughed and exhaled. He looked at his younger brother, who could have been his twin, except for his emerald green eyes. "Is mama home?"

"Yeah, she's inside watching the news from the border."

Brayder, now retiring from his game, led Glaed into the apartment building. Glaed felt a pit in his stomach grow larger and his anxiety gnawed at him like a elelut chewing on a clump of barley. They stepped through the threshold of the apartment and Kelphine spoke, "Bray, is that you? Are you done playing al-" At that time, they heard the shriek of what sounded like a banshee. Instantaneously, Glaed was wrapped in an embrace only a mother would, or ever could, know.

"Oh dear the lords of the stars, thank you!" She spoke to the sky before turning to Glaed, who was suffocating in his mother's bosom. She looked down at his getup. "Oh, Glaed, I am so proud of you!" Tears filled her eyes. "And your father would be doubly so."

She let Glaed breathe, enough so that he could respond. "Hey mama, I thought you would be angry... or..."

"Angry?!" The look of shock overtook Kelphine's face and she scowled. "How could I be angry?" She sat him down and walked to the kitchen, presumably to start a meal. "Worried? Yes. Scared? Of course. But never angry."

Glaed felt a sigh of relief, he reassured her that he was in the best of hands. "The Firebrand captain, Behr, wouldn't let anything happen to me, mama." He beamed at her.

"Well, nevertheless," He could sense a motherly threat coming, "That man would have to answer to me if anything did!" She didn't talk to Behr for three months after her husband passed away and when she finally did, it wasn't pretty.

Glaed chuckled and stood to walk around the room, scanning the many keepsakes and knick-knacks that he grew up seeing in Kelphine's household. There were many holo-pictures on the walls, some with Glaed and many new ones, assuredly, most were that of his youngest sister, Twilley, who was five years younger than Glaed. She was only one year old when their father died, so all she remembered of Glanduil were forever conserved within their mother's many photos.

He walked to the stairwell of the two-story apartment and looked up the stairs. What he heard was the sound of his little sisters playing a game upstairs. He thought about calling them down, but he did not want to interrupt. And besides, he was starving.

Kelphine watched her oldest son survey the room as her pearl white eyes filled with tears. He looked so much like Glanduil and it was overwhelming to see his happy-go-lucky attitude, which was one of Glanduil's defining characteristics. Glaed turned to look at her and she quickly cleaned the tears from her eyes. "Mama, are you okay?" He smiled softly. Just then, he noticed just how much his mother had aged since he left for the Firebrand training. She had crows feet and laugh lines that had not been there two years prior and her face was framed by long brown hair that seemed to have faded slightly. But for as long as he could remember, her face had always been so soft and compassionate.

"Yes, my dear," she started, "It's just that every time I look at you with that uniform on, the more and more you look exactly like your father." She rushed towards her son and squeezed him in another, longer hug. Glaed returned the embrace and smiled.

Following the welcome and many, many additional hugs and kisses, Glaed sat at the kitchen table, eating his weight in an assortment of dinner items. His sisters, Elmyra and Twilley, had already come down the stairs when they smelled the food being prepared. They both jumped on Glaed when they saw him sitting at the table, talking with their mother.

They spent the rest of the day reminiscing about Glanduil and Glaed even told them of his time in the Firebrand academy. "And in the final round of the tournament, I had to fight the princess of Aélia!" His siblings looked at him incredulously.

"Now," exclaimed Elmyra through a full mouth, "You're just making stuff up!" Her hazel green eyes glinted with suspicion.

"Am not!" He felt a younger, more immature Glaed come out when he shouted. "She's even my friend now. We spent a couple days together when we were both chosen to be Firebrand Knights." Elmyra flipped her auburn colored hair and giggled. "Sure, big brother."

Glaed glowered at her, but their mother stopped the sudden bickering with a question. "Is it that time already?" Which was the classic Kelphine question to signal bedtime. "Who's ready for bed?" She sang. He hadn't noticed just how dark it already was outside. The twenty-two hour days on Aél just did not feel like enough time to catch up with family.

Following a groan from the younger Balaston children, Kelphine ushered them up the stairs. Glaed grabbed the bag that he had been carrying and a realization came over him. "Wait! I completely forgot I have presents!" His mother glared and he laughed with a slight air of guilt. Glaed passed out a stuffed nulaby, a type of ring-tailed marsupial, to his youngest sister and a couple other trinkets to Elmyra and Brayder. Twilley's pale blue eyes widened and she hugged her brother. Then Kelphine escorted them up the stairs to their bedrooms.

After giving his other siblings a few souvenirs, Glaed bade goodnight to his mother and walked upstairs, to his old bedroom. As he walked in, it was apparent that Kelphine had kept this room sealed and it smelled just like before. He looked around and grinned at the Firebrand Knights holos all over the room. He never expected that two years after leaving this room, he would be returning as a knight. Glaed glanced around the room and he stopped at the holo of his father holding him in the air. "I miss you, dad..."

He walked passed the old holo-screen he had been given after Kelphine received a newer one. And sat on his bed. "Oh, man. So much softer than the one in Saesha." He changed into his pajamas and laid down, ready to drift off to sleep. After several minutes of replaying the day's events, his eyes finally closed and he was asleep.

He dreamt about fishing with his dad.



Antha Agrior couldn't sleep. Her mind was reeling from the past few day's events. So instead, she chose to bury herself within hours of training. She spent the days trapped inside Aélia castle and she felt cooped up. Her father, King Agrior, who had congratulated her countless times, wanted to show her off to as many dignitaries as possible before she was knighted. The princess that defends her country, is what they were calling her. So she was not to leave, under any circumstance, owing to the fact that she was notorious for sneaking out by herself to peruse the city square.

While she practiced with an energy spear in the training grounds, her thoughts shifted to her fellow initiate, Glaed, with whom she had forged a close friendship, even if they had only known each other for a few days. But right now, she only felt a burning jealousy of her newfound friend. He got to leave; he could go out and adventure beyond the castle walls whenever he wanted to. She had already returned to the capital of Aélia and every time she wanted to go out, she was either escorted by one of her parents or by a group of armed guards. I can protect myself! She had told them several times. But alas, they would not listen to her pleas.

It's too dangerous. There could be spies everywhere. The king had said. But she didn't care. She had thought her father was only being paranoid. That was, until she met her sister's new fiancé.

She stood in the castle training arena, which was more like a gym that smelled like strong body odor. The knights that were promoted to the Aélia castle guard often trained here while they were on leave or between shifts. Aélia castle's gym also had a built-in track where they could run laps and there were many practice utensils lining the walls.

In an instant, Antha threw the spear into the air and caught it again, horizontally. She lined up her target, a training dummy on the far wall fifty feet in front of her. She let fly her projectile, which skewered the mannequin through to the wall behind. Afterward, she let her muscles relax and she let out an exasperated sigh. She started towards the bench where she had her electrolyte water to rehydrate.

As she walked, she heard the sound of slow clapping from behind her. She spun around, expecting to see one of her family members. But instead, she was met with the sniveling visage of him. Her sister, Freya-lyn's, fiancé, Denarveld Helekas. She did not like him as far as she could throw him. He was a greasy, slippery man who would do anything to be in the limelight. His jet black hair was slicked back and his prying, dark eyes bore into the very soul of anyone he gazed at.

"Very good, princess." His voice was grating and Antha could not understand what her sister saw in him. "I'm looking forward to seeing more of you on the battlefield." He had an arrogant and flamboyant air about him. "I am, after all, to be advisor to the Aquafell Knights." He spoke of the knights that protected Ayorid, the province to the south. "Perhaps I shall see you in action one of these days."

His glare was unnerving and she was forced looked away. "Thank you, Lord Helekas." She half-turned and walked towards the door. Denarveld held his arm out to block Antha's path. "Wait just a minute, princess." She turned her head with disdain. "It's clear that you do not think very highly of me."

The slender man dropped his arm dramatically and turned to let her go. He raised his hand to his brow and fidgeted with a small, black nodule protruding from his temple. The device was strange and Antha had never seen anything like it. He claimed it was strictly a cosmetic implant, but she suspected it had something to do with the unnerving feeling she always felt when he was around. A devious look came over his face and he shot her a sly grin, "But I assure you, I have the best of intentions for this kingdom in my mind."

Antha curtseyed to the man of noble blood and strolled out of the large training gym. Denarveld let out a sinister laugh as she rounded the threshold and her pace quickened. She wanted to get as far away from that man as possible. And for good reason. The day that Denarveld was first invited to the castle for Freya-lyn's engagement announcement, she overheard him speaking into a small device about infiltrating the castle. And every time her sister was with him, she seemed out of it, as if he was controlling her somehow. She didn't know what, but he was up to something.

When she arrived out in the castle courtyard, her pace became an all-out sprint. Gotta get back to my room. She glanced up at the tallest tower, where the royal family lived. She felt like she was being watched. She ran harder. She quickly turned her head and she saw Denarveld leaning up against a pillar in the courtyard, cutting some kind of fruit with a holo-knife. She saw him chuckle and disappear into the shadow of the courtyard awning. How is he so fast?

All she wanted was to be back in the safety of her bedroom.

As she grew closer to the tower, she heard the shout of a castle guard and she ducked out of sight. She wasn't allowed to be out this late at night, and she would have an ear full if she was caught.

The feeling of dread receded once she reached the entrance to the royal family's living quarters. She quickly galloped up the stairs to the second floor and slammed the door of her bedroom behind her. I've never ran that hard in my life. She collapsed onto the floor where she lay for several minutes. She replayed the conversation, such as it was, in her head. After a while, a soothing female voice came from above.

"How did your training go, little one?" The AI system she was assigned several years ago spoke softly. "You look like you were running a marathon at an alarming pace. Your heart rate is very elevated."

"I had a run-in with Freya's husband-to-be." She heard the chirp of disapproval come from her sensitive artificial intelligence system. "I know you told me not to-"

"He's dangerous, little Antha." She spoke to her as a mother would. "Please stay away from him until the time is right."

"He approached me while I was training, Intra." The princess sat up on the floor and recounted the confrontation. "And then he was creepily standing in the courtyard when I was running back here."

"He must be very fast to keep up with you, milady."

"Have you found out anything else about him?" She was referring to the investigation Intra was conducting on the history of the man known as Denarveld. "Is he really who he says he is?"

"I'm afraid so, dear." Intra sounded defeated. "But that doesn't mean he still isn't guilty of something. The recording you gave me of him speaking with King Agrior was riddled with lie after lie."

"I know. But what I don't know is what to do about it." She stood and walked about the room nervously.

As her mind was racing with thoughts about how to deal with Denarveld, she scanned her bedroom. She stared blankly at her canopy bed, fit for any princess and her two large armoires that stood against opposing walls. A princess can never have too many dresses, her mother once told her.

She noticed the artistic masonry of the walls and was still marveled by the craftsmanship. The castle had a renovated metal exterior, but the inside walls were still made of stone, an archaic way to build nowadays, but Aelia castle had stood for many generations.

Her thoughts turned back to the problem at hand as she sat on her firm bed. She had already tried to convince the king and her sister of Denarveld's dubious intentions. But her complaints always fell on deaf ears. He had been a trusted royal advisor for two years and he had them feeding out of the palm of his grimy hands.

"Well, little one." Intra started. "It's futile to think on it too much. It's late. You should get some rest."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Antha's heart jumped out of her chest. That slippery whelp followed me. "Intra, I'm not here."

The AI chirped an acknowledgment and Antha hid in one of her large, metal armoires that was on the far right wall. Intra opened the door with a squeak and King Agrior stepped through the doorway. "Your majesty, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"A guard informed me that he saw my daughter running across the courtyard about half an hour ago." His voice sounded shaky and nervous. "Have you seen her?"

Realizing it wasn't Denarveld, she breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm here father." She stepped out of the closet and bowed.

"Good stars above, Antha. What were you doing out so late?"

"I couldn't sleep," she started, "So I went to train."

"And why on Aélia were you running through the yard, making all kinds of ruckus?"

"I-" The urge to tell the king what had happened filled her lungs, but she abandoned the thought. "I just thought someone was following me. I heard something from behind and I was frightened."

"Oh, my dear daughter." Emma-lyn, the queen of Aélia, entered the room. "Come here." She embraced her daughter and soothed her rapid heartbeat.

"Jumping at shadows, eh, Firebrand?" Her father, who was a portly man with a short beard, was known to be light-hearted, yet, often stern. "You know the curfew also applies to you, Antha. You know how dangerous it is to be out so late."

"Yes, father." She nodded and accepted the lecture. "It won't happen again."

"Let's hope that it doesn't. I don't want to have to place guards outside your bedroom." The thought of that turned her stomach.

With that, Antha's mother and father withdrew back into their quarters and without a word, Antha prepared for bed. She switched off the lights and changed into her pajamas. "Intra, can you set an alarm for dawn, please?"

"Yes, little one."

Antha closed her eyes and tried to sleep. However, it did not come easy. Her mind was racing. Trying to figure what Denarveld would want with Aélia. After two and a half hours of endless thoughts, the princess was finally asleep. But it was not at all restful.

She dreamt of fire. And darkness. And a shadowy figure standing over the throne of Aélia.