It was the evening of the third of Demmor, first month of the year. Everyone else was walking back from school and Whil was still at home packing up. He skipped the first day of school that year. He had quite a talk with his grandmother, Esmer Dawn, that morning. Whil tried so hard to convince his grandmother about going in a journey to find his father. He asked Thornwell to help him convinced her and tell her that Thornwell could feel his father alive and well.

It took several minutes to finally made Esmer come to a proper decision. She was very reluctant to let her only grandson go venture the world and beyond as things were not any safer anymore. Just a couple of days ago cities were attacked by unmanned drones and that included Joycelm. Esmer feared that Whil might get into unspeakable trouble in his journey and she could not let that happen. After a while, she finally agreed to let Whil go. She knew that Thornwell and Bergarious would keep him safe and Darreos will always keep Whil from harm’s way no matter what.

Whil was upstairs in his room. He was looking at a short sword that his grandmother gave to him that morning. She told him that it was his grandfather’s sword. The sword had a beautiful royal red and golden hilt. The Guardian Republic’s Seal was embedded on both sides of the flat surfaces of the sword near the hilt. His grandmother told him that his grandfather, Phillias Dawn, served the Republic as an Ender Knight for ten years. She told him an Ender Knight is a champion claimed by any High Lords, Lords or Mayors of any cities or towns. Each have their own number of champions and Hercia had twenty-one. His grandfather was the eleventh Ender Knight to be chosen by the High Lord among others at the time. Whil was impressed and honoured to be holding a weapon of a champion in his hands at that moment. The sword was made from Inglethel, the strongest Elven metal. It was the rarest and most expensive metal to be found.

As Whil was busy being mesmerised by the beauty of the sword and its well-crafted sheath, he was suddenly interrupted by several knocks at the front door. They were quite loud that he heard it from his room upstairs. Whil rushed down and quickly swung the door open before anyone else in the house could reach it. There he saw Wyo, Alph and Sheila stood right in front of him.

“I told you, just let me knock,” Alph said looking at Sheila.

“Whatever,” she responded and quickly turned her attention towards Whil. “Why weren’t you at school?” she asked like a mother being angry with her child for being naughty.

“Umm. I was busy,” Whil replied.

“Busy with what?”

“Well. With things. This and that.”

“Whil. Tell us. Is something the matter?” Wyo asked with a sweeter voice than Sheila’s.

“Nothing’s wrong. Trust me. I'm fine.”

“Then why weren’t you at school?” Alph interrupted.

He gave a huff. He could not say a word to them, but he knew that they have the right to know. He could not just leave them and not tell them anything at all. He would be just like his father if he did that, leaving them without giving a single clue. Then, he gestured them to come in. They entered and went straight to the living room. As they passed by the corridor to the living room, Sheila noticed a presence in his house that felt different. Something she never felt before. They all sat on the large sofa and Whil was on the same comfortable looking chair he sat on yesterday.

“First thing’s first. Who are the strangers in your house?” Sheila suddenly asked.

Whil was not that surprised as he was already getting used to the fact that Sense helped her noticed much more than ordinary Human. Still, he was puzzled by the question a little.

“They’re my acquaintances,” he gave a reply.

“Acquaintances? What are you? A criminal now?” Alph jumped in and gave a huff. “Acquaintances.”

“Seriously, Whil, tell us what’s going on here?” Wyo asked.

Whil gave a long stare at the floor. He was being hesitant whether to tell them or not. Then, with a loud sigh, he told them that Prince Thornwell was in the guestroom with his personal bodyguard Bergarious. He explained that Thornwell knew his father and could possibly help him find Patton. He also told them that he would be leaving tomorrow at dawn following Thornwell in his journey back to Drainrock to learn more about his father. Then, he went on telling about Darreos. He tried to convince them that Darreos can help protect him and he could protect himself with magic. They all went quiet for a while after Whil explained everything. Wyo, Alph and Sheila looked at each other in silence as if they were communicating telepathically. Maybe they were. Then, Alph looked at Whil with a slight worry.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked.

“As sure as ever. My dad is alive out there somewhere. I have to find him.”

“I know how you feel. It’s been years since you last saw him. You miss him, I know. Even so, going out there means throwing yourself into possible danger. Orcs and Goblins are running wilder than before. Random attacks on cities. Beasts spotted attacking travellers. Thieves and murderers roaming free lately. I don’t think I can let you go out there by yourself.” Alph said.

“I know you’re worried. Grandma was as well; but trust me, will you? Thornwell and Bergarious can keep me safe. I could learn a thing or two from them,” Whil tried to convince them.

“I guess you’re right. Maybe you’ll be alright. Maybe you won’t be in real danger. Maybe Thornwell, Bergarious and Darreos can protect you. But I still can’t help to feel worried for you,” Alph said as he was truly concerned. “That’s why we’re coming with you.”

The last statement shocked both Sheila and Wyo. They both shared a glance and then gave a stare at Alph. Alph could feel their burning leer down his neck. “What? It’s only logical,” he said to them.

Whil forced a smile at Alph’s words. He could not allow him to come along. It would be too much to ask for. It was a quest to find his father. Neither of them needed to follow as they owed his father nothing and his father owed them nothing. If they were to help him, it would be a blind favour with nothing else in return for them.

“I can’t. I can’t let you guys put yourself in harm’s way for me. This is my dad that I'm looking for. I don’t need you guys to jump into this. This is between me and him,” Whil said.

“I know that. You think I don’t? Look, he is your father. We have nothing else from Ygmod. All our parents are dead. All we have are each other and if your father is out there somewhere, we would do anything to help. Because that’s what friends are for. You need us. We can help. He is your dad, but he is as much as an Ygmodian as you and I. If there’s a chance of reuniting you and your dad, I want to help. I will help,” Alph responded Whil’s statement.

The speech made Wyo and Sheila felt needed. He was right. Whil needed them. He needed someone he is close with to support him. Of course, Thornwell and Bergarious can help, but they were not his friends. They were just a couple of newly met acquaintances that claimed to know Whil’s father. They realised they could not let him leave without someone he really trusted to go along the journey with him. Wyo was especially moved by Alph’s words. She just got here days ago. She was just reunited with Whil. She could not let herself be separated with him or even Alph again.

“You know what? Alph’s right. We can’t let you go by yourself, even if you have Thornwell, Bergarious and Darreos. We will come along and you can’t say otherwise,” she said to Whil with burning passion.

“Yup. Alph’s right. We’re coming along,” Sheila agreed as well.

Whil was touched by his friends’ decision to come with him. He knew that whatever he was going to say to deny them of their decision would be fruitless. They were just as stubborn as he was. He forced a smile and looked at every single one of his friends.

“You guys are the best friends I could ask for,” he said. “I couldn’t ask you to come and I can’t ask you to leave either.

Your decision is yours alone to make and I am forever thankful for it. Just promise me that you wouldn’t go as far as to kill yourselves for me. Promise me.”

“We promise,” Alph answered on Sheila’s and Wyo’s behalf.

“What about your parents though? What about Miss Polly? What about your uncle, Wyo? Would they let you go?” Whil asked.

“Don’t you worry about that,” Sheila said. “I think we can handle them. We’ll meet you back here at dawn. Agree?”

“Agreed,” Whil answered as the others nodded.

“Good. No one leave without everyone else being here,” Sheila ended the agreement with her last statement.

----- ----- ----- -----

Dawn approached slowly and the breeze blew by swiftly. It was a very exhilarating morning. Whil was standing at the front door of his house hugging his grandmother goodbye. He could tell that she was still worried. He was ready to leave, but was waiting for his other comrades. Whil was wearing a nice plain shirt with a thick sweater. He had his short sword dangling on his left waist and a bag hanging off his shoulders. Darreos was already waiting as a horse at the street in front of Whil’s house with the unicorn.

Then, from one end, Sheila, Gallant, Alph and Wyo came into view. They were packed and prepared. Sheila was the only one that seemed to be sporting a rapier and a gauntlet on her left arm while the rest were without any weapon of any sort. As they got close, they all greeted each other. Sheila and Wyo gave Esmer a hug and promised her that Whil will be all right. They hoped that it was enough to make Esmer feel calmer and better about letting him leave.

As they waved their final goodbye, Whil, Sheila and Bergarious climbed on their mounts as the rest followed behind them. Wyo was on Gallant with Sheila. Thornwell found himself walking right beside Alph at the back of the group. The only two people that walked.

“You don’t happen to know where we could find a steed of our own, do you?” he asked Alph.

“There’s a farmer up north just outside of Joycelm. We’ll go right pass his farm soon if we continue on this path. He have some sheep, cows and horses. I heard he bred the horses for the city’s Guards,” Alph replied.

“That’s good enough. I would favour a unicorn over a horse though, but, a mount is a mount either way.”

“What’s so great about a unicorn? Other than the horn, they’re as similar as a horse.”

“They are similar in appearance, but a unicorn is faster and are less likely to get tired as quickly as a horse. They’re much more unique than you know it. Some said that its blood can cure diseases.”

“Whoa. Magical.”

“They truly are,” Thornwell agreed. “You were with Whil since Ygmod?”

“Yeah. Ten years we’ve been together.”

“So you know him quite well.”

“Quite. Not as much as you might think, but I’d say I know him more than you.”

“That is true. I barely know him. If I speak truth, I only knew him by name. We never met until a couple of days ago.”

“You knew his dad. How did that happened?”

“That is a story for another day child,” he replied with a slight giggle.

As they reached the farm, Thornwell bargained with the farmer for three horses. The farmer drove a hard bargain and in the end, they ended up with three horses that costed a gold coin each. The currency of Geldar was rather simple. They were called as tallicans. There were four tallicans, bronze, copper, silver and gold. Ten bronze coins make a copper, ten copper coins make a silver and ten silver coins make a gold. Having to buy a horse that costed a gold coin each was rather expensive. Normally a horse would cost around three to five silver coins each. Even so, Thornwell had no interest in walking all the way to Drainrock so he decided to comply with the farmer’s price.

As they rode off, the farmer gave a swell farewell and laughed in happiness. Wyo and Alph had their own brown horses and Thornwell was on a grey one.

“Hard bargain, Sir?” Bergarious asked as Thornwell approached him.

“Hard? Not really the word for it.”

Alph was right behind Thornwell and Whil was beside him. Sheila and Wyo were at the most back.

“Thanks for the horses. I know they were expensive,” Alph showed gratitude towards Thornwell.

“Well, I couldn’t just bought one for myself and let a child walk by himself. That would be very uncourteous of me,” Thornwell replied.

They all followed a dirt path that formed a wide road leading farther north up Gallenhied. Up ahead the road led to a split. One road headed north while the other turned northeast leading to the Serrumpt River and across it. Beyond the river, the road led straight to Flourous, the city that Whil and his friends went to before the holiday ended. They reached the split of the road at noon and they continued straight instead of turning. As time passed by, Whil turned his head around and looked at the girls. After he turned his head back in front, he gave another glance at them. Sheila noticed his eyes were on her gauntlet the second time he looked.

“What is it?” she asked him. Alph turned his attention to Sheila and then to Whil.

“What’s with the gauntlet?” Whil asked.

“I could ask the same about the sword,” she answered.

“Well, it’s for protection. Grandma gave it. It was grandpa’s sword.”

“OK. Dad gave me the gauntlet and rapier. The gauntlet was enchanted to allow me to double my strength on my left arm and the rapier is as strong as a broadsword. And yes, they’re for protection.”

“Wow. Enchanted weapons. Cool. What about you, Your Highness?”

Thornwell gave a laugh. “Your Highness? No need for formalities. Let’s assume we’re friends. When we’re friends, we don’t need formalities. My swords were enchanted to detect threats. They’ll glow dim white and vibrate a little if threats are nearby.”

“Amazing. Bergarious? Any awesome weaponries?” Whil asked in excitement.

“No. Not really. Just a regular longsword, like your short sword,” he replied.

“So, only Wyo and I don’t have any weapons?” Alph asked.

“I don’t feel comfortable bringing one around,” Wyo interrupted.

“You have to. The world is dangerous. Having a weapon slightly increases the chance of survival whether you know how to use it or not. Even merchants travel with hidden daggers nowadays,” Thornwell explained. “No worries. You’ll be safe with us for the time being. I will present you and Alph with Thre’adilin weapons when we reach Drainrock as a gift.”

“Cool,” Whil said, feeling a bit envious towards Alph and Wyo. Alph gave Whil a mischievous grin as they shared a glance.

----- ----- ----- -----

A couple of days had passed and they were only half way there. Maybe even farther from half way. Whil could not tell whether they had even passed Flourous. To the east, Whil could see mountains and trees covered by snow far across the wide plain area. They were so far away that the mountains and trees looked like miniature models in a museum. The group was sitting on logs and rocks around a fire. Alph had been learning how to sword fight with Bergarious since the day before. They were learning what was called as ‘sword dancing’. Whil looked at Bergarious and Alph as the both were holding a long stick on their right hand. They swung and thrusted the stick towards each other. As Bergarious swung, Alph blocked. Then, Alph swung and Bergarious blocked. They were as if dancing and twisting together. Feet tip toed across the grassy ground. A little swirl and a little jump they moved swiftly exchanging light blows. It was beautiful and at the same time dangerous, especially if they were both holding real swords.

“Amazing isn’t it?” Thornwell asked him as he took a seat beside Whil. Whil could only nod in amazement. “Why not try it? You have a sword of your own. It’s better if you learn how to use it than doing nothing.”

“Nah. I think I'm more of hacking and slashing than dancing and prancing with a sword,” Whil replied.

Thornwell giggled and held Whil’s shoulder. “You remind me a lot of your father. He was always stubborn and denied most of my words and suggestions. I'm always impressed by how persistent he was in every decisions he made. Never waver in most conditions, bad or good. He’s brave, smart and stubborn. Amazingly, stubbornness wasn’t a flaw to him. It was his strength.”

“How did you know him? Couldn’t you at least tell me how you two met?” Whil asked.

“Your father and I were allies. We fought alongside each other against…some threats that dwelled on this land for years. We were in an organisation made secretly by a brave man that had lasted for ten years till today. We worked in secrecy, as we knew that it would be dangerous to let our endeavours be publicised. We were like vigilantes. After five years of service, your mother joined the cause. She was a new recruit. After a year, they were married. He then decided to quit the organisation and started a new life. I helped him. I knew it wouldn’t be fair to force him into continuing when he had you; his first child.”

“So, those people that attacked Ygmod were looking for him?”

“Possibly. Even so, we never knew. No one knew who did it. Those that saw the attackers ended up dead in the battle and those survived didn’t see anything.”

“I saw them though. It wasn’t clear. They were far when I saw them, but, they were all wearing full black. They had Creatures with them.”

“Is that so? Then this is good news. We had no lead for seven years and now, here you are telling me an important information. Still, one vague data is not enough to know who they were and why they did it.”

Whil looked to his hands as he twiddled around with his fingers. He never knew that his parents were involved in such things. It was a surprise listening to Thornwell. What organisation was he talking about? Who made it? It all sounded so unbelievable. His parents were involved in some shady cause that he himself have not known or heard of until Thornwell told him about it.

“What else can you tell me?” he asked Thornwell.

“I'm afraid nothing else. I’ve told you enough about your father and I. there are just some things that you shouldn’t know about.”

“Did my parents kill people during their time in the organisation?”

The question surprised Thornwell. He knew that Whil would be curious about his parents and the organisation, but that question was much unexpected.

“Well, did they?” Whil asked again.

“They didn’t,” Thornwell answered. Whil was not sure if Thornwell was lying or if he was telling the truth. Whil just nodded slowly.

“Could you at least tell me what was the organisation called?” he gave his final question.

“The Defiance.”