Robert raced back to Absconditi, and he and Greg led the displaced people to the mountains.

The mountains housed a castle that was once an elite academy; it was dismantled because of the war and turned into a military compound and house for refugees.

A powerful man created the academy, and over the years, it evolved. It was a school that helped hone the skills of gifted people. It was called The Acadamy of Vasti. There were three houses there, one for those with exceptional fighting skills, one for those with the ability to retain information, and those who wanted to be or were great sword fighters.

Robert learned a lot about the school when he was younger and always dreamed about going, and his dream was fulfilled when he was 16. He loved his time there, and that is where he met a lot of his military friends that helped him build a terrifying army.

The weather was dreary for their journey, and it made everything much more difficult. The sporadic rain weighed down their clothes and spirits.

"Leading a group this large is dangerous and difficult." He said to Greg so no one else could hear him. Greg nodded. "Yes, but it is necessary."

"Have you been to the academy lately?" Robert asked Greg "yes, it is shaping up," he said. Now that the majority of the residents have been there more than a year, they are getting used to everything, and inside the academy classrooms, we have been able to create some great learning spaces to train fighters.

"Oh good, good," Robert said. "I was hoping things were going well there." "Have you heard from Menthom?" He asked. Robert shook his head. "I have not. But I trust he has his own plan, so I'm not worried."

The grass was nimble under their feet and swayed before it was trampled down by the convoy. The air was crisp, and the rain eventually stopped. They continued traveling through the night and took a small break in the afternoon. Robert was concerned that the masses would complain about their choices, but they were very understanding and grateful. Robert and Greg continued leading the group; they were about a dozen feet ahead of them so they could keep a lookout for any ambushes.

"I miss the days we spent at the academy before it was destroyed," Greg said. "I agree with you on that, though our time there was a time when war wasn't our life, and we could enjoy ourselves a lot more." "The freedom of limited responsibility..." Robert laughed. "I think my father never let go of that." "Do you have any idea where he went?" "No," Robert said, "I had no intention of asking either."

"I always wondered what he was like as a king," Greg said. "Me too." Robert retorted. "I am not sure if he would've been called a great king, but he would have definitely been a fair one, I think. I don't think history would've been kind to him, though, especially since he had to take the throne after his father, who was the most revered man of all time according to everyone." He said, laughing. "How ridiculous. I did not know him well, but he was a normal person, very kind but normal." "That is probably why people loved him so much, which makes me wonder what the ruler before him was like." "I'm guessing a tyrant," Robert said. "That's probably true."

I hope to get the school back up and running like it was in the past. My father went there and my grandfather, and my mother and grandmother. It is unfortunate that Kari never got to go while it was still functioning. Greg nodded. "That is unfortunate. though it might have been a lot of trouble, remember when my sister started school when we were in our second year?" Robert laughed.

They thought about their time at school, and their memories transported them there.

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The halls were dark, and the torches were vibrant on the walls of the main entrance. Robert stood at the rotunda and waited for Jeplin. He finally arrived a few minutes late. "You're here, finally." He said, teasing him. "Jeplin smiled wryly, "You will regret teasing me when you find out what I have." "What?" Robert asked. "Two tickets to the fair over in the city." He held them up. Jeplin was right; Robert did regret teasing him; he had been dying to attend the fair. "So...who are you talking..." He said coyly. Jeplin laughed and handed him one of the tickets; "it's tomorrow; meet me down here at nine in the morning."

The importance of Jeplin and Robert attending the fair had to do with how Robert got to know Greg. The fair was not a school-related festivity but held within the town not far from the school at the crux of the mountain. They were out and about having a great time; they saw some other students there and a lot of people they didn't know. There was a fighting arena and various additional ways to pass the time in an eventful manner. They both decided it would be a horrible idea to spar eachother, so of course, that is what they did. When they got into the ring, they set their weapons down and squared off.

That's when Greg saw them; he ran over to them and yelled, "Twenty on the tall one." Robert turned and laughed at him. Robert and Jeplin danced around a bit and threw false punches, Greg hyped them up, and they were laughing so hard they couldn't even fight. They eventually got out of the ring and introduced themselves to Greg.

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Greg and Robert occasionally circled around the group to make sure everyone was alright. They made sure no one was super exerted but most of them were on horseback so they didn't come across a lot of issues.

The land opened up to sky, freeing fields. The landscape was flat and all-encompassing, which made most of them realize how far they really were from the mountains. Robert thought about the time he first traveled that way to school, it was thrilling. It was his first time traveling that far alone. It was his first true journey."