He sat on his horse silently. The trees towered above him shading the forest floor. The sun was setting, and the shadows shifted like demons slinking among the greenery. He crouched down on his horse. He intentionally created the illusion that he was trying to hide. Moving slowly, he began to eat very scented meat hoping to attract them. They rode only for a few minutes before he heard a clamor of horses approaching. His horse's ears picked up and twitched in response.

Jeplin braced himself. As he had hoped, two women and one man on horseback surrounded him. All of them held out their swords, and they began a dangerous dance. He stabbed one easily but in response was shoved off of his horse onto the ground. Wincing, he could feel that his arm was bleeding. They pulled him up laughing at his lack of determination to fight. Jeplin acted as though he had hit his head and was dizzy and weak. They tossed him around and tied his hands together. Wanting him to live, but barely, they threw him harshly onto a horse. He remained uncomfortably draped over the extra horse while they strung him along. Jeplin made it a point to pay attention to where they were going but his efforts were pointless once he realized their destination was at one of the great lookout towers. He almost laughed out loud realizing they were hiding in plain sight. There were several towers all the same scattered across the continent, he was sure he was approaching number four, which was between Redponn and Calcaria.

As they approached, a blanket was thrown over him keeping him hidden and blinded. Slipping through the back he was lifted off the horse at the prisoner entry. The entry was simply a small door met by a cobbled staircase. He was pushed down the stairs and effortlessly pulled into a cell. He immediately pulled out the dagger strapped beneath his shirt and another that was within his pants and stabbed the two captors. He swapped clothing with the man and dragged the bodies into the cell.

Before he walked out the door, he took back the weapons they confiscated from him earlier. He did not leave through the door he came in but one leading into the tower. As he walked through the threshold, he realized he was still beneath the ground, not only was it a prison but the other half that met the stairs was allocated for storage. He wandered back to the staircase after surveying the storage room and started to climb. On the first floor, there was a change in stone and windows began to appear. The walls above the ground were made of dark stone, they reflected various colors in the sunlight. He reached another door and slowly opened it. He saw it led to a back hallway. The floors were marble and he could hear the echo of footsteps coming from around the whole tower. He closed the door behind him and walked around confidently passing many people effectively blending in. He made his way into a room that appealed to him.

At the possibility of finding what he was there for he excitedly shuffled through the letters and maps on the desk. He found tiny notes that were scattered about and he shoved them into his pants. That was when he noticed a map on the wall, it had arrows and notations, mostly coming from an island off the north coast. It was named Hildrea. Thinking quickly he searched for a more intricate map of the island, it took several minutes but he found one in a drawer along with some letters. He laid the smaller map on the desk and bent over it to look closely, but before he could get any more information, he heard a noise.

He took the papers and casually slipped out of the room and made his way to an enormous spiral staircase that was situated in the middle of the tower. He then returned to the back staircase and slipped out the way he had arrived. The three horses were still standing outside the door, ownerless and taskless. He hopped onto the most muscular one and raced quickly towards the woods. To move faster, he slouched down sliding himself almost to a horizontal position. He held on to the neck of the animal as it sped frantically through the forest.

As the hours passed, he did not consider slowing down, he continued to eat remaining in that position until the sun had set completely. In the darkness, he began to slow his pace. It was a relief to his face that the cold, fast, air was no longer beating against his skin. He began to look for a place to rest and review the papers he took. The bare trees, naked frozen from the icy air, loomed over them ominously. He felt uneasy without the leaves helping hide him. He eventually found a small cave. He pulled himself off of the horse, and carefully and quietly removed the bags. When he had pulled everything off he released the horse with no remnants of domestication left on it.

The cave was more like a large hole on the side of an enormous cluster of boulders and bedrock. He slipped into it, covering the already almost invisible entrance with large branches and leftover leaves and debris that he found scattered about the ground.

He crouched back past the low entry and grabbed his bags. He moved towards what he thought was the back wall. The further he walked he began to realize that this was not a simple hole he lucked into. The floor began to slope downward. He picked up a large stick and lit it. The dark, moist dirt, sloped down a few feet then leveled off as it was split into two tunnels. Assuming it was safer to avoid random risks he stayed near the opening he came through. He sat down and made a fire. As it became more desirable he lied down on the hard ground taking a short moment to relax his body.

A few hours later he slowly opened his eyes. The fire had died, and he was completely surrounded by darkness. He revived the fire and quickly cooked some food. He tried to shake off his lingering exhaustion by pouring some of the water onto his face. As he began to regain his focus, he decided to pull out every piece of correspondence he had acquired and placed them gently and methodically on the ground. He leaned carefully towards the flames trying to see what they contained.

Most of the small notes were from H. Some outlined his plans, which was what Jeplin had been hoping for. Though Henry was assumed to be dead, all messages were still signed the same way "H". The mark of a general figurehead. It was not a simple, normally written letter, it had an eloquent fluid nature that was hard to replicate. There were notes back and forth between towers and cities. He learned a lot of secrets that matched up with his already extensive knowledge. He became anxious to share the news with Robert. He knew he would not be able to rest, so he packed up all of the papers and got ready to make his way to Redponn.

The sun began to rise a few hours into his journey back. He wanted to run as fast as he could, he knew overexerting himself would not be the smart move especially if he came across any enemies. The icy wind bit at his face as he walked step after tedious step. He slouched and pulled his hood further forward on his face to counteract the winter's vicious hand. By the time the sunset, he could see the hint of a city on the horizon. The lights from the inhabited buildings glowed through their windows like welcoming beacons in the night.

Kari sat on the edge of the bed she had appropriated. A bed that she had most likely sat on when she was a child. She did not have the desire to go into her old bedroom let alone anyone else's in her family. Their rooms remained surprisingly untouched and hidden away in the west wing.

She, all the way in the east wing, peered out her window which faced the general direction of Redponn. She, of course, saw nothing and turned her head harshly back into the room. The walls were a velvety green that housed intricate patterns of flowers and vines. The carpet was matted and old. It was very obvious that time and weather had worn it down, for it could barely hold itself together. The bed, in a much better condition, was framed with metal. She was not sure what kind, but she loved how it looked. Each post had three parts that intertwined around each other. She ran her hand down one of them reveling in the cool and smooth sensation.

Jeplin reached the city before him very quickly. It was a city he had not seen before, being hidden in the outskirts of Redponn. The city was busier than he expected and delighted in the large number of vendors. The sky was dark as he slowly and decrepitly walked his way through the streets.

The sound of creaking chains drew his attention. It was a large wooden sign hung at the front of one of the biggest buildings in the town. He almost smiled. He entered the building. It was a tavern not unlike the one he and Kari visited when they first met.

He dragged his body up the stairs as he was escorted to a room. He had asked for a room that he could secure. Though he was given strange looks, he felt more comfortable with the ability to blockade the door so he could sleep in peace.

The room was a hazy tan color and was very simple. It had a pile of hay covered in blankets for sleeping and a tiny table. There was not a fireplace or basin. He was grateful to have the hay. He would have easily slept on the stone floor. Kari became accustomed to taking breakfast in the study. She was served by Horace’s allocated workers. She would have easily let anyone live there for free. Most of whom did get the chance to stay in the castle wanted to serve in some way. After eating she turned her chair to the window and watched the bustling camps go through their daily routines. She was mesmerized by the action and wandered out onto the back terrace. Horace was regulating some of the activity entering and exiting the castle. She thought it unnecessary but she did not want to undermine his experience in such matters. He would always remind her that they lived in a time of war and that nothing could be too safe. She understood but it was in her nature to trust most people.

The air was colder than it had been. The clouds were growing darker and not much after she noticed that it began to snow. The thick luscious flakes slowly dropped down from the sky. Each flake dipped and fluttered as they sailed to the ground. After a few moments of admiration, she walked inside. Thomas was ordered to stay by her side if she ventured out of the castle or spent time with anyone who was not trusted by Horace. Kari did not like the control and anytime Horace went off, she spent every second visiting with strangers or exploring the grounds.

As winter laid its hand on the kingdom, the citizens took over buildings and houses in the city. Those who did not find a suitable shelter in the city stayed in the basement or a great ballroom within the castle. Though Horace did not give the skilled soldiers a choice, he made them stay within the castle. Most of the less skilled fighters preferred having their own homes within the city’s walls.

Kari spent a decent amount of time in the study on that day. She wandered around looking at the books that were labeled. Thomas stood at the door and dutifully watched her. Her slender frame was delicately draped with a faint green dress. The fabric was thin and fluttered in the air as she moved. Her waist was cinched with a golden cloth and the rest of the dress, like a waterfall, poured straight down to the floor and trailed a bit behind her. The books were very interesting to her, she wondered if some were last touched by someone in her family that was long gone.