The rest of the trip passed uneventfully. Though still close to the wildlands, the path from Dunby’s Ford to Furness City was much more traveled, and so occasionally we would come across bands of patrolling imperial soldiers dressed in red and gold on the lookout for trouble. Thanks to their protection, we peacefully made it to the outskirts of the town.

As we rolled closer and closer to the city, we began to see more and more houses pop up. Drawn to the economic opportunities and safety by a city, but unable to afford expensive urban housing, many migrant workers opted to live outside the main city, trekking up to two or three hours each day to work. Though I was impressed by their hard work and ethic, my heart went out to them for their unfortunate plight.

Then, cresting a hill, the city of Furness rose up in the distance. A blacksmithing town at heart, Furness was a city whose economy was built on a foundation of arms and armor. Famous for its unbreakable shields, legendary swords, and delicate metalware, Furness City was the center of all blacksmithing in Asteria. And, as befitting a town whose economy was so closely tied iron and steel, even the city walls dully gleamed in the light.

Making our way up to the gate, we were halted by two soldiers dressed in red and black armor. As Ajax sorted out our entry into the city, I looked at my parents. “Why are their colors different from the patrolling soldiers?”

“These are soldiers from the city,” dad explained. “Red and gold are imperial colors. Soldiers serving Duke Bartoli, who rules Furness, wear red and black.”

Frank chimed in. “The red shows their close allegiance to the crown,” he said. “Similar to Torrine’s Keep, in the East. Their colors are red and silver. The families in close relation to the king have red in their colors to show support. Appleby, on the other hand, is more independent and possesses greater power, so their colors are blue and white and don’t contain any red. King Guerin tried to get the colors changed a few years back, but Grand Duke Ferris Armut was having none of it. It’s a conflict that gets repeated every time someone new steps in power, but the Armuts hold on to their influence and power. Rightly so, too. Without their influence, the kingdom could easily fall apart.”

Frank looked around the wagon at our staring faces. “What?” he demanded. “Just ‘cause I say stupid things sometimes doesn’t mean I don’t know about the world.”

Mia snorted. “Sometimes?”

“So the power doesn’t all lie in the king?” I asked.

“Of course not,” Frank replied. “No man rules alone. The king may nominally have all of the power, Appleby lies the heart of all trade in the country. The crown may hold the sword and shield of the country, but the grand duke holds the coin purse. Due to their symbiotic relationship, the king always appoints the heir to House Armut grand duke and grants them great freedom. In return the grand duke always throws his support behind the king. It’s not a bad system, but it can be quite delicate if the two heads don’t get along.”

“What about Furness city?”

“Furness city is tied a lot closer to the crown because of it’s arms business. Lord Bartoli supplies almost all of the weapons the imperial army uses, so they naturally need to work closer to the king.”

The wagon suddenly stopped. Looking up, I realized that we had already entered the city and had stopped in front of a rather large manor.

“Welcome home,” Ajax said from the front of the wagon with a small smile.

“Knightly Bards retirement home,” Frank said. The usual careless swagger in his voice was absent as he gazed at the manor sadly.

“Retirement?”

My dad pulled me aside by the arm. “Ajax and Bella had been planning on throwing in the towel for a while now, and with Lucina’s injury, they made the decision back at Dunby’s Ford. We’ll all be living in this place from now on. Frank and Mia will be going back to the Wildlands for a couple of years, and they’ve agreed to take you along with them. Now, let’s give them some space to say their goodbyes.

“I’ll take Gilan around to check out the manor,” dad called out to the rest of the Knightly Bards. Pulling me along, we walked in the building.

Though the interior of the manor was just as lavish and grand as the exterior, there was a somber mood as we walked through the halls. Over the long trip to Furness City, I had grown to enjoy the company of all the Knightly Bards. My father, despite having left over a decade ago, was also quite sad to see his old group dissolve. The quick tour passed without any words being said, then we walked back outside.

The goodbyes were not long. My mother hugged me tightly and told me to come back safe. Father shook my hand, then patted my shoulder. “You’ll come back a real man,” he promised.

Frank and Mia had already said their farewells and were awkwardly standing to the side. My father gently nudged my back. “Don’t keep them waiting, Gil,” he said hoarsely. He turned away, faking a cough. I could see him discreetly wipe his eyes.

As I walked to where Frank and Mia were standing, they both smiled at me. They waved once again to the rest of the Knightly Bards, then turned away as I followed. As we walked away, nobody looked back. Hunters were used to saying farewell to friends, but a somber mood still permeated the air. Goodbyes were always sad. I took one last glance over my shoulder at my parents, who were still waving goodbye. “Mom, dad, I’ll be back. I promise.”