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It was almost midnight when the gates opened and the Lord Leonard rode out. Letting his steed walk slowly, so as to not spook the invaders, he held his banner high and calmly advanced on the enemy encampment. As he got closer, he could tell they had a dozen large campfires scattered around and between the wagons. Guards in exquisite plate armor stood vigilant guard and watched as he slowly approached. No weapons were drawn, but the sense of preparedness was palpable. These weren’t just heavily armed and armored warriors; these were heavily trained and experienced warriors as well.

Gazing left and right, Lord Leonard noticed that there was at least one guard awake for each campfire, and in some instances two or more. By his trained eye, he’d give an initial estimate of approximately twenty men on watch – a sizeable number, but not the number that he’d expect if one were coming to truly launch an attack upon the enemy. As he slowly rode down the road, the guards watched and eyeballed his movements, but never called out nor tried to stop him.

Within a few moments, he had safely ridden the whole length of the road between both sides of the invaders camp and was safely on the other side. Bewildered, Lord Leonard clicked his heels against the side of his stallion and then shoved the old mayor’s unconscious form off his horse. With a slight turn of the reigns, he turned his horse and then kicked his heels. “Hiya!”

Instantly he was charging back up the road towards town. Once again, guards swiveled their heads to watch his actions; a few even stood up and stretched to get a better view; but none tried to stop him. As he rode back to the city gates, the guards inside opened them wide enough to allow him entry, but Lord Leonard tugged the reigns and pulled up short. Wheeling his steed back around, he charged back down the road to where he’d dumped the mayor on the other side of the invader’s camp.

“Boy! Quit your caterwauling! It’s the middle of the night and the captain ain’t looking for no recruits!” A grizzled looking veteran, appearing to be in his late twenties or early thirties finally moved up from one of the campfires and approached him.

“Recruits?” None of this was making sense to the Lord Leonard. What invading enemy brings such a low number of opponents? Why allow a spy to ride the road between their camp? Why the hell would they talk about recruits? Just what the hell was going on here?!

“Who’s the person in charge of your band?” Holding his banner high to show he had no ill intent at this time, Lord Leonard slowly rode towards the man who had broken from the camp and approached him.

“The High Lady Lee is in charge, but you’ll probably be wanting to talk to Captain Drugan. He’s in charge of all hiring and firing around here.” The guard was wearing a set of plate armor that had been polished until it shined. Finest steel, masterfully crafted – custom fit too, if Leonard was right in his assessment. By the man’s side was a solid steel mace, and by the way he wore it, it was obvious that he was used to it hanging there.

“I’m not looking for hire. I’m here to speak to the Lady Lee.” Lord Leonard lowered both his head and the banner he was holding slightly, as a careful sign of respect.

“The High Lady Lee,” the guard emphasized. “Just ‘tween you and me, she’s a little bit of a snoot. Cap be much better to see, this time of night,” he warned.

“My apologizes.” Coming up beside the man, Lord Leonard finally pulled the reigns slightly to halt his horse. Climbing down, he did a half bow towards the guard. “It really should be the High Lady whom I speak with.” He made a point to emphasize the title correctly this time.

“Your funeral, not mine,” the guard said with a slight chuckle. “You’ll find her resting in that fancy ass big wagon over yonder.” With a glance to the side, he pointed out a massive eight-wheeled wagon.

“Aren’t you going to escort me there?” Once again, these people’s actions didn’t seem like what he’d expect, if he was in the midst of an enemy encampment.

“Why the hell would I do that? Get the High Lady mad at me for fetching you to her! No thanks.” Half chuckling, the guard simply pointed once again. “It’s right the hell there. I don’t scare of a youngster like you is scared of the dark. I ain’t going to hold your hand!” Turning his back, seemingly without a worry at all, the guard slowly walked back over to the campfire he’d came from and began talking to a few others.

Left standing alone, in the middle of the enemy camp, Lord Leonard couldn’t comprehend what was going on at all. He’d been in dozens of battles. Fought dozens of opponents and enemies in the past. Never once had he seen soldiers at war so relaxed and at ease. Even his own soldiers held more tension than what he was observing at the camp here.

Either these men were utterly confident in their ability, or else they simply didn’t very the situation the same way as it had been described to him and his father. In his opinion, by the look of experience these men all seemed to have, he didn’t believe it to be the first. Every soldier with any time under his belt feared each and every battle, no matter how well trained or prepared they were. Death reigns supreme over all battlefields, and even the mightiest of foes can fall to the luckiest of blows.

Victory was never certain, and these men were experienced enough to understand that. The only explanation that made any sense at all to Lord Leonard was that these men simply didn’t have that same expectation of battle that his own had been led to expect. Holding his banner high, he whispered words of command which trimmed the pure white banner with a thick yellow frame.

The knights under his command that were watching from atop the wall could easily see the banner change and they’d relay his order to ‘Stand Down, Be At Ease’. He wouldn’t call them from the walls just yet, but at the least he could calm their nerves and help stop a mistake from being made.

Slowly walking forward, he led his horse towards the wagon he’d been pointed to. Eyes watched him from all sides, but no one bothered to approach or try and stop his progress. Getting to the wagon, he took a brief moment to inspect it before banging the end of his banner against the door. Highly refined steel axles and wheels. Thick lumber, reinforced with bands of refined steel. Enchanted with some form of magics as knocking on the door resulted in a slight magical light flickering and shielding the wagon before it was scratched or harmed by the end of his banner.

A truly high quality wagon, which would cost a small fortune to build and create! Whoever this High Lady was, she spent coin almost as freely as the clouds spent rain. Just who the hell was she?!

Several moments passed, and no answer came from the wagon. Waiting a few more moments uncertainly, Lord Leonard finally banged against the door a few more times with the end of the banner he was holding. The magical glow shined slightly brighter as he knocked harder in his frustration, and when he finished, the door on the wagon was just as blemish free and unmarred as it had been before.

A few brief moments passed, causing the Lord Leonard to consider banging on the door once again, when it finally swung wide opened. There, at the top of the steps leading into the wagon, stood a beautiful blond haired woman wearing nothing more than a wide-opened robe of finest white silk. He had a perfect view of her naked form – shapely hips, generous breasts, smooth and soft looking body – and his eyes flung open in surprise and his jaw fell open in shock.

“Pussy!!” Squealing, the young lady leapt from the wagon and tossed her arms around his neck. With a loud clang, the young lord commander was knocked to the ground, crashing under the impact of the young woman’s momentum.

“Pussy! Pussy! Pussy!!” Laughing, she had her arms wrapped around his neck and was kissing up and down his cheeks wildly. “It’s been a long time, no see!”

“Lady Le’Nara!” Blinking, Lord Leonard was completely at a loss. Just what the hell was the Second Princess of Andor doing in his land? And why the god-damned hells did the mayor think she was invading?

Dropping his banner, he grabbed her firmly by the shoulders and pushed her back. “Just what the hell is going on here?!”

“Well, I thought I was greeting an old friend, Pussy!” Le’Nara laughed lightly and then flicked him gently across the nose.

“I mean, what the hell are you doing here with all these people?!” Flustered, and completely lost, Lord Leonard was floundering to make sense out of what was going on.

“Well that’s simple, Pussy. I’m here to open up a business. These are my employees.”

“Business?” Leonard’s mind was blank.

“Yep! Heartstone Enterprises is opening a branch here in West Gondor!” Laughing lightly, she rolled over and spritely hopped up off him. “Pussy,” extending a hand down to him, Le’Nara was grinning wildly, “sell me some land. I want to set up an embassy here.”

“There’s already an Andorian Embassy here in West Gondor.” Taking her hand, Leonard strugged and finally lumbered back to his feet.

“You’re not listening, Puss! Andor doesn’t want an embassy. I do. For Heartstone Enterprises.” Laughing lightly, Le’Nara flicked her wrist and pulled the dropped banner over to her, before holding it back out to the Lord Leonard. “Cost doesn’t matter, as long as you have a place large enough to suit our needs. Be a dear and help me out here, Pussy.”

“Don’t call me that!” Sighing, Lord Leonard rubbed a gauntleted hand through his hair and shook his head to try and clear it. The ‘invaders’ was the Second Princess of Andor, and was carrying and entreating for an embassy land grant with the name and fortune of Heartstone Enterprises at her beck and call.

He wasn’t entirely certain what the hell was going on exactly, but he knew that the old mayor had a lot of questions to answer. His Father was especially not going to be happy when he realized that the old fool had declared the Andorian Second an invader. Trying to shut the gates and turn away a Lordship that held the wealth of the Heartstone Empire wasn’t going to make him very happy either.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Lord Leonard slowly bowed his head. “My apologies, Lady Le’Na…”

“Just Lee,” Le’Nara interrupted. “I’m here on personal business, not as the Second Daughter.”

“My apologies, Lee.” Lifting his head to stare at her, Leonard had to admit that she had grown into an exquisitely beautiful woman – and one who apparently didn’t care a bit about who might see her in all her glory! Smiling slightly, he nodded his head once more briefly in respect. “I’ll speak to Father and see what I can do for you. If cost truly isn’t a concern, I know of an old fool’s home which might be suitable for yourself and the Heartstone Enterprises.”

Laughing lightly, Le’Nara blew him and kiss and then started to climb back up into her wagon. “That’ll be great Puss-puss! Let me know in the morning what you can come up with.”

As she pulled the door shut behind her on the wagon, Leonard was left to just shake his head in bewilderment. He’d came here seeking answers, and now that he’d seen these ‘invaders’, he was left with even more questions than ever before. His Father was going to have to be notified of the situation immediately.

Just as he started to walk back to his horse, the ground began to groan. Tremors vibrated him off his feet again and tents began to sway and shake erratically. Limbs fell from trees, and the earth quaked and quivered violently. Struggling to hold his banner high, Lord Leonard gave the command to color the banner a solid yellow.

‘Hold! Don’t Attack!”, was the message he was sending to his men atop the walls. With the tensions as high as they were inside the city, all it’d take is one fool to start a war that he was certain his father and kingdom didn’t want to fight.

For several long moments, he frantically waved the banner back and forth, while the ground shook and cracked – echoes of Mik’Hail’s magic rippling even this far from the epicenter of his eruption in the deep cavern so far away.