Rand looked around at his new comrades, he didn't fit in with a big chunk of him. While some took whores any whore who took an interest in the young knight was sent away with a bored hand wave, while some drank ale he drank nothing. He waited through Gnarl's speech and then got up with two plates, a plate full of food, and another full of apples and walked out of the dining hall. Outside the wind gently rustled his gray cloak and the night seemed to hold a peacefully at ease. "Beautiful night." He muttered to nobody in particular. He crossed the courtyard and entered the stables and sat on a bale of hay next to Steppers stall, upon sight of his master the horse snorted and stamped his feet, "Good to see you too buddy." He said and gave the stallion the plate of apples.

Rand and horse ate their meal in silence, then when they were finished Rand began to talk to the horse who stuck it's head out of the stall almost as if he was listening intently to the knight. "A fresh start for the both of us it seems, it feels like a million years since we left home." The knight said the horse whinnied as if to say "Go on." So Rand went on, "You know we used to be heroes, living legends. I remember children running alongside us as we entered towns, flower pedals raining down on us from balconies as we freed cities." The knight scoffed and continued talking. "Then we were told to kill those people, children ran from us as we entered their towns and round them up like cattle to be burned in their homes, as we entered cities they would rain rocks down on us, people couldn't believe what I've become. Even my former home closed it's gates to us." The knight picked crumbs off his plate and then looked down at it. "But we aren't anything now friend, i don't doubt who we work for now. But our enemy has an entire nation at his back, all the queen has creator watch over her soul is a bunch of mercenaries, despots, and thieves this is probably our last fight my friend." With that the knight finished his tale and walked away.

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Rand didn't sleep that night, the ghosts of the dead floated about in his thoughts. He found himself thinking about home, about his estate not far from the capital, about a bed that is way better than this one, and the name he had made for himself. Now here he was in a barracks with his new comrades, as some snored away into the night. Then it happened Gnarl came rushing through the barracks hollering and waking everyone up. Rand hopped out of bed, clasped his cloak on and grabbed his sword and belted it on. Following Gnarl as he walked down the rows of beds and out onto the walls.

The guard captain straightened upon the sight of the new knightly order, the stink of vomit overpowering everything in the proximity. "Go clean up good man." Rand said patting the guard on the shoulders after he finished his explanation of the nights events, then he pulled up next to Gnarl. "You want me to ride out there and meet them sir?" He asked the bear.