The road stretched long behind, and, neared its termination ahead. Phillip had been riding, taking his time, from the Western edge of his father's lands all the way into the Frankish lands. The trip itself had had been undertaken for a number of reasons. The most pressing at first was to head the grand city of Paris itself and see just what was transpiring there. He had heard many strange rumors about the clergy there being involved in witch hunting, corruption, and, even destruction of church property. All of that would have normally warranted a trip with his retinue of minor Ritter. However, the second reason, and now, perhaps the more important of them, was to merely escape the cloying and choking walls and lands of his home. 

	Wanderlust occasionally gripped the prince's heart. This had been satisfied with wandering his own lands and speaking with and seeing the people there. However, recently, things had started to stagnate. He had been nearly everywhere worth visiting around his home and longed for another adventure like his last. That fateful adventure to find the family of his betrothed and which ended in him vanquishing the terrible Fae Lady Maleficent. The rumors of evil and witchcraft gave more than enough justification for his journey, and, he had been insistent to travel on his own. Perhaps it was dangerous, but, he feared no brigand on the road. None would be a match for his arm, and, if in numbers of worrying proportion, none would match the pace of his steed. Last of all, Rose had become somewhat Choleric of late due to the early stages of her pregnancy. It was all in all, a good time to depart. He would see about this situation in Paris, and, then return to his home to find a wife more aglow with child and a refreshed mind. 

	As he neared the walls of the city, he spied an odd assortment of folk standing just before the gate itself. Most of them seemed to be of the gentry. Two men in armor, a man adorned with the trappings of nobility, and, a small red haired girl in finery. There were also three horses there of stunning breed. Two of them even seemed to be proper horses of war. Seeing this collection of nobility outside of the gate with little escort gave Phillip some pause. Were the gates shut due to the problems with witches? A smile crept across his face as the promise of adventure and intrigue grow more plausible. 

	"Let's not keep them waiting, Samson." he whispered down to his mount and spurred him on to a canter.

	Phillip pulled up on his reigns a respectable distance from the group and hailed with in French, removing his pointed red cap and sweeping it low across his waist. He dismounted in a quick and practiced single move and turned to face them all, stepping forward, inclining his head to each of them, starting withe girl, then to the regally dressed man, and, finally to the men who looked like armsmen. "Greetings," he began, sweeping his hat to to the side gracefully and placing it back atop his head, "I am Prince Phillip, Dragonslayer of Rhineland. Son of Valter, of the line of Karl der Grosse," he gave each of them a flash of his smile and then his eyes suddenly feel on the odd serpent that sat atop the strange man-at-arm's shoulder. His eyes narrowed slightly at it. He had never seen anything quite so strange. More so, he also noted that the beasts pulling the nobly dressed man's cart were more sheep than horse. He hesitated for a moment, but, kept his noble composure, "I see by your chattel you must traveled quite far as well." he glanced over to Samson, his only real companion throughout his journey, trying to make sure he wasn't standing face to face with the cause of the rumor he had come to investigate. Samson didn't seem to be unnerved, so, Phillip kept his hand off the hilt of the blade resting on his hip. All the worse, if he did need to defend himself, the Shield of Virtue was comfortably sitting strapped to the saddle and would take far too long to bring to bear should it be needed.