"I'm no ordinary bitch like you!" I snarled at the bandit in front of me.

My blade came around again, aimed right at him. But then I heard it. The sound of metal hitting flesh. Meli's cry of pain.

My head snapped toward them. The second bandit had hit her with his pommel. There was already a bump forming on the back of her head.

Something hot and furious exploded in my chest.

"Don't you fucking hurt her!"

I brought my sword down hard on the bandit in front of me, putting everything I had behind the blow.

The bandit cries out as he was hit with Cadmus's blade, and he falls to the side, allowing Cadmus to approach the last bandit out of the four. Meli cries out, "That hurt you meanie!" before she fires another verdant green energy blast. This magic misses the bandit again, as he quickly moves out of the way.

The last bandit growls as he takes in the sight of his fellows lying on the ground out cold. He speaks, "Oh forget this noise!" He manages to bat Cadmus's sword to the side, to effectively distract him, and he takes off running towards the forest.

He has let go of Meli, and left her at Cadmus's feet, allowing him to run faster than before!

The bandit went down hard, and I was already moving toward the last one. But before I could reach him, he batted my sword aside and bolted.

He left Meli there at my feet, tangled in the net, and just ran.

Something in me snapped.

"Let's catch this motherfucker!" I screamed.

I didn't think. Didn't stop to help Meli up. Just ran. My boots pounded the earth as I chased after him, rage burning hot in my veins. He'd hurt her. He'd grabbed her, dragged her, hit her in the head. And now he thought he could just run away?

I swung my sword as I closed in, but my anger made me sloppy. The blade cut through empty air as he dodged.

After Cadmus screams, Meli seems a little more focused and quieter as she realizes something. She watches Cadmus chase after the bandit, and she calls after him, "Cad, No! Wait!" She quickly manages to find a weak point in the net, and she breaks through! She bounds after Cadmus, and she tries to warn him, "Cad! No! Turn around! It's a trap!"

The bandit manages to narrowly run out of the range of the longsword's swing. He takes a moment, to bat Cadmus's blade back again before he keeps running. As he runs, he lets out a shrill whistle and he calls out, "Oi! I got trouble here! A little help here?!"

Cadmus is able to look ahead and he sees that the four bandits he faced were only a symptom of the main problem.

There are many more bandits ahead; Too many of them for just him and Meli to take on alone! He would also notice that the Moonpetal Gathering are there as well. They are currently loaded in carts with bars around them, like they're animals in cages. Their wrists and ankles are also manacled together in cold and almost rusty iron.

They all turn towards the Bandit Cadmus is chasing.

Meli's voice cut through the rage. "Cad! No! Turn around! It's a trap!"

But I was already too close to stop. The bandit batted my sword away again and kept running, letting out a shrill whistle. "Oi! I got trouble here! A little help here?!"

Then I saw them.

Bandits. Dozens of them. Way too many for just me and Meli to fight. And worse, so much worse, I saw the carts. Cages on wheels with iron bars. Inside them, the Moonpetal Gathering. Meli's family. Her community. All of them chained in rusty iron manacles, wrists and ankles bound like animals.

My stomach dropped.

I immediately dropped low, hitting the ground and signaling frantically for Meli to do the same. My heart was pounding, but not from rage anymore. From fear. From the sick realization of what we'd stumbled into.

This wasn't just four bandits trying to grab Meli. This was organized. Planned. They'd taken the entire gathering.

How were we supposed to save them? There were too many. Way too many. Even with my training, even with Meli's magic, we couldn't fight that many bandits at once.

I pressed myself lower to the ground, trying to think. Trying to figure out what the hell we were supposed to do now.

Meli immediately drops low along with Cad, and she places a hand on his shoulder. He can feel magic coursing through his being, reassuring him and helping him keep still, while the bandits shout and speak with the one who just fled from Cadmus,

"Eh?! The hell are you talking about, Reg?"

The bandit Cadmus chased turned around and speaks, "I swear, I had one of dem satyrs, when a lad with a metal arm attacked! He took out Wen, Ven, and Ben! They were just chasing me!"

"So...where are they?"

Reg shrugs and answers, "I don't know! They gotta be around here somewhere!"

The leading bandit rolls his eyes and he speaks, "Alright, alright. Men! We gotta do a sweep! Stay guard over the vermin!"

The bandits begin to search around, while 10 of them stay around the carts holding the Gathering hostage.

Meli whispers to Cadmus her doubts, "I don't think we can save them right now. I hate saying this, but I think we need to retreat..."

I was shaking. Every muscle in my body screamed at me to charge forward, to fight, to do something. My draconic hand clenched so hard I could feel my nails digging into my palm even through the scales.

Then Meli's hand touched my shoulder. Magic flowed through me, calming, steadying. It helped, but barely.

I watched the bandits spread out to search. Ten of them stayed by the carts, guarding the Moonpetal. I could see faces I recognized through the bars. People who'd been kind to me my whole life. People who'd stood with us when the soldiers came.

And I couldn't do anything.

My breath came hard and fast. I almost lunged forward anyway. Almost threw myself at them despite the odds. But Meli's whisper stopped me.

"I don't think we can save them right now. I hate saying this, but I think we need to retreat..."

I wanted to argue. Wanted to scream that we couldn't just leave them. But she was right. We were two people against dozens. If we attacked now, we'd just end up in those cages too. Or dead.

I forced myself to breathe. Forced the rage down into something I could control.

"Okay," I whispered back, my voice rough. "We go back to the orchard. Check on Elena, Garrick, and Isolde. Figure out what to do from there."

But even as I said it, I kept my eyes on those carts. On the Moonpetal trapped inside.

Meli nodded, and she whispers, "Before we move...." She quickly moves to stuff dirt and softer leaves into his armor. While it is uncomfortable, Cadmus notices a difference: The metal parts of his armor clanking against each other is less audible than before. Thanks to Meli, Cadmus is able to sneak away from the bandits and Meli was able to follow him.

Once they were far enough away from the bandits, Cadmus and Meli are able to run the rest of the way back to the Orchard without alerting the bandits. Meli leads the way back and sure enough, the house is in view! They have returned.

Isolde, Elena, and Garrick are outside, their voices echoing as they call out for Cadmus. The first to spot them was Elena. She calls, "There you are, Cadmus! Where have you gone? We were worried!" While Isolde and Garrick also move to see Cadmus and check on him, Meli is noticeably quieter than normal. She is trembling, and she is staring at the ground. A tear or two can be seen falling from her face down to the earth below.

The way back to the orchard felt endless. My chest was tight, my throat burned. Silent tears ran down my face as we moved through the forest. I kept seeing those cages in my mind. The Moonpetal chained like animals. Meli's family.

I tried to focus on something useful. Anything. I replayed what I'd seen of the bandits in my head. Their clothes, their weapons, the carts themselves. Was there anything that showed who they worked for? Any symbols or marks I'd recognized?

When we finally reached the orchard, Elena spotted us first. "There you are, Cadmus! Where have you gone? We were worried!"

Elena, Isolde, and Garrick all moved toward us. I could see the concern on their faces. But my eyes went to Meli. She was shaking, staring at the ground. Tears fell from her face to the dirt.

I wiped my own face quickly and turned to the retainers.

"The Moonpetal Gathering has been taken," I said, my voice rough. "Bandits. Dozens of them. They have everyone in cages on carts."

I took a breath, trying to think clearly despite everything.

"I need you to pack emergency bags. Only what's necessary. We'll hide you somewhere safe."

I was already thinking ahead. If I could figure out the closest neutral settlement, somewhere not controlled by Ophidian forces, I could send them there. Keep them safe while Meli and I figured out how to handle this.

All of the retainers look to each other in concern at hearing the news. While they look like they want to say something else, they choose not to say anything and instead proceed to pack up emergency bags. During the packing process, Meli stays by Cadmus's side, and he is able to recall several things in this moment of calm.

The bandits have been careful to hide any sign of who they were working for. But while Cadmus and Meli snuck away, he was able to catch a glance of an emblem, a coat of arms! He realizes that the bandits are part of the Windpikes!

The previous royal family on the Dragonspire Throne didn't just have knights, soldiers, politicians, and dragons at their beck and call. They also had an elite group of enforcers who take on secret missions and do so through methods befitting of rogues and assassins. The group is officially named the Windpikes, but remain unknown to the general public. However, it seems like they too have become weakened over time, and became nothing more than just lowly bandits who do the current Crown's dirty work that the Knights won't do themselves.

Thinking over the plan of action, Cadmus is also able to recall the closest neutral territory that they can retreat to. The Forests of Vestarel is an ancient forest that neither the Ophidian Kingdom nor the Magocracy of Erreval could claim. It is said that the Forest is home to an ancient civilization of elves, but those who enter the forest never find such a place. Those who do go seeking for said civilization never return the same.

In front of the forest edge three days away from the Orchard is a normal settlement; A hamlet known as Little Happens. While the settlement mostly consists of woodsmen and rangers, many other folks from various different walks of life have made their home in that settlement. The chief of that hamlet, Chief Garou, has long refused any agreement from the Ophidian Kingdom and the Magocracy into joining.

While the retainers packed, Meli stayed close to me. My mind was racing, putting pieces together.

The emblem. I'd caught a glimpse of it while we were sneaking away. A coat of arms I recognized from Adam's stories.

"The Windpikes," I said quietly, looking at Elena, Garrick, and Isolde. "You probably know about them already. The elite enforcers from the old days. Secret missions, assassin work, things the knights wouldn't touch."

My jaw clenched. "Looks like they've fallen far. Now they're just bandits doing the Crown's dirty work."

I took a breath and kept going. "Pack small. You're going to Little Happens. It's three days from here, at the edge of the Forests of Vestarel. Chief Garou runs it, and he's refused to join with Ophidia or the Magocracy. You'll be safe there."

I went to my room and grabbed my small pouch of gold. Twenty-five pieces, saved over years. I counted out fifteen and came back, pressing them into Elena's hands.

"Take the deed to the orchard with you," I said. "If you don't hear from Meli and me in a month, sell it. Start over somewhere else. Don't wait for us."

Then I turned to Meli. My voice got harder, more urgent.

"We can't wait to plan this out. The Windpikes are dangerous, and if we let them leave with the Gathering, we might never get them back. We need to free them now."

I looked at all of them, waiting to see what they would say.

Meli and the Retainers all look to Cadmus when he speaks and informs them of the Windpikes. Meli seems confused by the name, but all three of the retainers recognized it. Elena covered her mouth with both hands, while Isolde pulled her close and Garrick's jaw clenches at the mention of it.

Meli speaks up after Cadmus states his intention to rescue the Moonpetal Gathering from the Windpikes, her eyes tearing up again, "But didn't you see them?! There's too many of them for us to face alone! If we just charge in, everyone's doomed!"

Garrick clears his throat, and speaks once he has Cadmus's attention, "If the kidnappers are the Windpikes, then that tells us where they're going to take the Moonpetal Gathering: Right to the castle where the Dragonspire Throne sits. They're most likely going to lock them away in the dungeons before deciding on another future course of action,"

He then looks to Cadmus directly and speaks, "If we're going to Little Happens, then please come with us,"

He raises a hand to silence any protest Cadmus may have in response to his request, before he continues, "I'm not asking you to run and hide with us. I request this of you, because Ser Adam told us he found something in the Forests of Vesteral years ago; Something that can help you and Meli save the Moonpetal Gathering. At least, that's what I believe,"

I looked at the retainers faces. They were scared. The name Windpikes made them remember the bad days. It made my stomach hurt to see them like this.

Then I looked at Meli. She was right. There were to many of them. I wanted to fight because I was angry. I wanted to hurt the people who took our friends. But if we died then no one would save the Gathering.

"You are right," I said to Meli. "The Gathering became like a second family to me. I love them too. But you were born in it. If you think we need to wait then I wont go against you."

I looked at Garrick next. He said Adam left something for us. A secret in the forest. My heart beat faster. Adam always had a plan. Even from the grave he was trying to help us.

"Okay Garrick," I said. "We will go with you. If they are going to the castle then we have a long way to go. We will need whatever Adam hid in the woods."

It felt wrong to walk away from the carts. But I had to trust Garrick. And I had to trust Meli.

"I will go prepare my own bag," I told them. "We should only take what we need. Be ready to move fast."

I walked into my bedroom. It felt quiet. Too quiet. I grabbed my old leather backpack from the corner. It was stiff but strong.

I started packing the basics. I rolled up my wool blanket tight and tied it to the bottom. I threw in some dried apples from last harvest and some strips of jerky. It wasnt a feast but it would keep us walking. I filled my waterskin at the basin.

I grabbed the flint and steel from my nightstand. Adam taught me how to use it when I was six. I also took a coil of hemp rope and my whetstone. A dull sword is just a heavy metal club.

Then I stopped. I looked at the loose board under my bed.

I knelt down and pried it open. Wrapped in old burned cloth was the secret.

I pulled it out gentle. The cloth fell away. The egg sat in my hands. It was heavy. Veins of gold ran through the dark stone. It was warm against my skin. Warmer than before. It hummed with a life I didnt understand yet.

"We are leaving," I whispered to it. "Time to see the world."

I wrapped it up careful in a spare shirt and placed it in the center of my pack. I put it where it would be safe.

I stood up and put the bag on my back. I was ready.

Perhaps it was Cadmus's imagination, but he could swear that when he held the egg and after he whispered to it, it reacted! The golden light within the veins seems to subtly shift to flow and try to meet his hands. It almost looked like the palm of his hands were glowing themselves! The egg felt slightly warmer. But this sensation did not last. The golden light within the veins continue flowing back to the rest of the egg. Regardless, nothing else of note takes place as it is wrapped in a spare shirt and placed into Cadmus's pack.

By the time he finished packing, he returns to see that Elena, Isolde, and Meli are all ready to leave as well. Garrick isn't in sight, but Elena quickly informs Cadmus as he arrives, "We're all ready to go. Garrick is gathering horses for us,"

Sure enough, the sound of neighing can be heard nearby. When Cadmus and his friends leave the house, they see five horses are saddled and Garrick is packing other essentials needed on the horse. Of course, he made sure to pack light. Cadmus would also notice that it is currently sunset! As soon as he notices the group, Garrick speaks, "Ah, there you are. Quickly choose a horse, and let's away, before anyone comes!"

If there are no other matters that need to be taken care of, the group heads off right away. Cadmus leads the group along the path.



Along the way, Cadmus realizes that there is another matter for Cadmus to consider. Night will fall soon, will he and his allies stop and make camp to rest, or will they continue onwards throughout the night?

The light inside the veins faded away. The egg went cold again. I felt a little disappointed but I finished wrapping it up. I put it deep in my bag where it would be safe. I hurried outside to meet the others.

Elena told me Garrick was ready. I heard the horses and went to them. Garrick had done a good job.

"Good work Garrick," I said quiet.

I looked at the five horses. I walked over to the biggest one. It was a tall stallion with broad shoulders. I am a big man and my golden arm adds a lot of weight. I didnt want to tire out a smaller animal. I swung myself into the saddle. The leather creaked under me but the horse held firm.

"Follow me," I told them. "Stay close and stay quiet."

The sun was gone now. The sky was turning purple and black. It was hard to see but I know this land. I grew up in these woods. I guided the horse to the edge of the trees. I looked for the hidden paths that soldiers would not know about.

I kept my eyes on the ground and the stars. My plan was to keep us moving while it was dark. I wanted to put as much distance between us and the orchard as I could. I looked for signs of a safe trail that would let us travel quietly until late in the night. If the path stayed clear I wanted to ride until maybe two in the morning before we stopped to rest.

As we rode through the dark trees I broke the silence. I needed to tell them what I saw.

"I saw something in the woods," I said low so only they could hear. "Before I found Meli. I saw a statue of an old man with a crown of thorns. It felt like it was watching me."

I looked over at Meli riding beside me.

"And I saw a stag," I told her. "But it was not normal. It was golden. It had fur the same color as my scales."

I touched my draconic arm without thinking.

"It waited for me," I said. "It led me to the cliff edge. It showed me where the bandits were taking you. If it wasn't for that stag I would have been lost."

I tried to remmember the games the satyr children played.

"The kids in the Gathering always talk about it," I asked her. "They play games about the Golden Stag. I never really listened to the stories before. Do you know them? Why would it help me?"

At first, the darkness of night and the changed positions of the stars was disorienting for Cadmus. But, Meli was by his side, helping him by pointing out the minute signs in the wilderness and properly identifying the constellations, such as the Great Gavel, and the Jester’s Scepter. Evidently, Cadmus and Meli successfully find the hidden paths.

Should Cadmus look back, however, he would see the unmistakable glow of orange light in the distance, with smoke rising from it. There’s no mistaking the source: The orchard has been set ablaze with an all-consuming fire. There is no going back now…

Cadmus, Meli, and his retainers do stop when it finally becomes two in the morning. Meli and the retainers all listen in awe as Cadmus recounts what he found before finding Meli.

Meli answers him, clearly thinking about it, “Sorry, Cad. I don’t really know much about the stag. That’s a new story. I thought the kiddos were just playing pretend or just invented a new game after Vic came back from getting lost one day. But…if you actually saw the stag…Maybe it was a benevolent spirit of the forest?”

Isolde speaks up, “I’m not so sure. The statue had a crown of thorns? It is often said that the Monarch takes a form always donning a crown. It is also said that all of their forms would be petrified if manifested outside of a city. The wilderness was never their domain,”

Garrick scoffs, “You’re not suggesting the Monarch and the Fool both visited him, are you?”

Isolde shrugs and answers, “I’ve heard of stranger things back in my youth,”

I heard Meli and the retainers talking as we rode through the night. The thought of the orchard burning behind us made my gut clench. I didn't need to look back to know it was gone. The smoke filled my imagination, choking the memories of home.

When we finally stopped at two in the morning, the silence felt heavy. I got off the horse and moved to start a small camp. I focused on practical things: clearing a patch of ground, gathering dry wood, and preparing for the night. My draconic hand worked quickly, stacking wood for a small fire that would give warmth but not too much smoke.

I couldn't stop thinking about what they said.

The statue. The old man with the crown of thorns. Isolde called him the Monarch. And the golden stag, the strange creature that led me to Meli. Garrick scoffed and mentioned the Fool.

The Monarch and the Fool.

It didn't make sense. Those were massive, important powers. Gods, maybe. They weren't supposed to visit some forgotten prince hiding in an orchard.

It couldn't be, I muttered, mostly to myself, as I knelt to start the fire.

But the thought stuck in my mind like a burr. I kept seeing the two images side-by-side: the calm, determined stone face of the Monarch, and the beautiful, wild stag that had saved Meli.

I remembered the voice in my dream: Resurrection? Or Destruction?

Could the dream have been a warning? Was the Monarch the one who offered Resurrection, a return to the old glory of House Solarian, but at a terrible price? Or would he bring Destruction, just like the Solarian kings before me? And the Fool, the wild guide, would he promise safety and peace, which could mean Destruction for the throne? Or would he lead me toward a kind of Resurrection I couldn't see yet?

I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion. It didn't matter right now. What mattered was Garrick.

I looked over at the old stable master, who would probably be tending to the horses.

Garrick, I said, my voice low. When we were talking about leaving the orchard, you stopped me. You said Adam found something years ago in the Forests of Vestarel. Something that could help Meli and me save the Moonpetal Gathering.

I paused and looked him in the eye. What did he find?

During the discussion between the retainers, Cadmus would notice that at some point, Elena began laughing! Both Garrick and Isolde are confused by her reaction, but Garrick opts to leave Isolde to speak with Elena, while he and Meli help Cadmus set up camp.

"Elena? What's wrong?" Isolde asks her.

Elena giggles, "I'm-I'm sorry, Isolde. I-I think your theory about the Monarch and the Fool might have more credence. Because...I thought about it, and I just got the joke!" She laughs out loud, like the joke in question was the funniest she ever heard.

Isolde asks, "The joke? What joke? Nobody told a joke?"

Elena speaks, "I don't want to curse us all by ruining a joke from The Fool, but...think hard about what Cadmus followed, Isolde! There was a pun! It lead him straight to Meli, too! Ohhhhohoho! That pun was masterfully done!"

Isolde looks confused until a look of realization dawns on her. That realization fades for a wide smile, as she answers mischievously, "Oh! Ohhhh! I better get Meli's measurements for a dress while I still can,"

Meli meanwhile, has been quiet and somber as she helps set up camp quietly. There is clearly a lot on her mind. The only time she spoke up this night was when Cadmus moves to start a fire. She speaks, her tone listless, "Don't start a fire, Cad. It could lead them to us..." Whether Cadmus follows her advice or not remains as his decision.

Garrick manages to tether the horses so they don't leave in the middle of the night. He looks to Cadmus as he approaches and asks his question. Garrick's eyes meet Cadmus as he asks what Ser Adam found in the Forests of Vesteral. Garrick sighs through his nose, and he answers Cadmus somberly,

"I wish I knew. We tried asking him that numerous times, but he never told us. He didn't even bother to tell us the specific location of said item. The only thing he said about it was that, should it ever come to it, you would recognize it as soon as you saw it. So, I'm afraid it's up to you to find it in the Forests..."

I watched Elena and Isolde laughing, their voices bright against the dark forest. It was strange. Our home was smoke and ash, Meli’s family was in chains, and yet they were laughing at a joke made by a god. I couldn’t find any amusement in it.

But I was glad they could. It was good that they found comfort in the Fool, even now. The gold stag was impossibly wild and strange, which made me think of the Fool’s face known as the Wild. But the joke was clever, a trick, which was the work of the Jester. Maybe the gods are always all their faces at once, and we just picked one to help us understand.

I thought about Elena, Isolde, and Garrick. This wasn't the first time they had lost a home. They lost the palace, the center of the kingdom, the grand place I couldn't even remember since I wasn't yet one year old when we fled. Now they had lost the orchard too. I knew they were just trying to be brave.

Meli was silent, and I felt her fear. When I moved to start the fire, she finally spoke.

"Don't start a fire, Cad. It could lead them to us..."

She was right. I agreed immediately. I dropped the wood I was holding.

I moved closer to Meli and put my human arm around her shoulders. I hugged her gently from the side and leaned in to kiss the top of her head, being careful to avoid her horns.

"We won't make a fire. We'll get your family back, Meli. I promise."

I then turned back to Garrick, nodding as he finished speaking. So Adam never told them. He just believed I would "recognize it." That meant whatever it was, it was connected to me, to the Solarian line, or maybe to the egg.

"I understand, Garrick. It sounds like Adam left us a riddle, not a map."

I looked out into the deep darkness of the forest. We couldn't all sleep.

"We need to rest, but we can't risk sleeping unguarded. We will do two rounds of watch."

I picked up my sword and shielded arm.

"I will take the first watch. I need to think, anyway. Garrick, are you able to take the second? I will wake you up when it's time."

I moved to each of my companions,Elena, Isolde, Garrick, and Meli, giving each a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight, everyone. Try to rest."