Heinz grunted. Why were these chests so freakishly heavy? Maybe it was a bad idea to carry them both at the same time? No. He had been asked by Elise to carry her dolls. He would do it, they were his masterpieces. If Elise was not able to carry them, only he was worthy of carrying them. He felt the blood rush to his face and walked out the door. A familiar face greeted him.

"Are you all right, old man?" Fritz asked, laughing, "Are these chests heavier than your weapons or have you perhaps lost some muscle?"

The accompanying soldiers flinched uneasily, perhaps noticing the tension in the air.

Heinz took a deep breath before muttering, "I bet you won't be able to carry a single chest. They weigh as much as half a warhorse."

"A challenge?" asked Fritz with a smile, "I accept."

"There are three more chests," Heinz replied, wondering why the chests felt so heavy.

Were they filled with stones instead of dolls?

"Wonderful," Fritz said and turned, looking at the militia-men next to him, "I suppose you are all grateful for this training opportunity. You four ... yes ... you there, and you, and you too, come with me. If you four can manage to carry both chests, I'll buy you all a round."

The four unfortunate guards looked startled, while the rest grinned rather stupidly. But their grins quickly faded as Fritz said, "I suppose you need some training too. Ten laps around the training ground. Beer has its price too."

Heinz grinned and looked at the four guards. He said loudly, "Another beer on my name if you all manage to carry the chests to the north gate in less than an hour."

Heinz was pretty sure they would not fail. After all, beer was something that lifted everyone's spirits.

"You heard the old lion," Fritz barked, "now get out. The rest ... you know what to do."

The group of five entered the inn. A few moments later Fiona appeared, also carrying a chest. Heinz took a quick look at Fiona. She looked as if she would collapse if even a speck of dust landed on the chest.

Still, he had to admit that Fiona was doing her best to keep up with her daughter. Monias looked quite weak, but he knew that their thin and scrawny bodies hid a surprising amount of strength. He had noticed that after Elise had rammed the wooden training sword into his stomach. That had been enough pain for at least a couple of lifetimes.

The little devil who was responsible for their suffering seemed to have completely forgotten what suffering she was causing. Elise was happily jumping up and down, humming a song she had heard from a travelling bard. She didn't seem to remember the words, fortunately, because it was a song about romance, the more open kind, something Elise hopefully knew nothing about. Or was the song a favourite of Heidi's? He wasn't quite sure. His memories were getting foggy, and sometimes simple things he should know weren't there.

A few minutes later, the guards left the inn. Heinz kept asking himself why Fritz, the formerly scrawny boy, with arms that had been as thin as sticks, had decided to become a guard captain. He was the son of a merchant, not a guard. But... the former stick on his legs was now someone almost equal to him in strength.

After a few more minutes they reached the gate and Heinz finally felt relief. There he discovered a simple carriage that seemed to have more than enough room for all the chests he had brought with him. But being relieved of his burden was not his primary goal, at least not at that moment, no, he had to find his son.

His gaze wandered from knight to knight, and he couldn't help but wonder why their armour looked so different from that of the knights he had seen in the capital. While a knight's normal armour was clunky and made of enchanted steel, the dark armour of these knights seemed light and allowed a wide range of movement. He couldn't help but feel envious. If he had fought in this armour when he was younger, he might have been able to fight longer. But that was in the past and so he chose to ignore it.

Yet he could not help but marvel. The craftsmanship of this armour was impressive and all the gaps in the armour, especially those between the joints, were covered with an extra layer of enchantments. He couldn't tell which enchantment it was, but it felt strong enough to withstand one of his best attacks at his prime. That was ... frightening, whoever these knights were guarding was obviously terribly important, important enough that their armour probably cost more than Heinz had made in his lifetime.

Then he spotted him, his son and first student. He was the only knight not wearing a helmet, perhaps to avoid frightening Fiona and Elise or simply to show off his handsome face. He had inherited all of Heidi's qualities. Well, almost all of them. He had inherited Heinz's deep blue eyes and his red hair .

"Lucius," he said, setting the two chests down before approaching his son.

"Long time no see," his son said, sighing, "Please, don't make a scene."

"Just let your father hug you. We haven't seen each other in twenty years."

"Dad ... am I not too old for a hug?" his son asked, laughing.

"Do you expect me to hit you instead, or what?" asked Heinz, smiling before hugging his son. The cold metal of the armour was uncomfortable, but it was nothing that would hold him back.

"Dad," Lucius whispered, "we're on a tight schedule and need to get going as soon as possible. Look, they've already put all the chests on the carriage ..."

"They can wait," Heinz muttered, "a few moments won't hurt."

"To be honest, it seems my armour is defective, because your hug actually hurts," Lucius said, laughing, "Did mum say anything?"

"She wanted me to ask if you had eaten well and if you had married yet," Heinz said, "Your letters have been rather.... infrequent and not really revealing."

Lucius smiled, "I'm sorry, but I haven't had that much time. I've been far too busy and there have been a hundred tasks to complete. But to answer your questions, yes and yes. I have eaten more than well and I have found a loving and caring wife. In case mum is worried: No, my wife is not interested in staying away from you. I've even managed to persuade the Major General to give us time to visit you in five days."

"Wonderful," Heinz said, taking a step back before noticing that almost everyone in the vicinity was looking at them. He couldn't help but feel embarrassed and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Fortunately, most seemed to somehow understand that the hug had meant a lot to Heinz. After all, he hadn't seen his son in more than twenty years.

"My wife wants to meet you both too, especially you, papa," Lucius said.

Heinz frowned, "Why me? I'm just a retired innkeeper."

Lucius laughed before looking to the knights and saying, "See, I told you he was far too modest. Anyone with even a modicum of brains knows you were a pretty big deal in the Battle of Ralt."

Heinz faltered for a second before nodding slowly, yes, he was a hero. But at what cost? Many of his comrades had died and nothing would bring them back, certainly not fame and fortune.

"I look forward to seeing your wife," Heinz replied simply, "I wish you a good journey."

He gave Elise a smile before saying, "There is a gift I am sending to the Margrave's estate. Fiona, hide it until her birthday."

"But ... my birthday is in a fortnight," Elise interrupted, frowning, "I can't wait that long ..."

Heinz, however, remained firm and did not answer.

"At least tell me what it is."

He would not be swayed, no matter how hard she tried. Her cute face would not break through his resolve.

"It's a surprise. And if I tell you what it is, it won't be a surprise anymore. So be patient, Elise," was all Heinz said. "And now, goodbye, my little granddaughter."