A cold wind swept through the grass that went out as far as the eye could see. Along the rode the Knights shivered underneath their armors from the cold and the Knights could not help but look longingly at the carriage they were assigned to protect. Engraved along the wooden pillars that held the carriage upright were runes that glowed in a bright red color, just sitting next to the rune helped relieve the cold that plagued the Knights in the hostile autumn environment.

Yet oblivious to it all was a young boy, still fast asleep unaffected by the harsh winds outside.

“Hrm. Lord Viran.” An old and croaky voice was heard by the groggy Viran, but the young boy couldn’t help himself and ignored his teacher’s urging words.

“Hrm. Lord Viran, my apologies, but we have almost reached our destination.” Sir Leonard said in a terse tone.

Upon hearing those words Viran jumps out of his sleep and hurriedly looks out toward the scenery surrounding them. A bright green landscape extended outward and among the beautiful grass were numerous trees that had already lost their youthful leaves in the changing of seasons, a scene Viran could not help but feel displeased about.

“What is the name of the fief we are going to again?” Viran asked once he had gotten his fill of looking.

Sir Leonard smiles slightly towards the question as his hands begin to unfurl a map hidden away within his robes. His aged finger lifts and points towards a location far west from Arx and the Idicium Estate.

“We are heading to Wakeford. It’s a small village with barely five hundred people living there, and there’s no real control of the village itself. They obviously pay their taxes but they have a self-elected chief for their daily problems.” Sir Leonard said to which Viran nodded in a rapid motion.

“So where will we be staying then? How would we even eat?” Viran asked.

“There’s an old estate built by a Noble from before the Empire exerted itself in the region. It’s beat up in many places but it’s gone through enough inspection by Lord Idicium’s people. As for food because winter is coming near it’s doubtful the village would be willing to part with much of its food. So there will be regular shipments of food sent for you and the guards from the Lord.” Sir Leonard then began to fold the map tight before shelving it within his robes. “But besides that, something like this isn’t something you should think about.”

Viran nodded slightly in consideration as he swept his gaze back out towards the landscape. As time went on Viran was able to view the many spectacles a village life had to offer. Sheep milled within the long stretches of land, the shepherds nearby laid about relaxingly and only simply watched the sheep. Oftentimes the shepherds would glance slightly at the convoy that passed by them, but the glance would only last a second. Nothing more.

Large patches of grain began to show up as well and within the distance Viran could spot a large windmill turning at fast speeds. It was something the boy had never seen before, it served as a fantastical sight for him. Within the muddy ditches that sat upon either side of the poor dirt road that they rode upon were children of many ages conversing excitingly as they watched the glistening carriages and shining armor of the Knights. The sight evoked soft smiles from the Knights that rode by.

The children were exuberant as they ran after the carriage that went towards their home. Their eyes were filled with awe as they looked upon the Knights on their horses and the carriages that shone underneath the sun.

A small crowd began to form in front of the village as they watched the convoy arrive in suspense, standing in front of the crowd stood a serene old man who, similarly, had an interesting expression cover his face.

“After you, Lord Viran. Hrm.” Sir Leonard spoke in a soft tone as the carriage finally came to a complete stop.

Viran shyly peered through the thin glass that separated him from the crowd, after a few moments of bracing himself the boy lightly pushed open the door further and stepped out.

What awaited him outside was a small crowd of the village folk, their stares made Viran feel uncomfortable. But that wasn’t all, the once serene old man had instead put on a grim look right as he met Viran’s gaze. Viran was unsure how to interpret that.

“Greetings Lord Viran.” The old man called out. “I am the Elder of this village Nichols Wake.”

“Good day Nichols Wake…” Viran pauses unsteadily. What was he supposed to say now?

Seeing the predicament Viran had gotten himself into, Sir Leonard jumps into action.

“Hrm. It is quite a serene village Elder Wake, would you like to join us as we move towards the estate?” Sir Leonard spoke with a calm and composure that was enviable for the young boy.

Viran sighed inside feeling embarrassed. In the crowd Viran could see wondrous gazes, apathetic gazes, and some filled with reverence. He wasn’t sure what to make of it all, or if he should just ignore it all together.

“It would be my honor, please allow me to.” The old man said weakly in response, the dimness and grim look on his face hadn’t dissipated once so far.

“Alright clear the roads!” A Knight yelled out to the crowd, and within a minute it had disappeared completely.

Sitting back down in his seat Viran still felt embarrassed for his fumble and hoped he hadn’t affected his image in the eyes of the villagers and the Knights. After all the Knights would be living with him and the villagers would be his neighbors for now on, and Viran understood quite well that first appearances were important.

Shaking his head to banish the thoughts Viran speaks to the Elder.

“So, Elder Wake, how long have you been the Elder of this village?”

“... Close to three decades so far, m’lord.” Nichols said softly.

And with those simple words the conversation went… Nowhere.

An awkward silence was brought upon in the carriage and Viran began to shoot glances towards Sir Leonard, only for the boy to realize his teacher had already delved into a hefty book in his hands. With the awkward atmosphere Viran could only nervously shift in his seat from time to time.

It was an excruciating few minutes to get from the base of the village towards the estate.

Viran crawled out of the carriage once it came back to a complete stop in front of the estate walls. Looking down upon the village the boy saw a blue river run nearby Wakeford, its waters were smooth and calm. Much more calm than the river he had once seen in Tenus Forest.

Viran’s heart ached once the thought came to mind, and once more he tried to calm his heart by thinking of something else.

Peering past the river that laid next to the village Viran could see more hills not unlike the one he stood upon now, the only difference being a great forest that ran across all of the hills. Even from this distance, however, Viran could see the many stumps that were left behind by the villagers.

Behind Viran stood a large wall that looked over the entire area, with small towers standing tall above even those great walls made of a thick stone. Although everyone had called this place an estate, to Viran it seemed more alike to a fortress made for war than anything. The large wooden doors that stood as the gate to the estate were closed shut. The wall was rotting away and the metal parts were rusted over.

“Open the doors.” A Knight ordered.

Two Knights dressed in a pristine steel armor that covered their entire body began to push the doors open, except the doors instead released a large snapping noise and suddenly dust and debris fills the entire air once a huge slam shakes the earth underneath their feet. Viran hurries to cover his face to protect himself from the dust and debris that got blown all over, the rest do the same just as fast as him.

After a few moments Viran lifts his face once more and sees rotten wood spread out everywhere and a dust cloud still covering the gate entrance of the wall. Laying on the floor was the huge wooden door broken in numerous pieces and its jagged piece of metals barely holding the thing together. Along the sides of the wall were the hinges that once held the door upright, hinges that were now completely decayed and rusted over.

“This doesn’t bode well.” Viran says with a sigh. “Get this cleaned up-”

As soon as Viran begins to order the Knights he is interrupted once more by the sound of crashing and a dust cloud rises towards their faces again.

As soon as the dust settles Viran takes a canteen full of water from a Knight beside him to wash the dust and dirt that clouded over his eyes, the burning sensation stung him deeply.

“Ok what is this?” Viran asked in exasperation.

Among the rotten wood was a pile of rusty iron bars that had fallen and crushed the ground underneath it. At the top of the entrance way were jagged pieces of rusty iron and even rustier chains that dangled down.

“The pulley system up above must’ve broken down…” A Knight said, answering Viran’s question.

Viran stood there dumbstruck for a second before sighing deeply, he glanced towards Sir Leonard next to him only to find a small thin smile on his face. Viran shakes his head again and sees Elder Nichols and finds that the grim look that always painted his face seemed much worse than it was before…

‘Was this why he always had that look on his face?’ Viran couldn’t help but wonder.

“Elder Nichols… When was this last repaired?” Viran turns to the Elder and asks.

“I don’t know… It’s never been repaired from my knowledge.” The Elder says in response, Viran could tell he himself was barely holding in his own sighs of exasperation.

Viran began to pat the dust that clung to his clothes, only for the wind to change direction in the next moment and throw more dust into the group there.

Viran steps over the many broken pieces of wood and iron and peers into the estate that he would stay in for the months to come. Quite frankly, it was almost the exact opposite of the estate back home. The walls on the outside looked fine enough, but one Viran peered at the condition of the walls inside he found that the bricks had already begun to decay from the inside out. The walls themselves, Viran thought, weren’t all that important.

Even then, however, the inside of the estate was even more abysmal.

In one corner of the estate there laid a set of stables used to hold the horses, except the roof had collapsed long ago. In another corner there laid another arena like training field, that was at least still intact for the most part. There were only two gardens except those spaces had already been taken over by the wildlife outside, the plants had already broken through the tiles and fences that held them.

In the middle of the madness that surrounded it, was a large mansion. It’s stones were dusted over and had begun to decay in places, the many windows were either broken or clouded over completely. It’s lawn had died long ago, the flowers were withered, and weeds were spread out completely. Even the red brick that the mansion sported had long lost its lustrous color. By a first glance Viran had seen through all of this, Sir Leonard on the other hand saw something else completely though.

In the finest upper reaches of the mansion, laid the markings of runes. What laid within those runes, were a hymn of life that only he could tell.