A stone archway marked the exit to Schurr, and the safest way to travel to other settlements was to follow the dirt pathway that led to the King’s Road. It was a paved road that stretched for countless miles to both ends of the kingdom, and was regularly maintained by regiments of soldiers. If you weren’t in a rush the safest route was without a doubt the King’s Road, but otherwise you took shortcuts that may or may not result in your demise.

A group of people, young and old, were waiting with varied emotions for the academy’s caravan to escort the town’s youth to their new residence. Matthew was excited for the upcoming change in scenery, but he would miss the calm environment here. Also he hated riding in caravans. Jessica, Eric, and Evelyn were the only ones who’d be seeing him off as any extra was seen as extra, and Matthew didn’t really develop a bond with the other servants as he did with Evelyn.

He stood relaxed with his luggage, as the sun only just started to rise in the sky. They were told to be ready early in the morning for the caravan, and as Matt observed the rest of the teenagers he assumed some of them stood up late due to nervousness or excitement. Some teens had visible bags under their eyes and their very being oozed lethargy. They all wore shades of brown or tan tunics and trousers, and since Matthew came from a noble family he is allowed to wear a turquoise set.

“What’s up pipsqueak!” An energetic voice shouted before approaching with two others. A tall, lanky young boy was the source, and Matthew face palmed internally but was otherwise happy to see Carl. Out of the fifteen students who are present Matt developed the closest bond with Carl and his two lackeys.

Rather than friends or fellow students lackey would be the best word to describe their relationship to Carl. The two boys who followed Carl around all the time were Zack and Dylan, who both happened to be nearly identical twins. They both had crew cuts and the only way to tell them apart was, by Zack’s blonde hair and blue eyes or Dylan’s brown hair and green eyes. They were both an inch shorter than Matt, but were clearly dwarfed by Carl.

As he approached the height difference between Matt and Carl became more apparent. It’s not like Matthew was small for his age as he was 5’5, but Carl was an astonishing 5’9 towering over his peers. He placed his hand on Matt’s head and proceeded to ruffle his hair, one of the annoying habits Carl developed as his height and ego grew.

Matthew sent a threatening glare Carl’s way and he eased his hands away. “My bad co-captain I just couldn’t help it.” Carl shrugged his shoulders and the twins let out a soft chuckle. Apparently Carl formed a group with Matthew being second-in-command without his knowledge, but he went along with it since they both knew who was really in charge.

“Anyways is this who’s coming with us? It’s not even the full class what the hell…and that freak is coming along too.” A scowl formed along Carl’s face and Matthew could only sigh. The boys all looked in the direction of a black haired boy and an elder with one arm who were clearly distanced from the rest of the crowd. Matthew could tell by the older man’s gait that he was a warrior before he grew old and lost the arm. The man was explaining something to the boy in hushed whispers, and the look of stoicism on his face despite being so young was shocking.

Ever since Nicholas corrected the misinformed Carl and the whole class (except Matthew and the twins) laughed or giggled amongst themselves, Carl developed a personal vendetta against him. He tried to rope his group into harassing the boy, but Matthew quickly put a stop to Zack and Dylan’s interference. If Carl had a grudge against someone he could handle it on his own instead of bullying the kid. Besides Nick was a no-nonsense kind of guy, as he repeatedly shut down any attempt of superiority from Carl.

Eric broke his conversation with another parent to glance at the entrance to the town. “Look the caravan finally arrived!” Confirming Matthew’s thoughts that Eric did sense the approaching vehicle, a middle aged lady shouted as she pointed in the middle of the archway.

A brown horse led a covered wagon on the pathway to Schurr, and the man at the front seat was completely relaxed. He wore blue leather armor which featured a white griffon on the right shoulder strap. He had disheveled curly black hair, and was chewing on some stalks of wheat. His overall appearance made one think of a bum, but the pristine sword and shield next to him belied that impression.

When he finally arrived he got off the seat, gave a cursory glance to the group, and grabbed a rolled up piece of paper from his pouch. “Matthew Fredericks.” His voice was deep and after Matthew stepped forward he gave Eric a quick nod before checking something off on the list.

“Carl Rauch.”

“Dylan Jameson.”

“Zack Jameson.” The man railed off the fifteen names and prodded the group of teens to get in a group behind him. As Matt observed the man he noticed the armor seemed to hide his lean, muscular figure.

“Alright this is your chance to say your goodbyes, so don’t screw it up kids.” Matthew hugged his parents and Evelyn before he walked back behind the wagon driver. As Carl finished talking to his mother, she glanced at Eric and Jessica before approaching Matthew.

She was the same lady who announced the caravan’s arrival, with slight wrinkles adorning her cheeks and her brown hair starting to turn grey. “Hello again Sir Fredericks.” She performed a quick curtsy, while Matthew waved her off to stop her sign of respect.

“Carl talks about you all the time at home. I hope you know he really admires you…The point is that as I’m sure you know about my boy’s hardheadedness, and I’m concerned about him. Sure he’s got Zack and Dylan with him, but I know you’ve got a real good head on your shoulders. If you could just watch after Carl for me while ya’ll are in the academy…I’ve already lost my husband, but if I were to lose my boy too…” By this point Carl’s mother was silently weeping to herself as she grabbed onto Matt’s hand.

Matthew in return grabbed her hands, and looked her in the eyes with a resolute expression. “I’ll take good care of your son ma’am.”

“It was nice to meet all of you, but it’s time for your children to go.” The curly haired man turned the covered wagon around and got the horse ready. Matthew told Carl and company that he’d prefer to be in the back so he could feel the wind.

As the horse started to get moving, all of the parents formed a big group and waved them away with shouts of encouragement. The four boys could clearly see their respective families smiling at them, and pride started to swell in each of them. This was the start of their journey.

***

“I’m booooooored.” Carl droned on for must’ve been the umpteenth time. It’s been five hours since they started their ride to the city of Ethel. James, the curly haired man, said they would be riding to Ethel to pick up their real form of transport, which will considerably lessen their travel time. He wouldn’t tell anyone what the vehicle or animal was, especially Carl as he kept trying to squeeze the information out of him.

Matthew was laid back on the backboard enjoying the scenery, and noticed one of those messenger birds flying overhead in their direction. Thankfully the King’s Road was a smooth paved surface so there’d be no occasional bumping, thus no back pain for Matt.

“Could you pleeeease shut up Carl. Thanks!” A girl interrupted Carl before he could speak again, which he returned with a snort before finally shutting up. She had twin pigtails and Matt remembered her name was Tori. She had a petite body and it seemed like Zack had a crush on the girl by the occasional glances he sent her way. That was also part of the reason why Carl didn’t try to argue with Tori.

“We’ll arrive in Ethel by midday and I’ll give you kids some time to explore the city before meeting back in a designated area. We’ll sleep there and continue to the capital tomorrow morning, so don’t stay up too late like some of you did today.” James said to the agreement of many in the wagon. After a few more hours they could finally see the steel gates of Ethel. The group could still hear the hustle and bustle of the city, despite the fact it was surrounded by high stone walls.

As the guards already recognized and trusted James by his armor they promptly opened the gates. People were walking to and fro, and there were various stands on the sides of the roads selling food and wares. As they ventured deeper into the center of the circular city, they noticed an increase in the number of actual shops before they arrived at a tavern.

Everyone looked up at the sign hanging on the building. “I wonder why it’s called The Familiar Spade.” Dylan voiced the thoughts of a couple kids. It was a two-story wooden building with a stable off to the side. There were glass windows that allowed one to see various young ladies serving drinks to tables full of men.

“Meet back at here in four hours. I have to take care of our transportation.” James entered the establishment, and was greeted by cheers from some of the locals. That left the group of fifteen teenagers outside wondering what to do. Carl put his arm around Matthew and Dylan and exclaimed, “Time for some adventure boys!” He motioned Zack to follow and dragged the boys around looking for something to kill time.