The rest of the journey to Avia was uneventful. There were no monsters, storms, or bandits. Only an open road and a peaceful calm. Darius did notice, however, that his mother seemed to grow nervous and irritable the closer they got to Avia and by extension his grandfather. He was curious to see who his grandfather was and why he made his mother act so distant and strange.

"We're here!" The driver opened the window to the inside of the carriage as he came to a full stop.

"I wonder what the capital is like!" Daniel seemed excited as he looked out the window.

"I grew up around it with my dad. You'll be shocked! It's so big it makes Renee look like a small town." Roderick gave a self-satisfied smile to Daniel as he sat up a little bit straighter.

Aaron tried to give off the impression that nothing fazed him while Talia gazed out the window with her jaw struck open and eyes filled with wonder.

Looking at his excited squires, Darius decided to look out the side window and see the scenery for himself. A beautifully organized garden lined with tall sword-like trees stood side by side, equidistant from one another. Flowers and orchids filled in the gaps between the trees to create an almost mystical feel.

Darius tried to see the manor from his position, but all he could see was the side garden and knights lined up outside.

"Can we go now?" He eyed his mother expectantly, hoping she'd let him get out and explore. Three days of traveling had made his muscles stiff, and his mind bored.

"Be patient, Darius. You can leave the carriage once we enter the gates of the estate." Elaine's irritable expression sank further when a boisterous shout filled the entourage.

"Grandson! Where's my grandson, and my granddaughter? Come out and greet grandpa!"

A booming voice filled with excitement and anticipation filled the atmosphere. Darius tried to look out of the carriage and see what was going on but remembered what his mother had said moments earlier. Elaine examined her son's expression with eyes reminiscent of a falcon before saying, "You can go." Though her expression was similar to someone who had just been cheated in a card game she still gave her son permission to meet his grandfather.

Opening the carriage door gingerly, Darius noticed his father and sister were already making their way over to his grandfather. His father wheeled his way over to him while El sat in his lap. A gust of wind followed Darius' steps as he leaped from carriage to carriage as his mother had done the day before. It only took him two seconds to see his grandfather from the top of a carriage and a third to land in front of him.

"Hi." Darius bowed his head.

His grandfather had a very neat and proper mustache that was as white as snow, with a well-proportioned body which suggested he at the very least managed his health well. His eyes were the most intriguing part of him. Eyes as blue as the sky and deep and dark as the ocean. True wisdom and experience seemed to be hiding within but were hidden by an almost tangible sense of joy. The old man's smile crept all the way to his eyes as he looked at his two grandchildren. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes as he said, "My grandchildren! I've waited so long to see you!" He scooped up Darius in his arms and his sister only a few moments later.

"Hahaha!" He threw Darius and Ella up into the air before catching them.

"I've been waiting for an opportunity to see the two of you since the moment I heard of your existence. I'm so glad I could see the two of you before I meet the Grim Reaper." The old man hugged both of his grandchildren tightly before looking at Darien.

"Count Winchester, a pleasure as always. It's been a few years now hasn't it." Darien smiled and nodded at the old man, before picking up his nervous daughter and placing her back on his lap.

"Red Tower Master, yes it is a pleasure to see you under better circumstances. I am very, very happy that you've managed to awaken from your coma. Not just for the sake of my daughter and grandchildren, but for the continued existence of Elion, I am happy you are alive and well." Count Winchester lowered Darius to the ground before patting him on the head. He seemed to look around a bit with a slight look of disappointment.

"Thank you, Count."

"So you're my grandfather?" Not able to hide his curiosity any longer, Darius blurted out his question.

"Well, you must be Darius. Yes, I am your grandpa Count Ellis Winchester. Your father told me a bit about you three years ago before all of the battles and wars. Had the circumstances not been so dire I might have dared visit you even at the cost of your mother's fury." Winchester crouched low as he made eye contact with Darius before slowly turning to face Ella who seemed slightly scared of him in her father's arms.

"And you must be Ella! This grandfather here is excited to finally meet you!"

Sinking into her father's arms Ella managed to squeak out her greeting, "Hi, gra-grand-grandpather?"

"Hahaha! Yes, grandpather is close enough!" The Count continued laughing as he looked again at the entourage of carriages. His eyes scanned the crowd as though he were looking for someone.

"You can all come in! I'll have my servants take care of the Herals and carriages. Make yourselves at home!" Count Winchester scanned the crowd one more time before looking at Darien in disappointment, "Did my daughter not come after all?"

Darien sighed, "She's in the carriage. I'm sure she'll come out to see you once we're inside. Elaine is... well she's stubborn and hasn't forgiven you yet for what happened."

"I understand." A heartwrenching sadness made its way into his voice and expression before being replaced with a cheery smile, "Would you like to look around, Darius? Ella? I'd love to show you guys around my prided garden and estate!"

"That sounds fun. I'd like that."

Darius found his grandfather to be fun. He was excitable and interested in everything Darius could do. They walked around and visited the manor's garden before going to the training field where knights and guards faced each other in hand-to-hand combat and exchanges of spells.

Ella was rather happy to see the garden as every little bug and flower caught her attention. If the outside of the manor was filled with beautiful fairy gardens then the inside was a sophisticated art museum only fit for the finest nobles to enjoy.

Paintings and carpets decorated the manor's interior, looking like they had been plucked straight from the office of a king. Every part of the manor was intricately designed and organized by an artful hand. The gardens, artwork, and every little thing that filled the residence matched perfectly and created a sense of beauty and purpose.

Darien let out a breath as he said, "I'm always shocked when I see exactly how perfect the interior design of your home turned out to be. Mrs. Winchester was an incredibly talented woman."

"Y-yes, she was. She was unlike anyone else. She was truly special."

"I wouldn't mind if my future lair looked like this Lord Winchester! This is the type of residence set for a king!"

"Lair? Hahaha! You little rascal. What are you a dragon? And Darius calls me grandpa! Don't call me Count or Lord!"

"Ok, gramps!"

"Darien, how's his magic training coming along?"

Darien smirked as he looked at his father-in-law, "You'd be surprised."

"Well, you'll have to show me! After dinner, we can do some magic practice if you'd like. I'm sure a magic demonstration would be quite fun."

Darius smiled brightly at his grandfather as he said, "Yes! I'd love to."

"Good, good! Let's finish the tour of my home, and then we can all eat together. Hopefully, Elaine will be willing to say hello by then."

********

Darius and his squires sat together at the dinner table eating in silence. Darien and Elaine were on the opposite end of the table facing Count Winchester. Elaine seemed to be trying to sit as far away from her father as possible. An uncomfortable silence had descended rather quickly once dinner began as the Count's cheerful energy was slowly squashed.

"Grandson, I saw that you were using wind magic earlier. Are you able to use 1st Circle magic already?"

Darius stopped himself from biting into a chunk of meat as he looked at his grandfather, "Yes." He looked at his mother and father and noticed they weren't giving him any signals to stay quiet, so he continued by telling the truth, "I can cast magic up to the 3rd Circle."

"Hahaha! You are hilarious! How many spells can you cast now?" It didn't seem like Count Winchester could even fathom a five-year-old child casting 3rd Circle magic.

"I'm not sure probably over a hundred spells. I can only cast a few 3rd Circle spells at the moment, but that'll change soon."

The old man glanced around the table and noticed that no one had expressions that would indicate that Darius was joking or lying.

"Are you serious?" There was a bit of edge to his voice.

"Yeah, gramps. Is there a problem?"

Count Winchester looked at Daren with eyes that screamed bloody murder. "You told me your son was a genius three years ago! You didn't say he was an unheard-of prodigy! Darius, you can not tell anyone and I mean anyone that you can cast 3rd Circle magic! Hell, even the kid's squires are here! Do you even understand the implications of that information?"

Elaine was the one to speak, "Of course, I know that more than most. That's why I already cast a wind barrier when you asked the question."

The count looked around them and noticed the dome of air before saying, "No, you don't understand. If information about his talent were to leak I'm afraid he'd be the target of not only the Empire but possibly all of the other continental powers as well. Who the hell cares, if the Emperor takes over if someone that'll surpass him in a few years shows up? 3rd Circle magic at five! That's unheard of in history or myth! Hell, it's unheard of for dragons to cast magic of that level at a young age!"

Darien looked at his son and smiled, "We are taking proper precautions. Whether or not he surpasses me in a few years or not is irrelevant. I'll protect him regardless of his talent and regardless of his enemies." Darien's gray hair and wrinkles didn't take away from his eyes. Despite having aged what looked like twenty years his eyes still brimmed with life.

"Ughh! I was expecting a good time with my grandkids and a challenging dinner, but I got life-altering secrets instead." Count Winchester couldn't help but glance at his daughter. If he wasn't considered trustworthy by his daughter in at least some sense, she wouldn't have let him get this information.

This was a secret that could destroy not only the Northwood family but possibly the Elion kingdom as a whole if this got out. A part of him felt touched that they would be willing to share this information with him, but he also felt a little hurt. He still couldn't mend his relationship with his daughter. It didn't matter how trustworthy he was or how good of a ruler. The damage had already been done.

"Well, we'll have to be secret about it, but would you like to show your magic to me later, Darius? We can exchange a few spells and have some fun." Count Winchester looked at those present at the table. Only his immediate family and his grandson's squires were at the table.

Each one of the squires was pale as they tried to process the information spouted at the table. They looked back and forth at the Count and Darius, pale and confused. They couldn't understand the ramifications of the information they'd just heard. They were only five and had just begun their journey with magic.

"Of course, gramps! That sounds good."

He looked at Ella wondering if the small girl was holding some dark secret as well. Maybe she held the secrets of dragon taming at her fingertips? Or was blessed by a spirit of fire? A smile blossomed as he realized he didn't care. They were his grandkids, and he decided that he'd make the most of his chance to spend time with them.