My conversation with Vargas, albeit brief, offered me a sense of comfort and companionship I had never experienced before. Before now, the only person I could speak so freely to was Elantro, and even with him, I had held back from saying certain things. Expressing myself so freely, without fear of condemnation, made me reconsider my previous definition of friendship. How deep could a relationship be when one of us had to pretend?

Based on my current situation, the answer was clear. The knights had abandoned me. I could likely never return to Luz Dorada to see my family and my previously well-kept secrets had been publicly exposed. Even my own mother, who had wept so desperately at my departure, would probably give up on me after this.

And yet, instead of feeling like my life was over, it felt like an opportunity to start anew. This was the end of my life as a Royal, but it was the beginning of a new life. A better life, I hoped. One where I didn’t have to pretend anymore.

We headed back to camp, which was nearly packed and ready, to find Falyn and Andrian for the day's ride. The chill of early morning had passed, and the sun shone brightly in the sky as we left the forest clearing. It was still early enough in the season to ride without cloaks, but the first frost wouldn’t be far off.

“Falyn,” I inquired as we mounted our horses, “is the climate in the Beastlands all that different from Vrayna? Will the winter there be particularly cold?”

“Not at all," he replied, "It'll be my first winter there too, but from what I've heard, we'll be too far south for snow. Instead, it rains for multiple moon cycles with little reprieve. The summers in the village are hot– a lot hotter than what you’re used to –and they're humid, not dry like the southern duchy. Takes some getting used to, that's for sure.”

“The desert’ll be a bit of a shock for you,” Andrian added, “I don’t think there’s anything like that in Vrayna.”

“Desert?” I echoed curiously, only somewhat familiar with the term.

“It’s like a waterless sea,” Falyn explained, “As far as you can see in every direction, there’s nothing but sand and rock. No vegetation, no trees, and very few signs of life. Only monsters and scavengers can survive there. The heat is unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. It’s a dry heat, but it’s oppressive and overwhelming. You’ll experience it for yourself soon enough, though. Before we settle in the lion village, we'll be going to the western trading city, which is about two days’ travel into the desert.”

I couldn’t imagine such a place; barren and so hot that nothing could survive. It sounded so bleak, yet the beastmen had built a large city there?

Seeing my somewhat confused expression, Falyn added, “It’s actually quite beautiful. The night sky reflects brighter there, and the rise and set of the sun are incredible to behold. From the first hint of light to full blue sky can take several movements. Watching it is an experience like no other. There's magic at work in the city, so there’s no shortage of food and drink, and the insides of buildings are kept quite cool. Come to think of it, when we get to the desert, I’ll have to lend you one of my robes so you are properly attired for the heat. Vraynian clothes are ill-suited for the desert. We'll get you some robes of your own once we arrive in the trading city.”

I hesitated at his words, realizing I had no money of my own. I had Vraynian coin, but I doubted that would do me any good in the trading city of the Beastlands. It suddenly hit me that I was little more than a pauper now, reliant on the kindness of others to meet my basic needs.

Seeming to sense my unease, Andrian reassured me, “I can tell what you're thinking, and there's no need to worry about all that. We’re not short on money and can cover whatever purchases you need to make. Any Vraynian coin you have can be converted as well. It’s all made of the same materials.”

I nodded in response. Trusting they would handle such matters, I decided not to dwell on my lack of funds. Technically, as Falyn’s knight, my clothing, food, and lodging were his responsibility anyway. There was no need to feel guilty about accepting their kindness.

My curiosity piqued, I continued asking questions as we took to the road. Falyn answered most of my questions with ease, with Andrian and Vargas filling in the gaps where he could not.

The more we talked, the more I realized that I had no functional knowledge of the land that was about to become my home. The clothing, the governing structure, even the social customs were different. Though the rules of the Beastlands were much more lenient than those of Vrayna, it still sounded like I was going to be entering another world.

After a few movements of riding, we paused briefly for lunch before immediately getting back on our horses and continuing on.

As we continued riding through the early movements of descent, I was struck by the sheer size of the forest that surrounded the capital. I had known it would take many days of travel to reach the eastern duchy, but knowing and seeing were different things entirely. In every direction there was nothing but endless trees stretching toward the sky and plants I'd only seen in books.

I thought back to Falyn’s description of the desert where, instead of trees and shrubs, it would be sand as far as the eye could see. It didn’t seem real, yet I knew it had to be.

“So, are you going to tell us what happened this morning?” Falyn suddenly asked, pulling me out of my reverie.

“This morning?” I repeated, feigning innocence.

It wasn’t like I was trying to hide it, but I also didn’t want to cause him any trouble. It was something I could manage on my own, and I saw no reason to burden him with my problems.

Falyn smiled indulgently, as if he could see right through me, and added, “Word travels fast in a small camp, you know. Before we departed, I’d already heard something about the Palace knights trying to drag you off somewhere. You’re not obligated to report your every movement to me, and I don’t want to pry into your personal affairs, but I'm willing to help if you need it.”

I shifted awkwardly, not exactly surprised that he’d heard something. I hadn’t expected the situation to remain secret for long, but I didn't want to become a source of trouble on my first day. 

“It was a minor disagreement,” I dismissed, keeping my voice light, “Nothing worth troubling you over.”

“Minor disagreement my ass,” Vargas cut in, directly contradicting my claims, “Those fuckers tried to kidnap him.”

Falyn looked at Vargas sharply, “Kidnap him?”

Recalling Falyn’s recent ordeal, I hastened to explain, “They only wanted to bring me back to the inner city. I wasn’t in any real danger. Actually, it was less of a kidnapping, more of an attempted arrest.”

Falyn regarded me quietly for a moment before musing, “An attempted arrest, huh?”

“I’m not a criminal, I swear!” I quickly clarified, lest there be a misunderstanding, “Well, not in a way that could cause you any harm, at least. It’s a Royal matter, nothing more. And that matter should be settled now. Thankfully, I had some help, so nothing came of the situation.”

“We’re not trying to interrogate you,” Andrian told me gently, “We just want to understand the situation, and it didn’t seem like you were going to bring it up on your own. Will you tell us what happened?”

With a sigh, I began recounting the events of that morning. As expected, my supposed crimes were of no concern to them. However, when I got to the part about my rescue, Falyn’s expression became troubled.

“One of the wolves helped you?” he asked with a furrowed brow, looking to Vargas for confirmation.

Vargas shrugged, “Yeah, it was Jerran’s buddy, Nico. The one who was giving you shit before Jerran turned it into a thing. I’m as shocked as you are, but when I said I was gonna follow Evan, he insisted on coming. Said he knew what it was about. Him and Evan were drinking together last night, so I didn’t think much of it.”

Falyn turned to me with a serious look on his face, “Be careful, Evan. I’m glad he helped you, but you don’t know what his motives are. The wolves haven’t exactly been welcoming to me, and I don’t want you to get hurt if he has bad intentions.”

"I don't think he has bad intentions," I replied with moderate confidence, "He was pretty hostile at first, but we got along alright after Mara told him to stop being a dick. All things considered, I'm pretty sure the help was genuine. At worst, he was looking for a fight and using me as an excuse."

Falyn considered my response, then nodded, "Well, okay then. As long as you're sure."