Jack tangled the ribbon around his fingers, trying desperately to distract himself from his dilemma. For the past two days he'd kept himself holed up in his room, refusing to see anyone. Gerald had tried a few times to see him—and he'd undoubtedly try again—but Jack had thus managed to evade contact. Jack had occasionally taken these "mental health days," and Gerald always did just fine as acting chief for the day. But Jack took them very rarely, and never longer than a day. It was sunrise of the third day he'd been holed up. He knew the guild would be curious as to what's keeping him; Gerald at least knew something was bothering him, and of course Caesar, since Jack had confided in him. He hoped they would respect his privacy, and that the rest of the guild wouldn't get too nosey into his business.

He could not stop thinking about Ridley. His beautiful, perfect Ridley. She remembered him…if only a little. He pulled on the ribbon harder, tying a string of knots, pulling them loose, and then doing it again. It offered him sanctuary from his suffering for just a moment until he looked hard at the ribbon and was reminded of Ridley's red hair ribbons. He tore the ribbon off of his fingers and threw it on the floor with a sigh.

Almost immediately after, there was a knock on the door.

Jack sighed again; he knew that eventually someone would come knocking, but he'd been dreading it. He still wanted to be alone.

It was Gerald again. "Hey, Chief. You comin' out today?"

Jack didn't reply. No, he probably wasn't coming out today.

Gerald waited a moment to continue. "The other guild members are wondering where you are. I understand that something is really bothering you, but you'll have to come out sooner or later. Also a letter arrived for you from the castle this morning; apparently it's urgent. Thanos is holding it for you."

Jack probably should have thanked him, but once again he remained silent. It was quiet for a few seconds, and Jack was mentally daring Gerald to try and come in—but he didn't.

After a few long moments, he heard Gerald's voice, "Please come out today, Chief."

And then he heard receding heavy footsteps as Gerald left. He let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he'd have more time to be alone. He glanced up at his ticking clock, the source of the only sound in the deadly-still room. It was just past 7 am. He thought back on his human life; it would be the day the Rose Cochon brigade would be leaving Earth Valley to return to Radiata, escorting the dwarf and his cart. They would be just short of two hours from arriving back at the castle. He remembered the unbearably boring trek back to the castle with the dwarf and his cart; it took much longer than it would have were it just them moving along at normal speed. The cart was so slow. And he remembered the pain in the ass goblins that attacked them, trying to take the goat pulling the cart—

The goblins!

Jack sat up straight in his seat, remembering the impending goblin attack on the returning knights and dwarf—it would happen in about half an hour. He glanced at the clock, staring hard for a second and contemplating whether or not he should go stop it. He couldn't help but think that the squad would be considerably weaker without himself in it, as a 16 year old human knight trainee. He wasn't in his life as his normal self, so that spot in the knight brigade was unfilled—and he feared that with it empty, the brigade may not handle the goblin ambush as easily as they had in the previous life.

So, he pulled his helm on, and stood from his chair. Looks like he would be coming out today.

He went for the door, opening it as quietly as he could. He was hoping he could slip out of Vancoor without anyone noticing him. He'd need to be sneaky to get past Gerald. He knew that if Gerald realized he was out of his room, he'd bombard him with questions and Jack would be delayed. The small hut where the goblins would surely be lying in wait was not far from Radiata's Heliforde gate—he could make it to disperse them before the brigade would even reach the hut, if he went quickly.

That meant sneaking past Gerald, and the rest of the guild.

All he really had to do was make it down to the second floor; he could use the back door to get out into the Yellow Town. He wouldn't even have to pass the front of Vancoor to get to the gate; it was the opposite direction.

He quietly made his way over to the staircase and began to slowly go down. He was hoping that no one would be coming up any of the staircases as he made his way down. He hoped Gerald had returned to his squad room—he knew Gerald had a mission he should have been explaining that day. He made it safely down to the third floor, and quickly rounded the corner to continue down toward the second floor. He was so close!

But his fear was realized—as he rounded to reach the second floor, Daniel was there.

He smiled up at Jack, his eyes sparkling. "Chief! You're out of your room! Are you feeling better? Were you sick?"

Jack hurriedly shushed him, surprising him. "Daniel, shh! I don't want Gerald or any sergeants to see me."

"What's wrong?" Daniel whispered back.

"One of my friends is in trouble. I'm sneaking out to go help her. If anyone sees me, I won't make it in time!"

"Oh, okay," Daniel said, nodding. "I can cover for you! Go out the back door!" He waved him along. Jack thanked the gods for Daniel and his perfect little chubby self. Jack went quickly past him, opening the back door and sneaking out, leaving a smiling Daniel behind. He bounded down the staircase to the road, and took off running toward the bridge that his old house was under. Fernando was on the bridge, practicing his moves as he always was early in the morning; he cast a curious look to Jack as he ran by. Jack ignored him and ran into White Town. Everyone he passed shot him strange looks. He didn't particularly care, but he knew that news of Dragonheart running through the city would make it to Vancoor in likely less than ten minutes. He couldn't do anything outside of Vancoor's walls without the whole city knowing, thanks to the fact he was so mythical.

He made it through the White Town to the Heliforde gate in good time; the light guardsman, like everyone else, stared at him almost in awe as he ran past. He ran across the bridge into the Dova region, wasting no time. Even running, he'd likely make it just in time to the hut where the goblins were. He might even reach it at around the same time as the brigade. He didn't care if he did—either way, he'd be getting rid of the goblins. If he beat them, great; if not, he'd just say he was passing by on a personal mission. He wasn't sure what kind of mission he could claim to have been on, being the Chief, but he didn't think too hard on it.

He ran effortlessly until finally the hut was in sight. He glanced down the road; he couldn't see the brigade, though he knew they'd be arriving soon. He could see the three green goblins crouched behind the small building, lying in wait for the unsuspecting brigade and dwarf cart. He stopped and took a breath, before walking quietly toward the troublesome trio. To his surprise, no matter how close he got, they didn't notice he was there. He reached and readied his massive, shimmering Ancient Axe, holding it firmly in his right hand. He stood behind the trio for a moment, listening to them mumble to each other in anticipation.

"Wooly man coming soon!" Gob said excitedly. Aesop was chattering his teeth, and Monki was basically drooling, waving his head around.

"We eat their goat! Dumb knights won't see us coming!" Aesop added.

Jack sighed at the three beady-eyed goblins. He couldn't believe how pathetically unaware they were.

Finally, he cleared his throat, and all three of them jumped in horror, spinning around to face him. They all brandished their weapons with shaky hands, staring up at the tall, armored man who'd snuck up on them.

"Who are you?!" Gob demanded.

"My name's Dragonheart. You must be Gob, Aesop, and Monki. What exactly are the three of you doing sitting around here and drooling? You're awfully far from home." He span his axe around in his hand, running one of his fingers along its large C-shaped shimmering blade. Monki was staring at the ethereal axe with wide, fearful eyes. He began taking tiny steps to the side, getting closer and closer to hiding behind Aesop beside him. Gob was also practically shaking in his boots, trying to flash his meat knife at Jack, who frankly wasn't the least bit intimidated. Aesop was just staring at his lizard-like helm in awe.

"We just waiting for breakfast. Move along!" Gob tried to order him. His voice cracked just a little, and Jack chuckled.

"What kind of breakfast? Mind if I join you? I hope it's eggs."

"No, goat! Yummy goats are the best," Aesop said. Gob reached over and smacked him upside the head, knocking him down. Jack chuckled again. Goblins, despite being extremely pesky and annoying, were overall extremely entertaining to watch.

"A goat, huh?" Jack asked, spinning his axe again. "Where are you expecting to find a goat in this region?" All three goblins stared silently, looking like children who were about to be busted by parents. "You know, I think the only time I've ever seen goats around the Dova region is if they're pulling carts for the dwarves."

Monki was completely behind Aesop, trembling with utter fear; Aesop was sweating, and Gob was looking furious.

"Looks to me like you might be waiting to ambush one. You know I can't let you do that."

Gob jumped toward Jack with a shriek, holding up his knife. Jack kicked him out of the air and against the hut's side, knocking the wind out of him and the knife out of his hand. Aesop stared at Gob in shock, while Monki, crying and waving his arms, took off running as fast as he could.

"You're gonna need to find a different breakfast, friends," Jack declared to Gob and Aesop. Gob grabbed his knife and lunged at him again. Jack, using the handle of his axe, practically pushed him aside, sending him rolling out of control along the dirt road. While his back was turned, Aesop jumped onto Jack's back, trying hopelessly to stab him. But the legendary green armor was too strong, and Aesop's knife chipped and cracked. It couldn't even leave a hint of a scratch on Jack's armor.

Jack reached over his shoulder and took Aesop by one of his ears, tossing him onto the road beside a flustered Gob. They both stared up at him in shock.

"Lucky for you, I'm nice. I'll let you go if you promise to leave the dwarves alone. There are plenty of goats up in the Cuatour and Nowem regions. Why don't you take a trek up there instead? It's a bit far from Shangri La, but if you're that hungry, it shouldn't be too much of a bother."

Aesop jumped up and took off in the same direction Monki had run earlier. Gob remained in the dirt, staring up angrily with his beady blue eyes.

"Is there a problem with that?" Jack asked, staring Gob straight in the eyes. Gob grabbed his knife and got up, staring back hatefully.

"This not over!" he shrieked, waving his knife around a few times before taking off after Aesop. Jack chuckled, watching as the two ran out of sight.

But then something else came into sight; a group of people meandering along, leading a cart being pulled by a goat. Jack's eyes immediately honed in on the distant blonde: Ridley. The group was cautiously headed toward the hut; they'd probably seen the three goblins run past, and were alerted.

Jack found himself hopelessly staring at her as she came more into sight. Finally, he realized unless he wanted to have to speak to them, he needed to leave. He forced himself to turn away, and took off running down the road back toward the Heliforde gate, hoping they hadn't seen him in the distance—and knowing they probably had. He made his way back to the gate, which took a while in itself. He knew he'd have no problem at all staying out of their sight and beating them there, since they couldn't go very fast or they'd get too far from the dwarf's cart. He remembered Ganz yelling at him for getting too far plenty of times, and he remembered that of course, Ridley always stayed right beside it while he would try to run off.

He entered the city back through the gate; of course, the guardsman looked at him strangely. He rolled his eyes at him, wishing just once he could walk through one of the four gates without its guardsman looking at him like he was some kind of alien.

"Chief!"

Jack nearly jumped. Gerald was storming toward him. His angry exclamation earned them the curious attention of everyone in the area. Jack sighed and waited patiently for Gerald to reach him, ready to receive his lecture—which frankly he shouldn't have to suffer through. He was the chief here, not Gerald.

"Chief! You just up and left Vancoor after two days of staying holed up in your room, and the only person you told was Daniel?!" he practically shouted.

"Daniel was the only one who saw me leaving. I wouldn't have told anyone," Jack replied calmly.

"Where did you go?" Gerald demanded. Jack could tell he wasn't actually angry, but more frustrated with him.

"I went out into the Dova region. Something needed taking care of. It was personal."

"Oh? And what was that?"

"Some friends were in trouble, so I went and helped them. Simple as that."

"And how did you know anyone was in trouble? You've been cooped up in your room the past two whole days."

"I just knew." What a bad lie!

Gerald knew it was a pathetic lie, but he seemed to get that Jack wasn't going to be explaining himself, and finally backed off, sighing. "Chief, you know you really make me worry sometimes. At least tell me why you were locked up the past two days?"

"I wasn't feeling well." Another obvious lie. Again, Gerald just seemed to accept that Jack wasn't going to explain.

"When you realize that you can confide in me, please, come find me," he said, almost sounding offended that Jack was refusing to explain. "If there's anyone in the city you can trust, it's me and Caesar. I hope that sometime soon you'll realize that."

"Believe me, Gerald. I do trust the two of you more than anyone else. Just because I'm not spewing my personal problems to you doesn't mean that I don't trust you."

"I just want to help you."

"I know," Jack assured him. "Believe me, what I'm going through right now is extremely personal. Maybe I'll ask your advice on it, but it won't be today. But for now, I promise I'm fine. I won't hole up again today."

Gerald seemed satisfied enough, and offered Jack a smile.

"Don't you have a mission today?" Jack asked, smiling back.

"Yes, we're leaving at noon." He nodded to Jack, who started to pass him, headed back toward Vancoor. "Don't forget chief, there was an urgent letter for you from the castle. Thanos is holding it."

Jack waved back at Gerald, and made his way through the White Town back into Yellow Town. He passed his old house under the bridge on his way back. He went by the staircase to Vancoor's back door, not feeling like using it. Instead, he walked along the road around the building to its front door. He opened it and strolled inside; for some reason, he found solace in the guild members who were in the lobby like usual. The normality of it somehow managed to make him feel better.

As soon as he was inside, Thanos waved him over. "Hey, Chief! Urgent letter for you from the castle. It was delivered real early this morning." Jack walked over and took the letter that Thanos was waving around. "I'm not sure who it was from. It was delivered by one of them heavy guardsmen in the big bucket helmets…I will never not laugh at those guys."

Jack opened the sealed envelope and pulled out the pristine white parchment inside. He unfolded it and looked at it; it was written in perfect script, and had the seal of the Chamberlain at the bottom. Jack immediately felt a dread overwhelm him. Surely enough, he glanced down to see that the letter was signed Jasne Colton, Lord Chamberlain of Radiata.

He took a moment to prepare himself for whatever ridiculous request was written, before sighing and beginning to read the letter.

It read,

"Dearest Dragonheart of Theater Vancoor,

I would like to invite you to my private chambers within the castle. There is something I wish to discuss with you which I did not find entirely appropriate to express in a request for the guild itself. It is rather private, that I feel I should personally discuss with you as the guild's leader. I understand, of course, that you are a busy man, so I will understand if you cannot visit the castle as soon as you receive this, but if you could please visit within the day, I would greatly appreciate it. It is a matter of utmost urgency which I wish to discuss; a request of sorts, for which I am prepare to reward you and your guild handsomely. Thank you very much in advance for your time. I will be expecting you. Present this letter to the guards for passage into and through the castle to my chambers.

Sincerely, Jasne Colton, Lord Chamberlain of Radiata.

Jack stood there for a moment, feeling noticeably gloomy. Thanos immediately picked up on Jack's mood, and stared curiously. "Chief? Something wrong?"

"I've been summoned to meet with the Lord Chamberlain. I'm not sure something worse could happen," he replied. "I really, really hate him."

"You hate the Chamberlain? Why? Something bad happen between the two of you in the past?" Thanos asked.

"I find him to be a rather disgusting person," Jack spat. Thanos stared in surprise at Jack's hateful comment. Jack crumpled up the envelope and practically threw it onto Thanos' desk. He turned to leave when Thanos called after him.

"Here, Chief…some requests from Lord Larks for you to look over, as usual," he said, handing another three sealed envelopes to Jack. He snatched them and made his way to the staircase, going all the way up and into his room. He threw all of the letters onto his desk and yanked his helm off, running his hands through his hair. He sat in his chair and stared at the pile of official papers on his desk. Three requests from the knights, and Jasne's personal request. He was perfectly fine with receiving letters from Larks as it meant business and work for his guild, but was nearly ready to light Jasne's letter on fire.

Trying to avoid Jasne's letter, he reached for the first letter from Larks, tearing it open. He quickly read it. It was a request for aid from the guild on a Rank A mission alongside the Noire Mouton knight brigade. Basically, the knights were looking for aid in handling a rather rowdy blood orc that was rampaging around the Ocho region, having wandered too far from their home in Borgandiazo. Jack nearly vomited—Noire Mouton was Cross' brigade. Jack absolutely hated Jasne, but there was no one in the entire world he hated more than Sir Cross Ward of the Noire Mouton brigade. Request: denied.

The next request was much lower…Rank C. A request for aid from the guild in eradicating some beasts in the Tria region. No problem. Request: accepted.

The third request was asking for an escort alongside a solo knight, who would be transporting royal goods across the city. A low Rank D. Jack wasn't entirely sure why Larks would be requesting the guild's aid for some random solo knight in transporting some goods. He figured it was because the castle wouldn't want too much attention to be drawn to the knight, and so didn't want to send a whole brigade, preferring to request a Vancoor squad instead. Jack sighed, unable to come up with any reason to deny it. Request: accepted.

He pulled out some blank parchment and began to write the replies to Lark's requests, thinking out the fees he'd ask for and trying to be reasonable. Sorry to inform you, Lord Larks, that I will not be allowing a squad to travel to the Septem region to aid in the orc problem. Yadda yadda. I'm more than happy to provide aid for your mission in Tria, I'd like to ask so much in fees, yadda yadda. Yes, Lord Larks, Vancoor would be willing to provide a squad to serve as an escort for your cargo, and I'd like to ask blah in fees.

If there was one thing he hated about being Vancoor Chief, it was the paperwork that came with it. He originally believed Thanos handled everything, being the ever-bored receptionist. But no; way more paperwork made its way up to Jack than he ever anticipated.

Once all the replies were all drawn up and signed, he folded them up and sealed them into envelopes. He figured since he was headed up to his dreadful meeting with Jasne—who was in the room beside Larks'—he'd drop them off personally, since he was going to be passing by regardless.

He stood from his desk, all four letters in hand, and left his room. He went down to the lobby, casting a look up at the clock as he passed; it was ten minutes to nine. He went to Thanos' desk, where Thanos' was already beginning to look so bored, he might fall asleep. He shot up straight as soon as Jack was in his sights.

"I'm heading to the castle to answer the Chamberlain's summons. I'll take the replies for the Knights personally, since I'm passing Lord Larks' room anyway," he said to Thanos, who nodded. "If anything comes up, Gerald should still be around. I don't know how long I'll be at the castle, though. If I'm still gone when Gerald leaves, Caesar is in charge. You know how it goes."

"Yes, Chief."

"I'll be back in a while." He gave another nod to Thanos before turning to head for the door. Conrad was just walking in, and smiled at him. Jack gave a glance to the table, where Carlos and Gene were sitting and chatting. They didn't notice him. He left the building, turning left and headed up the road straight toward the castle. He listened to the birds as they chirped their morning songs, perched on top of the Yellow Town's houses and shops. About halfway up the street to the castle, he passed Jasmine, who smiled brightly at him as usual. Jarvis was a bit farther up the hill, thankfully sober.

"Good morning, Chief! Good to see you up and about again. Daniel's been worried about you," Jarvis said as he walked up to Jack. "Were you feelin' sick?"

"Yes, I just wasn't feeling well. I'm better now," Jack assured him. Jarvis gave him a hearty nod. "I've been summoned to the castle, so I have to go. Nice speaking with you."

"You, too. See you later," Jarvis replied, going past Jack down the hill toward Vancoor. Jack continued up the hill to the castle, finally arriving at its gate. As he walked up to the heavy guardsman on the right, he readied Jasne's letter.

"Good morning, sir," the guard greeted. "How can we be of service to you today?"

Jack held out Jasne's letter. "I've been summoned by the Lord Chamberlain to meet with him today." The guard took the letter, unfolding it and reading it over to inspect it. He looked at the seal, before folding the letter back up and returning it to Jack.

"All's in order, sir! Please go on in. The Lord Chamberlain's private chambers are on the fourth floor."

"Thank you," Jack replied, headed through the massive front gate of the castle. A little more than halfway toward the door, Jack saw Godwin, practicing his moves against the air. Why he always practiced inside the gate, Jack was never sure. He said hello to the tiny old man as he passed, who offered him a gummy smile in return.

In a daze, Jack entered the first floor hall of the castle and turned left, beginning to make his way around the perimeter of the castle to the staircases. He didn't pay much attention to anything in particular as he passed. Every single knight he passed seemed to have something to whisper about. To avoid getting angry at them, Jack forced himself to ignore them all as best he could. He knew that of the entire city, the castle was the one place where the rumors about him were the most colorful and numerous.

He finally reached the hallway with the red carpet, and made his way to the staircase where he slowly ascended all the way up to the fourth floor. Every footstep he took was heavier than the last as he neared the top; he honestly was dreading whatever Jasne wanted to talk about. He hated the man, and didn't want anything to do with him. He finally reached the fourth floor, in all of its regal elegance. The doors were decorated, the walls and floor were decorated—the fourth and fifth floor were really the fanciest places in all of the world that Jack had seen. It was so regal and beautiful; Jack remembered going there for the first time in his human life with Ganz and Ridley. He remembered being utterly amazed by it, having never been in a place quite like it. He headed to the right door, leading to the hall. He walked along the perimeter, again in a daze.

He looked up when he heard someone in the hall. He froze.

He'd made a mistake!

Ganz, Ridley, and Clive were standing in the hallway, talking amongst each other. Jack had completely forgotten than nine o'clock was when the brigade was back from their mission and reporting to Larks. They must have just finished as Jack arrived; they would be saying farewell to Clive.

They all looked at him, and again Ridley was locked into a hard-gazed stare, looking right at Jack. Jack avoided looking at her with all his being, but walked toward them. He needed to get into Larks' room, or at least past them to get to Jasne's room, which was through the doorway.

Ganz saw Jack and his face lit up. "Hello, Chief Dragonheart! What brings you to the castle today?"

Jack nearly choked on his words in the presence of Ridley, but managed to force out his reply. "I've been summoned by the Lord Chamberlain. Also, I'm delivering replies to Lord Larks." He held up the handful of letters for them to see.

"Summoned by my father?" Ridley asked. Her voice sent a shiver down Jack's spine. Oh, how he so badly wanted to rush over and embrace her. He longed to be with her. It was such a powerful urge, Jack's legs twitched, and his heart was pounding. Thank God his helm concealed the upper half of his face. "Why would my father summon you?"

"You tell me," Jack replied with a fading voice. He needed to get away.

But Ganz saw an opportunity and pounced on it. "I've been wanting to tell you, sir, that I idolize you and your legendary skills…I'd very much like to fight beside you one day!" His eyes were sparkling.

Ridley sighed. "Please, captain…you sound like a child."

But Ganz brushed her off. "Really, sir, your skills are absolutely renowned in the castle. I'm sure all of the knights would very much love to see you in action. But I especially have always been quite a fan of yours!"

"Yes, thank you," Jack urged, hoping to shut Ganz up. "I'm sure we'll fight beside each other someday. But please, I must speak with Lord Larks."

"Oh! Of course, of course," Ganz said, waddling aside to make way for Jack to reach the door. Jack walked toward it, staring at Ridley. He finally tore his gaze away, knocking on the door. He heard a reply from within, inviting him to enter. He went to open the door went suddenly, Ridley beside him reached out and touched his armor. Even though it wasn't direct contact, Jack saw her hand make contact and his whole body shuddered. He thought his heart might explode, and he felt his eyes sting with tears in the moment he refused to allow himself to embrace her. Jack practically jumped away from her, but Ridley seemed undisturbed.

"I've heard a lot about your armor," she said matter-of-factly. "It looks amazing, but it feels flimsy. It's so thin. It seems less practical and more for show. Like ceremonial armor."

There was the snappy, unimpressed Ridley Jack fell in love with.

"I'd like to see you try and scratch it," Jack replied. Ridley smirked at him.

Her smirk was all he could handle. He yanked the door open and quickly went inside, leaving the brigade—and a flustered Ridley—behind. He pulled the door closed behind him, and stood before Larks, who was seated comfortably at his desk.

"Ah! Hello, Chief Dragonheart. I was wondering why you were taking so long to enter after knocking. I assume the knights were distracting you. I'm well aware that many of them believe you to be part dragon." He laughed, and stood from his chair to go and meet Jack. He reached out to shake his hand, and Jack took it. "I'm surprised to see you here in person! It's been years since I met you last. What brings you here to meet me personally?"

"I was summoned by the Lord Chamberlain. I figured I'd drop off my replies to your requests personally, since I was passing by either way."

The happy look on Larks' face was replaced by a confused one. "Summoned by Lord Jasne? What for?"

"I don't know."

Larks stood for a moment, perplexed, before turning and returning to his desk. Jack went to stand on the opposite side. Larks sat down, and took the letters from Jack's extended hand. "Mind if I read them now?" He began to open them. He read over the first one, and smiled. Jack had placed the two accepted requests on top. He read the second one and was still smiling. But once he reached the third request, his smile faded a little.

"Ah. You've denied the request about the orcs," he said. Jack just nodded in silence. "May I ask why? I was really hoping to receive aid from you on this mission, above the others."

"I'm sorry, Lord Larks, but I can't accept. My best squads already have several missions of their own, which conflict with your request. I can't send a less-experienced squad on such a mission. I will never send men on a mission without complete confidence in their skills and ability to complete it. I have no squads of adequate skill available for a mission regarding orcs. Especially blood orcs."

Larks offered him a small smile, placing the letters on his desk. Jack was relieved that Larks didn't seem upset, and that he showed no signs of pestering him further. "I understand, sir. Of course. I feel the same about my knight brigades. I would never send a new brigade to fight blood orcs. I respect your feelings. And I admire your concern for your men."

Jack nodded to him, thankful that he wasn't going to try and pressure him. He'd always liked Larks.

"It may not be my place to ask, but…have you ever considered joining the royal knights?"

Jack was taken aback by his question.

"We could absolutely use a man of your skill. A man like you could ascend the ranks very quickly."

Jack took a moment to gather his thoughts, shaken by his request. "I'm sorry, sir, I'm quite happy where I am. I love Vancoor. I've never considered leaving to join the knights."

"I see. Well, I would just like you to know that this is a place where you will always be welcome, should you ever consider it. We'd accept a man like you into our ranks immediately. You wouldn't even need to attend a selection trial."

"Thank you again, but I'm happy with Vancoor."

Larks just smiled again and nodded. He stood from his chair. "Thank you very much for taking some time to stop by and meet with me personally. It's been an honor to speak with such a unique man. I hear so much about you. I wish you the best of luck with Lord Jasne and whatever crazy request he's thought up for you."

Jack smiled, nearly chuckling.

"I know I should not pay mind to any rumors I hear, but there is one that I've always wondered about. I've heard you have been at the head of your guild for as long as anyone can remember. There has been much speculation about your age among my knights. If I may ask…exactly how old are you?"

Jack laughed at him. Of course he couldn't honestly tell him. Even if he wanted to, he was sure Larks would never believe him. He was several centuries old. "Lord Larks, if I told you how old I was, that'd take the fun out of guessing."

Larks was taken aback for a moment, before chuckling at him. "Yes, that's true. Forgive me, sir. It was a bit rude of me to ask. I hope you'll forgive me."

"It's fine. It's far from the worst I've been asked." He turned and made his way to the door. "It's been nice speaking to you, Lord Larks."

"Yes! Please, do come by more often. It is wonderful to handle requests in person! You are the only chief who I never speak with personally."

"I'll try," Jack assured him, not entirely sure if he'd ever make his way to the castle to personally deliver replies again. That's what Thanos was for. He went to leave, but then hesitated. "Lord Larks?" He turned back around. "If I may ask a question of you…"

"Anything."

"Is there… Is there a man anywhere in the castle by the name of Lucian Hewitt?"

Larks seemed surprised by his question. "Yes, Lord Lucian is an advisor to Lord Jasne. Why?"

"I was just wondering. I used to know him a long time ago. I heard he was in the castle, but was never sure."

"Oh. If you'd like, I can arrange for the two of you to meet."

"No, thank you. That won't be necessary. Have a nice day, Lord Larks." Jack gave a nod to Larks before opening the door and leaving his room. He glanced around the hall, thankful that Ganz, Ridley, and Clive had gone. He'd been praying they weren't hanging around, hoping to talk to him more. With a sigh, he worked himself up and then started down the hall to the next door. He knocked on it, and after a moment of silence, a sharp, annoyed voice called out, "Who is it?!"

"Chief Dragonheart of Theater Vancoor," he called back, already fed up with him.

"Oh! Do come in," the voice called back with a kinder, almost eager voice. Jack took another moment to prepare himself before pulling the door open and going inside. Surely enough, Jasne was standing by the door, looking excited that Jack was there. He almost seemed joyful. "Hello, Chief Dragonheart! It's wonderful to finally meet you!" He reached out and grabbed Jack's hand, eagerly shaking it. Jack pulled his hand away almost forcefully. Please, no touching.

"May I ask why you've summoned me here?" Jack asked, hoping to get straight to the point. He didn't want to be there very long.

Jasne chuckled. "Ready to get going, I see. Please, won't you have a seat?" He went over and pulled a seat out for Jack, and then hurried over to the other side of the table to sit across from him. Jack hesitated, but then went and sat in the chair Jasne had pulled out. He sat stiffly, his back straight and away from the chair's back. Jasne, however, was sitting comfortably, leaning back in his chair and smiling at Jack. Jack was almost uncomfortable under his gaze.

"I have a request for you," Jasne finally said. "A personal request. It's for you, but any member of your guild can take it."

"What is it?"

"Before I ask, I'd like to stress the fact that it is personal, and I'd prefer if it was kept secret. If you choose to give it to another guildsman, please ask that they, too, keep it private."

Jack was dreading it more and more with every word that left the fat man's mouth.

"I currently have a knight undertaking this request. But I'd like to have the very best, and there is no better man in the kingdom than you. I dare even say your skills could surpass that of General Dynas…if the rumors of your skills are true."

"What is the request?" Jack asked, hoping to speed the conversation along.

"My daughter, Ridley Silverlake, was recently knighted, and is a trainee under the command of Ganz Rothschild in the Rose Cochon brigade," Jasne explained. Jack tried very hard not to sigh. He already knew all of this. "My daughter is very precious to me. I would just die if anything bad were to happen to her. I have one of my favorite knights, Lady Natalie Nanette, shadowing her. She is the captain of the elite brigade, the Violet Chevre. Maybe you've heard of her?"

"Yes, I know of her."

"I am so worried about my darling Ridley out on her own. I rather think Ganz is nothing but a buffoon. I don't trust him with my daughter. That's why I've asked Lady Natalie to follow them, and protect her if need be. But I want the very best protection for my daughter. That's why I've asked you here today."

Jack sat there, staring through his helm in silence at the fat Chamberlain. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I'd like to personally request your services. I want you to secretly protect my daughter until I can be sure she is safe. You, or someone whose skills you trust."

"Lord Chamberlain, I"—

"I am prepared to reward you and your guild handsomely. There will be a personal reward for you or one of your men, and a separate reward for your guild. I don't think this is an offer you can refuse." Jasne was clearly very confident in his request.

But Jack couldn't do it.

"I'm sorry, Lord Jasne," he began. Immediately, Jasne's face darkened. "I'm sure Lady Natalie will suffice for this job. I don't see why you feel it requires myself or one of my men."

"Sir, I want the very best for my darling Ridley. Lady Natalie is very capable, but what if an orc attacks my baby? I doubt Natalie can handle an orc. I have no doubt that you can handle them. That is why I want you for this job. If the rumors about you are true, then I have no doubt that you can deal with anything that dares to attack my daughter."

It was true; Jack was the one person in the world that could protect Ridley in the truest sense. He would defend her from all of Borgandiazo's orcs if he had to.

"So, that is why I am asking you to undertake this job."

Jack took another few moments of silence. "I'm sorry, Lord Jasne. I can't accept."

Jasne visibly went cold.

"I don't see why this kind of job requires my services. My men have other requests to fill, other missions to do. I'm busy, myself. No one in my guild has time to follow your daughter around like a stalker, waiting for some orc to attack her."

Jasne was staring to look angry.

"I'm very sorry, my Lord."

"Wait!" Jasne said. His anger was gone, and now looked to be replaced with desperation. "I promise, I will pay you and your guild with more money than you will ever receive from a mission. This is a very easy mission that pays amazingly well…how can you deny me?"

"If your daughter was knighted, then I'm sure she is more than capable of handling herself. And she is among other knights, who I'm sure are capable of the same. I feel that what you're asking me to do is just a waste of time. I certainly don't have time to follow your daughter around. And no man in my guild has time to, either. Unless you wouldn't mind a new recruit doing it."

"No!" Jasne exclaimed. "I want someone of excellent skill to assure my daughter's safety!"

Jack stood. "I'm afraid you'll have to continue relying on Lady Natalie for that, Lord Jasne. I'm sure your daughter is fine."

Jasne stuttered for a moment, but Jack wasn't going to stick around and listen to him to try and argue with him. He gave a little bow and went straight for the door, having no intention of staying any longer.

"Please, think it over! Take a night or two!" Jasne called after Jack, who reached for the door. "Please, think about it."

"Sure, I'll think about it all you want. I still won't accept." Jack opened the door and left the room, closing the door behind him before Jasne could follow him. He let out a deep breath, adjusting his helm to try and ease his discomfort.

Suddenly, there was a voice. "I don't what he wanted, but whatever it was, I'm sorry you had to deal with it."

Jack nearly jumped. It was Ridley, leaning against the wall a few paces down the hall. It only added to his uneasiness. His head became hot, and again he felt his heart take off. The urge to just take her into his arms and forget everything that had happened returned.

"What did he want with someone like you?"

"You'll have to ask him," Jack replied, just wanting to get away before he either broke down, or flat out died from his heart not working right.

"It couldn't have been good. You seem upset."

Understatement!

"Please, excuse me. I have to return to Vancoor," Jack said, trying to walk away.

"What did you say your name was again? I doubt it's really Dragonheart. I heard you say it when we first met, but I could barely hear, and don't remember it."

Jack froze for a moment. He had said his name aloud, but he hadn't been sure if it was audible. Clearly it was. "My name is Jack."

"Well, Jack, it's nice to finally be properly introduced." She reached out to shake his hand. He stared at it for a moment, but didn't take her hand. Instead, he offered her a very light, half-hearted bow, and then hurriedly went past her toward the door, refusing to look back. He heard her throw some snappy remark his way—typical Ridley—but he didn't catch it, and didn't bother to stop and ask her to repeat herself. It couldn't have been polite.

As he rushed through the castle, trying very hard not to run and not to look at all strange, he thought about nothing but Ridley as usual. Part of him made him wish he had accepted Jasne's request to protect her in secret. There was nothing he wanted more in the world than to protect her. He knew a lot of bad things would soon happen to her, if history repeated itself exactly. He wanted to protect her from all of it. He was going to try his best either way. Why not be paid for it?

But he couldn't bring himself to accept something like that. His love for Ridley didn't need compensation. He loved her, and he would always do his best to protect her.

But he still couldn't be near her. Every time she was close, he was nearly pushed over the edge. It was an unbearable feeling. He loved her so much, it literally hurt to be near her and not be able to have her.

But he decided—long ago—that he was going to do anything and everything in his power to protect her. Even if it meant giving up his leadership of Vancoor to be near her at all times. Accepting the request from Jasne certainly would have given him an excuse, but the thought of being paid by Jasne to protect her disgusted him.

He hoped he could get over his inability to remain calm near Ridley. Because he wanted to be near her.

And soon, he decided he would be.