After spending the rest of the day searching together in vain for the Assassin, the Knights set about burying one of their friend. They prayed to Hieroneous for forgiveness, and begged him to take Sir Altan Olvis into the God's favor. They then each recited a tale of his valor, as is the Knightly tradition, and toasted a drink to his name. After that, they set up their tent and a campfire nearby, and set about trying to sleep until morning. Few of them slept that night, and the Assassin, ever a pragmatic one, knew this. The Assassin slept very well that night indeed, knowing that the Knights would waste their energy expecting an attack, and rose the next day to follow the tired Knights on their way to the castle again.
Because they hadn't gone very far from the battlefield before stopping to bury Sir Altan Olvis, they still had a full day of riding, or a half day of hard riding, to make it to the castle. The Knights chose the latter, for they were indeed in a rush to get to the castle, to see what had befallen their Princess and King.
The Assassin relished this, for he knew the way to the castle well, and took his sweet time going to the castle. For the Assassin knew something else. He knew the way into the castle, a secret way that only the brave, or only the foolish, would use attempt to gain access. The way through the moat of snakes! "Through the moat of snakes!?" the boy exclaims at this. "Yes, a secret way, guarded by the best kind of guards, snakes!" grandfather says. "No normal Assassin would attempt to gain access through the castle this way, but this particular Assassin knew something else that the King did not. He knew that his particular sect, his guild, was that of The Golden Serpent!" grandfather pauses dramatically. "The Golden Serpent? Gran-pa?" the boy asks, confused. "Isn't that the Order of Sir Otto?" the boy asks, continuing the line of reasoning. "The very same." grandfather says. "But if The Golden Serpent is an assassin's guild, and the Knights are of The Order of the Golden Serpent, then how can they both be the same? Are they Assassin Knights!?" the boy says, suddenly very excited. The grandfather has a good chuckle at the thought, then says, "No no, though that is an interesting, and rather frightening, thought indeed…" grandfather says, reflecting on the notion. "There was no way the Knights could have known about the Assassin's Guild with the same name…" grandfather says. "It's my belief that their God told them to take the name, of course." grandfather says, emphasizing the notion that this may have been the case. "Knights ever have been known to try to redeem a cause they view as Evil with their cause for good, wittingly or unwittingly. I could see an instance where their God may have told them to take the name, in the hopes that they would eradicate the Assassins Guild, and take the prestigious symbol for the cause of what they deem to be good." grandfather explains.
"Therein lies the crux," grandfather says to the boy, "for if the Knights had not taken the name away from the Assassins, they might not have incurred the wrath of the Shadow-Spinner. Yet if their God had told them of the Assassins Guild, which I feel he did not, they might have had a chance…, though they would have had to fight a war to win the name." grandfather confides with the boy. "Perhaps their God did it on purpose, to see who was the stronger, deliberately trying to bring about a fight, but this is usually not the case of the Goodly Gods…" grandfather speculates, trailing off in thought. "Who had the name first?" the observant boy asks. "Well, my boy, seeing as how Sir Otto was one of the founding members, I would have to say that the Assassin's Guild first held the name, if that indeed determines ownership over something…" grandfather says, "but know this, my boy, it matters little who owned something first, and matters much who is left standing in the end to claim ownership after the dust settles…" grandfather says, grinning. "The Raven stone, for instance…" grandfather says, "I owned it first, but you shall be the last of us two to own it…" grandfather states, knowing it to be true. At this, the boy reflects on the notion.
"You mean I get to keep the stone gran-pa?" the boy asks excitedly. "Yes, young one, in due time, it will be yours. It is, after all, a family heirloom." grandfather explains, smiling. "That, and a few other skills and objects I'll continue to show you how to use tomorrow. in fact, I think it's about time I showed you a few of our family secrets, including the Secret of the Golden Asp" grandfather says in a hushed, conspirators voice. "But for now, I think it's time you went to sleep. We've got an early day tomorrow, after all." and with that, grandfather tucks the boy in, and blows out the candle. The boy, thoughts filled with the adventure ahead, takes a bit longer this evening to go to sleep, but when he finally does, he dreams of a big black Raven, telling him that all is well this night.