Raziel stood in the centre of the raised dais in the great hall, unsmiling, unquestioned, regal. He wore his ceremonial cape and shoulderguard, and was flanked by Konrad, Axel, Marius and Harald. Anders stood in the crowd, amid the fledgelings and soldiers. Although he and his men had been invited to return to Darstein, there had been no welcoming ceremony. The Andermanne had been given temporary quarters, whole clothes and armour, rather than the swamp-rotten rags they had grown accustomed to, but all of it reluctantly. They had stared wide-eyed at the affluence of castle Darstein, and fledgelings who had lived in this affluence all their lives spat at their feet. Once, over three hundred years ago, Anders had sworn he would wipe out the last free human tribe. He had returned a failure. No circumstances could change that simple fact.

And now he watched as Hengest and Horsa, restored but for Hengest's hand which was slowly regrowing, climbed the first set of steps up to the dais to swear anew their allegiance to Lord Raziel. They carried a gift of their own blood, and knelt on the steps, heads bowed. Horsa spoke.

"My Lord, we who were captured by the human tribe now owe you our blood and our lives."

"We are yours to command, Lord Raziel," Hengest added, "and we will follow you into the depths of hell itself."

The Lord looked almost bored. He gestured, and Konrad stepped forward to accept the twins' gift.

It had been their own idea, and although Anders said it wasn't necessary, they had insisted. "A fact is a fact, he saved our lives," Horsa had said. Hengest had merely nodded, a trace of his madness still lingering in his eyes, the width of his grin. Anders wondered what it was like for Horsa, who listened to his crazed thoughts every night. Perhaps he would be driven insane as well.

"Thank you, my children," Lord Raziel said, commanding his attention again. "You will continue to serve me under the leadership of Anders. I trust this is acceptable."

The twins nodded, and stood, looking slightly lost. Anders? Anders thought. Not captain Anders? Even sir Anders? Apparently not. He shrunk back into the crowd slightly, while the twins moved down the steps and Raziel turned his attention to the next matter at hand. Apparently he was just Anders these days. Fair wages for taking on an impossible task. He sighed. Soon, they would be moving out to the south again, to keep an eye on the repopulated Tottery. He realised with a twinge of sadness that he was looking forward to leaving this place. It was bitter. He had stood with Raziel, and Konrad, and Mouse, at the dawn of the empire, when this place was just a ruin. He had helped rebuild castle Darstein, and now, he was no longer welcome here.

Fair wages. He drew his new, garishly red cloak a little closer around him, and quietly cursed his stars.