While the current capital of Logres is the city of Westbridge, this wasn’t always the case. Three centuries ago, it was the city of Sutton, a coastal port in the densely populated South, that controlled the kingdom. It was moved by one of Varre’s ancestors, King Bevan the First, three centuries ago.

  Bevan was the original founder of the current ruling dynasty. The House of Logres. In those days, this name was not associated with the rest of the kingdom. The borders were different, and the realm smaller. Back then, Westbridge was simply a small town in the kingdom of Celliwig.

  Bevan was born as the son of a duke of an unimportant, distant province, far away from the metropole. Even today, the nobles of the South sometimes scoff at their northern compatriots, but centuries ago they treated nearly everyone with disdain. Especially from Westbridge, at the very border of the kingdom.

  Before he ascended to his father’s position, Bevan achieved impressive military successes, conquering several nearby counties and greatly expanding his territory. By the time he finally took over his house, he controlled the largest, most experienced army in the entire kingdom, while his coffers were overflowing with loot.

  Yet, the Southerners continued to ignore this growing threat. In their arrogance, they simply saw him as an uneducated bumpkin, who simply got lucky. Or perhaps, they saw his defeated enemies as even more pitiful barbarians. They made no preparations to stand against him, content to focus on their own petty squabbles for influence instead.

  When King Merle the Second finally died, with no direct heirs to call his own, Varre’s ancestor was uniquely positioned to take advantage of the chaos. His army marched down to Sutton, to face Merle’s brother in the field.

  All of the North and West, tired of being ignored and insulted, happily sided with one of their own. Meanwhile, the South continued to squabble and bicker with each other. Besides Merle’s brother, they split their support between two other candidates.

  With the country divided, and many of the Southern pretenders focused on fighting each other rather than some pathetic Northerner, it was only a matter of time before Bevan managed to defeat them all. He became the new king.

  In just a few years, the situation had drastically changed. Now, the ancient houses had to deal with some young upstart calling the shots. As much as they chafed against it though, there was little they could do about it. With their armies destroyed and their coffers empty, they had to bide their time. For now.

  Bevan had to strike while the iron was hot. Rather than simply taking over Sutton and ending up right in the middle of the den of snakes, he flipped the situation on its head. He decided to move the entire court to Westbridge. His home turf.

  While it was the largest city in the North, it was still just a minor town by Southern standards. Still, over the course of his reign it rapidly grew to match them. The lands of the previous dynasty were seized, with many of them being distributed to Bevan’s loyal allies and vassals. His conquests also provided many rewards to buy others’ support with.

  By the time he finally passed, peacefully in his sleep, the House of Logres’ position was unassailable. With the center of power pushing North, they renamed the kingdom after themselves. Their ancestors continued expanding their borders, until Westbridge was no longer a distant border town, but the very heart of a sprawling nation.

  Yet Sutton wasn’t the original capital either. Centuries before Merle, when the kingdom of Celliwig was first formed, there wasn’t a city large enough to support the needs of the royal court. The first kings were forced to constantly travel between several different towns, lest their soldiers and supplicants devour every morsel of food in the area. Like a swarm of locusts.

  It was only six hundred years ago when Sutton finally became large enough to support hundreds of nobles and other layabouts year round. By then, the South was already densely populated, and most of the dangerous monsters were driven from the forests. Food could be safely transported over both water and land to feed the growing urban population.

  In those ancient days, when the kingdom of Celliwig was still young, the original kings were forced to move around. Sutton was the winter capital, where the ruler would hide himself away, while many of his men returned home. Once the snows melted and spring arrived again, the entire court would gather, and travel across the realm, visiting every corner of the kingdom.

  They could spend no more than a month in each location. While hosting the court was a great honor and came with privileges, it was simply too expensive. The servants had to be skilled and knowledgeable in packing everything up quickly and efficiently, before returning to the road.

  The switch to a settled life was gradual. Over time, future generations of kings tended to give out more and more privileges, so eventually they were paying for most of the expenses associated with their stay. Often, it was more efficient to stay at their own properties, sprinkled across the nation. Slowly, the number of cities visited yearly went down, and the time spent at each one grew, until Sutton was finally large enough to support full time habitation.

  The process took centuries. Even though throughout the years there were changes, droughts, floods, wars, and other crises, or simply different rulers who wanted to return to an itinerant court, the servants slowly shed their experience. They lost the ability to pack up and travel efficiently.

  Nothing made that clearer than today’s scene. As Varre stood outside the manor, watching scores of people running back and forth between warehouses and storerooms, he was reminded of this history lesson he heard from Benjamin. The servants were packing up carts and wagons to the best of their ability, surprised by the sudden decision the leave, but that ability was simply lacking.

  Normally, they had days to prepare. The chamberlain was well aware of the monarch’s itinerary. He could guide the people below him and make sure that some things could be achieved ahead of time. The stay at Ashbourne was simply more complicated.

  When the court first arrived in Lindridge, Varre’s familial home, Benjamin expected that the court would eventually move to the distant hamlet. It was inevitable. His liege often traveled Rodger’s home, and Etty was sure to push for this decision sooner rather than later. It was easy to pack up and move on.

  But no one had any idea just how long his majesty would like to continue hunting there. Hunting gear and other equipment of the Royal Guard was unloaded off the carts and spread throughout the storerooms. Then, the situation was made even more complicated with the arrival of the elves. Many of the rooms had to be emptied to make space for these unexpected guests, further confusing every bookkeeper and their ledger.

  To make matter worse, many of the ‘less critical’ servants remained in Lindridge. Ashbourne was too small to accommodate everyone.

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  Benjamin sighed when he looked up and saw Varre watching the chaos with an amused expression. It was unsightly, but he couldn’t exactly order his liege to leave.

  The only mercy was Esther. The chamberlain nearly sang her praises when he found out that she planned to spirit his majesty away for a trek through the woods.

  Shortly after breakfast, Varre and many of his closest companions mounted up on horses and left the manor. Lord Rodger agreed to stay back and help the chamberlain manage the complicated packing process. In truth, this was a ruse. Esther came up with the idea to ensure her father stayed home.

  She wasn’t the only one with an ulterior motive. As soon as it was made known that the king planned to explore the woods today, Elvira was naturally assigned to follow him and keep him safe. The twins were supposed to stay back and carefully pack up the laboratory in the meantime. Somehow though, Perry managed to worm herself away and swore up and down that Jury was enough to handle her duties. She burned every favor in her possession to achieve that outcome, but succeeded in the end.

  Etty led the group through the woods, straight towards her favorite spot in the forest. The Emerald Pond. It was a short, half an hour ride away from Ashbourne, made slightly longer by the massive caravan of fifty guards following after the group. Though the king had many opportunities to travel the forest already, Captain Hakon still insisted on a high level of security.

  The pond was truly beautiful. It was a hidden oasis of calm in the middle of a dangerous forest that swallowed unprepared people by the dozen. Of course, the water could have been deceptive, but here, surrounded by tall trees and with no wind whatsoever, the surface was exceptionally smooth. Like a mirror.

  “It’s so peaceful,” Varre said, riding his horse closer, “but I can’t really see why they call it that.”

  The pond reflected the foliage of the trees above it. Now, in early November, the leaves had already turned yellow and red. They had a beauty of its own, but rather than emerald, the pond seemed to look more like amber.

  Etty giggled, though a little awkwardly. “Normally I come here in the summer, when it’s a little different,” then quickly added, “but, you must admit, it’s still pretty in its own way! You won’t find that in Westbridge!”

  “True. Its almost… hypnotic,” the king looked at her closely, “are you sure it’s safe here? It’s not inhabited by any cursed monsters, or anything?”

  The noblewoman laughed again. “No, no, I assure you. I’ve swam in it plenty of times. And so have you! It’s perfectly safe.”

  Elvira, who stood close enough to overhear the conversation added, “that’s correct, your majesty. I cannot sense any magical auras here. What about you, Sofia?”

  The elf jumped off her horse and shut her eyes for a moment. Then, she slowly walked closer to the water’s edge, before gently bending down and poking a finger into the surface, creating a single wave that spread across the entire pond. “It’s safe. There’s nothing inside. Not even fish.”

  Etty slightly glared at the two other women interrupting her conversation. Especially Sofia, who even messed with the beautiful stillness of the water. “Come on,” she said, dismounting, “let’s go for a little walk.”

  Varre nodded and joined her. The pair proceeded to walk around the water’s edge in silence. Despite the peaceful calm, the area was a little rough. Rocks and an uneven surface surrounded the pond. It nearly caused Esther to stumble.

  Of course, she wasn’t anywhere near that helpless and the keen eye of an expert like Kerryn revealed that she did it a little theatrically. Still, the stumble did give her an excuse to grab the king’s hand. For support. The adventurer decided to keep that detail to himself though.

  He wasn’t the only one tailing the monarch. While Varre deserved some privacy, Captain Hakon couldn’t allow his liege to come to harm. A small team of mounted Royal Guards rode through the woods, shadowing the pair a couple dozen paces away. They’d be able to stop any rampaging animals that happened to be in the area.

  A second group walked a shorter distance behind the pair. With Perry suspiciously inching ahead of the pack and straining her neck, desperately trying to overhear some snippets of conversation, while keeping some plausible deniability.

  “So,” Etty began, finally breaking the silence, “how do you like Ashbourne?”

  “It’s great. I can see why my father liked it so much,” Varre replied, looking around at the beautiful, autumn forest, “it’s peaceful and cozy, in its own way. Very different from Westbridge. It was an excellent change of pace.”

  “Are you sure, you have to go back?” the noblewoman said, then cleared her throat, “I mean, I know you do. But maybe you could stay a little longer.”

  The king smiled. “I’d like to. But you know I can’t. There are people that depend on me, Etty. I’ve already stayed far longer than I should have.”

  “Of course, of course,” the girl nodded, more to herself than to him, “I understand! You’re a big man now, with big responsibilities!”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Varre chuckled, looking over his shoulder at the people tailing after him, “trust me, if I could throw it all away and spend my days here instead, I would.”

  “Really?” she perked up, “I mean… I see. It must be hard on you.”

  “Hey, someone’s gotta do it, right?” the king smiled at her.

  “In a way, I’m glad it’s you. Even if I would prefer to have you here,” Etty admitted with a sigh, “I wish I could join you, you know? But my father would never allow it.”

  “Why not?”

  “What?” she asked, surprised, “well you know how it is. I’m still a young maiden! I can’t be moving to some big city, somewhere far away by myself!” she giggled.

  “I see. I’m sure if you talked to your father about it, he’d agree,” Varre scratched his chin, “and even if he didn’t, he wouldn’t refuse me. Want me to speak to him for you?”

  “No, no!” Etty waved her hands in front of her, “definitely not! I can handle it myself just fine. I just… I just know it’s not a good idea.”

  “Very well, I won’t force you. But you’re always welcome to visit me in Westbridge. Whenever you want,” the king offered.

  She looked down, to cover a slight blush. “Thank you. Maybe I will take you up on that. I wish I could help you, somehow.”

  Varre pondered this for a second. “Perhaps you can.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, we may have saved the elves that managed to stumble all the way here, but I have a sneaking suspicious that it’s not the last we’ve heard of them,” the king said.

  “You think there’s going to be trouble?” Etty looked back up, concerned.

  “I don’t know,” Varre admitted, “but it’s better to be safe than sorry. I don’t know how that whole war with the goblins is going, but from the look of it, it doesn’t seem good. And though Carlos is a good shot, I doubt his return alone will turn things around.”

  The noblewoman turned slightly paler. “You think the elves might lose.”

  “I’m not sure. We know almost nothing about them. Not their numbers, nor the size of their enemy. We don’t even know where they are exactly. Maybe Carlos was right and they’ll soon rally and drive the goblins back somehow. But if they don’t,” he paused, “the number of refugees will only grow. And their invaders might follow soon after.”

  “By the gods,” Etty put her hand over her chest, “please don’t tell me the goblins will come here next.”

  “Like I said, we don’t know anything yet,” Varre replied, “but I worry about it. And the better we can prepare now, the less damage we’ll receive later.”

  “What can we even do about it?” she asked.

  “More than you think,” the king winked, “for now, we need to make sure we keep up good relations with our elven friends. So far, they’re the only ones who actually encountered the goblins. They understand their tactics, they’ve seen their methods. We could desperately use their experience.”

  He looked over his shoulders at Sofia, following a dozen paces behind. Perry, who by now was clearly ahead of the pack and not even trying to pretend she wasn’t listening in, flustered and shakily fell back in line.

  “You want to use them in the army?” Etty asked rhetorically.

  “Maybe. It’s a possibility. For now, I want to make sure they feel at home here. We need to take care of their wounded, give them homes, and help whenever we can,” Varre stopped, “and that’s where you come in.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, Esther. Your father is a great hunter, but diplomacy is not his strong suit. I need you to be my link to the elves. You will stay here as my liaison, cooperate with Sofia, and make sure she has everything she needs to succeed. I’ll try to help however I can too,” Varre said.

  Etty smiled sadly. “So you want me to stay in Ashbourne then.”

  “Yes. We can kill two birds with one stone. We can prepare for the coming war, if it ever happens, and you can help me without having to leave your father. It’s a compromise that satisfies everyone!” the king said, excitedly.

  “You’re right,” the noblewoman hid the last trace of sadness from her face and looked back at him, “I’ll help you however I can.”

  She will remain in Ashbourne and ensure that the kingdom cooperates with the Elves, while he returns to the capital.

  Truly, the best compromise there is. One that leaves everyone unsatisfied.