Brice tapped his finger impatiently, ranting on and on about Rex’s return; “To think that it is already time to welcome that buffoon back into my folds… And here I thought my heart would ease with time and not cause me to barf at the mere mention of his name”.

William, who had been the main server for about a month now, was ecstatic to hear that Rex would soon come back to resume his job. So he tried to soothe Brice, telling him that, “Is there really any worth in holding a grudge for so long, my lord?.. I thought you two were more than that?.. You seemed like friends to me”.

The young lord had almost gotten used to this insolent servant’s remarks. Which was why William could remain standing without a scratch. This incredible phenomenon was because to him, William was the exact image of a tiny fluffy dog barking at him. True… It was annoying!.. But forgivable...

“Friends!?”, he snickered. “I’m afraid that he has lusted and kissed too much ass to be something as pure as that!”. William folded his brows at that comment and said, “Are you sure about that?.. Aren’t friends meant to have some benefits?.. Like you either have a strong connection or the same humour? To me at least, friendship is a balanced trade between two people: Like, you give me something I want and I’ll give you something equal in return... Right? Rex might feel entitled to be the one who serves you but he doesn’t just do it for money or rank. To me, he seems to enjoy being in your company...”. ‘Compared to others’, William would have liked to add but didn’t because he lacked the balls to do so...

Brice stopped his tapping, before he growled, “Nonsense!.. You can’t comprehend what a true friend is I’m afraid”. William decided not to comment any further on the issue. He could see that Brice was affected by his words and that was good enough for him.

While William sweeped the floor clean, Brice paced back and forth. Making his job exceedingly more difficult. When William was nearing the point of no return, Brice suddenly stopped his mental walking and ordered, “Go fetch Rex… I need to sort things out with him, before we journey to Longdale”.

****

Carriages led by strong steeds were loaded with winter attire and pelted cloaks. They were getting ready to leave for the noble festivity: The Winter Weddings. It was a gathering of those who had the best infrastructure in the northern lands. For if you left with no one to keep order and defend the castle that you could 100% trust, there wouldn’t be much to return home to… Other than a possible rebellion and an eager beheader.

Lord Blaise left with his two sons: Brice and Yordan. Although both of them were barely considered teens. The rest of his blood warmed the castle, while his two older brother’s would be the guardians. Neither carried any ambitions to take over the fraught duty of castle lord, when luxury and retirement was already a part of their lifestyle. Therefore the island was safe when left in their experienced hands.

Brice didn’t leave in the greatest of moods. This, his forgiven servant knew best. As they readied the horses, Rex whispered into William’s ear, “I’m afraid his mood won’t improve… By deciding to have Brice come along, our lord has doomed his son to grow green fruits of envy! What won’t he think when he has to withdraw from almost all the events this year? Purely because Gibby is dead… Sadly there is nothing we can do… I just hope that the other noble sons won’t tease him too much”.

William didn’t really feel sorry for him… It was Brice himself that made Gibby die from his own arrogance…

Speaking of ruined images. His father was getting a stern warning before they left. It was lord Blaise who went over to the knight in the midst of a farewell assembly. The father was nervous, yet excited to be spotted out of the crowd.

It wasn’t a surprise that his proud gleem soon turned gloomy as the lord reprimanded him; “If you let those bandits so much as make a scratch on my people, I’ll have you stand guard bloody naked till the winter season ends! Do you understand!?”. The father saluted with burning red ears. In him was no longer a yearning for the spotlight but rather a quiet place to drown his frustrations away in. Preferably with some hard liquor.

William felt appeased having this splendid performance, become the opening act to the long journey they had ahead of them. He had already said his goodbyes to Joss and Remony. Both, wishing for his safe return. For who knows what might lurk on their path to Longdale, in a world filled with blood-thirsty creatures and lunatics?

During the first few kilometers they travelled, the island was still visible. Then it disappeared and it dawned on the folks who slammed their feet into mush, that this journey was going to be a tough on…

The entourage took a whole week to travel to Longdale. The stretch was about 600 kilometers long and they only rested for about 6 hours per day. When they arrived their entourage became converged with a stream of like-minded travelers. Cheerful music filled the air along with smells of roasted lamb chops, sausages and warm mead. Even the sky was filled with wonders. Banners and flags attached to long strings waved about in the wind; decorated with vibrant strokes of colour and symbols. Up above them were flying dinosaurs, both with and without riders.

William sat in a clump of servants upon an open wagon. They were all awestruck by these new wonders and sights. Just the sheer size of Longdale was enough to make some country pumpkins shocked to their core. It wasn’t simply a castle but a whole castle city, nestled in between humongous mountains! Big enough to attract the attention of a certain fake king.

When the poor and rich were all seated in the giant arena, a display of power and trust ensued. William found it odd that people had brought their bonded dinosaurs along, when they weren’t allowed to participate in most ‘sports’. This fact, Rex explained to William as he enjoyed some fresh grilled meat.

“It’s true that in most activities you may not use your dinosaur nor your special ability. However, to make it possible for the lords to show how sincere they are about their many alliances, they are obliged to display these qualities at the opening ceremony... Preferably in a flashy manner as to entertain the masses”.

One after the other, heavily dressed lords and noblemen came to impress. When the act was done they would find their seats.

Lord Blaise came in on his komodo dragon-like dinosaur. He stood on its right shoulder with incredible balance, while Brice stood on the left. Out of their mouths they spat fire in perfect sync. Brice accomplished this feat with the help of a torch and some whisky. The fires were spewed in the same direction of each other, so they intermingled and grew even stronger.

When Yordan added his own and final flame, the blaze grew so fierce that it almost filled the whole arena. Slowly turning a faint blue. The wide variety of people were overjoyed and clapped in unison. Some even feared for their lives, because the heat they generated was enough to itch their skin and make it boil.

After the last entries finished their performances, everybody was hyped. Soon the real show would commence…

William and Rex were seated near their masters but not on the same row. The bustling sound of chattering folk made it hard to hear their discussion. This ambiance from the public should in theory have shielded them but unfortunately they heard it nonetheless…

Brice lamented, “But father, I have to have some honor to brag about tonight!? How can I dare face the others when my role is akin any other spectators!?”. Lord Blaise shook his head heavily, before seating his stocky body beside his son. “I’ve already lost Yule and Bardock in battles that they were too young for… Now my-”, lord Blaise coughed. Along followed an awkward silence. “... It so happens that you and Yordan will be the last heirs from my vessel… So you bet that I treasure you both!”.

Brice felt indignant at hearing about his father’s dry roots. And thus he continued to whine, “Yet you promised me that I could try to best the others in Dinosaur Taming!?.. You saw it during the opening ceremony… I have trained my balance to be just as good as yours and Yordan’s!”.

His father was not impressed and started to ignore his son’s ceaseless barking.

William who saw this side of Brice, felt like laughing in a haughty manner. Who knew that in front of his father, Brice could turn into such a crybaby? Look at that! There’s even small crocodile tears on their way out!? Pfft! William had to hold his hands over his mouth, as to not laugh out loud.

It was nice to see for once someone so mighty act so small.