Matthias 

Matthias Gamron stood, thunderstruck. He never expected his oldest friend in the world to be standing there in front of the king, bold as brass. But Francisco De Soto was like that, and always had been. Matthias was still speechless as he saw the king and the newly-made crown princess chivvying people from the throne room. Once the last straggler, still gawping at the pirate, left, the King commanded that the four of them repair to his solar, contained in a hidden room behind the throne.

“What do you wish to speak on, Francisco?” The king did not recoil from the pirate or demand the guards clap him in irons. Cisco removed his hat. 

“Sire, I bring troubling news from the East. Through my friendship with the Elves and the Barbarians, I have ascertained that monsters have come shambling out of the mountain passes. The Silverblades are under threat.”

“Hmm,” ruminated King Cygnus, “how have none of our scouts reported on this?” 

“Perhaps they are all dead,” Cisco said, with the merest hint of a sardonic grin on his face. He never missed a chance to be flippant with the old man, though he had a certain affection for him, which was mutual. 

“Matthias,” the king said, “Take your best fighters from the Iron Cavalry with you. Go east with Francisco and determine the truth of his report. If the Warlock’s armies are massing again, we must know, for we are the first line of defense.”

“At once, Baba.”    

“Ba, allow me to go as well,” Allegra said, a hard glint in her eyes. 

“No, my dear. You have other duties to attend to here.”

Allegra would not take no for an answer. 

“The people must know that their rulers are strong, wise, just, and compassionate. You charged me to protect and defend our people from any enemies. Is this not my chance?”

Cygnus held up a hand to forestall her, but she plunged on, fuming at the injustice of it all. “We are not invested with our power because of bloodlines, but because we show our worthiness!” As though he hadn’t heard her vociferious protest, the king turned to his sideboard and pointed at a jug and a set of goblets sitting there waiting for him. 

“Matthias,” the king said again. “Be a good lad and pour me some hippocras.” Matthias hastened to obey. After several long pulls from his goblet, Cygnus spoke again. “There is the diplomatic conference in which you are obligated to appear and chair. I would do it, but I have neither the strength nor the patience to deal with my noble lords.” The king took another drink. 

“For they all squawk and squabble over the simplest things, gods love them.” 

Allegra began to sputter a response but this time she listened as her father pressed on. “Plus, you have the matter of your bethrothal. Prince Robidas has come and he wishes to see you.” And thus, the matter was put to rest. 

***

Only after leaving the presence of the king could Matthias and Cisco speak of their mission ahead. As Lord Commander of the Ironguard, Matthias could remain armed around the king, but no one else could, save for the other members of the Ironguard. The guards were the elites of the Iron Cavalry, each handpicked by Matthias himself to serve alongside him. As Field Marshal and Supreme Commander, his decisions and orders could only be countermanded or rescinded by the Crown. Matthias had not seen Cisco for a good year or so, and he felt a stirring inside him that he wasn’t sure how to interpret. But that was neither here nor there, at least for now.. 

Now that Cisco was allowed to rearm, his full complement of weapons included his cutlass, a pair of revolvers, and a whip, all of which were slung around his waist, attached to a double belt. They were on their way to the tower barracks where the members of the Ironguard resided. The prospect of going east again unsettled Matthias. He knew he wasn’t a trueborn member of House Gamron, but rather had been adopted and given their surname as a courtesy. In the eyes of many of the denizens of Anghvir he was nothing more than a bastard, but at least in Mar Alesyka he was respected and even loved for his skill at arms, his gallantry, and his rugged good looks.

“We shouldn’t delay. I sent word ahead with a runner, so the others should be raring to go. It’s been awhile since I took the full guard for a mission.”

“You sound as if you have misgivings, mate,” Cisco said. “Why?”

“I’ve a gut feeling that this is going to go sideways. We should bring the entire cavalry, not just the Ironguard.”

“Aye, that may be, but you heard the old man.”

“Aye,” Matthias answered, lapsing into silence as they rounded the last corner.  

The other members of the Ironguard who served under Matthias’ command were Randul Crowsquire, Briceus Callow, Julien Timothea, Taika Vanadia, Lunette Moonglow, and Engeram Aberadus. The six of them came from all over the realm to serve, each equally skilled with sword, shield, and spear. After all, the Iron Cavalry had gained renown in the past as the Heavy Lancers hammering through enemy formations. Randul, Matthias’ second-in-command, stood up as Matthias and Cisco entered. 

“I hear you’ve a mission for us, my lord.” 

Matthias flexed his muscles as he took up his sword. It was called Dyrnwyn, and it was the ancestral immortal steel sword of House Gamron. 

“Aye, Randul, that I do. I knew Paul wouldn’t let me down. We are to go east to investigate rumors of creatures emerging from the mountains. The Rook’s Belltower should be our first stop.” The other five members of the Ironguard grimaced, but they all nodded as they finished gearing up. It wasn’t a long ride to the Belltower, perhaps half a day as the crow flies, but the road was a harsh one, passing as it did through the tundra around the Silverblade Mountains. 

“I hope I can impress you, my lord,” Lunette said. She was the youngest member amongst them, a half-elf recently arrived from the town of Amonstil, still nestled on the border between Anghvir and Thornwood, nation of the elves.

“You’ve impressed me enough in training, Lunette. But this is the first time I’ll be putting you in true danger. Keep your courage and your wits about you, and you’ll be fine.” At that, they all trooped out of the barracks and headed for the stables. Although the ride to the Belltower was uneventful, each of them dealt with a bad case of the nerves. Cisco especially, since he claimed to prefer the deck of his ship over the swaying of the horse he rode, but he kept his mouth shut as the Belltower came within sight. The tower itself was tucked into the highest spire of the garrison castle. Built as a stronghold against the Barbarians in ages past, it was the closest Anghviri outpost to the imposing mountain range known as the Silverblades. 

The Lord Commander of the castle, a knight named Glaive Segarus, greeted them with malt beer, strong tea, bread, cheese, and beef and barley soup. The meal was a delightful one after coming in from the cold. Once they had all finished eating, Matthias informed Segarus that they would be on their way again. 

“Where are you going, my liege? We had a raven from Mar Alyeska that told us to expect you, but naught else.”

“That’s because we will go towards the mountains,” Matthias replied. “We’ve heard reports of monsters pouring out of the passes. It’s time we find them and exterminate them, before another war breaks out.”

“Most understandable, my liege, but please allow me to send a detachment with you.”

“No, Ser Glaive, I cannot allow that. The king himself instructed the eight of us to go, guided by my brother-in-arms Francisco.”

“Very well then. Alesat watch over you then.”

“Go with the gods, my friend.”

As they approached the mountains, Matthias felt his inner turmoil heighten. He vaguely remembered a skirmish around these same cliffs when he was a child. He couldn’t recall which side of the battle he was on, just that he was too young to fight. Maybe he didn’t want to remember all the details, given how traumatic the experience was. 

Another gut feeling welled up inside him - as they made their way to the mountains, the truth of his past would be revealed, one way or another. He just didn’t know the specifics, and that was what filled him with uncertainty and dread, two of the worst feelings to have while in potentially hostile territory. 

The barrenness around them was disturbing. It was too quiet, even with the calls of wild animals and the whistling of the wind; the way the water burbled, and the way the trees swayed. One of the cave mouths was open, with...creatures...of some sort pouring out of it. They all looked humanoid but as if they were made of cement. In next to no time, the path towards the cave was teeming with these beasts. 

“On me!” Matthias yelled as he unsheathed Dyrnwyn. All eight of the riders engaged with their newfound enemies. Matthias used his sword, the other Ironguard used their spears, and Cisco unloaded with his revolvers before pulling out his whip and cutlass. Even despite their heroic efforts, there were simply too many of the Shamblers. 

“Fall back!” Randul shouted before they could be totally overrun. The horses had all managed to survive, somehow by the grace of the gods, perhaps. With that, Matthias and his companions hastened back to the Belltower, but not before a piercing scream reached their ears. Lunette had been pulled from her horse and the Shamblers had swarmed her, ripping at her with fangs and claws. Without missing a beat, Cisco lashed his whip to a nearby tree and swung back over to where Lunette was being overwhelmed. He rescued her, narrowly, and whipped them away again. The tree creaked under their weight. 

“Cisco! Get over here!” 

“Go back, Matt!” 

With no other recourse, Matthias led the others back in the direction of the Belltower. With more enemies washing towards them, there was nothing else that could be done.