1 Chapter 1: Prologue

Maxis rose from his cot from inside his tent and took a deep breath of the cool autumn air. He shivered a bit from the coldness, as he was wearing only a sleeveless tunic and some trousers. He sighed as he got up from his cot and began getting dressed. He kept his sleeping tunic on for warmth as he put on a dark green, baggy buttoned shirt followed by a tribal breastplate made of bones.

The breastplate didn't provide the protection necessary to stop bullets or arrows or melee weapons, but rather, it was worn by a warrior for its good medicine or luck as the Europeans might call it.

He'd been on Mt. Boren for a month now.

Stuck up on one of the tallest mountains in the southern kingdoms, freezing, yet he wouldn't have it any other way. He had Edelweiss and Hetfield to keep him company as well as his men.

After putting his breastplate and shirt on, Maxis took off his sleeping trousers and put on some buckskin leggings and a breechcloth that went down to his knees . He finally put on his moccasins that he'd been saving for colder weather.

They were short like normal shoes, unlike his other pairs of moccasins that resembled boots. These moccasins were decorated with elaborate beadwork, done by his grandmother.

The shoes were made for his father and were passed down to him when Maxis grew old enough to fit the moccasins.

Lastly, Maxis put on an old leather vest that was his grandfathers. It was a very dark brown color from years of being weathered down and used. Upon further inspection, it could be seen that it was once a bright yellow like other buckskin clothes Maxis owned but was dulled by decades of being worn and stored. There were a few holes and noticeable stitch marks in the vest, likely from the many battles Maxis' grandfather had fought in and from the numerous wounds he received.

Maxis tied a worn yellow neckerchief around his neck underneath his shirt's collar and tied his hair back into a long ponytail before finally adding his medicine bag to his outfit. His medicine bag was made of leather and had a fringe with beads as decoration.

The small pouch also had a leather string that allowed for it to be worn around the neck. The pouch had no "Scientific" value or medicinal properties, but rather, it held deep spiritual power and was a sacred item. As Maxis looked at himself in the tall mirror inside his tent, Edelweiss came in with a bright smile to check on his lover.

"Hi, Max." Edelweiss said, hugging the preoccupied Grandmaster. "Watcha doin'?"

"Nothing, just trying a new look."

"Ooh. I like it, but aren't you cold? Those leggings expose your inner thighs and butt, ya know."

"Heh, i'm okay. Buckskin is very warm, and I also have other stuff to wear if it gets too cold."

"Hmm, okayy. Promise me you'll change if you get cold, though."

"Promise."

"Good. Hetfield is trying to teach Tos-Que English, and it's so funny, you gotta come see." Edelweiss said with a smile, taking Maxis by the hand and leading him outside the tent and towards a fire that Hetfield and Tos-Que sat beside, eating from bowls of stew and arguing over the pronunciation of the word "Teeth"

"I'm telling you, Tus-Kway, it's pronounced 'teth' not uh, teeth."

"I was told is was teeth, stupid."

"Oh mein gott, another mispornonciation, it's stopid you fool."

"It is not. You cannot speak English either. Dumb cracker."

"At least I uh…uhh."

As the two argued, Maxis smiled in amusement, walking over to the fire where there was a pot of stew cooking over it. Maxis grabbed two bowls from a small table near the fire and filled them up with the stew, handing one of the bowls to Edelweiss and sitting down on a log next to the fire while Tos-Que and Hetfield continued arguing.

"Ah, Maxis, you're awake." Hetfield greeted his friend with a warm smile. "Wearing somethings different today, I see."

"Yeah, I didn't feel like putting armor on this morning. Don't know how you wear that plate stuff all the time. It looks heavy."

"It's quite flexible actually and provides good protection against blades too. Though if I have to fight against someone wieldings a mace or ax or somethings i'm eh, 'screwt' as you would say."

"It's 'screwed' Hetfield." Maxis said, eating out of his bowl of stew with a spoon.

"Whatevers." Hetfield rolled his eyes and got up from his seat, his chainmail and plate armor clanking against each other as he rose and walked away. Maxis smiled and continued eating his meal. When he finished eating, he walked over to the fire and placed his bowl in a stack of dirty bowls that the camp followers would clean later. As he walked around the camp among the tents of his comrades, a courier approached him. Maxis looked at the man with a slightly confused look.

"Are you Maxis Adelwulf?" The messenger asked, approaching him.

"I am. What do you bring for me?" Maxis responded, intrigued.

"A letter, it's from the king. It's probably important." The courier said monotonously, handing Maxis the letter and starting to walk off. Maxis opened the envelope and took out the letter, unfolding it and reading it. He sighed deeply as he finished, folding the paper back up and putting it inside the envelope once more. He walked back to his tent, his feet crunching down on the snow of the mountain. He put on his green coat with gold lining on it and mounted his horse that resided outside his tent. Edelweiss noticed and walked over to him. "Where are you going?" He asked, a bit worried.

"The King is summoning me for a briefing in Middle Tahl. I won't be long, I promise." Maxis said as he started to trot off on his horse.

"I love you!" Edelweiss shouted out.

"I love you too!" Maxis responded with a smile as he rode out of the camp and into the forest below.

When Maxis arrived in the war room of the palace, he was met by the usual faces. General Leonidas, Sir Gawaine, and the other important officials of Middle Tahl. However, Maxis noticed Wivven wasn't here, though he wasn't surprised.

"Ah, Maxis, you came." The King said, looking up briefly from the map on the table in the center of the room.

"What do you need, my King?" Maxis asked as he approached the king.

"I'd like you to meet Sir Heinrich Von Vogel of Prussia. He's here to help lead Middle Tahl to victory."