The man in the church

"This is the royal palace messire." The old lady replied.

With a praising nod, Oswald asked back. "Do you know where I can find the nearest church then?"

Her crooked finger pointed at a tiny tower with a bell hidden beneath four thick pillars. Its stones were dark brown, almost green with the morning dew revitalising the moss.

Damian gave Oswald a disappointed nod, just like the others he was expecting a construction that suited the growing wealth of the church. The bigger the city, the bigger the edifice. However this time the little chapel only stood in the shadow of the royal palace.

Tom smirked. "I'm pretty sure this won't fit us all." And Candle replied with a bit of sarcasm. "It won't fit your ego, that's certain."

The many times the group was confident enough to criticise Tom was a way to relieve them from the pressure and, since the teenager was mature enough to take it jokingly, they could better gauge each other with each pike.