His First Sight(3) - The Gray Men
What was the word again?
Freedom. Unbound Freedom
As the young boy stayed afloat in the air, he found himself identifying with this word.
The large beast that he bravely rode with Trystan could feel the cold passion flowing through him as he stared at the clouds.
Its beating heart roared while its speed increased, quickly joining the other beasts at the front of the large flock.
Trystan, who hugged the young boy from behind, laughed loudly, "Hahaha, it is wonderful, isn't it? The beauty of flight remains unrivaled in the world of humans. No matter how times I have ridden on wyverns, I can't get over this addictive feeling."
The boy put his cold palms on the warm beast's body.
He could feel the heat radiating from its scales.
For a brief second, he was connected with the mind of the beast, which made him reveal a rare smile.
"So, this is a wyvern?" murmured the boy.
"Aye, lad. Normally, they are quite violent, but this one has been trained by me for years. Narre is as obedient as they come. However, it seems she has taken a liking to you. What a surprise, you are eagerly welcomed by someone or something else," joked Trystan.
The boy caressed her skin as she purred while maintaining a great burst of speed. By now, she had overtaken all the other wyverns that were carrying the knights and survivors.
They could only look at her and release roars of challenge..., and the race began.
...
Hours later, Narre struggled to maintain her lead and had fallen around the mid-tens.
With encouragement from the young boy, she was about to begin her final round of the race, but it all quickly became irrelevant as soon as the group saw a vast cultivated land different from the large green land they had been flying above all this while.
An expanse of a plane field came into their view, but buildings of different heights sitting in various territories soon overtook it.
It took hours before they dropped altitude at the orders of the knights.
They landed just before a large gate that revealed nothing on the other side. The gate towered over the humans like a proud giant and was filled with an indistinct aura that attracted all onlookers.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the city of Stargrove, the glorious capital of the kingdom of Gretia," announced the captain of the knights.
He coordinated his knights as they grouped themselves with the survivors.
The captain walked closer to the warriors that stood at the gate, guarding their beloved kingdom against any outside threats.
Immediately they saw him, they bowed in respect, "I greet Knight Wiscar of the Lake. It is an honor to be in your presence."
The rows of warriors that surrounded the gates all had the same thoughts. They revered the chivalrous knight that stood before them. Growing up, they had heard tales of his adventures.
"Open the gates. I reckon you have received a message from your superiors," said Knight Wiscar.
Not long after, the large gate split into two, revealing a beautiful path on the other side that was emphasized by the blue lilies that grew by the side.
Awaiting the group of survivors was about fifteen large carriages, with the drivers waiting for their passengers to go onboard.
A young man moved closer to the group, "Good day, Sir Wiscar. I am Vance. I have been tasked by the King to lead you to your lodging."
"Lodgings?"
In the span of a second, it donned on Sir Wiscar that he had actually moved the group of survivors from far away, yet hadn't given a single thought as to where they would be staying. Since the mission from the king was confidential, he was sure the knights couldn't return home just yet.
"Prince Roan offered that his Evergreen Manor is used for this very purpose. That will be our destination," said Vance.
With a low whistle, the first carriage moved closer to the group. Sir Wiscar informed his knights of the situation.
They chose to break themselves into groups and were assigned a small portion of survivors. One by one, they boarded the carriages until there was only one left.
Sir Wiscar, along with Vance, went into the last carriage alone, as there were the only two remaining.
Inside it, they began their conversation.
"Pray thee, does the fact that the king arranges a bunch of carriages before we can fully enter the city insinuate he is really insistent about keeping it a secret?" asked Sir Wiscar.
"Oh, you put me in a tough spot, Sir. I'm not familiar with those in the king's circle, but rumors say that the court mages are about to act on his orders. Verily, this must be why he kept your arrival a secret," said Vance.
"With the circumstances surrounding our mission, I understand why the king chose this stance...…I just hope everything would turn out okay," sighed Sir Wiscar.
Seated beside the window of the carriage, Vance looked up at the overly blue sky, "We can only pray that the favor of Heaven shines on us."
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Moments later.
The young boy found himself in the hall of a large mansion decorated with a sort of material that allowed natural green plants to grow on the walls nicely.
Sadly, he couldn't enjoy this scenery as his mind had been on alert since he had gotten here.
He was getting worried about what would become of him. That old Trystan assured him that he was safe, but he couldn't bet on those few words, could he?
Soon, as the survivors were thrown into a state of frantic, a group of humans dressed in grey oversized robes swept through the floor of the hall.
Their eyes seem to contain the truth of the world and their calm expressions created an impression that they could not falter regardless of the situation.
There was an ethereal air around them that the young boy perceived just well.
He couldn't exactly put it into words, but it felt too mystical.
Judging by the way the surrounding knights tensed, he was sure even the seasoned warriors feared this unknown group.
One human in gray spoke softly, but his voice reached everyone, "It is my pleasure to receive such wondrous humans. My king has ordered that I discover the truth behind your situation and I, Varatos, promise to never fail!"