Once it was all over, Marco would only be able to vaguely recall what happened that night. It wasn't that he was unconscious or even direly ill. It was just that exhaustion and the stress of everything finally caught up with him. Reina would later complain that she had to basically carry him to the border fort. She would also brag about how clever she was, that she figured out how to find the Irelian army's fort by going in the opposite direction the Gramtese soldiers retreated to. Marco only remembered her yelling at the soldiers, them scurrying around on her orders, and him being thrown into a bed.
It was well into the next afternoon when Marco awoke to find himself in a stiff bed in a simple wooden building. There were rows of similar beds and not much else. The only other person in the place was an old man in standard military mage robes who sat near a collection of shelves housing all sorts of potions and books. The man introduced himself as the fort's resident healer. Then he told Marco that he would be fine after a decent meal and practically shoved him out the door.
His stomach roared as if to agree with the healer's assessment, so Marco asked some nearby soldiers to point him in the direction of the common hall. They seemed to treat him with more respect than the healer, even to the point of calling him "sir" and saluting. He found it strange but also rather neat, so he didn't question it as he thanked them and followed their directions.
When he found the common hall, he also found Reina. She was apparently also enjoying the respect and even adoration of the soldiers. The hall was quite large and spacious, with enough long tables to seat hundreds of men. And yet most of the men there gathered around one table, where Reina sat regaling them with the story of their trial.
"...so naturally, I decide the only thing to do is enter the tree. A feat very few have ever accomplished while living to tell the tale," she said, painting the picture with dramatic hand gestures. Then, she paused. "I'm sorry, but this chicken is still too dry. Do you people really eat this dry chicken every day?"
Immediately after she asked that, the soldiers practically fell over one another apologizing and trying to grab her plate. Some of the men on the edge of the group ran towards the kitchen area, presumably to get more suitable chicken.
"Ah, Marco!" Reina greeted him. "Sit, sit. Get this man some food!"
Before he could respond, plates of food were shoved in front of him so quickly that he could have swore it was magic. The soldiers made a space for him to sit across from Reina.
"Thanks…" he said to no one in particular as he awkwardly took his seat.
Reina continued the story as Marco ate. At first he tried to use his manners and eat slowly. But the food tasted so good that he was soon scarfing it down. At times, Reina would gesture to him or ask for his input in the story, to which he would simply nod or grunt. She didn't mind. She was too busy basking in the spotlight to care about his table manners or lack of participation.
When the story was over, the soldiers actually burst into applause. They even raised their cups in a rowdy toast to Marco and Reina, the "Beast Slayers" as they were named. Marco raised his cup with gusto and downed the ale within. It was the best ale he had ever tasted. Not because it was a particularly good brew, but because he had people to share it with. Marco the Coward wasn't often the subject of a toast, at least not a friendly one.
Perhaps it was the ale hitting him, or perhaps it was the sheer joy of triumph, but Marco soon found himself singing songs and trading jests with the rambunctious soldiers.
After he got enough drinks in him, he was even acting out his own epic version of the battle with the Gramtese Dragon.
They ate, drank, and made merry until the sun went down.
****
Eventually, the fort's captain came to break up the party and send some very drunk soldiers to guard duty for the night. Marco apologized for impairing his men, but the captain just shrugged and said quite plainly that they drink on a daily basis. Marco wasn't sure if that comforted him or made him worry even more.
The captain downed a cup himself before asking Marco and Reina to join him on the wall.
The fort's wall was a series of spiked palisades with a walkway attached. At his height, Marco could barely see over the spikes to the Gramt side of the border. He thought he could make out lines of soldiers marching along the road. The previous night's events played out in his mind. He shuddered and turned to look back at the Irelios side of the border
It was one of those summer nights where the sky doesn't darken right away. Instead, there was a bluish-grey hue that allowed him to see the shape of the Elder Tree in the distance.
The captain gave them time to take in the sights before speaking.
"They say the wood for this wall was taken from the Elder Tree itself. But judging from your story, the tree doesn't let people cut it."
Marco shook his head.
"Magic, never did get it," the captain continued. "Whatever this wall is made of, it's held for generations. It goes across the entire border. All the way to the sea in the north, and the border on the south. But you know that. Heroes have to know this stuff, right?"
Marco nodded, and couldn't help but sport a grin at being called a Hero.
"I know you're busy your highness, Sir Marco, so I'll get to the point. In your story, you said this beast that attacked my men was an animal from Gramt?"
Reina looked at Marco, who said, "Yes, they're lizards that are native to Gramt. They used to live in this forest but that was over a hundred years ago according to historical records."
"You don't think one could have found its way back?" Reina asked.
"Why would it want to?" Marco replied. "They are the dominant species where they live. You saw what happened when the Elder Hawk got a hold of it. Why would it leave its home, let alone come so far just to be in hostile territory? Unless..."
He paused because it finally hit him. The captain must have seen the look of realization on his face, because he nodded.
"Someone brought it here."
****
There was a debate after that as Reina tried to work through every other possible outcome. After all, why would someone go through the trouble of bringing a rare aggressive lizard into Irelios only to just leave it in the forest?
But as they talked more, she began to agree. She even said she suspected who the culprit was.
As for the fort captain, he was less concerned with the why and more with what came next. He announced that he would be informing his higher ups and doubling the patrols going forward (and making them lay off the ale) before leaving. With that, Marco and Reina were left alone on the wall.
They stood there for some time, just watching the sky go black and the shape of the Elder Tree meld into the darkness.
"You seem happy." Reina broke the silence. "I couldn't help but notice that stupid grin on your face when the captain called you a Hero. I've heard it said that people are more attractive when they smile. That unfortunately isn't true in your case."
Marco turned to her to retort, but stopped when he noticed the playful smirk on her face. Was she...joking?
"Oh please, like you weren't enjoying the attention of all those burly soldiers," he said.
"It was nice to be accompanied by some real men for a change," she replied with a mocking wistfulness.
"This fake man fought an Elder Hawk."
"You fought the babies."
"I still did better than your sorry excuse for a snake costume."
"Excuse me!" She actually seemed to flare up at that. "My costume was an amazing use of limited resources and I would like to see you recognize its ingenuity."
He chuckled, but also nodded in agreement. "I'll admit, you thought of something I wouldn't have. But really, your flying leaf was the greater success. How did you even figure that out?"
"I saw something similar at a faire," she said as she puffed up with pride. "A man had these orbs of paper, and he put a candle inside. He said something about how hot air made them float. So I figured I could use the same thing to make the leaves fill with air and fly us away."
Marco looked at her, she was entirely serious. "That was a balloon! That works on a completely different concept!"
"It worked, that's all that matters," she said with a shrug. Then, she turned serious. "Marco, when we get back, you're going to be named a Hero."
"I know." He grinned.
"But you don't," she replied, shaking her head. "The life of a Hero...it's not what you think it will be. This trial was only the beginning. The stories I hear from the veteran Heroes, the things they face, I mean no insult but you are not ready."
"What do you mean?"
She took a deep breath before saying, "I'll be honest, with your skills as they are now, you will likely die. I'm doing you a courtesy by warning you now. Do not partake in the ceremony to become a Hero. I can hire you as an advisor. You would still have more money and status than in the library, and I can still have the Shaping Potion–"
"So that's it!" he groaned. "If I die in a quest, you won't have your potion. I already told you, I don't want to be anything but a Hero. So I won't–"
"Yes I know you won't give up! Spare me another of your self-righteous speeches. You can't blame me for trying, however. I will continue to act as your Patron, as we agreed. But you must do something for me. You must let me train you."
"I trained at the Academy!"
"Tell me you can defeat me in combat," she said fiercely. "Tell me that truthfully and I'll drop the subject."
Marco gave her a stern gaze while he thought back to the trial. Reina had shown surprising agility and strength. She even disarmed him with some sort of martial art. He couldn't say that his meager skills matched hers. And a Hero who wasn't even stronger than his Patron would be a laughingstock.
"You're right," he admitted. "You can train me."
****
Meanwhile, back in Sunheight, the streets were empty save for one hooded figure who skulked through the alleys of the city's poor district. It was certainly a place no one would want to be walking around in at night, and yet the figure was large enough that he didn't need to fear brigands.
He approached a row of run-down huts, looked around, and then went into one of the huts.
Once he was inside, the door closed behind him. Then someone whispered a certain phrase to him, and he responded in turn. With the signal given, he lit a candle. It illuminated his pale face, his forehead scar, and his thinning grey hair. Yet for all of this there was a strength to him, for this man was a veteran soldier.
"There are only twenty of us here," he said with a stern voice. "Who called this meeting? We weren't supposed to gather until there were at least fifty!"
A skinny arm raised from the crowd. Accompanying it was a high-pitched, nervous voice. "Sir, I'm sorry, sir, but it was an emergency!"
"Tell me."
"Our operations on the border, they're compromised! Someone–"
"Stop!" the veteran commanded. "What have I told you about that squeaking? Speak like a man!"
The squeaky man instantly and dramatically cleared his throat. Then he resumed with a somewhat lower tone. "Yes sir, sorry sir. The Gramtese Dragon we planted near the border has been slain!"
"What? But the Irelian dogs shouldn't know what a Gramtese Dragon is, let alone how to kill one. How did it happen so quickly? Do they know our plans?"
"No, sir. It was just the Second Princess and some small-time Hero. But according to our man at the outpost, the captain has ordered increased security along the border. We won't be able to sneak any more men across."
"Damn!" The veteran stomped his foot. "Our infiltration won't work with this few people. Can we still get a message to Gramt?"
A woman stepped forward from the crowd. She had wild, spiked red hair and several facial tattoos. "As ordered, I've taken control of the local post tower with my magic. I can send a bird at any time, sir."
"Good. Send one to the general. Tell him to send the Drifters immediately. We need to move our time table up."
"Up?" asked the squeaky man in surprise. "Not back?"
"Stop squeaking," the veteran said with a cold look. "And use your head. If the soldiers at the border are tightening security, they must be suspicious. The element of surprise is the key to our victory. We must act before we are exposed. All of you, return to your positions and await my order. I expect we will attack within the month. For the Gramt Empire!"
"For the Gramt Empire!"
As everyone donned their hoods and left the hut, the veteran called out to the squeaky man. "Jerboa."
Jerboa turned around. "Yes sir?"
"I need you to keep watch over this Second Princess. After killing the lizard, she might have questions. If she starts asking them, deal with her."
"Sir?" Jerboa shook his head in a panic. "I can't do that. I can't kill a princess. The security, and her Hero, and...and–"
"Man up!" the veteran yelled. Jerboa looked around, scared someone had heard them. The veteran put a firm hand on his shoulder to get his attention. "Find a way. This princess has a Hero? Kill them both if you have to."