"No... If the Grandmaster's chosen her to escort him, she must someone very trustworthy. He usually travels alone or sends messengers instead." The other soldier whispered back. The soldiers below waved at the soldiers at the top of the wall to open the gate.
As the massive gate began to open, Shard shrunk himself and flew onto Haochen's shoulder. Haochen looked at the guards. "Is King Cloud here today?"
The guards nodded. "He's in the castle. We'll send a message to him telling him you're here to see him."
Haochen raised a hand. "That won't be necessary, I need to see him in person, and I'm afraid if you tell him I'm here, he'll ask you to tell me to relay my message to you to say to him from outside the walls."
The guards looked sheepish. "His majesty can be a bit... " They laughed nervously.
