When they reached the atrium, the change in atmosphere from barely a day ago was palpable. It wasn't just in the abundance of activity, though it was jarring to see so many people rushing about with clear purpose, determination etched onto their features. Nor was it a simple matter of the non-stop chatter in the air as members of the Order discussed their roles in the upcoming operation. Even the shining barrier that loomed over the Order’s territory could only partially explain what felt different.

  It was, he realised, the attention. Valerie had always seemed to draw stares and whispers. Not only was her story common knowledge among the skycloaks, but she was known as one of the more prominent and powerful combatants in the Order’s illustrious ranks. Few people could claim to have defeated a dread general, though she played it down, insisting she dealt only the final blow after a monumental effort from an entire squad.

  There was a different tone to that attention now. The stares came with different expressions, the whispers with a new emotion. Valerie ignored it all just as she had previously, and Lucas found himself wondering if she realised actually was now being looked up to, after a fashion.

  Florence certainly noticed. The red haired Ranger mostly presented herself as an amiable person from what he'd seen, but now she glared at anyone who looked like they might approach with quite some venom. It took Lucas off guard a bit. Why was she taking umbrage with it all now, but not before?

  In the end, his curiosity he got the better of him before they were halfway across the atrium. He leaned towards Florence and asked in a whisper: “Why do you look like you're about to bite one of your comrades’ heads off?”

  “Because I can't stand the way some people around here have always treated her,” Florence said at full volume. “It's not fair on her.”

  “You know it doesn't bother me,” Valerie said from ahead of them without looking back.

  “I think it should,” Florence said.

  “How is it that you're so well known anyway?” Lucas asked. “I get that you have impressive feats under your belt, and have accomplished a lot. But if you're so famous for your deeds, why does everyone act this way?”

  “My fame isn't exactly positive, as I'm sure you've surmised.”

  A handful of memories flashed into Lucas's mind. Demon-touched, they’d called her. It had come up from enemies and ostensible comrades alike. “Yeah,” he said grimly. “But how did you gain that kind of notoriety? To me, it seems like you've more than proven yourself as an enemy of the Demon Lord and all his evil shit.”

  Valerie did glance back at him at that, her face neutral. Was he learning her expressions well enough to notice sharpness in her gaze, or were her eyes just genuinely icier than usual? It was hard to tell.

  “There was a lot of controversy surrounding me when I first arrived here,” Valerie said. “And it was, unfortunately, a rather public affair before they decided what to do with me. I wasn’t as I am now, you must understand. For a time, I was more often… Well, as you occasionally saw me on our travels. Before Lady Claire devised her solution, that is.”

  “They made the right decision in the end,” Florence said. She gained a smirk. “If nothing else, I enjoyed our time in the Academy together. I can't imagine what it would've been like without our little rivalry.”

  Valerie rolled her eyes and faced forward once more. Thus, she missed how Florence’s smirk immediately transitioned to a grimace.

  Lucas was sure there was more to that story, but he could take a hint.

  They exited the atrium and crossed the courtyard towards one of the main archways. When they'd come here just a day ago, it had stood wide open, admitting any who came.

  Today the luminescent barrier covered the gap, and before it stood a row of guards in blue cloaks. Beyond was a small crowd of people, carps and pack animals, but they didn't appear to be causing much of a fuss. There was an air of confusion, not indignation or fury. That was probably a good sign.

  Valerie was in the lead as they crossed the barrier. It let Lucas through with only a tingling feeling on his skin, but he still took a moment to make sure it would readmit him. Again, there was nothing more than a mild buzz, like goosebumps. He breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Would’ve been really awkward if it shut me out after all,” he said, trying for a nonchalant tone.

  “We were confident it wouldn’t,” Valerie said.

  “Yeah, but confirmation is nice.”

  A five-man party of skycloaks were outside the barrier already, conversing with the crowd which had gathered. They were speaking to the people in a reassuring tone, but their words were blatantly empty. Platitudes about temporary measures, nothing to worry about, back to normal soon, and all that kind of thing, without actually answering any questions about what was going on. Lucas didn't envy their role.

  As he and his two companions passed the crowd by, he wondered how many spies were in among the throng of people. The thought had him bowing his head to hide his face on reflex. Immediately, he felt silly. The likelihood of anyone recognising his true identity, even if they were a part of some anti-Order group, was preposterously low. If anything, he was just acting more suspicious.

  That in mind, he lifted his head and strode along behind Valerie, Florence flanking him on his right, as if he had nothing to hide. Forging out into the city was just another day for him, was what he tried to project.

  Last time he'd been out in the city, he hadn’t been able to take much of it in. Oh, he was awed by the architecture, and discomforted by the sheer amount of people thronging the streets, but few details had properly registered while he was so nervous to get to the Moontower and the nominal safety promised therein.

  Since then, he'd learned a lot about the city in Florence and Valerie's lessons. Despite this being only the second time he walked its streets, he felt he knew Dawnguard intimately.

  The Moontower had once been a very centre of the city. Dawnguard had grown much over centuries and millennia, but the five wide lanes that used to slash right through the city straight from the Order’s grand entrances to the traditional outer walls were still there, though the actual walls of the city had long since expanded far beyond their old position.

  Each road corresponded to one of the Five. Lucas wondered if his companions had deliberately led him down the Road of the Star. He figured it was probably a coincidence; they didn't seem the type for that kind of ironic joke. The Road of the Star aimed almost directly south, and it just so happened that their goal was in the south of the city.

  Dawnguard was essentially laid out in five non-concentric ‘rings’ that were actually giant pentagons in shape. The inner ring, where the Moontower was located, marked the traditional boundaries of the ancient capital. Four times the city had expanded as the population grew, and for whatever reason they didn’t build the new walls equidistant to the old ones, moving the Moontower off-centre.

  Incidentally, there were some who argued that the city shouldn’t be expanded beyond the five current rings, lest they anger fate, or some such superstition. They were rather preoccupied by five, in Mornlunn. Apparently that kind of thinking was prominent everywhere, though less so outside this country.

  The Road of the Star took them only to the edge of the first ring—only the Road of the Wand stretched to Dawnguard’s outer walls, slicing right through the entire city. The ancient walls here loomed a little taller than the Order’s borders, but were nothing compared to the titanic white walls of the fifth ring.

  From there, they cut away into narrower roads winding through a more mercantile district known creatively as Guildtown. It made him think of an old European city that had been stretched upwards. There were buildings of many colours, with a traditional look, except they loomed as high as 10 stories. The ground level were all shopfronts, with criers hawking wares, calling out deals.

  More than a few people accosted them on their way, asking about the rather conspicuous barrier of light draped over the Moontower. Their answers ended up mirroring the poor guards outside the Order’s gates.

  Florence had to take the lead towards the end of their journey, as she was familiar with their destination. The crowds of people were becoming thicker and thicker the further they got from the walls. His first foray through the city had seen the streets choked, and it appeared that the integration of the Harwyck refugees had made things even worse. At times, it was like a packed crowd at a concert.

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  But after some detours, they eventually managed to reach the supplier. The shop itself was just a small room at the front of a grand, seven-story building. It was a decent sized room, maybe as large as a three-car garage, with walls lined with shelves containing various jars showing off a wide variety of meats, with a wooden desk at the far end manned by an older gentleman in a dark tunic and breeches. His sharp eyes narrowed on them the moment they entered.

  “Ser Florence,” he greeted her with a nod. “Who are your companions?”

  “Captain Valerie Vayon and Ser James of the Order,” she said smoothly, crossing to the table without bothering to inspect any of the wares. “Do you have what we’ve requested, Ser Pence?”

  “I do,” he said slowly, eyeing Valerie with undisguised wariness. She showed no outward reaction, but Lucas wondered if it bothered her. It bothered him on her behalf, at least.

  Ser Pence turned his attention back to Florence. “And I feel I must ask whether I should be concerned that the Order is now stockpiling supplies after activating its defences?”

  “That depends,” Valerie said, stepping forward. “Would you consider yourself an enemy of the Order?”

  Pence recoiled an inch before catching himself. Then her words seemed to register and he frowned, seeming quite indignant. “Would I be openly doing business with you if I considered the Order an enemy?”

  “That does not answer the question, Ser.”

  His frown deepened. “No, of course I do not see the Order as an enemy.”

  “Then you should not be concerned,” Valerie said.

  “But if the Order believes there are enemies in the city to the point you’re closing off that tower of yours, I do believe I should, in fact, be concerned. Conflict affects business, and I know what it sounds like when people are sharpening their knives.”

  “Oh? And what exactly are you hearing?” Florence asked.

  “Lots of things.” The merchant looked between them for a beat, though his eyes definitely lingered on Valerie again. “Most relevantly, you’re not the only ones buying up supplies, from what I understand. No one has come to me because I make it clear I honour my contracts, and my merchandise is promised to the Order. But others talk of the offers they’ve received.”

  “I see,” Florence said. “And has that activity increased since yesterday?”

  “I’m not some gossiping housewife who goes to the market every morning for the latest news,” Pence said with a sigh. “But I do have eyes. I see people walking past my window I don’t recognise, heading into other stores. There’s definitely been a lot of activity. People with heavy purses coming out of nowhere, making big trades. Most of my younger peers seem pleased as pie with the situation, but I see what’s going on, here.” He leaned closer. “Don’t cheat me now, Ser Wynn. Should I be looking to get out while I can?”

  “Any conflict that arises should not be that destructive,” Florence said.

  “But it would be best if you kept your head down,” Valerie added.

  The merchant nodded, and they swiftly went about their business after that. It turned out the man was in charge ofa business that imported a lot of meat from down south. Magical techniques could perform an approximation of a freezer, and thus there was a massive network of food suppliers transporting meat all across the world. The Order was able to buy in bulk, secure that the food wouldn’t spoil.

  There was some negotiation on price due to the rushed bulk order that would essentially be clearing out Ser Pence’s stock, but it didn’t take too long. Lucas got the impression the man knew who Valerie was, and trod lightly around her.

  Lucas spent some time having a look around the shop, since he couldn’t exactly contribute much to the negotiations. Most of the jars contained meat as he’d expect it, but some were odd. He found a distinctly unappealing cut of fluorescent blue meat that was labelled ‘byafar’. A green thing twisted on itself like a rope was apparently known as steakplant. Some thin black thing he initially thought was burned fabric turned out to be the skin of an animal called a reeg. There was even a jar he initially assumed was empty, but turned out to be full of bassi jelly, whatever that was. His education had barely started on the exotic fauna of Aerth.

  It wasn’t all weird, though. He spied pork and chicken and beef, and other cuts that looked rather similar to the aforementioned but apparently came from Aerthian livestock not found on Earth. Lucas actually found it all rather fascinating, and he made a little game of imagining what the unfamiliar animals might’ve looked like in their life as he made a circuit of the shop.

  So caught up in his imagination was he that he was caught quite off guard by the human head staring back at him from within one of the jaws. With a yelp of surprise, he flinched back, only for the head to move, disappearing from view. He blinked in bafflement. It was only when a little girl who barely came up to his waist peeked around the side of the shelf and put her finger to her lips that he understood what had just transpired.

  “Is there something amiss, Sir James?” Valerie called out to him.

  He held a hand up in apology. Valerie and Florence were staring at him, though the merchant was grumbling to himself as he scrawled something down in a ledger. “Sorry, sorry,” Lucas said. He assumed it was safe for him to talk here if Valerie had addressed him directly like that. “Nothing’s wrong. My imagination played tricks on me for a second there.”

  The two skycloaks went back to their negotiations with Ser Pence, and Lucas turned back to the little girl who had been hiding behind the shelves. She was beside one now, squeezed between the tiny gap, staring up at him with wide hazel eyes. A cute little thing, with her black hair in pigtails and a frilly pink dress, her cheeks still chubby with baby fat.

  “Hello there,” Lucas whispered. “What’re you doing sneaking around?”

  The girl leaned forward and whispered herself, smiling conspiratorially. “I wanted to see the skycloaks. Grampy never let me meet any of you before, even though I really wanted to.”

  He didn’t have the heart to tell her he wasn’t really a true skycloak. Then again, the reality might have been even more exciting to her. It was hard to tell, with kids. Lucas crouched down, pinching his cloak between two fingers. “You’re like the skycloaks then, hmm?”

  “They work for the Great Heroes!” The girl said reverently.

  Yeah, she definitely would’ve been awed by the truth. Which just meant he definitely wasn’t going to even hint at it.

  Lucas couldn’t help but smile. “What’s your name, kid?”

  “Carla!”

  “Nice to meet you, Carla. I’m… James.” Giving a fake name to a kid felt awfully pathetic, but it couldn’t be helped. This wasn’t the first time a part of him wanted to reveal his true name to someone, and it wouldn’t be the last. He crushed the impulse, grasping for another question to ask. “Who’s your favourite hero?”

  The girl gave a scandalised gasp, leaning out from her hiding place to glare at him. “They’re all cool!”

  “Well, one’s gotta be cooler than the others.”

  She seemed to consider that, brows furrowing. Then she shook her head so hard her pigtails slapped her in the face. “They’re all cool! I can’t choose!” She ducked away with a parting, “Wait here!”

  Lucas waited obediently as Carla rustled around behind the shelf. Judging by the sounds of things being shuffled, she had quite the collection of loot back there. When she reemerged, it was with five crude fabric dolls gathered in her arms.

  “It’s like this, see,” she told him seriously, like she was imparting a great lesson that he’d do well to learn. After some fumbling, she held up one doll. Its body was the blue of a skycloak, and it sported yellow hair. “This is Lady Claire! She does magic, and she’s never stopped fighting for everyone!”

  “She’s very noble,” Lucas agreed after having to swallow past the lump in his throat. It was hard to decide which doll to focus on. The fact something like this existed at all shouldn’t have taken him off guard, but here he was.

  Next she showed him one with a black body and orange hair. “Lord James can never be hurt by anything!”

  After that came one with black hair, and it took Lucas a moment to realise the extra long arm was because it was meant to signify a sword in the toy’s hand. “Lord Rian can cut through demons!”

  The fourth toy was the most elaborate of the lot, with a prettily knitted dress in a floral pattern similar to Carla’s own. “Lady Aarya was prettier than any maiden, and her arrows never missed!” Carla sobered, inspecting the doll for a moment. “She died though. And it made the others sad.”

  But the girl regained her spirits for the last toy. It was nondescript compared to the others, practically featureless in white clothing. Process of elimination revealed its identity, though. “It’s okay though, because when Lord Lucas gets here, the heroes will all be happy again, and they’ll beat the Demon Lord together!”

  This was spoken loud enough that no one in the shop could have missed it. Lucas gave her a shaky smile. “We all hope so, Carla.”

  “Carla!” Ser Pence snapped, striding over. “What have I told you about playing in the shop?”

  “I’m bored,” Carla replied mulishly. “Mother and Father are never here, and you don’t let me play outside!”

  The man sighed. “Forgive me,” he said, bowing to Florence and Valerie as he scooped up his granddaughter and bustled her into a back room. He returned in less than a minute, and the atmosphere after that was tense. Retaking his position by the desk, they continued their negotiations for a few more minutes, but it became clear his heart was no longer in it. He obviously just wanted them out of there. Lucas felt the man’s glare on him more than a few times.

  They left with the ‘mission,’ such as it was, secured, but Lucas had dropped into a melancholic mood. His companions evidently noticed, because they said nothing to interrupt his thoughts as they made their way back through the streets.

  For some reason, seeing a child have that kind of faith in him had hit surprisingly hard. He examined the feeling, probing at it like a sore tooth. It was, he reckoned, the innocence of her faith. That was a girl who’d evidently been taught that he was going to make everything right, like a comforting bedtime story to chase away any nightmares.

  Before today, he’d met plenty of people who talked of his destiny. Everyone apparently knew his name and story. But the idea of kids playing with toys that were meant to represent him just came with a different level of expectation. Even after mulling it over all the way back to the main street that led to the walls of Dawnguard’s first ring, he hadn’t shaken the weight of that belief.

  Lost in thoughts about his fame and destiny, it took him quite off guard when he heard his name spoken by a stranger once more, this time full of unrestrained fury.

  “Lucas Brown!” a man bellowed, and Lucas’ head snapped around to the source.

  Discord :)