After a bit more strolling along the road that lined the marsh, I eventually said my goodbyes to the others, turned west, and started walking.

  "Okay, we can do this, Alex. No more distractions." I was going to get to Tristan and help her with whatever it was she needed help with. After that, maybe, we could snag Vral and have an evening picnic or something.

  That would be nice.

  With strong, loping strides, I made my way from the eastern district, where we ended up after our meandering walk, to the western one, where the old, crumbling temple was located. It was about an hour to the other side of the city, so I found a comfortable, if brisk, pace and marched my way along the exterior of the city.

  Taking the world in as I walked, I started enjoying myself. To the southwest, the afternoon light had the Dreaming Crown's massive trunk glowing a pretty bronze color. Flitting through the boughs above, dozens of harpies were flying all over the city, completing whichever of the endless errands they were on. In the distance, I could hear the distant sound of hammers on stone and goblins' shouts. It sounded like Vral had met up with Thokrim's crew.

  As I walked, the shimmering wall of rainbow light, which we'd started calling the Veil, shifted and flowed, forming intricate patterns that never quite repeated. It stretched in both directions as far as I could see, following the city's edge, surrounding the city. Created when I'd used [Sovereign] to make a vow to the people of Caer-Elath-Sylnareth, the wall of light had been a comforting presence that surrounded the edge of the city ever since, protecting us from the monsters that filled the marsh.

  Despite being its creator, I had absolutely no idea how it worked.

  When I'd made that vow, I'd meant it metaphorically. It was a promise. But the magic that governed the world had taken my words literally. Now, a massive barrier of light stood between Caer-Elath-Sylnareth and everything else. For some reason, that really pissed off the monsters that lived in the area. They constantly hurled themselves against the barrier, but aside from the largest and strongest of the monsters, which Ro and I had been taking care of, they were unable to pass.

  Turning, I stopped and considered the Veil. What was it, exactly? Stepping close, I reached out and pressed my palm against the Veil's surface. It felt warm, like sunlight. Wherever I touched it, the colors brightened, swirling around my hand the same way the light within the crystals did. I was sure that they were connected, but how, I didn't know. I was no mage. As Arden had said a long time ago, I had no aptitude for any of that stuff. Despite wanting to be some badass fire mage or something in the beginning, I was just a guy with a sword and a shield who trained real hard and fought real good.

  Was that all that leadership was?

  Fighting well?

  Protecting the people?

  Putting the work in?

  If anything back on Earth was an example to learn from, leading involved corruption and lies and lobbying and... all of that stuff. You said one thing and did another.

  Was that where we were going? Would we have to say one thing and do something completely different?

  I sighed.

  It was far, far easier to make promises and have them turn into magic.

  I pulled my hand back and kept walking, following the Veil's curve. As I walked, the question that had nagged at me for weeks continued to nag.

  Did I have what it took?

  I'd asked myself that a hundred times since Ura-Elathiel marked me as king, or a king's candidate, or whatever the hell I was.

  I still didn't have an answer.

  I couldn't navigate politics like Elise. I couldn't read people like Na-Ya. I didn't have Tristan's magical talent or Vral's raw confidence. I didn't have Ro's natural, easy charm.

  I was just me.

  But maybe... maybe that was okay?

  I thought about what Arden had told me once, back when I was still studying in the temple library, trying my best to learn Reial's dominant language: "Leadership isn't about being the smartest person in the room, Alex. It's about surrounding yourself with people who are smarter than you, then having the wisdom to listen." I was pretty sure he'd taken that from some president or philosopher back on Earth, but he wouldn't admit to it, and I didn't remember things all that well.

  At least, not when it didn't involve monsters.

  Still, I could do that. I was already doing that.

  And, importantly, I could lead by example. That much I knew for certain. If the people needed someone to work harder, train longer, fight fiercer... I could do that. I'd spent years doing exactly that. My whole life, really. I might not know how to write laws or manage trade agreements, but I knew how to show up every single day and give everything I had.

  Maybe that would be enough?

  Maybe being a good king wasn't about being perfect. Maybe it was about—

  "Get ready!" a man shouted.

  That was Ro's voice.

  I stopped and tried to find the source of the sound. It had come from ahead, somewhere around the bend where the Veil curved past a cluster of half-collapsed buildings.

  "Good one!" another man shouted.

  That was Jorn's voice.

  There was another impact. A shout. Then the distinctive twang of a bowstring.

  Who used a bow? Maven?

  "Nice shot!" Ro shouted.

  A bird flew into the air over the buildings. It had a mechanical wing.

  Definitely Maven!

  I started running. A moment later, I ran around the buildings and found a large group of familiar faces: Ro stood at the center, his blade gleaming as he stood in a comfortable fighting stance. To his left, Maven had an arrow nocked, her auburn hair pulled back in a tight braid, while Claws landed on her shoulder, pumped his mechanical wing, and whistled. Jorn was standing in front of them, sword out and shield up. Behind them, Irileth stood lightly on her talons, her wings spread wide and her face drawn.

  Behind them, a large group of templars stood watching. Nivan and Nel were there, standing side by side. Pawel was beside them, closely watching the more experienced fighters. Silan and Ennel were standing off to the side, watching everything with their usual critical noble eyes. Ilan was rubbing his chin with his mechanical arm, which glinted in the orblight, and Voss and Renard stood side by side, arms crossed, in front of the others.

  I felt a wave of excitement wash over me. I had no idea all of the Templars were coming!

  "Jorny!" Floating twenty feet above them, Greta was flying on the most witchy broom ever, her fire-red curls cascading over her shoulders in perfect spirals, practically glowing in the afternoon light. One leg crossed over the other, chin resting on her hand with an amused smile, she was looking at nothing but Jorn. "Baby," she called out, her voice dripping with playful sweetness. "You will protect little old me, won't you? I'm just a helpless woman, after all!"

  At her words, Jorn turned, pointed his sword at her, and gave the beautiful witch a dramatic wink. "To the ends of the world and beyond, my love!"

  She pretended to swoon. "Oh, my heart!"

  Jorn's shoulders straightened. With a loud shout, he cried, "For Greta!" and thrust his sword into the air.

  No one followed the gesture.

  I couldn't help but shake my head. Ever since Jorn had remembered Greta, he'd changed. His former sleazy, divorced uncle vibe was gone. In its place, Jorn had become the man that, I could only assume, Greta had fallen in love with originally. He'd shed thirty or forty pounds, started training every day, and carried himself with confidence and passion. Beyond that, more than anything else, he'd been practically radiating happiness.

  It was disgustingly wholesome. I figured that remembering your love of thirty or forty years would do that to anyone.

  "Jorn, are you ready?" Ro asked.

  After a lingering glance at Greta, Jorn turned toward the Veil and nodded. "I'm always ready."

  I followed his line of sight and saw what the commotion was all about.

  Beyond the Veil, the source of the gathering became clear.

  There was a troll.

  The massive creature stood easily ten feet tall, its grey-green skin mottled with scars and covered in patches of scraggly hair. Its long arms ended in enormous hooked claws, which were currently hammering against the barrier, each impact sending ripples of color cascading outward. Its small, beady eyes blazed with frustrated hunger as it stared at the people just beyond its reach.

  "Huh," I whispered under my breath. Trolls weren't native to this region. They lived in the Reaches, or beyond the Great Wall in the Wilds. Finding one this close to civilization was something.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  "Alex!" Ro's golden eyes lit up when he saw me approaching. "Good timing! Want to join in?"

  I looked to the west, where Tristan was, then back at the group. I knew she needed me, but if there was a monster, shouldn't I take care of it? After a moment of deliberation, I drew my sword and shield and said, "I might as well. Can't let you all have all the fun."

  "Would you look at that?" Maven smirked at me. "Alex, in the flesh."

  I clapped her on the back as I walked past her, causing Claws to snap at me. "Nice to see you too, Maven."

  With a chuckle, she said, "Yeah, we can do the 'I missed you's' after we ruin this troll's day."

  Laughing, I moved up to stand beside Jorn, raising my shield to lock it against his. The satisfying clunk of steel on steel brought a smile to my face. It had been a while since we'd all fought together.

  "Party up?" Ro asked.

  I felt the familiar tingle of the system worming its way into my head.

  Ro-Saleh, Elf Champion of the Lovers 42, has invited you to join a party.

  I willed the system to do the thing.

  You join the party of Ro-Saleh, Elf Champion of the Lovers 42

  The instant I joined his party, Ro said, "Alright, everyone. Let's do this thing." He stepped behind Jorn and me. "You all know the drill. Jorn, Alex, hold the line. I'll back you up, Maven will punish any openings, and Irileth—"

  "I'll tear its entrails from its belly!" The harpy shrieked as she took off into the air.

  With a mighty cry and a flap of his wings, Claws took off with her.

  Damn, Irileth had an edgy side!

  "Yeah," Ro said through a chuckle. "That."

  As the hawk and harpy circled overhead, the troll hammered against the Veil. With every strike, the veil rippled. After the tenth strike, the section of shimmering wall directly in front of us rippled and faded, if only a little.

  Ruuuuaaaghhh!!!

  The troll's scream shook the ground under our feet.

  Watching as the troll pounded away, I instinctively knew that I could lower the Veil if I wanted to. So I did.

  The veil flickered once, twice, a third time, but it didn't seem to want to do the thing.

  "Come on..." I growled, willing it with everything I had.

  After a few more flickers, a ten-foot section of the Veil dissolved away just as the troll struck, causing it to stumble forward.

  "Me first!" Jorn shouted.

  [Shield Bash]

  Jorn's shield flashed golden, and a massive wave of energy, shaped like his shield, surged forward and struck the troll in the jaw.

  The impact sent the creature stumbling backward, arms windmilling, until it fell backward. It crashed against the edge of the Veil's opening, half in, half out, and flailed as it tried to sit upright.

  "Now!" Ro called out. "Attack!"

  Jorn's sword flashed in a rising cut that opened a gash across the troll's thigh. I followed with a horizontal slash that bit deep into its side, causing the monster's black blood to spray across the cobblestones.

  The troll screamed and swung a massive backhand with both arms.

  We both ducked in unison, easily dodging the strikes.

  "Duck!" Maven's voice rang out behind us.

  [Volley]

  Looking back, I saw that, in addition to her real arrows, three arrows materialized in the air around her drawn bow, each glowing with emerald light. She released, and they streaked forward, punching into the troll's groin, shoulder, chest, and neck in rapid succession.

  The troll, which had just pushed itself upright, staggered and fell backward. Still, its wounds were knitting closed with disgusting speed.

  That was the problem with trolls. According to the histories, at least, trolls could regenerate from almost anything short of complete dismemberment.

  Or fire. Fire was good.

  "Irileth! Claws! Eyes and throat!" Ro commanded.

  The harpy shrieked, then dove, her talons raking across the troll's face. With a single rake, the harpy tore out both of its eyes.

  It roared and tried to swat her away, but she was already gone, her wings carrying her up and away. As she flew, she spoke in Skysong, invoking what sounded like a spell. When she finished speaking, there was a burst of wind.

  [Cutting Winds]Her spell shot from her feet, causing the air to ripple as it cut through the air.

  The troll didn't have time to dodge. With a shriek, Irileth's spell slammed into the troll's chest, carving deep gouges in the monster's flesh and exposing the bones beneath.

  I didn't know Irileth knew magic!

  A heartbeat after her spell carved through the troll, Claws attacked, the hawk's razor-sharp beak tearing a chunk from the troll's jaw as its mechanical wing flashed in the orblight.

  "Jorn, Alex, throw!" Ro shouted.

  Jorn and I looked at one another and grinned. He'd taught me this skill, after all. Whirling, Jorn and I both hurled our shields at the same time.

  [Shield Throw]

  [Shield Throw]

  Humming through the air, both shields slammed into the troll with bone-cracking force, striking the troll in the forehead and collarbone. The creature thumped back into the dirt as our shields ricocheted off into the distance, then teleported back to our waiting hands.

  "My turn!" Ro shouted as he leapt into the air.

  [Wind Slash]

  A crescent of air screamed forward, catching the troll across its midsection and carving a deep groove through muscle and bone, scattering a wave of black blood droplets through the air.

  The troll's regeneration was already closing the wound, its flesh bubbling and writhing as it knitted back together.

  "I've got it!" I lunged forward, driving my sword into its shoulder.

  Jorn mirrored me from the other side, his blade punching through the creature's ribs. Maven's arrow struck it in the forehead, punching through to the other side, causing the troll's eyes cross stupidly. Just then, Irileth and Claws darted downward. The former's claws tore the troll's arm clean off, and the latter's tore its regenerated eye out of its skull for the second time.

  Ruagh...

  From the sound of its voice and the look in its eye, the troll's hunger had faded, replaced with fear and exhaustion. It knew it was losing. With a final, desperate roar, the troll blindly leapt to its feet, spun, and ran.

  "Oh no, you don't," Ro said coldly as he dashed forward, moving so fast that he was a blur.

  [Heroic Strike]

  Golden light erupted along Ro's blade as he closed the distance in a single burst of speed. His sword flashed in a wide horizontal cut, causing the troll's head to separate from its shoulders.

  Both the body and the head hit the ground with wet, heavy thuds.

  For a moment, everything was still. The body twitched once, twice, its regeneration doing its best to reattach the head to the body.

  "Jorny! You did fabulously!" Greta's feminine voice sounded overhead.

  I turned to find Greta floating forward, one hand extended, her lips working and her fingers moving in a complex pattern. When she finished her spell, a thin tendril of purple smoke spiraled up from her fingertip and rose into the air in a thin, delicate thread before arcing downward and striking onto the troll's corpse.

  The moment the smoke touched the troll's flesh, a wave of energy exploded outward as the troll's body broke apart. The monster's flesh dissolved into motes of pale starlight that drifted upward like reverse snow, each one winking out as it rose into the sky. As it dissolved, the corpse writhed until, within seconds, nothing remained.

  My heart fluttered in my chest. "Amazing..." As strong as we were, Greta showed how much further we could go.

  "Show off," Maven muttered as she reslung her bow over her shoulder.

  Greta stood on her broom and, with a theatrical bow, walked through the air toward Jorn. Landing beside him and without a word, she grabbed the front of his armor and pulled him down into a kiss.

  Jorn wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her back.

  With a flick of her wrist, suddenly, the pair were rising into the sky, her magic carrying them both upward, toward the Dreaming Crown's boughs.

  "Get a room!" Maven called after them.

  "Ugh," I groaned, shaking my head. "It's like watching parents kiss."

  "It's absolutely vile," Ro agreed, though he was grinning.

  "I wish to find love like that one day," Irileth said wistfully as she landed beside us.

  The three of us looked at her, then at each other, then burst out laughing.

  "Trust me," I said, still chuckling. "You don't want that. They're gross."

  "So gross," Maven confirmed.

  Ro cleaned his blade and sheathed it. "I agree. Though I'll admit, it's good to see Jorn happy. I wasn't sure he'd ever find his way."

  "None of us were," Voss said behind us.

  Turning, I saw that the Templar was only a few feet away. Behind him, the other Templars were rushing toward us.

  Stepping forward, Voss said, "That was well done," clapping my shoulder. "Still got it, I see."

  "I never lost it," I replied with a grin.

  "I can see that."

  Nivan stepped forward next, his face breaking into a warm smile. "Alex!" He shook my hand. "Good to see you in action again!" He grinned. "After all that talk about wyrms and harpies, I'm not surprised to see you out here making short work of trolls!"

  "After seeing you all fight," Nel added, giving me a quick hug. "I think I'm starting to believe your tales."

  With a laugh, I said, "I've missed you all, too," meaning it. Looking around at the gathered templars, I felt a warmth in my chest. "What are you all doing here?"

  Pawel spoke up, his young face bright with excitement. "We got a letter! From Renard. He told us about this city, Caer, uh..." He shook his head, "... and about what you've been doing here, and—"

  "And we couldn't stay away," Voss finished.

  "Plus," Ilan added with a slight grin, "Renard made it sound like you needed us, so we came."

  I glanced over at Renard, who was standing in the back like a stone statue with his arms crossed, expression unchanged.

  When he saw me looking at him, he grunted.

  "How was class?" I asked.

  "Passable," he replied.

  I nodded to the others. "You wrote them?"

  "I thought you might need support," Renard rumbled. "And they needed purpose. Things have been quiet lately."

  I laughed. "Thank you. Really. It means a lot."

  Ennel stepped forward then, and the usual awkwardness between us was as heavy as it always was. He opened his mouth, closed it, tried again, then finally just dropped to one knee and bowed his head solemnly.

  "Ennel?" I asked, confused. "What are you—"

  "My lord," he said quietly, his voice steady despite the stiffness of his posture. "I... I'm honored to serve."

  Beside him, Silan knelt and bowed his head, too. "My king."

  I looked at the others helplessly.

  Jorn chuckled.

  Maven smirked.

  Ro just shrugged.

  "Ennel, get up," I said, reaching down to pull him to his feet. "You don't need to do that. We're friends."

  He stood slowly, his eyes determined. "You're going to be king. I wanted to... to show respect."

  "I appreciate it," I said, softening my tone. "But seriously, no bowing. We're all brothers here." When Maven frowned at me, I added, "And sisters."

  Slowly, he nodded and stepped back, crossing his arms. "You, me, and Elise will talk later, yes?"

  I sighed. "Sure." A thought occurred to me then, and I looked back at Voss. "Hey, how's Farvad doing?"

  Voss's expression brightened immediately. "The alchemist? He's doing much better, actually. We've been working with him, and he's almost lucid these days. Still has his moments, but..." He shook his head with a small smile. "He's getting there." He pointed to the east. "We gave him that old barn to use as a workshop. His potions are things of wonder." When he finished speaking, he patted his beltpouch, which was full of potions.

  Relief washed over me. "That's really good to hear. I was worried about him."

  "He asks about you sometimes," Voss added. "Says he wants to thank you properly when he sees you next."

  I nodded. "I'll come see him after our next quest."

  Voss cocked his head. "What quest?"

  I started explaining our upcoming quest to Embermist Keep. As I spoke, I turned back to assess the state of the Veil, but, luckily, it had already resealed itself. The rainbow light swirled peacefully at the edge of the city, looking like nothing had happened. Still though... A troll, this close to the city. That was new. As far as I knew, trolls were exceptionally rare in these parts.

  When I was done with my story, I turned to Ro and said, "We should make sure to tell Na-Ya about the troll." I frowned. "Also, we'll be leaving soon. While I'm gone, you should train my students to know how to handle troll atta—"

  Ro held up his hand. "I've got it. I promise."

  One look at him was all it took for me to realize I was worrying too much. "Thanks, brother." I clapped him on the shoulder, then nodded to where the troll had been. "And thanks for the warm-up, by the way. I needed that."

  "Anytime, brother." He replied, smiling. Then, he clapped me back before pointing to the others. "We're all heading back up to the Crown for dinner. Want to come with us?"

  I shook my head. "Not now. Tristan needs me."

  "For?" He asked.

  "I have no idea, but it's important." I took a long look at the others. It had been a long time since we'd all spent time together. Too long. "The two of us will come by later, when we're done."

  Ro nodded. "Please do."

  I nodded, then turned west. "Alright, everyone. We'll see you soon!"

  The Templars all grumbled and waved and slapped my back.

  With a final wave, I headed west, toward the western district. The orb was dim now, painting the world in deeper gold and oranges.

  "Okay, for real this time. You've got this," I muttered to myself.

  No more distractions, damn it!