Nobody could sleep for the rest of the night as nerves were on end from the sudden attack. It was a few hours until dawn and some of that time was spent digging shallow graves for the bodies of the three men to be dumped into. According to Fiora, it was a kind of curse to bury them in a place that wasn’t considered ‘holy ground’, whatever that meant.

  By the time the sun started to rise, everyone was dirty and tired. Yawns were common as people wandered about in a half daze, eating their daily rations and doing their best to look lively for the day. Many mumbled curses were spat at the captive bandit leader, some giving him a swift kick in passing as he lay bound against the cart.

  Once the camp was broken down and it was time to leave, Leoric spoke up as he mounted his horse. “I know we have encountered more trouble than we could have predicted, but take heart, for home is but a few days away, and we will find rest and succor aplenty at our journey’s end.”

  His short speech was met with nods of affirmation and excitement from the soldiers, but it inspired anxiety in Daegal once more, and to a lesser extent, Fiora and Emil as well. It was a reminder that they were only a few days away from meeting with the king, of being judged, possibly condemned for something Daegal could not control. He didn’t know if he was born, hatched, or spawned in some manner, but he never had a choice of whether he wanted to be a part of this world that hated him for nothing more than existing. All he wanted was as a warm place to call home, where he wouldn’t be alone anymore. He could only take Fiora’s request to heart and have a little faith that his fate wouldn’t be to run, hide, and fight for every breathe he took.

  They started traveling again, and their prisoner was walking behind the cart, tied to it by his wrists and a length of rope as he stumbled along, trying to keep pace. Whatever sympathy might have existed for this man was naught but dust in the wind after all the suffering he likely inflicted in his life. It was a little ironic that the cage itself was used for transport while the real prisoner was forced to walk.

  Nothing really changed for the next few days. They passed through a smaller town and by many more travelers as the density of traffic on the road seemed to increase with every hour they walked. Daegal had heard more people traveling down this road than he ever did in the village. If this was just a taste of what was to come, he already was feeling the pressure.

  The night before they arrived at the capital, Daegal laid awake, thinking about tomorrow and what he could do to prepare. The answer to that was not much as he had no experience and very little reference to plan from. His claws were digging groves in the bottom of the cart as he scratched at it, creating a small pile of woodchips beneath his palm. He only stoped when he heard someone walking toward him. From the gait of the step, he could guess who it was, and it did make him feel better already.

  Fiora brushed aside the blanket in front of the cage door and called in softly. “Daegal, are you awake?”

  “Yeah, I am,” he replied as he brushed the woodchips aside, scattering them.

  She climbed in slowly, shuffling over to the corner as she sits down and leans against the bars. Daegal propped himself up on an elbow so he could look at her while she talked.

  “Having trouble sleeping too?”

  Daegal huffed with amusement. “Yeah, a little.”

  She joined me with a short burst of laughter that had very little real humor in it. “I didn’t realize how hard the reality of the situation would come down on me now that we’re here. I know that I said we should be confident, but I mean... we’re going to be talking to the king! I’ve never imagined that I would be in this situation, and it’s not like we’re going to speak about anything benign either.”

  Fiora let out an exasperated sigh as she slumped against the cage. It was somewhat reassuring that she was feeling similarly to what he was. Daegal allowed a moment of quiet to exist as it felt like they both needed it. He considered what he should say during this time before finally collecting enough of his thoughts to form a sentence.

  “I could tell you that you don’t have to come with me, but I know you would simply refuse any other path but the one you have chosen. Instead, I’ll tell you how much it means to me that you are willing to do all of this for my sake. I never thought I’d have another human friend, and though our time knowing one another has been somewhat short, I am truly glad to have known you.”

  “Hey, don’t talk like that. It sounds like you’re trying to say goodbye.”

  Daegal swallowed a lump in his throat. “I don’t know; maybe I am. I... I don’t know what’s going to happen.” He felt his heart starting to beat faster in his chest. “They might hurt you, and your father, because of me. Why? It just... I know people think I’m scary, but they all hate me! I’m scared, Fiora. What if they decide I’m not allowed to live? What if they decide that you’re not allowed to live for defending me? What am I supposed to do if that happens? I can’t... I can’t even think about it. I can’t... I can’t...”

  He was gasping for breath, his body feeling like it was betraying him as his vision flickered with tears and darkness. The more he talked, the more he panicked as his body was wracked with painful emotions. Fiora was momentarily stunned by the situation, but she quickly realized that Daegal needed help.

  She crawled over to him and immediately gave him a hug around the neck while speaking in a soothing voice. “Hey, hey, it’s alright. Breathe slowly, focus on that, focus on my voice. Breathe...”

  He did as she told him, trying to focus on his breathing and her presence as she held on to him. The feeling of her warm body wrapped around his neck helped to ground him, and he gently placed his hands on her back, pressing her just a little closer. He slowly calmed down as Fiora soothed his troubled mind.

  Daegal felt like he rarely had a choice for what he wanted. Every time he approached anything that remotely resembled lasting happiness, something or someone would come along and snatch it away from him. This situation felt dangerously like that was going to happen again, and this time he was willingly walking toward it because there was no better option! He honestly thought it might be worse than just having it suddenly be sprung upon him, because now he had time to wallow in the dread that was slowly rising inside him.

  There were still tears in his eyes, but he wasn’t in danger of falling unconscious from panic anymore. Fiora gently pushed away from him, and he eased up his grip to allow her to pull back enough to be face to face with him once more. She looked worried for him for a moment, but then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When her eyes opened again, she gave him a small, reassuring smile.

  “You know what, I don’t think we have anything to worry about after all.” Daegal’s brow furrowed in confusion, and she elaborated. “Seeing you now, while sad, is a confirmation of everything that I believe about you. You have a soul Daegal, that much I am certain of. It’s a beautiful and fragile thing, but it’s proof that you are not a monster. In fact, I think you’re more human than some people, with one such failure of a person being here among us.” She tittered a little laugh as she gestured with her head in the general direction of the captured bandit who was tied up in the camp.

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  A soul...

  Such a thing was vague and nebulous, something that he couldn’t touch, feel, or see in any way. Despite all of this, Fiora’s insistence that he had one made him feel reassured.

  “You really think so?”

  “Without a shadow of a doubt. You’ve done so much good in only the short time that I’ve known you. I’m sure that we can make them see the same thing that I do.”

  Her reassurances were nice, but Daegal still harbored many doubts and fears in his heart. “I hope so, Fiora.”

  “Will you be alright tonight?”

  He considered that. Truthfully, he was far from alright, but he chose to interpret her question as asking if he would have another panic attack.

  “I will be, thank you. While I'm in no rush to greet tomorrow, getting sleep would probably be wise.”

  “Yes, it would. If we must endure the accusations of tomorrow, then it is preferable to be rested for it. Get some sleep, Daegal. I’ll see you in the morning.” With that, she shimmied her way toward the back of the cart and climbed out of the cage. Daegal listened until he heard Fiora enter her tent and settle in. After that he laid back and did his best to relax. It was not immediate, and in fact, he laid there for another hour before a combination of exhaustion and will forced him into a restless slumber.

  The next morning, he awoke to the camp beginning to stir. His eyes stung and his head was foggy. A displeased rumble echoed in his throat, and he rolled around in the back of the cage for a little while. Once the camp was broken down, he was unfortunately forced to awaken fully. The soldiers saddled up, and the road was open to them once again.

  Every turn of the cart’s wheels brought them closer to the city, closer to judgement. Daegal did not know how long it would be until they reached their destination, but every second felt near torturous. Fiora helped to keep him calm, providing support, but Emil was being more proactive, trying to come up with a plan for the inevitable meeting.

  “Okay, to confirm that everyone understands how to conduct themselves, when we enter the chambers and face the king, be humble, respectful, and don’t openly show any hostility or annoyance no matter what is said or done.”

  “Yes, Dad, you mentioned something like that before,” Fiora commented with a slight amount of exasperation.

  “Well, I’m making sure that it sticks in your mind. This is important, and we won’t get a second chance.”

  “We know, Dad, but please stop for now. Daegal is already panicking, and that kind of talk isn’t helping.”

  For the first time Emil seemed to actually pay more attention to Daegal. Being put under an immediate spotlight made Daegal try to look more assured so he didn’t cause more worry, but he couldn’t stop the slight tremble in his hands. Emil saw this, and he did feel a little bad about making a dire situation even more stressful.

  “I apologize, that was thoughtless of me. I do have confidence that there is a path for us toward a peaceful resolution. Daegal has proven to be peaceful and logical being; it is only a matter of proving it to others.”

  These two being with him did help him secure his resolve. Now it was back to waiting, nearly in silence other than an occasional inspiring word or a brief conversation between the father daughter duo on what they should talk about first to prove that Daegal wasn’t evil. Traffic along the road quickly picked up in density, becoming the most crowded he had ever heard. Many smells and sounds flooded his senses, and he got curious, so he shifted over to the small cut in the blanket he made a few days earlier to get a look.

  Many people passed by on the road, dressed in work clothes that were sturdy and often covered in dirt. The background was endless fields of vegetables and grain that stretched out over the rolling hills on the horizon. There were only a few buildings, farmhouses, scattered about here and there, and they were occasionally blocked from his sight when a horse drawn, or ox drawn, wagon passed by. These wagons carried produce, tools, lumber, and firewood both too and from the city. The road was positively congested, and they weren’t even inside the front gate yet.

  The stink of civilization grew ever more pungent as they rode along. Animal and human refuse was in abundance, and Daegal could only hope that he would adapt quickly to the smell, so it wasn’t quite as overwhelming. They were approaching the entrance, though Daegal could not see it just yet from his small viewpoint.

  As they approached, they had to slow slightly as the entrance had a line of people waiting to be cleared for entrance. The soldiers were operating under the flag of nobility and the church, so they could pass the common people that had to wait their turn. After reaching the gate, a guard checked with Leoric who showed his family crest to be granted access to the city at large. They were waved on through, and Daegal watched from his little window

  The large, iron-banded gate looked sturdy, so much so that Daegal wasn’t sure he could smash through it if need be. There was more to look at than a door, though, as the entrance of the city was buzzing with activity as people came and went, even selling goods out of the back of their carts as they moved. This was just the beginning, a taste of what was to come, and Daegal was dropped into the depths of humanity.

  The buildings were larger, wider, cleaner. There was no building that was less than two stories tall and the streets were paved with smooth stone bricks. Every wall was painted, usually with white, but occasionally there was some yellow and cyan blue thrown in to the mix as well. Windows sometimes had glass in them, and Daegal had never seen the material before, so the shiny, translucent windows fascinated him immensely. There were potted plants, bushes, and even ivy beneath some building’s first story windows, growing and adding more character to the already distinguished shapes of these buildings.

  Something unique passed by a few minutes later, as Daegal saw a street that was filled with colorful tents, flags, and banners that created a lot of visual noise. The people who walked amongst the various tents and operated the stalls wore flamboyant clothing with many frills, checkered patterns, and masks. They danced, jumped, and performed tricks, some of them dangerous. One individual was twirling burning poles, creating halos of fire in the air. He paused to take a swig from a flask, and in a moment that startled both his audience and Daegal, spat it out as a fine mist which immediately caught fire, creating a large plume of flame. Daegal wanted to watch more, but he couldn’t leave the cart of risk exposing himself any more by creating a larger hole.

  The next location of note was interesting for a different reason as they entered a part of the city where the quality of buildings increased significantly. Stone became a more common building material, and grand statues or carvings in the sides of these structures managed to catch the eye. The people walking by wore fine clothing with bright colors, trimmed lines, and elegant patterns. When Daegal sniffed, the air didn’t stink as much as it did in other parts of the city. A large, circular street had a water fountain in the center, and Daegal looked at the statues that poured forth streams of liquid with awe, not understanding how they worked in the slightest.

  There was a fork in the road, and they took the higher path. Daegal had been so distracted by the sights that he forgot the reason for them being here, that is, until the cart was pulled over onto a lesser populated road. Leoric dismounted and went to the back, uncovering them just enough to reveal the door.

  “Sir Emil and Lady Fiora, you’ll be getting out here.”

  “What about Daegal?” Fiora asked.

  “He must remain in the cart for now. Once word of his arrival reaches the king’s ear, an assembly will be called. Such a gathering will require at least an hour to come to fruition, and until then, I would ask you remain inside the castle. Other’s will be coming to see Daegal for themselves soon enough, and you being involved would only complicate things. Focus on what you will say in defense of your friend, for now is the time for your role to be enacted.”

  She looked unsure, glancing between Daegal and Leoric. With a sigh, she moved toward the cage door. “You better not be lying to me, to us.”

  Leoric bowed his head slightly. “I give you my word that your friend will make it to the throne room and have the opportunity to speak for himself, that much I can guarantee.”

  Fiora looked back at Daegal and gave a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, this will all be resolved soon enough, and then we can go back home.”

  Emil placed a hand on his daughter’s shoulder as he stepped out the cage. “Come along Fiora, let us make our final preparations.” He turned to Daegal after that. “I wish you the best of luck, Daegal. Lord knows we need all that we can get right now.”

  Daegal could not find any words to speak, so he simply nodded and tried his best to match Fiora’s smile, but his felt like a mere mask to hide his growing fear. Emil and Fiora stepped out, and the blankets were positioned to hide him away once more. He was alone now, the muted light streaming through the fabric around him making him feel even more so. The cart started moving again, and Daegal could only sit there and fester in his own thoughts of what was to come.