The Intervening Year.

The Lands Farque...

"Dad!" shouts Jaren Van Der Linden from a top of his pony "I see them son" replies Kreece Van Der Linden the mage who is riding a horse behind his son.
The powerful mage, probably the most powerful one in the entire Southlands at this time. Looks over at his wife Sephiryn the elemental. Who is on the horse beside him.
The elemental blademaster who has, one of the twins, Rase. In a sling across her back. Where the toddler is asleep.
Smiles, and shakes her head as she looks back at her husband the mage.
"Lest we don't have to do that anymore" says the spellcaster whose father is the seneschal of the lands Farque. Who has the other twin, Mycrin. In a sling across his own back.
The twins, one blond and the other dark haired, aren't human like their older brother Jaren. And are named after the elemental's younger brothers, who died when she was barely a teenager.
"As if we really did it anyway" says Sephiryn Van Der Linden nee Vaitrelle. The elemental, the only one is her rare race's existence, who is of two elements, earth and air for her.
Shakes her head again, then dryly says "Take a guess who's trailing way behind the others?" the elemental blademaster quickly adds "No cheating".
Kreece Van Der Linden wryly smiles, and he sits up in the saddle, and peers in the distance along the road to the southwest of the Winter Palace, near the coast. Where a squad is running in this direction.
Lacking his wife's naturally enhanced eyesight, the mage Van Der Linden who'd like nothing better than to cast a spell to see better.
Has a fair idea who it is that's lagging well behind the rest of the squad that's coming up the road from the south.
"Well i guess it's Dorc" says the mage who is a senior officer in the armies of the lands Farque, though his role of a spellcaster is more important than his rank signifies.
"That wasn't difficult" dryly says the attractive elemental who is originally from the Sunreach Mountains, which is faraway, further to north in the Southlands from the lands Farque.
Just then, the undead wardog Lightning comes bounding towards the road through the long grass and flowers on that side.
She comes to a sudden stop right next to young Jaren and his pony. Softly barks at them, then turns and runs back the way she's come from.
Much to the delight of the young boy on his pony, who is cackling with delight as he watches the massive undead wardog run away.
The mage Van Der Linden wryly smiles. As there's always one of the undead wardogs around his little family wherever they go.
Infact, today there's two of them. Kreece looks around, and amongst the long spring grass and flowers to the right of the road.
He spots the massive shape of the undead wardog Axe, lying on his back, with all four paws up in the air.
The largest of all the undead wardogs, who is at once, both the laziest and the most destructive of all the undead wardogs.
Doesn't even move when his sister Lightning runs at him, and pounces on him. And getting no reaction from her litter mate. She takes off towards the coast which is about a quarter of a mile away to the west.
The massive wardog who stands six and a half foot tall at the shoulder, and weighs over thirteen hundred pounds. Chews up the distance as she runs faster than the fastest of living animals can run.
The rather sleek, for one of the wardogs of Farque at least. Circles around, and makes her way back to the road that the Van Der Linden family are riding on, this fine and sunny, late spring day.
As lightning slows down, and comes alongside the road. Keeping parallel with those on the horses.
The powerful mage, who like his wife is nearing thirty years of age. Spots a forerunner out infront of the squad heading this way.
Kreece, slightly frowns then says "Is that Lis out infront of the rest of them?". "It is" replies Sephiryn Van Linden who goes by the name of Seph to those who know her well.
"That means it must be one of Tam's squads" says the mage Van Der Linden, the air/earth elemental who is a blademaster, as is her husband, nods her head, and says "He's with them".
"No wonder Dorc's there" murmurs the son of the seneschal of the lands Farque, who then grins and says in a sarcastic tone "I bet he's loving doing all the drills and training".
Seph laughs, then says "He looks more angrier than normal as he trails the rest of the squad" as she can clearly see the large ork in the distance, following behind the fairly large squad that's running along the road.
"Dad" says Jaren Van Der Linden, who adds "Ma" followed by "Are we going to race them?". As they watch the squad of soldiers running along the road.
"No son" says the powerful mage, who continues with "We should probably get off the road as to let them freely pass".
The three of them, the two adults on horses, and the boy on a pony.
Ride off the road, and came to a halt as the forerunner out infront of the squad. Gets closer and closer to them.
Beside the Van Der Linden family, Lightning drops to her haunches, and watches those on the road heading this way.
The lead runner, out infront of the others in the squad, by some distance too. Slows down as she sees who's just off the side of the road up ahead.
And she comes to a stop by them, Lisell Maera grins and says "And hello to you young man" in reply to the boy who waves at her from a top of his pony, and says "Hi".
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury who isn't breathing all that hard, even though she's already run about two miles from a campsite further down the coast.
Then says "Sir" to the man upon the horse. The man she knows will be the next seneschal of the lands Farque. The most important living person in the lands.
Lisell Maera who is commonly called Lis by those who know her, then says "Striker" to the attractive woman upon the other horse.
Then the runner in the armies of Farque smiles as she realises that the husband and wife have their other children, two toddlers, twins. Strapped to their backs in slings. Where both of them are dozing.
Lis knows that they're aren't human, and are elementals like their mother. Unlike their older brother, who is human, and by all accounts, will grow up to be a mage like his father.
The attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, who is now nineteen years old. Glances at the massive dog sitting on it's haunches near the family, passively watching her. She figures it's an undead one. As the living wardogs tend not go out without one of the handlers.
She looks at her, and from the size of the undead creature, and from it's sleek looking appearance, she guesses it's one of the female wardogs.
"Lightning" says Lis to the undead wardog, who barks once in appreciation, and wags her stubby tail as she sits there.
Off in the long grass and flowers to the side of the road, Lisell Maera spots a large black lump that moves, it rolls and sticks it's head up, and looks in her direction.
It's another of the undead wardogs, and from the size of it, it's either Hammer, Anvil or Axe. The three largest of the undead wardogs of Farque.
Axe, Lis dryly thinks to herself with a slight smile upon her face, as the massive undead animal, rolls back over, and she sees it's stick it's legs up in the air, as it wriggles around for a bit, until it gets comfortable and goes still.
"Lis" says the mage Van Der Linden by way of greeting, then he nods back down the road, and asks the runner "New recruits from other lands?".
"A handful of them sir mage" says the runner and messenger "How are they doing so far with the others in the squad?" asks the spellcaster who is also a blademaster.
"So far so good sir" is the answer from Lisell Maera, who knows that foreigners, are thoroughly screened, by spellcasters like the mage Van Der Linden and others. As well as being closely watched by the undead.
Before they're even allowed to join the armies of the lands Farque.
Even Lis herself, since she's not a born Farqian. Had to go through the same process, the first time she came to the lands Farque. Though not as thoroughly as the recruits. As she was specifically picked to join after being revealed by the powers of foresight that prince Helbenthril Raendril of Laerel has.
The runner, or messenger as they're sometimes designated within the armies of Farque. Chats with the small family as they wait for the rest of the training squad to catch up.
"Caerik just flew in this morning" says Kreece Van Der Linden, Lisell Maera looks away to the northeast, and in the distance she sees the massive rocky tor, that sticks out of the ground, upon which, over a thousand feet up, sits the citadel of the Winter Palace.
"He's made captain" adds the powerful mage. Lis grins at hearing that about Caerik Alsair, a former member of the group that she traveled with throughout the Southlands, and beyond. Is now a captain of an airship in the Farqian fleet.
"He's also getting married to that young lady who's been pestering him even since he first arrived here in my lord's lands" says the son of the seneschal of the lands Farque, which causes the runner to snort as she suppresses the laughter that threatens to burst forth.
"Ah" says Lisell Maera, who clears her throat so she doesn't laugh, then she adds "I'll have to congratulate him when i see him at the Winter Palace".
"Who knows, maybe you'll find someone and get married next runner" says the mage Van Der Linden.
"Maybe" quietly says the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, who steps off to the side of the road as she hears the rest of the training squad approaching.
As the rest of the squad get closer to where they are, Sephiryn Van Der Linden quietly says in the air elemental language to her husband "That young lady will never marry".
"Why not?" quietly asks the powerful mage in the same language "Because she won't" quietly says the elemental blademaster.
Kreece frowns as he looks at the runner waiting for the rest of the training squad, then looks back over to his wife who quietly says to him in the air elemental language "Don't find out" as she knows her husband will probably read the mind of the runner to find out.
The air/earth elemental follows that with "Let her be" then she adds "I'll tell you about it later".
The mage Van Der Linden nods, then turns and looks as the rest of the training squad that Lisell Maera is the forerunner of, who have stopped on the road behind her.
"Sir" says Tamric Drubine who then adds "Striker" after he takes a few breaths and steps forward to stand by Lis. The young newly named field commander in the armies of the lands Farque, grins and says "Young Jaren" in greeting to the boy upon the pony who waves at him and says "Tam!" in greeting to him. 
The teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, who is nearing the age of seventeen. And has recently been given the rank of field commander in the armies of Farque.
Grins as he nods to the undead wardog Lightning, who always softly barks at him when she sees him.
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by those who know him well. Who was named a swordmaster at the end of last year when he and the others in the group returned to the lands Farque.
Says "Relax for a little while" to the training squad, and walks off the side of the road to stand with Lis, when the mage Van Der Linden in the elven language says to him "How goes the training? And how goes the foreign recruits you've got?".
As her husband Kreece quietly talks in elven with Tam and Lis. Sephiryn the element looks down the road and grins as she watches a heavy breathing Dorc da Orc jogging in this direction, with a look of pure murder upon his broad, green, feral looking face.
The elemental blademaster knows the large ork could easily outrun everyone in the training squad he's with. Infact he could run for days nonstop.
Though that doesn't mean he'd want to, or like to. Especially not since it's a fairly warm spring day today.
And no matter how many years the big, burly ork has lived north of the Ork Range which is located in the southern polar region of the world.
He'll never be fully comfortable in the weather outside of his barren, and frozen homeland.
Dorkindle finally catches up to the training squad, and he growls at them to move.
They make way for the ork weaponsmith, who technically, though he doesn't know it, is their commander. As he's supposed to be teaching warfare to the young field commander Tamric Drubine.
Sweating profusely, and breathing heavily,Dorc da Orc grunts in greeting to Sephiryn the elemental, who he's known since she was a teenager. Then he says to the mage Van Der Linden "Hey Kreece cunt, you got any fucken booze, me thirsty" as he's caught wind of, and caught sight of the wine sack the powerful mage has tied to his saddlebags.
"Dorc!" admonishes the air/earth elemental the same time her son Jaren says "Dad, Dorc said the swears".
The large ork mutters "Fuck" and jumps back as the undead wardog Lightning looks in his direction and growls.
Dorkindle then switches to his own language and says to the mage Van Der Linden "Can me have that fucken wines you gots, it's hot as motherfucken cunt today".
The powerful mage, who knows the ork language thanks to a spell cast upon him a number of years ago by the ork shaman Onka Donka. Who happens to be one of Dorc's best friend.
Says to the big, burly ork in his own language, which Kreece would rather not actually know, as it's completely incomprehensible to his human mind, and is difficult to understand, even though he knows it.
"Here cunt" as he tosses the wine sack to the weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks.
"Thanks cunt" says Dorkindle, who remembers to speak in the ork language if he wants to swear like normal. As Sephiryn the elemental doesn't appreciate him swearing infront of her children.
After downing the contents of the wine sack, and handing it back to the spellcaster who is the son of the seneschal of the lands Farque.
The ork who is the warleader of his race sourly smiles, and shakes his head as he looks first at Jaren on his pony, a gift from the hordes barbarians on the tundra to the south of the lands Farque. Then at the two sleeping toddlers in the slings across the backs of their parents. Then at the parents themselves.
"Sick fucks" murmurs Dorc da Orc in the ork language. Which Kreece hears, and causes him to grin. As he knows the attitude of orks towards marriage and having offspring. It's completely crazy to them. And from a race that's born crazy. Who are totally insane. That's saying something. As marriage is very rare within the ork race. And having offspring, which they call orklings. Is fraught with danger. From both the parent, and or parents side, as well as the orklings side.
The powerful mage Van Der Linden is just about to ask the ork warleader how the training is going. When the undead wardog Lightning sits up, and looks away to the northeast and barks.
Across the road, and amongst the long grass and flowers, the undead wardog Axe gets up and looks away to the northeast, and barks as well.
He then looks over at his sister, barks at her. Then takes off running to the northeast, in the direction of the Winter Palace.
A few moments later and the powerful mage senses what's got their attention.
A ship's rift appears in the sky to the northeast, and a moment later a kreen strikeship flies out of it. And heads for the tor that the has the small citadel upon it.
Looking at Lightning who is barking and wagging her stubby tail, then looking in the distance, where Axe is just a blur of motion as he runs to the tor where the Winter Palace is located.
Kreece Van Der Linden says "Well i guess their master is back" as they watch in the distance the kreen strikeship approach the thousand foot tor, and the citadel that sits upon it.
The powerful mage looks at his wife, who nods to his unspoken question, then the mage Van Der Linden says to Tam "Well, i guess we'll be going back to the citadel too" . . . . . .