The Journey 26.

Autumn. Fanile. Galmede. Terrindim.

It's not until they're deep within the province of Galmede, not all that from the capital city Fanile.
That captain Jarmic of the battlecruiser Dragon Flame, truly feels safe.
And when his warship, that's leading the remnants of the third fleet of the Balford faction, gets within ten miles of the capital. Which can be seen to the south, does the airship captain breathes in relief.
It's midmorning, two days after the defeat of their fleet up in the province of Smalsare in the central region of the kingdom.
They've traveled the more than two hundred and twenty miles from Smalsare non-stop.
Pursued at a distance by some of the vessels in the Salmain faction that turned up during the battle.
Though not by any of the Golmard faction, who defeated them. After they won the battle against the Balford faction's third fleet. Those warships and dragons in the Golmard faction couldn't be bothered chasing after what was left of the third fleet in the Balford faction.
Those that are left are mainly the supply and support ships. Along with a fair number of the warships that was in the wing under the command of fleet admiral Halmack, and his battlecruiser the Dragon's Revenge.
Which, along with the experienced admiral, was lost in the battle two mornings ago.
One of their dragons passes by on it's way towards the capital city. Captain Jarmic waves to the rider who waves in return as he and his dragon fly by.
The warship captain who has already seen a few other dragons in the morning sky.
Knows that they're safe from any enemy dragon. Because they're so close to the city of Fanile.
And because there's quite a few towns and villages below. As the lands around the capital, are well populated.
For within a dozen miles of Fanile, there's more people than in a similar sized area than anywhere else in the kingdom.
Infact, captain Jarmic is pretty sure that within a twelve miles of the capital, and the capital city itself. There's more people than in his home province of Halvarc.
Which is largest province in Terrindim by far, which also happens to be the least populated. As in it's western reaches, it's quite arid in places.
The warship captain looks away to starboard, as next to him, the sorcerer Sarvon says "Blue dragon in the distance to starboard" followed by "Heading to the capital".
"Dark blue?" asks captain Jarmic, standing next to him here on the stern deck, the spellcaster nods his head, and replies with "It is".
"Hell" mutters the captain of the Dragon Flame, who continues on in a dry tone with "Apparently we're now at war with them too".
"Apparently" says the sorcerer Sarvon, who shakes his head, as he thinks about how they're at war with two factions now, the Golmard faction, and the Salmain faction.
"Hopefully the other fleets and armies have had some success of late" quietly says the battlecruiser captain from the western province of Halvarc, who is from a family who are originally wild dragon egg hunters.
Who after centuries spent trying to find a wild dragon egg, eventually found one in a remote part of northwest Halvarc, about a hundred years ago.
A egg which didn't hatch for another twenty years, which is fairly quick all things considered. As some eggs that are found in the wild, have gone unhatched for hundreds of years.
Once captain Jarmic's family's egg hatched, the burnt orange coloured dragon Sunbeam was there's. By then, they had joined the Balford faction, after it had gone to war against another faction for the right for them to join them.
Although Jarmic wasn't around at that time, he like a lot of people in the kingdom of Terrindim. Is of the opinion that a dragon doesn't choose what colour it's going to be, until after the family that's found the egg, picks what faction they're going to be in.
Though there's others who believe otherwise. And that the dragon is already the colour they are even before their egg is found in the wild.
And that from within the egg, the yet to hatch dragon, influences the family that's found them, into joining a particular faction.
As is often the case, as the wars between factions for the right of a family of wild dragon egg hunters can often go on for months, while others are over in weeks, barely starting before they're over.
Captain Jarmic who hopes the Salmain faction isn't vying for the family of dragon egg hunters to join them too.
And that they've only gone to war against the Balford faction for the obvious reason. That being they hate prince Waniq's advisor, lord Ganulf, the lord of Highsun. Who happens to a member of the family that leads the Salmain faction. Which he left to join the Balford faction just over three years ago.
The battlecruiser captain has voiced this to the sorcerer Sarvon, who hopes this is true too.
As a three way war between factions for the right to have a family of wild dragon egg hunters join them. Is about the worst thing imaginable.
"There's Fanile clear in the daylight" says the sorcerer as they pass over a hill, and get a clear unobstructed view of the capital.
The battlecruiser Dragon Flame, that's been flying fairly low to the ground. Gains in altitude after captain Jarmic orders the helmsman to head up into the sky as they lead the survivors of the Balford faction's third fleet, and accompanying army south to the capital city.
The warship captain grins as he spots a familiar dragon winging its way north to the remnants of the third fleet. Which the commonborn captain from the province of Halvarc is effectively in command of.
As all the fleet admirals are dead, along with senior admiral Yammick. As their warships were all destroyed in battle two mornings ago.
The captain of the Dragon Fire, watches his family's dragon Sunbeam heading this way. He's never been more glad to see Beam, as those who know him well, call him.
Not to mention his cousin Daeliss, the young dragon rider. Who at just nineteen years of age. Is the youngest dragon rider in the Balford faction.
And infact, when she became Sunbeam's rider three years ago at the age of just sixteen. She was the youngest person to do so in the kingdom for a couple of generations.
A fact you wouldn't really believe. Considering in the last week. Both she and her dragon have killed two enemy dragons and their riders.
Something not been done in the kingdom of Terrindim in a long, long time.
Captain Jarmic shouts and waves in greeting as Sunbeam and his cousin Daeliss approach the Dragon Flame from forward, to starboard.
The crew on deck shout and yell in appreciation too. As the large burnt orange coloured dragon, and his young rider. Are the reason they're here in one piece.
As Sunbeam and the rider Daeliss killed an enemy Golmard dragon which was heading towards the fleeing fleet lead by captain Jarmic's battlecruiser.
The warship captain from the western province of Halvarc grins even more as Sunbeam slows down, to come about, and he sees his young cousin waving back to him.
A little while later, still before midday. And the battlecruiser the Dragon Flame puts down on the staging grounds of the Balford faction. At the northeast fringes of the capital city Fanile.
And as the rest of the surviving vessels from the defeated third fleet of the Balford faction start to set down on the staging grounds.
Captain Jarmic is the first one overboard, and on the ground. Where he hurries over to greet his younger cousin Daeliss.
After hugging his cousin the dragon rider, picking her up as he does so, and spinning her around, the warship captain sets her down, and says "Miss me?".
"Hardly" wryly says Daeliss the dragon rider, who laughs as her older cousin has an obviously false look of hurt upon his face at hearing that response.
"Well, I've missed you Beam!" calls out captain Jarmic to the nearby dragon who is lying in the late morning sun, on a day that's much warmer than the cold day it was yesterday, here in the capital.
"Me too" says Sunbeam the dragon, who doesn't bother to open an eye, though he does add "I need someone to give me good scratch with the metal rake, and you're good at it".
"I don't miss that" dryly murmurs the captain of the battlecruiser the Dragon Flame.
After the rider Daeliss chuckles again, as she heard that from her older cousin, the commonborn dragon rider says "Not really" followed by "I told them what happened, and sir Malfane did likewise when he arrived yesterday morning" in response to captain Jarmic "Suppose i better explain why we retreated in the battle".
"And lord Ganulf explained to the prince and the command staff why we did what we did" says the dragon rider, who like her older cousin, hails from the west of the kingdom.
"At least that's something" murmurs the warship captain, who was the youngest captain of a battlecruiser in the Balford faction, who wasn't a noble appointed by the prince, who then adds after a moment's silence "Wait, he got clear?" as he thought the advisor to the crown prince went down with admiral Halmack's flagship, the Dragon's Revenge.
"That he did" responds the rider Daeliss, who quickly tells her older cousin how lord Ganulf survived the battle two mornings ago.
"Nevertheless i should report to them" says the captain of the Dragon Flame.
"Of course" says the younger of the two cousins, followed by "We'll take you there" referring to herself and her dragon Sunbeam.
It ends up being captain Jarmic and the sorcerer Sarvon who accompanies the rider Daeliss.
After the large dragon teleports the three of them to one of the proscribed towers, and the palace guards give them permission to enter the Royal Palace of Terrindim.
Sunbeam, who is still lying in the sun out on the Balford faction's staging grounds. Teleports the three of them to the roof of the keep in the vast palace complex, that's the headquarters of their faction.
"Busy day" quietly says captain Jarmic as he sees the number of people here in the headquarters of Balford faction, as well as outside on the paths and roadways within the vast complex that makes up the Royal Palace of Terrindim.
"It is" says the rider Daeliss as they make their way to the offices of the prince and his advisor, which are opposite one another in a hallway on one of the higher floors of the keep.
"And it's First day too, so there's that" adds the commonborn dragon rider, who like her older cousin, is lean and blonde, as are many from the west of the kingdom.
"It is?" says the warship captain in a tone of surprise, who follows that with "I had completely forgotten what day it was".
The dragon rider nods, then quietly says "Things are afoot" she continues on with "With three factions in the same war now, other factions are getting more active as they wait to see what happens".
"Hell" murmurs captain Jarmic, behind him and cousin, the sorcerer Sarvon nods in agreement, as he shares his captain's sentiment.
"We've already making moves upon the Salmain faction" says the rider Daeliss, who quickly informs the other two of the recent duel lord Ganulf fought, and what it means.
"He's already challenged two other noblemen since he returned to the capital" adds the commonborn dragon rider from the western province of Halvarc, who then says "One in the Salmain faction itself, and another in the Golmard faction he has a long running feud with".
The rider of the dragon Sunbeam continues "No one expects them to accept, considering how easily he won that duel the other night".
The rider Daeliss then quietly says to her older cousin, and the sorcerer following them "That was the closest thing to a murder I've ever seen".
The captain of the battlecruiser the Dragon Flame slightly winces, then quietly says "He doesn't muck around does he?".
And though he doesn't particularly like the lord of Highsun, he thinks the nobleman formerly of the Salmain faction is an arrogant individual. He can't fault lord Ganulf's results when it comes to the Balford faction. Though a lot of the way he goes about it, isn't exactly what one would want to be associated with.
They enter the offices of the crown prince of Terrindim. And captain Jarmic grins as he's glad to see the young able airman Orvick also survived the destruction of the Dragon's Revenge, along with a bosun, who came through the same rift that lord Ganulf came through.
And now the two crew members from admiral Halmack's flagship are now on the lord of Highsun's staff, when previously he had none.
The captain of the Dragon Flame caught the look on the face of the able airman with the club foot, when he saw Daeliss enter the offices.
Captain Jarmic glances sideways at his younger cousin, who off course, didn't even catch that look of absolute admiration from the young able airman, who turns out to be lord Ganulf's new aide.
In the inner office, the crown prince is waiting for them, and the warship captain reports to him, and some of the other senior staff members of the Balford faction including lord Ganulf, about what happened up in the province of Smalsare during the battle, and the subsequent flight back south to the capital Fanile.
They listen in silence as captain Jarmic gives his report, once he's finished, the crown prince of Terrindim, prince Waniq nods then says "Well done in bringing back as many of our airships as you did captain".
The prince, who is effectively the leader of the Balford faction, continues with "And what you told us reaffirms what the riders Daeliss and Malfane, along with lord Ganulf have already told us" followed by "Thank you".
Captain Jarmic bows to the prince who is sitting behind his desk, then steps back.
The crown prince looks over at his advisor, the lord of Highsun, and asks him "Anything?".
"Not yet highness" is the reply of lord Ganulf, the lord of Highsun, and advisor to the prince.
"We can hope" says prince Waniq, who after a quick glance out the nearest window, adds "If you will excuse me, I'm off to have the midday meal with my wife and daughter".
Those assembled in the office bow to the crown prince as he exits, then as the others move off, captain Jarmic quietly asks his young cousin "Now what?".
She nods to where lord Ganulf is, who waves to the captain of the Dragon Flame, beckoning him over "He'll want to speak with you" says the rider Daeliss, who then adds "He's already set some new plans in motions".
"Well then" quietly says captain Jarmic, who continues with "Let's go see what's happening then".
Then he along with his cousin Daeliss, and the sorcerer Sarvon make their way over to lord Ganulf, who leads them across the hallway to his offices, here in the keep that's the headquarters of the Balford faction . . . . . .