M:   Rowen started laughing at Wolfgang, but immediately stopped when Mandoria jolted and whimpered again, his unconscious mind interpreting the shout as coming from someone else. Rowen hushed the country and softly rubbed his shoulder until he settled down again.

When Heinrich got his dog under control and Wolfgang was let up, he said, "Look, Wolfgang, I think that we all know there is another reason you don't want to come, because of what happened to your uncle all those years ago. I understand your grief, I was there when it happened, I was supposed to peacefully escort everyone out of the kingdom, but England attacked us and we had no choice but to defend ourselves. I'm not excusing what happened, if I did my job better all those men would still be alive, but what I'm saying is that you can't let the past blind you, you're being given an opportunity to leave and go somewhere safe, and if you reject it then you'll all be killed, do you think your uncle would want that?"

N:   Wolfgang gave Rowen a long stare before lowering his head, "Nein," he answered, "he wouldn't."

After a while, Maria spoke up, "You know what, one thing that always makes people happy is food, so what do you want to have, my treat."

"Potato soup," Johann, Heinrich, Erna, and Wolfgang said in unison, almost on instinct, and the mother laughed when she heard and later seeing their confusion. "I see some things don't change," she chuckled, "potato soup it is."

After she had left, Erna asked, "So, how was Johann like in your Kingdom," and when Johann told her that Rowen was also his father, she lightly laughed, "Oh, I see. So the question be: how hard was it to take care of Johann?" The man rolled his eyes at the question but a small grin could be seen on his face.

M:   Rowen chuckled and gave a long, exaggerated sigh, "oh where do I begin," he started but couldn't keep a straight face, "Having Johann with me had to have been the best blessing I ever received. Back then I was the captain of the army and Mandoria's royal adviser, it was ... actually on the day England attacked that he came, oddly enough. Anyway, Mandoria and I were discussing about it when Saxon brought Johann to us, saying that they met in a local sinkhole called the Eye of Ora, I remember how little Johann ran behind Mandoria and clung to his wings to get away from Saxon."

Rowen's smile on his face grew larger the more he told them about his times with Johann, from the horseback ride with Mandoria to the birth of Edel and so much more. By the time he was done reminiscing the potato soup was already done and everyone was eating, which he made sure to wake up Mandoria so he would too.

"There were plenty of ups and downs, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way, Johann truly was the best son a father could ask for," he finished.

N:   Erna smiled when she heard and she turned around to see Johan's smug smile on his face, "stop that you," she laughed, "it may be true but you were the worst person when it comes to staying in one single spot." The rest of the Prussian and Saxon humans nodded in agreement.

"Well at least I put that energy into good use," he grinned, "back in Mandoria, I would absolutely love horse racing, and I think that I could call myself a pretty good equestrian."

"I doubt you're as good as me," Wolfgang spoke up.

"You're sure about that," the Mandorian asked, flashing him a challenging look, "try me. The moment we arrive in the British Isles, we will race. The reward is the usual."

"Bragging rights," the knight shrugged, "deal." The pair shook on it, while Erna and Heinrich facepalmed themselves.

"A fair warning in advance," Heinrich warned, "Johann and Wolfgang had, and I see it still stands, a love-hate relationship. One moment, they are at each other's throats, the other they are competing with each other."

"And the rest of the time they are a chaotic duo," Erna concluded, "who share a single brain cell."

M:   "I can see that," Mandoria agreed, "my two sons were similar, except they loved each other unconditionally, sure they would argue every once in a while, as brothers do, but most of the time they were running around getting into trouble. Mandara was the youngest so you think he would just go with whatever Derogan told him, but in reality, he was more the big brother of their relationship, Derogan was the rebel prankster, but don't let that fool you, they both were quite the duo with pranks."

Rowen laughed, "Oh you should have seen the one they pulled on Saxon the day he, Anglo, and England left the kingdom. The two hid on a ledge above the dining hall door and the moment they heard Saxon and Anglo come in they dropped a snake swinging from a rope right in front of them, then apparently, and I quote from them, 'he screamed like a girl and jumped into Anglo's arms to get away from the snake'."

N:   Everybody started laughing at the story, except Saxon who just sunk into his chair as he drowned in his own misery, "Oh good Woden, why does this happen to me?"

Meanwhile, Wald was laughing mercilessly in the entity's face, "Wait, did that actually happen," he said between laughs, "now I wish I was there to see it. You know what, let me find a snake now to get the same reaction."

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE," yelped the entity, a bit too quickly, erupting the room with even more laughs.

"On the topic of girls," Erna smirked, nudging Johann with her elbow, "you're a grown man, Kress. Has there been anyone who has caught your eye? Any girls, or guys?"

Johann almost choked on his food when he heard the question, and he took some time to recover before wheezing, "Let's try not to talk about that, bitte?"

M:   Rowen, on the other hand, smiled mischievously, "Actually there was a girl at one point, while he was a cadet and training to be part of the cavalry, he met a girl named Elisabeth Herman, they became quick friends but I could tell he was totally smitten for her, just the mention of her name would turn him into a blushing mess."

"However, nothing ever came of it," he added, his voice going somber, "as Prussia soon came and after capturing us he decimated the kingdom, anyone who was still loyal to Mandoria was executed. We don't know what happened to her but since she was a cadet I have my doubts that she survived."

N:   Johann lowered his head when Elisabeth was mentioned, so Erna said, "If there was someone who was able to make Johann happy, then I'm happy."

"Falling for someone while cadets," Maria spoke, "reminds me of when my son told me that Erna and Wolfgang were together."

"Mutter," Heinrich whined as he facepalmed himself, "you don't have to say everything." Next to him, Johann accidentally sent the soup down the wrong pipe again and Heinz had to help him out. Next to him, Erna began to laugh nervously as her face reddened. Wolfgang, standing in the background, was as still as a statue, and his face was getting as red as Saxon's.

"I think we should add some more embarrassment," Saxon smiled at Rowen, "Remember when Derogan suggested that you should dance with Mandoria, it was quite funny seeing your face going red, especially when we knew that you had a crush on him."

M:   Mandoria chuckled when that was brought back up and Rowen looked as red as ever, trying to hide his face with his hands.

"In his defense, he was worried that it would bring shame to us if we had a relationship," Mandoria came to his husband's aid, "he was embarrassed because he didn't know how I felt about him. Though I must say that it was the closest time he got to becoming a countryhuman with how red his face became."

Before any more could be said, knocking came from the window again as Edel peered inside, though this time he seemed like he wanted the people inside to come outside. Rowen got the hint and took that as his excuse to get away from the embarrassment, though no sooner than he stepped out he came back in and said, "Wolfgang, Erna, Edel found your horses, they're out here."

N:   "Oh my, he did," Erna grinned, rushing out of the house and closely followed by Wolfgang.

"Look at the lovers go," Maria sighed, getting even more whining from Heinrich as both he and Johann followed them outside while Saxon and Wald stayed indoors.

Erna immediately ran to her horse and hugged her, while Wolfgang walked up to his and placed his forehead against his. They were both black Hanoverians, although Erna's mare had a white streak down her snout, and when they glanced at Edel, Wolfgang's horse snorted at him.

"There is no need for that behavior, Blackjack," the knight spoke, "yes, he may have a fiery personality but he did help you come here."

"What's her name," Johann asked Erna.

"She's Midnight," the knight replied, stepping aside so the Mandorian could pet her, "she is a wonderful mare, and much better than Blackjack."

"Hey," the other called out, followed by a snort from his stallion. Johann ignored him as he stroked the mare's head, running his hand through her mane, captivated by her beauty.

M:   "That was a very nice thing to do Edel," Rowen said, "guess you forgive them for earlier?"

Edel growled in his throat and stomped over to the other side of the yard, laying down so he could keep an eye on everything but still huffing in indignation.

"Ok, I guess not," he said, then walked over to the others. His attention was immediately caught by Erna's horse, interested in its striking resemblance to another horse he knew.

"You know, Midnight looks just like a horse Derogan used to have," he stated, "he was a thoroughbred male named Thunderstrike, his white streak was further up his head and shaped like a lightning bolt. Mandoria had Derogan and Mandara raise their horses from foals as lessons in responsibility, though Thunderstrike never made it to adulthood, having been killed by-"

Rowen paused, he didn't really want to say what happened in the presence of Prussians, since it was them that attacked Derogan, but he also didn't want to dishonor Thunderstrike's memories by lying, so he let out a sigh and told the truth, "-by a band of Prussian knights who tried to kidnap the prince. Derogan was so distraught after that, but he managed to find a new friend, a Dun foal he named Spirit, we believed that Spirit was the reincarnation of Thunderstrike so it made him very happy to have him back."

N:   Johann weakly smiled at the memory of Thunderstrike and Spirit while the Prussians lowered their heads. "I guess we really do cause death to the things we touch," Heinrich mumbled, while Alcis rubbed against his leg to try to comfort him.

"I had an Arabian stallion back home," Johann spoke up while he petted Midnight, "He was called Comet, mainly because of his agility and speed, and I absolutely loved him. Along with Titan, we were always together, and I would take him out to the fields while we weren't training, and we could ride to our hearts' content, chasing after everything we see."

A single tear ran down his face as he remembered the happy memories, but he quickly wiped it away, "But when he came, the last time I saw him was him galloping away, but clearly injured, so I just hope he was able to survive."

After a moment of silence, Heinrich informed everyone, "It's getting late now and we should get some rest. If the perimeter is set up, then we know when we should leave, so for the time being let's stay. Erna and Wolfgang, you can go to your respective homes, and tomorrow morning, bring your parents here." The both of them nodded and mounted their horses. "Rowen, Mandoria, and Johann; you can rest here, and the insurgents will go back to the camp."

When the knights were about to ride away, Johann asked, "How do we know that they are going to go home?" Erna rode up to Heinrich and reached behind her neck, removing a necklace with a pearl on it.

"This is your insurance," she stated, "this is my Mutter's and I will never go without it." With that, the pair directed their steeds toward the village and took off.

M:   Rowen was also a little nervous about Wolfgang and Erna leaving, but the fact that she gave them her mother's necklace did make him feel a little better, it made him think of the charm he used to have, it was probably in some vault somewhere along with dozens of other stolen things Prussia had claimed as his spoils. Shaking his head to forget about it, he headed inside to check on Mandoria, which he caught the tail end of him talking to Maria about his wings.

"I was wondering if maybe you would be willing to take care of them," the country asked awkwardly, "I know it's a strange request since we only met you just yesterday and you probably have no experience with wings, but what you did for me last night was something I hadn't experienced for years, you made me feel like I could trust you with anything, so if it's alright with you, I want to trust you with my wings, please."

When Mandoria noticed that Rowen was there he looked away, he felt slightly ashamed that he was asking someone else to help him and not his significant other, but what Rowen said eased his mind.

"Well Maria, I guess the answer to getting through to him was here all along," he said with genuine surprise, "I don't know what you did but thank you all the same."

N:   Maria looked between them and wasn't sure how to answer, "I-I can't really," but after she heard Rowen she reaped a bit. "If it would mean that you will get better, then I will," she said quietly, "and please, don't thank me. I only helped someone who was hurting, and the world would be a better place if everyone helped each other out."

"Which is why you are the best Mutter," Heinrich smiled as he and Johann entered the room, "you take care of everyone." He gave his mother a side hug while Johann stood back with a grin.

"But don't press on the spot just where the humerus meets the spine," Johann chuckled quietly, "you will give yourself a heart attack." Maria's expression suddenly turned frightful as she watched the Mandorian walk away, "but it will be fine. I'm calling it a night. Gute Nacht allerseits."

M:   Rowen chuckled slightly at Johann teasing Maria, so he clarified, "There are two spots above the wings that when you press on them the country goes limp and shuts down, it doesn't hurt them it's just surprising is all, if it makes you feel better I will help walk you through everything, if that's alright Mandoria."

Mandoria nodded that it was fine, so Rowen sent him up to his room while they got everything ready. He first turned to Saxon and Wald and asked, "Is there anything you guys need before you go?"

N:   Saxon looked up to Rowen, not in the mood for talking. While they were outside, Wald has been constantly pestering him about his fear of snakes, rapidly speaking in German while the entity silently ate his soup.

"I think we will be fine," the insurgent answered, "isn't that right, boss?"

"If you say another word to me again, Wald," the entity grumbled, placing his empty bowl on the table, "I'm going to snap both your arms in half." The insurgent nervously chuckled at the threat but decided against talking back, so the both of them got up and left, bidding everyone goodnight.

When they had left, Maria turned to Rowen, "Well? You're the expert, what do I do?"

M:   Rowen nodded and started gathering what they needed; a bowl of warm soapy water and a washcloth to wash the dirty feathers, the medkit to treat any injuries, and a bucket to put the damaged and dead feathers in.

"This should do it," he said, handing Maria the water while he carried everything else, "a little warning, Mandoria might have to take off his shirt so it doesn't get wet and his body isn't any prettier than his wings if you start to feel uncomfortable about anything just let me know and we can stop."

With the warning out of the way, the two humans walked upstairs to Mandoria's room, where the country already had his shirt off and was lying on his belly waiting for them, his wings were partly spread but not to their full length.

"There you are," he said, nervousness in his voice, "I'm as ready as I'll ever be, but I admit that I'm still nervous."

N:   "You're not the only one," Maria spoke, placing the bowl down next to the bed, "I've seen my fair share of injuries with Heinz, but this," she only shook her head.

The mother watched how Rowen took care of Mandoria's wings, copying his actions to best help the country. Since she was inexperienced, there were times when she accidentally hurt Mandoria, so she would make small hushing sounds to calm him down, apologizing often.

M:   Mandoria did his best to stay calm and not make a lot of noise, it was hard because whenever he felt pain his mind screamed that he was in danger and need to run, but with Rowen's reassurance he managed to stay relatively calm.

"How are you doing Mandoria," Rowen asked after a while, "does anything hurt?"

"A little," Mandoria admitted, "the clipped feathers were the worst ones."

"I know, you're doing great though," Rowen said, holding the country's hand, "we're almost done, you just hang on a little bit longer."

Mandoria nodded but then shouted out in pain when Maria found a hidden injury and accidentally reopened it, causing his wings to flap in reflex.

N:   Maria immediately retracted her hands and took a couple of steps back when Mandoria's wing took her by surprise. "Es tut mir leid," she kept on repeating, backing herself away, "I shouldn't be doing this. I can't do this."

M:   "It's ok Maria, it wasn't your fault," Rowen reassured her while trying to calm down Mandoria, "it looks like you accidentally aggravated an open wound, it happens, you did nothing wrong."

Rowen took his washcloth and gently dabbed the wound, grimacing at how it quickly turned red.

"You did very well but I think I will take it from here," he said, "I'm the only one who has professional medical training except maybe Heinrich, you can stay if you want but otherwise you don't have to do anything anymore."

With that, Rowen started cleaning the injured area so he could get to work, "we're going to have to trim the dead tissue and sew up the wound Mandoria, you're going to have to bear with me ok."

Mandoria whimpered but nodded, burying his face in his pillow.

N:   Maria nodded, "I might head off, but I will bring up some water here for you." She quickly rushed off and after a couple of minutes with a jug full of water and a cup. "So, umm," the human mumbled, "if you need me, just call me." She dipped her head a bit before leaving the men alone.

M:   Rowen dipped his head in return and got to work treating the wound. It was rough, Mandoria was fidgeting whenever he felt pain and his feathers were fluffing up and down which hindered Rowen's vision of the injury.

After several hours of cleaning, plucking, and stitching, Rowen had finished wrapping the wing in bandages and Mandoria was asleep, exhausted from the ordeal. Stifling a yawn, Rowen packed up everything and pulled the blanket up to cover Mandoria. He stared at him for a bit until eventually putting everything away and throwing out the plucked feathers, he snuck a peek into Johann's room to make sure he was ok, and when he was satisfied, he went to his designated room and plopped down on the bed, falling asleep immediately.

N:   As soon as the sun dawned, Heinrich was already awake, eating his breakfast peacefully as he took in the silence. Alcis was also peacefully eating when his head jolted up, and soon the knight heard the incoming trotting, so he peeked his head out. "Seriously," he grumbled, "this early?"

The moment he opened the door, Alcis ran out to greet the black-haired knight, who was leading his horse. On the horse was mounted a man, closely resembling the knight, and Heinrich nodded in acknowledgment. "Mr. Schwartz," he spoke, "it's nice to see you this morning," he shot Wolfgang a stare, who only shrugged in return.

"I was told to come here," Mr. Schwartz replied, dismounting from Blackjack and strolling up to the knight, "and I was told it was important, so don't waste my time, boy."

"Ja, sir," Heinrich responded, standing in attention but having a hint of annoyance in his voice, "but you will have to wait. The Weismanns are coming too and I believe it is preferred that we discuss it all together." The man only scoffed and brushed past him.

"Why does your Vater have to be like this," Heinrich whispered to Wolfgang, but the other shrugged and followed his father in.

Seeing the bloodstains left on the sofa from yesterday, Mr. Schwartz yelled, "What have you brought in here, Maria? A dead animal?"

M:   Mandoria woke up to the shouting, he had a predisposition to wake up whenever he heard yells since Prussia was typically angry whenever he used him. Tired and slightly confused, Mandoria decided to go downstairs to check things out, forgetting that he didn't have his shirt on, he slowly made his way down and into the living room, freezing when he saw a stranger in the house.

Many thoughts rushed through his mind, feeling scared, worried, and confused. His mind told him to go back upstairs but his feet stayed glued to the spot, too scared to move or speak.

N:   Mr. Schwartz was initially taken aback by the sight of the country, "Mandoria," he said quietly as he gazed at him, however, his expression soon turned to anger. "Was zum Teufel machst du hier (What the hell are you doing here)," he growled as he slowly approached him, but Wolfgang stepped in his way.

"Vater," the Prussian spoke, "he is a guest in this house, leave him alone."

"Leave him alone," his father repeated, looking back at the winged country, "leave him alone? Do you not remember that his men took my brother's life, your uncle, and I will not idly stand by. I am going to report him."

"You will do nothing of the sort," Maria snapped, sliding passed Mandoria, "Alaric, this is my house so my rules apply." She marched up to the man, anger written all over her face, "Now, listen to me, get your butt seated over there on the sofa and shut up while I make breakfast." The man looked down at her, her eyes flickering between the people in the room, before rolling his eyes and doing as he was told.

"Good," she huffed, and turned to face Mandoria, "it's alright now, dear. Go take a seat and I will fix something up for you. Heinz, get the man a shirt."

"Ok, Mutter, and Wolfe, keep an eye on your Vater," the son said, and walked upstairs, "Your wings are looking better," he pointed out as he passed Mandoria.

M:   "Um, thanks," Mandoria said when he found his voice, though when he realized he wasn't wearing a shirt he attempted to cover himself with his wings, not wanting anyone to see his scars or brand mark.

He carefully scooted over to a chair that was farthest away from Alaric, unable to meet his eyes. He completely understood the man's hostility, he would have done the same if their roles were reversed.

"I'm sorry ... for what happened that day," he muttered after a while of awkward silence, "of course, I don't expect you to forgive me, I haven't forgiven myself for it either, but there was nothing I could do to stop what happened, England attacked and my men defended themselves, I'm sorry."

N:   Alaric only hummed in response but didn't say anything else, leaving the three of them in awkward silence. After a while, Johann trudged down the stairs and Wolfgang let out a sigh of relief, "Thank Gott you came, Johann."

The man nodded, clearly tired and was clutching his arm, making his way to the kitchen, and while he did Alaric stared at him as if he was looking at a ghost. When he came back, he had ice wrapped around with a cloth, applying pressure on the bruise on his forearm as he sat down next to Mandoria.

Seeing Alaric's reaction, he sighed, "Hallo, Mr. Schwartz, how are you doing? Ja, I am alive, and I'm surprised that you are too. I've heard it already so please don't talk about why I am alive." He leaned back his head and yawned, "I need a coffee."

"You literally asked me to make one right now," Maria yelled out of the kitchen, getting a grumble from the Mandorian.

Alaric only stared at Johann, his mouth slightly open as he couldn't find the words to speak. "Quit staring," Wolfgang snapped, "give them a break."

M:   Mandoria eyed Johann too as he came down and sat next to him, though his was a look of concern, he moved the ice pack away for a moment to check the bruise, his brows furrowing at the sight of the purple skin.

"Good heavens Johann, what happened," he asked with worry, "did this happen when you were looking for me?"

N:   "Nightmare," Johann answered simply, "I saw the bird man again, and I went in for a punch, but it turns out I aimed at the bedside table. Hit my arm on the corner, and voilà, a purple arm." He yawned again before continuing, "couldn't sleep so I stayed awake for the rest of the night." Turning to face Mandoria, "Hopefully you slept better, Father."

"Father," Alaric gasped, finally speaking, "that man is not your-"

"I'm pretty sure my Mutter asked you to shut up, Mr. Schwartz," Heinrich spoke calmly, a shirt in hand, "but obviously if you have any complaints, you can take it up with the local dragon." The man looked surprised at the mention of a dragon, amusing both Heinrich and Johann, and the knight walked up to Mandoria and gave him the shirt. "I don't know how your wings would work with it, so I made some slits on the back for them."

M:   "Thank you," Mandoria said, taking the shirt, he studied it for a moment and hummed.

The shirt had slits but there wasn't a flap in the back so he could actually put it on, so making use of a sewing kit nearby, he cut the shirt so the back could flip up, then he sewed some string onto the cuts just beneath the slits so it could be tied close while he was wearing it. Once the modifications were made he slipped on the shirt and had Johann tie the strings.

"I adopted Johann when he came to my kingdom," he then answered Alaric's previous statement, "My captain, Rowen, and I took him in when he was found alone in the woods. He's been in good hands and well taken care of."

N:   "Good," Alaric spoke, crossing his legs as he eyed Johann, "at least he has been taken care of by someone of a reputable background, not like that complaining Mr. Kress." Johann accidentally yanked on the strings too hard, and apologized under his breath; however, his jaw was clenched as he tried not to talk back.

"I mean the man was a nuisance," the man continued, smirking as he did, "and I'm surprised at how similar you two actually look, which is obvious since you are too."

"Fuck it," Johann yelled, standing up, "let me have him." Heinrich jumped in front of him and held his friend back while Wolfgang was yelling has his father for being "an Arschloch."

Maria came back with the breakfast and coffee to see this mess, so she strode calmly to the table. "Johann, dear," she spoke, "calm down and drink your coffee." The man obliged and grabbed his drink, staring daggers at the smug Alaric, "And Heinz, could you please give everyone, except Mr. Schwartz here, their breakfast," the son nodded and did as he was told.

"And as for you, Alaric," Maria fumed, raising the metal tray that was used to carry the food, "this is for you." She slammed the tray on his head, emitting a nice satisfying 'clang', enough to give the man a headache, "I told you to shut up, and the next time you start to speak about the Kress family like that again, make sure I am not nearby."

M:   Mandoria just blinked at what happened, not really sure how to react to what happened, though when Maria thwacked Alaric on the head he couldn't help but hide a snicker. The country wanted to say something to comfort Johann but he didn't know his father like everyone else did, so he settled on further putting the Prussian in his place.

"I second Mis. Haas," he grunted, glaring at Alaric, "if you say another disrespectful remark about my son or his biological parents, I will bring the five realms of Jastrem to your door, do I make myself clear?"

Before he could answer, Rowen finally dragged himself down the stairs and plopped down on a sofa, looking dead exhausted. "Didn't sleep well," Mandoria guessed, Rowen just nodded and yawned.

N:   "Let me get you some coffee then," Maria suggested, but Johann spoke up. "Wait, is that even a good idea," he asked, "Hezyka's literally addicted to the stuff." He took one long look at his father and shrugged, "he needs it anyway."

While Maria went to make Rowen coffee, Heinrich smiled, "Well, if you can't sleep, you are in the right place, since I have a personal therapist who helped me a couple of years back and still does." He whistled and the Great Dane rushed down the stairs and was at the knight's heel, "Alcis, show Rowen some love."

The dog grinned, or what resembled one, and quickly padded over to Rowen, and began to lick his face, barking happily as he did.

M:   Rowen recoiled at first from the initial surprise but was soon laughing and scratching Alcis, he missed having dogs and was very happy about this.

"Oh you are such a good boy, Alcis, you're just like my old dog, you are so sweet," Rowen said through his giggles, making Mandoria smile as well.

The country saw something move in his peripheral vision and turned to look out the window. "Don't look now, but I think a certain scaly friend is getting jealous," he said, referring to the pink head in the window looking in.

N:   Everyone else looked anyway, and Alaric yelled at seeing Edel, "Dr-drachen," he stuttered as he pointed at the dragon.

"Yeah, he's a dragon," Johann smirked, "and let me deal with his jealousy." He was about to stand and walk out when Heinrich blocked his way.

"Where do you think you're going," the knight raised a brow, "you need to be treated to before you can do any work that may require the use of your arm."

"Come on, Heinz," the other whined, "it's fine." However the knight stood firmly in his place, so he conceded and sat back in his chair, and the knight soon returned with the medkit.

The Prussian began by applying a cream on his arm, rubbing it over the bruise, making Johann wince in pain. "It will be over soon," he reassured as he got a bandage and wrapped it around his arm, tight enough to apply pressure but not too tight to restrict blood flow.

"There you go," Heinrich smiled, "now you can go and do what children do." Johann pulled a face before rushing out, immediately scratching Edel's chin and stroking his fur.

M:   Edel purred and immediately rolled over for belly scratches, kicking his hind leg like a dog when he received them. After a few minutes, Mandoria came out to join in the fun, Edel perked up and sniffed the country, seeing if he was ok.

"I'm ok Edel," Mandoria reassured him, gently hugging the dragon's head, "I'm much better than I have been in years, I'm glad you're doing ok too," he then looked around, "is Saxon and Wald with you or did you stay here all night?"

N:   "He came with us," Saxon said, walking into view with Wald following after him, "and he used Wald's tent as a bed again."

"Annoying dragon," the insurgent mumbled, but he fell down when Edel swept his feet off, "sorry dragon."

"Anyway," the entity said, chuckling at Wald's predicament, "did anyone com- oh why is it Mr. Schwartz?" He grumbled as he entered the house, and the man stood up when he saw the entity.

"You shouldn't be here," Alaric spoke to Saxon, "you brought shame to this land."

"Well it's a sad thing that you own part of it then," Saxon replied, "I already feel guilty from what happened, so don't rub more salt into the wound." Alaric was about to talk back when the entity raised his hand, signaling him to shut up.

When he looked at Rowen, he commented, "You look terrible."

"Well done for stating the obvious," Maria scoffed as she walked in with a cup of coffee, telling Alcis to stop what he was doing so she could hand over the drink to Rowen, "hopefully this will give you a nice jumpstart for the day."