N:  "Hmm, I agree," Maria nodded, "but hopefully means that they are doing something meaningful." However, outside, Heinrich was holding onto Johann's legs as he dangled from the roof and used the crook to loop around a bunch of carrots in the garden. "Why didn't you get the carrots from, I don't know, the ground?" Heinrich asked.

"Because I feel cool when doing this," the other grinned, finally able to get a solid hold on some carrots, "All done, now pull me up." As the knight pulled him up, he peeked into the Prussian's room and asked, "Why do you have muskets mounted on your wall?"

"They're my Vater's" he grumbled as he tugged at him quickly so he doesn't continue peeking into his room, "was it all worth it?"

"Yup," Johann nodded, cleaning off the dirt before taking a bite, and giving one to Heinrich. The two of them chatted as they sat on the roof, enjoying the other's company when they began to smell the pumpkin pie, so Johann got an idea. "Lower me next to the kitchen window."

"Are you out of your mind," the knight whisper-shouted, but when his friend began to pester him to help he sighed, "Fine, but I think you gained some weight from all the carrots." Earning a punch in the arm, he chuckled as the pair went to the edge of the roof.

Heinrich slowly lowered Johann down, and since the kitchen window was on the ground floor, he too was lying down on the roof so the other could actually reach the window. When Johann did, he saw Maria and Rowen inside, although their backs were turned, and he shouted through the window, "HALLO!"

M:   Rowen was startled so bad he jumped, causing some of his coffee to spill, then he took a step back to see where the voice came from and slipped on the spill, landing on his tailbone and hitting his head on the floor fairly hard.

"Johann Hemsworth Kress," he shouted, rubbing his head, even though his last name was Winter he still used Johann's real last name as he never felt it right to change it. "What in the five realms of Jastrum are you doing, get down before you get hurt!"

N:   Johann felt bad from what happened, shocked by the events that occurred from him scaring Rowen, "ok," he said quietly before yelling up to Heinrich, "Heinz, pull me up."

"Heinz is up there," Maria shouted. She was about to pour the filling into the pie dough when Johann's scare caused her to spill some of it. Although there was plenty left, she was still mad and was even so when she heard that her son was helping out, "Tell your accomplice, Johann, that he needs to get down too." The Mandorian nodded and disappeared from view as he was hoisted up.

Maria knelt down next to Rowen, handing over a cold wet cloth to him, "Here, have this for your head, and go to the living room and rest while I finish this off." She made sure that the former captain was alright before leading him out of the kitchen, just in time to see Heinrich and Johann walk in, heads lowered.

"Not even a week after seeing Johann and you are back to your troublemaking days," the mother shook her head in disappointment, "Heinrich, you are going to tidy up the spill in the kitchen while I cook."

"Ok, Mutter," he replied before following his mother, quickly apologizing to Rowen before he left.

After a while, Johann spoke up, "Sorry, Hezyka. I didn't know it was going to be that bad."

M:   "It's ok Johann, guess I'm just a bit jumpy is all," Rowen reassured him, then said in a serious tone, "that was very dangerous though, if Heinz lost his grip and you fell you could have been seriously hurt or worse. You're a young man now Johann, not a child, you can't get into trouble like this anymore, our lives are on the line right now and you need to start acting more seriously if we're going to survive."

Rowen pulled away the towel to see if he was bleeding, there was a few red spots but nothing concerning, "I'm surprised I didn't get a concussion from that," he muttered, then said to Johann, "when we get to Britan and no longer have to worry about our safety, you can go back to your mischievous self, but until then I don't want you causing trouble that could get you or anyone else hurt, you understand."

N:   Johann silently nodded, walked over to the sofa, and sat down, not sure what to do with himself. Alcis, who used the day as an opportunity to rest, came over to the young man and rested his head on his lap, making Johann chuckle before he patted him on the head.

Soon after, they could hear the trotting of horses so Johann looked through the window and saw three horse-drawn carts, one led by Wolfgang, one by Alaric, and the other by Wald. Taking a step outside, Johann was confused at the sight of the insurgent and asked why he was there.

"The Schwartzs we're one man short so I lent a helping hand," Wald answered, and he turned to Wolfgang, "Why don't you tell them where we got the carts?"

"Umm, ok," the knight said, "it's further in the woods."

"And do you think we would have passed it coming here?"

"Ja. Why are you asking?"

"Nothing," the insurgent smirked, stepping down from the cart and beginning to load the boxes in front of the house into the cart.

M:   Rowen had come out too when he heard the horses and smiled, "Good, you're here. We got everything packed up and should be ready to leave whenever everyone else is ready. Mandoria and Edel are around here somewhere, I'll go look for them, Johann, for real this time, no fooling around while I'm gone."

N:   "Ok," Johann reassured him, watching him as he left, and then he turned his attention to the boxes, helping Wald load them on. He placed them in the same cart as the one with Wolfgang and his father's stuff and he furrowed his brows, "you don't have much," he pointed out.

"Vater is not a big fan of keeping my old stuff," Wolfgang explained, "and most of the stuff at home was documents and old paperwork about the land, and since we gave it away, after some difficulty, there was no longer a need for them."

"And I'm assuming most of your stuff is back in the stronghold," the Mandorian asked, and the Prussian nodded so he continued, "Since you don't have anything to do, why don't you help us out you lazy arse?"

Wolfgang only rolled his eyes before hopping off, "Just keep some distance from Vater, he's having a midlife crisis."

M:   Rowen went over to the hill that Mandoria first went to and was happy to see both him and Edel sleeping under a tree. He walked up to them and softly scratched Edel's head, earning a purr and a content smile to spread across his scaly face. Mandoria was softly snoring as his head was buried in the dragon's fur, he looked so peaceful, Rowen felt bad that he was waking him up but knew it was a necessary evil.

"Mandoria, it's time to wake up," he said, lightly rubbing the country's shoulder, "Wolfgang and his father are here and we're pretty much packed up."

Mandoria blinked his eyes open and stretched, smiling up at Rowen as he stifled a yawn.

"Well it looks like you had a good sleep," Rowen chuckled, helping Mandoria up. "The best in years," Mandoria responded.

The two made their way back to the house, Edel following behind, though he gave Wolfgang a warning growl as he still didn't trust him or Erna after yesterday.

"Where are Erna and her family," Rowen asked, "if the three carts are here then how are they going to carry their things?"

N:   "Erna and her family have their own cart," Wolfgang answered, taking a couple of steps away from Edel, "we just brought extra carts just in case you guys needed one to carry your belongings."

They were able to place all of the Haas' belongings into the cart, and then Wolfgang walked over to his father and helped him down. The man wasn't himself, he quietly walked indoors and sat himself down. "Vater didn't like it that we had to sell the land," the knight explained, "it had bore our family's name for generations, but at least selling it solved all of our land disputes." He sighed before continuing, "Although the only part we didn't sell was the family mausoleum, and we have a good friend who promised us to take care of it."

After a while, Erna and her parents came with their cart and things, and when she jumped down she was also greeted by a growl from Edel. "You don't have to be like that," she spoke, "I'm sorry, ok?"

M:   Edel huffed and took a protective step in front of Mandoria and Rowen, Mandoria he was especially protective of after what happened.

"Edel, relax buddy, they're friends now," Rowen reassured him, "they were oppressed like we were and now they are coming with us to escape Prussia."

Edel growled and held firm, only after Mandoria reassured him did he back off a little, though he still intently glared at the Prussians and his fur was standing on end to appear larger and more threatening.

"Sorry about him," Rowen apologized, "he's not usually like this but I'm sure you can understand why with everything we've been through."

N:   Erna raised a brow and looked at Edel, "well, I wouldn't blame him," she said, "I wouldn't like someone if they hurt the people I'm close to too. She turned to walk indoors when she saw Johann holding his staff, and she smiled, "nice crook," and the other grinned and nodded back.

Afterward, they all entered the house, where Maria had just finished making the pumpkin pie, "as promised, you came here first so here's your slice," she told Wolfgang as she handed him a plate, "and there is plenty for everyone to have a slice." Johann was about to take his plate when he saw Heinrich walk out of the kitchen, drying off his hands and for once not wearing his cloak, so he walked up to him."

"Mutter made me clean up every nook and cranny in that room," the knight grumbled as he made his way to his cloak, but Johann stopped him.

"You look fine without your cloak," the Mandorian said, "you look less ... knight-y." The Prussian looked at him and sighed, took a step to the side, and grabbed for his cloak, much to the other's dismay.

"I have to always wear it," the Prussian explained, "it showed that I belonged to Prussia, and although I don't want that to continue, now I just grow uncomfortable not wearing it." He swung it over his shoulders and attached the straps across himself, dusting dirt off the fur, "and, undeniably, Prussians have a pretty good fashion sense."

M:   "Would you believe that that fashion sense came from me," Mandoria chuckled when he and Rowen came in, sitting down after they received their pie, "I gifted King Prussia his cloak as an attempt to make peace with him, or at least be on semi-friendly terms. It didn't work as all it did was strengthen his ego, but he never goes anywhere without it so there is that."

"I still don't understand why you still call him king," Rowen said, "after all he did to you, he doesn't deserve it."

Mandoria was silent for a minute before sighing, "I call him that because even after everything, I still respect him, he defeated me in fair combat, I had been King Wing for thousands of years, holding off every rival that challenged me. He may not deserve to be King Wing, but he earned it fair and square, so I will respect him no matter what."

N:   "Even after that I still don't understand," Wald said, eating his pie, "if there were more kings like you Mandoria, this world would surely be a different place."

"A better one," Johann corrected, "and there would probably be no insurgents since the world would be peaceful." After a moment, he thought a bit more, "and Saxon wouldn't be an entity but a country. That's weird ... imagining Saxon with normal eyes."

The group enjoyed the evening, finishing off the pie, and chatting away until Erna asked, "Who started the whole King Wing thing? I mean, there is no King of all of the Kingdoms."

M:   Mandoria stared into space as he thought about it, trying to remember.

"I'm not really sure," he said, "countryhumans have been on this earth for millions of years, we were considered the humans of the magical world that came before the first real humans started appearing. I was born towards the very end of that era so I grew up watching the humans destroy it and never getting to truly know it. The humans called us the Eternals back then with our long lifespans, but as for the King Wing, I don't know where that started. I have a theory that back then the King Wing was the king of all countryhumans since even back then we were rare, as far as I know, but as times changed and the Eternals died out, one country wasn't enough to rule everyone, but I digress."

N:   The Prussians just gasped, amazed by the history, but Wald only shrugged, "It's a good thing that one country doesn't rule over everyone, especially in a time like now. That is A LOT of power to be held on one person's hand, and it would be detrimental if it went into the wrong ones."

Just as he finished, Saxon walked into the room, smiling at the scent of the pie, "Oh I'm definitely taking a slice." When he got his pie, he spoke to the group, "I know it the sun is still in the sky, although barely, I just got a report of Prussian knights coming in from the east a couple of hours from here. We need to go now."

M:   "Ok," Rowen and Mandoria said in unison, they looked at each other in surprise, then Rowen continued, "So we have a group of over a dozen soldiers, two insurgents, 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 7 Prussians, and four escapees, one of which is a nine-foot-tall dragon. So, how are we going to get out of the kingdom without getting caught and how are we going to provide enough provisions for everyone during the journey, which could take days or even weeks?"

N:   "This is where we use our special friend, Erna," Wald pointed out, glancing at the knight.

She gave him the death stare, "Don't you dare, say it-"

"She has been helping me get inside information about this Kingdom for a while now," the insurgent continued anyway, "isn't that right Miss Weismann?"

The Prussian buried her head in her hands as Wolfgang asked her tentatively, "You have been working with Wald, all this time, right in front of Prussia? How?"

"We are not going to discuss it," she grumbled, and she looked to the insurgent, "You are annoying, you know that right?" The insurgent just shrugged and smirked, so she let out a sigh, "I know a hideout further west where we can stay, there should be more provisions there and I know the quickest way to it."

"Good," Wald hummed, and he added, "Plus your forgetting, I am the insurgent assigned to this Kingdom, so I know quite a lot of stuff here, second only to Prussia."

"Time was never in our favor," Saxon spoke, "we have been in this Kingdom for long enough, and those knights are thorough. We may have been able to escape them once, but we can't bank on it happening again." The entity finished off his pie, "You have the next half hour at most to get ready. I'll have the soldiers stall the knights as much as possible, but after that, we're leaving."

M:   The Mandorians nodded, they finished their pie and helped make sure Maria had everything packed up and secured to the wagons with tarps. Mandoria took some time to clean and redress his wounds with the help of Johann, he was growing more comfortable letting others treat his wings, and even though he still coughed from time to time it wasn't as bad as before so he was certain they caught the infection in time.

Thirty minutes tick by fast when your life is on the line and soon everyone was piling into wagons and Mandoria mounted Edel, waiting for Saxon and Wald to come back with the soldiers.

N:   Johann hopped onto the wagon but he looked down to see Alcis barking at him, "come on," he said, stepping out so he can carry him in, "we are not going to leave you behind."

"If we are not going to leave behind," Erna said, turning Midnight around so she could face him, "then it's a good thing I brought Mr. Hahnchen with us," and she chuckled when she saw the Mandorian look around in panic. "It's fine, he's with Vater in the other wagon," and the man turned to see the Prussian waving back at him, chicken in hand.

Heinrich hugged his legs as he gave his dog more room, and wondered out loud, "Why are you and Wolfgang sitting at the reins?"

The male knight turned to answer, "Because as long as you're missing, and the rest of them are escapees, we are the best people to be here since we still can move freely throughout the Kingdom. It would less suspicious if they see us two at the front, more so if you sit here, and even more so if anyone else does." He leaned to the side to see the other coachmen and women, "Just make sure you are covered up and not too visible."

The knights turned to see Saxon and Wald, followed by the soldiers, watching them as the soldiers pilled up in the last wagon while the insurgents joined the rest of the group. "They are not that far behind," the insurgent spoke, "we were able to hold them off, but they are coming. Let's go."

Wolfgang nodded and flicked the reins, causing the wagon to jut forward, marking the Prussians' start of their journey. Erna led the way in front, guiding the train of wagons as they weaved through the woods. Every once in a while, she would turn around to see if everyone was ok, keeping her distance from Edel, and would go slightly ahead to check if the coast was clear.

M:   As the sun set and the darkness befell them, the Mandorians found it tenser than ever to travel, they knew they were being followed as four horse-drawn carts and a dragon were going to leave quite the trail for the Prussians to easily follow, thankfully, stormclouds were appearing in the distance so they hoped that the rain would wash away their tracks.

"Mis. Erna," Mandoria called, pulling Edel side by side with her and Midnight, "I just wanted to say thank you, I know it must be hard for you and your friends and family to leave your lives behind and you didn't even have to, but I thank you all the same."

N:   "We weren't really living a life anyway," Erna replied, "so if anything we thank you for giving us the opportunity to leave." She kept on going until she heard a rustle in the bushes, so she stopped and drew out her sword, whispering to Midnight to slowly approach the source of the noise. Suddenly a person jumped out of the bushes, starting her mare and almost causing her to fall off, and when Wolfgang was about to stand up to help she held up her hand for him to stop.

A small group began to approach her, and one of the members walked up to her, sword drawn, and spoke, "Höre es Preußen denn es ist die Knell (Hear it Prussia, for it is the bell) ..."

"Die dich in den Himmel oder in die Hölle ruft (That summons thee to heaven or hell)," the knight responded, getting a nod from the person. They raised their arm, and the group sheathed their swords and walked away, melting into the woods.

"Wald," Erna called out, looking at the leader, "I think this one is yours. It would have been easier if you just hopped out."

"I had faith in you," the insurgent replied, poking his head out, "and look, it's fine." The leader walked up to the insurgent, and after a brief conversation in German, the human jogged ahead of them. "They were just going to alert the rest of the group at the hideout of our arrival," he told everyone.

Still unsure of everything, Wolfgang cliched the reins and rode, following Erna as they went further into the woods for a couple of hours, completely dark save some lanterns until he saw light in the distance. When they broke through the forest line, they emerged into a large encampment, half of it inside a cave in the side of a large hill, and people bustling around. Before they even stopped, Wald jumped out of the wagon and breathed in, a smile gracing his lips, "Home sweet home."

M:   Mandoria looked around, "I'm guessing this is your headquarters, Wald," he assumed in response to the insurgent's behavior. He studied the camp and how it was well hidden in the clearing, the forest was so thick that he doubt any Prussians would be able to find their path, let alone the base.

Edel whimpered, he looked slightly overwhelmed at all the people, especially since many of them stared at him in either shock or fear and others were coming closer out of curiosity.

"Easy Edel," the country reassured him then turned to Erna, "so you knew about this place all this time?"

N:   Erna nodded, "I was just patrolling and I wanted to relive some childhood memories since our hideout as kids wasn't far from here, then I stumbled across this and was caught."

"Then I met up with her and was able to make a deal," Wald added, "get me information and she could go free since she is a Prussian knight."

"Excuse me," Maria called out, "your hideout was all the way out here? Hours from home?" The knights all turned to Johann, who gasped from being caught out.

"It was the perfect place," he defended, "secretive, well hidden, the perfect base. Sometimes you find something special while you are trying to catch your escaped dog." Heinrich facepalmed himself, shaking his head in disappointment.

The insurgent turned to Mandoria, "Ja, it is, and it is my home." He glanced over to the growing crowd and sighed, "The people here are all here for the same reason: to take down Prussia," and added a bit louder, "but they are also here to mind their own business."

The people looked at each other and began to disperse, save some who came over to help out, and the insurgent told the mounted knight to head over to the other side of the camp, where there is more privacy and quiet. Along the way, Saxon helped kept the curious people keep their distance, and at the same time proud of what Wald had built.

M:   Mandoria steered Edel over with Erna as the carts followed after, he gazed out at the camp to study it a bit. It was very large, enough that a few simple cabins were built around the perimeter of the clearing and even a horse stable was near the entrance of the cave.

It seemed like a few of the soldiers made this place their permanent home as a few families with children could be spotted, who were especially interested in the newcomers.

"So how long have you all been here," Rowen asked as he dismounted the cart when they arrived at their designated area, "it looks like you're pretty well settled with the cabins and horse stables."

N:   "There was only a man, his wife, and their cat here when I first came, and they were kind enough to take care of me until Saxon found me," Wald began, "but I came into existence, according to humans, during the fighting in Saxony, so I went and gathered as many people in the neighboring areas to come here and stay safe from Prussia's advance. So to answer your question: we have been here ever since Prussia arrived in Saxony."

A little child came up to the insurgent, handing him a rock, making him chuckle and he accepted the gift, ruffling the child's hair before walking away. "However, I couldn't get any Saxon, as the Prussians had control of the area, and only did I know what happened, as well as what I am, when Saxon came afterward."

The Prussians began to dismount the carts, Erna dismounting Midnight and leading her to the stables, and although she had been here before, the settlers were slightly avoiding her. "Haas, Schwartz," she spoke when she had come back, "remember, they see us as Prussian knights, so they might...avoid us."

"They all mean well," the insurgent reassured, "there are people who have something against Prussia, even from neighboring kingdoms and empires, but we try not to think about it as hatred is our worst enemy." He began to head off, but before he did he added, "The escapees of the Kingdom of Mandoria are welcome to stay here, the rest of you, relax for the night while we prepare the provisions for tomorrow. If you have any questions or you need anything, come to me, Saxon, or Erna?"The insurgent turned back and jogged into the cave disappearing from view.

M:   The Mandorians all started getting settled, there was a campfire in the middle of their spot and a few people brought over some cots so they could sleep if they wanted. Edel was soon surrounded by some of the children but he didn't mind, he was far less intimidated by kids than adults, so he lay still and let them pet and climb on him.

Mandoria and Rowen chuckled at that, "that reminds me of the first time we took Edel to town," Rowen reminisced, "guess some things never change, do they."

"No, they do not," Mandoria smiled, he then turned to the Saxons, "how are you all holding up?"

N:   Erna's parents were busy interrogating their daughter, wondering about her safety like any parent would, and Maria looked up to Mandoria and smiled, "I think we are doing well, isn't that right Alaric?" The man only grumbled, grabbed his sleeping mat, and walked over to join the people around the fireplace.

"I guess if he's not ordering someone around, or constantly working when it comes to the land, Vater doesn't have much to do," Wolfgang spoke, "I'll just go and see if he's ok." Maria nodded and watched the knight join his father.

"It's not every day you leave your home," Maria sighed and she turned to the Mandorians, "what about you? How are you doing?"

M:   "Never been better," Mandoria said, "and I mean that as literally as it can get because this is the best we have felt in a very long time."

Rowen nodded in agreement, then playfully wrapped his arm around Johann's neck and pulled him closer so he was sitting in a rather uncomfortable position, "on the one hand though, Johann has become his old mischievous self again, you just can't stay out of trouble can you buddy."

He then proceeded to give Johann a nuggie while he had him trapped, earning laughter from Mandoria.

N:   "Hey" Johann yelped when Rowen pulled him in, and he tried to unsuccessfully free himself. "I already said I'm sorry," he said as he struggled, "although, I will always be my mischievous self." He patted his father's arm, asking him to stop, and he whined, "You're messing up my hair."

"Your hair is messy anyway," Heinrich laughed, and when the Mandorian was finally free from his headlock, he laughed even more at the sight of his disheveled hair.

"It's not funny," the other grumbled, blowing his hair away from his eyes, but the knight kept on laughing, so he stood up and lunged at it. The Prussian saw it coming so he stepped to the side just in time, sticking out his foot and causing Johann to trip over. The Mandorian groaned as he landed on his stomach, rolling over to see the knight laughing as he saw the other's pouting face.

"Come on," Heinrich smiled as he walked up to him, "you think you could actually- oof" he doubled forward from receiving Johann's punch in the stomach.

"Rule number one," Johann spoke to the wheezing knight, "never lower your guard." He had a goofy smile as the other playfully punched him in the shoulder as payback.

M:   Rowen and Mandoria laughed along as the two boys messed with each other, just like the good old days when Johann and the brothers would do the same thing.

"It doesn't matter how old they get, boys will always be boys," Rowen smiled, "it's just something they never grow out of."

Mandoria chuckled at the statement, but then suddenly let out a surprised yelp as he felt something touch his wings, he immediately turned around and saw a small group of kids backing up from apparently sneaking up on him to pet his wings. They all giggled but he could tell they were nervous about him, the only winged country they've probably ever known about is Prussia so they most likely don't have a very good impression of them.

"It's ok, I won't hurt you," Mandoria said gently, "you like my wings huh, you can touch them if you want, I don't mind."

The children looked slightly confused, clearly not understanding any English, though despite that a little girl did step up. She was very young, probably a little over three or four, but she still waddled up to Mandoria and sat in front of him, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Großer Vogel" (big bird) she said, raising her hand to touch Mandoria's face, "sehr hübsch." (very pretty)

"Aw thank you, dear," he said, holding her little hand, he knew many languages even though he mostly spoke English, "du bist auch sehr hübsch."

The little girl giggled and climbed into his lap, making herself comfortable as she started fiddling with the country's wings, which eventually made the other children comfortable enough to approach and start petting his wings again.

N:   Maria smiled at the sight, "it's nice to see you more comfortable with people touching your wings," she spoke, and she looked at Johann and saw him with his arms crossed.

"Sie haben sehr wohl alles verstanden, was ich sagte (So you understood everything I said)?" Johann asked, "nach all dieser Zeit (after all this time)?"

"Why was that important," Heinrich asked, and the other sighed.

"When I was back home, I initially didn't understand Mandorian," the Mandorian explained, "so I made it my mission to learn it so people wouldn't speak in code around me. I used German as my own secret code so I could get away with saying stuff, but now I know SOMEONE understood me," he gave a pointed look at the country, "I'm screwed."

"Didn't you eventually speak Mandorian?"

"A bit, but it is understandably slightly weird when you hear someone speaking Mandorian with a German accent."

Erna came over and overheard the conversation, and she grinned, "why don't you speak some for us," she questioned, nudging him a bit.

"Nein," he said firmly, although he was smiling at the same time, "my Mandorian is terrible."

M:   "When you get to be my age, Johann, you tend to pick up a few things, not to mention it is good for any countryhuman to know several different languages since we deal with international matters on a daily basis. And you always wondered how I found out about your mischief-making." Mandoria smiled, "if anything, consider yourself lucky that Rowen never learned German."

"Yup," Rowen sighed, "all I knew was that when you started speaking German then I usually had to go search the castle for what you broke or who you pranked, I just wish you didn't teach Mandara and Derogan German so they could be in on your secrets."

N:   "Well, how else will I hide my secrets," Johann smirked, getting a disappointing head shake from Heinrich; however, the both of them turned towards the fire. Wolfgang sat beside his father and somehow he had acquired a guitar, and what caught their attention was that he began to play some chords to a song, a song Johann found familiar.

"Let's go and join him," Erna said, dragging both men over to the fire and sitting them down, and when Wolfgang saw them, he smiled before resuming back to playing. "Let's see if Kress still remembers," she said, sitting beside Wolfe.

"It's been a long time, Ernie," the knight replied, looking up to the Mandorian, "but we will see." He struck the first chord and began to sing.

"You've got a friend in me

You've got a friend in me

When the road looks rough ahead

And you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed"

Johann was tapping along, trying to remember as Erna continued, "You just remember what you're old pal said,

Boy, you've got a friend in me

You've got a friend in me."

Heinrich smiled as he saw Johann swaying along, and he began to sing, "You've got a friend in me

You've got a friend in me

You got troubles, and I got them too

There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you."

The three turned expectantly to the Mandorian, seeing if he was going to continue, and for a moment he said nothing. Heinrich's shoulder s fell, but he suddenly perked up when Johann began to sing quietly, "We stick together a-and we see through

Cause you got a friend in me

You got a friend in me." He smiled proudly as the knights applauded him, so he continued more confidently as they sang in unison.

"Some other folks might be a little bit smarter than I am

Bigger and stronger too, maybe

But none of them will ever love you the way I do

It's me and you, boy

"And as the years go by

Our friendship will never die

You've gonna see it's our destiny

You've got a friend in me

You've got a friend in me

You've got a friend in me!"

M:   Mandoria and Rowen also sat closer to the fire, the children followed as well and a few of them sang along too, albeit in German. Since they didn't know the lyrics the two Mandorians just watched everyone sing and have a good time. When the song was over they applaud, "That was very good, you're quite skilled at the guitar Wolfgang," Mandoria complimented.

After a small bit of hesitation, the former king asked if he could have a go, which surprised Rowen, "Since when do you know how to play guitar."

"Since learning it from Spanish Empire back in 1521," Mandoria said as he tuned the instrument to his liking, "I used to play it all the time for Zalia, after she passed I eventually stopped, as without her it never gave me as much joy as it used to, I have forgotten most of it but I still do remember one song, the one she wrote."

Rowen nodded and sat back to listen, the little girl with Mandoria wrapped herself in his feathers like a blanket and leaned against him so she could listen too. Mandoria chuckled and gently rubbed her head, then checked the strum one more time before he started to sing.

"Let's go in the garden

You'll find something waiting

Right there where you left it lying upside down

When you finally find it, you'll see how it's faded

The underside is lighter when you turn it around

Everything stays right where you left it

Everything stays, but it still changes

Ever so slightly, daily and nightly

In little ways, when everything stays

Go down to the ocean

The crystal tide is raising

Waters' gotten higher as the shore washes out

Keep your eyes wide open, even when the sun is blazin'

The moon controls the tide, it could cause you to drown

Everything stays, right where you left it

Everything stays, but it still changes

Ever so slightly, daily and nightly

In little ways, when everything stays"

N:   Everyone around the fire applauded when Mandoria finished, Johann clapping proudly for his father. In the background, Saxon stood as he watched everything, softly smiling at the cheerful atmosphere in the air, and soon Wald up to him from behind. "A lot has changed in these last days," the entity commented to the insurgent, "and I'm happy for them all." His eyes flickering between the jovial faces he added, "This is quite a community you built up here, Wald," he patted him on his shoulder, "I'm proud of you."

Wald grinned but his smile disappeared as he spoke quietly, "But as long as Prussia is still around, I will never fulfill my purpose as an insurgent."

"That may be your purpose," Saxon replied, "but remember you are a person too. Enjoy life as it comes." The insurgent nodded and walked towards the gathering around the fire.

"Sorry to crash the party," he spoke, "but it is getting late now, and it's about time we rest, especially the children," he glanced over to the little girl next to Mandoria and smiled, "We don't want them staying up all night. It seems that little one likes you Mandoria."

M:   "Yeah, I think I can say the same thing," Mandoria agreed, taking the little girl into his arms, "she's very sweet, the first thing she said to me was that I was very pretty, she reminds me of a young Mandara."

Mandoria then tickled the girl and made a "coochy coo" sound, earning laughter from her. He stood up when some of the parents came over to collect their children, the girl's mother looked a little uncertain about Mandoria holding her child but relaxed when she was being treated well.

"Ok little one, time to go back to your mother," he said, trying to give her back to her parent, unfortunately, the child would start crying when he did, "oh dear, perhaps she has become too attached to me." He chuckled nervously.

At last, he was able to pry her little arms away from him and give her back to her mother, though she still cried in protest. When Mandoria decided to give her one of his feathers she stopped crying, making the adults chuckle.

"It was nice to meet you little one," he said with a smile, "you be good for your mother for me, ok."

The little girl nodded, and after her mother thanked the country for taking care of her daughter and started walking away, the child looked back and waved, "tschüss Vogel" (bye-bye Birdy)