It had been three weeks since we got on the road. I decided to leave the army in Edre and sent the Tigrisian troopers back home. We had five hundred men beside us. Prince Musa and Prince Shah stayed in the castle, yet Oksana rode with Bayezid. Vukasin didn't talk to me. He was scanning the foreland incredulously. The trees and snow got thicker as we got closer to Karamania. The ravens were darker, and the horses were hairy and muscular in the pure land of the Turk. Mehli had a cloak of shining peacock feathers and a blue-green costume attached to golden armbands. On the armbands, there were the heads of growling wolves. Akhal had demanded the armbands to represent the wolf blood, which connected the Danishmenthan and Karamanian people and admonished the togetherness.

Nevertheless, daily, Bayezid started to become distanced from Akhal and decided and demanded without the impression of his advisors. I never made peace with him, but he sure loved Bayezid. Even though I knew he was not so happy about my existence near Bayezid, he never spoiled his intention as Mehli did. Bayezid reared his horse; I saw a slightly blurred construction on the hills. 

"This is one of the country villages of Karamania; we are yet to take a break here," he announced. 

The houses were made of mud and bush. There were merchants and traders all around. There were even more cryptic tradings happening around the corners of the homes. The snow was hard and frozen there. The farm animals were taken in, yet people were out. The leader of the village places us in large stone inns. After the dinner, the night he had come with all of its silence and darkness. I saw Vukasin going out of the inn. At first, I couldn't tell who he was because of his long black cape, but then I saw his indigo-blue eyes. I was going to follow him, yet I already knew where he could go, the nearest saloon where he could find an audience to temporize himself. Hence, I decided not to follow. Bayezid came near, leaning his arms on the fences. 

"Son, tomorrow we will have a day to arrive in the centre of Karamania," he said. I nodded. He looked me in the eye. "Is there something bothering you? I can tell." I tilted my head down. I then looked him back. "I need to return to Tigrisia," I answered. He was confused. "Sure, you can go," he said. I stood straight up. "I meant that I need to be in Tigrisia... from now on. It is my very duty to rule, to keep order." Bayezid got moon-eyed. He hesitated to say a word. Then, he tilted his head down while folding his hands together. I continued, "When I will be crowned, this alliance of Tigrisia and Danishmenthan will be stronger." He didn't respond, so I kept talking. "Uncle declared his authority in the west; Mother is struggling to keep her stance, which represents mine. I need to solve it." He stood up. "I can come with you, then we can defeat your uncle and strengthen Miriam's possession," he offered willingly. I smirked. "I cannot stay with you forever." His long blond hair was dropped to his chest. He scratched his spiky beard and said, "Then a father won't miss a son more than I will miss you." 

I stayed awake, waiting for Vukasin to return without ensuring he would return. I knew he would be glad to hear I was coming with him to Tigrisia. Hours had passed, but there was no sign of him, so I found him myself. The pathway on the mood was unclear as the sun had not risen yet. I went for the brightest and loudest inn. It was impossible to unsee the uproar and motion through the windows. I attempted to open the door, yet abruptly, a man was smashed outside, and he nearly crashed me. I got in, leaving the man at the entrance, vomiting and muttering. The room was small, the drink was cheap, and the ladies inside entertained most villager men while they were swearing, singing and playing.

Vukasin was in the corner under the big torch hanging on the wall. His face was so damn orange. He had two girls under his arms. All three were laughing, cheering... Vukasin turned to another when he finished kissing one. He licked her throat, and for once, I thought he would bite her. The girl was laughing. Vukasin started to say a few excited words, and the girls were listening to him senselessly as they could not understand a word in Tigrisian. I waited for him to recognize me, yet he was too drunk to notice a face. He placed the empty glace on his hand onto the table. He pointed to one of the men across the room. He was wearing peasant pants. The girls laughed as they finally understood what he aimed to do. Vukasin got up, walked through the room, took the girl sitting on the man's lap, and dropped the beer bottle on him. The man vigorously stood up and hissed. He shouted in his mother tongue, "Oh, you are going to pay for it, street dog!" Vukasin laughed, but he was barely on foot, even so, drunk to open his eyes.

"Watch it, ladies!" he cried out. The man got more furious. "Speak Turkish! I don't care which whore's bastard you are, here you speak Turkish!" he shouted in his tongue. Vukasin took his sword out so fast that he swung it a few times at the man. The man's pants downed to the ground. Vukasin laughed, and then the man got his throat, and that was when I took my sword out. The saloon got quiet. The man looked me in the eye as he recently noticed me. He let Vukasin go and tilted his head down to apologize. Vukasin took the three girls and followed me out. 

He was walking unbalanced and lavish. The girls giggled and left him to return to the inn. "Darlings, where are you goin'? Don't you wanna have fun?" he cried out and then attempted to look at me but couldn't dare it and tilted his head down. I took him on the shoulder, "Come on, brother, let's get you to sleep." He released his hand, "No." he muttered. He lost his balance and fell onto the ground. I sighed and offered my hand. He hit me with a pitching voice, "Did he send you to take me?" he asked. "Who, brother, who are you referring to?" He wiped his soaked eyes. "Your owner." he hissed. 

I looked at him disappointedly, "I am not owned." I replied. "Yes, you are." he laughed pitiably, "You are his hound."  I caught him by his collar. "I dare you to repeat it, brother!" He crawled in the mud to get up and leaned his shoulder to the wall of the inn, "I waited for you, so long, each day and night, since I was a child. I waited for us to stand by each other. I am ready to do anything that you demand brother, I always have been!" he was out of breath. I offered my hand again, "Look at you, all dirty and muddy," I said. He continued, "I am right here, but you follow him, waiting for his commands to obey as a bloody dog. He made the king of Tigrisia his tail. Maybe you are not the king that Tigrisia deserves after all." I punched him, knowing that I would regret it ever since. He turned his head to the side. He showed me his bruised cheek and kept looking down senselessly. I left him and returned to the inn; I couldn't sleep. Before twilight, we headed to the road. 

Mehli scanned on horseback and then asked me with his most decent voice, "Where is your brother, Prince Jaromir?" I squeezed the scabbard carrying Silver Dragon to the horse belt, then replied, "You don't need to fear Prince Mehli... He is not here." Mehli took offence and rode near his father. At the end of the day, we find ourselves at the gates of the Fortress of Karamania before the sun goes down. 

Bayezid dismounted his horse and didn't let the Karamanians lead it, so he fetched him alone. Chief Käahl Karaman was not in sight. There was no one but a few ambassadors and viziers at the gates to welcome us. Bayezid's eyes burned with rage, "Gentlemen, where is your chief?" he asked. One of the tall viziers approached as his cape was rubbing the stairs. "My king, our chief awaits you in the council hall. Bayezid nodded underhand, "Tell your chief that the king cleans the way out 'til the interval beneath vanishes." He started to walk forward, and the army followed him while crashing chests and tearing curtains. It was his temperament; he knew that he was stronger and that there was nothing in the world he could not reach, so he wanted to gain everything he demanded without the need to reach. A short while after, the chief came to the gates. "My lord," he cried out. "I apologize; it has not told me that you already arrived." Bayezid raised his hand, and the soldiers stopped plundering. "Let's believe that Käahl, shall we?" The giant man guided us to the council hall. I had a hard time understanding why a man who fears another man that much dares to humiliate him, yet it was a display of stance, and Karamanian were distanced from Danishmenthan. 

We sat around a long wooden table. Käahl started, "Prince Mehli, it has been a long, long time; you grew out to be a man." Mehli tilted his head proudly as he was miserably in need of one calling him a man. Käahl continued, "I was not expecting Prince Dragarevic with us today," he saluted with his head, and I responded the same. Bayezid hit on the table, "Unexpected things happen, Käahl, like your affair with Artuncha." Chief Käahl ignored this accusation. He spoke waggly, "I spouse some cannot depend on a son to support him alone." Bayezid took his sword out. The Karamanian guards all around took their swords out.

At that moment, Käahl's son Kartal walked into the room. He was a well-built young man. He has braided hair and a long beard. "Here comes my wolf," Käahl cheered. Kartal reverenced and then sat next to me. Bayezid put his sword into the sheath, so the guardians did the same. That was when I got Silver Dragon out and stabbed it on the table. "Chief Käahl, no ambassadors have come to Tigrisian invitations. I interpret you are not an ally of Tigrisia, so be careful what you speak." Käahl looked at me in terror, and then his face got refreshed. "It will be a strong union; Prince Mehli and Tomris have known each other since childhood. My daughter is not only a decent lady but an incredible hunter, so that is why she cannot join our conversation," he said. Käahl added, "At least Danishmenthan might own the blood of a wolf." Bayezid smirked. I knew he wanted to chop his tongue and cut his throat out, but he needed Karamanian support against the rebellion of Turk tribes, so he just smirked. 

Meanwhile, Vukasin rode his horse to Karamania as soon as he got sober. He didn't enter the fortress but tripped the main villages and played wrist wrestle with folk guardians. At last, he got bored and rode into the forest. He was all alone among the tall, dark, spiky pine trees. He muttered, "I don't need a brother; I don't need anyone! Mother rules pretty well; she loves to rule. In that case, I will not wait for you to defeat Uncle. Do you hear me, brother? NO, NO, NO... you are with your precious king. I will defeat him by myself; maybe I will like to be the king of Tigrisia, who knows!" Suddenly, he was bewildered to see a massive grey deer grazing a few meters forward. He smiled, took his arrow out and aimed for the heart. Before he even released the needle, the deer was shot. The giant animal stood up and tried to escape from the bushes where the hand came from. The deer ran towards Vukasin, and a second arrow was released from the bushes. Vukasin turned to the braying deer, who escaped and vanished among the trees. Then he looked into the bushes out of curiosity. He felt a deep pain in his waist. He placed his hand on the hurting spot. There was the arrow, and his hand was bloody red. He felt like he lost control of his legs, and he fell from the horse. His eyes got lazy and tired, and they fell asleep.