Shahzad overlooked Oxgarde from the stone wall that isolated the castle from the citizens. His sword rested in its sheath, but his hand was gripped tightly onto the leather handle. His cloak followed the rhythm of the wind, as did his light brown hair. He looked down at his other hand, running over it with his fingers. Again, the Rider's symbol had not appeared. It's only a few days away. I can wait a bit longer. I am eager to track down Doryu, though.

He thought of the last time he met his cousin. On the battlefield. He dared to strike Shahzad's mask and shatter it, but he got his revenge by damaging his shoulder. They should be done with the new one about now, he thought to himself. Birds flew above his head, chirping at each other. He thought about what it'd be like to fly freely in the open air. I'll find that out once I turn sixteen. Citizens walked in and out of buildings, going about their normal lives.

"Sir!" someone exclaimed. Shahzad unsheathed his sword and pointed it in a soldier's face.

"Don't sneak up on me," he warned before lowering his weapon. "What?"

"Lord Bokon wishes to speak with you." Shahzad dismissed the soldier, who ran away like a coward. How did he pass training? He walked away from his post and descended down a fleet of stone stairs before coming across a tan bricked road. Soldiers continued their routine after giving Shahzad a nod in respect. Most trained. As he continued on the path, he came across the Griffin pen. The creatures ranged in all different colors. Their beaks were chained to the ground, along with their wings bound while the others who had owners rested in their own stall behind the paddock.

"Have a certain one in mind?" Shahzad turned around to see his childhood friend, Euphemios. "I'm on a mission to get more for future soldiers. Wanna come? Perhaps you can get one of your own."

"I do what Lord Bokon tells me to do. If I am on that mission, I am told personally by him. But I don't have time to chase after large birds. Try to catch some females while you're at it so they can breed." The red haired teenager laughed.

"Alright, sir." Euphemios darted off to a group of soldiers who were saddling their Griffins. Shahzad turned around and tried to continue up a set of stairs leading to the castle, but was stopped by Eaton, the leader of the Frukinks who had joined Bokon's loyalty. I'm still his boss, aside from Bokon. Wonder how he got that shoulder scar. Weird.

"What're you doing, little prince?" Eaton hissed.

"Was on my way to Lord Bokon, as he requested, but you postponed that. So you can explain to him why I was late, unless you move out of my way." The reptilian creature flicked his tongue in anger and stepped to the side, curling his tail tip. Shahzad pushed his way to the top of the stairs and raced through the corridors. He came across the two large doors that led to the throne room. Opening one, he walked confidently to Bokon's throne before bowing before him.

"You're late," Bokon said. "Leave us." The soldiers nodded and left. Shahzad's mother, Melinda, accepted Bokon's wishes as well and joined the soldiers outside the doors.

"I apologize for my delay. Eaton made sure of my absence." He kept his head low and his arm rested on his kneeling knee. Bokon rose from this throne and walked towards an arched window, inviting his son over.

"I heard you have failed to capture İzzet," he mentioned. "What number is this?"

"I'm sorry, father. His dragon is extremely protective and your army doesn't have the weapons to take down a fire-breathing serpent. My magic alone isn't enough." Bokon glanced at Shahzad.

"Well, you have a new mission now." Shahzad stared at his father with curiosity. "I heard you had a run in with your cousin, Doryu, yes?" Shahzad nodded. "That's your new mission. To capture him. If we do, İzzet will come to me begging for his son's release. He'll give up anything for that mite."

"And what about his dragon?" Shahzad asked. Bokon smiled at the teenager. He rested his hand on Shahzad's shoulder.

"I guess it's time for me to teach you some more magic, no?"

He pushed the door to his bedroom open and stared at his bed. His shoulder hurt severely from learning a new spell, but it was worth it. Tulekahju. A ball of orange fire hovered above his palm. His singe burns on his clothes slowly turned black. He threw the fireball to the nearest torch, igniting it and sat at his bed end. The world outside his window seemed so vast. The sun was a quarter of the way across the sky, getting ready to set. Children played in the streets, men came home from work, and the women called in the kids for dinner. He glanced at his pillow and shook his head, hesitating the urge to flop on it and fall asleep.

"Maybe standing watch on the wall will keep me occupied." As he began to grab his cloak, he rethunk his options. "Who am I kidding! I'm the leader of the Royal Guard. I'm not stationed at such simple tasks that soldiers could do." His mother approached his door frame. Her hair was long and beautiful. She was decorated with a golden robe and crown that rested on top of her head.

"Are you alright?" she asked with a bit of concern.

"I'm alright," he answered. "Just a little tired."

"Well, get some sleep. You may be the Guard's leader, but you're still my son and sleep is very important to you right now." She closed the door to his room and her footsteps faded away. He turned to his window and rested his arms on the sill.

"Where could he possibly be? I have no information to go off of." The wind blew into his face. "We fought at the Goderath Peaks, so that'll be the first place to check. But they're probably long gone from there. Perhaps they left something behind." He looked up at the sun, its tip barely visible. "They probably are undercover in the forest with large dragons. So they would have either gone East where the Vegrever Woods lie just a few miles from the peaks. However, they could've headed North where the large Torringsard Forest lies, but they'd come closer to Oxgarde and have a higher chance of getting caught. So, East it is. To the Vegrever Woods."