Chapter 59
There are moments in history where great decisions are made.
This was not one of them.
The Silver Ember Guild Hall was unusually quiet that morning.
Not because there was no chaos.
But because the chaos was whispering.
Rowan Valebright stood near the guild doors with his arms crossed, watching Sir Dorian Lionsreach pace like a man awaiting execution.
Dorian was dressed for battle.
He was not going into battle.
He was holding a stuffed rabbit.
"I do not understand," Dorian said, stopping mid-pace. "Why is the rabbit required?"
"It's not required," Lila Valebright replied calmly from her seat behind the desk. "It's comforting."
Dorian looked down at the rabbit in his armored gauntlet.
"...It feels judgmental."
"That's your guilt," Rowan said.
Dorian gasped. "I have done nothing yet!"
Rowan raised an eyebrow.
"That's what concerns me."
Behind them, the chicken hopped up onto the reception counter.
No one acknowledged it.
No one ever did.
Lila continued reviewing paperwork with a pen in hand and the serene composure of someone who had survived childbirth and now feared nothing.
"We are leaving for exactly four hours," she said gently. "Four."
Dorian nodded too quickly.
"Yes. Four. A number I recognize."
Rowan did not blink.
"You will not take him outside the city walls."
"Obviously."
"You will not give him anything sharp."
"Understood."
"You will not teach him combat fundamentals."
Dorian hesitated.
Rowan's stare sharpened.
"...Define fundamentals," Dorian attempted.
Rowan's eye twitched.
"Dorian."
"Yes, Guild Master."
"You are not his guild master."
Dorian straightened. "Correct. I am his uncle."
He said it with pride.
And panic.
Because across the hall, Aurelian Valebright was standing very still, watching all of this with the solemn attention of a child who understood far more than he was supposed to.
He was small.
Four years old.
Dark-haired like his mother.
Eyes observant like his father.
And currently holding a wooden spoon like it was a scepter.
He had been listening.
That was the problem.
"Uncle," Aurelian said.
Dorian froze.
He turned slowly.
"Yes?"
Aurelian held up the spoon.
"Are we training?"
Rowan exhaled through his nose.
"No," Rowan said firmly.
"Yes," Dorian said at the same time.
Silence.
The chicken tilted its head.
Lila looked up.
"Dorian," she said softly.
Dorian cleared his throat. "I meant yes as in—training to behave. Quiet training. Internal training. Very non-combat training."
Aurelian nodded thoughtfully.
"Like Father's quiet yelling?"
Rowan closed his eyes.
Dorian choked.
"I do not yell quietly," Rowan said.
Aurelian tilted his head. "You do."
Lila covered her mouth to hide a smile.
Dorian whispered, "He sees everything."
Rowan crouched in front of his son.
"We will be back before sunset," Rowan said gently.
Aurelian studied him carefully.
"Are you going to fight?"
"No."
"Are you going to argue?"
Rowan hesitated.
"...Probably."
Aurelian nodded. "Okay."
He accepted that.
Rowan stood and turned back to Dorian.
"Four hours," Rowan repeated.
Dorian saluted.
"With my life."
"That is not the reassurance you think it is," Lila said.
Dorian clutched the stuffed rabbit.
"Everything will be fine."
The chicken made a sound.
It was not a cluck.
It was something else.
Dorian narrowed his eyes at it.
"Don't," he muttered.
The chicken blinked slowly.
Rowan and Lila exited the guild hall.
The doors shut.
Silence fell.
Dorian stood in the center of the hall.
Aurelian stood across from him.
The chicken stood between them.
Dorian straightened dramatically.
"Well," he said.
Aurelian lifted the spoon again.
"Well," Aurelian echoed.
Dorian pointed at him.
"Today," Dorian announced, "we begin your path to greatness."
The chicken took one deliberate step forward.
Dorian pointed at it instead.
"You are not invited."
The chicken stared at him.
Aurelian looked between them.
"Uncle," Aurelian asked calmly, "is the chicken in charge?"
Dorian froze.
"No."
The chicken stepped onto the desk.
"...No," Dorian repeated, less confident.
Aurelian nodded slowly.
"Okay."
He then walked past Dorian.
Toward the weapons rack.
Dorian gasped.
"Absolutely not."
He scooped Aurelian up mid-stride.
Aurelian did not resist.
He simply looked down at him.
"You said we begin."
Dorian hesitated.
"That was motivational."
Aurelian blinked.
"I am motivated."
Dorian swallowed.
The chicken hopped off the desk.
Dorian glanced at it suspiciously.
"You stay there."
The chicken did not stay there.
It walked closer.
Aurelian leaned toward it.
"Sir Chicken," Aurelian said politely.
Dorian's eye twitched.
"Do not encourage it."
"Is he a knight?" Aurelian asked.
Dorian opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
"...Yes."
The chicken made a low sound.
Dorian snapped, "Do not look at me like that."
Aurelian's eyes widened slightly.
"Uncle," he whispered, "he's judging you."
Dorian stared at the chicken.
The chicken stared back.
"...We are not doing this," Dorian said firmly.
He set Aurelian down.
"First rule of heroism," Dorian declared loudly, "is posture."
Aurelian stood straighter instantly.
Dorian blinked.
"...Good."
The chicken mirrored the posture.
Dorian stared at it.
"Stop that."
Aurelian nodded again, completely serious.
"What is second rule?"
Dorian thought.
"Confidence."
Aurelian folded his hands behind his back.
"And third?"
Dorian hesitated.
"Never tell your father everything."
The guild hall went quiet.
Aurelian blinked.
The chicken made a noise.
Dorian pointed at it defensively.
"It knows."
Aurelian absorbed this.
Then nodded.
"Okay."
Dorian smiled proudly.
He had control.
He had a plan.
He had—
The front doors burst open.
Three adventurers stumbled in, shouting.
"Guild Master! We need—"
They stopped.
Dorian stood tall.
Aurelian stood beside him.
The chicken stood between them.
"...Where is the Guild Master?" one asked cautiously.
Dorian placed a hand on Aurelian's shoulder.
"He has delegated authority."
The adventurers blinked.
Aurelian lifted the spoon.
"State your problem," he said calmly.
Dorian froze.
The adventurers froze.
The chicken did not freeze.
It stepped forward.
The adventurers instinctively straightened.
Dorian looked down at Aurelian.
"...You were listening earlier, weren't you?"
Aurelian nodded.
"Yes."
Dorian inhaled slowly.
He turned back to the adventurers.
"We are not open."
"But—"
"Closed."
"Why?"
Dorian glanced down at Aurelian.
"...Administrative restructuring."
The adventurers slowly backed away.
The doors shut again.
Silence returned.
Dorian looked down at Aurelian.
Aurelian looked up at him.
"Uncle," Aurelian said gently, "this is fun."
Dorian swallowed.
"Yes."
It was.
That was the problem.
Across the hall, the chicken hopped onto Rowan's desk.
And knocked over the rule list.
Dorian should have known better.
He did know better.
That was the worst part.
He stood in the middle of the guild hall with his hands on his hips, watching Aurelian march confidently toward the quest board.
The chicken followed.
Naturally.
"Aurelian," Dorian called carefully, "we are not touching the quest board."
Aurelian stopped.
Turned.
Looked at him.
"Why?"
Dorian opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
"...Because it contains responsibilities."
Aurelian nodded solemnly.
"Okay."
Then he turned back and reached for the board.
Dorian lunged forward and lifted him away just before small fingers could touch parchment.
"Because it contains responsibilities for adults," Dorian corrected.
Aurelian studied him.
"What are adults?"
Dorian blinked.
"That's a large question."
The chicken hopped up and pecked at one of the pinned requests.
Dorian glared at it.
"You are not helping."
The chicken knocked a parchment loose.
It floated gently to the floor.
Dorian stared.
Aurelian leaned over his arm to read it.
"Uncle," Aurelian said, "it says there is a goat."
Dorian froze.
"Do not read the requests."
"It says the goat is loud."
Dorian squinted at the parchment.
He should not look.
He looked.
"Farmer Halwick reports one unusually aggressive goat. Requests assistance. Reward: twelve silver."
Dorian considered this.
The chicken pecked the parchment again.
Aurelian looked up.
"Is the goat dangerous?"
Dorian hesitated.
"Define dangerous."
Aurelian blinked.
"Does it bite?"
"...Probably."
"Does it yell?"
"Almost certainly."
Aurelian nodded.
"That sounds like you."
Dorian stared at him.
The chicken made a low approving sound.
"Excuse me?" Dorian demanded.
Aurelian tilted his head.
"You are loud and sometimes bite."
Dorian opened his mouth to argue.
Stopped.
Closed it again.
"...Fair."
He looked down at the parchment again.
Twelve silver.
One goat.
Outside the city walls.
Rowan's voice echoed in his mind:
You will not take him outside the city walls.
Dorian exhaled dramatically.
"We are not fighting a goat."
Aurelian nodded.
"Okay."
The chicken stepped closer to the parchment.
Dorian pointed at it.
"No."
The chicken blinked.
Aurelian leaned down and picked up the parchment.
Dorian froze.
"Uncle," Aurelian said calmly, "if the goat is aggressive, someone should help."
Dorian stared at him.
"That someone," Dorian replied carefully, "is not a four-year-old."
Aurelian considered this.
"And not a chicken."
The chicken puffed slightly.
Dorian pointed triumphantly.
"See? Even you know."
Aurelian looked at him again.
"And not you."
Dorian gasped.
"I am deeply offended."
Aurelian blinked.
"Are you?"
Dorian paused.
"...A little."
The chicken stepped onto the parchment.
Dorian sighed.
He could not take Aurelian outside the walls.
He could not ignore the request.
He could not let Rowan discover he had even considered either option.
He needed something else.
"Training exercise," Dorian announced suddenly.
Aurelian perked up instantly.
"Yes?"
Dorian took the parchment.
"We will simulate goat engagement."
The guild hall went silent.
The chicken stared at him.
"Not a real goat," Dorian added quickly. "A controlled environment goat."
Aurelian nodded thoughtfully.
"What is a controlled environment?"
Dorian looked around.
His gaze landed on three training dummies in the corner.
They were old, slightly battered, and had seen better days.
Perfect.
"Today," Dorian declared grandly, "we face the fiercest enemy of the countryside."
He dragged one dummy into the center of the hall.
Aurelian watched with full attention.
The chicken hopped onto a nearby chair.
Dorian stood before the dummy.
"This," he said dramatically, "is Goat."
The guild door creaked open behind them.
A passing adventurer paused.
"...Why is Sir Dorian fighting a dummy?"
"Training," Dorian snapped.
The adventurer closed the door quietly.
Aurelian stepped closer.
"Goat looks tired."
Dorian puffed up.
"That is because Goat underestimates us."
He drew his wooden practice sword.
"Observe."
Dorian lunged at the dummy with a dramatic shout.
He struck it squarely in the torso.
The dummy wobbled.
Then fell.
Directly onto Dorian.
The guild hall shook slightly.
Silence.
Aurelian leaned forward.
"Uncle?"
Dorian's muffled voice emerged from beneath the dummy.
"This was... part of the strategy."
The chicken hopped down.
Stared at him.
Dorian slowly shoved the dummy aside and stood, dusting himself off.
"Lesson one," Dorian declared with dignity, "never trust a goat."
Aurelian nodded solemnly.
The chicken pecked the dummy.
It rolled slightly.
Dorian glared at it.
"You saw nothing."
Aurelian raised his spoon like a sword.
"I will protect the village," he said.
Dorian blinked.
"...The village?"
"Yes."
"What village?"
Aurelian gestured broadly at the guild hall.
"This one."
Dorian froze.
That was not what he expected.
He knelt in front of Aurelian slowly.
"You want to protect this place?"
Aurelian nodded.
"Yes."
The chicken stepped closer.
Dorian swallowed.
"Why?"
Aurelian looked confused.
"Because Father does."
Dorian felt something in his chest shift slightly.
He cleared his throat loudly.
"Correct. Excellent reasoning."
He stood quickly.
"Yes. We protect the village."
Aurelian smiled.
Dorian looked at the remaining dummies.
"Round two," he announced.
The chicken hopped onto one of them.
Dorian narrowed his eyes.
"No."
The chicken stayed.
Dorian pointed dramatically.
"Get off Goat Two."
The chicken stared.
Aurelian leaned toward it.
"Sir Chicken," he whispered politely, "you are on the battlefield."
Dorian blinked.
"Do not call it sir."
The chicken slowly stepped off the dummy.
Dorian froze.
"...Good."
He pointed at Aurelian.
"Engage Goat Two."
Aurelian ran forward with absolute confidence.
He struck the dummy with the spoon.
The spoon snapped in half.
Silence.
Aurelian stared at the broken handle in his hand.
Dorian stared at it too.
"...That," Dorian said slowly, "was dramatic."
Aurelian looked up.
"Did I win?"
Dorian glanced at the dummy.
It remained upright.
"...Morally."
Aurelian nodded, satisfied.
The chicken hopped onto the dummy.
Pecked it once.
The dummy fell over immediately.
Dorian stared.
"You did not just do that."
The chicken looked at him calmly.
Aurelian gasped.
"Sir Chicken is strong."
Dorian pointed.
"No. We are not acknowledging this."
Aurelian crouched next to the fallen dummy.
"Uncle," he said quietly, "what if the goat is stronger than you?"
Dorian froze.
The chicken stared.
The guild hall felt very still.
Dorian knelt down slowly in front of Aurelian.
"Then," he said carefully, "we get stronger."
Aurelian blinked.
"How?"
Dorian thought.
Then smiled slightly.
"By not fighting goats we don't need to fight."
Aurelian tilted his head.
"So we don't go outside?"
Dorian's stomach dropped.
Rowan's voice echoed again.
You will not take him outside the city walls.
Dorian exhaled slowly.
"No," he said firmly. "We do not go outside."
The chicken hopped onto the fallen dummy.
Dorian pointed at it.
"You especially."
The guild doors creaked again.
A clerk peeked inside.
"Sir Dorian? There's a farmer asking about a goat—"
Dorian froze.
Aurelian looked up.
The chicken stared at him.
"...Tell him," Dorian said slowly, "that Goat has been... neutralized."
The clerk blinked.
"...Sir?"
"Metaphorically," Dorian added quickly.
The clerk disappeared.
Dorian looked down at Aurelian.
"We do not solve real goat problems today."
Aurelian nodded solemnly.
"Okay."
Dorian exhaled.
Victory.
Temporary, fragile victory.
He stood.
Aurelian tugged on his armor.
"Yes?"
"Uncle," Aurelian said, "are you strong like Father?"
Dorian hesitated.
He could lie.
He usually did.
Instead, he said quietly:
"No."
Aurelian blinked.
"Then why do you fight?"
Dorian smiled faintly.
"Because someone has to stand next to him."
Aurelian absorbed that.
The chicken stepped down from the dummy.
Walked slowly toward Rowan's desk.
And hopped onto it.
Dorian narrowed his eyes.
"No."
The chicken knocked over the rule list.
Again.
The parchment fluttered to the floor.
Aurelian picked it up.
Read the first line carefully.
"You will not teach him combat fundamentals."
Dorian closed his eyes.
"...Technically," he muttered, "we taught philosophy."
Aurelian looked at him.
"What is philosophy?"
Dorian sighed.
"Something we will not tell your father about."
Aurelian nodded.
"Okay."
The chicken stared directly at Dorian.
Dorian stared back.
"...This is fine," Dorian whispered.
In the distance, somewhere beyond the guild hall—
A goat screamed.
Dorian went very still.
Aurelian perked up.
The chicken slowly turned its head toward the sound.
Dorian swallowed.
"We are not," he said firmly, "investigating that."
Aurelian smiled.
"Adventure?"
Dorian pointed at him.
"No."
The goat screamed again.
The guild hall felt smaller.
The chicken stepped toward the door.
Dorian stared at it.
"...Don't you dare."
The chicken paused.
Then took one more step.
Dorian grabbed Aurelian quickly.
"Absolutely not."
Aurelian giggled.
Dorian felt his resolve weakening.
The goat screamed a third time.
Closer.
Dorian inhaled.
Exhaled.
And said the worst possible words:
"...We are just going to look."
The chicken made a very satisfied sound.