Cloudhawk teleported back to the inn . A short time later, members of the Nilam family were knocking on his door .  

“Young Master, the Argyris family is very large and influential in the capitol . You musn’t cause a scene . It’s vital we make a good first impression . This isn’t our home and opposing families are everywhere . The slightest provocation . . . ” He pleaded .

Cloudhawk dismissed with a wave and a smirk .

His answer was a sigh from the steward . He prayed there’d be no trouble because the wedding wasn’t what concerned him . It was the relations.h.i.+p between their two families . The most frantic worry was that Lance couldn’t change his character . Their family couldn’t afford to pay off the populace of the capitol .

They were received by the Argyris family later that day .

It was no wonder they were one of the city’s grandest residents . Their welcoming party could be called luxurious, headed by a procession of one hundred lily-white griffins . Following were nearly one thousand more representatives; dancers, singers and troops . The dramatic display had started to gather a crowd .

Seated upon one of the beasts Cloudhawk was brought to the Argyris family mansion . There he was greeted by the family patriarch .

Extended n.o.ble families were complex . Leaders.h.i.+p was striated into the patriarch, the elder, heads of families, stewards, butlers and more . Patriarch and Elder sounded very similar, and often they were held by individuals, the affairs they saw to were very different .

The Patriarch was often away, seeing to the family’s industries, manage trade, and arranging policy . The Elder, on the other hand, saw to the workings of the family itself . Whoever it was had to be among their most powerful and capable members .

Elders remained with the family . They were responsible for keeping it running . In the absence of a patriarch they made the decisions . This wedding had all been arranged by the Argyris family’s Elder .

Fulmulta had four great houses, and the Argyris family was among them . It was guided by the young and famously capable Bruno Argyris . Not long ago their polish had begun to wane, while in Byzantium the Nilams were on the rise . Byzantium was the distribution hub of the realm, a portal to many things .

It was a fine alliance, one where both sides came out on top .

The Elder – Noah Argyris [1]– first made the suggestion a year ago . He showed how suitable the young man was to marry the patriarch’s youngest, Idonea . She was the only member left unmarried . However, while there had been a lot of talk about it the patriarch did not give his blessing . Thus it dragged on .

Several months later, Master Bruno left for Skycloud .

In that time there had been no word from their patriarch . The suspicion that he had died was gaining ground . No joy came from it because they were not just losing a patriarch, but a local legend . Without him their family’s voice became a whisper . Marriage was a quick solution to an urgent problem .

Noah put forth his plan before the heads of families once again . This time it was accepted without issue . In his capacity as acting Patriarch, Noah accepted the proposal . Idonea was bound to comply .

“Welcome, Young Master Lance Nilam, to the capitol . ”

Noah’s long wight hair flowed in the breeze of the griffin’s wings . His right hand rested on the head of a cane, which he used only a little to help with bow .

To play his role, Cloudhawk adopted a magnanimous bearing . In a voice dripping with scorn, he muttered, “This is the family mansion? A little run down, isn’t it? Nothing like the home I came from . ”

All at once the entire Nilam procession winced .

Stroking his beard, Noah answered with a chuckle . He knew a bit about this Young Master, so the crude words were not shocking . These theatrics weren’t important, so long as their family won support . Nothing about Lance or his personality was any concern of the Elder’s .

A steward cleared his throat to dispel the tension . “May we ask where Miss Idonea may be?”

Noah couldn’t stop his brows from furrowing every so slightly . Idonea had been causing him no small measure of heartache about this . She even ran away in the night! Luckily someone s.n.a.t.c.hed her up by morning, avoiding an embarra.s.sing situation .

“Idonea is getting ready . She will be with us shortly . ”

No sooner did he make the promise than a small group came in from a nearby yard . They were all cl.u.s.tered around the young Argyris miss . A petulant look was on her face and had been there since she swore to fight this to the end . It was fully in her mind to smash this sissy boy’s nose in first thing . At least he’d know she wasn’t going to be an obedient wife . Maybe if he understood what he was getting into, he’d call off the wedding .

“Which one is Lance! Pull him out here immediately! I want to see if you’ve sprouted three heads and six arms, because that’s the only way you’d have the courage to -… huh? What are you doing here!”

Idonea had recognized him in the middle of her tirade . Same blond hair, blue eyes and coquettish smile . It was him, the same man who saved her .

Irritation had crept into the Elder’s voice . “Idonea! What possessed you to be so rude!”

A wry and pained smile touched the Nilam family steward’s face . This young miss seemed as unfettered as the Young Master . Things were sure to get interesting .

“This Is Young Master Lance . ”

When he said the words it was like Idonea had been stung by a scorpion . Fear, confusion, shock and anger flooded her mind when she realized it . She’d been tricked!

“You’re Lance?!” She screeched . “You lied to me!”

Noah was surprised by the outburst . “You know each other?”

“So you’re Miss Idonea . I didn’t recognize you . ” The Young Master smirked sheepishly . He looked her up and down for a moment before turning back to the Elder . “We met not long ago . Would it be alright if she and I got a few minutes alone?”

“Of course . ”

Cloudhawk and Idonea walked out across the manor property shoulder to shoulder in awkward silence .  

She was furious . The feeling like she was a complete idiot hounded her . Somehow she fell for his trick – that fog had to have come from him . Her goal now was to get far away from him .

“Don’t even bother talking to me . I will never marry you!” Lance wasn’t the sort of man she was expected, but Idonea wasn’t going to marry anyone!

Cloudhawk looked out over a serene lake surface . “Do you remember what I said last night? I’m on your side . ”

She paused . What did he mean? It dawned on her that maybe he had something worse planned instead of marriage .  

“Unfortunately there’s no way to break the engagement . The wedding isn’t important anyway – just business between two families . Neither of them are willing to risk this farce . ”

“So what can we do?”

“Pretend to be married . ”

“Phah!” Idonea sniffed at the idea . “Why should I trust you?”

“Only for a little while, and only for appearances . In exchange you’ll be given more s.p.a.ce and freedom . ” Cloudhawk picked up a stone and threw it into the lake . An explosion of ripples formed and he turned back to Idonea . “What do you want to do right now?”

“I want… to see my father . ”

“Right answer . He’s over at Skycloud so if you want to see him again, that’s where you need to go . Only you don’t have the capability to make that journey yourself . That leaves you with only one path . ”

“You mean the Crusade?!”

The Crusade were the name of the newly forged army and its purpose . It was filled with soldiers from many Elysian lands, only the most elite warriors and demonhunters . When they were selected, they were sent by special airs.h.i.+ps to Sky Fortress to join the main force .

It was very difficult for ordinary people to be chosen, but that was not the case with the Argyris family .

“Right again . It’s the only way . We agree to get married, then join the Crusades . You can avoid the complications of marriage and make your way to Skycloud to find your father . What do you think?”

“But why are you trying to help?” His idea made sense . When she joined the army there was a period of at least six months where she couldn’t go home . It was the best way to escape her situation .

“I said I am on your side . I’m also interested in joining the Crusade myself . ”

Was this really the same Lance Nilam from Byzantium? It seemed a lot of the rumors about him weren’t necessarily accurate .

Idonea answered . “They say there’s a demon leader of the wastes near Skycloud, trying to destroy the  world . Strong, frightening . He even corrupted the Cloud G.o.d and now the betrayer joins his side . You aren’t even a little scared? Anyway the battlefield is in chaos . There are said to be tens of thousands of  heathen troops . ”

“You say scary, I say exciting . ”

“You sure are a strange one . ”

“So what do you think of my proposal?”

Idonea thought it over for a little while . The two of them, joining the Crusade… it was an effective means to get away from their families and their meddling . She didn’t think it would be hard to do, either .

They were both demonhunters, after all . Her family was large so some were up there at Sky Fortress already . If they wanted in, she had the means .

1 . Argyris was the name chosen for the family, last name 銀 or silver . The Elder’s first name is 虹 or rainbow . I chose Noah for a couple reasons . First, as elder he is trying to guide his family from destruction (animals from the flood) .  Second, the rainbow was sent by G.o.d to biblical Noah as a promise that his family would never again face a flood, strengthening this man’s savior image .

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