The dark night sky was unmerciful to the war-worn travelers. After what seemed like endless hours of trudging through an icy river, the Phëläniciäns took their continued trek to land. The sounds of women and children bitterly weeping echoed through the thick black forest. 500 Wounded soldiers marched in formation with a dignified ceremonious demeanor. Byakko led his remaining dragons to form a protective air flank around them.

It came as a great surprise when they exited the forest and arrived upon the seaport town of Bäussëll to see that the city had not been exposed to the fallout from the siege of the neighboring kingdom. The villagers slept soundly in their warmly lit cottages, utterly unaware of the massive destruction that took place merely hundreds of miles away. A Phëläniciän Royal Officer named Künsey led the distraught party up a long hill towards the mayor’s house.

The lavishly huge manor rested atop a cliff, which overlooked both the town and the ocean. The mayor’s staff scrambled to quickly rouse his household at the insistence of Künsey. Mayor Cläuveous instantly sprang into action by having his staff attend to the immediate needs of the Phëläniciän refugees. Physicians were called to the manor, bakers were mandated to prepare a feast, and nuns were sent to the sanctuary to calm the young Phëläniciän children. None of this was an out-of-the-ordinary occurrence. On the contrary, Bäussëll had a respectable alliance and a long-standing treaty agreement with the kingdom of Phëläniciä .

~Ch. 14, Somewhere Beyond the Stars and Sea~