The Lost Treasure of Ser Tristan

Edmund, Isolde, Tomas and Mira all had been friends since they were babies.

Edmund had always been the strong one in the group. Isolde had always been interested in magic. Tomas had always been the quiet one; he always listened to everything. And Mira had always been fascinated by history. She loved learning about old kingdoms, ancient relics and treasures that had been lost.

They had recently finished school, at 18. They were not very popular, not very driven about their futures, or even sure what they wanted to do with their lives.

For now, they simply spent most of their days together, wondering what they should do next; the next big adventure, as it were.

Then, one day, in the harshest winter in the kingdom's history, Mira found something interesting and maybe life altering, catastrophic, even history changing.

"Guys! I have found something!" shouted Mira. "Come to my house. Now!"

They all immediately went to her house.

Mira put out a map. It was nothing special.

"What is it, Mira?" asked Edmund.

"The legend of Ser Tristan... the treasure he had... I think it's right here," Mira said, pointing confidently at the map.

"How certain are you?" asked Isolde.

Mira looked at the group. "Certain enough to go there... alone."

The group gasped in unison.

"Are you that sure?" asked Tomas.

"I am positive!"

"How did you find it? Ser Tristan disappeared a hundred and fifty years ago," asked Tomas, intrigued.

Mira pointed at the map. "Old records. Ser Tristan travelled through this region shortly before he disappeared. There are three accounts of him passing through nearby villages, but after this point..." She tapped the map. "Nothing. No sightings. No records. Nothing."

"And that means his treasure is there?" asked Edmund.

"Around there..."

"And why didn't adventurers find anything?" asked Isolde.

Mira shrugged. "Maybe they were too scared. Maybe they had better things to do... or they looked in the wrong place. Think about it. What has happened in a hundred and fifty years? New buildings, new landmarks, new everything! Until today, we did not know where the treasure, or Ser Tristan, was.”

"Right... Better than finding treasure? Are you -" began Isolde, but she was interrupted by Mira.

"I am positive! The historical records say that he disappeared in this region. Every record, every text I've dug into, leads to this place!"

“I say let us go to the region. It’s our best shot at getting some money. At least enough for us to move out of our parents’ houses,” said Edmund.

"And more..." added Tomas.

Isolde sighed. "Fine. We're going. In the harshest winter we have experienced in this kingdom's history..."

"Yes!" replied Edmund.

"What about money for food and horses? And for inns? Maybe tents..." sighed Isolde.

"We will not need horses and inns. Only food!" Edmund replied, putting his hands on his hips.

"Still, where do we get the money?" asked Isolde, shaking her head.

"I heard," began Tomas, "that if we register as adventurers, we get money..."

"Then let us register as adventurers! No time like the present!" said Edmund.

"But that would mean that we would have to go on adventures, whenever the kingdom tells us to..." replied Tomas. "And I do not think that we are ready for that."

"Tomas... come on. Where's your sense of adventure?" asked Edmund.

"Well, I am going, whether you three like it or not!" said Mira.

Tomas sighed. "Fine, let us go..." replied Tomas.

"To register to be adventurers?" asked Edmund.

"Yes," answered Tomas.

The four went straight to the kingdom’s Adventurers’ Hall. Registration was simple. They gave their names, accepted that the kingdom could call upon them for work, and received small metal badges proving that they were officially registered adventurers.

By the time they left, each of them had also received a starting allowance of 100 gold, 50 silver and 20 copper.

They finally had enough money to begin their journey.

"400 gold, 200 silver and 80 copper... that is enough for food," said Edmund.

"And more," added Tomas.

They laughed.

"So, now that we have enough money, shall we go?" asked Mira.

"Yes! Let us go!" said Edmund, already walking... the wrong way...

"Edmund, it is this way," said Isolde, shaking her head.

"Right! I knew that!" replied Edmund.

And, so, they went on foot.

The group brought tents, a sword for Edmund, a staff for Isolde, a blade for Tomas, a bow and quiver of arrows for Mira, and some food: some bread, cheese, fruit, vegetables and other food for the journey.

Then, they set off. As friends, as comrades, as adventurers.

"So, let us tell tales of Ser Tristan. It would be boring otherwise!" said Edmund.

"But we all know the tales," replied Isolde, rolling her eyes at him.

"Someone knows more than us," quietly said Tomas.

Edmund smiled. "See? Even Tomas wants to..."

Isolde sighed. "Okay then."

"I guess I will start," Edmund said. "Ser Tristan was from Softreed. He took up sword fighting when he was 12. At 18, he slew his first man... Ser Roderick... It is said that he needed to kill him to get the title of Ser; others say Ser Roderick went mad..."

Mira laughed. "That does not get you knighted, you know?"

"Yeah... You have to vow your entire life to become a Ser. Swear your life to the Twelve Kingdoms, to protect the innocent," Edmund said. "Anyway, he was said to have the best sword of the Twelve Kingdoms..."

Edmund shuddered at the thought. "It was said that he saved a lot of people, cities, even villages and vales across the Twelve Kingdoms..."

"And?" asked Tomas.

"AND he fought off a dragon..." whispered Edmund.

Isolde, Tomas and Mira all laughed.

"What? It is true!" said Edmund, confused.

"What? He did?" asked Isolde.

"Yes, he did!" said Edmund, certain he was correct.

"On his own?"

"Yes. He fought off a dragon attacking an entire city!"

"None of the stories I heard about Ser Tristan said anything about him fighting off a dragon," said Isolde.

"It was in my family then..." replied Edmund.

"Perhaps it is true," whispered Mira.

They stared at Mira. "What? It might be true," she answered.

They continued to walk.

"So, we're going to Watercrown," said Mira. "I do not know the city very well. I do know that it is a ride of about two days on horseback, though."

"So five days on foot," said Tomas.

"Or six," replied Mira.

"Six days... on foot..." said Isolde. "In this awful, snowy weather."

"Hey, at least we will have stories to tell when we are all back home," said Edmund.

They went on, talking, sometimes sighing, and laughing.

Soon, it was nearing dusk. They needed somewhere to pitch their tents, build a fire and eat.

The group searched and found a suitable spot to camp. The group pitched their tents. That was easy. Making a fire, however...

"Ugh... it is impossible to make a fire in this weather with just... sticks and branches," Edmund sighed.

Isolde laughed. "Would you like some magic to produce a fire?"

"Are you not cold, Isolde? I could see you shivering a few miles back," retorted Edmund, a smile on his face.

"I was not... shivering! I was moving with the group!"

"No, you were shivering," said Tomas.

Isolde blushed in embarrassment. "Fine! Let me cast a fire spell then!"

Everyone stepped back a few paces. Isolde cast a fire spell on the snow-parted ground. It worked. There was fire.

They all stood by the fire.

"And you could have done that sooner and not watch him fail for an hour?" said Tomas quietly.

"Yes!" said Isolde, laughing.

Soon, the whole party started laughing.

"Well, we had better sleep soon... If we want to break camp first thing at dawn, then continue towards Watercrown," said Mira, wiping a tear of mirth from her eyes.

"Indeed, we should," said Edmund.

"Well, if we're all in agreement, then we should eat before bed," said Isolde.

"That is true. We need energy," said Edmund.

"Or we could wait until tomorrow," said Mira.

"But I am hungry now..." complained Edmund.

Mira sighed. "Okay, okay. Let me cook something up quickly."

The whole group smiled.

Mira cooked.

The meal was delicious. They ate every bite.

They finally slept in their tents.

The following days were long and bitterly cold. They walked from dawn until dusk, stopping only to eat and rest. At night, Isolde made their fires while the others prepared the tents and food.

Snow continued to fall. By the fourth day, even Edmund had stopped pretending that the journey was easy.

On the sixth morning, the walls of Watercrown finally appeared through the snow.

"There it is, Watercrown!" said Mira, her eyes taking in the surroundings.

Watercrown, a very big city in the Kingdom of Mizuhara, stood there, in wintery snow. It looked beautiful.

They went to the gate. There were guards in place, standard for cities and towns.

"Woah, woah, travellers..." said one guard.

"We would like to enter the city please," said Edmund.

"No can do," said the guard. "There is something important going on in the city. No travellers allowed in."

"We're adventurers. What is it?" said Isolde, showing her Adventurer badge.

The guard gestured to another. They came. They spoke in hushed tones. When they were finished talking, the first guard turned back to face them.

"There have been... dragons."

"Dragons? That is not extraordinary," said Mira.

"These dragons have been causing trouble in the city. Causing fires every day. We have sent word to the king, but we are not sure if he received it yet."

"Well, let us in. We might be able to defend the city," said Edmund.

Mira and Isolde gave him a look.

Tomas gave a nod. "That is right. Do you know who he is?" he said, pointing to Edmund.

"No," said the guard.

"He is a strong fighter. And the son of the house Halewood," said Tomas.

The guard trembled. "Of course. Please, enter!"

The oak doors opened.

The group went into the city before Edmund could correct Tomas.

"Tomas, you lied!" said Edmund, when they were a few paces away from the doors.

"It seemed like he wouldn't let us in. What could we do? Stay outside? No, thank you," said Tomas.

Edmund sighed. "It is not proper to lie."

"I know it is not. I was only quickening the pace."

They continued to walk.

After a few minutes, Isolde saw something. "A fire?"

"Huh?" said the group all together.

There was a building on fire.

"Oh no, that is not good!" said Edmund.

"It is no-" began Mira, but Edmund dived into the burning building with haste.

"Oh no..." said Isolde.

"This could end badly," said Tomas.

Inside the building, Edmund tried to see through the smoke. "Anyone here?!" he shouted.

"H-here..." said a voice.

Edmund went straight to the source.

The person was under a big pile of wood. It was a woman.

"I am here. Just hold on, okay?"

He tried to lift the wood, but failed.

"Go! Leave me!" said the woman.

"And leave you dead? No!"

He used his sword to try to chop through some of the wood. It worked!

Edmund lifted the wood up. "Quickly, get on your feet!"

"I cannot!"

Edmund, with a grunt of effort, threw the wood away.

He then lifted the woman upwards and carried her out. "Are there any more people in the building?"

"N-no, it was just me..." said the woman.

Suddenly, clip-clops were heard.

It was a knight in armour on a horse.

Isolde, Tomas and Mira bowed.

Edmund was out of breath, and bowed down.

"You there," said the knight. "You saved her life when your own was in danger?"

"I mean..." started Edmund.

"He did! He absolutely did! He is my hero!" screamed the woman.

The knight looked at the woman, and then at Edmund.

The knight got off his horse gracefully. "You did well today. May I ask your status?"

"A commoner from Willowcup... Oh, I suppose I am an adventurer too."

"An adventurer, you say? Interesting... what is your name, boy?"

"Edmund, Ser."

“Edmund from Willowcup, you entered Watercrown as an adventurer, but today you acted with the courage of a knight. You placed the lives of others before your own and protected those who could not protect themselves.”

The Ser drew his sword.

“Do you swear to defend the innocent, uphold your honour and give your service to the Twelve Kingdoms for as long as you live?”

“I swear.”

“Then kneel, Edmund.”

Edmund knelt.

The Ser gently placed the blade upon one shoulder, then the other.

“By the authority granted to me, I name you a knight of the Twelve Kingdoms.”

He lifted the sword.

“Rise, Ser Edmund.”

Edmund rose, confused.

Isolde, Tomas and Mira all looked surprised.

"May I ask for your name, Ser?" asked Edmund.

"It is Ser Godfrey Marlowe. Remember it well, boy."

"I will. Thank you, Ser," said Edmund.

Ser Godfrey Marlowe nodded once, got back on his horse, and rode away from the group.

Edmund turned to his friends, a new sense of pride and ambition coursing through his veins.

"Well done, Ser Edmund," they said, patting him on the back.

"Always wanted to be a knight," said Edmund.

The woman Edmund had saved called out from where she sat. “What would Ser Edmund want? I will grant you anything!"

"Actually..." said Edmund, turning to Mira. "We would like to have some information regarding this city."

Mira's eyes widened. "Yes! That is correct..."

"Anything," said the woman.

The woman was called Lyra.

Mira and Lyra talked for a while, with Edmund, Isolde and Tomas all listening.

Lyra began. "Well, you see, Ser Tristan did travel here last, according to your research. There is a place called Tristan's Temple. It has a head of the dragon he fought. The head is gigantic. He almost lost an arm and a leg when he fought it...

"And it is not far from here. Maybe a few hours' walk. Perhaps more. But it does not contain the treasure. It has been searched."

Isolde, Tomas and Mira all looked at Edmund.

"Oh, I told you so!" said Edmund, all smug.

"I see... Thank you, Lyra," said Mira.

"Yeah, thank you, Lyra," said Edmund. "Maybe we will see you around again."

Lyra nodded.

Edmund, Isolde, Tomas and Mira went off in search of the temple.

They soon found the temple.

"I will scout behind the temple. Shout if you find something," said Tomas.

"And I will stand guard outside," said Edmund.

Isolde and Mira rolled their eyes, and entered the temple.

They entered a big room. There were torches on the walls and stairs leading down.

They grabbed the torches and went down. They saw a set of doors. They opened them up and entered another big room, although this one was bigger than the one upstairs.

They saw a set of chairs, a pedestal with a book on it, and a painting on the wall of what they presumed to be Ser Tristan and the dragon.

Mira looked at the painting. “Those mountains... they are not on the map.”

“What are you say-” began Isolde, but then she saw it. “Oh, yeah...”

"But why?"

"Perhaps the dragon destroyed it."

"Perhaps..."

They went around. Mira went to the book, while Isolde examined the mountain in the painting.

Mira read the book. Isolde looked at the mountain.

"Mira? I think there's a cave in the mountain..." said Isolde, while Mira read the book.

"Really, now?" asked Mira.

"Yes. It is small, but I can see it."

Mira moved away from the book and walked towards Isolde. "You are correct. Is that not gold inside the mountain?"

"I think so."

"Well then... It should be near here..."

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

Mira looked at Isolde. "What are we waiting for..."

They giggled, and headed upstairs with their torches.

They went out of the temple.

"I think we have found the treasure," said Mira to Edmund.

"Oh, really?" asked Edmund.

"Yes," said Isolde. "Really."

Tomas returned from behind the temple.

“There is something strange back there,” he said.

“What?” asked Mira.

“Rocks. A lot of them. Far too many to simply be lying there.”

Mira froze.

She looked back towards the temple.

“The mountain...”

“What about it?” asked Edmund.

“Perhaps it was not destroyed. Perhaps it collapsed.”

Isolde's eyes widened.

“And the cave?”

“Would still be underneath it.”

They walked to the back of the temple. They walked towards the rocks.

"It seems like nothing," whispered Edmund.

"Maybe because it is underneath the rocks," replied Mira.

"Okay, move over," said Isolde.

Everyone moved. Isolde cast a spell that lifted the rocks out of the way.

After the rocks were lifted, an old stone stairway was revealed beneath them, descending into the darkness.

They all went down the stairway.

At the end of the staircase, they reached a vast treasure trove. Gold, jewels, weapons and relics covered the floor and lined the walls.

"Is this...?" started Edmund.

"I think it is..." replied Mira.

They looked at everything. Once, twice, maybe even thrice!

Then, they began to collect the treasure on their bodies and clothes.

"There is a lot of treasure!" said Edmund.

"Yes, a lot..." whispered Tomas.

"What are we going to do with it though?" said Edmund.

"Get better equipment, maybe," said Isolde.

"And houses," added Tomas.

They searched the whole trove, putting things down whenever they found another piece of treasure that looked even more valuable.

Edmund opened a door.

There were bones in the room, with ancient armour and swords.

"Guys... you might want to look in this room..." said Edmund.

The group looked into the room.

"This might be where Ser Tristan fell," said Mira.

Edmund's eyes widened. "So, what you are saying is that one of these... bones... is Ser Tristan?" asked Edmund.

"Might be, yes."

Edmund went into the room.

And soon after, everyone went in.

"Let us search then," said Mira.

They searched the armour and swords.

"I think I have found Ser Tristan," said Tomas.

Everyone saw the armour, sword and bow. The name "Halewood" was on all of them except for the sword. The crest showed a wolf with a sword behind it. They were undoubtedly Ser Tristan Halewood's remains.

"Halewood..." whispered Edmund.

Edmund picked up the sword beside the remains. "And this must be Oathwing."

Oathwing was a long, narrow sword with a straight double-edged blade and a sharp point. The guard curved out on either side like a pair of wings, with a small round piece of metal set in the centre. Its handle was wrapped tightly in dark leather, crossing over itself all the way down to the pommel. The pommel itself was shaped almost like a small claw or pointed crown.

It wasn’t covered in jewels or decorations. It was simple, well made and clearly meant to be used. Even so, the winged guard made it stand out from an ordinary sword.

"But it does not have the crest on it..." said Mira.

"But it was in his hand," said Edmund, confused.

"And the armour and bow have the crest," said Tomas.

"Look, that sword might be cursed for all we know," said Isolde.

"And I picked it up..." said Edmund.

"You did. How do you feel?" asked Isolde.

"More powerful, more fearless than I already was... this is an excellent feeling..."

"Can I have a look?" asked Isolde.

"Of course..."

Edmund reluctantly gave the sword to Isolde, and Isolde scanned it with magic.

"Interesting... It is cursed. Not when you first pick it up, but the second time, you will be burdened with bad luck and have a high chance of dying... I cannot remove the curse, but perhaps an Elder could..."

Everyone stood in silence.

"I want the sword..." said Edmund. "I do not care if I have bad luck, I want it..."

"Edmund, please, no. We must go and find an Elder as soon as possible!" said Isolde.

"You heard the mage, Edmund," said Tomas.

"Isolde might be right. I mean, we do not want you to die, Edmund," said Mira.

"An Elder can remove the curse from me as well," Edmund said, trying to pick up the sword.

"No! Edmund, if an Elder were going to remove a curse from your body, it would damage your soul!" said Isolde.

Edmund stopped. "I do not care, just give me the sword, please."

"Edmund, stop this," said Tomas. "We did not come here to die. Not today!"

Edmund snapped out of it. "You are right, Tomas... Not today..."

"Not today," said Mira and Isolde together.

"Then, where is Oathwing?" asked Edmund.

"It is complicated. This is Oathwing, but someone took off the crest for some reason," explained Isolde. "But we could always have a crest put on the sword after the curse is taken care of."

"Can they tell us what happened to Ser Tristan? How he died, I mean..." asked Edmund.

"I am not sure."

Edmund sighed. "Well, we have to bring it to an Elder anyway."

Isolde nodded. "Nobody touch Oathwing now. Leave it there, and I shall levitate the sword to an Elder."

They collected all the treasure they could carry, and left with Isolde levitating Oathwing with them.

"So, where is the nearest Elder?" asked Edmund.

"They are about a mile away," said Mira.

"A mile? Are you sure?" asked Edmund.

Mira nodded.

The group went onward.

Once they were back in the city's square, Isolde scanned the crowd for an Elder, a powerful mage with a powerful aura even when silenced.

Isolde searched for powerful mana. "Lyra?"

Everyone looked at Lyra. They walked towards her.

"Lyra, you are an Elder, are you not?" asked Isolde.

Lyra stood, panic on her face.

"Elder? Whatever do you mean? I am not old!" answered Lyra.

"I was not implying that you are old," said Isolde.

"Lyra, please help us," said Edmund.

Lyra sighed. "Not here. Come, this way."

Lyra and the group went to a house.

"This is my house," said Lyra. "Also, why are you levitating a cursed sword?"

"This is Oathwing," said Isolde.

"Are you certain?" asked Lyra.

"Yes, it is. Just scan it with your magic, will you? Be warned, it is cursed," answered Isolde.

Lyra nodded and closed the door after everyone was in.

They went to the living room.

"Now, now... Oathwing..." whispered Lyra, scanning with her own magic.

Everyone waited.

"Oh, gosh..." whispered Lyra.

"What is it?" asked Edmund.

"A lot of things are wrong with Oathwing. It was cursed before Ser Tristan died, obviously. A day or two before his death... Ser Tristan went insane. He fought off his party until an arrow struck him in the heart.

"In the days prior, he was attached to Oathwing. Inseparable. The party stopped by this city because it was where my great-great-great-great grandparents lived, and they wanted to know why Ser Tristan was inseparable from Oathwing!" explained Lyra.

"So, do you know how to remove the curse?" asked Edmund.

"I can try, but it might take days."

"Days?!" screeched Edmund.

Lyra nodded. "And for free because you saved my life," she mumbled.

"Well, guess it is the tents for a few more days then..." said Isolde.

"You can stay here if you want," said Lyra.

Everyone looked at Lyra.

"What? I live alone," she explained. "And there are two bedrooms."

Everyone blushed apart from Lyra, who seemed not to have caught up with the bedroom situation.

"Oh, sorry... do you guys need separate bedrooms?"

"It would be desirable, but if I need to, I'll just sleep on a seat," said Edmund.

"I was wondering if the girls can have a bedroom, and the boys could have the other room," said Lyra.

"I guess that would work," said Mira.

"Good!" said Lyra. "I can maybe teach Isolde how to remove curses in the meantime?"

"You can teach me?" asked Isolde.

"I can certainly try!" replied Lyra.

"Yes, please teach me."

In the days that followed, Edmund went around the city, just looking at things. Tomas went with him. Mira was up in the house, reading and adding to Ser Tristan's story. Meanwhile, Isolde and Lyra worked on removing the curse on Oathwing.

Then, one day, after seven exhausting nights, Isolde and Lyra finally removed Oathwing's curse. They had done it. Finally.

"That..." breathed Lyra, "took ages."

"Well, I mean, it had an advanced and ancient curse on it," laughed Isolde.

"Yes, that is true," said Lyra.

"Has the curse been removed then?" asked Edmund.

"Yes, we have both used our mana to check if it is removed," said Isolde.

"Can I wield it?"

"Not in my house!" said Lyra. "If you wish to wield it, go outside!"

Everyone laughed.

"Okay, I will then!" said Edmund, and he entered the room where Oathwing lay, and carefully picked it up, and then went outside.

Lyra sighed. "Are you guys not scared of me then? Is that true? I mean, I am an Elder after all..." said Lyra.

"Of course not," said Isolde.

"You helped us out. That means no," said Tomas, shrugging slightly.

"And- oh, you already said she helped us out," said Mira. "Well if it was not for you, we would not have found Ser Tristan's treasure."

"Thank you for that!" shouted Edmund outside.

Lyra blushed. "Well, if it was not for Ser Edmund The Brave, I would not be here."

"Ser Edmund The Brave?" said Isolde.

"That is what the city's been calling him when you guys were away finding Ser Tristan's treasure..." explained Lyra.

"Aw, we wanted to name him!" complained Isolde. "Maybe Ser Edmund The..."

"Amazing?" said Lyra.

"Reckless?" said Tomas.

"Stubborn?" said Mira.

"No, no, Ser Edmund The Boring..."

"I heard that!" shouted Edmund outside.

Everyone laughed.

Edmund went inside the house. "Ser Edmund The Brave... Not too bad..."

Lyra nodded. "Ser Godfrey Marlowe said that he was impressed by you and told everyone the story of how you saved me. He kind of exaggerated a bit, but you're now Ser Edmund The Brave."

"Really? A Ser exaggerated the story for me?" asked Edmund.

Lyra nodded.

"Well done, mate,” said Tomas. “Try not to let it go to your head.”

"I will not," replied Edmund.

"Anyway, why would we be scared of you?" asked Isolde. "You are kind."

"Maybe because I can control dragons, use God and Goddess magic and domains, and have a lot more mana than all of you combined?" whispered Lyra.

"If we were scared of Elders, then we would not seek the help of one," explained Isolde.

"But everybody is scared of Elders here... That is why I keep it secret..."

"Well, we aren't scared at all," said Edmund.

"But why?"

"Because we were taught in school to not be afraid of people. Not Elders, not Sers, not kings or queens, nobody," explained Mira.

"But..."

"No buts. We are not afraid. We are grateful that you told us information and removed a curse from Ser Tristan's sword," said Mira.

"Maybe she could join the group?" asked Tomas.

Everyone stared at Tomas, then at Lyra.

"Would you like to be an adventurer with us?" asked Edmund.

"I-I do not know..." answered Lyra.

"There is no shame in not being an adventurer like us," said Isolde, consoling Lyra.

Lyra blushed. “Would Ser Edmund the Brave and I ever be alone together on some adventures... while travelling along with you guys?”

"Uh, maybe..." said Isolde.

"Then I would like to join," said Lyra immediately.

Tomas and Mira looked at each other with a knowing glance.

"So, soon we will be a group of five... It will be classified as a party in the eyes of the government," said Tomas.

"That is true," said Mira.

"Would we need to move here then?" asked Edmund.

"Oh, yes! You must!" said Lyra, the blush from her cheeks brightening.

"I see..." said Edmund.

"I am sure there are laws that say that a party needs to live close together as well..." said Lyra, trying to hide her blush with her hands.

"Close together?"

"Like what we were doing in the town, Edmund," explained Isolde.

"Oh, yes! Let us do that then!" said Edmund.

"You might be waiting a while. People do not move out regularly," said Lyra.

“Then can we stay at yours until we manage to buy the houses?” asked Edmund.

"Yes!"

"Then it shall be settled. We will stay here until a house goes up for sale around here."

Lyra blushed even more.

"We might need to collect our things at our parents' houses, Edmund," said Mira.

"That can wait, can it not?"

"I do not think so, and we need a Ser to get back in," said Tomas.

"But I wanted to-" began Edmund.

"We need to go now, Edmund," said Isolde.

Edmund sighed. "Fine..."

"And we can buy horses now!" said Isolde.

"And a lot more," said Tomas.

Everyone laughed.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for a few days, Lyra. We will see you when we get back!" said Edmund.

Lyra blushed even more. "Okay! Bye!"

Edmund, Isolde, Tomas and Mira all left the house and then the city without any problems. They bought horses as well, so it would be quicker to travel back and forth with their things than on foot.

They all went back to Watercrown, without any problems because Edmund was a Ser.

They went to Lyra's house, and stayed there for a couple of months until a few houses nearby went up for sale.

They all immediately bought the houses with Ser Tristan's treasure. Lyra walked up to Edmund's house and knocked on the door.

Everyone else was there.

"Oh, hi guys," said Lyra.

"Hello," said Edmund, Isolde, Tomas and Mira simultaneously.

"What is it?" asked Edmund.

“Oh, well, I wanted to see how the group was settling in.”

“Party now,” corrected Tomas.

“Right, party,” said Lyra.

They all laughed together.