Chapter 101: Home Again
The palace doors closed behind Kael.
For a moment, he remained on the steps.
The conversation with his father still occupied his thoughts.
His expedition had begun as a simple assignment.
It had ended with ancient ruins, strange creatures, independent hunters, suspicious travelers, and people impersonating Imperial soldiers.
And now there was something else waiting for him.
His fifty soldiers.
Kael started down the palace steps.
The afternoon air felt different from the wilderness.
Cleaner.
Warmer.
But strangely less peaceful.
He had spent weeks learning to listen for danger in forests and mountains.
Now he found himself doing the same thing in the capital.
Every carriage passing behind him.
Every soldier is standing on a corner.
Every nobleman watching from a balcony.
He noticed things he probably would have ignored before.
His father had been right.
An empire wasn’t just its battlefield.
It was everything.
Kael continued toward his estate.
He had barely reached the next street when a familiar figure stepped away from the side of a building.
Darius.
The veteran wore his dark military coat, the collar slightly open from the heat. His sword hung at his side, and his expression carried the same calm seriousness Kael had become accustomed to during the expedition.
He bowed his head.
"Prince Kael."
Kael stopped.
"You’re here early."
"We’ve been back for a while."
Kael glanced toward him.
"And the others?"
"Waiting."
Kael nodded.
They continued walking together.
For several moments, neither spoke.
Then Darius said, "The Emperor summoned you quickly."
"He wanted the report."
"Was it bad?"
Kael thought about the palace.
"No."
Darius looked at him.
"That answer usually means yes."
Kael smiled.
"We found problems."
"We expected problems."
"Not these."
Darius was quiet.
Kael looked ahead.
"There are people pretending to be Imperial soldiers."
Darius’s expression hardened.
"We heard."
"From who?"
"The military command received a report while you were inside the palace."
Kael stopped walking.
Darius stopped with him.
"How long?"
"We don’t know."
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
"So it’s already being investigated."
"Yes."
Kael nodded slowly.
"Good."
He started walking again.
Darius followed.
"I thought you’d want to investigate it yourself."
"I do."
"But?"
Kael looked toward the road ahead.
"My father told me not to."
Darius smiled.
"Then you’re actually listening to him."
"Sometimes."
That earned a quiet laugh.
By the time they reached the estate, the sun had begun its descent.
The gates opened as Kael approached.
He stepped inside.
The courtyard immediately became familiar.
His soldiers were there.
All fifty.
They weren’t standing in formation this time.
Some were sitting along the stone wall.
Others were cleaning weapons.
A few were talking among themselves.
Several looked toward the gate.
Then they saw Kael.
The conversations stopped.
Darius walked forward.
"He’s back."
The soldiers rose.
Kael looked across them.
He remembered these men differently now.
Before the expedition, they had been soldiers assigned to him.
During the journey, he’d learned their habits.
He knew who remained calm under pressure.
Who rushed forward.
Who protected the wounded?
Who noticed details others missed.
Who struggled when plans changed.
Who could be trusted when things became chaotic?
The expedition had given him something no military report could.
Experience with them.
Kael walked toward the group.
"You all look terrible."
A few soldiers laughed.
One of them answered, "We were expecting you to say something inspiring."
Kael looked at him.
"You’ve been home for one day."
"Two."
"Then you have no excuse."
The soldiers laughed again.
The tension disappeared.
For the first time since returning to the Empire, Kael felt like he had actually come home.
Darius watched quietly.
Kael eventually looked toward him.
"How did everything go while I was gone?"
"Quiet."
"That sounds suspicious."
"It was."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
Darius shrugged.
"Nothing worth bothering you with."
Kael accepted the answer.
He looked around the courtyard again.
The Black Dragons had changed.
Not because of new ranks.
Not because of new weapons.
Not because Kael had given some grand speech.
They had changed because they had experienced something together.
They had traveled beyond the safety of the capital.
They had fought together.
Failed together.
Protected people together.
And survived.
Kael walked toward the center of the courtyard.
"I’ve read the reports."
The soldiers became quiet.
"I know what happened while I was gone."
Darius glanced at him.
Kael continued.
"But reports aren’t enough."
He looked at the men.
"I want to hear from you."
A soldier frowned.
"About what?"
"The expedition."
Several exchanged looks.
Kael folded his arms.
"Tell me what you think we did wrong."
Silence.
One soldier finally spoke.
"We weren’t prepared."
Another nodded.
"We didn’t know enough about the terrain."
A third said, "Our formation broke too easily during the first attack."
Someone else added, "We relied too much on orders."
Kael listened.
Nobody tried to make themselves look better.
That pleased him.
Darius eventually spoke.
"We also underestimated how much work it takes to protect civilians."
Kael looked at him.
"Explain."
"Fighting monsters is easy compared to keeping frightened people alive while you’re fighting."
Kael nodded.
He remembered the lake.
The village.
The caravan.
The forest.
Darius continued.
"We need more than combat training."
Kael looked across the courtyard.
"That’s what I wanted to hear."
He walked slowly past them.
"You’ve already been given your positions."
Nobody spoke.
"You’ve already been given your responsibilities."
The soldiers listened.
"So I’m not changing any of that."
Kael stopped.
"What I’m changing is how we train."
Darius’s expression sharpened.
Kael continued.
"From now on, you’re going to train for situations that don’t look like battles."
Several soldiers exchanged confused looks.
"Rescue."
"Escort."
"Reconnaissance."
"Terrain survival."
"Protecting civilians."
"Fighting creatures you don’t understand."
"Working without direct orders."
Kael looked at Darius.
"And making decisions when I’m not there."
Darius nodded.
That last part mattered.
Kael wasn’t trying to create soldiers who depended on him.
He wanted soldiers capable of continuing without him.
The Emperor’s words returned to his mind.
Teach them.
Kael looked toward the men again.
"I won’t always be beside you."
Nobody interrupted.
"One day, you may have to make a decision that affects all fifty of you."
He paused.
"When that happens, I don’t want you looking around for me."
His eyes moved from soldier to soldier.
"I want you to already know what to do."
The courtyard remained silent.
Then Darius stepped forward.
"We understand."
The others followed.
"We understand."
Kael nodded.
"Good."
He turned toward the estate.
"Get some rest."
One soldier laughed.
"That’s an order I can follow."
The courtyard broke into laughter again.
Kael shook his head.
As the soldiers began dispersing, Darius remained behind.
"You’ve changed."
Kael looked at him.
"Everyone keeps saying that."
"Because it’s true."
Kael glanced toward the setting sun.
"Maybe the expedition changed more than I realized."
Darius nodded.
"Probably."
Kael was quiet for a moment.
Then his hand moved toward the bag hanging at his side.
He felt the shape inside.
The mysterious egg.
Still silent.
Still unidentified.
Still carrying questions he couldn’t answer.
He didn’t take it out.
Not here.
Not yet.
There were too many people around.
Darius noticed the movement but said nothing.
Kael appreciated that.
He looked toward the estate.
"I have one more thing to do."
Darius waited.
Kael started walking.
"What?"
Kael looked back.
"Sleep."
Darius laughed.
"Finally, a wise decision."
Kael disappeared inside.
For the first time in weeks, there was no battlefield waiting for him.
No expedition.
No monster.
No ancient ruin.
Just home.
But the peace wouldn’t last forever.
For now, Kael had returned.
And tomorrow, he would have to decide what came next.