Alpida and Fawn haven't been gone long when a tall figure, riding a black stallion, dressed from head to toe in spiky black armor, approaches the castle gate. The guard on duty calls out to him, "Who are you?"
And the figure responds, "I am the Black Knight, Lord of the Lands under the Mist, Sovereign Commander of the Shadow Warriors, and ruler of this castle. Your liege lord. Open the gate."
The guard stares at him, open-mouthed, for several minutes, before he manages to work up a reply. "You are not Valithor Icebeard."
The figure laughs, deep but jagged, a laugh that sends chills down the guard's spine. "No, I am not. I do not know where Valithor Icebeard is, but regardless my claim supersedes his. I was the Black Knight before he ever stepped foot in this kingdom. Now, I am again. I will spare you proper punishment this once, guardsman, due to your ignorance, but do not make that mistake again. Open the gate."
There is another long pause, but at last the gate is opened and the Black Knight enters. "It is good to be back."
Sanfor stumbles upon the group of trainees, his ankle taken care of.
He sees a scarred man missing the bottom halves of his legs, someone he vaguely remembers seeing swinging his way around the castle on two crutches, shouting orders at six other people. They are a tall, blonde man whose lazy smirk is only matched by that of the bow-carrying man beside him, an older man with a weathered farmer's face, a woman with sad eyes, a very large man, and a very small man.
Sanfor remains on the outskirts of the small crowd, waiting for somebody to notice him.
He sees a scarred man missing the bottom halves of his legs, someone he vaguely remembers seeing swinging his way around the castle on two crutches, shouting orders at six other people. They are a tall, blonde man whose lazy smirk is only matched by that of the bow-carrying man beside him, an older man with a weathered farmer's face, a woman with sad eyes, a very large man, and a very small man.
Sanfor remains on the outskirts of the small crowd, waiting for somebody to notice him.
At last, while the six are running drills, the scarred man turns to him. "What do you want?"
Alpida and Fawn haven't been gone long when a tall figure, riding a black stallion, dressed from head to toe in spiky black armor, approaches the castle gate. The guard on duty calls out to him, "Who are you?"
And the figure responds, "I am the Black Knight, Lord of the Lands under the Mist, Sovereign Commander of the Shadow Warriors, and ruler of this castle. Your liege lord. Open the gate."
The guard stares at him, open-mouthed, for several minutes, before he manages to work up a reply. "You are not Valithor Icebeard."
The figure laughs, deep but jagged, a laugh that sends chills down the guard's spine. "No, I am not. I do not know where Valithor Icebeard is, but regardless my claim supersedes his. I was the Black Knight before he ever stepped foot in this kingdom. Now, I am again. I will spare you proper punishment this once, guardsman, due to your ignorance, but do not make that mistake again. Open the gate."
There is another long pause, but at last the gate is opened and the Black Knight enters. "It is good to be back."
As the Black Knight walks through the halls, Garal comes up to walk alongside him. He does not bow. "My lord, welcome back to the castle. My name is Garal. I am the commander of the Shadow Guard, and, until your arrival, the highest-ranked person inside these walls."
If the Black Knight is angered by the lack of formalities, he does not show it. "You were not the commander when I left. Where is . . . what was his name . . . ah, Izat. Where is Izat?"
Garal almost misses a step when the Black Knight says the name, but he recovers quickly. "Izat and the other Shadow Guard members, excepting Bakar and myself, were smashed in the Xain Invasion. They took Bakar's legs, so I am now the commander."
The Black Knight nods. "I remember Bakar. He was always a fighter. Outlasted a whole set of Shadow Guard members, and now, it seems, he's outlasted another. Take me to him."
Garal leads him toward the practice fields. "He is training the new recruits now, but he will take time out to see you again."
Dang inactivity, I just missed my only shot at socialization. 
![[smile]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/6ElIZ2H5Cpy4rwMuxWgT.png)