The Warden of the South rode without guards, his cloak streaked with dust from the same roads his people walked. Men left their ploughs to bow their heads; women pressed their hands to their hearts. To them, he was not a lord wrapped in gold, but the only voice that spoke when the King would not listen.
He stopped beside a broken bridge where farmers waited for coins that never came from the capital.
"If the crown forgets you," he said, dismounting, "then let the South remember its own."
He took the hammer himself, driving the first stone into place as his soldiers watched in silence — not because they feared him, but because they loved him.
After seeing the condition of his beloved southern lands, the Warden decided to meet the King of Frankia — King Maelor of House Rhyn.
From the capital of the South, Carienhelm , it was a long three-week ride by horse to reach the King's city of Aureth — the City of Gold, built on wealth stolen from the South. Its marble halls glittered with minerals mined from the western hills, traded by force from the East, and guarded by the iron ranks of the North. Statues of the early kings loomed above the gates, carved by slaves from the fallen country of Almir.
The Warden, Calen of House Dareth, rode with what little remained of Carienhelm 's treasury — humble offerings in the hope that King Maelor might show mercy to his southern subjects, whose ancestors had once raised the banner of revolt against his own. That rebellion, two decades past, had drowned in blood — thousands dead, most of them being men of the King.
The Warden finally reached the gates of the city, guarded by Northmen.
"I, Calen Dareth, Warden of the South by sole right, wish to meet King Maelor," he said, stepping down from his horse.
"Thus you may open the gate for me to enter your magnificent city."
"He looks more a hopeless pauper than Warden of the South," one guard whispered to his fellow.
"The South's been in misery since the revolt," the other replied softly. "Send him with Ser Mervin. He's unarmed — no danger in that."
"What are you whispering about?" Calen asked.
"Nothing important, Lord Calen," the guard said quickly. "We will let you in with Ser Mervin — he will lead you to the King's palace."
Ser Mervin arrived soon after being called.
"Proceed with me, my lord Calen. What brings you to Aureth — the helplessness of the South?" Mervin asked, his tone polite but cutting.
"Indeed, the South has been starving," Calen replied. "I haven't had a proper meal in months. Perhaps I will get one here."
"Of course," said Mervin with a thin smile. "You will, Warden… you will."
***.