Long ago, the land of Gryphonia was changed forever by the God of Chaos, Discord. He placed upon it an affliction of Seasons. Ever since that time, summers and winters became longer, some lasting a decade, and autumn and spring became almost non-existent, even as the rest of the world changed around it.
The gryphons that live in this cursed land have learned to adapt. In the North, where even summers bring snow; castles, keeps, and aeries are built over hot springs and volcanic vents, and great swathes are cut into the forests for firewood that is traded all over the Five Kingdoms. In the South furs are collected, traded, and hoarded during the summer years.
For the South, summers a hot and humid, and ice is imported from the North to cool baths and keep food from rotting. In the North, summers are still relatively cold, with summer snows not being uncommon.
Gryphons in the East and West are treated with temperate winters and summers, almost like spring or an autumn, but not quite. They still require the commodities provided by the North and South, but in their state of transience they have things neither of the others have, including rare herbs, spices, and flowers which are shipped both within the Gryphonian borders and out into Equestria and the rest of the world.
Gryphonia is split into four distinct kingdoms, each one led by it’s own royal family. The four kingdoms divide the land in the four cardinal directions, North, South, East, and West, leaving space in the middle for another kingdom, the Seat of the Emperor. The Seat is the central government of Gryphonia, from which the Emperor rules the four kingdoms. While the Seat is the body of the government, where universal laws for all five of the kingdoms are made and passed, each of the other four kingdoms are self-reliant and rarely receive interference from the Seat. However, when a time of war is upon the kingdoms, the Seat calls upon the four kingdoms to put up a unified front of defense. Conversely, for inter-kingdom warfare, the Seat acts as an independent party, never interfering unless it is directly attacked.
The role of Emperor is held by one gryphon for life. However, the children of the Emperor do not take over when he or she dies, except under special circumstances. When an Emperor dies, Gryphonia falls into a period of anarchy, with one or more family trying to take control of the Seat while the current ruling family tries to fight them off. During these times a lesser family may try to make a name for itself by expanding it's territory and influence while other families may be at war. Success in either endeavor will earn the family great wealth and prestige, while failure may result in complete extermination of the offending family. Sometimes it can take up to a year for a new Emperor to be chosen. In some very rare cases, the transition is more peaceful, and the greater houses vote for a new Emperor from the candidates put forth by the current ruling family.
The role of the Equestrian government in present-day Gryphonia is that of an older brother, keeping an eye on it’s younger sibling but not getting involved in its affairs in order to save face with it’s friends and to keep the younger one independent. The Seat’s position on the matters of the Equestrian government is the same as any neighboring governments'; they keep the peace through negotiations, and the Emperor sits on the Council of Nations led by Equestria's crown-princess Celestia.
Our story starts in the dead of winter, in the North, during a time of peace and prosperity for the five kingdoms.
Chapter 1: Wingfell Keep, Red Wing.
In a northern castle known as Wingfell Keep, the Grand Duke of the North, Red Wing, oversaw the packing of his firstborn son’s possessions. With him stood duke-in-training Silver Wing and Rome Silvanus, a pegasus who once held the title of Right Hoof of the Queen, Princess Celestia of Equestria, and current agent of Wingfell, acting as a mentor and protector for Red's son. The three of them were standing in Silver’s room, watching as servants packed away everything the young gryphon would need on his journey to Equestria.
Silver stood watching as all his things were packed into trunks. He was being forced to go to the Equestrian cloud city of Cloudsdale in order to join with young gryphons and ponies from the two countries in a year-long flight camp.
“Father, tell me again; Why must I leave my training and go to Equestria?” Silver asked, hating the idea of leaving the North and traveling away from home for the first time in his young life.
Red looked down at his son, considering him. He had grown from a small and unassuming cub into a fine young gryphon. He was proud of his son, with his mother's silver feathers, and his own grey fur. Sometimes, however, he couldn’t help but be frustrated with him. Silver had asked the same question thrice, in that day alone, and he had gotten the same answer every single time. Red was about to answer once more when Rome interjected.
Rome spread out his left wing and brought it across Silver’s back and pulled him close, away from Red, whom he could see was getting frustrated with his son. “Do you know how annoying it must be for your poor father to be asked the same question over and over again? From on my own experience, I can tell you that it is very annoying, and you should probably stop before he gets too mad.”
Silver pulled away from him, back towards his father, and scowled at the pegasus. “I just think it’s stupid. I can already fly and Equestria is too damn warm.”
At this point, Red interrupted them, having had enough of the argument. “You would do well to acclimate yourself to the warmth of the equuish sun. While it may seem this winter will never end, it will, just as every other winter has ended, and summer will come again, just as those in the South say. Hopefully, you will be greeted by your first summer when you return .” As he spoke, he walked around to stand in front of his son, looking sternly down at him. “Furthermore, at this ‘Cloudsdale Flight Camp’ you will meet and become friends with the next generation of Equestrian nobles and aristocrats, as well as commoners and layponies, and I believe that it would do you good to meet others your own age. Not only that, but you will also learn their language faster and better than Rome or any of your other tutors can teach you here. But do not worry, for you will not be going alone. During your journey you will be accompanied by an entourage of loyal gryphons, and together you will meet with other young gryphons from the other kingdoms and keeps and their retainers, closer to the border. Rome will also accompany you to Equestria, as he knows the land better than any of our own. However, I expect that you won’t have much time for him during the camp, as you’ll probably be focused on the activities and competitions.”
As Red admonished him, Silver looked sullenly down at the ground, raising his head and looking into his father's eyes only after he had finished speaking. “Alright, fine. I’ll go to Equestria and join this ‘flight camp’, but know that I would rather stay.”
His father gave him an understanding smile and nodded. “That is fine, I wouldn't expect anything less. But, I’m sure you’ll find yourself having fun before long. Now, go find your mother. I have to have a talk with Rome. Go on.”
Rome watched as Silver turned and left his room before turning to face Red. “Well, you handled that better than I expected you would.”
“Did you expect me to get angry at my son simply because he does not understand the position he is in? If I were to do that I doubt he would like me very much.” Red asked, looking quizzically at the black furred pegasus. The gryphon stood at least three feet taller than him, with rust colored feathers and grey fur.
“Of course not.” Rome looked up at him with a cheeky smile, “But, I take it you didn’t want me to stay just so we could talk about the way you reacted; what do you need from me?”
Red nodded slightly. “You would be correct in your assumption. While you and Silver are in Equestria, you must protect him at all costs. Stay nearby, but do not interfere unless you absolutely need to. I want Silver to get the full experience of being a regular youngling; spending time with ponies and gryphons his own age, not having to worry about which family does what, or how to properly run a castle. However, keep a close eye on him, no matter what you or he are doing. There is no telling what lengths my enemies will go to in order to hurt me.”
Rome nodded, he knew through years of service to both Equestria and the Wing family that opposing political leaders would go to any lengths necessary to gain an advantage over their rivals, especially when it came to the gryphons of the Five Kingdoms.
“So you’re telling me to do my job. I get it. I do have one question, though.”
“And what would that be?”
“How am I supposed to blend in? I don’t think seven years is a long enough time for Celestia to have forgotten my crimes. She has quite a long memory, you know. It'd be quite dangerous for me there.”
Red stared down at the pegasus with regal disdain.
Seeing this, Rome continued quickly, “I’m not saying I wouldn’t go either way, I owe you and your family my life for taking me in after I left Equestria, and I'd do anything for your son, but how can I help Silver if I’m arrested the moment I set hoof in Equestria?”
Red considered the pegasus for a moment. “I see your point…" His expression softened to a thoughtful stare. After a few seconds of contemplation, he spoke, laying out his plan. "During your stay in Equestria you will go by the name Romanus and disguise your voice with a south-Equestrian accent. You will arrive a few days ahead of Silver and the rest of the travelers, and set yourself up as a camp counselor and training instructor. I will send a letter by raven to tell my contact in the Cloudsdale Council to secure your position.”
“Hmm…” Rome thought about the plan for a few moments and decided it was better than nothing. “Sounds good, I guess. As long as the message gets there before I do, I should be able to make it work.”
“Very good.” Red smiled warmly at the pegasus and nodded before turning back to the servants who were just finishing storing the last of Silver’s things in the trunks.
“All right,” He announced, and everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to face the large gryphon, “Move all the trunks down to the gates and get everything else ready to go. We leave in an hour!”
With that, Red turned and strode out of the room, wings shuffling against his sides, leaving Rome with the servants who were still watching the Duke leave the room.
“Come on, you heard him, get all the trunks out of here!” Rome commanded when nobody moved, “We don’t have all day!”
