Garen's wings hurt.

That was an understatement. They burned. That is something you can come to expect after flying for hours on end in plate armor while carrying an adolescent. He would have stopped long ago but he needed to be sure he had good distance between Galatea and the assassins. He couldn't trust anyone, as anyone could be a changeling in disguise.

Speaking of said changelings... His mind had been rolling over every possibility as to who they could have been. He knew enough about global politics to piece a couple things together.

They were of a changeling sub-group referred to as the 'Chrysalasi' by themselves and the other changeling factions. The scum of the world. Spies and assassins who took the dirtiest jobs and asked no questions and expected none in return. Hiring them was one of the most dangerous things one can undertake in the modern day so it was always anonymous. Anyone could have hired them. Even if he had one in his claws he wouldn't be able to get anything from them.

Garen glanced down at the young lady held close to his chest. Her eyes looked dead. Hollow and dry. She cried for the first hour or two after they escaped the castle. Now she was doing nothing but blankly staring below at the trees and plains they were crossing.

Garen shook his head and continued staring ahead, zoned in on what he was doing. It was only natural that she was like that. He didn't want to meet the creature that looked good hours after what she went through.

The sun was setting, that was good. Moving under the cover of night was much safer. His plans came crashing down when he felt the teenage gryphon shiver in his arms. He froze in the air and hovered in place, looking down at her.

She was cold, and once again, he should have expected that. This was the farthest she had ever been from the heated furnaces of her estate. Garen looked every which way before his eyes locked on a clearing below. He certainly needed rest, as did Galatea.

The Knight growled as he snapped his flint and steel together for the fifth time, only making miniscule sparks.

"Oh the joy of having magic." He said to himself before he simply reached around and grabbed a flask from his waist. He really wanted to save this for a rainy day, but the noble always came first.

Unscrewing the tip, he poured the entire contents of the flask on top of the meagre pile of good firewood he had managed to accumulate. When he snapped the flint and steel together one last time, the pile almost instantly shot into life, the orange and yellow flames flickering in the dark night.

Garen sat back on his haunches and laughed to himself. "Ah... note to self, Hippogryphian Fire Wine is extremely flammable, who'd of thought?" He joked as he turned his head over to Galatea.

The young gryphon didn't respond as she curled up in front of the inferno. The Knight stared at her for a second before shaking his head. Once again he reached for his waist removing a small satchel which he started rummaging around in.

Pulling out a small bag and some wrapped travel rations, he turned over to Galatea once more. "Here my lady, eat. I know it isn't much but you need it." He said as he held his rations out to her.

The snow white gryphon stared at his claw for a few seconds before tentatively grabbing the wrapped square and pulling the paper apart. It was nothing more than a small box containing several strips of jerky and a single hard tack biscuit.

The noble sighed uncomfortably before grabbing a strand of the jerky and idly chewing on it. Garen smiled slightly before turning back to the fire.

Opening the bag he dumped the contents of the bag into the fire. A fine green dust poured forth and onto the fire. The fire quickly turned a sickly, pale green.

Retrieving a quill and some parchment from the same satchel, the warrior sat back and started to write.

'Lord Gasbar.

I am sorry to report but your wife, Galiene, has unfortunately lost her life today due to Chrysalasi assassins in pursuit of your daughter. I have decided that the best course of action is to bring her with me into the wilderness until I have confirmation that it is safe to return to the estate.

-Sir Garen.'

Once he was finished writing, the gryphon stamped it with the seal of House Gallus. The magic proof seal prevented copying and could only be used by one within the House. It was perfect for making sure there was no forgery within the politicking of the Gryphons, as cutthroat as it was. It did require a lot of Equestrian red tape, however.

Garen dropped it into the crackling fire, watching with narrowed eyes as it disintegrated into a swirling plume of smoke. The smoke quickly rose into the air and shot off in the direction of the estate.

It took several long, treacherous minutes for a scroll to emerge from the fire, the rolled up piece of parchment gently dropping into his lap. Garen unrolled it quickly before reading it with a desperate haste.

'Sir Garen.

Disregard your plan. You are to take my daughter to the Equestrian Capitol as soon as feasibly possible. Even if the team who took the life of my wife is dealt with, there is no telling how many there are. House Gallus has many enemies as you should know. She will be much safer in Equestria, as near to the Princesses as she could possibly be.

I will personally be there to retrieve her once it is safe to return home.

You are now her personal retainer, Garen. Protect my daughter with your life.

-Lord Gasbar.'

After examining the seal at the bottom of the page, Garen nodded to himself, before rolling the scroll back up and placing it comfortably in his satchel. Dumping another bag of sand on the fire to remove the spell, he turned back to Galatea.

Galatea stared at him as the fire returned to it's comforting yellow and orange. "What did my father say? Is he alive?" She asked.

"Yes. He has ordered me to take you to Equestria." Garen said leaning forwards and clasping his claws.

"What? No! Surely I should be back home! Protected by Gryphon Knights!" Galatea shouted in protest.

"You should very well know that House Gallus does not have enough knights to both mobilize the commoners to hunt down the assassins and protect two nobles. It is best to keep you in Equestria surrounded by pony guards at the current moment. Not to mention the fact that spreading the nobles of the House out keeps us from being decapitated with a single operation." Garen said sternly, giving her a pointed gaze.

"B-but.." She started but was cut off by Garen.

"No buts. This is not a matter of getting pampered in the castle anymore. There are enemies after you now. Dangerous enemies. Your safety is the top priority of the House now. Do you Understand?" He said as he stood up and marched over to her.

"Y-yes sir..." Galatea said quietly, shrinking back into herself.

"Good. Now, get some sleep, we need to move early in the morning. I will take watch." Garen said as he sat back down. He heard Galatea open and close her beak a couple times before huffing and lying down.

Garen sighed and drew his sword, twirling it idly as he craned his neck every which way. "For the lady." He mumbled under his breath, watching her out of the corner of his eye..

Author's Note

I am actually really proud of this chapter.

I hope ya'll liked reading it as much as I liked writing it.

I am also sure you saw the new cover art. Big Thanks to Mix-up Aka Amalgamzaku. His art is really good.