Commander Irvan placed both hands behind his back when he addressed the ranger now, "The Southern Valley fell to the horde two weeks ago. I have not received any word from the other regions. There is but one path that leads out of the valley to the edge of the capital, my prince. The last I heard from the king was assembling the army to defend the capital. Allies are in very short supply of late. Our dwarven neighbors have gone quiet as well when the horde came. Furthermore, why is there a drow amongst your allies? A drow?!"

"A drow who has saved my life as often as I have saved his," The Prince began in earnest, "A drow who has earned the right to call himself my friend. A drow who is here of his own volition and who seeks neither fame nor fortune for standing by my side. And, more importantly, a Drow who knows the enemy that we are fighting."

Willow pointed out towards the entrance, "That Drow out there is Lord Dy'var Irzen, Captain of the Shadow Riders, a calvary mercenary company that used to scout for years for Grummasht's armies before he had a falling out with The Dark Lord. That drow has knowledge of our enemy that could turn the tide of this war in our favor. That drow is here because I asked him to be here to help me, nay to help us, save our kingdom. THAT is why that Drow is an ally! THAT is why that Drow is here!"

"That's the Prince Willow I remember! Straight forward and honest to a fault just like all the pieces on the chess board. Your father is the white king and this orc battle master is the black king. How you choose your place on the board will depend on if your allies can actually back up what they can do."

"My allies slew an ogre that was threatening those survivors out there in under five minutes," The Prince proudly declared, "Rest assured, commander, my allies can back up ALL that they can do."

"Time will tell, my prince. Time will tell. This outpost is the only one that HAS not been found by the enemy and it will stay that way. The survivors will stay here until the pass along the ridge line is secure enough for them to take to the capital. You and your allies are going to make sure that pass is secure and well defended first, and maybe you can find out what happened to our dwarven allies that went missing, hmm?" Commander Irvan said.

Willow spoke with a deadly calm, "Do not presume to order me around like I am one of your soldiers, Commander Irvan, I am your prince and you will do as I command. Do we understand each other, commander?"

The Warden Commander narrowed his eyes at him, "So be it. Respect must be earned not just from me but from my company as well, my prince. You have been too long from your duties as prince. The outside world has made you soft and complacent. To me, you are just another elf choosing the company of other races over your own. What would of happened if you had return to nothing left standing in the Southern Valley? Would you prefer it burnt to ash and trampled down so much that nothing could ever grow back? I am and always will be a loyal subject to the crown but you, my prince need to earn your rightful place again!"

"You overstep your rank and your station, Warden Commander," Before Commander Irvan could utter a word in protest, Prince Willow seized the commander by his hair, slammed him face first into a table and yanked his head back to an upright position before he knew what hit him, "I need neither your respect nor your love, Warden Commander, only your obedience and your skills as a fighter and as a leader. You say that you are loyal to the crown? My father is not here. None of my older brothers are here. In their absence, I AM THE CROWN!"

Groaning in pain, the warden commander managed to say, "I yield! I yield! I do not expect your forgiveness on how I view your allies, my prince. IF you see fit that I am longer worthy enough to retain this position, then I will step down and let another take my place."

"Your opinion about my allies is YOUR business, Warden Commander," The Prince replied coldly, "My plans to save our people are MY business. You liken this struggle to that of a game of chess. Fair enough! I am a white bishop while you are a white rook. And you may keep your position and rank as Warden Commander. I need experienced leaders such as you for the fight ahead and I do not easily dispose of my chess pieces as you might think. Have I made myself clear, Warden Commander?"

********

Down below in the yard everyone heard the ranger raise his voice. The elementalist and the bronze man quietly looked at each other. Caliaphy buzzed back over to Serna and hid underneath her hair from being startled.

"Don't worry, Caliaphy, I'm sure Willow is just having a little misunderstanding while he is getting re-acquainted with one of his men, that's all," Serna reassured the Fairy.

Irzen grinned a little but said nothing.