From the coronation, my father went straight to the stables, wordlessly indicating that my uncle and I should follow.

  “I’m leaving,” said the Commandant.

  I took in a breath to ask why, but my father quickly cut me off.

  “For once in your life, Sparrow, just listen. We may not have much time alone. Boshe, I need you to go get the men from the barracks and have them meet me at the gate. Send a messenger to the men camped outside and have them ready to move immediately. Go now.”

  Uncle hustled off, one hand cinched in his sash to keep his robes from flying everywhere.

  I made to ask another question, but managed to stop myself this time.

  “Yes, Sparrow, I’m taking all the men. Except for one. Dian Wei will be your bodyguard. I’ve trusted him with my life and now I’m trusting him with yours.”

  Bodyguard? I thought to myself.

  “This isn't a lasting peace, merely an interbellum. Another war is coming sooner or later, and when it does our house must be in order. Our first duty is to the people of our provinces. The Marshal won’t hold this country together forever, and when he fails, it will take everything we have just to hold our ancestral land. While I’m in Iron Tower, your uncle will protect the interests of the Silver Falcon clan in court. He’ll speak with my authority so long as my heir is by his side.”

  “Then what am I supposed to… Wait, your heir?” I actually did say that out loud.

  “Yes, you. As soon as I reach Iron Tower, I’ll set it in motion. But my will or no, Mandate from Heaven or no, you’ve positioned yourself such that the other warlords would be glad to see you ascend to my position, one day.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “Except for the ones that fear us, or want our land, of course. Those ones will be pissing themselves.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. But as my father’s smile vanished, so did mine. Suddenly it felt as if I had wandered into a steel trap.

  “Don’t be too proud of yourself, Sparrow. War is coming, and you’ve had as much a hand as anyone in bringing that about. You may be my heir now, but the other lords will still see you as weak and unworthy until you manifest a Mandate. It is your uncle who speaks with my voice, not you. Stay silent. Learn from him. And remember: I have other sons who’d be happy to take your place.”

  “Father, I-”

  “I hope I’m not interrupting,” came a rasping voice. In the gloom of the stables, I saw the flash of his eyes first, and then quickly realized that the Tiger must have had the same thought as my father.

  How long had he stood there? Had he heard about my lack of Mandate? We had never heard him coming.

  His generals and heirs all still filed down from the palace as he signaled for his horse.

  “I was just leaving,” my father said as I helped him into the saddle.

  “Oh,” said the Tiger, “Just you?”

  “Boshe and my heir have affairs well in hand here.”

  “Well,” said the Tiger leaping into his saddle. “Perhaps the Falcon and the Tiger could ride together for a while.”

  “Depends which way the Tiger is going.”

  “South. But before that, east for a while. You?”

  “North. But before that… east for a while.”

  “So it's settled.”

  “So it seems.” My father gave me a stern look, a nod, and then kicked his horse into motion.

  “Don’t dawdle,” said the Tiger to his own sons before he fell in beside my father.

  I thought it a bit strange that the Tiger should take his entire retinue with him, back to the Commandery he looked after. Apparently the Crimson Tiger clan had no further interests in the capital. Either that, or not even tigers were safe in this new regime, and a simple sparrow should be flying away as fast as he could.

  I watched my father disappear with the five men in red riding behind him, and remembered how I had sardonically assigned myself a mission back before we even entered the capital.

  ***SPARROW'S MISSION REPORT: FORAY INTO THE IMPERIAL CAPITAL***

  SUCCEEDED Primary Objective: Survive long enough to become heir to the Silver Falcon Plains.

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  SUCCEEDED Secondary Objective: Actually put the Silver Falcon clan in a good position for the future.

  FAILED Bonus Objective: Don't mess up the Empire, while you're at it.

  Enemy Slain: 3 | Enemy Captured: 0 | Losses: 0

  Overall Grade: B (Moderate Success)

  I couldn't help but smile to myself as I turned and headed back toward the palace. Still, my smile faded as I realized that the conclusion of my personal mission had come with the commencement of a much harder, much broader one. I outlined those thoughts and those objectives as I often did, as a briefing before battle, imagining the official orders my Uncle would eventually receive, along with the lay of the land. East of Windmarsh, the third province under my father's protection, was the sea. Which meant that if general war should break out, we'd have potential enemies – or potential allies – on three sides of us, though I guess my father was already starting on trying to gain a powerful ally in the south.

  ***SILVER FALCON CLAN MISSION BRIEFING: INTERBELLUM***

  Primary Objective: Prepare the Silver Falcon clan for general war among the clans.

  Secondary Objective: Ensure the Silver Falcon clan ends up on the right side of Imperial favor.

  Bonus Objective: Gain an ally in a province North of the Silver Falcon clan's holdings.

  Bonus Objective: Gain an ally in a province West of the Silver Falcon clan's holdings.

  Bonus Objective: Gain an ally in a province South of the Silver Falcon clan's holdings.

  Halfway back to the palace steps, my revery was broken by boots thundering on the paving stones behind me. I turned to find a large man, stripped of armor and in just his underclothes, barreling through the guards at the palace gate. He had caught the soldiers atop the wall so off-guard that they didn’t even have time to knock arrows, or else the big man would have been a pincushion before he could get more than a few steps inside the palace. The guards at the inner gate hadn’t gotten their pikes down in time either and they had been bowled over, now clinging to this man as he drove towards me.

  My first instinct was alarm, and then, remembering what my father had said, I ran down the steps with hands outstretched, “Wait, wait, wait! Stop. Dian Wei? Stop, please.”

  Even with two heavily armored men draped around him, he still hadn’t been slowed, such was his strength. He finally halted a single pace in front of me, like a soldier on parade before an officer.

  “Dian Wei Reporting!”

  He bowed and handed me his pendant.

  DIAN WEI

  RANK 2: Distinguished Peasant

  WORTH: 100 dan

  CLAN: Silver Falcon | STAR: Unknown | FATE: Unknown

  MANDATE: Strength Enough to Stop the Wind

  “It just says Dian Wei.”

  “Yes. That is my name.”

  “Ok, but what should I call you?”

  The muscle-bound man looked confused. “Dian Wei.”

  “No, I mean what’s your courtesy name?”

  Again he looked so confused, I felt that I was the one who must be missing something. “I Am Your Bodyguard.” he said, after a moment.

  “Yes, I know that. But I don’t know you that well, yet. What should I call you in the meantime?”

  “Dian Wei.”

  “Ok, lets try this… Can you let him go please! This is my attendant, not an assassin and not some common soldier.” Well, by the Imperial definition he was a common soldier, if a distinguished one, but that was beside the point.

  The gate guards fell off of Dian Wei with a rattle, collected as much of their dignity as they could and slunk back to their posts.

  “Let’s try this. What did my father call you?”

  “Dian Wei. I Was His Bodyguard.”

  “People you drink with in the taverns?”

  “They Are All My Good Friends. They Call Me Dian Wei.”

  “Commanding officer?”

  “Dian Wei.”

  “His commanding officer?”

  Dian Wei thought for a moment. “Oh, Dian Wei. But He Did One Time Call Me Windstopper.”

  “Good enough. Mind if I call you Windstopper?”

  Dian Wei’s primitive brow wrinkled. “Why Not Dian Wei.”

  “I would feel more comfortable.”

  “Oh. Kay.”

  “Great. Glad that’s settled. Now, follow me Dian- er, Windstopper.”

  “Oh. Kay.”

  I turned to head back to my rooms, and then paused. “Um, why do they call you Windstopper.”

  “They Don’t. They Call Me-”

  “Yes, Dian Wei. I got that. Why did your commanding officer’s commanding officer call you Windstopper that one time.”

  “Oh. Because When I Was A Boy I Held The Flag For The Army And Even When It Was Really Windy And No One Else Could Hold The Flag Without It Falling Over, I Could Hold The Flag Without It Moving Even A Little Bit. They Thought I Could Stop The Wind But I Am Just Really Strong.”

  “Fair enough. Follow me, Windstopper.”

  “Ok, Sparrow.”

  “So you do understand the concept of a courtesy name.”

  “What Do You Mean. Everyone Calls Me By My Real Name. It Is…”

  Our conversation went on in much the same manner, while an attendant led us through the circuitous palace pathways back to my room. Suffice it to say Dian Wei, I mean Windstopper, was a bit hurt when he finally realized that some people – but not all people – gave him one name, while they gave their close friends and family another. It took the better part of the day to explain that this wasn’t a lie, simply a way of being polite. The word “polite” took a lot more explaining.

  ***RANK UP***

  SPARROW

  RANK 6: Knight of the Provinces → RANK 7: Distinguished Knight

  WORTH: 300 dan → 350 dan

  CLAN: Silver Falcon | STAR: Black | FATE: None | MANDATE: None

  BONDS: Windstopper | ALLIANCES: None

  DISTINCTION: Heir to the Imperial Protector of the Falcon Plains, impetuous but intelligent, and apparently skilled with systems, puzzles, and books.