The Centurion Project

by TheEighthDayofNight


Chapter 34: Taking Command

Luna mentally groaned as she listened to the ponies beneath her bicker. She couldn’t care about their words in the slightest as the pair of generals went back and forth, spouting nonsense, seemingly without productive intention. They had been going for the better part of an hour, and if their tones were any indication, they would be yammering away from some time yet.

In order to get their ponies into a more militant mindset, her sister had decided that they needed to have daily planning sessions. Both of the alicorns took time from their courts to ensure that each meeting could be attended by at least one princess, if not both. The idea was that the generals would get a feel for working with each other, and then be able to work together more efficiently. Unfortunately, most were still wrapping up their prior duties, so only two, General Lionheart and General Arrowheart, were shouting at each other about how they would split the command of the Solar Guard. Luna rubbed at the base of her horn as she tried to ward away the rapidly approaching migraine that was building. The meeting wasn’t any different than it had been the day before, nor the day before that. They had no direction yet, so when they weren’t trying to brown nose at Celestia’s feet, they would either bicker or fall silent, acting like pouting children. It was positively infuriating.

Luna blinked as the talk shifted mid-sentence from command to recruitment strategies. The “debate” intensified as they argued what kind of ponies they would prioritize for recruitment. Lionheart suggested “common ponies”, and argued that a large number of the middle and lower-class ponies would be perfect. Arrowheart, on the other hand, wanted to recruit exclusively from the nobility, stating that they needed intelligent ponies they could trust, not commoners. Both were beginning to get on Luna’s last nerve. She had initially struggled with such issues upon her return, but upon making friends with several ponies in Ponyville, she knew that the label “commoner” had nothing to do with intellectual or physical superiority, but pure economic choices. If anything, the common ponies were superior in every regard save monetary to the noble class.

“Posturing imbeciles,” Luna grumbled under her breath as the yelling began anew.

Celestia shot her a look that half said she was disappointed with the statement, but also said that she agreed with its sentiment.

Luna turned her ears off and looked to the stained-glass windows of the throne room, trying to find some semblance of solace from the turbulence that surrounded her. She really wished she had not promised to not pressure Elias. The only way she felt she could avoid affecting his decision was by avoiding the human entirely. Since he was also technically on leave, she hadn’t seen him at all since she had left him in his bed three days ago. His tall, skinny form had been a constant presence in her life, especially recently, and now she missed that silent stare, those beautiful, mis-matched eyes. She desperately wished to coax him into another game night with Nightshade, to enjoy each other's company as they had before the invasion.

Luna’s ears perked up slightly as she heard raised voices in the hallway. The pair of bickering ponies before her didn’t seem to notice. The noise seemed to get louder, and a very familiar shout rang clearly above the rest of the voices. Dead quiet followed, and Luna waited with baited breath as the throne room doors began to crawl open. As they did so, Lionheart and Arrowheart stopped arguing, whirling together to scold whomever interrupted them.

They didn’t dare say a thing as Elias strode into the room. Luna couldn’t help but flush lightly at the sight of him. He looked so… powerful. The air around the man radiated with confidence. He was so much the same, but so very much different. His armor was back to a silver color, but it positively shined as he walked, a far cry from the bloodied, beaten scrap they found him in. Red accents lined the edges, and they were matched by a red tunic, and a red plumed helmet under his left arm, and unlike the red of the Royal Guards, it almost seemed brighter, more brilliant, and pristine. Perhaps she was biased, or perhaps it was the difference in contrast from his pale skin and the brilliant red, but it seemed to pop as he walked forward.

Most of all however, were the changes to his face and head. Luna had to take deep breaths at the sight of his clean-shaven face. She wanted to pinch herself to ensure it wasn’t a daydream, but she didn’t, instead straightening her posture so that her face slipped into its normal royal mask. She couldn’t keep a slight smile from peeking through as he got closer though. Without his scraggly beard and shoulder-length hair, he looked positively handsome. The chiseled chin, those piercing eyes… Even the long black scar that split the left half of his face did nothing to mar his appearance, and if anything, it made him even more attractive. His red hair had been shaved down on the sides of his head, and the top was decorated by a spiky, seemingly ruffled mop, but Luna could just barely tell that it was intentional. Whatever barber he had gone to, the pony had done a superb job cleaning him up.

His face was serious as he walked past the silent generals, making his way directly to the foot of her side of the throne. The motion wasn’t lost on anyone; he saw her as his princess first, and Luna couldn’t have been happier. Despite the fact that he was completely unaware of her affections, he was already growing closer to her. Luna wanted to squeal with joy. She kept her face even as he gave her a crisp salute.

“Yes, Guardsman Bright? What can I do for you on this fine afternoon?”

His face showed little emotion, keeping a professional mask to rival hers.

“I have come to my decision concerning your offer, and I will accept the position of general if some conditions are met.”

Luna didn’t try to stop the wide smile that crept across her face. She had already drawn the conclusion from his attire, but to hear the words! It was coming together; everything would work out! He had already proven he would be an invaluable strategist and combat expert, and if he was on equal standing with other generals, he would have equal voice. She could throw her vote behind his words as much as possible, and likely, Nightshade and Chaser would do the same. Luna did her best to suppress her giddiness as she began to reply, but Lionheart snorted derisively, earning him a nasty glare from Luna, which he promptly ignored.

“And this is coming from the same low-born guard that decided to try and shame the princesses when he first received the extremely gracious offer? What makes you think that the offer is still open to you Bright?”

Luna’s muzzle curled in a snarl, more than ready to protect her human, but Elias looked non-plussed as he cast a single eye over his shoulder, intentionally keeping his back to the pony. It was clearly an insult, and from Lionheart’s face, it was an effective one. The unicorn seemed to turn red as the human spoke with a calm, even voice.

“Disregarding the fact that Princess Luna approached me about the matter personally in private? The need is great, and with the help of some friends, I have decided that I will overcome my personal issues for the greater good. The need has not lessened in the past few days and if this little,” he cleared his throat and smirked, nodding toward the table, “planning session of yours is any indication, you have no idea what you’re doing. Seven months isn’t a lot of time, yet here you are, pissing the time away. I have enough common sense to be able to tell when I’m needed, and thanks to some smart ponies,” Luna blushed lightly when his eyes flicked to her for a moment, “I have determined that I can fix any mistakes as they arise. They have my back, and I will ensure that the errors of my past aren’t repeated.”

He turned his eyes back to Luna.

“If my conditions are met that is.”

Celestia cleared her throat, directing the human’s attention to her. Luna almost protested. She loved looking at his eyes. They were so calm, so focused now. They even lacked the normal edge of misery that always seemed to hide within, and that sight alone made Luna ecstatic. She could spend days staring into those eyes.

“And what conditions might those be Elias?" Celestia asked. "We would have an idea of what you are asking for before agreeing.”

“Of course Princess,” he replied calmly.

Elais pulled two bundles of paper from a satchel behind his back. He offered them with a passive look on his face, and Celestia’s assistant levitated the scrolls before the alicorns' eyes. As they unrolled the bundles, Elias clasped his hands behind his back.

“That is everything in writing, but I shall summarize it orally as well. Simply put, I have one primary condition, and it is that I have complete control over my legion. You are the princesses, and you hold absolute authority in Equestria, I recognize that, but my legion will be mine and mine alone. Whenever I am in command, I have the only say. Whatever happens in training, or after, I will not stand having my decisions questioned. My terms are addressed fully in the written version, but suffice to say, if I am constantly being second guessed in practice, then my soldiers won’t trust my judgement on the battlefield.”

His mouth curled downward into a soft frown.

“I won’t train an army that won’t follow my orders to the letter. All that will do is get a lot of ponies killed, and I will not be a part of it.”

Luna found that she trusted him completely, and she set her bundle to the side for later reading. The motion brought his eyes back to her, and Luna couldn’t help but blush lightly as their eyes met once more. She fidgeted with her wings, trying to not draw attention from anyone else. What was wrong with her? Sure, she had recently come to terms with her significant feelings for the man, but she was acting like a nervous schoolfilly! She couldn’t help herself though, especially when the barest trace of a smile poked through his stern mask. He was smiling at her! Did he know? Had he been awake when she had made her silent confession on the mountaintop? He had to know! Look at that smirk! She was going to be exposed in front of everyone! Luckily, before Luna could work herself up to her breaking point, Celestia spoke.

“This is rather in depth…” she muttered as she flipped another page. “It will take time to read through your request fully, and I must commend your thoroughness, but say we meet this demand, do you have any more?”

Elias shrugged.

“None so important as this one. The rest is logistical in nature, and concerns smaller things, like recruiting, and work space.”

Celestia looked up from her bundle of papers, and turned to Luna.

“What do you think sister? You have spent more time with Elias than I; can he be trusted with complete control over our ponies?”

Luna shrugged.

“I believe he can, but if we have any doubts, then Elias’ earlier protest to our offer was valid, and we shouldn’t put him in a commanding position. We either trust him, or we do not. I for one believe fully that he will mold our ponies into fine soldiers, and that he will not be too rough on them.”

She side-eyed him, and he shrugged unhelpfully.

“I won’t kill or permanently maim them,” Elias said calmly. “That is all I can promise.”

Celestia frowned in thought for a moment, then smiled as she set her bundle to the side.

“If you are in agreement then Luna, I think we can concede the good general’s condition. Was there anything else that needed addressed today General Bright?”

Elias nodded, showing no emotion to her use of his title.

“Two simple things. First, I officially request that I be allowed to accept any volunteers from the Solar, and Lunar Guards. I will need veterans to keep fresh recruits in line, and while my training will be far more taxing than the standard guard training, the veterans will be of immense value to me.”

Celestia smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Very well, but on the condition that you do not target the other guard branches for recruitment. They may approach you, but I do not wish to see recruitment materials around the castle.”

“Of course Princess,” Elias responded, “and you have my thanks.”

He looked over his shoulder, and his voice boomed as he called out;

“Adiutor Binder! First Centurion Flash! You may now enter the throne room.”

Luna watched with amusement as two ponies, already clad in red and silver, trotted forward confidently. As they moved, Luna noticed that all three silver clad individuals were struggling to hold back smiles of pride. She looked to Elias, who avoided her gaze.

“General, if I didn’t know any better, I would think you executed your orders before you received them.”

He shrugged without looking back to her.

“Technically I merely bought two ponies an expensive gift. It’s purely coincidental that said gift happened to correspond with their rank within my legion.”

Luna smiled and rolled her eyes.

“Quite.”

Book Binder and Night Flash stopped before Elias and saluted him before quickly moving to either side of the man. As they got into what was likely a pre-coordinated position, Luna studied their armor carefully. With both of them closer, it was clear that they were wearing very different styles of protection. Night Flash had armor very similar to Elias’ heavy plate. His helmet was decorated with a bobbing white and red plume. Links of chain mail protected his joints, and it looked to her like his wing blades had been modified to act more as armor than weapons. Her curiosity piqued, Luna rose from her throne, walking slowly down to the pegasus.

He had perfect composure as she approached, and he remained calm and still as she poked and prodded at his armor. When Luna tapped on his wing, he extended it fully, and she got a good view of the metal shielding it. Each feather was covered with plate, though the metal was thinner on his primaries. Seemingly to compensate, a mesh of chain mail filled the spaces between each feather, leaving no gaps. Luna frowned as she lifted the wing with her hoof to test its weight.

“What are his wing guards made from? It seems abnormally light to be made from Equestrian steel.”

“It’s still Equestrian steel,” Elias replied, glancing over. “I had Anyon enchant it with a feather weight enchantment, and all the pegasus armors will have the same enchantment. It wouldn’t do to take away their number one advantage.”

Luna raised an eyebrow as she stared at the metal covered pegasus before her.

“He can still fly?”

Elias nodded, and he motioned to Night Flash. The pegasus smiled as he lowered his wing, then he took a step back from Luna before giving a single mighty flap. He shot near to the ceiling, before spiraling back down, landing with a second flap in his previous position. He beamed with pride, and though he tried to hide it, Elias did as well. The slip lasted only a second however, and nobody besides Luna caught it. She admired the armor again, while Elias’s face fell into a slight scowl.

“The tunic is bolstered with an endurance, and a speed enchantment," Elias continued. "In full armor, First Centurion Flash could race with the best. He needed to be able to dart around the battlefield and be where I could not be. He should meet that need exceptionally well now.”

Luna nodded.

“An impressive display.”

Luna shifted her attention to Book Binder. The unicorn’s armor looked much more graceful than either of the plated stallions. While Luna spotted key sections bolstered by chain mail and leather, most of it was surprisingly made of silver cloth. Luna frowned as she prodded at it, feeling the smooth material with her hoof.

“I must say, outwardly, this armor looks frail, and weak. I honestly expected more from you Elias, what is the secret here?”

“Hit her,” Elias said simply.

Luna frowned and walked around Book Binder, meeting her eyes. A playful glint was housed there as the unicorn waited silently for Luna to strike. The alicorn’s frown deepened for a second, then she shrugged and turned around, giving the unicorn a hardy buck.

The air was driven from Luna’s lungs as the feeling of her hooves slammed into her regalia plate, knocking her from her hooves. She staggered back a step or two, falling to her knees as she fought for a moment to breathe. Celestia let out a gasp and rose to help her up, but Luna raised her hoof and shook her head. It didn’t hurt that much, not like it would have had she had her full earth pony strength. She shot a glare at Elias, who gave her an impassive look back.

“Temporal displacement and redirection spell,” Elias said smoothly. “It was expensive, but I will only have one assistant, so I believe it was a worthwhile cost.”

Luna snorted as she got to her feet.

“You could not have simply explained that? I have extensive knowledge on spellcraft, I would have understood.”

Elias shrugged and flicked his nose with his thumb as he looked away.

“Perhaps, but I always feel that a demonstration gets the message across clearly. Besides, that’s how I learned what Anyon meant when he hired his unicorn friend to enchant the armor.”

Luna smiled at the idea of the human swinging with all his might at it and getting hurt. Book Binder probably goaded him on too, if her smirk was any indication. Luna rolled her eyes again and began looking over Book Binder’s armor again.

“Very well General, continue. I wish to know everything about this strange looking armor.”

Elias shrugged.

“There isn’t much more to tell. Adiutor Binder will be at my side at all times; managing legion records and filtering any written communication I receive, and as such she needs to be well protected. Unfortunately, due to the great deal of supplies she needs to work, we needed to sacrifice armor weight. Her tunic is modified to be thicker and more protective, and it contains several enchanted pockets with her essentials. When we go on the march, she will also have enchanted saddle bags to allow her to carry as much as she wants, provided she can bear the weight.”

As Luna continued inspecting Book Binder's armor, she saw the subtle explanation for why he had made sure that the two ponies would likely be more protected than even she and her sister would be, but she knew that he was justified. If for no other reason, it would make him less fearful of their loss, and she would ensure that he received as much funding as possible to make them safe. A few bits was hardly worth the cost of piece of mind for the paranoid man.

“I must say General, this is all very impressive, and I hope it is indicative of what is to come. These were gifts you say? They cannot have been cheap, where did you acquire the funding for them?”

“Out of pocket,” Elias said. “Turns out being a guard for several months and never collecting a bit leads to quite the interest buildup. Had I the inclination, I could retire comfortably tomorrow.”

Luna sniffed.

“Then I am glad you do not have such inclinations. You had mentioned a second matter that needed resolved, what is it?”

Elias took a deep breath, and looked around.

“I just need somewhere to work; an office of some kind. There is a lot I’ll need to iron out before I even begin recruiting, and I’ll need some place to work.”

Luna smiled and nodded. She looked to Celestia.

“I shall lead General Bright to his new offices, and show him to his new training grounds. I assume you have things handled here sister?”

Celestia rolled her eyes and nodded.

“Indeed I do. And to you General Bright, thank you. I mean that sincerely. We shall ensure that your every want and desire will be met when this is finished. Your advice and service shall be invaluable in the coming months.”

Elias gave her a half bow.

“Of course Princess. I live to serve.”

Celestia settled back onto her throne with a calm nod. Luna walked past the three silver clad individuals, and she motioned with her wing for them to follow.

*****

Elias kept an even, measured expression on his face as Luna led them toward his office. He slowly picked apart his acceptance of his role as general, and every word the princesses had said in reply. It had gone perfectly, with each piece of his plan working as it should have. Even the other generals, the absolute morons they were, had contributed, making him seem godly of purpose by comparison. Let them posture and bicker, he knew what it took to win, and now, both Luna and Celestia knew it. From the occasional glances Luna was throwing his way, she likely already thought like that, but the important factor was Celestia, and by extension Cadence. He needed all three alicorns working to keep their “generals” in line. While he had no issue working with Nightshade and Chaser as equals, even as a subordinate to either, Elias knew that most, if not all, of the other generals were incompetent, and there would likely be many long days ahead as he tried to batter them into a proper military force. The fact that there were no less than ten generals was evidence enough that they had little to no idea what they were doing. If he hadn’t seen the “magic of harmony” in action, Elias would have suspected that they had managed to build and then hold a kingdom by sheer dumb luck.

Luna stopped before a door with a frosted glass window, then pushed it open. She smiled at him and waved with her hoof for them to enter. Elias let his subordinates go first, following behind Night Flash as he looked around the office space. Book Binder let out a whistle as she looked around.

“Very nice, this is even better than the head scribe office.”

“It’ll do,” Elias said with a frown.

Moving past the ponies, he set his helmet down on the main desk and looked around at his office space. It wasn’t anything incredible, and the room only included two desks, which suited him just fine. Only he and Book Binder would be working on paperwork anyway. The primary desk looked strange though, in a good way. As he ran a hand across its oaken surface, he quickly pieced together that it was the first truly human designed furniture he had seen in Equestria. Due to the size of the ponies, Elias had adapted easily enough to most things, but the desk and the chair behind it… they had been made for him. He threw a glance back at Luna, who was all smiles as she stared back.

“I take it everything is to your liking?” she asked, her teeth shining.

Elias looked away and took a deep breath. It was time to do something he was very much not looking forward to. But he needed to do it. He had done it with Night Flash and Book Binder, he had to do it with Luna. Elias took another breath before he turned around and clasped his hands behind his back.

“It is certainly suitable, thank you Princess.”

His voice was a flat monotone, and Luna seemed almost hurt by the lack of emotion in his words. Her eyes flicked between Book Binder and Night Flash before her smile returned with an almost nervous look to it.

“I… am glad Elias. I know you will find much success here.”

Elias nodded shortly.

“I should hope so. If you should ever need to speak with me, I will likely be here for the foreseeable future, at least until recruiting ends.”

Luna flinched again, and for some reason, the motion hurt. Elias ignored it, keeping his blank mask on. Her eyes flicked to Book Binder and Night Flash again. Both ponies gave her apologetic looks, but as he had instructed, neither spoke. Luna chuckled nervously as her eyes resettled on him.

“Elias, I… Is something wrong? You are treating me… differently. I believe we are in private enough company to speak as friends.”

Elias looked to the floor. The wood was clearly of high quality, and Elias briefly wondered if he should put some sort of decorations in his office to soften the echo the room had.

“Princess, what did I say on the mountain top? What did I tell you would happen if I accepted this position?”

She opened her mouth to respond, but Elias cut her off, keeping his voice calm and even, as to not seem angry with her.

“I said that we would no longer be friends, I said that I would have no friends whatsoever.”

He gestured to Book Binder and Night Flash.

“Already I have cut personal ties with both Adiutor Binder and First Centurion Flash. Part of our preparations yesterday was moving all of their belongings out of my quarters, and we officially ended our personal relationships. They are not my potential parents; they are not my friends. They are my subordinates, from now, until the march is over, or until they retire from the guard. If things progress how I imagine they will, Scarlet Shield and Gray Granite will also share that fate. The only friend I can safely say that I have is Steel Scalpel, who has personally confirmed that he is not going with us. He will be safe; completely so. Everyone else however…”

He spread his hands and let them fall to his side.

“It’s the way it has to be. The top is lonely, primarily because it takes immense focus to do one’s job right when you control everything. Perhaps we can rekindle our friendship once this is over, but for now… We are nothing but Princess and General.”

Luna looked at him with horror as he finished and waited silently for her reply. Elias watched as a stream of emotions filtered through her eyes, then she straightened and surprisingly, smiled.

“Very well General. I shall partially accept this because you have done me a great service by accepting your role. I have heard tale however, that Book Binder shall force adoption upon you once the march has concluded. I shall do everything in my power to ensure she finds success, and rest assured, your adoption papers will be extremely binding.”

Luna winked at Book Binder, who wisely said nothing, but a smile crept across her muzzle as she turned away from Elias to conceal it.

“Furthermore,” Luna continued, “you have made a minor error in not signing your contract for this position before making such a declaration. I shall make sure to include several clauses about your employment following the march, and should you continue to follow this course, I shall be forced to implement the cuddle clause.”

Elias felt his bad eye twitch at that. She had tried no less than eight times to get him to sign a cuddle clause. It was a nasty piece of paperwork that legally bound someone to be freely available to give anyone who asked a hug. It granted a wealth of special privileges, and rewards for doing so, as well as a generous royal stipend, but Elias knew for a fact that Luna would relentlessly hunt him down for its use. He couldn’t well sign something like that and be a general. It simply wouldn’t work. Luna smiled knowingly as his eyes met hers.

“Or, I shall keep your original contract intact, and we shall modify our friendship. I can understand remaining professional, and I will personally promise that I will cease any activities to further your pony cultural education. We shall remain on a first name basis only when we are truly alone, and we shall maintain no more physical contact than a hoofshake. You need someone to talk to Elias, an equal, and I can be that pony. Your other potential confidants will be working beside you, while I shall remain away. My sister and I are entrusting you, and the other generals fully with the preparations for the march, and as such, we will never talk about your work in private unless you wish to do so.”

Her smile dropped slightly as she took a few steps forward and extended her hoof.

“I think this arrangement can suffice to keep you the distant General Bright, while also not losing sight of Elias Bright. Are we agreed?”

Elias took a deep breath, taking a moment to think it through. Seeing no viable alternative that wouldn’t flat out alienate one of his biggest allies, Elias nodded and accepted the hoof.

“Fine, but if you push my limits, it will have consequences.”

Luna nodded, and it surprised Elias when she stepped away, keeping her royal mask up.

“Of course General. As I said before, I am immensely grateful to you for doing this, and Equestria will soon be in your debt, of that I have no doubt. I just need to make sure you see the lights at the end of the tunnel, and I cannot do that from the throne. I will send an assistant by to begin walking you through the necessary paperwork, and to deliver supplies to your second. Our next planning session is tomorrow morning at eight o’ clock.”

Elias nodded silently, and Luna turned around to leave, stopping just long enough to give him a wink before trotting away. Elias let out a long sigh, but he couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“That didn’t go as planned,” he said.

Night Flash shrugged.

“Maybe, but Princess Luna has a point. Having no friends can be just as dangerous as having too many in your position. We all get the need for focus General, but having one friend? I think you can handle that and keep everything on track.”

Elias nodded in agreement.

“Let’s hope I can. Now let’s get to work. I want recruiting materials up by the end of the week. First Centurion, take a walk, find what ponies are going to volunteer from the guard forces. Tell them what it will mean to be in my legion. Adiutor Binder, you may set up your working area however you wish, just so long as it isn’t distracting to your work.”

She nodded silently, and with a glance at each other, the pair of ponies left the room, leaving Elias to think in silence. He looked around the office again, but upon finding nothing of note, he sighed and stood before his desk. The thought of still having at least one friend popped up in his mind, and Elias couldn’t help but smile faintly. He then cruelly crushed his happiness, letting anger rise up to drive the feeling into submission. He wasn’t supposed to be happy; he was supposed to be focused. Even despite his harsh words, the ponies were worming in, distracting him. Elias punched his desk with a fist, glaring daggers at the wood service. They weren’t listening, and the more they treated him kindly, the more he was slipping backward. It had been less than a day, and already he was compromising his values. Elias felt a familiar cold feeling wash down his body, but unlike usual, he didn’t let his anger fade. He didn’t look up, though he somehow knew that Other-Elias was leaning against the doorframe.

“You say a fucking word about calming down, and I’m going to beat the hell from you,” Elias growled.

Other-Elias raised his hands in mock defense.

“I wasn’t going to say anything like that. I wanted to tell you to buck up. Luna’s still close, and while an issue, it’s also a solution. We keep her happy, and the royal treasury becomes our playground. She’s agreed to keep at arm’s length, which is good. That lets us keep in her graces, while also focusing on our work. If we get distracted, compensate by spending. Better gear, better armor. Build additional training grounds if we need to, whatever. Spend as much as we can get away with, but keep her happy, and Book Binder and Night Flash alive. She was right about the light at the end of the tunnel. We go too dark, and this all becomes meaningless.”

Elias scowled at his desk, but nodded in agreement. The argument was sound enough.

“Fine. Go away then, I need to review the armor specifications for the legionaries and auxiliaries before I send them to Anyon.”

“Did you say something General?”

Elias opened his eyes and turned to find Book Binder in the doorway with a pair of saddlebags in her mouth, while another pair sat on her flanks. She looked concerned, but respectively so. That was good, she was respecting the boundaries they had established. Elias shook his head.

“Just talking to myself about work that needs done. Carry on Adiutor, let’s get to work before the Princess’s assistant drops by.”