rule. The DragonLord Anótole before his ride established the new foundation, he designed a path so the lionmen could reign and slowly the design came into fruition. The opposition after his departure was at times fierce but acceptance came when these nations saw what the treaty brought and those that did try to break it were obstructed by many unified countries, both human and lionmen; they would be forced into a harmless position where they could self-manage their own affairs but could not act against others, they remained that way until they returned to the union treaty , where they were given their freedoms again. The balance of the treaty rested on neutrality and an uncompromising attitude towards the law; humans often struggled with this, as they tended to let the lesser rules slide, which often lead to a country pushing the boundaries of what they could get away with until it was too late. But to a lionman the law is ingrained in their very nature. They judged and acted without bias, therefore peace was maintained for well over a thousand years.
***
Shayne and the company walked through the streets of the city and passed a second set of walls to come at last to a grand castle. Repair work over the years added a rough charm. The inner bailey was a marvel in itself, with carefully planned gardens of exotic plants and statues of people and mythological creatures including the winged lions of Bohaníde.
The province ruler stood upon a balcony, flanked by two guards. The lionman lord watched them as they left the crowds behind, the gates closing behind them. His title was known as Dídrand, which was their equivalent of a Duke. He wore practical clothing but it was of a greater quality material and rarer dyes than the common natives. The two guards beside him looked magnificent; they had long spears in their hands and their bronze plated helmets gleamed brightly in the sun, they bore long oval shields painted with a red flying lion in the style of that province.
Their horses were guided to the front entrance. Two female guards stood at the great wooden doors; they were not as highly dressed as the personal guard of the Dídrand; they wore light cottons with steel chest-plates and helmets. They bore in their hands a shield with a dukedom lion pattern on it that faced the doorway, in the other hand they held a long spear.
The company stopped at the bottom of the steps where they were greeted by field servants. Kíe was the first to jump from his horse in one fluid motion; he smiled as he landed lightly on the ground and his tail flicked in pleasure. Other lionmen also dismounted their horses with ease. Shayne tried to lift himself up. Stiffness and pain welled up in him and he resumed his previous position. The other Earthmen were in the same predicament, though Rahul the private managed to descend without too much trouble.
A lionmen strode to Rae’s side and offered her his hand; he lifted her from the horse and placed her gently on the ground. Once upon the solid earth she bent over, trying to relieve the aches. Shayne attempted to dismount again, this time he tried to lift his right leg over the horse. He found that his legs did not want to move at all and to dismount he had to lean on the left stirrup and drag his leg over the hide of the horse. Once he got his right leg passed the height of the animal he was able to get down. He landed heavily on his feet with his legs still in a bowed position, where they did not want to straighten out again. As he forced himself to stand a pain raged through his legs, but it was a pain that momentarily gave him relief. After a few moments the worst of it passed, but the rest of the day the Earthmen found that their legs and hips twinged as they walked.
One of the native humans came forward and took the reins of the Starborn’s horse and guided it to the Dídrand’s stables around the back. The native humans were shorter than the Earthmen. Shayne was just below
***
Shayne and the company walked through the streets of the city and passed a second set of walls to come at last to a grand castle. Repair work over the years added a rough charm. The inner bailey was a marvel in itself, with carefully planned gardens of exotic plants and statues of people and mythological creatures including the winged lions of Bohaníde.
The province ruler stood upon a balcony, flanked by two guards. The lionman lord watched them as they left the crowds behind, the gates closing behind them. His title was known as Dídrand, which was their equivalent of a Duke. He wore practical clothing but it was of a greater quality material and rarer dyes than the common natives. The two guards beside him looked magnificent; they had long spears in their hands and their bronze plated helmets gleamed brightly in the sun, they bore long oval shields painted with a red flying lion in the style of that province.
Their horses were guided to the front entrance. Two female guards stood at the great wooden doors; they were not as highly dressed as the personal guard of the Dídrand; they wore light cottons with steel chest-plates and helmets. They bore in their hands a shield with a dukedom lion pattern on it that faced the doorway, in the other hand they held a long spear.
The company stopped at the bottom of the steps where they were greeted by field servants. Kíe was the first to jump from his horse in one fluid motion; he smiled as he landed lightly on the ground and his tail flicked in pleasure. Other lionmen also dismounted their horses with ease. Shayne tried to lift himself up. Stiffness and pain welled up in him and he resumed his previous position. The other Earthmen were in the same predicament, though Rahul the private managed to descend without too much trouble.
A lionmen strode to Rae’s side and offered her his hand; he lifted her from the horse and placed her gently on the ground. Once upon the solid earth she bent over, trying to relieve the aches. Shayne attempted to dismount again, this time he tried to lift his right leg over the horse. He found that his legs did not want to move at all and to dismount he had to lean on the left stirrup and drag his leg over the hide of the horse. Once he got his right leg passed the height of the animal he was able to get down. He landed heavily on his feet with his legs still in a bowed position, where they did not want to straighten out again. As he forced himself to stand a pain raged through his legs, but it was a pain that momentarily gave him relief. After a few moments the worst of it passed, but the rest of the day the Earthmen found that their legs and hips twinged as they walked.
One of the native humans came forward and took the reins of the Starborn’s horse and guided it to the Dídrand’s stables around the back. The native humans were shorter than the Earthmen. Shayne was just below
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