Haidar took the bridle to his own mount from the stablemaster, rubbing the soft, black coat on the side of the huge stallion's neck. Hellfire was his name, both for his fiery mane and black coat, and for the indomitable spirit that only Haidar had been able to master. He was a courser, built for speed, but as large compared to his brethren as Haidar was to your average man. Whispering words of comfort, the King swung his leg up into the saddle, sitting tall on his mount while he addressed his entourage.<br/><br/>He looked each of them in the eye, one by one, before he spoke. "The Aserits are in Theiri," he announced, pausing for a moment to let the statement sink in, "Though they are loathsome sons-of-whores, you all know too well that they are warriors to be feared.<em>But we are greater!</em>" The King drew his sword. "We will ride through the castle in full battle formation. We will show them that even in small numbers, we are a force to be feared. And no harm will come to the Theirins while we are present... they are under our protection." He swept his blade across the gathering. "And we will show the Theirins why they need us. Mind your manners, though I despise saying it. We need to make a good impression."<br/><br/>He motioned to a servant, who poured the flask over the crystal, which almost seemed to drink it in. Haidar reached out with his will;<em>Take me to Theiri!</em>At his demand, a blue light coalesced into a roughly spherical shape around the gem, obscuring all vision of the pedestal.