Once again, the horse's hooves flew over the miles, as Aurora tried to keep up with the well trained knights.  The warhorse beneath her was more like an arrow than a mount; all she could do was point it, and it flew straight towards its target, jolting and jarring the princess.  The afternoon grew deep, the setting sun coloring the forest trails in shadows, in orange and red, and still, they pressed on, breaking to rest twice more.<br/><br/>Finally, as sundown neared, the spires of the Imperial City, Tarth, the Jewel on the Silver River, appeared as they crested the last hill in the bowl-shaped valley in which the city rested.  She was sore, she would likely feel the effects of the forced ride the next day, but they had done it.  They were home, or nearly so, and she could begin seizin the reins of her destiny.<br/><br/>"Sir Darius, my thanks, my limitless thanks are yours.  You have done what I thought impossible.  Let us make for the castle before they lower the gates, and perhaps there will be meat and bread left on the sideboard, still warm from the cooking fires."