The young king signed the documents briefly, ordering for special ink to be brought from the carriage. The golden lettering he signed with seemed quite expensive, but at the same time, impressive on its own right. The king's signature and royal seal marked up on both documents, and soon enough they were rolled up and safely stored.<br/><br/>With that business done, the knights began their preparations, and the king's own preparations to leave could begin. It took almost a day to get all the supplies in order, but then the group finally got on the move from the duke's lands, the knight commander agreeing to meet a day's journey away from the capital in a small hamlet that had been abandoned for years (due to unfortunate drought that had killed the fields around it a long time ago).<br/><br/>It was a late evening when Gabriel and two of the soldiers riding with him could spot something in the distance. Riders, several of them. Approaching fast. It was a tense moment for the soldiers, up until one sight. Leading the group of soldiers was a familiar woman, a mage from the king's court that had left to collect the taxes from more reluctant nobles earlier.