Eight Days Later
At the east gate of Ironhold, a cavalryman rushed forward at great speed under the afternoon sun.
His horse kicked up clouds of dust that hung in the still air as hooves pounded the dry earth. He waved the imperial banner with urgency that caught every eye on the walls and roads.
He finally stopped at the city gate and shouted with a voice hoarse from days of continuous riding, "Urgent report from the border! Open the city gates immediately for imperial business!"
"It is an imperial messenger!" someone on the wall recognized the banner and insignia at once.
The gatekeepers immediately opened the city gates without the usual inspections that would have delayed entry.
They first sent men to drive away the common people crowding the entrance who had been waiting to pass through, and then allowed the messenger to enter with clear passage.
The citizens made way for the cavalryman without complaint, parting like water before a ship cutting through waves.
