Snow fell softly over Frostbound Coast.
The territory continued expanding.
New roads appeared daily.
Buildings rose from frozen earth.
Ships departed from harbors.
Caravans entered through city gates.
Money flowed.
People arrived.
Dreams gathered.
And hidden beneath all that prosperity.
Three men walked away from the meeting room carrying burdens heavier than mountains.
Because Kel Rosenfeld had not simply promoted them.
He had entrusted them with the future stability of Frostbound Coast itself.
Three Orders.
Three purposes.
Three responsibilities.
And three men who now needed to decide what those Orders would become.
POV: Sir Gareth Valemont
The first knight walked alone.
His boots echoed against stone corridors.
The Administrative Building buzzed with activity around him.
Officials hurried past.
Messengers ran between departments.
Clerks carried reports.
Yet Gareth barely noticed.
His mind remained trapped inside the meeting room.
"You will shape its identity."
"Choose its traditions."
"Build it."
Kel's words repeated endlessly.
The knight slowly reached a balcony overlooking Frostbound Coast.
The view stole his breath.
Glowing roads stretched toward the horizon.
Magic lamps illuminated distant districts.
Construction sites worked even during snowfall.
A frozen wasteland.
That was what this place had been four months ago.
Now?
It looked like a kingdom preparing for greatness.
Gareth rested both hands against the cold railing.
His breath formed mist.
His eyes narrowed.
The First Order.
The public face.
The shield.
The sword.
The guardians.
The people who would stand beneath Frostbound Coast's banner.
The people every citizen would see.
Slowly.
An answer formed inside his mind.
Not a military name.
Not a noble name.
Not an intimidating name.
Something simpler.
Something meaningful.
"The Dawnguard."
The words escaped naturally.
Gareth smiled.
Because Frostbound Coast represented a beginning.
A new dawn.
A new future.
And those knights would stand at its front.
Guarding that future.
"Dawnguard Order."
The name felt right.
Hours later.
He called together trusted veterans.
The meeting hall became crowded.
Dozens of knights arrived.
Confused.
Curious.
One knight asked.
"Sir Gareth, why have you called us?"
Gareth stood before them.
His newly forged Master Rank aura faintly surrounded him.
Not threatening.
Simply present.
A reminder.
The man standing before them was no longer merely a knight captain.
He was something more.
Gareth looked across the room.
Then spoke.
"Today."
Another.
"We begin building something greater than ourselves."
Silence.
Everyone listened.
"The Dawnguard Order."
The room froze.
Then excitement spread immediately.
One knight nearly jumped.
Another clenched his fist.
Another looked inspired.
Gareth continued.
"We will become the shield of Frostbound Coast."
Another.
"The first line of defense."
Another.
"The first line of aid."
Another.
"The first line of justice."
The room erupted with determination.
The Dawnguard had been born.
POV: Sir Rowan Blackthorne
The second knight sat alone inside a dark office.
Unlike Gareth.
He wasn't excited.
Because his responsibility was different.
Far different.
The First Order would receive glory.
Praise.
Recognition.
The Second Order?
None.
Because success meant nobody noticed them.
Rowan stared at the candle burning upon his desk.
The flame flickered.
Its light revealed countless reports.
Complaints.
Disputes.
Financial records.
Recruitment documents.
Kel had given him authority.
An uncomfortable amount of authority.
The ability to investigate anyone.
Anyone.
Even nobles.
Even officials.
Even other Orders.
The knight rubbed his temples.
Then laughed bitterly.
"Lord Kel truly enjoys impossible jobs."
Silence answered.
Rowan leaned back.
Thinking.
The Second Order.
Its purpose wasn't punishment.
That was important.
Very important.
Punishment alone accomplished nothing.
Its purpose was balance.
Correction.
Preservation.
Preventing rot before it spread.
His gaze settled upon the scale carved into an old legal document.
A scale.
Balance.
Judgment.
Fairness.
The answer appeared immediately.
"The Argent Scale."
The silver scale.
Cold.
Neutral.
Impartial.
Perfect.
Hours later.
He began recruitment.
Unlike Gareth.
He selected nobody based on strength.
Strength meant little here.
Instead.
He chose people who asked uncomfortable questions.
People who noticed details.
People who hated unfairness.
People impossible to bribe.
One candidate confused him.
A former tax clerk.
Skinny.
Weak.
Terrified.
Yet Rowan recruited him immediately.
Because during interviews.
The clerk had corrected three calculation mistakes.
Mistakes nobody else noticed.
That alone proved his worth.
The Second Order slowly formed.
Quietly.
Silently.
Like roots growing beneath a tree.
Invisible.
Yet essential.
POV: Sir Kael Draven
The third knight stood beneath moonlight.
Alone.
The city stretched before him.
Alive.
Bright.
Hopeful.
Everything the Third Order would never become.
Because shadows could not stand in sunlight.
Kael understood that.
Better than anyone.
The Third Order wasn't designed to be loved.
It was designed to be necessary.
Intelligence gathering.
Counterintelligence.
Assassinations.
Infiltration.
The work nobody wanted acknowledged.
The work nobody wanted discussed.
The work that ensured everyone else could sleep peacefully.
Kael gazed toward distant lights.
Then remembered Kel's words.
"Nobody will know your existence."
"Nobody will thank you."
"You will work in shadows."
A strange smile appeared.
He liked that.
Actually.
He liked it very much.
Because glory never interested him.
Results did.
Slowly.
He looked toward the moon.
Then spoke.
"The Veiled Ravens."
The wind carried the words away.
Ravens.
Observers.
Messengers.
Watchers.
Creatures who saw what others missed.
Creatures associated with death.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
The Veiled Ravens were born.
And unlike the other Orders.
Nobody celebrated.
Nobody cheered.
Nobody knew.
Because their existence remained hidden.
Exactly as intended.
The Beginning
Weeks passed.
The three Orders expanded rapidly.
The Dawnguard
Citizens loved them.
Knights patrolled roads.
Protected caravans.
Assisted travelers.
Solved disputes.
Eliminated monsters.
Children waved at them.
Merchants praised them.
Farmers trusted them.
The Dawnguard quickly became symbols of Frostbound Coast.
Exactly as Gareth intended.
The Argent Scale
The second Order remained invisible.
Until the first corruption case appeared.
A warehouse supervisor had been stealing construction materials.
Nothing major.
Only small amounts.
Enough that nobody noticed.
Except they did.
The Argent Scale investigated.
Collected evidence.
Presented facts.
The man confessed within hours.
No violence.
No intimidation.
Just undeniable proof.
The news spread quietly.
And suddenly.
People became more careful.
Much more careful.
The Veiled Ravens
Nobody knew what they were doing.
Which meant they were doing their job perfectly.
Information flowed.
Names appeared.
Connections emerged.
Rumors became reports.
Reports became intelligence.
Kael slowly built a network stretching through Frostbound Coast.
Merchants.
Travelers.
Dock workers.
Servants.
Everyone unknowingly became eyes and ears.
The web expanded.
Quietly.
Relentlessly.
Kel's Observation
One evening.
Kel stood atop a tower.
Snow drifted through the night.
The city glowed below.
Beautiful.
Alive.
Growing.
Lyra stood beside him.
Wrapped in a thick winter cloak.
Golden eyes studying the city.
For several moments.
Neither spoke.
Then Lyra asked.
"You already planned this, didn't you?"
Kel glanced toward her.
"What?"
"The Orders."
Another.
"The banking system."
Another.
"The investments."
Another.
"The roads."
Another.
"Everything."
Kel looked back toward the city.
His silver eyes reflected countless lights.
Then answered calmly.
"No."
Lyra blinked.
"No?"
Kel shook his head.
"I planned the direction."
Another.
"Not the destination."
Lyra frowned.
Confused.
Kel continued.
"The destination changes."
Another.
"People change."
Another.
"Situations change."
Another.
"So plans must change too."
Lyra stared.
Then sighed.
"You really are strange."
Kel considered that.
Then nodded.
"Probably."
Far beneath Scarder Lake.
Seiren's voice suddenly echoed inside his mind.
"Probably?"
"You created three knight orders before becoming sixteen."
"One of them is a secret police."
"One of them is a spy organization."
"And you're saying probably?"
Kel ignored her.
"You're being dramatic."
A long silence followed.
Then Seiren laughed.
Laughed so hard their telepathic connection shook.
"The terrifying part?"
Kel sighed.
"What?"
The Guardian's voice softened.
"You genuinely believe that's normal."
For once.
Kel didn't answer.
Because he genuinely did.
And somewhere below.
The Dawnguard protected citizens.
The Argent Scale hunted corruption.
The Veiled Ravens gathered secrets.
Three Orders.
Three purposes.
Three foundations.
All created by a fifteen-year-old Count who feared success far more than failure.
Because failure could be repaired.
But corruption?
Corruption destroyed kingdoms.
And Kel Rosenfeld intended to ensure Frostbound Coast never suffered that fate.
No matter how many shadows he needed to create to protect the light.