Three conflicting dispatch scrolls reached the frontier wayhouse before Hajin's party could sit down to read them together.
Inside the crowded common room, three separate dispatch scrolls lay unrolled upon the rough pine boards.
Each parchment originated from a different municipal office along the eastern post route, bearing conflicting official rumors.
None of the dispatch clerks possessed Hajin's true name, yet each report awarded him rank and authority.
One missive declared him an imperial general who arrived to assume command over the entire western frontier.
A second dispatch described a prince of the Sixth who demanded an Alder princess as diplomatic tribute.
The third document asserted he was already Eirwen's lawful husband, listing every local watchman as his subordinate.
Hajin sat beside the crackling hearth, quietly folding the ridiculous reports into neat creases with his thumbs.
