"Reporting, General. Captain Allen, reporting for duty." He gave the nearly fifty-year-old man before him a proper military salute. When he met General Vannes again, the general was no longer wearing formal attire but had changed into armor.
Even in such heavy armor, General Vannes looked as much a gentleman as he had in formal attire. His neatly groomed mustache lent him an added air of nobility.
"Oh, you must be Allen. I've heard of you. I imagine that after what happened between you and Jerris at the meeting, people would have a hard time not knowing who you are."
General Vannes walked over with a smile and patted his shoulder, saying kindly, "Don't be nervous. I actually know a fair amount about what happened between you and him. I don't think you did anything wrong. But this is war. We can't possibly take care of everything. You chose to return and report on the enemy. That was putting the bigger picture first, wasn't it?"
Vannes's words surprised him. Vannes was a Paladin from the Silver Hand, and in Allen's impression, most of those Paladins, because of their faith, generally disapproved of behavior like his-leaving people to die without helping. Yet Vannes's words carried clear approval.
"Does that surprise you, Allen? I'm afraid your understanding of us Paladins is still limited to people like Uther, stubborn and rigid, who only follow the principles of a Paladin. Still, it's understandable when you think about it. After all, Uther is the order's leader now." Vannes sighed wistfully, walked over to the desk, and began searching through it.
Only after hearing Vannes's lament did he realize that the Paladin before him was entirely different from Uther. He came from the renowned Sorenless family of western Lordaeron, whose history could be traced back to