The next morning brought utter chaos to Wistover.

The armies of the two Princes were preparing to head out, by both airship and cavalry over land. But there were refugees coming in, who had no idea what was going on, and they thought that the Cygnia Army believed they were a foreign threat, so they had stopped and set up a defensive camp, which only made logistics more of a nuisance.

Having a thousand scared travellers in the way when you were trying to move an entire army around a city in all directions was not ideal.

But the only others who were around to help were the Axbridge and Mitfield military camps. At least until the sun came up and Dominic was awake to sort out the mess.

The veiled maids were waiting when Dominic got out of the shower, holding up a formal outfit for him in wordless appeal that he immediately get to work.

"Have Beth pack me something to eat as I walk if it’s that important." Dominic reluctantly agreed.

He didn’t need to wait for them to speak. If they were insisting that he get dressed for a meeting the moment he was functional, before he had even had coffee, then it was important.

"What did I need to do this morning that is so urgent?" He asked as he got his coat and boots on, ready to face the day.

"A thousand refugees camped outside town, in the way of the army movements, but too afraid to move. They don’t understand what’s going on, and they’re just sitting there, set in a defensive circle, waiting for someone to talk to them.

But the army is packing up to leave, they don’t have time to deal with a thousand people, and we can’t ask a foreign army to do it, that will just cause more confusion.

The Princess is playing hostess to the Envoys, who have added the proposal by the Merchant’s Guild to their list of topics, and they will be in meetings all morning." The maid explained.

From the shower, Alexis swore colourfully, and Dominic heard the maid giggle at her employer’s annoyance. But someone had to do it, and the rules said it was the Princess’ job.

Dominic made his way downstairs, where there were already messengers from the army waiting for him.

"Your Grace, we have begun mobilization. The first units are airborne now, and the cavalry will be mobile within the hour. His Highness the Crown Prince sends his regards, as he is on his Command Airship and already departed for Cygnia City."

"Wonderful. Do you know what is happening with the refugees?"

The soldier shook his head.

"I have no updates on them other then the number. But I believe they are also from Axbridge, as their outfits are more suitable to the desert than to the local area."

Dominic nodded. They had expected more people to come from that direction soon, and now that they were here, he could start making plans for expansion.

They had housing built, but needed to get them settled into jobs. As long as they had at least a few skilled workers, or some business capital, there was no reason that even a thousand new people would constitute a crisis.

Just a culture shock for the locals, as it would expand the town’s size by so much.

A thousand people was not a small town, especially not in the desert. Not even the Duskblade Sect, which was considered powerful enough to protect themselves from nearly any threat, was that large.

But they had a routine now, and the townsfolk of Wistover were nothing if not accommodating to new arrivals.

Dominic rushed to the crowd of refugees, with a pair of the veiled maids following him. It was easier for them to report directly to Castellan Julio than to wait for the Castellan to meet with Dominic later in the day, long after everything was decided.

The Castellan hated when he had to wait for updates, but he was far too busy to actually record everything in real time and relied on the daily updates. It was his greatest annoyance in life at this point.

The maids remained silent as they followed Dominic up to the group of Elders who had risen to speak for the camp, and silently noted the number of slightly nonhuman features visible on the guards.

"Greetings, I am Dominic Wavemates, now the Duke of Wistover. It’s a pleasure to have you here. Might I ask, just for clarity, what is your purpose in coming to Wistover? Do forgive the chaos, some troops are departing this morning." Dominic greeted them.

"Your Grace, we have come hoping to move into your territory. Word is that you are accepting Sorcerers and nonhumans of all sorts. Our village was hit by the drought in far western Axbridge, and we heard the rumours while we were looking for a new place." The Elder informed him, her eyes a curious shade of purple that suggested either strong witchcraft or nonhuman lineage.

"Well, that is convenient timing, though it was quite the journey, I am certain.

We are taking anyone with a decent reputation, and we have good work for those who have a bit of magical skill. Wistover operates magitech factories, you see, and we always need workers." Dominic agreed.

"Do you have good farms left?" The old woman asked.

"A bit further from town, but yes. The Duchy extends for a hundred kilometres along the border, and there is plenty of open arable land left, as well as many farms that have been abandoned for a decade, but still grow volunteer crops.

Did you have any specialists I should know about?" Dominic replied.

"Just the shopkeepers and our town Guards. They’re sitting over by the blue wagon."

Dominic frowned, If they were sitting, they were truly massive. He could see their heads over the top of the wagon.

"Are those... mountain trolls?" He asked.

"Indeed. Fifty of them in total. They served as our town guard their whole lives, and they would like to continue the job here."

A Mountain Troll was usually three metres tall, and massive in stature. They could crush a man in their bare hand, and their regeneration made them nearly impossible to kill.

They would make excellent town guards. But Dominic had a better idea.

"Well, we’ve already got a pretty good town guard, but I am in need of some personal guards for the Ducal Manor and myself. Do you think they would be interested?"

The Elders all smiled. "For a son of the Wavemates Clan? I doubt that any Troll would turn down the chance to work for you, as long as you promised to pay them well."