Lynden's friends nodded an listened to Lynden. They didn't want to think about their country stooping so low as to assassinate the Queen, but it was possible. They couldn't tell Lynden what to do, or how he should feel.
"That's all up to you, friend. I, for one, know that I won't judge you no matter the decision you make."
"Aye, me neither!"
"Of course we won't, we're your friends, and friends just want other friends to be happy."
Lynden sighed and prepared to leave, everyone else was heading to their bunks at this point now too. "I guess we'll see" were his final words to his friends that night. They simply nodded and smiled as they picked their plates up, ready for sleep as well.
The month of training seemed to fly by quicker than usual, and before long it was time for the final test. If you hadn't been expelled already, this was it. You survive the test, you're worthy to be a knight. Up until this point there have been very few solo tests, all have relied on teamwork, as most missions for the Kingdom are not solo missions. But this final test was meant to be solo, and if you were found helping another squire, you would fail. The sole purpose of this test was to test your survival abilities.
Sometime in the night, one of the court wizards came by and cast a sleeping sleep upon all the squires, reassuring that they would not wake up. Each squire is flown to the far edge of a designated zone, about twenty leagues in diameter, meaning the squire was probably about ten leagues away from the camp. They would have to brave the wilderness with no supplies other than one full waterskin and one trail ration. If they were out for more than one whole day, which most were, then they would have to find food and shelter of their own. They had to return to their barracks before five day's time. The fastest time in recorded history was ten hours. A squire named Peter LeShaw was known for his long distance running abilities and used them very well in this test. It just so happened that he never encountered any goblins or wild beasts.
It would be about ten A.M. when Lynden awoke, and he would know immediately that this was the survival test. He was wrapped up in a sheet laying on the ground in the middle of a lush green field. Across the field there were some wild turkey squawking about and a few deer fawns not too far away from the turkey. The field was mostly flat, followed by more field behind Lynden and forest in front of Lynden. Given Lynden's knowledge of the land, he would know that the barracks was nestled away in the woods. He also knew that this time of year, at night, the constellation of Baulga hung over Dagger's Peak, which sits not too far to the south of the city. He also knew simple things like the sun rising from the north and setting in the south, the moon rising from the east and setting in the west, and if he were close enough to hear the city's mid day chimes then he knew he only had a couple leagues to go before reaching the barracks. Two leagues west of the city, that's where the barracks were located.
The sounds of nature danced all around Lynden, telling a merry story of this beautiful morning. Fortunately, the weather looked clear and Lynden seemed to be in a safe place. There weren't many options at this point, but Lynden was a skilled survivor, he would surly think of something.