When Dern encounters a dying knight, he forsakes his life as a thief to do the honorable thing and deliver the knight's weapons and orphaned dog to the king. Civilized life is nothing like he imagined it, though. At every turn, someone is trying to swindle him or cut his throat. Everyone but the surly dog that now looks to him as his master.... This story is a novelette. Fans of George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones will enjoy this gritty fantasy that blurs the line between good and evil.