On one fateful summer’s evening, Aeric the Beggar happened across a troupe of gypsy entertainers, who welcomed him into their camp to share their fire and food.  Aeric sat alone with his thoughts as the players sang and told stories; in fact, the only one of the lot who payed any attention to him was a young woman who gave him food and wine and asked about his past, to which of course he gave no answer.  She took it in stride, though, and as he watched her laugh and dance with the others, Aeric’s heart was warmed, for he hadn’t seen such a display of cheerful abandon in a very, very long time.   
     As the drunken revelry wore on, the demeanor of the gypsies soured, and they decided to force their attentions on the girl.  Aeric was warned to not get involved, and at first he turned an indifferent eye to the affair; after all, had he not committed atrocities many times worse than this?  But as the accosting took a violent turn, the girl called out to him for help.  In that brief moment, he saw not this poor,  carefree maiden but his sister Celfina, playing the damsel  
in distress for him once more.  Enraged, Aeric leapt to his feet, and with a strength he thought had left him long ago, proceeded to beat the drunkards away from her with his walking staff.  
     He was sorely outnumbered, not to mention out of practice (and shape), so as the remaining gypsies went for their weapons, he grabbed the girl by the wrist and together they fled into the forest.  Once the pair felt confident they had evaded the gypsies, they stopped and began to search for a place to spend the night.  Fortunately it was summer, and the ground was warm and dry.  They both fell immediately asleep.   
     The next morning, Aeric watched the girl as she slept.  He ran over the events of the past eight hours in his mind.  He now had a ward, for the girl obviously couldn’t take care of herself; if he followed his instincts and left her, she would probably die.  At the same time, who was he to play the protector?  He was no hero; he was a villain.  As he tried to decide on his next course of action, the girl stirred to wakefulness.  At first she gathered herself together, noticing Aeric’s attention upon her.  Then she thanked him for saving her from “a most unpleasant evening.”  She asked him his name, and proudly introduced herself as Panthra Ambra Lynnth Tre. 
     Seeing he was somewhat more talkative than the night before, Panthra told Aeric of herself and her wanderings, and asked again about his past, which he refused to speak of.  Since neither of them had any one destination in mind, she mused, perhaps they could travel together for a bit?  Aeric didn’t particularly want anyone around him, especially someone he would have to take care of.  At the same time, he felt a sort of responsibility for her.  Whether it was because of her resemblance to his sister or a subconscious decision to take the first step in a new direction in his life, he knew not.  He did know this: he would protect Panthra from any danger, even if it meant sacrificing his own life.   
     Later, Aeric and Panthra encountered a lovely young lady on the road asking directions from a swineherd.  Panthra obviously knew the lass, who she called out to as “Moira!”  The two had a brief reunion, at which point Moira asked the identity of Panthra’s new travelling companion.  The two were introduced, and Aeric could sense a goodness and serenity in her, as well as a wisdom which belied her young age.  She informed Aeric that she sought training as a healer, and that in her travels she had heard of a place called Glastonbury, which was where she was headed now...if only she could find it....   
     Panthra offered to accompany Moira on her search, which she (grudgingly) accepted.  Aeric, now sworn to protect Panthra, followed as well.  In time, the trio encountered the warriors Scarlette and Lucerne, who told them of the Court of Light in Windsor, where they themselves were headed in hopes of becoming pages and, in time, full Companions.  Aeric was inspired by their tales, and decided that he, too, would petition the Court for membership.