My FAIR Lady |FAIRVERSE Book ~ 1|✓

Chapter ♦ 40

Reuben. [I]

When we finally arrived here, the gloomy state of Calavaria greeted us masked in its glum.

We reached the port province of Calavaria in less than three weeks after we had embarked on the journey to here. Normally it takes an utmost of two weeks to reach this little bustling province but travelling shrouded in an unassailable disguise across the country had slowed down our pace quite a lot; as such, we arrived later than our assessed date of arrival.

I dismounted from my horse and my sight fell upon the run-down city gates of Calavaria.

The people of Calavaria did not seem like the ones I saw three years back. The cobblestones of the streets were cracked and dilapidated. A gust of dry wind winded through the maze of ancient houses where windows have long shattered in the weakness of their structures and rotting boards, some broken, others hanging, as they tried to cover the empty eyes of every miserably poor home. Doors hung on the few threads of their hinges and groaned with pain at every sway. Weeds socialized across the cracking asphalt of the road, gathering and laughing at the dismal pedestrians as they tried to weave around the catching fingers with every step.

The shops were small and derelict, hardly holding any wares to be sold. The residents looked malnourished, their skin bronzed, tortured by the sun due to monotonous exposure as their skins clung tightly to their bones. The stench of sweat and gloom was evident in the air as rows of little children sat by the streets in tattered dirty clothing, some with a vessel in front of them in a begging fashion while some with their tiny hands extending out to the passers-by asking for alms.

The once prosperous port city of Calavaria looked so downtrodden and poverty-stricken now that it was hard to even believe it was the same bustling city of opulence three years ago.

My only welcome to this miserable port state was the howls of the wind. This place looked no different from a ghost city at the moment.

I frowned in alarm when I witnessed this sight of such a catastrophe laying bare in front of me. Our abrupt arrival on horseback had attracted the attention of some poor children loitering around, but the adults seemed to fear the children would anger us with their inquisitive gazes. Hence they quickly bowed once towards us and swiftly carried the children away. In the blink of an eye, the way in front of us was cleared of any commoners as all cowered away like we were rancorous monsters who came after them to claim their miserable lives.

My frown grew deeper at the terrified reactions of the timid populace.

"The common people here... seems to fear our arrival?" Gilbert beside me came closer and spoke in a soft almost inaudible tone, and I lightly nodded in silence as I realized that something was very wrong here.

"Wait here My Liege, I will send someone to enquire what is going on here." Gilbert said and quickly instructed one of the royal guards to go and enquire.

We quietly waited at one side of the dusty road as one of the guards went ahead to probe the present situation from the gate sentinels that stood waiting guard by the Calavaria city gate.

But soon something unexpected happened. The young guard in civil clothing that we sent for enquiring was suddenly thrashed to the ground by the pair of city sentinels and they made their way towards us in a haughty demeanour. I raised a brow in alarmed attention while Gilbert had his hands on the hilt of his sword, ready to unsheathe and brandish his sword-skills at any given moment.

These lads seemed pretty spirited compared to the rest of the despondent townsfolk. I also noticed that these men did not wear any armours but were dressed in lavish red garments which seemed expensive enough to cost a pretty penny. The attires definitely did not look like the kind of clothing that the likes of them could afford.