Heart Of

Chapter 32 - Arrival

[twenty-fourth of Aima]

Finally, after almost two months of travel, their carriages began to approach Selovaro. Unlike the pure excitement Aushen felt when approaching Morcrisse, the large, daunting gates of Selovaro only worsened the prince's nerves. 'This is where we'll be staying for the next three months.' He had royal introductions to make, correspondence to pass on, explanations to give, a whole new routine to adjust to... The list went on, and exhausted him just to consider.

They passed through the gates, and were immediately greeted with the bustling outskirts of the city of Selovaro. Shops, homes, and other structures were crowded around the base of the central mountain, called Viamasa. All the way up the mountain were buildings and streets hewn into the mountain itself. Lifts could be seen here or there, just like the one at the hot springs in Morcrisse. White stone was the dominating feature amongst the city, but it was more colorful than Morcrisse had been, with many decorative stones and painted designs incorporated into the architecture. Some parts of the city were less vertical than others, with larger chunks having been cut from the mountain to facilitate construction.

Olef began to look a bit green as they wound up and around the twisting paths to climb the mountain. Luckily, his pill kept him from getting any worse than nauseated. Rohdri pointed out significant structures as they climbed- from above, one could see the spires many Selovaran buildings featured on their roofs. This, too, was unlike what they'd seen across Fiilzia thus far. After two hours of ascent, slowed due to the narrow paths and busyness of the roads, they finally reached the top.

Aushen stared in awe as they pulled up to level ground. The top of the mountain was cut flat, almost as if the tip had been cleaved by a gigantic blade. The ground was white stone, and placed carefully across much of the mountain were "floating fields", large raised structures with rows upon rows of produce and vegetation. Even trees were planted on some of them.

In the center was the looming, grand palace of Selovaro. Workers waved as the procession passed by. Aushen felt his heart pound, and subconsciously reached across the carriage for Valleus' hand. Olef and Rohdri, excitedly pointing out things they saw, didn't notice as the knight clasped the prince's hand in his own. He gently squeezed it, rubbing his thumb across Aushen's knuckles, and whispered, "I'll be right there with you." Aushen nodded at Valleus gratefully and loosened his grip, dropping his hand by his side. As the carriage pulled into the final set of gates, making its arrival to Selovaro Palace, the prince closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

'I am representing the great nation of Kumbra. No fear, no nerves. You've prepared endlessly for this, Aushen. And you're not alone.'

The carriages pulled to a stop, and the doors were opened. Olef and Rohdri exited, and Valleus followed, extending his hand to assist Aushen out. The prince took his knight's hand gratefully, and held it a beat longer than he probably should've- the gesture did not go unnoticed by the surrounding knights and servants. To his left, Odessa exited her carriage. She looked over and smiled brightly, rushing up to her brother as soon as she saw him. "We're here, Aushen! We're finally here!"

The prince nodded, looking around in embarrassment. "Yes, yes. Deep breaths, now. We're about to go in and meet the king and queen." To the side, Rohdri and Caesonia were discussing things with the head butler of the palace, and directing Olef and Mary to the rooms their masters would be staying in. The Kumbran knights stood at attention- they were expected to present themselves before the Fiilzian royal family, and would be making themselves useful around the palace for the next few months in addition to providing guard duties for their own prince and princess.

Finally, Rohdri and Caesonia approached the royal siblings. "All right, they're getting your things settled into your rooms now. Are you ready to greet the king and queen?"