Road of the Heavenly Light

17-1: The Winter Palace

Apollo had a hard time with knowing where people were. He was looking for Elizabeth, as she was the student council president, but even though he knew who she was, he had no idea where she could possibly be. She had been absent from the student council office, which made it difficult to locate her, as Apollo barely knew her.

After a helpful tip from a fellow student, he had made his way to the music room, where he was glad to see her with Levi and Anna. Elizabeth was seated behind the piano, while Levi had a violin in his hands. Anna stood by their side, watching the other two as they played. Apollo cleared his throat, and their heads turned towards him.

"I, uh... I need permission to leave school for a few days to go home. I should be back by the end of the week," he explained.
"And what is the reason for this trip? I hope you know it's quite close to our final exams," Elizabeth asked.
Oh, he knew. He was dreading the exams, especially with the time lost when it came to studying.
"It concerns important royal duties. It is a tradition back in Fayiron for every member of the royal family to make the journey from the Winter Palace in the capital to the cave that contains the Agios Staff, our national treasure. It can only be done the day after an aurora has occurred during a full moon, something that only happens every five years, with the next time being this week."
"That sounds pretty scary," Anna remarked, "do you have to do it alone?"

Apollo shook his head.
"It's tradition for at least one person from outside Fayiron to accompany whoever makes the journey, as Saint Divinia did with Fina when she first brought the staff to the cave, right after being crowned Queen of Fayiron. Howard will accompany me for the journey, and so he will need permission to leave as well."
"I see no problem with that. I will forward it to Principal Abigail, who will have it sorted," Elizabeth reassured him.
"I wish I could go along..." Anna lamented, "I've always wanted to visit the Winter Palace and see the art collection."
"I agree. I have heard many stories of the palace's grand always and the chandeliers that look like ice crystals put together," Elizabeth added.
Apollo gave them a weird look. It was odd to hear people talking about his home like it was some kind of mythical land.

"Well, in that case, why don't the three of come along," Levi suggested, "you know... to observe Fayiron's culture and to support Apollo. You wouldn't mind, would you?"
"Not really," Apollo said with a shrug.
"Now hold on a second. We cannot just lift along with Apollo like that, and we are already heading to Brightwald in a few weeks for similar reasons," Elizabeth protested.
"But Lizzie, think about the chandeliers!" Anna pleaded.
"And I've also heard there's a beautiful opera hall near the Winter Palace."
"Fine," Elizabeth relented with a sigh, "I will discuss it Abigail."

Apollo couldn't resist snickering at the successful attempt of Elizabeth's best friend and boyfriend to convince them to come along. It seemed that in addition to making his journey to the Agios Staff, he would also be playing tourist guide.
"I should warn you to wear warm clothes; Fayiron is freezing cold for people who aren't used to it even during the summer."
"I don't think we have any of those clothes. We should ask Eleanor if she can arrange something for us. She's basically a famous designer now, so she should have some connections," Anna suggested.
Apollo wished them good luck.

The next morning, Apollo waited in the hallway for Howard to emerge from his dorm room. He had arranged to meet with the others at the school gates, but he liked meeting with Howard first before going there. Apollo never really liked the fact that he and his best friend didn't share a dorm. It didn't take long for Howard to emerge, thankfully.

"There you are. Have you got everything?"
"I think so," Howard responded, smiling as soon as he saw Apollo, "I'm glad you had warm clothes to spare and that we are roughly the same size. Belmont is not nearly as cold, so I don't have many, and certainly didn't think to bring any with me to Royale High."
"You're welcome. I didn't really use most of them anymore, so you're more than welcome to keep them."
Howard's eyes widened.
"Really? Thank you, Apollo, that's really kind of you."
"Don't mention it. I have more than enough, and they suit you."

As the two of them approached the school gates, Apollo saw the others already standing there with their luggage in hand, and he readied himself for his role as tourist guide. He didn't really mind it, as he was glad to see people being interested in his home country and its culture. As Iola's smallest country, Fayiron's culture often went unnoticed, especially due to its relative isolation. At least that isolation meant that Fayiron was always quiet and peaceful, perhaps even more so than Divinia.

When Howard and him arrived at the school gates, Apollo noticed that Eleanor was standing with the other three, carrying luggage as well.
"Are you coming along as well?" Howard asked.
"Indeed. When Anna explained me of your plans, I just had to come too. I'm dying to find out how the people of Fayiron apply manage to make their clothes so uniquely warming without making them too thick or big, among other fashion techniques unique to them."
Apollo was both glad to hear more interest in his country, but also amused by the fact that their company had grown from two to six.

The six of them stepped into a carriage, just barely managing to all fit inside. It didn't go very fast, with their luggage also weighing it down by quite a bit.
"How will we travel to Fayiron?" Elizabeth asked.
"We'll take a ferry to Fayiron's closest port city from Diamond Beach and from there take a ride towards the capital."
"Aren't we traveling through Falmar?" Anna asked, "I thought that, since Fystaria is closer to the border with Falmar, it would be the faster route."
"It might look that way on a map, but the border between Falmar and Fayiron is entirely covered by a rough mountain range that is very difficult to pass. It's only really possible through one road, the Frigid Pass. I think the name should tell you more than enough about how comfortable of a journey that is. Boats are also faster than carriages."
"Sea travel it will have to be then," Levi remarked, "I think I would much prefer the calm waters of Amestou to that Frigid Pass."

The journey was thankfully as peaceful as Levi had hoped. The waters between the various islands of the Amestou Archipelago were regarded as some of the safest waters of the oceans surrounding Iola, even despite recent rumors of a pirate ship crossing by them towards Divinia. Apollo then watched in amusement as everyone had to stop to change into their warmer clothes as soon as they arrived in Fayiron. Even if the ports weren't frozen during the summer, it was still cold enough to prevent snow from melting. When he saw the clothes Eleanor had procured, Apollo wondered if she had contacts in Fayiron, as the clothes almost resembled ones his sisters or mother might wear.

After walking through the port city for a while, they arrived at a taxi spot. To the surprise of the others, there was no regular carriage, but instead a sleigh carriage, which was much better equipped to traverse Fayiron's harsh landscape. Due to the constant, year-round snow and the frequent blizzards in the autumn and winter, regular carriages stood absolutely no chance. Elizabeth and Eleanor sat down a bit wearily, holding on for dear life to the seats, while Howard, equally fearful, clutched his arm so tightly Apollo wondered if there was even still blood flowing to his hands. He was glad when Howard finally felt safe enough to let go.

After a somewhat long journey, they finally arrived at the gates of Fystaria, Fayiron's isolated capital. The layers of snow were much bigger than they had been back at the coast, and the temperature was a lot lower, to the point where the others were shivering even in their warm clothes. Apollo was glad to see his home again, after having been away for almost a year. The Winter Palace quickly came into view, being in the center of the city. As they passed by the statue of his late father, Apollo hoped he would look over him during his trial.