Kassandana, the capital of Yunan, was situated in the heart of the realm, at the banks of the GydarnRiver which run through the entire realm from Haelghira into the FalkidianSea. It was the most beautiful city under the sun. Its streets were broad and roomy, its pavements wide. There was a law to prevent anyone, from a rich merchant to a proud aristocrat, from barring the passage with a jutted out luxurious façade or an intricate front garden. Once a year a royal herald would ride through every street with a spear of a certain length across his saddle. Were that spear to even brush against a gate, that gate would be immediately torn down, and were the spear to touch a hose, the house would be razed to the ground.
Anyone going to build a house or any other structure in the city, had to present his designs to the royal officials. They would scrutinize those designs and either approve them or turn them down, depending on how much they were in line with the overall architectural style adopted in the capital.
Due to those harsh measures the city looked exceptionally graceful and elegant, its building neat and refined, and its every line well-balanced and sharp. It was like a stone lace, diligently weaved by a skilled master. The streets paved with granite slabs were never touched with dirt and slush. The citizens felt it their duty to keep their homes and yards clean. Those who had forgone their duty and marred the metropolitan streets with a scrubby yard or a chipped façade would be forced to pay a big fine.
There was great number of beautiful private houses and official institutions in Kassandana, also schools, shops, public baths, taverns, theaters and other places of public resort. Their walls sparkled with splendour of marble and jasper, jade and lapis lazuli, onyx and obsidian, malachite and rhodonite. City squares and intersections were adorned with monuments and statues, portraying great knights, renowned kings, legendary ancestors of the royal house, and also some of the Lesser Gods, which were considered patrons of art and craft. And since the symbol of the royal house was a dragon, there were countless stone statues of dragons in Kassandana, why it was nicknamed The Dragon City.
Four roads led away from the capital to the four corners of the earth: north to Arheeze and Kiaran, south to Verlow and the free merchant cities, west to Aolaigho, east to Falaris and Solkh. Those roads were so wide that two big wagons could pass by without brushing against one another's sides. Kassandana was surrounded by a sandstone wall so thick that a two-horse wagon could stand on top of it. There were four gates in the wall, with steel grates. They were guarded by a pair of huge dragon statues each, except for the regular human guards, of course.
Those statues were made of bronze, and later on, during the barbarian invasion, when the supply of iron from the mines had ceased, they were melted and used for making weapons. Sadly, even those desperate measures weren't able to save Kassandana from being conquered, sacked and burned. Although, during Ashurran's time none whatsoever boded so ill for the future of the capital, and any citizen would laugh in the face of a person daring predict that city would fall.
The city of Kassandana was great, great and beautiful, and it was the first human city founded in Yunan. Nine hundred years had passed since its foundation. The chroniclers called it the EternalCity and The Mighty Dragon of Yunan: but scarce three hundred years later the grass grew over the ruins of Kassandana, abandoned by every living soul.
Nevertheless, there was plenty of time before that, and now the capital kept astounding everyone by its splendor, princes and kings as well as peasants and petty provincial lords. They said when envoys from the Ancient Race had arrived in Kassandana, they exclaimed, "Had we known that the humans were able to build such cities, we would seek peace, not war between our nations!"
Ashurran came to Kassandana with a heavy heart, not being in the mood for sightseeing. Also she was not some ignorant peasant as the spiteful Kiarany king had called her: she had already seen the big cities of Irshawan and the marvelous Elven ones. Yet she couldn't help but gasp in awe at the charm and delight of Kassandana. She admired its wide straight roads, its tall wall with battlements, its statues of dragon guardians, and was able to forget for a fleeting moment the pain that was tearing her soul apart.
The citizens of Kassandana were handsome, well-built and slender, for the most part at least, and their faces were of those who had lived a comfortable and easy life. They wore rich clothes of silk and other expensive fabrics, of various bright colors and intricate patterns, elegantly embroidered and beaded. As if wasn't enough to flaunt their wealth, they made those clothes as many-layered as possible, with long hems trailing behind them, with wide sleeves reaching their knees and sometimes even the floor. Yunan was rich, and of all his cities the capital was the richest. Even a minor official would be dressed-up as a dandy, in luxurious silk, and satin, and brocade. Yet many of the citizens wore black clothes mourning those killed in the battle of Alann Bragollach, although more than a year had passed since that doleful day. High King Oghinta had set an example himself: he didn't take off his mourning clothes grieving for his dead generals, most of all for Matholwy the Bullhorn.
Ashurran came straight to the High King, and he didn't know her at first, for she looked drawn and ragged after her long journey. When he did know her, he paled visibly and made a gesture warding off evil, for Ashurran had been presumed dead for all that time.
"Away with you, oh evil specter!" the King cried out. "Am I not suffering enough for the grievous losses that had befallen my kingdom? Did the heavens decide to punish me more with the doleful sight of you?"
Ashurran bowed and said, "Weren't you too quick to bury me, Your Majesty! Ashurran daughter of Argamaida doesn't die easily. I've spent a year in captivity among the Ancient Race, and now I know them more that they know themselves. Per your command I'll lead our army against the Elves and rout them."
The King was glad beyond words. He made Ashurran sit beside him, plied her with questions, gave her gifts of clothes and weapons. He held a magnificent feast in her honor. Yet Ashurran sat through the feast gloomy and scowling.
"This is no time for festivities, Your Majesty. Not a year will pass before the Elves march against us. They are eager to wipe us out from the face of the earth, to drown us in the FalkidianSea. Is this how we are preparing to fight them, with spoons and forks, with wine cups and legs of veal?"
King Oghinta was not offended by her bluntness. He was silent and sad for a while and then said resignedly, "We have not enough strength to fight the Ancients. There is no point in trying; it will only provoke them further. Let's just hope they will think we've learned our lesson, and leave us be. I will make you my general, for you are the bravest warrior ever seen, but don't ask to lead my army against the Elves, towards the certain death."
"Well, I'll get my own army then, so that our victory will honor Yunan and our defeat will dishonor only myself."
There were plenty of Ashurran's ill-wishers at the King's court. They whispered in the King's ear, "This girl is way too insolent, and reckless at that. Who knows whether or not she is still loyal to Yunan! Maybe she's turned traitor and promised to destroy Yunan and its King, and that was the reason she was let go by her Elven captors!"
King Oghinta didn't believe them, yet he couldn't bring himself to trust Ashurran completely. She seemed surprisingly sure of her future victories against the invincible Elves. And the circumstances of her escape did seem suspicious, especially since she didn't went into much details.
Nonetheless, the King rewarded her quite generously with lands and gold enabling her of hiring a thousand mercenaries. That became the core of her future army. Ashurran raised a leopard skin as her war banner, instead of the dragon of Yunan, and led her small host out of Kassandana, to the south.
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Gates to Glory: Epic Fantasy Adventure Tale (Ashurran #1)
Avventura[FINISHED]She was born in a tribe of fierce female warriors. Swords and spears have been her toys from the cradle. She has the only path before her, to become the tribe chief after her mother. Yet Ashurran dreams of strange lands, of bigger battles...
