For King and Country

Your Father's Daughter

Chapter 7

I don't know what I expected the capital to look like, but the sight of it from the carriage window was unbelievable. My mouth hung open like a child marveling at the light of a fire or the gossamer wings of a butterfly. I'd heard stories about it, of course, from my father or Micah's. I knew it was in the waterfall country, sitting on the sea. They said it was beautiful, but nothing prepared me for the sight of it.

My first glimpse of it was on a bridge, a large white washed bridge over a roaring river with pavement as smooth as glass. The carriage did not bounce or shake; it glided across the surface like its wheels were in smooth groves. It led to a single iron gate. The bars wove in intricate patterns from the ground to the underside of a cliff that the wall was dug in to. I vaguely recognized the national seal, the crest all the soldier wore emblazoned on their chest. The gates opened for us, and the darkness settled over the carriage they'd shoved me in, the only sound that of the distant sounds of water and the hooves of the horse.

Then day broke again, and I eagerly looked out the windows to the terraced capital, built alongside the cliffs of the coast. There were buildings of glass and stone, that threw rainbows in the sun. Bridges wove the city together, crossing the waterfalls and rivers. There were gardens and court yards. But my view was brief, because the day went dark again when I traveled under another cliff wall, this one underneath a cliff and cloaked by a waterfall. Along one side of the street, the one nearest to the cliff were venders, selling all kinds of things, from tokens to trinkets to turnips. The other side sported a stone wall, that guarded people from falling into the millions of gallons of rushing water. The people got out of the way of the warhorse and carriage, taking a moment to stare at the windows, wondering who was inside. Somehow the ancient builders of the city had channeled the rivers and waterfalls into something beautiful, deciding to live among them rather than leave the coast unattended.

When we emerged from the street under the waterfall, onto a large cobblestone way that made it easier to see how the city was laid out. The water was held by large ducts with walls big enough for people to stroll across as they meandered down to the sea. The levels were connected by stair cases and building so seamlessly that they all looked to be one. Every now and then, the ducts spilled over cliffs or connected with natural rivers to flow to the sparkling bay below. The carriage drove towards the ocean, then turned onto a side street that wove between a set of town houses, then another street that ran along another street until we were heading directly into a waterfall. I gasped, thinking we were about to crash, then I was underneath it, then it was behind me. I turned around to look out the back window to the waterfall flowing uninterrupted behind, it led into another tunnel that wove until it reached an exit. The gate there opened to us before letting us into an underground room where carriages were parked. The door opened a few moments later, Elijah standing there.

"Lets go," He said, offering me his hand. I stepped down into the damp, underground room, letting him lead me up a staircase as a little boy quickly worked to remove his horse's saddle. The soldiers meandered around, ignoring me totally. He didn't give me time to walk around as the water dripped from the ceiling to the floor. The room he dragged me into was small, it opened into a long, dark hallway that Elijah hurriedly led me down.

"The palace is built into a side of a cliff on one side. It's safer that way. It looks over the city on the other." He explained. "This is the lowest floor, the servant's chambers. They're great for getting around undetected." The hallway grew lighter as we made our way, then he turned suddenly to open another door that led to a staircase. The large marble staircase wove its way up, one side with windows looking out over the bay. Elijah moved quickly, leading me up several flights of stairs. He then motioned for a guard to open a door a few levels up, the guard's gaze lingering on me.