Unending - a Sword Art Online Fanfic (being rewritten)

Chapter 7: Proposal

OK, so I haven't posted in a while, but maybe you won't be mad at me after you've read the chapter. For what it's worth, school has been crazy, and lots of other things have been happening as well. Ok, enough excuses from me, let's go read a chapter.

Asuna's POV:

Asuna watched the city unfold before her from atop her perch on the litter. She was in awe of the sheer size of the buildings, which must've soared upwards at least twenty stories into the sky. She saw the multitudes of people who were mulling about in the streets, looking at the wares that were being sold in stalls of every shape and color.

This was something she had never conceived in her imagination as possible. And what stumped her most of all was that as they made their way through the city streets, people called out to the swordsman in crys of greetings.

"Something on your mind?" The swordsman asked. He wore a gloating grin, as if he already knew.

"Yeah! What have you done that these people are worshipping you like your some kind of savior? Especially since we both know your not."

"Do we now." He leaned in and caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "How well do you really know me? What have you been told?"

"I know enough. You've enslaved this land for your own ambitions, whatever they might be. You march off dozens of people every year to rebuild this old ruin."

"Ruin! Who told that my capital was a ruin?"

Asuna simply stared at him defiantly. She didn't want to anger him as much as possible, but she couldn't sit there and not call him out.

"I see." He said. He had stood up in anger when he had heard her call his city a ruin, but now he composed himself and sat back down. "I feel the need to remind you that while you are my prisoner, you are treated as a guest. If you want to be treated like a true prisoner then please, keep trying to make me angry. Driver! Take us to the palace."

The caravan sped up and soon Asuna saw the palace. It was huge. A massive outer wall rose up surrounding it. The wall must've been fifty feet tall. At regular intervals were the towers. The central keep itself rising even higher into the sky, its walls glistening in the light that was casting a shadow over it as it rose into the morning sky. The gates opened to reveal vast numbers of guards drilling and patrolling everywhere. Asuna tried to gage how many guards there were, but she lost count once she reached over a hundred. The scorpion they were riding walked up to the front entrance to the palace keep and laid down. The swordsman got down and reached his hand back up to Asuna. She timidly took his hand and he helped her down.

"Servant!" He yelled.

A young girl probably no older than ten came running out of a side door and over to them.

"Yes sir." She said, bowing deeply.

"I want this girl taken to the guest's quarters. Make sure she is made presentable for lunch time. Or else." He turned and walked off, leaving Asuna with the servant girl.

"Right this way miss. We must make you presentable for his highness or he will be angry."

Asuna was pulled along by the girl. They went through a maze of passages through the palace until they finally came to two sets of doors.

"This way." the little girl said before she pulled Asuna towards the leftmost door.

"What's in the other door?" Asuna asked. The servant girl passed for a long moment before answering.

"That's his highness' room. Don't go in there until he asks for you."

"What do you mean until he asks?"