The Reformation Wars: Conflicts Rekindled

Chapter 5

By midday ten days later, Princess Kate's party finally arrived in Raneteink Lek, the capital city of Innutuk Proper. Generous rays of sunlight beamed down on the travelers as they went over the spot where rural dirt road gave way to flattened cobblestone. As they advanced farther into the city, reddish brick buildings sprouted out of the ground and shielded them from the warming rays.

Kate peeked out of her open carriage door and stared with wonder at the grandness of the city around her. With all the buildings constructed of stone, brick, or other such hard materials, the architecture struck her as handsome and grounded, like even the worst of disasters could never stand a chance of toppling them. And the absence of any floral beautification along the walls like was so common in Monterayne gave Innutuk's capital a rather artificial atmosphere.

Once the party had more fully surrounded themselves in Innutukian architecture, Kate began to spot more citizens milling about, the majority of which were women. Most of them sported dark hair, either black or nearly so, with lithe figures and mannerisms full of grace and femininity. Flowing dresses in a variety of colors draped over their bodies, though crimson and scarlet hues enjoyed greater representation. The few men Kate did spot appeared to be wilted husks of their former selves, men who had seen better days.

By and by, they came to a rusty gate comprised of crude, thick vertical bars held together by wooden horizontal beams. Here, Kate first laid eyes on Innutukian men in their prime, brawny masses of muscle with grim faces, encased in thick plates of unrefined armor. Her chief bodyguard descended from his horse and cautiously approached to greet them.

The Innutukians spat some words in their harsh language at Kate's bodyguard, to which he raised an eyebrow and requested they speak in Monteraynian or Alcontean. After exchanging a glance, the taller of the pair began speaking in broken Alcontean.

Kate's fluency in the language was limited, but she picked out the Innutukian guard ordering her bodyguard to make his intentions known. He told the Innutukian that his master wished to speak with their emperor, to which the guards chattered amongst themselves for a few seconds. Then one of them opened the gate a sliver and darted through.

Several awkward minutes of waiting passed. Kate fidgeted inside her carriage, occasionally peeking her head out to check if the Innutukian guard had returned, and her chief bodyguard leaned against the gate with crossed arms. His refined plate armor gleamed in the sunlight trickling through a nearby alleyway.

Finally, the Innutukian guard returned, and after beginning his statement in Innutukian, he halted and spoke again in his rusty Alcontean. He informed the chief Monteraynian bodyguard that the emperor would accept their visit, but they would first have to undergo a thorough search, and any weapons they deemed too dangerous for the palace would be confiscated until their departure. After conceding that to be a reasonable request, Kate's chief bodyguard laid his spear down in the grass and allowed himself to be searched.

The pair of Innutukians rustled through every saddlebag, each pocket and fold of the Monteraynians' clothing, and even urged Princess Kate out of her carriage so they could probe inside there. She stood with hands on her hips and watched as they uselessly crammed their heads underneath the seat, reached into the empty cup holder, and many such needlessly thorough search procedures.

While she waited for the search to be completed, Kate glanced over at Manfred and Andre, who were both still busy in straightening their clothes after having been jostled around in the name of security. Manfred's trouser pockets had been turned inside out, so he worked away at cramming them back into place.

Andre finished rolling his sleeves into neat cuffs before moving on to buttoning his shirt again. Kate found herself baffled how the guards had managed to separate the buttons, but she couldn't exactly complain about the chance to get a glimpse of Andre's muscular chest underneath, along with well-defined abdominals that glistened slightly from a midday sweat. She averted her gaze just in time to avoid Andre catching her silent admiration. Her cheeks heated, though, so she could only imagine her blush was giving her away.