The Capital (1)

The trip to the capital took three days. We had to stop at different inns during the night, and give the horses occasional breaks during the day. It was long going, but I enjoyed it. I was excited to see land outside of the Hessian domain, and happy to know my new world was so abundantly beautiful.

Everywhere we went, nature prevailed. Trees, and flowers, fields of tall grass, hidden alcoves, and wild animals running everywhere. It was so unlike my old world. A world so polluted by it's human population, it had been unsafe to swim in certain waters, and the air we breathed was never quite 'fresh'. I felt the health of this world was just another reason I'd been given a second chance at life. I was finally able to experience what earth might have looked like before industrialization. Granted, some things were less convenient, but it was more than made up for by magic.

Damien and I always spent some time before bed practicing each other's magic. He was still trying to catch up to me in defense, and I was getting really good at one of his deviants. The others were still unstable, but ice magic seemed to come naturally to me.

Mary scolded us for making our room too cold whenever I used it, saying we'd catch our deaths of sickness. I tried to protest, saying our bodies were far too healthy to succumb to small viruses after exposure to just a little cold, but she wouldn't listen, and banned us from using ice indoors anymore.

Riding in the carriage was a nuisance. I wasn't used to such rough travel, and I did get a different kind of sick. I got motion sickness. I couldn't understand how Mary and Damien were so okay with how much the vehicle moved around. We had to stop several times for me to throw up and then catch my breath. Damien fretted over me and suggested I ride to the capital on his wolf form instead. I firmly declined.

But after the three days were up, we finally arrived at our destination, weary from the long trip.

"Identification?" A soldier asked Mary through the window in the carriage.

Mary handed the man our family's seal, and he nodded approval, then stepped back to let us enter through the gates.

I gaped at the giant walls towering above us as we passed into he empire's capital. They were more than just tall, but thick too. The security of this city was nothing to be scoffed at. There were soldiers as well, belonging to the imperial family, stationed at equal intervals along the edge of the walls, and at it's top.

For common travelers, the identification process took much longer. But as nobles, we were guaranteed immediate entrance as long as we could present a seal.

Each noble house had a symbol representing their name, and that symbol was often stamped onto a piece of solid gold to be used in situations like these. Each member of our family had one. It was unlikely to find forgery of such a thing because no commoner could easily get their hands on solid gold. Not to mention, nobles almost never traveled without an entourage of guards, and carriages proudly displaying their name and household. It would be highly suspicious for someone dressed in rags to try and enter the city with a solid gold seal. If it was attempted, further measures to confirm identity were taken.

In a world that relied so heavily on class, faking one's identity was extremely difficult. And magic made it nearly impossible.

Once we were inside the walls, I relaxed a bit more, pulling down my hood and instructing Damien to do the same.

"Mary, where will we be staying? I want to wash up before going to meet the informant."

Mary pointed out the window at a large building to our west. "There. It's called Rosemary's Inn. I've heard it's very extravagant, and they have large baths."

"Rosemary's Inn?" I questioned. It was rare for women to work, let alone own such a large business. And the name eluded to a female owner. But perhaps the culture in the capital was a little different than that of the Hessian lands, even with the patriarchy still present.

"Apparently, the name is in dedication to the owner's wife. He gives her full credit for the idea of starting an inn, and the preliminary work to make it successful. She died before it ever officially opened." Mary replied, looking a bit sad.

"Oh." I too, found the story to be rather melancholy.

I caught Damien with his hands together and head down. Praying?

He saw me looking and answered the question written on my face.

"I was pleading with mother nature, asking her to give a peaceful journey of recycling to the woman called Rosemary."

"Peaceful journey of recycling?" Mary asked.

"Yes. As you may know, when we die, the energy that was once stored in our bodies returns to nature and is recycled into a new form, before once again dying. Then the cycle is repeated, continuously."

I smiled. I think I was starting to better understand Damien's reverence for mother nature. But then I had a thought.

"Does that mean the energy we use for magic is the lifeforce of living things being recycled?" I asked.

Damien grinned, "Yes, that is correct master."

It was interesting to think about, but also strange. Before I could dwell on the matter any further though, the carriage came to an abrupt stop, and the horses out front could be heard throwing a fit.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Mary moved back the curtains on the window, "There seems to be some kind of commotion in front of the carriage."

I leaned forward to see if I could catch a glimpse, but all I saw was a crowd of people gathered, looking at something I couldn't see.

"I'll go take a look," I said, moving to open the door.

Mary grabbed my arm, "Wait, what will you do if someone recognizes you?"

"Don't worry Mary. Have you ever heard of a Hessian noble with red hair? No one will think twice."

"Alright, just be careful."

I nodded and hopped out of the carriage, with Damien following closely behind me. I walked up to the steward that had been driving to ask what was wrong, but I stopped when I saw his look of petrified horror. I turned to see what he could be looking at, and my brow furrowed at the sight.

Several feet in front of the carriage, a young child was laying, seemingly unconscious and bleeding from a spot on her head. Our guards were crowded around her, one shaking her gently, trying to get her to stand up.

"What happened?" I demanded, marching up to the soldiers.

They looked at me confused, and I realized they thought I was just a servant too. But then Mary got out of the carriage and approached behind me.

"Answer him," she fixed her gaze on the knight kneeling before the girl.

"Right!" he responded immediately. "This girl suddenly ran out in front of our horses, and we didn't have time to stop before they trampled her. One of their hooves hit her head and she fell unconscious."

I approached the child and leaned over in a similar manner to the knight, examining the wound on her forehead. It didn't look serious, but she might have been suffering from a minor concussion.

"Damien, take this girl and find the nearest clinic. Get her treated," Damien nodded and came to scoop the girl up, "Mary, go ahead to the inn and prepare our rooms for an extra guest. I'll be going with Damien."

"Pardon? But why would we need to bring her to the inn?" Mary asked, "Can't she stay at the clinic?"

I glanced over to the girl in Damien's arms and focused in on the item she was still fervently clutching in her arms. It was an information memoir. From a guild.

I looked at Mary, "Something tells me we aren't going to want to ignore this girl."

Mary looked confused but didn't question me any longer.

"I'll tell her when she wakes up that you want to see her. She won't be able to refuse a request from a noble."

Mary nodded. Our guards looked confused as to why I was issuing orders, and Mary, always quick on the uptake, addressed the issue.

Quietly, she informed them of who I was, and warned them not to reveal my identity or there would be heavy consequences. It would have been better to tell them before we ever left, but we didn't want to risk the rest of our family finding out. They still thought I was back home, coped up in my study. This way at least, the guards wouldn't question us, and no one would slip up around the Duke.

I gave Mary a look, and she returned it in kind, both of us understanding what it meant. I understand, and be safe.

I turned back to the little girl, who Damien was still holding, and then up at my friend.

"Let's hurry," I said.

"Of course!"

And then we were off. I hoped my hunch was right, and this girl was going to be able to help me in making use of my golden spoon!