AO 7 Ch 25

The capital of Zenovia came into sight a day and a half later. A rich splotch of colors amid a bustling city. All wrapped in a hard grey wall.

I had been asked by the captain of the knights to stop along the way so that she could give her men respite and water. Which was, I supposed, reasonable.

The knights were all doing far better on the second round of travel, especially given that they were able to prepare themselves before they were picked up and launched through the sky. 

As the capital of Zenovia came into view, warning bells chimed along the walls, and soldiers rushed to the parapets, itching for a fight. It was as if we had kicked a veritable hornet's nest, given how busy it suddenly became down on the ground.

"Oh no," the knight captain muttered under her breath. 

"What? Can't you see they're all gathering together to greet us?" I smiled and gestured downwards. 

"Ard," Emlyn warned, "they don't look happy. And unhappy people don't like jokes." 

I scoffed. "Can you believe the world has people who don't like jokes?"

Only for my ladies to glare back at me. 

"It's fine. They might try and sting us a little bit. I will try to not take it personally given they have not met me yet." I said as everyone’s attention shifted.

To be fair a massive ball of fire launched from a tower straight towards us. The churning molten ball of fire looked angry as it continued to grow until we couldn’t see the city below around it.

“Ard, do something.” Emlyn cried, orange light reflecting off her face.

The knight captain fell to her knees crying.

"Huh," I muttered, unperturbed and reached out to grab the fire magic. I squeezed it closed with my fist. And like a hand had pinched the actual magic, the ball collapsed in on itself.

The knight captain peaked up as the light disappeared. Emlyn sighed and the rest of my ladies eased in their tension. At least some of them believed in me.

"See? Easy peasy," I said, dusting off my hands. “Now time for our welcoming party.”

“Please at least pretend to take this seriously.” Emlyn huffed and crossed her arms. Only for three more balls to appear, and arrows launched by anchors or Vel'shae joined them.

"Those on the other hand could be troublesome." I wagged a finger at the arrows and pushed even more magic into my steed.

Cyam whinnied as dark tendrils lashed out, smashing away anything that got close.

A few of those powerful arrows slammed into the carriage, only to fall away as they failed to pierce my dark magic.

Admittedly, I had a massive, smug grin on my face. I did enjoy a good entrance. And it was about time the world understood that I was more than just some four sphere mage.

"Killing a bunch of them is probably not the best first impression, Ard," Eva warned me. The raven-haired princess gave me a look that bore into my soul.

I glanced over at my tactician and goddess of war, Zuri and Ditzy for their input. "I thought the plan was to intimidate them," I said. Both ladies looked at each other. 

"It was, and it still is," Zuri replied, sticking to her guns. “Admittedly, I underestimated your ability to do just that. Please continue with the plan, a death or two can be washed away.”

Ditzy nodded, her eyes sharp. “Though we are just coming for a funeral, don’t be misguided, we are fighting a battle.”

I didn't pull the brakes, flying down with Cyam at breakneck speeds. I merely dismissed their attempts to stop me, which grew more difficult the closer we got to the city. More anchors picked up massive bows, and even the regular foot soldiers were now drawing crossbows and joining the attack. 

Magic poured out of me, and I felt my reserves within the Ardenium Palace begin to dip dangerously fast. My mind flashed at the realization. I needed to speed up my entrance a bit.

Arrows and magic pelted us, more getting through Cyam’s tendrils with each second and the carriage of dark magic was cracking.

Not holding anything back, I threw our carriage, including the swarm of knights behind me, and landed in front of the gatehouse. The tendrils of darkness carried the knights flailing around me, both using them as a shield and protecting myself.

Hopefully they’d not shoot knights in their own colors.

But my hopes were dashed as arrows continued to pelt down, yet it seemed my goddess wasn't going to stand still. This was also a test of her ability to interact with the world at large.

A large, magical circle appeared beneath us over a few agonizingly slow moments, only for a blue dome to raise up and snap closed, like we were suddenly in a glass bubble. Arrows began to ping off of it, and Missy looked quite satisfied with herself. 

"Took you long enough," I said, setting down the knights and opening the carriage to hundreds of arrows and bolts pointed at me, as well as swords drawn and people panicked. I held my arms out wide as my anchors did their best to protect me. 

"What a wonderful welcome you've given us," I shouted at the top of my lungs. "I am Arden Aldis, representative of Avente and husband to Princess Eva Zenov. Now, if you could please put those away, I would happily let her out of the carriage and introduce you to the knights that told us we had to come here." 

I gestured for the knight captain to step out and she looked absolutely mortified at the scene before her. Those on the wall were confused yet regimented enough that until the order was given, they were not lowering their bows. 

"Captain Hirsch," someone seemed to recognize the knight-captain, and she let out a massive sigh of relief. 

"Yes, that's me," she stepped forward and cast a wary glance back in my direction before it shifted to the magical bubble around her.

I forced myself not to grin. Zuri and Ditzy had warned me at the chance that the knight captain would be in on the attempts to remove Eva. 

"I…” the captain hesitated. I could see the wheels turning in her head, which confirmed the theory. She was deciding which way she would go. "I am Knight-Captain Hirsch and have come to deliver Princess Eva and her entourage to the royal palace as well as the queen's funeral." The Knight-Captain made the right decision and bowed her head towards those on the wall.

After all, she was trapped in here with me should she make another decision.

"Wonderful!" I clapped my hands. My shadow tendrils set down the knights before disappearing, leaving our group exposed as the carriage departed. Only Missy, Ditzy, and Bad Kitty had vanished. The goddesses were shy.

"I would like to formally introduce Eva Zenov," I said, "and of course, her guardian for her recent journey, Vel'shae Lord Valken." I introduced them, hoping to sway the opinions of those still on the wall.

The knight captain was trapped in a bubble with us, so she wasn't going to do anything rash at this moment. But it was still entirely possible that the moment the bubble came down, she would reveal her true colors. We needed allies on the wall and the intimidation of my entrance to stay everyone’s bolts and arrows.

"In that case. Please, we welcome Eva Zenov, Lord Valken and their entourage," a man on the wall motioned behind him, and the gates began to crank their way up. "Mage Aldis, was it?" He stared down at me. "In the future, we would prefer some warning before your arrival."

"We were on our way," the knight captain tried to answer.

"But we needed to hurry to make the funeral." I spoke over her, wanting to control the narrative. "I apologize for our haste. We've arrived before any messenger could have reached you." 

The man in charge on the walls twitched, forcing a smile to stay on his face. "Wonderful. While you are in the city, I do ask that you take other people into consideration, particularly before you fly around like a massive kraken from the sea." 

I smiled. "Duly noted. I'll do my best not to impersonate a kraken while I'm here. If you would pass along a word, there have been several attempts on Princess Eva's life, and I will certainly protect her first and ask questions later." 

The man on the wall reacted strongly to my statement. "An attempt on her life?" He frowned. "Preposterous. The Zenov family is the lifeblood of Zenovia. Zenovians would never harm one of the princesses. While I can believe there was an assassination attempt, I assure you that here in Zenovia you will find no cause for concern. Now, please enter the city so we might continue normal operations." 

"As you wish." I did not mention how we were in Zenovia to attend a funeral that would indicate differently. The man could figure that out for himself.

I began walking right up to the bubble. When I reached the edge, I placed a hand on it and drew Missy's magic back within the Ardenium Palace. My entourage grew tense as the bubble dropped, but when no arrows went flying, they relaxed a touch. Most of them didn't take their hands off their weapons, though. 

The man who'd been atop the wall bounded off of it, landing with a thud. He stood up, and I realized he had to be at least seven feet tall. What was more, he had a pair of gray wolf ears sticking out atop his head. 

"Lord Valken, pleasure to see you again." He bowed, and that's when his tail made itself known, wagging back and forth in excitement to see the other Vel'shae. 

"The pleasure is all mine. I have traveled with these youngsters for long enough, and I could use time with someone who might reminisce with me about the olden days." Lord Valken walked forward and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

The Wolf Vel'shae barked in laughter. "I can see how they might wear on you.”

Lord Valken turned to me. “Arden, Anibrius here is good. Anibrius has been a Vel'shae for the kingdom for going on 250 years. In fact, he's been in charge of the city's forces for at least the last 80. He would have known your father well." 

I frowned at the Vel'shae and he canted his head in confusion. 

"His father?” Anibrius asked.

“Ah, I came back not with one Zenov, but two." Uncle Valken put a hand on my shoulder standing between the two of us. "Meet Arden Aldis, son of Gwyn Aldis, and his father, Harry Zenov.” Lord Valken introduced me.

I beamed at the wolf Vel'shae, whose eyes grew as large as saucers. "Do you mean when Harry was on his mission, he sired this young man?”

“Not only is he a young man, he is a very fine mage. To be precise, Arden here is a four sphere mage, and particularly interested in understanding more about his father's side of the family." Lord Valken answered.

The wolf looked at me. For a long moment, his eyes scanned over every detail. "I will remember him," he said before smashing a fist into his chest, "for it is the Vel'shae's responsibility to protect the royal family. Though it seems you have not taken your father's name, I can hardly blame you, considering the conditions."

"Well thank you," I said, bowing to him in genuine respect. "I wasn't sure what sort of reception I would have, and I am happy to see that people remember my father.” I tried not to show my excitement to hear more.

But the Vel’shae continued on to my own glee. “Yes, Harry was a fine young man. It seems you've taken his liking to shadow magic and then taken it to another level. Sadly, I only had the barest of experiences with him. I had stopped training Zenovs by the time he came around."

The wolf Vel'shae had a strange gleam in his eyes as he leveled a consideration at me before he shook his head. "But now isn't the time to reminisce. Please, your arrival will certainly not go unnoticed, and if you would take a message to the palace that everything is fine." He looked to Uncle Valken for the last.

"Of course, we were heading that way, and I'm sure Arden will make a few more spectacles of himself on the way there." Uncle Valken warned.

Anibrius glowered at me. "Is this going to be a continuous affair?”

“You could say Arden has trouble breathing without making a spectacle of it." Uncle Valken pursed his lips.

The two old Val'shae snorted in unison. "Children."

Uncle Valken took a deep breath. "It is good to be back amongst those who understand. I'll visit the palace tonight, and come prepared for your wild tales.”

“Don't let me delay you.” The other Vel’shae turned to me with a smile. "Welcome to Port Zenov. It has just about everything you could imagine, and more." He gestured inward.

Zenovia's capital was a port on the eastern side of the country. There was an inlet sea that it rested on, providing calm waters for easy sailing, and plenty of goods to travel back and forth. As I understood, it was a common stop amongst seafaring merchants traveling the world. To the south, the southern isles were often fraught with disputes between major factions. Sticking closer to Zenovia was a safer route, but long enough that it only made sense to swing up the eastern edge and restock while selling wares.

Our first few steps into the city were intriguing, as plenty of people were milling about, casting curious glances up towards the men on the wall, before gazing back down to see my group traipsing in.

Carriages were a rarity. More often, there were hand-drawn wagons moving goods around, or perhaps a mule trudging behind someone. I was certain we'd have to get our own carriage, lest Emlyn complain.

However, it wasn't time to stand around gawking. I moved quickly into the city that came alive with rich senses.

Stalls lining the main thoroughfare displayed jewelry and gems prominently at the front of their stores. Meanwhile, the scent of all manner of spices lingered in the air. I sniffed at a peculiar scent.

"Spices are more common here than in Avente," I mused. 

“You could almost say they are the main currency of the port, especially when making bulk deals." Eva said.

"Really?" I asked.

"They're worth more than their weight in gold. And if there's one thing the ships are desperately concerned about, it's the weight and size of all of their cargo. So if spices are easier to move than gold, then you bet they'll switch up the currencies. As for the stalls, most of those aren't real gems, or at least not the ones they're pretending to be. They put them out front, though, as a status symbol of sorts." Eva explained.

I walked through the market, amazed at the sheer variety of goods and the number of rich colors displayed everywhere. People were wearing dyes so bright and vibrant I was fairly certain they didn't exist in Avente. Even the stalls had dyed tarps hanging over them.

"Do the colors mean anything?" I asked, trying to find rhyme or reason.

"Like if House Aldis had a stall, they'd probably have blue and white, but that doesn't mean everyone can't do blue and white to their heart's content. We have plenty of our own noble houses here in Zenovia. It's just that they were all born out of either powerful Vel'shae or some attachment to the Zenov line." Eva said.

I glanced at Uncle Valken. "Don't tell me you have like a thousand kids and grandkids here, do you?" 

The Vel'shae rolled his eyes. "I have dedicated myself to the royal family and have forgotten my noble house."

"Still," I wiggled my eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

"No," Uncle Valken said sharply, and I realized that it was perhaps a sensitive subject.

I wondered if Uncle Valken had baby fever at any point. At five hundred years old, it had to have happened at some point. In my thoughts, I had missed some comment.

"Don't mind him, he's probably daydreaming," Emlyn said.

I huffed at her casual disregard.

"Were you daydreaming?" She asked pointedly.

"I was not daydreaming. One does not daydream about Uncle Valken having baby fever. I was just merely contemplating if it was possible." Everyone gave me odd looks. "Never mind, a topic for later. Eva, Uncle Valken, why don't you show us all around? The city is grand and beautiful, and I'm sure there's so many things for us to see." I emphasized, hoping and praying we'd move past that particular gaff of mine.

"Yes, Zenovia is picturesque. The markets spill all the way out from the port to the palace, making this the place to buy nearly anything and everything your heart desires.” Uncle Valken was clearly proud of the place.

“Though we can't stay out here too long," Eva reminded Uncle Valken, "we should head straight for the palace to begin preparations. Not to mention, I shouldn't be seen without a veil after arriving here. Until the queen is interned in the catacombs, it is only right for her children to be mourning."

"And so that means you have to blind yourself with a cloth over your face the whole time?" I asked.

"Yes, Ard, it is proper decorum, something I'm certain you know nothing about," Eva chided me with a playful squint of her eyes.

"Well, that was very pointedly correct," I said, only for Emlyn to look very pleased with herself.

"Perhaps you could get a chance to teach Ard some of this decorum," Emlyn added.

"If he wants to, we could. However," Eva smirked, "I am afraid that if I try to force it, my time would be better spent bashing my head against a wall."

"Teaching Ard is often like that," Maribelle chimed in, oh so helpfully.

"I like to think it's more endearing than self-harm, but to each their own interpretation.” I scowled at Maribelle.

The crowd parted and many were bowing to the Vel’shae behind me. Others were pointing him out to their children excitedly and travelers from afar were jumping on boxes to get a look at him.

“Everybody seems to be fawning over Uncle Valken. Not going to lie, I am a little jealous. He didn’t do a big grand shadow magic display when he entered." I said, watching everyone give him room and respect.

Uncle Valken smiled. "If they knew who you were, they would react similarly. It's just that they know who and what I am the moment they look at me." Yet his grin only continued to grow. I had to resist the urge to grumble under my breath and just held it in with my chin aloft, marching through the Zenovian streets with my harem.