Shattered Sanity

(The sky above Minas Tirth, Riven’s POV)

Minas Tirith was unlike any place Riven had ever seen before, as for as far as the eye could see, there were only towering stone buildings, bustling streets, enormous bridges, and countless rooftops stretching towards the horizon in every direction.

Stoneville had once felt impossibly vast to him.

Back then, simply seeing hundreds of people gathered within the same marketplace had been enough to leave him speechless.

However, compared to the sprawling metropolis now unfolding beneath the Pegasus carriage, Stoneville appeared little more than a lonely roadside village.

’Is that the Temple of Minerva?’

Riven wondered, as his eyes settled upon a magnificent white structure standing proudly beyond the city’s outer walls.

Its enormous marble dome shimmered beneath the evening sunlight, while dozens of towering pillars surrounded the temple like silent guardians.

Based upon the distinctive shape of its dome, its isolated location beyond the city’s defensive perimeter, and the countless illustrations Lucius had forced him to memorise, Riven recognised it almost instantly.

’And... is that the Gate of Amun Tuk?’

He wondered next, as another familiar landmark entered his view.

A colossal stone gateway stood at the northern entrance to the city, its weathered walls still bearing the scars of battles fought centuries ago.

One after another, places that had once existed only within dusty history books gradually came to life before his eyes, until the lessons Lucius had drilled into him no longer felt like distant stories from another age, but had rather become reality.

’I see it now.... I see the difference between the old and new town.’

Riven thought, as he could now visualise what he had once only heard.

As per the Hypnotist’s teachings, Minas Tirith had originally begun as nothing more than a military fortress.

Nearly three hundred years earlier, when the Valdrak Empire was still struggling to unite the surrounding kingdoms beneath a single banner, Duke Eldtrich Dawnriver had selected this very stretch of land to establish the eastern bastion of his House.

Many nobles had questioned the decision.

Constructing a fortress directly beside a major river seemed unnecessarily risky, as enemies could theoretically approach its walls by both land and water.

However, Duke Eldtrich had looked far beyond the immediate battlefield.

According to Lucius, every prolonged siege inevitably became a contest of endurance.

Food could be rationed.

Weapons could be repaired.

Walls could be rebuilt.

Fresh water, however, could never be stored in sufficient quantities.

By anchoring the fortress directly upon the riverbank, House Dawnriver guaranteed itself an endless source of fresh water even if every road leading into the fortress became completely surrounded.

And although controversial at the time, it was ultimately a decision that fundamentally changed the military history of the Eastern Province.

Over the centuries, countless armies had marched upon Minas Tirith hoping to claim the strategic fortress for themselves.

Some attempted to storm its walls.

Others tried starving its defenders into submission.

A few even sought to blockade the river itself.

However, none had ever succeeded.

House Dawnriver had lost and gained bits of land throughout the centuries, and yet, Minas Tirth was never lost.

Over time though, the fortress eventually transformed in ways even its founders could never have predicted.

As river travel gradually became the Empire’s fastest and most profitable means of transporting goods, merchants naturally began settling around the safety offered by House Dawnriver’s walls.

The docks expanded first.

Warehouses soon followed.

Markets flourished along both riverbanks, while craftsmen, labourers, and merchants established homes around them.

Generation after generation, the settlement continued expanding until it stretched across both sides of the river, transforming what had once been a purely military fortress into one of the wealthiest cities within the entire Empire.

Looking down upon the bustling streets below, Riven finally understood why Lucius had always described Minas Tirith as both the shield and the beating heart of the Eastern Province.

It had been born from war.

Yet it had prospered through commerce.

*Flap* *Flap*

As the Pegasus carriage gradually descended, the city itself became increasingly detailed before Riven’s eyes.

The magnificent bridges connecting both halves of the city bustled with merchants and travellers, while river barges drifted beneath them carrying grain, timber, ores, medicinal herbs, textiles, and countless other goods towards the sprawling docks below.

Wide stone roads branched away from the river, weaving through orderly districts filled with noble estates, military barracks, workshops, markets, and temples dedicated to the ancient gods.

Smoke rose from thousands of chimneys, while bronze bells echoed faintly across the evening sky as life continued uninterrupted beneath them.

Although Riven had read about cities such as Minas Tirith countless times before, seeing one with his own eyes proved to be an entirely different experience.

As only after witnessing it with his own eyes did Riven truly begin appreciating the scale of the world that existed beyond Ashfang Village.

The White Castle soon came into view.

Standing upon the eastern bank of the river where the original fortress had first been constructed centuries earlier, the ancestral seat of House Dawnriver towered above the surrounding city, its brilliant white walls gleaming beneath the evening sun.

Unlike the prosperous districts surrounding it, the castle retained the unmistakable appearance of a military stronghold.

Massive curtain walls enclosed successive layers of fortified courtyards, while towering bastions overlooked every approach to the keep.

"RIVERMEN, PREPARE FOR LANDING!"

The carriage driver yelled as they approached the castle, while underneath them, dozens of soldiers immediately sprang into motion.

The massive landing platform overlooking the castle’s central courtyard had already been cleared well before the Pegasus carriage began its descent, leaving behind two perfectly aligned ranks of armoured Rivermen awaiting their Duke’s return.

Clad in polished silver plate armour trimmed with brilliant shades of yellow and orange, each soldier stood with disciplined composure, his spear planted firmly against the white stone beneath him as banners bearing the golden river crest of House Dawnriver fluttered proudly behind the formation.

Watching the reception from above, Riven instinctively found himself sitting a little straighter.

Although nobody had announced the Duke’s arrival throughout the city, somehow every person responsible for receiving him already seemed to know precisely where to be and when to arrive.

As the carriage descended lower, the Pegasi gradually spread their enormous wings, beating against the air with slow, powerful strokes as they bled away their momentum before touching down gracefully upon the polished stone platform.

*Gallop* *Gallop*

Their hooves scraped lightly across the white surface for only a few feet before the magnificent beasts calmly folded their wings against their bodies.

As soon as the carriage settled to a halt, the waiting formation came to life.

Several Rivermen stepped forward to secure the Pegasi, while others spread out around the carriage in a protective formation, every movement executed with the effortless precision of men who had rehearsed the same procedure hundreds of times before.

Moments later, a castle servant dressed in an immaculate white uniform hurried towards the carriage before respectfully opening its door.

"My Lord Duke," he greeted, as he lowered himself into a deep bow.

Drew Dawnriver acknowledged the greeting with nothing more than a faint nod before stepping out onto the landing platform.

The instant both of his feet touched the ground, hundreds of spear shafts struck the stone in perfect unison.

The thunderous impact echoed throughout the castle grounds.

"We Greet the East Lord!"

The Rivermen declared together, their voices carrying across the courtyards before silence settled over the fortress once more.

Only then did Drew glance back towards the carriage.

"Come."

He instructed simply, as Riven immediately stepped out after him.

The moment his feet touched the cold white stone, he felt countless eyes settle upon him.

Servants paused in the middle of their work.

Castle officials discreetly glanced in his direction.

Even many of the Rivermen stole brief looks towards the unfamiliar child standing beside their Duke.

Nobody spoke.

Yet Riven could sense the curiosity lingering behind every gaze.

"This is Riven Dawnriver. Fourth Son of the East Lord Drew Dawnriver, and will be referred to as Young Duke, going forward."

The Hypnotist declared, as he stepped out from behind Riven, and informed the populace that the bloodline of Drew Dawnriver had not run cold.