Chapter 34: Arrival At Erestia
The first pale rays of dawn crept through the carriage windows, stirring me from a restless sleep. My neck ached from the uncomfortable position I’d dozed in, and I could hear the soft rustling of the others beginning to wake. Queen Emma was already alert, her keen eyes scanning the horizon through the curtained window. She never seemed to truly sleep—always vigilant, always ready.
"We should reach the capital by midday," Olivia said from her horse
The morning passed in relative peace, though I noticed the increasing frequency of other travelers on the road. Merchant wagons laden with goods, families in modest carts, and the occasional lone rider on horseback—all drawn toward the same destination like iron filings to a magnet. The very air seemed to thrum with anticipation and purpose.
As the sun climbed higher, casting away the morning mist, I felt a change in the carriage’s movement. We were ascending a gentle hill, and something made me press my face to the window despite the stuffiness of the enclosed space.
Then I saw it.
The breath caught in my throat as the capital of the Kingdom of Lorendia spread before us like something from a fever dream.
Erastia.
Even the name had always carried weight in the conversations I’d overheard in Millbrook village—spoken with a mixture of awe and distant longing by those who had never seen it, and with knowing pride by the rare few who had.
But no amount of tales could have prepared me for this reality.
The city stretched endlessly before us, a sprawling vision of human ambition and royal power. Massive walls of grey stone—each block perfectly cut and fitted—rose at least twelve meters into the sky, their surfaces weathered but unbroken by countless seasons. Watchtowers punctuated the fortifications at regular intervals, and I could make out the tiny silhouettes of guards patrolling the ramparts.
The road we traveled had gradually widened as we approached, transforming from a simple country path into a proper thoroughfare paved with smooth stones. Now it was packed with traffic—a river of humanity all flowing toward the same magnificent destination.
Carriages of every description clogged the roadway. Simple farm carts pulled by weary oxen moved alongside more elaborate conveyances adorned with brass fittings and painted designs. The noise was extraordinary—wheels creaking, horses snorting, and voices rising in a dozen different conversations. Merchants called out their wares even here on the road, hoping to catch the attention of fellow travelers.