Chapter 10: Royal Capital Kujh

 

 

 

Chapter 10: Royal Capital Kujh

 

A swift flowing river greeted the group at the bottom of the gently sloped hills they had crossed. On the opposite shore of the perpetual rush of the Cerná River that the kingdom took its name from, they could see the stone castle walls towering gallantly over shabby roofs of slipshod huts, which were built so close together as to nearly be on top of each other. The fortified city was protected by ramparts standing over five meters tall. A moat, made from the Cerná River’s redirected water, encircled and passed through the entire city.

Unen’s party finally arrived at the Royal Capital City of Kujh five days after they had departed from Yezero.

They crossed the bridge spanning the river, only to have their path promptly blocked by a peddler with cantaloupe dangling from the pole he carried on his shoulders.

“Aren’t you thirsty, my lords?” He held out the bright-yellow fruit with a smile.

Sissel waved him off with his left hand. “We’re in a hurry. Let us pass.”

As he drove away the cantaloupe peddler, Turek began to forcefully push his way forward through the crowd. His fawn-colored horse shook his neck menacingly in response as he did, sending a warning to any other peddlers lying in wait for a chance to hawk their wares.

The party safely reached Kujh Gate with Turek and Ori as their stern outriders. Upon identifying Sissel’s face in the river of people, the gatekeeper ran over to greet them.

Once inside the castle walls, Sissel proudly looked back at the group. “Allow me to formally welcome you to Royal Capital Kujh.” He spread his free hand out to show off the magnificent townscape.

“Wow! I’ve never been anywhere like this before!” Irena exclaimed, excitement glittering in her eyes.

Three-story buildings stood in rows to their left, right, and front. Signs with a variety of drawings, spanning from shoes, hammers, pigs, and flowers, hung from the eaves of the buildings on both sides of the road paved straight through the heart of the city. The number of people coming and going each and every way made it feel like a festival to Unen and Irena. Stones creating the road’s surface had been placed and hardened into the dirt carefully, likely to prevent any carriages from getting their wheels stuck in sludge on a rainy day.

And then, beyond the rows of buildings, stood the stone spire of a castle turret that instantly outdid everything else in sight. Unen dreamily sighed at the imposing magnificence that signaled the status of the kingdom’s master.

Yet, the sight of what she witnessed outside the castle walls lingered in her mind. The image of the rundown huts with sloppy shingle roofs that had been packed so tightly together and looked as if they could be blown away in the wind had left a deep impression on her.

“Um…” Though she was hesitant, Unen decided to ask Sissel anyway. “What’s the story with those houses outside the gate…?”

“Ah, those are the homes of people from other lands who have been flocking into the royal capital these past few years. Those who were unable to find a place to live within the castle walls have been allowed by His Majesty’s goodwill to build huts outside.”

The current living conditions likely weren’t too bad in the summer, but once winter came with its unrelenting, frigid cold, the holey huts pieced together with scrap wood wouldn’t be much different from sleeping outdoors. Should a storm hit, the residents’ lives could be blown away just as easily as the materials they had used to build their homes.

Irena noticed her tense expression. “What’s wrong, Unen?”

“…Nothing.” Unen gave Irena a smile to placate her, then quietly closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to shift gears. At long last, she was going to have an audience with the king. Now wasn’t the time for mulling over unnecessary concerns.

“Shall we proceed to the castle?”

Unen slowly opened her eyes at Sissel’s question.

***

HEADING up the gentle incline that was surrounded on both sides by small stores eventually brought them to a precipitous bare-rock wall. The road that had been carved out of the bedrock ascended up the cliff from the left to the right, as if it were clinging to the face of the slope. On top of the rock wall, standing taller than the surrounding rooftops, was an even taller stonework wall which silently towered over the land below it with the blue sky as its backdrop.

Peering up from where they stood, no buildings were visible besides the towers that linked castle wall to castle wall due to the cliff’s dramatic incline.

So this is a castle? Or should I say, a fortress? Unen loudly exhaled. Compared to Kujh’s castle, Baborak’s castle was more like a big mansion surrounded by a canal and sturdy fence.

The city rapidly grew smaller below them as they made their way up the steep sloped road. It was as if Unen truly did have a bird’s view now. She found it hard to believe that the buildings she had to jerk her neck back to look up at were now suddenly far below her feet. If she continued on the present course and climbed to the top of the tower, would her hands be able to reach the birds that soared through the heavens?

Something collided with Unen’s left shoulder as she mindlessly plodded along, her attention absorbed in taking in the fascinating scenery. Loud curses rained down on her as she stumbled then caught herself on the railing.

“Watch where you’re going!”

Quickly turning her face up toward the voice, she found a man with large bags on his back glowering down at her contemptuously.

“I’m sorry.”

“This isn’t a place for little brats to casually wander—” The fuming man standing threateningly over her suddenly trailed off. “Ah, uh,” he mumbled, then clearly restraining his angry voice, he spat, “Don’t walk with your eyes off the road,” and resumed descending the slope.

Let me guess… Unen looked behind her, and sure enough, Ori was standing there with his arms crossed in an intimidating manner.

“What the heck was with that guy?” Irena seethed indignantly. “He went out of his way to bump into Unen! The road is more than wide enough; he should’ve just taken that corner down!”

“Yeah,” Ori agreed.

Unen glanced from one to the other with a stiff smile that fell somewhere between strained and self-derisive. “Thank you, both of you. But it’s true that I wasn’t paying attention.”

As Irena had pointed out, the hill road was indeed wide enough for two carriages to comfortably travel side by side, but that didn’t make it okay for her to bumble along without looking where she was going. Presently, a good number of people were descending the slope and would have to wait in foot traffic even if they passed Unen’s party.

“Did something happen?” Sissel rushed back to Unen from where he had been walking at the front of the group.

Disturbed by guilt, Unen took it to heart to walk with her eyes firmly on the road ahead. All the while knowing that her determination to do so would waver soon enough.

***　

WITH Sissel as their guide, Unen’s group went through the castle gates without being stopped by the gatekeepers. Passing through the courtyard bustling with people, they proceeded inside another gate that led into the second set of castle walls under a portcullis and by a handful of knights covered in full plate armor.

Under the careful view of numerous towers, they were guided to the center of the castle’s structure, which culminated in the main residence.

Chilly air welcomed them into its embrace the moment they stepped inside the building. Feeling their sweat evaporate in record time brought sighs of relief to everyone’s lips. After depositing their bags in the small room adjacent to the entrance, they took to the corridors again and advanced deeper into the castle. Finally, Sissel pushed open the heavy evergreen oak double doors to invite the others inside their destination, and Turek, serving as the rear guard, respectfully closed the doors before standing at attention beside them.

Inside was a room spacious enough to comfortably fit a small house. Eight windows were cut out in the wall to the left in even horizontal intervals at a position higher than an average person’s height. A large fireplace took up the inner left corner of the room. Cerná’s flag decorated the center of the wall they faced. Slightly in front of it and to the right sat a marvelous cloth-covered chair pointed in the doors’ direction.

“Ooh, you came?” A man in his forties standing next to the right wall gazing upon its adorned picture turned to Unen’s group with a wide smile. He was a man of delicate, yet striking features whose glossy bronze hair and deep sky-blue eyes made for a profound impression.

“Lord Vrba, what, may I ask, are you doing here?” Sissel inquired.

“I had to come when I heard there would be an intriguing guest. I asked His Majesty for permission to be present for this.”

Sissel turned toward Unen’s group and introduced the gentle-looking man. “This is Lord Vrba, who rules over Schaehor Province which runs along the kingdom’s eastern border.”

“I’m his Majesty’s hunting companion. About ten days ago I came to the capital to kick back and have some fun.”

“You know, you don’t have to deliberately act frivolous by saying you came to play.”

The door to the right opened before Vrba could make a coherent reply and a new voice with a deep baritone resonated throughout the room in greeting. “Welcome!”

“Your Majesty!” Sissel immediately straightened, bringing his right hand to his chest.

“Ah, we aren’t in the public eye, you don’t need to stand on ceremony, Sissel.”

Cerná’s King Klinack strode into the spacious room with his golden blond hair swinging behind him, a jovial smile accompanying the good-natured look in his eyes. Judging from lack of wrinkles around the corner of his eyes and mouth, the king appeared close in age to Vrba, but the aura he exuded was of someone quite a bit younger.

“Your Majesty, with all due respect, should you not be equally concerned of your guests’ eyes as the public’s that you speak of?” curtly interjected the elderly man following behind Klinack, who had gray-streaked chestnut hair and wore a rather priggish expression.

“Don’t be uptight, Harabal. Our guests are not the kind of people who will lose sight of the matter by my being a tad more personable with them. Am I wrong?” he looked to his attendant and imperial guard.

“You are correct, Sire,” Sissel firmly answered. Turek gave a firm nod at the back of the room.

King Klinack then addressed Unen’s group. “First, allow me to thank you for taking the trouble to travel from afar to visit. Allow me to commence with formal introductions now. I’m Cerná’s master and king, Klinack. This gentleman here with the grim and rigid face is my distinguished aide, who also holds the position of mathematician and astronomer, as well as acting as my princess’ private tutor, Harabal.”

The man called Harabal shot a brief glance at Klinack, who piled on the titles with a roguish smile, before greeting Unen’s group with a nod.

The king continued, “Looks like Sissel has already introduced Vrba to you, but…he’s my beloved freeloader—”

“Hey now, that’s not a nice way to introduce someone, Klinack,” Vrba interrupted with an incredulous smile.

“I was only playing along with your thoughtless frivolity,” Klinack said coolly.

“Leave that role to me or you’ll ruin my plan where my frivolous behavior will lead to a fine series of events in which they will inevitably learn that I am actually a very serious person, and their opinions will change for the better.”

Theatrically shrugging his shoulders, Klinack surveyed everyone present. “This annoying and tiresome person is my dear friend, Vrba. He governs over the vital eastern territory of Schaehor. Seems like he wants to accompany me in hearing about the skills you possess.”

Now having finished with basic introductions, Klinack nodded to Sissel. It was finally Sissel’s turn to introduce Unen and her friends in order.

“This is Sparrow Eyes Unen, the mapmaker of Baborak Province’s town of Yezero.”

The king and his two men simultaneously turned their attention on Unen. As neither expressed any surprise at her appearance, they had to have obtained some information on Sparrow Eyes in advance.

Unen swallowed hard and curtsied the way Sissel taught her.

“And this young lady here is Lady Unen’s friend, Lady Irena. She is the oldest daughter of the leader of Yezero’s Vigilante Corps, and volunteered to accompany us as Lady Unen’s guard.”

Irena curtsied after Unen with a prim expression.

“Beside her is the swordsman Ori, and beside him, the mage Master Mouru. We came under attack by eight highwaymen on the road, but we safely survived without any trouble thanks to Master Mouru.”

“Oh, a mage?” Curiosity twinkled in Klinack’s eyes.

Right at that moment, the door behind Unen was thrown open with a loud bang.