The Holy Capital

A couple of hours pass, and the gate to the Holy Capital appears over the horizon. There is a line of carriages waiting to enter and exit through the city walls.

We pull up at the end of the line and join in the wait.

"We are finally here," Faye says and looks out the window beside me.

The walls of the Holy Capital are impressive considering the primitive technology they have, but they are not tall enough to block out the Grand Cathedral, which is the real feat of architecture. It's a couple of kilometers away, but the very top still peaks over the city walls.

Why they have walls is beyond me. From the map, it looked like there is one country on this side of the world, so there is no threat of foreign attacks. Maybe it's to block out whatever they are fighting in the Pitted Woods.

Beside the gate in the distance are strange doorways in the middle of the grass field that don't seem to lead anywhere. They look like entrances to staircases going down underground.

"What are those for?" I turn to the cabin and ask.

Astra takes a look and scratches her head. "Huh, I don't know. I don't remember those being there."

Perhaps newly built subterranean railways?

Nobody else is paying any attention to them, so I guess I will ignore them, as well.

One by one, the line of carriages advances forward. A small boy about Astra's apparent age in some dirty clothes goes around these carriages holding a big bowl or dry fruits. Some drivers and passengers toss coins into the bag on his belt and take a few pieces.

I don't mind some refreshment. As he gets close to ours, I take out my pouch.

"There is a boy going around selling dried fruits. Do you guys all want some?" I ask.

"Sure," Faye says.

Lohikaarmi shakes her head, and Astra sticks her head out the window.

"Dried fruits?" She asks.

"Right over there," I say and point at the boy coming toward us.

"Ooh. I want to try some," Astra says.

The boy stops beside my seat and asks, "Do you sir want some dried apricots? They are an iron coin for each."

"We will take a handful," I say and pick out some iron coins from my pouch.

When I am about to take the fruits, I see him staring beside me with his mouth half-opened.

"Why is he looking at me like that?" Astra whispers.

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Hey, kid. What are you looking at?" Astra asks and waves her hand.

The boy blushes and looks away. "S-Sorry. It's just, you are very pretty," he says timidly and hands me the bowl.

Now it's my turn to laugh.

"Aww, really? Thank you. I will think of you in my prayers," Astra says.

"M-Me too."

Right after I grab a hand full of the fruits, the boy sprints away to the carriage behind us.

"Wait!" I call out, "I haven't given you the money yet!"

He does not look back.

Astra has a complacent grin on her face.

"What happened?" Faye asks and pokes her head out beside Astra's.

"Nothing. A fact that I already knew was proven again, that's all," Astra says.

"What?" Faye looks at me for answers.

I shrug my shoulders and say, "Puppy love, I guess."

Faye's confusion doesn't seem to go away.

"Well, I got these fruits for free." I hand Faye half of the apricots.

"Oh, nice," she says and takes them back into the cabin.

"Do you even pray?" I ask Astra.

"No, of course not. Why would I?" She chucks an apricot into her mouth.

"Yeah, I thought so. You just deceived that child."

"No. I said I will keep him in my prayers. I never said that I will pray. If I ever do, which is never, I will think of him."

"That's so nice of you," I say with a dry chuckle.

So the benevolent Goddess indeed doesn't exist.

"Don't look at me like that. Fine, I will fulfill my promise, alright?" Astra says. She closes her eyes and puts her hands together.

"Oh, sweet Goddess of infinite virtue," she says, "please grant that innocent child a full belly tonight."

A bit on the nose.

Light glows from her palms, and she opens back up her eyes.

"Does that work?" I ask.

"It should, but who knows. After all, I am only a mortal girl who can't stop attracting the infatuations of little boys."

"Please don't say that, sweet Goddess of infinite virtue."

"Why not? You just saw it happen."

"Oh, for God's sake," I mutter.

"It is for my sake."

I am about to refute, but then I decide to give up.

Not long after. We arrive at the city gate. It's a great brick arch with armored soldiers guarding either side on either side, God knows from what.

The entrance was a breeze, ignoring how long it took. There is no customs or the need to show someone any documents. Well, what did I expect? This is supposed to be similar to pre-industrial Europe, after all.

Having the slums on the outer ring of the city makes sense in that it's the biggest ring, but realistically, it doesn't give first-time visitors like me a good impression.

The first things I see after entering the supposedly Holy Capital are run-down sheds and people sleeping on the side of the street.

On the left and right of the wide road, there are rows of houses that would no way be able to accommodate winters or even just slightly harsh rain. And by looking at how many people have nowhere to go, I am guessing owning these "humble abodes" is already a luxury.

There are elves here alright, but they don't look like the friendly and chipper bunch in Alventyr. The ones here are all gloomy and dispirited.

As the line of carriages breaks up into their separate ways, the main road becomes free. I get my horse to trot through as looking at this scene does not do well for my mood, and I don't imagine it to do well for Faye's, either.

"Where is the convent?" I ask Astra.

"There is more than one, but they all look the same. Keep going forward, and you will reach the fifth ring. You might see a few there," she says.

"Alright. What do they look like?"

"Very out of place. You won't miss them. They are giant mansions amidst houses of the laity."

"Okay."

We head straight. This road I am on seems to go on forever, right up to the side of the Grand Cathedral in the far distance. I can see a big chunk of it now. Again, magnificent, but seeing this side of the city really does take away from its grandness a little.

A guy with no legs calls out from the sidewalk while rattling a cup, "Spare a few coins, will ya?"

I was opening my pouch when Astra, of all people, stops me.

"Don't do it," she says.

"What? Why? He clearly looks to be in need of sympathy."

Astra stares me dead in the eye with not a trace of humor. "Trust me, Kris. I have been doing this for centuries. I can tell a person's morality with one look, and he is not a man with a past deserving sympathy."

Not something I would expect out of the mouth of a ten-year-old girl who just had a random boy fall for, that's for sure.

"God, you can get dark sometimes," I say and put away the pouch.

Astra sighs. "This city, no, this world can get dark sometimes, Kris. You need to understand that before moving further into the capital."

Duly noted.