Imperial Capital Ava

The Royal Palaces

 

Lord Blackwood and his son Sir Dylan just exited from the private study when they ran into the second prince, Matthaeus, who was walking alone in the unmanned corridor.

Dylan was taken aback at first wondering how this area was discovered considering how His Majesty kept the secrecy of this path. Not even his most trusted aide knew of this place!  

The two looked at each other before approaching the person in front.

"His Majesty called for you, isn't it?" Prince Matthaeus confirmed casually the same as how he would confirm his lunch.  

Sir Dylan was about to answer when the marquess gestured for him not to. 

"Greetings Your Highness, it is indeed your father who called for us. A few urgent things had to be discussed in private regarding the empire's welfare. Details that are of much importance and must not be disclosed to anyone."

"Naturally I understand since I saw you using this channel." Prince Mattaius replied indifferently. 

Rest assured he won't tattle on them. Besides, there are little people on his side to talk to. 

"Thank you for your consideration, You Highness." 

He waved them off, "If there is nothing else, I will go ahead."

The father and son took a step back, bowed their heads before letting the second prince pass. When he was gone, Dylan looked at his father with slight helplessness.

"The eldest prince is nowhere to be found, the second one and the empress became alienated to the emperor. If this goes on, the queen might be able to squeeze her way in soon now that she is bearing the third child."

"So what if the queen is pregnant? The empress has two sons. That one from the Sybil family is not fit for the position at all. Who knows if she--"

"Father, please be mindful. That could be treason!"

"Treason? A pseudo monarch with only a title to hold on to. You should know who is the real matriarch of this nation." 

"But the empress dowager seems to have good opinions about her," Dylan said objectively. 

Lord Blackwood snorted on his high aristocratic nose. 

"The empress and the dowager had once a good relationship." Dylan added, "Now there is a rift because the second prince refused to meet His Majesty…" 

Lord Blackwood tilted his head thoughtfully, "Do you think that the father and the second son had a bad relationship?"

"The second prince has not visited his palace for half a year already and has remained cooped up in the backyard."

To his surprise, the lord let out a chuckle. 

"That is rude, father." Dylan prompted. 

"Don't you ever wonder why we met him here today?" The marquess left that for him to mull over.

He was no longer in the mood to elaborate every detail to this twit of an heir. Time is pressing and he has plenty of preparations to do. Dylan knew his father wouldn't give him an answer so he trotted behind obediently while searching his brain for a clue.

"Where are you heading after here?" the marquess suddenly asked.

Dylan slowed down, "Off to the Esplanade to see some acquaintances."

"I heard some wealthy merchant built his townhouse near the river. That it looks grander than the nobles' townhouses in the inner ring Lilium Park?"

"There is that one, yes," Dylan confirmed. "But certainly not as grandiose as your aristocratic chaps' abode. Let's not speculate like that lest it evokes hatred and envy from the Circle. The poor man just wanted to live comfortably."

Lord Blackwood looked bored, "I'm merely inquiring, dear boy."

When the adults have gone, the second prince emerges back from one of the concealed niches beside a pillar. The little prince, who barely reached their waist looked at the backs of the father and son with a touch of envy and longing in his eyes. 

 

---

Eustoma Territory.

 

Sitting inside a carriage, Ayan carefully held the sleeping children and Milk on her lap. Milk became her third child unknowingly as he got closer to the twins. Whenever the boys sleep, he would curl up to his butt and tail to snooze as well. When they wanted to eat, the cub clamoured for snacks in the same amount thus turning the mighty winged leopard into a pig. 

The thought made her smile a little.

Two brown stallions pulled the wooden vehicle over an uneven path in between the wheatfields. The rattling did so little to affect the sleeping passengers but Ayan had a sickly white face. Aside from motion sickness, she felt like her skeleton was in danger of being disassembled. She never knew she could still get sick until she rode in this carriage.

Outside, the two coachmen shared very little words as they concentrated on controlling the reins and the horses during the not-so-pleasant journey. As a consolation for her torture though, the scenery outside offered a very tranquil and picturesque view. 

The new world she broke into was lovely, flowers bloomed in the wayside, green valleys and hills tumbling as far as the eye could see and streams decorated by clusters of tree snakes in a winding pattern.   

It was time for the harvest where the old and young joined forces to clean up the fields. The adults in coarse linen clothing cut and tied the wheat stalks into sheaves for drying while the young children gleaned on the leftover grains on the ground.

It was a vast country scape with its own beauty. Cottages dominate the majority of the structures around, a few brick houses there, inns sprang out as well and an even rarer county manor with well-tended lawns and gardens.  

Most of the books she read about middle ages setting always describe a dirty and destitute image of the lower class. But in fact, that wasn't the case in this world at all. The author of this story, in particular, seems to have a heavy dislike of the poor; she magnified all the negative things she could think of in the olden days such as streets littered with urine for one. Feces everywhere and all sorts of disgusting things. 

Peasants were imagined as dirty and irksome to almost savage. Although they belong to the bottom class and maybe lacking so many conveniences, they were not stupid. They may not have a concept of bacteria and tiny organisms but humans, in particular, understood cleanliness. Baths are rare, yes, but washing is a must to avoid bad smells. 

Contrary also to the typical belief, peasants are quite resourceful. They may be illiterate but they have enough awareness on how to manage their craft, tend to their day to day living and improvise. They know how to stretch and bend to fill in their needs. 

Speaking objectively, there are areas with that extreme condition but certainly not everywhere. The author probably heard of such practice from a certain place and quickly assumed that is how it was done generally. Believe it or not regulations on how to properly handle sewage and waste exist, especially here when the overlords of every fief are in competition in which land looked the most beautiful. 

Besides, the punishment for breaking the law is not something the peasants would love bearing. 

Another negative conception of an old-world setting is its backward use of tools. Surely some tools are not yet sophisticated and as polished as its modern versions but they sure work and do the job. People continue to invent according to necessity. 

Asturia, as a huge territory was sadly satirized as such. The reason, of course, is to give the new heroine a moment to shine. In this slow-moving feudalistic society, the heroine will come like a sharp beam of light, using her unique foresight she will revolutionize their way of life towards progression.  

Unfortunately, all these were wasted when the dark beings began their siege. All of Asturia except the imperial capital fell from the evil legion. Ava became the last stronghold, an Eden to the suffering masses.

The ending was colourfully described as such. After the ending though, with only a few hundred thousands of Asturians remaining, which most were nobles by the way, how are they going to manage their living without the peasants and serfs doing their bidding?  

Ayan wanted to laugh.  So what's the point of all the heroine's hard work? Was it only to make her look good? What about the lives lost?

She is now sure that what was written can be shrugged off as a combination of the author’s prejudice (xenophobia) and lack of research compared to the reality she is seeing.  

How could he/she describe this paradise as extremely uncouth?

The fields are abundant with grains and crops. Serfs were also allowed to grow food in their backyard and own animals. Though the lord owns the land, once the harvest is done, they have their portions to eat. 

Such a pity for a thriving land to fall miserably. In her opinion, Lattice the one the author quoted as a small gem is much backward and uncouth. The attitude of the characters in that place was abominable. 

There is a wide area for farming but the food is scarce for the lower class because of taxes and tribute. They work from sunup till sundown but could still barely enjoy the fruits of their labour and due to the lords limiting the forage and hunting grounds, serfs who accidentally went beyond their designated spots when looking for food could be charged with poaching.

Nobles restrict the lives of their serfs down to their diet and treat them like mindless and disposable beings who can only follow their command. 

Now that she thought about it, Ayan became even more curious as to how a magnificent Asturia Empire could turn a lot worse than Lattice when the outbreak in the continent began. What could have caused it?

Because the author modelled it out from the history of Ayan’s original’s world, a lot of things here are already familiar to her except the currency and overall geography but added with her very own memory, she is confident that she would be able to survive in this era and return to her parents in the modern world. 

The cold wind blew from the carriage window easing her motion sickness a little bit. 

"How do you feel?" Clayton asked as he urged his horse near the opening. 

Ayan smiled weakly. "A little dizzy but can still manage."

"We will be arriving in a while, if you need rest we can stop for a spell."

"No," she waved her hand quickly. "It will delay travel."

Clayton looked at her complexion making sure she was telling the truth. 

Ayan touched her nose awkwardly. From other people's perspective, however, the couple passing by seem to be talking intimately. The husband rode closely on guard, he was tall and mighty on his dark coat while his lady looked very delicate and pretty. She has a smooth unblemished complexion like cream and hair as crimson as the fire. 

They collectively stopped working to watch the convoy on the path. It was very rare to see a parade after all. 

"Mr Rozenberg, thank you for bringing us along with you." Knoll expressed his gratitude sincerely.

They were all exhausted from the fight with the monsters last night. Added by Eliott's despicable behaviour, his patience was almost spent. If it wasn't for this family, he would be forced by Eliott to pay for the damages the bandits caused on the cargo. Thankfully, Mr Rozenberg intervened just in time to solve the issue. 

Eliott was the one who requested their service. The job he posted on the mission board was only an escorting job and did not include details about the merchandise he was transporting. Knoll thought it was probably the easiest low paying request they ever did. If not because of Eliott's friendship with the old master back at the guild they wouldn't accept it.

They should have refused and wouldn't lose two brothers.

The bandits attacked and stole, strangely enough, they did not take the textiles which was Eliott's main business but took a fancy at some old wicker basket instead. Knoll did not know what was in it but Eliott sure does because he started yelling and losing his wit.

It was the scene the Rozenberg family first witnessed. They thought Eliott would calm down after a night and mull over the issue but who knew he still wanted them to pay after everything that happened? 

Mr Rozenberg said that there was a garrison nearby and they can report what happened to the soldiers. Eliott quieted all of a sudden and began shaking as if afraid. It was clear that he did not want the knights or any authority involved. 

But it was too late for regret, Knoll had no idea how the soldiers found out that they suddenly came. At that moment, Eliott had already fallen into a dead faint. 

It appears that they did not come there for an arrest. The captain of the guards came to greet Mr Rozenberg and his family then escorted them to the town and took Eliott with them in passing. Which now brings them here. 

"We just happen to pass by," Clayton said when he thanked him again. 

Ayan looked at the bald Knoll and giggled secretly. The lanky guy was too eager to please and it looked funny.  

He could have intimidated children if not for his expression of squeezing a smile like an idol fan about to ask for an autograph. He became even more enthused when Clayton tossed a full hand of bananas for them to eat. 

The big men were overjoyed while dividing the yellow fruit and they became even more determined to make a lasting impression. 

"These are bananas?" Knoll was amazed.

The sweet and creamy taste was not something he expected to taste from an odd-looking plant. The bananas he knew were not like this. They were bland and a little hard to bite incomparable to the one he is eating right now. 

"We brought them from the forest," Clayton said straight-faced then snuck a glance at Ayan.

"I have seen bananas sold in the Arpeggio before but the colour was violet not yellow and it doesn't taste this good," Beck said while taking a huge bite. 

The same with Knoll, his bad impression of 'banana' was renewed.

Ayan: =_=" violet, isn't that an eggplant?

"Perhaps it was because it was picked from the forest," Clayton said.

Beck's eyes lit up, "Merchants from other places always claim that the fruits they bring came from the forest to make it sound as exotic as possible. Alas, the taste. I think yours was the most authentic one."  

"Beck, aren't you some obscure little young master pretending to be poor?" His companions teased. 

"No, I'm really poor." Beck denied with a wave. 

"How can you afford to eat fruits then?" 

"Yeah, I've also never seen a mercenary who talks as fine as ye. Gives me a dandy-ish feeling sometimes."

"I live in a small apartment rooming with mites and cockroaches. I look so pitiful that the ladies from across the street would feed me something delicious once in a while. The nice speech helps win some hearts as well." He answered without even blushing. 

"Cough~ shameless." 

"Such a waste for that fine face!"

"It's not my fault they fell for my charms." Beck gloated. 

"One of these days you will be cut by a woman and we wouldn't be surprised."

He was suddenly jeered at. Beck did not lose his temper however and even played along.  

"We're here," Knoll told everyone and finished his second helping of the delicious bananas.

The towers of city walls slowly peeked over the dense trees.

Ayan couldn't help but open the window to take a good look at the first human construction she saw. The sky is clear with little wisps of clouds scattered, the fields are golden with grains and the in front of her are white high walls surrounded by sparse woodland and meadows. 

Outside the looming walls, there is a long queue of people carrying baskets with produce. Some sat on bullock carts waiting for the inspection to finish so that they could finally enter and do their trade. 

Eustoma is a large city with a good economy, they had to stop here to spend the night and handover Eliott's robbery case to the magistrate. The carriage did not evoke curiosity from the passerby this time because there was another one with a fancier design that came up from behind. 

Ayan was fiddling with the curtain and did not notice a pair of eyes watching her from another window.