Kael looked out the carriage window as the landscape slid steadily past his eyes.
'What a nice landscape.'
The coastal hills of Stormvale had given way to flatter terrain, green expanses occasionally interrupted by clusters of trees that seemed placed there by someone with an aesthetic sense but no imagination for varying the pattern. The road was wide and surprisingly well-maintained, which was nice considering they would spend full days on it.
'It will be a quiet journey.'
So here he was, going with Rylan to the Imperial Academy. Well, Rylan was going to the Academy. Kael was just accompanying him to see the capital and then return. He wasn't old enough for the Academy yet. He was years away. But Vaeloria was something he had wanted to see since he had started reading about it.
The capital of the Empire, where the real power was concentrated, where the six Great Houses maintained their most elaborate political games, where the Emperor ruled from a palace that supposedly glowed like fire during the nights.
It would be interesting to see if the descriptions were as exaggerated as he suspected.
The carriage swayed with a constant rhythm. Kael settled into his seat, finding a position he could maintain without his legs falling asleep after the first hour.
Rylan was sitting across from him, looking out his own window. Probably thinking about the Academy, about the students who already had months of advantage training together, about how he would measure up against the children of the other Great Houses.
'Rylan is strong though.'
'Fifth layer Apprentice at his age is exceptional.'
'He'll probably be fine.'
'Or at least he won't be completely humiliated in his first week.'
Days had passed since Celestia and Seraphine had left. The manor had returned to its routine without guests complicating everything with endless social expectations. And then this moment had arrived, final preparations, goodbyes that Kael had skillfully avoided by keeping himself busy until it was absolutely necessary to appear.
Two months of travel, Rylan had said. Maybe three if there were problems.
Kael hoped it would be two because three months in a carriage sounded like torture specifically designed to break the will of innocent people.
'Although I suppose there are worse ways to travel.'
'On foot with everything on your back.'
'Or in a farmer's cart with no cushioning.'
'Perspective, Kael.'
'Things can always be worse.'
"You seem very content, Kael."
Rylan's voice broke the silence. Kael turned his attention to his older brother, who was observing him with a mixture of curiosity and residual caution from the duel.
Kael smiled because at this moment he genuinely was content with no added complications.
"Yes... a new adventure is always welcome... although I suppose for you this isn't so new since you visited Vaeloria with Father... you're probably less excited..."
He let half a second pass.
"But you must be happier still... at the Academy there will surely be many pretty girls... and daughters of the other Great Houses with all those political benefits included on top of that... quite convenient..."
Rylan's expression immediately changed. His eyes narrowed.
"Kael."
Pure warning in one word.
Kael raised his hands.
"Alright, alright... it was just a joke... don't look at me like I insulted family honor when I was clearly just making conversation..."
Rylan stared at him longer than necessary, with an expression that suggested he was actively reconsidering every decision that had led him to be trapped with his younger brother for two weeks.
"If I had known you were like this, I wouldn't have told Father to let you come when you could perfectly well have stayed at the manor waiting..."
A heavy pause.
"I fulfilled my favor... I don't owe you anything anymore... that's clear, isn't it?"
Ah yes, the favor. The precious favor won with a duel he technically shouldn't have won but won anyway.
Kael nodded with appropriate solemnity.
"Yes, yes... we are even now... the favor has been claimed and fulfilled with no outstanding debts..."
He sighed as he returned his gaze to the window.
"It's going to be a very long journey..."
And it will be.
But at least annoying Rylan provides entertainment.
The silence returned, but now it was that kind of tense silence where both are aware of the other but have decided that continuing to speak will benefit no one.
Rylan returned his attention to his window. The strategy of ignoring the annoying brother until he gets tired.
Kael didn't mind. He had broken the monotony and obtained a satisfactory reaction, which was enough for now.
The carriage continued east.
The days blurred together.
The carriage moved from dawn until dusk, stopping only when the horses needed rest. The landscape gradually changed: flat areas gave way to gentle undulations, then flattened again, then distant forests appeared that never got close enough to be more than dark patches.
The road remained in good condition. A sign that the Empire maintained its routes regularly.
'Although I suppose no one thinks about road maintenance until they have to travel on a bad one.'
'Then everyone has very strong opinions about governmental responsibilities.'
Kael watched everything pass with genuine interest. Every detail was information: how the towns looked from a distance, how the peasants worked in organized groups, how the trees grew differently depending on the region.
Rylan occasionally commented on something about the road, pointing out landmarks he remembered from his trip with Varen.
"That river marks the boundary between our lands and direct Imperial territory... from here on we are under the Crown's jurisdiction..."
"That town has a reputation for good blacksmiths... several of our knights have commissioned weapons there when passing through the area..."
Conversation that filled silence without delving into anything.
Kael responded appropriately.
"It makes sense that certain places develop specialties based on local resources..."
"I wonder if Imperial jurisdiction is administered differently than our lands..."
Contributions that sounded like childlike curiosity without revealing that he was actually processing the information with greater care.
At one point, Kael noticed another carriage ahead in the distance. It was elaborate even from afar, clearly belonging to an important family.
"Can you see which House it is?"
Rylan narrowed his eyes.
"Not from here... but by the size probably another of the Great Houses traveling to Vaeloria... this is new student season so it's not surprising..."
'I wonder which one it will be.'
'Lunvar with their spies.'
'Greythorn with their warriors.'
'Kronis with their inventors.'
'Not that it matters now.'
'Just curious that we are all converging toward the same place.'
The other carriage took a detour and disappeared, leaving them alone again.
The nights were spent in the carriage when there was no alternative, sleeping on seats that were comfortable for travel but less ideal as beds after multiple nights.
Kael discovered he could sleep reasonably well if he positioned himself in a specific way.
'I've slept in worse places.'
'Probably.'
'Though I can't remember exactly when.'
Until they finally reached the county town.
The small city appeared gradually: buildings clustered around a probable market center, surrounded by low walls more symbolic than defensive.
It wasn't Stormvale. It was considerably smaller. But it had its own identity visible in how the constructions were arranged and how people moved in established patterns.
Several important family mansions rose above common constructions, varied architectures showing different tastes.
The carriage navigated to one of the largest mansions. The gates opened immediately upon recognizing the Drayvar emblem.
The caretaker appeared when the carriage stopped, an older man with gray hair and a professional posture.
"Lord Rylan, young Kael... welcome... everything is prepared..."
Efficient voice, genuine but not flattering respect.
Rylan descended with a movement that showed accumulated fatigue.
"I just want to rest in a comfortable bed."
Kael followed him, feeling the same tiredness.
"Me too."
The interior manor was functional rather than luxurious. Clean, well-maintained, quality furniture without pretending to be art. A place of transit, not a permanent home.
Servants guided them to separate, already prepared rooms.
Kael closed the door and collapsed onto the bed without fully taking off his traveling clothes.
'The mattress was infinitely more comfortable than the carriage seat.'
'That was the only thing that mattered.'
He slept without dreaming.
Morning arrived with light filtering through curtains he hadn't closed.
A simple breakfast was served with efficiency, brief preparations were handled while Kael and Rylan existed in semi-consciousness until it was necessary to be functional.
The carriage resumed its journey with fresh horses.
Rylan looked more rested. Kael felt the same.
"How much longer is it?"
Rylan considered the question.
"If we maintain this pace... four or five more days... everything has been quiet so we will probably arrive as estimated..."
Four or five days.
Kael could handle it. He had already survived the most part.
'Just patience.'
'And not annoying Rylan so frequently that he decides to abandon me on the road.'
'Although he probably wouldn't do that.'
'Probably.'
The landscape continued to transform. Flat areas gave way to elevated terrain, gentle hills that broke visual monotony.
More forests appeared, denser, closer to the road although never so much as to create claustrophobia.
Traffic gradually increased. More carriages, more merchants, more travelers moving in both directions.
"We are getting close."
Rylan said it more to himself. But he was correct. The increase in human activity was a clear sign of proximity to a major urban center.
The days continued.
The carriage moved, stopped, moved. The knights maintained vigilance without encountering problems. The weather cooperated with a mostly clear sky.
And then, on the fifth day after the county town, Kael saw it.
On the distant horizon there was something that was not natural landscape.
Structures.
Countless structures.
Rising above everything, impossible to miss even from miles away, were the towers.
Towers that reached heights that defied architectural logic, so tall they seemed to touch the clouds.
Vaeloria.
The capital of the Empire.
Finally visible after almost two months.
Rylan had leaned toward his window, observing with a mixture of familiarity and anticipation.
"There it is... Vaeloria..."
Softer voice, almost reverent.
Kael said nothing.
He simply watched as the carriage continued advancing toward that impossible concentration of humanity and power.
The capital grew larger with every minute. More details became visible: massive walls surrounding it in concentric rings, districts distinguishable by height and density, palace towers shining even in daylight with a material that reflected the sun almost magically.
It was impressive on a scale that made one feel small.
It was intimidating in a way few things managed.
It was exactly as expected and more than texts captured.
Good.
'Here we go.'
'Let's see what the capital has to offer a ten-year-old boy who technically shouldn't be here.'
The carriage continued its approach toward the main gates, carrying Rylan toward his future at the Academy and Kael toward whatever he found inside those walls.
The long journey was coming to an end.
But something new was beginning.
And Kael discovered that he was genuinely excited in a way that had nothing to do with plans. Pure curiosity.
Vaeloria. Finally.
The carriage drew closer to the outer walls which now completely dominated the view. From here one could appreciate their true magnitude: stone walls that must have been at least thirty meters high, watchtowers every hundred meters, massive reinforced metal gates designed on a scale that made even the largest constructions in Stormvale seem modest in comparison.
It was serious defense, not decoration.
A sign that Vaeloria had been built anticipating threats that required this level of protection.
The traffic on the road had become considerably denser. Carriages of all qualities mixed with merchant carts, travelers on foot carrying bundles, knights on patrol, urgent messengers pushing their way through the crowd. Everyone converging toward the same gates that controlled access to the capital.
But the gates themselves were immense, so wide that they allowed multiple carriages to pass simultaneously without creating serious congestion. Despite the number of people and vehicles trying to enter, the flow moved with surprising efficiency thanks to the spacious design and the organization of the guards who directed traffic with practiced precision.
"Entry will be quick with our emblem."
Rylan spoke with a tone that suggested previous experience with this process.
"There are inspections at the gates... they verify identities, check cargo, collect entry taxes for merchants... but with our identification we will pass without delay..."
Kael nodded, absorbing information as he watched how the guards at the gates interacted with those trying to enter. There had to be order in the apparent chaos, a system that worked efficiently when everyone knew their place.
'Interesting.'
'All this just to enter.'
'I wonder how many people try to sneak in without going through the official gates.'
'And how many succeed.'
The carriage advanced in the queue, approaching the gates while guards processed those ahead. Some passed quickly, others were stopped for a more detailed inspection, occasionally someone was pulled aside for an interrogation that probably wouldn't end well.
Eventually it was their turn.
One of the guards approached the carriage, wearing armor that bore the Imperial emblem and a professional expression that had seen a thousand carriages before.
"Lord Rylan Drayvar."
It wasn't a question. It was confirmation based on previous information.
"Welcome to Vaeloria... your arrival was reported... you may proceed directly to the noble district where your mansion is prepared..."
He gestured to one of his subordinates who immediately provided directions to the driver.
"The Imperial Academy is in the eastern district as you recall... on the opposite side of the city... it will take considerable time to reach from your mansion but the main routes are clearly marked..."
Rylan nodded.
"I know the way..."
The guard was already moving toward the next carriage because his time was valuable and the Drayvars did not require additional attention.
The carriage passed through the gates.
And Vaeloria opened up before them.
Kael had thought he was prepared based on descriptions and the distant view.
He was not.
There was nothing modest about this city. Not a single construction that could be described as simple or basic. Even the buildings closest to the outer gates were impressive in design and scale, multi-story structures with elaborate architecture that demonstrated considerable resources and skill.
And as the carriage advanced deeper into the interior, everything became progressively more impressive. The buildings grew in size, the decorations became more elaborate, the materials used clearly more expensive and rare. It was a visual statement of hierarchy where proximity to the center equaled importance and power.
The streets were wide, designed to accommodate massive traffic without creating impossible congestion. Thousands of people moved in all directions simultaneously but there was an underlying order, patterns that emerged from the apparent chaos.
In the distance, deeper into the city and considerably distant from their current position, the towers of the Draconis Palace rose above everything else. From here they were less dominant than from outside the walls, partially obscured by other gigantic structures that also competed for attention: massive buildings whose purpose Kael could not determine from this distance but which clearly served important functions to require that size.
It was overwhelming in a way that Stormvale had never been.
The carriage navigated through main streets following a route toward the noble district where the mansions of the Great Houses were concentrated.
Rylan looked out his window with an expression that had shifted from anticipation to something more complex, a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
Kael simply absorbed everything, recording details in memory for later processing.
Vaeloria. He was finally here.
And something told him that the next few weeks would be considerably more interesting than anything Stormvale had offered.
Good.
'Let's see what secrets the capital holds.'