Chapter 3: The Royal Capital

Ariella wasn’t on the best of terms with all the kids back home. She didn’t hate them, but she rarely put her best foot forward to befriend them. To her, having a small group of friends was good enough, and sadly, none of them seemed to have made the cut. Or at least the ones who were the same age as her. In fact, there were only three other kids who were also eight that made it, and to Ariella’s unfortunate reality, she never spoke to any of them.

But even without friendship to help pass the time, she found enjoyment in observing what the world was like outside of the village as they traveled, but it was all the same after a day of riding. The soldiers followed an extremely safe route, leaving them with little to discover but the open road, the occasional merchant, and a never-ending supply of rain. But there was one thing which stood out like a sore thumb.

Maybe it was because of the way her village treated the Leviathan, but outside the buildings, there was no escape from the downpour. So everything they did was in the rain, be it playing outside or simply walking to a friend’s house. Yet the villages she saw weren’t like that. They were intricately designed to allow people to walk from another house or store to another without getting wet, and that was far too interesting. So much so that it only made her more eager to see what the royal capital was like.

The ride there took almost two weeks, which was about four days longer than expected. The rain with each passing year had been growing more intense, and the seasons where it rained the hardest continued to last longer and longer, which made it more difficult to travel. These evaluations always happened right after the rainy season, but with it continuing on longer than normal, they had no choice but to adapt. But adapting wasn’t easy. Not only did they have to wrestle with the weather, they had to make sure the men who traveled in it didn’t get sick, the horses could handle it, and the kids they were taking wouldn’t go crazy, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case at least for them.

There were only four of them, and while Ariella and the other three didn’t bother the soldiers too much, her excitement increased tenfold after being told that there were only a few hours left until they reached the walls of the capital.

“Are we close?” She asked Dalton who was the only soldier who sat in the covered wagon with the four of them. He said he was too old to ride a horse, but Ariella didn’t think that was the only reason.

“After we turn around that bend and past that tree line, you’ll be able to see the city,” Dalton answered her question.

Ariella immediately peeked her head outside, and as she did, the capital came into view. A large and sturdy wall protected the foreign-looking buildings. She always thought the houses in her village were well made, but just at a glance, she could tell there was something different. After all, how else could you explain such tall buildings that stood so proudly? Yet, as magnificent as it was, there was something else that was clearly different.

“How?” Ariella asked. “How is that possible?”

Dalton looked outside, trying to grasp what she meant. “The buildings?” It was always the first thing the kids from other villages were impressed by. They were a newer addition to the capital with the help of magic and a group of dwarves they brought in a decade or two back. Their goal was to make something that stood out, and they accomplished that splendidly, even if the three towers were only for the magicians. “They may look impressive, but they’re quite hollow on the inside and filled with magic scrolls and books.”

“No, not that.” Although what Dalton said did interest her, it wasn’t what she was curious about. “That.” She pointed to the sky.

Rain was no exception at the royal capital, or so Ariella thought. The rain that should have hit the towers and filled the streets was bouncing off something invisible and gliding down into a large body of water.

“Your eyesight must be extraordinary because there’s very few people who would’ve noticed this far away. It usually takes until we’re about to pass the barrier for it to really kick in for the kids.”

“That’s a barrier?”

“Yes, it is. It’s a specially made one that stops the rain and unwanted individuals from entering.”

“Where does the water go?”

“Do you see the moat? That’s the large body of water around the city.”

“Does it go all the way around?”

Dalton nodded. “The city isn’t small, either. When the water hits the barrier, it falls down into the moat, which acts both as a defense during wartime and to supply water to the city. You’ll see what I mean when we enter, but the water secretly enters the city from the moat. It then gets purified before sending it on its way.”

“Amazing,” Ariella said. “So you don’t have to walk around wet all the time?”

“No, no. Of course not.”

Noah slowed his horse down until he was next to the wagon. “Are you all ready? After we cross the bridge, we’ll be entering the city.”

While Ariella nodded excitedly, the other three kids looked around nervously. Everything was too new, and it frightened them that the city didn’t welcome the rain like the village did.

“Don’t worry,” Noah said with a smile. “Everything will be fine. It’ll be a very easy adjustment, trust me.” It was his best attempt at easing the kids’ worries.

Ariella stuck her upper body out of the wagon, awing at the bridge and water. Now that she was up close, the moat looked far larger and far more immense than from a distance.

“It’s a lake,” Ariella determined.

“It can be seen as one, yes. But it was handmade to be a moat.”

“Can we swim in it?”

“Oh, heavens, no. No one is allowed inside. Do you see the walls? We have guards watching all day and night to make sure, and if you do,” Dalton shook his head.

“If I do?” Ariella asked with clasped hands.

“If you do… you’ll be grounded! You won’t be able to leave the school for an entire semester!”

“We’re entering!” Noah shouted, and seconds later the rain that was hitting her head as she peeked outside disappeared. They had now entered the barrier, and just as Dalton said, it was the driest place they had ever seen.