Are we there yet?

The next morning went by smoothly, the tension between them seemingly evaporated overnight. Lucius felt a lightness to his steps as he went about his preparations for leaving, though Hana’s final comment of the night had shaken his confidence. Still, though he would be loath to admit it aloud, he had become aware that his heart seemed to quicken whenever they were close. It was quite vexing indeed. But he had no time to linger on it now. The pair had only just sat down to breakfast when Hana piped up from beneath her hood,

“You appear to be nervous, is all well?”

Lucius paused briefly to swallow a mouthful of weak ale, “Well, yeah. I suppose I am. We’re going to reach Atin today, and there’s a good deal I don’t know about it. Besides the basics, anyhow.”

She peered at him from across the table, “But are you not excited? Was this not your designed destination?” “It was, but I still can’t help it if I’m a bit nervous. I don’t expect trouble, per say, I guess it might be more accurate to say that I have no idea what to expect. Because of that, there’s nothing to prepare for.”

Hana chuckled quietly at the jittery rambling, “If there is nothing to prepare for, then there is no reason to worry. If you always plan on trouble, then it will find you. Best to relax and enjoy what the moment has to offer, hm?”

He raised an eyebrow in response to her cool-headed attitude, “Oh really? Mind telling me how long you intend to keep up that act?” She bristled slightly, “What act? I am always as wise and level-headed as can be.”

A sly grin slowly spread across his face as he leaned forward, “Uh-huh. Is that why your tail has been twitching non-stop since you got up this morning?”

A great sense of satisfaction flowed through him as he watched Hana go rigid in her seat. She leaned in and hissed under her breath, “Surely you know that it is rude to stare at a lady’s tail!?”

“You’re just as excited and nervous as I am, aren’t you? Not that I blame you much, seeing as you’ve probably never been in a big city before. But try not to worry too much, wouldn’t want you blowing your own cover.”

Hana crossed her arms and turned her head aside, pouting, “Hmph. I have no intention of causing problems, thank you very much. Though if someone tries to mess with me, I won’t be able to guarantee their safety.”

Lucius shrugged, grinning widely. Even when she was threatening him, he found it oddly endearing. Taking the not-so subtle hint, Lucius relented and allowed them to finish their meal in peace. He had been on the receiving end of her wrath once already, and he would prefer to avoid it in the future.

In short order, they had finished their preparations and made ready to leave the inn. Lucius returned to the main counter to hand back their key, which the innkeeper gladly accepted. After parting with a few pleasant words, Lucius returned to the exterior where Hana had already collected his horse, which had been cared for during the night. She was gently running her hand along the horse’s flank and appeared to be quietly whispering into its ear. When Lucius appeared, the horse trotted in his direction and whinnied loudly, tossing its head expectantly. Lucius calmed the horse with a hand and glanced at Hana, who was grinning suspiciously,

“What did you tell him?”

“What? Me? Oh, nothing special. Merely that you had a whole pound of sugar and carrots set aside just for him.”

“You’re lying to my horse!” She waved a hand dismissively, “I would never do such a thing. My words are one of hope and promise, it is your inability to make up for them that turns them into lies.”

The horse swung its head about to stare longingly at Lucius, expecting a sweet reward for all the hard labor done in bringing them so far. But seeing as he had nothing to give, Lucius was forced to disappoint his trusty steed,

“Sorry about this, boy. I’ll get you some better stuff once we get to the city. That’ll be good, yeah?” He had never once had to apologize to a horse so emphatically, but he supposed there was a first time for everything.

“Could you not deceive my horse? Sugar is expensive you know, so there’s no way I can get him a pound of the stuff! Besides, it’s unhealthy.”

She giggled, which was odd to hear from one who carried themselves in such a stately manner, “Oh come now. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of spoiling. Besides, he’s earned it.”

“Not yet, seeing as we haven’t arrived at Atin. Come on now, enough stalling.”

They set out once more, and found the road and weather to be pleasant. The pair rode on in silence for a bit, but soon some of the questions that Lucius had been stewing over came bubbling to the surface,

“Hey, Hana. I know I should’ve asked this by now, but I’d like to know a bit more about you. Like say, about that magic of yours. I know you can make fire, clothes, and apparently you can talk to my horse. Can you do other things?”

She mused aloud, “Hmmm…I suppose so, yes. Did you have something particular in mind?” “Uh, well. How about protection? Do you have a way to keep yourself safe if something bad happens?”

“Of course!” He felt her reach around him and tug at his belt, which sent a jolt of all kinds of thoughts coursing through his mind, “Hey! Watch what you’re doing! What do you think you’re –”

“Hush, don’t get so excited. I’m just looking…for…this!”

Hana presented his own dagger in front of him, having been freed from its sheath, now bounced dangerously to the beat of the horse’s hooves. She flicked the dagger around as she shimmied as close to him as possible, granting her the extra space she needed. Before he could protest, she brought the dagger against her own flesh and slashed laterally across her forearm.

But where he expected blood to flow, none did. In fact, there was no visible sign of injury at all. In shock, he grasped her wrist and brought her arm closer to his face to properly inspect it. Peering closer at her fair skin, he indeed saw that it bore no mark of the dagger’s cut, and he was very sure that it was quite sharp indeed. Rather, he noticed a faint, shimmering veneer of pale green across her skin. He was thoroughly impressed,

“Woah! This is incredible, Hana. It’s like you’re wearing a suit of magical armor!” She beamed at him, basking in the praise, “Indeed! So long as I am aware of danger, I can keep myself safe from physical harm.”

“What about magic? Can you protect yourself from that?”

Hana paused to consider, “I’m not exactly sure. I suppose you would prefer that I not test that right now?”

“I would appreciate not being blown up, thank you very much.”

She deftly returned the dagger to its sheath, which brought him another moment of nervousness as one wrong move would’ve planted the dagger’s point firmly in his own thigh. But luckily, she was defter with her hands than he expected, though she took her sweet time getting it back in. With the image of her hands meddling with his front and sides firmly burned into his mind, he threw out another question to try and distract himself,

“Just wondering, but about those clothes of yours. Did you really make them from magic? Or is that just a really elaborate illusion?”

He felt her grip tighten ever so slightly against his waist, “Now that is a fine question indeed. Would you like to take a guess as to which it is?”

“Never mind. I suddenly don’t want to know.”

“Awww…you’re no fun.”

She poked him in the side, “Why are there no people around? Didn’t you say that these city places are full of them?” Lucius brushed her hand away before he lost control of the reins, “There are people, you just aren’t paying enough attention. Look over there, in the field. Do you see them?”

He pointed off into the distance where shapes moved meticulously through an empty field, devoid of any structured agriculture. A half-dozen or so figures walked in patterns, some driving stakes into the earth at various points while others pointed about while grouped for a discussion. Hana quickly reached for her hood, which she had kept down during their journey, but he reassured her,

“I wouldn’t worry about that, there’s no way they can see us from this distance. Besides, I bet wearing that hood all day is really uncomfortable. If you’d like, I’d be open with finding a better option while we’re in the city.”

She went quiet after that, then he felt something hard thump into the space between his shoulder blades. Judging from how it felt, he guessed that she had butted her head into the space between his shoulder blades,

“No…I suppose it would not. It is not a priority though! If needed I can hide my ears and tail completely, but only for a time. No more than a couple of hours, but I could still do it.”

“Well, let’s try to avoid doing that if we can help it. We’re in view of the city now, so why not take a look?”

He felt her weight shift as she craned her body to catch a glimpse of their destination, only to utter a soft, “Oh!” in amazement at what loomed out of the horizon. Lucius didn’t blame her, for the fortress city of Atin was certainly a sight to behold.

Rising out of the manicured fields and scattered hamlets, there stood a sprawling urban expanse, contained behind a thick retaining wall that was more than fifteen meters at its highest point. Watchtowers placed at strategic intervals kept a watchful eye over those who toiled in the fields below. Peeking over the walls were tall buildings that gleamed in the sunlight, and beyond those atop a large hill that made up the center of the city stood the citadel. A grand edifice of masonry that stood defiant against the horizon, as if challenging the very sky itself to descend and seize the ground it defended. Banners streamed from the tops of the towers, fluttering in the breeze like so many birds in flight, carrying with them the faintest scent of salt to tease the approaching duo of the sea that hid just beyond. A stream of carriages and people streamed in and out from the massive gatehouse that stood at the road’s end, providing a faint chorus of sounds that reached them even at their significant distance.

They had arrived at last.