The Capital City of Congerlin

Our limo ride was expected to be short, but scenic. From the mansion to the capital were these beautiful valleys that people somehow built houses and villages in. They were so pretty and peaceful, like something out of a story book.

Just beyond those interesting settlements was the silhouette of a grand city that came into view, one we've seen from a distance, but this time we were much closer to it than back at Little Conburg. I thought the city of Urnan was huge? My goodness, Congerlin was even bigger!

Those skyscrapers were so tall, some of them were almost touching the clouds! Now I understand why they’re called “Skyscrapers.” There were two especially massive structures there. Yamin was happily able to point out one of them.

“Oh my gosh!” Yamin announced, as a particularly massive building with seven spires came into view. Each spire was adorned with a shield and star at the tops. Above the very middle of the whole building was one last glowing orb, this one even more like a tiny star, twinkling like it was pulled directly from the night sky. “Look at that! It's the Grand Cathedral of Life!”

“That it is.” Miss Lauri moved to hover over Yamin’s shoulder. “Your father used to make a pilgrimage here every year. He’d always come back and say ‘I’ve seen the light again.’”

Yamin’s father must have been associated with the church then. I haven’t seen him yet, and Yamin hasn’t talked about him at all.

“Is your dad a priest?” I asked.

“He was a priest.” Yamin’s tone feel sullen. “A few years ago he passed away.”

My breathing started to get uneasy. I could feel my crystal heart start flashing irregularly.

“Oh…” Indena said in a weak tone, struck harshly by the news as well.

“I'm so sorry to hear that,” Marek said.

“It was a few years ago now, so I’ve had a while to process it,” Yamin said as Miss Lauri's motherly instincts kicked in and held her close.

Reflexively, I opened up a status menu in my PARTY tab. I could see all the heartbeats of my party members, but one person was at the very bottom of the list who wasn’t a party member. His heartbeat was still ticking away.

It was dad’s heartbeat.

Before he left, I noticed that I was still able to see his vitals. It’s the one thing that kept me connected to him for the last four years. I check it as often as I can to make sure he’s still okay.

I grabbed onto Yamin’s hand and squeezed it tightly. Her expression was full of sorrow, but quickly turned hopeful. She probably knew exactly what I was thinking, and the bond we shared because of it.

Our fathers were missing in action. Her's was just a little further away than mine, but we both could still feel their love pushing us to keep living.

~☆☆☆~

The highway we were driving down fed right into the city. Unlike most of the people who were either forced to park on the side of the big street, or some sort of parking building, we were allowed to park the limo in an underground section meant for VIP’s.

Guards inspected our car and everyone in it, confirming all of our identities and that we weren’t carrying anything dangerous. Granted, my body has offensive measures built into it that could obliterate this city a dozen times over, but apparently they were informed to overlook that part, so I didn’t say a word.

The guards greeted Marek very warmly, probably because he knew them personally, but the rest of us simply got a pass to step on through into the city.

A tunnel awaited us before an elevator. The tunnel had a fancy looking red rug, gold trim that lined the walls, and all sorts of extravagant pottery on cute looking tables.

“I feel so important,” Yamin commented. “Where does this lead to?”

“This tunnel will lead us right into the Kingdom district of the city,” Marek answered. “From there, we’ll make our way to the Royal Palace.”

Apparently, this tunnel, and several others scattered around the city, lead to different places in order to allow VIP’s to move without much notice. Marek said there was a more direct tunnel that led into the Royal Palace, but it was less glamorous and only for emergencies.

Once we reached the elevator at the end of the tunnel, it zoomed up so quickly that it felt like a rollercoaster ride! Indena wasn’t very amused by it.

“You could have warned us about that part,” she grumbled to Marek.

“Sorry…” he shrugged. “I forgot they haven’t fixed the elevator yet.”

I thought it was fun, but I guess not everyone else did.

Anyways, this elevator led us all the way to the surface. Another row of guards inspected us as we exited, then they allowed us finally to step on into the city proper.

Two things struck me when we emerged back into the open air. The high population density, and the pleasant aroma of baked goods that filled the air.

A little above us was a balcony with a Café on it. It looked really high class, especially since everyone seated at it was wearing the most beautiful dresses and suits I’d seen since Adalyn’s fashion room. To be honest, those were probably her designs.

The extravagance didn’t stop there. This area was like a big park. Thousands of people were wandering it with all sorts of different intentions. Some had tiny dogs they were taking on a walk, others were happily sitting in the bright green grass, sipping tea and reading a book. Roads spread around, but they were so thin and sparse that small walking paths seemed more efficient for these people.

Even those paths meant to be trampled over by hundreds daily had a gorgeous aura to them. They were made of marble and silver. I felt bad having to walk on them.

But everything here was just merely a decoration that pointed to the true icon of the Kingdom district. A ginormous palace stood as the centerpiece down the way. The sun reflecting off of its pearl white surface made it all the more noticeable and glamorous, a bit hard to look at though for anyone who wasn’t used to such brightness.

While we took some time to enjoy the sight, two groups of conversation formed. Yamin, Indena, Uncle and Miss Lauri were talking together about getting some food before we walked all the way to the palace. It was certainly going to be a trek.

Miss Cynthia and Marek however both walked over to a bushel of roses and took a few sniffs of their lovely fragrance.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been on a walk here, hasn’t it?” Cynthia snickered as she turned to Marek. “We used to play here all the time.”

“Last time we came…” he put a thoughtful finger to his chin. “That was the baking competition a few years ago, wasn’t it?”

Baking competition?

I tugged on Marek’s new coat and waved for him to come closer so the others wouldn’t hear. “Is that a date you went on with Miss Cynthia?” I whispered.

“I wouldn’t call that a date, since we were competing against each other,” he laughed.

Cynthia had something to add. “It’s an event that comes along once a year. Chef’s from all over the Face of the World come to test their skills and make the most extravagant dishes to impress the royalty.”

“That’s how they pick who’ll be the top class chef cooking in the Royal Palace,” Marek continued. “Even if you don’t win, there’s a chance you could be discovered by another company.”

“It’s actually how Mistress Adalyn scouted me.” Cynthia said. “She liked my cookies so much that she wanted them every day,” she snickered. “I still have your grandmother to thank for that, Marek.” her smile turned to a frown, and she let out a deep sigh. “That was such a good day too.”

Both of them were longingly looking at the other with sorry eyes.

“Did something bad happen after?” I asked.

“Well, the next day I had to leave for a temporary Navy service,” he revealed. “To the public, it was to boost my chances of getting elected into the Royal Council… But in reality, my father…he wasn’t happy with…” his fist clenched tightly.

Marek didn’t sound like he wanted to talk about it. Miss Cynthia had to turn away to keep from making eye contact.

Yamin came over, noticing they looked sad. “What’s with the long faces?” she asked, kindly.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Marek lied.

“Alright,” she responded. “Everyone’s thinking about getting food. Do you guys have any recommendations?”

Suddenly, Marek's eyes lit up. Cynthia's expression also grew more positive along with him.

“A little food brings up the mood, right?” I smiled, parroting his words.

“But of course!” he announced. “I know of a few places we can Stop at along the way!”