THE GATES OF SYLIRAS
Winter 38, 515 AV
Winter 38, 515 AV
The day Syliras made its first appearance on the southern horizon, it was snowing. It was a spectacular sight, and although Faradae was still slightly unsettled by the variety of snow she’s experienced in Nyka, this one seemed harmless enough. If anything, it was beautiful, clothing the bare trees in lustrous attire. For a while, she watched as heavy clouds discharged their load of pristine little crystals over the gentle hills surrounding the city and felt their icy prick on her cheeks. The snow was hardly to be described as strong, so her plumage safely kept her warm and dry for the most part.
She temporarily forgot about the weather when she saw the tower tip of Stormhold Castle. To her understanding, it was huge. She had not seen anything like it in Nyka. And this was where all of Syliras’ population lived? She thought the castle was magnificent, although she imagined that some of the citizens lived so far inside, they hardly ever saw the sunlight.
Letting herself drop a little lower, the bird corrected her course eastwards, towards the direction of the gates. The city, now towering over her, seemed even larger than it had from above, and she felt a little uncertain she’d be able to find Ball even if she got directions.
She landed close to the gates, between a couple bushes, carefully placing the letter leftovers on the ground. It was a little pitiful, really. Two of the three letters had gone missing, only the one to Ball remained. A few splashes of water had stained the parchment, unhindered by the case she’d brought, but it was still readable.
It was then that she noticed something she’d missed in her planning. An important detail, tiny, yet crucial. How on earth was she to obtain clothes? She had not brought anything along, and she currently held no money to afford a simple dress, either. Next time, she would slip a few mizas into her letter casing. They were not extremely heavy, and a little bit was more than enough to keep her well-dressed.
She was wiser now, but her situation remained unchanged. Going back was not an option. All she could do was go ahead and face it. She shifted into human form, shivering in the icy weather, and nude save for the letters in her palm, and stepped out of the undergrowth. The guards’ eyes grew round. They were obviously slightly unsettled by the sudden appearance of a naked woman trying to pass into their city, and pondering whether to laugh, feel vicariously embarrassed, let her pass to see what would happen or simply stab her to solve the problem.
It did not keep her from approaching them. “I’m a courier”, she stated, waving the letter in her left hand around and completely ignoring the obvious problem. “And I need to find a squire named Ball. Would you be so friendly as to give me directions?”
The guards had settled for a civil approach. “Lady,” one of them started, staring into her face with some effort, “I really advise you to don some clothes before entering the city.”
Her spirits sank. How expected. “You know,” she told them, “I did not skip clothing this morning because I thought it was so nice and warm outside.” They probably considered her mad, but in the face of her mission and the climate, she could hardly care less. “I simply don’t have anything to wear right now, and I really need to access the city.”
To her misfortune, the guards seemed rather unimpressed.
She temporarily forgot about the weather when she saw the tower tip of Stormhold Castle. To her understanding, it was huge. She had not seen anything like it in Nyka. And this was where all of Syliras’ population lived? She thought the castle was magnificent, although she imagined that some of the citizens lived so far inside, they hardly ever saw the sunlight.
Letting herself drop a little lower, the bird corrected her course eastwards, towards the direction of the gates. The city, now towering over her, seemed even larger than it had from above, and she felt a little uncertain she’d be able to find Ball even if she got directions.
She landed close to the gates, between a couple bushes, carefully placing the letter leftovers on the ground. It was a little pitiful, really. Two of the three letters had gone missing, only the one to Ball remained. A few splashes of water had stained the parchment, unhindered by the case she’d brought, but it was still readable.
It was then that she noticed something she’d missed in her planning. An important detail, tiny, yet crucial. How on earth was she to obtain clothes? She had not brought anything along, and she currently held no money to afford a simple dress, either. Next time, she would slip a few mizas into her letter casing. They were not extremely heavy, and a little bit was more than enough to keep her well-dressed.
She was wiser now, but her situation remained unchanged. Going back was not an option. All she could do was go ahead and face it. She shifted into human form, shivering in the icy weather, and nude save for the letters in her palm, and stepped out of the undergrowth. The guards’ eyes grew round. They were obviously slightly unsettled by the sudden appearance of a naked woman trying to pass into their city, and pondering whether to laugh, feel vicariously embarrassed, let her pass to see what would happen or simply stab her to solve the problem.
It did not keep her from approaching them. “I’m a courier”, she stated, waving the letter in her left hand around and completely ignoring the obvious problem. “And I need to find a squire named Ball. Would you be so friendly as to give me directions?”
The guards had settled for a civil approach. “Lady,” one of them started, staring into her face with some effort, “I really advise you to don some clothes before entering the city.”
Her spirits sank. How expected. “You know,” she told them, “I did not skip clothing this morning because I thought it was so nice and warm outside.” They probably considered her mad, but in the face of her mission and the climate, she could hardly care less. “I simply don’t have anything to wear right now, and I really need to access the city.”
To her misfortune, the guards seemed rather unimpressed.
