“C-can you t-tell us more about it?” asked Cessilia, sitting at the front.

“Of course. There are three main rivers crossing our lands. The one most north is called Pseha. Then, the second one, in the middle, is the one with the most ramifications, Soura. And then, the one at the bottom, the largest one that continues to your Empire, is Riva.”

“Riva?” repeated Tessa. “It’s called Keriva in our Empire, and one of the most dangerous ones. All the places around are swamps...”

“Oh, not many of our people live in the south either. Our villages are mostly gathered around the two other rivers. A lot of our diet revolves around what our fishermen trap there.”

“The villages s-seem localized by the sea...” Cessilia noticed, her eyes looking down.

“Yes, my lady. We even have many islands farther east, although not many people live there. They get submerged when the Sea Goddess rises, but we use them to teach our children how to swim, bring our cattle to eat, and put traps to hunt bigger prey.”

Yassim suddenly pointed farther down below them.

“See that island, in the Soura bed? It is where our King’s Castle is, and our Capital, Aestara.”

“Aestara...”

The island was growing bigger, as Krai was slowly starting its descent. They could now see the very, very large river bed and the many little islands in it. It wasn’t the sea, as there was a clear line following the coast, showing where the sea actually started. Miles and miles of beaches, yet, there was a clear opening where Soura started, as if the ground had been split apart to let the river through. Among all the islands present, it was easy to guess which one was the Capital: it was the largest, and the one which all the other buildings seemed to be turned toward. However, for a few seconds, the girls didn’t understand where the castle was actually located until they understood.

It wasn’t just an island among the others; this one was actually topped by a mountain-like city, like a large cone, with many buildings in the lower parts, and at the very top, a castle.

“It’s... a t-tidal island?” asked Cessilia.

“Exactly, my lady. Centuries ago, our ancestors took notice that this rocky formation looked like a mountain rising from the sea, and would be a perfect place to defend ourselves while also surveying  our lands all around. They started by building a watchtower, but, as time passed, and we relied more and more heavily on the rivers, the tower was made part of a castle, and more buildings appeared all around.”

Cessilia could see that watchtower. Actually, despite the magnificent castle built all around, in white stone and large windows, the tower was fiercely standing out, its arrow proudly pointing at the sky. Even the colored glass windows didn’t seem to outshine the golden arrow at the top, glowing even more under the sunrise.

“...It’s b-beautiful,” she whispered.

“With your capital so far away, who knew you guys would have dared to come all the way to wage war with us!” scoffed Tessa.

“We still have quite a few buildings closer to the border,” admitted Yassim. “Some are still used as the army’s main base, but it has changed greatly over the... last couple of decades...”

Although a bit too blunt, he knew the young woman was perfectly right. They clearly had no interests near the border, as they had focused most of the population, commerce, and cities to the southeast corner of their Kingdom, away from the western border. However, it was a horrible decision that had been made by the wrong people in dire circumstances. Two decades ago or so, their Republic was completely drained of resources. The Dragon Empire couldn’t have known about the diseases, the drained rivers, and the hunger that had driven their people mad. Those two girls had probably never experienced hunger themselves...

Yet, Yassim was surprised by the way Cessilia was looking down at the land below them. It looked like she was learning, analyzing each river, each piece of land silently... He had already felt that upon meeting the young woman, but she didn’t seem as candid as one would have expected a lady her age to be. Sometimes, there was a strange loneliness in her eyes, and the impression of someone who had gone through a lot, rather than a young, sheltered princess.

“Old man, where do we land?” asked Tessa over her shoulder. “This guy needs a large spot to go, or we’re going to scare everyone in the middle of the city plaza!”

“Head to the tower,” nodded Yassim. “On the lower left side, there’s a little courtyard with a lot of ivy leaves and a mosaic on the floor. There should be enough space for the... for us to land.”

“Got it!”

He realized Tessa and Cessilia had been directing the dragon all this time, with small taps or words. Once again, Cessilia leaned forward, whispered something to the dragon, and it changed direction, heading for the spot Yassim had indicated.

As relieved as he was to be home, poor Yassim was also getting more and more nervous, as if riding a gigantic, mythical creature hadn’t been enough emotions already for that morning. Below them, life in the Eastern Kingdom seemed to be going as it should be, with the people slowly waking up to another morning. Perhaps some would get a fright upon noticing the dark silhouette of a dragon in the sky...

Finally, Krai softly landed in that courtyard that was actually just big enough for the dragon. Tessa helped Yassim down, and Cessilia got down on the other side. They were in a pretty courtyard with, as Yassim had described, lots of ivy climbing up the walls and little pillars all around them. There was a little water fountain to the side, and Krai went to drink some of it right away while Cessilia patted its neck.

“It d-does feel d-different from home,” she said. “More... humid.”

“Well, we are surrounded by water, my lady. This area is actually where some of the future doctors come to study, and I live here myself.”

“This is your home?” asked Tessa, surprised.

“Well, the castle is home to all of His Majesty’s entourage, including the Counselors, like myself.”

“Oh, so you’re like our Aunt Phemera,” nodded Tessa. “She’s our Empress’ advisor too, and she lives in the palace because of that...”

“Yes, my lady.”

Although, from what he had observed, the Imperial Palace of the Dragon Empire was at least three or four times bigger than this castle... Yassim was glad it was too soon for any student to be here. Their arrival probably hadn’t gone unnoticed. He let out a long sigh while the girls took off their coats, leaving them on Krai’s back among their other belongings.

“What now?” asked Tessa. “Will you give us a tour, or–”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence, and instead, turned toward the ruckus that was happening at one end of the courtyard. Despite their outfits being different from the ones used in the Empire, those men were clearly guards. Yassim swallowed his saliva, while six men lined up, taking out their swords in a defensive stance.

“Former Royal Counselor Yassim, the King requests your immediate presence in the throne room! You shall explain yourself for your return upon your exile ordered by the King, as well as bringing in foreigners, and their... their b-beast.”

The man’s eyes went to Krai, filled with fear. He was doing his best not to show it, but as soon as the dragon’s red eyes went on him, he couldn’t help but slightly change his position, ready to step back or protect himself. Krai didn’t care much, though; the dragon was busy sniffing one of the pillars and its climbing plants.

Meanwhile, Cessilia and Tessa both turned toward Yassim, the latter putting her hands on her hips.

“...Forgot to tell us something, old man?” she groaned.

“My ladies,” sighed Yassim. “From now on, I will have to rely on your understanding...”

For someone who was getting arrested right in front of them, Yassim seemed suspiciously calm and composed. Cessilia and Tessa exchanged another glance. They had tried to stop the soldiers with Tessa taking a step forward, but Yassim had asked them not to. It looked as if the old man had already anticipated all this, and was surrendering willingly, although it was odd. Moreover, none of the soldiers were actually acting rude to him or had even tried to bind him in any way. They simply flanked the former Counselor, a hand on each of his shoulders and the other on their spears. There was obviously some respect there, perhaps because Yassim was obviously not going to resist them in any way.

“My ladies,” he said very calmly. “I am sorry for deceiving you. However, this shameless old man would be very grateful if you could accompany me again.”

The two young women once again exchanged another glance with each other. It was obviously all part of his plan. From the way those soldiers had arrived right away and focused on Yassim rather than them or even their dragon, there was something at play here... Cessilia nodded. She already trusted Yassim, although it was clear he had deliberately hidden some of the truth from them. She was also curious to see why he had risked everything just to bring her here.

“C-Captain,” whispered one of the men. “What about the... that...”

He was obviously sending worried glances toward the dragon behind the girls, although Krai didn’t seem to care at all. The soldiers were visibly confused, and not prepared for such an issue. Tessa chuckled, crossing her arms.

“What? Never seen a dragon before?”

Meanwhile, Cessilia turned around and walked back to Krai, gently petting its neck. She then whispered something to the dragon, who took off with most of their luggage still on its back. The girls only had time to unload one bag each, but that wasn’t an issue for now. Turning around, she smiled gently at Yassim, bringing some relief to the old man.

The soldiers were confused by the situation here and were exchanging glances. The six of them were already doing an impressive job at trying to do their job while faced with a dragon just a minute ago and the arrival of the two foreign women with an exiled counselor... Sparing them any more questions, Yassim gave them a gentle smile and joined his hands together like a benevolent grandfather.

“Alright, gentlemen. His Majesty should be holding the morning court right now... Shall we get going?”

“Counselor Yassim, those women...”

“These ladies are my guests, and I believe His Majesty would like to meet them also.”