“Delivery for Nana!” he announced proudly, smiling at their little group with a missing tooth.

Nana quickly thanked him with a little coin, and turned to her brother, visibly expecting something. Sabael frowned.

“You’re expecting me to push this?” he exclaimed. “I’m a Royal Guard, not your errand boy!”

“I won’t push it,” said Nana, crossing her arms with a pout. “This is too big for me. And the Princesses won’t push it either!”

“We can do it,” immediately offered Nupia, stepping forward with her siblings already running to grab the cart.

Those three were clearly desperate to make themselves useful, perhaps to win Cessilia’s trust. Seeing that neither Cessilia nor her cousin reacted to this, Nana nodded.

“Fine, then! I got the papers too. Shall we go now?”

Her brother sighed, now that the cart situation was solved, with two of the triplets taking charge of it, it was indeed time to go.

Just like that, their little group began moving. Sabael and the passes they had gotten from Nana’s uncle easily got them through the Inner Gate, as promised. Once they stepped outside, Cessilia realized how things were indeed already a bit different there. As Nana had said, there were already fewer shops and more habitations, so even the main alleys weren’t as busy. Moreover, the streets were a bit more narrow, as if people had tried to use all the space for their houses, while others tried to walk in between. This was so different from the Dragon Empire, where each house was far from its neighbors, or at least separated by its courtyard or a garden, and a fence...

The main difference, however, was the atmosphere around them. As soon as they had passed the gates, everything looked a bit gloomier than before. First, the numerous eyes on them, as they walked past the long line of people waiting to go in, felt a bit uncomfortable. Not only that, but people were clearly gawking at her jewelry, her skin tone, and the large cart behind them. Naptunie was also walking closer to her brother, and Sabael was glancing all around as if he was ready for something. However, nothing really looked more dangerous than a few curious glances. Everything was just a bit less busy than before, and people weren’t as cheerful, either.

“Watch out for thieves,” whispered Nana as they kept walking. “No one will dare commit a crime in the open here, but thefts are very common in this area. That’s why there are a lot fewer shops too.”

Cessilia had noticed. That, and the fact that the doors had a few more locks on them, with some even having their windows protected by metal bars, was a very curious sight. She had never seen windows with bars unless it was a prison... Still, their little group quickly made their way to the next gates without any issues. What Naptunie had warned them against ought to be a rare occurrence, unless the presence of a Royal Guard with them discouraged the few thieves around. Tessa had kept a hand on her knives all along too, but it seemed to be unnecessary, as they made it to the next gate just a few minutes later. This time, the wall was much higher and even better guarded. There was only one door open,  and people seemed to come much slower than before. Unlike the previous one, where Sabael had just quickly shown the papers to his colleagues, the guards verified all the papers in detail, asked questions, and also checked the cart. While all this happened, Cessilia noticed how Nana kept sending nervous glances toward the gates.

“I’ve only been outside six times,” she explained. “Everyone wants to go inside the Inner Capital, but it’s very hard from the outside, so we don’t really go out either. Plus, it’s rather dangerous out there, so most children who are born in the Inner Capital rarely go this far out... I have people from my tribe outside, so it’s not like I can’t, but... you know, I still feel a lot better inside.”

Cessilia slowly nodded, but she was only growing more curious about what was really out there. She remembered the sights from their flight, but they had been so far above, she wanted to see for herself. In the Dragon Empire, they had always been free to go pretty much anywhere they wanted and didn’t have to worry much about their security, either. Everyone recognized the Empress’ nephews and nieces, and people genuinely loved her mother and father, so no one would dare lay a finger on her, not in the Empire. Yet now, she was also starting to feel a bit nervous, along with Nana, as they waited. Next to her, Tessa looked a bit bored, although she kept stealing glances at Sabael.

“We’re good to go,” finally announced the guard. “It’s not every day they see an Imperial Princess coming out to feed a dragon, but I think this is so unbelievable, even though they know we wouldn’t dare lie about it... Come on, let’s get going, the sooner we’re done, the faster we will be back inside.”

Tessa and Cessilia exchanged another glance, but quietly followed him as they passed the gate.

Just as they were allowed out, Cessilia was shocked to see the white bridge outside: it was long, right above the sea, and... surprisingly empty. Aside from them, not even a dozen people were currently crossing over or trying to. She quickly understood why: on the other side of the bridge, another wall with gates stood. This one was visibly much older, and probably the one Nana had mentioned as being in dire need of repairs. In fact, she didn’t even have to look far to see it; in many places, the old, dark gray bricks had been replaced with new ones, visibly newer by their light gray color. Some people were even working on it as they walked up the bridge, craftsmen on both sides loudly shouting directions and showing places, or busy with their tasks.

“Is this th-the wall that was d-destroyed?” she asked Nana.

“Yes. They are almost done repairing it now, and they are making it higher than before too because a lot of people would climb over to avoid inspection...”

Cessilia could see why. Once they were done crossing the bridge, another set of guards was there, twice as many as the other side, and once they passed the gate, an impressive line of people waiting to cross appeared; it was clear that those guards were letting people in, the others letting people out, which made the flow of travelers easier to regulate. Several people were in fact arguing with the guards controlling them, over some unauthorized merchandise, or their papers not being appropriate for crossing over.

There were now a lot more buildings, but the main activity was right against the gates, where many groups of people seemed to be stationed while waiting for the authorization to cross. There were even large stables where the horses were kept, and almost all the closest buildings were inns and restaurants for the travelers to stay at while they waited for their papers.

Once again, their little group gathered some attention, with the gold on Cessilia, the huge fish behind them, and the Royal Guard accompanying them. However, Sabael and Nana quickly guided their little group farther away from the gates before anyone really caught on. They walked into what seemed to be the main road, with a bit of a crowd, a lot of shops, and one gigantic building with people lined up outside.

“The Travelers’ Office,” explained Nana as they walked by. “That’s the first place to go when people arrive in the Capital, to get their papers. It’s always crowded like this, and very busy...”

“One of our cousins works there,” sighed Sabael. “The pay is good, but the paperwork is so nightmarish a lot of people quit after a couple of years...”

“Can see why...” grimaced Tessa as they walked by an even more impressive line of people than those they had seen before, some of them even loudly fighting over who had come first, or their priority.

“It can’t be helped. Things really are tough out here, all those people think they can improve their lives if they move to the Capital or open a business there, but it can only accommodate so much.”

“Don’t you have other cities out there? Or how about you expand the Capital past these walls?” asked Tessa, frowning. “Our Capital is at least ten times bigger than this!”

Sabael glared back at her, which made Tessa stop her rant and close her mouth immediately. However, the Royal Guard didn’t really seem mad at her, and he sighed instead.

“You guys haven’t seen what it’s like outside. Most of the other places were ravaged by the war, and a lot are still prey to ruffians and bandits. Our King sends the army to relocate them one by one, but he can only do so much. A lot of people are scared to go back, they think they might get attacked again. Everyone believes the closer to the King and the Capital they are, the safer it is. A lot of people would rather starve here than go back.”

This time, Tessa didn’t dare answer anything again; she had understood. Cessilia felt a bit sorry for this Kingdom’s people. In the Dragon Empire, there was no such desperate need for security. Even the most remote cities were doing well without the Empress because her influence wasn’t just physical; no one wanted to see a dragon show up to put back order in the streets...

Nana and her brother still sped up through the streets, obviously trying to avoid any attention drawn to the pair of Imperial Princesses or their merchandise. A lot of people were staring, including some homeless ones that Cessilia spotted, more than she had ever seen in her life. Sabael didn’t lie about a lot of those people being desperate...

“Hm... Where are we supposed to feed your dragon...?” Nana asked discreetly.

“D-do you have a p-place large enough for him t-to land?”

“It might be better to go to the southwest plaza then,” said Sabael. “I don’t want to bring you girls any farther in the outskirts, it’s too dangerous. That plaza is mostly abandoned, anyway...”

“We’re not helpless, you know,” smiled Tessa. “I am one of the most skilled warriors of our Empire!”

“...They let girls fight in your Empire?” frowned Sabael.

Tessa’s expression fell. She had obviously hoped to impress the Royal Guard, but his expression was probably not what she’d hoped... Cessilia glanced at her cousin and tried to speak up before she really got upset about that remark.

“It is more and more c-common, yes. D-don’t you have any f-female warriors here?”

“Of course not,” retorted Sabael. “It is a man’s duty to serve and protect. It is fine for a woman to work, but who would let their wife, sister, or daughter get injured?”

“So you do want to get married?” immediately asked Tessa, who had recovered quickly. “And have children?”

“Someday, sure...”

Cessilia smiled and purposely walked a bit slower to let Tessa chat all she wanted with the guard. Meanwhile, Nana too went to her side. For a little while now, the young woman had been staring at the sky as if trying to spot something.

“So... uh... How do you call out a dragon?” she asked. “To be honest, I’m a bit nervous because I have never seen a real dragon myself, but I am a bit excited too! It must be huge, right? Since you came with it... Is it really not eating humans anymore? I mean, I am rather... appetizing, I think. It won’t be tempted, right?”

“I p-promise, he won’t,” chuckled Cessilia.

Luckily, they had arrived at the plaza before Nana could bombard her with any more of her endless questions. It was a large circular area, with white cobblestones and a couple of benches but, as Sabael had mentioned, it was mostly abandoned, except for a handful of passersby who wouldn’t even stop. In fact, Cessilia thought this place must have been beautiful in the past, although the trees around had dried out, and that old, decrepit fountain wouldn’t even show a single drop of water...

Their little group stopped, and Tessa raised her arm to gesture for everyone but Cessilia to not step any further. Meanwhile, her cousin slowly moved to the center of the plaza. It was big enough to hold the dragon indeed, as long as Krai didn’t decide to move around too much. Then, she put two fingers in the corner of her mouth, and let out a long, complex whistling song.

“...You can call a dragon like that?” whispered Nana.

“Nope, that’s just Cessi,” said Tessa. “Krai knows how to recognize her voice and her song, he wouldn’t answer anyone else the same. ...Trust me, I tried.”

Sure enough, a shadow quickly appeared in the sky. Cessilia smiled and stepped back a bit, leaving Krai room to land. In the back, Nana and her brother were both completely speechless and, of course, scared. If it wasn’t for Cessilia’s confident smile and Tessa not moving an inch either, they might have really run away. That dragon was gigantic, taking up almost all the space in a plaza that could have held two or three hundred humans, and getting bigger as it slowly landed in front of them.

Krai let out a low-pitched growl, its red eyes fixated on Cessilia. The young woman smiled brightly and walked up to the dragon, her hands behind her back. It turned its head to follow her, tilting it with curious movements.