It was still early in the morning when we crested the last hill that hid the capital from our sight. What a sight it was. Below us, the city of Aurelia sprawled before us, spanning both sides of the Lorn River. We were still about a few hours' journey away, but that was just a testament to the size of the city. The second ruler of Aurelia, Empress Olympias, founded the capital in her brother’s honor. At the time, it was meant to be the largest planned city in history. A few hundred thousand inhabitants could comfortably fit inside its walls. Yet even Olympias in her wisdom had no idea how massive it would become. In the past few hundred years, the population ballooned to around two million residents, far outstripping the capacity of the walled city.

Twelve massive aqueducts fed into the city from all directions like wheel spokes. In keeping with the roman architecture, the buildings were all lightly colored plaster with the familiar, red-tiled roofing. The majority of the which were packed so tightly together that the place turned a sea of red, with only small islands here and there where courtyards and other large buildings interrupted it. Those islands often featured massive arches and rotundas stretching into the sky.

The highways were heavily trafficked. Even as far out as we were, Father had pulled us off the road so our sightseeing wouldn’t cause any problems. All manner of carts and carriages were streaming into and out of the great city, carrying all manner of goods.

“Over there is our destination, your uncle’s workshop is on the outskirts close to the Melvan bridge,” Father said and pointed towards the northern bank of the river. The bridge he pointed to was just at the western edge of the city limits. We reentered the traffic, following it down into the valley. On previous days, we were able to dictate our own speed by galloping and trotting when necessary. But we were currently stifled by the sheer amount of travelers on the road to do as we pleased.

“I thought we would be staying in the guest rooms at the palace?” I replied. Hearing about Father’s status on the first day of travel wasn’t the only shocking bit of news we got. The other was that the Imperial Palace Complex would serve as our accommodations until the semester began.

“You two have a few errands to run before then. It would be embarrassing presenting you to anyone at the palace in that state,” he explained. I looked from him to Larissa before examining myself. The three of us had ridden hard for days, often stopping well into the night. The stench of travel was pervasive cloud around us.

There weren’t exactly city limits. As we approached the capital, houses gradually became more densely built, while farms and ranches got smaller and fewer. It wasn’t until we entered the city proper though, with hundreds of people on the streets and the single story homes were replaced by taller more complex apartment-style buildings, did we veer off the main street we were following. For most of the morning, we wound through small alleys and side streets. The structures were built up and often over the street leaving us in near constant shade.

We finally came to a stop outside some type of apothecary. It was a squat building, half the size of its neighbors. A wooden sign with a pestle and mortar hung above its large green doors. The doors were swung open, while beads hung in the frame obscuring the interior. A steady stream of customers entered and exited holding various medicinal items. Others were being served directly on the street through a large open window to the left of the doors. The three of us dismounted and tied our horses to a nearby rack before entering.

Father led the way. The interior of the shop was filled to the brim with baskets and jars of herbs, premade ointments, and what looked like potions. Plants in baskets hung from the ceilings and walls often around head height. What little room left in the store was crowded out by the commotion of the patrons and the attendants dressed in grey tunics serving them.

A bald man with a bushy ginger beard stood behind the counter to the left of the entrance. He called out a welcome at the noise but didn’t look up from his work. He seemed to be fully engaged in grinding various ingredients together. The man was dressed in ornate green robes that fell in ripples down to his feet.

“Alwein, your greeting leaves much to be desired after all this time,” replied my father. The man’s head shot up from the noise with realization on his face. He handed off his tools to one of the attendants before hopping across the counter and pulling father into a hug.

“I didn’t expect you to be in town for another month!” he said with a laugh.

“I planned to enjoy a longer vacation but received an immediate summons.” He replied.

“Nothing dangerous I hope?” Alwein said.

“More of an annoyance than anything, but I’ll need you to get these two ready for the palace in my stead,” Said father as he gestured with his hand towards us. With that, the man unclutched our father with a slight push.

“Ready them for the Palace today? Next, you’ll tell me to present them to the Grove for you?” He replied.

“Well, yes I had hoped you would do that too,” said Father.

“Impossible, can’t you see how busy the shop is today!” Alwein replied.

“Clearly, but this is your precious niece and nephew we are talking about,” said father.

“But the-,”

“And a desperate request from you only brother,” said Father cutting him off.

“Fine brother-in-law,” said Alwein in a condescending tone. “I will leave this place unattended for the rest of the day.”

“It’s hardly unattended, Pallus over there has been with you for ten years,” said father motioning towards the man who had taken over Alwein’s pestle and mortar when we entered. The man gave us a classic customer service smile at the mention of his name. “Now, I must leave before you waste any more of the emperor’s time.” With that, father said his goodbyes to us, and strode out of the store.

“Well, if anything, it’s good to see you both,” Alwein said to us as he pulled us in for a hug. “Larissa, Gettorix, it must have been about two years now. You’ve both grown too much since then.”

“I am sure this is the normal amount of growth,” replied Larissa.

“For a warrior, I suppose, but for the rest of us that is absolutely not the case,” he said with a chuckle. “even my little Getti is no more.”

“I-,” I began to say something but stumbled with my words. He probably meant that I was no longer a child. But for a second I thought that he meant I was no longer the boy he used to know.

“You’re more right than you know, uncle,” said Larissa in my stead.

“Let’s talk on the way, we’ll be lucky if we make it to the Palace grounds before nightfall at this rate,” Said Alwein. Before we left, he sent a few runners from the shop ahead of us to our destinations and had his servants take our horses. From there we wound our way around the maze of streets in the capital vaguely towards the city center.

Larissa and Alwein chatted away, while we walked; oblivious to the constant bustle that surrounded us. She explained my amnesia and caught him up on the other household news.

“So, little Lya will join the druids like her mother and me?” he replied after hearing about her camouflaged antics.

“Yes, and she’s even tried using her bird’s eyes; though she’s been unsuccessful at this point,” Larissa explained.

“She’s been so good at sneaking around, that I almost never see her unless someone points her out,” I interjected.

“That’s good, her skills will only get more important once the homeland is retaken,” replied Alwein. “And what of you, at this point you must be beating up on all the normal trainees,” he continued.

“No, Larissa and Commander Rodan won’t let me spar with any of the other kids,” I replied. Actually, I wasn’t really sure how strong I was. I couldn’t hold a candle to Larissa, sure. But my bouts with Rodan lasted much longer and I was often able to score a hit here and there.

“Iron sharpens Iron, but cutting through chaff dulls your blade,” Alwein said in a mock studious tone. “Or something like that.” By that point in the conversation, we had arrived at our first destination, the Baths. They consisted of a large complex of buildings supported by columns and arches. They contained various sizes and types of pools and washrooms. There was even room set aside between the buildings for athletic training. While a bath this size was quite popular in the capital, we were thankfully arriving far off the peak hours.

Because of the runner, attendants were more than ready to take our clothes for us and aggressively wash our filth away. From the washrooms, I was led to some type of small heated medicinal bath, as herbs, flowers, and other materials had been mixed into the waters. Finally, there was a cold rinse in one of the large communal pools where I was rejoined by Larrissa. I was admittedly scared about the communal pool, as back on Earth I had read all manner of historical tales about how bad Roman baths were for your health.

But when I asked the attendant about their cleanliness, she laughed it off. Apparently, the bathwater was changed often, and the baths themselves were regularly cleaned. At peak hours, the water was often kept running, so it never stagnated. It certainly wasn’t a chlorinated pool, but at least I wouldn’t have infected wounds. Other than Larissa and me, the only people attending the baths at the time were retirement-aged folks who probably only came for the communal experience, as they had mostly been drinking and playing games throughout the complex. From there, other attendants dressed us in simple robes, before combing our hair and tying it into simple tails.

When we were finally done with the process, Alwein waited for us outside next to a horse-drawn carriage. It was only a short ride to the tailors where we received a few sets of active wear, lounge tunics, and most importantly some ornate formal robes one of which we were to wear out of the shop. Our new attire consisted of mostly long flowing fine cotton without stitching. Instead it was attached at our shoulders via silver clasps which left our arms bare. A thick and wide green ribbon of fabric cinched the robes to our waists giving them shape.

Our last destination before entering the palace complex had been the main temples. Very few worshiped the Dryad at this point, mostly because there had never been many Lysians after its destruction. Their numbers only dwindled over time as well. From what I learned there were only a few families left that even manifested powers. But the Lysians and their Dryad had played an important enough role in the founding of the empire to warrant a place in the temples next to all the other more established deities. This place, called the grove, was a small outdoor temple. Compared to the largest religion in the empire, the cult of Sol, the Grove was minuscule.

It was customary to pay a visit to the Grove whenever a follower of the Dryad stayed at the capital for extended periods. As the Batvi family had been away from the capital for years, either following our father on campaign or now living in the Roose, this would be the first time even Larissa had been to the Grove since she was a child. Our place of worship consisted of a stone circle interlaced with seven trees. They in turn circled around a statue placed inside a clear pond. It must have been a replica of the Dryad, as it was a stone statue of a tree inside which stood a beautiful naked woman. A small columned temple sat adjacent to the grove and was bedecked in all manner of cultivated plant life. Vines strangled the support columns, while flowers and bushes hung from its ceiling. Other than the greco-roman temple, the Grove felt oddly out of place; far more Celtic than anything else in the city.

Seven women in thick black robes, their face obscured by veils tended to trees. They went around silently pruning dead branches, watering, and even applying mulches to their soil. As we approached, one of them peeled off and greeted us.

“Are you here to pay your respects Master Alwein?” she inquired. She hadn’t asked his name, before dropping it. I couldn’t tell if that meant he was important or if it was just a reflection of how few followers of the Dryad were left.

“Two of the lady’s champions must be presented and given the rites,” he replied and gestured towards us. Hearing that we were champions, the woman pulled her veil to the side exposing her bright green eyes. For a moment, her irises became slits resembling a predator as they flicked between the two of us before they returned to normal.

“More Batvi’s? It seems your parents are earnestly taking up the mantle,” she said with a smile. “Now come with me.” She grabbed us by the hands and pulled us into the circle. With a few commands, the other robed women dropped what they were doing and began preparing for us. Two of the women dipped water from the ponds. Another two brought out a few small urns and cushions. While the last of them returned from the temple carrying an assortment of freshly cut flowers and stemmed leaves and small fruits.

We were pulled to kneel on the cushions which had been placed at the edge of the pool. From there, the two women with water jugs held them to our mouths and bid us drink. It was cold and unexpectedly sweet. Fruits were placed in our mouths and we ate, this time I was surprised at its sourness. While that happened, the other women worked our hair into a large braid that fell down our backs while interlacing our heads with the flowers and plants. Green paste from the urns heavily painted our eyelids and lips, while smaller amounts were rubbed into our cheeks dying them a slight green. With that completed, the lead woman recited a lyrical chant in some language I didn’t understand before she flicked water from the pond onto the top of our head.

“Our lady gives her blessings, may the two of gain strength and use it in her name,” said the lead woman after switching back to the common tongue. Larissa solemnly nodded and thanked her for the blessing. I awkwardly followed suit. Back on Earth, I wasn’t exactly religious. If the books were to be believed though, the Dryad was a goddess capable of bestowing blessings, or at least she was before the fall of Lysia. It was also weird to be wearing make-up. I had come to terms with the robes and tunics, I no longer minded the armored skirts. I was fine with my hair being kept long and often styled as well. But between the green makeup and flowers in my hair, I felt positively feminine.

Not wanting to cause a religious faux pa I waited to express this discomfort when we were comfortably alone in the cabin of the carriage. “Why the makeup? Only women had it on for the banquet,” I asked no one in particular as we traveled along the streets.

“It’s not a woman thing,” Larissa said with laughter in her voice. “It marks you as a full-fledged Lysian, you’ll be expected to be adorned with it on every formal occasion from now on, especially religious ones,” she explained.

“Why only now?”

“The head caretaker must make the decision to allow it. She judged that your body had fully integrated the powers. Otherwise, you would have just been given the fruits and flowers,” interjected Alwein.

The temple grounds were inside the old city walls, which meant the palace complex was only a short ride away. The old city stood in stark contrast to the rest of the capital. Here the buildings were much larger and more spaced out. Most of them were massive noble villas while a few monuments like triumphal arches and colossal statues could be found throughout the city. The streets were wider and often adorned with greener. Even the alleyways had extra space.

Yet even among the sprawling noble villas and mansions, the palace complex was on another level. Surrounded by an ornately decorated curtain wall, hundreds of buildings rose from behind it. Topped with red-tiled roofs and large gilded domes, the massive complex projected the power and wealth of the imperial family. With just one look, it became obvious that the ruler of a sprawling empire resided there.

Soon enough we arrived at a large set of gold gilded gates, around which stood a few guards checking credentials as other carriages arrived before allowing them in. Unlike the guards at the city gates or the waystations, these were dressed in attire fitting the palace complex. They wore bronzed cuirasses adorned with muscle indentations, large shoulder guards, with a billowing white capes. While the majority of them wore heavy imperial helmets, the lead guard that reviewed each passenger was helmetless.

It was only when they began checking our names on the guestlist did I realize who they were. The head guard was clearly an Arretian. His hair was cut short with a clean-shaven face, though his most striking traits were the patchwork of red scales that could be seen on his face and scales and the ridged horns that curled around his head. His dragon-like eyes examined everything in the area. The day-to-day guards of the palace were called the Palatini. They were made up exclusively of noblemen from Arretia, often from minor houses or the secondary children from larger ones. It was a tradition that stretched back to the first emperor, who took a few hundred Arietians volunteers as his first command when he was still young. He trained them relentlessly and they followed him for the rest of his life.

Safely through the gates, we were sent to the Castle of Water. The complex had a few distinct villas, The largest and most ornate was called the Emperor’s Seat. Inside was most of the administrative offices as well as the emperor’s quarters. The Castle of Water was one of the smaller villas, built in a secluded section of the complex. It served as the quarters for all the lesser princes and princesses of the royal family, the ones far from the succession.

The Castle of Water lived up to its name, though. Two wide but thin waterfalls fell from the front roof and shrouded the entrance. From afar it appeared as if the entryway stairs disappeared under them, but up close it was clear they were offset by a few meters so that one could enter without getting wet. The waterfalls pooled into a pond that surrounded the castle itself. Various other fountains and waterworks adorned the castle, though apart from that it looked like most other villas in the complex, with its white marble, columns, and arches. Servants waited outside to take our luggage as we exited the carriage. Alwein said his goodbyes, telling us to visit whenever we wished, as the carriage turned around. And with that, we were ushered inside.