《Ares' Witch》Welcome to Otha

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Isara was not like Algeva. The first thing Ari noticed was that the soil was more dry here in Otha than on the other side of the mountain range. The city gates were heavily guarded by strong, fully-armored men. There was a tall stone wall that surrounded the city, wide enough for guards to walk along it and scout the surrounding area. Heavy, solid wood double doors opened for the caravan and the guardsmen bowed at the hip while the carriages passed through. Inside Isara, everything seemed… cold. The border wall casted lengthy shadows over the city. Guards patrolled the dusty streets regularly. The air seemed almost stifling to Ari. There was a significant lack of color in both the construction and the citizens themselves. Most clothing was a neutral gray, brown, or tan and buildings were made of stone and wood. But it was as if Othans didn't know what paint was. Or didn't care. There was not much of a "bazaar" along the main roads, with almost all of the shops running from inside of the buildings themselves instead of the tents and tables located outside that Ari was used to. It made the mood seem less carefree. The surprisingly pale residents who wanted to buy something here would usually go into a shop with a purpose, as opposed to merchants displaying their goods enthusiastically and calling people over to them. Also, the buildings were very tall, some two or three windows high. Atrana didn't have very many buildings that tall, most were one-story constructs, maybe with a small loft or attic of sorts. Even the Atranian palace's main roof was about the height of a regular two-story building here.

Then, the dirt road gave way to cobblestone and they came upon the castle. It was hard to miss. If Ari wasn't used to three-story buildings, the Othan castle was another world entirely. It was almost as tall as a mountain and about as wide as one, too. Ari had read about some countries having astonishingly large homes such as this, but it was completely different to see it in person and not as words on a page. The castle was… intimidating. She could see why very few countries would choose to attack Otha with a capital city as threatening as Isara.

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Another gate opened for them to lead onto the castle grounds. There was plant life inside but it mostly consisted of trees (several kinds of oak and a few others), ivy vines climbing up the castle walls, and weed-like, spiky grass. Nothing even close to the soft, luscious greenery that Atrana boasted. Ari bit her lip and thought uneasily about her herbs. She had wanted to start a garden, since she needed the herbs for talking to Athena and practicing medicine. It would take a lot more time and effort than she was expecting to get a garden started in unyielding soil like this. Luckily she had a decent supply stocked to bring along when the news of her engagement was sprung upon her. But it wouldn't last forever.

The carriage drew to a stop as the road wrapped in a circle in front of the palace. The middle of the circle path housed a water fountain with a statue on top. The statue was of a man holding a tall, curved spear with a round shield strapped to his other arm. The face of the statue was covered by a helmet but whoever built this statue did not leave out the muscles. It was a large man.

Finally, everyone stepped away from the caravan. A collective relief was felt amongst them as the journey came to an end and they didn’t have to endure the constant movement anymore. Nobody wanted to so much as look at another horse and carriage for weeks to come. The guards began unpacking as maids rushed out of the palace to instruct them on where to go and to greet the arriving royals. Ari glanced at her own maids who were issuing orders to the palace maids as well. It was a strange sight to see. The maids of the castle wore cream and gray colored dresses with tan aprons tied around their waists while Milli and Jannah were dressed in lovely matching lilac gowns. It seemed like Ari's maids were of a higher station somehow, or the Othan maids were of lower station somehow, and she wondered if that was normal here.

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As Arell noticed Ari's observations, he touched her arm gently. "We should greet my father first," he told her and Ari nodded in agreement with a small smile. The sun was beginning to set already and she was getting hungry, so she really wanted to get introductions out of the way as quickly as possible. Their personal guards trailed behind them as he led her inside the palace through a few large, under-decorated halls until he stopped in front of a set of double doors and knocked on them. Ari watched as Arell straightened his shoulders and she tensed up nervously herself.

"Yes, come in," they heard a deep voice reply tersely. Arell threw Ari a tight smile before opening one of the doors and sweeping inside.

There was a long table where several men stood. Some were dressed in nice nobles' tunics of dark colors and some men wore light armor. At the end of the table was a grand chair that a tall, middle-aged man in a rich purple and gold tunic stood in front of, clearly the forerunner of this meeting. He had salt and pepper hair and matching stubble on his strong face. His narrowed eyes were a striking light green and Ari knew instantly that he was Arell's father. He had the same cold, austere aura about him that Arell did as well. As there were no windows in this room, Ari gently flipped back the front part of her veil and bowed to the king in respect at the same time that her fiancé did.

"King Titus, we have returned," Arell announced and he stood up straight. Ari noticed how he referred to the king: 'King Titus' instead of 'Father'.

There were whispers among the men in the room as they inspected a flamboyantly dressed Arell and the woman that entered with their prince. To them, Ari must have seemed as foreign as Otha was to her. King Titus' gaze shifted behind Arell to Ari, as well, and a warm smile spread across his callous face while his eyes softened, causing all whispers to cease immediately. The King strode right past Arell and up to Ari, taking her hands in his.

"Welcome to Otha, Princess Arinja. It's wonderful to finally meet you in person," the deep voice uttered tenderly. Ari froze in her place with an awkward smile, looking to Arell for help. But considering his cocked eyebrow and look of bewilderment, it didn't seem like he was going to offer any explanation here.

King Titus let go of Ari's hands to wave his hand in the air as he turned to the men, shooing them out. "That's all for today. You're dismissed," his voice reverted back to a serious tone while addressing them. The men blinked, then shuffled out, resuming their gossiping as they exited. Titus turned back to Ari and Arell. "You must be tired and hungry. Let's go eat dinner, shall we?"

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