Heirs of the Gods

Ch 27: Brineport

Brineport was stunning, simply put.

The petrium, atop a slight slope, had a perfect view of the bustling downtown area. Despite the cold weather, it overflowed with people. Wide cobbled streets were lined with all sorts of shops, street vendors bellowing the prices of their goods and hurried shoppers and townspeople dodging carriages and other busy shoppers.

All types of fae mingled in the streets. A troll woman pulling along small, unruly children; a gaggle of nymph girls cooing over colourful dresses in front of a seamstress shop; a phooka milkmaid selling her wares; a scowling goblin atop a carriage, attempting to swerve out of the tumult of traffic.

Colourful rooftops and busy, sprawling cobbled streets, all buzzing and alive. And right atop it all, nestled between the colossal mountains, stood the palace--proud and imposing, a guardian protecting everything in its sight. The numerous stone towers and spires poked into the grey autumn sky, like prongs of a crown. A gloomy and magnificent sight.

"Oh," Ella breathed, eyes bright and open in child-like wonder. Her hands were clasped under her chin as she unconsciously bounced slightly, entranced with the picturesque vision of the town.

"It's a port city, that's where the name comes from," Aedion said. Ella looked up at him, still starry-eyed and pink-cheeked from the excitement, wondering if he was taking in the stunning, scenic image she was seeing, but he only seemed to be observing her. A faint smile played on his lips.

"Brine." Aedion gestured behind her, and she turned.

The town was built on high terrain above the busy docks and the choppy sea, where frothy waves lapped at the ivory shores. The enormous, expansive docks reached out into the sea, home to a multitude of sailors and fishermen corralling around cargo ships and fishing boats, hauling crates and items on and off.

"It's lovely," she said softly, smiling brightly as salty breeze kissed her cheeks, chilly and slightly misty. She was too stunned to manage anything more eloquent. "It's unlike anything I've ever laid eyes on."

"It is, isn't it?" Aedion hummed in response, clasping his hands behind his back as he looked out over the sea. His windswept, inky hair and the gentle smile curling over his lips made him look boyishly charming and carefree. Thoughtlessly handsome and devoid of the pressure of the past days.

Ella found herself smiling right back at him, tentative and genuine. He blinked slowly and shook a strand away from his eyes.

"Come," he turned and gestured for her to follow. "You'll like the rest of the town even more."

"I've never seen such a pretty place," she broke out of her stupor to follow Aedion into the steady flow of people. "It's so busy. I've visited villages in Cereas and there weren't nearly as many people, or so varied at that."

"Cereas is more of an agricultural Kingdom. Of course, there are larger villages and towns, but mostly there are a lot of farmers and rural communities," Aedion explained as they waved in and out of the congested streets. "They produce most of the food and export that to other Kingdoms. Cereas is slightly larger than Gerrathea, but Gerrathea is still the richest Kingdom. The docks attract a lot of movement, and with it, all sorts of people. Gerrathea, especially Brineport, is just a hotchpotch sort of place with fae from different places, even other kingdoms." He gestured towards himself with a flourish and a crooked grin, "Like yours truly."

"Imported, how very exotic," she jested, between her attempts to dodge people. "What does Gerrathea do? You know, if Cereas produces most food, what do they do here?" It didn't help that she couldn't actually see where she was going, not over the tumultuous crowd.