King of Alacrya

Chapter 2: Welcome To Alacrya

NOTE: Special thanks to Vorvor for helping me figure out the capital city of Alacrya!

"Hello, please allow me to be the first to welcome you to Alacrya."

The crowd was gathered a few hundred yards away from the portal, surrounded by a security force that had been sent to meet them and watch them all closely. Nearby were three large carriages waiting to transport the country's visitors to the capital. The woman greeting the arrivals had long midnight blue hair, bright ruby eyes, and a friendly smile which had a reassuring effect on the nervous crowd who still weren't overly sure what to expect.

"I'm pretty sure the soldier who gave me a very thorough pat down was the first to welcome me," Claire muttered out of the side of her mouth, causing Tessia to jab her in the ribs with her elbow. Claire winced sharply but dutifully shut up.

"My name is Ceara of Highblood Denoir and I will be your guide and point person during your stay. Please feel free to come to me with any questions or requests." Their guide, Caera, was dressed smartly in dark blue suit trousers and a matching jacket over the top of a light blue blouse. She seemed perfectly at ease addressing everyone and not even remotely perturbed by the numerous armed personnel surrounding her.

Tessia couldn't help being ever so slightly in awe of her confidence. "Accommodation has been set up for everyone in Taegrin Caelum," that revelation caused a stir and a wave of whispers throughout the crowd, "Itineraries for your visit will be handed out during the journey to the Royal Palace. Over the course of these two weeks, you will be given plenty of opportunity to meet this country's citizens and see the sights. Everyone has also been randomly given set slots during their time here with His Highness, the prime minister, and other key officials."

"Damn." Clive murmured under his breath.

"What's wrong?" Tessia questioned quietly, keeping an ear out as Caera began to read out which carriage each groups should get on.

"Random slots. It's a lottery on who gets to make the first impression and talk to their dignitaries." Clives grumbled with a shake of his head.

"A lottery we could win...", Tessia said, trying to put an optimistic outlook on the situation.

"Yeah, right." Claire scoffed, earning herself another poke to the side.

"Claire's right, we should work under the presumption we are not going to get the first opportunity." Clive regrettably agreed, reaching down to pick up the bag that he had set down by his feet as the crowd began to disperse to their various allocated coaches.

"Okay so we just need to make sure we make a better impression than the others. We can do that right?" Tessia cheered, trying to amp up her unimpressed friends with a wide, encouraging grin on her face.

"Nice try, Tess." Clive said patting her shoulder compassionately, ignoring her hand and making to move past her whilst Claire moved her hand in a 'so-so' motion to rate her effort. Tessia instantly deflated, her hand dropping back to her side. "Come on, we're on carriage number two. We can come up with a better plan when we get to the Palace." Clive called back over his shoulder.

"We're staying in Taegrin Caelum, how cool is that?" Claire squeaked out, skipping away excitedly at the notion.

Tessia let her two friends rush ahead of her, choosing to walk after them at a far more sedate pace. Despite being one of the last ones to board the coach, Tessia was lucky enough to grab a window seat allowing her to continue to stare unabashedly at the scenery. Tessia took it all in gleefully, noting the differences in the architecture of the towns they drove through. Timber houses seemed to be the staple, all of them individualized with different colors and decorations. She also noted how, even though Alacrya had been cut off for years, their technology appeared to not only match the capabilities of Dicathen but surpassed it in many other ways. She was especially excited when she saw tracks sprawling across the city. She had heard of the invention of trains during her research and was excited to see if she would get the chance to go on one. During the two-hour journey, Tessia took copious notes and observations, generating an array of questions to go alongside everything she saw.