The Sword Saints

12. Fall of the Father

(Shu)

"The path of Justice is one of righteousness and is a powerful force. But beware; do not become consumed by the pursuit of wickedness. Justice can become Vengeance, and nothing done out of Vengeance ever ends well."

- The Book of Justice: Ch. 5: verse 1.

The trip to the capital was supposed to be a three-week long journey, but Asha managed to get them there in three days. She'd been right; she got Shu there much, much faster. Nevertheless, three days with her... those were some strange days to be sure. Asha wasn't fond of silence he came to realize quickly. She hardly ever stayed quiet. Shu mostly just listened as she prattled on and on about random things.

She was a handful, but Shu did love when they were on the move. She would grab him by the arm and then they'd be off flying down the roads, zooming faster than even the speediest stallions. He loved the wind against his face and sights of the zooming landscapes around him. The colors of the world all blended together into a breathtaking mosaic.

It was hard to look at Asha's legs when she ran. In fact, it was difficult to move at all when they were at such speeds. However, when he did get a look, her legs were simply a blur.

It was an interesting journey indeed, but it was over now. They had arrived, and it was time to do what he came to do.

The two of them came to a grinding halt right inside the huge white walls of the capital. They loomed four stories high and cast a dark shadow over them and the dozens of other people that were making their way in and out of the capital. Travelers and merchants, soldiers and beggars all. Soldiers stood vigilant on the palisades and watched them as they came. Everyone watched them. Dozens of eyes were on them and Shu didn't like it one bit. He wasn't surprised though as they had been going so fast and had suddenly appeared. He understood their gapes; he knew what it was like to see Asha and her powers for the first time.

His lovely Sword Saint guide loved the attention. She beamed and waved at the people staring and gave a mock bow to the soldiers on the wall. Then she grabbed Shu by his wrist and dragged him through the wide-eyed crowd. She led him through a maze of white walled alleyways and dense marketplaces and over small canals and through more and more crowds. By the time she stopped in a large open square teaming with people, he was in a daze.

Shu could barely comprehend the magnificence of the city, of the sheer brilliance of Whitemarch. His eyes were still barely adjusting to the overwhelming amounts of white. White streets and white buildings and white walls. White everything and white everywhere. After living a life of greens and browns, the stark contrast of the capital from his home was quite a shock to Shu. It pained his eyes.

It was like he was standing in a city made of the sun.

He did his best to acclimate himself as Asha stood a foot away from him, her cheeks puffed and pouty and her fists on her hips, expectant of something. He ignored her and looked to the north and his breath caught in his throat. In the distance, towering over the city, were the great slopes of the White and Black Peaks, the two mountain ranges that dominated the northern border of Anglova. Shu had heard that the two ranges met at the site where the Glacier Palace was built. He didn't know if that was true, but it sounded fantastic. He couldn't see the palace from where he stood, but he was sure it was a sight to behold.

Someone cleared their throat beside him and he turned back to Asha to find her still staring at him with that pouting face of hers. "What?" he asked her with a raised brow.