Of Dragon Riders and Shadows

Chapter Eleven - The City

"I will be honoured to fulfill the council's wishes, and show the heirs of the four lines the beauty of the City." Rex nodded his head, and accepted the bag of coins with minimal grimacing.

Council-approved outings never ended well for him, so he was definitely not filled with joy at the prospect of bowing to these demands. With every night he and the others set out into the skies, the more his acceptance of the council and their rule wore thin.

Yet there was nothing he could do about it, except to nod and obediently follow the ruling body that fervently wished for his untimely demise.

"Very well. I must go to the War Room. Your sword lessons will resume tomorrow, at the first morning bell." The Governor inclined his head in respect to the crown that sat on Rex's head, and strode away.

While it was still quite early in the morning, a fact that his sleep-deprived body was not appreciative of, Rex was aware of how quickly rest days trickled away until there was no more time. In order to fulfill his council-mandated duty, they had to begin their excursion as soon as possible.

Rex shrugged on his second-tier formal clothes, grimacing at how tight they were. It seemed that a visit to the Head Seamstress was in order, because none of his clothes were fitting properly these days. Breakfast consisted of a few rolls he had hidden away in his quarters, and after one last look in the mirror he set off to find his friends.

He made his way from the royal quarters to the guest wings, relishing every burn of muscle and each ache. Rex had earned these, and they were proof of the validity of their nightly patrols, as Adrien had taken to call them.

First he knocked on Ander's door.

"You're ready," Rex commented in a pleased voice. It seemed that the others had been woken up and told of the excursion as well.

"Yes. I am rather excited to finally explored the famed capital city of Thallium." With that, Ander stepped out of his rooms, closed the door, and gestured for Rex to move on toward Adrien's door.

Eventually, Rex had gathered all of them, and led the way. "I will be your guide today," he reminded them as they walked through the palace, all the way to the entrance.

Unlike usual, they barely encountered anyone during their trek. There were no petitioners today, and most of the inhabitants of the Gray Palace were at temple, in the City, or in their rooms. 'Twas a rest day, after all.

"Will there be an escort?" Adrien queried as they reached the main visitor entrance.

"You mean, guards?"

Adrien nodded his assent to Rex.

"No. The Gray Palace is right beside the City, so there is little need for an escort on the way. Swordsmen will watch us from the walls here, intervening only if necessary, and once in the City they will supervise us from their guard posts.

"The council has never seen fit to grant me an escort when going anywhere within the Capital. Unless you and your families have personally requested constant protection, the same applies."

"No, you're right," replied Ander. "At home – at least within the Ravens estate, and I cannot speak for the others, I'm allowed free reign of movement. My parents felt that a personal guard shadowing me at all times would lead to less resilience."

"Same," Adrien said, and Xatho and Athol nodded to indicate this was true for them as well.

"Besides," that was Ander, gesturing expansively at the cobbled path before them, the Gray Palace behind, and the walls of the City in front of them, "they all believe that the current danger lies everywhere but the Capital."